Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Back From Our Backpacking Trip with Miles

Just got back yesterday from our seven day backpacking trip with Miles in the incredibly beautiful Gila Wilderness. We are so lucky to have this area virtually in our back yard. Even if you live back East you should consider a visit if you love the back country. Drop a few bucks with our local merchants on the way in.

There are so many memories from the trip it's hard to pick one to get started with. Miles had a wonderful time of course. There is nothing quite like the unfettered freedom of the wilderness for a dog like Miles. We were fortunate to have had some test runs with him and we used all that learning to good advantage.

A Girl and Her Dog

I've written lots about the unique relationships we have with our dogs and cats. I've written extensively about our dog Miles and the effect he's had on my wife and I since we took him in last winter. He's a special dog and we both love him.  

Lately though, I've noticed something interesting.

Miles is my wife's dog. Oh, he likes me and he's happy to see me in the morning when I come up the steps. He wags his tail and gives me a nice greeting, but he's really waiting for Chris to come up stairs. When he sees her his whole body wiggles and his tail wags and it seems that he even smiles. He's excited to see her and the feeling is mutual.

Gotta Love that Dog's Tongue!

Oh my word! I got all caught up in this fabulous video from Fido friendly and it made my day! It's a bit long, but well worth it. Enjoy!

The Grumpy Old Lady Has a Fit

And rightly so! Honestly, how often do I have to tell Tom and Mom that I am not happy about Snotface (that's the ferret - I finally figured out his name). He's such a busy-body!

Just the other day I was minding my own business - I routinely mind my own business, as it's the only business in the house worth minding, and...out of nowhere, that ferret shoved his nose in my belly!

OMC! (oh my cat!) What's up with that? I gave him the loudest hiss I could and even batted at his head a few times. HISS-HJISS-HISS---- BATBATBAT -- HISS-HISS-HISS... But, he KEPT nosing around from my belly to my whiskers!

A Shocking Experience for Miles

Poor Miles. He rarely gets a harsh word around our house. He's so handsome and intelligent, he's hard to criticize. As such, he's not used to punishment. Well, that ended last week with snake training.

As you all know I'm a big fan of rewards based training where you reward for the right behavior until it becomes habit. Try as I might, I can't think of a way to teach a dog to avoid something they would be naturally curious about. Like a snake.

 

Aversion training relies on a certain degree of pain. According to our trainer, you want the dog to associate a rattlesnake with a really bad experience. In this case, a shock collar.

Saturday's Pet Bloggers Blog Hop! W00t!

Oh my, when I found out about the Saturday Pet Blogger's Blog Hop, I hopped around my desk and sang a little tune! Good thing no one could hear me! BOL

Over at Two Little Cavaliers (are they not adorable??? yes, you have to click the link to see them), this weekly event has been picking up steam for many weeks! I am embarrassed to say this is our first time participating. But, we are finally in the groove!

Along with Life with Dogs (omg! what a fabulous blog!) and Confessions of the Plume! aka BabyPatches (some pet peoplee so creative and talented, aren't they?)... this idea was created to introduce more pet bloggers to each other. Hop around and visit old furr-friends, and find new furr-friends at each blog.

The Grumpy Old Lady Shares 10 Reasons Cats Are Better than Dogs

I hope no one took Mom's post on why dogs are better than cats, seriously. Seriously, she was joking! How could she not be joking - she lives with me!

After looking at that post, and sitting on her desk for an hour giving her the evil eye (she hates it when I do that)...I decided I should write a better post. A post setting things straight!

Here are 10 Reasons CATS are WAY better than dogs:

1. They're cats. What's better than that? Hmph!

Do You Treat your Partner as Well as You Treat your Pet?

Probably not, according to an article I came across on a psychology blog by way of the NYT's website. It's written by a Psychologist named Suzanne Phillips who is heavily involved in couples research. Her contention is that we can learn lots about dealing with our significant others by observing how we deal with our pets.

My wife Chris is an excellent example of what Dr. Phillips is talking about. While she doesn't treat me quite as well as she treats Miles, she does a pretty good job.

 

I, on the other hand, have a lot to learn by watching Chris and Miles.

The Grumpy Old Lady loves...

her FURminator!

Wabby here... it's true.

I love my FURminator! I don't know why Mom was hiding it for all these years. Surely, she was...hiding it, I mean.

Are Dog Parks Safe?

I was doing some research for a couple of summer health tip posts and I came across something about dog parks that I hadn't thought about before. Dog parks can be hazardous to you dog's health unless you take the right precautions.

We love the dog park. It's a great place to socialize your dog and meet people that share your love of critters.

 

For single dudes with dogs it's a great place to show how sensitive you are and meet a nice woman. We take Miles at least once a week and he can tell when we are getting close. He loves the place.