Ok, the last post of the pics tonight, sort of went before I meant for it to, BUT I am still working out the kinks which is why I have not posted anything else LOL! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks! I am proof you can. Everything I have figured out I have figured it out on my own thru trial and error and sometimes being SCARED to death I will mess up my laptop but so far so good. I have finally (I think) figured out how to tie my blog to Pinterest to get more traffic. Don't want to really do FB--way too public for me although I have been given NUMEROUS ideas on groups I could join and tie my blog that way which to me is doable. I have a lot of ideas--really creative ways to tie to Pinterest and I have read numerous articles I want to tie to Pinterest as well so I think I am on my way...I will be reposting some of my earlier post now I know how to tie to Pinterest--another reason I haven't put a new post on, but they're coming. So for now, about bed time...

It took me all weekend to figure out how to do what I am trying to do and I still haven't figured it all out.  I have not been on the blog in about a week because I am still trying to work out some kinks.  I have so much to post when I do.  In the meantime, be patient, I'll get it together!!!  Now if I can just figure out how to get my post to the right side of this pic LOL!!!

Just found the post I mentioned of the mixed breed dog I mentioned in the previous post.  He was 20 when he died.  His name was Schoep.  Haven't figured out and don;t know if I can even share it on my blog.
Those of you who are dog lovers will definitely remember this dog and man.

I am titling this "Your Pet is not a piece of Furniture " for s very good reason.  So many people get a pet and its not what they think it should be, doesn't mind, gets too big, etc so the discard it like its a piece of old furniture.  This makes me furious.  It doesn't make any difference the type mixed breed or purebred, no pet deserves this.  When you get a pet and we'll start with puppies, you are making a commitment to that dog for anywhere between birth and 18 - 20 years depending on the breed. Yorkies for example that are in good health can live up to 18 - 20 years.  Shocking but true.  There was a mixed breed dog in which a You Tube video went viral a few years back because the owner would take the dog to a Lake I believe he lived in Michigan every early evening to help the dog get to sleep because it helped the dogs arthritis.  A VERY touching story.  When the dog died I believe he or she was 17.  I will need to find the video and share it. The point being no matter the type of dog you are committing to taking care of that dog for the life of that dog.  If you can't do --do not get a dog.  The are some legitimate reasons to rehome a dog although now days there are not many in my book, death of the owner would be one, if you end up in the service or travel a lot would be a couple of others but that is something you need to consider BEFORE you get a dog.  Moving too--now days is NOT a good excuse as MANY places now will allow dogs. 

Parents DO NOT get a puppy for your small child unless you plan on training that child to carefully handle that small  dog.  Many small breeds do not do good with children.  Pay attention to the type of dog you are getting.  I hear of a lot of parents getting Lab puppies for their young children then the Labs end up in shelters because they grow up to be big dogs and are too much for the parents and kids to handle.  Labs need a job, they need activity they can be destructive if they don't have exercise.  ANY dog can be destructive if they don't have much exercise or a job to do.  A lot of pets end up in shelters because people automatically think the doesn't need to be trained --they want a dog they can just bring home and it will do everything right.  You have to potty train a dog.  You have to teach the dog like you do a child.  The dog HAS to know what is expected just like a child.  If he or she does not know, they will invent things to do right or wrong.  Mixed breed or purebred, a dog HAS to be taught.  Mixed breeds might be the perfect dog for a young child.  I would strongly suggest staying away from puppy mills and back yard breeders.  If you are looking for a particular breed. Check your local breed rescue groups.  Do keep in mind some of these dogs may have issues that you will need to work thru with the dog.  You don't know the circumstances these dogs have come from but I will tell you MOST of the rescue groups work with these dogs before placing them and the dogs if you have a special place in your heart to be able to continue to work with that dog it will be well worth it.  Go to your local Shelter if you are not wanting a specific breed.  Go to a kill shelter, there may be a deserving dog on Doggie Death row in need of a home.  Make sure you get as much history on the dog as you can so you will know what or if there are any health issues.   My step daughter got a boxer from I will not name the shelter--it was not a breed rescue place I will say that but it is in Mississippi, had to put a couple of thousand dollars in the dog only to loose her just a few short months after getting her because she was not thorughly tested for diseases. She was not told on the front end the dog had issues.
  It killed her when she lost her.  Needless to say she didn't go to the shelter again.

Ok, stopping for now but this will be a continuing blog. So until the next post.

Wanted to add a little more tonight on mixed breed dogs.  There is nothing AT ALL wrong with a mixed breed pet.  We had one when we were kids a Maltipoo but unfortunately the reason there are so many dogs in shelters is due to irresponsible pet ownership, I cannot emphasize this enough and most of t
hem are mixed breed and strays because people don't spay and neuter their pets.  Again next segment is the" Furniture" one

Well, finally got brave enough to get back on this.  Still don't really know what I.m doing but I have to start somewhere.  One reason I started or am trying to start this is to educate I guess "beginner" pet owners for lack of a better name.  You hear purebred pet owners that don't like or don't understand the reason for mixed breeds and mixed breed people who don't like or don't understand the purpose for purebreds.  While I am by no means an expert there is this thing called common sense and I do a LOT of research so I am hoping to dispel, educate, etc .  Since I and my husband are purebred owners I will discuss this first.  Apparently many dog owners do not know there is a very definite reason for purebreds.  These dogs were bred for specific traits to accomplish a specific task.  Many of these have developed over hundreds of years.  For example, the Poodle many do not know was one of if not the first retreivers--yes a poodle.  It wasn't made to be the Fu Fu dogs like many people think.  Labs, Goldens are Retreivers...there are many other types out there developed in different countries for the sole purpose of retreiving for hunters.  Collies, Shelties, Shephards are just some examples of herding dogs.  Bred for the sole purpose of herding cattle, sheep, ducks etc.  Terriers are earth dogs "ratters" as they are sometimes called.  Look up the meaning of "terrier" and that will explain this breed of dog.  So the next time you as a mixed breed dog person decide to demean a purebred dog person understand again these were bred for specific purposes and this is the reason purebreds exist.  One of the oldest purebreds is a Basenji and a Saluki.  There are others these are just 2.  Grab an encyclopedia or now days Wikipedia on the Internet or just type in the purebred you are interested in and its amazing what you can learn..  I have yet to see a mixed breed dog herd, flush out ducks or retreive.  Thats not to say there is not a purpose for them as well.  Most people don;t set out to purposely breed mixed breed dogs particularly with 6 or 7 dogs in the mix.  That is called irresponsible pet ownership by not spaying or neutering.  And yes there are irresponsible purebred owners as well we all know they are there.  They are called puppy mills.  These are people more interested in the dollar signs than bettering the breed. Now for the mixed breeds dogs.  First and foremost these are primarily again products of irresponsible breeders and not spaying and neutering which fall on irresponsible pet owners.  A lot of people won't like this but tough--its true.  Without irresponsible pet parents, breeders etc there would be no mixed breed dogs.  People again did not set out to "breed" mixed breeds.  Now on the opposite side, for those who are not interested in a specific breed for a specific purpose these dogs have a purpose as well.  There are things you can do with mixed breed dogs if you choose. Agility, Obedience --I think you can do Rally and Flyball as well.  The sad thing is on both side because of irresponsible pet parents and breeders you see many of these dogs on both sides in Shelters, Rescues, on Doggy Death Row etc.  The main reason for this blog again is to educate and maybe somehow save some dogs from the irresponsible humans that breed and own them.  My husband and I have 5 we know purebred dogs.  The 2 smallest ones a Yorkie and a Pom most likely from an irresponsible backyard breeder (the Yorkie) and the Pom was purchased from a Flea Market by my step-daughter 7 years ago.  We have her thank goodness because my son - in - law is allergic to dogs with undercoat.  Flea market pups should be your first clue about how the dog was bred.  Both have health issues.  The Yorkie will be 14 in March and is losing coat--nicely bred Yorkies do not have that issue even at that age and the Pom has had Alopecia since birth--she just turned 7, again a bad breeding issue.  Many of your mixed breeds have issues as well contrary to what people think they know or want to believe.

Ok, its late so I will use this as my stopping place for tonight.  The next issue is treating your new dog, pup right.  I guess I need to title it : "Your Pet is not a piece of Furniture";   Keep your furrkids safe.  Love them unconditionally because that's how they love you.

4 of our Angels

Well, by the time I REALLY get this started, looks like I will already have a lot on it.  Went to the vet yesterday w/Nala (our oldest, a Yorkie) for her checkup among other issues I wanted to have checked out and came back SOOOO frustrated.  Her check up was fine and by all appearances so is her blood panel.  Will find out for sure this week .Nala's issue is and always has been allergies.  Her hair has NEVER grown like a Yorkie's should.  I thought ALL AKC registered dogs were good dogs--WRONG!!!I was so new and green when we got Nala I thought getting an AKC registered dog meant a good quality dog no matter where I get her from.  Now, let me back up,  I wouldn't not trade her issues and all BUT and that is why I started this blog, Nala has lost a good bit of her her since 12/12 and by all appearances it is heriditary.  In other words, the breeder either didn't know or didn't care about the health of the puppies.  Though I didn't realize it at the time, Nala most likely looking back, came from one of those wonderful backyard breeders you hear about.  Again, I am not saying not to get one, these puppies need homes too.  I AM telling you to be aware that many of these puppies will end up with problems (medical). The medical file we have at home for Nala, well I'll put it this way, we have 5 additional dogs all small with the exception of the Lab and you can stack all those files against Nala's and it they won't match the thickness of Nala's just to give you an idea.  I can't stress ENOUGH about how bad backyard breeders are--now there is a difference between a backyard breeders and hobby breeders.  Most hobby breeders do the checks necessary on their dogs for issues that particular breed may be prone to.  More on that info on that later but there IS a difference though I have heard and read people have said there isn't.  I happen to know first hand there is.  We also have a Pom that came from a flea market (you'll soon figure this stuff out for yourself).  She is a wonderful dog but she has Alopecia and has had since birth, from what I understand due to breeding. A lot of these back yard breeders don't know how to breed correctly hence the problems many of thees dogs have. She was diagnosed with an enlarged heart 2 years ago in the summer.  This is Puff, now while her issues may seem worse than Nala's, her's is manageable with Enalapril and she is doing great. And no her file is no where close to Nala's.  We also have 3 Shelties that came from a hobby breeder who has been breeding 20 plus years and she does all the checks necessary for the breed before she lets the puppies go.  They pretty much have their shots as well. All the puppies my trainer has gotten over the years (and its been a lot) came from her up until recently because she has quit breeding regularly.  The Shelties have less problems than the other 2.  This breeder STILL takes dogs back if for whatever reason.  She hasn't had to do this much.  I will go into the importance of picking the right dog, keeping the dog and responsibility of dog ownership.  I was really trying to get into this when I returned from visiting my family in a couple of weeks.  I have a lot of people to draw info from  so I definitely have the ability to get the needed answers.  Today is just venting frustration so much for now.

Well, finally managed to get back to try and finish the "about me" section of the blog so you will get a little idea about me and the furrkids.
Ok, I last blogged about Spirit so I will continue with the other 3 LOL!  Splash came next. Our beautiful Sable Sheltie who talks a lot.  VERY observant at home and a little speed demon in the agility ring.  After having a what some people call a "velcro dog",  Splash was a challenge... An AWESOME dog learning to run her has definitely been a challenge.  She has and still does try to outthink me and DEFINITELY in the ring.  One millisecond off on a command or body language and we're done.  Sooo different than Pebbles who nailed every command in the ring (well except STD).  No knocked bars or contact issues.  Splash gives her heart plus some.  She is awesome to run and we always "just barely" don't Q in STD--just when I think we have it, she knocks a bar, or I can't make a front cross (have to rethink those front crosses--never have liked them anyway--never had to do them with Pebb).  Splash loves water and we call her our Sheltie Retreiver.  Puff was next.  My step daughter's hubby was allergic to dogs with undercoat so we took her.  SWEETEST little furr angel but tough as nails.  She was diagnosed with an enlarged heart in 2012, I believe in the summer but per her last visit in April to the vet, was doing great.  She is definitely a momma's dog. I run her in agility as well and she came back with 5 of the 7 ribbons this last weekend.  Pretty good for a little dog some told me to retire. I just LOVE proving people wrong.  Makes me that much more determined! I do watch her to make sure she doesn't get stressed. Vet says is fine and good to run her as long as there is no stress. Pretty neat to see how far she has come.  The latest is Makani pronounced Muh-kah-nee which is the Hawaiian word for wind.  I went back to my roots and chose a Hawaiian name like I did with Nala our Yorkie.  I did find out later "Nala" is actually Swahili but Keli and Kiana are Hawaiian.  Makani's full name is Makani Pua Nani--which in Hawaiian means Beautiful Wind Flower--ALL of which I can and have called her.  Makani has been a little mischevious one from day one.  The first 4 months of her life she spent in and out of the vets office because she ate underwear, holes out of sheets and corners of pillow cases. Fun huh! She's slowed down on that some although I do find an occasional corner missing from a pillow case.  Training her for agility as well.  Little skiddish , we are working those issues and has come a LOOONG way.  She will be AWESOME in the ring once issues are resolved.  Has been jumping 3 ft baby gate since she was about a year.  Ok not quite finished but at least got all the dogs on.  Getting tired, about to go to bed, have to take Puff to get her heart issue checked as a precaution.  Been coughing a little more than usual.  Figure its allergies or the weather--usually is but need to make sure with her.  So for now good night until next time.  Hopefully sooner than this

Still trying to  perfect  this so bear with me, however I will start by telling you a little about our family while I am trying to think of the word I need to use in the first sentence LOL!  My hubby and I are owned by 6 wonderful furrkids.  Nala, a 13 1/2 year old Yorkie. A pup I have wanted since I was a kid.  She came from a backyard breeder and has had a boatload of minor health issues since birth but we love her unconditionally.  I have learned a lot from this sweet girl.  She has always had my heart though she attached herself to my hubby when she was a pup.  Next is Pebbles a 10 1/2 year old bi-blue Sheltie.  My first real agility dog.  She has the most awesome personality.  Nothing seems to bother her EXCEPT when she was in the Standard agility ring.  The table and teeter were always her nemesis.  She loved jumpers and always did well in that ring.  Unfortunately we had to retire her unexpectedly last year when it was determined she had a chronic ruptured disc in her back.  If there weren't weaves in jumpers or an A-Frame in STD, I could still run her on a limited schedule. She still goes with me.  No way would I even think about leaving her out.  Then there is Spirit, a rescue Lab we got around the same time we got Pebbles.  He is STILL our escape artist.  Climbing over,under, through whatever he can and running off.  He always comes back,  My stepdaughter got him for my husband as a hunting dog.  Does he hunt? Well, what do you think.  He is too much dog for me but he is very protective which is good, 

Ok, it is late so the other 3 will have to wait for now but again I am trying to at least start this so if its boring to begin with just give me time.  I promise, eventually it won't be.

First blog

Definitely brand new at this!  Was looking at paid survey's online something I recently signed up for.  Signed up on 2 survey sites to start with.  Survey's really got boring so started looking for something more in context to my interest--namely pets or rather dogs and interestingly found there are none. Not even on  pet products! So I started thinking, hence this blog.  I have enough resources to draw from I decided to start this blog in hopes of eventually turning it in to something more so this is my attempt to make a difference in educating people on the importance of picking out and KEEPING a pet, rehomeing, rescue,etc.