Pets are Good for People

As my human Laurie sometimes says, here's a blinding flash of the obvious...Pets are good for people! Of course, I've known it as does Spacejam and all the pets out there. But here's an article that gives some reason on why pets are so good! Now of course I still do things that I shouldn't like jumping over the gate that separates the upstairs from the main living area, stealing toys, shoes and other off-limits items and jumping all over every guest that comes over, but then I wag my tail and give them a couple of doggie kisses and all is forgiven. (And if that doesn't work I cock my head and look at them with my big brown eyes...!) As the article says, I really don't require a whole lot (food, food and more food. some water and an occasional bath). But what I provide in return is priceless.

And now for a completely unrelated topic but since I feel like musing (for a dog, that is or is it rambling?!), a new airline for pets only launched today. They don't offer flights to/from Boise yet but you never know. Maybe next time the humans take a trip somewhere they'll take me and Spacejam along!

Obie - The Outrageous Retriever

Thanks to everyone that submitted stories for our outrageous pet story contest. We received some wonderful stories about things our four legged friends did (and sometimes continue to do). The good folks at a tail we could wag had a difficult time selecting the winning story but decided that Obie's story was the winner.

Obie, a yellow lab, loves water. But, he's also been extremely protective of his human children, especially around water. He loves to romp in the stream by his mountain cabin (ok, so the cabin belongs to the humans but us dogs need to stick together!) but does not like it when the kids wade in. Even though the adult humans have told him time and again that the kids are safe in the water he thinks otherwise...He actually goes in and drags them by their swim trunks back to shore!

Obie just turned 8 and has been doing this his entire life life. The "kids" that he protects are now 17 and 19 but to him they will always be his to love and protect!Congratulations Obie!

Take Your Dog to Work

Did you know it's take your dog to work day on June 26? Now I'm lucky, because I go to work everyday with the folks at a tail we could wag (and so does Spacejam, she hangs out with Joe while I hang out with Laurie, and Cheech, who hangs out with Mary at the warehouse), but not all dogs are quite so lucky. So, check out the Take Your Dog to Work website. You can get all sorts of good info there, like how to ask your boss to participate, posters to put up in your office, tips on making the day successful and more. According to the site, here are the top 10 things to say to convince your boss to take part in Take Your Dog to Work Day:

10. The squirrels in the neighborhood deserve a break.
9. Wagging tails work great when the a/c is on the fritz.
8. With a dog as your passenger, you’ll be able to use the car pool lane.
7. It’s a great way to lick the work day blahs!
6. My dog thinks you’re grrrrrrreat!
5. Meetings end as soon as Rover starts staring at the conference room door.
4. You can blame those missing reports on one of your employees’ dogs.
3. It’s the leash you can do.
2. Finally, someone at your office will actually be working like a dog.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK…
1. Friday, June 26, is Take Your Dog To Work Day®!

Please visit the site and check it out!

And now, since I'm a dog, it's mid-afternoon and the sun is shining, I'm going to find a nice warm spot to curl up in and nap the rest of the day away!

Outrageous Pet Stories Contest

The good folks at a tail we could wag want to hear your outrageous pet stories. They thought of the idea because of my trip to the emergency vet. Details below:

Tell Us Your Outrageous Pet Tale for a Chance to Win a Collar!

Recently, Stella ate 2 of Max's socks. That earned her a trip to the emergency vet clinic and a shot of stuff (that's the technical term!) to compel her to give them back quickly. I was going to try a home remedy that the emergency clinic said was ok but to watch out for choking as they came back up. That's when we decided to let them have the pleasure of helping us get them back the way they went in! Quite an adventure for our not so little 1 year old Boxer!
Now we'd like to hear your outrageous (but true) pet stories. What kind of trouble has your pooch gotten into. Or did she/he do something amazing or heroic? Whatever it was, we'd love to hear about it. The winning story will win a new harborside collar!
So, here are the details:

1. Write about your pet's antics in 200 or fewer words. Save as a word document
2. Send your story (as an attachment) to info@tailwags.com with the subject "outrageous pet story contest" by 11:59 pm (MDT) 6/15/2009.
3. If you'd like, send along a photo as well!
4. Please be sure to include your dog's collar size in your email.
5. Stories will be judged by the good folks at a tail we could wag.
6. Winner will be announced on Stella's Blog and our Facebook page on June 30, 2009.*
7. GOOD LUCK!

Happy Birthday Stella!

I turned 1 today! Laurie baked me a yummy cake (at least it's yummy for dogs...not sure the humans would like it!) What a fun year it's been! Here are some pictures so you can see how I've grown!

My trip to the emergency room

Last Tuesday night I got to experience a trip to the emergency vet. I don't really mind going to the vet cause I get to ride in the car and the doctor always gives me lots of treats. But not the emergency vet. They gave me stuff to make me throw up. You see, I ate two, yes two, of Max's socks. Stinky little boy feet smell. YUM! But Laurie didn't think that was such a good idea. They do feed me pretty well here but I wanted a little something extra, so I saw an opportunity and grabbed it! The next thing I knew I was going for a ride! Yay, I thought until I got to the clinic. Then they gave me some stuff (apomorphine) to induce vomiting. Laurie was going to try the old hydrogen peroxide trick (only after talking to the vet, of course) but decided to take me in since I had eaten 2 socks. I probably won't learn anything from my experience since I'm a dog, but hopefully the humans will try harder to keep things out of my reach. Socks, towels, rags, underwear, etc. I like them all!
That's it, I just wanted to share my fun with you all! til my next adventure....

Summer Travel's Around the Corner

I love spring! I just got a new fence so I get to spend lots of time playing outside. One of my favorite new sports is pulling the pine cones off the tree and then playing with them. It's becoming a bit of a challenge, however, since I've pulled all the ones of the lower branches. You should see me jump! Hopefully one of my humans will take a video of my and post it for all to see, since it's pretty amusing!

And of course, after spring comes summer. I hope we go on vacation somewhere. If we do, I'm sure we'll drive. I know my humans are going to make sure I'm safe when we travel. If you're going to travel with your pet, please make sure you're ready and safe. There are some great resources with tips on travelling with your pet. The ASPCA has some great tips for car travel. If you have to travel by air, check out the Humane Society of the US, which offers wonderful information on air travel. And, if you need some ideas on pet friendly places to stay, visit our friends at Fido Friendly magazine.

Lastly, since it's spring it's time to consider some new duds. I just got a new collar from a tail we could wag. There's an awesome new design that's not yet available through the web. It's called Harborside and it's bright, fun and made with the same high quality materials that they make all of their stuff out of.
Harborside Twilight

Harborside Daybreak

If you're interested in more information about Harborside, please call the humans at a tail we could wag. Their number is 866.726.wags

Happy Spring!