A Public Service Announcement

Dear Public,

I understand during certain times of the year, humans enjoy igniting explosive devices and watching them explode. I realize they look pretty and are oh so very exciting. As a dog, I implore you: Stop. Stop blowing shit up. I know, I am using a profanity but this is a serious subject for me. Just stop. Every time I hear the hissing noise of your explosive flying up into the air, I begin to pant fast, you can see the whites of my eyes, and I try to sit on Mommy. And so you know, Mommy cannot hold a 150 pound Irish Wolfhound in her lap too easily. Then, when I hear BOOM! I then want to crawl up the wall and hide in the rafters, or in a closet, or in a fireplace (preferably one without a fire), or in any location where I have the false sense of security. So again, stop with the blowing up of shit so I and all the other dogs your hear howling in the neighborhood from the sheer terror of your explosives can relax.

Thank you for your immediate and prompt cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Finnegan

Finnegan's Birthday!

Finnegan is turning seven years old on June 12! This is very exciting for several reasons. First, the obvious: he has made it almost a year since the big "c" word diagnosis. Hooray!!! Second, seven is a pretty good age for an Irish Wolfhound. Some sources publish that the average life expectancy for an Irish Wolfhound is six years old. It seems that might not be as accurate because we know many Irish Wolfhounds who are living to ten and even older.

Picture from The Canine Cookery. They're in Louisiana. I'm up north. They look like they have some yummy stuff!

Okay, who cares about statistics. Finny is going to have a birthday! I am thinking of making him a dog and human friendly cake with peanut butter and carrots. Mmmmmm!!! I found the following recipe here. Has anyone else made a cake for their dog? Typically, I don't but I think this year is special.

So this is what I think I'm making for him and I guess that cake making for my dog might officially put me in the category of Crazy Animal Lady.

The recipe:

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake Naturally sweet, colorful and flavorful, this cake is simple and easy to make. Great for Fall.
1 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
Mix flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8" round cake pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let cool. Puree cottage cheese in blender for icing. Decorate with more peanut butter and carrots.

Ignored

Typically, I enjoy being the center of attention. That is not too hard for me since I AM SO BIG. As you know, I draw a lot of attention and comments. You know the ones where I am compared to a horse. I think the best comment was from a neighbor who ,when he first saw me in my backyard, thought I was a llama. I can see it. Sort of.

Nothing exciting is happening here and you want to know why? Because, I am being ignored. Me! The wonderful glorious king of the Irish Wolfhounds. IGNORED! And why am I being ignored? My so called "parents" are doing big home improvement projects so as Mom says, the house will look less ghetto. Yeah Mom, we are soooo in the hood (sense the hint of sarcasm?). So lately all I hear is cutting, drilling, banging, and occasionally swearing. Mom and Dad have been keeping me away from the project so I do not get in the way or hurt. Really, how could an 150 pound, three and half foot dog get in the way? I could help put up drywall. I could use a drill! Um, or not. I know they are going to be done this weekend putting up the drywall and then it is finishing, sanding, trimming, priming, and painting. God that sounds horribly exhausting. Yawn.

When the improvements are done, I promise to put up pictures of me in each room of the house showing you what they made me put up with during this whole dreadful ordeal. Can I get some sympathy?

Finnegan's Got Your Back

Last week, Finnegan and I were have a friendly conversation with our neighbors. While talking to them, their two nine month old puppies, a boxer* and German Shepard, kept barking at us. The German Shepard did not have the same level of hostility towards us as did the boxer. Any time the German Shepard barked, the boxer would growl and chomp at him. Needless to say, it was a tad disturbing. Each dog took turns barking at us and every time they barked, they were told to shush or given a swat on the butt. It was obvious that they had not had ANY type of training either formal or informal. As usual, Finny stood next to me, just watching the absurdity of these two ill-mannered dogs. The boxer seemed interested in Finny so he hopped closer to the fence so they could sniff and say their hellos. When Finny was about a foot from the fence, the boxer did his crazed teeth baring loud menacing barking routine. Finnegan, both surprised and I must say, seriously pissed, barked right back and with oh-my-god-don't-mess-with-me-mofo attitude showed his big bad teeth. In our almost seven years together, I have never seen Finnegan be that ferocious. Holy shit! That is some scary stuff! I guess having a life threatening disease changes a man. I grabbed his collar and pulled him back. He stood about six feet back doing his typical BARK (wait three seconds) Bark (wait three seconds) bark. And of course, he wagged his tail the whole time. The only other times Finnegan has barked protectively is in the company of me. So perhaps he was not so comfortable with this boxer getting all nasty so close to his mama. I am seriously glad Finnegan is on my side.

*This boxer is in some serious need of guidance from Cubby!

The World Is a Scary Place

Sadly, my sister's sweet little cat, Fred, has been killed presumably by a coyote. My niece and sister adopted him from the local stable where my niece rides her horse. Although I never met Fred, I know he was a loving, purring, sweet furball of a man. We are sorry we never got to meet you.

We Will Miss You, Little Buddy

Fufu, a sweet, funny, adorable little hamster passed away over the weekend. Mommy enjoyed reading his blog and she especially loved the cute pictures of Fufu with his various toys and beds. We will miss you.

Imagine a cold rushing river in Alaska. There is a cool breeze and a bright blue sky. The salmon are jumping upstream to spawn. In the woods, you can hear the rustling of a large magnificent creature, ready to open his jaws to capture a scrumptious salmon. Other creatures back away to make room for this enormous and powerful beast. Into the river he goes to capture his prey and to satisfy his insatiable hunger. One unfortunate salmon leaps into the air and it is abruptly snapped up by the beast. Quickly he gobbles up the fish and lets out a hearty belch. Now that he is full, he returns to his resting spot to await his next meal.

This dramatic reenactment is to basically say I'm eating Go! Natural Salmon and Oatmeal. And guess what? No farts or rashes! This is only a temporary diet because it is REALLY expensive and Mommy prefers the Canidae Lamb and Rice. Less expensive blah blah blah Good formula blah blah blah More comfortable with the brand blah blah blah. Just so long as there is food in my dish, the human can feed me whatever slop she buys.

I am NOT a Science Experiment

Despite the fact my dad is a scientist does not mean I want to be part of a science experiment. I am not a test tube doggy! Unless, of course, it involves eating then SIGN MY SKINNY BUTT UP! And yes, the experiment involves food so we are just fine.

Although I loved the tasty goodness of Innova Evo Meat Festorama, it did have some not so pleasant side effects: stinkalicious farts and a rash on my tummy. Ewww. Mommy guesses it might be the chicken since that has been an evil fart inducing culprit in the past. She's not sure.

Despite much urging from Nanook's mommy, we have not yet found the Timberwolf food yet. Actually Mom is to lazy to go the the place that carries the brand because the place that sells it is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:37 a.m. Okay not really but it's a huge pain in Mommy's arse to go there on a regular basis so I. Must. Suffer.

Instead of going to the place that is open for seven minutes a day with the REALLY LOUD LADY, Mommy went to another place where there is an Irish Wolfhound who owns a couple of humans. Alright, Mommy said the humans own the store and the Irish Wolfound supervises them. Okay fine, the humans run the store and the Irish Wolfhound lounges for long periods of time probably in the middle of the store where people are forced FORCED to pet him. Smart boy. Unfortunately, when Mommy asked about him, the clerk said he was in the hospital because *GASP* his bladder exploded. What the? He is going to be okay but I am going to keep a very close eye on my bladder.

Mommy bought me Wellness Lamb and Rice Super-fly 5 Mix. Because I have been good to lamb and lamb has been good to my belly, she decided we should stick with those ingredients. And guess what? The rash is going away! My farts are less frequent! I think they should advertise the food with those slogans:

Less farts!
Fewer oozing sores!

Okay, that's a little gross and totally not completely half the truth. Still, I eat it, I like it, and it's good for my system. And I promise my dear friend Nanook, I will try the Timberwolf.

Safe Pet Food

As everyone in the United States and Canada knows, there have been numerous recalls of various pet foods due to toxins within some of the ingredients. Unfortunately, too many animals died as a result of these toxins. It is too late to save the animals who perished but we can do something now to help.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced
the Pet and Human Food Safety Act on May 1 to provide more oversight and
regulation of the food industry. In a remarkable demonstration of how important
this issue is, the U.S. Senate approved a Durbin amendment on pet and human food
safety on May 2 -- just one day after the bill was introduced -- by a resounding
vote of 94 to 0!

This is only one step in the right direction. If you want to help, click here and learn how you can contact your local representative to urge him or her to vote for this bill.

The Greatest Debate

For the most part, I think of myself as an "equal opportunist" in that I love both dogs and cats. [GASP!] For most of my existance, cats have been part of my life. I feel like I have a connection to them. I understand them. They understand me. I love dogs too although I must admit, I prefer large and giant breed dogs. Of course there are several small breed dogs I enjoy and I could actually see myself adopting one some day. Maybe.

Here is the thing. Please don't judge. My husband is a cat person. He is a real, genuine, goes up to a kitty on the street to pet her, cat person. Of course he loves Finnegan and he likes dogs. He just is not a dog person. Or at least a normal sized dog person. Here's the thing, he has a thing for certain types of dogs. The type of dog from which I tend to shy away. The type of dog who would bite me when I was a veterinary technician. The breed of dog who knew I did not take them seriously as a d-o-g. And of course what are the breeds my husband feels an affinity for? Of course, toy, small, miniature, teacup, itsy bitsy tiny dogs you can stuff in you shirt and carry around. Ugh.

For all of you who have small dogs, don't get me wrong. It's not like I categorically dislike them. I love my friend's weird little mix who kicks his sibling's Irish Wolfhound butt. Tavo, a dynamic chihuahua, is strangely adorable and funny. I, personally, would not select a small breed dog. Apparently, my husband might. And I am okay with that. I'll just find him a nice little European carryall to carry his lap dog around town.

Cat Distraction for Dog Training

Human mom is too sick, busy at work and tired to post anything. My human boppa (grandfather) sent her this video. I think it is pretty sweet and that is how my kitty siblings and I get along.