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Kiss me! I’m Irish!
Well…at least for today!
HAPPY ST.PATRICK’S DAY!
May the luck of the Irish be with you,
TODAY and EVERY Day!
Barks and licks and love,
Dakota
The “Soul of the Dog”–Dakota’s eyes captured by Artist, Sheila Wedegis
click on my eyes to visit Sheila’s blog!
Isn’t this just unbelievable?
Mom and I think that Sheila captured my eyes beautifully. So beautifully that Mom has bought this painting and cannot wait for it to arrive!
Some of you might be familiar with the art of Sheila Wedegis, but for those who aren’t, this painting is part of a 30 day challenge that artist Sheila Wedegis is taking part in called
THE SOUL OF THE DOG
“The eyes are the windows to the soul”
so it was no wonder that Sheila chose to paint dog’s eyes for her challenge.
Mom and I are just in love with this painting!
If you would like to submit a photo of your dog, visit Sheila’s blog here and I linked to her in various other areas of this post.
You can also visit her on Facebook by clicking here
Thank you so much Sheila! You are sooo talented!
Barks and licks and love, Dakota and “Mom”
I’ve been “Limericked” by OZ!!
My buddy Oz The Terrier is a regular wordsmith!
All of the blogging doggies LOVE his way with words and his limericks and we always tell him so! Because we love them so much, Oz gave us all the chance to be “limericked!!” yeah I made that word up!! Guess what? I decided to “bite” and have him do one for me. Wait til you read mine! Oh my DOG did my Mom and I bark out loud about THIS ONE!!
There once was a Sheepdog in the Hills
who swore he was a dog of no frills.
I tell you it’s true,
ask “what do gentlemen do?”
and then watch as he sits real stills.
This video was the inspiration for the above limerick:
Thanks Oz!!
That was great!!
Barks and licks and love, Dakota
*****An original poem by Oz the Terrier; re-posted with permission, in its entirety, as originally posted at www.oztheterrier.com.
KONG® NEW Premium Treats! ENTER TO WIN!
Hi everyone it’s Dakota! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when my furiends at KONG® “one of the most trusted and capable names in the Pet Industry” , contacted me and asked if I would like to sample some of the treats from their NEW Premium Treat line!
click on photo to visit the KONG website
Of course, I said “YES!”
The products that I was sent to review were the:
click on photo to visit the KONG website!
Click on photo to visit the KONG website
I was particularly excited to receive the above two items because I needed my jerky fix! Mom and I have read about all the recalls of jerky items made in China and we needed jerky that was made in the good ‘ol U.S.A . that would be safe for me and you!
Each product in the Premium line was developed with specific attention to common pet needs including Oral Care, Skin & Coat maintenance and Allergy Concerns. KONG® Treats are Vitamin Enriched and contain extra anti-oxidants to help improve overall health.
KONG’S Natural Jerky Beef Strips and Natural Jerky Chicken Strips are part of the KONG Premium Treat line.
They are SUPER great tasting too!! They are also a treat that my Mom can feel GOOD about giving me!
They are fabulous for treat time, training, rewarding and even for stuffing KONG® toys!!
At last! It was finally my chance to try them! The treats that are featured in this video are the KONG Natural Jerky Beef, (the Natural Jerky Chicken is also delicious and SAFE for you to enjoy as well!)
I bet you want some of these treats too, don’t you? Well our furiends at KONG® are going to give SIX LUCKY PEOPLE IN THE U.S.A. treats for their DOG!
HOW TO ENTER: read carefully because these two steps are MANDATORY:
tell them Dakota sent ya and tell ME in the comments on this blog that you did this
FOLLOW KONG TREATS ON TWITTER —
leave me a comment telling me that you did this
IMPORTANT!!
If you do NOT have a FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
AND YOU DO HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT
FOLLOW KONG TREATS ON TWITTER
ON THE LINK PROVIDED ABOVE
AND LEAVE A COMMENT TELLING ME YOU
DO NOT HAVE A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
BUT YOU FOLLOWED KONG TREATS
ON TWITTER
THAT WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY
The give-away is open NOW…and will CLOSE at 5pm ET ON FRIDAY, MARCH 15TH.
WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN BY WWW.RANDOM.ORG
AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20TH.
GOOD LUCK!!
Barks and licks and love, Dakota
In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I was sent a package of Natural Beef Jerky Strips and a package of Natural Chicken Jerky Strips for review purposes. All opinions are my own (and of course Dakota’s)
Is it a crime to tamper with email?
Hi all! I was being a good Sheltie, I was helping Mom read email and blogs. When Mom got up from the computer to go and do something in another room, I found THIS….
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A Birthday Letter to My “Boy”
Dear Dakota,
Today is your birthday. YOU ARE NOW SIX YEARS OLD!
It is hard for me to wrap my head around that number.
This is the first of your birthdays that I am sad. I am trying with all of my might to be in a celebratory mood, and I will accomplish that, I just can’t at this moment.
Where has the time gone?
this was the first photo we were given of Dakota from his breeder, Shelia Ellis, before we had met him
It seems as if it was only yesterday that after an INTENSE and most DEDICATED search by your Dad to fulfill a childhood wish of mine of presenting me with a Sheltie for my birthday, that SIX YEARS HAVE PASSED.
When you joined our family you were only 8 months old. A mere pup. I remember when we had picked you up and were bringing you “home”, sitting with you in the back seat of the car, you were in your crate, I was next to you petting you and talking to you because we were told that you and cars did NOT get along. I did my best to soothe and reassure you.
You instantly became friends with your kitty brother, a huge blessing for your Dad and I.
My biggest frustration in those early days was that I thought you would NEVER be housebroken!! I remember a relentless parade of going up and down 12 stairs with you, you were housebroken in your previous home, you just had to learn the lay of the land with us.
It is hard for me to believe that the first two weeks that you lived with us you were QUIET! I honestly thought you did NOT know how to bark! To think, that ever worried me with the multitude of times every day that you show us that YES INDEED YOU CAN BARK, and quite well I might add!
I often feel guilty that you live on the second floor of a condo. I often feel that we are doing you a disservice. I see other dogs with fenced yards that are able to romp freely during the day, you? I think you are part cat, or maybe it is because you live with a cat, you don’t enjoy walks and prefer to stay inside. I never was one to force you to do what you don’t wish to do, so maybe our situation isn’t that bad after all.
You never cease to amaze me. You hated obedience classes but are an apt pupil for learning EVERYTHING that we DON’T want you to learn! You seem to have a grasp of language far better than many humans that I know. You know just what you want and let us know, you know just what your Dad and I need, and give it to us unselfishly.
Your Dad and I survived indoor “accidents”, chewed cell phones, CD’s, paper, and enough wood to light a fire, it is a miracle you are still with us!
This was particularly delicious. The green color gave it a “Minty Fresh” taste. I was stopped from my fine dining experience before I could get to the delicious licorice flavored battery
But, with the blessings of God, you ARE still with us! Your sixth birthday has made me face the brutal fact that you are no longer a pup, even though you still act like one, you are approaching your gasp, Senior years. I am having trouble accepting this.
Dearest Dakota, you have brought so much laughter, joy, love, craziness, and devotion to your Dad’s and my world that I cannot even fathom what life would be like without you.
So, rather than be melancholy and reflective, I am going to switch to celebratory mode.
I celebrate your birth, I celebrate our good fortune when your human sister told us about you, I celebrate your smile, your warm and lavish fur, I celebrate your loving licks, your gentle eyes, they way you hold my hand with your paw when you lick me, the way you pick up your red, white and blue ball when your Dad and I return home, even if we were gone for only 5 seconds.
“Hooray for the red, white & blue!!!”
YES, I even celebrate your BARKING (remind me please that I said this)
My precious Sheltie boy, I vow to make your remaining years with us, and I hope there are MANY, ones full of continued learning, NEW adventures, MORE walks, tons of snuggles, oodles of kisses, tasty food and never-ending love.
YOU, Dakota, were the answer to my childhood dream of one day having a Sheltie of my own.
Happy, Happy Birthday my silly and sensitive boy,
I love you more than all of your cherished bones being piled to the “moon and back”
Mom
Book Review: Romancing the Dog, The struggle to make a pound dog happy in Beverly Hills by Marion Zola
February is the month of love and it is appropriate that in the month of February we celebrate our love of dogs. Our dogs. The dogs of people we know. Dogs who are in shelters, their pleading innocent eyes gazing back at ours with the hopes that we just might become their forever homes. The “owners”, “parents”, whatever you wish to call them, who hold these beautiful beings close to their hearts, should also be celebrated.
Yes this book is about DOGS, but the love and dedication that is clear in this touching book applies to EVERYONE who has ever loved an animal. Dog or not.
In celebration of this love, I am thrilled to present to you the book: Romancing the Dog by Marion Zola.
From the publisher: Romancing the Dog, a humorous memoir, reminds the reader just how much one dog can transform human lives. It will take you on a romp of unique adventures laced with poignant moments. When Chips, a rescue dog, enters the neat routines of a middle-aged couple and messes them up in the most delectable ways, the new guardians are led from one challenging situation to another. A Tibetan Terrier who always seems to have the upper paw, he sends Marion’s and Sam’s stress levels off the charts. Readers will smile, laugh and cry as they follow this trio through the journey of angst and joy.
I felt an instant sense of familiarity when I read that Author Marion Zola once loved a dog named Chips in her childhood who belonged to someone else. My love of Shetland Sheepdogs began with a dog named Dandy, a feisty Shetland Sheepdog who also “belonged to someone else”, our neighbors across the street. Truth be told, I was 5 yrs old at the time and ONLY played with the 3 children who lived with Dandy because I was madly in love with their dog. That is when my love of Shetland Sheepdogs began. I was determined that one day I would own my own Shetland Sheepdog. Now I do, my precious Dakota.
When Dakota came into mine and my husband’s life, our “neat routines” were also “messed up.” Dakota also has the “upper paw” and often, sends OUR stress levels “off the charts” as well. It is just those things that make us love him that much more, it was the same with Chips, it is the same with all of us who love, have loved, and are loved by animals.
We all know that moment of looking into a beloved animal’s eyes for the first time and knowing in our guts that “THIS is the ONE.” Author Zola and her husband, Sam, spend their years with Chips making him the center of their universe. Their lives are dedicated to making sure that Chips is happy, that all of his needs, and then some, are being met. Certain that Chips had been abused before he ended up in a Shelter, Marion and Sam were determined to make Chips feel secure, confident and always LOVED. Through illnesses, allergies, attempts to find a “job” for Chips, separation anxiety, there are countless moments of sacrifice, worrying, and loving to the nth degree that we all can relate to.
Before Dakota, my only other pet as an adult was my “soul kitty” named Bobo. He came into my life as a stray and lived with me for 18 wonderful years. Yes dog lovers, because I have shared my life with a dog for only 6 years, I relate to this book more as a cat mother. Romancing the Dog reminded me of the lengths I went to throughout Bobo’s 18 years to make sure that he had the most marvelous life ever, and that the end was as peaceful and full of love as it could be. This book brought back joyous as well as painful memories of Bobo and as a new and rather inexperienced dog mother, let me know that some of my fixations and obsessions are indeed, NORMAL. They are normal to all of us who have made the life-long emotional, financial and physical commitment to care for one who depends on US for everything of value in their world.
From Romancing the Dog: “More than many other areas of our lives, pets and our treatment of them demonstrate our values, both as a nation and as individuals. Our dominion over these creatures thrusts a responsibility on us that is not unlike that for our children.”
Romancing the Dog is a must-read for dog lovers, ANIMAL lovers. You will recognize yourselves described on the pages, and you will fall in love, with Chips, Marion and Sam, just as I did.
To purchase Romancing the Dog click here
About the Author: Marion Zola is also the author of All the Good Ones Are Married. Recently, Marion co-produced Shelter Me a PBS show about the rewards of adopting shelter pets that has also appeared on this blog. Visit the Shelter Me TV website here
In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I was mailed a copy of the book by the author for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Dakota's Den 