Mmm! Cat Nip Toys...

Mugsy
12/29/07

7 months old on 1/04/08

From Wired's Kodiak and Roundhead's Kaw

Message From the ASPCA

Losing Weight With Your Dog

Update!! I was on a pre-holiday diet that went south quickly with all the holiday goodies and beverages. I had lost five pounds, but back to square one at least we know what works! Even though it is cold out I think I am going to start a walking program with Mugsy, he seems to be getting better use to the leash after our trip out of town this past weekend. In fact Azia has put on at least 5-10 pounds since we stopped running her when it got cold. We'll have to enlist Rory and her into the program as well. Good bye chocolate covered almonds, bad carbs and cheese...
New years resolution idea: Fitness Unleashed!: A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health TogetherA book by veterinarian, Marty Becker, and weight loss expert Dr. Robert Kushner, Fitness Unleashed!: A Dog and Owner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together (Three Rivers Press), shows how a dog can give an exercise program a shot of confidence and exuberance. Working out together is certainly a lot more fun than working out alone...

As Seen On: Fetchdog.com

Site Review: Web Hosting Choice

As you are well aware Mugsy and I are total closet geeks. Well really it's me more than Mugsy but he is my sidekick and is guilty by association. Anyway we stumbled across this new website guide on web hosting, domain names, and web design. We work on a few sites a year and think this is a great resource. We will be using this for our next project where we need to buy a domain name or hosting service since it will help you determine the best solution for functionality and price.

Out favorite part of the site was the Learning Center, located on the left side of the page. A useful tool, you can find information like a Quick Start Guide and with so many options out there it is nice to have an non-biased directory (we hope) to help you make an informed decision.

Hopefully you will find this site useful too! http://www.webhostingchoice.com

Naomi & Mugsy

Merry Christmas!

The Cabin, New Family & First Hotel Overnight

Mugsy

6 Months Old

Mugsy went on a road trip with us for the holiday weekend. He did pretty good in the car on the way up to the cabin. After we arrived the weather turned bitter cold - below 0 degrees! Brrr... Since it is mostly a summer destination it is a great place to let dogs run around off leash and do a little exploring in the woods without getting into too much trouble. The cold weather kept him close to the cabin. During our stay Mugsy made many short trips outside to pee--unfortunately on the deck. We have this problem at home but kinda rude on someone else's deck. We'll have to work on this. Mugsy did have a doggy friend there - Taz the Golden Doodle - so they played a bit in the snow and inside. Taz and Mugsy have only played a few times with our other dog present. Azia was not on this trip so it was good for Mugsy to learn boundary's with a new adult dog.

The next day we drove to a resort about an hour away and checked in with Mugsy. Of course he was a hit with most resort visitors and family. I had some apprehension having him with since he howls at the top of his lungs when he is alone and in his kennel especially. Of course he started to do this at the first opportunity so he had to be at my side for gifts and the dinner. He was bored but I had a Kong with to keep him entertained and we had bones from dinner at the cabin so those helped. He didn't have any accidents while at the resort and did a great job. I would recommend staying at Thumper Pond with your pet if you are in area. They have an indoor water park that looked really fun - sorry, no pets allowed in the pool.

One more stop before we headed back to Minneapolis and that was to Grandma's apartment building where pets are not allowed in so Mugsy stayed in the car while we visited. The trip home was three hours and about the last hour he started to cry - he'd had enough. I tried to let him out but that was a terrible idea considering we were packed to the brim in the golf and he didn't want to sit still. I got a nice scratch and back in the kennel he went and eventually he napped the rest of the way home. He tends to cry before he naps - not always but something like a toddler I guess. All in all it was a good trip, and a good test run for possibly taking long trips.

hello? Anybody in there?

MUGSY: I want to go out side and play.
NAOMI: Okay out you go...
MUGSY: "Whine, cry, hooowllll"
NAOMI: Okay, it's too cold out to stay too long, back in you go.
MUGSY: Ugh, I am sooo bored, lets go back outside [whine at the door]
NAOMI: You just went out!
AZIA: Grrr, let him out, yeah! I can play toss a Mugsy in a snow bank.
MUGSY: Azia play with Mugsy. Azia play with Mugsy!
NAOMI: Okay, out you both go.

MEANWHILE *CRASH, BANG, THUD* A GAME OF TAG IS BEING PLAYED IN THE YARD.

MUGSY: Back inside please, or I'll cry at the top of my lungs!
NAOMI: Okay, Okay let me drop everything and open the door.
AZIA: Let me in I need a nap now.
MUGSY: Naptime! That sucks I fight sleep at all cost - what if I miss something? No way, I'll sleep with one eye open!

Repeat this cycle for 4 hours.

NAOMI: I need a vacation, in the Kennel you go, I'm going shopping!

Mugsy's Pics at Dogster's Worlds Coolest Dog Show

Bender was a winner at the 2006 Worlds Coolest.

Otis is a 2007 Worlds Coolest Winner! at Dogster.com!

Top 10 Items Surgically Removed from Pets

I am reposting this article from Animal Radio's December 2007 Newsletter. For fun I highlighted all the the items I have rescued out of Mugsy's mouth. For some reason he likes to swallow whole items. Mostly I have found because there is a daily eating competition going on between him and Azia.

Top 10 Items Surgically Removed from Pets
If you thought your dryer was eating your socks, guess again! It seems the number one item swallowed by dogs that had to be surgically removed are socks.

The top 10 list is as follows:

1. Socks
2. Underwear
3. Panty Hose
4. Rocks
5. Balls
6. Chew Toys
7. Corn Cobs
8. Bones
9. Hair Ties/Ribbons
10. Sticks

Other items that animals have ingested are nails, sewing needles and nipples from baby bottles. But let's not forget remote controls, pagers, hearing aids, drywall, snail bait, batteries, rubber bands, toy cars, and sand with bacon grease poured on it.

Some of these items will pass through their digestive system naturally, but others can become lodged in their intestinal tracts resulting in pain, vomiting, or internal injury. In those cases, surgery may be a necessity.

The best thing to do is to make sure these items are unavailable to our pets. Make sure there are plenty of items available for your pet to chew on. And, you can always spray something on the items to make them taste bed such as "Bitter Yuck No Chew" spray.

Mugsy and I hope none of you have had to have emergency surgery on your pets, it wouldn't be any fun at all!

Amazing True Story

This is from an email that was sent to me...

The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his huskies when the polar bear materialized out of the blue, as it were:

Obviously it was a well-fed Bear...




The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

Mugsy, Azia and I just had to share this amazing story! If the pictures didn't exist I wouldn't believe it. I love the expression on the dogs face - like they can't believe it either.

Here is a link to another similar story and image from a different incident.

Site Review: FetchDog.com

FetchDog.com is a new site launched by celebrity husband David Close, married to Actress Glenn Close. Glen recently stared in the FX series Damages. The site is a fresh and clean with lots of whitespace for a clutter free shopping experience.

Look for new innovative products like the Paw Plunger(tm). With eight feet to clean 4-5 times a day during the winter months, this could be a time saving product at my house.

The sites blog is split up into eight blog rolls on various doggie topics. For instance, Glen and her dogs Jake and Bill, talk about the site and their lives together. It's interesting to see what kind of dogs pick celebrities to live with. Other topics include; every bodies favorite, puppies, a resource for good dog books, and a few other general topics. The one that I really was surprised by is the Cinematic Dog. This blog rates movies by Presence of dogs, Respect for dogs, Canine star quality, and Family friendly on a four movie reel rating system. Subscribe to this feed today!

FetchDog.com allows you to create a user page where you can share pictures and write notes on your white board. See other users and pets profiled on pages they have recently visited. Besure to browse the photo gallery where lots of awesome pet are showcased.

We'll be back to shop and read up on movies we can snuggle to!

Need a Dog Friendly Camera? Get this one!

Caught on digital camera with his clothes on!

Last Christmas I was given a Stylus 720 SW underwater camera, waterproof camera, shockproof camera. The one I had was great, but older and delicate for taking pictures when we are snowboarding or out on the town. We were headed west to Colorado to visit family then on to Sundance Film Festival a few weeks later. I immediately ran to a local Camera Store, they sell digital cameras in the twin cities like this new model the Olympus 790. I wanted to pick up a silicone skin so I could use it on the digital camera while on the mountain for extra grip and protection from the elements. It is similar to ones you see on a iPod nano.

The performance of the of the digital camera so far has been great, I do have a bit of trouble remembering which menus to find certain features like the panorama setting, but it does stand up to its name of point and shoot. For panorama shots you'll need an xD Memory Card like the one sold here.

Copper Mountain, Co - Winter 2006

The image above can be used as a screen saver at 1024 x 768 (click the image open to a new page then right-click and select save as desktop screen saver). I love to use my camera for customizing my computer at work or at home.

I think the biggest improvement over my old camera is click to process time, it is fast! Especially handy for celebrity photo opportunities like at Sundance Film Festival. It is small enough to fit in my purse and is not too heavy so I carry it often. My cell phone has a 1.3 megapixel digital camera on it too so do have a lighter, smaller option but the pictures are as good as you see in the last post titled New Picture.

Matt Sorum (his blog) from Velvet Revolver

I most recently have been using the digital camera here on Mugsy's Blog. It takes great photos like the one here in the garden. I love the art of film but this blog would not be possible with out the digital camera. In fact the professional shots here are taken with a Professional Nikon Camera at Savvy Photography. They are pretty fancy but if you are into SLR technology it is the only option.

I think the BEST feature of this camera is the ability to do this...

Helping Azia Swim - Picture taken underwater!

...I have to admit I was a bit skeptical but it worked, no damage to the camera. The photo quality is as clear if not better than any other disposable underwater camera I have used. Poor doggy has a tough time swimming but jumped in to save me anyway after every dive - until she figured out I was doing this for fun. Agghh... Mugsy was too small to swim that day but enjoyed a nap in the sun and a quick dip of the feet.

-Mugs and Me