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yikesharringrove · 3 years

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Oh god it's more Pokemon AU notes

[Link to first Pokemon AU submission]

Hey, it’s that guy who wrote all the Pokemon stuff! I’m so chuffed you liked it, I honestly panicked after hitting send! I haven’t had time to write a thing but I wanted to say that; hell yes to Steve having a Mimikyu and Billy having a Growlithe. And here’s some thoughts on how they got them!

Billy’s Growlithe was probably a gift because it’s a Manly pokemon - but also it can only grow so strong. Fire Stones aren’t cheap ya know, and it means Billy has a ‘power cap’ of sorts on his Pokemon. Neil likely has something with a type advantage or just pure strength on it’s size and like I said, he’s ensured at least one of Billy’s pokemon won’t evolve to it’s final form without a generous amount of money. The Growlithe itself is more nervous than Klaus and doesn’t posture for attention because it’s been in the Hargrove house since puppyhood, and is the only person/pokemon allowed to try and comfort Billy after Neil’s lashed at him. I imagine it’s named ‘Tiger’, given Billy was a child and would’ve just gone 'it has tiger stripes therefore I’m calling him Tiger!’ Tiger avoids conflict and just likes company and exercise like any good pup, while Klaus lives for a fight and wants to be strong enough to knock out Neil’s pokemon someday. Dog verus wild cat and all that!

Steve’s Mimikyu is a very recent addition, from working at Scoops Ahoy! The Mimikyu in question was part of the Russian experiments but got loose and had some fun adventures in the Mall until stumbling into Scoops Ahoy and devouring the ice cream. Robin, being the sensible person, decided she didn’t want anything to do with that, leading to Steve being the one who had to try and shoo away this strange little cloth Pokemon. He looked it up and ended up relating and then started sneaking her favourite ice cream to her (Rocky Road), leading to him nicknaming her Rocky. He had no idea she was a girl when he picked this name but it stuck. She’s an odd Pokemon, partly cos she’s from Russia so what is English. But she grows fond of Steve and helps him out in her own way, and when it comes to a battle she is ruthless. I imagine Scoops Ahoy staff could only have “cute, fitting Pokemon” at work, so Rocky gets around it by adding a sailor hat to her costume. Look she’s a sailor! (also she takes Steve’s place as second mate).

I had more thoughts on Steve’s Umbreon and felt he would give her a shockingly 'normal’ name, like Amy. She knows Steve so well, better than he knows himself some days. So she never played up for the popularity, was just always cool as can be cos someone has to be when you’ve got this dramatic himbo for a trainer. Plus Steve learned the 'Play it cool, act like you don’t care’ vibe from soneone! Did I make her a girl so there can be Eevee babies in the future, Hell Yeah I Did. You know Klaus is after that girl as hard as Billy is after Steve, even if Billy isn’t acknowledging just what he wants with Steve yet. Also the idea of Steve having nothing but female Pokemon amuses me. Always a girl magnet.

Also I gotta add an additional character and their Pokemon; Robin has a Mawile because it has big Lesbian STFU Energy. It was introduced in gen 3 and in later gens gained the Fairy type, making it a Steel/Fairy mon. It’s very sweet looking and uses it’s cuteness to lure people into a fake sense of ease, but has a massive pair of jaws on the back of it’s head that are strong enough to tear through iron bars! Naturally her Mawile does get to be at Scoops Ahoy, cos of the cute face.

(Does Billy have a mon for when he works at the pool? Maybe… but I will say that Robin and Steve’s manager at Scoops is an ice type Pokemon they both hate cos it’s such a little corporate suck-up!

Sorry for the big info dump and no writing! Just know that this AU lives in my head rent free and someday I’ll get to writing about Billy walking into Scoops to flirt/harass/purchase ice cream from Steve and about Steve going to the pool.

- That Guy who did the Pokemon thing! And should probably come up with a handle if this becomes a habit

okay I’m cleaning out my inbox and I must’ve MISSED THIS I love it so much. I’m so glad you liked some of my ideas for pokemon they would have, and even adding more onto them. Finding this seriously made my whole day so much better I read it like three frickin’ times, I’m gonna keep my submissions open in case you ever wanna send more! (I beg please send more if you’ve got it)

#submit to yikes #submission #pokemon au #steve harrington #harringrove #billy hargrove #robin buckley #also if you are unfamiliar with Pokémon #please look up mimikyu and read the desricption and TELL ME that isn’t some sad Steve shit

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harringtonmutt · 4 years

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ooc;; have this jumbled, word vomit of me trying to understand this world of Brandy's lol if it's confusing to u, don't worry I feel the same.

So I've been thinking abt how does the world of BAMW work. Can the animals talk to humans ? Why do only some of the animals talk but others well, act like normal animals ? Why does Brandy wear clothes and walk on two legs ? In s1, ep7 Brandy was trying to introduce fashion to her friends / the jungle in general and they had no idea what clothes / fashion was or why it was so important. But yet they have a mall, a school / just classes in general, bands. Brandy and Whiskers have had jobs, were in the army... Kinda, and just so many other human-ish things. We've seen flashbacks of Brandy walking on all fours, sleeping in a pet carrier, hell, she wears a collar... So there are a lot of inconsistentes in the show. Which, I mean makes sense bc I doubt the crearors were thinking abt how an adult would poke holes in a show made for kids. So trying to make sense of this show n how to make it fit comfortably in my head / headcanons is very hard.

My idea was tht people can't understand the animals ( kinda like Rugrats ) unless you are an animal or have powers.... Looking at you, Eliza lol. where I was planning on going w my headcanons were the reason Brandy does / acts more human is from both the experiments tht were done to her ( and her half-siblings ) and bc after all of tht her mom just kinda kept tht human lifestyle, so to speak. So it's not normal for animals to talk, walk or dress like humans it's just Brandy. She does act more dog-ish around her owner but when / if she sees her mom or half-siblings she's kinda forced into tht more human act. Over the years tht side of her took over and she learned to repress her more animalistic traits. ( Which makes sense why her dad / half-siblings on his side act like normal dogs, besides Dug having tht collar tht translates his thoughts into speech. He's a normal dog. )

Ofc finding out she was a mutt after years of thinking she was a purebred like her mom and siblings, it kinda bought out her a animalistic traits that she had more when she was a pup. This also leads into my headcanon tht along with not remembering her puppyhood, she doesn't remember who her real dad is. She thinks / thought tht she had the same dad as her siblings. But Brandy always did have a lingering feeling she was different from her family, but bc her mom never talked abt it or if Brandy tried to talk abt it she'd get shut down real fast n refuses to listen to any of Brandy's concerns / worries or pretends not to understand wht she's saying. She'd say something like "you always did have memory problems." Or "We're purebreds and that's all you need to know." Or "You should really stop watching those Animal Planet: 101 dogs. It's always putting crazy ideas in your head.” ( Not to mention her mom is ashamed of it, she hates the stain in the family line, thx to Brandy's dad, Dug. ) So there is a lot of bittersweet love when it comes to that topic, which was a huge reason she hid Brandy's papers in the frame of the family tree. ( The papers was in s1 ep14 )

She also asked abt the tattoo on her wrist and why she's the only one in her family who's got one ( her mom got hers and her siblings lasered off, but since Brandy had an owner she couldn't do anything abt it. ) Which like normal she simply acts like she doesn't understand wht Brandy's saying bc she doesn't like to think abt those horrible time in her / her kids lives. Besides Brandy having a lot of repressed memories her puppyhood, her mom makes sure tht she ( and her siblings ) planted false memories or shared dreams if they ever tried to talk abt it.

#♔▐ ¦ trash is talking ◹ ooc ◺#headcanon #...kinda a mix of hc n canon #tw;; mental abuse mention #tw;; abuse

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hey-hamlet · 5 years

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Hi, I love your plague dogs AU and I have two questions. 1) Before his life as an experiment, I’m going to assume Toshi had a normal dog life (chasing cars/cats, burying bones and using puppy dog eyes to get stuff from his owner). My question is, would Toshi teach Izuku these things, since it’s real obvious he didn’t have much of a puppyhood? 2) What breed of dogs were Inko and Hisashi? Also are they alive or no?

Yep! Toshi had a normal dog life with his owner Nana! He was spoilt rotten too, got to dig up the yard, chase birds around etc. He once accidentally caught a bird by tripping over is and was so confused with what to do he just licked it. Nana came out to find a very harassed looking bird with its feathers sticking up the wrong way. And yeah! When they get an owner he teaches Izuku how to be a puppy and how to play. Nezu finds it very cute to see this old, lanky dog teaching this rounde unit of a puppy to play.

Inko was a pure Shiba Inu, Hizashi was a bit of a mutt with some Shiba/Poodle in him, so Izuku is like,,, 75% Shiba Inu, 25% something poodleish. Hizashi is alive and well, he was a stud dog for breeding some lab animals. He was retired after a while and now lives a nice cushy life somewhere in the suburbs. Inko is less lucky as the dog breeding facility functions mostly as a puppy mill. She gets little after little taken away from her before they even open their eyes and it breaks her little heart.

#asks #bnha au #bnha #plague dogs au

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baby-loveblog · 4 years

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The Kind of Mother I Want to Be

The other day I took Canelo for his six month re-check with his cardiologist. I was hopeful that there would be improvements, but wanted to be realistic, and told myself, “as long as he’s the same, I can stop worrying so much.”

The cardiologist confirmed that the medicine is not working as well as they’d hoped. I asked if it was normal for us to have to adjust it three times in just six months, and was told “no. There really isn’t anything about his case that is normal.” He then drew a graph showing that most dogs are in the middle, where the medicine stabilizes them and sort of puts them in limbo. They aren’t getting any better, but they aren’t getting worse. Some dogs do great, and medicine actually reduces the size of their heart and prolongs their life considerably.

Then he pointed to the other end of his graph and said “this is where Canelo is. The question really is why is he worsening so rapidly? It’s nothing you are doing, and we’re treating it as aggressively as we can, but some dogs have bad genetics and some dogs have bad luck, and he seems to have both.”

His echocardiogram was bad. His whole heart is now being impacted by this awful disease. I finally brought myself to ask two questions that I didn’t want to ask before.

Is he in pain?

“No, it’s not a disease that causes pain, but rather makes him feel weaker and tire more easily. If he struggles to breathe, that can be somewhat painful and scary, but he is not in pain.”

How long does he have?

“Months, not years. I’m not sure if it’s three months or nine months. And I could be wrong. Dogs have made a liar of me before. But just based on how he’s progressed so far, that’s my guess.”

I honestly thought he was doing better. Since starting medication, his energy has been up, his cough has lessened considerably, and he just seemed better. I’ve been monitoring him so carefully, adjusted his diet, adjusted his meds the second it seemed like something was even a little bit off. I’ve been treating him like he is this delicate, fragile little treasure, where even the slightest wrong move could cause the entire house of cards that is his health to collapse. And this was confirmed when his doctor said I am doing everything right, and there is nothing else I could be doing differently.

We adjusted his meds and basically doubled up on everything. I left feeling stunned and like the world was collapsing on top of my chest. I spent the better part of the rest of the day crying and thinking and imagining the future and feeling lost and heartbroken.

Canelo doesn’t like it when I cry. It seems to make him really uncomfortable, and more often than not, he will leave the room if I get too worked up. I’ve heard that dogs can pick up on your emotions, and it can impact them. I thought of how sad I’ve been for the last six months, how often I’ve cried, how scared I’ve been. We live in a house that can be so quiet and feel so big, and I’ve spent so many moments looking around, imagining how sad it will feel to be there when Canelo isn’t.

M has been so supportive of me, especially since we found out that I’m pregnant, as I’ve navigated this imminent grief. He will tell me wise things, like “we always knew that Canelo wasn’t going to live forever” (did we? I wonder) “and we have never taken him for granted. In a way, it’s really beautiful that we get to experience his whole life with him, and be with him at the end.”

It’s true. But it feels rotten to have the end be so soon. Literally half of the amount of time I was expecting to get with him. I feel like time is robbing us blind, and it makes me sad and angry and makes life feel heavy and I find myself hating calendars and clocks and just want time to come to a screeching halt.

But still, M is not moving through his day and his time with Canelo crying and sad. He is happy to see him. He treats him like he always has. And Canelo gravitates toward him. He still follows me everywhere I go, but he seems almost relieved when he sees M. His way of looking at what is happening to Canelo is a beautiful way to look at sickness and love and loss and life.

What in the world does this experience have to do with my baby or pregnancy to make me write this and stick it on this here blog?

While I’ve never been one to compare my experience with Canelo to the experience of loving and caring for a child aloud, mostly because I know it makes people roll their eyes and insist, “it’s not the same thing at all!” - I’ve yet to raise a child, I cannot speak on that - I read a comment on a forum about dogs with CHF the other day that said, “losing a beloved dog is like losing a child and a best friend at the same time.” It’s such an accurate statement, one that made me feel understood and weepy.

I’ve always given a lot of thought to the kind of person and woman and friend and daughter and wife and caretaker for Canelo I want to be. And truth be told, I’ve spent a long time, years before I found myself pregnant, thinking about the kind of mother I want to be.

M came home on Monday and I was laying on the couch, staring at the TV, face streaked with tears, feeling nothing except despair. He rubbed my arm and sat down and Canelo crawled into his lap to greet him.

“I know you are sad. But you can’t cry every day.”

As he said it, I realized, I don’t want to cry every day. It was the first time in months that I had that thought. I don’t want to live in a house that feels big and lonely and sad. I don’t want to treat Canelo like he’s a fragile thing that will break if I breathe too hard in his presence. Frankly, he doesn’t want it either.

I have spent the last six months treating him like he’s sick, and it did nothing for him. So now, I want to treat him like he’s dying. Because he is. And it’s the saddest thing that has happened in my life, but it doesn’t have to be something that makes us all live miserably for the next three or nine or how every many months or days we have. It can be a chance for us to say a slow goodbye in a way that honors and celebrates the impact Canelo has had on our family.

I’m so excited about this baby and about our future as a family. I was so excited that our family would include Canelo and a baby, if only for a little while. I imagined taking walks together, which included Canelo in the stroller if he wasn’t feeling up to walking, and the baby in a carrier. I imagined the cutest photos of them together in day to day life. I imagined matching Halloween costumes for all of us, taking naps together, a lap full of both of them. And now I know that might not happen, and I am neck-deep in grief right now, bracing myself for the absence of years of companionship that me and M and our child will not have. But I don’t want to be the kind of person or mother who lets loss make life less beautiful. As Winnie the Pooh said, “how lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?” My little family has made me feel like the luckiest person on the planet. I’ve been with Mauricio since I was 18 years old and get weepy when I think about growing old and think our time together will feel like it’s cut short, no matter how many decades I have with him. Six years with Canelo is not enough for me. 15 years wouldn’t be enough. 100 years wouldn’t be enough. I’ve said more than once that if I were granted one wish, it would be for the three of us to grow old together and leave this life at the same time. I simply cannot picture my world without us in it together. I’m lucky to love so expansively, but it makes me almost greedy. I can’t let the finite nature of life prevent joy. It’s not fair or healthy for any of us. And it’s not conducive to the life I want to live.

In so many ways, Canelo has taught me that I am capable of being the kind of mother I want to be. Nurturing, selfless, not only willing but happy to wake up every few hours to take care of his needs, back when he was a tiny puppy and needed to go out every two hours to now that lasix makes him have to go to the bathroom at 3 am. No one has ever loved me like Canelo. I mean, M loves me, but he doesn’t follow me from room to room or do a happy dance when I come home or cry from missing me when I go to the bathroom. Our bond is so deep that I’ve actually wondered if it will be possible to love my own child as much as I have loved him. That sounds sort of nuts, but I think a lot of people assumed that I doted on him so much because he was a sort of stand in for a baby that we weren’t having yet for whatever reason, but that was never the case. Canelo was the earliest dream I can remember having come true. My very own dog that I was able to raise from puppyhood. He has brought so much joy to my life, and it would be a shame for that joy to diminish completely because he can’t be with us forever. It would especially be a shame for it to diminish while he’s still with us.

I always wanted to be the kind of person who radiates happiness and sunshine, but I am not that person. I am melancholy and contemplative and no stranger to angst. I feel things too hard to be anything short of emotional, even fiery at times. But I can be the kind of person who chooses to find joy and happiness in spite of awful circumstances, rather than let them bring me to my knees.

I wanted to be a person whose love is so strong and profound that it could move mountains and stop heart disease in its tracks. I wanted to show up at that cardiologist appointment and have him say “wow, we have never seen improvement like this, you did such a good job taking care of him!” Turns out, I am not that person. But I am a person who tries hard anyway, who feels hope anyway, whose ears perk up at “I could be wrong”, and who has given it and will continue to give it literally everything I’ve got. We were dealt a shitty hand here, but it’s not my first, and I have always prided myself, even surprised myself, when it comes to my ability to play the cards I’m holding.

Basically, I’ve realized I have a choice here. I cannot choose when Canelo will die, but I can choose how we live our day to day while he and all of us are still here. I want our home to be a happy one. I want the end of Canelo’s life to be fun and beautiful and a reflection of the love we all share. I want to allow myself to be excited right now about becoming a mother to a human baby and I want to look back someday on my experience as a mother and caretaker and pal for the sweetest dog on planet earth and know that when it mattered, even when it was hardest, I was capable of laughing, of feeling joy, of having fun, of being a source of comfort and warmth, of being the kind of mother I’ve always hoped to be.

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signutai · 5 years

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Y’know, now that Kuma’s puppy-puppy days are over (as opposed to his current teenage-puppyness), I really...don’t think I could have had a better introduction to raising a puppy than I did with him. I’d never even been around a puppy for any extended amount of time before him, let alone actually have to look after and train one myself. I was prepared for it to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I had a whole network of people to turn to for advice and help. I read and I studied and basically tried to learn all that I could so I’d be prepared for whatever he threw my way. And in the end, I ended up not really needing much of it. I don’t know whether it was how I raised him or just his nature or some combination of the two, but he was such an easy puppy. The only problems we really had with him were 1) a minor blood sugar problem he had at 2-3 months old that hasn’t been an issue since and 2) he just doesn’t like people and never has (we’re still working on that, but Shibas are...yeah, it’s probably not going to ever fully go away). In the spring and early summer we hit a housebreaking snag when he would gorge himself on ice and then not tell us he needed to go outside later, but now that he’s older that’s less of an issue. Maybe it’s just that we’ve always had anywhere between 5-10 bones lying around, but he never attempted to destroy the furniture while teething. Actually, he never really chewed the furniture at all despite that we have...a lot of chewable wood in this house. He’d try, I’d tell him no, and he wouldn’t do it again. Occasionally he’ll tear up a loose paper or two, but he’s getting a lot better about not taking things out of the bathroom trash, and everything else is solved by just not leaving stuff in range of his baby mouth. I can count on one hand the number of nights he didn’t let me sleep through. He had maybe five total accidents at night, and during his entire puppyhood we didn’t even go through one bottle of cleaner. Part of it, of course, is that Shibas are easy to housetrain, but I think it helped that I kept him on a schedule of letting him out to do his business every two hours (with additional breaks in between as needed), as well as making sure he pottied immediately before bed. He never played especially rough with me, and I can’t ever recall a time I had to tell him not to bite me so hard (the real problem was that he knew from a young age the difference between skin and cloth and therefore some of my clothes suffered more than I did). He’s always been a shy dog, but despite his wariness around most people, he’s never once been aggressive, even when being touched, held, or handled by someone he doesn’t like. Hell, even when it comes to the critters he faced in our yard during the spring and summer, he learned really quickly what “leave it alone” means (Bushi is still hopeless in this respect). All in all, I’m so thankful to him for being such a sweet little man and making my first puppy experience so rewarding and simple. I could never have guessed, when I first held this tiny little potato of a pup, that he would turn out to be perfect for me in just about every way.

Love ya, sweet bean.

#Kuma the Shiba #Shiba Inu #dogs #dogs of tumblr

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ghoulstars · 6 years

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im only posting this bc i desperately need to exorcise this thought somewhere bc it wont fucking leave me alone

those of you who know me personally or follow my instagram know about this but for those of you who dont: in a horrible turn of events, our plan to put down our geriatric yellow labrador retriever dixie was unfortunately and unexpectedly doubled today to having to put down our 3 year old engam bulldog, bean, as well

when we got him in mid december, 2015 he was barely out of puppyhood, we found him wandering around near the highway at our local gas station with a collar and no tag, trying to jump into two out-of-towner girls’ car. my stepdad intervened bc they couldnt take bean with them obviously, and brought him home instead.

we put up lost dog flyers everywhere all over our very small city, in an attempt to maybe see if someone would indeed come forward for their dog. we knew he wasnt just a stray because of his collar.

almost right off the bat, we were told by a woman who worked at the gas station that there was a man who lived in the trailer park just across the road, located behind the pancake diner. you can see it from the gas station parking lot. she told us that he had a lot of dogs that he typically kept chained up outside in poor conditions, and beat them regularly. to us? it seemed totally reasonable that that must’ve been where bean came from, given the fact he was a dog and we found him literally less than 50 feet away from where this fucking man lived.

no one came forward to claim bean. we kept those flyers up for months, we only put them up to begin with knowing he may have been thrown out by (or escaped from) this disgusting man just because there was the possibility that it wasn’t his dog, but someone else’s. as well as the potential for legal intervention if this fabled abuser found out we had technically stolen his dog (and full disclosure, fuck him for what he does, i hope all his dogs get stolen like they need to be, i myself was not fond of the idea of just giving the dog back to this creep if he was indeed the owner but i was only 16 at the time so there wasnt much i could do)

with no one claiming bean, after those months passed, we decided that he was ours now. flyers were taken down, we gave him his collar and nametag, to be real he’d already been named by us in the first few days we had him. he was going to be ours no matter what; my mother always told me its a rule that if you name a stray, and do it quick before anyone can object to keeping it, it’s yours now. that’s your pet, with it’s new name.

so we carried on with our lives, now having not just one dog, but two. it was a bit iffy with my stepfather keeping bean since we didnt technically need to manage two dogs at the time, but we still did it anyways because we loved him, the little bean man.

but here’s where my problem lies and this is why im writing this now: as time went on and we continued to have bean as our pet, some stuff about the original suggestion that he belonged to an abusive older man who lived in close proximity to where we found bean wasnt adding up

due to dixie’s failing body, she would sometimes lose control of her bowels inside the house, which was becoming unacceptable when she stayed in overnight. so, she stayed outside. she and bean bonded, so they stayed outside together too. (and for clarity here, i know what some of you might want to say, but we knew very early on that bulldogs do not do well with heat or isolation. we also know that dixie probably shouldve been put down years ago, but here’s the trouble: my stepfather would not let us euthanize her. she is his dog technically, and the thought hurt him so much that he would not agree to it for YEARS. dixie and bean were too attached to separate them for long periods of time like they would be if we kept bean inside mostly and her outside mostly; that would’ve been cruel in its own special way. we put pools out for bean and visited with both dogs for as much as we could outside, bathed them, put fans out for them in the summer. our only option to give bean the main love and care he needed was, and of course we had other reasons to do this, to put dixie down, which was where we thought we were finally going to be by tomorrow, but thats not what happened, as you can tell)

as to be expected, bean sometimes found his way inside, mostly by applying his american bulldog traits to memorizing when unfamiliar guests would come over and bolt in the house. he did this enough times and very recently we were letting him stay inside instead of taking him back out, and all of these experiences combined, we noticed something: bean was housebroken. he was out of practice with it, and did not know very well how to communicate that he needed to go outside to use the bathroom, but he did know what to do. he would run to the door if he had to go, not always making it, but still, he was housebroken. he only marked furniture once while inside, in his entire lifespan thus far. that was a red flag to us, but especially my mother, who realized this skill of beans directly contradicted the statement that he was probably kept outside, chained up, starved, and beaten by the trailer park guy. not to mention, bean came to us in nearly perfect condition to begin with, just skinny. no patches of fur gone, he was the opposite of skittish and aggressive, no bruises, nothing. just a loving, bouncy, stupid bulldog mix

this, im not sure if im correct about this, but it stands out enough to me that i feel its worth mentioning: bean is not a mutt of any kind, and his breed contradicts those types of breeds most people who abuse animals come to own; usually large breeds, breeds inaccurately known for aggression, and breeds used by abusers to make aggressive bc they know the fighting power of these dogs (pitbulls, american bulldogs, etc). bean is an engam bulldog (english/american mix), which is a very obscure mixed breed dog to begin with and especially obscure where i live, and as we all know english bulldogs are short, stout, fat little things that can basically do no harm whatsoever. they also have a history of inbreeding to look how they do. i know this man may have just seen ‘bulldog’ and snagged him thinking he’d be aggressive, but that does not sit right with me for two other reasons: bean’s conformation (body structure) and coloration. there is nothing about bean that suggests he was bred to be used for fighting, or that he’s a true mutt, or anything of the sort. his body type literally resembles that of show dogs, and his fur coloration is highly unusual because he’s blue. obviously not literally blue but the type of blue-grey you can find in animals, typically seen in cats. bean’s coloration is almost NEVER found in ANY breed of bulldog, it is INCREDIBLY rare that he looks like this. his condition in which we found him, his housebrokenness, his color and his body formation lead, in me and my family’s opinion, to an alternative opinion: he belonged to someone that got him because they wanted a dog as a pet, not to beat, and they either bred him themselves or bought him (probably from a pet store or breeder) for his color and conformation.

but why would they dump a dog this valuable? my mom said this to me earlier, sobbing after she returned from the vet today, and this is my whole reason for writing this insane fucking novel of a post: whoever dumped bean threw out a sick puppy, and on purpose.

bean hasnt been injured or contracted an unvaccinated illness or anything like that. he had been experiencing extreme stomach distension for the past month, whereas he was losing weight everywhere else on his body. he had also been vomiting. but he wasnt depressed, or lethargic. maybe his personality was a little off but not so much it was horribly noticeable, and at that, he was still eating regularly everyday. we came to the conclusion he had parasites, though ive always been terrified something more serious was going on (i dont get listened to though).

as it turns out, i was right. mom took him in today, the day before dixie was set to be put down, for his deworming pills. what she got instead was a diagnosis of possible lung cancer. his blood work was normal, which is unusual in animals with cancer, but he still had nodules on his lungs that highly resembled cancer. his heart was also severely enlarged due to heartworms, and his stomach was so distended because it was full of fluid and blood. they did send his blood off for labs, but even if his lungs were fine, he was going to die anyway (they got a second opinion from another practice and they also agree it was probably cancerous). he has a 15% survival rate for only the very first heartworm treatment, which will cost $500. nothing lives very long with an enlarged heart to begin with. we don’t have that money, and for a treatment that will definitely kill him? i dont even know why he has so much blood and fluid in his digestive tract. bean, a dog who is only 3 or 4 years old, has an enlarged heart, lung tumors and fluid/blood all in his abdomen. the vet was apparently stunned that a dog this young could have this many potentially (and one definitely) fatal health problem(s).

i now fully believe that whoever owned him before knew he had all these issues, or that he was going to develop them. i think it makes sense. i also think they’re cheap, cruel fucks who didnt want to shell out that much money to take care of him, or pay to take him to a shelter/sanctuary, and so what did they do? they did what many people these days very regularly do when their new pet has become undesirable: they fucking dumped him on the side of the road and booked it. took his nametag off and everything, to make him look like a stray. they left him for some well meaning, animal loving family like mine to find him, not know anything about these preexisting health issues, and assume he’s healthy enough; maybe just needs a few more vaccinations and a worm and flea treatment. he showed no signs of lung cancer or heart problems in all his life up until this past month, and he’s still so young. i will even go as far as to say that he himself may be severely inbred, which could be the cause of these health issues. given his specific posture and color, and that he’s a bulldog, it’d make sense. it seems like he came from some kind of breeder to begin with anyway.

so now that ive said that and got it all out of the way, i want to leave an open letter to the hypothetical cunt that did this to us and bean:

i hope god fucking strikes you down where you stand. i hope every single day of your miserable fucking life, you think about where he ended up, if he’s still alive, if anyone found him, if he ever got hit by a car or died alone of cancer and heart failure in a field somewhere. i hope you feel guilt for leaving him knowing he’d develop cancer and that he had heart worms, and knowing you did it BECAUSE of that. i hope you never fucking forget about the fact that you threw an INNOCENT LITTLE PUPPY out on the highway because you just didnt want to have anything to do with his illnesses, and i hope one day you find out what you did to us and this innocent little boy. he’s such a good fucking dog, he is so patient, kind, loving and gentle, and when he has bursts of energy to play he fucking goes, and now he has to die barely halfway through his lifespan because of your fucking negligence. he is laying outside on the porch right now, uncomfortable with fluids and blood backing up his intestines, coughing and huffing just to try and breathe. at the very least, if he were taken to the right shelter, he couldve been fucking cared for and given treatments to extend his life as much as possible, or at least given hospice care for however long he could live, which has now been shortened to 3 or 4 years. if you yourself knew this dog was inbred or you inbred him yourself, fuck you. i hope you get run over by a fucking truck. this breed can live from 12-16 years, that’s a LONG time for a dog like him, and you had to fucking ruin it all because of your own fucking preferences; you wanted the perfect dog. and you could’ve had him if you’d grown a fucking heart and actually gave a shit about animals beyond how they look aesthetically; as well, if you fucking actually gave a shit about your animals HEALTH and wanted to maintain it instead of apparently assuming he’d just be fine and healthy with all his vaccinations and that’d be the end of it. you do not deserve to own an animal if you dont even want to acknowledge it will sometimes need medical care, how fucking heartless are you? we never had enough money to take care of dixie’s failing health, and we always knew it’d be better to put her down, but my stepdad kept refusing. you had enough money to fucking breed or buy a blue show-quality engam bulldog and you still wouldnt fucking care for him after you found out what problems he had. fuck you. eat shit and die. i hope you never find peace from the guilt of knowing you fucking killed what became our dog because you’re selfish. my mother is physically sick with grief. i am physically sick with grief. i feel so bad that it’s as if i have the fucking flu. i was trying to talk with my mother about this situation earlier and i had to rush to leave because i felt like i was about to throw up if i didnt. everyone in this house has cried so much today it’s disgusting.

the only thing good about this is that bean came along for dixie when she needed him most, and became her helper and provider, giving her company and being a literal post to lean on for when she couldnt see where she was going. they’re going over the rainbow bridge tomorrow morning together, and in a way, this is probably the best outcome. at least bean wont have to grieve. dixie can see her old companion again (who died from a ruptured tumor in 2014) and bean can meet him, and they can all play and be together in that field in the sky.

my family will never have another dog again because of this pain this has caused us.

#personal #probably dont delete this #dont open this if youre sensitive to animal cruelty and death please #and vulgar descriptions of internal illness in dogs #and emetophobia #dont rb

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achoirofcritters · 7 years

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I would like to speak here about my Evie. In 2014, my great-grandmother, who had raised me my entire life, had a fall in the home. I transitioned into 24/7 caretaker, despite being in college at the time, and we had home-health nurses visiting every couple of days. Eventually, a case of pneumonia landed her in a prolonged hospital stay, where it eventually took its toll on her and she passed. My great-grandfather had died in a similar fashion a few years beforehand. So both of the people who had raised me were now gone. In that year, I lost the woman who had been like a mother to me, and the childhood home where I'd grown up, the only place I'd ever lived. College funds transitioned into get-a-home funds, and school got put on hold for a full-time job. I bought a house and became a home owner at 23. But grief led to some heavy depression, that I still battle off and on to this day, three years later. In November of 2014, I decided to take a trip to the Lexington Humane Society; I had a dream about puppies, I just wanted to play with dogs. See, I'd had a poorly bred miniature Australian Shepherd named Arcane who had been raised by the influences of my family; he was aggressive, had bitten me and drawn blood a couple times, and he was getting grumpier in his old age. I had wanted a dog that I trained, that had my sole influence, something I could do now that I was on my own. But I told myself... not until after Christmas. Then November, I stepped into that shelter. I saw a ball of skinny brindle bones in the corner of a kennel. Delicate, soft, sad eyes. A quiet little beastie; she never barked, never made a sound. Her kennel mate was growling and barking up a storm at us, a fussy creature named Eve, but the tiny little bully girl in the corner, named Bella at the time, never made a sound. Something about her stuck out at me, and I couldn't get her off of my mind. I had a meet-and-greet with "Bella" where her true personality shone, the timid, nervous waves melting off of her to reveal wagging tails, gentle puppy nibbles, and many kisses. A few days after meeting "Bella", I was adopting her. To me, she became Evelyn, or Evie, after the character from The Mummy. I was told a few things that her owner said when she was surrendered at 9 months old: "a lot of energy, she loves socks". "Pit bull" type dogs have three restrictions upon them at this shelter, no doubt due to the stigma of the breed, but I do agree that they're not for everyone. Evie is no more American Pit Bull Terrier than a dachshund is a corgi. But she's a blocky-headed bull breed of some sort, which is enough to condemn. We don't know her history, so all we can do is guess. In 2014, Evie was the best thing that could have happened to me. A saviour I hadn't realized I needed; the balm on wounds of grief; the best anti-depressant a girl could have. She had her issues; all dogs do. Things that made me think... I'd jumped the gun, I'd made this decision too rashly, I got a dog too soon. I wasn't ready for re-potty training a 10 month old dog, I wasn't ready to worry about resource guarding and crate-training, things I should have been prepared for. Live and learn. She was never anything other than extremely pleasant to any new person she met, however. And the issues grew thinner and thinner as we grew together, learned each other, and formed a life and a bond together. She adjusted to life with cats flawlessly; our giant maine coon mix runs this house and she knows it. This year, with the influx of foster kittens, she was never anything more than motherly and careful. No animal in this house is around small children or baby animals unsupervised. But Evie has never given us a reason to not trust her. She is the most tolerant creature of baby animals that I have ever met in my entire life. We learned quickly how amazingly receptive to training she was. I have a dog that knows countless tricks. I learned how different a dog could be trained with positive reinforcement, and how fulfilling the sessions could be for both of us. Evie was the first dog I ever trained to loose-leash walk successfully, the first dog to ever grasp things like "Bang!" and "Sit Pretty", she has a play-drive and an incredible desire to please. She is not everyone's perfect dog, but she is my perfect dog. I know it wasn't me. Mostly it was her. I'm still learning, Evie was my first dog "on my own", and she made it easy. We have our issues; a few negative experiences with other dogs and she's not partial to meeting new friends on the leash anymore. But we manage that. She's not reactive, and never barks at strangers or new dogs. She simply likes to introduce herself in a manner where she doesn't feel trapped and cornered. She has never shown any signs of animal aggression outside of feeling defensive around some new dogs. Puppies and small dogs are always welcome friends to her! She lives with 6 cats, and they've chased her more than she's ever chased them. Unless you are a car door slamming at 5AM, a school bus, or thunder, you have nothing to fear from Evie. One of my favorite memories of her interacting with strangers was at the UK Arboretum. This was within a year of adopting her, we take her on adventures often for photo sessions and just to get her exercise in, because she'd be a couch potato if we let her. A family was passing by with their toddler-aged daughter. The child immediately latched onto Evie and squealed and was instantly smitten with her. Evie greets every human being in the same manner: she rolls over, exposes her belly for some good belly rubs, and then will crawl closer. She stays low as if to say "I'm not scary!" She got acquainted with this toddler and the family was so enamored by how gentle and well-behaved she was. For a while, this little girl was just standing with both of her hands braced on Evie's bum, holding herself up, while Evie just stood there, thrilled as could be to be the girl's center of attention, and when they finally went their own way, breaking the two up was quite a task! People avoid her sometimes. That's fine. But there's never been anyone she hasn't wanted to meet. But my favorite time spent with her is nights snuggling on the couch. She lays next to me, tucked into a blanket, and dozes while we binge the newest Netflix series. The moments of quiet peace, where the world is still, and I just feel content. She'd run for days if I was running with her, but as long as I'm down for the count? She's happy to rest as well. We brought Astaroth home from an Australian Shepherd breeder last year to be her constant playmate. He adores her and trusts her judgment, enjoys stealing toys from her, and even smacks her with said toys to antagonize her to chase him. Many a times she has fallen asleep to him chewing on her ears until they are drenched with drool, ever since puppyhood. He was the perfect balance of chaos and mischief to our family. The two have never had a scuffle. Ever. This dog who is so perspective to others' anxiety, and has helped my friends through multiple panic attacks by being with them through them, who put smiles on my face and joy in my heart during a time where I had lost so much and felt so lost. She made me love dogs again; I learned to remember how astonishing the partnership could be. She's a powerful dog without knowing it, and no, not everyone should expect to manage such a muscle beast; she's bruised me in play accidentally because she doesn't know her own strength, but if I was too afraid to get a scratch or bruise here and there, I wouldn't keep pets at all. Dogs are domesticated carnivores and we should regard them as such, with respect, so no, I'm not going to tell you she's a pure, gentle angel made of cotton-candy and clouds. She's muscle, rambunctious energy and power, and she's got a mouthful of teeth that sometimes miss the toy and get your fingers. But that would be true of any dog. This dog came into my life at a time where I desperately needed her, and she's started a journey with me that means the world to me and is close to my heart. People can hate her due to her aesthetics if they like, because of her blocky head and short, brindle coat; I don't fucking like shih-tzus and the like. But you make this personal and all bets are off; I don't care how anyone else feels about my dog, whether they think she's ugly or what, but I trust and believe in her a hell of a lot more than I do some insignificant stranger on the internet. Evie's been in my life almost three years now; her third anniversary is approaching and will be shortly followed by her fourth birthday. I haven't changed my mind about her yet, I highly doubt I'm going to. And sometimes I wonder if I'd still be here if it weren't for her. She is the soldier combating my inner demons daily, just by being present, grounding me and giving me something to be responsible for. She gets me out of the house on days I feel like withering away in bed. She lays with me when I'm feeling melancholy. She makes me smile when her and her brother have silly shenanigans in the living room. And she makes my heart swell with the look of those starlit eyes of hers. My dog is better than anonymous hateful, nasty people will ever be. And I owe my life and my passion and my drive to her. Her love is more important to me than your approval.

P.S. - the Aussie would hate you. See, he takes guidance from his big sister of what sort of people he should trust. He's been smitten with her since he was 8 weeks old. Astaroth is a lot less trusting of strangers than pure, kind-hearted Evie. So if you're gonna hate one of my dogs, go ahead and save some time and hate them both.

Something I wrote and published today on my photography FB page about Evie, in light of strangers on the internet harassing me and attacking her and Astaroth.

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intriga-hounds · 7 years

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Hey! I just discovered your blog and Sivi and you are both FANTASTIC!!! I looked to see if you had answered anything like this and hadn't seen anything so I thought I would ask what your experience with Sivi has been as far as temperment/needs/personality? Ive been interested in sighthounds but wanna hear more from people who own and love them. I wouldnt want to get a dog that doesnt mesh well with me or my lifestyle and wanted to know your thoughts!

hey! good for you for doing some research. i’ll answer to the best of my ability, but as i’m sure you’ve already assumed, sivi is an individual. he is as different from the typical silken as he is the same as the typical silken, so anything i say about his individual personality, you should know that not every silken will be like that. and i’ll try to include as many “cons” as i can, since i’m sure you’ll get mainly pros from other people you ask. silkens are really cool dogs.

i’ll start by speaking in general about the breed/sighthounds. i will say that when i first met silkens their personality seemed a bit “flat” to me. the reason being they were quite reserved with me, a stranger, and they made very little noise and movement compared to other breeds i’d seen. but they were mellow, and they were sweet, and those were the things i wanted most. as i met more of them, i began to see the subtleties in their personalities and saw that they were not lacking at all–it was me who had to adjust the way i was looking at these dogs. my dogs at home with my parents were a golden retriever, a terrier mix, and a maltipoo. these are all exuberant, smelly, sometimes noisy dogs that, more than anything in the world, want to be right next to you getting pet at all moments of the day. to me, that was how a dog showed its affection–squealing with delight when you come home, scooting up close, soaking up love and attention.

sivi was not like that. some silkens are, but most are not, at least not in the way that my terrier mix, oliver, is. adjusting to sighthounds was hard for about 6 months. sivi is an extremely independent dog, first of all. most silkens are really openly affectionate and cuddly; mine is not. i think a lot of my frustration with sivi was in thinking he didn’t really like me as much as my other dogs liked me. that wasn’t true–he just showed affection in a different way than other dogs. once i figured that out, we developed a crazy tight bond. sometimes, sivi just looks at me affectionately. sometimes him being somewhere he can see me is as satisfying to him as it is for my terrier to practically crawl into my lap. and i got better at showing him MY affection too. he didn’t want to roughhouse with me or be held. but he sure does love his “puppy massages”! and he sure does love napping with me.

now, training. everyone raved about what biddable sighthounds these dogs were. i wanted a dog to try obedience with, but i didn’t want a dog as driven and energetic as, say, a german shepherd (a breed crush of mine that i don’t know if i can ever actually own). i wanted a dog that would be food motivated and learn quickly. sivi is both of those things, but it wasn’t immediately clear to me because he didn’t work like oliver, or any of our existing dogs, for that matter. sivi is particular about how and when he works, and what food he’s getting as payment for that work. typical sighthound quirks, i’m told, but for me it was an adjustment. oliver wants to do everything i ask him to do at any given moment, and all just for a pat on the head or a “good boy”. sivi was prone to being too tired, too bored, or too picky to work whenever i wanted. so, i had to figure out how to motivate him, because the things i did with the other three dogs didn’t work with him. now he works VERY well and is very smart, and he likes to work for me. he’ll even tell me off if he knows it’s the usual time we work and i’m still eating dinner. our mentor at obedience class mentioned that we have an “incredible bond”, and not just once. it seems whenever she introduces me to anyone, she has to tell them how lovely my dog is and how bonded we are. it’s probably the most important compliment i’ve gotten in the past year.

a bit of a side note, though still related to training: sivi was a NAUGHTY puppy, probably the naughtiest i’ve ever had. this is not typical of a silken, but nevertheless, he was naughty. he’s STILL a devious little bastard. that too was hard to get used to, because our other dogs would never dream of breaking a rule. they would be devastated to have anyone mad at them. to sivi, rules are just guidelines, only to be followed at his discretion. he will still try to dig in the yard and counter surf if you don’t watch him very closely. you can tell him to leave something alone 100 times, and he never will until you either put it away, or he wins. maybe that’s common sense to some people, but our other three dogs were never like that. you told them no, leave it, and they said, ok! meanwhile, sivi will sometimes look right at me as he does something he knows is wrong. as you can imagine, potty training with him was a nightmare. he’d hold it for 5+ hours when he was only 10 weeks old just for the chance to pee on a blanket or dog bed. again, not at all typical of a silken, and one of the things i hated most about sivi’s puppyhood. he was still having accidents at 8 months, and when i traveled this summer, he acted out in true sivi fashion by peeing in the kitchen. oliver was potty trained in a day, so this was unfathomable to me. my parents would tease me because i was such a fanatic about dog training at the time and they would be like, well how come you can’t teach your own puppy to pee outside? i found this really embarrassing and frustrating haha. but we got through it, and now looking back i know i handled it all the wrong way. i was treating sivi like he was oliver, and he wasn’t oliver.

so i guess to summarize: i had very little exposure and experience with sighthounds in general when i got sivi, so there was a learning curve for sure. however, now that i understand him better and have changed the way i approach things with him, things are so much better. i love the shit outta that dog, and he adores me too. anyway, thanks for asking this, because it was nice to look at the past year with sivi critically and see how far we’ve come. no matter how much you research, how much you prepare, there will be things you weren’t ready for. but then it’s all okay in the end.

#sivi #ask #Anonymous

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royjosephbutler · 6 years

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I’m no Baron Munchausen

People won’t believe what I’ve experienced. But they should. It’s all true!

Life is a real scrapheap, and the waste of every raw moment and of each and every personal history (mine or someone else’s) is reused and recycled whether we like it or not. It’s a pile of junk, but can we ever chuck it completely? Can we truly ever add to the heap and turn our backs to its contents? Is it not human nature to rake over shit time and again? All the debris of life is the substance of life, so I’ve no doubt my unbelievable experiences can be believed.

To be clear, I’m no Baron Munchausen. His adventures are without compare. I’ve never commanded an infantry, journeyed through the centre of the world, met a god or been to the moon, But, I don’t think the baron could lay claim to single-handedly tempering a storm, or besting a bear, or laying with a lion and living to tell the tale, or surmounting barbed wire in a single bound and having my fall broken by a well-positioned mere…

I admire the baron, but my own adventures are peerless. His triumphs bring to mind the time when my trusted pooch Lucky rescued me from a pack of vicious canines. I was ten, but not content with waiting for the advent of adulthood, responsibility and personal accountability I launched headlong into the fraught business of living. Lucky was also ten, and much the more world-wise for all of his years. Unlike me, he knew how to survive, and I remember hearing stories told of his travails with thick-skinned brutish owners when he was a pup, tethered on a short lead to a post outside some automotive garage or other and pleading for his scraps. I’m certain he spared me the worst, but it’s enough for anyone, man or mongrel, to hear about being stripped of the company of mum, brothers and sisters; being mistaken on regular occasions for a ferret; or, horror of insufferable horrors, being used for target practice mercilessly by a water cannon and a vile concoction of sulphur, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and refined tar! No doubt, my tender age was a factor in his reticence in being more candid about his puppyhood. But, the grittiness of his formative years did teach Lucky a thing or two about self-preservation, and lucky me for being on the right side of his sympathies when my own need for preservation was urgent.

Never ride your mongrel like a horse! Trust and always follow this advice, if you can help it. I couldn’t, so ride him I did. But this cloud had a sharp silver lining. As children often do, I took real pleasure in testing the limits of everything around me, and this included my poor friend’s dear back. On mounting him from a height, Lucky let out such a howl and snarl I was frightened and let my full weight drop upon him, whereby he whipped around, chomped down on my forearm with forced and summarily threw me back to earth. His recovery was swift, with a simple lick of his shanks and vertebrae, a swish, a posturing and a glare at yours truly. My recovery, truth be told, took no less than 2 years, 2 months and 30 days to accomplish. And part of that was putting Lucky’s lesson to use. In the shadow of him, some ways down my road to recuperation, I was confronted by a pack of wild curs. Vicious things, foaming at the mouth and ready to strike. I imagine they had not been properly fed in at least a fortnight, such was the ravenous look in their blood-shot eyes. I also imagine they took me for their next meal, as logic would have it of a troop of ill-fed mutts. With an eye to my previous folly, and my lucky Lucky’s phantom encouragement, I made no move to mount and control those filthy bow-wows but leapt at them as if to attack, defied gravity’s damning graces and flew from the famished clutches of those mongrels’ chompers straight to the waiting warmth of my childminder’s domicile. Lucky, of course, knew how to fend for himself and presented himself without a scratch on him when all was through. (His instinct and incomparable skill for survival was always a source of wonder, right through the length of his long life.)

All these many years later, it’s impossible to forget the force of this incident, much as the memory of Lucky will always be with me. Not since has it occurred to any animal – at least, none with four legs – to brazenly confront me. I reckon that that one experience, on the heels of my juvenile altercation with Lucky himself, created some aura around my character, distinguishing me from the unfortunate others marked with a brand of less consequence and a clearer bullseye. Then again, maybe it’s just luck.

And what adventurer in this scrapheap isn’t without their own bit of that?

“Over time I have had fewer and fewer unbelievable experiences,” so say I in the deeply recessed, almost forgotten and irretrievable part of my ego. At a guess, this lesser, silly me, with a propensity towards understatement and absolutely no skill in valuation, says this because it inhabits an adult’s brain. The body and brain of today’s me are certainly more au fait with the incredibly complex mores of the world. They can navigate societies and their obstacles with greater ease and easily avoidable mistakes. And still, the escapades go on and on in perpetuity, ad infinitum, forever and ever, and ever. And not even I can believe them all.

I should write a book. In it I’d list all of my adventures from end to beginning, and finish with a prologue of everything to come. I’d illustrate in words all my ridiculous realities. I’d encourage my whole spirit to pour out narratives of my life in bite-sized, honest chunks anyone aged eight to twilight would get. And I hope my book would encourage, in turn, smiles and fantastic recreations of its audiences’ own wacky lives – and I’d believe all of them, believe you me. After all, the debris of one person’s life is bound to fly in the path of another’s.

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maevworldny · 4 years

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Mornings Around Here: Liz and Lego

Welcome back to our series on morning routines where we highlight women around the city and talk to them about what their morning routines look like with their dog. No two mornings are alike and they shouldn’t be! A lot of people hope that dogs will help to bring routine and structure into our lives, to bring joy into mornings, to get up early, to lounge a little longer - whatever it is, it’s your sacred ritual. It’s designed to fit your life and your dogs’s. We’re just here to show how many different faces it can take on.

This week, we chatted with Liz, one of the fabulous models from our shoot about life in New York with her playful and hilarious puppy Lego and work as a graphic designer at Myro. Liz has a tattoo of a lego on her wrist, but you’ll have to find out for yourself which came first - the puppy or the tattoo. Let’s get into it.

Liz and Lego

“It’s funny, as a kid I spent most of my time building with Legos… how fitting right?”

How long have you been in New York?

Well technically I grew up in New York on Long Island, but I’ve lived in Bushwick for 5-6 years now.

You’re a graphic designer - have you always been a creative person? What drew you to graphic design in particular?

Oh yeah, for sure – it runs in my blood. My parents were both creatives; my dad worked for Hearst Magazines in their print management department for 25 years, and my mom was a medical copywriter for several of the big name advertising firms in the city.

It’s funny, as a kid I spent most of my time building with Legos… how fitting right? Legos made me obsessed with the ability to create. It all kind of just went from there.

You’ve worked at a bunch of different places and you currently work at Myro, a plant-powered, refillable deodorant brand. What do you love most about working in a startup environment?

Yeah, I’ve worked for a few startups at this point; Plated, sweetgreen and now Myro. To be honest, my favorite part of the startup life is the culture. I am able to do what I do and LOVE what I do because of the people I work with.

Graphic design requires a pretty creative mind - where do you go when you’re looking for inspiration in both your professional and personal life?

The best place to find inspiration in my mind is just walking around the city. I always see something that catches my eye, whether it be the outfit on the person walking in front of me, or a wheatpaste ad posted up on the green walls of a construction site.

When we had you on set, your outfits mixed patterns and colors and textures in really fun and interesting ways. Who are you style icons and fashion inspiration?

It’s a real mix for me. I’m really into this one influencer Suzie Riemer’s(sweetsuzieq) style, and eclectic mix of wild graphic tee’s and color patterned coats/bottoms. At the end of the day though, I feel like my coworkers influence my style a lot as well. We’re always sharing the latest drops of clothing from different brands like pleasures and braindead.

Let’s talk about Lego because that puppy is so f’ing happy. When did you first decide to get a dog and how did you go about that process?

I’ve been in Bushwick now for over five years, and felt that I needed a change in my life. It was either move across the country or get a dog. I first started seeing bernedoodles in the street around the time I decided to get a dog and immediately became obsessed with them. I kept checking adoption agencies and finally came across Lego’s profile on pet finder. I fell in love at first glance and had to meet him.

On set, Lego was so curious and happy and probably the most social dog we had there that day. How would you describe Lego’s personality?

Lego is such a sweetheart, I’ve never met a more passionate, cuddly, quirky pup in my life. I also would like to think that I had something to do with his personality being so great. ;)

Alright, let’s talk about Lego’s name. I noticed you have a lego tattoo on your wrist. What came first - the tattoo or the dog?

The Lego tattoo came first – it was my first tattoo. My dad actually gave me the idea to name my first dog Lego… little did he know I was actually in the process of going to meet Lego at that point.

Lego is clearly beyond obsessed with you (and it’s obvious the infatuation goes both ways). In what ways do you think the two of you complement one another?

We’re each other’s hype man for SURE. We’re also the perfect cuddle buddies. So many people have told me that Lego always seems to be on the same page as me, almost as if he could read my mind… I wish.

Lego’s still technically a puppy. What’s been the most unexpected part of puppyhood?

In the beginning when I first got him, it was so painful to crate train him. The look he gave me when I would shut the crate door, was just the most depressing thing. And then the crying… yeah, it wasn’t great.

And New York isn’t the easiest place in the world to raise a dog. What’s been the hardest part of having Lego with you in New York City?

The hardest part for me is planning ahead. I can’t be as spontaneous as I used to be with grabbing drinks or hanging out after work because most places aren’t dog friendly in New York.

What are some of your favorite activities to do together on weekends or when you have a bit more time on your hands?

Now that it’s off season at Rockaway, I like to bring Lego to beach 90. He LOVES to dig in the sand.

What time do the two of you wake up every morning?

We wake up at 8:15, sometimes earlier depending on how playful Lego is when he wakes up.

Are you guys early birds or night owls?

On the weekends, we are total early birds!

Does he sleep in your bed?

Of course! He loves to snuggle with me, although he doesn’t stay that way for long, as he likes to move around a lot throughout the night.

What's the first thing you do every day?

I’m such a millennial, I check my phone :(

And what's the first thing you two do together every day? We play for a few minutes before I actually need to get up for work.

What's for breakfast?

For me, it depends on my mood. But for Lego, he has Wellness Complete Health Chicken, Oatmeal and Salmon dry kibble, with a few small pieces of Stella and Chewy’s freezer dried lamb patties.

Walk before or after breakfast?

Before breakfast!

What do you listen to while getting ready for the day?

As of late, I’ve been listening to Mark Ronson’s new album “Late Night Feelings”.

Healthiest morning habit:

Going to a morning workout class.

Worst morning habit:

Going back to bed.

One word to describe your mornings:

Productive

I never leave home without…

My headphones!

If you had one extra hour in the morning, how would you use it?

I would go workout OR take Lego to the dog park.

The best part of mornings with my dog is:

When he sees I’m waking up and comes over to snuggle with me.

Our morning routine series is designed to showcase the diversity of experiences that come with having a dog in the city in all the ups and all the downs.

If you and your dog would like to be featured, text ‘ritual’ to 29071

#Dogs #Women's Lifestyle

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bigdawgtazz · 4 years

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#Repost @pawsitivepawsrescues ・・・ Donnie Hello, my name is Donnie . My animal id is #86577. I am a male chocolate dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center. The shelter thinks I am about 8 months 1 weeks old. I came into the shelter as a stray on 1/19/2020. Sorry, this pet is for new hope partners only. Donnie is at risk for behavioral reasons. Donnie has displayed a low threshold for arousal with the potential to redirect onto the handler. Donnie would be best suited for placement with a new hope partner that can provide the necessary behavior modification. Medically, Donnie was diagnosed with canine infectious respiratory disease complex which is contagious to other animals and will require further care. Let's get to know each other a bit more... A staff member writes: Puppyhood is confusing! The word looks so big and strange, then suddenly your legs are longer and you trip over them sometimes. Donnie faces some of the typical awkard puppyhood woes, but takes every challenge as a learning experience. At times he may face additional challenges while transitioning into his adult life, and may need additional guidance from a loving caretaker to help him channel and direct his energy appropriately. When you look at Donnie, it's impossible not to smile at his glowing green eyes and adorable gigantic ears. He's an attentive, enthusiastic youngster that enjoys many a treat and bonding time with his friends. If you hear Donnie's coming of age story and can envision him living happily ever after by your side, he can be found here at the Manhattan Care Center. My medical notes are... Weight: 40 lbs Vet Notes 1/21/2020 [DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: ~8 months Microchip noted on Intake? Negative History: Stray. Subjective: BAR Observed Behavior -Very energetic. He was biting the leash and trying to play. Jumping up. Took treats ravenously. He allowed handling but he did not really want to sit still and he just wanted to play. Evidence of Cruelty seen -No Evidence of Trauma seen -No Objective T = P =wnl R =wnl BCS 4/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: Clean teeth PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, C https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HM8-hpORE/?igshid=x79er2wm319m

#repost #86577

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wildlyhardphilosopher-blog · 5 years

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training puppies not to bite | potty train puppy

New Post has been published on https://dogtraining.dknol.com/english/training-puppies-not-to-bite-potty-train-puppy/?utm_source=Tumblr&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230+Freda+K+Pless&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BBest+Dog+Training

training puppies not to bite | potty train puppy

Absorbz (1) COMMANDS Our Puppy Kindergarten classes are available in Corte Madera!. Howdini Enjoy this fantastic time in your dog’s life. His puppyhood is the time where you will lay the foundation for your puppy’s life. It’s also where you will develop, build and strengthen the special bond you will share with your dog for life. Help!! I can’t get my puppy to stop peeing and pooping in the same spot. What type of cleaner do you suggest? I didn’t think about the smell factor that dogs have. Thank you for the article, Top 5 Puppy Training Tips November 14, 2017 12:54 am How to Entertain Your Dog When It’s Too Humid to Go Outside Observe a class. Both people and dogs should be relaxed and having a good time – smiles and wagging tails all round. Educating a Puppy Mouth: How to Stop a Puppy From Biting Frequent Feeder Program Until your puppy has had its third set of vaccines, you should avoid areas where other dogs go or have recently gone, such as parks. It’s a good idea to discuss this with your veterinarian. Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram Google Plus $29.99 $59.99 Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser With very young puppies, and in the early stages of training, you can also try taking the dog out every 20 minutes or so, when possible. This may help to avoid accidents and also give you more chances to praise your dog for going in the right place.[19] How to potty train your puppy – more information Few things are cuter or more fun than a new puppy. Bringing home one of these furry bundles of joy is often among a pet owner’s most treasured memories. The first few weeks will be filled with special milestones and precious bonding time. But to ensure that you look back fondly on the start of life with your new pet, you must take a few steps to help him grow into a well-behaved adult: challenges. It was truly informative. Your website is extremely helpful. on orders over $25—or get FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime Jump up ^ Spector, Morgan (3 January 2009). “Who Started Clicker Training for Dogs?”. Retrieved 30 November 2012. Going Home Teach your dog to Come. This command could literally be a life-saver. Teaching your dog to come when you call, first time, every time is a necessary command—especially if he slips out of his leash or out the door without his leash.

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fbq('track', 'ViewContent', content_ids: 'dogtraining.dknol', ); Top Puppies explore the world with their mouths, which means those razor sharp little teeth are never too far away. If your pup gets forceful with their nipping, let them know. Final words Toilet training your puppy Not Helpful 19 Helpful 80 Puppy Training: How To Train a Puppy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Positive Puppy Training (Dog training,Puppy training, Puppy house training, Puppy training … your dog,Puppy training books Book 3) Kindle Edition Backgrounds “I believe we signed [our dog] up for a 3 or maybe 4 week course,” a Bellevue woman said of her experience. “We came to visit him at the two week mark and sat in that very room in the video. When they brought him in he was cowering from the person. They wouldn’t let us pet him. He had lost a lot of weight. We knew knew they were abusing him but had no proof. We took him home that day. We were actually just talking about this place last night. February 26, 2018 at 10:12 am Yes, when he eats and drinks will influence when he relieves himself. For example, give him breakfast early in the morning after you let him out so he will go outside during the day. Give dinner after sundown so he can go out one last time before bed. If he is young then be patient, he may not be disciplined enough yet. Consider giving him a third smaller meal during the day while he has access to the outdoors as a bathroom. Wash Up Think you might be ready for the Professional program? See our guidelines. If you follow this guide with patience, consistency and dedication, I can guarantee you’ll take both your puppy and yourself from complete beginners to house training aces as quickly and stress free as possible. Vance Joseph lost this team in the week following the bye – partly by showing them he had no idea how to properly prepare them to play week-to-week, and partly because he kept putting players on the field that other players knew didn’t have it. Can you respect and play hard for a coach when you finish your week of practice thinking That’s it? He thinks we are ready?. Back that up with seeing players on the field that consistently cost you field position or ball possession and you’ve got either apathy or mutiny depending on whether a player is interested more in his check or his team’s playoff chances. Unfortunately since Elway chose to keep the majority of the underachievers the Broncos seemed destined to repeat last year, probably with only a one or two game difference due to their easier schedule and uncertainties surrounding other division opponents. Elliott Lindau Sign up How Much Exercise Does a Puppy Need? If your dog is having frequent accidents in the house, take a step back in training. Go back to where he was reliably achieving success—was there more opportunity to go out and more supervision inside? VIP HAWS is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. | License #267280-DS Can Dogs Get Sick From Humans? Corporate Info See All… These four dog cues will help you keep your dog safe, happy, and healthy and give you peace of mind! read full article Housebreaking a Puppy – 12 Tips for German Shepherd Puppy Potty Training House Train a Puppy Corte Madera, CA 94925 Regular Price: $6.69 Tom Douglas Add duration to the distance. Start with increments of 15–30 seconds while you walk around the house in and out of sight, until you reach 5 minutes. Then increase to 5–10 minute increments at a time. Your puppy should be enjoying their toy or food puzzle and seem comfortable. If not, make the step easier by leaving for a shorter amount of time, before extending the duration to make it more challenging again. Hi Sami, Brushes, Combs & Tools Obviously, your puppy will feel the need to bark, chew, and eliminate throughout the course of the day, and so she must be left somewhere she can satisfy her needs without causing any damage or annoyance. Your puppy will most probably eliminate as far as possible from her sleeping quarters-in her doggy toilet. By removing all chewable items from the puppy playpen-with the exception of hollow chewtoys stuffed with kibble-you will make chewing chewtoys your puppy’s favorite habit, a good habit! Long-term confinement allows your puppy to teach herself to use an appropriate dog toilet, to want to chew appropriate chewtoys, and to settle down quietly. Professor Donaldson shows various techniques out in the field as she puts the wait command to the test at a dog park. Watch and learn as she adds in distraction, distance, and duration for more of a challenge. She provides valuable tips to help transition practicing the same lessons in an unfamiliar environment. x DVD It can be overwhelming to decide the best things to teach your puppy. One of the best ways to interact with your dog and to get him or her to pay attention to you is to teach look or watch me command. This isn’t necessarily a trick, rather it’s a way to capture your dog’s full attention before you begin training. To do this, simply decide which words you will use and be consistent (i.e. “look” or “watch me”). Before you begin teaching your dog anything else, say “look,” and offer a treat when she responds. When you have her full attention, move onto the training. Before attempting this one, make sure your dog is an expert at the “Sit” command. UpdateCancel Stands & Covers Receive up to an hour of 1:1 instructor support with this course through email, video review, or the online classroom discussion forum. HOME MD (YOU’LL THANK US) Cooking 101 A: We will send that person an email to notify them of your gift. If they are already a customer, they will be able to add the gift to their My Digital Library and mobile apps. If they are not yet a customer, we will help them set up a new account so they can enjoy their course in their My Digital Library or via our free mobile apps. 4. Be Persistent – continue firmly with your potty training your puppy in spite of any difficulty. At times it may seem like your puppy just does not get it, but don’t waver and be persistent. It took our Aussie mix, Linus less than 2 weeks before he was potty trained. It took about 6 months to fully trust Stetson with his potty training. Stay persistent! crate training a puppy | pitbull puppy training crate training a puppy | puppy training biting crate training a puppy | how to train puppies Legal | Sitemap

#puppy training how to #Rottweiler Puppy Training

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drferox · 7 years

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20 Questions with Dr Ferox #18

Finally sat down to work through 20 more questions. I know I’d been a bit behind for a while, but here comes a flurry of questions and comments. As usual I’ve tried to tag people that were brave enough to put their names on the questions, but if you were Anonymous you’ll have to look through manually.

@tenacious-brii said: Hi! I was wondering if you might have heard of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, and if you have, what you think of them. My understanding is they're working to implement a higher breeding standard to prevent inbreeding / continuation of genetic diseases and disorders (like hip dysplasia for example) It sounds like a worthy goal but maybe I am being hopelessly optimistic, lol. As for tax; Which pokemon would be your main companion? Thank you for all that you do!!

The OFA would love to implement higher standards for breeding dogs, but they can't actually enforce anything. All they can do is collect the data and make recommendations. They have some super interesting data on the frequency of hip and elbow dysplasia in dogs, but there are a few potential flaws.

Number one is that it's not compulsory for breeders to disclose their hip and elbow results. If they screen a dog with bad hips, for example, and simply choose not to send those results in, then the recorded 'breed average' will be 'better' than reality.

I do have a soft spot for Ivysaur.

savageborn said: I met a pure bred St Bernard at work for the first time today (i work part time as a vet assistant at a small local clinic) and. I was taken aback. They're so big. I've never seen one in person before and im still just amazed. I wanted to share. He was very sweet just. So Big.

Yes, they are indeed very big. Super fun as puppies though, when at even their early puppy vaccination they're dwarfing adult dogs in the waiting room.

Anonymous said: Up until relatively recently (the 1980s!), it was widely accepted that human newborns didn't feel pain. I'm not surprised if that idea hasn't persisted when it comes to mice.

Gosh humans can be stubborn, self-centred and lacking in empathy, can't they? That was probably believed to make themselves feel a whole lot better about circumcision.

agender-fordmustang said: As a vet assistant, I find egg + meat chicken production to be very interesting, despite my disgust for birds who are bred so large they cant get up out of their own excreta. What's your favorite thing which you thought you'd hate?

I don't think I really expected to hate anything, I find most of biology genuinely fascinating. I find turkey semen collection a bit weird, but there's not much on the animal side I really hate.

Humans and the things we do are complicated. I wasn't really all that fond of humans when I started out, but have come to like a larger percentage of them over time.

Anonymous said: In regards to getting accepted to vet school, would you say grades were very important? Like would an A vs a B in a class make it or break it? Also do they look at extracurriculars as much as everyone tells me haha. Everyone loves to tell me how competitive vet school is and I've just started my undergrad education so I'm trying to evaluate my priorities! Thank you so much and thank you for running such a wonderful blog! <3

When I went through, and please remember it was over a decade ago when I was applying, they looked at your academic achievements first, and extracurriculars second, but if you didn't have any extracurricular experience with the veterinary industry you weren't looked on as favourably as if you did. By the interview stage, the professors had already more or less decided who they wanted as students, the interviews just sealed the deal and maybe bumped you higher or lower on the list.

Anonymous said: I have a condition where I have random and uncontrollable nose bleeds, at least once a day and lasting anywhere from a minute to an hour. I would like to have a job with animals or in the medical field but I am afraid my nose bleeds will be in excusable in a medical environment. Can someone like me work as a vet or other medical personal or am I better off finding something else?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to answer this. There are definitely medical, infectious and sanitary concerns with having unpredictable nosebleeds. I'm not even sure how you're managing outside of a clinical setting, and I'm sorry I can't be more help.

Anonymous said: hello! i recently got a kitten to accompany the cat i already have (they get along wonderfully!) I was wondering though, we feed our cat purina kibble and have been feeding the kitten canned fancy feast- im planning on incorporating more wet food into the older cat's diet because i know cats get a majority of hydration from their food. anyway i know that the brands we feed them arent ideal, but we dont have a lot of money for otherwise. do you have any advice on better brands perhaps?

Cats are perfectly capable of drinking water, but I don't give people food recommendations. That's a slippery slope that I wont go down.

bettsplendens said: Am I right in thinking that "meat by-products" in the context of cat food probably means organ meat and miscellaneous scraps rather than anything actually ominous?

More or less. It can include any part of the animal that isn't profitable to market as a labelled something for human consumption. So while it might include lots of organs, it's less likely to include hearts, liver and tripe, which can be sold separately, and may also include things like neck and cheek meat is those cuts are not popular locally, or just edges of things that nobody wanted.

Anonymous said: Why do dogs have really short hiccup attacks? Are they hiding hiccup curing secrets from us?!

Dogs can have longer hiccup attacks, but their diets are usually more regular and they're less likely to be overfed than we are. They usually grow out of hiccups in puppyhood.

Anonymous said: How about when I worked at a pet store, I had to dissuade a man who wanted a remote shock collar for his wife's 3lb Yorkie. The smallest collar we carried was rated for 10lbs minimum. He said they'd go out to check on their cattle, and the dog would jump out of his arms and race towards the cows. He said he was concerned a cow would hurt her, and he just needed "something that would drop 'er." I suggested a leash. He said, "Nah, she don't like leashes."

Humans are capable of astounding levels of foolishness.

Anonymous said: Our dog recently had to have a large patch shaved on her side due to a wound. She is double-coated, and I've always heard you shouldn't shave a double-coated dog because the coat won't grow back the same. Is this true? Obviously it's better that it was shaved or the vet wouldn't have done it, but I want to make sure this won't affect her ability to be in the sun in the future and all that jazz. (btw we love our vet to bits, but she can be a bit hard to reach for simple questions)

It will grow back eventually (assuming no endocrinopathies affecting the fur), but the guard hairs will take longer to grow back and look like they did before shaving. It's only a part of the dog that's been shaved, so unlikely to be an issue.

Anonymous: What sorts of things do vet assistants do on the job? (I'm trying to figure out if being a vet assistant is something I actually want to do or if I just think that I want to do it because I like animals) Also question tax, what's your favorite kind of flower? Thanks!

Considering Vet Assistant is not a regulated term here, it might be anything from a layperson with no training just doing what a vet instructs them to do, to being basically a vet nurse. I do not work with vet assistants, I work with trained vet nurses, so you will get a better answer asking someone who actually works under that title.

Anonymous said: Not sure if this has been asked already but one of my cat's tails vibrates and shakes. She does it all the time. I'm not necessarily concerned, but is this normal in cats?

It can be if the cat is highly stimulated or agitated.

Anonymous said: A short story for you: ever since he was little my cat has done the claw kneading thing to my hair and dribbles while doing it. It's so weird but now it's just normal to me. I assume it's just his quirk it's cute

A lot of cats will salivate while purring and kneading. It's probably a reflex left over from kittenhood, when they would knead their mother while suckling.

Anonymous said: I'm worried about my dog's bite since he is a show dog. So far he has the normal scissor bite but it seems like it's turning to a level bite. He has reached his adult height and is a bit over 1 year old. Are the jaws supposed to grow anymore?

Probably not but it might depends on breed and I can neither see nor examine your dog, and you are anonymous.

Anonymous said: question tax: for some reason i imagine that cattle really love you!? like just licking your face and trying to lay in your lap. i just get that vibe!! question: so my dog is missing a few molars for some reason. our vet says it isn't a problem and he eats perfectly well. it's got me thinking about the dogs that have missing teeth and end up with their tongues hanging out of their mouths. what causes that? my pup doesn't do it but there's a pretty obvious gap.

Dogs that are missing canine teeth often have tongues that deviate and pop out. It's more common in brachycephalic dogs, which have long tongues relative to their face anyway.

I miss cows.

Anonymous said: I work at a pet store and frequently have to deal with people who own wheezing pugs thinking "oh he just makes that sound when he's happy", do you have any advice for convincing them that their dog isn't healthy and needs to see a vet? Question tax: came for the vet stories, stayed for the vet stories, your blog is fantastic!

I tend to say something along the lines of how something might be common and been present for a long time, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. Or that something might have been normalised but that doesn't make it normal.

prepackagedsoul said:I've had two German Shepherds (so I've spent some time at the vet, like you said a lot went wrong with them but i did do everything possible to fix it) and for now I've switched over to cats and, holy shit? Like they're so hardy and long lasting my grandmother has a cat that is 20 years old. She also owns one of her kittens, and he's nineteen. They're both still pretty active too, so I guess I'll bury this cat when I'm forty if all goes well.

Cats are great. They want to live, they heal well, they're tough little buggers.

aquila-audax said: Steering away from vet medicine but still within the wonderful realm of the life sciences, do you have a favourite species/group of plants?

I am partial to foxgloves. Partly for their appearance, but also because I like foxy things and they're poisonous in a cool way.

vantastrophe said: Any fantasy authors you really enjoy? Looking for more books to read, I really like Neil Gaiman but that's the only author so far ? hope you're having a great week!

Terry Pratchett is my #1, forever and always.

#20 questions

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kathydsalters31 · 4 years

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What Are The Best Chew Toys For A Puppy? [Our Top Picks For 2020]

This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

What Are The Best Chew Toys For Puppies?

Before getting my first puppy I never bothered to ask: “What are the best chew toys for a puppy?” I just went to the nearest pet store, grabbed the cutest, squeakiest, squirrel toy and brought it home to Linus.

Two years later, before bringing home my first guide dog puppy, our group leader suggested I bring a plush toy to rub all over Stetson’s litter mates. Getting the scent of litter mates on a plush toy would make our puppy’s first night home more comfortable.

Fast forward 10 years and we finally found our favorite plush toy for puppies. The Snuggle Puppy w/ Heartbeat & Heat Pack is by far our favorite puppy toy during the first week with a new pup.

Not only do we get the scent of the litter mates on our Snuggle Puppy, we have the added bonus of a heartbeat and heat pack to comfort our puppy during those first few nights.

However, over the years we learned that plush toys are great for young puppies, but as they get older our little Goldens and Labs tend to shred the basic stuffed squirrel (they love extracting the squeaker).

So, if you’re like me then you’re always on the look out for the best chew toys for your puppy.

Something durable, entertaining, fun, and…DURABLE!

Best Chew Toys For A Puppy

We recently received this email from one of our readers:

Wanted to find out any additional puppy toy suggestions you have? We have a stuffed duck. A rope. A Kong. Any other references for best toys? Thanks and have a good. We have an 8 week old golden retriever pup.

—K.G.

Over the years I feel like we’ve purchased every puppy chew toy under the sun.

The good news is every year companies come up with new, innovative chew toys for puppies.

Here’s our quick list of Best Chew Toys For A Puppy.

Our Top Picks

BEST OVERALL CHEW TOY: KONG Classic Dog Toy “Dublin loved his Classic KONG. We love it’s versatility.”

BEST CHEW TOY FOR PUPPIES UNDER 3 MONTHS: Snuggle Puppy “We gave Charlie a Snuggle Puppy during his first night…not a peep!”

BEST NATURAL CHEW TOY: Best Bully Sticks “Our pups love them! We love the pups chew on the sticks vs our hands.”

BEST INTERACTIVE CHEW TOY: Hide-A-Squirrel Puzzle Dog Toy “Cute, adorable, and practical. Adelle loved pulling out the squirrels.”

BEST DURABLE CHEW TOY: Goughnut – Indestructible Chew Toy “Possibly the most durable chew toy on the market.”

BEST BUDGET CHEW TOY: Leather Fox Dog Toy “We love the leather texture and at just over $1 it fits the budget.”

BEST CUTE CHEW TOY: Mr. Bill Dog Toy “I may be dating myself, but I love Mr. Bill and his patented “Oh No!”

What We Look For When Picking Chew Toys For Our Puppies

Okay guys and gals you may not like my answers because you’re going to have to pull out your check book (does anyone truly still have a check book) if you want to follow my advice.

For openers you should have lots of puppy toys…lots of them!

When it comes to the best chew toys for a teething puppy you need variety.

That’s right! There’s not a one size fits all when it comes to the best puppy toys.

Here’s our list of what we look for when we pick the best chew toys for our pup:

Durable – What good is a puppy chew toy if it only lasts 5 minutes before it’s destroyed?

Texture – Puppies get bored with the same type of toy so we always keep our eye out for different textures like fluffy, extra furry, rubbery, leathery…you get the picture.

Interactive/Puzzles – We are always harping on our readers to not just exercise your puppies body, but the mind as well. Interactive dog toys are a great way to tire out your puppy’s mind.

Variety – If all your puppy toys are plush stuffed toys with squeakers your puppy will get bored in a hurry.

Price – We have puppies throughout the year and in fact this past summer we had a litter of 10 puppies. The little ones and small breed dogs don’t need the higher priced durable products. A budget toy will do just fine with our smaller pups.

Cuteness – Yep, it’s a factor when we choose our puppy toys…especially if my wife is with me

DURABLE! – Did I already say durable? When you have a mouthy lab puppy you need something that is close to indestructible.

After reading the above list you probably guessed that we have a lot of puppy toys. Yup, our house is a puppy playground, but we have one more thing we need to mention:

Don’t let your puppy play with all their toys all the time.

We only allow our puppies to play with one or two toys at a time. If they get bored with those toys then we pick them up and give them new toy.

That’s why it’s important to have variety and different textures. You can keep your puppy entertained and interested for long periods of time.

7 Best Chew Toys For A Puppy

Drumroll please…

Actually you probably already saw the TL;DR section above so no drumroll necessary.

We broke our list up into 7 “Best of” categories and also listed a couple of Honorable Mentions just in case you don’t like our picks or you want other puppies to be jealous of your pup’s toy box.

Without further adieu:

Best Overall Chew Toy: KONG Classic Dog Toy

KONG Classic Dog Toy

I guess you could say our best all around chew toy for puppies is the KING! Get it? KING KONG? Yeah, I know I’m dumb.

Seriously, we love our KONG. It’s versatile, durable, and fun.

The KONG was Dublin’s favorite toy when he was training to be a guide dog. You could give it to him and he’d sit their and gnaw on it for a good thirty minutes.

DESCRIPTION

Offering enrichment by helping satisfy dogs’ instinctual needs, the KONG Classic’s unique all-natural red rubber formula is ultra-durable, with an erratic bounce that is ideal for dogs that like to chew, while also fulfilling a dog’s need to play. Want to extend play time? And to add some extra fun into the mix, this toy can be stuffed with KONG’s Stuff’N Easy Treat, Snacks or Ziggies (sold separately) or any of her favorite rewards like peanut butter, yogurt or kibble! – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

One of our favorite uses for the KONG is during crate training. If your puppy is having issues in the crate, try stuffing your KONG with a treat and freezing. The next time you have to crate your pup give him his frozen KONG to gnaw on.

The shape of a KONG reminds me of a football. When you play fetch with it bounces erratically keeping your puppy on his toes.

PROS

Dublin’s favorite toy and it lasted him throughout puppyhood.

You can freeze and stuff your KONG which makes for a great treat.

Add a few treats through the bottom and your pup will be mentally stimulated trying to remove the treats.

CONS

Some of our pup’s didn’t care to play with it.

While durable we have seen some dogs destroy their KONG.

Has a rubber smell that some people dislike.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST OVERALL

Nylabone Double Action Dog Chew – This was Adelle’s favorite chew toy (and a favorite of many of our other service dog pups). Be careful when your puppy walks around with this in her mouth. After a few days/weeks the plastic ends get jagged. Adelle dropped this bone on my bare foot more then once…OUCH!

Benebone Wishbone Dog Chew Toy – Raven is testing a Benebone Wishbone right now. It’s her early Thanksgiving/Christmas present. So far so good!

Best Chew Toy For Puppies Under 3 Months: Snuggle Puppy with Heart Beat & Heat Pack

Snuggle Puppy with Heart Beat & Heat Pack

The Snuggle Puppy is literally the first item on our new puppy checklist.

Before we pick up a new puppy we always make sure we have a Snuggle Puppy. Why? Because we take this plush toy and rub it all over our pup’s litter mates.

Getting the scent of the litter mates helps your puppy feel more comfortable when moving to his new home. This can be especially helpful when you start crate training your puppy.

DESCRIPTION

Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Dog Toy is designed to help your dog cope with everyday stressors. This comforting toy recreates the intimacy and physical warmth that your nervous pup craves in times of stress due to loneliness, fear and separation anxieties. This stuffed animal behavioral aid also features a real-feel, pulsing heartbeat and heat source that works to calm your pup and reduce negative behaviors such as barking and whining. – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

We use our Snuggle Puppy as substitute litter mate during crate training. It’s an adorable plush toy with a heart beat and heat pack. We put a Snuggle Puppy in the crate with Charlie on his first night home and not a peep until 7am the next day!

Today we get a Snuggle Puppy every time we bring home a new service dog puppy. So far (we’re 3 for 3) we haven’t had a fussy puppy at night thanks to our Snuggle Puppies!

If you’re having problems getting your puppy to sleep through the night then I highly recommend trying a Snuggle Puppy.

PROS

Great to help with crate training during your puppies first nights home.

Innovative heart beat and heat pack simulates a litter mate.

It’s soft, snuggly, and cute.

CONS

You only get 3 heat packs with your Snuggle Puppy.

It’s not durable.

Some pups are afraid of the ticking heart beat.

Snuggle Puppy FYI – There is an older model of the Snuggle Puppy that has an issue. It had a large stitched on nose that Charlie thought was great fun to play with and pulled off within the first few days. He could have very easily swallowed the nose. I’d advise against purchasing the older model.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST CHEW TOYS FOR PUPPIES UNDER 3 MONTHS

Nylabone Puppy Starter Pack – We bought one of these for Linus many, many moons ago. One of the bones in the pack is edible. The others are not. Your puppy will most likely outgrow these starter Nylabones. When our pup’s are teething we keep one of these in our pocket and when our puppy grabs our hand with his mouth we slowly pull out our hand and replace with a Nylabone.

N-Bone Puppy Teething Ring – We have a package of these waiting at home to test with our next puppy. It comes highly rated, but at this time we have not used it with one of our pups. Stay tuned…

Best Natural Chew Toy: Best Bully Sticks

Best Bully Sticks

Our puppies love Bully Sticks! However, if you don’t already know…

Q: What is a Bully Stick?

A: Bully Stick = Beef Pizzle = Bull Penis

DESCRIPTION

Made with only 100% beef pizzle, this bully stick is high in protein, low in fat and is a safe alternative to rawhide treats! Not only will your pup enjoy chomping down on this protein-rich treat, but it will also naturally help remove tartar and build-up, promoting healthy gums, teeth and overall dental health. Watch your pal chew to his heart’s content on a treat you both can feel good about! – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is our favorite natural chew toy for puppies. We discovered bully sticks way back when we got our first puppy, Linus.

We usually get 6 or 12 inch Bully Sticks which can last quite a while with the smaller puppies. As your pup reach adulthood they will consume these chews much more quickly.

The biggest drawback we’ve found is the smell. I won’t lie. These things stink! However, you can find some that aren’t as stinky.

We’ve found that the Best Bully Sticks advertised as “odorless” are the best (least stinky). However, they too have a strong odor once your puppy starts chomping away.

PROS

Can entertain your puppy for long periods.

Relieves your puppy’s need to teeth/chew.

Natural product made from real beef pizzle.

CONS

Can be a choking hazard when it gets too small.

Even though Best Bully Sticks advertise odor free they do have an odor. However, not nearly as bad as some others we’ve tried.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST NATURAL

Himalayan Dog Chews – I usually order a pack of Bully Sticks and Himalayan Dog Chews at the same time. Again, it’s important to get different textures when getting chews for your dog.

Deer Antlers – Somewhat controversial as a chew toy as some of our readers have had some difficulties with deer antlers as chew toys. Some aggressive chewers ended up with cracked teeth. Know your puppy and proceed with caution.

Best Interactive Chew Toy: Hide-A-Squirrel

Hide-A-Squirrel Puzzle Dog Toy

Cute, adorable, interactive, and fun! What more could you ask for? Maybe more durable!

DESCRIPTION

Treat your pup to hide-and-seek fun with Hide A Squirrel! Just stuff the squeaky squirrels in the plush tree trunk, and watch as your dog sniffs them out. To keep the game going, just stuff them in again and again! – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

We love our hide-a-squirrel. One of our favorite parts is it simulates the de-stuffing of a regular plush toy.

However, it’s still not a super durable dog toy. Just like any plush toy the hide-squirrell will eventually meet it’s demise even with a moderate chewer.

PROS

It’s a cute and fun for your pup.

We like how it simulates the de-stuffing of a regular plush toy.

It’s like 4 toys in one. 3 Squirrels plus the plush wood log.

CONS

Just like most plush toys it’s not very durable.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST INTERACTIVE

Jolly Ball – Dublin’s all time favorite chew toy. We’d buy him a new one every year and bring it to him in Arizona. The good news his old one would survive the year. The bad news it was usually in terrible shape with holes and a shredded rope. FYI – we like the Jolly Ball with the rope vs the one with the handle.

KONG Wobbler – One of our favorites. Technically not a chew toy and if you’re puppy does use it as a chew toy (like Stetson did) then he’s using it wrong. Stetson did a full review of the KONG Wobbler way back when.

Best Durable Chew Toy: Goughnut – Indestructible Chew Toy

Goughnut – Indestructible Chew Toy

Looks and smells like a rubber tire. Heavy and durable as heck!

DESCRIPTION

The GoughNuts Ring Dog Toy was designed to give pups a safer, tougher chew toy. This natural rubber ring is made in the USA using engineered carbon reinforcement. Each GoughNuts toy has two layers — the outer color indicates the strength, and the inner core is always red to serve as a safety indicator. Red means stop, so when a dog chews down to this red layer, you know it’s time to order a new GoughNuts Ring. This GoughNuts Ring bounces, rolls and even floats, so it can stand up to extreme games of fetch and all types of outdoor play. – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

Our dogs originally played with Goughnuts at friend’s house many years ago. Recently we bought Raven a Goughnut of her own. She’s not the heaviest of chewers so not a good test subject. However, one of our most destructive puppies, Dublin was never able to destroy a Goughnut.

We’re going to get one of these for our friends aggressive chewer, Higbee to see if he can destroy the much vaunted, Goughnut.

PROS

Durable. This is one tough chew toy!

Floats in water.

Made in the USA.

CONS

They have a strong smell like a tire.

Power chewers have been known to destroy the Goughnut.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST DURABLE

KONG Extreme Dog Toy – Dublin was the aggressive chewer in our pack. He barely left a mark on the KONG Extreme. Although he also didn’t like the Extreme as much as the Classic KONG Toy.

West Paw Zogoflex Hurley Durable Dog Bone Chew Toy for Aggressive Chewers – That’s a mouthful! We first met with the folks at West Paw Design back in 2016. We love their products and they have a good reputation for being durable. Raven is the first to test out our new Zogoflex Dog Bone.

Best Budget Chew Toy: Leather Fox Dog Toy

Leather Fox Dog Toy

We got a few of these leather toys when Archer was a puppy. We love the leather texture, but it’s lifespan left a lot to be desired.

DESCRIPTION

The Dura-Fused Leather Fox Dog Toy is strong enough to withstand regular playtimes while soft enough for your pup to curl up with in his downtime. This durable toy fuses real leather and jute together to create two layers for added strength. The seams are then double stitched with a heavy duty thread for extra protection against tough chewers. – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

We like this toy because it’s a different texture for our puppies. It works well with the young ones (under 10 weeks old).

Okay folks. At the time of this writing the leather fox is only $1.22. Lower your expectations. This is not a durable toy. If you have a light chewer or a young puppy then this might be a good toy for your pup.

PROS

Good for young puppies and smaller pups.

It’s inexpensive ($1.22 at the time of this writing)

We like the leather texture to add to our chew toy mix.

CONS

It’s not durable.

Stitching unravels rather quickly even with our small pups.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST BUDGET CHEW TOY

Stuffing Free Monkey Dog Toy – For a couple bucks you can have you’re own “Monkey Dog”. Just kidding it’s a Monkey Toy for Dogs. Get it? Yeah that’s not funny. Sorry…

KONG Squeezz Ball Dog Toy – There was this company called DuraDoggie. We loved their toys. The KONG Squeezz is the closest thing we could find to the DuraDoggie Chew Toys.

Best Cute Chew Toy: Mr. Bill Dog Toy

Mr. Bill Dog Toy

Mr. Bill: “Oh No!”

DESCRIPTION

Enjoy playtime fun as much as your furry pal with the Multipet Mr. Bill Plush Dog Toy. Inspired by the hit vintage skit from Saturday Night Live, it has a built-in voice box that yells Mr. Bill’s hilarious catchphrase when squeezed. Made for dogs of all ages, it’s great for playing fetch as it’s easily tossed, and it makes a soft cuddle buddy that’s always ready for nap time. Reinforced stitching and no plastic parts make this a toy to be loved. – Chewy.com

OUR EXPERIENCE

The Mr. Bill Dog Toy was a hit at our Christmas party a couple years ago and why not? Who can resist the adorable “Oh No” when you squeeze Mr. Bill?

Just like the leather fox this toy is not too durable. We kept a close eye on our pup’s when they played with Mr. Bill.

We were able to preserve him and his little sound box for a few months, but eventually Apache cracked the plastic sound maker and soon after removed his stuffing.

PROS

Nostalgic, cute, funny. If you’re a Mr Bill fan you’ll like this toy.

Relatively inexpensive.

CONS

It’s not durable.

The plastic noise maker can be a choking hazard

HONORABLE MENTION FOR BEST CUTE CHEW TOY

Hedge Hog Hide & Seek Plush Dog Toy – Baby Hedgehogs are just plain cute. Nuff said.

Gumby Dog Toy – Okay reaching back to my childhood again. This one has a regular squeaker so not nearly as cool as Mr. Bill. FYI – there is also a rubber Gumby which we have not yet tested

Are Puppy Chew Toys Safe?

It’s a simple question:

Q: Are Puppy Chew Toys Safe?

A: YES, but know you’re puppy. Monitor your puppy when he’s playing with a toy. It’s your responsibility to keep your puppy safe.

Dublin was my most aggressive chewer and at one point we removed all of his plush toys from the house because he would not only destroy them, but swallow pieces which made for choking or even blockage hazards.

Plush toys were off limits for Dublin, but we were able to give him other toys like KONG toys, Nylabone, Jolly Ball, Bully Sticks, etc.

Dublin could be left alone with a KONG Extreme and he wouldn’t destroy or consume any parts.

However, some puppies can destroy a KONG Extreme or even a Goughnut and swallow the rubber parts. If this is your puppy then please do not leave your pup alone with any kind of chew toy.

Some of the chew toys we’ve recommended are very hard and some aggressive chewers can crack their teeth.

Again, if this is your puppy then stay away from the hard chew toys like the Benebone, Deer Antlers, Nylabone Durachew, and the many other hard chew toys on the market.

Know your puppy. Monitor your puppy when he has a chew toy.

Conclusion

It amazes me that I tried almost every toy on this list before I even started writing this review (the few I did not Raven is playing with as we speak).

It goes to show you 13+ years of raising service dog puppies equals lots of puppy chew toys.

One thing that has been pounded into my head by our guide dog group leaders. Get a variety of chew toys with different textures so your puppy won’t get bored.

That’s a total of 21 different chew toys on our list! So lots of different textures to keep your puppies entertained.

What about you guys?

Does your puppy have a favorite chew toy?

What do you think are the best chew toys for a puppy?

Tell us about you experiences in the comment section below.

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What Are The Best Chew Toys For Puppies? – Bear says I like the Bully Sticks!

Top Picks For Our Puppies

BEST PUPPY TOY We Like: Snuggle Puppy w/ Heart Beat & Heat Pack – Perfect for new puppies. We get all of our Service Dog pups a Snuggle Puppy.

BEST DOG CHEW We Like: Best Bully Sticks – All of our puppies love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.

BEST DOG TREATS We Like: Wellness Soft Puppy Bites – One of our favorite treats for training our service dog puppies.

Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist.

source http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/what-are-the-best-chew-toys-for-a-puppy-our-top-picks-for-2020/ from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-are-best-chew-toys-for-puppy-our.html

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