More than just a pretty face

bv_img31

Lately there have been a number of ‘why I love my dog’ kind of posts around Blogville and it got me to thinking, why haven’t I done one? I mean I’m quite ‘pawsitive,’ that I’m at least 110% over the moon when it comes to Sam. There are so many reasons to love his breed, hypoallergenic, for starters! Poodles are smart, they excel at so many things, are definitely athletic and make great pets. They are adept at so many things but with Sam I’m totally enamored with his goofy personality and the way he ministers to patients around the hospital. His sweet nature, patience and innate ability to provide just the right amount of attention and love toward patients is truly remarkable. This dog, mind you doesn’t do tricks (unless you count licking his chops on command for nurses and patients when offered a treat-a real winner around the hospital hallways). He’d rather set his fur on fire than to shake anyone’s hand and always gives you a ‘eew’ look if you try. Sit up and beg? ‘Fuggedaboudit!’ This dimwit’s giant schnoz of a nose can amazingly and yet easily miss a dropped morsel that’s right in front of his face.

When he twists himself up like a pretzel and gives me that tag-wagging thump, thump thump on the floor, all the while looking at me adoringly as if I’m going to share the correct numbers for this week’s Lottery with him. He seems to hang on to every word I utter (except when I need him to focus on walking rather than sniffing along our meanderings but even that makes me smile with gratitude at the thought of his sweet, goofy disposition). And he will look at you blankly if you toss a ball for him to retrieve unable to comprehend why in the world you tossed it and the expect him to fetch it. Yeah, homey don’t roll that way but I could care less. And then there’s always that look he gives me as if I just spoke to him in Yugoslavian and he doesn’t understand a single word of it at all.

_MG_4770-(ZF-2552-28389-2-002)-2He may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier but I love that goofball like crazy. When I see him patiently allowing a complete stranger to strangle the stuffing out of him hug him around his neck, or when he leans heavily against a leg or thigh, I can only smile and be comforted knowing that knucklehead of a dog is making someone smile and feel just a little bit better about their current moment in life. And that is something that brings such happiness and joy to me as well as to all those who encounter this completely sweet and goofy boy.

Yeah, I love that boy, schnoz and all because I’ve never seen a more complete package of enthusiastic love for everyone he meets and the love he shows me. Yup, I really do love that dog!

So what about your pup makes you smile and realize how much you love ’em?

Live, love, bark! <3

 

Definition of a Dog

Dog: A kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow or surplus of the world’s worship.

—AMBROSE BIERCE

[From our quarterly Pet Therapy Newsletter, courtesy of Mary Haack, our devoted Editor Extraordinaire who finds some of the best material to share with our teams!]

final

Here’s to a day of overflow and surplus with the ‘deity’ in your life!

Live, love, bark! <3

Wordless Wednesday

30cc927c7fb621d0914ced721716db66  Stay warm today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live, love, bark! <3

For the love of…

This entire week has been a punctuation mark on the calendar reminding me it’s still technically winter. Found this as a viable solution so the white stuff. If only I could get out of my driveway to buy some spray paint!  Here’s hoping you have a perfectly wonderful pre-Spring weekend.
66553e760537fd0b211019528732dd15

Live, love, bark! <3

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Trivia – March 15, 2016 Edition

Sam here. It may be the Ides of March today on the calendar and while I know it’s been a while since our last one, but we thought it might be fun to do another Tuesday Trivia post today. So we searched sniffed around and found some really interesting facts. IMG_1219Think you know the names of some famous (and infamous) dogs? All righty then, let’s get started!

  1. What was the name of the dog in The Adventures of Tintin?
  2. What was the name of Stephen King’s rabid eponymous St. Bernard?
  3. What was the name of Bill Sikes,’ Bull Terrier (from the classic, Oliver Twist)?
  4. What was the name of the dog in both novel and movie The Call of the Wild?
  5. In Greek Mythology, what is the distinguishing factor of the dog, Cerberus?
  6. What was the name of the dog who found the FIFA World Cup Jules Rimet trophy after it was stolen in 1966?
  7. What was the name of King Arthur’s favorite hunting dog reported to have left a permanent footprint in the rock while pursuing the boar Troynt ?
  8. What was the name of Odysseus’ faithful hound in Homer’s book, The Odyssey?
  9. What is the name of Mrs. Pumphrey’s Pekingese in the James Herriot’s vet stories?
  10. What is the name of the Bulldog in the Tom and Jerry cartoons – bonus point for naming his baby son?
  11. What was the name of the dog in the Punch and Judy shows?
  12. What are the names of Farmer Maggot’s 3 guard dogs in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

Some of these were kind of tough, how well did you do?

Live, love, bark! <3

Answers: (1) Snowy; (2) Cujo; (3) Bulls Eye; (4) Buck; (5) He was a 3-headed guard dog to the gates of Hades; (6) Pickles; (7) Cavall (or Cafall or Caball); (8) Argos; (9) Tricki Woo; (10) Spike (and Tyke; (11) Toby the Dog; (12) Fang, Grip and Wolf

Monday Musings

37aacb792cbcecad9c35e2b97abc2a0a

Hope your Monday isn’t too bad and you had a great weekend.

Live, love, bark! <3

DST PSA

0a714bfe4385a2e65b5aa7795801afa1
You know the adage ~ “Spring Forward…Fall Back.” Sam here…it’s that time of year again (at least in the US) when we have to alter change the clocks but this time it’s one hour forward. Yippee…all us poor starvin’ Marvin pups and kitties get fed at a decent hour instead of wasting away until the so-called designated feeding time. Maybe now I can put a couple pounds back on my waistline. On the other hand, I’m losing a valuable hour of beauty sleep. 🙁

What does Daylight Savings Time mean to us 4-legged fur-iends? It means just like our human counterparts, our circadian rhythms are all whacked out again. Sigh. Can someone please remind me why we continue to torture ourselves do this silly time change business twice a year? Uh, huh…just as I thought.

This is our face on DSTRemember lose an hour of sleep to set your clocks one hour ahead this Saturday evening.

 

 

 

 

 

Live, love, bark! <3

 

Fun Fursday

We had a power outage this morning which delayed this post but I didn’t want you to not have a smile today. I was cruising around Pinterest the other day and found this. Given Sam’s recent injuries, thought it might be appropriate. Is is wrong to laugh when you see images like this? Hope you have a super Fursday! Oof…Woof!

Unknown

Live, love, bark! <3

Tongue Tuesday

Despite the last traces of the brown dullness known as winter, this autumn photo of Sam with his tongue out always provides me the color I need to get through this drab period before spring announces its beautiful self replacing that dreary landscape of winter season. The glorious color is the cherry on top of a ‘pooch sundae.’ He rarely let’s it all hang out, but when he does, it makes me smile. Happy Tongue Tuesday.

_MG_4671-(ZF-2552-28389-2-003)

Live, love, bark! <3

Monday Musings

IMG_2678Uh…Michael Jackson I clearly am NOT. But can I rock wearing a wool sock or what? BOL! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Here’s to a pawsome Monday.

Live, love, bark! <3