Tag: Ducky

Thunderstorms

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A thunderstorm woke me up at 2:15 this morning. Normally I sleep right through them now that Callie is in heaven. This one was different.

I’ve been opening the bedroom window at night these past several nights and letting the cool air in. But when I awoke to the storm, Shadow was pacing in the small space between the bed and the bookshelf that sits on the floor beneath the window. 

Shadow has never been afraid of thunderstorms before; but she was definitely uncomfortable earlier. So, half asleep, I got out of bed and closed the window.  That helped a little, but she was still upset. I invited her up on the bed, and after a momentary hesitation she jumped up. 

Meanwhile, we got a loud clap of thunder and Ducky barked at it. I smiled in the darkness and she stopped. But Shadow moved closer to me. I turned on to my side and put my arm over her shoulders. After a few minutes she finally let out a deep sigh and relaxed.

The storm ended about half an hour later, but my sweet Golden baby is still on the bed even now. She’s fast asleep. And I’m wide awake, though yawning as I type this post. I’m glad she feels safe at my side; but I wonder what it was about this storm that made her feel so uncomfortable?  And what was it about this storm that woke me up? Maybe in my sleepy state I felt Shadow’s discomfort and knew she needed my reassurance that all was well?

Best Part Is No Bugs!

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Spring here in Taylors, SC, is great – when it’s not raining – the girls and I can relax in the backyard. The temperatures are in the low 70s (today at least) AND the warmest part of the day is right around 4 pm.  

 
And the best part is there are NO BUGS yet! There are a few bumble bees here and there; but the yellow jackets, noseeums, and fire ants are still hibernating in their underground homes.

Thanks to our Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosts, Jodi of Heart Like A Dog and Linda of 2 Brown Dawgs! See the links below for more great blogs.

  

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Our First Reviews, Part 2

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#ChewyInfluencer

Well, here we are again. As I told you in Part 1, we decided to try two products for the March review. For “Part 2”, I was looking for a treat that I could give Shadow that wouldn’t aggravate her reflux issues. Through trial and error – and a lot of experimenting – I have found that she has the least trouble with soft treats without grains. But she misses the hard treats that she has to chew in order to savor and really enjoy.

I wanted to find a grain-free, made-in-the-USA treat that she could really enjoy. So when I found the Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain-Free Parmesan Cheese Recipe Dog Treats, I figured they were worth a try. So, this is how they’re packaged:

 
The product description reads as follows:

“A grain-free gourmet treat, oven-baked with fresh Wisconsin parmesan cheese, vegetables, and a touch of oregano.”

Key Benefits:

Grain-free

Wisconsin parmesan 

Fresh vegetables and fruit 

100% USDA-inspected ingredients 

Made in Wisconsin in a USDA plant

These treats are about the size of a quarter and hard as a rock, but my girls don’t care. They crunch away and “vacuum” up the crumbs likety-split. (So fast I couldn’t even get a picture of my slower eater, Shadow.)  I took a couple of the treats out of the bag and took a picture of them. They actually look pretty tasty to me as dog treats go …  

The very best part? They DO NOT aggravate Shadow’s reflux! I’ve given her several of these treats over the past week and she hasn’t made that god awful sound she makes when the reflux is acting up on her. (And Ducky, my canine “Life Cereal Kid who eats anything” likes them too.)

Have you tried Fromm’s Four-Star Nutritionals dog treats? Head over to Chewy.com and get some for your dog.

Disclaimer: As a Chewy Influencer, I received one bag of Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain-Free Parmesan Cheese Recipe Dog Treats from Chewy.com in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post.

  

Ducky, Shadow, and I would like to thank Sugar the Golden Retriever and Oz the Terrier for hosting this Chewy blog hop.

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Our First Reviews, Part 1

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#ChewyInfluencer

Since this is our first review as a #ChewyInfluencer, please forgive us if we mess it up a bit. And I should warn you ahead of time that I took all my photos with the camera on my iPhone. My only computer that accepts SD memory cards is in Islamorada, Florida, being fixed by my brother so I can’t use my regular digital camera for reviews right now.

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to try The Honest Kitchen’s bone broth mix for a while but just kept putting it off. So when I received my first email from the Chewy.com Blogger Program with all the items available for review this month, I was delighted to see the bone broth mix on the list. I sent Sydney my request for it (and the product in my next review) and received it a few days later. Of course, the package arrived at the same time as my older brother so I never got around to testing the products until this past week.

Here’s what the package looks like….

 And the mix looks like this when you open the can…

So, I made a cup of the broth according to the directions, let it cool down some, and poured a quarter-cup’s worth into a bowl and set it down on the kitchen floor for Shadow to sample. She sniffed at the bowl and walked away. So I dipped a finger in the bowl and offered my finger to her to lick. She licked the broth off my finger a few times and then decided she’d had enough. But not to worry. I live with the canine version of Mikey, the Life Cereal Kid, who will eat anything. I called Ducky into my testing kitchen and placed the bowl in front of her….

 She Likes It!

Well, I decided to experiment with Shadow’s reaction to the bone broth this morning. I had saved some of the broth in a small container and put it in the fridge. I poured a little of the broth over her breakfast before I put her bowl down for her. At first she just sniffed at the food, but then she went back to the bowl and ate her entire breakfast!  Yay! Now I know what to add to her food when she’s being finicky.  Now I can honestly say that both of my dogs like The Honest Kitchen’s bone broth mix.

I don’t normally do reviews – I don’t want to monetize my blog – but after talking to the folks at Chewy.com’s Blogger Outreach department, I decided I could handle working with them. I’ve been buying Shadow’s and Ducky’s food from Chewy’s since shortly after our vet said she had IBD back in January of 2015. Their Customer Service department – in my opinion – is THE BEST ANYWHERE.  Chewy sent me one can of The Honest Kitchen Bone Broth in exchange for my honest review of the product. I was not otherwise compensated.


Ducky, Shadow, and I would like to thank Sugar the Golden Retriever and Oz The Terrier for hosting this Chewy Blog Hop.

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Back To Normal?

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Back to normal? What IS “normal” anyway? For us, it’s Ducky spending only two days a week at daycare, not six. For us, it’s Ducky being a little loud and demanding at times but not stressed out. And it’s Shadow being mellow, except when hubby yells at Ducky. (There’s no getting through to some people at times.)

And for Shadow, Ducky, and me, normal is spending sunny days out in the back yard. Hubby prefers to spend his days watching the news or reading while music is playing so loud that it gives me a headache. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

Not much was normal around here while my brother was visiting. Ducky was stressed out because there was a “stranger” in her house. And Shadow was stressed out because Ducky was stressed out.

Daycare was a blessing for Ducky – it gave her several hours during six of the seven days her Uncle Doug was here to relax and play with her doggie friends. And it was a blessing for Shadow and us uprights. The rest of the time she was fine as long as Doug was sitting quietly somewhere in the house.


But I had to keep her on her leash except when she was in her crate.

On the way home from daycare the night before Doug was going back home, we had a terrifying hail storm during the last mile plus of our ride home. The hail was smaller than a quarter, but it was coming down fast and furious. And there was no place to pull over. I had no choice but to keep going. So I kept going. About five miles an hour with about ten car lengths between me and the car in front of me. And behind me. Ducky hunkered down in the back seat and curled up into a little black ball. We pulled into the driveway; and as I turned off the engine, I looked up at the sky and thanked God and the universe for getting us home safely. I coaxed Ducky into my lap and we sat there – both of us shaking – until the hail stopped. Hubby opened the front door and I carried Ducky into the house. My insides finally stopped shaking a few days later. Ducky is finally past her uncertainty about the car.

Anyway, around the house things are back to normal. Ducky is our little “wild child” again. And Shadow is back to eating her normal amount of food. And, as long as it’s not too cold and windy, the girls and I spend our days in the yard. Thankfully, Spring has sprung around here.

Thanks to our hosts of the Thursday Barks and Bytes Blog Hop, Jodi of Heart Like A Dog and Linda of 2 Brown Dawgs!

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Spoiled But Not Rotten

Actually I wrote this post several weeks ago for the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop but the scene below is a normal, weekend one around here. Daddy’s lap is one of Ducky’s favorite places to take a nap.

As I was putting Shadow’s food bowl down for her this morning,  the hubby asked me to get him his second cup of coffee. This is why:

 Now, tell me. How could I say no?

Have a Happy Memorial Day tomorrow but remember to honor all those who have given their lives serving our country and protecting our freedoms, as well as those who are still with us.

Happy Sunday everyone! Join the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop hosted by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Dachshund Nola for more Sunday fun.

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And She’s Off!

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Ducky’s favorite game here at home is “Chase Me!”  Doesn’t matter if we’re inside or out. 

So, every day that she’s not at daycare, we play multiple games of chase with her. (Well, I do anyway. I have yet to be able to convince the hubby that the exercise – especially outside – would be good for him.)

Anyway, I decided that it’s been too long since my last Fit Dog Friday blog hop post. And I needed a decent video of Ducky at play. Crazy dog! ❤️

 

 
We don’t have a lot of options here for exercise; so since she loves this game so much, I play it with her – in the back yard – as much as I can. And in between, I play a modified version of fetch with Shadow. (More on that some other time.)

  
For more fun ways to exercise with your pups, click on the links below. Thank yous going out to our Fit Dog Friday Blog Hop hosts, SlimDoggy, My GBGV Life, and To Dog With Love.

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It Is What It Is.

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Those of you who have been following my original blog, My Golden Life, for a while might remember that I completed my Dog Obedience Training Instructor course through the Animal Behavior College in May of 2012. It was because of the externship phase of that course that Ducky and I found each other. It is what it is.

Well, since completing the training course, I’ve also completed five of the school’s Continuing Ed courses. The first two I completed in late 2012/early 2013. Then I took an extended break before starting the third course.

I started the Pet Nutrition and Diet course just before we found out Callie had lymphoma. I tried to stick with it that first week of August but just couldn’t. Callie’s health and well-being occupied all my time, energy, and thought processes. So I got another extension to the beginning of January 2016. When I realized I was close to the exam due date, I called my program manager and got her to give me a two-week extension. I explained about Callie and how 2015 had been “the year from hell”. Well, the course was really intense but I got through it and passed the exam with a grade of 80%. Not bad considering I hated science and math in school.

Recently I finished the Pet Massage (really, it should be called Canine Massage) and Pet CPR and First Aid courses, with grades of 97% and 100% respectively. I wish I had taken these two courses first, while Callie was alive and well, so I could have helped her more through her illness; but it is what it is. At least the massage course taught me how to help Shadow when her arthritis is bothering her. And I have a manual to go by if either Shadow or Ducky should need first aid.

In a couple of months I hope to be starting the Vet Assistant course. I don’t regret waiting to take this course. If I’d taken it first I may have never found Ducky. And, as insidious as cancer is, there’s no guarantee I’d have recognized the signs of Callie’s illness before her annual exam in early August. I just want to have the knowledge so I can better help Shadow and Ducky if the need ever arises.

Okay, so now that I’m done tooting my own horn, I’d like to thank Jodi of Heart Like A Dog and Linda of 2 Brown Dawgs for hosting the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop.

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Welcome! 

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Let’s get started with “Hello! Welcome to my new blog, In My Heart 4Ever”. 

This new blog will eventually replace My Golden Life, but for now I’ll just be posting here intermittently and over there about Shadow and Ducky, as usual.

I have a lot of work to do – more than I bargained for, I think – so hang in there with me and eventually I’ll get it done.  Meanwhile, check out my “About” page, and my pages dedicated to my canine angels, Kissy and Callie.