More Tricks to Keep Pups out of Kitty-ville. Ugh!

by Tanner

© Carrie Boyko
Halloween Tricks

Mom just can't seem to stop with this Woof and Meow stuff. Her latest post has all sorts of ideas for keeping us dogs out of the cat area. It's really no fun and I personally do not think it is fair. Checking out Patches' bowl and sniffing her litter box are on my daily To Do list.


Unfortunately, now that she has all these "tools" and we've been put through the paces in her training program, the fun is over. No more investigations of Patches 'room'. Anybody got any ideas? This is a serious call for help, here!


I did come up with one idea. With Halloween coming up, I thought I'd dress up Oliver as a cat so he can sneak in. He's small enough, and I can push a box in there so he can jump over the gate.


"How will he get back out?" Oh! Houston; we have a problem. I'll have to get back to you on that.

My Cousins are in Dire Need. Can You Help?

by Tanner

© Carrie Boyko
Serious Talk Today

My friends over at A New Beginning are in tough position. They were granted possession of over 250 Labs and Lab mixes that needs foster families and forever homes really fast. These are nice folks and Labs are nice dogs. I oughta know; I'm a Retriever too. That makes us sorta relatives--cousins, I guess.

If you can help with a donation, food, an adoption, or perhaps by fostering a dog for a while, they would be very thankful for your help. Visit the link above to learn more, or visit All Things Dog Blog.

After you've explored that opportunity, maybe you'd like to join our blog hop? This is a cool way to visit a few new blogs that are all about the same thing--pets. We're so much fun, we thought you'd like to read more:

How to Make a Dog Dizzy

by Xena

© Carrie Boyko
Dreary Days....Different Ways

Tanner is making a fool of himself, chasing that silly blue ball all over the house. It jumps, changes directions and circles at will, assuring that he never quite knows what it will do next.


Mom winked at me when she gave it to him, and she's gotten a good laugh out of his confusion. Soon he'll be flat on the floor, too pooped to worry with the goofy toy any longer. Maybe Mom will give it to Oliver next?


I have to admit it is keeping him quite well occupied. I think that was her goal. Afterwards, she'll retreat with her camera, to the computer to write about his silliness. Poor Tanner! I guess it will be his turn to be embarrassed, since he hasn't managed to control the jumpy, wiggly ball. Better him than me! 

What? No More Litter Box Raids?

by Tanner

© Carrie Boyko
Tanner Shows Off
his Pouty Look 

I'm totally bummed. It seems mom is out to take away all our fun. First she put in a cat door to keep me out of the cat's room. Then she trained me to stay in the hallway and not enter, even when the door is open. Now I hear she has even got a new cat box that I won't be able to raid; it has a tiny entry that big 'ole me won't fit through.

A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do, ya know? Can you help me figure out how to get into this new contraption she calls the Litter-Robot? Xena says if it is really a robot it might come after me, but I'm tough. I won't back down. Hopefully it isn't too scary looking. Hmmmm......

I really need your help. Can you check out this new contraption over at All Things Dog Blog and let me in on any secrets that might help. Pleeeeeze!

Do the Toki Poki and Turn Yourself Around; That's What it's All About!

by Oliver

© Carrie Boyko
Oliver Does the Toki Poki!

I have a lot to celebrate today, so I'm dancing--doing the Toki Poki.
Why am I celebrating?

1. Today is my third birthday! I had a party yesterday with yummy goodies from Bone Appetit. We all enjoyed the goodies, and have leftovers for the whole weekend. Yeah!
2. Today is also the day I get to announce the prize giveaway of the Toki Poki gift packages. There are Tshirts, Toki Poki trading cards, stickers, and dog food samples. Of course, no trading card collection would be complete without OUR cards, so mom is making sure Tanner's card and mine are included. Of course, my card is the coolest!

You can see the winners and the prizes at All Things Dog Blog, where my mom and I announced the giveaway. Oh, and I guess I shouldn't forget.....I did as promised. I danced. See my picture? I should join the circus, huh? Hey, now there's an idea for Halloween.....

So, what's up next? Tonight we start the big series: Woof and Meow. Mom is going to write lots of stuff about how to help kitties and dogs live happily under the same roof. She's been taking pictures of us for weeks. What's more, she'll be giving away some really big prizes, so watch All Things Dog Blog tonight and tomorrow for all the details.

Meanwhile, I'm heading back to watch Patches and her new self-cleaning litter box that looks like a funny ball crawl. It sure is interesting! You'll get to see soon enough. See ya soon!

Happy Birthday to Me........

by Oliver

© Carrie Boyko
My First Day at Home
From 3 lbs. to 3 Years Old

I finally made it past the puppy years--no more "Isn't Oliver a cute puppy?" Now I'm a big boy! Even though I weigh 9 1/2 lbs now, I still can't catch Tanner. I keep trying, but my dish always looks smaller than his. :(


Oh well; I had a nice party today to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. Tanner and I called it Yappy Hour! LOL Xena joined in for a few nibbles and headed back to her nap. It's a senior citizen thing, I guess.

Tanner and I also celebrated with a romp at the dog park, something we never turn down. I met a bunch of new friends and they all asked about the "cookie" smell on us. The yummies from Bone Appetit were a special treat, for sure. We're looking forward to doing some serious shopping there real soon. Let's see....maybe Halloween treats? Note to self: Get a calendar and mark the shopping dates.

Check out my birthday pics at mom's post on All Things Dog Blog. I also got my trading card pic posted at Toki Poki; I love my card! Oh, and Mom even got me a birthday hat with fuzzy stuff on it...kinda babyish, but we still had a good time. G'nite!

Dogs in Mourning. How Will We Manage When it is Our Turn?

by Tanner and Oliver

(c) Carrie Boyko
How Will We Manage?

Not to be morbid or anything, but Dr. Pat's post on All Things Dog Blog today got us to thinking. Our packmate, Xena, is getting on in years. We see it in her gray muzzle, her slower walking pace, and her longer naps.

Mom even gives her a few chances to break the rules here and there, probably cuz she's just getting older.  She's been talking with Dr. Pat about these things, and it's hard to ignore the facts.

Mom tells us that everything will be okay, no matter what happens, because she will always be there for us--to be strong, keep us active, and keep our minds busy. She says that's the trick--keeping us busy until we get through it. In a roundabout way, that's sorta what Dr. Pat says too.

For now, Xena is still a happy girl, even though she is slower. We enjoy her even as she barks louder because her ears are not so good, and when she has trouble finding the right spot outside at night, because her eyes don't work like they used to.

As mom often says to Xena, "It's okay, Xena. Take your time.   That's what retirement is all about--slowing down and enjoy your rocking chair days."