Peanut Butter Ice

I take back every disgruntled thought I had about my Mom letting me run out of Grillers treats.  Mom came up with a killer idea for me by combining two of my favorite treats - ice and peanut butter. 

Mom took a couple of big spoonfuls of peanut butter. She says half a cup, but I don't like half of anything unless it's half of the people food on her plate. Anyway, take the peanut butter and thin it down with two cups of water. Then pour the slurry - what the hell is a slurry? 

Moving on... pour the slurry into a gallon-sized ziploc bag, seal it, and put it on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When the mixture is frozen, use a hammer to break it into little pieces to dole out to the dog. Store it in the freezer in the baggie. 

What? Dole it out? Mom!?!? 

There must be more in the freezer! I'll be sitting right where Mom parks her car when she gets home this afternoon. 

We're going to talk. 

I'm putting my paw down

Mom's in the dog house.

I'm out of Grillers.

I don't think I need to elaborate too much on this situation.

When she gets home from work tonight, she'd better have some with her. If not, I'm going to be stubborn and Labs can be very, very, very stubborn if they want to be.

I can't believe Mom let me down like this.

Stay? Why?

Mom is teaching me a new thing and I don't like it much. It's called "stay."

Mom says "sit" or "down" and then "stay." Then she backs away from me. I don't like it when she does that. How can I protect Mom if I can't go with her?

I'm Deuce. I'm a good dog. But I don't like to stay. 

And then God said...

Let there be Labs.

Xylitol is bad for me

Xylitol is bad for dogs. Mom found this on the Internet. She says you need to go read the entire article, but here are the main points.

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-toxins-poisons/xylitol-poisoning-dogs-a-deadly-sugar-substitue

Xylitol is sugar-free, and reduces caloric intake for humans, but it’s toxic to dogs. It’s found in many household products including the following:

• Diabetic snacks (e.g., gums)
• Diabetic foods
• Baked goods
• Gums
• Mints
• Candies
• Mouthwashes
• Toothpastes (in large amounts!)
• Chewable sugar-free multivitamins
• Chewable sugar-free prenatal medications
• Nasal sprays
• Some peanut butters
• Medications (including oral pills over-the-counter like melatonin or prescription medications like gabapentin)

While it’s completely safe for humans, it results in a severe insulin release when ingested by non-primate species (e.g., dogs!). Acute poisoning will occur in dogs, resulting in two main syndromes: hypoglycemia (i.e., a life-threateningly low blood sugar) and acute hepatic necrosis (i.e., severe liver failure).

Symptoms of xylitol poisoning in dogs include the following:

• Weakness or lethargy
• Depression
• Walking drunk
• Acute collapse
• Vomiting
• Trembling or tremoring
• Seizures
• A racing heart rate
• Jaundiced gums
• Black-tarry stool
• Diarrhea
• Bruising
• Abnormal mentation
• Clotting problems
• Death

The general rule is that if xylitol is listed in the first 3-5 ingredients (typically in order of the amount that they appear in the food or product), it is going to be poisonous!*

*If your dog does get into something sugar-free, always check the ingredient list. Note that other sound-a-likes like sorbitol, maltitol, and erythritol are not poisonous to dogs. Likewise, other sugar-free products such as stevia, saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, etc. are also not poisonous to dogs. If your dog gets into one of these other sound-a-likes, it’s not poisonous. No need to worry, as long as you’re positive there’s no xylitol!

I'm glad Mom's doing her best to stay informed and keep me safe. I want to be with her for a long time! 

This is not something to play with

Having Mom home on a vacation day means I learn a lot of stuff. A few days ago I learned the big brown spiders are not live toys. I was tracking one across the patio and Mom got all excited. And not in a fun way, either. 

She told me if the spider bit me on the nose, I wouldn't have a nose left. I'm not sure what she meant, or how that could happen, but I know Mom was serious so that's good enough for me. 

I will not play with spiders. 

Today, Bill the Bug Man came. Mom knows him through where she works. He came and sprayed all around the house and patio for bugs, and especially spiders. He came over to my crate and said hello. I liked that! 

I'm a little insulted. I don't think Mom trusts me to leave spiders alone. But I guess it's okay. She just wants me to be safe. She said I'm only six months old and I might forget. 

I guess she has a point. I'm Deuce! I'm a good dog! But sometimes I need to be reminded of what to do - and not to do. 

Wabbit!

I came so close to getting in trouble yesterday. Like, really close. Like Mom yelled at me close. 

I'm a dog so I know things. I can hear and smell things Mom and Dad don't seem to notice. I can see things, too, although Mom doesn't miss much. She sure saw me....well, I'm getting to that. 

It was dark outside and I heard something, only I didn't know what. Mom asked me if I had to pee so I barked and ran to the door. That's how I tell her yes when she asks if I have to go. The truth was I wanted to figure out what it was I heard. 

Mom opened the door and there it was! This - this- this- THING was sitting right under Mom's car! Mom is particular about her car so I knew this wasn't good. I barked at it and it took off like a rocket!

So I chased it. 

Mom was not pleased I disappeared into the woods after dark. I'm black. I vanish in the dark. She yelled at me to "come" but by the time I did, I was in trouble.   

I didn't go far. That little thing was quick and it got away. I went back to Mom and she yelled at me - for chasing the "rabbit" where she couldn't see me. 

She finally forgave me, but I get it now. Chasing rabbits is okay. Chasing rabbits after dark when Mom can't see me - not so much. 

But if that rabbit comes back in the daylight, his butt is mine, mine, mine. 

I'm Deuce! I can run really fast!