New site: ICanHazCheezburger

So on a recommendation of a friend, I checked out icanhascheezburger.com. Tonight Paul and I spent like an hour going through the archives, cracking up! I think it takes a little bit to get used to the grammar, but once you do it's hilarious!

And of course this post would not be complete without a sample of the humor! This reminded me a lot of Lewis:

We got Lewis a harness once, and when we put it on him, he immediately flopped over and refused to budge. It was so funny. I read that it's a good idea to let your cat walk around in the harness to get him used to it before you try to "walk" him. Even when I wasn't holding the other end of the leash, Lewis would scootch along the ground like there was a heavy burden strapped to his back. I must admit it was quite hilarious. I left him like that for an hour, and I don't think he ever got used to it. Fortunately, he didn't try to get out of it - I could just see him eying the safety cutters! Cats are silly sometimes.

So go check out icanhascheezburger.com! And laugh!

Bloggy admin and a red panda

I apologize for the lack in posting around here. I've started a new job, which has taken my mind off this blog. I am still going to be writing though. :-) If you have an animal-related topic you'd like me to blog about, I'd love to hear it! Or I'm always open to having guest bloggers too if you are interested; just leave a comment and let me know.

My husband sent me this picture of a red panda. I love red pandas; I think they are so cute!

Look at his little tongue; isn't he precious???

An oldie but a goodie

A Dog's Diary vs. A Cat's Diary
(By Anonymous)

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary:

6:00 am - At last! I go pee! My favorite thing!
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
6:00 pm - They're home! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched tv with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!


Excerpts from a Cat's Diary:

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bas$%&@s!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

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Dog love letter

Hat-tip: Joanna

Joanna has just joined the world of dog ownership! Go over to her blog and meet her new Australian Shepherd, Casey!

Macaulay Culkin, move over

Someone sent me this video today that cracked me up. It's an ad for pet food, spoofing off the movie Home Alone. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :-)

Best in show!

I had three people email me today about the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. I was really excited to hear that Uno, a 15 inch beagle, won best in show! I wish I could have watched it. Maybe I'll get the DVD so I can watch it too.

Beth sent me an article about it:

Uno got right into the act, jumping up on handler Aaron Wilkerson and confirming his other title: noisiest in show. Years from now, he'll be known for the "ah-roo" heard 'round the ring.

"He's a people's dog, a merry little hound," Wilkerson said...

Uno celebrated by chewing on the microphones of reporters who tried to interview his winning crew. Those had to suffice for the yellow, soft duck that's his favorite toy.

I love beagles. :-) Congrats to Uno! As for a succession plan, a dog expert said, "If he [Uno] wins best in show, I'll rent him an apartment in New York City because I'll be traveling with him all year, so many people will want to see him." I guess Uno is going to be living a celebrity's life. :-)

Check out some great pictures of Uno and other show dogs here.

Baby hugs

Instructions for properly hugging a baby:

1. First: Spy a baby. (swing sets might be a good place to look for one)

2. Second: Be sure that the object you spied was indeed a baby. If you smell baby powder and the aroma of wet diapers, this is indeed a baby.

3. Next: You will need to flatten the baby before actually beginning the hugging process.

4. Then: Simply slide paws around baby.

5. Finally: If a camera is present, you will need to, "hug, smile, and lean" to achieve the best photo.

Dogs, if this is properly done, it will secure you a warm, dry, climate-controlled environment for the rest of your life. Good Luck to all of you!

Surprise sighting

Yesterday I ran up to Publix (grocery store) on my lunch break. This Publix is also next to a veterinarian. As I was driving through the parking lot, I stopped to let another car in front of me. As I follow the car over the speed bumps, I see a little nose poke out of the passenger side window. Then a whole head followed - with brown floppy ears and an excited grin! It was a beagle! I can only imagine that his tail was wagging happily. It totally made my day to see him loving life.

(When we took Jera to be spayed, the vet reported that Jera's tail wagged the entire time - even as they were doing the bloodwork!)

I miss my beagles!

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Mutts Comics store closing

Are you a fan of Mutts Comics? If you've never heard of it, you should definitely check it out! It's about a little dog named Earl and his cat companion Mooch, and a variety of their friends. The strip also encourages adopting from shelters and going green.

I follow the strip every day at MuttsComics.com.

I noticed the other day that they are having some bargain sales in the Mutts Store! Further investigation revealed:

[W]e’ve decided to give the MUTTS website a makeover! We’ll be debuting a new look shortly in cyberspace (and adding some new features and removing some old ones), and Muttscomics will continue to be the source for all things MUTTS... While we prepare the new Muttscomics we will be closing the store (please check out the bargains now available). This is your chance to grab some unique MUTTS merchandise at truly great prices! And stay tuned for the new Muttscomics.com look… YESH!

So I encourage you to go visit the Mutts store, and if you need anything, take advantage of the bargains! And of course, return to the Mutts site to see their new redesign. :-)

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Puppy Bowl IV!

For those of you who get Animal Planet on your TVs (I unfortunately do not), be sure to tune in tomorrow for Puppy Bowl IV! It's showing from 3pm - 6pm (and again at 6pm, 9pm, and midnight). And if you prefer cute kittens, there is a kitty half-time show! From the website:

From baby beagles to mini dachshunds to mixed breeds — viewers are in for a fantastic lineup that's itching to play in a winning combination of tackles, puppy penalties and fido first downs. The renowned Harry Kalas, voice of NFL Films, returns to call the play-by-plays of this year's game.

For all the feline fans, the BISSELL KITTY HALF-TIME SHOW is back! The lively kittens show off their moves on a glittery stage and chase each other around the field. Tom Petty's performance has nothing on these tiny tabbies and cuddly calicos which prove that watching curious kittens batting around a toy mouse is all the entertainment you need. It's the pick of the litter for halftime shows!

Sounds like a show you shouldn't miss. :-) I checked out the starting line-up, and I was excited to see TWO beagle puppies in the running - Attucker and Kimmi, as well as a beagle/min pin mix named Raven. SOO cute - beagle puppies are just impossible to resist.

I wish I knew someone with cable who would let me crash at their house to watch. :-) (Someone who wouldn't think I'm extremely odd, that is.) Last year I was able to see video highlights on Animal Planet's website, so hopefully they show lots of beagle footage again this year. :-) Otherwise I may just have to add it to my Blockbuster queue!

Giveaway winners!

Thanks everyone for playing along with Two Kitties & a Puppy's first giveaway! Thanks for stopping by,a nd I hope you'll come back! Using my trusty Random.org website, I have come up with two winners!



So that means the two winners are:
Bree - Since you asked for the cat book, I'll send it your way!

chellelynn - You wanted either one, so I'll send you the puppy book!

Congrats to them! And thanks again everyone who visited my site.

Homemade dog food?

I was reading Mrs. B's blog the other day and she had an interesting post about DOG FOOD. She linked to two other blog posts about people who have started giving their dogs homemade dog food instead of store bought stuff. Since I recently blogged about cat food, I thought I'd pass on these links.

Blaine Staat wrote a post about the reasons why he started to make the dog food for his dogs. He writes:

I was talking to a veterinarian some months back and I told him that I was now feeding my dogs mostly leftovers and table scraps. He immediately started to chastise me. "Oh, you shouldn’t do that," he said, "you need to get them on a good, quality dog food; table scraps aren’t good for them."

"So what you’re telling me," I said, "is that the food I feed my family is good enough for my wife and children, but it’s not good enough for my dogs?" That completely caught him off guard, and as he sat there open mouthed trying to think of something to say, I posed another riddle to him.

"Let me ask you a question," I said. "If scientists developed the perfect 'people food' that was nutritionally perfect in every way, and maybe even tasted good too, would you eat that food 3 times a day – every day – for the rest of your life?"

You should have seen the look on his face as he struggled to come up with a reply. He couldn’t say "yes" because he knew that would have been a blatant lie, however, he couldn’t say "no" either because it would have proved my point for me.

(read the entire post)

I definitely see his point, though I have been told by people Smarter Than Me that the reason you shouldn't feed your dog table scraps is because it's too rich for them (the meat, and the spices we use in our meat). I also have been told that one of the reasons why vets discourage homemade dog food is because a lot of people don't have the wherewithal to research the correct foods for a dog, and therefore it's better in the long run for the dog to eat manufactured dog food in those instances.

One other comment about that particular blog post was his insistence that dog food smells and tastes bad to us, so we shouldn't feed it to our dogs. That may be partly true, but I don't think you can draw a straight line there. If dog food tastes bad, someone should have told my dogs because they were always SO! EXCITED! at mealtime. Also, they thought that litter box findings were the best treats - we had a lot of trouble with that! But I think the issues he raised in his post are worth thinking about, so I'd encourage you to read it in its entirety.

In response, Emily at Walking in Faith wrote a post about homemade dog food, and more specifically the raw meat diet. Her entire post is good; here is an excerpt:

In the wild, our dog's ancestors ate RAW meat. I know, many of you are probably cringing at the thought. I did too for a while at first. But then again, dogs eat lots of things that would make you and me very sick but they do fine with. You know, 'treats' from the kitty litter box and frozen 'poopsicles' from the yard and etc. *gag* ;) When meat is cooked, vital nutrients are destroyed. Also, you really do want to include the bones in your dog's diet.

(read the entire post)

I thought her post was really good - it talked specifically about the BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet and what types of food were good for dogs. (They really need to come up with a new acronym for that diet!) She also included some helpful links. I don't have a dog right now, but I thought it might be good for me to research homemade cat food, and see if it's a better alternative than the food I've been buying for them.

What do you think? What do you feed your dog?