Ring Bell Go Outside!!

Well, Fluffy Fans I've got some worthy news to pass along to you. We've been having some trouble with Te'a doing her business in the house. I've discovered it's not that she doesn't get the idea, she's doing it out of spite - little sh*&.

The other day we came back from the vet for annual shots and I thought I had let her do her thing outside but alas I must not have. While I was vacuuming, I came across two tables that needed to go out to the garage and when I went outside I wouldn't let the dogs out. Te'a apparently didn't appreciate that and left a huge pile and a yellow pond by the front door - rrrrrrrrrrrr.

Since then I've been working hard to ring the little bell we have on our front door for her to signal us when she wants to go outside. For her, it only succeeds in making her more crazy to go out and chase chippies. However!! For Chancey Shandy, we've scored a GOAL!!

This morning I let Te'a outside alone and left Chance standing by the door and I went back to finish my breakfast. Chance was standing by the door watching her cavort around the yard when all of the sudden HE BOPPED THE BELL!!! (Just so we're clear here...Bopped is Connor's word for this procedure - when he takes the dogs outside he says, "Bop the bell, go outside." I try to use that but just can't. When our first dog Andie, was a puppy, we taught her, "Ring bell - Go Outside." So furever family, if you are out there and reading (HI), I'm really not sure which you should use. I can only say that the bell works for Chance!)

And while you are outside with your Fluffy Dog, please be sure that you keep up with the Frontline or whatever tick protection that you choose, because again, ticks are YUCK!. My brother's dog has Lyme's disease and every now & again, she has a flareup. It's back to the vet, pay for him/her to say, "yup, it's a flare-up" and walk out with ten days of anti-b's. And just because your doggie has a particular tick product on it's body, please understand that it is not a "free pass" on doing regular, often daily, tick checks. My brother does use the tick product on Jessie. The tick that gave her Lyme's Disease must have been extra hearty!

If like me, you have friends and family who love you and send you informational emails like "How to Quickly Peel a Potato with Dawn Wells (aka Marianne from Gilligans Island)" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo or "How to Remove a Tick with a Glob of Soap on a Cotton Ball", please be careful when passing these along to your eddress book.

I got burned a couple of years ago when someone innocently sent me an email on some puppies who needed a home. I emailed it to everyone in my eddress book because I have lots of dog loving friends. Turns out it was just an internet hoax! Some of my friends were willing to take the pups and called me because that's just the kind of great folks they are. (KW - I still feel bad about that.)

Now before I pass info like that along, I use the website that checks that data for all of us gullible dog lovin' people. I was going to put that "useful" information on the blog to help all of you out but decided to www.snopes.com it first. Um, yeah, there is NO easy way to get a tick off - short of having somebody else do it! You just gotta get in there and pull it out. I know, I know, EWW.

If you are curious about the Snopes posting - maybe you didn't get it yet - http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/tick.asp. Now you've all been told.

If I haven't said it for a while, thank you for reading and please pass this along to your dog lovin' friends. (Hi to Kathie - I was nice to put a face with an eddress :) )

One more thing, the Swine Flu is still hangin' around. I just heard from another foster that her two grandsons have it - one is presently on his way to the hospital as he's very ill. Please wash your hands and have your family do the same.

(this picture has nothing to do with the blog but I thought he looked so cute I had to share!)