Summing Up

What one photo most sums up the year 2013 for Earl and I?

I choose this photo because 2013 is the year we started competing in agility, and this was our very first placing in proper show.

Today is New Year's Eve, as I am sure everyone is aware of, which means tomorrow is the 1st of January 2014 and therefore is the day of a very special Pinch Punch Post Blog Hop hosted by us. We are still looking for co-hosts to our hop.

Grab our badge tomorrow and hop along - its a lot of fun. If you want to do a short and quick version of the original hop, simply share 1 photo - a summing up photo for the past month, and then wrote a short sentence about what you and your dog(s) hope to do in the coming month. Unfortunately because I am only on Inlinkz free version, the linky list is going to be text-only. Still hop along though - this doesn't spoil the post at all however!

If you want you can also share a summing up the year photo, however that is not an essential requirement of the hop.

Everyone who joins in the hop will receive a comment on their post in high thanks. They will also get their blog shared - what is stopping anyone??

We hope you all have fun participating! The list will be up ASAP in the morning.

Earl and I.

I Resolve… & Monday Mischief & Poll 11 Update

Today seems to a great day to join up and participate with the Move Your Mutt-a-Thon 2014 as its definitely nearing the New Year! This is a blog hop hosted by SlimDoggy and Keep the Tail Wagging - all you have to do is post a photo of your dog and share a list of resolutions for you and your dog in the new year. Its a great way to make sure we stick to our resolutions! 

Earl and I.

RESOLUTIONS:

1. To walk longer distances 
2. To have more off-lead walks
3. To enter EVERY Agility Show and not miss the closing date for entries!
4. To do more serious research into a second dog
5. To go running with Earl

WE WILL KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS!!! And report next year at this time whether we have sone them or not!

Now for a bit of Monday Mischief!

You know Earl is greedy for food? Well this went a whole new level the other day with the following story…

I went outside to train Earl, an entire Schmacko treat in my hand ready to break up into pieces as training rewards.

I asked Earl to do some tricks for a bit of the treat.

I broke some of the treat off and was about to give it to Earl as a reward.

I then quickly tossed the large rest of the treat behind me as my hands were full. I now only had the small piece in my hand, and it approached Earl's mouth.

I gave Earl the treat as a positive reward for performing the required behaviour. This is a normal training session for us.

I then turned and walked towards the house again after giving Earl my upmost praise (like always) to put my camera away. But before I could carry this out fully I heard a crunching and a belching. I swiftly turned to see what was occurring - and Earl had gulped that massive treat I had left behind right up! I took a deep sigh of despair and turned back around, head in hands. A few second later when I turned back, Earl had thrown it all back up again, in a not-so-pleasant pile of sick. The treat was about whole and not hardly chewed (worrying…). Earl turned to face me, hunched over, guilt all over his face, and pain in his stomach.

I cleared the sick up right away and went to hug and comfort Earl. Not long after, he lurched from my arms and sprinted towards his toy box. A game was about to begin like nothing had ever happened. We used a toy to train then that day.

See? I'm sane! I didn't show a photo of the sick - neither did I even think about taking one at the time!!

We don't usually participate in many Monday Mischiefs - Earl is normally so NOT mischievous!

Monday Mischief is hosted by Snoopy's Dogblog, Alfie's Blog, Luna Dogs Life, and My Brown Newfies and Me.

Oh, and guess what?

We have another Poll Update for Poll number 11!

The winning vote is: 'Relaxed - 4 (80%)'

The rest of the votes were:

Relaxed - 4 (80%)

OTT - 0 (0%)

Mutual - 0 (0%)

Happy - 2 (40%)

Grumpy - 0 (0%)

Carefree - 0 (0%)

Rushed - 0 (0%)

Efficient - 1 (20%)

Red = Winner

Blue = Other options with votes

Black = No votes 

The order of the places options got are as follows…

1. Relaxed

2. Happy

3. Efficient

4. OTT

4. Mutual 

4. Grumpy

4. Carefree

4. Rushed

And I apologise - I forgot an 'Other' option! If anyone would have voted 'Other', please commend on this post and tell us! It will benefit other readers to know.

Now for the info!

About the vets

Both you and your dog should feel confident and comfortable at the vets. It is the place where you and your dog couldn't live a full and happy life together without. The vet is your dog's lifeline - you must find the right one for you and your dog(s)! In my opinion, the best vets are Happy and Efficient ones. This is because if they are happy, they welcome me and my dog into the vet with a lovely, welcoming atmosphere, and if they are efficient, they get the job in which is needed done.

About attitudes and atmospheres

Have a think either to yourself, or to someone near you now, and tell and ask honestly what your vet is like and what you'd want them to be like if you could change them. See what they and you say and compare it to the results we gathered from the polls. All to their own opinion of course, as this is what the polls are about entirely, your own opinion, and we all love seeing them, but do you agree with them? Keeping a positive attitude is an important factor for vets - especially due to the fact that that helps keep worried owners thinking everything will be alright if there is something wrong with their beloved pet.

What should you do?

If you don't mind what your vet is like, then you have the easy job of picking out a vet in which you think can handle things to do with your pet's issues. And that is what vets are there to do! But if you'd like a vet that has the attitude you think you will feel better to be around, then it would benefit both you and your dog (and even the vet practice themselves!) for you to choose the correct one. 

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Our Poll 12 will be opening NOW! Remember to share what you think should be in place in the dog world. At the end of the 2 weeks information will be given on the blog about the Poll just closed.

Poll 12 is on the subject of dog routines.

The question posed is: 'Do you think dogs and their owners should have a daily routine?'

Lets ge voting! Thanks.

REMEMBER, POLLS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG PAGE!

Earl and I.

Black and White Sunday - The First Daisy

Hi y'all! 

Well, alert alert, we found the first sign of spring in out back garden yesterday! The first daisy to pop up from our backyard's earth.

We're definitely looking forward to the New Year which is fast approaching!

And we have to sneak a coloured photo of the daisy in too…

Have a happy Sunday!

We are participating in Black and White Sunday kindly hosted by Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever.

Earl and I.

P.S. Thanks all for joining in the 2-weekly dog polls like I reminded in one of my previous posts! Your votes are very interesting and I look forward to posting about the winner. There's still some good hours to vote - make your's count!

Bought a Bundle

My apologies for the 2nd post of the day, but I just could not resist! Earl has been spoilt by yours truly once again! With a shopping spree to Pets At Home and Pets Corner, you just can't leave with nothing… nor can you simply leave with 1 or 2 little bits…

I bought Earl:

~ A ball launcher (our old one snapped)
~ A glowing ball (for dark walks and plays)
~ Another tube of bubbles (need a new one to send an Earl-jumping video into You've Been Framed!)
~ A flashing collar (so his entire neck is seen not just his front - this will go alongside his flashing tag).
~ A Stagler Antler Chew (his old one was 'closed' or 'whole' (you choose which word!!) and he was getting bored of the flavourlessness!)

I also bought for myself:

~ A Crufts Magazine (I read all my Your Dog this morning!!)

And I also picked up a free copy of Pets At Home's VIP Magazine. Joining VIP is free and points go to a pet charity of your choice. You also get a free welcome pack and 20% off purchases! Well worth it, and all you have to do is fill in a form and pay NOTHING! Why would anyone resist?!

Anyway, here is Earl's new bundle:

And here are the flashy things:

The collar (has a fast flash mode, a slow flash mode, and a standstill mode).

The ball (glows when bounced and stays on for a time period before needing bouncing again).

I could not be happier with my purchases! 

Definitely consider joining Pets At Home VIP Club.

And guess what Earl is busying himself at now? You guessed it!…

UPDATE: 2 hours on, the chew is too dangerous a choking hazard! I think he chewed it down so much because it is open and not whole making it softer.

Earl and I.

Sepia Saturday - Window Watching

Today we are joining the FIRST EVER Sepia Saturday Blog Hop hosted kindly and willingly by Ruckus the Eskie!

I would like to share this photo of Earl watching out of the window (sepia style)…

Join the brand new fun and hop along - with one simple sepia photo! Sepia is such a warm colour - and I have to say, it is probably one of my new favourites when it comes to photo style!! 

As Ruckus says: What kind of Sepia adventures have you been having? Be creative!

Earl and I.

P.S. Please join in with our 2-weekly dog polls at the bottom of this blog page - its the last day to get your votes out there!

Follow-Up Friday - Responses from 26/12/13

Hi, y'all! Welcome to this week's edition of Follow-Up Friday hosted by Jodi from Heart Like a Dog.

Today we have some responses to those comments posed on 26/12/13 (yesterday) on our post This 'N That Thursday - Boxing Day Play.

Stephen Pelletier said:

"Sure looks like Earl is having a great Christmas - lots of fun, food and games!"

He is! And I forgot to mention - he is also having fun stretching out, chilling on our sofa/my bed/the chair/his blanket…!

YourSpecialDog said:

"Earl looks like he is having so much fun, nice meeting you and welcome to our blog"

Hello! Thank you for stopping by at our blog. Your's is great and no doubt I will be keeping up with it. Nice meeting you.

Jenna,Mark Drady said:

"Glad u had fun with your bubbles Earl!
And I love the pics of u jumping in the air like that lol!!!,,
((Husky Hugz)) and I hope u had a great Xmas!"

Hi Jenna, thank you. There will be many more jumping photos of my little dawg to come don't you worry - as regular readers who have been reading this blog for quite a while will know, there have already been some amazing jumping pics! Including my AirDog post! Have a scout through the posts and see if you can find them :-)

M. K. Clinton said:

"What a fun time Earl looks to be having! i think Bentley would love that food, he is a big fan of carrots. I'm glad you had a great holiday!"

Thank you! I am sure most dogs would love that food - it even smells appetising - is that not strange?

2browndawgs said:

"Thanks so much for participating in TNT. Earl sure got some good stuff, which I see made him jump for joy. :)"

His stuff really did make him jump for joy! And your welcome - I am a keen participator in blog hops such as TNT - such fun!

Ruckus Eskie said:

"Wow you are such a hopper (not just blog hopping either!) Also, Advent is over! So fast! Thanks for linking up with This 'N That Thursday Blog Hop! See you next week, if not earlier.""

Hi Ruckus - you will definitely see us earlier (if all goes well)! And your welcome when it comes to TNT - to you what I said to the Brown Dawgs :-) Advent really has come and gone so fast! I remember the excitement on Xmas Eve and now Xmas Day itself is a day back! Whoa. Won't be long 'til next year I'm betting you!

Thanks for commenting everyone/everydog!

All other comments in which I didn't reply to on this post have been answered on the blog page - if that is you and your comment, go to the comments of the post you commented on. If you can't remember, give us a shout and we'll reply again! Its really no problem - its the very least I could do to a bunch of such paw-some readers!!

See Stephen? Chillaxing in hope of a biscuit ;-)

We're participating in Follow-Up Friday kindly hosted by Jodi Stone from Heart Like a Dog

Have a great Friday and weekend every blogger and every guest!

Earl and I.

This 'N That Thursday - Boxing Day Play

Boxing Day - the day to fondle our Christmas gifts, lie in in the morning, do what we wish, have fun, share laughs, and eat ANOTHER big meal.

Earl has already started playing with his new stuff this morning (and I have just got out of bed!)

And after yesterday's post, another relative gave Earl 2 Tripe Bones!

He also had some of his 'Christmas dinner' last night and this morning… a.k.a a Burns Wet Food Pouch! He loved and still does love it!

The food is much lighter than the dry food - a dog of Earl's size and weight can have up to 400g per day of the stuff! Much more than the dry food. It also includes actual chunks of carrot, much to Earl's agreement in ingredient.

In Earl's Pedigree Stocking, there was…

Schmackos, Cheesy Bites, & Rodeos.

A tug rope toy.

Oh, and, you know those dog-friendly bubbles I bought Earl for Christmas? Yes? Good! Because they were a huge hit! (Apart from the fact that one popped in Earl's eye and I had to shove several glasses of water in his face to remove it… And I mean the water, NOT the glass!!)

We are participating in TNT kindly hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs Blog and Ruckus The Eskie

Have a relaxing Boxing Day! 

Earl and I.

P.S. Sorry, no Advent Calendar; its over, remember? :-(

Merry Christmas Day (& LAST Advent Day)

Sorry peeps and pets, no Wordless Wednesday today!

MERRY CHRISTMAS all!! I hope you have found lots of lovely things for you and your dogs this morning under the tree from Santa Paws - we have!

Earl was spoilt, with a whooping 9 presents this morning!

He got:

~ A  Cranberry and Turkey Tripe Bone
~ An Xmas Trick book
~ Raw Hide chews
~ A stuffing-free toy
~ A KONG On/Off Squeaker
~ Long lasting non-toxic doggie blowing bubbles
~ Pedigree Stocking
~ Lily's Kitchen Bedtime Biscuits
~ Burns Wet Food Pouch

Presents SO FAR…!!!

'Oh my dog!' Earl says gleefully.

Spoilt poochicle!!! (In the best possible way).

I also got spoilt with lots of dog-related goodies! (To many to name all!)

Now Earl may even have some more presents when some more relatives come round later in the day! We will update this post with them or post tomorrow on Boxing Day!

As well as it being a super day today, it is also quite sad. You see, here, our Advent Calendar comes to a close with the last photo. Hope you've enjoyed it!

I hope all pets and their owners are healthy, happy, and together this Christmas. All the best for the next year. I wish this year (as always) for the health of our pets and ourselves so we can look after them forever more. I can live in hope - can't we all? We most definitely can. Love Earl's World! Now and forever. Thank you for being so lovely readers - we couldn't be successful on this blog without you. I will use Christmas as a time to express that more than ever.

25th and final

Earl's World! 2013

Earl and I.

Christmas Eve, Advent Calendar 24! (& Xmas food)

Its Christmas Eve! On the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was string, not even… the family dog!!

Who else is going to find it difficult to get to sleep tonight?!

So our 2nd to last Advent Calendar photo… and tomorrow, we find out who wins the Your Dog Magazine Close-Up Competition!

24th

You see in this photo, Earl is hopefully waiting for Santa Paws arrival. 

We also have some bad news; we took Earl to the vets last night because he was leaving dribbles of urine around, which isn't like him. The vet suspects he may have a mild bladder infection, so was put on a 10-Day course of antibiotics. On the positive side, he is getting sorted out before Christmas, and the case is mild and the vet is even slightly uncertain. He can still go for walks, play and do agility however, so we're thankful. We are also thankful its not a fatal illness, and Earl will be 100% again before we know it!

But on a more Christmassy note - we hope Santa Paws is good to you all, and you all enjoy the festivities to the full!

Also, I just found out I have won an Advent Calander prize on the 21st, and Earl will soon be receiving some yougurty drops for treats as the prize!! Our fab luck continues! :-)

We also thought we'd do a quick Tasty Tuesday while we're on the day. Some foods to beware of with your dog this Christmas period.

Christmas Puddings being a big one to beware of. Do you know what that thing includes which could make your dog fatally ill? Do not leave one in reach of your dog(s) (and that's a rule forever, not just at Christmas)!!!

KEEP THESE WELL AWAY FROM YOUR DOGS AT ALL TIMES!!!!!!!

Also: 

Chocolate
Nuts
Rasins
Cooked Turkey bones (can splinter in your dog's throat)

… And everything else in which you have common knowledge not to feed all year round to your dog!

Have a pawsome Christmas Eve y'all! 

Earl and I.

Monday Mischief - Xmas peeking (& Advent 23 & Another Win)

I have wrapped and stored all Earls presents underneath my mini Christmas tree in my bedroom (just goes to show how good I am at hiding stuff BOL). But when he jumped upon my bed this morning, he took a peek and stared them straight on! I had to get him down - I don't want him spoiling the surprise for himself! How mischievous!!

Shhhh… don't say anything!

I think the anticipation is just to much for him - it is for me!!

I also received a parcel this morning and it turns out I have won a fee bag of JWB dog food! 

Happy Christmas Eve Eve :-D

23rd

Earl and I.