What Kind Of Dog Is That?

If you have a dog, I'm sure you have been asked the perennial question 'what kind of dog is that'. Because of media backed bias against some breeds of dogs plus the fact that lots of people really don't know one breed of dog from another, I've become quite creative when asked that question. I've replied that Astrid is an all American dog, a carpenter dog...as in does all odd jobs (herding, pointing, retrieving, etc.) and my current favorite, a mixed up dog. I feel like a traitor to the Rottweiler breed, which Astrid may or may not be part of, much akin to someone asking me my heritage and my hesitating to tell them mostly Swedish with a sprinkling of Irish. I've also played the guessing game with people. I'll take a step back, look at Astrid thoughtfully and say 'what do you think she might be?' My all time favorite reply is 'she looks like a Beagle'.  My replay to that? You might be right! 

4th of July Parade

Every year, we take Astrid to the 4th of July parade in a neighboring tiny town. Always standing in the same spot, Astrid becomes a 'kid magnet'. These are the pictures from the parade this year and we appreciate the people in them allowing us to take them.

High Value Treats

Sometimes when training intensifies or Astrid and I are just playing lots more games than usual, I might notice just a wee bit of thickening around the waist. Stopping by Petsmart or even the vet's office for a quick weight check more often than not confirms that her weight may have ticked up to just over 61#. I try to keep her at 60# always and anything over a 1# weight game is noticeable to me. Without any reason to drop that extra pound quickly, we set a six month goal. Being a strong believer in clicker training and treating for perfect behavior, I turn to a high value treat that has fewer calories....roast light meat chicken (bottom) vs. that from thighs (top). It has fewer calories and fat and has Miss Astrid back to her svelte 60# without missing a goodie. 

Dog Days Of Summer

Dog Days...they roll around every year and every year we are surprised at how hot and humid they are. The place for everyone, including our dogs, is inside where it is cool. It's kind of hard to just watch our usually active pup just sleep away the days until the hot streak is over, though. One idea that is easy and cool in more ways than one is a time in the afternoon that we designate as story time. 

Astrid and I just happen to have a wonderful book that is filled lots of dog pictures and ideas to talk about with your dog.  Sounds kind of silly on the surface but when we think about it, what better thing to do on a hot lazy afternoon then giving your dog your undivided attention as you read aloud. Our dogs love to hear the sound of our voices...and reading a book together gives us both a reason to have a conversation.


Give it a try! You might feel silly the first couple of times, but soon both you and your dog will look forward to story time..


Dog Sense by Carla Geneder was our choice today. We read about Juliette, Maggie, and Benjie the silkie terrier. We may have enough dog stories and pictures to last us until Fall...or at least until the Dog Days Of Summer are over.

Waiting Patiently

Hey...I'm a size large and made for a big dog. Astrid, the dog that owns this place (our ArtFire studio), is a big dog, but she says she has some patriotic stuff of her own already and would rather someone bought me so she could send the money to her former shelter. She says they don't have all that much down in Santa Cruz Humane Society in Nogales, AZ where she orginally came from.

Astrid agreed to slip me on for a few minutes to show you what I look like. It felt so good to be around a warm and fuzzy canine neck! Guess I'm relegated, though, to sitting on the shelf until some dog notices me and barks 'oh yeah....I want those words FREEDOM, LIBERTY and JUSTICE around my neck as the patriotic holiday season approaches. 

Yes...I'm red, white and blue and will be waiting on the shelf if you want me. Not to be pushy or anything but there is only one of me left.  Oh, and if your dog isn't quite as big as I am? My little sibling...same collar, was  made for a smaller dog with a 12 to 14 inch neck... would be great.

Know what else would be great? If you 'liked' our page on Facebook. While Astrid's mom sells bandanas and collars raising money for Astrid's shelter shelter, that's not all we bark over there. We love training, and helping rescues get the world out about the kinds of things they are doing to help animals, as we share what is new in our Etsy shop and ArtFire Studio...and lots more.

Fido's Manners Matter

That expression says it all! Miss Sugar Cookie has just read in the book Miss Fido Manners that she isn't supposed to bark out the window all the time. Your dog doesn't have to be a graduate of Miss Fido Manners school of charm to become a welcome member of the community.

Astrid is about to study her own copy of the book. She (and we!) know that learning a few 'meet and greet' skills for when she is out in public makes a big difference. Learning is a never ending fun experience.

Here, Astrid enjoys music on the patio of a very dog friendly Earth Fare store. We are lucky here in North Carolina. Restaurants with patios allow pets to dine along with their people, at the discretion of the restaurant owner of course. If the issue of dogs on patios ever comes up in your community, let your local officials know that a 'yes' vote is important to you and that you plan to vote in the next election.

Proud To Be A Canine Good Citizen

We adopted Astrid on December 28, 2006 and that following May we moved to Charlotte, NC. At that point, I was totally unfamiliar with BSL - Breed Specific Legislation. When it comes to BSL and a dog's temperament, there are all kinds of opinions out there but the facts are that a dog's temperment is determined by the nurturing and training methods used. 

I quickly became aware of Breed Specific Legislation when we were denied insurance for the house we rented while looking for the home we wanted to buy. Astrid had been labeled a Rottweiler at the shelter and Rottweilers were discriminated against by our first choice of insurance companies. Being unaware of the magnitude of the BSL issue, I didn't take it seriously at that point but started to do a little research. Turned out, BSL is everywhere usually starting out with a dog bite incident that is sensationalized by the media spreading fear throughout a community. 

Immediately, Astrid and I took action. Yes, we absolutely understood that Astrid will be judged by her color. Even though she is a mix of 'who knows what' and about 20 to 60 pounds lighter that a Rottweiler...she will be labeled such because of her black with brown markings. Our very first course of action was to show that Astrid and most Rottweilers are good companions and community members. We discovered the AKC Canine Good Citizen  program and learned the requirements. Having fun with the training required, that following year Astrid became an AKC Canine Good Citizen proving that she meets the program's standards for being a good member of her family and community.

An excellent, common sense approach to the dangers of Breed Specific Legislation can be found at 'NO BUTS ABOUT BSL...Stand Up & Help Stop Breed Discrmination.

Many dogs sport the same colors. Here's just a few that show a striking resemblence to Astrid's own colors...and no, that last picture is not Astrid. It appears to be that wonderful breed called 'All Mixed Up'.

Rawr....Our animal print bandnana was included in a member curated collection on ArtFire

Let Your Wild Sid...

  Curated By: HandsOfNature

ArtFire.com

Indie Design

Freeze

We don't think of Astrid's concentration skills as a 'trick' but I guess in many ways it is. If our dogs won't pay attention to us, how can we ever teach them the fun stuff? This one...that we call 'freeze'...is something we play anytime and anywhere, even when out on a walk. Today, Astrid was having trouble with the number 5.

Today, Astrid choose Sunflowers for her Sunday Therapy Dog visit.