Doggie Duds & Kitty Clothes

When I was in kindergarten I remember having this little dress with a black Scottish Terrier on the front, or a scotty dog as I called it. I loved that dress so much. While my taste in clothes in general has changed pretty dramatically since those days (probably for the best), the concept of wearing dogs (and cats) on them has not.

Around the time Ares turned 1 my mom found a shirt at Urban Outfitters she just had to get me. A mint green fitted tee with little Boston Terriers all over it, um yes please. I get comments on it every time I wear it and I just think it’s too much fun.

I try to keep everything fair between the dogs so I found a website with a long sleeved t-shirt that read “Pit Bull Mom”. I ordered the size small but when I got it the fit was just not right. The sleeves a little too short to be full length but not short enough to be ¾ sleeved and the midsection is boxy on my frame. I wear it around the house and to sleep in but not out in public like I had hoped (because it looks like I borrowed it from a toddler).

So I’ve been on a mission for a while to find a Pit Bull shirt as equally adorable as my Boston Terrier tee. Nothing has really caught my attention until recently though. And now I’ve found 2 shirts I really like. Oh the dilemma.

I love everything about this sweatshirt I found on Etsy from the color to the screen print to the fact that the sleeves are rolled up in the picture. The price seems reasonable and I like to support the small business Etsy shop owners.

While that one is more playful, like my Boston Terrier shirt, this other one I’ve been eyeing really makes a statement. Literally. And here’s the best part, they make a dog version in plain colors to match with a zipper and everything.

Can you picture the boys and I all in our matching hoodies going for a walk? Now that would turn some heads. And hopefully make one hell of an impact.

I have a gray screen print boyfriend tank I got a couple summers ago from Target that is really cool. I mean a cat wearing sunglasses, c’mon on. So I represent both species of furbabies in my house. I guess my next quest will be to find something with turtles on it. And not the teenage mutant kind, although I am also completely for rocking anything with those guys on it. But I’d like to cover the bases with something more in line with the turtles I live with.

Chris is also down with wearing dogs on his beloved t-shirts, but in a less cutesy way than me. Another thing that is probably for the best. My sister got Chris one of the most fitting shirts ever for Christmas and it pretty much sums up his general perspective.

It would be hilarious to find a kitty t-shirt that reversed the message for Miss Piper, although I am quite sure she would protest wearing it. She’s very pleased with her own natural beauty. I tend to agree.

As for Little O, he just does his own thing. I’d be tickled to get him a “Like A Boss” shirt. Do they make those for kitties? I guess I’m off to find out.

Guess what day it is? HUMP DAY!

Sleepy Sunday: 1-25-15

I'm 27 years old, a furbaby mama and soon to be married. I've got a busy life and a lot going on, but at the same time, it doesn't seem exciting enough that you all would want to read about the details. I seem to get the most feedback from my Sleepy Sunday posts sharing the details of our weekends. So, here's the latest recap. 

It's always a good start to the weekend when I have a great Friday at work. And it's usually a great Friday at work when I'm wearing plaid flannel, a monogrammed vest and get a latte at lunch. I may or may not be slightly obsessed with flannel, monograms and vanilla lattes. But vanilla lattes are a super treat so it was especially awesome when I found a Starbucks gift card in my wallet. And let's not forget the adorable bracelet I got for Christmas with my wedding date engraved on it. 

Friday nights it's just the furbabies and me. Chris would normally get off work at 11:30 but Fridays are busy for him so it's usually later than that and I'm already in bed when he gets home. I usually try to get in some laundry and cleaning after our daily walk so there will be more time to spend together the next two days. And then I hang on the couch with the muffins. 

Saturday morning I'm always up before Chris. Yesterday I fed everybody and myself and then worked out to start the day with calories burned. Then I got ready to go run errands including meeting with the woman who is making the flower girl dresses for the wedding. I swear I am going to have the cutest flower girls ever walking the aisle. After several other stops and a grocery trip, I made it home to relax a little with some jazzed up cranberry Sprite and watching our favorite shows.

 

This morning I woke up tired. I've always been one of those people that just have the craziest dreams and usually remember them or at least part of them. But I normally sleep pretty well, as far as I know. Last night I just kept waking up for some reason and tossing and turning. So by 7 I just got up and ate some breakfast. I love the whole grain English muffins with a little Sun Butter (sunflower butter) and strawberries. Blackberries on the side just sweetened it all up even more. 

Chris woke up a little while later and we took a family walk with Ares and Chaos. Then we did some cleaning in the back  bedroom, aka the dogs' room, and Little O supervised. 

We headed over to my parents' house with the boys for a visit and practiced their training in the afternoon. When we got back home Chris got to work painting baseboards in the master bathroom (because they were really icky) and I made some chicken Philly fixings. No, I am not eating meat, so I sautéed the onion, green pepper and mushrooms and then tofu for me and chicken for Chris separately. We can each then eat our separate protein with the veggies on whole wheat hoagies with provolone cheese.

I'm off for some evening beers and a movie with Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Ale and The Ugly Truth and the boys on the couch.

Happy Sunday!

Chaos & Controversy

I’ve never been a controversial person. Not even a little bit. On the contrary I usually try to avoid it like the plague. And I’ve been pretty successful in that endeavor for most of my life.

My parents followed the traditional route of love, marriage, babies and have been now happily married for 30 years. Go mom and dad! I had a pretty conventional upbringing in the suburbs of Northern Kentucky just outside Cincinnati and was lucky enough to enjoy not only a comfortable life, but some would call it privileged.

I’m a straight, white female with naturally blonde hair, a fast metabolism and a fairly strong drive to stay fit. I’m not an extremist of any kind, I don’t do witchcraft and I wasn’t a teenage mom or overweight at any point in my life. I’m not hating on any of these things, just making the point that they are topics that get people in this country all fired up.

While my parents will also tell you I’m not your prefect little angel either, I’ve never really done anything too crazy. Unless you count skydiving. Twice. But I’ve never been known to walk on the edge of life. That is, until I got a Pit Bull.

Yea, bringing Chaos into my home is what a lot of people consider the most outrageous thing I’ve ever done. I’m a real nutcase. Call the psych ward, we’ve got another one.

Joking aside, having a Pit Bull suddenly threw me head first into a world of controversy. I was unprepared for the complete and outright hatred we would be on the receiving of. I had no idea how fiercely the protective instinct of a mama bear would take over me. Bringing home Chaos wasn’t just adding another dog to the family to love, his entrance into my life was accompanied by a firestorm of ignorance and cruelty as well as loyalty and passion.

Often when I mention something about one of my dogs or speak about them in passing to a stranger or someone I don’t know very well, the question of what kind of dogs they are arises. It’s been over 2 years since Chaos became my baby and I still internally cringe at this question because I know there’s about a 50/50 chance this conversation just took a nose dive. Some people are immediately confused. I guess they think maybe they heard me wrong when I said Pit Bull. Or they just realized they may be talking to a drug dealer or an insane woman. A common response is, “YOU have a Pit Bull?”. You know, because all Pit Bull owners are thugs, lowlifes and crack dealers. I guess I don’t fit the profile. Some of them start talking out of their ass like they know even a little bit about my dog. And some of them are downright mean. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who smile that smile I’ve come to know very well as Pit Bull rolls off my tongue. It’s a shared smile of appreciation for another fellow animal lover who either has their own Pittie at home or is smart enough to appreciate that a dog is a dog, regardless of what asinine information the media spews.

For those of you who know me, you know I’m usually for peace over war. But I’d walk through fire for anyone I love and Chaos is no exception. I’ve said some things in not only his defense, but for Pit Bulls and other unfairly labeled dogs, that might shock a lot of people to hear come out of my mouth. It’s my nature to try and fly under the radar when it comes to a potentially negative situation, or at least try to remain calm and choose my words carefully. But people cross the line with rapid fire on the Pit Bull issue and I don’t tolerate criticism of my furry little boy very well. Commenting on the way I choose to live my life is one thing but making derogatory remarks about my dog won’t be tolerated. The lioness inside me will come out roaring and I’ll sink the claws in deep to get my point across.

I also have a dog that’s always on America’s sweetheart list. Ares is the epitome of charming, playful, friendly and silly. He’s so happy go lucky he would try to make friends with a crocodile yet not be a bit offended if said crocodile tried to make him lunch. And this is what people expect of him because of his breed. Yes, it’s much less complicated to tell people I have a Boston Terrier. But that Boston Terrier’s brother happens to be on the other end of the spectrum as America’s most hated breed of dog. People expect the opposite of him that they do Ares just because he's a Pit Bull. I don’t care how much controversy having a Pit Bull brings into my life. Easier isn’t always better. I love both my dogs equally, no matter what the rest of the country has to say about it. And for the record, they are both much nicer than I am if you start talking smack.

As for what I tell people who wonder why I would choose to put myself in this position, having a dog half the people I encounter believe is a vicious monster, my answer is pretty simple. The second I saw Chaos’s wrinkled little face and sweet eyes, he had my heart wrapped around his precious paw. And there was no going back.

Happy Thursday dog lovers!

Sleepy Sunday 1-18-15: Meet Elliott & Chickenless Noodle Soup

Is it just me or did the weekend fly by in the blink of an eye? We had a lot going on in our world so maybe that’s why 2 ½ days when by at lightning speed. It all started Friday evening after work.

I came home and took Ares out for a walk. Chaos was on house arrest until his infection was further cleared. We walk down a busy main road right at rush hour so we see all the people sitting in traffic trying to get home. All of a sudden I saw this car zooming straight for a line of cars stopped at a busy intersection. And then I heard the cashes. That’s plural because there were several cars involved. Immediately other people were getting out of their cars to check on the victims but no one seemed to be too badly injured. Ares and I stayed on the sidewalk but hung around to make sure there wasn’t something we could do. All the emergency crews showed up quickly and we were waved on so we continued on our way. I just couldn’t believe how fast it all happened. It’s just a huge reminder to always pay attention, even if you’ve got a ton of things on your mind.

When Ares and I got home and it was dinner time. I made myself a power bowl (green beans, tomatoes, crushed whole grain crackers, hemp hearts, tahini & Daiya vegan cheese) with apples and peanut butter on the side and sat down to dig in. Chaos was scratching so I allowed him couch privileges because when he’s on the couch he savors every second of it so he lays still and won’t scratch. He snuggled his big head up next to my leg and I proceeded to take a big bite of my dinner. And then he promptly emptied his stomach on the couch and floor right next to me.

 

I’ll spare the gritty details but let’s just say it took me quite a while to clean up the mess and get rid of the smell. And I pretty much lost my appetite so I just gave Chaos a bath and promised myself a big breakfast in the morning. Luckily he seemed fine the rest of the night and we all went to bed early.

Saturday we started off the day cleaning. I know, exciting stuff. Chris has an older Jeep we want to sell so he went out to get it in order to take pictures and have it sale ready. I hit the master bedroom for some serious spring cleaning. I realize it’s still very much winter but with the wedding coming up, we are going to be far too busy when spring rolls around so we are starting early. Chris pulled all the furniture out for me and I got to work wiping down the walls and baseboards with my handy magic eraser. I was only a third of the way done when I took a break to switch over the laundry and made the mistake of leaving the magic eraser unattended. By the time I came back it was already in pieces and there were 2 guilty faces looking up at me. So I had to move onto a good old rag and spray bottle.

After some intense vacuuming, attachments and all (which I HATE), the room was finished and really I was surprised it wasn’t all that dirty to begin with. The sun was out so we gathered the dogs up for a family walk. It was windy but warm for January so our 3.5 mile loop was a nice way to spend the early afternoon.

When we got back we had a package at our door and opened it to find Elliott, the adorable Crane humidifier shaped like an elephant we had ordered for Chaos. It’s just as cute as I had hoped and Chris put it together and filled it up right away. We plugged it in and let the boys check it out in the back room in front of their crates. I was taking pictures but I wish I would have been videoing because their reactions were hysterical. At first they were confused because they could feel the vapor but not see it. It was new so Ares was interested but for all of about 2 minutes and then he was over it. Chaos decided pretty quickly Elliott was his friend and nuzzled him and then stuck his nose right in the vapor stream and took a deep breath. Chris and I were dying. But the funniest was when Little O walked in to see what all the hype was about and immediately stuck his head in the stream. He was purring and the fur on his face was blowing back just slightly and he was just loving it so much. We probably could’ve watched that all afternoon but Chris and I had errands to run.

 

The boys went to their beds for a nap with Elliot vaporizing away and Chris and I headed out. We saw a service dog in the checkout line buying groceries and I wanted so badly to pet him but I know you can’t approach them when they’re working. I did get to pet the 4 month old Jack Russell puppy we saw at the pet store though. 

When we made it back home I decided we needed some homemade pizza so I poured myself a glass of wine and got to work on that. It turned out almost as good as the snuggling on the couch was. We ended the night looking at wedding décor and watching one of our favorite shows, The Incredible Dr. Pol.

 

 

 

Sunday morning I made myself work out and then made some homemade soup. I actually made it the same way I made the chicken noodle soup last weekend but made it vegetarian so I could eat it this time. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Chickenless Noddle Soup. I ate some later on for dinner with mini grilled cheeses. Yum!

Chickenless Noodle Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil

10 cups Vegetable Broth

5 carrrots, peeled and chopped

4 Celery stalks, halfed and chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

10 oz. noodles

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Red Pepper

Basil

Thyme

Cumin

Garlic Powder

In a large pot heat the olive oil and add the veggies, garlic, salt, black pepper, thyme and basil. Cook for 10 minutes on medium/high heat. Add the broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and add noodles, red pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Simmer for 8 minutes and you're done!

A friend of mine graduated in December so her family had a party for her yesterday afternoon. I went out to celebrate with her and a few other friends and then headed to my parent’s house for a little while. My dad is doing great since his surgery and was back to his old self, yelling at the TV while watching the Packers v. Seahawks game. Chris stayed home to clean the turtle tank. It’s one of his favorite things to do. Just kidding.

 

Ares and Chaos watched TV (they love CMT), played with their toys and lounged around the house all day. Sunday is always sleepy if they have anything to say about it. And I can’t get enough of their sleepy little faces.

Have a great week!

Our Favorite Products for an Allergic Dog

First of all, I want to thank all of you who sent such sweet e-mails about our situation with Chaos. Your support and kindness mean the world to us and you can bet he would personally lick each and every one of you for caring about him. 

When Chaos came into my life I had no idea what I would be dealing with 2 years later. Having a dog who is basically allergic to air can be pretty tough at times. It is frustrating as Chaos's mommy to see him so miserable and not be able to do make it go away. The poor baby is so allergic that without his medicine, his skin crawls so badly that he itches constantly. The itching leads to open sores that dogs are programmed to lick to help them heal. But the combination of the itching and licking with open sores only festers the perfect breeding ground for nasty bacteria. And then an infection takes over the already irritated skin making it about 100 times worse. And that's where we currently are. Status: Itchy allergic skin overload + secondary skin infection. 

Our vet knows us well and we put a call in for antibiotics to clear the infection. Although medicine is the only cure for the raging bacteria on Chaos's skin, there are some other products we use to try and keep the itchies at bay and keep our pittie as comfortable as we can. 

We actually first learned about Virbac ResiSOOTHE when Ares was a baby. He had Demodectic Mange, which makes doggie skin super itchy. We were told to bath him as often as possible, but to keep his skin from drying out and give him more relief our vet recommended this product. It's a leave on condition you can slather on your pup after a bath and it most definitely helps quell itching. Some other pros of this product are that it goes on smooth just like lotion and rubs in without residue and also has virtually no smell so your dog won't be enticed to lick it off. 

Vetericyn is another amazing product that should probably be in every pet owner's home, allergies or not. This stuff works like a charm to heal wounds, clear skin rashes and keep post surgical incisions free of infection. It's easy to spray directly on the skin and the best part is, unlike many other antiseptic and wound care solutions, it does not sting or burn the skin. It might not cure an infection, but it does almost everything else.

I mentioned that we have been bathing Chaos frequently to help keep as many allergens off his skin as we can. We took another recommendation from our vet to try GNC Pets Medicated Dermatologic Dry Skin Shampoo and have been happy with the results. It lathers well and smells minty fresh (one of the only scents that won't further irritate Chaos's skin) and although it is technically for the itchies from dry skin, we've learned it works well for irritated skin in general. We also use GNC Pets Medicated Itch Relief Conditioner.It contains hydrocortisone to fight the itch and and relieve discomfort. 

We also love the Zack & Zoey Basic Dog Hoodie. We even did a whole post on these hoodies because they are so popular at our house. Both dogs wear them when it's cold either alone or under coats, but they are also a great way to put a barrier between Chaos's feet and mouth and his skin. The hoodies are a soft cotton/polyester blend and come in a variety of collars. Chaos wears a size L and Ares wears a size M and they fit extremely well even with our barrel chested boys. 

Of course like all clothes, the dogs' clothes have to be washed. And even more often if your dog is allergic to dust mites that like to collect on on his skin. Just like humans, fragrances are a no no for sensitive skinned doggies so we only wash Chaos's blankets and clothes in All Free Clear detergent.

 A while ago my sister suggested we get a humidifier for Chaos while he sleeps. It sounded like a great idea and Chris and I couldn't believe we hadn't thought of it. But then we got the happy surprise that our vet had the magic Apoquel that cleared his skin right up and we forgot about the humidifier. Now that we are back to the most allergic dog ever (or maybe it just seems that way) we've revisited that idea and went with the Crane 1 Gallon Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier. The elephant was too adorable to pass up and I've heard great things about this brand. We will have to follow up on how we like it because we just ordered it but I'm excited to have it in the boys' room.

I linked the products to the home sites where possible because you will find all the information there, but we try to order everything we can from Amazon. The prices are usually unbeatable and we have a Prime membership so the 2 day shipping rocks. Please remember we don't have any type of background in animal medical. We are just a family with a severely allergic dog trying to do whatever we can for him and these are the products that have worked for us. Always ask your vet if you are unsure about a product before using it. 

Happy Thursday furbaby lovers!