The Darwin Lite Awards

Let's hope she falls for it again and gives us 2 cookies each :)

Our famous buddy Bertie has asked us to share some examples of how our peeps are not as far along the evolutionary scale as they may think and our Mom is a prime example. Our Mom has a terrible time with numbers - especially phone numbers. Now of coarse Dad sets up Mom's phone for her so she can call someone just by name but on the few occasions she has had to enter the phone number to call someone .....well lets just say the people in New York, San Francisco and Atlanta were NOT the ones she was meant to be calling.  

Equally Mom has a habit of mis-reading things. Like the other day while driving down the road she asked Dad why the Bank was offering Free Chicken - he of coarse totally cracked up and said the sign said Free Checking!   Or reading Bearded Chicken on a menu instead of breaded - gawwooof! Mom says she could write a book about the things she has mis read over the years. Luckily for her we would NEVER take advantage of her lack of Darwin Evolution :)

PS - Mom called Dad last night to check when he would be home so she could have dinner ready - he said it would be around 6.00pm so Mom turned the oven on at 5.00 - there was just one problem - she forgot to put the food in - we could of told her we couldn't smell anything cooking but it was much more fun watching her reaction when she went to get dinner out - bbbbaaaawwwaaaahhhhh

Snake!

The Mom let us out for our morning constitutional and as she opened the door to let us back in she noticed something moving in the grass just 2 feet to our right and as she watched she realized it was a snake! It was only about a foot and a half long - black with a yellow stripe and Mom is pretty sure it was a the common garden garter snake (non poisonous). Mom didn't have the camera at hand but found this picture on Google images. We being the EVER watchful watch dogs we are didn't even see it :) It always makes Mom laugh as the first thing people she meets talk about when she says she is Australian is "ALL" the snakes in Australia. In Mom's 40 something years of living in Australia (and Mom lived in the Australian outback) she saw 2 snakes and yet since living in the USA she has seen so many she has lost count. We had a big downpour last night and we think the cooler temps and moisture probably bought Mr Snakey out. Thankfully it slithered off under the neighbors fence within seconds of Mom seeing it - but she says she will be even more vigilant than ever as the other thing we have noticed the last few days is lots and lots of baby lizards (like an inch long) they are so cute but are also the perfect snack for snakes.

Snake - what snake - we didn't see anything Mom!

Sunrise Sunday

“How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the horizon. It shines on a good many folk, but on none, I dare bet, who are on a stranger errand than you and I. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”
― Arthur Conan Doyle

Do you know?

We have a beautiful tree in our front yard that is now covered in flowers and we are wondering if anyone knows what it is?  Mom has nic named it the snowball tree and the flowers look like big old snowballs.

Shopping around the World with Bacon and Fozzie

This month we are joining Bacon and Fozzie's Shopping Around the World and doing a comparison of FIVE items from two different stores.  For our comparison we are using the Commissary and Publix. Now is all fairness we must point out we do not pay tax at the Commissary - it is one of the perks Dad gets for his years in the Military. Here are our items

Items                                                               Commissary                                     Publix
Edy's Frozen Custard                                       $3.99                                                $6.49
EB Cage Free Eggs                                          $2.99                                                $4.99
Oscar Mayer Bacon                                          $3.99                                                $6.99
Jar Soft Milkbone Treats                                  $4.99                                                $12.99
Noosa Yoghurt                                                  $1.79                                                $2.49

       

POTP for Mom

Mom is having a bit of a rough time at the moment - her IBS (Irratible Bowel Syndrome) and her stomach ulcer have both decided to play up at the same time and she is not a happy puppy. It is also very HOT  here with temps hovering around the high 90's for the last two weeks. My pond got stolen AGAIN but came back again yesterday after we had a one hour downpour. Please if you can -  will you send Mom some healing vibes and please accept our apologies that we might not around much for the next few days while we take care of her.

Happy Fathers Day

Have you noticed how hard it is to find pics of us with our Dads? Mom says it is a guy thing - they don't like their photos being taken so we had to hunt through years of photos to find one of us with our Dad - but we finally did. We love our Dad like crazy and Mom says we are both Daddy boys - so Happy Fathers Day Dad.

Trying something new

One of the things Mom loves about Jacksonville is there so many more places to shop and so many new brands and things to try. This morning at Publix (a new store for her) she came across these Dogsters frozen treats for us - they  are over a dollar cheaper then the Frosty Paws we normally get and come in Peanut Butter and Mint Flavors. We tried the mint flavor today and totally loved them and dog of dog did we ever need them as the last few days have been in the high 90's! You can check out more information about them and where to by them on their Dogster facebook page. If you don't have facebook here is the list of stores that sell them.

Just a note - We are not doing a review of these treats - we are just sharing something new we found and liked that you might not of heard of :).

Comeon Mom - open the darn box!

Going into for the first slurp!

Slurp good,slurp yum, slurp brain freeze :)

Slurp slurp slurpitty slurp slurp!

Chewy.com Review - Trufood Cocochia Bakes

18 June 2015

Today thanks to Chewy.com - the best and most well known online pet food, treats and goodies store I am reviewing Wellness TruFood CocoChia Bakes with Lamb, Purple Carrots & Coconut Oil Grain-Free Dog Treats. This is the first time that "I" the Denny dog have done a review all by myself. (Mom says it is because Reilly still can't have crunchy cookies yet)

Here's the Basics

• Wellness believes in giving pets a colorful palette of the best nutrition possible, so they made TruFood with whole foods from farm, field and sea. TruFood has more of what pets need to be vibrant and happy - that's how love becomes Wellness. When you treat with chia seeds and whole-prey protein, your dog gets more than just a tasty reward. These slow-baked TruFood CocoChia Bakes combine whole-prey protein with antioxidant-rich superfoods, probiotics, coconut oil and of course chia seeds to deliver a nutritious treat

• 5 oz bag is normally $5.99 at Chewy.com

Key Benefits

• 100% natural dog treats
• A naturally grain-free snack
• Slow-baked for more raw protein
• Naturally colored by superfoods
• No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives

You can't have these Reilly!

Sniff sniff - they smell a bit odd

 
Ingredients

• Chickpeas, Peas, Tapioca, Lamb, Dried Purple Carrots, Flaxseed, Coconut Oil, Chia Seeds, Turkey Liver, Turkey Hearts, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavor, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Dried Enterococcus thermophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus bulgaricus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract (this is a naturally preserved product)

Taste Test

NO MOM - I don't like the smell of these!

• In all fairness I will admit that "I" the Denny dog am not fond of hard cookies - I will sometimes eat them but not very often (unless Mom breaks them into into small pieces) and these are very hard cookies -. Mom offered me one and I sniffed it and wouldn't take it. She then broke it up into pieces and I turned away when she offered it me. Now I can be pretty stubborn about trying new things so Mom even popped a little in my mouth and I promptly SPAT it out. No - no way did I like the smell or flavor of these cookies and I was NOT going to eat one.

Negatives - Kind of - Sort of - Maybe - Not Really

• These are nice small square cookies which would be a great training treat if you like them
• For me - I just didn't like the smell of them or the flavor
• Mom crumbled one up for Reilly today and he gobble it down but there is not much Reilly won't eat :) 

Rating

• Sadly "I" the Denny have to give these a no paws ratings cause I just didn't like them all - I am a dog of discerning tastes :) but I know Reilly would give them a 4 paws rating cause he loves crunchy cookies and will eat just about anything at all :)

Disclaimer 
Chewy.com sent me a bag of  Wellness TruFood CocoChia Bakes with Lamb, Purple Carrots & Coconut Oil Grain-Free Dog Treats in return for an honest review. We were not paid or compensated for our review in any other way and our opinion is purely our own.

Bravo for Special Moments

We are joining Oz in sharing his "Bravo for Special Moments".  When we moved to Florida Mom wasn't sure how we would like the beach as we had never experienced it before. I think our happy smiles clearly show how much we LOVE our special moments sitting on the beach with Mom watching the sun rise.

Our good friend Oz is hosting a Bravo For Special Moments Photo Contest
 from now through Tuesday, June 23, 2015 on a secret page on his blog. 
It is a surprise for Bravo Pet Foods
  a blog hop Photo Contest that will be published on Thursday, June 25, 2015   
To learn more, CLICK HERE
 

Early Morning Bark Ranger Patrol

I told Mom we HAD to get up early and go and do some Bark Ranger Patrols which I sadly could not do last week because of my toofer problems. But they are all healed now and I have a job to do - so off we went. We arrived at 6.08 am and waited (and did quite a bit of sniffing) until 6.28 when the sun started to rise. As usual we had the beach all to ourselves and Mr Denny found some turtle tracks which he sniffed at sniffed at - most unusual for him as her rarely sniffs at anything. We loved watching the US Coast Guard ship cross the sunrise - they actually have one of their bases right here at Mayport. Bark Ranger duty done for today - MY beach is in perfect condition - I must say - MY park staff do an excellent job of keeping MY parks and beach ultra clean.

We have the beach all to ourselves Mom

Denny found turtle tracks !

Waiting for the sun to wake up

Here it comes Mom

The US Coast Guard was out on patrol

Perfect morning for a spot of fishing

Chewy.com Review - Solid Gold Lamb and Brown Rice

15 June 2015

Today thanks to Chewy.com - the best and most well known online pet food, treats and goodies store we are reviewing Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Lamb, Brown Rice & Barley Recipe Canned Dog Food. As many of you know I recently had 4 teeth removed and needed to be on soft food for a week while my gums healed. Chewy.com was wonderful and sent me 12 cans of this wonderful food to get me through it.

Here's the Basics

• The first dog food Solid Gold ever crafted has a special place in the hearts of Solid Gold fans and so does the wet dog food variety of this formula! The holistic and natural ingredients (and the funny-sounding name) were inspired by Solid Gold founder Sissy McGill. Your dog will feast on tender, delicious lamb. Every bowl is a well-balanced meal packed with high-density protein and whole grain brown rice

Nice and chunky

Me and my puffy nose :)

Key Benefits

• Perfect to pair with Hund-n-Flocken dry dog food or to be fed as a standalone diet
• Nutritionally complete and balanced meal
• Holistic food for adult dogs of all sizes
• No corn, wheat or soy which are common allergens for dogs
• No fillers, by-products, artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives
• Made in the US

Taste Test

• Now I must admit I TOTALLY loved this food and licked the bowl clean over and over again (until I drove Mom crazy and she picked it up to wash it) It is a nice solid food and had carrots in it which even I ate and I am known for not eating veggies!

Mom said I could I have 1 piece -  I went for the big one!

This is cruel - let me at it :)

Ingredients

• Lamb, Water Sufficient for Processing, Lamb Liver, Brown Rice, Carrots, Barley, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Oatmeal, Alfalfa Meal, Flaxseed Meal, Olive Oil, Salt, Carrageenan, Cassia, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Panthothenate, Biotin Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement

Negatives - Kind of - Sort of - Maybe - Not Really

• Now Mom was a bit worried about giving me canned food as it not something I have ever had before and she remembers how many of the 'old' types of canned dogs food had a laxative affect on doggies. She was very happy to find this was NOT the case with this food and she loved that it was solid and chunky and could be cut into cubes for me. Denny also got to try a little of this in his food and he too totally loved it!

Rating

• I am definitely giving this food a high 4 paws as it is totally delicious and I was able to eat it with no problems. We would highly recommend this for older dogs who have lost some teeth and may be having trouble with harder types of foods.
  

Disclaimer 

• Chewy.com sent us 12 cans of Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Lamb, Brown Rice & Barley Recipe Canned Dog Food in return for an honest review. We were not paid or compensated in any other way and our opinion is purely our own.

 

Doggie Discrimination

Yesterday we all jumped in the Ms Beazly (MY new car) and headed off to Amelia Island - this was our first visit and to get there we had to take a car ferry which Mom said was so cool. This was also our first case of dog discrimination for although dogs are allowed on the ferry they are not allowed to get out of the car - which is so unfair as I REALLY wanted to stand at the bow like Mom did. Needless to say I barked loudly about the unfair situation.
 












Once we got off the ferry we headed off toward the first park which is Little Talbot State Park and shock horror - more doggie discrimination - we were told they don't allow dogs and they charge $5.00 to just to get in!  Dad turned Ms Beazly around and we left - then we came across Big Talbot State Park and it was the same thing! We kept driving and noticed they have an awesome bike trail that runs the entire length of Amelia island and every now and again there was a place to park. I told Dad I REALLY needed to leave some pee mail so he stopped and as luck would have the parking area we stopped at also had a walking trail that led down to the beach. It also cost $3.00 to just park at the trail but I told Mom she could take it out of my treat money as I really really wanted to go. We walked and walked and walked and it was awesome - it was so shady and cool and eventually we came out to an area called drift wood beach. We couldn't really go and check it out as the path came to an abrupt end on a cliff about 10 foot high and we couldn't find a path down but we enjoyed looking at it anyway. We kept driving an noticed lots of funny shaped beach houses including this one that looked like a lighthouse. Mom was surprised there are still blocks of lands for sale right on the beach front - she is dreaming now of winning the lotto and having a house right on the beach.

It came back!

Yesterday afternoon it rained and rained and guess what - those nasty pond thieves must of felt guilty because they finally returned MY pond. The ducks, geese and turtles are so happy - they can swim back down the pond to get their morning noms instead of having to walk :)  Thank you to of you who did a rain dance for us - it worked :)

Wordless Wednesday

Almost back to normal

Just a quick update. Mom says my nose is almost back to normal - there is just a little swelling on the right side but overall it is back to normal. I still have to have my yummy soft food for a few more days but I am not complaining about that all - well except for the fact that the dweeb has also been getting a spoonful in his food - so not right - he doesn't have a sore mouth!

My pond has been KIDNAPPED!

My pond has been kidnapped - stolen and taken away! Mom says it is just evaporation from the hot temperatures and the fact that we have had no rain since we arrived here but I KNOW better - my pond has been thieved away from my very own backyard!  I want my water back - so if you have seen the mean nasty kidnappers who have taken my pond - please tell them to return it home immediately! They have been so sneaky - taking a little each day and now 5 weeks later - look at the results. The geese now have to walk to get to get their noms in the morning instead of swimming. Mom says by the end of the week the whole thing will probably be dry and there is no rain in the forecast any time soon :(

Another update

Another update on Mr Reilly. The swelling on the left side of his nose has gone down a little but the right side still looks the same. His dogtor called us this morning (yes on a Sunday!) to check up on him and gave us the go ahead to give him the Steroid shot as well as the benadryl. If it hasn't improved by tomorrow we will be back to see him first thing in the morning. He doesn't appear to be in any pain, is eating well and barking at the dog next door, his eyes are bright and shiny and he just seems to be my normal sweet boy with a big puffy nose :) Paws crossed the swelling will go down tonight. We also want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to Miss Sydney and Chewy.com - our review this month was for a can of the Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Lamb, Brown Rice & Barley Recipe Canned Dog Food and they sent us 12 cans!  Reilly can only have very soft food at the moment and we were only expecting him to need it for a day or two instead he will need it for the next week so this worked out perfectly and thankfully he is totally LOVING it. He will tell you more about when he is feeling better and does his review of it but he already giving it a 4 paw rating :)

Update and swollen nose

Mom was worried that my nose was still swollen this morning so she called my dogtor and he told her to bring me down in a hour to see him. By time we got there it was even more swollen - he thinks I am am having an allergic reaction to the nerve block medication he used when he removed my teeth. He says he has only seen this one other time in 20 years of being a vet.  He couldn't see any signs of infection and the swelling is exactly where the shots were. We are trying Benadryl to see if that helps - if not I will have to have a steroid shot in the morning. Mom and Dad are so worried so please send some anti-worry vibes their way. I on the other paws feel fine, I am alert, eating happily and barking at the dogs from hell next door - I just have a puffy face :)

The tooth thief

I am back from the dogtor and doing just fine. I don't remember much of what happened and Mom says I walked right past her and Dad when they came to get me and that I was in my own little 'fuzzy world'. I ended up having 4 of my teeth removed - yes it was only supposed to be 2 but it seems he found two others that we cracked that needed to come it. My face is a little swollen but the tooth fairy left some yummy venison soft food for me and I had a good dinner and some pain medicine when I got home so I am feeling pretty good right now. Mr Vet says I should be all good in a couple of days and be able to resume my Bark Ranger duties. Mom also talked to Mr Vet about my blood tests and he said there is nothing to worry about as they are just at the high end of the normal range but still within normal limits. He says it is quite common in older dogs and ones like me that take medication for their allergies. Today I am just going to rest up and have some yummy venison. Thank you for all you good wishes - we know they helped a lot.