Crates Are Cruel, You Don't Deserve a Dog!

Yep. I recently found out I was cruel. I was also enlightened to the fact that I am lazy. Ooh, and I almost forgot - I am also selfish. Last, but certainly not least, I should not own dogs.

Why, you ask? Because of one simple fact: I use a crate. 

See, someone posted a video of a dog letting a smaller dog in the house out of it's crate. That's where I stumbled across these brilliant animal experts and their pearls of wisdom.

That's right, folks! Dogs should "rome" and be free, because well hell...they are MUCH better off facing dangers such as electrical cords, ingesting things that are toxic or will cause obstructions, fighting with other dogs in the household, etc, than they are when they are safely and responsibly contained while the owner is away. But I may be giving Rich O too much credit in reading that he meant "free" inside of the home. Maybe he literally means they should be free and "rome" outdoors. If that's the case, then let's add in the dangers of traffic, wild animals, being shot or poisoned, menacing other pets, livestock or humans, being picked up by animal control, drowning, getting caught in a trap or snare, etc etc. I mean, there is literally no end to the potential harm that could come to dogs if they are allowed to "be free." 

But onto the next one. 

As I tried to explain to Marie, crates are an effective and responsible means of safely containing dogs while they are unsupervised. They are a safe haven if utilized correctly, and in fact, most dogs will seek out their crates in times of stress or if they find themselves overwhelmed. Or, in Ditto's case, whenever she wants a nap and doesn't want to be bothered. As I also tried to explain to Marie and the other readers, animal abuse would be me leaving two dogs with dog aggression loose and unsupervised together. 

And that's when this one chimed in to tell me all the things she *thinks* she knows about me just by reading a post on the internet. Oh, no words for this delightful little empty can...

Being that I can laugh at idiots for a short while before I get angry, I made a calm and rational post explaining to her that there is such a thing as breed traits, dog aggression, being responsible, etc etc, but it fell on deaf ears. I bet you're all shocked. That's when I was informed I shouldn't have two dogs because I don't want to set my dogs up to be in a situation where they could harm each other in my absence. Or worse.

I once again try to inform her that it is not a training issue. It is not an exercise issue. It is an issue of safety. Of being responsible. Of loving my dogs enough to want them safe. And I mean, ffs, Ditto LOVES her crate. She has a dog bed, a blanket, a giant Spongebob pillow, a deer antler, a different Nylabone every day, and a stuffed Kong. We swap out the goodies daily so crate time is always fun. Once again, Irma The Dumb is plugging her ears and refusing to believe that I am anything but cruel, selfish, lazy and that I shouldn't have two dogs. *facepalm*

She posted another reply, and I let the catty me come out to play for a bit. 

Don't know if she read it, don't know if she replied. I don't care. I had spent enough time in Animal Rights Land to deal with it anymore. Besides, I had some dogs to abuse, damn it.

All Wrapped Up!

I have finally succeeded in wrapping all of the gifts. All of the packages that will arrive before Christmas have arrived now, so it was no time like the present to crank up the Christmas tunes and have a wrapping party.

I am not especially talented at gift wrapping. In all honestly, I suck at it. But, since these gifts are for the dogs, perfection was not required. They're just going to rip it apart without mercy anyways.

It took me hours to get everything wrapped up and semi-secured. There was lots of taping myself to the paper, paper cuts, dropping the scissors onto my bare feet, and more unfortunate taping incidents. Now that it's all done though, I can say that it definitely was not as bad as some of the previous wrapping sessions I've narrowly escaped. 

It didn't take long for the dogs to realize that all the gifts are for them, and they quickly closed in on my designated Dog Christmas Gift zone. Ditto seemed to give off a little bit of the "Oh shit, I'm busted" vibe when I caught her snooping around in the pile.

Corvus was less apologetic. He was more interested in trying to sad-face me into giving him a gift. 

They are still both currently camped out keeping a close eye on the stash. I'm a little worried about going to sleep tonight. Maybe I should rope off a perimeter with hot wire or something. Naw, they wouldn't dare break into the stash early. Not if they know what's good for them!

Speaking of potential naughtiness. LUMPS OF COAL!! Best dog toys ever. I also got the Naughty/Nice set of stuffed toys, though I wish I could've gotten a Naughty/Naughty set. Well, I guess whoever is less naughty than the other will get the "Nice" one.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Holiday Creeps!

It's been a week of excitement around here. Packages coming, impromptu photo sessions, and hustle and bustle trying to get ALL THE THINGS ready for Christmas. Since we don't have skin kids, the dogs are always our primary focus for Christmas shopping. 

Their Collar Mania collars arrived, which of course meant photos. Er, photo attempts anyways. Corvus has been extra sassy lately, so while he is a total blast to photograph, this week's attempts were almost TOO fun. He has ants in his pants and can't seem to sit still for more than five seconds at a time before the twitching and smack talking begins.

Ditto was a little bit easier to photograph, as long as I wanted the statue look. She was on the lookout for squirrels and cats, and wasn't interested in posing. 

And last up, a glimpse into what Christmas has in store for the Terrible Two. I'm still waiting on a few packages to arrive, and a couple things won't be here til after Christmas...but here's part of their loot. I'm trying very hard to not give them stuff early, but I may or may not have already lost that battle a couple of times. Okay, I did. They got a few things early. I suck at keeping gifts hidden. It's why I usually save my shopping til the last minute. 

THAT PIG!! It's Ditto's, obvi. She's often referred to as Piggie Sue, so it's only fitting that she get a stuffed pig.

Christmas is Coming!

I received an email yesterday that my Christmas collars from Collar Mania are on their way. Woo hoo! Here's a teaser. 

Angry Birds collar. Not because I like Angry Birds, but because the green pig reminds me of Ditto, lol.

For Corvus. Do I even need to explain why he gets a Grinch collar?

See? He is a Grinch.

Also for Corvus. Technically, a Christmas themed collar as well, but he can wear this one year round.

I'm so excited to get them. Once I am able to dress them in their Christmas collars, I will be doing more Christmas themed photos. Not shown, and what I'm most excited about, is Ditto's red and green Bling collar. It's going to be fabulous!

More Christmas themed humiliation to come. Ditto is too excited!

Aggie's Anvil Love

Squee! 

I was contacted by Aggie's Anvil assistant, Kymberli, the other night to let me know all of my Aggie's Anvil tags had been completed and were on their way. I can barely contain my excitement! They are just perfect. 

My haul for The Creeps. Corvus gets This IS my happy face, Fun Police, and The Mad Pooper.  Ditto gets Space Invader, Potato Bug and The Walking Dog.

I just went with plain ole stamping for my tags, but I already have so many ideas for my next order. Andrea, Krista and Kymberli have some seriously amazing talent, and I will be ordering tags with all the add-ons for my next batch. 

They can bling them up with rhinestones, paint them, etch them, shape them...you name it. Here are some examples from some other very satisfied customers.

Photo taken by Andrea. Tag made for Colt R.

Photo by Andrea. Tags made for Colt R.

Photo by Andrea. Tag made for Colt R.

Photo by Andrea. Tag made for Colt R.

Chloe in her Unicorn Princess rainbow tag.

Starfish tag owned by Teresa W.

Rainbow Star tag owned by Teresa W.

Copper Heart tag owned by Teresa W.

Ice Queen tag pictured with Ella's Lead Winter McStolly collar. Owned by Kate M.

The lovely Jasmine in her Tiger Tiger Burning Bright tag. Owned by Kate M.

Emerald Queen. Owned by Kate M.

Fashion Police tag owned by Kate M.

More tags owned by Kate M.

And even more tags owned by Kate M.

More of Jasmine's stash, owned by Kate M.

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the folks at Aggie's Anvil.
If you're looking for *JUST* the right tag to compliment your dog's favorite collar, give them a shout. They also do nameplates, if you prefer that route. Prices are reasonable, quality is impressive, and customer service is perfect!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

What gets me in the Christmas spirit? Taunting the Elf-Dogs with ridiculous holiday get ups, of course! Corvus is usually an okay sport, but the elf hat was just TOO tempting to resist. After all, there is a ball of fluff on the end, and we tend to go a little crazy when anything resembling a ball is in plain sight.

ERMAHGERD, FLUFF BALL!

Ditto is tricky. You have to sneak up to her without her being able to see what is in your hands, and then get it on her quickly. If the adorning goes smoothly, you have about 45-60 seconds before she begins to tear it off of her, and tries to eat it. I got lucky this time, she was asleep and I had a little more time to get a photo before she tried to eat the elf hat.

This is my Woe face. 

Here's a little trip down memory lane. Last year's *attempts* at a Christmas photo session. It was Ditto's first Christmas with us, and since she was also still pretty new here,  I didn't try too hard to humiliate her. I was trying for a Christmas card photo. We mostly just got bloopers. But still, fond memories.

And what would any photo session of the dogs be without Corvus providing me with his impression of an Anteater. Him and that tongue. It's his trademark. Well, one of them. 

Oh, Anteater dog. I adore you.

Elf Myself? No way. Corvus, on the otherhand...

In the spirit of Christmas, I couldn't resist the opportunity to make an "Elf Yourself" video featuring five different Corvus faces. Enjoy!

In a moment of optimism..

I am not a crafty person. I can *think* of things I'd love to make, but thinking and doing are two very, very different monsters.

Part of my problem is that I am a perfectionist. Mentally, anyways. I visualize the end result and that and only that will suffice. The disconnect is that I am not horribly crafty, not horribly talented and DEFINITELY not patient. I get frustrated easily and more often than not, craft time wraps up with me sobbing over the burn barrel while my visions of craft success smolder away into flame and ash. 

So, recently when I was overcome with an urge to JUST.CRAFT.SOMETHING.DAMN IT. I tried to remind myself that I should just go walk a dog or something instead. This too, shall pass. But it didn't. So, me and my grand ideas ventured into Retail Hell on a Saturday to pick up supplies.

Step one involved painting. And then waiting for paint to dry. See above where I mention my lack of patience. I was good, though. I waited until the paint was dry and then applied a second coat. And waited some more. 

Step two involved adhering a very pretty, very sparkly glittery letter to my newly painted surface. I was distracted numerous times by the glitter that fell from the letter onto my freshly painted surface. Oooh, Shiny! NO, focus! I had to make sure I adhered this letter in the center, and perfectly, otherwise my OCD would have a field day with my failure to align the letter "D."

Step three involved screwing three sets of hooks into my newly painted and decorated surface. THIS WAS THE BASTARD I DREADED MOST. Three sets of hooks, all taunting me with their ability to move and be crooked. But I persevered. I ignored their jeers. I would succeed, this time. Besides, I didn't have any matches for the burn barrel. 

All in all, I'm fairly happy with the end result. I present to you, my readers, Ditto's new leash and collar rack. 

What sparked my creativity you ask? Two Ella's Lead collars that I've been lusting after and will soon be ordering. They will need some where extra special to hang.

The Absolute Genius McStolly, done in black leather and turquoise stones. *Drool* (Photo borrowed from the Ella's Lead Facebook page)

 

More Drool. (Photo borrowed from the Ella's Lead Facebook page)