Meet the Dogs Blue-Eyed PrincessAugust 13, 2019My blue-eyed phenomena walker found an unpleasant surprise today on our walk. Lucy She is always SO excited for her walk when she hears me jingle her harness. Today was no exception; until we found a surprise on our route… Let’s go! a knife lying in the grass. This is one block away from an elementary school. Knife? Lucy pointed it out for me! We were both appalled… but we continued on for the rest of our walk.... Read more...NEW BABIES!August 13, 2019Introductions!! Two new babies to take care. My first one I have already started is Moose, a standard Bulldog, whom just happens to be the sweetest big boy. Moose loving his walk! He has a heart condition and digestion problems, PLUS he is 11 years old but just a puppy at heart. I have the pleasure of opening his BIG, HUGE MOUTH WITH TEETH, and SHOVE his heart pill down his throat daily. MEDS This may be a tidy tip; if your dog will not take a pill with a treat, you may have to open their mouth by grabbing their lower jaw and prying it open and place the pill or capsule at the back of their tongue so they swallow on impulse. Always, always have a special treat ready afterwards. But Moose then gets the best part, loves and rubs from me and FRESH cooked chicken from his awesome Mom. Talk about a spoiled baby! Picture, stuffed animal AND the real dog, MOOSE He also requests FRESH, COLD, FILTERED water from the fridge. His mom’s description of him is, “80% of the time he is a love, old man style and 20% of the time he is anxious. On the street 1:1 he may get his feathers ruffled.” So far, Moose and I have had a ball together! JACK Then there is Jack, ANOTHER STANDARD POODLE PUPPY! I will only see him a couple times a week, but he already has his doodle cut going on, and he is a SILVER puppy!! Otis So rare to see, and he is just as sweet as my other standard poodle puppy, Otis. I cannot wait to start with him this week!... Read more...I don’t know about water but… Let me introduce the Swim Team!July 26, 2019Button and Wilma I mentioned last time I posted I would tell you the story behind my “SWIM TEAM” reference to Button, Wilma and Lamb Chop. It started out as I would leave the house to visit these adorable babies and try to say, in one word, I am off to see…. Lamb Chop The Bulldogs and the Pug, or my Puglet and Bulldogs. Never seemed to roll off my tongue very smoothly. I did not want to disrespect one breed from the other and only say “Bulldog” or “Pug”. One day as I tried to say where I was going to my husband he replied, “Oh, off to see your swim team!” It was perfect! They have now been affectionately called “my swim team” ever since. I do have to admit though, I have NO IDEA if they like water or swimming, but it fits them perfectly! My Rolly Poly swim team! Oh, and BTW, Button is the chicken chaser! Check out my previous post for the Great Chicken Chase... Read more...Happy FinnJanuary 27, 2019Finn met me with his toy. He hears my car pull up in the drive, and I see him through the window run and grab a toy as he runs to the back door to greet me. This happens every day!! Then I come in and say hello! This is his cue to take off…. he runs what I call the “track” which is around the whole sitting room and couch area with his toy in his mouth before coming back, giving me the toy and then getting his leash on to go for his walk!! He is a beagle/lab mix! So, he has short legs with a long body and a long nose! Absolutely perfect and adorable! ... Read more...AllieJanuary 27, 2019Camera shy Allie! She is my goofy black German Shepherd mix that is so sweet! She will not admit in front of anyone, especially her owner that she likes anyone, but before our walks we have a love fest of belly rubs and licks, rubs and loves. She is so privately sweet. She is also one of my special diet clients, so she gets marshmallows for her treats. And boy does she love those marshmallows!! She does a happy dance for me after every walk for an extra marshmallow; don’t tell her mom!!... Read more...Button, Wilma & LambchopJanuary 27, 2019CARTOONS!! That is the word that comes to my mind when I see these girls on my schedule! Button is our stoic matriarch, ever disdainful of everything…. until that one day when she lets down her guard and melts your heart! And you see Wilma in a cartoon bubble every day, bouncing in excitement! Truly Precious. Then you go and see Lambchop in her room, whom Button does NOT get along with, and then your heart melts all over again for the elderly chubby pugglet! Bulldogs and pugs!! Who would have ever thunk! So many tales and tails!... Read more...CallyJanuary 27, 2019Cally is my big female Rottweiler that is so intimidating to look at, and so sweet to know!! She has the softest brown eyes that dig into the depths of your soul when you look into them! Yet she is a powerhouse of a giant that will yank you left and right if you are not careful! I respect her, and love her all at the same time! She has many, many digestive problems, poor girl, so many poo articles to come. She is improving!... Read more...CharlotteJanuary 27, 2019Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix full of love, happiness and truly a bundle of joy! That is Charlotte in a nutshell. She is almost 2 years old now, but when she was nine months old, she was run over by a truck and her hip was fractured and she had major surgery and repair. I started walking her and she was still scared of vehicles, OF COURSE, but with some encouragement and loves the rest is said in her happy tail!! Since then she has progressed so much! We walk on main sidewalks now, she does not shy away from sounds or cars, and she is so energetic on our walks every time I see her! She is love and happiness!... Read more...Emma & ZoeJanuary 27, 2019Zoe is a Chow/Shar Pei Mix breed and so sweet. Emma is a Golden Retriever. Zoe has her bed downstairs. For a while she had a difficult time with the stairs. Her owners and I could not figure it out?? She would come up the stairs backwards, literally, and fall into my arms at the end. She has since stopped this behavior and meets me at the top of the stairs, ready to go! When Emma is not at work with her dad, she is also waiting at the door for me! Emma LOVES rolling in grass, leaves, snow, anything!! Zoe just loves getting out and walking…. she could walk for miles! ... Read more...“Finn”January 27, 2019I have recently re-acquired “Finn’ again. My first introduction to Finnigan was no introduction. I was asked to cover his visit literally last minute. I had just started walking dogs full-time after leaving Corporate America. I picked up the key, went to Finnigan’s house, opened the door to see a small pony (Goldendoodle) probably close to 105 pounds barking at me and the house alarm beeping…. OMG…now what? Quite the introduction to now one of my favorite big guys… Oh, by the way on that first visit I did what any dog walker would do… said “hey Finny, what’s going on?” Ran back to the alarm, turned it off, grabbed the treat jar, gave Finn a treat, took a breath…. and then said, “Are you ready for your walk?” Whew…. ... Read more...Jacques & ZizouJanuary 27, 2019Zizou and Jacques, rescued together, litter brothers, beagle mix. I have been walking them since they were 11 months and have been training them as well. We have mastered sit, stay, down, this way (this side of obstacles on walks), walk together, come, go to bed (go into crate) and are now working on heel!! All with 20 minutes a day with me and AWESOME work with the owners! They follow up and are so consistent with what I suggest and work with the pups on it. They are absolutely AMAZING!! The boys are a pure joy to walk; Jacques, the more submissive of the two is usually chasing butterflies while Jacques is much more alert and attentive on our ventures. I don’t see them on a regular basis as much since they have grown up now, but I do see them and their owner on their walks as I “walk” my route so I still get to see the crazy boys!... Read more...LilyJanuary 27, 2019I am a BIG DOG GIRL, (Rottweiler to be specific) but I have a little miniature poodle/chihuahua mix, Lily, that has me wrapped around her paws. When I first started walking dogs, she was one of my first assignments I acquired, and it took me two weeks to “win” her over. I was questioning if dog walking was really what I was going to do when all this little thing did was snarl and growl and snap at me. I did not know that Chihuahua’s only accepted one or two people into their “pack”, so the fact that she accepts me at all is unbelievable. I did not know that but also would not accept the fact that ANY dog would not love me. She didn’t have much of a chance NOT to finally break down to my resilience and persistence and now I am the only dog walker within our Independent Dog walking group that Lily will allow to walk her!! I WON!! AND SHE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES NOW!! Not only is she small, but she is a DIVA!!! Yes (sigh) I said it. Diva. Dog Diva. Lily has a better wardrobe than I do, and most days I try to dress to match HER coat. She is fashion fabulous!!... Read more...Max & TheoJanuary 27, 2019Mix and Match to perfection! Max and Theo! Theo, the French Bulldog that skateboards (yep, skateboards!) hates cold, snow, rain, heat. He loves playtime with his squirrel and abhors wearing his coat. Max is the ultimate walker despite his small size. He would walk for hours and hours…. rain or shine, deep snow or not, he will never turn down a walk but belly rubs are really good too! At the end of EVERY visit Theo is such a gentleman, and walks me to the door to say goodbye.... Read more...Rocco & MarioJanuary 27, 2019I met Rocco first. He is a Lagotto Romagnolo (Italian Truffle hunting dog) and is/was a super walker! He is a wonderful loving character with tons of personality, especially when he climbs the kid’s jungle gym to get a better view of the yard! (I do have to watch him with an eagle eye though as he has a tendency to eat his, and other dogs, poo) UGH! More on that later. Then a year or so later Mario came to the family, same breed! So different and what a joy! Where Rocco is low key Mario is high energy. There is not a leash able to contain Mario’s level of excitement; it is just plain energy. Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, and then we start running! Get the picture! We do not actually “walk” anymore but we have playtime in the backyard… boy, do we have some fun!! Mario will fetch a ball FOREVER. Rain, snow, sun, ice; it does not matter! He is a ball of high energy and love and Rocco is ever at my side for “his” special loves and rubs! Both boys are extremely obedient too.... Read more...Roofus & RockoJanuary 27, 2019Roofus and Rocko are one of my first clients and introductions when I first started walking dogs professionally. I fell in love with them instantly and have never looked back. They are my “odd” couple if you will, but they fit together so perfectly. They both will melt if a rain drop were to ever, ever hit them so you need to be extra cautious with the weather report. Ha! Ha! And they will DEFINITELY let you know how they feel about it too! They LOVE walks in “just the right” conditions! Roofus is best known for his “Zoomies” which is a full-speed run in circles with such pure joy written all over his body. Rocko, unfortunately or fortunately, however you look at it is affectionately referred to as my “Poo Master”. He is VERY regular, if you get what I am saying. They are absolute goof-balls that I adore and cater to their every whim…... Read more...CeCeJanuary 27, 2019CeCe is my elderly sweetheart! She just moved to a new house and is getting acquainted with the new surroundings. Big adjustment for her as there is no doggy door! I do not have an exact age, but I believe her to be over 14 years old and still just as sassy and spry as can be! She does not walk as far (but do not tell her that!) and she loves her toys and treats! Most of all, she loves what I call a “puppy massage” … no more words needed.... Read more...Pitch a fit, I WILL leave you!January 26, 2019Josie and Ozzy. Where to begin…. Here is some back history on Josie and Ozzy! Josie is a black and tan hound and so, so, so sweet. Always ready for her walk, always ready to go. Always behaves, always, always, always…. Ozzy on the other hand is a wild man! He is a miniature dachshund (black and gray). The first time I went to take care of him I spent over an hour as he pitched a fit at me. And I mean pitched a fit. Snarling, growling, and snapping at me. I could not even get him out of his crate, let alone even attempt to get a harness on him for a walk. Short Ozzie and Tall Josie Josie was sitting next to me, just looking at me with pity in her eyes! I took her for a walk and came back to more barking, snarling and growling. Whew! Then the next time I came for a visit It was much of the same…. I took Josie for her sweet walk, came back and offered Ozzy a treat. I had tried this on the previous visit with no luck. He was a little calmer on this visit and took the treat but then retreated to the back of his crate and started growling and snapping again. I am a dog lover, but I am not crazy, so I did not attempt to try to get him out! I let the owner know I did not think this was going to work! On the third visit the owner was present (much like the Lily situation I mentioned last time) and he was a different dog!! Just as happy and friendly as could be. So, I said, OK, I can do this! On the fourth visit, the owners are out of town for the day, and Ozzy is playing is NON-FRIENDLY game again, so I shut the crate, grabbed Josie’s leash and in front of Ozzy say, “Josie, let’s go, Ozzy is not playing nice, so we will go without him.” He immediately stopped barking and just looked at me. I looked at him. I grabbed Josie’s leash and left the house. We were outside for about 5 minutes. Then I came back inside. I had Ozzy’s harness and leash behind my back with a treat in my hand. I left Josie’s leash on. I opened Ozzy’s crate door, and said, “Do you want to come out and play nice?” Ozzy came out, took a treat from my hand, and then flipped over on his back and proceeded to ask for a belly-rub!! I couldn’t believe it! And I didn’t really believe it either, so I put treats all around Ozzy so he was a little distracted on which treat to grab as I put the harness on him. Then we went on our walk. Whew…. What an experience that was. Now we are best friends… I went today, he barked twice at me, I opened the crate door, offered him a treat and reminded him I don’t play his games! ~TIDY TIP~ I have also noticed I need to lower the timber of my voice when talking to him by almost an octave! Once he came out, he took his treat, I leashed Josie up, then I rubbed Ozzy’s belly (tentatively to be sure!) and then put his harness on and we were off for our walk. Dog psychology 101! Ozzy Osbourne to Ozzie Harriet! Split Personalities!... Read more...GrifJanuary 26, 2019Griffin moved into my territory just this summer. Oh, my goodness!! He is the happiest, go luckiest, anytime, any weather walking partner you could EVER wish for! He is the best walking dog I have. It does not matter my attitude, or the weather or ANYTHING, when I hit Griffin’s house, he will have me convinced in 20 seconds or less that this is the best day of our lives and we need to spend the next 15 or 20 minutes of it walking!!! He is such a happy camper.... Read more...SiriJanuary 18, 2019Siri is the real story today though…. I walked her twice today as well. I have been with Siri since she was two months old and she was so shy; scared of everything and everyone!! She was my second assigned walk when I first started walking dogs! She is a Labradoodle, about 50 lbs. now. The first time I visited her today I could not find her pinch collar, which she walks better with. I used her regular collar and we went our normal walk with a little pulling from her, hence why I like the pinch collar for her. When I came back for her second walk in the afternoon I stopped, put my hands on my hips and asked her, “Siri, where is your pinch collar?” Her eyes lit up, she took off running and then stopped, looked over her shoulder as if saying, come on!! So, I followed her, she took me to where her bed is, and lo and behold, there was her pinch collar! Right there on the floor!!! If I would have only asked Siri at the morning walk!!! She knew exactly what I was asking for, and she knew exactly where it was located!! She was so excited she was prancing and dancing around!! Smart girl!!!... Read more...DexterJanuary 16, 2019Dexter is a South African Mastiff (approx. 170 lbs.). He was my very first assigned walk when I first started walking dogs professionally; he was barely 2 months old (approx. 24 lbs.). I believe I am the alpha female in his life. We have a very special bond and I am very attached to this BIG GUY; it is almost like he is my own. I have as many pictures of him as I do of my own dog on my phone! Crazy! He is such a HUGE gentle giant and we have many, many stories to tell!... Read more...