Halloween Pet Safety

Okay, so my blog is slowly turning into the life of my pets! Can you tell? Well, here are some suggestions if you want your pets to participate in Halloween tomorrow night. Mine will be inside as we are going to a big Costume Ball tomorrow night, but here are some helpful hints:

Keep your pet in a quiet place, away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities. You may know that the miniature monsters and goblins who come knocking on Halloween aren't real, but pets don't. Dogs and cats are creatures of habit and could become frightened or agitated by the unaccustomed sights and sounds of costumed visitors. In addition, frequently opened doors provide a perfect opportunity for escape, which can go unnoticed during all the commotion. Be sure all pets are wearing collars and ID tags in case of an accidental getaway.

Cats—black ones in particular—often fall victim to pranksters. Keep cats safely indoors. Visit humanesociety.org/safecats for more information.

Place live flame decorations like candles and jack-o'-lanterns out of your pet's reach. Curious critters risk being singed or burned by the flame—they could also easily knock over a candle or pumpkin and cause a fire.

Keep candy away from pets. All those sweets may taste great to critters, but candy, especially chocolate, can be toxic to pets. Candy wrappers can also be harmful if swallowed. Instead, tempt your pet with a few of his favorite treats.

Resist the urge to put your pet in a costume. You may think your pet looks adorable dressed as a princess, but most pets don't like the constraints of costumes. If you do decide to play dress-up, make sure the costume is safe for your pet and doesn't constrain her movement, hearing or ability to breathe. Check the costume for parts your pet could chew off and choke on and look for dangling pieces like flowing capes that could injure her.

Don't let the family dog accompany the kids on their trick-or-treat outing. Children may have a difficult time handling a pet during the festivities and your pooch could get loose, especially if your dog is spooked by the strange sights and sounds of trick-or-treaters.

Keep decorations that pets could chew on—like streamers and fake spider webs—and wires and cords from electric decorations out of reach. If pets chomp on Halloween decorations they could choke or become ill and, if they chew on electrical cords, they risk a potentially deadly electrical shock. Pets could also become tangled and injured by dangling cords or decorations.

Information courtesy of The Humane Society of the United States...

Have a great Halloween!

Petco Trip

Last night Dixie I had to go to Petco to grab some dog food and she absolutely loves to accompany me on my trips to stores. Since Atlanta is such an animal friendly city, there are many stores that she can go in. She loves to walk around & smell entirely every square inch of the store as her curiosity gets the best of her. As we were in the check out line a man approached & asked one of the sales clerks if they could help him buy a couple of mice. Immediately, I got a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. As I watched him pick out these poor little mice who were running around playing on their wheel & enjoying themselves oblivious to the fact that they were about to be a snake's supper, I asked the sales clerk exactly why he was buying them.

I think I knew what her answer was going to be, but I just wanted her to solidify my thoughts. After asking her, she began shaking her head (an obvious animal lover as well) & said, "I can't even think about it. He's buying them to feed his snake." I about died & it infuriated me so! I could not believe it. So as he got in line behind me, I turned & asked him, "How can you do that to those poor little mice?" He just looked at me & did not say a word. Then I said, "Seriously, don't you have a heart for those little guys?" To that, he just kept staring. WEIRDO. I.Mean.WEIRDO.

What type of person can do this? I know that our lives evolve around the food chain, however, I hate snakes & I could not believe that people do this. I really wanted to turn around & ask him how much he wanted for those poor little mice as their fate foreshadowed in my mind. This practice should be illegal...

Dixie Weight Program

Last Friday, I had to take all of my girls into the vet for checkups. Miss Dixie has had a weight problem since I got her a year ago. The people that had her just overindulged her because she was 115 lbs. when I adopted her. Since then, she has gained more weight & is way too big for a golden retriever. However, her bones are so long, that she will be big regardless of the how much weight she can drop. And yes, she has gotten lots of treats & good yummy food over the course of time, but we exercise all the time. I mean. All. The. Time. Three times a day to be exact.

So now Dr. Abercrombie has placed her on Soloxine which is a drug that is used to treat hypothyroidism in dogs. Dixie does not have this, but the drug itself causes the heart rate to increase & essentially speeds up the metabolic rate. I have noticed a significant change in Dixie thus far. She is wanting to walk everywhere, which is great but she also has started acting paranoid & manic. I am hoping this will dissipate as her body's systems get use to the drug. However, if the symptoms increase, we will have to go back in. I'm hoping though that we can lose some significant weight as she would feel so much better! I'll keep track of her progress & show pictures!!

Teddy Bare

So I have very busy lately & have not had a chance to post lately. My Aunt Karen is looking for a young dog for their family & she has put me in charge. Yay! I'm so glad that they are adopting instead of buying from a breeder or getting a puppy. They already have a cat, Chloe, who is older, but my little cousins will love a dog. They love Dixie & all our dogs at home in Kentucky.

They are looking for a young lab to adopt, but would consider a golden retriever. The rescue I got Dixie from & used to volunteer with, Adopt A Golden Atlanta, always keeps their orphans listed on their website. Here is the website if you are interested in adopting a beautiful golden: www.adoptagoldenatlanta.com

Anyway, Teddy Bare (you can see below) is looking for a family. This little guy was a stray who was found hanging around outside a picnic table near a company. Anyway, he was rescued & AGA is trying to raise money for his care. Here is the site if you'd like to read more about him:
http://www.adoptagoldenatlanta.com/orphans_detailrev.asp?id=1265

Rain Gear

So at lunch I went home to walk Dixie. Well it's absolutely pouring here today, so we had to make it quick, but I put her rain jacket on her. She hates her rain jacket & always looks at me as if to say, "Is this really necessary?" We live in an apartment though in the city & I hate the smell of wet dog. So I always look at her & say "This is necessary Dixie!" These were too funny not to share....

Happy she is about to get out of this contraption!

How funny is this?

And the hood, she refuses to wear it.

Happy Birthday Miss Dixie

So I have had Miss Dixie for over a year now & I thought it was only proper to wish her a Happy Birthday blogger style. I adopted Dixie from the rescue, AGA, that I used to work with when her previous owners took her to the pound because they said they didn't want her anymore. She looked so sad & scared, it broke my heart. Originally, I had only planned on fostering her, but I fell in love & so did the cats! By the end of the week I had adopted her. I'll never know what her past was like but she is living the life now. She is spoiled rotten & has a toybox full of stuffed animals!

I was truly going to have her a birthday party this past summer to invite all her doggie friends & all my girlfriends, but I was just so busy that I never got around to it. Don't worry, I am going to have to stop by the Dog Bakery to pick up some yummy goodies & get her a party hat to take a picture of her. Happy 8th Birthday Big D!!

Loves my Mom's kitchen or any kitchen for that matter.

Dixie, Mom & I...Her first trip home to Kentucky!

Cookbook for Dogs

Okay, so this blogging phenomenon is becoming addictive. Seriously! I do not need to post everyday, but for some reason I do & here I am once more rambling on. I saw this cookbook in the "BARK" Magazine the other day when I had stopped in my vet's this past Saturday. Dixie & I were out for our usual walk when we came upon a black/white adult cat who had been hit by a car & left to die on a very busy street here in Atlanta. What infuriates me though is that people continue to walk by the poor little guy & look but continue on their way.

So as soon as we came upon him, immediately Dixie starts to whimper & began licking him in hopes that he'd come back to life. When she realized he wasn't going to, she just looked up at me as if to say, "What are we going to do now Mom?" This has happened before to us & I know it's traumatizing to her. So needless to say, I ran home, got some blankets, picked the little guy up & took him to the vet to be cremated. People make me so mad when they hit animals & leave them, but at least the little guy is getting the proper burial. And yes, we are on a first name basis with everyone at the vet.

Here I go rambling on again, but anyway as I was washing my hands I noticed this magazine & saw this cookbook inside it. Take note family- I would like this for Christmas. Seriously. Dad I know you check this blog everyday. Dixie would love it because she's always wanting to partake in people food but her digestive system doesn't always agree. Well I have to get back to work, have a fabulous day!

Halloween Recipes...Yummy!

Next week it's my turn to have all my girlfriends over for dinner. Since Halloween is right around the corner, I need to call Mom & find out some cute seasonal recipe ideas for October. Does anyone have any good recipes for cute Halloween food items? I can't really decide what I'm going to make for dinner or for dessert so I am just rambling on in my blog. Rambling is what I do best! I found these cute turtle spiders below that I am going to have to try out....Aren't they too cute? I just love Halloween!

(Photo courtesy of Food Network)

**Turtle Spiders Recipe (Too cute not to share, even though I rarely cook, ha!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans 1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces 5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate
Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional Chocolate curls or jimmies,

Instructions

Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans about 3 or 4 pecans each spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.

Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.

Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

Busy Monday

So, here are the pictures that I wanted to post of little Daisy last Friday. I couldn't get a cute one of her looking at the notebooks because by the time I got the camera, she was already up on the table- so here is what was left. She's so cute though, she is the funniest little cat!

AK came down last weekend so we were able to get together for drinks one night before they headed down to Florida. It was great to catch up! My hair is so dead, can you tell? It needs some serious conditioning or something!

Little Daisy the "Scholar"

So it is such a quiet day in my office & I am feeling under the weather today since I did not get into bed until after midnight last night. Anyway, I thought I'd take a break from my work & write about nothing really, except my new study buddy- Miss Daisy. I love love love my girls, can't you tell?

Let me preface this story though before I dive right in. One day about three weeks ago, one of the women-Pam- who works up in Property came by & noticed my picture of Daisy on my desk. She immediately said, "Is that your cat?" Which was followed shortly by, "Did you know she's a Korat?" I was like "I"m sorry, what did you say?" Pam, then had to explain to me that her cat is a Korat (breed of felines) & the unique personality of this breed. They are highly intelligent, love companionship, very vocal and extremely active and playful. Daisy fits these descriptions to a "T".

So anyway, the other night I was at my table looking over a chapter & I felt Daisy jump up into my lap & begin to peek her head at my notebook, as if to examine the words that were on the page. I couldn't help but laugh & she looked up at me & meowed. The cat is too smart for her own good! It cracks me up....I took a picture of her peering at my papers the other day & I meant to bring my camera in to post that, but I completely forgot it this morning. Just wanted to share though with the all the animal lovers out there!

Wordless Wednesday

So my friend at work, Melissa, sent me this email with Halloween outfits. How funny is the cat in Harry Potter gear? I have got to dress Lily & Daisy up & take a picture in all of that glory. Maggie send me your Harry Potter books please! These were so funny I had to share...

Busy Busy Busy

Okay, so I am just now getting around to even checking my blog this week. Whew!! It has been quite a busy week & weekend for me. I need to take a picture of the girls (Lily & Daisy) right now. They are sitting right next to me watching me type, future bloggers in the making....

One of my cyber sorority sisters, Reynie, sent me an award. Thanks Reynie! I love your blog, it has the greatest format. One day I'll get around to changing mine. So now I'm sending the award to one of my best friends Molly. Here you go Molly! Post more pictures of Bella soon Moll!!! So, I am so tired from class today so I am heading to bed y'all! I will post more later, goodnight!