Skip to content

This is a day that will go down in history.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

It’s a very sad day, a very, very, very sad day.

My most favorite toy, my oldest friend, my beloved Kong was taken away.

Well, actually, all three of my Kongs were taken away.

Apparently, you’re not supposed to rip pieces of the rubber off. Unfortunately, if you stuff it with treats, and I can’t get them out by tossing it around, I’m going to chew them out. That’s just common sense.

And that means that dad confiscated my two Kongs. I can smell them in the garbage can. I cried and howled for them, but he told me I couldn’t have it anymore. Then he left, and came home with a brand new one!

OH MY GOD I was so EXCITED. He opened the package, I could smell it!! It was alllll mine and brand new and I could chew it and throw it and it’ll bounce and OH MY GOD I LOVE KONGS. So my dad stuffed it with treats. And I played with it. And nothing came out. So I took it into my bed and layed down and started to rip off the rubber to make the hole bigger, so the treats come out. Duh.

And dad yelled “NO!” and ran over and took it away again. When he took it back to the store, the manager asked him what kind of dog he had, and insinuated that I was a monster of some sort because these things are supposed to be the strongest toys ever. Hmph.

I have a feeling there’ll be no more Kongs for me, since these were the black Extreme Kongs, and they don’t make any stronger ones. And now that I’ve “learned to destroy” them, I can’t have them anymore.

Poop.

Not only that, but a brand new rope chew toy that dad bought me was taken away too. I guess you’re not supposed to tear the rope?

In short… there are now even fewer toys I can have! Damn. Sometimes it sucks being an awesomely strong, incredibly handsome dog. Indestructible my paw, Kong people!

Categories: Me, My pack, Random stuff, Stuff that sucks, Toys, Treats Bark back (0)

Looking forward…

Friday, January 15, 2010

…to spring.

Categories: Me, Pictures, Random stuff Bark back (0)

*burp*

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

It’s what’s for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner.

Categories: Dogs, Food, Random stuff Bark back (0)

Nylabone ownz ya face!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

And I am not saying that to get free stuff or an endorsement from them (though that would be pretty nifty). Nuh-uh. I really love Nylabone. I love everything they make. Ever since I was a little pup, the only toys I got that I didn’t completely destroy were by Nylabone (well, that and Kong, I still have my Kongs too! But that’s for another post…). I actually still have my very first Nylabone bone in the baby size (actually, I think it’s a “large” but for me it was baby size) that I lost my baby teeth on, even though I’ve been upgraded to the biggest size they have. I like to keep it. I’m sentimental like that. I have a few other Nylabone toys too, and they’ve all held up pretty well. I have this, and this, and this, and this, and this (that one is one of my favorites). Mom and Dad say I’m what’s called a “power chewer.” They say it’s probably the Staffie in me that makes me like that, since Labs apparently like to chew but don’t destroy their toys,  and all the websites about Staffie’s say they need strong chew toys for this very reason. I don’t know about all that, but basically all the toys they buy me have to be really strong, because otherwise I destroy them in minutes. Not intentionally. Well, maybe just a little intentionally. Hey, if you say it’s “indestructible,” you’re just asking for someone to prove you wrong. Well, that person is me, my friend.

My parents and grandparents are pretty much used to it now, they know that most toys they bring home, unless it’s Nylabone, Kong or an Indestructiball, are going to be returned in a half hour when I tear them apart. Oh well. At least they get their money back. All that other stuff may be perfect for dogs who don’t have the, uh, strong jaws and massive teeth I do… *flexes* You know how it is. I’m a tough guy. I can’t help it.

One of my favorite things by Nylabone is Healthy Edibles. Oh boy. I love these things. Grandma & Grandpa used to buy me the regular sized ones, and I’d go through the entire three-pack in one night. Then mom thought she was smart, and bought me some Souper sized ones, and I went through those in about, oh, maybe 5 minutes.

You like Seafood? Here, SEE FOOD… HHAHAHAHA Get it!?

…

I stopped getting Nylabone’s Healthy Edibles because of that very reason. They said it was crazy to keep buying them when I just “inhaled” them (and that’s really stupid because, hello!? I CLEARLY eat them, not breathe them… silly humans). They kept telling me to slow down, make them last a little bit longer, but I mean, come on.  I’m a dog! I live in the moment, man! CARPE DIEM! NO DAY BUT TODAY! What if that’s my last meal?! WHAT IF IT’S MY LAST MEAL!? OH MY GOD…

*ahem* Sorry. Anyway, I love Healthy Edibles. Have I mentioned that? I’m writing this review in hopes that the company sees this, and has sympathy on us big dogs, and makes a bigger size Healthy Edible.  I mean, I haven’t seen very much of the world really, but I’m 95  pounds, & I watch ‘The Dog Whisperer.’ I know there are dogs out there that are way bigger than me, like 125 pounds, and there are some the size of HORSES for Dog’s sake! Nylabone, you need to make a bigger size Healthy Edible. Like, a crazy big one. Like maybe a foot and a half long by like 4 inches wide. No, no, no… like 3 feet long and 8 inches wide! Yeah! That’d be AWESOME. And then it’d last me, maybe like, 20 minutes. That should be long enough, right? Oh man. I hope they do that. Or maybe they could just ship me a lifetime supply of them so I’d never ever have to worry about this stuff again. That’d be awesome too.

I thought I’d start doing reviews like this to help other dogs let their parents know what to buy them. It’s hard, I know. Parents buy you toys because they’re cute, or fuzzy, or squeaky, and then you rip it apart and tear out the squeaker and rip off it’s head and leave the stuffing all over the living room, and they get all upset. Well, from now on, just direct them here. I’ll give you the low-down on the really good toys, the ones that won’t fall apart no matter how much you chew them or how many times you pick ‘em up in your mouth and throw ‘em against the dresser or wall (shhh… don’t tell my dad I do that).

Nylabone Healthy Edibles: out of 5 (just because of lack of a really big sized one… & ‘cuz they don’t last very long)

Nylabone toys: out of 5

Categories: Healthy Edibles, Nylabone, Review, Toys, Treats Bark back (0)

2010 is here!

Friday, January 1, 2010
Yeah, I partied a bit too much last night.

…

Happy New Year! Since it was my first real New Year’s celebration last night, I learned a lot, like how funny it is when humans drink champagne, who Dick Clark is, and all about resolutions and what people do when there’s a new year.  Dogs don’t really do much of anything when there’s a new year. But humans are way into this stuff. Apparently, they make different “rules” for themselves, like “I’ll lose ten pounds by March” or “I’ll stop smoking,” and they call these things resolutions. And they also sometimes make lists of things they want to change in the coming year, and ways they can help make that change. I still don’t get the big deal about a ball falling in the middle of Times Square, but I guess you’ve gotta be a human to get that. Like what’s the big deal about Oprah or Hershey’s chocolate? I’m not allowed to have chocolate, it can make me sick. All dogs, actually. It can kill us. But I really don’t see the big deal anyway. I’d prefer a Greenie, thanks. And I’m sure Oprah is very nice… but what’s the obsession? You just have to be human to get it.

So I wanted to make a list of things I wanted to help change in the coming year. I’m just one dog, and I don’t have a voice, really, but maybe I can make some positive change through my new blog here.

For the New Year, I’d like all Breed Specific Legislation to stop. Breed Specific Legislation is when a certain type of breed or breed-mix is banned in a certain area. It hurts my feelings to know that in some places, my mom & dad would have to give me up just because I’m part Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It makes me really sad. I’m a good dog, and I know not all “Pit Bulls” or “Bull Terriers” are bad dogs either. We deserve better. Humans made some of us this way, and gave us this bad reputation, and then they want to just eliminate the problem they caused by euthanizing 100′s of dogs and banning them, instead of rehabilitating them or changing the way people think. I can help make this change by showing people how sweet I am, and loving. And when they ask mom & dad what kind of dog I am, and they say I’m part Staffie, the people will realize that not all of us fit into the box they think we do!

I’d also like people to please spay/neuter their dogs & cats. I was neutered when I got to North Shore, and it was totally fine! My mom & dad say it helps when I go to the dog park because I’m not aggressive like I might be otherwise, and I don’t try and “hump” other dogs.  I don’t really know what that means… but I listen to them because they read up about all this stuff. Also, if I ever run away (I can’t imagine why I would), and meet a really nice girl dog, there won’t be any baby Indy’s running around. Now that sounds kinda cool to me, but I have a feeling it probably isn’t as cool as I think. The more people who fix their animals, the less strays we’ll have, and the less the shelters will be overcrowded. And then, every animal will have a nice home like they deserve. I can help make this change by talking about it to my dog friends, and spreading the facts about it on my blog here. They even have  organizations in some areas, and there’s SPAY-USA that will help you if you can’t afford it.

I wish people would train their dogs. Especially if they’re going to bring them to the dog park, or to Petco or another pet store. I’m always well-behaved; at the dog park I play really nicely, and I’m friendly, and I never get angry with anyone, even the little puppies who jump up and nip at me, because I remember being that age. At the pet store, I always stay with my parents, and if I meet another dog, I may try and sniff them but I never, ever, bark at them or growl. I never pull my parents across the store and knock over displays either. That’s just tactless. I may get overexcited when another human talks to me, especially if they talk in a high-pitched voice or get down on their knees to my level, but I’d never just run up to random humans and knock them over. If your dog doesn’t like other dogs, or jumps on people, or bites a lot or has toy aggression, then please don’t bring them to the dog park. It ruins the fun for everyone. And if they aren’t fixed… then especially don’t bring them!

I also really wish people would keep their cats indoors. Cats don’t really belong outside all the time, or even part of the time. I think it’s sort of cruel. I mean, I’d love to go outside whenever I want, but I’d be scared to be alone, without my parents. What if I got lost? What if I never came back? They’d be scared too. If they let me out all the time, I’d think they didn’t care about me. Not only that, but cat pee smells pretty bad. I know there are some cats that live outside around my house and I can tell where they pee… it’s yucky. And sometimes I see them running in my bushes and I forget mom is walking me and I pull her, and then I realize and feel bad. I know I only weigh 40 pounds less than her, and that I can pull like 3 times my weight, but it’s so hard! It’s in my blood! So please, keep those kitties inside. I can help make this change through my mom & dad, they can tell people who have cats to keep them indoors where they belong. My mommy has a cat, and has her whole life, and they never, ever went outside. Except this one story she told me where her mommy had a cat that used to go outside on a leash… what a weird kitty!

Which brings me to my next wish. I wish people would make sure their animals were up to date on their shots, and wore tags at all times that have their names, addresses and phone numbers. Accidents happen. Dogs and cats do get out sometimes… and not speaking from experience, but just from what I’ve heard, sometimes there’s a really interesting squirrel running down the street and you just don’t realize he’s not going to stop running… and, well, you get the idea. Before you know it, you’re two towns away and the squirrel went up a tree, and you’ve got no clue how to get home.  Doesn’t that make you nervous, thinking of that happening to your pet? Well the good news is, if your pet has a tag, he or she can be returned to you much easier! Mom & dad are always rescuing dogs. Dad does it at work all the time, and him and mom found a dog by our house once on a really cold night, and they felt bad so they followed the dog until they could get close enough to see his tags, and mom called the phone number on the tag and the doggie got to go home to his family. Isn’t that a nice story!? I can help make this change by telling people it’s really easy to get tags for their pets- every pet store has a machine in it that makes the tags in just a few minutes and costs barely anything. You can even order them online! Another option is microchipping, but that’s a personal decision, to be made by your mom/dad and your vet.

I also wish people would be nicer to animals. Animals deserve love and kindness, and compassion. No animal deserves to be abused or neglected or forced to fight. All animals should have comfy beds in warm houses with families that love them. We don’t want to fight each other, or attack anyone. We just want to have fun and be dogs! I can help make this change by making people realize animals aren’t disposable, we’re living, breathing creatures with hearts and brains… just like you. Maybe this blog will help people see that, too.

What am I thankful for in 2009? Being adopted by my mom & dad, having a loving family, being healthy (despite one little accident I had at the dog park in May that gave me a limp for a few weeks and almost scared my parents to death…), Halo dog food, homemade dog treats my mom makes, my warm & cozy flannel dog blankets from Aunt Yoyo, and also for just being lucky. Not every dog (or cat) gets this lucky in life.

And my New Year’s resolutions are… to try and stop biting my dad when we play. I know sometimes I bite too hard, but it’s just that I get so into our wrestling games that I forget he’s not a dog and he’s a human. *sigh* I want to go running more, too, I love to run! And once the summer comes, I’m going to be in my doggie pool EVERY SINGLE DAY this year!  And I’m going to try not to pull grandma when she walks me. And I want to learn more tricks, because the more tricks you know, the more treats you get. Also, my main resolution is just to be the best dog I can be so my family continues to be proud of me!

On that note…

Categories: Cats, Dogs, Health, Laws, New Year's Resolutions, Random stuff, Spay/Neuter, Tags Bark back (0)

Once upon a time, I was little. Littler, anyway.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

This is one of my mom’s favorite baby pictures of me. I was 5 months here, it was my second day in my house.  Speaking of that, it’s almost my one year anniversary of living here. On January 30th, 2010, I’ll be here one whole year. Wow. Time flies when you’re having fun… it seems like yesterday! Well, not really. But it did go by quickly.

I’d be embarrassed about this picture, but look at how big my paws are. You can just tell I was going to be huge and awesome. I’m 3 times as big now, but I’m still adorable.

Categories: Me, Pictures, Random stuff Bark back (0)

Grrr.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Dad went to work earlier than usual today. Hm.

He gave me a Milkbone before he left. I heard on TV today that the U.S. Terror Threat Level status went up, and I got really scared. What if they come here!? So I hid my Milkbone in the couch cushions. But then I thought that was an obvious place to look, so I moved it to under my blanket on my bed. Then I got a bit paranoid, thinking that maybe that’d be the first place they’d check, and moved it to under the couch. Then I thought about it, and I didn’t like the idea of my Milkbone being under there, so I moved it somewhere else.

And now I can’t find my Milkbone.

Categories: Milkbones, Random stuff 1 bark

Howdy!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Hi everyone. I’m Indy. This is what I look like:

(I know, I’m a handsome devil)

…

This is my new blog. I guess I should start by telling you a little bit about myself, but I’ll make it quick since my mom & dad really don’t let me use the computer & they might get angry if they catch me. I dunno, some nonsense about how computers are expensive and my paws might break the keyboard… whatever.

I’m a mix. What am I a mix of, you ask? Well, my mom and dad (more about them in a minute) got a doggie DNA test done on me, and found out I’m part Labrador Retriever, part Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and part English Coonhound. They say they can definitely see the Lab and the Staffie in me, and mom says she can see where the hound part comes in  ’cause I always have my nose to the ground on walks, sniffing stuff out (I have webbed feet too). I’m stubborn, but I’m also a genius. My first day in my new house I knew how to ‘sit’ and just a few days after that, I was giving them my paw. I can do both, depending what hand you put out for me. I also give a mean high five! Now I know all sorts of stuff, I give kisses, lay down, and play dead. That trick is really stupid though, so I refuse to do it unless there’s a really delicious treat on the line. Then I do it half-heartedly. I hate that trick.

I’m roughly 95 lbs, about a year and a half old, and I was adopted by my family last January. I was at North Shore Animal League, and while it’s a great place & I’m really grateful to them for saving me, I was pretty bummed. It was loud there, my neighbor wouldn’t stop barking, and I was lonely (and the food wasn’t nearly as good as the stuff I’m getting now, but that’s besides the point). I came up to NY from the South somewhere (I don’t remember where, I was only 5 months old at the time). Thankfully, I was only at North Shore for two days before I found my family. They say they adopted me, but I like to think I adopted them. I wormed my way into their hearts as soon as I saw the big guy walk over to my kennel. When I licked his hand, I knew I had him. Before I knew it, they were signing the papers to get me outta there (and I was already chewing my mom’s coat buttons and sticking my face in her bag… hey, it smelled good in there, I thought there were some treats, turns out it was just her hand lotion). They took me to Petco right away and bought me tons of stuff! Toys, treats, yummy food, anything and everything a dog could dream of.

Me, when I was little, in my first snowstorm… I love snow.

…

Thankfully they re-named me Indy, my name at North Shore was Monty & I didn’t really like that much. I kept thinking of Monty Python movies. Not that they’re not good, but everyone laughs at them. I don’t want people laughing at me (unless I tell a joke, in which case that’s cool). Indiana Jones is a much cooler namesake, and I definitely live up to it. I guess now is a good time to tell you that I have singlehandedly demolished two crates, both built for dogs 80-100 lbs. I was about 35 lbs at the time. I hate crates. I didn’t have any way of telling mom, dad & grandma & grandpa that I wouldn’t pee on the floor or chew the computer cables, so I had to take matters into my own hands. I broke out of the first crate a few times before I just finally destroyed it, and dad came home and found me chillin’ on the bedroom floor, chewing on my first favorite toy- a big green rubber toothbrush. Then he got rid of that piece of crap… but don’t get too excited like I did. He bought another one. *sigh* Yeah I know. Totally untrusting. But still, I can’t blame him. I wasn’t housebroken yet, but I was trying. I never intentionally peed on the floor, but I had a few accidents. And I was teething pretty bad back then, to the point where I’d be bleeding, and I was pretty uncomfortable unless I was chewing on something, so I know they just didn’t want me to eat something I shouldn’t (like mom’s L.A.M.B. bags or Ugg boots). So the new crate came, and while it was much cozier than the first, I still hated it. So I broke that one too. Finally, dad realized I was getting a lot better with the training, and probably more so that I just refused to be contained. Ha! I win! So no more crates for me. I got my own bed, with a blanket handmade for me by my Aunt Yoyo (check out her site and look at the pics of my friend Tyson!). Much more comfy.

I was little here too… I prefer my own bed now. Who wants to sleep with their parents? That’s for babies.

…

So now I’m out of puppyhood, and I’m the house protector. If you slam a door outside and I’m sleeping, I’ll get up and bark at you, so watch it, buddy. If you ring my doorbell, you better have earplugs in. Yep. This is my house, and you won’t disturb our peace. I get it from my dad I think, he’s a cop. I’m here to protect, too. Serve, not so much. I’m very protective over my mom, I keep my eye on her at all times. If she leaves the room, I watch her, and sometimes sit outside the bathroom and wait for her to come out. If I hear her yell or say “ouch”- I’m there, no matter what I was doing. If my dad touches her in a way I don’t like, I have to keep him in line, even though she’s laughing and telling me it’s okay. You never know. She’s my mom, it’s my job. I have an Aunt Jen who’s pretty funny, we have fun together, when she doesn’t force me to watch ’90210′ reruns from 1990 (jeez, Aunt Jen, my birth mom wasn’t even born then! That’s OLD!) I have two grandma’s and two grandpa’s, and three great-grandma’s. How lucky am I?

I love the dog park. I only go when it’s warm out, because afterwards means bathtime. I do NOT like bathtime. No sir. Water is for drinking, people. And I hate having my nails trimmed, so I bite them myself to keep them short. What? You don’t believe me? Didn’t I tell you I was a genius?

I love my family- they’re crazy. They’ll provide lots of material for this blog, I know that much. But they also treat me really good and give me all the love and attention I need (and let’s face it, want). Uhm… but I gotta go now. Dad’ll be home soon, so I have to go lay on the couch and pretend to sleep. Bye for now!

Categories: Family, My pack, Random stuff 4 barks