Saturdays events...reported on Monday.

Saturday, I took Penny & Sherman to the park for a much overdue hike. It was very snowy but not terribly cold. They both take turns feeling the wind in their fur.

The park was beautiful. No one was there & it was very quiet & peaceful.

The snow made hiking the trails a lot more strenuous. Not to worry...I had a good team of mushers!!

Sherman loves the snow & the forest & thinks he's part Wolf (which he's not!)

When I picked Lola up from CBW, we noticed she had a chunk out of her back. My first thought was she got into a fight, but she would have marks on her face & legs rather than the middle of her back.

Further inspection reveals a hole the size of an eye tooth. If I were a gamblin' gal (which I'm not), I would bet she was playing (hard) with another dog and it slipped & came down on her back. Ouch!

As always, Lola was pooped after Camp.

She sleeps the whole way home.

How many names does a Dog need???

So I was thinking the other day about how many names my The Dogs actually have...and how it's kinda crazy that they respond to all of them!

When Lola came home & I had to pick her official AKC registered name, I didn't want Sherman & Penny to be any different. So I decided all of my dogs would have "Fancy" names, in addition to their "Call" names and at least 1/2 dozen nicknames.

So let's start with the chubby black one..

Fancy name: SteelCity Nutty Professor (Our foundation dog)

Call name: Sherman

Nicknames: Shermie, Bubba, Turkey, Big Boy, Grumpasaurous Rex, Bubba-doodle-finklestein, Wolf

And now the Brown one...

Fancy name: Rizzo's SteelCity Lincoln Lady

Call name: Penny

Nicknames: Princess Penny Wiggles, Pen-Pen, Beauty Queen, Wigs, Peanut, PennyGurl, Frito

And who could forget the little White One!

Fancy name: KandL's SteelCity Copacabana

Call name: Lola

Nicknames: Sprout, LittleGurl, Lo, Woobie, BabyGurl, Munchkin, Boo, Boobernut, Mush face, Jowly lips

And Collectively we are:

Fancy name: The Dogs of Jackman Ave

Call name: Puppies!!!!

Nicknames: the Jag-offs, WOOObies, little A$$holes, my Boubies

"We think our Fancy name should be 'The Most Perfect Dogs in the Universe', donchya think???"

On a separate note....In celebration of St. Patty's Day...

We've gone ahead and nominated ourselves for Photo of the Month. Yeah, kinda self-serving....but Lola the Leprechaun worked hard for the Money Shot!

Do I look up???? What am I looking at?

"So, um...what's the deal with this? I assume I get lots of Cookies if I'm good".

"Almost...I've been posing & posing & nuthin!...gimme the liver cookie!"

OK...this is the final shot. And the one we're nominated for. Pretty cute, huh?

"Are we done yet?"

So go to Dogs with Blogs & vote for us! There are lots of good nominations this month so the competion it tough! But we never win anything...puh-lease???? She worked so hard!

What...the...?????

Monday I was gushing about how warm & sunny it was & how excited I was for Spring! Well, it was a cruel tease!!!! It started snowing around 10 this morning & hasn't stopped.

I am not kidding...these pictures were taken today. These are my daffodils...that will be dead soon.

The girls love it & run around chasing each other in the yard.

Sherman pretty much just hangs out.


It's so cold that Lola has to hold up her toes while playing with her ball!



Wwwaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

Give us a Shout Out!!

First of all, I've finally figured out how to make it possible for non-Blogger visitors to leave us comments. It wasn't hard, I just had to change the setting. Gimme a break! I'm kind of a techo-idiot and it takes me a while! Nothing wrong with being a little slow.

So...if you stop by to read about the life & times of Sherman, Penny & Lola, give us a shout out!

Secondly, we got some bad news today from our blogging buddy Thrawn. He's a very handsome husky that lives in Texas. Now, I know...Sherman hates huskies. But he's making an exception for Thrawn b/c he's not feeling so hot.

Looks like Thrawn has Cushings & a liver tumor (non-cancerous at this point). And...his brother Dakota, has an enlarged heart & a fatty tumor!

Geez...that's a lot to take! I don't know anything about these health issues, but if anyone reading this post does...please pay a visit to the Brat Pack & give them some advice.

And Tanner Doofus Face is having surgery to remove a thingy from his leg tomorrow. We're sending lots of good doggie thoughts for him.

Lola & Apache...sittin' in a tree

Wednesday night I assist Annette in a Teen Intervention class at the WPHS. As there are only 4 dogs enrolled & at least one fails to show up, she suggested I bring Lola. I figured this would be a good experience for her. She would have to behave herself in a crate & watch me work with other dogs, exhibiting some form of self control.

So I whipped up a new batch of Salmon Cookies & Peanut Butter treats (recipes to follow), and off we went!

I was pleasantly surprised at how well she did. She did bark at a couple of dogs that got too close to her crate, but when I asked her to lay down & be quiet, she did. She got to practice heeling & attention & figure 8s and really wasn't obnoxious at all.

And she found a NEW boyfriend. She's in love with Annette's dog, Apache. Apache is big & fluffy & bold & ehm...energetic (aka nutso!) and Lola loved him! She chased him around and he body slammed her all over the place & she jumped on him & pawed him in the face. It was a match made in heaven!! I forgot my camera but here they are together.




Cute couple, huh? Apache's ribbons are from earning his Companion Dog title in AKC obedience. Lola's ribbons are just to look cute!

Annette picked up a new coat for Cheyenne, her border collie and it didn't fit right. So she thought it would be perfect for Penny...and it was!

She needs a red bandanna & a cowboy hat!

Sherman's Salmon Cookies
(warning...consuming too many of these causes exceptionally bad smells to come out of your dog!)

1 can salmon (or jack mackerel) with juice

2 eggs

sprinkle garlic powder

Parmesan cheese (1/2 to 1 cup)

enough rolled oats or buckwheat flour to make it goopy.

Smoosh it all together in a bowl and press into well greased small cookie sheet (spray hands with cooking spray or they'll be covered in Goop!). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

Penny's Peanut Butter Cookies
some peanut butter (maybe a cup)...I use all natural and nuke it for 30 seconds to make it soft

some honey (just squeeze some in...a couple tablespoons)

couple scoops fat free plain yogurt or cottage cheese

2 eggs

enough rolled oats or buckwheat flour to make it stick together

Smoosh it all together in a bowl and press into well greased small cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

Both cookies should be cooled completely and cut into small squares with a pizza cutter. I keep 'em in the freezer & take out what I need, a few at a time.

70 degrees & Sunny!

Yeah!!!! It's 70 degrees today!!! We spent a half hour playing in the yard.

Lola chased around her ball...

Sherman dug himself a new hole & "hunted" squirrels...

And there were lots of bugs to sniff out...

Then I walked the dogs. I took Penny & Lola together & it was a huge mistake!! It started out fine & but 1/2 way through, every dog in the neighborhood came out of their houses for their walk. Lola barked & carried on the entire time. Back to the drawing board.

A couple of dogs asked me about Chill Out...specifically, if it works. The answer to that is, I don't know. I'm not as into all the "new age", holistic stuff as some of my other "dog friends". A lot of them swear by DAP & Rescue Remedy & aromatherapy, etc. I can't help but be skeptical...I'm pretty much a cynic by nature. But I've noticed the most calming effects with Chill Out than the other stuff. I used it during the Feisy Fido class and did notice a difference. It's not a cure-all, by any means. But, I figure...can't hurt!

Here comes the SUN!!!

I just couldn't be any happier than I am today!!

1. I'm not sick anymore.
2. DSL started today.
3. It's not raining, snowing, windy or frigid.
4. The sun is shining & there is not a cloud in the sky.
5. My dogs are perfect!

I actually don't hate winter...I just wish it would snow hard for 3 weeks and then be summer. I LOVE mild sunny days with little wind & no humidity.

The Dogs were long overdue for a lengthy trek so I took Sherman & Penny out first and honestly, it was the nicest walk we've had in a year. We patrolled the neighborhood for an hour and just enjoyed being outside. They were both on their best behavior & I think we only had 3 or 4 major sniff stops (Sherman has to smell every inch of the neighborhood & it can be really annoying). We saw a bunch of dogs out walking too & had one teeny incident where Penny had a 4 second melt down that was quickly diffused.

Lola was almost a normal dog too. Don't know if it was her trip back to Camp after a 2 week hiatus, or the Rescue Remedy I gave her, or the Chill Out I rubbed all over her neck, or the fact I was in such a good mood. But we had a 45 minute walk with one minor freak out over 2 dogs walking across the street from us. I tried to do a Walk Away, but we haven't worked on that for a couple of months (Bad Jenny!) so I just told her to Leave It and she did...after getting the last word in.

Penny was in her glory all afternoon sunning herself on the deck. This is where she'll be every afternoon in the summer.

Celebrating Sherman

Probably my most least blogged about Dog, but the reason I am who I am ...today, I celebrate Sherman.

Shermie's TDI certification came in the mail this week. Included was his collar tag...




And his ID badge...

For those of you who don't know much about Sherman, he was our first dog. My first dog as an adult. We adopted him from the Butler Co. Humane Society in August of 2001. This is a picture of Sherman the day we brought him home...weighing in at a svelte 38 lbs (he's now a "big boned" 53 lbs).

We thought he was a year old...actually we thought he was a puppy, but the Vet said at his first check-up that he was at least a year old. Fast forward 3 years later when the Vet says he's between 8-10 years old during a thyroid test. Two other Vets confirmed at the time he was a "senior" dog...so we now say he's 10 and he's staying 10 forever.

I've done a lot of complaining about Sherman...he's grumpy, he's bossy, he's pushy and he's a bully. But what I don't say enough is how wonderful he is. He's sweet, unassuming, calm, loving and the greatest dog that I've ever known. I love him with everything I am. I am so proud of what we've become together. I owe him more than I could ever repay.

He has the sweetest face in the world.

And the greatest smile.

He's content to just hang out.

Or show me his belly.

He has the softest ears ever.

And the kindest big brown eyes (althougth the look a bit freakish in this shot).

He's tolerated Lola.

And loves Penny, though he'll never admit it.

He's happiest when it's just me & him at the park..."hunting in the forest".

And he's the Leader of our little canine family.

So today I celebrate Sherman...for all that he is, for all that he's not & for all he's given to me.

Good stuff from California

Because the pups have been soooo very good during the last week or so when I was sick and it's been super yucky outside, I ordered a bunch of goodies from the Godiva of Canine Chewables...K9RawDiet. The Dogs LOVE Aunt Mindy (even though none of us have ever met her!) because she sends the best of the bestest stuff. I love her because her prices are great, the customer service is outstanding and the quality of product is superb!

The Dogs love her b/c she send delicious stuff in a big box.

"Shermie...why are you just laying there??? Help me rip this thing open!"



"I got it..and there is GOOD stuff in here!"



"I'll just help myself...what's wrong with you guys???"

Just imagine...a giant box filled with dried beef trachea, dry roasted pig's ears, buffalo achilles, beef achilles, 6"bully sticks, buffalo scapulas and regular sized bully straps!! It's a doggies dream come true (and the contents of the Chew Treat Sampler from K9RawDiet!).

(note: this box contains 3+ Chew Treat Samplers...3 Dogs = 3 times the amount of chewies!)

Ta Da!!! (OK...I buy more than one of the sampler...but I've got 3 Dogs!)

Moo Tubes Rock!!! They're Sherman's favorite!


We even got some Chatter Boxes (we didn't know those were in the treat sampler....but we love 'em & are super glad we get to eat 'em!)



"Our absolute favorite are the Bully Straps. No...they don't last as long as a bully stick. But they are super delicious & take us at least 20 minutes to chew up. And they're little!!!"

"Yum, yum, yum, yum, yummmmm......."

"Yeah...what Penny said!"

"Thank you Mommy! We love our chewies from Aunt Mindy! Can we go live in California with her?????"