Countdown to Christmas: Win this stress-relieving book for your dog lover

We're excited to announce our new campaign!

DISCLOSURE: All prizes and review samples in Lulu's Countdown to Christmas Giveaway were provided for free, but no other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

How to make an easy skirt for your dog this Halloween

I'm not big on costumes, but there is something amusing about a dog in a puffy skirt (like a tutu).

So when I had to come up with a Tinker Bell, I knew I needed a skirt. But I couldn't find one in the stores, and I didn't want to buy one online.

Turns out making a skirt is pretty easy!

Thongs, couches and light bulbs: Crazy things dogs will eat

Lulu once ate (or tried to eat) a burrito full of ants.

I was walking her in my old apartment complex. Now normally, I try to keep a weather eye out to make sure Lulu doesn't get anything she's not supposed to. But I missed this burrito. She grabbed it before I had the chance. And then she dropped it, scrunched up her nose and pawed at her mouth as a million ants poured out of the wrap.

I wish I could say that ended her habit of grabbing things off the sidewalk.

Now, we've all heard of dogs eating crazy things. Lulu and Jasmine have never really strayed from food, and cat poop -- including cat poop left by outdoor cats. SO GROSS!

I remember a story about a beagle in the Tampa area that ate money. 

This dog apparently ate stone -- 109 stones, to be precise! Vets have the Xrays to prove it! 

Sometimes dogs eat strange things because of a mineral deficiency, or pica. But some experts think dogs mouth objects out of curiosity. It may be a behavioral issue too. Here's some more info on that from VetStreet.

I asked our friends on Facebook and Twitter what the weird items their dogs ate were. And here are some of the responses.

Star Wars Force Friday: Meet the beagles of the traveling Yoda pants

We love Star Wars around here! And today is Force Friday.

But these beagles have The Force with them!

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Quotable beagle

When we aren't posting here, we are daily talking with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We share these all the time. Hope you like them and share them! That's what they're for. And don't forget to join us on social media!

The weather beagle: Griffey helps keep Missouri informed

(Not-so) Little known secret about me: I work at a news station in Orlando.

One time I brought Lulu to work. I thought it'd be cool for Lulu, and I harbored secret (ok, not-so-secret) aspirations of Lulu becoming our "news hound."

Hurricane survivor: Katrina the beagle's amazing journey

Katrina spends her days snoozing (more like snoring... like a sailor!) in a South Orlando house on a golf course. She gets two meals a day, treats, walks, beds and all the love she can handle. 

Katrina with Lt. Col. Mike Brasher.

At 15, she's living on what her pet parents, Lt. Col. Mike Brasher and Melanie Brasher call "borrowed beagle time."

It's a far cry from how she began her life.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Tax day for you and your dog

It's April 15! Have you filed your taxes yet?

You know your dog's a beagle when... 5 Beagle noises

We all know that wonderful sound, a sound only a beagle lover could love....

We are talking, of course, of ARROOOOOOOOO!

But there's a special name for that sound. What is it, and what are the beagle sounds you should know? Even if your beagle isn't on the talkative side (and not all of them are), when they have something to say they have special ways of doing it.

So... You Know Your Dog Is A Beagle When...

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Angry Easter Beagle

Today is the start of the A-Z Challenge!

Today is A: for Almost Wordless Wednesday, and for Angry!

FINE PRINT: Zuke's provided sample packs of treats, but I did not receive monetary compensation. I also received Jasmine's wig from Rubie's Costume Shop. The post, however, is my own.

10 Doggy rules for a dog park

Welcome to the Dog Park.

There are lots of rules humans should know about: no violent dogs, no food, all dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations, clean up after your dog, etc.

But the dogs have rules too. Our dogs have come up with some rules you should make sure your dogs follow.

1. To say hello, sniff a butt. This is totally normal, don't be scared.

2. Go potty first and foremost. That way you don't have to stop in the middle of a run.

3. Some parks have dirt spots. These are especially good when it's hot out. You can dig a hole and sit in it and be nice and cool. Just be sure to fill it back up.

4. There are big metal things that water comes out of. Sometimes the humans fill up buckets for us. Those buckets are for drinking water -- NOT TO STAND IN.

5. Sometimes you'll see something on the ground that you'll want to eat. It might smell good, but don't eat anything your human doesn't give you. Some people do bad things, and you don't want a tummy ache or a visit to the vet.

6. But there is lots of smelly stuff. Take it all in.

7. And sometimes, there's stuff smelly enough to roll in! But whether there is or there isn't, be sure to get a good roll in.

8. You'll meet other doggies to play with. But be nice and don't play too hard.

9. And if you see dogs playing rough, it's best to stay outside the fight... and let your human know!

10. And when your human says it's time to go home, be sure to catch up with them.

Have fun!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: Grass-rolling beagle

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. But this is about as green as it gets around here:

Spring has definitely sprung!

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The Cone of Shame: Her cone, my shame

It seemed like a great start to the weekend.

 

We went to Doctors Dog Park in Apopka. The dogs had a great time running around and making friends.

We came home, I fed them, I made myself some pizza. I had the pizza in my hand. Lulu was lurking in the kitchen doorway. I called to bring her in the living room. That's when Jasmine lunged at Lulu. The two fought. 

I separated Jasmine from Lulu and put her in the crate. I thought Lulu went into the bedroom. Turns out she was in the kitchen. There was blood in one of her ears. I soon realized both ears were bleeding. Later I discovered the blood on the kitchen floor.

I should have been getting ready to go to work. Instead I was looking for an emergency vet to take Lulu in. I could find the wound on the one ear -- it appeared to be superficial enough. I put Vetericyn on it.  I couldn't find the wound in the first ear though, and the bleeding was worse.

  

 The vet found the wound, deep in the ear. Probably too deep for a bite mark, but that wasn't the point. They cleaned the ears, gave me drugs, and put on the cone.

Her cone, my shame.

I had planned to wrap up Global Pet Expo. I had a couple of other posts to share too. But I wanted to tell this story.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with Jasmine. Her fear that she won't get something or will miss out on something. It's the only thing I can think. She's resource guarding, even though she's never had to fight for a resource as long as she's lived with me or with my parents.

She seems to recognize that Lulu was hurt and that she should be careful with Lulu, not that it has stopped her from wanting to play. She barked initially, but she seems to have figured it out. I skipped Jasmine's training class Sunday because I feared she might do the same thing to another dog. My trainer and I will have to look at this seriously. I just don't know what else to do. Other than never have food in front of Jasmine ever again.

And Lulu will survive. And she's getting lots of treats and sliced turkey with her meds.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Beagle best in show at Westminster

You know it had to be!

Courtesy Westminster Kennel Club

Congrats to G.Ch. Tashtin's Lookin' for Trouble, aka the divine Miss P! The second beagle to win the Westminster Dog Show!

Courtesy Westminster Kennel Club

There's lots to consider when it comes to show dogs and what this means for the breed (and what we want people to know before they consider a beagle). But for the moment, lets just celebrate a beautiful beagle enjoying the good life.

10 Dogs who think Valentine's Day is... meh

Saturday is Valentine's Day, that crazy time of year where everyone is all hearts and flowers and chocolate and LOVE and stuff.

And what says love more than DOGS? Especially cute dogs doing Valentine's Day things?

All my fellow bloggers are doing it. I'm seeing all these special Valentine's Day doggy treats, and special arts and crafts and games for doggies and lots of pictures with hearts and flowers and it's all... soooooooooo... CUTE.

Bleh.

I admit I have never been one for Valentine's Day. And the whole making your dog join the lovey dovey stuff is just another way we anthropomorphize our pets because we like them better than humans. Not that I do that AT ALL, said the woman who takes her dog out for breakfast on her birthday, and here's Lulu eating a biscuit.

I love familial love. I love the love of good friends. And I love the love between pet parents and pets. But when it comes to Valentine's Day love, I have to quote the Rock 'N Roller:

Love stinks. Yeah, yeah.

Here are some dogs who might just feel the same way.

1. What this dog thinks of your special Valentine's Day doggy dinner.

"Oh, you bought me the SPECIAL kibble. Thanks."
Courtesy Barkerybath.com

2. What Maymo and Penny think of your Vermont Teddy Bears.

Courtesy Maymo the Lemon Beagle.

3. What this dog is thinking about your special Valentine's Day treat for them.

"I Just get the bone? You couldn't spare me the steak too?"
Courtesy FirstweFeast.com

4. What this dog thinks of that fancy new collar you bought.

"Oh, it's Tiffany box-colored, not actually something from Tiffany..."

5. What this dog thinks of that fancy tuxedo.

"I'm just getting dressed up for this picture?" 

6. What this dog thinks of the Valentine's Day date locale.

"The park again? How unoriginal."

7. What this dog really thinks about being made to pose for this romantic gesture to your significant other.

"You best be replacing this rose with a bone."
Courtesy Rantpets.com

8. What this dog really thinks about this "kiss" lipstick smudge shirt.

"What was wrong with this lady's lips?"
Courtesy Zazzle.com

9. What these dogs really think about these silly hearts.

"We hope you're coming to US for pets because we can't walk with these stupid things."
Courtesy free-pet-wallpapers.com

10. And finally, my own Lulu. I bought her a new toy, a stuffed champagne bottle. I requested it special from the store. I thought it was cute, and Lulu can't resist a squeaker. Plus, every time she walked into a room with it I could quote "Absolutely Fabulous" ("Champagne, champagne for Lulu!").

But, no. Unimpressed Lulu was unimpressed.

Oh well. Happy Valentine's Day to those more romantic at heart.

Dog Parent Confessions: 5 bad habits to avoid

Ever let your dog get away with murder (not literally, of course)?

Today, after Lulu ate a whole bowl of breakfast, she somehow knocked the cat's bowl off the counter. Wet kitty food pieces flung all over a pile of dirty laundry I had on the floor.

And instead of cleaning up the mess myself, I scolded Lulu as she picked the pieces off the clothes (I did pick up the clothes and threw them in the wash after).

It got me thinking about what other bad habits I let Lulu and Jasmine get away with. This is my confession. Do as I say, not as I do.

1. Eating off the floor... or the table... or other surfaces... especially if they make the mess. My back is bothering me and I didn't feel like cleaning up the mess myself. Why is this a problem? I basically rewarded her for knocking the cat's dish over. Normally this would not happen.

But that's not the only time I let the dogs get away with things. Like if I'm cooking dinner and broccoli falls on the floor, I call the dogs. We all probably do it. But it's not necessarily a good idea.

2. Walking on the furniture.

It started as letting the dogs in the bed. And the couch. Then Jasmine got into walking on the couch and jumping over the couch -- and I kinda let her do it because the picture opportunities are awesome. I took the one above just today. But it's not good for the couch.

3. Not making Lulu take treats gently.

"Gentle" is an important command every pet should make sure their dog knows. It will save your fingers when giving your dog a treat. But I sometimes I let Lulu get away with it mostly because I'm being inconsistent (my trainer would smack me).

4. I bathe Lulu and Jasmine less than I probably should. To be fair, beagle parents love to say that you can go months without bathing a beagle. Still, I'm pretty sure Lulu and Jasmine could use baths slightly more frequently than that. Especially since Lulu has a habit of rolling in the grass (though it doesn't look like she rolls in anything gross).

5. I enjoy watching Lulu when she gets clever. Lulu has quick reflexes and a sharp mind -- mostly when she wants something. At my last birthday party no one was watching when Lulu swiped a piece of chicken from the food table (boneless and skinless). She moved so fast no one could even get it from her. I grabbed her to bring her inside, but then I stopped and asked someone to take those pictures. I wasn't happy she did it, but I marveled at how she did it. We beagle lovers know our dogs can use their skills in a blink of an eye to get a piece of food. But lets be honest -- we probably should do a little less of this and a little more of making sure it doesn't happen.

These are some of my bad habits. What are some of yours?