Pooches: Miss M's Cone Fashion Show

Since this happened, we have been lucky enough to never have our pups in a cone for an extended amount of time.
We've learned not all cones are the same.
Miss M wanted to find the one that was just right.
She tried this floppy one:

Miss M would gladly stretch out her neck out for what she thought was an exotic, fancy collar:

 But I think she really liked how this inner-tube cone meant she always had a pillow handy:

Ultimately, once we figured out she could do the 'cat splits', stretching her leg straight up in the air ,we were afraid she could potentially pull out her stitches, and we realized she needed the classic: "martini glass cone".

Which has caused fun hijinks around our place. Like how I will be sitting next to her, but out of her vision, and if I call her name she will go running in the other direction down the hall:

Though I think Miss M really appreciates how the cone really does accentuate her 'beautiful features'. Even when her 'mouth is full'.

The good news is she just got her stitches out and she is healing nicely.

I think she secretly misses her pillow.

Though we did find out that she was misdiagnosed and it really was a tumor. They believe they got most of it out, but now we are doing nightly pet-checks (just like nightly tick checks for anyone who went to camp) so we can catch any bumps that might re-emerge. 

We're all happy to get back to normal....except for Mr. B who will now go back to this.

PS. Did you see this video of cone hijinks in action?
I think maybe this helped make Miss M more comfortable wearing her cone.
And maybe the cone would help me with this problem Miss M has.

DoggyStyle: On Dog-Friendly Furniture

Back when I adopted Miss M, I was a lone bachelorette. But once I had her we lived the bachelorette lifestyle together. At that time I had lived a type of nomadic lifestyle, moving from apartment to apartment, and I didn't own any real furniture. Though with my new pup I felt ready to settle down, stay in my apartment for awhile, and get some real furniture. Since I was starting from scratch, I was able to choose things with our new lifestyle in mind. And those same things made our way into the home we now share with E and Mr. B. Here are some things that have worked for us to keep our home dog-friendly:

Round Coffee Table:

 Since Miss M had a habit of running around my living room, I wanted a round coffee table so she wouldn't hurt herself on the pointed edges. Especially if we have some pooches playing smack down--which is never Miss M and Mr B...perhaps a foster dog or guest--we know the pooches won't take a corner to the eye.

Benches & Ottomans:

I didn't have a lot of money to spend, so instead of buying separate chairs and side tables I just bought a couple of ottomans and benches and moved them around.
We used these ottomans (normally in our livingroom) as impromptu dining chairs:

 And this bench as an impromptu side table or moved to become a TV tray.

The best part of having movable furniture with dogs is that it makes vacuuming that much easier. Plus, you can also use ottomans to work on this type of training. 

Dog-Resistant Rugs:

I learned that our best bet was choosing rugs that are short pile in darker colors. Through we also like the bamboo rug we use in the kitchen because it's really easy to wipe down. And FLOR tiles that we use under our table and in Mr. B's tepee. because if any part of the rug gets ruined, you can just take that part out and buy a new tile. We wrote more about our rugs, here.
How have your pups influenced your furniture decisions?

Also:
We never realized they would have this type of influence.
Creating a 'dog bedroom' in an open space
How we made our dog crate actually look nice

How to be a Tourist with Dogs: City Lights

E and I aren't really museum people. When we go on trips we usually spend most of the time walking around. Stopping to eat. Then walking around some more. And we usually talk about how much fun it would be to have the pups on vacation.

After experiencing this, we found a good mid-week hotel rate and we decided to Staycation downtown during our Spring Break. Being among the tourists made us feel more like tourists ourselves and really see the city from a new perspective. One of our favorite things E and I do on our vacations is walk around after dark to explore cities in a different way and see everything lit up by lights. Which was perfect to do with the pups in tow:

We all bundled up in thick coats and our matching scarves and headed out on the city. We were able to walk a little and eat a little (kind of like this!). We were able to grab take-out from Chicago's infamous Portillio's, and we created our own Chicago tradition of picking up salted caramel hot chocolate at Ghirardelli's. The pooches did some late night window shopping, and Miss M was especially impressed by the Princess Collection at the Disney Store.

Our first night we stayed in with the pups hanging out on the king-size bed and watching movies. By the second night the pups were so exhausted by their nightly walks, E and I were able to head out on the town by ourselves for a nice downtown dinner.

Does anyone else do any nighttime exploring?

PS. We've realized this and this are always fun dog-city vacation ideas.

And very Chicago-specific!

City Dog: Staying in a Dog-Friendly Hotel

The other week our pups had the chance to play Eloise as we needed to find some quick in-town accommodations for all of us. While we've done it once before, we've always been a bit nervous about dog-hotel logistics. Here are some things we've learned about staying in a dog-friendly hotel:

On Potty Breaks and Finding that Patch of Grass

While our pups are used to used to peeing like city dogs (we wrote more about it here), we found how important it was to have a central peeing location to limit the time spent on potty breaks. While there usually isn't much grass downtown, we were able to find a single patch on a side-street that became our dogs' go to space. We realized a lot of dogs must have frequented this spot, so it became our 'go-to' spot to keep our wandering around at a minimum.

Our dogs are also fine riding in elevators, though if your dog isn't used to confined spaces, or mirrors, it would be a good idea to request a room on a lower floor so you're able to take the stairs.

Beware of Sounds and Drain Mental Energy

Living in a multi-unit building, our pups get used to footsteps in the hallway, voices and doors shutting. Though even they were a bit alarmed with the footsteps and sounds outside the door. Our pooches aren't really barkers, though we were still afraid that if we left them alone Miss M might start singing. 

The first night when the pooches were still getting accustomed to everything we stayed with the pups watching movies, ordering take-out, late night room service, and picking up cheap wine from a nearby Trader Joe's.

 The second day we were able to spend a lot of time wandering around. Between the walking and the mental stimulation between the new sights and sounds (and meeting people!) the dogs were completely tired when we came back home, and they happily passed out while E and I were able to head back out for a nice dinner.

Suit Up

We knew how much the hotel loved dogs, but we know not everyone does. We know extra gear makes our pups more approachable, and since our pups were decked out in their black puffy coats and fancy snoods they were well-received by so many people. We received a 'what a handsome family' compliment, and overheard a woman saying to her husband 'Why are you in a short-sleeved shirt? Even the dogs out here are wearing scarves."

Being Respectful and Paying it Forward

We love when places are so open about involving dogs, so we always try to leave a good impression so people continue to think positively about dog owners. We worked to keep our room tidy, taking out any dog-related trash, wiping our dogs feet when we came back inside, being considerate in the elevators, and tipping well.

Finding Supportive Hotels:

We had a really great experience at the James Hotel Chicago. The hotel prides itself on being a dog-friendly hotel without breed and size restrictions. They also provide dog beds, dog bowls and treats. The staff was always beyond friendly giving the pups a pat and holding the door for us. The hotel charges a $75 dog fee for the entire stay, which was actually cheaper for us than putting the pups in boarding for the time we needed to stay. It also has a great location on Michigan Avenue in the heart of downtown with easy access for walks along the lake, great restaurants (including take-out), and right across from a Trader Joe's. They also have very reasonable weekday stays, though last minute weekends are quite pricy!

On our last trip we also had a really positive experience with Drury Hotels which have several locations.

We would love to hear about other people's experiences. What are some things you've learned about having dogs in hotels? And what are some of your hotel recommendations?

Also:

Sometimes it's like this though it can also get like this. Or even this.

How to catch a cab with a big dog

SociaBulls: On Changing it Up

While we love our Chicago SociaBulls walking group for so many reasons, I've just realized one new reason: it really forces us to 'change it up'. 

Sure we take our pups on several daily walks, and even though we try to vary up the route I still know which patch of grass Miss M will gravitate towards and which curb Mr. B will leap over. 

Our new walking locations mix it up for all of us and present new challenges.

Mainly goose poo.

Miss M is so obsessed with goose poo, she has been treating every walk like a buffet.

We spend most of our walk toggling between practicing check-ins with me, with really good eye-contact, to remembering the plethora of goose poo in the grass and lunging her entire body weight towards it.

And I do make sure to bring treats that should taste better than goose poo.

The one positive side-effect is she is now really good at practicing her check-ins on our daily walks where there is no threat of goose poo.

Though it's still a work-in-progress on our SociaBulls walks.

Anyone else have any success dealing with goose poo?

Also:

Speaking of weird geese....

Good habit.

Sometimes this happens.

Plus, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check out the Hikabull page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.

Pooches: Just Miss M and Her Cone

Earlier in the week Miss M had a minor surgery; she had a a large cyst growing on her behind that was irritating her, so we had it removed. As our friend Sticker's person calls it...a 'lady lump'. 

We had it tested earlier and it came back benign. 

She is completely fine. Our wallet isn't.

She will need to wear a cone until her Franken-area heals.

We have never had to keep our pups in a cone for an extended amount of time. So we were initially feeling a little bit sad for her. We thought it would be really difficult, but then we realized just how adaptable dogs are. Even though she can't use Mr. B as a pillow, she found a way to lay comfortably:

And even pick up and play with a toy:

 Realizing Miss M's cone prevented her from joining him in the bed, Mr. B relaxed and thought he was in the clear:

Until Miss M became a little more unexpectedly bold. See what we mean, here*:

*Keeping her recovery in mind, this video has been the only time Miss M and Mr. B have really interacted. When we aren't there to supervise, the pups are being kept in separate rooms so Mr. B won't try to lick her stitches (though we all know he wouldn't dare try to touch her!), and her walks and exercise are being kept to a minimum. Her shaking her head around is the extent of her playing.

Also:

We didn't realize it at the time, but I think this has been good preparation for wearing a cone.

Though she looks sad now, we always need to remember this and this.

Some people said they had never seen this before.

DoggyStyle: Spring Cleaning with Dogs

Mr. B helps spring-clean by putting away his snowman stuffy.

I know so many people assume if you have dogs it's harder to keep things clean, though I've realized just the opposite.
Embarrassingly enough, before I had Miss M I never cleaned.
It was so easy to put things off.
And completely surprising to see the dirt accumulate.
It's only since having the pups that I've had a greater awareness of keeping things clean. And I've developed routines! We wrote about our fall-cleaning routine, this is what we do for spring:

Cleaning at the Dogs' Level

Since our pups are so much lower to the ground, we don't really notice the dirt and smudges as much. I've set aside spring for the time to go over the walls and doors with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I also make sure to clean the nose smudges off the window (I'm always forgetting to do this!).

Leash & Coat Cleaning and Storage

We don't have a choice, and we need to walk our pups several times a day, we have developed quite the cheery arsenal for being outside in bad weather. We have some seasonal leash and collar sets that we trade out during the season. I never knew how to clean the leashes, and I was hesitant to put them in our washer, so I just started cleaning them using a big jar, adding detergent and shaking (this is how I wash my delicates too!). We just hang them to dry. We wash the pups' coats before storing them away by washing them inside-out on the delicate cycle and air-drying them. Our coats and snoods are put away and we take down their raincoats.

Preventative Measures

We've realized doing a couple of small things every day helps us from feeling overwhelemed by cleaning. We've learned to use fish-oil to decrease the amount of shedding, use wipes on a daily basis to decrease the mud and dust that is tracked in, and set expectations so we don't have a lot of cleaning. We wrote more about it, here.

What are some extra spring cleaning steps you have with your pups?

Also:
We also love doing this.
A bit more evidence of my cleaning problem.  And here.

Things to Do in Chicago with Dogs: Navy Pier

During one of our last big vacations we realized that one of the best parts of traveling is figuring out our favorite things to do on a vacation and incorporating them into our daily lives.
While including our dogs.
Since we were on break last week, we thought we would spend our time off becoming real tourists. We packed up our bags, took a cab 2 miles east, and all four of us stayed at a pup-friendly hotel in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Being immersed among all of the tourists and their excitement made us feel like tourists ourselves.
We began to see the city in a new way. Which meant we needed to head out to Chicago's #1 Tourist Attraction: Navy Pier.

The original idea behind Navy Pier was to create a public space that people from all socio-economic areas can enjoy. It has the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the Children's Museum, a huge Ferris Wheel, and boat tours.
But we usually tell people it's not worth going. If you're not going to do any of those things, it's just filled with trinket shops, over-priced chain restaurants, and huge crowds.
Until we came this last trip.
Walking over early in the morning with the cooler temperatures, and all of us snugly wrapped up in scarfs, we missed the huge crowds and we realized how relaxing and beautiful the view was.
With plenty of photo opps.
It actually reminded us a lot of this.

And it was actually a perfect vacation area to hang out with our pups with the never-ending lakefront and skyline views.
Mr. B brought his camera to share his dog-eye view of visiting Navy Pier. From walking out of the hotel (thank you doorman!) to heading to the pier, looking at the views and meeting people.
My favorite parts are his leaping sequences, meeting people who knew the pups from online (thanks for saying hi!), and seeing spider-Miss M coming down the stairs.
Plus seeing the photos we took from Mr. B's point-of-view:

It's so funny to see it from the pups' point-of-view. 

What are your favorite parts of Mr. B's video?

Also:

We were able to do a bit of this, though it wasn't quite warm enough to do this.

We are looking forward to doing this again this summer.

Pooches: Do You Dress Your Dog?

We were out walking our pups the other day when we heard:
"Did you see those dogs wearing raincoats? Some people spend their money on the stupidest stuff*".
--Quote from beer-bellied guy smoking cigarettes and hanging out at a bar in the middle of the afternoon, to his friend.
      *Not actual word used

Sure, sometimes we hear the occasional "those poor dogs" at dog-Halloween events where people think all dogs are miserable in clothing. Though, there are a couple of reasons we can tell that our dogs are actually happier and safer because they are wearing gear:

Keeping Warm

I never thought I would be one to dress up my big dog, but when I realized Miss M just couldn't handle rain or any temperature below 40 degrees I realized I needed to start. Since we do live in Chicago, and we need to walk in the winter, I decided to get her a coat. And it was the coat that became our gateway to sweaters and hoodies and snoods. Knowing how miserable our pups are when they are cold or wet, I think that they are actually happier wearing things.

Getting Petted

There is nothing our pups love more than meeting people. Sure, they will meet some people when we go on our walks, but when the pups are wearing clothes or costumes it gives people even more reason to approach our dogs. Which makes our pups so, so happy!
Just see what we mean here (in the bottom video) and here and here.

Safety

I know I'm a paranoid pet-owner, but since we can never leave the vet for under $150, and Miss M is prone to letting her jowl flap in the breeze , we thought it would be a good idea to get the pups some protective eye-wear so they can enjoy looking out the window (we wrote more about it here). I think it also helps that she gets attention from the cars that pull up alongside us and squeals of delight from people walking. And we're working on less jowl flapping.

Besides the reasons above, we also use gear as training tools and as a way to disarm people and open the conversation to see what pit bull-type dogs are really like.

What are your thoughts on dressing your pup?

Also:
How to make sure your dog is comfortable wearing costumes
Finding coats for bigger dogs.
This happened.
Chango is our style-icon!

SociaBulls: On The Challenges of Nice Weather

 Since we've been posting our walk photos with a week (or two!) delay, we were surprised to see how snowy this recent walk was:

 Though I do have to be proud that our group did make it walking every week through the winter!
The people and pups braved it through high snowdrifts, frozen fingers and toes, and unshoveled paths becoming sheets of ice (Miss M even lost her footing and spun around like Bambi!).

While I'm optimistic this type of weather might be behind us, our new nicer weather means we face a new set of challenges:

As everyone is out enjoying the fantastic weather, we will find more of our paths overtaken by bikers, runners, and outdoor festivals. And many off-leash dogs.

Do most people find it more difficult to walk during the colder weather, or among the winter obstacles?

Also:

Why it's so important

Bundling!

Our most silent, snowy walk

Plus, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check out the Hikabull page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.