The Cluttered House

Unfortunately for Miss M and A, they live with two 'boys' that don't mind and actually enjoy living with clutter. I love laying out in the living room with Mr. B on our gigantic Molly Mutt dog bed. It is only after a lot of convincing that I am able to bring out our (Mr. B's and my) bed from the office to the front room, so we can lounge under the warm winter sun.

While Miss M loves putting her toys away, Mr. B loves keeping all of his toys out. There is a stuffy in almost every corner of our place.

A friend of ours mentioned how she would rotate her son's toys. She would only have a few toys out at a time and when he got bored of them, she would store them and pull out his other toys. Though A and Miss M would love to do this to Mr. B, they know that the toys are much more than just toys to Mr. B.

Just like Winnie-the-Pooh's friends, each of Mr. B's stuffy has a different personality and something special to offer on their adventures. Who are we to dictate who can be Mr. B's adventure mates?

Also:

How we taught Mr. B to be gentle with toys

Stuffies on Walks

Miss M's toys are pretty!

Pooches: Finding the Perfect One (How the Single Doglover Met her Match!)

Fun Fact: Nala's mom was one of the first people we met through the blog that we were able to meet in real life. It happened, here (so long ago!).
And this was way before Nala.
We too were perplexed how a doglover, who volunteered with so many adoptable dogs each week, could still be single. Until she met Nala.
We were very excited to have her share her story of knowing when you met your "One":

One of the questions I am asked most often is how did I know Nala was the dog for me? As an Anti-Cruelty Society volunteer since 2008,  few could believe I didn’t adopt as soon as I moved into a dog-friendly building. After all, I had interacted with hundreds of eligible dogs, how could a dog lover like myself still be single? I gave the standard respose that it was the time, the money, the energy and the commitment. These were the things we want all potentional adopters to be aware of and I wasn’t 100% sure I was ready to make such a life altering decision. Then on the evening of August 3^rd, 2011 all of that went out the window.

It was a typcial volunteer evening working with out dogs in the Bully Buddy Program (I am proud to say ACS now has all Bully breeds on the general adoption floor). I had worked with a couple high-energy pitties and I was ready to go home. I decided I should take one more dog out, just for a quick 15 minute play session as I was too mentally exhuasted to do anything else. I picked the newest member of the program, as she had spent her first month in the shelter in ISO for kennel cough I figured she’d probably love to stretch her legs out. Plus I thought her name, Nala, was cute.

Enter Nala: While she was a bit of a pain in her kennel, she was easy to harness up and I took her down to the basement where I could hook her up on a long lead. She was super excited to play and was bouncing around. “What a playful pup” I thought to myself. Since I was tired I sat on the floor and offered her a Nylabone. She accepted the offer and plopped herself right on my lap for an intense chewing session (why do pitties love to chew while ON us? Next to us will never be close enough.) I looked down at her chewing in complete bliss and said out loud “oh my god, you are MY dog!!!”

It’s hard to say what exactly it was about Nala that made me choose her. I guess one could say it was her perfect mix of playfulness, friendliness, and mellowness--she is knocked out on the couch as I write this-- and maybe, just maybe, I found the mathimatically perfect dog for me. But when she hopped into my friend’s Mazda and stuck her little nose out the window soaking up the Chicago summer air I had another idea – that maybe, just maybe, she choose me. 

How did you know when you met your "One"?

PS:
Nala is one of our SociaBulls members. See if you can spy her here.

How my 'one' helped me find my 'other one'
Miss M's "One"

More Valentine's Day photos of the pups on our Facebook page

Pooches: Photobooth Pooches

I can't tell whether it's Miss M's face that makes me bring out the camera, or if it's having the camera out that makes Miss M put on her Blue Steele and make these faces.
Either way, we set up a Photobooth for the pups, and this is what they came up with:

Which one is your favorite?

PS. Check our Facebook page to see the 2 winners from our RC Pet Products Skyline Puffy Vest giveaway.

Also:

Kissing booths!

Do you take smooches from your pooches?

The real story behind the grumpy face.

SociaBulls: Walking as a Family

There are so many different types of people and dogs in Chicago SociaBulls, I'm always interested in hearing what draws everyone to join the group.
I especially remember one member saying they were excited because their dog is fearful and they can't participate in many of the social experiences that comes from having a dog. That this was one thing they could do together as a family.

We love that the group works for so many different types of pups. We also love that it is a type of date people can have with their families.

 With everyone being so busy all the time,, it is nice to set aside one day a week to spend together.

Or dates?

You can too!

More dogs in action

PS. Check back tomorrow to see the winners of our RC Pet Products Skyline Puffy Vest giveaway!

Mr. B, Reluctant Cuddler

The first time A's sister met Mr. B, she couldn't stop talking about how much he looks like a large stuffed animal. Then we realized, unfortunately for Mr. B, all the living beings in his house love to treat him like a true stuffed animal.

His owner, Miss M, once read that "if we hug a little tighter, our hearts will be a little closer" so she often hugs her dog tightly to let him know how much she loves him.

Lucky for her, Mr. B is quite the docile pooch that lets Miss M violate his personal space all the time...

and he doesn't even have to be in the bed.

Actually lucky for all of us, he is a reluctant cuddler. 

Whenever we are tired, he provides us with a reluctant plush comfortable pillow.

 Whenever we are cold, he provides us with a reluctant warm fluffy comforter.

 Lucky for Mr. B, his best friends love to willingly cuddle with him.

PS. Our RC Pet Products Skyline Puffy Vest giveaway is open through Sunday. 

Check out our Facebook page to see the adorable faces of so many pups. There are so many cold pooches out there!

Also:

Maybe it is true.

Little Friends

Relationships Defined.

DoggyStyle: 1 Coat 5 Ways (and a Giveaway!)

You might say we're a little obsessed, but we're always thinking about the weather.

Maybe it's living in Chicago.

Maybe it's not having a backyard and needing to take our pups on so many daily walks.

Or maybe it's because our pooches are a little bit wimpy and need to bundle up.

We were beyond excited when RC Pet Products contacted us to see if we wanted to try out some coats and offered to give away two coats to readers!

The pooches tried out the Skyline Puffy vest: a reversible puffy coat coat with one side bright and one side dark. The collar pops up to show the contrasting color. Miss M is wearing red/black and Mr. B has turquoise/peacock. It also comes in pink/raspberry.

 The coat comes in sizes according to their length and uses a velcro closure. Mr. B wore a size 24 which seemed to fit him perfectly. It is the perfect length, though he wears it on the last velcro strip. Miss M is wearing size 26 which fits well around her body and the collar can pop up higher. We like that it fits the top rung of velcro so you can't see the strip, but it is a bit long on her. We have just been fine just folding it over.

We had been interested in trying a puffy coat, which is all the trend in the city. 

But our favorite part is with the how we can get so many looks from one single coat.  Just check out how the pooches can get five different looks with one single coat (plus one hoodie and one snood). 

Look #1: City Casual (Dark Side):

It seems wearing anything dark seems to be the trend around the city. The pups wear the dark side of the puffy coats for casual daily walks. Though Miss M likes to pop up her collar to show the red and give her best Bela Lugosi impersonation.

Look #2: Dreary Days (Bright Side):

To keep us from getting overwhelmed with the dark, dreary winter days, the pooches can flip the coats over to brighten things up. That's Miss M's version of a smile.

Look #3: Downtown Chic (Dark Side, plus Snood) :

We've been noticing how a lot of girls downtown can wear dark puffy coats and just dress them up with a scarf. With the dark coat and Burberry-esque scarves the pooches blend right in strolling down Michigan Avenue.

Look #4: City Pups (Dark Side, plus Hoodie)

The go-to gear for so many of the city kids is wearing a hoodie with a big puffy-coat. Not to be outdone, the pups layer their hoodies under the dark side of their puffy coats.

Look #5: Snow Pups (Bright Side, plus Hoodie, plus Snoods)

The pups go all out in color for snowy days where they don't want to get caught in a drift. Plus adding their snoods and hoodies under their coats keeps them extra warm. And of course their Pawz disposable boots to keep their paws safe from sidewalk salt.

We love how we can get so many looks from one coat.

And we also love that RC Pet Products has offered to give away Skyline Puffy Vests to two lucky readers!

There are two ways to enter and each person can enter 2 times.

We love taking our pups out for downtown walks, graffiti safaris, and jaunts with all of our dog friends.

What new things would you do with your pooch if you won a Skyline Puffy Vest coat? 

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

See our winners here and here.

1) Let us know by commenting on our blog post here.

2) You can also enter by posting a photo on our Facebook page of your pooch and letting us know what you'd be able to do with a new coat. (We really do love seeing photos of your pooches!)

Details:

-You have two chances to win by commenting once on the blog and posting a photo once on the Facebook page.

-We will use a random number generator to randomly choose one winner from blog comments and one winner from the Facebook page.

-You have until Sunday (Feb 10) at Midnight (EST) to post your comment or photo

-Winners will be able to choose your size and color and have it shipped to you from RC Pet Products

-Winners must live within the contiguous United States or Canada

Good luck everyone!

RC Pet Products doesn't have a direct online store, but you can usually find their products at local pet boutiques and on Amazon. This website shows all their product offerings.

Also:
Our other coats
Finding cold-weather clothes to fit big dogs
Guaranteed laughs if you wear this

Daily Walk: The Quiet City

Even though we live less than 2 miles from the center of the city, we still dress up and get excited when we go downtown with the pooches. 

Lately the pooches have been on the downtown tourist track: checking out the Marshall Fields windows, Mag Mile, and Burberry. But then there's also the other side of the city.

The quiet side with hidden parks, tree-lined paths, and not a shopping bag in site.
Where the city actually seems quiet...until Miss M speaks.
And we actually have a reason to be out. Walking our dogs.

Also:

Dodging Paparazzi

Pitbull Tourists

Culture!

CIty Dog: Teaching your Dog to Wear Dog Boots for Salty City Sidewalks

We've noticed a lot of Chicago dogs preparing for the cold, but one thing we don't have control over is walking over salt and ice. Without our own backyard, we still need to make our daily walk which often means walking over unshoveled sidewalks or encountering some toxic de-icers.
The salt can be painful to our pups and seeing the 3-legged prance too many times led us to the phenomena of dog boots. We've been getting a lot of questions about the boots we use and how we make our pups comfortable wearing boots. Here are some things that worked for us:

Handling Feet and Creating Positive Associations with Boots:

Since we don't like tracking 'Chicago Grime' into our home, we are always wiping and handling our dogs feet several times a day. I never realized the he positive side-effect is they are comfortable having their feet handled. This was our step in allowing us to put the boots on them.

We also recognize that whenever we're introducing new gear to the pooches, we always make sure to do it slowly and create positive associations. We allow the pooches to sniff out the boots. They get a lot of petting and treats. We will try on one boot for a short amount of time where they will also get a lot of petting and treats. Eventually we are able to work our way up to wearing all of the boots.

Practicing Inside:

For some reason, the pooches were rendered immobile and didn't realize they could walk once they had the boots on their feet. We spent a lot of time inside, practicing walking, before we took them outside. We do short distances, back and forth in the living room, until they become more comfortable. The fun part is that they prance around like ducks and you can make funny videos. Here are our dogs practicing/dancing inside.

Finding what Works:

It took us awhile to find the boots that worked best for us. The first time Miss M's feet ever touched snow, we both panicked and I ran out and bought the first pair of Muttluks I could find. While these boots cost around $50, I was living in constant paranoia because each walk at least one boot would fall off. Which would become expensive to replace. And also frustrating to deal with when it's cold and I need to take off my gloves and try to put the boot on again mid-walk (where it would still fall off!).
We have had success with Pawz Disposable Rubber Boots which are like balloons that fit around their feet. Mr. B wears the purple boots (size Large) and Miss M's 'talons' make her size Extra-Large (Green Elf Shoes!).
I know some people have had some issues with the boots tearing, but since our dogs aren't running, they're merely walking on the sidewalk, we can typically use a pair 5 times.


We have also had some people report success with Musher's Paw. We tried using this, but I was just having issues rubbing it into their feet and for us I thought it saved time to just put the boots on the dogs.

What has everyone else's experience been? Do you use boots, mushers paw...or is your dog just a natural snow pup?

Also:
Layering!
How we prepare ourselves for the cold
When we'd rather stay in

SociaBulls: On Appointment Walking

Since our Chicago winters look like this, it's often so tempting to spend the weekends inside sleeping in and bundling up.
But then, we have our SociaBulls walks.

Knowing we made the commitment to meet everyone for our daily walk is just the motivation we need to get us out of our beds.

We love seeing all of our friends and exploring parts of the city we seldom see. Especially during the winter where we have everything to ourselves.

 What motivates everyone else to get up and out with your pup?

Also:
Why you never know where you'll find us
A motivating morning guest
Friends!
Check out our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook Page

Where are they Now: Foster Dog Bella

If you have been following our blog for a bit, you may remember a very special foster dog, Bella, who came to us under extraordinary circumstance.
It all began with a sweet, courageous pup named Shy. 
Everyone was so taken with Shy's sad story, the community rallied together to raise funds to save her eyesight and help her find her forever home. In a strange twist of events, Shy unexpectedly passed away just as we had raised enough money to fund her surgery. 
This amount helped us rescue 2 broken and overlooked pups in honor of Shy. You can catch up on the story with this post.

Bella was just a little puppy with a broken leg and a huge chemical burn and little chance of making it out.
Here is an update about the great life she is now living with her Dad and is named June:

June has been good. She's about 65lbs now. She recently took a week long vacation by my parents because my twin brother Vince and I had to drive the band's equipment out to California and our older brother came with as well. 
She's learned some new tricks too. She knows "side" where she'll lay down and turn on her side. That was the gateway trick to get her to learn "back paw." Once she is on her side, we say "back paw" and she'll give us her back paw. She is starting to learn "back paw" when she's standing up as well. 

She's also getting stubborn with the colder weather. On some walks, she'll stop dead and and pull the opposite direction to go home. We need to work on that because she still needs longer walks in the winter. We ended up getting her a new hoodie.

It has been so great seeing this overlooked pup, with a broken leg and huge chemical burn, living such a great life with her family.
Again, thanks so much to all of you who made this possible.

Also:
Matchmakers
Miss M hazes
Original update