Ok the Chihuahua as a retirement gift went over…a cliff. I know, I know, you should (almost) never give a pet as a gift unless it is for sure wanted by the recipient. What was said, or not, doesn’t matter; the dog was not wanted. Luckily the parties had a contingency plan that my sister would take the new Chihuahua so that her Lola would have company. The new Chihuahua, Chica, is a fabulous deer headed Chihuahua dog, gorgeous with an even better personality. The two dogs are buds. The Retiree got a camera and other “stuff” and it was all good peeps.

Picked Cocoa up from his dog kennel, which happens to be his vet’s. He stunk. Not just the, smells like someone else’s perfume, more like….has he just rolled in his own dog poop. This annoyed me greatly to say the least. I ran him home and dumped him right into a bath and I was forced to use what I had on hand to shampoo him, which was very lucky in my case, it was a sample of NuHemp’s Botanical Omega EAZZ dog shampoo. The shampoo had a light fragrance and a nice lather. His coat turned out soft and there was no flaking. I was very pleased with this product and the other samples from the NuHemp line. My friends at Pet Supplies Plus (www. petsuppliesplus.com)had given me samples of the shampoo, dog treats, and Omega Sauce. Cocoa really enjoyed the crunchy peanut butter maple flavored (a Canadian company eh?) treats. I was surprised by this because they looked so dry and brittle, but he loved them and he wolfed down his food when I added the NuHemp Omega Sauce. So maybe if you invested in a huge amount of dog food that your dog is turning up his nose at, try squirting on a big of the sauce…it was a hit! I do not know about the many benefits of hemp for people and animals so I turned to NuHemp.com to learn more about the products. If you have a Pet Supplies Plus please look there for these organic products or try the NuHemp website, www.nuhemp.com.

Pet guests for dinner, ya know, grandma’s bichon, your sister’s poodle yapping about your house peeing, barfing and pooping on your carpet. What kind of pet host are you? Do you throw yourself on the floor with every accident or do you casually clean? We are in the age where some people do not want to leave their pets alone for hours (does anyone remember the 70s? No doggy day care) Over the holidays many people with pets are faced with this quandry, either kennel, take’m or stay home. How can we be better pet host? Certainly tolerance could be the key, but maybe honesty too. On the flip side what kind of pet guest do you bring to the table? A licker, a humper, a pooper/peer? We also need to be honest with ourselves about our dog’s behavior at someone’s house. I see a new business opportunity: Holiday Pet Sitters

Micheal Humphreys is THE dog trainer of Cascade/Ada Michigan. He’s been training for over 40 years and has a magical way with canines. Watch him try to train Cocoa, the ordinance breaker of Cascade!!! In this short clip Mr. Humphreys is teaching Cocoa to sit in stay….just a few short classes until agility training…NOT. If you are interested in classes or training with Michael Humphreys please call Cascade Hospital for Animals at 616-949-0960 or visit their website www.chfa.net Please stay tuned for more helpful Vlogs from Michael Humphreys.

Apparently that’s me. I received a letter from my township that Cocoa was breaking Cascade Charter Township Ordinance #4…. a.k.a. running loose as a goose. The funny thing is that I had earlier that week signed up for obedience classes and had asked an animal behaviorist to do a short series of pet training tips for this blog. Hahaha the irony! Talk about a day late and a biscuit short. Well neighbor, that I annoyed, I am sorry. No one should have to put up with a dog charging at them whether it’s a eleven pound fur ball or a 125 pound moose. How did I create such a monster? I found Cocoa on Petfinder.com and got him from a puppy mill rescue. He was 3.1 pound miniature poodle, scared of everything and he clung to me. Like an overprotective mom I wanted to wait until he was larger before entering him into any classes. MISTAKE. Soon he grew to be an 11 pounder and a little bit bolder. He tries valiantly to protect his yard, but he goes too far sometimes. I have caught dogs in my yard and my main worry is whether the owner is missing them, never called the coppers because dogs like people make mistakes. I’ve even been chased down with Cocoa by a big dog and reluctantly called the owners, but not the fuzz. Hopefully with proper training, and maybe an electric fence, this problem will be solved. Please accept my apology, I am working to correct my mistake.