Yesterday I planted several pots of flowers for the nursing home courtyard, I’m hoping against hope that Weenie girl leaves them alone. She’s a compulsive digger! Last year I planted four flats of Impatiens, the phone rang and I ran inside the house. Five minutes later I returned to the garden to find dozens of little pink and green bodies strewn across the yard. Weenie had not only un-planted the Impatiens, but virtually destroyed every one of them!

Dog owners understand this dilemma. We love our pets but at the same time we crave a lovely yard…must dog ownership and lovely yards be mutually exclusive? According to the authors of Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs, the answer is NO.

Dog Friendly Gardens claims that they will show dog-owners how to design their garden with their dog in mind as well as being the dog owners guide to dog-friendly training efforts. I admit I have not read the book nor tried it, but the idea sounds great to me and to others as well, check out the reviews…

And now this, want to jazz up your ride? How about a Ford grill?

All the dogs know my beloved green couch is off limits…I mean I barely let my husband sit on it! (and never with a drink) Yes, the dogs all know, but they don’t always care. Weenie tries to scrunch into the crack when I walk by and catch her on the couch. I know exactly what she’s thinking: “If I lie really still, she won’t notice me.” Like I’m not going to notice a little fat black sausage stuffed into the corner of my favorite piece of furniture. Ginger doesn’t even attempt to be inconspicuous, she just gives me that look that says, “Yeah. I’m on the couch, couches are for sitting on, get over it.”
Our exchange usually goes like this:
” Ginger! Get off the couch.”
Ginger eyes me nonchalantly, lays her head back down.
” Off!”
She yawns.
I pick her up and move her to the chair. She watches me intently, waiting for me to leave so she can get back on the green couch. Round and round we go. I wonder which one of us is more stubborn?

You can see that Weenie is watching me as I snap this picture, but she never moves a muscle…”Yeah, I think I can blend in..”

Luckily, only one of our dogs seems to be really afraid of thunder and lightening. Of course, Weenie is pretty goosey about everything, any loud noise will send her scurrying for cover. She’s a burrower and if it’s thundering she likes to get inside a small, dark space, like the sleeve of my sweat jacket. At least this time I wasn’t wearing it!

I saw a product while perusing sites today, it’s called the Anxiety Wrap. If you have a scared-y pup you might want to check it out, especially if your dog won’t fit in your sleeve.