An Afternoon in the Backyard

And look who else we have here.

Isis sitting on her throne, being entertained by her subjects.

Warning: Kids & Dogs

Miko's foster mom sent this to me. I think it's an important message.

Please read!!!

If you are an owner of a dog that belongs to a 'dangerous breed' category and you also have a child or a visiting small child please take this as a warning.

Don't leave your dog with a small child unattended under any circumstances!!!

Only one little moment was enough for the following to happen.

See the photo below .....

New Dog Bed and Cover

There are dog beds everywhere in our house. 1 bed in each of the 5 crates (recently down from 6) and 5-6 more on the floor in various rooms. Yes, it's totally overkill, though all the beds do get used.

I've never been a big Costco shopper but I've always known they have the best deals in dog beds. I found myself there recently and saw 42" x 36" rectangular beds on sale for $18.99. Do you know how ginormous 42" x 36" is? That's the kind of bed that would have fit my 130 lb german shepherd comfortably.

My only complaint about the beds was that they were too big and would take up too much floor space. Still, I couldn't resist buying at least one to see how they would fit in our house.



I've learned a few things over the past few years from fostering. First off, if a dog has an accident on a dog bed, you're kind of out of luck. You can wash the bed cover, but the stuffing in most beds are not washable, or otherwise, too big to fit in a normal washer. So if any urine (or worse) seeps through the cover and into the stuffing, there's not much you can do to really clean it.

With Popeye's ongoing allergies, I've also become much more aware of dust mites. Beds, including the dog beds, are a magnet for them.

So with this spanking new Costco dog bed, I decided to try to protect it as best as I could. I read that goretex, a synthetic fabric that is waterproof and breathable often used in outerwear, can help protect beds from dust mites because the pores in the fabric are smaller than the size of the mites. That means that the mites are too big to pass through the fabric. Some HEPA filters utilize goretex for this reason.

I happened to have tons of leftover goretex-like material from back when I was making the mermaid pants for Popeye's hind legs. So I made an inner cover for the new dog bed. I didn't have a piece of fabric that was large enough for the bed so I just sewed 2 pieces together and basically made an oversized pillowcase. At first I was going to attach a zipper but then realized it wasn't necessary. There was just enough fabric to make the length super long, so instead of a zipper to seal the cover, I could just fold over the excess length.

Place the bed stuffing inside the waterproof case.


And then put the regular bed cover over it.


This particular bed is going in one of the XL crates in our bedroom that Boomer and Phoebe like to sleep in.


Now, should we ever have a dog in the future that has an accident on the dog bed, we can just remove and wash both covers and the stuffing will remain clean. Additionally, the inner cover will prevent at least somewhat (the fabric isn't "goretex", just something similar and I'm not actually sure how small the pores are) dust mites from inhabiting the stuffing.

Copper Needs a Home

Phoebe and I had the privilege of meeting Copper this weekend in Sacramento. His family lives across the street from Robin, Miko's foster mom. Due to some tragic circumstances, they are being foreclosed upon and are looking for a new home for Copper. We are in search of a foster or adoptive home for him.

Copper epitomizes the exuberance, unabashed joy, and happy-go-luckiness that is synonymous with pitbulls.

Like 'em goofy, happy-go-lucky, good-natured and a little drooly? Then Copper might be just the dog for you. Copper is a playful, sunny-tempered boy who loves strangers, kids, and dogs. He lives with 3 kids and 2 other (larger) dogs. He's a bundle of joy, eager to please, and just loves life.

Copper is an energetic dog but not hyper. He loves to play and is great with other dogs. However, he enjoys his cuddles and couch potato time just as much. Nothing makes him happier than being petted and snuggled in your arms. Copper is a very powerful dog so it's important he continue to be instilled with good manners and discipline so that he remains an ambassador of the canine family.

Copper sits, lays down, and stays (needs some work on the stay, though). He is also housetrained. He loves to go on walks, but pulls a bit at first. He also loves to ride in the car. He always has a blast at the dog park (well, he's the kind of dog that has a blast pretty much wherever he is). He's a little too interested in cats so we think would do best in a non-cat home.

Copper is about 3 years old and is housetrained, neutered, microchipped, and current on shots. His home is being foreclosed and his family is unable to move with all 3 of the dogs. They are keeping the oldest and are trying to find homes for the other 2, including Copper.

A quote from Copper’s family: “One of my favorite things is the “Piggy” noises he makes when he’s sniffing your face. We call him “Piggy Pigington” when he does it and sometimes if you say “Piggy Piggy” he’ll start making the sounds for you!! He will be greatly missed.”

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