Havachon Holiday Hijinks….and Merry Christmas!

I’ll be going on a holiday blogging hiatus for about a week – not by choice, but by sheer necessity. Finishing up all the Christmas preparations while trying to clear up as much work as possible is always a little overwhelming at this time of the year.

I love birds, so I have a small Christmas "bird tree" in our family room. It's my favorite!

Since we’ll be missing the next Monday Mischief blog hop, I wanted to fill you in on a couple of Daisy’s Holiday Hijinks:

Daisy’s been scrupulously checking each present as it appears under the tree, and I have to say that she was satisfied giving them a good sniff and walking away….generally….except for one shimmering gold bow that seemed to draw a somewhat excessive amount of attention. A couple of “no’s” and she was able to put it behind her….for the most part!

I've been good, Santa! Look, I even let them put these antlers on me! Can you put a new Nylabone in my stocking, please?

Remember when I said that Daisy thinks water in anything other than her bowl is “special water” and she laps it up like it’s a special treat? Well, we get a real tree….with water in the base….yah. You guessed it. My solution was to spray the tree skirt with bitter apple, which makes Daisy sneeze. Did it work? Kinda….except that Daisy figured out what the perimeter of the spray zone was and just made her way around it to the back of the tree base where there was no spray. Seriously, I kid you not. (The next time we get a dog, the one requirement I’m giving at the animal shelter is for the dog with the least amount of smarts. Smart dogs are challenging! LOL)

And with that, Daisy, DD, DH and I wish all our blogging buddies and visitors a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a happy, healthy 2012! We’re looking forward to another year filled with Havachon Hijinks! 😀

Merry Christmas!

Monday Mischief – All Wrapped Up For Christmas

This time it’s not Mischievous Daisy, but rather Mischievous Mommy….

When DD and I decorate the tree, we put on a fun Christmas CD and wrap glittering garland around our necks like flowing boas. Then we sing, laugh, and sparkle our way along until our home becomes a Christmas wonderland. (Yeah, we’re really into Christmas here!)

So this year we decided to inaugurate Daisy into our tradition.

She wasn’t very amused.

What is this crazy sparkly stuff?? And why has it taken over my body??

I refuse to look at you while wearing yet another humiliating holiday "outfit".

You better not be posting these pictures online!

This is just getting ridiculous....Dad, tell her to stop taking pictures! Uh, Dad, why are you laughing too.....

We took the garland off her right after our little photo shoot, but it just had to be done!! 😀

It’s the Mischief Monday Blog Hop! Click the box below to find lots of other mischievous pets!

Daisy’s Decoy

We have an inner hallway with no natural light except whatever streams out of the bedrooms. On a gray day like this one, the hallway can be a  bit dark.

So there I was walking down this darkened hallway when I saw a dog form lying on its side in the middle of the hallway. Odd place for Daisy to sleep, I thought. She’ll never take the floor when she can have the sofa.

Plus I’d just left her on the sofa in the family room. Hmmmm.

I went up to the form, which stayed peculiarly still, and suddenly realized that Daisy had left her blanket lying there in the shape of a dog lying on its side! Take a look at this (taken in natural dull light so you can see it as I did) – at first glance, wouldn’t you think that was a dog too, judging by its general shape?

Why is there a dog lying in the hallway??

Do you see what I see? Or were my eyes just playing silly tricks on me?? Legs pointing down, head with an ear sticking up toward the top, arched body…..

Odd colors for a dog.....

Finally, when I turned on the light, it revealed itself:

That little dickens set up a decoy! What's she up to?!? LOL

While I’d love to believe she’s so smart that she did it on purpose, I know it was just one of those odd things. But hey, we can always pretend, right? 😉

Have a fun weekend everybody!

Another New Award – Kreativ Blogger Award!

How thrilled we were to find that 2browndawgs honored us with the Kreativ Blogger Award! If you’re not familiar with 2browndawgs, take a minute to visit their blog. These two beautiful Chesapeake Bay Retrievers take us along on their training sessions, competitions, and outings in duck country. And they’re about to add a third adorable Chessie puppy to their happy home – you don’t want to miss these cute puppy pics!

For this award, we have to share 10 things about Daisy that you may not know. Then we get to pass the award on to six other bloggers. 🙂 We always love to share awards!

Okay, so here goes the first part:

1. Daisy loves the color red. She’s always drawn to it and definitely focuses more on red objects and pictures than any others.

2. Daisy likes to gently chew on her back foot with the silliest expression on her face (sorry to tell your secrets, Daisy!). And she puts ALL of it in her silly little mouth.

3. A dear family friend has nicknamed Daisy “The Blur” because of her insane impression of a joyful jumping bean whenever anyone comes into the house.

4. Daisy growls when she sees Doberman Pinschers on TV. She’s never met one in real life – go figure!

5. There’s a definite love/hate relationship between Daisy and her harnesses. She loves the idea of going out, but hates having the harness put on her for some odd reason known only to Daisy.

6. When we take Daisy for a ride in the car, she’s always safely harnessed in the back seat. But if I’ve parked the car in the driveway and then need to put it into the garage for the night, I let her sit in the front passenger seat – she sits like royalty, prim and proper and staring out the front window (whatever she can see from her height!) doing a perfect impression of a well-behaved dog (this is only a facade, of course!). This is definitely one of her favorite treats!

7.  I posted about how Daisy likes to knock shoes over; well, lately she’s been standing them up as well. If she finds shoes lying on their sides, she pushes them upright with her nose. All part of her shoe obsession, I guess!

8. Daisy seems to think that water in any container other than her own bowl is “special water” – if you offer water to her in anything else, she laps it up excitedly like it’s beef broth.

9. Daisy gets excited whenever we go into the laundry room because she knows new toys and treats are kept in there. Once she sees we’re just doing laundry or going to a shelf that’s not hers, she walks away.

10. If we alter our voices or make an unusual sound, Daisy has to jump up and carefully sniff our mouths to see if anything’s changed and we’re still us. I think this is her version of Homeland Security. LOL!

Okay, now the fun part. We love passing awards on and wish we could pass them on to all of our blogging buddies. But since we’re limited to 6 on this one, here goes:

1. Scriptor Obscura Writes. Ranging in scope from creative writing with depth and feeling to commentary, you just never know what you’ll find there!

2. Words With Purpose. Just like the title suggests.

3. Live, Bark, Love. Amazing agility work by 5 gorgeous dogs.

4. Roxy the Traveling Dog. Two cute pups and introductions to artists you may not otherwise know about.

5. Snoopy’s Dog Blog. Just the sweetest bearded collie you’ll ever meet.

6. Basset Momma. Tales of two very expressive basset hounds.

Thanks again to 2browndawgs!

You made my Christmas even merrier! 🙂

Daisy’s Most Mischievous Self

This may not look mischievous to the innocent by-stander, but it’s Daisy’s #1 Mischief Stance – the “I’ve Positioned Myself For A Quick Getaway” stance.

Uhh, you haven't noticed anything missing or out of place, have you? No reason, just asking......

At that point in the hall, there’s an open doorway to the left of Daisy, the living room to the right, and a big open space behind her where she can either race around the dining room table or zip through the rest of the house.

She’s practically uncatchable. So when I walk down the hallway and she stays firmly planted in her favorite getaway spot, I know to start looking for trouble!

You’ve landed on the Monday Mischief blog hop! Click the button below to see what other mischievous pups have been up to! 🙂

FDA Warning: Toxic Treats From China = Russian Roulette With Your Pet’s Life

We’re interrupting our usual Crazy Daisy silliness because of a new FDA warning about the dangers of pet treats imported from China. We don’t want any fellow pets or pet lovers to suffer the devastating effects of these potentially toxic “treats”.

It’s more important than ever to check the small print on that bag of treats or pet food you’re buying to make sure it wasn’t made in China. Apparently, giving your pet treats made in China is like playing Russian roulette with your pet’s life.

It doesn’t get any scarier than that, my fellow animal-lovers.

The 12/03/2011 Natural News article (you can read it in its entirety by clicking on that link) said there’s been an “uptick in adverse event reports” regarding pet treats made in China. “MSNBC reports that at least 70 dogs so far this year have been sickened or killed by chicken jerky products imported from China“. 

And those 70 are only the ones vets reported – how many more illnesses and deaths went unreported or unattributed to poisonous imported edibles?

Seriously, we have to stop this madness. Imported glass roasting pans have exploded when taken out of the oven (it happened to a friend of my mother’s), toxic toothpastes and makeup items sicken and kill people, cheap ceramic  glazes (or lack thereof) leak toxins into our drinks, and so, so much more. And now our pets are becoming victims too. But as long as we keep feeding these manufacturers’ wallets, they’ll keep mass producing toxic waste for our ingestion. Or should I say indigestion? 😉

My friend’s dog was horribly sick for a month because one of these slipped past her in a sample packet. She was just lucky her little cutie survived, but he suffered horribly with constant vomiting and diarrhea. And, of course, his human family suffered right along with him.

I’m usually a pretty easy-going sort of person who believes in the “live and let live” motto, but when manufacturers have a total disregard for the health and safety of others, it makes my blood boil and I have to take a stand. So here it is.

Don’t – buy – cheap – Chinese – imports. Your life and your pet’s life may be at risk.

I’m certainly not saying that China is the only country producing dangerous things, but they’re the ones producing an overwhelming majority of it. We have to start discouraging this wanton disregard for life and safety somewhere.

Since we can’t be sure which Chinese manufacturers use dangerous toxins in their products, we can’t take chances with any of them. Sure, there are recalls from even the most trusted manufacturers, but they’re usually unintentional and few and far between. What I’m talking about is a constant stream of deliberately cheap and dangerous goods.

Personally, I’d rather buy one item that’s more expensive if it comes from a manufacturer I have good reason to believe is safe than buy ten questionable items from any country we know exports toxins. How many more warnings do we need before we take action and protect ourselves?

And while we’re on the subject, the Natural News article also advised that we avoid any pet foods/treats with the irradiation symbol, which looks frighteningly innocent and has an earth-friendly appearance:

Radura Symbol

Natural News reports that radiation is used to blast “pathogens and viruses” out of pet foods (how and why did they get in there in the first place?!), but instead it can render pet food toxic. Several pets in Australia died from ingesting irradiated pet food; there’s a link in the article where you can read about such cases. Unfortunately, some US manufacturers use this process too, so look for the Radura Symbol and steer clear of any pet products that have it. Better safe than sorry.

My goal in writing this is NOT to point the finger of blame, but rather to help keep our beloved pets safe. If we know there’s a risk with anything, we need to pass that information along to help others so we can all make informed buying decisions. And that’s all I’m hoping to do.

Monday Mischief – One Busy, Frizzy Puppy

There’s always one way to know without stepping outside that dry, cool weather has returned – puppy ear frizz.

Daisy loves to play “mummy” – we throw her blanket over her, and she gets herself all wrapped up in it. She even walks around with it completely covering her until she bumps into things….maybe she’s secretly training to go into the Special Forces Night Ops Division? 😉

Shhh, don't tell anyone I'm in training....

Heehee they can't find me hidden in here!

Until she finally emerges with ears twice their size!

Bet you can't guess the adventure I just had! Umm, why are you laughing at me??

You’ve landed on the Monday Mischief Blog Hop! Click the button below to meet more new pet blog buddies!

A Lovely Surprise from Two of our Favorite Bloggers!

How surprised and delighted we were to discover that we received the Leibster Blog award from both Scriptor Obscura and Chancy the Gardener! Thank you to both Scriptor and Chancy for this honor! 😀

These are the rules for the Liebster Award:

1. Thank the giver and link back to them.

2. Reveal your top five picks {with less than 200 readers} and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite up-and-coming bloggers and keep it going!

It’s so hard to pick just five blogs for any award, because we love all the blogs we follow!  And, of course, we have no way of knowing how many followers our blog buddies actually have, so we’ll just pass it along anyway.

1. Snoopy’s Dog Blog – with his soft, expressive eyes and small-dog-in-a-big-dog’s-body sweetness, Snoopy melts our hearts every time we visit his blog. And he’s part of a fun Mischief Monday blog hop too! 🙂

2. 2BrownDawgs – the adventures and incredible hunting skills of two beautiful Chesapeake Bay Retrievers who are soon adding a third Chessie puppy to their family!

3. Passionate About Pets – Barb writes about so many interesting things, from wildlife in her own back yard to her heartwarming return to her Scottish roots. Barb is passionate about many things, and her posts always overflow with her own special warmth.

4. Happy Bark Days – Little Miss Maple will win you heart with one look. This tiny little pup is BIG on cuteness and personality!

5. Vanilla Bean – four adorable Shih-Poo pups and their life from puppyhood to adults.

I would definitely have included Granny and The Hook to our list, because their blogs are so funny to read. But I know they’re not into awards so much, so I’ll just give them a mention anyway.

Thank you again from Daisy and family! 😀