To My Mommy who Makes me Happy!

Hey! Just a quick note while my mommy is enjoying some quiet time on the patio with her tea and books. Well not very quiet since Dakota keeps pushing a ball behind her butt, hoping she’ll throw it. He’s very patient and persistent. He’ll nudge it again and again. After a while, the slobber on the ball seeps into her shorts and she throws it to get rid of it. But Dakota thinks, “Game on!” And put it behind her over and over and over again.

I’m very lucky to have a mommy who loves me, who walks me, cuddles with me at night, and loves me no what what I do wrong. Let’s face it though. I’m pretty easy to love. Dakota? Well even though he is annoying, I guess he is easy to love, too.

I never had the chance to have babies, being a rescue dog. But I feel like I’m a mom to Dakota. We sleep close together, I clean his ears, and discipline him when he is really out of control. I love the big lug! There are all kinds of motherhood and I don’t think you get it until you feel the emotional depth of that love. I certainly am glad I feel the love!

So Happy Mother’s Day to every kind of Mom out there!

Intruder Alert!

What’s up everybody!

Besides sneaking onto my mom’s computer and writing to all my blog fans, Dakota and I take our job of home security very seriously! I usually patrol the back of the house. I walk into the dining room and look out the window over my mom’s garden. There are always birds flying around, and once spring comes and the veggie are planted, rabbits and chipmunks run amuck! It’s my job to bark and run to the back door so Mom can let me out. I chase those critters away and protect her garden and our house.

At night although I may relax next to Mommy or Daddy while they pet my head, I don’t shirk my duties. I sit by the big window and gaze into the night. I know what you are thinking. How can she see anything when it’s dark out? Dogs have excellent night vision. But I also use my hearing and I know if anything moves outside. It could be the light of a car pulling into the driveway or a dog running across our yard. No matter what, if I think there is danger, then I must let my parents know!

I’ll bark and whine and run to the back or front door just so someone will let me run out and do my job! Dakota usually is laying on his side like a lazy security guard, but once I sound the alert he is all business. His bark is very scary and the UPS man and the mailman will NOT come onto our lawn if Dakota is outside. No sirree!

I may be head of security, but Dakota is the best when it comes to a real intruder. When Dakota was little, he was very afraid of our dark haired and tall male family members. I’m not sure what it was, but maybe they reminded him of someone who wasn’t so nice to him.

One day, Stephen happened to come downstairs with his ski mask on. He may have been getting ready to go play some outdoor hockey or who knows what he is up to. Well Dakota took one look at him and flipped out. He slid onto his feet and almost tackled Stephen! Luckily, he knows Stephen’s scent (eau de teenage boy!) and stopped short of biting him. Then he ran away! I have to say, I got caught up in the adrenaline because I ran over, too. That Stephen fooled us both!

Stephen chasing Dakota after Dakota nearly takes a bite out of him!

Dakota has had enough of this prank! His job is done!

I know that if an intruder ever broke into our house Dakota and I would defend our family and our home. And I continue to battle the critters who attempt to invade my mom’s garden and my dad’s garage! Having a dog is the best alarm for an intruder alert! And we can count on Stephen to keep us on our toes!

Stay tune for next week when I hope to have my interview up on the Amazing Nero–Pet Therapy Dog!

Meet my friend Shelby!

Hey Everyone!

I know I missed writing last week! I need my own computer between my mommy always typing and Stephen watching YouTube videos! Plus our TV broke so the other night Daddy was using Mommy’s computer when Mommy wanted to use it! You’d think we only had one computer in the house!

Anyway! It’s a gorgeous sunny day outside and the snow is melting. Before I run around outside and get some much needed sun I want to tell you about my friend Shelby. Shelby is a part Labrador and German Shepherd girl. She’s only 15 months old, so she’ still getting use to the world. Her mom, Vicki, is my mom’s supervisor at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library where she works part-time. I went there to visit a long time ago and want to go back to visit.

This is Shelby. Isn’t she a cutie?! Just love the sweater!

Vicki adopted Shelby when she was three months old. Shelby was rescued from a kill shelter in North Carolina, along with her siblings, luckily. I don’t even like to mention the words kill shelter because my fur stands up and my curly tail falls limp to the ground. Shelby and Dakota could probably relate since he was just abandoned. I can’t imagine how Shelby felt being brought to some cold place where she could die! Thank goodness Vicki rescued her when she was found at a Petco store a year ago this April. Shelby says that Vicki came right over to her and Shelby knew immediately that she had found her “forever mom.” Because Shelby was used to hearing so many other dogs around her, her mom kept the TV on for her when she first moved home. She sleeps in a crate, which is very comforting to us.

Shelby loves to be active. Check out the white at the tip of her tail! Very unique!

Shelby has a brother named Charlie. Shelby says Charlie is funny looking. Even though Charlie hisses at her, Shelby insists that Charlie loves her. I never know with a cat, but Dakota shows his love in very interesting ways, so I’ll leave it at that! Shelby definitely has a connection to Charlie since she tries to get up on the furniture like the cat. She is a good-sized dog so that must look pretty hilarious!

Vicki is strict with Shelby and that’s ok. We dogs like to know our boundaries and rules. As she gets older, she’ll be able to do more things around the house. Even though there are rules Shelby has a great time playing ball and chasing the light. Shelby’s favorite place to go is the dog park where she can play with her friends. I’m going to make a play date with Shelby so we can hang together. I may need to leave Dakota home since he has an aversion to playing with other dogs.

Can’t wait to play with Shelby at the park!

Shelby Loves Loves Loves finding BIG sticks outside and chewing them! I do too! Her Uncle Fred plays laser light with her. She does go crazy because she can never catch it. Shelby, I think that’s the name of the game and it’s probably more entertaining for the adults than us.

Shelby’s mom says she is very good-natured and loves everyone. She enjoys giving kisses and wants to be around her mom and her friends. I’m so glad that Shelby has a wonderful home and is happy. Every dog deserves a special home so adopt one today!

We found Dakota on www.petfinder.com or visit your local pet store and find out when they have adoption days.

Puppies are adorable, but there are so many senior dogs who need a home too. Visit www.mrmoproject.com to find some who need love and a warm home.

I’m sure your dog can’t wait to find you.

He’s at it again!

Well, Dakota did it again. He got in trouble. It may not really have been his fault, but I’m the author so I can’t blame myself, can I? Do you remember when I told you that I was throwing up a lot and staining the rugs? Based on Dr. McNaughton’s advice, Mommy changed our food to Blue Buffalo. It’s quite yummy and guess what? I hadn’t thrown up since I started eating it! Mommy had just told my Aunt Michele that I was doing better when the Bark Box arrived! It was so exciting! Every month we get a new box of treats. Plus some of the proceeds benefit the Mr. Mo Project. This foundation fosters senior dogs and takes good care of them. Check it out at http://www.mrmoproject.com. The items included Mardi Gras themed toys and there were some delicious natural treats. Daddy gave me one and it was fantastic!

Dakota loves the jester ball. The Mardi Gras mask was yummy! Stay tuned for my next blog to hear about that!

It was the next day and I was up in Mommy’s office with Dakota and Stephen. I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden, I started heaving. Mommy jumped out of her chair and yelled for me to come downstairs. I don’t know about you, but it’s very hard to start running when your stomach feels like it’s coming out of your mouth! Dakota thought it was a game of course and as Mommy ran down the stair, expecting me to follow, Dakota ran after her.

You guessed it! He took Mommy’s feet right out from under her! Now I didn’t know if I was going to puke from those treats I ate or from Mommy’s impending doom!

I should have known that Mommy would land on her feet. She must be part cat! She held onto the railings and slid all the way down on her slippers! I swallowed whatever was coming up and ran after her to see if she was all right. She did yell at Dakota. I don’t think he realized what he did. He just gets excited.

I cracked up because Stephen asked from upstairs if Dakota fell down the stairs again?! We are a klutzy family! I have fallen down those stairs numerous times! Mommy pulled her shoulder a bit, but hopefully it will heal quickly.

Mommy told the story about how my angel brother, Nick, fell down those same stairs when they first moved into the house. Apparently, Mommy cleaned the stairs with Murphy’s Oil! She needs to take some lessons from my Aunty Karen! Poor Nick! Stephen said he yelled “Ow!” down the whole flight!

We all make mistakes, but Mommy always forgives us.

It’s just your Shadow, Dakota!

If you think about it. Dakota’s middle name should be Shadow, not mine. His middle name is Kenny. It came from the South Park show and Kenny was Stephen’s favorite character.

But I digress from the standard introduction of my blog. It’s a blustery winter day, with the wind blowing underneath my coat. Mommy is getting her Starbuck’s with her BFF and pondering the ways of the world. Stephen is sitting on the couch in his underwear. Gross! And Daddy is at work.

Anyway, back to Dakota’s shadow. Let me tell you a little bit about my younger brother. Dakota joined our family when I was 2. He was malnourished and scared. He was found in a dumpster in Tennessee. He is currently 100 pounds and his bark can be intimidating. I have no doubt that if anyone tried to hurt me or my family, Dakota would protect us. Daddy has taught him how to put tennis balls into a machine that will launch the balls. He is great at jumping high in the air and catching the ball in his mouth. He’s playful and will run around until he literally falls over.

But if you have had the pleasure of hanging out with me and Dakota, you will notice that Dakota sees ghosts!

Ha! I’m just kidding! Dakota thinks that the shadows on the walls and the floor are some type of enemy invading our house. Or maybe he is reliving his life on the streets when any little movement made him run for his life. It could be his flight or fight response. He jumps up on the wall and Daddy yells at him because the wall gets covered with his nose prints. He’ll pound the floor with his paws trying to stamp out the movement that is causing him distress. He actually has cried because it doesn’t go away, and he ripped up our linoleum floor with his teeth!

Zoey, is that a ghost?

Sometimes I can’t stand it. I growl and jump on him to get him distracted. He is very persistent in his diligent attempt to protect our home, but how sad that he never feels fulfilled in his assassination attempts! It must be so frustrating for him. I have tried to explain to him that it’s just his shadow, but he doesn’t believe me. Or maybe he just likes to entertain the family with his blank stares at the ceiling.

No matter how long Dakota chases his shadow I’ll still love him. Everyone has a purpose in their life and Dakota’s is chasing the ghosts from his past.

Watch the video of Dakota in action on my Facebook page.

I’m a Sunshine Kind of Gal

It’s a quiet and cold night. Everyone is sick of the cold and the snow. I know I am! Daddy is constantly outside blowing the snow around and right now Mommy is out there with him, so I get my chance to reflect. I admit when I was little, I loved running around in the snow. My coat is pretty thick even though I don’t really shed like Dakota. My paws tend to get cold quick. Daddy refuses to let Mommy put pawshoes on me.

The other thing I don’t like about the snow is trying to poop. Let’s face it! It’s hard to squat and do your business when the cold snow is right on you! If that isn’t bad enough Dakota always invades my space. Yes, Dakota I am pooping. It’s cold out and I just want to get it done! So lately I have been pooping and peeing on the patio and Oh Boy! Daddy does not like that! He cleared a path in the yard for me and Dakota to do our business on. It’s very funny, but as I look out the window, I can see poop flying through the air with the snow!

There’s not much for me to do in the snow. Not so for Dakota who just loves being out in the snow. He’d live out there I think! He runs and gallops over the big snow drifts. Daddy put all Dakota’s tennis balls in a bucket in the garage and the other night he told Mommy that Dakota had emptied the entire bucket. He finds the balls in the snow and sometimes Daddy finds them with his snow blower! Eek!

Dakota will lay on the patio and wait for someone to come out and play. Or he’ll bark at the four dogs who live next door. Dakota will catch snowballs until springtime! He jumps in front of the shovel, just so he can feel the snow on his face. He looks so funny with a white beard! I gotta say Dakota makes the best of every kind of weather. He plays in the snow, digs in the grass, licks puddles when it rains. He has a very positive outlook!

Dakota enjoying his snow day!

Me? Well I just want the sun. In the afternoon when the sun is just over the trees, it streams into our family room. So I lay there and get my Vitamin D. We all need some sunshine in our lives. Dakota just makes his own.

I found Dr. McNaughton!!

Hi Everybody!

Is it cold enough out there for you? I had to thaw my paws in front of the fire before I could start typing. Mommy drove to the store and Dakota is sleeping under her desk so now is the time to write my blog!

Last week Dakota and I had our visit to the vet. Stephen came with us and I was a little confused because we usually go to a place right around the corner from our house. This time we drove a bit longer. Dakota got anxious and he tried to jump over the back seat to get closer to Stephen but he got stuck! It was very funny, although he didn’t thinks so. Anyway, we stopped at a very big place. I heard Mommy tell Stephen it was the Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital. I got nervous because I don’t really like new places, but I didn’t like our old place anymore, because my favorite Dr. McNaughton didn’t come see us anymore.

Mommy didn’t know where he went and I didn’t much like the other vets. They didn’t understand Dakota’s enthusiasm and would put a muzzle on him. That only made him more nervous. Dr. McNaughton always sat down on the floor with us and he would let me lick his face as much as I wanted. I went to the front desk to check in with Mommy and Stephen held onto Dakota. He was even more nervous than me and he kept whining and howling. He settled down once I was next to him.

After a few minutes It was time for us to go into a back room. The scale they wanted us to step on was wiggly and neither one of us wanted to do it. Everything was so different. I thought maybe I wanted to go back to the old place. Then this nice lady took us around the corner and there was a flat scale on the floor. Dakota weighs 100 pounds and I am 63 pounds.

We were brought back into the room and we waited. I was getting impatient, but then the door opened. It was Dr. McNaughton! My smile almost broke my face I was so happy to see him. I wanted to tell him about the last year and how I had been throwing up (he said it’s acid reflux and changed my food), and how much we have missed him. He just seemed to know all this and let me lick his face and his hands. Dakota kept getting in between us and stepping on his legs. I didn’t get mad, because I knew Dakota missed him too.

Dr. McNaughton is as happy to see me as I am to see him!

Dakota keeps trying to get the doctor’s attention when he’s supposed to be checking my belly!

Mommy knows how important it is to be comfortable and like your doctor no matter who you are. She was willing to travel further so that we could be taken care of by Dr. McNaughton. He loves animals and I know he loves us! All my fears disappeared and I barked, “I’m so glad I found you!”

Giving the doctor all my loving kisses!

If you lost Dr. McNaughton, know he can be found at the Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital! Tell him Zoey sent you!

SHOUT OUT TO ALEX!

HEY ALEX!

I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT YOU DONT’ BELIEVE THAT I WRITE A BLOG! IT’S THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN TOWN BECAUSE MY MOM DOESN’T KNOW THAT I USE HER COMPUTER. RIGHT NOW SHE’S IN YOGA SO WHILE SHE’S DOING HANDSTANDS I’M TYPING AWAY!

WRITING MY POST TO ALEX.

DO YOU NOT THINK THAT DOGS HAVE SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT? DON’T YOU THINK WE HAVE FEELINGS? THERE ARE SO MANY ISSUES THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE AND I THINK THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THEM. HOPEFULLY IT WILL HELP OTHER DOGS FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A VOICE.

SO IN ORDER TO GET YOU INVOLVED WITH MY BLOG, I’D LIKE TO INTERVIEW YOU. IS THAT OK?

HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS:

1. DO YOU LIKE DOGS?

2. DO YOU HAVE A DOG?

3. IF YES, WHAT KIND OF DOG DO YOU HAVE?

4. IF NO, WHAT KIND OF DOG WOULD YOU WANT AND WHAT WOULD YOU NAME HIM/HER?

5. CAN YOU SEND ME A PHOTO OF YOU AND MY BROTHER, STEPHEN, HANGING OUT AT SCHOOL?

I HOPE YOU WILL RESPOND AND SHOW THIS DOG SOME RESPECT!

BYE!

Zoey Shadow–Therapy Dog!

Happy New Year!

My mom left to take Nanny (her mom) to the doctor’s. I turned Mom’s space heater on in her office to warm up the place. It’s so cold for Nanny to go out on her own and it’s nice to get right into a warm car. It’s like when I go pee outside in this freezing weather and then come back into our cozy home. I hate being cold and I’m sure Nanny doesn’t like it either!

Since I started writing about Nanny, let me tell you about my four days as her therapy dog. A few days before Christmas Nanny stayed with us because she hurt her arm. She couldn’t move it, so it would be easier for Mom to take care of Nanny at our house.

Well, of course I was excited! So was Dakota, but I gave Nanny my best smile and wagged my tail super fast. I’m sure she knew how happy I was to see her. It was very hard to calm down, but then Nanny would sit on the couch and pet me while I leaned against her leg. This is when the therapy began. While Nanny and Mom watched holiday movies I would lick Nanny’s hand and she would pet my head and watch the movie. I think it helped her heal and calmed her. I know she had a lot to get done before Christmas, but she needed time to relax.

I take my therapy job very seriously. See how hard I’m working?

Dakota and I sleep in Stephen’s room, but I couldn’t wait to get downstairs and see Nanny. Every morning with her here was like Christmas! I would run to the couch and my smile would say, “Nanny, I’m here! Do you need to pet me for your therapy today?”

Barely awake, Nanny would rest her hand on my head and sometimes she would even fall asleep like that. That’s when I would lay down next to her just to make sure that Dakota didn’t stick his long nose in her face.

Relaxing after giving therapy.

Nanny loves Dakota, too. I know because she fed him pieces of her toast from the table! Shhh! Don’t tell my dad! Dakota was extra gentle. I’m proud of him because he can be nippy and klutzy.

I made sure I took care of Nanny, but she also took care of me and Dakota, making us feel extra loved. I hope Nanny knows there’s always a place petting my head and I’m happy to be her therapy dog any day!

True Love!

Love you Nanny!

Zoey

Missing my Family

Hi,
It’s me, Zoey. Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. I’m really sad and I hope that sharing this with everyone will make me feel better.

Mommy, Daddy and Stephen went on one of their long trips for soccer. Stephen loves soccer so much and Mommy says that if you have a dream, you should never give up, and do everything you can to make it a reality. Mommy took her computer, so I am sneaking onto Lyssie’s computer while she is at basketball practice.

I love when Lyssie stays with us, because I get so upset when my family leaves. I know when they are planning it too. Mommy gets very focused on cleaning the house, getting her work done, and packing her bags. She takes us on a long walk the morning she leaves and after giving both Dakota and me big hugs, she tells us how much she loves us and then gives us a big bone to chew.

Part of me is happy for them and I enjoy having extra special treatment from Lyssie, but I can’t wait for them to get back. I am happy that I have Dakota and his goofiness keeps me from getting too anxious.

I don’t know what happened last night, but I got sick and threw up. I was afraid Lyssie would be mad at me, but she cleaned everything up and sat with me.

I hope my family knows how much I love and miss them. I’m sure Dakota does too, but throw a ball and he forgets he has a family!

Live in the moment is his motto!

Would love to hear from some of you!