This week we have two Pets of the Week! Jewlie and Windy belong to Heidi.

Heidi says:

These are two of my pets - Jewlie (kitty) and Windy (doggie) that I adopted when no one else wanted them. Sorry, no snakes for you to see. Just chickens, dogs and cats.

I manage an all volunteer animal shelter for handicapped and terminally ill animals. Windy has three legs and Jewlie is blind in one eye. I really enjoy the pet pix that everyone shares.

Thank you, Heidi!

Hope, a one year-old Maltese puppy with only nubs where her front legs should be, is finally getting a chance to see what life is like with a little mobility!

The custom designed harness is attached to independently moving arms that are actually attached to model airplane wheels, and with a just a bit of push from her hind legs she’s able to move around almost as she should as opposed to the hopping she previously did.

As she gets older she’ll have to have another device made for her. Make sure you check out the rest of the article linked above - she’s too cute to miss!

The Early Show on CBS did a segment last week on the smartest and dumbest dog breeds. I’ve heard of some breeds not being as bright as others, I’m not sure what their criteria was.

Anyway, they say the dumbest breeds are:

1. Afghan Hound
2. Basenji
3. Bulldog
4. Chow Chow
5. Borzois
6. Bloodhound
7. Pekingese
8. Mastiff
9. Beagle
10. Basset hound

and the smartest are:

1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Like I said, I’m not sure what they’re basing their rankings on exactly. I’ve known a pretty smart beagle and a dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks poodle so it’s a safe bet that it’s all relative anyway!

What do you think of the lists?

[image: flickr]

What do you do with your dog(s) when you leave the house (I don’t mean on vacation, but just for a few hours to errands or go out to dinner, etc.) or at night?

We crate Chip and Honey when we’re going to be gone longer than about an hour. When Chip was a puppy he had some potty issues if we were gone longer and we found that he was able to hold it when we put him in his little crate. Honey had potty issues when we adopted her (as an adult) but also refuses to mess up her crate. They’re the first thing we head for when we get home, though, so maybe they just know we won’t forget them!

We also crate them at night because neither of us wanted them sleeping with us and we don’t want them trotting around the house harassing the cats unsupervised. They both go in willingly after going outside one last time and then we just say “go to bed” and they dash into their little crates and curl up (that’s all I had to do to get Chip into his crate for the above picture, in the middle of the day!).

Aww, this is so cute! Apparently a little piggy in the UK is actually afraid of mud and dirt and refuses to join its littermates when they’re rolling around in it.

Image details: Piglet served by picapp.com

Her owners noticed that Cinderella, as she’s been dubbed, would sit off to the side of the pen shaking while the rest of the pigs were being, well, pigs and came to realize that she was having a problem with the mud. They grabbed some small wellies (rain boots) that were being used as pencil holders and slipped them on Cinderella’s feet. She now joins her littermates doing what pigs do best!

She’s so used to them now that she runs over to have them put on as soon as she sees the owner enter the pen!

Continuing with the weird pets theme, this is Kricket. Kricket loves to cuddle but she doesn’t like being on your lap - where the other two cats will just walk right across you to get from one side to the other, Kricket carefully calculates the distance for a few seconds and then hops across.

She loves to just hang out next to you, though. As you can see in the picture above she gets quite comfy. And you can’t really see it but she’s not leaning against the armrest, just the back of the couch.

Here she’s starting to contemplate a nap.

And she’s out. She’ll sleep like this for a few hours before stretching out and snoozing again!

Anyone else’s cats do this?

Remember, these are for the dog, not you! (Although, admit it - when you make your own treats you take a nibble, right? Right?)

Apple Cinnamon Drops Dog Treats

1 large apple
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Core, slice and mince the apple (use a food processor if you have one). In a large bowl, combine the minced apple, honey, water, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.

In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. Spoon the dough by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5cm) apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour (to prevent sticking), flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle. Adjust the size of the drops based on how big a treat you like to feed your dog.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each cookie to brown evenly on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 325 ° F. Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let cool overnight.

Makes about 3 dozen crunchy cookies, depending on how big you make them.

[image: flickr]

The Lifestyles Channel recently submitted links to entries that say “summertime” to each of us. Our fearless Gayla compiled the list, and if you’ve got a minute check out all the great ideas below, and have a safe Memorial Day weekend!

Mary Emma Allen at One Book Two Book reminds you to check out your local library for their summer reading programs, which can be great fun for youngsters, parents and grandparents.

Be gone foul wasp! Noreen Crone-Findlay at Hankering for Yarn has designed a crocheted fake wasp nest to trick the wasps and yellow jackets into staying away from her home. Let’s hope it works!

Elizabeth at Career and Kids shares tips for those busy potluck and picnic days at work and home. And on GenBetween she also shares 10 warm weather tips for aging adults.

Kadi Prescott of Supernanny Rules discusses the importance of continued learning during those long summer breaks from school.

Deborah Ng at Simply Thrifty paints a beautiful portrait of life as a kid in the 70’s in Queens with “Dining Al Fresco in the Summers of My Youth.”

Cyndi Lavin of Jewelry and Beading wants her readers to win a beautiful medallion, just in time for some summertime beading fun. On Layers Upon Layers you’ll learn some digital effects to give your summertime pictures some zip! And nothing beats crisp tangy salads for summertime eating. Busy Family Meals has a special salad dressing giveaway.

I have two recipes that say “summertime” at Chocolate Bytes — chocolate zucchini cake and Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream. Here at The Food Bowl, I offer tips on heat stroke prevention for your pets.

My co-blogger Sherry at Inside Motherhood discusses taking her daughter to the market and explaining to her how it’s better to support locally grown farm foods rather than importing food as a bit of an educational field trip.

Christina at Solo Mother shares a bit of a then and now as she discusses Sunday rituals as a child and those of today with her own child.

Maricar at Keeping the Castle shares a wonderful guest post by Jeff Wilson of the DIY Network where he discusses simple steps to an amazing deck makeover.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy shares two very popular classic posts - 15 Summer Cooking Tips and 10 Thrifty Ways to Deal with Mosquitos.

Peggy at Junk Creation shares how to make a Vacation Scrapbook Planter from a Sour Cream Container.

Katelyn from Stamping Mad has created a mixed media collage to remind herself to take time to enjoy the wonderful summer weather.

Farley at Behind the Vines is preparing for some summertime wine tasting. The only thing left to do is decide on a destination.

Sandy Mitchell at Robust Cooking shares 9 Quick Vegetable Grilling Tricks and if you hop over to her other blog All Holiday Cafe, she shares 10 Ways to Save Money on Summer Holiday Travel.

Susan Gunelius at Play Library shares fond memories of her younger days spending hours in the family pool and flashes forward to today and the fun and affordable pool toys that are available.

Linette Gerlach at Mother Earth’s Garden shares tips on Creating an Outdoor Space to escape to for relaxation, and at She Knows Parties, Linette shares a Party Punch Decorative Ice Ring for a cool refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Noel Bautista at Unplugged Living enlightens us on solar cooking options as an alternative to traditional grilling methods.

Last, Gayla at MomGadget takes a stroll down memory lane with some favorite dishes and flavors of summertime.

[image: sxc, sxc]

Not this bird! Not too long ago, Yosuke, an African grey parrot in Tokyo, flew out of his cage and ended up lost.

Two weeks later he was rescued from a neighboring rooftop and taken to a veterinary hospital. During the time he was with the police who found him, he didn’t say a peep. Once he got to the hospital, though, he got a bit vocal:

“I’m Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,” the bird told the veterinarian. The parrot then provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

The hospital staff checked out the information Yosuke provided and found out that the information was correct. The Nakamura family was happy to be reunited with their pet, and explained that they had been teaching Yosuke his name and address for the last two years!

[image: sxc]

Image details: Lop-eared rabbit served by picapp.com

I seem to be on a bunny kick this week (do not tell my husband!) and came across this recipe for “bunny cookies:”

- 1 cup of your bunny’s favorite fruits and veggies, chopped (bunny-friendly only!)
- 1/4 cup yogurt or banana (plus a little bit of water if using banana)

1. Cut up fruits and vegetables and place in a bowl
2. Mix water and banana until creamy (skip this step if you are using yogurt)
3. Place a small amount of yogurt or banana mixture on a plate
4. Place small amount of fruits and vegetables onto the mixture and put into the freezer for 30 minutes

Make the cookies a bit smaller and these would be great for rats too!