WOLFDOG DEN - SEQUOIA AND FREEDOM'S DATE

We just received a call from Aunt Lisa; Freedom and Sequoia have had a successful date. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we have puppies in a couple of months. If all goes well, the puppies will be born anywhere between 57 to 63 days and may we hope for a healthy batch of puppies and lots of pictures to add to the blog. Freedom has a great personality and is gorgeous and that mixed with Sequoia's beauty and sweetness should make for some great puppies. If anyone is interested in a puppy, let us know, I am sure Rick and Debbie would be happy to start a list. To contact me, e-mail addy is bdurrance@cfl.rr.com or barbara.durrance@gmail.com. I can then put you in touch with Rick and Debbie. Freedom's daddy is going to provide information about him but Sequoia is from Spirit and Cheyenne and is 74% arctic timber wolf mixed with Malamute and Husky. This wolfdog den is very excited.

P.S. As you can see, swimming pools aren't just for swimming, they make great containment for the first 1 to 2 weeks of puppy birth and mommy can easily get in and feed and will keep the area nice and clean.

WOLFDOG DEN NEWS

Spirit here. Getting started late today, mommy took lunch to Aunt Lisa's house. I hate when she does that, nothing to pilfer. And she had the nerve to come back here with "Yorkie" breath; yep, she pet and kissed a Yorkie, our cousin Kodiak. Gonna try to get a picture of him, he is like a spot compared to the rest of us. I think mommy is planning on going to dog night at Ritter's. Aunt Lisa and Aunt Michele want to go. I heard her talking on the phone about giving Sundance a bath which means he is going to dog night. I didn't even get asked if I wanted a bath. That's okay, I didn't want one anyway, I like this grayish-brown color I have become. It is tough being a white dog, seems like everything sticks to your fur. Speaking of fur, Cheyenne is shedding like crazy right now, it is coming out in clumps. The dustbuster has been busy. Sundance doesn't like that thing either. Come to think of it, Sundance doesn't like much of anything. Well, time for another nap, enjoy the picture of one of my pups trying to sneak some dog food. Like father, like son.

WOLFDOG DEN IMPORTANT NEWS

FloridaPets.net is a web site loaded with information about pet friendly areas. It is a great site, check it out, I love that site. There is an article in there regarding pet hazards; there are a lot of dangerous animals and plant life listed. Click here to view that article, it is well worth reading.

DOG NIGHT AT RITTER'S FROZEN CUSTARD - Ritter's Frozen Custard in Port Orange has dog night the first Monday of every month. It is from 7 to 10 p.m. We get there around 6:30. They have free ice cream for the dogs. They dish up a little bowl and put a dog biscuit on the top. If you have a lawn chair, you might want to bring it; there is seating but it is scattered and sparse. It is located at 4629 Clyde Morris Blvd in Port Orange, phone 386-760-1082.

Check out my Slide Show!

WOLFDOG DESTRUCTION

If you own a wolfdog, you can identify with the stories told in the comments and posts on this blog. In my home, Spirit chewed up a Coke can and a few other items. Sundance helped the puppies from the second litter destroy my futon. He has gnawed on a very nice decorative wolf pillow that I own and someone chewed on a handmade Raggedy Ann doll that my mother made for me. Well, there is good news! I can trust Spirit in any room of the house now, I know he is not going to touch anything, unless of course, it is food. He is a sneak-eater. I have to be sure that we do not have any of those toxic foods in the house. Sometimes I forget to block Sundance's bedroom door with the baby gate. He wakes when he sees sunlight streaming through the window and he opens the door. Wow, the baby gate is not in the way. So he explores the rest of the house. The first time I heard him howling at my bedroom door, my heart froze. My first thought was, what in the world did he destroy. To my surprise and delight, he touched nothing. I was shocked but I still don't trust him.

Cheyenne on the other hand still eats everything. She figured out how to open the bathroom cabinets and helped herself to a brand new 300-pack of Q-tips. Q-tips are a lot of fun to throw around apparently. I am still picking up Q-tips. She has figured out how to open my closet doors and helped herself; she tried on some clothes, tried out several pairs of shoes and took out the luggage and looked at it. I guess she thought she was going on vacation. She doesn't know how close she came to getting there, anywhere but here. She also figured out how to climb the shelves and helped herself to some sweaters, beanies and stuffed animals. I have rustic bedroom furniture, the "distressed" kind; well, it wasn't distressed enough for her. And some of this was just in the last few months. I have resigned myself to the fact that she will not grow out of this. That, coupled with this insane desire she has to dig more dens makes for a very destructive wolfdog. I keep telling myself she must have had a good reason, just haven't figured out what it is yet. You gotta love 'em.

WOLFDOGQUEEN'S SLIDESHOW

Hey, check it out. Cherokee's mommy created a slideshow too. Click here and enjoy.

CUBBY'S WATER FOUNTAIN AND MORE

Grace, Cubby's mommy, has given me permission to post an e-mail she sent to me with more detail about Cubby's fountain experience. Please enjoy, it is hysterical.

You know how Cubby LOVES water, right? Well, this year we decided to make a 'fountain' for her in the back. Which consists of a kiddy pool buried in the ground and held in place by 50 lb rocks with a filter to recirculate the water (so she could play with the jetting water) It took 1 day to create...30 minutes to destroy!! She played & splashed & dug joyfully in the water until she realized it was a little black box making the water move! She tore the filter to shreds (careful to not touch the actual machine-which she picked up gently with her mouth & threw over the fence sputtering) MOVED 2 rocks (YES, 50 LB ROCKS!!) yanked & pulled the pool out of the ground and proceeded to bite it all over. Basically the pool holds no more water...but she's got a new digging hole that's a lot cooler than the one in the forest (because it's full of muddy water!) I'll have to get a picture of the wreckage for you. I wish I took a picture of the finished product, but who knew it would be destroyed so quickly! HAHAHAHAHA! I attached some new pictures for you as well!! I'm reading the site saying how cautious wolf/dogs are and I'm thinking perhaps I got the puppy that's ALL dog!! Cubby is beyond bold! She fearlessly goes romping ahead whenever we go somewhere new! Loves meeting new people & animals. Doesn't understand why not EVERYBODY wants to play with her! HAHAHAHAHA!! She has no fear of anything. We climbed the jetty rocks and she was right there with us bounding away! When she sees a person she considers NOT a friend, she barks once then assumes the position. Which is feet planted shoulder width apart and lowers her head and stares. Quite intimidating if you didn't know she's a goofball!!

CHEYENNE AND CHEROKEE

Can you tell the difference? It amazes me how much Cherokee resembles her mommy.

WOLFDOG KUNA, CUBBY AND SEQUOIA

Kuna and Cubby checked in today and I got to visit with Sequoia yesterday. I have updated pictures of Cubby here and will be receiving pictures of Kuna soon. Kuna was on vacation, went up north and into Canada, those should be great pics. Her mommy and daddy love her a lot and say she is great traveler and a very smart girl. Cubby is a silly little girl. She is the one that loves to play in her water bowl. I received a cute note from her mommy about a fountain they made for her, which she quickly destroyed and now have a big mud hole. It is a good thing her mommy and daddy love her. I got to see Sequoia yesterday. She was visiting with our friend Freedom. You can see his picture in the slideshow, handsome devil. We are hoping he becomes Sequoia's new boyfriend if you know what I mean. I will be adding more pictures to the slideshow so check back often. Hopefully people will start posting comments on the blog so we can share all the funny stories. I love to hear from everyone. I am thinking a family reunion is in our future. Let me know what you think of that idea and maybe we can start the planning process. I would like to see everybody together. Maybe a picnic or something.

WOLFDOG - PEOPLE FOOD AND MEDICATION THAT CAN KILL YOUR PET

If you are like me, it is difficult to resist that sad puppy face and those imploring eyes as they watch you eat. They always act like they are starving and you really must give them what you are eating or they are just going to drop! Very dramatic but that is the way it feels sometimes.

Human foods are dangerous to animals.

Every year, the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center receives tens of thousands of calls where animal poisoning resulted by the use of human food and household items.

DANGEROUS PET FOOD LIST

AVOCADOS
BEER - ALCOHOL
NUTS
CHOCOLATE
CANDY
CAFFEINE
GRAPES AND RAISINS
ONIONS

MEDICINE - check with your vet about medicine on the okay list, there are a few. When in doubt, it is best not to give them any medicine.

ACETAMINOPHEN AND IBUPROFEN - extremely toxic and are found in many over-the-counter pain medications.

There are some human foods that are okay for your pet but keep in mind whenever you change your pets diet, it can lead to GI upset and diarrhea. Always check with your vet prior to changing your pet's food or adding any new item.

OKAY HUMAN FOOD

LEAN MEAT - cooked, low in fat, no chicken skin or fat from beef. NO BONES as they splinter. I give mine soup bones from the meat market, they are considered the safest although there is still some slight risk of splintering. Supervise.

VEGETABLES - believe it or not, cucumber is okay and so is zucchini. I don't eat cucumber so don't have to worry about that. I gave the pups carrot sticks to gnaw on when they were teething and it worked very well. Green beans are okay also.

FRUIT - apple slices, orange slices, bananas and watermelon are said to be okay. NO SEEDS.

BAKED POTATOES - make sure they are cooked completely.

BREAD - plain bread.

RICE AND PASTA - I have used rice to calm my pets belly down. It works great. Some people put a little boiled chicken in it. This was recommended to me by a vet.

Always keep your vet's phone number handy, have it on speed dial and just as you would have the Poison Control Center number handy, have the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center number handy as well - 888-426-4435.

If you think your pet has eaten anything they should not have, call for help immediately. If you see your pet consuming anything you think might be toxic, seek help immediately even if they do not exhibit symptoms (see below for symptoms). Better to be safe than sorry.

The most common signs of poisoning include muscle tremors or seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, redness of their skin, ears and eyes, abnormal swelling or bleeding.

WOLFDOG PERSONALITIES

Wolfdogs can be a bit skittish around new objects and people, sometimes it takes them quite a while to warm up to someone or for them to get used to having something new introduced into their environment. This does not always make for an ideal pet as owners tend to get frustrated with their behavior. A true wolfdog parent is undertanding of this and gives them the space they need to gradually come around. It takes a lot of patience to raise one of these beautiful animals. They really do tend to be sweet-natured to their den family but a little wary of your friends. They see you as part of the pack. It is almost as though they feel the need to show the newcomers who the alpha is and to be sure their parents or someone in the pack remain the alpha in any given situation. Keep in mind too that percentage can make a big difference in how your pup behaves.

My mother and brother visited one afternoon. They walked into the backyard and Spirit started circling them. He also circled a couple of people that came to look at the puppies. He wasn't being aggressive, just watchful. On the other hand, my stepbrother approached and Spirit immediately lay down and rolled over showing his belly in submission. It is like he saw an alpha gene floating around over my stebrother's head or something.

Cheyenne is not usually very picky about who she associates with but she does, on occasion, withdraw. She dislikes my dad although she can be seen in the slideshow, calmly sitting in front of him. But, she is receptive to my friends and to people who came to pick out a puppy. She is a little shy at first but comes around pretty quick. Until now, I have never met a dog or child that did not like my dad.

Sundance is afraid of everything. A feather floated into the backyard one day, it scared the daylights out of him. I have dream catchers throughout my house and he gives them a lot of clearance when moving around them; they have feathers attached to them. He is afraid to jump to an elevated position or if he does make it, he is afraid to come down. He is afraid of the broom and the garbage truck but he will circle a snake and chase a squirrel. Go figure.

Sasha loves her mommy but it took a while for her to warm up to her daddy. Caesar has a great personality and gets along with everyone. Kuna looks like she is fine with everything. Cubby loves everyone and everything, especially the water bowl which she likes to play in. Last I heard from Charley Bleu and Lady Kit, they were getting along fine and loved the grandkids. I heard from Lilly soon after she went home with her new family and she was doing well. Have not heard from Libby in a while but she was a bit stubborn as a pup. It was her way or the highway. Sundance loves everybody but is afraid of objects. Sequoia is very friendly and does not seem skittish at all. Neeko greets everyone that comes through the door but, on a walk, gets nervous when people come out or an object appears, he wants to immediately return to his comfort zone, his den. Spirit loves to go for rides in the car, I can't get Sundance to go out the front door much less get in the car and it is a jump up, which he is not going to do, no way, no how.

The puppy personalities I mention here are very lucky to have the parents they have. We did good. Why you ask? Because first, they love their pup and second, they understand; these are not dogs, they are wolfdogs.

Check out my Slide Show!

ONE OF MY PUPS CHECKED IN

Hi there. Lazy Saturday again. Supposed to get bad weather here. Sundance just tossed his cookies, not sure what he has been eating to make him sick.

Sequoia checked in a few days ago. Her mommy sent a lovely photograph that I want to share with everyone. She is a pup from our first litter.

Enjoy!

P.S. Isn't she lovely?

IS THAT THE MICROWAVE BEEPING?

Hello, wolfdog here. Isn't it amazing the sounds your pet family become familiar with? They react to a knock on the door and the doorbell, even if it is not their door. They can hear it on the television and react to it. It seems as though mine know what the telephone ringing means; it means I am going to be busy talking on the phone and not paying attention to them. They pull out all the stops to regain my focus, I believe children are guilty of this too. No one has anything to say or is in need of anything until you get on the phone.

Then there is the microwave beep. Spirit will come and get me when he hears the microwave beep and, when feeding out a baby African Grey parrot in the past, the baby bird even knew what the microwave beep meant. Her little featherless body would scramble across the plastic box, eyes closed, beak in the air, knowing that sound heralded feeding time.

And what other sounds does your pet recognize? Think about it for a second; okay, your second is up.......the sound of kids walking home from school means they have to tear down the blinds to get a good look at them even though they know they are the same kids that walked by yesterday and the day before and the day before that, they are just wearing different clothes. How about the sound of the mail carrier truck? There are two things the mail carrier delivers; bills and junk mail, and we don't want either one of them. Oh, and the garbage truck, run for cover on that one. That thing is evil. If they knew what was in that truck, they wouldn't be so scared of it, they would have a field day in there, just think of all the discarded goodies. One man's garbage......well, you know how it goes.

Just remember, when the microwave beeps, you are not the only one concerned with what is in there.

OUR FIRST COMMENT

We received our first comment yesterday, that is other than grandma. Thanks sd for the comment and hope you keep checking back regularly for all the updates. And please comment some more, we love to hear from you.

Spirit

P.S. Mommy thinks sd is our Uncle Steve.

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM WOLFDOG

Cheyenne and Sierra are usually the best of friends and can co-habit very well without friction but, Sierra is not a wolfdog and she does not truly understand the heirarchy business about who the alpha female is in this pack. I am the alpha here but in my absence, the girls are still vying for that position and want to take charge.

If you have a wolfdog and a dog of another breed in your home, be sure to supervise feeding, especially when the aforementioned soup bone is in play. I made the mistake of trusting the girls to gnaw on their bones in peace and a fight erupted. No blood loss thank goodness but I was nearby and could hear the growling and was able to intervene quickly.

Another important note is.....if you have children in the home with any kind of dog, be it a wolfdog, chihuahua or labrador retriever, always make sure you can take food away from the dog without problem. A lot of injuries have been reported when a child tries to take food away from the dog. It is natural for a child to offer their cookie to a dog, then abruptly change their mind and want it back, make sure your dog understands the rules of this game so as not to hurt the child. The child needs to be recognized as the alpha in your home.

It is a good idea to start this practice when the dog is in its early developmental stages. Practice giving and taking.

Wolfdog

P.S. Spirit says, "if you can't share it, you don't deserve to have it".

SOUP BONES AREN'T JUST FOR SOUP ANYMORE

Soup bones make a great treat and keeps us busy for a very long time. The ultimate cure for boredom. Please be careful what kind of bones you give us. Avoid bones that can splinter and cause damage to our stomach and intestinal tract. Many of your local supermarkets and meat markets carry good soup bones that make an inexpensive treat and are good for our teeth and gums. Mommy always tries to buy a pack with exactly four bones in it so there is no fighting. Wolfdogs will fight over a bone, especially the ones with a little meat on them.

I don't have a whole lot to report today, just having a quiet Sunday. It is very warm today so the pool has been a popular "hot" spot. This is the time of year when mommy's water bill goes up because, as you know, there are those that can't wipe their paws off before jumping in and she has to empty and refill often.

Have a howling good day everyone.

Spirit

WE HAVE A SWIMMING POOL

Yayyyyyy! The swimming pool is out of the car, on the ground and filled with water. It is kind of small but we don't need much, just enough to cool down on the those hot summer days but where is the common courtesy among wolfdogs? Cheyenne and Sundance jump in here with their dirty paws. It is slowly becoming a mud bath. Why pay to go to a spa when you can have your very own mud bath for free. Maybe we can start charging. And mommy is now calling me a pigdog but hey, she left her breakfast on the end table, what is a wolfdog to do? She said she was not finished with it but around here, if you put something down, it is fair game. I assumed she was done, wrong apparently judging by the smack on the rump and the hollering I got. Hee hee, she doesn't know that I can't feel the smack on the backside, it is all hair down there. It will be our secret!

Spirit

P.S. Mommy smells like scrambled egg.....and so do I lol.

I am smelling garlic again

There's that smell again. Mommy is having left-over spaghetti and here I am standing next to an empty dog food bowl. How long does one have to stand next to an empty bowl before something magically appears in it. Oh, she got the hint, now I smell dog food....... in my bowl.......where it belongs........all the time. Thanks mom.



Spirit

P.S. That pup is one of mine, ain't he cute?

Is that Garlic I smell?

Hey, I smell garlic. Wonder where that is coming from.

Mommy bought us a pool, a bright blue one although I can't really tell what color it is as I am color-blind but she tells me it is blue. I have to trust her on this.

We were left alone again today. Mommy had some appointments. This time she took grandma with her so I think I know where the garlic is coming from. They always visit a place called 100% Italian. Yep, there is a doggie bag coming through the door although no doggie is going to see that bag. We might get a piece of garlic bread if we sit nice and beg properly.

Sundance tells me that mommy spoke with Uncle Wayne today. He has a window in his bedroom and he can see everything if he peeks through the blinds. Uncle Wayne is our good neighbor. He loves dogs. He asked if we were the ones barking the other night. Wasn't us, we don't bark.

Oh good, the AC has been turned on, time for a nap, howl at ya later.

Spirit

P.S. Mommy has spaghetti breath.

Home Alone

Was home alone today for quite a while. Mommy had a doctor appointment. Then she had lunch with grandpa and then met grandma at Publix. A quick check of the bags she carried in reveal fruit, fruit and more fruit. When are we going to get some real food?

Spirit

P.S. Mommy smells like fried chicken.

A note from Spirit

Howl there! Spirit here. Very hot outside today and it seems overcast but I think that is due to all of the fires surrounding us. If you haven't heard, Florida is on fire again, not as bad as 1998 though, or so my mommy tells me. I have asked Aunt Lisa and Aunt Michele to send pictures of our dog friends, Freedom the Wolfdog, Kodiak the Yorkie, Phoebe and Lola the Chihuahuas. I have pictures of some of my kids to post. Have to get mommy to help me with that. The last I checked, we have pictures of Neeko, Kuna, Cubby, Sequoia, Cherokee, and Caesar. Mommy also has a bunch of other puppy pictures stored on her computer. Hopefully she will help me post those too.

Sundance and Cheyenne get really hot outside and they are hoping mommy will get us a pool like she did last year at this time. A small plastic pool is a great way to cool off on those hot summer days here in Florida. Maybe if grandma reads this, she will get us a pool, they are only 8 bucks at Wal*Mart. Somebody needs to get us a pool.

Well, it is time for mommies nap so that means naptime for us too. Talk to you soon. Keep checking back for more pictures of my pups, our friends and family.

Spirit

Making another blog

I am going to make an additional blog so that I can separate the wolfdogs and the healthy eating. My other blog will be Smoothies and Raw Food or S.A.R.F. And don't forget to check out my website ProofreadingRUs.googlepages.com. I figure proofreading will be something I can do since I can't type like I used to. My right hand goes numb and makes typing difficult. So bear with me as I try to add things to my blogs.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day. Mom, if you are reading this, the flowers are for you.

Lazy Saturday

Today has started out in a very lazy way. We are all just hanging around on the couch doing absolutely nothing. I think the most we will do today is scratch bellies and some of us will gnaw on soup bones.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. My brothers and I are going to take mom to a place called Aunt Catfish's. Yummy. I will try to remember to take the camera so I can take pictures to add to my blog.

Brother Mark's post cardiac cath doctor visit

Hi there. I just got back from the cardiologist's office. This time the visit was for my brother Mark who is 50 years old. Last Saturday, he had to have stent placed in one of his arteries. He is doing well, the doctor told him to take 1 tablespoon of Canola Oil every day and eat fish 2 to 3 times per week, salmon by the way is very high in omega 3.

Well, I have to get busy adding pictures to my blog and such and check out other people's blogs, join the community and all. Talk to you later.

Wolfdog Introduction

Hello everyone. This is a short introduction to go along with my "about me" section. I am 48 years old, raise wolfdogs (check out the photo gallery below) and have recently changed my diet to a more nutritional and healthy way of eating. I am just getting started here and really have a lot of things I want to say and have some links to add so check back often, changes will be occurring regularly.