A Dog Named Ellie

My Toys R Washed

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Ellie

ellie watches her frisbees being washed (in the washer)

Hey, stop! My frisbees are in there!

Yesterday my mom decided that my cloth toys needed to be washed – especially my two frisbees. These frisbees have been tossed about at the dog park, caught by me and other dogs with our mouths, and then pulled and dragged in a tug of war. Well you get the picture – with the dirt and dog saliva, they were filthy. So Mom gathered up the frisbees and all the other cloth toys and placed them in the washer. I never thought about cleaning my toys. After all I get a bath, and my food and water bowls, and bedding are washed; however, I never thought about cleaning my toys. So gather up your cloth toys, inspect the label, and wash them according to the instructions. Those that cannot be washed or cleaned should be tossed in the trash. Clean toys will insure your health and safety and will keep your home safe and clean.

Have fun, play hard, and see y’all at the dog park.

It’s nice to have my clean and fresh smelling frisbee back. Let me see? Who is that over there? I wonder if they would like to play tug of war with a clean frisbee.

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Time for a Summer Trim

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Ellie

This is a picture of me before I went to the groomer. Getting pretty shaggy, right? This January our weather has been warmer than usual here in Texas so I decided it was time to get rid of my winter coat. Normally I don’t trim my winter coat until the end of February; however, we have had some days in the eighty degree range. While chasing the frisbee at the dog park, I thought I was going to come down with a heat stroke. So off to the groomers I went with instructions to give me that summer cut. Check me out below.

I think the groomer gave me a super cool ‘do. Now watch the weather in February turn from warm to extreme cold. If that happens I’ll just put on my sweater. Well it’s time to get my frisbee and head out to the park. See y’all later.

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My Bad

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Ellie

Wire connected to a head phone set. Well kind of.

Honestly, I thought it was a long black worm next to my family member’s leg. So I attacked with an aggressive bite. I bit not just once but twice to make sure it was dead. And dead it was, at least as far as sound emitting from the ear phones. Oops!! My bad!! I was surprised, but not as surprised as the person listening to their favorite tunes. I was only doing what I was bred to do—that is to rid the house of spiders, snakes, and any other kinds of vermin. I guess I’ll just have to put on my sweet and loving pup face and ask for forgiveness. Well, I hope these can be repaired or else this will cost me some real dog money.

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Duchess

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Ellie

Hi Ellie,
We met at the dog park today. I’m the corgi, Duchess. I enjoyed meeting and playing with you.

I hope to see you there again soon.

Arf!!!
Duchess and Suzie(my owner)

Posted in Dog Park, Ellie's Friends | Tagged Pawm Springs Dog Park | Leave a comment

Mutts Are Us: the Rise of the Mutt

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Ellie

As you can tell from my photos, I’m not a purebred dog. I’m a Schnauzer/Jack Russell mixed breed. About half of the other dogs that I meet at Pawm Springs dog park are some type of mix. It’s becoming a world of mixed dogs with new breeds called Cockapoos, Schnoodles, Chiweenies, Chonzers, Morkies, Yorkie-Poos and the list goes on.

The rising acceptance or popularity of mutts is due to the inbreeding from puppy farms of purebred dogs along with the cache of owning a “designer” (aka mixed breed) dog (and the rise of “designer” dog breeders), but whether we’re purebred or mixed, bought from a breeder or found at the shelter, our human parents love us all the same.

List of interesting links:
A List of Mixed Breed Dog Names
A National Census of Mixed Breed Dogs from Psychology Today magazine
Pictures of Mixed dogs
Artistic and Creative Dog Portraits
Pictures of mixed breed puppies and dogs
Bringing Back the Mixed Breed

Posted in Dog Breeds, Dog Park, Ellie's Friends | Tagged Mixed Breed Dogs, Mutts, Pawm Springs Dog Park | 1 Comment

Happy New Year

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Ellie

Ellie and her friend, Lexie (left), playing at Pawm Springs dog park

I’m at the dog park again playing with my friends. Lexie and I have stopped long enough for my mom to capture a picture of us on her phone. Even with the cool wet weather, we’re still able to spend an hour a day running and playing at the Pawn Springs Dog Park located within the Sugar Land Memorial Park. This is where I’m always able to play with my current friends and also have the opportunity to meet new friends. As we dogs say, “A bad day at the dog park is still better than a good day sleeping at home.” Lexie really looks great in her holiday sweater. As you can see in the pictures below she is great at running and wrestling.

Why not make a New Year’s resolution? Here’s one: Come to the dog park to run, play, and make new friends! See you at the park!

Ellie and Lexie playing Pawm Springs dog park in Sugar Land

Ellie and Lexie playing at Pawm Springs dog park in Sugar Land

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Happy Holidays

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Ellie

I hope everyone is having a great time during this Christmas season. We had a turkey dinner with my cousins and then after dinner we gathered around the Christmas tree.

After spending a short time visiting, we settled down to the important task of opening our gifts. Much to my delight I received three stuffed animals: a squirrel, a hedgehog, and a raccoon. As soon as I opened my gift, I choose the hedgehog to become my wrestling partner. Later I gave the hedgehog a rest and played with the raccoon and squirrel.

Ellie playing with one of her new toys, a hedgehog

My three cousins came to celebrate Christmas with us. Abby is a seven year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Peanut is a sixteen year old Dachshund, and Harrison is a fifteen year old Bichon Frisé. I have to be careful playing with my cousins because they are kind of old when it comes to dog years; however, they are still in good health and we had a good time begging for turkey. That turkey was really good!

Abby: Since I’m a princess, I must look cute at all times. Well, at least I try and it helps if you are begging for a taste of that turkey.

Peanut: My Mom put this sweater on me and it’s 80 degrees outside. What was she thinking? Thank God the air conditioner was on. At least I could lay on this cool tile floor.

Harrison: too much partying for the old guy. Time for a nap.

Have a happy, healthy, and safe New Year.

How was your Christmas? Share your Christmas tales and photos with us.

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The Paws Have It

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Ellie

I just realized that I’m a southpaw. Yes, that’s right, a southpaw. Apparently dogs are born with a dominant front paw. Now I don’t know if it matters if we are right-pawed or south-pawed like it does in humans. Do southpaw dogs use the right side of their brain or does the use of one paw over another signify anything about the brain? Humans get into these discussions as to what side of their brain is dominant and if this translates into some type of skill or trait in which they may excel. When it comes to dogs, well we really don’t care one way or another. We just want to go to the dog park, run and play with our friends, and then go home and cuddle up next to you while you watch your favorite tv program. As for our paws, just help us protect them from injuries by watching where you step when we are standing around your feet, keep our nails and fur trimmed, and keep the area between our toes clean.

Here are some links to learn whether your dog (or cat) is right or left handed.
Paws For Thought: Is your dog a righty or a lefty?—Washington Post
Left Paw, Right Paw—ABC
Test Your Pet—BBC
All About Paw Preferences in Dogs—The Woof Report

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A Reminder for the Holidays

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Ellie

During the busy holiday season, families will be cooking special goodies for their guests or to carry over to someone’s home for a holiday party. Dogs love when families cook for these special occasions. We tend to taste our food by smell and that special dish that you are cooking smells great and you will usually find us at your feet begging for a sample.

However, think twice before you succumb to our hungry puppy faces, the one we put on in order to have you thinking that we are starving, so you will feel guilty for not giving us a taste of your food. This could be a bad move for both you and me: our stomachs were not made to handle certain foods.

If we are fed these foods then we will at the least have stomach distress and you will be busy cleaning up the messes that our digestive systems will produce. The worst case scenario is that it could poison our system and we could end up at the emergency vets.

Keep the holiday season happy for both us and stick to feeding us our regular diet. Also please remind your guests not to feed us and if they feel they must then only give us our regular dog treats.

Here are a few helpful links to inform you what foods (and some non-food items) are poisonous to dogs:

ASPCA’s List of Poisonous Items: also includes a link to their Poison Control Center.
Toxic Foods and Your Dog: a detailed list from About.com’s Dog section.
Pets WebMD: a slide show of food (and other items) pets should avoid consuming.
Humane Society: Food That’s Safe for You, But Deadly for Your Pets

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Give your dog a microchip for the holidays

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Ellie

Ellie playing at Pawm Springs dog park with her friends

Ellie playing with her friends at Pawm Springs dog park

Hi, everyone. The weather has been cool which has been great for us dogs to run and play at the Pawm Springs dog park in Sugar Land. This park is large enough for us play chase, roll around, and wrestle. The fence around the perimeter keeps us safe from traffic and provides us with an opportunity to really run hard and fast. Our moms and dads are comfortable with releasing us from our leashes so we are free to be dogs.

I would like to remind everyone this holiday season to get their dog micro-chipped just in case one of us gets separated and lost. Getting your dog micro-chipped is really easy to do. Just call your vet’s office and schedule an appointment. The chip is inserted under the skin behind our necks, but is painless. Then you go online, type in the url provided by your vet, and register your pet. And if your pet is ever lost or stolen, you can go online and report him or her missing. Animal Control and vet offices have scanners that will read your dog’s microchip. Remember to always update your contact information so someone can contact you if they find your dog.

Posted in Dog Park, Holidays, Lost Pets | Tagged Microchips, Pawm Springs Dog Park | Leave a comment