Jennifer Hildreth, Cubbie and I had a great time at the CBHS Reunion at Gateway Park in Cedar Falls.

I know Cubbie had fun because he was so worn out he slept from as soon as we got home (8 p.m.) until after 10 a.m. the next day!! I had to force him to go outside for potty.

Joel, Me & Cubbie

Joel Silverman, author of What Color is Your Dog?, signed books, spoke about training and even demonstrated techniques with his dog Foster.

I have to say, what he talked about in his presentation really made sense. His book is based around how dogs are different “colors” based on their personality/temperament.

The middle of the spectrum is yellow, or mellow yellow, which is where you want your dog. One end is blue, for very shy, easily scared dogs. Then there’s green for dogs who are still timid, but not as much as blue dogs. On the other end of the spectrum is red dogs–very high strung. In between red and yellow is orange for dogs that are hyper active, but not as much as the red.

I classify Cubbie as an orange to yellow dog. He can be very excited at times (when he just meets people), but he’s also quite mellow once he gets through his initial “I want attention phase.”

Silverman talked about how knowing your dog’s color is important because you wouldn’t train a blue and a red dog the same way. It’s good to use treats with blue and green dogs because they need motivation. Where as with red and orange dogs the personal praise is best.

I really enjoyed listening to him speak. I was really intrigued to hear about how he started training sea animals and all the dogs he’s trained for commercials and movies.

My favorite part was the demonstration with his dog Foster. Foster could back up, sit, stand, cover his face and event put mail in a mailbox! He was so adorable and fun to watch. It was really great.

I’m glad the Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo was able to have this reunion, and that Joel Silverman could make this stop on his book tour. Thanks for wearing out Cubbie!

Posted under Pet Events

As we approach the Fourth of July, I thought it would be a good idea to post this email I got from the ASPCA. Some good tips!

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Fourth of July Festivities: Should You Bring Your Pet?

As the country dons its red, white and blue to celebrate Independence Day, nothing says patriotism like a good old-fashioned barbecue with a side of fireworks. But beware pet parents, what’s fun for people can be a downright drag for our furry friends.

The ASPCA recommends keeping your pooch indoors as much as possible during backyard parties and Fourth of July festivities, even if he is a pro picnicker. From toxic food and beverages to raucous guests and fireworks, the holiday weekend is a minefield of potential pet problems.

“Even the most timid dog can leap a six-foot fence if he’s spooked by loud noises,” says Dr. Pamela Reid, Vice President of the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center. If your dog shows signs of distress from fireworks or boisterous revelers, Dr. Reid suggests giving him a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter. “The persistent licking should calm his nerves,” she says.

The ASPCA offers some more expert advice to keep your pet singing, “Oh Say Can You See,” all the way to the fifth and beyond:

- Keep your pet on the wagon. Since alcohol is potentially poisonous to pets, place all wine, beer and spirits well out of paws’ way.

- Avoid scraps from the grill. Stick with your pet’s normal diet–any change, even for a day, can result in stomach upset. Certain foods like onions, avocado, chocolate, grapes and raisins are especially toxic to pets.

- Skip the sunscreen. Avoid lathering your pet with any insect repellent or sunscreen not intended for the four-legged kind. Ingestion can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy.

- Stay fire-smart. Keep your pet away from fireworks, matches, citronella candles and lighter fluid, which if eaten can irritate the stomach, lungs and central nervous system.

- Be cool near the pool. Don’t leave pets unsupervised around a pool or lake–not all dogs are expert swimmers! Also, pools aren’t large water bowls–they contain chlorine and other toxic chemicals that can cause stomach problems.

Posted under Uncategorized

June 28, 2009 is Cubbie’s third birthday!

Three years ago on the day Cubs was born, I was actually working in Ottumwa at KTVO. I just hit my one year mark, and I was so looking forward to getting another year done so my contract would be up and I could be closer to home (I ended up breaking my contract early to take this job).

When Cubbie was born, I was thinking about getting a dog, but I really hadn’t made a big effort in finding the right dog.

Suddenly, seven weeks later I was bringing a new puppy home from a farmer in Osceola. Sometimes I still can’t believe it. I normally wouldn’t describe myself as an impulsive person, but I woke up that morning wanting a dog and by the end of the day, I had Cubbie. I guess it was meant to be.

A few people have asked me if I regret not adopting from a shelter. I can honestly say any future dogs I get will come from a shelter, BUT I do not regret adopting Cubbie the way I did. Since he came home with me as just a puppy, he will never know what it’s like to live at a shelter or spend his time waiting for a loving home. I will never regret getting Cubbie and preventing a dog from possibly ending up at a shelter.

On Cubbie’s birthday, I always make him look through his “puppy” book with me. Yes, I’m a dork. Cubbie has his own photo album. It’s blue and has a bone on it that reads “woof.” Cubbie isn’t usually interested and eventually does his own thing, but I flip through all the photos of him growing up. I feel as if he’s growing up so fast!

Each birthday I try to let Cubbie do whatever he wants (basically the same as every other day). But if he hints at a walk or playing in the backyard or taking a nap, I take my cues from him today.

2007

For his first birthday, I bought a small cake for dogs. I think he really enjoyed eating it. I also got him several new toys, which is what I did last year. I guess toys is my tradition because I got him a new collar and a few toys this year, too. Probably because he chews threw them so fast, I feel he can always use more. Grammy also buys him toys on his birthday.

2007

As a puppy, Cubbie loved to explore and play and climb on you. Physically, he was mostly black in color and had huge ears. They were way to big for his little head. He’s grown into them since, but I’ll always remember this little puppy with big “dumbo” ears.

Even from the start, Cubbie was a Momma’s boy. I really spoiled him. The first night I tried putting him in the kennel and he whined so much I couldn’t take it. So, right from the very first night he began sleeping in my bed. Cubbie had me wrapped around his paw in the first three seconds I met him!

Aug. 2006

Back then, I would put Cubs in the bathtub in my apartment when I had to run errands in case he had an accident while I was gone (boy, I do not miss potty training). It’s funny because now he could easily jump in and out of a tub. From less than two pounds three years ago, he’s now about 20 pounds. My little boy is now a big boy.

No matter how old Cubbie gets, he’ll always be my “baby.” While I have so many great memories of him as a puppy, we make new memories everyday. It’s been a fantastic three years, and I can only hope for many more years with Cubbie in my life.

Cubbie with his b-day presents

Posted under Cubbie stories

Cubbie and I went on a walk Friday evening (once the weather cooled a bit and before I had to go to bed to get up early).

We usually walk the same route, or at least close to it. I guess you could say I like routines.

I would guess about halfway into our walk, Cubbie noticed a ball on the side of the road, kind of by a sewer opening. It was a squeaky baseball. I think it was for a dog. Obviously, Cubs picked it up. At first I tried to take it from him because I didn’t want to “take” another dog’s toy, but I had no way of knowing which house it came from or how far it had rolled down the street.

So, I let Cubs keep the ball. He immediately put it in his mouth and began squeaking. I began to think, “Oh no. Neighbors aren’t going to want to hear us squeaking the entire walk.” Thankfully, he stopped the squeaks and simply proceeded to carry the ball in his mouth.

I’ve never seen Cubbie keep something in his mouth for so long. He acted as if he was on a mission. He usually walks slightly in front of me, but tends to lag back at some points. But as soon as he had the ball, he was full on, fast paced walking. I think he was ready to get home and chew on the “new” toy.

I could really tell Cubs wasn’t interested in walking anymore when he led me on a shortcut through our back alley. (I sometimes take it when I’m tired, but Cubbie usually prefers to go the long way around so he gets more walking time).

As we approached the yard, Cubbie’s paced picked up to a jog. I let him in the back fence, and he immediately began squeaking the baseball. I tried to throw it, but he wasn’t in the mood. He cared more about squeaking and ripping it up.

I’m standing in the backyard, just watching Cubs, when out of the corner of my eye I see something black and white. I look, and apparently all the squeaking attracted a cat to our yard!

As soon as Cubbie spotted the cat, he ran to the fence and the cat ran off. Then Cubbie went back to his ball. After awhile I got Cubs to come inside (with the ball still in his mouth). In about 15 minutes time, it was destroyed. He chewed, and I cleaned up the mess piece by piece. That was our excitement for a Friday nigh! So much for his new toy.

Posted under Cubbie stories

It’s about a month until the Second Annual Cubbie Tails Fundraiser. Just a reminder, you and your dog are invited to a Waterloo Bucks baseball game on Sunday, July 26 at 3:05 p.m. Tickets are $10. (After a cut for the Bucks, all the money goes to the Cedar Bend Humane Society). We’ll have a special section to sit in along the third base line, towards left field.

You can buy tickets day of, OR I will be at the CBHS Reunion on July 2 selling tickets and taking pre-orders for t-shirts.

This week, Cubbie and I taped the promotional commercial that will begin airing on KWWL soon. We taped it at Riverfront Stadium. We had a lot of fun, but it was also very hot!

A special thanks to the Bucks for letting us use the field, and another special thanks to Ross at the Shirt Shack in Waterloo for getting my shirt done in time to wear for the taping.

When taping commercials you have to do the same thing many times so the photographer can tape a variety of angles. I made Cubbie walk the bases lots of times! Thankfully, he was very well-behaved and didn’t seem to mind the repetition. Matt Krivanek with KWWL’s Promotions Department taped the promo for us. Matt, Cubbie and I were all sweating! Matt worked really hard to get a lot of good video.

Besides getting video (we call it b-roll), I also had to tape an audio track. For that, I held Cubbie and he’s not the small puppy he used to be! Luckily, Cubbie sat nicely in my arms and we only needed about two takes.

By the end, Cubbie just wanted to take a break in the shade. I sat him in one of the seats in the stadium, and Matt actually got some good video of Cubbie “watching a game.”

When we got home, Cubbie got some water and cooled off on the floor. I also enjoyed being back inside a cool, air conditioned house.

Posted under Cubbie stories

Here’s a story about an unusual pet who might get evicted.

Posted under In the News

Priscilla Blanchard with the Waverly Animal Shelter will be at Petsmart in Waterloo on Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Posted under Pet Events

You know it’s hot when your pet doesn’t want to run around outside.

Cubbie is very much like me, he doesn’t like extremes when it comes to temperatures. We don’t like to be cold, and we don’t like to be hot.

On Saturday I absolutely needed to mow the lawn–the grass was too long. When I got done with work around 2 p.m. I forced myself to do it. It was hot and humid. I felt bad for Cubbie, too. He wanted to be outside because I was outside, but he was very hot. The way the sun was positioned, our trees weren’t giving any shade in the backyard, so he kept trying to get some shade from the garbage can. I ended up opening the side door to the garage and he went in there to cool off. He would periodically come out to check on me, and then he’d go back to the shade. As soon as I was done mowing, we were both ready to cool off in the air conditioning.

Today (Monday), I was sweating, sweating, sweating at work. I was outside for all but a couple hours out of the day. It was horrible. I was actually glad Cubbie was in his playpen in the basement because at least I knew he was cool. When I got home and let him out he didn’t want to stay out for long.

These really hot days it’s hard to do much of anything outside with Cubbie. Just a few throws of the ball and he’s panting and looking for shade. Unless we wait till really late in the evening I think it’s too hot for walks. It’s not fun or comfortable for either of us.

His hair is starting to get long so I thought about getting him a haircut to stay a little cooler, but then he has a greater risk of sunburn, too. I think it’s so interesting dogs’ noses can get sunburned as well as their skin!

I have the day off tomorrow. If it’s as hot as today, I think Cubbie and I will spend most of our day inside in the air conditioning! I’ve never had central air before, and I am REALLY appreciating it at our new house.

Posted under Cubbie stories

This is a cute story about a kitten finding a home in a very unique way.

Posted under In the News

I’m just going to say it. Cubbie snores. Loudly. I’m not really sure how to describe his snoring. Maybe similar to a boat motor? At least that’s what it reminds me of.

He doesn’t snore all the time, but when he does, you definitely hear it. When he’s napping during the day, I find it very cute. It’s a different story at night when I’m trying to fall asleep.

I’d classify myself as a light sleeper. I wake up for noises, and it often takes me awhile to fall back asleep if I’m woken up. If Cubbie is really worn out, only very loud noises wake him up at night. Also, I swear he falls asleep as soon as his head is on the bed. He’s like a light switch!

The other night, Cubbie fell asleep before me (just like normal). I know some people say you shouldn’t have a television in your bedroom, but I can’t help it. I love watching t.v. just before I’m ready to sleep. I think it’s relaxing. Anyway, I shut the television off, shut my eyes and attempted to get to sleep. Suddenly, I hear this loud noise right by my ear. Most of the time he starts the night at the foot of the bed and gradually works his way up near the pillow. Lots of times I’ll find him curled up in a ball right on top of my other pillow. So, initially I hear his snoring, but it’s not “in my face.”

This night, my eyes pop open as the noise continues, very loudly. I look over and Cubbie’s head is on my spare pillow, exactly like a person’s would be. Besides that, he’s on his back with his two front paws hanging just over the edge of the covers. He’s so spoiled.

The reason the snoring is loud is because as he snores his head slightly turns to the side, which in this case ends up being right next to my ear.

Some people might say move him, he’ll fall back asleep. Yes, you’re probably right, but I don’t do that. Instead, I just put my head back down on the pillow and wait until the snoring stops because it always does. He looked so comfy, I didn’t have the heart to disturb him. I guess if I look tired on the air, you know why.

Posted under Cubbie stories