No, I did not adopt Cubbie from a shelter (but I definitely will for all my future dogs). I am very proud to work with the Cedar Bend Humane Society, but I don’t regret getting Cubbie the way I did. Because I got him, I know he will never end up in a shelter. He’ll always have a good life.

2006--Cubbie at 4 months

Cubbie was seven weeks old when I took him home. He was very clumsy and sort of wobbled when he walked. I think it was a combination of his back legs not being very strong, and the clumsiness that comes with being a puppy. I love watching puppies run around because inevitably, they’ll wipe out!

It didn’t take long for Cubbie to build up his legs. Soon, he was running EVERYWHERE. But, at two and a half years old, Cubbie can still be clumsy.

My bed is very high. A typical yorkie would not be able to jump up on his/her own. Cubbie, though, isn’t a typical yorkie. He has very long legs, and he can jump. I can’t even describe how high he jumps. It’s ridiculous, especially when he wants something. But, every once in a while he jumps too early to get on the bed and kind of runs into it. He falls backwards on the floor, but he always gets back up and tries again. Sometimes his front paws make it on the bed, and you can see he’s trying to hold on but can’t.

The other night we were playing with a frisbee. Cubbie had the frisbee in his mouth and tried to jump up on the couch. Well, the frisbee is pretty big in his little mouth, so the frisbee ran into the couch and knocked him down.

A large part of my house is hardwood floors. Cubbie likes to run… fast. He loves to be chased. I take full blame for ruining him of ever understanding the concept of fetch. As a puppy, I would chase him as a game instead of teaching him to fetch. Now, he only wants to be chased! I will chase him around the dining room table, and he’ll try to run so fast he reminds me of the Flintstones. Similar to when Fred is trying to get the car moving. Other times, I’ll throw his toy and he’ll try to stop but can’t so he runs into the wall. He never seems phased.

When I’m going to be gone for more than a few hours, I put Cubbie in the basement. My dad built him a play area with toys and a dog bed and he has food and water. It’s actually nice for a basement. When I come home from work, I let Cubbie out right away. He’s so excited to see me (and needs to go to the bathroom), he runs up the stairs. The stairs have linoleum on them, so every once in awhile he slips and rams his head into the next step.

I think one of the most memorable moments is a story my friend told me while dog sitting Cubbie. Cubbie was in the backyard, so my friend opened the door to let him in. Apparently at the same time Cubs was chasing a rabbit. My friend opened the door, saw a rabbit run past and watched Cubbie run into the door.

I think the moral of this story is that Cubbie needs to SLOW DOWN! Yeah right! He loves speed, so I guess he’ll always have his “Clumsy Cubbie” moments.

Posted under Cubbie stories

Each week I add more pictures to “Cubbie’s Friends” at the top of the page.

Please feel free to email me pictures of your pet. The pictures air on the Saturday morning news during the pet segment with the Cedar Bend Humane Society and then get posted on my blog.

Posted under Uncategorized

Cubbie can be silly when it comes to eating. He’ll take a mouthful of food out of his dish and drop it on the floor. Then, he will proceed to eat the dog food off the floor one piece at a time. He doesn’t eat like this all the time, just sometimes.

What’s the difference from eating the food off the floor one at a time as a opposed to eating it out of the dish? Does the food taste better off the floor?

Ever since he was a puppy, he liked to play with his food and water dish. When I first got him I used some of my plastic kitchen bowls from college for his food. He would always pick the bowls up and run around the house… empty or full. I can’t tell you how many times he dumped food and water all over the carpet because he wanted to play with the bowls. He chewed them up so badly I bought him his own bowls and he did the same thing! I finally bought him the type of dishes that he can’t pick up… the ones that sit inside the cutout holes.

Now, he can’t run around the house with his dishes, but he still dumps his food out on the floor. Sometimes I wish I could ask him what he’s thinking…

Posted under Cubbie stories

Working in the news business, I enjoy watching multiple news outlets and checking several newspapers online and other news websites.

I learned about Zoo Too when doing a story with the Dubuque Regional Humane Society. The humane society was up for a million dollar shelter makeover.

On the Zoo Too website, I have a new favorite section called “pet news.” There are so many interesting and unique pet-related stories.

I just came across one about the oldest living dog… Chanel is 20 years old…or the equivalent of 140 years old!

To read more about Chanel and other pet stories, click here.

Posted under In the News

When we play in the backyard, Cubbie loves to chase tennis balls and to chew on sticks. Between rain showers, I decided to take Cubbie on a walk because he needed a bath, so I figured I might as well let him get dirty first (not that he needs any help).

When we got back from our walk there was a decent sized tree limb in the yard. Cubbie immediately thought this huge stick was just for him. He proceeded to try to pick it up, when that didn’t work, he decided to break off all the branches.

I would throw some of the sticks, and he would chase them down before going back to breaking off more pieces of the big branch. He actually helped me out. I had to break it down anyway to get it to fit in my yard waste bin.

After a sense of accomplishment and getting mud and pieces of leaves and sticks in his fur, it was bath time. Boy, did he need one!

Posted under Cubbie stories

College Square Mall in Cedar Falls is offering Easter Bunny photos with pets. The event is Sunday, April 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Photos will take place in the mall’s east Younkers wing near American Eagle Outfitters.

You’re asked to *please make an appointment by calling 319-277-3636.

When you show up for your appointment, please enter and exit College Square Mall through the southeast doors near Younkers. The photo opportunity is limited to cats, dogs and rabbits. Pets must have current vaccinations and be on a leash or in a pet carrier.

Posted under Pet Events

Anyone who has lost a beloved pet knows how hard it is when they leave us. This week, Jennifer Hildreth’s cat passed away. I know Sam meant so much to Jennifer. No, not everyone understands what it’s like to truly love a pet, but for those of us who do, the pet is part of our family.

The good news is Sam had a long and happy life, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to let him go. As a friend, there’s not much I can do except give Jennifer a chance to remember her wonderful cat.

“We adopted Sam from the Cedar Bend Humane Society several years ago (not sure how many but around 15 years or so). He was an awesome cat and will be hard to replace. He was very friendly and enjoyed people. He loved to sleep on my lap when I watched tv. In the morning he would follow me around until I gave him his morning treat. I even taught him to sit before I gave him his treat. When he was younger he would play fetch with one of his toys. He was truly a wonderful pet and will be missed greatly.”

–Jennifer Hildreth, KWWL Meteorologist

Sam

Sam--photo by Holly Hildreth

Photo by Holly Hildreth

Photo by Holly Hildreth

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I visited Durant Elementary in Sumner for a taping of You’ve Got Class. (The segment airs this Monday and next Saturday).

Each week, I feature a class or school demonstrating at least one of the six pillars of “character.” Each month the Sumner and Fredericksburg Elementary Schools have special assemblies to discuss character. This month’s pillar was “caring.”

The assembly was so much fun! The students sang and cheered and the teachers even put on a skit. It was hilarious!

The students also surprised me. As I mentioned, this month’s topic was caring. The students and teachers recognized me for caring about animals through my work with the Cedar Bend Humane Society. I received a Cubbie look-alike stuffed animal with a cougar paw around its neck. (The cougar is the school’s mascot). I was so shocked and pleasantly surprised.

When I got home from work, Cubbie saw me get the stuffed dog out of my bag. He thought it was for him! Don’t worry, I won’t let Cubbie rip this up, but he sure wants to! He was going crazy trying to get it out of my hands. Eventually, I hid it and gave him something else to chew on! This is one stuffed animal that belongs to me, not Cubbie.

Thank you students, teachers and staff at Durant Elementary in Sumner!

Posted under Uncategorized

Thanks to everyone who helped! Nugget was found and is back home.

Posted under Uncategorized

Cubbie loves to feel the wind in his hair. Sometimes I’ll catch him in the backyard standing into the wind with his eyes closed. He just loves feeling the wind on his face.

Car rides with the window down are Cubbie’s favorite. Even during the coldest part of our winters, Cubbie tries to get me to put the window down. He shivers in the snow, yet he can hang his head out the window in below zero temperatures. I don’t get it!

Recently, I got another vehicle. I’m very, very lucky I have fantastic parents. My mom got another vehicle and passed her old vehicle on to me. I really appreciate it!

Cubbie loves the new vehicle for one reason, the window. He’s figured out all he has to do is step on the buttons on the arm of the door and eventually the window will go down. In my old car, the buttons were slightly raised with a little lever in the middle. The buttons in the new car are flat and easy for Cubbie to step on.

Today, we went to my parents’ house for a little while. On the drive, Cubbie and I played “window wars.” He put the window down, I let him keep his head out for a little bit, then I put it back up. Cubbie sat down on the seat for couple minutes, and then he put the window down again. When I got cold, I put it back up. Cubbie seemed content for a bit and took a little nap. After about 15 minutes, he woke up and put the window down again! When I tried to put it up, he looked at me and kept his paw on the button. I caved and kept the window down for a little bit. He was working so hard to keep the window, how could I say no?

But in the end, I always win. Cubbie is smart, but I have the window lock button on my side!

Posted under Cubbie stories