August 26th is National Dog Day and an excellent opportunity for my friends and me to share a few things about our adorable fur babies, learn a few fun facts, try a great treat recipe and read up on the most popular dog names. It’s time to celebrate!
THIS ONE IS GOING TO THE DOGS FOR
NATIONAL DOG DAY!
Since I was a very little girl, dogs have been a big part of my life. My first best friend was a collie who I named Missy. She was the most beautiful, loving and dear creature. Over the years I have known quite a few furry best friends, each one leaving an indelible mark on my heart and memories which I will cherish always. I can’t imagine life without these wonderful beings, even though we only get to have them for a short while, they add so much to our lives.
When I first moved out on my own, I adopted Banquo–a little white toy poodle puppy who was born on Halloween. He was my world and so very smart. One of his favorite things to do was to perform and one of his favorite tricks was “Play Dead”. It would go like this;
I would start the trick by saying,
“Okay, Banquo, we’re going to have it out!”
He would then lay down and give a snort.
Next, I would slap my leg and point my finger at him, (like a gun), and say “BANG!”
At that point, he would fall over onto his side and stay that way until I blew the tip of my finger, as if it were a smoking gun.
This was his cue to jump up and run over for his treat.
Meet Marvelous
Miss Madeleine Rose
For Maddie’s birthday party dinner, I made cute little favor boxes which also served as place cards. I filled them with a yummy confection called “puppy chow” for the humans and doggie treats for Maddie’s dog friends.
Our Resplendent Rose
We brought our 7 week old puppy home 4 years ago, our fourth Labrador Retriever, the only kind my husband, Bill, will allow. And I must admit that although Labs shed like crazy, the loyalty and intelligence (almost) makes up for the sweeping. I am not sure how we decided to name her Rose, not after my mother—sorry mom, but it always has to be one syllable according to Bill, although Rosie is allowed.
Bill and I are both retired so Rose has our undivided attention which I believe makes for a very bright dog who can read your every thought and knows WAY too many words. And I am so glad she is so eager to please and has become the best dog ever because I wasn’t sure she was a keeper in the beginning, with her aggression issues. Once I realized I had to show her I was the alpha and not a litter mate, she completely changed and I wouldn’t trade her for the world!
Rose greets me every morning with two Kongs in her mouth, ready to play fetch before I have had my first cup of coffee. How can you not smile at that?
Sometimes she doesn’t want to give up the ball she fetched so I can throw it and a dog-sitter friend clued me in on the reason. She said “I get so much exercise playing CHASE with Rose I don’t have to go to the gym”. Oh, I get it! The game is chase, not fetch. So sometimes we play that and I chase her or she chases me, depending upon the direction I choose!
Rose is always willing to join me in the garden, where she loves to look for a stray sugar snap to eat, or bunnies hiding in the raspberry patch. She’ll let me work for an hour or so and then I have to take a break and play with her. If I don’t she sits directly in front of me where I am on hands and knees weeding and she puts her paw on my chest. A way more fun reminder to take a break than your Apple Watch telling you to get up!
Just a dog? So much more—a companion who will follow you anywhere (sometimes in your way), never argues with you and loves any game you want to play.
What would we do without our pets in this strange time of 2020? –Julie
Bestie Brownie Brown
Brownie Brown came into my life 8 years ago. My husband knew that I had a hole in my heart from the loss of our poodle that year. I didn’t think I was ready for another dog….but he did. So SURPRISE…on the last day of school when I got home, I was greeted by this adorable little brown toy poodle puppy. Brownie Brown filled my heart with love and continues to every day. He is designated as my emotional support animal and is a good traveler on the airplane. He loves to take walks and snuggle close, which includes sneaking into bed in the morning and getting under the covers.
He likes to attend outdoor Symphony concerts in Sun Valley.–Lisa Marie
Smart and Sassy Sadie Sue
Sadie, my miniature Schnauzer, became my companion three years ago after my stem cell transplant! She weighed 4.5 lbs when we brought her home! She loves it when Greg takes her to Manito park in Spokane and lets her chase the squirrels and quail! That is her most favorite outing! She loves her daddy to the extreme!
Sadie has been a great traveling companion in our treks to Arizona and remembers people, places and things! She keeps us busy! She is naughty, adorable, fiercely loyal and completely hilarious! She loves all other doggies and loves to play, and asks them to play all the time, even if they are elderly! She has been known to chase deer and turkey like she is a big dog, which scares us to death! She makes my heart happy and I love her dearly!–Deb
Did You Know
- Dogs can learn more than 1000 words.
- Puppies grow to half of their body weight in the first four to five months and then take a year or more to gain the other half of their body weight. They can sleep 18 to 20 hours a day during that rapid body growth phase.
- Tired puppies get cranky just like little kids! If you have a grumpy puppy, have them take a nap.
- The average dog lives 10 to 14 years and in general, smaller breeds live longer than larger breeds.
- Stroking dogs and gazing into their eyes releases the “feel good” hormone oxytocin for both people and dogs.
- Petting a dog can lower your blood pressure.
- Dogs have three eyelids, including one to keep their eyes moist and protected.
- A dog’s sense of smell is reduced by up to 40 percent when he’s overheated and panting.
- A dogs sense of smell is 10,000 times stronger than a human’s.
- A dog’s average body temperature is 101.2 degrees.
- Walt Disney’s family dog, named Sunnee, was the inspiration behind “Lady and the Tramp.”
- More than half of all U.S. presidents have owned dogs and President Calvin Coolidge owned at least a dozen.
- Just like human fingerprints, no two dogs’ nose prints are alike.
- Puppies have 28 teeth and adult dogs have 42.
- Puppies are blind, deaf and toothless when born.
- The best age to bring a puppy home is 8 to 12 weeks.
- Dogs aren’t colorblind but their eyes don’t have receptors for red. They see in shades of black and white and also in shades of blue and yellow.
- Dalmatian puppies are born pure white and develop spots as they grow older.
- Dogs sweat through the pads of their feet.
- Dogs can get jealous when their humans display affection toward someone or something else.
- A dog’s whiskers are used as sensing devices.
- Three of the 12 dogs on the Titanic survived.
- The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.
In Loving Memory Of Our Dear Friend Buddy
And All Of Our Four-Legged Furry Family Members
Who We Have Loved Through The Years
For almost 18 years this little beagle had been faithful, loving, fun, naughty, a runaway & he would eat anything that didn’t eat him first. He was the very best! Cuddling on our bed was his favorite treat, & going for walks, and celebrating virtual birthdays with his pal Maddie. –Rae
Homemade Dog Treats
Ingredients
- ½ cup chunky or creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° FStir together peanut butter, honey, oil and chicken stock.In a separate bowl, combine flours and oatmeal. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.Place dough on a floured surface and roll out to ¼" thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out cookies--Maddie is a small dog so I use small cookie cutters.Place cut out cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake 14-16 minutes.Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. William Shakespeare
When choosing Maddie’s name, we had several things to consider; first, she had a big personality so she should have a full name, second, we wanted to select a name that reflected her sweet nature, and third, though she was ‘rough and tumble’ in many ways, she was also dainty. After much deliberation, we decided she would be called Madeleine Rose.
madeleine
mad·e·leine | \ ˈma-də-lən , ˌma-də-ˈlān \Definition of madeleine
1: a small rich shell-shaped cake2: one that evokes a memory–Merriam-Webster
If you are looking for a name, either for a new puppy or maybe just for your dream dog that you plan to get in the future, here is a list of the 50 most popular dog names, according to dogtime.com
Top 50 Most Popular Male Dog Names
- Bailey
- Max
- Charlie
- Buddy
- Rocky
- Jake
- Jack
- Toby
- Cody
- Buster
- Duke
- Cooper
- Riley
- Harley
- Bear
- Tucker
- Murphy
- Lucky
- Oliver
- Sam
- Oscar
- Teddy
- Winston
- Sammy
- Rusty
- Shadow
- Gizmo
- Bentley
- Zeus
- Jackson
- Baxter
- Bandit
- Gus
- Samson
- Milo
- Rudy
- Louie
- Hunter
- Casey
- Rocco
- Sparky
- Joey
- Bruno
- Beau
- Dakota
- Maximus
- Romeo
- Boomer
- Luke
- Henry
Top 50 Most Popular Female Dog Names
- Bella
- Lucy
- Molly
- Daisy
- Maggie
- Sophie
- Sadie
- Chloe
- Bailey
- Lola
- Zoe
- Abby
- Ginger
- Roxy
- Gracie
- Coco
- Sasha
- Lily
- Angel
- Princess
- Emma
- Annie
- Rosie
- Ruby
- Lady
- Missy
- Lilly
- Mia
- Katie
- Zoey
- Madison
- Stella
- Penny
- Belle
- Casey
- Samantha
- Holly
- Lexi
- Lulu
- Brandy
- Jasmine
- Shelby
- Sandy
- Roxie
- Pepper
- Heidi
- Luna
- Dixie
- Honey
- Dakota
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