Subtitled: "Just Who Did We Buy Those Expensive Pillows For Anyway?"

We recently invested in a new set of down pillows for our master bedroom. Actually two sets of pillows -- one King size and one Standard size. And these are some super-duper pillows, too.

They're a premiere line of hotel-quality pillows from Hampton Inn. (And yes, they were expensive.)

The only thing is... sometimes I think our dog enjoys those pillows more than we do!

If you drive with your dog unrestrained in your car (which means the dog has the freedom to roam from your lap... to the back seat... front seat... and from window to window) and you live in California, then you may be breaking the law.

That is, if a bill sponsored by Bill Maze in the California state legislature passes. On May 5th, it passed in the California Assembly with a 44-11 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate. The earliest this new law could go into effect is January 1, 2009.

You have a potential major risk of an auto accident when you have a live pet that can be around in your face, in the steering wheel, down on the floor under your feet," Maze said Friday. "Pets have a mind of their own and are unpredictable." Source

I have to say, as much as I have been guilty of doing this in the past, I think driving with lapdogs should be outlawed... and in all states.

I have Lyme Disease. My dog does not.

Our vet thought this was odd, because dogs spend much more time closer to the ground and inevitably get a lot more tick bites than we do. Plus, 90% of the time we're outdoors, our dog is usually with us.

...I guess the tick preventative that our dogs have always worn (Frontline Plus) really does work!
  

Here is the best way to remove a tick from your body ...or your dog's body.

Here are some of the ticks that we've found on our dogs (and on ourselves):

     

Q: How do you know Spring has arrived?...

A: Your dog takes an unusual interest in the clothes dryer.

Upon closer inspection, you find that it's the birds building their nests inside dryer vent that has actually captured your dog's attention. Nonetheless, it's both annoying and hilarious at the same time.

We recently introduced the GoughNuts dog toy to our dog, Tenor, for the first time.

Think: A 'doughnut' that dogs go nuts for.

Let me just tell you... the minute that package arrived in the mail, somehow he instinctively knew it was for him. I don't know if it was the strong smell of the rubber that was wreaking from the package itself, or what. But he kept pestering me until I took the time to open it and let him see what it was.

And he immediately loved it!

   

I recently got our dog the Tug-A-Jug dog toy by Busy Buddy. They call it 'the ultimate interactive toy'.

I chose this particular dog toy because my dog REALLY likes to play with old 2-liter bottles. He especially likes it when I put tiny dog treats inside the emplty bottle. He'll play for a long time just nosing the bottle around on the floor and pawing at it with his toes. And he really likes making the plastic crinkle, pop and crack while he's trying vigorously to get the treats out of the bottle.

Of course, at the end of the play session (which can last an entire evening), the bottle is always thrown away -- because, at this point, there are usually some sharp corners of plastic. Not to mention the fact that the treats have mostly been emptied, and the bottle itself is in some strange contortion that is no longer rollable, tossable, or even chewable.

So I thought the Tug-A-Jug sounded like a more permanent option to the old 2-liter bottle idea.

I got the large one that is 'best for dogs over 40 lbs'. (I have an 80 lb. Black Lab.)

I never really thought much about selling dog items on eBay before... until recently.

Soon after the holidays were over, I realized I was in the mood to purge unwanted (or unneeded) items from our house. Who needs all this stuff???

And I found that I had some old dog things that were still in fairly good condition, so...eBay to the rescue!

About the same time, I came across some great tips for selling things on eBay including dog supplies...