MeiMei and Miko take on Halloween 2010

Our girls have had some pretty darn cute costumes for Halloween in the past, and with all the selections that we have available at the Pawhaus this year, it's even more difficult to decide what they should wear!

So, we are going to post some pictures of them in their favorites, between now and the big day and then see which ones you liked the best!

Here is todays choice - it's a good one because it's a team costume

Monkey and Banana!! Let us know what you think!

Games We Play

I was reading an article the other day that during the winter time, it's still very important to keep your dog(s) active and moving, working and not bored. This is a little tricky with our girls because they will barely move out the door to do their bathroom business and if they do they usually insist on being carried back to the house because it's cold and snowy and they are just too precious to have to endure such things (and since I'm a sucker, I agree and carry them to the house). So I figured that there could be another way to keep their minds busy with a Nina Ottosson interactive toy. I got one all keyed up one morning (putting their favorite treats in the proper slots) and watched how they figured it all out:

MeiMei was a little more interested in it than Miko (which is usually the case)

and it didn't take her long to figure out that there were treats hidden in the puzzle
she quickly figured out how to move the pieces around - leaving Miko on the sidelines watching
she actually managed to move the disks around and got all the treats out!
Then Miko figured out that there was a way to get treats and insisted that I fill it up again so that she could have a go at it
unfortunately, MeiMei wouldn't share her new toy
and, as usual, Miko just continued to sit and stare at it until I gave in and gave her the treats that I had in my hand
so she didn't have a need to play the game anymore
because she already knows who to play in the house
and she is the winner of that game everytime!

Keep your pets busy during the cold winter months with indoor play groups, quick and frequent walks, interactive games and taking them on errands and pet friendly places.

Resolutions

I asked our two pugs, MeiMei and Miko last night what this years resolution would be and after much thought they told me their resolutions are:

1. Help out more around the house

2. Don't destroy so many of our beds and toys 3. Eat slowerOk - maybe those are my resolutions for them...

Their resolutions were actually:

1. More naps in the sunshine2. More cuddles

3. More walkies (except when it's really cold)4. More food5. More kisses7. and less crazy outfits that mama makes us wearHappy New year to you all!

Ready, Set, Go! ReadyLeash!

As I mentioned last week - I like to try out as many as the products that we carry in Pawhaus as I can with the our pugs. That way I know what I am talking about when I recommend it to a customer.

So one of the items we recently brought in is the ReadyLeash:The ReadyLeash is an innovative, non-retractable leash with bags built-in! The ReadyLeash features an comfort-grip handle with an integrated clean-up bag dispenser. The bags simply pull out like tissues and refillables easily pop into the handle. XtraLeashes can be attached to the ReadyLeash handle for walking multiple dogs.

So, I attached an XtraLeash to our handle and hooked the girls up.
The more I used the ReadyLeash, the more I realized how comfortable the handle was to hold. At first I thought the leash length (I have medium size on there for each of them) wasn't enough - I thought that we would be tripping all over each other and giving each dog enough "space" to comfortably do their "business" wasn't going to be easy - but it didn't end up being that way.

The girls easily got used to how much space they had for themselves and, unlike other couplers I have tried while walking the dogs, the ReadyLeash gives more space for the dogs to be apart from each other. They could both walk on either side of me without it feeling like they were pulling each other or pulling me from one side or the other.
Of course, the girls have to frequently check the Pee-mail around the neighborhood, which means that I have to be on the ball for when they want to stop so that I don't pull my arm out - but I did like the closer control that I had with them when it came to them trying to grab a rabbit turd off the ground.
I can't really comment on whether the ReadyLeash helps with a dog pulling - only because MeiMei and Miko are very good while walking and 90% of the time stay in heel and don't pull ahead or get too out of control. (Yes, I am spoiled with well behaved pugs ;)
However, I can comment on the easy convienence of having the poop bags in the handle. Very easy to pull out and biodegradable bags at that! The handle also has a very cool feature in that there is an opening on both ends. One to pull bags out of, and the other (self proclaimed) I could tuck the tied ends of the *ahem* used bag into the opening. Which means that I NO LONGER HAVE TO CARRY POOP FILLED BAGS IN MY HANDS!!!! If you are like us and don't have garbage bins in abundance in your 'hood then this is a very cool feature. This is also handy when you have two dogs to wrangle and don't always have an extra hand to pick up the additional doo that they drop. (Side Note: what is it about dogs and their reserve tank of pee and poop when they do on walks?? It's endless!!!)
So after about a week of using the ReadyLeash I can really say that I think it's a really useful product and will continue to use it when walking the girls. The only comment I have that isn't practical when using it for two dogs is when you are taking them somewhere, like the groomers or vet's office, and they need to be taken into the back, one at a time, on leash. It leaves you holding one dog while the other goes or coming up with another plan (maybe just clipping the leash to your person or something might work).

I think that the ReadyLeash is a great product and I will use it for a long time to come. If you are wondering why I favor a non-retractable leash.. well that's a topic I may have to save for another day.

Working Hard

I haven't posted in this blog with my own two dogs or really personal opinions on here... but I think it may be time to get started :)

The girls have been helping me get some things done these past weeks - and I gotta say, they really throw themselves in their work! They can't seem to let it go at the end of the day

MeiMei: come on Miko - we have to look over all of these collars to make sure that momma didn't mess them upMiko: If I look at another collar... I'm gunna lose it!Miko: This one does suit me though, doesn't it?MeiMei: I'm just going to rest here for a moment...MeiMei: zzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz
Check out our new collars getting added to the site over the next couple weeks - and always expanding! The girls are helping me pick out the best styles to add to our collection! We will have a collar give-away this week too!! Details to come...