Puppy Love

Recently, I've really been missing my two great danes, Duke (blue) and Cooper (fawn) more than usual. When I sold my house and eventually moved to NYC, I had no other option than to find them a home. Easily it was the hardest thing that I've been through - I loved those dogs more than words can explain. Now in SF, it seems like everyone I see is accompanied by a furry friend. Before I was a dog owner, I didn't get it, but if you do/did have a dog then you can totally relate when I say that there is no companionship like that of a loyal pup. In terms of both my living situation (such a small apartment) and how much time I'm away, there's absolutely no way I could get another dog now. So until then, I'll smile and watch all the dogs and their owners at Delores Park on weekends and keep reminding myself that one day, I'll be one of them again.

The picture directly above is me with Rugby, one of my SF friend's dog. SO SWEET!

Duke - NO COUCH!

Duke - NO COUCH! This is what we've been having to say for the last new weeks. In our old houses, Duke was able to get on the sofas and lay wherever he wanted. Then all at one time, we got Cooper, moved into a new house, and purchased a new sofa. Now with two great danes, Beau and I thought it would be best to not let the dogs on furniture in the new house (to help keep it from smelling like a barn) Surprisingly, there was no trouble whatsoever. Duke seemed to have no problem. Even at night when we were sleeping, he would stay off the new couch. Cooper was no problem because he was never allowed on the couch.

Well recently, Mr. Bob, Beau's stepdad, has been staying at our house a few nights a week while he works on a development project outside of Baton Rouge. Mr. Bob LOVES the danes, and spoils them too much (out of love, of course)! We would get home and find him and Duke sitting on the couch watching TV as if it was totally normal. Then we found that Duke would sneak up there and sleep on the sofa at night. So what's our solution? Throw a bunch or crap on it EVERY night to keep him off. I find that stools work best. Like...are we insane or what? But hey - it works!

Krewe of Mutts! (Recap)

Let me start by saying I am aware I've been posting a lot recently about the danes, so this will be the last one for a while. Promise.

Yesterday, Beau and I, along with our friends, Ryan and Johnny took Duke and Cooper to the Krewe of Mutts dog parade in downtown Baton Rouge. With bloody marys in hand, the six of us (including dogs) walked around looking at all the dogs dressed up in funny costumes and all the little puppies up for adoption. The weather was uncharacteristically beautiful, so it was the perfect day to walk around and enjoy ourselves. There were thousands of people there with every kind of dog you can imagine. Ryan kept making fun of us, because I think we stopped and chit chatted with every single great dane owner (as if we knew them) and let the dogs mingle (aka sniff butts).

I was very proud of both Duke and Cooper. They tend to be on the hyper side...especially when they get around other dogs. However, for the most part, they just walked around and took in the sights (except when Beau let Duke's leash go (to prove how good he is) and he took off running). People tried three different times to grab him as he ran by, but he would just dodge them and keep running. There were tons of people who are scared of a 160 lb. running towards them, so their reactions were funny. Keep in mind, Beau was running after him yelling his name. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life!

After that long day, both Duke and Cooper are POOPED. As I'm writing this post, they're both curled up by my feet completely passed out. Sweet danes.

Brothers

Look how cute! I forget that Duke and Cooper were little at one point. It's so funny to look back at these old pictures and remember their chubby little faces, awkwardly big paws, and puppy breath. These pictures were taken in this cute old house we rented in the garden district. Memories....

Happy Friday!

Krewe of Mutts this Sunday!

The good, the bad, and the furry! That is the theme of this year's Krewe of Mutts on Sunday, Jan 29th from 10 to 4 in downtown Baton Rouge. The streets will be taken over by hundreds of doggies and their owners as everyone watches the K-9 parade - with tons and tons of puppies dressed up in their finest, it is really a site to see. There will be everything from Great Danes and Mastiffs to Chiwawas and Terriers...a lot of the people are fun to look at, too. You know - the ones that treat their dogs like human beings and talk to them as if they speak English?(guilty) I highly recommend you come out and enjoy the parade, food trucks, music, and fun! Best of all, it's sponsored by CAAWS (Capitol Area Animal Welfare Society), all of the proceeds go directly to support the shelter.

"The Capital Area Animal Welfare Society is a non-profit organization committed to the well-being of animals in the Baton Rouge community by adopting homeless animals, teaching the community responsible pet ownership and the humane treatment of animals, and promoting the practice of spay/neuter at all times. Our ultimate goal is to have Baton Rouge be a model in the South where all adoptable animals find loving homes." - CAAWS.org.

We Will be Boarding Shortly...

Danes update! Yesterday, I loaded up the danes it my little Jeep and drove off to the vet for a last minute visit so both Duke and Cooper could get their bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine. Beau and I will literally be traveling all across southern Louisiana for Christmas, and there's no possible way we could bring two great danes to my parent's, his sister's, and then to his parents. With that said, we (very sadly) have to board them for a few days over the holidays. I feel TERRIBLE, but we don't have a choice.

Either way, the vet visit was a hot mess. Clearly, half of Baton Rouge had the same idea as us because the vet waiting room was packed. Worst of all, I was that person with the bad dogs! Duke was okay...sort of, but Cooper was terrible! Literally, he non-stop barked and shrilly whined from the moment we got in until the moment we left. My arms are sore from them pulling on my leashed trying to play with other dogs. Omg, I was so embarrassed. They're lucky I love them!

My favorite part of a vet visit - weight in time. This time around, Duke stayed about the same - just under 150, but Cooper grew tons - he's now weighing in at 120 at just 10 months old! He's going to be huge, and I can't wait!!

PS - please excuse our floors in these pictures. Things have been INSANE at The Mended Nest with last minuted holiday orders.

Just a Little Something

Last night, Beau and I had one of out oldest and best friends, Ryan over for some
homemade pizzas to thank him for watching dogs this past weekend while we were at the wedding in Lake Charles. Poor Ryan - that weekend couldn't have gone more wrong (to NO fault of his own). Sunday morning when he came to let the dogs out, he realized that their barks weren't coming from their room, but from the front door. When he opened the door, his assumptions were realized...and then some. One of the dogs (I'm blaming Cooper) peed all over the floor twice at some point in the night! As you can imagine, it got everywhere since (I'm sure) both dogs ran through it and then walked all over the house. I literally laugh when I think about Ryan's face when we walked in to all of this. Poor thing. Of course, we wouldn't have know the difference if he hadn't told us. I think the floors were actually cleaner after he got done than they were when we left.



Of course, everything has been cleaned again and disinfected since, so it's really easy to laugh about it now. Regardless of how destructive the danes can be, we were going to have Ryan over to thank him for watching them while we were gone (like I said earlier). When he got here, he had with him a little bunch of flowers as a thank you and a sorry for the dogs...which was completely unnecessary. I've mentioned in previous posts that bringing a bottle of wine is an easy, good idea when someone invites you over (which he also did). However, I think flowers send an equally nice message. For me at least, just the though that someone went out of there way for something so considerate means a lot. I think this is a great idea - especially when someone has you over for the very first time. Even if it is "just a little something".

Danes!

I can't believe this is the first post about Duke and Cooper! These guys are our two great danes, and we love them! Yes, they keep it extremely challenging to keep a clean house, but they're totally worth it. Duke (blue) is about 2.5 years old and weighs about 140 lbs. Cooper (fawn) is already almost just as big, but the funny thing is that Cooper is only 7 months old! He's going to be HUGE! We're so blessed to still have Cooper. When he was just a few months old, he contracted Parvo, a very deadly disease in puppies, and he nearly died. However, after about a week at the vet's office, Cooper returned as good as new! That's how we got the nickname Re-Cooper (after recuperate).

Like I said earlier, it's stressful to have 220 lbs of dog running around, but we love them very, very much. If it was up to me, I'd have a dane in every color! Unfortunately, Beau (and my wallet) have something to say about that...