Green With Envy

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Hey!  Remember Cam and I showed you our really cool new harnesses from CTC Dog Gear?  And then we told you that Mom and Dad like them so much that Dad said Mom should order two more as "back-ups"?!?  They haven't come in yet, but ...

You know how Mom makes most of our collars and especially our leashes, right?  Well, in anticipation of our really cool even-newer harnesses, Mom ordered some webbing and supplies for matching collars and leashes!  Check it out:

Extra-strong thread (she's never used that before, but thought she'd try the thread the webbing place has), new hardware for the leashes, and HEY!  How about those cool colors for the webbing?!?!!?

Cammie loves pink and it looks really great on her, so ... guess what color I get?  GREEN!!!

"Isn't this a cool color?!?  I love it!"

Oh. Right. Mom said it shouldn't be sitting on the sitzbank - or something like that.  Something about something on the sitzbank that shouldn't be there.  Or was it someONE on the sitzbank who shouldn't be?  Nah.  That can't be it.  Whatever.

You probably can't tell how it will look on me, since it's sitting down at my feet on the sitzbank, right?  That must be what Mom was saying.  And so ...

"Funny, Mom.  Very funny."

At least she didn't make me get off my sitzbank!  What do you think?  Does the color look cool on me?!!?  I hope it matches my new harness!  In the meantime, Cam and I had best get busy helping Mom make the new leashes and collars!!!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

It's All About The Treats

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie.  Today, Mags and I are teaming up with Dory and her brothers in their Treats for Shelter Pets blog hop. They will be donating $1 for everyone who links up to the hop with a Halloween post. You know - a trick or treat kind of thing --- "treat" being the operative word here.  Yes, apparently, we're all to put on outfits or costumes or something, then talk about how we support our local shelter.

Sigh.  Here goes with the challenging part.

"Um...  how about a treat, Mom?  Oh.  Right - 'trick or treat'.  Yeah.  Whatever."

For Maggie and me, it's not that we like putting these outfits on, it's about getting a treat. Umm... I mean it's about trusting Mom, letting her do some silly things, then being rewarded for our good behavior. Right, Maggie?

"Wait. I'm trying to get into character."

I have no idea about her sometimes...

Anyway, after getting us to pose, Mom thought she would go for the ultimate challenge - both of us at once. For anyone who knows and understands Siberians, doing something with ONE Siberian is a challenge. When you add another one in, the challenge isn't just doubled - it's like quadrillioned. Seriously. That's how fun we are. Anyway - it's all to help raise money for pups in shelters, so here we are:

"Mom?  Let's not forget the 'treat' part of this deal!"
"How about a little Steppenwolf so I can get into character?  ...'♩Get your motor running, head out on the highway♩'..."

Yeah. I think that's a wrap.

"I think we're done here, Mom."
"... ♩'looking for adventure in whatever comes our way'♩....!!!!  Wait.  I'm not done, Cam.  ...'♩Yeah, darlin' gonna make it happen♩'..."

Back to our reason for the post - there are all kinds of different ways to support your local shelter.  Did you know our great-siblings Stormy, Zim, and Davy all came from ours?  That was Mom and Dad's favorite way of supporting our local shelter, but of course!  There are other ways, too:  monetary donations are always appreciated, most shelters have "wish lists" of items they need, like collars and leashes, towels, bedding, etc., and you can even volunteer at some shelters!  

Thank you, Dory, Artie, Jakey, and Bilbo (and your mom) for sponsoring this cool blog hop!  Now ... trick or  TREAT!!!

Cammie!

Hide 'N' Seek? Or Tag?

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie.  The other day, our dad got a new golf cart thingie.  The good news for Maggie was that it came in a decent-sized box.

"Hey!  This is a nice one!"

She said it would have been easier to get into if it opened differently, but still - a box is a box.

Happy Toctober, by the way

She is still hoping for one of the cool Haunted House boxes that our kit-cat friends the Random Felines and Isabella and Angel have, but this will do.

"Cammie, see if you can find me!"

So, yeah.  She wanted to play Hide 'N' Seek, thinking she had found the perfect hiding place.  I love my little sister to pieces, so I played along.

If the vid won't play, please click here to view it on YouTube

As you can see, that led to a rousing game of Tag.  It struck me, as I gained a lead in the game, that maybe there IS something to this whole "boxing" thing she does.

"Wait.  I wonder if I could hide from Mags in th--WHAT AM I THINKING?!?!?"

I didn't do it.  I thought about it, but I didn't do it.  I think Maggie might be rubbing off on me!

Cammie!

Wordless Wednesday

Cammie!

Backyard Fall Photo Shoot

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  The Fall/Autumn colors are just magnificent this year here in the great state of Kansas!  All during our walk this morning, Mom was oohing and ahhing over all the golds and reds and yellows and ... whatever.  Anyway, when we got home, she didn't even undo our harnesses - we headed right into our backyard for a photo shoot!

Here we are in front of one of her favorite trees - a Purple Ash!

"Smile, Mags!"
"How's this?!?"

Look at how good we were! Oh. Right. Did I mention the treats in her pocket?  And that there is a good chance we got a bunch of Crazed River Otter behavior out on the deck beforehand?  Whatever!

After that, we moved over to her other Fall faves, the Amur Maples!

"Wait.  I see someone down on Little Kitten Ave."
"Yeah ... I think it's those Dachsies and their person."

"Oh, yeah.  I can see them now!"
"Ha roo, Dachsies!"

Anyway, Mom kept backing up, trying to get more of the trees in the shot.

"Where ya going, Mom?"
"Do not jump off the retaining wall.  Do not jump off the retaining wall.  Do not ..."

"Yep.  Kinda out of range there, Mom.  I could just ..."
"... jump off the retaining wall."

I'd best not say any more about the photo shoot and why that was the end of it right there.  Besides, we're nice and tired now!

How are the Autumn colors where you live?

Cammie!

At Last!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  I had a very stressful event this past week - Mom washed my bed!  I had to be without it for two whole hours!!!  It was horrible!!!

Sure, I could have laid on the one by the TV ... or the one by the fireplace ... or the queen-sized one in the bedroom that's called "Mom and Dad's bed" ... but Mom took MY bed in the breakfast room and washed it.  I couldn't use it for two whole hours!!!

I gave her just enough time to get it out of the dryer, zip it back up, and put it back into place before I claimed it once again:

"Ahhhh!  Peace, at last!!!"

Did I mention I had to go without it for two whole hours?!?!  And this happens every week!  Do you all have to put up with this, too?  So stressful.  So very, very stressful!

Cammie!

PS:  Two whole hours!!!

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Today, Cam and I thought we'd turn Serene Scenery Sunday into Super Smooth Sunday.

Cam and me

Oh, yeah. That's how we roll.

Keep it cool, everybody, and have a super smooth Sunday!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Table Manners

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  Mom and Dad have trained us girls not to be pesky while they're at the table eating.  That's a no-no!  We are good girls and go lay down!

"Like this.  Aren't we good?"
"Yeah.  What Cam said."

Of course, we usually choose to do that "laying down" thing right beside or underneath Mom or Dad!

"Wait.  Is that a pear?"
"Bartlett.  Smooth, juicy, and sweet. The standard by which all other pears are measured.  Just a guess..."

We don't pester ... but we are right there, should anything accidentally hit the floor.

Do you have good table manners, too?

Cammie!

What's That?

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Cammie shared with you some of the photos Mom took of us in Keats the other day, but today I thought I'd share the ones I think are more interesting!  Ready to take a look?

Before I begin, let me just say that it was the first time Cam and I had gone to Keats.  I'd heard all about it from our great-brother Zimmie - he and Mom used to go every Fall to look at the beautiful leaves and to explore.  He had some great tales from there and I've always wanted to go!

When we first got there, Mom wanted some shots of us posing under the trees.

"Oh, what a lovely park!"
"Hey... what's that?"

I couldn't help it. New places MUST be explored! Mom kept trying.

"Was that something over there?"
"I get the feeling we're being watched, Cam."

I couldn't shake the feeling - there was something out there watching us, following us, perhaps even stalking us. I mean other than Mom and her camera.

"Wait!  I thought I saw something!"
"The sun's in my eyes; I can't see anything."

We finally got to do some exploring, and I thought I picked up its scent.

"Let's go, Mags!"
"Wait!  I think I've got something here!"

And then - BAM!   Found it!

"HEY!  Sea Serpent!  I've heard all about you!"

It was Zim's Sea Serpent friend!  He was as big and green and scaly as Zimmie said he was!  It was so cool seeing him!  What could have been just a run-of-the-mill photo shoot sure turned into a great adventure!  It's not every day you get to meet a Sea Serpent!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Our New Harnesses!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  Mags and I couldn't decide who would get to do today's post, so we drew straws.  She ate her piece of straw, so I win.  Anyway, today we're going to tell you all about our new CTC Dog Gear Oxford Shoulder Harnesses!  (Remember, words that are that color and underlined are hyperlinks!)

Mags and me in action!

Maggie is wearing blue and I'm wearing purple.

Our mom got them for us after a friend's recommendation. They are strong, secure (note to the OP Pack: there is NO backing out of these babies!), and comfortable!

They allow great freedom of movement and don't have any pinch points or areas where they rub. Look at how happy Maggie is, even when she's pulling:

Cool action shot!

For the record, I just don't pull. I'd rather walk beside Mom or Dad, or slightly out front. I pretended to pull for the photo shoot.

Maggie pulling, me pretending to pull for the photo shoot

Speaking of the shoot, Mom and Dad drove out to Keats for the shoot; Dad walked us around while Mom took pix with the Canon. Mom liked the photos better than the ones she took the other day, so we thought we'd use these for our big review!

Mom wasn't sure about sizing for us, but there is a very helpful chart right on the CTC Dog Gear site - and Natalie walked Mom through the whole process! What great customer service!!! She made it totally easy for us!

They fit us perfectly!!!

There are strips of reflective tape on the front and back of the harnesses - what a great safety feature!

Did I mention they are super-strong?

We love the colors Mom chose - the royal blue looks so good on Maggie, and I just love having a purple one! Mom thought these would be easy to keep clean - and since they can be worn swimming, they can certainly be washed!  Perfect!

Mags and me in Keats Park

As we mentioned, Mom and Dad like them so much, they've already ordered two more as "back ups". What colors do you think we got? Hint: they're very FUN colors!

These CTC Dog Gear Shoulder Harnesses make our adventures so much fun! Dad said, after he walked us in them for the first time, that he could tell we were comfortable and like them! We love them - and as a result, we've been going on even longer walks! Talk about a win-win situation!

Mom took this closing shot of us out on our walk this morning:

Mags and me, taking a quick break

We got to do some "extra" exploring!

We're so happy when we find a product we really like; it was our pleasure to tell you about the CTC Dog Gear harnesses.  You'll be seeing us in them a LOT!

Cammie!

Wordless Wednesday

Cam and Mags

Posing At The Trailhead

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  As you may have noticed, Cammie and I have new harnesses!  They're totally cool - I have a blue one and Cam has a purple one.  Excellent color choices for both of us!  They're made by the very good folks at CTC Dog Gear; we like them so much that Mom has already ordered "back up" harnesses for us!

Anyway, we took both Mom and Dad on a walk yesterday, so Mom thought it would be a great opportunity to get good shots of us in our new harnesses to share with the CTC people. She took a bunch of pix along the way - we'll share those with you another day - but we like the ones at the trailhead best!

Here's how it went ...

"Wait!  What's this?!?"
"I'm all set, Mom!"
"Maggie!  C'mom.  Please?"

"Did I miss anything, Cam?"
"Yes.  I think there's someone coming down the other part of the trail..."
"Maggie!  Please look this way!  Please?!?  Cammie?!?"

"Oh, sorry.  Sure, Mom!  How's this?"
"Yeah... there's someone down there, alright!"
"Cammie?!?  Cam?"

Yeah.  So, Mom muttered something about "outtakes" and "let's just go", which suited Cam and me (and Dad, truth be told) just fine.  These harnesses make us want to go, go, GO!!!

Again, we'll fill you in on the harnesses later - but for now, we wanted to show you how very good we were at the trailhead!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

New Toys!

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie!  Remember the other day when Maggie showed you her new box?  Several of you kindly asked what toys we got.  Now that we've tested them out a bit, we thought we'd fill you in.

It's very hard for Mom to find toys that can be left down, for free access all the time.  Maggie can chew through the black, toughest traditional KONGS in a matter of minutes -- that should give you an idea of what Mom's up against.  She actually thought I was a super-chewer before we adopted Mags.  Anyway, Mom did some reading up on these toys by West Paw Design - the Zogoflex line - and thought they might stand up to Maggie.

And me.

I got to play with the Zogoflex Tux.

"Here it is!"

It's sort of like three connected balls. There's a space in there where Mom COULD put a really big cookie if she wanted to. Ahem.  Just a thought.

Maggie got a Zogoflex Jive!  It's a solid ball with some contouring to it.

"I like this!"

Mine is fun to chew on. Maggie's is, too, plus Mom can throw it and it takes all these whacky bounces. It keeps her busy and interested!  I mean Maggie - not Mom.

We got to play with them again during TV time last night - and Maggie chose to play with the Jive ball over watching a show with Vikings in it! That says a LOT about how much she likes it!

"I just love this Zogo---WAIT!  Is that Uhtred?"

Well, it held her interest more than other toys.  And who could blame her?  The Last Kingdom was on!!!

And me?  I actually really like the Zogoflex Tux!

"See, Mom?  You could tuck a big treat right in HERE!"

So far, they're holding up really well, so Mom is pleased.  They could well make the cut as "leave down all the time" toys!  If you have pups who are very hard on toys like we are, you might want to give these a try!  They come in other shapes, too, but Mom thought these stood the best chances with us.  You can find the Zogoflex Tux and Zogoflex Jive lots of different places, to include Chewy.com and Amazon.com.  Oh.  Another thing Mom likes is that she can stick them in the dishwasher if they get funky!

We purchased these toys on our own; they are not a part of any free offer.  We just thought we'd tell you about them because it's hard to find "durable" toys that really ARE "durable".

Are you hard on toys?  Are there any recommendations you would make?  We'd love to hear about them!

Cammie!

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  This morning we had such a lovely walk with Mom that Maggie and I thought we'd share a bunch of photos from it with you for Serene Scenery Sunday.  How does that sound?

As soon as we exited the garage, we felt the nice, cooler air!

"Ah!  Smell that fresh, cool air, Cam!"
"Oh, so peaceful!"

When we got to the second corner, we almost had a slight run-in -- can you see with whom? (Check the utility pole!)

"If it wasn't for our cool, new harnesses, strong leashes, and Mom's hands-free belt ..."
"Neener, neener, neener!  Can't get me!"

I don't mean to sound harsh, but that squirrel was a TEASE!!! If by some chance we had gotten ahold of him, he would have had it coming to him. Trust me!

Anyway, Mom decided we shouldn't turn up that street like we usually do, so we went down a hill and then started going up the big road!

Me and Mags

It was exciting!  We hadn't been on that part of the big road for a long time, so there were 87 million new smells!  We went all the way up to the big crosswalk:

"Hurry, Mom!  Hurry!  Get her, Cam!"

I was behind Mags, trying to herd Mom across  Even walking at a good clip, that hand-signal turns from white ("go") to red ("stop") about when you get halfway across!  It's kind of crazy!

We kept going ...

Mom kept saying how good the sun felt and we were enjoying all the smells!

We looped behind our local fire station -

"I wonder if any of the fire bipeds are out?  We could say hello!"
"I wonder if they'd let us ride in their big truck!"

 - then crossed the street and walked beside a pretty meadow.

We love that path - we smell deer and bunnies and turkeys and all kinds of things! Mom had treats, so we stopped for a quick pose:

Maggie and me

We walked a lot further! For some reason, there are no photos of some major parts of our walk!  I don't quite understand it, because Maggie and I had a LOT of fun!  Did you know it's entirely possible to mix in a few rounds of Crazed River Otter Games with a walk?  True story.

Anyway ... here we are by the Great Wall of Manhattan:

"I love this part of the walk!"
"Me, too!"
"Me, three!"

And before we knew it, we were at the Kansas Ocean!!! Here we are, taking a quick break:

Me and Mags by the KSO.
(Mom still had treats.)

It was an awesome walk!

"This has been so much fun!"
"I feel so serene now!"

We hope you enjoyed coming with us! Sorry there are no pix of the Crazed River Otter portions of the walk - Maggie and I both did our part to start round after round, but Mom just didn't take any snaps of any of it!  Go figure.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Cammie!