Hill's Prescription Diet and our dogs

We were contacted last year to test Hill's Prescription Diet. Based on our dogs' profiles we got the Hill's Prescription Diet k/d + Mobility food for Benji (the oldest) and Hill's Science Plan Mature Adult for our pavement special, Petite Peu. (Petite Peu is already a senior after she passed the age of 7 years already. So quick!)

We had to say goodbye to our little Yorkie Benji last year. It was difficult for me to write about him, and think about him. Even while writing this, I am tearing up! Our pets are not only our pets, they are our companions and our friends! He left a huge gap. He was such a happy chappy all along!

Wishes for Benji

Benjamin last night

We had to let our Benjamin Yorkie boy go last night! Our furry dog has gone to a better place! That we believe!

My Benji Boy, we are missing you so much! Even your embarrassing accidents, and running out of the door at the speed of light...

But you were not healthy and we could see you were struggling. You must have been 15 going on 120 already. Your legs were buckling under you. The vet says you had no more blood pressure. You were not eating, although you still did not say no to a morsel from our plates. You stopped drinking water. Maybe your bad teeth caught up with you? We don't know, but we could see all was not well anymore. You were sleeping most of the time! You were a bundle of hair with skin and protruding bones and lots of growths.

Dandy Dogs to the rescue

Banji

Our old Yorkie is living on borrowed time. He is 15 or 16 years, going on 105! He looks as cute as ever, but picking him up you can feel all the growths and moles on his body. We tried giving him away for free, but he is still with us!

Dog Heaven at Walkhaven

We found a Dog Heaven at Walkhaven on Sunday! We are always searching for places in the outdoors that does not cost an arm and a leg. Places that cater for the whole family. What a treat to be able to bring along your dogs as well!

The dogs roam free and they are all well-behaved. Except for our little "monster" that we had to keep on a leash... But she did leave a little bit more calm after all the running around!

Our pavement special "screamed" (there's no better word for it! as all our nerves are shot driving with her!) all the way to Walkhaven. (I think she thinks we are taking her to the vet! Or maybe she can't handle the excitement? Who knows!)

Our old boy, Benji, took it all in his stride, and while missing a few steps and strides, we think he had a lovely time. We even took him off his leash, and he could not be bothered by other dogs sniffing his behind. (The same can't be said for the other anxious one!)

We told Benji several times he can go to the light! (A family joke, because he is OLD, and the regular foul-smelling pees in the house is a huge irritation!) To die while walking in Walkhaven must also be like missing a step crossing over into Dog Heaven! He would carry on walking in the fields...!  But as long as he still catches the snacks with such ease, he must be okay!

Walkhaven is in the Muldersdrift area, right next to the Cradle of Humankind. There are braai and picnic facilities on the premises, as well as a great outdoor restaurant at The Dog Box Grill. We had the burgers as they were on special, but the pizzas look great as well!

Adults pay R35 and children and students R20 for entrance for the day. (Not bad!)

I was there as well! ;-)

Yorkie boy update

Our Benji boy is still with us! We got this new addition to the family when he was 7 or 8 years, which means that he is now 14 or 15 years old. That's a lot in dog years!

But the vet thinks he still has many more years to go! (Much to Hubby's disappointment, because he can be a handful!) He is worse than a toddler which made me try to give him away five years back, but here he is! He still loves going on walks with us.

He is now also covered in moles, which makes the doggy parlour owner reluctant to cut his hair shorter. That does not help with his appearance at all! Yorkies can look scruffy very quickly, especially since the other dog "grooms" him, and Yorkie boy loves "vacuuming" the floor for scraps! And the food scraps get stuck in his beard...

Last night we wanted to leave him at home when we went for our afternoon walk, but he was waiting at the gate as well. Because he is a boy, he marks every bush, tree and pole in the street! That slows us down quite a bit. We also have to pick him up when he gets tired. But for most we are very impressed with the way his short legs can still keep up with the pace!

The Vet reckon it is his bad teeth that infects his liver, and that's why we get the accidents in the house. (Large foul-smelling puddles!) The Vet proposes that we pull most of his teeth, and that could aid in clearing up the liver. 

It is going to cost me, but I am starting to save! Poor boy! 

What would you do? Spend the R3500 ($259.95)  on the vet's bill?

Donations are welcome! 

(hint-hint family?)

Wordless Wednesday #283 - Bandana Day pose

Wordless Wednesday #241 - A dog's life

The dog that we wanted to give away for free is still alive and living with us

We have tried giving our Miniature Yorkshire Terrier away for free, because he is some most of the times worse than a toddler.

Our Benji Boytjie is a dog that has one brain cell, and that brain cell is focused on scavenging for food. The rest of the times he gives us a bark when he wants to go out, and a bark when he wants to come in again. It happens about 100 times a night. And when we do not adhere to his demands, we are still sometimes rewarded with a puddle of a surprise.

He had a limp in his hind legs, but since we started feeding him with Fido (what the guy at the local pet shop recommended), he has shown remarkable improvement. (To great disappointment of Hubby.)

At the vet

He started coughing the previous week, and had to be taken to the vet. (And who took him to the vet? Hubby , of course! And he had to fork out the R650. Thank you, dear Hubby!).

Benji got kennel cough. Where, and how we are not sure, because he lives in an enclosed garden, and the other dog is not sick.

We are beginning to suspect that he has a separate life during the day where he roams around... (We have caught him getting out underneath the gate where he is not supposed to be getting out.)

Benji, you are Special!
We all love you!

Wordless Wednesday #172 - Making sure he is included in the next trip

Wordless Wednesday #157 - A dog's life!

Wordless Wednesday #151 - Dog grooming

Wordless Wednesday #150 - Saturday morning lazy with the dog

Miniature Yorkshire Terrier Giveaway

- Benjamin is great with kids! They can hug him and he loves sitting or lying next to them, especially when there is a rub involved.
- Benji is about 7-8 year old, so there is no more chewing of anything in the home.
- Benji is super cute!
- Benji is Mr. Cool! The bombs can explode, and he will prance around unperturbed!
- He only gives one or two barks, but never the incessant barking that can drive you mad.
- He loves walking on a leash. (His previous owner's daughter was a dog trainer.)

- Benji eats anything, but it's best to stay with dog pellets.
- You never have to search for him. You will always find him in the kitchen...
- Benji's tongue curls when he is tired. Isn't that super cute?

Giveaway rules:

1. You need to be a serious dog lover!
2. You will have to swore to only feed him his dog pellets, even if he looks at you with those eyes! (The rest only plays havoc with his stomach.)
3. You need to be able to give him his daily attention.
4. The small things in life do not bother you at all!
5. He would love a place in your bed. (But he is used to sleeping with the other dog outside...)
6. It is best if you do not have a patio outside, but only grass.
7. The person who who makes the most passionate plea for this dog in the comments section can have him.
8. For Free!!

It is rather urgent!
(His daily survival is not guaranteed judging by the name-calling going on here on a daily basis!)

Benji Boytjie

There was a huge adjustment phase with our Miniature Yorkshire Terrier, but WE have adapted!

He walks around unfazed by any commotion going on around him...

We get upset about his bad toilet manners, but it doesn't make a dent in his behaviour. 
He does not DO grass! Period! Accept it!
It is only Hubby who still curses every time  he has to scoop up the "jewels" from our patio...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! (I know! How lucky can you get?)


Seven years multiplied by seven makes him forty nine years!
He is the oldest resident in this house!

King of the Castle and Mr Cool!

He's got the other dog grooming him the whole day long.
Petite Peu bites-bites him around his face. He loves it!!
If you know the reason for this, please tell us.
(It's the same behaviour we see in monkeys grooming each other.)

The tongue hanging out because of pure pleasure

Benjamin got his "summer cut" today, and the toddler allowed him extra time next to her...


How can we give such a boytjie away?






Related post:
Our furry dog - update

Wordless Wednesday #67 - Toddler with her dog

Public Holiday - we lost track

Amazing: another Public Holiday! Whoopee!
I was preparing my lists of stuff to do when we realized we are not going to get all the shops and banks open.
Photos: Mieka playing in the garden yesterday.
Enjoy your day! :-)

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Worse than a toddler

I saw the hash tag #worsethanatoddler on Twitter by 5minutesformom. I had to smirk smile at myself! It describes our dogs just as well! They are worse than the toddler!

And we have done it twice now! I don’t know where we got the romantic notion of a little dog that sits at our feet at night, and who comes when called, and go out and pee in the rain when ordered? Our dogs do not bark on cue! Never!

The new addition, the Miniature Yorkshire Terrier is extremely cute! He gets away with “murder” most of the time because of his cuteness. He wants to sit with us on the coaches, and we have caught him sleeping on it as well. He jumps like a regular little buck between the coaches. He is forever standing to attention for a scrap of food from the table, but turns his nose at his own food.

He does not do sleeping outside. We have relented every time, because he keeps on bumping against our security gate, and giving loud yelps!  He wants to sleep on beds, and it would have been fine. But he also lifts his leg in the house. I hope we can still teach him – he is an old man at 5/6 years of age!

Our other dog, Petite Peu, is not impressed with the new addition, and jealousy makes her keep guard 24/7 over Benji. To make sure that he does not get more attention than her... Not that Benji gets frazzled! He prances around like a Prince in the house!

The two humps each other every now and again. They are both neutered, so it must be something to do with being the top dog... I think?

In any case: The next time I hear about a dog that is looking for a house; I will be pressing the Forward button, and not Reply! You hear!

Another New Year’s resolution: Be careful of the Reply button!
What New Year’s resolutions do you have listed by now?

A new addition to the family

We already have a dog. A dog that we thought is a Miniature Pinscher, but turned out to be something between a Dachshund and a Pug. She’s got all the irritating characteristics of all the breeds. For example the loudest bark ever for such a small dog, and she uses it All the Time!

But she’s our dog, and part of the family! We feel sorry for her being at home during the day when we are not around. Dries wanted to get another dog to keep her company, but I said that one was enough! Because Petite is definitely ENOUGH!

But the clicker dog trainer of earlier this year sent out an email earlier this week that her mother has to get rid of her dogs. One of the dogs is a Miniature Yorkshire Terrier! It stated that the dog works well with other dogs.

Guess what? We got ourselves a new addition to our family: Benji, the Miniature Yorkshire Terrier. Apparently there were ten responses of people who wanted to take the dog, and they selected us as the new family!

Now we’ve got another male in the house! (See also weekend photo of him sitting on my neck on the way back from his owner.)

He is the cutest most chilled-out dog ever. Petite Peu was a bit thrown by this small little thing prancing around, but Benji did not seem to be bothered at all. He spent the most of today marking his new territory. We did not know a small little dog could pee so much. He also marked the teen’s room! We think it is because Petite Peu had a few accidents there when she was younger...

Tomorrow our vet neighbour is going to clean his teeth, because he’s got the worst teeth ever! (Is that a flaw of the breed, or did he get too many snacks from the previous owner?)

Hope we haven’t got ourselves twice the dog trouble than before? Thumbs crossed!

But he is super cute, and the toddler is impressed with the dog that lets her stroke him, and does not want to chew and bite the whole time...