The Cute Factor

Is there anything cuter than babies and dogs hanging out together?

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law and his new family came to visit us in Savannah, which was tons of fun. John and I were very much looking forward to showing them around the town and doing all the things we love, but we were most excited to hang out with our new Nephew, Liam.

I know that every Aunt says this, but he really is the cutest little man out there. And he and Barksdale took to each other right away. There was a whole lot of staring at eachother, tugging on ears, and lots of drool from both parties.

Even though this was Liam's first time hanging out with a "fericious wolf," there was only one mishap the entire time. At some point, he had reached out and tugged a bit too hard on BD's fur. Barksdale reacted with a sharp bark just to let him know that a boundary had been crossed. John and I hated to see that happen, but the good news is that Liam's parents are super cool and totally understood that it was a natural dog reaction.

And best of all, there was no love lost between the cousins.

Which brings me to the point of my posting today:

When you mix babies and doggies together you get one of two things: either an interaction that is so cute that you can't help but want to take 40 million pictures (see above) OR a recipe for disaster. I'm pretty sure that the main difference between the two is the involvement of the parents in the situation and how much they understand dogs and their boundaries.

As I've mentioned in the past, one of my pack's favorite activities is to go out to Ellis Square in the early evening and watch people having fun in Savannah's newest park. Because of the awesome interactive fountain there, there are usually a good number of kiddies running around and they flock to the dog like a moth to flame. Although we have had many great kids of all ages come over and politely ask to pet the dog before doing so, we've also seen a fair share of hellions run up to him and shove their wet hands into his face for a pet.

I can't help but wince whenever that happens because as wonderful a dog as BD is and as much as he loves kids, there is a "right" and a "wrong" way to pet a dog (as Liam found out first-hand). And the last thing in the world we'd ever want is for Barksdale, or any other doggie out there to hurt someone because he thought he had to defend himself. So, a word to the wise. Be on your guard when you and your pup are at Ellis Square at night--because many parents are not.

A Beautiful Reminder

Hi everyone...remember me?! I used to be the blogger for the Savannah Dog Blog before I fell off the planet and stopped writing all of a sudden. Even my promise several weeks ago to begin posting again soon fell flat and I really have no excuse. So, as a way to make amends with everyone and to jump start the Savannah Dog Blog again, I'd like to share this video with you all. It may not have anything to do with being a dog owner in Savannah, but it is a nice reminder of why we all love dogs to begin with.

Enjoy!

...And we're back!

Hello everyone! First of all, I want to apologize for being away for so long. We've been busy these past few weeks with family visits, weddings, and lazy days at the beach (ok, so that last one isn't a great excuse, but we are in Savannah in the summer after all--a girl's got to cool off somehow!).

Anyway, the Dog Blog is back and we have a lot of catching up to do! Stayed tuned for some great new dog-friendly restaurant recommendations, more dog toy and treat reviews and, of course, adorable pictures of Savannah's newest sensation: Barksdale the Wonder Pup.

Parks for Barks

Before Barksdale came into our life, John and I used to imagine the fun times we would someday have taking our imaginary pooch to a dog park. Our home in Arlington was located right near a huge dog park situated on a river, and we'd often walk by it and see dogs gallivanting around and swimming to their hearts content.

However, after we brought Barksdale home and tried the dog park a few times, the three of us decided that we just weren't really the "dog park" type.  We found that too many of the dogs and their owners we would encounter weren't particularly "balanced", which often could lead to humping, barking, and the occasional fight. And since this dog park in particular was so popular, there were often hoards of dogs roaming around -- forming their own squirrel-hunting packs and picking on the new guys.


Since moving to Savannah, our position on dog parks hasn't changed a great deal. But, in case we ever decide to give it another try, we are lucky enough to have a couple of nice options:


#1. Starland Dog Park: 




Also known as "The Savannah Dog Park," this nice-sized park is located on 41st and Drayton Street in the middle of the Starland District (which, is itself, an awesome little area...Back in the Day Bakery, anyone?!). There is a good amount of shade at this park and lots of big Adirondack chairs for dog owners to hang out in. The only catch is that you must become a member of Dog Park Association to bring your pup into this park, but the information about how to join is posted clearly at the park's entrance.

#2. Beasley Dog Park: 

Located on East Broad Street in downtown Savannah, this dog park is adjacent to a huge athletic field and is itself very large. We have not taken BD to this park yet, so I can't speak to it one way or the other. But they do have their very own blog, which is cool and it looks like there is a strong community of dog enthusiasts involved. And the coolest part is that it is named after Savannah's first black nun, Mathilda Beasley. 

#3. Tybee Bark Park:


Although Tybee Island isn't the most dog-friendly place I've ever been, they do have a pretty nice dog park. It's covered in cedar chips, which helps to eliminate dust in the area and its also nicely shaded, which is key in the hot Savannah summers. It's located at Van Horne Street and Fort Street, right next to the Police Station. For that reason, make sure you have quarters to feed the meter if you go during the week! 

Wherever you decide to take your pup for some fun, make sure that you are a responsible owner and take good care to watch your dog's behavior in the park. My own personal dog guru, Cesar Millan, offers some great advice for having a safe and happy time at dog parks here.

Have fun!

Save a life...ADOPT!!

One of the best decisions that John and I ever made was to shell out the $10 adoption fee and walk out of the Washington DC Human Society with our new best friend three years ago.

this is BD's photo from the shelter

I encourage everyone out there to consider adoption when thinking about extending your family. If you are in the Savannah area, look no further than savannahnow.com for a list of pets that desperately need homes. You can find the link here. On Monday there is another adoption event at Habersham Village from 11am until 3pm, sponsored once again by TailsSpin.

Whether you are expanding your family or just taking good care of the one that you already have, be sure to have a wonderful weekend!!

Puppy Pops for all!

It's rare that a day goes by that John and I will refrain from listing all of the reasons that we love living in Savannah. For example, this morning during our "commute" to the "office" in the middle of "rush hour" (the quotation marks are to let you know that I'm being sarcastic), John and I stopped off at our favorite drive-through Starbucks and couldn't help but remark at how much our day-to-day has improved since we made the move down here. No longer do we face 12 hour work days in a windowless office, or 30 minute commutes on boring highways, or weekends full of errand catch-up. 


And there is only one guy who appreciates the massive improvement in our quality of life even more than me or John...

You guessed it!

But there is one thing that everyone in this family misses dearly about living in the DC area, and that is -- The Dairy Godmother.

Not only did this place offer the best frozen custard flavors, but it also had homemade Puppy Pops, which, as you can probably guess, were quite popular with you-know-who.


I'm pretty sure that Puppy Pops were nothing more than frozen yogurt, peanut butter, and either banana or pumpkin all mashed up together and frozen. But the way that BD would inhale one made me wonder if they didn't add a little ground beef in there too.


Since moving to Savannah we haven't found any Dairy Godmother equivalent and alas, our spoiled dog has had to face a summer without specially made doggie ice cream! GASP!


When we were in Atlanta last week I saw these on the shelf:

I can't pretend that I wasn't excited when I first thought that we might be able to have a Puppy Pop equivalent here in Georgia. But upon further inspection, I realized that as much as I wanted them to be, they weren't my beloved Puppy Pop and never would be.


I'm tempted to start to make them myself, and if I do, I'll be sure to let all of the Savannahians know so that your dogs can experience the joy that is the Puppy Pop.


And in related news... La'Berry, a brand new frozen yogurt shop, opened its doors at 225 W. Broughton Street last week! John and I went in for a free sample the other day and we both really enjoyed what we tried (I had the Taro, he had the Blueberry). It may not be the Dairy Godmother, but I'd happily take a second-rate frozen yogurt in the world's best city any day.

Here We Go Again

As most of you can probably guess by now, John and I love taking Barksdale out to his favorite places in Savannah whenever we can.  We get a real kick out of seeing him work himself up in the back of our car when he realizes that we are heading to Skidaway Island or Ellis Square. His eyes get really big, he drools all over the back of the seat, and he even wedges his face through the car seats to show us just how happy he is.

There's that freckle tongue again!

However, there is one place that we've taken him repeatedly since moving to Savannah that never seems to elicit the same reaction from BD in the back of the car. 

I'm speaking, of course, of the vet. 

As I've mentioned before, we use Central Animal Hospital in the Starland District. And as much as John and I really like it there, we are no happier than BD about having to be there so often.  We've been a total of three times in the three months that we have been living here. 

You see, apparently living in Savannah if you are a dog is like living in the middle of a dandelion.

Achooooo!

Barksdale has had the hardest time with his allergies here. They seem to manifest themselves as skin ailments, and he is constantly itching. He has wrestled with a couple of "hot spots" (you can relive that whole episode here) and other red bumps that look terribly itchy. So after discovering a new bunch of red and bumpy skin this past weekend, John and I decided that another visit to the vet was in order.

Central Animal Hospital is a very cool vet. It features tons of local, handmade art on the walls and is a housed in a retro loft-style space. It's clearly run by young vets who care almost as much about design and style as they do the health of your pets. We've also been really pleased with the numerous vets that we've met there, although I will say that it would be nice to see the same vet a few times rather than having a different person help us each time we go.

Our past visit there was pretty standard: Barksdale was afraid of the scale; we met a great veterinarian; and we left with a ton of pills and a determination to kick these allergies in the butt.

Which brings me to Greenie's Pill Pockets. You can see that I have several bags of them: one for large pills and one for small pills. To say that life would be harder without this amazing invention would be a vast understatement.  Since Barksdale's battle with Ehrlichia last year, John and I wouldn't even attempt to give him a pill without these guys. They are basically a soft treat with a whole in the middle where you place a pill and then squeeze shut. Barksdale loves them and actually comes running over when we open the bag. He even takes one horse-sized pill daily without having a clue.

We are hopeful that this round of heavy meds will knock out his allergies for the rest of the summer until the environment calms down a bit and allergies aren't as prevalent. And perhaps as he adjusts to the region's climate his body will acclimate and he will overcome his skin problems. But alas, I know that this is probably just wishful thinking. For now, we'd just settle for not having to go back to the vet again for a couple of weeks!

Good boy...