The bigger the better?

The dreaded vet trip....
The only thing Adoni likes about a veterinarian appointment is the treat he gets when he is LEAVING. However, this trip I learned some valuable information about feeding your dog. The vet warned me of his weight increasing too much. I couldn't understand how this happened...He gets exercise at least three times a week when I jog around Lake Johnson. I was told by the vet that feeding guidelines on the bag are just that...GUIDELINES. They are usually more than what the dog needs because their trying to sell food, not keep dogs lean and trim. I was slightly angry about this...but I guess they can get away with it by calling it guidelines and not instructions...but anyway..enough with the negative.

Speaking of food!!!

Adoni has found a new favorite place to dine in. It is a dog food company based out of Cary, NC. I have been more than satisfied with this place. It's called The Pet Pantry. They sell all sorts of pet products for all sorts of different animals. Me...I'm just interested in the great quality dog food. If you live in the triangle area, then they will deliver your food to you for FREE. I happen to live abouve quite a few flights of stairs, and carrying a 40 lb of dog food up them is not extremely fun. They have different kinds of food for your pets needs AND your needs. High quality foods are the only types of dog food that they carry, but their brand is what I really like. Here is a list of just SOME of the foods they have:

Now, I know Adoni likes just about anything, but it had got to the point where he wouldn't gobble his food down like he used to....but now the Holistic chicken and rice is his favorite. It's 50 bucks for a 40 lb bag, which was no more than I was paying for science diet...heck...this has better ingredients. I know where the ingredients are coming from, which is always a plus.

 

Here is a little information from their site: (by the way, I wasn't paid to do this...I just really like the quality and customer service of this company.  

 
About Our Food
Our unique recipes are naturally nutritious and extraordinarily tasty! All of our products are made in the U.S.A. with ingredients from the U.S.A. (except our lamb, which is from New Zealand and Menhaden Fish from the Atlantic Ocean) The manufacturing facilities are APHIS-EU or AIB (American Institute of Baking) certified, much more stringent than USA standards alone. And best of all, you will never have to make another trip to the store to lug home another heavy bag of pet food.
 Home Delivery
We bring our quality products directly to your home by our trucks or UPS, minimum 15 lb. purchase of our dry foods or $25 of other merchandise required. As with any other pet food store, there is no commitment asked of you. Just like a pet store – you buy what you want, when you want it.

Convenience
You do not need to be home to get your delivery! When you run low on food, just order online or by phone and in many areas you can have a delivery the next day Monday – Friday. Your order will be left by your front door. If your pets or other animals can get to your order at your front door please give us delivery instructions. A delivery schedule by city for the areas we serve with our own trucks can be found by clicking here and enter your zip code.

Quality
Our exclusive Super Premium and Holistic pet food recipes are among the best available, bar none. Made in the U.S.A. with ingredients from the U.S.A. ( with the exception of our lamb from New Zealand and the Menhaden Fish Meal from the Atlantic Ocean) The manufacturing facilities are APHIS EU Certified and inspected. The Animal Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS0 is a division of the USDA. See for yourself the difference better nutrition can make in your pets life.

Competitive Prices
Even though our foods are Holistic, All Natural, Super-Premium quality, our price-per-pound is lower than most comparable brands. Our no-worry competitive pricing and quality ingredients ensure that it costs you less to give your pets better nutrition on a per-feeding basis. Many mouths to feed? No problem, we offer volume discounts so the more you get per delivery the lower your price per pound!

Satisfaction Guaranteed
If you are not completely satisfied with our foods or service, we will refund your money. Anyone can deliver pet food. We deliver service!

I really like the delivery part of this equation...they deliver it to you, but never knock on the door. Smart huh? Any dog owner knows that one knock at the door means a butterfly effect of barking from you furry friend. They simply place it at your door in a purple bag to keep the bag of food from getting wet. So convenient, and so fast. I normally get my food within 2 days after ordering it. That's what you call service.

If you want to try a sample to see if your dog will like it, then they would be more than happy to help you out. I sampled a few different kinds of their food, but one small difference with other companies. Their "sample" is a 4 lb bag, which they will give you 3 or 4 of these. Oh...did I mention with every delivery comes free organic dog biscuits. Yeah...it's great. It has gotten to the point where Adoni waits for them to drop it at the door, because he knows treats come with his deliciously smelling food. I'm totally hooked on this food. Here is a link, if you want to try a sample or two.

-JJ

Making Summer a Splash

Keeping cool isn't always that easy during the summer. It isn't for humans so you know it's not easy for dogs. They are basically wearing a coat year-round. Which reminds me...
Shaving your dog down during the summer is really important, especially if they are "outside" dogs. Adoni doesn't even know what that means. He's a bit pampered, unlike the majority of the dog population. Shaving your dog is GREAT if they are outside, but still remember to give them shade. Sunburn can also occur with your canine companion as well....not too fun for them. For the most part, they will not burn with their fur, but as soon as you shave them down dangerous UV rays are more likely to crisp your pooch. I shave Adoni down, even though he's an "inside" dog. It's a real help with the amount of vacuuming I have to do, AND he stays cool and comfortable. He looks like a puppy again shaved down :)

Shaved down and relaxing

For outside dogs, a plastic kiddie pool is a great option. You just have to be careful to clean it like you would his water bowl. You don't want forms of algae and amoeba to grow and possibly make your dog sick. Just rinse and fill up daily! Find a nice shady area to keep it under and **BAM**you have yourself a doggy spa.

Pic thanks to petlady.com

The obvious is to make sure your pup has PLENTY of cool fresh water ALL day!...even if you kitchen stays like a swamp like mine does. Adoni has a bad habit of forgetting to close his mouth after drinking, so my kitchen floor suffers the consequences.

Adoni LOVES ice, which is another great way to keep cool during the hot summer days. I will fill up ice trays with chicken broth every once in a while for Adoni and he loves those. They are a bit messy though, so definitely an outside treat.

This is a great website for frozen doggy treats. http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/frozen-dog-treats.html

Until another day....

Janna

P.S. I trip to the lake is always nice :)

Splurging While I Can...

After completing my undergraduate degree, Adoni has become a bit spoiled. I work a bit more than I did when I was in school, but am still home more than I ever was. He is loving it, but has began to chew things in spite when left for long periods of time. Needless to say this is frustrating. He hasn't chewed things since a pup. He hasn't done it for a few days thanks to frozen applesauce in his Kong toy. Kongs have to be the best thing invented for dogs with separation anxiety and are food driven. I have also been taking him more places, which, of course, means more trips to Pet Smart. Here are a few new favorites from Adoni's stash.



1. Of course, the Kong is a favorite.

There have been many experiments with the Kong filling, including the stuff that Kong sells...Adoni isn't much a fan of that cheese whiz looking stuff. He loves peanut butter, but that's not always good either because of the calorie content. I have stuffed his favorite treats in and plugged the Kong with the peanut butter, but that didn't last long. He is way to smart and figures that out too quickly. Since he also has a love for ice, I tend to freeze the contents of the Kong. The best filler so far has been unsweetened applesauce or canned pumpkin....not the kind for pumpkin pie....the kinda gross stuff with no sugar added or anything fun...just plain pumpkin. That freezes the best, has the lowest calories, and lasts the longest while I am gone...which generally means less damage to our lovely home.

2. Hemp Fleece Lined Harness

He used to have another orange harness, but quickly became to big for it. This is a great alternative to for uncomfy, itching harnesses that ALL dogs tend to scratch at eventually. It is a super soft hemp material that can be washed and has a fleece lining which lies softly on their coat. His other harness tended to pull his hair up and be annoying. Planetdog is the brand I believe.

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This is his older orange harness that WAS waterproof, but see he it ruffled his fur really bad. It made him bite and naw at it when he was exploring outside.

3. This Adoni's FAVORITE toy.

This is the ONLY toy that has escaped being destroyed or just gotten plain yucky. It is his favorite armadillo and goes on all trips (vacations, trips to Wilson) He loves some other toys but something about this particular one is amazing. It is fuzzy and quite cute, but has a honker that hasn't stopped honking in almost a year. It has made it through a million "honks" and through one trip through the washing machine. It took a while for the honk not to sound like a drowning goose, but it dried out.

4. A backpack for the true adventurer!

This Aussie Natural Backpack is something he loves and I love for different reasons. I love to go hiking and I try to take Adoni with me, because of his love for the outdoors. I have a camel back for water, but I don't like to have to haul around bottles of water for him, but don't want him drinking stagnant water from creeks either. This is the perfect solution for both of us. Since he has twice the energy as I do, this is perfect for carrying his OWN water and wearing him out a bit faster. This is also good for people that want to worry him to death....he isn't always a fan of a lot of people trying to pet him. This pack mistakes him for a service dog, in which they leave him alone.

5. His DUCKY!

Adoni is pretty much a fan of anything that makes a low deep honky noise. This is a picture of the first day I gave him this duck toy...and as you can see he was thrilled. This AKC Mallard didn't stand the test of time like his armadillo did unfortunately. It was also about 15 bucks less than that toy, which probably had a lot to do with it. Still, it is a favorite which I tend to repurchase every 6 months or so.










As far as his treats go....that's a whole separate post. That dog is all about some food, for training, for fun, for boredom, for breakfast....you name it he wants it. Which is why picking calorie wise choices is a must. Anyway, off to bed and thanks for reading. See ya again soon!

-Janna

Mother's Day - Dog Park Visit

Hello again…just a continuation of Adoni’s adventures:

Last Sunday I brought my mom up to Raleigh to spend time with her on Mother’s Day. We ended up having a day with the dogs. Lunch at Boylan Bridge with pulled pork hoagies and sweet potato fries and both of our lil boys. Well…not literally little. Adoni – my dog is 85 pounds (38.5 kg) and Andy – her black lab mix is around 60 pounds (a little over 29 kg).

Meet Andy

Typical Adoni - water attracted

The Pit friend (she is 6 months old)

The Black Lab Puppy

Two Pals

I picked her up around 10:00am and headed to Raleigh for food, fun and adventure. Our first stop was the dog park, which is always a blast for my dog. He patrolled and played for 2 hours as usual, occasionally checking on Andy to make sure he was still there. They both even met a few friends (a black lab puppy and a pit)…that figures because that’s what they are mixed with. We eventually left for food and then headed to a place called Unleashed on Lake Boone Trail.

This is one of my favorite stores for Adoni. It has all natural treats and chews – a good alternative for rawhide. Adoni CONSTANTLY wants something to chew, which is fine---better than the furniture—so I figured something that won’t cause an intestinal blockage is always the better option. Don’t get me wrong…ducks feet, salmon skin rolls, elk antlers, bully sticks, and tracheas aren’t exactly appetizing to watch him chew on….BUT they are so much better for him. After all, if he was in the wild…that’s exactly what he would be eating. Enough on the store, because I’m sure you will hear more about it eventually.

At the end of the day, everyone was give out…

-Janna

Once upon a time...

I would like to introduce you to my 2 years and 4 months old lab-pit mix – Adoni. First of all, I am sure you are wondering where the heck the name “Adoni” came from. Well, it’s a long story, but there is plenty of time because this is a blog isn’t it? A wonderful friend of mine from Australia was the inspiration for this unique puppy name. In the aboriginal language of Australia: Adoni = “the sunset.” Okay, I’m sure you have seen my profile epicture with him and are curious as to why a chocolate colored dog has to do with sunsets. When my boyfriend and I got Adoni, he originally had a golden under fluff as a puppy. It sounded like a good idea to me. Anyway, he lost that color and is now just has black and chestnut coloring.

Ryan (boyfriend) and I got him from the Wake County Animal Center on accident. We had originally gone to view a 1 year old black lab mix, but he just wasn’t the right match. He was too hyper and could care less whether we were his new owners or just the person with the food. After walking down a few cages, there he was. He was in a pitiful heap in the corner of a kennel, hacking his brains out. He had a limp, kennel cough, and gunk in his eyes. With only a few days left before being euthanized, he didn’t have much chance of finding a home. His brother had a better chance, since he was healthy and happy. They had taken him away to an adoption event at the local Petsmart. Apparently, they were surrendered as a pair to the animal shelter. He was PERFECT…except for the name they had given him. “King” just didn’t sound right for him. Being 6 months old and only 45 pounds, he was just right. Later we found out he would be 85 pounds, but that’s okay too. After we brought him home, he was excited but still sickly, but with antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory he was a shiny, new penny within weeks. 

Now that you have the background of my chocolate man…you will know have an understanding of my adventures with him on a daily basis, but that’s for later posts.

-JJ