Cookie Here! ‘Tis the season for family visits. I was so happy that my canine cousin Annie stopped by the other day. She is oodles of golden-doodle fun!
Hanging out with Annie is the best. Especially when we’re by the Christmas tree!
We were so happy we double-hugged Diana.
Wishing you many warm-and-fuzzy moments this holiday season! Woofs, Cookie
Cookie here! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I’m so excited! Lots of visitors equals lots of attention…not to mention lots of treats!
Even though it’s a holiday, I’ll still need my walks. One of the many things I’m grateful for is living in a town where the people on the street are so kind to me and all the other dogs here. From our Letter Carrier who often stops his truck to pass me a bone, to the many folks who stop me for a “pat and chat,” and to the shops on Katonah Avenue who leave out bowls of fresh water for the passing pups, I really do feel the love!
Did you know that the Hudson Valley Pet Pantry is helping individuals and families who need help feeding their pets due to job loss or financial hardship? Since 2010 they have been helping people facing hard times keep their pets by providing food supplies for dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and other domestic animals. Currently they are helping keep 653 animals at home and out of shelters by providing free pet food to 257 families and individuals.
So here’s to Susan Katz, Founder & President, Kathy Ferri, Director of Pantry Operations, and all the other good people at the Hudson Valley Pet Pantry. I am thankful for great people like you!
If you’d like to learn more about how you can help the pantry this holiday season, their contact information is below.
Happy Thanksgiving to You & Yours, furry and otherwise!
Woofs, Cookie
Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry P.O. Box 1296 White Plains, NY 10602 E-mail: hvpetfoodpantry@aol.com (914) 907-3433 (Administration & Donations)
Hi Friends, this information comes from the good people at BlogPaws. World Vets is organizing help for pet relief in the Philippines. Please take a look and help if you can! Visit World Vets at worldvets.org or on Twitter – @Worldvets Woofs & Thanks, Cookie
A Poem in Celebration of a Very Lovable Beast
Skull of Steel, tongue of Velvet
Sandpaper paws, razor-sharp claws
And soft silky ears that hear everything.
A wet spotted nose strikes a playful pose
under eyes of blue, near a heart very true.
Spots, patches,colorful splashes
On wild-and-wooly haunches
Those floppy ears will be perky for years…and then some.
Loves belly rubs, but has an aversion to bath tubs.
Wherever we go and whatever we do,
Cookie would like to come along, too.
Study buddy, companion, comforter and friend,
You’re one of a kind, Cookie, and that’s…
The End!
Cookie here!
Now that it’s Fall, all of my family is really busy…especially the kids. I miss our long and lazy summer days together. Fortunately for me, the kids have something they need to do every day called “homework.” When it’s homework time, they stop what they are doing and sit down for awhile, very quietly. And that’s my golden opportunity…
…to get in some snuggles, ear scratches and pats! I also find that when the kids complain that their homework is “too hard” or “really boring” that my friendly face is a great comfort to them…
encouraging them to do their best, and to finish up, so we can go play!
Woofs, Cookie
As manifested by this here blog, you know how much I love Cookie.
Sometimes though, our dogs test our love and patience, such as when they remove from your purse and eat your two favorite (and luckily non-toxic) lipsticks. Exhibit A, see front paws. Note the doleful expression of the culprit.
Well, it is time to switch to fall colors anyway… But when, during that very same day, your doggie also devours an entire stick of butter right in front of you, before you can utter one single word, it can give a beleaguered mother pause. There’s a beast in my house!!! And it’s out of control!!!
After a lifetime of having well-manered cats as pets, it never ceases to surprise me what kind of mischief Cookie can find her way into. Luckily, it never ceases to AMAZE me the love this dog generates in our home and the world at large. If I had a dollar for every time she has made someone in the world smile, there’s be thousands by now, and that’s no exaggeration.
I was really touched by the following post on the New York Times site yesterday called “Bad Dog” – a writer’s personal essay about love and loss in her own life as experienced with the companionship of her dogs, including her very handsome Aussie mix, Chance. Don’t have the rights to his picture but if you click below you will enjoy it, and his story, and get some valuable advice about socializing puppies, should you have one at the moment. Here’s the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/booming/bad-dog.html?smid=pl-share
Our days with Cookie are sometimes trying, but they are always sweet. That’s what I choose to remember for when her next naughty moment comes.
Warm and Fuzzies, Diana
Cookie here! Summer’s over, but I have fond memories of my first real road trip to Cape Cod. I went to go visit my cousins, Mabel & Annie. Mabel is my little cousin, Annie my big one!
We had such a good time! We played, ate, and slept together. There were lots of bones, and plenty of sunbathing spots. That’s Annie in the background.
I went to Falmouth Heights Beach – what a beautiful spot!
Sure, there were a few mishaps. Like the afternoon I jumped through this screen door. Sorry Auntie, I just wanted to go play with the kids!
And there was the day Annie lay down on a palate of oil paints. She sure looked pretty! Dawn detergent did the trick…
At night I was so tired I slept very well on the comfy air mattress.
Best of all, I got in lots of quality time with the kids…and isn’t that what family vacations are all about?
I Hope you had a great summer too! Woofs, Cookie
Diana here! Sometimes, during our summer travels, we must to leave our dogs at home. And we miss them.
Thank goodness for little plush dogs we can pack in our suitcases for those moments we say “It’s good to be on vacation but…sniffle… I wish my dog was here!” I discovered this adorable “Mini-Cookie” at a toy store in Cape Cod this summer. It’s made by a company called Douglass (www.douglastoys.com) based in Keene, NH. I’m happy to tell you that not only do they produce two adorable styles of stuffed-Aussies, they also make plushes of most types of popular doggies, from Dachshunds to Corgis to Cairn Terriers. And just about every well-known breed in between. The plushes are expressively designed and detailed and made of soft and cuddly materials, making them not only adorable but high quality.
We give them all a big “paws-up.” Warm & fuzzies, Diana
Here’s a little doggy-ditty for your next campfire!
Oh It’s RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF being a dog, dinner out of a can
Please take me to a restaurant, I’ll sit just like a man!
Oh it’s RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF being a dog, can’t even drive a car
Can’t sleep on the bed, don’t like it when you shed, it’s doggone too far!
You mustn’t chase the mailman, you cannot chew the rug,
Whatever you do, don’t let them see those ten-foot holes you dug!
They give you names like “Rover” or “Fido” or “Fiff”
I know those names sound good to you, but they’re embarrassing to me!
You mustn’t chase the mailman, or make the kitties squeak,
They take you for a walk on a leash like maybe once a week!
Oh it’s RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF being a dog, dinner out of a can
Please take me to a restaurant I’ll sit just like a man!
Oh it’s RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF being a dog, can’t even drive a car
Can’t sleep on the bed, don’t like it when you shed, it’s doggone too far!
(KEY CHANGE: A-LA “GLORY, GLORY HALLELUJAH”)
We mustn’t forget our puppy pals who fought for four-footed hounds!
Who fought the fights for doggy rights to keep us from the pound!
Like Snoopy, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin and HUCKLEBERRRRRRY HOOOOOOUUUND……
A DOG IS MAN’S BEST FRIEND! BUT …………………………..
(BACK TO ORIGINAL KEY)
Oh It’s RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF being a dog, dinner out of a can
Please take me to a restaurant, I’ll sit just like a man!
Oh it’s RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF being a dog can’t even drive a car
Can’t sleep on the bed, don’t like it when you shed, it’s doggone TOOOO FARRRRR!
Thank you Sophia for teaching me this great song! And wishing YOU starry nights, s’mores, and Happy Trails! Cookie
As you know from our Dear Cookie, Aussies definitely have “Star Quality.” They love to mug in front of the camera and have those charming “grins.” Aussies make frequent appearances on television commercials and the labels of pet products. And way before today’s kids TV show “Dog With A Blog,” Aussies were stars of television shows, too. Recently I treated myself to this vintage movie theater lobby card for the Disney classic “Run, Appaloosa, Run!”
This film was part of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color TV in 1967. It told the story of Mary Blackfeather, a young Native American horse Trainer, and her beloved Appaloosa colt, Holy Smoke, who she’s forced to sell, but ultimately fights to get back. The Aussie pictured here is Silver, and was one of the late, great Jay Sisler’s dogs. Jay Sisler, as previously mentioned on this blog, was a rodeo star and dog trainer of the 1950’s and 1960’s. His old home movies of his Aussies performing all sorts of amazing tricks are on YouTube and a must-see for any dog lover.
I love this picture because it really captures the essence of the Aussie spirit: unwavering attentiveness, at-your-service, ever-capable and always clever. Not to mention, great with other animals. Now I’m off to see if I can find this film to watch in the digital universe…. Warm & Fuzzies, Diana
Cookie of Katonah 