Better Bodie

I will keep this short and sweet.  Bodie is much better, even though the injury didn't really slow the puppy down at all.  The vet completely removed his claw and it is already growing back! 

Broken Bodie

Poor, poor puppy! Bodie is at the vet today. Sometime yesterday he ripped one of his back claws loose from the bone. We never noticed it until the evening when he was leaving bloody marks all over the living room carpet. It was extremely difficult to get him to quit playing so we could try and see what was bleeding. I wanted to rush him off to the emergency vet, but that was an emotional reaction. We called the vet first thing this morning and he has been there all day. We will be picking him up in about an hour. Funny, I keep looking around for him.

Another Jolly Ball Success for our German Shepherd!

Have I mentioned how quickly Bodie can destroy things?  For most toys, we have to closely supervise him.  As soon as he gets too interested, we have learned that we need to lock the toy up unless we want pieces.  Not only is that expensive, but I worry about the puppy eating something he shouldn't.  So, I was so happy to discover Jolly balls!  They are extremely puncture resistant and he hasn't destroyed any yet. 

There has only been one problem - they are large toys; much more suited for outdoor play.  We have needed a toy Bodie can play with inside.  So we tried the Jolly Pets Bounce-n-Play!  Bodie was sooo excited, even before we got it out of the package and he could hardly wait until we threw it.  I was unsure of the 6 inch size but it is working out great!  Another success!

The Stinky German Shepherd

It seems that many German Shepherd Dogs have sensitive digestive systems.  That has definitely been the case in each of the German Shepherds that I have owned.  They all have been... well, let's just say that my first GSD, Willie, absolutely earned his nickname of "Fart Boy".  The quality of food has a great deal to do with the amount of excess gas.  High quality dog food is a must.  Willie never got the whatever-was-on-sale-grocery-store brand but he was still the master of stinky.

I quickly learned that in order to be in the same room as Willie, I had to have a candle burning at all the time.  And now Bodie seems to be wanting to usurp Willie's title so candles continue to be a necessity.  Because I had one going almost every evening and weekend, I became rather selective of the candles I burned.  The first and most important requirement was it had to be nicely scented.  I hated candles that lost their fragrance before you even got a chance to burn them.  Some would lose their scent after burning through the outer shell.  Those went in the trash.  With both cats and dogs in the house, I would not burn candles where the flame got too big, flickered alot and got all sooty.  I tossed those too.  Candles that burned with too small a flame and would just drown out were absolutely worthless and they also went right into the garbage.

My mother had a friend who sold Party Lite candles and they became my go-to candle.  But in the past few years, their quality has deteriorated and they were not as nicely fragranced.  Next, I ordered candles from a popular internet candlemaker.  Her candles were heavily fragranced but their burn was inconsistent - sometimes they were great, sometimes the flame got too big, and sometimes the candles drowned themselves.  I found out that getting a candle to burn just right depends on the type of wax, the type and size of wick, and the fragrance oil used.  It requires a lot of fine tuning.  I now have someone local who is as particular about candles as I am.  She makes candles!  She will test burn one, make notes and adjust her "recipe" accordingly.  Well, she has become really good at making candles and has started her own internet business! 

If you want a candle that passes her vigorous burn tests, check her out!  Her selection of fragrances is rather small at this time but she takes special orders.

Bodie and The Thunderstorm

Or should I say thundershower?  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we don't get the kind of thunderstorms others get.  Ours are short, mild and very infrequent - thundershowers instead of thunderstorms.  So, even though Bodie just turned one year old, he had never experienced one before yesterday afternoon.  He was in the backyard when the wind picked up.  The trees were whipped around, rain started to pelt down, and there was one clap thunder and then a second.  We went to the backdoor to bring him in but he was running and jumping and pouncing and biting at the air; there is no better way to describe it other than frolicking! 

More Jolly Balls for the German Shepherd!

The Jolly Ball was so successful that we decided to try a few more Jolly Pet products! 

First, we got a Jolly Egg.  It is made of tough plastic and its oval shape makes it nearly impossible for the dog to get a grip on. It is designed to slip when dogs bite down, popping out in unpredictable directions for endless fun.  Well, that is what it is supposed to be... Not so successful.  Bodie got bored as soon as he figured out that he couldn't bite down on it no matter how hard he tried.  Maybe if we had purchased the medium size as opposed to the large, Bodie would have been more interested in it.  Or if it was of soft plastic.  He doesn't seem to like anything he can't get a good chew on.

Next we got the Jolly Romp-n-Roll.  Bodie loves it!  Just like the Jolly Ball, it can be bit without being punctured!  Which is great because the puppy insists on biting the ball (just like he bites the Jolly Ball).  But he will also grab this one by the rope.  The he shakes it like crazy, hitting anything in his vicinity.  I actually think he likes this one better than the Jolly Ball!

And finally, we got the Jolly Teaser Ball.  The outside ball is made of hard plastic while inside is a smaller, soft plastic ball.  After we throw it or kick it and the smaller, inside ball will keep moving.  It definitely keeps Bodie's attention.  He keeps trying to get ahold of the small ball inside.  Then he will pick up the big ball by one of the holes and he prances around so proud of himself!

 

So, three out of four successes for Jolly Pets!  Not bad.

Jolly Ball and the German Shepherd!

It has been difficult finding good toys for our German Shepherd puppy.  Bodie is really rough on his toys.  He is a master chewer!  Any label is like a neon sign saying "Start Here!"  He definitely can't have any soft or plush toys.  He tears them apart too easily. We get him chew things like antlers and cow bones and knuckles, but we also want toys he can play with.  Being just a puppy, Bodie also has a short attention span.  Some toys capture his interest for a short period and that is it.

We found a new toy that meets all these criteria - the Jolly Ball!  We got the ten inch ball and I am amazed that he managed to bite the ball.  Thank goodness Jolly Balls are puncture resistant.  The handle makes it easy for us to throw for him.  It makes a good ball to play fetch with because Bodie can't keep an easy hold on it.