Brandy and Val

The temps are steadily falling in much of the Country as we head into the height of winter.  It is REALLY cold for me, Valenti, who grew up in New Orleans and was transported to Chicago after Hurricane Katrina where I live now.  Mom and Dad try hard to keep me as warm as possible and I’d like to share some things they have done that help me out.  Mom really understands since she really hates the cold, too!

I hate the cold and snow but I LOVE my down coat!

I still need my exercise and walks, even in winter and that means having to go outside even if it’s just for a little while.  When it’s super cold out, I love when dad puts on my down coat!   I highly recommend one for everyone, although my sister Brandy laughs at me and doesn’t have one.  She likes it the colder, the better, but not me!  I’d love to be a spokesperson for Joy Pet Products who makes the coats.  They can call me anytime to model.  My dad thinks I look like an inside out hot dog in the coat (the bun is the coat!).  I think I look pretty handsome.  This is also the same coat you see me wearing in our book, Brandy and Val’s Special Story.

Brandy's rushing to get her coat off!

Now, sometimes it gets so cold that dad makes Brandy put on a coat, too!  This one isn’t as warm as the down coat, but it does have fleece, is water repellant and has reflectors for night walking.  I have this one, too,  but I wear it when it’s a little warmer than it is now.   They’ve updated the styling, but we got it from Land’s End a few years back.

Ice and extreme temperatures are especially bad for our feet so our parents found a product that works wonders on protecting them.  It’s called INVISIBLE BOOT and not only does it provide protection but it also moisturizes our pads, is 100% natural and we can lick it off without getting sick.  What a great find and we can thank our local pet boutique, Bentley’s Corner Barkery for steering mom and dad to it.

Please remember, too, to wipe our feet off when we come inside.  Road salt can get stuck in our pads and can make us sick and antifreeze is poisonous to us.  We also think antifreeze tastes sweet to us so even if we don’t lick it off our pads, it can be on snow when we lick.  Also,  PLEASE do not leave us in the car  or outside for prolonged periods of time when the temperature goes below freezing.  Yes, we have fur and probably can endure the cold a little longer than you,  but most of us did not grow up in the wild and are not bred to be outside.  Even for temperatures above freezing and into the 40s caution should be executed.  Please consult with your vet about what breeds can handle certain inclement conditions.  When in doubt, leave us home!

Thanks for listening to us and everyone have a safe and healthy Holiday Season and New Year!

Happy New Year!

So many on hand to help

Look at all those kids helping to make doggie treats JUST FOR US!  Ok, well, they were supposed to take them home to their pups but, can you believe it (?!) in a group of about 20, only 2 had dogs.   We thought everyone had a dog or maybe even a cat or bird.  No matter, we were the beneficiaries and were very happy about that.  The Whole Foods Market in Evanston held the event for us and they liked it so much, we’re going back on December 2.   We waited in the car while the kids came in and prepared the biscuits, then mom read BRANDY AND VAL and BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS while they were baking.  When the treats were ready, we donned our working tags and stopped by to reap the rewards.  How fun.

As former shelter dogs who had very bad luck, we just want to share with you a bunch of pictures of us because we are so happy and lucky.

Swimming with the kids

Uh, me too!

OK, so mom in a previous post talked about pet therapy programs and what they are, but, from the pet’s point of view, why do we like doing it?

We love going to “Read to Rover” programs in libraries because kids come in to read to us. We love having them around and it’s like they’re talking only to us the whole time.  For a whole hour,  we get undivided attention while we basically do nothing.  Then, at the end of every 15 minute reading session we usually GET A TREAT!  That makes 4 an hour!   The most stressful thing we have to do is wag our tails when we say “hi” and “bye” to the kids.  Almost all the kids hug us or scratch our bellies. How great is that?

When we go to school programs, though, we do have to work and think a whole lot more.   The programs are enjoyable but in a different way.  We work with autistic children and lots of times, they don’t talk at all and we have to figure out a way to get them to show they like us.  Maybe they are afraid of us or maybe they really love us but just don’t know how to show it yet.  So, we have to approach each child carefully until we are sure they relate to us in a positive way.  After all, we don’t want to scare them and we don’t want them pulling our ears or tails.  We have been very lucky so far. We have more friends than not and a few of the kids who were afraid of us at the start, now touch us a little bit and that makes us feel good.    During these programs, we get brushed and fed carrots and usually we play a few games that help the kids identify colors or numbers or words.  It’s really great when we hear the kids laugh or when they call our names and want us to come over. We hope that our working with them will help their lives in other situations and make them happier.  They make new friends and so do we.

There are lots of reasons for us to get excited about fall!  Sure, we are sad that we can’t go swimming every day and spend hours on end outside in the sun, BUT there is plenty of good stuff to do before the snow comes!

We really love going for our morning walks after breakfast once September rolls around because the kids in the neighborhood wait at the corners for their school buses.  Everyone knows us and we are are so happy to see the boys and girls and they always say “hi” and pet us.  Even the bus driver says good morning to us.

Probably our next favorite activity in fall is to chase the squirrels.  There are so many acorns at our house and so we have so many squirrels.  We chase them from one end of our property to the other, we chase them up trees and we chase them into the gutters.  In our book BRANDY AND VAL, there is a picture of Brandy starting up a tree at a squirrel.  We both could watch and chase them for hours….and often, we do!

Got him cornered!

Leaves!  So much fun to run in them and rustle them around.  Sometimes we find apples and pears from the trees buried under a pile.  Then we have snacks!  An added bonus.  Don’t worry, we don’t eat the cores and seeds.  We hear they’re poisonous to dogs so it’s a good thing we don’t like how they taste.

Not too many leaves yet

The last thing we like about fall is that when we come inside, it’s nice and warm.  Mom gives us a carrot or blueberry, usually, and then we get to take a nap.

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