5 Most Painful Dog Toys to Step on in the Middle of the Night

I have been half-heartedly trying to teach Coco to pick up her toys for some time now.  Last night when I stepped on her Tux toy in the middle of the night, I knew it was time to get serious.

Over the years, I have stepped on some pretty painful toys on the way to the bathroom.  I always make sure things are picked up when I go to bed (at least a pathway cleared) but it seems likes Coco takes the most painful ones out again to play with while I'm sleeping.  

I've created a list of the most painful dog toys to step on in the middle of the night:

5.  Tennis Balls:  Our house is littered with tennis balls and if you kick them in the night, it isn't so bad, but if your weight lands on one while stepping mid stride, it can be disastrous.  

4.  Nylabone Durachews: These things are brutal on the bottoms of your feet!  Made for power chewers, there isn't any give to them at all, so if you step on them, you are out of luck.

3.  Squirrel Dude: Since it is one of Coco's favorite toys, it is out of her toy basket a lot.  The Dude is painful.  Ankles may roll.

2.  The Tux:  Since it is made from a firm material and it is an awkward shape, the Tux is perfect for inflicting pain in the wee hours.  

1.  And the MOST painful toy to step on, an Antler. These things get sharp, they are long and as hard as can be and they're round.  Let's face it, in the wild, their purpose is to inflict pain.  Success. 

Time to get started on whole-heartedly teaching Coco to clean up her toys on her own!

Coco's Ultrasonic Eyes

For her 4th birthday, Coco got an Ultrasonic Hear-Doggy toy from Cousin Madam Star.  This toy is supposed to squeak at such a pitch so that only dogs can hear it.  The point was moot because Coco destroyed it before her party was over.  But what has remained of the cute little blow fish is the eyes.

Coco has become quite attached to her eyes and will bring them to us to play.  Many mornings I wake up with those eyes looking up at me waiting to be thrown.  Often she will bring her eyes to daddy to play tug-of-war.  Even though it is nothing more than a piece of embroidered cloth, she prefers to play with it more than just about anything.  I am considering buying another Hear-Doggy just for the eyes!

Ever Feel Like Someone's Watching You?

No one can eat anything in our house without Coco very nearby.  Here I try to enjoy a Jello Temptation, but the temptation proved too much for Coco puff.

The Weekend I Took Care of the Clowder

This weekend my parents are away at the beach, which means I am on cat duty.  My parents have 4 cats.  I have determined (after having to take care of them) that this is enough to make a clowder.

They are all very sweet cats and not hart to take care of. And anyway, I am their big sister. It is what I'm here for.  Little Rocky has diabetes and needs insulin shots twice a day, so this weekend I have been big sister and nurse.  

Let me introduce you to the rest of the Davis Clowder:

Tyson is known as "Big Sis" because she is a little on the heavy side.  She is Rocky's twin sister and treats him like a prince.

Rocky sits close to the water dish because of his sugar.  And his is the most loving cat around the house. Remember this picture?

Dixie is still adjusting to life in the city.  She loved being a country kitty.  The other day she killed a bird that was dive-bombing her. She the warrior of the bunch.

Babs is the princess and Daddy's favorite.  Don't worry it's not a secret; everyone knows.  She is prissy and spoiled and will nudge you for treats.

I'm sure everyone will be happy to see Mom and Dad when they get home tomorrow!

Cast Your Vote For Coco!

Cast your vote for the next Canine Superstar

Coco

Coco is our fun-loving, rambunctious lab mix who is always the center of attention. She is a squirrel chasing, armadillo catching daredevil who can eat her weight in apples. We wouldn't want her any other way!

Good | Better | Best

http://www.caninesuperstar.com

Wordless Wednesday: My Shinning One

Coco and Daddy Celebrate Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day, Coco and Bill are spending some time together watching the US Open in their underwear and eating cheese and Pik-Niks.  Later, Coco's human sisters are coming over with a special Father's Day dinner.  I'm not sure who is having a better day, Daddy or Coco.

Looking For My Snuggle Bug

After what has been the most stressful work-week of my life, I'm looking forward to spending some couch time with this face:

Isn't it amazing how relaxing it can be to curl up, zone out and waste away the weekend with your special fur-friend? I can't wait!  Hope you all enjoy yours!

The Box Gets Opened!

I couldn't let poor Coco wait any longer, so I opened her Chewy.com box.  Take a look at what was inside:

For those of you who guessed a toy, you were right!  And those of you who guess that anything Chewy.com sends us is great were right, as well.  I think this is probably her favorite item to review yet.

Coco received the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Tennis Ball and hasn't put it down since I took it out of the box.  We all know know much she loves tennis balls, so this was the perfect toy for her.

Here are some things I love about this ball already:
1. Coco loves it.  Enough said.
2. It is made in the U.S. This is always important to me and is something I look for in toys.
3. It is non-toxic and rinses clean.
4. Unlike a real tennis ball, the rubber is softer and gives more so she can chomp it without tearing it to shreds (which she has done to many tennis balls).  Which brings me to the best thing about the Plant Dog ball:
5. It is 100% guaranteed!  With a chewer like Coco, this is always important when looking for good toys.  If you have a powerhouse chewer, this is important to you too!

I haven't found any bad things about the ball yet.  But I will post how long it takes Coco to destroy the Orbee-tuff.  If it lasts the week, we know we've got a keeper.

We Can't Wait to See What is Inside...

We just got our box from Chewy.com and Coco can't wait to see what is inside.  Check out our poll to the right and vote on what you think it could be!

No Bake Dog Treats with PB and Oats

It's no secret that dogs like peanut butter.  My Coco is no exception.  I love baking treats for her, but sometimes I'm just too lazy.  These no bake treats, adapted from Jo and Sue's blog, are perfect and so unbelievably simple! Trust me, you won't regret trying these and your pup will be happy you did, too.  You know I'm all about keeping recipes simple.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup water

1 1/4 cup oats

about 1 Tbsp. honey (I use local)

Directions:

1. Gather ingredients.

2. Mix ingredients in bowl.

3. Ingredients should be mixed until "batter" is slightly sticky and moist, but will be hard to stir.

4. On a lined cookie sheet, roll "batter" into balls.  You should get about 24 balls out of the dough, depending on how big you want your treats. 

After you roll out the treats, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 3 hours, or more.  Try not to let a face like this persuade you in taking them out early...

Wordless Wednesday: Madam Enjoys The Sunshine

Wellness Kittles: Review

For the past 6 months or so, Sissy has been on a diet and she has not been happy about it.   A few weeks ago she had a check-up at vet and got the go-ahead for a the occasional treat.  So when Chewy.com asked us to review the Wellness Kittles treats, the timing couldn't have been more perfect for Pookums.  (Plus she got to make Coco jealous, which is always a bonus.)

Pookums is MUCH pickier about what she eats than Coco, so I wasn't sure if she would want the Kittles (starving or not), even though the chicken and cranberry recipe sounded delicious to me, but as soon as I opened the pouch, I knew we had a winner.  Sissy (and Coco) came running over and begging for a treat as soon as the smell hit. 

Now, Pookums has a couple of treats to keep her satisfied until dinner. And at under 2 calories per treat, I don't feel guilty for giving them to her.   She's happy and we're happy.  The only one who isn't happy is Coco.  

Coco can't stand that Pookums gets to try the treats.