Good morning blog aficionados. Frodo here today for your reading pleasure.
Let me begin be bemoaning the fact that we have experienced a wide variety of weather lately – most of which has involved some form of precipitation – from rain to freezing rain to snow. While yours truly does not generally mind snow, I do not particularly appreciate the type that lends itself to snowballs which form on one’s paws or “sensitive” areas. I also do not appreciate slush. And in the past few days, we experienced all of the above. Is it any wonder I was reluctant to go walking to the lake in such moist conditions?! But alas, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, I trudged along, attempting to look happy. PLEASE – is it too much to ask for dry, frozen ground?!
Yesterday, after a night of freezing rain, followed by snow, I supervised Her Highness as she shoveled most of the driveway. There was not enough snow for the plow gentleman to come – although I do believe 4 inches of a white blanket SHOULD be enough to warrant a plow. I guess he prefers to sleep in instead. So Her Highness moaned and groaned and pushed the white stuff around, while I watched. I am the designated supervisor- because if forced to remain inside during the proceedings, I would incessantly shout out instructions. Instead, I watch and repeatedly stand in the way of her shovel when I get bored.
Once back inside, we were FINALLY fed breakfast, blueberries, frozen stuffed apples and crusts of bread. Which is our morning routine. But the Imp was still rather wild, so Her Highness brought out her “secret weapon” to keep us content while she had her breakfast. The weapon – those beef cheek rolls. I believe we have mentioned them before. They have become the ultimate chewing object for the Imp. While we all still do enjoy Bully sticks, the Imp can literally devour the “Giant” 12 inch bully stick variety in less than 30 minutes. While the FG and I are still chewing away, the mini power chewer is done. As a result, Her Highness has turned to the cheek rolls – which provide significantly longer chewing time. We still have the three we received at Christmas time and only about 1/4 is gone from each one. Admittedly, they are not left out for free-for-all chew fests, but even so – after 30 solid minutes of chewing , very little is gone. Even the FG enjoys them. I also think they are palatable, but truth be known, sometimes when the younger boys are given the cheek rolls, yours truly receives a Bully stick. Which is less work for a senior dog. Still – I do enjoy both.
Although Her Highness had read about the benefits of cheek rolls over offensive rawhide, she did do more research on the two – as they LOOK remarkably similar. The following is an excellent podcast on the subject – should you be considering beef cheeks for your canine companion. It’s time well spent on the subject – and it helps you to select THE best cheeks for your dog.
https://brindleberrypetphoto.com/are-beef-cheek-rolls-rawhide-rebranded-podcast-episode-14/
I pity the store where Her Highness buys cheek rolls in the future. I hope they can answer the barrage of questions she will now have about their “cheek source”.
In other news, yours truly has been battling on ongoing ear issue for several weeks now. It does not help that the Imp INSISTS on licking the affected ear. Her Highness cleans my ear and puts in medicated drops, but the Imp is like a magnet to my ear. When Her Highness goes out, she must separate us – for my own protection and comfort. I warn the Imp to cease his licking behavior, but he continues to tbe point that I give up. The lad is persistent and exhausting. Her Highness considered putting a cone on HIM to stop the behavior. Yesterday Her Highness was home most of the day, so she was able to moderate his behavior. As a result, my ear showed significant improvement. Paws crossed that we continue to progress in that direction.
Today the Imp has some kind of obedience practice. That spells respite for me and the FG. Of course we DO love the Imp, but when he goes to a class or practice match, we experience a period of complete peace. We enjoy seeing the busy boy when he returns – but our mini “vacation” is always appreciated.
That is all the less-than-exciting news from our happy abode. I wish you well, and non- goopy ears.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 