bribery & affection.

Abby & I lazing around on a Monday night:

Sometimes I bribe my dog with graham crackers to sit next to me. Is that sad?

She likes men better. Probably because they don't smother her with unwanted love like I do. Right?

That must be it.

ABBY'S FAVORITE THINGS (Part Two)

This has been a long time coming, but finally, here are Abby's favorite FREE things/toys. Not all of these can be classified as things (2 of these are variations of water) but just bear with me...

1. Best for Summer Fun: ICE-CUBES

Dogs generally love ice-cubes. I'm assuming every dog owner already knows about this, but if not you should definitely give it a try! They're great for pups to cool down on a hot day or after a long walk or play. We try to keep her calm when we give her one so she doesn't choke, but we will kick it around and have her chase it. It's just too cute. It leaves puddles on the floor if she gives up on one without eating all of it, but it's worth it. 

stalking her prey

the kill

covering her tracks

2. Best for Winter Fun: SNOW

Abby is a snow dog. I know this. Just today as I was walking her and she was rubbing her nose in the fresh powder, a man commented "She's a winter hound." It's obvious. She loves to burrow in it and pop up. (I need a video of this, but Halifax hasn't had much snow...) She loves to roll around in it and slide down hills nose first. She loves trying to find all of the smells buried deep under the packed snow. She just loves it.

I don't have a photo of her that captures the true essence of her in the snow, but the dog below (Submitted by LisaBakos) that was chosen for Woof of the Week is exactly what she looks like after a good burrow or sniff.

NOT ABBY - Photo from National Geographic (Submitted)

3. Best All Around for Year-Round Fun: STICKS

The only thing Abs loves more than snow, is sticks. I think it's probably one of her main food groups. Not even joking. We try and try and try not to let her eat them, because we know with absolute certainty that she can't digest them. But, it's hard to get at her all the time. All of her stick activities revolve around seizing it so she can lay down and chomp on it. See for yourself:

Oh, and don't mind the coughing she's doing in the video.... She had a piece stuck. 

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Thanks for visiting the blog. I hope you enjoyed Part Two. I'll be around more in the coming week, I promise. We've got lots to catch up on. What have you all been up to? I've got a curry recipe, an outfit post and an easy craft idea before the week is up, so come back if you're curious!

ABBY'S FAVORITE THIIIIIINGS (Part One)

As you probably know, every year around the holidays the queen of talk shows would have an episode titled 'Oprah's Favorite Things' which was basically an hour-long commercial for her sponsors. Every single member of the audience would lose it when she surprised everyone with 'It's Oprah's Favorite Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiings!' Their crazy was justified though, because everyone in the audience would win the items she featured. Everything from iPods to laptops to furniture to cars...

 

 

For the next three weeks, I've decided to have a Monday feature called 'Abby's Favorite Things!' Part One is about things you can buy. If you don't have a dog, you can skip all of the type & just look at some 'aww'-inducing photos of my girl. She is a cutie!

 

1. MOST-LOVED STUFFIE: DOLPHIN (Alias: Willy)

Try to grab him from me. I dare you...

The look of love?

The Dolphin made by Tuffie Toys was Abby's very first stuffie. She destroyed it within a matter of days/weeks. So while it's rated a 7 on the Tuff scale, Abby will chase and pull and shake this guy until he falls apart. Every single time. We are now on Willy #2 and we keep him as a special toy. He comes out about once a week for supervised play. Even then he has a big rip down the center of his belly which gives easy access to his insides. (Poor guy!) So although he may not be the toughest toy, he's definitely the favorite. Willy will trump any other toy anytime. Hands down.

Runners up: Starfish (Tuffie) & Ultimate Bone (Tuffie)

2. YUMMIEST TREATIES: ZUKE'S MINI-NATURALS (Peanut Butter)

 

 

 My pup, like most, loves peanut butter. She can get hours of entertainment licking the remnants out of a peanut butter jar or some PB stuffed in her Kong toy. So when we were looking for a small-sized treat to be used with her clicker training, we found Zuke's. They have an authentic story of how they got started and are committed to using all-natural ingredients. Aside from all that, Abby flips for them. After trying the first one anytime we yelled TREAT she would come bounding through the apartment to snatch one up. She's obsessed! You can use these for dogs of all sizes, which is great if you have multiples!

Runner up: Fruitables Pumpkin Blueberry & Pumpkin Cranberry (They smell delicious!)

3. COMFIEST BED: BOWSER'S ECO +

We are guilty of letting Abby sleep at the foot of our bed on occasion. We feel so guilty kicking her out. It's so hard to resist these eyes...

Come on, Abby. That's not even fair.

 

These days Abby is sleeping on this luxury dog bed by Bowser's in Whistler Grey. We got it half-price (!!!) after Christmas. The main selling point was that it's machine-washable and made of recycled pop bottles. Pretty cool, eh? As a bonus, it's a similar shade as our couch. Because, you know, everything in our living room matches. HA.

Runner up: Mom & Dad's bed

4. FRESHEST DOGGIE BAGS: World's Best PoopBags

We normally get the ones without handles. Personal preference.

How much can I really say about these. This item is really more about what's comfortable for me and not Abby. They're biodegradable (yay!), Canadian made (woo!), corn-based and smell like lavender. Oh, and they're cheap. Done and done. Phew!

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I know I found it slightly overwhelming when I first became a dog-mom. There were a MILLION dog toys, treats & supplies to choose from. How was I supposed to know which items were worth the extra cash and which ones we were better off buying cheap? That's why I decided to write up about our favorite stuff hoping that this post may be useful to some of you. That said, some of Abby's favorite toys actually don't cost a penny. That's why Part Two next Monday will feature her favorite free toys. Come back & visit!

Note: This post was not sponsored or endorsed by the represented companies. All of the featured items have been purchased from our local pet store and enjoyed by Abby (& her parents).