Adventures in Dog Parenting
From Chippy to Holly: There is a dog in the family
Chippy was his name and when we picked him up from Jack's Dog Farm we were told that he wouldn't get much bigger than a schnauzer. Unfortunately the poodle genes were in overdrive and he quickly outgrew our townhouse. Not only did he cause an almost daily ruckus by escaping the confines of our home, he used almost any soft item as his personal chew toy. I remember coming home from school and finding papers torn up all over the floor. Unfortunately he never ate my homework so I was never able to use that excuse. My mom's Christmas decorations did not make it through Chippy's first, and only, holiday season with us.
When my parents decided he had to move on to a better place we gave him away to a family that promptly gave him right back to us. It was a tearful goodbye and a tearful reunion. Oh no, he's back! When Chippy did go for good it was my understanding that he went to live on the proverbial farm with lots of space to run free. I often thought about Chippy out in the sunshine cavorting in the sunshine. I wondered if he ever thought of me.
Well, a new dog has entered my life over three decades since Chippy left it. Over the years my three kids have had a series of pets from the odd goldfish to tadpoles and even a rabbit. We had cats for a long time but allergies forced their eviction from our home and into the loving care of my mom. But the kids never had a dog. They do now.
For various reasons I fought the idea of introducing another living being into the house, but my own selfish reasons were not good enough to deprive the kids of a chance to enjoy a real pet (I'm sorry but fish and tadpoles just don't count as pets). So, just before Christmas last year we adopted a two year old dachshund/terrier/ miniature shepherd-looking sort of thing. I don't believe she is a dachshund since her legs go all the way to the ground, but the folks at the pound said it so it must be true. She had been dropped off at the pound without a name so they gave her the name Holly in honor of the holidays.
George Santayana famously said "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." I can already see Holly heading down the path old Chippy took. But we have something in 2007 that was not available to us in the 1970's, we have Cesar Milan and his "Dog Whisperer" show. Please join me next month as we continue the story of Holly, the dog who will not repeat history if the kids, and Cesar, have anything to do with it.
Dog Parenting Poll
Great Dog Stuff on Amazon
Holly: the Dog in the Family Saga Continues
Last month I wrote at great length about Chippy, the schnoodle I had as a boy. I also wrote about the dog we brought into our home last Christmas who came with the festive name of Holly. The errors in dog-parenting I made with Chippy I have vowed to not repeat with Holly. During the early days of her life with us I feared that history was going to repeat. But Cesar Milan the famed Dog Whisperer has proven invaluable to us.If anyone has seen Cesar's show they will recognize the unique sound he makes to bring the dogs to heel. It is sort of a mix of a "click" and a "tisch" sound. I spent what seemed like countless hours trying to perfect this noise but to no avail. I eventually settled on a sharp "hey" and it works. It is cute watching the kids use their own variations of Cesar's sound to get the dog's attention. It is sometimes even cuter to see how often it doesn't work.
One of the biggest mistakes we make with Holly is not paying attention, or more accurately not understanding, what she is trying to tell us. During the daytime hours we are pretty good about reading the signals regarding when she is hungry (always) when she wants to play (very frequently) and when she needs to go out (too often for my liking). But it is at nighttime that the messages get a little fuzzy. After a long and stressful day of living in the 21st century, it sometimes gets hard to be motivated to take the dog for a walk at 11 at night (especially after the kids are all in bed and the latest episode of CSI: Miami beckons from the TIVO box).
The other night, at about three in the morning, Holly made her usual rounds of the house checking on the kids, my wife and then me. If she just looked in on us to make sure we were safe that would be cool, but I believe she is on a mission to find someone awake to take her outside. I heard the faint clicking of her nails along the tile floor in the back of my consciousness and mentally cried out "no, not again!" I, being the last person she approached, was finally roused from the remainder of my once sound sleep by the persistent nuzzles of her wet snout against my arms and face. When I pulled myself to a standing position she practically leapt for joy as I headed towards the door. As I stumbled back to bed I realized that I was the only one fool enough to actually get up in the middle of the night. Sleep did not return swiftly to me but dear little Holly was soon fast in the land of nod.
The final insult to sleep comes every morning just as the dreaded alarm rings. Just like clockwork she is making the rounds again, licking, nuzzling and pushing to make sure we are awake. I suppose if I did not enjoy the use of the snooze button I would appreciate her efforts to ensure that we are up on a timely basis but instead I see it as stealing those last fleeting moments of nighttime before the new day beckons. I think my growls at her are louder than the growls she makes at cat or dog that happens to pass by the house. For some reason my variation of Cesar's sound is totally ineffective at this point. I have yet to figure out why.
Because Holly loves my kids I have come to love her too!
More Great Dog Stuff on Amazon
Holly, the Master of the Escape
As part rat terrier I guess it should be expected that our Holly would always be on the lookout for something to hunt. Unfortunately, her instinct to dash about at great speed has caused much consternation in the family. From seemingly endless searches around the house for anything that moves (that is something that is smaller than her) to well thought-out escapes out the front door, the back door or the fenced-in portion of the yard, our cute and cuddly little Holly can bring a man like me to my knees crying out in wonder why did I ever get such a dog.We have a large back yard which has been our kids' playground over the years. The only problem with it, at the time of Holly's adoption, is that it was fenced on only two sides. When Holly joined our family we did not do anything special to the backyard because we expected she would be a typical indoor dog (i.e. walk on a leash when she needs to be walked and that would be the extent of he interest in the outside world). Boy, were we wrong!
Every time we would go to the front door or the back door Holly would rush over and try to slip out between our legs. When it dawned on us that she probably needs more space to run than our house provides we began to explore fencing in the remainder of the backyard. Well, when the reality of that expense hit us we sought an alternative. We purchased a do-it-yourself electric fence system and began to install it. That process did not get very far.
The first thing the instructions said to do was to lay out the wire above ground on the area that we envisioned would be her recreation place. We did so, thinking that we were giving her a generous portion of land to run and jump and do all the outdoorsy things that dogs like to do. Once the area was cordoned off the next step was to hold the collar while it was activated and walk towards the wire to see how close she could get before the warning shock would be delivered. Standing in the very center of the area I began to step towards the wire. Once I had two steps behind me the collar went off sending shock waves through my body, causing me to drop the thing in pain. My wife and I looked at each other dumbfounded. We turned the collar down to its lowest setting and tried again. I started from the middle and got perhaps three steps from the center before my hand flung the collar away as if struck by a bolt of lighting. We quickly realized that even at the lowest setting our little dog would probably be fried to a crisp if she wandered more than three feet from the center of her area. A six by six patch of lawn was no better than being locked up in the house so we packed up the electric fence and abandoned that idea.
Next came a partial fence that enclosed the back door area and a portion of the rear of the house. It wasn't too costly because we did it ourselves. It was convenient because we only had to let her out the back door. But it also proved to be problematic. The biggest obstacle for us was that we could only get in and out of her area through the back door of the house. In our haste to build something, anything, to get her outside, we did not factor in the need for a gate. But the biggest problem of all was that Holly soon found a way to dig under the fence. She also found a way to get over the fence although to this day I am not quite sure how she pulled off that feat. Last time I checked she does not have wings.
At the same time we were dealing with the backyard difficulties the front door remained a hurdle to overcome. Not content with her own space out the backdoor, Holly continued to try to sneak out the front. The first thing we did was build a fence around the front porch and bordered it with a thin sheet of bamboo. With a gate that latches it seemed to be the perfect barrier. That is until the first time Holly dashed outside and shot straight through the bamboo, tearing it up and leaving a gaping hole in the fence. After attempts to fix the fence we finally settled on securing metal lattice on the inside of the fence so that she could not break through again. Boy, was it funny the first time she made a dash for it and hit that newly reinforced fence! I can assure you she has not done that again.
We decided that it was time to split the backyard in two and give Holly a larger space so that she could run more. We went out and purchased more fencing and installed it so that she could not dig under it. We installed a gate for our convenience. We searched every corner of the fenced in area for any possible way in which she could escape. Satisfied that she would be secure, we introduced her to her new playground and she ran about in joy.
We all leapt with joy and continued to do so%u2026until the first time someone forgot to latch the gate and she escaped%u2026again.
More to come.
Another Dog Parenting Poll
With all the challenges we face keeping Holly safe and sound I was interested in finding out what challenges other dog parents face.
Holly, Our Family's Little Blessing
Okay, the long promised addition to the Holly series has arrived. I am finding that the love/ not-so-much-love relationship I have with my dog is getting better. I do love Holly a little more every day. I've come to appreciate her in ways that I never could with my childhood dog Chippy. When Chippy would escape he would be gone for 8 or 10 hours at a time. It was hard to get close to a dog that preferred to spend so much time away from me. When Holly escapes she is usually back in the house with 20 to 30 minutes or so. And she is usually remorseful as compared to Chippy who showed not one iota of repentance for his shenanigans.Holly really is a blessing to us. I do appreciate Holly for the positive impact she has on my kids. Whenever there is strife she has an uncanny knack to get in the middle of it and make us laugh, or at least distract us enough to forget what we were upset about. She does share her love with everyone almost equally. Depending on which bedroom door is open she will sleep with whichever kid is available. The only place she can't sleep is my special "watching television" chair. Somehow, she has wheedled her way into being allowed to sleep everywhere there is a soft, flat surface. I reluctantly allowed that and realize now that the trend will never be reversed. That is okay, though. As long as my one little reclining chair remains my sanctuary I can live with it.
I do have a major complaint about Holly, though. Holly does not carry her weight around the house as far as chores go. I understand that her biggest handicap is the fact that she does not have opposable thumbs. Carrying laundry baskets and grocery bags are tasks that are quite difficult for her to accomplish. I encourage her on an almost daily basis to grow those thumbs so she can pitch in with the housekeeping but so far she has rebuffed my efforts. Whenever I mention it I swear she just gives me a little snicker.
Seriously, though, Holly is an extraordinarily good-natured dog. She suffers without complaint being dressed in outrageous outfits. She doesn't mind being dragged down the street at a breakneck pace as my little boy takes off with her on the leash. She puts up with being a footstool and a pillow. She does get rewarded richly for her long-suffering, however. Every crumb of food that falls onto the floor, or into her dog dish, is gobbled up quickly and with complete satisfaction. She has a wonderful yard to play in and she has five (counting me) humans that watch out for her on a daily basis.
Chippy only lasted a year with us when I was a kid. He then moved to that great farm out in the country that so many dogs move to. This Christmas Holly will be celebrating her second year with us. In that time she has become our fourth child. She has grown up a lot and we have learned how to be fairly good masters. I am hopeful that she will have a long and productive life with us. It would be nice if the kids can be grown and gone while Holly is still on this side of Heaven. That would be the truest blessing she can bring to our family.
Yet Another Dog Parenting Poll
Since Holly is a blessing to our family I was wondering how your dog is a blessing to yours.
Holly getting dressed up by the kids
MY POOR PUPPY! What have they done to you?
Even More Great Dog Stuff on Amazon
Is being a dog parent all fun and games?
What is the most exciting part of being a dog parent?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byThe wonderful, trouble-free life my dog gives me
Heather426 says:
I have 2 little dogs, a miniature yorkie and a bichon frise and they keep me laughing. They are both very sweet and unconditionally loving to my husband and myself and to each other too...just wonderful little dogs. Just watching them play together makes me smile, and watching them fight over who gets to sit in my lap is a total crack up.
Posted January 19, 2009
Doggy Lover says:
my dog is loads of fun when she is awake and a blob when she is asleep, which is a good thing.
Posted November 24, 2008
Holly says:
Holly is the best
Posted November 23, 2008
sandyspider says:
Our dog Buddy is just that! He is a buddy that loves us without judgment. He is very expressive and he knows when one of us is feeling down. Since I have been laid off, Buddy is next to my side constantly. He enjoys our daily walks. There is a part of me that feels sad thinking I will not be able to spend the time with him when I return back to work.
Posted November 02, 2008
Amanda_Blue says:
Noticing that my poodle "Celeste" has ESP. It's a little frightening also. There are two bedrooms in my New York apartment which are far apart-- and she usually sleeps on the bed of the bedroom I am not sleeping in BUT if I wake up at about 2 AM or anytime in the middle of the night, and do nothing but perhaps open my eyes, she IMMEDIATELY jumps off the bed where she was lying and comes trotting into my bedroom and looks up at me! This never fails. It's really uncanny.
Posted October 14, 2008
Jewelsofawe says:
Our dogs are pretty good so it is a joy to have them around.
Posted October 13, 2008
Tiddledeewinks says:
I miss my Tobie (Old English Sheepdog). She died nearly one year ago. See her memorial picture at my lens DoAnimalsGoToHeaven.
Posted September 27, 2008
B.E. says:
My dog causes me no trouble at all!
Posted September 19, 2008
The endless adventures and emergencies my dog creates
Fraidy Dog says:
Not knowing from one day to the next if the dog will get out of the house.
Posted October 18, 2009
Dog says:
I suppose waking up each day not knowing whether or not the dot will run away, chew something up or just sit around and act like a cat.
Posted October 10, 2009
GregGiordano says:
Thanks, Look nook, for your comments. Holly is cute. You must know her if you say she is the best dog ever!
Posted January 15, 2009
look nook says:
holly is the best dog ever
Posted January 15, 2009
look nook says:
holly sounds cute
Posted January 15, 2009
T B Fan says:
Keeping any animal that is not a dog safe is our number one priority.
Posted November 28, 2008
Reader says:
Dogs are cute but can be troublesome.
Posted November 26, 2008
Susan52 says:
I get a lot more exercise now that Daisy takes me for daily walks. I love her anyway, but I'll be glad when she outgrows the puppy stage. Oh, never mind. She's a lab. She may never outgrow the puppy stage. But, oh, will I ever be fit!
Posted November 26, 2008
Rebekah93 says:
My dog, when she escapes runs around our neighborhood in a crazed state hunting the stray cats, now I don't feel that bad for the cats because they can pretty much hold their own against our dog. (My dog's about the same size as a typical house cat). If our dog did not additionally chase cars I would think her escaping was funny since she basically tries to get the cats "back" for taunting her while shes in her yard. Thus I must side with option # 2 The endless adventures and emergencies my dog creates
Posted November 02, 2008
OhMe says:
Our dog gives us 100% unconditional love. There is nothing we could ever do to change that. I hope she feels the same way.
Posted October 09, 2008
Trekkiemelissa says:
I have two dogs and one does not really get into things and the other gets into anything she can find. She's good at stealing bread. Together they are double trouble. They like waking everyone up in the mornings. :) They drive me nuts at times, but I would not change them for the world. They keep life interesting.
Posted October 09, 2008
GPG says:
Chasing my dog all around the neighborhood when she runs away surely keeps me in shape!
Posted September 14, 2008
Bizzy_luvs_animals says:
Getting to play with my dog and just being able to know she'll be there to comfort me.
Posted September 08, 2008
Joseph says:
I get to hold the dog.
Posted September 08, 2008
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Your Comments, Please!
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Jan 19, 2009 @ 10:58 am | in reply to awakeningwellness
- Thank you very much. I appreciate the support!
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Jan 19, 2009 @ 10:44 am | in reply to Heather426
- We had cats first but allergies forced us to give them away (my mom adopted them from us, which was a real blessing). Now that we have a dog we have learned that they truly are unique creatures. I think it would be cool to have one of each but that is not practical at least in our situation. Thank you for the comment!
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- Heather426 Heather426 Jan 19, 2009 @ 12:50 am
- I love dogs and cats both. this is a fun lens.5*
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Jan 15, 2009 @ 8:30 am | in reply to Taster
- While it is true that dogs are not cats, that is like saying apples are not oranges. It is a statement of the obvious. We once had many cats and I love cats dearly. Due to allergy problems in the family we could not keep them. Dogs, at least our dog, does not pose an allergy problem for us. But I do agree that cats can take care of themselves better than dogs do. I have often encouraged my dog to become more independent but to no avail. Thanks for posting.
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- Taster Taster Jan 12, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
- The trouble with dogs is they are not cats. Cats can bathe themselves, feed themselves and rarely cause trouble, unlike some dogs I know.
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- awakeningwellness awakeningwellness Jan 7, 2009 @ 9:36 am
- I have had many dog adventures of my own and enjoyed hearing about yours...these things are always funny when they happen to someone else! (:
I have added your story to a collection of dog stories I have put together. You can see it at
www.squidoo.com/dogstories
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Dec 26, 2008 @ 1:19 pm | in reply to Browser
- I understand. Our dog can drive us nuts with her behavior sometimes but at the end of the day we still love her.
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- Browser Browser Dec 22, 2008 @ 10:07 am
- Thanks for the lens. My dog has her own problems but we still love her.
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Dec 6, 2008 @ 9:30 pm | in reply to Blogger
- Sounds as though you are speaking about Holly!
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- Blogger Blogger Dec 3, 2008 @ 9:48 am
- My dog does put up with everything the kids may do. She also is very forgiving and loves us no matter what.
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Dec 2, 2008 @ 8:05 pm | in reply to Janet21
- Thank you for your blessing, Squid Angel!
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- Janet21 Janet21 Dec 2, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
- Great lens! Blessed by a Squid Angel. :)
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Dec 2, 2008 @ 3:09 pm | in reply to T B fAN
- Are you kidding? I can barely get her to fetch a ball! I wish you would play frisbee with me, though. The only problem is that I can't take her out in a wide open space because she runs in one direction and that is away. We have a decent sized backyard but it is not long enough to truly play frisbee with her.
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Nov 28, 2008 @ 10:55 pm | in reply to clouda9
- Thank you for your sweet comments. Please come back again!
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- T B fAN T B fAN Nov 28, 2008 @ 1:14 am
- So, does your dog play football?
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- clouda9 clouda9 Nov 27, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
- Loved your stories and your dog is adorable...the video with the girls dressing up Holly is priceless :) Really enjoyed the visit.
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- Susan52 Susan52 Nov 26, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
- Oh, such doggy adventures. What great stories they make! I suspect with Holly around you'll never run out of things to write about. Great lens! (Hope your girls enjoy my Think Pink lens!)
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- Cats R Cool Cats R Cool Nov 26, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
- So, what does your dog think of cats?
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- JoeLovesDogs JoeLovesDogs Nov 23, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
- Holly, my dog, is the best!
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- JoeLovesDogs JoeLovesDogs Nov 23, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
- Holly, my dog, is the best!
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Nov 14, 2008 @ 1:02 pm | in reply to alteredkat
- Thank you for your kind words as well. I hope that you do find the right dog to join your family. I'm sure it must be difficult to be dog-less after having one for so many years. Take care and have a wonderful day!
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- alteredkat alteredkat Nov 13, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
- 1st time in 33 years I'm pet less :o(
Have had 4 wonderful dogs...hoping
for a spring move which will mean
a new member of our family...a 4 legged
member :o)
Holly sounds wonderful! 5*
...thanks for visiting my Shepherds Pie
lens...glad you liked it!
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Nov 10, 2008 @ 8:23 am | in reply to Dog Fan
- Thank you for the kind words.
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- Dog Fan Dog Fan Nov 8, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
- I love dogs and enjoyed this lens, especially the beautiful videos.
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Nov 6, 2008 @ 11:57 pm | in reply to B.E.
- You are welcome.
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- B.E. B.E. Nov 6, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
- Thanks for adding the "more to come."
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Nov 3, 2008 @ 10:03 am | in reply to sandyspider
- Your comments about Buddy are very sweet. I am glad you have him with you during what must be a difficult time for you. Thank you for commenting.
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- sandyspider sandyspider Nov 2, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
- Great stories on your dogs. I can tell you are a proud dog parent.
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Oct 29, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
- Thanks for your comments. I do believe there is a genetic connection between our dogs. Perhaps they were separated at birth or something. I appreciate your visit!
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- 24websurf 24websurf Oct 29, 2008 @ 12:45 am
- I think your Holly and my Shadow must be best friends..both have mastered Houdini's tricks. Rotten kids. Isn't it great? You have to love them even when they are testing your patience..lol!! Great lens! 5!
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- GregGiordano GregGiordano Oct 27, 2008 @ 8:09 am
- It will be here shortly. Keep your eyes peeled!
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- B.E. B.E. Oct 26, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
- So, where is the "more to come" as you promised?
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- d-artist d-artist Oct 23, 2008 @ 8:28 am
- great lens! thanks for stopping by my Cesar Millan lens...5*
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- beeobrien beeobrien Oct 15, 2008 @ 1:26 pm
- Great stories. We now have 4 dogs (don't ask) and life is a daily adventure.
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- Amanda_Blue Amanda_Blue Oct 14, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
- Chippy sounds as though he was impossible but spectacular,and having to give him up must have been terribly hard. Now there's Houdini-Holly. You seem destined to adopt outrageous pups!I look forward to the next installment(s), so please consider me a subscriber. Thanks for the entertainment and all the best! P.S. I bet Chippy did think of you.
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- OhMe OhMe Oct 9, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
- Loved your stories of Holly and Chipper and I am familiar with Cesar's videos. Great lens. Thanks for sharing your story and info. Lensrolling to Doggie Birthday Party.
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- OhMe OhMe Oct 9, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
- Loved your stories of Holly and Chipper and I am familiar with Cesar's videos. Great lens. Thanks for sharing your story and info. Lensrolling to Doggie Birthday Party.
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- Oct 6, 2008 @ 7:03 am
- Wow! Great information. Feel free to check my lens PetHotels. Thanks:)5*
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- Tiddledeewinks Tiddledeewinks Sep 27, 2008 @ 5:42 pm
- I love dogs and hope to move out of my apt. where they don't allow them! They love you unconditionally!
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- ngio64 ngio64 Sep 25, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
- You are weakening, now Holly can join us on the couch!
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- tdove tdove Sep 24, 2008 @ 10:26 pm
- Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!
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- Rebekah93 Rebekah93 Sep 3, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
- what a cute pic!
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- alslad alslad Aug 24, 2008 @ 1:20 pm
- Thanks for adding this lens to the Gone to the Dogs Group!
Darren
www.squidoo.com/groups/gone-to-the-dogs
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- Mom and Jack Mom and Jack Aug 8, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
- A great story. This sure brought back memories.
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- JoeLovesDogs JoeLovesDogs Aug 8, 2008 @ 11:27 am
- That's my puppy in the picture
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- Rebekah93 Rebekah93 Aug 7, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
- What a funny but cool story!
Great job!
:)






