What's That in OUR Yard? The Birds Nest Saga

A few weeks ago Francesca got in trouble. (What's new, right?) She looked up at the hose reel and saw something amiss. There was a rough and tumble kind of birds nest in the hollow of the reel and something was rustling around in it. She was very curious.

Of course there is a back story to this saga. One day our owner noticed some Juncos bringing straw and leaves into the hose reel. She thought this wasn't a very safe place so removed the "debris" hoping to dissuade the little black-hooded birdies from building a nest. She went to bed thinking everything was taken care of. Imagine her surprise when she awoke the next morning, went outside and saw.... a huge messy Junco nest. Inside, they had made a little round indentation and they weren't going to budge! So she let them be. "Let nature take its course," she muttered.

Junco

So the next day she checked and sure enough there were four little eggs in the nest. And the mother bird definitely was inhabiting the nest.

Back to Francesca's troublesome day. Well, the eggs did hatch and it was those tiny birds making the noise that she heard. She sniffed and it smelled interesting to her. With no mother bird in sight Francesca went up to the hose reel and with one huge bite, she lifted the nest out of the hose reel and was coming around the corner, prancing.... when she ran into our owner.

"Drop that NOW, Francesca," could be heard way over where I was on the other side of the yard. Francesca dropped the intact nest and I guess our owner picked it up and put it back in the hose reel.

A very bad photo of the birds in the nest

The days passed and the birds in the nest got noisier and noisier. The mother and father birds would swoop out of the nest if one of us approached. They were very protective. Our owner is protective too and put chairs all around the nest so we couldn't bother the birds.

So the day came that we packed up and went to our Doggie Country Club for an entire week. We got back yesterday. Francesca and I both went over to where the nest was and sniffed around. We didn't hear or see anything. Apparently the birds flew away when we were gone.... all of them!

I don't know if there is a moral to this story but Francesca should know better than to pick up a nest with live baby birds in it. She's lucky they all lived!

The culprit

Love, Cinnamon

Francesca's Dog Talks: Dog Park Rule #2

Hi, It's me Francesca. I've been giving talks on the Internet about Dog Park Rules. My first rule was kinda funny. But Rule #2 is very serious. Once a little dog was killed at a dog park near my house. The culprit was a Huskey whose prey instinct kicked in. No one could save the little dog. That was sad. So here's my next talk:

Love, Francesca

Francesca Explores the Columbia Gorge: Waterfalls and Wolves

Well, I've recovered from my harrowing experience in the Columbia River Gorge this weekend. Cinnamon insists I write about it so here we go...

It was a pretty nice day so my owner asked if I could join in with a group going to the Starvation Creek State Park. I didn't like the sound of that at all so I took some extra dog treats with me just in case there was any starving to be done!

It was a long ride, much longer than to any dog park I've ever been to so I knew this trip would be special.

I'd much rather go hunting.

We parked and got out of the car. There were huge yellow leaves and some trails. Other dogs were getting out of their cars to go hiking too. Once our friend got there, we headed out on a paved trail. Now that's ok, but I'd much rather go off-trail and sniff for wildlife. But we were hunting for waterfalls, I was told, so I stayed on the paved path.

Soon we got to a waterfall named Hole in the Wall waterfall. I looked longingly at the creek and wanted to go wading, look for frogs and fish, and have fun. But noo..... I had to stay on the path.

I looked longingly at the creek.

After that, we did go farther and even sniffed around for mushrooms in the forest. It wasn't until we were on the way back that I encountered... the WOLVES!

We were minding our own business on the paved trail when I spied them in the distance. Two huge wolves! I immediately started barking a warning to them. "Back off, Wolves," I said. My owner tried to keep me quiet but I absolutely had to bark and scare them. They glared at me.

We made it safely to Starvation Creek. I was a little scared because of the name of the creek but my interest in wading and climbing around the rocks diverted my attention. The water was rushing fast. No frogs or fish to be seen. It was kind of fun.

Here I am sniffing for fish.

I sniffed the moss on the boulders too.

But all of a sudden I smelled something I didn't like at all... WOLVES! My hair stood on end. I looked around and, because of the rocks, I didn't see anything at first. But then I saw them... looking down at me.

The wolves were hiding behind this tree.
They were talking about how to pounce on me!

I saw them and started barking. They howled and yipped terrible wolf sounds. They were really scary. My owner helped me hide in the creek. Eventually they left. I guess they figured I had gotten away. I was really scared and walked carefully all the way back making sure I didn't see or smell them. After all, they would have killed me! Really!

Once I was safely back at the car, I didn't want to go in my crate. I was still on the lookout for wolves. Eventually, I got so tired I went into my crate and slept all the way home.

So that, dear friends, is my near death encounter with WOLVES!

Love, Francesca

Announcement: Francesca promoted to Staff Writer

Francesca has been with Coonhound Tales for a year now. She has learned a lot from me, Cinnamon. She's written some good articles and some not so good articles. We recently did a survey of readers and they, overwhelmingly, supported a promotion for Francesca. The jury is still out on whether she deserves a cost of living raise though so I just gave her a Nylabone bonus instead.

Here's Francesca and her Nylabone bonus

Here's a good shot of Francesca's new Press Pass Badge

So today, in a brief ceremony, I announced on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook that Francesca is now a Staff Writer for Coonhound Tales. I posted pictures of her with her new press pass.

Right after the announcement, Francesca quickly chewed up half of her press pass. In the excitement, she ignored the Nylabone.

Jeesh.

Love, Cinnamon, the Coonhound, Editor of Coonhound Tales

Take Our Survey: Francesca's One Year Anniversary - Decisions to be made

Last July, Francesca was brought on as an intern with Coonhound Tales. I, Cinnamon, need to make some decisions regarding promoting her and giving her more compensation. Please take the survey and let me know what you think.

Create your own user feedback survey

#PetSmartGrooming Francesca goes to the Dog Groomer and Loves it!

Here I am looking muddy and stinky too!

Hi, it's me, Francesca. Remember when Cinnamon was teasing me about doing a review that involved a bath? Well, I did it! And my grooming appointment with PetSmart® went really well. So well, that it's Cinnamon that is jealous now!

This post is sponsored by PetSmart® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about PetSmart Grooming Salons, but Coon Hound Tales only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

This all started out with two issues that I have. They don't bother me, but they seem to bother everyone around me. I, like most coon hounds, do not smell the best (read... stink!) and I had been romping in the dog park and rolling in some really ripe stuff! I needed a bath to be allowed in my house! That's just my first issue.

The second one is that I have "flying hair!" My hair is short but its really plentiful. In fact, I leave white hair all over the place as I walk through the house. It's kind of like Pigpen in the comic strip Peanuts. Hair just drops off of me... and its not seasonal! And, it's everywhere!

So I had to admit I needed help.

It was easy to get an appointment with PetSmart Grooming. We did it all online. We could choose the service needed, the time of day and even choose a groomer if we wanted to. My appointment was on a Friday afternoon so I'd look good for the weekend! I signed up for a bath, pedicure and FURminator treatment. (Well, my owner signed me up).

We drove over to PetSmart which is near my house and walked into the grooming salon in the back. They knew I was coming and had assigned me a groomer since it was my first time. I made a fool of myself jumping up to see what was going on and looking for treats.

Bridget made me feel comfortable and so I kissed her!

My groomer, Bridget, came out to greet me and went over the list of services. Since she mentioned bath, I decided, to escort myself right out the door. It didn't work. I had a leash on. Drat! But then Bridget got down on my level and petted me and told me everything would be ok... and it would be fun to be pampered. I decided to go ahead with the appointment. And, Bridget said I didn't need the FURminator treatment after all. The bath, milk bath conditioner and a hearty brushing would take care of everything.

So I went back for my pedicure. It was over before I knew it. Then it was time for the bath. We went back to the tub area and I got sprayed down. They I had the most marvelous shampoo you could imagine... Tangerine shampoo! Yum. Next was the conditioner to soothe my dry skin and make my coat soft. I loved the massage part. Ahhhhh.

When I came out after the bath, I looked gorgeous!

I wasn't ready for that to be over but it couldn't go on forever. My owner was waiting to take pictures! I felt like a movie star. Back in the salon, I received a wonderful brushing. My loose hair was flying all over the place! The appointment took more than an hour, easy. They gave me the royal treatment.

When I finished, I didn't smell any more and my fur stayed on me... it wasn't flying all over the place! I now have a new best friend at PetSmart and her name is Bridget. She did a great job and made me feel comfortable the whole time. In fact, I'd recommend the services to Cinnamon. Her coat needs to be cleaned and it wouldn't hurt to have it made a bit more shiny!

It's now a couple of weeks after my appointment. Know what? I still don't shed like I used to!

There's some things you need to know before you book your PetSmart Grooming appointment:
- Bring your rabies vaccination information from your vet's office.
- You have to be over 8 weeks old to get services.
- Your owners have to stay behind the doors to the grooming area.
- They guarantee satisfaction.


You can follow PetSmart on Twitter or Facebook. I follow them on Instagram because I like to see dog pictures!

Love, Francesca

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetSmart . The opinions and text are all mine.

Dog Park Races, Here we come! (video)

Sometimes I appreciate the dog park even more after being holed up in the house during the rainy season. Well, today, I looked outside and saw a bit of blue sky and sunshine. It was a great day for the dog park!

So our owner opened the back of the car and we jumped in... Francesca in her crate and me in the back. Dog park express! Off we went.

When we got there, since it was Sunday and not everyone goes to church, the parking lot was pretty full. As soon as we got out of the car, about five dogs met us at the gate, barking and making annoying aggressive sounds. It's like that at the gate. I hate it! Well, except when I'm the one on the other side annoying the newly arrived dogs!

So we trotted and ran. All of a sudden Francesca spied a friend... it was Suzy! She was in a pack of about four dogs. She high tailed it (easy for her as she has the longest tail in the world) over and started to annoy everyone. Finally Susy took off running. Francesca was in hot pursuit. Now the object of the chase is not to win, but to run like the wind after the first dog. Francesca did a great job, forgetting that she had pneumonia not so long ago!

Here's a video of the chase!

I ran a little bit but stayed out of their way.

Love, Cinnamon

I am NOT Stupid!

Hi. It's me, Francesca. I'm feeling much better now but still have to take antibiotics. I have enough energy to go to the dog park and have fun. We went yesterday and we went today. Today was WILD!

We drove to the dog park at Washougal. I had never been there before so I got really excited. I didn't know what to do first... visit the dogs or find a squirrel tree. Of course, being a mighty hunter, I started with the latter.

At the Washougal dog park there is one huge lone tree. I figured squirrels must be in that tree so I ran like the wind (Cinnamon taught me that saying) over to check it out. As I ran, I imagined what the squirrels would be like. They would be big, furry and grey. And they would be jumping from branch to branch. I visualized one of them falling. I visualized me chasing that squirrel and...

Francesca the mighty hunter.

So by the time I reached the tree, I had worked myself up into a frenzy. I ran all around the tree barking. I looked up into the branches expecting at least 10 squirrels to be frolicking. Then I tried to climb the tree to get a better look.

I barked and jumped and nothing happened. No squirrels! So then I climbed up on a nearby bench figuring I'd be a couple feet closer to seeing a squirrel.... nothing.

At that point I saw some dogs looking at a hole by some berry bushes. So I went over to investigate. I was sure there was something really good in that hole. They gave up but I decided to investigate. I had to go through some berry brambles to get to the hole. My owner said, "Don't do that, Francesca... that's a stupid thing to do!" I listened to her and backed out of the thorny bushes.

All of a sudden I heard a man say, in his booming voice. "If Francesca thinks there are squirrels in that tree she must be STUPID!" Me, stupid? Well, he doesn't know me. I'm very smart. Smarter than Cinnamon, in some ways. I'm manipulative too.

So I decided to go over to the squirrel tree and start barking again to show him how smart of a hunter I was. After that I ran over to a pile of XXXX and rolled in it. I thought I was so smart!

Once we got home, I was invited to take a bath. Now I don't like baths, but after rolling around having such a great time I had earned the bath. I kinda forgot about that when I was rolling around.

I'm not STUPID, but I AM clean! What a day!

I am not sure I want to go back to that dog park. I was called stupid and then earned myself a bath... all in one day.

Love, Smart Francesca

Cinnamon's Year in Review - 2015

It's getting to be the end of the year. It's a time I reflect on what brought me here... the times alone, on the streets of Santa Fe as the snow fell and it was getting very cold. I was adopted in the winter and so that is what I think about when I am alone in my cushy bed having trouble getting to sleep.

Life has been good since then. I've traveled across the country and had some wonderful experiences. 2015 was another good year. Here are my top memories of 2015:

THE BEACH! I love the beach with smells of dead crabs and drying seaweed. I love getting the sand between my toes. I enjoy going to Long Beach, Washington because they are very dog friendly. I've stayed at several places that accept dogs. My favorite things to do are to walk the Discovery Trail and run on the beach avoiding the waves. I don't even mind when the wind kicks up and I get sand in my eyes.

Here I am at the beach checking out the razor clams.

The Farmers Market Vancouver, my home town (now), has a great Farmer's Market. The best part about the market is that they allow dogs! Of course I am always on my best behavior there. I look longingly at each booth as we pass by in hopes of getting samples. And sometimes I do! My owner's favorite things are the flowers, jams and local produce. I like Olympia Provisions and the salmon people!

Here I am hoping for Salmon samples at the Farmer's Market

Dog Parks! This year I continued to enjoy the Clark County dog parks. Clark Dog Paw, a non-profit, works with Vancouver and Clark County to maintain the best dog parks I have ever seen. I like the Brush Prairie Dog park with green grass, lots of running space and a view of Mt. Hood. It's my happy place!

Here I am looking all gorgeous at the Dog Park.

Francesca I'll bet you are surprised that I would mention Francesca in my list of memories, but I have to. From the day we picked her up from Animal Control, she's been a problem. I've worked hard to train her... to let her know what is mine and what is hers. And to let her know when she has to stop bugging me! But now I call her my buddy. When she goes to Day Care (because she can't be trusted home alone), I actually am happy to see her when she gets home.

Here we are bringing Francesca home.

Christmas Christmas was pretty special this year. We had a visit from our Country Cousins which includes Indy! We also got PRESENTS! Christmas day was spent doing things we enjoy like opening gifts, playing with new toys, going to the dog park and getting some treats. I like Christmas!

Here I am with my Christmas gift.

There was much more going on in 2015, some good and some bad, but all in all it was a very good year. I am hoping that 2016 brings more travel, food testing and more toys!

Love, Cinnamon

Wordless Wednesday: Using Super Photo for a Painting Effect

Francesca cuddles up!

Cinnamon goes shopping!

We made paintings out of photographs using a painting filter from Super Photo! You can do this if you have an iPad or iPhone.

Francesca's Story: From Jail Bird to Upscale Coonhound

Hi it's me, Francesca. Cinnamon said that if I was good, I could eventually tell my story. So here it is.

I've been in my forever home since July of this year. That's less than five months. I can still remember what life was like before I came to live with Cinnamon. Life was difficult.

I was a puppy in Yamhill County, Oregon. I was really cute, but I was really bouncy too. (What's new?). I always wanted to bounce myself out of the yard where I lived. So the people put me on a chain. I didn't like that. Sometimes I ran out of water. I didn't like that. So one day, when the door was open, I ran away. I ran really far and then it hit me. I WAS ALONE. NO ONE WOULD FEED ME.

Here's the DOG CONTROL TRUCK
that came to get me and put me in jail.

So I started to hunt rabbits and squirrels. I never was able to catch them. But I hunted. I got my water out of an irrigation ditch. I got really muddy and my beautiful white fur was brown. I was a real mess. I was starting to get sad.

So one day, someone grabbed me and a Yamhill County Animal Control truck came to pick me up and put me in jail. I guess I was in real trouble. But I was surprised. They actually fed me and gave me a bowl of water. Jail wasn't so bad after all.

There were other "women in orange" at the jail. They actually were nice. They took me out walking. They fed me and even gave me a bath. I was feeling much better. But then things took a turn for the worse. I was taken to a clinic. I WAS DRUGGED. AND I HAD SURGERY AGAINST MY WILL. I didn't even sign a release. Imagine!

After the terrifying trip to the clinic, I was brought back to jail to recover. And, I recovered pretty fast. My friends in orange (you know, orange is the new black) petted me and walked me... slowly at first. But it wasn't too long before I got my voice back and my bounce.

Here's the picture they took when they
put me up for adoption.
I looked so sad no one wanted me!

The next week a lady came and took my picture. I looked kind of sad. They said I was going to be put up for adoption. I guess I should have smiled in my picture because no one came to adopt me for over a month! I was beginning to think that jail was my new home.

One day, the lady in uniform came to see me in my cell. "Frances (that was my name then) a lady called about you. She's coming to see you tomorrow." I perked up. I was getting excited! Maybe I would get adopted. Maybe I would go to a home where I could run and bounce and eat all I wanted and have a big bowl of fresh water.

I could hardly sleep that night. I was so excited. I woke up early. The morning passed and no one showed up to visit me. I was starting to get sad when a grey car pulled up. The staff at the jail were really excited. Someone actually was interested in seeing me, a hound. I was told hounds were not popular in Yamhill County.

The Animal Control people were so excited
that someone was finally coming to see
Frances the unwanted hound

I was taken out of my cell and got to meet the nice lady. And then there was a BIG SURPRISE. Another coonhound had come to see me too. I was told her name was Cinnamon and that she was a famous blogger looking for an intern. We met and sniffed. Cinnamon was kind of stand-offish. I was my usual bouncy self.

Cinnamon said to me, "Well, Frances, can you write?" Of course I said yes. Cinnamon said she'd give me a chance. We played a little and Cinnamon snapped at me to put me in my place. I guess I was a bit too bouncy.

This is the first time I met Cinnamon.
The ladies in orange supervised us in my
outdoor cell.

After about an hour of getting to know each other, the lady told me to wait while she went into the office to do ADOPTION PAPERWORK! The staff gave me a big bag of toys and some food samples to take with me to MY NEW HOME. And, they let me keep my purple collar from jail. (why it was purple I don't know because everyone else wore orange).

The grey car had an open back door. There was a dog crate in it. I jumped right in! FREEDOM RIDE!

Freedom Ride!
(Notice I'm sticking my tongue out at the jail!)

Cinnamon, because she is a famous blogger and knows her travel manners, rode next to me out in the open. She didn't need the crate. We drove and drove. As we went up a hill, Cinnamon and her owner were talking. It was decided that I needed a more upscale name. After all, I wasn't going to be a country bumpkin any more. So they said my new name would be... FRANCESCA. If that isn't upscale nothing is. I thought to myself. Don't call me Frances. Don't call me Franny. Because, I am Francesca the Upscale Coonhound! I puffed out my chest in pride.

After a long long drive we crossed a huge bridge. Cinnamon said it was a bridge over the Mighty Columbia! And, before I could even see what a Mighty Columbia looked like, we were home.

Cinnamon and I played and then she snapped at me.
(She's moody)

We were sure glad to get out of the car. Cinnamon and I played in the BIG back yard and took out a Hosta plant and a fern. We were pretty wild. But then Cinnamon snapped at me and told me to quiet down. I was learning from her and, believe me, that wasn't the first time she'd snap at me!

I was so tired, I feel asleep on the couch.
This was my first night as an upscale coon hound. I was living in the lap of luxury all right!
Check out the leather couch!

So that's my story. I hope you liked it. Since I've been promoted to Feature Writer, you'll be hearing even more from me.

Love, Francesca, the Upscale Coonie

Francesca survives water torture!

Hi, It's me, Francesca. I'm sitting around this afternoon smelling very pretty. I am not happy about it and I'll tell you why.

I was being my rather pungent self this morning when FINALLY we got to go to the dog park. I was having a great time running and jumping and annoying dogs at the gate when they came into the park. It was fun, although I got into some trouble being too pushy with some of the dogs.

So I was thrilled when a young studly pup wanted to run and play with me. Off we went... running and jumping and growling and play biting. I had a great time and even slid in the mud and rolled a couple of times in the wet grass. When I was finished playing, I had mud and grunge all over me. I was a happy dog. I smelled just right.

It was time to go home and I went right to the car. I was tired. I laid down in my crate and dreamed of my nice warm bed at home. I was in the mood for a nap. We drove down the road.

Right about then we turned, abruptly, onto Fourth Plain. Woah, that was different. We weren't headed home. We pulled in to the parking lot in front of Petco. Now that was ok. I could see trotting around in there sniffing snacks and shopping for toys. But then I looked at my fur. It was all dirty. They might laugh at me in Petco.

My owner came to get me and marched me right through the front door... mud and all. But we didn't stop to sniff the food. And we didn't stop to check out the toys. We went into the grooming office. Oh oh.... this was not what I had in mind.

She asked for a SELF SERVICE DOG WASH. And, I was the only dirty dog in sight. I decided I wanted to go home right then and there but the door was shut. She paid the lady $10. Then we went into the WATER TORTURE CHAMBER OF HORRORS! There was a huge metal tub with a ramp leading up to it. And... and... A NOOSE! What was going to happen to me? Was this the end for Francesca? Was I really that bad at the dog park?

This is what the metal tub looked like.
But its a fake photo because the dog looks way too happy!

I pulled away but she got me up the ramp and into the metal tub. Slam went the door. I was caught. The noose was around my neck. Then the water torture started. I was all wet... with warm water. Then came the prissy smelling shampoo. Like it or not all the mud and dirt was being washed down the drain. I thought it would never end. After a couple of rinses she finally turned the water off. I relaxed a bit then. She told me I was pretty. (Pretty mad, I'd say).

There were raggedy towels and I got dried off. The metal door slid open and I WAS FREE! I Felt better although I was still wet. I got my regular collar on and then I got out of the WATER TORTURE CHAMBER OF HORRORS. I had survived.

As we walked past the desk, my owner said, "That was the best $10 I ever spent!" I didn't agree. I could have spent $10 on treats!

So now here I am smelling all pretty with nowhere to go. I can't wait to get back to the dog park so I can run with the big dogs and roll in the mud.

Love, Francesca

Sensitive Francesca’s First Dog Food Review #PinnacleHealthyPets

I, Francesca, am really excited. This is my first product review ever. And I will have no problem with the assignment because it involves eating a healthy dog food with quality ingredients! And I LOVE TO EAT!

This post is sponsored by Pinnacle and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Pinnacle’s reformulated Grain Free Dog Food but Coonhound Tales only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Pinnacle is not responsible for the content of this article.

This is when we got the food
to try and Cinnamon
grabbed a bag too!

I got really excited when my Pinnacle® dog food was delivered. First, I was taken by the shiny bag with beautiful graphics. Cinnamon was excited too and offered to help me with the review right away! Later I found that the shiny bag had another benefit. It kept the food dry and fresh.  I guess I’m not here to tell you how pretty the bag is, though. Now for the “meat of the review.”

I fell in love with the
packaging but that was just the start.

I have a sensitive stomach. My stomach reacts when I get nervous. But as I gradually switched to Pinnacle, I had no negative reactions whatsoever. I liked the taste and it was good for me! The ingredients are natural and the food is grain free. It’s a holistic dog food delivering tasty good health. I tried the Salmon and Potato Recipe with pumpkin and organic quinoa seed. Sounds healthy, right? Well it was also very tasty! I gobbled it right up.

The salmon is the first ingredient meaning the recipe has mostly salmon. I liked that. Then they added organic quinoa seed that provides amino acids to support muscle development. I need that to keep up my bouncing when I am chasing squirrels up trees.

I get really bouncy when I'm
chasing squirrels!

Then the pumpkin is not only included because it’s harvest season, it is high in antioxidant nutrients to keep me healthy. Best of all it is 100% grain free which helps keep my tummy calm. That was really important this past week because Cinnamon and I went to boarding. Now, it’s a nice place but I get nervous when things change. I have to meet new dogs there and the routine is different.

But we took along our Pinnacle Salmon & Potato Recipe in a big bag. I ate it twice a day like I do at home. And, know what? My tummy didn’t bother me and I adjusted just fine.  I was bouncy and happy playing and felt like my food gave me adequate nutrition for about anything that might happen at the “Doggie Country Club.”

Here's my Pinnacle Salmon & Potato
in my pretty bowl.

Pinnacle pet food provides your pet the high caliber ingredients you feed them and more, giving your dog the total nutrition she needs for holistic health.  Their food is the same grade as human food. Pretty good!

You can follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a great way to learn more about them.

And don’t worry about switching food. I did just fine!

More Information
Where to Buy Pinnacle Holistic Pet Nutrition
Savings Coupon

Wordless Wednesday: Does Francesca Study Yoga?

Francesca's Sleeping Position: The inside out ear with a twisted torso.
I think she must be a contortionist or maybe she takes yoga!

I've Been Hacked: Francesca is suspended!

I was outside taking a sunbath and came back in to find the blog post below. I was appalled! I was embarrassed so say the least.

My apologies go out to my readers for teenage Francesca's ranting and poor choice of language. As of now, I've changed my password and put Francesca on suspension for one week. She will not be writing until she learns the benefits of proper editing. She can tell her story, eventually, but it will be done CORRRECTLY!

And as far as her slanderous comments about MY behavior, don't I look innocent?

Innocence personified!

Love, Cinnamon, Blog owner, editor and writer

Francesca hacks into Cinnamon's account and tells all!

Hi it's me, Francesca. Cinnamon is out sunbathing so I came in to do some writing. Bwahaha! I am doing MY OWN WRITING! I want to tell you all about that middle aged goody goody, Cinnamon. She's a piece of work, I tell you!

This is what I do when my owner is not in the room!

First of all, she forces me to write in HER STYLE. I like to write with my own voice, as they called it in journalism school. Yeah, I went to college but dropped out to run the streets with my homies. When I write something, Cinnamon's all... "You have to re-write that and correct the grammar!" Screw her. No one wants to read her perfectly composed little blog posts! My friends are like... "Write something cool, Francesca... and we'll read the blog every day!"

Well, I thought I'd tell you how I ended up on a 40 ft. tie out leash in MY OWN BACKYARD! It's all Cinnamon's fault. This is what she did. So there was this squirrel in one of the trees that hang over my back fence. (Actually they are just rats with fuzzy tails) and Cinnamon starts howling like a country coon dog (which she isn't). I was new at the house so I figured that was what we were to do.... act like idiots when a we saw a squirrel. So that's what I did.

Cinnamon would start baying and I would start barking. So then she'd stop, knowing our owner would come out to quiet us down. But I didn't know that so I would keep barking and get in trouble. Meanwhile Cinnamon would just stand there and smirk. What an a_s!

So then it got worse. Cinnamon knew that I was a Treeing Walker Coonhound so she said... "Go get the squirrel, Francesca!" And I did. I looked up in the tree and then summoned my superdog bouncing powers and bounced myself over the 6 ft. back fence. Cinnamon howled and howled so, of course, our owner came out and got all upset.

Here I am summoning my superdog bouncing powers!

I found my self in the neighbor's backyard. It was fully of peanut shells, but no squirrel. I got in trouble. I got leashed up and marched right back home.

The next week Cinnamon did it again. "Francesca... go get the squirrel, she said!" So, again, I got really bouncey and, you guessed it... over the fence! This time Cinnamon barked the alarm and then the wimpy little dog in the neighbor's yard started barking too. He sized me up and threated to call his gang members to get me. My owner came over and apologized to the neighbor with the wimpy gang dog and I was glad to go home. (The wimpy little dog was throwing gang signs)

So, since my owner is afraid to upset the neighbors, she went to Petco and bought me a 40 ft. lead for when I am loose in the yard. Of course she checks on me to make sure I don't get tangled up or anything but I've resigned myself to being a prisoner in my own yard while Cinnamon, the b_t_h, goes free. She's all... "you deserve it Francesca!"

So that's the truth. It's all Cinnamon's fault. She's not all sweet and nice like some people think.

Oh oh, here comes my owner! I'd better get off the computer...

Love, Cool Francesca, who tells it like it is! #realfrancesca #cooldogblogger

How Do You Know Your Dog has Tapeworms? And What do You Do?

I know Francesca has cooties.
But this is even WORSE!

What? Tapeworms in MY family? Tapeworms in dogs are not as rare as you might think. However, their life cycle involves fleas and that is why I am so surprised. Both Francesca and I are on systemic flea medication… one pill every 12 weeks.

Warning: This is a graphic discussion of dog poop and tapeworms which may offend some humans.

So this morning my owner became alarmed when she saw a small grain of a rice type organism in Francesca’s poop. I have to say that Francesca had been annoying me a lot lately by licking her behind. Now I know that is another symptom of tapeworms.

I read on the Internet that when you tell your veterinarian there's rice in your dog’s poop, a diagnosis of tapeworm is likely.  They say that Tapeworm is pretty common and that it is a parasite carried by fleas. (We don’t have fleas!).

So here’s what they say about a dog with tapeworms. The dog shed tapeworm segments in her feces. You may find segments on his buttocks and bed.  (YUCK!) The segments are initially white with a rice-like appearance. As the tapeworm segment dries, the color changes to gold. Your dog may frequently lick his anus or scoot his butt across the carpet to relieve irritation caused by tapeworms. Most dogs do not have other symptoms, but acting sick or irritable with mild diarrhea is possible.  Here’s more information.

A process of several steps must take place before your dog is infected. The feces of an infected dog have tapeworm segments that have eggs in them. Flea larvae in the environment eat the eggs. Later they become adult fleas that your dog might ingest. And that is how the tapeworm gets started in your dog’s tummy.

I was appalled that Francesca had this horrible parasite. And, of course, I was really worried that I would “catch it.” So, although I laughed to my self when Francesca had to go to the vet, I wanted some advice for ME too!

When they got back they had two medicine vials. One was for me (2 pills) and one was for Francesca (one pill). Turns out that the medication is prescribed by weight. And I am a bit heavier (it’s all muscle) than Francesca. The vet said that even if Francesca is on flea medication, she may have picked up the parasite when she was running loose on the roads in Yamhill county.

So we got the pills with our breakfast and I feel much better psychologically. I know now that if I had any tapeworms inside me, they will be DEAD, DEAD, DEAD.

So that’s over… one dose and it’s done.

Love, Cinnamon