My Neighbors

If you read my blog, you probably own dogs, or love dogs, or want a dog. Or, you are one of my few non-dog readers keeping tabs on me through my dog-related exploits and posts. If you are the latter, you probably know my name is Lydia, and I blog under the name Miss Muddy Paws, and knowing these facts puts you in the minority.

My new condo is filled with dogs, and the people on the end of their leashes seem incredibly friendly and welcoming. My neighbors (of the human variety) regularly walk dogs for one another, and swap dog sitting duties if someone is going out-of-town. I have gotten to know them quite well – on the first floor, we have Marley, on the second floor there are Jessica Simpson and Milly and Hush, the third floor is home to Gus, and a pitbull, whose name escapes me. I can also name eight of my neighbors in other buildings.

When I walk around the corner, Retrievers in-leash, I can hear people talking, “There’s Hush-Puppy, and the other one is Milly. They live on the second floor of X building.” I’ve quickly learned which dogs are ones that can play with mine, and which are a little less-social. In my interactions, I sometimes garner little tidbits about their owners. The hound Hush loves to play with has an owner that works most weekends; Jessica Simpson’s owner adores Colbert and disapproves of my “Warning: Dog Bites Democrats” magnet on my car; Gus’s owner is engaged; the husky-mix is owned by a man who drives a BMW; Marley’s owner recently re-did her hardwood floors; Nellie’s owner has top-secret clearance. If this sounds like LSAT prep, it’s not, it’s my life.

I’m sure at some point in time, we’ve exchanged human names, but the names we most frequently use are our dogs’. Most of the details about our lives come from exchanges about our dogs, and a conversation almost never leads with human-questions, unless it has to do with the weather.

Having dogs has afforded me the opportunity to get to know my neighbors, I know them much better than my non-dog-owning roommate, Sydney, but do I really know them? Or, do I simply know the canines of the condo complex? It’s one thing to know the names of the dogs at the local dog park, and not their human counterparts, but, has this been taken too far when the same holds true for my neighbors?

A Bed for Hush

After a lot of research, I have selected the dog bed I will be getting for Hush. I have always had the traditional dog bed, the ones that are a giant pillow with a slip cover, round or rectangular, that sit on the floor. Milly actually has two of these, and while I like them, I want something that is a bit more sturdy and able to be disinfected.

As you know, Hush will be my first show dog, and once I get her, I would like to get a third Golden Retriever when she is a year old. With this in mind, I want to start buying products that will last a lifetime, so I don’t need to replace them with every new dog. The Kuranda dog beds have an incredible reputation. They are durable and made with furniture grade frames, the elevated beds give your dog orthopedic support and comfort, chew-proof fabrics make them long lasting, the beds can easily be cleaned and disinfected, and are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The way the bed is designed provides dogs with a firm, even support, which no pillow-style dog bed could match; this is great for growing puppies and elderly dogs! You can order machine washable slip covers to give them more of the appearance of the traditional dog bed, and there are optional pads available for added comfort.

I’ve spoken with many people who exclusively use Kuranda beds, and the word on the street is these beds will last for years, and the life of the bed will easily outlive the life of the dog. These are great for houses or kennel situations, and provide plenty of support for the dogs. I know Hush will probably go through a jaws phase, and I want a durable bed that she won’t chew! This is perfect.

Now, to pick a color and fabric for the bed, and which slip cover! They all look so nice! Of course, I’ll be getting mine monogrammed! Here are a few of my favorite slip covers, I love the stripes and knots the best. But, the traditional cinnamon would be nice and neutral in any room. Which is your favorite?

These beds are not the cheapest on the market, but also not the most expensive by any stretch of the imagination. They start at $36.95 and go up to $159.95, with slip covers and optional pads costing extra. But, for a bed that will last me 20 years or more, this is a worthwhile investment, and shipping on all orders is just $5!!!

The company is a fantastic company that gives back to shelters. Don’t have a dog? Just go on the Kuranda website, and you can order a bed for your local shelter! How great is that? I would love to get a group of people together to go in on some beds for a couple of shelters, especially those with low budgets.

What's In A Name?

What’s in a name?

Well, if you are talking about your future show dog, a lot. Many breeders will use a “litter theme” for each litter. For example, the litter theme may be “cars or travel” or, the theme may be “bodies of water” or even animals. From there, the new owners of the puppies come up with the registered name. For example, “Kennel Prefix Four On The Floor.” Litter themes are handy, because they enable an informed dog fancier to quickly know which mating a particular dog came from, and when a breeder has been breeding dogs for over 30 years, this comes in handy. When litter themes are used, the breeder will always insist that the name start with the breeder’s kennel prefix, and then the puppy buyer can pick the rest of the name based on the theme.

At times, a breeder might not have a theme, and in those cases the breeder will most likely insist that his or her kennel prefix be used to start the name and owners will typically come up with names having to do with both the sire and the dam’s registered names. For example, Kennel Prefix What a Hoot may be bred to Kennel Prefix Legally Blonde, and the owner may decide to name the dog Kennel Prefix (decided upon by the breeder) Legal Laughter.

Once the registered name has been selected, the puppy buyer will come up with the dog’s “call name”. Much like show horses have registered names, and barn names, dogs are the same. While, most breeders will allow you to pick any call name you so desire, it is generally assumed that should you pick a call name that has been used on a different puppy the breeder has bred, that you ask the breeder’s permission. For example, if in 2006 the breeder had a litter and one puppy had the call name Mikey, if you wanted to name your puppy Mikey, it is proper etiquette to ask for permission first.

Many dog owners, particularly with dogs that compete in a venue, will want the call name to have to do with the registered name. For example, the father of my future puppy is Nitelite’s Who’s On Deck, with a call name of Crew. My puppy’s grandmother, on the dam side, is Birnam Wood’s Expedia.com, call name Zoom.

I love coming up with names for dogs and horses. A lot of them are somewhat politically incorrect, and I just laugh at them, knowing they will never be used. But, I also have a lot of fun coming up with names that actually will be used. I have a long list of names that I like, that I may use at some point in the future.

One such name is Kennel Name’s Don’t Tell Daddy. I’m not going to divulge the litter theme just yet, but it looks like I will get to use this name for my puppy!!! Once I came up with that, I decided to start thinking of relevant call names, and my favorite, and I believe the one, is Hush.

I really hope that I am able to name my puppy Kennel Name Don’t Tell Daddy, and call her Hush! I absolutely love this name combo! Don’t you?