Monday, September 30, 2013

Harry's Summer Vacation

Sorry for the lack of posting these past three weeks.  I just returned for a 2 week vacation in Europe and Harry returned from a 2 week vacation in cousinworld.  We are still struggling with Harry's health situation and the cone of shame came back earlier this week.  For 3 months we thought Harry was suffering from scabies, but now that he's had three treatments of Revolution and a crapload of antibiotics and steroids he's back to being really irritated, sad, and red.  Hopefully our appointment with Penn Dermatology sheds some light to the situation.  Cross your fingers (and paws) for us!

Back to vacation...Harry had so much fun with his fur-cousin Jager and his human cousin Kiera over the two weeks the boo (the foo now?) and I were in Europe.  Harry knew we were going away and refused to give us kisses goodbye or any kind of affection since he was mad at us, but his attitude completely changed when he arrived at his cousin Jager's house.  

First thing was first, him and his babysitter would need to discuss who was in charge.  Harry quickly established that.

After some compromise the roles were adjusted.

While we were biking through the green-green grass in Hyde Park, Harry buried himself in the yard with Jager effectively tiring out his cousin every single night of the week.


And while we indulged in Belgian chocolates, Harry and Jager indulged in vanilla ice cream to celebrate Jager's birthday...





Harry spent quality time with his cousins, and we spent quality time with each other...

But we didn't get as much time to snuggle and nap as Harry did...even though we were just as tired.


But even though all of us had an amazing time on our vacations...we were still ecstatic to see each other when we came home!

Harry slept for two days after his vacation while we had to go straight back to work.  Must be nice to live a dog's life!  He can't wait to visit with his cousins again soon!





Monday, September 9, 2013

Doggy Dining: Unleashed by Petco

This weekend was our last before the boo and I explore Europe and drop our pooch off with his fur-cousin and human-Aunt.  We vowed to make it extra special and Harry filled, which pleased Harry but in my opinion made him extremely suspicious given the concerned expressions I received this morning.  

The Granary (located off the Ben Franklin Parkway) is finished and leasing, and the retail spaces below have started to open up.  Over the weekend we visited Pizzeria Vetri sans Harry and saw that the new pet store, Unleashed, had opened up as well.  While we waited for a table at Vetri, we perused the store.  There were so many grand opening deals, I returned with Harry the next day to pick up a present for his fur-cousin Jager as a thanks for putting up with me wanting to play with you for 264 hours gesture.


Although we are huge loyal fans of the Fairmount Pet Shoppe, Unleashed offers more room for your pet to walk around without bumping into displays.  There's also a less likely chance that your dog will unintentionally shoplift a bone or jerky stick since they have more room to store those items up high while Fairmount Pet Shoppe uses every bit of their small space.


Harry began his shopping adventure by perusing the aisles of pet supplies.  We started with the ample array of water bowls, food bowls, and filtered water fountains.
Moving onto things that smell better, Harry veered towards the dog food.  Unleashed has all the brands you need including ours, Blue Buffalo.  There was no price difference between the Fairmount Shop and Unleashed on our brand - in case you were hoping for a new deal.  
We also smelled all the doggy shampoos just like I do when I shop for human shampoo (the best part of buying shampoo).  Petco had a huge selection - an entire aisle - dedicated to grooming.  They also offer a $10 do it yourself dog wash.  This is free in my house and called a bathtub, but for those with a shower only situation, this is a great option.
Eventually we made our way to the toy aisle and picked out a present for Jager.  The toy section was heavy on the stuffed animals, which is good for Harry's fur-cousin...a giant German Shepherd with a preference for fluffy toys that he takes care of for years...but not the best for Harry the destroyer.  As you can see behind him, there are definitely some heavy chewer Kong items, and there are less of the rubber chicken/rubber foot/rubber hot dog type toys.
The absolute best part of Unleashed is their candy store style cookie bar.  The treats are all labeled with ingredients and their special features - like bone health, or gluten free - and they're made with all natural ingredients.  They even taste good!  I tried them.  Harry will do anything you say for one of the treats in the cookie bar, and the staff at Unleashed had fun watching him swallow cookies whole.  
On opening weekend, our purchase included a free 1lb bag of a variety of cookie bar treats...we took advantage of this twice in one weekend...a free frisbee, a free tote bag, and our purchase of Jager's toy (a stuffed Chewbacca) included an additional free item that Harry kept.
May the force be with you!
We're definitely going to visit Unleashed for treats on a regular basis.  It makes for a good walk, and if Pizzeria Vetri ever gets outside seating it will make for a perfect doggy date.





Friday, September 6, 2013

Country Summer


Our summer certainly was a lot of fun with Harry, but the past two months we've been back and forth with the vet to treat Harry's constant itching.  We think it may be due to scabies but it's difficult to test because the bugs scatter when it's time to do a skin sample.  With a treatment of Revolution and lots of baths and now steroids and antibiotics, Harry is on his way to healthy.  Since it's no fun being a sick puppy I thought I'd reminisce on Harry's trip to the countryside earlier this summer.


Every year there's a family reunion up north in New Jersey - bordering alongside New York state.  It's definitely no Staten Island; more like a middle of nowhere.  Harry adores the vast acres of cushy grass and clean smells.  Literally for the last 20 miles of travel Harry's head was out the window sniffing.  As it was a family reunion, Harry reunited with his cousin Jager who spent most of his time in the pond.


Harry even met new cousins he didn't even know he had.  He spent lots of time chewing on sticks, ruining bocce ball games, and frolicking with his new cousin friends.  



As you can imagine, Harry was exhausted afterwards.  He doesn't really stop playing - go hard or go home must be his life motto.  It made for a quiet ride home.  Harry's cousin Jager on the other hand, went home stinky and wet from pond water.  In these instances I appreciate not having a water dog, although Jager was extremely entertaining.

Family reunions are yet another event that is made a hundred times better with a dog.  Those awkward moments of nothing to talk about with a family member you haven't seen in three years?  Banished by the charm of your fuzzy slobbering beast.  Now get on petfinder and adopt yourself a distraction dog.

Here's to the end of a hot hot summer, and to a calmer cooler fall!