Wordless Wednesday

NEW TOYS!

 A while ago  I was bragging about how I proud I was that the holiday toys have lasted into summer, and suggested that maybe the dogs had earned new toys.

They got them. I bought two cheap stuffed squeaky toys, just put them on the floor and let them figure it out. Franklin adopted the alligator

and Lola the elephant. They've somehow each claimed one toy and are not interested in the other.

 For now. 

Fat Franklin Friday

Franklin went to the vet over the weekend.

chilling in the waiting area

He's up nearly 2 pounds since his annual exam last year. While two pounds doesn't seem like much to you or me, it's more than 10% of what he SHOULD weigh.

We were not surprised by this news. After his haircut, we could tell that he was still rounder than he should be. We just assumed it was all fluff pre-shearing, but realized that our little guy was not so little.

SO

Franklin is on a diet.

His kibble ration has been cut, and he's supplementing with carrots to get more volume. (The vet suggested green beans or carrots, and carrots were available in bulk at Costco, and easier to pre-process and freeze).

I cooked a few pounds of carrots, smashed them up, and made carrot ice cubes, so that each week I can defrost a few of them for him to eat over the course of the week. This way I don't have to worry about buying carrots for him all the time, and don't have to do anything but defrost.

p.s. Franklin has yet to meet a food he doesn't like, so he's gobbling up the carrot mush.

p.p.s. the vet couldn't stop kissing him and saying how cute he is (duh!).

I do find the ambassador comment a bit funny, because I didn't realize that adorable moppy lap dogs had an image problem and needed ambassadors. (new vet. hasn't met fallen in love with Lola yet)

Maybe we should've asked them about the rennovation

When we renovated our bathroom, we didn't think about the impact it would have on the cats. They've shown their displeasure in various ways, but have adjusted to the new sink.

Before:

After:

 it's a smaller sink, and perhaps a better fit for one cat

But they're sisters and seem to like smooshing on top of each other.

seeking professional help

I've been documenting our battle with the tub shitters for a few months now. For a while it seemed that the plastic mats solved the problem. Then they didn't.

So while we were at the vet this weekend, we asked her what to do.

Here's what she suggested:

We're stubborn and sometimes cheap, so haven't implemented all these suggestions yet. But what we did do was remove the lids from the litter boxes (she said that having an enclosed box was like using a portapotty on Saturday afternoon during Lolapalooza. We get it. Nasty. Ick.). I did a thorough cleaning, and we sprinkled cat attract on the clean litter.

I'm being optimistic and removed the plastic and foil from the floor, so despite exposed cat pans, the bathroom looks somewhat better.

we even had a special nook built for the box and supplies!

so far, so good.

Hot fun in the city

On Sundays, we go to the farmer's market. We're lucky to live a few blocks away from one of the best in the city. We do much of our shopping for the week there, and if it's not too hot, Lola wears her backpack and carries produce home for us. 

This week, we'd just gotten to the market when the sky turned black. 

We quickly grabbed a few things and sprinted home. Franklin almost got picked up and carried away by the wind.

Once the storm passed, we walked over to the Co-op to buy the things we missed at the market. 

Then we happened upon an open hydrant on the way home. Franklin frolicked and made friends and Lola taught some kids about approaching strange dogs slowly, getting down on their level and asking before petting them. She did great. She really does seem to be doing better with strangers!