371 American Eskimo dogs rescued from puppy mill

There are so many things wrong/disgusting/revolting/offensive with this.

• Puppy mills are disgusting on every level
• Neighbors who were aware of this situation and appear to have done nothing about it are wrong
• That this "person" was only charged with one count of second degree animal cruelty is wrong and an insult to these poor animals
• That these dogs continued to live in these conditions for two weeks after the authorities were aware of the situation is offensive
  

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/593115.html
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/galleries/gallery/594110-a594136-t3.html
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/594451.html

Animal shelters and rescue organizations are great sources to find your next family member. If you choose to get a pup from a breeder, PLEASE do your research and find an ethical breeder. You will not find pups from an ethical breeder at a pet store. Those poor pups come from situations like the one in the article above.

If you do not know how to determine which breeders are ethical, please contact that breed's national club for recommended breeders. Our parents thought they knew the right questions to ask when they found Eva through a local "breeder". Unfortunately, they did not see all of the warning signs and later they found that Eva's parents are from a commercial breeder (aka puppy mill).

Equally loved in spite of our little quirks,
Princess Eva & Brice

p.s. Don't worry - Momma didn't let us touch the bone that came from the sky

....and bones fell from the sky

I've mentioned before that one of my duties is to go out and get the mail with Momma or Dad every day. Earlier this week, I hit the jackpot.! The mailman brought me a yummy smelling package addressed to "The Lovely Princess Eva". Woo-hoo!!! Mine!! All Mine!! But I heard those words "and I know that you'll share them with Brice". I'll admit that I like to share things with him but can I just pretend for a moment that they're all mine?

A big Thank You to Ransom for the treats!!



On to the reason for the post title.

It started as a typical day for us....

a little wrestling...

some zoomies.....

stop to cool our feety-feets and get a drink

Brice responding to an invitation from Eva

and it's off for more zoomies

As Brice was going around the willow tree, this bone fell from the sky and almost hit him in the head!!

Momma ran over to find out what Brice was sniffing at and noticed 3 young squirrels were playing way up in the tree. They must have worked together to figure out the aim and timing to drop this. It's about 4-5 inches long and very light so we think that it's part of a bird. We did ask the squirrels to make sure that it's fresher and has a little meat on it the next time they want to throw bones from the sky.

Woof ya later!

Princess Eva

New Wubba

In the box that the big brown truck brought, was a new Wubba for the boy. A few days ago, Brice was not his bouncy normal self so Momma decided to not take us to the park that day and brought out the Wubba. For almost 24 hours, Brice ignored his toy so we knew that he wasn't feeling well.

The next day he must have been feeling better because he decided that it was Wubba time.

Brice likes to lay on the ottoman as he chews his toys.

Right before Momma and Dad sat down to dinner, Momma checked on him and Brice was playing nicely with his Wubba. Maybe he was upset that they wouldn't share their steaks but five minutes later when Momma realized that he was being very quiet and there wasn't a squeakie- squeakie sound coming from the living room, she decided to checked on him.

This is unexpected - he loves to chew on the legs/tassels but these look good.
No evidence of chewing on them.

And then we found the reason why his Wubba doesn't squeak

That is why we don't have a lot of toys.

Princess Eva

Wordless Wednesday - Mud Edition

Molly and Linus came to visit

Molly and Linus (the neighbor's pups) came to stay with us for a few days. Brice was so excited that there were going to be more dogs to play with but unfortunately, Molly and Linus don't really play or do zoomies.

Eva: Who are these dogs and what are they doing in my house?

Molly and Linus

Brice can get a little grumpy when he's sleeping so Momma made them go home to their house to sleep at night. She thought it was in everyone's best interest if she didn't need to break-up any dogfights at 3am.

After they went home for the last time, Momma rewarded us with Frosty Paws for being good hosts.

Yummy - Peanut Butter is Princess Eva's favorite flavor

Brice finished his first and then tried to eat the paper cup

Woof ya later!

Princess Eva & Brice

Thanks, Hugs and Kisses

We want to thank Khyra and her mom and the Thundering Herd for posting pictures of our Tasha. Words cannot convey what that meant to us. We also want to thank everyone for stopping by Tasha's anniversary post.

But to get the blog back to a happier tone, we wanted to share a video of how The Boy gives kisses. Sorry that it's so dark but Momma didn't want to disrupt the kisses by getting up to turn on more lights.



Brice approaches everything in his life with this type of enthusiasm. It can be very tiring to be around him 24/7 but we won't give him up for anything. He is one more thing that we thank Tasha for. She sent him to us.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

It's been a year...

It's been a year since the devastating day that Tasha went to the Rainbow Bridge. She was our beautiful, precious little girl and her world revolved around her Dad.

Tasha got very sick so fast. We tried everything that we could to find the cause and make her well but at the end, we just couldn't put her through another series of tests. In her way, she was telling us that it was time. It was not a decision that we wanted to make but it was time to ultimately show how much we loved her by easing her journey to the bridge and let her go with dignity, in our arms and knowing that she was loved. The last thing that she did as she was beginning to cross was give her dad a kiss. And the last thing that I whispered in her ear was that we loved her and to please send us a sign from the bridge that she understood.

Natasha Rae (Tasha)
9/97 - 5/24/08

We received several signs from her in the next several weeks and we still feel her spirit with us. We think of her often and we talk to her almost every week. She usually doesn't answer but we know that she is listening.

Warm light coming from far below,
Twinkling, sparkling is the candle's glow.
All is well up on the ridge,
The place we know as Rainbow Bridge.
Furbabies sleeping in heaven's light,
Tended by candles in the night.
Peaceful dreams be theirs to keep,
As they slumber in this night so deep.
Hearts on earth that miss them so,
Take comfort in the candle's glow.
Watching for them in skies above,
Bound eternally by a cord of love.
- Laura Hickman

Please hug your fur babies today and tell them how much they are loved.

Momma, Dad and Princess Eva

Ball and Squirrel

Almost everyday, we play "ball and squirrel". I have my favorite tennis ball that Brice is not allowed to play with and Brice has a selection of scary flying things called "squirrels".

You'll see that our grass in the backyard is in bad shape near the patio. I think all the squirrels and bunnies stop there to "mark their territory".



Our Dad was up on the roof reattaching the vent cover that was blown into our yard on Thursday and took a camera with him. Somehow he managed to film proof that somepup seems to live a charmed life. Things always seem to work out in his favor.



Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

P.S. One of our pictures was nominated for Picture of the Month in the Bone Zone. Feel free to stop by and vote for us here.

A box and a Mission

It came!! It came!! The big brown truck stopped at our house and gave us two packages! Some of the contents like the new clickers were more interesting for Momma than for us.

Normally, we wear chain collars when we're out on a walk but they have been damaging some of our coat so Momma ordered new limited-slip collars and matching leashes from White Pine Outfitters. These collars are suppose to be really good for long-furred or dual-coated pups. Since we are both, they should keep our neck fur long and lush. We'd post a picture but since you can't see collars on us, you wouldn't see anything different.

Some of the other items were much more exciting. There were dried anchovies and a backpack for Brice. He doesn't know it yet but there is also a new Wubba in there for him too. Momma is saving it for one of those rainy days where Brice is bouncing off walls and needs something to do.

Dried anchovies are really little but very tasty! I always take treats gently.

Brice is always ready to perform for his treats.

Brice is modeling his new backpack.
He's my new pack mule and has to carry my water when we go on walks.

It's going to be a big weekend for us. We're pupsitting Molly and Linus from down the street and Sunday is the one year anniversary of Tasha going to the Rainbow Bridge. We'll be making a special trip to Tasha's favorite dog park on Sunday morning to spread some of her ashes. Please give your pups an extra belly rub on Sunday morning in Tasha's honor.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

The Big Brown Truck

Today we're watching out the front door. Momma said the big brown truck is going to drive down our street today and we want to make sure that he stops at our house.



While we're waiting, we'll share this video from yesterday.



Any guesses about what will be in the box??

Princess Eva & Brice

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Brice was tired after a big day at the park last weekend.
Princess Eva would never pose this way.

Farm Dog

A special gift came in the mail from Mason Dixie. Some yummy crunchy healthy treats from Farm Dog. A big THANK YOU to Mason Dixie!!!! We definitely bookmarked their site for future purchases - Momma is thinking about ordering some of their Healing Salve.

It's warm out there today. Yes, it's only 81F but here in Minnesota in May, that's toasty. So it's POOL TIME!!

Brice thinks we need a bigger pool....or at least a second pool

Brice rolled me a few times under the willow tree. My beautifully groomed coat is now tangled with willow "caterpillars".

Our parents both love and hate this willow tree

Then Momma snuck in an off-leash training session for Brice. She is starting to talk about me needing some training. Today I just watched closely to make sure that the boy was doing things correctly....and to get treats. Sorry the pics are dark, Momma was keeping us in the shade where it's cooler.

Brice's "Front" command. His little toes are touching Momma's toes and his eyes are locked on Momma.

For some reason, Brice "heels" better off -leash

I'm making sure that Brice "stays" until Momma returns and releases him.

A quick question for you all. Our parents are talking about taking us camping and boating this year and are concerned about our safety. Do any of you have "Water Protection Devices" aka Life Vests? If so, any brand that you would recommend to buy or stay away from?

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

p.s. Our blog roll seems to be acting up and not always showing us when you have a new post. So if we haven't commented it may be because the list is not telling us to get over and read your latest news. We'll try to chew it into submission.

Lake Sarah Dog Park

Today for excitement, we went to buy kibble and treats. Normally, only good things happen at the store - everyone pets us and feeds us lots of treats. But today, it was the grand opening of the new location of our favorite store so lots of people and dogs were there. We saw Great Danes, Labs and Beagles. Brice decided to sniff a Chihuahua. BAD decision. It snarked at him!!! He's played with lots of little dogs at the park but this was the second time that he has been attacked by a Chihuahua. He stayed as far away from that little dog as he could for the rest of the time that we were in the store. Momma thinks that he may be scared of them now.

Sorry that we don't have any pics of the monster but Momma couldn't handle the camera since her hands were full of us, the big bag of kibble and a bunch of canned food and treats.

Then it was off to the Lake Sarah Dog Park. We've never been to this park before because it wasn't fully fenced until recently. It's 40 acres and fully fenced.

This park is basically flat with tall grass and a few bushes and trees.

Eva's snooter tells her that something interesting has been here.

Brice saw someone on the other side of the park. He has learned that when he sees other people at the park, there are usually other dogs nearby. He thinks he is the welcoming committee and is required to greet every dog.

A really nice lady showed up with her two pups. And she had treats so every time Brice caught a glimpse of her, he ran over and sat directly in front of her hoping to get treat for being a good boy.

But Momma has really been working on his recall and he usually comes running when he gets called back.

Not a very exciting park but it is big so we'll be back.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

Party Weekend

Our Dad left us for the weekend and went home to the farm for a wedding. For various reasons that we cannot post about, Momma stayed home with us and said that it's a PARTY weekend. First on the list was a trip to SONIC for lunch. Eva and I had to share an ice-cream because Somepup was implying that I was getting fat.


Then it was off to Cleary Lake Dog Park. This park is special because it has it's own swimmin' hole.

Eva: Come on in! The water is nice and cool on my feety-feet

Brice: See!!!! I'm NOT fat. I'm fluffy

Eva: I'd look just as skinny if I got more than my feety-feet wet

Brice: Momma kept throwing my floaty toy further out in the water. Eventually I had to swim to retrieve my toy.

Brice: Come a little closer. I feel the need to shake.

Momma asked us to do some zoomies to dry off a little.

We wonder what she has planned for us tomorrow?

Woof ya later,
Brice the Wet

p.s. Momma says that two wet long haired furry aromatic pups in the SUV does not make for a pleasant drive home. Especially since it started raining so the windows were up.

p.p.s. For anyone who watches American Idol - the video this week had a cameo appearance by two Belgian Malinios (our cousins) and a Dutch Shepherd. The Dutchie, the dog on the right, was tethered but the Mals were not.
http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_8/ford_music_videos/top_3_break_my_stride

Tuffy Toy Rating

I have a new toy from Tuffy (home of allegedly the world's "tuff"est soft dog toy). My toy has a rating of "7" on a scale of 1-10 from the company. It was actually pretty good considering that I have jaws of steel and love to grind toys between my back teeth. I'm going to give this toy a rating of "4" because it did actually last a whole 2 hours spread out over the last day or two.


We've also been to the park a few times this week. Our backyard is not big enough for a really good round of zoomies.

I love to run with Eva but I wish the Greyhounds were here so that I could be the chaser and not the chasee.

Taking a break to catch our breath

Woof ya later,
Brice

Sunday Playdate

We hope everymom had a great day yesterday. We started off the day with a playdate at the park with our neighbor-dogs Molly (chow/husky/?) and Linus (Otterhound). At the park, we met Madison a Finnish Lapphund.

Linus, Brice, Madison & Eva

Madison, Brice and Linus

Linus is actually a girl and and recently joined her new family. Her parents gave her a summer haircut.

Eva is going over to check on her Dad.

Brice and Madison

Brice and Molly

After the park we came home and took a nap while Momma and Dad did a little yard work. They're not big fans of our help in that area.


Woof ya later,
Princess Eva