dog redecorates house–shocking footage

One of the greatest things about being a professional pet sitter is that I get to hang out all day with all kinds of animals. I get to know most of them pretty well, so it's like having tons of pets that don't all have to live with me. What could be better? Though I do see my share of excrement and misbehavior, most of the time we have a complete blast. Some of my favorite pet sitting moments are the ones that make me crack up, such as the one I captured today.

This senior pooch has not lost any of her character or dazzle. She's one of my regulars, and I love her so. She has this little house inside the house, and today she decided to redecorate!

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i want to pet sit for Sizzles

Don't pets in books, movies, and on TV always steal the show?

I have quite a few favorites, but my current celebrity doggie crush is on Sizzles, from the Charlie & Lola books and TV series. My littles introduced me to the Charlie & Lola books by Lauren Child, and soon after, we saw the characters come to life on the small screen, much to our delight. Honestly, it's the only kids show I actually enjoy watching with them.

For me, the books and episodes shine because of the dialogue and the illustrations/animation. And it's quite impressive how closely the animation keeps with the books' illustrations. The characters are charming and adorable and creative, and they make the most mundane thing seem like an adventure. Every book and episode starts the same way in Charlie's voice (he's British, so don't forget to imagine the accent):

I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny...

Charlie is the sweet older brother, and all of the stories are told in his voice. Lola is his adorable (and small and funny) little sister, who he often must rescue from one thing or another. Nothing too dramatic. Things like not being able to find her favorite book at the library or spending all her money at the zoo so she can't purchase the seal bath toy she had her heart set on. Charlie always makes things right for Lola.

So what about Sizzles? Sizzles is their friend, Marv's, dog. Lola loves Sizzles, and so do I. Sizzles is part mischief and part love, and has a knowing look almost all of the time, though he doesn't seem quite as smart as Lola thinks he is. He appears in only some of the books and episodes. Just enough to get you to fall in love and beg for more. And his bottom is just the cutest!

My favorite Charlie & Lola book is We Honestly Can Look After Your Dog, so, naturally, my favorite episode is We Do Promise Honestly We Can Look After Your Dog, which is, of course, based on the book. I won't debate which is better, but I will say I love to see Sizzles in action. Lola, and her BFF, Lotta, beg Marv to let them look after Sizzles. The girls are in a bit over their heads, but it's jolly good fun, and *spoiler alert* Sizzles makes it out of the experience just fine. If you are a dog lover who wants to smile right now, please click here and watch the episode. I completely absolutely promise you will love it. Watch with your dog-loving kids, too. Okay, go ahead...let me know what you think, and let me know how madly in love with Sizzles you are.

But you can't have him. He's mine. Sizzles can do anything.

Wordless Wednesday: curiously close-up cat

ThunderLeash: the simpler "no pull" solution has become our "no choke" solution

My dog, N.A.S.H.A., totally looks like the anxious type, but she's cool as a cucumber. Unless a butterfly tries to invade our home, and, then, she goes ballistic. So though I've worked with ThunderShirt and done several product reviews, I've always given the shirts they send me to clients who can really use them. It's awesome to be able to that, and I highly recommend the ThunderShirt as a natural remedy for many types of canine anxiety. So when ThunderShirt asked if I'd like to try out their newest product, the ThunderLeash, I was intrigued. After checking it out online, I knew that N.A.S.H.A. and I would be trying this one, ourselves. The ThunderLeash is described as "the simpler 'no pull'" solution.

Though only eleven or so pounds and eight years old, when it's time to go for a walk, N.A.S.H.A. thinks she's part of the Iditarod. She has other weird habits on a leash, too. Like she won't go potty on one. So after our walks, she rushes in the house and to the backyard so she can relieve herself. I don't think ThunderLeash can help with that issue, but I was hopeful it might finally be a solution for N.A.S.H.A.'s constant pulling on a traditional leash.

We'd tried other "no pull" products with little or no success. Our family loves to hike, and we love to take N.A.S.H.A. with us, but sometimes we leave her behind, just because we don't want to deal with her. She's too light to pull us along, and even the kids can hold the leash when she's pulling. Her problem is different. She chokes. Over and over. And over. And over. It's quite irritating to listen to, and it can't be healthy for her. Ah...the intelligence of dogs, ever in question.

So here she is, choking and walking in all her glory with her regular leash:

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I was pretty excited when our ThunderLeash arrived.

I loved how the instructions were right on the front. So simple!

The ThunderLeash is a full leash, just like it says. It can be used as a regular leash when your dog isn't pulling, and can quickly be converted while it's on your dog, should your dog start pulling. The patent-pending "harness slot" allows you to simply wrap the leash around your dog's torso, just under his "arm pits."

ThunderShirt describes it best:

ThunderLeash is the simpler "no pull" solution. The innovative hardware turns a leash into a "no pull" harness instantly. The safe pressure greatly reduces pulling with no need for a harness. Professional dog trainer recommended. 100% satisfaction guarantee.

ThunderLeash will help make walking your dog a hassle free, positive experience for both you and your dog. Dog harnesses can be great tools for many dogs, but not everyone wants to make the effort to get one onto their dog or to have extra stuff to carry around. ThunderLeash is the perfect combination of simplicity and functionality. For those times you just need a standard leash for a quick walk or for times when your dog is well behaved, simply connect the ThunderLeash to your dog's collar just like any other leash. But for times when pulling might be a problem, simply wrap ThunderLeash around your dog's torso and slide it into the harness slot. Now whenever your dog pulls, a mild pressure is applied to his torso, and the pulling will quickly cease. Which the ThunderLeash, you will finally be able to walk your dog, instead of being walked by your dog.

Since we already experienced what N.A.S.H.A. does on a regular leash, we jumped right ahead to the harness slot.

Physics has never been my strong point, but I could tell that the configuration would not encourage pulling, as a traditional harness often does. It is also equipped with a safety stopper (which is hidden by fur) so the harness won't squeeze too tight.

Before we headed out the door, I hooked the clip to N.A.S.H.A.'s collar, then wrapped the leash around her as the directions showed, then easily slipped the leash into the harness slot. Just as easily, N.A.S.H.A. bucked and twisted and–voilá–we were back to the regular leash configuration. Sigh. It was a new sensation for her, so we tried again, and this time she wasn't so wiggly. So we set off...

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Do you hear anything? Me neither! She still pulled, but not as hard, and the best part is that she stopped choking completely. That's a win for her and a win for our whole family!

The ThunderSeash Web site offers free shipping  and a full refund within forty-five days, if the ThunderLeash doesn't work out for you, so there's really no risk.

As the weather cools in Arizona and we're able to venture out on more hikes, I think N.A.S.H.A. will be able to join us more often! I'm really excited about that.

Disclaimer: ThunderShirt provided me with a ThunderLeash in exchange for my honest opinion. 

i am here: an urban intervention to make the invisible visble

Have you seen it?

I'm out of touch with what's gone viral and what hasn't, and I don't make a habit of sharing viral videos to generate traffic or whatever it might do. And I don't know the original source, so I can't cite it. And I don't know the people who took this video, or I'd be contacting them and kissing them. I just want you to see it.

So, what do I know?

I viewed this video a couple of months ago and didn't feel worthy to share it. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's so spectacular.

I now feel that everyone should see it, damn the torpedoes!

I challenge you to watch it without laughing and crying at the same time. It's the kind of laughing-through-the-tears video that we all need sometimes. No...I'm not on my period.

Just check it out.