An Important Meeting of the Castle Staff

Shhhh....  We've been invited to a meeting of the Royal household!  It's quite an honor.  There is a full agenda!  They will be talking about the State of the Golden Retriever, Farm Chores, Chicken Management...  The meeting is just starting, so we'll sit here in the back...

Da Harlow is calling dis meeting to order.  Wait, something is off....

Oh no!  Something is bothering the Princess!  What could it be?

Does dis table seem tall to you?

 Ummmm, no, Your Royal Highness Da Harlow, it doesn't....

I iz sure of dis.  Da Royal Head of da Hole Digging, what you think?

Let's hear his answer....

Dis table seems fine to me.

Oh dear.

Is I da only one have da problem with dis table?

I am afraid so, da Princess.

Sigh...  Someone get da Harlow a booster seat.  ...and a cookie.

Right away!

The new guy...

If you follow us on Facebook, then you already know that we've added a new addition to our family.

If you don't, you might have just said "Wait, what?"  Didn't you guys just move, buy a house, move in last weekend...  Now you are adding a dog?

Let me explain.  A while back Arizona Golden Retriever Connection posted a photo of a special needs pup on their page.  I took one look at him and fell in love.  So did Aaron.  So it only made sense to reach out and ask if they did out of state adoptions.

They said yes.  (Insert happy dance here!)

So why is our new pup special needs?  Well, he isn't sporting a Golden's normal growth of hair.  In fact, think "fuzzy legwarmers" and you've pretty much summed up our pup.

Meet Rambo:

Photo from AZGRC

The hope is he won't sunburn or have sun-related issues up in Washington with us.  He's had a bunch of tests run and we have a long list of things he hasn't got going on - so we'll just do our best to make sure he is happy and healthy in every other way.

...and yes, we will make every effort to regrow his fuzz - but we like him just as he is.

...and you know he is going to have the nicest wardrobe of any dog!  (Remind me to tell you about his pink jacket one time!).

The next big question was how would we get him up here?  The nice folks at AZGRC volunteered to bring him up, which was huge, considering our Monty can be a little reactive and we weren't even sure if it would work out.  They may make the trip  for nothing! I was afraid to mention it just in case it didn't work.

This past Wednesday the AZGRC van pulled up and we got to meet Rambo for the first time.  Harlow, of course,  wanted to make sure our people guests knew we were happy to see them.

Hi dere!

I think she ended up greeting everyone multiple times with her customary enthusiasm!

Rambo got to meet the horses....

What dese?

I didn't get too many photos of the initial introduction of Monty and Rambo, due to needing to pay attention to Monty.  There was a lot of concern over stressing Monty out, and we waited for Aaron to make the final decision, since Monty is truly his boy.  Harlow of course loved Rambo from the get go, but Monty took a little more time.  Aaron decided that Monty would be fine and we decided to do a trial run, since the folks from AZGRC were spending the night and in no time at all....

First walk together!

The trio!

He's definitely a keeper!  We are just getting settled with him, learning his (shark-like) eating habits and potty needs, but he seems to want to make sure we are pleased with him.  ...and he is a huge cuddlebug!

We'll be sharing more photos in upcoming posts and more stories of our trio!

Thank you, AZGRC, for letting us adopt another one of your pups and for bringing him to us!  We are so happy to have him here!

June Chewy review - ZiwiPeak Good-Dog Lamb Jerky Dog Treats

It's time for our June review from chewy.com!  Our first delivery to our new house!  Thank you, chewy.com!

We decided to try ZiwiPeak Good-Dog Lamb Jerky Dog Treats.  I'm always looking for a high quality, value added treat to help further our pups along in their education.  I think I might have found one with this product!

Nicely packaged to maintain freshness!

 First a quick look at the ingredients....

Don't worry - it was hard for us to read too.

The treats were made up of the following:  Lamb Meat 95%, Lecithin, Chicory Inulin, Parsley, naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols...  

Just in case you were wondering:

Lecithin:  generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, which are amphiphilic - they attract both water (and so are hydrophilic) and fatty substances (lipophilic), and are used for smoothing food textures, dissolving powders (emulsifiers), homogenizing liquid mixtures, and repelling sticking materials.  (Via Wikipedia)

Chicory Unulin:  Inulin is added to dog food for two key reasons: 1) it is somewhat sweet and can be used to increase a food’s sweetness even though it is a relatively low calorie alternative to other fats or sugar and 2) it can be used as a prebiotic to aid digestion. (Via slimdoggy.com)

Tocopherols:  Mixed tocopherols are a common source of vitamin E in pet foods. (Via drsfostersmith.com)

The treats smelled delicious and Monty couldn't wait for me to open the bag.

You need help dere?

Or apparently for my fingers to get in front of the camera.... 

Whisker shot!

 Harlow remembered her manners....

Da Princess is always gentle, da Momma.

...and posed for an "after treat" smiley shot!

Wipe da drool da next time?

ZiwiPeak Good-Dog Lamb Jerky Dog Treats smelled very good and meaty and I really liked that they were soft and easy to break apart.  All in all, our pups gave them four paws up (out of four!).

Disclaimer:  How Sam Sees It has not been compensated for this product review. We received a product to review.  We have no connection with the brand and were not influenced in our opinions. Our opinions are strictly our own.

Chewy's found us!

Chewy's found us all the way in Sedro-Woolley, Washington!  The pups were ecstatic when the box arrived! 

Monty was trying to figure out how to open it.

Inside was a sample of Honest Kitchen's Proper Topper's Dehydrated Superfood for Dogs.  According to the bag, it was made with only 5 ingredients, 90% pure meat, no ingredients from China and 100% human grade.  I was a little perplexed when I turned over the bag and found an ingredient list that contained more than five ingredients - I'm still not sure what to think about that.  It looks like the remaining ingredients are the additional vitamins and minerals the bag advertises, but...  (insert overprotective dog momma face here...)

Our sample was the Grain Free Turkey Recipe

 Prep was very easy - 2 tsp per 20lbs of body weight daily.  We shared 1/4 cup between the two pups.  Per the directions, we splashed with warm water before feeding.  The smell was very yummy - sort of a very good meatloaf/meat ball smell.  The pups went crazy when I tried to put their dishes down. 

Yummmm!

There was the usually frenzied eating of noms....

Nom nom nom...

Nom nom nom...

...and then we asked them what they thought.

Monty gave it two paws up.  (This is his happy face.)

...and a smiley two paws up from Harlow!

I did find this product a bit pricey for the amount I would need to feed our pups - $19.59 for 14oz.  Per the instructions, Harlow would need to be feed 1-2 cups and Monty might possible go up to three, which makes it a bit cost prohibitive in our household.  I could see purchasing this product as more a treat versus a daily additive.  However, for small dogs or a finicky eater, I feel this product would be wonderful.  Our pups loved it, and both have been known to turn their shnooters up at certain foods.

Disclaimer:  How Sam Sees It has not been compensated for this product review. We received a product to review.  We have no connection with the brand and were not influenced in our opinions. Our opinions are strictly our own.

The skeleton in our closet, part 2....

The Thin Man has returned to our house, and Monty has made a startling discovery....

He's missing a leg.  Dis is the work of Harlow!

 Harlow claims she didn't do it...

Da Harlow has not done dis!

 She knows something has to be done!

Monty! We has to find it!

 But who has it?

We is stumped!

 The real culprit will soon turn up.  I'm sure of it!

Hehehe....

Chewy.com review - Blue Buffalo Halloween Boo Bars

We decided to get a jump start on the holidays here at How Sam Sees It, by reviewing Blue Buffalo's Halloween Boo Bars, offered to us from Chewy.com.  ...and yes, we are seriously ready for summer to be over!

Of course, the pups are well trained - they know that when a chewy.com box arrives, there is something yummy in there!

Dese for us, right da Momma?

 I have to tell you, when I opened the bag, I almost didn't want to share.  They smelled that good!

Pumpkin and cinnamon - cookies!

I noticed their little quote at the top as I was opening the bag.

How true is this?

 Harlow couldn't wait for hers....  (On a side note, the treats are crumbly/soft enough to break into smaller pieces!)

I iz good puppy, da Momma.  Can da Harlow have two?

Monty was a little more cautious.  He still remembers the time I slipped him a bit of broccoli...

Broccoli?

Not broccoli!

If you are looking for something fun, corn and wheat free, and made in America, these delicious little treats are just the thing.  They will definitely get you in the holiday spirit!

Boo!

Thank you, chew.com for letting us review this great product.  Our pups give it 8 paws up!

Disclaimer:  How Sam Sees It has not been compensated for this product review. We received a product to review.  We have no connection with the brand and were not influenced in our opinions. Our opinions are strictly our own.

Wordless Wednesday - Snoozing Styles

Peace has returned to the village - or not!

See Beautiful, and a thank you!

Aaron has been collecting mail while I've been traveling, and imagine my surprise when I got home last week to find a package from our good friend, Goose!  As you know, Goose has been celebrating his birthday and has sent out a wonderful gift to everyone who commented on his birthday post.

Every 2nd Friday of the Month, Sugar invites us to See Beautiful.  In celebration of See Beautiful, Goose has sent us this beautiful license plate frame to help us remind others to do so.

Our pups are more than happy to spread the message!  Thank you sweet Goose (who is celebrating his 15th Birthday!) for the wonderful gift!

Wordless Wednesday - The Fur is Flying

Why Blogging is Special

Right around Christmas we received something special in the mail...

 To our surprise, a donation to the Search Dog Foundation had been made on behalf of Harlow and Monty!

How awesome is this?

Becky and I are Facebook friends, sharing a mutual love of Friesian horses. 

I love the team bio.

I wish I could describe the happiness I feel when we get cards like this, to know our pups, two little dogs with a blog, mean so much to folks that rescues and organizations benefit from it.  I am truly humbled by this generosity.

If you would like to learn more about Search Dog Information, click here.  Their website is fun, with a photo gallery of some of the work they have done, information on their teams, and additional ways to donate (you can sponsor a dog!).  Becky and Gary have worked with this organization for over 25 years.

Becky and Gary, thank you so much!

Sick pup

Friday night we noticed Harlow seemed a little off.  Typically she's about as bright as a pup can be, active, constantly following us or into something, but suddenly her wattage seemed a little dim.  She took treats from us, but didn't seem that interested in eating them.  Our first thought was that maybe the treats had gone stale.

Saturday morning she was still off, not interested in any food or treat and she vomited a few times.  I don't usually worry too much, having dogs all my life means I've seen my share of tummy aches, but I also had to weigh in that it was Saturday, the vet was only open a half day, and if this did progress to something a little worse, our only recourse would be the emergency vet.  We made the decision to take her in.

She loves everyone at the vet and watches for them.

After taking a look at her, the vet decided it might not be a bad idea to take a few x-rays.  Harlow has a history of making bad decisions and tasting everything to see if its edible.  The vet was worried that she might have a foreign object causing her issues.  To our relief, her x-rays came back clear. 

As an added bonus, since her hips were clearly visible in the x-rays, I asked the vet what she thought.  Harlow loves to lay "froggy" style, and we've been told that means her hips were shot.  The vet said the opposite and said Harlow had wonderful hips!

They kept Harlow for the day, giving her barium and waiting to see if her stomach cleared itself.  I was able to pick her up at 7pm.  She's on a strict diet of bland food, rice and ground beef.  Monty is also benefiting from her diet - how can you feed that to one and not the other one?  He gets his mixed with a little kibble.

Hi dere, people friends.  I'z feeling better.

She is feeling better, and her happiness has returned.  We've been letting her rest as much as possible.  Monty has taken her place as ranch dog, temporarily.  He tends to like to nibble on the ponies and challenge my "no dogs in the corral" rule.

Dis hay is mine - go get your own.

I did try to do a more "artistic" photo shoot with the pups.  Monty is a little hard to take portraits of.  He's in love with the reflections from the camera lens and is easily distracted.

Monty is such a beautiful red color - and so serious in his photos!

...but, Harlow is always ready to pose for a photo or two.