Category Archives: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures

For more information about our home dog boarding you can check out our website www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com

The photos and stories within these posts are all shown publicly with the express permission of the dog owners. On the boarding contract, we ask them if it’s OK to blog about their dog, while protecting the owner’s identity and privacy. Owners have the choice of receiving daily updates, or updates every other day, or weekly. They can get updates by text or email or even iPhone Facetime video chat. In many cases these blog entries served as the daily update for the owner, as well as being a blog post for our blog readers. Enjoy!

Hello Dolly, our new home dog boarding pup

July 18, 2012 12:46 pm ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅
beagle home dog boarding

We are happy to have Dolly with us and she’s learning a lot too.

This is Dolly.  She is a beagle that we have had staying with us since last Friday morning, as we are boarding her as part of our side business and labor of love Barneys Home Dog Boarding.  We love her.  She is very sweet, and only a little high maintenance, so that’s wonderful.  :-)   Ironically she is the first beagle in all the dogs we have boarded, even though our dog boarding is named after our first late beagle Barney.  Before her stay here she was pretty shy with other dogs, so living temporarily with our three dogs has helped her get important socialization experience.  At first she would avoid them, and now she acts just like one of the pack.

She used to have no cat experience, and that is going relatively well too.  Only a few times has she tried to chase Bambi, and only the first of those was a dramatic chase most of the length of our apartment.  Now it’s just a chase of few feet once in a while.  She is learning!  Of course I’m not sure which is teaching her faster, my “No” at the end of the chase, or the fact that another of our cats Smokey takes it personally and tries to teach her a lesson with body language and hissing after each mini chase.  As usual each of our cats helps in their own way to socialize the dogs to cats.  :-)

Oh and the only high maintenance aspect to her is that she does not usually go to the bathroom during our many daily yard visits, so I have to also take her on various walks as well.  Also she has not yet been trained to take much direction on a walk so is used to going wherever she pleases.  She is very resistant to most standard gentle correction, so I have learned the right bribing, I mean training method for her on her walks.  I guess we are all learning things this week!

 

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures ⋅ Tagged: ,

Happy Anniversary Odie!

July 6, 2012 4:11 am ⋅ 2 Comments ⋅

Now that July 4th is over, I am reminded of a truly joyous occasion that happened one year ago. It was on the Tuesday following the holiday that Janet and I took a trip to Kenosha in search of a little white Shih Tzu she had seen on their website. When we got there the Shih Tzu was taken so we looked at a couple other dogs . One was getting over kennel cough and the other seemed a little aloof. Then the handler brought out this beagle basset mix that had been given up twice, had cherry eye, was overweight and had a fatty tumor on his chest. It was love at first sight.

We’ve told Odie’s story in previous entries so I won’t rehash the whole thing. I’ll just say that everyday I give him a hug & a kiss and let him know how thankful I am that he is our dog.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures, Our Dogs

Lily’s Here!

April 6, 2012 12:26 pm ⋅ 2 Comments ⋅

Janet and I just added a new member to our family. Her name is Lily. She’s a two year old cocker spaniel adopted from a local rescue. Lily has had a very tough life so far, but she’s going to get nothing but love and attention from now on. She has survived life in a puppy mill as a breeder and then was dumped into the woods by the owner when they received word that an inspection was coming. Only a few dogs survived, Lily was one of the lucky ones. A nice lady named Marlene fostered Lily and nursed her back to health. Right now she is still in shock from the horrors she has endured, so she is very shy around people.

Since mostly men ran the puppy mill she’s especially timid and cautious around them. Jan has been working to socialize her and it’s been good so far. I sneaked a photo of her and Odie on the couch but I’m still being very quiet and not making any sudden moves around her. We’re about to take both dogs on a walk in a few minutes. I’m looking forward to helping her feel at home.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures, Our Dogs ⋅ Tagged: ,

People finding their lost pets & shelter stories

January 12, 2012 12:33 pm ⋅
beagle/basset wearing ID

Our son Odie sporting his ID tag

A few years back I used to volunteer at Animal Care and Control in Chicago, on Western Ave near 27th St.  I was there for around three years and for much of the time I was doing paperwork.  Why travel across town every week to do paper work at an animal shelter?  Well it turns out that nearly every one who volunteers at an animal shelter wants to be hands-on with the animals, so no one wants to help with the paperwork.  It is critical work and when I was there it could wait a week before someone got to it.  The paperwork was at the front desk, trying to locate the owners of stray cats and dogs that had come in with ID tags or microchips.  It’s very detail oriented work, and more often than not you cannot locate the owner, which is another reason it wasn’t an appealing job to most.  For example do you know how many stray dogs come in to the shelter wearing personal ID tags showing numbers that are no longer in service?  It is so common.  Do you know how many people microchip their pet but then do not keep the microchip company current with up to date contact info?  That said there are some reuniting stories I will never forget.

Once I was calling the owner’s phone number on record for a microchip, saying the general statement about where I was calling from, we have your dog, ya-da ya-da ya-da.  The guy I called thought it was some kind of joke, or a scam.  I assured him that it was not, and that I had lots of people to call and would not be making up stories.  He finally believed me and told me that his family had lost this dog over a year ago, and had never ever given up hope.  He said they had made a little shrine to their dog on their fireplace mantle and had been praying every single day for their pet’s return.

The shelter only has set hours that you can come in to claim your pet so I was gone when they came in and got back their dog, but I can imagine the reunion.  I’ve seen enough of them.  Generally they walk down the rows of cages, and once their pet sees them he goes absolutely crazy with happiness.

cat wearing ID tag

YoYo doesn't mind his collar as long as it's a little loose

Tomorrow Lorenzo is bringing our dog Odie to our vet for a check up, a routine test, and vaccinations.  Then I will submit his rabies vaccination info to the city for a new city dog tag.  I cannot put enough ID on Odie, after all I have witnessed working for Animal Care and Control.  His microchip company is Home Again, and they have our current and accurate contact info which I have confirmed.  He has a collar w/personal ID tag with our current phone numbers always on his neck unless he’s in bed with us at night.  We walk him on a harness so as not to stress his collar so it will always remain strong and carry his ID.  He is never in the yard without us being there too.  Our four cats are indoors only and all have AVID microchips and AVID has our current contact info.  The cats that will tolerate it wear collars with ID tags too.

So if you want to read more reunion stories you can check out the Home Again website.  I just realized today that they keep record of a lot of the stories, and I love reading those. http://foundpets.homeagain.com/

Posted in: Cats: Our Cats at Play, Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures, Giving: Volunteering, Philanthropy ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

Meet our new family member Odie the beagle/basset hound

July 6, 2011 12:17 pm ⋅
photo of beagle/bassett hound Odie w/new dad Lorenzo

Father & Son Photo: Lorenzo w/our new canine son Odie

Lorenzo and I have been soul searching about adding a canine son or daughter to our family.  Our old dog Barney is with us in spirit, but not body, since he passed away under doctor’s care 12/1/10 at almost 14 years of age.  We wanted a mid size or small rescue dog.   Above all we wanted a dog whose spirit was very kind and gentle and agreeable towards all living things, a buddha dog.  :-)  Yesterday we found our buddha dog, and he is now our son, peacefully dozing on our floor as I type this.  His name had been Otis, but we have renamed him to Odie, after cartoon Garfield’s doggie friend.  It’s only right, since Lorenzo is a cartoonist.

Odie was in a shelter in Kenosha, WI.  We learned about this shelter through Petfinder.com, which is a website where most rescues and shelters nationwide list their pets available for adoption.  I also searched several area rescue’s websites that I know personally through my animal welfare volunteering in years past, and present day donations here and there.  I showed my husband a photo of one shelter dog whose photo and description moved me who was in Kenosha, WI.  We then noticed that Kenosha, WI was only 55 miles from us and that they had three dogs on their site that we liked.  We felt it was a sign, and that we were meant to go there.  I cleared my schedule for that next day, we filled out the online application, and off we went to Kenosha, WI yesterday, arriving just as they opened their doors at 1pm.

beagle/basset hound on grass with Janet

Mom & new son: Me with our new buddha-dog Odie

Fate did all the rest.  The original dog I’d noticed had already been adopted, the third dog we liked was not good with other dogs, and the second dog, now our son, we learned had been waiting for the right forever home for SIX MONTHS.  He did have one brief adoption but they were not fully committed and/or knowledgeable, and brought him back.  Right away I got teary thinking of all the “long timers” I had known or heard about at Chicago Animal Care & Control during my 3+ years volunteering there.  It was just not fair that such a kind spirited dog had to go through so much, so he had to become our son.  Then to further validate our decision that this was meant to be, the shelter said they had recently decided to fix his cherry eye condition by surgery for free next Monday 7/11/11, and would also waive his adoption fee since he was overweight.  We had been prepared to pay any fees for our buddha dog, but it was a fun hug from the universe to receive such discounts.  We have already spent a little of the leftover money on a very handsome harness for his walks, and he is very earnestly learning what is expected of him as we do positive reinforcement training.

You can look forward to lots of videos on www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com and blog entries here about him.  Even though he’s only one day out of the shelter, it’s clear that the shelter told the truth, and that he really is great with all dogs and our cats and all people.   All the shelter volunteers came out to greet us and celebrate that their beloved long timer was finally going home for good.  I have already sent them an update with photos, and will keep sending them updates, to thank them for their faithful care of him.  We know he will be a kind and welcoming host to my reading clients that come to the house, and a wonderful friend and gentle companion to the peaceful big-hearted dogs that we board with www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com.  This six year old buddha dog is home at last.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures, Our Dogs ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , ,

Phil & Magoo – Two Shih-Tzus That Need Help

June 29, 2011 5:51 pm ⋅
poster to help find lost dog Phil the shih-tzu in Chicago

There's a $2,000 reward for Phil's safe return

Phil is now a very famous Shih-Tzu, and hopefully his fame will bring him back home safe very soon.  He was lost Thursday 6/23/11, and it is thought that he was stolen after just a minute or so loose on the street just north of the Diversey/Elston/Western intersection in Chicago.  He is a 3 yr old rescue dog with tan, brown, and black coloring.  His devoted parents, KJ and Deb, are conducting the most impressive lost dog search for him that I have ever seen.  There is a Facebook group page they encourage you to join, called “Find Phillip,” (that’s Phillip w/2 L’s) and you can be a part of the search effort, and/or join in the prayer effort for his safe return.  There is a black and white and also a color version of his poster you can print and post.  It is a poster format that was recommended to them by a private investigator very experienced in lost dog cases.  Also they are accepting fax numbers of anywhere you think might want a poster faxed to them.  If you have information please email FindChicagoPhil@gmail.com

shih-tzu found in Chicago, 20 lbs male unneutered

20 lb unneutered male shih-tzu found. Do you know who lost him? Can you help?

Just two days ago someone brought a stray shih-tzu to KJ and Deb, thinking perhaps that it was their lost dog Phil.  It was not, and now they have temporarily named him Magoo and are fostering him.  They need help finding his original owners.  He is about 20 lbs and full of love and spunk, and still adjusting to this new situation.  He loves adults, and is dominant in a humping way with their boxer, though that may be resolved or alleviated when he gets fixed.  They may not have checked for a microchip yet on him, since no doubt they are spending every spare moment searching for their own baby.  They have a diaper on him now as he tries to mark in the house.  They do have three other dogs at home so perhaps Magoo is used to being the only king in the castle!  Plus perhaps once he’s neutered….  They are guessing he’s four but do not know, and observe that his teeth are very clean and that he lacks basic leash skills.  He needs someone to train him, and no doubt his healthy appetite can be used for positive reinforcement training.  Crossroads Shih-Tzu Rescue will be vetting, fostering, and adopting him out, once his stray period is over next week.  If you are interested in helping Magoo in any way, please contact the rescue.  With the right environment and training, Magoo could make someone very happy.

So please consider sharing this blog post to help spread the word about both shih-tzu’s.  Phil needs to be found and returned to his loving home, and “Magoo” (his new name) needs his original owner located, or a new foster home and/or owner needs to contact the rescue that will help him.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures, Giving: Volunteering, Philanthropy

Poodlepalooza Plus Cat Sitting Visits: Murphy Inspires Business Improvements

June 13, 2011 2:48 pm ⋅
poodle mix dog on grass with ball

Murphy plays a mean game of catch for a 9 year old doggie!

Most of you know that Lorenzo and I offer BarnneysHomeDogBoarding.com dog boarding in our home, providing night and day care and companionship to the dogs of only one owner at a time.  Recently we met Murphy and his parents.  Murphy is a 9 year old poodle/shih-tzu mix, and a compact bundle of cuddles, love, and a motorized wagging pompom tail.  Murphy has three cat siblings at home and since we experienced love at first sight with Murphy, we agreed to Murphy’s mom’s request for cat sitting visits for their three cats.  We are very experienced cat people due to our own cats as well as volunteer and foster experiences.

cat with woman

Charlie appears for a cuddle during the cat sitting visit

So now we offer the best for the dog-cat homes.  The dog gets round the clock love in our home, and the cats get to stay in their own home and get love and care with cat sitting visits.  This photo shows 12 year old Charlie, as we both enjoyed a cuddle this past Saturday in their home.  His cat siblings are Linky and Shadow.  Linky was the main ambassador giving us lots of cuddles and company, and Shadow who lends us her subtle companionship from afar.

Murphy is very good with other dogs, so we decided to see if he wanted to play with Teddy, another poodle mix and honored client of Barney’s Home Dog Boarding.  We invited Teddy’s parents over for dinner, to see if both well-socialized dogs would enjoy a playdate.  Of course we took all precautions and had them meet down the block outside, then when that went so well we had them play off-leash in our enclosed yard as we all supervised.


Murphy and Teddy acted like long lost twins, so we declared Poodlepalooza a success and went ahead and ordered dinner and made a night of it. In this video, the voices are mostly Teddy’s parents, as well as myself and Lorenzo. Before this video was taken the dogs had chased each other around in circles time and time again, and here in the video you see their play as they are a little winded but still enjoying their play, safe in our enclosed yard. Thanks also to Murphy’s parents, for allowing us to post this all-out festival of cuteness. Will there ever be another Poodlepalooza? Stay tuned to find out!

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,

Help a business – with a blog comment?

June 8, 2011 4:04 pm ⋅
blog comments

On the right blog post - your small comment makes a huge positive splash!

Recently I have realized how huge blogging can be in promoting one’s business.  Google loves blog posts.  Furthermore, Google really loves blogs that have user comments.  Since google is not human and cannot tell if a blog post is great or not, it judges by keywords you post with your blog and if they are repeated within the article’s content, and also if there are reader comments.

To use myself as an example, I am a psychic reader and healer, specializing in personal growth readings.  The phrase “personal growth psychic readings”  is a phrase someone may use in a google search, someone who may end up loving what I do!  2,920,000 results come up when you search this phrase on google.  Today I am on the first page of results for this search, the sixth result that is not an ad.  6 out of 2,920,000.  Why?  Thanks to a blog post I wrote on this topic less than a week ago that has one user comment.  Here is the actual post about creating lasting personal change.  If you view it, notice that I listed among the keywords for the post “personal growth psychic readings.”  I suspect that if I did not have that one user comment google would not have taken the post as seriously.  Who knows how high it may rise in google results if I get two or three comments!

If you would like to support one of the businesses my husband and I have, please comment directly on any blog post that relates to the business you would like to support. Even one simple comment can make a massively positive splash in today’s world of google and other search engines, so it doesn’t have to be the most profound observation you have ever made.  For your reference, the blog post subject categories are easy to find on the right hand side of this page.  So happy positive splashing, either for your own services or one of ours.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures, Fun Modern Stuff: cool websites, internet deals, tech toys, etc., Lorenzo Ross Webcomic Creator & Artist, Psychic Personal Growth and Development, Energy, & Psychology ⋅ Tagged: ,

Introducing Champ & His Ongoing Diplomacy Training

May 13, 2011 10:55 am ⋅

Champ is a wonderful seven year old cocker spaniel that we have been boarding for just over a week now.  In a previous home he has got along well with one cat, even sleeping with him.  Our home has three cats.  Zen and YoYo may run from dogs and Zen will even growl at a dog if she is threatened or chased, so we found Champ needed some help and training so that he could adjust and live peacefully with our cats.  He never had an obvious desire to kill our cats, but he did think it was OK to chase them at top speed, which started some trouble with our cat Zen who was not amused at all.  Also he would stare at the cats nonstop while panting, and this was pretty unnerving for the cats.  Initially we thought the staring was love at first sight, but we quickly realized it was a dominance & vigilance play to keep staring at them for minutes on end.

cocker spaniel with cat photo

The Goal: the cat (Bambi) walks calmly & Champ relaxes

To begin his gentle training, we needed to keep him on a loose harness and leash and gave him treats of boiled chicken when he displayed calm behavior and gave us his attention near one of our cats.  Bambi was the easiest cat for us to work with, since she is able to walk slowly and calmly near him as long as he does not charge her.  In the beginning he would have chased even Bambi.  The first photo is from this morning proving just how far he has come with his dog-cat diplomacy training in just one week.  Bambi is doing her classic calm walk by him, and he remains relaxed and lying down.  They have been doing fine for days now, which is why he is off of any restraint near her.

photo of cat with cocker spaniel

Champ & Bambi: peacefully ignoring each other. Progress!

In the second photo we see them totally ignoring each other, which is a sign of their growing trust and acceptance of each other.  We still are working with and supervising Champ when he sees YoYo on the ground or Zen on the ground.  We have another few days with Champ for this visit, so we’ll see how far we can get with his dog-cat diplomacy training.  He’s such a good boy and thanks to the treats he does learn.  Also he loves massages around his ears and on his whole body, so that’s another method of persuading him.  :-)

I finally put categories for each blog post, so to read old posts about our dog boarding, see the Categories section on the right and look for Dogs.  For more info on our home dog boarding, see our website at www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,

Attention Animal Lovers: Leah needs home dog boarding for 2 months this summer

May 4, 2011 8:01 am ⋅
dog photo

Happy Leah after her morning walk & a roll in the grass

Many of you know that Lorenzo and I have a home business www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com where we board cat-friendly dogs, only one at a time or two if from the same home.  Well this dog Leah in the photos is a much loved repeat “guest dog” of ours.  We have boarded Leah for her mom three times now.  Leah’s big-hearted mom needs home boarding for her this summer, and we cannot do it.  The time period needed is early June 2011- early or mid August 2011 and this would be a paid boarding in someone’s home. We are already booked for part of the time she needs.  Also since Leah is not cat-friendly and we have cats, it’s simpler if we do not board Leah for long periods.  Even though we cannot board Leah for this time, it doesn’t mean we can’t help find the right person!  Please help us spread the word.  Please forward this blog post link to your animal lover friends, or post/share this on Facebook.

dog photo

Wouldn't your summer be better with Leah?

Leah is a great dog and she is easy to love.  She is a ten years old terrier mix that still walks with enthusiasm, follows you around contentedly in the home, and of course naps with enthusiasm.  We first featured her in this blog entry from 3/18/2011. Her mom is a very nice person with a career where she helps others.  Leah was adopted as a senior rescue dog by her compassionate mom.  Her mom has certainly rekindled Leah’s love for all adults and for life, but Leah is not good with cats nor children nor many dogs probably because her original owners did not take the time to fully socialize her.  When her mom and Leah first came for their free meet and greet with us, we did have a senior mellow passive beagle around her and they politely lounged in their separate beds and ignored each other.  It’s more likely that she will get along with a dog if he/she is very mellow and/or passive, and close to Leah’s 30 lbs size or smaller.

dog photo

Leah having a zen moment receiving a simple massage

As you can see in this photo of Leah receiving a massage from me, Leah adjusts very easily to a new home so she would be a blessing to the right person and home who has the time and love for her this summer.  Leah’s mother is willing to pay boarding fees and is looking for a real home where a responsible loving adult is home quite a bit, with absences generally not longer than 4-6 hours at one time.  Generally Leah is in a kennel during the work day and her mom comes home at lunch to give her a walk/yard time.  When Leah boards with us we are always home, and she follows us around and naps peacefully in various locations.  She also favors belly rubs, is great in car rides, loves her walks, and loves rolling around in the grass in our yard.  Leah’s mother is willing to drive far if necessary to drop her off with the right person for her home boarding.  The person who boards her needn’t be a professional, but needs to be loving and responsible, with a child free, cat free, and probably dog free home.  If you do have an older child who visits occasionally, Leah would be happy in her crate as long as she can see you.

dog photo

Leah making herself at home with her pillow

Please help us spread the word to all the animal lovers you know. Leah is a lovable senior rescue dog and her mom is very kind and we want to help them.  If you want more information about Leah please feel free to contact me!  As I said we have boarded her three times so we can answer many of your questions.  Check out our dog boarding website for our contact information www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com We will answer any initial questions and then will refer interested people to Leah’s mom.

Posted in: Dogs: Home Dog Boarding Adventures