Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Happy Birthday and Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is approximately Dozer's birthday. This year, he turns 11.

While I was at the pet store this week buying dog food, I decided to get a few new toys in honor of Dozer's birthday and also to replace the toys I've recently thrown out after they reached the end of their useful life.

Tough dog toys are necessary, but expensive, investments for two large dogs. I really hate plopping down $10 on a toy that claims to be tough but falls apart within the first two minutes of use. If I pay more than that, I expect the toy to last for several months. So I tend to buy dog toys rarely, and carefully.

I was really excited to see a lot of new "tough" dog toys on the shelves these days. One in particular caught my eye: Starmark's new Fun Ball. Starmark is also the maker of Dozer's beloved "Blue Toy." They are both made with the same soft, yet tough, rubber-gel. And you can put food or treats in both. But, whereas the Blue Toy is cylindrical, the Fun Ball is round and definitely more Dozer's style.

"I love it for its ball-like qualities, not for the boring old dog food inside."
"Mooom! Llama Pinata is in my waaaay!"
I also bought two stuffed squeaky toys. One was a Yankers snake. You may or may not remember Dozer's old Yankers alligator toy, which withstood quite a lot of abuse and lasted for almost a year. The other toy is a Tuffy's bone. We have had a variety of Tuffy's toys, such as Ring Toy, Octopus, and Tug Toy—some of them lasting longer than others.

I handed out the new toys to Dozer one at a time. He kept coming back to me empty-handed. Finally I asked him, "Where are the toys?" He led me into the living room, where I suddenly realized poor old Dozer was no longer "top dog" in the house:

"Eh? They're not all for me?"
Even one year ago, Dozer wouldn't have stood for this. The toys in the house have always been his. Period. Star was allowed to borrow them on occasion, but Dozer controlled when and where and how she got to touch them.
"I don't get it. Earlier, there was food coming out when I did this."
Times, they are a-changing. Happy birthday, Dozer!

And Happy Thanksgiving to you all!


6 comments:

DianeTaylor said...

Hi Dozer and Star! Happy B-Day Dozer - I remember last year when you had a punkin and carrot cake for your special day :):) Hope your birthday is the best with your new toys (and keeping them awat from Star, ha ha!)

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

The Taylors in Baltimore MD

DianeTaylor said...

oops - I mean a punkin and green bean cake :(:( Boy is my memory going!

The Oceanside Animals said...

hello dozer its dennis the vizsla dog hay its ok trixie duz that to me all the time!!! ha ha ok bye

Kari in Alaska said...

Happy Late Thanksgiving!

Stop on by for a visit
Kari
dogisgodinreverse.com

Unknown said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOZER!! Hope the toys are fun!! I feel you on the buying toys that dont last very long, it leaves me skeptical to try new things. We have resorted to shopping at the Dollar Tree once a month to stock up on toys our pit puppy can destroy. But, The green ball looks like it may be able to withstand some destructive action, so good luck with keeping the toys from being destroyed.

Kimberley and Tripp
www.hatethedeed.blogspot.com

Daisy Dog said...

We missed your Birthday!!! Happy Belated Birthday Dozer and a big kiss from Daisy!!!

Roscoe will sometimes steal my nylabones, but I always steal them back!