Ottawa Dog of the Week for December 3rd

Say hello to Sophie! She is a Shih-Tzu/Poodle mix recently added to my sister’s in-law’s family. They have an older dog named Panda, but their seven year old daughter wanted a puppy to play with. Gracie is already very attached to Sophie. Liz went over to see the new puppy and sent me some adorable pictures.

Their older dog Panda

They went for a walk… Sophie doesn’t seem to be doing much of the leg work.

Playing!

She had a lot of fun playing with Wellington:

EDITOR’S NOTE: We had the opportunity to review the Sleepypod Air. Since my sister, Jane, recently welcomed home a darling little puppy named Sonnet, I asked her to test out and review the Sleepypod Air.

Crates are so important for our dogs so that they have their own space where they feel safe, no matter where you are. I am so impressed with the quality of construction of these Sleepypod Air crates and really like all of the features they have. But I’ll let Jane do the talking… ~Liz

Sonnet and I are both really happy with our new Sleepypod Air! It is a sturdy pet crate designed with extreme attention to detail. It works to keep your pet comfortable while making things easy for the owner.

Sonnet took to the crate right away. The inside of the Sleepypod Air has a plush bottom (which can be removed for washing) and a cozy den-like atmosphere. When I opened it up on our first morning together, I expected Sonnet to dart right out – instead, she blinked at me with sleepy eyes and remained curled up in her crate.

Some of my favourite features of the Sleepypod Air are those designed to make travel easy. There are buckles that hook around car seat-belts to keep your pet secure on the road, and a zippered section on the back that allows the case to slip over the handle of a piece of wheeled luggage. It has a handle across the top and a removable shoulder strap to make it easy to carry. If you don’t have room to travel with the crate expanded, it folds flat in a few easy steps. Its name stems from its design, which fits airline requirements for traveling with your pet.

A neat extra feature available are the DryFur Pads. You simply remove the plush bottom of the Sleepypod Air and press the DryFur in place. Should your pet have an accident while in the crate, say on long air or car trips, the pad will pull the wetness away from your dog so that they don’t have to sit in their own mess. I am happy to have these pads because I frequently go on long car trips. Sonnet is still young and her bladder may not wait for rest-stops. It is reassuring to know that if she has an accident, she won’t be uncomfortable.

It would be nice if there was a section at the top that could be left open in order to pick up and put down Sonnet for late night bathroom breaks, but that is my only suggestion. Overall I am very happy with the SleepyPod Air. It is extremely well made, great for Sonnet, and it has a lovely design.

I look forward to many more sleepy nights and safe travels.

You can purchase the Sleepypod Air online, or in Ottawa at Global Pet Foods in Kanata and Hintonburg.

Check out the photo shoot we did with Sonnet and the Sleepypod Air.
Images by elizabeth&jane photography.

I wish ice cubes gave me this much joy…and exercise!

This week has been a whirlwind. I am trying to remember everything that happened and it’s not easy! haha.

Wellie has been doing well this week, learning her commands a lot better and she is really getting the hang of “take it” and “leave it” but she still dives for things that are dropped on the floor and man is she fast!

We are still working hard on housetraining, and it’s coming along slowly. Our vet suggested giving her the treats straight away after she does her business outside and that is working for sure, but she is still having accidents inside. Over the past week she hasn’t pooped inside and eaten it as much as the previous week, but she still has done it. The pee accidents have gotten less, but again, she’s still having a few.

One issue that we are having is the door and it’s not just with Wellie, it’s with all three. They all go crazy nutso when someone comes to the door. Today a friend dropped by for a bit and it was not good. It got heated and Wellie ended up snapping at both Paddy and Cordy. I’m not sure if she was trying to keep them in line or something, but it was too much excitement for me and I want to work on them being calm when someone comes to the door. It caused me a lot of stress this evening – even my friend noticed!

Saturday brought some pretty big changes for Wellie and she has adapted so well – I am so proud of her! Friday night my parents and sister, Jane, arrived from out of town to pick up her new puppy, Sonnet. Saturday, My Mom, myself and Jane drove to the breeder to pick up little itty bitty 8 week old Sonnet, a Maltese/ShihTzu mix. She is actually from the same breeder that we got Corduroy from and they actually share the same father so they are half sisters!

When we brought Sonnet in to meet the other three, we closed her in her crate and let Paddington, Corduroy and Wellington sniff her through the crate. This way she stayed and felt safe and sound while the others could smell her and see there was another little creature in there. We then let them meet her outside of the crate and it went really well. All three were interested but ultimately didn’t care she was there and that is exactly what I was hoping would happen. Jane is staying with us for a week so we wanted everyone to meet and get along well right from the start.
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So tiny and cute!

So freaking adorable!! I could watch puppies pounce on balls all day!!!