Katie's Kibble

The Best Gift Ever

02/13/2013 20:26:00

Well, yesterday I turned 9 years old! My humans gave me some great gifts.

The first was a chew bone. It was gone within an hour.

They also renewed my membership in AARP. I think it stands for American Association of Retriever Pets. I hear ads all the time on TV for their Medicare supplement insurance, whatever that is. I think I qualify for a scooter chair, too. I hope I never need any of these things.

However, my favorite gift was a share of stock. My humans took advantage of Canine Companions for Independence® IPO (Initial Puppy Offering™) and purchased a share of stock in my name. Today, there are nearly 4,000 people with disabilities whose lives have been enriched and transformed because of CCI's amazing dogs. When I asked my humans what the stock was worth, they said it was priceless. I have to agree. I had the boss frame the stock certificate and put it on the office wall. I smile every time I look at it and think of the people (and dogs) benefiting.

So to sum it up, my three gifts included one thing that didn't last, one thing that is the last thing I want to use, and one thing that will last forever.

Can't ask for more than that.

Christmas Vacation

12/16/2012 14:58:00

Well, it is that time of year, again. You know, the over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house thing. Unfortunately, the closest thing to woods I see is a forest of semi-trucks at the rest areas. Cooped up in our Jeep for 14 hours (longer if the weather is bad) is not my idea of a fun time, but the destination is worth it.

Sadly, this year, there is only one grandmother's house to visit. MorMor, my Swedish grandmother in Connecticut, passed away this year. She hated to be called Grandma. She always looked forward to seeing me (even more than my owners). Her house was where I got skunked for the first time. I didn't get the memo that she fed the local critters to keep food waste out of the landfill. I will miss MorMor's ear-to-ear smile.

At Grandma's, my Irish grandmother in New York, I will see my "cousin" Boomer, the golden retriever, and Lucy, Grandma's cat. Fortunately, most of my fur has grown back from surgery so they won't laugh too much at me. I like Grandma's house because it usually takes her a couple of days to remember I eat the cat's food.

So as the year draws to a close, enjoy the holiday season and your time with family. The boss and I would like to thank all of our customers for their support during our first year of business. We are getting ready for this winter's boat shows and are anxious to showcase our expanded line of products and listening to what additional products people would like to see from us.

I suggested a flying dog park to avoid the Jeep rides, but the boss says that will have to wait.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving

11/19/2012 21:18:00

Normally, Thanksgiving is a day when I patrol the kitchen floor and am thankful for stuff that falls off the dishes. But this year is different.

As WaterDog Adventure Gear™ nears the end of our first year of sales, I am thankful for all of the humans who purchased our product so that their dogs could have as much fun as me. And us dogs know that happy dogs make happy humans. I am also thankful for our U.S. suppliers for working with us as we grow. U.S. manufacturing means jobs. WaterDog Adventure Gear is happy to be doing its small part putting more WAG in the lives of everyone we do business with.

I am thankful that the elections are over. No more robo calls. Whether your candidate won or lost, it is important that we unite, support our leaders and move the country forward. The beauty of our democracy is the winner was able to hear the views of the opposition and, if they are smart, leads in the best interest of all. Heck, I'd support a cat if the alternative was doing nothing and bickering.

Finally, I am thankful for the squirrel that dared me to chase him a couple of months ago while we were hiking in the woods. I didn't get him, but I did get a trip to the vet when I pulled up lame. They found a fracture in my front left leg and, more importantly, a mast cell. Surgery was able to remove the mast cell (and a lot of my fur). After numerous bandages and several weeks wearing the cone of shame, the prognosis is good. The only thing that still hurts is my image from the cone.

So this Thanksgiving, thank your friends and your enemies, They both might make your life better than you can imagine right now. Happy Thanksgiving!

Election Day

11/05/2012 16:30:00

Tomorrow is Election Day. Good thing because I am ready to chew the phone cord in half and blow the TV up.

I can't believe the number of phone calls the last few weeks. It is almost impossible to take a nap for longer than 10 minutes during the day. I'm not sure which is worse, the phone ringing or my humans cussing at it. They call them "Robo" calls. I'm not sure who Robo is, but he must have a lot of time on his hands. Since our home state of Wisconsin is considered a "battleground" state, Robo apparently likes to call us more. Lucky us.

Then there are the television ads. Same old stuff. I'm not sure what anyone is going to do, but I sure know how little they think of their opponent. Some people say they fight like cats and dogs, but I have never talked that bad about cats. On top of that, I haven't seen a dog food commercial in months.

Well, my human friends say that living in a democracy is still worth these election time annoyances. I'll take their word on it, but can't wait to catch up on my sleep. As long as we have all dealt with this, I encourage you to vote. If you don't like any of the candidates, put Katie CFO in the write-in spot. At least you will have exercised your right to vote and, if I win, the first thing I will do is take Robo's phone away.

That's a promise.

Dogshaming

09/15/2012 18:39:00

In case you haven't been keeping up with pop culture, the latest craze on the Internet is "dogshaming." This is where humans take our picture and position notes next to us. These notes say things like "I pooped on the carpet" or "I ate Grandma's cat's food." (Okay, guilty as charged.) You can see a bunch of these by entering "dogshaming" in your computer's browser.

Well, I think it is time we dogs strike back with "humanshaming." Tonight, when your human friend goes to sleep, take their picture with a note. Here are some note ideas I have:

"I fart and blame the dog."
"It was really me that stuck my head out the window and drooled down the side of the car."
"I confess; I finished the Ben & Jerry's, not the dog."
"I lick myself."
"The original fleabag."
"I once served my drunk firends meatball sandwiches made from Alpo."

If you want, share your saying or picture on my blog, but keep it clean.

Dog Days

07/21/2012 18:21:00

My human friends call these the "dog days" of summer. I'm not sure what that is suppsed to mean. I thought every day was a dog's day.

I do know it has been extremely hot and we haven't had much rain. As much as I love sunny days, I do hope we get rain for our farmers. I know our grass feels like I am walking on a pile of toothpicks or porcupine quills. Speaking of that, type "porcupine quills in dogs" in your search engine for some painful pictures. I know I will back off if I ever meet up with one of these guys. The skunk encounter was bad enough.

As you can see from our website, our product line-up has grown. We now are offering WAG Boarding Steps™ for a variety of needs. I have been using the Model FS-6 for getting into the back of the Jeep. They are great!

Well, I need to go find some water and cool off. Before you know it, it will be the "dog days" of winter.

your post here.

Dog Food

06/01/2012 18:58:00

Today, my owner brought home a large bag of dog food. You know, that nasty dry crap that comes in a bag the size of a small sofa. The words "Best if Used by September 2013" were printed at the top.

Now this generated a number of thoughts in my head.

First, the word "best" is a stretch. Compared to steak or hot dogs, it certainly isn't. I've had cat food that tastes better.

I then wondered what happens in 18 months that makes it suddenly change. Does the ground up shoe leather they use as filler spoil? When dry dog food goes stale, does it get hard or soft?

Finally, I questioned how they determined the date. Did some scientist who drew the short straw eat this every day for 18 months and suddenly notice a change? Did they find a bunch of dogs that could talk and conduct a focus group?

Wait...What's that sound like gravel being poured into a ceramic bowl? Oh yeah...time to eat! Later...

Write your post here.

Memorial Day

05/11/2012 10:12:00

With MemorialDay fast approaching, I get excited about the thought of boating season kicking into gear. But the holiday is a time to reflect on the sacrifices our men and women in the armed forces, past and present, have made to make it possible for the rest of us to enjoy our freedom. And let's not forget my fellow K-9s who play a role in military service and serve as companion dogs to our vets.

With this in mind, I'd like to share a video I came across that shows how much we care:

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/excited-dog-greets-military-dad/20ov6b8e?q=viral%20newscast&from=en-us_msnhphero&rel=msn&cpkey=bd3601ad-9d53-479c-a5c0-ddb2f4d22ca8%7cviral+newscast%7cmsn%7c%7c

Easter

04/07/2012 18:45:00

Okay, so I gave you some bad advice on how to fill out your March madness bracket. Yes, I know my picks for the Championship, the Huskies and the Bulldogs, didn't even make it past the first round! I won't waste your time with my stock picks.

Well, tomorrow is Easter and that means that boating season is right around the corner! I won't make the same mistake as last year when I had a Peeps® hangover. I didn't think snatching a bowl of yellow and pink chickies off the counter would make me feel so bad! It was like eating a floatation device!

My owners are going to a baseball game right after church which means I have to hang out most of the day by myself. But, I have a plan...I am going to hide tonight and wait for the Easter Bunny to show up. I'll watch where he hides the candy and then snatch it after he takes off. (I'll leave the Peeps for my owners to find.) I'll stash it away until my owners leave and then pig out all day making sure I am done before my owners get home. If the Easter Bunny doesn't come, I will figure out how to open the kitchen cabinets.

You CAN bet on that!

Happy Easter!!!

March Madness

03/14/2012 10:33:00

This March has definitely been crazy!

We just moved into our new manufacturing facility. It is okay, but not as nice as when the boss was working in our basement and I had a couch to sleep on. The new place reminds me of a doggie day care facility without the smell. He needs to get a treat jar in the place.

Well, now that the move is behind us, I can get back to important stuff like completing my bracket. As a favor to my readers, I am going to offer free advice on how to pick the winners. I start by picking every team that is named after a dog. After I have picked all of them, I resort to teams named after cats. (I'm not sure what a Bearcat is, but it sounds mean.) Then, I pick other members of the animal kingdom. Finally, if neither team is an animal, I pick the team that comes first in alphabetical order. When I have two teams from the same category, I pick the one with the most letters.

So there you have it. The Championship? I have the Huskies and Bulldogs with the Bulldogs winning by a nose (sorry).

Please forward 10% of all your winnings.