April 22nd, 2014 - Doggy Inventory

Yesterday, I went about doing my Doggy Inventory before Emmett's arrival and I was amazed at all the dog related items I have collected over the years. I still have Parker's crate from when he was a baby and that was back in 1999.

I kept every metal feeding and water bowl going back to the days of my Basset Hounds, Daisy & Yogi.  I apparently also kept every dog's collar I ever owned and it was time to throw them away. They made an impressive pile of assorted red, blue, black, purple and green.

I took my time going through the house and garage, enjoying the memories each item brought.  I decided to take pictures along the way so I could savor my little walk down Memory Lane.

 

 

From the garage I came across 2 free standing area dividers, 2 doggy gates, Parker's old bed and largest crate with a baby mattress trimmed down to fit. 

 



 

 

I love the wall mounted gate, it came in really handy a few times and I wish we had bought one years ago.  If needed I could block my dogs out of the Living Room and answer the door without being ran over by a crazed mob. The UPS Driver no longer tries to sneak up to the porch without being seen.

 

Four large dogs sound very impressive when anyone rings the doorbell!  RIP my beloved Parker, Emma and Ginger.

 

Leashes, training collars, gentle leaders, grooming combs and nail trimmers, muzzle for emergencies and slip on leads for bathing. All these items were purchased over many years.  When Parker started to get Hip Dysplasia I took him to see my Chiropractor after he closed his office for the day.  He requested I buy a muzzle because it would be the first time Parker would be adjusted and it was better to be safe than sorry.  Once Parker realized it didn't hurt and made him feel better we never used the muzzle again.

It took me awhile to remember how to put the Gentle leader on and I had one for Parker, another for Gunther and one for Rosie.  The one for Rosie also fit Emma if needed, but once trained, I never needed to use a leash on Emma again.



 

I use everything in the above picture for Rosie and it's very conveniently located near the front door. 



 

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to train a neighbor's Siberian Husky / Wolf mix.  The circumstances weren't the best and I did so only to help the dog.  I made the little leash above to use to give corrections when I started training Hutch to be off lead.

 

I wrote an article about my experiences training Hutch and submitted it on-line and won $25. 



 

 

Over the years I've bought numerous dog books at Used Books Stores, Thrift Stores and on amazon.com.  A couple of my favorites are of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.

 

The little rubber brush in the front on the right is incredible and by far my favorite bathing item.

 

 

Starting left to right, the really large bowls were for inside and outside water bowls.  The next were Parker's and Ginger's food bowls.  The bowls after that were Rosie's and Emma's with the tiniest bowls belong to my Basset Hounds, Daisy and Yogi.



 

 

Seeing the bowls in this order gives a real good visual to just how different the sizes are.

 

Doing the Doggy Inventory took a lot longer than I thought but it had to be done.  I'm actually in pretty darn good shape and eventually I'll order my puppy pen off of amazon.com, before I forget I did get a free download on my Kindle Fire about the care of Great Danes.

 

I guess my next order of business will be calling my Veterinarian to see how much puppy shots cost now-a days and the cost of getting Emmett micro chipped and neutered.