Sunday, May 25, 2008

May flowers bring Coco smiles


Well Coco has had a busy month (as well as her pet parents!)  Last week, Miguel's family visited from Utah and stayed with us.  Needless to say, queen Coco got attention morning, noon and night.  I think on one of the afternoons, Miguel's mom pet her for a solid hour and cooed her and coerced her to pose for her camera phone.  Coco was so mellow and happy; and she behaved like and angel.  There was hardly and barking at the romping children in the hall and when we left to go sight seeing she went into the kitchen without a fuss.  It was great having them here, and great to have family so involved with Coco.  

And then they left.  We've had a little monster on our hands ever since.  I think she really loves having people around to constantly shower her with attention.  And who doesn't?  

Today, we went to Amity and Peter's to take some photos on their beautiful lawn.  My sad little queen was dragging herself around the apartment today, but perked up as soon as we got into the Tercel.  She was smiling by the time we got settled on the lawn under a little pavilion Am had set up.  I got her a 50 foot lead from petsmart, and although she was free to explore, she spent most of the afternoon at our feet getting petted and praised.  Amity took these photos while I tried to get her to pose for the camera.  I think we got some pretty good shots!  I am very proud of Coco; she has had a hard life but I think she is blooming in New England.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Coco and her Genius

The canine genius' "Leo" is one of Coco's favorite toys. Ogdog generously donated it when Coco first moved home with us. Here is a video of Coco using her genius toy:



The toy is basically a hollow bowling ball pin with a grate on one side, a grate on the bottom, and the top is a hollow tube. When Coco first encountered this toy, she basically went nuts, biting and pawing at it to try and get treats out. Now, as you can see in the video, Coco calmly pushes the pin over with her head or picks up an end and "dumps out" a treat. After all the treats are gone, then she goes nuts biting and chewing it and covers the carpet with puddles of drool.

Coco is a wicked smart dog! I mean, let's face it, this toy really does encourage problem solving. Sure, the dogs can get the treats out randomly, but they get them out faster if they use their noodles. I am excited to try another mind stimulating toy by Ottosson:



Yay!