The Rebel Housewife

Mocha-the-Dog saw a DRAGON yesterday.
She didn't like it.

We were walking past the fancy Japanese restaurant, STEEL, on the corner of our building, on our way to the...uh..."package store" (as they like to call the liquor store here in the South) across the street -- and no, that has nothing to do with seeing dragons last night.

The doors of the restaurant were open, and we could hear and then see the drummers, pounding on the big tribal drums: bom-bom, Bom-Bom, BOM-BOM...

And there was the dragon: It was an amazing sight, a Chinese parade dragon, in the Japanese restaurant(?!). Apparently, they are celebrating Chinese New Year this weekend, with the dragon show and all. (Maybe it's Indochine cuisine, lots of Sushi!)

The dragon was fabulous: 15 feet long and all shimmery and shiny with heavy paper scales and huge red eyes. There were 3 or 4 people under/inside the dragon, undulating and dancing the dragon around the restaurant.

Mocha stopped cold, staring in at the dragon from the sidewalk, in her full-alert pose. Although she is 75lbs and a BBBD (Big Black & Brown Dog), she is very timid. I don't think there is a protective bone in her body, as evidenced by her tendency to take a liking to complete strangers, even when they show up unauthorized inside our condo. But I digress--

Mocha, as a dog, seems to hearken back to some kind of hunting dog, way back in her mixed-mutt ancestry. She is some kind of hunting dog, especially birds. She'll chase, up to a point, but then she stands still as a statue and just glares intently, fully focused on whatever it is. She can do that for 10 - 15 minutes or more at a time, at full-alert. Fortunately, she is a very quiet dog and not a barker. She growls and will "ruff" very quietly, but mostly it just puffs out her lips a little and you really can't hear her. (Someone once told me that's "pointing," which would be her job as a hunting dog: to point to the prey that has been killed and fallen, for the hunter to go get it. I don't think she is so much a "retriever" and she is certainly not a water dog.)

Obviously, she's a dragon hunting dog. It took everything I had to drag her away.

It was pretty incredible to see a Chinese Dragon on the way home from the liquor store.
And to think that we saw it on West Peachtree Street--

[Did you catch that Dr. Seuss reference?]

This is an Itty Bitty Mini of Mocha-the-Dog, painted by my newish friend and fellow Mom Blogger Michelle at www.abeytacreative.com.

As you can see, Michelle is a fabulously talented and wonderful artist. You can also see, Michelle's Itty Bitty Mini Pet Portraits make an excellent Holiday Gift for any pet lover. Don't miss Michelle's Itty Bitty Mini Holiday Special:

Itty Bitty Minis! Just $25!
Order your custom mini pet portrait in time for the holidays! These adorable little portraits will be the perfect gift for the pet lover in your life. They are acrylic on little 4"x4" gallery-wrapped canvases. They are also coated with a glossy coating for protection. And the cutest part is the super cute little easels that come with it for display! Just tell me the breed and the color background you would like. Don't have a common breed? No problem, just tell me that in the special instructions section when you pay and email me a jpg of your dog. Easy Peasy!

Visit www.abeytacreative.com -- she's made it very easy to order online. Tell her The Rebel Housewife sent you! (This is not a referral or paid/sponsored advertisement -- just a great Holiday Gift Idea I wanted to share and a very talented friend I wanted to introduce you to! ;-)

I spend a lot of time with Mocha-the-Dog at the off-leash Dog Park at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. It is a wonderful place to be, for dogs and for people, because there is always someone to run & play with (for the dogs) or talk to (for the people). The Piedmont Dog Park is clean, safe, comfortable (benches for the people; big rocks & lots of room to run for the dogs), and well-maintained.

Although Mocha is a very well-adjusted hi-rise condo dog, and loves her three- or four-times daily walks on the leash around the neighborhood, we don't have a yard for her to just run around safely. Fortunately, it seems Mocha doesn't mind too much. She is a large mixed-breed/mutt of a dog, so far from any particular breed that our veterinarian says she's a breed all her own at this point! Somewhere in all of that gorgeous mish-mash of Black Lab/Retriever/Chow/whatever, there must be a little bit of a very large, lazy mountain dog: She's got jowls (loose, overhanging upper lips/cheeks), tends to drool a bit and, let's just say, she's not very active. Still, she needs to get out and just run, every once in a while. She's a dog, and that's what dogs do. (I keep telling her this.)


Since I work from home, and my work is very portable (I just need a notebook & a pen), I take Mocha to the Dog Park two or three times a week. She can run and play, I can sit and get some writing done (when I'm not socializing), it's very pleasant. Piedmont Park is only a mile from our condo, and we pass by twice a day, on the way to and from the middle school. When the weather is warm, we go in the morning, on our way back from middle school drop-off. Now that it is getting colder, we go in the afternoon, on our way to pick everybody up.

Whether we go in the morning or in the afternoon, whether it is hot or cold, Mocha has about 10 minutes of running in her, and then she flops down next to me and chews on a stick, watching the other dogs and occasionally heaving it up to go and check out the action, but mostly content to observe. She's a funny dog. She loves the Dog Park, and usually has one or two doggie friends she knows when we are there -- Brownie, Mr. Beans, Max, Biscuit, Sophie. (I thought my Play Group/Play Date years were over with the kids all in school now, and I find myself hooking up for Doggie Play Dates with Mocha's friends...it never ends, does it?)

I support Piedmont Park in Atlanta, and am a member of the Piedmont Park Conservancy, so I get news and notices on events & happenings. In the most recent newsletter, there was a note about the Dog Park:

We need your help and so does he! [picture of an adorable puppy]

In 2004, the Conservancy worked with dog owners to install Atlanta's first off-leash dog park. When approved by the city, it was under the condition that the area be 100% funded by the community. As we approach the end of the year, we are short $12,000 to fund maintenance, doggie bags, landscaping, and security.

Won't you help keep the area open, clean and well-maintained? A donation in any amount will help. Give a gift of $50 and above and we will display a bone with your dog's name in the off-leash area. Your gift will help us keep the Dog Park open for you and your four-legged children to enjoy. Make a donation today!

Already have a bone? For a renewal donation of $30, we will add a pawprint symbol to your existing bone so everyone will know you support the Dog Park.

I'm a little short on the $12,000 to help out, but if you ever have a chance to visit the Dog Park at Piedmont Park, look for MOCHA C's colorful wooden bone on the fence, amidst the $50 supporters. It will be up in about 4 - 6 weeks. If you are one of our Dog Park friends, please be sure to support our community meeting-place and consider buying a bone for your doggie-baby: Give your dog a bone!

Classic Rebel from The Rebel Blog May 2006:

VETERINARY SECRETS REVEALED

I know, I know: Who needs another eBook?! Not me. I have sworn off downloadables (again and again and again...). But darn it, when you need good information on a specific topic, and trying to research on the Internet is running you around in circles, and you find the promise of just the right thing -- exactly what you are looking for -- and there are bonuses and a "Rock-Solid 90 Day Unconditional Guarantee..."

We have a dog I love dearly, and we also have three (human) children. We paid $85 for our furry friend, to rescue her from the county animal shelter, and then we invested several hundred dollars more on veterinary care, vaccinations, training, treats, toys, leashes, beds, etc. (She's only been with us about three months.) We do not have health insurance for the dog, nor can we afford it. We can barely afford the health insurance for the humans in the house, much less the $40 co-pay anytime one of us needs to visit the doctor.

So when a non-emergency, seemingly-minor veterinary concern arises, I have to hesitate because I know it's going to be expensive, even if it turns out to be nothing, if I take her to the vet. This time, it's a case of "goopy eye" -- messy, but no other symptoms of illness. Whatsoever. She's running and leaping all around at the moment, happily tossing and catching a rawhide chew -- like a cat on catnip (crazy dog!).

For less than the price of a visit to the vet, I downloaded VETERINARY SECRETS REVEALED by Dr. Andrew Jones, a DVM in British Columbia, Canada. AND the "Three Super Bonuses Valued at $122" -- mine to keep, even if I end up requesting a refund on the big book (173 pages, with a full index, table of contents, and well-organized, easy-to-find, easy-to-understand information) -- which I won't! Goopy eye resolved (and reassured), and that's worth the price right there.

That's all I have time for now, but I'll put it on Rebel Reviews soon. Meanwhile, if you need veterinary information, practical help, or common sense advice on pet issues A to Z, check out VETERINARY SECRETS REVEALED - CLICK HERE.

From my time away on Wordpress.com:

Healthy Dog Report: Today's Mission of Outrageous Fun & Adventure (MOFA?!) was to take Mocha to the vet for her annual visit and vax updates. She's a very healthy, happy and gorgeous chunk of puppy love, literally, weighing in at 76 pounds.

Mocha has been with us for a year, since we adopted her from the Fulton County Humane Society. We're still trying to figure out just what she is, guessing some kind of mega-mix, several generations removed, possibly with some Flat-Coated Retriever, Black Lab, and just a little bit of Chow (blue-spotted tongue, doesn't bark). She is gorgeous, with big, brown eyes and long, curly hair, a beautiful mix of chocolatey-browns, light and dark. Definitely a Fulton County Mystery Mutt, one of a kind.

The biggest surprise is that she's grown from 25lbs to 75lbs in a year, and that, while she has no problem jumping up on the rocks at the Dog Park (Piedmont Park - Atlanta), she can't haul her own carcass up into the back of the Jeep. (She doesn't like riding in the car, doesn't like water -- is this really a dog?!) I had no idea I've been tossing 75lbs into the back of the truck every time I "help" her. (Actually, it's a process: First, put the front paws up on the back bumper; Second, pick up the rest of her and on the count of three, "help her" get it all up in the truck. Like she helps, NOT!)

Anyway, she's healthy. I re-ordered her Heartworm/Flea medicine (required here in the South), Sentinel, and have to mention 1800PetMeds.com. We have been using them for many years, for Mocha, and prior pets, and they have fabulous Customer Service, even when you call on the telephone. You actually get to speak to a real person! The best part, although their catalog prices are high, they Price Match, and shipping is usually free (on orders over $39, I think)(mine always are, so I kind of take that for granted!).

To get the lowest price and the best Customer Service on pet products and medications, I start by running a Google Search for "Sentinel White" (for dogs 51 - 100lbs) and then check the different sources for the lowest price. Usually there will be prices in the ads listed on the right, and I click the best offer and write down the website address. With lowest price info in hand, I call 1-800-PETMEDS, and they match the lowest price I've found after a quick visit to the website to verify the lower price.

What I didn't know before today is that 1800PetMeds not only matches the lowest current price I find (today it was $60), but they'll go back and match the lowest price I've ever found on the product on my 1800PetMeds account! So while the current catalog price is $83.99, because I do a little extra research, my total today was $58.95. That's a lot of money to me, in the difference, and well worth the couple of extra minutes.

Now, if I could only do that with everything else I buy...