Banjo & Millie Get Gussied Up

Hello, friends!  I had a little more sewing machine fun over the weekend and per usual, Millie was the benefactor. You see, there's a local Easter parade that includes a pet bonnet showcase and you know I never miss a good chance to dress the pups up in ridiculous outfits and share the amusement I get with the world. So thus I give you Banjo and Millie's Easter Best. Enjoy!

Easter is Going to the Dogs

One of my favorite things to do for holidays is to think about how I can further spoil Banjo and Millie. And it so happens that Easter is one of my absolute favorite holidays! As a kid, I had a very large gray lop-ear bunny named Honey Bunny (who was so aptly nicknamed "Money Bunny" once she broke her leg and my dad paid a pretty penny to have it pinned), and I still have a very strong affinity for bunnies.  So I love bunnies. And chocolate. And springtime. Thus Easter.

My sister, Honey Bunny and Me in 1989.

But I digress. Back to spoiling Banjo and Millie. No holiday is complete without giving them special holiday treats or toys, and of course making sure they are dressed appropriately. Here are a few great Easter finds for your pup! (Yes, I know it may be  little late for this Easter, since it's today and all, but there's always next year!)

I seriously think Millie could rock this little bunny outfit from Bird in a Nest on Etsy. Though there's only one thing that gets Banjo riled up, and that's bunnies! He sees one and his inner hound comes out. Might be dangerous for Millie if she is dressed like  bunny.

I'm not sure Millie would enjoy wearing this adorable spring dress from The Doggie Market as much as I would like to see her wear it! So springy and feminine!

I think perhaps this pretty floral collar from Bows for Bs is a better option for a pup who doesn't quite enjoy wearing clothes. And it's great all spring and summer long!

Banjo loves getting decked out in his finest. He would certainly feel snazzy in this great seersucker Spectator Jacket from Rover!

For a warmer day when a jacket is too much, a madras plaid necktie is always a great option to get dressed to the nines in the heat! I particularly love this one from Bull Fits.

Millie's Famous Face

In sharing Millie's First Spring photos, many of you noticed how much little Miss Millie resembles a very famous intergalactic creature, the Ewok. I have reason to believe that George Lucas may have had a Shih Tzu because the likeness is truly uncanny, but that is research for another day. When I first started this blog, back before I had any actual readers, I pointed out this likeness to the Ewok and another famous film creature, the Gremlin. I've also at times thought there was a resemblance to Chewbacca too, but the Wookie may be more of a distant cousin. What do you think? Does your pup have a famous face?

Left: Ewok, Center: Millie, Right: Gremlin. You couldn't tell which was which, right? 

Wordless Wednesday

What you can't tell is that little Mildred is pensively looking out the window. She is such a sweet, thoughtful little girl.

Millie's First Spring

It's Millie's first spring! And it turns out she really loves the spring time, just like her Mama. Over the weekend, she enjoyed romping in the yard and sniffing out all of the early bloomers in the garden. I managed to catch a few photos of her frolicking, though I feel quite certain she was ready to steal my camera and stomp her adorable little paws on it by the end!

"What's an ewok? Why do people keep telling me that's what I look like?"

"Alright, one pose for the puparazzi."

"Cheese? Where?"

"Zut alors! What ees dis?"

"Alright, Mom. Camera's starting to get old."

"Seriously. Enough photos."

A Round of Applause, and a Word of Thanks!

Give yourselves a round of applause! Thanks to everyone's generosity and support, Banjo and Millie reached our personal goal of $500, the Richmond Pet Lovers blew our goal of $1,000 out of the water with a total of over $3,000, and the entire Strut Your Mutt event (consisting of just 11 teams) raised over $20,000! Even the drizzly weather that rolled in couldn't rain on our parade! A big thank you to Sarah of Richmond Pet Lovers for including us in the pack!

Elizabeth, Dewi and Jon Farleigh of The Chronicles of Cardigan, stopped in and made a generous donation to the cause, and Banjo and Millie want her to know just how much we appreciate her kindness! We also want to thank each of you for stopping in to read about the event, and for sharing our fundraising efforts around the blogosphere/Twittersphere. I've said it before, but I want to say once more just how wonderful we think you all are. We are very grateful to be part of this dog blogging community that is full of so many thoughtful and selfless people.

Blog The Change: The Richmond Animal League's Woofstock

Blog the Change falls perfectly in line with a big event Banjo and Millie have been fundraising for, so we're very excited today to share with you an organization we are happy to support, the Richmond Animal League. RAL is a local no-kill shelter in Richmond, Virginia, and this weekend they are holding one of their biggest fundraising events, Woofstock. 

The event kicks off with the Strut Your Mutt Walk, a short jaunt with the pups down historic Monument Avenue. We have joined the Richmond Pet Lovers pack, and so far, our team has raised over $2,800 to go straight to RAL. My personal goal or this even was to raise $500, and I am 70% of the way there. With just one day left to raise money, I am asking for your help to find that last $150. That's where you come in. I am reaching out to you all to share this with your fellow animal-lovers, and to let you know that no donation is too small. 

And did I mention that today is my birthday? Yes, this is a guilt trip. Consider it my birthday present.

If you would like to make a donation, 

please visit my Strut Your Mutt page for more information.

A Big Brother to Look Up To

Millie's a lucky dog. Millie has Banjo. While Banjo is a little indifferent to Millie, she absolutes adores him. Her world revolves around him. It just goes to show how loving dogs can be - to have nothing but pure joy to see the ones you love. To me, there's nothing that gives me greater satisfaction than to see Millie's little tail wiggle with delight when she sees Banjo. He goes to work during the day, and when he comes home, Millie waits at the front door, unable to control her excitement for him to walk through the door. There's no doubt that Banjo and Millie are constantly teaching me - reminding me to be patient, to laugh, to take walks, to play fetch, to snuggle up with the ones I love. How is there so much wisdom packed into these tiny little balls of fur?

Banjo's Home! from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday: Big Ball, Little Ball

Millie's favorite toy is her ball. She LOVES to play fetch. And now, it would seem, my little girl is growing up. She has graduated from her little tiny puppy tennis ball to a big dog real-life tennis ball. <Sigh>

This is Millie's Tail of Two Tennis Balls.

Little dog, little ball.

Mom, I'm a big dog now.

Millie's New Toy

It was a crafty day here in the Banjo & Millie household! Not only did I make a fun lime green framed cork board, but I dusted off my old sewing machine that's been untouched for ten years, and made Millie my guinea pig. Though my handiwork may be far from perfection, Millie thought I did an awesome job. The messy stitches don't matter to her (and yes, the toy squeaks too!) She's the best cheerleader a girl could ask for. Here are some pics of her fun new toy. It's supposed to be a heart... Not sure why it looks like that. It turns out I'm not too good at sewing corners, but the cute fabric makes up for the fact that I'm not much of a  seamstress.

Millie's New Toy from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.

Dogs in Advertising

I recently saw this commercial and it made me laugh out loud. Per usual, Target hit the nail on the head. I think it's brilliant. And the second ad below for Travelers Insurance is one that has been on for a while, but I just love it. Enjoy!

In Honor of Millie's Cone of Shame, Continued.

To continue the Cone of Shame fun, we adore this incredibly fun Cone of Shame pillow by Etsy Seller Pink Baby Mouse (a beagle and a shih tzu)! I very much would like one of these in my house! There's something that makes me smile every time I see a dog in a cone. Or maybe it's mostly when Millie's in a cone, because she just looks ridiculous.

In Honor of Millie's Cone of Shame...

In honor of Millie's cone of shame, I thought today I would share with you all a product review of Millie's new Comfy Cone! When Millie was spayed, we used a plastic cone, which we pulled back out for her recent hernia surgery. I quickly decided that she looked miserably stiff in the plastic cone. She couldn't rest or sleep comfortably, and she needed to get some rest in order to recover. I had heard in passing about the Comfy Cone so I drove out to Petco and picked one up. Here's the Good and the Bad:

The Good

• In the scheme of cone-wearing, the Comfy Cone really does appear to be pretty comfy. It's flexible so Millie is able to move more freely.
• Since it's flexible, you can fold the cone over (instead of taking it off) when she needs to eat or drink.
• Also since it's flexible, she can get in and out of her crate much more easily than the plastic cone. She doesn't run straight in to things quite as easily, since the cone gives when she bumps things.
• The Comfy Cone is easy to put on. The plastic cone we had previously used had snaps that were difficult to clasp, but the Comfy Cone is just Velcro. It's much, much easier to put on a squirming dog who has no interest in wearing a cone.
• If you have a dog who might be able to weasel their way out of a cone, the Comfy Cone has loops that you can run your dog's regular collar though. I haven't had to use this feature, but it seems useful.
• It's also padded, so Millie can put her head down and use the cone as a pillow.
• The cone has a reflective band around the edge for safety.
• Thanks to Millie's nasty poop-eating habit (which we thought we had solved with a pineapple diet... that's another story), we have experienced first hand that the Comfy Cone is pretty easy to clean up (but then again, so is the plastic one). Just a damp sponge and a little dish soap does the trick.

The Bad

• Maybe this is just the result of wearing a cone in general, but Millie has gotten very matted around her neck. This isn't an issue for short-haired dogs, but if you have a long-haired dog, it's something to consider. The cone is thick, so there is more room for it to mat her fur than with the thinner plastic cone.
• Millie occasionally gets stuck to things because the Velcro can become exposed. She also accidentally carries around a lost sock or two that sticks to the Velcro. It's not really a big deal, but it certainly makes for a good laugh.
• Compared to the plastic cones which go for around $10 - 20, the Comfy Cone is a little pricey. If you buy it in store, it's around $25 - 50 depending on the size of your dog. You can find it a bit cheaper online.

Though Millie would prefer no cone at all, given the necessity, we give the Comfy Cone an overwhelming 4 paws up! Millie looks like one comfy cone-wearing pup!

Wordless Wednesday

Millie (L) and her sister Penny (R) are two peas in a pod! If only Penny could come visit more often.

I Want My Mama!

As Millie continues to heal, I will be light on content as I spend a little time offline (I feel so disconnected!) In the meantime, here's just a little Sunday morning amusement that brought some smiles to our household this morning. Now I just need to teach Millie to speak!

Surgery Update - Are You Confident in Your Vet?

We had a little scare last night with Millie's recovery. Last night, we noticed she was panting very heavily, her tummy was very warm, and it appeared as if some of her internal tissue was poking through her stitches. As you can imagine, I was very concerned. We went to the vet as soon as they opened this morning to let her doctor take a good look at her and he assured me that she was fine, and that her stitches look normal.

While I am no doctor, I can't help but still feel a little uneasy because I just am not convinced that it looks normal. And her heavy breathing still concerns me. I try very hard at this point to trust that, of course, her doctor knows what he is doing, but my maternal instincts (yes, I have maternal instincts for my dog) make me still feel uneasy.

At what point do you have to let go and trust that you are just being overly paranoid and irrational, and at what point do you seek a second opinion?

How do you know you've chosen a good vet?

Panting... Should I be Concerned? from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.


More Panting... from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.