There was 4 in the bed until Brooklyn said….

Hans Sausage, Notes from S&S, Odie Sanchez, Uncategorized

ImageI have a confession to make……It will be good to finally get it off my chest.. I have been keeping it all to myself for far too long and I think it is about time I told someone….

……Deep Breath..here..we..go…….

Every night I go to bed with 3 boys.

There I said it… They all have the most beautiful big brown eyes and I am truely, madly, deeply in love with all of them.

I don’t know how it happened. I swore it would just the one time.

But this has been my reality for almost a year now and you know what? I don’t think I would have it any other way!

Of course I am talking about HANS SAUSAGE, ODIE SANCHEZ and THE LOVE OF MY LIFE, (who did you think I was speaking about tisk,tisk). 

And these were my feelings before I read this article which talks about all the germs and bed bugs you are inviting in to your bed when you allow your dogs to call a bit of your mattress their own.

“When your dog sleeps on your bed, he is also bringing with him all his little treasures he has managed to pick up throughout the day. Since he doesn’t shower daily like you do, you are relying solely on the power of his tongue to clean away the dirt and the general ook he has picked up from outside. I like sleeping with my dog. I don’t like sleeping with his ook. And no matter how many times I convince myself that he is clean enough, he brings it in with him. The evidence is in the way the blankets smell the next morning. Kind of ookie.

What’s worse is when your sloppy pal has brought home a few friends. Right before bed while you took him out for his evening pee, he was out there collecting souvenirs. Of course, you’ll notice them the next morning when you wake up with flea bites on your rear. This can be a little unsettling. No matter how much I love my dog, I do not love sleeping with bugs. In fact, we spend a lot of money on shelter to guarantee we won’t have to sleep with bugs. If humans enjoyed sharing their bed with bugs, we’d all still be sleeping in caves. Fleas don’t care whether it’s human blood or dog blood they are consuming. They just need the blood to survive”. (taken from Professors House).

Did anyone else’s skin just crawl a little? I know mine did!Image

Of course there are lots of reasons we invent to convince ourselves that letting the dogs sleep on the bed is ok such as:

Health/safety: if the dog has a medical emergency, it will be quite easy to hear and respond. Plus, if the dog needs to go out, it won’t need to spend undue amounts of time getting your attention.

Security: if there is something amiss, the dog will be aware of it before the humans are, and can act as the first line of defense. This goes for fire safety, too.

Mental health: dogs are pack animals, and crave the presence of others. The aforementioned mini-dachs gets very lonely at night, and there’s really no need for a dog to be lonely at night.

But if you look really closely don’t you think we let them sleep on the bed because we secretly want them to be close by? Because we want something to snuggle up next to when we are home alone? Because they are our best mates and even having them in a bed on the floor is to far away? Becuase we don’t want them to feel left out or unloved? Or because we weren’t strong enough in our training to stop them from continually jumping up on the bed and making themselves at home.. (Any of this sound familiar)?

On the bed, in the laundry, in the garage or outside, wherever your dog rests his head at night know that they will feel loved no matter what…. Now, to see if I am stong enough to kick my habit and take back the bed for myself…… (I do not like my chances).

Where does your dog sleep?

odie sticking his tounge out

Happy Wednesday ❤ Sausage and Sanchez

HELP PROTECT DOGS AGAINST PARVO NOW!

Animal Welfare League of Qld

I know lots of people visit the S&S blog for a bit of light humour, to check out what Hans Sausage and Odie Sanchez have been up to or to check out the latest goings on in the Sausage & Sanchez design room but today is different.. Today we are getting serious..

If you own a dog chances are you have heard about parvo virus (parvo for short). It is one of the most horrifying viruses a dog can contract and is especially deadly in puppies and older dogs. It is highly contagious and can jump from dog to dog very quickly, even with indirect contact.

Parvo Virus is a highly resistant type of virus which can survive in soil for months and is very hard to get rid of. Parvo Virus is able to resist common disinfectants and detergents. It is commonly transmitted through direct contact in both adult dogs and puppies. More specifically, the virus can be transmitted through the faeces of infected dogs or from mother to puppies.

When a poor pooch contracts parvo the following happens:

The lymphatic system serves as the replicating point for the virus, particularly around the throat. The bloodstream is then infected, and the virus begins attacking other lymphatic cells, the intestines, and bone marrow.

This causes weakening of the intestinal tissue, and so the separation begins to deteriorate, severely affecting digestion. Bacteria normally contained in the intestines are then allowed to flood the bloodstream, causing more problems. This is VERY PAINFUL!!

Dogs then lose appetite, they get dehidrated from having consistant diarrhoea and lose weight.

Vet care for this virus costs hundreds and thousands of dollars and in most cases the dogs die a painful death anyway.

WHICH IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO VACCINATE!!

Vaccinating your animal is something I preach to all pet owners because as a responsible pet owner it should be a top priority to keep your animal safe.

The Animal Welfare League of Qld vaccinate with the C5 vaccination from $84 – $84 to save your pet from the risk or potentially contracting a horrible virus that can be caught by walking on infected soil or from your dog ingesting poop at the park. WHY RISK IT!!!

The AWLQ are running a campaign for the month of June. They want to raise $3,750 to put towards the cost of vaccinating 150 cats and dogs against Feline Aids and Parvo.

Donate to the cause by clicking the bone below

To vaccinate one shelter dog or cat costs the shelter $25. It is a small price to pay to help get a shelter animal ready to be made available for adoption.

When was the last time your pet was vaccinated?? If you don’t remember CALL YOUR VET NOW!!

DOGYA – a new campaign to find shelter animals a new home.

Photographers

I love when people think outside the box in order to rehome animals. One such campaign is that of Photographer Dan Borris who drew inspiration from his Yoga teacher wife and figured he would take “downward facing dog” to a whole new level.

Here are my favourites from the series…

Have you seen innovative marketing trying to rehome animals?

To read more click here

All in a days work

Animal Welfare League of Qld

Some of the cuties who will be looking for a new home at the Animal Welfare League of Qld as of next week.

Beautiful Dachshund PUP is 7 years old with so much spunk and is cute to boot.. He follows you around and loves to cuddle.. Perhaps he would make a great mate for Odie and Hans? hehe

Another little lovely who stands out (because she is the same colours as Hans Sausage) is 6 month old Heidi the Kelpie. She is adorable and so full of life!

I was happy this week to see that little Baby the Chihuahua got a home.. She reminded me so much Odie, toooo cute!!

and one for the cat lovers – This is Biscuit the little head butter purrring machine!! Looking for a new home at the AWLQ NOW

My Human Family

Animal Welfare League of Qld, Photographers

Through my job at the Animal Welfare League of Qld I am privy to pretty much every cat and dog related campaign nation-wide. Some are kooky, some are creative and some are all of the above.

 Once in a while though you see a campaign or an event that really speaks to you, My Human Family did just that.

 My Human Family is a community initiative based in Sydney NSW that really pulls at the heart strings. With the aim of creating awareness around abandoned, surrendered and neglected dogs, the My Human Family community photographic project invited people to submit family photos and share their personal stories about the dogs in their home and in their lives.

Stories of these shelter animals have been uploaded, (Hans Sausage and Odie Sanchez included) to the website and so a community of dog loving, animal welfare advocates was born.

Some of these animal stories are sad, some are happy and some are downright hilarious. But all have one thing in common and that is that these animals a have been given a second chance by people who are dedicated to ending pet overpopulation and choosing to adopt.

 In 2013 the Animal Welfare League of Qld hopes to bring this project to Queensland and bring more awareness to how important it is to adopt over buying from a pet store and I urge you all to get involved.

 But for now a make sure you visit the Pine Street’s community gallery in Sydney from the 7th of July 2012 and see the images from the project. If you can’t get there check out these other locations who whope to host the project later in the year.

 Proposed touring venues

 ·     Customs House – Circular Quay Sydney

 ·     Margot Hardy Gallery – Milperra

 ·     Riverside Theatre – Parramatta

 To see the complete project online click below

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/ImageGalleries/MyHumanFamily.asp

Some of the photos (inlcuding Odie and Hans) in the exhibit

Delicious Winter Beef Bowl

Blogs to Bookmark

Sausage & Sanchez is excited to post our Monday morning Guest blogger Naomi from Treats a la Bark. Naomi owns the cutest little Pug named Rufio and has an organic dog biscuit company which aims to change the world of dogs one bite at a time!

We are huge fans of her blog and she is a huge animal welfare advocate too. (Which we love). Check out her recipe below for your poochies which is sure to be a hit. Looks good enough for human consumption if you ask me. DELICIOUS!!!!

Follow her on Facebook here

Naomi is launching her website in Septemeber and we can’t wait to see all the goodies she will have on offer

Enjoy.. love S&S

Thank you so much for this delicious looking recipe Naomi – Looks Delish!!!

Naomi and the adorable Rufio

Han’s Sausage Loves Toys.

Hans Sausage, Notes from S&S, Odie Sanchez

What is your dogs favourite toy? Han’s is a sucker for a plushie, (mostly because I think he likes getting to the stage where he has chewed through the material to reach the fluffy mess making fantasia that awaits him on the inside).

Odie on the other hand loves KONGS. He goes absoloutely gaga when the KONG is out to play and goes from a sleeping angel to an angry, lip snarling, pocket rocket in a moments notice. (I promise to one day film it beacuase it really is quite funny).

While he should br promoting his OWN range of LOVELY BONES I couldn’t help but share this video of Hans tucking in to the new shipment of Purina products that was sent to our office.. This dog gets away with EVERYTHING.

Happy Tuesday!

Mother’s Day

Notes from S&S

Mother’s Day. That one day of the year where we are suppossed to dote on our Mothers hand and foot to say thank you for being our confidant’s, our taxi drivers, our chefs, our laundramats, our cleaners, our protecters, our BFF’s, and our number one fans. While I think that having just one day to do this is a load of croc, I must admit that I find spoiling my Mum loads of fun. My Mother is just about to jump on a plane with my Father to finally embark upon the European adventure they have been planning since before I was born (4 kids will throw a spanner in anybodies travel plans) and I am sooooo excited that she is finally going to see the Eiffel Tower, the Roman Ruins, the London Bridge and all the other things that have been on her bucket list for decades.

This will also be MY first Mother’s day, (after all I am the mother to Hans Sausage and Odie Sanchez), and while they aren’t human (and adopted) I still think they should be giving this little care-giver some love! While I know this is never going to happen here is a list of things this Doggy luvva mutha would like anyway.. 🙂

As seen on Etsy

 As Found Here 

Bookmark from here 

A Heather Mattoon Portrait

 Chihuahua Portrait 

Earrings!!

Pillows 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS OUT THERE FOR THIS SUNDAY!

Me & my Mum

Dogs in Cafe’s – (the great divide)

Notes from S&S

Dog’s in cafes.. It is a topic on the Gold Coast that ruffles residents feathers every time it is brought up.. Which is why when the question was asked in the Gold Coast Bulletin today there was a colourful commentary  and a poll that had a dog hair margin of people who thought it was o.k to have their 4-legged pals dine with them for brunch. (52% of voters in agreeance compared to 48% against). Read the article here

The Gold Coast is becoming more and more UN-pet friendly with stats from the Animal Welfare League of Queensland constantly stating that the main reason an animal is surrendered is because the owner is a renter and cannot find any pet friendly accommodation in highrises, duplex’s and estates. The lack of this type of housing puts an added pressure on the non-profit charity who have a growing wait list of people who have to part with their companion animals, not because they can’t afford them or no longer want them but because they themselves will become homeless unless they give up their animal.

Think about how much you love your animals and then think about if you needed to move from your current home, (say the lease is up, the rental is being sold or the property is being taken over by new management). I would be devastated if I had to surrender my Hans Sausage & Odie Sanchez to an animal refuge just because the city I called home had limited pet friendly rentals. I simply could not fathom that kind of predicament and do not envy anyone who finds themslef in this situation.

And it’s not just the renters who this applies to. More and more community living is emerging around South East Queensland and on the Gold Coast especially, and the body corporates of these dwellings are insisting on property owners either

A. have no animals allowed

or

B. are only allowed to have an animal 10kgs or lighter.

What sort of free country are we living in where even when you own your own home someone else is allowed to dictate to you how many animals you are allowed to have and how big those animals are allowed to be.. The Gold Coast City Council also has a 2 dogs only policy for each home owner (which could soon be under review fingers crossed) whereby if you would like to own a 3rd dog you need to purchase a permit. WHICH COSTS QUITE A LOT OF MONEY I MIGHT ADD!

There has been a shift in trends where people are having kids later in life or choosing to fore-go them altogether, which is why when they adopt an animal more often than not that dog is treated as a member of the family. Most sleep inside (and most likely on their owners bed). Pet owners have a bond with their pets which can be likened to that of kids. Sometimes companion pets act as a trial run before people decide to get pregnant or completely hate the idea, ( I hear this ALL THE TIME).

So back to Dogs in cafes, Why is it OK to take screaming babies to fine dining restaurants or to breast feed in public but when you stop for a bit of brunch after a run on the beach with your dog on a Sunday morning  your local cafe is at risk of a $1500.

Hopefully with a new Mayor these rules will change, (Tom Tate was quoted in the article stating he was a dog lover and he didn’t see a problem with it). At least give restaurant and cafe owners the choice to decide for themselves whether or not they will allow diners of the 4-legged variety to enter. (I for one will fully support any cafe in my neck of the woods who will allow my Sausage and Sanchez to hang ten while I meet a friend for coffee).

Support the cause and keep in the loop on Facebook

Happy long weekend!

Love Brooke, Hans Sausage & Odie Sanchez

 

 

Dashchund Rescue

Uncategorized

Any Dachshund owner will tell you that the little weiner dogs can become a bit (ok a lot) of an obsession. I find myself wasting hours watching the movements of my limo looking pooch as he waddles around in search of nothing in particular. He brings me such joy that I can’t even fully explain, which is why I can’t reccommend owning one enough!

As you may know Hans Sausage was brought to the AWLQ after he was found left in a dog park with no-one and no other dog around. He was 5 weeks old.

Dachshund Rescue is a NSW based organisation whose main purpose is to foster and find homes for Dachshund’s. It is run by Chris Moore, rescue co-ordinator of The Dachshund Club of NSW and passionate Dachshund owner Sharman Moore.

They are passionate about rehoming these gorgeous little creatures and have lots in foster homes waiting to have a second chance of a happy life.

If you are looking to adopt a Dachshund from Dachshund Rescue click here

*photo by Serenah Photography