What are You Feeding Your Dog?? The Truth of What is in Your Dog Food!

So I love my puppy Jake, and I always want the best for him, so when I found out that my puppy was eating pretty much the worst food I could be feeding him, I decided I needed to find a better food. When I first got Jake, I was feeding him pretty good food, then I decided to check out online and find him a better one....what I switched him to was NOT better, but in fact MUCH worse. So after my poor puppy suffering for about 4 months and my puppy dealing with dry skin and just all around non-positive things, I decided it was time to look into the dog food situation again.
After some digging around I found this grading system for dog food, which I actually liked and it goes like this:

Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product" subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specified animal source (such as "meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat reference) subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour") subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) It it contains an artificial colorant, subtract 3 points
8) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources) subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybean, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is allergic to wheat) subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless your know your dog is allergic to beef) subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

So where does the food you feed your dog stand now. It is really amazing how quickly the number drops from 100 with items like Kibbles & Bits, Iams & even Science Diet

But you can get extra credit

Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed groups or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds) add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
13) If the vegetables have been tested from pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point


So I have now changed my dogs food, we are going with all natural and organic ones, yes it cost a little more, but I wouldn't feed my child fast food every day....WHY THE HELL would I feed my dog that type of crap as well.

Some of the TOP Dog foods are:
Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry
Artemis Large/medium breed Puppy
Authority Harvest Baked

Pretty much all of the brands at stores like Whole Foods.

So if you love your dog as much as I do, check what you are putting into your puppy's body. You want your puppy to live a long healthy life and cheap fast food/puppy chow is not doing the trick!

The Law of Cat

My best friend, as I mentioned before always sends me stuff, some of it is funny, some of it is strange, and some - no one would get but us. I wish I knew where my friend had gotten this from too, cuz I would love to give the originally writer credit, but this was from an very long email train. I am a dog person, but growing up I always had cats at home. I recently posted a Dog post that my friend sent me, this one is for my mum, she was and always will be a cat person. So for my mum and for all you cat people out there this one is for you.

Law of Cat Inertia
A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acting upon by some outside force - such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse.

Law of Cat Motion
A cat will move in a straight line, unless there is a really good reason to change direction.


Law of Cat Magnetism
All blue blazers and black sweaters attract cat hair in direct proportion to the darkness of the fabric.

Law of Cat Thermodynamics
Heat flows from a warmer to a cooler body, except in the case of a cat, in which case all heat flows to the cat.

Law of Cat Stretching
A cat will stretch to a distance proportional to the length of the nap just taken.

Law of Cat Sleeping
All cats must sleep with people whenever possible, in a position as uncomfortable for the people involved, and as comfortable as possible for the cat.

Law of Cat Elongation
A cat can make her body long enough to reach just about any counter top that has anything remotely interesting on it.

Law of Cat Obstruction
A cat must lay on the floor in such a position to obstruct the maximum amount of human foot traffic.

Law of Cat Acceleration
A cat will accelerate at a constant rate, until he gets good and ready to stop

Law of Dinner Table Attendance
Cats must attend all meals when anything good is served.

Law of Rug Configuration
No rug may remain in its naturally flat state for very long.

Law of Obedience Resistance
A cat's resistance varies in proportion to a human's desire for her to do something.

First Law of Energy Conservation
Cats know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and will, therefore, use as little energy as possible.

Second Law of Energy Conservation
Cats also know that energy can only be stored by a lot of napping

Law of Refrigerator Observation
If a cat watches a refrigerator long enough, someone will come along and take out something good to eat.

Law of Electric Blanket Attraction
Turn on an electric blanket and a cat will jump into bed at the speed of light.

Law of Random Comfort Seeking
A cat will always seek, and usually take over, the most comfortable spot in any room.

Law of Bag/Box Occupancy
All bags and boxes in a given room must contain a cat within the earlier possible nanosecond.

Law of Cat Embarrassment
A cat's irritation rises in direct proportion to her embarrassment times the amount of human laughter.

Law of Milk Consumption
A cat will drink his weight in milk, squared, just to show you he can.

Law of Furniture Replacement
A cat's desire to scratch furniture is directly proportional to the cost of the furniture.

Law of Cat Landing
A cat will always land in the softest possible; often the mid-section of an unsuspecting, reclining human.

Law of Fluid Displacement
A cat immersed in milk will displace her own volume, minus the amount of milk consumed.

Law of Cat Disinterest
A cat's interest level will vary in inverse proportion to the amount of effort a human expends in trying to interest him.

Law of Pill Rejection
Any pill given to a cat has the potential energy to reach escape velocity

Law of Cat Composition
A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-Matter + It Doesn't

Doctor Who 2010

I have been a fan of Doctor Who for a long time (maybe not as much as my uncle who is like a trivia genius when it comes to the Doctor, but still a huge fan) and when they brought it back in 2005 I was ecstatic. Thanks to my TiVo, I don’t watch many shows when they are actually playing, I wait until the weekend and go back, but not with Doctor Who. I give it about 20 minutes of recording and then I start watching so I can finish when the show does and still skip all the commercials. Yes, crazy, I know :-).

So in 2005, I fell in love with the Doctor all over again. Christopher Eccleston did a wonderful job as the Doctor and although I would have loved to see him in a few more episodes, David Tennant replacing him was about as lucky as it could have been. David Tennant made the Doctor….like every other doctor before him. I loved David Tennant and I was sad to see him go. I didn’t want him to leave (although I am still waiting patiently to hear if he takes the part of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.).

Seeing the previews for this new…young Doctor, I was a little nervous. He just didn’t quite fit the part of this handsome MAN. He seemed to be a boy, in his early 20s and to me the doctor has always been older, and as an older woman…I like an older man :-). His companions, Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper) & Martha Jones (Played by Freema Agyeman), seemed right, young girls that fall in love with an older guy. I was a little surprised when they introduced Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate), but I fell in love with her, she was strong and outgoing and I loved the fact that she became BEST FRIENDS with the Doctor, not falling in love with him like Rose and Martha had. She showed the Doctor in a new light that Rose and Martha even Jack (Captain Jack Harkness) never could. I must say I cried when Donna….well if you watch it….you know, if you don’t….I don’t want to spoil it.

Once “The End of Time” finished, with tears streaming down my face I started seeking out this NEW Doctor. I wanted to see him, who had the Doctor regenerated to….and I was not only a little disappointed….but frustrated. He had become a boy. Matt Smith, became the new Doctor, but being an avid Doctor Who lover, I waited until after the first episode to make my decision….and I am not as impressed as I could be. I gave him the same chance I gave David Tennant, David created a new Doctor, a unique Doctor, and maybe it was because it was the first episode or maybe it is because I like men and not boys (wow I am getting old), but I just felt that Matt Smith was trying WAY too hard to be as good as Christopher and David. He didn’t fall into the part of the Doctor, he didn’t become the Doctor; he read the scrip and just acted out the part. His new partner, Amy Pond played by Karen Gillan, even seems younger than Rose & Martha. So far I like her (which is unusually because I am not the biggest fan of red heads); she is strong and outgoing and challenging. But I think she will out play the Doctor. I guess I don’t really know how to explain what is wrong.

The first story….well…what can I say, it was good, it could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse. Having to introduce all of the characters and re-introduce the Doctor for those who may not know who he is, it did the trick. I did enjoy the flash back of all the previous doctors going all the way back into the 60’s. I didn’t like quite a few things, but I will let everyone make their own opinions. I think that with time, the episodes will get better. Matt Smith did about as well as I expected, and Karen Gillan did a lot better.

But incase you haven’t seen or do not know – Doctor Who is on Saturdays 9/8c on BBC! Check it out. TiVo it. It is definitely worth watching.

How Many Dogs Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?

So my friend sent me this, I guess you would call it joke, and I found it so funny. Figured I would share it with others

Border Collie: Just one. Then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

Rottweiler: Make me!

Lab: Oh, me, me! Pleeease let me change the light bulb! Can I? Huh? Huh?

Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!

Malamute: Let the Border Collie do it. You can feed me while he's busy.

Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls.

Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?

Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.

Mastiff: Screw it yourself! I'm not afraid of the dark...

Doberman: While it's out, I'll just take a nap on the couch.

Boxer: Who needs light? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

Pointer: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there!

Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb?

Australian Shepherd: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle...

Old English Sheep dog: Light bulb? That thing I just ate was a light bulb?

Basset Hound: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Westie: Dogs do not change light bulbs -- people change light bulbs. I am not one of THEM so the question is, how long before I can expect my light again?

Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned-out bulb?

A New Day is Dawning...for ME!

Last year, I took a job, that although I learned a ton of new things and really liked a lot of the people that I worked with…It just wasn’t the right spot for me. With the salary and the work load…let’s just say, I didn’t feel appreciated. I needed something new, I needed a change. And after months of digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole and struggling to pay my bills (thankfully I have friends and family that kept me from going into debt), I realized that with a college degree I should be making more than people who were high school graduates, with no college degree working as a cafeteria assistant. I am not saying that that people in those jobs are not worthy or whatever, but I feel that since I shelled out a ton of money for college, I should be making more than them. I had spend way too much money on college and way too many days stressing and crying to my friends to be living like this.

So I decided to start looking for a new job.  I love what I do, so I just needed to find a home. It took me a few months, I was really lucky compared to many people. I found a home and a boss that I love. I have had all kinds of bosses since my first job in high school. I have had crazy bosses, I have had mean bosses, I have had bosses that could care less and don’t provide direction. When I started working with my new boss, I thought I had hit the jackpot, she is amazing. She is great and I enjoy having someone to bounce ideas off of and someone who can actually be a mentor and doesn’t hate me. I watch her and I think to myself… “That is who I want to be in 5 years….10 years!”

I have been at my new job for about 3 months now and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I am the luckiest person going. AND to top it all off, for the first time in a 6 months…or is it a year. I paid my rent, all my bills, got groceries, and I actually had money left over. I even have a savings account. Although there is not much in there yet…it is slowly growing! J I couldn’t be happier. I dealt with many months of deciding between gas to get to work and food to eat, but not anymore! I hope that I manage to keep my head above water.  I am going to keep working my butt off, but it will be nice to save money instead of asking friends for a change.

I hope that in another 6 months down the road I am in an even better position, and you better believe that I am going to keep working hard, doing my best, and keeping on top of my game to make sure that I never end up in the position I was in again. 

Alice and Wonderland

I went with my friend to see Alice and Wonderland last weekend. I am a huge fan of Alice and Wonderland. I read the book as a kid, when I was in my teens, and of course again when I heard that the movie was coming out. I downloaded it on my phone actually and re-read it.

If I would have known they were doing “Through the looking Glass” about when Alice returns to Wonderland after growing up, I would have read that one instead, but I figured they were doing the original Alice and Wonderland, like the commercial said…it did say Through the looking Glass, but whatever.

The movie was very good. It was funny and twisted and of course Johnny Deep did an AMAZING job as the Mad Hatter, but have we ever come across a movie that Jonny Deep isn’t good at?!

This story starts with a 20ish year old Alice (played by Mia Wasikowaka) on the day that she is about to start her life. She is as a party and in the process of being proposed to and before saying yes, as expected by everyone around, she is distracted and chases a rabbit is a suit jacket and falls down into a hole.  Just like her first trip there, she has to figure out how to get through the door into the magical garden, but she doesn’t remember this place, in fact, she just thinks it is a dream.  

Soon Alice realizes that this is not a dream, and it is not called Wonderland, but in fact Underland and she is to be their savior. The evil Red Queen (played wonderfully by Helena Bonham Carter)  has once again taken over the land and stolen it from her “good” younger sister and although may hope for the White Queen (played by Anna Hathaway) it is only through the act of Alice slaying the Jabberwocky on Frabjous Day.

Through the help of the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the Cheshire Cat Alice follows her destiny in a twisted creative and original version of Through the Looking Glass.

This movie was great. I wish they would have just called it what it was, and not tried to trick me by naming it Alice and Wonderland, so I was expecting to see a 8 year old traveling to Wonderland for the first time, but overall I was happy to see one of my favorite childhood storied come to life!

If for some reason you have not yet seen this movie, you should, it is worth it. BUT as always, I recommend first reading the book because the books are always better then the movies J