No Respect

If you weren't aware...we're fostering a dog. And she has no respect for other people's space. It's hilarious. Except when I'm sleeping and all of a sudden feel her bony butt on my head!

Here she takes a nap with foster papa - with...on...what's the difference?

Kodiak's butt apparently makes a really good pillow.


Kodiak is not so happy. That is his "mom, make her stop" face.

Be sure to visit my doggies and our adventures at Home Zookeeper.

And by the way, Bullet (the dog with space issues) is available for adoption via Ginger's Pet Rescue. I've tried convincing hubby to let me keep her but he is being stubborn.

Dinnertime at the Casto Household

Dinnertime at the Casto household can be a very noisy affair. And it can't be done in any sneaky sort of manner. It's an all out event. I've been trying to catch Kodiak and his dinner "dance" but he seems to be camera shy lately. I had hubby help me out and he caught him do his twirl a couple of times. Please excuse the ridiculously messy counter tops. The clutter is just a figment of your imagination!



You may have noticed Trooper's lips curling up at his brother and sister. That is a kind of new thing but we are working on it. Although not in the video. LOL :)



This second video really shows Trooper's drooling. I didn't know we'd gotten a St Bernard...I thought he was a Malamute. :) He drools like that on our legs when he's trying to beg food during our meals. It's gross.

Morning Beauty

Hubby just e-mailed me some incredibly cute photos. Looks like they're all hanging out together in the back yard and enjoying the rare bit of sunshine. I'm really impressed that he figured out how to download these on his own (normally he makes me do it).







Happy doggies are the best-est.

Sleepy Sunday

I'm getting ready for my big April event so staying home all day today. The TV is on. It's cold outside. But cozy inside. The doggies are chillin.


Trooper has been sleepy since Friday because he went to daycare. He must have played hard!

Kodiak has been enjoying the cold deck - even when it's wet! I wonder what he smells here.


And Quinn is just the princess as always.

Aren't those crossed paws the sweetest?!?

On a Happier Note

I cannot express how much I love my dogs. We are in the process of switching their food from the just 'ok' Kirkland puppy and mature dog food to Solid Gold and BARF. It's going to be a VERY slow transition because Trooper has the most sensitive stomach evAR. Although licking out ice cream containers has never been a problem for him.


We aren't eating ice cream at our house anymore. :)

I know in my head that dogs aren't people but I swear they have souls. And individual personalities. Our dogs are our babies and I want them to be healthy and healthy for the rest of their long lives.

Quinn has coughing issues (allergies) and in the past we've treated her with Steroids, which have worked okay but do cause a little incontinence. The poor girl has no idea when she's leaking. It's cute but sad. So I am thinking that perhaps changing her food to something super healthy will help because her cough has now morphed and sounds a lot worse than it ever did. I prefer to not give her pills since there are side affects.

And of course Kodiak limps always and will have severe arthritis one day. Anything we can do to make him more comfortable has to be on our list of things to do. He's SUCH a happy boy!

He loves to have his ears scratched and even though we know he must be in pain he has so much energy and can still jump and run. Though after a day at daycare he can barely walk, he demands to go and howls when I only take Trooper.

I love my dogs and they bring us SO much happiness.

Dog Days

You know your dog is completely at ease when they sleep like this.

Even when I was walking around him to get a better shot he didn't move because he knows I would never hurt him. He's my sweet baby boy. And enjoys his new bed.

Trooper thinks Kodiak's new bed actually belongs to him. Quinn was trying to have a rest but he was having none of that.

He's such a bully...but a cute bully. You may think he's alpha...nope. Kodiak really is the alpha dog but he's just a quiet sort of alpha. He definitely expresses his alpha-ness when necessary. And Trooper has learned to respect Kodiak's alpha ... when absolutely required.

And clearly he was not respecting the alpha dog here - trying to bully his way onto the blanket.

Our dogs are so entertaining!

Tears for a Best Friend

Dogs truly are a man's (and woman's) best friend. Seeing one age is almost harder to me than watching people get older.

Rachel Lucas is currently going through what I think is one of the hardest decisions...whether it is time to say goodbye to her dog Digger. Reading her post and the comments is making me cry. I hate to cry. But I can't stop reading!

My dogs are so precious and special to me. They bring me such joy and happiness...even when they are their naughty selves and cost us oodles of money in surgery, vaccines, food, and all the treats we lavish on them.

Quinn in particular is starting to get older. I've started taking more photos of her because I never want to forget how happy she is. She still jumps around like a little puppy when we take a walk. I can't even say 'walk' without all three dogs whining. But she can't walk as far as she used to...starts to slow down after only a couple of laps around the neighborhood. Trooper could still pull an entire sled team after two laps.

We've tried diet foods but she's still a chunk...look at all those rolls! I think daddy slips her too many treats.


Kodiak is still happy go lucky but has had so many issues with his back legs that I shudder to think about how much pain he will someday be in...I can't stand the thought of not being able to prevent that pain! He is SO happy...I love seeing him "smile." Or stick his tongue out at me. HAHAHAHA!!!

And Trooper...oh boy...what can I say about this little (or big) monster. Trooper Bear is the perfect name for him. He lumbers with no tought to his own personal space or taking over other's personal space. He's a goof ball and loves to play - tug of war, catch, wrestling. He is a delight and true entertainment on a daily basis. He's also a trouble maker who likes to antagonize Quinn...and he started peeing on hubby's base woofer! ROFL That wasn't well received. He gets snipped next week!


He looks like trouble doesn't he? lol He's a stinker...and a total love bug. He loves to cuddle which is great because the other two dogs aren't big on cuddling.

At least they have a sport that they all can play together...begging.

When It Rains...

As if we didn't have enough to deal with right now, Kodiak needs surgery again. This will be his third. God love him. He's such a sweet dog and has so much energy and excitement...well, not now because he's drugged up, but normally.

He was only 9 months old when he first hurt his leg - he liked to dig holes and we think he tripped in one and tore a muscle. That cost us nearly $5,000!

Last year we noticed him limping on his other leg and finally took him in to the vet. He had torn his ACL. *sigh* So another surgery and $2,000+. And it was so emotionally draining for me. I ended up sleeping on the couch because we had him set up and caged off from the other dogs. He had to have his pain pills every so many hours and could only go outside to potty on leash. He would cry so horribly that I ended up calling hubby in tears...it was breaking my heart. I hate to go through that again! Plus, his hair never did grow back all the way from where they shaved him!

It looks like that surgery didn't stick. Either the wires they put in broke or he's got a new issue in the same spot. They took x-rays yesterday (oy, $300!) and the change in his bones and scar tissue in less than one year is so sad. It's dangerous for his other leg because it has to do all the work to compensate for the bum leg.

Our boy is 6 1/2 years old and still acts like a puppy. He can handle a lot of pain but that's not fair. I want him to be comfortable and healthy. Is that too much to ask? He loves to go on walks but pulls to hard, even when he is in pain. He'll have to be on the gentle leader for the rest of his life I think (he hates it!). I just want him fixed and not in pain!