Absolute Yorkies

From Gideon, Hope and Tinkerbell

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!  Thank you so much for reading AbsoluteYorkies.com and for loving your dogs as much as we love ours. 

We’ll be back on Monday, January 3, 2011 with TODAY’S TIDBIT.  If you have a little time to yourself this holiday season, look back into our archives and read some posts that you might have missed.  

Have a very Merry and safe Christmas and remember the reason for the season!

Cheers!

Kathryn and Marilyn

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TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Christmas is this Saturday!  Are you ready?  We are with the finale of our 2010 Christmas Photo Gallery.  Thanks again to all of you who shared your pics with us.  We just love Christmas…and dogs!

Tinkerbell

Gideon

Hope

Sadie

Sweetie Pie and Clementine

Chewie

Coco

Our Gideon

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 2010 Christmas Photo Gallery as much as we’ve enjoyed sharing it!  Be sure to join us on Friday for more Christmas fun and TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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TODAY’S TIDBIT:  It’s almost Christmas!  We’re so excited to present our 2010 Christmas Photo Gallery!  Thanks to everyone who sent in their doggy’s photo.  We’ll be featuring more doggy Christmas pics on Wednesday. 

Such cuties all ready for Christmas!  We thank God everyday for our wonderful canine friends.  Enjoy!

Dezi

Bella

Leela

Lily

Bella

Gracie

We’re sure Santa would be proud to have all of these cutie doggys as helpers!  See you on Wednesday with more Christmas photos and TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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I'm waiting for Santa, mommy!

Christmas Plants Toxic to Dogs:

• Amaryllis
• Holly
• Mistletoe
• Christmas tree (mildly toxic)
• Poinsettia***

*** There’s a lot of varying opinions about the toxicity level of the Poinsettia.  Many vets consider it mildly toxic and the ASPCA Poison Control Centre states on their website, [the Poinsettia is] “Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity.” 

Our rule of thumb is this:  when in doubt, don’t.  We don’t have any Christmas plants in our house, and the few houseplants we do have are up high and away from the Yorkies’ safe area.  If you’re unsure, leave the plants at the store.  It’s better to be safe than sorry. 

One of our readers, Rosie sent us this link to an interesting article written by the floral chain, Grower Direct giving the floral industry’s perspective on what they feel is the unfairly maligned Poinsettia.

Here are some sites that you might find helpful when considering plant toxicity:

• Dr. Jon’s article, Fall and Winter Holiday Plant Toxicity in Dogs.
• Dr. Janet Tobiassen Crosby’s article, Poisonous Holiday Plants.
• ASPCA Poison Control Centre’s site where you can search for Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants by name.

The countdown to Christmas continues!  Just a couple of quick mentions: 

• Modern Dog Magazine’s GiveAway this week is a Luxury Pets’ Double Basin Bowl.  So don’t forget to enter if you’re interested. 
• One of our readers has a 15 year old Yorkie and she’s interested in hearing how other Yorkie owners are helping with the adjustments that we need to make for our precious senior Yorkies.  If you have any suggestions, websites or books you’d like to share, please leave them in our comments section or email us at kathryn@absoluteyorkies.com.

Thanks everybody and see you on Friday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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What book do you want for Christmas, mommy?

TODAY’S TIDBIT: Our countdown to Christmas continues…it’s only 12 days away!  Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? 

I’ve inherited my mother’s love of books as well as animals so guess what I’m giving her this Christmas – no, not a dog – but a book with a down to earth heart warming story about a young woman struggling with what life throws at her and the dog whose love and loyalty gives her hope.  The book is called, “Stay” by Allie Larkin.

Books with doggy stories make great gifts!  Here are a few websites we’ve found that list some pretty terrific books for the reader/dog lover on your Christmas list:

1. Oprah’s 16 Books for Dog Lovers (my favourite list)
2. Pets Advisor Top 20 Dog Book Bestsellers
3. Amazon.com: Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Featuring Amazing Dogs
4. Working Dogs Bookstore

So many books…so little time!  Do you have a favourite dog book you’d like to recommend?  Share your comments with us. 

Remember to keep sending your photos for our Christmas Photo Gallery.  We’ll be starting to put pics on the website on Dec. 20.  See you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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I'm cozy in my long johns, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  I’m decorating my Christmas tree today which can be a challenge with three curious little Yorkies pressing their tiny faces against the French doors to see what mischief they can create.  But we keep the tree in the livingroom where the Yorkies aren’t allowed to go so they won’t hurt themselves around the Christmas tree.

I absolutely LOVE Christmas but many decorations, Christmas trees and plants can be dangerous to your Yorkies.  We have long since dispensed with using tinsel or “icicles” on our tree.  Tinsel can stick onto your clothes and you can accidentally drag it into your Yorkie’s safe area and if she eats it, she could easily choke.  And it plays havoc with the intestinal tract!

Dogs are curious and can chew electrical cords, yank the tree down on themselves, eat the tree decorations or even drink the water that some people put preservatives in that are unknowingly harmful to their pets.  Fresh water not tree water is the only drinking water for your doggy.  Even if your dog has NEVER touched the tree before, you can’t guarantee there won’t be a first time!!!

So keep your tree tinsel free and your Yorkies safely away from the Christmas tree.  It’s going to be a white Christmas here in London, Ontario…we have over a foot of snow now and expecting another 12 inches!  So stay warm and see you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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Is it Christmas yet, mommy?

TODAY’S TIDBIT: We’d like to celebrate Christmas this year at AbsoluteYorkies.com with a fun photo gallery of our furry friends in their favourite Christmas outfits (or maybe I should say “your” favourite outfits for your dog).

We’re asking you to send us a photo of your dog dressed for Christmas! We love our Yorkies but we’d like to share this invitation with owners of all breeds of dogs.

Just a few quick guidelines:

• One photo per email address.
• More than one dog can be in the photo but no people please.
• Photos should be saved as .jpeg, .bmp, .gif or .png files.
• Deadline for accepting photos is 12:00 midnight (EST) Friday, December 17, 2010.
• Send your photos to kathryn@absoluteyorkies.com or if you have any questions you can contact us at that email address.

So don’t be shy! Share your doggy’s Christmas photo with us. Have a wonderful day everyone and see you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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I'm thankful for my mommy and my toys!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating this happy holiday!  We’re away ourselves this week so we’re bringing back a few favourite posts for you to read.  With all the holiday food around our houses this time of year, we think revisiting this post would be helpful to you and your doggies! 

Grapes and Raisins Are TOXIC To Your Dog
(originally posted September 27, 2010)
TODAY’S TIDBIT:  If you’re thinking about putting that bowl of plump and juicy grapes on the coffee table for holiday snacking, think again!  Grapes and raisins are great for wine and baking but not for your doggie!  Dogs that eat raisins or grapes could suffer kidney failure. 

Veterinarian, Dr. Janet Tobiassen Crosby who specializes in small animal care has written an excellent article, “Are Grapes and Raisins Poisonous to Pets?”   and explains the relationship between a dog’s consumption of grapes or raisins and followed by kidney failure. 

But why are grapes and raisins toxic to dogs?  Dr. Tobiassen Crosby writes, “Researchers are exploring the possibilities: a mycotoxin (fungal toxin), pesticide, herbicide or heavy metals, but thus far the actual toxin is unknown at this time.”

Any type of grape or raisin can be toxic to your dog and whether she’s eaten a few or a lot of them doesn’t seem to matter.  If you think your dog has eaten grapes or raisins CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.

So remember when you start putting out the freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies for a holiday treat, keep them out of your doggie’s reach!  Have a great Thanksgiving everybody and see you on Friday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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I'm shy, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  I don’t know what it is but everytime my little Yorkies see the camera they all run in opposite direction...you’d think it was bath time or something!  It’s Thanksgiving this week for those of you who live south of the border so you may have your cameras out for the holidays.  But we’re on holidays too!  We’re revisiting a few of our fav posts.  You may remember them or you may be new to our site and haven’t had a chance to read them yet…so here we go!

Tips on Taking Great Pics of Your Yorkie
(originally posted July 2, 2010)
TODAY’S TIDBIT: Happy 4th of July to our American friends! I love taking pictures on holidays especially of our Yorkies. But taking their picture can be a challenge. Just as I’m setting up the shot they spring into action, and not in front of the lens! We have more pics of the floor than the dogs. So what can we do to catch those “Kodak moments” of our dogs?

Darren Rowse suggests on his website, Digital Photography School, “The key with any subject that’s on the move is to freeze their action by using a fast shutter speed.” He goes on to say, “use ‘sports’ mode which will mean the camera will select the fastest shutter speed possible for your situation.” Worth a try that’s for sure!

You can read the enitre article, “How to Photograph Pets” on his website. He has some excellent suggestions for taking great and memorable pics of your doggy. Definitely worth the read!

So get those cameras out! See you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

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I'm a scary spider, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Linus from the beloved Charlie Brown cast of characters believes that:

Tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings toys to all the children of the world. 

Bzzz...I'm a Bumble Bee, mommy!

Where's my beehive, mommy?

We don’t have any pumpkins flying around our website today but we do have some great pics of Gideon and Hope in their Halloween costumes!  And we’ve included some fun links to other sites that have cutie doggys in some pretty creative costumes.

• ModernDogMagazine.com – Halloween Howlers: Hilarious Costumes
• PetPlace.com – Halloween Dogs 2010
• PetPlace.com – Halloween Dogs 2010 – Winners

I'm going to spin a web, mommy!

Have a fabulous Halloween everybody and remember to keep candy out of your Yorkie’s reach.  See you on Monday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

I don't want to sting anybody, mommy!

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