When you go on vacation, your pups go on vacation. We try hard to maintain the same diet your pups are used to at home, but a few special treats are inevitable. There are, of course, Joe’s famous bacon bones. But because the real secret to bacon bones is in the song and presentation, the recipe would be hard to share … that is, unless you are willing to stand in your kitchen wearing boxers, strumming on your chest, yodeling “Dem Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, bones!” Ok, enough said.

However, thanks to the website JohannTheDog.com, I do have another great recipe to share. Homemade Frosty Paws! My pups just love them and so do yours! Offering full disclosure, I use regular ol’ yogurt, peanut butter and fruit. Since I treat your pups like members of my family, they don’t eat organic.  The fruit my campers like best is apple or banana. Rascal loves pineapple, but it does have its downside, which I will leave to your imagination.

Johann’s Recipe for Homemade Frosty Paws!
Ingredients Needed:
* 1 large container (32 oz) of low-fat, plain, organic yogurt
* 3 handfuls of fresh (organic is best) blueberries
* 1 banana
* 2 tbsp of organic peanut butter
* Other fruit as desired - like apple slices, orange slices, pineapple slices, and more.
Instructions:
Chop up the banana in small pieces (or mash) and mix all ingredients together. Place the mixture in ice cube trays and freeze for about 3 hours.
Once frozen, run hot water over the underside of the trays, pop out the Frosty Paws, and serve. That’s it!
For fun, you can use bone-shaped ice cube trays!

My human pup just took off for Camp Grandparents or, as I like to call it, CampRunAMuck. So this means we will have lots to catch up on. My blogging has been sparse since the start of summer, but while you may have missed me, most of your pups have not!

Camp Is Good! Hope you are too!

Katybeth

We all know the rules: never feed your pup from the table and do not feed the pup people food. It makes perfect sense. Begging is an unattractive quality. I have asked my pups time and time again, “Do I stand over you and beg while you eat your dinner?” No, I most certainly do not!

All of you, every one of you, tell me with absolute sincerity that you NEVER FEED YOUR DOG FROM THE TABLE or GIVE YOUR PUPS PEOPLE FOOD, and then all your family members stand around and swear it’s true. “Ok”, I say, “That is a good rule, and I will make sure we enforce it at camp.” As further proof of agreement, I tell you that we never feed our own dogs from the table, either. Sometimes we even lament with each other about OTHER PEOPLE who do allow their dogs to beg.

Goodbyes are said, pups are checked-in and we head inside. Eager to test the rules at camp, most pups will immediately put their feet or nose up on our counters.  Joe says this is begging. I say it most certainly is not! My pups do not beg! After all, their owners never feed them people food. Rather, they are just shopping. I offer a gentle reminder to the offending pup that we don’t run a self-serve establishment.

Occasionally, food in our house disappears right off our plates. We would never directly accuse any of our pups of stealing food. We have simply turned fixing food into a competition with a few rules. For example, never, never, under any circumstance, take your eyes off the food being fixed or the plate you have set on the table. This includes, but is not limited to, turning your back to return an item to the fridge, answering the phone or door, or going to the bathroom. If you do find the need to honor a distraction, then enlist another member of the family as your food buddy by asking, “Please watch my plate.”  When your hotdog bun is empty, the cheese is missing from a sandwich, or the piece of steak is gone, there is only one thing to do: get over it. It’s gone, fix something else, and move forward. Console yourself with the hope that you will win the gold medal for eating a cheese sandwich with cheese the next time.

Our table manners have adjusted over the years to eating while being circled by our campers. Dinner conversation is punctuated with the word NO! Our human pup, Cole, is the most adept at being able to keep dog hair and dog drool out of his plate. He can do all this while keeping his elbows off the table and chewing with his mouth closed! He makes his mother proud!  By the age of 3, Cole had mastered a look that said, “Don’t even think about it!” This skill will serve him well in life. I’m proud to say that none of my own pups are begging. Of course, SOMEONE else might say, “Why would they, when you offer them food from your plate?”  I would indignantly exclaim, “I AM NOT,” and then remind that SOMEONE about feeding Rascal ribs while she sat in his lap.

When your pups check out, I will never mention the missing hotdog or cupcake. After all, you do NOT feed your pups from the table or offer them people food, EVER. Go ahead and lie; I promise to swear to it. What happens at camp stays at camp! By the way, this includes but is not limited to, “My pup is NEVER allowed on the furniture.”

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth Jensen, PPS

Professional Pet Spoiler

Camp Run-A-Pup

773-329-6667

http://camprunapup.com/contact-me.php

Our house has a mixed blessing: a very large floor-to-ceiling front window.  This window lets in wonderful light, and when my in-laws built this house over fifty years ago, that was exactly what they had in mind. I imagine they envisioned sunlight flooding through the window on sunny days, and the glare from snow masquerading as sunlight flooding in during the more miserable Chicago months. (I don’t use the “W” word from April through October.) Fifty plus years later, this same window has evolved into my nemesis.

In the early days of Camp Run-A-Pup, it was charming to see our campers sitting in the window as we went to and fro. Albert would sit on the ottoman and Skippy would curl up on the couch arm, peering out the window. Soon, other campers would join them and they would all find places to enjoy looking out the window, watching the comings and goings of our neighborhood. Looking in the window from the outside often caused me to think, “Wow, this would make such a cute picture!”

Our neighbors must have felt the same way because soon our window became the “must see” stop on their walks. Our front lawn became the neighborhood highlight. The neighbors would look in and the pups would look out. I wondered if anyone was humming, “How much is that puppy in the window?” 

Ours was a peaceable kingdom until the day our Jack Russell, Rascal, entered the picture with a strong and vocal opinion. Rascal was not going to be anyone’s window dressing. Outsiders were no longer allowed to look in the window. It is common dog training knowledge that it takes about … well, once for one dog to teach another dog bad habits. Soon Rascal, in the style of General Patton, made it abundantly clear that if another dog or person passed in front of the window, all campers should immediately go into attack mode. Barking, jumping, lunging, and snarling were a few of their tactics. This happened most often when I was on the phone.

Our peaceable kingdom soon became a full-fledged riot scene. The neighbors would stop to “ahhh” at the window filled with what appeared to be tranquil, adorable pups - large, small, furry, not so furry. The next moment, the window would erupt and the neighbors would stay to enjoy the show: Camp Run-A-Muck. The campers would be charging the window at full steam and volume. I would come running into the room waving my magic wand, (wooden spoon) chasing pups, trying to catch them as they leaped and lunged and circled back to take another go at it.  From the outside it must have looked like a scene from silent movie.  I swear the ice cream man made a fortune selling refreshments after the show.

My dear husband, Joe, managed the situation much better than I could. I guess a large man with crazy hair, a beard, and a very loud voice is taken more seriously than a woman running around swinging a wooden spoon. To my credit, Joe is still alive after announcing one night while discussing the problem, “Well, you just have to tell them “settle” like you MEAN IT.”  Thank you for sharing, Joe.

The next morning, I grabbed the Tribune and wallpapered the bottom row of the windows. The show was over. Some homeowners may have worried about the aesthetics, but I was more concerned about going deaf.  True, newspaper wasn’t the most attractive decorating choice, but it did the job. Once we confirmed that to both our pups and our neighbors, out of sight meant out of mind, we did come up with a more attractive window dressing solution for the bottom portion of our windows.

Our days and nights are back to being peaceable!  We can now sit in the living room and have a conversation without screaming over the thunderous sounds of barking dogs, and this has added to the overall quality of our family life. The ice cream man has moved on, having met his retirement goal, and our neighbors have found new forms of entertainment.  Now, if we could just talk the mailman, UPS man, and Fed Ex into delivering our mail and packages again! (Although we have discovered that chasing them down the block is excellent exercise.)

Memorial Day starts our summer season, which will be barking through Labor Day. My campers are looking longingly at the kiddy pools, gearing up to enjoy the dog days of summer. Have you made your pup’s summer camp reservation?

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth

http://camprunapup.com/contact-me.php

Ever since I was a little girl, my mother has held conversations with me through our pups. No, the pups aren’t channeling the spirit of my mother. She is very much alive and well. She just uses the dogs sort of like puppets, if you will. On a recent visit, it went something like this:

Rumor: What did you bring us?

Katybeth: Well, two antler ears.

Dazzle: Oh boy! Mom, did you hear that? Our sissie bought us two antler ears!!

Katybeth: Did you miss me?

Dazzle: I did … Rumor didn’t. Can I have her antler ear? You are not going to dress us up in silly costumes this visit are you?

Rumor: Well, at least she doesn’t balance a bone on your nose.

Katybeth: Hey, have you learned that trick YET??

Rumor: It’s a really dumb trick.

Katybeth: It is not! We once had a Doberman that let me balance a gyroscope on her nose. That was something!

Rumor: It’s a dumb trick. I’m a show dog — obedience trained — not a circus dog.

Katybeth: Good thing, since you can’t even balance and catch a cookie placed on your nose!

Dazzle: You can’t do it Rumor, admit it.

Rumor: Dazzle, don’t make me bite you.

Mom: Now girls, let’s not fight. What about those antler ears? Later we can talk about your Great Aunt Circe and the gyroscope!

Since this has been going on since the beginning of my time, I totally forget that, well … Rumor and Dazzle cannot really talk. Over the years, our family dogs and I have built some interesting relationships - with my mom’s help.

Now along comes my human pup who is now age 12. He and his Jack Russell are best buddies. She thinks he is wonderful and calls him “brother.” They have conversations all the time. He might remind me that it’s really me talking, but that does not stop the conversations between them. He will easily tell Rascal things that I might have to work harder to find out. For example here is how Rascal helped her brother rebound from a tough soccer team loss:

Rascal: Brother, what are you reading?

Cole:  A book about dragons. (Cole is in a post soccer pout)

Rascal: Brother, what do you think is cool about the book?

Cole: The dragon is very cool

Rascal: You know what brother?

Cole:  (Really wanting to go back to his book) WHAT RASCAL?

Rascal: When I grow up, I want to be a fire-breathing dragon!

Cole: (Rascal now has Cole’s attention) Rascal, that would be cool - especially when we lose soccer game, we SHOULD have won.

Rascal: Brother, they cheated, they all cheated! Your team was the best, really! You are a star soccer player. I wish I could bite all the members on the other team!

Cole: We did play a good game. Some of the calls were so UNFAIR.

Rascal: But you looked really cool in your red soccer shoes, and you know mom says looking cool is almost as important as winning!

Cole: I wish we had won. We should have won!

Rascal: Yes, you should have. Your team was the best. Remember when you scored that goal……it flew over the goalie’s head….flew!

And so it goes. As a mom, I might have to point out things like good sportsmanship, but not Rascal. She is all for her brother, and to her, if his team did not win—they cheated.

Now sometimes when Cole’s friends come over, the conversations become very interesting especially when I want to champion outside play instead of video games.

Cole: What do you want to play, Willie? Wii?

Willie: Not sure.

Rascal: I know! Let’s play ball! Let’s go outside and play ball! Right, Willie?

Cole: Willie does not want to play ball, Rascal. He wants to play Wii.

Rascal:  Brother says you don’t want to play ball, Willie.

Willie: Well, I didn’t say that…ball is ok…we can play ball….or something outside.

Cole: Willie, you’re not really talking to Rascal - It’s my mom talking!

Willie: Oh well, then (total confusion) let’s uh … play Wii…ok Rascal?

Rascal: Can I come? Please, can I come? After Wii can we play BALL soon?

Willie: Sure, come on Rascal. Rascal wants to play Wii, and then go outside, Cole.

Cole: (Long hard stare at mother)

If you want to build a relationship between the two-legged humans in your family and the four-legged pets, try starting a conversation between them. It works with a spouse just like it works with kids.

Rascal: Daddy, will you make bacon bones?

Joe: We don’t have any bacon.

Rascal: Oh … well, we have bones. Maybe you could go to the store and BUY bacon!

Joe: I was not planning on it. No, I don’t want to go to the store.

Rascal: Oh.

Katybeth: Rascal, you don’t need any bacon bones! Daddy has other things to do!

Joe: Well, I suppose I could go to the store. (Joe then starts humming his bacon bone song - and I suggest he pick up something for dinner as he is walking out the door.)

So you think my family is spending too much time with the dogs? Your family will never will converse with the family dog? Of course, you know your family better than I do, but can I just ask you one small question?  Why is it that when you leave your pups at camp and they say, “Bye Mom/Dad, I love you, see you soon,” you always answer, “I love you too! Be good! Have fun!!”

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth

http://camprunapup.com/contact-me.php

Every week in Santa Barbara, California a homeless man works State Street for donations. His side kicks are a dog, cat and rat. They are a family working together as a team. The man who owns them rigged a harness up for his cat so she could ride along enjoying the view atop the dog. At some point the rat joined the cat and the dog and they became a family. Agreeing not to eat each other, the rat started riding on top of the cat, who was riding on top of the dog as the homeless man walked merrily along. The dog is content to stand and let you talk to him while admiring his riders. http://tinyurl.com/647shz

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The best thing about my job is that my clients love there pups so much, the worst thing about my job is that my clients love there pups so much. Huh, you say? As spring approaches and many of you head to overcrowded dog beaches and dog parks I worry. I know how crazy you are about your pups and how much you want them to socialize and enjoy playing with other dogs; I also know the dangers and pitfalls when you bring unknown dogs, people, and toys into what is often a small over populated space. Trouble with a capital T, happens and I don’t want it to happen you or your pup! Some pups can handle this environment but many cannot and just like in the human world it can often be tough to identify who the bad dog is and who the good dog is; owners (not you of-course!) often use this time to socialize with a cell phone or a friend, and with their leash holding hand they sip Chi ice tea. Every time the park gate opens and a “new friend” arrives the park pack changes, dominates needs to be reestablished and new behavior emerges.

Dogs don’t need park/play dates to live a good life. They need you; walks on a leash, a safe place to throw a ball and with luck maybe a safe enclosed spot for an occasional run. Trips to the dog parks during peak hours from a dogs point of view might not be fun at all, running after other dogs is not the same as children playing chase, sharing a ball or toy is not a concept a dog will ever understand, having multiple other dogs sniff you while having to figure out who is friend and who is foe is stressful.

My suggestion is to enjoy long walks with your dogs instead of the free for all park play, if you do frequent dog parks or beaches go during non peak hours leaving the toys at home. Don’t bring treats; which can quickly breed contempt. At the park, you be your dogs buddy. Stay aware, watch your dog for signs of trouble and always have you leash in hand ready to snap on your pup’s collar. Call your dog to you frequently and tell him to sit, releasing him after a short time out and a reassuring scratch behind the ears.

Smile at those that claim that you are being over protective, trust me there tune will change fast if and when there pup is challenged. It always does. Please play safe this summer and don’t make me worry!

Our Italian greyhounds Jillas and Shamus and there puppy brother Enzo are camping with us this week. Enzo has a summer hair cut which should last him through next summer and still adorable. I am going to hunt down his groomer. Maddie and Madison have become fast camp friends, and our boy Caesar arrived tonight with his usual style—part royalty and part goof. Rascal, our Jack Russell and camp mascot, attended two soccer games this week end sporting her Italia Soccer shirt—ok already I admit it, I paid a ridiculous amount for Rascal to have an Italia soccer shirt that matches her human brothers Italia soccer shirt. However, my human pup also has bright glossy red soccer shoes this year and if Rascal wants a pair of those shoes-I am saying absolutely not. You have to draw the line somewhere, right? And I don’t want them both to end up in Kansas in the event of an unintentional click!

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth

http://camprunapup.com/contact-me.php
 

Sleeping late is a myth in our house. Fortunately, I enjoy early mornings, so generally I greet each day with enthusiasm. However, just once in awhile, sleeping in on a Sunday would be nice. Sleeping in would be an optimistic 7am. This Sunday morning, I had high hopes. Everyone had played hard yesterday, gone to bed late, and seemed more than ready to sleep long and hard. So I was surprised when I heard the first signs of rise and bark at about 5:45am. Ok, I say to myself, it’s Sunday and I refuse to get up before 6:30am.  I growl a bit and everyone seems to quiet down. Of course, then I have to go to the bathroom.  If I get up and head to the bathroom, I am doomed. I’m not sure how, but Albert, the Yorkie, seems to sense my dilemma and gives a hopeful little bark. I glare. Lady starts to pace. Rascal, who is never an early riser, growls at Lady. The Sunday newspaper is delivered and Scooby lets out a loud beagle howl, making sure that we all know. Ok, I surrender. Time to get up, time to go out, time for breakfast, and perhaps, with a little luck, time for a Sunday mid-morning snooze.

Kramer is a big boy - perhaps a mix between a Giant Schnauzer and a Lab. He is undeniable cute. During this week’s camp stay, I promised his owners a “camp clean-up”. A neighborhood grooming salon allows me to clean up some of my more “stately” campers using their facility, so Kramer and I availed ourselves of their hospitality. We soaped him up, cleaned behind and in his ears, and finished off with a pawdicure.  As we were in the final drying stages, I needed to run out to my car. The owner of the salon offered to keep an eye on Kramer. I came back into the store about five minutes later. At this point the shop portion of the store was busy. Kramer, waiting in the grooming area behind a five foot fence, saw me and before anyone could grab him, he came barreling towards me, jumped the fence, (sending several customers dodging and diving) and plowed right into me. I was knocked back into a grooming display onto my tee-hiny-hocus where Kramer happily landed on my lap. I was surrounded by shampoo and promotional flyers, with a happy, damp but clean, very large Kramer on my lap. Several customers came right over and asked, “Oh my gosh, is he hurt?” I just smiled, enjoying what could only be described as a Marmaduke moment.

Joe put up a new gate in the back yard, and if you’ve ever read the children’s book, Give a Mouse a Cookie, you know what that means. The new gate looks go good it has inspired us to come up with a landscape plan. Our plan does not include lavish flower beds or vegetable gardens. Our main consideration is what kind of shrubs will work best when a herd of pups barrel through playing a rousing game of chase. A grassy lawn is not in our future, but research proves that dogs love pee gravel and wood chips. For those of you who have landscaping skills we would love your ideas.

It’s always good to see Fred who joined us for his annual spring camp visit. Izzy makes me smile - she is so gentle with an almost mystical way about her. Sami and Doolin, the Wheaton pups, have been playing until they are played out.

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth

http://camprunapup.com/contact-me.php

It’s always amazes me how much world news shows up at camp.  Airport snarls and weather across the country are quickly reported through e-mail and phone calls as camp parents call to inform me of delays. Some call me, out of breath, sounding afraid that I will just open the gate at the appointed check out time, pat my furry camper on the back side and shut the gate as they run along home. Not! They’re mine, until you arrive, of course.

The value of the American dollar is reflected in family vacation plans. As the American dollar has dipped and many camp families have elected to stay closer to home, Washington D.C. has become a popular destination. A few years ago, airfares to Italy and Paris dropped, and my camper families took advantage of the deals.  Istanbul became a hot travel spot. I have since read that it is still growing as a travel destination. Where is Istanbul, again?  When my inquiring mind wants to know what’s happening outside the camp gates, I tune into my campers’ families.

Do you like Jeff Foxworthy? He is the redneck, “Here’s your sign” guy. Last week a camp dad shows up with the family Lab. We meet and greet and I ask him for his Lab’s food. He looks at me a little strangely and says, “Oh, I did not know I was supposed to bring food.” I assure him we have plenty to share. He continues to puzzle about the situation and says, “Well, I fed her this morning.” Oh, well then I guess she is good for a week! Here is your sign! We can laugh, because this sort of thing has happened to all of us.

The weather is turning warmer. Really! Ok, maybe. In any case, this is just a reminder to watch out for your pups’ paws. Every year as spring is sprung and our pups head out for longer walks or head to the beach, paws are cut on glass and other sharp objects that have been uncovered.  Along the same line, pups need pedi’s too and a “pawdicure” can save your pup pain, and save you an expensive trip to the vet if a nail is torn.

As I am writing, Zoey and Zander, our two littlest campers, are trying to convince Maks and George that they are not stuffed toys. Emma and Paris are keeping an eye on Joe, making sure he puts up our new gate properly.  Ambrose and Cooper just want to have fun. 

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth

http://camprunapup.com/contact-me.php

Spring Break started March 24^th and will continue into next week with Cole’s break starting on Monday.  With the masses heading out in search of warmer places and sunnier skies, camp has been barking. This is, of course, a good thing.Being in the pup business, paper towels are one of my hobbies. I was delighted to hear that Bounty is ranked as one of the strongest. I knew it.  If you find paper towels fascinating, (and really, who doesn’t?) visit http://tinyurl.com/2jgxrv  to see how your paper towel ranks.

Deer antlers, or deer ears as we fondly call them at camp, continue to keep our pups amused. We satisfied all the Doberman folk and ordered more. You can now order deer antlers online through the website, www.camprunapup.com. Send me pictures of your pups enjoying a good chew and I will show them off on the website.

Joey, the clever Beagle, kept me from producing my first You Tube video. After he ate an entire chocolate bunny and - we swear! - replaced the package so nobody would be the wiser, we decided on a You Tube sting. Perhaps the funnier video would have been the “set up” lead by two grownups. First, we set up the web cam on the counter and positioned it just right. On the table we casually put a ham sandwich, a glass of water and a few jelly beans. The Joey bait was set. Then Joe (the husband) loudly announced he was going upstairs. I followed with a loud announcement that I was planning to nap, and Cole headed outside. We all waited in anticipation for Joey to maneuver himself up on the table (we would finally see how he does it!) and take the bait, all caught on camera! When we gathered again, the table was untouched and Joey was snoring in a chair. Several more casual attempts yielded the same results. Hey, this is our life at Camp Run-A-Pup. Ok Joey, as every Chicagoan knows, there is always next time!!

(Are you wondering if the chocolate bunny made Joey sick? Not even the runs! Regular chocolate can upset a dog’s tummy but it’s not fatal. On the other hand, baker’s chocolate is a real risk.)

We have added lots of new pictures to the website photo album, so when you have a chance to sit a spell, enjoy the show. I have been updating frequently, and the newest pictures are always at the beginning of the album.

It will be a busy summer, so please make your camp reservations early.  Our only cancellation policy is, “Tell me if you are not planning to show up.” And I would much rather have you book early and cancel than to have to tell you, “Sorry, we are booked.”

Speaking of policies, I am often asked about “camp policies”. I’ll admit it, we really don’t have any.  I have a hard time remembering rules, (Cole takes full advantage) and I really enjoy saying yes and making you happy, so I try to do just that as often as I can.   Other times we just do “what works”. Sometimes it works for a late night pick-up and sometimes it doesn’t.  On some holidays, I can accommodate a check-in or check-out and on others, I can’t. We are coming into soccer season and most of our weekend check-in/out will be scheduled around soccer. This can mean less flexibility on the weekends, but we will figure it out with you. I do appreciate it when you show up on time, and when you can’t, I appreciate it when you call to let me know.  Tell me what works for you, I will tell you what works for us, and by golly, we will just do what works! (Can I put that in my business plan?)

We twitter camp updates throughout the day at http://twitter.com/CampRunAPup. Twitter is a 140 word blog. It’s enough space to at least tell you that Camp is Good,  a blog has been posted, or let you know we have posted new pictures. Our Picasa web album is located at http://tinyurl.com/3ygfqa.

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!

Katybeth

 Rumor enjoys her Deer Antler

What do you do when your Mom goes to her Doberman list and announces you would be happy to order and ship deer antlers to her listmates? Naturally, you go into the deer antler business, answering lots and lots of e-mails, sending lots and lots of PayPal invoices, and buying deer antler boxes to get ready for the process of shipping deer antlers, (or deer ears, as my human pup calls them).
Luckily for me, this en”deer”vor includes the whole family. Joe matches orders, Cole stuffs boxes, and naturally, my campers check out the product. Trying to explain to my precious furs that the deer antlers are now merchandise and not to be randomly chewed is a challenge I have lost. So some of my deer antlers are slightly chewed, but hey, what’s a slightly chewed deer antler between good dogs?
Deer antlers are really the best doggone chews I have found. They are clean, natural, long-lasting, don’t splinter, and so far have caused very few, if any, digestive upsets. Deer antlers also look really, really cool, and a cool chew is to a pup what an iPhone is to a human … well, maybe. Where do you go if you want to find out more information about deer antlers? Naturally, you visit our deer antler blog, www.deerantlersforpups.com.
My campers are all tired of winter. (Well really, who isn’t?) My yard looks like it has been taken over by weather terrorists. I have seriously considered renaming the business Camp Run-A-Muck. Working to solve the problem, I talked to one optimistic landscaper who suggested flourishing flowers. However, I think I will go with the landscaper who discussed the value of good drainage. Tulips vs. a sump pump … ya think? I have also tapped into the never-ending resources at the online community, Ask Liz Ryan, for landscaping suggestions,(http://tinyurl.com/33nved ). The weather terrorists really don’t have a chance.
In an effort to keep my campers’ families up to date on the latest camp news, I have become a twit. Joe asks, “Is this new?” My husband is really not as nice as you all claim!! Follow the latest camp news at twitter http://twitter.com/CampRunAPup. Some days you will get juicy camp news, and some days I will barely eek out a Camp Is Good, but you will always know that we are thinking of you.
The catalog company, In the Company of Dogs, is on my bite list. After three incorrect Christmas orders, and a hold time of 46 minutes listening to scratchy Christmas music and a recorded “thank you for your patience,” I thought I would never order from them again. However, I was hooked into ordering an Italia soccer jersey for Rascal. Can you blame me? It matched Cole’s Italia soccer jersey! (And you wonder if I am like you?) I waited three weeks for it to arrive and once again they sent the wrong size. The size I ordered is on back order. Rascal will have to sacrifice some bacon bones. I told the good folks at In the Company of Dogs that I no longer wanted their company.

Camp Is Good, Hope you are too!
Katybeth