is a chocolate Lab. born around 2012 Hershey has hip issues, and is afraid of the floor in the kitchen. He needs the rugs in place to not deal with "the floor is lava" issues.
Xander
is a big lovable mutt. he has so many potential breeds in him we just call him our yellow dog.
The Cats
Furby
Furby is an older cat, born around 2006 - 2007, she is a long haired black cat. She currently is exihibiting a continence issue. using a cleaning cloth on the surfaces she pees on is required to keep the house clean and well kept.
She has been trimmed to clear up some of the clumped fur, as she doesn't clean herself very well any more.
"Garbie" or "Garbage"
joined our family in 2019. Garbie is a mostly black, almost callico cat. She is precocious, and loves to play "murder paws" with you.
non-4 legged "animals"
Rob - Steer clear of Rob, he's a handful and then some.
Feeding the animals
Meals
breakfast is usually served mid morning. & Dinner sometime between 9 & 11 PM.
the dogs each get
* 1/2 of a solo cup (about 1/2 a cup) of dry dog food. on top of that they share a packet of soft food.
And can have french fries, or other human food that is left over.
PLEASE do not give them onion, chocolate etc.
The cats each get
* 1/4 of a can of wet food, plus about 1 - 2 tablespoons of dry food mixed together.
Furby also gets a ramikin of milk with her meal (just enough milk to coat the bottom of the ramikin, so she feels like she is getting a treat). both cats like cream cheese...
Snacks
the dogs get at least a portion of a dog biscuit each time they come in from outside. Even if all they do is go out and come back in - but don't let them doo this too often.
After eating their meals they each get 1 full cookie.
When you go to the bathroom, the expect a cookie as well. just give them a part of a cookie, they won't know the difference.
we tend to also bribe the dogs with cookies to quiet them down when people come in and out. they are VERY loud when people leave or enter the room they are in. but especially when they come in the house.
the cats get cat treats a couple of times a day. just a small handful for each. though you have to put down the snacks for them in separate places. 3 - 4 treats at a time is a LARGE portion for them.
Bedtime routines
The dogs
each dog gets 3 cookies when we go up to bed. you have to hand them each one at a time otherwise Hershey will steal them all. (he's a little piggie really).
The cats
Furby gets a ramikin of milk (especially if she didn't get
Potty breaks
The dogs get potty breaks before and after each meal, and Xander will let you know when he needs a break in the middle of the day. Hershey may or may not go out each time Xander does.
The cats: their litter boxes should be cleaned at the very least every week for Tuesday night trash pickup.
When you leave the house ...
When leaving the house for any length of time (5 minutes or more...
put the garbage can from the kitch into the downstairs bathroom and close the door.
Otherwise they will EAT the garbage.
Also put away any snacks, especially chocolate that is out, or they will get up on the table or counters and get it.
(yes they are devil dogs about being left alone)...
the cats are mellow about it all, but will give you zoomie time for a good 20 minutes on your return.