Last week, Mom said there was a package for me – for me! Even better, it was gifted to me from PetSafe. I secretly hoped it was another box of dog biscuits, because every time she opens one of those boxes, I’m allowed to help myself to one…or two…of the treats. I was already drooling by the time I realized that this was no treat box. It was a short black round cylinder that came with a number of instructions. Inside the box there were white flags, battery chargers and a bulky black collar – which, I thought was a little odd since I already have a nice blue one with little white stars on it.

I sat in the kitchen, while Mom told me that sometimes I scare her when I run after squirrels. But can you blame me? If you could, you would chase after them too! They’ve got those little black eyes and big bushy tails – you can’t trust anything with a big bushy tail. So every week, I run them out of our yard, careful to stop at the pavement. I’m not allowed to cross the street by myself, but sometimes, I admit, it’s tempting. I mean, have you ever been taunted by a squirrel? Mom knows that I hate being taunted by the them and every now and then she wonders if one day, I’ll break the rules and run across the street to continue the chase. I wouldn’t though, I’d rather stay in the yard and play fetch with her than run down a squirrel any day. But when PetSafe sent us the Stay + Play Wireless Fence system, Mom thought maybe – just maybe – this might be good for a little extra squirrel chasing insurance.

The short black cylinder, which I sniffed sufficiently, is the boundary transmitter. Mom said that she could place it anywhere in our house and it would set up an invisible boundary line around our property line. The black collar, I found out, would vibrate if I accidentally tripped the circular boundary line, telling me that I needed to back up. It all sounded safe enough, the transmitter was portable and could easily be repositioned and the collar wouldn’t shock me like an electric fence. There was just one problem – the invisible boundary varied sometimes, due to the radio waves on which it relies. Sometimes the boundary was right at the property line, sometimes it spilled into the road and sometimes it landed in the middle of our yard. Talk about confusing. So Mom shortened the boundary in the front so there would a little wiggle room for error. And as it turns out, all Mom has to do is call my name and I’ll run back to her faster than a bushy-tailed squirrel.

Benny Hitt is the sweetest pup you’ll meet. Doesn’t know a stranger and always wants to greet you with a hug. He loves showing off his favorite toys and will chaotically run in circles upon your arrival trying to remember where he last left his favorite rawhide so that he can proudly flaunt it for you. He has 35 nicknames, impeccable treat tasting capabilities, an expansive vocabulary, strong squirrel radar and is the best distraction around the Adrian Hitt Photography offices. 

It’s that time of year! The annual changing of my collars

My fall collar:

Pretty snazzy if I say so myself!

Benny is the coolest pup you’ll meet. With a built-in radar for dog parks, impeccable treat tasting capabilities, an expansive vocabulary and strong squirrel sensors, he was a no-brainer for the writer of our dog product reviews. Being the rescue who inspired Adrian’s dog photography, expect to see a lot of him around here!

If your parents are like my parents, they probably have a really fun time picking up our fur off the floor and vacuuming it off the carpet. I recently found out that they don’t have to throw that stuff away!  (I always knew my fur was valuable and shouldn’t go to waste.) A non-profit organization called Matter of Trust is calling all pet parents and salon owners to start collecting hair, or in our case, fur. They are using the fur to collect oil that has spilled into the gulf. The oil spill is such a tragedy for all of our ocean-based animal friends and this is a great way to help out! One pound of fur can soak up 1 quart of oil in just a minute. We can put our fur to good use and keep the shores clean and the wildlife safe. Be sure to tell your mom and dad to sign up and they will send you further instructions about how we can help out!

Benny is the coolest pup you’ll meet. With a built-in radar for dog parks, impeccable treat tasting capabilities, an expansive vocabulary and strong squirrel sensors, he was a no-brainer for the writer of our dog product reviews. Being the rescue who inspired Adrian’s dog photography, expect to see a lot of him around here!

Today was a good day…no, a great day. This afternoon my mom decided to cook something. It seemed a bit too early for their dinner, but she was using some of the usual ingredients – vegetables, rice, cheese – you know, human food. I decided to go upstairs to relax on my super comfy green couch to avoid being tempted by the food – it is just so hard sometimes. Anyway, I guess I dozed off because about 15 minutes later I was woken up by a delicious smell. I ran downstairs and to my surprise I was greeted by a warm treat right out of the oven – strange indeed. The smell was very indicative of the taste – fresh vegetables, a hint of egg, cheese and even a bit of applesauce all wrapped up into one warm, soft cookie. And, they say it’s healthy for us so you better behave and maybe your mom might bake you one too. What a T-R-E-A-T! (Like we don’t know what it means when they spell things out…)

And, thanks to Kat at See Spot Eat – please keep sharing these wonderful dog recipes like these Tongue Teasers.

Benny is the coolest pup you’ll meet. With a built-in radar for dog parks, impeccable treat tasting capabilities, an expansive vocabulary and strong squirrel sensors, he was a no-brainer for the writer of our dog product reviews. Being the rescue who inspired Adrian’s dog photography, expect to see a lot of him around here!

This weekend, I was invited to go on a garage sale/antique-ing adventure with Adrian and Brian. I was hesitant to go, especially considering the early morning departure time and all of the squirrel action in the backyard, but to my surprise, it turned into quite an eventful day. And, to top things off, I found this amazing book that is required reading for all true dogs – definitely on my top five list of books. Written by our favorite Rex and Sparky, The Dangerous Book for Dogs, outlines all of the behaviors, actions, and characteristics that make us the wonderful species that we are and provides answers to any questions you might have about leading the fullest dog’s life. Now, be forewarned that our human friends might not agree with everything in this book, so you might want to keep it in a safe spot.

Here are some of my favorite sections, but there are plenty of interesting things that every one of you should find out.

• Questions About the World: Ever wondered why there is only one dinnertime a day or what it means to be a good boy? Don’t work your brain any harder, just pick up a copy and turn to page 53.

• Squirrels: I know you all probably know the difference between Fox Squirrels and Gray Squirrels, but did you know that our friends in Japan have to deal with Japanese Giant Flying Squirrels! I don’t know if I’d be up for that challenge…

• Riding in a Car Also a no-brainer, but it was new information to me about what those gray lights mean. Top is “Stay”, bottom is “Come”, and middle is “Speed up and use the horn.”

• Chase Dreams Have you ever had the dream when a giant squirrel dressed as a banana shows up at your door with a five-pound porterhouse but you rush past him to go after a butterfly? If so, you definitely fear commitment. Maybe it’s time you start writing your dreams down…

• Training a New Human I’ve got my humans pretty trained, you may even say whipped, but for those of you who are headed to a new home or just need a little work on getting everything you need from your humans, read this section very carefully. To begin, I’ll let you in on one key fact: Spend time with them. “The key to dealing with humans is familiarity. The more familiar a human is with you, the more likely he is to accept your commands. Don’t be afraid to run up to him on occasion or follow him around. This reinforces the notion that you are a now a constant presence in his life that he needs to consider, as well as ensuring that you get more scratching.”

With that, I hope you’ll all go out and find this wonderful book. There is so much more to read about, including a laundry list of mischievous tricks.

Benny is the coolest pup you’ll meet. With a built-in radar for dog parks, impeccable treat tasting capabilities, an expansive vocabulary and strong squirrel sensors, he was a no-brainer for the writer of our dog product reviews. Being the rescue who inspired Adrian’s dog photography, expect to see a lot of him around here!

Have you ever wondered how I spend my mornings? Well, after a few doga stretches and a quick minute outside, I usually run straight to my toy basket. If I’m not in the mood to chew on my rawhide, I go straight for my canine genius toy. I take it to my mom and she fills it with treats, kibble and organic Cheerios. Yum! I love this thing. I hit it, throw it, chew on it and treats just magically fall out. How rad is that? I usually play with it until I’ve eaten all of the treats or fallen asleep for my morning nap. And there you have it – one of my favorite toys and how I spend my mornings. Woof!

Benny is the coolest pup you’ll meet. With a built-in radar for dog parks, impeccable treat tasting capabilities, an expansive vocabulary and strong squirrel sensors, he was a no-brainer for the writer of our dog product reviews. Being the rescue who inspired Adrian’s dog photography, expect to see a lot of him around here!