4 Wheeler with a Roll Bar

Hugo says his Great Grandpa has no trouble keeping up outside when he rides his 3 wheel scooter. As a matter of fact, sometimes he's too fast and is slightly accident prone. Using a site like mobility compare might be a good idea next time he's buying a scooter so he gets one that is stable on rough ground because at 96 G-Grandpa is still a 'going-concern'.

G-Grandpa went over backward on his scooter when it was new and the seat was too far back and he was going up an incline. A plane flew over, G-Grandpa looked up and over he went. Luckily there was a grassy place where his head hit as he slid sideways and backwards off the scooter.

It wasn't easy getting the scooter upright. G-Grandpa was fine and was back on his feet in a minute and he and Grandma Heather lifted the scooter back onto it's wheels, adjusted the seat and he was back in business (with a lesson learned).

MobilityCompare.com is a site where you can can compare various mobility products from scooters to hearing aids and everything in between. Maybe we should get G-Grandpa a helmet to protect his noggin then find a new scooter with a roll bar!

While you are at Mobility Care, please sign up for their 'twice a month' newsletter. Trust me on this one, you will need all the help you can get to stay mobile and comfortable as you get older. Who knows you might live to be 96 like my G-Grandpa and NEED to get around to do your chores.

My Valentine Hugo

Hugo is my little Valentine! Someone said to me he looks like an airplane with this propellor type chew toy in his mouth. He's a darling little dog and is the best company in the world - most of the time...


Does everyone have trouble getting their dogs to take pills? Sentinel has a meat-like treat with heartworm medicine and I'm hoping Hugo will fall for that so I don't have to go through the trauma of forcing a pill down his throat.

Hugo acts like I'm trying to poison him when I make him take a tiny little pill wrapped in a treat. He eats the treat and spits out the pill, along with some attitude. So then, I have to hold him, pry his jaw open & drop the pill down his throat. Once it's in his throat I hold his mouth closed and stroke his throat until he swallows. Sometimes he tricks me though and the pill doesn't go down. All this unusual action makes him afraid and anxious and makes me feel guilty. He's pretty smart and doesn't usually fall for my tricks!

If you've ever tried to give your squirmy dog or cat a pill you will know what I mean. This sweet little, 22 pound Boston Terrier becomes an 85 pound monster who refuses to let me open his jaw. It usually takes two of us to manage him if he doesn't want to cooperate and I feel like I'm torturing him - lol.

Of course he gets lots of attention and a few treats when we finally get the job done but we're all traumatized by the action. Yep, he has me wrapped around his little paw.

Do you have any hints, stories or tips to share with me about your dog and medicine?

Santa, This Adorable Puppy is on My Wishlist!

Puppy Love Quick Tip

Hugo Says, "Accidents do happen and I guarantee your new puppy WILL pee on the floor! Be prepared, and follow this quick tip to help save your carpets and your sanity."

Meeting your new puppy is an exciting time, but is likely to be stressful for you and the pup. Keep in mind the pup most likely has lived with his parent and siblings in an area where he eats, sleeps, plays and 'does his business.' Your job as his new owner is to train him to 'do his business' in an acceptable manner in your home.

One simple but very effective tip to help you both with this transition period is to ask the breeder, a few days ahead of your pickup date, to put a newspaper in the puppy's play area.

By bringing home the newspaper which already has the puppy urine smell, it will make training your pup much easier.

Be sure you have a supply of puppy pads on hand and put one in the area where you and your pup will be spending play time. Put a sheet of the newspaper right on top of the puppy pad and your pup will immediately be attracted to that spot which already smells correct to him. Remember - it must be very close to the play area because when you gotta go, you gotta go!

Your pup will be naturally drawn to the smell of urine on the newspaper & will know where to pee immediately. He will run to that spot if it's close enough. You will have to replace the newspaper but that is simply done by dampening a clean piece of newspaper in your puppy's urine.

Every two or three days, move the placement of the puppy pad further away from your living area towards the door to the outside where he will ultimately 'do his business.'

Praise, treats and consistency in action and words will help your new best friend do his utmost to please you!

Hugo Goes Clam Digging

Hugo loves digging for clams and picking up oysters on the beach. He actually chews at the shells until they pop open and he slurps up the fruit of his labor!



Hugo knows how to show his appreciation to his new friend Linda. WHO has oyster breath???

Dog Shampoo

I remember the sweet, new puppy smell of Teddy Bear Hugo. He was the most adorable pup in the world and stole my heart.



Hugo is nearly 4 years old now and my best friend. I would be lost without him, but sometimes I wish he would just GET LOST! He loves to go play on the beach, dig in the mud, rocks and even the salt water to find oysters and clams. He carries them up to the grass, chews until he cracks the shells apart then slurps up the yummy, RAW, 'delicacy'. I prefer mine with no bits of shell, washed with clean fresh water, battered, breaded and fried beyond recognition! But, not Hugo - the smellier, saltier and grosser, the better he likes it.

Does your dog suffer from itching? Does he scratch continually and sometimes stink beyond belief? I have to tell you Hugo does, especially after being in the saltwater and he hates bathtime, making me feel guilty about his suffering. Since bathtime is a daily chore with Hugo when we're at Egmont I worry about his skin getting dry and itchy and hate to use a dog shampoo that doesn't wash out easily. I don't think dogs were meant to be sweet smelling all the time, but since Hugo sleeps with me I don't want that dirty, wet dog smell in my bed!

An all natural dog shampoo 'Dogosuds' ® made by Dinovite, sounds ideal to me to keep Hugo clean, and to keep his skin and coat healthy.

Here are the benefits of 'Dogosuds':

• Makes your dog smell CLEAN and WONDERFUL for a long time.
• Lathers beautifully ... and RINSES EASILY!
• Contains 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oils that have natural, healing properties
• Gentle soothing shampoo works well for sensitive skin.
• Is a NATURAL FLEA DETERRENT
• Contains NO CHEMICALS, NO PERFUMES, NO FILLERS, nothing to irritate or dry your dog's skin!
• Also works great to remove SKUNK odor!

I had to laugh at the thought of the last benefit. We do have skunks around Egmont and I'd hate to have Hugo run into one of those! If Dinovite makes a product to remove the skunky smell of a dog who got on the wrong end of a skunk, it sounds perfect to me.

Hugo Loves Boating

5 of us went oyster picking and clam digging yesterday. Just as we were about to untie and leave the dock, Hugo jumped right in the boat. There was no way he was going to be left behind!



He's so darn cute and everyone loves him so much, no one had the heart to tell him to get back on the float. He enjoyed every minute of his boat ride and digging clams on the beach.

Hugo Says... Look at My New Chew Toy!

This new ball is bigger than Hugo!

Hugo dragged this hard plastic buoy off the beach where it had settled on high tide. It was full of huge rotting mussels. When I realized Hugo was starting to smell like a gigantic rotting mussel from chewing on them, I took it away from him and put him in the bathtub. Couldn't get that nasty smell off his face and his breath was terrible for 3 days.

I think he's forgotten about now and is back to chewing sticks and picking up oysters on the beach to gnaw on!