Monday, January 3, 2011

Shauna Stewart & Mickey and Kayloo

Who is in the photo at right?

Hi! My name is Shauna and I blog for Fido and Wino.

I have two goofy, wonderful dogs:

- Mickey, a 2 1/2 year old chihuahua/terrier (the brown one).
- Kayloo, a 2 year old pitbull/aussie cattle dog (black and white one).

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

I work from home so I spend a lot of time talking to my monitor, myself and my dogs. I use grabbing a daily cuppa joe as an excuse to interact with real humans in the real world.

What's brewing?

A great big soy Africano.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

I try not to dilute my caffeine with buzz killing carbs.

Any treat for your dogs on this occasion?

A strip of dehydrated duck or two.

You are active member of the R.O.A.R. Squad--what's that?

The R.O.A.R. Squad stands for Rescue Owners Are Rockin'! The idea is to make adopting a rescue the coolest thing around by introducing current and prospective pet owners to inspiring rescue owners.

Every day thousands of people decide to add a pet to their home. And every day people unwittingly support puppy mills by purchasing their pets from pet stores and online- unknowingly keeping these puppy mills in business by buying their “product.”

I started this project in April 2010 and by April 2011 my goal is to feature:
- at least one rescue owner from every state in the US
- at least one rescue owner from every province and territory in Canada

Click here for a list of all the current ROAR Squad members.

We are about 70% of the way there! If you have a rescue pet and you would like to join the ROAR Squad that would be fabulous! You can learn more about what info to send through here.

How were you and Mickey and Kayloo united?

Mickey was our first and my husband and I basically did everything wrong when it comes to adding an animal to your home: We started looking online, ended up going to a broker and didn't meet Mickey's parents. That whole experience lead us to start looking into animal rescue and a few months later when we decided to get a buddy for Mickey we scoured Petfinder.com to find Kayloo (Kayloo came from the Victoria Pet Adoption Society). Kayloo is the original inspiration behind the R.O.A.R. Squad.

Tennis ball, Frisbee, squeaky-toy...?

Both of my dogs like squeaky toys. Right now their favourite toy is an itty bitty squeaky teddy bear. It's a cat toy. Disgraceful.

Where is your dogs' favorite place for an outing?

They love going to the local university- there are hills and trails and mud as well as a compost heap in one corner. Messy dog heaven.

Who are your dogs' best pet-pals?

Each other. Mickey forgets how to walk properly when Kayloo isn't there and Kayloo trips over herself in happiness when they are reunited.

What is each dog's most endearing quality?

When Mickey is tired we call him Sack of Potatoes Puppy because he will let you haul him anywhere and fall asleep immediately upon being set down (normally he is really squirmy).

As I mentioned I work from home and several times a day Kayloo comes into my office for a "hug." She'll stand in front of me, wait for me to give her a hug and rub her belly and then she will go back to wherever she was hanging out.

If Mickey and Kayloo could change one thing about you, what would it be?

They would get me to quit holding out on the treats, already (I don't give them very many. This is because I'm mean, basically).

What is each dog's proudest moment? Most embarrassing?

Most embarrassing for Mickey: When he was a pup he had a thing for waiting until we got halfways across a crosswalk before squatting down to do his bid-ness. I can't even count how many times he did this... in front of all kinds of traffic... at rush hour. That was pretty awesome.

Proudest moment for Kayloo: She passed her therapy dog test. I was so nervous, she did great!

Visit the Fido & Wino blog.

Learn more about the R.O.A.R. Squad.

--Marshal Zeringue