New Year's Eve is Doggone Fun

   It is time for the Blogville New Year’s Eve Dance. I am honored to escort my sweetie, the gorgeous Emma from My GBGV Life. Pierre is taking her kid sister, Bailie. We always have a great time when we are together. As the more mature couple, it is our obligation to babysit keep an eye on Pierre and Bailie. They aren’t old enough to drink any of the margaritas that Ruby likes to serve. We have also witnessed them trying to twerk on the dance floor. Needless to say, Emma and I were mortified!

A Year in Review 2015

   As 2015 comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to take a photographic trip down Memory Lane. I tried to select my favorite pics of the year, but it proved more difficult than I imagined. My husband, Skipper does an incredible job taking photos of Bentley and Pierre. Although they are not the most cooperative subjects, he always makes them look as if they were natural born models. I hope that you enjoy our video compilation. 

We are looking forward to 2016 with the camera ready!

Zuke's Berry Delicious Dog Treats

Bentley: Hey everybody, guess what happened here on the Bayou! Just in time for the holidays our friend, Chewy stopped by with a bag of Zuke’s® Super Berry™ dog treats. He delivered their incredible tasting Yummy Berry Blend. Did I mention that I love Chewy.com and our Chewy friend, Miss Sydney?”

BFTB NETWoof News December 28, 2015 #dognews

Bentley: “Welcome to BFTB NETWoof News for the last week of 2015. I am Bentley Basset, your newshound extraordinaire and sharing the anchor desk with me is Pierre Westie and our Weather Lab Paisley. We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas. Santa Paws was very good to all of us. We have some great stories to end the year. Pierre, what did we choose as our top story?”

Let There Be Peace on Earth

We are finishing up our year-long photo challenge,

52 Snapshots of Life
hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull.
The last word prompt of the year is
PEACE

A Visit from Santa Paws

   Bentley and Pierre had a wonderful Christmas! They took part in the Blogville Christmas gift exchange for the first time this year. Bentley received his gifts from MyLife with Scotties’ Jacque. Pierre’s presents came from a fellow Westie named Duncan who you can find on The White Dog Blog. Both of them were thrilled with their goodies!

“Oh la la! Jacque, these Wet Nose Sweet Potato Cookies are trés bien! Merci beaucoup!” ♥

Merry Christmas ~ Happy HoHoHolidays!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Card Count

Professional Christmas Tree Trimmers

 

"Don't worry, we are professionals. It takes a steady paw to trim a proper Christmas tree."

Merry Christmas ~ Barking from the Bayou

Barking from the Bayou 
wishes you a Very Merry Christmas!

All They Want for Christmas is Dog Treats #Recipes

   Some of the best Christmas gifts are homemade and that goes for food too. Unfortunately, most of the traditional human goodies are not healthy for our best friends. All they want for Christmas is dog treats! Here are some delicious dog-approved recipes from Kurgo. Bentley and Pierre are hoping they will find these in their stockings on Christmas morning.

BFTB NETWoof News December 21, 2015

Bentley: “Welcome to BFTB NETWoof News for the week of Christmas 2015. I am your ho-ho-host Bentley Basset. Joining me at the anchor desk are our resident elves Pierre and Paisley the Weather Lab. We fetched some good dog news to start your holiday week off with but let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. There are going to be a lot of humans on Santa’s naughty list. Just sayin’. Pierre, what is our Top Story?”

Pierre: “It’s the end of the year and that means we have the Top 10 lists of everything. Since we are the very best dog news on the Bayou, I thought that it was appropriate to name America’s favorite puppies of 2015. We are featuring the Top 5 today. I find it very strange that the magnificent White West Highland Terrier is not on this short list. I think there might be some mistakes with the numbers, but never the less, here is the list.

I Saw Bentley Kissing Santa Claus

I saw Bentley Kissing Santa Claus!

Old Friends

HodgePodge Friday

We have a real hodgepodge of things to share today.

·        A few weeks ago, I was asked to participate in a project for Hallmark™ cards. My friend, Lisa Richman created an incredible video and it was released on Wednesday. You might recognize several other bloggers that were involved. I am honored and thrilled to be a part of this beautiful message. (You’ll hear me say, “I love my dogs.” and “Dear Future Generations.”) I want to thank Lisa for including me.

Confessions of A Dog Parent Snob

   Well, it’s happened. I’m not sure how or exactly when, but I’ve become a dog parent snob. Actually, I do know how, but not exactly when. It’s been over the past two years of blogging. I have become a judgmental dog parent snob. Let me explain.

   It hit me like a ton of bricks last week when I had Bentley at the vet. A man came in with his dog on a rope for its leash. It had no collar on, just a rope with a loop on one end that was serving as both collar and leash. I found myself judging this man and what kind of dog parent that he was. It disturbed me that I knew nothing of this guy or his situation but felt I could judge him. Let me tell you, I was very disappointed in myself. After all, he did have the dog at the vet so it was obvious that he cared. I might be able to let it go if this was the first time that I’d been guilty of dog parent snobbery. Unfortunately, it’s not.

   

Doppelganger Dog

We recently discovered that Bentley has his very own doppelganger! 

This adorable cookie jar is from

 Ree Drummond's 

The Pioneer Woman collection.

"Is this cookie jar mocking me?"

Je T'aime Le Dogue Bites #DrHarvey

Bentley: “As you may know, Basset Hounds are originally from France. That could account for our love of fine cuisine. At the top of my favorite treats list is Dr. Harvey’s le dogue bites. Not only do I sound trés cool saying the name, but these freeze-dried single ingredient treats are simply delectable. Je t'aime Le Dogue Bites.”

Pierre: “You don’t have to be from France to enjoy great food. The White West Highland Terrier is from Scotland and I am a huge fan of le dogue bites. In plain English, I love you, Dog Bites.”

BFTB NETWoof News December 14, 2015

Bentley: “Welcome to this week’s BFTB NETWoof News. I am your rover roving reporter Bentley and joining me at the anchor desk is Pierre and our Weather Lab Paisley. We have fetched some great stories for you. Pierre, will you tell them the Top Story?”

Pierre: “It would be my pleasure. We here at BFTB are joining some of our best friends to give you a chance at winning $250! You read that right, two—hundred and fifty smackeroos. We have a Rafflecopter entry at the end of this broadcast for you to enter. Then, you can pop over to the other nine blogs and enter on their sites too. That means you can have ten (10) chances to win. Unless, you don’t need extra spending cash this Christmas!”

Happy 2nd Bogiversary to Us!

Me: “Hey boys, guess what day it is?”

Bentley: “Is it Christmas?”

Pierre: “Woo Hoo! Let’s go see what Santa brought us!”

Me: “It’s not Christmas. It is our second blogiversary! That means that we have been Barking from the Bayou for two years!”

Bentley: “Do we get presents?”

Pierre: “And cake…please let there be cake.”

5 Tips for Being a Good Pet Neighbor

  Are you a good pet neighbor? There are a few common courtesies that will keep you from being “that person with the dogs/cats.”

We Choose Jones Natural Chews Co. #MakingDogsSmile

This post is sponsored by Jones Natural Chews and the BlogPaws® Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping promote all natural dog treats made in the USA, but Barking from the Bayou/mkclintoncom only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Jones Natural Chews is not responsible for the content of this article.

   Christmas is a very busy time at Jones Natural Chews. That’s because every good puppy and dog have Jones meat treats on their wish list. It is the must-have dog stocking stuffer this year. You shouldn’t be surprised since Jones Natural Chews are 100% all natural ingredients that are certified grown and made in the USA. Most of their products are single ingredient treats and that includes their bones. With a variety of delicious treats from beef, chicken, lamb, pork, rabbit and venison, the Jones family has been making dogs smile since 1970. Their history as meat cutters and butchers can be traced back sixteen decades. Needless to say, they know meat. That’s why we always choose Jones’ dog treats!

Christmas Travel is for the Dogs

   Does your holiday trip over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house include your dog? Here are some interesting facts about traveling with your dog this season thanks to my friends at Kurgo®.

Super Models or Just Diva Dogs

   We were looking through our thousands of photos this week and came upon this gem from summer. The boys are usually very tolerant of the countless photo shoots that are required of them. However, on this day they preferred to chill in the grass.

Applause for Raw Paws

   We recently won a bag of Raw Paws® Pet Food Green Tripe from our pal, Oz the Terrier. I had read really great reviews on their meats and treats from other raw feeders. If you are a regular visitor here on the Bayou, you know that I have been feeding the boys prepared raw food for several months. One of the problems that I have with raw feeding is finding a reliable source of proteins.

BFTB NETWoof News December 7 2015 #DogNews

Bentley: “Hello and welcome to this week’s BFTB NETWoof News. I’m your ace news reporter Bentley and joining me at the anchor desk are Pierre Westie and our Weather Lab Paisley. We have fetched this week’s dog news so there’s no need for you to dig it up. Pierre, what is our Top Story?”

Selfie Assured

I've been practicing my "good boy" look for when I visit Santa! Does this look sincere?

A Bokeh for You

Do you have a dog or cat loving reader on your Christmas list?   

Give them the gift of laughter with my book series.

The Returns & The Returns 2~Showstoppers

The Party's Over

Bentley: “I’d like to thank everyone for all of the happy birthday wishes. It really put a wag in my tail to see so many people thought about me. I was pretty much spoiled from the time I opened my eyes until I crashed out from pupcakes and partying! Let me share the party highlights with you.

Happy Birthday, Bentley Basset

Happy 8^th Birthday

Bentley!

   I can’t believe that it has been 8 years since Bentley joined our family. He is without a doubt the most special dog I’ve ever loved. ♥ If you haven’t read “Bentley’s Story,” take a few minutes and discover how he came to be my soul dog.

   We will celebrate today with a special dinner, treats, pupcakes and doggie ice cream. Oh, did I mention presents? Yes, he has a few gifts to enjoy. It should be a very fun day!

I made this birthday video in honor of his special day. I hope that you like it.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for party pictures.

Getting Ready for Christmas with #PetSmartGrooming

   This post is sponsored by PetSmart® and the BlogPaws™ Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about PetSmart Grooming Salons, but Barking from the Bayou/mkclinton.com only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

   A few weeks ago, we took Pierre to be groomed at our local PetSmart® Grooming Salon. He was long overdue since I had spent some time searching for a new groomer. Several of my friends who take their dogs to PetSmart had recommended them. It is always best to talk to others that have used a particular salon. I’m happy to report that taking their advice was a terrific idea! Now, I'm the one recommending PetSmart Grooming services.

Tractor Supply Co. ~ It's Not Just For Farmers #TractorSupply

This post is sponsored by Tractor Supply Company and the BlogPaws® Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Tractor Supply Company, but Barking from the bayou/mkclinton.com only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Tractor Supply is not responsible for the content of this article.

     If a farmer is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear Tractor Supply Co.®, then you need to think again! Sure, it has great farm supplies but they also carry an extensive line of pet products. You can find everything that you need to keep your dog or cat healthy and happy. That includes an assortment of toys and training devices. It is the perfect place for money-conscience Santa shoppers to check off their pet’s entire wish list.

BFTB NETWoof News November 30 2015

Bentley: “Hello, friends and welcome to BFTB NETWoof News. We fetch the best dog news around. That means you don’t have to dig it up yourself. Of course, we have our Weather Lab Paisley with the forecast so you’ll know what to expect when you head outside. What is our top story, Pierre?”

Me, My Selfie & I

Selfies can be “ruff” with short Basset Hound arms!

He's Not Sorry

This is how I usually stand at the kitchen sink. It is easier to straddle Bentley than it is to move him! He's not sorry. LOL!

Christmas Gift Guide for Dogs Video

We know many of our friends are out in the hustle and bustle of Black Friday Christmas shopping. Bentley and Pierre wanted to share some of their favorite gift ideas to make shopping for your best friend easier. I hope that you enjoy our video and get some great ideas to make your holiday shopping fun~tastic! The wonderful thing is that most of these gifts are available online, so no need to join in the shopping madness. ☺

Thank You For Being A Friend #Thanksgiving

Dogs That Capture Our Hearts

   Sometimes things happen in our lives that are completely unexpected. Five years ago I would never dream that I’d be a published author and a professional dog blogger. Yet, here I am and it is a life change for which I’ll be forever grateful.

   An amazing thing has happened as a result of writing The Returns book series.  A few of my quotes have become very popular. I am still shocked to see my words and name listed in the 50 Famous Dog Quotes between Agatha Christie and Charles de Gaulle. It fills my heart with joy to know that the words have had an emotional effect on people. I’ve seen it used in magazines, as memes and in tributes to people’s dogs. I am truly humbled and honored.

   Recently, I was contacted by the artist Kimberlee C. Maselli. She was compiling a book of beautiful dog paintings and stories by various artists and dog lovers. The proceeds for the book will be donated to rescue and shelter groups that provide food, shelter, and medication for homeless animals. Kimberlee asked for permission to use my quotes in her book. Of course, I said “yes.”

BFTB NETWoof News November 23, 2015 #DogNews

Bentley: “Hello and welcome to BFTB NETWoof News for the week of November 23^rd. It has been another exciting few days since we last reported. I know that many of you will be traveling for the Thanksgiving holidays so our Weather Lab Paisley will give you her forecast. Pierre and I have some feel-good stories to start your week with a smile. What’s our top story?”

Photo Courtesy of Tyer Morning Telegraph

It's Mole Season

Pierre wants you to know that it is

MOLE SEASON!

Two Dogs' Passion

This week’s word prompt in The Lazy Pit Bull’s

52 Snapshots of Life Photo Challenge is

♥ PASSION ♥

 

Scrub-A-Dub-Dogs

   Here on the bayou, we went for three months without rain. It was nice because we never had to deal with the “wet dog” smell. Bentley and Pierre didn’t need a bath every week so that was great! The change of seasons has brought torrential downpours and the return of the dreaded wet dog. That means more baths. Bentley has always enjoyed his bath time.  Pierre, on the other paw, has considered it a form of waterboarding. It has taken two years, but I am proud to say that he now volunteers to go first. That’s right; I ask them who wants to go first. It is pretty funny to watch them decide because there is definitely communication going on between them.

Thank You, Thank You Very Much

   Being polite is something expected here in the south. That means we say “please” when we ask for something. It is  customary to add, “ma’am” or “sir” when you speak.  You must always say, “thank you” without exception. These things are ingrained in us at a very early age. No exceptions to the rules! That is why I am lucky that I don’t have to surrender my Southern Belle card! Why? I have been delinquent in thanking everyone for some amazing prizes that I’ve won!

 

The Basset of Wall St.

You know about the Bull and Bear Stock Markets.

You have heard of the Wolf of Wall St. 

It is time to welcome...

The Basset of Wall St.

Twist 'N Treat Fun

Bentley: “We have a really exciting new toy that our friend Sydney sent us from Chewy.com. It is made by PetSafe™ so you know that it is awesome.”
Pierre: “It makes me want to twist, throw my paws up and bark. Oh yeah! Shake, rattle, and roll. Woo Hoo!”

BFTB NETWoof News November 16, 2015 #DogNews

Bentley: “Hello and welcome to BFTB NETWoof News. We have fetched some feel-good stories for you today. I am joined at the news desk by Pierre the Westie and our Weather Lab, Paisley. Let’s get straight to our top story.

I'm A Dreamer #MoreLove

♥ My brother took this photo in N.Y.C. Central Park's Strawberry Fields yesterday after the Paris attacks. Thanks, A.  ♥

“You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one.”

                                       ~John Lennon

Happy First Birthday

Guess who turns 

One Year Old Today?

10 Ways to Help Shelters on World Kindness Day

   Today is World Kindness Day. It’s the perfect day to share a few ideas on how you can help your local shelter. The colder weather is not far off and in some areas, has already arrived. This is a tough time for many rescue groups. People are busy preparing for the holidays. Buying Christmas presents can put a strain on everyone’s budget. I hope this list will show you that helping doesn’t have to cost too much.

·        Many stores have fleece blankets for sale under $4.00. Pick up one or two whenever you see a great price.

·        Shelters are always in need of paper towels and cleaning supplies. Keep an eye out for bargains.

Ear Ye, Ear Ye #DrHarvey's

Ear Ye! Ear Ye! Be it known that dirty dog ears stink!

   Two of the things that people love about Basset Hounds are also the things that can be the dirtiest. I’m talking about their long velvety ears. They are the most noticeable feature on the breed and the first thing people want to feel when they meet Bentley. Luckily, he doesn’t mind the extra attention and loves having his ears rubbed almost as much as his belly.

Thank You Veterans 2015

We will never forget that our freedom is not free. 
Our heartfelt gratitude to the 

men, women, and canines that sacrifice so much for America.

♥ God bless you ♥

Whimsical Whimzees

Bentley: “Hey Mom! You forgot to brush my teeth after I ate my dinner. Do you think brushing is something that you can just do on a whim? I treasure my pearly whites, you know.”

Me: “I didn’t forget. I just thought we could try something new that arrived earlier today. I think that you are going to be very happy.”

BFTB NETWoof News November 9 2015 #DogNews

Bentley: “Welcome to BFTB NETWoof News for November 9, 2015. I am Bentley and joining me as they do every week are my co-anchor Pierre and our Weather Lab, Paisley. We have some fun dog news to start your week off with a smile. Let’s get right to our top story.”