Best Dog On The Block

06/26/2024

I think either my account or Bob Benson’s account was hacked. If you got an email saying either one of us and/or Shiny Happy Things or Best Dog On The Block tagged you on a post, pls let me know

06/09/2024

I’ve been getting so many friend requests from trolls and bots that I’ve lost the real friend requests. If you’re a real person and want to be friends, send me DM. Thank you and goodnight!

05/17/2024

04/28/2024

Bob Benson gave us a carload of Shiny Happy Things art to sell at the 55th Annual Towsontown Spring Festival on May 4-5.

I was very grateful Nicholas Zywan was available to carry everything and load up my car, as I’m still a bit stiff from the Johns Hopkins Spring Festival that ended yesterday.

As Bob says, Nick is indispensable to Shiny Happy Things. He is able to figure out mechanical things that stump me, and to do work that require precise measurements that give me great difficulties.

I spent hours trying to staple hanging chains to the frames of our smallest 4x6 stained glass windows. I could not figure it out, and staples flew everywhere except where I wanted them, so I asked Nick for help.

He took one look at the staple gun and saw I was loading the staples upside down. Who knew?

Later he will figure out how to use our laminating machine, after I repeatedly tried and failed, to laminate our festival signs.

Then he will cut hundreds of tiny squares of the stained glass I use to decorate my sun catchers, then tackle other projects to prepare for the festivals.

All this in between his construction job and lawn care service, not to mention taking care of his and Colleen’s family pets.

Anyway! We have three more festivals coming up right after the Towsontown Festival.

Arbutus Arts Festival is is May 18.

Baltimore Herb Festival 2024 is May 25.

Annapolis Pride is June 1.

Hope to see your shiny happy faces soon. And as always, you can also find our mirror and stained glass art at Luann Carra Art & Wellness in Fells Point.

03/27/2024

Dutchess has gone O days
without
an accident

03/24/2024

GO BIG OR GO HOME
-Dutchess

Colleen dropped me off yesterday around 6 pm after driving me to my ketamine treatment for drug-resistant depression. (When I’m farther along in my treatment, I’ll tell you all about it. So far it’s been phenomenally helpful.)

Richard had left for work before I got home so I wanted to stay with Dutchess, but I wanted to rest in bed for a while even more.

I saw an empty paper towel roll in the recycling bin, so I thought I’d make Dutchess a food puzzle to keep her busy while I rested. I put treats inside the roll as usual and crimped the edges so Dutchess would have to figure out how to get the treats out. This is super easy to do if you have an opposable thumb, but more challenging with paws.

I wanted to make the puzzle extra special, so I went to the big plastic bin in the dining room where we keep her best treats. I was a little bit out of it from the treatment, though, and for the first time I forgot to put the lid back on.

I gave Dutchess her paper towel roll puzzle, which made her very happy, and went upstairs to rest in bed for a while. I’m sure you can guess what happened next.

I guess Dutchess didn’t notice that the treasure chest of treats was left open until she finished tearing open the paper towel roll puzzle. After she finished those treats, she must have looked around for other treats. (I wasn’t there but I know her habits.) I would have loved to see her face when she saw the open bin. I reallllly wish I’d been there, because I would have been able to prevent what happened next.

You probably don’t want to read the rest of this story because you know how it ends, and it isn’t pretty. It’s really gross and disgusting.

When I saw the open bin tipped over, and ripped up treat bags all over the dining room floor and Dutchess relaxing in her bed, I knew we were going to have a very rough night. I don’t know exactly how many bags of treats were in there, but they filled the bin to the top. All I know is that she ate them all except for the ones in containers she wasn’t able to open.

Her vet was closed, and I thought about calling Pet ER, but Dutchess seemed pretty happy and I saw no signs of distress,so I decided to just stay with her to make sure she was OK until Richard got home at 10 p.m

Nothing happened for a few hours. Then she started vomiting, and threw up huge piles of very disgusting yuck. Afterwards she went to lie down in her bed. I guess her work here was done.

We thought the worst was over, so after we cleaned up we went to bed. It was around midnight, I think.

At 3 a.m., Richard heard Dutchess walking around so he ran downstairs to make sure she was ok. I didn’t even wake up until he started yelling, Eileen!! I need your help! Now!!

The worst wasn’t over. It had just begun. I guess all those treats Dutchess ate made her thirsty, because she must have drunk a lot of water.

In the good old days, she would have whined at the door to let us know she needed to go outside, but those days are long gone. Instead, she walked around the first floor, p*eing everywhere. There was sooooo much p*e. It seriously looked like a river. It took hours to mop up all her p*e, clean the floor underneath with hydrogen peroxide to prevent the wood from turning black, wash and dry the area rugs and moving blanket. We couldn’t wash the yoga mats in the machine so we washed them in the utility sink and hung them up to dry.

By then it was about 4:30 am, and since the worst really was finally over, we went back to bed, leaving Dutchess asleep in her bed.

Around 6 am, I heard Dutchess walking around downstairs again, and I ran down to let her outside. I didn’t wake up Richard because he’d gotten even less sleep than I had, since I had taken that fateful nap around 6:30 p.m.

But I was too late. Her moving blanket was covered in diarrhea and she had p**ped all over the area we had cleaned a few hours earlier. There was soooooo much poo. It was hard to believe it all came from one dog.

I put Dutchess outside while I put the moving blanket back in the washing machine and cleaned up the floor. It took hours by myself. Then it was time to make her breakfast and try to get her to take her pills.

At that point, I was so tired I didn’t have the energy for a prolonged hide-the-pill game that I was sure to lose anyway.

I just put her pills in pill pockets, because they were the easiest, and put them on a plate on the floor along with her morning “treats” - her probiotic chew, her Angel Eyes chew for tear stains, and her CBD/hemp chew for senior dog mobility support. We usually put the chews in her bed after she eats her breakfast, which makes them extra special. After she eats as much as she’s going to eat (sometimes not at all; sometimes all of it, but usually in between), she runs to her bed to look for her treats. If she hasn’t taken her pills or eaten any breakfast, it’s time to play What Will Dutchess Eat Today. But this morning I was too tired. I let her outside and back inside about five times, told her she was on her own, and went back to bed.

I didn’t think Dutchess could possibly have anything left in her stomach to throw up or p**p out. I really did think that now the worst really was finally behind us.

And this time, the worst really was behind us. By the time I went back downstairs, she had eaten her supplements and pill pockets and some of her breakfast and was fast asleep, I inspected every inch of the floor to make sure there were no more unpleasant surprises, and the floor was still perfectly clean after being wiped off, sprayed with Nature’s Miracle, and mopped three times in the past six hours.

I went back to sleep, Richard left to run errands, and Dutchess was still asleep when I got up for good.

The End.

03/19/2024

11/15/2023

Eileen M Gillan visited Bob Benson yesterday to pick up what he’d made for AVAM Bazaart: AVAM's Annual Holiday Craft Marketplace Bazaart. Bob showed me his latest Shiny Happy Things kinetic toys and gave me about a dozen flashy wind chimes to sell at Bazaart. They come in three sizes: small ($30), medium ($50) and large ($75). Very shiny with beautiful tinkling tones.

09/14/2023

08/04/2023

😄

06/24/2023

Picked up more happy things mirror people and flashies from Bob earlier today. They look like these guys except the female mirror people have bo***es and kind of look like the Fem Bots in that Austin Powers movie. Get them at the farmers market on Sunday!

06/14/2023

I’m finishing Shiny Happy Things’s application (due today) for 2023 Artscape in Baltimore. I had so much fun at HONfest 2023 (our first festival) that I’m ready for another.

I have two problems to solve before I can hit send:

1. I need include a photo of our booth set up and I’ve never taken one; only close ups of some of our art. The closest things I have to a booth shot are the one Lisa Lewenz took (cropped to focus on banner), the photo of Micha Michlewicz and me, and the photo Rick Shelley took that shows one side of the booth with. rack of flashies, one of Bob’s fishes and a few of his Flying Spaghetti Monster creations (made with real spaghetti). Which photo is most booth-like for application purposes?

2) I’m getting error messages when I try to upload my art photos - says they are too large. Can I resize them on my iPhone? They seem to be a lot too big. I’ve never had to resize them before.

06/05/2023

Good to know!

From miles of accessible trails to nearby boarding services to dog safety, these are the best (and worst) parks to visit with your best friend

06/03/2023

Sometimes people forget that dogs are sentient beings with likes, dislikes, and needs. Some things scare them. Some things make them anxious. Some things, inexplicable to you, make them happy.

People in healthy relationships accept each other as they are and try accommodate each other’s needs - even when those needs are different from their own. They don’t force their partner into situations they know will make their partner uncomfortable.

My husband knows I am afraid of dark basements. When we moved into our house, he wired all the lights in the basement to turn on with one switch at the top of the stairs. I know that playing music makes him happy so I encourage him to get together with his music buddies as often as he can. My husband has never experienced depression but knows what it is from being married to me. If there’s a dark day for me during which I can’t get out of bed, he shuts the bedroom door and leaves me to sleep. I have ADD and for years, my husband helped me find my keys, phone, wallet and glasses multiple times a day. He was fairly patient with me most of the time but I wanted to free him from those searches so I got a waist pack that holds my phone, wallet, glasses, and keys. I put it on in the morning and wear it all day. When I go to bed at night, I leave it in the hallway so it’s the first thing I see in the morning to remind me to put it on.

When you understand your dogs’ needs are different from your own, it’s easier to make their lives much better if you do your best to meet their needs than if you try to force them to do the things you want your dog to do.

06/03/2023

True! Feeding a dog nothing but kibble would be like you eating nothing but stale McNuggets. Heavily processed food just isn’t as healthy as fresh food. HRH Dutchess’s favorite foods are sweet potatoes, carrots, and whatever we’re eating.

An easy way to supplement your dog’s kibble is to save healthy bits of your leftovers to add to her next meal.

04/27/2023

TELL ME WHEN I GET IT RIGHT!

Imagine this – You work for someone who continually reprimands you. You never know from one day to the next if there is anything this person is happy with, because the only feedback you receive from them is what you are doing wrong – it’s all just so negative!

You are never thanked for a job well done, never given any positive feedback, recognition or encouragement.

This leaves you feeling demotivated, confused, insecure and unhappy. You have no idea what this person really expects of you or wants from you.

Surely you must be doing something right, some of the time? If only you had more feedback about what that was – you could do more of that and you would both be in a happier place.

We often treat our dogs this way, only focusing or providing feedback on the “wrong” behaviour and neglecting to provide feedback and encouragement for the “right” behaviour.

Rewarding, reinforcing and encouraging a dog for whatever they are doing right is an effective, scientifically proven way to communicate, teach, create trust, build confidence, security and build a strong bond in a positive, force-free way.

Just like us, when a dog does something that results in something good happening, they’re far more likely to keep repeating that behaviour.

Reinforcement or rewards don’t always have to be food or treats – it all depends on what that particular dog finds more rewarding – lots of praise, a favourite toy, playing a game or anything else a dog really enjoys can be rewarding.

Keep telling your dog when they get it right and very soon, they will be doing less of the wrong thing and more of the right thing.

Stop focusing on the unwanted behaviour and communicate to your dog that they are getting it right by rewarding the behaviour you are looking for.

04/26/2023

Dutchess is 15 and we would love to have her around at least a few more years

Easy improvements, recommended by veterinarians and other experts, to prevent injuries and help your aging pup get around easier

03/01/2023

WHY DO SOME DOGS BARK SO MUCH?
Whether we find it irritating, annoying, frustrating, are indifferent or it doesn’t really bother us, barking is what dogs do, some dogs more than others, just like some people talk far more than others! Barking is a species typical, natural and normal behaviour.

Barking is simply a form of communication. Excessive barking is often a symptom of an underlying issue. How to get a dog to bark less all depends on why they are barking in the first place. When we know the “why?” it’s far easier to work on the “how?” to prevent or decrease the behaviour.

The “why” can be due to so many reasons - boredom, frustration, loneliness, anxiety, fear, frustration, separation distress, lack of mental or physical stimulation, lack of social interaction, environmental stimuli, attention seeking, excitement, greeting, to initiate play or even a medical condition. Look at what the consequence of barking is for the dog – does something move closer or further away, do they receive attention, whether positive or negative – negative attention is still attention.

We recently had contractors repairing our roof after a particularly bad storm. My husband became increasingly irritated and angry at the dogs constantly barking at the strange people climbing all over the roof. We live in a crime riddled country and I asked him if he would still be irritated if they barked at burglars trying to gain access from the roof to the house in the middle of the night. The dogs don’t know the difference and their barking, although irritating, was understandable. Giving them a long-lasting chew, telling them that all was fine and keeping them inside where they couldn’t hear or see the contractors, solved the problem.

Using punishment or any other type of aversive method to stop barking is cruel and inhumane. We don’t punish people for speaking. Look for the “why”, before working on the “how”.

In the wise words of Dr Ian Dunbar – “Punishing a dog for barking is like punishing a bird for singing"