Jeep is very excited about coming to the PTO’s Family Fun Night tonight at Palombi! I don’t think she will have her face painted, get a tatto or go in the bouncy house, but all her kid friends can. Best of all, it’s free so kids be sure to tell mom and dad where all the fun is tonight – Jeep hopes to see you there!
The start of 2017 is a perfect time for Jeep to think about setting some New Year’s resolutions. Not only is it the beginning of a whole new year, but our friend Jeep is now a year old. Don’t you think she is ready to act like the big girl she already is?
Here are some resolutions I have for Jeep. We would love to hear what other ones you have for her!
I would like Jeep to:
Be sure to send us your ideas for Jeep’s New Year’s Resolutions. Happy 2017!
Our little puppy is now a big girl! Yesterday Jeep celebrated her first birthday with a dog party complete with pink puppy cupcakes and party hats.
Check out the fun!
I am not sure Jeep and Dot Com will make Santa’s “nice” list this year. Here they are after chewing up a stuffed Santa my sister made. Oh no! That is very naughty!
Good thing they are cute. Maybe Santa will think so, too. Keep your fingers (and paws) crossed.
Did you know that the Lake Villa District Library is one of Jeep’s favorite places to visit?
Starting on January 2nd (which by the way just happens to be Jeep’s very first birthday) the 
library’s winter reading program begins. This year’s theme A Winters’s Tail has Jeep’s own tail wagging with approval because the library will be raising money to support Save-a-Pet, a local animal rescue organization. Save-a-Pet is the largest no-kill cat and dog rescue in Lake County.
It is easy to participate! All you have to do is stop by the library and pick up a reading log at any service desk. Simply record the time you spend reading or being read to and the Friends of the Lake Villa Library will donate up to $5 per person to benefit Save-a-Pet. You can enjoy some great books (Jeep hopes you read a couple about dogs) and help out her furry friends at the same time. This is what Jeep calls a double win. Why, it is almost as good as having double dewclaws and double coats of fur.
If you and your family are looking for a pet, representatives from Save-a-
Pet will be at the library on Saturday, January 28 from noon until 3 pm with dogs and cats looking for their “fur-ever” homes.
The Save-a-Pet reading fundraiser at the library wraps up January 31st. Jeep is pretty confident that her kids friends will come through to Save-a-Pet or two!
Jeep loves to be outside especially now that winter is here. She LOVES the snow and can
romp in it for hours on end with absolutely no desire to come inside. The colder it gets, the more she wants to stay outside. In fact after a few hours in the wind and cold, Mrs. Sassy Pants will come right up to the glass door look in at me nestled on the couch in a blanket with Dot Com and stare at us. When I finally do get up to let her inside, she playfully retreats and dares me to come
out and catch her. (As if I could!)
Like true pyr owners everywhere, I have to laugh at the fuzzy clown before turning around and shutting the door. We all know pyrs have a mind of their own. Obedience is just not one of their strong suits. I am aware that Jeep would love for me to come outside and play with her in the cold. But without boots, mittens and a down coat that is not going to happen.
This video shows just how much Jeep likes it outside. Watch her walk away and plop down in the snow. What would you do if you were Jeep’s owner?
Of course, we worry about our fluff ball becoming too cold. We just have to remember that unlike Dot Com who can only stay outside for short bursts with a coat on (she owns three) our friend Jeep is a Great Pyrenees. Pyrenees are one of the top five cold-weather breeds. You may remember that pyrs have not only have double dew claws, but double coats of fur. Their thick undercoat acts as insulation while their outer coat is weather-resistant. It is not uncommon to see pictures of pyrs with icicles on their fur. 
Dogs also have warmer body temperatures than people. An average person has a temperature of 98.6 degrees whereas a dog has 102.5 degrees. (Maybe there is something to be said good about hot dogs after all.)
So inste
ad of forcing Jeep inside where it is warm and toasty, we will allow her to be outside in her fenced in, snowy, windy yard where she is clearly the happiest. Besides, when our girl really wants to come in, she stands up tall on her back legs and places both of her front giant paws on the glass door.
Who needs a doorbell anyway? Jeep communicates with people just fine. Good girl Jeep!
What dog lover wouldn’t like a super dog like Jeep? Many people who see Jeep, especially her kid friends, tell me that they want to get their own Great Pyrenees. (I even know a couple of kids along with Dr. Keim-Bounds who actually have pyrs!)
Just one peek at all that soft white fluff and those big black eyes makes my own heart melt. And if that isn’t enough, Jeep usually seems to have a smile on her face. I know she impresses a lot of people by being so calm and patient at school. She doesn’t jump, doesn’t run around and doesn’t bark. All of that is pretty remarkable for an 11 month old puppy. No doubt about it, our friend Jeep is super. But keep in mind, Jeep has been training at school since she was nine weeks old. Not all pyrs are so lucky.
Before you talk your parents and family into buying a Great Pyrenees be sure to do your
homework. Pyrs aren’t for everyone. Pyrs are independent and like to think for themselves. This makes them harder to train. It has been said that every day with a pyr is training day. Although pyrs look like cute big fluffy dogs, they are actually guard dogs. They are protective of everyone and everything. Because of this, pyrs tend to bark a LOT especially at night. (No, Jeep doesn’t do that, thank goodness!) Pyrs must have a fenced in yard because they will roam the neighborhood finding new people and animals to protect. Pyrs enjoy digging in the mud and Jeep is no exception. (It is a good thing for them that their white coats repel dirt.) Pyrs need to be brushed frequently and yes, they do shed.
Be sure to check out this short video from Animal Planet to learn more about this interesting breed.
Some of you thought it was funny watching Jeep tip her water bowl over when she visited
classrooms and libraries. I know Jeep thought it was fun, too. I thought she wanted to use her bowl as a swimming pool. Pyrenees love to splash water. Remember Jeep in her pool?
Unfortunately, Jeep is still a very messy drinker compared to Dot Com. I think Jeep enjoys getting water all over the place. We often have to wipe up the extra water with a towel. One of her favorite things to do is to finish a long gulp of water, stand up straight on all fours and then let the water run slowly out her cheeks right onto the floor. Luckily, Jeep generally doesn’t drool or slobber. For her, it is just a weird water drinking thing.
Watching Jeep drink is interesting. She noisily plunges her long tongue into the water bowl repeatedly. It never looks like a whole lot of water is actually staying on her tongue. This made me wonder how she gets any water into her mouth at all.
I learned that dogs don’t have a full set of cheeks like humans, elephants or horses. When drinking, dogs shape their tongues into scoops. Their tongues actually curl backwards. This creates a column of water that the dog pulls into its mouth. Researchers at Virginia Tech University have studied how dogs drink. While it looks messy to me, Jeep is actually making very precise quick movements with her tongue. The faster she moves her tongue, the more water she is able to pick up from the water column.
I am so glad to know that our friend Jeep is not being a bad puppy by splashing that water all over (although she could take a few drinking lessons from Dot!)
Like all dogs, Jeep knows more about the world around her because of her incredible sense 
of smell. Her nose is even more important to her than her eyes. When Jeep sniffs your hand she is gathering all kinds of information about you including what you had for breakfast and how many pets live in your house. In fact Jeep’s sense of smell is over 20,000 to 50,000 times stronger than our sense of smell!
It is not surprising that dogs have helped people locate missing objects and find lost people. Some dogs can follow a trail that is more than a week old. Using their noses, dogs can warn people about drugs or bombs. Some dogs even use their noses to search for dead bodies or cadavers. Dogs have detected drowned people in over 80 feet of water. Humans are just now learning that some dogs can detect illness and disease like cancer before a doctor can. That is pretty amazing!
So what does Jeep and the rest of her dog friends have that we don’t? For starters, they have a larger area within their nose that is covered with far more sensory receptor cells for sniffing. It is estimated that a dog uses one third of its brain just for scenting. That is 40 times more brain power devoted for smelling than a human. Unlike us, when a dog breathes through their nose, the air does not go back out through their nostrils. Instead the exhaled 
air goes out side slits on a dog’s nose allowing more air flow for better sniffing. (Check out Jeep’s side slits in this picture.)
While you are at it, be sure to check out this fun cartoon that explains how dogs “see” with their noses.
Jeep the Dog 