How to Travel in a Car with Animals

As you know, we finally made it to Santa Monica, California! However, it was quite the journey to actually get here from Boulder, Colorado. We have two cats, a dog, and a snake! So basically we packed our car and trailer full of all of our things plus a zoo. It was much different from any road trip I’ve taken because of our animals. It was certainly stressful and worrisome, but we all made it safely. Here’s what to do with each kind of animal:

Dogs

Surprisingly, Noke did the best of all the animals. When she was younger, she would throw up in the car nearly every time she drove with us. After time and time again in the car, her nausea rears its ugly head much less. We were incredibly proud and happy with her over this trip. She kept her cool even with Nymeria howling and trying to poke her. Here are some specific tips for travelling with dogs:

Put your dog on a blanket or something that smells familiar to them
Don’t feed your dog before you drive or feed very little
Make sure your dog can see you while driving
Give your dog enough space to lie down and sleep
Take your dog out every time you get gas to pee and drink water
Make sure the car is cool

Cats

Now here is where the nightmare begun. Sajah is the more skiddish one out of Nymeria and him. I expected him to be wild-eyed and going nuts, but he was absolutely placid. It was probably because he was stressed to death, but he simply found a place to lay and stayed there. After awhile, he got a little less scared and opened up a bit. Now let’s come to the problem child…Nymeria. Oh, Nymeria. Nymeria is very spirited. And that spirit showed during the car ride. She was not about being in the car. She wanted out. She would yowl and cry and get up like a monkey on the bars of the crate and try to escape. She eventually started acting crazy and eating litter so we contained her in a carrier. She was really the only pet who made the trip stressful. Here are some specific tips for travelling with cats:

Keep your cats contained in a small crate or something similar
Keep a small litter tray in the corner of the crate
Make sure your cats can see you and hear you while driving
Put in a blanket or something comfy (and familiar) for them to lay on.
Give water breaks when you can
Make sure the car is cool

Snakes

Well, Dovah was the quietest one on the trip (ha-ha) and we didn’t hear much of a complaint from him. However, he stressed us out somewhat because Dovah’s habitat should be around 90 to 100 degrees F. There was no way to keep his lamp on while we drove so we wrapped his cage up and hoped for the best. He came out fine and is a bit stressed out. We are hoping he will relax as he no longer has to deal with the bumps and vibrations of driving any longer. Here are some specific tips for travelling with snakes:

Try to keep your snake’s area as warm as possible
Keep the cage in a low place in the car so that it has no chance of tipping or falling over
Try to drive as smoothly as possible so it doesn’t get rocked around too much

Driving with animals can be stressful, but there are ways to make it as smooth a trip as possible. Use the tips above to keep your animal family happy and safe. I’m hoping we won’t be doing one of these trips again, but if we do, we know what to do! As always, stay hungry and fit!

Aug042014

We Made It!

We apologize for our absence! We just did a big move–Colorado to California! Or more specifically…Boulder to Santa Monica! We had quite the trip. 25 hours of driving with two cats, a dog, and a snake! It was stressful, but we made it! Here’s a taste of our trip. Get ready and geared up for Hungry and Fit to come back rip-roaring!

Car and trailer in tow

Fuel

Busy car

Pretty scenery

Bad accidents

Cute Nymeria

Crazy Nymeria did not do well in the car

Noke did AWESOME

Traffic…

IN N OUT SIGN

Made it home for sushi!

Noke loves it here

Fit and her dad

Yummy eats in Santa Monica

Jul222014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Our weekend consisted mainly of garage sales..

Working on his farmer’s tan

Good food

Good friends

Some awesome Magic cards

Pedicures!

DUMPLINGS!

Cute dogs

Modeling for Craigslist

Yummy healthy smoothies

Jun242014

The World CUPDATE!

Cute name, right?

So here we are over a week into the World Cup! Who else has been waiting four years for this moment? We most certainly have and we are also looking forward to the Women’s World Cup in Canada, which we will be attending. Come meet us in Vancouver as that is where we will be setting up base camp and watching games live in person.

Yesterday, four teams were sent home and four were sent to the round of 16. We were happy to see Brazil go through as the host country, but preferred Croatia advanced rather than Mexico. Mexico’s keeper has been one of the absolute stand-out players of the cup thus far. Spain, the defending champions and top team in the world, were sent home after some coaching decisions on older and tired players didn’t work out for the best. David Villa did end his WC career scoring a goal, which was great to see. We look forward to having him in New York. Netherlands asserted themselves once more as a dominant force and potentially the most impressive team thus far. Most people think they will win and it’s hard to argue with that. Chile is the other advancing team, who will face the hometown boys in the next round. That will be a good showdown.

In terms of teams that have not yet advanced or been eliminated… there are tons! We always pull for underdogs so African and Asian teams are our favorite. If Ghana and Cote d’ivoire make it to the final, we would be thrilled. Also, we are always rooting for the Koreans and Japanese, although both are as good as gone and the Koreans have been playing miserably and even worse have been very boring! The Japanese simply don’t have enough good players to take them through in their group. Furthermore, Hungry has always been a fan of France ever since he saw Zizou and Henry led them to glory over a decade ago. France in the final would give them the opportunity to make up for that horrendous showing in Germany in 2006. Also, of course, part of us wants the US to make it as far as they can. Unfortunately, in the Group of Death, an injured Cristiano Ronaldo and the Germans, who have one of the deepest benches in the history of the World Cup, will not let that happen easily.

Today, we get to see who advances out of Columbia, Cote d’ivoire, Japan, and Greece in Group C (we think Columbia and Cote d’ivoire will go through, but it could be easily not if Japan or Greece wins and Cote d’ivoire does not). We also get to see who of Group D gets to pass through. Unfortunately, England is at the bottom, which is just painful to see for us. Costa Rica leads Group D with Italy and Uruguay tied behind. Fit thinks Costa Rica and Italy are going to advance as Uruguay haven’t been doing great. But you never know–that’s what we love about the World Cup. It could be anyone’s game.

Love of the game runs in the family

All in all, we’re just some ex-futbol/soccer players that are willing to put on our boots and play anytime and anywhere. We aren’t reliving the glory days but we recognize how great of an event the World Cup is for the world. Countries come together that usually don’t have diplomatic relationships with the rest of the world and participate as equals. It is a beautiful game and an opportunity for cultures and traditions to be shared. We’re not asking you to watch the event, but try to acknowledge what it means to so many people around the world. Futbol is the most popular sport in the world, factually, and in America it is not even one of the three most popular sports. This doesn’t have to change, and I know that some players and countries give the sport a bad name by flopping and acting so often, but it is a great way for countries that don’t get along to pick each other up and respect one another. We’re all in! As always, stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: Who are you rooting for? Who do you want to host the World Cup in 2014?!

May272014

Memorial Day Weekend in Pictures

Lots of food pics incoming…!

Workouts

Boulder Creek Festival…me having churro all over my face

Noke and I went on a nice hike

Avoided a storm

Ice cream, obviously

Beautiful morning walk

Chris turned French and made me a bunch of deliciousness

Bolder Boulder!

Baked muffins for two Memorial Day BBQs

Noms

and more noms

Noke didn’t throw up in the car! yay!

Apr232014

Our “Staycation” in Pictures

You may have noticed that we have lapsed in our posting the past week. This is because my parents came in for an Easter visit! It’s been tons of fun. We did loads of stuff and there are tons of pictures that I still need to steal from other family members. Here’s a short snippet. But no worries, we are back in the saddle here at Hungry and Fit!

Spring has sprung!

We went to Estes Park…mum is modeling…

Mum made tons of lovely breakfasts

Noke got to enjoy the sun as the whole family gardened

EASTER!!

Noke cuddling

Rainbow!!

Some darn good food…

Good view of Boulder

Mum made scones

Mum being ridiculous

Eldorado

Poor Noke

She gets revenge

Good Indian food

Good Korean food

Fit’s parents…miss them already

Apr142014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Getting some sun!!

Excellent dessert including Ben & Jerry’s, strawberries, and Toblerone!

Puppy kisses, obviously

Delicious Sakio

Sajah loves to find high spots…

Video games (ESO), duh…

Adorable little girl

Enjoyed time outside

Ate clean

and delicious

Home workout and a pedicure

Mar312014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Spring is here!!

Noke’s first puppy social…

Me doing a great cleanse

Yummy Trader Joe’s dinners

Cuteness

Workouts

More cuteness

More workouts

Awesome ModMarket gives you your macros!

Noke is learning every day!

Mar262014

How to Help Your Dog and Cat Get Along

As most of our readers know, we have two cats and now one dog (and a snake, but that is beside the point). Yes, our apartment is a zoo, but we prefer a busy life anyhow. One of the most common questions I get about our household is how the cats and dog get along. It’s a progression each and every day but it is certainly going to the positive. Our cats now know how to avoid Noke and how to stand their ground. And every day, the cats more and more want to play with our adorable pup. Here are some steps in introducing a friendly relationship between your canine and feline:

1. Give them room. For the first few weeks we had Noke, they were completely separated. They could smell each other, but they did not interact. Noke was either with me or in her crate, and the cats were tucked comfortably in the bedroom or in the living room. Each species knew something was going on, but couldn’t quite put a paw on it. This step is important so you don’t completely throw your pets into a brand new situation. Cats don’t like change. Try to make it easy on them.

2. Give cautious introductions. For us, our cats were here first and deserve to be treated as such. You must make them still feel just as important and that they have some sense of authority and presence. To create a safe and comfortable meeting environment, we left Noke in her crate and allowed the cats to explore the area. This way, the cats could choose when they wanted to approach Noke and were able to do it safely since she was crated. The dog may bark or whine, but just let the process happen.

Sajah keeping an eye on Noke

3. Keep the dog on a leash. After you pass those few weeks of keeping them separated and introduce them safely, it’s time to bring them into the same realm. The dog can get very excited by this and want to constantly chase the cats, so we need to take action. Put a leash on your dog so that you can prevent them from scaring or chasing the cats. This is for safety and for comfort. And it will teach your dog to be comfortable on the leash, as an added bonus.

So cuuuuuuuute

4. Use lots of praise. As relationships develop, you want to encourage them for the better. Negative reinforce rarely works well with pets as it tends to scare them. But positive will allow you to reap the benefits! If your dog behaves playfully and listens to you when you tell him or her to back off, give lots of praise and treats! If your cat learns to stand his or her ground or plays nicely with the dog, do the same. Trust me, praise makes a big impact. It’s logical: play nice and I get treats. If only humans worked that way.

5. Keep a wary eye and quick hands. When you do finally trust your dog enough to let him or her off-leash, keep an eye out. Our dog is actually learning how to prowl and pounce like that cats (since that’s who she watches all day) so I need to be ready to step in if she gets too rowdy. She never tries to hurt the cats, but it’s better to be safe.

6. Treat everyone equally. Just because you have an adorable new puppy doesn’t mean you should ignore your uncool cats. Give them loads of attention and love every day to show that you’re still their #1 fan. This way they won’t feel jealous of the dog and then take it out on the dog. Treating everyone equal will foster positive relationships.

7. Don’t scold your cat’s grumpiness. It’s one thing if the cat is instigating, but it’s another if he or she is simply standing their ground. It’s good if your cat emits a growl and a swipe at your dog’s nose. This sets boundaries and tells the dog enough is enough. It’s so much better for your cat to do this rather than you. It will mean much more to the dog and learning boundaries will come faster.

So those are a few tips on how to foster a good relationship between the canine and the feline. It’s never going to be perfect. Dogs chase cats. Especially puppies! There are times I have to grab Noke because she simply gets too excited. It’s a journey each and every day, but hopefully your pets will end up as best buddies. Try these tips out. Let us know if you have any other questions. And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Mar172014

Noke’s Breeds: DNA Test Results Revealed

When we first adopted Noke, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley believed she was a German Shepherd-Akita mix and would possibly grow to be 70-80 lbs. We could see it at first. She had some Japanese Spitz features including a somewhat curled tail and that unique forehead but her paws were tiny! We thought she must be a Shepherd-Shiba Inu mix but we had no idea what she really was until we did a DNA test. So we did and here are the amazing and somewhat unexpected results!

Cute is an understatement

None of Noke’s parents or grandparents were pure-breeds. She did however have great-grandparents that were and amazingly enough the purest traces in her DNA were Collie and Great Pyrenees. Her great-grandparents also showed large amounts of Basenji, Siberian Husky, and German Shepherd. These, however, were at a lower confidence and might have been mixed already at this point. (They can only track back to great-grandparents and have a harder time determining the calculations in mixed breeds.)

zzz

Before I mention, what other breeds were recognized by the genetic history as the most likely other pieces of her mixed breed heritage I will say that Noke is almost certainly most visually and personally a Basenji-German Shepherd mix. At this point, those seem to be by far the most dominate components of her look and attitude. We get asked regularly if she is a pure-bred German Shepherd and obviously the HSBV thought she was an Akita. Akitas and Basenjis do have quite a bit in common.

So, by looking into that chart I posted you will see there are a lot of spaces that are taken up by a dog tag that says mixed breed. The three mixed breed dogs that were her great-grandparents could have contained the following breeds in order of most likely to least: White Swiss Shepherd, Chinese Shar-Pei, Affenpinscher, Glen of Imaal Terrier, and Clumber Spaniel. This makes sense. Noke obviously has a lot of Shepherd in her, whether German of White Swiss. We can also see some Shar-Pei in her although the other breeds seem very unlikely.

Some of her breeds are not very large while one is relatively huge. The DNA test estimates that she will weigh 50-77 pounds as an adult. They classify her as a Basenji, Collie, German Shepherd, Siberian Husky, Great Pyrenees mix. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. We will keep you updated on her growth and development. I hope she grows to be the full 77 pounds or more because I love big dogs! Will she continue to look like a German Shepherd and act like a Basneji or will things change? We will let you know!

And as a note, these DNA tests are inexpensive and humane. They are very simple and give an owner important knowledge as to how to train, treat, feed and raise their dogs. It is an awesome option so let us know if you are interested in getting a test for your dog. It is never too late to know! And as always…stay hungry and fit!