The Everyday Chores of Dog Parenting | The Yap Corner Podcast

In this episode of the Yap Corner, join hosts Madison Bennett and Jess Ramberg as they dive into the everyday chaos and joy of life with dogs. From sharing personal 'pup dates' on their recent travel adventures and agility competitions, to discussing the myriad of chores involved in different life stages of a dog—puppy, adult, and senior—they cover it all. Key topics include crate training, grooming, exercise, pet insurance, and more. The episode wraps up with a fun segment of hot takes on dog parenting, touching on grooming habits, dog park etiquette, and the necessity of dog clothes. Whether you're a seasoned dog parent or a newbie, this episode offers relatable insights and tips to make your journey smoother.

00:00 Welcome to the Yap Corner
00:39 Pup Dates and Travel Adventures
02:00 First Agility Competition
03:34 The Chores of Dog Parenting
04:21 Puppy Phase Challenges
06:46 Crate Training During COVID
08:26 Feeding Schedules and Potty Training
10:16 Chewing and Puppy Proofing
12:59 Adult Dog Maintenance
15:30 Grooming and Bath Time
18:40 Pet Care and Travel Preparations
20:10 Pet Insurance and Its Importance
21:51 Navigating Senior Dog Care
23:03 Medications and Health Management
24:25 Dietary Adjustments for Senior Dogs
26:08 Emotional Impact of Aging Pets
26:26 Supporting Dog Charities and Rescues
27:08 Fun and Games: Hot Takes on Dog Chores
28:01 Debating Dog Care Practices
32:37 Dog Parks and Socialization
35:00 Dog Toys and Accessories
39:31 Final Thoughts and Community Engagement

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Jess: Welcome to the Yap Corner, A podcast for dog parents by dog parents.

[00:00:10] Madison: We're your hosts, Madison Bennett and Jess Berg. Two dog obsessed humans who know that life is just better with a pup. I'm Madison

[00:00:19] Jess: and I'm obsessed with pickles. I'm Jess currently on the hunt for a new book series and trying to get better at surfing.

[00:00:25] So this isn't your typical podcast. We're not here to talk about food debates or training manuals, just real life. Talk about the everyday chaos and joy of life with pups. So grab your pup, your beverage of choice, and let's yap about it all. We're gonna kick off with some pup dates for us. We had a lengthy travel, just whole bunch of schedules we were in.

[00:00:51] Orlando, we flew to Orlando, then flew to Chicago, drove to Indianapolis, drove to Knoxville and then back home. And of course Ziggy was with Along for the Ride. I had like a circuit of work trips and Ziggy is just so adaptable that she just kind of hangs and comes with everywhere I go. People are, don't believe.

[00:01:13] I'm like, oh, where's Ziggy? And I think they joke thinking like. Where's the dog? And I'm like, oh, like she's here up in the room and they're like, wait, she's here. And I was like, yeah, you wanna see her? 'cause I have the camera hooked up if like she's up in the room or something and yeah, here she is like just sleeping on the bed.

[00:01:30] Madison: People are like, where's Ziggy? I'm like thinking that, that you're gonna be like, nah, she's in back home. That's hilarious. Yeah. So that's fine. She gets lots

[00:01:39] Jess: of pets on the

[00:01:39] Madison: road, I'm sure. And ice cream, I saw you got some ice cream?

[00:01:43] Jess: Yep. We got some P, like a pup cup. Oh yes. Oh, you know that word? Is that our favorite word?

[00:01:49] It was a ice cream shop next to our hotel in Knoxville and they had little pup cup. It was like a little cone with little whipped cream on top of it, so it was Oh, that's fun. It was cute.

[00:01:59] Madison: That's

[00:01:59] Jess: cute.

[00:02:00] Madison: Yeah, for us, um, we did our first agility competition. Oh my goodness. I know it's been a, it's been a work in progress with Gemini, of course.

[00:02:10] And she actually got two qualifying runs, so she did jumps and standards and for. Those that are not aware of what that means, like the jumps is just more of those hurdles. Um, so they do a course with hurdles and then the standard is with contact. So any like dog walks, a-frames, those things. And she did really well.

[00:02:31] She had a hurt paw. Um, I think she had like a hot spot on her paw, so that slowed her down a little bit. And otherwise we would've probably got all four qualifying. But it's okay. We we're signed up for another one already and looking forward to that. So.

[00:02:46] Jess: But the competition space is totally different.

[00:02:49] We're gonna have to for sure dive into dog sports and that, that whole world with you.

[00:02:54] Madison: Yeah, it's really fun. And I'm always learning, like when I was there it was funny. All of us like were novice, so we're like all new to it. And. And we're just like looking at each other for advice. We're like, do you know what that means?

[00:03:09] Like how much time do we have to like finish it? And, and the trainer's like, you know, she's been doing this for like 20 years or so, and she's probably doesn't even realize that. We don't even know the, some of the basics. So it was fun. Z you were

[00:03:22] Jess: just panting over there. The dogs were running around and.

[00:03:25] You know, Ziggy's in her Fit girl or trying to be in her Fit Girl era. So she's, she's working on her summer bug. Her endurance is, uh,

[00:03:34] Madison: we're getting up there. So today we're gonna dive into something that all parents, dog parents think about, which is the chores of the dog. It's not something. Typically even realize kinda what you're getting yourself into if it's your first time dog and all the things that come with that.

[00:03:49] So we're gonna cover some of those today,

[00:03:51] Jess: which I think is great because as you mentioned, I think there are things that you pick up along the way that you learn, you have conversations with others, you experience differently from other people, of just all those every day or those kind of timeline. Puppy, adult, senior phase of life as a, as a dog parent.

[00:04:12] Changes,

[00:04:13] Madison: like you said, as they, as they age. So, and with different dogs too. It's not

[00:04:17] Jess: always the same. Never, never puppy phase. Let's start with that. I mean, right off the bat you are going to the vet and if I can remember correctly, the timeline of all the vaccines and the checkups, like it's pretty frequent right?

[00:04:35] When you get a puff, especially if you get 'em at that like eight. Is it eight weeks? I think it's eight weeks. And we got Ziggy right at that eight week mark. And I remember immediately we went to the vet and they were like, okay, we have a follow up. And the follow up, another follow up. And you're coming back until they're like four months.

[00:04:53] Yeah, I think until they're fully vaccinated and cleared. But it's a pretty strict schedule with your vet to get the puppy shots and all that stuff started.

[00:05:05] Madison: Yeah, all the vaccines and. Then you can't really take the dog out or socialize him with, which we'll get into with other dogs during that time. So we actually got Apollo when he was four months already.

[00:05:17] So that's why I was able to fly with him, but I didn't really have to experience that part of staying on track with the vaccines and being like on it, on it, on it. Which is probably a good thing because, um, bad with my own vaccine, let's be real. But with them, with Gemini, when I got her, I was like. She came from a, a vet tech actually.

[00:05:37] And so she was like very, you know, came to me like, come to me if you need these shots. But I found a vet.

[00:05:43] Jess: That's nice. It's funny that you say about like, I'm not even good with my own vaccine. Like, I have a packet of Ziggy stuff and you were, if you were to tell me when was the last time she got her rabies shot, when was the last time she got X, Y, z?

[00:05:55] I'm open that packet. I have all the information there, but the last time you say, Jess, when's the last time you got, you know, checkup for X, Y, Z? And I'm like. I have no idea. Literally, I'm gonna ballpark like maybe two, three years ago, but with the dog, I have the packet nicely put together with all the dates and expirations of all those checkups, I

[00:06:14] Madison: have

[00:06:14] Jess: it like

[00:06:14] Madison: highlighted in my phone.

[00:06:16] I think I, I have a whole folder of files in my phone of Apollo and Gemini, and it's like every vaccine certificate, every vaccine, like. Doctor note or whatever. And yeah, for myself, I'm like, oh yeah, what? Who's my doctor? Yes.

[00:06:31] Jess: Yeah. Who's your primary care physician? I say, I have no idea. Yeah, I have no idea.

[00:06:36] Ziggy's Vet, I can tell you. Yeah. What's their phone number? I'll tell you that too. I can tell you what

[00:06:39] Madison: kind of dog she has. I can tell you all of that.

[00:06:42] Jess: Well,

[00:06:43] Madison: that stuff, I'm so funny, but yeah, with a puppy too. I think obviously one of the big things that we learned right at the beginning was crate training.

[00:06:52] Mm-hmm. Yeah. And we got Apollo and you got Ziggy during COVID. They were COVID pups. We were home a lot with them. And luckily I think we talked to somebody or, or however we learned, but they were like, you better, you know, start crate training because when COVID lifts, like you're gonna have to go back to the office or you're gonna have to leave and leave your dog home.

[00:07:16] And so it was something that we were. Like this is something we're gonna do right away and learn. And I'm really grateful we did because now he's comfortable in a crate. Like, like I said, we just went to agility. And during agility they have to even be in a crate. And if we hadn't done that with him, like who knows how he would react now he got

[00:07:35] Jess: really spoiled with Ziggy.

[00:07:37] The breeder, I believe, did have crates for them. And so the first night we brought her home, she cried a little bit, but then. Stopped and we just like left her there. Like, we're like, okay. I think we just like leave her there and like, don't, don't run like, you know, don't run and get the baby when it's crying.

[00:07:54] Yeah. Immediately. And then the next night and onward, she never cried again. And now she will pop in in any crate. Like even I stayed at a friend's house once and she has a crate for her dog and the door was kind of closed and Ziggy pushed her nose to open the door and go sleep in the crate. And they thought that was a.

[00:08:12] Funniest thing. They're like, my dog never goes, just willingly into the crate. And I said, I think Ziggy really loves her space. Mm-hmm. She finds it comforting. Another chore as a puppy is the feeding schedule. I remember when we were sent home after the breeder, you know, she said, okay, here's kind of the feeding schedule.

[00:08:33] Follow this, especially when they're puppies. Mm-hmm. They need to be getting enough. Food or nutrient nutrients. Nutrients and everything. So I remember we would track like, what time do we feed her? And you know, you're doing like three times a day you're following the measurements. And then even like her, her potty times or tracking down like what time were she going potty, just to like figure out what the schedule is.

[00:08:57] Mm-hmm. But that was, um, that was new and obviously it's transitioned. Throughout her years of life too.

[00:09:05] Madison: I have a really funny slash embarrassing story about Poppy that I just remembered. I couldn't get Gemini to go poop outside, like to save my life. And I think our friends were. Staying at our house watching and they, and so then they watched her and they're like, we couldn't get her to go poop.

[00:09:22] So we learned that if you rub an ice cube on their butt, it don't like make them feel like they need to go to the bathroom. So they're out there like rubbing ice cubes on their butt and I'm like, man, we have some good friends in our lives and are like trying so hard to get our dog to like go poop. On a scheduled basis, as you mentioned, a schedule.

[00:09:43] Oh gosh, I've never heard that one before. Yeah, I didn't either. I'll tell you, but hey, who it was after? I don't want to make them feel embarrassed, but

[00:09:51] Jess: that's funny. Did it work? Did they say she went? They said it did. Was generally like, why is my butt being rub with ice? They're like, she's

[00:10:01] Madison: like, it's so cold.

[00:10:04] And I think it was like the colder ones here too. So they're like outside with her like cold rubbing ice cubes on her butt. That was funny. They said it and she eventually went. So I don't know if it was the ice cube or she just needed to go.

[00:10:16] Jess: What about, you know, obviously puppies chewing all that stuff.

[00:10:21] I remember with Ziggy, you know, one of the chores that we were focused on was making sure she wasn't chewing things or you're removing things, you have to like puppy proof the house. Mm-hmm. So you're removing all the items and. All the little trinkets and things that you have in the house that you weren't expecting when you get a dog that they get themselves into.

[00:10:43] Or even the sour apple spray. I

[00:10:46] Madison: was about to say the bitter.

[00:10:46] Jess: Yeah. Bitter apple. Sour apple. Spray that on all the corners of stuff.

[00:10:52] Madison: I think you actually turned me onto that one. They were puppies, like I went over and I think she had like chewed up your wall or something.

[00:10:59] Jess: Yes. Yeah, we, the first place we had, and it was like a, a condo building and it was actually.

[00:11:06] I don't know, weeks before we were getting ready to do the open house and get it sold, and I came home and the hallway was just all chewed up on like the baseboards. Oh my gosh. I could not believe it. And so my husband was, he had already moved to, to the East coast and I'm like, I don't, I am not like a.

[00:11:29] Like, I dunno, the handyman, like yes. I mean, I, I can be carpenter. There you go. I can, yeah, I can be very handy, but I don't know the, you know, the ins and outs and all that stuff. So of course you find a YouTube video. Went and got the materials I'm using like putty and like the sandpaper and painting, making it look good and I mean, hey, the place sold, so,

[00:11:50] Madison: hey, I'm gonna say must be my, uh,

[00:11:52] Jess: my skills.

[00:11:53] That was definitely a chore for us to just make sure. Things weren't getting chewed up that shouldn't be chewed up. And you learn like even like these little ponytails,

[00:12:03] Madison: oh, you know,

[00:12:04] Jess: like keeping these off the ground or like off the side of your bed. Things I never thought of, but now, you know, changed my mind.

[00:12:12] 'cause she ever since she was a puppy, love chewing. Yeah. Little ponytails. And they

[00:12:16] Madison: get those and they think they like wrap on their intestines or something. Oh, that's scary. Yeah. Well I know 'cause one of our cats hate one.

[00:12:23] Jess: Oh not the cats. Yeah. And they threw it up and I was like, oh, we're just talking about dog chores.

[00:12:29] I'm sure there's a whole new set of cat chores. Oh my gosh.

[00:12:32] Madison: That's a, yeah, that's a tiring story. Yeah. So I don't think I slept for like the first few months of having a puppy. So if anybody's out there. Looking to get a puppy or you haven't experienced life with a puppy. I'm not here to scare you or anything, but it's definitely something that you have to have time and dedication to, and, and that even plays into their adult years.

[00:12:57] Like, it, it doesn't

[00:12:57] Jess: stop. It does not, no. The adult years I feel like are kind of like your maintenance years. All the stuff you're learn learning as like a new dog, parent. It's just like new, new things that pop up, new activities. Schedules, all these different, you know, different parts of that phase.

[00:13:17] Madison: I think for a big one for us is keeping our dogs socialized or hanging out with friends.

[00:13:24] I mean, literally they're friends. Like we say their names and they're like, I know who that is. Like, I wanna go see them. And so it's finding time in our schedules to make time for that and keep 'em socialized or keep 'em hanging around dogs that they like to hang around with. I think, you know, obviously not all dogs, like all dogs.

[00:13:45] Jess: Another kind of chore type thing. When GY was a puppy, we did the puppy training courses.

[00:13:51] Madison: Mm-hmm.

[00:13:52] Jess: And then it was just like on yourself to stay consistent with that and consistent with, you know, making sure you are just, you know, ingrained in their schedules, their everyday routines, the everyday stuff that you do with them.

[00:14:09] That you're making sure you're on top of it and making sure they keep their fundamentals of all the puppy classes, the weeks of puppy classes that you did with them. So I feel like that's kind of like a. A hidden task chore that is throughout the entire life of your dog. Yeah. No matter what, starting from a puppy, but you just, it's

[00:14:26] Madison: ongoing.

[00:14:27] It's ongoing. And there's still like new things I wanna teach him too. But for Apollo, like he still doesn't know the difference between sit and lay down. He's got them backwards. It's something I'm like constantly having to think about as a, like as a chore. Like when I'm giving him a treat for coming inside, I'm like.

[00:14:44] That's sit, he lays down. I'm like, no, no, no. Sit. I'm like, wait, you're six, almost six years old, buddy. We also keep like keep them going on walks and taking 'em on walks like, it sounds like a stupid easy chore, but when you're like busy throughout your workday, I'm like, oh my gosh, these dogs haven't been outside.

[00:15:05] Like they're dogs. They need to be outside,

[00:15:08] Jess: especially if you have a backyard, which is still great. Like I grew up with a big backyard and we could let our dogs out. And they would roam and run around and have like plenty of space. But now we have like a smaller backyard. Mm-hmm. So it's not like when I let Ziggy out, she's getting the exercise that she needs.

[00:15:25] Mm-hmm. So that's a huge exercise. Exercise is a huge chore and responsibility with the dog. Another chore space that we haven't talked about is grooming. Mm-hmm. And that means so much. And it means so much to every different like dog. Every dog breed has. Their own different chore areas of, of the grooming.

[00:15:46] But our, um, ziggy's been pretty basic, like we bathe her. I do her nails, I brush her teeth, I trim her paws, I trim her booty. I tell her, I'm like, it's a spa day. And I do all of that. And I've done it ever since she was a puppy. But we have like special towels that we use for the bath time, and she knows, like when I take 'em out, Ziggy's not a fan of bath time.

[00:16:12] He's sitting there like shaking and I always feel bad, but I'm like, girl, it's time for the bath. Mm-hmm. So she knows when I take out these towels, she's like, dang, I know what's next.

[00:16:23] Madison: My dogs always know it's bath time when I open the door to the guest bathroom and put 'em in the tub and they just like stand there and freeze looking at me.

[00:16:31] But they're spoiled. They get like a blueberry facial scrub when like, I think you give that too, right? Yes. I know you guys have an easier time with giving Ziggy nail trims, but. These two don't really love getting their nails trimmed.

[00:16:44] Jess: Do you take the dogs places to get their nails done?

[00:16:47] Madison: Whenever they go to the vet, I cut their nails, but they run a lot on the pavement outside and that naturally kind of, uh, files 'em down.

[00:16:56] They're getting better with cutting them though. I'm, I do have to cut them in between sometimes. So it's like a do it when I have to thing, but technically I'm supposed to probably do it more often. What about teeth brushing? Brush their teeth. Oh my gosh. They love getting their teeth brushed. They, I literally will be like, toothbrush, let's see if they look at me.

[00:17:16] No, but I'll go grab their toothbrush and they just like come over and they're like ready. And they like fight each other for who gets to go first. And they love the taste of, it's like, I think we said in the last episode, it's like bacon flavored whatever, like gross. But they

[00:17:31] Jess: love it. Yeah. We have like peanut butter beef.

[00:17:34] My husband hates peanut butter, so. If I pull out the peanut butter flavor toothpaste, I'll always like kind of do it a mess with him and brush Ziggy's teeth. And he is like, oh my gosh, your breast smells like peanut butter. Yeah.

[00:17:47] Madison: But we take him to cahoots, which is like a, well I think it's a, not a grocery store, but a dog food store and they have a vet, uh, vet tech, what is it called?

[00:17:58] Vet Tech. Dental, whatever.

[00:18:00] Jess: Yeah. They have popups. Yeah. Every month where you can sign up. Is it a vet tech or is it a dentist? I'm not for a dog. Not sure. It must be a combination of all that.

[00:18:10] Madison: Yeah. Somebody qualified to come in and give vaccines and everything and nail trims, which we'll do there too. But they do.

[00:18:17] Um. Without which I call it not EU bodies. No. An an anesthesia. Anesthesia.

[00:18:26] Jess: Without putting them under you can your teeth cleaned.

[00:18:28] Madison: Yeah. And they do really good. Your teeth. Yeah. But the dogs. The dogs. The dogs. They do a really good job of getting the plaque off though, because even we brush their teeth pretty regularly, but you know, they get a lot of plaque buildup.

[00:18:40] Jess: Another chore we have to think about is pet care. When we travel or are gone, you have to find and prepare and get ready and go through the all the things, the checklist of items needed for your dog to be watched, either by a sitter, a dog watching service, or a doggy daycare. I know both of us have had experiences doing all that stuff and learned along the way.

[00:19:10] Madison: We actually still take him to. To daycare, uh, especially if I'm have a really long day at work or I have to go into the office, I do drop them off at daycare just so they're not like, Gemini's not locked and I crate all day. Or they're bored. Like, I just want them to at least get out and see other dogs or whatever I might be.

[00:19:30] It's not cheap, so I do it kind of as needed, but we'll go to Dogtopia. And what I really love about it though is they, one, do a temperament test to. Confirm that all the dogs there, you know, will get along with other dogs. Um, but they also have cameras, so it's really distracting though. So as much as I love it when I drop them off there, I will sit with the app or whatever the website open with the cameras and just like stare at all day.

[00:20:00] I'm like, oh, they're now on the. Dog walk thing. Oh, now they're just sitting in the corner. Oh, now they're playing with a friend, and I'm like, I don't need to know this. Too much

[00:20:09] Jess: information. Another chore is penance for those who have it, figuring out which one to go with, which one works best for you and your family, and then making sure you're gathering all the expenses, receipts, and getting those submitted in the portal.

[00:20:26] That is so much learning. Yeah. I know you've had a ton of experiences changing. Pet insurances and doing all the things that come with it. Well,

[00:20:36] Madison: and you wanna get like in one early, because then the older they get, the more it becomes a preexisting condition, whatever they see at the vet. And then they don't cover that.

[00:20:46] So like I always tell people, like even if like if you have the money, like if you know, if you have the capability, like just do it and get something rather than nothing. And just to protect you in case something. Life changing happenings or as they get older, you know, things, things happen. So

[00:21:05] Jess: you just never know.

[00:21:06] Madison: You never know.

[00:21:07] Jess: I have heard nightmare stories of people with pet insurance. Yeah. We've luckily have had a really good experience and I've been an advocate mm-hmm. For doing all that stuff, but it's not, it's not for everyone. Yeah. And you know, you make that decision for you and, and your dog.

[00:21:25] Madison: Yeah. And I.

[00:21:26] The one thing for us is I totally like the last time we used it, I was like, this is not gonna work. Like they're not gonna cover. I was like panicking. I'm like, what am I paying for? And then they ended up covering like all that they could, and I'm like, okay, it is worth it in the end. But there is that like unknown that makes you uneasy.

[00:21:45] So last thing is dog enrichment or dog activities. You gotta keep them busy, like. Like you said, maintenance. So,

[00:21:51] Jess: and then once you find those activities, there's a whole list of items that you're, you know, sticking to and making sure you're staying on top of and adding to your schedules.

[00:22:01] Madison: Yeah, so much.

[00:22:03] There's so much that happens in their adulthood and, and then you get kinda, you know. Onto their senior years, which we're still trying to figure out when that transition really happens. I know every time I go to the vet I'm like, are they a senior yet? Like when, when do I need to start thinking about this?

[00:22:22] And, and

[00:22:22] Jess: realizing we have grown up with dogs our entire lives. So firsthand with my own dog, I haven't experienced the senior phase, but firsthand through my family dogs, I've seen how. A whole new list of, list of chores come into the picture. They almost start kind of reverting back to that puppy phase where you're spending, you have to watch them.

[00:22:41] You're spending time and attention. Mm-hmm. To their needs. You know, they don't move that easily. And I remember my parents putting like a towel or support blanket under the dog to help 'em up the stairs. They're going to the bathroom way more frequently. Mm-hmm. And you have to take 'em out. It's just all these new set of things that come into the picture with that senior phase.

[00:23:03] Madison: Yeah, there's like a lot of medications that you have to manage. I mean, we talked about managing the puppy vaccines and then the adulthood, like, you know, preventative almost care. And then they get into, I've heard dogs, you know, beyond. Like more medicines than I've ever seen. Like, and they have,

[00:23:21] Jess: you know how people have the pill boxes?

[00:23:23] Yeah. Yes. For their dogs. Yeah. Of all the things that they're taking. The vitamin supplements, joint pain, pain, and then let alone dogs who have injuries like chronic illnesses, cancer, just old age.

[00:23:38] Madison: Yeah.

[00:23:39] Jess: They probably have a whole, or not even probably, I know they have a whole set of things that. You're working through and having to do it every day,

[00:23:49] Madison: and then talk about figuring out your routine.

[00:23:52] Like you're, you know, you probably can't transport them so easily on a plane or, or on a, leaving 'em at a sitter or something, because I even know, I mean, I was a rover sitter for a bit, and one of the things you could check off was like. Honestly charging more to give medications or to give things to the dogs.

[00:24:12] And, and you don't want, just like anybody taking care of your senior dog that needs medication to like sustain. So a whole nother thing to think about, like, and just be on top of. With a routine and then there's the dietary adjustments. You gotta change your food again. All of a sudden, like I said, every time I go to bed, I'm like, are they senior yet?

[00:24:34] Because you've seen at the stores like it's like senior formula where they had puppy formula all senior and or they need like wet food or whatever it might be,

[00:24:45] Jess: right? They start losing teeth and they can't eat their food. Which reminds me like even another. Just, you know, chore, that's different. Everyone has different things that their dog, you know, deals with.

[00:24:56] I had an old coworker that their dog had a special, I don't know, disease or something where it couldn't eat normally. So they had this special chair where the dog sat in, like almost sat up and ate its food. Like sitting up so that like something with the esophagus or something like that. So I think that just shows like whatever the dog is dealing with, sickness, illness, disease, it's gonna come with a list of chores that are very different from your own.

[00:25:27] Madison: Yeah, my dog that I grew up with went like blind and deaf and you couldn't like just call their name anymore and be like, come, or you had to like carry them outside, put 'em where they need to go potty and then like hand feed them. And I mean, it's a, it's a whole like thing. And I, you know, I give it up to all those people that like rescue senior dogs and take care of them to the end of life.

[00:25:52] Give 'em the best life possible, like. Those are angels. Like really, and I mean, I one day hope to be like that person that can do that. But with our work schedules, with our life schedules, like, we'll obviously do that for our dogs. But doing that, expecting that inspecting, like that's, you know, something that also affects you emotionally.

[00:26:16] Like we cry all the time thinking about our. I am not gonna say it. Aging dollars. Yeah.

[00:26:23] Jess: Yeah. It definitely reminds you everything that goes into it. The time demands the chore list, and that's why it's great to give back and support the charities and the rescue organizations because. They put in a lot of time and effort to do that, and there's some that like

[00:26:41] Madison: provide support to those, or like wheelchairs for dogs that can't use their legs or anything.

[00:26:46] So I'm always supportive of those organizations that, you know, just wanna give these guys a, a great life. So whether you've got a, you know, puppy or a, a gray faced flu, silver face, whatever they call it, like, you know, there's endless chores, but. Of course unlimited love.

[00:27:05] Jess: We do it because we love him and we wouldn't do it any other way.

[00:27:08] Madison: Well, let's play a game.

[00:27:09] Jess: Love it.

[00:27:10] Madison: You what, what do you got? You know, we love a hot take, so we're gonna go through some dog labor, dog chore activities and, and if you agree with them, you can, you know, say you agree or you are guilty of it, or, or you could say you disagree or you're just guilty, and stand by it.

[00:27:29] So. I love it.

[00:27:30] Jess: So we can kind of just go down our list back and forth here. Yeah.

[00:27:34] Madison: And uh, I'm curious what. Our listeners will think too. So maybe we put some of these in our, our, uh, stories later to see how people feel. Yeah. But these are our feelings though, right? Yeah. Let's make that

[00:27:46] Jess: clear that these are our opinions.

[00:27:47] These are our hot takes. Everyone's got a different take on it. Yeah. Which makes life fun. People

[00:27:52] Madison: might be pissed at me on Yes. Some of these responses I know.

[00:27:55] Jess: And we're gonna be as honest as we can be here. Okay. I'll kick us off. If you don't rinse your dog's water bowl daily, it's basically a Petri dish.

[00:28:06] Um, disagree. Yeah, I'm

[00:28:09] Madison: Or guilty and standby by, I don't know. I know

[00:28:11] Jess: I probably should clean the bowl a lot more than I do. Even like the food bowl, that's probably more disgusting than the water bowl.

[00:28:18] Madison: I clean the water bowl a lot because they run outta water and I'm like, oh, I gotta refill it, and then I clean it.

[00:28:24] But the, the food bowl, which is a slow feeder, is a pain in the butt to clean. So I just like. Yeah. And then I'll look at him and be like, oh, that's disgusting.

[00:28:35] Jess: I know when's the last time I cleaned that. But if I'm sending Ziggy off to like the, you know, to get watched, I'm like, oh, I gotta clean this. Yeah.

[00:28:41] Madison: Or I bring out the other one I have in the cabinet. Yes. And I'm like, yeah, I mean, it's brand new. I don't wanna send him with a gross. That's nasty. But anyways, raw feeders will tell you they love it, but they secretly hate the cleanup.

[00:28:56] Jess: Not even the cleanup, but like the prep. So I've done like some foods with Ziggy, where it's like in the freezer, but you forget to take it out to thaw it out.

[00:29:07] It's like, I mean, it's a whole process. It's a whole, uh, not mindset, but it's just a different process,

[00:29:15] Madison: different world. I was actually talking to my trainer about this yesterday and she was like, I really think you should get Gemini on raw food. Like she's young enough. That it won't affect them. I guess if you do it later, like I haven't asked my vet or anything about their advice, but I'm like.

[00:29:30] I want to, but that sounds like a pain. And then I just don't know enough about it, so

[00:29:36] Jess: I don't even have the lifestyle.

[00:29:37] Madison: Yeah, definitely. To do it either

[00:29:38] Jess: being on the go, like it's like that dog that brought over

[00:29:42] Madison: the, the Oh

[00:29:43] Jess: yes. Cooked noodles. I watched a dog once. It had like pasta and a homemade meals that she brought on the refrigerate, and it was, and I'm just like,

[00:29:52] Madison: here's a bag of kibble.

[00:29:53] Like good kibble. Mm-hmm. In my opinion.

[00:29:56] Jess: Yep. If you've ever left poop behind because you forgot a bag, you're lying and lazy.

[00:30:02] Madison: Well, I'm guilty of this one. So same. I don't disagree with it. I do think you're lazy and I'll call myself lazy. Haven't like purposely left. Oh, left poop. Yeah, like. I've purposely left poop.

[00:30:16] I thought it said poop bag.

[00:30:17] Jess: Like I haven't

[00:30:17] Madison: purposely

[00:30:17] Jess: left a poop bag behind. Oh yeah. Those are awful. Yeah. When you see like on the trails or out and about and you just see like poop bags, like on the, like I won't never Yeah. Do that. I'll always go like find a trash. Well, I care about the environment.

[00:30:30] Yeah, yeah. But I've been in those moments where I don't have a bag or I forgot the bag. Like upstairs.

[00:30:37] Madison: Yeah.

[00:30:38] Jess: And I'm just like. I look around, there's been times I've like grabbed a leaf and like tried shoving it and throwing it in like the bushes or something. Yeah. But there are times where I'm like, I don't have anything and I feel really bad and I'm looking around, oh, it's the worst if there's like people around.

[00:30:54] Yeah. I don't know how, like some people, they just like don't care at all. Like I've seen, you know, they're walking and their dog poops and then they move on and they like, they're not phased at all. Well, if they have a dog though, I'll be like, do you have a poop bag? Mm-hmm.

[00:31:06] Madison: But if they don't have a dog, I'm not gonna assume they have a poop bag.

[00:31:09] And so I'm like, uh uh, I'm sorry. I just like can't, it's a, yeah, it's a panic moment. But I even at the beach the other day, they, that's always a panic moment when they poop like near the water and, 'cause you don't know when the tide's gonna come in. And I like sprinted back and I was like, I don't know if I'm gonna make it back.

[00:31:29] And then these people are gonna think like. I was like, anybody have a bag? Like I was trying to make it known that I wasn't trying to leave poop. I'm like, I'm trying to get back. And then the poop got carried away by the waves.

[00:31:40] Jess: Oh my

[00:31:40] Madison: gosh. So don't go swimming in that water.

[00:31:44] Jess: I mean, I'm sure there's tons of stuff.

[00:31:46] Madison: Oh, there. Yeah. I mean,

[00:31:47] Jess: animals poop in the water. Yes. Fish poop. Yes. Anyways. People poop. People poop in the, in the water. You know? That is true. You should be grooming and bathing your dog on a weekly basis.

[00:31:58] Madison: Disagree.

[00:31:59] Jess: Yeah. Disagree.

[00:32:00] Madison: Yeah,

[00:32:00] Jess: absolutely.

[00:32:02] Madison: Here's a hot take. I won't, sometimes I will. Just like after the beach, like not give him a bath.

[00:32:11] Jess: Well, I mean, I don't blame you in that situation. I've done it too with Ziggy, but she also doesn't go into the water and get super dirty. But they like clean off. They do and they shake and like clean themselves. But then I let them sleep in my bed under the covers. Yeah. I mean, I think that's criminal, but having all the no sand.

[00:32:32] Oh shit. Yes. Uhuh. There's no way You're not feeling sand particles. One piece in your bed

[00:32:37] Madison: going to the dog park is 20% for the dog and 80% to convince yourself. You're doing enough. Your dog.

[00:32:44] Jess: Hmm. I mean, I think dog parks have a lot of hot takes in general around them. Yeah. But I'm sure it's just a place to socialize, show that you're taking your dog out.

[00:33:00] Madison: I don't know. I don't think it's 20%, 80, because if I didn't say the word and they got excited, like they're not now for some reason, which is weird. I think they're just tired, but they like. Get so excited when I say park usually.

[00:33:18] Jess: Yeah. I think it's definitely more doing it for your dog. Yeah. Than I don't want to go to the park doing it for the person.

[00:33:25] Yeah. No. It's a whole, whole deal. Does anybody else set a timer for the what? A timer For what? The park. Like going to the park, you set a timer. Like when I

[00:33:35] Madison: get to the park, I set an hour timer.

[00:33:37] Jess: Oh, funny.

[00:33:38] Madison: And when it goes off, I'm like, okay, I can go home.

[00:33:40] Jess: Well, I also have a dog that like will check out and she will wanna say hi to people more than the dogs.

[00:33:46] Yeah. So. Sh. I'm just like, okay, it's time to go.

[00:33:50] Madison: You always bring her when she stays over. 'cause our dogs love, I think with us they love to fetch, like with a launcher and it goes so far that like in our backyard we throw it over the fence. So that's our opportunity to throw it far and to get them to run and they're so tired afterwards.

[00:34:06] I'm like, need them to get energy out. So.

[00:34:09] Jess: Well, it's also a great space to bring your dog 'cause it's safe with the fence and the border.

[00:34:14] Madison: Mm-hmm.

[00:34:15] Jess: Well, if it is,

[00:34:16] Madison: yeah.

[00:34:17] Jess: Right. There are, there are dog parks and places that don't have fences as well.

[00:34:21] Madison: Or there's scary dogs and then you don't wanna be in the park.

[00:34:25] True. So, I mean, I've left parks when I've seen dogs and I'm just like, they could be nice for all I know, but I'm like, eh, not feeling it. Nothing. Not today. Not feeling the vibe, not feeling another vet bill. I'm good. Turn.

[00:34:38] Jess: Yeah. Turn it around. That's why I love with like ziggy's parties or like events like we rent out.

[00:34:44] A pen. Like a dog pen.

[00:34:46] Madison: Yeah.

[00:34:46] Jess: There's like a, the city you can rent out just for, you know, your group. And I was like, this is amazing.

[00:34:53] Madison: And then you don't have to like worry about you trust all those people. Yeah. People taking the dog like, oh my god, that'd be horrible. Another hot take. Your dog doesn't need new toys.

[00:35:02] They have enough

[00:35:04] Jess: EI am always wanting to buy new toys. Especially if you go to Home Goods or TJ Maxx. I feel like I never leave with.

[00:35:14] Madison: Yeah. Like

[00:35:15] Jess: there're not being a toy in my cart.

[00:35:18] Madison: Yeah. I can't, there's cute, I can't walk into that store without buying a toy

[00:35:21] Jess: and they're on sale.

[00:35:22] Madison: Mm-hmm. It's free. I think I'm losing money if I drive there and don't buy a toy.

[00:35:27] Jess: Exactly. I have a whole like big bag in our closet of toys that still have like the tags on 'em. Either we've gotten them from events or birthday parties and I'll, you know, if it's like a special, I don't know, a day out of. A random day outta the week and I'm like, sike, do you want a new toy? Yeah. And you just see like the joy and the excitement and then you give it to her and Yeah, we went to, I'll always give her a new toy, next hot take dog expenses should count as dependence on taxes.

[00:35:57] You know, I saw something about like something coming

[00:36:00] Madison: Yeah, around. I agree with that one

[00:36:01] Jess: by the way. Being able to. Like claim your dog's expenses. Like, I think something is coming.

[00:36:07] Madison: Yeah. I, somebody was telling me that like, if your dog doesn't perform something or does something like, which I think like social media accounts maybe, or Oh yeah,

[00:36:16] Jess: a hundred percent.

[00:36:17] Those influencers that are getting brand deals, like those are taxes. I mean, we've done it with Ziggy, but it, it's, no,

[00:36:23] Madison: but I mean like, even that is like they're, they're doing something that generates. Some income. Income. So then

[00:36:30] Jess: there are expenses. It's almost like a, um, your own business. Yeah. That's how it's like classified and how you'll do like all your taxes.

[00:36:38] Madison: And I think even like them racing, like they get fame. I don't

[00:36:43] Jess: know, but who knows? I also saw something about, I can't remember what state it is, but there is a group working on legislation of. Making dogs like family members, legit family members of your family.

[00:36:59] Madison: See, I agree with it, but I actually had this debate with my husband.

[00:37:03] He is like, no, like I don't, I don't think so. Like I Then people just get a bunch of dogs and then false register and then we're paying, they're not contributors to society essentially was his point. And I was like, I don't care. I want them, right? Yeah, that's right.

[00:37:19] Jess: That's like the hot take. It's like Absolutely.

[00:37:21] Madison: Yeah. Last hot take. Your dog doesn't need three jackets or shirts or dresses, but it's not your fault. They look cute in them.

[00:37:29] Jess: I mean, I have a whole closet of stuff. Yeah. With clothes, jerseys, shirts, bandanas. You do too. Yeah,

[00:37:37] Madison: I

[00:37:37] Jess: do. But. I have done waves of cleaning out the closets too, cleaning

[00:37:43] Madison: out my

[00:37:43] Jess: closet, downsize, because that is necessary because yes, you can accumulate,

[00:37:50] Madison: but do I think they need them?

[00:37:52] No, I agree with that, that they don't need them. But there are small dogs, like my mom has like a, what's that? Like little tiny multi multi p or something, and it's like four pounds or maybe five now. But it gets cold. Like the dog's like shaking and I'm like, okay, this dog needs a jacket. But there's a time and a place.

[00:38:15] Yeah. Yeah. When we go camping too, if it's cold, like we'll put a puffer on them and, and keep them warm, but. Gemini doesn't really like clothes, so I, I don't really force 'em on her, but a hat. Oh yeah. They're, they're wearing that hat

[00:38:30] Jess: just for a little bit. Yes. And I have bandanas of like every holiday Yeah.

[00:38:35] To put on Ziggy.

[00:38:36] Madison: Yeah. We used to have so many like, oh man, so many. So many. I still have so many, and I'm like, what do I do with these? Like,

[00:38:44] Jess: well, the thing I sent you today on Instagram that I saw, oh, it was like that swap. Yeah, like a clothing swap,

[00:38:50] Madison: but for dogs.

[00:38:51] Jess: Yeah. Right. I mean, I think that event is genius.

[00:38:54] Mm-hmm. They like host a, host a space you can like, you know, pay a little fee to have your own table set up and you bring up all the old clothes items, whatever it is, and it's like a swap market and you can buy and sell and trade.

[00:39:09] Madison: I mean, there's even so many, like back to the toys, like. Things that we've been maybe gifted or just got at parties, which is another hot take, but like they're brand new.

[00:39:23] I just don't wanna give 'em to my dog 'cause I know they'll eat it or whatever, but maybe another dog would like it. So. Very true. I think we should do that.

[00:39:30] Jess: Yeah. Well, great little segment on Hot Takes. That's fun. I think those are always. Fun to go through.

[00:39:37] Madison: Yeah,

[00:39:38] Jess: so let us know what your hot takes are in the Y it out form, which you can find in our link and bio on Instagram, and we will share those and we'll do some polls.

[00:39:49] Definitely in on social media, on our Instagram stories because love to see what, what people think. If you have any other chores

[00:39:55] Madison: that we didn't talk about today or fun stories or reasons why you got your dog and love your dog, I mean, we'd love to hear it all. So like just said, put it in the Y it out form.

[00:40:07] And we'll share it.

[00:40:08] Jess: Share this episode with a fellow dog parent, especially those that are going through the trenches of all the chores, through the puppy, adult senior life phases. Whatever it is, we're here for you. You're not alone. Everyone goes through it. Make sure to follow us on TikTok, on Instagram at the Yep Corner Pod.

[00:40:28] You can listen to us on Spotify, apple, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast. That's all. That's all for today. That's all we got. Yep. Thanks. Thanks for

[00:40:37] Madison: yapping.