A note to new readers: while we often delve deeply into financial topics (such as Behind the Scenes of a Happy Frugal Marriage and How We Save 65% Annually), we also like to keep it irreverent and downright silly. Because hey, who doesn’t need an investigative interview series conducted by a dog?! And so, I hope you’ll enjoy Frugal Hound Sniffs! If you’d prefer a more, ahem, financial independence-related post, start here.
Howdy Cyber Space.
Frugal Hound here. I’m pleased to present the first 2015 installment of my esteemed interview series, Frugal Hound Sniffs. We are joined today by Mo, a lovely lady hailing from Eyes on the Dollar.
Unlike me, Mo actually goes hiking with her family out in Colorado and she looks good doing it. I prefer to snooze and can’t walk more than 5 miles at a time, which I’m told by Mr. and Mrs. Frugalwoods is not so good for hiking.
I don’t think my abbreviated mileage has anything to do with my ability to present in-depth interviews, and so, I hope you’ll join me in exuberantly sniffing Mo!
1) Who are you? What are you? And who are your parent(s)?
My name is Mo, which is short for Mahogany. My original owners named me that. It’s too long to shout out, so it got cut to Mo. I live in Southwest Colorado. I am a girl, but like Frugal Hound, I often get confused for a boy. I am a mix of a few things, but I believe I’m mostly Sharpei with some Boxer and Rottweiler thrown in.
My first owners maybe were not the smartest pet people because they had 5 of us dogs in a rental where no dogs were allowed. I never bark, but my brothers and sisters did, so we were busted and had to leave. I came to live with Kim and Jim and their 7 year old daughter about 2 years ago. Kim writes Eyes on the Dollar, which is super clever because she loves talking about money and is an eye doctor.
2) What frugal tips and tricks does your human use in your pet care regime?
Well, my Mom tries to be really frugal by taking in foster dogs. You don’t have to pay any of their expenses, but you get all of the fun! That’s how I came to live here, but I am so irresistible that they made me their very own.
I have super short hair, which sucks during winter in Colorado, but I never have to be groomed. I also don’t like getting dirty, so I almost never need baths. Except for that one time with the skunk and then another time when some very rude fleas tried to make me their home, I am almost maintenance free!
3) Favorite treat?
Hands down, I love eggs. The child almost always leaves some on her plate. I even like the stuff you have to scrape off the pan if you don’t stir scrambled eggs fast enough. I’d take bacon too, but there doesn’t seem to be much of that around since Mom and Dad try to watch their cholesterol.
4) Favorite toy?
I never really had toys in my first home, so it’s taken me almost two years to learn to appreciate them. I just learned to play tug, and I want to play All THE TIME. I’m not sure why Mom can’t play more. When she’s off work, she seems to look at the computer all day. Tug would be much more fun. I tend to eventually tear up all my toys, so I’m not sure I have a favorite.
5) What’s the most expensive thing you’ve destroyed?
One time Mom and Dad left me at home while they went on vacation. The neighbor was supposed to check on me, but I got really scared all by myself. I ate some library books to calm my nerves. I’ve learned that if I’m going to do that, Mom likes me to eat the paper ones instead of the hard side ones.
6) Most embarrassing moment?
Well, since I’m part Sharpei, I get choked and snort quite a bit. Sometimes I fart really loud too. There is nothing silent about my farts, but they are sure deadly. You gotta let that stuff out or you get a tummy ache, but I get really embarrassed if I let one rip when we have company. It happens about half the time when people come over, but what can you do?
7) How often do you get a bath and would you say it’s too often?
I get a bath maybe every 6 months unless we have issues like the aforementioned skunk. It is way too often. Could you tell Mom and Dad that if they are going to bathe me, they should dry my hair with a blow dryer because it’s cold when you don’t have much fur!
8) What is your family’s financial plan or goals and how do you contribute?
My family used to be in lots of debt, but they pulled it together and are on track to become financially independent within the next decade. I contribute by giving them hours of free entertainment. We can tug, go for walks, or they can sit and pet me for hours. All those thing are totally fun and cost zero dollars.
9) What is your best skill?
My best skill is my ability to be silent. While the neighborhood dogs will bark their heads off at any old thing, I never bark, thus conserving my energy for other more noble pursuits, like finding crumbs and taking long naps. My parents often forget that I can bark because it happens so rarely. The only time I feel the need to make noise is in my sleep. In addition to my lumberjack ability to snore, I bark and run while I’m sleeping. My parents are always wondering what I’m after in my dreams. I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.
10) BONUS QUESTION–ask and answer any question of your choice! How do you stand living with an energetic 7 year old?
My Mom has told me about all the dogs that get surrendered because they can’t get along with kids, but it really isn’t a problem for me at all. Yes, the child does make me wear ridiculous scarves and necklaces. I’ve had to sit through more than one boring tea party. Once she even put me in the spare bedroom and forgot about me! Since I never bark, it took hours to find me, but I don’t hold it against her. When the child is being annoying, I keep remembering how much food she drops on the floor and how I can sneak onto her bed and she doesn’t tell Mom. Those two things right there are worth any amount of silly costumes or boring play dates.
Thanks so much Frugal Hound. If you ever make it out to Colorado, stop by and we can swap stories from before we were adopted.
The End.
Thank you, Mo! I too never bark, except in my sleep. Mo, we are certainly much wiser than lowly barking beasts, since we do indeed conserve our energy for naps. I see no point in barking, though I do occasionally rooooo at my parents in moments of great excitement.
Mrs. Frugalwoods here: Many thanks to Kim Parr from Eyes on the Dollar for assisting Mo in crafting her superb interview. Kim is an optometrist, wife, mother, and dog lover who writes about her journey toward 20/20 financial vision. Since starting Eyes on the Dollar, her family has paid off over $30,000 in credit card debt, become landlords, and fostered 4 dogs successfully after being foster failures with Mo. I really enjoy reading Kim’s writing and I encourage you to check out Eyes on the Dollar if you’re not already a reader!
Are you a pet?
Do you have something to share with the internet? If so, answer my Frugal Hound Sniffs: Exclusive Interview Questions and have your parents email them to my mommy: mrsfrugalwoods@gmail.com (I can’t believe they won’t give me my own email account) and you’ll be featured in an upcoming issue! While I know we are more than just our appearances, please do send photos too.
Kisses,
Frugal Hound
P.S. Follow us on Twitter @FrugalWoods for even more ridiculous photos of Frugal Hound and friends.
Well hello, Mo! You really do look like you’d be an excellent hiking companion. Kim and her family are very lucky to have you. =)
We are very lucky to have Mo. I often say she is our reward for having a Jack Russell terrier for 14 years!
Another great interview, Frugal Hound!!!! You really ask the important questions!!! You should interview my princess, Mollie Mae. She’s just learning about frugality. Mrs. FH, you are the funniest and most witty writer I follow!! Your posts ALWAYS make me laugh and put a smile on my face:) thank you!!!
We think Frugal Hound is hilarious too. Witty and fast, what more can you want?
Thank you so much for your kind words Lindy! I’m so glad you’re here 🙂
Hey Mo! (In my best three stooges voice) Nice to meet you. So glad you found a great loving home!
Thank goodness her name wasn’t Curly!
So proud of you, Mo, for putting up with the child so well and appreciating what a wonderful home you’ve got. You sure are a cutie pie, even in a costume! . 🙂
I think Mo could put up with a classroom of children if she kept getting bowls of food every day!
Hi Kim! Wow, 5 dogs! Does Mo have ‘cherry eye’?
Yes, she does. I think it’s perfect that she came to live with us because when it gets infected, I have plenty of drops I can bring home. We’ve looking into surgery, but I guess it could cause more problems than leaving it alone. Luckily, she can still close her eye completely, so it doesn’t get too dry. All in all, it doesn’t seem to bother her too much.
I thought you’d know all about it already! I’ve read that it doesn’t hurt them, but infection is one of the possible issues. I volunteer with an animal shelter and we paid to have the surgery done on one dog’s eye. Subsequently, she was given then name Cherry (plus she was like a reddish brown LOL).
Found your blog via the Mr. Money Mustache forums, I love it! Beautiful pup! Have you entertained the idea that your dog could be a Staffordshire Terrier mix? Her face looks nearly identical to my Staffy’s. She’s gorgeous!
I have often though she looks like one of those and she certainly could have some of that floating around in there somewhere. Lots of people assume she is a pit bull mix because we live next to the reservation, where almost all of the dogs have some “pit” in them.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Katie! Glad you found us 🙂
It’s great to learn of Mo and that she’s very happy living with you Kim! Also I think she has a beautiful coat and a great attitude. 🙂
I would have to say her coloring is her best physical attribute, but her attitude is certainly her best characteristic.
Mo is so cute! I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this. Love it!
It’s funny because she is not photogenic at all. We really have to try and fancy her up to get good pictures and sometimes we get lucky. When she was up for adoption, we could not get a photo that said, “Please take me home.” I think that’s one reason we kept her. I never though anyone could appreciate her without a few weeks of being around her full time.
Mo, given your lack of fur while living in a cold environment, do you wear sweaters? I’ve never purchased dog clothes – a frivolous expense for us since we live in the south and have had dogs with fur – but I could see how it is a practical investment for folks, er pups, in your situation.
Well, to be honest, I don’t like being outside that much in the winter. I’ll do my business, but I don’t stick around. Mom did try to put some sort of coat on me once, but I hated it and really could not wait to get back inside.
“I ate some library books to calm my nerves.” – Lol, we had a dog early in our marriage that did something very similar. The librarian didn’t seem too amused though. 😉 Beautiful dog Kim!
No, the librarian did not think that was a good method of therapy! Since then, we’ve learned that Mo cannot stay alone overnight, and we have friends that will keep her. She never causes trouble if people come home at night.
Wow Mo sounds like quite the dog! I don’t know many things that smell worse than dog farts…I suppose you get used to it once you have a dog – especially one like Mo haha. Great to get to know another pf blogger’s pet.
DC, if I ever get used to that smell something is really wrong with my nose.
Love the picture of Mo in the tutu!!! I am always surprised when I read these interviews and see how many pets eat human food. We have never given anything other than pet food to our cat, probably because I am scared how his body will react and cleaning his white fluffy butt is no easy task.
We don’t give her a lot of table food, but if there are a few bites left of something good, she generally scores. I hate to throw it away, and she’s never had any ill effects. She farts no matter what we feed her!
Hah! Frugal Hound is the same way…
Mo, you are pretty lucky to have to endure just one bath every six months. The ‘hair’ dog in our family gets one weekly and gets a hair cut every other month. It’s wonderful that you are so patient with your seven year old. She looks like a great friend!
Mo is an extremely patient dog. All the others we’ve had kind of hid from the daughter. I guess she knows if she sticks it out she gets food or covered with a bedspread or something else wonderful.
As always would love to hear the thoughts by Mo about the Tutu on her neck or whatever that is?!
I actually kind of enjoyed the tutu. I felt very fancy and pranced around the yard. Now the scarves and necklaces are not nearly as fun and I could do without every having one of those around my neck.
Nice meeting you Mo! You’re lucky that you live in Colorado so you don’t need to get a lot of baths. Love that pic of the tutu.
We especially enjoyed the tutu. It’s nice to recycle those dance recital costumes that our daughter only gets to wear once.
Mo sounds like a sweety! We have a rescued cat that has been the best cat I have ever had and so appreciative to quit living in an apartment parking lot after 2 years. Sniff. So sad. We feel so bad about all the animals that don’t find good homes and love. Glad Mo is a hiker, we have a “climber”. 😀
Thank goodness your kitty found you. We’ve had four forever dogs that have graced our home over the years. One was the Jack Russell terrier that I had from when she was a puppy. That dog never knew a day of hard life, and you could certainly tell by her attitude. I loved her like crazy, but she was a challenge in every way. The other three have all been strays or rescues and they have all been very appreciative of food, home, love.
We’ve had the same experience with Frugal Hound since she’s a rescue too. She never misbehaves–I think she’s just so relieved to live in a home and not on a racetrack anymore!
Our cat Baby is so much like Mo, he didn’t know about toys and it took us two years of playing and now he gets them and runs through the house. So nice.
Awww, that is so sweet. It took Frugal Hound a good 6 months to learn how to play with toys and almost a full year for her to understand what treats are. It was tragic, but also really endearing.
Awwww … I had a kitty named Mo, so I am very fond of that name and clearly you are a very cute dog! I always tell my cat that a clean cat is a happy cat and you must feel the same way. Love the cool outfits and I dress up my cat, Max, but he hates it. You seem far more tolerant about it. And Max would be very jealous of your outdoor privileges and long hikes. 🙂
Cats do seem to hate being dressed up more than dogs do! I had cats growing up and would try in vain to get them into doll clothes, but they were not having it. Dogs, on the other hand, are just much more tolerant 🙂
I love this!!!
We are totally dog people too! We have 2 border collies that are 100% members of the family, and I simply love them and cannot imagine life without them. When we go out of town and drop them off with family (usually the night before we leave) our house feels so empty and sad without them.
We feel the same way when we take Frugal Hound to our friend’s house before going on vacation. We know she’ll have a great time there, but we miss her so badly!
This is a good one Kim! It sounds like Mo farts just like one of our dogs. She does it all of the time, especially when company is around!
Oh dog farts… :). Frugal Hound’s are pretty deadly too, as are her burps!
Hi Mo.. what a brilliant read. We lost our dog of 13 years in January 2014 and although I haven’t talked about it on the blog as it’s been too hard on me he was an amazing companion. I really enjoyed owning a dog.
I’m so sorry to hear about your dog. They really do become part of our families–I can imagine how hard it must’ve been for you. You have my condolences.
What a sweet interview with a sweet dog! It seems that Mo and Frugal Hound have lots in common. 🙂
I think they do indeed! Something about being rescues, I think 🙂
That hiking photo is beautiful. Is it close to your house? You’re very lucky Mo!
Don’t be ashamed of the stink bombs, better out than in!
That hiking photo IS so beautiful! I wish Frugal Hound was more of a hiker, but alas, she’s much more of a snoozer 😉
Mo is so sweet! She’s so lucky to score such a great forever home. I had to laugh about the blow dryer. That’s how we dry our dog, Bentley, after he gets a bath and he hates it! Mo also reminds me of Bentley with the audible farts. My friends think it’s hilarious because apparently they had never actually heard a dog fart before. I guess it’s nice to get a warning before the smell hits you…
I love that you guys foster. This is something I’d love to do if I had more room. But at the same time, I’m afraid every one would become a foster failure!
Haha–I think we’d have a house full of foster failures too! Also, I’m pretty sure Frugal Hound would panic if we tried to blow dry her fur. Fortunately, it’s so short that it towel dries pretty well :). But the mental image of you all blow drying your dogs is pretty hilarious!