Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Come into my parlor
We were ready with our plan of sanity - crate the dogs. Kongs and Tanzanian Mountain Balls all prepped with kibble and peanut butter, just waiting for the HVAC truck to pull up.
But the guys were early and the plan fell apart. I was getting dressed - just barely decent and I vaguely heard the door open and people walking around.
Our wonderful little yappers didn't make a peep. Three men tromping around the house, up and down, in and out, and the dogs just wiggle at them and follow them around.
It's a very good thing that the mere presence of dogs is known to be a deterrent to break-ins. If anybody ever tells you that Brussels Griffons, Boston Terriers, or French Bulldogs are decent watchdogs, you have my permission to call him a liar.
Monday, August 28, 2006
But is it barkworthy?
The only problem is that he's really, really loud about liking tv. When something comes on that he's particularly excited about (Any animal, whatsoever. Any animated anything from anywhere. Any sports play. Unusual sounds. And, on occasion, the weather map) he lets us know with ear-piercing barking. He is, indeed, a little yapper.
So we've created a command for him. He's only allowed to make noise if we decide the program is "barkworthy." He barks, we look up and say "not barkworthy." And, believe it or not, it works! If we tell him it doesn't merit his attention, he turns away.
Of course, the down side is that we're excruciatingly fair to the little guy. Some things are, in fact, barkworthy. All animals. Many sports plays. Some animated commercials. But not the weather map. We had to draw the line somewhere.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Friends Visiting
Here are Dax (our French Bulldog) and Robbie
Golly (Brussels Griffon) and MacDuff, life-long friends - born on the same date!
And, here's Golly - just because it's a cute picture!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Nothing Better Than a Sleepy Dog
As I watched my lunatic dog sleep, I thought that it just doesn't get any better than that! When Ceilidh is sleepy, she's mush. You can touch her paws, look in her ears, even kiss her spots! All of which is impossible when she's awake. Roc was sleepy yesterday as well - he had training Tuesday evening and was still recovering. When Roc is exceptionally tired, he sleeps with his head tucked under so that he's on his forehead. Too cute.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Little shoes = better heeling
After I saw the light (okay, an anvil dropped on my head) and I realized that Roc was scared of my enormous sneakers tromping on him during heeling, I went out and bought these adorable little shoes.
What makes them particularly perfect, aside from having a nice Velcro strap, is that the tops look like charming little Mary Janes, and the soles are like athletic shoes. No slipping on the mats. The shoes were the hit of training class - one friend even ran out to get a pair for herself. And she doesn't even have little dogs! But she does show her Salukis in conformation, where you have to get more dressed-up than in obedience. And to show Salukis properly, a little-bitty woman like Janie has to hustle around the ring. Not worrying about slippage is a good thing!
Anyway, the true test of the shoes was last night's class. Roc seemed to heel closer to me when I wore the shoes, but I wasn't sure if I was imagining things or not. So last night I didn't wear them. I wore the sneakers. And I got my answer. Roc heeled a mile wide. From now on - it's the little shoes!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
Give a dog a bunny?
Dax has a pet.
Or she thinks she does, anyway.
There's a little rabbit who lives under the shrubbery in our front yard. Naturally, it likes to nibble on the grass in the front yard. And Dax loves to watch it. She runs out our door to the chain-link fence at the front to see if her bunny is there.
Which is all very, very cute. Bunny outside fence, French Bulldog inside fence.
But rabbits aren't exactly the smartest animals on the planet. This silly rabbit sometimes decides that the grass is tastier on Dax's side of the fence. It wanders into our back yard, where it's chased by four dogs in hunting mode. So far, it's faster. Which is a very good thing, because it can't seem to remember how it got into the yard and races back and forth until it finally locates the gate it can squeeze under.
You would think a rabbit could remember that crossing the fence is a bad idea. Or maybe it just needs the exercise.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Do They Think We're Nuts?
Or putting clothes on. And different ones every day. Golly and Roc hate wearing clothes - even a sweater or coat in the middle of winter. Ceilidh tolerates it (sometimes). And Dax absolutely loathes her coat. So, here we are putting different clothes on every day. And sometimes multiple layers! We're crazy - at least according to Golly.
And then there's watching TV. We'll have to tell you about Roc and TV, but that's fodder for another day. We're sitting in front of a box in the family room, not moving and watching it. Golly doesn't get it. Ceilidh just naps.
How about exercising? I'm lucky enough (?) to have room in my basement for a pretty good-sized exercise area. And I have to keep motivated with exercise videos otherwise I don't do it. Naturally the dogs have to be with me. I've persuaded them to lie on various dog beds or other pieces of furniture so they aren't kicked. But, what must they be thinking?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
On this day in history...
Today is the anniversary of the day that started it all. Our very first dog, Spunky, was born on August 15, 1967. He was six weeks old in this picture. I was nine.
We'd begged our mom for a dog forever. She finally agreed because she didn't want us to come home from school to an empty house. Mom had to work full time - she was a widow at 36 and we had a nasty habit of wanting to eat every single day.
It was a different era. There was no such thing as a "latchkey kid." We were the only kids from a single-parent family - divorce was still scandalous. We didn't have a clue we were different - we had friends, family, and our wonderful Boston Terrier puppy.
I'm rather horrified by all the mistakes we made with this dog. And astonished by how well he turned out. When you know better, you do better. I'm sure our dogs of today are grateful we're highly trainable.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Born to model
Even when she's hot and wet (which sounds much sexier than it actually was), Golly's photographs come out cute.
Unlike Roc, who just looks silly - ears back, ovesized tongue hanging out the side. And catch the paws facing in opposite directions.
This is why I was so darn pleased with the cute Roc shot. Finally - I got it!
Friday, August 11, 2006
The Right Hand Doesn't Know...
Not so much. Twice in the last two days shipments were attempted at our old address by UPS and FedEx. Apparently the order-taker noted the new address but didn't change it in the UPS or FedEx system. The right hand (shipping) didn't know what the left hand (billing) was doing. And the brain was not engaged at all. I'm looking forward to the day when our "new" address becomes our "current" address.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
A face any mother would love
The issue was that he never, ever looked good in a picture. Either he closed his eyes, moved, put his ears back - the boy always did something strange to mar his attraction. But I finally got a good picture. This is what Roc really looks like! Isn't he cute?
Monday, August 07, 2006
Ceilidh's First (and Last?) Agility Trial
I've been writing over the last several weeks about Ceilidh's and my Agility Classes. Our challenges and triumphs. Well, this last weekend we took the plunge and were entered in our first Agility Trial. I'm not a complete newbie to the world of dog shows, having titled Golly the princess in obedience, but Dog Agility is totally different. Lots of big jumps and other large obstacles. The judge stands in the middle of the ring waving his or her arms around whenever the competitors do anything wrong, and someone off to the side notes how many fists and fingers are in the air. (The objective is to have as few as possible.) Unfortunately the judge was waving her arms a lot when Ceilidh and I were in the ring.
I think Ceilidh may have been a little intimidated. In the picture above, Ceilidh is the tiny little Boston Terrier blur jumping over that huge jump. The jump height was perfectly appropriate, but the jump itself was enormous, and the middle of the jump was much further away from me than she was accustomed to!
So, while there were no ribbons for Ceilidh, we had a bonding weekend. And one of our best friends and her Border Terrier got their 4th Master Agility Champion title! So exciting, and we were there to see it!
You can see Ceilidh in her crate at the trial, looking too tired to even play with her beloved Latex Soccer Ball.