Thankful!

On 2011 Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for such good companion dogs. Ziggy (above) watched me carefully to see if I would relent and give him people food (nope). And Missy is snoozing by my desk.
Good doggies!

I'd love to see photos of the animals who bring you joy, too! (Or post your link in comments for everyone to enjoy.)

Haul out the coats!

Doggy, it's cold out there!

I put on some new coats we acquired last month from CL ($60 on sale for $10). The label says dry clean only, which made me laugh. 

Sure. Not.

Well, it was dry and sunny out, and below zero so I figured we'd get dressed up for our Sunday walk. The coats are beautiful wool and polyester, warm, and a great fit. Classic style and useful, too.

To take a photo, I put the dogs on a bench, not realizing how slick it probably felt to them. Missy put her head down and refused to move. The ever-ready Ziggy posed perfectly. Oh well, side shot of the garment, anyhow.

I've been putting both dogs on one leash for the walk. The green leash may not be pretty, but it is effective. I hold one end, Missy holds the other, and Ziggy trots between. We had a long walk today. Usually, because I'm studying and have limited time, I let them off leash at the park: they race around and chase each other. They're panting when I call them.

Today we just walked together for a few miles. When we came home, I weighed Ziggy, who came to us at a chubby 12.5 lbs. He's down to 10.8 today. So we've made some progress. He's always had high energy; I'm just hoping taking a few pounds off will extend the life of his poodle-leg joints. My goal is a steady 10 lbs, which will still be linebacker for a poodle, but will bring him closer to our 9 lb Missy.

After I took my children out for lunch, the dogs got a bath. Oh... they smell so much better! They are such beautiful animals. I couldn't be happier with them: they're obedient, well house-trained, and adore me. Good doggies!

What dogs do

What do dogs do when their owners are busy? Sleep. Snooze. Look around.

I see a lot of ads on Craigslist from people giving away their animals. "Don't have time." "Took a job, feel bad at neglecting my dog." "Moving soon. Dog doesn't get enough attention."

We can't know who will be taking care of our animals when they're not with us. Both our dogs are "rescues" from CL, families who couldn't take care of the doggies. So there are good homes out here.  We've rehomed two other dogs that fit into friends' homes, too.

Hope everyone is as careful as the people who gifted us with Missy (formerly Bella) and Ziggy (formerly Frankie). These precious pups have brought me a lot of joy, even though they do spend a lot of time hanging out while I study.

Walkies, anyone? Good doggies!

Yeah for home

There's no place like home! The dogs leaped and frisked around me when I went to pick them up. They have behaved well and adjusted without a hitch to being back from Pam's. I can tell they were well cared for. We went for a walk to reacquaint ourselves with the neighborhood this morning. Then while I studied, Ziggy tossed his toys around and Missy snoozed. Ziggy is amazing at finding things. I throw his toys over the railing into the entry, hall or LR below, and he runs off to find them. Under the piano. Beside the sofa. Behind the table. He doesn't give up until he can bring it back. Mind you, he's not very willing to give it to me.

I'm working on, "To your place," so I can get them to lie down and be quiet when people come to the door. So far, so good at getting on the dog beds. But will they stay? Hmmmm.

They've hopped into bed together for the night. Good doggies!