Category Archives: Dogs

I know I was suppose to be on vacation as of last Friday but there was no way that I could finish everything by then.  So, I actually worked today even though I wasn’t planning on it, which did not leave much time for Lulu and Sofie.  We took our usual 1 mile walk (it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be), but I broke down around 3 PM and gave them each these really nice braided rawhide bones I was holding for their Xmas stockings.  I know that I am not suppose to give them rawhide, but they love it so much.  Well now it is 6 and they are just finishing the things and I am just finishing all the work stuff, so we are all happy.  Just another dogdaz afternoon. ❤

Lulu with last year’s Xmas bone.

So we went and got a ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree again this year (small enough to fit in the trunk of the Prius).  It fits on top of a little table so that Sofie doesn’t knock it over or eat it.  Last year it was because Lulu was a puppy and now it is Sofie’s turn.  It is much easier, even though I do love the 7’ trees.  Years ago I had to give up tinsel because it is dangerous to the cats.  Then I gave up the bottom section of the tree for any good ornaments, because the dogs and the cats like to play with them.  Now, I have almost given up the tree in total.  For years, I have had an eye hook in the wall where we put the tree to ensure that it does not come tumbling down when someone climbs it.  And you know some silly cat always has to decide that the humans have moved the bathroom inside for a few weeks.  Ah, holidays with animals.  Actually, they are great fun.  I love to watch the cats try to get into every box they can, and well the dogs, they just love being in the middle of all the unwrapped wrapping paper.  If you ever get a gift from me you may note the teeth marks in your ribbon; I will apologize now publicly, so that we can get past it. Its just another dogdaz evening at our house. ❤

Noel, the Christmas cat, fast asleep among the presents

So Santa came on top of the neighborhood fire engine last night (like he does every year), with flashing lights and sirens and loud speaker ‘Ho, ho, ho,’ which is great for all the little children (and big one’s too), but really really upsetting to many of the dogs.  Sophie never heard something like that before and was so upset she cried and tried to get away from it. I had to hold her close and finally got her to lie down with me on the floor.  But then it came back around the block and she started all over again.  Lulu was OK it seemed, but she stayed close too.  C was across the street dog sitting Mojo and said he wanted to eat Santa.  I remember it used to really bother Squash too when he was alive.  He would howl.  There must be a certain db that the sirens put out that is really painful to the dogs ears.  I wonder if they can control the siren levels and change them so that dogs don’t get hurt like this?  Sofie has incredible hearing.  She can hear animals outside and trucks way before Lulu can (or so it seems).  A dogs hearing is such an incredible thing.  I know about there smell ability being 25X ours, but I wonder about there hearing.  I recently met a deaf puppy at the store, and then another, and started to realize how hard that would be for them.  I don’t know what is worse for a dog, losing sight (Squash was blind) or losing hearing (Nikki was ultimately both deaf and blind).  Do they lose scent with age too?   Well next year on Fire Truck Santa night I think I will take the dogs on an outing somewhere away from the sirens.  2 days until Hanukkah and 7 until Christmas, so there are many sites and sounds of the season that we encounter.  Wishing everyone a happy whatever you celebrate and a merry new year!  Just another dogdaz morning. ❤

Waiting for Santa.

Visited cousin Pickles this afternoon.  Pickles is a Boxer-Mastiff; does that make her a Boxstiff or a Maxer?  She is 90lbs of pure muscle with this incredible sweet disposition.  Pickles is 2 now and all she wants to do is play, play, play.  It’s a little hard to play with a dog when you think she might bite your hand off, not intentionally of course, just because she is still a baby and so excited to be playing.  When I came home Louise went crazy because she smelled another dog on me. Both Sofie and Lulu followed me all around and would not stop licking my pants until I put on my PJs.  I tried to convince Lulu that I was not 2 timing her with another dog, but she really did not believe me.  Just another dogdaz afternoon.

Sofie and Lulu helped me all morning fill in the holes all over the yard that mostly Sofie had dug.  Actually, there were not as many as I thought, but still makes a mess.  I think I need to go get straw or something since most of the yard is sand/dirt and I am really having trouble making any grass grow with these years of drought in the mid-Atlantic.  Maybe next year I will try to landscape for all the erosion.  Have to research that one.  Also need to research dog friendly gardening.  Just another dogdaz morning. ❤

Wish I could say that I was done with work and ready for my 2 week holiday, but I am not.  Sometimes I wish that I could just play with the dogs all day, it would be so much less stressful.  Sofie, Louise, and I went next door to play with Mojo (Lulu’s boyfriend, the 3 year old champion lab).  He has had a canine tooth infection so he has not been wanting to play much lately.  Well, he almost jumped through the front window when he saw the girls coming across the street.  And for about 1/2 hour they ran and ran and ran.  It is really funny to see little Sofie, with her soft herding mouth, trying to get in the middle of of these 2 lab iron jaw dogs.  She barks and tries to herd them around the yard and get them to do what she wants.  Good luck with that.  Just another dogdaz afternoon. ❤

Lulu wants to be a lap dog.  But she does not know how to even sit in my lap.  She takes those unbendable boney legs and she kinda stands on me.  She drapes her front legs over my lap with her back legs on the floor and then goes to sleep.  It is sad.  I do not know how to show her how to relax.  I do not think relax is really part of this dog.  She is always ‘on.’  Neither of my dogs are snugglers, though Sofie could be, maybe.  I lift all 40 lbs of her onto my lap but she is pretty awkward about it and tends to jump down pretty quickly.  When either dog is on me, the other will come and start a biting match and then I have to make them get off.  It’s raining so I have to find indoor things to keep them busy.  I guess my lap isn’t one of them.  Just another dogdaz afternoon. ❤