Snoopy likes to spend lots of time demanding attention and trying to sit on one or the other of us when we’re on the computer. Not exactly the best material for getting pictures. But tonight he finally got comfortable with one of the, um, many dog toys we have around here and he got to work on it. This happens to be a $0.69 special we got on sale sometime after Christmas. Here are some of the photos of him sitting on the ottoman and enjoying himself.
Tag: dogs
Snoopy!
Nope, I’m not talking about Geoff’s obsession with dogs named after Peanuts characters. Though, in this case, the dog in question is, in fact, named after the famous beagle. This time I’m talking about the pup we’re dog sitting this week. He’s a cockapoo, properly called parti-colored, and he’s pretty funny.
Of butterflies, and one special chrysalis
As Geoff mentioned, on Saturday we took his sister, Liz, and her 3 kids to the Museum of Science, among other places, for their day visit to Boston. After our lunch time visit to Harvard Sq. for some excellent burgers, we stopped back off at home before heading to the museum. Whenever we enter the house, especially with guests, we’re always greeted at the door by our enthusiastic dachshunds and usually at least one cat.
On Saturday we were greeted by a bouncy little Thumbelina, Scratch, and no Rerun. There was a distinct whining coming from the living room, but as everyone filed in and wandered into the kitchen, I was apparently the only one who 1) noticed his absence and 2) heard the pathetic whimpers coming from the living room. (Rerun is an expert at The Pathetic Dog Whimper.)
Continue reading “Of butterflies, and one special chrysalis”
Never mess with dog lovers
I guess I should amend that to, “Never mess with animal lovers.” For me it is a more accurate statement as I am neither a dog nor cat person but an animal person. But, it was the dog lovers who got Michael Vick sent to jail and fired by the Atlanta Falcons. Now he’s consigned to the Philadelphia Eagles, my least favorite football team. Is he still making money? Sure. But is he being watched like a hawk? Absolutely.
Also, dogs can tear him apart whenever they like.
Nice to know that there are happy endings sometimes
The other day I was down on Charles Street in Boston and I noticed a poster about a missing dog. The stuff that was most memorable was the fact that it was a Yorkie-Chihuahua mix, and that it was left tied up outside a grocery store. Well, the owner managed to get the dog back, but it could have ended much worse. The dog could have just disappeared, never to be seen again. And since coyotes are becoming a big problem even in Boston suburbs, it is not outside the realm of possibility for a coyote to attack a dog that does not have the ability to run away. So be thoughtful with your four-legged friends and don’t make too many assumptions about where is safe and where isn’t safe. The front of a grocery store is a very public place and the dog was still stolen.
-Geoff
A further note on Scratch
I thought I would add something related to the post that my wife put up about our youngest. You see, Scratch was named after a character in PvP, one of my favorite comics. I found it particularly hilarious when Scratch began imitating his namesake by becoming fascinated with Christmas trees. And like Kelly also mentioned, Scratch started knocking ornaments off the tree like his namesake too. Fortunately, he has not yet managed to turn into Kringus. But he does love to get up in the tree.
My dog Rerun is also named after a character in a comic.
-Geoff
Finally, some real winter
Yesterday we finally had a winter weather event worthy of the name. We did not get as much snow as some other places (the South Coast got 9 or 10 inches in some areas), but we got a few inches, enough for me to try out the electric snowblower we got as a wedding gift. I was not sure how well it would work, but wow, it works. I managed to clear our walk and part of our neighbors’ in no time at all. Just wait until our next blizzard. I am going to go nuts with that thing.
Much to my surprise, when given the opportunity to go outside and do their business in the snow, Rerun and Thumbelina both chose to go out into the (at that time) uncleared snow, while it was still coming down, and go potty.
Miracles never cease.
-Geoff
2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. For that they have our thanks. And we thank them especially for not throwing any poo in the process.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
And seriously, Kevin Smith and his dachshund should thank us for all the free (but still more or less accidental) publicity they got from us last year.
-Geoff
Rerun has some issues
My dog has a bit of a problem. Dachshunds are supposed to be instinctual burrowers. Rerun on the other hand, well, he seems to have forgotten at least some of what was passed on to him. Half the time he will whine until I cover him up with the blanket or whatever he wants to get under. But when I am not there, he just sort of makes do without having someone to do it for him. And sometimes that goes terribly, terribly awry.
Better living through chemistry
As my tolerance for Scratch’s shenanigans and general level of aggression was rapidly nearing an end, we took him to the vet last week. Once we explained to her what was going on and my theory that, perhaps, he was actually a cryptorchid, he had a physical exam that included a check to see if he was, in fact, producing testosterone. This physical exam is not unlike making him turn his head and cough, but in male cats it is a bit more invasive.
The Books are Taking Over... 