Red ribbon day

The dogs went to the groomer yesterday and came back with red bows for Valentine's Day. Bella's is almost hidden on her collar by her fluffy haircut. She has tiny poodle feet again, which I love. "Leave the head and tail big, please," I ask the groomer.

The groomer is an experienced hand who used to trim a lot of poodles. "75% of our clients in the shop in Hollywood were poodles," she says. "They are the only civilized dogs left on the planet. Now we have 75% shih-tzus." And she sighs heavily. "I do so love poodles! C'mere, Beauty!" as she lifts Bella up to the table.

My daughter-in-law immediately liberated Spike from his red bow, "You're a boy, you don't need ribbons!" That made me laugh. He snuggled up with her and didn't miss his decor one bit.

This morning, since Bella's hair was blown out beautifully, she is only "half-curled" from trips outside in the rain to do her business. 
I thought we'd try the dogs inside on the treadmill instead of hiking in the rain. After my 1.5 hour exercise class, I am barely able to chug up the hill with the dogs, and they'd be soaked and dirty afterward.

Spike finishes his second round of a slow jog. He usually takes 2-3 miles to move his gut, and he's probably done more than that. He keeps turning his head when I'm in view, wondering when he's done, so I sit where he can't see me. Bella poses for a few pics in the conservatory where there's enough light to capture her face. Inside, she's a blur of dark hair that absorbs light rather than reflecting it to the camera. She's up to a healthy, happy 8.5 lbs when I weigh her this morning. Spike seems to be holding his own at 12 lbs.

No luck on moving Spike's digestion, so he goes into the crate to eat breakfast while Bella starts on the treadmill. She's not happy to be exercising after smelling Spike's food, but walks along without too much fuss. Good doggies!