And hello again!

Winter's in full swing and the doggies are restless inside the house. My treadmill is my best friend and our 20-something recent graduate is theirs. Jono takes them out for runs and plays fetch with them at the schoolyard.

Spike went to a happy home 1.5 years ago: we traveled for the summer and our friends fell in love with him. So... Bella - whom we call Missy -  needed company. Purebred, stocky Ziggy came along.

Ziggy joins the family. Ready for his
second grooming to turn him
into a poodle

He had the strangest haircut and I wasn't sure that he was ever going to look good. But our groomer Yvonne is a treasure, and Zig now looks like a poodle. He's friendly, outgoing, barks when people come to the door ... and adores Missy and me.

Dog wrestling while I study

Ziggy has a different temperament to Missy. She's the twirling princess. The ballerina.

He's our linebacker, our always-up-for-a-chase 6-yr-old toy poodle. Ziggy grew up with a grandma and grandson on an acreage. When grandma had knee replacement surgery, she had to rehome the instigator of trouble in her pack of 5 (German shepherd, lab, and 2 other big dogs). She was afraid that Zig would get hurt when she couldn't keep her eye on him: he loved to run up and down the opposite side of a chain link fence to be chased by the big dogs.

Eager for a treat: Missy and Ziggy in January 2013

Long story short - Ziggy became ours in October 2011. He and Bella sleep in the same crate, play tug-of-war and other games, and groom the yuck from each other's out-of-reach places like their tear ducts. They're great mates.

On the coupler, ready to go

Our granddaughter loves to take them for walks, too. Good doggies!

A one-year-old, ready to go with the dogs

Of course, I check in with Spike regularly. He lives in a walking suburb and his people adore him and have spoiled him to death. Life is good in doggie-land!

They're home!

The dogs are doing their first evening walk on the treadmill in a week and a half. Today, I picked them up from their home-away-from-home with Alexas. She does a great job watching them anytime we're gone. With two dogs of her own--the laidback, Great Dane/Heeler mix named Chaos and new girl on the block, Havanese Missy--her house was full indeed.

"When I get home from school, I flop on the couch and all the dogs sit near me. I pet them all, and then they settle down." Sounds like doggie heaven. "I just love having them around! We'll miss them." Her two young nieces, frequent visitors, have fallen in love with Spike and Missy, so they often walk all four dogs together. Poodle Bella prefers Alexas' mother, so everyone's happy.

I was amused to see one of the young girls hooking a protective finger around terrier Spike's collar so he couldn't bolt out the door. "I like him best!" she exclaimed, having a hard time giving him up.

"Please bring them by if you'd like, anytime, for a dog play-date," Alexas said. We just may do that. Chaos had been reluctant to accept other dogs in the past. After only two weeks, Missy sprawls on him, climbs over him, and generally has become a buddy. Chaos' separation anxiety during the few hours without adults has disappeared with Missy's company.

I missed them and am glad to have them home. Good doggies!