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!

Big hit

The dogs were a big hit outside a little vegan cafe. Dog-lovers stopped to pet them, while W and I kept an eye on them through our window view. They kept their eyes on us, too.

Spike raised a ruckus when some homeless fellows wandered by, while Bella figured out how to hop up on a wicker chair with Spike on the other end of the coupler: she went straight up, not moving her collar from standing at chairside, just rotating her hips up and onto the seat. She's quite amazing.

Spike or Bella left a "present" for me under the piano again. Honestly, I'm at whit's end. Every once in a while one of them just poops in the house, regardless of my letting them out every 2-3 hours. They never mess in the crate, so I know they can hold it. Very irritated with the dogs... but it hasn't happened for a few months, so I guess they are very good doggies.

After breakfast, they played tug-of-war with a new Kong stuffed animal. Then they fetched separate stuffed toys - until I tossed Bella's under the piano... which is when she refused to fetch from that corner of the LR. And that's when I found Spike's ... or Bella's ...mess. Ugh.

They're both awfully cute. Bella is asleep in a corner and Spike is pestering me for attention. Good doggies.

Road trip

We had to pick up some goodies in Tacoma, which is an hour's drive away. The dogs perk up their ears at the double-beep of the remote unlock and run over to the vehicle. They hop into the car as soon as the back door opened.

Bella, our athlete, jumps easily into her perch. Spike, who's had a few misses and tangles with straps, waits anxiously to be lifted up into his seat.

Once we're underway, the dogs look out the windows and stay alert. But as you can see from the photos, if we park, they drift off to a comfy sleep, heads resting on the sides.

We found lambswool fleeces for each seat, originally designed for smallest crates. The corners of the fleeces have slits to let them fold up to fit. So Spike and Bella have luxury bedding! which may be why neither dog minds the trip and the ride. Plus they are social: they just like to be with their people.

I had never heard Spike bark before, but someone walked by and he set up a ruckus. Interesting what dogs know about people that we are oblivious to. Good doggies!

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!

Travel blues

I hate being without the dogs. Today W and I went for a walk from the hotel to breakfast, shivering in the blustery cold winds of Memphis. I missed holding the leash and watching that I don't step on the dogs when they first frisk around my feet coming up the driveway.

I also miss their antics. They are good distractions when I am overwhelmed by too many books. Here, I find myself gnawing my fingernails without furry coats to stroke.

I'll be calling their minder today to check how they are doing. And I'm happy to be home soon to have them jump all around me in welcome. That's one of the best parts of seeing them again. Good doggies.

Poodle belles

We start the morning with a windy, wet walk. The dogs have their blue raincoats on, covering legs and most of their tummy with plastic. It doesn't seem to keep the heat in though. Spike shivers as we walk, so we make it a quick 1.5 miles.

It's hard to believe that it was snowing last week. W and I took the dogs walking with boots on. Bella's were a stiff neoprene. She kept losing one, though the others stayed on. I put a silly, puffy bug costume under her regular coat to keep her warm. (No way would I put it on her without a cover coat!)

The second day of snow, I put Spike's black shoes on Bella, and those worked great. Spike seems less sensitive to cold feet than she.

I had to teach a university course this afternoon, so the dogs waited, wrapped in coats, in the conservatory. They were happy to see me. But they were even happier when W came home and gave them bread crusts to chew. Bella ran up to the office dog bed to crunch on hers beside me. Spike devoured his and stayed in the kitchen in case more was coming his way. They seem happy to be back together as a pack.

Meanwhile, Missy the Havanese threw up 4X at her new place today. Green. Spike hauled an avocado skin out of the garbage yesterday, and I'll bet she got some. Not the best introduction to her new home. But with Kaos, the big Great Dane/Coonhound mix on one side of Alexis, and Missy on the other side, they snuggled on the couch and kept each other good company.

Good doggies!

Grooming looming - votes needed

This weekend, I'm taking the dogs to a new groomer. Spike's rubbing his ears and scooting on his hiney (anal glands?) and Bella needs a beauty treatment. So, I've been looking at poodle pictures for Bella. I found a pattern in the cuts I like, poofy head (not narrow) and long ears. If the groomer will do her head the way I like, I'm sold.

Vote on your favorite, please!

 1.

 2.

love this one #3

 4.

 best one, and would suit little Bella! = #5

 6.

 7.

8.

Learning to wait

Spike has settled down since Bella has arrived. He trots along with his Outward Hound jacket, pockets filled with stones. He takes his job seriously and holds Bella back, making her walk beside me rather than lunging in front.

Spike and Bella met a pair of lively sheepdogs at the far end of the neighborhood. The other hounds were barking up a storm, but settled down when the owner sat them down and made them visit. Spike peed on the lady's boots before I caught him. I apologized profusely.

She said, "Oh, dogs! Don't feel bad. My two have tried every trick on me already." Maybe Spike smelled something on her boots.

Today was a reading day for me, so after our walk through the neighborhood, we settled into the conservatory. The dogs got treats a few times for being settled (tiny garlic liver cubes).

Bella loves her camo bed and stays snuggled up most of the time. Spike is restless, snoozing for 15 minutes and then on the go again. When I took an afternoon nap, they wrestled each other on the floor and then curled up together on the sheepskin rug beside the bed.

After supper, I dipped some dry bread into lamb gravy and put it into their crates for bedtime. They couldn't hop in fast enough! Good doggies.