Happy Halloween!

Let me just take a mom moment to say I am sooo sore. I've been trying a bunch of new exercises lately (honestly probably too many new things at once to be a healthy decision) that have left my muscles screaming at me (and also turned me into a masochist of sorts, because I've come to love hearing them scream lol) and walking for hours on end two nights in a row hasn't helped. Yes, two, because my little cousin is just too special to only get one night of free candy (and because we had to go to different churches and festivals because her mom and mine have way too many friends and acquaintances.) And I'm holding Halloween fully accountable for my pain.

How mad do you think Buddy would be if we skipped our walk tomorrow so I could lay in a bathtub of ice? Who am I kidding, he'd kill me in my sleep and feel no remorse. Or he'd just tear through the house destroying everything in sight, which is totally more his style.

Eh.. Happy Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday--Puppy Fever

Happy Evening

Vivid

Black and White Sunday

Sophie Saturday

The Horror of an Intact Dog

In case you weren't aware, dear readers, I am the absolute worst pet owner in the world; According to shelters at least. Why? Because Buddy is not neutered. Studies have shown intact male dogs to be healthier than they're neutered counterparts, but of course, that doesn't matter. His health isn't what's important, keeping my care mainstream is. Great logic!

Sorry for the little rant: I was hoping to become a foster home. But that's apparently not going to be an option.

Someone better fill Buddy in on how neglected he is.

Confusion

Wordless Wednesday

How Cute Am I?

Very, very cute!

A Hairy Rescue

Took Buddy out this morning to be greeted by incessant meowing from the treeline beside our house. Reef had spent the night outside! And, apparently, he was stuck in a tree. Oh, my poor, brain damaged kitty.

So I clipped Buddy to his tie out so he wouldn't pout about his outside time being cut short, snapped a picture to prove to my family once and for all this kitty was not as smart as they thought, and tried my best to make it to the base of the tree to go get him. It was too overgrown.

I began to call him, which only made him meow louder, to the annoyance of my neighbors. But eventually I did manage to coax him into working his own way down, only to have him jump into my arms and purr so loudly I couldn't hear myself think, while simultaneously shooting his stupidly long fur up my nose and giving me a headache. I unceremoniously deposited him in the front door, as any good hero would, and continued mine and Buddy's walk.

Something tells me he won't be sneaking outside again any time soon.

Black an White Sunday

Sophie Saturday

Sophie is so not a morning person. 

Morning Scare & Cold Paws

This morning Buddy and I--okay, mostly I--had quite the fright. Living on top of a mountain=quite a bit of fog in the fall/spring, and this morning it was particularly heavy, which is probably why I didn't see the Great Pyrenees in our front yard. (I keep telling myself that, too, so I don't feel as bad for not paying better attention.) In fact, I would never have known it was there, if it didn't start growling at us, definitely not in a let's-play kinda way. Then, it lunged--But not for us! For a little black and white dog I hadn't even noticed. I yelled at it to try and discourage it, but didn't feel confident doing anything else, especially with Buddy at my side.

One thing I learned today, though is that I do have some maternal instincts, at least. As soon as I heard the growling I stepped in front of Buddy, even before I'd fully processed that oh crap, there's an angry dog out here.

All of this took place in a span of about three seconds, but still--unnerving.

Moving on to the second part of our post, we had our first frost last night, which means the grass was not only wet this morning, but also very cold. Buddy sulked the whole time we were outside (which was admittedly shorter than it would have been if the morning had gone differently.)

Of course, if I were to invest in a pair of boots for him, he'd be even more upset with me. I can't win! I swear, Buddy is more of a princess than Sophie ever thought about being.

Awards!

*Throws confetti*

Buddy and I were nominated for four awards, the Super Sweet Blogger Award, the Liebster Award, the Sunshine Award and the Opposites Attract Award!! A giant thank you to Adventures of Susie the Doxie for our nominations for the Super Sweet Blogger Award and the Liebster Award! (And an apology for this post taking so long) And molte grazie to Dachshund Nola for our Sunshine Award and Opposites Attract Award nomination! (How funny that we saw those two nominations just as we were about to post for the previous two!)

Now, onward, to the awards! First is the Super Sweet Blogger Award!

The five rules for receiving the award:

• Thank the Super Sweet Blogger who nominated you Check!
• Answer five super sweet questions Check!
• Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in your blog post Check!
• Nominate a bakers dozen bloggers to receive the Super Sweet Blogging award Check!
• Notify your nominees on their blog In progress!

Aaand the five questions are:

1. Cookies or Cake? Cookies, especially fresh out of the oven!
2. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla, unless I can mix strawberry with the chocolate!
3. Favorite sweet treat? Hmm.. ice cream is probably my favorite.
4. When do you crave sweet things the most? When I'm bored, usually.
5. Sweet nickname? Don't have a nickname!

Now, the Opposites Attract Award!

Which has the very minimal requirement of thanking the blogger that nominated you, posting the award on you blog, and passing it along to at least one more person. Done!


And a quick break to say that the 11 random facts for the liebster award will be about me, and the 11 random facts for the Sunshine Award will be about Buddy!


Next is the Liebster Award!

The three rules for receiving this award are:

• The nominee must have 200 or less followers, since the award is just for the noobs.
• Link to the nominators blog in your post. Check!
• Answer 11 questions asked by your nominator. Check!
• Provide 11 random facts about yourself. Check!
• Display the award on your blog. Check!

My 11 answers:

1. What's the first book you ever read?  If you can't remember, what's your favorite? I've always loved to read, so I can't recall my first book. But my favorite is probably Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. Yes it's cheesy, yes it's girly, but I love it. I still reread it frequently now, and I read it the first time four years ago!
2. What's your favorite summer time activities? Swimming is probably my favorite, but I also love love love bonfires. Sitting around the fire with your family and friends at night, everybody laughing and playing and teasing each other; It's a fun time all around. Most people do bonfires in the fall, I know, but we do them all year long--mostly in summer.
3. Rainy days or sunny days? Rainy days, for sure. What kind of life have you lived if you can't take time to dance in the rain? Plus, being all hot and sweaty is gross. 
4. What's the farthest you've ever traveled from home? I've been to Canada before, which is pretty far away from Alabama.
5. Any weird quirks? I don't know if this counts, but I sing a lot. All the time actually; In the shower, in my living room, in the car, in the grocery store, at family reunions, at school. They're pretty much isn't a place I won't sing (quietly!) I love it!
6. What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? Uhm.. I can't think of anything particularly weird, I'm not all that adventurous when it comes to cuisine.. But a lot of people do think it's weird that I like to eat fries dipped in ice cream or mayonnaise and pickles on my grilled cheeses!
7. What's a dog breed you'd like to own someday? How am I supposed to answer that?? There's so many I'd love to own!! I want my next dog to be a herding breed though--probably Australian Shepherd or Papillon.
8. What's your dog's/cat's "color" (for collars/leashes/etc) Buddy doesn't have one, and if I had to pick, I'd just say leather in general. I love leather products. Almost everything Sophie owns is red, though. Her food and water bowl, her collar, her collection of harnesses and leashes.
9. How did you get your current pet(s)? Buddy was a craigslist ad (yes I know, shame on me; I have no regrets :p He's amazing) and Sophie was (I think) born in the shelter. Or at least, she was only 8 weeks old when we found her there with her litter mates, so we assumed.
10. What's your favorite time of day? None! I like nighttime better. I often go outside at night to read (with the assistance of a book light, unless the moon is full) or look at the stars or just lay down and think (or sing, of course!). When you're alone at night, it feels like the universe is at your fingertips, like you're capable of anything. To me, at least.
11. Favorite way to spend your time? Uhm, duh! With Buddy and Sophie! :) 

11 Random Facts:

1. A favorite hobby of mine is writing (obviously) but I use a pen name when writing stories.
2. I'm terrified every time I go swimming, but love it so much I force myself to swim anyways.
3. I'm completely addicted to DogForum!
4. I like planning trips, even one's I know I won't be going on.
5. I love pickles! I eat them straight out of the jar.
6. I've modeled a few times (just for a friend of a friend who does photography)
7. I alternate between loving Alabama and detesting it frequently.
8. I was in Ag and FFA for most of my junior high/high school time. It's the only thing I miss about it, too!
9. I want to work in an Agricultural field when I graduate.
10. I'm starting community college in the spring--A decision I only recently made. I just couldn't leave Buddy.
11. I go almost everywhere barefoot. Literally. I've been to wal-mart barefoot, grocery stores, even a restaurant once. I always tell people my flip flops just broke, and they never question it!

Lastly, the Sunshine Award!

Requirements being:

• Thank the blogger who gave it to you. Check!
• Share 11 random facts about yourself. Check!
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger made up for you Check!
• Make up 11 questions for your nominees. Check!
• Pass it along to as many bloggers as you'd like! Check!

11 Random Facts:

1. Buddy has absolutely no manners with other dogs; He's very in-your-face (and butt!)
2. He can't be normal and chase the cats. He has to lick them. Obsessively.
3. He likes to chew little holes into water bottles and drink from the stream, even if he has a full bowl of water right in front of him.
4. He will go out of his way to run through a puddle of water, but he hates getting his paws wet by walking on wet grass. I don't even fully understand that one, lol!
5. He's scared of moving water, like creeks.
6. He de-fleas the guests by nibbling on their legs and arms. I guess he doesn't want anyone bringing bugs into the house!
7. He get's extremely jealous. If I'm playing with Sophie or the cats, he'll climb onto the arm of the couch to get in my face and demand attention, or even plop his whole 50 lb self into my lap.
8. Despite being intact, he has never tried to mark in the house. Though when we went to the shelter to look at adopting, that was another, very embarrassing story all together.. 
9. He likes feet. A lot. Especially mine.
10. If I leave him out of the crate and home alone for so much as 2 minutes, I have to buy all new furniture. Literally.
11. He has a very serious, reserved demeanor in all going-ons... Unless we're playing fetch!

11 Questions:

1. Do you enjoy exercise and working out? Definitely! I may not be in shape enough to exercise for long, but I do love running, walking, and I'm starting to get into yoga.
2. Favorite time of day (or night)? Expanding on what I said earlier, my favorite time of night is about 2-4 am, just before the day starts. I can't really explain why, but I love it.
3. What is your dream dog breed, even if you're not a good fit for them? Border Collie, or Brazilian Mastiff/Fila Brasileiro. I could never own either of them, but they are amazing dogs!
4. What is one of your favorite songs and/or band/artist? Song is next to impossible to name lol, but my favorite band is Cipes and the People.
5. Favorite book or book series? Since I already said favorite book, my favorite book series has to be the Cal Leandros Series by Rob Thurman.
6. Early bird or night owl? Night owl. My sleep schedule is most typically go to bed about noon and wake up about 9-10 pm.
7. How tall are you? 5'9"
8. Damn or "drat" (Curse like a sailor or prim and proper)? Damn lol. I definitely fall into the cursing like a sailor camp, though I try to temper it online.
9. What's your style? I don't know what you'd label it, but I typically wear blue jeans, boots, t-shirt, and a green denim jacket. You decide what you want to call it!
10. Ocean or mountains? Ocean, all the way. I love the ocean more than anything, and if I can't go see it at least once a year, I get really depressed. I want to live by the ocean when I'm older, and have dabbled with the idea of studying Marine Biology.
11. What is your favorite smell? Honeysuckles. They always make me think of summers as a child, when we had this giant bush of honeysuckle growing at the edge of blackberry patch in our backyard, and me and my cousin could spend all day out there, eating blackberries and honeysuckles.

My nominees are:

For the Liebster Award, the Super Sweet Blogger Award, and the Sunshine Award:

• The Five Dog Blog
• The Adventures of Puppy and Cat
• Always With Yoo
• Notes From Olivia's Human
• The Muttley Crew
• Margs Animals
• Fuzzy Love
• Tails of Teach
• Crazy Coulee and Little Lacey
• 2 Punk Dogs
• My Rotten Dogs

And for the Super Sweet Blogger Award and the Opposites Attract Award:

• Life of Drool
• My Positive Dog Training Blog

Lastly, my 11 questions for my nominees (Sunshine and Liebster. Shhh. I'm not creative enough to come up with 22!):

1. What's your favorite season?
2. What do you like most about your current pet(s)? Dislike?
3. What's your biggest fear?
4. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
5. What's your favorite genre of music?
6. What's your favorite genre of movie?
7. What's your best childhood memory?
8. What made you choose your current pet(s)?
9. How old were you when you got your first pet?
10. If could you go anywhere in the world for free, where would you go?
11. Would you bring your pets with you (if no quarantine laws existed)?

Wooh! Did I miss anything??

Buddy: That was quite the work out for moms paws!

Wordless Wednesday--Grumpy Face





Unexpected Addiction

Carrots! Buddy's crazy about them. I ran out of treats and had a bag for the rats in the fridge, and on a whim gave him one. Now every time he sees me with them, he goes into full on begging mode, and they're our preferred treat for training and picture posing bribery.

This is a dog who's focus is so bad that I've left training sessions in frustrated tears while he happily chased a leaf, deaf to the world. But nothing can break his gaze from that carrot!

Hello, Fall!

Hello to earlier nights, falling leaves, fragrant breezes, pumpkins and bonfires and scary stories, s'mores and caramel apples.

And most of all, hello to be-u-tiful pictures of Buddy in the early morning sunrise--because now that it's coming later in the day, we're actually up to catch it!

Well, mostly beautiful anyways.

Black and White Sunday

Hair Loss

Buddy has begun to lose fur once more. In the same spot as before. Only this time, I don't know why! He's still on TOTW pacific stream formula. Coupled with the weight loss, I'm getting very worried. My vet is on vacation and I don't have another regular one, so I'm probably just going to have to take a stab in the dark and hope I end up with a good one.

Wordless Wednesday--Coco

Yes, I just posted it. But it's my only good photo of her.

Death in the Doggy Family

Yesterday, my grandmothers dog got ran over. I warned her this would happen, told my mother to warn her this would happen, but she refused to tie her up or put her in a kennel or let her in the house. So I'm not surprised it happened, but I am still sad over it. Who's going to keep me and Buddy company on our morning walks now?

From when she got lost and Buddy and I had
to go find her.

Loving little bugger.

The worst part for me is that I was so annoyed at her yesterday morning, that I ignored her instead of playing with and petting her. I was sleepy, it was like 6 am but Buddy was insistent he had to go out right then, so I took him out. And when Coco started riling him up when all I wanted to do was sleep, I got mad and pulled Buddy into the house without so much as a by your leave to her. And that's the last time I'll ever have seen her. The guilt sucks.

A Sad Decision

I have been debating with myself over and over again on whether I should bring Buddy with me when I go to college, and have even been putting off going for two years trying to decide. Yesterday, the decision was made. He stays.

I would love to take him, I really would, but if I get accepted to my dream school, it's in Hawaii. They don't make bridges long enough for me to drive over there. And his 50 lbs are just a wee bit over the carry on limit. No way would I feel right putting him in cargo when he's got a perfectly good home right here with my parents. It would be beyond selfish.

The rats will probably be going along, though. I found a spot in the roommate agreement that says that if I can find a roomy who'll sign me a permission slip for having my little caged animals, they can stay in a dorm room with me! Now I just have to find someone who's willing to open their minds a little and not freak out at the sight of rats... But I won't be going until next august/september, so I've given myself plenty of time.

I know this decision is for the best, but I can't help but feel very sad over it. :(

Sophie Saturday

Sophie and Buddy have been spending too much time together..

Condescension

Yep.. Buddy has it down pat!

Weight Fluctuation

Buddy's weight has gone wacko! He's jumping between too skinny and too fat and I can't find anything to settle him down. I think this may be caused by our running--I upped him to three cups to compensate, but then he started gaining, so I dropped him back down to two and he went under the weight I like, so I bumped it back up to 2.5 and.. He's getting fat!! Where is the happy medium here??

Maybe I'll just have to cut running out of his schedule :(

Wordless Wednesday

During our stare off with a stray dog in the woods--Despite how it looks,
the sun was bright and shining, but the trees made it look like night!

Looking in the Classifieds

Not me, Buddy! He's just so smart and picks up on things so fast, I really think he'd be happier if I gave him a job. We're limited in our options, living in a rural area, so I'm really thinking hard.

We tried dock diving, but right now, he doesn't want to jump off the dock, and I'm not going to force him. Maybe if he sees me and my family do it enough times, he'll take to it.

Therapy work is out, because none of the hospitals or assisted living in our dusty old town would dare let a giant, filthy dog past their door. It would be a waste to go through the training and certification process.

Behind door number three, we have scent tracking. I like this option, and I think he'd be good at it, and I'd definitely feel better if he were trained to do it now that there's a baby in the family, since there are no search and rescue dogs in our town--I don't even think there's any in our county--but I wouldn't even know where to begin training him to do it with humans instead of food.

The two most realistic things, then, would be agility or obedience trials. Of the two, I think he'd be better at agility. He listens beautifully, but he'd much rather be running than laying on command. I don't know how to train that either, but there is a class offered at an obedience club about an hour away, so at least I wouldn't be going at it alone. I'll probably try and see if he has any interest in it before signing up, though.