Jenna: AWOL

On New Year's Day, Mommy heard a knock at the deck door.  She came around the corner to see our neighbor Mike with Jenna on a leash!  Jenna and Dixie had been outside playing and apparently Jenna had decided to see if it was true . . . is the grass greener on the other side???  Mommy wasn't sure if Jenna had gone UNDER the fence or OVER it.  She was praying for under!

When Daddy returned from his New Year's Day shoot, he went out to inspect the fence and found the problem.  Apparently Jenna still has her supermodel figure!  (At least we are assuming Jenna went under the fence; that is a much easier fix than her going over it!!)

Daddy immediately went to work making the necessary repairs.  It's not pretty, but it should work!

Meanwhile, Jenna watched Daddy's progress and Mommy played ball with Dixie.

I supervised the work of all of the family.  I've seen this happen before.  When Dixie was just a puppy, she too wanted to know if the grass was greener on the other side.  She soon realized the error of her ways and learned she should stay on our side of the fence!

Hopefully, Jenna did indeed go under the fence and not over it.  She has come so close to popping over it a time or two.  Mommy has no idea how to go about breaking the habit of going OVER the fence.  Well, she does, but it won't be pretty!

Only time will tell if Daddy's repair job did the trick or not . . . 

Hunter

Good Ride, Harley

Yesterday, my old buddy and canine cousin, Harley, passed on to Glory.  Her kidneys were giving out on her and she wasn't going to get any better.   Harley was a spunky, energetic, loving dawg.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see each often since we lived so far apart.

Harley was just a puppy when my parents met her for the first time eleven years ago.  They were home for Christmas, and Harley was just the right size to fit under the Christmas tree (I'm not sure if I was ever that small!).  She made quite an impression on the whole family and was so much fun to play with.

Just like me, Harley was her parents' first born.  She lived in the lap of luxury for the first three years of her life as an only child.

And then Harley's world was rocked with the addition of another human, Cousin C.  Of course Harley adjusted and so did Cousin C.

Mommy flew to meet Cousin C a couple months after her birth.  Mommy made sure she gave Harley a little bit of extra love and attention.  For Harley, the feeling was mutual.

Harley showed off her Halloween costume that year.  She could have just gone in her Birthday Suit, since she celebrated her birthday on Halloween.  Unfortunately for Harley, her mom had been hanging with my mom and that meant a costume!  At least in this getup she could still be the Queen Bee!

Harley had a great eleven years with our family.  I'm sure Cousin C and her brother, Cousin A, are going to miss Harley bunches and bunches.  Good Ride, Harley!

Love,
Hunter

Getting a Leg Up

Mommy took me to the vet back in the fall, and I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my lower back.  [sigh]  Yep, growing old stinks!  While at the vet, Mommy was asked if I favored one of my hind legs more than the other.  I don't know why the vet didn't just ask me.  I could have told her all she needed to know.  Mommy didn't think so at first, but she was wrong.  Right after our visit to the vet, we had our first snow and boy was it telling!  As soon as Mommy saw my prints in the snow, it clicked in her mind and her ears.  She remembered hearing my nails scrape the floor and deck.  The proof is in the picture:

A round of steroids helped for a while, but we have to face facts.  I'm a senior in the canine world and I'm not getting any younger.  Mommy saw a commercial recently and thinks this product may help me.  Stairs are so difficult for me sometimes.  I don't have too many problems going up, but coming down is another matter.  Enter the Acorn Stairlifter:

image from acornstairlifts.com

I bet Daddy could adjust it so that the actual seat could be closer to the ground making it easier for me to hop on and hop off.  Maybe he could add a bigger seat too.  What do you think?  

If you know me well, you are already snickering.  There is NO WAY I'm getting on this contraption.  There is not a single bone in my body that likes anything about this chair.  In theory, this chair is a great idea.  In reality, I don't step foot on the lift table at the vet.  I even have to be coerced to step up two inches onto the scales (and it's been this way for years, not just because I'm old!).  

Mommy, I know you mean well, but get real!  This ain't happening!  The only way I'm going to get a leg up is if you help me.  And thankfully, you do!

If anyone else has any other great ideas, please let me know!

Hunter

MISSING: Family Canines

During the holidays this year Mommy and Daddy posed for LOTS of pictures with our extended families.  We think the results are pretty good and wanted to share them with you.

There is only ONE problem  . . . there are no canines represented in either of these pictures!!!!!  THE HORROR!!!  Where are Lucy, Harley, Maggie, Jewel (the only family feline and we aren't too sure about her yet)??  Not to mention our wonderful selves Hunter, Dixie, and Jenna?????

Next time, people, we want equal representation!!!

Out with the Old

Mommy really wanted to wait until after the New Year to take down the tree, but it was pretty dry and making the house very dusty.  It may also have been contributing to Mommy's stuffy nose, but we aren't sure.  Even if that's the case, there is NO WAY Mommy is making the transition to a fake tree!  (At least not yet . . . )  The tree came down almost a week ago.  Here's what it looked like in all its glory:

As Mommy worked last week on taking down the tree, she made quite a mess.  Needles were flying in all directions.  Mommy got lots of exercise walking around and around Hunter and the tree.  Hunter was determined to be close by in case his help was needed.

He's been lying around a lot this past week.  He doesn't like being cooped up at the kennel when Mommy and Daddy ditch us and leave town.  He has a nervous habit of gnawing on his ankles and creating sores.  Mommy has the worst one wrapped up so it can heal without Hunter agitating it more.  This is also an effort to prevent him from overdosing on Neosporin!  Hunter is not a fan of this process, but Mommy says it's for his own good.  Don't Mommies always say that??

Mommy managed to get the tree out of its stand and yank it through the sliding door and onto the deck.  As the tree went through the door, its branches went snap, crackle, pop!  Jenna's crate had to be cleaned out first so she could settle in there and escape the vacuum during the rest of the clean up process.

For now the tree sits on the deck.  Mommy will cut up its branches and add them to her front porch winter decorations soon.  She needs to go over it one more time to make sure there aren't any decorations still hanging on for dear life.  Daddy swears Mommy threw out his little drummer boy ornament one year.  In a recent Google search, she learned the "vintage 1980's ornament" was not to be found except already engraved with someone else's name on it.  (Yes, it actually said vintage!! Ha!)  Mommy suspects the ornament in question still hangs on Mimi's tree and was never in our house to begin with.  In the meantime, the tree just takes up space on the deck where we walk back and forth to the yard.  

We wish you good luck in removing all of your Christmas decorations.  Happy New Year!
Dixie

Happy New Year 2015

Welcome to 2015!

We decided to ring in the new year doing our favorite things.  Maybe if we spend enough time today on our favorite pastimes, then we'll have LOTS of those same things in the new year.

Dixie decided to play dress up, but wouldn't stay still for a picture.

Then she tore up her costume.  

She did this many times last year, so it stands to reason she will again in 2015 as well!

Hunter enjoyed sucking on his blanket.  He has done this since he was a puppy.  

It helps calm him and eventually puts him to sleep.

At least he goes to sleep when he's not distracted by watching Dixie eat feathers . . . 

Foodie Jenna enjoyed gnawing on a bone.  

She wasn't happy when Mommy took it away and tried to take a picture without it. 

Dixie finally cooperated with her New Year's picture once the party hat was changed out.

Wishing you a new year that fills your home with joy, love and many blessings to come!

Hunter, Dixie & Jenna

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called 

Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.  

For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:10-11

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Peace, love, and pawprints 

from our home to yours!

Ready and Waiting . . .

Christmas is almost upon us!  We are so excited, we can hardly stand it!  At the top of our wish list for Santa are toys, treats, and a third arm for Mommy.  We're sure to see the first two, but so far Santa's elves haven't cranked out the last item on our list.  This is the third year in a row we've put this on our list and we're starting to feel a bit let down.  We're still crossing our paws.   At least we look cute while waiting!

Jenna

Aunt Carol, please note your gifts are still UNwrapped under the tree . . . 

it's killing Mommy, but she's shown restraint so far!

Dixie 

(as if you couldn't tell with the tennis ball in the picture!)

Hunter

 It just wasn't going to happen to get all three of us in the same picture!

Mommy bought these cute dawg collars online for us.  Daddy thinks she's sissy-fied the girls with the flowers.  Mommy had a very hard time deciding what to order for the girls.  Perhaps she should have bought the bow tie for all of us, but she didn't.  Maybe next year . . . 

Merry Christmas!

Hunter, Dixie & Jenna

Barkin' Up a Storm!

I've been barkin' up a storm here at the dawg house, and Mommy's been bakin' up a storm.  Actually, she's only made two items this year.  She's not really big on baking.  She loves and appreciates beautiful Christmas cookies, but there is no way she is going to take on the task of trying to make them herself!  (Instead, she just waits for students to give them to her!)

She did made her special fudge last week for Daddy's co-workers.  That was quite a yummy undertaking, but as usual we weren't allowed to share in the fruits of her labor.  I personally think we ought to make a new rule that states nothing can be prepared in the kitchen unless the dawgs can eat it.  Don't you think it's a reasonable expectation that everyone who lives in the house should be able to eat???

The other treats Mommy made were DAWG TREATS!!!!!  Mommy usually orders a kit for dawg treats from her school when they sell pizza kits, but there wasn't a dawg version offered this year.  Mommy was super disappointed (not nearly as much as my belly, I can assure you).  She usually makes treats for the other canine members of the family and for a few friends.  Cousin Lucy, I'm sorry you miss out on this goodness each year.  Since our Mommy shops early and then ships gifts early, you always miss out on the best part of Christmas.

This year's treats were all natural, made from scratch!  Mommy followed a recipe she found on Pinterest.  The picture on the website shows cute little dawg bone shaped treats.  The directions for the recipe stated the dough would be very tough to handle.  Mommy went as far as pulling out the dawg related cookie cutters and the rolling pin and actually attempting to roll out the dough . . .

 . . . but then she decided that process was for the birds!  After all, we're DAWGS!  We don't care what shape the treats are in!  JUST FEED US!!!

The recipe is called Peanut Butter Bacon Treats.  Being the great Mommy she is, we have another ingredient added to our treats: CHEESE!!!  We have all of our favorites in one delicious bite: peanut butter, bacon, and cheese!  That's bacon in the mini food processor.  Yummmmm!

I'm sure you 'll never guess who was loving this entire process.  Of course you'll never guess because you don't need to!  We all know it's JENNA!

Dixie had a good time too . . .

 . . . but it was Jenna who somehow managed to insert herself a little more into the process.

I know Jenna told you recently she has a few gray hairs, but that's not what's on her head in this picture!  (Nor is it her halo!!)  Somehow she managed to end up with flour on the back of  her head.  Mommy truly was as surprised as the rest of us.  She has no idea when this happened, but Jenna stayed underfoot the entire time.  She licked the stove, the dishwasher, and then sat around drooling the rest of the time.  

Finally at the end of the evening, we were allowed to taste test the treats.  We give them five paws up!  They were yummy.  Mommy agreed.  Yep, she tasted them herself.  After all, they were totally natural and straight from her kitchen, so why not?

I think you'll agree if you're lucky enough to taste one.  Again, Lucy, we're sorry you're missing out.  Better luck next year.  

Hunter

These pictures were taken on Mommy's phone with sticky hands, so please excuse the poor quality!

Keep Calm . . .

Are you feeling stressed about the holidays?  Some people like our nerdy Mommy are finished with their shopping and have been for a while.  It's okay to have intense feelings of dislike for those people right now.  It's perfectly normal.  If you're feeling a bit stressed, just remember this little piece of advice from us: