Worn out

This picture was taken after 20 minutes of wrestling, 10 minutes of chasing each other and 5 minutes of licking each other's faces and ears.

Yawnin', stretchin', tryin' to come to life

Right after this picture was taken Bluebonnet tumbled outta bed and stumbled to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of ambition...

Happy Mama's Day to me

Tired puppy

Its very hard to tire Clementine out - she has endless energy. But a full day at puppy day care seems to do the trick. In fact she was so tired yesterday that she couldn't even make it on to her pillow.

Update flash

• My time with that cute little Henna was cut short - but for a good reason. She was adopted and the person who adopted her elected to finish out the puppy training class with her. That's a win for everyone! The puppy will be on the road to good canine behavior, the owner will be taught consistency and Blue Dog Rescue saves another pooch!
• Bluebonnet and I, along with friends Karen, Kelsey, Tom, Brad, Laurelyn, Scooter and Kelsey all walked in the 1st Annual Austin ASPCA Wag'n'Walk. Karen volunteered to walk Clementine for me and I still haven't thanked her enough for doing that otherwise her nibs would not have been included in the walk. Well anyway, Clementine and Karen were the first to cross the finish line. In fact, it's taken me so long to post about this because I was hoping that the ASPCA would have some pictures of this but alas my emails to them have gone unreplied and my web searches have turned up nothing. I'm still really proud of Clemmie - she's my little athlete. Blue and I finished somewhere near the end of the pack but at least we finished - we were both exhausted afterward. It was only a mile but we aren't big walkers.
• Kris and I have been working really hard to get our yard looking nice for the summer. The girls have made paths in the yard that I dont' think will ever recover. One in particular is around a huge oak tree in the backyard. We've decided to be creative and put pavers around the tree for a couple of reasons - 1. to cover the exposed earth around the tree and 2. so the girls' paws won't be so muddy when they play their chase game through the doggie door. The added bonus is that if they are walking along that path a lot the pavers will help keep their nails smooth. We were really proud of this idea until we saw with our very own eyes that Clementine could move the pavers. Kris thinks she did it just to show him she could. I hope the day comes soon when he realizes she is not really out to get him.
• Blue and Clemmie will be going on a little vacation at the end of May while Mommy and Daddy go to Dallas for the Colonial Golf Tournament. The girls are very excited to spend time with humans other than us and meet some new friends.
  

She wants to be on Broadway

... and I fully support that decision.

BBQ Ambassadors

Without a doubt Blue and Clemmie are members of the family - they represent our good name just as much as Kris and I do. That is why we still work with them on not jumping on people when they come through the door , it's why we socialized them with other dogs, it's why we spoil them and talk to them like real people - we wanted them to be gracious and affable little hostesses helping us usher visitors to the designated party area of whatever kind of gathering we happen to be having and helping set the tone of the party with excitement and buzz... but instead we get this -

... lazy little ragamuffin dogs that sit in the door frame so you have to step over them to go to the bathroom and just waiting for someone to drop a piece of food.

Photogenic? Yes.

Beautiful? YES!

Helpful? Not really.

I can't believe tomorrow is Monday already

Everyone in my family gets a bit down on Sunday nights because it means Monday is fast approaching. However it also means that we still have time to squeeze in some super quality family time together. That usually means dinner cooked by daddy, belly rubs courtesy of mommy and The Amazing Race. I hope everyone has as much fun with their family as I do!

Weekly post for grandma

Grandma,
See what that hail did to my yard cot??? I don't know why... I didn't do anything to that hail.

Clemmie

Heading home

The girls are sleeping on the floor of the back cab on their new blankets that my sister made for them. We had the best little family trip. We went fishing and the girls went swimming in the pond and the both got up on the boogie board a few times! It was great. They both ate crawfish so they are officially 1/2 Cajun now. Besides one incident where Bluebonnet got a little rough with my sister's Chorkie the girls behaved pretty well. I can tell they are ready to return home though... Even if their mama is not!

Happy Easter

Are we there yet?

Of all 4 beings in this truck she deserves a vacation the least. In fact we all need a vacation from her. But there she is pacing in the back seat of the truck like we have been holding her hostage or something.

Rat dog is back

New collas! Holla!

So the new collars from The Mod Dog came in yesterday and I just love them. They are top quality and gorgeous and whimsical. I put them on the girls and they got all kinds of sassy just knowing how cute they looked. I tried to get some pictures but they started to wrestle and well... these shots just don't do the collars justice. I then noticed that Clementine starting biting Blue's collar and pulling (something I've seen her do once before) and had to reprimand her. That is such a bad thing for a dog to do for a number of reasons, the least of which is ruining a brand new collar. I certainly hope that doesn't become a habit or else I could be looking at serious behavioral help for her.

Feelin' Groovy

I just remembered that I had some great photos of the girls to post from a few weeks ago... I mentioned that I would post them at a later date and never got around to it. Now seems like as good of a time as any to throw one or two up. I believe I called the photo album I put these in "Dog Treat Madness" because I threw a bunch of dog cookies on the ground and watched the girls run after them and fight over them. Ok - well they don't really fight because we all now that Bluebonnet is a food bully and Clementine gets as far away from her possible when food is thrown in her direction for fear of getting cornered. At any rate, they each got their fare share of cookies and mommy got some cute pictures.

I had changed the setting on the camera so the pictures came out with an unintended effect but it happens to look pretty cool... it also happens to look like the girls had time traveled to the 1970's and dropped acid.

Daydreaming

I have once again been so busy with my 9-5 and stocking my shop on Etsy that I've neglected the blog. I have not however, neglected my girls. Last weekend the whole family got to cuddle in the bed together for a long time and during the week I took the girls on some nice walks to get ready for the Wag'n'Walk. We also played fetch in the backyard which Kris has gone to great lengths to make nice for our little family. We are also just days away from heading to Butte La Rose, Louisiana for Easter weekend and have been doing a lot of prep for that - making lists, burning cd's for my mom, organizing gifts, etc.

Once I get back from the trip I'll have lots of pictures to post because I won't be doing anything else - no work and no crafts, just total dedication to the girls. Like I've said before I've been talking to them about our pending family road trip. I think that Bluebonnet is fully engaged perhaps reminiscing about her trip up and down the canal in my canoe, but I think that Clementine's mind is somewhere else completely...

Clementine and the birdbath

Look up at my masthead.

See that little puppy underneath it?

This is that puppy almost 9 months later at the same birdbath.

Weekly pic for grandma

Dear Grandma,
Today I helped mommy with the dishes. I stood next to the dishwasher while she loaded it and licked up the crumbs that fell. I think I did a pretty good job but I didn't get a treat or anything. Can you please talk to her about rewarding her kids for helping with chores? Thanks, Grandma.

Love you,
Clementine Francine

Fresh new collars on the way

I have got an addiction to Etsy something fierce. There are just so many beautiful things that I can't help myself. Today, however, I hit the jackpot. I'd heard about The Mod Dog but never checked it out until today. Long story short, Blue and Clemmie have new collars on the way. And they are too cute for words so I'm going to just show you pictures instead:

For Bluebonnet - My Backyard


For Clementine - Squirrels just want to have fun


How cute are these??? I can see how it might seem nuts to have more than one collar plus a spare for a dog but my girls wear their collars all the time, 24/7 and I get tired of seeing the same one over and over again. In my defense though, I only change them out once every 4 months to be cleaned and swapped. I think they will be quite happy with their new accessories!

Reeses & Snickers

A while back my friend Yvette asked me to doggysit her girls, Reeses and Snickers. They are the sweetest Shih Tzu dogs and so cute. Reeses, the older one liked to climb on the back of the couch and sit right behind my head. Her little sis Snickers liked to stay outside - it was a cool night so I kept the sliding glass door open and would go out and check on her. She would be standing at the end of the patio where the wind was blowing through and just enjoy the wind going through her hair. It was the cutest thing!

All 4 girls got along even though Bluebonnet did a bit of bullying up front. Thankfully, Yvette and her husband knew Bluebonnet and that she wouldn't hurt their dogs so instead of scooping them up at Bluebonnet's display of dominance they just let them sort it out and all was fine.

The TGIF Hounds

If you haven't found Ben and Roscoe and Rufus on You Tube yet then you have been missing out. They are the TGIF Hounds - a new video every Friday. Be sure to check out all the videos here. Last week was a special St. Patty's day video:


Don't miss the Bath Hounds video, it's probably my favorite of all of them.

Alien dog with rat tail

What is it about doggy paws?

I took this picture a few minutes ago. Bluebonnet put her paw on top of one of Clementine's and I thought Wow this is the sweetest thing. However I do realize that in a matter of minutes Bluebonnet will most likely be growling at Clementine for attempting to sit on her head or even thinking about looking at Blue's food.

Shameless post asking for money

Bluebonnet and I are participating in the ASPCA Wag-n-Walk on April 18. Our goal is to raise $250. Dog causes mean more to me than anything and I know that my blog friends understand this without me even having to elaborate. Everyone I've met through Dogs on Thursday has the same unconditional, amazing, unquestionable love for our dogs. The level of committment and devotion to our four-legged best friends is unparalled because a relationship with a dog is like no other. So Blue and I are really walking in honor of and on behalf of all of our sweet friends out there. Please donate if you can, every single cent helps us reach our goal.

Here is the sweet Ambassador page we set up through the ASPCA events website. I'll probably be pushing this pretty hard for the next couple of weeks so please forgive me if this reaches the level of obnoxious, I promise it won't last very long and you won't see it again until next year!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Hugs from me and slobbery, wet kisses from Blue and Clemmie.

Pathetic

Y'all - this is after a 15 minute walk. Is she serious? My breathing pattern didn't even change.

Been a rough day...

And I can't wait to get home to them...

Weekly Post for Grandma

Grandma's weekly post is a bit early this week but that is because Clementine couldn't wait to share her Report Card from Doggy Daycare. Yesterday was Clemmie's first day at Taurus Training & Doggy Daycare and I have to admit I was a bit worried about her. Bluebonnet was socialized very early on because we weren't able to run home and check on her during the day. Blue enjoyed doggy day care at Leslie's Pet Purrfections from 6 months old to almost 24 months old nearly every day. Because Clementine had a companion and a doggy door from the day we brought her home she only socialized with her sissy and our friends' dogs (so really just Dexter and Charlie). We also thought that Bluebonnet might like a break from Clementine's constant requests to run and play.

Anyway... Taurus is wonderful. They called me mid-day to let me know that Clementine was doing great and having fun. Kris picked her up around 5 and brought her home and I squealed with delight when he produced a "report card." How adorable is that?!?!?!?! Of course, she got wonderful comments and it was cute to read that she made friends and took a nap - just like a human baby!

So this is for Grandma to see how good her youngest granddog did on her first day at school. Click on the images to see them enlarged.

The front:
The back:

Weekly post for Grandma

Wake up a little Bluesie, wake up!

Perfect little ball of Basset sweetness

Yawning? Or laughing hysterically???

I need a bath!

Is she trying to tell me something???

My guess is that if I were to turn on the water she would jump out of the tub as fast as she jumped in it.

Same chair, different dog

I took a picture of both dogs in the same spot in the same chair in the living room. It's not a particularly interesting comparison, it's just funny that they have the same tendencies. It is also very apparent which one has the bigger ears.

The one of Bluebonnet was taken mid-day when the sun was still high in the sky and the one of Clementine was taken several hours later.

Sweet, lazy puppies

This photo was taken by their sweet (sometimes), lazy mommy.

So touching...

After seeing the link from Allison's blog about Spencer, I clicked on it knowing that I was going to read something sad. I then clicked on the link about Spencer's owners' previous dog Raja and went even further into the sadness. I was feeling this sadness at the same time I was happy for them for getting to have these dogs in their lives. I thought their video about Raja was really well done and in my hope that more people will see it I'm posting it here. It is cleverly called a dogumentary.

Weekly post for Grandma

Grandma,
Mommy just finished telling us all about the trip to Louisiana in April. I don't know what EESTER is but it sounds fun. I want to be a deck dog like Uncle Louie. Mommy said that I cannot go on the canoe with her and Blue because I am too aggrivating and I don't listen. I told her that I don't care because I will just make sweet eyes at you for food.
Love you,
Clementine Francine

P.S. I weigh almost 30 pounds now but you can still are my ribs. Please tell your daughter to feed me more.

... To all of our doggie friends!

Its 350 in the morning

I can't sleep and so I am up watching television. The girls were kind enough to come out into the living room and keep me company. Although I suspect they thought when I got up that there might be the possibility of food.

Pouvre bebe

Clementine is technically still recovering from her spay surgery. But you wouldn't know it by looking at her. I now refer to her as my ragamuffin tomboy. She's one tough cookie, that is for sure. I was only able to snap these pictures when she was exhausted from wrestling with Bluebonnet. I make sure to check it every day... I just scoop her up and cradle her like a little baby.

The day of the surgery.

Today - it's healing nicely despite her determination not to take it easy

I wonder where she is taking me

Spay Day

Today Clementine is getting spayed. Please keep her in your thoughts and hope with me and Kris that she makes it out just fine and recovers quickly. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I'm a little sad about today. Even though I've been through this already with Bluebonnet, Clementine just seems so much more of a little bitty puppy to me. I left her with the wonderful folks at Animal Trustees of Austin with her favorite toy - her striped, squeaky teddy bear; I did the same for Bluebonnet but instead of Teddy she had one of her daddy's socks.

Tobi

Me and Bluebonnet leaving for Animal Trustees of Austin, August 2006 -
She was almost 9 months old.

Me and Clementine this morning leaving for ATA, February 2009 -
She's just over 7 months old.

Weekly post for grandma

Sometimes these two are darn near close to perfect. This is a picture if one such time. A time when Blue wasn't trying to mortally wound Clemmie for a little crumb of food the little one found and a time when Clemmie wasn't pulling out the stuffing of the couch they are pictured on one tuft of cotton at a time.

You can almost see their halos.