Why Do I Do it?

It's a sickness, I tell you! But how can you pass up bunny ears for 97 cents?

Murphy was rewarded for his effort by a trip to the dog park where much chasing and humping of his main 'byatch' Ruby took place. Lucy was there too and enjoyed lounging in the lake. I wish I had a picture of that. Imagine the look on the face of the lady taking a bubble back in the old 'Calgon' commercial. If a dog can make that expression, then she is.

A Photo Story

I have no idea what these guys are doing... Checking each others ears?

Free Ride to Crazytown

That dog whisperer guy has inspired me to do something that has all my friends and family cringing.

Murphy is a sporting dog. Murphy likes to run. Murphy has lots of energy. Me? Not so much energy.

But I have a bike... So I ride my bike while Murphy runs his heart out. He loves it! Although we have some issues to iron out, it's working out pretty well.

More than one person has tensed up at the news that someone who has had as many fights with gravity as I have, should put herself in such a position. And even though he is running, Murphy would still like to chase cats that are running in a different direction than I am headed. Also, we tend to be a magnet for loose dogs. We encounter at least one per week. If I try to scare them away, Murphy thinks I am talking to him and reacts. Furthermore, we need to learn how to communicate when it is time to take a poop break. Did you know that a dog can poop while running 10 mph? Neither did I... Consider me schooled.

I have a plan for making the concerned rest a little easier. Seeing as I am in the middle of some major dental work as a result of a battle I lost with gravity many years ago, I want to be safe and protect myself (and my dog) while giving Murphy the vigorous exercise he desires. So I will...
1. Find my Bike helmet. I know it's gotta be around somewhere...
2. Buy one of these.
3. Ride on the sidewalk where it seems smart. I'm also riding through the park behind my house which has a path that is about 1/2 mile long.

Springers Rule (Part 2)

Let me tell you what a trooper Murphy is.

I was pulling into my driveway this evening when my phone started ringing in my purse. I stop the car short of the garage to look for my phone and all of the sudden I see doggy eyes. My neighbors cocker spaniels are hiding under the pickup truck of the other neighbors.

A big storm is moving through the area and apparently blew open the gate to their back yard. They found shelter under the truck and were pretty happy to stay there. The dogs aren't very well socialized and they don't know me, so they won't come to me.

I try to get them to follow me. They won't.

I try knocking on the neighbors door and ringing the bell. No answer.

So I called in the Murph-ster. I put him on his leash and he herded them home (actually he sort of barked and scared them the amount needed to rally them through my yard and back into theirs. But hey... toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe). I would have felt so bad if they had run away and something happened to them, even though my neighbors and I don't really know each other well. Hopefully I secured the gate well enough to contain them for the rest of the night.

In any event, Murphy provided the right stimulus to get those pups home safely so I'm very proud of him.

Bravo! A performance worthy of the Kong.

Springers Rule!

Way to go, Diamond Jim! Not only is he the new champ, but he is also a therapy dog. He's like the Miss America of Dog Show champs. Murphy is very proud of his breed representative, and hoping to follow in Jim's footsteps as a therapy dog someday.

Happy National Dress-up Your Pet Day

Nobody on the internet can tell me who invented this holiday or why, but there are e-cards to celebrate it. I know it seems cruel or humiliating, but gosh darn it, look at the results.

Can you see the contempt in his eyes? I'm sorry Murph. Extra long walk coming your way tonight. Sans chapeau, of course. And to make him feel better, he can know he wasn't the first victim.

The dog actually wanted to wear the pants.

I swear, I only left it on for the duration of taking this one picture.

So, call me cruel. Call me crazy. But, as obscure as it is, I'm thankful for NDYPD.

Christmas in Fur-Land

Here in Fur-land, things are all fine and dandy. We've got a new Christmas tree and, maybe its a Christmas miracle -- I haven't caught any cats munching on it's fake needles. Murphy was kind enough to let me snap his picture in front of the tree, though he sort of has that look like a teenager getting ready to roll their eyes. We have a canine visitor staying with us for the holidays while Saint Pam
spends the holidays with her family back east.

Here is a photo of Lucy playing with my knitting project bag.


And... here is a picture of how we are all spending our Christmas eve chilling on the couch.
To me, it looks like Lucy is laughing at Murphy because he is all the way on the other side of the sectional and Murphy is giving her a dirty look for making fun of him. They both like to hang around the humans, but they don't pay much attention to each other.

Whatever your plans over the next few days, I hope they are filled with fun, health and happiness.

We Prefer Peace on Earth

We had a nice 4th of July over in the land of excessive pet hair. I vacuumed up another cat's worth of pet hair and washed the floors and had a few friends over for grilling and fireworks viewing. Because the plaster in the pool is new, no dogs allowed for 2 weeks, so Lucy couldn't come over and hang with Murphy. Lu is one of the only dogs I've been around that Murphy tolerates well. I would even go as far as to say that he looks up to her, so I'm sure he missed her. However, he got lots of attention and didn't have to share the humans, which was a bonus for him. Ben & Jerry made themselves scarce.

Everything was great until the fireworks started. I did not know that Murphy would get so upset. He does not like loud "booms". He was running in circles and barking constantly. He was inconsoleable. Eventually, he went to take a drink out of the pool and the next thing I know--he's in the pool! "Oh Crap!", I think. "Get out of the pool!" I say. He's out of the pool lickety-split. I think he must have been dizzy from all the barking and lost his balance, falling into the pool. I don't know for sure because I was distracted by the pretty fireworks. Once again, St. Pam saves the day, noticing what's happening with the dog. Poor guy. I took him into the house to dry him off and get him away from the noise. He was really panting hard. I heard the rest of the fireworks show was really amazing...