Christmas goes to the dogs

Sassy and Alley had a great Christmas. Their cousin (my sister Anne's dog Kapono) come over for several days and Anne bought giant peanut-butter flavored candy-cane shaped bones. YUM!

All three dogs consumed their treats immediately. No leftovers from that Christmas dinner. Alley was first to finish and Sassy was last. Sassy was smart, though. She ran into the other room and faced a corner while chewing her treat. She wasn't going to let the other two near her while she was chomping away. Alley, of course, plopped down right on the rug where we, her human friends, were opening presents. Kapono found a sweet spot in the sun-soaked sunroom to enjoy his treat.

We didn't get any photos of the giant bones. They had disappeared before I hunted down the camera. But we got some cute photos of each dog on Christmas day.

Our Christmas video 2008

Hope you enjoy it.

Christmas outfits

The girls got new outfits for the annual family Christmas photo.

Sassy has a sweater and Alley got a faux fur cape. Pretty practical for the warm Georgia winter. Today was 70 degrees. Feel free to be jealous.

Anyway, I'm thinking I'm not going to get a lot of wear out of the outfits, so I might as well get some good photos. Here are a couple. Aren't they adorable?

Party all night long

Sassy and Alley love parties. They know company's coming when Jeff and I leave the front door ajar and turn on the outside lights. They'll sit in front of that door for hours greeting guests.

I wish I could train the girls to take people's coats and purses. That would make them useful. Instead, they usually jump, bark and just generally do whatever they can to scare the guests.

All this waiting and greeting makes them pretty tired, and by the end of the evening, the girls are on the couch trying not to sleep. They don't want to miss something. What if some scrap of food falls on the floor and they miss it because there eye's are closed?

Here's a photo of Alley from Jeff's 40th birthday party Saturday. She really, really wants to stay awake, but she just can't.

Puppies and relaxation

Tonight, after a typically crappy Monday, the wife and I arrived home with a brief agenda. She'd work out, I'd fish in the lake, we'd have a healthy dinner of turkey burgers, couscous, steamed vegetables and enjoy a nice bottle of wine.

Well, the wife worked out and I took the girls outside with me while I fished. The fishing, by the way, was as successful as ever, caught and released two fish. But doggies kept greeting me with barks from the deck, a good 40 feet away, as if to yell at me to let them back into the house. Sure, there was a lot going on in and across the lake. There were the muskrats swimming near the banks and causing the girls to bark at the fence. There was the dude across the lake with his dog, "Rusty (I only imagine that's his name), and then there were the various squirrels and such. Either way, the girls' senses were heightened and they chose to express that by barking at me every four minutes or so.
Now two hours later, of course, they're asleep in the living room. Should I yell at them as they try to relax? Should I poke them to wake them up? Should I let them sleep? They're sweet and, hey, they should have some fun. And, honestly, if they think it's fun to bark at me as I look confused at them I guess I'll let that go.

Who let the dogs out ... and in?

Working from home seems to be a great idea. I would not want to do it all the time, but a couple of times each week would be cool ... it would seem.

I was working from home Thursday morning, not feeling well enough to go to the office but not sick enough to realize there weren't things I needed to get done. So Dawn drove to work and I did work from home. Of course, that meant I not only got to do work in shorts and a t-shirt but that I got to spend some quality time with my two favorite four-pawed princesses.

The canine crazies, excited to have someone home on a beautiful fall day, were more than happy to distract me from my work.

"We want to go outside. We want to come inside. Who is mowing grass? Why are those geese in the lake? Is that a squirrel running on the roof? I'm hungry! Daddy's HOME! My head itches. I think I need to poop. That sun looks warm. Alley stinks. We need water. Who thought Sarah Palin was qualified to be a vice presidential candidate?"

Those are just a few of the thoughts that I'm pretty sure went through Sassy and Alley's heads from about 10 am to noon on Thursday. All the while I was trying to make out a newsroom vacation schedule for the rest of the year. Dogs can be a tad distracting.

So while I was setting up a system for people to spend time with their loved ones over the next three months, two of my loved ones were trying to figure out ways to spend some unexpected time with me on a Thursday.

I guess I can't be too frustrated. They were also excited I was at home and they wanted all the attention on them.

Happy Sassy

A content Sassy dog is a sweet thing. Usually, Sassy is not afraid to tell you what she wants. She cries, jumps and paws at you until you give her a milk bone or fill up her water dish.

But then there's the moment of sweet Sassy dog. She's just eaten her milk bone and she's happily licking her face.

At that moment you can tell everything in Sassy's life is just the way she wants it to be. She doesn't have to nervously look around afraid that Alley is going to steal her food. She's not worried about someone knocking on the door. She doesn't hear the noises other animals make outside the house.

She's peaceful, content, happy.

Alley wants to type, too

Alley is not a fan of my blogging. I think she's jealous. She wants to blog, too. After all, she has a lot of important thing to say. Um, yeah, I'm sticking with that.

When I start typing, Alley decided she needs petting. She is not afraid to put her paw on the computer and she's reluctant to move that paw. She wants my blogs to read ajwkejfkejfejffjjii((((99494999. Maybe that means something in dog language?

Jeff thinks she just wants my undivided attention, but I think she wants me to teach her to write. So I am going to attempt to share what I think Alley wants to say.

I like chicken. I like steak. I like outside. I like chicken. I like naps. I like steak. I love mommy. I love meat. I love Jeff. I love meat. I love Sassy. I really love meat.

The laptop is not as tasty as meat. Mommy, please get me some meat.

Alley 1.5

While driving home from work tonight, Jeff and I saw an adorable Golden Retriever puppy out for a walk. The puppy was at that awkward long-legs, floppy-ears, unbalanced stage.

It reminded us of Alley when she was little. This, of course, reminded us of Alley's story.

We met Alley at a Quizno's sandwich shop in California. It was Thanksgiving Eve and we were stopping to have a quick sandwich before going to the grocery store to buy food to feed 20 guests the next day.

A large group of high school field hockey players was outside the restaurant crowded around a puppy. Jeff and I went into Quizno's. We ordered our sandwiches and sat down to eat. Jeff kept sneaking peaks outside at the puppy. When the sandwiches were served, Jeff ate his sandwich in about three bites and hurried outside to play with the puppy.

We had discussed getting a sister for Sassy, but only a few times. And this was the night before we were to have 20 people over for a feast. The timing couldn't have been worse, I thought.

I finally finished eating, and went outside. Jeff was engaged in a dynamic conversation with one of the Quizno's employees who was also the puppy's owner. She couldn't keep the puppy anymore because of some complicated living situation involved her sister, a boyfriend, another dog and a hotel. It was best to not ask too many questions.

Jeff was clearly in love. He couldn't stop holding the puppy. Then the Quizno girl really lays on the guilt. She says that if she can't find a new home, she'll just have to abandon the puppy in the desert. At this point, I notice that the puppy is tied to a newspaper box. Jeff says that's a sign. He doesn't believe in signs, he just really wants the puppy. I asked about the puppy's breed as I happened to glance at the sign on the Quizno's door. It read:

Free puppy to good home
1/2 Rottweiler
1/2 Chow
1/2 Wolf

This wasn't just a puppy, this was 1.5 puppy. And part wolf. How could we say no?

Nap all day, nap all night

It's amazing that I get any photos of Sassy and Alley when they're not sleeping. I think they spend 22 hours a day sleeping. Here's a breakdown of what I imagine they're days are like:

7:45 a.m. Wake up. Beg daddy to go outside.
7:50 a.m. Take daddy's spot in bed. Alley cuddles with mommy. Sassy claims the foot of the bed.
8:15 a.m. Lie on bathroom floor rug while mommy showers.
8:40 a.m. Alley runs to door. Tricks mommy or daddy into opening door. Does not go potty.
8:45 a.m. Cry to get mommy and daddy to stay home. Mission fails.
8:50 a.m.-noon. Sleep in bed
Noon-12:15 p.m. Drink water. Have snack.
12:15-3:15 p.m. Sleep on couch
3:15-3:30 p.m. Eat garbage. Eat shoes. Destroy something.
3:30-7 p.m. Sleep in bed.
7 p.m. Greet mommy and daddy.
7:05 p.m. Go outside.
7:05-7:30 p.m. Beg for treats. Eat treats. Lick mommy while she does yoga.
7:30-8 p.m. Fall asleep on yoga mat.
8-8:30 p.m. Beg for food. Eat.
8:30-10 p.m. Sleep on living room floor. Alley cuddles with mommy.
10 p.m. Go outside.
10:15 p.m. Go to sleep in bed.
11:30 p.m. Eat
Midnight-7:45 a.m.: Sleep in dog beds.

Well, at least today they posed for some pictures.

Welcome home

Coming home is fun when Sassy and Alley are waiting.

Alley hears the garage door open and runs to greet us. Sometimes it's hard to open the door into the house because Alley stands against it with her front paws on the door and her head peering through the window.

Sassy is a bit slower. First, she has to find a toy. In the absence of a plush friend, she'll grab a sock or underwear (it's lovely when guests come over). Then, she prances, tail-wagging, to the door. You think Sassy wants to play. You grab the toy and throw it, but Sassy has no interest. She's only interested in welcoming you home.

The hello ceremony lasts about five minutes. Sassy and Alley wrap themselves around our legs, kissing our hands and making happy-puppy sounds.

It's good to come home.

Still crazy after all these months

It's been seven months now since the initial and only post. Sassy, Alley and Dawn remain crazy and full of adventure ... as long as it's not storming.

Storms, you see, generally involve thunder, lightning and rain. Sassy and Alley HATE the thunder and lightning. They run to the guest bathroom, shake in the dark and drool on the floor.

Dawn, when it rains and we're in the car, does about the same thing ... except maybe a little louder.

Either way, I remain the luckiest man on earth with the three sweetest girls around.

Who is the craziest

I live with three of the craziest girls ever. We're living the dream.