Sassy & Alley adventures

Golf anyone?

2009-07-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Sassy and Alley aren't allowed on the golf course, or as Sassy calls it the really big bathroom. I don't think they mind. They probably wouldn't do very well. You know, since they have no thumbs with which to grip the clubs. But just because they can't play the game, doesn't mean they can't look like they do. These outfits would certainly fetch a birdie.

Stylish pups

2009-07-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Fourth of July, Sassy and Alley got new outfits. These adorable little bandannas were only $1 each at Target on July 2. Don't forget to look in those $1 bins at the store.

Sassy requests help

2009-07-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I have been forced to endure an awful procedure in the name of vanity.

Yesterday my mom held me down against the floor while my dad used a new gadget called PediPaws to file my nails.

Sure, I'll admit that my nails were a bit long, but I was enjoying hearing them click-clack against the faux-wood floor.

This so-called grooming was humiliating. I cried my objections to my parents, but they ignored me. I tried to wiggle away, but my mom wouldn't budge.

The noise of the filing tool scared me and being that close to my parents was simply unpleasant. At my age, I prefer to show people affection on my own terms. I'm also not particularly fond of having my paws held.

I am writing this with the hope that someone will be able to talk my parents out of using this awful gadget in the future.

Your friend,

Sassy

P.S. Alley also had her nails filed. She says she won't be joining the PediPaws fan club anytime soon.

Sassy: No more rain, please

2009-05-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's been raining in Columbus forever. Well, at least all of Memorial weekend was stormy and gloomy. We need some sun, stat! Everyone is a bit depressed. Even Sassy is tired of napping inside. She dreaming of the day she gets to fall asleep with the hot sun beating down on her sweet little self.

Mommy, I need that pillow

2009-05-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Alley always find a comfortable spot to sleep. Here she is on one of her favorite couches at Anne and Luke's house. No one has ever told Alley that dogs are supposed to sleep on the floor.

The dogs love spring

2009-04-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Spring evenings are warm and relaxing (especially after a glass or two of wine). It's not consistently warm enough for bugs to be out yet, but it's warm enough for people (and dogs) to be out. Jeff, Sassy, Alley and I spent some quality family time together on the deck Friday night. I had to snap a few photos of the dogs enjoying their first warm spring night.

Missing culprits

2009-04-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

When Jeff and I arrived home from work tonight, we were greeted by a pile of crumbs. These smashed bits were spotted near a plastic potato-chip bag with a large hole in the corner. Oh yeah, and next to the empty bag were two guilty looking dogs. The moment I looked down at the mess on the floor, Sassy and Alley sprinted out of the room.

Why is it that dogs try to hide when they realize their humans have noticed their bad actions? Do they think if they hide for a couple of minutes that we silly old humans will simply forget that dogs live in the home? Perhaps we'll assume a stranger broke into the house and made a mess.

I'm not THAT thirsty

2009-04-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

We used to walk along a particular path near the mountains with Sassy several times a week when we lived in California.

She loved the walks. The sun shining down on her back, making her fur hot to the touch. The variety of flowers to sniff. Chasing tumbleweeds up and down hills, sometimes sans leash. What's a dog not to love?

Well if your name is Sassy and you have a particular dislike of metal, you would find a certain water bowl unacceptable. Along the path, a stainless steal water dish sat at each water station beside the human fountain. Sassy would collapse next to the fountain, panting like crazy and wiggling in the dirt to find a "cool spot." But she would NOT drink from that water dish. It didn't matter how thirsty she might be. Stainless steal and Sassy's precious dog face were never going to meet.

Apparently, Sassy wasn't alone in her disdain for stainless steal. When Jeff I visited California a couple of weeks ago, we noticed the dog dishes along the path had been flattened. No dogs will be drinking out of them now. Sassy seemed pleased when I showed her the picture.

Welcome home — from the dogs

2009-03-23T22:00:00.001-07:00

Jeff and I left Sassy and Alley in Atlanta (with Anne, Luke and Kapono) for a week. Jeff and I went to Palm Springs for a friend's wedding and then to Oregon to visit Karly, Jose and baby Sam!

One (of many) great things about being a dog parent is that you're never sad to go home at the end of your vacation. You know that you'll be greeting with joyous tail wagging and cuddling upon your return.

Dogs really know how to make you feel loved.

Alley's first snow

2009-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today Alley saw her first snow. She was very uncertain at first. She doesn't like to get her paws wet and she kept trying to shake off the snow that was falling on her back. Kapono (Anne's dog) has experienced snow a couple of times. He loves the stuff. Sassy has seen and played in many snowfalls, but it's been 10 years since the last one. She was confused at first, but she quickly regained her memory and enjoyed the flurries.

What is this stuff?

Mom, this white stuff is cold.

Alley just wants to go back in the warm, dry house and sleep on the couch.

Alley chooses to stay on the dry side of the deck.

Sassy is an old pro at dealing with snow.

Kapono just needs a playmate.

Not able to convince the girls to play with him, Kapono decides to play in the bushes.

I know Alley will like the snow if she just gives it a try.

Sassy's little paws sink into the wet snow.

Kapono finally convinces the girls to play.

Uh-oh kissin' cousins.

Sassy loves "American Idol" nights

2009-02-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

During "Idol" season, my friend and co-worker Sonya comes to my house to blog during the show. Sassy and Alley love Sonya and look forward to her visits. I know what you're thinking — those dogs bark at strangers. But since "Idol" lasts about 55 weeks a year, Sonya is hardly a stranger.

Sassy knows it's "Idol" night when I turn on the porch light and unlock the door. She patiently lies down by the front door and waits for Sonya. Here she is...

Mardi Gras at Beaver Court

2009-02-24T20:07:00.001-08:00

Jeff and I celebrated Mardi Gras by watching President Barack Obama deliver his recovery plan message to the nation. Sassy and Alley had other things in mind. I'm not sure what they did to "earn" these beads. I asked, but the only answer I received was a pant and a whine.

Time for toys

2009-02-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Sassy loves to play tug-of-war. She'll grab a toy and hold one end tight while trying to lure Jeff or me to grab the other end. Alley only likes to play tug-of-war with Sassy. Alley seems confused when a human tries to play with her toys. It's funny because Alley is certainly the more cuddly dog. I guess Sassy is the more playful. Here are a couple of photos that demonstrate their personalities.

An unusual bar guest

2009-02-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

When I feel guilty leaving Sassy and Alley at home while Jeff and I go out, I explain that I would take them with me if I could. I tell them that dogs just aren't allowed in bars and restaurants.

Unfortunately, it looks like there's a German Shepard out there who wants to make a liar out of me. This dog was at the bar Saturday night. Don't tell Sassy and Alley, they'll be very jealous. All they do is wait at home by the phone.

A new friend in dog world

2009-01-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

Sassy and Alley got to meet a new puppy this week. Oscar, who will likely weigh in at 80 pounds when he's done growing, is an adorably awkward little Boxer mix. His people parents brought him over to my sister's apartment for a play date on New Year's Eve.

Alley was immediately friendly to this new face, as was Anne's dog Kapono. Sassy took a bit longer. As soon as Oscar's little face appeared in the front hall, Sassy started barking. A very mean, I-want-to-bite-you sort of barking.

My sweet Sassy, who won't utter a growl when kids pull her tail and ears, is the alpha female of her dog world. Any new dog introduced to her pack must not threaten her top- dog status.

Worried that Sassy might attack Oscar, who just wanted to play, Jeff and I held her back and used the furniture to keep the two dogs separated.

I tried explaining things to her. "Sassy, we don't bark and growl at our guests."

I imagine if Sassy could speak people language she would say, "Mom, this is not people world, this is dog world. That's exactly how we greet our guests. How else will establish our pack order?"

We eventually had to release Sassy, of course. She snapped at Oscar, which didn't seem to surprise him. She didn't bite, and Oscar must have communicated his lack of desire to be top dog because everyone (well, every dog) happily sniffed butts and shared toys for the rest of night.

I guess I learned a little about dog world this week.

Christmas goes to the dogs

2008-12-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

Hope you enjoy it.

Christmas outfits

2008-12-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-01-24T19:36:00.001-08:00

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