Smile for the Camera!

Terry, look this way - Nope.











Oh good, action shot - Make that, half of an action shot.














Dang, he was just looking at me.












Is everything more interesting than me?














So close, yet still not in the frame.














He is sitting still, I should be able to get the picture.













Left, Right, anything but looking at the camera.














Oh, there you are.














I'd like to be able to say that I took all these extra photos just to make this post, but this is only about a third of the shots it took to get just 2 of Terry's face. This is the first time his mom has left him and I just had to post some pictures so she wouldn't worry.

Why am I not surprised that his name is RED

I have a friend who has been paying her beautician to get this exact color for the past 20 years or so.

If you have ever wondered why your dogs sleeps for two days after spending a weekend at the ranch...

here's your answer. This is what they do, non-stop, everytime they go out to play.

This is not BB's only adoring fan.

You can be a fan of BB on the Dogster site. See, my clients are famous without me.

Click here to go to her very own website, Wonderdog BB

Stop by and give her a bone. Electronic love from BB is much safer that the 'flying leaps of love' that I get from her.

Truth be told, BB is one of my favorites. She shows up and makes all the dogs play. Everyone has a great time and they all get throughly worn out. Which is why she is stopping by again today, her owners need a worn out BB so that they can get some work done.

BB is convinced that the humans come home solely to play and play non-stop with her. Even the other dogs can't keep up with BB, so lets try to give the poor humans a break.

Don't I know you from somewhere?

Harley's owner asked me that and it turns out we used to be neighbors. His boxer Harley was fond of escaping his yard and coming over to hang out with my dogs.


There is a draw back to the fenceless, electronic containment system for dogs - one the vendors don't mention - all runaway dogs come to your house. However it did help me meet a number of my neighbors as I was returning their dogs.

Harley had a similiar system that he was willing to run through the beeps and the shock to get out of his yard, but not willing to subject himself to the same to go back home. So he hung out at my place. I had not seen him since we sold our house and moved back in 1997. I just have to get him together with my girls and see if they remember a buddy from when they were still puppies. Now that all three of them are old and going gray.

Stupid Human Tricks

Hey, I can do that too!

Talk about a useless skill to have been born with. The most it ever got me was a marriage proposal from a total stranger at a party back in college.

Who needs the WWF when you can watch Doggie Wrestling five times a day?

Dog Art, it is not just poker games anymore...

I was checking out an auction of sketches from Project Runway. (I know it is not the healthiest of obsessions, but the show ends in two weeks and I should have a complete recovery.) Well, there is a sketch from the Dog Challenge done by Robert Best. This guy can really sketch and he not only sketched his outfit, he put the dog in the sketch. It is more a peice of art than I would have expected from a design sketch. I know it would look fantastic in my daughter's very pink, very girly bedroom. Besides, Robert is a designer for Barbie, which in my daughter's eyes makes him a REAL artist. But the bidding is already at $85 and there is 5 days to go.
(that puts it out of my budget for art at this time)

What is funny about all this is that she came home from a friends house with this drawing of a girl and a dog. It may not be done by a fashion fashion designer (well not yet anyway) but it should look good in her room.

The Westminster STUFFED Dog Show

We have enough stuffed animal dogs to start our own kennel club. Though I have to say that it might have to be more of a fashion show than for breed or obedience.

That photo of Snoopy and his princess crown got me thinking about all the dressing up of stuffed animals that my kids do. I wish I had taken more photos of Snoopy's fabulous ensembles. My daughter would have her first 'collection' documented.

This dog get more changes of clothes than Barbie.

"That's PRINCESS SNOOPY to you!"

My daughter's Snoopy may just be the best dressed stuffed animal in all of Utah!

We had a road trip to pick up glasses from Costco yesterday. At McDonald's for lunch, my daughter got that Ariel 'Little Mermaid' crown that Snoopy is sporting. That crown was designed for someone with a smaller head.

This Happy Meal Toy was clearly not living up to the unrealistic yet surprisingly detailed expectations of a seven year old.

A bit of quick thinking, and deep seated fear of a meltdown on the first stop of the day, led Mom to say, "It might not fit you, but I am sure it will look stunning on Snoopy."

Phew, dodged that bullet...but I did have to promise to take a picture of our newest princess.

This is 'Blue Dog'

Blue Dog is the probably the most precious thing in the whole house after the kids and the real dogs. It the one thing I would have to run back into a burning house to retrieve.

Blue Dog started as a joke from my older brother. I sent my business cards out with the Christmas cards in 2002. My logo is a blue dog. Our 'Blue Dog' showed up in the Christmas package from Seattle that year. My daughter was 4 and my son 2 that year and he just latched onto that stuff animal.

This toy was promptly dubbed 'Blue Dog'. My kids are not creative on the naming thing, we also have a 'Pink Bear' and 'Mr. Fish'. My son still calls this place The Blue Dog Ranch.


Blue Dog goes everywhere with us. He has been on car trips and on more airplanes that any other dog I know. He never travels in the checked luggage and is never left in the car overnight.

I live in fear of losing Blue Dog. I have been checking eBay for his litter mates for 4 years. No luck so far, yet I am sure Pottery Barn made more than one Blue Dog. I keep picturing thousands of mom's searching for the elusive back-up Blue Dog for their kid just like me.


By the way, Blue Dog is sporting a fabulous open weave, dinosaur print, long john onesies that both of my kids worn as babies. I have it in red also, well the stuffed dogs do.

They don't seem to be bothered about wearing the same outfit.

As long as it looks good on you, size doesn't matter! Right?






I still think it is weird that Dobermans and Dachshunds have the exact same markings.













It is like those American Girl Doll outfits that you can but one for the doll and one for the kid.

















It even looks the same from the back.


If you really love the look...it also comes in Rottweiler and Chihauhau.

I just love the fall

With the shortening of the days, I get to watch the sunrise (spectacular yesterday - hot pink clouds that changed to blaze orange) and get to see the milkway at night (except for Wednesday, it was way too windy and cold, so I made my husband put the dogs to bed.)

I am just waiting for all the popular trees to turn golden yellow. We really have the prettiest falls I have ever seen.

But along with all this beauty comes my least favorite part of fall - my kids brought home the very first grade school disease of the week. (Now, where did I leave that box of tissues?)

Doggie Heaven

I got some bad news this week when I ran into some old clients; two of my regular doggie clients have died this summer. We lost Ender and Maxwell, who I liked to call Maxwell Smart.

I have a growing collection of clothes pins with the names of dogs that have died. I miss them all but I am sure they are having a great time in doggie heaven. I am quite sure that in dog heaven everyone gets their own couch, the tennis balls all taste like filet mignon, and the squirrels are all fat and slow.

Whenever we finally show up, they will be waiting for thier tummy rubs and ear nuggies.

I have been MILLIE-ed.

I was just not prepared for that much love from a Weimaraner. No one really is.

She put her paws on my shoulders, pinning me to my chair and started to lick my whole face. I couldn't squeeze in a "No, Millie!" Well I could have, but from experience I know that telling her 'No' will cost me a french kiss. (Let me warn you - it is actually worse than you can imagine)

She licked my face, licked my hat off, licked my glasses until I couldn't see and then licked them right off my face. In the struggle to get her off me, she stepped on my glasses. I, finally, make it to my feet.

Triumph!
Not quite, I have a dog spit covered face, bent glasses, and no hat.

I tracked down my hat just as Tessie was poised to shred it. She had the back in her mouth and was stepping on the visor; the next sound I was about to hear was it turning into two dog toys.

It cost me stepping in dog poop, but I got my hat back!

TRIUMPH!
It is the same sensation of accomplishment, I get when I out smart my toddlers.

I overslept and woke up to WINTER!

I swear it was September when I went to bed. I must have been really tired.

It is a bit barky on the far end of the kennel.

Jasmine is in heat and Seven is pregnant.

We have an ugly case of dueling hormones at the ranch this week.

Second CHANCES?

I thought 'Chance' was such a unique name, until my second 'Chance' arrived within a week of the my first 'Chance'.


If this trend keeps up I am going to have to google the lyrics to Chances Are and Take A Chance On Me. So far I can only remember the refrains.

I only sing at church and the dog kennel - they are not allowed to complain at me in church and the dogs obviously have excellent hearing but are completely tone deaf.

I guess I am not the only one watching and waiting for the kids to come home from school.

Camera Shy

This is Chance. I was just trying to get a photo of her collar when I determined she is afraid of the camera.


I got these shots when she wasn't looking.

Gee, I have gone over to the dark side - Doggie Paparazzi.

Pup-arazzi!

Maybe a bit too much Project Runway for me...

...but Roxy got a new collar and it is fabulous!



High fashion for me is any clothes that don't have dog spit on them.

Dressed for the Races

It looks like Chance came dressed for our Nas-Dog races with her checkerflag collar. We just need Tessie to show up. Tessie is the Official Pace-Dog of the Yawning Dog Ranch Nas-Dog Races.

It's fun to make new friends....

Getting to know you,
Getting know all about you.
Getting like you,
Getting to hope you like me.













Getting to know you,
Getting to feel free and easy
When I am with you,
Getting to know what to say



















Haven't you noticed
Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?
Because of all the beautiful and new
Things I'm learning about you
Day by day.



Maybe this is not what Rogers and Hammerstein had in mind with that song.

Can I go home now?

Regardless of what you have heard...the grass is greener on the other side of the gate.


And if I stand here long enough, my parents will come back for me.

Yes, there really is such a thing as TOO MUCH LOVE.

Thanks boys, but I am a big girl and I can wash my own ears.

Does this stuff happen to Superman?

That is it! I tried to be the hero and what thanks do I get? Peed on by my Dachshund-In-Distress.

Little Toby was getting a WEE bit too much attention from Yanni (I call him Yawny, but Yippy would be more acturate) and Flip. This behavior crossed the fine line of play and domination well into the relm of doggie sexual harassment; so I had to step in.

Oh I stepped in it alright.

There I am, valently trying to defend Toby's virture. I scoop up the Dachshund and try to head to his kennel. Toby once again decides that he is SO HAPPY to see me, that he just has to give me a little something. (Really, Toby anymore thanks from you and I will run out of uniform shirts) Flip thinks I look good with my new accessory and latches onto my leg. Now, I am still trying to cross the play yard to Toby's gate - one wiggly football in my arms and on horney pit bull on my left leg. (A video of this might win that $10,000) I make it, I am there, I get the gate open (He has to have the one kennel that really locks tight) and I put him in. Safe, safe at last.


Nope. Toby shot right back out before I could close the gate and ran straight back to Flip.

Okay, so I am trying not to judge Toby's definition of fun. It certainly not fun for me. I have plenty of bruises to show Flip's affection.


So, without actually doing the math...since I only charge ten bucks a night, I think my shin is working at the two-bit pay scale.

The Infinite Varieties of Fetch

Your basic game of fetch should include a dog, a ball and a person. A perfect game of fetch includes a dog that brings the ball back to the person and gives the ball back to the person.

That is an amazing rare combination. I had a perfect game of fetch going with Bella, a black lab. A nice change of pace for me.

I have dogs that bring the ball but won’t give it back. That really shortens the time spent playing fetch – one throw and the game is over.

There are the dogs that get the ball and run off with it. They just want to be chased. Usually the dog that was SO interested in fetch can not find the ball once it is in the mouth of the dog that wants to be chased. This means no fetch, and no chase, and nobody is happy. My dogs have a spin on this game. Only Inertia will go after a ball, Vector doesn’t seem to see the point. Once Inertia has the ball, she proceeds to chase Vector while carrying the ball in her mouth. (Hey, I never said my dogs were normal)

Then there are the games of fetch where I get a workout as well as the dog. Returned to the General Vicinity of You. Mica is one of these, if she drops the ball within 10 feet of you, that is a successful return. So I get almost the same exercise as the dogs. And then there is Flip, he is very excited about the chase and grabbing the ball, but then he immediately drops the ball back where it landed. I don’t run across the play yard, stroll is my top speed, but this is still more involvement in the game of fetch than I signed up for.

The Dog Days of Summer

I know this time is called The Dog Days of Summer because of the appearance of the Dog Star, Sirius, in the night sky. But I always thought the phrase was a pretty apt description for how I spend my hot summer afternoons on the couch, usually with a dog, watching old movies.

But this summer's Dog Days has a new spin. Call it testosterone poisoning if you will, but the boys at the kennel are out of control. None of the male dogs will play anymore. No running, no chasing, no wrestling, no fetch - it is all humping or being humped and getting mad about it.

I would blame it on the heat, but we have actually cooled off here in Utah.

I just want the HOUND Dog Days of Summer to come to an end.

EEEK! A Snake!

That "EEEK!" that had to be heard all across the west side of Helper yesterday morning was me. We have Gopher Snakes around here. They are harmless unless you are a mouse. In the past I only would see them on Wednesdays. We used to get our irrigation water on Tuesdays and the flooded lower pasture is just no place for a snake. So must Wednesdays during the summer I would find one, most likely just as I was about to step on or over it.

I am not actually afraid of snakes (spiders, heights, and wind - yes, snakes - no). But it is the surprise factor of not having seen the thing until I am on top of it that causes me to screech like a little girl and do the 'ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod' dance.

Two days ago, my husband tried to stop me as I walked into the play yard. "EEEK!" There was a gopher snake headed the same direction sliding between the gate and its frame. He didn't take long to figure out that in front of a herd of barking dogs is no place for a snake and he headed back out through the fence. My husband was able to round up the kids for a look at the snake before he headed off into the orchard.

Yesterday, I was just finished cleaning up a couple of kennels and I opened the door to go out, I stoppped to pick up some dirty dishes to take them to the house. As I walked out the door I pushed the door shut behind me and something stopped the door. When I turned to give the door a good shove, I saw the snake. I had shut the door on him. Of course, having a door slammed on your stomach made the snake move very fast and into the kennel building.

"EEEK" and 'ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod' dance.

What am I going to do! I know, I'll get all the dogs out of the building by taking them out into the playyard - that will keep them safe!

Okay, calm down the dogs are not the ones that are in danger of the snake - leave the door open and the snake will leave.

Oh, yeah, that is a better idea.

Boy was that snake moving when he got outside the door.

And as he left, I yelled get back out in that field and deal with the mouse population! I hope he heard me.

Ouch!

In the course of running this kennel, I have been hit by dogs in the chest, the forehead, the cheek bone, the temple, the nose, my teeth, and a number of kidney and heart punchs. Just yesterday, I got that entire range from just Gunther. Gunther even came up with a new one, a dog nose punch to the boobie. At least I can say that my job does not suffer from 'the same old thing' every day.

Trying to pet Gunther is clearly a contact sport and giving ear-nuggies to his sister, Daisy, is almost as bad. Lucky for me, she happens to be a lot smaller, lighter and blessed with a bit more steering ability than Gunther.

Good thing I got that Workmen's Comp policy.

Are you sure it isn't September already?

Besides the emptiness of the kennel building, it has gotten pretty cold here in the mornings and evenings. I have had to break out my jean jacket at least a month earlier than normal.

Good thing though, jean jackets make excellent body armour against over excited, extra jumpy Labradors.

Oh, I remember those days...

Shadow is back for a visit. Her owners didn't want her to be alone with her puppies due just next week.



One look at that big belly on such a little dog and I just had to say, "Oh, I remember those days."

I moved to this farm when I seven months pregnant with my son and feeling just as huge as this house. Now, I think Shadow looks a bit like a pot-bellied goat whereas I looked more like Winnie the Pooh.

When out in the play yard, Shadow stops about every five feet to pee.

I remember that part, too.

Where have all the doggies gone?

Back home to their Moms and Dads!

I have an almost empty kennel today. I only have two sets of two dogs, and 5 empty runs. It looks like a ghost town down there. I have not had this many empty kennels since May and I thought I would have to wait until September to see an easy dog day again.

Not going to take it easy though, this is an excellent chance to clean the whole place, all at once.

Maybe I will take it easy tomorrow.

Trying too hard to impress your dog.

I have another exotic meal dog this week. An exotic meal is anything you feed your dog that has more than 2 ingrediants or 3 steps to prepare it.

Max gets a scoop of dry dog food that has to be wetted and then set aside to soften.

This step always kills me - how long exactly? The owners never tell me that part and it does take quite a while from wetted to totally soggy cereal. Or does the dog what something in between crunchy and smoosh?

Then, I am to add a quarter of a can of wet food, and mix.

So wet into soggy, I got it.

And then top with a sprinkle of chopped up ham.

Ah, a garnish, just what every dog wants.


I want to tell people who spoil their dogs with elaborate meals, that their dog sees cat poo on a hot sidewalk as a delicacy - Stop trying so hard!

Surprised that I can still be surprised.

Really, I thought by now I had seen it all, but I just had a dog bite a chunk of my hair off.

I think he was as surprised as I was. Gunther looked shocked as he stood there with a bunch of long blonde hairs hanging out of his mouth.

I quickly curled my hair up into my hat - a dog that size chould snatch you bald in no time.

I just traded one Referee for Another.

Boudin and Pecos are the same dog in two different shapes. Both feel it is their job to referee the the other dogs. I get this a lot from any of the sheparding breeds.

It is alway a hassle. They can't distinquish play from fighting and so they charge into the middle of two dogs and bark like crazy. This usually has the effect of escalating play into a fight rather than detering a fight.

It was a long week with Boudin and it is going to be a long week with Pecos.

But THIS ONE is MINE!

I would first like to say that there are about eleventy-billion tennis balls in the play yard. All in different levels of deterioration from nearly new to missing all the fuzz to popped apart and so covered in spit and dust that they are indistinguishable from the surrounding dirt.


But Sadie has a favorite one. It used to be red and it used to be round, but now it resembles one of those donut peaches, doesn't bounce when it hits the ground any more and is only red when she chews off the dirt.

And once again, Sadie, if you want me to throw THAT ball, you have to let me have THAT ball.

Sadie does try to give it to me, I am just not fast enough. She drops the ball at my feet and immediately recatches it. Especially if there is another dog within 5 feet of us. This can go on for awhile. 10 or 20 drops and recatches before she will finally leave the ball long enough for me to retrieve it. This is really slowing down the play session. I tried Cotton's trick of throwing a different ball to get her to drop the one she has, but that only worked about two times. She wants her ball thrown and no other.

I am in big trouble today, HER BALL, ended up in the gutter of the kennel building. I'd better show up today with a ladder or there is going to be hell to pay.

Project Runaway did go to the dogs

At least, it was not a dog in a purse. The dogs were all small, but no minis.

The designers had to make an outfit for the owner and for her dog and a little story to explain what she was doing and what she was wearing. I, personally, would have found the clothes easier to make up than the story.

The dogs were all adorable and very well behaved, in my opinion. If someone tried to put a fur collared jacket on my dogs, they would probably end up wearing it themselves. Inertia put up with a lot from my daughter, but always managed to call off the dress-up at the point she was wearing only jewelry. (I wonder if I can find that picture of Inertia and her massive amount of garage sale emeralds?)

One dog did end up in a purse. One of the designers doesn't like dogs and instead decided to carry her 'model' back to the work room in a purse that had to have cost in the four digit range. Talk about traveling in style.

Love is in the air?

Well, it has to be something. I am getting quite a bit of unwanted attention from my male dogs this week. Maybe they sense my husband is out of town, and they think this is their big chance to make a move on me. I just don't get it, my leg has been humped more this weekend then in all the three and a half years my kennel has been opened.

Usually it is only around Goofy that I have to worry about my virture remaining intact.

I've got a Schipperke!

I never heard of this breed either, but he is the cutest dog. He is small, fast, jet black and naturally tailless. I think he wants to play with the other dogs, but all the other dogs have other ideas. When his owner told me everyone loves Ziggy, I don't think she was talking about the crazy desire the other male dog have to mount Ziggy.

Get off! This is not a dating service!

I had to break it up, so I grabbed Ziggy in my arms. Flip decided me and Ziggy was still an attactive combination and he latched onto my leg.

Flip!

I'm a married woman!

I will tell your mother on you!

Flip put that away, you are scaring the little dogs!

As if it were not hot enough, my own personal space heater just landed in my lap.

To make up for the large and wild group I had last weekend, I am getting a small and fluffy set this weekend. Doggie Karma pays off again. Or at least I thought so until a fluffy Pomeranian landed in my lap. That is just too much fur for the middle of July. I was already over heated, now I was sure I was going to melt.

It felt and looked like a little sun had climbed into my lap.

Project Runway going to the dogs?

I am a huge fan of Project Runway. In case you don't watch, it has nothing to do with dogs. It is a reality show for fashion designers. They get a project, a spending limit, a time limit, and they had better make something beautiful or they're OUT.

Each week there is a new 'project' and they showed the announcement for next week's episode in the previews. The designers will all have to work with 'Today's Most Popular Accessory'.

I am hoping they are talking about an ipod, if it is a dog in a purse, I'll have to stop watching.


If you do watch, click the 'Blogging Project Runway' listing on the right. You will be amazed.

How do you play fetch with a dog that won't give the ball back?

Get more balls!

I have finally figured Cotton out. If I have a ball in my hand ready to throw when he returns with the old ball, he will drop it at my feet and chase the new one. This was working pretty well, I even had a few extra balls for when Tessie sweeps in and steals the dropped ball the moment it hits the ground. Then Cotton was on to me. He started keeping the first ball in his mouth until he got to the other one. Okay, more balls and more changing sides of the kennel. But Cotton has come up with something that puts the whole game in jeopardy, he keeps taking the balls into his run with him. I didn't realize that he had pretty much cleaned out the playyard of toys until I had to empty both his water dish and food dish of tennis balls just to feed him.

Pets with Pets, well this is a new one on me.

I was at a friend's house today and she asked if I wanted to see her dog's new pet. It is a lizard. It is the third lizard in a series of lizards that her son has caught over the summer.

Her dog is fascinated by the lizards. He lays in the shade and watches the lizard in his aquarium all day long. He might be a little too fascinated, he is the one that knocked off the lid and let lizard 1 and 2 go free. But his owners think that the lizard is the best babysitter they ever had for their dog.

Hey, that hurts.

Finding the silver lining

Despite all my bruises, all the times I was bounced off the fence, all the times they chomped on my hand, or the attempts at sitting on my lap - this was the easiest group of dogs to put back in their kennels. No calling, no chasing, no begging, no scolding...just open the kennel and call their name.


These crazy dogs clearly know the value of a cranked up air conditioner.

I just want to say, "Ouch"

Cotton, my favorite kennel eating dog, has been saving my hide since he got here. Cotton allows only love for Cotton. He circles me and leans on my legs and runs interference for any dog that tries to come up to me. Normally, he would get a scolding for hogging all the love, but this weekend is full of bouncy, jumpy, ricochet dogs. I have more bruises than I want to admit. So Cotton is free to hog all of my attention.


The first time Cotton stayed with me, he pulled the door panel off and actually ate a part of it. That was when I switched from particle board doors to aluminum. At other stays, I learned to leave his door open at night. Of course, I reminded the dog sitter about Cotton's fear of enclosure, but forgot it when he came again. He pulled the metal door out along with the door's frame and part of the wall.

Oh yeah, no door for Cotton, I remember now.

I can't believe that no one called the cops on me.

I had the barkiest group of dogs since I opened. They would get started in the middle of the night and go for about a half an hour, take a break and start again.

I went down to the kennel about 6am. My usual routine is to wake them around 7am to give my neighbors a break because as soon as I open the door the place just explodes with noise.

But not Friday morning, when I slammed that door shut they knew I was mad. They all stopped barking, if only for a few seconds. I was livid, I was thinking that all my neighbors probably had their windows open just like me and that no one in a 3 or 4 block radius got any sleep. Those dogs barked so loud it sounded like every window in the kennel was open! I was ready to return a couple of them to their owners in the form of a throw rug. But you can't really get away with that, but I am sure the dogs thought I was capable of it.

So on Friday, each of the dogs wore an antibark collar for about an hour. A couple of them obviously had worn one before because they stopped barking while it was still in my hand.

We had a much quieter night that day.

If this group of dogs doesn't knock me down, kill me and eat me...

I figure I will live a long and happy life as a dogsitter. I just have to make it to Monday.

I have become a Helper Landmark

Something I noticed when I moved to Utah. Everyone gives directions in the terms of “Just Past …” Fill in the blank with a store. The real trouble for a newcomer is that the store name is probably the original store name and not what it is currently called. The next problem is that “Just Past” can mean a block, a mile, 30 miles or 300 miles.

Walmart is JUST PAST Pizza Hut.

Wellington is JUST PAST Walmart.

Colorado is JUST PAST Wellington.

As long as it is the next big thing you come to after passing the landmark it is “Just Past”.

My husband over heard two teenage girls talking and one was trying to give the other directions.

“It is just past The Yawning Dog Ranch.”

“Where is that?”

“You know, you go by it all the time.”

“Oh yeah, the one with the big blue dog.”

Gee, maybe I don’t have to describe where I live by naming the old owners anymore.

You never know where the next good idea will come from.

I went to see a couple of other people’s kennel when I was on the other side of the mountain. I am trying to expand and I need to see if there are any better ideas out there.

Both kennel owners warned me that their kennels were old. So okay, I won’t be able to get any vendors’ or contractors' names, but it might still be worth a stop.

It so was. First off, these kennel owners were great to me. They took time out and gave me a whole tour. They went over what works at their kennels and what they would change if they could. It was a huge help to me.

Both kennels had cinderblock walls between the dogs. I was planning to put walls in but this sealed the deal. Their kennels are so much quieter than mine. I think because the dogs can’t see each other or me that well, they are calmer. It will also cut back on the fence fighting and Tessie’s incessant blanket stealing.

What I didn’t like was that it made the kennel seem very dark and the dogs seemed to be in caves. I do realize that the dogs probably love the cave quality, but I think it would freak out the owners. It wasn’t until I was back home that I realized that the kennels are so dark because there are no windows. My windows haven’t worked out well. They had to be on the dog side of the kennel so that I would have the afternoon sun solar gain, but that means the dogs can put their paws on the window sill. I even had one jump through a screen. If I can afford my new place I am going for skylights. All the light and none of the dead flies on the window sill.

The other thing that made the kennel appear cave like was that all of their interior runs are only 4 feet high. Tessie would knock her head or learn to stop jumping with that kind of restriction. It would save me a ton on fencing, but I like being able to step into the run to clean it.

And the very best idea that I never thought of: extending the awning over the dogs another 3 feet and putting a shaded sidewalk in for me. I was going to shade the exterior runs but I would have cut it off at the gate. My husband said he thought of this, if only to save me from standing under the drip line of the roof. Gee, I was assuming there would be a gutter.

Well, there are many more kennels to see before I finalize my design. Can’t wait for my next rip ‘over the mountain’.

canine mathmatics

Beagle + Pug = Puggle
Pug + Chiuhuahua = Chug
Pug + Miniature Pinscher = ? a Pug-scher? a Pigscher? a Min Pin Pug?

Whatever you decide to call him, he is a cutie. I have the Pug-Pinsher cross staying with me, and her sister, the Beagle, is expecting at least four Puggles. I can't wait to see those puppies. As for Chug the Chug, I haven't seen him in ages - but he is also very cute.

Just is case we ever decide to start taking in cats.

My husband keeps on suggesting that we expand to cat sitting, but I think he just wants to be able to say that a 'Cat House' is open in Helper. Again.

I liked seeing the wolf exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo, but...

..it was the seals that reminded me the most of my dogs. They way they play with each other, do tricks and beg for snacks - seals are just very wet labradors.

Good doggie manners knows no langauge barrier.

I spotted this on my way to Dim Sum in Chicago's Chinatown.

I say I go home to see family and friends, but in fact, I mostly go to eat my way across Chicago.

It is just my personal theory...

But I think letting female dogs go into heat without breeding them makes them more aggressive.

I really don't have a large enough sample to make this judgment. I really should go a do some research, but I am facing down a weekend that includes two females coming out of heat, one in the middle and one that is pregnant. I believe this will be the first case of estrogen poisoning here at the ranch.

I have seen nice dogs become psycho during their heat cycles. They make my PMS look like a walk in the park.

They are mean to the male dogs - "Sorry boys, you are just not up to my standards!"

They are mean to the female dogs - "If I am going to breed, that means I am the alpha female, and I just want to make sure that everyone knows it!"

It seems to me that the aggression continues after the cycle ends, particularly to other females. The level of aggression is also notched up every cycle. Now I could be wrong, I have mean females that have been neutered. You may have had your dog go into heat and see no personality change. I think I probably see the worse behavior because I get to see the dogs in a social setting. And face it, no female of any species looks its best when trolling for a mate.

Look someone made furniture just for me.

Actually these are part of a scuplture series.

My sister took me to a huge furniture store outside Milwaukee. The store made a walking path for their employees and there are set of metal couches, chairs and TV cabnits all over the place. Each one is painted up a bit different, but the 'Dog on the Couch' set - I just had to get a picture of that one.

We got ourselves another 'Lego' Poodle

A 'Lego' is a mini-toy poodle cross.

Toby is the smallest dog we have ever had. I thought he was still a puppy, but no he is already a year old. He is so small that he got out of the kennel by walking between the gate and its frame. Toby had to hang out with us in the house until my husband got his kennel all wired up.

Toby seemed to like the idea of hanging out in the living room for awhile, but this dog just cannot relax. He was on my lap, then my husband's, he would leap up to the back of the couch and walk back and forth. With his size and personality, it is like having a dog and a cat at the same time.

Toby also suffers from 'the lap is always softer on the other side of the living room'. He only just settles in, when - LEAP - he is off to sit with my husband - LEAP - he is back again.

You would think he would eventually wear himself out with all the leaping and resettling and just pass out on someone, but I never saw him sit for more than 2 minutes.

It is taking longer to unpack than it took to pack...

Why is that?

We did leave with a half full car and came back with wall to wall luggage. Maybe that could be my problem.

We even gained a few more dogs - of the stuffed variety. Blue Dog, of course, came with us. He belongs to my son and he is the toy I search Ebay for on a regular basis. We ever lose him and I am in big trouble.

Dave's Aunt gave my daughter a fancy doll and my son a stuffed bunny. The bunny was immediately declared a 'dog' and named Coco. Owner gets to pick the name, the sex, and the species as well - that's my rule.

After a couple of days at the cousin's house, my two had yet another two stuffed dogs. Pinky and Brown - I'll let you guess what they look like. That was nice of the cousins to give away some of their toys. Only problem is that my son's dog got left at the cousin's house. I figure that it will be arriving anyday now - I know I would not pass up the chance to get a stuffed animal out of my house.

The first annual Westminster 'Stuffed' Dog Show to be held at my house.

What do you need to know before teaching your dog tricks?

My daughter has not given up on the riddle book.

I thought I had this one, "A trick, you have to know a trick to teach a trick."

Nope, you have to know more than a dog.



I think I can manage that most days.

Dogs in cars is strickly a western thing.

I didn't see a dog riding in a car or truck after I left Colorado. There isn't a single dog in downtown Chicago.

I was feeling a little dog deprived until we hit the wolf enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo.

On our last day of driving, we got to see a big fluffy huskie hanging his head out the back window of a Toyota 4runner. Now that is more like it.

At lunch, somewhere west of Denver, there was one dog waiting it out in the back seat. While another two dogs got to hang out under the cafe table with their family.

It was nice to be getting back home.

There is a very happy golden retriever hanging his head out the back window of the truck behind us. Really.

A new trend in names...

Old time names from the old country.

The Italians and Norwegians have chimed in.

Teenso & Amico.
Tucio & Vido.
Gunda & Hans.

No dog performers on tonight's America's Got Talent show

I loved the dog act that got in on the first night. And it looks like one other got in, but their audition didn't get aired.

To prove that I am not totally biased, I thought the finger clicker was the wildest thing I have ever seen.

I just want to know what the Russian guy, Leonid, is going to wear next time. I think he should just balance stuff on his hands and crack jokes, he was at his best off the cuff with Regis.

Why didn't you put an ad in the paper when your dog ran away?

Because my dog can't read.


My daughter just found a book of animal riddles.

Around here, you call the shelter, police dispatch, barterbar radio show and The Yawning Dog Ranch. All dogs run away to my house.

This was true even before I had a dog kennel. At my first house in Price, Utah, I had a radio fence for my puppies and not a real fence around the yard. Any dog that ran away in Westwood ran to my place. I met quite a few people taking their dogs home to them.

K-9 Officers do not head for the donut shop.

I spotted a police dog having a pit stop on the side of I-80 in Nebraska. The car was parked in the shade of an overpass, the dog and his handler were out in the grassy side of the off ramp. There are certain logistics of having a dog as a partner that I had not really given any thought to before.

The last thing you want to hear when you are 2000 miles from home.

"We had a runaway."

Well, Michelle was taking it much better than I would have. When really bad stuff happens, I do a little chicken with its head off running in circles thing, before calming down and getting it taken care off. But by the time Michele had called me, she had already talked to the owners and was headed off to check to see if their doggie just went home. The owners were pretty calm about it also - all they said was "Well, she never did that before."

Dog was found at home, the neighbors saw her and let her in.

So, my record still stands 4 runaways, all found. Two ran home, one caught by my contractor in my horse pasture, and the pair that my husband and I chased across Helper.

I know I forgot something....

I figured out what somewhere North and East of Denver. The Phone Message. UGH! I forgot to change my outing going message to my dog sitter's phone number. So I have been fielding doggie calls across 6 states.

"No, I can't check the calendar, I am in Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Milwaukee, Chicago...you will have to call Michelle."

UGH!

And an even bigger, UGH! for when the cell phone bill comes in.

I always thought 'Are we there yet?' as a cliche.

I ranked it up with 'drunks dancing with lamp shades on their heads' and 'people photocoping their butts'. These are cultural icons, not stuff people actually do.

But I got to hear, "Are we there yet?" from Wellington to Colorado. I don't think they stopped asking, but I know I stopped trying to explain - in the car ALL DAY. My daughter actually announce just north of Green River, "Well, we better get to the hotel soon, because I have to pee!"

(Green River is a whopping 45 minutes from home.)

It was a very long first day.

It got better on the second day, I started giving out mile markers for the next stop and they would just watch and count them down. My sanity was saved by the creation of the federal highway mile marker system. Thank you.

I did not fall off the face of the earth, I just went on vacation.

I am in Chicago, seeing the family and trying to entertain my kids. I have been to the zoo, twice, and the Museum of Science and Industry. I think I last stepped foot in there when I was in eigth grade.

It has been a 'dog-free' holiday, except for my nightly reports from Michelle - dogsitter extordinare.

I do have some funny pictures, but I will have to figure how to get them off the camera, and into this freebie contection at the conference. And to think, I used to be a chip-head computer support person. Now, I can't even figure out all the options on my camera, or phone.

And now the Littles are out numbering the Bigs

I do have odd runs of dogs. I get weekends with a bunch of the same breed or the same name. I once had an a full kennel of only black and white dogs. And a different day with all carmel and white dogs. But today it is the little ones verses the big, current 7 to 2. But the big guys gain a teammate when a boxer shows up later.

I have 2 dachshunds, 2 Pomeranians, 2 Chiuhuahuas and the littlest Yorky you ever saw.

One Yellow Lab and Zoey Monster, she is very big, very thin, very jumpy, very orange and very much looks like her namesake from Sesame Street. She doesnot look very much like any breed of dog I have ever met before.

Argh. maties, we have a Parrot Dog on board!

I guess 'on shoulder' would be more accurate. Actually, I have about 6 Parrot Dogs as clients. I have 2 of them this weekend. Both Maggie, the Lego Poodle, and Taffy, a carmel chiuhuahua, like to climb up onto my shoulder. Very hard on me, there is quite a bit of claw digging in to hold that position, but it does lend itself to few pirate jokes.

It is really only a problem when a 100 pound lab or rottweiller tries to pull that stunt. This is why my chair is always about a foot away from the fence. I hit the fence when knocked over and not the ground.

Dogs of War Memorial

In my paper on Memorial Day, there was an article on dogs that have served in the army.

The numbers are impressive, as are the stories of the dogs' service.

World War II: 436 dogs served
Korea: 1,500 dogs served
Vietnam: 4,000 dogs served
Desert Storm and Desert Sheild: 120 dogs served
Global War on Terrorism: dogs are serving, but no numbers available.

A gentleman here in Utah, Alan Cunningham, is working to have a memorial dedicated to all of these dogs in the Utah Veterans Memorial. He wants to do it on this Vetern's Day. The memorial will be a lifesize bronze of a German Sheperd. He has also been petitioning the Postmaster General for a postage stamp for these unsung hereos.

I am going to find out some more about the project and see if he needs any help.