A Walk With Dad

This is Morgan, using the computer for the first time with a little help from Bunny.  I had a great adventure on Thursday and I wanted to share it with everyone.  Mostly it's pictures, but I had a fun day.

Dad was having a bad morning at work, so he decided to take the afternoon off.  He said that's one of the perks of being the boss.  Anyhow, he came home and let us all outside.  Then he loaded up just me in the van and we set off on an adventure!  He sent Mom a text that said we were having some Dad and Morgan time. 

It turns out we went on a scouting mission to Mathiessen State Park to see if it would be a good place to go back to with Mom and Bunny.  Dad says no way could Blueberry do the hiking there, but Bunny probably could.  I think that it would be fun to go back with Bunny and Mom.  As long as we all stay together, that is!

So, we went for a nice long walk in the woods.  There's even a creek there where people and dogs can go swimming and cool off.  The bridge we walked over had a lot of water on it for some reason.  It's a good thing Dad and I were tough.  Don't believe that business about me being a prissy dog.  It just isn't true. 

I had to keep an eye out all the time.  You just never know when hidden dangers can jump out at you!  Take this rock, for instance.  I walked into the water to sniff at it and it MOVED at me!  If it were up to me, everyone would have evacuated the creek immediately, but no one else saw the danger.  Fortunately, everyone stayed safe.

Soon it was time for us to go home.  I took a little water break while Dad changed his shoes and then it was time to go home.  I am happy to report that the Greyhounds and Mom all stayed safe in my absence, too!

Oh, and we're joining the Pet Blog Hop again today!  Thanks to Life With Dogs, Confessions of the Plume and Two Little Cavaliers for hosting this fun event every Saturday.  If you'd like to join, add your link and copy the code to join in!

If You Like Shopping...

I just wanted to pass along the link for a second auction to help the Fort Worth dogs who were seized from deplorable conditions a few weeks ago.  This auction has different things than the one before, so give it a look.  There might be something that tickles your fancy!  Five different groups will benefit from this auction as they have all taken in dogs from the seizure.  There are some pretty nice items up for auction, and you can't go wrong when you bid to help animals that really need it!

In a second, unrelated note, a few friends and I have been reading a book called The Magicians.  I realize that not all fiction is for everyone, and that's completely alright.  We were thinking about trying to have a discussion group about the story on a small site that we've tried to get running, but we need more people to truly have much of a discussion.  So, if you have read it and you'd be interested in talking about it, please join us on Fantasy Scribes and feel free to join in the discussion.  For that matter, if you'd like to talk about writing or other books, don't be shy, just jump in!  Again, I know that's not for everyone, but I figured I'd extend the invitation to anyone who might be interested.

Bunny here, sneaking an edit in after Mom set the blog to publish.  I just wanted to mention that if anybody wants to bid on that pink leather greyhound collar with the diamonds on it and send it to me, feel free!  Mom said it's not right to ask other people to bid on stuff for you, but I just wanted to throw it out there in case anybody really loves me!   Now I'd better go before Mom gets suspicious!

Space Age Dogs

Bunny here writing about the experience Morgan and I had at the vet's office Tuesday afternoon.

I know, you're all thinking a trip to the vet never leads to anything good.  At first, we didn't know what was going on.  We'd gone from being all excited that Dad came home early to get us to feeling like we'd been a little mislead.  Then we saw Mom there, too!  She came over to the van to get me.  It turns out she came to meet us there at the vet's office. 

We went in and had to wait for a few minutes.  Looking down that hallway was a little nerve-wracking.  I know that the elevator table of death is back there. 

Sure enough, soon they called us back there and we both had to get up on the elevator table of death.  Dad told them not to make it go up in the air with me and it would be fine, so they didn't.  Morgan rode up higher than I did. 

It seemed like we both barely had to stand on that table and they were taking us off there.  I felt a tiny touch on my neck and it was over.  Morgan and I both got microchipped, so now we always have our licenses with us if we'd get separated from our pack and need to get back.  So, now I'm a Greyhound with a Facebook account, a blog and a microchip.  I'm one high tech puppy!

Afterwards, Mom and Dad took us to My Dog's Bakery.  One of the German Shepherds named Mirage was in there.  She's only a month older than Morgan.  I think Morgan would really have liked to have been able to play with her.  They even took our pictures to put up on their Facebook wall.  I guess we're local celebrities or something!

It gets even better!  After we picked out our treats at the dog bakery and Mom found me a very snazzy
leather collar with a rhinestone buckle at their sidewalk sale, we went to Culver's and got to share Mom's fried cheese curds.  It was really a very nice day!

I highly endorse getting microchipped.  It's was great fun for me, and it could lead you back home if you should ever lose track of your people.  Not that I ever let them out of my sight, but just in case!  We hope we'll never need to use it, but we'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them.  If anybody is worried about it hurting, neither Morgan or I ever even flinched.  It was a teeny, tiny little thing and they put it right in my back.  I guess this means Mom and Dad are keeping us and can't get rid of us now!

Wordless Wednesday 7/28 -- No Trained Monkey Business Here

Puddles Roast

Bunny here, taking over the keyboard to share a few words about Puddles Roast.

When I first heard there was going to be a Puddles Roast, I was a little concerned.  I mean, most of us who know her would think twice about taking a bite out of something that she prepared.  I looked up the recipe, and I have a feeling that it would probably have a few ingredients that none of us would want to taste.

Not to mention that we all know the girl gets a bit too much in the sauce, if you know what I mean.  Seriously, how many blog parties have there been in the last month that did not involve Puddles and Al Kee Haul?  I think she's in a serious relationship there!  It's probably a good thing, since I fear there's no other man out there who could survive maintain a serious relationship with her.  She's out in the backyard planting beer trees, for heaven's sake!  Oh, and that Puddles Rainwater 2000?  I saw it, and it turns out it's just a fancy way for her to sneak her alcohol in during the day without her girl catching on!

I also have to wonder about a preacher who can't seem to figure out how to tell the truth from her version of fiction.  Seriously, who really thinks those neighbors of hers weren't sane before she moved in next door to them?  I'll bet that seeing a certain angle of that posterior that she's so proud of finally drove them right over the edge into Looneyville.  Is there anybody who'd want to live next door to her? 

Okay, I'll admit it, I think Puddles is really a great friend under all that fun she likes to throw our way, and I think it would be funny as all get out to live next door to her!  Happies of Birthdays, Miss Poodles Doodles Brainbath!  May you have many happy returns!

Criminal Elements

Saturday night we had our first serious misdeed since Morgan has come to join our family.  We arrived home from an evening of shopping for a birthday gift for my dad to find that a bag of trash had been strewn across the kitchen and living room floors.  I must regretfully inform you that there are no photos of this disaster that left our living room looking like some kind if ground zero scenario, but Mr. Taleteller was decidedly unamused by the incident and my suggestion of taking a few photos for posterity were met with an angry glower.

You may be thinking to yourselves that having an eighteen-month-old puppy in the house often leads to such episodes.  However, the fact that she was in the crate at the time of the crime proves her innocent of any wrongdoing.  That leaves the usual suspects to chose from.  This time, there wasn't any doubt.  Lilac was clearly the culprit.

It has been three or four years since Lilac has pulled any of her garbage heists, but when she was first living with us, she was a mistress of stealth and cunning and the garbage can was most always the scene of her crime.  The most infamous incident involved a family chili cookoff where there were lots of test cups of different pots of chili discarded in our trash can.  It was not a pretty sight.  Still, in recent years, she has seemed to have given up the inclination. 

There were signs earlier in the day that foreshadowed the evening's events.  She was particularly interested in the bag that carried the teriyaki chicken sandwich that had carried home my lunch that day.  There was one sly pass through the kitchen where she returned to the living room with an empty Milkbones box.  Still, all seemed forgotten by the time we left for town hours later.  Lilac was fast asleep in front of her fan, with everything arranged perfectly to her satisfaction. 

How easily we were decieved!  We returned home to find that not only had she dug through to find the Milkbones box that had been hidden in the bottom, she also snacked on the styrofoam box that had once housed my sandwich.  Topping things off, she drug the garbage bag all the way across the living room and left it beside her bed.  I suppose that was a good spot to lay by the fan while she went through the bag's contents in search of some delectable morsel that she figured was hidden inside.

I'm not sure who got the last laugh in this scenario.  There wasn't anything in the bag besides good smells.  However, Lilac didn't have to put all the garbage back in the bag.  You can rest assured that the garbage bags were stored outside in the back hallway Monday morning before garbage day, though!

A Tale of Two Saturdays

Saturday morning means different things to different members of our family.  For me, it's a chance to finally catch up on some much-needed rest.  For Mr. Taleteller and Morgan, it means off to obedience class.  The Greyhounds think it means a chance to enjoy the living room in peace and quiet.

It's pretty quiet and laid back here until Mr. Taleteller and Morgan return from their trip.  Lilac usually stays in her spot by the fan.  Blueberry runs into the kitchen, gets Morgan excited like she's going to play, then runs into the crate where Morgan can't get her.  Bunny cautiously approaches Morgan and they share a sniff fest.  I can just hear the two of them having their little catch up chat.

Bunny:  Where have you been?  What did you do?  Who's that dog I smell on you?

Morgan:  Dad and I went to class.  There were several other dogs there!

Bunny:  Oh, of course!  Trained monkey school!  How did it go?

Morgan:  What?  There weren't any monkeys.  It was just dogs and people.  I had to demonstrate the recall for all of them.

Bunny:  After you graduate from class, Dad makes jokes about you being a trained monkey.  My advice is to only be obedient for Mom.  I am glad that it went well, though!

Morgan:  Really?  No!  He wouldn't!  He even took me to the dog bakery after it was over.

Bunny:  You went SHOPPING?!  DAAAAAAD!

Mr. Taleteller:  I got treats for everyone!  Look, here are a couple of toys I got, too!

Bunny:  Okay, one for me, one for you!

Morgan:  Good deal!  Say, what did you do this morning?

Bunny:  Oh, Mom and I had a great session of "rub my belly" followed by a long snuggle on the couch!  It was a perfect morning!

Morgan:  Mine, too!

It seems that Saturday mornings are perfect for everybody, since you get to do what you love!  It's something to carry you through when Monday morning arrives way too early!

Late Night Chat With Lilac

Well, to top things off this week with our run of bad luck, Lilac decided that this week would be a good one to start having our late night chats again.  I love a lot of things about her, like how she came over to me yesterday evening when I got home from work and let me know she'd missed me by leaning against me and burying her head against my chest, but her barking out her demands is not one of her most endearing traits.  This is especially true at oh dark thirty in the morning.  Even roosters can't take her schedule.  Lately, she's decided to skip her less demanding pleas for attention, like whining and the cold nose poke in the back and gone straight to demanding barks.

Lilac:  Get up, dammit!

Me:  Wha...? 

Lilac:  I said now!

Me:  Do you know what time it is?

Lilac:  I'm a dog.  I don't concern myself with human conventions like time.

Me:  Apparently not.

Lilac:  I'm waiting!

Me:  I have NO idea what you want at this hour!

Lilac:  (pant, pant)  How can you not know?

Me:  Um, because I'm not a dog?

Lilac:  That is obvious!

Me:  Can you not just tell me what you want?

Lilac:  You're supposed to know!

Me:  Well, I don't.  So, just tell me what it is!

Lilac:  I forgot.

Me:  You forgot?!  Then it couldn't have been that important!

Lilac:  I am sure that it was very important, and it's your job to remember it!  I'm old, dammit!

Me:  Actually, I need to get some sleep so I can go to my job and earn money to buy you stuff.  So, I'll talk to you about this later.

Lilac:  Hmph!

So, the next night we decided to try an experiment.  We brought her bed in, fluffed the pillows in the artful way she seems to prefer, and then brought her fan into the bedroom.  The fan was plugged in and aimed right at her highness.  We all had a much better night's sleep.  It's amazing the things we'll do for love, a few hours sleep, or both!

We're particiapting in the Pet Blog Hop again.  If you don't know what it is, it's a good way to gain new readers and find some new blogs that may be of interest to you.  You simply add your name to the blog roll and then copy the code into your html editor and you're on the list!  We'd like to thank Life With Dogs, Confessions of the Plume and Two Little Cavaliers for hosting the blog hop every week.  Feel free to add your own pet-related blog to the list.

Some Crazy Week

The first week back to school is usually a tiring one for me, but it generally goes by really quickly.  Not so, this week.  It seems to be the week that keeps on giving!

I'm actually really happy with our new class this year.  We have a few things we'll need to iron out, but I think it will go much better than the last two years.  I'm hopeful anyway.  There is an adjustment that you have to go through when you go back, though.  I am up every morning at 5:30 when I go to work, but on breaks, well, it's nice to curl up in bed with a certain blue fawn snuggle puppy until about 7:00.

On top of that, the 4H class that we volunteer to teach has their show this week.  Monday night was dress rehearsal at our last practice and Wednesday night was their big finale.  There weren't a lot of kids who actually showed at the fair this year, but we had a young group and they all made huge gains.  It's more important to us that the kids have fun, learn about their dogs, and help to make their dogs good canine citizens than it is if they actually show at the fair or not.  It's a lot of fun and is its own reward, but it did take up a lot of our time, especially this week.  Imagine the looks on four dogs' faces when we were gone all day and night and came home smelling of other dogs!  There were enough hairy eyeballs to go around on Wednesday evening.

Tuesday night Mr. Taleteller had a meeting in the evening that kept him away from home most of the night.  So, the girls and I enjoyed a little time together, but we didn't get to enjoy our evening walk together, and honestly, I was so tired that I nearly fell into a coma at the computer that night.

So, I was very much looking forward to Thursday night when we'd all finally be able to be home together and enjoy each other's company.  I know a few Greyhounds had plans to spend some quality snuggle time on the couch and I'm sure a certain Shepherd had ideas about a rousing game of kitchen surfing, too.  It was not to be.  We got a phone call Thursday morning that Mr. Taleteller's younger sister, who is seventeen, quit taking her medication and had stolen some money and her parents Suburban to go out running around with her friends.  My husband took the day off to go out and help look for her. 

When I got home, he heard that she might be out in a small town some distance from our house.  It's true, I could have just stayed home and spent time with the dogs.  Heaven knows it's what I wanted to do!   Since we'd been away from the girls so much, we decided to load them up and let them go on a drive through the country with us.  It wasn't the evening I planned, but at least we were all together.  Please know that if we haven't made it around to visit or been able to leave comments, it wasn't because we didn't want to.  Things are just a bit out of our control right now.  I will say that I have plans to barricade myself in the house with the Greyhounds on Saturday and there's not much that will lure me out. 

Before I close, I'd like to remind everyone to please check out the Carpe Canem auction for the Houston Greyhounds who are desperately in need of medical care after being discovered in horrible conditions.  They estimate the costs for taking care of these dogs will be hundreds to thousands of dollars for each dog, and there were sixteen Greyhounds seized.  When I read about what these dogs had been through, I actually felt sick.  Anything that we can do to pass on the word about how much they need help is worth the effort!

Martin is one of the Greyhounds rescued from this situation.  A little TLC has taken him a long way already!  We hope to see a story about him being adopted soon!   Things like this make me want to stay home with my own dogs even more.