Every single time I retrieve Roxie from being boarded when we go out of town, this is the conversation that occurs: Jim: “So, what kind of LIES did they tell us about her this time?” Me: “They aren’t lies. I’m sure she’s an angel there! Everyone loves her. Anyway, let me read you her Pawgress Report.” Jim: “All lies.” Me: “No! I mean, OBVIOUSLY it’s a business and they want us to bring her back there, so they let us know that she had a great time! But it’s all true.” Jim: “Harumph.” I mean really, doesn’t this look like a dog that had a blast on vacation?
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Down Dog
I’m using the NaBloPoMo “Get Out Of Jail Free” card–basically taking the easy way out and posting a picture–for today because I was at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair from early this morning until this afternoon, and then when I came home we went to see a movie, and now dinner is almost ready (Tonight’s meal plan? “Nacho Night! Nacho Night! Get excited: it’s Nacho Night!”), and then after dinner we’re playing Killer Bunnies (all of us, including D, who is home for Thanksgiving break). So you can see why I’m just asking you to enjoy this picture of Roxie in Down Dog.
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Doggone It!
See this? It’s a little bit of rigged-up fencing to keep Roxie from going upstairs, a little too late. As it turns out, she’s in one of her “moods” today, meaning that for the first two hours (or so) of my work day she was doing everything she could to get my attention. Usually she just sits on the floor in front of me, staring me down. Every now and then while she stares she’ll let a little whisper of a “woof” come out of her mouth. When I am ignoring her especially well she sometimes comes over to me and pushes on me with her paw. When that doesn’t…
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Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a BEE-gle (Part Two, Sort Of)
As it turns out, the title I used for Roxie’s Halloween costume post last year was a great fit this year too, with a minor spelling change. I do realize that it’s two days past Halloween, in case you’re wondering, but it wasn’t until today that I actually had/made the time to take her annual Halloween portraits. Better two days late than never, I always say. Plus? We weren’t thrilled with the costume this year. (By “we”, I mean “we”. Seriously. She and I both had issues with it.) She has put on a couple of pounds (literally, like two or three pounds) and is on the borderline between a…
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Super Sad And Slightly Sedated
Roxie had a surgical procedure yesterday, to remove four lumps that we discovered hovering under her skin on her sides and neck over the past eighteen months. We knew from experience that this happens to beagles: our other dog, the late great Bijoux, was lumpy, too. I waited until the last possible moment to drop Roxie off in the morning because she’s extremely vocal. I remembered that the last time I had to drop her off, for a teeth cleaning, they had to sedate her immediately because she was riling up all of the other patients that were waiting for surgeries. Yesterday was no different. She started barking and howling…
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The Warning
Due to the fact that every single day I get a bunch of hits on this post from searches like “I don’t want a dog but my kids do”, “how to tell your child no dog” (ahem, how about saying “NO DOG”??), and even “how to get rid of my dog”, I feel the need to start this post with a disclaimer about how what I am about to share here is meant to be funny. If you are a regular reader you will already know that, but if you get here on a random search, please know that my trouble-making dog is very well-loved. Thanks for your time and…
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Roxie’s Winter Ensemble, Now With Fewer Dog Boots.
Winter is here, folks, and it’s probably not news to you that my family lives in the Chicago area. That means pulling the heaters out of the crawlspace, putting extra blankets on the bed, and habitual wearing of fleece hoodies and sweatshirts. For Roxie, winter usually just means less outside walks with a good chance of a snowshoe outing now and then. (Oh, and an extra blanket on her bed, too.) I have never purchased a coat, sweater, or winter boots for her. I have always thought that dogs look ridiculous in clothing and since I don’t take Roxie out in dangerous temperatures, I figured there was really no need.…
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Floats Like A Butterfly, Stings Like A Beagle
Happy Halloween, everybody!
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Cute.
My dog Roxie is one-of-a-kind. At least I hope she is: she is positively adorable, but annoying as they come. There hasn’t been a dull moment since she became part of our family seven years ago. She has electrocuted herself. She has intentionally eaten disgusting things. She has been skunked. She has maimed stuffed animals. She has juggled a baby rabbit. She has tried to assert herself as the woman of the house: (She’s not a cuddler, unless your name is Jim.) She has stolen jawbreakers. She has stolen Dum-Dums. She has wolfed down entire loaves of bread. She has embarrassed me on our walks. She has killed…sort of. She…
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Does This Dog Look Like A Killer?
You wouldn’t think so, right? Boy, do I have a story for you. Yesterday, I let Roxie out into our fenced backyard to “do her business”, which is a polite way of saying…well, you know what I’m saying. I made the mistake, it being a lovely summer day and all, of walking away from the family room (where I can keep an eye on her) and getting involved in something else, in another part of the house. The reason that’s a mistake is because Roxie has a problem with not being able to pass up the opportunity to roll in rabbit poo. Usually, on a great summer afternoon, if I…