One of these days, we’ll take a good one…
Digging the black & white vibe we’ve got going on today? It’s part of the Black & White Sunday blog hop. Stop by Dachshund Nola to link up & join the fun!
(Un)successful selfie Sunday
8
Tag Archives: puppies
The legend of Puppy Stampede
Once upon a time*, a blogger in need of a break took a trip to Las Vegas with her bestie. These two intrepid friends made the arduous** journey to the desert in order to meet some musical royalty. As they navigated the byzantine maze that was their hotel, the blogger spotted a slot machine with an intriguing title:
You can’t make this stuff up.
Puppy. Freaking. Stampede. Continue reading
Caption this dog: Fuzz Lightyear
Back to drool…
Have you always lived with an animal? College was the only chapter of my life when I didn’t live with a pet. (There was a brief period when I had fish, but it’s safe to say that I was not meant to be a fish parent.) Dogs and cats weren’t allowed in campus housing – and, truthfully, irresponsible college students aren’t in the best position to take care of living beings anyway.
However, we did occasionally watch Molly, a Basset Hound that belonged to the parents of one of my roommates. We’d sneak her in for a few days here and there. She brought some much-needed fur and slobber to our on-campus apartment.
As soon as I graduated and got a place of my own, I started thinking about adopting a pet. A few months after graduation, Bella moved in… and the rest is history.
College was on my mind today after I watched the video below. (Also, the puppies kind of remind me of Bella – especially the one with only a single ear in the air.) If only there had been regular puppy stampedes* at my alma mater…
*I have more to say about puppy stampedes. Check back on Thursday…
Check out this dog napper…
See what I did there?
Seriously, Bella was a sleeping champion. Gold medal all the way. I wish I could relax like that! It’s something to work towards, right?
Her favorite letter? Z
Digging the black & white vibe we’ve got going on today? It’s part of the Black & White Sunday blog hop. Stop by Dachshund Nola to link up & join the fun!
20 ways to miss your Rover
… or, in this case, your Bella.
I was thinking recently about all of the things – both little and not-so-little – that have changed around here since we lost Bella in May. Sometimes it seems like I’m surrounded by a thousand tiny reminders on any given day.
Loosely inspired by this song, here are twenty (out of countless) ways I miss my Bella:
- Every morning, I wake up to the sight of an empty dog bed. I can’t quite bring myself to move it.
- I haven’t moved her food dish either.
- My morning routine has changed. I’d gotten used to spending at least thirty minutes cajoling Bella into eating her breakfast.
- There’s no one in the blanket cave that Bella liked to hide in.
- In fact, I washed the blanket in question and put it in the linen closet.
- The nights are different too. It’s quiet without her nightly cave to bed migration.
- I miss her snoring. It was loud, yet so comforting.
- It’s weird to walk by the front door and not see her watching the world go by.
- Tavish has been spending less time staring through those windows as well.
- Every time I vacuum, I feel a little sad. With each pass, I’m removing more Bella hair that will never be replenished.
- For that reason, I didn’t even try to vacuum for the first month.
- When I finally did vacuum, I couldn’t stop thinking about the time(s) Bella left a toy in front of the vacuum as her own form of protest. We (perhaps inappropriately) called it her Tiananmen Square move.
- My stairs are curiously clear of furry obstacles.
- I miss helping Bella go up and down the stairs.
- My kitchen seems empty too. I keep avoiding Bellas that are no longer camped out waiting for food to fall from the sky.
- I’m falling out of practice with regard to all of those hand signals.
- Tavish seems to spend a lot more time licking the humans in the house.
- Sometimes I wonder if that’s because his usual kissing target isn’t available now.
- Working in the yard is weird too. She always loved to supervise (aka nap in the flower beds) while we puttered around.
- I really, really, really miss my Bella hugs.
How I miss that sweet and silly face…
#BtC4A: Dogs aren’t perfect… but neither are you
I’d be lying to you if I said that I knew what I wanted to write about for this edition of Blog the Change for Animals. However, I recently read a story that supplied the thesis* for today’s post. That thesis?
Don’t be an idiot.
(A secondary thesis? Don’t do things that make me roll my eyes. It makes my eyes hurt. I don’t like it when my eyes hurt.)
So, let’s get to it. The story that inspired today’s post sounds too stupid to be true. Our tale begins with the return of a dog named Misty to a high-kill shelter. Want to guess the reason? I bet you can’t.
In my dreams, it’s still the same…
Have you ever had one of those dreams that made you furiously happy and deeply sad at the same time?
This past weekend, I had one of those dreams. In it, I was cleaning my house. (Even in my dreams, I channel Monica Geller – at my house, you can eat cookies over the sink!) I opened the patio door to go into the backyard, and stepped out onto our deck. Suddenly, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see my beautiful Bella, the very picture of unbridled joy, her tongue hanging out as she raced towards me. I leaned down, just in time to catch her as she bounded into my arms.
Happy tails to you…
I awoke to the feeling of her wagging tail and of holding her tight. Bella was always a wonderfully enthusiastic welcoming committee, and i always felt so loved when I returned home. I woke up feeling that love all around me.
It was the perfect reunion, and I felt a powerful sense of peace and happiness, accompanied by the sadness of knowing that we can only meet in my dreams. However, if it gets me a few more precious minutes with Bella, I’ll welcome all the dreams that come my way.
Just one of those (important) days…
Two years ago today, this furry face joined our family. We adopted him from Friends of Homeless Animals, and the rest is history…
Happy Tavishversary!
Here’s to a snuggly dog that’s scared of his water bowl and of his own farts… but still struts around the neighborhood like he owns the place. (Bella taught him well. Following her example, he seems to believe that if he can see it, it belongs to him.)
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been two years. So much has changed since then… but not how awesome this little dude is. (He’s pretty darn awesome.)
I’m getting mutton for Christmas
These past few weeks, I’ve found myself revisiting some of my favorite Bella memories. Remembering all of her wonderful quirks makes me smile, even if that smile is often (okay, always) through some tears. In any event, I thought I’d share a few of these as I try to get back into the blog.
Today’s tale has it all – mystery, comedy… and even MURDER.
It was a cold night. Presents were stacked under the unlit Christmas tree. In the corner of my mother-in-law’s living room, a ceramic assembly gathered around an empty crib, quietly awaiting the arrival of the porcelain Savior. Faux-human and faux-animal alike, they patiently kept watch, anticipating the moment that the giant hand would place the baby in the miniature manger. Distracted by the imminent miracle, they failed to notice that one of their own was missing.
He wasn’t the fanciest sheep, nor the prettiest one. In fact, they never knew how he became a part of the flock. He was always there, but he was undeniably different. The leader of the flock accepted him without question, and the others followed like… well, like sheep. (Just calling ’em like I see ’em.)
That fateful night, the plastic sheep found himself separated from the ceramic flock. As he faced down the giant she-beast, he knew that he would not see the Nativity storage container ever again. Although she did not usually devour miniature figurines, his plastic scent was too much to resist that night.
Later, in the harsh light of Christmas morning, the crime scene revealed itself. Crumbs of plastic sheep littered the manger. It didn’t take a world-class detective to discover the culprit – after all, the small brown and white dog happily pooping out pieces of plastic sheep didn’t seem too ashamed of her heinous act.
The face of a smooth criminal…