My life with my dogs

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-03-29T19:25:00.001-07:00

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Just Stab Me

2011-03-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official. I love my animals as much as my children. Last night I took Blitzen to dog training. He is in Level 2 and it was his first night back after a pretty long absence. We were tangled up in soccer before that, so it was hard to get away at night. Lavin decided to go with me to training because she was bored. On the way there, I was telling her the story about the vet telling me Blitzen may have fear aggression issues after seeing him for like one minute.
(Aside)***After he left the vet 6 hours later, they were all raving about how sweet he was. I knew that was wrong.
Anyway, I told Lavin that I had told the trainer the story at either our 2nd or 3rd training session. The trainer, instead of saying he was a sweetie, said she felt the same way about him. She said she thought that from the beginning.
(Aside)***I could KIND of understand where the vet was coming from because they were sticking a thermometer up his --- and he turned around to probably pull it out with his teeth. This all happened within a few seconds. She made that assessment so quickly that I pretty much could forgive her harsh, quick, judgment.
Back to the story...I told Lavin what the trainer had said about Blitty. We were both puzzled because really he is a really sweet (a bit anxious) dog. He lays with the kittens and licks them. He laid next to Liz and Mandi's babies and just laid by them like he was a friend. He never barks at anyone, and he is cuddly. Oh well...I thought maybe over time she would see what he really is. After all, it had only been 3 sessions and there were other dogs around. He cries and pants a lot. Anxiety, yes, aggressive, NO.
Training started off okay. I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in almost 6 years. She was there with her dog too. Blitty was nervous, but just lay at my feet panting. He was doing all the behaviors I was teaching him just fine. Then we had to go parade around the wash tubs with bowls of food on the floor for distractions. We were teaching the "leave it" command. We went around the circle a couple of times and then Blitzen sat down and refused to go any further. He planted his butt on the floor and no matter how I tried to coax him to keep moving, he would not. He was looking at me with a look of "Sorry, but I don't want to do this anymore". The owner signaled for his wife to come and she told me he may need to go potty and I should take him outside. I did that and we were outside for a few minutes. We came back in and everyone was back in the training room. Lavin was looking at me funny when I walked back in. She said, "Mom, when you left to take Blitzen outside, that lady was talking crap about him." Instantly I felt very upset. She told me that the lady said "That dog is the sketchiest dog I've ever seen in my life." :( :(
I felt like I was kicked in the stomach. I really did. Lavin was furious and feeling very protective of me. I guess she said she was certain the trainer forgot she was in the room and heard that.

This is troubling to me in a few ways. First of all, that was a VERY inappropriate thing to say. Not only to say, but to say to 10 other people behind my back. As a business owner, that does not look good. People are smart enough to know that you don't say crap like that. I'd get fired if I pulled something like that. Apparently they have enough business that it is no big deal to alienate a customer who also knows many other dog owners in town. Second, she could not be more wrong about Blitzen. He is very sweet. Anxious, yes, but very sweet. I would trust him with any child or person. He is a loving dog. He loves people and other animals. The troubling part is that if she loves animals so much and owns a dog training facility, she should not say anything negative about an animal...a rescued animal. That would be like me having a meeting with a few families and one of the kids acts up and I tell them to take him outside because he probably needs a break and then after they go outside, I turn to the others and say something stupid like "That kid is a real odd kid or ________________(fill in the blank with something inappropriate and rude). Yes, that was a run-on sentence. I know it, but it had to be done for effect.

So, now I have a dilemma. I have one punch left on my punch card of prepaid training sessions. I think I am going to go on Sunday and finish the punch card. After that, I may send her a link to this blog so she can see just what she did to lose a customer.

A good friend at work said something to me that was very deep and totally fit this situation. He said something like, Our biggest challenges should be our biggest rewards. Very true!

Blitty loves Kitties

2011-02-28T20:49:00.001-08:00

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New family members

2011-02-28T20:48:00.001-08:00

Welcome Midnight and Patches our 2 new kitty girls :)

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Falling behind

2010-11-30T20:40:00.001-08:00

I've been neglecting my dogblog.
I guess there is only so much one can write about dogs. This picture is from a day ago when all 3 dogs were laying at my feet while I was doing homework.

I know I have a million of these dogs at my feet photos, but Kobe only has days left in his life and I want to make sure I get pictures of him :(
This next picture is of a dog that Sierra drew. I'm trying to get her to be an illustrator to my dog series of books. She refuses, but I'm sure she has a price.

Pretty amazing for an 11 year old huh? :)

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I love Kobe

2010-10-18T11:30:00.001-07:00

:( I'm so sad. Everytime I look at Kobe I want to cry. He hurts, yet if I move from room to room, he goes too. I'm working on my "treadmill office" and look where he is now.

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Car sick

2010-10-16T10:41:00.001-07:00

I took the dogs for a ride to soccer practice and to the dog park while Sierra was playing.
He can't stand it in the backseat. Here is Blitzen next to me.

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Massive bone

2010-10-16T10:29:00.001-07:00

Mike and Sierra bought the dogs a $16 bone. Yes, A bone. Not 3. Well it was huge and meaty. They all took turns with it somehow and then it sat alone. We knew it wouldn't get buried because it was too big for anyone to lift in their mouth and even if they did, no one would be able to get it through the doggie door. It disappeared one day and Sierra found it under a pile of wood chips. Hmmm wonder who!? Definitely not Kobe. That sucker weighed many pounds!

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Blitzen the Baker

2010-09-27T01:17:00.001-07:00

Tonight I made pumpkin bread. When I was oiling and flouring the loaf pan, I opened the back door to dump the extra flour out. Blitzen ran out just as I dumped the pan. He ended up looking like part blue heeler. He didn't care though, because he got to lick the beaters!!

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Game time

2010-09-23T10:45:00.001-07:00

I know why I love dogs so much. They are so loyal and love us so much. Sierra and I were playing a math game last night and the shepherds were right there with us the whole time.

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When humans leave

2010-09-13T12:48:00.001-07:00

Today I worked 3 hours straight on IEPs. Smush was laying at my feet. I had to get up and stretch. I ran to get Mike's shirts at the cleaners. Look what I saw when I returned:

She knows better!!
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Shock!

2010-09-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Lavin walked Kobe.

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Location:De Portola Rd,Temecula,United States

Loyal

2010-09-05T10:21:00.001-07:00

I put all my school stuff at the end of my table and I work here sometimes. Look who must stay near me:

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Good morning

2010-09-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Look at what was next to me on the floor when I just woke up:

It's so hard for him to get up the stairs. When I go to bed he isn't up here, so he must slowly climb the stairs, sniff me out and then when he finds me, he just lays down right next to me. It's just so sweet I want to cry. My time's almost up with him :(

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Hey, that's my spot!

2010-08-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Blitzen likes to nap with Mike. Problem is, it's in MY spot.

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Cute!!!!

2010-08-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought my dogs were the cutest....

Today I went to a student's house to do some testing. I went there because at our school it is extremely noisy. I thought it would be distracting. Interestingly, it was distracting at her house---no, not like you think---it was distracting to ME because I fell in love with these two cuties!! Micah is the big brown boy and his sister is Phoebe. They are equally sweet as they are cute. While the girl I was testing was working hard on her test, I was staring at these two and listening to Micah snore louder than Mike ever has.

It was amazing how he kept cuddling up to her. Above, he had his head on her back and up top he spooned her with his arm around his back.

I never wanted to leave. I'll babysit anytime they need me :)

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Max

2010-08-22T16:07:00.001-07:00

Gail's dog decided to curl up where the couch cushion used to be. She was cleaning and he filled the spot. Too cute.

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Kobe and Blitzen

2010-08-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

This morning Kobe and I were together. Blitty had to get in there as usual. In one of these pictures you can see Kobe put his paw over Blitzen's paw.

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Jake

2010-08-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is Jake again. He's the one who was with the geese. Look at his eyes.

He's like a very quiet dog that doesn't pay attention to you. I was petting and talking to him and he kept lifting his paw to me when I'd stop. So cute!

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Ranch Dog

2010-08-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to watch Sierra ride a horse Wednesday and ended up throwing a stick, water bottle, and some other strange object we couldn't identify for a black lab puppy.

Who could resist this?

The best part about this dog was that when he retrieved, he'd put the stick either in your hand or at your feet. None of my dogs have ever done that.

"Cazzy" is a girl, I think. She was so cute and so sweet.

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New Nap Spot

2010-08-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

I suppose 2 year old couches aren't new anymore, so technically Smush isn't on the "new" couch anymore.
Dogs run our home.

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Sweet babies from Heaven

2010-08-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

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Different dogs

2010-08-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sierra rides horses on a ranch about a mile east of the edge of town. When I go there, I get to see lots of animals.
Yesterday I saw this and ran to get my camera:

The dog is Jake and he just got shaved. He was way more fluffy last week. He was hanging out with the geese that are also pets.

Then I got a good idea and decided to take pics of the dogs there to change it up on my blog.
I saw this brown dog laying in the dirt. When I crouched down to take his picture, he got scared of the camera and barked at me.

That's why he is standing up. He was laying down a second before this. He did settle back down and let me pet him again after I hid my phone.
I had to get a picture of the bird as well because he was perched on a tall pipe watching the riders in the arena. It was so cute. He talks and squaks very loudly!

I love it there. She has llamas, goats, sheep, a big cow, ponies, geese, 5 dogs and probably more.

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Kisses

2010-07-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Smush and Blitty end up kissing because Blitzen licks her face so much that she licks him back. Of course, after a bit she has had it and shows her teeth. Look closely for their tongues.

Last picture: Smush getting annoyed.

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Location:Cedar Crest Ct,Temecula,United States

Bored Blitzen

2010-07-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

Poor boy. He has so much energy and the other 2 dogs don't mind just resting a lot. I was watching TV and cleaning during the commercials last night. Blitzen wanted to play so badly that he came and pulled my shoe off with his mouth and ran so I'd chase him. I chased him just because I felt like that was pretty clever of him to do that. We ran circles around the livingroom and I finally grabbed my shoe. After that, he came and cuddled next to me while I watched TV.

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Smush

2010-07-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

She's so pretty

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Nicest rest stop ever

2010-07-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

After our beach trip we drove to Brookings, Oregon and stayed the night at a rest stop. Normally, I wouldn't like that, but this place was secluded from the highway and there were pretty trees. It was so cool outside too!

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Somewhere in CA near OR border

2010-07-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

After we stayed in Mendecino KOA the second night, we were traveling toward Oregon. We stopped to cook out and let the dogs run. After we ate on the beach, Mike went on a bike ride. Sierra and I went to play with the dogs. They had a blast! Later, as we were walking, we accidentally came upon a little sea lion who was sunning himself on the beach. He looked like a log until I threw a tennis ball 3 feet away from him and Smush and Blitty went to get it. They looked at it with curiosity and he tried to bite them :( It was scary, but we got them away and took turns looking at the cute little guy.

That was the neatest night on the beach ever!

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Oregon Trip First Stop

2010-07-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

We stopped on the coast near Paso Robles to give the dogs a beach run and have some dinner at around 8 pm. After the beach playing time we had to leave because we weren't allowed to be there after dark. Here are some pictures of that stop:

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Not even out of town yet

2010-07-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Heavy, heavy sigh.
The dogs know we are leaving, so they made sure they were in the RV and not left behind. It is 102 degrees here, so that means it was probably 152 degrees in the RV :(
Lots of panting.

I really need a Xanax if that is a calm down drug. I'm not sure...anyway, there is a huge checklist when taking an RV on a long trip. Finally after Sierra threatened to stay home, Mike got us going. We had to make 4 stops between our house and the freeway. That's a 3 mile stretch. Overheated dogs, propane fill, gas stop, taco stop, and bank stop and we are on our way. Hitting every red light out of town and much cussing preceded us getting to the freeway.
I made it so comfy on the dash for the dogs, but Smush decided to go on the floor under the air conditioner. So guess who followed right after. Yep. Blitzen loves Smush so much.

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Beggin' for weenies

2010-07-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

I cut up a bunch of hot dogs to put Kobe's pills in. All 3 dogs smelled and wanted a bite.

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Neck bags of calm

2010-07-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

My doggies have their herbs attached to their collars. It's so darn cute.

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Experiment #2

2010-07-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Blitzen has anxiety and separation issues. Smush has a little nervousness, but not near what this new dog has. It has gotten so concerning that I bought Smart Paks of Grand Tranquility pills for him. It has been about 2 weeks now. Obviously after last night I realized they either a) don't work or b) haven't kicked in yet. I'm hoping for B. In the meantime I decided to look for herbal remedies. I found things on the following combination:

From the left: chamomile flowers, lavender, and skull cap.

I bought them and then mixed them.

Then I put them in pouches.

I've been yelling down to both of them to come up, but no one is...They know something is up.
Smart? Yes. Calm? No.
I'll fill you in on how this goes next :)

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You Snooze You Lose

2010-07-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

When we got the RV, Kobe was Alpha and Smush was 7 months old. Kobe claimed the dash for his spot. Once Kobe was too fat and crippled from his hip problem, Smush took that spot. Poor Kobe. Well, if you remember the post a week or so ago, I told you Blitzen would put his paws up and cry. He wanted to be where she was, but he's just a big baby scardy cat (dog).

This is Smush on the floor of the RV, depressed, because look what happened to her "spot".

We haven't left yet and it's not looking good. Uh oh. I need some Xanax for this trip.

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Stopped Heart

2010-07-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight as I was puttering around in the RV and Mike was stealing car washes for the cars one by one, he decided to take Blitzen to do my car. Smush was a bit put off by that. She watched me put stuff in cupboards. About 15 minutes later they came back from the car wash. Blitzen was out and Smush was going in car #2. I told Mike to take them both, but Blitzen didn't want to get in the car. Strange. Suddenly, he went behind the baby palm tree and barfed. We figured he was car sick or automatic car wash sick. He laid down in the grass looking not well. Mike and Smuah drove off and I held his collar just in case. Well, it took about 4-5 seconds for it to click in his brain that they left and he was left behind. They were about 3 blocks away and around the corner and he took off going full speed in the dark. I was screaming like a freak telling him to come. He was gone. Suddenly major panic set in. He's not real logical and is very anxious so I knew he wasn't going to stay on the sidewalks and push the walk buttons at the corners. I ran in the house yelling at Sierra to find my purse so I could go get him. Hopefully that wouldn't mean finding him dead on the main road :( I called Mike then and he said he was already down Pechanga Parkway. I was hyperventilating and almost crying. Sierra handed me my purse and just then I saw her look out in the street. She saw him heading back in the dark. I have no idea how far he went, but he was hauling ass probably 20+ mph and was gone probably 5-7 minutes. I'm still trying to calm down. Mike got back with his car and put Smushy in the RV with me and Blitzen. He took the truck next but said no dogs this time (Kent is breathing a sigh of relief from Heaven, I'm sure). Look at what these two are doing right now while I try to lower my heart rate:

Oh God, please let this not be a stressful vacation.

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Hi

2010-07-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

Glad you are reading this!

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Rummage Sales!!

2010-07-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Smush knows what a Saturday morning alarm means. It's time to hit the garage sales! Today I took both shepherds out. About 2 miles from home I found a 6 foot thin metal pumpkin stacked thingy. It was $5, so how could I resist? I had to stick it in the back seat with the top pumpkin sticking out of the rolled down window. Smush was smushed until we got it back home 5 minutes later.

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Dog Park!!

2010-07-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

The dogs were so bored tonight so I took them out on the town. First we drove through Starbucks for green tea. Then I took them through the McDonalds drive thru for a double cheeseburger with ketchup only. Boy, was that a treat! I then drove to a dog park near the mall. Blitzen has never been to a dog park before. It was really an experience for him. It was funny watching him go up to sniff other dogs and let them sniff him.

He stuck pretty close to Smush as usual. She decided she was thirsty and helped herself to a drink of a running water fountain.

Blitzen wondered what she was doing.

"Hmmm.. Wonder if I could try that?"

"Should I? I've been getting in trouble for jumping up lately."

Good job Smush! You taught him something new!

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Big baby #3

2010-07-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

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Big baby part 2

2010-07-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

-next morning. My turn :)
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Big baby

2010-07-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Blitzen laid his head on Mike's chest while he was working.

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I'm back!!

2010-06-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back...sorry, but I was away from home and then sick, so I wasn't in the mood to blog.
Blitzen is such a chicken, he won't go on the dash of the RV. Instead, he puts his front paws up and cries. Or he will hop up and hop right back down and cry. Or, he will just cry. We were taking the RV a mile or so to the storage place and look what happened:

I was so surprised! Figures he'd do that the minute we decide to sell the RV.

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Loyal

2010-05-29T20:14:00.001-07:00

I am really sick today. I laid on the couch all day. Smushy laid down just under me on the floor.

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He ruins EVERYTHING

2010-05-27T22:46:00.001-07:00

Poor Smush. She's really depressed. I put a harness on her so I could get her up on the treadmill. Blitzen went nuts crying and freaking out because he didn't get a harness. I tried to get her up on the treadmill and he tried to go too. It just wasn't going to happen. So I went and sat outside. I looked back at Smush and she huge heavy-sighed and wouldn't even lift her head off the bed.

She's really depressed.
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Computer

2010-05-27T22:41:00.001-07:00

Blitzen had work to do today. I caught him redhanded using my computer.

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Beg

2010-05-25T18:43:00.001-07:00

When Blitzen wants what I'm eating he jumps up and lays next to me. Then he puts his head on my arm and chest. It's heavy and I can feel him breathing warmly on my arm. He figured out I wasn't going to give him anything so he finally left.

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Cozy Sunday Night

2010-05-23T18:39:00.001-07:00

The Lakers play the Suns this afternoon/evening. I was not well all day today and never left my jammies. It was cool and 60 degrees but mostly sunny. I opened up the window to feel the cool wind and suggested we order pizza for dinner. We rarely do that, but Mike agreed. He turned on the fire and Kobe joined us by the fire. I love him.

When the pizza came, the dogs swarmed Mike for pizza. I heard him say, "No, guys." and then I saw this not 2 seconds later:

Yeah, that works, they don't listen like everyone else in this family.

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I want to be petted too

2010-05-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

During a commercial break of the Lakers game, Smush decided she needed to be petted. Blitzen saw that and had to get over there to get some too.

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My loyal dogs

2010-05-20T09:15:00.001-07:00

I was in my little room working on stuff so look who joined me:

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Beggar Dogs

2010-05-19T07:57:00.001-07:00

I brought home some chicken yesterday that was left over from my lunch. It was on a paper plate stuffed into my purse. Kobe smelled it first because he has lost most of his seeing and hearing senses so smell is his best. Here are 2 pictures of what it is like when anyone sits down with food of any kind. Surprisingly Blitzen is not begging as you can see on the right bottom corner of Kobe's picture. I think he's pretty good about letting Kobe be alpha dog.

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I'm NOT getting out!

2010-05-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

My heart is beating so fast and I'm really upset. I can no longer take the dogs into the country. We went to walk the dogs tonight and I was telling Mike about an article I read about rattlesnakes and how they are all over right now. A dog was bit on his lip. Not 5 minutes later, we saw a rattlesnake that was probably 15" long. It was going across the dirt path we were walking on and the dogs had just ran by it. We had to go back and pass it again, so I took her collar and Mike took Blitzen's leash.
Now what? My country is no more. I am not going back there.
I guess I am going to have to learn how to hook the dogs up to the treadmill. Once home, Blitz got out and Smush refused to as you can see in the pictures:

In the back you can see Mike walking Blitzen trying to get her out. No way. It took $6 a lb turkey to get her out.

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Kobe

2010-05-14T16:19:00.001-07:00

Every day Kobe is alive I'm so happy. He's in so much pain, but he still enjoys life too. I know that one of these days very soon I will have to let him go :(
Today he was laying in the shade at the end of the garage while I was cleaning my car. He's so old but I love him so much.

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Dogs

2010-05-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

I go to bed exhausted emotionally every night. I am not currently exercising, which I am sure contributes to that emotional exhaustion. NO excuses. I have none. We have a gorgeous sports park blocks away, a $2,000 treadmill with a TV screen, gorgeous weather, etc, etc, etc. When I wake up, though, my dogs are all laying on the floor next to me. I don't know what I would do without them.

Love

2010-05-10T23:38:00.001-07:00

Blitzen and Smush love each other.

Their hands are touching.

This next picture is of Blitzen in the morning. He lays on his back and Sierra rubs his knees so that he flattens his legs out. It's so cute!!

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I heart Smush

2010-05-08T22:40:00.001-07:00

Smush has been so neglected by me :( tonight when I was laying watching the Laker game, she laid with me for over an hour. I loved every second.

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Madeline

2010-05-07T19:31:00.001-07:00

This baby is coming toward her first birthday. I should be happy but I'm sad. I remember the day her mom (my friend) told me she was pregnant. Now here she is walking and talking and I've missed too much. We live less than a mile apart. :( life is flying by. What happened to the days when moms had coffee regularly and just visited? Then I remember Liz and her 2 year old and me and my 3 year old going to McDonalds so we could talk and our kids would parallel play.
They are now 10 & 11 years old. I'm sad because we should be meeting regularly to talk about our teenage daughters and their lovely behaviors. I should be NOT noticing any changes in this baby--not being shocked each time I see her. Blitzen passed the test I always wanted to give him. He sniffed her, licked her, stole her crackers out of her hand, and was just a sweet boy. Finally!!! A dog I can trust! Yay!! Good Boy!

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Snore

2010-05-03T13:04:00.001-07:00

Blitzen was sitting on the couch next to me. I could hear snoring. It was him. So I took a picture of him snoring :)

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Blitzen

2010-05-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

I got Blitzen a new squishy ball at a yard sale. In the front yard Smush needed to be on a rope as well as Kobe so they wouldn't run off. Blitzen loaned his collar to Kobe and he was able to lay in the front yard without me worrying about him taking off.
He is such a sweet, loyal dog.

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Location:Cedar Crest Ct,Temecula,United States

2010-04-23T13:58:00.001-07:00

I've been exhausted all week so I decided to rest a bit on the couch. Look at what is next to me:

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Is it Christmas?

2010-04-18T23:12:00.001-07:00

Today I told Mike I wanted a treadmill. I've been upset that I haven't been walking the past 3 months :(
He went out and got one with a built in TV (another post), but it had a big motor and everything I asked for. The dogs had to be in the way while Alexa and Mike were setting it up. They played in the huge box it came in. These pics are in order of how I took them.

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Awwww so sweet

2010-04-18T12:02:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning waiting for the first Lakers playoff game to start.
Smush and Blitzen laying next to me and Alexa reading a magazine at the end of my bed.

It's always hard to see Blitzen with his black head, but their heads are right next to each other. So cute!

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Hands

2010-04-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

Smush

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Pathetic part 2

2010-04-16T11:44:00.001-07:00

Mike's mad now. He opened the gate to get the shopvac and look what happened above.

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Location:Car

Pathetic

2010-04-16T11:42:00.001-07:00

Mike was washing his car to take it in to the mechanic (that's a funny thing on its own). It's an overcast day, so this picture is another crappily lit one.
The dogs are upset because it is a huge treat for them to be out front with us and they weren't allowed this time for some reason.

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Rub My Belly

2010-04-16T09:30:00.001-07:00

Blitzen loves having his tummy rubbed. He's the only dog we have that likes that.

Close up of the face

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Love/Hate Relationship

2010-04-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

About 4-5 times a day around here we get a good 15 minute battle of the shepherds. It starts with a little nip of an arm or ear and ends up with an all out tangle of dogs. See below (pictures are fuzzy due to action shot)

Then at other times, they will lay next to each other and kiss each other. If only I had more light these next pictures would have shown up better. They were laying together with their heads touching.

It's always busy with dog action around here.
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Still some spunk left

2010-04-15T08:29:00.001-07:00

Kobe went to the basket of doggy toys and pulled out a ghost from Halloween that I decided is a better dog toy than decoration. He was shaking it and throwing it up and catching it. I could have gotten a better picture if I didn't have to fuss with a passcode on my phone. Just a few seconds before I finally was able to take this snapshot of him he was closer to me and facing me with the ghost hanging out of the side of his mouth. He had only the arm in his mouth. It was so cute!
I'll settle for this picture though because it still shows how cute he is--- no matter if he's extremely old. I Kobe

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Smush is my best friend

2010-04-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled that the automatic location thingy put Aguanga on here as my location. That's where I am. Here is a picture I just took from my dining table looking out the window.

I'm at Rancho CA Outdoor Resorts, which in in the middle of NOWHERE about 15 miles down the road from my house to the East on the 79 hwy (Walmart road :)
Those of you who have visited know what I mean.
After complaining at least 5 times about a crappy Spring Break, I looked and saw a lot for rent here for $92 for 2 days. That is a lot, but a bargain here. This is the hoity toity of RV parks. Most people here own $100,000-$200,000+ lots. Yes, lots. They park their million dollar motorcoaches (ours is an RV, not motorcoach-ha) on their lots and build amazing outdoor kitchens and livingrooms on their cement rectangle. It's really fun to look at them all. It's like seeing everyone's houses from the outside.

After a couple hours the kids were whining about being bored. I got angry and everyone left me here alone for 2 days with Smush. That's the abbreviated edition of that story. Out of all the dogs, Smush is the one you want in an RV when you are alone. I took her out to pee before bed and she wouldn't go back inside. I went outside and sat on the double zero gravity chair. I patted and she actually jumped up. I reclined the chair and had her head on my chest while I pet her in the dark. She stayed 10 minutes, so that was 10 minutes of heaven for me. She slept on the floor at my feet.
She was up at 7 to go pee. Later, after I took her in the shower with me :) I went outside to read on my big chair. This time she didn't want to come outside with me. Fine. I read, then went back in. This is what I saw when I came back in. No wonder she was ignoring my urging her outside.

Another view

Last one:

She wanted to sleep on my bed!!! This is not a normal occurence. That is why it was so funny.
Later we walked to the doggie park, rode on the bike around the circle and then started dinner. Now here she is all tuckered out:

She's resting for her evening walk :) I think Smush and I need to do this once a month for our mental well being.
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Location:Highway79,Aguanga,United States

Couch Buddies

2010-04-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

Blitzen and his owner share the couch watching American Idol

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Funny Bone Story

2010-04-07T14:10:00.001-07:00

Busy Bones are pretty expensive. They are cheaper at Costco in bulk, but still about $1.00 each, so when they are consumed in about 5-10 minutes, that is pretty pricey.
Smush takes her bone and runs to a spot in the yard to chew in peace. Blitzen eats his in the house or in the yard. Kobe doesn't eat his. He buries them. The most recent place he has been burying them is in folds of comforters laying on the carpet.

Today Blitzen discovered the bone and took it. I chased him down and gave it back to Kobe. Kobe lay down with it in his mouth and the other 2 dogs close by just waiting for him to rebury the bone into the comforter.

A few minutes later the dogs were walking all over and I was closely watching Blitzen because I didn't trust him. Then I saw Kobe trying to find his bone in the comforter again. He would go over there, sniff, leave, then come and do it all over again. Finally it clicked in my and Sierra's minds that Smush was missing.
After calling for her again and again we found her ignoring us in the backyard finishing up the bone she stole. Sneaky Smush.

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Rainy Days and Mondays

2010-04-05T18:30:00.001-07:00

This has been a non-existent Spring Break for many reasons. It really stinks that we all have such different schedules. This is supposed to be my break this week but that isn't going to happen. I woke up this morning to gray and chilly weather. Right after, it started to rain. I opened up all the back windows so I could hear the rain and cuddle up in a blanket. Sierra stuck a pillow under Smush's head and covered her with a comforter. She loved it. You have to really look closely to see her snout.

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Adorable

2010-04-04T23:30:00.001-07:00

Sierra's words for Kobe. She asked for the camera and took these pictures:

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Love this

2010-03-30T23:24:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite dog things is when they lay their faces between their front paws :)

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Second Family

2010-03-30T23:23:00.001-07:00

Smushy and Blitzen have an extra family who will take them for runs periodically. They're very lucky dogs!

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Happy Girl

2010-03-29T18:51:00.001-07:00

Smush

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Morning Sun

2010-03-29T18:49:00.001-07:00

This is what I saw this morning before I went to work.

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Stubborn baked on ...

2010-03-28T19:22:00.001-07:00

...problems? Don't worry. Just have Smush over to lick them clean.

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Bored

2010-03-22T18:37:00.001-07:00

I'll never understand why dogs would rather lay on the floor IN the house instead of being outside on the patio overlooking the yard. Blitzen is laying here trying to play with a squeaky toy. If I could ask him a question, it would be that.
Here is his foot. I have a weird thing for dog feet. They're so cute!!

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Night night

2010-03-21T23:12:00.001-07:00

When Sierra finally went to bed tonight, Blitzen took her spot. She had no choice but to lay her head on him as her pillow.

Then he decided to see what it was that she was reading and laughing about.

I'm sure if he stays Sierra will be sneezing a lot tomorrow.
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Nude Beach

2010-03-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

That got your attention, huh? We finally day tripped it to San Onofre State Beach to see if it was a place we'd ever want to camp. Well... It's not. However, the dogs got to play for a bit.

Sierra tried to play

She was not happy with the big rocky beach.

Smush got all sandy and waterlogged.

Mike took a walk and came back to tell me he stumbled on to a nude beach and that I need to check it out. I did, and it was not pretty.
It was mainly men, flying kites in the nude. Ewww. I was truly grossed out. It was interesting to see the variety in male body parts. I can see laying out in the nude, but flying kites? I'll probably have weird dreams tonight!

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Warmest day of 2010

2010-03-16T16:48:00.001-07:00

...so far, anyway. We got into the low 80's today and with the time change that seems to be killing me, it seems like Spring here.

Dogs were outside so I went to see what was up.

Blitzen laying by the pooper scooper and Kobe decided if I went out he should too.

Where is Smush?
Hiding out shredding her latest frisbee tiny piece by tiny piece.

Then she realizes the other 2 dogs are near and she shoots them a death stare. She's very protective of her frisbees.

Our yard is covered/colored with tiny shredded frisbees of all colors. That'd be a good chore/punishment for the girls--pick up 200 tiny frisbee pieces each and you can have dinner.

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On the road again

2010-03-12T17:49:00.001-08:00

Girls are busy so we hopped in and are heading to the beach.
Smush in her spot and Blitzen (car sickness) is crying and pacing.

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Waiting for mama

2010-03-12T10:24:00.001-08:00

They had to come along for a ride.

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I can lay wherever I want

2010-03-12T10:22:00.001-08:00

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RIP Ella

2010-03-08T19:05:00.001-08:00

We loved you so much :(

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Busy Bones

2010-03-06T17:37:00.001-08:00

I just got back from a rainy Costco run. I felt sorry for the dogs because they really can't go play or walk in the rain.
I gave each dog his bone and Smush went out the doggy doors with hers. Kobe and Blitzen were laying down with their bones chewing away ( Blitzen) and guarding (Kobe). Smush came back in a minute later wet from rain, but no bone. I have a feeling she went outside to hide it.
I figured since there are 3 dogs and 10 bones that there would be one leftover. So I gave Smush another bone and she went far away from the other dogs to chew on hers.

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Yogurt

2010-03-04T21:21:00.001-08:00

Smush and Blitzen had vanilla frozen yogurt at Yogurt Island.
:)

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ANGRY

2010-03-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

I'll spare the picture on this one. I'm shaking I'm so upset. I was laying in bed texting Alexa and I heard a noise that sounded like someone was pouring a pitcher of water on my carpet in the hall. Then it dawned on me that Kobe has had 2 "accidents" recently on the carpet, which means he is old. I hopped up to see if Kobe was peeing. It was Blitzen!!! He was squatting and peeing on my carpet!! My throat hurts from yelling NO!!!!!! He looked at me like, "What?".
Right now my Spotbot is cleaning the spot, but my carpet is ruined as far as I'm concerned. This is not good.

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Depressed

2010-02-27T14:10:00.001-08:00

Blitzen looks very depressed. I'm not sure why, though, because he has the best life. Big yard, couches to lay on in 4 rooms, doggie doors, a fountain water feeder, super expensive dog food $150 a month, 2 doggy friends, midnight runs, scraps sometimes, dog beds everywhere, car/RV rides, people home almost all the time, etc, etc. Yet he sighs and puts his head between his paws. I don't get it.

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I'm not ready yet!

2010-02-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

Kobe is about 12-14 and very tired. He is very close to the end of his life. We are all very sad about this. But every once in awhile he acts like a young dog and then I get very confused. Tonight when the shepherds were running with Mike, Sierra and I were talking in my room. Kobe came up and got petted. He left and came back a couple of minutes later with half a gigantic bone in his mouth. I guess Blitzen had chewed that big bone in half. I was shocked to think he would take all that effort with those old bones to go all the way downstairs and get that bone and bring it back up to show us.
There is still a little spunk there. He may be ready, but I'm not :(

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Wet Dog

2010-02-24T23:12:00.000-08:00

Mike went for a midnight run with the dogs tonight and Sierra snapped this picture of Smush when they came back.

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I'm gonna...

2010-02-22T23:18:00.001-08:00

Roll you over!!!

That's all we have to say and she rolls on her back and growls because she really hates that trick!

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Dog Fight

2010-02-22T23:17:00.001-08:00

Play Fight

This goes on for 15+ minutes at a time.

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Dog Feet

2010-02-22T23:15:00.001-08:00

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They're mine!

2010-02-21T13:50:00.001-08:00

Smush is a frisbee dog. Blitzen can't stand it. When we throw frisbees for Smush, Blitzen runs behind her. Today she got ticked off at him and went after him as if to say "Don't touch my frisbees!". Poor Blitzen. He gets so upset. Smush decided to get both frisbees and protect them from that pest of a new brother dog.

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Frisbee Shredding

2010-02-16T21:42:00.001-08:00

These plastic pieces are all over the yard :(

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You're not leaving

2010-02-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

I guess Blitzen is quite ballzy today. Not just the pillows, but he is taking a stand.... at the front door, no less.

When he thinks anyone is going somewhere, he stands in the way.

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Cojones

2010-02-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

Cojones=Spanish for balls

I'm pretty sure Blitzen was neutered a month ago. When I double check, that pouch looks pretty empty and flat. But when I saw this today, I'm thinking Blitzen must have either grown them back or he's unaware he was neutered. I'm guessing choice number two.

For anyone who hasn't seen my room, let me spell this out. Blitzen is laying across ALL the pillows on the top of my bed. He isn't just on the bed, he's on the pillows. He is unaware he lost his real cojones.

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Dog Heaven

2010-02-14T18:51:00.001-08:00

Smush had a very happy Valentine's Day tonight. Blitzen got left behind and she got special alone time. Right now she is loudly munching on a bowl of dog food resting from a 1 hour 35 minute walk where she rolled all over a dead sea creature, chased sand pipers, and got wet and sandy. Life is great for Smush.

Full tummy

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On the Road Again

2010-02-14T14:49:00.001-08:00

Bad news: A third mortgage, high storage and license fees, insurance, and it sits gathering dust.
Good news: It gets us out of the house every couple of months.

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