Fourleggeds

Can you find the cat in this picture?

2009-08-08T11:36:00.000-04:00

Dear Lexi

2009-06-14T14:20:00.003-04:00

Is it the AC vent? Are you practicing those facial expressions in the mirror? Does it feel like a cave? Is it even worth trying to guess at what goes on in your head?

What is this about?

Lexi has boundary issues.

2008-12-26T19:43:00.005-05:00

All of these were taken with my photo booth, meaning they are pictures of the area between my laptop screen and myself.

Five Reasons

2008-12-25T19:45:00.002-05:00

I love my dogs

1. Lexi has become the master incher. She slithers along the floor until she gets where she wants to go. I realize some of us may not approve, but it's damned cute.

2. Chloe is the dog that we got two Christmases ago, and I admit to many instances of "oh no, what have I done." She has turned into a real sweetie, though, and is now one of my favorite four dogs in the world. She gives the best kisses.

3. Both puppies have developed the charming (ok, funny) habit of getting all worked up when you are petting the other one. Chloe, in particular, gets all prancy even when you walk by her. It's nice to have you affection craved so much.

4. Because each Christmas is beth is another reason I feel lucky to have such a special dog. There is truly no other dog like beth (which if you've met her you know) and I love her to bits. One day I will be lost without her, but I try not to think about that to much.

5. Shea has a fuzzy head.

I think she's flying inner dreams

2008-12-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:13:00.004-04:00

Todd and I are not dressing up for halloween, but we couldn't hold the dogs back!

Lexi, of course, is going as a dalmation.

Chloe is going as a beagle.

Shea as a St. Bernard

And beth insists that she is dressed up as a dog for Halloween, there's no use in trying to explain it to her.

I must win

2008-10-09T20:16:00.002-04:00

and since martha offered extra entries for any trackbacks . . .

Email me your answers. Stokesr_gmail, no google (even though I am a whore for the google.)

1. he came riding in on the sunrise on a hot west texas day.

2. I say hello to anyone who's listening.

3. I saw you on the avenue, you looked so tired and a little blue.

4. his eyes were old and restless, his wounds were almost healed.

5. this is y 45th depressing tune, they're looking for money as they clean my artistic womb.

6. circle up, circle up around the throne. old and young saints of every history.

7. feel so bad I've got a worried mind, I'm so lonesome all of the time.

8. holy one, you stand alone. you are life and mystery.

9. spent 48 dollars last night at the county fair.

10. ain't nutritious, but looks like fun. cant' be bad if I just have one.

11. every day I wake up and its sunday

12. I've been a traveler to far away lands, got love on my mind and death on these hands.

13. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face, and nobody's going to bring me down today

14. theres a story in our town of the prettiest girl around

15. close your eyes, close the door, you don't have to worry anymore, I'll be your baby tonight.

Not yet, but soon

2008-10-05T11:55:00.002-04:00

Shea shea got really sick last night. She had diarrhea all night and obviously very uncomfortable and panting a lot (sorry for the details.) Bless my husband for getting up with her at least six times and letting her outside. She seems better today, but she is sleeping a lot more than usual and is obviously still recovering (basically, just like a person would be after a night spent throwing up.) We don't know what caused her upset, but she eats basically everything she can get her mouth on, so there's no telling.

Everytime something like this happens to Shea, we both end up thinking "I wonder if this is it." We knew we weren't going to have her long when we got her (she was 12 then, and that was a year ago) and she seems to still be living a happy life, but we kind of have her on a DNR. We don't want to spend a lot of time and resources just to buy her a few more months that may not be very quality, anyway. What's going to be difficult is if something comes up in kind of a grey area - do we get it treated or not? When do we know if it's time to let her go? How do we make sure she has a high quality of life, without going broke doing it? (not to be cold, but vets are expensive!)

I'm glad we didnt have to make a decision like that last night, but we will one day. I guess it comes with the territory of having a senior dog, I hope that when the time comes, she lets us know.

Even the pets have pets

2008-08-27T07:35:00.004-04:00

This is Lexi and her pet rock.

You probably think I'm kidding, but I'm not. My dog has randomly adopted the rock she found in the yard. At first, I thought it was just one anomalous trip outside, but she's been at it for days.

She plays with it

She rolls around on it (a true sign of Lexi Love, if ever there was one)

She would even rather play with it than the other dogs.

I think its because she misses her boyfriend, Leinie.

What did you do this weekend?

2008-08-19T07:51:00.004-04:00

We did this.

Don't worry, she only looks like a new dog

2008-08-18T17:23:00.001-04:00

and, in case you forgot, the before.

Good at heart? You be the judge.

2008-08-13T16:55:00.001-04:00

If my pets were the a-team . . .

2008-08-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

Benny would be Hannibal. Calm, cool, collected, and definitely in charge, not afraid to shoot you if you tick him off.

see the resemblance?

Lexi would definitely be "Face," I think this one pretty much explains itself.

Chloe and Shea are probably both Mr. T, definitely tough guys, and Shea definitely pities the fool who decides to walk by her fence.

Beth is DEFINITELY mad dog Murdoch, neurotic, high strung as hell, and never shuts up, but we love her anyway.

Last but not least, Bonnie is definitely whoever the girl of the week is. Sweet, pretty, but not afraid to whore herself out for a little attention.

It's that time of the year again

2008-08-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

I love my pets, I wouldn't trade any of them for the world, but this time of the year I am keenly aware of just how many of them there are, because this month, they allllll go to the vet for their yearly checkups and vaccinations.

It all started because Benny got a giant lump on his face. "Giant lump" doesn't even quite capture how it started, actually, it was more like half of his face swelled. I tried to take a picture of it, but given the black on black nature of his fur, I couldn't quite do it justice.

Long story short, I took him to the vet and they found a small puncture wound, like a bite mark. Apparently he got in a bit of a tumble with . . . wait for it . . . A BOB CAT. I don't actually know it was a bobcat, but Todd caught him mouthing off to (what we thought at the time was) another cat Friday night, and he swelled up saturday. Todd has since done a little research on the internet, and decided what he saw run away from the altercation was a bobcat.

The small puncture wound had turned into an abscess, so he had to go under and have the area shaved and a drain put in. Several hundred dollars later, he came home looking like THIS!

Yes, my friends, that is a piece of tubing running through two holes in his face and then tied. Try not to think about it too much, it is gruesome. That stayed in his face for a few days, and then, this past saturday, I got to snip the tubing and pull it out. Todd was not jealous of this job.

Fortunately, everyone else's vet visits were fairly normal. Shea and Chloe both had ear infections (???) so I get to squirt some stuff in their ears once or twice a day (they saw different vets, and got different directions on how to administer the ear medication.) and Shea goes in Monday to get shaved (expect pictures.) Shea and Chloe had their ears cleaned, and Shea got her nails trimmed. I have been woefully negligent in those kinds of things since I had the poor judgement to move away from Renee, who would get on my case about it and occasionally do it for me. Lexi, who is normally quite calm and sweet, completely wigged out when the vet tried to handle her, so we are going to have to work on that before next year.

Chloe and Shea and Benny and Bonnie all have to go back in a month for various rechecks and boosters, so I get to this allll over again. They are all four going on the same saturday, and the receptionist joked that they were basically opening that day just for us (at least, I think it was a joke!)

I love my vet. I loved them when I lived here before and they treated Beth for heartworms, and I love that I get to back to them now. They have been accused of being a little bit expensive, which is probably true, but I think it is worth it for the quality of care my pets get there.