Wordless Week: Wednesday

Melanie has big plans for leap day this year.

She's decided to sleep on her left side instead of her right.

Wordless Week: Tuesday

Heidi is trying to preserve Nemo's modesty. She hasn't realized yet that he doesn't have any.

Wordless Week: Monday

After I posted last week about how busy I am, someone made the great suggestion that I just post photos of the dogs each day. I think that's a great idea, and I figure it's really not fair for me to deny you their cute faces just because I'm swamped. So all week this week I'll be posting wordlessly (well mostly anyway since this explanation has words in it...). Enjoy!

Moe doesn't like Monday mornings any more than the rest of us.

One Thing At A Time

I've always been the kind of person who takes on a lot. I like it really. I like being that person who gets things done, that person you can rely on. I like being busy and learning new things.

Sometimes though, I take on too much.

For those that may not have noticed, I haven't been posting here as regularly, I've been slacking on updates for the facebook page, and I haven't been commenting on other blogs very often. Those are seriously deadly sins in the world of blogging. And in the land of Kate, I don't like it much either.

What's been keeping me away? A healthy dose of EVERYTHING. Work picked up. Family came into town. I'm working on one two three too many different projects for my rescue group. I've hit that place where I'm starting to hate what I have going on even though I should really be enjoying each thing individually.

Now that I've hit that place though, I know it's time to ease up on myself and tackle some of these projects one at a time to get them wrapped up.

That means that it might be a little sporadic around here for a little while longer. Some weeks I might post once (like last week) and some weeks I might post three or four times (like this week). Maybe I'll even share some of the things I'm working on if I can. 

So I hope you'll bear with me and understand that I'll be back to normal soon. In the meantime, I'll be more envious than ever of my dogs' not-so-demanding schedules...

Wordless Wednesday: Heidi Is So Patient With Our Shenanigans...

I Have A Confession To Make

I think Nemo is sort of... ugly.

Now before you jump all over me, let me say that I think Nemo is adorable. He is so darn cute I can't stand it sometimes. I get such a kick out of him and his grumpy face, I couldn't possibly love him more.

But that doesn't mean he's a beauty. Let's face it, you'll never see his face on Dog Fancy.

I try to post flattering photos on the blog, so you're used to seeing this handsome face:

But, this is also a typical Nemo face...

And even with my bias towards posting flattering photos of Nemo, it's no secret that he can look gargoyle-ish.

He has crooked little teeth.

Itty bitty little ears.

Oddly long nails.

A waddle worthy of it's own episode on Ally McBeal (anyone remember that?).

And icky skin tags all over his body.

Those aren't exactly marks of beauty.

Still, with all his little superficial imperfections - even though people cross the street when they see him because they think he looks mean - he's one of the biggest love bugs I know. Five minutes with him and even die-hard pit bull skeptics are won over. Nemo epitomizes the idea that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

I think people can learn a lot from a dog like him.

Working Like A Dog: Part III

Good old Heidi. Just when I start talking about how easy the dogs have it, she goes and takes a new position to earn some extra moolah. This time she's trying to become a celebrity impersonator.

Although I'm not quite sure if she's going for one of the Blues Brothers or the Terminator here. Maybe both?

Swimming With Melanie

This past weekend we took Malanie swimming at a local "pet resort." Ohhhhhh Ahhhhhhhh. Very fancy shmancy.

If you've been reading this blog for a long time, you might remember that we took Molly for a swim back in the day too.





If the dog is into it, I'm very pro-swimming. Especially for senior dogs. It's a great low-intensity way to get exercise. If the dog has arthritis (which many seniors do) swimming helps to get them moving around without running and jumping, so it's easy on their joints.

Plus, watching a dog swim is just about the cutest thing ever.

So when I found out that a new swimming facility opened up in the area I knew I had to go check it out. Melanie has been swimming in the past, so we know she likes it, but she's never been in a real pool before. She's only swam (swum?) been swimming in rivers and creeks, so a pool was a brand new experience.

First we suited her up in a life vest. She can swim fine without one, but the vest makes it easier for the person in the water to help guide her. I also think it made Mel a little less cautious about the whole thing since she didn't have to work so hard to stay afloat in the water.

She is so stinkin' cute in that vest.

Then it was time to hit the water. I'm not going to lie, Melanie didn't take to it quite the way we had hoped. Even though she's always loved outdoor swimming, she had second thoughts about the indoor pool. We definitely had to cajole and encourage her to walk into the water, but she didn't flail around or fight us too hard on it. Some dogs go NUTS if you try to get them in the water, but Melanie didn't do that. She was just hesitant about it.

It probably also helped that we brought out some really stinky peanut butter and bacon flavored treats to reward her whenever she walked in the water. She loved those.

Once she got the hang of it she started swimming on her own, albeit with her "concerned face" on. But look at that rockstar doggie paddle she has going on! She's like a baby seal the way that she swims in that water.

And the swimmer was always right next to her to guide her around the pool. Mr. T and I walked around the edges to encourage her to swim towards us.

Even though Melanie wasn't quite sure about the whole "swimming for her life" thing, she loved the swimmer she was with. Every time she was out of the water she'd trot right up to her like "look what I did!" with her tail wagging. Uber cute.

We made sure to give Melanie lots of breaks from the pool. She'd swim a lap or two and then we'd let her out of the pool to walk around and feel normal again. We didn't want to terrify her by making her stay in the water the entire time we were there. Plus, she's old, so goodness knows she couldn't swim for that long anyway. But by the end of it she really started to get into it more and seemed to have a good time doggie paddling around on her own.

Of course I caught some it on video too:





When swim time was over Melanie got toweled off by her new best friend. She seriously loved that swimmer to pieces. I have to remind Melanie sometimes that she lives with us, and that no, she cannot go home with whoever gives her the best treats and most attention that day.

The whole pool experience lasted for less than an hour, but, for Mel, that was plenty of excitement for one day.

Wordless Wednesday

I Want To Be One of My Dogs

I mean seriously, they live the life...

Aside from Heidi's short freelancing gigs, they never have to go work. They sleep in late and lounge around all day wherever they please. Meanwhile I grumble and groan every morning when I have to wake up before the sun rises.

They eat only the best high quality food and have it served to them twice daily by their doting servants (ahem, that would be me and Mr. T). I'm lucky if I remember to bring something for lunch when I go to work.

They have extensive wardrobes, full of high-end doggie luxury items to keep them warm in winter. While I certainly own a winter coat and sweaters to keep me warm, they're definitely not the human equivalent of Martha Stewart's doggie fashion line or the handmade quality of Our Waldo Bungie's tiennots.

My dogs are web-celebrities in their own right. I might write the words on the screen, but I know you're all here just to see their cute smiling faces.

They receive top-notch medical care from the best practitioners. They even have "home nurses" to administer their meds for them as necessary. I don't go to the doctor as regularly as they do and no one has ever hidden yucky pills in peanut butter for me when I have to take them.

So yeah, I want to be one of my dogs. Seems like a pretty good gig to me...

Remembering Knox

Last week, our friends’ dog passed away from a serious medical issue. Today’s post is in memory of Knox, and a tribute to his loving family, Jessica and Brian (known in the blogosphere as Pittieful Love).

Even though we never got the chance to meet him in person, we know that Knox was an amazing dog. He served as a great foster brother to many a dog, was a doggie-blood-donor, a breed ambassador, and above all, a loving dog.

Knox’s life was cut far too short by a completely unexpected illness, and his loss will be felt forever by his family and friends.

We ask that you please not comment on this blog post, but instead go over to Pittieful Love’s Facebook Page and leave them some kind words; a thoughtful message of support and hope to help them through this very difficult time.

RIP Knox D. May, 2009 – February 3, 2012.

Run free. We love you.

Friday Randoms

This week has been crazy-busy for me and I'm not sure when this busyness is going to let up. Hence the light posting schedule this week... (and sorry to all my blog-buds for completely falling off the commenting wagon too...)

Here's what's been going on in my world:

- We had to get a new HVAC system installed for the house last week after the old one died. It turns out that heating systems are less-good when they only blow cold air in winter... I had big plans to buy a new camera lens, but now I'm turning into a Scrooge while we build our our savings back up. On the plus side: we have heat!

- Anyone ever go to the No Kill Conference? Anyone going this year? Talk to me about it.

-I'm really bummed that I'm not getting a new lens. Whiny whiny complainer = me.

-I'm really excited that one of the reasons I've been so busy lately is because I'm doing more rescue work! Of course that's involved learning some new skills, so I'm giving myself a crash course in fundraising.

Anyone have any recommendations for fundraising guides, books, webinars? I'm all ears!

 - The old sofa is gone! Woohoo! I'm so excited to have it out of the house!

- Alas, the leopard print chair that I loved for so long is also gone. I didn't think I'd miss it, but I actually do a little. I'm sure that feeling will be gone though as soon as I can buy something new (my feelings for furniture are shallow that way).

Adios chair!

-I love this quote by Nelson Mandela: "It all seems impossible until it's all done." I feel like it sums up a lot of how I've been feeling lately. Trying to get everything done, feeling unsure about some of it, but knowing it's going to come together in the end.

Wordless Wednesday