Birthday Girl

Guess who's six years old today? That's right. Gwyn. And I elected to use a slightly different perspective than the traditional shot :D Thought maybe I needed to shake things up since I've been suspiciously absent for 2 months! Geez. The quick version is that I've had some health issues that I won't go into here. One aspect has been a lack of energy and a lack of focus...with the result being that I just needed a hiatus from blogging. I'm feeling good again and am hoping to start back posting regularly.

So...back to Gwyn. Hard to believe she's six. She's doing really well....except that I don't think her birthday's turning out the way she would like.

It all started last night. She went out in the back yard for a little while. When she came in she rushed to the front sliding glass door and stared out and whined. It soon became apparent she was in that full-on greyhound fixated-obsessive....thing. You hound people know what I mean, right? She paced. She whined. She went out. She came back in. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. This morning it started up again and I think I figured it out. When I went to take her for her walk there was a timid black dog running loose. He (or she) appeared very interested in us but wouldn't let us get too close. I think this dog had been running around and gotten Gwyn all excited. I think that's what she wants for her birthday! I've tried explaining that it's just not gonna' happen....she's starting to believe me...begrudgingly.

Clearly we set the bar too high last year...after all, this is what we got her last year:

Because she's the

From now on it's stuffed animals and extra treats for birthdays!

Diva Dog

More on Dogs

Okay, so it's "tomorrow" that I'm continuing yesterday's post...ran out of time (imagine that!) last night.

In honor of yesterday's National Dog Day I offer this video, sweet, but guaranteed to make you tear up. Sorry about that, but it's worth it!


Now, to explain further yesterday's tease...Gwyn and I encountered a box turtle on our walk Saturday. She wasn't as freaked out by it as she had been the first one she ever saw, but she's still not entirely sure what to do with them.

Sadly, I must report that Buster, the pointer that mom & dad rescued last year succumbed to mast cell tumors and had to be euthanized. While they didn't have him as long as they'd have liked, he had the best year+ a retired hound could have! One of his funniest quirks (to me, at least) was that he loved to pick up turtles and carry them around :D He would have most certainly liked this one!! Rest well dear one.

The Toe That Holds it All Together

Have you ever noticed that there's always one toe that holds the whole works together when cats are playing? It's what gives them the leverage to roll around nicely when attacking! Look at that back, right foot.

See that one toe that's dug in?

That's what holds it all together!

Tuckered out.

Keeping the Watch

I've been explaining about the canine/feline homeland security system. But it has come to my attention that there are occasions where neither hound nor feline are available to keep the watch. Apparently on such rare occasions it is acceptable to turn to a fox substitute.

This is Gwyn's beloved fox toy (which looks suspiciously like Xander when it's sprawled on the floor). We did not stage this shot. Most days when I return to the house I check the sliding glass door to see who's keeping watch. This is exactly what I found the other day :D