Winter has arrived

Winter, the cat, that is. A couple of days before Christmas, someone creating very bad karma for themselves dropped off a young (approx 8 mo) pure white cat in town and dumped her because she was pregnant. She found her way to my porch and meowed at me, pleading. When she tried to come into the house despite the presence of the dogs, I knew she needed some help. Because she arrived near Christmas and she is snow white, her temporary name is Winter.

She is now comfortably established upstairs with the black cat and they are finding their way around each other. We will be looking for good homes for the kittens and the mom once they are all ready to leave the nest. I'm guessing that she's about 4 weeks away from delivery, but it's hard to tell for sure. She seems to be a very sweet girl.

Anyone willing to help socialize little kittens in preparation for their new home, let me know!!

Walking in a Doggie Wonderland

WALKING IN A DOGGIE WONDERLAND
Sing along!
- author unknown

Dog tags ring, are you listenin?
In the lane, snow is glistenin,
It's yellow, NOT white,-I've been here tonight,
Marking up my winter wonderland.

Smell that tree? That's my fragrance,
It's a sign for wand'ring vagrants,
Avoid where I pee, It's MY pro-per-ty,
Marked up as my winter wonderland.

In the meadow dad will build a snowman,
Following the classical design,
Then I'll lift my leg and let it go man,
So all the world will see It's mine -mine-mine.

Straight from me to the fencepost,
Flows my natural incense boast,
Stay off my TURF, this small piece of earth,
I mark it as my winter wonderland.

Here we go round in circles

Rizzo takes her food very seriously. As it turns out, she has exposed my disfunctional habit of eating at the computer desk. Because when I have food in my hand, she will run past my feet and launch her body into the office chair full speed ahead, causing it to spin in circles. But she is very adept. Her little body counter-circles at the same rate of speed and she manages to continue to keep an eye on both me and my food!!

The other night when I got home from work, everyone was trying to greet me, but I was trying to change out of my work clothes into something more comfortable. With the snow outside preventing any desires of leaving the house the rest of the night, flannel jammies seemed like the perfect solution. Once I got changed, I reclined on the bed to wrestle with the dogs a bit. Petunia jumped up on my chest and started licking my face like I was a 2 year old who just ate ice cream. The paw in my throat cutting off my breath made me gently push her rear end over so that she would step off my body. In her excitement, her body continued to walk, all the way around my head and back up onto my chest while she was still licking my face in the same spot. Talented! There's no lack of love in this house!

Pug Movie Preview

Forgotten Dog's Christmas

Forgotten Dog’s Christmas
Although there are an untold number of great reasons to wish for a companion, everyone in the family should agree as to the proper treatment before one is brought home. This poem is a good reminder of an unfortunate circumstance that happens all to often.

~~Forgotten Dog's Christmas~~

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
With no thought of the dog filling their head

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter

Away to the window I flew like a flash
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But Santa Claus - with eyes full of tears

He un-chained the dog, once so lively and quick
Last year's Christmas present, now painfully thin and sick

More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all."

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear

The gift of a dog is not just for the season
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons

In our haste to think of the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed

A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a LIFE!"

Author Unknown

General Updates

Our little miss perky pants Jolene the show pug got evaluated by her breeder/handler recently and we're very sorry to say that right now, it looks like she won't make the cut for the show ring. What a shame, because she's a beauty! She has a sweet, positive disposition. She is bright and happy. She has a gorgeous diamond on her forehead and she's sooooo tiny you could tuck her into a jacket and take her everywhere! This little girl is destined for diamond studded collars, gourmet dinner on silver platters and the comfiest of pillows. So if you know of a perfect home for her, please have them contact us.

Also, our friends have a bassett hound that they are fostering and hoping to find a good home for, and we have a springer spaniel field-trained bird dog possibly available to the right home.

We heard from Gypsy's mom today, one of the pups from Ellie Mae x Cooter. She told us several times about Gypsy loving the water, but I figured that was just because it was summer. No, here we are in the winter and miss Gypsy jumped back into the bathtub after her bath 3 times before her mom could get her dry and out the bathroom door safely. What a goof! She also sent me a pic of her in her halloween costume and is she ever so cute!

We hear from others occasionally and always welcome stories and pictures!

As to this household, many of you might know from my other posts that little Fa Zhou has taken the german shepherd as his best friend. Together they monitor the activities in the neighborhood, patrol the yard, and keep the house safe. With the girls starting to come into season, we got Fa Zhou neutered, but the studs in the house are unsure whether he is a threat or not for their female attention. Well, the german shepherd is making sure that everyone is minding their own business. I went to find out why the dogs hadn't come back in from going potty and she was keeping the boys segregated - each had their own spot in the yard. lol... she's a great dog and a shepherd with a job that she loves. She's such a gentle soul with the pugs and a great guardian.