Golly LogGolly LogLife and times of two dog-obsessed sisters who own a small-dog boutique Articles
How does he know?
2007-07-12 18:40:00 We've been seeing all kinds of commercials lately for the big, summer blockbuster movies. I want to see Harry Potter and Ratatouille (I have a great recipe for ratatouille - wonderful stuff ). I'll definitely put Transformers and Die Hard on my Netflix queue. But Roc's decided there's one movie that surpasses all the others on the "must see" list.Underdog, of course. I have no idea how he anticipates the commercials. All of a sudden he'll stop and run to the tv to see his hero. Even Dax, who for the last three years has paid no attention to the tv at all, looks up to see what the fuss is about when Roc sees the commercial. Confidentially, I think he's got a crush on Polly Purebred. The room gets totally quiet when she's on the screen.It means nothing, of course. His previous fascination was with Bruiser, the chihuahua on Legally Blonde.
Phun with Photographs
2007-07-10 18:41:00 Portrait of a French Bulldog (circa - 7 /9/2007)It's amazing what you can do with pictures these days, isn't it? More About: Photographs , Graph
Inadvertent sweet-smelling Ceilidh
2007-07-07 20:38:00 It's been kind of warm here. That goodness, not as hot as in the West, but warm and sunny nonetheless. And our little dogs love to sunbathe. Not the best thing for little black dogs, but we don't let them lie in the sun for long. A few weeks ago Hope and I got ambitious and spread cedar mulch around where nothing is planted - one reason for this was so that the dogs would lie on something and not get dirt all over themselves and the house. And it's worked. Dax especially likes to lie near the hostas on the mulch. Yesterday Hope told me she had the dogs out and Ceilidh was rolling on her back in the mulch - she was aiming for something nasty nearby, but she missed! So Ceilidh meant to smell like that nasty bit, but instead she smelled like cedar! More About: Sweet , Tent , Vert
Who's afraid of the big, bad BOOM!
2007-07-05 19:28:00 We are very, very, very fortunate. None of our dogs is afraid of thunder or fireworks. Which there were tons of last night - our house is center of a fireworks triangle; the high school to the south, the forest preserve to the west and the country club to the east.All three venues had wonderful displays last night. We could see some of them from the house, but we got out of the habit to going to any fireworks shows when we had our first dog, who was deathly afraid of things that go "boom" in the night.And there was a boatload of "booming" last night. Even after the finales of the scheduled shows, we heard fireworks going off for a couple of hours. I spoke to a friend this morning who was speculating that the police detonate all the confiscated fireworks (anything bigger than a sparkler is illegal around here) on the Fourth of July. At their own family barbecues.I can't prove that she's right, but it sounds about right to me. More About: Boom , Raid
Dax, and Ceilidh's Ball
2007-06-29 20:26:00 I have mentioned that my Boston Terrier, Ceilidh's favorite toy in the universe is her Latex Soccer Ball . The other day it went missing! This was actually not the catastrophe that it might have been, since we're always careful to have at least one spare. Yesterday before dinner she came running into the room proudly carrying the missing Latex Soccer Ball. We knew it was the missing ball since we always put it away after our scheduled play session. We told Ceilidh how clever she was for finding her ball and took it away, promising that we would play with it later. Well, it must have fallen off the shelf because a few minutes later Dax came in with the ball in her mouth! Where was the camera!!! You should have seen Ceilidh's face - her eyes went wide and her mouth went slack - pure astonishment! Like, "But that's MY ball!" No harm - we got the ball away from Dax before either she or Ceilidh got any ideas. We'll see if Dax shows any interest in the spare Latex Soccer Ball tonight ...
Just 'cause I think they're cute
2007-06-28 19:08:00 As soon as I get out of bed Ceilidh gets in.Golly was being a bit of a grump last night - can you tell? Roc - do not distract him when he's watching tv. More About: Cute
I can't believe we let them sleep with us
2007-06-27 22:25:00 Every once in a while it occurs to me that dogs are really disgusting creatures.Especially after a rainstorm, when the earthworms wash up and die in the sun. And the dogs delight in rolling on them. And when we tell them "GET UP!" they look at us like - "Aw, Mom. You're ruining all our fun." More About: Sleep , With U
Golly Went Back to School
2007-06-22 23:09:00 I don't know what possessed me on Tuesday. I took Golly to training class. Hope and I are members of the North Shore Dog Training Club - Hope talked about our trial last Sunday - and the club has classes every Tuesday evening. The club was also going to have a short general meeting on Tuesday, so I thought it would be a good time to go to training. And, since it had been a while since I'd taken Golly on an outing, I thought we would guest train in the Novice class. And since Golly has her Companion Dog title I figured this would be a good refresher for her (and me!). She loved it! Sure, Golly was heeling a little wide and her fronts weren't exactly straight, but it's been five years since we'd done any training! So, now I'm thinking maybe I'll go to some Rally matches and maybe, maybe, even compete! More About: School , Back , Back to School , Went , Olly
Oprah's Town Hall got me thinking
2007-06-21 17:32:00 This morning as I was getting ready for work I saw about five minutes of the Oprah show. It was a repeat of the Town Hall meeting following the controversy over Don Imus' racist and misogynistic remarks a while back.It got me to thinking about the power of words and the way I was raised. My mother was a brilliant, articulate, classy Lady. Most aggravating when I was a teenager - she was almost always right. When I was about seven I came home from camp with additions to my vocabulary. You can imagine. The first time I used them, my mother said "Well, I suppose you could use that word, but it doesn't really mean what you want to say. There are so many other, better words to describe your feelings." So I found some. It worked. About the same time Mom was driving a bunch of us home from Sunday School and was cut off by another driver on Lake Shore Drive. She said "I've got a good seven-letter word for that person." We, being smart-alecks, said "Oh, go on Mom - say it. We've all hear... More About: Thinking
Where's our cookies?
2007-06-19 20:58:00 Dax (French Bulldog), Ceilidh (Boston Terrier), Roc (Brussels Griffon) and, front and center, Golly (Brussels Griffon) More About: Cookies , Where , Cookie
A feather in his cap
2007-06-18 22:25:00 Roc did it! Sometimes I think it's in spite of me, but we got our third leg in Rally Novice yesterday at our own club's Obedience Trial. Conditions were not wonderful - our site this year was not air-conditioned, which usually isn't that big a deal on Father's Day, but it was over 90 degrees F yesterday. And I stewarded in the Utility B Ring all morning before Roc and I were set to compete, so he was in his crate. I did have a semi-intelligent idea and brought a bunch of reusable ice pack thingies in a cooler. I put them under his towel in the crate, so Roc had a great morning, hanging out cool as a cucumber, watching me sweat away laying down and picking up the gloves for the "Directed Retrieve."I suppose I could moan and complain about the weather, but in all honesty - I had a really good time. I love stewarding for the top echelon dogs in obedience - it inspires me every time I see them work. And while the vast majority of the dogs in Utility are Golden Retrievers and Border ... More About: Feather , Feat
Dog Lovers: A must read!
2007-06-16 18:57:00 I just found the Frog Blog today and wanted to share this post. I won't spoil it for you, but the title is "AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER INVOLVED IN INCIDENT WITH CHILD AT AKC EVENT" More About: Read , Lovers , Must
Going Solo to Agility
2007-06-15 20:27:00 Hope and Dax are taking the new Agility class session off. (Dax didn't have any say in the matter, though.) So Ceilidh and I were on our own last night. Ceilidh was perfectly happy riding shotgun, with her seatbelt safely buckled, listening to the radio. Of course this is how we'd gone to class for the last couple of years, so it was nothing new. I was interested to see if Ceilidh would act differently, without Dax. Nope - same Ceilidh. Same bouncing off the walls Ceilidh! Not in the car, though - Ceilidh is the best traveller - she settled right down for a snooze.When we got to the training center, though, Ceilidh was eager to meet anyone and everyone who even looked at her! She did very well in class, despite the fact that there were a couple of new dogs there (big Rottweilers! - well-behaved, though). Ceilidh's attention was mostly on me, except that a thorough sweep of the speckled floor was in order. And that has been pretty typical of our Agility class experience. So, I gue... More About: Solo , Going , Goin
A change of clothes for the better
2007-06-13 21:31:00 Clothes definitely make the girl! Dax has been unhappy, to say the least, in Obedience class. She would do the exercises, but you could tell she wasn't thrilled about it. A sure-fire clue was when I had to bring a drool-rag to class. I know that she's a bulldog, but it was a first for me. I noticed how she reacted to her training collar. She ran away from it. Not the "catch me if you can" play-type dashing off, but truly a "nooooooooooooooooooo, I don't want it" reaction. So instead of the metal-link I've always used, I decided to try her with a martingale-type collar. Not only is she incredibly adorable - she loves it!Last night at class she had her best session, ever! She was heeling with me, she was having a wonderful time. She even nailed her sit-stay and down-stay! Her Stand For Exam was rock-solid! She was having such a good time that when I accidentally dropped her leash and she went wandering off - she came when I called her, despite the fascinating smells that were draw... More About: Clothes , Change , Bett , Chang , Chan
A Happy Tummy Makes a Happy Dog
2007-06-08 22:18:00 We continue to learn. Well, I guess that's what life's about, isn't it? As part of Dax's recovery, the vet prescribed Vitamin K to promote clotting and suggested that we give her some potato with her food, which helps the body absorb Vitamin K. Ceilidh has never been a good eater, but she really wanted to try the potato (we just nuked one, peeled it, and mashed it up - no butter or milk, though!). She loved it! Which got us thinking - Ceilidh's not on a special diet, so why don't we try her on a protein and potato food? So we switched her to a new food over a week's time, and she seems much happier overall. When she snoozes in the evening now, she's often on her back. And she seems more easy-going - which, for Ceilidh is really amazing! Let's hope the transformation continues! More About: Happy
Out of the woods!
2007-06-05 18:42:00 I am delighted to say that Dax's clotting test came back totally normal! We just have to finish off the Vitamin K she's been on since being poisoned on 5/11. I got the report from the village on who the culprit is, so I'm giving her the opportunity to reimburse me for the veterinarian's charges. If she has a conscience, that will be that. More About: Woods
It's the most wonderful place
2007-06-04 18:48:00 I truly feel sorry for anybody who's never been to Wrigley Field. I know how hapless the Cubs are. I've been a fan for decades now. But if you don't have a good time at Wrigley - you have no appreciation for the finer things in life. It's the only place in the world that Old Style Beer tastes wonderful. And really awful nachos are delicious. There's no better place for people-watching. And if you just happen to love baseball - you'll think it's heaven on earth. Can you tell we had a great time at the game yesterday? It doesn't hurt that the Cubs won. More About: Place , Wonderful , Lace
In Between the Downpours
2007-06-01 21:50:00 Yesterday in the Chicago area we had "isolated showers and thunderstorms." Yup, isolated over Skokie. I got home just when it started to pour. And, of course the first thing we always do when we come home is take the dogs out. I tried to persuade Golly that she could wait for a few minutes until the dark cloud had gone by, but she was not to be persuaded. The others took a look outside and were perfectly content to wait a while. But, when a girl's got to go...And Golly really didn't seem to mind the rain too much. I tried to at least carry her to a protected spot, but she wanted ... that area, over there. She did give me a dirty look, like the rain was my fault! I tried to explain that if it were up to me, all the rain would fall between 2 and 4 in the morning (sorry, all you folks working the "graveyard shift"), but Golly was still a little miffed.And I discovered that what I thought was a rain jacket really isn't. I'll be shopping soon. More About: The D , Ween
Happiness is comfy shoes
2007-05-31 17:58:00 Taa Daa!I found summer heeling shoes! So exciting, you have no idea. What makes these wonderful is that they're sling-backs! (I know, it takes very little to make me happy.) One of my shoe issues has always been that I have skinny heels and walk out of my shoes. So I always wore thick old athletic socks to try to keep the shoes on my feet. And now, for the summer, I don't have to wear socks, even in Agility and Obedience! My friend Janie in Open Obedience class said I should dye them purple and green because they look like elf shoes. I don't care. Happy feet makes for happy Hope. Tiny shoes make Roc heel closer. It's a win-win for us.BTW - the shoes are by Rocket Dog. I got them at a local discount shoe place, but I did find them online. I did not pay that much. More About: Shoes , Happiness , Shoe , Comfy
You want me to what?
2007-05-30 22:34:00 Dax continues to teach me the differences between the terrier-type dogs I've always had and bulldogs.Last night in Novice Obedience class our instructor was showing us a method of teaching correct heeling position called "binding," which is basically keeping the dog at your side by using slight, constant pressure on the leash. The instructor said "forward" and everyone in class set off at a nice brisk pace. Except me, with my French Bulldog. I tightened up on the leash and she sat down. And stayed there. I could have taken her for a nice drag, but opted to loosen up on the leash and return to my favorite Dax-training method: bribery. She's pretty strictly a "what's in it for me?" kind of girl. We had a good time after that. We understand each other fairly well. I bring the good treats and she'll consider doing what I want. It works for us.
Agility Happiness
2007-05-25 20:11:00 Ceilidh was brilliant last night at Agility class! We'd been having more focus problems than usual the last few weeks, but last night we were a real team! While Ceilidh loves to tug on pretty much anything she can get her teeth into at home, this is not the case at class. Occasionally I can get her to tug while we're waiting for the class before us to finish, but hardly ever in class. And, as Agility people know, tugging is a great way to relieve stress, get rid of tension, and expend some excess energy. But, last night she was tugging like a champ in class, in front of everyone! The only thing was, the only thing she'll tug in that building at all is her beloved Latex Soccer Ball - the 2 inch diameter one. So, her ball got slimy but she actually did let me get hold of it! And, she was so interested in her ball that I was able to do rear crosses while her attention was on the ball, not where I was! Later we did a couple of runs on the obstacles, and Ceilidh was still focused! She... More About: Happiness , Ness
Physical Therapy
2007-05-24 23:45:00 Roc's recovering nicely from his knee injury. He's been having physical therapy - in an underwater treadmill. Thought you'd like to see. What will they think of next! More About: Physical , Therapy , Physical Therapy , Erap , Thera
Empathizing with Paula Abdul
2007-05-23 15:36:00 I never, ever thought it would happen. I'm completely in sympathy with Paula Abdul . By now everyone has heard how she broke her nose tripping over her dog. While I've never broken my nose (despite its appearance) I have, too many times to count, done an incredibly-not-graceful stumble-hop-trip-grabsomethingtryingnotto fall move around one of my dogs. I blame the dogs. If they would just stay put, we wouldn't put their lives in danger just by walking around. Inevitably, they're lying peacefully, napping away. Until we try to step over them to get somewhere. Because they always lie in your path, regardless of where you're going. Just when your foot is over them, in mid-air, they get up. Long experience has prepared you - you know they're going to do it, so you try to balance every step before you take the next. Fat chance.Consequently, we've developed a step we call the "Griffie shuffle." While all dogs are good at trying to kill you this way, the Griffs are champs. I've mentio... More About: Aula , Path
Golly Musings
2007-05-18 23:07:00 Golly's been feeling left out of our blog posts, so I'll bring everyone up to date on the Princess' recent activities. Golly is, naturally, horrified at the attempt on her cousin Dax's life last week, inadvertent though it may have been. She has not minded being out of the spotlight for a few days but Dax is feeling much better and Golly believes that attention should turn to the most deserving - herself. Lately on nice evenings we've been taking the dogs outside to work a little bit on our training. Mostly simple stuff - basic obedience refreshers, "touch," and sometimes we stick a couple of weave poles in the ground and work on that. It's been a few years since she got her title, but Golly still loves to train! She's right there for the handouts, too! Sometimes (not too often, thank goodness!) I'll have a sleepless night and channel surf or read. Golly does not like having her beauty sleep interrupted and will stalk down to the foot of the bed and plop down with an audible... More About: Musings , Sings , Olly
Can I come?
2007-05-17 22:06:00 Apparently it takes very little for our dogs to adjust to a new routine. After her poisoning last week we brought Dax to work and kept her in a puppy playpen here. She liked it a lot. Now, when I'm getting ready to leave the house, preparing the dogs' crate treats, she bounces around the house, doing the whole "I'm an adorable French Bulldog" thing and doesn't want to "kennel up!" with the rest of the dogs. It's like she's saying "But moooooooooooooooooooom, I was a good girl at work. I'll be good, I swear!" She can't understand that her behavior isn't the issue. It's mine. I wouldn't get a lick of work done if she came. She is too cute to resist.
Happier news!
2007-05-16 18:58:00 Roc's achievements over the past weekend have been shamefully overlooked. I don't want anyone to think for a moment that I'm not pleased and proud that my wonderful little boy did a terrific job at two trials over the weekend.We were in Rally Trials on Saturday and Sunday and Roc did great! We'd never tried Rally before, although I did read all the rules and study the signs. We got two of the three qualifying scores we need for the Rally Novice title - and he was a happy little guy in the ring, which delights me. On Sunday Roc was particularly good - but I messed up and missed one command, so I ruined his perfect score. He forgave me. He's a very good boy. More About: News , Pier , Happier
The dying's begun
2007-05-16 18:52:00 This morning Fran found a dead squirrel in our backyard. I found a dead chipmunk in the alley by our garage. Two different people have suggested we pile the little corpses at the door of the person who laid the poison out. They were kidding - we can't take the chance the bodies, filled with rat poison, would be eaten by other wildlife. But it was tempting for a moment. More About: The D
So far, so good
2007-05-15 17:42:00 Dax is doing fine, so far. She's on Vitamin K treatment until next Friday, when she'll have a blood test to check her clotting factor. That's scary enough. What's worse - I found another block of rat poison on my neighbor's walk (next to my yard) on Sunday evening. Monday, I called our Animal Control officer and reported it and asked her how many blocks of poison the person scattered. It never occurred to her to ask how many were unaccounted for. Between us, we'd found six. I think we both assumed that half a dozen was sufficient for anyone looking to get rid of a little chipmunk.Ever heard the adage "Never assume! It makes an ass of u and me!?" The poisoner admitted to 20, which I figure means double that number. And said she did it for a week, which I figure means two. Lori (our Animal Control officer) put in quite a bit of overtime yesterday evening. She went from door to door, showing people what the poison looks like and warning them to pick it up and call her. We don't ... More About: Good
Somebody tried to kill her
More articles from this author:2007-05-12 16:15:00 I don't usually use this blog for ranting - I figure there's enough of that around. A radio personality here has a segment once a week called "The Brighter Side of Life" and that's the angle I like to take whenever possible.That said, the time has come. Yesterday morning I took the dogs out, in our own, fenced backyard, about 9 a.m. I noticed Dax chewing on something blue and went over to investigate. My worst nightmare come to life - it was a block of rat poison. A squirrel had probably carried it into our yard.I swept out her mouth, ran inside, put the stuff in a sandwich bag, pulled on some shoes, grabbed her and ran to the vet. She spent a miserable day there, having her stomach emptied and treated with charcoal and Vitamin K. She's in jeopardy for a while - Vitamin K every day and keeping a close watch on her. That's her, looking miserable, in a puppy playpen here at work.Now for the ranting. I called our village Animal Control department to find out if they were doing any... More About: Tried , Kill , Some , Trie 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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