Puppy Update....

Let's see how much I can get written this morning. I put Jackie back in her kennel because I didn't want to leave her unattended with Geoff. Not because I fear Geoff hurting her like the guinea pig... but because she puts a good scratch on, and bites, and Geoff is afraid to hurt her so he doesn't push her off and tell her no. I've had to break up a couple crying scraps between them... mostly Geoff crying.

He's watching Pokemon and eating breakfast. Everyone else is asleep. Jackie kenneled from 11pm to 6:30am, so we all got a good night's sleep.

She's a crap machine though. Damn! But I won't get into the particulars of her business. We took her to Petco yesterday afternoon, with Kinger. Met a 1 year old St. Bernard who was as tall as Geoff eye to eye. Jackie was a great big hit and garnered us a lot of attention. Puppies are chick magnets, it is true. Men, if you're looking for some babes -- or babes if you're lookin' for some babes, getcherself a puppy!

All the Petco people loved Jackie and got down to play with her. I felt bad for Kinger, but he got to meet cool dogs and peed on stuff and I pretended not to see. "Cleanup in Aisle Two..."

We bought her a ton of chew toys so she'll chew less on Geoffrey and our brand new sandals. She hates walking on the leash unless she sees Kinger in front of her.

All told, there isn't much to report generally in life, because we're puppycentric at this time. We've got to get work started on the ceiling this week, but Doug's new GPS for geocaching should arrive today and damn if he isn't like some freak little kid or something. I doubt we'll get any ceiling work done this week. There is a possibility this afternoon I may have to go down to the college to work with one of my project professors. So today could be bust all around for ceiling work. Sigh.

Meet Jackie

Meet Jackie. The name is something we settled on... We have a King...er. We didn't want a Queen...ie. So we named her Jack...ie.

It wasn't exactly a planned event today. I took Jess for a haircut and got myself one too (goodbye Ozzy hair... hello... something I can't quite label) and when I got home Doug showed me he'd located a kennel near Worcester that deals specifically with rescued puppies from Virginia. He said they were open until 6pm. They were one hour away. It was 4pm right then. We got in the car. We brought Kinger, so he could meet the new dog. If there was going to be a new dog.

Folks, let me tell you. These people... good people. We had to show we were either a home owner or that we had permission from the landlord, so we showed our mortgage payment book. No one quizzed us on our at home schedule, demanded a home visit. No one gave us any shit. They said "We've got puppies. Meet the trainer if you have questions, integrate the dog with your family for a while... and pay us 200 bucks. It's yours."

That's my kinda kennel.

They had two dozen puppies there who were all freshly spayed and neutered yesterday by a vet in town. Doug zoomed in on the Australian Shepherd/Lab mixes, of which there were four. A male and three females. He took one out, and we spent some time introducing her to Kinger and getting to know her.

This was the first dog. She cozied right up to Doug, and we took her to the pen to meet with her. She was skittish, and afraid of Geoff, which we instantly knew off the bat wasn't good.

Unfortunately, Geoff really liked this first dog, so it was hard convincing him that she wasn't the dog for us. She didn't want to be around us, didn't want to see Kinger. She also had a spotted tongue, which the trainer said may mean she has some Chow in her somewhere down the line. The minute Doug heard Chow, he wanted to see another dog... so he scoped out the two females together who were sisters. So spending time with the next dog, we knew she was the dog for us.

Geoff still wasn't quite sure of her... he really liked that first dog...

We got the kennel out, cleaned it up... I have to cut a piece of cardboard for it because it's for a fullsized big assed dog... and she's a teeny dog and we don't want to encourage her sleeping in the front and peeing in the back. She isn't housebroken, pee'd in Jessie's room once already... so we're going to have to really work with her. But we're all home this summer. Everyone is willing. We had no problems training Missy... so hopefully this'll go okay. She's really cute. You're welcome to come meet her anytime.

And because I'm a total pet whore... I found a cat to take a picture of for all you cat pals out there.

I love how the sun glints off the car top right in the center, how the cat's reflection is so clear... and how he/she/it looks like he/she/it belongs up there. King/Queen/Eunuch of the castle.

Okay. That's the muppet update for tonight. It's 10pm already. I still have to fold some laundry and get the cardboard partition in the kennel. So I'm outta here. I'm sure I'll bore the shit out of you in the next few days with all the puppy stories... suffice to say, I'm happy to do it. It's my journal. It's my puppy. Shuttapa you face if you don't like.

Have a great weekend and HAPPY SOLSTICE to all my Alaskan friends who now have sunlight 90 hours in a day. It's all downhill from here kids. Happy Solstice to any of the Pagan types who may be reading -- I have no idea the extent of my audience, so I hope this Midsummers Night is good for you. Cheers!

The Puppy Hunt

I met with the college professor I'm working with this summer for about 90 minutes today, and then I met Doug and the kids at an animal shelter in Salem, MA, so we could look at dogs.

Yes. I'm thinking it's time to get another dog to be part of our family.

I'm looking for a female, mixed breed as long as she isn't a rottie/dobie/pit bull mix, and under a year. I'm looking for something that won't be say over 70-80lbs full grown.

There are a lot of dogs out there, few in our actual scope or desired specs. We went to two shelters. We met one or two dogs that might fit. One was a husky/lab mix, husky coloring but lab eyes. Which was weird. Brown eyes on a husky is just so weird.

We didn't pick out a dog, but filled out two applications and asked to be called if someone came in who fit our desired profile. It's like a personal ad. It's like ... applying for colleges. What fits. What works.

They had a gorgeous full bred rottie female, age 11 months. She sat in the kennel and just looked at us with soft eyes, didn't wag her stubbie. Didn't get her hopes up. Her sign said her name is Zoe. She hates umbrellas, and wouldn't be good with kids under 12 or other dogs.

Not that she'd come home with us, but she was lovely to look at.

For anyone who hates rotties, I have no idea how you could. Just their eyes can melt a heart, and their tiny stubbies wagging when they see you coming. Sigh.

Geoff saw Zoe and gasped, and said 'It's Missy. I've been looking for her. Here's where you've been.'

I almost burst into tears, but Doug explained how it wasn't Missy and Geoff seemed to understand.

So we now have four applications out there with shelters. One shelter had this God Awful Application, it went on for four pages. Wanted to know EVERYthing about us. What food we plan on giving the dog. What our street is like. What our kids do. What we do all day. They require a home visit.

The application was harder than any application I've viewed for anything in recent years. They are begging on their website for people to come adopt a dog, but the application process is just shy of requiring a blood sample, pound of flesh and swearing on a stack of bibles that you'll feed poochie Science Diet all the days of her life.

Criminy. I would think adopting a baby might not be this damn hard!

They also suck at getting back to people.

We called and their answering machine said that on no uncertain circumstances do they do work by phone, that we are to fax or email things to them. We emailed a request for the application, got it 3 days later. We sent it back on... Sunday? Monday?

They are begging for people to adopt dogs. Can't they call us? Say "Hey, thanks! Got your application. Let's talk!" No. We haven't heard a word.

And there's the website, freshly updated weekly with all new dogs. Begging people to adopt them. Begging anyone to take them home to a "forever family."

Call me! I'm willing. Seek ye no further. Here I am!

There is a trio of three females from the same litter, collie/retriever mixes. They are lovely. They are 19 weeks old. Hello? Earth to shelter manager? Earth to someone... We'll definitely come see them, you can come "home visit" our house. We're here. Helloooooooo???? Buehler? Anyone?

Sigh.

Why do I want a second dog. I mean honestly. Why? The professor I'm working with asked me that today.

I have no idea. I love to see dogs swim and play together. I like to know that Kinger isn't here in the house crying cause he's lonely. He is so good when he's with Gonzo, but Gonzo lives in Maine. I miss my Missy, but no one will be able to take her place, ever. I don't know what other reasons...

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We've been playing a lot of Sega lately and I am admitting here and now that I have an addictive personality. Sonic the hedgehog is ruling my life. I cannot get out of the third world in the second stage, Marble World or what ever it is. I'm doomed.

Mom, when you come up in July. Feel free to bring the hand me down playstation. We may as well give in... we're part of the video game cult. The kids, I can limit their play. Me... I'm going to need a 12 step program.

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Today I took Jessie to Kohls to go shopping. It was our first time there. I normally don't buy clothes for the kids anywhere other than Walmart or on consignment, but Jessie is grownup sized with grownup tastes, and Walmart and Target have shit clothing for women.

No lie. I hate 90% of what they have there.

Target thinks that girls should all be dressed like Britney or any other blonde du jour. Walmart thinks that Kathie Lee knows fat lady fashion. I personally like to shop at Lands End or LL Bean... because the clothing style is conservative.

Girls' shorts shouldn't all be the same length even if the waist size is larger. Seriously. Have you looked at popular trendy girl shorts lately? Go to the store right now and take a look at the rack.

Size 2 shorts and size 14 Britney style shorts ARE THE SAME LENGTH down the thigh for most of what they sell nowadays. Three inch long shorts on a girl who is about 150 lbs are NOT as attractive as that on a girl who is 90lbs. Sorry. Someone get a ruler, add a couple inches lengthwise as the shorts grow widthwise.

Plus, She is 10. Not 16. I don't want her ass cheeks hanging out the bottom of a pair of daisy dukes at age 10. Regardless of her weight.

So, they had a section of girl clothes like that, with these retarded motherfucking Tshirts that said things like "Dump Him," "I'm Stealing Your Boyfriend," "Your Boyfriend Loves Me In This T-shirt" crap on them... and a whole section of Columbia sportswear, Champion Sportswear, Lee Jeans Shorts, Sonoma Jeans, and other "normal" non-TRL style clothes.

Who wears "Your Boyfriend Loves Me In This T-shirt" Shirts anyway? Who is the bitch who puts that shit on. Slap her ass. And if I was the mom.... Holy Flerkin' Schnit! I'd freak the fuck out if my daughter wore a shirt like that!

Anyway, the great thing about this store is they had the bullshit trampy clothes section, and the normal human being clothes section, complete with Levis, Lee, Sonoma, Nike and Columbia Sportswear clothes. Whew!

I had no problem finding 10 pairs of shorts for her, from nice denims to Nike athletic running shorts which will be great when we're camping and sweating and running around. I can throw them with her in them in a lake and they'll come out nice.

And let me just say that I'm relieved to find someplace that sells decent clothing that isn't in the Mall, where life is insane, and I can be happy dressing my kids in the clothes I find there.

I bought myself 2 Hawaiian shirts by the way. Stylie!

On to shoes... She wanted sandals. She wanted flip flops.

I told her no friggin way. Remembering my sister trying to jump over a fence in a pair of flip flops at one of my cousin Debbie's softball games, catching her super long monkey-toe in the chain, and falling on her face.

That'd be Jessica. 25 years later... doing just that this summer.

Monkey toes. That's not good for flip flops. She'd be dead. She wears a size 8 shoe. HA! No. Sorry.

So I bought her a really ass kicking pair of Columbia Sandals, for hiking, swimming, wading, fishing, living. They are gorgeous. I bought me a pair of Ocean Pacific Sandals, I wanted them for Jessie but they didn't have her size in stock. I bought Geoff a pair of really nice Nike sandals. They rock, and he loves them.

I got both of us Sponge Bob Tshirts. Yes. I now have a Sponge Bob Tshirt. I am too damn retarded.

All told, we didn't get a dog, we have elbow cramps from playing Sonic, and our feet are stylie. I'm a happy girl today. Alright. I hear Sonic and a beer calling my name. Marble World Ho!!!