A lot has happened since I last wrote.  First of all, my momma and The Big Guy got another dawg.  They call her a boxer, but I've never seen her get into boxes like that cat does, so I really don't know why she's called that.  I still hate that cat.  But whatever.  This new dawg is called Greasy....no, that's not right.  Gracie.  That's it.  Gracie.  She looks like her mother dropped her on her face because her nose is all smushed up and it causes her...

I have a pretty strong stomach, stronger than most, I'd say.  I've changed some nasty baby and toddler diapers, picked up and cleaned up animal waste, seen and dealt with all kinds of vomit, both from kids and grown-ups,  and regularly go into nursing homes and hospitals to sit with and care for people who have lost control of their bodily functions.  In other words, it takes a lot to make me gag. However, there are still some smells that cause me to gag.&nb...

Being a puppy is hard work....   Yep, it's pretty tiring stuff.

I've learned a lot about Boxer dogs in the past few weeks.  They have some behaviours that are unique to their breed - and that are pretty funny too. For instance, there's the 'Boxer Bounce' as I like to call it.  The way Gracie jumps...it's almost like she's on springs and is bouncing all over the place.  She does this when she's playing with us and when she's happy to see someone. She's got this face that I simply cannot resist.  She'll look at me with ...

We've had Gracie living with us for 10 days now.  It seems like a lot longer; it feels like she's been here forever. She's done remarkably well in the week and a half.  She's learned that outside is the appropriate place to go potty, and if she can't make it outside then she should use the housebreaking mats we have.  Her aim could be a little better and I wish that she'd stay still when she poops, but...she's got the idea, and I'm cool with that. She's learned to sit on com...

Having a  puppy is much like having a toddler in the house. She gets into stuff.  Even though she's confined to the same room as I am and isn't ever left alone to roam freely, she still manages to get into things.  Like when  was getting dressed this morning.  I had crated her when i was in the shower.  There's no way I can supervise her when I'm all wet and soapy, so for her own good she went in her crate.  When I got out, she was howling that distinct...

  She's a 9 week old purebred boxer pup.  We're making the decision about her name this evening, but right now Grace/Gracie (because she's a wee bit clumsy yet), Maggie (the name of the girl in 'Million Dollar Baby' - the girl boxer, geddit?), or Ginger (because she's a sort of ginger color) are the front runners.  Of course, we could come up with something completely different...but we DO know that as of tomorrow morning she will have a name. We have a winner!&n...

The mystery of what the dog rolled in has been solved. He asked to be let out again about half an hour ago and came in stinking again.  That prompted Dave and I to go out and see if we could find what he'd been wallowing in.  We came in empty handed. Jake was the one who found it.  He came in and announced his findings: "it's a mole.  A dead one.  It's all slimy n' stuff" I went back out to see, and sure enough, there it was.  In a pile of dead leaves be...

I walked into the living room this morning and caught Jake and Dave in mid-conversation: "I dunno, but we'll tell Mom and let her figure it ou.....oh, hey babe!" "Let me figure WHAT out?" Jake points towards Henry, who's sitting next to my usual spot on the couch and looking very sheepish.  "Sit down, Mom" he said "I dunno that I want to until someone tells me what's going on..." "Stand next to Henry and sniff" So I edged closer to Henry, who's looking more and mo...

Henry got ahold of Polly's catnip-filled spider. I don't know for sure if catnip has the same effect on dogs as it does on cats, but Henry's actions tell me that it does.  First he rolled around on the loveseat with it. Then he took it to the floor and 'killed' it. When Shea took it away from him.... ...sat up and begged for it. He's got it now, as I write this.  He's laying on his back on the floor with it held between his front paws, chewing it....

Our cat Polly likes to get into boxes and bags.  She's been known to cram her bulk into empty soda 12-pack boxes, shoe boxes, paper bags, plastic bags...she's not fussy.  If it's a bag or a box, she'll get in it. We went to the grocery store this morning, and after we had unloaded everything we left a paper bag out for Polly to play in.  She spent most of the morning in there, rustling around and pouncing on unseen things. This afternoon, when the boys came home from sc...

Our resident squirrel, Fatso, made the most of the outside garbange can lid being left open this morning.  He got in there and scored himself some tasty morsels (in the photo you can actually see the hole he gnawed in the edge of the garbage can so that he can get in it even when the lid is closed). Polly the cat likes to sit in the window and watch the world outside, and she spent a happy half an hour watching Fatso and wishing that the window pane would somehow melt away and she ...

Henry (my weiner dog) hasn't totally got the hang of peeing outside yet.  He's much, much better than he used to be, but he still likes to lift his leg in the kitchen and the laundry room. It pisses Dave off.  A lot.  And when Dave gets pissed off at Henry, he looks to me to carry the blame.  He told me last week that I'd better do something within a week to fix Henry's issue. I can't house break a dog in a week.  Like I said, Henry's getting there slowly but surel...