Miss Dog Whisperer

Chimi did amazing today at the groomers getting his nails cut!  Linda was so proud of him.  There were a few yips and he was shaking, but he didn't flip-out.  Past attempts at nail trimming have been disastrous.  Once a groomer did 2 nails on one paw and refused to cut the rest.  The Vet's office was even worse.  It took 2 techs to hold him and 1 to clip.  His cries and doggie screams could be heard through the entire building.  Another time he had to be muzzled and pinned down. Linda didn't really want to use the lady-wrestler groomer again since Chim was traumatized for a week after.  This girl at Pet Smart was just like Cesar.  She had Chimi stand on the table and she quietly and calmly clipped his nails.  He didn't try to jump off and the whole process was 2 minutes start to finish.  The Dog Whisperer would have been impressed.

As you can tell, she couldn't get an appointment for my haircut. Every time she called my regular groomer, the phone went to voice mail.  Maybe she'll take me to Pet Smart and have the same girl do my style. 

I'm still cute even with crazy hair

Warning. Stay Away.

You all remember the story about the giant buzzards that were living on the roof of Taylor's townhouse? The buzzard removal men scared them away using Godfather style tactics.  On the way to teach this morning, Linda saw a flock (really a wake, committee, venue, kettle, or volt depending on which article you read) on the side of the road about 1/2 mile from our house!  She's pretty sure they are the same birds: Beady eyes, big black bodies and a really ugly faces.  If they come to our house, Linda is going to freak out.  According to buzzard experts, they won't swoop down and attack anything bigger than a chipmunk.  Unfortunately, there are lots of news threads that talk about little Yorkies and Chihuahuas getting attacked.  One story mentioned a little baby cow getting swarmed by them.  Linda is going to keep her eyes peeled for any sign of the wake taking up residence in our yard.

I wouldn't put it past her to put on some giant wings and show them who is boss.

  

Extravagance

A few years ago, Linda took me to the Pet Expo held in our town. (This was before we had Chimi.) Thousands of people are in the building at one time and 1/2 that many dogs.  I had to be carried or else I would have been stepped on for sure.   I met dogs that were 150 pounds heavier than me and I met some dogs that were the same size as me!

I was more scared of this dog than the giant one!

There were so many different treats and cookies for sale, all for dogs.  Look at those pretzels, donuts and cannolis! Linda bought me a few cookies, but I probably wouldn't eat them.  We haven't gone in the past few years because there is always a long line to get in and tickets are very expensive.  Instead, Linda was reading about some of the new items at the Global Pet Expo for 2013.

If you want an unusual collar for your dog, just whip out the credit card and pay up to $420 for one of these handmade alligator leather collars. You can get them adorned with pearls or real alligator teeth.

OK, this one is kind of pretty.

and this does have a life-time guarantee

If you have that much money, you might as well buy the leather leash for $299.  Chim would love this memory foam bed that has Kevlar stitching.  (He destroyed every single bed he's ever slept in.) I think he's going to have to stick with his blanket on the Costco pet bed because this one is $399.  (Linda said that is more than her mattress and box-spring.)

At least they could have done a pretty fabric.

Even if money was no object for Linda, she would never in a million years buy these kind of items for us.  Spending $700 on a leash and collar is ridiculous.  I bet Paris Hilton doesn't even spend that on doggie accessories for her Chi's.

Imagine if Linda tried to hold 4 Chimi's like this? 

Service Dogs and Thinning Hair

Linda had a Facebook ad on the side of her page this morning that made her crack-up.  It said how easy it is to classify your Chihuahua as a "service" dog and take it anywhere.  Quote "planes, trains, restaurants and supermarkets are all permissible for service dogs."  If you know Chimi (who is a full Chihuahua) you would know that taking him on a plane or to a supermarket would NOT be a good idea.  Remember the pandemonium in the movie "Snakes on a Plane?"

  If Linda tried to take Chim on an airplane it would be way, way worse.  He would probably have a heart attack from fear.  If she tried to take him in a restaurant, she would have to drag his whimpering body along the floor while he flopped on his side like a wet noodle.  When he's scared, all the bones in his body seem to melt and he gets all droopy.    

There were also advertisements on her FB page to lose 28 pounds in a month, restore her thinning hair, erase all her wrinkles and find out her body's real age by taking a quiz.  (Don't forget about the one to meet "Christian men" in her area looking for love.)  Linda hardly ever posts to Facebook, and when she does it's not about her age, hair, body or relationship status.  She doesn't even have any of the profile information filled out, so why does she get those ads?

Laundry and Clippers

When Taylor was a baby, Linda used to put him in the laundry basket and push him all around the house.  He would laugh and clap.  Now, Penelope is riding in his footsteps!  Sarah said she was loving the laundry basket fun yesterday.  I think Penny even fell asleep in the warm clothes at one point.  I love warm laundry.  No matter where I'm hiding, when Linda yells "Laundry Choopie" I know a warm load just came out of the dryer.  I'll come running and burrow down under the pile while she folds.

"This is so comfy Mommy"

This Thursday, Linda is planning on taking me to the groomers to get my hair cut.  Spring is just 3 weeks away.  My fur is its usually long, hot-mess. We keep in long for winter so I stay warm, and then go for the short style in spring and late summer.  I like my hair short, but I could do without the bows and bandanna.  Chim is also going to get his nails cut too.  The last time it took three vet assistants to hold him and one clipping person.  He had to wear a muzzle because he was howling and crying at the top of his lungs.  You know how he acts if a piece of paper touches his fur, imagine trying to cut his nails?  Another time Pet Smart did one nail once and refused to finish.  They couldn't deal with the drama. One time Linda tried a groomer that has been in business for 30 years.  When the worker girls couldn't do it, the old lady owner came out.  She put Chim in some kind of wrestling pin against her body and used a stern voice to subdue him.  He couldn't move an inch and the tech was able to cut all his nails in 1 minute.

These were the "after shots"

Nana Had a Little Lamb

Penelope looks so cute in her little lamb hoodie.  She was such a good girl at the restaurant tonight.  Sarah and Linda got there first and were waiting for Taylor to arrive.  When Penny saw him, she screeched "DA DA DA" at the top of her lungs.  It was so adorable that no one could have minded even for a second.  The entire rest of dinner she quietly ate her grapes and Cheerios. 

Linda was doing some online shopping for some spring/summer clothes for Penny.  There were so many cute outfits and shoes she wanted to buy her.  These shoes would be so cute on her and match her hoodie.  Every girl needs leopard print boat shoes.  Just ask Aunt Tierney. 

So cute!

Lobster barrette

Aunt Tierney would also love this little lobster hair clip on her darling niece.  It would match all of Penny's nautical attire (Buy it for her Tier! it's on Zuily today.)

Best Job Ever

Ever since I can remember, Linda has had the same exact teaching schedule.  Sometimes she adds a few classes, or drops a few.. but it always equals out to teaching about 20 a week.   The classes include everything from TKD (easy on her body) to Aqua Boot Camp (kind of hard), to Combat (harder on her body) and the absolute hardest: the Les Mills 3-5 year old Kid Fit class.  The Kid Fit classes are only 30 minutes, but keeping 18 little kids moving while pretending your a bear, elephant, racecar, Transformer, and a galloping pony in a basketball court is exhausting.  Linda LOVES her job and is not complaining, it's just been a tiring few weeks.  Today during the 3-4 year old TKD class, she could hardly teach because one little boy kept hugging her leg and telling her how much he just loved her.  She just let him cling to her knee while she showed the rest of the kids high blocks and low blocks. It was quite a quad workout.

Someday Linda will have to get a real job with a desk and have to wear something other than baggy white pants and bare feet or Under Armour and sneakers.  Until then, she is going to keep teaching and enjoy every single second of it. 

I'm Not Fat, I'm Fluffy

Linda has been kind of-sort of doing Weight Watchers for the last 4 weeks.  The first couple of weeks she did all the point counting, weighing and food journal writing.  Now she is just being careful on her choices and only having desserts once a week (like today!)  She's been losing weight and is pretty happy with how she feels.  She doesn't want to be skinny, just back in her regular jean size.

Back in the old days being skinny wasn't popular.  Can you imagine someone complimenting you for gaining weight?  "Wow Edith, those muffin-tops are looking pretty fly."

This coat isn't very slimming..

I'm really pretty skinny when you get past all the fluff.

Woobie Woes

It was finally time to retire Chimi's Skunk woobie.  All that was left of Skunk was a ragged torso.  The head and paws were totally chewed off.  Linda got tired of vacuuming up black fuzzy clumps and strings off the carpet every day, so into the trash it went. 

RIP SKUNK

 Linda picked up a fleecy baby blanket at the $$ store today.  She tied a knot in the middle so he could carry it around. It was a fraction of the price of his normal woobies and it didn't have any stuffing to strew around.  Immediately Blue Blanket became his favorite toy.  He did what he always does with a new woobie.  He drags it around into every room of the house giving it a grand tour.  The first 10 minutes were great. Then this happened...

"What puppy?"

He chewed the puppy design right off the blanket!  Why-Oh-Why can't he just make his Woobies last longer than 15 minutes?  Linda gets so frustrated with him.  Maybe she should just ween him off any sort of security blanket.  

Close-up of the destruction

He still loves it though

Happy Eyes

Penny is making the most adorable face in this photo.  Linda might have already posted it (maybe just last week) but it's so cute she just had to put it up again. Then there is this smile:

This is Penny's special smile when she is happy.  Linda also just loves this picture of Sarah.  She is so beautiful!

You can tell by the bib how much Penny enjoys her lunch.  Now she eats all sorts of big-girl food like chicken, soup, scrambled eggs, cooked veggies, kale smoothies and different fruits.  It's hard to believe she'll be 11 months old in just a few weeks. 

They Suppect Fowl Play

Every couple of weeks, Linda makes our chicken and rice dinners in the crock pot.  Some people would say that it's too much work for dog food, but it's actually much cheaper and healthier than buying can food.  She always buys the chicken on sale and a few months ago, she bought a giant 10 pound bag of rice for under $10.

 What if Linda came home from work and she discovered that someone stole the chicken right out of the crock pot?  Impossible you say?? In the county next to ours, a women called the police and said someone took the chicken out of her crock pot while she was away from her apartment.  Sometime between 9:00 a.m and 1:30 p.m., a thief entered her kitchen and helped themselves to the chicken (but left all the veggies.)  There wasn't any sign of a break-in either.  The detective announced "We suspect fowl play."  Ha!  If there was a way for Chim to get on the counter in our kitchen, he would definitely steal the chicken from the crock pot. 

 This is an old video, but it still makes Linda laugh every time she watches it. The face the dog makes when he is confronted with the cupcakes is the EXACT face Chimi makes when he is stressed.  There are more funny dogs if you click the link. 

 http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/the-40-greatest-dog-gifs-of-2012-6z51

They're Gone

Linda did her usual visit to spend time with Penny today and noticed something very different.  When she drove through the townhouse development, all the giant buzzards were gone.  Not a bird on any of the rooftops!  As she walked from the parking lot to Sarah's townhouse, she did notice that there was one bird in the tree.  Except it wasn't sitting on a branch, it was hanging upside down!  Linda was hoping it it was just doing a circus trick.

Um... I don't think so Linda.

Sarah said the bird management company mentioned they might take one bird and make an example what would happen to the whole flock if they didn't skedaddle.  It's kind of sad that it had to come to that and they just wouldn't get the hint and find some woods to live in.  There was a lot of roof damage that the homeowners will have to fix now that they have vacated the property.

Penny didn't seem one bit impressed that the birds were gone.  She fell asleep in Nana's lap while Linda read her one of her favorite books. 

 Look at those amazing eyelashes!

Be sure to turn the sound all the way up on your computer and listen to her little snores.  It was so cute that Linda's heart was melting.  Penny only slept for about 10 minutes and woke up happy and ready for her lunch. 

Winner

Does this picture make me look fat?

Chimi is almost over the sliding DVD case already.  He is back to his normal spot on the chair next to Linda.  He still won't come anywhere near her if she has it in her hand, but at least he has calmed down enough to get back to his regular routine.  Maybe he is growing up and overcoming some of his phobias.  Yay for Chimi!  Not only that, but he is more obedient than ever.  When Linda says "couch", "Big Bed", "outside" or "Chimi's bed" he responds pretty quickly.  Sometimes if the weather is bad, he'll drag his tail a bit on the outside command, but he has had 4 fast responses in a row today!  Winner!!

Loser

Chimi is totally spooked and doesn't trust Linda one bit right now.  He is hiding behind the laptop and won't come near her.  A big scary thing happened to him a little while ago, and he's still not over it. 

Linda just got her new Body Pump and Combat releases in the mail.  She had them sitting on the arm of her very favorite chair while she loaded the CD's onto the laptop.  The plastic cases accidentally slid off the blanket and fell less than 1/2", landing on Chim while he was sleeping next to Linda. (In the space to the right of the CD's on the blue blanket.)  If you would have been in another room, you would have thought 2 bricks covered with pointy spikes landed on his side.  He screamed, yipped and totally flipped out.  A newborn baby would have kept sleeping and not budged an inch, that's how light they are.  Now he is petrified of the cases and runs away when he sees them.  Linda had to hide them on the bookshelf.

The same thing happened last year when Linda was reading a book.  The bottom of the book cover grazed his back and he had the same reaction.  He is afraid of books to this very day!  He is also afraid of the plastic bags that Linda uses to clean up after our walks.  When he was little, the bag touched him when Linda was bending down.  Yep, he's still afraid of them. 

P.S.  Linda really loves Chim and doesn't think he's a loser.  It's just that he is acts like a loser sometimes.  How can you be afraid of an empty plastic bag? 

Predictions

Our local weather station reported that there "is no threat of any winter weather today."  Linda just went to let us outside for a pee break and there were big fat fluffy snowflakes falling.  They were sticking to the deck too!  Now it's sleet (or is it freezing rain?) and the deck looks like it is getting slick.  I guess that is why they call it weather predictions and not weather "for-sures" because who really knows? 

Penny had such a good time at the basketball game last night. She was clapping and cheering for our teams.  Linda was able to get there early since her afternoon classes were canceled.  The little boys in grades 3-5 were playing.  It was such fun to watch them hustle and shoot. 

"Go Team!"

For the Birds

Taylor and Sarah have a problem with Buzzards, or Turkey Vultures roosting on their townhouse.  The birds are big and scary, but they really don't harm anything.  Linda read the entire Wiki page and learned all about them.  They won't eat pets (unless your pet happens to be a small chipmunk) or attack children.  They don't carry disease and they won't eat dead smelly things, they prefer a freshly killed carcass.  The big birds are even protected under some bird treaty act from a long time ago.

Anyway, it is freaky for everyone to hear them hissing and grunting while they spread their wings or soar around as your walking.  I guess they poop everywhere too and wreck the roofs of the townhouse.  The home owner association has hired a company to get rid of the vultures.  Taylor said the workers are going to set off fireworks and use some kind of laser lights to scare them off since they are not allowed to kill them dead.  It actually worked in a neighborhood not to far from them,  but of course the birds are just going to move to another place close by and the next home owners association will have to deal with them.

If you want to know more about vultures or just hear a guy singing a pretty hysterical song about how great vultures are, watch the clip.  At 1:20, a song starts... including the lyrics "they like to look for dead beagles on the side of the road."  There  is even a website devoted to the love and care of vultures and how to attract them to your yard. 

These are the birds on Taylor's roof.  They are much larger than they look in the photo.

Smooch Pooch

I know lots of people have bad opinions of Chihuahuas.  Sometimes the breed gets a bad rap because of a few bad apples.  Some Chi's do have bad tempers, get touchy, don't trust people and are aloof. Chimi is the exact opposite.  He has a very good disposition, never gets angry, loves everyone and wants to be glued to Linda's side every second.  He's also grown to like playing with other dogs too.  Linda read about a contest that Chimi would have most-definitely won first prize. Grand prize went to the dog who gave his owner the most consecutive cheek kisses.  The pooch who won topped off at 45 kisses.  Chimi will give you 45 kisses in the first thirty seconds!  He's a smooching pooch! 

What Kind of Flowers Grow on Your Face?

TULIPS!!!

There should be a caption contest for this photo of Penelope with a flower on her head.  I wonder what is going through her cute little head? 

This one is easier to figure out.  She's really happy that it is time to eat.  Penny and Chimi have something in common.  They both love to eat!  Penny will be outgrowing her highchair pretty soon.  She'll need to move to a booster seat and sit at the big table. 

"I'm almost big enough without a booster!"

Linda is relaxing this evening after a really busy day.  Her Aqua class was packed, then she had 15 children age 3-7  in Kid Fit... followed by 2 back-to-back super fun TKD classes.  After the gym, she went grocery shopping since we were out a few essentials and dog food.  The second Linda got home, she started cleaning and folding laundry since she's been putting it off the last few days.  Our house looks and smells so pretty.  She's finally relaxing and taking some much needed rest.  It's a good thing we had our walk earlier with Jerry because she's in for the night. 

Neutrals

Linda's prediction about sore glutes and quads came true.  Yep, she's pretty sore alright.  Plus she taught another Body Pump class today... (same mix of songs) so shes guessing she'll be sore tomorrow too.  Saturdays class schedule is long, 9-1:00, but it's such a fun day of teaching that it goes by fast.  Before she has any Saturday night fun, she is going to do a super-deep house cleaning.  Our house is the messiest it's ever been, and Linda just hates that.  OK, maybe not the messiest.

I guess this room qualifies as the worst

Finding this photo reminded Linda that she still needs to paint Taylor's old bedroom.  It's a bright blue, a pretty color but it doesn't match all our neutral brown, ecru and taupe walls we already have.  She feels pretty confident that she could do it herself, but she needs to gather up all the proper tools and buy paint. 

These are the exact colors of our living room, right down to the hardwood floor.  The only difference is the layout and about 4,000 square feet. 


 

End of a Great Day

"Nana makes the best forts."

Linda had such a great Valentine's Day.  She loved watching Penny tonight after teaching her Body Pump class while Sarah and Taylor had a Valentine's Date.  If she had to do it over, she wouldn't have picked a squat track with 75 single and bottom half reps.  Ten-month old babies are active.. really active.  They like to roll around on the floor with you, crawl after you playing tag, hide in forts, play 100 games of peek-a-boo, throw toys for you to fetch, want you to bend over and hold their hands while they do 25 laps around the kitchen island and that was just in the first hour.  Linda's glutes and quads are going to be S O R E tomorrow. 

"You can't catch me, just try Nana!"

"What do you mean I can't do wheelies?  Daddy lets me."

Linda didn't forget about us though. When she got home, she gave us dinner and then took us for a late night walk around the neighborhood even though she just wanted to take a hot bath.  

My 5 Year Anniversary

Was I really this skinny??

This month marks 5 years of Life in the Dog House.  When we first started the blog, Linda didn't even know how to add photos.  Ha!  You should look back at the very first posts.  Once in awhile Linda will read the archives to reminisce about the olden days.  What fun times!

(These are not in order of the way they happened) 

I'll never forget the day Snickers went to Dog Heaven...

Chip went to Cat Heaven.....

Or the day Chimi was adopted into the family....

I fell in love with Noah...

 And found out Linda was going to be a Grandma...

Tierney got a big girl job...

Taylor and Sarah got married 

and Penelope won a place in everyone's heart...

I wonder what will happen in the next 5 years?