Stella and Annie

Tell me again why I have two dogs

2008-02-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

My precious girls have been far too naughty to write anything good about lately. In keeping with the motto "if you can't say something good, don't say anything at all", I'll just let this cartoon speak for now.

Herding Through The Pines

2008-01-28T05:43:00.000-08:00

I often apologize to Stella for bringing home a sister that insists on herding her. Annie likes to use our daily walks to show off her skills, but Stella seems to take it all in stride.

The only thing Stella seems to have an upper paw on Annie is she can move faster than the speed of sound. Oh, and there is that wry sense of humor of hers...

This afternoon we were enjoying our daily walk through the pine laden trails when Annie noticed her "sheep" Stella had wandered out of sight.

She hid behind a pine tree waiting to pounce and get her sheep back in line.

Where Is She? (Notice the streak of black in the background that came unexpectantly from the other side.)Hey, what was that noise behind me?

This is Stella doing the victory dance. Notice how Annie can't help but laugh! :)

Seize The Day

2008-01-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Stella had a grand mal seizure in December and was catatonic for over an hour after all that bouncing around. A trip to the vet revealed the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy (i.e. epilepsy, don’t know the cause.) The prognosis was to monitor her closely (i.e. wait and see.)

Lately, she has been throwing up several times a day on mom’s new carpet. (She doesn’t like to throw up on the wood or tile floors because they are not as soft and fuzzy.) Luckily, mom has a super new steam cleaner for her rugs and Stella has not shown any other symptoms of epilepsy in the past week.

As for Annie, she ran away on Christmas night. Mom and Stella were still up waiting for her when she arrived back home after 2am. Mom’s eyes were all red and she didn’t seem to have any voice left to yell. She just squeezed that little dog real hard in a bear hug, muttered some kind of thanks to God, and went to bed. A trip to the Invisible Fence Company to make sure the collars were in working order revealed everything was working fine. Annie is just the kind of dog that is willing to take a shock to see if the grass is greener on the other side.

But, the grass is always greenest with the person willing to clean up your vomit and greet you with open arms regardless of the manner in which you left.

Waiting For Santa

2007-12-03T04:30:00.000-08:00

Annie: I've got my job to do; I'll be busy all day out here watching for Santa!

Stella: I'll just check periodically from inside the warm house.

Eating Wood

2007-11-21T04:46:00.000-08:00

I sanded down and stained the three outer corners of my dressers in my bedroom. They still don't look just right, but I love my Annie and I forgave her for her reckless behavior. The next step after forgiving was forgetting, which came rather easily. I felt sorry for her this week and left her inside again for the day. It was cold out and she seemed like she wanted to stay in the comfort of my bed....

Well, you guessed it; corner #4 is now in need of repair. Sigh...

Never A Dull Moment

2007-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

Stella was an inquisitive little cutie the day I brought her home from the Humane Society (i.e. full of it, but cute enough to get away with anything.)

Two years later, she is still an inquisitive cutie.

Last weekend a friend we visited had the audacity to put peanut butter in a mouse trap and set it on the floor of the garage. Stella loves peanut butter, but she didn’t like the mouse trap clipped to her face!

Shortly after hearing the SNAP of the mouse trap, I heard a SPLASH! Annie had decided to dive into the pool even though it was closed for the season. Luckily, the pool cover held her weight and we were able to get her out unharmed. I shudder to think how we would have gotten her out if she had slipped through and become trapped in the water under the cover.

One thing is certain; life is never dull when you have Stella and Annie around!

Let the maturity begin!

2007-10-25T04:51:00.001-07:00

Annie turned 1 on Sunday! Stella and I sang "Happy Birthday" until we were blue in the face. Stella said she thinks Annie belongs in a zoo. Then, Stella laughed at Annie in her party hat.

We went for FOUR walks in honor of the day (instead of the usual two.) Annie LOVES to go for walks. Sometimes I think she would walk all day long if she could!

But, Annie seemed to really LOVE her McDonald’s hamburger best of all! (See the little bit of pink tongue sticking out?)

The Proof's In De-Stuffing

2007-10-12T04:25:00.001-07:00

Mom visited our cousin Sharpei's Digby and Myagi last weekend, but we stayed behind with grandpa.

Mom said Aunt Suez was concerned we would play too rough with our thin-furred cousins, so we couldn't go.

We can't IMAGINE where Aunt Suez would have gotten an idea like that. Just look at how NICELY we play with our stuffed toys!!!

I Still Miss Someone....

2007-10-04T04:56:00.001-07:00

But somehow, I think Stella understands.

This Masquerade

2007-09-13T04:20:00.000-07:00

It all starts out innocently enough…a little “talking”, a little “kissing”, a little grooming….

Then before you know it, the arguments start.....

....the growling starts, the teeth come out, and the good feelings just sort of disappear.

(Gee, reminds me of a few dates I’ve had recently…)

Graduation Day

2007-08-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Annie and I completed basic training (er I mean, basic obedience!) last night. Annie’s aggressivebehaviors forced me to enroll her at Mid Michigan Kennels (www.midmichigankennels.com) with a police dog trainer accustomed to training German Shepherds to locate narcotics.

The instructor didn’t find it funny when we entered class the first day with Annie walking on two legs like a circus dog. He also didn’t find it endearing how she gently placed her paw on top of my foot every time she sat down. He did, however, find it commendable by the last day of class when Annie was easily anticipating and responding immediately to my every command.

Annie was exhausted after 8 weeks of intensive training…

....but not too tired to try to kick Stella’s butt the minute we got home!

I put Annie in the submissive position until she relaxed while Stella sang softly in the background....

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away...."

Get Out Of The Garden!

2007-08-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

The Killing Fields

2007-07-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

I arrived home yesterday to find yet another critter mercilessly slaughtered by my two precious serial killers. Over the past year, the following unfortuante critters have crossed the path of S & A Assassins:

1. 2 mice
2. 2 chipmunks (one caught, scratched the heck out of Stella and survived; the other easily killed by darling Annie.)
3. 4 moles (get the message guys, the grubs in this yard are NOT worth the risk!)
4. A wild turkey (yes, Stella caught a turkey and I had to risk my own life by getting in the middle of the pecking and nipping to save that poor bird.)
5. A rabbit (more specifically, a wascally wabbit.)
6. A raccoon (they had a carcass, but I’m suspicious this may have been killed by a four wheeled rather than four pawed assassin.)
7. A mourning dove (this broke my heart and I wrestled the bird away from Annie but probably did it no favors as it appeared unable to fly away.)
8. An unknown critter they had cornered about the size of a groundhog with a while body like an opossum and a small dark triangular head. The critter lurched at Annie and ripped open her lower lip causing Stella to decide she was not too interested in further pursuit. (Anyone know what this thing could have been?)
9. A groundhog (you know, they really cry when they are caught, a sound that still haunts me today…..)
10. The head of a rooster. (I think this poor fella was probably killed by a human, but the girls couldn’t stop bringing back that head to show me no matter how far away I threw it with the shovel. Luckily, I haven’t had to see it in a few weeks, but I will never forget that sad, soulful look in its eyes.)

Gee, I can hardly wait to get home tonight and see the next victim that awaits my inspection and disposal.

The Good, The Bad, and the Softhearted

2007-07-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

We vacationed at a friend’s house this weekend, and I was a very good girl!

As for my sister Annie; she barked a lot, tried to steal my food, and chewed a hole in the bedspread.

Mom is such a push over! This simple “I’m sorry” look on Annie’s face was all it took to melt her forgiving heart.

Dancing In The Streets

2007-07-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

Summer time
And the living is easy

Balls are jumpin’
And the cotton is high

Our daddy’s aren’t rich,
But our mom is very pretty

So hush, little doggies
Don’t you cry…

Can't We All Just Get Along?

2007-06-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

Stella and Annie had a major dog fight last week. Stella ended up in the unfortunate position of dog on the bottom. When I was finally able to pull them apart (after spraying them with the hose had no effect), Stella dragged her battered body to the garage. I thought at first Annie was hurt worse because I could see deep red blood on her snow white fur. I soon figured out it was Stella’s blood, not Annie’s.

Every once in a while they painfully remind me they are dogs.

I have signed Annie up for 8 weeks of dog obedience training to see if I can curb her increasing attempts to dominate our paper doll world. The trainer informed me to purchase a “choke” collar before the first class. I cringed when she said it and meekly responded by asking, “Should I bring treats also to reward positive behaviors?” She replied sternly, “No treats will be needed. We believe in LEADERSHIP, not TREATORSHIP.” Clearly, I will be the human on the bottom in this relationship.

I’m feeling a little sad that love doesn’t seem to be the cure-all these days. I was able to love Stella through her year of bad behavior and ended up with a fine little dog. But, I can’t wait a year to see if heaping love on Annie will be enough when Stella’s well-being is at stake.

So, I move forward with a sigh, a little more jaded at having seen my babies trying to rip each other apart, and more than a little disappointed at the prospect of becoming a “Pack Leader." I had hoped to simply preserve the title of “World’s Greatest Mom.”

Taggin and Waggin

2007-06-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

We were tagged by my movie star clone Pappy (a.k.a. Adrian Brody) to pick a famous person we most resembled. As for me, it would have to be Phyllis Diller (in looks and personality, I provide my mom hours and hours of endless entertainment!)

As for sister Annie, it would be Sarah Jessica Parker. They both have the same nose and that deep, thoughtful look on their faces. (Oh, and they both like martinis also....)

P.S. Hey, check out SJP with her dog. It looks a bit like Annie too, don'tcha think?!

We are going to tag our pal Max from Jax with this same challenge. Max, get those paws hoofin' out to the web to find your celebrity match!

Cousin Digby

2007-05-22T04:57:00.001-07:00

Whenever mom starts talking about her childhood, we know we are supposed to just sit quietly and listen. She expects we will find the lesson in her story, even though we have a hard time concentrating on much of anything other than the treats in the cabinet.

After mom returned from a visit with her sister and our Sharpei cousins Digby and Miagi, mom was reminded of when she attended high school with her own cousins. Mom was an unremarkable high school kid, just trying to go somewhat unnoticed when word leaked out in the school just who her cousins were. The cousins were always being picked on by mean students for various reasons. Mom was confronted by a mean student one day who asked, “Are you really related to those people?” Mom was forced to take a stand of loyalty and answer yes. Mom had to defend her underdog cousins at several other crucial points during her high school years. Mom told us blood was thicker than water. She said we also needed to stick up for family no matter how different they may look or act, and no matter how badly we may want to distance ourselves from the unusual just to fit in ourselves.

It was after this lead in that mom produced this picture of our cousin Digby:

We didn’t have to meditate too long about the moral of her story this time. We might have to take a lot of heat from our other dog pals defending this creature...

But hey, we are up for the task!

We say, “wear those wrinkles proudly Cousin Digby; we got your back!!!”

Always Mind Your Mother

2007-05-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mom told us to pick up our toys before she started joy riding around the yard on that noisy grass eating machine. But, I thought to myself, "Don't tell me what to do!"

"Waaaah!! Who ate my frisbee?!?" (I guess I should have done what mom told me to do...)

The Gift

2007-05-08T05:04:00.000-07:00

<-- "Mom, when can I play with MY new Christmas present?!?!"

We went to see the vet and weighed in at 27 and 28 pounds respectively. We watched as mom asked the vet if we would get any bigger. The vet said we were both about done growing. I could tell mom was sad because she loved her prior BIG dog. But then mom said the coolest thing, "sometimes God knows what we need better than we know ourselves." The vet smiled remembering how mom used to have to drag that 100 pound "mule" in the office in the past. We just sat there wagging our tails and puffing out our chests, trying to look just a wee bit bigger than we really were.

In The Beginning...

2007-05-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

In an effort to mend my broken heart after the death of my near perfect Border Collie Freddie Boy, I rescued Stella from the Humane Society. They told me she was a Retriever/Terrier mix and should grow to be 50 to 60 pounds. She was the last little puppy left at the shelter...

A year and many gray hairs later, I saw Annie at the local pet shop. She looked exactly like my near perfect Freddie Boy did when he was a puppy. They told me she was a Border Collie/Aussie mix and should grow to be 50 to 60 pounds. It was Christmas time, and I decided I had found the perfect gift to give Stella...

How much trouble could two little girl dogs be?