My Dogs Keep Me Sane: dogs

Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Wordless Wednesday... Almost

Will I ever get caught up? I'm beginning to think the answer to that is 'no'. I have OVER 500 unread posts in my reader! Then, when I participate in a meme, I visit all those participants! Now, I start my new full-time job today, in addition to coming home to do my Virtual Assistant work! Will I ever get caught up? I'm beginning to think not. I do promise to be better at visiting everyone's blogs... I just need to have a little while to figure out a routine and schedule... I'm a routine-kinda gal. So, right now, I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed.

Did I mention that my throat feels as if I have swallowed razor blades? I just keep thinking, "No, no, NO! I can NOT get sick right now."

I'll be back this evening, and I'll start trying to get that routine figured out... Don't give up on me, Friends!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Camera-Critters Sunday #4 Matouk

This post is dedicated to the 'critter' who has been the main subject of my prayers since Monday night...

He's not a dog (I can't tell you how many times I've reminded my dad of this)...

See those yellow eyes? A young boy was out for a walk with his mom and sister one day. They passed my dad and his 'dog' out for a walk. The little boy looked at my dad and said "You can see the evil in his eyes!" My dad just laughed, because Matouk is definitely not evil. But, there is definitely something about those eyes... I can just sit and stare into Matouk's eyes for hours. Through those eyes, you can 'see' him thinking and planning.

No, he's definitely not a 'dog'...
But, he's also not 'completely' a wolf...

I don't know of many wolves who own Beanie Baby stuffed animals, have their own couch, have ice cream for dessert at night, or take inventory of the fridge contents whenever it is opened. Nope, I don't know many wolves like that. However, Matouk is more wolf than he is dog, in my opinion.

He even 'sings' like a wolf...

Low Pitch - (c) Misty DawnS

High Pitch - (c) Misty DawnS

So, he's not a 'dog', and he's not a 'wolf'. He's my boyfriend - but don't get too jealous ladies, because he LOVES ALL ladies, especially if you talk to him, because he loves women's voices. But, honestly, the best and only way to describe him is "He's Matouk." He has his own ideas; his own way of thinking; his own plan of how life should be lived. He is smarter than any creature I have ever met, and I must admit that includes humans. That may sound like a rather crazy remark, but if you met him and got to know him, you would understand. "He's Matouk", and he's truly one of a kind.

Why has he been the subject of my prayers? Because he had been missing since Monday night. I prayed, and I prayed. You see, last year, he went for a walk by himself, and when he came back, he had been shot three times with a 22 caliber gun. So, you can understand my worry, especially when you add in the fact that my dad lives by a very busy interstate. Yesterday, on my way home from work, my dad called. He has spent the entire week walking the woods, hanging up posters, talking to people, looking... hoping... praying. Yesterday, Dad had been at the pound and the APL, just to check for himself, even though he had already called them. When he got home, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Matouk in his dog house!

Matouk is VERY sore, exhausted, and has an injured foot. However, he's BACK and he's alive! Now, in my prayers, I just keep repeating "Thank you!" over and over again.

There are SO many entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking stories I could share with you about Matouk. Some of the stories, you probably wouldn't even believe, because, sometimes, you can be there watching and seeing it for yourself, yet you still can't believe what you are seeing. I cannot accurately describe the depth of his thought processes, reasoning, premeditating, and logic. It may sound corny, but I say with complete conviction that I am thankful and honored to have had the opportunity to have Matouk in my life, and I'm a better person as a result of getting to know (and love) him.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Camera-Critters Sunday #3

My sweet and beautiful girls own my heart.
They know it too, and are not afraid to take advantage of it.

(c) Misty DawnS

Molly always gets bored when I've got my camera, but Maggie (the puppy) eagerly waits for me to end the photo session so she can go running and exploring (and chewing on stuff).

(c) Misty DawnS

Molly (right) is always happier when Tag isn't around. Heck, most people and animals are happier when Tag isn't around *snicker*.

I just realized something... all three of these photos were taken on different days. However, in each photo, Maggie is on the left, and Molly is on the right. They must be creatures of habit like their Mommy ;-)

* * * I edited this post to add a picture of Tag. I have three Border Collies - Tag (the male), Molly (the adult female), and Maggie (the female puppy). The pics above are of my girls, Maggie and Molly. Tag was working with Dad (Hubs) - that's why Molly was so happy (Tag is not her favorite).

This is Tag - he's not a sociable dog... only likes his dad... and sometimes me

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Enjoy Your Day the Puppy Way

Always make sure you have a great friend nearby to share your day with. Great friends make the day much more enjoyable.

Let the wind blow through your hair. Do everything with gusto. And, always, always, run to your mommy at full speed, with a giant smile. (It helps keep you out of trouble when you slam into her at said full speed.)

then go in search of your best friend, because no matter what, you can always count on her. (Except, she doesn't share well when it comes to food, but oh well, no one is perfect.)

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Corny Lesson

Maggie May has been trying to teach me a few things during the past few days. Yesterday, she and Molly were teaching me that when it's a beautiful day, you MUST go outside and enjoy it... and don't forget the camera, because you have two of the most beautiful dogs in the world in your family.

Today, Maggie was teaching me something else about what you do during nice weather. Well... you eat corn on the cob of course, and you get really excited about it too!

Who says it needs to be cooked? Just eat it and enjoy it! When the weather is nice, find a cob o' corn and chow down!

Now, the proper way to eat corn on the cob is to hold it with both ~~hand~~ paws and use your front teeth to bite off each kernel. Everyone knows that!

You have to be alert though to make sure that no one else gets a chance to steal this yummy thing away from you!

Ahhhh yes, the sun is shining, it's a beautiful day, and there's corn on the cob. What more could you possibly need?

I hope you've enjoyed this little lesson on how to enjoy the moments of life to their fullest. :-)

Hubs says that this proves that she is definitely MY puppy, because she loves corn as much as I do. I personally prefer it cooked though. I'm just picky like that.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

How They Keep Me Sane

Many people laugh at the title of this blog. They ask how I can possibly claim that three Border Collies, whom often give me a run for my money with their intelligence and obsessive behaviors, keep me sane.

Well, I've already gone through the explanations of how they love me unconditionally, are always happy to see me no matter how I look or what mood I'm in, listen intently and give me their undivided attention no matter what I'm talking about, and, did I mention the unconditional love?

So, amongst all the stresses of life, such as trying to earn a better income, trying to build (and afford) a house addition, listening to your husband lose patience as he tries to install bathroom faucets without leaks, having no vehicle because it is being repaired due to an up-close and personal meeting with a deer, and did I mention the finances... well, amongst all those things, when I feel like just going somewhere to hide from life for awhile, it's these faces which make me smile and make me realize how much I have to be thankful for...

Not to mention that each day they give me a lesson in what it means to be loved and the importance of sharing the love I have for others.

Now, you see why no matter how my day is going, I'm always given a reason to smile.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Comfort For a Dog's Night

You see that beanbag the adorable, yet rotten, Miss Maggie May is sleeping on so comfortably? Well, she ate it! It started with her chewing a couple small holes in it. We reprimanded her (Oh yeah, we're so cruel) and fixed the holes with duct tape (Yes, it's great for emergencies such as this). However, that fix didn't last long.

I was in the other room one evening and heard my husband lecturing the puppy about 'ruining it'. I came out to see what was the matter and had to hold back from laughing when I saw all these tiny little white balls of styrofoam all over the kitchen floor. She destroyed the beanbag, and she definitely did a good job of it.

My concern is this. Tag, our male Border Collie, does nothing at half-speed or half-effort. Everything is given 110%. Unfortunately, his body is suffering because of this. When he has spent an entire day outside working with Dad, he is one very happy and thankful dog, but, sadly, he is also very sore and moving very slow. Sometimes, it makes us hurt to watch him get up and try to walk. His body is becoming old before its time, and that makes my heart ache for him. So, that was the purpose of the beanbag - to prevent Tag from having to sleep on the hard floor. Now, I'm considering getting the poor guy a luxury dog bed from fetchdog.com, because I just can't stand to see him hurting so bad, and I certainly can't keep him from going outside to work, because that means the absolute world to him. Tag's world revolves around Dad and getting to work with Dad. OK, the skid loader and farm equipment make Tag's world go round too.

These beds, are really spectacular, and I know that one would really benefit Tag. He is always so appreciative if we put anything down on the floor so he can have a little bit of cushion. So, I know that this would make his dreams much more peaceful. Now, until we have the finances to create individual space for each dog, I need to figure out how I can treat my boy to one of these special beds and keep the mischievous puppy from tearing it to shreds!

I'll come up with something though, because it's worth it to ease Tag's discomfort. Do I hear you saying that I spoil my dogs? Well, you know what my answer to that is, don't you? They deserve it, because, as you know... My Dogs Keep Me Sane! :-)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Advice On Being Cute

My mommy says that I'm a very silly girl. Why would she say that? I think I'm rather cute.

I've got an adorable smile, which usually gets me off the hook no matter what I've just been caught doing... such as, oh, I don't know... pulling the insulation out of the walls after Daddy just got done putting it in there. Not that I would do something like that, I'm just saying that, you know, some puppies get into mischief like that. Oh, and if the adorable puppy-grin doesn't get you out of trouble...

Knock 'em out with that ear thing that always makes 'em laugh. Mommy is always telling me that I'll never grow into my ears. Well, why would I want to? These silly ears are a huge asset when you need to be cute as heck in the spur of the moment!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Ode To My BBFF

Yep, I was like a sad puppy dog last night. You see, my BBFF is having serious problems with her computer. No, I'm not just joking around about her 'hard drive' or her 'disk drive'. She is seriously having computer problems, and I'm not liking it at all! Yesterday, she was unable to get online for most of the day, because a very good friend of hers is remotely trying to fix ~~her issues~~ the computer. Heck, I don't even know if she was able to access a dos command line, because for most of the day I was unable to chat with her. So, last night, when she wasn't online, I wrote her a silly poem. After sending her an e-mail of the silly poem, her screen name popped up on my instant messenger. So, I got to talk to her for a while! We're still waiting to see if her computer is completely fixed though. After reading the poem I wrote for her, she kept asking me to post it.

"It's absolutely silly." I replied, "I could write you a much better poem."

"No," she said, "It's funny, and I love it."

I wish an absolutely goofy and silly poem were exactly what is needed to scare her computer into straightening its act up! However, I doubt it. So, I'm just glad it made her smile and laugh.

So, ~~since she's bigger than me and could beat me up~~ to make her happy, I'll post the poem. Please, keep in mind this poem is completely goofy and was just thrown together very late at night in an attempt to make my friend smile.

Ode to my BBFF
Here I sit
Oh so sad
I miss the best BBFF
that I ever had.

We usually talk
for hours on end
and if someone is rude to one
the other is quick to defend.

We're experts on
data, reboot, and a good ol' hard drive clean
And we laugh like a dork and moron
when people don't know what we mean.

My BBFF, well
we thought it was a worm she had
turns out that
it was just her components gone bad.

Maybe it was the fault of her 'girls'
with which she's been blessed
the computer took one look
and it's data became all a mess!

Whatever the cause,
it has got me outta whack
I miss my BBFF
and I want our nightly chat back!

You see this poem
I should really stop
For, I've got so many
blogs I should hop.

But I'm finding
no matter how hard I try
It's just not the same
and I know exactly why.

I don't have that box
at the bottom of my screen that blinks
when she sends me a new message
or tells me to go check out a link.

So here I sit
like a sad bump on a log
without my BBFF to talk with
I don't want to hop blogs

How did I ever do it
before I met her?
I'm sure I did OK,
but how? I'm just not sure.

A lasting effect on me
this friendship has had
Daily, I think of 'moments'
and I start giggling like mad.

She's also been there
when I've needed her most.
We may physically be miles apart
but she always seems close.

But now she's not here
and I miss her so
and it sure makes me realize
I love her more than she'll ever know.

:-) Love, Misty (Dork) Dawn

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Wordless Wednesday (with words)

I realize my Wordless Wednesdays are hardly ever wordless anyway (It's my blog, so it's OK), but I have to talk about this photo. I realized something about myself with this photo... I realized that I am absolutely dog-crazy, and I think about or incorporate dogs into everything. Why did I come to this realization, besides the fact that it's so obvious already? Well, you know you are dog-crazy when you take a photo of a sunset, and you immediately see a puppy's face in the clouds. Yep, you are probably going to think I'm crazy, but right there, to the top right of the trees, I see a puppy's face looking at me head on... white nose and white blaze, little tan eyebrow above the left eye (on our right looking at the face). Seriously! You can see it even more if you look at the photo full size. Maybe the Heaven is telling me to go get another puppy to help me feel better about the camera deal... OR, maybe it is telling me to get a new puppy AND the camera and take photos of the puppy! Yeah, I think that's it! (Please don't call the people with the straight jackets to take me away because I'm seeing puppies in the sky.)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Heads or Tails Anything Green

One of my favorite bloggers, Skittles has started a Tuesday meme. It is LOTS of fun-so you'll wanna join us right away! If you click on the Heads or Tails logo - it will take you to the post to tell you more about the meme.

This week's topic is Heads - anything green. Skittles chose this theme because St. Patrick's Day and Spring are in the immediate future.

When I was in second grade, we were going to have a big St. Patrick's Day party at school. My dad had come to visit me at my grandparents', and I was busily going from room to room, picking things up, crawling in the cupboards and back out, lifting up the rugs, peeking under the furniture... searching every nook and cranny.

Finally, my dad asked, "What ya doing, Mist?"

I replied, "I'm looking for the leprechauns, Daddy! You know, those little green guys?!?! They have gold, Daddy! And, if I find them, they will have to show me where their gold is! It would be better than what the Tooth Fairy would leave me if I lost all my teeth at one time! You wanna help me look for em?"

My daddy smiled and replied, "I don't need to look for them. You see, Brandy is a great hunting dog, and when I get home, Brandy will show me exactly where those little green guys are."

"Are you serious Daddy?!?! They'll have to show you where the gold is if Brandy finds them!"

Brandy was my dad's Irish Setter dog. She was one of the highlights of my life. I loved her SO much, and she was one of the smartest dogs I ever knew. So, I wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that she could track and find little, miniature green guys. (Yes, dogs were my whole world back then too)

My dad left to go home, and I took my bath and was sitting on my grandma's lap in the rocking chair for my bedtime story. (I can even remember which book we were reading!) I heard the door open in the other room, and looked at my grandma and started to ask who could possibly be here at night, but, when I looked up, I saw my daddy. Seeing my daddy walk through the door on any day was the greatest thing ever; I used to pray over and over again 'Please let my daddy come over today'. So, having him walk through that door twice in one day made me an extremely happy girl.

My dad came up to me, and as I sat in my grandma's lap looking up at him, he held out a small, square, glass jar with something in it. He handed me the jar, and I stared in amazement... I was absolutely speechless for a bit, and then I whispered in awe...

"ohhhhhh it's gold. Brandy found the little green guys, didn't she Daddy? Woooooow"

I took the gold to school with me, and I excitedly told the whole class that my daddy's Irish Setter is the greatest, most beautiful, and smartest dog in the whole wide world, and she found the leprechauns, and they had to show my daddy where the gold was, and my daddy brought some of it to me. (You know, I rattled all of this out in one very long breathless sentence, in typical second-grader fashion.)

My teacher then had the nerve to start telling the class about something called Fools gold. She proceeded to claim that what my daddy brought me was actually Fools gold... and blah blah blah. I was one furious little girl. I stood my ground...

"NO, Mrs. Doesn't-Know-Real-Gold-When-She-Sees-It! You are wrong! That is REAL gold! My daddy has the greatest and smartest dog in the world, and she found the little green guys, and she showed my daddy, and they took him to their gold! No ma'am, I am not arguing with you; I would never do that, because my grandma taught me not to argue with grown-ups. I'm just telling you that my daddy would NEVER lie to me, and he said the little green guys showed him this gold!"

I can only imagine what a time my grandma had trying to explain to me that, no my daddy wouldn't lie to me... but...

I still have that bottle and the gold, and I still go crawling and peeking around in every nook and cranny looking for the little green guys on St. Patrick's Day... eventually, I'll find them. I have to admit - if my daddy walked through the door on this St. Patrick's Day, I would be that excited and thankful little girl all over again, and I would truly feel like I had just been shown the gold.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

It Was a WILD Party

Miss Year-old Maggie May has been a big bum today. She keeps mumbling (in doggy-speak) something about too many treats and too much partying.

Last night, after the party was over, I heard this splashing coming from my kitchen. It sounded like we had a kiddie-pool in there or something. I went in the kitchen to discover Maggie standing in the extra-large water dish. She was taking her paws and slapping them down in the water as hard as she could. She was obviously very amused at how she was turning the kitchen into a water park. Of course, Tag and Molly were looking at her like "Dude! Whether it's your birthday or not, you are SO going to get in trouble!"

I'm still working on the birthday-bash recap. I'm having a hard time getting all the stories straight. It seems that somebody spiked the doggy-punch...

And, from what I've been told, there was dancing on the tables and on the furniture. There was even a game of Frisbee going on inside the house! No wonder I found fur all over the place! There was fur and paw prints everywhere from in the bathroom vanities to in front of the computer (apparently, some four-legged guests couldn't ignore their blogging addiction for the duration of the party).

Word has it that Princess and Louie were really tearing it up on the dance floor when "Who Let The Dogs Out" came on the stereo...

Many males were drooling all over themselves while swooning over the beautiful Jersey. What do you expect? I mean, she is The Furry Diva!

Sasha went home with Bert's phone number!

Oh, it was quite the event, I tell ya! I'll get the rest of the stories after Miss Maggie May catches up on her rest. Tag and Molly are more than willing to tell me some of the other things that went on, but they tend to be tattle-tails and try to get the puppy in trouble.

Oh, and wait until you see all the fabulous gifts that Maggie received! I've tried to explain to her that it isn't nice to brag about your gifts, but she insists on posting them all on here for everyone to see.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

It's a Howling Good Time

Go ahead everyone - have some more cake

Don't forget to grab some extra treats for the blog-road too!

And don't forget your grab-bags. They're customize for humans, canines, felines, birds, reptiles, rodents... you get the idea

Also, Maggie May would like to extend a very special thank you to everyone who attended her doggy-bloggy-birthday-bash. She is having a howling great time and plans to tell all about it in her recap post tomorrow. She's off to go find something else at the party to chew on, but she wanted to tell all her doggy-bloggy-birthday-bash guests to grab the Unconditional Friendship Award, if you don't already have it :-)

Somebody turn the sound system up, would ya? "Hey Louie - Ya wanna dance? I hear you got the moves!"... "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Wooooof woof woof woof

The Rescue Day

I was sorting, packing, cleaning, stressing, and going insane trying to prepare for and move 750 miles away to a new state. Life was as busy and stressful as it could possibly be...
and then, I received a phone call from my dad's girlfriend (I call her 'Mama' - that's another story for another day).

When I answered the phone, I heard, "Misty, there's a lady here telling me that she needs to find a home for a 10 week old puppy and..."

I interrupted, "No way! There's absolutely no way I could be working with and training a puppy right now! I'm packing and sorting, and then there's the 750 mile drive. I just can't do it! So... ummmm... what kind of puppy is it?"

Mama excitedly replies, "But Misty! It's a Border Collie puppy, and she has to find it a new home! Otherwise, I don't know what she's going to do with it. Your dad and I can babysit if you have errands you need to do while preparing for the move. And, we'll find a crate for the puppy to travel in." (Is she good or what? Does she know how to get to me, or what?)

Border Collie puppy... needs new home... 10 weeks old... No - no - no I can't do it... just can't! I came up with all kinds of excuses and she shot them all down. (Yeah Mama, you're smooth)

I said one final - I just don't think I could do it right now, before hanging up the phone, because Mama had to get back to work.

I told Hubs about it, and laughed, "Yeah, like I need a puppy right now with everything else going on! I wonder what it looks like though... I wonder why she's getting rid of a 10-week old innocent puppy..." About that time, I noticed Hubs looking at me with that all-knowing and amused grin, "It's killing you, isn't it Misty? You want to go running and grab that puppy right up, don't you? Misty can't resist or turn down a dog, especially a dog in need."

"No!" I defended my abilities to stay strong, "No, I told her I couldn't do it. I don't want a puppy right now. I'd be crazy to get a puppy right now. I was simply just wondering about the details, that's all."

The rest of the day, I continued to wonder. So, I called Mama...
"OK, I HAVE to know why this lady is getting rid of a 10 week old puppy! I mean, she couldn't have had it long... what? About two weeks? Why is she getting rid of it? I must know."

Mama laughs, "I knew you'd call back."

"Oh yeah, just hush... so tell me why."

"Because she has a two year old toddler, and when the toddler pulls on the puppy's tail or hair, the puppy pulls the toddlers hair. So, she doesn't think it's fair to keep screaming at the puppy and the toddler all the time. So, she has to get rid of the puppy."

Me - "I have to go." Could not hear anymore... that would cause me to... NO - I did NOT need a puppy.

Hours passed and Hubs and I were watching TV, when I heard a truck pull in our drive. I instantly knew who it was (that sneaky little Mama!). I ran outside in my purple-fuzzy slippers and ran to the truck to hug my daddy. On the truck seat, between my dad and Mama, was this little black and white (and absolutely adorable) fur-ball. Seriously, that's what it was... a furball... with the cutest little face ever...
Yeah, not only did I totally melt, but so did Hubs.

My dad just kept repeating, "I told her not to bring that puppy home. I told her that you had too much going on. I told her that she shouldn't bring it home... And then, she brought it home, and I looked at that face, and I said - Oh man, Misty will never be able to resist this!"

Well seriously - who could??? The face... the soft puppy fuzz... the sweet puppy breath... the little puppy kisses... one ear standing up and the other one down. Yeah, that puppy totally knew she was cute - and she knew how to use it.

* More stories to come - along with party favors and treats. So, grab yourself a piece of cake and enjoy (Don't worry we have LOTS of cake - we won't run out) *

My Dogs Keep Me Sane

Grab Some Feed

Donations for My Photography

View My Custom Italian Photo Charm Creations!

Published Photo

Recent Viewers

Survived NaBloPoMo 2007

Maggie May's Guestbook

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Wordless Wednesday... Almost

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Camera-Critters Sunday #4 Matouk

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Camera-Critters Sunday #3

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Enjoy Your Day the Puppy Way

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Corny Lesson

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

How They Keep Me Sane

Friday, March 21, 2008

Comfort For a Dog's Night

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Advice On Being Cute

Monday, March 17, 2008

Ode To My BBFF

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Wordless Wednesday (with words)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Heads or Tails Anything Green

Thursday, February 28, 2008

It Was a WILD Party

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

It's a Howling Good Time

The Rescue Day

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Doggy-Bloggy-Birthday-Bash Welcome