Owner: GollyLog URL:http://www.gollygear.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:59:47 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Life and times of two sisters who share a love of dogs and own a small dog boutique. Site statistics:Click here
How geeky can I get? (very, very!) 2008-03-19 15:05:00 Looking out into the "Space Quest Casino" from the Star Trek Experience. Cool mobiles hanging from the ceiling!You will run into Borgs, Klingons, and AndoriansAnd the occasional Salt Vampire. The reason we stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton was completely and totally because it's home to the Star Trek Experience. (Although I did see Barry Manilow. Not his show. Just him - walking through the lobby.) And it was great fun - hanging out at Quark's Bar, drinking "Bolean Sunsets." The aliens walking around are wonderful - these actors put a lot of work into both their makeup/costumes and their characters. They're not only fun to look at, they're a joy to converse with - they know their stuff!
It truly is Spring! 2008-03-22 09:47:00 Yesterday was my birthday. And for the first time, ever (that I can remember, now that I'm old and decrepit) I got a blizzard for a present. Thanks to our wonderful friends Dallas and Vicki, I also got this wonderful reminder that Springtruly
is here. Thank you!
Working like a dog 2008-03-25 14:24:00 It seems that just about every other person around here is sick with some cold/flu thing that hangs on forever and completely drains all energy from the infected person. I've been really lucky that I haven't caught it. Fran hasn't been so lucky - she's been suffering for about a week now. The benefits of having your own family business are countless. Among the numerous advantages is flexibility and being able to cover for each other when life requires your presence elsewhere. The downside is not being able to call in sick - if one of us is down for the count, the other is on duty all the time. For the person on duty it's tiring. For the one who's sick - it's feeling horrible and horribly guilty about making someone else pick up the slack for you.You can say whatever you want about rejectin
The face of genius! 2008-03-26 10:46:00 I've always thought that Roc was one of the cutest, loudest (he barks at the tv), and smartest dogs on the planet. Last night I got proof of his brilliance! We were having a play session after dinner and he was pretty bored with the toys I pulled out of the toy bin. (Toys left out are subject to instantaneous Boston Terrier destruction. We've mentioned Ceilidh before, haven't we?) So I reached into the bin a little deeper and came up with a toy he hadn't seen in a while.It's a little car-shaped stuffie toy, with a pull-string. When you pull it, the car goes skittering around in circles. I pulled the string and set it down. Roc loved it - batting at it and chasing it. When the string retracted all the way and the car stopped, he brought it back to me and watched, fascinated, while I pulled Read more:genius
My clever boy! 2008-04-01 15:39:00 Here's the incredibly cute Roc - who learned to make his car go by watching me do it!
The Ultimate Comfort 2008-03-28 10:31:00 Hope mentioned that I was sick. I'm better now (OK, not 100% but getting there). A big part of my recovery has been the dogs. No better nurses are on the planet. While they can't bring juice or soup, or tissues, they provide a great service. Here are Dax and Ceilidh against my leg (I'm wearing my super-comfy pasta chef pants) on my bed being adorable and warm! What's amazing about this picture is that Ceilidh is actually touching Dax! (Is she making progress or did Ceilidh just feel so sorry for me that she made the ultimate sacrifice?) Read more:Ultimate
Tale of a Whisker 2008-04-04 12:28:00 A couple of weeks ago, I told you that my friend Betsy ran Ceilidh in Agility Class. The thing that impressed her the most - Betsy's still remarking on it - is that Ceilidh has both black and white whiskers - they match the coloring on that part of her face. That started me thinking. Brown dogs have brown whiskers - Dax has dark brown and Robbie light brown: Hannah's whiskers match her fur:Other black and white dogs have whiskers that match their face - Cozy has white whiskers: But when dogs age, in our experience, their whiskers stay the same - Golly's whiskers are black:
Second season has arrived 2008-04-08 11:59:00 It's an old joke, but still valid. Chicago's second season has arrived, it's not winter, it's construction! I had to run an errand for the store this morning and this is what the Edens Expressway looks like. An oxymoron all by itself! A 45 minute trip took two hours of my life I'll never get back. Then again, they were two hours of blissful ignorance. When I got back to the shop Fran told me we'd gotten some terrible news, a dear woman who was first a customer at our bookstore and became a dear friend died suddenly. She was a lady who lived every moment to the fullest and was a joy to know. We'll miss you Renae! Read more:Second
It's OK to Love Your Dog! 2008-04-11 12:05:00 We met a very nice lady this week and spent some time talking to her about life, the universe, dogs... She's a busy suburban mom with kids, a house, a husband. I don't know if she has a job outside the home, but I'm sure she does volunteer work. And she loves her dog. It seemed like she was embarrassed to admit it, though. We understand. No matter what goes on during the day - the kids were impossible, late for the bus, dressed inappropriately, talked back at breakfast; the clerk at the grocery store was incompetent (sorry - just an example!); the husband wants you to run errands in six different directions; the dishwasher sprang a leak. No matter how bad your day was - your dog loves you. It's unconditional love. And even though your dog is not the brightest bulb in the canine world, even
Good company 2008-04-14 14:53:00 I know I'm nowhere near alone in the world in hating housework. I love having the house clean and spiffy and it's the only way to get it there, but it's a necessary evil and not something I look forward to doing.Back in the days before Dax cracked her tooth on the vacuum {resulting in pain (hers), surgery (hers) and expense (mine)} the pups would keep me company
while I did my chores. Now they're securely locked out of the room I'm working on. They don't much like it, either. And they're really loud in their objections. To save my ears from their protests and the vacuum noise, I have my iPod blasting away. Which makes me wonder if I'm the only one who has a "Vacuuming" playlist?
Spinning my wheels 2008-04-17 16:46:00 Ever have one of those days when you feel like you're dashing around like crazy and getting absolutely nothing done? I seem to be having that kind of week! It could have something to do with my new addition to the house - a treadmill. That's right. I'm now officially getting nowhere fast. We'll see how Dax likes it when it's her turn to hop aboard. So far the dogs are entirely indifferent. When they see me head into the workout area of the basement, each one finds his/her favorite spot and takes a nap. Dax's favorite is usually on top of one of the others. The mashed ones don't appreciate it, but Dax is still convinced she's the smallest dog in the house. It's impossible to convince her that what was true when she was nine weeks old is no longer valid. She's the baby, gotta love her!
Happy Birthday, Ceilidh! 2008-04-18 11:05:00 Ceilidh is seven today! Wow! People still stare in wonder when we tell them that she's (now) seven years, not months. And then we see in their eyes, "Better them than me." Yes, we're lucky! We have a little dynamo in our house. She keeps us on our toes. She keeps me ever-vigilant. She keeps us active. Ceilidh is the sweetest dog on the planet (with people). The top of Ceilidh's head is the best place in the world to kiss. I think she deserves a new ball! Read more:Happy
, Birthday
, Happy Birthday
New regimen for my fat dogs 2008-04-23 14:17:00 It just goes to show - if you're not paying attention, the pounds just creep up on us! I got the bad news when I took Golly, Roc and Dax in to the vet for a routine visit. Golly, of course, is perfect. Roc and Dax are fat.It makes perfect sense - Roc retired from training a few months ago. His activity level decreased and it never even occurred to me that his food should, too! And Dax has been having issues with her food for quite a while - she needed more protein. Which has calories. Which I didn't account for in the quantity I fed.So we've started a new routine. Before my treadmill workout, the dogs get theirs. Roc took to it right away - he gets to watch tv while he works out. Dax had to be convinced it was fun, but she's getting the idea. We'll all be in shape before you know it!
Performance Frenchie - not an oxymoron! 2008-04-22 16:11:00 Dax and I (and Ceilidh and Fran) went to our first Agility Fun Match yesterday evening. There's probably some ordinance, somewhere, that makes it against the law to have as much fun as we did! Nice site, great people, well-behaved dogs, well-organized, a pleasure! Of course, it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if Dax hadn't been terrific! Everybody had two runs. On the first one I tried to follow the course, but that didn't work out quite as expected. When I faltered (my first time, too) Dax took off! She saw the jump-setters sitting in the corner and went dashing off to say "Hello!" I took two steps toward her and then heard a niggling little voice in the back of my head saying "Run away! Run away!" Which I did and Dax came dashing after me! The voice in the back of my head was Dee, Read more:Performance
Killed by kindness 2008-04-24 14:33:00 Last night at Obedience class we got some rather horrible news. Einstein the Poodle died. Einstein and his mom joined us for training the first time less than a month ago. Einstein was a sweet, smart, red Miniature Poodle. He'd just been adopted from a rescue group that week. And his new mom was thrilled with him - he was a wonderful companion. She had big plans for him, including Obedience competition. She seemed to be doing everything right.But she was too nice to Einstein. Since he'd had a rough time and was such a good boy, she couldn't face putting him in a crate or cage when she left the house. While she was gone one day this week, Einstein ate a tube of something he found in the bathroom. And the emergency veterinarian couldn't save him. So, for anyone out there who thinks that crat Read more:Killed
Always End on a Positive Note 2008-04-25 12:28:00 Last night was Agility class and Ceilidh had a great time overall. There was lots of jumping and weaving in last night's sets which are Ceilidh's favorite things in the world (except for her beloved Latex Soccer Ball, of course). But our instructor threw in a double jump which is kind of rare. Ordinarily Ceilidh sails right over it but last night she took it down the first time over. I didn't think much of it at the time. But the last set of the evening included the double jump also. And Ceilidh refused to even attempt it. I knew the bar didn't hurt her, but earlier it did something strange and she wasn't going anywhere near it. I tempted her with her ball, with cheese, I tried cheering her over, running with her - no joy. Finally our instructor helped me with a "restrained recall" (she he Read more:Positive
It could have been so much worse... 2008-04-28 16:31:00 Yesterday was one of the strangest days. Not interesting strange, bad strange.It seemed ordinary enough. After lunch I went to a local fabric store that's having a closing sale. I needed some cloth for background when we shoot product pictures and some other stuff. And I love a sale.I found some nice bargains, so I was at the cutting table, chit-chatting with the clerk while he measured and cut my choices. And then I heard my name over the PA "Please come to the front of the store."So I went up, curious and curiouser! There was a uniformed Police Officer waiting for me. I get close to him and he looks at me somberly, puts his hand on my shoulder and says "I'm afraid I have some really bad news for you."At this point, my mind is rapidly sorting through all the possibilities, and none of the
Maple Flowers are Delicious! 2008-05-02 11:37:00 It's spring and the trees are popping! This is a picture of flowers from a Sugar Maple
tree. The trees bud, then they flower, then the leaves come out. The flowers have been falling for a few days, and they're Roc's new favorite food. They must be delicious, because Roc ignores my calls to "Come home!" for a Maple Bacon Best Buddy Bit treat - usually his favorite! Golly wonders what the fuss is about. Dax is slowly converting to Roc's way of thinking, which is too bad, because they'll be gone in another few days. Read more:Flowers
, Delicious
Can't keep her eyes open 2008-05-05 13:05:00 Yesterday afternoon Dax really, really wanted to watch the Cubs game on tv, but just couldn't stay awake. Poor baby - we make her work so hard. Don't you just love the tummy?It's a mother's perogative to embarass her children - especially on their birthdays.Happy 4th Birthday, Dax!
Silly wabbit - can't read the sign! 2008-05-10 09:16:00 We've had an interesting week around here, dog-wise. Dax has become quite the "mighty hunter" - I've had to pick bunny fur out of her teeth once and nearly once again. Wouldn't you think the silly wabbit would figure out that ours is not the safest yard in the neighborhood to be munching grass? Then again - it may be the only one without chemicals, so bunny might be right after all!Dax and I went to an Obedience fun match on Wednesday night. (Thank you for driving, Betsy!) and I was soooo happy - she did the Stand for Exam perfectly - first try! Her heeling was rather awful, but I can't blame her, much, since we've been concentrating on the other exercises lately. I had a bit of a mess yesterday trying to get my repaired car back - the body shop called and said it was ready, so I turned i Read more:Silly
There's a limit! 2008-05-16 11:49:00 I may have mentioned that Ceilidh has the canine equivalent of ADHD with a compulsion disorder. This is her permanent state. If she's not actively playing with a toy, she wants us to play with her, with a toy. The vinyl bone has actually fallen out of favor. Ceilidh's current favorite is Cuz. And she like to play tug with it. The only good thing is that she'll hold the ball part and let me have th
Go play! 2008-05-15 13:05:00 Yesterday evening I led the drop-in training session for our obedience club. As everybody was heeling around, looking extremely terrific and ready for competition, it occurred to me that not enough people have enough fun with their dogs.There are so many events that people can play in with their dogs: obedience, rally obedience, tracking, herding, water tests, agility, flyball, disc dog, dock dog.
Do as I say, not as I do 2008-05-20 15:37:00 I really believe that the universe is arranged to highlight life's little ironies.I'm one of the "experts" on the "Ask the French Bulldog Experts" site. Theoretically, my specialty is training. So, naturally, my French Bulldog Dax, at four years old, has developed some not-very-charming behaviors lately. I'm tempted to call it separation anxiety, but I don't really think that's the situation. When
Planting? In this Freezing Weather? 2008-05-23 11:01:00 It's Memorial Day weekend! It's been in the 40s every morning for the last two weeks! Unless it's been in the 30s. What is this? I always like to plant a couple of containers with pansies they're so cheerful, but it's just been too cold to even think about doing anything in the garden. But Wednesday I decided to bite the bullet and get my hands cold and dirty. So I did a couple of errands and swun Read more:Freezing
Put up or shut up time 2008-05-28 16:29:00 Well, I've finally gone and done it. I've entered Dax in our first actual Obedience Trial. We've been training for it for a long time and last week, in class, I got my first clue that she's more than a touch bored with things as they are. The jumps were out for the people in Open and Utility to practise. So we took a turn at the Broad Jump. Dax, never having been taught the exercise, stayed when t
Caring for an Aging Princess 2008-05-30 11:02:00 Well, I knew I'd have to deal with it sooner or later, but I wish it could be later, like in about 20 years. We got some bad news about Golly this week - she has heart disease. Her enlarged heart makes it very important that everything in Golly's life stay stress-free. Thinking about it, though, that's pretty much Golly's life now, and has been for the last 12 years since she came to live with us! Read more:Caring
, Aging
, Princess
What's the plural of iris? Iri? 2008-06-04 15:55:00 Bearded Iris are one of my two favorite flowers. (Pansies are the other) This week the few that we have bloomed - well worth waiting for!Dax had to check them out - she's not entirely convinced Iris aren't food. Read more:plural
Success at Agility Class! 2008-06-06 12:25:00 Ceilidh was brilliant last night at Agility class! Well, OK, she was pretty good. She had to be persuaded a couple of times to go in the chute, and cajoled along the teeter, and she spun around after a jump when I didn't want her to, but her weaving was excellent! But, boy it was warm and damp in there, even with the air conditioning blasting. Dax was flat on the floor in between runs. I guess we' Read more:Success
Dress rehearsal - not so great 2008-06-09 14:27:00 Saturday I took Dax to a "Fun Match" at For Your Canine, which is where our club is holding its Obedience Trial next Sunday. And I fervently hope that the old saw about "bad rehearsal=good performance" holds true.A chunk of the problem may have been the temperature. French Bulldogs don't do very well in the heat and the weather on Saturday was in the upper 80s. But I really can't think it's a good
Warning, Will Robinson! Danger approaching! 2008-06-12 15:21:00 Last night at training class I got a good reminder of exactly how little heat tolerance French Bulldogs in general, and Dax in particular, have. We were doing some run-throughs in preparation for the trial this weekend. Dax is usually a happy girl in training - trotting around, busy and interested. Last night she was rather slow and seemed a bit frightened. Something was definitely off-kilter. It Read more:Robinson
, Danger
Recommend Site To A Friend
