Monday, September 23, 2013

Why Does Everything Always Happen to Us?

About a month ago, in the absolute heat of the summer, I was quite literally greeted at the door by this on my return home from yoga class!

Helping Daddy Dog

I do like to see Milt involved in Jeff's projects, but I realized that this project would soon involve me as well.  Since this was now post-yoga, 7P.M. on a school night, I was sweaty, ravenous, and anxiously overloaded with my own "homework" to accomplish.  I put all those selfish feelings aside, however, and I began flipping myriad switches all over the house to see if we could finally get our porch light to work.  This little house project has actually been a major source of contention for me because I have always felt like our house is a burglar target because we do not have a well-lit front stoop to scare unsavory characters away.  I guess my reluctant involvement was basically getting what I had asked for all these months -- a bright light.  Well, as you probably guessed, Jeff is not a trained electrician, and the light was not fixed that evening.

Then that Friday night, Milt and I arrived home from the dog park, and I was met with the same sight except this time Milt was uninvolved, and Jeff was perplexed.  Switches had been flipped and reflipped, but the porch light was still unworkable leading to immense frustration.  After about an hour inside our house, I knew something was disastrously wrong because I was sweating bullets indoors, and Jeff always has the air conditioning cranked up.  He thought the house was warm because of all the doors, plus our attic, being opened and closed.  When it was still 90 degrees inside after pumping the A/C at 72 degrees, we knew we had a catastrophe on our hands.  Jeff had blown out the circuit leading to our precious friend, the air conditioner.  You can only imagine the sweltering pain that was endured for the entire weekend.  Who suffered the most?  You got it -- our fur baby, Milton.

We called and called to desperately get an air conditioning repair person to our hot box as sweat dripped down our faces like we had just run a 5K (seriously).  When the repair man finally did arrive late Saturday afternoon, he informed us that we had an electricity problem on our hands, and he could be of no help.  Thus the calls to the electrician began who did not listen to our cries of "emergency," despite our ever present worry that we would die of the supreme 90+ degree temperature of our house!  Our little family of three sat in that heat for more than 72 hours.  You can only imagine how tempers flared in that unpleasant atmosphere.  We tried to keep our goldendoodle cool with a big fan and multiple wettings in the shower, which subsequently led to lots and lots of mats in his fur.  Milt Dog did manage to leave for a lot of Sunday to spend time with Daddy at the office, but he did throw up twice, and I do believe it was due to the heat.

Our air conditioning was finally fixed late Monday afternoon, and I couldn't have been happier!  Jeff and I, Milt especially, now have a new-found respect for  that blast of cool air that blissfully circulates throughout our old 1929 house.  I simply do not know how people, or dogs for that matter, ever lived without it.  The ironic part of this whole story is I am detailing it during our first Dallas cold snap, so it all seems like a dream now, but it truly is a nightmare that I will never forget and probably will retell at many a dinner party in years to come.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Puppy Photo of the Week

Monday morning.  This is how I often feel:

Falling out of bed...

Have a fantastic week, everyone!

Friday, September 13, 2013

A Dollop of Humor!

While pursuing Pinterest (one of my regular activities), I came upon this photo which reminds me oh so much of my Milt Dog:

  

We've all certainly been there, and it is unpleasant to say the least.  Although, good for dogs to have the gumption to really show how they feel.  I have been on many a run where I just wanted to dive onto someone's cushy grass and rest for a bit.  We have so much we can learn from canines!

Oh, wait, and another Pinterest find!


These guys are doodles, and I just had to include them!  Plus, you know I'm a sucker for some good dog shaming.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Friday, September 6, 2013

A Poignant Share

My good friend, Lindsay, recently shared this New York Times article with me.  Lindsay and I have had frequent discussions regarding the inevitable, impending (not yet, thankfully!) deaths of our dogs.  We are morbidly saddened that our puppies, whom we have raised like babies, will not grow nearly as old as we will.  For me, I always imagine Jeff and I sitting side by side in a nursing home with good old Milt sprawled out between us.  I know, however, unless he is a modern-day miracle, that this is merely an imaginative fancy, and his life is much more futile than that.

It is difficult to come to terms with this though because Milton is the one who tirelessly cheers me up with his licks, cajoles me into endless hours of play, and is uncontrollably happy to see me no matter how little or long I have been away.  He's my main dood.  Why wouldn't he be around forever?

If you want to read a good piece of writing, check out the article:  On the Road to Bliss by Tatjana Soli.  If you too have a four-legged baby at home, you may tear up a bit, but remember at the end of it all, It is better to have loved than to have never loved at all.

Milt and my mom, circa summer 2012

This picture is an oldie but goodie.  I am currently at home in New York visiting my mom for a few days, so I thought it was a sweet memory.  My how my boy has grown...!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Wubba?

What is a Wubba one might ask?  A Wubba is a toy that replaces a tail-less raccoon and a snout-less pig.  Believe it or not, we are still pulling toys from Milton's birthday stockpile.  Wubba, a Kong toy, was a gift from Milton's biggest dog blog fan, Queen Goob!  We actually have been saving this one for quite some time because it is sturdy and well-made.  Wubba has quickly skyrocketed to the top of Milt Dog's list of toy favorites.  Did I mention Wubba squeaks?

A boy and his Wubba

Mischievous look

Tight grip

Hauling Wubba around

A playful taunt

Milt, Momma, and the Wubba

How Kong came up with the name of "Wubba," I have absolutely no idea.  To me, it sounds like a little kid's "blankie" or "binkie."  If you think your puppy may need a toy of this caliber, check it out here:
http://www.kongcompany.com/products/for-dogs/wubba/  We are hopeful that this toy will last our goldendoodle a good long time although he is already less one ear.

Poor dear Wubba...


Monday, September 2, 2013

Sometimes Accidents Happen

Whenever my Momma gets home, I am just so incredibly excited to see her, and sometimes my big tail wags so furiously, and I break things, and ... I'm sorry.

Blurry -- Milt's a mile a minute when I walk in the door.

What happened?

Uh oh...

 Our goldendoodle is a big boy totally unaware of his own tail. 

Happy Labor Day!  Hopefully all of you are enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation.  If, indeed, you are working today, I hope you are partaking in something meaningful that you love.