Completely Gratuitous:

With the relationship "pause" I am currently experiencing, I have lost more than my boyfriend... he got custody of my dog. :(

I got Emerson one day on a whim at 20 years old. I have had him ever since. One of the things that I loved so much about Chris was how quickly he took to Emerson, and vice versa. When we decided to look for a second dog together, it was concluded that Chris would get said new pup in the event of a break-up. We found little Lily and fell in love. Unfortunately, Lily was obviously abused by a man in her past, and therefore is very apprehensive about basically the entire gender. This resulted in a much stronger bond between the two of us, and an increasing bond between Chris and Emerson. A few weeks into life with two dogs, it was decided: I would take Lily and Chris would take Emerson instead.

I definitely miss not having Emerson around all of the time, but it is okay since I have Lily around still. But I thought I should share some adorable pictures from the first few weeks of having my very own dog:











Yeah... now you understand why I couldn't walk away from that 5-week-old cutie! He was so damn cute...

What I'm Trying To Forget:

There are a few things to note before I can move on to all of the great things that are happening in my life and around the country right now...

One. The North Face jacket I just talked about... it was stolen right out of my office over the weekend. Someone with a key came in and just thought it'd be okay to take it for themselves. It really requires a low-life to do something like that...

I was extremely angry at first and was ready to give a severe tongue-lashing to the person I believe was the perpetrator, but now I am just disappointed in people. What a sucky thing to do to someone, really.

Two. My childhood dog had to be put to sleep over the weekend.

I've mentioned how my sister, Amanda, and I were complete animal freaks growing up... well we had cried ourselves to sleep many a night begging our parents for a pet (a real pet, not like the hamsters and fish that always served to shortly placate us). One afternoon, we climbed into the car after an ice skating lesson (yes, I'm pretty good at ice skating... no, I can't do any jumps) to find a dog in the backseat. Our mother was full of practical jokes and scare tactics so we were sure that this was another one of her cruel pranks. It wasn't. I was 11, Amanda was 12, and we got our first dog... our very own dog.

My dad was none too pleased with the surprise addition to the family, but he warmed up quickly and fell in love with the fur-ball... so a fence was built and Rusty stayed.

I hadn't seen Rusty in over a year given the state of my relationship with my parents, so I definitely feel very disconnected from the situation... but it brings a tear to my eye thinking about the pure and utter joy we felt on that day, and now he is gone.

Dogs really are the most wonderful thing in the world... a forever companion through thick and thin.

Will You Take a Rain Check?:

So after a mysterious ailment that left me feeling closer to death than I'd ever care to feel again for two solid days, I'm still scrambling to get my life back in order. I have a French midterm tomorrow morning, a lot to catch up on at work after being out for two days due to the aforementioned sickness, and my final draft for my senior thesis is quickly creeping up (along with all of the other day to day things that need not be mentioned).

Basically I'm asking for a couple of days to catch up on life before I pick back up on blogging... In return, I have some awesome things lined up, including some awesome pictures of some new Gocco projects I've finished and that wonderful card catalog (which is now safely in my possession! Woot!).

So bear with me while I regain control... I'll be back soon! (Maybe even by the middle of the week.)

(Photo from here.)

Reason #815 Why I Love My Job:

I brought Lily to work with me this afternoon! She is currently under my desk eating a bone and chilling out. :)

Pest control was coming to my apartment today, and she does not do well with strange men. She's terrified. Also, I didn't want her to potentially lick the fresh chemicals that would be sprayed...

So I brought her to work with me and Chris will come to pick her up when he gets out of class this afternoon! She is always such a well-behaved lady when she comes to work with me, and today has been no different thus far. What a great little dog I have! (And a great job that let's me bring her in situations such as this!)

Also, she was wonderful on the walk over here despite the buses and dump trucks that passed us! This is a huge step for her since she has always been crippled by fear in these types of situations... it's great to see her finally becoming a normal, well-adjusted pup in every way! It makes me feel like I've really made a great new life for her, and I couldn't feel more fulfilled by the fact that I've been able to provide this for such an adorable, loving doggie!

Rescue dogs are the best dogs! Opt to adopt!

Will You Take A Rain Check?:

I will be rather absent for the next two weeks since I am *gasp* actually busy at work. The end and beginning of every month always bring lots of things to be done around the office, but I promise that I'll be around every now and then to write some posts (including a more detailed run down of the fun, albeit disappointing, weekend).

In the meantime, here is a complete gratuitous picture of Emerson when he was a wee 6 weeks old. This was the only time when he was a good puppy...

Puppy Routine:

When we leave the house each day we have to do the following things:
-Make sure there aren't any phone chargers or cords laying on the floor.
-Make sure there are no socks within Lily's reach (she goes nuts for socks!).
-Pull the blinds up a bit so they don't get utterly destroyed in Emerson's attempt to guard the apartment from any canine passer-by.
-Put Emerson in the bedroom.
-Put Lily in the living room.

Keeping them separated highly cuts down on the amount of destruction that occurs while we're away. Actually, it completely eliminates it from the equation. They get so riled up when they are playing that they channel their energy towards ripping up any bed linens that get in their path. It's all fun and games until mommy or daddy come home...

Anyways, the point of this is that Lily does the cutest thing every morning during this routine. She knows full and well that she is staying out in the living room, but every morning she runs into the bedroom with Emerson, jumps on the bed, lays down, and either tries to look as cute and innocent as possible or even pretends to be asleep in an attempt to be left in the room with her big brother. It is so funny and cute! Sometimes the thought crosses my mind to leave her since she obviously wants to be in there so badly, but then the image of my comforter fluff being spread out all over the floor forces me to pick her up and carry her out.

Regardless, it breaks my heart almost every morning. They really are a little duo, and I can tell that despite their sibling quarrels, they really do love eachother.

Just look at them during bath-time!

Etsy Shop of the Week:

Although I absolutely adore Miss Lily's current collar, these make me rethink said adoration. Etsy seller Pecan Pie Puppies has the most splendid collars to go along with the cutest little tagline: "Handmade Collars with Southern Flair." Oh me, oh my.





And no true Southern pup can go without some college football! Even though this is intended for South Carolina... I'm left wondering if that red couldn't be conveyed as some Bulldawg pride... I just love it!

Treats for My Pups:

I made some homemade dog treats! Finally! I've been wanting to do this for a very long time, so finally with some back up from my wonderful friend V, we proceeded to make some dog treats from scratch for our fur-babies. (She has two dogs as well!)

There were so many recipes with liver or veal or other yucky things... I don't even like handling raw chicken, so a vegetarian recipe was a must. My dogs love carrots, grapes, and apples so much, I figured that they wouldn't mind anyways. Also, a lot of the minty ones for doggie breath required a food processor, which is something that I don't have. Here is the recipe that I finally decided on:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter (I chose chunky!)
Mix everything together and knead like bread.
Bake on 325 degrees F for 20 minutes.

That's it! It was so easy and the dogs loved them. Mission accomplished!

Public Nuisance:

I'm a little annoyed. My next-door neighbor has an schnauzer that will. not. shut. up. The thing barks constantly. It stops when he comes home, but for every second that he is away, the mongrel is yapping his head off. Luckily the walls are really thick for an apartment here, but I can still faintly hear the barking. All of the time.

Also, there is someone who is allowing their furry friend to take massive poo's right in front of my porch. Which would be fine if they picked it up. I cannot imagine letting my dog shat right next to someone's porch and leaving it.

I suppose these things annoy me so much because I consider myself pretty responsible about my pups. If I have to pick up the steamy pile of poo for everyone else's sake every time they defecate, so should everyone else. It's part of owning a pet in an apartment complex. Also, when I go to someone's house and their dog jumps all over me and won't quit scratching me, I just want to leave. My dogs certainly get pumped about someone coming over, but they know better than to act a fool.

I have worked really hard at training and disciplining my dogs, and I have made many sacrifices over the years. Most importantly, I know that I have committed to caring for these adorable doggies for the next ten years... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love this pup. :)

A Damn Good Dawg:

Uga VII has been announced and will make his debut before the game tomorrow!

I will be the first to admit that bulldogs aren't cute in the least... but this new Uga is far cuter than many who have graced Sanford Stadium before him. Let's be honest.

Regardless, I'm excited.

Cutie Alert:

Warning: The following cuteness might force you to suddenly lose control of your mouse and end up applying to take this adorable pup home to be all yours!


Meet Walter!

I just saw this doggie over at the Athens Canine Rescue site. This is the place where I got my cutie Lily, and lemme just say they are awesome! The best part about getting a pup from a rescue group, as opposed to a shelter, is that there aren't any surprises! You get a trial period to see how your new companion fits with your lifestyle and they are completely healthy, so no surprise bills when you get to that first vet visit! (A good friend of mine got her dog home from the shelter to find that he had all sorts of medical problems that she wasn't informed of and she ended up paying hundred of dollars to get him healthy.)

Here is a direct link to more pictures of Walter!

I'm One Proud Momma:

Growing up, my sister and I were total pet freaks and watched Animal Planet constantly... so we've always dreamed of having a dog that we could train to do the agility races we'd watch (I'm telling you... such dorks!). Since there was nothing of the sort in Woodstock, we resorted to setting up pillows as jumps and making our family dog Rusty run a "course" we would make in the living room. We were a little ridiculous... poor, poor Rusty.

Anyways, I got Emerson when he was a little 5 week pup, and it wasn't long until I was trying to teach Emerson how to tackle the obstacles at one of the leash-less dog parks.


The A-frame was pretty easy to teach and this was the only obstacle for a long time that he would even go near.


The Dogwalk took a lot more coaxing... he was nervous about this one because it is so narrow, but after a few weeks, he had it mastered.


The other day, we finally got him to go through the Tunnel for the first time! After only two trips, he is totally confident doing this one.


I never thought I would see Emerson do the Seesaw on his own. The equipment at the dog park is a little old and weathered so this thing makes a gates-of-hell noise when it moves which scared the shiz out of him every time. Also, the problem was that he would run super fast up it (like he does with the A-frame and Dogwalk) and therefore would slam down to the ground frighteningly fast. Once I realized this, I got Chris to hold him in the middle as I moved the board down to show him that it could go slowly. After only doing this two times, he was doing it on his own, pausing in the middle but leaning his weight to make the board go down so he could safety walk off of it! I was so proud!

He is such a smartie! Next on our list is the Tire Jump and the dreaded Weave Poles. I would never actually try to compete with him, but it's a great workout for him and it's exciting for us to train him. (All the people at the dog park were quite impressed too... I was one proud momma.)

(All pictures from here.)

My Monkey/Fox/Kangaroo Dog:

This is currently the background for my phone:


Marvel at the cuteness. You know you wanna.