Zelda.
Dorito Ears!
Showing posts with label Cute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cute. Show all posts
Photo of the Day
Yes, this is obviously going to be Dudley's Halloween costume.
[H/T to every single humanoid in the multiverse, and my thanks to each and every one of you for sending it along!]
Daily Dose of Cute
This video does not even do justice to how hilariously pathetic Dudley was being the other night, but I tried to capture and convey the desperate angst as best as I could.
Agony Antler: Dudley has an antler tragedy, but, luckily, I am able to save the day with my human problem-solving skills and opposable thumbery.
Text Onscreen: I bought the dogs a pair of naturally shed elk antlers to chew on… [picture of two sections of elk antler] It was a HIGH VALUE TREAT, so Dudley immediately grabbed his and ran down the hall with it to the office, where he takes all HIGH VALUE TREATS. [retrospective video of Dudley taking a pig's ear from me and running down the hall with it] But, pretty soon, there was an evident problem… [video of Zelda chewing contentedly on her antler; I pan to the left, and Dudley is lying pitiably on the floor with no antler. I say, "Dudley, where's yours? Where's your antler? Where did you put it?" He looks miserable. "Are you pathetic?" I ask.] Yes. Very pathetic. [video of Dudley lying with his face right next to Zelda, staring at her while she chews contentedly on her antler, which she has not immediately lost like a glaikit] I went to the office to look for it. I looked all over and couldn't find it. I looked in the guest room, the bathroom, the loft…no sign of it. Dudley continued to look pathetic. [video of Dudley looking pathetic beside Zelda] I finally thought to look under the bookshelf that's right next to Dudley's bed in the office. And there it was. [picture of the antler placed to show that's there's just exactly enough room for it to slide under the bookshelf] I returned Dudley's antler to him, and the world was a just and joyful place once again. [video of Zelda and Dudley lying on their beds in the office, chewing happily on their antlers; video of Dudley resting on his bed, holding onto his antler with one paw] The End. [picture of Dudz and Zelly together on one bed labeled "Two Dogs!"]He literally must have run into the office with it, dropped it, and watched it skid under the bookshelf instantly, lol. He is SUCH a hapless goofball.
Daily Dose of Cute
Zelda
Looking at older pictures now, I notice how her face has changed since we adopted her in July: She's filled out, care of a diligent regimen of treats, no more gaunt cheeks (or jutting backbone), and, as she's settled in, her face has relaxed. Her ears move around more, and her jaw is no longer clenched with anxiety. That she feels part of our family now is literally written on her face.
Daily Dose of Cute
Below, video of Dudley Being Bad: Dudz is very annoyed that we aren't taking him to the dog park RIGHT NOW! Don't we know that he WANTS TO GO?! We're HORRIBLE! Ooh something shiny!
Video Description: Dudley barking his fool head off at Iain and me sitting on the couch, then getting distracted by something out the window, jumping on the couch, and forgetting he was ever barking at us.
When my friend C watched this video, she said, "Please tell me he doesn't do this every day," to which I replied, "No, lol. He hardly ever does it, which is why it's easy to find it amusing when he does."
Weekend Cute
Video Description: Dudz and Zelzabelle have fun at the dog park this morning. Set to Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz."
* * *
We've discovered that if we go to the park first thing Saturday/Sunday morning, especially now that it's getting frosty overnight, there's no one else there—so I don't need to walk Zelda on the trails, and she and Dudley have a chance to run around together, which they both looooooooooove.
Dudley will chase after Zel, and catch her immediately, and she'll tumble and roll and he'll LEAP! over her and keep running—and then she'll start to chase him, and he'll look behind him and make sure she's after him, then run and run and run, never going full speed, but never going slow enough that she can catch him, despite her valiant efforts. And then he'll stop, and she'll come up and bump him—"Keep running!"—or walk underneath him and stand there, intertwined with him, the two of them panting hot visible breaths into cool air, skin sliding over ribs as their lungs expand and contract, looking for all the world like some eight-legged bellows monster.
Last winter, when Dudley was the only pup at the dog park most weeks, I used to say, "It would be nice if Dudley always had someone to play with at the dog park." And now he does.
Daily Dose of Cute
Here's a quick little video of Zelly-Belly being super cute and super sweet, which she is pretty much all the time (meetings with unknown dogs notwithstanding). She is just such a cuddlebug, and so clever and obedient, and such a happy little thing. She's an absolute joy to be around, and I love her to pieces.
[Zelda the Mutt lies on the floor of the living room, dog toys scattered all over the floor.]Still photos of all the beloved furry residents of Shakes Manor are below…
Me [from behind camera]: Zelda! *kissy noises* [Zelda looks at me and her tail starts wagging] What are you doing? Can you come here? [She gets up and comes over to me.] Can you sit? [She sits against my leg.] Oh, what a good girl! Can you shake? [I put my hand out and she places her paw in it.] Oh, what a good girl! [I scratch her head and chin; she looks up at me cutely.] Are you such a good dog? Yes, you are. [I stop petting her and she looks at me.] What are you doing? Do you think we should go out for a walk? [She looks at me with perked-up ears.] Do you think?! [Cute look; perked ears.] D'ja want to go out? [Tilts head; perks ears.] Do you want a treat? [No reaction.] Do you just want to sit here and get head scratches? [I reach out my hand and she LEAPS! backwards excitedly, licking her lips and wagging her entire backside.] No! You want to go out?! [She hops around the living room with massive wigglebuttery.] Do you want to go out? Tell me. Should we go? [She leaps to the side, and watches me with wagging tail as I get up.] Okay, let's go. Let's go! [She looks at me, waiting for me to lead her to the door.] Let's go! Come on. *kissy noises* [I walk around to the front door. Sophie is standing there; she scurries out of my way.] Look, it's Sophs! [Zelda comes and stands by the door; in the background, Dudley can be heard shaking his head and flapping his ears as he rouses from a nap.] Are you a good girl? Can you sit? [I point my finger in Zelda's hand-sign for sit.] Sit. [She sits and looks at me patiently, waiting for me to put on her harness.] Oh, gooood girrrrrrl.
That cannot be comfortable.
Catloaf.
Reverse catloaf.
Pistols at noon, naps at dusk.
Zel after a hard day of being adorbz.
Daily Dose of Cute
Zelda shares her curiosity.
Squirrels beware!
(Dear Squirrels: You do not have to beware. One never goes outside, and the other's always on a leash. Carry on with your squirrelly business. Love, Liss.)
Photo of the Day
Image Description: Zeus, an 11-year-old Maine Coon cat, has a curious encounter with a young mountain lion in Boulder, with the pair safely separated by a sliding glass door.
Photo of the Day
A newborn dolphin named Doerrte swims with its mother Delphi at the zoo in Duisburg, Germany, Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. The little bottlenose dolphin is one of three dolphin babies that were born at the same time last month at the zoo in the Ruhr valley. [AP Photo]When I was a little kid, I went through a stage where I was absolutely obsessed with dolphins. I don't know what started it, and I'm not sure why it faded—or even when, exactly. But for awhile, I had all kinds of dolphin crap: Dolphin stuffed toys, dolphin figurines, dolphin socks, and so many dolphin stickers in my sticker-book.
All I've got left of that collection now is a tiny etched cube, picturing two dolphins leaping into the ocean air.
Daily Dose of Cute
Quite some time ago, Shakers RedSonja and KarateMonkey, and their dog Buffy, gifted Dudley an indestructible(ish) chew-toy made from recycled firehose. Dudley, however, never has as much interest in the Hard Core Fire Hose as when Zelda decides to play with it. (Rinse and repeat and interchange names for every toy they have in their toybox.)
So when Zelda grabs the hose out of the toybox, often with the express purpose of enticing Dudley to wrestle for it...
...Dudley immediately decides he wants to play with it!
"Hey, that looks pretty fun!"
"Give it to me! It's mine!"
"No, it's mine!"
"I had it first!"
"AHHHHHHHHH! I WILL KEEL YOU!"
"Rrrrawwwrrr!" "Rrrrawwwrrr!" "I'm thirsty!" "Me, too!"
Lap lap lap lap kissy kiss lap lap lap.
"Phbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt!"
The hose now lies abandoned in the middle of the living room floor, completely ignored by both of them.
Daily Dose of Cute
"I am cute and fuzzy. Will you not pet me?"
"Oh, hello there. I was thinking you might like to join me for a walk."
"My own feets are the best toys ever!"
"This is just what I needed after a hard day of napping and eating."
"I hate this show. Put on a Golden Girls re-run."
Daily Dose of Cute
Zelda and Matilda are arch-nemeses. This is because they are exactly alike, and both want to be sitting on top of me in exactly the same spot at all times. Zelda loves to antagonize Matilda by doing leaping play-bows at her, which she knows Tilsy hates, and Matilda loves to antagonize Zelda by hissing at her and punching her in the nose, which she knows Zelly hates.
This ongoing battle for mutual destruction results in many amusing stand-offs.
Tilsy: I hate you, mongrel.
Zelly: You can hate me all you want. I'm the one on the couch in the BEST SPOT EVARRRR! Mwah ha ha ha!
Tilsy: Whatever. I don't even want to sit there, anyway. You'll probably catch cooties from Two-Legs.
Zelly: I'll risk it. Seeya!
Tilsy retreats to the kitchen to plot her revenge.
A few days ago, the two of them were both jostling for position under the desk and got into a proper fight. (At least a proper fight for them, which means a lot of noisy, dramatic wrangling but no actual damage.) Ten minutes later, I was on the couch and they were both on top of me, one on either side of my lap, sound asleep.
Daily Dose of Cute
Sophie spots a fly. Or something.
Yesterday evening, one of the last flies that will sneak its way into the house this year was zipping around the living area, sending all the animals into a fly-chasing frenzy. The cats were interested for about five minutes, then left the fly to its own devices while they returned to their naps. Dudz and Zelly, meanwhile, spent about two hours running after the thing, chasing it upstairs into the loft, then back down to the living room, over and over, as the incessant sound of snapping dog jaws filled the air.
At one point, as Zelda bashed her muzzle against the glass in the front window in pursuit of the buzzing menace, Sophie stood next to me on the arm of the sofa, watching, then looked at me as if to say, "What is wrong with them?"
Daily Dose of Cute
"What can I do for you?"
This was pretty much the exact expression on Zelda's face the first time I laid eyes on her. She was sitting so still and stoic in her little cage, looking at me hopefully. "I'll do whatever you want to get out of this cage. What can I do for you?" It was that look that stopped me, that look that made me know in a single instant that she was my dog. It's not that I want a dog who will bring me my slippers; I just want a dog who's interested in having that conversation with me. I was, after all, wondering what I could do for her, too.
Most people think their dogs are smart—and most people are right. Dogs are, as a rule, pretty clever. Zelly is clever: She picks up tricks in about 10 minutes, and she's developed her own mode of letting us know she needs something by nudging us with her nose, then running backwards—"Follow me!" To the food dish! To the front door! To the HA HA FOOLED YOU I'M IN YOUR SEAT NOW!
But some dogs are more intuitive than others, and Zelly is revealing herself to be a very astute wee empath. Dudley can figure out what I'm going to do almost before I know I'm going to do it, but Zelda can figure out what I need almost before I realize I need it.
It's a beautiful, brisk fall day here today, and there was a chill in the air this morning when we got up. "I'm chillsy," I said to Iain, as he was getting ready to leave, not a complaint but an observation. The words had barely evaporated before Zelly was crawling in the space Iain had left behind him as he sat on the edge of the couch to put on his socks, so that she could snuggle up beside me. "I heard you were in need of a face-licking hot water bottle in a fur coat."
Why, yes. I was.
