Bones, treats, peanut butter, toys, snuggles...
"Hey, Zelly!"
"What?"
Showing posts with label Cute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cute. Show all posts
Daily Dose of Cute
Sophie, in the warm glow of a tap-light during our blackout earlier today. That's not pre-sunrise; the sky was just so dark during the storm that the interior of the house was dark as nighttime.
Daily Dose of Cute
"I WOULD LIKE SOME WATER, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!"
"If you don't mind, I'mma just lie here and pant for the next two hours."
I love her little blue-mottled tongue. Just when you think her zany wee grin couldn't possibly get any cuter...BOOM! Out comes the colorful tongue!
[Note: There is always plenty of water awaiting the dogs upon their return to Shakes Manor after a walk, especially on a hot day. They don't actually have to wait for it.]
Bonus Cute
My friend Ari's chihuahua Chico, who fell asleep halfway out of his bed.
Photo by Ari (aka Ms. A). Posted with her permission.
Chico is impossibly tiny, even for a chihuahua. He is so little that when I pet him, I can't even pet his head without accidentally petting his eyeballs when he moves around excitedly. The first time I did it, I was horrified and told Ari I'd pet his eyes, and she said, "Yeah, that happens all the time!" LOL!
(Don't worry—his eyes are fine.)
He's nine years old; Ari rescued him about five years ago. When she got him, he was poorly socialized and thus unfriendly, but Ari was patient and dedicated to his socialization, and, today, he is the sweetest little dog. He greets you excitedly when you walk in the door and is a total cuddle-buns. He loves snuggling against boobs, so I am, with my colossal rack, his totes BFF.
Because I'm so used to big dogs, everything Chico does is hilarious to me. I don't even know how something so tiny can live in the world!
I can't even deal with watching him play with Iain. "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeco!" Iain growls at him, and Chico hops on Iain's lap and dances around excitedly, waiting for his eyeballs to be lovingly if inadvertently stroked.
Daily Dose of Cute
Dudley
Matilda (and Livs, photobombing)
Olivia
Sophie
Zelda
Daily Dose of Cute
This is just a terrific video of Zelly using my iPad as a pillow while chilling out and watching a show about mammoths:
Video Description: Zelda the Black-and-Tan Mutt lies on the couch with her head on its arm, where my iPad is sitting. She blinks sleepily. As she breathes, her exhalations steam up the screen of the iPad.
It's hard to believe this didn't get nominated for ALL THE EMMYS.
"What? Don't act like you didn't know I'm a weird little dog!"
Daily Dose of Cute
Today is the one-year anniversary of Zelda's adoption. I can't believe our little American Adorbzhound has been with us a year already, and, in the way that such contemplation of passing time always makes inevitable, I can't believe she's only been here a year.
She is a wonderful dog, loved even by friends who say they aren't especially fond of dogs. She is a voracious cuddle monster, and a loyal companion who wants nothing more in this world to make us happy. The feeling is mutual.
In the year since she joined us, she has been nothing but a delight. She's now great on the leash and is a pleasure to walk. She's still fussy about letting us trim her nails, but she lets Matilda's groomer do it, which is a compromise with which we both can live. And she's still scared of other dogs when she and/or they are off-leash, but if we introduce her in a structured way that lets her know she's safe, she's fine. I don't know that we'll ever totally undo whatever made her terrified of every other dog in the world (besides, inexplicably, Dudley), but there has been marked improvement.
And because even the animals of Shakes Manor carry teaspoons, she has been an excellent ambassador for shelter dogs and mixed-breed dogs. Those funny little Dorito ears have started a lot of conversations about where she came from, and she sits patiently, grinning, while I tell the story again of finding her at the pound, of looking into those big brown eyes for the first time and knowing down to my bones that she was my dog.
So, in honor of Zelda's first year with us, here is a little video celebrating her happy life in her forever home and showing what abundant joy rescuing a shelter dog can be.
Set to Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me."
Text Onscreen: On July 16, 2011, we walked into the local Humane Society, and we saw a little black dog who didn't even have a name… [image of Zelda curled up on a blanket] We decided to give her a name. [image of Zelda grinning with "Zelda" in text beside her] And a forever home.
Video clips: Zelda riding in the car, with Dudley peeking his nose over the backseat. Zelda sitting, wagging her tail, looking up into the camera, and grinning. Zelda greeting me at the front door, grinning and wagging her tail excitedly. Zelda and Dudley playing chase in the backyard last summer, seguing into digging and investigating together in the fall, seguing into chasing each other through the snow last winter. Zelda running toward me through the snow, grinning; I zoom in on her and she puffs frosty air, then runs off across the garden again. Zelda lies on her back on the couch with her belly exposed and legs in the air; I rub her special belly spot and her back leg kicks wildly. Zelda lies on the living room floor on her belly, back legs out behind her, chewing on a rawhide; she turns and grins then goes back to chewing. Zelly leaps and grabs her plushy raccoon; sits and grins and twists her Dorito ears in a funny shape; looks at me and wags her tail; greets me excitedly at the front door; brings Dudley a giant plushy duck; runs across the garden toward me, grinning; pulls a plushy lobster out of the toybox and lies down next to Dudley on his dog bed; lies beside Dudley in the grass; chases a ball in the garden; scans the garden alertly; runs wildly at the dog park.
Still pictures of Zelda lying on my legs; cuddled on the sofa next to Iain; napping between Dudley and Sophie; napping next to Matilda and Dudley; napping next to Olivia.
Text Onscreen: Shelter animals make great pets. Opt to adopt.
Image of Zelly looking regal and generally awesome.
Good Dog.
Bonus Weekend Cute
Zelly loooooooves her plushy toys, and, when she gets very excited or just in a generally playful mood, she'll run and get toy after toy from the toybox, then eventually stack them into a little pile when she's done playing. Last night, her plushy toys of choice were a fox, a raccoon, and a snake. And at the end of the evening, she left them all hugged up together like a little plushy family.
It was just a coincidence, of course, but it was SUCH A CUTE ONE!
Daily Dose of Cute
Earlier today, the Shelter Pet Project posted on its Facebook page: "People are three times more likely to go to a shelter or rescue group for their pet if they've spoken with someone who has. Comment if you promise to talk to someone about your adopted pet before the end of the weekend!"
Three times more likely to rescue! That's a lot!
So, if you rescued a pet, I encourage you to work your companion into a conversation this weekend, if you can! And here's my contribution to that dialogue…
I am often told, and say myself, that we are lucky to have rescued two such amazing dogs. And luck is certainly part of it. Another part is knowing for what type of dog you will make a complementary guardian. Although Iain and I adore bully breeds, and are aware of the dire need for willing adopters of bully breeds, we knew as first-time adult dog owners that we were not prepared to provide a home for a bully breed. Dudley the Greyhound, on the other hand, was the perfect fit for us.
And he needed a home, too!
Another part is jettisoning common prejudices. Zelda was on the fast-track to being put down: She was a stray at a shelter with no known background (including whether she was even housebroken), a black dog, an adult dog, a mixed breed, and totally untrained on a leash. Five strikes. Five reasons that everyone else at the shelter that day was writing her off. They passed her cage like she wasn't even there. She was worth seeing. She was worth my consideration. I have been richly rewarded for giving her a chance.
She is the perfect fit for us, too.
Photo of the Day
From the Telegraph's Pictures of the Day for 11 July 2012: A baby chimpanzee looks a little unsteady on his feet as he takes his first steps away from his mum. Photographer Konrad Wothe captured the youngster at play in the Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania, Africa. [Konrad Wothe/Minden Pictures/Solent News]
Daily Dose of Cute
Video Description: Zelda the Black-and-Tan Mutt stands in the garden at attention. She sniffs the grass, catches a scent, and begins to follow it. As she walks slowly away, nose down, sniffing intently, she reveals Dudley the Greyhound, lying on his side in the grass, his ears flopped forward. He blinks. Fin.
With the incredible heat here last week, most of the action was indoors. The dogs wanted to walk about 200 yards before they were ready to turn home, and outdoor playtime lasted about seven minutes before they were all, "Hell no." And I had to agree.
Dudley, who is obviously the cutest dog on the planet.
Zelda, who is obviously the cutest dog on the planet.
[Full Disclosure: I am pretty sure that every dog is obviously the cutest dog on the planet.]
Midweek Puppehs
Zelda
Dudley
We are very fortunate that none of the five furry residents of Shakes Manor are the least bit disturbed by fireworks, especially since we've had fireworks being set off day and night by various neighbors for the past two weeks.
If you live in the US with pets, how do they do during the 4th of July?
Daily Dose of Cute
that June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month!
Olivia
Matilda
Sophie
So many snuggles await!
Daily Dose of Cute
Video Description: Dudley the Greyhound lies next to me on the couch, looking at me upside-down. He rolls his head around and flops it down beside me. "What are you doing?" I ask him, reaching out and scratching his head. I stop, and he nudges his nose under a pillow between us, then looks up at me plaintively. "What you are you doing, Dudley?" I scratch his head and he yawns, then rolls around friskily. He rolls onto his back with his gangly legs in the air, tossing his head around, then yawns dramatically, his impossibly long tongue lolling out of his mouth. He hangs his head off the couch, and I pan over to his body, perpendicular to his head, legs in the air. He flops his head back onto the couch and rolls around some more, rubbing his nose, then collapsing back beside me. He looks up at me, then gets up, stretches with his back legs still on the couch, shakes his head, and trots away, all the while in his own Dudley world.
"What?"
