OH HAI

I has a happy.

Sprinkles in the Forecast

I don't usually clutter up this blog with pictures of the pink hairless types, but so many people have enjoyed this photo I wanted to share it with you. I would love to take more credit, but this is an unaltered snapshot of my 27-month-old son (sometimes referred to here as "The Pink Puppy") and Lanie. I did not place the watering can. I did nothing to provoke that expression on the baby's face -- in fact, that's not his eyebrow, that's a piece of grass stuck to his head. I did nothing but sit in my chair in the shade at the other end of the leash.

I just usually have a camera in my pocket.

Gonna Be Another Scorcher

Drive Doesn't Float

It's going to be how hot today?

To be honest, Drive doesn't care for the pool much. This is as wet as he'll get unless someone splashes him. Other pictures will show, however, that he has no problem jumping off embankments into rivers and mud puddles. A sandy beach area was met with suspicion, though.

When he was very new to home life, we took Drive to a relative's house. They have a lovely pool, about three and a half feet deep, with a deck, and Drive was intensely curious about the whole set-up. I had no plans to swim, so of course I was wearing jeans and sneakers when Drive decided to test his own divinity.

Apparently no one at the racetrack taught the dogs that sometimes, water has depth. Drive fully expected the water to support his weight. It failed. I had time to think, "My dog is going to drown! And I'm going to have to pay for this pool liner!" before I was in there with him, noodling him back up out of the pool until he flopped on the deck like a baffled 80-pound goldfish. Since then, he's had a distrust of any unnatural body of water.

Oh, of course I was in bed for the next two days with my back and shoulder muscles punishing me for lifting that much wet dog shoulder-high and then onto the deck. And of course I got a rash from having to wear wet jeans for the next several hours. I'm sure it wouldn't have been possible without buoyancy and adrenaline.

And I learned a couple things about how "smart" Drive really is. "S-M-R-T," to quote Homer Simpson. That's my boy.

An Award for Us!

Of course there are rules!

First, we thank the lovely ladies at Tales and Tails and Yoda at Barking Out Loud for this award. Thank you! I sincerely love the idea that my dogs and I might give someone a smile when they need it.

Secondly, we tell seven things about ourselves and then list seven others to receive the award. Since everything everywhere is all about Drive, he can be the topic of these little factoids.

1. Before retiring, Drive ran over a hundred races. He was Grade A when he suffered a career-ending injury. The report says "Rupture / Sprain, right front leg." Five months later he was on my couch.
   
2. It took Drive over a year to learn how to go up more than two stairs. To this day, he will actually close his eyes and run up at full speed to get it over with. Coming down is a little trickier...
3. If you see Drive looking directly at the camera in any picture, it is either because he is being bribed with food or there is something fascinating right behind me. He hates looking at the camera.
4. Before Drive, I had the sort of dogs where you could just leave kibble out and they'd eat if they were hungry. Drive is never not hungry. We have to watch his weight carefully.
5. Drive's human dad has a scar on his eyebrow where sweet, gentle Drive bit him. That was how we found out that Drive does not tolerate prednisone and, in fact, gets nasty 'roid rage. That was four years ago and we've never seen so much as a sneer from him since then.
6. Submissive? Even though he was the first dog in the house and he's obviously Mumma's favorite, Drive is actually the omega of our little pack. If it weren't for that "Mumma's Boy" status, he'd be the subject of a lot more snarking.
7. Drive actually knows several tricks. He can sit, lie down, shake, speak, and "show me your belly!" (Rolling all the way over proved a bit much.) He will only do these reliably in our living room.
   

Now lastly, we "tag" seven other bloggers. Because of the blog hops we've been participating in, we know lots of new friends. I'll just name seven of my new favorites and I hope you'll take a minute to check them out. In no particular order:

• Cult of the Greyhound I wish I could take pictures like that. Not just greys, either!
• For the Love of Chester My chocolate (lab) fix!
• Whippet Tales Breathtaking photography
• Cooking with Dogs Two of my favorite things. Pit bulls have a huge place in my heart.
• Two Little Cavaliers Ooooh I want to brush them
• Hope and Greyz Dogs and kids belong together
• One Pibble's Wish Every dog should be loved
  

Blog Hoppin'!

Hi. I'm Drive! Are you here for the blog hop? It's nice to meet you!

Pearls

So during my younger days, I didn't have much opportunity for dental hygiene. I've been to the vet about it a couple of times now. I hate going there! Every time I fall asleep at that place, I wake up with fewer teeth in my mouth.

And that's not even the worst thing a vet has stolen from me while I was sleeping.

Wet Wild Wednesday

Texlan Sensation, age 11

Let's take a moment for my beautiful brindle girl, my Lanie.

She is delightfully messed up in the head, but you can't see that in these pictures.

About a mile of snoot to kiss.


Sincere in her desire for cookies.


And finally confident in her belief that she's home forever this time.

Not all bulbs glow brightly.

After our long walk through the woods yesterday, we split up the family. The Daddy took our human children back home to wash up and nap, and I took Drive to the store to grab some kibble. He slept heavily the whole way there (about 20 minutes) and was obviously tired as we roamed the aisles. I saw this shirt:
Obviously, I would have grabbed it, as my beautiful friend has his own FaceBook profile. (He loves FarmVille.) But! Here is where I have a little rant. This shirt is for a chihuahua or something. It's about six inches across. The XL -- when you can find such a thing -- is usually for dogs about 45 pounds. If you are thinking to yourself, "Well, 45 pounds is quite a bit of dog!" then let me inform you that my smallest greyhound, Lanie, is 65 pounds.

Drive is about 80 pounds of gorgeous. Who do I talk to to get a chain of "Big and Tall Dogs" clothing going?

Aaanyway, we did our shopping and a nice young man offered to carry the bag of kibble to the car for me. He waited while I unlocked the trunk, and when I turned to him to say something, there was this weird WHUMP!! and the car shook. I looked frantically around for Drive, thinking for half an instant the car had been hit or something, and I found him. A little confused, but still residing healthy and whole at the end of his leash.

I am ready to go home now, Mumma.

Other than a flustered moment of trying to explain to the dozen people that witnessed Drive's jump that I do NOT make my dog ride in the trunk of our little Toyota, no one was harmed. Unless the pet store employee herniated himself laughing.

Adventure!

First Mumma tells me, "Get in the car!" So I did. Here I am telling her where to go. She didn't listen.

We went to a park with trails! Here I am on the trail. Far up ahead you can see the little guy we call "Pink Puppy," and also my daddy. It was shady and cool in the woods. We walked for a long time. I tried to pee on everything but there was so much stuff I ran out!

In the woods, there's a park that is all fenced in for doggies. Not many people know about it, and you have to walk a mile to get there! Here is a brick that Mumma and Daddy donated so doggies would have a place to run. Of course by the time we got there, I didn't feel like running.

Even though I was exhausted, they made me walk back. They carried the Pink Puppy, but not poor me!

A lot more stuff happened to me today, too. I went in some water, I went to the pet food store, and I went to a magic food window, and there was more car riding, too. Mumma says some of those pictures deserve their own posts, but for now we have tired each other out and we'll be napping in the sun.

My Teacher

"If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another."
-Tenzin Gyatso

Saving His Energy

I need a lot of rest because I have a hard job. I know I'm officially retired, but this is not really a career. This is more like a calling. This is what I was born to do, after all that running. When my Mumma is feeling bad, it's my very important job to make her smile. Yesterday she was a little sad, even though it was a day all about the mummas all over the world. So we curled up on the couch -- I held her legs down to make sure she stayed -- and we cuddled close and I let her tell me all about it. After, I gave her a little kiss and then we napped.

It sounded like a delicious bird!

Aren't I handsome? This shot makes up for the eighty-three shots before it where I refused to look at the camera. There was a bird, though. It made a noise I had to stare at. I couldn't tell where the bird was, exactly, so every time I heard it I would stare in a different direction. You gotta cover the bases.

Hi! :)

Happy Friday, Bulldozer.

This right here, this sums up my plans for the weekend although if the kids get noisy, I may move.