Oh, Mondays...

Coming Soon...

My dear sweet gray-muzzled girl, my Lanie,

Changes are coming to the house soon. Historically, you haven't appreciated disturbances to your routine so I figured I should warn you.

You miss your boys. After Bullie passed in April, you became instantly less snarky with Drive. You let him cuddle against you and rest his head on you. I think I saw the two of you play -- however briefly -- more in those six months than in the rest of the six years you lived together.

I know it hurt you, when I didn't bring Drive home. I'm sorry. I know I told you that before, but I'm so, so sorry I lost him. I wish I could have explained it to you. I wish I had some way to make you understand.

So for three months now you have been the only dog in our household. You have grown exponentially more cuddly and sweet and, frankly, obnoxious. I can't remember the last time we had a meal that wasn't accompanied by deranged howling. Seriously, girl, it's gotten to the point where I'm considering making you your own dinner plate so we can eat in peace, but you'd just finish first and then demand the rest of ours. Let's face it. You are not now, nor have you ever been, a good dog.

Fortunately, you have been the perfect family member for our particular family. (And your uncanny talent for knocking your dad in the man-bits keeps the sadist in me amused.) No matter how much more senile or demanding you get, you are in our family for life. That's how we roll. There's no escape. ;)

So I wanted to warn you, my spoiled little queen, that the family dynamic will be changing again. I finally got over my anxiety enough to call an adoption kennel. I have an appointment before the month is out, and I'll be going to meet some potential new family members. If the stars align, I may even bring him home soon. I think we're ready.

Derp.

As our senior canine, this selection needs to be made with you in mind. Obviously, the biggest factor in my choice will be personality. There are a couple other things I'm remembering as well. For example, for some reason you don't like female dogs. While I'm sure we could train and work and force tolerance, I'd rather not stress you because not only are you deranged, you are in your golden years and you don't deserve a major upheaval at age twelve-and-a-half.

The truth is, though, I'm not worried about you. Your dad and I think having a new brother is going to revitalize you. Aged or not, you are as funny and bouncy and energetic as ever and adding a new young man to the mix promises to be fun for everyone.

I can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to introduce the two of you. I can't wait to share him with all of our friends.

Love forever,
Mom, giver of cookies and neck scritches

Note to Our Friends: This post was written under the influences of painkillers, as I had a gigantic tooth removed this week. I hope you will forgive any weirdness, should you find any, but I did want to share my news. Next Saturday, I will be meeting some hounds and hoping that one of them is a match for our family. I'm so excited!

Sunday Smile

Ki-lee: How I adore this girl!

Look Who Showed Up

It's Friday.

You know what, Friday? I think you might be too late.

Hump Day State of Mind

 

Just a Hint

It would take me forever to count the ways I love him, but "tiny peek of tongue" is on the list for sure.

Funny Friday

Drive, Eater of Rainbows and Other Soft Things

Problem Child

"I could be off hunting whatever tiny things live in those woods."

For every beauty shot I have of Drive, I have a few failures. He doesn't like to look at the camera. Lanie doesn't either, and she adds a level of difficulty: some angles make her look deranged. Her ears, her squinty eyes, her overbite, her "get offa my lawn" old-lady attitude... I try not to get offended when people (not greyhound people, of course) smile and ask so kindly, "Oh, what's wrong with your poor dog?"

Eyes: almost the same size!

Her habit of squinting whenever she's outdoors is so pronounced that every so often I look it up under "canine symptoms" to see if she's got a problem or if she's just narcoleptic. Even in the shade, she looks like a vampire with a hangover if she's deemed it "too bright."

(And while I thank you in advance for the advice that will surely come, she's not the sort of dog that tolerates things wearing things very well so we won't be buying Doggles anytime soon. Or a hat, which is too bad because I think she'd totally rock a little bonnet or fascinator. Something in teal or fuchsia. She does enjoy PJs in the winter.)

Might be my new favorite picture EVER. Look at that.

Proof that she can be pretty, too!

You'll have to take my word for it. When she's curled up on my bed looking at me with deep, soulful brown eyes and a quivering chin, she's the most beautiful little girl there is. It's sometimes hard to get that captured in an image, though.

Wordless Wednesday

Hey, I hope no one minds I took two weeks off from the internet. ;)

I'm Not Even Embarrassed to Say...

That is best picture I have ever taken of a snot droplet. I'm very proud of myself.

Gotcha!

Every dog should be so loved.

Six years ago, I brought you home. I didn't know who you were, or what you would become. 

We have a fun day planned to celebrate our anniversary, and I can't wait to share the pictures with everyone! While you're waiting for those, why not look around the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop?

Wellness Wednesday

Well, things are looking good. Drive is a healthy 74 pounds and only screamed twice while we were in the office for his (and Lanie's) annual check-up. He peed copiously all over the lobby, shed enough nervous hair to stuff a pillow, and is up-to-date on his vaccinations. We had a wellness blood screen done as he is going in two weeks to have a thorough dental cleaning; I expect he'll lose a tooth or three. I am looking forward to better breath.

Sadly, we did not stop at any of the magic food windows on our way home. Lanie, my darling little trash disposal, needs to lose about five pounds. Ah, well. Longer walks for all of us!

Rember This Color?

Green?

A Meaningful Look

This is the kind of expression that gets him squealed at and stuffed with cookies. He's not a brave dog or a smart dog or a young dog or even a particularly playful dog. But he's my best friend and my hero and when he makes faces like this I fall in love all over again.

It was this kind of woobie face that he made on the day we met, and then he gave exactly one uncertain wag of his tail as he looked nervously away. "Hi," his face said. "I don't know why I'm in here."

As it turns out, he was there because we needed each other.

More dogs that are not greyhounds!

There's always some joker in the back making stupid faces.

Streamlined

His ears are ridiculously far back on his head.

Friday Fact #1

I am posting this picture for no other reason than it never, ever fails to crack me up.

Friday Fact: Drive is male, in spite of his demure, princess-like beauty.

Convenient

We call these "modesty flowers."

I just helped. Your turn!

Do you have any idea how much a dog like this eats? I don't know myself, exactly, but I feel like it would be important to keep him fed.

For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19^th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

So I'm writing a post! If you haven't heard about this event, please check out the post on the Life With Dogs site here.

Twenty pounds is a lot of food. Maybe not for this guy...

Captions escape me.