Beautiful Weekend

This was a weekend of wonderful weather and I tried to make the most of it. Today we took Tallulah to the park to swim and then to "U Wash Puppy" because she was SUPER smelly. I nice combo of fish and dog poop. Yum.
We gave her the bath of her life and then spent 20 min just brushing her out and fighting mats. But we let her air-dry since she HATES to be blow-dried.

Then we came home and Michael got to work on the pergola and I thinned out the zinnias that have over-run the patio. Unfortunately the zinnias irritate my skin. But, that's okay because after a liberal application of lotion I'm in the clear again.

I'm thinking that this evening we'll sit outside, enjoy the backyard and the wonderful weather.

What did I just step on?

Holy #&!%, it's a mouse!

I stepped on a dead mouse this morning.
In the middle of my bedroom floor.
My recently vacuumed bedroom floor.

What on earth was it doing there?

I think Tallulah found it somewhere else and brought it into the room. Much like when Delilah brought me a dead baby squirrel when I was sick. (gross)

Michael has now disposed of the mouse and I'm hoping that is the last we see of the little buggers.
Needless to say, that is not the way I like to start my mornings.

2 Quick Tallulah Stories

1) Monday night we were eating dinner (tacos and baby carrots) when Tallulah suddenly picked up a tennis ball from under the table and dropped it in her toy box. Actually it is a...thing...that holds wood for our fireplace, but as our fireplace doesn't really work it hold Tallulah's toys. Anyway we were so excited that she put her toy away that I gave her a carrot from the the table. Something I should not do. She scampered off and ate the carrot and then came right back and looked at me for more. She did not get that she was rewarded for putting the tennis ball way. Michale tried to show her but in the end we were all frustrated and I gave her another carrot for putting up with us. But I am still excited that she put the tennis ball in her toy box. It's start.

2) Last night we took a walk down to the park. On the way there Tallulah found a deflated soccer ball - or in her mind - the biggest jackpot ever! She L-O-V-E, loves a deflated ball. She walked with that thing all around the park and back home. When we arrived back at the house she was so excited to get in with her prize that she walked head first into the still locked and closed door. Michael and I just started at each other and started laughing...poor girl.

The day we nearly lost Tallulah

5 minuets of yesterday will go down as the scariest 5 min of dog ownership in my life. We took Tallulah to the groomers at PetSmart. Normally we go to Brookside Barkery & Bath, but last time they cut her nose and are so expensive, that for her summer cut we opted for PetSmart. When I went to pick her up they said she was fine except that she doesn't like th dryer and was still a bit damp. No big deal, it's 102 degrees out, she'll dry in about a second once we are outside.
We were standing at the front waiting to pay and she was getting lots of attention from everybody, because, quit frankly she is adorable - even with a stupid hair cut. The 3 people around us asked her name and she had been given a treat and was doing well. As I was signing my name to the credit card receipt the front doors open and Tallulah bolted for the outside. Breaking the connection from leash to collar and running into traffic. I ran after her and literally she was feet from being hit by a car. I grabbed her and we ran back inside the store. It turns out that the groomers had clipped her leash to the ring that holds her tags - not the D-ring on her collar. Her tags had flown everywhere but the nice people in line with me picked them up and gave them to me as I collected the rest my things, finished paying and hustled Tallulah to the car (that were she had been running to). We got in the car where I very nearly had a meltdown. I don't what I would have done if she had been hit. I don't even want to think about it.

BE WARNED - THIS NEXT PART IS GROSS - STOP NOW IF YOU WANT.

As soon as we got home she took a giant poop that was full of stringy grass and ended up getting stuck halfway out her bum. Michael had to come out and pull it out with a baggie, because Tallulah just looked freaked out and couldn't figure out what to do and I was still freaking out and trying not throw-up. We then had to re-wash her bum.

OKAY, THE GROSS PART IS OVER.

I now think she ran out because she had to go potty, very, very badly. The lessoned learned for this experience - From now on I will ALWAYS check to make sure her leash is properly attached to her collar - no matter who attaches it. The flimsy wire ring that came with her ID tag from the vending machine does not work for restraining a 50 pound dog who really needs to go.

Worrying Dream

Last night I dreamed that Tallulah was dog-napped from my parent's house. For some reason we were spending the night there and she wandered out of the garage and some guy grabbed her and threw her in the back of his truck and drove away.
I woke up and searched the bedroom in the dark until I found her. I don't know what I would do if someone took my sweet Tallulah!

Smelly Dog

Tallulah stinks. She's been running through puddles and smells like fish.
It is gross. But she will be groomed on Thursday so it seems like a waste of time and effort to give her a bath.
I did just apply some new Natural Defense Flea and Tick treatment and it is quite fragment. It is Spice scented and whoa, is it spicy. So earlier she smelled like fish and now she smells like holiday spice cake. I'll take the cake!

Tallulah is so mad at us she can barely see straight

It's snowing, wet, heavy snow. Michael took Tallulah out to play in it this morning and she came in smelling like fish. She's been fairly stinky for a few days now so a bath was in her future. So after her romp in the snow I gave her a bath. And then blew dry her. Which she HATES. But I did it anyway, because it is cold outside and she needed to get dry. So we battled through that, which ended with her sitting on the couch sulking.
A few hours later Tallulah starts barking. Running around and barking. It turns out that all of her doggy friends were across the street having fun in the snow. But since Tallulah just had a bath and a blow dry she is not allowed to go into the snowy, muddy field and get wet again.
She is really mad about this. She just keeps running around and barking. She is refusing to play with us. Instead she runs up to us, barks and then runs to the door. Or she runs to us, barks and then stares at us with rays of hatred.
She is so mad.

(I've even closed all the blinds so she can't see them out there, but she knows. And she'd pissed.)

Here she is exhausted from all the hatred.

dog tired

This was a big weekend for Tallulah. On Friday we headed over to our friend's Nick and Kelly's where Tallulah ran around with their dog Justice. Justice is a very calm and mild mannered dog, but they still had some good running around and playtime. And then Nick started playing with Tallulah which made Justice mad, I could tell she was thinking "Keep your grubby paws away from my man!" It was a really fun night.
Then today since it was finally warmed (YEAH) we decided to go to Shawnee Mission dog park. It was a nice, though muddy hike for us and some great really muddy running around for Tallulah. She was FILTHY. Then we came home and the park across the street was packed with dogs so she went and ran around there before coming in for a much needed bath.
This is one tired dog. I wish our camera was working because she is awfully cute right now.

snoring

Tallulah woke me us twice last night with her snoring. And its not like with Michael who I can give a nudge to and get him to stop. I would have to get out of bed, walk across the room and then nudge. And at 2am it is just not worth it. But seriously that dog is one loud snorer.
I'm so glad that Michael let me sleep in this morning. Best husband ever.

Happy Birthday Tallulah!

Today the Doodle turns 2! Can you believe it? I can't. Well actually I can, Lullah's grown up a lot since we we picked her up her up in good old Diamond, MO after checking out the Precious Moments Chapel.

The chapel was so awesome - and so is that bearded guy.
Awesome and scary.

Wasn't she the cutest thing in the entire world?
I fell in love with this little baby when she fell asleep in my lap on the car ride home.

Today my 55lb two year old and I played tug of war, wrestled and I was very glad that I convinced Michael to get a puppy in February when we had planned to wait until the Spring.

Tallulah and her eating

This morning I gave Tallulah a fresh bowl of food and water, but I forgot to give her a treat before I left the house. Without a treat Tallulah will not eat. All day long, no matter how hungry she gets she will not eat. When I came home we took a walk around the house and she would not go potty, she jut sat there and I tried to get her to play. Then she threw up bile.
This is an on going thing with her.
So we came in the house, I coaxed her to eat 2 treats and then suddenly she was full of energy. We went back outside, took care of business and now she is happily eating.
What a weird dog.
But, you can bet that I won't forget to give her a treat anytime soon.

Tallulah About Town

I took Tallulah with me to the Farmers Market this morning. We walked around, picked up some tomatoes (one yellow and one green zebra), a tiny melon, a patty-pan squash, some purple potatoes, a head of garlic and some organic, grass fed beef. Quite the haul. Lula was great. Walking around with me, sitting when I asked her to (for the most part), and being sweet and letting people pet her. She was barked at once by a big dog and she barked at a puppy once. Then all was well. We walked around a lot and by the end of our walk she was walking on the leash like a pro. I think we will continue this for the rest of the summer.

I've been warned

I was taking Tallulah for a short walk this morning to celebrate her trip the groomers (I would never pay that much for my own hair cut!) when all at once the noise lever shot through the roof.
We were walking down a street we don't usually take when a tiny black poodle on a cord starting going nuts. Yapping and jumping up and down and generally freaking out. Which starting off the rottweiler next to her. So he starts barking in these low, scary barks and then across the street another dog starts barking and jumping at the front door. I saw all four paws hit the glass door. Tallulah and I were picking up our speed just a bit when then tornado siren starts to go off.
At first I didn't know what it was. Were we being attacked on this 4th of July?
Nope just the monthly testing of the tornado siren. Guess what? It works!
It works so well that I thought my ears would bleed.
Tallulah and I sprinted back to the house just so we could put a wall between us and the piercing siren. Seriously if there is ever a tornado we will definitely hear the warning.

bad dogs!!

There is a fenced in school yard across the street from our house. We take Tallulah over there every night so she has a change to really run around. About 8-12 other dogs frequent this area with some regularity. Kirby (Tallulah's boyfriend), Lilly (T's rival for Kirby's affections), Madonna (a fat white english bull dog with a a skin disorder who is as sweet as they come, Marble (who just walks though), Bailey (who is the fastest dog I have ever seen) just to name a few that we know well. All the dogs are well socialized, have fun together and make it a very enjoyable place to spend time. Also frequenting the schoolyard is airplane guy - who flies model airplanes and it very cool. There are also a variety of neighborhood kids who come to the playground and throw the ball for our dogs or just ride their bikes on the blacktop. It is a great place and we are lucky it is so close to our house.
All was well until about a month ago when a woman drove her truck up with 3 large dogs - one of them being a pit bull. When we took Tallulah to the school yard she ran over and told us that her dog doesn't get along with other dogs and from the way he snapped and barked at the fence we took her word for it and went home. A few days ago Kirby and his owner returned from an extened vacation and headed over to the yard. They saw other dogs in the area but as all the other dogs have always been friendly dogs they just walked in. We saw this and ran out of the house shouting for them to get out because the other dogs are the "bad dogs!!". But it was too late and Kirby had already ran over - tail wagging, ready to make friends. The bad dogs!! owner ran over to break up the dog fight that was already heating up. Kirby made it out without any blood drawn, but she was still clearly attacked. And after knowing Kirby for a year, he is the sweetest of dogs - even sweeter than my own dear Tallulah (who we all know can be a diva). So we were clearly worried about him. Kirby is fine and he and Tallulah played in our small yard for awhile. Then we called it a night.

Side note: Normally I am not prejudiced against Pit Bulls. In fact I tend to think they are misunderstood and deserve a fair shake. But this dog - and the other two equally aggressive doge that hand out with him - is not a friendly dog. He makes this normally happy space a danger. And really after he attacked Kirby -in front of my very eyes- I just have no sympathy for him or the breed at all. I know, I know. There are some really great Pit Bulls out there who would never hurt a fly, but seriously people this is a bad dog!! For the past month I've been repressing my feelings about this dog, and the fact that we can't take Tallulah out to play when they are over there, but them Kirby was bit and seriously all bets are off now.

Tonight the bad dogs!! came over again. Part of the problem is that they arrive at 5:30 (as soon as all the after-school kids are gone) and stay for 2 hours! They basically hold the playground hostage. No one else can go over there when they are there. Today Tallulah and Kirby wanted to play but we had to keep them back and ended up playing with them in our basement because the bad dogs!! would not leave. Kriby's owner went over and talked to them, without much success because they stayed - holding the yard hostage for quite awhile. Then 4 kids on bikes rode up and we had to tell them it wasn't safe for them to go play because of the bad dogs!! It was a good thing we did too because 15 min later Airplane guy entered the yard the and bad dogs!! jumped on him and one bit him. It didn't break the skin but he was clearly still bitten. Shortly after that the bad dogs!! left and we headed over, the kids on bikes came in and Airplane guy kept flying his airplane. It was about as picturesque a scene as you could come by.

So Kirby's owner who happens to be a law student is going to talk to them one more time and encourage them that charges could easily be drawn up since the dog is clearly dangerous. I just hate that this one woman and her bad dogs!! are making this lovely area a danger. I hope they just the message and stay away.

dog park day

We took Tallulah to the dog park today. It was this first time I have been to the dog park this year. It was nice to be back - so much open space - so many dogs.
Tallulah found a ball right away and spent most of the time fixated on this ball. She didn't play with too many other dogs, which is a bit unusual for her. But I think that she just really wanted to get into the lake. While at the lake we were met by another black goldendoodle. Come to find out this new GD, Clark, came from the same breeder as Tallulah. We think they even had the same dad. They did look a lot alike, Clark was much taller and curler but their faces were similar. On the way back from the lake we ran into yet another goldendoodle - but this one was actually golden, large and bounding.

It as quite a goldendoodle day.

And my sweet little girl is now clean, smelling good and sleepy. As nice as the other dogs were I still think Tallulah is the best out there!

Spring Cleaning Phase One (or maybe two)

Yesterday it was sleeting when we woke up and barely got above 30 all day. Today we were working in the yard enjoying the sunshine. I love Kansas City. The weather makes no since at all.
But this bought of nice weather has sent up on a spring cleaning rampage. We've cleaned out two closets and for the first time in months I can see the top of my desk. It's not super clean, but it is progress. We have also started a garage sale pile, it is amazing the amount of junk we have after only living here for two years. Admittedly much of the junk were things that moved with me from my parents house. I have trouble giving things up, which is why I have purses that I bought and jr. high and a jacket I bought with my first babysitting paycheck (when I was 12!!!). And now because this is my house and I can no longer stand the clutter I am getting rid of it! Really it is quite refreshing.
Michael did a fabulous job installing shelves into the guest room closet, which now holds all the junk I couldn't part with yet, but have no real use for. Maybe next spring.

I'll leave you with some pictures.

The daffodils in the front garden

Out regal puppy, looking much better now that she has a little more fur.
(Notice how well she is sitting? Thanks DW!)

jumping on the bandwagon

Oh Cesar Milan, where have you been all my life? Or at least all of Tallulah's life?
Last week after Tallulah embarrassed me with her behavior at PetSmart and the parade, I decided to seek help...from the Dog Whisperer DVD's. And Whoa Nelly, one DVD into it and already she is a more balanced dog. To be honest it is not her, but us. Our energy around her is changing abe therefore her energy with us is changing. We are working on walking together on the leash. We picked up a choke chain and it is really helping to get her attention before she freaks out a whatever crosses our path.
Clearly I am jumping on the Dog Whisperer bandwagon, and so far so good!

Hair Away!

We had Tallulah shaved today. She looks so weird. Before she was this fluffy (all be it matted) Muppet like creature and now she looks like a deer. All thin and long legs. I'm hoping we won't have to shave her down like this ever again. The last time we had her groomed did the fur in. It was too long, and instead of curling like does naturally they brushed it all out straight and HUGE, so no matter how much we brushed it she just got more mattes.
So now she is sleek and we will start brushing her the right way and keep her fur at a manageable length. No more super long fur! (or super short) Check out the pics:

BEFORE: Fluffy and oh so cute!

AFTER: Thin, frail and deer like.

What have you done to me?

Where's Tallulah?!

When I walked in the door this afternoon Tallulah was not there to greet me.
When I went through the living room (where she spends her days) the couch was empty.

Horrible toughts were playing through my head.

Our dog dead on the floor having choaked on a peice of chew toy that says indestructable on the lable, but we all know she can eat trough.

Tallulah stolen along with our computer.

Bad, horrible things.

Turns out that she was trapped in our bedroom all day. Trapped because the door was only PART WAY OPEN and not all the way open. Tallulah refuses to move the door or even atempt to go through a space that seems too small. Seriously. The door was open wide enought for her to walk through without any trouble at all. It is all in her head!
So when I went to the bedroom she was just standing there in the doorway. Looking at me as if to say "Would you mind opening this just a little wider, I don't like to take chances."