Max and Tucker watched us while mommis was in Boston. Max left his hat at mommis’ computer. We waited for a few days, but when we knew he was really gone we had some fun with it.

Now we know what is meant by “I’ll eat my hat.”

PLEASE!

Don’t turn me in.

Don’t call PETA.

Don’t report for this unethical exploitation of my dog. I knew it was wrong and I did it anyways. I couldn’t help myself when Ian brought over his stash of dog costumes. Ok, I could have helped myself, BUT I DIDN”T. And you know what? The kids liked it. And I liked it. Molly, well, she wasn’t thrilled. Eh.

So may I present, the little stinker:

MS. MOLLY aka PUPPY LE PEW

posted by Mel

One year ago today Vanessa and I showed up at Dr. G’s office around 7 AM hauling a metal tank. After 17 failed IUIs, a failed IVF, and a miscarriage after IVF using Vanessa’s eggs, I had undergone immunological screening that came back positive for alloimmunity. The RE said we should try IUI again w/the addition of aspirin and L0ven0x, so we made one last attempt, simultaneously shelling out $4000 to begin the process of domestic open adoption.

I was going through the motions. I was sick of injections, sick of the progesterone rollercoaster, sick of hoping and waiting, finally beginning to accept that no baby would ever come through my body. There were 5 follicles in play that month (had taken Fem@r@ and F0ll!st!m), and I remember poking fun at myself for ever having been worried about high order multiples during previous IUI cycles where I’d had far more follicles than this and not gotten pregnant.

One of those follicles contained the egg that got together with the contents of that tank and made this:

Buffy with her puppy

Chauncey and Buppy take their vitamins

Originally uploaded by hardaway

Last night, Paunnie got the vitamins down from the counter, and we took them outside and worked on the box for a while. Paunnie’s like a Houdini taking things apart, and although he never got the top off because it was too big for his mouth, he did manage to gnaw a hole in the side. And then the powder just fell out on the grass and we could share it.

And then we brought the box back inside and put it on Mommis’ bed so she would find it in the morning and order more of those. She saw that we were out immediately, but she hasn’t done anything about it yet.

They really tasted good, and I’ve never felt better in my life!

Every morning when we’re in Phoenix we walk in this great park.  We know pretty much every dog in it, and we walk with Auntie Carolyn the Constable and her three dogs: Sophie, Lucky, and the Little Man. Until last week, only the Little Man, who is a little white dog with a wanderlust, was on a leash.  The rest of us got to run around and walk behind Mommis and Auntie Carolyn in a pack.

And then some man called the Animal Control.  They came to the park just as we were getting in the car, so they didn’t fine Mommis.  But they told her the fine was $100 per dog.  She realized that for both of us, that would be the equivalent of a Flip Mino HD, or six months supply of Obagi, and suddenly we were imprisoned.

She ordered this contraption for Paunnie that came a few days later. She calls it his “harneshfagel” to make him like it, but it  reminds me of a foreign torture instrument. Even if it’s a funny word, it is a terrible concept.

He doesn’t seem to mind it, but today I jerked on my choke collar when another dog came by and I heard her tell Auntie Carolyn that she had come to a conclusion. I am getting a harneshfagel of my very own.

Stay tuned, and I’ll tell you if it’s as bad as I think it’s going to be. Remember, Paunnie had one before when he was a puppy, and he grew up in a crate, too. I didn’t. I was a stray. And I might be part chow, too, so it won’t be the same.

So there is a new Prothro around, and I thought she deserved a post of her very own. This Valentine’s Day a very special present came walking though my door, Ms. Molly Prothro. Although, in all fairness, I changed her name multiple times, before returning to the name she arrived with, Molly. She came from the Giddings Animal Shelter, a little 5.5 pound bunch of fun. Now, two months later, and 14.5 pound heavier, she has grown into puppy with a special mix of sweet and rambunctious, cuddly and playful. She can sit, stay, shake, lay, come and (most of the time) do her business outside. I’m still anxiously awaiting the day she figures out how to NOT nip at hands, play tug of war with pant legs, jump with excitement and pass gas in her sleep-how embarassing! On the bright side though, she still fits perfectly in my lap for nap time, so I’ll cherish the good with the hard, because I’ll miss this puppy when she’s all grown up.

Mommis is reading some great books! One of them is by her old yoga teacher, David Romanelli and looks like it\’s about living in the moment. The other one is a little more complicated. It\’s by her friend Brian Solis, and it’s about Putting the Public Back in PR.

The one about PR is a hard cover book, and it was really tough to get the cover off it. And Mommis discovered it out in the yard and really yelled at me. It turns out Brian signed it for her with something really nice.

If you see Brian, would you tell him I\’m sorry:-) Dave won\’t mind I know, because he lives in the moment like I do. Mommis was done with Dave\’s book anyway. But she was right in the middle of Brian\’s.

That\’s why I didn\’t eat the middle.

4½-vuotias labbiksemme on jo jonkin aikaa nukkunut sängyssämme. Yleensä se menee illalla omaan petiinsä, mutta pian valojen sammuttamisen jälkeen se hyppää sänkymme jalkopäähän.

Alussa yritimme potkia sitä pois sängystä, mutta pian se hyppäsi takaisin. Sittemmin olemme antaneet koirankin nukkua pehmeässä petissä.

Nyt jalkopää ei enää kelpaa. Olen useana aamuna herännyt, kun koira on ihan vieressäni, pää minun tyynylläni. Tämä hivuttautuminen tapahtuu yöllä vissiinkin vaivihkaa, enkä nukkuessani osaa koiraa häätää poiskaan.

Minun osakseni on nyt tullut nukkua kahden patjan taitteessa keskellä sänkyä, miesväen kuorsatessa molemmin puolin kumpikin omalla patjallaan. Toisaalta, siinä välissähän on niin lämmin ja turvallinen olo, että taidan sitten olla osaani tyytyväinen.

She put this package under the Christmas tree and then she left the house. She didn’t even notice that I took it out in the back yard until the next morning, when she stared outside and saw how I did get it open and I got the cover off it.

But I didn’t eat the book. She can still read it. She wants to. It’s Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, and that cute kid Sammy who was here over the weekend gave it to her for Christmas. He won’t mind. He liked me.

Mommis Can Still Read this Book

What’s happening in Washington? It’s a power grab of the canine kind. Is this economic stabilization or just a manufactured crisis to change who leads the pack in the world order of things?

When people don’t take charge, dogs will! That’s what uncertainty does. That’s what apathy and laziness do. When “We the People,” trust dogs more than ourselves, we get eaten alive. That’s what nature does. Dog’s will create certainty as to who’s in charge of the pack. Most Americans will be forced to accept the new leader’s rules. Even though they vote for such change, they won’t necessarily like it. That’s what’s happening now. Ask Karl Marx.

The dogs are running the show, because American Citizens have given up control of themselves and their liberties for years and years. Despite the experiment in popular sovereignty called the US Constitution, co-dependant Americans have given way too much power to politicians, doctors, insurers, scientists, educators, bankers and other nations because it’s not easy to lead. It’s no longer clear who is charge of even our own homes and our bodies (not to mention our finances!). And let’s face it, we’ve not been so very dependable in caring for our homes, our bodies, and now I WILL MENTION OUR FINANCES in our current American Culture. We let the “specialists” handle everything from caring for our children while we work to caring for our spirits in the shrink’s office. It’s not easy to depend on yourself and your family. Even dogs know that’s what you are SUPPOSED to be able to do when times get tough! You certainly cannot depend on your elected officials.

PS This is supposed to be a dogblog. This wasn’t intended to be a political blog…This stuff is pretty upsetting to me and I just need a place to write…right? And I would be delighted to find that anyone even reads this…there’s just something to be said for having a “place” of our own to express ourselves, even if no one is listening. BTW, if you don’t have such a place, yet, feel free to use mine for now and leave a comment, on the rare chance that you found this entry.

Copyright protected joann harper october 1, 2008. All rights reserved. May be reprinted with permission.

I thought I’d start the blog on here as well as on dogsounds.com as this looks a little nicer than ours, and has the handy-dandy tag clouds and all that shit too. Plus I can do a little more than I can on our own blog.

I was going to add all the previous blog posts here, all 90-odd of them, but as there is no way to import them, that ain’t gonna happen. So, without knowing who the fuck we are, what can you expect? 

Well, the dogblog is where iammart and I waffle on about any old shit that takes our interest. Video games, music, comics, weird shit, food, beer, boobs, conspiracy theories…all kinds of stuff.

We also use it to let our fans know about upcoming issues of the webcomic Avoid Spikes, so make sure to subscribe to the RSS feed here to get your fix when we update it (randomly).

Other than that, it’s anything that takes our collective fancy.

If you want to catch up on all our previous news and views, stop by the dogblog on dogsounds.com, or simply stay subscribed here and see what transpires. 

Viikonloppuna oli hellepäiviä, jolloin tietysti koirakin läähätti kuumuudesta. Lenkkipolkumme varrella on oja, jossa on ruosteista vettä (kuka lie vienyt jätteitään sinne ympäristöä pilaamaan). Koira päätti pulahtaa vilvoittelemassa, ja ojasta nousikin ylös oranssi labbis, josta musta karva pilkotti sieltä täältä. Vastassa oli torumista ja vastaantulijoiden hämmästystä.

Kotona odotti ensin pikasuihku puutarhaletkulla, kunnon pesu ja hinkkaus vanilja-shamppoolla, kuivaus ja kampaus. Käsittelyn jälkeen näytti siltä, että koirastamme oli tullut kiharakarvainen noutaja. 

Eihän tästä vilvoittelusta ja turkinhoidosta muuta haittaa olisi ollut, mutta aamulla laitetut punkintorjunta-aineet menivät hukkaan. Kyllä koiranomistajuus on ihanaa.

Koirat ovat ihania, aina iloisesti vastassa, kun tulet kotiin. Koira ei murjota, ei ole pitkävihainen, popsii ilolla kaikki tähteeksi jääneet ruuat, et siis koskaan pode huonoa omaatuntoa, että joutuisit heittämään hyvää ruokaa roskiin (ainakaan labbiksen omistajana).

Koiralla on myös tarpeensa, siis ruokaa, lenkitystä, leikkiseuraa jne. Lenkittäminen on hyvää hyötyliikuntaa itsellekin. Iltaisin tosin joskus joutuu vähän väittelemään, kenen vuoro nyt olikaan (etenkin jos sattuu tulemaan jotakin kiinnostavaa TV:stä).

Mutta kävipä niin, että murkkumme sai kahden viikon kotiarestin. Se merkitsi koirallemme onnenpäiviä! Se ei ole koskaan saanut niin paljon lenkitystä, kun nyt näiden kahden viikon aikana, ollessaan pojan ulkoilualibi.   

There’s a gato in this pampas grass. I know there is. But this morning I made a big mistake. When we got out of the car from the dog park, I bolted for it. I thought I saw it out of the corner of my nose.But I had my leash on.

I got stuck in the plant and couldn’t get out. I flapped my arms wildly, and luckily Mommis heard me. She was scared, and the plant was too thick for her to go in, so she woke up Jerry, who lives with us temporarily while he and his fiancee
are saving for their own place.

I knew Jerry would drag me home by the collar, so I did my best to get out by myself. When he came, I was able to show him my face, so at least Mommis knew I was safe. I thought he would go away then. But he didn’t. He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me home.

And mommis says I’m on restrictions and she has threatened me with a Gentle Leader, or puppy school. Eeeek! I’m too old for puppy training. I was two on Friday.

SEE MY NAME IS ROXIE’S DIARY

Hi Everyone
My Name is Roxie – I’m a 5 years old dog  (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ) and I’m very, very afraid of lightening and thunder(see videos and articles)  I don’t like creepy crawlies(but I don’t wish them any harm), my predecessors Charlie and Max(they were Cavalier King Charles Spaniels too) would spend the day chasing flies, even bees. Charlie and Max’s best treasure was finding a dead bird(and trying to sneak it into the house). That would gross me out. I love playing fetch with all my toys, watching t.v(with the family), and I prefer drinking water out of a glass –that’s evolution for you.  I am named after Roxie Hart from the Musical Chicago.  I don’t resemble “Renée Zellweger” my legs aren’t as long, but my family assures me that I’m just as beautiful in my own way—not that outer beauty is important – it’s “inner beauty” that counts.   If that’s true I have to be one of the most beautiful dogs in the whole world — because I don’t have one mean thought and I love everyone and everything. 

When I was a “puppy” I woke up every morning to the musical “Chicago”.  After being up half the night with me; “Mawther” said that was the only way she could face the morning.  I fell asleep to “Sing to Me in Yiddish”

 SEE: CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIELS – MEET THE BREED(VIDEOS) – HISTORY, APPEARANCE, HEALTH ISSUES

 MY NAME IS ROXIE DIARY  I’ve been remiss in keeping my diary up but I’m going to try harder.

posted by Mel

tagged by CD & SP and  Sarah

1.) I loathe animatronics, which are everywhere at the holidays. What I hate even more, however, are those giant plastic yard snowglobes.

2.) One of my legs is 1/2″ shorter than the other. When I walk I tend to veer to the right and occasionally bump into my companion. It was never really a problem until last year when the physical therapist I was seeing for a back injury told me I now have mild scoliosis because of it!

3.) I knit. I just finished this sweater minus the sash (ran out of yarn). Yes, in my sweet young TTCer days I knit 3 newborn-sized baby sweaters. They are tucked away in Vanessa’s childhood dresser in our still unoccupied nursery. Now I only knit baby sweaters for honest-to-goodness on-their-way or already here babies.

4.) I can also spin my own yarn, though I’m not sure I do it often enough to justify the purchase of my wheel. For the last year and a half, pretty much the only fiber my wheel has seen has come off of these dogs. It’s a project for a friend. The dog hair is a big reason I haven’t been spinning much lately. It’s soft and pretty clean, but it flies away and gets into everything. Also one of our dogs likes to eat it. I prefer merino or alpaca (who doesn’t?).

5. Occasionally Vanessa requests that I select a great work of literature that she must read. I am always happy to oblige, but I can never keep my hands off the book once I’ve given it to her. So she reads a few chapters and I end up stealing it back. The most recent example is Anna Karenina. Before that, Slaughterhouse Five. I am contemplating re-reading Wuthering Heights now in anticipation of the next request.

6.) Left to my own devices, I would happily eat an entire pot of mashed potatoes for dinner.

To be honest, I always ignore tagging, but since we got tagged twice I felt the obligation to respond. It was actually kind of fun. I’m a party pooper, though, so I tag no one and everyone.

It’s official. Hanni and I are dogblog maivens. Another dogblogger blogged about us today.
Here’s the skinny: A woman named Mary Ellen was at the presentation Hanni and I gave earlier today at the Old Orchard Barnes & Noble in Skokie, Illinois.
Turns out Mary Ellen is the Executive Director and co-founder of “Sit Stay Read! Inc.” SIT STAY READ is a Chicago-based volunteer literacy organization that brings dogs and kids together to make reading fun. Mary Ellen’s dog Shandy is one of Chicago’s first Sit Stay Read dogs, and they dogblog about their experiences on the Shandy at Work dogblog.
The Sit Stay Read web site explains the program like this: “Reading aloud is a critical component of early childhood literacy. Children who have difficulty reading have an especially hard time reading aloud in front of peers and adults. SIT STAY READ programs allow children to read aloud to specially trained therapy dogs. The dogs increase confidence and generate excitement.”
After our presentation this afternoon, Mary Ellen asked if Hanni and I might want to be Guest Readers/Listeners at a Sit Stay Read school program in Chicagoland sometime. “Our kids would be thrilled to hear you,” Mary Ellen said. They’ve had opera singers, firefighters, poets and other professionals as guests. “You and Hanni would be a wonderful addition.”
Hanni and I would love to give this a try. It was great to meet Mary Ellen at the bookstore today, and we look forward to meeting Shandy in the future. In the meantime, we’ll keep track of them by reading their dogblog.

posted by Mel

For work reasons I will be in the West Palm Beach/Delray Beach area August 21st and 22nd with nothing to do on the evening of August 21st. I know some fertility bloggers out there are in FL, but I’m not sure where. If you’re close to that area and would like to meet up for dinner, leave a comment, and I will e-mail you.

Also, Rosie and Buffy would like Mama Ness, who is out visiting with family right now, to know that the leftover blueberry pancakes she intended for breakfasts later in the week were just scrumptious. They know you don’t begrudge them a pancake or six, which they scooped off the counter in the minute and a half it took for Mama Mel to go outside to gather some basil for the marinara she’s making this morning.

posted by Mel 

Saturday night we had beer, cheese fries, and portobello fries with Katie, Brigitte, and Brian.

Vanessa started a new job yesterday.  It appears she’s going to work on some projects that have her really excited.

The dogs spent all weekend at the Barkalounge. The cats could not have been happier about it. It also gave us some much needed time to rest, be together, and gear up for the coming week– Vanessa to her brand new job and me back to mine.

Last night, Vanessa and I made these for dinner. They were simply delicious. I made a vegetarian variation with shitake mushrooms on Sunday that were good, too, but I wanted to try again to see if we could make the rolls neater and get them to come out a little crisper. Last night’s, baked on the pizza stone, were near perfect. I made a super simple dipping sauce with Tamari soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and Thai chili paste to go with them.

Neighborhood block party tonight if it doesn’t rain.

Friday night we’re going to dinner and Symphony on the Prairie, courtesy of Vanessa’s new employer, and the ISO is going to be featuring the hits of Louis Armstrong!

It’s good to have some social events on the calendar. I want to put this summer behind us. Indiana is a beautiful place to live in the fall, and I’m looking forward to enjoying lots of hiking, apple orchard time, and bonfires.

Woof to you,

It is my earnest desire to see how few muscles I can move today while the heat of August beats down like fire, baking the world and my humans go crazy trying to still do all they have on their lists, like it’s just another day.

Hahaha! No way that’s going to happen today. Already my humom, Florence, had to come home when she was halfway to an appointment. The air conditioning in her car gave out and she was red in the face from the noon heat.

I don’t know why humans don’t just watch us animals. Look at how the cats are invisible and dogs are lying like rugs as close to the cool air as possible anywhere they can.

I have a friend, named Pal, in Hawaii, who rides in the truck with his humom when she goes to the beach to go surfing and he stays nice and still; resting under the truck, in the shade with his water dish close by until it’s time to go home.

People look under to say hello to him and he just winks an eye back at them and stays cool.

So I hope you all try find your own way to stay cool today.

Me? I’m looking forward to a few ice cubes in my water dish.

Woofs from,

Bailley