With My Dogs By My Side

Friday, March 16, 2012

We are the proud owners of...

A mini-van and a Doberman Pinscher.

The van is named Petunia. The Doberman, Java.

We were lucky enough to find an amazing deal on an older Ford Windstar after the death of the Cavalier, Cecilia. Cecilia was officially totaled out. She's had a few issues, but we find ourselves surprisingly fond of her, and hope that her issues will all be resolved.

Java, however, has had no issues. He's been home for a minute now, but after the experience fostering Griffin and being unsure about whether he would be permanent, I wanted to wait a minute before announcing him.

Here he is. Java, a three month old Fawn Doberman. He is the dog of our dreams. He could not be more perfect for us in every way. He has gone everywhere with us that is safe and sane, he's nearly entirely potty trained, his ears are almost standing already, and most importantly, we adore him, and he adores us. He adores Violet, Violet adores him. Our families adore him, he adores them. It is a never-ending lovefest around here. I can't even report any typical puppy-raising woes - he is just perfect. Beautiful, smart, calm, loving, cuddly, easy, amazing pup.

Feast your eyes.

The van had a crack in her windshield, so we needed to take her in to have it replaced today. We had Java with us, and it was uncertain whether he was allowed to wait with us in the lobby (someone told me yes, different guy told Eric no), so we decided the hell with it, let's go across the street to Hooters and kill this hour with a couple sodas and an appetizer. It was a gorgeous day, and they have outdoor seating, and I was thirsty. Java made plenty of friends at Hooters. It was an interesting, but effective socialization opportunity. Then we went back across the street and waited the last ten minutes until Petunia was ready.

The waitress brought him a bowl of water. Too sweet. He was seconds away from becoming the Hooters mascot.

Delicious, unhealthy onion rings. Mmm.

Java in the van.

Java in the van again. (He will be getting a seatbelt this week. Things have been hectic.)

At family night, curled up asleep under the table with my grandmother's Dachshund, Chloe.

♥

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Could I finally be getting the hang of this camera?

Griffin has gone on to his forever home after being fostered here. We loved having him here, but it pretty quickly became clear that it was not the right fit and that he would be best to remain as a foster. He seems to be thrilled with his owners, so it's a happy ending all around. That means that it is now time for Eric to start considering his next dog. I think that we have a specific plan in mind, but I'll leave that to be revealed as it unfolds.

In the meanwhile, some pictures from today's walk.

And a duck. I'm not sure what it is with me and waterfowl this week.

And a couple bonus "blooper" shots of a windblown Violet. Ha.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Lamps, the Collie, me, and a goose.

Cool lamps in a Thai restaurant.

Artsy-fartsy self-portraits.

Violet's walk today.

The Violet smile.

This and the next couple normally would have been outtakes (blurry, etc.), but she used to have anxiety about getting into water, so I was proud of her for charging right in today. She's always been fine with standing at the edge of a lake/creek/etc., with her front paws in, but she never likes to get further than arm's reach from me. We've come a long way with her anxiety.

She was watching Eric.

Ahem. It's a Collie butt.

And a rather angry goose.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Happy Birthday, Violet!

Violet is one!

It was an uneventful birthday. Eric had a car accident last week that left our car undriveable, and we've been dealing with all of the mess that comes with that for several days now. We had a little get-together planned for today with some dog-people friends and their dogs, some pizza for the people and cupcakes from Three Dog Bakery for the dogs, but with the car situation and the unexpected icky weather, it got postponed until next week, weather allowing. Her birthday presents will wait til then.

Today, let's look back on one year of my sweet, goofy, brilliant, ditzy Collie girl.

7 Weeks