Enough Torture For One Day!

What a day it has been!!  First, Mom gets home early, so here I am thinking life is good!  She decides to take me for a walk, and now I am thinking life is even better as she snaps my collar on and gets my leash and fills her pocket with treats.  Then it happens.  To my horror, she pulls out the scarf that my Aunt Etsuko made me.  Granted, it's pretty and all, but as you know I am not a fan of clothes and such things.  She then proceeds to put it on my neck and make me walk a mile and a half wearing it.  I even passed two Labs...I am sure they were laughing at me, but I didn't have time to explain that my Mom forced me to wear it against my will.

Oh, it gets worse....when we got home I settled in for a nice nap and then I heard it...the dreaded Dremel.  It sounded like a horrific beast about to gobble me up.  I was wondering what in the world had overcome my Mom seeing as how she NEVER trims my nails.  I immediately run like my life is on the line and make a beeline to hide under the computer desk.  With giant, earth shattering steps, Mom approaches and corners me.  I begin to shake all over...she gives me treats but it doesn't help.  Finally, she gives up on the scary sounding machine and brings in the clippers.  This time she was able to do some damage but I did not make it easy on her. She says she has more in store for me later but she didn't want to totally traumatize me in one sitting.  Too late Mom, damage done!  She kept spouting something off about how it would feel better with shorter nails...blah, blah, blah! I need to start planning my escape route now for next time...how awful!

At least I got to go play with my pal Ozzie after the torture subsided.  That was the best part of my day!  He even had his Mom's little human grandkids with him.  They are quite fun and exciting too.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/pet/1574214117.html

And my final note on torture for today...this is Darwin's brother. Darwin is a blog pal of mine and his Mom found his brother on Craigslist...how horrible!  The humans who have him decided he was too big for their home...sheesh, how rude.  Why didn't they think of that before...I will NEVER understand certain humans.  So, if anyone in the Pacific Northwest wants to give a beautiful Dane boy a home then check out his ad and call.

Have a super weekend!

Kisses,

Nala

Wordless Wednesday

New Year's Traditions

I know New Year's was a month ago, but I wanted to share one of our traditions with you.  Every year, my pawrents get together with my Uncle Joel and now his soon to be wife, Etsuko.  Every year, they always put together a puzzle.  Dad and Uncle Joel can spend hours doing this.  Well, this year Mom had a puzzle of moi made for them to put together.  Although it was a bit simpler than the ones they normally do, it was still fun...I mean how could it not be???  It was of me after all. ;)  It even came in a tin with me on the front. 

While sledding is not a tradition, Mom thinks it should be.  Apparently, the humans had alot of fun riding these red plastic things down the hill.  I wouldn't know about that because they said it was too dangerous for me to come along.  Apparently, the hill is pretty steep and you get going fast and there are sometimes lots of people. (although this time they had the hill all to themsleves)  Well, Mom said the potential for me to get run over by a sled was too great, so I had to settle for a snowball fight with Mom when they returned.  I love trying to catch snowballs in my mouth...it's great fun!

That's Better!

Well, I gave the boots and jacket another whirl and guess what?  It wasn't so bad.  The jacket kept me warm and dry, and the boots kept my sensitive paws from getting scratched up in the icy, crusty snow!!  Success!  Of course, this walk was just with Mom and Dad, so I have not tested the boots with my furiends again yet.  Mom said these boots weren't really designed for snow, but she and Dad seem to have misplaced my boots they got me last year which were better for snow.  Mom thinks that snow boots should have the stretchy material that goes further up the legs to keep the cold stuff from getting inside.  Oh well, these should work for now and they should be great for hiking in rough, rocky areas this summer.  Thanks so much to all of those doggies who gave suggestions!  I even made a new furiend because of the suggestions.  Brutus the Frenchie got these cool little shoes called PAWZ...check out his blog for the details if you haven't already!  Don't know if they would work for my big paws, but right now I think I will stick with these boots as they seem to do the trick as long as I can keep them on when playing with my rowdy furiends.  I'm not rowdy, it's them ya know. ;)

Really, you got me THIS for Christmas??

Well, when I got home from vacation I had a late Christmas gift! It was this...a JACKET! Really Mom, another jacket?? I already have one that I run from every time you bring it out! Mom did not let my "enthusiasm" deter her. Her excitement was too great, so I reluctantly let her put it on me and to my surprise it was MUCH more comfortable than my last jacket. Not that I was happy about this though!!

Mom says it is from this Canadian company called Chilly Dogs, and they had a Ridgeback on their site just like me. She said their jackets are designed for long, lean, and deep chested doggies like myself, so she thought it would be a better fit. If you notice, it goes over my head and then the bottom part that is adjustable goes below my chest and then fastens around my back. Plus, it is longer than most jackets to keep my tail feathers warm. ;) I am still not sure about all of this. Well, Mom was sooo excited she had me wear it out with my pal, Ozzie. I tried to interject and tell her what an embarrassment it would be but she insisted!


And not only do jackets give your furiends something to grab on to, but the red color also brings out their vampire side! YIKES! Did Edward get to you Ozzie? Mom, HELP! I told you this was a BAD idea!!

Well, Mom learned her lesson but not on this trip. Just this week, she took me out in my jacket with my furiend, Sierra, and this time she even put 4 new boots on my paws...how degrading!! The reason she got the boots is because every time I go out in the crunchy snow, my princess paws get cut up and bleed. I told her I was a tough princess but she didn't believe me. Unfortunately, our snow has been kind of crunchy because of the weather so when I have returned from play dates I have had bloody paws. :( Anyway, Mom figured the boots and jacket would be ok because Sierra usually does her own thing. Boy was she wrong! First of all, she decided that the boots, which are super cool, (although she doesn't think they were designed with snow in mind) are not good for playing with other doggies because the excitement levels are too high and I get a little too silly. They get snow stuck in the tops and then I lick the tops because my legs get too cold. Plus, when I am running around and playing they fly off if they are not readjusted and tightened as I am moving around. The snow probably doesn't help with this as it helps pull them off when I remove my paws from it's grasp. Also, even my furiend, Sierra, starting charging me with my jacket on. I think she was out for blood too...maybe Ozzie got to her...I don't know? I do know that next time I am with my furiends I am going au natural and maybe I can avoid their vampirish ways. Mom is in agreement but she says that the jacket and boots WILL be good for when I am out for a walk with just her and Dad. Maybe, but I am NOT a believer yet!



Update: Amber here, just got back from a play date and Nala's paws got chewed up by the snow. UGH! I am very frustrated. Maybe despite the challenges of the boots they will at least keep her feet from getting so chewed up. The jacket for sure is not for play dates (I knew that but thought for walks it may be ok) or even just walks with friends but now I am thinking she HAS to wear the boots regardless.


The arrows indicate blood. She left bloody marks all over the snow out there.

All four paws looked similar to this. :( Has anyone else had this problem with their dog before? Is it because of the short hair? I can't NOT take her out to play but I also don't want her paws to look like this every time either. I guess we will go with just boots from now on. I can't wait for the snow to be gone! Or at least melt and snow some nice fluffy snow that doesn't cut paws!! Right now, Nala is sweetly curled up on her blankie licking her injured paws. I washed them off for her with some warm water and gave her some warm broth to drink.

On the Mend

Well, Mom's on the mend although she still has a slight chipmunk cheek on her right side. ;) She had to get an implant put in which is basically a little metal screw-like device. I bet she can't go through airport security anymore...BOL! Guess she will just have to stay home with me and NEVER travel! :) Can you believe she didn't even give me a treat after surgery...well, she did but not immediately. I even reminded her but I guess I won't hold it against her seeing as how she was on some meds that made her sleepy and apparently, forgetful!

Above is the picture I submitted for the Mango Minster! The one above has a faded 70's look though and the one I submitted was untweaked because of the rules. I like to call it All Four Off the Floor. As I told Mango, I chose this photo to highlight my hound dog running ability and long stride...can't you just imagine me chasing down a lion?? Plus, I do it all while still looking gorgeous! I'm not modest at all....sorry but in a competition like the Mango Minster one must exude confidence! Anyway, if you don't know about the Mango Minster then check it out by clicking the link above. Mango is a most gracious and dedicated doggie for hosting such a pawtastic event!

Dream of Me Mom!

Mom, while you are sleeping today and they are fixing your tooth, dream of me and our fun times on the beach! I will be waiting to give you kisses and make you feel better when you get home. Maybe slip a treat in your pocket before surgery and that way when you get home you will have one to give me. ;) Ya know, if you think about it.

My Christmas Celebration

My family and I got to spend Christmas in Medford, OR with my Nanny and Grampi! It was wonderful to be with my favorite person, my Nanny! Every morning I watched her door knob until finally it would open and she would come play with me! I love her sooo much. Also, I was so happy to see my Grampi...last time I was there he was having some kind of operation on his heart and had to be stuck in the hospital while I was at his house. I am happy to report he is out of the hospital and doing grrrreat! Also, my Uncle Joel and soon to be Aunt Etsuko were there with us too. :) I was a little sad though because my Auntie Alison and her family could not be there. I missed them alot.

I got to be in the center of all the present opening action...it was pawesome!


A Christmas collage...what fun we had! Do you see what Mom got for Christmas?? Now she will be tormenting me more than ever. ;)

And here are my gifts from my sweet little bro, Remi! He sent them to me in the mail and boy oh boy does he have good taste! A cool spiral chew that I did not ever want to part with, some SUPER YUMMY dehydrated cheddar cheese, a penguin toy, and some more treats in a bag! He even put a note on the bag that said "No carrots" to make sure I didn't wonder seeing as how I am allergic to them. Maybe his Mom actually wrote it but I am sure he told her too. Oh yea, and some salmon jerky...YUM! Thanks Remi, you are one grrreat brother!

But the best part about my Christmas was just relaxing and curling up with my family!

Belated HOWLiday Greetings!!

OMD....I am SO late at wishing you Happy HOWLidays, but trust me, I have been trying! We have had some major technical difficulties here with uploading anything to the blog so we have decided to fully switch to blogspot which means my address has changed. It may take a while for this to take effect so if anyone finds this then I will soon be adding a link to my old address so you can update my web address. :) Anyway, hope you all had a pawesome holiday season! I will catch up with you soon and share my holiday adventures with you as well!

Love,

Nala