Friday Foto Shoot...Pawty Time!!!

The Dogs of Jackman Ave are dressed in their finest tonight.

While some of the dogs (Lola) have suitors in Pittsburgh (Brody, Apache, DeeOgee, Duke, Scout...who is a girl...not that there is anything wrong with that.),

...this weekend is a celebration of CyberPups!!

This Foto Shoot Friday goes out to Dogs With Blogs...

"Pawty Time"

We have had more fun & "met" the most stellar dogs (and hoomans) since joining DWB. Opy, Charlie, Greg & Brooke couldn't have done any better than starting this lovely database of people who love dogs. And unlike the Dogdom I've surrounded myself over the past few years, there is no arguing about nutrition, training methods, exercise, dominance theory. relationships, etc. Its a breath of fresh air. We just love our dogs, have fun with them & exploit that fun on the 'Net. The Dogs usually don't mind posing & we've created the ultimate photo album.

I started the blog for Scott & I...so we could track Lola growing up. I wanted a chronicle of her training & everyday progress. (Yes, she was super little & cute...still is, little turkey!)

But tonight isn't about reminiscing...it's about DATES! Our very first dates!

Penny & Peanut sittin' in a tree! Penny knows I want my next dog to be a plain (although nothing PLAIN about Peanut) brindle male Boxer.

"I Wuv you, Peanut!"




"Marvelous Marvin...Thank you for being my Date...I've adorned my proper dress and await your "Lick" of approval."



And, of course...Sherman. He's gotten all dressed up for his one & only...DOT!

"I put a tie on & everything...this is true love!



And....I made her a video. Forgive my Mom talking...she's very, very annoying. And has a very shrill voice. I still WUV you Dot!"

We miss Charlie (and CoCo too)!

So Charlie & CoCo move to Kansas City and left their blog behind! I would say we should all mail bomb their Mom, but I can't find her email addy! But in their honor...we present Love Thursday.

We love Boxer Butts!!!

Lola's nub is much more convenient than Penny's...especially at the V.E.T.s office. Penny's works like a trap door. Lola's is like a handle.

The voting for the Awesome Blog award for April is almost over. Sorry to say, we're second to last! Boo HOOooooooo Hoooo!!!! Sherman is in a pretty deep depression but I told him that the other blogs nominated are pretty darn great & we should be thankful to be included with such a stellar bunch. He's gonna recover, but I had to promise turkey necks for dinner tomorrow & a fresh batch of salmon cookies this weekend. Yes, his Mom is a sucker.

Cold + Rain = CHEWIES!!!!

After an amazingly gorgeous weekend, it's turned cold & rainly...again. So how do we pass the time? CHEWIES!!!

Our favorite is Bully Straps...my dogs go absolutely NUTS over these. They don't last as long as a bully stick, but I get 15 - 20 minutes of chew time from them. They are very digestable (Lola was having digestive problems from bullies) and inexpensive.



I get them from the absolute best place on the 'Net for chew treats I've found...K9 Raw Diet. Their prices are great (giant foot long bully sticks for $4!), the shipping very reasonable and the most outstanding customer service around. They've just started selling the straps in bulk...which I'm thrilled about.

Sherman has to chew facing away from the girls as he can be a brat about stealing stuff. What's his is his & what's yours is his.

Chew, chew, chew...



and chew...


and chew!

They look like perfectly behaved angels, don't they???

Peanut's Mom told me how to find out what Google searches lead people to your blog. Most of our visitors stop by via links on other blogs or the DWB site. There were a couple of Google searches and most were uneventful...Dogs of Jackman Ave (duh!), Sensation Harness & Western Avenue. But the last search was classic...Hung Jackman in his underwear!! HA! I'll bet they were disappointed when the stumbled onto our blog!!

This is a test...

My first videos! Let's hope it works (Thanks to Boo for the uploading instructions!) Forgive the amateur cinematography...I'll get better!

Lola & the Giggle Ball.



Playtime!!

So where do YOU sleep at night?

As last week's name game was so much fun & we got to learn more about our DWB buddies, I figured I throw out a new question of the week!

When Sherman first came to live with us, Scott & I actually encouraged him to sleep in our bed. He wanted to sleep on the floor but we made a big deal about getting him to jump in bed with us & snuggle at night. He realized how much more comfy the bed was than the floor and decided that was a fine place to sleep. And that's how it was for 4 years.

Once Penny was out of her crate at night, she also started sleeping with us. It was often very uncomfortable for the humans but we made accommodations for the the two of them b/c we were STUPID!

When we decided to add Lola to the pack, we realized that 3 dogs in the bed was just unacceptable. And we finally came to our senses and determined that no dogs in the bed at night was preferable. Getting 2 dogs that were used to sleeping in the big bed to sleep on the floor in their beds was not going to be an easy task. So, Scott put eye hooks into the baseboards and we stared tethering them to their beds at night. You can imagine how well that was received the first few nights! Penny kept trying to jump on the bed and was immediately flung onto the floor (fortunately she's the smart one and after a 1/2 dozen tries, she gave up & slept in her bed). Sherman, being the gigantic baby that he is, whined & cried off & on for at least a week.

We've finally settled into a nice routine where they all snuggle in bed with me until Scott goes to sleep and then everyone gets in their respective dog beds without fuss. Lola still sleeps in her crate b/c she loves it. Sherman & Penny are no longer tethered and Penny will sometimes sneak into our bed in the middle of the night. She's amazingly cat-like and I never feel her come up nor do I notice her in the bed till morning. Mr. "Bull in a China Shop" is not so graceful and it feels like someone dropped a ton of bricks on the bed if he decides to come up. But he gets back in bed when I tell him.

"I sleep in my big bolster bed with my blankie".




"I either sleep in my bed on in the pile of clothes Dad leaves on the floor next to his side of the bed."

"I have to sleep in JAIL!"

"But I would prefer to sleep with my best friend Penny!"

So where do YOU sleep at night????

We're ready for the Pawty!

We're very excited about the 1st annual DWB wine & cheese pawty this weekend! I have all the supplies ready! Wine, cheese, pepperoni & liver brownies!

(please excuse the picture quality...I'm still trying to figure out my new camera!!)

I bought a bottle of the finest Dog House Chardonnay!

Sherman is very excited & he even has a date! His true love, Dot!!

Lola is hoping Marvin will be her date.

"Paweeeese, Marvin?"

Penny wouldn't get on the chair...although, she's hoping Peanut will be her date!

We're ready to PAWTY!!! (Especially Sherman...look how excited he is for his very first date ever!)

Pappy put together an awesome tribute video. Check it out...it's too cool!

We're Not Worthy!!!!

We were just notified by the powers that be at DWB, that we've not only been nominated for Photo of the Month (Marvin's Mom thinks Lola is very funny!), but we've also been nominated for the Awesome Blog Award!!!!!

We are so honored to be recognized...this just started as a little diary of Lola growing up! And she was such a wee little thing when she came home!


Then we hooked up with DWBs and "met" so many amazing dogs & their people. We love all of the Blogs nominated and are honored to be part of such a stellar group.

If you've been following our adventures & would like to vote for us, you do have to register at Dogs with Blogs. Go to the Bone Zone once you've recieved clearance and VOTE FOR US!!! You can also vote for Lola's Photo of the Month! Promise...this is a stand up group. You'll recieve no spam or junk from signing up.


Thank you to our dear friends, the Brat Pack (who are also nominated) for thinking of us! We love you guys!!!!

Foto Shoot Friday (Happy Barkday Penny!!!!!)

Today we celebrate Penny's 5th birthday. This is all, of course, an approximation because when we adopted her on 11/20/2002, the Vet estimated her age at 7 months. I believe that to be pretty accurate.

If you spend a lot of time with Dog People, you may hear them refer to one particular dog as their "heart dog". They may have 2, 3, 5, 8 dogs...but one dog in the pack stands out. It's not picking favorites. But there is one dog they share a particularly strong bond with. The dog that can almost read their mind. The dog that makes them work a little harder, search a little longer, have a little more patience. The one that changes them, for the better, forever.

Penny is my Heart Dog.

All of the reasons why will be reserved for another day. I'm not getting sappy...today I'm celebrating all that is Penny!

We had the first perfect day in weeks to hit the park.

"Let's GO!"

Yes, she had to stop & pose at a few spots on the trail...for Foto Shoot Friday!

But we found a large clearing that was perfect for running

And rolling in deer poop

Big giant tongue from running

And the serious "I smell deer" face.

Yes, once we left the clearing, we ran into a herd of about 8 deer. It took Penny 20 minutes to calm herself down (and was a very clear reminder of why I don't let my dog off leash at the park!!).

But it was bliss cooling off her toes in the stream.

A quick rest stop before heading home.

At home she got to enjoy a buffalo scapula on her deck...which is pretty much Penny's favorite place on earth during warm weather.

She also enjoyed some of her favorite homemade liver brownies...which were devoured w/o time to snap a picture.

It was a perfect day...all for my little Princess Penny Wiggles.

I love you Beauty Queen.

Princess Penny Wiggles is almost 5!!

If you check out the DWB calendar on the right, you'll notice at the top of the list is Penny's Birthday!! My little girl is almost 5. Hard to believe.

I've taken a 1/2 day off of work on Friday to spend with her & celebrate...Foto Shoot Friday will be all Penny!! But here are some old pics of her I found.

"Look what I HAVE!!" is one of her favorite games.

Penny the Rock Star.

The world's cutest Steeler fan.


Penny the Grinch!

We also had a little milestone today. Our Blog has had over 1000 visitors in less than a month! Pretty darn cool!

Finally...Sherman's met his match.

If ever there was a girl for Sherman, it would have to be Dot from the Brat Pack. I watched a video of her playing with her Mom & sister Sam and felt like I was watching a spotted version of my bestest boy. She growls when she plays, she dances around the room with her toy, she snarks at her sister when she gets too close, she's "big boned". They are a match made in heaven.

She's pretty darn cute too! She smiles like Shermie.

On the home front, Lola was again, wonderful in class. She played with a Rotti puppy before going inside and was completely appropriate with him. But then she got all snarky with a very friendly pitbull during class. I can't figure this little girl out. She has improved on some things since last week...her Recalls were better, Stays were much improved, Heeling was good. She doesn't yet have a clear understanding of Heel as a position so we need to work on that and she has a new habit of coming around to sit in Front at the Halts. The highlight of the evening was the Figure 8s. We used people and dogs as posts and her heeling was really great, especially on the outside. I didn't have to ask her to hurry, nor did I have to ask her to slow down on the inside. And when it was our turn to be a post, she gave me stellar attention. During the happy Pitbull's turn, he left position at the Halt and came over to say hello to Lola. She flicked her eyes at him and then right back to staring at me...without me even asking!! No Leave It, no Lola!, no Ready?, no nothing! All on her own. That was huge and she got a giant YES!, lots of rubs and about 20 bites of chicken.

And one final note...our hearts go out to the victims and families of the VA Tech shooting. There are no words to express the sorrow felt around this country today.

How'd you get YOUR name????

The more DWBs I visit...the more creative the Dog names. A while back, I posted about how many names my dogs actually have (and they have LOTS!). But I don't think I got into how they got their name.

Sherman - ever see the Nutty Professor? The Eddie Murphy one. There's a scene where Sherman Klump's Mom is talking about him and she says "Sherman, Sherman, Sherman!" while clapping her hands and I thought it was hilarious. You only will if you've seen the movie. I thought the name was really funny & I knew back in 1996 that my first boy dog would be Sherman.

When we adopted Sherm from the Butler Co. Humane Society, he was just a number. They hadn't given him a name and after we fell in love with him, signed all of the paperwork and made our way to the car...Scott said to me "I guess this is Sherman".

He could go by no other name!

Penny - The woman we adopted Penny from had named her at the shelter. She said she was the color of a penny. To be honest, I didn't love the name. I wanted to call her Sophie or Sallie. Something that sounded better with Sherman. But Scott liked it and as he was less than thrilled about getting a second dog, I figured he should have some say in the whole process.

So Penny she is.

Lola - After Madonna had Lourdes and started calling her Lola, a bunch of celebs jumped on the bandwagon. A bunch of Lolas started popping up all over Hollywood. I knew this little Boxer puppy would be a Diva dog & deserved a Diva name. Beyonce was too long so I stole Madonna's baby name & picked Lola.

Scott wanted to name her Spot.

The Dogs of Jackman Ave - well, that's obvious!

So how did your dog get its name? Feel free to "refer to Blog" if it's a long story!

What an honor!

It should actually read "the most rotten, ornery, naughty DOG whose sweet little face lets her get away with murder OF THE YEAR".

Foto Shoot Friday

Was a big giant bust!

Saturday is my Birthday & the Dogs were very excited to see their Grandma. Too bad my digital camera is finally showing it's age. All the pics I took were Jacked! Up! (oh how I miss football!)

The Dogs & Grandma (could have been a great picture, right???)


My Xmas Amaryllis that bloomed in April!

Lola sitting on the back of the couch w/ the Xmas Amaryllis (she's not allowed to do this any other time than photo opps!)

I'm off to search for a new camera for my birthday!