Why does the good usually arrive with the bad? Critter style

My menagerie had a wonderful day....so why I am so frustrated?  Oh, right, the kennel peeing, the not listening, the stealing of everyone's food (REX!).

The dog people at the local coffee shop said I shouldn't feel guilty about being a bit irritated with Zeli.   Actually, it isn't her, but her behavior.  It seems as if we have entered some moody defiant toddler stage, not to anthropomorphize too much.  For a moment she is sweet and loving, then she humps my leg (arguably a logical extension...).  Then she wants to nap and snuggle, 45 seconds later it is attack the blanket time.  Redirect to toys...usually works.

Last night we had a stellar walk around TWO whole blocks in under 20 minutes.  This, by the way, is momentous.  It often takes 40 minutes to make it around 2/3 of the block via the alley....like this morning....when it was colder...and she wouldn't respond to my calling her name.  Argh.

There was plenty of fun fetch with her little tire (or tyre for our British reader(s))...frequently interrupted by rabbit poop hunting (and eating, ew) and rolling in puppy god only knows what.  Sometime I have to figure out a way to video the fetch.  Zeli's mad dash chase and leaping pounces are hilarious.  What a naughty naughty sweetie.

I was thrilled that she only woke me up twice last night at about 12:30 and 5ish.  That until I double checked the kennel blanket...yup, pee.  Ew.  Maybe I was finally sleeping so hard I didn't hear her...enter the guilt.

Rex continues to chase Zeli away from her own food dish and sneak bites from Eva's while I scoop his kibble.  Yes, my salad greens bring out his swiper paw too.  Ya'd think he was starving.  (Trust me, he is fine...well weight wise).

Eva, my princess, she's all good.  No vomitting.  Bravely coming out to take a gander at the strange smelling constantly growing grunting noise making Zeli.  I was reminded though of the days when she would pee on the comforter...uff and the one time she did WHILE I WAS UNDER IT.  I noticed Eva even used the upstairs scratching post this morning!  Of course, there are many new shreds on the back of the office chair too.  Grr.

Oh animals.  I love you.  Of course, if the no listening, food stealing, errant urination continues we may be the next subject of the U vet med shrinks.

Critter family

We had a big weekend, my critter family and I.  

Zeli discovered "fetch" though won't do it on command (yet).

Lucy added "GO" to her vocabulary, which Zeli wasn't responding to the command. [Okay, okay, so Lucy isn't a member of the "critter" family...but as a toddler who was also enjoying crawling on all 4s imitating the puppy, this counts in my list]

Eva un-self-sequestered herself from the upstairs.

Rex, well, he just did his usual thing of trying to eat all of everyone's food.

Zeli walked ALL the way to the coffee shop.

I returned to "sleeping"* in my bed upstairs.

(the photo is from last week...Rex will now actually touch Zeli when he wants to sleep between puppy and me)

*sleeping should be understood as the thing that happens between taking the dog out every 2-3 hours in the night

NaNoWriMo Fail

This month I wanted to write a novel and maybe get laid.  Instead I got a puppy.  Now rather than wordplay as foreplay, I concentrate on feeding and pooping regimens**.

I think the trade off has been worth it.

 **(word of the day)

\REJ-uh-mun\

noun

*1 : a systematic course of treatment or training
2 : government, rule
3 : a government in power : regime

The New York Times fills in for libgyrl

Neither libgyrl nor IronMarie got much sleep last night.  Apparently Zeli has some nocturnal leanings like her feline "siblings."

Fortunately we have a guest author for the day.  The NYTimes.com has kindly, ah, agreed (??) to share some words on sportiness to make up for the heavy does of puppy love recently expressed here in libgyrl land.

First we have a fine quote from my girl athlete crush Chrissie Wellington.  Clearly she and I are BFFs, since I do this same thing in my races as much as I can.  She's a bit better at it.  Why race if you can't smile too?

"She also suggested attempting to grin. “It’s easier to smile than grimace when you’re hurting,” said Ms. Wellington, who is known for wearing a smile throughout an Ironman competition."

(see rest of this article "How Athletes Can Push Past the Pain of Exertion" - I was hoping for more info on the physiology of this, but a nice little read anyway with some training ideas...plus there is a great picture of Wellington (if only I could dot that i in her name with a heart!) on a sexy Cannondale).

Sometimes people say "your body isn't meant to do that*"....and sometimes I agree.  Certainly some bodies are better equipped for exertion.  According to our guest author, the New York Times staff, "The Human Body is Built for Distance."  Read the article and see what you think.  Maybe leave a comment here, if you want.

*run a marathon, do an Ironman, eat The Cadillac from the Wienery (number 7 on the breakfast menu)

And an entirely unrelated photo of my beautiful baby bully:

Sleeping with a bullie

Oh my, Zeli really does belong in my family.  How can I tell?  The snoring.  That little pup (the vet says she is 21 pounds so maybe little is not the best adjective) can snore with the best of them, and by "them" I mean my dad, grandpa, uncle John, cousin Ron.  Heck, I've been known to snore a bit myself.

Other things I've learned in 2.5 nights of sharing a bed with a bulldog:

• If you get up to take a drink of water or use the bathroom, bully will slink into the prime warm spot in the middle of the bed.
• Bullies will more than happily put their heads on your pillow, just like a person.
• One can move around a sleeping bulldog pup, oh say to stop the snoring in your face, and she will likely keep dozing heavily through the transition and in the new position.

In Zeli training news, we have had 3 successful outside poops in the last 14 hours!  Walkies are still limited to getting around the house.  It might be another week before she can make it around the actual block.  She is a very good sitter and come works... most of the time.

In training with Zeli news, I can assure you that carrying a 21 pound Olde English Bulldogge 1 + 2 + 3 + 3 blocks is very good upper body strength training.  Squatting every few feet to call a nervous puppy works the gluts and quads. Running sprints in the back yard makes for only a moderate speed work out.

And with that, I give you America's Next Top Bully Model picture of the day (courtesy of MFS as my camera battery is in recharge status).