Puppy Hauler

$5,000 ouchie.

As most of you know, I got into a little car accident at the end of March.  I was turning left into my driveway when the car behind me managed to hit Zippy on the driver's side front wheel and bumper, drive across my front lawn, and stop her car a few houses up from mine.  That's right, the LEFT side.  The cop who showed up to take the police report was a bit incredulous too.  Save some neck pain the next day, I was fine.  BoBo and Singer appear to be fine too.

In any event, I thought this would be a quick fix, until I started to drive to my evening obligation.  That's when I realized driving the car felt like operating a Whirlyball car.  Not good!  Well, after the other driver's insurance company threatened to total my car, I ended up in a rental Hyundai Santa Fe.  I thumbed my nose at the giant, gas guzzling SUV until I started getting used to the power windows, keyless entry, power locks, hatchback door.... The White Lightning was awesome!  Of course, he also drove like a swaying boat, cost me over $150 in gas over the course of 3 weeks, and required skillful maneuvering in the parking garage.  But I'd been seduced.  My next car may likely be a 5 door Hyundai Accent.  138 horsepower, 5 year roadside assistance, 100,000 mi warranty... ahh what luxury!

I finally got Zippy back last week.  He has a brand new headlight, suspension, front bumper, and some other shiny things.  While all the bells and whistles were nice and convenient, I think I'll be keeping Zippy for a while longer.  He's been trouble free since the start, and has a good 5-7 years left in him.

Easter dogs.

My Little Easter Bunny!

Getting a helping paw from Singer.

Singer and Bo finally made it to the Manchester Doggie Easter Egg Hunt this year!  (It was rained out last year.)  Ten bucks per dog family gets you about 4 minutes of frantic egg scooping, surrounded by dogs who couldn't care less about what's going on.  So what was the total take?  Lots of free nail clipping coupons and two, count them, two free dog consults at a local vet.  I'd say that was a pretty good ROI.  Plus, this awesome shot of Singer with her paw around Bo's back.

Half Marathon

At the reservoir, chomping at the bit.

My friend Misti and I are distance-training for a half marathon.  We have a google calendar to track our work outs, and are using a novice training schedule.  Singer and Bo have volunteered to be my in-person training partners.

My goal is to do a half marathon sometime in late Spring or early Summer and do the full marathon in mid-October.  Maybe I should add a running log to the blog?

Giraffe?

Every now and then, when Singer's collar is off, you can see how long her neck is.  Usually, you don't notice though.. until she does this!  It looks like I have a brindle giraffe cruising in my back seat!

On an unrelated note, I've been keeping tabs on the NYC Animal Control's daily euthanasia list.  And it breaks my heart.  There was a time, not too long ago, that I thought, "why on earth would anyone want a pit bull?"  All I ever heard in the news media was bad, bad, bad.  But Singer has truly changed my life, and opened up my eyes (and heart) to this misunderstood class of dogs.  I say class, because it seems like anything and everything that has a stubby head and a crazy smile is considered to be a Pit Bull.  (Yes, I know they're not!)

Anyway, back to the NYC Animal Control.  Each day, a group called Urgent Part 2 posts pictures of the dogs that the NYC Animal Control will put down the following morning, as well as dogs that are at risk of being next on the list.  Most of the public never knows about these dogs, because these dogs are never shown in the public adoption area.  And each day, I pledge what I can, for a recognized rescue organization to pull or foster one of those dogs.  And day after day, I watch as my pledge goes unclaimed, because no one pulled or no one offered to foster, and the dog has been killed.  I wish the Animal Control would post these pictures too, so that people who give up their dogs because they're too old, or too expensive, or they're moving, or they're not interested in walking their dog anymore, is forced to acknowledge that they are sending their dogs to die.

It breaks my heart.  It breaks my heart that dogs like Singer and dogs that look like Singer, go into the pound with 2.5 strikes against them.  It breaks my heart that people don't want to give dogs like her a chance.  I don't think there is a reason in the world why anyone would buy a dog from a breeder or a pet store when dogs, healthy, young, friendly dogs die each day.  A dog like BoBo steps foot into the pound with a full death sentence.  Wrong breed, wrong age, wrong, wrong, wrong.  But in reality, she is an amazing, silly, playful dog who is full of life and full of love.  I only wish I had the resources to make a bigger difference in the lives of dogs like Singer and Bo.

Nail cutting

There are three kinds of dogs when it comes to nail cutting: (a) Singer, a dog who will let you do anything and everything to her without protest, (b) Bo, a dog who might let you mess with her if she's in a good mood, and (c) Bo, a dog who has scared even seasoned veterinarians when she is in a bad mood.  A couple of mornings ago, Bo was solidly in category (b), which made nail cutting challenging, but not impossible.  Unfortunately, when a dog is not fully interested in cooperating with her groomer, sad things happen.  I cut too close and hit the quick.

While my heart ached, BoBo didn't seem to miss and beat and never noticed.  Instead, she snuggled into the covers, bleeding onto my already furry sheets and comforter.  Sometimes I swear that dog lacks pain receptors (or memory).  If I had a dollar for every time I've seen her run into door jam en route to the fridge...

In any event, I stopped the bleeding with some TP and slipped a sock on her foot for her walk just in case there was any lingering salt on the side walks.

*update* I was going to take a picture of her black socked foot after I got back from work, but she'd already managed to nudge it off by the time I got home.  Trust me, it was cute, in a 'My mom made me wear this get up' sort of way.  BoBo's a good sport about looking silly.

BoBo or Snoozing Hamster?

Fuzzy Rodent

Fuzzy Rodent Wearing a Hawaiian Shirt?

Bodacious Rules the Roost.

Singer's friend Hershey gifted her his unwanted chew toy, but Singer wasn't terribly appreciative, so BoBo got it instead.  Of course, BoBo's not terribly interested in any aspect of it other than simple possession.  

Mine!

Miiine!

Still mine.

In other news, BoBo is bbbback and barking up a storm.  It's always interesting to see how different Singer and BoBo really are.  The typical assessment is that Singer is a like a little furry emo kid, while BoBo is the happy-go-lucky class clown.

Where No Bo Has Ever Gone.

As you know, Bo is a foster dog.  That means, theoretically, that a loving family may one day take Bo home so that she may join their family.  However, there is something, in industry parlance, known as the "foster fail".  The foster fail is what happens when a foster family decides to adopt said foster dog.  ACOs and dog rescues love foster fails.

There are a couple of things that keep me from adopting Bo, including in no particular order: (1) my roommate does not like her, (2) she and Singer are both divas, and (3) if I adopt Bo, I won't have room to adopt others.  Recently, my dog-loving boss offered to adopt Bo.  But... what if I miss her too much?  She has such spunk and personality, and is also the world's most obnoxious and effective watch dog (but only at my house).

Some Bodacious Eye Rolling

An oldie but goodie: My mom stayed with me after the Thanksgiving holiday and we four girls got to spend some quality time together.  This is what BoBo thought of all that attention she had to share with Singer.

Christmas Wrap Up.

Mantel Merriment (!)

Singer and Bo spent Christmas in CT and NY this year, so Santa came several times.  Their booty included  treats, a hair brush and the whopper, a fence that will be installed later this week.  Pretty soon, Singer and Bo will be able to run around with reckless abandon in their backyard.  If you've never gotten a fence installed, those things are not cheap!   I wonder if I can take the fence with me when I move?  My next house will definitely have a fence.

On Christmas Eve, my parents and I loaded up the car with the doggies and went Christmas light hunting and found an amazing property that had been decorated like a gingerbread village.  It was truly a sight to behold.  I love everything about Christmas, from the lights to the festivity to the time spent with family.  CHRISTMAS!

Singer has the Christmas zoomies.

In any event, my parents were thrilled so see Singer, and she was thrilled to show off with some extra fast zoomies in their yard.

Bo, on the other hand, was content to gnaw on a tennis ball after giving chase.

Unflappable concentration

In other Bo news, someone has expressed interest in adopting Bo.  As you know, Bo is a foster that I have had for almost 7 months now.  My family has grown quite attached to her, despite her old lady quirks.  So much so that she stays with my parents half-time these days.  If push came to shove, I would adopt her myself.