bella

Bella nose

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 19:22 on 11 December 2007

Beagle in a box

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 22:43 on 2 December 2007

It took a little convincing (okay, a LOT of convincing, complete with food items, more food items and a lift, dump, and more food), but I managed to get Bella into box.

Only, I forgot to cut a hole in the box first.

Bella

Blog Instead of being asleep at 22:21 on 25 November 2007, kitt created this:

Easy cleanout

Blog Instead of being asleep at 18:56 on 25 November 2007, kitt created this:

I've finally (finally!) started cleaning out the garden. Really, I should have cleaned it out earlier, and planted a winter garden, but, well, I didn't.

Although I was pretty much done with the garden, the garden wasn't really done. It continued to produce well after I finished harvesting. Whenever that happens, well, the easiest way to harvest is to let the dogs in.

Oooooo, boy, was that a brilliant idea. After about an hour (an hour of careful observation to make sure neither of the dogs pooed or peed in the garden), the edibles were gone from the garden. Another thiry minutes later, and neither dog would eat another tomato. They willingly left the garden.

Like I thought THAT would every happen.

Not Blue.

Blog Posted by kitt at 17:59 on 23 November 2007

Okay, so, there were other parts of today's hike that weren't about Blue (no, really!).

Andy shows me that we're here! Yay, the beach!

We found a really big tire on the beach:

Bella was very puppy-dog on the beach, with her ears flapping in the wind:

A very happy Bella:

Annie found a dead seal on the beach, and showed it to me just before she rolled all over it.

Poof! New beagle!

All in all, a good day:

Confuse 'em

Blog kitt decided around 17:58 on 23 November 2007 to publish this:

Andy IM'd this morning and asked if we were interested in taking the dogs to the park. Go outside and play? Uh, yes? Kris had plans at noon, so wanted only to go to the local park. We went off to the park, three people, four dogs in tow.

I expected each dog to do his usual thing: Bella would sniff everything along the perimeter; Annie would run run run, then sniff along the perimeter, waiting for a lapse in our awareness to make her escape; Blue would chase the disc as long as Andy threw it; and Shadow would alternate between playing defense on Blue and hovering near one of the people for a quick snuggle.

To my surprise, Bella came out to play with us, chasing one of us when someone was running around, and dodging us when one of us was chasing her. She artfully zipped among the three of us, swerving in and out, juking one way and dashing the other when we made to cut her off. Bella pretended to be a 2 year old dog, and endeared her little heart to us.

Shadow also surprised me by chasing me down, nipping at my legs and herding me back to the pack when I tried to run down Annie, who had "wandered" away. When I turned on him and started chasing him, Andy and Kris joined in, turning the herder into the herdee.

When we were done, Andy asked if I was interested in heading to Ft. Funston, confuse the dogs by giving them not one, but TWO outings. I was up for it, so off we went. Although the trip was billed as a "fool the dogs and go on a hike," in reality it was, "display how inaccurate Kitt's timing is with her new camera."

Andy asked if I could take a picture of Blue mid-air. Sure! So, throughout the hike, I took pictures of Blue. Note, I didn't say I "took pictures of Blue mid-air." No, that would have required good timing on my part. instead, I managed an off-frame picture of Blue:

A distant shot of Blue:

A close shot of Blue:

Blue chasing birds in the surf:

Blue eating sand:

Way after a catch:

Just a little after the catch:

Waaaaaay before the catch to compensate:

And so far before the catch, Blue was still spinning:

But, you know, you take enough pictures, ONE of them is bound to be good, right?

Of course, there's the shot of Andy, to prove he was there, too:

Of my dogs, well, I have a lot of pictures of their butts:


Bella's visit

Blog kitt decided around 13:02 on 20 November 2007 to publish this:

Annie's off on her normal Tuesday hike today, so Bella turned on the charm and gave me the big, big doe eyes. I tried to resist. I tried really hard. I woke up late, making our usual hike uncertain. I wasn't sure if we'd be back at the house in time for a call I had in the morning, so neither Bella, nor Shadow (who was at home with Blue), nor I went for our hike this morning.

Since Doyle said he'd be late into work, I didn't think he'd notice initially that there was a little tan doggie wandering under the desks. Bella spoiled my surprise by greeting him at the door, tail wagging and mouth grinning.

Unlike for previous visits, I managed to keep Bella from making lots of noise. She still clicked as her nails tapped on the ground when we walked down the halls. She didn't howl when I went to the bathroom, as she had done last visit, as I took her into the bathroom with me each time I went. Keeping her from going into the other stall when I was doing my business, however, was much more difficult. I can just imagine how scandalized another woman in the bathroom would be seeing a dog slide under the stall wall and come greet her.

Yeah, that would make friends and influence people.

Constant vigilance

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 11:02 on 11 November 2007

Stinking poo

Blog kitt decided around 20:48 on 7 November 2007 to publish this:

You know, picking up a stinking mass of dog poop on a walk has to be one of the least desirable actions when you're sick.

Even if the dogs are cute.



Shadow joins us

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 13:16 on 9 October 2007

As Kris, Annie and Blue were preparing to head off for the dogs' all-day, off-leash hike, I bundled up Bella and Shadow into my car and starting driving away this morning. We were going on the the short hike we went on before, mostly because it's short (about an hour long) and close (only about 20 minutes away).

As I pulled out of the driveway, Bella and Shadow in the back seat, I noticed the car smelled funny. I opened the vents, rolled down the windows, but nothing helped. I turned around to comment to Bella that she should stop farting, when I realized there was a pile of doggie puke, full of Bella's breakfast, in the back seat. Fortunately, she had chosen to throw up on the blanket I had in the back seat, which I removed after quickly returning home. Andy and Kris were puzzled when I returned after being gone all of one minute. Understandably.

Second try, we made it to the Open Space, and out of the car. Bella immediately began pull, pull, pulling. Shadow looked at me funny when I put the leash on him, but walked along beside me as we left the parking lot and started for the trail head. I wanted to keep the leash on him until we were at a minimum outside the obvious park rangers' locations. The parking lot is typically an easy place to catch dog owners with dogs off leash.

We managed to walk about 20 yards before Shadow was done with his leash. He stopped, dug all four paws into the ground, and tugged in reverse. Bella, meanwhile, was charging ahead, nose to the ground, straining to go faster. Three seconds later and my shoulders are taught with doggie tension, both pulling in different directions.

Assuming Shadow didn't want the leash on, I went back and took it off him. When I walked forward, he didn't follow. Dog! I walked fifty yards up the trail, then back the fifty yards to see Shadow sitting there, staring intently through the trees back at the parking lot. Nudging, pushing, cajoling, didn't help. He wasn't budging from that place.

Thinking this was going to be a really, really, really long hike, I put the leash back on him, and started tugging. Now, imagine a border collie on the end of a leash, digging in and pulling backwards with all his might. On the other end of the leash is a woman, with her feet dug into the ground, pulling backwards with all her might. In the woman's hands are not only the first dog's leash, but another leash with a smaller beagle dog howling at the two of them, "Arroooooooooo!" simply translated to, "Come ON! Let's go!"

Eventually Shadow lost the tug of war, and we started back up the hill.

For another 20 yards.

Then he dug his feet in again and pulled backward on the leash.

Well, crap. Maybe this hike wasn't such a good idea.

Shadow and I continued this leash on, leash off, digging, stopping, nudging dance for the next 300 yards, until I noticed behind us by about 50 yards was another hiker. With a dog. A dog Shadow wanted to herd.

Oh.

I let the other dog pass, and suddenly Shadow was a great dog. He walked along next to me except when Bella peed on a spot. Then he had to sniff, sniff, sniff that spot. Annoying dog.

We continued along the hike with Shadow behind me until we reached the crest of the hill and the start of the loop trail we walk. As soon as we reached that top and walked along the top ridge for 30 yards, Shadow realized hey, hey, this is a flat hike, and zoooooom! he was in front of Bella, in front of me, in front of us and go go going.

Bella and I followed our fearless Shadow leader for the rest of the hike, and finished just over the expected hour.

Andy offered to watch Bella for the afternoon, since he'd be home watching Shadow anyway, so I dropped the two doggen off at his house and went to work. Not paying attention to my phone, I missed a call from him. When I called back, he said, oh, Bella didn't look good for a while, but then puked again and seemed fine. Hi, let me drop off my sick dog for you to take care of. I was embarrassed, but Andy said, hey, its part of having dogs, this cleaning up of the doggie puke.

Uh, okay. You clean up. I'll be here, embarrassed.

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