A PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED!!!

I am so excited! Ok, I am laying on the couch minding my own business (sleeping) when Zoe goes bananas as she tends to do at every odd person who happens by our house. I look up and lo and behold, the mail-lady has just left the most beautiful package on our front porch. It is like a perfect cube covered in brown paper, several lovely red stamps, and star-shaped stickers sprinkled all over it. If only my girl would come home NOW so she would bring it inside and we could open it! I would take a picture of it through the window for you, but .....well you know how I am about cameras (see previous post).

I will keep you updated!
Licks,
Annebelle

The Irony of Having Your Own Blog!!!

I hate having my picture taken! If anyone walks into the same room as I carrying anything that might look like a camera (even if is turned off and not pointed at me) scares me. I immediately have to leave the room. This makes it particularly difficult to add pictures of me to the blog. For instance, here is me sitting quietly watching over my yard looking for squirrels:



But once I spot my girl pointing her camera in my direction, here is me fleeing into some bushes so she cannot see me.



What can I say? I am a complicated doggie! Is anyone else camera-shy? Perhaps in a former life, I had a nasty run-in with an evil Paparazzi. "I just vaaaant to be alooooone!"

Shy licks,
Annebelle

A Study in Zoe's Destruction

This is a Stuffie;

This is a Stuffie on Zoe. Any questions?

This is a running shoe;

This is a running shoe on Zoe. Any questions?

Actually, the ratty shoe above is used by Zoe to exercise her jaw. She is a terrier and they have powerful jaws that just crave chewing on hard things. So she does not get in trouble chewing on it...besides it keeps her from chewing my girl's real running shoes. But the stuffie, I just don't get it! We have the perfectly new one that is pretty, clean, has all of its limbs and accoutrements and it squeaks! But Zoe won't touch it! She carries that silly, smelly shell of a bear with her everywhere she goes. She even sleeps with it! Yuck!!!

Have a great day every doggie!

Lickingly yours,

Annebelle

THE REBELLION HAS BEEN SQUASHED!!

Whew! I have taken back the blog. Pay no attention to the cat, he is just a bitter old feline upset because girl likes me best. He is so high and mighty! He is so disrespectful to girl: he doesn't even come when she calls him! What a jerk!

Anyway, on Asta's blog I saw these questions to let you get to know HER better. SHE said I could borrow them to do the same here. So, here goes!

1. Your age? Being a rescued dog, I don’t really know. The Doggie Doctor thinks I am between 7 and 10 yrs. (But I feel not a day over 4!)

2. Your age when came to live with your people? 5 years ago next November

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now? My girl JUST brought home new collars for Zoë & Me. They are brown and green paisley (see picture above). Quite Laura Ashley.

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with? My girl’s friend Jim.

5. How much do you weigh? A Scant 50 lbs. I need to lose another 5lbs.

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up? I don’t chew things other than food! Now, Zoë on the other hand…!!!

7. Do you like other Dogs? I do like other dogs. I love to run and play and chase. I like them even better if they join me in my crusade to rid the world of evil squirrels.

8. Who is your best non-human friend? That would have to be Zoë. (Awwwww!)

9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls? Squeaky Toys. I love to throw them up in the air.

10. Do you like to be brushed? Have you seen my coat? It requires a lot of maintenance from my girl. But she is the only one that I like to brush me.

11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? Peanut Butter!!

12. Do your people cut your toenails? Ha! I would like to see them try!

13. Any formal education? I have not had any formal training since living with my girl, but back then I had been pretty messed up psychologically. My girl was patient and worked with me everyday to help me blossom into the lovely dog I am today.

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny? I guess I am bi-polar because one could easily call me both!

15. Five nicknames your people call you. Sweetie, Annie-Bellie, The Fluffy One,

16. What is your best trick? I will howl for my food (between you and me that is not really a trick. My Girl thinks that it is, but frankly, I just want my food!). I will also sit and shake.

17. Do you like kitties? Sure, with some fava beans and a little Chianti!

18. What did you have for breakfast? Beef tips and kibble…and that last slice of bacon I swiped when nobody was looking.

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? I hunt squirrel. The fact that I have yet to kill one is a minor technicality!

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.? 2 months ago for my shots…OW!

21. Where do you sleep at night? At the foot of the stairs leading up to my girl’s bedroom.

22. Do you like to swim? No, too much hair maintenance at stake.

23. Can you make puppies? I used to. I had 2 puppies with me and was taking care of them when we were rescued by Fuzzy Friends in Texas. But now I cannot have puppies anymore. I take care of Zoë instead.

24. Do you give kisses? Oh yes!!

25. Can you potty on command? A little privacy, please!

ROMEO REBELLION

Romeo here, (A.K.A. "The Cat who will not be named.") The girl and the dogs are away on a walk and I have taken over the laptop in a rebellious coup. The day is mine! Let me take this opportunity to put to rest some deliberate and self-agrandized untruths the dogs have put forth.

First of all, they are not "good dogs". They are smelly, dirty, and constantly panting. They chase me, lick me, steal my food, and the little one (Zoe) has the audacity to try to play with me.

Secondly, Cats Rule...not dogs. Cats! They are smarter, more dignified, walk to our own tune, do not require a leash, and most importantly, we do not require our human to walk after us cleaning up our poo!

Thirdly, the girl likes me best. Enough said about that.

Finally, these dogs have taken it upon themselves to make my life miserable. I get no moment's peace with all of the aforementioned panting and licking...I have not even started with the barking. What is with the barking?!! I have decided that I can take it no more. I have been here longer...way before the big white dog named Annebelle, and I will take back the girl and the house. Yes, I will prevail.

Oh no, dogs are back! Annebelle sees me on her blog. She looks mad. I must flee!!

Meowww!!!

Annebelle's Girl Here...I just wanted to check in and let everyone know that I have come to terms with the fact that I will turn forty in 2 years, 2 months and 27 days ( but who's counting!). I have started a list of Things-to-do-before-I'm-40. At the top of my list is more walkies for Annebelle & Zoe! Second on my list is to run a marathon...I think I will have to leave the dogs at home for that one.

Anyway, I am touched that Annebelle was concerned about my psychological state, and thanks to all of Annebelle's friends for their kind words. We will soldier on.

Annebelle's Girl

Yesterday, my girl refused to turn open her laptop to let me blog...I would do it myself, but I don't have thumbs. She was in a strange melancholy mood all day. She kept muttering to herself, in a very strange way, "In exactly 2 years and 3 months from today, I will be Forty!"

Her friend and one of my favorite humans, Jim, would respond, "But Forty is the new Twenty!" This didn't seem to comfort my girl.

Now I don't know what it means to be "Forty" but it must be pretty bad to get my girl this upset. Gosh, I hope it never happens to me. What happens to you when you get forty-ed? More importantly, what I really want to know is when my girl does get forty-ed, how will that affect me? Will my comfort be disrupted in any way? Will still get my delicious food and walkies in the forest?

Someone please fill me in on what this "Forty" is and what happens when it happens to your human.

In paws.
Annebelle

Oh dear, oh dear....The Great Butter Mystery is solved!! My girl came home from work today to find this lump of yellow by the front door.

Can you guess what it is? It is a big ol' lump of butter! Ah, here is more evidence...

Here are some buttery pawprints leading away from the scene of the crime...

Follow the pawprints to the culprit, the criminal, the evil-doer...Ah, I should have guessed!

It was Zoe!! She got in so much trouble. But what my girl failed to ask herself was, "How did Zoe get the butter from the Kitchen counter?" ....I will never tell!

Have a great day! Love and Licks, Annebelle.

A wooded path...is there anything more blissful? This is the forest path near our home. My girl takes Zoe and me there as often as possible. We walk in it and pretend it is a magical forbidden forest filled with fairies (forgive the alliteration), trolls, and other beasts. It is so cool and calm in the forest. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the trees are thick and in the summer form a green leafy canopy so that you cannot see the sky.

Sometimes I get to be off the leash in the very early mornings when there is sure to be no one around. But Zoe gets quite distressed because she is too young and unruly to be off the leash. She cries and whines and makes a big fuss. There are wonderful little brooks and streams that run through that are filled with amazing smells. It is almost a sensoryoverload. Here is a picture of Zoe and me smelling such a treasure.

We went to the dog park. No rides. Several other dogs though. I spent most of my time keeping an eye on Zoe making sure she was not getting into trouble. I will post pictures of that adventure later.

There is something about Zoe....

I know I complain about Zoe and pretend that I am annoyed, but I really do care for her. We adopted her when she was the tiniest pup. She was so small she could not climb a stair or even run through the thick grassy lawn. She was just a little white furball. Since I am a large white furball, Zoe immediately looked to me as her mother.

It has been 3 years now and I am still the head dog...she is never allowed to forget that. I try to keep Zoe in line, but sometimes she just goes and makes a mess in spite of my efforts. She loves to chew on shoes, clothes, and paper. Attached is a picture of her amid one of her messes. It is amazing what destruction one little dog can accomplish! But...at the end of the day, she is sweet and lays down beside me on the couch to sleep. What can I say? The kid adores me!

Hey folks! Sorry for the gap in posts...I have been away at the spa. Ok, not really a "Spa". Zoe and I were sent to a kennel!! My girl had to go out of town for the weekend so we were unceremoniously spirited away to the kennel for 3 days. Actually it was not that bad, but I try to make my girl feel guilty for sending us there (extra treats!). We had a lot of attention and there were 5 other dogs there that we go to play with! There was one wise older Labrador there with whom I chatted for hours and hours. Zoe was quite upset the entire weekend and needed a lot of comforting and reassuring...which of course I gave to her. Poor thing, she is just too young to understand these things.

I have attached a picture of Zoe and I after returning home from the Kennel. We were so exhausted we slept for almost an entire day. Now we are back to normal, the whole weekend behind us. My girl said that this weekend she is going to take us to a local "dog park". I am not sure what it is, but I wonder if it has rides...

DAYS GETTING LONGER...

Summer is here and it is getting warm. That is not welcome news for a dog like me. I love my beautiful coat, but there are days I wish I could shed the whole lot! These days I will move a lot slower to keep cool (no wonder I can't catch a squirrel) and I drink a lot of water. My girl gives me crushed ice from her drink. I love that.

Last week, my girl and I watched the Crufts dog show on television. What interesting dogs! There was one that looked like his fur was made of ropes. There was a dog so small, I think I would mistake him for a squirrel. The whole time, my girl would say things like, "Oh, what a cute dog!" and "isn't he beautiful?". Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. The idea that the media places these dogs on a pedestal as the ideal when most dogs don't and could never fit that mold. How can we compete? What kind of message does it send to young pups?! Unless you have a perfectly gleaming coat, perfect proportions, perfect coloring, you are not recognized as a standard fro your breed! I think I could hold my own with any of those dogs and I have my dignity. I am worthy, and I don't need papers to prove it.

Sorry for the rant. I am known to chase rabbits (literally and figuratively). But lest you think otherwise, my girl thinks I am the best dog in the world and she tells me so everyday.

SQUIRRELS - 1432; ANNEBELLE - 0

The days are getting warmer and my girl still refuses to turn on the Air Conditioner (for those of you who don't know, an air conditioner is a device that make cool air blow out from the floor!). She insists on saving "energy" and waiting one more week. Now, I don't know what this "energy" is, but it must pretty important to interfere with my comfort.

Squirrel Update: As of today I have chased and captured as many as zero (o) squirrels. Not without trying of course! I lay on the porch and act like I am asleep, but really I am ready to spring forward. The nasty rodents will get cocky and venture down the tree trunks and into the yard...still I lay there like a stone...and wait. They get further into the yard and thus further away from the safety of the trees...still I wait. And just when the filthy invaders have relaxed, turned their backs to me, sure that they are safe to do whatever it is they do, I spring to life. I launch forward with the power of a lion and the grace of a gazelle! I run after them and get so close I can feel their tails whipping my nose as they run. Every time, however, they make it to their tree before me. Every time. Tonight will be my night, I am sure of it.

The problem is...I am really not sure what I am supposed to do if I actually catch one! Surely, I am not supposed to eat it! Ugh!! Do you know where that thing has been?

Above is a picture of "the other dog" Zoe. Sure, she is cute I guess; cute as a parasite. ;-) She insists on going everywhere I go, always on my heels, and afraid of everything.