Coffee (Hot Cocoa) with a Canine

We're famous!

Please head on over to Coffee with a Canine today to see Finn and I in action!  

That Wubba Had It Comin'....

What?  Don't look at me like that...I didn't do ANYTHING!

Lights!

Hewwwow!  Finn here.  Yesterday Momma and Pops were up to something very fishy.  They started taking down all the scarecrows and pumpkins and everything and started to put up some of these...

They wouldn't even let me help!  I had to sit inside and watch, and it was a good thing, because Pops was saying a lot of bad words at some points...something about the bleepin' extension cords and all that...

They let me come back out again when they were all done.

Who's this guy?

I dunno, but I am gonna get a piece of that hat at some point real soon!

Anyway, I didn't know what Christmas was, because I wasn't in my home with them last year and so Momma sat down and told me all about it...

Can't wait to see what this is all about the next month!!

Greeting Pops

Pops gets a full-on hug when he walks in through the door.

Momma just gets a tail wag greeting.

Something just seems wrong about that.

Observations

To all of my new followers, welcome, welcome!  Hope you're all enjoying my adventures with Finn.

I love taking pictures of my girl, but sometimes, the camera isn't ready, and I'd just like to enjoy the moment with her without trying to capture it.  I've noticed some things about her, which just make me chuckle...

Finn is always looking at what's over her head.  If she hears a plane, she'll look up at the sky, have a seat, and just watch it pass us by.

Finn's a scaredy-cat.  The little-ist thing makes her jump.  We live near the woods, and sometimes we hear shots, and Finn will jump and just run all the way back home.  Once, she looked up and saw a portable basketball hoop.  It scared her and she ran away form that too.

Finn loves little people.  We wonder if it is because she thinks they are closer to her size.  She will play with anyone who is in the three foot height range.

Since we have been home from our vacation in September, Finn has been a little angel when she's been left alone.  She hasn't munched on our carpets at home and she is no longer the office terror.  I used to have to time taking her out to do her business in between my meetings at work, and now I know she can hold it for long periods of time.  We have been able to leave her alone in the house for 7 hours without any destruction!  She's learning!

Finn hates when we eat at the table and she cannot survey our meals.  She walks around the table and tries to get a good angle to see what we are eating.  She also knows when the microwave goes off or I start cooking on the stove that there may be a chance she'll get a scrap, and she'll lay on the kitchen floor waiting for the moment that I drop or drip something.

Finn sighs.  Finn sighs at moments when a human would sigh to show displeasure.  Finn has sighed when she has learned we aren't going out to play, when she's been told to be quiet, when she understands that she isn't getting any of momma's and pop's dinner.

Finn loves cartoons.  And seeing dogs on tv.  Know that scene in Sex and the City when Charlotte shows her dog, Elizabeth Taylor, and wins the prize?  She then takes the dog to the dog park and the poor thing gets pregnant there.  Finn hopped down off the couch and stared at the tv screen when that whole scene was happening.  Her tail was wagging and I think she thought she was at the dog park with them.  We wonder what she thinks the tv is.

On days when we stay home, Finn will sit outside whatever room I am in to remind me that it is time to take her for her morning walk.  And when I go to the door and get my shoes on and click that leash on her, she is ready for our next adventure together.  She's a great friend.

Give Us the Bird

Today we'll be posting pictures of birds for Sarge's Give Us the Bird contest.  

Hope you enjoy them!

Bald Eagle while rafting down a river in Skagway, Alaska!

A swan boat ride in Boston, Massachusetts!

Some wild turkeys outside our casa!

A puffin in Bar Harbor, Maine!

And finally, Finn wants in on the action with some ducks!

Christmas Card Exchange - Deadline Tomorrow

Okay, let's face it, in most parts of the country, it has already snowed by now.  Your scarecrows in the front yard are probably looking weak and wilted, and thinking about preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving next week is making you panic slightly...especially if you have my mad cooking skillz.

So, let's jump ahead and think about December - Christmas!  Hanukkah!  Kwanzaa!  Festivus!  C'mon, you all know you secretly wished that you had feats of strength in your house.  And don't you want your little buddy to get some serious mail this year?!  Join in our Christmas Card Exchange - it doesn't matter what you celebrate or if you want to go green and send email cards - lets make this holiday season one of the merriest for our little friends!

If you live in a state A-L, send your full name, blog, snail mail address, and email address to Hound Dog's momma at hounddogmom(dot)jeakins(at)gmail(dot)com.

If you live in a state M-Z, send your full name, blog, snail mail address, and email address to me at marianne(dot)d(dot)howard(at)gmail(dot) com

If you live outside the USA, send your full name, blog, email address and snail mail address to Schnauzer Day's momma at schnauzerdays(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk

Our deadline is TOMORROW!  The master list will be sent to you by November 21st.  And no worries, we will not be sharing your emails or home addresses for any other purposes.

Have fun!

Can You Just Move That Pillow Closer...Slightly....

Home Improvement II

You may recall when we put the railings up on our stairs and anticipated the arrival of our carpet.  Well, it has arrived, and needless to say, Finn was very confused.

Sniffing.

Rolling.

Just kind of standing there.

Squeezing.

And then, finding the best possible way to enjoy it.

Getting a full on belly rub while laying on it.

Whatcha Lookin' At, Punk?

The Leash and the Promise

Finn doesn't fetch sticks, she chews them.  Oh Finn.

Well, you may have noticed that I have reverted back to using this leash, which has a nice hand grip close to the clasp.  About a month ago, I realized that Finn had no idea of what the heel command meant.  I realized this when she dragged me about twenty feet to attempt to jump on a disabled child getting onto a bus.  There is no excuse for that type of behavior.  

I promised myself and Finn that we would become more controlled during our walks.  And I promised myself I would blog a post about it too, because you have to take the bad with the good, right?  So, for the past month, we have been working on being a better walker on the leash.  I made certain of five simple rules, which I wrote down so that I could remember them every time we walk:

1.  I will leave and come into the the house first, she will follow me.

2.  I will call her to come to me  when I put the leash on.

3.  We will use our key phrase, "Do you want to go for a walkie?", to signal it's time to head out.

4.  If I feel her pulling me, I will stop walking and command she stays and sits while I am stopped.

5.  She will not walk ahead of me.  I will reward her when she walks to my side.

I have to say, this past month has been an eye opener.  It took about two weeks to get the command "heel" to work with any sort of regularity, and the only time she really pulls me now is when she sees another dog being walked or when she sniffs out a pile of poopsies left behind by another dog.  Both behaviors I can completely understand, but I am working on getting those to stop too.  We are at a point now where we can walk past people without any pulling, and in general, she isn't walking in front of me anymore.  I feel so relieved and I am so glad we are at this point!  It's taken us a while, but we needed to get there.

The Neighbor

Our next door neighbor likes to provide a cat with some food and water.  

Finn sniffs around waiting for that cat to show up...

Because when we go for a walk outside and we see this...

...it turns into a shoot-out showdown, and I have to say, Finn is a wimp.  The cat hisses, Finn jumps away, and then she goes back inside looking for the cat through the fence again.

It's a vicious cycle.  If she knows the cat is going to hiss at her, why does she jump?  And then go back to looking for it?  Oh Finn...

Other Goldens

Here are Jasmine and Sam, other goldens we meet regularly at the park.

Finn loves them.

Sometimes, I wonder what she's thinking when she plays with them.  We have given a voice to Finn, and my husband and I have full-on conversations of what we think Finn is thinking.

On this day, it went something like this...

"Mom?  Dad?  Is that you?  Oh, you want to take me home with you?  Okay..."

Nah, she came a running back.  

But I always wonder what she's thinking when she sees them...

You Know What Drives Momma CRAZY?!?!

The perfect lighting....

The perfect setting....

And ME, NOT PAYING ANY ATTENTION.  

Isn't it grand?

Don't forget - states M-Z send your info to my momma for the Christmas card exchange!!

For all the details, check out her blog post here!  Deadline is on November 19th.

One Word Wednesday - Speed!