Investigating the Christmas Tree

Mom put up the Christmas tree early since we’ll be at Grandma and Grandpa’s for the next couple days. I waited a couple days before going and checking it out to make sure it’s safe.


Is that present for me?



Lip-smacking good!



Mmm… what’s that smell?



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
We’re off to Grandma and Grandpa’s this afternoon! We’ll be back in a few days!

Early Thanksgiving!

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with my great-grandparents on Saturday, since they won’t be able to come this Thursday. Having so many people at our house was fun, but I soon got worn out!



Mom put the holiday bandana on me, since we would be taking a Christmas card picture later with the whole family. (Great Grandpa took the picture.)



If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know how cute my cousin is. Well, she loves me just as much as I love her! All I have to do is shake my head, and she will laugh! Here are some pics of her coming after me. I wanted to give her kisses on her face, but her mom and dad kept me back each time.






I found my bed again, when she got a little too touchy with me.



But my cousin followed me!

It turns out, all she wanted was the bell on my bandana!

Bit, Yet Again

Mom wasn't too happy this afternoon. Yep, I got bit again. There's a pit bull who comes to the dog park who I don't like very much. She has lunged at me a couple times before, so Mom kept an eye on us. I sent warning growls and bared my teeth a couple times at the pit bull, but Mom stepped in and separated us. But one time the dog came over quickly, and Mom didn't get to us in time before a tussle broke out. Thankfully, they had a sort of muzzle on her, but I still got bit on my lip. After Mom calmed down, we left for home right away to clean my owy. Then I crashed the rest of the night. We were at the park almost 2 hours after all!
Like I've said before, I can't go a week without getting hurt!
Grr!

I’m Famous!

Well, famous amid my old Humane Society workers, volunteers, and supporters. Mom and I got asked to share our story for the annual holiday fundraiser for the Humane Society along with several other dogs and cats. A lot of the dogs and cats were rescued from abuse, neglect, or severe illness. They may have had sad stories, but we were able to celebrate them getting adopted by loving, forever homes! My story, that I was found in the road, represented the many strays that are found and brought in to the shelter. Mom didn’t make it past the lobby of the Humane Society before finding me and taking me home! Anyway, they shared our stories with pictures and words on a PowerPoint slide show, set to several songs. On the last song, one of celebration, all of us animals paraded in with our moms and dads. And a wonderful gospel choir from a local church joined us as backup.

Then, we were led through the crowd, back to the Green Room. Actually, it was just a room with crates for all the dogs, but there was green paint on the walls. So calling it the Green Room makes me sound more famous. Mom left me crated with the other dogs while she went and had dinner with the rest of the humans, but she said she wished she could have brought me to the table. I would have been good! But I guess it wouldn’t have been fair to the other pups.

Here are some pics of me and the other dogs in the Green Room. And one of mom and I (notice my festive bandana!) right before we went on stage.

I'm Irresistible

Well, mom had tickets to see another movie last night, this time about another superdog (Bolt). But guess what?! She said she'd rather stay home and be with me! She was gone a couple hours the night before, and said she felt guilty enough about that. She can't stand to be away from me for very long in the evenings. I have Mom trained pretty well.
Though I wasn't much fun last night, considering mom was trying to make me potty out in the side yard instead of the front yard. She let me out every 30 minutes or so, but I held it all evening till I could go out front!
Mom is getting frustrated. She even dug up a patch of grass and put it where she wants me to go. But I barely gave it a sniff. Mom says since I'm both Shar Pei and Beagle, two stubborn breeds, that I'm twice as stubborn.
Maybe if I have a friend over who potties out there, I may eventually try to cover it up... Giz or Sandy, you may have to come over soon!

Favorite Toys

I'm actually not chewing on my toy in this picture. I was just laying my head on it. And mom thought it was so cute that she had to take a picture. This is one of my favorite toys. As you can see, I have quite a few! But this is the first one my mom bought me, and I've broken it in pretty well. Mom can't believe that the squeaker still works in it. It's missing an ear now, but other than that, I've actually been pretty gentle with my toys. I just like to pick them up in my mouth and make them squeak... over and over and over and over and over... Then, I put it down and attack my pig ears.

My Seat Belt

Have I shown off my seat belt before? Mom makes me wear it on car rides more than just a couple miles away. But I don't mind, since I don't really ever move from my spot. Unless mom gets out of the car. Then, I want to follow her! But most times she's just putting gas in the car, so she's never gone too long.
And when I get back in the car from playing at the dog park, she always puts a treat on my seat. See it in the pictures? But I obviously don't always eat it right away.
I have to be in the mood.

Mom just heard about a friend who came back from a store to see that her dog that had been left in the car had gotten tangled up in her leash. She thought for a minute that she'd strangled herself! How scary! That's why mom never leaves a leash on me while she's not around. That dog is fine, but mom said that now she's going to be extra careful after hearing that story. I'm going to be secure in my seat belt at all times!

Park and Bond

Mom took me to the park last night, where I got bit hard enough to draw blood yet again. It was just a little scratch above my nose this time. I think Bolo’s mom is right, my skin must be super sensitive. And I can’t seem to go a week without getting in a scrape. I’m certainly getting used to mom cleaning my wounds and putting the yucky ointment on.

When we got back to the house, mom left me home alone again. She said she had free tickets to see the new James Bond movie early. This time, I don’t blame her. Daniel Craig has that calm-assertive thing down pat! I’m sure that’s what she sees in him.
Anyway, I slept the whole time she was gone. At least, as far as mom knows… ;)

Another Lazy Night

Last night was a lazy night. We couldn't go on a very long walk because it was so cold and rainy. Mom offered for me to go out and play in the yard, but the rain was so loud... and I hate being wet... that I decided just to stay in. Mom tried to play with me, to get more of my energy out. But when I'm indoors, I'm pretty much a lazy pooch!
I played a little, slept a lot, and when mom went to bed early, I was all for it!

Back... AKA Dance

When mom finds a treat that I like, we sometimes practice tricks. Here, mom is having me do the "Back" command. I know how to back up, but I'd rather be fancy about it!
Mom also calls this "Dancing."

I Love Pig Ears

My favorite thing to play with is not a toy. It's pig ear treats! They're so versatile. You can throw them in the air and pounce on them. Just carry them around the house in your mouth. Chew on them, and they taste yummy. And after a while, they fall apart. And then, TADA! you have more of them to play with!
-Pay no attention to the tv noise in the background. Mom was watching an old Fall Guy episode.

Patrolling the Yard

I have a ritual every night when mom lets me out in the yard.
I patrol.
I may look like I’m just sniffing around, but I’m a good watch dog. And I have to make sure no bunnies are getting into my yard.

And no, I’m still not pottying out there, much to my mom’s chagrin.






While we were out last night, mom kept trying to take my picture. But I wasn’t feeling it. I decided to be stubborn and kept looking away from the camera.





P.S. from Laney’s Mom:
Later last night, I kept noticing Laney wandering into my bedroom. I let her know that she wasn’t allowed on my bed unless I was in there. And she does pretty well. So every time she disappeared in there, I’d ask her what she was doing. Usually, when I do, she comes walking (or running) out to the living room. But last night, she didn’t come out. I decided to go see what she was doing, and there she sat, just staring longingly up at my bed. Several times last night, she’d just sit there patiently, for quite a while, just staring at the bed. Then eventually, she’d come out and go back to her bed in the living room.
She cracks me up! And of course, I had to take a picture (below). She never broke her gaze from the bed.

Scattergories

I'm excited about this one. Can you tell?

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your middle (or first or last!) name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names,things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

.....Your Middle Name: Lane (I'm using my last name. Not that it matters.)

1. Famous singer: Louis Armstrong

2. 4 letter word: Love

3. Street name: Lakeland

4. Color: Lilac

5. Gifts/presents: Lamps

6. Vehicle: Limosine

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Letter opener

8. Boy Name: Lionel Luthor

9. Girl Name: Lana Lang

10. Movie Title: Lady and the Tramp

11. TV show: Legion of Super Heroes

12. Drink: Lipton Iced Tea

13. Occupation: Librarian

14. Flower: Lily

15. Celebrity: (besides me) Laura Vandervoort (plays Supergirl on Smallville!)

16. Magazine: Life

17. U.S. City: Los Angeles

18. Teams: Lakers

19. Something Found in a Kitchen: Leftovers

20. Reason for Being Late for Work: Late night

21: Something you wear: Lipstick (mom does, not me)

22. Something You Throw Away: Letters from ex-boyfriends

23. Things You Shout: Later!

24. Cartoon Character: Lex Luthor (my nemesis)

25. Food: Lasagna (one of mom's favorites)

Trip to the Vet and Nails Done

These were taken right after my bath a few days ago. I still hate baths, but at least mom's pretty quick about it. Don't I look naked without my collar on?




When mom got home yesterday, instead of taking me to the park, she took me to the vet to get my 6 month Bordetella shot. I was very good, besides a little shaking, I stood still and didn't make a peep when the tech gave me the shot. Then, to add on the trauma, she took me to get my nails filed at a dog boutique on the way home. Mom should have taken before and after pictures, because they look so much better now! (You can see how long they had gotten again on my "Do I have something on my face" post.) When mom adopted me, my nails were really overgrown, and my dew claws had never been cut. Now, she's been having to take me regularly just to get them back to a decently short length. Mom bought one of those nail grinders to try to do at home, but I move around too much and won't let her use that thing on me.

To make it up to me, mom took me on a long walk when we got home. Afterwards, I climbed up on mom's bed and slept for a few hours. Mom said the shot must have made me extra tired.

I Hate Daylight Savings

Because of stupid daylight savings, it now gets dark by 6pm. So by the time mom gets home from work, picks me up, and gets me over to the dog park, I can only spend and hour or so there playing with my friends! This may seem like a lot to you, but we used to stay 2 hours! This means, when I get home, I still have energy left to burn. Well, actually, I sleep as soon as we get home. Then, when mom is ready to go to bed, I'm ready to play again!

Oh, the life of a dog is tough.



Oh, and mom now thinks I'm a magnet for aggressive dogs. We had just walked into the park last night, when a pit bull lunged at me and started barking at me. And not in a playful way. Mom blocked me with her body to keep it away from me. Mom was gratefull I was still on the leash. So mom looked over at Sandy's mom and quickly decided to go over to the "small dog side" of the park. I know this area well too. When we first started coming to the park, a lot times we were the only ones there, so we stuck to the smaller area so mom would have an easier time getting me to come.

Anyway, we started a trend and everyone else who showed up decided to join us on the small dog side. Even Gizmo! But, let's face it, Gizmo's just a small dog at heart anyway. (That's a good thing, Giz!) We had fun in the small side. And even the parents said they liked the small side a bit better, since they didn't have as far to walk and could see the parking lot and who was coming!

Laney's New Ball and a Dog Whisperer Giveaway!

Mom bought me a strange new ball from Walmart the other day. It rolls around on it's own and is pretty noisy. Here's a video of me playing with it. Mom says it's a hit!





And we're offering a giveaway copy of Cesar Millan's "Mastering Leadership" 3-disk DVD set!
Mom got a review copy in the mail, and they added an extra copy for a giveaway as well! So one lucky winner will be chosen on November 14th. To enter, just leave a comment below or email us at angela (at) scifichick (dot) com. This is a Region 1 DVD set, for those overseas dog owners.
For more info, check out the website at http://leadlikecesar.com

Thanks to Maggie and Mitch for passing along the info!

Halloween Night

Mom dressed me up for the Trick-or-Treaters coming by on Friday night!



She said that kids were supposed to be coming by between 5-8pm.



But 5:30 rolled around and still no neighborhood kids!



The kids who we told that I would be dressing up all came by finally. But it was a pretty slow night. We saw tons of kids visiting homes on the other side of the street, but most never came to our side!



Mom said that next year, if it's warm enough again, that we'll sit outside to pass out candy. Hopefully, more kids will come see me then!




I've got the sad and pathetic look down pat!