Friday, April 29, 2011

Prayers for Storm Victims

Our hearts ache for the storm victims throughout the Southern states this week.  I simply cannot fathom the devastation and loss.  This image shook me to the core of my soul: Dog watches over brother killed in storm  Those affected by the storms are weighing heavily on my heart this morning.  All are in my thoughts and prayers.  Please comment with specific names or situations you'd like me to add to my prayer list.
A particular passage from Romans came to mind this morning as I was watching footage of the storm aftermath:
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?36 As it is written:
   “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]

 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is my prayer that God lays His holy hands over each individual suffering after this disaster.  I pray for comfort, healing and new hope for you!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Thursday's Thoughts

I've been seeing my little chameleon friend that sits on the fence outside our office conference room for a few weeks now. The weather has definitely been lizard-friendly here in NC!  Occasionally I'm startled by almost stepping on one on the sidewalk in front of my apartment and I'm always thankful I see it before the boys do!  But why is it when I see this:

I automatically think of this:

Thanks a lot, Jurassic Park.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY



This is Nucci.  She is B's aunt's little love :)  She was rescued in the big puppy mill bust up that happened in Indiana sometime last year.  Auntie C just couldn't resist that sweet face!

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Beach Weekend Photo Dump

We had a wonderful time in Wilmington for Easter this past weekend.  The boys only got one day on the beach, but they made the most of it!

Nugget "Mitch Buchanan" George

Splish-splashin'!

Wet mugs

Oscar really likes chasing the foam

Nugget is a total beach lover!

I <3 puppy paw prints!

Oscar and his beloved frisbee

Nugget being his handsome self

Mmmmm!  Sand!

Nugget loves playing fetch on the beach

"ZOMG!  I can dig and dig and DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!"



Nugget is pleased!


"Digging is my favorite!  I cannot help myself!"


And the capstone moment... Nugget peeing in the surf.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

[B]EASTER BUNNIES!!

Introducing...

The Less-Than-Amused Beaster Bunny

The Uncooperative Beaster Bunny

They clearly wanted no part of this.  But this isn't about them; it's about me!  So here's my shoddy attempt at a festive post.  Happy [B]Easter from our Beasts to yours!

Friday, April 22, 2011

A Criminal Among Us...

He did the crime(s), he's doing the time!



THINGS OSCAR HAS RUINED:
Remotes.  3 to be exact...
My carpet.  (Yes, that's a turd)...

His toys and Nugget's toys... (and any chance of being invited back to my parents' house)...

B's new car...

The carpet (again).  That's a Sharpie, btw.  (But Nature's Miracle did get the Sharpie ink out of the carpet)...

Any chance of my bed ever being dog-free...

Cleanliness.  Primarily of himself...

My mail...

Dolla dolla bills!...

Nugget's sanity!

I could go on.  But you don't have that kind of time and neither do I.  He may be eligible for a reduced sentence for good behavior, but we ain't countin' on it!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Is it time for the beach yet?

... Because this week has left me PAWSITIVELY exhausted.  It's time for a little R & R - Nugg style!  Don't worry friends, mom has plenty of posts scheduled while we're busy romping in the sand and surf!



Woofs!
Nugget

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Happy Sunday Friends!


I hope you're enjoying your day like I am. Mom is busy getting us ready to go to the beach next weekend so I pawjacked the blog for a quick minute to post a picture of my handsome self. But no worries, she'll be back in blogging action soon! Blessings for a wonderful week, friends!
Woofs!
Nugget

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

LINKY PARTY! Unlike Babies, We DO Come with Care Instructions!

My aunt so graciously agreed to stay at my place with the dogs during my upcoming travels.  Don't get me wrong, I COMPLETELY love Pet Paradise Resort and so do Nugget and Oscar.  But it gets PRICEY!  This is the first time I've dared to leave Oscar with a sitter rather than board him where I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble.  I'd been previously asked to share our list of care instructions in a blog post and since I have them out, I thought I'd do just that.  Our friends at Mayli the Labradane had a similar post not too long ago.  I took great comfort in knowing I'm not the only dog mom to leave a ridiculously long set of care instructions.  There's obviously no hiding the fact that I'm an overbearing dog mom!

What to do with a Nugg and an Osc
From the overprotective, control freak dog mom

We eat twice/day.  We get a little less than the full blue scoop at each meal.  We are usually hungry by 7:30am and 5pm and we’ll probably let you know it!  We are asked to “Sit” before our bowls are set in front of us.  Nugget’s bowl is on the left, Oscar’s is on the right. 
We both have to be taken out on a leash.  The people upstairs called Animal Control on us for being off leash.  We don’t understand because we were here first!  (Mom won’t let us, but we’d sure like to lift our legs on their black Kia and little grey Hyundai)…
Mom lets us out on the patio with the gate up if the weather is nice.  We like to get some fresh air and bark at every leaf that blows through.  Our harnesses are hanging by the door if you’d like to take us for a walk.  We do very well walking together on the coupler.  Should we need to go somewhere in the car, our seat cover is on top of the crate.

Oscar
I’m a naughty dog, so I have to go in my “house” anytime you’re not home.  Don’t worry, I go willingly – just point to the crate and say “Go in your house, Oscar”.  I always get a biscuit after I’m settled in.  And Nugget gets one, too.
I like to shred paper, eat pens and steal all of the towels from around the house.  You’d be amazed at the mess I can make in the time it takes you to shower!  The moral of the story is that you should keep everything out of my reach (like on the roof) and always zip all bags and purses.  I am the counter-surfing champion of the world!
I MUST potty first thing in the morning, just before bed, before you leave and immediately when you come home.  I poo three times a day: first thing in the morning, just before dinner and just before bed.  If not given enough time to do my business outside, I will do it in the house.  I have a really stinky hiney, so ideally we like to hit the trifecta outside.  My favorite place to pee-pee is the row of bushes on the right of the sidewalk when you’re leaving the apartment.  Just tell me to “go potty!” and I’ll be quick.  While we’re just hanging out, I’ll let you know I have to “go”-  my whine will become tinged with a hint of urgency.  If I have an accident, Nature’s Miracle is under the sink in an orange spray bottle.  I’ll be praying for a miracle if mom finds out!  The towels in the dryer are for cleaning up my messes, muddy paws, etc.  The dirty ones go in the pink laundry basket in front of the washer.
I whine and carry on if Nugget is hoarding toys or if you’re not paying me enough attention.  Just let me on the couch to snuggle and I’ll settle down.  I also prefer to sleep on the bed at night.  Situate me at the bottom and we’ll both be comfortable!

Nugget
I get free run of the apartment because I’m a good dog.  I potty whenever it’s convenient for you and always outside.  I don’t always have to go out when Oscar goes.  (He’s a piss ant).
I like to steal toys from little brother and make him cry.  For that you’ll need to swat my bum (even though I won’t feel it…).
If storms are in the forecast, please give me one of my 3mg Melatonin pills.  Also, I like to hide in mom’s closet if there’s loud thunder.  (You’ll see I have a bed already in there).
I won’t always sleep on the bed with you, but you can bet that’s where I’ll be camped out while you’re gone!  So don’t be alarmed if it looks like someone was tap-dancing on the bed while you’re out – it was me!

Since we shared, now it's your turn!  What types of things do leave on your list for your alternate caregivers while you're away?  Come on... don't make me feel like that dog mom all by myself! Link up below!  No requirements, but feel free to send your friends our way!  



Tuesday, April 12, 2011

(Not exactly) WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

After researching endlessly for about 20 minutes I concluded that what Nugget needs to ease his storm anxiety is some melatonin.  We've tried the calming aids from the pet stores to no avail and it seems like his anxiety has gotten worse over the past several months.  I really hate to see him so upset, but the thought of him being upset and home alone while I'm at work absolutely breaks my heart.  It also only seems to storm in the middle of the week... and usually right at 4:59pm when I'm walking out the door.  Go figure. 
Storms were forecasted for this evening, so I hurried over to the natural food market during lunch to grab a bottle of melatonin in the correct dosage.  I take 10mg and it really doesn't work, but dogs should only get 3mg.
I gave Nugget some melatonin as soon as I got home so that it would have time to kick in before the storms rolled through.  Good thing I started early because he spit it out no less than 5 times before I had to shove it halfway down his esophagus.  And just for $hits and giggles, I gave Oscar some too because I was incredibly exhausted and the truth of the matter is that I would give my right arm to enjoy just ONE night of him not bouncing off the walls like the Tasmanian devil.
It never did storm tonight, but I think it's safe to say we enjoyed a rather tranquil evening after declaring a temporary ceasefire in today's battle of the War of Bones, that is.  I'll explain my findings in pictures:

This is Nugget's normal lounge routine, so hard to say for sure if he was feeling "calm" or just lazy



But Oscar's obvious disinterest in actually removing the pillows before he crashed on the couch give me some hope that the melatonin worked.


Dogs dozed,  Mom relaxed!

What I've concluded as a result of my highly scientific experiment is that I really don't need to take the melatonin at all.  I can give it to the dogs and if they can relax like this every night, I might actually be able to sleep and possibly stop drinking heavily...  I just saved myself an additional 6 months of therapy!
Disclaimer: Always contact your vet before giving your dog any kind of medication.  I did not because I'm an awful, no good, very bad, desperate dog mom!  DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO  (But for serious, I plan on calling my vet tomorrow.  SWEARS!)

Nugget Got A Job

But just for the day and for a great cause! We sold Belk Charity Day tickets to raise money for the GRRCC! I know, I am a mean mom. The meanest! All work and no play...
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Monday, April 11, 2011

Weekend Update Photo Dump

On Saturday morning, we walked in the ACS Bark for Life walk.  This was my 4th year, Nugget's 2nd and Oscar's 1st.  It was probably everyone's last...  The festivities were held at a new location this year and, in short, it was a huge CF.  (If you don't know what that means, Google "internet slang"... or suffice it to say, the new location is too small.  I digress...)  But here are some pics I took before I was annoyed to the point of becoming borderline homicidal:











After the walk, Nugget and I sold tickets at SouthPark Mall for Belk Charity Days with the Golden Rescue.  Nugget enjoyed the attention, which he's obviously otherwise deprived of.  Those pics will be posted when I'm not too lazy to get them off my phone.  No promises :)