Doggy Daycamp

Molly, AKA TheBean, is my first born bulldog. She is quickly approaching 2. For a while, we thought we had her under control, but we were sadly mistaken. After a short stint with puppy prozac, we took her off the meds in hopes that the vigorous training we did while she was on them worked. Boy, were we wrong.

She has started to act up again in several ways. Molly barks nonstop during dinner (we eat at the table in the dining room, and her cage is adjacent to the table). She picks fights with Roscoe. She can not share toys. She is fearless. Literally. She’ll run with the biggest dogs at the park, and try and take their tennis balls. Hi, when you are a 50lb SHORT dog and challenging a German Shepherd, well, it isn’t the smartest thing. She pretty much thinks she is invincible. It would seem that I am her only pack leader in this world as she listens to me when I give commands. She doesn’t even do well listening to TheBoy. It is like she is mine, and Roscoe is his because God only knows I have trouble controlling him and his 100lb self. Short of becoming a stay-at-home-dog-mom, I’m running out of ideas.

The answer? What would Caesar do? WWCD. My new catch phrase. Should I make t-shirts? He would say she needs more exercise. So we started to do these long ass walks when we come home from work with the dogs. They get pooped and we burn calories. Win/win for everyone! Except Molly doesn’t get pooped. She comes home and wants to play some more. It is exhausting. An English Bulldog is SUPPOSED to be LAZY, not this fireball of energy. How did we ever get so lucky? *Sigh* Seriously, I believe a child would be less work than my dog. Yes, I am dead serious.

We decided that Molly needs a more creative outlet, so we enrolled her in Doggy Daycare here. It is as swanky as it looks, probably more so in person. Two to three days a week is our goal. $105 a week on daycare for our dog. Christ. But if it helps her out, then it is worth it to us.

Day 1: She gets dropped off, and is put in the small dog playgroup. No. That won’t work because she likes to terrorize the wee ones, so we tell them she’ll be fine with the big dogs. And for a while, she is. That is until she starts some dog riots. Apparently, my little brat doesn’t want any other dog to have toys. She tries to take them from EVERYONE which causes controversy when you try and take a bone away from a German Shepherd. I guess she kept getting the big dogs all riled up. So much that it warranted not one, but TWO time out sessions for her. After the third riot ensues, she is moved back down to the small dog group where she causes more riots and has to be put away into solitary confinement.

When we arrived, the staff member at the reception desk said ‘oh you are Molly’s parents? You’ll need to come with me please’. They went on to describe the events of the day, and said they didn’t want to ban her just yet as they would like a few more times to see if she gets more comfortable with the staff. Great, my dog already has a reputation. While we were in this “parent-teacher conference”, several staff members walked by and referred to Molly as ‘Tough Girl’. Awesome.

We will try Doggy Daycamp again on Wednesday. Until then, pray for us….or send Caesar.

It’s a doggy-dog Memorial Day Weekend

I really need to find a better way to post. Honestly, I can’t do crap on the internet from work. I’m out of my house from 8am until 6:30pm. I get home, play with dogs, start on dinner. When I’m done with that, I either watch something on tv, laundry, or clean up the kitchen. This is my oh-so-domesticated life. It truly is a good thing I ditched the CrazyGirlCity name as I am just not that crazy anymore, and certainly not living the city life. WTF happened to me? Oh well. I shall not dwell.

This weekend kind of blows. Nothing was really going on, well, that and originally we were supposed to be in California this weekend on a business trip. Sadly, it got canceled. So here we are. TheBoy volunteered to watch our friends’ year and a half lab. Don’t forget, we have Molly who is a year and nine months, and Roscoe, who is a year and 5 months. You can imagine the fun we are going to have this weekend. To make matters worse, I have my period with god-awful cramps. Nothing helps those throbbing cramps like three hyperactive dogs. TheBoy took Molly and Dexter to the park to burn off some energy. Roscoe is still not allowed to go to the park after the last incident we had. I don’t think I blogged about it as I’ve been lazy.

Long story short, when we entered the dog park, a gang of dogs ran over to the opening. Roscoe was kind of like WTF and went into defensive mode. When we entered, the doggy vibes were not great, and a fight ensued. None of the owners wanted to jump in, so I pulled Molly out, and TheBoy attempted to pull Roscoe out. In the process, another dog bit my husband’s hand. Next thing I know, he is ripping his shirt off to stop the flow of blood. Other dog owners are screaming at us that our dog is too aggressive. We’re screaming back to shut the fuck up, why would you let your dogs approach in an aggressive pack and then not break it up when tensions are obviously on the rise. And when you see blood gushing out of my husband’s hand, how about a little sympathy or assistance to get the other dogs away from us so we can tend to this very obvious medical emergency. Anyhow, off we went to the ER for some shots and stitches, and we decided never to bring Roscoe back to the park again. He is too big for us to risk something like that happening again. He has to settle for long walks in our hood for his exercise.

Anyhow, back to my dog house. Dog-sitting for our friends is truly not an issue. I don’t mind that at all. It is just kind of difficult with three dogs. If I ever see a super-cute puppy, and have thoughts about adding a third to our brood, well, I will remember this weekend with much clarity. My two dogs have finally hit a point in life where they don’t want to kill each other. Add another dog into the mix in THEIR home, with THEIR toys, and THEIR food, and things can get crazy! Hmmm, maybe I do still have some ‘crazy’ left in my world then.

Oh well. Our friends are off enjoying the weekend in Ocean City with their family in from Italy, so I’m happy to help. Plus it’s Saturday. The weekend is almost HALF WAY OVER! Enjoy it everyone!

My Household is MISERABLE

We are all seriously miserable. I have a lot of great stories to tell about the past week, but I can barely type as I feel as if I am on my deathbed. I either got a horrible case of food poisoning (my initial diagnosis after violently vomiting for 5 hours straight on Sunday evening) or a really bad stomach virus. I can not keep anything down. Not pregnant. Took a test and only one line…which is fine because I’d be nervous if that was what morning sickness would be like for me. I am totally dehydrated because sometimes even plain water comes back up. My head is pounding. My stomach isn’t growling, but my body is lacking energy to do a damn thing. I’ve tried the saltines, bananas, applesauce, gatorade, and colorless popscicles. I’ve had on and off luck with these foods. I figure I’ll let my doctor figure it out at 8am tomorrow. I might even demand an IV or two just to rehydrate. Yes, I am serious.

Also, in between this madness with my body, TheBean had her cherry eye removed on Monday. It was a painful procedure for all. For her because she had no idea what the hell was going on. For me because I hated to see her swagger all around like she didn’t know her right from left when I picked her up AND because my checkbook took quite a hit. But she is my baby, and we signed on to take care of her when we got her, so that we shall do…even if it means Ramen noodles for a month. Just playing. I wouldn’t be able to keep them down anyhow.

I’ll update soon with a very funny wedding story. I’m actually trying to hold out with updates until my new blog has been completed. It’s going to be a pain in the ass to transfer my entire three year history…even more so since my dumb ass switched to Beta on here. If I kept it on regular blogger, then I’d be able to transfer it all with a few clicks, but it will be manual now. Blah.

I will leave you with this pathetic picture of MsBean with her dish around her head. And now I must run to the bathroom. Again.

Meet Roscoe

Oh. My. Goodness. We picked Roscoe up down in Powhatan, VA, which is a bit south of Richmond, on Saturday. Holy cuteness. He is so cuddly, and so needy. Molly was not that needy when we got her as she was twelve weeks old. Roscoe is eight weeks old. I forgot that there is such a huge difference in a months time in a puppy’s life. He really likes to sleep. He isn’t all that curious about the new place yet, so long as someone is holding him and he has a large supply of food. When he takes a poop, it is a massive poop, and he does it again about 2 minutes later. Roscoe’s belly is just so big, which gives him a waddle kind of walk…except it is a really slow walk. I feel like there should be a ‘BOOM’ followed with every step he takes.

We met his parents, and his grandparents, and all his siblings. Let me just say that I had NO IDEA that Roscoe was going to be as big as that. I was thinking *maybe* 65 pounds or so, but no. He’ll grow to be anywhere from 90 to 120 pounds! You can tell he is going to be a tough, yet lovable little guy. His walk is just so bad ass. I might do a video clip and put it on YouTube just so you can see what I am talking about.

Molly hasn’t really taken to him just yet. She looks at him as if she’s thinking ‘who the hell are you and why are you trying to steal my thunder?!’. I don’t think she realizes that he is a permanent fixture in our home. She can’t quite get that he is still a baby at eight weeks, where as she is considered in her ‘toddler days’ at six months, so she plays a little bit rough with him.

I’ll admit it is VERY tough to have 2 pups at those ages. I want to cuddle with Roscoe all the time because he’s in his important bonding-with-his-owners phase, but I don’t want Molly to feel jealous or neglected. I imagine this is how a mother would feel with a two year old kid and a newborn. It makes me really reconsider wanting more than one child to be honest, but I am sure in a few weeks they will be the best of friends.

When we first brought him in the house, we had the two dog beds stacked up together. We also had to get Molly a new bed because she tore her other one up when we were cleaning the cover. Anyhow, Roscoe made a beeline for the beds, and I ran for my camera.Alrighty! He’s making himself at home! Yay! His eyes are the coolest color…kind of a brownish-grayish-blue. However, I am sure they will change to brown soon. Look how cuddly he is!!!

As you can see, they like playing together, but they fight over the toys.

He is such a sweetie! I haven’t decided on a nickname for him. Jake was TheDog. Molly is TheBean. So Roscoe needs to be TheSomething. It’ll come to me once I get to know his personality a bit more.

I’m getting a new man in my life

The old one just wasn’t cutting it. J/K. Well maybe I’m not kidding. Either way, I am expanding my family. Meet the new pup. We pick him up next weekend.

We were going to get another English Bulldog from Molly’s breeder. We were so close to actually doing this that we had pictures of the four pups to choose from and had it narrowed down to two. However, this little guy above became available. His original potential owners never sent their deposit, so the breeders called TheBoy to let him know. He has yet to be named. TheBoy wants to name him Rosco, but I want to name him Frank. Frank the Tank actually. He’s an American Bulldog, so he’ll obviously be a lot bigger than Miss Molly. I can’t wait to get him.

Let me show you pics of his mom and dad so you can see what kind of badass dog we’re going to have guarding our premises. This is the mama: And this is the papa:

On a sad note, TheBean has a condition called cherry eye. It’s common for the dogs with the squishy faces. I took her to the vet on Thursday to be checked out, and it’s gotten a little better with her antibiotics. However, I am thinking we’ll have to have surgery on her eye to permenantly correct it. She looks so miserable. Luckily she isn’t scratching at it otherwise she’d be wearing a satellite dish.

A Few Random Things

~I think that other than Burt’s Bees glosses, the Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in Grapesicle is the best thing to ever happen to my lips. Let’s spare the jokes please.

~Everyone should have baby wipes in their bathroom. I actually thought my SIL was strange for mentioning this and assumed it was because she is expecting her 3rd child or something, but come to find out she was correct. Wiping after doing a number two is just so much better with baby wipes than it is with regular toilet paper. You get a much more clean feeling. Plus not to mention, I’d think it would be handy to have around for those unexpected-spur-of-the-moment blow jobs. Guys, wipe down there before getting a spur-of-the-moment blow job. I am sure it will make for a much more pleasant experience for the gal (or guy), and probably prolong the action. Girls, if you think you might get a little action down your way, then yes, please be polite and clean up as well. So next time you’re at the market, pick up a box….they come in plain colored boxes….and plant it in your bathroom.

~To continue supporting my fatass kick as of lately, I decided to stop by the store on the way home to see if they are carrying the new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor: Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream. Vanilla ice cream with fudge covered waffle cone pieces and swirls of caramel. Yum. Yum. Yum. Although I don’t think any ice cream could win my heart over like Half Baked does. We’ll see.

~I am thinking about letting my subscription to US Weekly run out. Why? I already know everything (from perezhilton.com) by the time the magazine arrives.

~I bought Molly a skull and crossbone t-shirt. She looks like a total rocker chick.

~If you are looking for a stylist in NOVA, then I HIGHLY recommend trying out Hairworks by Noufal in the Landmark Mall. I know. Landmark. Ugh. But I lived close by last year, so it worked for quick trips. Anyhow, my stylist is Raymond. The majority of the stylists are men, which in my opinion is great. You don’t have to worry about bs’ing with someone that you don’t know, don’t care to know, and might not ever see again. The guys really get into their work and do a FABULOUS job. As long as I live in this area, and Raymond is in business, I will never trust my hair cuts or color to anyone else. Seriously, my last 3 cuts have just blown me away. Last time, I came home and TheBoy was floored. He said my hair has never looked so good. I don’t know if this is good or bad….but regardless, my hair looks fan-fucking-tastic. I just got some highlights added to the hair as well…and I am very happy with the results.

~I decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. I sent some cards out to some random friends, and sent TheMoms (mine and my MIL) some tulips. TheBoy doesn’t celebrate and that is a-ok with me. However, I would like to add that I think we did kind of celebrate. It was sort of an unspoken compromise. I worked day shift on V-day…and TheBoy worked evenings. Around 5, he called me and asked if I would mind running some errands with him. I figured with nothing better to do, then sure, why not? We ended up going out for a very low-key dinner in our hood, and he told me he took the rest of the night off. Although he never actually acknowledged Valetine’s Day, I think it might have been his way to spend the evening with me, without making a huge production about it. After dinner, we went home and watched movies. It was just really unexpected to spend the evening with him, as I planned on drinking some wine while hanging out with TheBean. It’s moments like that, that make me truly appreciate his intentions and beliefs.

~I think I could drink 2 bottles of Moscato d’Asti wine. For real.

~I miss living in Italy.

~I went on a cleaning streak yesterday and did the entire downstairs. Next up, the upstairs.

~We could not find any shovels for sale at Target, Walmart, Home Depot, so we just didn’t shovel our walk. Instead, I found some organic melting crap somewhere…the only thing left….and just threw that down on our walkway. It made it slushy, but didn’t melt it entirely. We look like the trash of our hood.

~TheBoy had to fill up a Rubbermaid storage container with hot water and bring it outside to clear a patch on the grass. Molly refused to go to the bathroom on the icy snow as she was sliding all over. I know I should have video taped it. Now that there is a small patch of grass, she’ll go outside.

~I’ve been very much into wearing headbands lately. Think Daphne from Scooby Doo.

~Britney, oh Britney. What are you doing? Part of me is hoping that this is all a huge publicity stunt of some kind, but the other part of me thinks you are heading down a shitty path. I want you to get better! Please!? I love your music. I admit it! Please get well and make a glamorous comeback!

~I went a wee bit crazy and downloaded quite a bit of music from iTunes yesterday. I was on an eighties-techno-dance kick kind of spree. But let me tell you….I have some EXCELLENT dancing around your house/cleaning serious house kind of music. I’ll post a playlist later.

~Are we all set for a new season of ANTM? I am kind of on the fence. I am almost sick of it, but I’m sure I’ll get sucked in for a new season.

~Lots of labels. Labels rule.

Puppies & Snow at @ 2am

Since I keep odd hours, I do things that most ordinary people do in the afternoon at very strange hours…like taking my dog out to play in the snow in the middle of the night. Last night, I was curled up on my couch watching some stupid show, The Simple Life I believe, and I realized there was a blanket of snow outside. So at 2am, I decided to get myself dressed in my play-in-the-snow gear, grab Molly and put her in her winter coat, and go outside to frolic in the winter wonderland.

Molly loves the snow. Seriously. She loves eating it. She loves running it. She is amazed by it falling from the sky. Since I didn’t know if it would be melted in the morning, I wanted to take advantage of it while we had it. So off we went.

GAH! I can not stand her cuteness. It’s really too much at times! I feel like I should get winter boots to protect her, but in the mean time we warm her up by dipping her feet in warm water when we come back inside. I bet Molly would like snow cones.

I think I need to get this framed. Molly and Mom out in the cold. She is so pretty in pink and I am so ridiculously make-up free at 2am in blue. Hot aren’t I? Yeah, I don’t think so either.

Sugar & Spice

It was kind of a big deal that we got a female dog. I’ve always liked male dogs better. TheBoy also wanted to get a male. However, when we were discussing the details of getting a new dog for a family, he left the gender choice up to me. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that, although we were both grieving over Jake’s loss, he knew I had five years on him, and that I was taking it much worse. For the first time ever, I wanted a female dog. Perhaps it was because I did not want to associate this new dog with Jake. I didn’t want to feel like I was trying to replace him in any way, including getting a male dog. Jake was the only male name for a dog that I could imagine thinking about, and obviously, I wouldn’t name a new dog Jake. It was just easier to think of a little girl.

It would be a whole new experience with a female. I could deck her out with pink and purple accessories as opposed to the blue and green that Jake would sport. It would mean new toys, new dog bed, new bowl, new everything. This way I could establish all new memories with this pup while dealing with Jake’s loss and not associating the two. I’ll admit, it’s been a mind fuck of sorts. Tonight, I was on the phone with my mother and caught myself referring to Molly as Jake. Every now and then I’ll catch myself starting to call Jake, rather than Molly, into the kitchen for a treat. And on rare occasions, I’ll catch myself silently comparing the two. I’m not depriving Molly of anything by doing that, it’s just something I do and keep to myself.

We decided to take Molly to the dog park the other day so she could meet some other dogs. It went really well. She was very hesitant to leave our side, but every once in a while she’d venture off about 20 feet before sprinting back towards mom and dad when the larger pack of dogs would make their way in her direction. She interacted with the other dogs alright though…very submissive when they’d come her way to check her out. That was good though, and what we were hoping for. At home, she seems to think she is queen of the castle. We’re trying to break her of that. It’s happening slowly, but surely. In this picture to the left, you can see the view that Molly had. She was planted in front of TheBoy when she felt scared. She is very attached to him, and he is getting very attached to her.

It’s so cute to see him play “Daddy”. He’s nicknamed her “Molly-Bean”, and I hear him talking to her all cutesy-like. The killer is watching him give her a bath. Molly LOVES getting a bath. She adores the water pouring over her head, and then the shampoo scrub. Sometimes when we take her out after she has been rinsed, she’ll try to jump back in. The only part that she doesn’t like is when we blow dry her. Yes, we blow dry her. If not, she’ll stay damp for quite some time. We don’t want our lil girl to get sick. Anyhow, it is a joy to watch TheBoy dry her. I never thought I’d see him take that much interest in grooming, but he’s got a much different tone with her, as a girl, than he ever did with a male dog. It’s sweet. I had my reservations how he’d be if we had a baby girl, but they are gone now. I know he’d be great with our lil girl. Sugar and spice, and everything nice. That’s what little girls are made of.

Happy Holidays

Hope you all have a great holiday season! Molly is just waiting for it to snow so she can go outside with her new winter coat. Oh yes I did.

Meet Molly

TheBoy and I decided to get each other an early Christmas present. Though she is no replacement for Jake, she is a beautiful addition to our family that has brought us so much happiness in the short time she’s been with us. She is a 13 week old English Bulldog with a very strong personality that is already shining though. Molly fits right in with us!