Tilden & Tucker

i had a busy day yesterday, with appointments from studio city to woodland hills to long beach, yes long beach, and a few places in between - tilden got to tag along for the majority of it, ending with a tucker playdate. [as if inca, sydney & buckley weren't enough]

tucker is a new client, and at some point he may be staying overnight with me, so i figured what better time than now to see how he and tilden accept each other...













tilden approves :)

The Long Walk Home...

Oh Lando!!

..."fun" would be an understatement. When I arrive he can't decided if he wants to run laps around the house, play fetch with his squeaky duck toy or if he's ready for his walk. Finally its out the door we go... the whole world is his fan club - really. He greets every single person who passes us and every tree gets his autograph! Top that off with a beautiful neighborhood and you'd never want your walk to end either, right?

Lando at the beginning of our walk:
[flexi leash used for effect]

"Hurry up!! Quit lagging!"





25 minutes later:

...we made that right turn and he knows we're headed home...at this particular corner he always likes to stop and lay in the grass - as if I don't know what he's doing... [notice the lack of eye contact]



Which brings us to, Lando at the end of our walk:



Poor guy :( I do however make it a point to stay and play for awhile once back inside to make sure that I leave him on a good note!!

..oh, and of course, no Lando blog would be complete without showing you all his infamous "sprawl" which I'm now beginning to think is not only a cooling off technique, but a stall tactic :P

...losing my marbles!!

many people know that i am an absolute big dog person. many can also see that the majority of my clients are small dogs... and so sweet, adorable, funny, and entertaining...its only a matter of time before they wear on my tough exterior and a soft spot develops for each one.

this past week i had the pleasure of sitting for a pint size yorkie [london], and two maltese [beast & blue] who weren't much larger. initially i questioned what it'd be like with such tiny tots, then reminded myself that they're still dogs!! duh!! little london slept with me every night, blue kept me and the house safe, lol, and beast warmed my lap while on the computer or made sure that i never went too long without tons of fresh kisses. i admit that i loved all of it...and...well... i never thought i'd say this, but... i think i can kinda sorta possibly see myself, one day, maybe... with a little 5 pound addition to my family :)

you just don't say 'no' to this face:



last night i slept a bit different, and this morning i woke up a little sad...with small dog fever!

Photo of the Week!!

i have so much catching up to do, that i don't even know where to begin... however, i was so lucky to get this shot this evening, that i couldn't wait to post it. i have a new found appreciation for jack russell terriers! of course they aren't for everyone, but i now know that "well behaved" and "jack russell" can comfortably fit into the same sentence :) i'm still getting to know them [along with their 3 doggie roommates], but i can at least start by telling you their names... [from the top] Twoey, Poppy & Rocket.

this photo happened purely by chance. i had taken individual photos of them out in the yard, but none that i was thrilled with because 'in motion' is an understatement when describing these guys. after serving dinner and collecting their bowls - they'd calmed down a bit... i turned to my right and saw this:



...i just KNEW they were going to move before i could reach for my camera and turn it on fast enough. and, well, they did move, but from a straight line to a diagonal line which was even better!!

so there you have it ladies and gentleman. the photo of the week!! :)

Puppy Fever...

4pm last friday I got an e mail about boarding a 4 month old shih tzu puppy. male, not yet housebroken. by 9pm I was holding the little guy in my arms going "what was i thinking?" yes he's a puppy, yes he's a small dog, yes he arrived in a sweater and yes he was uncomfortable around the other dogs - but let me tell you, this has been one of my best puppy experiences to date!!

his name is Teddy and he's sooooo good!! keep in mind, i'm typing this 4 days later, now that he's come out of his shell, and my feelings are unchanged.. when i'm home he's in my lap or tied to my waist. when i'm away from home he's crated, as well as at night unless those big round puppy eyes sucker me into allowing him up on the bed. he's an excellent sleeper, thru the whole night, all 8hrs... not a whimper and no a potty accidents. i'm surprised to know that his owners don't crate him because he's taken really well to it and it may just be the answer to their housebreaking woes. i hate to report all of this and possibly mislead people since its really such a rare occurrence [99.9% of puppies ARE a TON of work] but i sit here completely smitten and in slight disbelief myself...

did i mention he's now comfortable around 85lb Gia, 70lb Tilden, 40lb Buckley and the kitty?

did i mention that he's non destructive?

and ADORABLE?

[Teddy, the perfect sleeper]



[Goodmorning!! There's that cutie face!!]



... and Buckley is hilarious. I asked his dad if i could borrow his crate since it is much more size appropriate for training a 5lb puppy...... Buckley very rarely, if ever, uses his crate, but put a puppy in it and all of a sudden, its his new favorite hang out again, lol. last night he kept scratching at the crate and howling [this dog has the absolute best howl]... so finally i open the door thinking that he just wants to sniff or play with the puppy. nope, Buckley hopped right in, laid down and did not budge the whole night. so the 5lb puppy is back in the 42" crate, LOL

Pay it forward...

...about a month ago i assisted a gentleman, his wife, and his dog with a transport from hawaii to los angeles. once the job was complete, he was kind enough to offer the crate as a donation to me, which i gladly accepted. about a week or two later i came across a plea on westside shepherd rescues website, trying to help a senior shepherd named Coco to her new home in Seattle Washington. unfortunately i could not make a monetary donation... but thanks to Keith, i was able to provide them with a crate that was the perfect size for Coco. this afternoon i received a thank you e mail [along with a photo of Coco at LAX]. its amazing how doing something so small and practically effortless can make such a difference!! i'll sleep just a bit better tonight... and with a smile on my face for sure.

thank you keith & thank you westside shepherd rescue...
best of luck to Coco and her new family!!

"n00bs"

...as promised, here are the photos of the new clients. and get this... they are all absolute dolls!! in their own ways of course... but seriously, i'm so lucky. more about each one soon!! still getting to know them, especially Walker, the only puppy on the roster.

Walker, the puppy! need i say more?:



Pinball & Atari... my little entertainers:



Schroeder, my cutie!!:



Lando, he's such a boy!! my cool little guy:



So sweet and so laid back, Alley:



loved by not pictured: Barn Kitty [a sweet, senior, tuxeo, boy cat] & Gill [the largest male betta fish... probably in history!]