Heidi is a Screamer

Heidi's mom here.

Heidi and I had a wonderful time celebrating Irene's grand departure.  Sunday was sunny, warm, and perfect frisbee weather.  As my lovely dog noted, I got some wonderful pictures of her catching the frisbee.  Much to her chagrin, I also got some excellent snaps of her screaming at me (which she does quite often, despite her saying otherwise).

Pre-scream - Inhale

Scream

Anguish

Full exhale

Post-scream - Inhale

 The fourth in the series is my favorite.  

That exhale, lip puffing, after the scream.  

My. Favorite.

The Weather Outside IS Frightful, cont'd

So, we've had the earthquake and aftershocks, a thunderstorm, and now we had the hurricane this past weekend.  Her name was Irene.  I don't really understand why they name them like that, but whatever.  So, mom was busy pulling in all of our toys from outside - "battening down the hatches" as she says.

And then, nothing.

We just had a bit of wind and rain.  She said it was much worse in other places, so we should be lucky that nothing bad happened to us.
I am glad.  The next day, after Irene, we had sun and heat, and everything was back to normal.  Frisbee Time!
Mom's still practicing with her new camera.  She managed to get a couple of good shots of my athletic abilities.

I commend her efforts.  

She just needs to quit her job so she can spend more time playing frisbee
and taking pictures of me.

Because, obviously, she still needs some practice...

Technical Errors

Heidi's mom here.
Heidi is really getting on my case.  We are having internet problems at home and I have been unable to figure out what the problem is.  So, I apologize that we have been unable to post anything recently.
Heidi keeps saying that I could just do the posting at work after she has dictated to me what she wants to say, but I'm not really supposed to do that - I'm at work.  She doesn't really get that part.
Anyway, we're working on fixing the problem and will post a slew of things once the problem is solved.
Please, bear with us!

The Weather Outside IS Frightful

Literally.

The past few days have been crazy.

Monday, we had an earthquake.  The biggest on the entire east coast of the U.S. since 1944.  The biggest for the region since 1897.  Mom was at work when it happened.  She said it was scary being in the basement of a big building - she thought the whole building was coming down.  Silly.  Nothing much happened here.  A few things rattled but that was it.  Edgar was a little freaked out.  I tried not to laugh at him.  We don't usually have earthquakes here, especially not one so strong, so I let him have a few minutes to collect himself and gave him a strong martini.

Tuesday, we had an aftershock around 8pm.  We were all in the den, mom included, and enjoyed the little rumble on the couch.

Wednesday night / Thursday morning, we had another aftershock.  I was sleeping in bed with mom and we felt everything shaking.  It lasted several seconds.  I thought I was dreaming, but mom confirmed it in the morning.

Thursday, we had a bad thunderstorm.  Once again, mom was in the basement of a big building and missed it all.  Edgar gets quite nervous when thunderstorms come rolling in, so he sort sticks to me like glue.  Ugh.  He's been through enough already that you would think they wouldn't scare him anymore.

C'est la vie.  What will happen tomorrow?

Bully Sticks Better Than Frisbee!

Well, really, there is no comparison.  But they are rapidly climbing the list of my favorite things.  The dogs and I enjoyed a little chewing time this morning.  I learned my lesson Friday, so I restrained myself and did not chew the whole thing all at once.  Moderation is key.

Nothing will replace Frisbee as the number one joy in my life, though.

That's not fear on my face.  That's annoyance at mom pretending to throw the frisbee.

Mom's getting better at the action shots.  I'm finally in focus - not the fence.  

But, she still needs to practice.  The frisbee looks good, but where am I?

Heartworm Prevention: A Necessity

Heidi's mom here to talk about heartworms.


Heartworm infestation is not something any dog owner wants to deal with, ever.
Most of us try to prevent heartworms because treating them can be very costly and very dangerous.  However, in these economic times, we try to save money where we can.  We think, "It's unlikely my dog will get heartworms, so I"ll just save money and not buy heartworm prevention (like Heartgard or Interceptor)."  


Think again!


The only really good treatment for heartworms is a drug called Immiticide.  Made by Merial, Immiticide is essentially unavailable according to VIN (Veterinary Information Network).  Due to manufacturing problems, the active ingredient is unavailable.  No one knows when it will be available.  


So, please take note.  Without a really good treatment for heartworms, prevention is still the best option.  Please, don't let your dogs get heartworms! 

Pizzlesticks

Not to be confused with swizzlesticks.

We had our first bully sticks tonight after dinner.  If you don't know what bully sticks are, you are not alone.  I didn't until just a little bit ago.  Mom got them for us as a surprise from Best Bully Sticks which is located in Richmond, VA.

A bully stick is a dried bull or buffalo penis, otherwise known as a pizzle.  I know, I know.  It sounds really weird.  It turns out, they are quite tasty and quite chewy.

 

But, we all loved 'em - the other dogs too.

Edgar

Mojo

Bentley

I had no idea something so bizarre could be so yummy.
Unfortunately, as usual, my stomach did not agree with something so "rich".  I had to run outside for a couple of minutes to get some fresh air, if you know what I mean.  Maybe, if I don't eat the whole thing all at once, I will be able to handle it better.

But, YUMM!

The Big Orange Bone

My favorite thing in the whole world is my big orange bone.  I take it to bed with us every night, get it from the bedroom every morning, and play with it every afternoon when mom gets home from work.  Mom got it for me when I was very young and I've had the same one ever since.

Winter 2003.  Yes, my lip is hanging on the crate.

Winter 2004.  Makes a good pillow.

Summer 2004.  Squeaky, Squeaky.

Summer 2004.  The jack is no match.

One time, when I was napping on the couch while mom was at work, one of the dogs had diarrhea and tried to hide it by covering it with my bone.  Seriously?!?  I couldn't believe the lack of respect for the bone.  Mom cleaned it in the washing machine, but it still grossed me out.  She had to rub it in the dirt to make it less "poopy" and less clean so that I could play with it again.  Several times now, after so many years, she's had to sew up little holes that have appeared.  Only one of the two squeakers work.  My poor bone has been through a lot, but I love it nonetheless.

Christmas 2005.  Good security blanket.

2009.  Old faithful.

*Sigh*  It's hard to believe I've had it this long.  Hopefully, no one does any more damage to it and I can keep it forever.  Here's to you, lovely bone!  Cheers!

Better Picture of Johnny Peanut

Luckily, Ponyboy e-mailed me a better picture of Johnny Peanut than the one mom took.

The Cousins Nearby

Mom got to go over to one of her siblings' houses yesterday.  She brought home many pictures of our cousins whom we seldom have the opportunity to see.  Allow me to make introductions:

Honey Pie (The only girl, like me)

Ponyboy (The youngest)

Steve McQueen (The scared-est)

Gus "The Goose" (The eldest)

Johnny Peanut (The only picture mom could get)

All of these dogs are rescues, and, I daresay, it is quite obvious.  Poor Steve is always scared out of his mind whenever company comes over - even his own aunt.  And Johnny is almost as bad.  But, they are quite lovely dogs at heart.  Ponyboy is such a flirt.  I put it down to his youth, but it is quite flattering for an older lady like myself.  Mom teases me that I'm a cougar.  I don't know what that means, but clearly I am a dog.  Mom can be so weird.

First New Camera Pics!

Mom got her new camera Thursday and has been clicking away since then.  We're all about sick of it.  Take a break, will ya?

She's been using the continuous shutter mode and it's pretty neat.  However, she's having trouble getting the camera to focus on me and not the fence!  I'm willing to work on it with her.  You know, the sacrifices I make for her...

Mom did get some good tongue shots as well, though also slightly out of focus.

And some cute shots.

 But, this is my favorite picture.  It feels so turn-of-the-20th-century phantasmagorical.

Am I a ghost?
Tired of all the picture taking, but some of the results have been good.  Mom needs a lot more practice though.

Momma's Gotta A Brand New ... Camera?

Mom came home all in a tizzy.
She bought a new camera - her first DSLR, whatever that is.  She said, "It cost a fortune, but I got a great deal!"  As if I haven't heard that before.  Anyway, she had been looking online all week which was taking precious time away from my frisbee action.  So, finally, today it is here and I get frisbee action while the battery charges.  (Thank you, battery gods.)

Mom wants to say a few words:

I did get a great deal.  I want to thank the camera gods for making me think of Crutchfield at the very last moment.  I had settled on getting a Nikon (I have to narrow down the option quickly or I get befuddled).  Then, I decided on the D5000 after many "compare" buttons on websites.  It seemed the D5100 was newer but essentially the same as the D5000.  The biggest difference was cost, so trying to be thrifty, I decided on the older model - the D5000.  The problem was, no one carried the older model in their stores, and I am a person who likes instant gratification.  Frantically calling around town with no luck, the name Crutchfield popped into my head.  Unbelievable luck: The camera gods were finally smiling down upon me.  They had the newer model for $100 dollars less than the older model!  And a sale on lenses!  And free softwares (yes, plural)!  And a free camera bag!  SO, for $50 more than I was ready to spend on the older model, I got more software and a free camera bag AND the newer model!  Unbelievable.

So, I just want to give major props to the locally-owned Crutchfield in my town.  Thank you and have a good night!

And, no, they did not pay me for this...sheesh.

Embarrassment or Harassment?

As you know, mom, the 3 dogs, and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago.  I wanted to share with you some of the horribly embarrassing pictures mom took with her camera before we left.

I think they border on harassment as mom made me wear my Doggles for the pictures.

No, I will not dignify this by
looking at the camera.

I am the only one with any self-respect.  I mean, look at Edgar - no shame.

I love the above picture because Mojo, above Edgar's head, looks like he's on uppers.  Every time I look at it I can't stop laughing at him.  Edgar is just so excited to get on the road.  I am too, but, sheesh, mom, let's go already!

Mom, seriously...

Just Another Dog Blog

Since I started my blog, I've been looking for other dog's blogs just to see what's out there.  I found one called Just Another Dog Blog.  It is wonderful.  The blog features Kate and Bella.  I thought I was the most photogenic dog out there, but they really take the Kong.  Their mom takes way better photographs than my mom.  The action shots of Kate and Bella are amazing - to die for.  So, now of course, mom wants to get a better camera.  She's started doing some "research" but I figure if you buy the most expensive it's got to be the best.  She claims that I need to mind my own business as I am not the one who has to earn the money to pay for the camera.  But I beg to differ.  With my blog, I've earned $26 so far for payment of the new camera.  Mom claims that is nowhere near enough, but I'm just a dog and it's better than nothing!

So, I'm asking for assistance.  If anyone knows anything about taking action shots with a DSLR camera, please make recommendations to my mom.  I'll forward them on to her.
Thanks!

Goofy Pictures Mom Took

Heidi's mom here!

Heidi is trying to keep me from posting these pictures, but I think they are great.  I love pictures of extreme close-ups of dog bits.

Edgar's big nose

Heidi's hairy feet

Mojo's blurry nose

And I love this picture of Edgar because it just captures him perfectly, despite the slight blurriness.  He's just a big goof.