Angel Lexi is having a bit more fun here than she let on in her submission.
Riley – Angel Lexi’s brother – was a bit skittish around these gentle giants, but soon learned there was nothing to fear and took up their cause with gusto.
To learn about these endangered species and many more you can go to the Endangered Species Challenge created and sponsored by Blogville’s Arts and Entertainment Director, Louis the Dog Armstrong.
Hi, I’m Lucy. I know I said I wasn’t going to start blogging until after I had fully recovered from the cut the vetdoc made on my belly. But I think you, my new friends, need to know what has happened around here. First, I kept waking Amy up during the night with what she called my incest licking. Or something like that. I couldn’t help it, the glued-together cut on my belly has been bothering me. She punished me by going out all alone with Jeff to a place called church this morning. When they got back, Amy took one look at my red belly and put this thing on me. I don’t understand why she would put something on me that she said would interfere with my prayerful vision. Or something like that. I can only see what is right in front of me, and I am freaking out every time I get a glimpse of something off to the side. What if aliens are coming at me? Or squirrels?
I know there is a boat in the driveway, so I thought maybe this was my life vest and we were going boating. Nope, just a walk down the street and back, and not a very long one at that. I am being a very good girl. Can anyone help me get this off?
This sweet girl is a rescued, dark brindle bullie mix. She came to live with us a week ago on Saturday, while I looked for a good home for her. I don’t get attached to dogs quickly, so no problem. Besides, she isn’t a schnauzer! We figured it was better to pick out a name to call her rather than keep referring to her as “the dog.” I came up with Lucy. Monday afternoon I approached Jeff with tears in my eyes and asked if we could keep her. Without hesitation he nodded and said, “Of course.” WE HAVE A NEW DOG!
Lucy makes the house feel alive again. She has also filled a little bit of the space in my heart that Lexi’s passing left desolately empty. I imagine that space will keep filling as we get to know and love each other even more.
Lucy has been accepted as the new, permanent church dog. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her- staff, volunteers, parishioners, children. The pastor’s 10-year-old daughter comes after school and runs through the hall playing with Lucy, and sits or lays on the floor petting and hugging her, and saying, “I love you, Lucy.” Lucy has also been great with the few younger children she has chanced to meet over the last week.
Jeff called her “the perfect dog.” She has a temperament that can’t be beat, is playful without being obnoxious (you know what I mean), knows a few simple commands, barely sheds and has not had any accidents in the house. No, she waited to go to work with me to pee on the hallway runner. And to Petco to pee about 87 gallons on the floor while I sorted through new collars. So, maybe “almost perfect.”
I took her to the vet on Tuesday, where I found out she is a little over a year old and 58 pounds. While there, I was able to observe her interacting with two smaller dogs. I saw tail wags and friendly nose touches. That is also where I realized – while the vet was searching her abdomen for a scar indicating she had been spayed – that she had gone into heat. She went back yesterday for an ovario-hysterectomy. She is home now, resting at my feet, and obviously not feeling her best after major surgery.
Lucy asked me to let everyone know that she looks forward to blogging with all of you and making new friends, and hopes to be accepted and loved in this community as well. She indicated that she will start blogging after she has had time to recover from her surgery.
An aside to all who might be wondering if this means I am no longer looking for a schnauzer. Not as obsessively. Not as actively. But there is always room in our home and hearts for a second dog if the right one comes along.
I want to showcase the beautiful sampler that Sidney, Shelby and Sophie’s Mom, Susan, made in honor of Lexi:
I just love this, not just because it is lovely and commemorates my girl, but also because of the heart and thoughtfulness that went into it. It is sitting on display with my other “Lexi things.”
As you may already know, Piper and Shelby have started up a bit of a romance. In case you missed their second date, you can go here to learn all about it. Ms. Susan also made a cross stitch for Piper and his Mom:
So what do you think? Is this a bit of a bribe to ensure Piper’s Mom lets him continue to court her daughter? Or a thank you to Piper for staying with me for two weeks to comfort me after Lexi crossed the rainbow bridge? Whatever the reason, you can see the love stitched into these works of art. Piper’s Mom sends her huge thanks and appreciation to Susan as well.
In any case, Piper will be showing up at the Valentine’s Party with Shelby. ❤
Lexi was two years old when I snapped this photo in 2005. I didn’t realize until later that she already had her wings! See them? Well, maybe not. But this I know: there were so many things she knew, understood and did that I could never explain. 
For instance, she would single out a dance student who was practicing the step incorrectly and draw my attention to it so I could help them. And she was always right about it. How did she know?
Also, when I had her attention and visualized the sun rising and setting, she understood how many days until something was going to happen. On that morning she would get extra-excited. For instance, on Thursday night I might tell her that we were going to the opening of Rocktoberfest on Saturday, then visualize the sun rising, setting, rising. No reaction Thursday night or Friday morning, but Saturday morning she would do the really excited dog thing. How did she know?
What does your dog or cat or pig or bird do that you can’t explain?
from June 30, 2005 originally posted on Dogster when Lexi was 2 years old.
Today I swam eleven laps around my pontoon boat – a personal best – perhaps because no one was watching when I wanted back in after the fourth lap. When we were done at the lake we went to Dairy Queen, a place that has the most wonderful treats. Brrr! The ice cream made me very cold and I started to shake uncontrollably. I knew Mom would take my ice cream away if she saw me shivering so I gobbled my pup cup of vanilla ice cream (my favorite flavor). It was worth it! To warm me up, Mom had to sit in the hot car with me until the shakes went away. I’ll make up for it tonight by puking on Mom’s bed. Won’t she be surprised?!
Hi, this is Gracie. Over the last 2 weeks I have gone to work and been the church dog, went to Indiana where I met Santa and made at least 87 new friends, and slept in the peeps bed every night (I’m not allowed to do that at home.) I have had a great time, but I still miss my Mom and Dad and told Santa that for Christmas, all I wanted was them to come back. Guess what? They are coming to get me today! When Ms. Amy said I had to get ready. I sure didn’t think she meant this!
I’m dry now and the bag is still here. *gasp* It opened!
I am all ready to go home now and just wanted to tell my new friends goodbye for now. Have a very happy New Year.
Woof! This is Gracie. I got to sit on Santa’s lap and whisper in his ear exactly what I want for Christmas. No lists that first go through elf hands for this pup! Santa said no problem, but that I would have to wait until the end of next week for my present. That’s ok, I can wait. Oh, and I have a personal message straight from Santa to pass on to you:
Yes, pups and kitties, there really is a Santa Paws!
Merry Christmas to all my new friends.
Love, Gracie.
Woof! It’s me, Gracie. I am staying with Ms. Amy and Mr. Jeff over Christmas while my Mom and Dad go on vacation without me. Come to think of it, they always go on vacation without me. It has something to do with flying, which I haven’t learned to do yet.
Speaking of flying, that reminds me of wings which reminds me of Angel Lexi, who earned her wings almost four months ago. Ms. Amy left my food dish at work today, so I get to honor Lexi by eating my supper out of her green food dish tonight.
Speaking of work, I have earned the title Church Dog of the Week. Wouldn’t Lexi be proud? I went to work with Ms. Amy yesterday and was minding my own business when this appeared in the doorway to our office:
Jiminy Cricket! This beast was HUGE! He looked like he could have swallowed me in one big chomp. I was mightily afraid for awhile, but then got a bit curious why this beastie was sporting the GQ look. Maybe he wasn’t a bad sort after all. So I thought, OK, I can try to share church space with him, even if I didn’t want to be BFF’s, if you know what I mean. After a while, all that tension of trying to not let the beastie be my bestie wore me out.
Yep, Odin was still there when I woke up. Eventually he went in the office with his Momma and left me alone so I could help Ms. Amy get her work done.
When I went to work again today I got the best reward! There were 87 gazillion little peoples downstairs and they all wanted to pet me and kiss me. I ran between them and wiggled and kissed them back for what seemed like hours, until I got totally worn out. Lots of big people came in to see me today too, and I greeted everyone with tail wags and wiggles and they all loved me, too. I think I saw more people today than I have all year long. Good thing my bed is there so I can rest. Lexi never told me what hard work it is to be the church dog. Finally, it was time to go home.
I’ll say goodnight for now. I need to get my rest so I can get up again tomorrow and do it all again.
Kisses and wiggles,
Gracie
I believe that for most of us, our lives are like a novel that can be broken down into chapters. A new love can produce a new chapter: romance, marriage, the birth or adoption of a child or of a pet. I clearly remember the Saturday in June of 2003 when that new chapter began for me – the day I fell in love with Lexi. While her 4 littermates were sleeping, Lexi was trying to bite the cool air coming out of the floor vent in her breeder’s home. Two weeks later, on the Fourth of July, I made the three hour trip back to pick up my spirited, eight-week-old puppy. Thus began a glorious new chapter of love in my life. My Angel Lexi, forever my heart dog.
Something to cheer up everyone. Oh, and where are all the Corgis blogging? I haven’t seen any!
I knew Shelby had been stuck in the house with her brother and sister for 87 weeks after her surgery and was needing some peace and quiet. I thought about the beach, but Shelby was concerned about sand and bacteria getting in her incision, even if it was completely healed. So for our first date all alone, I took Shelby to a lovely little cabin in the mountains. Heck, I can hang out just about anywhere and be ok, but I wanted my girl to have some comfort and pretty surroundings. She is a girl after all, and I learned from my Mom that girls like those things.
I thought we could start with a little stroll leading up to the cabin.
We arrived just before the sun started to drop behind the trees. I was a little nervous about the cabin being nice enough.
Once inside, we thought we would rest in front of the TV for a while.
We watched a show, but all I could see on the TV was Shelby.. so I tried to look at some books, but again, all I could see was Shelby!
By now we were both hungry. I heard that Shelby loves mangoes, so I made sure to get some. I didn’t know if she liked her steak cooked or raw, so I had Mom pack both.
We had a big day, and with our tummies full, we started to nod off. We each went to our own bedrooms, ’cause we are good pups. However, someone started hearing things and got scared.
I might have awakened Shelby, but I felt safe I knew she was safe, and we I slept well the rest of the night.
We got up early the next morning to do a bit of fishing, then watched the sun rise over the lake. What a beautiful finish to a perfect date. I sure hope Shelby felt the same way.
Note: the graphics in this post were made possible through the help of Noodle’s Mom, Samantha.
First, let’s look at what happened between Jeff and Rocky the Gnome last Sunday at Rocktoberfest in Rock City on Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
Ready for some great dogs having fun at Rocktoberfest? By the way, Sam the Golden Retriever was the only one who asked Rocky to pet him. The rest either ran, barked or tried to bite Rocky. What would you do?
If you have ever been on I-75 in Tennessee or Georgia, you have no doubt seen the billboards for Rock City, and maybe even seen the barn roofs or sides painted with the Rock City ad. The Rock City bird houses are famous around here.
For thousands of visitors from all over the world each October, Rocktoberfest is a fun tourist destination where, once they make the drive to the top of Lookout Mountain, they can enjoy nature amongst huge rock formations, dizzying heights and natural flora. They also get to enjoy polka bands and dancing, and locally brewed beer, the best of which (IMHO) is the Octoberfest beer.
For Jeff and me, it means much more. This was the first year that Rocktoberfest has been in existence that Lexi did not attend. Sometimes she was frustrated by not being allowed to help teach polka with Jeff, and sometimes humiliated by being used as a prop when Jeff MC’ed and announced she was the “German dog helping out today”. She was recognized by the bands for singing with them from the sidelines and pet by many children of all nationalities. She often saw friends whom she always recognized from year to year, such as her beloved Dorothy from her first Wizard of Oz, as well as some band members. She loved walking the trails and smelling the pee mail. This year, Jeff worked there every Saturday and Sunday as usual, and I went every weekend to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and try to heal from her loss.
There is a different band each weekend , although sometimes a band will perform two weekends when there are five weekends, like this year. Last Saturday, a boy about 5 years old walked up to the band with his fingers in his ears, removing one long enough to try to grab the instruments. He managed to snag the slide on the trombone while it was being played as well as one of the bells. We were sitting on the bench just to the left of this picture, and when Jeff jumped up to rescue the bell, the kid’s Mom stopped laughing and ran up and grabbed the kid. Since I keep this a “G rated” blog, I won’t voice my feelings on the entire episode. Moving on. At least two of the bands had alphorns, the instrument used to play the famous “Ri-co-la.” I hear there’s even a ringtone with that three note cough drop tune.
The Birds of Prey show with different species of owls, a comical vulture, several falcons. and an American bald eagle is quite impressive, with the birds release to fly just above the heads of the seated audience. This all happens within an enclosed space. All these birds have been rescued, either from being raised in captivity or found with injuries too severe to treat and release back into the wild. The eagle, for example, only has one wing due to illegal poaching. No photography allowed during the show. 😦 And no dogs allowed anywhere near it. They are, after all, birds of prey, and some are quite large. If one should escape, well, there might be one less chihuahua or yorkie in the world.
Here is the overlook where you can see 7 states – Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and South Carolina. It helps to put a quarter in the telescopic viewers.
There is one large waterfall as well as a small one very close to the overlook. I took all these pictures the last day of Rocktoberfest (last Sunday) and was too lazy to walk to the big falls again. So here is the smaller one. 
Since Rock City strives to be child-friendly, there are some fun costumed characters. One of the most famous is Ik, King of the Trolls. This guy has been playing Ik at different venues for 20 years, and comes across as bigger than life. He says that he doesn’t eat children for three reasons:
He will make an exception for free-range children that contain no antibiotics or growth hormones.
While at Rock City, there are plenty of souvenirs to buy. We have some very large beer mugs and steins that we take back every year, since the beer refill is only $2!
Jeff uses his special floor mat to stand on to keep his back from hurting. Come back tomorrow to find out who wins in Jeff’s battle with Rocky the Gnome for the mat. Also tomorrow I will highlight the dogs of Rocktoberfest. Well, at least all the dogs that were there last Sunday – and did’t get eaten by a bird of prey, bwahaha!
This is the first day of November, also known as All Saints’ Day. Many churches will observe this holy day next Sunday. St Luke UMC, however, chose to observe it on October 30. Prayers are said for those who have passed, especially those who have passed since this time last year. The congregation is encouraged to name their loved ones who have gone on and to come to the altar rail to light a candle for them.
At St. Luke, besides the candles on the altar rail, a special table was set up in the middle to hold larger candles for those who left us this year. A picture and/or a memento could be left for that special loved one. I think you know where I am going with this.
I knew I couldn’t sit through this service without crying the whole time, so I asked Lexi’s favorite person at St. Luke to light the candle when the time came. I am sure this was hard for David, too, but he did this for Lexi and me.
This is the page in the bulletin from where the names were read. I do believe that no matter what happens, there is a reason. Losing Lexi in early September is one of the hardest things I have ever endured. About one and a half years ago when I got my job at this wonderful church, I never expected anything like the support I have received since that time. I am blessed to be among these loving, caring people.
Can I go first, Amy? Yes? OK. This is Riley. No one told me about the Halloween party at Dory’s. Now I am all dressed up and have nowhere to go. Hey, maybe my Dad will take me trick or treating. I love, love, love little kids, and I would get to see a lot of them if I go out tonight! *paws crossed*
Piper and his gorgeous date Shelby from the Corkscott clan enjoyed the great food, drinks and other anipals at Dory’s Halloween party today. In fact, I think they are still partying! This was a first date, folks, so I can’t wait to see if they hit it off. I know Piper was more than a bit nervous, but he is such a sweet boy, I’ll bet Shelby was a bit taken with him. *fingers crossed for him*
Lexi popped into Dory’s Halloween party and, as she commented there, “I am back for the party ’cause there are so many good food things and all my friends are gathered together in one place, but please don’t think I turned into a vampire dog when I died. I am not really a vampire! It is just a really great look for All Hallow’s Eve! Bwahahahaha – I have come to suck your blood. (barked in Transylvanian accent, of course)”
Hmmm. It seems like there is something just wrong about the title Angel Vampire, don’t you think? Happy Halloween, my sweet girl.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween, with no unexpected “bites”!
Piper here. I got a date to the Halloween bash at Dory’s Back Yard! Guess who? Nope, I’m not sayin’.
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I'm Dalton, a Rat terrier mix and I came here in Sept, 2017, I was rescued from Hurricane Harvey. My birthday is 8-20-2016. My Gotcha Day is 8-27-2017. And I am Benji, a terrier mix of unknown origin. MY Birthday is June 6, 2018, and my Gotcha Day is Dec 28, 2018. I also was a rescue from a different part of Texas. We also have Angel MrJackFreckles, (2-5-2018); and also we have Angel Minko, (6-18-2017); and Angel Pipo, (11-3-2020);There are also Angels Groucho, Simba, Suki, & Toki. We meezers used to be known as WeBeesSiameezers. We'e all from Michigan, Dalton and Benji both came here from Texas, as rescues..
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