Me and Mommy are having so much fun going to practice our dancing on Sundays. We’re getting our moves and routines together to go get our Title 4 in Cleveland, Ohio in June. I think Mommy still has a lot of work to do. Here is what we’re going to do at the beginning. First, we walk in and Mommy honors the pretend judges and audience. Then we get set up to start. Then we start our Freestyle dance.
After that we worked on our ending. Yep, it needs more work…
We went to our class again today and changed up some things to look better and fit the timing better. Just wait til you see us dancing at the Titling Event in June!
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Awww Monday!
We’re very thankful to Fivesibes for hosting Flashback Friday! This is the third in our series of blogs about when Lexi was the theater dog. In this one, rehearsal has just begun for her new role as the star of the show…
Being Toto isn’t easy
PUBLISHED ON
Man, easy street is over for LexiToto (me). I have to go to rehearsals and get dragged out to Dorothy where she always picks me up. I’m not liken that at all. I have to memorize my lines – mostly woof! It’s getting the knack of when to say “woof” especially after a life-time of being told to stop barking.
But then everything changed. Dorothy came to my house! and she played ball with me! and she played platy (platypus) hand puppet with me! and she took me for a walk! and she gave me new treats! She even understands dog-speak!! And she sang to me too! I heard her tell Mom she’s not going to pick me up any more because I don’t like it. Ya know, maybe she’s ok after all. Then we went to the meat market and the butcher came out to see me and brought me a big bone. It is so big I can hardly lift it, and boy oh boy is it good!
Mom got me this super yummy treat that is soft and tastes like peanut butter. She keeps making me roll over on my side before she will give me any. I don’t like that. It doesn’t feel right. She said something about poppies and looking like I am asleep. Right now, I am hoping she gives up on this “over” thing. What are poppies?
We’re very thankful to Fivesibes for hosting Flashback Friday! This is the second in our series of blogs about when Lexi was the theater dog. In this one, she’s still preparing for her new role as the star of the show…
I might be Toto
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON
Oh boy, I aced my audition to be Toto in the local production of the Wizard of Oz. I am not quite sure what that means, but Mom said that a lot of people will love me. I like that, so I am going to work real hard with Mom before we go so I can be the best Toto ever. (What’s a Toto?) Now I know all my commands with just hand signals. I can sit and down and here and stay and heel and twirl. Mom has started telling me to bark, which is really confusing since she is always telling me to NOT bark. I wish she would make up her mind.
I went to Grandma’s this morning before Mom went to work, but the screen door was locked so Mom took me back home and I had to stay by myself all day. I didn’t even get my toast with jam from my Grandma. I made up for it by tearing something up and pooping upstairs. So there! It really seemed like a good idea at the time. But, when Mom came home, I felt bad because I knew I shouldn’t have done those things and I was afraid she would yell at me and call me a “bad dog.” I hate that. She didn’t yell or anything. She just picked it all up and then worked with me to get ready for this Toto thing. I got lots of treats, too. Hmmm. I think I like this Toto thing better all the time.
I will let you know when I find out what Toto is. Woof! Woof!
Xena: Mommy just groomed me, so I’ll start with a picture of me for selfie Sunday.
Now that you have seen how pretty I look, we can move on to Aoife. Aoife is a soft-coated wheaten terrier, and the largest dog Mommy would groom, so as to keep her trips to the chiro to a minimum. We always liked it when Aoife was done with her groom and ran upstairs to say hi to us. A while back she moved with her pawrents to a place far away called Denver. Her Mom sent us a picture this week:
Aoife is absolutely loving the snow! Maybe she could teach us how to play in snow!!
I gotta go now. Mommy’s going downstairs to groom another dog, and then we are going to Freestyle practice. Chia’s going too, which I don’t mind since I get a whole ton more floor time than she does!
We’re thankful to Fivesibes for hosting Flashback Friday! For the next few Fridays we are going to feature the original author and creator of this blog, our angel sister, Lexi the Schnauzer and her time in the theater. Today we will start with the beginning…
My audition
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON
I had my audition today to be Toto in the Wizard of Oz. It was no big deal. No, really. I am not just being modest. Come on, think about it— me, modest? Mom just asked me to do some stuff I do for her all the time anyhow, like sit, down, stay, heel, twirl. The guy that was watching me do all this asked Mom if I would walk with him, so she gave the yummy bologna to him and he asked me to heel. He was real impressed, but what did he think, that I was going to let him walk away with my bologna? No way! Anyhow, I have to go back on Wednesday to play with the rest of the cast. He said something about they would all want to feed me cookies. I don’t care if I have to sit or lay down for cookies. I sit and lay around a lot anyhow, so again, no big deal. Cookies and bologna…I knew this Toto thing was going to be good.
Oh, and better yet, this guy wants Mom to let my hair grow out. You know what that means don’t you? No grooming!!!! It only keeps getting better and better. Now, if only I don’t have to take baths, either…
“I’m off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.” What’s Oz?
Xena: Guess what! I get to do Flashback Friday again. This one is from August of 2018 when I was barely two years old. Keep reading….
Lucy: Xena, you are the only dog I know that can get grounded at the dog park. It was our third day in a row going there. You just don’t know when to shut your mouth. You were inciting riots with all your barking. And Mom said she was getting a headache. Xena: Please stop lecturing me. I paid the price. I had to sit with boring Mommy while you played with the other dogs. I wanted to run and play too. (and bark more)
Xena the Benched Schnauzer Warrior Princess
We are joining Angel Arty, Jakey, Rosy and Sunny of the LLB Gang with much thanks for hosting Nature Friday. We’re also thankful to Fivesibes for hosting Flashback Friday!
Me and Mommy go dancing a lot on Sunday afternoons. Our session for this past Sunday got cancelled, so I asked Mommy to help me show you what we did last week. For anyone who doesn’t know what we do, it’s called Canine Freestyle. Mommy always says, “It’s the only dog sport where the dog and the person are equal partners.” Yep, I get to show Mommy my new ideas when we are working up a dance routine to my our music. Oh, oh, and the music has to match my BPM, which is totally different than BM or BP. My Beats Per Minute run from 140ish to almost 150. I am one of those rare canines who really listens to the music and move to match it!
Our teacher asked us to create three phases using one straight line and one curved line in each.
The first one we did was supposed to show athleticism.
Our teacher liked what we did. And it was quick and easy. You may say, “But you are training for an advanced Level 4, so why are you doing this?” It’s cause we have a new student with her Mom and we are helping them understand stuff!
Next we did something that was supposed to show training. The very first part was just the setup. Of course I had to train Mommy to bend her leg right for me to go under. Then I pretended to not know how I was supposed to stand at the end, so we could say , see, this is how to train a pup to face you! It was supposed to be about training, after all.
Our teacher called us a minimalist, but said it was good.
The last exercise is supposed to show grace. I wanted to show how graceful I could be while sitting and laying down. Then I gave in and did what Mommy wanted, but with my own twist on it.
Do you think I showed grace?
I’m glad we had that fun. Now it’s time to get started for real on my Level 4 performance! We only have until around Halloween, you know!
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Xena: For Flashback Friday, Mommy said I could re-publish my very first post! But I want to start out saying Happy Birthday to my peeps brother, Andrew! OK, here we go…
The Last Picture of Me at My First Home
Dear Diary,
I, once called The Female with the Yellow Collar, just had my whole world turned upside down. I should have known something was up yesterday when The Woman took me away from all my puppy siblings and friends – and oh, we were having a grand ol’ time in our playpen – and put a pretty colored thingy on my body. She let me run around the house some, dragging a long thing attached to what I learned was called a hardness (probably because it is hard to get out of), then kept me in a wire kennel away from my buddies.
Come around supper time, a New Woman came to our door and The Woman let me go outside to meet her. I liked her right away, so I wanted to show her what I could do. I ran as fast as I could in big circles around the yard, stopping to sniff the grass and the bushes and anything else that caught my interest. Sometimes I would rip leaves off a bush, just to show it who was boss, or grab some grass and tear it out of the ground, slinging it over my shoulder. Pretty soon I forgot about the New Woman and just ran and played for the sheer joy of it. I bounced up and down and inside of me I was laughing.
My Boring Brother
I was brought in the house and put in the wire kennel while one of my brothers went outside with The Woman and The New Woman.
He’s so boring, he just did his potty, sniffed around, and wanted The New Woman to hold him. I don’t know why he got a cookie for just doing that.
The next thing I knew, the Womans were talking and signing papers and giving each other stuff and I got put into a kennel in the back seat of the New Woman’s car. It was a little scary, ’cause I had never been in a car before this. We drove for about 87 hours – the New Woman said it was only 3 hours, but I am not sure about that – and I slept most of the way. Except, of course for when my tummy got sick and then I had to pee pee.
The New Man held me.When I first met Lucy
When we got to the New Woman’s house, a Man took the kennel out of the car and told The New Woman that I had gone pee pee all over the pillow and there was throw up there, too. He left the room while The New Woman gave me a bath. I was shivering, mostly from fear, but I was a little cold too, so The New Woman wrapped me up in a soft towel and took me upstairs to The Man. He held me and called me Littlest One and made me feel safe. I was getting sleepy – after all, the sun had gone away a zillion hours ago – when I got another surprise. A gigantic dog suddenly appeared and sniffed me! She told me her name is Lucy and asked me my name and why I was here in her Dad’s lap. I said, “My name is either The Female with the Yellow Collar or Littlest One.” I didn’t really know, but thought I should answer her. I told her, “I’m here because The New Woman brought me here. And don’t ask me anything else, ’cause I’m just as confused as you.” When The Man put me down for Lucy to see me better, Lucy ran and hid in The Man’s office. That’s where I heard The New Woman say she was, anyhow. Then I listened to The Man and The New Woman talk about where I was to sleep. The New Woman wanted me to sleep in the bed with them. The New Man said he had heard too many horror stories about what could happen. So The New Man won and I was put in the cleaned kennel where I could see The New Woman. I had a special blue and yellow blanket that used to belong to someone named Angel Lexi, and a big soft toy to cuddle with. Lucy was still all scared, so The Man and The New Woman let her sleep with them. I guess she is too big for the horror things to happen to her. I fell off to sleep wondering what new surprises would happen tomorrow.
I guess that’s it for now, Dear Diary. I think I will have lots more to write about very soon. Note to self: ask The New Woman if Littlest One is my new name. ~Me
That’s when you started writing your short story that turned into a series! So, what do you want to do this year? Xena: I want to get away from Chia for the day. Lucy: Amen to that, sister. Do you have anything in mind. Xena: I found a new Dr. Seuss saying, “You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.” I searched the internet and discovered a place that will take us up in a plane and we can jump out! We would really be soaring to great heights then! Just don’t tell Chia. Lucy: You’ve gotta be crazy, little sis. Xena: Well, think about it and sleep on it and we’ll woof about it tomorrow.
Later… Both: Woo hoo! Aroooo!! Xena: We did it, we’re soaring from great heights! We’re flying over the Chattanooga Aquarium! Have you ever been there? It’s like an all you can eat buffet!
Lucy: We actually jumped out of a plane. Do you have a parachute? Xena: Uh, no. Do you? Both: Aeiiiiiiiiiii!
The next day… Lucy: I had this crazy dream… Xena: So did I… Lucy: Let’s just stay home and play with Chia today.
Tons of thanks to Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Dr. Seuss Day this year!
Riley: I’m a Bengal Tiger. I’m gonna smash those goats.
Later…
Lucy: I can’t see the game with this helmet on. Riley: That’s why I took mine off. And it makes it easier to eat the Super Bowl snacks. *chomp, chomp* Lucy: It was a lot of fun chewing off the sleeves, and these shirts are a lot more comfy now, too. Wait…. you said snacks?
*chomp, chomp* Super Bowl Sunday is the best!
Xena: Chia! Grab a piece for me!
Chia: *chomp, chomp* Sorry Xe, every dog for herself.
Many thanks to The Cat on My Head for hosting Sunday Selfies! (And may the best team win!)
With love, wags, woofs and snacks, Riley, Lucy, Xena and Chia
Today I’ve invited back a couple of our long-timers, Maggie the schnauzer and Dora the shih tsu, sporting their new winter cuts. We’ve had so many positive comments on what a great idea the concept of winter grooms is that I’m going to ride that wave. Uh, I mean, show you two more. *clears throat* Both usually get a full shave down–with the exception of Dora’s ears and tail–every four weeks. Sometimes their mom asks for just a mini-groom, but she never lets them get very long. This time, it’s been over two months, two grooms in a row, that they got the winter cut. Here’s Maggie, sporting the adorable fuzzy schnauzer look.
Maggie tucks her back legs under her because she has problems with them. Sometimes she starts to roll over backwards, so Groomer Mom positions her against the wall to help her stay steady in her sit position. Maggie will be 14 this year and has been our much-loved client since May of 2013 when she was five.
Maggie’s sister, Dora, was four when she started coming here the same time as Maggie, meaning she’ll be turning 13 this year. She doesn’t seem to be quite sure what to make of that bow.
Until this groom, she’s never left here with her hair long enough to sport a pretty bow. We sorta hope it stays in and her Mom wants to keep that part of her hair long. Guess we’ll know in a month…
Next featured is 14-year-old Sunshine. Sunshine is a long haired cairn terrier/beagle mix. She’s got a great temperament and lots and lots of long hair. Her mom wants to keep her body and leg hair long. A large pile of undercoat comes out during a thorough brushing each groom even though her mom does a good job keeping her brushed. This is what she looked like a year ago post groom:
This time, she came to Groomer Mom with that long coat very matted. Her mom had been sick and unable to brush her. Groomer Mom is thankful that she has some magic lotion and a magic comb that loosens most mats and allows them to be removed. Also, her mom wanted her face shaved. This is how she now looks.
This Ace Reporter was reassured by Groomer Mom that yes, this really is the same dog!
I leave you with this quote from Groomer Mom, “Puppies are adorable and fun, but seniors who are used to being groomed are one *bleep* of a lot easier to groom.”
Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with wags and licks and many thanks to Comedy Plus for the great job they do hosting Awww Mondays.
Xena: Hey there, friends. We hope you like our new look. The truth is, Mommy was playing around and accidentally saved a new theme. When she tried to go back to the theme we’ve been using since any of us start blogging, it said that theme had been discontinued. We couldn’t get it back. But she didn’t like the new theme, so she had to find something else in a hurry. She found this new one, which may stay, or you may be seeing a different one from time to time, BOL!
Lucy: Mom’s also been playing with our pictures like some of y’all do. Well, you don’t play with our pictures, you play with your own.. ugh, you know what I mean. Anyhoo, here’s a couple she’s done.
Chia: I’m in four of them! Wait, why does Xena get five pictures and I only get four?
Xena: Let’s have a contest to settle this! Everyone comment on your favorite picture, and the dog who gets the most comments gets to take everyone who voted for me to…
Lucy: Stop! That’s crazy, Xe! No contests, no voting, no you taking anyone anywhere. Just. Stop.
Chia: *running around the house* I wanna win! I wanna win! I wanna win! (etc.)
We hope you liked our lots and lots of selfies today! XOXOXO Chia, Xena, Lucy and Riley
Lucy: Hi, and Happy New Year, friends! *wiggles* When last we met, Mom was going to take me to the Smart Pet store for a new sweater. That was great! So many people pet me while I was there! I got a really pretty sweater too, and it even fits me like it was made for me (but not made by Mom, BOL!). Then I found out I had to pose for a picture. I really don’t like getting my picture made.
Chia: C’mon Lucy, you can do this! I just got lots of pictures taken and it doesn’t hurt a bit. Give Mom a good picture and it’ll all be over and you can go back to doing nothing.
Lucy: *gulp* OK, I’ll try. But it’s hard to look happy like Xena does in her pictures when I’m doin’ something I don’t wanna do.
Lucy: There. I hope everyone can see my pretty new sweater. I’m done.
Mom: No you’re not, sweet girl. Chia photo bombed you.
Chia: I was just giving moral support.
Lucy: Are we done yet?
Chia: Yep, it’s my turn. First, you probably noticed I’m wearing my big girl panties. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to wear them.
I managed to get them off during the night and now there’s blood on the bedsheets and Dad’s underwear. I was laying up against him. Hmmm. I didn’t know that would happen. Xena! Are you back there photo bombing my picture? So, what I really wanted to tell you is, I got another present, too. Mom decided I needed a new collar after she put my pretty pink collar on me and I made choking sounds, sorta like, “ghagrk.” I’m a big 1 1/2 years old now and I outgrew it. Off we went to the Smart Pet store!
Can you see it? Instead of a bow it has a pretty sunflower on it. And it’s not pink, yay! No, you can’t see it? Well, that’s ok, there’ll be plenty more pictures of me wearing it other days.
Xena: My turn! I got new stairs to be able to get on the bed without hopping up and down asking Mommy to pick me up. Riley’s bed is always on the side where the rug is, and the floor on Mommy’s side is too slippery for me to try to jump up. I wasn’t too sure about these stairs at first. But when treats suddenly appeared on them, I made it the whole way up to the top.
Now the trick is to get back down. Riley’s sleeping on his bed, so I can’t jump down that way. OK, I’m gonna try this…
OK, I think I can do this. One step at a time.
I’m doing it, Mommy!
Chia: Did you see me run up and down and back up the stairs, Mom? I’m so fast, just like the Flash! You probably missed it. That’s OK, I’ll do it again!
Xena: We all agreed that first I’d tell you what Daddy got last Wednesday, early for Christmas. Sick. After two days of laying in bed with a fever, exhaustion and achy legs, a friend brought over a C-19 test. Yep. He’s got it. Each day he’s feeling a little better. He said he is glad he had his vaccines or it would have been way, way worse. Mommy’s OK, which is a good thing, cause who would take care of us if she was sick too!? If you want to pray for him or send healing thoughts his way, we are all sure it would help.
Next, here are our “selfies.” They are all painted on small round discs of wood. That’s Angel Lexi at the top. We don’t understand why my eyes are painted so big. Mommy finally said it’s because of my wide-eyed innocence. Mommy loves her present and is hanging them “up high” so they last many, many years.
Now, for the fun stuff — mostly. I didn’t get any presents to unwrap. Mommy said I have more stuffies than I need and I got the warm jammies she made for Chia – the ones that didn’t fit Chia. So instead, she made me cookies! Woo hoo! They have pumpkin and almond butter and coconut oil in them. Mmmm.
Lucy: I didn’t get anything to unwrap either. I don’t play with toys. I wouldn’t have minded a nice sweater since I gave mine to Riley for Christmas last year. But Mom made me cookies! They have cranberries and applesauce in them and they’re soft and yummy! Mom said she would take me to the Smart Pet Place today to get a new sweater, too!
Chia: Man, I hit the motherload! If Christmases are always like this, I think I’ll stick around! It’s my first Christmas here (I’m just 1 1/2 years old) and I needed everything. I knew right away what to do when I saw those gift bags! Look what I pulled outa the first one:
Isn’t it great!? It’s got a long body, just like me! I walked around showing it to everyone, which ended up being a bit of a mistake. More on that in a bit.
Do you remember me telling you that Mom took me to the Smart Pet place after her epic fail in making me jammies? She made me try on at least 87 different sweaters and hoodies and coats. I thought she got me one of them. Confirmation!
This is the first one she tried on me, and both of our favorites. Don’t I look pretty wearing it?
Riley: I was polite and waited for Mom Amy to offer me one of the gift bags. I stuck my nose in and pulled out a brand new tug toy! Woo hoo!
Then I pulled out the tissue paper — it was in the bag, so that was mine too, right? I love my new tug toy. I offered to share it with Rainy my reindeer, but he said thanks, he would just watch me play.
Then Mom Amy offered me another present, and I pulled out a long red stuffie. It was just like Chia’s but a different color.
In case you’re wondering, those little bottles back by the tree aren’t mine. Dad Jeff gave Mom Amy her two favorite liquors for Christmas. Anyhow, I was about to deadie the red stuffie when it occured to me that I could deadie the green one that is Chia’s and still have mine to keep or to deadie later. Sometimes I’m brilliant!
Chia: I had to go get a drink or bark at something, and when I did, Riley got ahold of Greenie. Before I could stop him, he had chewed off a lot of its head and removed a squeaker.
I ran quick and told Mom. She got it back for me and put Riley’s red one up so he couldn’t deadie it…at least not right away. Me and Riley spent a lot of time Christmas afternoon growling at each other. I growled at him to keep away from Greenie while I hid under a chair with it. He growled back at me saying to stop growling at him and just give it over. Everyone left us alone to growl at each other. Except Lucy. When it sounded like it was gonna come to blows – or bites – Lucy got between us and looked at us both. She has this thing, I don’t know what you’d call it. But when she’d do that, we both would stop growling and ignore each other – for a while, anyhow.
Xena: I thought you were the next one to get deadied, Chia.
Chia: I run fast and can fit under furniture, so I wasn’t too worried. Later that afternoon while Dad was taking a C-19 nap, Riley stopped growling and started barking at me. So I stopped growling and started squeaking at him! That’s right! There was more than one squeaker in Greenie. Anyhoo, it went something like this: Woof! Squeak! Woof! Squeak! Woof! Squeak! and so on. Then Dad got up and we stopped.
Riley: I got my punishment then. Dad Jeff took me downstairs and put “the stinky dog” as he called me, in the tub. Mom Amy appeared with shampoo, conditioner, Neem oil and towels and bathed me and conditioned my hair and moisterized my skin. In the middle of all this, Mom Amy heard the water running upstairs and realized Dad Jeff was getting in the jetted tub to try to feel better.
Next thing we knew, the water in my tub started cooling off. A lot. To warm me up, I got wrapped up in a blanket after getting towel-dried. I don’t want to admit I feel better, not as itchy. But I do. And my furs are really soft and shiny now.
Chia: It’ my turn again! Guess what! That’s not all I got!! Lucy and Xena both have treat puzzles, and now I do too! I caught on right away. Instead of moving the center pieces one by one – the slow way – I put my nose at the beginning and moved them all together, stopping whenever I came to a treat. It was too easy, really, for a smart pup like me! I hope I get a harder one soon, with lots more places for treats, like Xena’s.
Speaking of Xena’s, Mom got it and Lucy’s puzzle out too and filled them with treats. But, when she put them on the floor, Riley ran in and started working Xena’s! He’s never ever shown interest in a treat puzzle before that. Xena’s Mom’s “baby,” (grrr) but she’s definitely not stupid. She didn’t challenge him for her puzzle.
It only took him a moment to figure out to remove the white pieces in the middle of each row and open the red pieces and move them back and forth. Dad said, “He’s a smart boy and has always had a talent for mechanical things.”
Xena: I went over to Lucy and told her to look at what Riley was doing. Lucy’s puzzle is pretty small – it was my first puzzle. She got it when I got my new one that Riley was now using without my permission. But she’s a sweet sister and offered to let me work her (my old) puzzle with her, so we shared.
Bowsers! It’s become a free-for-all around this house!
Lucy: We gotta sign off now. Mom’s getting ready to take me shopping *wags!*.
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..
Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess with Lucy and Chia 