Dog weights

The first, most impressive time (with O'Ryan), the scale must not have been correct. This week Odie weighed 118.3 and Stampy weighed 121.7.

More dog park photos by mom

Mom's Photos of Stampy at the Dog Park

Christmas continued

Kappa loves dad. Everyone is having a good time.

Very merry Christmas

Here are some of the photo highlights:

Unusual activities in the house

The cats have been playing a seires of increasingly unusual games. A few days ago, Poppy was sitting on the edge of the table, Stampy walked up to her, and Poppy started chewing on his eyebrow. Not licking, chewing.
The box that Judith sent us continues to be a source of many games.
Poppy has also started chasing her tail, and being that she's a cat, catching it and then proceeding to kill it. It gets all fuzzy on the end.
She has also continued the "leap onto the leg" game, which early in the morning and late at night can provide quite the adrenalin rush.

Games Stampy might play

Dave has been thinking of funny games that Stampy might be involved in. Here's two.


chirade questions (Stampy always has to be the actor) Stampy hungry, Stampy lonely, Stampy wants to play, Stampy wants to go for walk, Stampy not know what Stampy wants, repeat...


Stampoply would go something like this:
You just got away with sleeping on the bed: Bad Dog! Collect 10 Stampions
You got caught sleeping on the bed: Bad Dog! Pay 10 Stampions
You played nicely with Piani: Good Dog! Collect 10 Stampions
Go to Dog Park: collect 10 Stampions
You got chased by a chijuajua: Pay 20 Stampions

Last night we added:
You can't get comfortable on your dog bed: Pay 10 Stampions

More photos

And ages:

Mercury - 13 (14 in January)

Odin - 8 (9 next June)

Willig - 6 (7 next April)

Kappa - 4 (5 next year)

Peony - <1

Poppy - <1

It's hard to see, but there's a cat face in the lower left circle, and a cat tail sticking out of the Cosmic Pet Shuttle.

Family Photos

Yesterday Stampy snuck into the bedroom and slept on the bed while I was sitting in front of the fire. He pretended to be in a coma.

The kittens are loving playing the "Cosmic Pet Shuttle" which I think is hilarious becuase it has a cat head riding in a spacecraft with its tail in a separate bubble - I think it's so hilarious I might take a picture of it. It's a little weird, since it is what took them to be spayed.

Worms B' Gone!

Today all three cats got wormed, with Dave's assistance. They all hated it, but only Kappa scratched me. That wormer must taste terrible.
The kittens are back to full-on playing. The vet said give them 7 days of rest, but there is no way they could rest. Kappa really missed them when they were out for the big (internal) snip. They really like to chew on things, carry things in their mouths, and tear stuff up - just like dogs.
Stampy is getting full of himself. Dave thinks it's because he's getting so much attention and is so much bigger than the other dogs at the dog park. The other day, I saw him sitting on the spare bed in the bedroom. Then tonight, when I was vacuuming, he faked being scared of the vacuum, jumped on my bed, and then nestled his head down and went to sleep, while I kept vacumming. I let him stay up there because it was so clever.

Stampy and friends - Peony and Poppy

They are getting spayed on Tuesday. Whew.

Dog park continued - funny pictures

Stampy at the dog park

Bruiser is Stampy's new name

As well as Stampedeous. Odin is going by Odiferous.

We finally went to the unofficial dog park in Lacey today. The boys loved it, and I am so glad we found it because we'll be regulars. But Stampy got excited and ran into me and knocked me down. I think my leg is going to bruise. For a few seconds, he stood in the field and looked majestic. Then he started moving again and looked like himself.

Kappa is funny

He seems to be adapating pretty well to life in the house.

He has this funny way of sitting - this morning was the second time I've seen him do it.

Return of Kappa

I noticed I hadn't seen Kappa the past week or so, but didn't think much of it since he's a pretty solitary guy. But today I had a call from animal services. He actually showed up there on the 24th (almost two weeks ago), and they missed his microchip when they scanned him. Today he was about to be adopted out to a new home, and they found the microchip.
I went in and picked him up, and moved him into the old dog room. He can walk around the house, but the gate blocks the dogs out (theoretically). I hope he doesn't spray all over the house. I put the cat aromatherapy stuff in there. The kittens are pretty interested in him, but he is just interested in looking outside. He seems to pretty much hate dogs.
With good reason - today we went to the barn (to give Kappa some space, to get Stampy some exercise on non-paved ground, to visit Mercury who is neglected yet another week), and Stampy rolled in something disgusting, and now he reeks and I don't have time to bathe him until the weekend. Dogs are so gross.

Stampy

I accidentally cut one of his toenails too short today, thus sparing him and Odin the agony of a bath. I felt horrible and it bled a lot, so here he is before, blissfully unaware of the horror about to befall him, and after, with a "sock" I made for him so he wouldn't bleed all over the house. (He bled all over me and two papertowels and himself and his ugly chair.)

He has forgiven me though, and is sitting either loyally or clingily (depending your point of view) by my side once again.

Peony and Poppy are curious

It is easy to misspell Poppy as Poopy.

I don't know how to make the pictures turn right way up.

Odin and Friends

Stampy with his favorite bear

Mumbles is no longer the favorite. Instead, this brown bear is. These were the best two pictures of Stampy playing with brown bear last night.

Two more photos of the same

Peony, Poppy, Stampy, and Roses

Hiking with Mom & Dad

In Dark Meadow.

Odin got all obsessed with Mom's walking stick, and he wouldn't stop grabbing it, and she had to get a new one. It was hilarious.

A disappointing weigh-in

While Mom and Dad were visiting last weekend, Mom came with me to PetSmart to weigh the boys on the scale, because she thinks Stampy is bigger than when she was here last April. We think their scale was off by maybe 10 pounds, because Odin weighed in at 115 and Stampy weighed in at 120. It's interesting though, that Stampy only weighs 5 pounds more than Odin, because he is lots taller. I'm guessing he is about 150 when he finishes growing.

Dad's story about a kitten

One of the kittens was lying on its stomach, sprawled out on a throwrug. Suddenly, the cat attacked the rug! Grabbed the rug on its edge and bit, and kicked with the hind legs. Somehow the kicking drew the cat under the rug, whereupon all kicking stopped. The rug became a featureless rug again, with the exception of a lump under it. The lump wiggled and moved, and the rug slid across the floor. Moving about somewhat aimlessly, and occasionally the tip of a cat tail would appear from under the rug.

09/08/07 - Jump Lesson

We had an outside jump lesson today which went really well.
The big thing I have to keep in mind is to **ride** Mercury. I get lazy or nervous or distracted, and I forget to tell him what to do, and then something falls apart.
Other than that, it's pretty easy:
Sit before the fence
Keep my legs down and closed
Hands forward; don't jerk back too soon
Ride defensively (knees closed, lean back, don't throw reins away)
Half halt before the fence
Keep his impulsion going
Trot after the fence
I think that's pretty much jumping 101.

More jump lesson photos

Jump Lesson Photos