This shot was taken at the same time as the others, but since the weather hasn't really changed, I thought I would share it as well.
Louise is still growling at unknown snowmen and generally likes playing in the snow. Lately she has decided that chasing cars is fun too, so we are taking steps to curb that sort of behaviour. Sorry for the obvious pun.
This shot was taken during one of her 'pause before action' moments. She often comes to a complete standstill, only to take off after her latest source of amusement. I think she was listening to another dog bark at the time.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Winter Pug
It snowed last night, and Louise was pretty excited to get out and play in it. As soon as she was outside, she ran for the snow, bounding over and into it like a little kid.
Of course, the kids in our building had already been out, and they made a snowman. That startled Louise a little - she had to growl at it and approach slowly, until she discovered the grapes in the snow that they used for the 'eyes'. Since the snowman smelled like food, he was okay.
One of the things that I noticed was that not everybody shovels the snow off the sidewalk in front of their house. We would walk along and note that some would take extra care to completely clean off the sidewalk, while others would barely uncover a path.
Then there were those who would shovel the driveway, but not the sidewalk, even though the neighbors on both sides had already cleaned off theirs. Of course, Louise didn't mind. She would tromp through watever snow was in her path, although she still tries to avoid puddles.
For the sweater fans out there, (you know who you are) you will note that she was wearing one of the first sweaters we got for Louise. It wasn't really that cold out, but we put it on her mostly because it's easier to clean her up after the walk is done. Simply remove sweater and wipe down paws. Doggie bath is optional.
Of course, the kids in our building had already been out, and they made a snowman. That startled Louise a little - she had to growl at it and approach slowly, until she discovered the grapes in the snow that they used for the 'eyes'. Since the snowman smelled like food, he was okay.
One of the things that I noticed was that not everybody shovels the snow off the sidewalk in front of their house. We would walk along and note that some would take extra care to completely clean off the sidewalk, while others would barely uncover a path.
Then there were those who would shovel the driveway, but not the sidewalk, even though the neighbors on both sides had already cleaned off theirs. Of course, Louise didn't mind. She would tromp through watever snow was in her path, although she still tries to avoid puddles.
For the sweater fans out there, (you know who you are) you will note that she was wearing one of the first sweaters we got for Louise. It wasn't really that cold out, but we put it on her mostly because it's easier to clean her up after the walk is done. Simply remove sweater and wipe down paws. Doggie bath is optional.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Louise meets a neighbor
This house is right next to the dog park, and usually we have to walk briskly past it, as their two dogs come out and make a big ruckus. But on this day, only one of the dogs was in the yard, and he is the more friendly of the two. I let Louise approach the dog, they sniffed for a while, and then decided to run along the fence and back a few times. I'm guessing this is a dog thing - I don't get it at all. But they seemed happy enough, and Louise got to run around a little more than usual.
Fashion notes: Louise wanted me to say she felt the other dog's jacket was very stylish and had a good fit. As a dog who struggles to find clothing that fits well, Louise takes note of such things.
Fashion notes: Louise wanted me to say she felt the other dog's jacket was very stylish and had a good fit. As a dog who struggles to find clothing that fits well, Louise takes note of such things.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
At least one of us likes the snow
With the cold weather comes more doggie clothes. Generally speaking, Louise is not a fan of extra layers, and will stop to shake her fur several times during our walks. The same applies to her harness.
Still, I think even she appreciates the extra layers when it gets cold. And little dogs get cold when they play in the snow.
When it gets really cold we have some booties for Louise. We haven't been able to keep them on reliably though, and she clearly doesn't like them too much. Usually they will flop off after about 10 steps, which isn't particularly useful. Hopefully we will figure out a better solution for her before the temperature dips down far enough for us to need the boots.
Still, I think even she appreciates the extra layers when it gets cold. And little dogs get cold when they play in the snow.
When it gets really cold we have some booties for Louise. We haven't been able to keep them on reliably though, and she clearly doesn't like them too much. Usually they will flop off after about 10 steps, which isn't particularly useful. Hopefully we will figure out a better solution for her before the temperature dips down far enough for us to need the boots.
Monday, November 14, 2005
At the Dogpark on Remembrance Day
Usually I get to walk Louise at night, since I am at work during the day. So when I get a day off, one of the things I like to do is take her for a walk in the afternoon sunshine.
On Friday we went to the dogpark, and I let Louise play a little longer, since it was warm in the sunshine. I didn't take many pictures because I was trying the video mode on our camera. I have about half a dozen crappy video clips now, mostly of Louise trotting along the path.
When taking video on my camera, the resolution is low, the contrast is too high and overall picture quality looks like I should be filming something like Sasquatch or Ogopogo.
The other problem was that as far as walking the dog goes, this was one of the more uneventful outings. But I shouldn't complain - it was an enjoyable afternoon, and Louise had fun exploring her turf.
On Friday we went to the dogpark, and I let Louise play a little longer, since it was warm in the sunshine. I didn't take many pictures because I was trying the video mode on our camera. I have about half a dozen crappy video clips now, mostly of Louise trotting along the path.
When taking video on my camera, the resolution is low, the contrast is too high and overall picture quality looks like I should be filming something like Sasquatch or Ogopogo.
The other problem was that as far as walking the dog goes, this was one of the more uneventful outings. But I shouldn't complain - it was an enjoyable afternoon, and Louise had fun exploring her turf.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Waiting in the parking lot
Louise and I were waiting in the parking lot while 'Mommy' ran in to the grocery store to get a few vegetables. This is where I spend a lot of time with Louise - in the car. She knows the golden rule: don't get on my lap while I'm driving, but sometimes gets excited and forgets. Still, one of the rules Louise has is that if we are parked, she is getting on my lap... and I better roll down the window too.
Once on my lap, Louise likes to scan the parking lot for, you know, stray dogs and stuff. Or cats. Or friendly people. She's not real particular, so long as she either has someone pay attention to her, or she gets to bark her head off. (usually at other dogs or cats, but in today's case, just for the fun of it.)
I couldn't decide which photo to post, so here are both.
As a bit of an update, we also dropped by the vet today to get more occular cream. It seems to be working, I guess. Louise still gets 'eye boogers' but she seems to have less irritation in her eyes. (At least, when I'm poking around her eyes with a tissue, they don't seem so red and swollen as they used to be.) We still have to get after her for rubbing her eyes but not nearly as often now. Hopefully it's doing some good.
Once on my lap, Louise likes to scan the parking lot for, you know, stray dogs and stuff. Or cats. Or friendly people. She's not real particular, so long as she either has someone pay attention to her, or she gets to bark her head off. (usually at other dogs or cats, but in today's case, just for the fun of it.)
I couldn't decide which photo to post, so here are both.
As a bit of an update, we also dropped by the vet today to get more occular cream. It seems to be working, I guess. Louise still gets 'eye boogers' but she seems to have less irritation in her eyes. (At least, when I'm poking around her eyes with a tissue, they don't seem so red and swollen as they used to be.) We still have to get after her for rubbing her eyes but not nearly as often now. Hopefully it's doing some good.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Gang of dogs
Fall is here whether I like it or not. Yesterday we had the first frost and a lot of the leaves have already fallen to the ground. I was missing the summer weather, and was reviewing some of the pictures we took of Louise during that time when I discovered this one.
This was taken on the day we took Louise to Kal Lake to see if she could swim. There were about half a dozen dogs at the dog beach that day, and this is one picture I got of the group of them. Dogs on a beach generally don't fight, they are too busy running in and out of the water, and generally playing to care about marking territory and stuff like that.
I like this picture because it gives a good sense of how small Louise is when compared to other dogs. She tends to think of herself as much bigger than she is, and here you can see how she feels like this is the group she belongs to. There was another dog roughly her size at the beach that day, but he wasn't interested in the rough play of the bigger dogs and kept trying to wander off to be alone. When she was with him, Louise tended to herd him back into the group.
This was taken on the day we took Louise to Kal Lake to see if she could swim. There were about half a dozen dogs at the dog beach that day, and this is one picture I got of the group of them. Dogs on a beach generally don't fight, they are too busy running in and out of the water, and generally playing to care about marking territory and stuff like that.
I like this picture because it gives a good sense of how small Louise is when compared to other dogs. She tends to think of herself as much bigger than she is, and here you can see how she feels like this is the group she belongs to. There was another dog roughly her size at the beach that day, but he wasn't interested in the rough play of the bigger dogs and kept trying to wander off to be alone. When she was with him, Louise tended to herd him back into the group.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Louise gets a new bed
Louise used to sleep on our bed, which was okay, except for the fact that she would take up the middle third of the bed. Another problem was that our bed is too high for her to jump up on by herself, so she would need us to assist her up. Of course, she had no hesitations on jumping down, even though it was against doctor's orders.
So we got a little bed for her. Once I got the blanket stuffed into the wicker, she was curious enough to hop in and test it for comfort. Ten minutes later she was roaming the house, bringing toys and bones to the bed, making it her own.
Louise got used to the bed for the better part of an afternoon, so that when it came time to settle down, she already liked it and didn't put up too much fuss about not sleeping with us. Of course, we move her bed close to ours at night, so she doesn't feel isolated, and we have also kicked the cats off the bed. (Yeah, you are starting to get a sense of why we are here, aren't you? The bed was CROWDED.)
Setting up the bed when we did proved to have an additional use, which we discovered when company arrived for Thanksgiving dinner. One of our guests was moderately allergic to dogs, so before they arrived, we were busy cleaning the pet hair, etc. off the couches and rugs. By moving her bed into the living room, we were able to keep Louise off the couches (for the most part) and our guest was able to enjoy the entire evening without suffering any breathing problems.
So we got a little bed for her. Once I got the blanket stuffed into the wicker, she was curious enough to hop in and test it for comfort. Ten minutes later she was roaming the house, bringing toys and bones to the bed, making it her own.
Louise got used to the bed for the better part of an afternoon, so that when it came time to settle down, she already liked it and didn't put up too much fuss about not sleeping with us. Of course, we move her bed close to ours at night, so she doesn't feel isolated, and we have also kicked the cats off the bed. (Yeah, you are starting to get a sense of why we are here, aren't you? The bed was CROWDED.)
Setting up the bed when we did proved to have an additional use, which we discovered when company arrived for Thanksgiving dinner. One of our guests was moderately allergic to dogs, so before they arrived, we were busy cleaning the pet hair, etc. off the couches and rugs. By moving her bed into the living room, we were able to keep Louise off the couches (for the most part) and our guest was able to enjoy the entire evening without suffering any breathing problems.
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