harveyandluna

My mom saw this on Facebook ...

2012-01-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

... and I'm not sure what her point was in posting it.

Maybe I'll bother to get off the couch long enough to go find out ... and maybe not!

LIVE FROM PASADENA: It's Luna & Juno's Annual pre-Rose Parade Parade Down Colorado Boulevard

2012-01-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

Another New Year means another trip down Colorado Boulevard for our annual pre-Rose Parade look at the sights, sounds and craziness that makes up the Pasadena tradition of people, flowers and floats. This year our moms' friend Andrea came with us. (This is us ... ready and set to GO!)

First stop: the Foothill/210 underpass where the LaCanada Flintridge float is all dressed up and ready to go.

Then down the arroyo to the Rose Bowl parking lot where there are more floats lining up getting ready for the parade. This one is a tribute to Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans (and their dog and horse!)

Here's one of the Pasadena PD People Protecting the Parade. SMILE! You'e gonna be on our blog!

Another pretty one ... and yes, the sky really IS that blue!

Some more crowd control guys. (They were kind of crabby and telling our mom to "move along" ... until we said "can we take your picture?" and then they lightened up a little. (or one of them did ... SMILE!)

This guy is CLEARLY really important. (You can tell by the white suit and cell phone that he's doing Big Deal Parade Business. Party on!)

From the Rose Bowl parking lot we head down Orange Grove to Colorado Boulevard ... here's the booth where they'll be talking about the parade tomorrow morning when our moms watch it on TV.

(Yep ... I'm doing fine. Just because I can't see doesn't mean I can't smell, listen and enjoy being part of the adventure!)

Heading down Colorado Blvd. there are lots of people doing lots of things to while away the waiting time for the parade to start Monday morning. Here are some Scrabble playing ladies:

A book reading girl:

Some people are shopping:

And others are snacking. (Not sure what "Bacon Dogs" are but they sure smelled good!)

Then there were the folks taking the opportunity to get some exercise for them and for their dogs. (And no, the irony of the empty Dodger chair after the year of an empty Dodger Stadium was not lost on us or on our moms! One of the things we know is on the "wish list" for 2012 is a better Dodger Blue Year!)

Here's one of our favorites: This guy with a bike that looks like a horse. Love it!

And these two were knitting away in the 80 degree day.

This one was kind of blurry but we're putting it up anyway ... Good Dog! Good Stay!

THESE guys had the right idea ... just back-it-up and spread out!

Not sure where these people are but looks like they're ready. (Hope this still feels like at good idea at 3am!)

Most creative seat-saver award goes to this blow up lady saving seats in front of Pasadena City College.

And then there's this real-live seat-saving girl with her faithful seat-saving dog for company. (Yeah, the look kinda bored, don't they? HEY! Over Here! Happy New Year!!)

And no pre-parade parade down Colorado Boulevard would be complete with the "Make Jesus Look Bad" picketers. These guys kind of make our moms nuts. Seriously ... haven't Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann done enough to embarass Jesus this year? Give it a rest, guys!

And here we are ... on the home stretch now with our new BFF Andrea ... who has been a real trooper about sharing the back seat with our wiggly selves!

So it's a wrap ... another pre-parade parade in the books! And from our house to yours, we just want to say ... HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL ...

... and to all a GOOD NIGHT!

On the 6th Day of Christmas ...

2011-12-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

... our moms FINALLY got around to posting OUR Christmas pictures on our blog!

Okay, Okay ... We know they've both been really busy doing people things like production meetings and parties and church and movies and stuff, but now it's OUR turn.

We had a really great Christmas ... mostly because we got so much attention. Here's our mom Louise explaining to Luna that we're going to take turns opening presents this year and not just rip into them all at once.

You can see how that worked out:

Here's Juno with her favorite present ... the squeaky duck from Barbara & Steve. (Not sure if she's hugging it or guarding it, but she's cute):

And now here we are resting up after our post-Christmas baths. We don't particularly like getting them but we like how we feel afterwards ... and our moms like how we smell. ("It's like the dog version of new car smell" our mom Susan said.)

So half-way through the 12 Days of Christmas here we are to say:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
[And to all a Good Night!]

The Case of the Missing Fish Oil Capsules

2011-11-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT B

The prosecution rests.

We're having a BIRTHDAY at our house!

2011-10-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here I Am .. .Pack Me!

2011-08-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again ... when our moms stop going to work and start going other places that involve suitcases. They call is vacation. We call it depressing.

Luna just has one thing to say about it all:

Just call us "The Girls of Summer"

2011-08-05T10:42:00.001-07:00

We've heard of the "Boys of Summer" -- our Dodger Mom talks about them all the time. Except this year she's calling them the "Boys of Bummer." But we digress.

This is us ... settling in for a sunny, summer morning. Hope your summer is going as well as ours is.

Nap time! Zzzzzzzzzzz ....

Ah, Summer!

2011-07-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

We're not begging ...

2011-04-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

... We're waiting for the Royal Wedding to start!

Welcome, Theo!!!

2011-03-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our moms' friend Elizabeth is celebrating a new dog in her family ... so we're celebrating, too! You can read about "Theo" here ... on Elizabeth's blog ... but here's a picture of him we found on her Facebook page:

Welcome to the world of "PD's," Theo. (And if you don't know what that is, it's the dog version of a "PK" ... Preacher's Kid.)

Dogs on the Bed

2011-02-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Yep ... it's "dogs on the bed" night.

One of our moms is off at one of those church meetings they're always going to and the other one is here watching MORE "breaking news" from Egypt. But we don't really care what's on the TV since we're on the bed. Yep ... it's all good.

Happy New Year from Luna & Juno!

2010-12-31T17:44:00.000-08:00

It started out to be a COLD day in Sunny Pasadena this New Year's Eve 2010 but ... what the heck ... we're SLED DOGS for Pete's Sake!

So we bundled up the moms, jumped in the Toyota and made the annual trip to the "People Zoo" down Colorado Boulevard -- and here's the result: our "dogs' eye view" of New Year's Eve Day 2010 in Pasadena!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!

Juno having a long winter's nap in kind of a weird position

2010-12-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

No, we have no idea what's up with this. Doesn't exactly look comfortable, does it? However, it was definitely worth a snaphot.

Christmas Cards past & present

2010-12-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year our moms get out a WHOLE bunch of decorations from the attic, put them all over the house -- and some of them on us -- and then get out the camera. And here's what they end up with to send to friends and family to say:

"Merry Christmas!"

2010

2009

2007

2006
2005

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

2010-12-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's been raining here for a REALLY long time. There are sand bags in the driveway and umbrellas drying out in the hallway and nobody's taking us to the dog park and when they make us go outside to "do our business" we get WET!!

We're REALLY over it and are hoping Santa will bring some sunshine! Meanwhile, we've staked out a warm dry spot to wait it out. Ho, Ho, Ho!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care ...

2010-12-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

... but I'm taking a nap until Santa gets there!

What we do the Day After Thanksgiving:

2010-11-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

OK, OK ... it may not look ALL that different than what did the month before Thanksgiving or what we'll be doing a month after Christmas ... but it IS our Official Post-Thanksgiving Synchronized Sleeping Routine.

Eat your heart out, Esther Williams!

It looks like it's time for the Canine Lean Cuisine

2010-11-13T10:38:00.001-08:00

This is us doing what we do best: holding down the couch until our next meal:

One thing that will get us OFF the couch is the arrival of the new bag of dog food ... which means there are going to be PLENTY of "next meals" to come.

But wait ... what's this????? This isn't our REGULAR dog food.

"Overweight, Less Active Dogs" ????

How is that different than Fat, Lazy Dogs??? And what does that have to do with US????

We're thinking about being insulted by this revolting development but we're going to think about it for a little while and get back to you. After dinner.

The Blessing of the Beasts @ All Saints Church

2010-10-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday we had a GREAT day at All Saints Church for the Blessing of the Beasts. Here's a look at how much fun we had.

I'm resting up cuz ...

2010-10-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

... I'm getting blessed tomorrow at the annual Blessing of the Beasts at All Saints Church! So stay tuned for pictures from that big event "coming soon" ... and please keep it down because I need my beauty sleep!

Long time, no dog-blog!

2010-09-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

We've been very remiss in updating our dog's-eye-view of what's going on at Chez Brooks-Russell.

It's been a full, busy summer ... which started out with our Moms leaving us for a WHOLE MONTH for their "Excellent European Adventure." You can find out all about that here on this blog they did about their trip ... meanwhile we held down the fort with our Aunt Stasia and LOTS of toys.

But we were sure glad when they got back!

Once they got unpacked and over the jet lag, they decided to redecorate ... the PATIO!

So now we have like totally a whole new living room ... with even MORE furniture we're not supposed to get up on! YAY!!!

So as you can see, a "dog's life" at our house is pretty darned good. Juno still needs her eye drops three times a day but not being able to see has not changed her personality, her energy or her claim on the prime couch spot!

And Luna has pretty much perfected the "how can you say no to this face?" pose. (This is her in rampant begging mode while popcorn was being consumed during a recent episode of Mad Men.)

So we hope everything is good with all of you. We've got a few events on our calendars coming up ... Blessing of the Animals at All Saints on October 3 is one. But meanwhile we're feeling a nap coming on. The only question is ... who's going to make it to the bed first????

Ready, set, GO!

Flowers? What flowers?

2010-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Begging?

2010-04-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

Who's begging???

Dinner for One

2010-02-15T15:48:00.001-08:00

Our moms thought this was just about the funniest thing they ever saw.

And so we worked a deal with them: they could post it to our blog if they promise NEVER to try anything like this at home -- with US!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2010-01-22T13:11:00.001-08:00

(A Luna & Juno report from So Cal Rain Central)

We've been trying to be good ... we really have! But ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY!

We're bored with our toys, we've run out of chewy bones ...
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... and honestly, how many times can you watch the same weather report over and over and OVER again!

Our mom says that our sled dog ancestors braved worse weather than this to take serum to Nome ... but we said "that was then and this is now" and we are SOOOO not going out in this rain!
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So we took a vote and decided we're just going to sleep this one off.
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Here's hoping that Annie chick is right and the sun'll come out tomorrow!
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Breaking News!

2010-01-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

Juno is "Miss May" in the Husky Rescue 2010 Calendar! (Along with her big brother "Moose" -- her kennel name was "Maya.")

Now, if I'd known this sooner, I'd have been gotten the word out sooner, but I figure since it's ONLY January it's not too late to add a little cuteness to your life and help out the good folks at Husky Camp.

Order here.

Another New Year's Eve ...

2009-12-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

... another trip down Colorado Boulevard!
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Here in Pasadena the whole CITY gets ready for the Rose Parade ... and one of the things WE do on New Year's Eve day is go watch them all get ready!

So here we are ... ready for another Pasadena New Year's Eve Adventure!

And we're OFF!

The bleachers are set to go along Orange Grove ...

... and the Happy New Year stand at the corner of Colorado & Orange Grove, along with ...

... ALOT of other people in cars doing what WE'RE doing!

The museum has its Rose Parade outfit on ...

... and the news vans are all along the road putting it all the waiting-for-the-parade news on television.

Yeow! Our moms say these are the guys that give Jesus a bad name.

Caught in the rearview-mirror-act: snapping pictures down the Rose Parade Route!

These guys have the bundled-up thing figured out ...

And THIS lady gets the sound-sleeper award!

Here's another dog out for a look at the parade route with his dad ... we think he gets better grades in obedience class than we do!

The motorhomes are back ... we saw them last year, too. (Our mom says this is "the way to go.")

We liked these kids ... nothing says "Happy New Year" like signs duct taped to your face!

Dummy alert! Dummy alert! Not a real person! (Dogs know these things -- we're wondering if it worked to save their space on the sidewalk?! Oh well: nothing ventured ...)

WOW! We just drove 4.4 miles down from our house in Altadena!

"Out of the Closet" -- we like this place: they take junk you're not using anyway and turn it into money to help the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

And then it was off to La Canada where more Rose Parade stuff was happening ...

... building a FLOAT!

Pretty cool ...
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... especially up close!!

These we couldn't get so close to, but they're still pretty ...

... all lined up in front of the Rose Bowl ...

... from Trader Joe's (we love their rawhide chewey bones!)
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And we liked this fish one ... we'll be looking for it tomorrow when we watch the parade on TV from home ... which is where we're headed now.

And so on this Happy New Year's Eve ... Happy New Year's to All ...

... and to all a good night!

4 Years Ago Tomorrow ...

2009-12-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

... my mom came to Husky Camp and picked me!

She was just sitting here remembering how excited she was the night before when she knew she was going to go pick out a new sister for Harvey (even though she was still sad and missing my sister-who-went-to-Dog-Heaven before I was born, Cody.)

This is the picture the Husky Camp people put up of me on the website ... along with my other 10 brothers and sisters ... to find homes for us after we were born on Thanksgiving 2005. Can you believe how little I was?

(me @ 4 weeks)

So my moms liked what they saw online and since my mom Susan was in Kentucky visiting Jamie and Brian for Boxing Day, my mom Louise drove ALL the way up to Wrightwood (that's where Husky Camp is) to pick me out.
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(me @ 6 weeks)

They had to wait a few more weeks to bring me home ... until I'd had my shots and they got me "fixed" (don't ask!) ... but here are some pictures of my first day in my family ... January 28, 2006 (and yes, it has been noted that my ears seemed to be growing faster than the rest of me was!):

But we were a match made in heaven -- I loved my new family and they loved me!

So four years later, I've gone from this ...

... to this! (See ... I actually DID grow into those ears!)

Merry Merry!

2009-12-25T14:44:00.001-08:00

We're having a VERY Merry Christmas at our house! Hope your day is full of love and blessings and presents!

Merry Christmas from Luna & Juno!

Christmas is coming ...

2009-12-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

Juno: Recovering from Bath Day

2009-11-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

My mom said just because I can't see doesn't mean I need to smell, but I really HATE getting a bath. Pardon me while I sleep off the trauma of it all!
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So how's Juno doing?

2009-11-04T21:13:00.001-08:00

Lots of folks have been asking it ... "So how's Juno doing?"

Well, she can't see -- but it's not slowing her down.
She's back up stealing Louise's chair:

(What??? You want your chair back????)

Dragging logs off the pile onto her bed to chew on:

(The dog with the most logs wins, right?)

And curling up on the couch at the end of her doggie day:

(Don't bother me! I'm sleepin'!)

Basically, she's a 16 month old puppy who's bizzy, bizzy, bizzy -- when she isn't sound asleep somewhere!
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It's really pretty amazing how she finds her way around the house and yard with hardly a bump or a wobble. She's her happy, bouncy, tail-waggy self ... back to talking back in her bossy "get out of that chair and go get me a chewy bone" kind of way. (all good) She's also back to digging her way to China in the backyard ... (NOT so good!) ... but we're working on that.
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She gets two sets of drops in her eyes twice a day and her ocular pressure checked once a month. We are SO grateful for all the good wishes and prayers, thoughtful emails and notes and especially for such great vets, vet techs and help from our favorite opthamology go-to-guy, Ruben.
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So we're still bummed that she can't see. AND we're grateful, grateful, grateful for abundant blessings.
..
Here endeth the report on Juno!
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Here's our Favorite Halloween Cartoon:

2009-10-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

We think this is what could happen if dogs got to dress up their HUMANS instead of the other way around!
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( click on it to make it bigger and easier to read)

Training Camp

2009-10-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Training Camp Day at our house. First of all Connie let Juno smell the training treats ... yum, yum!

Then we worked on one of the basics: COME!

Good dog, Juno!

Then we worked on "STAY!"

And a little remedial "DOWN!"

Meanwhile, you can't help wondering what's going on in LUNA'S head here ... I'm thinking it's:
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1 - "I wonder if there are more of those treats in there???"

2 - "Can I get them out and not get caught?"
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Overall, a good morning. Juno seems to be figuring it out and had plenty of energy and was engaged in the process. Now we've got our homework to do over the next two weeks.
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But right now, everyone is following the same command: Ready, Set ... "NAP!"

Juno says "thanks" ...

2009-10-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

... for all the good thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

Here she is -- begging during the Dodger game for a cracker from her mom. She's managing to manuever herself around the house and yard and has some of her tail-wag back. One kind friend sent this piece about dogs who can't see and it was full of helpful information.

So we're going to muddle along here -- adjust to our new "family with a dog who can't see" reality and be grateful for sweet dogs and good vets and kind friends.
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Update on Juno

2009-10-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

[Here's big sister Luna looking out for Juno ... just back from a hard day at the vet!]

So we're back from the vet with bad new/good news about Juno. The bad news is she totally can't see.

AT ALL.

Even light and shadow. The good news is there's nothing to be done for it so we don't have to worry about making a "wrong choice." (It's not MUCH good news, but I'm looking for what I can find!)

She's not even a year-and-a-half ... she lost her sight due to very aggressive, genetically wired glaucoma ... and at this point her ocular pressure is under control with drops and a pill-a-day so she's not in any discomfort. She's already figured out getting in and out of the house, finding her way into the back yard and "doing her business" and yesterday was back up in her favorite chair on the porch snoozing the afternoon away.

We're really sad for her AND really grateful for all the good wishes, prayers and kind thoughts across the miles. And as one colleague said: If I was going to be a dog who couldn't see I'd want to belong to two overprotective dog mommies with a fenced yard.

Here endeth the report from Canine Headquarters. We will now return to our regularly scheduled work week.

Post traumatic veterinarian syndrome

2009-09-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

A doggie-mom report from the Juno-battles-glaucoma front:

The drops-in-the eye thing is working MUCH better and her pressure is down in both eyes.

That's good.

Last night she had a droopy eyelid and her "third eyelid" closing -- both symptoms of further onset of acute glaucoma in her "good" [right] eye.

That's bad.

After a couple of hours at the 24hr-ER-vet last night and then a visit this morning to her doggie opthamologist, she doesn't appear to have any damage to her right optic nerve and got some new prescriptions to keep the pressure down. .
That's good.

The meds don't come in generic and -- of course -- aren't covered by any kind of insurance.
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That's bad.

The saga continues but she's hanging in there and so are we. Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes!

If I let them put drops in my eye ...

2009-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

... then I get a BONE!

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I'm not saying I'm LIKING this, but ... as you can see ... I'm hanging in there. Thanks for all the good wishes and prayers for me AND my moms. (And thanks for the interesting suggestion about medical marijuana. None of the research we've done indicates it would help my eye, but I'm thinking if it would mellow out my moms ...! Oh well -- probably not an option. But keep those creative solutions coming!)
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We're back!

2009-09-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

We've been on blogging hiatus, here at harveyandluna, but we're back.
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When LAST we weighed in, our moms were packing to leave for the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Anaheim. We missed them while they were gone but our Aunt Stasia took VERY good care of us.

Our job was to "hold down the fort" while they were gone:
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As you can see, we did a VERY good job! (Well, at least we held down the couch!)

Everyone was home together for a couple of weeks and then it was VACATION time ... and the moms headed off to visit family in someplace called "Colorado."

There was SOME discussion about taking us along ... and we were game for an adventure. But the more they researched into the reality of road trips with dogs, the more they ran into things that looked like this:
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So we stayed here holding down the fort again while they drove all the way to Denver and back.

Now, we DID find out that while they were there, they were "seeing other dogs" ...

Like our Uncle Fred's lab Lily ...
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... and our cousin Fred's golden retriever Cooper. (Yep, two Freds on that side of the family. Kind of confusing -- but at least we can tell the dogs apart!)

But we're OK with that ... as long as they come back home to us! So they had a great visit and we did ANOTHER great job holding down the fort and couch.
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WHILE they were gone, however, Juno came up with an owie in her eye. They thought it was a scratch or a foxtail or an infection of some kind, so they've spent the last two weeks chasing her around trying to get drops and ointment in her eye and going back and forth to the vet.

Today they took her to a specialist (doggie opthamologist) and it turns out it wasn't an owie after all ... it's GLAUCOMA!

And that's a really bad thing.

At this point Juno can't see at all out of her left eye and now we need to keep a VERY close eye on her right eye so the same thing doesn't happen to it. (Which unfortunately it probably will eventually because she's got something called a "genetic predisposition.") The vet said it could be a few months or a few years before another episode and the moms are -- of course -- totally bummed. In the meantime it will be more eye drops. And more vet visits. And lots of research on what to do to keep her as comfortable as she can be in spite of her eye problems. .

But at the moment, we're both resting comfortably ...
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... and grateful for good vets and moms who take care of us -- no matter what.
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Stay tuned!
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It's General Convention time at our house

2009-07-03T21:52:00.001-07:00

There she goes again ... off to one of those "General Convention" things. I knew it was coming when the packing started ... all these bags of "provisions" to supplement two weeks of hotel living ...

... plus suitcases, briefcases, etc. I thought if I looked cute enough maybe she'd pack ME ... but no luck!

So I'm just going to wait it out with my sister here where it's comfy.

Maybe she'll feel guilty for leaving us for so long and bring home PRESENTS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUNO!

2009-06-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yep ... a year old today (more or less.) We're not EXACTLY sure when my birthday is, but what we DO know is ...

... that I joined my new family when I was 10 weeks old on August 19th (here's a picture of me THEN:)

And if we count back ten weeks that puts my birthday just about NOW! (And this is a picture of me today ... what a difference a year makes!)

Anyway, today's the day we're celebrating ME ... tomorrow they'll get back to worrying about the holes I've dug in the backyard, the kitty I can't seem to remember not to chase and all my other transgressions. But today they're just fussing over me and making my birthday a VERY happy one ... (and they can keep THAT up as long as they want!)

So Happy Birthday to ME!

Juno the Drama Queen

2009-05-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

This morning the gardeners came to mow our lawn and our Mom Louise was on a conference call so we had to wait in the bedroom and be quiet.

I HATE being quiet! (As you will see from this video clip my Mom Susan took of me:

So that's the new puppy in the White House!

2009-04-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

We don't know much about Portuguese Water Dogs ...

... but we DO know about puppies! (Because one of us still is one!) SO we're happy for the Obama family that they finally got a dog. (We think EVERYBODY should have a dog!)

But we hope they know to put their shoes away, their glasses on the mantle (not the coffee table) and start now with the "sit, stay, OFF, "Leave It" stuff. The sooner the better, we say! (Right, Connie? :)

We love sleeping in on Saturday ...

2009-04-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

... and TODAY we got to hang out on the BIG bed!

Woo Hoo!

Our moms went to a baby shower ...

2009-03-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

We wondered what the deal was ... they tried to give US a shower once and that didn't end well ... so we couldn't figure out why they'd drive ALL THE WAY to Santa Ynez to watch them give a BABY a shower.

Turns out we had it totally wrong. It's not about giving a baby a bath ... it's about PRESENTS and FOOD ... and those are both concepts we totally get! So here are the pictures they took of the day ...ENJOY!

St. Patrick's Day Puppies

2009-03-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

That's us ... all dolled up for St. Patrick's Day ...

... we were quite the hit at the dog park, but now ... well, now it's CLEARLY nap time.

Our moms have been SOOOOOOOOOO busy lately ...

2009-02-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

... they haven't had time helping us "dog blog" in awhile. But I just couldn't resist making sure this picture got posted so you could see what a big girl I'm getting to be:

Eight months old and getting cuter every day, doncha think?

More soon ... Love, Juno

Juno: School Days, School Days!

2009-01-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

So they're determined to make me into a good dog. And I really WANT to be a good dog ... I do. It's just going to take some work ... and so now I've got a teacher to help me figure it all out. Her name is Connie and she's got me doing a pretty darned good job with Lesson Number One:

SIT!

So far so good. At least it was until today. Then they decided to make me learn something new. It's called:

DOWN!

As you can see, Connie is VERY patient with me ... and, after a little while -- well, after QUITE awhile, we started making some progress:

And then ... EUREKA! (By George, I think I'm getting it!)

So all's well that end's well.

It was a LONG day in class today, but at the end of it I got lots of loving and lots of "good dog" pats ... and then I finally got:

A NAP!

This working your brain stuff wears you out! (And rumor has it next time we're going to work on "STAY!" Stay tuned ...)

Watch Out, Rachel Ray!

2009-01-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

Our mom got something called a "Cuisinart" for Christmas and it's making her VERY happy! Here she is this afternoon, making turkey soup:

We're thinking "A Star Is Born!" (Can the Food Network be far behind?)
.

How we spend a gloomy Saturday ...

2009-01-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Our moms have been busy putting away Christmas decorations and cleaning out closets and today is gloomy and cold and drippy out so we decided a game of tug-of-war would help break up the boredom.

They tried putting Juno outside by herself for awhile to calm us down, but -- as you can see -- that just resulted in some collateral poinsettia damage.
.
Meanwhile, I'm just trying to stay under the radar and out of the way ..
.
But now the house is tidied up, there are New Year's Roses on the coffee table and we're back where we're happiest ... each holding down our corner of the couch!
.

Happy Saturday, everybody! Put your feet up and relax, why doncha? It's totally working for us!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ... from Luna & Juno!

2009-01-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

The moms made it home from dinner last night in time to say "Happy New Year" to us ... and Luna joined in. (You can't really tell, but that's Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper in Times Square on the TV behind her!) Welcome to 2009!

This morning we've settled in to watch the Rose Parade ... and here's Juno in front of OUR "Best Float in the Rose Parade Award:"

From the State of Alaska, a float full of SLED DOGS!
Way to go, Alaska!
(We're like totally over your governor,
but we LOVED your float!)
.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!

Happy New Year's Eve from PASADENA!

2008-12-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

So our mom said we were going on a New Year's Eve adventure in the car and we said ...

WHOOPEE!!!

Here's me ... watching where we're going ...

... and here's Luna, keeping track of where we just went. (We're a TEAM, I tell you!)

So here's what the adventure is about: Tomorrow, right down Colorado Boulevard where we drive ALL the time the world will be watching (our moms tell me) when the ROSE PARADE comes to town!

Here's the Norton Simon Museum getting ready for the big day ...

... and these bleachers are set up ALL the way down the street for all the people who will come to see the parade.

(ALSO set up are these little houses ... which my mom says are a REALLY important ingredient in a successful parade!)

There are already news cameras set up ... this one is the peacock one ... the one where the guy from Al from The TODAY Show is going to be tomorrow morning to tell us about the parade on TV...

And here's some "local color" ... one of the buildings along the street decorated for the New Year Comin'.

I thought this was really cool ... we've still got some of our ornaments up around our house, too, so I liked that it that Colorado Blvd is still decorated, too.

As you can see, we were not the ONLY one's whose moms said, "Hey, let's go look at the tourists sitting out on the sidewalk getting cold waiting for the parade!"

It'll be the lead story on all the local news shows (like this is not actually NEWS people ... truth is, they do this EVERY year, but what the heck ... they've got to report on SOMETHING now that that election is finally behind us!)

Some people were shopping...

Some had staked out their spot and were just waiting for the party to start ... Happy New Year, Lady!

The smart ones (my mom said) were the ones with the motorhomes ...

But this lady seemed to be doing just fine out there holding down the fort for the rest of her family ... (kinda going to be a long time before any floats or bands, though ... I hope she has some other blankets somewhere!)

This lady was catching up on the newspaper ...

But this was our favorite waiting-for-the-parade-lady ... we call her Laptop Lady. We wondered if maybe she was writing HER dog blog about the parade right there in the middle of Sierra Madre Blvd!

Here endeth our behind-the-scenes, dogs'-eye-view of New Year's Eve, Pasadena Style. So -- from Luna & Juno -- live from beautiful downtown Rose Parade Central ...

... we wish you all a VERY

'Twas the 2nd Day of Christmas and here at our home ...

2008-12-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

... the natives are restless ...

(as this footage has shown:)

But now we're behaving ... there's not even a yelp.
(Locking one of us in the kitchen has been a big help!)
So good tidings we send, to friends far and near,
For a Merry-rest-of-Christmas and a Happy New Year!
.

.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ...

2008-12-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

... from our house to yours!

Luna & Juno
Christmas 2008

Christmas Spirit Dogs

2008-12-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

We loved this YouTube piece about these VERY busy Christmas spirit dogs.

In contrast, here's what it looks like at OUR house when our moms are gone:

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

2008-12-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS!
(All around our house!)

The first thing that happened was this TREE showed up in the living room ...

(there's more stuff hanging on it now ... this was when it first went up!)

And then my mom went outside and put LIGHTS up all over the windows and out on the front lawn. (What's up with that?)

Luna just says "Oh, just you WAIT ..." and then goes in and curls up on her bed and stays out of the way.

Me, I'm keepin' an eye on things from right in the middle of the action here ...

Not sure what all this Christmas stuff is about but I sure don't want to miss any of it! (Are there any more of those cookies left over there? I think I've got room for a little one! :)

Juno's First Dog Park Day

2008-10-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

So I've been hearing about THE DOG PARK for as long as I can remember. It's one of Luna's favorite places and she and Harvey used to get to go all the time, she says. I kept hearing about how you can run as far and as fast as you want and there are all KINDS of other dogs to play with and people to pet you ... well, it just sounded great.

But until I had all my ready-for-prime-time doggie shots, the Dog Park wasn't an option for me.

So FINALLY -- this week -- the magic moment came! My mom got her keys and our leashes and said, "It's Dog Park Day!"

C'mon, Luna ... hurry up ... let's go. We're going to ...

... the Dog Park!!!

Hmmm ... I like the petting part but this really IS a big old place ...

I think I'll find a safe place to check it out from.

This'll work!

See ... if they REALLY want to pet me, they'll come find me, right? At least Seth will ... he's my favorite boy ...

Of course, if I come out just a LITTLE further, I can get my chest scratched ... and I like that ALOT!

And then I guess if I just sit right here beside the chair I can see what's going on and still feel safe.

OR ... I can venture out a little bit further and get some more attention from Seth and his mom, Beth ... they rock! (And some of these are their pictures!)

Yeah, this is totally working for me!

I think I'm going to like this dog park stuff!

When are we going back, Mom? Soon? Can we go soon? Please? Pretty please?

(After my nap, that is!)

Me 'n Luna are tired out from our big day at the Dog Park ...

... so I'll catch you later!

.

The Unbearable Cuteness of Puppies

2008-10-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

So our moms just got these baby pictures in their email today and couldn't resist sharing them. (You know how moms are with baby pictures!)

So this is Juno with her brother Moose ... (their foster mom took these pictures before they went to their new homes in August:)

... aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen?

For a minute when the moms were picking out Juno they were tempted to take both of them ...

... you can sure see why! (But cooler heads prevailed and we're hoping Moose's family is as grateful to have him as we are to have Juno!)

Luna: It's "the dog with the most toys wins ..."

2008-09-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Right?????

Juno: It's Just Another Saturday @ "Spoiled Dogs R Us"

2008-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

So this is us in the "dog run" ... it's where the moms put us when they're at work or out shopping and aren't around to make sure we're not digging up something or getting into something we shouldn't be.

They call it the "dog run." We call it "The Gulag."

But wait ... what's that? Sounds like our car and our moms ... and what's that they have with them?

A new chaise lounge so we won't fight over who gets to sit on the old one! Yeah!

Luna checked it out first ... She always needs to smell stuff and take awhile to decide whether she likes something new or not.

Me ... not so much. I pretty much just dive in. So I grabbed my chewey bone and settled in ... while Luna wandered off ...

... though she did check back to see how I was doing a few minutes later.

I'm doing GREAT! Now, if I could just get someone to bring me one of those drinks with the little umbrella I'd be set for the afternoon!

Great idea, mom! (Can we get a Doggie Hot Tub next???)

We don't actually know this dog ...

2008-09-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

... but we like his politics!

(A picture is worth 1000 woofs!)

DIGGING??????

2008-09-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Why do you ask?

What makes you think I've been DIGGING???

So, Juno's not the ONLY one who went to the vet ...

2008-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

They dragged me along, too, because I'd been chewing one of my toenails that was bugging me and ended up pulling it out.

Whatever.

It was TOTALLY no big deal, but you know how the moms are ... one minute you have a little boo-boo on your foot and then next thing you know they're saying things like "... get infected ..." and "... better get it looked at ..." and you're in the car on the way to the vet and end up with a stupid bandage on your foot.

Honestly ... don't you think this is a comes under the category of "overkill?"

Wake me up when the three days are up and they take this stupid thing off!

Until then I'm good right here.

Juno's field trip

2008-09-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

So today we had a field trip ...

this is me in the back seat on the way to ...

The Vet's Office!

These are the nice people who WORK at our vet's office.

And this was already there when I got here. Honest!

Then the put me on the scale and look how much I weighed:

A couple of pokes and prods and a shot or two later
and we were on our way back home ...

(I was REALLY a good girl!)
.

From Luna & Juno: We're very sad at our house ...

2008-09-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

The oldest and sweetest member of our family went to Jesus yesterday.

Birdie was over 16 years old and while that is VERY old for a cat, she sure didn't show her age when she was jumping up on the counter to get to her food or to get AWAY from us!

She just quit wanting to eat at all last week and when our mom took her to the vet it turned out she had a tumor and there was nothing they could do to make her better.

Here she is with our other brother, Walden, who left us last year ... we still miss him VERY much:

And here she is posing for her Easter portrait last spring.

She was a very sweet kitty and pretty darned patient with us when we got out of control running and chasing and doing what dogs do. One good hiss and a swat or two and we knew to back off ... and we did!

Here's one of the last pictures our mom took of Birdie ... on our Grandma's lap during her last visit to us last winter ...

We're all so very sad today but that's how we picture Birdie ... up in heaven on Grandma's lap ... with Walden and Harvey and Cody all somewhere close by.

We love you, Birdie. (And we'll try to remember what you taught us about not pushing our luck chasing cats, honest!)

Juno: This is ME getting BIGGER

2008-09-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

SO ... this is me ... getting bigger every day! So far all they give me to eat is this puppy kibble ...

I know ... it doesn't look very appetizing but what the heck ... it's what there is ... so I figure ...
.

DIG IN!
.

What I'm REALLY wondering is
"When do the table scraps kick in?"

So the day was going along pretty well -- from my perspective --

and the THIS came out of the cabinet and ...
.

... things rapidly went downhill from there.

I'll spare you the details -- and thankfully the moms were too busy dealing with the collateral damage in the bathroom to get photos of "The First Bath" ...
.

... but they did get the first nap AFTER the first bath.
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From Luna: So here's what I have to put up with ...

2008-09-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

I mean, really ... she's cute and everything ... and she's sleeping through the night now and mostly piddling outside ... and she IS more fun to play with than the cats who don't get how to dog-wrestle and play chase ...

but a dog has to draw SOME boundaries ...

and my bone is MY bone ...

... and the sooner she figures THAT one out the better off EVERYBODY is going to be!

It's me ... Juno ...

2008-09-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

... and I've been here TWO WHOLE WEEKS already!

Time flies when you're figuring out your new family!

I've figured out how to get up in my mom's chair and avoid tipping over the laptop while I chew on my sister Luna's bone ...
.
Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to leave the cats alone yet, and ... jumping after one of them the other day ... there was some what I guess they call "collateral damage" ...

... and I was in BIG trouble!

So I got banished out to the porch ... where, as you can see ... they've had to put wire up to keep me from squeezing through the bars on the gate. (Tried that once ... that REALLY got their attention!)
.

So I settled in and was ready to be bored for awhile and then I heard something I haven't heard before ...

... and, peeking through the fence wires I saw ...

... the biggest dogs I've ever seen in my LIFE!

You just never know what's going to happen next around here! Stay tuned for the NEXT installment of Juno's Excellent Puppy Adventure!

Our friends John and Michael ...

2008-08-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

... have a new dog, too! He's not a puppy who chews things up and breaks things ... he's a Greyhound who used to be a racing dog and now he's just going to be a regular dog.

Here's John's blog about his arrival. They say that it takes a little adjusting from race-dog life to regular-dog life, but it looks to us like he's adjusting pretty well!

Welcome to regular dog life, Festus! You're gonna love it!

Love, Luna & Juno!

Luna's teaching me the ropes around here ...

2008-08-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

How'm I doin' so far?

First the synchronized couch sit ...

Followed by the synchronized snooze ...

Stay tuned for more of our "Sister Act!"

If we could just get the puppy to RELAX a little more ...

2008-08-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

(Juno in a post-romp nap posture)

Hi there ... I'm Juno ...

2008-08-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

... and this my first time putting something up on this blog.

I've been here a week now in my new house with my new family and I think it's going pretty well. Today I decided to pitch in and help out ... here I am helping my mom sort through the clothes that are going out of the closet and over to "Out of the Closet" ... the thrift store that sells stuff to help people with AIDS.

Stay tuned ... I'm sure I'll have more to say later! (But right now it's time for another nap.)

The Olympics may be over ...

2008-08-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

... but we still have floor exercises going on at our house:

I think we get a Perfect Ten ... what do you think???

(And yes, she IS sleeping through the night now ... thank goodness!)

So it didn't go so great last night ...

2008-08-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

"The Puppy" decided this was the night she was NOT going to go to sleep like she was supposed to in her crate.

While my one mom just pulled the covers up over her head and tried to sleep anyway (good luck with THAT!!! ) ...

... the other one couldn't resist getting the sound effects "on the record."

So here's a peek into how much fun WE had last night ... here's hoping tonight goes better!

So how IS the puppy getting along with the cats?????

2008-08-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have been asking about how Juno is getting along with the cats. We figured if a picture is worth 1000 words then a video is probably worth about 10,000 ... check it out:

Look what the stork brought to OUR house!

2008-08-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last night, when my moms got home from the movie they went to see ("Brideshead Revisited" ... not as good as the book or miniseries but they liked it anyway) they came home to a BIG surprise ...

MY NEW SISTER!

Turns out they were less surprised than I was ... they at least new she was coming because it turned out they'd been talking to Chuck up at Husky Camp (that's where I came from) and they had two rescue puppies (a boy and a girl) who were Malberians (that's 1/2 Malamute and 1/2 Siberian) who needed a home.

So they decided on the girl ... and I guess they were going to tell me EVENTUALLY ... but they thought they had a little time to break it to me because they were going to go pick her up from Chuck. And lo and behold Chuck showed up at the front door and dropped her off to save us a trip!

Life as we knew it officially ended at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19th.

.
So we hurried up and got a bed ready for her (the crate was sill needing cleaned out after being stuck back in the garage since I outgrew it) ...

She still had stiches from getting spayed (I'm sure glad I was too young to remember all that!) so she had a bandage around her belly.

I'm honestly not sure quit WHAT I think about all this and I'm giving myself a little time to get used to the idea.
.
Don't get me wrong ... I like the idea of someone to play with and I believe them when they tell me the reason they wanted another dog was because I'm so fabulous that they want another sweet one like me. And I know no other dog will ever replace Harvey but I do get lonely being the only dog sometimes ... and she IS pretty cute ...

But she's going to have to learn a thing or two ... and thing NUMBER ONE is that this is MY chaise lounge ...

and it's going to stay that way.

24 hours down ... a lifetime to go. Stay tuned!

PS -- What did we name her???? Oh yeah ... Juno.

And -- BTW -- August 19 would have been my Grandma Betty's birthday so I'm wondering if she didn't have something to do with the timing on all this, being a puppy person and all!

You never know!!!

Luna Surveys the Dog Park

2008-07-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

We're trying to get back to some kind of life-after-Harvey so we're back at the dog park and here's our first foray into video blog land:

What it lacks in drama it makes up for in cuteness!

Remembering Harvey

2008-06-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

1994-2008

R.I.P.
Harvey Emerson Brooks

=======

My beloved big brother Harvey died June 5, 2008. He was 15 years old and his heart just gave out. I will miss him terribly. He was my best friend and my mentor. He was brave and macho and loved protect me at the dog park. I’m kind of shy and submissive and Harvey taught me to channel my inner guard dog self.

My mom Louise adopted Harvey when he was 12 weeks old.

He had been thrown out of a car onto a freeway off-ramp and she agreed to foster him until he found a home. She already had a dog named Cody, an Alaskan malamute who was 6 moths old. Harvey fell in love with my mom and Cody. They grew up together.

Then when my mom Susan came into the family, she loved Harvey and Cody so much she made them dress up and look stupid at Christmas.

Harvey was always patient with me ... even when I was a little bitty puppy and used to chew and bite and want him to chase me around all the time. (Can you believe I was ever this little?)

And even the CATS loved him ... well, at least Birdy and Walden did!

Harvey’s death took us all by surprise. On the day he died, my Moms were on their way to a wedding in New Hampshire. Before they left, my Mom Louise took us for our usual “morning constitutional” to the dog park. That morning at the park, Harve was perky, tried to chase other dogs who were bugging me and got petted by our many human friends. When we got home, he immediately chowed down his breakfast and lurked over me til I reluctantly finished mine so he wouldn’t eat it. Then the Mommies left, giving us our favorite bones, hugged us real good and told us to guard the house til they got home.

Harve and I immediately settled into our guard dog modes … feigning sleeping soundly so as to surprise any would-be burglars.

But all was not well. When our Aunt Stasia (who was taking care of us while our moms were away) came home, Harvey came in the house and went right under the bed. They wouldn't let me in where he was but I heard Stasia saying that he was breathing really hard ... panting and panting. And then his heart just gave up and he went to Dog Heaven.

It was hard enough for us here to deal with, but our poor moms were on an airplane (that had been delayed for five hours before it took off for Boston!) and nobody could get them on their cell phones. When they finally got the news it was 2 a.m. and they were devastated.

So now we're all trying to figure out what life AH looks like ("After Harvey"). I know we're all grateful that he lived as long as he did and was such a good friend and companion.

He was so patient ... with not only me but my moms who took such pleasure in humiliating him by dressing him up for just about every occasion.

And he taught me everything I needed to know to be the Queen of the Dog Park ...

We've been blessed to have him in our family and his memory will live on even now that he's gone to Dog Heaven which I think is a REALLY big dog park and Harvey is romping there with our friends who have gone before: Kenneth and Cody and Molly and Cuthbert and Blue and many, many others.

We love you Harvey!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

We're late getting this blog up today, but we didn't want Mother's Day to go by without wishing a happy one to all the dog ... (OK, OK) the dog and CAT moms out there who put up with us, clean up after us, and basically just make us the luckiest pets on the planet.

We now return to our regularly scheduled pastime ... napping!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

When Grandma came to visit ...

2008-03-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

We loved it when our Grandma was here ...

... she came to visit ALL of us, but Birdie got to sit on her lap.

Come back, soon, Grandma ... we miss you!

Love,

Harvey & Luna

LUNA: It was "go to the vet day" at our house ...

2008-03-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

It was just one of those routine visits but we ALL went. Harvey is having more and more trouble getting his back legs to do what he wants them to do so they wanted to check out the pills that he was taking were the right ones. Me they just wanted to weigh and pet and give treats to.

Anyway, here we are ... back again ... none the worse for wear. (Although it's always a little bit of an adventure getting us there and back.) The only way you can tell we even WENT is from the bandanas around our necks ...

Harve got the metro-sexual mult-colored geometric print...

... while I got the more femmy pink Easter motif.

Anyway, we're probably going to sleep off the adventure for the rest of the day. The moms are both home all weekend (we LIKE that!) and so maybe there will be more adventures later.

But for now, I'm settling in for my post-vet snooze ...

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A Kid's View of a Dog's Purpose Driven Life

2008-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Our mom, Susan, put this story on HER blog but we decided it should go on ours, too! It came in an email from one of the people who goes to All Saints Church ("Hi," Jack!) and she offered it on the First Sunday in Lent with prayers to all for a Holy Lent and Joyous Easter! And WE offer it today because we think it makes more sense than most of the stuff that gets posed online ... in Lent or any OTHER season!

Sincerely,
Harvey & Luna

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

======

Lessons we can learn from a dog

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

"I'll take 'The Iditarod' for $400, Alex."

2008-01-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

This is what a big night at our house looks like ... the mommies settle in to watch "Jeopardy" and I settle in on the couch.
.

This is the "lifestyle" they're so worried about? Give me a break!

Luna and Harvey: Everyone, meet and welcome Sophie!!

2008-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

SOPHIE MACKEY-MASON

8 weeks old

Isn't she a cutie?

Rescued from Aussie Rescue by our friends Chris and Sheila

What a wooly bear!

We can't wait til she's old enough to play with us!

LUNA: All politics all the time

2008-01-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

It's all politics, all the time at our house ... and I'm pretty much over it.
.
.
I mean, I know it's all important stuff. At least that's what my moms tell me. But really ... how many times can the same people NOT answer the same questions and expect everybody to hang on every word?

Not me. I'm napping through this one ... and frankly, they all looked so tired I'll bet they wished they were on the couch with me instead of on yet-another red-white-&-blue sound stage trying to figure out how to make the message they want to give fit the questions they're getting asked.
.
It kind of feels like a great big game to me -- but the stakes are sure higher than catch-the-frisbee or toss-the-tennis ball at the dog park. I guess if a dog can figure that out then so can the people in charge of making the decisions, but they didn't do so good at that last time, did they?

That's why even if we're napping on the couch, we're keeping one eye on the TV and one eye on the countdown clock ...

Can't come soon enough for us!

Luna : We are devastated!

2007-12-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be jolly but there’s not much joy at our house this year. We have lost our beloved brother Walden and our hearts are full of great sadness.
.

1996-2007

He was almost 11 years old and he was a magnificent cat. One of his favorite things was to sit on our patio wall and survey the neighborhood. He was definitely the master of his domain.

He was also a mighty hunter and kept our yard free of nosey neighborhood cats, pesky mice and lizards. He would scare our Mom Susan with these “gifts” that he would proudly bring into the house and deposit in the bedroom.
' '
He loved nothing better than to hang out with us and our Moms.

Walden, or "Wal Dee", was a macho guy but he quietly tolerated the Moms penchant for dressing us up during the holidays.

He was especially fond of Harvey and would often curl up on a rug close to him after giving him a kiss on his ear.

He tolerated me. He would even play with me in the back yard sometimes. He would run and dash and then jump out at me from behind a bush. Other times I bugged him too much with my “puppy-ness” and he would hiss at me to let me know I had gone too far. Yet he always forgave me and let me share the couch with him.

Most of all, he loved our Mom Louise and his loss is very hard on her.

He was her "sweet baby boy kitty." He was the male kitty she always wanted. He was a very handsome chap with his white chest and paws. He was part Maine Coon and had fluffy, fuzzy fur. He also had a sweet, sweet disposition.

He and his sister (named Baby) were abandoned at 7 weeks old and miraculously, for them, made their way to her front door. She let them in and they made themselves right at home.
.

And Walden could make himself comfy almost anywhere.
.

He was street smart and brave. He survived a month on the streets after he ran away from Hope’s house. My Mom searched for him every single day and with the help of some friendly animal lovers, found him. He had traveled over two miles and was headed back towards our house. He slept on her chest for several nights after he came back home.
.

Walden loved to put his head up against my Mom's neck and cuddle. She told me that on his last day, he climbed up on her chest and kissed her cheek. I know Walden loved my Mom a lot gave her lots of joy and many fond memories. She misses him very, very much and so do I. She says we were very lucky to have known him and that he’s in doggie and kitty heaven now. I’m happy to know that ... but there will be a big empty spot in all our hearts without him.
.

It's almost Christmas at our house ...

2007-12-22T21:39:00.001-08:00

We haven't been doing very much blogging lately but now that Christmas is almost here we thought we'd post a few pictures to show that we're getting ready for the big day at our house. Here's our mom getting started dragging out all the stuff they drag out at Christmas ... there's really ALOT!

Including the nativity set (we're still waiting for the Little Lord Jesus Asleep on the Hay ... that doesn't happen until Christmas Eve) ...

And ALL the stuff that goes on the Christmas tree ... here's mom toasting a "job well done!"

And THEN they got out the camera to take pictures to go on the Christmas card this year. Harvey got stuck with the antlers ...

I got off pretty easy with the blue tinsel this year ...

But now that the whole place is decorated, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care and all that stuff, I'm ready for my long winter's nap ...

Just leave my presents under the tree, OK???

HAPPY ST. FRANCIS DAY!

2007-10-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

by Luna Brooks Russell

So here's St. Francis ... if you want to learn more about him, click here ... but all I really need to know about him is that he was an animal lover and that's good enough for me. October 4th is his Feast Day but we celebrated early at All Saints Church ... last Sunday. And I got to go to church on a SUNDAY!

Not like when my mom takes me to church during the week because she has to and I have to lie still and be quiet and not bug anybody. Nope. THIS Sunday they have a special service outside just for US ... with a special outdoor altar and everything!

My mom Susan had to work in the big church like usual but she came over to pet me when we got there ... I'm a little embarrassed here because I guess I got my muddy paws on the white thing she wears to work in. Oh well ... I was sorry ... really. But I was just glad to see her!

I was glad to see the other dogs, too ... it was great not being the only dog on campus.

And there were cute kids, too ... this one wasn't even as big as some of the dogs that came! (Mom said he was a cutie patootie!)

Oh ... and there were some cats. Gotta give equal time, I know, but frankly I get enough of "leave the kitty ALONE!" at home to want to mess with them when I'm in the outside world. It's a pick your ditch kind of thing for me!

And THEN here came one of my best friends from the dog park ... Honey ... with her boy, Seth.

Even better, Seth's mom held Honey's leash and I got ...

... UNDIVIDED ATTENTION! (I don't know what St. Francis thought of Nirvana but this is my idea of it!)

But pretty soon it was time for the service to start so I settled down with my mom ...

And everybody stood up ...

... and SANG!!! (I liked that part ... especially "the birds and beasts", though I'd have added "dogs and cats" just make sure.. although that would have left out the hampsters and the hermit crabs..... so I guess they knew what they were doing !)

But I have to be honest, my attention kind of wandered ...

... and my attention was drawn to the fact that I wasn't the ONLY one not paying attention.

MOST of the people were paying attention, however, and Wilma did a great job ... look at 'em all ... kids, dogs, cats and grownups all doing church outside. Cool, huh? (I bet we're having more fun than all those dressed up people inside the big church!)

THEN we got to the part when they "sprinkled" us ... here's Wilma hurling around the holy water ... (the dogs liked this part better than the cats, I can tell you that!)

... and speaking of cats, here's Christina trying to bless a cat who was making hissing noises I've never even HEARD before (and I've been hissed by a cat or two in my time!) I hope she got hazardous duty pay for this one!

And then it was bread and wine part ... that's like the blessing for the people. "The holy food of new and unending life" they call it. "Strength for the journey."

Unfortunately for Honey, she didn't quite "get" the difference between holy bread and regular bread ... so she got tied up in the back for awhile. She was a good sport about it though ... and next year she'll know better!

Before long it was time to say goodbye to everybody and head home. (My mom was too busy GETTING me blessed to get a PICTURE of me getting blessed in case you're wondering. But I was and I'm sure I'm a better dog for it!) Here I am, saying "See ya at the dog park!" to Seth and Honey.

And then it was home-again, home-again, jiggity jig ... here I am passing the peace with Harve who decided to sit this year out ...

And then I hit the fountain for a nice drink of cool water before heading back to my usual napping spot for my Sunday afternoon nap.

So here's my favorite part of the whole day. My mom ... who was so worried that I sit still and behave and be a good dog and make a good impression ... she was so distracted getting leashes and cameras and pictures and stuff that she managed to wear two different shoes to church ...

DUH! But she was a good sport about. And next year she'll know better.

So Happy St. Francis Day, everybody! Hope if you're an animal you get a blessing and if you're a people you ARE a blessing and that everybody keeps in mind the great prayer attributed to St. Francis ... who didn't just hang out with animals ... he worked for peace.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Luna & Harvey: Congrats to Rupert

2007-10-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

We know our Moms think we're the greatest dogs on the planet, but their friend Catherine, who works on the tv show, The Dog Whisperer (which rejected Harvey.....long story), has a dog named Rupert who is a children's therapist. We hope you'll enjoy reading Rupert's amazing story.

Rupert, who celebrated his 8th birthday at the end of September, works with his caretaker providing happy distractions for hospitalized and disabled men, women, and children as a part of Love On 4 Paws, an animal assisted therapy organization. The canine volunteers help to combat loneliness, promote self-confidence, and improve the quality of life for the sick, developmentally delayed, or otherwise handicapped.

Adopted from a Southern California animal rescue at 9 weeks old, Rupert first donned the green vest of the LO4P volunteers 4 years ago, after a co-worker suggested that with his mild temperament, he would make a top-notch therapy dog. The man was not wrong. Though he never saw graduation from obedience school, Rupert’s mellow disposition allowed him to breeze through the rigorous screening process that all therapy dogs must pass through in order to qualify for the job. He has been known to sleep through the rush and the din of a Code Blue in the Intensive Care Unit. He is a registered volunteer at 3 different city hospitals, and has worked with hundreds of ill or infirmed children. He is, in the words of his caretaker, “all business” when he’s on duty – loving and gentle, with the patience of a saint. For the older patients, he is a quiet companion and confidant, and with the younger patients, he is a living plaything; a dress-up dolly, a rocking horse, and a living, breathing teddy bear. At physical therapy, he catches the stuffed animals that the children throw to improve their hand eye coordination. And he weathers the constant love and attention like a pro.

Read the rest here.

What next???

2007-09-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

We're just never sure what our moms are going to get up to next. Months ago on our mom Susan's birthday this box showed up on our porch ...

... and there it sat. We kind of got used to walking around it and gave up wondering what it was for. (Sometimes stuff sits around for awhile before they get around to doing anything with it, you know.) And then today, Susan got up and said "today's the day" and Louise said "tell me when it's over ...

... and TA DA ...

... we have a new fountain on our porch! Pretty cool, eh? As our Grandma in Minnesota might say, "Better late than never, ya sure, you betcha!"

Ya' just never know who's likely to be your best friend.....

2007-09-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

They're an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China.
The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province.
After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon.
The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary. Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side, but they aren't the only ones to strike up an unusual friendship.

Earlier this year a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her piglets because his mother couldn't feed him. And in 2005 a baby dear named Mi-Lu befriended lurcher Geoffrey at the Knowsley Animal Park in Merseyside after she was rejected by her mother.

Our Uncle Billy's Birthday!

2007-09-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today is our Uncle Billy's birthday.

Our mom Susan says that on September 5, 1955 he arrived into her 15 month old life and they've been hanging out ever since ... how cute is THIS???

He went from being her tag-along little brother, to the high school football coach, painting contractor, father of two, NRA, Republican, weekend cowboy, wine connoisseur, going-to-be-a-grandpa-in-the-spring, fabulous person he grew up to be.

That was then ....

This is now ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

UNCLE BILLY!

ONE HUNDRED AND TEN IN THE SHADE!

2007-09-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

We just couldn't resist commenting on JUST HOW HOT IT IS!!!

"How hot IS it?" you ask ...

Exhibit A:
The Thermometer on Our Patio

It is LITERALLY one-hundred-and-ten-in-the-shade ... and there is nothing to be done for it but to wait it out and thank God for the air conditioning!!!

We each kind of did our own thing today ... Luna caught up on current events by watching the Sunday morning shows.

(She thinks the Dems have a good chance of picking up the Virginia Senate seat now that John Warner is stepping down.)

Harve staked out a spot just under the air conditioning vent in the bedroom and hasn't moved all day.

Our mom Louise spent most of the day with the New York Times ... a big chunk of it in the Travel Section -- looking for someplace cooler we think!

And our mom Susan had one eye on the TV and one eye on the laptop ... although she did manage to polish the stuff on the mantle and put some new flowers out --

She said it makes her feel cooler when it's clean around here.

Whatever.

We don't care HOW clean it is ...

When's it's ONE HUNDRED AND TEN IN THE SHADE it's just TOO DARNED HOT!!!! (Even for the Dog Park!!!)

LUNA: Swim Party, Anyone?

2007-08-31T16:40:00.001-07:00

So the moms decided "enough with lying around on the couch all day" (which is pretty much what we've been doing since it's been SO HOT around here) and it was time to get out and get some fresh air, so ....

We all piled into the car and drove to visit some friends who had ...A POOL!!

Harvey's an old hand at this pool stuff so he just found some shade, settled in and waited for the food to come out.

But I had to wander around and check it out first ...

It turns out there were people actually FLOATING in there which kind of creeped me out ...

And I sure wasn't interested in getting there (though they tried to lure me in!)

But I WAS interested when the chips and dip came out ... and so was Harvey -- funny how old, tired Harve perks up when the food comes out and gets his nose in there ahead of mine -- yum, yum!

And then the only thing better than drinks by the pool ...

... is dinner on the deck! (Look at shameless old Harve up there ready to catch anything that might come off the table by mistake ... he's a pro at this, you know ... I'm lucky to have such a great teacher in the details of dog life!)

And then, after a great day at the pool it was back home -- and back on the couch -- the perfect end to the perfect day!

LUNA'S REPORT FROM THE VACATION FRONT: When the going gets hot ...

2007-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

... we do NOTHING!!!
.

At least that's what's been happening at our house. It's been bloody hot here in Pasadena ... WAY too hot to even want to chase a ball or go to the dog park or to do just about anything! So here's how we're coping around here today ...

Birdie and Baby are sacked out on the bed ...

... while Harvey is likewise crashed on the bedroom floor.

Meanwhile, I've staked out my favorite summer sunbathing spot: the chaise lounge on the patio ...
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... but Walden wins the prize. He found the ONLY pile of clean laundry in the house and planted himself on top of it. Bet THAT'LL need washed again! He may not "be" cool but you gotta hand it to him ...he LOOKS pretty cool!
.

Oh well ... tomorrow is another day. Maybe it'll be cooler. And maybe not. Either way you can be sure that I'll be calling "dibs" on the chaise lounge again!

Luna's Excellent Wine Country Adventure

2007-08-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is all about my VERY excellent adventure into the wonderful world of wine making!

My moms are on vacation until after Labor Day and they started out with a trip to the Santa Ynez Wine Country and I got to come along! (We love Harvey but he's something called "too high maintenance" so he's at I Dig My Dog for the weekend.)

So they grow grapes around here ... and my Uncle Billy and Aunt Cindy (who live up here in Santa Ynez) make wine out of some of them ... and on the day they bottle the wine there's a BIG party and everybody comes to help. (Here's me waiting for the party to start.)

It turns out that it takes a lot of STUFF to make wine ... a machine to put the wine out of the barrels into the bottles ...

... a whole bunch of corks ....

... and then there are all the glasses for the people who are coming to TASTE the wine. (That seems to be a VERY important part of the process!)

This year they're bottling a "Barbera" ... (that's an Italian varital, you know -- you've got to keep up with your wine lingo!) ... and these are the clear bottles they start out flushing out the lines from the barrels.

Once the people started coming things started to move really fast.

The bottles were all washed and the lines were all primed ...... Uncle Billy got the cork machine ready to go ...

... and Aunt Cindy (she's the REAL brains behind this operation!) said, "ready, set, GO ..."

... and the wine started to flow!

And at that point SOMEBODY decided I was not as helpful as I thought I was so I got TIED UP a little removed from the action and -- a you may be able to tell -- I was NOT happy about it!

But my mom said they were there to bottle wine and not keep track of me so she just kept putting corks in the bottles and totally ignored how insulted I was.

And before you knew it there was one case done and then another ...

... and everybody pitched in to help ... (and taste!) ...

... and things were moving right along!

Once I realized it was all going so well I decided to just relax and enjoy the country air. (After all, I'M on vacation, too!)

And before you knew it the wine was bottled and the cases were stacked and ... sniff, sniff ... what's that Uncle Billy is doing in the background? Lighting the BBQ! NOW you're talking!

Even Aunt Cindy finally got a minute to put her feet up a little ... check out her official "wine" shoes. (I think they'd made great dog chewies but nobody was taking a chance on letting THAT one happen!)

While I missed out on the wine tasting at least they DID let me in on the hot dog tasting and I gave THAT an A+!!

Here's the finished product, ready to go home and fill up people's wine racks ...

And since the party is pretty much over ...

... I found a cozy spot and called it a day!

===========================

LUNA'S EXCELLENT
WINE COUNTRY ADVENTURE:

DAY TWO

We all slept in a little the next morning, but then ...

There were barrels to clean -- "pickle" Cindy calls it -- and some other bits and pieces to sort out so we were back at it again.

Uncle Billy put something called a "sulphur stick" inside the barrels after he lit it ...

... and then plugged up the hole ...

... and the barrels went back on their stands to get ready for the next wine making adventure.

There were bottles to wash out ...

... and then a bunch of unlabeled wine to sort through and decide what to keep ...

... and what to toss. (Here's Uncle Billy looking for "legs" in the glass of wine ... who knew?)

A few more bottles to fill and then ...

... after posing for a picture with their "job well done": Barbera Di Tutti 2006 ...

Uncle Billy and Aunt Cindy are ready to spend some time doing what I want to do ...

Scratching my belly!

Now THAT'S my idea of a VERY Excellent Adventure!

LUNA: All's Well That Ends Well

2007-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

So while our moms were away on a trip to New York a couple of weeks ago we had a little adventure in our neghborhood. Harvey went to I Dig My Dog but I stayed home and kept the cats company and our friends Stasia and Kelley took care of feeding us and taking me to the Dog Park. (I love when the world revolves around your every need, don't you?)

ANYWAY, the adventure was finding this little beagle dog wandering around our neighborhood. She was old and practically blind and she ended up kind of bunking here for awhile while they tried to find her family.

Signs went up all over the neighborhood and Stasia and another Kelly ... the one who lives down the street ... made phone calls and checked websites and really knocked themselves out trying to find either her home or A home for Ms Blind Beagle.

It was a real problem because the Pasadena Humane Society wouldn't take her because they found her in Altadena and the other place they would have taken her would only keep her for five days (I don't want to know any more about that, just for the record!)

Finally, they found a beagle rescue group that was willing to take her ... but they were out of state and it would be a few weeks. SO ... in case you're wondering where the "all's well that ends well" part comes in: the foster family who agreed to take her in until the rescue people showed up fell in love with her and they are now living happily ever after.

So let's give thanks for people who love animals and take care of them -- especially when they can't take care of themselves.

HARVEY: Another Day at the Dog Park

2007-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our moms love us SOOOO much that they take us to the dog park almost every single day. (OK ... in the interest of full disclosure they also like wearing Luna out so she doesn't torment the cats and get into everything all day ... I think they call that "enlightened self interest.)

Anyway, since some folks have asked "So what do you DO when you go to the dog park?" I thought I'd give you kind of Harvey-eyed view of A Day at the Dog Park! So here we are ... fresh out off our leashes and ready to rock and roll.

First we see the blondes and their moms. (The blondes are the dogs, not the moms!)

This is Dolce and Sylvia Beach ... two of the "Golden Girls" ...

... and here's Sahara ... she's a Labradoodle who's a little younger than Luna. (I may be 13 but I still have an eye for a blonde!)

Luna doesn't care so much about the blondes ... she has her own routine: she makes the rounds and tries get as many people to pet her as possible. Today she started with some guy we'd never seen before but that didn't slow her down ...

... then she moved on to some of the dog park regulars ...

...who can be counted on for a pat and an rub and a scratch behind the ears!

While Luna's making the rounds Barbara, Steve and Kenneth are on station ... keeping an eye on what's going on around the park. (Keeping an eye on each other's dogs is a BIG part of what dog people do at the dog park!)

Kenneth and I like to think of ourselves as Elder Statesmen ... sort of like the Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy of the Dog Park. At 12 & 13 we figure we've earned the right to move a little slower, take our time and just stop and smell the roses along the way.

Of course, Luna has no respect for seniority and just shoves right in between Kenneth and Barbara with her insatiable appetite for people petting. Barbara is a very good egg and here she is petting both of them.

"These youngsters," said Kenneth. "No respect, I tell you, no respect for their elders!"

Of course I'm a little embarrassed by her but I've given up trying to correct her "all about me" behavior. I heard someone once talk about why you shouldn't try to teach a pig to sing: it wastes your time and annoys the pig. That's kind of how I feel about teaching Luna manners at this point!

Meanwhile, here come Magnus ... he has TBO ... "tennis ball obsession" ... and really doesn't care about anything other than chasing that ball.

Whatever. I never really quite GOT the whole tennis ball chasing thing myself.

Magnus has learned to work the crowd ... here he is getting Kenneth's dad Steve to throw for him.

Steve even bought one of those plastic ball-chucking-things just to throw the ball for Magnus. How nice is THAT????

Then here comes Kelley ... the Pied Piperess of the Park ... Luna just goes CRAZY for her ...

... as you can see!

These are two of Kelley's dogs ... who knew there was such a thing as a Norwegian Lundehund -- my mom thought that was a made up name until she Googled them and darned if they weren't an honest to goodness breed of dog. (Not like the Austrian Elkhound she used to tell people I was!)

Here's one of our favorite Dog Park friends ... Kelley rescued him from New Orleans after Katrina ... his name is Bayou ... and he had a REALLY rough time for awhile but now he's just one of the gang ...

In fact, I think Luna has a little crush on him! But -- being the fickle thing she is ...

... she ditched him in the blink of an eye to get petted when this new family showed up. Shameless, I tell you, she's SHAMELESS!

As we were heading out we ran into Fred and his mom ... his mom brings him TWICE a day ... how lucky is FRED????

Then back in the car to go home ... we've got that drill down by now!

One variation today, however ... when Luna got home she was horrified to find that her normal post-dog-park-nap-spot had been staked out by Walden -- the don't-you-EVEN-mess-with-me feline member of our household.

So Miss Pushy-Pushy, Pet-Me, Pet-Me had to settle for the floor for her nap today.

Which made it an "all's well that ends well" day at the dog park for ME! And I'm ready for my OWN nap in my OWN backyard, thank you very much!

THE END

You Mean There are OTHER Dog-Blog-Moms Out There?

2007-07-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

We thought ours were the only ones!

-- Harvey and Luna

Now they think I'm a WOLAMUTE!!!

2007-07-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

"What kind of dog IS she?"

That's a question my moms get about me ALL the time. One of them doesn't really care ... she just wants me to be the kind of dog who doesn't chew up shoes. The other is ... well ... kind of "focused" on figuring it out. (We've also heard the word "obsessed" bandied about but I'm going to use "focused" for these purposes.)

Anyway, some nice folks from the Dog Park, Barbara & Steve ... the parents of my friend Kenneth, the semi-retired-guide-dog ... put my mom onto this website about the WOLAMUTE ... a cross between a Malamute and a Timber Wolf. Some people call them "designer breeds" ... others call them "cross breeds" (there's also "mutts" but we won't go there) ... but whatever you call them even I have to admit there seems to be some family resemblance.

Here's one of the temperment descriptions from the site: "... a wonderful companion and although extremely willful and skittish, she is a sweet, and good humored pet. " My mom says "if the shoe fits wear it, don't chew it" and I think this shoe probably fits me pretty good.

And here's a photo of one of the Wolamutes ... Logan ... who just might be a second or third cousin, don't you think?

[photo @ dogbreedinfo.com]

Well, whatever I am, I'm getting back up on the couch for my afternoon nap. It's going to be another hot one in Pasadena today and I'm staking out the prime nap spot before somebody else snags it!