091, originally uploaded by MyHeart4Him.

I bought my kids a "hairy ball" and (of course) they popped the ball within 24 hours. PJ put it on his head, like a wig and that got me to thinking....

So, I got out my trusty sissors and started cutting. before long, Dash had his own Dash size wig. I can't say he liked it, but he was a good sport.

Does he look like a rock star to you?

Here's Milaney.

And all four dogs piled in! They must love smooshing against each other because Milaney looks totally unfazed by the crowd! The other three iggies are Sicily, Rome and Mea.

And if you're ever in Kimberly's neighborhood, be sure to stop by her boutique store, The Haute Hound, and you might just be lucky enough to meet the awesome foursome in person!

Linny

www.room-candy.com

Room Candy - always yummy!

There are times, when something happens and for some odd reason will make Pippin mad. It can be something as little as losing the toy in a tug-of-war. He's a very bad sport, you know. When that happens, I can tell him to stop and be quiet, and he will, though he sometimes complains a little. But he doesn't obey my siblings like he does me. Just about a week ago, my youngest sister was holding him. I don't exactly remember what she was doing, but for some reason, Pippin was mad, and was struggling and complaining and fussing in her arms. Then, for some reason, she bent her head and gave him a kiss on the head. Immediately, Pippin calmed down! He settled back down peacefully! Amazed, I decided to test this discovery to see if it was coincidence, or more then that. A few days later, Pippin lost a game of tug-of-war, and he lost his temper at the same time. The silly thing about that, is that it's always Pippin who's daring us to try and take his toy, hoping to start a game of tug-of-war. Why he keeps trying, when he knows he can't win, I'm not sure. It may have something to do with our being nice to him and letting him have it sometimes, but then again it may not. Anyway, Pippin was in a rage, growling and making his shrill yippy-sounding bark, the sound he makes when he's mad. Now, I could have stopped it with a command, but instead I yelled "Kiss him! Kiss him!!!", and my youngest sister caught him up (to a chorus of angry barks at the intrusion on his tirade) and smacked her lips on his head. Sure enough, Pippin went from a wild rage, to a happy and satisfied little creature, sitting in my sister's lap, perfectly content. Ridiculus, I know, but it's true. Every time it happens, and he's changed from "vicious" to happy, I roll my eyes, or laugh, either one. Crazy, isn't it? From the lion, to the lamb. Transformed, by a kiss. Goofy, and rather rotten too. Don't you think?

Next up - Barkley and Roshi, a Portugese Water Dog (we think) and a Bernese Mountain Dog. Both were such happy dogs with the sweetest faces and were a lot of fun to photograph.

Pippin does not like being shot at with a toy gun. When my brother points the gun at him, he leaps up and barks, growling at it. But then, his tail's wagging the whole time. He knows it won't hurt him, but he seems to know what it's supposed to do. How, I really don't know! 

He knows about arrows too. I have a little 9 inch tall bow that is black, and does not bend, the string is a wimpy bungee cord. It came with three little plastic arrows, colored bright red and yellow, the ends are suction cups, and it has little bity things on the other end that are supposed to be feathers, but are plastic and are only a quarter of an inch tall at the highest point. I'm not exactly sure where we got it, but it had been sitting in our garage forever, so I rescued it. I have this thing about bows, you see. One day I'll get a real one, but for now, the cheap-o toy makes do. Because it has suction cups, and has very little force when it flys, my siblings and I started trying to shoot one another, standing still while the other ran around. Oh, the things people think of when they are bored! Pippin, always eager to play, found the running person very interesting. Being a sighthound, he ran after the sibling, barking and growling playfully. Needless to say, he got annoying, and he wouldn't listen to orders of "quiet" for very long. I'm not sure he could help it. The running person turned on all his instincts. Anyhow, since he wouldn't get out of the way- whisht! I shot him with the arrow. He was very surprised, but completely unhurt. He didn't even pretend to be hurt, and that is something in itself! After that, it became a game. He would bark at us when he saw the string being pulled back with an arrow on it, pointing in his direction. He would run and hide when he could, but if not, he would run up straight to the lion's mouth, as they say, and bite at the end of the arrow! He did this, because he knows that we won't shoot him at that close a range! He barked, and growled, wagging his tail and having fun. He even stole my arrows when they hit the ground! He'd grab them up and run away! He likes playing with bows and arrows. See why Pippin and I have so much fun together? We even share the same interests! LOL!

He learned the same thing about rubber-bands. I was shooting my brother with them, because he thought I couldn't (I did!), and Pippin quickly learned what a rubber-band could do when stretched out between two fingers. At first, he merely squinted his big eyes, with an expression so cute, I just started laughing, but I never shot when he was turned towards me, as I didn't want to hit his little face. He charged rubber-bands too, barking and wagging his tail the whole time. When the rubber-band hit the floor, he dove for it, trying to get it before we did, but I always either got it first, or he dropped it. He played the game with us, just as good a sport as one of us!

He plays another game really well too. You know the game some people play with babies, where the big person pertends to "eat" the baby? I've done it to many a baby, because it never seems to fail to bring up giggles. I had no idea that my sisters were doing that to Pippin, until a few weeks ago. I watched, as my youngest sister held Pippin, and proceeded to "eat" him. "Um num num num! Mmm, you taste good! UUM num num num num num!" To my astonishment, Pippin lifted his lips and bared his teeth and began to bark and growl, but all in play! His tail was wagging, and later he was perfectly happy to cuddle with her, unlike he would if she had "hurt his feelings" or made him mad. He would sulk. But no! He liked it! It was as if he was saying "You can't eat me! I'm a big tough dog, and I wouldn't taste good anyway. Leave me alone!" but was play-acting it. I could only laugh. Then when I tried it, he turned his head and growling, began to "eat" me, gently putting his teeth on my cheek and pretending to chew!

The longer I have Pippin, the more I love him and realize how perfectly he fits our family, fits me. I thank God nearly everyday for the gift I have from him in PIppin. He is so good.

Pippin wasn't too traumatized after his experience, he just settled right back down in the pillows. "Ah well. All's well that ends well, that's what I say." rofl! This dog cracks me up!

A few years back, when we had our "baby crop", as we call our herd of goat kids, we were letting all our goats into the back yard to eat things. Don't get me wrong, they had close supervision. There were many bushes and things that were off limits, and the goats were not allowed to eat them. We were doing this during a drought, because our back yard (which is a full acre) was watered every week, and it was growing much better then the pasture. Those of you who have read Pippin's Page on the rescue site (in my links) will remember that my Mom mentioned; "He herds the animals when asked & protects certain plants when the goats are loose.", direct quote. Well, it was during the back yard goat dinners that he did that. It was very humourous! We laughed at him, and cheered him on gaily. I think he was pleased with his power, being so little he doesn't get to be the boss very often, not to mention the fact that he got to be the center of attention at the same time!

But, sadly, he was not the center of attention all the time. Like I said, this was while we still had a baby crop, and they were old enough that they were eating too a little. They were (and are, though no longer babies!) so cute, that it was a joy to watch them and make sure they ate nothing wrong. My Mom had the priviledge at the moment. They were over at the side of the house, and on the house were some scraggly creepers that really needed to be cut down anyway. So my Mom let the babies nibble on that, smiling at them, and telling them how cute they were, and all that. Not that I blame her. I've yet to see anyone who could take one glance at a goat kid and not say "How cute!", and I am no exeption. ; ) Anyway, Pippin came wandering up. The goats were being well behaved, his services were not needed,  he was bored, and he was feeling unappreciated, and jealous.

"Those great big mooses are getting all my people's attention, and even though they're naughty, and clumsy, ugly, and brainless, for some alien reason, they're getting petted, talked to, cooed over, and all that nonsense. Now why don't they do that to me? I'm an excelent helper, graceful, handsome and very, very smart. So then, what can I do to get them to look at me also? I'm cute too, you know!" His thoughts were displayed by his actions. First, he walked over to my Mom, reared up, and put his paws on her, stretching luxuriously. That is one of his ways of begging for notice, and hopefully a stroke on the head to boot. But my Mom told him "down", and didn't pet him. He got down obediently, but was still determined to show that he was every bit as cute as a goat. He turned around and eyed the kids resentfully. My Mom paid him no more heed. But, the next thing she knew, Pippin was amongst the kids, reaching up and gingerly pulling leaves off the vine! He pulled them off, tossed his head a little (just like the goats did), and then dropped it (which the goats did not do). Then he plucked another leaf, and pretended to eat it, then dropped it on the ground! My Mom was laughing, and yes, she told Pippin he was cute too. I guess he was. rofl!

To this day, if she talks about that incident, she will still laugh, and frankly so do I. I only wish that I was there to see it too... Life is so not fair, isn't it?

Lately, I've been writing a fair amount of short stories about Pippin. I thought I'd like to share one with y'all, and see what you think! My sibilings think they're wonderful, but then again, they think all my stories are wonderful. So, here goes;

William Tell; Don’t Shoot the Dog!   

“I Don’t want to! I won’t!” said Pippin stubbornly.

“Well, you’ve got to.” said DoRight. “Since you can’t be trusted, I’m supposed to keep an eye on you, and since I’m the director and lead actor of this play, I have to be here, which automatically translates into you having to be here with me. We need somebody to be the son, and you’re the smallest, so, you’re got to be him!”

“No I don’t!” protested Pippin, “I don’t want you shooting at me!”

“I won’t be, Pippin! Just the apple!.”

“But you’ll miss.” said Pippin, “And then what happens to me?”

“Nothing! Even if I do miss, it’s only got suction cups on it, so it won’t even hurt.”

“Oh yes it will!” cried Pippin, flushing with indignation, “I’d poke my eyes out! And then you’d be sorry!”

“It won’t poke your eye out, Pip” said DoRight, in a tone that clearly said Oh Brother.

“Yes it will! And then-!”

A blast of music interrupted him.

“That’s it! The play’s about to start!” cried DoRight, “Know your lines?” he asked Pippin.

“Lines? What lines? I’m not-”

“Yes you are!” interrupted DoRight fiercely, “You’re being the son if I have to drag you on the stage! When we go, it’s up to you, whether you say your lines, or embarrass yourself. ‘Choose for you, this day’!”

Pippin gulped. He knew DoRight meant business. Hurriedly he dropped his gaze to the script in his paw.

“You’ve got 5 minutes to learn that.” said DoRight.

Pippin muttered something inaudible, but diligently studied his lines.

Fortunately, there weren’t very many lines to learn, and when DoRight and Pippin- or William Tell and son –went out on the stage, Pippin’s lines were delivered with so much grace and ease, one would never guess he had just learned them.

Everything went well, until it came time for the soldiers to take the son and tie him up to the tree. As they laid their paws on Pippin’s shoulders, panic seized him. He did not want to be shot.

“No! No! Don’t touch me! You can’t! You can’t make me!” he shrieked, and twisted in the bigger dogs’ grip, trying desperately to get away.

This was not in the script, and the soldiers kept giving DoRight glances. Now what? DoRight had to do something fast.

“Be still my son,” said DoRight, making up the words on the spot. “There comes a time in everydog’s life when he must face the fury of the storm like a rock in the sea. We can face it with that strength, because we have our trust in God. Be still, and know that he is God, my son.” He gave Pippin a meaningful look, and Pippin cringed visibly.

            Trembling, he allowed the soldiers to tie him to the prop tree, and set the apple on his head. He watched apprehensively as DoRight pulled back the string of the bow.

            What he didn’t know, was that at that moment, DoRight was thinking about what Pippin had said earlier.

            “It’d poke my eye out!”

            “No it wouldn’t,” DoRight had responded. Now, looking down the shaft of the plastic arrow, Pippin’s head was not that much bigger then the stuffed apple. It would be so easy to miss…

            But it wouldn’t hurt me if I got hit in the face! thought DoRight. No it wouldn’t. Said another thought. But Pippin’s a wimp. Really! He can’t help it! He was born weak! So what would happen if I did hit him?

            DoRight swallowed nervously. He didn’t know, and he really didn’t want to find out. He hated to make his people angry, and if he hurt Pippin, there would be plenty of reason to for them to get mad. He was supposed to watch Pippin, and keep him safe! Not poke his eye out!

            DoRight drew a deep breath, and let fly the arrow.

            Pippin gasped and shut his eyes tight. There was a faint thunk, and when he opened his eyes, the arrow had entered the slit prepared for it and was drooping down ‘till it nearly touched his nose.

            The crowd erupted in cheers and clapping and shouts of hurrah! And Pippin breathed a sigh of relief, simultaneous with DoRight’s.

            After the play was ended, DoRight, Pippin, and all of the cast went down and signed autographs. Pippin was pleased with the attention, and he signed his autograph with a huge smile on his face.

            A beautiful Chihuahua came walking up with a shirt in her paw. She sniffed, and rubbed a paw across her mascara-plastered eyes, then smiled at Pippin.

            “Will you sign this for me?” It was a souvenir shirt with the name of the play on it; William Tell.

            “Sure!” said Pippin, glad to oblige.

As he signed the shirt, the Chihuahua spoke.  “You’re my favorite.”

Pippin looked up, shocked. “Really?”

“Oh, yes! You’re such a good actor!” now she was beginning to gush, “When you were fighting to free yourself from the soldiers, it looked so real, I thought you really were fighting them! My heart was pounding wildly! Oh, and when William said that, why, I burst into tears! What acting! What a hero he was, that son! So courageous!”

Pippin was blushing, but it was hidden under his red fur on his head. Yet, he was immensely pleased.

“Oh, thank you!” said the Chihuahua, when he was done, “I’ll-, I’ll tell all my friends, and, why, we’ll all come back together, and-, and watch it again!”

“Excellent!” said Pippin, in his charming way, “I shall be delighted to have you honor us with your presence once more! I look forward to the occasion.”

The Chihuahua giggled and blushed, and moved off to get more autographs. But there was little room left for them; Pippin had written his so big, it fair took up the entire back of the shirt!

Meanwhile, DoRight was signing a ticket for a male Boxer about his age.

“Great show,” the Boxer was saying, “You-all did a good job.”

DoRight nearly cringed at the “you-all” (which, to a southerner, is about the most irritating imitation of  “y’all” that was ever created), but he mastered his feelings and said “Thank you!” very politely.

“I especially liked the part where William is about to have to shoot the apple on his son’s head. That little squirt was a good actor, playing he was trying to get away like that. But that speech of yours, well, that really was the icing on the cake! That was great. You’re a great actor, and you’ve got a great script writer too.”

DoRight looked up. He didn’t know what to say. He was flabbergasted.

The Boxer continued, “And then when you pulled the string and were about to shoot, well, I really thought you were afraid to shoot!”

DoRight said nothing.

“You both looked scared, actually,” added the Boxer, “yeah man, you got a real show. Thanks dude!” He waved the ticket and walked off.

“Hey! Hey Do’!”

DoRight turned around. He was backstage, and it was Pippin talking.

“Hey, when do you plan to do this again?”

DoRight raised an eyebrow, “I thought you didn’t want to do this?”

“Well, I’ve changed my mind.” said Pippin, in such a decided tone, it was almost annoying.

“Every Saturday for two months, if you wanna know.”

“Two months?! Oh, good!”

“What, you like it?” asked DoRight, surprised.

“Of course I do! I like to act, you know that!”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“Oh, and, uh, DoRight?”

“Yeah?”

“I think they liked it.”

“Uh-huh… oh, Pippin?”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t poke your eye out.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah. No, you didn’t.”

   The End!

This is her! My new little IG puppy!!  Help me with a name.

This is the puppy attacking the cat!

on to of trying to sort through paperwork and take pain pills--i'm very worried about bella now too. she's been acting weird for almost three days, just moving slow, not wanting to play, and needing to be carried everywhere. we decided it was a good idea to take her to the vet today, so it would be a scheduled appointment and during the day. considering her history and the problems that this breed has with their back legs and backs, we were more than worried. i was too tired to go, and that has it's own set of guilt. the vet did her exam and the did x-rays on her back. it seems that her lower vertebrate may be pinching a nerve, but the vet wanted a radiologist to take a look, and of course they won't be back until monday. they took some blood to do a lyme test, she had tick on her when i had my cast on and i wanted to get her tested for that as well, since i know dogs can also be infected and she has been generally a bit more tired the past few months. she got a shot of pain medicine and she's going back on her anti-inflammatory. she was a real trooper, very sweet to everybody, and very pitiful-didn't even need to be sedated for x-rays (that maybe more about the not wanting to move thing, but we'll take what we can get, this was despite the bad circumstances a good visit for the vet and this dog has really been through some rough vet visits). she's lost weight and is now at a normal weight, which is good news because she gained a bit of weight the last time her back was bothering her. now we know how to keep her weight in check while she is on rest and the lost weight should help keep her back from getting further injury. jakki brought her home and she's been laying in bed resting on watching movies. she just had her dinner and medicine and then went out side shortly and made a small growl, she's back in the bed with me now with the heat pack on her back. it seems the pain medicine has worn off, it she's still feeling this bad tomorrow, we may need to call for more medicine. hopefully the anti-inflammatory will do it's thing, it has in the past, but it does take some time.

i always knew we loved out pets and with my current state i try to see the best in each day. i also realize how dependent i am on bella, she helps keep my spirit up and takes care of me while jakki is away or working. i hate to see her in pain and it's really hard to know that i can't make her feel better right away. i'm worried about going to see dr. j on friday and be gone for so long, we have to have somebody come over and check on them and i'm worried about how she'll do. we'll just try to take one moment at a time. there's been lots of snuggles and kisses, because she really is a great dog. oh, and keely's fine, she just has a whole lot of energy now that bella is resting and not able to play.

And so, a few days later, the family was going to stop by again. When they got there, the Mother told us what the little girl had been saying. "When are we going to Pippin's house, Mommy? Are we going soon? Are we going to Pippin's house?" LOL LOL LOL! ROFL!

Me, when I thought we got stood up!

Obie and Crickett

 
Heidi and Jose

Obie, just before hitting a HR

Jose, about to hit his second HR!

A couple of years ago, I designed a sweater for Pippin.  It has gone through several revisions, including his Coat of Many Colors, but I now have a design that fits him pretty well.  The sweater is blue/purple and he wears it several times in the video. I've received feedback from the awesome IGsters at IG Post & some are interested in the hand-knit sweater pattern. So, I'm going to finish putting to it together on paper and fine-tune it, in order to have it as a free down-load here on my blog. I want to do it in three different sizes, but I need your help...

I need as many of you Iggy Owners out there to measure your "stinker".  The more the merrier!  More measurements mean I can be more accurate on my sizing.  Pippin doesn't meet the Iggy 15 inch standard in height, so I think his sweater would be a bit big on the "wee Iggies" out there. 

So, what size is your Iggy? 

1. How tall is your Iggy at the shoulder?
2. How many inches around the largest part of the chest?
3. How many inches from the front of the chest and around the shoulders?
4. And how long is he/she from the base of the neck to the base of the tail?

Thank y'all sooo much!! This will really help me out and the little Iggies who are blessed enough to get new sweaters this winter! You can send the measurements to me via personal message at IG Post.

Speaking of having a bad day, Primo was equally troubled this weekend when he was subjected to a bath:

So here I am actually updating.

Lets talk about whats occurred since we last spoke. I quit that one job, now I have another I somewhat start tommorrow. We'll see how that goes. OMG MY CAT JUST SNORTED....

That was wierd.

Anyways, we'll see. Keighsie has a new job.... Hacienda lighting did layoffs and she was one to go. Sad times.

It rained today and snow capped our lovely mountain tops

Oh, the only reason I can take these pics is because I got a new lens. My other one broke and as opposed to waiting years while it was in for repair, I just bought a new one. Id been wanting a telephoto lens, and so here it is. I may need one a little shorter range Im having trouble photographing as close as Im used to and the remote only clicks oh so far.

On an antique stuff run again, as with last mercury retrograde. So here is a sneak peak of one of our many collected bodices.

See how the telephoto lens makes product photography challenging?

This also occurred. I have no idea who ordered two giant sails, we dont even own a sailboat..

Hmm owning a sailboat may be worth looking into.. considering the antique nature of the boat in general......... heeheehee

1. The first thing I suggest is to get that puppy around as many well-socialized adult dogs as you can find.  This is extremely important for the mental well-being of the pup in order for him to continue learning proper body language.  Playgroups are great, but dog daycare is even better!  See if you can get your dog enrolled in the nearest dog daycare tomorrow.  Off-leash play with well-behaved adult dogs is a must.
2. The next best thing is to get that pup around as many different people and places as you possibly can.  Your puppy should have the opportunity to pleasantly meet people of different sizes, races, and ages.  Making these meetings as joyful as possible will help your pup to learn that people are not to be feared or dreaded.  On that same note, getting the dog out and about to different locations will help to ensure that he looks forward to going places with you.
3. Lastly but certainly not least, the use of a crate is an absolute must.  Keep in mind that if you cannot keep an eye on your pup, he should be in his crate.  This helps tremendously with housetraining, and also helps with managing other situations such as chewing inappropriate objects.  Give him something to do that he has to look forward to in his crate such as a stuffed Kong or a Nylabone.  And please remember to spend quality time with the little guy.  His experiences with you should not just be taking him outside and putting him back in his crate!  Interaction with you will help build a stronger lifetime bond.

Congratulations on your pup.  Having a dog is a lifetime commitment, and the training should never end.  Remember that life with a puppy can be hectic at times, but the amount of effort you put in while he is a youngster will help him to grow into a great adult companion!

Copyright 2008.  All rights reserved.  Sandi Hansen.  Sandi's K9 Management.

Disclaimer:  I am not a great photographer and I'm not trying to present myself as such.  I simply enjoying taking and sharing photos of my dogs, regardless of their quality.

Without further ado, my new site which is sure to undergo some changes while I'm trying to get it set up:  Life with Iggies

No matter how much I disliked yesterday's storm, I can say with certainty that there's one little creature who hated it even more:

Have you ever seen anything so pathetic?

 We ended up with the Nikon D40x and two lenses.  I'm addicted.  Despite my ignorance, this camera takes great photos.  I'm now capturing shots that would have been nothing more than a blur with my old point and shoot.  Plus, you just feel like a photographer when you use this camera.  You can't help it. 

These are some pictures that I snapped right out of the box.  Sorry to bore you with dog photos again.  They're not perfect (or even close to it) but keep in mind my dogs run at speeds of up to 30 mph.  I need some more experience before I can capture them properly.  All in all, I'm really satisfied so far.

I had a lot of time to myself this weekend since Barry was off at the Sox game on Friday and working all day Saturday.  I used some of the time to torture my dogs with the camera.  I was cleaning house when I caught them snuggled up in a sun spot on my pillow.  Perfect!  It’s the one time when I can really get some good shots because they’re far too comfortable to move.  I don’t know much about photography but I like these pictures and think they capture the personalities of my little furry ones.

For Christmas this year, Barry and I are going to forego presents to each other and splurge on a nice digital SLR camera.  I'm so excited.  I think we'll probably take a class somewhere just so we have a better idea of what we're doing.  Barry took some courses in college but it's been a while.  The dogs are seriously gonna hate us!

Anyway, hope you enjoy these.

Friday - bachelorette party

Saturday - hanging out in the city with another couple until late (for me) 

Sunday - staying up late to watch the Sox/Pats games

By Monday morning, it was very clear that I'm not as young as I used to be. 

I need to add a little filler to this blog so here's a look into Teddy's hypnotic eyes.