Category Archives: Uncategorized

Grumbling….Grumbling…..I Do Not Like This, Sam-I-Am!

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I have come to the conclusion that I do not like Word Press for a blogging tool. 

I think it’s hard to negotiate   I think it’s unfriendly.  I think when I type in “wordpress” it should take me to my main blog page and from there I can write a new blog. I think it’s hard to find stuff. I think they’re always trying to squeeze a buck out of you.  Upgrade?  For what?  Your interface sucks.

And since when should you have to PAY for templates???  What the heck is THAT about?  Some of the templates are $68, 75 and up!  Why?

I know lots of people use WordPress but I prefer Blogger or blogspot.  It’s probably because I started blogging there.  Even with the new interface, which I’m not thrilled with, I still prefer it. 

So please, if you are reading this….and I thank you for doing so, I’ll link all my blogs from now one indiviually to Blogspot and you can read, rant, comment there. I do encourage you to read my blog at blogspot too!

The address Is:

http://miaharted.blogspot.com/

MORE Shootings? Here’s An Idea

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Insert Heavy Sarcasm…..

Hey you idiot, murdering, shooting scum-buckets who really feel the need to shoot/bomb your mother, your co-workers, a school full of kids, a building full of people because you’re a (insert your handy “excuse” here)!

Hey, you!  I’m talking to YOU!

You, the idiot who ends your little joy-ride, killing spree by offing yourself?

Please SAVE SOME INNOCENT BULLETS — just cut to the quick, no foreplay —  get to the end.

Your mom, family and friends will be upset, depressed, pissed off etc because you’re dead.  I feel bad for the family of these men who go on these shooting, killing sprees.

And please don’t get all “You Femi-Nazi Man Hater” on me.  Yes, folks, it IS mostly MEN.

First of all, you are giving all real MEN who face major (or minor) illness, injury, employment loss, death, war, dismemberment, catastrophe, loss a really bad name.

For every one of you losers there are hundreds of thousands, millions of men, world-wide, of all faiths, ages, nationalities, socio-economics who pony up every day and just keep on keeping on. For every jerk who pulls this stupidity, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of men (and women) reaching out a helping hand. Worldwide.

So please, do us all a favor.

You decided to not man (or woman) up and face your problems, demons, whatever the latest catch-phrase or “excuse du jour” is.  Oh, wah-wah.  We all have problems.

So, OK, you decide to NOT take out a few or a bunch of people and you off yourself. Now your mother/family/friends have to grieve and wonder what the hell did they do wrong.  For the rest of their lives.  You got your revenge.  Nice job. A**hole.

Happy now?

I sure hope not.

Thanks, you jerk-off.  You weren’t dying of terminal cancer.  And even if you were, you sure as heck didn’t need to take out one, two or a hundred folks with you.

You’re not “wounded.”  You’re not “disturbed.”  You’re not a martyr. YOU, buster, are a jerk.

You know what?  I hope when you pass from this life into the next, it’s not a Next Life, it’s limbo.  It’s the worst kind of hell YOU could possibly imagine.  I hope for all eternity every life you took haunts your sorry a**.  I hope all the stuff you tried to get away from follows you for all eternity.  I hope Karma bitch-slaps you eternally.

Oh, and all your folks out there killing for any religious reasons or in a Paradise ridden hype-up?  I hope you never get to rest. I hope the 100 virgins you were supposed to get are 100 menopausal women who will harp on you. Forever. I need not bring up animal abusers….

I hope no animal you’ve ever owned meets you anywhere in the land of sunshine and rainbows. They’ll be too busy helping your victims cross over.

I hope the Universe kicks your ass.

I hope your family grieves, misses you, prays for you but eventually GETS on with their LIVES!  My prayers are for THEM.

If you just saved some damn bullets and shot yourself FIRST you would save countless lives.

Thank you.

The Rest Of Us

It’s A Small World After All…..

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Especially in the theater.  Especially in northeast Ohio theater……

 As of this date (Jan. 29, 2013) I’m in tech week for a show called THE ROBIN HOOD CAPER at Brecksville Little Theater.  I have a small but fun “Dubonnet” role (you gotta love those) and I don’t come on until the 3rd act.  My fellow actors are a great bunch, no weirdos, no egos.  I’ve worked with Steve and Linda who play two of the four leads.  We’ve done murder mysteries and at least one play together.

 My hen-pecked husband is played by a nice guy named Joe.  He’s friendly, funny and easy to work with!  He’s also a bit shorter than me once I put on my high heels and ugly, floral hat!  It’s a great sight gag.

 As actors are wont to do (those of us who don’t bear the brunt of being on stage all the time, as the four leads must do) we sit around and do a lot of  bullsh*ting.  We do talk “theater” but we also talk about other stuff; animals, work, photography, travel, history, family. We have a lot of time together off stage.  It’s a lovely group of folks, all very professional yet silly!

Last night, I was starting to share a story about my first professional theater gig.  I was 16 years old and it was 19… Well….let’s say it was decades ago. 

I began my story with: “I was doing a musical at Showboat Theatre in Cleveland….”

 

“SHOWBOAT????  IN CLEVELAND???” interrupts Joey excitedly, “WHAT PLAY???”

 

“Carnival…” I reply.

 

“OH MY GOD, I DID THAT PLAY!!! I think I did it at Showboat!!!!” hollers Joey!

 

“Really??  Holy crap, no way!! You know, I think I might still have the program….”

 

“Do you still have the program? Oh my God, I’d love to see it!” he asks hopefully.  I said I’d look for it.  He is wildly excited about this. I’m feeling a bit embarrassed that I didn’t remember or recognize him.  Of course he didn’t remember or recognize me either, so there you are!

 

 

After rehearsal, I half-heartedly searched through my pictures and stuff, thinking I do remember having seen the damn program fairly recently but I’ll bet (in a megan-induced “I-have-to-get-rid-of-sh*t” frenzy) I pitched it.

 

There, tucked loosely into a old scrapbook, is the program.

 

I almost weep with joy!

 

For some odd reason, I’ve not saved many programs.  I heard somewhere along the line that it was egotistical, wasteful and downright stupid to save old programs.  Perhaps it survived many purges because it was my first professional “I got paid” show.

With shaking hands I open the four-decades old program and scan the cast.

 

I see my picture and bio and turn the page……..

 

It just goes to show you: Old Actors Never Die.  You’ll probably work with them again at some point.

 

So, dear Joey Vartorella, who plays my hen-pecked husband, it is true pleasure to work with you again.

 

Even if it took (almost) 43 years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Your Pittie Got Knocked Up….

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Heck, if your “any type” b*tch got knocked up….. 

 

It’s particularly bad for “Pit” or “Block-head” types for a wide variety of reasons.  Dog fighting, BSL, etc. etc. etc. 

 

Oh, dear, folks here are going to upset about this one.  The pregnant Pit. I can see them with pitchforks,  gathering wood for fires and setting up the stake in the courtyard…..they’re brushing off the pillory….plucking chickens, heating up the tar….

 

If I had my cat’s “oops pregnancy” to do over again, I’d spay-abort.  But she was due in 10 days. (So the vet at the APL said. Not.)  Granted, those kittens, (now well into their teens) had good homes and good lives. But I was a total Nazi when it came to homes for them.  A She-wolf!

 

Are you ready to take back any one of those puppies at any time during its life, which can be up to 16-18 years from now?  If not, don’t do it. 

 

Do you have totally checked and vetted-out homes for at least 2 times as many puppies as she will have?  Pittie type litters average between 4-10.  If you don’t have all those people lined up with large deposits, no “yeah-buts we’ll take one”…..Don’t do it.  

 

Many people from Rescue and Pit advocacy groups will be very upset about this mistake in dog management. And rightly so. I come from a slightly different angle here, having been in purebred dogs for over 20 years. And no, I’ve never bred a litter or stood my intact dogs at stud. Yes, admittedly you were completely at fault for not being vigilant  A solid tie can happen way quicker than you’d every imagine. (And if you don’t know what that term means….yikes!)  

 

Yes, she should be spayed and your boy should be neutered.  There is no question about that. We’re not talking show dogs here. And many people who show their dogs never breed them. And if neither parent has been health tested for hips, elbows, eyes (PRA, DLL), heart, Van Wildebraun’s etc. then spay-abort. Does one or both parents have skin issues, severe allergies? These are all genetically carried problems that can impinge on the quality of those pups’ lives. If you’ve never heard of any of this stuff or if you have NO idea what I’m talking about, you should spay-abort. 

 

However….if you are really going to go through with this, I hope like hell you have a clean, quiet, warm house, whelping box, old blankets, towels, tons of newspapers a SUPER great vet, a good ER vet clinic and some super-experienced dog people versed in whelping to help you.  If you’re going to continue forward with this….please, I beg you: DO IT RIGHT. Find someone reputable who breeds medium to large-sized purebred dogs on a very limited basis. Not a backyard breeder or an “Oops Breeder”. Not your friend down that street whose b*tch got knocked up last year. (Whelping Toy Breeds is a whole ‘nother story). You need their advice and wisdom.

 

Momma dog should be going to the vet every week for her pre-natal check up and probably be ultra-sounded as well. If she has a breech pup, it could kill her; she may need a Cesarean. That’s at least $1,000 there.  If you’re lucky.

 

Some vets will do very early spay/neuters on the puppies. I do beg you, SPEND THE MONEY. please do not let the puppies go without having them fixed, micro-chipped and fully vetted.  Parvo kills! 

 

People who responsibly breed dogs (and don’t ya’all dare flame me with your “all breeders are scum” vigilante spew) spend a ton of money and never get it back. She’s a Pittie type, so you are going to have to be uber-vigilant about who gets those puppies. I’d do serious background checks, check ALL their references, do a pre-home visit and have a contract that says at any time WITHOUT NOTICE you can visit where that dog lives. Are you ready to be their guardian and advocate for the rest of their lives?

 

You must be prepared to do the “Smart Puppy Program” with these little ones. If you have no idea what I’m taking about, spay-abort. You can Google that and see if you’re up to the task. It will make them much better dogs as they grow. 

 

The average responsible breeder of ANY breed, will spend $250-$1,000+ PER puppy on pre-natal, post natal care and puppy care. That’s not including testing done on both parents. 

 

It is a full time job 24/7 for 8-10 weeks.  By the way, don’t let anybody b.s. you….letting puppies go at any age before then (like 5-6 weeks) is totally irresponsible, in my opinion. I know I know, shelters do it.  I do not approve. Even though Mom has weaned them she still has a lot to teach them.  DON’T DO IT.  Once puppies are mobile, they really become a full-time job with full-time, never-ending clean up.  Puppies are noisy, adorable, messy, destructive, little heart-stealing monsters.

 

Since this was an unplanned pregnancy, I would SERIOUSLY consider a spay-abort even at this late stage.  She’ll be OK. Remember! She and the pups are YOUR responsibility for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Even when they go to new homes, THEY ARE YOURS ALWAYS. You should be there always for your puppy owners, revel in their accomplishments and cry with their owners when they go to The Bridge, old and grey and loved to the very end.

 

That being said…puppy breath is pretty special stuff, no denying that. But most people are woefully unprepared for the responsibility, time and expense to do it RIGHT. You must be totally committed to doing it right for the rest of their lives. 

 

 

A Note To Northeast Ohio Rescue Groups

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And, no it’s not a warm and fuzzy note…..

I think ALL the shelters in Northeast Ohio, all the dog clubs (training and showing, purebred and performance), trainers, educators and all the rescues, every stinkin’ one of you, need to get together and figure out ways to help animals.

Here’s what needs to happen:

We all need to educate people esp., kids in the schools, about proper pet ownership, responsibility, compassion, bite prevention and breed education. We need to educate them as to where to get a dog or cat when the time is right.  A shelter, a legitimate rescue, a responsible breeder.  We need to educate people to think with their heads, to research it all out.  We need to shock the hell out of 4th graders through middle school age kids, which is when their compassion level seems to sink and their need to fit into a group and be “cool” rises. That’s where dog fighters find their recruits and it goes all across all demographics.

We need to find ways, funds, donations to provide more low cost or no cost spay/neuters and med clinics etc.This is what (IMO) is what is needed.  Look to organizations like C.H.A.I.N.E.D. in Detroit and “Break The Chain” in New York who help individuals with proper fencing, housing, educating and low cost or no cost “speutering.”  Northeast Ohio, as of this writing, has no organization doing their kind of work.  Everyone seems to sit in their nice, middle-class homes and bitch about all those ghetto or redneck types with their dogs on 20 pound 6 foot long chains. They post pictures and post their outrage on Facebook. It IS outrageous and disheartening!  People on social media are honestly sick to death of seeing it.  They are sick of seeing dead dogs. Come up with a solution that’s not a knee-jerk one.  “Get rid of all the breeders!” Yeah, that one won’t work.

Put on your brave face, your big girl/boy pants and see how you can help, person to person.  Half of you won’t even go into inner city schools and do educational programs and answer questions.  Any kind of crazy question and I’ve gotten a lot of them.

There is a desperate need for fosters.  So why are people turned down all the time?  Good people.  Why aren’t there local seminars sponsored by many rescue groups with a vet and a good trainer about how to foster successfully! Especially helping potential fosters figure out the logistics of adding another dog into their own home. Crates?  Temporary fencing?  Introduction training?  Why isn’t that in place and offered often?

And since we’re on a bit of a rant….I’m really sick and tired of all the damn pit bull rescues fighting and spatting with each other like a bunch of wet cats in a barrel.  As if the poor “breed” (if you can call it that since it’s a mix of bully types) doesn’t have about a thousand strikes against it, you all are beating your swords against your shields  “Our way or NO Way!”. Get off the damn bitch-mobile and start working together.  Get the best of your best out into the public eye and show a uniform front.

There are WAY too many women involved in rescue in NE Ohio —- there is too much bitchy estrogen running around. We need to find a way to get more men involved.  Grill some steaks and hire a stripper…I don’t care. Whatever it takes.  Hit up athletes, business types, men, men, men…we need men!  We need more male spokesmen. Men love animals too and their way of helping may surprise you! Having a guy tell another guy why he needs to be man and get Buster’s nuts removed seems to work better!

I’m sick to death of rescue people bashing folks in purebred dogs, flinging all that “You’re BAD, evil, You are the sole contributing factor to the over-population problem!!” with their one litter a year.  First of all most the hash-flingers don’t even know anyone seriously involved with purebred dogs. I’ve asked. Many rescue folks have never taken their dog to any kind of class, hired a trainer or tried to compete in any venue with your mixed breed!  The snobbery of He’s Just My Pet.  Not that this isn’t the most noble gift dogs give us but they are capable of much more.

You WANT people in purebred dogs on your “side.”  Are you crazy not to get to know them?  Even court them a bit?  No, they will not support your total breeding moratorium and for wiser reasons than the average rescuer could possibly comprehend and it has NOTHING to do with The Almighty Dollar. Here’s a new flash, kids.  The serious “hobby” breeder is not what is causing your pet over-population problem. He or she is the least offensive and will be the first to be punished by your breeding moratorium.  They plan a breeding better than you probably planned who were you going to marry and have kids with!

They have connections most rescues only dream about it.  Don’t think for one nano-second they don’t know about the pet over-population problem and aren’t distressed and sickened by it.  Throughout the country, most of the time, someone who shows purebred dogs is one the first on site of any given puppy mill or hoarder bust.  No one, and I mean, NO ONE is more incensed about Puppy Mills or Hoarding than the folks in Purebred Dogs. I’ve noticed in the rescue community a ton of sun-burnt nostrils on self-righteous up-turned noses when the subject of someone who “shows dogs” comes up. Since so many of you know very little about that world of showing, obedience, agility, or other dog sports or haven’t been immersed in it as a trainer, handler, assistant, judge, groomer you are bashing a group of animal lovers en masse without a great deal of personal knowledge.

One must only look at the Puppy Mill Case of over a hundred Rottweilers in Texas to understand what Rottie fans, owners, breeders did to pitch in and really help these dogs in need. Click here for an article about it.

Seriously, if the bottom line is that dream of a no-kill shelter or the banishment of Puppy Mills do not count out people in the Fancy of Showing Dogs.  Your little rescue is not on national TV being watched by millions of people worldwide but Westminister Kennel Club is!  You honestly think that the WKC winner couldn’t use his time on “Good Morning America” to tell folks to spay and neuter  to get a dog from a shelter, or a breed rescue.

People who show dogs are not the enemy!  They would never condone a puppy mill or a hoarder. So get off your high horse and stop slamming them.  They love dogs too!

Two Left, Three Returned

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Thank God/dess For Feliaway Spray!

You’ve heard of Boomerang Kids?  You fling them out and they keep coming back. And Back. They’re like velcro, you can’t get rid of them?  It’s usually some stupid sh*t, like they can’t keep a job and they hate their room-mates.  I know, sometimes it’s legit.  20-somethings seem to have a nagging propenisty for boomeranging!

We now have a case (yet again) of Boomerang Cats.  The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Dink and Envy FINALLY left to be with their mother-owner, as they should.  They’d been here for five years, leaving briefly in July 2009, or was it 2010….time is blurred.

Now D&E are basically pretty nice cats.  Dink is the little one and she is the best cat with little kids I’ve ever encountered, barring the kittens I raised.

Envy is her much larger, (by about 10-12 pounds) easy-going, full litter brother. He and my Rufus got along as well as 2 cats can.

Rufus and Dink? Well, let’s just say it was a stand-off. He’d stand and she’d back off.

Through an almost surreal series of “I Can’t Make This Sh*t Up If I Tried” they are back.  Hopefully, temporarily.

Plus One.

That would be Lilith the B*tch.

I came home from rehearsal Thursday night to utter chaos in the basement.  The S.U. is frantically (for him, of course, so that’s a casual-frantic, if you can picture such a thing)  spraying Feliaway

everywhere.  Envy has his dopey, “Duh, WTH?” look and it trying to find someplace to hide.  Dink is pacing like a new father in the waiting room. The Step Kid (SK) is somewhere, loudly yapping on her phone.  There’s a quiet stranger (female) somewhere on the first floor of my house.  Lilith is yowling on the landing of the basement steps as only a Siamese can yowl and when she isn’t waking the dead, she’s hissing, spitting and swatting at anything that moves. And Rufus is at the midway up the basement stairs, staring at Lilith from his meatloaf position doing his best Robert DeNiro impression, “You talkin’ to me?”

OK.  And there is only ONE cat crate.  The SK stuffed 3 cats into one crate.  Wow.  No wonder there’s just a LITTLE bit of stress vibe going on here.

Yesterday, after I recovered from the total shock of finding the crawl space door open, which almost gave me a coronary, I spent a good portion of the day, rearranging the basement and fixing Comfy Places For Cats To Sleep here and there. I also had to come up with a quick Bungie Cord Fix for the recalcitrant crawl space door. I did laundry, which didn’t send Lilith into the rafters.  She had chosen the SU’s desk chair as a place worthy of Her Highness’ arse. I put a dog mat on it. She deemed this also worthy.

Last night she deemed that the SU’s lap was worthy of her….but he’d better not pet her.

To answer those FB questions:

Lilith is one my my SK’s cats, Lilith, who yes, was not among the others you’ve met, Wonderful Trainer Person! We are plying her with treats, all of which she snubs… But still, we give her lots of vocal praise and positive reinforcement for neutral behavior and we’ve told her that, in this house, we don’t hiss at other cats.

Yes, we actually look at her and say, “We don’t do that here.  You’re a guest here and that’s not how we behave!”  Don’t ask me why but for some odd reason this seems oddly calming to both B*tchy Cat and Humans.

NO, Dearest Friend she and her siblings better not be staying.  They are supposed to leave by next weekend.  I will, of course, believe this when I see it.  If anything about the last 5 years has taught me is I now have an unhealthy dose of skepticism. Call it The Boy Who Cried Wolf syndrome. My innocence is pretty well shot.

More importantly, I will believe their departure has stuck when they do not (yet again) appear on my door step in some circumstance of High Drama & Angst.

For now, Rufus is upstairs and they are downstairs in the basement.

Lilith is Not Nice To Other Kitties.  She has Dink and Envy cowed (which is amazing because Envy outweighs her by about 12 pounds!  Ah, but Rufus….he’s another story.  She hisses, spits, swats, growls and Rufus’ reaction is, “Yeah.  Sure. Whatever. WTF, I’m not moving.”  I figured, for his stress levels, to let him have the run of the upstairs so he can sleep with us etc.

Lilth is also one of those uber-annoying cats that does the rubbing-marking-flirting-against-your-leg thing, jumps on your lap, talking the whole time and curls up on you as cute as a bug in a rug.  BUT if you even put your hand near to her, she does the hiss-swat-bite-snap maneuver.

I HATE cats like that.  It’s so bipolar.  It’s like “Regular Crappy Cat Crap X 12” stuff and I HATE it.  The good news is she’s getting less stressed hour by hour.  We don’t allow catnip in our house as it encourages crazy-ass behavior in D&E. (The Catnip Crazies seems to amuse the hell out of the SK but we are NOT amused. Use a damn laser pointer; they have fun with that too!)

They’re in a safe place here and our home (for the most part) is pretty calming and she’s probably picking up that Dink & Envy are totally cool in the basement.  I made about 5 places for them to sleep and snuggle, 2 food and water combos and clean the litter box twice a day.  It’ll be fine. It’s just annoying as hell because we can’t have the basement door open.

Thank GOD for Feliaway spray!  

I never believed in that stuff and now I’m a total convert!

Was It Just A Year Ago?

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Sad Elke in October 2011

It was a day much like today, weather wise. Mid-40s, maybe a bit warmer, gloomy and damp but not raining.

I was going to meet a cattledog pup today.  An older pup actually. IF Elke would be OK with him, maybe we’d adopt him.  I owe a debt of gratitude to Tisha A. for helping Elke as well.

She’d lost her anchor, Jesse Ann and she had actually gone into a bit of a depression.  She slept a lot and moped. As much as I loved so many of the dogs I’d worked with, my heart (and even the SU’s heart too) were a little void. Jesse and Winger had gone to wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge. 2011 was a tough year.

A friend of mine, Becky L. had posted on FB!

“Check this out, Mia!” and there was a picture of an older cattledog puppy.  My heart fluttered a bit, and I contacted the foster mom whom I knew from the Humane Society: Jen Mauger, the owner and trainer of L’Chaim Canine.

Megan with her soon-to-be doggie nephew

I was worried because Elke isn’t the most dog friendly dog and I haven’t helped to improve that, really. But Jen assured me that we’d test her out with Jen’s uber-friendly collie, Shay. (This wonderful, silly dog is, by the way, my Hero….Love that dog!)  Elke did too.

But first, Jen wanted me to meet The Dog Called Bandit.  I might not click with him.  I agreed. By the way….why folks name dogs with no facial mask “Bandit” is beyond me but that was his intake name. He was saved by Humane Officer Shannon at the Humane Society of Greater Akron.  She is another one of my Heroines!

Jen brought the bundle of cowpup into our yard, he seemed very friendly and curious.  I picked him up and he still had puppy breath, just the last vestiges of it, and soft puppy fur.  I held him to me heart, nuzzled my nose into his neck and I started tearing up. I love Elke (our Schmooby-Do) with all my heart but I’m a sucker for a blue cattledog. After Elke’s successful meet and play with Shay, we introduced the pup into the mix!  They got along just fine.  Thank you, Shay!  We brought the little guy inside the house and all was still well!

The Spousal Unit meetsthe pup for the first time.

Of course, I’m a sucker and my Spousal Unit knew it.  He met him the next Sunday at one of L’Chaim’s classes!

Yep, we’re sold on a little blue dog.

Marty immediately christened him “Artie.”

“Why Artie?”

“He looks like an Artie!” And WAREHOUSE 13 is the SU’s favorite show!

He became officially ours, adoption paperwork and all, on Dec. 22nd, 2011.

He was a HUGE trial in many ways.  House-training, chewing, mouthing, biting, etc. etc.  Etc. I cursed my friend Becky many-a-day! I spent hours often wondering what the hell I was thinking…..

He started growing……and Elke started to prick up, get some energy and life back,  play, growl, get after her new little brother and lose weight!

His first Christmas and New Year’s came and went.  Puppy classes! Still working on the house training thing…..

And growing…..despite his often less than enthused big sister…..

And his color was still very light….but he was growing….This is Art on Jan. 1, 2012

And he was growing…..and getting tons of nicknames!

Art, Artie, Artie Blue, and most often BLOOBY!

March 11, 2012 (below)

…and growing…and his color was beginning to darken……and he learned to LOVE to play Fetch!  After first he had NO idea he was supposed to bring it (the ball, Frisbee, toy) BACK!

…and growing…..late May (below)!  Finally he’s “gotten” the House Training thing and can really hold it!

July 2012 (below)

Dog Classes and fun!  He learned what “water” was all about, thanks to his new doggie friends, Oreo and McKinley! (July 2012)

July 2012 saw some BIG milestones…..he is now taller than his big sister…..

AND…..

Blooby get his Canine Good Citizen!

Fall time comes and we need to decide on a birthday for him…..

The SU picks Sept. 21, 2011 as his birth date.

“Why?”

“He told me that’s when he was born.”

“OK then….” (First birthday picture)

Fall 2012, he’s beginning to mature….little by little.  We still need to work on NOT reacting to seeing kitties and meowing, being gentle around little, little kids…although he’s good with older kids….but he loves to meet other dogs and play!

He has his first overnight with Auntie Gayle, Uncle Ray and Oreo and McKinley…..

He has fun swimming and socializing at the dog park, going for off-leash walks and learning new things!

Picture with Santa at the Humane Society, where he gets to see people who saved him!

And now it’s a year.  A whole year has gone by…..

We love you, you crazy, nutty, smart-as-a-whip Blooby Boy! And we thank all the people (and dogs) who brought you into our lives…..Tisha A., Becky L. Jen M. Kristen B. and Officer Shannon….

(However, when he’s bad, we still blame Becky — it’s all her fault.)

Artie Blue 

Truhart’s Find The Artifact, CGC