Lucy, Duke & Their Humans

TOM-a-TO, TOM-o-Toe!

2012-02-09T11:11:00.008-05:00

For the most part, Lucy and Duke will eat anything. The other night, I was making their Daddy a salad, and both pups were sitting at my feet just waiting for something yummy to come their way. So, I decided to give each of them a little tomato and see what happened. I got a lot of giggles out of them in the next 10 minutes. Who knew a tomato could keep a boxer busy for so long?

"What the heck is that? And exactly what is it that I'm supposed to do with it, Ma?"

"You want me to do what with it? Eat it? I don't think so, but I might sit here and look at it for a while to figure out what it wants from me."

"I'm not sure what to do with it. The human says it's edibles, but I's isn't sure abouts dat. It doesn't evens smell like food!"

"I guess I'll try it. How bads can it be? She's was puttin it on Daddy's plate!"

"Hey, Lucy! What did you do wits dat thing Ma gave you?"

"I ates it Duke! Its wasn't anytin exciten, let me tell you!"

In the end, Lucy ate her tomato, and Duke's too. But, she didn't seem very excited about it, which was odd because she typically loves veggies! I guess that my kids, like me, don't like tomatoes! (And I've finally found something that Duke won't inhale!)

I Spy Two Boxers...

2012-02-08T15:59:00.005-05:00

On Monday, I pulled everything out of the drawers in the chest and the nightstand that were in our bedroom! Rob and I had picked out new bedroom furniture and it was finally arriving. I couldn't wait! I piled everything neatly on the bed, and just as I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to close the bedroom door... Along came Lucy and Duke. This was the exact reason that I should have closed the bedroom door. Don't they look comfy?

Did you notice that all of my neat piles were gone? Too bad the pups weren't overly eager to help me fold all of that stuff back up!

A Birthday Mop For Lucy...

2012-02-07T11:37:00.005-05:00

The day before Lucy's birthday, Rob brought both kids to the store to hang out with us as we started to work on the tax information... Fun, fun, fun! I had a couple of errands to run and figured I had better take advantage of being able to leave the store while I could. So, I leashed Lucy and loaded her into the Boxer Mobile. 1st stop the bank: I don't like leaving Lucy in the car, so I went through the drive through window. About 5 tellers came to the window to check out Lucy, and the end result was a milkbone sent in that funny little tube.

Next stop, Fed Ex where I neglected to shut the alarm off on the car when I locked the doors. I was in the store, filling out paperwork when I heard the sound of my alarm and realized that Lucy had probably moved! Sure enough, it was the Boxer Mobile and Lucy, little darlin that she is, was sitting in the middle of the back seat looking around trying to figure out what the heck was going on! Note to self: remember to deactivate the alarm when leaving the vehicle!

3rd stop, Petsmart! I needed to get something to occupy the kids while we did paperwork and I wanted to let Lucy pick out a toy for her birthday! Petsmart is Heaven to a dog, all of the smells, the other dogs, the toys, the bones... It's just Heaven! Lucy is very good with little dogs, and there was a tiny little dog walking around the store with it's owner, all Lucy wanted to do was give that little dog a kiss, but the owner of the dog wouldn't let her get closer than 2 feet. I felt so bad! And of course, Lucy didn't understand, she kept looking back at me like "What's da matter wit dis lady, ma?"

Lucy did pick out a toy, and several different kids of bones and other things to chew on. Every time I take one of those boxer kids in there with me, I spend a small fortune! They're like little children looking up at me with those big brown soulful eyes, "Pleeeeeze, ma! We's don'ts have any toys ta playz wits!!!"

I held onto to Lucy's birthday toy till we got home on Saturday evening. She wasn't very patient with me as I attempted to cut the tags off without my glasses on, and there were several protests about the length of time it took me to do so. Finally, all tags were removed and Lucy took off running through the house swinging her birthday mop all over the place! Of course, Duke wasn't far behind her trying to get in on the action. Now if only that mop would actually clean up the mud that they deposit on my floors...

Lucy Lou Bugga Boo Is 2!

2012-02-04T10:59:00.012-05:00

I can hardly believe it, but my baby girl turns 2 today! It seems like just yesterday that I was counting down the hours till I could bring her home. The time sure does go by quickly.

I thought that in honor of Lucy's 2nd birthday, I would take a look back through some of my favorite Lucy memories... Besides, I love looking at her baby pictures!

Happy birthday, lil' Angel! Mama, Daddy and Duke love you to pieces!

Lucy was 5 weeks old in this picture, and it was her very 1st puppy bone! I feel so lucky that I got to know her when she was so young! I miss that little pink nose with black spots!

This one was taken at 7 weeks old... with her mama counting down the days till she could bring Lucy home! My little princess!

Lucy's first night home with us, no need to worry that she didn't feel right at home. She curled right up between our two pillows and fell fast asleep!

This is definitely one of my favorite pictures of Lucy! She was very good at posing when she was a baby!

6 months old, and on the job with her mama!

10 months old, reunited with her favorite toy after it had a slight accident! This was the picture that I didn't know I had until I uploaded them! I was so excited by her flying ears!

The day after her 1st birthday! Lucy wouldn't be Lucy without a little bit of dirt, and some paint.

Hanging out with her new brother, and her favorite toy the day after we brought Duke home!

Looking for trouble in September of 2011! She just wanted her toy back!

In the kitchen with me last night, wondering when some good food was going to drop!

On The Job With Duke!

2012-02-02T12:15:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning, we loaded the pups in the truck with us and headed to work. Lucy spent the day with her Daddy, and Duke spent the day with me! I just love having the big guy here to keep me company, and of course, to protect me!

Once a month, my Mom & Dad come down to Pittsburgh. My dad is receiving some kind of injections to help him with the back problems that he's having. While it's a horrible reason to have to come to Pittsburgh, they usually swing by the store to visit me, so I get to spend an hour or so chatting with them which I otherwise wouldn't be able to do. Yesterday was that day! Duke was so happy to see his Grandparents! He was so excited that his enthusiasm was impossible to contain for the first 10 minutes that they were here!

I'm usually the one behind the camera, so I don't have that many pictures of myself with the kids! Yesterday when Duke plopped down on my lap, my mom couldn't resist taking a picture of me with my "lap dog"! I love it! As you can see, he doesn't quite fit on my lap, but that doesn't deter him!

My parents aren't quite used to my wild kids, and my mom told me yesterday that she thinks Duke looks like he wants to eat her.... What this sweet face? He's a big love bug! I'm pretty sure it's just the size of his head that makes her think this way.

Duke settled down shortly after my parents left, he curled up at my feet by the heater and took a nap. Then he helped me eat some carrots at lunch time. We took several walks to take full advantage of the 60 degree weather and sunshine that was here yesterday. By 8:00, he was more than ready for his Daddy and Lucy to come pick us up. He was so ready, that he ran straight to the door, and waited! I can't lie and say that I wasn't ready to go home and see Rob and Lucy too!

I must say that I feel very lucky to be able to bring my boxers on the job with me! It's always great to spend the day hanging out with either one of them!

Time For A Bath!

2012-02-01T10:41:00.003-05:00

I don't know exactly what made me decide that last night was the night, but I did. It was time for Duke to get a bath. I asked Rob to occupy Lucy whom I knew would most certainly want to jump in the tub if she heard water running and called Duke upstairs with me. I went in the bathroom and started running the bath water, and heard the door to the garage slamming shut downstairs and watched as Lucy jumped in the tub and Duke ran for cover. So much for Rob occupying Lucy!

Attempt #1 was a complete bust! I followed Lucy and her wet paws back downstairs laughing. Rob asked me what happened and I told him. He didn't think it was so funny and decided to help me. We went back into the bathroom and Lucy jumped back into the tub. Duke tried to escape again, but his Daddy was quicker! Before I even knew what had happened, I had two boxers in the bathtub- not exactly the best idea on the planet!

Attempt #2 went much better...I quickly soaped Lucy up, rinsed her off and turned her over to Rob who pulled the blow dryer on her and started to dry her off while I soaped up Duke! Lucy was not happy about the blow dryer, but Duke did okay in the tub. Despite his earlier intentions of avoiding the bath, he was very patient while I scrubbed him up! And when he was all done, he hopped out of the tub and let his Daddy blow dry him while Lucy ran like a madwomen all over the house trying to shake off the last remaining drops of water!

And so now I've got 2 very clean, very soft boxers! It all turned out much better than I had anticipated!

Guest Blogger...Remembering Marco

2012-01-30T09:20:00.006-05:00

My Boxer Mailing List friend, Joanne lost her boy Marco several weeks ago. I've volunteered my blog as a tribute to her sweet boy. I saw Marco's sweet face on her Christmas card back in December and immediately fell in love! After seeing his puppy pictures, I'm even more enamored with him!

Marco was born on December 3, 2006. The breeder was in the family. We had been contemplating a boxer for a while, as we had grown to love the breed by seeing the boxers that our relatives owned. I had actually picked out another boxer from this litter, a light brindle female. But someone else came to look at the dogs, and fell in love with that same dog. So I had the option of keeping the female or letting someone else buy her and take Marco instead. I guess there was some karma there, as Marco turned out to be my heart dog. But I sometimes wonder how that female is doing.

Wasn't he a cute puppy?

One of the greatest joys in Marco's life was bestowing a face washing on one of his humans. Here he was 3 months old ready to give my grandson, Jordan a face licking!

This is one of anly a few pictures that I have with Marco and I, as I am usually behind the camera, not in front.

My grandkids had to look out for their toys with Marco around, especially when he was young (he was 7 months in this photo).

As you can well imagine this ball didn't last too long.

Again, Marco at his favourite spot with my grandson. They both loved looking out the window.

Marco had a few special dogs that he really liked - one was Gabby - they had some great times running around getting dirty.

As you BML owners with white boxers know,they sure can get dirty. By the way, Gabby is Jades mom.

Marco was a pretty good big brother, but at first he was pretty rough on little Jade. We had to keep Jade outside the fence when she first got home, because he wouldn't let her go pee, and played quite rough. But as you can see, he also spent some time teaching Jade the 'ropes' on playing with sticks.

Jade and I miss Marco very much!

Lucy's Take... Reportin' For Duty, Ma!

2012-01-25T18:24:00.011-05:00

Hi's everybodys! I gots to spend the day with my mama at work today, and thoughts that I would tell you all abouts da fun we had! I really enjoyed havings a girls day with my mom! She gaves me lots of hugs and kisses, and we played hides and go seeks for a little whiles dis morning! For lunch, we hads some pizza and Mikes and Ikes... I likes da yellow ones!

"I'ms ready to helps you sell some furnitures, Ma!! Brings on da customers. Where's dey ats?"

I hads some time on my paws, so I decided to finds a good spot to hide my bone for laters! This spot worked for a little whiles...

... Den da hooman found it and puts it on da desk by her coffee. I don'ts know why she puts it der, but I had to gets it back...

.. So dats I could chew on its! Mom boughts dis bone for Dukes a couples of weeks ago, I dont's know why he didn't likes it! I loves it!

Dis evening she let me clean out a peanuts butter jar! Dats was a lot of fun...

... Ands I mades sure I gots every last drop of da peanuts butter dat I coulds reach! My tongue can only get so far into the jar!

Mom's didn't gets any pictures, but I also gots to meet 3 little kids! She saids I was very good wits them! They gaves me tons of kisses and hugs and tugged on my tail! Dats was awesome... I wonders why we don't have any of dos at home? Mom... Cans we get some little kids? Pleeeeeze?

The Best Spot

2012-01-24T12:08:00.004-05:00

The last several nights we have had a battle of sorts in the bed. For many months now, Lucy has been very content to let Duke sleep at the top of the bed next to me. For whatever reason, she's just not content with that anymore. Maybe she's decided it's her turn, and he needs to retire to the end of the bed and give her a shot at snuggling with her mom, but he has no intention of doing that.

Last night started out like every other night. Duke jumped up into the bed and got comfy; the top half of his body on my chest, a paw on either side of my head and his head resting dead center on my chest. Within minutes, he was snoring. Lucy had curled up on the other side of me by my hips. She kept looking up at Duke and I, and she would sigh! I knew it was only a matter of time before she decided to correct the problem.

Somehow I managed to wiggle part of Duke's body off of my chest, which is no small task with an 80 pound boxer I can assure you. I had just settled in and started to get comfortable when I noticed that Lucy had gotten up and was making her way slowly up to the top of the bed and my pillow, with her little bottom wiggling the whole way. She knew exactly what she was doing, and didn't much care what Duke thought about what she was going to do.

It took her only a minute, she circled a couple of times, still wiggling, and settled down right next to me with her head on the pillow, and this time when she sighed, I knew it was a contented sigh and not a frustrated one.

At 4:00 AM, I was awakened by the fact that the room was so hot that I could barely stand it. I got up and turned the space heater off and made a trip to the bathroom. By that time, both kids had gotten up to and figured if I got to make a pit stop, so did they. I let them both out for a quick tinkle, and then we all climbed back into bed. This time Lucy jumped into bed and got first pick of the best spot, right next to my head while Duke had to settle for snuggling in at my hip!

The "Best Spot" in our bed is very clearly next to mama's head!

Moving On...

2012-01-22T12:11:00.005-05:00

The stolen porterhouse steaks of a week ago are still a very sore subject in our house. Not so sore that Lucy & Duke's Daddy didn't think of them when he was standing at the butcher's counter ordering a bunch of thick cut porterhouse steaks last evening because those steaks had awesome bones on them!

Rob and I were more than happy to share our bones with the kids, after they sat and waited patiently, of course....

Poor Lucy still doesn't get why Daddy and I are saying funny things to Duke about "The Circle of Trust!"

Be Careful What You Tell A Boxer....

2012-01-19T16:25:00.004-05:00

...Because they just might hold you to it! And if they can't make you comply, they're probably going to take matters into their own paws. Let me tell you the story so you can relate to what happened...

You remember that Duke was at work with me on Sunday, and he was such a good boy all day long, greeting customers, making new friends and making people fall in love with him. At the end of the day, I told him that he was being so good that he deserved a steak!

That night on our way home, Rob and I stopped at the grocery store and bought a bunch of steak with the intention of cooking it for dinner. It was a nice thought, but there was something wrong with the grill. And while Rob messed around with the grill and tried to get it to work, I pounded out (2) very thick porterhouse steaks. He came back into the house, and was in the kitchen getting something to drink. The steaks were on the counter, and I had to pee. I figured since my husband was in the kitchen, it was probably safe to go to the bathroom, but what I didn't take into consideration (silly me!) was that there was a football game on in the living room and my darling husband wasn't paying any more attention to what our sweet counter surfing boxer was doing than the fact that I had left the room.

When I came back to kitchen, the steaks weren't on the counter.
Me: "You got the grill fixed?" "No, why would you say that?"
Rob: "No, what made you think that?"
Me: "The steaks are gone!"

I immediately turned around to see my sweet Duke chowing down on the remainder of the porterhouse steak, and poor Lucy trying to get a bite of it for herself! Needless to say that Duke's amazing performance at work with me on Sunday was usurped by his stealing 3 pounds of porterhouse steak from our kitchen counter...

Our Perfect Picture...Almost

2012-01-17T15:40:00.003-05:00

This picture of my kids was almost the perfect picture! If only Duke had been looking at the camera like Lucy was! I guess it's proof that this isn't a perfect world that we are living in.

I snapped this one, and then Lucy (who has a harder time sitting still than Duke does) jumped up to come say hello to her mama! And there wasn't any treat that would lure her back up there beside Duke. She was probably thinking that her mama has enough pictures!

Sometimes I wish I had more of these perfect pictures. I guess we just need to keep practicing and hope for the best. In the meantime, I do really love this picture of the kids. I should tell you that this is one of the kids favorite spots in the house to hang out. I wonder what it is about this spot?

Duke's Take... On The Job With My Human

2012-01-15T11:34:00.005-05:00

Hey, guys! It's me Duke, again. I'm on the job with my Mama today. Lucy went with Daddy, and I'm gonna help mama out today. Here's how a day on the job looks...

This is me standing guard at the front door. I have to protect my human from any unsavory characters because my Dad isn't around... Sure hope that I don't have to throw anybody out of here today!

I must be doing the job right because my human has dried lamb treats in her hand. I always sit and wait patiently for her to give them to me. Sometimes a paw on her leg speeds up the process. These humans can be slow sometimes...

Gotta chill out for a little while, you know, take a load off and get ready for all of those unsavory characters.

A boxers work is never done!

Perps In The Yard

2012-01-14T15:10:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday afternoon, it was beautiful here in Pittsburgh, and I was lucky enough to have my 2nd day in a row off (don't hate me, I worked 21 days in a row to get 2 days off in a row!) Okay, it was beautiful for January in Western Pennsylvania. I spent as much time outside with the dogs as I possibly cold. Even though it was a tad chilly, the sun was out and it felt great to all 3 of us!

I knew as soon as I looked at Lucy and Duke that they were paying very close attention to something going on in the yard, although I had no idea what. At this point, any rabbit stupid enough to still be hanging out in our yard, is fair game! They've had plenty of warning, and more than ample time to get the heck out of Dodge!

Within seconds of my pondering what the kids were watching, and my managing to snap a picture, they had both taken off across the yard- full speed ahead, and they both went straight to the shed. I haven't been down to the shed in a while because our yard is basically a big mud hole, so I had no idea that Lucy had managed to dig a hole to China underneath the shed! She can get her whole body under there, and she managed to come out pretty muddy, which Duke wanted no part of! He was very content to stand on the sidelines, supervising the whole raid!

I still don't know what's living under the shed. I do know that there should be a lot less mud underneath the shed because Lucy tracked a whole bucket full of it into the house! I'm just thankful that at least one of my children has sense enough not to get covered from head to toe in mud every time he goes outside... I love you Duke!

Friday Business

2012-01-13T11:39:00.006-05:00

I have two very important things to blog about today... So, I guess I had better get started! Times a wastin, right?

Here's a cause that we can all get behind: The Coalition to Unchain Dogs. I cried when I saw this beautiful brindle boxer, Tiger chained. And I cried tears of relief when he was un-chained. He probably ran for days, and days! Without further ado, meet Tiger!:

Lucy, Duke and I were thrilled to be the recipients of an award. We received the Pawsome Blogger Award from our friend Basset Mama... We love visiting with her and her two little basset sweethearts! As many of you know, my first puppy love was brought on by a sweet little basset hound named Nicky! So, it's always a happy visit for us!

In order to accept this award, I must pass it along to 8 blogs that bring me fun, love, laughs and furiendship.

1. Maggie Mae Says
2. The Antics of Two French Bulldogs
3. How Sam Sees It
4. Oh, Corbin
5. From Sophie's View
6. Browndog CBR
7. Downunder Daisy
8. Gardening With Wyatt

I wanted badly to bring the children to work with me today, but it's 16 degrees here (even less if you factor in the windchill), and we had to switch vehicles, and unload a truck. So, I figured it was in their best interest to stay home today and snuggle up with each other and keep warm! I gave them strict orders to keep each other warm today as I handed each of them a biscuit! I'm sure that Lucy's taking my orders seriously, she always does, especially if the orders have anything to do with striking some odd pose at her brother's expense! Hopefully, their Daddy and I will be home early tonight!

Duke's Take... My Sassin Little Sister

2012-01-12T14:56:00.007-05:00

It's me, Duke. I've never blogged before, but Lucy convinced me that I needed to do it, so I guess I had better listen. Making Lucy mad just isn't a good thing- take it from me, I should know! And I guess in order to get some fair representation in our house, I should probably speak for myself once and a while. So, here goes...

I'm a pretty quiet, laid back fellow. I don't have much to say, except when mom is taking too long to get my dinner ready, or when Lucy takes a toy from me that I want to play with. Other than that, I just keep to myself, although I love to snuggle with the human, and because Lucy likes it so much, I let her snuggle with me too. Gotta keep the ladies happy. I'll never get any peace and quiet if the ladies aren't happy, ya know? I guess I'm one step ahead of the game since I already know that. My Daddy is still working on that- I keep trying to explain it to him, but it's taking some time to get the message across!

Anyway, moving on to other topics, I want to tell you how much I love my new family and my new home. Having a little sister is great, although, I must tell you, she can be a bit much to handle at times. Daddy always says that I'm way to easy on her, but I don't think I am. I'm a polite boy, and she's littler than I am, and well... she's a girl. How hard can I be on her?

Sometimes, I do have to put her in place. This morning, for example, she was being really mouthy! Mama calls it "Sassin", and she just wouldn't stop "Sassin", so I had to do my best to help Mama out, and calm her down. Sometimes there's just no other choice but to grab that little darlin' by the neck and chomp down a bit... I don't ever hurt her, Mama says I'm very gentle with her. And sometimes, she even stops "Sassin" when I do it. This morning wasn't one of those mornings though!

Sometimes, you just have to step back from the situation, and hope that some miraculous force may be with you when you return to take care of the "Sassin" little boxer named Lucy!

Mama laughed at me this morning when she saw me up on the ottomen with my eyes glowing! I don't know what came over me, I just knew that if I didn't stop Lucy from "Sassin" Mama was gonna go crazy! See sometimes, she wakes up with a headache, and that horrific noise my sister makes, just doesn't go well with Mama's headaches!

I don't know what happened to me this morning, but by the time I jumped off the sofa, Lucy had quit barking, Mama was laughing, and once again, I had managed to save the day! Gosh, sometimes I think my work will never be done. Especially if my job is keeping Lucy in line. I'll tell you, it's a challenge sometimes, I don't know how my Mama ever did it before I came to live with her!

Well, I guess I've said everything I need to say for now, I sure had fun! I'm betting my Mama will let me blog again soon, but only if she thinks I did a good job! I'm sure she will, she's always telling me that I'm a very good boy! I think that's a good thing.

Oh, she just asked me to tell you, that she's got a surprise for you all tomorrow! She got an award today, and she's going to share it with you all tomorrow!

A Pouncing Boxer Puppy

2012-01-11T19:13:00.001-05:00

Lucy has this thing she does. I've never quite been able to describe it. And I've never been able to catch her in the act either. But, one night last winter, Lucy came across a frozen cube on our deck... The next 20 minutes were minutes that I'll never forget. The following video took me back to that moment when I saw it. It's exactly what Lucy did to that ice cube on our deck!

I hope you get as many giggles out of it as I did!

Lucy's Take... I's Finally Got My Blog Back!

2012-01-10T16:34:00.006-05:00

I know's whats you are all tinkin, dats I let da human take over our blog. She's been doins such a good job of it, that I've just been lettin her takes it over. And Duke, well he's not really interested in bloggin... I's was sittins on da deck dis mornin wishin dats I would gets a chance to talk to you alls, and wonderins what I would tells you about if I did! After alls, it's been months since I've been able to write my own blog.

My life sure has changed for da better since da hoomans brought Duke home! I luvs havin a brudder and he comes in handy very often. Has da hooman told ya alls what a great pillow he is? I just loves to cuddle wits him and makes sure dat he knows how much I luvs him!

He can be's a little strange at times. For some odd reason, he doesn't always likes to go outside. For xsample, if it's cold or rainin outs, he hates to be outside. And lots of time, he just stands in da doorway, watchin me plays in da yard. I tinks dats he's really just waitens for me to come back inside so he can play wits me! It's whats he would rather do than anytins else!

... And he's really smarts! He tinks I have excellents taste in toys. I knows dis because he always wants whatever toy I's is playin wits! He's go to some pretty extreme measures to get dems off of me too!

Well, I gots to run... Duke just grabbed a toy, so I needs to go plays wit him! i really donts wants to keep hims waiten! It was nice visiten wits you all! Hopefully I'll be's backs soon, but if nots I hope my hooman is doin a goods job of entertain yous! Just be careful, and don'ts believe evertins you reads about Duke & I... sometimes she can be a little goofy, but we's luvs her anyways!

Everyone's A Critic...

2012-01-09T20:35:00.003-05:00

One of the sweet joys of life is having the pups in the kitchen with me while I'm cooking. Or, should I say, one of the joys in life USUALLY, is having the pups in the kitchen with me while I'm cooking... Of course, to everything there is an exception and today was that exception.

Lucy: "She's takin ways too long up der. What's do you tinks she's doing?"
Duke: "I agree, it's takins a very long time, and she's not droppins nuttin to us. Are we sures she knows what's she's doin?"
Lucy: "Maybes dats da problem!"
Duke: "I'ms tireds of waiten, I'm takins me a nap!"

"Hey, ma! We tinks it's definitely dones! Buts if you's is not so sure, we'll try its out for ya, okay?"

I had no choice, it was either drop the boxers a piece of chicken, or listen to them protesting loudly over how long it was taking me to cook! And since I've already got a raging headache, I dropped some chicken- and in case you're wondering, the critics were right, it was most certainly done! The critics were correct again! I knew there was a good reason for having them in the kitchen!

Must Be The Brainfood...

2012-01-08T14:34:00.004-05:00

"Whats was ya thinkin, Ma? Didja tinks dat I wouldn't finds out?"

Bear with me for a second, because I'm sure this won't make sense right away... But, I've been feeding Lucy & Duke Taste of the Wild, the salmon blend. The other morning, as I was gagging over the fish smell, I started having doubts about giving my already way too intelligent boxers more brain food (and it wasn't just the smell!). I keep hearing on tv about the benefits of fish in relation to brain power... And I have to admit, that there are several times that it has crossed my mind, that my darling little boxers already might be just a tad too smart for their own good.

Yesterday, I posted about Duke being Mama's boy. When I got home last night, Lucy was extremely attentive (way more than usual), adoring (way more than usual) and kissy (again, way more than usual!). She even slept on top of me last night, stayed in bed with me this morning after Duke and her Daddy were up, and wouldn't stop snuggling with me this morning before I left for work. So, what I'm now trying to figure out is, did someone read Lucy my post from yesterday (I'm wondering if her boxer buddy Maggie Mae might have called her in my absence!), or did she just suspect that quite possibly Duke was sliding into her spot?

The Mama's Boy: Duke

2012-01-07T10:13:00.003-05:00

Often times, I have a hard time believing that Duke hasn't been a part of our lives for even a full year yet. I guess we were lucky to have a boxer boy blend in so well with our household and the crazy lives that we lead. But, we were lucky in a lot of other ways too, or should I say that I am lucky?

Duke is a Mama's Boy! He loves his mama, and I'm lucky because I'm the recipient of this adoration, and believe me, I don't doubt for a minute that this sweet boxer boy completely adores me. I don't think a minute goes by when I'm at home, that my sweet boy doesn't know exactly where I am in the house, and frankly, he's never very far from where I am. When Duke is on the job with me, he hates being left in my office and protests quite loudly and comically until I bring him out to prove to him that I'm just fine. I can tell without even looking that the tongue on the other side of the shower curtain belongs to Duke. I can tell without even looking that the paw on my knee definitely belongs to Duke. I can tell without even looking that the loud, freight train like snore keeping me up at night, most certainly belongs to Duke!

I've been more observant of these things lately, maybe because Duke is becoming even more of a mama's boy than he was a few months ago, or maybe the love that I've had for him since the first time I saw his sweet droopy face is deepening. I'm not entirely sure, but something is going on between Duke and I.

The other day, I was curled up in the recliner, book in hand, big fuzzy blanket on my lap completely comfortable. Out of nowhere, here comes Duke... He landed perfectly on his mama's lap and proceeded to get comfy with his head resting on my knee. As soon as he settled in, he let out a very deep, very contented sigh. It would seem that as long as he's close to me, he's perfectly happy. (I should mention that Lucy was madder than a hornet by these events and proceeded to let Duke and I know in no uncertain terms that she was not cool with this!)

I finally got a break from work yesterday, and hurried home at 12:30 to spend some time with my pups and hopefully get a nice long nap. When I walked in the door, Duke seemed so relieved to see me, while Lucy darted for the nearest toy. It was a beautiful day here yesterday, and I couldn't wait to spend some time in the sunshine with the kids, and I thought that they would hit the yard running. Lucy hit the yard running. Duke sat next to me on the step with a paw on my leg, and he didn't move until I got up to go in the house.

And when I curled up in bed for my nap, Duke was right next to me. Last night, he and I fell asleep with both of our heads on my pillow, his paw was over my back. I can't think of anything sweeter! There is definitely a special bond between me and my little boy!

Dale: A Tribute To A Boxer Friend

2012-01-06T10:04:00.004-05:00

As I get older, I think I appreciate people and things more. And when something bad happens to someone who has made a real difference in my life, it impacts me in a big way.

As many of you may know, since the adoption of my first boxer, I have become a member of a wonderful family otherwise known as the Boxer Mailing List. While I don't know the exact details of when this list was started, I know that it's been a huge part of my life for the last 2 years. I've made wonderful friends, laughed, cried, said prayers for the boxers and their humans, and received wonderful advice and loads of support for many different situations in my life.

The founding father of this wonderful family was a man named Dale Ulmer. Daily he would update us on the activities of his two boxer rescues, Lou and Ella. I would wait for those pictures, and laugh at their boxer antics. In addition to the daily updates is the BML family; a huge group of people from all over the US, Canada and abroad. Over the last two years, I have shared with them as they rescued and adopted puppies, toddler boxers and many seniors. I have cried plenty of tears as fellow members of my family have said good-bye to their precious boxers, and I have learned more about this wonderful breed than I have ever thought possible. One of the greatest things about this list is that even though we're all eager to help each other with boxer related things, there is also a tremendous amount of support here for everyday things that go on in our lives.

Over the last year or so, Dale has had several health problems, and we have all hoped and prayed for the best for him. After all, he's the one who brought us all together. Yesterday, we all received the news that he had passed. I can't help but think of what a better place the world has been because Dale was in it. He was such a sweet man, with a very obvious love for his sweet Diane, his kids, and boxers everywhere. And I can't help but think of all of the wonderful boxer greetings and wiggles that he must have gotten as he went to meet several of the boxers and his friends that preceded him in death. I know that several of my fellow BML members commented that they felt so much better knowing that Dale was now with the boxers that they've lost over the years. I guess you could say that I have an image of tons of boxers running and wiggling to greet him, and it sounds so lovely!

I sat with Lucy and Duke last night and I prayed for Dale and his family, and thanked God for allowing me to be a part of his life and his family. What a blessing it has been in my life, and I know that while I never had a chance to meet Dale, his wife Diane or Lou & Ella, that my life has been impacted in a very positive way.

Godspeed Dale, and thank you for being a part of our lives!

Indoor Games

2012-01-05T15:02:00.006-05:00

Winter has finally struck us in Pittsburgh, and I'm left with no other option than to tire my boxer babies out indoors. Lucy doesn't mind the cold, but 3 or 4 minutes outdoors in our chilly temps are more than enough for Duke. Thank goodness for the Christmas toys!

"Here ya go, Ma! Dis is da toy dat we need to play wits tonight. Will yous throw it's?"

Why is it that no matter what toy Duke or Lucy has, the other one always has to go after with it a complete and total vengeance?

It's always easy to tell when the boxer children are beginning to tire out. Lucy always shows signs first, she'll lay down on the ground and get comfy, but she still won't give up the toy!

"We's is waiten here for ya, ma! It's times to go to bed! Are you's coming or not?"

Whose Bed Is It, Anyway?

2012-01-04T11:50:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure our King Size bed has gone to the dogs. What do you think?

Kiss me!

2012-01-02T18:38:00.001-05:00

I really enjoyed the following video and hope that you all will too!

Surprises!

2011-12-23T11:01:00.005-05:00

Have you ever put your coat on after a long summer, and found a $20.00 bill in your pocket? Or maybe gotten a handbag out that you haven't used in a long time and found a tube of lipstick that was a favorite that you thought you had lost?

Well, I had a nice surprise of this nature the other day when I got my camera out. I've been using my Iphone to take pictures for the last several months, and hadn't uploaded pictures from my camera since I got back to PA! I was pleasantly surprised to find several adorable pictures of Lucy & Duke from Florida that I didn't know I had...

" Come on, Ma! Let us in... Daddy'll never know! We swear we won't tell on ya!"

Our house in Florida is mainly on one level, but we have a bonus/gameroom that is on the second floor. The only piece of furniture in the game room is a pool table. One evening, I was in the kitchen doing dishes and I could have sworn that I heard the balls clacking together. But, since I was the only one home, how was that possible? I brushed it off, thinking I must be hearing things when I heard that noise again. I decided to investigate. I found Lucy in the center of the pool table, pushing the balls around! When her Daddy heard about this, he insisted that I baby gate the gameroom! The result was two puppies that would sit on my stairs looking lost and forlorn because they couldn't play in the game room!

Funny Boxer Moments

2011-12-19T18:16:00.005-05:00

If you've ever wondered about why Boxer lovers, adore their boxers so, read on... I can actually imagine each of my dogs with the following thoughts...

My Favorite Things

2011-12-18T12:55:00.006-05:00

Have you ever heard the song "My Favorite Things"? Well, I happen to adore that song (and I've always love the movie "The Sound of Music"). When I played the flute, that was one of the songs that I mastered! This time of year, I think it's important to reflect on "da little tings and our favorite tings" that make us happy! Here are just a few of my favorite things...

My Little Gremlin Face... When Lucy rolls over and gets all wild eyed, no matter what I'm doing, or how late I am, I just have to stop what I'm doing, and play with her!

My Sweet Duke No matter what toy Duke has at the moment, he's always more than happy to share it with his human! And he's so gentle!! He's definitely a mama's boy!

My Favorite Wedding Picture I don't know what it is about this picture, but it's one of my favorites! I think it's the look on my new husbands face, or maybe it's that this was a stolen moment after our wedding ceremony that just happened to be captured!

The Dog that Ate Christmas!

2011-12-17T14:33:00.002-05:00

I got a big kick out of this video, not only do the boxers in this video look just like my kids, but I can totally see Lucy getting into this kind of trouble!!

My Day With Lucy & Duke

2011-12-16T17:31:00.005-05:00

After working about 90 hours since my last day off, I was more than ready for a day at home with the kids. I had planned to not even leave the house... (That never works out!) We started our day off out on the deck. Me in my bathrobe sipping a hot cup of coffee, both dogs by my side. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Duke leaps off the deck and Lucy follows right behind him. I have no idea what they saw, but I'm guessing it was something small that their mama couldn't see because she needs glasses. Try as I did, I couldn't see what got their attention.

Shortly after 10 A.M. I got a call that there was an emergency rocking chair situation (Have you ever heard of such a thing? Well take it from us, they do exist.) Since I had promised both boxers that I was going to spend the entire day with them, I shuffled both dogs into the car and we headed over to the Cranberry Store! Of course, Lucy called shotgun and rode most of the way there with her head on my arm! My little sweetie pie!

Mid-Afternoon Duke spotted something in the front yard that wasn't supposed to be there. I'm still not sure what it was, the only thing I could see that was out of place was a USPS box blowing across the neighbors driveway in the horrendous windstorm that we were experiencing. That box didn't come into our yard, guess Duke scared it away!

Around dinner-time, Lucy dropped the tire rope toy in my lap and waited for me to play with her. Of course, as soon as I got involved in the game, Duke joined in too! We played for a long time! I just love watching Lucy & Duke play together....

After the events of our day together, I had two very tired boxers on my hand, and they decided to snuggle up and take a nap while I finished the laundry, cleaned and cooked dinner! Good boxer puppies! Lucy thinks Duke is her own personal pillow!

Praises for Apple Cider Vinegar

2011-12-15T10:20:00.006-05:00

Several weeks ago, Lucy woke up with a bright pink nose. The next morning, it was more like a fuschia color and looked like it had blisters all over it. So, Lucy went to the vet. Our vet did a culture and decided it was an allergic reaction to something. Lucy came home with a long coarse of antibiotics and a steroid.

A week after both were gone, Lucy was still bright pink and I came home one night and she looked like someone had attacked her muzzle... (Duke was the likely culprit- but there was no way of proving that one!). Needless to say, I was frustrated!

As many of you might remember, we've had a lot of issues with Lucy and ear infections. Back in September, Lucy had a bad one and I started doing a ton of research online looking for a preventative measure for the infections. I came away feeling strongly that her ear infections were likely a result of an allergy, maybe to grain (which is a common boxer allergy) or to something else in the food that I was feeding. I immediately switched both Lucy and Duke to a grain-free diet. They've been eating Taste of The Wild for almost 3 months now, and Lucy hasn't had an ear infection!

While eliminating the grain from their diet was a possible long term preventative measure, what to do about the existing ear infection? One of my friends on the boxer mailing list suggested "APPLE CIDER VINEGAR". He told me to clean her ears as many times a day with it as I possibly could. There is something about vinegar that restores normal PH levels.

Well, I chased Lucy around the house 3 times a day for a couple of weeks to clean her ears out with the vinegar. I got tons of exercise, and Lucy got her healthy ears back.

...And, the vinegar ended up being a great solution to the issue with her muzzle. She's still not back to normal, but after a week of dousing her muzzle with apple vinegar twice a day, she's definitely looking much better. Did I mention how much my totally silly little boxer loves the taste of vinegar? Well, she does! The other night, she actually drank it out of the bowl...ICK!

Notice the mess around Lucy. She got into a little bit of trouble this morning! Should have known it was way too quiet in this house!

Lucy, Duke and I want to send a special thank you to our friends Ron and Sophie for sharing with us how to get a great header just like theirs! It was easy and a lot of fun, and now our blog header looks just as great as theirs does! Thanks a bundle!

A Quiet Boxer is a....

2011-12-14T16:38:00.002-05:00

Boxer that's being bad... Or at least that's usually the way it is in my house! I was thinking back to one October morning in our house when I was upstairs getting ready for work and there wasn't a bark, growl or loud bang coming from either of my boxers. Figuring that they were up to no good, I ran down the stairs to check it out...

Turns out that quiet boxers in my house that morning, were just 2 boxers who were perfectly content, relaxing in the living room!

I've Just Gotta Tell Ya...

2011-12-13T10:41:00.007-05:00

I was so hyped up yesterday about that Crinkits toy, that I decided that I needed to write an email to the company that's manufacturing them and tell them just how much Lucy and Duke love their Crinkit! Enter a nice young man named Zach, who answered my gushing email almost immediately. I'm so excited, we're going to be receiving a t-shirt and maybe someday Lucy and Duke will be product testing Zach's newest toy! I have half a notion to buy a box full of them and sell them in my store... "The Amish Furniture & Crinkits Store..." lol

I had Lucy at work with me yesterday (Don't worry, we didn't leave Duke home alone- he was with Rob at work!). She and I had a wonderful day together, I think she was needing some alone time with her mama! We took lots of walks, snuggled in front of the heater, chased marshmallows across the floor, and made lots of new friends!

Lucy's so good on the job, I guess the first 3 months of her life with us, going to work every day, trained her that being at work is a good thing! I know that by 8:00 last night she was more than ready to go home. We took a long walk while waiting for her Daddy and Duke and then hopped in the truck where Lucy snuggled up on my lap and stayed for the entire ride home.

I am sure of one thing, Lucy is definitely the "Shot Gun" kid! She loves riding shot gun and watching everything that goes on!

Duke is content riding in the back and usually takes car rides as a great opportunity to catch up on his sleep! His day yesterday with his Daddy didn't go so well. Duke wasn't trained that being on the job is a great thing and usually whines and cries most of the day! He's also very good at escaping the "back room".

I had him at our store in the south one day, and I was working with a customer out on the sales floor. I was talking, and the customer kept looking down to my feet and I couldn't figure out why. Finally, I looked down and realized that my Duke had escaped the back room and was sitting at my side staring at my customer! I didn't know if I should laugh or yell at him! I ended up laughing and the customer got a good giggle out of his appearance! Silly, Duke!

We love....ZIGFLEX....CRinKits

2011-12-12T12:23:00.013-05:00

Last Monday on our way to work at the store, Duke and I stopped off at a locally owned pet store right around the corner from our store. (I had a huge list of things that we needed to find, including new collars for both kids!)

Being the good big brother that Duke is, after he picked out an enormous bone for himself (and sniffed just about everything else in the store before shaking paws with the two guys working there), he picked out a toy for his little sister... And boy, did he do a great job!

Have you ever seen a cRinkKit? Well, it's most certainly a "hot" item in our home right now.

Both Lucy and Duke love plastic water bottles which make mama extremely nervous, and we all know that the stuffed sleeves that you can buy at Petco or Petsmart wouldn't last a day in our house, so I was thrilled when I found this rubber sleeve that goes around a plastic water bottle! Lucy was also thrilled!

Both dogs waited very impatiently at my feet as I struggled (while muttering some pretty harsh words) to stuff a water bottle into the sleeve. It wasn't easy! (And the two whining boxers at my feet weren't making it any easier!) I was disappointed that I didn't accomplish this task without smushing the water bottle to pieces, but even smushed, it still had the desired crinkling effect that seems to attract the boxers to the water bottles! Frankly, I was just relieved to have gotten it in there, and that I was able to get Lucy and Duke off my back!

Lucy seemed to forget that her big brother had been gracious enough to pick out and bring her back a toy, and as soon as I dropped that thing on the floor, she was off and running with it. She had no intention of sharing it, or even letting Duke get anywhere near it, which I'm pretty sure broke his big heart! Every time he got within a foot of her, she growled and snarled at him!

With a little help from his mama, whose heart was breaking because Lucy wasn't sharing, Duke finally managed to get his mouth around the toy, and he ran like the wind and wouldn't let Lucy anywhere near him and Crinket once he had it in his possession!

We've got to give this toy 5 stars! They have been beating the you-know-what out of it for the last week, and it still looks brand new! I'm thinking it might take them a very long time to destroy this toy, and when they do, I'll be right back at that pet store replacing it!!

Christmas Wishes For Our Furpals

2011-12-08T17:08:00.004-05:00

I was hoping that this would be our real Christmas card, but it turned out that the resolution wasn't high enough for print, and I couldn't let it go to waste! I just thought it was too darn adorable!!

Merry Christmas Everyone from Lucy, Duke & I!

How Long Should It Last?

2011-12-06T16:59:00.007-05:00

I'm sure you already know this, but my boxers have trained their human very well, probably too well if I were to tell the truth!

A few weeks ago, I was feeling insanely guilty about the amount of time I was spending away from the boxers at work, and I decided a trip to Petco for some new toys and treats was in order (boy does Petco like to see this one coming!). And of course, the kids with their sad faces weren't doing much to reassure me that the amount of hours I was working was okay!

I came home with several new toys for the kids, deciding that I would ration them out and only give them one at a time. Out came the colorful green snake- and off went Lucy and left a very sad looking Duke at my feet, so out came another toy!

Lucy had the snake, and Duke had a large blue plastic bone which he proudly carried all around the house refusing to let Lucy get anywhere near it the entire time.

Thankfully, Lucy was a little more willing to share the snake with Duke.

Unthankfully, (I guess that's not a word, but you get the point...) the snake didn't last very long with Lucy and Duke engaging in an insane game of tug-o-war! I think it was about 7 minutes to be honest. Isn't $16.99 a lot to pay for something tagged "TOUGH" that can only withstand the harshness of my boxers for only 7 minutes?

The checkout clerk at Petco didn't seem to understand, and a manager had to get involved in order for me to get my money back! I'm starting to think there ought to be toys especially made for Boxer dogs!

... Little Lucy knew the snake was dead, and she looked so traumatized!

Thankfully, the big blue bone is holding up very well, and Duke loves walking around the house with it. He looks adorable with that huge bone sticking out of that seriously serious face!

Bad, Bad Blogger Mom!

2011-12-03T15:52:00.004-05:00

Just had a few minutes and thought I would pop in and say hello! The last several months have brought lots of changes to our lives, and I don't seem to have much free time anymore! On a positive note, Lucy & Duke are doing very well, and seem happy to be back in PA with their Daddy (as is I!). I am hoping that things settle down and I get a chance to catch up with everyone and update you all on our adventures... For now, this darling picture of my boxer babies will have to suffice! (This was taken as we were driving into work the other day! Aren't they darling? My little snugglebugs! They truly adore each other, and I couldn't be more proud, or feel more blessed!)

We Made It...

2011-09-24T10:34:00.003-04:00

After much careful consideration, Lucy, Duke and I have returned home to Pennsylvania and Rob! It feels good to be home, but it was a long trip! Thankfully, my kids are good travelers, and I think they actually enjoyed the journey! I put the back seat down in the car and made them a wonderful bed and they snuggled and cuddled most of the way back to PA.

The kids got to sniff all kinds of wonderful smells in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia! And of course, they loved meeting all kinds of new people too! We spent Thursday night in Wytheville, VA. We stayed at the Red Roof Inn, which is extremely pet friendly. They didn't care that I had 2 dogs, nor did they charge us extra to stay there. The girl at the front desk did comment that she couldn't believe how cute they were as they were sticking their heads out the window and wiggling their little bottoms!

Both boxers seem to be loving being back in PA. We have about 12 rabbits who have taken up residence in our backyard. They probably thought it was safe, but for the last 18 hours, Lucy and Duke have been busy chasing those bunny rabbits out of the yard! Poor rabbits!

An Angel To Ease The Pain

2011-09-17T21:45:00.001-04:00

This is a very heartbreaking story. It just makes me so glad to know that there are so many animals out there that are loved so dearly that nothing like this would ever happen to. But, it also brings to my mind the fact that very unfortunately there are way too many of these kinds of stories too! I'm not sure that there is any punishment severe enough for this kind of treatment of animals.

I don't know what else to say about this poor little dog. I'm just very grateful to the officer that was kind enough to help this sweet soul and may she find peace and happiness that every puppy deserves in puppy heaven!

An angel to ease the pain

Play Time!

2011-09-16T18:07:00.008-04:00

Play time in our house usually follows a routine. Typically Duke will decide that I toy looks particularly entertaining and will begin to play with it or chew on it. Lucy will lay in front of him watching until she just can't stand it anymore, and she'll begin to whine.

Not long after the whining begins, Lucy will devise a plan to take whatever toy Duke is being entertained by and she'll move in for the kill. Sometimes Duke will let Lucy have the toy, sometimes he'll chase her. It all depends on just how mellow our dear boy is feeling at that moment.

On this particular evening, Duke seemed content to let Lucy have the ball that he had been having such a good time with. However, I think that the more he thought about it, the more he realized "Hey, dat's not fair! I wanna play wits dat ball too!" And so it began...

This wild game of cat and mouse went on for about 20 minutes with all kinds of barking, growling and chasing! It was very entertaining for both the boxers and their human!

Once Duke is determined to get a toy off of his little sister, he can be relentless and extremely silly!

Mental Exercise For Lucy & Duke

2011-09-15T07:53:00.005-04:00

One of the great things about living in Florida is having wonderful weather to take my dogs for nice long walks.

On the flip side of that, one of the worst things about living in Florida is having horrible humidity during the summer months which wrecks havoc on our walks.

To counteract the humidity, I had been waiting until 10:00 at night to take Lucy and Duke for walks. While Lucy has no problem tolerating either the heat or the humidity, it doesn't agree with Duke.

But even my late night plan wasn't working out so well. One night last week, we all waited for the humidity to calm down as long as we could. It didn't seem like it was that bad, but about 10 minutes into our walk, I realized that I had been dead wrong about the humidity levels. And if I was suffering, my poor boxers were too, although Lucy showed no signs of suffering... there were frogs all over the place, and lots of great things to sniff.

It was no surprise to me when Duke laid down in the middle of the street and refused to take another step. I felt horrible, and I had no idea what I was going to do, because even if I had been able to pick up Duke and carry him home, what was I going to do with Lucy? I could have tied them to a tree and ran back to the house and got the car, but there is no way I would ever leave my dogs unattended like that even for 5 minutes. So, I plopped down and waited....

Twice more on the way home that evening, my poor boy laid down in the street and refused to move. So, I made the decision that I was going to have to find some other way to "entertain" my children until this darn humidity breaks, because there is no way that I'm putting Duke through that again.

Plan B involves the other form of exercise: MENTAL EXERCISE! As you may well know that form of exercise can be quite tiring and requires a ton of concentration on the part of the dog, and tons of creativity on the part of the human! But never fear, I've got it covered! After 1 week of this routine, Lucy and Duke will now sit, pause, and then lay down just with hand motions. We also worked on "Wait". Lucy's version of "Wait" needs a ton of work as she has no idea what her mother wants her to do as you can see by the third picture. Duke on the other hand, knows exactly what "Wait" means and I've got proof.

I am positive that this form of exercise is not only good for my boxers, but that it does a great job of wearing them out. I should admit, that it takes a lot of thought for their human to try to figure out how to challenge them and tire them out without leaving the house in the humidity. All I know is that this Mental Exercise tires us all out!

Thank Goodness For The Furbabies

2011-09-14T19:39:00.003-04:00

Yup, I'm struggling and I'm relying on my sweet little boxer kids to get me through the struggle. The day that my then fiance, now husband and I made the decision for me to live in Florida, while he lived in Pennsylvania, it would seem we were under the influence of several bottles of wine, but we weren't! Needless, to say I am miserable being 1100 miles away from my darling husband, and if I didn't have two boxers to come home to, I would really be in big trouble!....

Lucy has NEVER counter-surfed! She's never so much as attempted to go for any of the wonderfully smelling goodies on my kitchen counter, but the other night I put her ball on the counter and I went to bed!

I was sitting in bed, buried in a book, when I heard the commotion in the kitchen. Duke was in the hallway between the bedroom and the kitchen, and he was growling. It was a low, quiet kind of warning growl. I couldn't see Lucy from the bed, so I got up and walked to the kitchen! (Thankfully, my camera was right there!)

Lucy had her front paws on the kitchen counter, and was trying hard to figure out a way to get her mouth around the talking ball! (Which by the way, I don't know the name of, but I bought it on Amazon.com for those of you who inquired.... It makes all kinds of weird farm animal noise- so if you buy one, make sure you put it out of reach because it will scare the crap out of you in the middle of the night! I speak from experience!)

I'm pretty sure that Duke's growling at Lucy was his way of telling his little sister that she was gonna be in trouble if mama caught her....

These two boxers are non-stop entertainment!

Lucy & Duke's New Talking Ball

2011-08-31T20:59:00.003-04:00

One of the favorite toys in our home recently had to be retired and since it was the kids favorite- I sent out in search of another one just like it. What I found wasn't identical, and it makes crazy farm animal sounds, but it's great at entertaining my boxers! Have a look...

They get so wound up with this toy that their mama has to put it up after a couple hours to save what little is left of her sanity... And we don't dare drop this "obnoxiously noisy" toy on the ground when Daddy's here!

A Long Blogging Absence...

2011-08-28T20:40:00.009-04:00

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I've blogged regularly! I guess I know now for sure one of the things that I am missing! In my defense, the past 2 months have held lots of changes for our household... A move to Orlando, a wedding for Lucy & Duke's Humans, and a new job for Mama! Lucy and Duke are holding up fantastically... it would seem that the adjustments are harder for their humans!
Lucy was a big help- or should I say, she was a great supervisor. She made sure that her mama packed up each and every one of her toys. Not that she helped by putting them all in one place or anything of that nature- she just made sure that they all made it into the box marked "LUCY & DUKE"!
My friend, Karen accompanied Lucy, Duke and I on the 2 day drive to Orlando. The boxers held up well- and were very understanding of their new surroundings- especially when I tossed out their favorite toy- The Babble Ball!
It's rather surprising that Lucy is the only pup that has decided the big white chair in our living room is the best place to hang out. As a matter of fact, every time Lucy hops up there and makes herself comfortable- Duke looks at her like she's not supposed to be up there! Even though our lives have changed in many ways, I can still count on Lucy and Duke to be themselves! They are just as snuggly and funny as they ever were...

And since I'm sure that you all caught that there was a wedding... Here are a few pictures from our wonderful day! It couldn't have been more perfect and we had a fabulous day!

Meet Caley! .... Caley's Story

2011-08-25T21:44:00.005-04:00

Orlando, FL - The benign email from a shelter about a "skinny dog" did little to prepare a volunteer for one emaciated Boxer's condition.

Florida Boxer Rescue pulled Caley from the shelter where she had been housed after being picked up as a stray.

When Caley first arrived, she was crawling in fleas - so many fleas, in fact, that it took two treatments to kill them all.

The ailing Boxer was also found to be anemic (thanks in part to the blood-sucking fleas) and dehydrated.

In a word, Caley was a mess.

Technically, since Caley was just saved from the shelter, she is still a mess - though her many issues are currently being addressed at a veterinary clinic.

By tomorrow, tests which are being run on this suffering dog should reveal if Caley has an underlying problem, or if she was purposefully starved.

The Florida Boxer Rescue has set up a donation page for Caley - something to help off-set the many expenses which will be associated with saving her life.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Meet Caley, starved Boxer - National Dogs | Examiner.com

The Only In-destructable Toy We've Found

2011-06-25T10:39:00.006-04:00

Thank you all for your sweet comments about Lucy and Duke's wild romp around the house. I'm so glad you all got a kick out of my children's antics.

You asked about the bright blue object that was so fascinating to my boxers. It's a "HURLEY" These very in-destructable dog toys are made by a company called West Paw Design. We've got 3 of them, and let me tell you they definitely stand up to a lot of abuse! They're even guaranteed against dog damage. Ours have been around for about a year and a half and look just like they did the day they arrived at our home! And let me tell you, that's saying a lot in our house. Lucy and Duke are not easy on toys.

These bright colored toys are not only durable, but they're extremely easy to find because of their bright coloring. (so even when Lucy drags one of these out into the jungle that's our back yard, her mama is able to locate it, unlike some other toys that have gone into the jungle never to return!) And that's a good thing, because my kids love this toy!

So, yup- my boxer kids give this toy 8 paws up, and they'll do just about anything to get their mouths around a "Hurley"... Including striking their best pose for the camera so that their human can blog about it! (This was a perfect shot... I guess I should mention that I was holding food in my hand to get it!)

Have a great weekend everyone! We'll see you all soon!

A Battle of Wills

2011-06-24T14:30:00.006-04:00

Lucy and Duke had a particularly silly playtime the other day! I got some really good pictures of their little game... I hope you enjoy watching their antics as much as I do!

"Let's play, Duke! Come n get it!"

"Oh, I'm gonna gets dat toy from you, Lucy!"

"My mouths a lot bigger dan yours, Lucy!"

"Are yous ready to give it up yet? I's got nothing but time..."

Time To Get Wet... Or not...

2011-06-20T10:11:00.002-04:00

If Lucy could talk, she would probably tell you that one of her favorite things (if not her favorite thing) about summer is being able to play in the water from the garden hose.

Lucy can be at the very bottom of the yard when I turn on the house, and she'll be there in a flash!

I'm pretty sure that deep down Lucy believes that the sole purpose of the hose is to provide her with entertainment! I don't know about that, but she always provides me with plenty of entertainment when I turn on that hose! She has no problem sticking her whole head right in the stream of the running water.

Duke on the other hand, is not sure about getting wet. But, with a little bit of coaxing from his little sister, he decided he would give it a try.

Of course, she had to show him how it was done first, and then stand there on the side lines making sure that he did it right.

It was funny how Duke struggled to get to the water, but clearly didn't want any of it getting on his face. I could tell he was taking great measures to make sure that his whole entire face didn't get wet. And Lucy was completely confused, clearly she thought he was missing out on the best part of the whole hose game.

It's just incredible how different my two boxer kids are, but how well they get along with one another.

Things You Bring Home From Florida

2011-06-19T14:12:00.007-04:00

Lucy came home from Florida scratching at her ear, and when I lifted it up and looked in there, I knew we were going to be heading to the vet. Sure enough, Lucy had a yeast infection in her ear, and after much wiggling and being muzzled, the vet had filled Lucy's poor little ear with medication.

Duke didn't make the trip to the vet with us, and he knew immediately when we got home that his little sister had been traumatized. So, he stepped up to the plate and gave her tons of kisses and let her use him as a pillow!

Lucy also had a urinary tract infection, so we came home with antibiotics for that as well. I'm not so sure that they agree with Lucy because she's been pretty calm the last several days. Of course, that could have just been that she wasn't feeling well. She went to work 3 days with me this week, and pretty much just laid around. One night, on the way home, she decided she wasn't close enough to me and snuggled up on my lap for the remainder of the drive home. It's not easy to drive with a 55 pound boxer on your lap when you've got to shift!

Thankfully, her ear is no longer red and she seems to be returning to her silly little self!

Duke's been just laying back and taking it all in! Thankfully, he didn't come home from Florida with an ear infection too! I'm not sure I could handle two big, sick babies at the same time.

Duke always seems to have at least one eye on Lucy, sometimes I think that he's making sure that she's okay, other times I'm pretty sure he's just making sure he doesn't need to step in and tell her to "BEHAVE!" He takes being a big brother very seriously!

What To Do On A Chilly Tuesday Morning

2011-06-14T09:42:00.005-04:00

"Hey, Duke, whatcha think we oughtsa do today? Waits right here... I's gots an idea."

"We's can play wits dis silly green ball!"

"Sounds like funs to me, Lucy! Lemme have it!"

"Okays, yous can have it's for now, buts I's is gonna gets it back... Just gotta figure out da best approach!"

Here We are....

2011-06-12T15:11:00.007-04:00

We have just returned home from another trip to Florida. This was Duke's first long road trip, and his very first introduction to the Florida house! Seeing as how we'd never made the trip with two dogs in the car, I was a little nervous about how they would do. I shouldn't have been nervous, they were great!

When I got to the airport in Orlando, I was already missing my boxers who were returning home with their Daddy while I was flying home. I found a card with two boxers on it, and couldn't help but think that if Lucy and Duke had been puppies at the same time, this is exactly what they would have looked like. What do you think? The only difference is probably that Lucy would have been on top! Of course, I bought the card and have plans to frame it!

"I'm A Chillen'..."

Duke is very good at just hanging out, especially in this heat! One of his favorite places to crash is right in the middle of our kitchen floor... Wonder why that is? It's not real hard to figure out! Duke loves to eat, and Duke is always hungry!

He also has the most serious boxer face that I've ever seen! He always looks like he's trying to solve a really big problem! I think he needs some reading glasses and a cigar to complete his "Einstein" look!

Boxers are very kissy dogs- heck, most mornings before I leave the house, Lucy manages to kiss all of my makeup off of my face! Duke is a cuddler, but he's not a kisser. And in the 3 months that he's lived with us, he hasn't given his mother a single kiss... Until this past Friday that is! I guess maybe he was just undecided about whether or not he liked his mother enough to give her a kiss, or maybe he was just being his usual polite self, and thought that he didn't know me well enough to kiss me!

Lucy is her usual self, and up to all of her usual antics and then some. She's so good at making her mama laugh on a very regular basis!

Her latest... One morning last week, I started running water in the bath tub and walked away to make the bed. When I walked back into the bathroom, Lucy was soaking in my bath water having a grand old time!

She just adores her new "brudder" and makes sure that he gets more than enough of her attention. Most days, I'm pretty sure that Duke is just humoring her, because he seems like he would be more than content to take a long nap under a ceiling fan, but he'll chase her and a toy around the house for hours.

The True Nature Of A Boxer....

2011-06-10T18:32:00.002-04:00

This picture says it all... The boxer... The Great Protector!

Sorry that Lucy, Duke and I have been missing! I can't believe it's been a month since I've blogged! What's the matter with me? It just seems like there are not enough hours in the day, and to tell the truth, it's much harder to catch two boxers sitting still than it is to catch one!

I promise to get pictures of my snuggle bugs up here really soon... And hopefully get back to being a "good" blogger!

Duke's A Big Hit In Our House

2011-05-06T16:54:00.004-04:00

As I'm sure you can tell by some of my previous photos, Lucy loves her big "brudder". Frankly, I can say with great confidence, that everyone in our house loves Duke- especially his best buddy! Duke and Rob are turning out to be great pals!

Although... Duke might be a little bit on the heavy side to be a lap dog!

I'm thinking that one of my favorite things about Lucy and her relationship with Duke is that she's never afraid to get too close to Duke. It doesn't even matter what he's got in his mouth- or if he has something in his mouth. Lucy loves to get right up to him, and often gives him a great big kiss!

Wordless Wednesday...Can You Find Lucy?

2011-05-05T14:22:00.003-04:00

Boxer Antics Times 2...

2011-04-15T11:52:00.005-04:00

Feeding and treat time in our house has taken on a whole new meaning since Duke joined us. Lucy likes to eat, but has never been very persistent during food prep time. She's content to lie at my feet, hoping that something will drop and probably wondering what goodies her mama's got in store for her. She hardly ever makes so much as a sound, if she's really hungry or something smells unusually delicious, there may be a little whimper, and she'll probably paw at my leg just to remind that she's waiting.

Duke's style of reminding me that he's waiting is very different. He's always hungry. Heck, I can feed him a huge bowl of goodies, and 5 minutes later, he'll be looking up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes asking me "Where's da rest?"

I have learned that I have about 30 seconds from the time the kibble drops in the bowl to the time that Duke begins to grumble. It's a grumble that you just can't miss, and it'll probably make you chuckle, too. He's a good boy even though he's being impatient, rarely does he move from his proper seated position.

He may be complaining, but he's still minding his manners!

Lucy, still being a bouncing boxer puppy (full of constant and amazing amounts of energy) is always in the mood to play, it doesn't matter what hour of the day it is, she's always running and looking for a toy. (Part of me thinks that she's just so happy to have someone to play with that she wants to get in as much play as possible.)

Duke loves to play sometimes and does a very good job at tiring out his little sister, but he's a big snuggler and likes to be close to his mama. He could be very content doing nothing but following me around the house and getting hugs and kisses. So, at times, Lucy has to put on her most convincing face and lure Duke into some sort of game.

Believe me when I say, she's got this down pat...

It's not big surprise to me that Lucy's favorite thing to do is tease, she's been teasing me with toys ever since we adopted her. Of course, she loves to tease Duke! She'll stand several feet away from Duke, whimpering with a toy in her mouth.

Duke will slowly, and very methodically pull himself from his lounging position and walk towards Lucy. He always looks so serious- it's part of his charm- and probably what makes this whole game between he & Lucy so comical. When he gets within 6 inches of Lucy and the toy, she takes off, and the game is on! I have 2 boxers running at full speed around the house. It didn't take Lucy long to figure out how to make Duke want to play with her!

I'm Pretty Sure They're In Love!

2011-04-14T11:52:00.005-04:00

My Lucy girl and my sweet Duke are definitely displaying all of the signs of being in love... I couldn't be more thrilled that Lucy approves of the new boxer boy, but I had no idea it would turn out quite this way! I guess you could say that I was seeing them more as brother and sister than boyfriend and girlfriend. I guess there is just no way to predict how things are going to turn out.

One moment they're snuggling and kissing...

The next they're engaged in wild, crazy, noisy play...

I guess you could say that even though this isn't what Rob and I were expecting with the new addition to the family, we're thrilled that the kids get along and enjoy each other's company.

I've gotta say that both Lucy and Duke seemed thrilled to be in each other's company! And I'm sure it's not a stretch for me to say that Duke thinks he's found the best pillow in the world... Lucy doesn't seem to mind one bit!

2 Boxers Are Definitely Better Than One...

2011-04-07T15:56:00.008-04:00

And I've got the proof right here. Just look how much fun Lucy and Duke are having with each other...
I brought both Duke and Lucy to work with me the other day. It was the first time that I've brought them both. I would say the day was a huge success. They spent most of the day snuggled up in front of the heater just like this. I'm pretty sure that Duke is appreciating that his new sister is a great headrest and Lucy doesn't seem to mind one bit!
I gave both boxers a marrow bone the other night before bed and anxiously awaited the result. I wasn't sure how well that was going to work out since those bones are such a hot item. But, both boxers settled right in and went to work on the bones.
I was pleasantly surprised when Duke tolerated Lucy sticking her nosy little head right in his face as he was working on his bone. His patience with her is definitely amazing at times.
Lucy and Duke had so much fun playing with Willy that they fell asleep together on the kitchen floor, both dogs holding a part of Willy, neither one was going to let go first. These two crack me up!
I just love these faces. Lucy always has such a comical expression on her face, and Duke is the exact opposite, he always looks so serious, even when he's being really silly with Lucy!

Everyone Working Toward A Common Goal

2011-03-31T10:23:00.009-04:00

When it became clear that we were going to adopt Duke, I became fully prepared for having a period of time where Duke would need to adjust to his new humans, baby sister and his new home. I wasn't sure exactly what that would entail, or what he would require, but I knew that we would do whatever we needed to do to make him feel just how welcome he was to our family. What I wasn't anticipating was how short that time period would be, or how well I would handle the blending of both dogs.

The first 24-48 hours that Duke was with us, he was very reluctant to play with my bouncing, energetic and somewhat rude Lucy. Not being entirely sure how to handle this situation, I sought the advice of those who had been there and done this before. The advice that I got was golden, and I implemented the advice exactly as I was instructed to do; I just wanted everyone to get along! (I also learned a couple of things, remind me to do a post about "rude" dogs!)

Our challenges went something like this: Lucy would jump all over Duke, wiggle her bottom and beg him to play with her. Duke was rather unsure of us and his surroundings and he would let out several little growls telling Lucy to "back off". Lucy didn't take him very seriously, and things would escalate. There was no damage done because although Duke did not want to play with Lucy, he had no intention of hurting her. His words could get pretty harsh though, and Lucy wasn't exactly muttering sweet nothings in Dukes ears either. The whole thing sounded 10 times worse that what it actually was. All I knew was that it made me a wreck and was no good for the ultimate goal of having peace and harmony between my two boxers.

I became very alert to Duke's signals, and when he would look pleadingly at me and let out that little growl, I would pull Lucy away from him and make her sit. If she would return to Duke and refuse to leave him alone, I would separate the two dogs giving Lucy a chance to cool off and give Duke a bit of a break.

Of course, I was also paying close attention to Lucy's signals. When she would start bouncing all over the place and making those silly little "I'm feeling wild!" sounds, I did my best to distract her, or remove her from the situation.

I wondered how long this would go on, if Lucy would eventually get it and if Duke would eventually show us his silly boxer side and start playing with Lucy.

I got the answer to my question on Monday night. Lucy grabbed her jolly ball and started running around Duke with the ball. For the first couple of minutes, Duke ignored my silly little Lucy, but that only lasted a short time. Before I even knew what was going on, I had not one, but two boxers ripping around the house engaged in wild and delightful boxer play! I couldn't have been happier, and I'm pretty sure that Lucy shared my sentiments! It's been that way ever since, Lucy and Duke constantly at play!

I missed out on getting pictures of Lucy and Duke engaging in their first romp because I left my camera at work. But, you can be sure that I won't be forgetting my camera again any time soon because you just never know whats going to happen in my house with 2 boxers running around!

Nothing In Life Is Free

2011-03-29T17:07:00.004-04:00

Several months ago, I came across the following article. I thought it was great reading, and a great concept. It was forwarded to me again by the director of the Rescue program that Duke had been fostered by. I thought I would share it here because we're always trying to better dog parents!

The NILIF program is remarkable because it's effective for such a wide variety of problems. A shy, timid dog becomes more relaxed knowing that he has nothing to worry about, his owner is in charge of all things. A dog that's pushing too hard to become "top dog" learns that the position is not available and that his life is far more enjoyable without the title.

It is equally successful with dogs that fall anywhere between those two extremes. The program is not difficult to put into effect and it's not time consuming if the dog already knows a few basic obedience commands. I've never seen this technique fail to bring about a positive change in behavior, however, the change can be more profound in some dogs than others. Most owners use this program in conjunction with other behavior modification techniques such as coping with fear or treatment for aggression. It is a perfectly suitable technique for the dog with no major behavior problems that just needs some fine tuning.

ATTENTION ON DEMAND
The program begins by eliminating attention on demand. When your dog comes to you and nudges your hand, saying "pet me! pet me!" ignore him. Don't tell him "no", don't push him away. Simply pretend you don't notice him. This has worked for him before, so don't be surprised if he tries harder to get your attention. When he figures out that this no longer works, he'll stop. In a pack situation, the top ranking dogs can demand attention from the lower ranking ones, not the other way around. When you give your dog attention on demand you're telling him that he has more status in the pack than you do. Timid dogs become stressed by having this power and may become clingy. They're never sure when you'll be in charge so they can't relax. What if something scary happens, like a stranger coming in the house? Who will handle that? The timid dog that is demanding of attention can be on edge a lot of the time because he has more responsibility than he can handle.

Some dogs see their ability to demand attention as confirmation that they are the "alpha", then become difficult to handle when told to "sit" or "down" or some other demand is placed on them. It is not their leadership status that stresses them out, it's the lack of consistency. They may or may not actually be alpha material, but having no one in the pack that is clearly the leader is a bigger problem than having the dog assume that role full time. Dogs are happiest when the pack order is stable. Tension is created by a constant fluctuation of pack leadership.

EXTINCTION BURSTS
Your dog already knows that he can demand your attention and he knows what works to get that to happen. As of today, it no longer works, but he doesn't know that yet. We all try harder at something we know works when it stops working. If I gave you a twenty dollar bill every time you clapped your hands together, you'd clap a lot. But, if I suddenly stopped handing you money, even though you were still clapping, you'd clap more and clap louder. You might even get closer to me to make sure I was noticing that you were clapping. You might even shout at me "Hey! I'm clapping like crazy over here, where's the money?". If I didn't respond at all, in any way, you'd stop. It wasn't working anymore. That last try -- that loud, frequent clapping is an extinction burst. If, however, during that extinction burst, I gave you another twenty dollar bill you'd be right back in it. It would take a lot longer to get you to stop clapping because you just learned that if you try hard enough, it will work.

When your dog learns that the behaviors that used to get him your attention don't work any more he's going to try harder and he's going to have an extinction burst. If you give him attention during that time you will have to work that much harder to get him turned around again. Telling him "no" or pushing him away is not the kind of attention he's after, but it's still attention. Completely ignoring him will work faster and better.

YOU HAVE THE POWER
As the human and as his owner you have control of all things that are wonderful in his life. This is the backbone of the NILIF program. You control all of the resources. Playing, attention, food, walks, going in and out of the door, going for a ride in the car, going to the dog park. Anything and everything that your dog wants comes from you. If he's been getting most of these things for free there is no real reason for him to respect your leadership or your ownership of these things. Again, a timid dog is going to be stressed by this situation, a pushy dog is going to be difficult to handle. Both of them would prefer to have you in charge.

To implement the NILIF program you simply have to have your dog earn his use of your resources. He's hungry? No problem, he simply has to sit before his bowl is put down. He wants to play fetch? Great! He has to "down" before you throw the ball. Want to go for a walk or a ride? He has to sit to get his lead snapped on and has to sit while the front door is opened. He has to sit and wait while the car door is opened and listen for the word (I use "OK") that means "get into the car". When you return he has to wait for the word that means "get out of the car" even if the door is wide open. Don't be too hard on him. He's already learned that he can make all of these decisions on his own. He has a strong history of being in control of when he gets these resources. Enforce the new rules, but keep in mind that he's only doing what he's been taught to do and he's going to need some time to get the hang of it all.

You're going to have to pay attention to things that you probably haven't noticed before. If you feed your dog from your plate do you just toss him a green bean? No more. He has to earn it. You don't have to use standard obedience commands, any kind of action will do. If your dog knows "shake" or "spin around" or "speak" use those commands. Does your dog sleep on your bed? Teach him that he has to wait for you to say "OK" to get on the bed and he has to get down when you say "off". Teach him to go to his bed, or other designated spot, on command. When he goes to his spot and lays down tell him "stay" and then release him with a treat reward. Having a particular spot where he stays is very helpful for when you have guests or otherwise need him out of the way for a while. It also teaches him that free run of the house is a resource that you control. There are probably many things that your dog sees as valuable resources that I haven't mentioned here.

The NILIF program should not be a long, drawn out process. All you need to do is enforce a simple command before allowing him access to what he wants. Dinner, for example, should be a two or three second encounter that consists of nothing more than saying "sit", then "good dog!", then putting the bowl down and walking away.

ATTENTION AND PLAY
Now that your dog is no longer calling the shots you will have to make an extra effort to provide him with attention and play time. Call him to you, have him "sit" and then lavish him with as much attention as you want. Have him go get his favorite toy and play as long as you both have the energy. The difference is that now you will be the one initiating the attention and beginning the play time. He's going to depend on you now, a lot more than before, to see that he gets what he needs. What he needs most is quality time with you. This would be a good time to enroll in a group obedience class. If his basic obedience is top notch, see about joining an agility class or fly ball team.
NILIF DOES *NOT* MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO YOUR DOG. The NILIF concept speaks to who initiates the attention (you!), not the amount of attention. Go ahead and call your dog to you 100 times a day for hugs and kisses!! You can demand his attention, he can no longer demand yours!

Within a day or two your dog will see you in a whole new light and will be eager to learn more. Use this time to teach new things, such as 'roll over' or learn the specific names of different toys.

If you have a shy dog, you'll see a more relaxed dog. There is no longer any reason to worry about much of anything. He now has complete faith in you as his protector and guide. If you have a pushy dog he'll be glad that the fight for leadership is over and his new role is that of devoted and adored pet.

Welcome Home Duke!

2011-03-28T15:54:00.010-04:00

Lucy and I were so excited and eager to go meet Duke that we couldn't wait until Sunday. So, even though we couldn't start out until late in the day on Friday, we decided that we had to go on Friday.

Lucy didn't think I was moving fast enough, and the 3 1/2 ride to Ohio was way too long for her. There were multiple protests from the back seat of the boxer mobile! And when we stopped for a couple of breaks, she seemed like she was in a big hurry to get back in the car. Of course she was, she wasn't the one doing the driving!

I couldn't wait to meet Duke and neither could little Lucy. She sat so patiently at the corner of Duke's foster mom's house, but when he rounded the corner it was all I could do to hold onto my little pup! I guess she felt that she had waited long enough to meet Duke, and she couldn't wait to give him a proper boxer greeting, and Duke felt the same because we immediately had two boxers on hind legs, front paws boxing!

Our first order of business after pulling the two boxers apart was to take a nice long walk and see how they did together! Amazingly enough, both pups did very well, and I was so excited!

It didn't take long for Lucy and I to decide that Duke was coming home with us! I fastened both dogs into their car harnesses and tried to round em' up for a photo op!

I was a little nervous about it, but my two boxers did very well on the 3 1/2 hour ride home. I could tell that Lucy was very pleased with her human's decision to return home with Duke. She was barely able to contain her excitement, and I'm sure that she dreamed about all the wonderful things that they were going to do together once we got home! They snuggled in the back seat most of the way until Duke decided to rest his beautiful head on the console and grumble for about 30 miles before falling back to sleep!

Of course we're making some adjustments at our house and doing a little bit of learning- especially Lucy, but her human and Duke too. Lucy has to learn that Duke just doesn't like her "rude" puppy antics and that jumping all over Duke isn't permitted. Her human is learning to pay attention to both dogs for signs of stress, and Duke is just learning to live in a house with a crazy one year old boxer puppy!

Everyone in our house is thrilled to have Duke with us! And we're all enjoying getting to know him!

We found out last night that he prefers STEAK for dinner, and he grumbles a little bit when it takes too long to prepare (which probably means that he prefers it rare!).

He loves to hog the bed, and he snores like a freight train!

Duke is a leaner and a cuddler, but not a big kisser. He loves to sit next to me, or on my lap, and he loves to hold my hand. Duke is also extremely photogenic!

... He's also very good at jumping the baby gate. Looks like we're gonna need a taller gate and probably some agility classes for sweet Duke!

P.S. Definitely thinking about a new blog title!... Suggestions welcome about what the new title of the blog should be! (Maybe we'll have to send a special thank you to whomever comes up with the best title!) Some thoughts that I'm having:

Lucy & The Duke (And their "Hoomans" too...)

The Adventures of Lucy, The Duke and Their Hoomans

Waiten...

2011-03-24T12:41:00.007-04:00

Lucy just wouldn't be a boxer if she didn't realize that sometin' was up. She's so perceptive that it's scary sometimes. I'm convinced that my little boxer baby is just waiting for us to go meet her potential new brother. She definitely knows something is going on, although she probably doesn't know what. She just knows that her human is excited and happy about something.

Since all we can do is wait it out, Lucy and I decided to pass the time last evening by having a rather vigorous game with her big red jolly ball. This is one of Lucy's favorite toys, it's definitely her favorite ball, probably because it's got a handle on it making it easy for her to carry around. She loves chasing the jolly ball up and down the stairs and then teasing her human with it.

If Lucy could talk, I'm pretty sure she would have been asking me if it was time to go get Duke yet. Heck, I can talk and I'm asking her if it's time to get Duke yet... I so wish that it was!

Our Big News! A "Brudder" For Lucy

2011-03-23T17:20:00.005-04:00

Well, Lucy and I have been missing for a couple of weeks. Partially because Lucy's Human has had a migraine for the last 14 days, and partially because we were working on a little project.

I'm going to tell you all a little story. As you all know, I've really been wanting to get a companion for Lucy. And about 4 weeks ago, maybe a little longer, I saw what had to have been one of the most capturing boxer faces (other than Lucy's of course) that I've ever seen... Without further ado... Here is Duke!

Well, I've been thinking and dreaming about Duke ever since I saw his beautiful face. However, I didn't think that my fiance was going to agree to getting another boxer. After all, I've been arguing that with all that's going on in our lives, and is going to be going on for the next several years, this just isn't a good time for a puppy. And frankly, I haven't recuperated from Lucy's puppydom! But, this isn't a puppy!

I couldn't get Duke off my mind. I just felt like this boy was meant to be a member of our family! But, last night, Rob told me that if it was what I really wanted, then I should get the dog! As is his style, he took my breath away and made me the happiest girl on the planet. (And I'm sure that he's going to love Duke as much as Lucy and I do!)

Lucy and I will be making a 3 1/2 drive sometime in the next several days to introduce the two boxers. If all goes well, Lucy will have a "brudder" and Duke will have a new forever home! Duke is about 4 years old, but we don't know for sure because he's a rescue dog. His foster mom tells me that he's very silly and I can't wait to meet him!

Stay tuned...

The Rotation Of Toys...

2011-03-12T11:14:00.006-05:00

Lucy has more toys than can be found in the toy aisle at Petco. So, in order to make it easier to walk through the house and up and down the stairs, we rotate toys. Every couple of days, I walk through the house scooping up toys and then I grab an armful of new toys and scatter them around. It's kind of a neat thing, because Lucy always thinks she's getting new toys, when really we're just changing things up! (Of course, as you all know, I'm not saying that I don't love going out and buying new toys... I add a new toy to the mix every couple of weeks!)

"Hey ma, whatcha got there? Is dats a new toy? I don't remember seeings him around here before. I wants to play with him. Looks how pretty I's is sitting. Does dat mean I can have him?"

Lucy's patience for being a "proper and polite" puppy only lasts so long.

"I wants dat toy, ma! Gives it up...."

"Comes on, Ma! I wanna chase my toy up and down the stairs! Where's you at? Speeds it up!"

"How longs do I haves to wait? Hurry its up!... I'ms waiten!"

"Mmmm.... Stuffed play-e-pus! Good stuff, but I sure hope dis isn't dinner...."

Lucy's Take... You Guys Are Da Bestests Friends

2011-03-10T15:42:00.003-05:00

My hooman reads me all of your gets well wishes, and I's just wannas say tanks you from da bottom of my heart. It's been a roughs couple of days, but your gets well wishes made me feels so much better!

I's been trying to takes it easy, and gettings plenty of rest! Of course, I's is trying to stay warm and been cuddling up wit my hooman as much as possible. I was feelings a little better dis morning, so she tooks me outside and tossed my big reds ball for me to chase a little bit.

Beins sick ain't so bad (once da trip to da vet is over with, dat is!). My hooman is making me all of my favorites foods, giving me lots of treats, and she's even been lettin me sleeps on top of her.

My vet says dat I probably haves allergies, and dat Mommy should gives me Benedryls whenever I start gettings red and itchy. It's not so bad, she always hides da tablets in peanut butter! Yummy!

My hooman says dat I wouldn'ts have had to go to da vet if I'd let her clean my ears out. I just hates her sticking that cold stuff in my ear, and I's like da cotton balls even less. What do you's all tink? Should I lets her clean my ears? It really feels yucky?

Under The Weather

2011-03-08T15:38:00.005-05:00

For the last several days, Lucy has been flicking her ears. Her Daddy and I made some very honest attempts to put ear cleaning solution in them, but failed. Although we were unsuccessful at getting her ears back in perfect condition, I will say that both of us escaped without any injuries.

I am allowed to massage Lucy's ears, but as soon as I lift up an ear, she's outta there! So, I had no choice but to take Lucy to see Dr. Mary first thing yesterday morning, who confirmed my suspicions. Lucy has an ear infection! Thankfully, Dr. Mary and her wonderful assistant, Nikki were able to put medicine in Lucy's ear (after muzzling her, of course!) and she left the ear alone most of the day yesterday. But, I could tell she wasn't feeling good. She just hasn't been herself these last couple of days, and her mama feels terrible about it!

So of course, she's getting lots of hugs, kisses and cuddles. And I made her favorite meal for dinner last night (chicken & yams). I'm hoping these ear infections don't become common occurrences, because I can't stand to see my little girl sick! We'll be going back to visit Dr. Mary in two weeks, and hopefully my little boxer baby is as good as new by then!

Wink, Wink

2011-03-04T12:38:00.005-05:00

I snapped this photo of Lucy on the stairs the other day. Most of the time, I don't know what the pictures that I'm taking are going to look like until I put them on the computer. So, this picture of Lucy winking, was a very sweet surprise...

I think she looks so serious... Which just isn't my Lucy! And I have to wonder exactly what was going through her mind as I was taking this shot? Probably "Why's do you always haves to be takin my picture, ma? I look exactly the same as I did yesterdays!"

In my opinion, it would be great if Lucy could talk. I wonder what she would say? I wonder what she's seen that she would tell me about. Would she tell me that she loves me? Would she tell me to stop worrying about her so much? I know she would tell me to hurry up and get her a brother... and probably that she'd like some more of that yogurt that I gave her yesterday.

Angels Rest Animal Sanctuary & Scout

2011-03-03T11:00:00.007-05:00

The other day, I came across a picture of the most beautiful mastiffs I've ever laid eyes on. But, I'm prone to love their beautiful faces! (They look like a very large, serious boxer!)

It only took me a couple of minutes to discover that these two beauties were residents of Angels Rest Animal Sanctuary. This wonderful sanctuary was started in 2009 with a mission of helping animals who have no other place to go other than a kill shelter, die alone in the streets or die abandoned at the end of a chain.

Angel's Rest takes abused, neglected, sick old or otherwise unwanted animals. They work mostly with older residents who live out their remaining days in the comfort of the sanctuary, but they also do rescues and have pets for adoption.

In addition, they have a wonderful program called ELDER PAWS! This program was designed to enhance the quality of life for elderly citizens and older animals. You can read more about it on their website. But, Lucy and I think it's fantastic. She and I both know how an animal can instantly brighten the day of someone who is older and lonely.

Angel's Rest operates out of the founders and volunteers residences. They rely solely on donations and the kindness of others. Please stop by their website and read about the wonderful work that they do, and meet Scout... Just look at that face. I bet he gives the most wonderful, slobbery kisses, if you're into that sort of thing!

Scout has a wonderful, but somewhat sad story and needs a little bit of help! Scout's life started out in a puppy mill, but thankfully he was rescued and found a wonderful forever home at Angel's Rest.

Another Green Reptile for Lucy!

2011-03-02T10:38:00.007-05:00

As I've mentioned, I feel very badly when Lucy's favorite toys "have accidents" that result in them no longer being a part of Lucy's world. It's utterly predictable, but off to Petco I went in search of something that could take the place of Lucy's green gator (who has most definitely left this world!) and withstand the constant abuse that my little boxer bestows upon her favorite toys for longer than one hour. Frankly, Petco is not my first choice for "tough" toys- because their version of tuff, just ain't tough enough for Lucy. But, in a pinch, it'll do!

Lucy always seems to know when I've got something special for her. She also knows that striking a pose and acting like a polite puppy is the best way to get her surprise from her mama.

"Whatcha got, Mom? Can I sees it?"

"Dis is pretty interesting, ma! But, I hopes you knows dat you didn't fool me... Just cuz dis ting is green, doesn't mean it's my gator... I's appreciates ya trying, though!"

"He's pretty cool, ma! He makes lots of very louds noises! Ands I can carry him all over da house, just like dis! I tinks I'll keep him!"

Despite the fact that the new green snake is not Lucy's gator, I think she's found a new friend because she's been carrying the snake all over the house, and even slept with it last night! Is it just me, or is Lucy partial to the color green?

Lucy & The Stink Bugs

2011-03-01T12:26:00.007-05:00

Since I returned home from Florida, I have been fighting a battle with stinkbugs. Quite frankly, I'm loosing. There are currently enough stink bugs wandering around my house to start a small army. Actually, I think they already have. As always, my little Boxer is more than an anxious to be a good little helper and help her mother in the battle to take back the house from the stink bugs.

Last night, I returned home from work tired, and ready to relax for a couple of minutes. I plopped down on the sofa, and let out a deep sigh, and as I did so, heard a giant rip. Hugh? What the heck? I jumped up off the sofa and looked at the cushion. Our leather couch has been getting ready to spring a huge rip right in the main cushion for months, and it picked yesterday to do so. I must have sat in the exact spot that was weak! Aggh! I just felt sick looking at the hole in the middle of the cushion. I would have liked to have thought that it could have been repaired, but it was pretty big, and I'm not expert!
This morning, I was upstairs getting ready for work when I heard Lucy downstairs barking up a storm. When I went downstairs, Lucy was digging furiously in the hole in our sofa and there was stuffing all over my living room.

Lucy generally doesn't even get up on the sofa, so I knew that there had to be a very good reason for her bizarre behavior.

I looked at Lucy and said "Down! Bad Lucy!". Lucy gave me a kiss (like she always does when she gets yelled at) jumped down and sat by my feet, her little butt wiggling furiously. (She was trying to tell me something, but since she can't talk, she wiggles.)

And then I saw it... In the midst of torn leather, and Styrofoam- a stinkbug! That darn thing was trying to get away from my boxer, and my boxer was intent on catching it!

I suppose I should be furious. The couch is ruined. But, it was ruined before Lucy tried to apprehend the stink bug, so how mad can I really be? Like I said, it's very unlike Lucy to even get up on the couch. She knows she's not allowed up there!
I put Lucy outside, grabbed a trash bag, hauled the vacuum out of the closet and cleaned up the mess which was all over the living room.

When a boxer is intent on retrieving something, the mess can be astounding. I'm sure at one point there was probably Styrofoam flying through the air at a rapid rate, resembling a snow storm. But, I missed the whole thing because I was upstairs blow drying my hair!

Thanks to the whole stinkbug incident, I was running late. So I rushed back upstairs to finish getting ready for work after putting a pillow and my briefcase on top of the hole in the couch to prevent a further incident. When I came back downstairs, Lucy was curled up on top of the pillow looking rather guilty...

Lucy's Take... RIP Sweet Gator

2011-02-28T11:45:00.009-05:00

I'ves gots some bad news to share with you. My little greens gator who amazingly came back intos my life froms outs of nowhere a coupla of months ago, has disappeared agains. Here's hows it happened. Can you help me figure outs where he mights have gone?

My hooman got a littles confused last night, insteads of throwing my gator down da stairs for me to chase, she threws it up da stairs. I didn'ts want to makes her feels bad, so I went after him anyway!

I'ms comin down, ma... But's yous is supposed to be ups der at da top of da stairs... My Daddy's rights, you really is blonde!

Ughs oh! I tinks my gator has suffered an injury. Is he gonnas be okay, Mom? He's gots a really big booboo!

Yous is my favorite buddy, lil gator. I don'ts wants you to go. Hurrys up and gets better, please?

Oh no! He's gone. Did yas haves to do dat, Mom? Where is he? What's did you do wit my gator friend? I couldve's dug a bigs hole for hims in da back yard. Or betters yet, we could have takens him back to the Floridas house... Gators belong in Floridas. What's am I's gonna do without him?

Everyone Back Together Again, Finally!

2011-02-23T11:40:00.006-05:00

For the first time in 5 weeks, my entire family is all in the same place. Well, sort of, at least we're all in the same state, which is an improvement. (Lucy's at home, I'm at the store in the north, and Rob's at the store in the south!)

I flew back home on Friday, and left Rob & Lucy to button up the Florida house before heading North in the truck.

It sounds like they had a good time together on their journey from Orlando, Florida to Hudson, North Carolina, then to Chattanooga, Tennessee and wrapping up the journey in Louisville, Kentucky! Lucy is a very well travelled little boxer! Other than the fact that she insisted on sitting on her Daddy's lap for most of the journey, I think they had a wonderful time together!

I was so thrilled to see my little boxer, but it took her a little while to show me how thrilled she was to see me. I think she was mad at me for leaving her, even though she was with her Daddy, because she wouldn't give me a kiss or even wiggle for me the first couple of hours that they were back!

But, by the time we got home last night, and I grabbed a favorite toy and started playing with her, she had decided that I had been punished enough!

Oh, it's so good to have everyone home again! Everything will return to our kind of normal within a couple of days. Now, if it would only warm up so that Lucy and I could go for a walk or play outside, everything would really be perfect.

Forgive Us For Being MIA

2011-02-21T10:28:00.005-05:00

A new piece of furniture arrived with Lucy's Daddy on Tuesday evening, and Lucy couldn't have been happier to see it. She wasted no time curling up in the chair and making herself very comfortable! As a matter of fact, from the time the chair arrived, till I left Florida on Friday, I caught Lucy snuggled in the chair several times.

Don't you just love getting a picture of your pup that really captures the personality? That's the way I feel about this picture!

Lucy's Take...My Hooman Is Rug Crazy

2011-02-11T22:34:00.005-05:00

And she's tinks dat I's is a decorator too.

Da UPS guy, who's is very nice to me by da way, keeps bringing rugs. He hasn't broughts me any treats, thoughs.

Rugs, rugs and more rugs.

I don'ts quite understand da obsession wit da rugs, but I will say dat she has good taste, and always asks me what I tinks.

Dis rug came today, and I helped hers put it in da foyer. She was very excited about how prettys it looked, and den she made me pose for a picture for dat darn flashy ting.

I must look goods on da rug, cause she said "it's a keeper, Lucy!".

I hopes we're almosts done wit da rug ting, cause I'm tireds of testing em out!

You's are not gonna believe dis, but my hooman left me at homes tonight and went to dinners with anutter boxer mom.

She was gones for hours, and hours, and hours. Der couldn't have possiblys been any foods left in da restaurant when dos two left she was gones so long. I can'ts imagines whats tooks so long, but I suspects she and Deanna were talkings about me and Austin and Riley.

Alls I know is, it doesn't takes me dat long to eat. Mys goodness, ma!

And she didn'ts even brings me home anyting. I don'ts tink dat was very nice. What was my hooman tinking?

Good nights, friends. My hooman says it's time to go to beds now because I wokes her up dis morning at 5:15 by laying on her face and doings da wiggles. And she's tired. So, I's guessin I better go snuggles.

Peese Esses: My hooman says dat Daddy is coming to get us next weeks! She's very, very happys and I am too! We'ves missed Daddy so much!

Your Opinion Please, Lucy!

2011-02-10T18:18:00.005-05:00

While Lucy may not have an opinion about what color I should paint the wall behind my kitchen cabinets, she certainly has opinions about whether or not the new rugs should stay or go! I've had a hard time making a choice for my rugs and the color of the wall. But, I fell in love with these rugs the other day and was pretty sure they were a keeper. I couldn't wait to get home and show them to Lucy. Lucy thought that I had made a good choice, and although she didn't come right out and say it, I knew she approved when she made herself comfortable and took a nap on the new rug!

Lucy and I have put almost 30 gallons of paint on our new walls in the last 4 weeks. And as I'm sure many of you have noticed, it would seem that a huge portion of those 30 gallons have ended up on some part of Lucy.

I've tried to clean her off as we go, with some success. However, I noticed the other day that there were big blobs of paint that just weren't going to come off without tossing Lucy in the tub.

So, this afternoon after painting all day, I filled the tub for Lucy and called her. She's never been in the big tub at the house, and I couldn't wait to see what she did in there. She seemed to know she needed a bath...

I don't usually throw Lucy's toys in the tub with her, but then I don't usually have paint to remove from her fur either. I was thinking it would help to occupy her while I did my best to render my boxer paint free. It wasn't a bad idea, and it did keep her busy while I got some of the paint off of her. She's definitely cleaner than she was when she went in there, but there's still paint on my little boxer...

I think she had a good time in the tub, and the paint doesn't seem to be bothering her, so I guess we'll try again some other day. I'm sure that before it's all said and done, she'll have more paint on her anyway!

Control That Dog!

2011-02-09T07:30:00.006-05:00

I have been walking Lucy with the aid of a harness for as long as I can remember. She was so sweet as a tiny little puppy, then she got POWER, and all of a sudden I couldn't hold her any more. If we were walking and she saw cat, she dragged me to where the cat was and I was left out of breath and feeling very out of control.

About a week ago, her trusty faithful harness decided it had had enough of my powerful little boxer and decided to retire. So, for the last week, I have been walking Lucy without a harness. And I'm proud to say for the most part, it has been okay. As long as there are no distractions, children, adults, dogs or other cats, Lucy walks like a wonderful little pup! (How often can that be, you ask?)

After being pulled, running to the other end of the complex on Sunday night, chasing Toby, I knew it was time to take back control. I do not mind a good jog- but being pulled behind a boxer puppy with my feet barely touching the ground, is not my idea of a good time. Yesterday, I made a trip to Petco and came home with another harness for Lucy. Why do they have to make those things so complicated to put on a dog? I swear we tried 10 different applications before we came up with one that worked. I've gotta hand it to Lucy, she was very cooperative, most of the time.

We both enjoyed our walk last evening very much. It almost seems that Lucy prefers to be walked with a harness, or is that just my imagination?

I have a real problem. I can never, ever, ever go into Petco for just one thing and walk away without getting some kind of little surprise for Lucy, and sometimes tons of stuff that we could probably do without. (Petco loves people like me- I swear they see me coming from a mile away. I'm sure they all point and snicker and say "Here comes that girl, her boxer's got that human wrapped around her paws! You watch and see, she'll have a full buggy in 5 minutes flat!")

Well, yesterday, I was on a schedule, and I had a list. I was bound and determined to complete that list. On that list at Petco: Harness, Dog Shampoo, and something to occupy Lucy while I paint...

The "Occupy Lucy while I paint" turned out to be a bully stick. This is one of my favorite things to give to Lucy. The one I came home with yesterday was 12" long, and $4.49, but being able to paint without Lucy wiggling on my lap, was definitely priceless.

Lucy's been very cuddly and snuggly these last couple of days, which I don't mind one bit. Last night, she curled up in bed next to me and put her precious, paint covered head on my lap and fell asleep.... and then came those sweet, soft, little boxer snores! I just love it when she does that. (And she was nice and warm so it was great having her right next to me.

Lucy & I's Version of Superbowl Fun

2011-02-08T08:11:00.009-05:00

Lucy and I are from Pittsburgh, but Sunday evening as the Steelers took the field, she and I weren't watching. We don't have any form of cable hooked up in the Florida house. So, the alternative was to have Nfl.com on my Ipad and watch the score as the Pittsburgh boys where relieved of winning their 7th Superbowl by the Packers! (As you might have guessed, we're not Steelers fans! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: As for me and my boxer, we will follow the N'Orleans Saints!)

Logic told Lucy's Human that just because we couldn't watch the game, didn't mean that we couldn't have "Superbowl Food!". So, Lucy and I made a pizza, and Lucy waited eagerly for our creation to be done. She loves pizza. Or should I say, that she loves getting bites of the crust, mushrooms and little bits of melted cheese.

After our pizza dinner, Lucy and I set out for our evening walk. I was thinking it would probably be a very quiet walk, as I could tell that nobody was out and about. Of course not- they were all watching the game. However, as we rounded the corner, we met up with Lucy's friend, Toby and his human, Jason.

I have my suspicions that this could be a wonderful friendship. Toby is a handsome boy, who is about the same size as Lucy and loves to wrestle. There is always an attempt a good play when we meet up with them. There's always an escape when we meet up with them, too and Sunday night was no different. Toby is very good at slipping his collar. Instead of using his freedom to take down my little boxer, Toby decided it was a nice night for a run through the neighborhood. Which also meant that Lucy, Jason and I had a run through the neighborhood too! Jason called his wife who brought the car and apprehended Toby by opening the car door. And I finally got to meet her.

Have I mentioned yet that my neighbors here are great? I met a couple the other day that live around the block and she's from Jamaica and he's from Grenada. How cool is that?

After our unplanned jog around the neighborhood, Lucy and I were both ready to settle in for the evening. She was so thrilled to curl up with an empty plastic bottle and do some damage. And, I sat with my Ipad watching as the Packers took a victory!

We also got some exciting news on Sunday evening!! Lucy's Aunt Chloe (who looks just like a grown up version of Lucy), is expecting puppies! Of course, Lucy and I can't wait to see them. I took Lucy to see her last litter, and she was so precious with the puppies.

This picture was taken when Lucy was about 6 weeks old. Can you see the resemblance? (Lucy was still wearing her little yellow ribbon at the time!) I can't believe how teeny tiny and cute Lucy was. No wonder I fell head over heels in love with her!

You've Come A Long Way Baby

2011-02-05T19:31:00.007-05:00

Our dogs make us better people. Or at least Lucy has made me a better person.

The other night, I was telling my mother about Lucy and how sometimes she drools. She's not a big drooler, but if there's something that smells great on our plates, or if we've gone for a long walk, she does drool. Anyway, I was telling her the other night that we got home from what was practically a marathon around the neighborhood, both Lucy and her "hooman" were a bit on the winded side. Not only were we winded, but Lucy was drooling (I of course, wasn't!). And her first order of business when we made it into the foyer, was to dispose of the drool. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. At the time it never occurred to me that there was drool flying all over my freshly scrubbed floors, or attaching itself to my newly painted walls. It wasn't until my mother suggested it that I even thought about it.

Frankly, it just didn't matter. It can be scrubbed off, right? I got so much joy, and a great big chuckle out of that drool flying all over our foyer. Lucy just looked so adorable shaking off all of that drool.

This morning when Lucy and I made our first trip outside, I heard sprinklers running. The consequences of those running sprinklers didn't quite register right then. I had just woken up, and I hadn't had so much as a sip of coffee.

Lucy seemed anxious to get the fence, and I walked out into the yard with her. I shouldn't have been surprised to see a huge puddle of water- at least 8 inches deep. And I wasn't surprised when my little boxer decided to stick the better 1/2 of her little body in that muddy water.

I suppose I should have been thinking "MUD! Oh, no", but it never crossed my mind. Lucy had a blast, and I made no moves to stop her.

And when Lucy and I crossed the porch and stepped into the living room, I didn't freak out at the muddy little paw prints going across my living room floor. And I laughed when she made her way across the kitchen floor leaving her autograph everywhere.

I probably should have at least gasped when Lucy made her way across the kitchen floor and decided that my brand new Oriental rug was the perfect place to clean off. But, somehow I saw it coming, and instead of gasping, rolling my eyes, or even attempting to move Lucy, I reached for the camera. I guess Lucy's not the only one that's predictable.

I sent Rob the picture of little Lucy, muddy and covered in paint sitting on our new rug. I'm sure that he was a little shocked that I was reaching for the camera instead of freaking out.

... But then, I've come a long way. Muddy paw prints on my kitchen floor make me smile. I don't mind the boxer art on my car windows. It doesn't phase me one bit that I usually roll over in the middle of the night and find my toe stuck in a soup bone. It's amazing that one little 65 pound boxer puppy has turned my life around for the better in 10 months!

A Birthday Wish For My Boxer Baby

2011-02-04T20:35:00.004-05:00

May your 2nd year of life be filled with plenty of things that make you wiggle and smile.

May you have tons of rawhide, chicken strips and soup bones to chew, plenty of squeaky toys to play with and balls to chase.

May you have fresh green grass to sniff, sunshine to bask in, snow to romp in, and puddles to splash in.

May there be tons of birds, squirrels, chipmunks and frogs for you to chase.

May there always be cheese in the fridge, turkey on the stove, yams on the counter, bones in the pantry, and fresh water in your bowl (or the toilet!).

May you always have loads of fur-friends and hooman friends to love you, squeeze you, tell you how adorable you are and give you kisses.

May you find plenty of dog parks and pet stores, and have plenty of trips to all the places you love to go!

May you have oodles of rides in the car with your ears flopping in the wind.

May you always have a soft pillow to rest your head on, a warm heater to warm your body, and plenty of blankets to snuggle in.

May you have as many games of tug o' war, fetch, and wrestle as you desire.

Happy 1st Birthday Lucy! I can't believe my baby is 1 year old today! I love you so much little tyke!

I'm The Luckiest Girl On The Planet...

2011-02-03T08:26:00.009-05:00

As I age, which I can assure you is happening way too rapidly, I seem to be really focused in on the the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I get all goopy and sentimental, and often teary. I'm a darn lucky girl, and I know it! Don't know some days how I got so lucky, but I know that I am! I've got a wonderful fiance, who is handsome, funny and smart and still capable after 5 years of making my heart skip several beats in a split second. I've got a little boxer who brings sunshine to my world every single day. I've got a great family and wonderful friends. So, yeah, I'm very lucky!

Yesterday afternoon, I was in the back hallway painting- my second hallway of the day. (Am I done yet?)

Lucy was staring at me like "Are you reallys gonna paint ALL days?" and dropping her toys in my paint tray on a pretty regular basis. (Almost all of her toys have had a paint bath at this point. It's her way of telling me that it's time to quit painting and play with her!) I had just fished a toy out of the chocolate brown paint and scowled at Lucy for the 10th time in 15 minutes (which incidentally is never going to clean off) when the doorbell rang. I figured it was either a neighbor or the UPS guy. I was completely shocked to see nothing but a huge vase filled with the most magnificent red roses that I've ever seen!

My handsome, smart and funny fiance did that thing where he made my heart skip several beats in a split second! I couldn't even believe it. He's bought me roses before, but he's never sent me roses! (Of course, I've never been 1100 miles away for a very extended period of time either!) It was just the most romantic, sweet thing on the planet! I am still beaming, and of course, now I've got the wonderful, fragrant smell of roses all through the house (instead of paint!). I just love that darn boy so much! And I miss him like crazy!

Yesterday afternoon after the excitement of the roses arriving, I put Lucy outside to get some fresh air and give myself a break from fishing toys out of paint. She was being very quiet, which can never be a good thing. And when I stepped out onto the patio, I found out why. Either Lucy was digging to China, or she decided to help us with the landscaping because there was a HUGE hole right next to the patio. And of course, the little boxer was covered in dirt!

Lucy's landscaping project must have worn her out last night, because still today she seems interested in doing nothing but sleeping today. It's a little gloomy out here today, no sunshine! Maybe she's decided it's a good day to be lazy, but I'm sure that as soon as I crack open another gallon of paint, she'll be ready to rumble! Of course she will- she's recharging as I blog...

Lucy Induced Giggles

2011-02-02T10:51:00.008-05:00

Since Lucy has come to live with us, she has made us smile and she has made us laugh. She's especially good at making me laugh, and there's nothing better than to walk in a room and discover little Lucy in a pose that's just priceless. It's even better when Lucy doesn't anticipate her "hooman" running for "dat darn flashy ting" and stays where she is while I power up the camera!

On Sunday, Lucy and I had a wonderful new experience. We met a fellow Boxer Mailing List mom! It's the first time we've ever met a fellow BML'er in person, and we had a lot of fun. Turns out she had a present for Lucy (which makes her instantly great in Lucy's eyes!). Not only was Lucy thankful for the present, but her "hooman" was thrilled by it as well since it has done wonders at occupying the little boxer while I paint!

We haven't made any progress in the "brudder" for Lucy situation. Minutes after posting the blog column about the little white ghost, I found out that he had been adopted! (Which only tells me that wasn't the right "brudder" for Lucy and that it just wasn't meant to be.) I've been thinking of rescuing a boxer for months, and am still really in love with the idea of giving an abandoned boxer a home. As much as I'm sure Lucy would love and probably needs a playmate, our lives are rather hectic right now and I'm not entirely sure that right now is a great time to add a puppy or a rescue to our home right now. I want to be sure that our new family member gets off to a great start...

And besides, I still haven't won the battle that our family needs another boxer and not a dog capable of tearing a lion apart...

In case you're wondering, Lucy and I are still painting. I think I've put about 20 gallons of paint on the walls, but I've lost count. Between the sheer amount of space to be painted and the paint fumes, I'm a little bit blonder than normal!

Lucy's Made Her Wish...

2011-01-30T20:29:00.008-05:00

As I have been mentioning, Lucy's 1st Birthday is on Friday.

And as she's mentioned, she thinks that the only appropriate present for her first birthday is a "brudder". Her mama couldn't agree more! Here is the object of both Lucy and I's affection. Both Lucy and I agree that he's just the cutest darn thing we've ever seen!

This handsome little white potential "brudder" for Lucy is the whole way in Utah, but I'm assured there would be no problem delivering him to Orlando by the breeder who doesn't seem to have qualms about my being able to provide the little ghost with a wonderful home! (And of course, she's absolutely correct!

So what's the problem with this, you asks us?

Well, Lucy's Daddy thinks it's more appropriate for me to have a guard dog! Especially if I'm going to be in Orlando by myself. (I've been trying to teach Lucy to show her Daddy what a good watch dog she is, but she just wiggles her bumm and gives him a kiss... You're just no help Lucy!)

I can't stress enough how much the thought of having a big, tough dog in the house frightens me! I don't need a guard dog! I've given it a lot of thought, and I'm sure that the criminal that attempts to enter my and Lucy's home will more than likely have some kind of OCD disorder, and will run screaming from my home when my little boxer starts kissing him and drooling all over him! I'm in good hands!

But, we can't seem to come to an agreement!

Just look at the teeth on my little boxer! Have you ever seen anything so "inconspicuously" ferocious? That's just the thing- an intruder would never see her coming!

I don't think that Lucy would ever let anyone hut me, and I've experienced those teeth around my ankles and wrists... so I know exactly what that feels like- I can't imagine any criminal insane enough to stick around for that. Heck, I run sometimes, especially when my ankles are the object of Lucy's affections. I can only imagine how deep those teeth would sink in if she felt her human was in danger. For goodness sakes, she gets a little angered when she catches her mother kissing another boxer.

Lucy's all the guard dog I need... okay, we need the little white boy too! It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a deep male bark in the house!

She's guarding the house even as I sit her blogging...see?

Don't let that laid back look fool you, she can be pouncing in a split second! If I were to walk over there to that refrigerator and open the cheese drawer, she would move so fast, all you would see is a blur!

Living The Life...

2011-01-29T20:36:00.007-05:00

The past 7 days have been filled with painting, painting and more painting with brief interludes to Home Depot or the grocery store.

Lucy, her toys and definitely my fingernails are starting to show the signs of our hard work- of course, the house is starting to show signs of improvement as well! I typically wash the paint off of myself at the end of the day, but Lucy seems proud to prance around the neighborhood covered in paint, and refuses to let me remove any of it from her sweet little body. She has spots in places where she didn't have spots before all of this started.

She's starting to oppose a bit to the the 8 hour a day painting regime- despite the fact that I'm constantly breaking to take her for a walk, or toss one of her toys around. Yesterday, she dropped her octopus in my newly loaded paint tray. I think, but I'm not sure, that might have been her way of telling me that it was time to take a break!

Rob keeps telling me that Lucy and I are "living the life" in Orlando while he's freezing his butt off in Pittsburgh. I keep arguing that painting for 8 hours a day, is hardly living the life. But, the little boxer might prove me wrong, this picture doesn't exactly make it look like we're working hard. Lucy actually looks darn comfortable watching tv.

I'm pretty sure that Lucy is trying to send me a message right at the moment. She just might be ready for bed, or maybe she's just ready to snuggle.

We just took an hour long walk around the block, and then she and I played with the rope toy for a 1/2 hour before attempting to clean up the massive mess we made today. Is it possible that I've worn my little bundle of energy out? Lucy's got the right idea, because I'm exhausted!

I'll Have What She's Having

2011-01-28T20:18:00.007-05:00

Lucy's very, very, very good at convincing her human that she really deserves to eat exactly what I'm eating. Here's how she does it, it's a 3 step process. I'm sure you'll agree that Lucy's look is pretty hard to ignore...

Step One: Lucy makes it known that she's on to the fact that I've got food, that she's going to be expecting some of it and that she definitely deserves whatever it is that I've got.

"Heys der, ma. Whatcha got? Smells pretty darn goods!"

Step Two: Lucy moves a little closer, tilts her head back a little bit (her most flattering position), usually puts up a paw just to make sure that I know she's there, and she's waiting.

"Any days now, Ma! I aint's got all days to wait for you to drop dat!"

Step Three: The whimper or the famous boxer sigh heard round the world... Followed by the human caving. Lucy may be conning her human, but at least her human is aware that she's being conned! Fact of it is, I don't mind sharing with Lucy one little bit if it's not bad for her, especially when she works so hard to get whatever it is that I'm eating.

Things You See On A Walk, Only In Florida!

2011-01-27T20:31:00.009-05:00

As previously mentioned, Lucy & I have been taking lots of walks around our new neighborhood. She wanted me to share her new digs with you all, so this morning we set out with "dat darn flashy ting"... Here we are, all ready to go.

Florida grass smells so good, or maybe it's just been so long since we've seen green grass that we're trying to take it all it at once!

"OOh, Ma! Looks! Wooter, and lots of its! Can I goes for a swim?"

"Ahh, Lucy? Do you see the sign you're standing next to? Let me read it to you, baby!"

"What's an alleygaater? Is dat a bad ting? Why do you haves dat silly looks on your face, ma? You looks a little panicky!"

I have a pretty strong feeling that Lucy and I won't be dipping our feet in that lake even on the hottest of summer days!

Lucy's Take... I's Only Gots 2 Questions...

2011-01-25T18:41:00.006-05:00

Dids you hoomans really buy a house that didn't haves a boxer living across da street? Whats da heck were you tinkin? I aint's seen 1 single boxer dog since we gots to dis place. I mights wants you guys to gets us a refund. What kinds of place doesn't haves boxers? I knows dat we're a longs ways aways from home, but we musts be on anutter planet if der is no boxers here.

Well, I's guessin dat der is only one solution to dis problem. Let's go get anutter boxer... My birthdays coming ups, dat can be my present. Let's go Mom!

2 Princesses And The Sunshine

2011-01-24T17:07:00.006-05:00

It has been a joke in our house since we started the process of buying the house in Orlando that Rob was buying his 2 Princesses a castle. I think Lucy takes the job of being a princess much more to heart than her human does.

It took us 36 hours in the truck (thanks to that lovely stuff falling from the sky that we call freezing rain) to get from Pittsburgh to Orlando. Lucy certainly looked like a princess snuggled up in the back of the truck. She was such a great little puppy on the drive! I was so proud of her. Of course, the last 6 hours or so, if she could have spoken, I'm sure she would have been saying "Are we der yet? Nopes, are yous kidding me? I's is goin back to sleep!"

When we finally arrived at the house, and Lucy was done running like a madwoman through all the very empty rooms, her first priority was to check out the neighborhood. She loves sitting in the front window and gazing out. I'm pretty sure she's on the lookout for another boxer, but we haven't seen one of those since we got here.

I don't know which she likes more, being able to look out all of the windows or chasing the bugs around the house. I'm starting to wonder if Lucy is part lizard, she's pretty intent on catching all of the flying creatures buzzing around our new "castle!"

(Don't you just love those wrinkles around Lucy's wiggle butt? I think they're just precious!)

I've put 5 gallons of paint on the walls since Friday... Wooh, I'm tired. Of course, every single wall in this house requires paint at this point, so I haven't even scratched the surface.

Lucy's done her best to assist her mama by running off with the tape, or my paint brush. Sometimes the little boxer gets a little close to the wet paint as you can see by the paint on her head (which she refuses to let me wash off... "I likes dat paint on my heads, ma. We matches, you and I's both have paints on our heads..."

After 20 minutes of watching me roll up and down, up and down, Lucy gets bored and retreats to the bedroom to catch a few zzzz's! I've completely given up on making the bed and arranging pillows. Lucy just rumples em' all up again...

Unfortunately, Lucy's Daddy couldn't stay in the sunshine with his two princesses any longer, so early Sunday morning, he got up and jumped on the road. Lucy didn't quite know what to make of the situation, and looked rather disgusted when she figured out that her buddy was gone.

Since we've gotten here, Rob has been taking Lucy for 6 or 7 walks a day to occupy her while I painted. (Rob hates to paint and will do anything to get out of it!) It doesn't take Lucy long to learn anything, so two days was all it took for Lucy to figure out that walking around the neighborhood all day long is a lot of fun. Now she sits at the door and whines to go out, even if we've only been back in the house for 15 minutes. The weather here is so beautiful that I don't even mind walking her 6 or 7 times a day!

What Are The Crazy Hoomans Up To Now?

2011-01-17T11:39:00.007-05:00

For Lucy, there is only one goal right now; getting warm and staying that way. When we woke this morning, she was buried under blankets, and smack dab in the middle of the bed right between Rob and I. (I guess that's why we were so warm!) Last night, she sacked out in front of the heater. And this morning, when I emerged from the shower, there was a boxer nestled in a big blue, furry bath robe outside of the tub! She had no interest at all in being outside this morning. As soon as we walked out there, she went right back to the door. Of course, who can blame her? It was only 9 degrees when I left the house this morning. I'm sick of it too!

Our house is a complete and total state of confusion, and Lucy seems to constantly be wondering what the heck we're up to? We are closing on the Florida house tomorrow, from Pennsylvania. The plan is to leave tomorrow night, with Lucy and the trailer loaded as full as it can possibly be. Lucy and I are going to stay in Florida, and start setting up the house (because we all know how easy it is to paint with a boxer baby in tow!) and Rob is going to come back home. He'll reload after being home for a couple of days, and head back to Florida.

So this means, that not only do I have to be completely packed by tomorrow night for the first run, but I also have to have the second run packed before we leave since I won't be coming back. Talk about stress... I'm really feeling it, I've gotta tell you.

If you've ever moved you can understand the stress of that situation alone. But when you add to that the fact that it's nearly impossible to find boxes (because everyone instantly crushes them!), and the fact that there are not nearly enough hours in the day, it get's even more stressful.

Lucy stood at the bottom of the stairs last night, watching as I made boxes, filled them with kitchen stuff, and then carried them out to the garage. She couldn't figure out what was going on, but Little Miss Intuitive knows something is definitely going on!

Lucy's Take... I Gots To Go Out!

2011-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I knows it in my heart dats I need to go outsides, but my paws gets so cold. So, sometimes I needs to tinks about it before I's actually do it. I really haves to talk myself into goings outside. My hooman tinks I'm being disobeeeedients when she opens da door and says "Outside, Lucy" and I just stares into space. Buts really, I'ms just tryins to figures out how I can go outsides and not gets cold.

My hooman doesn't know dis, but I kinda like starting into da glass. I can see anutter boxer in der. It won't plays wit me, it just stares back at me, but it makes me happy to have a boxer pal. It sure is a pretty boxer! These boxer pals are all over da house. Der's one in da reading room, and anutter one in da bedroom. I don'ts know why dey won't play wit me! Maybe dey are just shy and dey needs to get to know me first. I's guessin dat makes sense!

When it's was warm outside, my hooman used to lets me takes my toys outside. Now, I can tells dat she's not so happy when I insists upon takin my toys out into da snow. She says it's because we keeps loosing dem!

I hads a great tire toy dat my hoomans can't finds in all dat snow, so I guesses dat I can understand. I sure hopes we find dat toy, I really loved dat toy!

Dis mornin she let me takes my rope toy out on da deck. She watched me pretty closely and tolds me dat I had to bring it in when I was done playings wit it! I'ms so glad she let me take it out der. I had a ton of funs rolling it around in da snow!

I hads to work really hards to get da ball entirely coated in da snow! And den when I trieds to pick it up, it was really cold. So, I just left it on da grounds and rolled it arounds some more.

A couples of times, it wouldn't go wheres I wanted it to go, so I had to show it and tells it who was boss. Sticking ones boxer bumm in da airs, usually gets dat point across pretty quicklies.

My hooman tinks it's pretty funny when I stick my bumms in da air. She always laughs. And she must have been tinkin it was pretty interesting dat I was rolling dat ball around in da snow, cause she had dat darn flashbox tingy in her hand. Why does dat get to goes everywhere wit us?

I played in da snows for a really long time. My paws were startin to gets a little icy, so I hads mixed emotions when my hooman said it was times to go inside.

"Are yous sure we haves to go in, now? I'ms kinda havin fun outs here even though it's a little colds out. 5 more minutes, pleeeeease?"

My hooman is a good hooman. She worries dat I'll gets too colds outside, so I figured I hads better grab da toy and heads into da house to let da toy warm ups. I hates to make my hooman worries. She says it'll gives her winkles.... I have winkles, and dey aren't so bads! My hooman even says she luvs em, so I don'ts really understands!

Consider The Human Trained

2011-01-15T10:22:00.008-05:00

That sad little look on Lucy's face yesterday morning stayed with me all day. As I was driving home last night, I vowed to do my very best to keep that little look off of my boxers precious little face. (A big challenge since all Lucy really wants to do is, play!) So, this morning, before I started getting ready for work, I grabbed Lucy's rope toy and started to play with her before she could ever give me "The Look."

The arm in the photo, well it's mine. Or at least I think it's mine. Lucy's been beating me up, and I've got scrapes, and nicks and bruises all over that poor arm...

I now know the meaning of the popular t-shirt saying "Underneath the bruises and slobber..." If you don't like to play rough, a boxer isn't your breed! I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to constantly wear a button that says "Boxer Mom" so that people don't think I'm being abused!

The Tug o War game is also good for a back and neck adjustment. I'll never understand how such a little pup can tug so hard or for so long. She's so strong. I was worn out long before she was!

I should also add that she was not very fond of the fact that the camera was a huge part of our play time. I swear she's figured out a way to avoid the camera lens.

Lucy and I were having so much fun playing that I didn't even realize how late it was getting. Before I knew it, a 1/2 an hour had escaped us. I guess watching Lucy run up and down the stairs and then wrestling with her to get the rope toy back, takes up more time that I had imagined!

I'm pretty sure that our play date this morning wore Lucy out, because when I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, she curled up on my bath robe and was still waiting there when I got out.

And when I fired up the blow dryer, Lucy retreated to the bedroom and made herself comfortable. This is where I found my little boxer! Oh how I would have loved to curl up right next to her and just snuggle the day away!

Our playtime this morning really gave my day a great start! I had a lot of fun playing with Lucy, and felt a lot better leaving the house this morning knowing that she was probably kind of worn out!

One of our followers left the following comment about Lucy's Look..."Where dogs lack a voice God made up for it with soulful eyes to speak for them!" All I have to say is "Amen!"

The Look

2011-01-14T11:16:00.005-05:00

I'm probably an over-sensitive person. As a matter of fact, I'm sure that I am. I wonder constantly if Lucy is getting enough love, affection, exercise, and eating the right food.

This morning, I was running a little bit behind schedule. I've been having a hard time dragging myself out of bed, and frankly, Lucy and her Daddy both have been too. It seems that every morning, we get up later and later. At 8:00 AM, Lucy woke up and realized that she needed to be closer to her human, so she walked to the head of the bed, and settled herself in right next to me. She put her head right under my cheek. This is one of my favorite things, so you can bet I wasn't going anywhere.

At 8:15, the realization hit me that getting out of bed and getting ready for work was starting to become an emergency! Lucy wasn't in a big hurry, and she stayed in bed for about 5 minutes before joining me in the morning rituals.

Anyway, I let Lucy outside, made coffee, and got her breakfast ready. By that time, she was ready to come inside. I fed Lucy and went to jump in the shower after taking Rob a cup of coffee. 10 minutes after getting out of the shower, I could hear Rob in the bedroom trying to coax Lucy back out of bed...

I was getting ready to curl my hair when I heard a commotion downstairs. I peeked out the bathroom door and Lucy was sitting at the bottom of the stairs holding her big yellow and black rope toy and looking at me longingly. "Comes play wit me, Ma!"

THE LOOK!

Oh boy! I felt guilty! I instantly dropped the curling iron, and sat down on the floor at the top of the stairs. Lucy did a little wiggle, and came running up the stairs with the rope toy in her mouth. We played for about 10 minutes, me pulling the toy away from her (tug o war!) and tossing it down the stairs and her chasing it. I know it wasn't long enough, but what's a girl to do?

We'll have to play when I get home! I still feel guilty!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!

2011-01-13T09:33:00.007-05:00

I am not entirely sure that my little boxer was convinced that going outside in the snow and cold was a good idea. She looked at me like I was crazy! I guess I can't blame her. The snow is still falling, and with the wind chill, I think it's about -0- here!

"You's wants me to do what? I don't tinks so... I luvs ya, Ma, and don'ts like to be disobedeeeeints, but it's colds out der!"

A little bit more coaxing and we were out the door. But, just to prove that I'm not heartless, I bundled up and went out with Lucy! Even with my sub zero Eskimo jacket and gloves on, I was freezing and our foray into the winter wonderland was not a long one!
I got several great pictures of Lucy romping in the snow, and then rushed inside ready to upload like a mad women. Too bad that before I realized what I was doing, I managed to delete most of them... I guess I'll just have to lure her back out there... but for right now, I think she's pretty happy indoors... Frankly, so am I...

Lucy's Take.... 300 Followers!!! Woo hoo!

2011-01-11T15:26:00.007-05:00

My hooman and I are so excited to have 300! followers. We's loves each and everyones of you, and loves reading your comments, thoughts and suggestions. My hooman says it's a great honor to have 300 followers, and she's nevers wrong! So, thanks yous all for following us and readings about our adventures. We loves you, all! (Oops, I's already saids dat... I guessin I's reallys love you!)

It's really snowing here in Pennsylvania. But, befores all da snow started, my hooman buckled me in to my harness, and we's went out for a long walk. It's was so colds out, it's only 15 dogrees here.
Here's I am, all buckled ins and ready to go. Dats my hoomans new vacuum behind me. She says it's for da Florida house. Daddy says mommy is koo-koo for washers & dryers and vacuum cleaners. I don't know what dat means, but he laughs when he says it. I could care less if's we have a vaccums for da Florida house or not, I just hope it doesn't make as much noise as the vacuums for da Pennsylvania house!
"Heys, ma, I tinks we better turns around. Looks how far we's gone? I don't see da house anymore. Cans we turn around now? It's too colds out here, and I tinks my heater is calling me..."
"Yeps, I was rights. Da heater was waiten for me. I gots comfy with my bone and figureds it was times to get warmed up."

Stays warm and dry, my friends... I'm offs to see whats else I cans get into...

Pet Blogger Challenge

2011-01-10T22:00:00.001-05:00

This morning on my AM blog rounds, I came across about the Pet Bloggers Challenge, going on today, January 10th! We were visiting our friends Peggy & Kelly when we learned about the challenge. Peggy's got a great site full of all kinds of useful and insightful information... and did I mention that Lucy & I think that Kelly's pretty adorable?

I'm looking forward to reflecting back over my first (almost) year of blogging, and my first (almost) year with Lucy.

1. When did you begin your blog? My first ever blog post was "51 Hours and Counting Till Lucy Comes Home" on April 1, 2010.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog? I can remember being so excited about bringing Lucy home, I was a more than prepared expectant boxer mom! I couldn't wait to share the adventures that I was going to have with Lucy! I've also always loved to write, and was truthfully looking for a way to express myself and do something that I really enjoy.

3. Is your current purpose the same? In many ways, yes. I still love sharing Lucy with the world. I also love that it's a great place for me to keep track of things that are going on in my very hectic world.

If not, what’s different? I find myself putting a lot more thought into my posts, actually thinking ahead and trying to find things to blog about that will help others that may be new to pet parenting.

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you? My blogging definitely falls under the category of "as the spirit move me." Over the last 9 months, there have been days where Lucy has been so entertaining, that I've posted more than once, and times when I've gone days without blogging.

5. Are you generating income from your blog? No

If not currently, do you hope to in the future — and how? No, I really don't plan to generate income from it... I wouldn't complain if a publisher came along and asked me to write a book about life with dogs, though!

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)? Lucy is a huge joy to me, and it always makes me happy to hear how much other people enjoy seeing her beautiful little boxer face. I love it when people tell me how much they're enjoying reading my blog. I guess, in other words, I love the comments!

7. What do you like least? I can't think of anything that I don't like about blogging. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be doing it. This is a creative, fun, hobby for me.

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2011? There are a lot of changes in store for our family in 2011. We're planning on moving to a different part of the country, adding another dog to our life, and I'm planning to focus even more on Lucy's training this year as she turns one... Agility here Lucy & I come!

Of course, we're looking forward to meeting and making new friends! Lucy and I love new followers!