Dead Men Tell No Tales

Arrr, today be "talk like a pirate day".

I don't have pictures o' me scurvy scallwag corgis wearin' their colors, these will have t' do.

Keep a weather eye out for this raucous crew, specially that Jack Sparrow fella.  No good he is.

Flat Gimli in a pirate hat

Sneaky Flat Gimli

Two dastardly pirates, steer clear of the one on the right.

Captain Jack Sparrow

Wordless Wednesday - Where's my food?

Shake Shake Shake Senora

No, not Beetlejuice related, but shaking just the same.

All four of Merida's adult canine teeth are coming in, but the baby teeth haven't quite fallen out yet.  I was scared it would cause a problem, but when I checked this morning, all four baby teeth are shaking!

I'm sure they'll fall out in the next few days.

In the meantime, here are some puppy teeth that I was able to save - two incisors and two pre-molars.

Saturday Smiler - Yes Master

GIMLI: So, I told Merida that Candy was our master.  A short while later, Candy was trying to take a picture of Merida and I.  She told us to "Stay" and then Merida said:

MERIDA: Yes Master.

GIMLI: hehehehehe

Water Corgis

We introduced the corgis to the concept of a pool, though it didn't go too well.

Gimli thought it was a large water dish.

Merida thought it best to let a more experienced corgi go first.

Gimli decided he wasn't going into the water, despite the presence of a ball and cookies.

Merida went in and ate most of the apple chunks.  Gimli never did make it back in.

I think next time we'll use a cookie that floats, those little ones sank and the corgis couldn't reach them.

5 things going on in this house - September

I haven't done one of these in a very long time :(

1. My blog posting has fallen off... again... and I have so much to tell and so many pictures and video to put up... argh.

2. Summer is almost over, how did it become September all of a sudden?

3. Gimli had 2 visits to the vet in the past 2 months for 3 different ailments.  A shear off of his large upper molar, random lameness that turned out to be a pulled muscle and an eye infection.  I'm hoping that's the end of ailments for him this year, it comes in 3s right?

4. Merida is doing well, growing and learning each day. She's in the swing of losing teeth - she's lost all of her top and bottom incisors and some of the premolars on the top.  I'm totally the dog momma as I've saved the teeth that I've been able to find.

5. Mike and I were doing well this summer with our exercises, then we stopped and haven't gone back since.  It's a neverending struggle to exercise and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.  Usually when none of my clothes fit, which is the rollercoaster I've been on for a long time, is when I become frustrated and head back to exercising.

Wordless Wednesday - Wrasslin'

From the mouths of puppies

When I walk Gimli, he rarely barks at other dogs. They bark at us, but he just looks at them and continues walking.

Today, I was walking the corgis and as we headed into the park, a dog from the nearby houses barked at us. Gimli continued walking as usual.

Suddenly, I heard this shrill barking coming from around us.  I stopped and looked around, only to discover it was Merida!

She doesn't really bark at home except when she's playing with Gimli or trying to get our attention.  She doesn't bark at the door or at the doorbell, (for now), for which I am grateful.

I guess she felt the need to tell off that other dog!

Year of Gimli - September

Um... it's September, there's not much more to say here.

Saturday Smiler - Sorta smile

Still working on that smile that's not her sticking our her tongue.

Flat Gimli Friday - Open Road

On the highway from Las Vegas to Anaheim!

What a day

A couple Saturday's ago, we had an extremely busy day.

The local petstore had a large tent sale, so we took the corgis.  As has happened to us before, everyone wanted to see and play with the corgis.  I left Mike to sit in the shade with the dogs, while I shopped. There was a photographer on site and out of the corner of my eye, I kept seeing the flash go off in their area.  The corgis were well behaved and, of course, ate up all the attention.  They got small bits of hot dog and a bunch of cookies from the staff, which they did not refuse.

We ran into a local Pembroke breeder too.  She had a 6 month old puppy and Merida really wanted to play with him, but we couldn't have them off leash.

The corgis did well - a new bag of food, some toys and plenty of new cookies.

After the sale, we went home and I headed to the dentist.  Suffice it to say, no cavities and my gums are great, but I have a couple chipped spots on  my back teeth.  Don't ask how that happens, but it did.  I think I was supposed to make an appointment to have the chips addressed, but I forgot.

Then, it was time for a quick shower before the four of us jumped in the car to head to a dog show.  Yes, a dog show!  It was my first dog show and it was neat to see it all and see the dogs being primped before the show ring.

The corgis' breeder was at a show close to our city, so she invited us to stop by.  I was excited because I knew she'd have 3 of her corgis with her and one can never have too much corgi!

You'll have to excuse the pictures because I forgot my camera at home and had to use Mike's phone... hrmph.

Merida's daddy

Merida and her sister playing

Merida's littermate was entered in the Puppy trials and their dad was entered in the adult trial.  Both dogs had won their group, but not the final trial for that day.  Merida had fun seeing her sister again, they romped and wrestled like they did when they were itty bitty puppies.  Merida is definitely going to be smaller, she was a little smaller than her sister.   She is the spitting image of her Momma, though.  She has the same face :)

After the show, we headed .back home to wait for my Mom and brother to come over so we could celebrate her birthday.

All in all, a very tiring day.

National Dog Day

On National Dog Day, I am blessed to have my two corgis.

Merida and the door spring

Merida likes to argue with the door spring, as you'll see in this video.

I am fearless!

Words of Wisdom

Merida: Hey Gimli, what's that thing over there beyond the grass?

Gimli: That is the street, you must never go there by yourself.

Merida: So where can I go?

Gimli: Straight, you can go straight.

I wish I was a little bit taller

... cuz then I could use my long legs to grab these Wubbas.

Saturday Smiler - Best. Smile. Ever!

Flat Gimli Friday - Sir Gimli Knight of Erebor

In the Fantasyland section of Disneyland, in the Castle Heraldry Shop, there sits a suit of armor...

Just waking up

Merida sleeps so soundly that it pains me to wake her up, but sometimes I must.  For example, at lunch time when I go downstairs for lunch, the corgis go downstairs for a pee and lunch.

Every once in a while if she's in a deep sleep, I can pick her up, place her on my lap and watch her slowly awaken.

Every once in a while, I manage to take such a picture.

Wordless Wednesday - Sleepy feet

Saturday Smiler - Over the hedge

Flat Gimli Friday - Conductor

Sorry

I love Merida, I really do, but those puppy teeth of hers are really getting old.

I thought I had it down to where she wasn't bitey as much and we were getting better, if she did "bite" my hand, it was much softer and lighter.  However, she seems to have forgotten about that and is back to being bitey.

Yesterday, we were playing on the floor and for no reason, other than attention, she clamped down hard on the soft, fleshy part of my hand. I yelped as it really hurt, then I turned away completely and hid my face against the couch.

A few moments later, I felt this puppy push her head to see me and make sure I was ok.  I opened my eyes to see this face and to get some kisses.

I know right!!!

She's lucky she's so cute!

5

Today is Gimli's birthday!

It's hard to believe he's five years old and that we've had him for roughly 5 years.  I know I say this every year, but it feels like he's been with us for such a long time.

He's a vital part of my life, he keeps me company, we hang out during the day and he's always up for cuddles.

Here he is with his loot:

- a Hulk t-shirt because he acts like the Hulk sometimes
- a somewhat empty jar of peanut butter
- two softer treat toys on account of his teeth (full post on his teeth woes coming soon)

Egg teeth

When you are a klutz like me and you've just scooped up a sunny side up egg and you're about to put it onto the plate, when it flips off and lands into the sink...

...this is what happens next.

Saturday Smiler - Remember me?

You might think Merida is cute, but I still got it!

Flat Gimli Friday - Dogs for sale

Year of Gimli - August

This is another of my favorite pictures of Gimli and I.

Wordless Wednesday - Get in line

Saturday Smiler - 50 percent

One's smiling, working on getting the other one to smile :)

Flat Gimli Friday - Wookie

Gimli the Wookie...

He makes the right sounds to be a wookie.

Wordless Wednesday - Goodbye dear friend

Edit:

I wanted to clarify, Gimli is fine. A close friend of ours passed over the weekend.

Yellow Ball

I've had this video for a while and I'm just now getting around to posting it.  I know, but things have been busy here - it's tough to sit and collect your thoughts, much less pictures and video.

Nevertheless, here we are.

A little back story on this video.

I was cleaning under the bed and found this yellow ball that may have been under there since Christmas. Gimli had forgotten about it and when I showed it to him, he became excited and thought it was the best toy ever.  I figured I'd see how smart he really was and put it under the basket and sure enough, he was able to retrieve it.

You'll see at one point he looks directly at me.  That's his sign that he's stuck and he's looking for help, but I let him figure it out.  Corgis are smart little cookies if you give them encouragement and time to figure things out on their own.

Then, I filmed it.

Enjoy!

Saturday Smiler - Big Grin

Fashionista?

The other day, Merida came running into the office with one of my socks that I thought I had put into the laundry basket.  I took it away from her and figured it had fallen from my hands and she found it.  After that incident, I made sure not to leave any clothing on the floor or within her reach.

Yesterday, I heard a couple thumps and I assumed it was one of the neighbors closing car doors, except it wasn't.  Merida had figured out how to tip over the laundry basket, steal another sock and tip it back!  Sheesh, I took it away from her again.

This evening, I had her in the bathroom with me while I showered.  She was dozing, so I figured it would be ok to leave my clothes on the floor with her.  She doesn't really chew or destroy the clothes, just lies on them and plays with them.

Well... until she told me exactly what she thought of my bra....

I exited the shower and saw it perched there.

A short while later, I opened the door to our bedroom and she disappeared around the corner.  I figured she'd doze off under the bed, except, nope, she was up to mischief again.

I just happened to look into the bedroom to see her climb onto the pillow on the floor and then hop INTO the laundry basket.

I don't even...

I don't know how she learned she could hop in and out of the basket.  I never taught her and neither did Mike.  Gimli sure as hell didn't teach her as he cannot fit into the basket anymore!

This girl is smarter than the average dog.  It's going to be fun!

Wordless Wednesday - Profile

Jelly

So Mike and I did these exercises tonight:

60 situps
75 crunches
40 leg raises
50s plank

28 push ups
50 dips
75 bicep curls
60 punches

And I feel like this...

Wordless Wednesday - So tired

Things I've learned from Merida

- Living with corgi puppies, or any puppy really, are like living with a baby wild animal. You're completely in love with this soft little creature that you forget it has sharp teeth and no measure of restraint on said teeth.

- You appreciate your adult dog who no longer feels the need to chew things like shoes, electrical cords or paper.

- Corgi puppy fur is so very soft, you try to come up with a way to be near their fur as much as possible.

- You score bonus points with children because they all know the name Merida is from the movie Brave.

- No one wants to see you, they just want to see the puppy.

- You think you're ready for a puppy again, but then all the extra work hits you and you become a zombie for the first two weeks.  Our household is finally starting to settle down again.  I really don't know how breeders or people that foster dogs manage multiple, (more than 2), dogs at a time.

- When it comes to collars and walking on a leash, corgi puppies, or perhaps puppies in general, behave like Gollum does in the LOTR: The Two Towers movie when he's been leashed.  If you cannot remember what that's like, see the first 30 seconds of this video:

Wordless Wednesday - Coffee table puppy

Ready for my close up

Yes Merida, tell the camera how you really feel.

She's 10 weeks old in this video and you can tell she has a good set of lungs for barking speaking with Gimli.

Year of Gimli - July

Today, July 1st is also Canada Day.

Happy Birthday Canada!