Ahhh... Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

Okay, I have several ideas for posts in mind but this could wait no longer and must be said. Today it is raining in the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Not that I don't appreciate the bounty that a good rain brings but... my dumb dogs won't go outside! Now for a somewhat rhetorical question.... why do dogs bred to hunt in rainy, cold and wet conditions, refuse to go out in the rain? Okay to be fair, "the Springer brothers," don't so much refuse as greatly hesitate. However the Weimi, bred from the lineage of hearty German stock... the one who could take down an elk if need be... the one who regularly frolics in any available body of water... refuses to go pee-pee in the rain! Instead, Ms. Ruby will cower in the doorway and run straight back to the sofa with a look that says, " if you have to pee... you go outside... I'm stayin put!" I have photographic evidence that proves my dogs are not sissies when it comes to water, like this...

Okay, I can't find a picture of Ruby in the water... but that's because the "Grey Ghost" is always flying through the woods and I usually only get a sighting from behind anyway.

You get the point. Still it is a frustration and I guess they know that. Weird as it may sound, I know that my dogs are always in tune with my emotions. When I am frustrated they sense it and that's when the brakes REALLY get applied. Still, I count my blessings that there are no neurosis amongst them, when it comes to extreme weather such as thunderstorms. I have mentioned my Dalmatian Maggie in a previous post. Maggie was my dear sweet friend who passed away a couple of years ago at the ripe old age of 14. She was the best friend a girl could have and the sweetest dog you would ever want to meet but, as my Mother says, "she had little dark corners." This was especially true of her reaction to thunderstorms. Her reaction was so severe that she would shake, drool, hide and pee at even the most distant booms. Every 4th of July she would require sedation (which I always felt guilty about doing, but we did it to keep her from hurting herself.) We lived in Arkansas for a while and that was VERY difficult for her, as one might imagine. For those who don't know, Arkansas is a constant torrent of tornadoes, hail and thunder... all of which drove Maggie mad! Once a tornado forced our family into the bathtub for shelter and Maggie dove in too. From then on, even if the thunder boom was as distant a sound as perceptible to human hearing, Maggie would immediately retreat to the tub for safety. If we were gone during a storm, and couldn't find her when we returned, we knew to look in the tub... her harbor from the storm.

So having said that, I guess I am lucky that my pack doesn't get nutty over the rain. They just don't like it and who can blame them? I would rather be wallowing in the sunshine today too. And, who amongst us relishes the thought of cleaning up muddy paw prints off the floor? So instead I will cuddle up on the couch, draped in puppies, with coffee and a good book (maybe Marley and Me,) and wait for the rain to pass. See you at the dog park when it's over!

Retro Doggie Love

Okay, I have a secret to confide that is not so secret. I am a sucker for everything vintage and doggie! I have just about everything one could imagine that bares the image of dog. Plates, pillows, clothes, photos, fabrics, napkin holders and figurines. And, because I am a huge auction/yard sale/estate sale forager... my collection of everything doggie, has no end in site. My favorite collectibles are predictably from one of my favorite eras in history... the 1940's. My favorite doggie subject... the Scotty! Lucky that FDR made the Scotty a national sensation! Otherwise my house may have been void of all my kitschy nic-nacs!

Okay so you know by now that I am the proud Mama of two Springers and a Weimaraner. And, truth be told, I would probably have one of every breed in God's creation if that was possible. (My husband balances me and my Creator tempers me.) But, one would naturally wonder if I am so ate-up with "Scotty" love... why don't I have Scotties instead of my current pack? Well, because I am limited in the number of dogs I can have I am forced to narrow my choices. Like so many of you, I had to choose the type of dog I would share my life with very carefully. My dogs were picked for their traits, abilities and character so that they would fit "best" into my family situation and surroundings. Since so many dogs end up in shelters, because of hasty and careless decisions, I really took the time to research the breeds that I have. That is not to say that a rescued dog, (even one of questionable heritage :), ) couldn't be the perfect pet, but for our family our doggies were the perfect choice. I am and have always been committed to making my pets, my pets for life! Through spaying and neutering and some self control, I have now seen one dog through her entire life and will hopefully have many more years with the pack I have now. And who knows, maybe someday I can give a precious Scottish Terrier a forever home too!