Sleeping dogs

Miss Kirby has been extra cute in the sleep department lately.

Just today, she was playing with the polar bear that Santa brought her for Christmas last year...she was still in her post dog park playtime euphoria. :) All of a sudden Kevin and I look down and she's passed out on the floor, wrapped around her bear...sleeping sweetly. How adorable is this.

Bouncing

I have been remiss in keeping up the Kirby blog. I've been looking for jobs, going on interviews, and trying to avoid financial destruction. LOL. We're doing okay right now, so I have a minute to write.

I was home alone the other day and let Kirby out in the backyard for a while, as I often do. She usually walks along the fence line first and sniffs the permimeter of the yard...then disappears to smell every blade of grass. LOL. So I was doing dishes in the kitchen and turned around to see this flash of mahogany and white fur FLY by the sliding door. LOL. I stood there a minute and she came back the other way. She was BOUNCING. I've never seen anything like it...it was nothing but pure JOY. She was bouncing around the yard, running one way and then the other...with a giant fire log in her mouth. LOL.

We have a woodpile in the backyard, of course, because we have cold winters and enjoy having a fire in the fireplace. Kirby imagines that the woodpile is actually her toy bin. While smaller doggies have to limit themselves to play with tiny sticks, our gentle giant knows no boundaries. Stick? pffft! A firelog is her fetch toy. LOL. She goes over to that pile and sniffs them all out like she's shoe shopping at Macy's. Then she picks her favorite and starts bouncing.

I smile ear to ear everytime she does it. I stop what I'm doing and I just watch her. It's the best description of pure joy I can think of. That's our Kirby...the joyous one.

Worried about Kirby...

I am just not sure that she's getting all the love and affection she deserves. Doesn't she look a little stressed to you? LOL

Floppy Hoppy Easter!!!

Blue paws and all, Miss Kirby went to see the Easter Bunny today at our local animal shelter. She was very happy to meet him...and very happy to receive all the treats he had as well. LOL

From Kirby, the cats, Kevin and me...we hope y'all have a wonderful, safe, and happy Easter holiday!

Grandma's coming for a visit!!!

Kirby is all in a dither this morning because her Grandma Edwards is coming for a visit. LOL.

Kevin's Mom hasn't seen Kirby since before Thanksgiving. That's about...50 pounds ago. This should be interesting.

I've been very sick with the flu lately and Kirby has been playing the part of nurse very well. Last night, for example, I crawled into bed and she plopped down right next to me as if she thought she needed to keep me warm. I don't remember her moving, but she eventually ended up on the tile in the master bathroom...where she can sleep AND see me whenever she wakes up. LOL. She may be spoiled, but she's a very loyal girl.

More later!

Celebrity happens in the oddest places

Hubby warned me that our little bean killer would be nuts when I got home today. He didn't have the time to take Kirby to the dog park today...so she was saving all that pent up puppy energy just for me. :-) I got home and, sure enough, I couldn't even look through my mail. First she brought me the giant tennis ball, then she brought me the pink tug 'o war rings, then she brought me the floppy cow. The message was clear: I require entertainment. NOW!!! LOL

Kirby hasn't quite yet mastered the game of fetch. She's got the part down where she chases the ball, but she thinks it's much more fun to run right up to you like she's bringing it back and then VROOM! Drive by! She runs right by you with the ball in her mouth. So, try as I did, I could not play a productive game of fetch with this girl...because she was too excited to drop it. It was still light outside, so I took her to the dog park.

She romped and played with the few dogs who were there and had a great workout, as always. She met many humans who were so happy to meet her they didn't care that they'd just been drooled on. When we left a half hour later, we were both hungry...so I thought...Sonic?

Kirby's first exposure to Sonic was the night she graduated from puppy school at Petsmart. As a reward for her graduation, Kevin and I took her to Sonic and got her a hamburger (without all the dressing and goo, of course). She LOVED it. Since then, it's something we do for her occasionally as a "good girl treat".

We hadn't been for a while, so I took her...and she was so amped up from the dog park that she would park at each of the little car hop girls as they went by. It was as if she was saying "Burger! NOW!!!" LOL They would all smile and wave at her and I would smile apologetically. Finally, it was our turn and we got our burgers. The little 90 pound high school girl who was our car hop looked absolutely blown away at this extremely large cow in my back seat. (The back seat of my COMPACT car, no less.)

The girl smiled and told me what a cute dog I have and I thanked her...and explained that she's still a PUPPY. LOL. That's when all the questions started. At this point, Kirby could smell the burgers in the bag I'd just been handed...and drool was pouring out of her mouth and onto my shoulder. It's a...well, it's an unpleasant experience but sometimes it's worth going through to see the shock on people's faces.

I asked her for a child sized cup of water and she went in to get it. When she came back out, she was leading a parade of Sonic employees...all with astonished smiles on their faces as they waved at Kirby through the windshield. Kirby looked like she was going to start eating my seats.

I gave her some water, half of which ended up on me, and took the burger out of the bag. She was 110% focused on that burger in my hand. I held it up so the Sonic employees could see it and then I held it juuuuust back enough so that Kirby understood it was ok to grab it.

FLOOF! Gone. She opened her mouth to take it and the entire burger disappeared in her mouth. She laid down on the back seat and started chewing happily. The astonished group of Sonic employees actually burst into applause. LOL

A few more questions to answer and I was on my way. I hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot yet and Kirby was already done with her burger. A very loud, very wet, rolling belch emanated from the back seat. That's Kirby talk for "That was GOOOOOOD!"

So Kirby has yet another fan club. Her extended family at Petsmart, all her pals at the dog park, people on the dang HIGHWAY...and now...the employees at our local Sonic. And Miss Kirby loves them right back. Especially their plain and dry Sonic burgers.

I have a new wellness commando

I have been so completely busy for the last several days that not only have I not had time to write on any of my blogs, but I've not even had time to relax. Apparently Kirby put the word out that an intervention was needed. Reinforcements were called in.

This afternoon my husband and I were so tired that we fell asleep on the couch. Unfortunately, he had to get up and go to work...leaving me behind in a vulnerable heap. I kept going through all my mental lists of things I have to do and was quickly feeling overwhelmed.

Commander Kirby immediately began strategic maneuvers. She got into position on the couch next to me. At her current size, that basically means that she took up our entire full size couch and still had to put her head in my lap. Her big, floppy, warm head. It was tranquilizing. And then...reinforcements arrived. Corporal Caesar the cat appeared. He enjoys sleeping in the little man fort he's created for himself in my closet, so when he pokes his handsome orange head out I pay attention. He wasted no time jumping onto the couch and then climbing up onto my chest. He weighs 17 pounds. No way was I getting up with Caesar parked on my chest. Kirby let out a long, peaceful sigh as if to say "Mission Accomplished."

When I woke up an hour later, I was covered in orange cat fur and there was still a giant dog head in my lap. But I felt better...refreshed, even. And I usually hate naps. But Miss Kirby knew better than me today and I can't help but be grateful to my new "wellness commando" and her furry co-conspirator. There seems to be no limit to what this girl can do.