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.
Showing posts with label cute dog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cute dog. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
My elbow...is wet
Ever since I got home, I've been working upstairs in our home office on a variety of tasks. Of course, I did spend the obligatory "Mommy, you're home!" time with Kirby and the kitties...that's a given. I'm not allowed to do anything until I've handed out some ear rubs.
I always feel guilty if I haven't gone downstairs after a few hours...because I know there are quite a few fur persons down there who would love constant attention. Tonight, however, I was so focused that I didn't stop working for quite a long time.
I did eventually go downstairs to get a diet soda. When I went downstairs, I found a big 80 pound pile of fur on the couch. It opened an eye and I swear I heard Dr. Frankenstein chanting "It's ALIIIIVE!!!" LOL All I did was smile and the tail started wagging.
I gave many many big hugs and muzzle kisses at that point. I refilled my glass, I checked on the kitties, etc. I had to come back upstairs, though, and get some more things done. Well, that's what I thought was going to happen.
I went back to my computer and, before I knew it, thump thump thump. Here comes Kirby up the stairs. :-) She was walking around up here, as she does sometimes, smelling everything like she's never smelled it before. All of a sudden, SLURP! My elbow is instantly covered in drool.
I wiped it off, patted Kirby's head, at turned back to my computer.
SLURP!!!
Wet elbow again. The lesson here is...there is no denying this little girl when she wants more than a casual pat on the head. I turned my whole chair around and gave her a big hug and she just sort of...let her whole body slide down on my foot and then she gave up the belly. Message sent, message received. :-) I spent a good 15 minutes rubbing the square footage of her huge belly, scratching her head, rubbing her ears, shaking her paw, and giving her more hugs.
Of course, she started a trend...and I ended up being required to rub a few cat bellies and hold a 17 pound crabby 'ol tabby too...but that's okay. For a while there I forgot who I really work for and I had to be humbled. :-) At least now everyone is happy...and my elbow is finally dry.
I always feel guilty if I haven't gone downstairs after a few hours...because I know there are quite a few fur persons down there who would love constant attention. Tonight, however, I was so focused that I didn't stop working for quite a long time.
I did eventually go downstairs to get a diet soda. When I went downstairs, I found a big 80 pound pile of fur on the couch. It opened an eye and I swear I heard Dr. Frankenstein chanting "It's ALIIIIVE!!!" LOL All I did was smile and the tail started wagging.
I gave many many big hugs and muzzle kisses at that point. I refilled my glass, I checked on the kitties, etc. I had to come back upstairs, though, and get some more things done. Well, that's what I thought was going to happen.
I went back to my computer and, before I knew it, thump thump thump. Here comes Kirby up the stairs. :-) She was walking around up here, as she does sometimes, smelling everything like she's never smelled it before. All of a sudden, SLURP! My elbow is instantly covered in drool.
I wiped it off, patted Kirby's head, at turned back to my computer.
SLURP!!!
Wet elbow again. The lesson here is...there is no denying this little girl when she wants more than a casual pat on the head. I turned my whole chair around and gave her a big hug and she just sort of...let her whole body slide down on my foot and then she gave up the belly. Message sent, message received. :-) I spent a good 15 minutes rubbing the square footage of her huge belly, scratching her head, rubbing her ears, shaking her paw, and giving her more hugs.
Of course, she started a trend...and I ended up being required to rub a few cat bellies and hold a 17 pound crabby 'ol tabby too...but that's okay. For a while there I forgot who I really work for and I had to be humbled. :-) At least now everyone is happy...and my elbow is finally dry.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
All hail the Queen
I got home from work tonight and there was Kirby's face in the window...making sure I come in the house instead of running away. No matter what kind of crappy day I may have had, seeing that furry face in the window just makes me smile. I came in and we had our usual conversation. How was your day...did you lick any of the cats....were they nice to you about it...that kind of thing. All 3 of our cats have Kirby under their kitty mind control, by the way. It's a good thing, really. They're all quite a bit smaller than she is - especially Hemi, who has always been a tiny little girl and weighs in at 6 pounds. Kirby loves them all dearly - even Sarah, who is extremely anti-social to any dog and looks at Kirby with complete and utter disdain. Kirby takes it all in stride, happy to be part of the group.
Anyway, just after dinner Kirby was very angsty. Very hyper. She kept wanting to chew on toys that weren't meant for chewing. So I put my shoes on, grabbed my keys and stuff, and took Miss Kirby for a drive. I figured she needed something to chew on, so I took her to a local pet store. Not her favorite pet store, but her FAVORITE store is farther away and I wasn't up to it.
There's always a traffic jam on the street leading to this pet store. It's a good 15 minute wait just to get through the light. Understand, I drive a Hyundai Accent. It's a little 4 door sedan. Kirby now takes up the entire back seat. When she sits up, her muzzle hangs above the head rest on the front seat and her forehead brushes against the ceiling. I'm sure it's quite a sight. I've been teased by the other doggy Moms and Dads at the dog park a lot about it, actually. It does look pretty funny. So we're stopped in traffic and Kirby stands up back there to get a better look at something and suddenly her tail is slapping me across the back of my head.
I turn to look and there is a Cadillac Escalade full of women and teenagers waving at her and smiling at me. I rolled the window down and they asked me a bunch of questions about her. I asked them if they wanted to trade cars with me so that Kirby could have more room. :-) We were all laughing with each other. We've occassionally gotten strange looks from passersby before, but I've never had a car full of people do that before. It was quite an experience. And Kirby ate it all up. She loved it.
I pulled the car into the pet store lot and took Kirby inside. I looked for a toy that she could really chew on, but I didn't find anything that either of us liked. I picked out some pig ears for her and we went to the checkout. As I'm walking up to the front of the store, a group of 4 teenagers comes in looking for us. They had seen Kirby in the store and stopped, parked, and came in to meet her. They actually got down on the floor with her, so she had one at each end and one at each side. She got head rubs and belly rubs and toe rubs galore.
Finally, we get to the registers. I'm talking to a customer and a pet store employee and I hear a big THUD. Kirby has plopped her giant toes up on the "cookie bar" and is helping herself to the dog cookies. I give the command, "Kirby! Leave it!" and she gets right down, bless her soul. She may not always remember her manners but she does remember her training at puppy school.
Of course, everyone laughed...including the pet store employees, who promptly asked if she could have a cookie and then started feeding them to her like gum drops. I told them to at least make her sit so that she had to do something to earn them. She continued to get visitors at the front counters. Anyone who came in to the store had to make a bee line for the furry cow with the big brown eyes. And she's just sitting there, wagging her tale, soaking up every minute of it.
I realized...Kirby is like Brangelina, the Jonas Brothers, and that weird look'in kid from the Twilight movie...all rolled up into one. Anywhere we go with her, it's like she's a celebrity...and we're her staff. We're her entourage. Kirby gets the royal treatment wherever she goes. People stop to look at her, they pull over in some cases. :-) They go out of their way for the chance to touch her. They're in awe of her. It's amazing the attention she gets from people...it's like she's a queen. All hail Queen Kirby, ruler of the fur persons. I feel lucky to live in the shadow of her presence. :-)
Right now, the Queen is resting in her royal living room...on the royal couch cushions, tired from her escapades this evening. If I go to the landing and look down, I can see a big tangly jumble of giant toes just hanging off the edge of the couch. And she's sleeping with her tongue out again. Like she's giving the whole world a raspberry. Such a life.
All hail the Queen!
Anyway, just after dinner Kirby was very angsty. Very hyper. She kept wanting to chew on toys that weren't meant for chewing. So I put my shoes on, grabbed my keys and stuff, and took Miss Kirby for a drive. I figured she needed something to chew on, so I took her to a local pet store. Not her favorite pet store, but her FAVORITE store is farther away and I wasn't up to it.
There's always a traffic jam on the street leading to this pet store. It's a good 15 minute wait just to get through the light. Understand, I drive a Hyundai Accent. It's a little 4 door sedan. Kirby now takes up the entire back seat. When she sits up, her muzzle hangs above the head rest on the front seat and her forehead brushes against the ceiling. I'm sure it's quite a sight. I've been teased by the other doggy Moms and Dads at the dog park a lot about it, actually. It does look pretty funny. So we're stopped in traffic and Kirby stands up back there to get a better look at something and suddenly her tail is slapping me across the back of my head.
I turn to look and there is a Cadillac Escalade full of women and teenagers waving at her and smiling at me. I rolled the window down and they asked me a bunch of questions about her. I asked them if they wanted to trade cars with me so that Kirby could have more room. :-) We were all laughing with each other. We've occassionally gotten strange looks from passersby before, but I've never had a car full of people do that before. It was quite an experience. And Kirby ate it all up. She loved it.
I pulled the car into the pet store lot and took Kirby inside. I looked for a toy that she could really chew on, but I didn't find anything that either of us liked. I picked out some pig ears for her and we went to the checkout. As I'm walking up to the front of the store, a group of 4 teenagers comes in looking for us. They had seen Kirby in the store and stopped, parked, and came in to meet her. They actually got down on the floor with her, so she had one at each end and one at each side. She got head rubs and belly rubs and toe rubs galore.
Finally, we get to the registers. I'm talking to a customer and a pet store employee and I hear a big THUD. Kirby has plopped her giant toes up on the "cookie bar" and is helping herself to the dog cookies. I give the command, "Kirby! Leave it!" and she gets right down, bless her soul. She may not always remember her manners but she does remember her training at puppy school.
Of course, everyone laughed...including the pet store employees, who promptly asked if she could have a cookie and then started feeding them to her like gum drops. I told them to at least make her sit so that she had to do something to earn them. She continued to get visitors at the front counters. Anyone who came in to the store had to make a bee line for the furry cow with the big brown eyes. And she's just sitting there, wagging her tale, soaking up every minute of it.
I realized...Kirby is like Brangelina, the Jonas Brothers, and that weird look'in kid from the Twilight movie...all rolled up into one. Anywhere we go with her, it's like she's a celebrity...and we're her staff. We're her entourage. Kirby gets the royal treatment wherever she goes. People stop to look at her, they pull over in some cases. :-) They go out of their way for the chance to touch her. They're in awe of her. It's amazing the attention she gets from people...it's like she's a queen. All hail Queen Kirby, ruler of the fur persons. I feel lucky to live in the shadow of her presence. :-)
Right now, the Queen is resting in her royal living room...on the royal couch cushions, tired from her escapades this evening. If I go to the landing and look down, I can see a big tangly jumble of giant toes just hanging off the edge of the couch. And she's sleeping with her tongue out again. Like she's giving the whole world a raspberry. Such a life.
All hail the Queen!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
DENIED! The dog park is closed!!
Oh, woe is me. And Kirby.
The dog park is closed due to excessive mud, etc. from all the rain.
At least Kevin and I took Kirby to Petsmart. Petsmart is her THIRD favorite place in the whole world, first being home with her family (optimally, sandwiched between me and Kevin like an 80 pound wedge) and second being the dog park. We took her to Petsmart to get a new nail clipper and it actually took us an hour to get back out. She was quite a big hit with all the people who were shopping.
This is no surprise to us, actually. Kirby went to Puppy School at Petsmart. She is always full of joy, that's just how she is...but when we go to Petsmart it's like she KNOWS she's a superstar. LOL. She walks a little taller, she struts a little struttier...she's work'in it! Believe it or not, this blog is not an advertisement for Petsmart. I write this blog to describe the super fabulous life of the biggest, most lovable bear I've ever known: Kirby. But as it so happens today, Petsmart is part of Kirby's story.
Of course, we saw her puppy school trainer, Renee, while we were there. I knew she was near before I saw her...because I saw Kirby's tail go crazy and I watched her lunge for Renee with 80 pounds of puppy enthusiasm. Kirby always lights up and goes ballistic as soon as she sees Renee. She looooves Renee.
Kirby soaked up tons of love, attention, and treats from many shoppers at Petsmart today...including a little boy who couldn't stop hugging her. When we first met him, he was afraid to put his hand too close to her mouth with a treat...and when he left, he was putting his little hand INSIDE her mouth. LOL. He'd figured out she's nothing but a giant love bear. I feel so bad for his parents. I bet they are STILL hearing about how he wants a big dog.
Kirby also got her picture taken with a little boy, who's parents were so impressed by her size and cuteness that they had to have a picture of their son with her. We were all laughing. She posed like the ginormous princess that she is. :-) Big, sloppy doggy smile on her face.
When we got home, we did some gardening in the front yard and took her out there with us. She got some "belly in the grass" time...then I took her in and brushed her....and started on housework. Right now, she's passed out up against the back of our front door. Belly up, legs falling all over, happy sleepy smile on her face. She's tired from all the attention and will probably sleep until the smells of dinnertime wake her up.
Oh, to be a dog. What a life. :-)
The dog park is closed due to excessive mud, etc. from all the rain.
At least Kevin and I took Kirby to Petsmart. Petsmart is her THIRD favorite place in the whole world, first being home with her family (optimally, sandwiched between me and Kevin like an 80 pound wedge) and second being the dog park. We took her to Petsmart to get a new nail clipper and it actually took us an hour to get back out. She was quite a big hit with all the people who were shopping.
This is no surprise to us, actually. Kirby went to Puppy School at Petsmart. She is always full of joy, that's just how she is...but when we go to Petsmart it's like she KNOWS she's a superstar. LOL. She walks a little taller, she struts a little struttier...she's work'in it! Believe it or not, this blog is not an advertisement for Petsmart. I write this blog to describe the super fabulous life of the biggest, most lovable bear I've ever known: Kirby. But as it so happens today, Petsmart is part of Kirby's story.
Of course, we saw her puppy school trainer, Renee, while we were there. I knew she was near before I saw her...because I saw Kirby's tail go crazy and I watched her lunge for Renee with 80 pounds of puppy enthusiasm. Kirby always lights up and goes ballistic as soon as she sees Renee. She looooves Renee.
Kirby soaked up tons of love, attention, and treats from many shoppers at Petsmart today...including a little boy who couldn't stop hugging her. When we first met him, he was afraid to put his hand too close to her mouth with a treat...and when he left, he was putting his little hand INSIDE her mouth. LOL. He'd figured out she's nothing but a giant love bear. I feel so bad for his parents. I bet they are STILL hearing about how he wants a big dog.
Kirby also got her picture taken with a little boy, who's parents were so impressed by her size and cuteness that they had to have a picture of their son with her. We were all laughing. She posed like the ginormous princess that she is. :-) Big, sloppy doggy smile on her face.
When we got home, we did some gardening in the front yard and took her out there with us. She got some "belly in the grass" time...then I took her in and brushed her....and started on housework. Right now, she's passed out up against the back of our front door. Belly up, legs falling all over, happy sleepy smile on her face. She's tired from all the attention and will probably sleep until the smells of dinnertime wake her up.
Oh, to be a dog. What a life. :-)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Rain, rain, go away...for Kirby's sake!
I'm sure in the years to come, this phase will lessen considerably - but Kirby is ready to bounce through the walls this weekend...and I can't say I blame her. We've had quite a nice bit of rain lately here in north Texas. That's a wonderful thing, actually. We really needed it. But for someone like Miss Kirby, who pretty much lays around on the couch all day and looks forward to her daily trips to the dog park...well, it's disastrous.
Imagine, if you will, an 80 pound freight train of pent up puppy energy. Can you? :-) Come on over and stay with us for a while. LOL. Kirby is so eager to get out and "blow the stink off", as my mother would say, that it just broke my heart this morning when I grabbed my keys and saw that eager, expectant look on her face. She was certain that I was going to pick up her leash when I put my jacket on. She knew this was it...this was the moment she was going to get to go for a ride in the car. Instead, I closed the door behind me as I stepped out onto the porch and tried to ignore that huge furry face that watched me from the window. Oh, how I wished I could have taken her with me.
This weekend, Kevin and I are pretty much at the mercy of this rather large, energetic cow who has stolen our hearts. Since the dog park has been nothing but a rainy, mud pool of goo for the last several days, we're tripling up on the fetch time, the tug o' war time, and of course...belly rub time. It takes a lot to rub that belly. It's bigger than my first car.
She doesn't know it right now, as she walks around our office with a giant stuffed cow in her mouth, but she's going to the dog park tomorrow. The rain has stopped and even if the park is a little muddy tomorrow...that's why we have a shower. :) How do you wash an 80 pound cow/puppy? Put her in the shower with Daddy while Mommy holds the door closed. LOL.
Even if we have completely misjudged the dog park situation and she ends up being covered head to toes in mud, I can't wait another day to see that happy, dopey smile on her face as she runs free with all her doggy friends. Head held high, eyes bright & shiny, tongue hanging out sideways...it's something to see. If she's not chasing or being chased, she's wrestling, drinking ten gallons of water, or getting belly rubs from one of the other doggy parents.
When the Texas summer comes again, I'm not looking forward to having to limit her trips to the dog park. No doubt, air conditioned doggy day care at Petsmart will happen a lot more frequently. Saint Bernards don't handle the heat well at all. But for now, the air is crisp and sweet...spring is almost here...and Kirby has time to romp in the woods at the dog park again.
Imagine, if you will, an 80 pound freight train of pent up puppy energy. Can you? :-) Come on over and stay with us for a while. LOL. Kirby is so eager to get out and "blow the stink off", as my mother would say, that it just broke my heart this morning when I grabbed my keys and saw that eager, expectant look on her face. She was certain that I was going to pick up her leash when I put my jacket on. She knew this was it...this was the moment she was going to get to go for a ride in the car. Instead, I closed the door behind me as I stepped out onto the porch and tried to ignore that huge furry face that watched me from the window. Oh, how I wished I could have taken her with me.
This weekend, Kevin and I are pretty much at the mercy of this rather large, energetic cow who has stolen our hearts. Since the dog park has been nothing but a rainy, mud pool of goo for the last several days, we're tripling up on the fetch time, the tug o' war time, and of course...belly rub time. It takes a lot to rub that belly. It's bigger than my first car.
She doesn't know it right now, as she walks around our office with a giant stuffed cow in her mouth, but she's going to the dog park tomorrow. The rain has stopped and even if the park is a little muddy tomorrow...that's why we have a shower. :) How do you wash an 80 pound cow/puppy? Put her in the shower with Daddy while Mommy holds the door closed. LOL.
Even if we have completely misjudged the dog park situation and she ends up being covered head to toes in mud, I can't wait another day to see that happy, dopey smile on her face as she runs free with all her doggy friends. Head held high, eyes bright & shiny, tongue hanging out sideways...it's something to see. If she's not chasing or being chased, she's wrestling, drinking ten gallons of water, or getting belly rubs from one of the other doggy parents.
When the Texas summer comes again, I'm not looking forward to having to limit her trips to the dog park. No doubt, air conditioned doggy day care at Petsmart will happen a lot more frequently. Saint Bernards don't handle the heat well at all. But for now, the air is crisp and sweet...spring is almost here...and Kirby has time to romp in the woods at the dog park again.
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