On Hold with the Cable Company

This is what I did while on hold with our cable/internet provider.

Leo is almost 60 pounds!!

We took the dogs to the vet's office to have them weighed so we could get the correct dose of Advantix and Heartguard for their weight. Leo gets big boy doses while Bella is still delicate as a flower.

Leo is 58.4 pounds. Bella is 47.2 pounds.

They sure have grown, huh?

More Bubba Cuteness

Tonight, the Bubbas watched Gabe play ball with my sister's dog. They look pretty cute looking out the window, don't they?

Just Stuff and Things

Leo is still all jacked up about the kids swimming in the pool. Each night, Gabe and I go sit on the steps of the pool and let the dogs come up to us and hang out. They both are getting better and Gabe even tossed a bit of water onto Leo's nose. No big deal. The fear and stress must also stem from the kids yelling and screaming like kids do when they swim.

Today, Chris and Jerilyn brought over their two little puppies, Leo and Boy, to play with Leo and Bella. Their kids, Joey and Charlie, each picked out a name for his puppy. Joey, who used to be scared to death of my Leo, decided to name his new puppy Leo. Charlie named his puppy the first thing that came to his mind. Makes me laugh. Here are some pics of all of them.

Ok - this last picture - I don't really know what to say about it. Earlier, when Boy tried to hump Leo, Leo tossed him off like a rag doll and gave Boy a dirty look.

Bubba Is Acting Weird

So, when Leo and Bella got here last (late) October and November, respectively, it wasn't exactly swimming weather. For the past seven months, Leo and Bella have been running circles around the pool for hours at a time. They chase each other around the pool and both dogs drink out of it (we don't encourage that but it's virtually impossible to police). Now that the weather is getting hotter, the kids are starting to come over to swim.

Dominic and Joey jumped in the pool the other day and the dogs freaked out. The have never seen anyone swim in the pool before. Leo put his tail between his legs and fast-trotted down to the back. Bella scurried away and sought shelter at the end of the alley between the garage and house. We figured that after a couple of days they would calm down and get over it.

Today, when I got home from the studio, Leo and Bella were clamoring to get into my house. The kids were swimming. When I opened my door, they both made a mad dash to Gabe's desk and Leo literally stuffed himself into the back of the desk. Really! He can't get any further in... And he faces the corner.

I'm baffled. But they need to get over it. Summertime = swimming at this house.

Half of a Lemon

Take a giant, yellow lemon and cut it in half.
Bury in the dirt one half of the lemon.
Dogs sniff out the prize.
Dogs dig like they are escaping to the Big World.
Bella finds the lemon first.
Leo wants it. Bad.
Dogs frolic all over with their prize.
Mom comes and takes away all their fun.

The things that they find on this property are amazing. I have no idea where the lemon came from. Seriously. When I took it from Bella, it smelled fresh and the inside looked freshly cut then squeezed. Weird. The vinca (sp) holds many prizes and the dogs bring them up to us. They bring up things like old action figures that the kids have lost, a beer bottle (Coors, sigh), and a hose sprayer. Most of the time, they drop the prize when we ask them to, but Leo trotted all over with the action figure before we got it. Obedience training is right around the corner now.

New Post - Finally!

It's been a long time since I have posted new pics - I know! The Bubbas, aka Bella and Leo, are doing great. They have recovered nicely from their spay/neuter operations. It's been two full months and Leo has not shown *any* signs of mellowing out. They are growing like weeds and have the best personalities. They are loved very much.

Gabe plays ball with the dogs nearly everyday and on the weekends at least 3-4 times. Leo likes to play super hard and run until he's literally dropping to the ground. Then, when he regains his strength, he brings the ball back to Gabe for more. Leo hurt his foot this past weekend so we didn't let him play ball.

Here are some recent pics. Leo is getting so tall...he looks like he has long sticks for legs with balls on the bottom. Bella is getting taller as well and is about 5 pounds behind Leo.

Bella:



















Leo:

One More!

Testing, More Bubbas Videos!

Leo Yapping and Bella Doing a Somersault

Testing Videos

I have lots of videos of the dogs. Most of them showcase Leo's ability to imitate Chewbacca's voice (moan, groans, growls, noises, whatever) but I have been unable to get them converted and uploaded onto YouTube. A friend has graciously offered to help me get them converted and here is our first try. It's a really small video:

Another Quick Pic

Just another great shot of the dogs.

Sunny, Spring Day

It's been several weeks since the dogs got fixed and there has been absolutely no change in Leo's behavior. He is literally up in *everyone's* business all.the.time. He has to know what is going on with everything and everyone, especially poor Miss Bella, every second. Oh well.

Gabe has been playing lots of ball with the dogs lately and they are really improving. Leo drops the squeaky ball off at Gabe's feet and starts running immediately. Leo chases and brings back the ball while Bella runs half way, runs back, assumes the stalking position, and pounces when Leo is half way up the hill. She likes to be the one to bring the ball back to Gabe. Plus she likes to pounce on Leo and take the ball from him.

Back to Normal

I admit I was a little worried that getting neutered would change Leo's personality a bit. I wasn't too worried about Bella since I had been through the same thing with Max and I didn't remember seeing a change. But I had heard from a variety of peeps that Leo would be much calmer, etc.

THEY WERE WRONG!

Last night I was sitting on the floor with Leo (this was just a couple of hours after picking them up from the vet) and he looked at me, licked me on the cheek with lots of dog spit (ewww), jumped on me, then ran around the room full speed about 5 times. I know they are supposed to take it easy, not jump or play, etc. The vet said to keep Leo and Bella separated for 5-10 days. Umm, not sure if we can take it that long. Bella is the same lovable, mellow, docile baby girl. Leo is still the monster he always was. I am keeping them apart for the most part...they do need to rest and recover even though they want to run run run.

Right now they are sleeping soundly in their new beds.

Home Recovering

The vet says everything went well with their operations. Bella seemed to be unaffected and was happy to see us, although she was moving a little slow. Leo's back legs were shaking and he drooled so much that his chest and front legs were literally soaked. Poor Bubba! Bella hopped into bed and rolled to her side so I was able to get a good picture. Leo wasn't nearly as accommodating so we'll just leave Bubba alone for a while.

Leo resting.



















Bella resting.

Today is THE DAY

We dropped off the bubbas this morning for their appointments. We can call around 2:30 to see if they are ready to be picked up. Poor bubbas!

The Dogs are Legit: Sheriff Leo and Deputy Bella

The dogs got licensed with the City today and they each got a nifty frisbee as a prize. The other option was a ball for each of them but Leo doesn't really share the balls so we opted for the frisbees. The City also gave us a voucher for $40 (regularly $30) for each dog to help defray the costs of spay/neutering. I had no idea but February is spay/neuter month, which is why we get an extra $10 per dog. Score! The licensing was quick and painless and gal at the counter was very nice. Each dog got a little silver star with their number on it. I am sure Leo will pretend he's the Sheriff with his little star. He sure acts like it around here. Sheriff Leo and Deputy Bella. It really should be Sheriff Bella since Bella is the one who takes charge when they think an intruder is on the property. Bella will run to the gate to see what's up while Leo hangs back and peeks around the corner. We pretend that we don't see him do that. Let him be in denial, he's losing his little balls in a couple days, poor Bubba!

Their appointments are next Wednesday. I'll post pictures :)

Leo and Bella Update - They are almost 6 months old

Next week, Leo and Bella will be 6 months old. The week after that, they get fixed. They are growing like weeds and are very happy and healthy. They run run run all day long and take three small naps a day. They always come when we whistle, but not always when we call their name. Gabe is spending lots of time teaching them the right way to play ball. Bella runs after it, then runs back, but without the ball. Leo gets it, brings it back, then plays dodge with Gabe until Gabe can grab it from his mouth. I knew Leo was improving when I heard Gabe say, "Oh, good boy, Leo, good boy!!"

Here are some new pics =)

What does Leo look like?

Poor dog, with all this teasing, he's going to get a complex. So, what does he look like to you?

A. A little intoxicated.
B. Worried about his squeaky ball.
C. A Star Wars Imperial Walker AT-AT.
D. Ready for take off.


















Answer:

C. A Star Wars Imperial Walker AT-AT .

Leo and Bella - 5 Months (ish)

So it's January 13, 2009, and it's not really supposed to be this warm. It's about 72 degrees here and it's a beautiful day. Leo and Bella really love to bask in the sun. Here is a pic of them sun-bathing today.

Fun with New Photoshop!

I bought Photoshop and while I was reacquainting myself with it, I got a little out of control.

Happy New Year!

The puppies are growing so fast! They are done with their vaccinations and rabies shots. That means they are ready for puppy classes! My camera takes video and we are in the process of trying to convert those so we can post the video here. They're pretty funny. In six weeks or so, we will be taking them to get spayed and neutered. We are hoping that Leo will calm down cause he's outta control! Just look! That's Gabe's shoe!


















P.S. Bella is such a princess and is so sleepy all the time. She must be held and rocked like a baby at least twice a day....by Gabe...and he does it. Sucker!



































And one more pic of them sleeping.

Puppies First Snow

Scary Bella (4m 1d)

My friend, Jamie, stopped by today and quickly took a liking to Bella. Here is a picture of Bella especially for Jamie :)




And here is the pic edited without the glowing eyes!

Fun in the Yard (4 Months Old!)

They are seriously having so much fun in their yard. They tear through the property like the wind and love to hide from each other and then pounce. I love it that they are getting to know their surroundings and loving this huge open space. They stalk each other about every 5 minutes. They spy one another across the property or even 5 feet away and both STOP dead in their tracks and one or both crouch down as low as possible then are still like statues. Leo is the one who usually breaks the spell and starts running to her. That always makes me laugh cause he's pudgy and not very, well, stealthy.

Here are some more pics. I got a new Nikon the other day and am bound and determined to use it to its full potential. I am reading the book a little bit each night and learning all these cool things about photography. There are some really great shots and a couple of funky ones.

Stalking from about 5 feet away:

Sweet Bella:


Snarling Bella:


Sleeping Angels:





King Leonidas

Okokokokook, one more. Very blurry but this is typical for them: Bella seeking what little refuge there is to be had under the chair and Leo bugging her with a toy (that he's not going to give her).