Falling Off the Wagon

The other day I was carrying Lilah around the house for fun, like I do, and noticed that my arms were getting fatigued real fast. Now I know what you might be thinking, that the holidays were just a couple weeks ago and maybe I let myself enjoy all the celebratory food a bit too much. I bet you think that I also gave up on that typical "get in shape" resolution after only trying for a week.

All I have to say to you is how dare you! I weigh the same as always and I'm still regularly exercising. I think you need to point those beady, judging eyes towards another!

After a few minutes rest, I picked Lilah up again, climbed the stairs to the upstairs bathroom and stepped onto the scale. FORTY POUNDS!!! Lilah's normal weight should be closer to lower-mid thirties. When did that happen?! I mean, I did notice that Lilah's head looked smaller than usual in comparison to her body, but I thought it was just her fluffy winter coat.

I just had to share my new discovery with my mom. Immediately she looked away guiltily. Apparently she had been over-generous when feeding Lilah and very liberal with treats from the table. "They need the extra weight for winter," she tried to justify, which would be true if we lived in a harsher winter climate and the dogs lived in sheds out back...neither of which is true.

Whatever, it's easy enough to control Lilah's weight. Just revert back to her normal amount of food and cut back on the human food treats. Not a big deal, really. And of course, Ritter has to join along on the diet, because although I didn't weigh him, I'm sure he's in the same situation.

But I guess it was just too much for the dogs to handle. We woke up this morning to find an empty plastic container of Costco cookies on the floor and Lilah chomping down on one and crumbs in Ritter's bed. If you've ever been to Costco, you know that it wasn't just a dozen cookies in that container. And I'll tell you now that it had at least four good sized cookies in it the night before.

A big set back in their diets. Lilah and Ritter spent most of the day sleeping off their cookie binge.

Pictures!

So many pictures to catch up on.

I took some pictures of Lilah on her birthday. I wish that I could do something similar to that German Shepherd video of the time lapsed pictures. But I can't get Lilah to stay still long enough to get consistent pictures.

Isn't she pretty though at 3 years old?

Though I don't know why she usually looks so disapproving.

Lilah after enjoying some soccer. Normally after playing soccer her feet are completely covered in dirt.

And as promised, the Land's End dog coats!

Lilah looks good in green.

And Ritter looks stunning in teal.
And yes, that is my mom's slipper-clad foot in the background.

Coats Arrived

After having returned the first set of coats for being too small (I couldn't even get Ritter's over his head), the new large sized coats arrived.

And I must say, they look pretty nice in terms of both color and design! Lilah agreed too because she let me put it on her without a fuss. Ritter on the other hand wasn't such a fan. He kept arching his back, took a few steps and then immediately sat down with his hunched back. Then he'd get up, take a few steps and sit back down again.

Even though we don't live in snow country, or wet country for that matter, I still liked the fact that these jackets/coats have a nice underbelly section for extra wetness protection and warmth. The fact that they have a water resistant outer shell is also a plus.

One issue though with the jacket is that the side straps that secure the belly panel are so long. I had to return the previous ones because I couldn't get the loop part of the velcro strap to reach the hook section. And now with these ones, the next size up, I find that there is a lot of excess loop section that just kind of dangles downwards. I wish there was a way to tuck them in so they wouldn't snag on anything.

Other than that, I think its a great coat for keeping a dog warm and/or dry.

Another Birthday!

Happy birthday to Lilah this time!

When I woke up this morning and went downstairs to wish her happy birthday, Lilah seemed to just know it was a special day. She was excited and extra affectionate (somewhat rare for her), which was nice.

We pretty much just spent the day relaxing, soaking up the sun and playing some soccer in the backyard.

Still waiting on their coats though.

I'm Gonna Do It

I don't know where Lilah gets it from, but she is so damn mischievous!

Seeing as how the weather in Los Angeles was delightfully warm, we took the opportunity to give the dogs a much needed bath. I swear, the water running off of them was grey... But that's not the focus of this story.

Because they were clean finally, I didn't want either of them rolling around in whatever weird scents they find outside or romping around in damp dirt. Lilah and Ritter were still drying off and therefore not wearing their collars, so I decided to make a slip leash using the loop handle of the leash.

Lilah, being the way that she is, always has to go first. So I took her out on the leash and left Ritter inside. Like a good girl, she immediately did her business. Unfortunately though, I wasn't paying attention and had a little too much slack on the leash. Yes, she slipped it.

And you know when a little kid is poised to do something naughty right in front of you, despite your backless threats of "don't do it" hanging ominously in the air between the two of you? Yeah, it was just like that. Lilah got into that front low crouch, readying herself to lunge to one side or another should I attempt to grab her. It's also the same posture she takes right before rolling around on the ground.

"Don't do it, Lilah. Don't you do it."

But I could read her exact thoughts from the look in her eyes. "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna do it!"

We went back and forth for a good minute or two.

And right between "don't" and "do it," well, she did it, driving the side of her face and body against the ground. When I tried to pick her up, she rolled onto her back and twisted. Horrified, I jumped backwards, hoping it'd draw her out of the roll. She pranced around me immediately after. Lilah can be such a pain in the ass.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I'll get straight to it, there are no pictures or videos this year of the dogs with their gifts...

Yet.

Okay, so what happened was I purchased Lilah and Ritter coats from Land's End at a really good price! I chose the size that I thought would fit them according to their measurements, medium. It looked kind of small, but I couldn't put it on them yet to check the fit as it was their Christmas gift.

Christmas morning arrives and put Lilah's on first, because if it doesn't fit her then it definitely won't fit Ritter. Surprisingly, I could not get the chest side straps to attach. Apparently these dogs are larges. Hmm, I think my mom is being a little generous with their food lately...

So I'm waiting on the exchange order. Once they arrive, you can rest assured their will be enough photos from their private fashion show.

If you're feeling sorry for Lilah and Ritter though, do not fret. My brother spoiled them with lots of healthy, delicious treats and my mom showered them with new toys. And I know you're thinking it so I'll just preempt you and take some of the sting out of it. Yes, I'm the relative that gives you clothes, and on top of that, clothes that don't fit!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Happy Birthday!

Yes! Happy birthday to Ritter, who turned 3 today!

And boy, was he especially bold today. I don't know if he knew it was his birthday, but he was climbing up me and my mom and constantly wanting attention and affection. It was actually pretty cute. And for once Lilah didn't get too much on his case for getting so much attention.

Unfortunately his mom (my mom) has been sick the past week, so she couldn't really prepare anything for him. Plus there's been the typical craziness of the holidays topped with some other obligations. But we're thinking of doing a joint celebration when Lilah turns 3 in a couple weeks.

And no, we're not those people that throw elaborate birthday parties for animals, despite what you may think. It'll be nice dinners for both of them and some extra treats. See, not all dog owners are crazy! Now cat people...that's a totally different thing...