Monday, December 27, 2010

A White and Windy (day after) Christmas

Monday accumulation on our deck
Mother Nature fulfilled wishes for a "White Christmas" a few days late this year - and significantly overcompensated for her tardiness by dumping enough snow to close all three major NYC airports and incite emergency declarations all over the place.

The Boxing Day Blizzard of 2010 fell steadily on the New York City suburbs from early afternoon Sunday, December 26, through the wee hours of December 27. (For those of you who don't know about Boxing Day, it is a holiday with no relevance to the U.S. except that it sounds cool in front of the word "Blizzard.")

The wind knocked this down once
As the first flakes began to float down, my mother and I (who were scoring some annual day-after-Christmas-discounts) made the mistake of stopping by the grocery store. We were in the market for nacho fixings, but the rest of the mob seemed to be frantically preparing for Hurricane Katrina II. Bare shelves, no shopping carts, lines stretching into the aisles... I felt like a customer during the run on the Bailey Building and Loan. (Hey, at least I made it Christmassy.)

Shadow explores snow on the deck
Shadow (who, incidentally, we almost named "Blizzard"), wanted to play from the moment he saw the first snowflake hit the ground. Even when it was dark out and the accumulation was too high for him to go to the bathroom without us digging a special path, he could barely peel his eyes from the window - or from us, who he evidently blamed for spoiling his fun and not letting him loose in the storm.

Shadow tries to unearth the broom
This morning, while his owners broke out the shovels, Shadow frolicked his heart out on the snow-covered porch. Hours (and hours) later, he discovered the joy of swimming through nearly two feet of the white fluff in the backyard, chasing odd-looking tennis balls that disappear on contact, and chomping on an unfamiliar substance that hardly seems to exist at all.

Ah, the blessing of electricity in the snow!
It was hilarious watching him bound around in the drifts like a kid at Disney World. Surprisingly (the candles are still out just in case), the gift of snow didn't come with the inconvenience of losing electricity. That meant a low-key day at home in front of the Christmas tree, with mugs of hot coffee and our favorite canine, who is now incomprehensibly exhausted from his time in the snow.

All tuckered out

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Shadow's first Christmas

Shadow's received a lot of presents in his eight months with us, but Christmas morning was a whole new experience.
As usual, he was a curious puppy.

He has yet to understand how to unwrap gifts..

... but he got the general idea.

And like a true kid, Shadow ended his Christmas cuddled up in his new bed with his three new presents.

Merry Christmas


Merry Christmas!!
From Shadow's family to yours, may this Christmas be filled with love and blessings.




Thursday, December 23, 2010

What's with all this Christmas stuff?

Shadow curls up beside the Christmas tree in his new bed.
It's Christmas-slash-birthday time, and both I and Shadow are playing with new toys: a big cozy couch bed for him and a brand new camera lens for me  ;)

I apologize for the looong delay in posts; I've just finished a year-long project that I'll keep you posted on in the coming months.

Stay tuned for more shots of Shadow discovering the joys of  * snow *  and Christmas (including the mandatory Santa hat, of course).

Monday, November 15, 2010

Better Than a 'Welcome' Mat

A few hours after deplaning and napping, we were in the Bavarian Alps outside Schliersee, Germany. Hours without Shadow: 23. Hours without sleep: 28.
An unforeseen benefit of having a dog, I recently discovered, is the tempering of that tragic feeling that usually accompanies the end of a vacation.

Don't get me wrong - getting back to work, to everyone else's problems and to the self-imposed pressures of everyday life is never easy. But it's a lot less difficult to board that plane knowing someone's been waiting... all week... to welcome you home with more enthusiasm than winners on "The Price is Right."

My husband and I just returned from a week in Germany and Austria. We had a wonderful time exploring King Ludwig II's "crazy castles," sampling Bavarian fare (beer, sausage and pretzels), cruising through the mountain valleys, and navigating the winding streets of Salzburg. But it would be a lie to say we didn't feel like part of our family was missing most of the time. I will admit turning my cell phone on far too often to see this pitifully cute mug (see photo above) staring back at me asking "Are you coming home yet? Geez. What's taking so long?"

Shadow woke to Day 5 of his vacation as we headed to the castles
Prior to this trip, Shadow and I had never been apart for more than one night, and I worried how he would fare with strangers for eight whole days. Would he cry the entire time? Would he think we abandoned him? Would he be scared? Would he have fun or would he be locked in a small cage wondering what he did wrong?

Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenswangau is a real life fairy tale
I searched high and low for a good kennel that was nearby, trustworthy, reputable, and was run by people who seemed to really care about dogs. I had already tried daycare at the local animal hospital, but was so disenchanted with that experience that a week-long sleep-over there was completely out of the question. I finally settled on a kennel that came with solid recommendations (from friends of my mother the big time), that let him have his own food, toys, bed, and indoor/outdoor pens. As a plus, it was only a few feet from the house in which the owners (a family with beloved dogs of their own) lived.


The Bavarian royals sure picked a nice spot for their retreat
About a month before our scheduled departure, I visited the place and met Hank, the man in charge. A few weeks later, Shadow got his test run one night to familiarize himself and to understand that we would always come back for him. It was a complete success, and made dropping him off on the way to the airport a million times easier for everyone.

Innsbruck, Austria, is full of winding streets and painted houses
It also lessened the guilt for Chris and I while gazing at the snow-covered peaks of the Alps, lifting a liter in the Hofbrauhaus, or waiting for the Glockenspiel start moving to think that Shadow was having a wonderful vacation of his own back on the familiar side of the ocean.

When we returned, Shadow just about popped with excitement. Circling and jumping (a temporary lapse after a week without our rules), licking and wagging his tail like it was a propeller, he was thrilled to see "his people" again. And we were thrilled to be back with our puppy.

Eventually, the sun set on our week in Bavaria and we returned home not to a cold empty house, but to one bursting with joy and excitement. Full disclosure, this photo is actually from Day One, just a few minutes after the one at the top of this blog entry. How's that for full circle?

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario

Having a pet is expensive. There's monthly flea/tick and heartworm medications, food, constant vaccinations during the first six months, and that big operation that need not be named. And then there are all the minor emergencies that in the mind of first-time puppy parents are life-threatening tragedies needing to be diverted immediately.

With Shadow, there was his first bout of allergies, the time I thought he ate a USB cable, the time he damaged one of his pads at the dog park, almost anytime his "eliminations" don't look uniform, the first time he woke up gagging because he ate too much grass earlier that evening... All of these incidents elicited panic and wads of green from his owners. Many, we learned, were expensive false alarms that needed only rest and over-the-counter human medication (such as Bacitracin marked up 10 times because it came from the vet and "puppy booties" at $40 each when Amazon sells them for $10 a pair.)

But this is the learning curve when you bring a new puppy into the home. Now we are less jumpy, and our medicine cabinet has four puppy booties purchased for $30 at PetSmart, anti-inflamatory cream marked "Shadow," and Betadine (povidone-iodine) anti-septic from Walgreens for cleaning wounds. Most importantly, however, we know not every minor scrape or bruise requires a $50 vet exam and 10 tons of overpriced drugs.

That's why, when Chris and I looked into pet insurance for Shadow, we decided not to overpay for something that would reimburse us for every vet visit and every ounce of heartworm/flea/tick medication. Now that Shadow is eight months old (and a whopping 73 pounds!), the biggest expenses have already been taken care of. All we need is the peace of mind that comes with knowing if something horrible happened we would not have to choose between forking over $10,000 for an operation on our dog or letting him go. That is a decision I would never want to make, and thankfully won't have to.

If you're at the point where you need to select insurance for your furry friend, I have to recommend two websites: Pet Insurance Review (petinsurancereview.com) and Pet Insurance University (pet-insurance-university.com). Both break down the policies of the most relevant pet insurance providers in an easy-to-understand fashion, and contain consumer reviews to help provide reassurance.

Between jumping, barking, chewing, scratching, whining and pulling on the leash, us pet owners have enough to worry about without the ultimate concern hanging over our heads.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Bundled up


With temperatures falling, we decided today was a good day to switch from summer blanket to winter comforter. Shadow evidently liked that idea as well.

I just hope we can eventually get the blankets back...

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The universal medium

Shadow watches "Pet Star" on Animal Planet
Just did a little cell phone cleaning and stumbled upon this gem of Shadow during his post-neuter recovery period (just last week, actually).

Since he couldn't jump, run, or walk very far, Shadow was pretty much bedridden. Luckily, Animal Planet runs a few dog friendly shows in the mornings, and Shadow actually took an interest.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

One Day After Surgery

Poor little guy!
Things he can't do:
- Scratch behind his ears
- Walk in a straight line
- Turn corners without banging into things
- Play with his toys because he can't chew on something and reach his hands around it at the same time
- Until late this afternoon, walk up stairs
- Creep around the house anymore (now it's all "bang! bang! bang!")

Things he can do:
- Make it up the stairs, after 24 hours of being unable to do so
- Look adorable and even more helpless than he was five months ago
- Take up almost as much of my time as he did while still using puppy pads

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Hats and The Big Day


Shadow is being neutered today. I know it's the right thing to do. Animal shelters are the result of overpopulation and are horrible places to end up. But making such a monumental decision for someone who trusts you and who you care about (even if he has no idea what's going on) is pretty tough.

Our veterinarian suggested he have it done when he was six months old. Other dogs we know had it done when they were 10 months or eight weeks. There doesn't seem to be a right or wrong time, but for us just-about-seven months was perfect. Shadow only exhibited the bad (hump much?) unneutered dog behavior a couple times, and he got to mature normally almost to the tail end of his puppyhood.

As a non-professional, that's all I have to say on the matter, though I'll keep you up-to-date on his post-surgery progress. Dr. Lisa Miller offers details on the benefits of neutering or spaying your pet here.

The surgery is an all-day event, so rather than sit here and worry, I put together some silly photos of Shadow that Chris and I took this past weekend.

The thing you need to know is that we live in a household that was divided by Babe Ruth decades ago.


But we're always eager to recruit newcomers to our respective sides.

The big question has been on which side of the stadium our family will sit someday.


But if Shadow's any indicator, I'd better start preparing my concession speech now.

(Isn't that just like a Sox fan, already shooting off his anti-Yankee mouth before the game even starts...)

 But we can always compromise.

(He looks better in maroon than blue anyway!)

Monday, September 6, 2010

Where's Shadow?

Shadow just returned from another visit with his "Uncle" Artie and "Cousin" Moose. He had a blast, but once in a while needed a little time to himself. In tribute to the old Where's Waldo? books I used to love as a kid, here's a "Where's Shadow?" puzzle for you:

Friday, September 3, 2010

How to save a little $$

How would you feel if, after paying for a cart-load of stuff and heading for the door, you found out everyone else in the store got a 50% discount just because they asked for it?

It happens each day by the hundreds when pets undergo that special surgery no one wants to talk about. It can have a pretty hefty price tag. But Friends of Animals, an animal advocacy group based in the Northeast, has a low-cost spay/neutering program that allows pet owners to use their own vets (if participating) and get the same exact surgery at a fraction of the price.

Just tell your vet the magical phrase, "Friends of Animals rate," and wait for the certificate to arrive before planning the surgery.

Here's the link: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/sncert/instructions.html

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Things Shadow has done recently:

1. Attempted a jailbreak from his crate (after being left alone for a whopping two hours) by uprooting his bed and moving the floor. Turned out to be not the best of plans...


2. Turned my iPhone charger into an afternoon snack and ingested the small part that attaches to the computer. For two days afterward, we had to monitor his bathroom breaks to make sure it passed through him. Then my husband found it under the couch, where Shadow must have flung it while wrestling the lifeless cable to its death. (Oops...)
(Sorry, no picture here. I was too busy freaking out.)

3. Fell asleep in the weirdest position yet...
(Just ignore the feet - one tiny movement and he'd wake up)

4. ... and the cutest.

5. Worked on his catching skills


6. And just continued being a lazy goof

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I go to court

Back in April, I received a thick red and white card summoning me to fulfill by civic duty as a juror. Had this happened a few months earlier, I might have celebrated the chance to take a rare and government-mandated rest from work -- away even from those third-arm cell phones and persistent e-mails that have antiquated the meaning of the word "vacation." But as timing usually goes, I had just welcomed Shadow home

Still sleeping on training pads, having accidents like it was his civic duty, and crying every second he was alone, he simply couldn't be left or pawned off on anyone. So I invoked my right to one postponement, hoping that just maybe the courts would forget about me altogether.

Silly me to think I could pull the wool over Uncle Sam's eyes. I spent the past two days at the Westchester County Courthouse, pawning Shadow off on my mother on Monday, and placing him for the first time in daycare on Tuesday. Neither went extremely well.

I returned early Monday afternoon to a very disobedient puppy. Essentially, during my absence Shadow employed the quintessential "you're not my mommy so I don't have to listen to you" toddler act on my mother and brother. What he got in return was a day at the local animal hospital. It was the first time for all of us, and I was comforted at the thought of his being safe and in the hands of professionals, who promised to feed him and had a large yard where he would play. Upon picking him up, however, he raced out like a convict whose shackles just broke. He was an absolute tornado of energy, which made me worry that he'd sat in a cage all day. Immediately upon escape, an unusual number and frequency of bathroom breaks made this fear an almost certainty. And I am mad about it. Finding a good daycare provider is turning out to be harder than I thought. But I'll keep trying. Maybe Uncle Sam will reimburse me the $25...

Which brings me back to my original subject. I completely understand the need for ordinary people to serve on juries, and I have no objection to doing so, but the communication and the my-way-or-the-jail-cell attitude could use a little tweaking.

In Westchester, citizens are allowed one six-month postponement, and exemptions no longer exist unless you can't speak English or have a serious medical condition. (It took the administrative judge, the commissioner of jurors, and a secretary 90 minutes to say what I just said in one sentence.)I have a puppy. That's not a big deal. But women with infants are required to serve. Unemployed or self-employed people are required to forfeit what salary they could scrounge up, in order to pay for parking, gas, and possibly child- or pet-care for days or even weeks. In just two days I spent $60 in parking, gas and care; imagine that plus lost salary over two weeks.

During my service, I encountered a recent college graduate who had to cancel her job interview -- a holy grail in the middle of an economic crisis that has pitched an impervious membrane over the current workforce, keeping out the flood of new diploma holders -- in order to sit in a room for 4 hours, then be dismissed and told to return the next morning to continue sitting and waiting. Does anyone not see where the system could use a little work?

At the same time, those who actually want to sit through a trial are tossed into the mix with those missing their best friend's impromptu wedding. Why not have a database of people who genuinely want to serve (with biases and conflicts properly vetted, of course) and fill the remaining spots with those who would rather be elsewhere? Why not offer a small fee to volunteers but still restrict how often they can serve to avoid "serial jurors?" It wouldn't cover the costs of transportation and childcare, but hey, throwing people a bone once in a while can go a long way. (Would you really want your life hanging on the opinions of miserable people who are pissed off that they're losing money and time at your trial to begin with?)

It is the 21st century, after all. If I can fill out a bunch of bubbles online and get a list of 20 cities in which I'd be happiest living, why can't Americans fill out something similar and let a computer figure out the best days to assign who where -- and dismiss those whose profiles are already screaming "undesirable." Goodness knows we've got enough state employees and politicians sitting on their hands in Albany -- maybe they could pitch in.

I won't even get into my problems with announcing personal information to a room full of 65 strangers, including the one in the defendant's seat. But if anyone with any power happens to be reading a girl-meets-dog blog with a flimsy tie to politics... does corralling 1,400 people a week into a holding room like cattle, where they wait to be deployed the moment a judge decides he/she's going to trial (or sent home when everyone settles out of court) really sound well thought out? Is it really so much more important to inconvenience 1,400 other people over them?

To sum up, Shadow was pretty darn pissed at Chris and I last night. And after being pawned off and abandoned for two days in a row (he probably thought we gave him up yesterday), neither of us can blame him. But today he seems much happier. Like me, maybe this whole experience has reminded him how good he's got it, and how important that is to remember even when the little things get under our skin. For the next six years, at least I have my freedom.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

A look back after 6 months

From left by row, Shadow at two, three, four and five months old
Shadow officially turns six months old today, and it's hard not to let my mind wander back to the first day he came into my life. Emotionally wrecked at the hands of another, less responsible breeder (Don't let that happen to you), Chris and I made the trip up to Blue Diamond with a pesky glimmer of hope that neither of us would allow to shine through.

After weeks of torture, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that the bed we had bought, the toys we had gleefully picked out, the ID tag we had engraved ... none of these things would be used for at least another three months. After coming to love and watch this other puppy grow (at least until the breeder stopped showing us pictures), we were devastated at the thought of now waiting for another breeder to approve us, another dog to get pregnant, another mother to nurse her pups for 8 weeks, etc.

We meet Shadow at 7 weeks old
Finding a lovable silver Lab puppy on the same schedule at that point would have been like planning a 200-person wedding the week before. I made phone calls, and everyone was sorry but I was too late.. too late... too late. Then Janet from Blue Diamond picked up the phone.

She had not one but two silver males and several charcoal puppies ready to go home in a week. They hadn't even been advertised. And we could have the pick of the litter. Still, we were hesitant. (As the now-butchered saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.")

Shadow comes home with us at 8 weeks
Then we arrived, met two wonderful people and spent a half hour sitting on the floor playing with a room full of bounding, healthy, happy 7-week-old puppies. We didn't even have to deliberate over which was to be ours; he picked us. It was one of those moments I'll never forget: When Chris and I looked at each other, then at the cuddly, shoestring-gnawing bundle of fur that had chosen to sit in my lap for a good 10 minutes (enamored by my jeans and my shoes while his brothers came up to inspect and then to bound away) and smiled at each other. Our eyes said it all. This little guy was a sweetheart with a little spunk, and he was ours.

Shadow at 10 weeks and 6 months. It’s amazing how fast the time goes.
Now a member of our family for 4 months, there are times I wonder where that sweet little guy has gone. But those feelings never last long. Shadow is a character, that's for sure. He can be stubborn, he can be disobedient, and he can get a little too excited sometimes. But he still rests his head in my lap (after trying unsuccessfully to put his entire body there), he still follows me around like he is my shadow, he's still soft as silk, and he still does something funny or adorable every day.

He is the puppy I always wanted and almost didn't get. And his existence in my life is proof that things do indeed happen for a reason, and every so often where you are is where you were always meant to be.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Back to the Vet

When you have to shout the date of your next appointment at the woman behind the counter as your suddenly 58-pound dog yanks you, flailing, out the front door of the vet's office... he may no longer be a puppy.

Shadow returned to the vet today after a nearly two-month hiatus. His first call of action was to attempt climbing a woman in the waiting area. Then he moved on to the secretary, all the while skating along the tile floor like a berserk spider wearing roller skates.

My favorite part of the checkup, however, was when Shadow embarked upon his first (to my knowledge) feline encounter. It was a quartet of newborn kittens, to be exact, and both species were captivated by each other.

One particularly gutsy black kitten engaged in a sort of staring contest with the six-month-old silver Lab until (I hate to admit it) Shadow let out a whine. (I apologize for the picture quality, but I was armed only with my iPhone, and dogs move super fast.)

Finally past the waiting area, Shadow was so strong and rambunctious that the attendant had to call in backup to get him on the scale. And when I say scale, I mean a steel trough with no sides that rises a good three feet off the ground with the flick of a switch.

But what else can I expect from a new-to-this-world puppy in the body of a 58-pound adolescent dog? He sleeps through the night, he doesn't launch into a barking frenzy the moment I walk in or out of the door, he can be left outside his crate while I'm not paying him any attention, he's about 90 percent housebroken, and he can actually walk tolerably on a lead.

The jumping on people is the biggest issue left, but just like all the others, it will one day be history. And one day I'll miss his rambunctious, I-want-to-play-with-
everything-and-sniff-everything-and-jump-on-everything crazy phase.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Moose Offers a Challenge

Even without a Frisbee or the approval of Sir Artie, Shadow and his "cousin" Moose are vying for dominance... this time of the YouTube variety.

In response to Shadow's first swim on Independence Day weekend, Moose (with help from my cousin-in-law, Nick) put together a video of his own kayak adventure. It's extremely cute and funny and offers a challenge to his darker, younger cousin at the end.

Rest assured, we'll be accepting that challenge. Maybe we should start teaching Shadow to jump through hoops?   ; )

Anyway, check out the video below. Double-click to see it larger (on YouTube rather than this blog) and to subscribe to Moose and Nick's YouTube "channel."

Friday, August 6, 2010

Easy Walk


Replacing Shadow's collar with a harness (only for walks) was possibly the wisest thing we've done for the little guy since he came home.

Shadow just loves people. Even more than squirrels and acorns, as far as I can tell, which is pretty impressive. When Chris and I set out to get a dog, one thing we knew hands down was that we wanted him to be loyal, protective to a certain degree, and friendly.

Of course -- me being a first-time dog owner and all -- I didn't realize that "friendly" meant he would try to play with every jogger, cyclist, grandmother and three-year-old out enjoying Mother Nature. (And by "play with," I mean pummel.)

I also didn't know that Labrador retrievers are known for giving every last drop of energy possible to reach their target, whether or not they strangle themselves in the process. Call it heart, call it chutzpah, call it dedication if you want. But most of the time I just call "NO!"

That's why walks with my wonderful little growing companion were, well, pretty unbearable over the last couple months.

In desperation, I accepted a choke collar at one point from a well-meaning neighbor, read a few articles about it, and gave it a shot. Let's just say Shadow and I entered a new level in our relationship that day, much in the way that friends aren't really friends unless they can have a fight.

So, after hearing the word "harness" from several people in the neighborhood and doing more research to make sure it wouldn't harm him, I put in an order for an Easy Walk harness. It's the same product Shadow's former teacher recommended a month ago (call me slow on the uptake if you want), and according to the box "is designed to gently discourage your dog from pulling" while walking on a leash. The low chest strap, it says, has a "patent-pending martingale loop" that's supposed to make it easy for walker to control dog without hurting him, without encouraging him to pull harder, and without damaging his trachea.

Two weeks after it's arrival, cynical me has become one of those people in the neighborhood who advises people to buy this thing. I actually enjoy walking Shadow now, and I don't come back sweaty and pissed.

And more importantly, Shadow doesn't seem to mind it either. Of course he tried to eat it the first couple times I put it over his head, but that's what dogs do. Now Shadow just sits there panting and waiting to frolic outside with his two-legged companion, who, for whatever reason unknown to him, is a billion times happier.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

No dogs allowed...



My apologies for not updating the blog earlier this week, but as you can see, I was spending a few days with animals of the not-so-cuddly kind up in Cape Cod.

Don't get me wrong, being away from my Shadow did make the hissing geese and sticky-fingered seagulls somewhat more palatable... but only when they were flying/swimming/waddling in the opposite direction.

Yes, this year I had to not only cut short my family vacation, but go without half my family because Shadow is:
a) a dog, and hence not allowed on many public beaches (what a drag)
b) not yet fully trained, and thus not ready to be left anywhere while Chris and I cavort around said dogless beaches
c) not yet ready in my overbearing motherly opinion to be left in a kennel (and certainly not for this sort of trip, i.e. not overseas)

On Day Two of the trip, I grabbed one of those handy dandy Cape Cod guides at Cuffy's to do some research on "dog friendly" places for next year, and was sorry to see that most were parks or -- get this -- the parking lot by a beach. A few sandy stretches do allow dogs, but one quick drive past Flax and Cliff ponds in Nickerson State Park told me I'd rather turn the hose on him in the backyard. (Crowded doesn't even begin to describe it)

So now that I'm home with the little guy -- who even in 85 degree heat makes for an excellent furry toe-warmer, I must say -- I am diving back into my writing and on a mission to find some great dog vacation solutions for those of us who would like to bring our furry buddies with us sometimes and who can't fit them in a purse. I'll let you know what I find.

In the meantime enjoy a few photos from the trip which, although short, was very nice :)

Photo rights to these and all others appearing on this blog (excluding Amazon.com links) are the property of the creator of "Me and My Shadow" and may not be used without consent.

Puppies

Blue Diamond Breeding, the wonderful folks who brought Shadow into our lives, have another litter planned for August or September. Click here for details.

How could anyone pass up even a half-brother or sister of this little guy?

Friday, July 30, 2010

Video: Shadow Masters the Stairs

In the beginning of June, Shadow finally conquered his fear (the only one we've met so far) and made his way down the front stairs. Here is the long lost video detailing that treacherous journey. (Double-click to see it larger on YouTube)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Stubborn

Something tells me that even when Shadow weighs 75 pounds (as the vet predicts he'll reach before his first birthday), he'll still insist on sitting in my lap and cuddling up under the ottoman with the 7-inch-high opening.

I just took this picture with my phone. He reminds me of a hermit crab in need of a bigger shell.