Meet the scrufftastic Miss Heidi!

Look at this little cutie, she's my new foster. She was found wandering the streets last Friday when it was snowing, so my friend brought her in while she looked for her owner. My friend was calling her Hopper, because she's got a torn paw pad, so she hops on 3 legs sometimes. My neighbor is calling her Heidi because of her long supermodel legs. She's a goofy looking chihuahua/terrier mix (we think), but she's sweet as can be.

When she met my two, Coral was throwing herself on the ground and playbowing, but Heidi wasn't interested. She was, however, interested in Duke, and kept following him around. Duke, on the other hand, wasn't sure about her, and kept running away, with occasional reprieves when Coral ran between them, trying to get Heidi to play.



"What is it?!"



"Eek! Get away!"



"I was just saying hi...."


"Let's play!"



Heidi in her usual state, begging for bellyrubs.


"You can get off the computer now."








"Oops, I falled."


"Who you laughing at?!"


When she is ready for adoption, she'll be available at the Houston Westie Rescue.

AMD inside

The AMD sticker came of my laptop the other day. This is where I found it.

I don't really believe the processor speed though, unless he's "processing" chicken or beef.

Weekend observations

1. Coral doesn't actually like football. When the hubby starts watching football, she leaves the room shortly thereafter. If we call her back, she'll hang out for a few minutes, and leave again. Just not a fan. Or maybe, the hubby screams at the tv a little too much, and my incredibly noise-sensitive pup runs away from the madness.

2. Coral's left ear is a centimeter longer than her right ear. I measured. I was sitting behind her and noticed her left ear was longer. I had never noticed that before. So like any other insane individual, I measured her ears. She has a tendency to hold her ears differently (one is out more, or back more than the other), so I just didn't notice.

Is there nothing that Oreos can't improve?

These guys don't need an introduction. If the name alone doesn't make you run out to buy marshmallows, oreos, and rice crispies, then you might want to check your pulse. Nom, nom!

Cookies and Cream Rice Crispy Treats
Source: Picky Palate

4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Cups mini marshmallows
8 Cups rice crispy cereal
8 oz bag mini Oreo cookies

1/2 Cup chocolate chips, melted

1. Place butter and marshmallows into a large microwavable bowl. Microwave for a few minutes until marshmallows puff up nice and large. Remove and stir in cereal and Oreos. Pour into a large 9×13 inch baking dish. With the back of a large spoon that’s sprayed with cooking spray press and smooth treats. Drizzle melted chocolate over top and let cool. Cut into squares.

Awww...my baby's all grow'd up and ready to go to school!

Here's Duke, ready for his first day of school.



Duke recently passed his therapy dog test, and we're signed up to volunteer at a local elementary school, where kids are encouraged to read by reading to dogs. He was great with the kids today, but we were in a busy area, so he didn't quite pay as much attention as I would have liked. But the kiddos still loved him. And after they read to the dogs, each kid got a bookmark and a sticker of the dog they read to. Each time they read to another dog, they get a new sticker to add to their bookmark.

Dead Dog Fail

Duke better not be quitting his day job any time soon, this might be one of the least convincing dead dog performances I've ever seen.

My camera is old, and doesn't do sound, so you're just going to have to pretend that I said "Bang!" as I shot my dog. The only other sound is the steady thumping of his tail.


This is why we sometimes joke that Duke's tail is a completely separate entity that he doesn't seem to have any control of...

Duke is officially....

a registered Bright and Beautiful Therapy dog! I had already tested Duke through TDI back in July, but one of my concerns was not enough support. TDI is a larger and better recognized organization nationally, but I had difficulty finding local support, and wasn't quite comfortable forging my own path yet. A fellow Frisbee club member mentioned that she did therapy dog work through Bright and Beautiful, and I contacted the group through her. B&B is a smaller organization, but they're incredibly nice and welcoming.

We finally tested Duke through B&B today, and he passed the evaluation. He can be a little shy around new people, but if he's given a proper introduction and allowed to sniff and check people out, he warms up quickly. But I became interested in him becoming a therapy dog because he does well with kids, and there are many opportunities in schools or libraries. I've done a ton of volunteer work since college, and this gives me the chance to combine two of my passions, while showing people what fabulous dogs rescues are.