Going green

Off topic...

Check out this website, Recyclebank. The way it works is, you earn points for learning tips about going green, making green purchases, using fewer resources, etc. Then you can cash those points in for coupons, freebies, gift cards, and all kindsa cool stuff. Mom cashed in her points for a Martha Stewart "Living" subscription, and immediately began to feel her age.

We are really into recycling, buying things made from recycled materials, and all around being green. We encourage others to do the same. You can get biodegradable doggie-waste bags, post-consumer paper towels, printer paper, and even toothbrushes, and they all cost about the same as their non-green counterparts. As much as we love Kermit, it's actually very easy being green.

If you sign up for Recyclebank, please use this link, 'cause mom gets points for each referral.

Happy weekend!

7 things about me.

Wow! My first award! This was given to me by my new furend Dougall over at The Dougall Diaries.

I guess how this works is that I'll tell you 7 things about me, and then pass this along to other new furends I'd like to know more about. So here goes!

1. I am a bed hog. I love to sleep in the middle of the bed. When we go to bed, I curl up in a corner at the top of the bed. By the time mom wakes up in the morning, I've wiggled my way to the middle while she clings on to the side of the bed trying not to fall off. heh heh heh

2. I'm very talkative. When we wake up in the morning, I always greet mom with this sort of yawnhiiirooo sound (not an accurate onomatopoeia). Same thing when she gets home from work and takes too long doing whatever it is she does before taking me out.

3. I never learned how to do a proper Scottie stand, but we are practicing. I always want to stand up on the pads of my feet with my legs straight, through.

4. I think "sit" means mom is going to push my back end down.

5. I don't care much for chew toys or bones. I do love to chase the little red dot, though!

6. I am a huntress, through and through. Sometimes I get so riled up about catching something, that even my shadow gets me excited.

7. I love to play "tag" with mom. Sometimes she gets in the floor and mimics my playful bow, and we'll do this back and forth for a minute, then I'll run around the apartment, she'll do the playful bow/huff again and I'll come charging at her (sometimes I lick her face on my way by). It's my favorite game.


I'd like to pass this on to my new furends at Jazzi's World, Bouncing Bertie, and Molly the Wally.

Hope everyone's having a great week!

omg!

There was just..

*pant*pant*

a mouse!

*pant* outside.... I caught it, *pant*pant*...but mom...

*LOOKS LEFT*

..mom made me turn it loose.

*pant*pant*

and now...

*deep breath*

*LOOKS RIGHT*

*twirls in front of the door*

..now she won't let me go back outside...



aaarrrghhhh!!! I had it!!!


*sad face*

... she never lets me have any fun.

Happy Howloween!

Whew! What a day!

Mom and I both love to play dress up...

...so it goes without saying that we look forward to Halloween every year. Every year, mom starts thinking of Halloween costumes before summer is even over, but doesn't get an idea for what to do until the last minute. Wednesday night, while she was talking to her mom (my old mom... now my granny, I guess? so confusing!) it was decided that she wanted to show me off in the Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade. As you may have guessed, it's a big parade of costumed dogs and their owners that happens in our city every year. Mom doesn't believe in store bought costumes (snob!), so she rushed to the fabric store as soon as she hung up the phone, and got all the things to make our costumes. She got out the sewing machine, looked up patterns online, and schemed at work all the next day. As soon as she got home Thursday, it was business. Cutting patterns out of junk mail, and sewing what she could before bed. She didn't get another chance to work on our costumes until yesterday, and oh boy did she. All day, it was cutting more patterns out of junk mail, snipping and clipping of fabric and faux fur, stitching away (and ripping a lot of seams before stitching again). I did my best to help whenever she laid fabric on the floor (everyone knows how much easier fabric is to cut when a Scottie stands on it! Common knowledge, that is). The sun went down, the night drew on, and for a while we weren't sure if we'd be ready in time, but luck was on our side!

She's definitely not the most convincing wolf to my Little Red Riding Hood, but I guess that's what happens when you improvise. I was too interested in everything going on to pause for a good pic, so apologies that you just get a side view, but there was just so much neat stuff to see!

To be honest, I was getting pretty nervous at the idea of being around so many strange people and dogs, but I powered through it and did great. I let strangers pet me, let other dogs sniff me, and even sniffed them back! 

The downside to being in the parade is that you don't actually get to watch it, so we didn't get very many pictures. We did snag a few though, and these were out favorites..

Yeah, X-Files! That's our show! Left to right, the Alien, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, and Dana Scully. 

A closer picture of Mulder

The Space Shuttle Endeavour! How cool is that?!

It was great to be around so much creativity, and we had a great time. Maybe next year we can decide on a costume when we have more than 2 days to make it (won't hold my breath).

Mom wanted me to put my costume back on for a pic, but I am tuckered out. I told her she could put it on me as long as I didn't have to move. 

Taken last night during a fitting. I had it worked out that if she wanted me to try it on, she had to rub my belly before I would get up. heh heh heh

All right peeps. it's time to nap. Hope you all have a happy Halloween!

We've entered Carrleigh in Blue Buffalo's costume contest. If she wins, we get a year's worth of free food (and, believe me, we could sure use it!). Please take a quick moment to vote for my baby girl.

Since I can't link directly to her page, click the link and go to "Entries" at the top right, then below that, click the magnifying glass to the right of the drop down menu, and search for "Carrleigh."

Blue Buffalo costume contest

Vote for me!

Well, well, well... things are pretty quiet 'round here. Mom is happy it's Friday, and so am I! We drove to visit her friend Dominick earlier tonight, which was a treat because I love riding in the car. He has not been feeling well lately, so I did my best to cheer him up by letting him pet me and feel how soft I am since mom bathed me (ಠ_ಠ). He has 2 dogs about my size, though younger, and they remind me why I love being the only dog! (though I do miss Piper sometimes). They are nice enough, and I'm sure we'll be friends eventually, but I'm very cautious of new dogs until they earn my trust and respect. Especially dogs on retractable leashes with presumptuous parents. (note: not referring to Dominick's dogs).

It's happened a few times that we've been out walking, and someone else is walking their dog with a retractable leash. Now.. common sense would dictate that if you see me, a strange dog you don't know, you exercise a bit of caution because I could be totally vicious! But instead of pushing that button down to let me and the other dog approach each other slowly, they just let their dogs run right up to me and get all up in my business. I wouldn't bite them, but I'm not as socialized as they are, and I'll be honest... it really stresses me out. I'm not used to other dogs, especially non-scotties, or strange people for that matter. I'm certain none of your parents do that though, especially since we all know the dangers of retractable leashes.

And there's my random rant for the evening.

You may be happy to know that we haven't run into the creepy guy in our neighborhood since the last blog update, and we want to thank you all for your concern. As for the pepper spray, it's not so much that we don't feel safe, but that we believe it's important to be proactive. Maybe we'll run into a dog that actually is vicious, or a coyote, or even a mountain lion of we go camping. Better safe than sorry (though I'm not sure how effective it would be against a mountain lion.. here's hoping we never have to find out).

Anyway... it's past our bed time, but we just wanted to pop in and say hi. Hope you all have a wonderful day. I'll leave you with this picture. This is the look I give mom every day when she leaves for work. I'm sure you're all wearing this look right now as we're ending this blog post. <3

Sorry we haven't been posting much.... there have been some pretty big changes 'round here, and we've been staying busy. Mom's car had been in the shop, and I wasn't allowed to ride in the rental car. Now that she has her car back, we've been going on some great adventures for me to meet new people, and dogs, and sniff all kinds new stuff unlike anything I've ever sniffed before. woo!

This is a short and sweet update, but I feel it's important. We live in a fairly safe neighborhood, in a city with a few rough pockets. But bad things can happen no matter where you are. We have had a few unsettling encounters while going out before bed, which has prompted mom to order pepper spray to keep with my leash, and in her purse. I think it's important that all you dog moms out there, single or not, keep your safety in mind because you never know what may happen. There could even be a strange aggressive dog on the loose.

We have ordered 2 different types, which can be found here and here. The second one has a UV marking dye to mark your attacker.

We chose these in pink for 2 reasons... 1) to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and 2) because the pink looks pretty unsuspecting hanging from a pink leash.

Still waiting for our shipment to arrive, so we'll update you on how these 2 sprays work out. We hope we never have to use them, but better safe than sorry because you never know what you may encounter while walking your furbabies.

In closing, I need a haircut.

Carrleigh Kilbride, salty sea dog extraordinaire

Wow, what a day! I don't even know where to begin.

It's been pretty quiet around here lately, and I admit I've been a little bored. Mom hasn't been feeling well, and even called in sick to work Thursday. She's spent a lot of time in bed, but I've been watching over her, being the best little nurse dog and protector I can be, lying at the foot of the bed, or on the floor between her and the door ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Even lying in the hallway outside the bathroom door while she showers, with my eyes on the front door, ready to ward off any intruders. She felt well enough to go spend time with friends and old crew mates at the tall ship festival last night, so I'm happy for that.

Today when she finally rolled out of bed, she got up and showered and did her thing, preparing to go back to the festival. She took me out for a walk, and I readied myself for yet another day of fulfilling my (admittedly boring) duty of guarding the house. She had her purse over her shoulder and keys in hand, but I raised an eyebrow when she reached for my pretty pink and green collapsible water bowl, and then.. I couldn't believe eyes.. she reached for my leash with one hand and crate with the other. I could hardly contain my excitement! You should have seen the way I danced all around the living room, excitedly pirouetting my way to the front door. Wait a minute... Could this be a trick? I wondered? Then I remembered that the vet's office is closed on Sundays, and I knew this could only mean one thing: we were going on an adventure!!

Mom is driving a rental car right now while her car is in the shop, and they said I'm not allowed to ride in it (hmph!). But mom figured that as long as I'm in my crate, no one would know that I'd been in there at all. Not that I mind either way. I jumped in the crate, and mom positioned it in the back seat so I could look out the front windshield, but I took the opportunity to nap and rest up for our impending adventure instead.

It was really windy when we finally got to Dana Point. I heard someone say something about a "microburst," so all the sails were canceled. Mom says I can't go sailing anyway until I get a life jacket (or PFD, as the sailors call it), so it was no big loss.

Oh my goodness.. so many new sights, sounds, smells.. so many people! I admit I was a little nervous at first, as it was a lot to take in and a bit overwhelming, but I behaved like a perfect little princess. I didn't bark or growl once, I let people pet me and gladly accepted their compliments, telling me how beautiful and sweet I am. I held my tail up high as I watched all the other dogs and their owners gaze in jealousy and I pranced down the gangway and onto the dock. Then mom picked me up and carried me on to one of the boats. Wow!! I sat at the helm for a quick photo shoot, and watched the sun start to descent from a deckhouse at the bow. I met a bunch of mom's sailor friends, got my first taste of life as a sea dog, and all the while was a perfect little angel.

Starboard bow watch

One of mom's captain friends has 2 dogs just a little bit bigger than me that live on his boat, and invited me to come hang out and play with them below decks. So now mom has no reason to leave me home from any tall ship festival. How exciting is that??

With so much excitement, I'm ready for a nice relaxing day of guarding the house tomorrow. Hope you all have a great week!

NOPE!

Most people are afraid of normal things, like spiders, snakes, heights.. y'know, things like that. Not my mom though. In fact, she scoffs at all those things.

But you know what she is afraid of?

Moths.

I know, right? (Something about their erratic flutteriness, and probably some deep-seated memories of having to walk by the only illuminated porch light for miles late at night as a child)

When we went out for our evening walk last night, there was something fluttering around in the hall/stairwell. At first we thought it was a bat or small bird or something.

Nope! It just had to be a moth! A giant, horrible, terrifying, life-sucking moth! (mom's gentleman friend, let's call him J, took this picture. She would never get that close to such a thing).

We managed to sneak by it on our way out, and carefully looked for it when we got back but didn't see it. Phew, in the clear. 

Well this morning when mom was leaving for work, her skirt must have rustled against it or something, because it darted up right in front of her, down the stairwell, out and off into the sky. I was in the bedroom lounging around, but I was still able to hear her little shriek, and immediately launched up into "OMG! Mom's in trouble!!!" mode. The way J put it, I quickly jumped up and put my ears toward the door, nose straight out, focused, with one paw up and ready to bold at a moment's notice. No one hurts my mommy!

Turns out it was just her being silly over a perfectly harmless moth. Gosh, she's ridiculous sometimes. But that doesn't mean I won't do everything in my power to watch over and protect her. 

It's cool mom, I got your back ;)

happy birthday, mom!

What a hectic week! Especially today...

Friday was mom's birthday. Her coworkers brought her a pineapple upside down cake (which she did not share with me, I might add), and her gentleman friend even sent her roses! Sweetie, he is. He even took her to the Chart House for birthday dinner (which she didn't share either! hmph!). She's been so busy that I've had to spend a lot of time home alone the last few days, but she keeps saying that she "couldn't ask for a better dog," so I always stay on my best behavior when she's gone. Don't want her to change her mind and send me back to Lilly!

I did bring home an unexpected birthday gift though. She was really excited to sleep in today, but I know how many chores she needs to get done, and apparently the neighborhood fleas do too. Boy, did she get her butt in gear this morning when she found out! Washing laundry, changing the sheets, vacuuming the floors and couch, buying new combs and brushes for me, all kinds of stuff.  But most importantly: giving me a bath and making me pretty! (She didn't get in the tub with me this time)

Since I never got fleas in Virginia, my old mom rarely put any flea medication on me. We decided to try out the Kirkland brand stuff, which is supposed to be comparable to K9 Advantix. Have any of you used it before? Mom found some dead fleas in the bath, so we think it must have been working to some degree, but clearly not enough. I don't think the fleas would drown right away, would they? We shampooed with Isle of Dog for coarse coats. Also, there must be a major flea problem in Long Beach right now since both Target and Petco were sold out of flea combs.

This whole thing is a pretty new and exhausting experience for both of us. Mom doesn't think I could have had them for long, since we just had a bath last week, and there weren't a lot. She picked off maybe 20 total over the course of 14 hours, some of which were dead. I've been very patient, letting her roll me on my back while she checks my tummy, coming when she asks and all that stuff good girls do. Though I won't lie, I wasn't so happy to get wet.. I looked like a wet rat! At least she didn't take any pictures this time.

And here I thought my crate sleeping days were over. Hopefully they go away soon so I can sleep in the bed again. =[

We did learn a few valuable things... Frontline is far more affordable at Target than at Petco, and grooming tools are super significantly more affordable at Sally's Beauty Supply (but you probably already knew both of these things). We went to Sally's and picked up a human lice comb, detangling comb, massaging brush, and regular brush, all for what one plain brush would cost at the other stores. Woot!

Mom absolutely fawns over me after the bath. She says I look like I'm wearing go-go boots when my legs are all brushed and poofy. I'm her go-go woofer. =]

Side note... when we tried to edit some grammar mistakes in the last update about the bath on mom's phone, there was a problem and somehow lost all the content (derp). I'll try to repost it when I have time.

Here's hoping I wake up flea-free tomorrow. We'd greatly appreciate any advice you have to give on the matter.

beach time!! wait.... what?!?!

It's been really hot here lately, so when I saw mom get out her new green bathing suit, I thought surely we'd go check out this beach thing everyone keeps telling me about. Boy, was I wrong!!!!

Can you believe she snuck me in the tub for a bath! 

I made sure to get my vengeance and, as soon as she was done, I hopped right out of that bath tub and bolted for the bedroom. I could hear her, almost as if in slow motion, "Carrleigh, noooooo!" as I started to shake all the bath water off. But of course she threw a towel over me before I could get the room sufficiently soaked (foiled again).

Oh well.. in the end I guess it's not so bad. It was refreshing for both of us, and I'm willing to make sacrifices if it means being pretty.

Day 1

Wow! Look at all the new friends! Gosh, I'm lovable =]

Just got back from my first "sober" walk (turns out mom drugged me for the flight yesterday; slipped between some innocent looking beef strips. The nerve!). Lots of exciting new sights, sounds, and smells. I get compliments from nearly every passer-by! Had I known this would happen I would have moved here ages ago.

I had some fun with mom's gentleman friend this morning. Turns out he's a total softy and not too keen on the ways of the Scottie, so I gave him a good workout when he said to "kennel up" after mom left for work. Ha! What a noob! I felt sorry for him after a while though, and let him think he lured me in with a few bits of kibble. I could hear mom laughing over the phone when he called to tell her about how I'd run under the table, and to ask where my treats were. I'll get him broken in soon enough.

Mom's still pretty tired, and said something about a nap... can never have enough of those!

But first, here's a pic of me helping her make the bed. I'm the best at helping!

We made it! Mom and I are both tuckered out, so a proper update will have to wait. <3

6 more days...

What a long day... I've been bathed and groomed and even practiced in the sherpa crate... it's almost time!!!