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!