HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sophie!!!!!!!!

April 20th was Sophie's bday.

We didn't do much. She got a big juicy "fresh" ham bone.
Its so weird to think that we have had her for nearly 1 year now.
Time sure does fly by...

yee haw.

Recent pics April-2009

Here are some pics of Sophie. She has a chubby little friend who is a French Bulldog named, Jasmine. Sophie hates her bath. (as you can see in the pix) I bathe her in a very large horse trough that I bought at IFA for around $65. I am also enclosing pics of the wild ducks that come every year to our yard. They usually hang out for a few weeks then leave.

enjoy!!!!

yee haw

Sophie: 53 Weeks

Man, time is going by. Sophie is 1 year old in two days!
She has been a great dog. I have really loved having her around.

Yesterday she was a little rambunctious. I was trying to comb her and she was giving me fits.
She wouldn't sit still. I have realized that since she has been outside for the past 2 months, she needs a reintroduction to manners. I know, it's all my fault and I need to be better.

We have some annual ducks that show up and visit us each year. They hang out for a week or two and then disappear until next spring. Sophie is very curious about them and desperately wants to say hello. But they won't have anything to do with her. ha.

Ok. Here is a plug. I went to a pet store and saw a video about a grooming brush called the "Furminator". The images were unreal because they showed a dog sitting next to a pile of hair that was combed out by the Furminator. Almost too good to believe. And I noticed the price tag at $40...so its not cheap. I held off buying one at that price.

I got home and checked around. Most prices were within $30 -40 price range. Then I checked Amazon and found a new large brush for $25....and free shipping. So I bought one to "try". (yes..i was a little skeptical)
I got it in the mail yesterday and tried it out on Sophie. I couldn't believe the amount of hair that came out of her coat. I am serious...the pile astounded me. It is exactly like the images in the brochure and video. I kept wondering if there was a razor in the comb....I was also concerned about it pulling the hair...but I tried and tested it on a few things...including me...and it doesn't hurt....and it doesnt seem to be a razor. The comb has small metal teeth that extract the hair. And it makes mounds of piles of hair. All I can say is wow. It really does work.

yee haw.

Rain

It has been raining all day. I look at Sophie out in the rain, and she looks miserable.
I cant bring her in cuz she is all muddy. Dang.

I feel bad for her. At least she has her dog house.

yee haw

Sophie: 52 Weeks

I bought Sophie a huge rawhide yesterday and couldn't believe that she nearly ate the whole thing ina an hour or so. It makes me a little nervous that she can eat that hard stuff. I am sure it wasn't easy going in....and going out could be a near death experience for her. I sure hope not!

I am a little disappointed in her chewing habits. I mean, I know dogs need to chew, but she chews up her blankets, carpet in her kennel, dog house etc. I try to make her beds comfy....but if she wont leave them alone and intact, then she gets to sleep on the cold hard floor. You would hope that a dog would "get it". arghhh.

I have been looking into whether we would ever breed Sophie...but although pups would be a wonderful experience...(oooohhh soooo fun!) I think that we would have a much better dog if we had her spayed.
She is a little too rough with the girls in my house and sometimes, its not cool when she shows her strength when my girls are helping dad out with chores and they get splashed with mud, or clothes get torn up with her strong claws. My daughter was helping me the other day and Sophie jumped up in excitement and clawed her down the face...it wasn't bleeding....but it's still not cool to do that. My wife was really mad and there wasn't much I could do but be grateful that she didn't scratch out an eye.

So, needless to say.....I have seriously been thinking about having her spayed . When Oakley the Golden Retriever stayed with us, I realized why he was so good and well behaved. It was because he was neutered. I think that having a good dog is worth more than having one litter of pups....at least in the long run.

I think it would be really good to get Sophie a companion. Especially after seeing her love being with Oakley and having so much fun with him. I have heard that a male/ female mix is much better than a female/ female mix. I guess we will have to see.

yee haw....

more

Sophie: 50 and 51 weeks

Sophie has been a handful lately. She has decided to dig a hole under her doghouse. (it sits on a pallet) Its pretty deep. I keep wondering how deep she will want to go. She can currently fits nearly her whole body in it.
She had a friend over for the weekend. He is a Golden Retriever named Oakley. (he is neutered) They had a blast together, I love it when she gets to socialize with other dogs.
She loves it too.

We have had snow the past couple of weeks, but today was like 75 degrees. We are also getting alot of rain. Spring is still here, i think.

yee haw,