Pets At Home

Caspar isn't little anymore, but he still acts like a silly kitten. One of his favorite games is getting under one of the fleecy dog beds and then moving it around like a furry ghost:

And speaking of kitten playfulness, I heard a crash and rushed to the kitchen to find this. None of them even felt guilty:

Bugsy decided that the big green floor pillow wasn't quite soft enough, so he draped himself across Clover's body:

Seamus, Fergus and Jack waited at the gate to get back inside the house. The birds were singing and the perfume of the roses filled the air. It is idyllic here much of the time:

 A similar scene as the above photo, but seen from the opposite side of the fence:


 A kitchen corner collection: Bugsy, Clover, Seamus Fergus and Daphne:

Seamus and Fergus, just back from the groomer:

The two recently coifed boys showed off their new haircuts as Jack and Daphne watched from the ramp:

No, this wasn't a feline confrontation, just Daisy passing peacefully past Sammy:

Friends: Daphne, Clover, Fergus and Bugsy:

Sammy, Daisy and Jack:

Another ramp scene, this one showing one of the reasons they like it there - the shade which the roses provide:

Dogs And Cats At Home

Traditional lore credits extra personality to calico and orange tiger cats. Daisy is upholding that tradition. She follows me around the house and flops over on her back if she sees me notice her. She wants attention but is not above nipping the hand that gives it to her. Why not play and be petted at the same time?

Bugsy still likes to sleep with the dogs in the kitchen corner:

And the dogs still enjoy their time outdoors - unless it is raining or too cold:

Fergus, Clover, Bugsy and Daphne tried to squeeze onto the big, green floor pillow together - but Fergus didn't quite fit:

I took the above picture and began to walk away when Jack joined the collection. Of course I had to take another photo:

The dogs love to lounge on their ramp. This was taken the day before Seamus and Fergus went to the groomer for their twice per year haircut:

And this was taken when they got home. What a difference!

I've kept the maple tree trimmed as a bush ever since I moved here because I feared it was too near the house to be allowed to grow big. The dogs love it as a source of shade:

Clover's love for sleeping on rocks seems to be because they get warm in the sun and she uses them as heating pads:

Again on the ramp - Jack, Seamus, Fergus and Daphne. Clover was probably sleeping on a rock when I took this picture:

Fergus and Daphne on my bed. All four small dogs normally sleep there, and gigantic Seamus has a big, soft floor pillow:

Seamus Gets His First Beauty Treatment

I can't afford to take my dogs to groomers, but when I tore a calf muscle recently, I was just too lame to get down on the floor and give giant Seamus the haircut he needed. So I made an appointment at PetSmart and hoped for the best. It took over 5 hours for them to finish, but when I picked him up I was stunned. He was quite the handsome dog. He actually looked like a Poodle, at least in the face. I even tipped the groomer. I brought him straight home and snapped his picture beside a rose bush:

The other dogs were overjoyed to see their big buddy, and especially little Clover, who jumped all over him. The dogs went out into the back yard together to do their business, enjoy the sunshine and annoy the neighbors:

Crabby little old Winky thought Seamus looked and smelled funny, but I thought he had been transformed into a beauty:

Clover is in love with Seamus anyway, and was happy to flirt with her newly beautified beau:

All the dogs enjoyed a few minutes of getting reacquainted before we went back indoors:

Seamus' no longer has a wooly, greasy, sheep-like coat but a soft frizzy Afro. Well, that'll last until the next time he covers himself with swamp mud. I'll just enjoy it as long as I can: