The Dog Whisperer

I run outside two to four times a week and I take Lola with me. My perfect angel inside the house, she goes nuttso on runs. If we pass another dog or merely a back yard with a dog in it, she pulls on her leash and halter so hard that her front feet are off the ground, going 90 to nothing in the air. It’s quite a sight. No, it is not an aggressive act, just an attempt to get to that dog that she knows wants to play with her, too.

Rewind to last week. Cheryl and Lola are walking in the park. Young woman approaches pushing a baby in a stroller AND walking her dog. Give this woman an award. I tried to walk Lola and push Landri when Landri was at my house a year or so ago and I gave up on the activity, deeming it an impossibility. Back to my story…Woman stops. Woman’s dog stops. Woman’s dog calmly watches Lola go in to a raging fit, whining and pulling on her leash.

Woman: I am glad you walked by with your dog. I have been training my dog to behave on walks and was anxious to see how he behaved when he saw another dog.

(Training successful, I would say)

Cheryl: Where do you take him for classes?

Woman: I don’t. I know it sounds cheesy, but I have been watching the Dog Whisperer and it has been very helpful.

More conversation, but I’ll skip that.

So as soon as I got home I set up my DVR to record every episode of the Dog Whisperer. There was a DW marathon on Sunday and I watched several episodes. The man has the craziest looking roller blades I have ever seen, but he is a genius!

Armed with tips on how to correct her behavior (and mine) Lola, Freddy and I went for a walk. We didn’t make it too far, but we had lots of opportunities to correct. Freddy was bored. Later that night, we went for another walk (we left Freddy behind) and she did…better. Not great, but better. There is a house on the corner near a pond that poses the greatest challenge.

“I will rehabilitate my dog and train myself” (I stole that from Cesar).

Note to readers that don’t know Lola: Lola is the sweetest dog ever! She just wants to play with the other dogs. Please don’t read this and think that she is bad dog, because she isn’t. She just needs to learn how to walk better on a leash.

My new hero, Cesar.

Easter weekend and other randomness

I don't have any Easter pictures to share, but I can tell you that we had a fun time hanging out with Freddy's parents and their neighbors. There was so much food there! Turkey, Ham, stuffed cabbage, rolls, deviled eggs, asparagus...the list goes on and on. But what did I eat the most of? Dessert, of course! I gave it up for Lent and had to make up for lost time. I ate several pieces of fudge, a couple triple-layer brownies, homemade bread pudding (with two different sauces!) and some black bottom banana cream pie. It was a very good Easter!

The day before Easter Freddy and I did something that we don't do often enough - we met Lesley, Bryan and Hudson at Pappasito's. I let Hudson run all over the restaurant and busted my butt right after he busted his. Lesley thought it was hilarious and I thought it was payback for letting her child run all over when she wanted him to sit still.

Kinda boring to look at trees, I know, but I was excited to see our tree blooming the other weekend and took a picture. Check out those photography skills!

This is Lola with her best friend, Cow. She has several stuffed animals, but this one is obviously her favorite because it is the only one that she hasn't ripped open and pulled the stuffing out of yet. She has had him since Christmas, so I think that Cow just might make it.

Time to add some pictures

So...I viewed my blog and decided that it was boring and needed pictures. Maybe adding some pictures will inspire my friend Sarah to add some pictures to her blog. Probably not, but I can always hope, right?

This is Brittany, me, Sara, Christen and Michelle at Dukes celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

The beer was not green, but we still had a great time.

SNOW. In MARCH. In TEXAS.

My yankee family members are not impressed, I'm sure, but I was.

Not our first snow picture and definitely not our best, but I still like it.


Lola LOVED running around in the snow. The only problem was that she wouldn't go out in it unless I was out in it. I couldn't even just stand in the garage. Of course, anyone who knows how spoiled my dog is knows that I did stand in the snow for a long time letting her run around in it. My hair was SOAKED. But look how much she loved it - it was worth it.

Poker, anyone? Ladies only, please.

So...(you will learn that I love to use "..."s and also "-"s a lot when I write) the last time that I got my hair cut my hairdresser, Carry, was telling me that she plays poker once a month with "the girls". I love this idea!

Poker. Not Bunco like our mothers play (I apologize to any young readers out there who play Bunco on a regular basis). The problem is that only a handful of the friends that I would invite live in Keller or near enough to Keller for it to be convenient. But I think that between my Keller friends and their friends, we can find enough women to play.

The good news is that with a poker-crazy husband, I already have the poker table, poker chips, cards, etc.

WHO'S IN?

Several of my friends have blogs and I love to visit them from time to time, catching up on what is happening with them, their families, their dogs, etc. In doing so, I have been inspired to start my own blog. So, here I am! In an attempt to manage your expectations, I have to tell you that I don't anticipate posting weekly and I probably won't have a very fancy page (at least for a little while), but please visit and comment as often as you like! Here goes...