Baby Boy

I know last week I said I was going to blog about the first dogs my family owned, but I haven’t written that post yet (oops) and I don’t have time to write it right now (double oops). Sorry! I won’t be able to write it next week either, but one of these days I will.

Hopefully… 😉

I’ll make it up to you all by sharing two three puppy pictures of Lassie.

Rough Collie puppy sitting in a seat in the car with a blue baby blanket and a stuffed doggy toy.

Lassie, December 8 2004, his first day with me. We’re on our way home after picking him up from the airport. To Lassie’s left (your right) sits my younger brother and to his right is where I sat. My Mom, in the passenger’s seat, took this picture. It’ll always be a favorite of mine.

Rough Collie puppy lying in a big dog bed and trying to chew on it.

Lassie’s first bed! Brand new, still has the tag on it and everything, and he was already trying to destroy it.

Yes, he did eventually succeed and I came home to find the bed very much destroyed one day.

Brat.

But did you see those pink toes of his?! To die for. So. Dang. Cute.

Rough Collie pup barking up at the camera.

February 2005, mouthing off to the camera. He was a talkative one (I have yet to meet a quiet Collie, lol).

I miss him.

That’s the best way to describe how I’m feeling, yet it doesn’t sound strong enough.

Remembering Lassie and his big brother

Or his Uncle, maybe, since Tal was our dog, my family’s dog, and Lassie was my dog. Tal was a Great Dane and Lassie a Collie so clearly they aren’t biologically related, but it doesn’t really matter because they’re bros. These two were total bros and I wish I could’ve seen them being reunited on the other side.

I’m fairly certain I have shared pictures of Talos, Tal for short, our Great Dane before. Tal was my family’s second dog, but I often think of him as our first. I’ll share more about that and Tal next week along with our legitimate first dog, Penelope.

Today I’m just going to share some adorable pictures of Lassie and Tal together.

When I brought Lassie home Tal was around the age of 3 or 4 years old. Tal was the gentle giant Great Danes are known to be, but he still put Lassie in his place and made sure he knew that he was there first and the boss. Lassie respectfully allowed him to believe that. Tal taught Lassie a lot of important lessons.

Two month old Rough Collie puppy laying with Great Dane

This photo, as well as the photos to follow, was taken in December 2004.

Tal taught two month old Lassie the simple pleasure of relaxing in the sun. He taught him that it was okay to lay back and relax a little. It wasn’t required that you be on the move constantly.

Two month old Rough Collie puppy playing with Great Dane

He taught him when it was acceptable to play dirty and when to play gently. Don’t bite too hard, kid, or the Great Dane will gobble you up. 😉

Two month old Rough Collie puppy sitting on a Great Dane's face

(It totally looks like Lassie is about to poop on Tal’s face, doesn’t it? In reality he had been trying to hop away but Tal grabbed him by his little chicken leg).

Two month old Rough Collie puppy chewing on a Great Dane's ear

Tal taught Lassie that chewing on ears is fine so long as you don’t chew it off.

Two month old Rough Collie puppy playing tug with Great Dane

Tal also taught Lassie that if you’re a real pain in the butt all day and then decide to play tug with your Mickey Mouse and Pluto leash, your humans will allow this because at least you’re both being quiet.

(As you probably saw in the photo before, they destroyed said leash).

Collie puppy sticking his face in a Great Dane's mouth

He taught Lassie about the importance of dental hygiene.

Collie puppy sleeping against Great Dane on New Years day, 2005

January 1 2005

Tal taught Lassie how to party hard on New Years and then sleep all day.

Photo of two month old Lassie climbing over Tal in a Christmas photo of our family in 2004. Photo of them wrestling during a Christmas photo of our family in 2005

He taught him how to have fun with the Family Christmas pictures.
(Yeah, I cropped the family out, ’cause I’m rude like that. But they basically looked like this: in the first photo we were all smiling and trying to ignore the dogs, in the second photo all of us, with the exception of two of my sisters, were watching the dogs).

Photo of Lassie's and Tal's lower halves sticking out from underneath a bed.

March 2005.

Tal also taught Lassie were all the best hiding spots were.

Photo of Tal the Great Dane using Lassie the Collie as a pillow while on a camping trip. Photo of Tal the Great Dane using Lassie the Collie as a pillow while on a camping trip.

August 2005.

He also taught Lassie how to be his personal pillow when we went camping.

But most of all, Tal taught Lassie about my family and what being a member of our family was all about. He taught him to love us for who we are and to be extremely patient with us because despite our faults we always mean well.

Tal went to the Rainbow Bridge when Lassie was about 2 years old, shortly after Ella joined the family. I can say without a doubt that Lassie mourned over his brother. Ella was a great comfort to him, but no one could ever replace Tal. Now the three of them are all reunited on the other side.

ThrowBack Thursday blog hop badge

Today we’re linking up with the Throwback Thursday Blog Hop hosted by Dolly the Doxie and DOGthusiast

Ruckus the American Eskimo Dog Blog

We’re also joining the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a Husky.

2 Brown Dawgs
Annnd the Barks and Bytes blog hop too! Hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog. That’s right, we be triple hoppin’, but we’re not leaving three blog hop links here because that would be obnoxious and I think WP would have a heart attack, SO head over to the hosts’ websites to learn more about each hop and to link up and join the fun! :)

Remembering Lassie & Ella

I’m thinking Thursdays, because of Throwback Thursday, are going to regularly be about Lassie and/or Ella. I miss them both terribly and though they’ve passed on that doesn’t mean I can’t blog about them anymore. I have a lot of memories and photos of them that I can share. Throwback Thursday is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

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October 2007. I took this photo through the railing of our front porch steps. We were living in the mountains of Northern Utah at this time. A very beautiful place to live. Lassie loved to walk through the neighborhood with me. He introduced me to kind people by being a wonderful conversation starter. He scared away the kids that picked on me by being a very loud barker. Little did they know the worst he would’ve done to them was poke them with his snout. He always knew when I was upset and he always knew exactly how to cheer me up. We were each other’s best friend. We did almost everything together and we were rarely seen apart. I didn’t fit in with the kids my age in our neighborhood, but I had Lassie and his friendship was the most loyal and loving friendship I will ever have. He changed me forever and will always be a huge part of who I am. Which is why this blog was made with him at the forefront of my mind.

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July 2007. Ella often looked like she was smiling! She was a happy dog and as a puppy she was pretty laid back. Her vet loved her so much that he often asked me if he could keep her. Ella liked people during her early years, but she much preferred the company of her fellow canines. She didn’t come to love being rubbed and petted and doted on by us humans until she was 2 years old. Until then Ella spent most of her time with other dogs. We almost always had a neighbor’s dog hanging out at our house. She had a “boyfriend” who lived next door (and is now at the Rainbow Bridge with her) named Grizzly. Grizzly loved Ella so much that he dug a hole under our fences so he could come over whenever he wanted to visit her. We were really good friends with his humans, so he knew us well and his family always knew where he was when he went “missing”. Ella was hard not to fall in love with. She radiated so much love and happiness most of the time. Most of the time because she certainly had her “back off!” moments, but we’re all allowed those moments.

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Also, Petal wants to tell you all that we’re finally expecting some snow. I’ve told her not to get her hopes up because we’ve been “expecting” snow a few times now and got nothing. But my weather app says there is a 100% chance of precipitation tonight, so we’ll see.

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Snow? For me? I hope so! Photo from December, when we had lots of snow.

We’re having very dark and stormy skies today. The sun has been gone all day and it feels like it’s been the same time all day. I’m not gonna lie, I love it. I associate this weather with venturing out in my coat and mittens and with Petal happily trotting beside me. With going back inside to get warm and cozy beneath the blankets with a mug of hot chocolate in my hand and a view of snow falling in a beautiful flurry from the sky. It feels like the world slows down a little and I like that.

But I don’t like mud. So I’m hoping for lots of snow, if we do, indeed, receive some.

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New Toys and a Training Bra

Over the holidays Kol’s Notes and many other fantastic blogs hosted an Advent Calendar with 24 days of giveaways. We entered these fun giveaways and were lucky enough to walk away with a prize!

We won two Unbreakoballs and they just arrived about two hours ago. One regular sized and one large sized. Like REALLY large. It’s awesome.

I entered to win this particular prize with my sister’s dog Penny in mind. She’s a ball fanatic and incredibly destructive.

Here she is, super excited about her prize (or the treats in my pocket, who knows ;))

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She’s actually a little leery of the larger ball, but by the end of our playtime outside she was warming up to it. She loves the smaller ball and is still trying to figure out how to pick it up.

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These balls are thick, sturdy, and a bit heavy. I think they’re definitely going to be impossible for Penny to destroy! Which is great, because she only had two toys of her very own before, now she’s got four. 😉

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The balls are also made in the USA! How great is that?

Here are both of the girls posing with them, because Petal wants to be included, even though she couldn’t care less about these giant orange balls.

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Thank you to Unbreakoball and the hosts of the Advent Calendar! Penny is very happy to have some more toys to play with and we’re all happy she can’t chew them apart and then swallow them. 😉

Now for a little Throwback. I had a whole other post ready for this, but… it took a really sad turn. I’m saving it for another day. Maybe.

Instead I’ll do a silly throwback.

Throwback to Petal’s first training bra!

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5 months old and wearing her first training bra! ;P

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We’re joining the Throwback Thursday blog hop hosted by Dolly the Doxie and DOGthusiast.

2 Brown Dawgs

 

We’re also joining the new Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This and That and Throwback and Thursday

(Read the title in a Daffy Duck voice. Trust me).

Today I am joining two blog hops.

Because I want to and I don’t think there are any rules against that.

Even if there are, rules are meant to be broken. 😉

First up, This ‘N That Thursday hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Ruckus the Eskie. Check out either blog for more info on the hop.

I have a question for you pet owners. Do you guys ever look at your dog or cat or other pet and ask, “Could you get any cuter?”
I’m sure you do, especially when they’re doing something extra sweet or extra cute. You know, right before they do something not so sweet or not so cute. 😉

I ask Petal this question all the time. One morning I got an answer.

One morning I asked myself, ’cause Petal was sick of trying to explain, “Could she get any cuter?” then I stuck her little toy on her head and realized…

petstuffhat14_1She absolutely could.

;P

2 Brown Dawgs
Thank you to the hosts 2 Brown Dawgs and Ruckus the Eskie!

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Now for Throwback Thursday! This blog hop is hosted by Dolly the Doxie and DOGThusiast. Check out either blog for more info on the hop.

Today we’re going to throwback to that time Lassie used me as a human chair.

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February 2006.
Lassie was just little over a year old and I was coming up on my 15th birthday.

This was simply everyday life with that goofy boy. I was his chair and he was my pillow. It’s impossible to know who played their alternative role more often, me as chair or Lassie as pillow? We didn’t keep score.

How about we go forward a few months, to that time Lassie wanted to ride his motorcycle?

WMlassiehelmet_JUN152006“Not without your helmet, young man!”
June 2006

In actuality it was that time we discovered that Build-A-Bear hats and helmets fit collie heads very well!

Or how about that time that our family Great Dane, Tal, really wanted to play but Lassie just really wanted to eat the snow?

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This photo is so over-exposed it blends right in with this post.
Yes, Tal was literally dragging Lassie through the snow by his mane. No, Lassie didn’t mind. Too much.
I can’t remember what year this was and I can’t be bothered to look, but it had to have been either late 2005 or early 2006 because Lassie is big and Ella was not a member of the family yet.

When Ella joined the family…

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October 2006.

Lassie ignored this little black and white puppy for weeks until one day she curled up against him and he realized she was an okay puppy after all when used as a pillow.

To close I’ll leave you all with a link to one of my favorite Lassie posts:
How to Make a Collie Snow Angel

Throwback Thursday blog hop

Thank you to the hosts Dolly the Doxie and DOGThusiast!

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