Patrick's Furry Friends

Patrick has recently shown an increased interest in our dogs. Buddy and Holly will lick his feet... and his face and Patrick just giggles! He thinks they're funny. :) It's really cute to watch!

Meet Cricket

Brian and I have recently obtained a new, yet unexpected addition to our household. Cute? Yes, but there's much more to this little ball of fur than cuteness. At present, his only desire seems to be biting at our fingers and toes and making his presence known by persistent meowing. Other than that, he sleeps on the sofa - oh, and yes, he also enjoys sitting on the window ledge to look outside and tease the dogs. Speaking of which, Buddy and Holly have been taking to him pretty well recently. Our goal is to let him get big enough that he can stay outside and not be eaten in 5 seconds in the broad day light. It's tough for cats out here. I really hope Cricket can survive - for his sake and for the fact that it'd be nice to have a mouser around. :) The timing could have been a little better (I only have 2 more weeks before Patrick arrives!). But how can you turn down a poor, stranded kitten? Especially when there are mice in your garage? Well, things were getting dull around here anyway ;) Here's to Buddy, Holly and the Cricket - keeping me up and going in my last days of waddling!

Life is so hard for a dog like Buddy.

Apparently 4 cups of dog food and 2 walks a day is not enough to keep the puppies happy. Now they are both big enough to jump over our fence. They like to do this at night and early in the morning while it's still cool enough to run through the fields. I don't really have a problem with it - I know they don't go too far. It's just that, by nature, they chase things. So, if a rabbit or low flying bird crossed the street, there wouldn't be any stopping them. It's a good thing there isn't much traffic down our road.
I guess they haven't been successful at catching things either...though what they do find (beer cans mostly) they like to leave in the front yard for Brian and I to pick up in the morning. Maybe I should try and get them on the city payroll?
Anyway, Brian and I have been considering options for containment. The last time we went out of town, Buddy decided he felt too neglected and followed one of our neighbors a mile to their house. So, even if their night-time wandering is mostly harmless, we're a little concerned about the trouble they could get into if left alone too long. Guess we need an invisible dog fence?

They can't be trusted!

Well, at least they have good breath!
I was probably away for maybe 10 minutes and that's all it took for Buddy and Holly to sneak in the house...raid the mint bowl in the music room...attack my lobster toy from Boston...and tear into the joint compound in the living room where we are currently remodeling. I had no idea dogs liked peppermints. The funny thing about it is that they somehow managed to get the mints out of the wrappers without tearing them to shreds. And I didn't hear a thing! It's a good thing they're so cute, otherwise I might still be mad at them. :)