Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Love,
JuLo, Husband, and Theo the reindeer

Rained Out Again

Last weekend me and some other Corgi owners in the area attempted another mini meetup.  It was fun for about 40 minutes, until it started raining.  Why does it always rain when we see Philip?  Speaking of Philip, he and a puggle decided they were soul mates and did nothing but play together for a good twenty minutes.

When the puggle's owner went to leave, Philip was not happy.  There may have been jumping involved when the owner picked his puggle up.  Seeing a hopping Corgi is definitely a site.

Theo, ever the beggar while Sidney demonstrated his awesome "treat on the nose" trick.  He is so smart!  Theo is smart in his own way.  He managed to finagle quite a few treats from Sidney's mom.  Look at that begging position?  This is what I have to deal with every day.  I love it though.

Exhibit A of why you shouldn't bring food to a dog park.  Corgis aren't the only food mongers of the dog kind.  Hehe.  For some reason I love Theo's butt in this picture.  That ghetto booty's got attitude!

We had lunch with Mouth and Philip's owner afterwards.  I had a lot of fun (though it was a tad soggy, hehe).  Philip is so great.  I had a blast giving him lots of love.  Now if only we can get together without it raining...

(New Flickr pictures here)

Aside: A lot of people have been commenting on Theo's weight, saying how skinny he looks.  It's true, over the last few weeks he got really skinny.  We didn't reduce his food at all, in fact we increased it when he started to lose weight.  I'm guessing it was a combination of losing his puppy fat, playing more at doggy daycare, and running in the mornings.  Whatever the cause, his new figure is quite svelte!

Happy Birthday Theo!!!

I know I'm a day late, but that's just what engineers do. That's right, yesterday was my boy's birthday! He's one year old! Can you believe it's been a year already? I remember last Christmas obsessively checking my breeder's website to see if she had posted any more new born pictures of Theo. I remember instantly seeing Theo's picture and thinking, this is definitely the best dog of the litter.

And since this has always been one of my favorite posts, here's another list of 10 things I love about my furbaby:

Dear Theo,

1. I love the way you sigh when you toss and turn while you're sleeping.
2. I love how excited you get when you meet a new person or dog.
3. I love the way you try and catch the toy when we're playing fetch.
4. I love how you sound so ferocious when the doorbell rings, but when I open the door, you're a friendly little kitten.
5. I love the way you use the wii fit board as a platform to chew your antler chew.
   
6. I love how you can be sound asleep, but as soon as I get up to go to bed, you're awake and bolting to your crate.
7. I love the way you sit next to me on the couch when I'm eating dinner (most people would probably not approve of this, but it's one of the few times Theo violates his 2 feet rule, and he never tries to take food from my plate).
8. I love how pathetic you look when you hang your head in unhappiness (i.e. because of something on his head he doesn't like (see reindeer antlers), or because he's trying to get food out of me).
9. I love the way you look at me when I do something that violates our routine (for example, this morning I had the nerve to walk upstairs without first stopping to get you a lamb cookie, even though you were laying on your bed so nicely, just like I always ask).
10. I love how you wait outside the bedroom door for me, no matter how long I'm in there.

(See item 8)

Thanks for being a great dog. As Husband puts it, I wouldn't want a dog that's too well behaved or too snugly, or I would get bored with it. I like my dogs like I like my men, troublemakers!

These are Theo's holiday antlers. I got them way back in November. I can't wait to try and make Theo wear them all day on Christmas. Mwhahaha!

Giveaway Winners

And the winners of a set of awesomely adorable light up pet reindeer antlers are...

Betty and AJ!  Congrats you two!  Wow, it's a lucky time for Southern Californians!  Hehe.  

Alright you two, please email me (imperfectcomplainer@gmail.com) with your full name, address, and phone number, and I'll place the order ASAP.  Remember that to get the antlers by Christmas eve, I have to place the order by midnight tonight.  So I'll be keeping an eye out for your emails. 

Happy holidays everyone!

PS: While it wasn't a condition of winning, Betty and AJ, I really hope you will send me a picture of Koda and Ein in their antlers so I can post them in all their adorable glory.

Holiday Giveaway!

I'm so excited for my first giveaway!  I think it's just what I need to cheer me up (the gloomy weather is keeping me down today).  The majority was by far for the holiday reindeer antlers.  Good choice!  I have some for Theo as well.  In fact, I was planning to post pictures tonight, so stay tuned.  Anyway, I'm sure you're much more interested in the details of the giveaway, so here they are:

First, I'll be giving away two sets of these Pet Holiday Lighted Antlers from Petsmart.  That means there will be two winners. If you have two dogs, I'm sorry, they will just have to share. ;) These are pretty darn cute. 

Second, in order to get the antlers to you by Christmas eve I have to place the order before midnight tomorrow, so this giveaway is going to close in just one short day!  Sorry folks, you snooze you lose.  The giveaway will close tomorrow, December 18th, at 1pm (pst).

Third, how to enter of course!  Just leave a comment here in this post or send me an email (imperfectcomplainer@gmail.com).  If you email me, leave your email address in your comment, or if there is an email address listed on your blog or blogger profile, I'll send you an email notifying you as the winner.  Otherwise, I'll just post the winner here, and hopefully you'll see it and then send me an email with the information listed below.

Fourth, since I have to place the order by 9:00pm my time, the winners will have between 1pm and 8:30pm pacific time to email me their shipping information (full name, address, and phone number).  If you don't get it to me in time, that's ok.  You're still a winner.  It just means you won't get your antlers in time for Christmas. :)

Sorry for the short notice on this guys.  If this goes well, my next giveaway I'll leave much more time to enter.  Good luck!  

The Best You're Going To Get

Well folks.  Looks like my blog is the only way you'll get to enjoy this picture because Theo didn't make it into the mycorgi.com calendar this year. *sniff*  I'm really disappointed.  I was looking forward to buying copies for my family and having us all enjoy a month of my adorable puppy.  But it is not to be.  

Personally, I think there are some really great pictures that made it (congrats Kelly/Gibson and Ivy/Bryson!), but I question others.  December's picture you can barely even see the dog!  And while July is very patriotic...it's really a rather boring picture.  There's not even eye contact with the camera.  But I don't want to be a bitter betty.  All of the pictures are cute, I just was surprised some made it over others I thought were better (including my own!  hehe).  There were so many great pictures, I'm sure it was a hard decision.

Now will hanging this calendar in my office be a bitter reminder of my inadequate photographer skills?  For surely had I taken a better picture, Theo would have made it (because he's gorgeous of course!).  Eh, naw.  I'll get one.  I like Corgis.   Congrats to everyone!  Let's start taking awesome pictures for next year!

PS: Kelly, I notice Gibson made it onto the cover. It's too bad we're not able to get them well before January, so I could hang up the calendar by the cover to get some Gibson admiration time.  Isn't that why the first month and the cover are normally the same picture.  Those crazy cats.  But he does make an awesome cover picture.  Very enticing to potential customers.  Hehe.

PPS: Was it the shoe?

Lazy Evening

Yesterday it rained all day.  I thought Theo would be a bundle of energy when I picked him up from doggy daycare because he was couped up inside the whole time (though they did have a setup for them to play inside).  I was wrong.  He slept the whole car ride home.  After dinner I thought I would take him for a walk.  It was a little wet and drizzling a bit, but nothing I couldn't handle with a warm jacket.  Nope.  He didn't want to walk.  He didn't even want to play fetch inside!  He just wanted to sleep.  We were both curled up on the sofa all evening, me watching tv, and Theo sleeping on my feet.  It was a nice way to spend a wet day.

Of course,  this morning he was practically jumping out of his skin with so much energy.  I ran a lot with him this morning.  I'm sore.  It was totally worth it.

Enjoy being 0 years old while it lasts, Boo Boo, tomorrow you're 1 years old! 

Something For A Rainy Day

1. Due to popular demand (by one whole person!) I've put up a new poll.  That's right, I'm making you actually click over to my page from you google reader or the like. *groan*  But this is a fun one!  I wanted to know what type of swag people would be interested in if I were to do a giveaway with some of the money from the Petsmart giftcard I got for Theo's winning costume (read: I'm doing a giveaway, tell me what you want).  Here are the items I was thinking that go along with the poll items: Frisbee, antlers, plush, stocking, and chuck-it.  If you have another suggestion (which I'm completely open to!), let me know.
2. I can't guarantee anything by Christmas, so keep that in mind.  I'll do my best though.  Keep an eye out for the giveaway because it won't last long!
3. We met up with some Corgis in the area this weekend, including Philip.  Unfortunately, we were rained out again.  Why does that always happen when I meet up with him?  Well it was a lot of fun while it lasted.  This group of 5 Corgis is a really good group.  They all get along, and they're all very sweet dogs.  I'll post my pictures once I get a chance to download them from the camera.  But be warned, I got an iphone yesterday (it is awesome!!!), and I'll probably be good and distracted by that for most of the week.
4. Theo fell asleep at my feet last night.  He never sleeps that close to me.  Then this morning he snuggled with me on the couch.  The snuggly moments are few and far between, which makes me appreciate them all the more.
5. Along with cheese and peanut butter, Theo now has a love of almonds.  Everytime he hears me tilt the jar he comes running, looking expectantly at me for a handout.  No matter where he is in the house, he can hear the dispensing of almonds.  It's adorable.
6. We're wondering if we should get Theo some shoes for the snow next week.  He's a total temperature whimp, just like mommy and daddy.  Personally, I think a light coat for him would be better, and more comfortable.
7. We bought the peticure safeguard to attach to our dremel so we could sand Theo's nails indoors without making a mess (it gets dark too early to keep doing it outside).  We tried it out yesterday and it worked great!  No dust, no mess.  There was another bonus too: safety.  Sometimes when we're sanding his nails he freaks out and tries to bite the sander.  Obviously, not the best thing for Theo's mouth, and Husband kept getting scratched up by it when he would try and stop Theo from biting it.  This attachment works great for those two purposes.  

It's All In The Collar

1. Theo woke me up at 5:30 this morning.  He didn't have to use the restroom, he just wanted out of his crate.  I took him downstairs and he slept on my feet while I watched last night's Top Chef on the Tivo.  As much as I hate it when he wakes me up that early, I love having those early morning moments with him.  He's always so quiet and mellow.
2. I probably should have gone running with him instead of watching tv, but for some reason running before the sun came up just wasn't tempting and my lazy butt got the better of me.
3. Theo was doing just ok in agility last night.  He kept running around the second jump, or knocking the bar down, and on the A frame he totally froze up.  We did the tire jump for the first time and he would not jump through it without me standing really close on the other side calling him emphatically.  Then it finally hit me: I forgot to put on his "it's time for agility" collar!  No wonder!  A collar shouldn't make a difference, but I swear it did.  As soon as I put on his agility class collar we did the dog walk (which he flew across), and the teeter for the first time, which he was totally fearless on.  Ok, he was a little apprehensive about the tilting part, but he did great for his first time.  After about 6 tries (I snuck over while we were waiting to try the other equipment throughout class), he would finally jump through the tire when I asked him to.  Progress!  And he ran straight through the tunnel (last week he kept running halfway through and then turning around and running out when I called him). 
4. Our agility class is a pretty good group of dogs.  They're all pretty good about doing the obstacles, even if they don't enjoy it.  We actually finished early last night because we didn't get hung up too much by dogs who wouldn't do the obstacles correctly.  That's great because it's hard to get around to all the equipment when we get stuck on one thing for a long time.
5. We're taking Theo up to Reno for Christmas.  I was hoping for snow, but apparently the gulf area decided to take all of California's (and Nevada's) snow this year.  Boo!  I should really get to an auto store and buy snow chains for Husband's car (hybrid).  Though maybe with gas prices so low we should just take my car (non-hybrid).  I have snow chains for my car.  With my luck there will probably be no snow, but still very very cold temperatures. 
6. Theo will be in heaven.  He loves it there, and Husband's parents are coming too.  I'll have to remember to walk him before it gets dark (that should be interesting), so the coyotes don't get him.  Apparently in that area it's very dangerous to walk your dog after dark.  I would totally kick the butt of anything trying to eat my furbaby, but it is still better to not take any chances.  I don't exactly have cat-like reflexes.
7. Is anyone tired of these lists yet?  I kinda like 'em.

My Gloomy June

While we're all agonizing over whether or now our little balls of fur made it into the mycorgi.com calendar this year, the admins are keeping us on pins and needles!  Apparently they not only have who will be in the calendar, but have already shipped it off to the printer!  Here's the last we've heard:

Sorry folks, the results are in, but we're still waiting on the printer's confirmation.  Sorry to keep y'all waiting. What I can tell you now are the following:

1. 100% profit will go to Corgi rescue.

2. The calendars will be $14 each, lower price than last year's.

3. Calendar will be printed professionally, higher quality on premium paper.

As soon as we get the news, we will post the result and ordering information.

I don't know what printer confirmation means, but I assume it relates to the printer's confirmation of the design and readiness to print.  I understand that they want to wait until it's all ready for ordering, but I'm impatient dagnabit!   That said, I'm excited that this year's calendar will be better quality while lower in price and supporting charity.  Score, score, and score!  I'll definitely order one, no matter the outcome.  The question is how many will I order if Theo makes it in.  I know at least my mom will want one.

So while I wait, I've been thinking about what month would be the best to have your Corgi featured?  It's sad, I know.  But it's more interesting than doing my yearly performance assessment...what a snoozefest.  Right off the bat I wouldn't want January.  I usually spend the first half of January forgetting to even put up my new calendar, so that's out.  I usually spend the last half of December out of the office (I only use calendars at work), so that's out too.  April and June are big vacation months, so we'll skip those.  May would be good since it's my birthday month, and doesn't everyone always skip to their birthday month when they get a new calendar?  I know I do.  October and November are big holiday months and should have more festive pictures than mine.  February is a short month, which means less Theo time.  So that leaves March, May, July, August, and September.  I think May or September would be ideal months.

Now that I've probably put you to sleep.  How many calendars are you planning to buy this year?  What month are you hoping for if your pup was in the running?  How cute is that picture of Theo sleeping?

Theo's First Christmas

1. Theo is keeping his nickname of "big fat chicken".  We got our tree on Saturday.  We had it on its side in the backyard and when we went to pick it upright Theo freaked and bolted.  Poor thing.
2. He seems used to it now, but he's not really going near it.  I'm ok with that.  I'd rather have a dog that is scared of the tree than a dog that tries to knock all the ornaments off.
3. Theo got his own ornament.  You can sorta see it below, circled in teal
4. 
5. It's poop!  Sprinkled in snow of course (and it's ceramic of course!).  I got it at the place we take Theo for doggy daycare.  Apparently they're selling like hotcakes.  I had to wait until their second batch came in because the first batch sold out in a day.  
6. I'm still going to do a giveaway with something I buy at Petsmart.  I didn't have time to go this weekend (the closest one is still around 15 miles away, so it's not easy to get to on a busy weekend), but I'm going to look into buying online.
7. Ivy had some issues with Bryson drinking the water in their Christmas tree stand and getting sick (full story here).  Poor guy.  It sounds like he's still having some problems from it.  I hope he's ok!
8. I ended up buying the same tree preservative, and I was pretty nervous about it.  But when I looked at the stand we have, there's no way Theo could drink out of it.  I can't recommend this tree stand enough!  We bought ours at Home Depot a few years ago.  We liked it because we never have to worry about screwing the stand on straight (because it swivels!), and that little cap you screw on is so much easier than trying to maneuver the whole stand (you screw the little cap on and then put the cap into the stand, two pieces are better than one!).  And now there's a whole new reason for loving it.  It's built in such a way that there's no way Theo could drink out of it.  I had to wiggle my finger between the grooves just to feel the water level in the first place.  And it's so tall that I think Theo would have a hard time positioning himself to even try.  Anyone with a dog should check one of these out!
9. I got some great pictures of Theo this weekend. He was being adorable yesterday, very snugly.  I felt like I was getting sick so I decided to take it easy and just sleep most of yesterday.  According to Husband Theo slept right along with me.  Have I mentioned I have the best dog ever?  I almost want to get sick just so I can spend a few days with him. Hehe.
10. 

My Quiet Bunny

I was fully expecting to come home last night to a house full of dog pee.  Ok, actually we had Theo behind a gate upstairs, but still, I expected pee and maybe worse.  I was pleasantly surprised!  Not only did Theo hold it all day, but he didn't even do a potty dance when I got home (man, I love the potty dance!).  From what I can tell, Theo did nothing but sleep for 7 hours (I was gone for 8, but Husband goes into work later than me).  Needless to say he was quite antsy when I got home.  He jumped all over me and played the most enthusiastic game of fetch I have ever seen him play.  Overall I think it went really well!  Hooray!

I think we'll start out leaving him home just Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I figure that way we offset the lazy days with the excited running around days.  Right now, because of the activity level he is used to, I would feel bad about leaving him home all day two days in a row.  After I got home last night and the whole rest of the evening he just had so much energy.  I don't even want to imagine two days worth of pent up energy out of him.  This morning he was crazy!  When I let him out of his crate he was jumping all over me!  Then he got his tribble to play fetch, and then after some fetch he jumped all over me again.  It was hilarious.  Oh, and he was extra jumpy and kept barking everytime he heard a leaf fall off a tree outside.  

But don't worry.  I still played lots of fetch with him, took him on his walk last night, and on his run this morning.  He still has plenty of outlets, I think he was just more playful with me.  He's at doggy daycare right now getting all his yayas out.

Since I have every other Friday off, that means Theo will go to doggy daycare 10 days a month now rather than 20, so rather than paying $400/month, I'll be paying $200!  It's still a lot, but that's a number I'm much more willing to pay, and this way I think Theo still has a good outlet for his energy.  It just means Husband and I will have to get out more on the weekends, and since the weather has finally cooled down, I think that would be a good idea!

Back To Normal

1. We started up our agility class again last night.  The trainer kept asking Theo to use the new equipment first (not exactly as a demo, since she has a helper use her own dog as a demo, but I think she wanted the group to always start off on the right foot).  In obedience class she would never use Theo as a demo dog, but I guess for agility he really shines.  He really loves all the equipment, especially the tunnel, which we used last night!  We also tried the dog walk, which was the one thing I was nervous about Theo liking.  The trainer was smart and lined the top with dog treats, so Theo was of course fine with it!  He kept trying to run back up and look for more treats. 
2. He hates waiting his turn in class.  When he sees another dog struggling he gets antsy and starts barking.  You can see him thinking "stop making a fool of yourself and let me show you how it's done!".  I think this is definitely the sport for Theo right now.
3. I'm having a hard time getting used to not having all the blogs I read having new posts everyday.  I really enjoyed having that last month.
4. I used "having" way too many times in No. 3, but I don't feel like changing it.
5. Today we are experimenting.  We didn't take Theo to doggy daycare.  The remodel is basically done (I say basically because they never really finished, but we got tired of waiting, so we took the lockbox off the door and decided to just keep our money), and we can't really afford to take him everyday anymore ($400/month is a lot!). The most we usually keep him home alone on the weekends is about 4 hours.  Today is all day.  We'll see how he does.  I'm expecting to take a very long walk tonight.
6. I don't think we'll totally stop doing doggy daycare, just cut back to a few days a week.
7. I want to buy our Christmas tree this weekend.  Hopefully we have a better time of it than Ivy and Bryson did.  Poor guy.  What should I get Theo for his very first Christmas?  I may have already invested in some red fuzzy antlers...pictures to may be come.
8. The picture?  Just felt like it.

Don't Forget To Do Your Corgi Duty...

...and vote! Today is supposedly the last day to vote for your favorite Corgis to go in the 2009 mycorgi.com calendar.  I say supposedly because the post actually says the poll closes Nov 2.  I told them they posted the wrong date, but they never fixed it (it should say Dec. 2).  I have no idea when the voting ends.  Midnight?  For the Halloween costume contest the poll actually closed at midnight of the day listed.  As in, it said the poll closed Nov 15th, so at 0:00am on the 15th it closed. As in, it really closed on the 14th at the very end of the day.  Confused yet? Anyway, please if you can spare a vote for my Theo, Ivy's Bryson (and Picasso), and Kelly's Gibson it would be much appreciated. 

I'll be sure to post whether or not Theo made it in.  I'm sure it'll take a few weeks for them to annouce it.  Honestly, I don't think Theo will actually make it in.  As cute as he is, I just don't think it is one of the best ones submitted.  There were some really great ones there.  I'm so surprised and honored he even made it into the finals with that picture.  As my co-worker said "there's a shoe in your picture!"  lol.  I'll just have to practice at being a better photographer for next year.  

Let Us Not Dwell On The Chicken Herder

But I did want to update you with some pictures from the big day (and by big day I mean "big half hour").

As I said before, Theo didn't really want much to do with the sheep to begin with.

I should point out that these sheep were not in any way challenging or directly threatening Theo. They were "dog broken" as I believe the term is called. He couldn't have found nicer sheep if he had raised them from lambs.

After running around like a jerk for a few minutes, I finally managed to get Theo into it a little bit.

The sheep were running around, kind of chasing me, and Theo just couldn't help running around a bit himself.

Then he seemed to notice the sheep were there and he started chasing after them a bit.


And then the moment passed. He wouldn't go near them again.


Theo took a break to give Sidney a go. As you can see, he's a natural.


During Theo's second attempt, he apparently felt he had worked hard enough to earn his first meal.

Don't bother him, he's eating.





I think what really bothers me about this experience was the woman running the place. She had her hands in about 5 different things going on all at the same time. We had made an appointment with her, so I feel we should have gotten some actual instruction or at least attention. But she pretty much just put us in there to play around and then took off. That's what I meant by not very "official" I guess. I feel like I paid the woman $25 to rent her sheep for 15 minutes. Those sheep are paid better than I am! I'll let a dog herd me around for that kind of money. I think if we do try ducks, I'll look around for a place I like a bit better. Overall, I would recommend the experience, just not at the particular facility I went to. And make sure to ask about ducks!

Closing Out

Well it's the 30th: the last day of the month, the last day of NaBloPoMo. Did you have fun reading my blog everyday? I hope so! Since I have trouble finishing things (and remembering things), I'm so proud of myself for never missing a day! Thanks so much to everyone who NaBloPoMoed with me! It was so much fun reading everyone's blogs. I hope we all do it again next year.

Ok, so back to Theo talk. The family is all gone and it's just us again. We spent the day dealing with lots of problems with Theo. First off, he's become unhousetrained all of a sudden. The last 3 days we left him at home alone for a period of time, and each time he peed in the house. He won't go outside because it's wet, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I guess I just have to take him for more walks? Anyway, it caused some frustration to say the least. After getting whatever he wanted all weekend because my family is a bunch of suckers, he was acting like a bit of a brat. Thankfully it was nothing a little obedience work couldn't fix. Have I mentioned I can't stress obedience training enough? Hehe.

I'll end my NaBloPoMo posting on a good note and talk about Theo's first Thanksgiving a little more. It really was a great time. He started off with some chewing by himself while we were all cooking.


He took breaks periodically to smell the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.


Little did we know we had out own little turkey closeby.


He had his own play squad assigned to him for the night. I don't think Theo has ever played so much fetch, much to his delight, I'm sure.

Oh by the way, his newest thing is catching the toy, rather than fetching it.

My mom had the furry socks to prove the fur was flying!


At the end of dinner Theo was treated with the platter full of turkey drippings. Yum!

And don't worry, it went straight into the dishwasher after this little "pre-rinse".

After all the exercise and delicious food, there was only one thing left to do...

Totally collapse into a coma.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! I think Theo's was a success.

PS: More pictures of the herding to come tomorrow. Right now the WiiFit calls...

Theo The Chicken Herder

And I don't mean he herded chickens. We took Theo to get his herding instinct tested today, and it was a very odd experience. First off, it wasn't nearly as official as I've heard other people describe it (at different locations of course). The place I went was very informal. In a nutshell it was go in the pen, see what the dog does, give advice, give money, and leave. I'll go more into it, but you can see how it wasn't exactly a "test", and Theo didn't exactly "pass".

When Theo got in the pen he went straight to the opposite side of the pen from where the sheep were. That's where it all went downhill... The lady said I should run around and herd the sheep myself to show Theo how it is done. Sufficed to say neither Theo nor I were very interested in herding those sheep, nor were we very good at it. It took a couple of minutes looking like a complete idiot before Theo seemed to notice the sheep. He seemed to get into it. I praised and praised and praised...and then he stopped herding. About 30 seconds was all I got out of him.

After 30 seconds Theo stopped dead in his tracks and wouldn't do anything besides eat sheep poop. The lady said to let Theo watch another dog try it to so he could see how it was done. Theo wouldn't get anywhere near the sheep the second time in. He only had eyes for poop. He actually started acting very badly and kept running away from me anytime I got close to him. I was not pleased, to say the least.

At the end the lady said that she thought Theo was afraid of the sheep because they were so big. She suggested we start with ducks, and after he gets comfortable with them ,we could move to sheep. Of course, we couldn't try ducks today because she hadn't caught them (I guess they're more free to wander?). And that's how we left it. She didn't really give much of a second thought to Theo before she wandered off to do something else. We paid her, then left. It wasn't a very pleasant experience for me, and I don't think it was a pleasant experience for Theo. I'm disappointed that it wasn't something fun for us, but at least there are plenty of other fun things we can do together. Maybe other herding places are better? At least Sidney had a good time.

Pictures to come!

Like A Kid On Christmas Morning

When I let Theo out of his crate this morning he ran straight to our guest room, saw it was empty, then ran straight downstairs to find Husband's parents. He was like a kid of Christmas morning, running to the tree to find his presents. He really loves his grandfurparents, and especially loves house guests.

I know the posts these last couple of days haven't been the most riveting. It's hard to sit down and write a good post when your whole house is aflutter with guests. It's definitely something I'm not used to. At least tomorrow we'll be doing Theo's herding instinct test. I'm really excited about it! Hopefully I'll be posting lots of stories all about it tomorrow.

I've noticed some discussion on mycorgi.com about the calendar contest. Some people are complaining that there are multiple pictures of dogs in the finals, which isn't fair because the rules stated we were only supposed to send one picture. The admin has responded saying that it's totally fair because only one picture of those dogs will actually make it into the calendar. I'm with the users on this one. The rules clearly stated to only submit one picture, and people who followed the rules spent the time to whittle their pictures down to just one. You all know I agonized over that decision...so much so that you all helped me pick it! What if the picture I submitted of Theo doesn't make it into the calendar, but the one of Theo being a goofball would have? I'm surprised they don't understand how people would view that as unfair, but since Theo did make it into the final vote, I think I'll just stay out of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, this post is going to be short, sweet, and not a little bit lame.  It was my first Thanksgiving, and a house full of parental units.  I'm happy to say everything turned out well, delicious even!  And Theo was happy to have so much attention, and such a delicious dinner!  I won't be able to post a picture until later, but Husband's dad gave Theo the tray full of turkey juices after dinner to lick up.  Hehe.  Theo was very confused with what to do with such a gigantic food bowl.

This was Theo's first Thanksgiving, and I think it was a good one!  How was yours?

Here We Go

Well the family is all here (minus my sister and her husband who are coming tomorrow), and Theo is in heaven. He absolutely loves his grandfurparents. I'm like the new mother who loves it when people come over to hold her baby so she gets a break. I'm loving having people over so they can play fetch with him and give me a break. Hehe.

Theo got to experience something new today: intruders! My parents left for a few hours to go check into their hotel and we left the door open for them, since they don't have a key. I realized later this was a bad idea because Theo has never had someone just walk into the house without Husband or I letting them in first. I didn't think about that. Theo always loves it when people come over. He acts like they're his personal play dates. Well Theo was sleeping when my parents walked through the door. He instantly popped up and screamed out a bark like I have never heard before. It was a bark that said there were intruders in the house and he wanted them gone. As soon as he saw it was my parents he calmed down, but for that instant he was my protector. It startled the heck out of me! Hehe. But it was nice to know that Theo does not view people randomly walking into our house the same as guests who we let in.

Merry cooking to everyone tomorrow! Remember, not too many fatty foods for the pups.

THEO IS A FINALIST!!!! (again)

Wow, I was really trying not to get my hopes up because there are so many great Corgis and great photographers out there. But somehow Theo's adorable mug managed to make it as a finalist on the mycorgi.com 2009 calendar! To say I am excited is a huge understatement.

You can go here to vote for 15 pictures you would like in the final calendar. Theo is on the third row from the bottom, second to the right (really, by the time I had got way down there and seen all the great pictures, I had given up hope that Theo had made it...don't toy with me admins!). It's the picture that looks like this:

I see that Ivy's wonderful picture of Bryson and Picasso made it as well. Hooray! If anyone else had a picture that made the finals, please leave a comment and let me know so I can vote for it. I'm saving up my vote just so I make sure to get everyone in. If we all vote for each other, we have a better shot, right? And who wouldn't want to stare at an adorable Corgi they know for a whole month?

Linky Loo

1. I got an email today recommending this website. It's all about dog food! I think it's just starting out because I noticed a somewhat limited list. The food I feed Theo isn't on there (the Wellness complete nutrition brand that is fairly new), but the more popular Wellness Core is. I like that it has a website rating as well as a section for users to rate it as well.
2. I also got an email from someone asking me to post about a dog food drive. Banfield veterinary practice is teaming up with Meals on Wheels to deliver pet food to senior citizens who can't move around well enough to get out and buy pet food. It's good to remember that pets need food in these hard times too. You can check here for your nearest Banfield to donate.
3. This is flipping cute! If it were Theo he would be eating all the packing peanuts...which is why I am neurotic about making sure I pick up ever peanut off the floor when Husband's dad sends us something (he's very packing peanut happy with his packages).
4. To all my fellow NaBloPoMo-ers: we're in the home stretch! I can't believe I made it this far! We're on our last week, so make sure you remember to post admist the holiday cheer. I will kick myself hard if I mess this up on the third to last day or something. Hehe.
5. Don't forget to watch the national dog show on Thanksgiving! I was all set to tune in to Animal Planet, but this one is actually on NBC. I will definitely be tuning in while I'm cooking up a storm.
   

Quirks

Does your dog do this?  

I've said in the past that Theo will only go into his crate at night when I "put him to bed".  Usually he sleeps on a blanket on the floor of the office right behind my chair while I'm messing around on the laptop or knitting.  As soon as he hears the laptop close, he pops up enthusiastically, knowing that it's time for bed.  Well if I ever stay up too late, he lets me know it.  Last night I was chatting on the mycorgi.com live chat (who knew they had that?) when I heard some soft and very pathetic cries.  I looked down to see Theo looking up at me with pleading eyes.  He wanted very much to go to bed, but he wouldn't go to bed until he knews I was also going to bed.  He does that.  So I informed the people chatting that my puppy was telling me it was time for bed and I had to log off.   He certainly is a dog stuck in his ways.

Video Of The Week 26: Dougy's Mental Muscles

Kelly got to posting this before me, but I did want to talk about this new AKC S.T.A.R puppy program. Have you heard about it? It's like Canine Good Citizenship for puppies! It starts off with a pledge by the owners that they will be good puppy parents by keeping the puppy healthy, safe, and well mannered. Then there is a 20 part "test", part of which consists of making sure the puppy have been properly raised thus far, such as having the proper vaccinations, diet, and exercise. You can view the the full details of the test here. I love that you get the adorable medal...and yes, I know I'm a total consumer whore.

I think it's a really great idea. It gets people off on the right foot. For new owners it's a good checklist for learning the ins and outs of raising a puppy, and for experienced owners it can be a stepping stone to getting their CGC. I sure wish this was around when Theo was in puppy class. Heh, technically since Theo isn't yet a year old he could take it now. It would of course be totally ridiculous since he already passed his CGC test...but funny too. ;) I plan on emailing my trainer and asking if she's planning on incorporating this into her classes. What do you think? Would you take the S.T.A.R. test if you had a young puppy?


Thank you James for sharing this adorable video of Dougy:



He is so well trained! It's funny to see how some of Theo's movement are obviously "Corgi moves". They lay down the same way, they roll over the same way, etc. Hehe. Congrats on teaching him bang! Theo hasn't gotten this one down. He always goes straight into a roll when I try it with him.

A Missed Opportunity

Philip's owner posted on our local Corgi meetup group's message board this week, saying that she would be going out of town over Thanksgiving weekend and was wondering if there were any Corgi owners out there who would be willing to Philip-sit. First off, props to her! That's a great idea! Rather than boarding a dog up in a kennel, I'm sure Philip would much rather be in a home, and even better, a Corgi home!

Second, yes please! I would have jumped at the idea of having a second dog for the weekend. I mean, I would get to see what it would be like having two dogs without, you know, having two dogs. Plus, Theo would have a playmate for a few days. Not to mention Philip is the most adorable puppy ever. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed with Husband's immediate refusal. Boo! He said "no way, Jose" faster than Theo could wolf down a piece of cheese. Boo! I guess I understand his point of view. We'll be having houseguests and enough going on without a houseguest of the canine persuasion. But I still wish we could do it.

Fortunately, there were already 3 or 4 other people who were also willing to take Philip in for the weekend. I think it's so great that my local Corgi community is so friendly and welcoming! It's also nice to know that I can suggest the same thing next time we need to go out of town and leave Theo behind (no plans for that in the forseeable future, but you never know). Hopefully the next time she goes out of town Husband will be more amenable to the idea. *fingers crossed*

Playing A Little Too Hard

Husband and I have noticed that sometimes Theo can escalate play a little too much. On his walk tonight Theo stopped to say hello to a big yellow lab around his same age, Max. Max plays a bit rough (because he's big and awkward and that's what Labs do), and Husband said he saw Theo trying to nip at him a couple of times. And his usual "I'm so tough" play growl was turning a bit hostile as well. But of course, his nub was still wagging and Max was still playing and having fun, so it was really hard to read the situation. Husband thinks he just needs some negative reinforcement when Theo escalates like that. What do you think? I don't want Theo nipping at other dogs, so I'd like to nip this in the bud as soon as possible. I'll definitely be emailing my trainer about this.

On a lighter note, I can't wait to see who the finalists are for the Corgi calendar this year! I hope to see lots of familiar faces!m Especially the one that's all too familiar. ;)

His Nemesis

1. Theo is so unhappy about the Wii Fit that last night when I was playing he jumped up on the couch, snuggled up next to Husband, and put his head in his lap.  He completely neglected his own 2 feet distance at all times rule!  He must have wanted some serious comfort.  
2. When I gave Husband a go on the game I figured I could take his place in the snuggle department.  Of course, that was naive of me.  Once I sat down Theo jumped down and went and got a toy for me to throw.
3. We had a great time in agility class last night.  We did lots more jumps, and practiced going up and down the really tall A-frame.  Theo had a blast on the A-frame.  Whenever I would walk him in the vicinity, he would go and run over it (and that sucker is tall!).  I only wish it were a smaller class.  With equipment like the A-frame we go one dog at a time, and naturally, some dogs just aren't into it at first, and it can take awhile for it to be your turn again.  Theo and I would both get a bit antsy.  But if I were ever in doubt of Theo liking agility, this class did away with it.  He loves the obstacles.  I can already tell the hardest part is going to be getting him to listen to me when I try and tell him where to go.  But that won't be for a very long while.
4. Husband takes Theo to doggy daycare in the mornings.  On a rare day we're both ready at the same time and end up leaving together.  That happened this morning.  Theo got really excited, thinking we were going somewhere all together.  I let him in the garage, let him in the car, then closed the door, got into my car and left.  Husband was with him the whole time, but I've never seen a more pathetic look from Theo.  How can such a usually unaffectionate dog be so clingy?  Heh.
5. I made the mistake of googling agility equipment and found this website.  Looks like if we really get into this we can purchase some pretty easy to set up equipment for the backyard.  Too bad it all adds up to be a bit of a bank breaker! We'll leave it at a nice big "if" for now.

But Can He Herd?

1. Theo and I will be going with Sidney and his mom to do their herding instinct test next Saturday (the 29th)!  I'm so excited!
2. That will be Thanksgiving weekend, so I have a feeling Theo will have quite the posse with him.
3. It turns out the place that we're taking them is less than 10 miles from my house.  Who knew?  So if we decide to pursue this, at least it won't involve a lot of driving.
4. Don't worry, there will be lots of picture taking.  LOTS!
5. 
   
6. I have a few more new pictures up on flickr.  Theo was very photogenic last weekend.
7. See that super furry bit under Theo's chin?  I like to nuzzle my head there and give him kisses.  Usually he's not a fan, but when he's in a playful mood he'll jump on my head and play growl.
8. Theo doesn't like people petting the top of his head, but he doesn't ever seem to mind a chest rub.   ....  How do I say that so it doesn't sound wrong?
9. I was casually invited by the woman who runs the doggy daycare facility we take Theo to a flyball tournament last Saturday.  I couldn't make it (see pictures of walk with Sidney), but didn't think I'd be missed.  Turns out this woman and her whole team were hoping I would come.  Doh!  I hope she invites me again!  I still want to check out their practices!
10. This same woman asked if I was going to the Rally Obedience class that started last night.  I said no, we were doing the agility class instead.  That's when I found out she teaches the Rally class.  Doh!  She thought I should have done her class.   I told her I planned to take it after I was done with agility, but she didn't seem interested in my excuses.
11. I hope she doesn't hate me.  I know she loves Theo.
12. This is a long list day!
13. I can't wait to find out if Theo is a finalist in the mycorgi.com 2009 calendar.  
14. So looking at the list of people who follow my blog, it looks like there's a lot of Corgi/dog blogs out there I don't have linked.  If you have a dog blog and are interested in a link swap between us, shoot me an email (imperfectcomplainer@gmail.com). 

A Trip To The...Lake?

We met up with Sidney and his gang last weekend. We decided to start with the walking trails by my house, which goes along a lake.


The lake used to be dried up, but now there is water in it again. We decided to go off trail and walk beside the water.


Theo, after cooling his paws in the nice murky water, decided that there was something disgusting amidst the clam shells that he simply had to roll in. Speaking of clam shells, I didn't know there was such a thing as freshwater clams until I saw these and went home and googled them. Hehe.


Sidney's mom is just so great at training him. She could even get him to balance a treat on his nose! I could never get Theo to do that. He always just backs away from it. She was nice enough to give me some pointers that I haven't tried out yet.


Sidney and Theo stopped to play a few times. At the time it was so obvious that they were playing, but it was interesting to come home and see how crazy dog play looks frame by frame. They were looking pretty vicious in some! Look at those teeth!


Aftward we headed over to the nearby dog park to let them play a little bit more, just to make sure they got it all out of their system.

I tell you, only in Southern California can you get a sunburn at 11am in the middle of November. Oiy, it was hot!



On a blog related note, I decided to try out the new feature they added recently. If you look at the bottom of this post you can rate the post. You can choose the rating options in the layout, but I just stuck with the default. They work for now.

Don't Let Winter Depression Get You Down

I thought this was an interesting post on seasonal depression for pets.  I know it sure bums Theo out when he won't go outside to pee because it's wet.  I know it sure bums me out when he tries to get into the garage to go instead.  Hehe.  I know that a nice healthy play session makes us both feel better.  According to these tips, Theo should be doing pretty good.

Now that our family room is back in order (and in use thanks to the new Wii Fit!), and now that the WOW expansion is out, Theo is definitely getting his stair workout running between our office upstairs and the family room downstairs.  Hehe.  I always rotate his diet a little bit based on what I have on hand (potatoes/rice/barley, pear/banana/apple, carrots/celery/green beans, etc.).  I'm still doing obedience with Theo, though admittedly not as much.  I need to keep it up if I don't want Mr. Troublemaker getting away with murder.  But sorry Theo, no indoor pool for you.

Have you noticed winter depression in your furkids?

Front Yard Etiquette

Growing up I never had a dog and I never had a front yard.  No one on my street had a front yard.  It's hard to have one when the side of your house is built into a hill.  So I never learned the proper etiquette regarding a neighbors front lawn when it comes to one's dog and one's dog's needs.  Namely, is it ok for your dog to pee in your neighbors yard?  I always wonder about that.  I usually encourage Theo to go in the shrubberies around the common areas , but sometimes he just likes a particular push in a neighbors yard and before I know it his leg is lifted.  

Personally, I don't care if dogs pee in my yard.  A Maltese peed there just a couple of days ago and I was a-ok with it.  But as the recent passing of Prop. 8 shows, other people who live around me obviously think very differently from me.  So help me out here.  What is good front yard etiquette mean to you?  Are dogs peeing in your yard a big no no?

Pouting

1. I got a Wii Fit this week (yay!), so this morning I decided to try out some of the exercises, rather than, you know, going running with Theo. So he was pretty much just pouting at me all morning.
   
2. In my defense Theo slept in until 9:30 this morning (OMG, it was soooo nice to sleep in for once), so it was too hot outside to run by then.
   
3. Also, I played fetch with him pretty much all morning. So wasn't exactly getting no exercise.
4. Theo and I met up with Sidney the tailed Corgi and his gang yesterday. Pictures to come later.
   
5. You know how dogs are supposed to get used to having their nails trimmed the more you do it? I'm having the opposite problem. Theo was fine with the dremmel at first, but now every time we use it, he gets more agitated. We didn't even get to his front paws today because he was struggling so much with the back ones.
6. Apparently I do get a gift card for the winning costume from mycorgi.com. Yay! I get a choice between Walmart, Target, and Petsmart. I think I'll go with Petsmart. I avoid Walmart whenever I can, and with Target I would be too tempted to get something non-pet related. So while the nearest Petsmart isn't exactly close, it's not too far to go and buy a couple of new things for Theo...and one thing to give away! Stay tuned.
   

WE WON!!!

It's not the easiest picture to see, I know. But click on the picture to check out the posting if you want to see for yourself that Theo was named the winner of the costume contest! Yay! I assume this means I don't "get" anything (sorry, looks like no giveaway, boo!), which is fine by me because I just wanted to be able to say this:

YAY!!! Theo won the costume contest!!!

Hehe. Thanks so much everyone for voting for him. There were some pretty darn cute costumes he was up against (Lucy the sushi!). As far as Halloweens go, we're off to a good start.

I'm off to meet with other Corgis!

Sweet Boy

1. I've had a tough week, nothing terrible, just a bit emotional. Theo was so great at cuddling with me when I was upset about something. He never cuddles with me. That dog just warms my heart
2. We finally bought some rugs for the living room and dining room (since we switched to hardwood), and some small rugs for places like in front of the front door. Theo immediately decided they were all beds for him. He was laying on the mat by the front door all afternoon.
   
3. If I do with a gift card for the Halloween costume contest, I'll buy something to give away to one of you guys on the blog. That would be really fun I think. :D
4. Before I started that whole "pick a picture of Theo" thing, I should have looked at each photo blown up first. When I went to submit the one you all picked, I realized that when it's all big, it's actually not in focus at all, which is crazy because all small it looks perfect! Thankfully I had one that was similar that was more in focus:

I think this one works too though. Man, how to people get clear pictures? I must shake like an old woman or something.

Drama!

Ok, I just had a heart attack. I just checked out the poll on mycorgi.com and Theo was behind by 2%!!! OMG! I just checked it this morning and he was still in the lead by 3%! What happened? It was that darn Chef Bernie again. Ugh. I managed to pull in a couple of extra votes, so now Theo is in the lead again. Yay! But it's not by much, so hopefully it holds... I don't know how I get my heart so set on things, but I do. I was so distraught when I thought I had lost. I want Theo to win!

I have to say, I'm a little unclear on the timing of this poll. They said that voting ends the 14th and they would announce the winners on the 15th. But then Sam left a comment saying it closed tonight at midnight. Well that would be the 13th, not the 14th. And is it really fair to say it closes the 14th if it's only open like a minute of that day? Or does it really close tomorrow night, and I just freaked out about it for nothing? Sam also said it closed midnight EST, which is 9:00pm my time. I was still voting no problem at 9:15... So either these guys have the day wrong, or...something.

Anyway, if you haven't voted, please do! Vote for Theo!!!!




I have to say, I have a pretty darn awesome sister. When something is important to me, she takes it seriously, no matter how silly it really is. She lives on the East Coast, and I wasn't sure if she was still awake, so I sent her a text saying that Theo was behind and would she please make sure to vote on both computers. Her response? "I'm on it" Love you Sheshe!




Update: The polls are closed with the final tally of Theo in first place at 26% and Chef Bernie in second place at 24%!!! Woohoo!!! I assume this means Theo won...but I'll wait until I get official word from the admins before I celebrate too much. (Woohoo!!!!)

Theo The Jumper

Theo had his first agility class last night, and it was a blast!  Well, ok, we didn't actually do much agility on the first night, but the little we did was very fun.  

We started off with jumps.  Theo was apparently hungry because when we walked up to the jump he wouldn't sit and wait for me to tell him to jump!  He wanted over and right at the treat on the other side. I guess that's better than a dog who wouldn't jump over at all, heh.

I'm rather surprised that one or two of the dogs are even in the class.  They obviously have no interest in agility and look more content to just sit in their owner's lap.  But it was only the first day, maybe it was just an off day for them.

I'm really excited to get to try the other equipment the next few weeks.  It's too bad it's on Wednesday nights.  This 6 week class looks like it'll end up spreading over the course of several months thanks to the holiday season.

Running Again

For some reason I neglected to mention that I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago.  Everything was going great with jogging with Theo every morning.  I was getting great exercise, Theo was getting great exercise, and I was feeling fantastic...then I sprained my ankle (miraculously actually, I have no idea how it happened), and I couldn't even walk with him for 2 weeks (I was seriously hobbling around, it was pretty pathetic).  Husband had to walk him, and no one had much fun with that.  I got kind of depressed, probably because I wasn't getting my endorphins from exercising or whatever.  But then it got better enough to walk with him again last week.  I wanted to hold off on trying to run on it because I didn't want to hold up the healing process.  So Monday morning I ran with Theo for the first time in like 3 weeks.  It was wonderful!  Theo seemed to enjoy it too.  Here's hoping I can get back to where I was without spraining it (miraculously) again.

Not Without My Treats!

1. Yesterday when I tried take Theo on his walk in the morning he refused and instead nudged his nose at the front door.  When he acts out of the ordinary I figure he's trying to tell me something (What is it Lassie?  Timmy is stuck in the well?), so I opened the door to let him back inside.  He went and sat by the stairs, gazing intently at the treat bag I had accidentally left behind.  "Not without my treats, Mommy!"
   
2. Sometimes when we play fetch Theo gets so excited as he's turning to run after the toy that he whacks his head into the wall...sometimes pretty hard. Ouch.
3. Theo was very cute yesterday morning as I headed off to work.  Husband was heading out to take him to doggy daycare at the same time, so Theo was in the car.  He was obviously still a bit stressed that I had been gone all last weekend because he was giving me the biggest "Don't leave me again, Mommy!" look I have ever seen.  He even smooshed his face against the back windshield when I walked behind the car!  What a cutie pie.
4. Yes, I'm liking the lists.  Please tell me if it bugs you.
5. The votes are in and the *knock on wood* picture of Theo that will hopefully be gracing the 2009 mycorgi.com calendar is...

*drumroll please*

Theo smiling at me!  By 14 votes to 7, quite a big majority.  Maybe I'll ask if I can submit two because I do love the goofball one too.  Anyway, I'll be sending it in to the appropriate admins tonight!  My heart may get broken just a little if he doesn't make it.  Have you noticed I tend to get my heart set on things?

Lots Of Things

I'm just going to do this in list form because there's a lot of things I want to share.

1. Theo is in first place in the mycorgi.com Halloween costume contest!  Thanks so much everyone for voting!  And if you haven't yet, vote here!  He was in second place last night, so it looks like there were lots of votes this morning.  Exciting!  The voting ends on Friday and they'll annouce the winner on Saturday.  I hope that Theo can keep his lead this week!  I'll let you know.
2. Theo is starting his next training class this week, and (*gasp*) it's not obedience for once!  He'll be starting beginning agility and I am so excited!  I think this class will be a really great way for him to expend some of that puppy energy.  Hopefully it will mean less fetch one night a week, but I'm not holding out hope. 
3. Theo has already been spoiled by our temperate Southern California weather.  It was raining all day yesterday and Theo wouldn't go outside!  Even when I managed to get him out, he refused to pee, even though he had to.  He kept trying to get into the garage and Husband thinks it's because he wanted to pee in there.  He's probably right, which is why I didn't open the door to the garage for anything!  Hehe.  It was funny watching Theo get sprinkled on.  He kept lowering his head, as if lowering it enough would somehow mean the water wouldn't get to his head.
4. It's turning "cold", and Theo doesn't seem to be enjoying the weather.  Does anyone know of a good light coat (just something waterproof and slightly lined is fine, nothing too warm) that fits a Corgi well?  I don't want to leave his tushy out in the cold!
5. I finally uploaded my pictures of the beach to my flickr account, check them out!
6. Even though all the commenters were rooting for Theo the Goofball, so far Theo Smiling at Me is in the lead.  You have until noon tomorrow to help decide!  Personally, I love both pictures, but I think that one of Theo smiling at me is probably a better calendar picture.
7. Why am I listing out so many topics I can use as posts later on?  If I hit a block later this month, we'll know why. 

The question I leave you with is this: Are you planning to buy a mycorgi.com 2009 calendar?  Or are you going to wait to hear if Theo makes it into one of the precious few slots?  I mean come on, who wouldn't want to look at this face everyday for a month?

Exaggerated Play

Apparently Theo is as glad to have me home as I am to be home. I can't say I blame him. I came home at 11:30am to find my husband still in bed and Theo still in his crate! I've never seen him so happy to be let outside to pee. Poor thing. I was a bit peeved at Husband, but he insisted that Theo never cried to be let out. I called BS on that one. That man can sleep through anything when he wants to.

Anyway, Theo has actually been playing with me! When Theo's obsession with playing fetch sprung up, there was no time for our regular play anymore. He would just stand there and look intently at his toys until I threw one of them. Well not this weekend (don't get me wrong, as I type this I'm throwing a toy for him)! Yesterday I got him to actually play chase with me in the backyard (usually he just sits next to where we keep a tennis ball and stares at it until I get the hint). I love playing chase with Theo because of the way he exaggerates when he runs. He doesn't run like he does when I jog with him. He doesn't run like when another dog is chasing him. He runs like he's playing a game with his mommy and it is so freaking cute. It's hard to describe! He kind of kicks his front legs out extra far like he's really digging in to run. And he kicks out his back legs too. It makes his whole body look so...exaggerated as he runs. Does anyone else's dog do this? Maybe I'll see if I can get a video of him doing it (oh yeah, because that worked so well with the stretching thing :p).

Theo was playful with me again this morning! It started with a bit of indoor chase, which is totally different than outdoor chase. Indoor chase is basically where he lays in one spot as I move towards him, and as I get close he springs up and runs past me and drops to the floor again. Like if I were the bull in bull fighting. lol! When he's trying to fake me out he'll pop up for half a second like he's going to run left, and then he'll plop back to the floor. If I go left, he'll pop up again and go right. It's really cute because he ends up doing the front leg kick out again. When a get down to his level and bob my head a bit he goes wild and does the leg kicking thing more. It's so cute! And after a bit of chase we did some general play. You know, where you grab their feet and scratch their butt and they just go crazy? That's Theo. I'm so happy I trained him to have a soft mouth because now we can play this way. When I grab his feet and scratch his butt he responds by grabbing my hand with his mouth, but since he has a soft mouth, it's just playful, no painful! It's so cute watching him "gnaw" on my hand, where basically he's kind of chewing my hand, but not really because it doesn't hurt at all.

How do your dogs play with you? Do you only use toys, or do you get down and play with them too? Does playing with your dog make his/her day? Theo was smiles all morning, so I think it made his.

Update: Just as I finished typing this Theo did the cutest thing. Usually when I'm at the computer I'll play a bit of fetch with Theo because, you know, he always has to be the center of attention. Well I threw the toy out of the room and Theo went chasing after it and didn't come immediately back for me to throw it again like he normally does. Instead I heard the small cry of the little troublemaker. I went out to the hallway to see what the commotion was about and he was laying next to his bed with the toy right smack in the middle of his bed. Theo looked at the toy, looked at me, and looked at the bed. He did that about three times until I got the hint. He didn't want me sitting at the computer and throwing the toy. He wanted a serious fetch session. He wanted me to sit on his bed and throw the toy down the hallway for him. He is being seriously cute today!


PS: I just checked the mycorgi.com Halloween costume contest poll and Theo has pulled into second place! Woohoo!!! And the gap is closing. It was 23% to 28% , so all I need is 6% to pull ahead! I think I can! I think I can!

The Final Round!

We've finally reached the last round of the voting. Phew! That was quite a stretch. I didn't expect so many people to participate and I really appreciate you all helping me whittle it down. I was far too indecisive to do it without help. Plus, I think the two that are left are probably my two favorite pictures of Theo. Go figure! You guys have good taste!

The final vote is between...

...Theo the Goofball...


...and Theo Smiling at Me


This is going to be a tough one I think!


I'm finally home with my wonderful husband and puppy. Yay! Normal posting hopefully to resume tomorrow.

THEO IS A FINALIST!!!

Oh happy of happy days! I just found out that Theo is a finalist in the mycorgi.com Halloween costume contest! No way! I am so excited!

Everyone please please please pop over here and vote for Officer Theo! Right now he's in third place behind a chef (ok, it's cute, but mine is better!) and some crazy Bo Peep outfit.

I would be so honored if Theo won. And if you don't vote for Theo, then at least vote for Lucy in her sushi outfit!