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?

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.  

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 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?

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?

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.

Round 4!

Unfortunately, this post is going to bit of a dud because I was on a plane all day and the internet in my hotel keeps making my laptop throw up all over itself. However, I will give you the results of the round 3 polls and put up the next round! Just two left guys!

Round 3 winners:
Theo the Ball of Sleep
Theo on a Bench
Theo Smiling at Me

Even though voting season is officially over, I hope you'll still participate in mine! ;)

To The Polls: Round 3!

Update: Complaint noted.

No, not the voting polls, that's not until Tuesday (don't forget to vote!). I'm talking about my poll for picking your favorite picture of Theo! The voting was super close this time. We must be nearing the end! There was actually a tie between Theo on a Bench and Theo the Goofball. Normally I would say I would be the tie-breaker, but I can't decide between those two either! They're both great for different reasons. Don't worry, I know how to handle it.

So all new polls are up. In the spirit of voting week, the polls for this round close Tuesday, so read up on the candidates and get voting!

The winners of round 2 are as follows:
Theo the Ball of Sleep


Theo Takes a Sick Day


Theo Chews a Tribble


Theo on a Bench/Theo the Goofball (tie)


Theo Smiling at Me


Theo Smiling Nice at the Dog Park

Round 2!

Wow, thanks to everyone that voted on the first round! Some of them were really close. I've posted new polls with the winners. Have fun voting on round 2! Here the list of all the pictures that were liked best in the first round:

Theo the Ball of Sleep
Baby Theo Stare
Pensive Theo
Theo Takes a Sick Day
Theo Chews a Tribble
Theo Breathing the Ocean Air
Theo on a Bench
Theo the Goofball
Theo at the Beach
Theo Smiling at Me

You know, I think these are the ones I would have chosen too. Oh, and I've added one new poll. I want it to come out even for the next round, and it just so happens that there are two pictures I took at the dog park last week that I think would be good additions to the poll. Here they are!

Theo Smiling Nice at the Park


Theo's Kisses

This one might be too blurry when it's larger. :(

Time To Vote!

Rather than posting 20 photos and having everyone choose one, I think we should do this in rounds. I'm going to post a bunch of polls on the right hand column of the blog (that means you'll actually have to open up the page to my blog you Google Reader users! ;p), where I'll ask you to choose between just two pictures. Whichever of those pictures win will be pitted against each other in the next round and so on until we have just one. I'll only be keeping the polls open a couple of days, so make sure check in to vote!

So here is the key. All the pictures below will get a name (the name will be above the photo), so when you're checking out the polls, refer back here to find the picture. Have fun!

Theo the Ball of Sleep

Baby Theo closeup

Theo's Corgi Tail

Baby Theo Stare

Pensive Theo

Exhibitionist Theo

Theo Taking a Sick Day

Ears Back Happy Trot Theo

Theo Chews a Tribble

Theo the Tagful Wonder

Theo the Superhero

Theo Breathing in the Ocean Air


Theo on Vacation


Theo on a Bench


Theo the Goofball


Theo in the Water


Theo at the Beach


Theo Swimming


Theo Smiling At Me


Theo at the Dog Park


Also, if you think there's an awesome Theo picture out there that I'm missing, let me know anytime! Thanks everyone so much for your help!

What Is My Best Picture Of Theo?

OMG, OMG, OMG!  It's that time of year again!  Mycorgi.com calendar photo submission!  That's right, Theo could be the star of his very own month, available for purchase!  I'm a little excited if you couldn't tell.

Now my question is, what picture do I pick?!  We only get one submission, which is understandable, but still totally bogus.  Don't they know I'm indecisive?!  Don't they know trying to whittle it down to just one picture is going to give me nightmares?  How can I narrow the hundreds of pictures I have of Theo down to just one?  I need your help.  Yes, you! Which picture of Theo is your favorite?  Because you all regulary peruse my Flickr pictures and pick our your favorites, right?  Oh...you don't?  Shoot.  Well on the off chance that a certain picture of Theo sticks out in your mind, let me know.  I would appreciate it.  If not, I'll be posting again soon with some of my favs to see what y'all think.

Don't Hate Me Because I LOL

I just can't help myself!

In All His Glory

Here's a picture of my little graduate. See the certificate? I'm so proud of him! He was totally pooped when I took this picture, which is probably the only reason I was able to take it! Normally he won't sit still long enough. As it was, it look a couple of tries because he moved whenever I propped the certificate against him. Hehe.

I have a few more pictures, but I've already exceeded my max uploading capacity for the month on Flickr. Boo! I've been thinking of upgrading to pro and actually paying for it. Eep! I noticed a lot of you have pro accounts. Do you think it's worth the $25/year?

My Butt Is Less Lazy

I finally uploaded new pictures of Theo! I say new, but some of these are from about 4 weeks ago, so you'll definitely see a size range in them. Hehe. He's gotten so big, but I think he's growing into his body beautifully. Now if only I could get a descent picture of him! I guess it's time to see how we'll I've taught him "stay".

Today someone asked me if he was a miniature Corgi. LOL! I wish there was a breed of Corgi that stayed this small and cute forever...of course, not if it means they have puppy energy all their lives! I'm growing old, fast here!

Also, in more Theo news, last night was the first night that he woke up in the middle of the night refreshed and ready to play. Well, technically Husband woke him up...at 4 in the morning, but after he was awakened, he wouldn't go back to sleep! He kept crying and barking and crying some more. Finally after I let him out of his crate, gently laid him down and told him to relax (which he didn't), and put him back in his crate, he fell back asleep (after 5 more minutes of crying). I hope this is an experience I won't repeat again at least until I have kids.

Pictures Of Theo!

I finally got my pictures uploaded to Flickr. Of course, that's not including the ones still on my camera. Hehe. You can check them out here, or click the badge on the right. Let me know what you think!

Theo is wonderful and I love him, but he is such a handful! The thing he loves most is cuddling (read: sleeping) with me on the couch, wrapped up in my favorite blanket. It's such a comfy couch he always goes right to sleep. It's the cutest thing! We've already gone through all our puppy pads. He'll go outside, but he pees like 2o times a day, so half the time he won't let me know he needs to go out, but at least he knows where to go. He's had a few accidents in the house, but nothing too major. He cries whenever I put him in his pen alone. He's fine as long as I'm with him, but as soon as I leave him (or go 5 feet away), he cries and eventually falls asleep. So far he hasn't been so great at playing by himself, even though he has plenty of toys, but he's getting better. I'm glad I'm working from home the next two weeks!

He went to the vet this week and got a shot (poor guy) and a clean bill of health (including poop!). He also met a bunch of new people. I had a few people over who wanted to meet him, and I took him over to a friend's house. He has 3 cats and it was hilarious to see the cats all bothered by a bounding puppy. They stayed away from him most of the night, except for one, who kept stalking him. It was hilarious. I've also got a bunch of people coming over tomorrow for a game night/meeting the puppy night. I think he'll be well socialized in no time!

I've got a question for all your dog owners (since I forgot to ask the vet). Theo, when he gets excited or stressed, has little convulsions in his belly, like a hiccup. Is that normal? It goes away as soon as he calms down, so I figured it's not anything major. Just wondering if anyone else's dog does this too.

Also, the vet told me something I thought was interesting. He said that it's okay to let Theo in public places, like around the neighborhood. That surprised me because you always hear that you shouldn't let puppies in public places until they're fully vaccinated. But he made a good point. Unvaccinated puppies aren't lacking immunity because they still have the immunization from their mothers. That actually makes pretty good sense to me. Any thoughts?

Pleasant Surprise! 8 Week Pictures

Sometimes I love to be wrong. The breeder just put up the puppies' 8 week pictures, and they are looking pretty darn cute. Judge for yourself:

Theodore:

Alice:

Simon:

Alvin:

Dolly:

Sorry, no Sally. She's probably either already been placed with her people, or she may just have been napping (it seems like each week there was one puppy left out).

I think Theodore has a different look from the rest of the puppies. I wish I could peak ahead and see how they would all look when they're adults. Hehe. To me, he looks very handsome. And I've always liked how he looks right at the camera. I actually think all the puppies came out looking quite well. If I had to decide now based on looks alone, I think I would have a much harder time of it.

Does anyone else notice a weird protrusion on Dolly's left front paw? It looks like her bone is growing in a bit wonky. I hope she doesn't have mobility problems!

There was also this bonus picture of Theodore:

There's a caption on the website that says "Waiting on my family to get me! They are flying in on an airplane just to pick me up, I must already be the most wonderful puppy ever!"

I know, part of me is barfing inside, but check it out! I got a mention! Of course, it also means the breeder is assuming I'm taking Theodore home with me. Probably a good assumption.

Picture Update: 7 Weeks!

I finally got some new pictures of the puppies! Phew! That took forever! I ended up emailing the breeder and saying "it's been a few weeks since I've seen any new pictures. What's the dealio?" I also asked about the Volhand testing, since I never heard back about that either. She wrote back saying the testing didn't take place because, if I understand correctly, the other people who were supposed to do the test (because they have to be people the puppy doesn't already know) didn't show. Bastards. Ah well, I guess that means I'll have to do a little makeshift testing myself! She also said the reason there's been no pictures is that the batteries in her camera died. Boo! Well as long as they're here now.

They're 7 weeks old now. Can you believe it? I think this should be pretty close to how they look when we're there next weekend to pick him/her up. So drink 'em in and let me know what you think!

Without further ado, here's Sally:


and Theodore:

Comments welcome. :)