cabin dogs

Tuckered dogs after a day of big exploration & deer chasing!

who is in charge here?

There are several rules for the dogs at the Volta house - we probably have more than most. Lately, the dogs have been breaking them left and right. The rules below are not the only house rules but those broken most recently. They are not put in any particular order.

Rule 1: no dogs on the furniture. Rob & I both know that the minute we leave the house, Annie takes up her place on the couch (see photo of Annie sprawled on couch). Usually when you come home she hops off the furniture, leaving a warm spot & a drool circle evidencing her disobedience, and gives you the “I wasn’t doing anything / who me?” look. Lately, however, she has been more brazen about her rule breaking. I was able to get into the house, put my bags down, find my camera, and take this photo before she even feigned an attempt to get off the couch. I guess at nearly 10 she thinks she is in charge.

Rule 2: dogs don’t eat veggies from the garden. Annie is an evil teacher of bad habits. Poor Blue, not a chance to learn how to live at the Volta house without a kenneling every day. Last year, we planted the back garden barrels with tomatoes. Annie, bad dog Annie, ate every last one. She would walk between the barrels and pick off those tomatoes just turning red…the one you looked at in the morning & thought “that will be perfect when I get home from work tonight”. This year, I decided to outsmart the thieving Annie & planted all 16 tomato plants in the front yard – take that, Annie. In addition, I planted peppers in the back yard – Anaheim, green bell, orange bell, lavender/lilac bell (photo below), and Poblano. I figured I would teach her (an him if he followed in her foot steps) a lesson about stealing my veggies. To no avail…they are devouring my peppers. Yesterday Blue ate all 5 cute little lavender peppers. Bad Dog! A sure fire sign that the dogs have gone a picking is their heads smell wonderfully of rosemary (another barrel is planted with herbs).

Give the dog lovin. Smell the noggin.Thump the noggin. Kennel the dog. UGHHH! I can't win - I am never going to be able to make salsa completely from my garden!!

Rule 3: no barking, there is no need. Annie barks at fireworks, neighbors in their own backyards, sounds, her shadow...she barks a lot! Blue, the non-barking dog, now follows her lead & barks when she does even though he has no clue why he is barking. July & fireworks always mean TOO much barking! No wonder I have constant headaches....

my babaloo

pretty princess

the otter & the paddle boat

The dogs had a great day swimming. The owners came home muddy & exhausted, as did the dogs. Annie swims like an otter - no splashing, graceful, the water barely moves. Blue, on the other hand, swims like a paddle boat - splashing, half standing, scared. Annie will go for the bumper with focus and determination. Blue just goes. He usually gets distracted along the way but then remembers the bumper. More practice with Blue will hopefully bring him around to the non-splashing kind of swimming - it makes for less mess on the owners!

Blue

This is my fellaguybuddy, Blue (he came with the name, don't look at me). I pronounce it Baloo, like the character from the Jungle Book, since he seems to be pretty easy going but ready to play. With those eyes and that face, you can imagine how my heart melted when I met him. He came to live with Rob, Annie & me in September 2007. Initially, I took him just for a trial weekend but at the end of the trial, I couldn’t give him back. Did I mention he is HUGE?

He is an excellent retriever and a good friend to Annie. He became an even better friend once he was "fixed" and stopped trying to be her boyfriend. That being said, if he doesn't stop eating things (the lattice under the deck, peaches from the trees, peppers from the plant, the compost from the garden, and screwdrivers...the list goes on & on) he may not make it to his 2nd birthday in October!

When he is "working" with me or Rob, he is brilliant! If he delivers a cold beer from the person in the kitchen to the person who needs it, he is awesome. But, when he is bringing me my black bra (his favorite) or underwear when we have company, he definitely tries my patience! With the size if him it is easy to forget he is just a puppy and still learning the rules of life at the Volta house. Like a little kid, EVERYTHING goes into his mouth (see above for a partial list of things eaten).

Despite my best efforts, I love this dog. I read Marley and Me, laughing and crying and sympathizing with the author through the entire book. At the end, I sobbed like a baby and hugged Blue for an hour. This gigantic brown dog with a silly name worked his way into my heart when I wasn't looking. I am lucky Blue is part of my family and I can’t imagine my life without him.

the four legged kids - my family

Thought I should add pics of my kids Annie & Blue (I pronounce as baloo, fits much better). Fear not, you have not missed a 9 month pregnancy...these kids are the four legged kind. The kind you can leave kenneled all day & no one calls child services on you for abuse. Annie wears the burgundy bling. Blue wears, what else, the blue. He is nearly two, HUGE with golden eyes. Annie is 9 1/2, slight, and has beautiful brown eyes like her dad (hahahaha). In the photos above, Blue is to left, Annie to the right both holding on to the stick; Annie is stunning in the solitary photo.