My Valentine

I love you too, Dad. Happy V-day!

Kisses,
Laila

Lunch for breakfast

The look on my mom's face told me that I shouldn't have eaten her lunch while she was in the shower...

but in all fairness, she never has time for lunch anyway.

I was doing her a favor!

Kid-tested, Mother-approved

Holiday parties are super fun -- new people to meet, yummy food (hello sir, can you spare a crumb? I can twirl and spin and sit and stand), and little strawberry- and milk-flavored kiddos running around. They have delicious fingers and cheeks.  The kids loved me, and my mom has been pleasantly surprised with how well I have handled the gaggle of kiddos (four little girls under the age of three).  

Pet me in the eye?  I wiggled my tail.  

Hit me with a bouncy ball?  I wiggled, went looking for the ball, and brought it back to the baby so she could throw it again. 

"Borrow" my crate to use as a playhouse?  You got it, little lady.  

Grab my tail?

I am one patient pup.

 No problem at all!  I ignored Miss Ada for a few minutes, but then turned around and gave her a big kiss.

The kids all loved me, and I gotta say -- they were all pretty cute as well.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from Baltimore!  

Brrrr...

No way, Mom! Did you see the thermostat?

 It is WAY too cold to go outside.

 

I think I will just stay here in bed and hybernate until springtime.

Big news!

I celebrated my fourth birthday on November 8th with a Tivoliz family vacation. It was awesome! I love all of my redheaded family members, especially my cousin DiTa. We went hiking, wrestled, cuddled with Debbie, ate chewies, did not steal shoes or toilet paper, and drove all the way to Salisbury, MD for a dog show.  Hotel time! 

The hotel was fabulous.  Squishy beds that aren't mine.  Lots of weird smells to sniff.  The perfect girl vacation, with Jaeger-baby and Wrigley as honorary girls for a few days.  Mani/pedi's anyone?  I wanted pink nails, but Debbie said maybe later.  Pink is fierce, Debbie.  No one can stop a girl with pink nails.  Anyway, it turns out that pink nails weren't all that necessary. Wrigley and I were signed up for three days, but we both finished our Championships on the very first day!  Wrigley won Winners Dog, and I won Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, and Best of Breed! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I am a new AKC Champion. Just call me:

Ch. Captivatin' She Bee-Stingin' CGC

Congratulations and huge thank you to my breeder Melissa Green of Captivatin' Vizslas and Debbie Stern of Tivoliz Vizslas.

Safety first

I went to visit my grandpa Steve and Michele on the Fourth of July this year to watch the fireworks. I had forgotten my hunting gear, so Michele gave me a snazzy jacket and hunting collar to keep me safe.

Safety First!

I think orange is my new color!

Lai-yoga

There is no denying it.  After a long hike, I L.O.V.E. to sleep!  Sometimes my mom and dad laugh and wake me up.  Rude.  I can't help it that I like to get super comfortable and stretch out in different positions. It is sort of like yoga -- while sleeping. 

Bunny rabbit, belly-up

Leaping gazelle, sideways

Fish Need Water

My mom and dad bought me a fish when they were away for their wedding anniversary.  

I love my fish and carry her everywhere:  the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, bed, and outside on my walks around the neighborhood.

Love my fishie! *squeak, squeak*

   Anyway, my cute perfect little fish stopped squeaking a few days ago.  

Poor fish... what is wrong, fishie? What is wrong?

 I did everything I could to fix her.  I gave her kisses, threw her in the air, and shoved her in my mom's face. 

And then... eureka!  I had a brilliant idea... 

blub, blub, blub

 FISH NEED WATER!!!!

Hey fishie, how are you feeling?

Well, it turns out that it didn't make her squeak again.  But it did make her smell super yummy!  

Pillow thief

Dad:  "Laila, where did you come from?"

Um, sorry dad, but I like your pillow better than Mom's.  Why don't you move over to the other side of the bed so that I can sleep here tonight.

PSA: Puppy Service Announcement

My mom, dad and I went for an amazing hike on my favorite trail up in Carroll County over the weekend.  I wish my mom had brought the camera, but it was sitting on the dining room table with a dead battery.  I hiked over hills and through the woods, squeezed through narrow trails, raced through the open fields, hopped like a kangaroo through tall grasses, hunted for small critters, swam in the creek, and ran back and forth, back and forth, back and forth on the foot-bridge as my dad tightroped across the river/creek on the suspended wire.  Crazy dad. 

Apparently, I had so much fun that some "friends" decided to hitch a ride back to my house.  Deer ticks.  Yup, you heard me.  The teeny-tiny-microscopic kind that can make you very, very sick.  My dad found one on my ear in the parking lot before we got in the car. After searching for ticks for over 15-minutes (on me and themselves), we headed home sure that we were in the clear.  But my mom found three more ticks at our house on Sunday morning. They are out in full force, so make sure that your flea and tick prevention meds are up to date.  Lyme disease is nothing to sneeze at. 

Just a Puppy Service Announcement.

Now it's time to get out and enjoy that beautiful weather! 

One shoe, two shoe, three shoe, new shoe

There should be a law against Vizsla parents owning any shoes except sneakers and hiking boots.

I have decided to enforce this rule.  One shoe at a time.  

Unfortunately, my mom used my nibble-session as an excuse to buy new ones.  Cuter ones, she said.  Drats.  Not the outcome I was hoping for.

Laundry day

Laundry day is the best.  I love lounging on freshly folded clothes right out of the dryer. It's like spa day for puppies. 

 Ahhhh.... so warm, so fluffy.  My dad hates when I lay on the clothes, but I just can't help it.  It is too comfy!

Dad, just be thankful that I actually left the towels in piles this time instead of digging until I made them into a nice warm nest.  And be VERY thankful that I got a bath earlier today.

Every day should be laundry day. 

Peanut butter jelly time

My parents are saving money to buy me a yard, so every morning, my dad wakes up early to make my mom the most delicious sandwich to take to work for lunch. 

Peanut butter and strawberry preserves. 

Every.  Single.  Day. 

I am so jealous!  I usually stand next to him, drool hanging down past my shoulder in my statuesque pose.  I learned a few months ago that my best "please, please, please" whine just got me banished to the stairs, where I didn't even have a chance of smelling the deliciousness (or catching any nibbles if he was messy and dropped a few crumbs).

But this morning... THIS morning... oh, it was glorious. 

My dad stepped outside to load a large box of supplies into the car for my mom.  I only had a few moments, seconds really, but I tore through that sandwich baggie and swallowed half of that sandwich faster than you can say "Bob's your uncle."  Ahhh... totally worth my dad's stern words when he caught me trying to swallow the second half of the sandwich pelican-style.  No big deal, dad.  I left the baggie.  If you make mom another sandwich, she will never know the difference.  Well, she might wonder about the large hole in the side of the bag, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Time for flipflops, not hats

Hey mom, it's seventy degrees outside. 

It's time to finally pack up your winter hat and break out those flip flops. 

And you know what flip-flops mean... almost time for summer.  Ah, how I love summer.  Watch out pool, here I come!

Blame my mom

It is all my mom's fault.  

 She got a new job and has been a real slacker.  All she does is get up, go to work, come home, take me to the park, come home to make dinner, feed me, and then go to bed.  I mean, come on!  A little help on the computer would be very much appreciated.

 And when my mom finally has time to let me use the computer, well... 

There are so many fun things to see and do outside.

V-Day Present for Me!

It's Valentine's Day!  It's Valentine's Day!  

I can't wait for my Valentine to get home. 

 

 I waited by the front window for hours and hours.  He was really late.  But when he got home, he had a surprise for me. 

 Hey Mom, are you jealous?  I got FLOWERS!?!?!

 Dad, you are the BEST Valentine EVER!

Wait, what do you mean these flowers aren't for me?

Kisses for my Great-Grandmom

I love visiting Grandmom Bonnie's house!  Lots of family, friends, and great food.  One particularly lovely lady is my great-grandmom Cover.  She is so sweet, and we don't get to see her (or my other great-grandparents) often enough.  

I love you, great-grandmom!

My great-grandmom gives me lots of cuddles and always steals yummy food for me (chicken, sweet potatoes, salad, deviled eggs, apple pie, and cheesecake!) when my mom isn't looking.  I have to be careful not to be overly wiggly around her, but I love her very, very much.  It's hard to resist jumping on her lap and covering her face with kisses.

Too chilly for swimming?

It's definitely too cold for swimming in Maryland right now, but back in November, I didn't think so.  In fact, I jumped down a little cliff to get to the water.  Twice.

It was chilly, but so worth it.

Patience has its limits

I am a patient girl.  

When my mom puts my dinner or some veggies (I love lettuce and asparagus!) in my bowl, I wait patiently until she gives me the "ok, go ahead" signal.  

But sometimes she forgets to give me the signal.  Sometimes she leaves the room and forgets about me and my bowl full of deliciousness. Cruel, mom.  That's just cruel.

Today, she put some pieces of fresh asparagus in my bowl and went upstairs to do something.  A million and a half hours later, she came looking for me, but it was too late...

I had already flooded the kitchen.

Ultimate frisbee-flying fun

A few weeks ago, we took a trip up to Westminster for a hike and stopped in a field for the ultimate game of frisbee!

My dad is the best frisbee-thrower in the world.  Did you see the air I got on the first jump?

But my name is on it. . .

I spent a wonderful few days at my grandpa Steve and Michele's house up in Westminster while my mom and dad worked all weekend.  I got to play with my bunny and raccoon, ate peanut butter and krunchies out of my kong, tunneled under the covers in the middle of the night and kicked Michele out of bed, stole Poppy's toys, slept in Poppy's bed, and genuinely had a grand ol' time.  

When my mom and dad left for work this morning, they made a fatal mistake. They left my "overnight bag" out on the counter.  Yup, the bag with all of my goodies -- my toys, my food container, my empty kong, my stuffies, my leash and collar, and more importantly . . .

 the peanut butter jar for my kong. 

 Well, don't look at me.  The goose did it.  I swear.

 I'm sorry Mom, I really am.  But how was I supposed to know that I shouldn't eat it.  It was pretty clear that the jar was meant for me. 

Look, the lid clearly says:

"LAILA"

Snoozing, snoring

At the end of a long day (and especially after a long hike), I love napping with my dad on the sofa . . .

  in the "nook" of his arm . . .

and sandwiched between my dad and the back of the sofa.

Santa, You're Late!

Santa, you were late.  And I was upset.

While I waited, I "borrowed" Mr. Santa stuffie from my mom to cuddle for a little bit.  His beard tickled my nose so *might* have shaken him a little bit.  Sorry grandmom.  I was a little upset.

On New Year's Eve, we went to visit my grandpa Steve and Michele.

My new bed from grandpa Steve and Michele.

They gave me a awesome, smushy, fluffy bed.  Things were looking up!

Then, a few days ago, the UPS man *finally* delivered the rest of my Christmas present!

Hellooooo, Mr. Hooter!  Squeak!  Squeak!  Squeak!

Santa brought a Hooter-owl and a huge bag of Vanilla-flavored rawhides.

 I squeaked Mr. Hooter for about 15 minutes until I killed both of his squeakers, and then I moved on to my vanilla rawhides.  I do love vanilla rawhides.

Hey, Mr. Santa, do you think you could come early next year?  I will accept presents once a week starting on September 1st.

NOT Santa

Christmas morning started with the tradition of opening gifts.  As the youngest in the house, I went first.

I was super-excited to open my gift that came earlier this week.  I've been so good this year.

Hey Santa, did you forget something?  Something stuffie-like?  

So, I think I have the answer to my question.  No, Santa does not drive a UPS van because if he did, he would have brought ALL of the presents on my list.  You can't have Christmas without new stuffies.  Santa, why do you tease me?

Does Santa drive a UPS van?

I'm not sure, but I think Santa just came early.  The UPS guy just came and dropped off a package from White Dog Bone.  I jumped up and down and gave "Santa" loads of kisses and V-hugs.  He didn't look much like Santa, but he left a package that smelled a whole lot like the stuff on my "Dear Santa" list.  I started scratching at the box and trying to open it, so my mom put the box on top of the china cabinet.

I sure hope there are stuffies in there.  Only a few more hours until Christmas morning.  Then, you will be mine!

Racing with blinders on

 My friends and I found a new hiking trail last weekend.  We loved it so much that we went back again this past Saturday.  I think it's going to be a regular hiking trail for us.  

The trail winds through a forest and around really pretty waterways.

Khan, Colby and I had fun exploring the water and riverbanks, and the trail offered great opportunities to play chase games.

Colby (yellow collar) and Khan (red collar)

The boys ran around like mad men, and I raced through the woods the opposite way to cut them off.

I ran and ran and ran and ran. 

And then, I made the silly mistake of closing my eyes as I was leaping over a small patch of leaves.

BAM!!!!

And, I ran smack into my mom and her camera.  Ouch.

 After a day like today, the only reasonable thing for a girl to do is to wrap up in a blanket and lounge in her bed under the heating vent.  Ahh....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Brrr... so cold outside.  Yet, the weather forecast said rain?  

It's about time that we had some snow in Baltimore, even if I have to make my own. 

So I did.  Snow, soft fluffy snow.

* snow created while my mom washed the covers for the two decorative bedroom pillows *

'Tis the Season for Trees and Stuffies

'Tis the Season to be Jolly . . . 

Well, it's that time again.  My dad went digging in the shed and brought out five plastic tubs full of shiny red stuff that my mom started hanging up all over the house.  Christmas carols are playing on the radio, and classics like Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer, the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and Frosty the Snowman flash across the television.  My mom is baking cookies, making the house smell like cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.

Our neighbors got together for a "party" on Sunday afternoon to decorate the street.  They had a great idea to string colored lights between the houses this year.

I think it turned out great.  Very festive!

After the decorating party, my mom and dad put up a tree in the house and hung stockings by the fireplace.

I know.  A tree!  In the house!

They won't let me bring sticks into the house, yet they bring in an entire tree?  Hypocrites, I tell you.  Although, I will admit -- the twinkling lights, shiny balls, and special ornaments make the tree very pretty.

My mom also put some holiday stuffies up on a shelf that for some reason are "off-limits" to me.  I don't understand how a stuffie could sit on a shelf and not be loved. 

Dear Mr. Reindeer, sir, wouldn't you like to hop down off that shelf and play?

And Mr. and Mrs. Bear, stop that mushy stuff and come cuddle with me instead.