Life on the Leash

“Pink is the new pink.”

Oh, Morgan. Be still my heart.

Morgan the English Bulldog visited me in preparation for our puppy socialization class beginning this Saturday. He played with the floor toys, posed for the obligatory red chair shot:

…and then met Miss Molly Brown:

Serendipity – who showed up but these charmers:

“I want to be just like you when I grow up!”

We had bushels of squeal-inducing cuteness over the weekend, beginning with Harrison Ford the 9-week old Golden:

(Those of you who have friended LOTL got to see Harrison on Saturday … )

Teddy the 10-week old mix pup was slightly overwhelmed, but he still managed to give me some Blue Steel:

And then a full-on Magnum:

Both pups will be attending the LOTL puppy socialization class beginning this weekend … squeee!

My dear, amazing, wonderful friend “Cheeser” (aka “Cheesebury, Cheese, or Cheesy”) surprised me with this necklace last weekend:

I keep wanting to say that it’s ironic to wear a squirrel necklace in a dog store, but it’s not really. Silly? Yes. Ironic? No, unless you’re Alanis Morissette.

(Thanks Cheese! Love you!)

I did it. I got Sumner a coat.

I think that line in “Silence of the Lambs” is true: “We covet what we see every day.” I’m now surrounded by dogs in coats (including some big dogs, like another boxer and Dalmatian), it’s cold, and I sell coats, soooo …. Sum is now rockin’ a quilted waterproof jacket. And he looks badass.

How does he feel about it? He did the “I can’t move” thing for a bit, but he adjusted. I think. We’ll see.

“I don’t have a dog. I’m buying presents for my girlfriend’s dog … they live in Australia.”

I walked Eddie around the store offering suggestions, and he put together a lovely care package for Bailey the poodle. Eddie stopped in a few more times over the summer, reporting back on the success of the gifts he’d shipped over, and picking up a new goody now and then. “My girlfriend friend Karen is coming to visit during the holidays – I’ll bring her in.”

Meanwhile, Karen was sweet enough to send me an e-mail introducing herself. She included photos of Bailey enjoying his new toys:

(Clever Bailey incorporated a stuffing-free toy into his Hide-a-Squirrel toy!)

Here’s a shot from when his raccoon got “stuck” on the ceiling fan. I like his determination.

Fast forward about four months to an early November morning. A couple walks in, I greet them distractedly (I was late opening up, as always), then I noticed that Eddie was one half of the couple.

Double take.

“Karen! You’re here!” (Big hug.)

(Nice Joan-Jett-soccer-Mom-mullet I’m rocking there, huh?)

Karen was absolutely charming, and we had a great time talking about Aussie dog culture. Oh, and she did some shopping for Bailey:

(Now that’s a haul!)

It sounds like there’s a need for a cool dog store in Oz … perhaps a LOTL some day? I think a certain little poodle would be my first customer!