Life on the Leash

Decorating my windows takes a fair amount of planning. Some windows really work, like the dog-in-a-bubble-bath grooming window, while others fall flat, like the dogs-out-to-a-romantic-dinner window, which no one really “got.” Thinking of fun stuff in between the holidays is a challenge, but now that we’re up on Halloween, I was good to go.

I had a vision: Spooky Forrest. I wanted twisty black trees as the focal point, but I wasn’t sure how to make them. Enter, Dad. I explained the concept and he immediately got it. “I’ll just build you a base and then find some branches and secure them in there.” A few days later, the Spooky Forrest was born:

I always try to throw in some silly stuff, for the people who stop to really check out the tableau. This Halloween they get an excess of eyeballs:

(The rat’s gleeful expression cracks me up!)

And a murderous Springer-Spider:

Halloween is just kicking off here at LOTL … check back for the hilarious costume fittings!

We shot some more videos for www.petside.com here at the store on Monday. This time we branched out and included KITTEHS:

The video was about helping your cat learn to love his carrier. My little partner was adorable if a little squirmy, so I started out the clip holding him as I talked about the basics. I let him nibble on a little salmon treat I was holding as I talked (and forgot my lines, as always) … everything was going fine …squirm … nibble … nibble … CHOMP! He missed the treat and took the first knuckle off my finger!

This was only the second video of five we had to film, so see if you can spot my co-star, a bloody bandage, in the rest of the vids when they come out next month. (Oh, and yes, the bite is infected now. No improvement by Friday and it’s off to the doc I go. )

Dogs are digging our new homemade ice cream:

Penny tucked in and didn’t look up until the cup was licked clean.

The “homemade” part? Yeah, that would be me. I’m making Peanut Butter, Fruit Smoothie, and Pumpkin Banana. Rather than buy commercially made stuff, I wanted to do it myself to make sure that the blends were delicious yet mild enough to prevent intestinal upset. Sum has ice cream every day (any flavor, he’s not picky), and he swears his poos are perfect!

Roger the poodle kinda owns this joint.

He’s a new shopper, but he already understands that the cushion under the table is the best seat in the house, and the “library bone” is his for the taking:

He gets a little bossy when other dogs invade “his” turf, as in, “Bark, bark, get outta MAH STORE!”

We’re working on it …

I often hold training sessions in the store before I open. Since Sum is my constant companion now, he has to come and hang behind the counter while my clients and I click-click-click our canine student. The poor guy knows what the clicker means, so every so often he’ll give a little whine, as if to say, “I can come when called! Let me try too!”

Sumner visits during “recess.” He does some consensual sniffing with the student-dog, then gets to begging. And drooling.

The poor red chair!

This interwebs thing can make the world seem very, very small.

Here’s the story … years ago I trained Gene Weingarten’s dog. He mentioned me a few times in his popular online chat, and one of his readers, Abby, a Foreign Service Officer stationed in Albania, got in touch with me to ask for advice about her Albanian street dog, Cooper. We started a friendly correspondence (Cooper, you have very dedicated people!), and a year later when Abby and her husband Paul were passing through DC, they invited me to meet for drinks.

Was I a tad worried about meeting these two strangers? Uh, a little, sure. Turned out they were ridiculously nice, and they didn’t try to roofie me once! And they brought me a present – a beautiful pendant from Albania that nets me compliments every time I wear it. Drinks turned into dinner, and we parted as friends.

Cut to another year later and our move to PA … Abby and Paul were about to embark on their new assignment in India and they were connecting with friends and family on the East Coast before leaving. And you know what that means …

Cooper visited the red chair!

I loved meeting him after hearing about him for so long. He was adorable, curious, and willing to eat anything I offered him. I totally bribed him to like me.

Abby and Paul treated him to a LOTL shopping spree, then he joined us for dinner.

They gave me another gift, making sure to note that the bottle referenced my dog connection, not my temperament:

(Those who know me well might think it fits on both levels.)

Abby, Paul and Coop – best of luck to you in your new home. Thanks for visiting … Namaste!