A Dog and Stuff

My, my...has it really been 9 months (wow, almost exactly)? What have I been doing with my life? Well for starters, we moved (within Seattle...I will not be attempting another out-of-state move for, oh, the rest of my life). We're living the beach life now. And by that I mean, we avoid the beach on nice days because it is ridiculously mobbed with those crazy people who enjoy sand and sun or something, and we like to be in the hideout of our deck where we can enjoy the beach from afar. Whatever works.

What else is new? We got a dog! Meet Ashley:

MEEE?

Also known as Ash, Puppy Hot Mess, Wheez, Wheezy, Piggy, Stinky, and Snorey.

MEEE!

She's 2 (years, not months). We got her from a shelter so don't even begin to ask me what breed she is, because I don't know. She's got wrinkles on her face that suggest some Shar Pei, she looks kind of like a mini black lab but also kind of like an enlarged dachshund, she's got black spots on her tongue, she's got webbed feet, she's kind of corgi-proportioned but with slightly longer legs. So, think what you'd like. The groomers at Petco are hell-bent on believing that she is Shar Pei and Beagle (and only Shar Pei and Beagle, mind you), so you can go with that if you're undecided. It's recorded in their system, which I hear makes it official.

ME ME ME

In my mind she talks in all caps. She also has very few thoughts, and the ones she does have are mostly comprised of being tired, playing, being warm, and getting belly rubs. She's a simple creature.

TIRED

She is tired about 90% of the day. She's probably a medium-energy dog, which works for me, because I am certainly a medium-energy person on a good day. At exactly 10:30 every night, regardless of what she did during the day, she is out. Nothing can wake her up. Including me enticing her with all her toys.

TOO TIRED

When she's tired, she snores like a freight train. When she's not tired, she wheezes. Don't be fooled by that long muzzle. I swear it's got the inner workings of a French bulldog and/or pug and/or Boston terrier. My God does she snore and wheeze her way through life.

The one thing that keeps her going without fail is playing fetch at the dog park.

YAEEEY

She will fetch the ball until she literally collapses - which quite honestly, when I look at the retrievers and shepherds at the park, really doesn't take very long. Partially I think this is because she gets warm very quickly when it's sunny, since she's completely black. But don't think this deters her from sunshine - she's originally from Guatemala (little world traveler we've got here), and it's obvious that she hates rain (good thing we live in Seattle) and loves sunshine. She will lie in the sun until she pants like crazy, and even then, unless we make her lie down in the shade, she will continue lying in the sun. Great survival instincts on this one.

WARM SO HAPPY

Her absolute favorite thing in the world (I'm talking over food, over fetch, over anything) is getting belly rubs.

BELLY RUBS?

One time I gave her a few belly rubs before showering, and 20 minutes later when I came out she was still lying like that. She got the message when I walked past her without noticing her.

OHHHH. OKAY.

So how is Bailey reacting to all of this?

That thing smells bad.

I'd say her general attitude towards life hasn't changed much.

I'm still the queen of everything.

She can't come on the couch like me, right?

I have to say, thank goodness these two were around to help us with the move. I really don't know what we would have done without them.

Ash helped unpack boxes.

WARM TIRED

Not to mention all the help she gave me putting together the new deck furniture we got.

PUPPY TIRED

Don't think Bailey didn't contribute. She was on hand while I put together a new bed frame.

Yes. Build me a bed.

Things are quiet now that we're finally settled in (save the three boxes we still have left that I've accepted as ones we will probably end up never unpacking). Both animals are quite comfortable with the new place and are each making it their own.

PLAY???

No.