Franklin Friday: Franklin hangs out with the guys

We had houseguests and lovely weather, which resulted in brunch on the porch.

 Franklin got a lot of love, and we had to check our friend's luggage when he left to make sure that he didn't try to steal our little dog.

Franklin is a much bigger hit with guests than Lola. He's less of a menace to visitors.  Would you try to smuggle him home with you?

Franklin, the rest of the pets and I will be taking a few weeks off. I have my first final exam in about 20 years, and I'm slammed at work, and once that's all over, I need a few weeks to recover from a crazy few months. So I will just be hanging out with the pets, not writing about them. 

The many faces of Lola

It's amazing to me how different Lola can look based on her expression and which side you get.

and of course I think all the faces are gorgeous.

Almost wordless Wednesday

Yeah, I know I'm supposed to correct misbehaviors as soon as I see them. Not go get the camera to snap a picture.

Back to the beach

With the return of summer, we went back to the beach this weekend.

Lola made some big dog friends

Franklin made some little dog friends

Franklin braved the freezing cold waters of Lake Michigan

And I just really like Bernese Mountain Dogs. So I'm adding in this picture.

How do your dogs like to cool off?

Cafe Dogs

Summer returned to Chicago this weekend. Unfortunately due to NATO's takeover of Chicago, we didn't have a Chicago SociaBulls walk, so we had to find our own fun.

We ran some errands around the neighborhood, stopped for a drink at a local cafe and met some neighborhood pups. Big and small.

3 month old Dachshund puppies - so cute!!! 

Lola was worn out when we got home and spent the rest of the day in this position.

Franklin Friday - Failed Family Photos

I have very few really good pictures of Franklin and Lola. This one could've been great. But someone's not so great at holding a sit and looking at the camera all the time. Sure, he's got his blue steel moves, but he's not so reliable as a supermodel. 

Its even harder to get a picture of the whole menagerie. I've done it a few times, and they're never all looking at the camera AND posing nicely. 

Here's the latest failed attempt. 

Garden gnomes?

Lola and Franklin helped us plant the garden this week.

Franklin dug a hole and burrowed in it.

Lola nibbled on weeds.

 Lindsey supervised from inside.

And once the planting was done, the pups relaxed in the yard.

Wordless Wednesday

Lola's bed - part 12

One cat. Two dog beds. Two dogs forced into the other room to hang out on the carpet.

Catch up on the saga of Lola's bed here.

Terri-bulls take two

I was supposed to be a dogless walker at Saturday's Chicago SociaBulls walk, but it got cancelled due to really crappy weather. I got over my disappointment by taking my dogs on two big walks on Sunday. Just me and the dogs in the morning, and a whole family Terri-bulls walk in the afternoon. 

We practiced down-stay with distractions.

We had a water break

We encountered offleash dogs just wandering around. (people, come on - leash laws!)

and we got the mandatory glamour shot of Lola.

Not quite as much fun as a real SociaBulls walk, but still a lovely day for a family promenade.

Franklin Friday: Blue Steel

Every supermodel has his or her signature look. Franklin, being the good looking gent that he is, also has his own pose.

Here he is busting out his most handsome look on three different SociaBulls walks. Talented supermodel that he is, he can strike the pose from both his left and right sides.

Play with me Lola!

Sometimes Lola wants to play and can't find a playmate. Sometimes she just wants to nap, and Franklin wants to play.

Lola has found the perfect solution to make everyone happy. She continues to relax, while Franklin plays with her head.

One-word Wednesday

Checkmate

Who's the boss?

Every pack has a pecking order, and ours is no exception. I'm sure most people would take a look at this gang

and quickly assume that the big white dog is running the show.

Wrong. So very wrong. Lola assumes position 3 on the totem pole. This is the alpha.

Lindsey is queen of the castle. She smacks Lola around, and chases Franklin. She loves them both (as well as her sister), and often tries to get them to play with her by writhing around on the floor infront of them.

She also likes to patrol the house, making sure all the prisoners are safe in their cells.

We've learned that its Lindsey's world, and we just live in it.

You too can live in Lindsey's world - like her and the gang on Facebook. 

Lola and Jack sitting in a tree...

Since Lola first joined SociaBulls, she's gravitated toward Jack. Lola and Jack seem to find each other on every walk they're on. They don't make eye contact. They don't overtly sniff each other. They just fall into a groove and relax happily next to each other. Their love has been documented in the Chicago Tribune. And Jack's people and I thought that perhaps we had fanned the flames of their puppy love in our minds and that they were "just friends".

Their relationship has been long distance for a few months, as they haven't attended the same walks. But this weekend the supermoon worked it's magic, and Lola and Jack reunited.

They companionably strolled side by side. And then the sparks started flying. 

They inched closer together, and walked flank to flank. I'm not sure who made the first move. And I know that Lola doesn't walk this close to any of the other guys in the pack. Just Jack (she's not a slut!).  She's at her most relaxed next to her guy. She doesn't stop to pee or pull on her leash. She just enjoys being near Jack. Swoon.

If you look closely, you can see the hearts flying above their big pittie heads.

Do you have any backstories that you've invented about your dog's companions?

Franklin Friday: spoiled little dog

Franklin has decided that the people bed is his bed. He makes himself awfully comfortable. 

Which would be fine and cute, since he's very snuggly. He likes to curl up right next to me. Which would be fine. Except his little body gives off a ton of heat, and he gets very very snarly when I try to move him. He shows his most possessive behavior in the bed. Nasty snarly growly little dog. Totally our fault. Need to work on this. Still really cute.

What I love about SociaBulls

It's Thursday, which means almost weekend, which means almost SociaBulls! I've been a part of the group since September, and try to alternate who comes with me.

I end up taking Lola more often, since she has more issues, and since she has more friends in the pack, including her boyfriend Jack. She hasn't seen Jack in a while, but when they're on the walk together they gravitate toward each other and walk flank to flank. With hearts floating above their heads.

She's making progress overcoming her fear of strangers, and I'm so thankful for all the guys who are so patient with her (and me) when I ask them to give her treats and attention.

Franklin gets to go on about one walk a month. He holds his own with the big dogs and has quite a fan following among the people in the pack. 

As much as I love what the walks do for the dogs, I might get even more out of them. I've met some wonderful new friends through the walks, and meeting new friends is always a good thing.

Wordless Wednesday: cat caption this

Play with me. Play with me NOW!

Now that Lola no longer destroys her stuffies, she's on the hunt for someone to play with her.

She tried getting M and Franklin to play while they were watching TV:

And tried getting me to play while I was working.

To no avail. Poor Lola. No one wants to play with her.