All Dogs Go To… Kansas City? January 25, 2009

This weekend, our house was filled with dogs! Jeff’s family came for a visit and brought along Barkley (Jeff’s parents’ Cairn Terrier) and Piper (Jeff’s sister and brother-in-law’s Boston Terrier) to play with Petey! I captured a few images of them in the living room this afternoon… so cute! :)

I LOVE this one of Barkley — check out those big brown eyes! :)

And Miss Piper:

And Petey, fresh from the groomer, who cut his beard just a little too short… hee hee. :)

A little dog-playing action shot! :)

Oh, those floppy little ears. :) I definitely don’t regret leaving his ears long, instead of cropping them like most people do with schnauzer puppies.

Piper is the only girl of the bunch, and she spent all weekend trying to meet our new next-door neighbor’s dog, who is also a Boston Terrier. Sadly, they never got to meet, but Piper still gave  Petey a run for his money. She also has the best voice/bark… basically, she sounds like a turkey! :)

Barkley is the oldest of the group, and he likes to spend most of his time cuddling, going from lap to lap. :)

Petey got in some quality time with his “grandparents” — he’s a little lover! :)

And, one more… to leave you with a laugh. :) Barkley has the best hair that stays however you style it — here he is sporting a very stylish mohawk, courtesy of Jeff. :)

Oh, dogs. They are such a joy! Do you have a dog? What kind is it? Don’t you just love how affectionate they are? :)

Petey still lives with his parents. November 13, 2008

Dear blog readers, I have a confession.

I am one of those doggie moms.

The cute fall sweaters, graphic tees, parkas and coordinating collars were just too much to handle. Today, I broke down and bought Petey a t-shirt. Okay, and a sweater.

Now, before you judge, let me explain. Schnauzers have some crazy hair. Petey especially has some crazy hair — a mixture of coarse, wiry hair and really fine soft hair. Anyway, it was out of control and he had all of these little matted spots. So, off to the groomers he went. And out he came — still a schnauzer in the face, but more like a shaved little squirrel-dog everywhere else. 

Naturally, the best way to help my little guy preserve his doggie dignity was to buy him some super hip canine clothes. :)

Petey, thanks for being such a good sport. :)

Our little pride & joy! October 6, 2008

Petey got a haircut yesterday, and they put this cute little bandana around his neck that I just couldn’t help but do a mini photo shoot in the yard. :)

Petey’s just getting cuter with age — he’ll be nine months old this weekend. Seriously, it doesn’t get much cuter than this!

Ohhh, he just makes me smile! :)

Alison and Chris (and Piper) September 2, 2008

Four years ago.

It was four years ago on August 28th that she put on her wedding dress. He put on his tie. She got her hair and make-up done. He stood nervously at the top of the aisle. She walked down the aisle with her dad by her side. They said their vows. They exchanged rings. They were pronounced husband and wife.

Four years ago…and decades more to go.

Alison is Jeff’s older sister. Chris is her husband. And they are too, too, TOO cute.

We went for an anniversary photo shoot in downtown Kansas City, where they were spending their anniversary weekend. We started out at the historic and beautiful Hotel Phillips. I love how shadowy and vintage these photos are. Very cool.

The street views were just great in the morning light. And what about these awesomely urban fire escape ladders?

 

The Kansas City Public Library is in an old bank building in downtown Kansas City…I LOVE this building, from the big marble columns, to the ornate front doors…it’s an architectural treat.

Are you kidding me?! I think these two are models on the side…

More fun streetside shots on Baltimore…seriously model worthy.

And it wouldn’t be a Kansas City photo shoot without a fountain!

After their shoot, we took out their Boston Terrier girl, Piper, for a modeling shoot. She was SUCH a good model — check out these shots of their canine daughter!

Poor, poor Petey. August 12, 2008

Our poor little puppy had surgery for his neuter today. He is currently breathing deeply next to me, so worn out from the events of the day. He has just wanted to be next to his Mommy and Daddy all night so we could take care of him and tell him it would be okay! I was worried about him all day long, but the vet called around noon to say that everything went great. Little did I know that was the easy part…

So they said that he had to wear one of these lamp-shade-looking contraptions so he doesn’t lick the incision…well, those silly Banfield people gave him one that is obviously WAY to BIG…the poor guy couldn’t walk at all in it. They assured me that it was the right size, but that he was just nervous to walk with it on. I believed them, and carried him to the car.

So we got home, and got inside, and the poor little guy couldn’t even stand up on his own, because that thing was too big that it kept knocking him over — it was seriously taller than his little legs! Mommy to the rescue! I went to Petco and got him a miniature schnauzer-sized cone thing, and it works MUCH better. These photos were taken with the first one, sized for a junk yard guard dog.

But seriously, for those of you dog-informed people out there…does he honestly have to wear that thing for one week?! (Um…he’s not wearing it right now). It makes me so sad!

(Can you see how that would be very traumatizing…for us and for Petey??)

Jeff looks happy, but seriously, he’s as heartbroken as Petey’s little face looks…awwwww!

Petey-boy. July 22, 2008

“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too.” — Samuel Butler

On January 12, 2008, my life changed. For those of you who know me very well at all, you will agree that I was not historically a “dog person.” I liked them alright, as long as they weren’t barking, jumping, scratching, licking or running towards me…(what else do dogs do?).

Anyway, my life took a turn when 2 months into his little life, Jeff and I decided we couldn’t live without Petey, the cutest little runt from my mom’s dog Molly’s litter of puppies. I don’t think my parents thought I would last a week with him in our apartment.

Perhaps I blog about my dog too much…I can’t help it! There’s just something about this little guy that makes my heart melt. He has these eyes that just stare into the depths of your soul, seriously. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to have (human) children. He has brought us so much joy, entertainment, cuddles and grief that there’s no way I would ever trade this experience.

If you haven’t watched the new show Greatest American Dog on CBS, I definitely recommend it. It is quite possibly the most hilarious, enlightening reality TV show out there. You learn just as much about people as you do about dogs. Check it out, Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST).

Oh, Petey James Short, what would we do without you?

Meet Pete. March 17, 2008

The Shorts are proud to announce the addition of Petey James Short, miniature schnauzer, to our family. :) Petey James is the son of Molly May, who belongs to my parents. We brought Petey home when he was exactly 9 weeks old, two days ago. He has been hilarious (and quite a challenge!) over the last few days. He is the perfect balance between being really playful and fun (he loves to hop and bounce after his stuffed toys) and being the best lap dog. As I type this, he’s stretched out half asleep on my lap. He loves to be held and to play, and even though he cries when we put him in his crate, he’s doing really well so far.

We love this little guy. Enjoy these photos, taken during his first few days of being home. The first one was taken right after he drank a bunch of water…you can notice the drops dripping off his beard. :)