Christmas photos… at Thanksgiving
I know, I know, but when else am I supposed to do this? I have a whole THREE days in a row off now and won’t get another chance until Christmas Eve. I’m making the best of my time today.
I bought these GIANT ornaments years and years ago super cheap on Clearance for the express purpose of using them for photos with my dog. Yes, I am ridiculous, you don’t have to tell me. But look at these first and then tell me if you disagree with my decision.
And, since everybody has this totally incorrect image that my dog is sweet and adorable ALL THE TIME…
Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning
The “winning” shot in front of the tree this year… usually I shoot a bunch and only one turns out well. This is the one. Unfortunately even this one is slightly blurry.
A LOT of these are crappy because the lighting in this house is so horrible, especially after dark when these were taken, and some of them were easier to correct in Photoshop than others… some just came out awful colour-wise. So sorry in advance.
My mom wanted to put this necklace that lights up on him… he is a very good, tolerant little boy.
SANTA AUGGIE
He should just be glad I didn’t grab the hat with the beard attached to it this year.
No photos of him getting his snazzy presents on Christmas night… I forgot to grab the camera. He got a jolly ball, a brand new bed, and a new fleece blanket (he likes to play underneath it, or I’ll cover myself with it and he dances around outside the blanket wookie-noising at me.)
However, we opened stockings on Christmas morning and I remembered to grab the camera:
What? Dis mine, you say?
Oh yes, IS mine!!
HEAD IN STOCKING SHOT
Digging out the new loofa dog toy.
A brand new little basketball!
Pause to demonstrate to my dad one of the gifts I put in his stocking.
Auggie is tailgate tested, tailgate APPROVED!
Return to the stocking…
This brand new red ball is REALLY great. It was an awesome buy.
Playing with it right away.
All the goodies from the stocking. Considerably less than last year, but hey, there’s a recession going on… and also, he destroys fewer toys now that he’s older so I really, REALLY don’t need to buy him more. =P He has plenty.
Posing with his goodies!
Then we just hung out and played all day. It was nice to spend a day just hanging out with my little guy.
This is his new bed! At first he wasn’t sure if he liked it, so I told him I had the receipt and we could take it back, but then he changed his mind… he likes it a lot.
Staring some more at the Christmas tree… he really loves Christmas trees. Me too.
OH HAI MOMMY WITH CAMERA
HAAAAAAAAI (oh God this picture cracks me up)
I eats camera?
Layin’ on the floor near Momma!
This was after we played with that ball for about an hour. He was tired, so he went back to his bed.
Tired… so tired… so…
snznzzzkzzz
THEN WE HAD SOME SNOWS SO WE PUT ON OUR COATS AND WENT TO PLAY IN IT
I didn’t get a good shot of the back of his coat, but it has skulls and crossbones on it and says “ROCK STAR.”
Obviously we didn’t really get MUCH snow, and the wind was seriously awful. The temperature wasn’t too cold on it’s own, but the wind was super brutal, biting and strong. So we didn’t stay out long at all… we went back inside to play some more instead!
(I trimmed Auggie’s feet up today so they look much better now than they do in these pics. I honestly DO groom my dog, I promise.)
Secret Santa has visited Auggie!
The dog forum I belong to has done a Secret Santa for a couple years now, and Auggie’s Secret Santa package arrived today!
“For meeeee?”
I told him he has to always read the card first before he opens presents. So he did.
Sitting pretty with all the presents! This was hard because he already knew what was in the red packages, LOL.
PUPPY CHOCOLATE OM NOM NOM NOM (the smaller red package had people chocolate in it so it was put away immediately, LOL.)
I noms cuz this for me.
Sitting for a few pieces… he likes it a lot!
It was hard to make him want to open his other presents, LOL. I think he was like “YAY CHOCOLATE OKAY THAT’S IT BUHBYE”
“Whas in dis?”
A squeaky toy! Whoohoo!
Next, a lovely red lead! He tried it on. Sorta.
Sitting with his goodies! Thanks Secret Santa!!
“I can nom more chocolate now plz?”
Christmas Auggie Photos
I took a TON of photos of Auggie in front of the tree, and only a handful turned out how I really wanted them. But this one is worth the whole photo shoot:
Nabbed Mom into helping me with this shot. Several of these turned out, actually, so I had to pick the best one out.
Most of them turned out like this one… ugh!
He also got a stocking on Christmas morning!
Auggie… no, no, Auggie, no – there’s something sticking out the top – the TOP Auggie – I KNOW WHAT’S IN THE BOTTOM JUST GET THE TOY OUT OF THE TOP… Auggie, the TOP… AUGGIE…
I gave up, took the toy out myself, and squeaked it a few times. THAT got his attention.
I held open the stocking and told him to pull out his next present.
No, Auggie, no… pull it OUT. OUT of the stocking. Auggie… AUGGIE…
I gave up again and pulled the next present out myself again. Okay, so he’s not excited about a new lead, but I sure am!! (I love leads.)
Fine, Auggie – go ahead, get what you’re REALLY interested in…
Yes, THOSE you will pull out of the stocking. You mock me, dog.
These cookies were a gift from J, but I saved them for the stocking.
What’s that you say? You would like one of these? These things that I have in my lap? (Note the DRAMATIC LIGHTING.)
One of these, maybe? Is that what you want? (MORE DRAMATIC LIGHTING.)
The whole haul (still in the DRAMATIC LIGHTING.)
Shot of the haul again. This is a lot less than he got last year, since I couldn’t get it all to fit in the stocking last year and decided to go easy this time around.
Now we play with the reindeer toy!!!
I was setting up his Christmas toys to take a shot and he came over, with his “OH HAI you has cookie for me plz?” look on his face. Or his stupid look. Or his smiley look. Whatever you want to call it. THIS FACE.
This is what he got on Christmas night (no pics because it was way too dark in the house for them to turn out) – a big stuffed bone, and a carousel that has three little squeaky toys (a lion, a monkey, and an elephant) stuffed into it.
Note that Auggie is completely uninterested in me and is walking away in this photo since he found out I didn’t still have his cookies.
And that’s it! We haven’t had hardly any snow at all this year or I’d have some more photos – all we’ve had is ice. And Auggie standing on two inches of solid ice in my backyard doesn’t exactly make for a pretty picture.
Dear Mother Nature: SNOW SOON PLZ, K? THX. Love Beanie.
Auggie’s progress with children
First… I disclaimer this post. I am upset about what happened because of the parenting involved, but also upset because I failed to be watching. It could have gone HORRIBLY wrong and I would be (at least partially) to blame. In hindsight, this was not a good situation to put Auggie in. I screwed up and I’m lucky it didn’t end bad.
On Monday, I took Auggie to the mall to have his photo taken with Santa. There was a young boy ahead of us… maybe 6 or 7. His mom and dad were with him. Ahead of them was a guy and his CUTE CUTE dog, I’m not sure what she was – maybe a mix – but she was a pretty good sized dog.
Kid is being a huge pain in the butt. He almost hit the other dog, he almost stomped on her feet and her tail (while the owner has her in a sit-stay), just generally being an obnoxious brat.
“Great,” I think. This kind of behaviour – erratic, flailing, strange movements – is what Auggie doesn’t enjoy from children. To a lot of dogs, particularly herding dogs, they “see” children a little differently. Their weird movements can startle and frighten them. I have no idea what to expect with this kid or from Auggie as we stand behind them, but I’m pretty much prepared for the worst, and keep Auggie back as far as I can.
Auggie sits down next to me, looking at the kid. His tail is wagging and he’s smiling. At first it seems like everything will be a-okay. The kid starts leaping around – this is where he almost stomped on the other dog’s tail – and I expect Auggie to react, and I get ready to take Auggie on the OUTSIDE of the line and climb back over the wall when it’s our turn… but he does nothing. He just sits next to me quietly and watches, tail still wagging, still expecting if he behaves he will get nice pets and maybe a cookie.
See, this is the result of the careful, positive socialization this summer. Children are a good thing. If you see a child and behave well, you will get petted, you will get praised, you will get cookies. I think to myself “Oh! This is some real SUCCESS!”
And then – and this is my fault, I let my guard down – the kid all of a sudden LEAPS at Auggie, and sticks his face RIGHT into Auggie’s face.
HOLY S***. I FREAK out and take a HUGE step backwards, yanking Auggie back with me – I expected Auggie to react. And it could have been teeth right into that child’s face.
NOTHING. HAPPENED.
Auggie didn’t react at all. He was startled at me hauling him backwards, but he didn’t bark or make any kind of motion towards the kid.
Of course, at the time I was terrified and shaking, but later my mom pointed out how GOOD Auggie did. She’s right – he was wonderful. If somebody had told me a year ago that a small child would leap towards my dog and stick his face into Auggie’s I would have thought the end result would be DEATH for sure.
At that point, I should have gone ahead and stepped over the wall, separating Auggie from the kid… not because of Auggie’s behaviour, but because of the kid’s. But the kid’s dad hauled him back and told him “DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT. Don’t stick your face in a dog you don’t knows face – NOT EVEN WITH A DOG YOU KNOW!!!” He starts telling him that it’s not safe and he could be bitten and not to do it ever ever again.
“Good dad,” I thought, and figured the kid’s dad is watching now, and the kid has been told not to do it. Maybe the kid will settle down a bit?
WRONG. He settled down for a while, and about fifteen minutes later (the line was terribly long) he looks at me, smiles… and then suddenly propells himself forward and LEAPS INTO AUGGIE’S FACE AGAIN.
SON OF A… Auggie, to his credit, doesn’t react again. He keeps sitting.
But get this… the kid tries it a THIRD time, immediately after he straightens up.
This time, the kid lunges straight into my LEG – because I’ve now stomped my leg down and physically placed myself BETWEEN him and my dog. “DON’T do that,” I flatly tell him. I am not about to play nice, this kid has just crossed the line. I was wearing my snow boots, and if I’d stomped down on his fingers with my boots getting between him and my dog… I wouldn’t have felt bed. I was PISSED.
Oh yeah – and that “good dad?” He wasn’t paying attention. Mom hauls her kid back this time (she wasn’t paying attention either, but me stomping down and snarling at the kid apparently got her attention) and the dad scolds him, then goes “Oh, what’d he do?” What you just told him not to do, you big goober!! Dad lectures the kid again.
And then they stand there in line for another, I dunno, probably 30 minutes so the kid can go sit on Santa’s lap. While the kid continues to flail around, kicking the set the mall put up, hanging on things, yanking on things… great parenting at work. Kid does something dangerous, gets lectured on it, does exact same thing TWICE not twenty minutes later, and then gets to go see Santa anyway? Sigh.
Kid is on the Naughty List, I’m telling you.
I moved away from them about ten feet and put Auggie behind me anyway. The people behind me were very nice and understanding about the huge gap in the line.
Seriously, I can’t believe Auggie behaved so well. And I can’t believe how stupid I was to not have trusted my instincts. I could have picked Auggie up and held him, or gone ahead and stood outside the set wall like I thought, or moved all that way back in the first place… and certainly the second time around, I should have done more than just try to move back even further.
I know better. I NEVER trust children around Auggie. I’m not really sure why I did this time – maybe because our socialization was going so well this summer, and because Auggie’s initial reaction was encouraging that I dropped my guard. There was no bad ending… but there definitely could have been.
So, folks… trust your instincts when it comes to your dogs. If you think a situation is bad, it probably is. If you can do something to avoid the situation, don’t wait. Do it.
Hopefully that kid learns his lesson or he’s likely going to end up getting his face bitten off.
REGARDLESS… Auggie saw Santa. Santa loved him. Auggie tried to give Santa kisses. Santa thought that Auggie had been a very good boy (for THAT performance he just gave? He’s a FREAKING SAINT.) and that he wanted a steak for Christmas.
A steak? Well, maybe some raw one way or another.
Secret Santa has come to see Auggie
Auggie and I participated in a Secret Santa swap on the dog forum I belong to, and his amazing gift came today!!
“You say it’s for ME? Really?”
“What’s this? Oh a card… can I eat it? No? Then who cares.”
“Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!!” Peanut butter & blueberry soft cookies – these are AWESOME! They smell delicious and he loves them!
Posing pretty with his packages…
It’s a little sheep for my little sheepdog!! (He was nomming on it until I took the pic; the flash distracted him!)
Hmm, what’s in this one..?
It’s a little reindeer with rope legs… he is OBSESSED with this toy!!
I threw it. He brought it back and put it, for some reason, in all the packaging and things…
Then I threw it again…
…and again… (seriously – OBSESSED with this toy.)
And then – this is the BEST. PART. OMG. This is SO NICE, an AMAZING leash. I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!
Auggie thinks it’s pretty manly. “Surely nobody will call me a girl dog when I’m wearing this!”
I made him pose with it… I LOVE IT AAAAH I LOVE IT. I’m obsessed with it like he’s obsessed with his reindeer toy.
“And now,” says Auggie, “the best part!!”
NOM A COOKIE!!!
Auggie’s First Christmas (with me)
Not his first Christmas ever – since he was born in November, he already had a Christmas. But his first Christmas with me!
Oh my gosh, presents! Are these all MINE?? (No, no they are not.)
Wheeee, wrapping paper!
Sharing his new toys with his friend Happy. My mom insisted on getting him that little rubber basketball, which he squeaks relentlessly (and therefore I took it away from him after only a few minutes, before he drove me insane.)
