Wordless Wednesday

Intruder

Look what I found sitting on our windowsill. Mom shooed me away because she wanted to take pictures. Then she decided that the window needed cleaning and the bird flew away. My mom wants you to excuse the dirty window, by the way. My nose is way too petite to create that kind of mess. (Psst, it's Chance and his big schnoz. He lives by the window).

I'm A Gem!

Thank you so much to Bentley, Lexus and their mom for giving me this beautiful award. I am a little verklempt.

I'm A Gem

Thanks to Tiffany and her sweet pack, Bentley & Lexus, for bestowing this wonderful award on me. You guys rock.

What Did You Call Me?

I have so many aliases, I can hardly keep up. Apparently, my humans think it is okay to call me everything but the name that I was given.
Here are some of my nicknames:

Spark Plug

Sparky Plug

Sparkman

Sparkinator

Sparkykins

Sparkles *ewwww* *gag*

The last one is wrong. Just WRONG!

My Monikers

Our new friends, Bentley & Lexus came up with a great idea for a blog post: listing all the different names our humans call us. We thought we were the only ones saddled with additional monikers, but apparently, it is a pretty common practice among humans. Here we go....

A little history first. My foster mom gave me the name Esmeralda, which she shortened to Ezzy. To start my life in my new forever home, my new mom wanted to change my name without straying too far from what I was used to. That is how she settled on Izabella because it was close in pronunciation to Esmeralda. The spelling came from the Jimi Hendrix song of the same name. My mom is a music nut, but I digress. *sigh* She really liked the idea of a second name; however, I notice that when she calls me by both names she's usually fussing at me about something.

Here are some other names I am known by:

Miss Izzy

Izzy Grace

Miss Priss

Punkin Head

Punkin

Sweet Baby Girl

Izzy Girl

Make of them what you will, but I answer to all of them even though I'm not too fond of "Punkin Head". I mean, really, sheesh. There is nothing glamorous or sophisticated about that name.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

The Importance of Laps

It appears that I've got it made in this photo, right? Nice chair, cushy seat, what could be better? Well, I'd much prefer to be on a lap. If I'm not sitting on a human's lap I feel lost, insecure even.

Let me tell you what I know about laps and why I highly recommend them:

1) All laps are warm

2) Some laps are fuzzy

3) I've heard that some laps are bony, so if you have the choice between a plump human and a skinny human, choose the plump one

4) Laps make me feel safe and I never want to live without one

5) Mom's are usually softer than dad's

My wish is for every dog to have a nice, warm lap to snuggle into, like me!

Charmed Life

I lead a very charmed life. My humans are what some might call "overprotective". After three years, they have finally started to include me on the family walks with my two brothers, but because I am so petite, they fear that some of the beastly neighborhood dogs could potentially have me for an evening snack.

Being harnessed to Daddy is normally something I would love, but I still don't quite understand this contraption. What if I fall out? Therefore, it still makes me a little nervous.

Sparky says he is embarrassed by Daddy carting me around like I'm royalty. Well, as far as I'm concerned he can just get over himself. He embarrasses ME by urinating on weeds, grass, and mailboxes. What crass behavior. Afterwards, he comes home exhausted. Look at him.

Oh well, at least Chance behaves like a gentleman. He's my favorite. But sshhhh, don't tell anyone.

The Walk

Last night we all went on a walk! Well, I say ALL of us walked, but in actuality, Izzy was carried by Daddy like she's the Queen of Sheba. I mean look at her in that contraption! It was soooo embarrassing.

I managed to ignore the situation by performing the very difficult task of marking my territory about every 10 feet. I have my reputation to protect, you know. Mom kept pulling me forward saying we didn't have time for that nonsense. My macho image was at stake! Darn her.

No matter what this picture looks like, I am the Alpha Dog. hmmmph!

No Way Out

Apparently, I gave Daddy a little panic attack this morning. When he got ready to leave for work, he couldn't find me anywhere. He couldn't find me up the stairs and couldn't find me under the beds. He looked up, down, and all around. He shouted my name inside and outside. Daddy began to think that I had vaporized into thin air.

I never said peep. As he yelled my name, I didn't bark to tell him where I was. I don't know why. Sometimes I'm just a quiet little fella who likes to mind his own business. Besides, this was my private refuge that I had uncovered all by myself, and I wasn't sure I wanted it exposed so quickly. The others might try to horn in on my new territory.

It all started when Daddy sat in the recliner early that morning and pulled the foot rest up. When he did that, I made the awesome discovery: it was all cavelike under there. It was dark and cool and unexplored. I was beyond excited to have a fresh new hide out place. I was wondering why I had never thought of this spot before. Of course I failed to realize that when he put the foot rest down, I would have no way out.

Daddy really strained his brain to think when he saw me last and that's when it dawned on him that I might be stuck under the chair. When he put the foot rest up, there I was, patiently waiting.

In order to get the most out of this ghastly situation, I put on my really pathetic face. Over the years, I have perfected this forlorn face. In fact, I used that face to get my mom to adopt me on the very first day we met, and it's worked ever since. But part of me was really sad that my new hiding place was no longer secret.

Izzy the Grouch

Well, the domination of Izzy continues. She has effectively taken over the entire household, including the food bowls. Even if I happen to get to the food first, she glares at me with a death stare until I move away. Once she has achieved this I am not allowed back at the bowl until she is finished.

Izzy is a very slow, yet voracious eater with a very tiny mouth, so it takes for-ev-er. If I get brave enough to stick my nose in she has the audacity to growl at me and show her teeth. It is a very unpleasant experience.

Food is my life. Well, my momma, too. What can I do with her?!

Au Naturel

Mom was in a puparazzo mood again. *sigh* She told me that I need a bra. I barked back, "That's rude! I'm a mature girl now." Besides, have you ever seen a dog wear a bra and appear comfortable? I'm a natural beauty and don't need such nonsense anyway.

This Sign Stinks

My mom's daughter, Autumn, took this photo during her vacation in Portland, OR last year. It has just come to my attention and I find it completely and utterly crass. Besides, as my mom is well aware, when I have to go, I have to GO. How is she supposed to stop me? Yeah, that's what I thought.

My Mom, the Puparazzo

My mom, the puparazzo, is in full swing again. All I wanted was a peaceful evening on her lap. Instead I was forced to pose on a frilly blanket and asked repeatedly to smile for the camera. I'm a very private per...er...canine. Can't she see that I'm not enjoying this? When the ears lay flat on my head that is not a good sign. I've seen what Kiefer Sutherland does to paparazzi. Does she want me to go all 24 on her tail?

She did get one good action shot of me hunting the bunnies in our back yard, except the photograph doesn't show my tail which is always curved perfectly when I'm stalking prey. That would have really done a lot to enhance my macho image. Mom, can you do a better job next time of getting my entire body in the frame?

Shameful

The puparazzi are completely criminal -- always shooting me at my worst moment! Here, I was just about to play "chase the tail" when, SNAP! There are a thousand beautiful photos of me and this is the one that makes headlines. Tsk tsk.

Pet of the Week

Hello friends. I have just been voted Pet of the Week on the Dallas Morning News web site! A red carpet ceremony with me wearing a tiara and accepting a box of petite biscuits would have been grand, but it didn't happen and that's okay. My parents have bragging rights and I have been immortalized on a postcard. That's good enough for me if it's good enough for them!

Checking In

Not much to report on the home front lately. My days are spent pining for my mom while she's away doing whatever it is she does, and sleeping. Oh, and eating - can't forget the most important activity!

Izzy started some kind of Savings & Bone plan by hiding food all over the house. Most of the time she forgets where she makes her deposits, and guess who benefits? My sniffer would outperform the best Bloodhound. She's really not very careful with her hiding places. I found a piece of kibble in my dog bed the other day. Maybe she was leaving me a treat. Who knows. She also left a morsel next to the toilet which mom found. She knows mom doesn't eat our food! That girl is an enigma.

Mom bought me a cushy new bed for her office because she didn't like the color of the other one. The replacement is much thicker and softer, so I wholeheartedly approve of the change.

Well, that's about it. I might bark some more later.

Savings & Bone Plan

Sometimes when daddy arrives home from his long day away, I am so overcome with joy, that I grab a morsel of kibble, race to the couch, and proceed to bat it around with my paw. I have also been known to pick it up with my teeth, and then drop it just to see where it lands, and then pounce on it. See, I can be a playful girl.

When the two beasts are eating, I make the effort to hide a few kibbles around the house. They eat like ravenous wolves, so just to be safe, I created my very own Savings and Bone Plan. A girl must always be prepared, you know.

Kibble has been found under couch cushions, under dog beds, and inside the couch blankets. Once, my mom found one beside the toilet. Sometimes I forget where I make my deposits, but I never really worry because there is seemingly an endless supply. When the humans find a forgotten morsel, they promptly hand it to me. I think of it as interest or a bonus. Occasionally, Sparky discovers my hiding place and chomps down like a big brute without another thought. He KNOWS it's mine, yet he PRETENDS he doesn't. He's all, "Yum. Look what I found!" He's so arrogant about it, he acts as though he's found the cure for parvo or something. *smirk*

My plan doesn't always go as smoothly as I'd like, but at least I have one! While my behavior with food perplexes the humans, they play along anyway. I love those silly humans.