Enough.

It is unbelievably humid here today so I decided to take the girls on a hike near the water. We went to Bull Creek where there is a large, shallow area that dogs wade and play in. Most Ridgebacks are not especially fond of water and Bella is no exception. She will get her paws wet but that is about it. 

We were wading around and everybody was ooh-ing and aah-ing about the cute puppy. Then the cute puppy (Lulu) decides she is going to take a swim. Full on, doggy-paddling swim. It was pretty darn cute and all the people were clapping and showering her with attention. At this point Bella had enough. She had been standing on the sidelines watching and, after Lulu's ovation, she, I kid you not, gave me an "Really, I have had just about enough of this" look and trotted down the trail towards the car, which was not exactly close.

Bella is not what I would consider an independent dog. She is my side-kick and sticks pretty darn close. I figured she was just around the corner but when I went to the trail she was just trotting down it with no intention of coming back. I rounded Lulu up and headed after Bella and her wounded pride.

Bella has been an only-dog for 4 1/2 years. She is used to being showered with attention and adoration. She is a very pretty dog and is used to being told so often. Since the arrival of Lulu Bella has certainly had to take a back seat to her, which she has done very gracefully and without complaint. I'm sure hearing how cute and darling and sweet the puppy is all the time wears on her last nerve and, for those of you who think that she doesn't know what they are saying, you would be mistaken.

Bella has made me proud of what a good big sister she is. She doesn't complain when she gets accosted by puppy teeth at 7 am, not when Lulu follows her EVERYWHERE so she can't even do her business in private, not even when Crazypants tries to steal her food. She is truly a good, good girl and I can only hope that Lulu grows up to be like Bella.

Why I want to be more like my dog.

The Guru

I had an epiphany yesterday. Bella, Lulu, and I went for a little hike at Turkey Creek. It was perfect weather, not too hot, not too cold, with Bella and Lulu running through the trees playing chase. At one point they were a bit far back so I called them to come. I turned around and saw Lulu, not running towards me but HAULING as fast as she could with her little puppy run, mouth hanging open. That is when I got it.

Lulu knows how to live life. Everything she does, she does with extreme enthusiasm. She wakes up, albeit a bit too early for my taste, incredible ready and eager to start the day. She races out of her crate, down the hall, and out the door to go potty then back to the kitchen for breakfast. She literally LEAPS for joy with all four paws off the ground while waiting for her breakfast. We tell her to stop but I am not sure she is physically, or maybe mentally, able to. While she eats her breakfast her tail is going back and forth so hard and fast it is amazing it doesn't throw her off balance.

Then it is time to play. Whether it be with Bella or some poor stuffed thing about to meet it's demise, she goes at it with gusto. She will go all the way down the hallway so that she can turn around and run as fast as she can down the hallway to project herself into the air and onto poor Bella. Then she will try to get onto the couch but, instead of trying to push off with her back legs, she jumps off all four legs sending her straight up and not quite making it to her intended target. That is how she is, all day, everyday. She is like a party waiting to happen. I'm pretty sure that no one has ever said that about me.

Watching her yesterday, chasing Bella around the trees, with no real chance of catching her but not caring one bit, I realized that I really do want to be more like Lulu.

So there it is. Life lessons from a 14 week old puppy who seems to have mastered the secret to happiness. I'll take that. Happily.

Sneak Peak- Organic Bed

This is a first-round sample for my new organic dog bed. It has inside-out seams and I'm really happy with how it turned out and pretty proud of my new silk screening skills. Now off to LA to find the perfect fabric.

A very popular pillow

I had an 18" dog bed made as a sample not realizing that it was way too small for any sort of "real" dog. The only dog that would fit on it was one of those mini dogs that seem to function more as accessories than dogs and rarely are seen sitting in the corner on a dog bed.

When Lulu came home she was 12 pounds and, voila, fit perfectly on the pillow. For about a week. Even though she doesn't really fit on the pillow anymore, she still uses it quite a bit. This is not, by the way, out of necessity, as there are at least 5 large beds spread throughout our not very large house.
(Sidenote- The sweater was a moment of weakness. She was so tiny and it was really cold that day and she looked pretty cute)

Well yesterday I was working on the computer and Bella was feeling a bit vulnerable after being clocked in the eye full force with a Chuck-It (those plastic things used to throw tennis balls for the non-athletic types). So I turn around and she is sitting on top of the mini-pillow with her not exactly small rear end barely fitting on the pillow. Then she decided to lay down and take a nap on the mini-pillow.

I love that dog. :-)

Stop and smell (or eat) the bluebonnets

Bluebonnet season is in full force here and Lulu met her first bluebonnets the other day. She gave them a good whiff... then chowed them.

She's got skilz....

Bella's boyfriend Tucker's mom sent Bella a very sweet Easter package since Bella could not be there for the annual Easter egg hunt. Let's just say that Bella has perfected her egg opening technique and went through all 10 or so eggs in about 5 minutes. Each egg has a piece of Blue Dog Bakery treats in it (a.k.a Dog crack) and if there were an Easter egg hunt competition for dogs Bella would rule.

Warning to Lulu: Don't try and pick off Bella's eggs.

The Lulu Stamp of Approval

Meet the new Girl and a Dog Quality Assurance Tester. We can all be assured that, after careful review, Lulu gave the beds her highest rating by passing out cold on the whole pile. 

Girl and a Dog. And a Dog.

Is it too late to change my name to Girl and Two Dogs? Not so catchy. Last week we took a little trip to pick up our new Ridgeback puppy and I am happy to announce that we made it through an entire week. I truly have a new appreciation for my friends that are moms. Getting up at 2, 4, and 6 really doesn't suit me. I heard a report that the average American gets 6.5 hours of sleep a night. I am a 9 hour sleeper. I don't use an alarm clock. I just fall asleep and wake up almost exactly 9 hours later and I like it that way.

Bella and I had a great thing going. Get up, she would eat her breakfast and then take about a 2 hour nap before we went out. Well the little one (still nameless after a week) wakes up at 7 (if we are lucky) ready to chow and then play. I mean PLAY. I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with her. She runs down the hallway so she can get a really big running start and then LEAPS at Bella. All four paws off the ground. If she were a child I think she might have ADD. She will go go go until she falls over and goes to sleep.

She is also unusually hairy for a Ridgeback. She has the strangest really long what I assume are eyebrows. They are like 3 inches long!!! I'm glad she is not a human girl because I am pretty sure she would be teased on the playground for how hairy she is and have to later employ a full-time waxer. She also has strange hair elsewhere but that is probably TMI.


She is really sweet and very fun and Bella seems happy about the new addition. We were a little concerned as Bella is somewhat set in her ways but she has adjusted really well and loves to have a playmate of her own.

Now she just needs a name. If the indecisive Libra in our house could just make a decision that would be great. Really.

Meet the dogs

Each pillow design is named after a dog that is very near and dear to me.


First is Bella Bleu, the 'dog' behind Girl and a Dog. She is my sidekick, my product tester, female spokesmodel, and my sweet friend. She can usually be found somewhere near my feet if not sunbathing or begging for treats. She is quite special. I intentionally use the word "special." There will be plenty more Bella posts to come as she has quite the life.




This is Desmo the Dog, the best dog in the whole world. He was my friend and Bella's uncle. Desmo and I were always at the back of the hiking pack grumbling about having to walk up the face of a cliff or how much longer the hike could possibly last. I loved him like he was my own. He is no longer with us here on earth but regularly sends me signs that he is still around. Seriously, he does and I am not one of those new-agey weird people either.

It's not that Winnie doesn't deserve her own picture, it's just more appropriate for her to be with Mo. Winnie is sweet, strong, and could out run just about anyone other than her (human) mom. She is also Bella's BFF, though now from afar. She is now the proud (I think) big sister to two crazy Ridgeback brothers. Sometimes she joins in and other times lays on her pillow dreaming that the pups might take a trip somewhere far far away.


Just in case you're tired of looking at Ridgebacks, this is Tucker. Tucker is Bella's boyfriend. You may think that dogs can not fall in love but you would be wrong. I have seen it with my own eyes. Tucker is 2 weeks older than Bella and they grew up together racing around trees, going to the beach, and taking naps together. Bella thinks Tucker is the Bees Knees, especially when he is with his mom. If Bella is ever missing I will assume that she has high-tailed it cross country to go live with Tucker and Wanda.

This makes me sad. This is Matisse. I bought her with a hot check. You must be thinking "wow, she must have been expensive." She was $60. Matisse traveled with me through Mexico and Central America. If you ever want an entire seat to yourself on a Guatemalan bus just travel with a small funny-looking dog. Her favorite thing in the world was to sit on my lap. I miss her sitting on my lap.

I did make good on the check. Thanks dad.





This is Annie a.k.a Annie-Banani. She was part Ridgeback. She couldn't swim. She once got hit by a car and went under it from one end to the other, emerging relatively unscathed. That is what she was like. She was also very good at licking tears off your face. Hopefully she and Matisse are sitting on opposite ends of the couch together somewhere in heaven.