Christmas Cookies! (Sorry, for people only)

Frosted sugar cookies with M&M
minis! Yum!

R.I.P. Sir Perceval!

Today when I woke up I found, to my dismay and horror, that the cat had knocked over my beloved beta Sir Perceval's tank. No body was found, therefore we must draw the inevitable conclusion that Sir Percy was eaten. I have been quite upset about this because I feel that I am somehow responsible. Wasn't it my job to protect Percy from danger, to clean his tank and feed him his little fish food? Farewell, gallant Percy. You fought the dragon and lost. We will always remember how you would swim in and out of your hollow castle, float on the bottom of the tank, and spit out your food. Rest in peace, Percy.

Social Grooming 101

I read that when cats engage in communal grooming, the higher ranking cat will groom the lower-ranking cat. I guess Leto's trying to show Freyja who's boss.

Mass Hysteria! Cats and Dogs living together!

So here is a video of Freyja and Leto playing together. Do not be fooled by Brian's pajama pants being in the video, Brian does not actually appear. Also please disregard our conversation at the beginning of the video, especially the part where I say "How do you get this thing to play?" Towards the end of the video you will hear Cisco yelp because I accidentally stepped on him. Enjoy.

Question: Do siamese cats like to swim? (See answer below)

I read online that Siamese cats love to swim, so I decided to try this experiment. Leto seemed content just to bat the rubber duckie around so I decided to give him a little "push". Well, I found out that cats can climb straight up a slippery vertical surface. If he wants to swim at all, then he definitely wants to do it on his own time. This still does not explain why he will lay on the bottom of the tub after someone has taken a shower.

The P-A-R-K (don't say it out loud!)

When you have animals or small children, you learn to spell things. Once the word "park" is said, the dogs insist that we take them. This abandoned softball field is a perfect play place for the dogs: there are horses, other dog smells, and plenty of room to run. Every day, the horses come to see Freyja (she thinks she's a horse). There is a tall, black horse with a brown nose and white stockings that is my personal favorite. Freyja will run up and down the fence, barking playfully, and the horses will stamp and arch their necks. Cisco is not a fan of livestock, so we keep him distracted with his Frisbee.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I made the famous rolls and I didn't screw them up! Here's the proof.

The evil smiley-face balloon must be destroyed!

Who let the cat out of the bag and onto the couch?

Cats will make toys out of anything. This is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it's cute when Leto plays with paper bags or those little plastic rings that come off the milk jug. Other times you wonder why your couch is totally destroyed. To be fair, Leto had help from his siblings. Animals tend to be hard on furniture. I wanted to give this couch to a friend in need but I couldn't give it to her in the shape it was in. Well, my awesome mom spent three hours with a staple gun and a sewing machine and the results are amazing! Thanks mom!

Daddy's dogs

When I met Brian, one of the first things I asked was if he liked dogs. Apparently he had never grown up with animals (gasp!) but his brother has a beagle, Buddy, and Brian always said great things about him. This seemed like a good start. Although I have now found out that Brian is definitely a cat guy, he is very caring and cute with both dogs (though mostly if no one is looking). He has a great calming effect on Cisco, and Freyja has been a daddy's girl from the beginning. Right after we got married, Brian wanted another dog. I knew that he wanted a beagle but I saw Freyja, fell in love, and she came to live with us. I'm so glad she's our girl now. She is good with cats, dogs, and kids. I've never seen her get in a fight with another dog and she's the only dog I know that doesn't put up with Cisco's huge attitude! Ever since we taught her to shake, she slaps people in the face/leg/knee/arm with her long legs whenever she gets excited. This is not a good thing to wake up to in the morning!

No pets allowed? No problem!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes house and then pets. Well, I seemed to have done it all backwards. When I first got Cisco, I was single and not even living in a house. Cisco and I slept in my grandparent's garage for two weeks until I found an apartment that would let me keep a dog. I had to twist the landlord's arm and pay a huge deposit to move in with a pet. Four years later, I convinced him to let Brian and me bring Freyja into the family. Now we have Leto who is technically a secret. As far as the cat is concerned we have a don't ask, don't tell policy with the landlord. So that's how I brought two dogs and smuggled one cat into a two bedroom duplex that started off with a no pets policy. So how do I live with two dogs and no fenced yard? A giant dog run, lots of walks, hiking, and trips to the park. We also bought a 200 dollar "pet" vacuum to combat hair and lots of carpet cleaner in case somebody has an accident. I'm so lucky to have found a place where I can keep my pets, but I still dream of the day when we can all live in a big house with a fenced yard. Once I'm a homeowner, there's no limit to how many "kids" I may have!

The Ballad of Nebo and Cisco

In the beginning, Cisco and Nebo were best friends. They didn't have to worry about competing for attention with other dogs. These days, Nebo has two new Siberian husky siblings. To follow the adventures of the huskies and their human, Amy, check out www.huskydogblog.blogspot.com. Nebo taught Cisco important life lessons such as how to mark one's territory, and how to eat snow. Nebo and Cisco joined their humans on camping trips, sledding days, and hikes up Mt. Timpanogos. Today they are the wise veterans of many a Strut your Mutt and PetSmart Halloween party. Hopefully they can teach the younger generation a thing or two!

Who is the Cisco Kid?

October 6, 2003 I adopted my Cisco boy, a border collie/Aussie mix, from the Wasatch Humane Society. So much has changed in the past five years. I married my best (human) friend, Brian. Soon after Brian and I got married we expanded our family to not only a doggy little sister, Freyja, but a kitty little brother, Leto!
Poor Cisco is no longer the only child that he had hoped to be for the rest of his days. He has had to overcome a lot, including his jeolousness of other dogs and his herding obsession towards cats. He has come so far from the traumatized, submissive dog he was when I first fell in love with him. He plays with Freyja (though he's not afraid to show her who's the boss) and tolerates Leto. As well as being a frisbee aficianado and champion snuggle-buddy, Cisco is a tireless hiker whose hobbies include bone chewing, toy destroying, and grilled-cheese sandwhich stealing. Life is good!