One Year Old!!! Then and NOW… By Dott

Just think… Last year at this time I was a VERY TIRED new Mama.

I even had pretty ears…

Not these Puppy Shredded and Scared ones that I have now. (Robert or Grammy usually help me by touching them up through Photoshop now…)

Anyway, we made some growth collages for your enjoyment…

Letters from Gracie & Sprayed? By Dott

We heard from my daughter, Gracie a while back and got a picture of her the other day. The first email came around Christmas, and the second in January. What with the big trip, we’re just getting around to posting. Here is what she had to say:

From the Desk of Gracie, HSVC Mascot:

Guess what, Mama... I'm an official "Mascot" for my new Mom's Rescue place where she works here in Ojai: the Humane Society of Ventura County. Isn't that COOL!

Mom says that I am "Very Smart," because I have learned to sit at the door and wait when I need to go out or come in... usually... I still like to dig, though, and it's just so hard to remember that digging is a big "NO, NO!" I'm working on it though. (We know what you mean, Gracie. Mercy has the same problem!)

She really loves me a lot and even lets me sit on her lap sometimes when she types, so that's why I'm learning about how to send you emails! Aren't you proud of me, Mama Dott? My Mom says to tell you, Grammy and my GrandPaw thank you so much for the happiness and laughter that I've brought her and my new Dad... That's Good, Right? Love, Gracie

From the Desk of Gracie, HSVC Mascot:

Oh, Mama... I don't feel so good! My tummy hurts! I had to go to the vet's place and they made me go to sleep so I could be “sprayed?” I woke up a while ago, and didn't feel good at ALL, but now I'm feeling a little better with all the loving my Mom's giving me. She says that I'm "the love of her life." I ate a little bit and drank some water, and she says that I'm doing pretty good, and now I won't have any trouble getting heated up later.

I HAD both of my ears up when they took me, but I'm just to tired to hold both of them up right now, so came home with only one up. I'm sure I'll feel strong enough soon to start holding both of them up again. Mom is afraid that she is going to have trouble "keeping me quiet" and not letting me play for a WHOLE WEEK like the vet told her to do... THAT doesn't sound like a lot of fun!

Well, like I said, I'm not feeling too good, so I think I'll go and rest now. Tell everyone I love them, and I've got a really good home here, so don't worry about me, Mama. Your daughter, Grace.

This last makes me a bit nervous. There have been rumors going around the house that my Dad is taking Mercy and me on a little trip tomorrow. He has been VERY NERVOUS and upset and taking pills for his stomach even. He keeps petting me a lot. He says we can’t eat after dinner this evening and he is going to lock us in his room tonight. He also said that we have to get up at 6:30 a.m. to go on a little trip…

I overheard our people talking about Mercy and me going to get sprayed … I don’t like being sprayed around here if we bark too much, and I DON’T think I want to GO anywhere to get sprayed, either! ESPECIALLY if it’s making GrandPaw and Grammy so nervous!

My Dad even told Grammy that he doesn’t know what he is going to do without me in his bed tomorrow night! Why wouldn’t I be in his bed with him at night? He’s been petting on both Mercy and me a lot all day… WHAT’S GOING ON!!!

(Grammy: Please pray that all goes well... We are all MORE than a little nervous about our precious Dott having surgery. She's just come off of being in heat and we are hoping that she isn't anemic or something... We KNOW that serious problems rarely happen, but... Robert is literally sick that he has to take her and "desert" her with strangers. Mercy, too, of course. )

T'was the Night Before Christmas in Corgi Country by Robert Brock

HI, Dott here...I just wanted to tell you what I have just seen...

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the country
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Corgi.
The frapping was done, the place covered in hair,
Puppies hoping that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The pups were nestled all snug in their bed,
While visions of jerky sticks danced in their heads.
Papa and Grammy were struggling for room,
Thinking of corgis going zoom, zoom, zoom.

When out in the pasture there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away out the door I flew like a flash,
Tore up the yard to check my bone stash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my chorgi eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, corgi lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than birdies his sled team they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the fence, and over Cory’s stall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves before the winter storm fly,
When they met with an obstacle, they took to the sky.
On up to the house-top those swift reindeer flew,
With the sleigh full of Chew Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

Then with Corgi ears turning, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I trotted inside, with hardly a sound,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Chew Toys he had on his back,
And he looked like my dad, carrying his back pack.

His eyes-were like Papa’s- twinkling and merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His smile drew his mouth into the shape of a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a bone I held in my teeth,
As thoughts encircled my head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger inside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas, dear furiends and to all a good-night!"

Dott’s Favorite Things By Dott & Robert Brock

I have been trying for several days to get Grammy to post this, and if you are a fan of me on FaceBook you have already seen it.

(Sing to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music”)

Small puppy noses and handfuls of jerky

Nice, soft squeakies... did I mention the jerky

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things...

Yummy cheeseburgers and small pasta noodles

Mashed potatoes and funny cut poodles

A big hunk of steak and fried chicken wings

These are a few of my favorite things…

Hiding things deep

In my stashes

Begging and batting

My big eyelashes

Nice comfy beds without metal Springs

These are a few of my favorite things

When the pup nips

When they leave me

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad.

Weird Weather by Mercy

The other day, we had a BIG STORM! It got REALLY COLD that night, and in the morning, when we went out, there was a lot of hard white beads on the ground. GrandPaw said it was called hail.

It had gotten into piles in some of the shaded spots and hadn’t finished melting. Here is Mama Dott standing by some of it and checking it out.

Here, you can see her up on the table part of the obstacle course and you can see the snow on the hills just behind the hills behind our place

There was something weird going on with our water, too! The top of it got all hard and looked like a window! GrandPaw took chunks of it out of our water dish and out of the horses’ water barrels.

He broke up the big one in the pool, and I got in and checked it out. After a little while, Pippin peeked in to see what I was doing, but decided he didn’t want to get in there with me.

I tasted it and then ate a little of it and it was really cold and crunchy!

Gimli decided to jump in there with me to see what I was eating, but he didn’t like it much and got back out.

Pippin came back and almost decided to get in so he could check it out too, but then he changed his mind.

A few days later, it rained ALL day! At first, we didn’t really want to go outside, but then we found out that it wouldn’t hurt us, so we went out and had a GREAT time runnin’ around out there.

After a while, it got kind of cold, so we came in

and played some more in the Living room.

Grammy wasn’t to happy about the wet floor…

and our muddy bodies…

but she didn’t have time to give us baths

and we couldn’t stay outside in the cold…

so, she decided to take a lot of pictures of us.

After a while,

I got hungry so I got one of our “food bottles…”

Oooops… Grammy says I have to close for now and tell you about the Food Bottles later. Bye!

Thankfulness…

We are really blessed to be able to live in Corgi Country and have people that really love us and take good care of us! Some of the foster dogs that have come here have told us very sad stories, and we know that a lot of dogs don’t have a good place to live, so we thank God for Corgi Country and ask Him to take care of some of the other dogs out there that need good homes.

We are thankful for furiends that have people that love them and have provided good homes for them, and we are also thankful that so many of our friend’s people also find ways to help the animals that need it. Khyra helps transport dogs to their new forever homes, and so many others help to raise funds in so many different ways to help rescues and shelters.

We are thankful that we have been able to make so many new friends all over the world and learn about their interesting homes and cultures. It is so nice to be able to make friends with such loving and caring people!

We are thankful for the smiles and laughter that has come our way through reading our friend’s blogs.

We are thankful that when we’ve had problems, we’ve had furiends that have prayed for us and sent us good thoughts and wishes, and that have shared their problems and pain with us so that we could pray for them, too!

We are thankful that God loves us and our people, and that He has blessed us in so many ways throughout this past year!

God Bless you all, our friends!!!