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The Oracle of Delphi

Running Around Again! Hooray!

I turned THREE, you guys! Can you believe I'm all grown up now? For real. Mom and Dad are so proud of me. I'm still gorgeous, as you can see from my new userpic, and the photo of Violet and myself by the walnut tree (that's what all those green things are, and they fall from the sky like heavy, non-bouncy superballs. ow).

Yes, I am definitely gorgeous, but...are you ready for a confession? The Big Lady (that would be me) ended up getting a little TOO big. Girthy, as it were. Well, how does something like that happen to a girl like me? A confirmed beauty queen, whether or not my parentage is questionable. Everyone prefers unconventional beauty, anyway. Well, they do. I'm not just saying that. Anyway, do you want to hear about how I got fat?

Okay, here goes.

So remember my bad wheel, you guys? It stayed bad. The Big Lady had a Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (a TPLO). That's right. Turns out, it WAS my cruciate ligament, and it was bad. We had an x-ray, and they sent it to a radiologist, and that guy said I tore that ligament. I'm all healed up now, though, you guys. My hair's even grown back over my surgery site, and I can romp again. It was a boring few months there, where I had to say down and be lazy all the time. I ate chewies, and dog food and everyone felt bad for me and gave me extra treats, and now I'm a fatty, and I'm working it off. You can't tell in my photos, though. Mom chose the flattering ones. I ended up with a little arf-ritis, which we're treating with some glucosamine biscuits and good playtime supervision. It doesn't really bother me now that my leg has healed and I can be more active.

So that's been my year. Pretty crazy, although I'm grateful for this surgery which seems to have worked wonders for me! Three years old. Violet turned one! That makes me feel so old. LOL.

Mom and Nero had their birthdays too, on the same day as mine. August 18 sure is a festive day around here. Again, I got to be the birthday girl, and yes, I admit I indulged in a piece of McDonalds hamburger, but I'm sure I worked that off at Grandma's house, playing with Chet the next day. Collies are fun!

Well, it's time to go outside! Hope all my dog friends are doing great!

Delphi*

Goo-Roo-Roo!

Well, Violet and I have got some new nicknames around the house. I got mine because I've added a new syllable to my 'ROO-ROO!' routine. You're gonna love it: 'GOO-ROO-ROO!' Whaddya think? Well, Mom and Dad sure like it. Now I've got all kinds of 'GOO!' related nickames like, Goobs, Goobie, Goobalore, Goobaby, and of course, Goobot. Violet only has one new one, but it's way cuter than mine: Bluebird. Jeez, you guys.

I have also noticed that when Mom and Dad make an impersonation of what they think we would sound like if we spoke People, my voice sounds like a big dummy, and Violet's just sounds like Butters from South Park. What's up with that? Mom says it's just 'cause I'm big and Mastiff-like; I tear it up sometimes, you guys; but at other times, I'm the most gentle, slow-moving companion you ever had. Violet just runs on all cylinders at all times, so she has a faster, higher speaking voice. Whatever, I sound like a dullard, and Violet sounds like a popular TV star.

But who even cares, 'cause at least I'm not the one with stitches and a shaved belly! HA! Yeah, Violet got spayed 11 days ago. Today was her first day out for a walk with Mom since her surgery, and she was worse than ever, I guess. I got a separate walk because Mom couldn't go more than one step without Violet trying to pull on the leash. Then they have to stop and Violet has to sit, and Mom won't take another step until Violet is being calm again (This method worked for me, but I'm not so sure it's gonna work for that crazy puppy). It took them almost a half-hour to walk 4 blocks! That Violet has LOADS of energy all built up from her post-surgery confinement. From what I gather, it was a pretty stupid walk.

This is good, though, because I just made sure to walk real nicely when I got my own walk, and I got TONS of liver treats for obeying my commands. Mom was impressed with me, for sure, although she's not all that impressed with the moist pile of 'stinky' liver treats in her pocket. Mmmm....liver treats....

Until Next Time,

Delphi, The Big Lady

Winter Camping!!!

Guess what, you guys! Mom is taking me Winter Camping next Friday! We are totally going to sleep in a tent, too. Did I mention we live in Minnesota? It's cold. But camping is always AWESOME! We're gonna drive across a lake until we get to The Island. I usually ride in a boat when I'm on a lake, but this time, it's cold, so we ride in the car, which is weird. It makes me nervous, driving on the lake. I can tell it makes Mom nervous, too, even when there are big trucks and vans out there, and we're in a tiny little car. She doesn't like that there's no road, and frozen lakes can sometimes make this terrifying NOISE even when you're not going to fall through. Maybe we'll just walk across this time...

Anyway, Winter Camping is a pretty big deal. We needed to make sure that all the dogs in the Bully Pack would be able to handle it. Not having a whole lot of fur is a disadvantage to a Minnesota dog, and even if you're a sweater dog (which I SOOOO am not), no sweater's warm enough for February. So we had a practice day. The ENTIRE Bully Pack got to attend a special bonfire dog party, just for us! AWESOME! There was a ton of fire wood laying around to chew, and yet big old Hatchimon was jumping as high as he could, to bite at tree branches instead. HILARIOUS!

Violet and Emma were eliminated from the Winter Camping Eligibility List almost immediately. Emma's a purebred Staffie, and Violet's a purebred Pit, and they totally hated it. Within minutes, they were pathetic, and had to be let in the house to warm up. Violet also lacks a critical camping skill: sitting by the fire to warm up. She's pretty scared of it. Mom had to wrap her in a blanket and hold the entire bundle in her lap just to keep Violet near the warmth. She'll get another shot at camping this summer, when the weather's a little more bully-friendly. You have to be willing to sit by the fire, you know. Even in the summer, that's where the people are (and campers are generous with hot dogs that fall in the dirt). I'm scared of a lot of stuff, you guys, but not sittin' by the fire.

By the way, Winter Camping is the ONLY time that EVERYONE in attendance wants at least one dog in their sleeping bag. Think about that, dog friends. Wouldn't YOU want to go Winter Camping, too?

Until Next Time,
Delphi