Can the Bulldog Be Saved?! (Lola)

Our aunt Meghan forwarded this very long and slightly disturbing article to Mom last week, and then our neighbor gave us the hard copy from the NYTimes (which had a very handsome picture on the cover, I'd like to point out). Basically the article says that bulldogs are "the poster child for breeding gone awry," describing the various health and welfare problems of us bullies. Apparently, bulldogs are significantly more likely than other dogs to suffer from a wide range of health issues, including ear and eye problems, skin infections, respiratory issues, immunological and neurological problems and locomotor challenges. Bulldogs have the highest rate of hip dysplasia of any breed, and bulldogs are the most likely breed to die from respiratory illness and the second-most likely to die from congenital disease! 

Sheesh, what a downer, and I would like to just state for the record that I do NOT have respiratory issues! in all seriousness, we have certainly each had our fair share of issues, but Mom feels good about our overall health. She was super picky about the breeder she got us from and feels we are not the obese, lazy dogs you might think about. Sure, we like to lay around, but we are a bit longer and leaner than the norm... Anyway, read it and cross your fingers for us!

Irish Bulldogs (Diesel)

Dad cut the grass this Saturday and I played and chased the push mower for a while, which means we got a BATH to clean our green grass-stained limbs! woot woot! We love a good bath!

Free Diesel Rides!!!

Happy Birthday Diesel! (Lola)

Happy Birthday to this handsome face!:

Mom always tells people that I "slowed down" around age three, and she was holding her breath waiting for "baby" Diesel to reach that milestone in hopes that he might settle down too... Turns out, he kind of is! We didn't do much to celebrate his big day, but Mom bought us Frosty Paws as a special birthday treat. We all serenaded him before digging in! Pardon the poor qualilty camera photos...

Personally, I'll take ice cream any day, especially over a pool party like we had to celebrate my fourth birthday!

Bulldogs vs. Irene (Lola and Diesel)

As we're sure most of you noticed, the better part of yesterday and today were spent waiting for Hurricane Irene to stop clobbering the state of Maryland and the rest of the East Coast. Personally, we kind of liked it since Mom and Dad were home the whole weekend and didn't leave for more than an hour each day! Thankfully, we never lost power and no damage to our house!

On Saturday morning, Dad had to get up on a ladder and repair the gutters, and then he decided to further protect the foundation (we've been known to get water in the basement) by putting plastic sheeting over the area most susceptible to flooding. Diesel excitedly helped Dad batten down the hatches (camera in air conditioned house + humid air outside = foggy photos):

On Saturday night, Dad thought it would be smart to heed the advice of the newscasters and sleep on the lower level of the house... especially since there are gigantic old trees all around the property. Lola braved out the storm on her own upstairs, while Diesel trembled at Mom's feet on the pull out sofa. He was also very helpful as she attempted to fold the bed back up this morning.

And wouldn't you know it, it turned into a BEAUTIFUL afternoon today. A lovely breeze, low humidity, sunshine... We took a family walk which included our favorite summer pastime- stream swimming! When we got home, we got our second bath in three days! woot woot!

We'll take a hurricane any weekend- it rocked!

BFFs (Diesel)

What, it's been three months since we posted??? Mom's been so "busy" (dangling toys over her on the floor, for example) with the baby that she doesn't have the time to sit on her computer all day typing blog posts for us pooches anymore. But to be fair, the baby is a lot more interesting than we are! Lola just turned 5, as you know, and as I approach 3, I am starting to slow down too. Mom laughs about how I don't even come down off the bed in the morning until 10:30am for breakfast and to pee... First I am too rambunctions and crazy and now I am too lazy?! What do these people want from me?!

Baby sister brought a lot of changes into the house, and Mom and Dad were pretty worried about me for a little while since I am so big and clutzy. But, after 5 months, I am pretty used to her now and actually kind of adore her! Plus, she thinks I am hysterical and laughs at me, especially when I lick her belly, which makes me feel very loved. Mom is shocked that we can coexist pretty peacefully right now and even hang out on the floor together (with constant supervision of course)... So, without further ado, here are some recent pics of us with our little BFF:
An early morning snooze and snuggle in Mom and Dad's bed:
A little photo shoot on the bed the other day:

Lola, Dad and Maija doing some "work" on the couch:

Sister kisses:

Maija's toys are so much more interesting than ours! But Mom says they're off limits. Lame.

Honey Lovin' (Diesel)

Mom pretty much ignores me now, so I have taken a liking to Honey...
(this is how I show my affection for people... I lay on top of them)

Weekend Walk (Diesel)

Just a few shots from our family walk this weekend. I was a little excited/overstimulated by the new big jogging stroller, but I got used to it!

How come Maija doesn't have to walk?!? Lucky girl!

Brotherly Love?? (Lola)

It's no secret that Diesel and I don't always see eye to eye. I'm in charge, and he is afraid of me. I like it that way. But ever since our baby sister came, I think the little guy is feeling a little dejected. Why's that you ask? Well, he's been a lot more snuggly with me than normal lately and Mom happened to catch him in the act...

We each have our own fluffy dog beds in Mom and Dad's room. Admittedly, one is larger than the other (Diesel's), so I like to get in there first at night and leave him with the smaller bed (mine). Last Tuesday night, Diesel suddenly crawled in bed with me and started spooning me! This NEVER happens, and mom snapped this grainy photo on her cell phone in the dark: The very next day, I was lounging in my crate up in the guest room. As you can see in the second pic below, there are two crates next to each other. But who comes crawling in my crate and cramping my style?! Yup, Diesel! And then he had the nerve to lay down!

Poor little guy...

Watchdogs (Diesel)

We do an excellent job of keeping lookout while mom sits in the nursery rocker with the baby, don't we???

Zzzzzzz.... (Lola)

You may be wondering what is up with our lack of posts lately... Well, not much is going on! We are really enjoying Mom's maternity leave- it's so strange to have her home almost all day every day. But truly, all we really do is SLEEP! Here are a few recent pics to keep you satisfied:

10:30am on a weekday... Mom calls us "pathetic." What's the big deal?!

A little sister bonding:

New Addition (Lola)

So..... we have a baby sister! A little less than three weeks ago, Mom left for about five days and Dad was in and out too (upon each return he tossed little blankets and shirts at us to smell). Aunt Becky spent the night with us, our next door neighbors were letting us out and walking Deisel, our grandparents were popping in to feed us. Obviously something was up, and when Mom finally came home, she wasn't alone.

Now, clearly mom had a baby. I knew this. Dogs have instincts you know, and it was pretty obvious for the last ten months as it got harder and harder to spoon Mom's belly on the couch that there was something growing in there. Mom and Dad were so worried about us reacting to the baby, but to me, it's no big deal. They have been calling me "Dog of the Year" since baby Maija joined the family since I've been so good. Diesel, on the other hand, is still Diesel... big, dumb, rough, bull-in-a-china-shop that he is. We all believe he lacks the instincts to understand what's going on here, and so we have to be really careful around him so he doesn't grab a flailing baby arm or anything... but how could you NOT want to eat this up?!: Having a baby sister is SO fifteen minutes ago... There aren't any pics of me and Maija, since I've pretty much just been asleep on the couch since she got here:

Some pics from the first few days at home... Diesel inspects Maija - can you tell he's ready to pounce?!

He forgets his head weighs like 20 pounds:

Daddy lets Diesel sniff her tootsies:

Finally, he assumes his usual position on the couch cushion, still looking a little suspicious!

I think our happy little family is going to be just fine!Mom forgot to post these pictures from back in January of Diesel helping Dad set up the crib in the nursery. He was so helpful!

Happy Birthday Lola- Take 2 (Lola)

Yes, mom forgot about my birthday on Monday. But, she made up for it on Tuesday by making me delicious cupcakes using this recipe below. They are really tasty and I feel very loved!

Muffins:

•2 cups shredded carrots
•3 eggs
•1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
•2 tsp. cinnamon
•1/2 cup rolled oats
•3 cups whole wheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Lightly spray cups of muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl stir together the carrots, eggs and applesauce. Set aside. 4.In another medium bowl whisk together the cinnamon, oats and flour.5. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended.
6. Spoon mixture into muffin tin. The dough will be thick, so you may wet your fingers to press the dough into place.
7. The dog cupcake will not rise very much, so do not worry about over filling the muffin tin.
8. Bake for 25 minutes.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or serving.

Frosting:

•8 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
•1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1. Blend both ingredients with a hand mixer until well blended.
2. Spoon into a pastry bag for easy decorating.

Make sure you let the birthday dog lick the mixers!
Storing: These dog cupcakes will keep fresh in your refrigerator for 2 weeks. You can freeze them for up to 2 months. If you are going to freeze them, do not decorate with the frosting until they have thawed.
Voila!

Happy 5th Birthday Lola! (Diesel)

it's 7:45pm and mom just announced... "Today is Lola's 5th birthday!" which essentially just means that she totally forgot. I've always heard other humans say that when a baby is born, your dog children become "just dogs", and if this little birthday slip up is any indication, we're in big trouble! To her credit, Mom is beating herself up about it, as she prides herself in making our birthdays special... Remember Lola's pool party last year, and my kick ass cake for my birthday back in September? She promised the Doodle she'll make up for it tomorrow...

You may recall that we were expecting a baby sister. Well, she has arrived... And her arrival deserves its own post altogether, but mom's internet is broken on her laptop and she can't figure out how to upload pics on Blogger from her iPad (hence this picture-less post). Lots more to come as soon as possible!

Movin' Up in the Ranks! (Diesel)

This morning on the Today Show, there was a story called "Which breed is America's Top Dog," in which the Labrador Retriever was named the top dog in the United States on Wednesday for the 20th consecutive year by the American Kennel Club. Whatever!!! It seems the most exciting part of the story for everyone was the move up in the ranks for us bullies... why is this so surprising?! Of course we're amazing and popular!!!

"The rankings remained largely unchanged from last year with the German Shepherd in second place in 2010, followed by the Yorkshire Terrier. The Beagle beat out the Golden Retriever, which ended up fifth. Most surprising was a jump in popularity for the Bulldog, which ended up sixth, its highest ranking in a century. "'Bob' was the first AKC registered Bulldog in 1886, and today the breed enjoys its highest ranking in 100 years at number six," said American Kennel Club spokeswoman Lisa Peterson."

Here's the pic and caption from the Today Show story - what a handsome fella!
"The bulldog has been steadily rising up the list of AKC’s most popular breeds since it entered the Top 10 in 2007. A medium-size dog, they are not your typical lapdog, but would like to be! Bulldogs are calm, loyal family dogs that are happy to curl up on the sofa, eat two or three square meals a day, and have their bellies rubbed."

Healing (Lola)

For all of you who have been out there worrying about me and my recovery... I am doing very well! The first few days were rough but I am back to my usual self. I've overheard mom say that I am not allowed to run, play, jump on furniture, go for walks, etc. for about 8 weeks, but I'm not slowing down- just try and stop me!

You can see from the picture below that my leg is looking pretty good- I got my staples out last Saturday and my hair is starting to grow back. That weird brown square is left over sticky stuff from a pain patch that was there. And, by the way, I just woke up when this picture was taken, hence my sleepy face...