Shallow Hal

Of late there is less of this roaring at Boy and more sedate sniffy sniffy in the grass for Leeloo. She is still on the prowl for deer poop and although I question the nutritional benefits of such fare for puppies it doesn't seem to be affecting their growth rate. Lady Leeloo is getting a bit on the portly side with marked increase in girth in the last week.

Her appetite has followed suit to the point where counter-surfing for a key lime pie falls within the parameters of "But I *needed* it Mommy". My dogs don't counter-surf ... ever. People with Ridgebacks often seem to have problems with this particular habit but I have never had a dog who does it ... until the key lime pie incident. I can forgive her this time, mostly because she paid for it with an uncomfortable evening of gas and sore tummy and because she is pregnant. Boy surely helped eat it but I know he's not the one who instigated the theft and he seemed no worse for wear.

Gone are the days of play bows, bolting through the hedges and racing after squirrels. Our walks now consist of Boy galloping down the path and Leeloo's half-hearted attempt to gallop, then trot and finally just walk and stop to smell the bushes. She seems perpetually baffled about why she can't run as fast and why it's harder to get onto the bed. I scratch her bum and tell her she is my Doodle Bug (that's a new nickname of late) and that as long as we are together, everything will be all right.