It's a dog's life

Recently our two furry footed children have been the topic of many correspondence, so I'd like to take a few quick moments to say a word or two about them. As I am sure you're quite aware, we brought our two Miniature Schnauzers with us to Grenada. Jasper, the king of the household (he'd like to think so anyhow), and Felicity, hunter of all things living and small (especially lizards), are quite happy here. They both eagerly look forward to every walk, but show the most enthusiasm for the morning Lizard chasing walk. This walk is usually pre-breakfast while Megan and I are still half asleep. The dogs on the other hand are at 110% alertness. They dart for everything that moves. We do our best to keep from falling over as they dart all over the place scattering the lizards in every direction and wrapping the leashes around our ankles. We've only suffered one fall due to the lizards (with a large helping hand from a pothole), Megan crashed a month or so ago and sprained her ankle. Considering the number of lizards they are chasing I figure we're doing pretty good. Below Jasper watches for lizards out the window...

The dogs are also especially good at assisting us while studying. Both of them don't seem to understand why I don't let them sit on my chest while trying to work on the computer. They are quite happy being the center of attention and make working on the computer quite a bit more challenging. The following photos show how hard the puppies try at assisting us to study, especially Jasper...
Above jasper resorts to his least favorite spot... below the lap he wishes to be on.
Above, Jasper got his way. He stretches his neck as far as he can so that it rests on the table next to his mom's arm.

Above, now Jasper's in heaven. This is his favorite place to be, in the middle of everything.


Now on to a much more entertaining topic... for us humans anyhow...
Above, Jasper "Yes? What is so entertaining?" .... me. "BATH TIME!!!!"
Above, Jasper "Oh God... what did I do to deserve this!" If you look closely you'll see the whites of his eyes along the bottom of his eyes, he's giving me the "Woe is me" look, he points his head down and looks up through his bushy eye brows with big brown pleading eyes...
And when he thinks that fails....
Above, ... he hides... Felicity jumps up to take his place. Ever happy-go-lucky (aka sweet ditsy blond), she doesn't have a clue what I just said. Jasper on the other hand can be seen hiding behind the curtains in the background. The puppies HATE getting wet, seriously hate any little drop of water on them. This means bath time is a bit of an interesting adventure. We have a nylon leash which is tied to the shower wall so we can keep them in one place while bathing them. They do their best to ensure I too get a bath by shaking every couple seconds sending showers of soap and water all over me and the shower walls. A switch flips though the second they get out of the shower. At this point they sense FREEDOM!!!! Both puppies are as hyper as can be and run around like lunatics rubbing against everything trying to dry off....
Jasper is smart, very smart. He knows that when he's fluffy a bath is usually followed by a hair cut, another thing on his least favorite activities list...
Above, Jasper knowing what is coming next... "Dad, I swear I am not here! Nothing to see but a big fluffy comforter..."
After a couple hours of brushing and clipping he looks practically show ready! It shouldn't take THAT long but I tend to be too detail oriented so it takes me forever, but isn't he good looking now?!?!What the pictures don't show is the coat of fur I am wearing at this point or the layer of fur covering most the apartment... oh well it's worth it, they look great. Hair cuts also can't be put off too long here due to the high heat. I've quite enjoyed learning to clip them, I am far from pro but i manage a pretty decent job.

Now after all that stress it's time to take a nap...
Weekend naps are one of my wife's favorite times, as well as Felicity's and Jasper's. It's all about laying down for an hour or so and getting some quality family cuddle time in...

If Jasper isn't splayed full spread eagle like above, then his usual napping spot is to be found at mom's head.

... or even more likely to be found wrapped around mom's head... :) She lays down then he finds his way up to the pillow and carefully lays down around her, while Felicity can usually be found wrapped in Megan's arms.


After a nice restful nap it's time to of course jump up and find the nearest lap to occupy! (below...)
Notice how he sits like a human? I didn't place him like that. He jumps up sits down and then rolls back up against me. He's completely convinced he's supposed to sit like any human does.
It's rare that the dogs are allowed on the couch when we have food in our hands, it's even more rare that they get to sit next to us much less ON us... needless to say jasper was in heaven here. As his mouth was positioned directly below Megan's fork, ensuring any crumbs had an express route to his tummy!