Being a dog Aunt will have to do

I have talked several times here about how I would like to have a dog, see my collected works for the background story.  However, lately I have been thinking that for the time being "borrowing" a dog is a good option.  I love coming home to visit my childhood dog (and maybe my parents too) whenever I can.  Also, my sister (and MOH) got a beagle puppy a few months ago.  Even though he is a crazy little puppy with an extreme amount of enthusiasm for life (aka- running around like a psycho for long amounts of time) I think being his Aunt (favorite!) is great.  He makes me laugh hysterically and is a real lover when he's not being insane.  On Tuesday my sister and I took a drive to scout out some houses for Doug and I to look at (we're moving!) and we took Copper with us.  The whole way home he slept in my lap with his head nestled on my arm, while I was driving of course. :)  My heart majorly melted.

Here are some pictures I took of him while working on a Christmas project.  Hi, my name is Copper and look what a cutie I am.

I don't really understand why you are trying to make me sit still and nice with this stupid hat on, but since you're my favorite Aunt I will try to go with it.

You can only ask so much though woman, because I would much rather eat this hat than wear it.  This is the one that I framed for my sister because I think it is the most representative of the true Copper spirit.

I fully intend to make him my running partner when the weather isn't so yucky and when we have moved (!) closer to my family.  And because he is way too cool and important to be left out, here is a nice picture of the first love of my life, Rascals.

see more dog and puppy pictures

 This just made me smile after another very long day.  It reminds me very much of seeing my niece and nephew, the greyhounds, licking every last drop from the bottom of my sister or brother-in-law's ice cream cup.

A couple wedding developments this week to come this weekend when I actually have time to write!

To puppeh or not to puppeh?

see more dog and puppy pictures

I have mentioned at least once here how much I want to have a dog. While there were a few years of my life that there wasn't a dog in my house growing up, they are too far back for me to remember. Over the last few weeks, many people in my life have been getting themselves adorable puppehs (or in the case of Stephanie, an adorable and extremely comical rescue) and it has reignited my pining for one of my own. The weekly-ish visits with my "parents" dog just aren't cutting it anymore.

So, Doug and I have been discussing it and have come to the decision that it might be a good time to get a dog. I currently have my eye on both a cute beagle mix puppeh or a 3 year old Westie (the breed I grew up with) girl that is being retired from breeding. However, I can't seem to commit to this decision.

What is holding me back you ask? I have no idea but one minute I am gung ho and excited about getting a dog and the next I'm worried about the cat's reaction and how it will change our routine. My good friend Sarah told me that it is as simple as one question: "Will this puppeh enhance your quality of life?" But is it that simple? And so, dear internets, I ask you to please give me both your pros and cons on this issue so I can add to my confusion. :)

Holy wedding puppy love, Batman!

While I'm not sure yet how I am going to get my childhood dog into my wedding pictures, I know it will happen somehow. Maybe my bridal pics or maybe getting ready at my parents house. While I think about that, we can both enjoy this major wedding puppy love courtesy of Anna Kuperberg.

The Cat

I have just spent at least an hour looking at posts on Ihasahotdog. Pictures of puppies with hilarious captions always make me happy. This particular one struck a chord with me because our cat is the reason that I can't have a dog.

When I met Doug's cat Ace, (although all we call him is cat) I think I, being a major dog fan, was somewhat predisposed not to like him. And for a long time I didn't. He didn't appreciate my presence in his house and was pretty grumpy. I didn't like that he wasn't interested in any sort of bonding activity. Cats just aren't friendly like dogs are, and for a lifelong dog owner, this was hard for me to accept.

In the last three years, we have developed a relationship of tolerance and sometimes affection. We had him front declawed so that I no longer get hurt when he decides he is in a fighting mood. And I have even come to accept the fact that the times he chooses to be affectionate will never be at a time convenient to the humans.

So, that just leaves one thing. He hates dogs. Near Memorial Day last year, we went to the local humane society (Please opt to adopt) and got a beagle mix who ended up only spending one night with us. When the cat met the dog, a completely different side of our sleeps-22-hours-a-day feline was revealed. We honestly thought that, if given the chance, the cat would kill. Their first interaction included the cat going straight for the poor dog's neck with his teeth and claws. We kept them separated and returned the dog the next day. We just didn't have the time then to properly deal with getting it to work between them. I think I cried almost that whole day.

Since then I have been reading about how to acclimate dogs and cats and have been working on a plan. We have agreed to wait for a second try until we are able to move to a bigger house with a fenced in yard so that each animal will be able to have plenty of space. However, that has unfortunately not stopped me from pining with every adorable dog I see.

The wonder that is analytics

Because all that awaits me today is a giant stack of random tax docs to sort and scan, here is a little bit about Analytics for LauraAnn.

Analytics can be put on a website to track visitors. With it, you have access to more information than you would ever need about your readers. For example, I can tell you that a little under 41% of my readers use Firefox. 17% are lucky enough to have a T1 connection. Someone from Addison, TX reads my blog. And Bedford, DE is visiting too. And thanks to Trisha for providing 10% of my readers the link to my blog!

I think if you go to the Analytics link that I have so graciously provided to you, you will find it fairly easy to set up. However, if you have questions let me know. I would love to help!

And because I would still love to hear from my unknown visitors, here is another dog picture. This time taken by me of my niece Gracie. If you are looking for a dog, definitely consider a retired greyhound! My sister and brother-in-law have two and I love them! They are seriously great dogs.

I have readers in 10 states (and another country!)

...and I can't think of a single person I know in any of them except Illinois and Missouri!

Google analytics is amazing. I have been using it forever on the websites I maintain, but just put it on the ol' blog two days ago.

I would absolutely love to know who you are, as I was pretty sure only three people read this. Please leave me a comment!

And because Jessica says pictures in posts are important: Here is a picture of a sad puppy begging you to leave me a comment!

Photo courtesy of The Magic Paw.

Oh, puppies, that is a whole other post or three. I want one. Now.