Today I was working on the computer and I came downstairs for some coffee to find this scene right here. Let me remind you that our dogs are not allowed on the couch without an invitation. That means that we lay their blanket down and then they know it's ok, or we are sitting on the couch and pat the cushions to invite them up. Clearly, they follow this rule completely, and obviously we are totally in charge around here.At least they are sharing, eh?Magda's been pretty happy this week because her long walks have returned, which helps her burn off the INSANE amount of energy that she possesses. Merlin is angry that we won't walk him longer than a few blocks, but he's limping after that, so we call it off and bring him back inside. Hopefully he regains his strength slowly this summer.For your internet share today, I'm sending you to the NASA site where they are letting the public vote on what the newest space suits will look like. I was SUPER excited when I first heard about this! Because, as we all know, I do love space stuff. But you guys? These are all pretty darn ugly.
Today, Magda had her annual checkup at the vet's office (as seen above). You guys, she was AFRAID. I mean, clearly she has been to 
The good news is that all of her tests came back fine and she's in excellent health. It's been awhile since I've had a dog with a clean bill of health, and man does it feel good. Nap on, sweet sister.For your internet share of the day, I'm sending you to a delicious spring-time cocktail 
First, before we get any further, I have to tell you that as I type this my office window is open and it is FIFTY FOUR DEGREES OUTSIDE. Oh my, this is so exciting. I took the dogs for a walk today, but you guys, it was tragically sloppy out there. I had to double back about five different times due to "sidewalk lakes" that were unpassable. So what did this girl do? She went back home and ordered some cute new rain boots. Glass half full!The photo above was actually snapped late Saturday night/Sunday morning after the Arcade Fire show. I had already blogged, and when I got out of the shower and came to bed all warm in my pjs this was what I found (except Mags was asleep). So I tiptoed back downstairs to grab my camera and when I came back up, she heard me. Ah well, still a very cute snuggly moment.As for this girl, clearly I spoke too soon about the slippers. While she's been hoarding our things for months now, the day after I put in writing that she didn't destroy them, she ate one of my slippers. Grrrr... So now we really have to monitor what she takes to her nest. Also, yesterday we had a monstrous trip to Ikea for basement goods and when we returned, Miss Magda greeted us at the back door. Which was odd because when we left she had been locked in her crate. Ahem.Turns out, she figured out an escape route (likely because it appears Mom forgot to clasp one of the two carabiners). Anyway, we quickly surveyed the home for damage and we were pleased nothing seemed amiss. Until the phone rang and we discovered she had chewed it to bits. Thank goodness one of us works at an electronics retailer and can get another one.Also I should note this was a cordless phone, not a cell phone. Yes, we still have a land line. Yes, we are old-school like that.For your internet share of the day, how about 
This little lady has become quite fond of our footware. And gloves. And lipsticks. And really, anything that smells like us. Luckily, she isn't really into destroying the goods (yet), but she just likes to carry them with her and sleep next to them. Maybe we should be flattered that she wants our scent around so much. But instead we are annoyed that we can't find our other shoe.For your internet share of the day, how about some Oscars links, eh? Did you see 
You bet she's got opinions. Opinions on this weather, that's for sure. While there is, apparently, great fun in hunting for (and gobbling up) rabbit turds in the snow, she misses her long walks and even longer trips to the dog park. She also misses digging in the dirt for burrowed chipmunks and being able to see the dogs being walked on the other side of the street (who are currently blocked by enormous snow banks).However, she also realizes that once it warms up, she'll have far fewer mittens and hats to steal from guests who innocently place them in pockets or on the radiator in the entry way. So yeah, she's not sure what she wants at this point.For your internet share, first I'm going to be 100% self-serving and ask that you 
I checked the forecast yesterday, and it said we would get 1-2 inches of snow today. We woke up to a significant snowstorm and the forecast now says 1-2 inches PER HOUR. Yeah, those last two words make a bit of difference, right?Magda here is getting super antsy with winter. She has been extremely well behaved this week, but she needs more runs and longer walks to burn her energy, so she's back at daycare today. The amazing news is that tomorrow it's supposed to be FORTY TWO degrees, so I'm pretty sure I'll put on shorts and a tank top and walk the dogs all afternoon in my flip flops! Or something like that :) I seriously cannot wait for that heat spike.Plus, hopefully, it will melt a bunch of this snow so that the shoveling won't be as bad.Even today, it's supposed to hit 36 degrees, so it looks like Merlin might get a walk as well. Oh man, how happy will I be if we can keep these temperatures around!For the internet share of the day, NPR is 
I think I have mentioned that we have a remodeling project going on in our house. It has involved removing walls down to the concrete foundation, sealing the foundation, and then drilling sheet rock into the concrete. To say things have been a bit loud around the house is an understatement.I was worried this would distress Magda. I was wrong. Today, in the middle of the drilling, I walked into the bedroom and found her like this. What you can't really see is that she is asleep. Yes, passed out asleep in this crazy position. What a nut! (But an adorable one.)I'm not sure if the construction really doesn't bother her a bit, or if it's because she was in doggie daycare all day yesterday. Either way, I'll take it!For your internet share today, I have two things for you. The first 
Lately, we've been training more and more with Magda. This is for two reasons, first we have found that teaching her new tricks takes as much energy out of her as, say, a 45 minute walk. And when the temperature is 2 degrees, you would much rather train. Second, she seems to have gotten the impression lately (again) that she is in charge, and we are reinforcing to her (over and over and over again) that in fact we, who feed her, are in charge. These vizslas? They are a bit stubborn.So lately, we've been working really hard at two tricks. One is getting her to balance things on her head. Especially food. Do not expect photos of this for a very long time as it is HARD. But we are working on it. The second is to have her hold things in her mouth and stay. Preferably, things that she would like to "kill" or chew. This duck toy up here was presented to her about 1 minute before the photo was taken.While the photo up there isn't really that great, the fact that she's not shaking the bird to death or tearing out the fur or the squeaker heart is mighty impressive (to me anyway).So that's what we've been up to over here. How 'bout you guys? Got any good tricks or training tips you want to share? Put them in the comments because I could sure use 'em!And for your internet share of the day, I'm sending you over to