It has been a long while since I have gone on any therapy visits with the dogs. In fact, it’s been so long I can’t even remember when we went last. Tonight Rufus and I met my friend Laura and her greyhound Gabby at the nursing home and had a spectacular visit. We only visited one of the buildings, but stayed there for an hour and a half before they got tired and were ready to go. Rufus was having the time of his life getting petted and loved on. His tail wagged for the entire 90 minutes!

It was nice to get out of the house and do something worthwhile. The residents really enjoyed it and I feel a little lot guilty for not going before now. I will have to make sure I go back again very soon.

I have added a new plug in for pictures to the site. It took me quite some time to figure out how to use it…(me not so mart) But after I did finally figure it out, just seconds before tossing my computer through the window, it works out pretty nicely. I am will add “LIGHTBOX” to my catagories and any time you see that you will know you can click on the images in that post and see a full size copy of it.  ALSO - if you mouse over an image and the hand with the pointy finger appears, click and you will a see the larger image.

Lets give it a go - click on the image to see the larger version

This plug-in is available HERE and a great tutorial for using the plug in is available HERE

I have been sooo bad about updating my blog lately. I have only made 3 posts in the last two weeks and two of them are “Wordless Wednesday” posts. I just haven’t had much to say. Its been cold, real cold and the dogs dont want to to much of anything but lay around and sleep all day. They have gone out a few times to play but pretty much want right back in as soon as they do their business. The forecast is calling for more of the same too… Snow expected for tomorrow.

Rufus wasn’t feeling too well this morning. He didn’t want his breakfast, but seemed perfectly content to play outside. I finally got him to eat his meal and he leisurely finished. I was a little worried about him so he got to go for a car ride and run errands with me. I wanted to keep an eye on him - “just in case.” (I am a little after what happened with Buckeye Sunday - still need to blog it) He loves going for car rides so he was more than happy he oblige.

Here are a couple of pix I took yesterday when I braved the freezing temps. For about an hour or two we had sun. Of course clouds blew in and it was gloomy again. But I did get a few pretty decent pix before that happened.

I belong to a few different forums and my screen name is almost always labcablady. The name comes from my old SUV that I used to haul rescues and my Labradors in. I would help do transports for lab rescue and my 4Runner got the nick name the “Lab Cab” and it sort of stuck. I enjoy playing around with Photoshop and creating stuff. Here is my latest signature for my boards. A little play on words…

Oh I could just wring their necks! B and R got out of the house again Saturday! It was my fault this time so I had no one to blame but myself.  I was getting ready to head out for dinner so I brought in some fire wood to load up the stove.  Certainly wouldn’t want to come home to a cold house.  So I have my hands full and kicked the door closed with my foot.  We have been having trouble with out door latching and it just popped back open as I was loading up the stove.  Brutus, Rufus and Zeus seized the opportunity to slip out and head for the corn field across the street.

I snatched up 3 leashes and ran out to my car.  I drove out the driveway just in time to watch Brutus and Rufus casually stroll across my road into the “golden cornfield”.  I live on a really busy road as you may remember from their last “jail break.”   So I drive out into the road and stop my car to block traffic so I could collect them up with out anyone getting hit.  Zeus appears out of a ditch and is more than happy to hop in the car.  Rufus sees me and heads back into the road and gussies right up to me.  He too gets in the car without any hassle.  Brutus however is another story altogether!  He sees me and turns and beebops off further into the cornfield.  I suppose I should mention, there is no corn there right now, its winter and was harvested in October/November.

At this point my heart is thumping so l0udly I am sure half of the neighborhood could hear it.  I go back to my car and go up to the next road that runs along the other side of the corn field hoping to cut him off.  Well, he notices I am no longer chasing after him and cuts back towards  my road.  I am screaming NO NO NO but he runs right into the middle of the road and trots right down the center stripe towards me.  Several cars have stopped again and are enjoying the spectacle (of course no one helped me)  of me running down my road in high heals, waving my arms towards him.  I snatch him up and back to the car we go.  Dodged yet another bullet.

THENNNNN……………. This morning I wake up and my front door is wide open!  When my hubby left this morning the door didnt latch all the way and the wind blew it open.  Luckily B and R were upstairs in my room sleeping with Apollo so they never noticed the door.  The girls were still in their crates so they were safe.  But Zeus was missing.   I called out for him and he reappeared on the porch.  WE HAVE TO GET THIS DOOR FIXED!

I submitted this entry of Rufus.. we’ll see if it makes the front page.. Fingers crossed.

Since we joined Dogs With Blogs we have had alot of new visitors on the site and made some new doggie friends. I really like all the blogs I have visited so far and cant wait to see more.

I am really happy we found Dogs with Blogs and decided to join!

The newest photo comp on Ruffdogs is “MARDI GRAS” so I went and got some mardi gras stuff and grabbed my camera.  Most of the dogs didnt care much for their costumes but Rufus really got into it and was hamming it up for the camera.

Now I just need to decide which one to submit.  I am thinking the 3rd one down so far.  I have a few days to decide though.  This was a rather disappointing photo shoot though.  Normally the dogs enjoy dressing up alot more.

We Joined a fab new dog blogroll site called Dogs With Blogs! There are some fantastic sites on there! I even recognize a few familiar faces. How cool is that! I even made a widget for them and submitted it.  I wonder if it will show up on their list.

Sad though, that I didnt find any other Saint Bernards on there. I would love to find another Saint Bernard blog to read.  So if you know any send ‘em my way.

My favorite forum Ruffdogs has a photo competition every month or so. I have entered the boys a couple of times, but had never won. Got close last for Christmas - but alas, always the bride’s maid and never the bride so they say.

The last comp was entitled “A Fresh Start” which was basically resolutions or anything else that was new. I submitted an entry that I didnt think had a prayer in winning.. but guess what! WE WON by a landslide! The picture is from the dog’s “birthday party” with their little Sponge Bob party hats. Rufus looks “tuckered out.” This photo was not staged.. we looked over and he was sitting there with his hat on the side of his face and I snapped a few pictures laughing all the while at his expense.

“I resolve not to party so hard”

So the voting went down and he won the first round with the boy dogs. Wow was there some great competition! All the pictures and captions were sooo good! Then he moved on to the final round. The top 3 boy and top 3 girl pictures from round one were voted on and the winner would be determined from the voting. I cant believe we won! I really can’t!

Now Rufus’s mug is featured on the banner on Ruffdogs and I have a fancy signature to use until the next competition is decided.

The next comp is “Mardi Gras”

The feral barn cat next door is my arch nemesis. I set out the trash - she helps herself to whatever is in the bags. She is quite messy too. She strews it across my entire porch. She sits in the windows taunting my dogs and stares at me. The saints are not cat safe and are quite accomplished cat killers. Brutus has put his head through a window trying to get at one before. I am terrified they are going to see the kitty and go through the windows after her.

I constantly complain that it is hanging around here. I am not a big fan of wild cats and think it should be spayed and kept at home. However my neighbors are a whole other story! Well, kitty must have sensed my frustration with her because she brought me a gift last night. She caught and killed a mouse, brought it in tact to the porch and lovingly laid it in front of the door for me. She is either thanking me for leaving out the trash for her to munch on in this horrid cold weather - since I am sure my neighbors aren’t feeding her regularly.

Thanks for the gift kitty..

I ended up having to take Rufus to the vet today from his escapades out of the fence yesterday. He scratched up the inside of his ear pretty good and it is really swollen. A couple of the cuts are oozing and one was full of fluid. It is really ouchie too. He is on antibiotics now to clear it up.

GRRRRR!