Critter

Nisbet brought home another "critter" she found on our walk on Thursday. Since it is not a live animal (and it appears it was made for dogs) I let her keep it. It got a thourough wash in our washing machine (it was covered in dirt and mud when it was found), but I am still not sure what kind of creature it is supposed to be. He is just a purple and blue pig-like animal with a long, straight tail. We call him, "Critter."

Say what?

Here's the first conversation I had this morning ... Nisbet had just come in from outside and was nosing me for some pets while I was still in bed.

Bryan: umph bird wet ...

Me (very sleepy): What was that?

Bryan: Her back is a little wet where I washed off the bird poop.

Me: A bird pooped on her?!? That's supposed to be lucky.

Nisbet's Vacation

Bryan's very brave and generous co-worker, LuAnne, offered to take care of Nisbet for us while we were in Hawai'i last week. With 3.5-year-old twin girls, a very active 7-year-old lab mix (Brandy) and a very busy schedule of her own, we thought she was crazy for offering. But, we would also be crazy if we passed up the opportunity to leave Nisbet in a more interactive environment than camp offers.

Nisbet was a little confused to be in a strange home that had dog smells but no dog in sight, as Brandy was at the vet's for the day. She had no problem exploring and was very excited to meet the girls. Nisbet gave us the most confused look when we left LuAnne's without her, but I am pretty sure she was quickly distracted by the twins and forgot we were gone. Later that day Brandy returned from her own day out at the vet to find her home invaded by an overly outgoing 9-month-old pup. The meeting probably went something like this:

Nisbet: Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! I'm so glad you're hear. Want to play? Let's play. It will be so fun!

Brandy (to herself): Huh? I go to the dumb vet all day and get home to find this crazy thing running all over my house. Is she here forever? What did I do to deserve this?

Nisbet: So, do you want to play? I brought some toys.

Brandy: Uh, sure, whatever.

Judging by the pictures LuAnne sent, Nisbet had a grand time while we were away, and Brandy managed to enjoy having a temporary dog companion. Both dogs slept all day Sunday once Nisbet came home.

8 months old

Here are a couple of cute photos of Nisbet at 8 months old. She turns 9 months old on Sunday.

Dog and Frog

I was getting ready for bed last night when Bryan deposited a leashed Nisbet into our bedroom and shut the door. The explanation - she brought a live frog into the house and he wanted to capture it for release back into the great outdoors. At first I wasn't sure I heard him right, but a few minutes later Bryan brought up a plastic container containing said frog. To my surprise it was completely intact physically, but it looked to be in total shock when it blinked its little eyes at me.

Not Our Dog

Bryan found Gin, our neighbor's dog, in our yard last night. She must have decided it was worth two shocks from the invisible fences to break-out for a play date with Nisbet. The two dogs are reported to have had a wonderful time wrestling and chasing each other. Bryan said Nisbet was tossing the ball for Gin in a game of fetch, too! We're happy to report that Nisbet has not tried to break into Gin's yard yet.

QUAIL!!!

It's official. We have a bird dog. Nisbet discovered quail when we were out for a little hike today. She figured out what noise they make, how they smell, and that they sit on the ground until flushed. They are also very fun to chase. I am very thankful she did not catch any.