Posts filed under ‘Art’
My Pet Product Idea of the Week: Clicker-Treat-Holder
I know, I am such a dork. But last night, when I saw Wes fumbling with a clicker and handful of treats , and then again this morning when I was carrying mail in one hand and leash in the other, clumsily trying to get at the treats hanging from my waist, I said to myself – There has to be an easier way. Somebody needs to come up with something that makes clicker-training more convenient. This is why I often leave my clicker at home when we go on walks (and use a verbal marker “Yes!” instead) – There’s just too much stuff to carry!
Of course I am clueless about the mechanism behind a gadget like this one. Someone tell me – is this even possible?
Boogie: How I get my mom to do stuff
If Boogie could write, I bet this is what he would say:
How I get my mom out of bed in the morning.
Unlike other boston terriers that my mom has known, I am not an alarm-clock type of dog. I don’t trample all over her in the mornings; I don’t snort in her face. I love to sleep-in so I stay under the covers until my mom wakes me up.
However, sometimes I wake up before she does because I must eat, play or go outside. Here are my methods:
- First I lick my mom’s face. Usually this gets me a muffled response. So I lick it again a few times. This might get me a “Good morning, Boogie” but she usually closes her eyes again.
- I proceed to “Belly Rub” position. You see, when I lie down in this position, with my head stretched back and my paws folded up on my chest, my mom ALWAYS tells me I am cute and she rubs my belly. I make sure that I am leaning against her because her eyes are closed and she can’t see. I stretch out as far as I can stretch and my mom will rub my belly.
- If she stops rubbing, I stretch out my chin and give a little snort. She will usually scratch under my chin too, and rub my belly some more. I try to prolong this as much as possible. It feels really good anyway.
- If she rolls over and falls back asleep, I get up, move to the other side, lean against her and get back into “Belly Rub” position. She rubs my belly again and tells me how cute I am.
- Eventually she will have rubbed my belly and scratched my chin so much that her eyes are wide open and she is wide awake.
- She gets out of bed – YAY!
Works every time.
How I get my mom to hang out with me on the couch.
I am like most boston terriers, a “Companion Dog”. I like to have company when I do stuff. Sometimes I want to lie on the couch and chew on a toy and I want my mom on the couch. It’s hard to get her to leave her desk but I am a very patient dog and I have my methods.
- First I go to her chair to say hello. My mom usually pats my head and says “Hello Boogie”. Then she turns back to her computer.
- Next I sit at her feet and wait patiently. She usually ignores me for a while but I am a very patient dog so I wait.
- If this doesn’t work, I go and get my ball and drop it at her feet. I usually have to wait some more.
- When my mom bends over to pick up the ball, I grab it really fast and run in the direction of the couch. This isn’t always effective because she will say “No, Boogie. Go To Your Place” or something like that. I don’t always obey because I have been in “my place” all day and I need a change of scene.
- So I bring her the ball again and drop it a few inches further away from her feet. This will make her get out of her chair… which she does.
- When she gets up, I grab the ball really fast before she can get it and I lead her towards the couch. We usually have to go through these motions a few times… each time I drop the ball a little further away from her chair so she has to walk further. My mom is not very smart. She takes a long time to work it out. But that’s ok. I am a very patient dog.
- Eventually my mom will walk to the couch and say something like “OK, Boogie. You want to play fetch over here? ” I don’t let go of the ball. I wait until she sits her butt down on the couch. Then I drop the ball in front of her.
- My mom will then pick up the ball and throw it.
- I don’t run after the ball. I make myself comfortable on the couch and chew on a toy. My mom is sitting next to me on the couch. YAY!
P.S. This is Method #1. Method #2 – I take the ball to the kitchen and pretend like I want a treat. When she gets up from her desk, I lead her to the couch.
Boogie! by other artists
Sharing here some artwork of Boogie by my friends who are also artists. It is always a huge buzz for me to receive Boogie art.
1. By Greg Ham (who has a cute BT called Parker) Yes, Boogie and I both love ice cream very much.
2. Dale Sizer – who does amazing glittery paintings that are exhibited in galleries around L.A. I am honored that his first dog portrait was Boogie.
3. Amanda Morehead – A Flickr buddy who is also a BT-lover and artist. This was a cool xmas surprise.
4. Brian Rubenacker – Boston terrier artist extraordinaire. I drew Brian’s BTs, and Brian painted Boogie on a toy rocket.
Boogie on canvas
I love drawing the Boogs. Here is another special piece of furniture following on from the “Boogie On” series.
Here is Boogie on the tiki chair in the Jungle Room of Graceland, Memphis.
I had it printed on wrapped canvas (www.canvaspop.com) and it arrived today! So cool!
I don’t think Boogie was very impressed with it. He was more interested in playing with his green dinocuz.
“Please, mom. Please throw my dinosaur.“
Boogie on Squirrel Street
Posted Date: : Dec 24, 2008 5:05 PM
One of Boogie’s favorite streets is RODNEY, in between Franklin and Finley (Los Feliz). He always pulls me towards this street because he knows that there is a happening squirrel community that lives here. Or maybe we keep seeing the same squirrel every time, I don’t know.
Here are some photos taken with my cellphone (from several different walks) which I recently transferred to my computer.
Boogie always returns to the same few trees on Rodney where he and Mr. Squirrel stare at each other like this, for ages (while his human fumbles for her cellphone camera). Squirrel eventually scampers upwards out of sight, and we move on.
These two photos below were taken this morning. I guess Boogie decided to sit and wait.
“Please, Mr. Squirrel. Please come down and play….”
And on that note,
My Calendar Boy (again!)
Posted Date: : Nov 25, 2008 1:14 AM
Boogie is still pretty much the same little lovable ball-obsessed monster and I can’t imagine life without him. He still murders cushions, goes through the trash, steals my shoes (amongst other things) and moves furniture around when I am not at home. On occasion, he still lunges at people and dogs that he doesn’t know and pulls on his leash. Some days I think he is becoming a “good dog” (like the random days that he DOESN’T pull on his leash and is nice to everybody) and then lo and behold, he reverts back to his rascally self. Yes, I know. I spoil him.
I want to share with you my latest piece of Boogie art – a 2009 wall calendar! My copies arrived today from zazzle.com and I am really pleased how the printing turned out.
You can view and/or buy the calendar and all 12 (monthly) individual prints here – www.zazzle.com/lilita/gifts
This Standard size (11 x 17) calendar is about $20 and the prints are about $10 each. I believe there is some sort of sale or coupon code offer happening on zazzle right now.
UPDATE: I just found out that if you order before Nov 29th, and use the coupon code CALENDARSAVE at checkout, you get 40% off the price of the calendar! And if your order is over $45, also use HOLIDAYSHIPS to get free shipping.
In the meantime I am still taking doggie drawing commissions and donating a percentage to Boston Buddies.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!
P.S. On December 11th, Wes and I will have had Boogie for ONE YEAR. We are going to take Boogie’s Adoption Day as his birthday because we don’t know what his real birthday is. We don’t even know his exact age. Some records say he’s 5, some say he’s 6.
Boogie is Mr. May!
Posted Date: : Sep 22, 2008 5:40 AM
The 2009 Boston Buddies Rescue Calendar is fabulous! If you are a BT lover and haven’t bought it or seen it yet, you can order/check out all the pages HERE.
Our Boogie Monster is the month of MAY:
Erica and Jen from All-Mighty also have a flickr set of photos from yesterday’s Boston Tea Party. Lots and lots of cute Bostons!
Here is Boogie in his classic Crawl pose…
You can see the bald patches on his back thigh… Poor little bug; he still has his hot spots and there are also bald patches above his bald tail. I still catch him licking and chewing on himself every day and frankly, I am starting to wonder if I should put an e-collar (cone thing) on him. I have started applying Nu-Stock on his wounds … I read many enthusiastic testimonials that this Nu-Stock stuff is a miracle cure for mange, itchy skin and hair loss but the trouble is, no matter how horrible-tasting the creams and sprays are, Boogie still licks them off! 😦
A little update with belly rubs and kisses
Posted Date: : Jun 25, 2008 12:08 AM
At first I blamed VONS for the milk that went bad after 1 week. And then on the weekend I noticed that my ice-cream had turned to liquid, my yogurt was tepid and nothing was cold! I am SO GLAD that I no longer feed Boogie canned dog food because it appears that my fridge is dead and they can’t deliver a replacement before Thursday. Thank goodness for “dehydrated dog food”!
Boogie is still doing well on his new food. The only thing that baffles me is the quantity of poop he produces each day… he poops on every single walk… that’s like 5-6 times a day! (?) He either still has a ton of crap to purge from his system (literally), or something is wrong. I don’t know. I am going to try him on a probiotic supplement that was recommended to me on the WOOF board.
In other news, the response to my Fundraiser Doggie Drawings has been so overwhelming that we have raised $1300 in two months! I am realizing that I need to recoup some costs (printer ink, paper, postage) so from this moment on I have made a new arrangement with BostonBuddies where I will take payments for these drawings directly and donate 80% to BostonBuddies (instead of 100%). I have posted more info and a Paypal link on –> doggiedrawings.tumblr.com
Sharing here some photos taken by Alicia on the weekend – I was giving the Boogs some belly rubs and kisses on her carpet.
Look at that massive tongue!
(Get your mind out of the gutter! 
)
Wes comes home from Dallas tomorrow night. Boogie is going to be SO HAPPY.
Belly-up Boogaloo
… cos it’s HOT! He was sleeping motionless like this for a long time. I called and called him and he didn’t even hear me because his ears were squished down against the bed.
A sidenote: All my Bostonbuddies fundraiser drawings are now in one place, on doggiedrawings.tumblr.com. (I will still be adding them to my flickr set)
Today’s drawing of the Boogs –
Vet Visit #3
It was Boogie’s third vet visit today. Good news is that his anal glands are better. Dr. Reina expressed them and some of the goopy medication from two weeks ago came out, so I guess he still has a medicated toosh and all should be fine in a matter of time.
Dr Reina also looked at his eyes and noted that the pink inner corners are more prominent and that his eyes are super teary. (Dr: “It is better that they are extra watery than dry”). I mentioned the itching and scratching and it appears that the Boogs might have allergies.
As for whether these are seasonal/pollen-related or food-related, we don’t know. Dr Reina doesn’t think that the symptoms are major enough to require anti-histamines but if they get worse then we’ll do something about it. He suggested more regular baths (in case it’s pollen-related) and to wait a while until summer is over to see if the symptoms are still there. If they are then we’re dealing with a food allergy and I may want to try him on a new protein source.
I have been cooking for Boogie these past few days – adding boiled chicken or salmon to his food and I must be giving him way too much because the Boogs has put on weight since his last vet visit which was only 2 weeks ago!(He is now a whopping 26.6 lbs!) I am also adding small amounts of The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated food) to the cooked meat and Hills i/d, and his poop is looking good aside from the occasional few plastic yellow corn kernels from his corn cob chew toy…
When we were at the vet’s today, a lady rushed in with a little white poodle she had found on the side of the road. The poor little dog was wrapped up in newspaper and bleeding from being hit by a car… he/she had no identification collar. The vet tech was great – she said that they will scan the dog for microchip id and she will take him home in the meantime until they find the owner. The lady who brought the dog in was asked for a donation to help pay the bill, and I offered some money too. I can’t believe that someone would hit a dog and drive off just like that. I hope they find the little dog’s owner….
Oh, and before I forget… see Boogie’s fabulous Myspace profile pic? This is a glittery painting of Boogie by my friend Dale Sizer. It is also one of my favorite birthday presents this year. Isn’t it wonderful?
Dale is a professional artist and he draws great dog portraits (he has two bull terriers) amongst many other things. His style is super slick and much more detailed and photorealistic than my style. If you want to pay him for a portrait of your doggie you will not be disappointed. Dale’s website: www.dalesizer.com
Boogie's blog 