Merry Christmas from Pooch Smooches!

We've been missing in action the last couple of weeks, and things are crazy-busy getting ready for the holidays, but Rita and I wanted to take a moment and say Merry Christmas!

Thought I'd share our Christmas card from this year.

Whether you've been naughty or nice, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Christmas Means "Forced Crafting" (& Of Course There's a Dog)

If you're a long-time reader of Pooch Smooches, you'll know that in my family, we often do what we call "forced crafting" (you WILL participate; you WILL enjoy it) - especially around the holidays. In the past, we've done block prints, Scrabble tile ornaments and necklace charms, button ornaments, and needle felting.

This year we decided to make ornaments out of felt. Of course, the first thing I made was a dog.

What We're Thankful For

Rita and I decided we'd share what we're thankful for this holiday season.

Another Round of "A Pup & A Plant" (part 5!)

Back when I first started drafting this post (a while back), I thought it might be the last “pup & a plant”... but I’ve already posted more on Instagram that I’ll share another time, and I actually keep some notes on this madness and I have a bunch more ideas so just have to get the photos. Here’s another dozen...

Our girl who's infertile beside this Crape Myrtle. #SpayandNeuterYourPets #TodaysPSA 😁

Caption This & A Chance to Win Some "Magic"

Caption this?

What I Think This Look Means, And What It Really Means

Pretty much every time I take Rita for a walk, she'll stop a few times and look up at me with a smile, sort of like this:

A Brave, Brave Doggy

Rita had a lot of fears when she first came to us. For instance, every time I would get out the broom, she'd run and hide. (Of course, I almost never get the broom out anymore, thanks to our Roomba, Carson. BTW, if I do say so myself, the Carson post is pretty cute so you should check it out if you missed it...) Anyway, she's come a long way! She's not even afraid of all the scary creatures that have recently appeared in our 'hood.

I thought I'd share my "A dog & some decor" posts that I've been doing on Instagram as proof.

“I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost-dogs! Much.”

A Pup & A Plant Part 4

But wait...there's more... It's time for another dozen of "a pup & a plant". If you missed the earlier posts you can visit them here: part 1, part 2, part 3.

"Butterfly milkweed" & a representative of the "mutt" breed

Beginning to Look Like Fall... But Where's the "Reading Weather"?

It recently started looking like fall here in San Diego (well, if you live in a neighborhood with liquidambar trees anyway, like we do...) but it's not feeling like fall.

My Dog Is An Excellent Communicator

I walked out of our bathroom the other day and found her like this on our bedroom area rug. Do you think she's trying to tell me something?

More Silliness: A Pup & A Plant Part 3

Hope you aren't sick of this series yet cuz I still have lots more of them to share! (Honestly, I never thought I could keep it going this long... It's become an obsession!) (If you missed them, here are Part 1 and Part 2).

Also, I don't know if you saw her post, but I inspired Taryn from A Tail of Two Cardis to try some a-pup-and-a-planting as well, so check out her post here.

Let's just dive in, shall we?

A plumeria & the cutest dog in the immediate area.

Cover Reveal: STRAY MAGIC is Coming!

Today I'm sharing the cover of my new novel Stray Magic, which officially launches on 10/10.

A fairy tale for dog lovers. 

HOT Dog & the #RememberTheRescue Contest!

It's been pretty hot here - the temps aren't that bad here at the coast, but it's been unusually muggy.

Rita's not a fan of overly hot weather so we got her a little pool this summer. As I've mentioned here before, she hates to swim, but loves to dunk!

We Went on Vacay... & Forgot to Bring a Present for the Dog. #baddogparents

Yes. We're terrible. We went away to visit friends and family recently... and we didn't bring anything home for Rita.

As if it wasn't bad enough that we came home smelling like CATS...

Our friends' gorgeous cat Ollie

A Pup & A Plant, Part Deux

Last month I posted about how I exercise my brain while Rita and I are out on our walks with my Instagram "A Pup and A Plant Series." On our walks, I try to remember plant names, then I take a photo of Rita next to the plant, and then attempt a little word-play for the caption.

I originally thought I could keep this going for maybe a week to 10 days, but I've managed to think up quite a few of them, so figured I'd share another batch here.

An African iris & an American princess. #sospoiled

Don't Forget: "Remember Me Thursday" Is Coming Soon!

It's almost time again for Remember Me Thursday, taking place this year on September 28. Mark your calendars!

My new Remember Me Thursday T-shirt

Remember Me Thursday® is a global awareness campaign whereby individuals and pet adoption organizations worldwide will become an "integrated voice for orphan pets to live in forever homes, not die waiting for them."

Rita and Her BFF and a Classic Work of American Art

Rita has a buddy that we try to meet up with once a week for play/a walk. She's a boxer named Dakota.

Doggie Inspiration For My New Novel

As I mentioned recently, I'm finishing up a new novel and getting ready to put it out in the world. (Eeek) It's a fairy tale (sort of a fractured fairy tale - remember those?), and there are a lot of dogs (since a doggy-supply boutique and a rescue group figure prominently in the story), but the main character's dog is a Cardigan corgi, that looks a lot like my nephew, Reggie.

Exercise For My Brain While We Exercise On Our Walks

I've been doing this thing over on Instagram. If we're connected there, you will possibly have already seen it. I call it "A Pup and A Plant Series." On our walks, I try to remember plant names, then I take a photo of Rita next to the plant, and try to do a little word-play caption.

I've done quite a few, so here are a chunk of them.

Rita and red roses.

Our Dog Is So Nutty: The Lemon Candy Caper

Rita, as I've mentioned before, is very picky. She's not much of a beggar because of it. Even things that normal dogs love (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.) don't get her excited. And there are some things she flat-out hates, like anything citrusy.

So one day when she took an interest in these sour lemon hard candies on our coffee table, I was curious as to why. These were definitely a novelty (I'd never bought them before) and she's usually interested in new things so I thought maybe she was just checking them out and making sure they weren't up to no good.

All threats must pass inspection.

Painting Pup Portraits in Acrylics

This past week my sis invited me to her house for a painting day. It was my first time painting pup portraits with acrylics, and it was a lot of fun.

Before we starting painting though, I had to get some kisses from my sister's adorable pup Stella.

She wasn't totally thrilled with being a model for my photography, but she looks so darn cute on this turquoise chair... I couldn't resist snapping some pics of her! (Because: turquoise. And what's better than dogs + turquoise!?)

When You Ask the Universe For Something, Be Specific

A couple of years ago, I saw a turquoise gnome in someone's front yard. I know you're not supposed to covet your neighbor's goods... but, damn, I coveted that gnome in my heart...

Mainly because I'm obsessed with the color turquoise, as this photo demonstrates...

A New Adventure in Old Town

The hubs and I are members with the Temecula Olive Oil Company (their oils are fantastic!), so once per quarter I get an email that our oils are available. Rita always comes along with me to pick them up at Old Town - a historic State Park, here in San Diego, considered to be "the birthplace of California."

We've been many times, and we always take a nice walk before stopping in at TOOC, which is dog-friendly so Rita always comes along in and gets a treat.

Well, this time when we were walking around waiting for TOOC to open, I noticed a shaded grassy area and, since it was a hot day, we headed over.

The first thing I noticed were the beautiful jacaranda trees. (So pretty! But so messy!)

A Little Adventure In Big Bear Lake

Recently we went to Big Bear Lake, which is only about 2 1/2 hours from San Diego, for a quick getaway. Big Bear was very dog-friendly, with leashed dogs welcome on the trails and on many restaurant patios.

There seems to be a by-law in Big Bear that there must be one carved wooden bear for at least every other house. (This guy was one of my favorites.)

A Plethora of Pretty Pics of Purple Plants Plus a Perky Pooch

On our walk today, I noticed that there seemed to be a lot of pretty purple plants blooming... so thought I'd share them.

Running With The Doggy

Not to be confused with Running With The Devil. (Personally, I'd rather run with my dog.)

I love my new running shoes. And my running buddy!

Our New Family Member. Or "Everybody Loves Carson." (Well, *I* love him anyway...)

Rita has come a long way since we first got her. We don't know if perhaps someone hit her with a stick or something in her past life on the "mean streets," but when she first came to us she would run away whenever I got the broom out.

And that was often, because: shedding! (Look at the pile of dog hair I've got going in that photo. No, wait - don't!)

My Dog Is A Walking Contradiction. Literally. Like, On Walks, I Mean.

Rita is... kind of odd sometimes. (Okay, a lot of the time.)

One thing that's odd about her is that she doesn't really like strangers... and yet, when we go on walks, she often turns up people's walkways as if she wants to go say hi. My normally antisocial dog starts acting social.

Wordless Wednesday: Wherein, Rita Wondered if Wilson Owns a Wubba

Rita luuuuuves** her Wubba.

San Diego: Come for the Breweries, Bring Your Dog!

San Diego is well known for its craft breweries - there are well over 100 of them. (141 by this count!) If you like craft beer, this is definitely a mecca you'll want to visit one day.

And the good news is, you can bring your dog! Many of the breweries are dog friendly, and you can find a good list here, and a few additional places on this list here. One brewery we really like that isn't on either of these lists is Duck Foot Brewing.

And I cannot lie!

Your Face Is Going To Freeze That Way

Did your mom ever say that to you? Mine used to when I was a kid. I've been saying it to these two nuts a lot, since they play a lotta bitey face.

Most of my pics of them are just a blur, but I got a few where you can at least get the gist of the bitey face/ear/leg games they like to play.

Knowledge Is Not Bliss, But It Beats Ignorance!

A few weeks ago, I noticed a spot in Rita's armpit. It felt like a scab stuck in her hair, so I tried to pull it out, but then realized it was attached. I gave it a few days, thinking it was just a scab that wasn't ready to fall off.

When it was still there a week or so later, I figured we better get it checked. It was small, and I thought it was probably just a mole or skin tag, but made an appointment anyway. The night before the appointment, I took this picture of it.

Rita: "I Can See the Mother Country from Here!"

I really wanted Rita to be saying "I can see Mexico from my house!"... but technically we can't see it from our house. But we can see it from some spots in our 'hood.

(That's Mexico waaaay in the background.)

THIS Close to Done, So New Dishes for Everypawdy!

Since I was wordy yesterday - with my review of the new dog book LOYAL - I'll try to be wordless less wordy today. (You know me... impossible to be totally wordless.)

Remember ages ago when Rita and I donned our safety glasses in preparation for our kitchen remodel??

Book Review: #LOYAL from National Geographic & #TLCBookTours

I was contacted by TLC Book Tours and offered the chance to read and review "Loyal: 38 Inspiring Tales of Bravery, Heroism, and the Devotion of Dogs" It's rare to have a solicited post on Pooch Smooches, but this book called to me so I asked them to please send me a copy.

Signs of Spring... And Other Signs

Spring is officially here!

It's showing up in our yard, where our ice plant is very happy after all the rain we've had.

A Tale of Two Kitties. (Okay, Really, Cats. Sorta.)

Rita "met" two "cats" this past Sunday. Normally, she hates cats, which you may recall if you've been following the blog for ages, because there was the time we took her to visit my sis, and Rita went ape over not only the actual cat in the house, but also this stone cat looking down from a bookshelf.

Around Here, We Love An Under Dog

We usually cheer for the underdog here at our house. That doesn't always work out too well (take the recent Super Bowl for instance...). But we do have a particular favorite "under" dog...

Here she is under "cover":

Tap-Dancing Dog

This girl LOVES to play with her Himalayan cheese chews. Almost as much as she likes to eat them. (Those of you who are on Instagram have probably already seen this.)

Love that entrance!

Better A Beach Day That Starts Bad And Ends Well

A couple of weeks ago, we had a day at the beach that started out great and ended badly. (Due to a DADO* with his uncontrollable dog off leash at the on-leash beach.) But I don't want to talk about that because it makes my blood pressure go up. Instead... let's visit a day at the beach that started out badly and ended much better!

The other day, we got to the beach and it was not only super foggy, it was really high tide. Like, only-a-narrow-slip-of-beach-to-run-on-in-some-places high. There was tons of stinky seaweed all over the beach. (Dog heaven, right?)

At Least The End Is Getting Closer

We've had a wee break from the construction for our kitchen remodel, for various reasons, but now that that workers are back, Rita just... can't... even...

Ruff! Wait... Roof?!

When you're out on a walk, and you hear barking, and you turn to look...

...and the barking dog is on the roof!

Stress-Eating Our Way Through the Remodel

As I mentioned last week, we've just started a kitchen remodel. And, naturally, Rita and I are both finding it stressful.

I have to keep Rita closed up in the back half of the house since she doesn't like strange men in the house (neither do I; and even if she did like them, they're constantly coming and going out to their trucks and leaving the door open, so either way - she's on lock-down).

She's mostly okay, but when she hears them talking too loud (or whistling - she HATES whistling for some reason!), she gets upset and starts barking.

A little shot of spray-cheese is just the thing to take the edge off and put her in a much calmer mood!

Under Construction... Almost

We here at Chez Pooch Smooches are on the eve of a kitchen renovation. (Ugh.)

Rita and I have donned our safety goggles and hardhats (not pictured) and are ready for the work to begin!

It's Like Living With a Mastiff Sometimes

My nephew Leo the mastiff often goes around with a drool rag tucked into his collar. He's a big sweetie - and he's also a big drooler!

Here he is demonstrating two techniques at once - the "strand" and the "bubble." Impressive.

Good job, Leo! (Photo credit: my bro)

New Dog Picture Books for the Collection

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a nice holiday season. Ours was lovely with too much food but lots of long walks (and a few runs) to try to counteract all the calories. Now it's back to the ol' routine...

I thought I'd share a couple of fun dog picture books we got for Christmas. We have a lot of dog books, but there's always room for more, right?

First of all, thanks to Jan at The Poodle (and Dog) Blog for mentioning Zen Dogs by Alex Cearns before Christmas. I got a copy for the hubs for one of his presents.

LOVE the cover!