Happy Halloween!

To kick start the Halloween season I stumbled across a Halloween costume contest on Twitter that a company called Furry Twang was having and decided to try our luck and send in my favorite picture of Red sporting his Underdog costume.

And wouldn't you know it, he won!!! He won a new Halloween themed collar from Furry Twang!!! Not long after I found out he won, the new collar arrived in the mail, and you know what this meant...photoshoot!!

Yes, you are reading that right, his new collar says, "Trick or Treat I Lick Feet," and it is just perfect for him!

(And if you haven't already, you need to check out Furry Twang's site to see all their wonderfully hilarious southern sayings inspired dog gear! I am definitely seeing an "I eat grits" collar in Red's future! Haha!)

It appears though that Red, always the comedian, took his new collar's wise words to heart, and quite literally.

The poor guy suffers from seasonal allergies where he licks his feet until they're almost bare. It's probably the worst they've ever been, but with the help of stinging nettles and the occasional Benadryl he seems to have moved past the worst of it. Now we start the long process of regrowing all that hair on his little feetsies.

Of course it wouldn't be a Big Red photo shoot without some bloopers, so I leave you all with the silly outtakes and wish all of you guys a safe and Happy Halloween!!

And for some great tips on how to keep our loveable pups safe on Halloween don't forget to make your way over to the Canine Mafia for some great Halloween safety tips!!

::sniff sniff::

Is that...do I detect a hint of...yes, it is! I smell cookies!

Quit holding out! Just insert those cookies right here and no one gets hurt!

 I tried to tell Red that dogs who get busted for digging big holes in the backyard while in search of grubs do not get cookies, but he wasn't buying it! Ha!

Yeah, right lady! Just fork over the cookies, mmmkay!

This whole conversation really made me reconsider how smart it was to teach Red the speak command, he's just too smart for his own good and is officially using his training against me! Hahaha!

Best Friends

Many many apologies for being so slack in posting lately, this time of year always seems to be a busy time for me. I have been working hard though, getting new pictures of my crew's daily adventures and will hopefully get back to posting on a more consistent basis!

Red has really been enjoying himself lately, making lots of new neighborhood friends. His new favorite play buddy, Murphy, lives just a few houses down and Red whines with excitement if we even head in the direction of his house. Murphy and Red are so hilarious together, their favorite go-to game is Wrestling Smack down! You know they're having fun when you see one of them get body slammed and bounce right back up asking for more! Haha!

It always starts out so innocently with a quick sprint around the yard from sheer excitement of being together...

And then before you know it someone's in a head lock! lol

You wouldn't believe the trash talking that goes on between these two...

What'd you say about my momma?

I didn't say anything about your momma, you momma's boy!

Oh, it's on now pipsqueak!!

Bring it, fireplug!!

This goes on forever, until they are both so wiped out, that they both lie down head-to-head and chew and tug on each other's loose face skin! Haha! They really are a silly pair!

Now that you've met Red's new BFF, he wanted me to also introduce his girlfriend/walking buddy, Lady, a lab/rottweiler mix that lives right across the street. Lady's food lady had surgery on her foot, which put her out of walking commission for a while so I've taken up her twice daily walks. This has thrilled Red, and it is so cute to see little 50-pound Red trotting next to 100+ pound Lady...he's like her little sidekick! Ha!

Some like it hot...

but Red does not! lol

Red wanted me to tell you guys he is sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it's just so darn hot and humid outside lately, it's all he can do to go sit out on the coolaroo and think lovely thoughts of cool fall weather. It's been so muggy and humid here the past couple of weeks that Red's seasonal allergies are really flaring up, and he is one itchy itchy boy. 

Why does it have to be sooooo humid! I can barely stand it!

::cue sad dramatic face::

Oh woe is me! I think I am melting!!

I tried to explain to Red that there are some people and animals out there that don't have air conditioning...

Blasphemy!!! I don't believe it! Seriously, you had better start fanning me, I think I'm getting the vapors!!

I don't know how much longer I can last...

Oh my god, it's happening! It's so sticky out here my lip is stuck to the coolaroo! I'm done for!!

I'm saved! Oh how I love you Mr. Big Industrial Fan!

Run, Red, Run!

Inevitably whenever my brother comes to visit, he claims that he can outrun Red, and every time Red schools him! Either way, it still fun to watch the boys play!

The chase begins...

Catch me if you can old man!

Always the jokester, Red loves to dart under the porch only to reappear out of nowhere and blow past you! 

Haha, sucker!

And before he knew it, Uncle Reyn was on the receiving end of a mad zoomie chase down! Run away!

Of course, being boys, they just couldn't help themselves and had to run all through the roses and flower beds, but they had a blast and were being so funny that I couldn't stay mad long :)

Lazy Sunday

Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.  ~Joseph Wood Krutch

Kittens are born with their eyes shut.  They open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives.  ~Stephen Baker

You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense.  ~Jane Pauley

Who among us hasn't envied a cat's ability to ignore the cares of daily life and to relax completely?  ~Karen Brademeyer

Backyard Jungle Adventure

Lately the kitties have been begging to go outside into the backyard, and usually I will rotate and take one out with me when I am watering the plants since they are not allowed out unattended. The other day Abby and Itty Bitty slipped out while I was heading into the backyard so I figured why not and let the whole gang go outside, minus High Cotton and Ms. Wiggles who were very concerned about the effects the humidity might have on their fluffy white hair. 

Itty Bitty dashed out into the yard only to remember he is a big giant scaredy cat, and he spent most of his time looking around like this to make sure nothing scary was after him.

Abby thinks she is a jungle cat, and out of my whole crew she is the one I am constantly on the look out for because she will dart out a door in a second if given the opportunity. She lives to eat the grass and always makes herself right at home. She likes to pretend that she is a big tough kitty, but once she has had her fun she wants back inside and does not like being left unattended while out in the big outdoors.

Bella went right to the good stuff, the dirt! She didn't waste any time heading for the flower bed where there was no shortage of wonderful dirt filled smells to be had!

Sophie, not one to be left behind, was hot on Bella's trail! I don't know why they do it, but my cats have a habit of pairing off according to color, so while Itty Bitty and Abby were busy watching for bugs in the grass, Bella and Sophie were strolling the flower bed, while High Cotton and Ms. Wiggles lounged on the porch sipping water!

When Bella hit the brakes to stop and sniff the ground, Sophie, never one to miss an opportunity regardless of where the situation presents itself, went in for the butt sniff!! Haha! Seriously, with all the exciting stuff outside, Sophie still could not pass up the chance to get a big whiff of Bella's behind! Sophie "The Perpetual Butt Sniffer" strikes again!

So what! I like sniffing butts, you gotta problem with that?!?!

Never one to be left out, Red was whining up a storm on the porch wanting to be let out into he backyard so he could have fun with the kitties too, so I finally relented and went to let him join in. Red was so overjoyed that he could come out and play too that he saw what he thought was Abby hanging out in the grass, and ran full speed towards what he thought was his bestest buddy. He was wrong, very wrong. 

It was in fact not Abby he was running towards, but Itty Bitty, his mortal enemy! It was too late by the time he realized, and tried to put the brakes on...

Puffed up kitty in 3...2...1...

Just a mere second before I snapped this shot, Bitty had made a almost successful attempt at removing Red's nose from his face! Haha!

I swear you could almost hear Bitty as Red ran away...

And don't you ever come near me again you big dumb dog! Unless, of course, you want your face permanently rearranged!!!

Poor guy, luckily Red was able to shake off his near death experience and enjoy the rest of his backyard adventure. After stopping to smell the flowers...

He found a nice cool dirt spot to relax in where he could keep a watchful eye on the kitties.

Bitty went back to bug hunting in the grass and all was well. All in all, the kitties and Red enjoyed their group outing to the backyard!