dealing with disappointment

I've recently had to deal with some disappointments... particularly with my dogs. I work very hard to train them so that they are the best dogs they can be. And sometimes I forget that at the end of the day... they're dogs. And they'll make mistakes - some big, some small.

So I was really touched by the story of Ricochet. Take a look at the video below...

merry christmas to me...

I bought myself a Christmas present. I discovered this wonderful artist in New Orleans - Susan Woodard - who paints watercolors of children and pets, and I loved her style so much, I commissioned a portrait of my sweet Sully.

She was so easy to work with, and I received the painting about a week after I sent her the photo to work from. And on top of that, her pricing is unbelievably reasonable.

From photo to watercolor in just a week...

You can see more of her work here... and make sure to check out her portraits of children as well. They're absolutely adorable. If you're interested in ordering a watercolor for yourself, you can e-mail her here.

it's making the rounds

but it's so funny I couldn't resist...

a dog's life

A couple of my dogs already think they should be famous, so I think I'll stuff their stocking this year with these treats that have their pictures on them. A Dog's Life gives customers the opportunity to customize their packaging with their own dog's photo. They have lots of different varieties... some organic, some all-natural and one that's even grain-free.

And for your dog-loving & wine-loving friends (or yourself)... you can order a bottle of wine that features their pooch as well. Merry Christmas to me...