the new baby

Oddjob is so happy that the eleven year-old little sister hasn't bugged anybody to play with their iphone since Thursday! Just what is it that demands so much of her attention?

Meet Lola!

surprise!
Lola plays on Hulk

Lola is a Beagle puppy girl, just over eight weeks old. Somehow, my dad Popsy caved in; he and my stepmom agreed to adopt the happy little puppy from the San Francisco SPCA. Oddjob has never been so occupied- or dedicated! According to her mom, she wakes up in the dead of night and early in the morning to tend to Lola. And who could resist? Lola is bursting with curiosity, radiating adorableness, and jiggling with baby fat that you can pinch. I heard that the veterinarian said she's a little overweight. I think she's perfect!

so soft and huggable

It has been a long time since I handled an actual puppy - almost all of our dogs come to Mumsy as "adults," arriving to our house no younger than 5 years of age. There was one puppy named Farley but the boy was one of those big breeds (he was a hybrid of unknown origins) and quickly grew from a cuddly creature that could fit in my hand to a mischievous puppy that outgrew his extra-large kennel and began eating the house. I was just a young girl when we got Farley and we kept him less than a year as it became increasingly obvious he was too big to live within the cramped quarters of a city. He was taken to the SPCA in Marin or Sonoma County, where I like to think he quickly became a working dog by day and wino by night. Yup, it's just small dogs for us!

The beagle is on the small end of medium-sized dogs so I think it will be a bit of a challenge for Oddjob (and the family) to care for a canine that will grow to a size that is not easily portable. But I think she'll do alright... after all, Lola seems to enjoy napping quite a bit!

sleepy time!

I know this is weird but one my favorite things about Lola is the way she smells. Combined with all the other dogs at the shelter, it's not so pleasant. But on her own, Lola carries the smell of salty mucus-y boogers, a smell I find irresistibly endearing on dogs. I think part of this reminds me of the way Benji the Yorkshire Terrier used to smell in the morning until I picked the boogers out of his eyes. I know it's peculiar but I love it!