Tug-Of-War Video

Shaak Ti and Shadowfax playing together with their awesome 6-Foot Rope Toy.

This may look familiar to some loyal Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes readers...it is indeed the Valentine's Day present that Alycia received this year.  We embrace the non-traditional around here. 

They enjoy this monster rope toy and Shadowfax plays with it (supervised) almost every day when it's too cold or snowy to play outside. 

First Sweater Day

So while it was 70 degrees last week, this morning it was a balmy 11 degrees with a couple inches of new snow. Perfect for giving Grandma's sweater a first try! 

The one thing we realized is that the bulky yarn makes Shadowfax's harness a  tight fit. We may have to invest in a special "winter sweater" sized harness for next year.  

You Can't Escape the Sunbeam

It reached 70+ degrees here in Grand Forks, North Dakota last Sunday.  Well it reached 71 at the airport a few miles west of town. It officially only got to 70 here in town, well above seasonal averages.  Fargo got to 74 degrees and recorded the earliest 70 degree day in the history of the city.

This was the first time the pooches had been exposed to a powerful sunbeam since last Summer.  They were ill prepared for the power of the sunbeam in all of its nap-inducing majesty.  Shaak Ti and Shadowfax were unable to resist the tractor beam like pull to snooze in the warm afternoon sunshine. 

Shaak Ti Vs. Sasquatch

Shaak Ti had a battle with a Sasquatch the other day.  Apparently she lost.  Either that or she has some kind of strange deaf-dog crush on Sasquatch, we don't really know.  Shaak Ti is an odd little dog, there are myriad possible reasons why she's snuggling up with Sasquatch's foot, but those reasons remain her own.

The Sasquatch Statue was a Christmas present for John.  It seemed like every plane flight we took he would pine over the awesome Sasquatch Statue in the Skymall catalog, so we finally got him one for Christmas.  It is a fairly awesome addition to the house. 

In Shaak Ti's defense, Sasquatch does have a pretty mean glare, maybe that's why she lost this particular tussle. 

Hand Knitted Dog Sweater Follow Up

It's only been a week, but we have an update on Shadowfax and her hand knitted dog sweater.  I know you were all begging for closure on this topic as we've been deluged with literally hundreds of e-mails asking for some resolution (and more photos). 

One thing you should know about Alycia's Mom, she's one speedy knitter. It didn't take her long to make the adjustments from the previous fitting session and get the sweater ready to go!

No final fitting session is complete without some play time in your new sweater.

Hugs from Alycia and pets from Grandma.

She has a tail, I promise.  It's wagging so fast in this picture that you can't see it.

There we go.  Slowed down our wag-rate a smidgen so you can see the tail. Look at how nicely that sweater fits - well done Grandma!

Shadowfax has become pretty good at posing nicely for the camera.  In case there are some people who are looking for a deaf pittie to model sweaters, Shadowfax is currently available for work. 

Shadowfax has become pretty good at posing nicely for the camera.

The only bummer in this whole sweater ordeal?  It's in the 50's today and is supposed to stay nice all week.  We're probably not completely free of Winters' icy grip, but we might be out of dog sweater season.  This lovely sweater may have to get shelved until next winter when it's cold enough.  Sweaters are usually on clearance about now, so you might be able to snatch up some pretty good deals if you're so inclined. 

Hand Knitted Dog Sweater Photo Montage

Alycia here. So my mom has been knitting ferociously for the past year or so. She's knitted me a hat, fingerless gloves, mittens, and a few scarves. Recently she decided to take on a more challenging project: a sweater for Shadowfax.

Today she and my dad stopped by for a sweater fitting. The following photo montage shows how that went.  The photos are all from an iPhone, so they aren't the best, plus Shadowfax was a blur of happy activity anyways, so pretty tough to capture.

So far so good, but that's all about to change.

Shadowfax is thinking that this might be s new fun toy.

Here comes the sweater, Grandma is checking her tummy for proper measurements.

The first attempt at putting on the sweater, a barrage of kisses and wiggles ensues.