The Toddler that Barks: Baby-Proofing for My Big Dog

When I meet someone in person, two things hold true 99% of the time. First, I'm shorter than the other person.  At 5'0" this is quite frequently, though not always, the case.  I don't think about it too much or realize exactly how much shorter I am than others until I see a group photo where everyone towers over me and it looks like we are not all from the same planet. Second, my dog is bigger than their dog.  I have an English Mastiff.  My sweet puppy weighed in at 147 lbs. at the time of his last veterinary visit.  While I know there are others who have fur babies as large as mine, I have yet to meet someone who does.

Having a large dog is a great deal like having a toddler.  I have to baby-proof some areas of the house to prevent him from accidentally injuring himself.  There are just all sorts of hazards you don't have to think about with a small four-footed friend that are real, true safety concerns with a big dog.  

For example, we have a gas stove.  When I cook, I have to have the pot handles turned towards the wall so my dog, if he happens to walk by, doesn't accidentally knock a hot pan off the stove and onto himself as his tail wags.  We also have a stove guard on the knobs of the stove so our puppy can't turn on the gas when we aren't around since he is actually tall enough to easily bump the buttons.

When I'm sewing, I have to keep his snout away from the moving needle on my sewing machine.  Naturally he's curious about what I'm up to, but I have to keep his nose safely out of range, and his paws too as he could easily send the machine zooming down the fabric if I didn't prevent him from stepping on the foot pedal!

Then there are the seasonal concerns.  Soon we'll be putting up a Christmas tree.  My fur baby loves balls...or anything that resembles one. This of course means great care has to be taken when decorating for Christmas.  We can't have any have any round ornaments on the tree where they could attract the attention of the dog.   

We we be practicing a pet-safe Christmas this year with all round ornaments either left off of the tree entirely or placed up quite high. I can't have my sweetheart of a dog getting hurt by putting ornaments in his mouth!  

Decorating and dog-proofing challenges aside, having a 147 lb. dog is a great joy in my life!  If I feel like I really need a hug, I can sit with my dog on my lap, wrap my arms around him, and truly feel like I've been hugged. Take a moment and hug a dog today.  It will make you smile!

Costumes, Cosplay, & the Joy of Being Odd

I love costuming. Since I was very young, I always got extremely excited about Halloween because it was the one day of the year I could wear any weird thing and pull it off without anyone batting an eye.    It doesn't matter if I'm using spray paint, tape, string, or the sewing machine, I find great joy in crafting my weird creations.  This year is no exception, unless you count exceptionally strange.

My theme this year is related to previous costumes I've done, but with a whole new twist.  I've been to comic cons and other such events dressed as a large number of things, from a horror show serial killer to a Star Trek bridge crew member.  I even dressed once as a royal family member who had been roped into participating in Christmas baking, you know, the kind of thing you see in Hallmark Christmas specials and other such shows.  This time though, I'm going as the ghost of the victim of the fictional serial killer I previously dressed up as...and what's more, I'm going to make it funny!

Yep, there was a very notable scene where a woman was chained to a cinder block, the block was thrown in the lake, and down the woman went.  Dressing as the victim may sound morbid, and in many cases it may be, but not in my case.  Nope!  I'm putting a humorous twist on it.  My styrofoam cinder block is ready to go, as is the plastic Halloween chain.  I've been working on fake seaweed and it is progressing well.  Next up is the fish I need to make to put in my hair and attach to my clothes.  If I have time, I'll attach some lures to my clothing as well, after removing the hooks of course!

I don't know what your plans are, but let your creativity run wild and have an amazing Halloween!