That's the downside of all training... the consistency and the concerted effort. Because honestly, sometimes it is cute and you want to acknolwedge and run with the cuteness, not the blatant irritation.

Yup. This is why we won't allow ourselves to have a dog yet. We don't have the time to make the effort & be consistent. Dammit.

#4 was just taken a few minutes ago

They look like they're in Heaven.

My eldest dog, Mac is definitely the snow dog. She used to love rooting through the snow with her snout. She was very white when she was younger and would literally disappear in the snow.

Sam's a shepherd mix but he dislikes the cold because of his hip dysplasia and arthritis.

My last dog (strictly speaking, my last roommate's dog, but I lived with them both for 7 years) spoiled me on the training front. We'd say, "Don't do that!" once or twice and she'd stop doing whatever it was. You could see the wheels turning in her head. "Hmmmm. This irritates my people. But I can still do these other things, and then they pet me and give me treats. Eh, other things are good." This made us a bit lazy, so we never really did a full, formal training. But she was so smart, and so not interested in being the alpha bitch, it was almost a collaboration rather than a training situation.

I doubt I'll be so lucky again, even if I do get another black lab-german shepherd mix.

Winn-Dixie had a run-down rep for years in GA. But that's changing with the opening of new stores which rival Kroger & Publix for size, cleanliness and selection.

My dog rarely gets up on the furniture, so when she does I'm more likely to coo than to scold.

To wit:

Christmas morning

Because of her brows, she looks a little sad when she's looking down, even when that's not the case.

A happier shot: Kisses!

Brenda, she's so cute!

Piggly-Wiggly is definitely an inner-city chain in Milwaukee. Don't know about anywhere else.

I used to live in Illinois north of Chicago and they had them there too, as well as a Jewel-Osco.

eta: spelling goes out the window on mondays

Here's my whole crew.

Thanks, Kat. She's a sweetie.

That second picture is framed on my desk. (I couldn't work the scanner so I took a picture of the picture with my phone. Ah, this modern world.)

Googling is not giving me a lot of help. I just keep finding stuff about the dog Winn Dixie. Or random stories about segregation, including Rosa Parks and her tired feet-- a story that irritates me no end, because there is no need to fictionalize it like people do. Rosa knew exactly what she was doing, and she got on that bus for the express purpose of sitting in a white seat, and getting arrested, and starting that legal battle, since she was an ideal candidate to use. Which is a very brave thing to do, to go into it with your eyes open. So the stupid story where she's just a little, tired, old lady who one day refused to give up her seat, irritates me to no end. Since it fictionalizes an account that, I think, is much more powerful when it is told truthfully, and it makes it a story, rather than a real life event, and plan, which is much more complex, and much less distancing. In my opinion.

Um, sorry for that rant. Issues.

Anyway, if someone finds something about Winn Dixie, please let me know. I think I'm going to give up my search on it, but either validation, or knowing I'm crazy, is always good.

ETA: Cute, cute animal pictures! Cashmere, your cat is gorgeous. So pristinely white.