Funny Holiday Video

I found this on Facebook and thought it was pretty cute/funny! I wish our Christmas Eve dinner guests were going to be this cute!

Dogs as Disney Characters-- Too Cute!!

A blog called Oh My Disney posted this adorable video of dogs dressed as Disney characters. I may have actually squealed aloud when I saw this.

Too Cute to Leave Behind

Let's be honest. We all think our dog(s) is the cutest dog(s) in the world. I am definitely no exception! In my eyes, I've never seen a dog cuter and with more squish-ably chubby cheeks than my Olivia Rose. I'm biased. We all are.

This morning Olivia was being exceptionally cute. All through eating my breakfast I couldn't stop with the "oh my God"'s every she rolled over or played with a toy. And then Olivia even decided to use her heavy winter coat as a dog bed. The result? I did not want to leave her to go to work (more so than usual). I like my job. It's a wonderful job. But I long for the day when either I have a job that allows me to bring Olivia to work, or I'm self employed and make my own rules about my dog being allowed in my office/store/etc. I'm always very eager to get home to Olivia at the end of the day so I can scoop her up, smell her unique warm puppy smell, and kiss those big chubby cheeks.

Olivia is pretty sure that her coat makes
a cozy make-shift bed.

Playing with toys this morning.

Thoughtless Thursday: Big Deal Thursday

Yesterday I jumped back into blogging (head first, no less) after a four month hiatus (if you'd like to know what Olivia and I were doing during that time please check out the post and I promise it will get you all caught up).

So, anyways, back to the whole jumping back in head first... I had read many months back that having a blog that used a URL with wordpress/blogspot/etc at the end of it was kind of cheesy, it went on to say that not paying for your own domain name detracted from the legit-ness of your blog. I found that to be offensive! My blog URL ends in .blogspot! And my blog is awesome... even though I have, like, 3 people reading it.-- I had thought, insulted.

But yesterday I decided one way I could keep myself writing and from abandoning my blog again was by investing money (not just my very limited free time) into it. If I paid money for some aspect of it I figure that I'm less apt to make excuses for why I'm not writing. So I looked into how I could get a domain name. And I bought one. 

I am now the proud owner of www.oliviashuman.com-- and I'm really quite excited! While I don't think this is a step that will make or break my blog (who knows, I could be very wrong) I am pretty pumped about this big step/decision I made for my blog, my writing, and my brand. I know I haven't been so good about any of those things lately but I want to change that.... starting...now. 

Olivia is also very excited about this next big step. As you can clearly see:

7 Summer Safety Tips

Summer is a fun time for everyone. The pool is open, the whole family is swimming, or boating, or having fun in the water at some point. Even the dog! But summer can also be a dangerous time of year for your dog, and Olivia and I are going to share some summer safety tips with you!

1. Always supervise your dog in and around water. It only takes a second for something horrific to happen, even in a very shallow baby pool. Last year, right before my eyes, 9 week old Olivia walked right off the edge of the concrete and fell in the pool. She sank like a rock. I threw my phone on the ground and jumped in, fully clothed. Thankfully, she was okay because I was there when it happened. Had I not, it could've ended very badly.

2. If your dog is not a strong swimmer, no matter the breed, a life vest can be a great purchase that will totally be worth its price. It can also give you peace of mind that God forbid your dog end up in the water and not be able to swim, they won't drown. Last summer after she fell in the pool, Olivia always wore her life vest outside.

Olivia in her new bigger vest

Olivia last year in her original vest

Olivia's two vests side by side

3. If you have a pool make sure you take your dog in the pool with you and show them how to get out (most likely using stairs or a shallow end) in case something happens.

4. It gets very hot in a lot of parts of the country. Make sure your dog has fresh water to drink at all times. The chemicals in the pool do not make it a viable choice. Ponds or lakes are also not ideal.

Sometimes Olivia cools her feet in her
 water bowl

5. Any dog can over heat if left outside too long, especially without any shade. Snub nose dogs (like Olivia), black dogs, and hairy dogs can get especially hot. Make sure you keep an eye on your pet and look for signs of distress. Don't wait until your dog tells you they want to come in, it may already be too late- especially if they've been running or very active.

6. If you have a dog like a Chinese Crested then I'm sure you already know you need to apply sunscreen to them. But other dogs, particularly ones with pink skin, may also need some SPF protection in the warmer months.

7. Avoid going for walks during the hottest parts of the days. Instead opt for early morning or later at night.

Summer is such a great time of year to spend time and bond with your dog, just make sure you do so safely!

Thoughtless Thursday

By Ruckus the Eskie and co-host Love is being owned by a Husky

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Wordless Wednesday

"Why'd you stop scratching my belly?"

Do you think you'd like to see more cute photos of Olivia's day-to-day activities? Check us out on instagram @Olivias_Human !

Olivia is feeling Disney-Fab: Thoughtless Thursday

I got Olivia a new ensemble, a Minnie Mouse tutu and a Minnie Mouse bandana that reads "it's all about me"... well when it comes to Olivia that statement couldn't be truer!

Barking in the car looking cute

Thoughtless Thursday

By Ruckus the Eskie and co-host Love is being owned by a Husky

Olivia and her Skateboard (Video) Wordless Wednesday

So here is Olivia riding her skateboard. Right now we are still on the flat ground part of the training, soon we will try out some small hills (and hopefully she'll put her other feet up on the board as she gains momentum)!

The Boston Terrier Take Over... AKA: We Found a Boston Terrier Club!

I had considered starting up one of my own, but through Facebook I learned that someone else had the same idea of starting up a local Boston Terrier Club! How excited was I! The first meet-up was Saturday 2/8 at a free dog park. I think maybe 20 Bostons showed up, and it was really fun to see all those little black and white snorters in one place. There was even a 12 week old puppy! The Bostons were in all shapes and sizes.

One of the funniest things was watching normal patrons of the park arrive and be completely in shock by the Boston Terrier Take Over.

"Is it Boston Terrier day? Was this planned?" They all asked. Yes, yes it was.

The next meet-up is March 1 and Olivia will definitely be there!

In the photos, Olivia is the one with the black mesh harness.

This little girl's name is Chloe,
and she loved playing ball

Wordless Wednesday: My Skateboarding Boston

Olivia is learning how to ride a skateboard! Stay tuned for a video!

February is Spoil Your Pet Month...

And boy do I spoil Olivia!

She gets Blue Buffalo grain-free dog food, she gets all natural made in the USA dental bones (one per day), she gets a more cookies than any other dog I know (except Fern Louise, she gets just as many), she goes for car rides, she goes on shopping trips, and my oh my does she have toys! Oh, and she gets to sleep in the bed.

I treat Olivia as if she were a human child. She is my child, after all, even if she has four legs instead of two. My honest belief is why have a dog if you aren't gonna spoil it?


And what can I say... I just can't resist Olivia's cuteness!

You can see Olivia's equally spoiled cat sister, Harley, in the
background.

Olivia Saw Snow!

It rarely snows in SC so when it does... it's kinda a big deal.

I'm from NJ, so the 1 1/4 inches we received yesterday was enough to be exciting and fun but certainly not "crippling as it was being described as. The great blizzard of 2014 it's being called by some people.

Olivia had never seen snow. She was a bit confused. She did think it tasted good, apparently. She'd stand eating snow off the lawn while holding up her back legs in turn. It was really cute. She did start snorting more than usual when she was breathing which I took as a sign that she was a little bit chilly.

if you look closely you can see her little
pink tongue sticking out of her mouth as
 she licks snow off her nose.

Thoughtless Thursday: By Ruckus the Eskie and co-host Love is being owned by a Husky 

An Olivia Bracelet

If you look back a few posts you will find the one where I was excited about making a clay bead that was a Boston Terrier face. I've since made a whole lot more and I turned one of them into this bracelet! I bought the other beads at Hobby Lobby and strung them all together on a stretchy cord. Hopefully this with be one of the items available on my future Etsy store! Everyone should watch out for that post when I finally have an inventory and open up shop :) I'm hoping to maybe even be able to donate some of the earnings I make in my Etsy store to a Boston Terrier rescue.

I'm A Boston!

I found this really cute shirt for Olivia on Etsy in the Clevotine shop. I love their stuff, it's all Boston Terrier related and now their even making stuff for dogs too! I have their pink v-neck and I wear it all the time (including when I picked Olivia out of her litter-mate and as well as when we picked her up two weeks later) and now Olivia has her own Clevotine shirt! It says "I'm a Boston Terrier, Not a French Bull Dog" on it which is really quite appropriate because I get asked that question all the time. "Is she... a... a... French... uh..." "She's a Boston" "Oh. Right." I'm really glad the people at Clevotine wrote that the dog shirts run small, I ended up getting Olivia a large and it fits perfect :)

Wordless Wednesday Video Edition!

Olivia Graduated [AGAIN]!

Olivia has officially graduated from all the classes that Petsmart has to offer us. Yay, Livie!

She doesn't do everything perfectly, but I now have the tools and know how to continue working with her. I hope to take her to some sort of agility class next, however, she does seem to be entering into her teenage stage and she is being a little bit rebellious and totally dislikes and tries to avoid any form of control over her. Debra, our Petsmart trainer, tells me this should pass around Olivia's second birthday. Wonderful. Just one year, four months to go then! *rolls eyes*

Olivia graduated last night with a very feisty little Schnauzer named Sophie and a big eight month old Doberman named Harvey. Harvey doesn't have small dog siblings and find their small size to be a bit unnerving it seems. But Harvey seems to have taken a liking to Olivia and the two actually played a bit last night.

Mommy's little graduate :)

the graduates together (L->R: Harvey, Olivia, and Sophie)

Olivia and Harvey playing together

New Trick... WAVE!

So I mentioned that Olivia learned Wave at her petsmart class yesterday, and today I taught it to Fern, too. I made a little video!

Another Fun Day

Yesterday I spent my morning like I bet most people are these last few days leading up to Christmas. I was shopping. For my mom. My mom has accumulated a lot of knick knacks over the 30-40 years and I'm sure a lot of them are gifts I picked for her. This year I wanted to give her something she would actually use and enjoy and was having a hard time. I ended up getting her software for her one sewing machine (she loves to sew). But after witnessing some truly spectacular grid-lock and the best *cough* sarcasm *cough* driving I've ever seen, I was ready to unwind. That morning I'd promised to take Olivia to the park and I planned to make good on that promise.

I went home to get her and headed back out to town. I'm not sure our walk was relaxing... Olivia was trotting along cheerfully which forced me to power walk, but we had fun together. She found a stick (she loves sticks) and really enjoyed sniffing out all the smells. I had a good time watching her enjoy the park so much. This all caused me to come up with an early New Year's Resolution:

To take Olivia out for walks at the park, etc. more often.

It's not something I really think of because Olivia and Fern get so much exercise running around our farm. Unlike a lot of dog owners, I can just open the back door and let them run free instead of having to walk them every time they have to go potty. But it's not about exercise. It's about spending time with my little Olivia, putting the phone away (except to take photos), and enjoying being outside playing together.

After the park we headed to Petsmart to make up the first two classes of the Advanced class that we missed. Olivia's trainer was so excited to see her, and Olivia was excited to see Debra as well! We worked on sitting when meeting a friendly stranger, loose leash walking going into heel, waving, and touch. We go back on Friday for week three and Olivia FINALLY will get to meet her classmates.

happy to be back in class

Last night after we got home and took care of the horses my parents, Olivia, and I (Brian's in NJ for work) went to the local five star hotel for the Christmas caroling party (they allow well behaved dogs in the hotel bar/lobby/lounge). Olivia wore her Christmas dress and got to have her photo taken (again) with Santa. Everyone fawned over her and everyone wanted to tell me how their sister's boyfriend's great aunt's nephew's uncle has/had/is getting a Boston. It's so funny to me that it seems every where I go with Olivia some stranger(s) comes up to me to tell me about their experience with Bostons (or sometimes with Frenchies). We had a great time, although my arms did hurt a bit from holding Olivia all night. There were a lot of people and I didn't want to risk her getting stepped on but she was also tired. Olivia weighs a whopping 15.8 lbs now!

Wordless Wednesday: Gift Wrapping Edition

"I'm gonna play with my bottle
cruncher fox on top of this book
that you're trying to wrap"

"here, wrap my fox"

"let me help you with this
wrapping paper"

Olivia Goes to See Christmas Lights

Last night Brian and I took Olivia to see Christmas lights at this place we have here in town called Hopeland Gardens. They boasted 100,000 lights over 1.5 miles of trail.

We had to park the car at a park and take a shuttle over. I didn't know this in advance and was a little worried they wouldn't let Olivia on board. Good planning on the town/whoever was in charge of this event because they actually had one dog friendly bus! We were the only ones on board it. Olivia thought it was great fun and really enjoyed trotting around the park. I'm not sure she loved having to pose every two steps with various light displays but oh well, and I'm sure Brian (who was holding her leash) must have gotten tired of hearing "pose her with [fill in the blank], yes, right here, no not there, here". With other people around and distractions I couldn't always convince Olivia to look at the camera... oh well.

Here's the photos: