Daily Dose of Cute

[Please note that Dudley and Zelda bare their teeth at each other in this video. They're just playing, but if seeing dogs bare their teeth is triggering or otherwise problematic for you, you should skip this video.]


Dudley and Zelda lie on the floor facing each other, their paws crossed, squeaking a plush snake toy between them. They stop and look at me. "Get it," I tell them. "Get it, puppies!" They sniff at it, sniff each other, look back at me. "Where's the snake? Where is it?" I ask. They look at me. "Where's the snake?" They look at me. "Dudley, get it. Get it!" I whisper. "Zelly Belly, get that snake!" I reach down for it. "What is this?" I hold it up and they take it back for more squeaking. Zelly throws me a quick "Thanks, Two-Legs!" look. Squeak squeak squeak.

Suddenly Zelda hops backwards and sits up with her back against the settee. (This is her cue for: "It's time for the Bitey Game!") "Oh my goodness!" I exclaim to Dudley. "What was that?!" He looks at me. "Oh my goodness!" He squeaks the snake while Zelly waits patiently, then finally catches on. He stands up and sniffs the camera, then goes and offers his neck to Zelda. They snort and huff and play-bite each other. Zelda bats him with her paw. He play-bites her leg. She punches him. "You tell him, Zelly," I tell her. "You tell him."

Dudley sits down beside her, then lowers himself so now Zelly is the taller one. More biteyness. Zelly punches him with both front paws, then falls over. I laugh. Bitey bitey bitey. Iain makes a noise in the loft; the dogs stop and look up, a pair of ridiculous cuteness. Fin.

Daily Dose of Cute

"Love me, Two-Legs."
Zelda may well be the snuggliest, cuddliest, petmepetmepetme dog of all time. She loves getting attention from anyone and everyone; when someone walks in the door, she immediately has to run to the toybox to get a squeaky toy and squeak it with uncontrollable excitement.

And I'm pretty sure she begs to go out in the rain just so she can come back in and get dried off with a fluffy towel.

Photo of the Day

A stunned Annette Swoffer thought she must have been hallucinating when she found [a young baby fur-seal pup] hanging out with her cats in her kitchen on Sunday night. The seal had made its way from the Welcome Bay waterfront, through the suburb's residential area, across busy Welcome Bay Rd, up a slip road, along Ms Swoffer's long driveway, under a gate, through the cat door and up some stairs before he was found in the kitchen about 9.30pm [and later] made himself at home on the couch. [Link; photo from the New Zealand Department of Conservation]

Daily Dose of Cute

*grin*

Daily Dose of Cute

I can't recall what was going on when I snapped this picture. Matilda was either rebuffing an attempt to tame with a grooming brush the furry bedlam that is her coat, or giving Zelda the stink-eye for trying to get up on couch in the queen's presence.



"No!"

Cute Bat Is So Cute OMG SOOOOOO CUTE

If you, like me, love bats and wanted to be "the world'th foremotht bat exthpert" when you were a child with a lisp, then you will love the stuffing out of this video. If, on the other hand, you do not find bats adorable and even their fine mosquito-devouring qualities cannot endear them to you, give this one a pass.

Text Onscreen: Lil' Drac—An orphaned short-tailed fruit bat. Lil' Drac's mother was rescued after a zoo closure. The stress of the transfer caused her to abandon her baby. This is not uncommon for mothers who feel unsure of their own safety. Lil' Drac was found shortly after he was abandoned and hand-raised by Bat World Sanctuary volunteers. [Piano music. Video of Lil' Drac, a tiny wee bat whose head is smaller than a fingernail, being held in white hands, being gently rubbed and wrapped in gauze as if it's a blanket.] Lil' Drac was examined for injuries, warmed, and comforted before being fed. [Video of Lil' Drac being gently stroked with the tip of a cotton swab.] A warm, damp cotton swab feels a bit like a mother's tongue. [Video of a small piece of foam being held up to Lil' Drac's mouth and milk formula being dropped into it; he slowly begins to nurse.] A tiny foam tip is used so he can nurse his milk formula. It takes him awhile, but he finally gets the hang of it. [Video of Lil' Drac being stroked with a cloth and fingertips while he nurses on the foam, then hanging upside down a finger.] As the days passed he became stronger as his personality emerged… [He stretches his wing, scratches himself with his foot, and then begins to gently sway while hanging from the finger.] …and we discovered that he likes to rock himself after being fed. [Adorbs little bat rocks to pretty piano music, aaaaaand this is where I begin to blub. The person begins to gently brush him with a tiny brush.] He needs to be gently brushed to encourage self-grooming. [Lil' Drac clings to fingers, still sucking on foam. Scratches himself. Falls asleep on fingers.] Lil' Drac grows bigger and stronger every day… [Video of Lil' Drac rocking some more.] …and he rocks. [Major blub.] For more information about bats and how they make the world a better place, please visit www.batworld.org. Music: White Horse by Brian Crain. www.briancrain.com Thank you Brian for allowing us to use your beautiful music!

[Via The Daily What.]

Daily Dose of Cute

Doggehs!


The Dudley Model is 75 pounds and made from: One nosehead, one giraffe neck, a tangle of awkward legs, snowflakes, cinnamon, and goofiness.



The Zelda Model is 40 pounds and made from: A recycled teddy bear, snuggles, squid ink, and Doritos.

Daily Dose of Cute

Zelda has been with us just over four months now, and she's doing really well. She's so settled in as part of our family, I can't believe it's only been four months.

As she's gotten more comfortable, it's become clear she's more anxious than I originally thought. That might seem counter-intuitive, but she's not as shut down as she was when we first brought her home from the pound, and allowing herself to express her emotions has revealed her insecurity, too. She wants constant reassurance that she's doing the right thing and is safe and valued, and I'm forever navigating that thin line of validating her place in our family without encouraging anxiety.

She's much more independent now, and many of her other anxieties are falling away. We can touch her paws, and hold and stroke them, although we're still not quite able to trim her nails yet. She's great in the bath. She's increasingly playful with us, even though Dudley is still her favorite playpal. And I think he always will be, which is just fine with us.

Her new favorite game with me is to follow me into the kitchen, prompting me to turn around and chase her out with a finger pointed to the door. She scurries out, then comes in halfway; I chase her out again. She pokes her head in, grinning. I run out after her: "I'm going to get you, Bad Dog!" She flops on the carpet, belly up, tail wagging, and awaits her ticklish fate.


Zelly Belly, at home.

Daily Dose of Cute

Happy Accidents Edition: A picture of Sophs and a picture of Matilda, both of which did not turn out as I intended, but I still find cool nonetheless.

Daily Dose of Cute

Olivia Twist, who is currently taking up every available bit of free space on my desk, snoozing.

Daily Dose of Cute

Zelly Belly.

Daily Dose of Cute

Phbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt!!!

Daily Dose of Cute

"Hi!"

Calgon, Take Me Away

Video Description: A dog lies on its back in a soapy bath, luxuriating, while its person scrubs its belly, because dogs know how to live.

[Via The Daily What.]

Daily Dose of Cute

Dudley Q. McEwan, Professional Goofball.
Lest anyone mistake this for a fleeting moment in world-class goofballery serendipitously captured on not-film, Dudley was asleep in this position for a good ten minutes or so, before he flopped onto his side with his tongue hanging out and began to snore.

Daily Dose of Cute

KITTEHS!


Matilda


Olivia


Sophie

Daily Dose of Cute

Lord Dudlington takes his breakfast on the settee.
Dudley—who, as previously documented, is One of Those Dogs who constantly has to be taken to the vet for something, whether it's eyeball drama or butt hullabaloo—was limping pitiably this weekend after hurting his front left paw while zooming around the backyard. Now, Dudz routinely tears his paws to pieces, because he is not only a beastie capable of running 45mph but also a total glaik, so we're used to cleaning cuts and removing thorns and not getting totally alarmed every time he has a little limp. But this was a serious limp, and we feared a broken or dislocated toe (to which greys are prone), so it was off to the vet. Again.

Luckily for Dudz (and us), it was not a broken toe; it's merely the equivalent of a sprained ankle. So he's been prescribed an anti-inflammatory and bed rest.


Zelda keeps watch on the floor in front of the settee: "I got this."
Trying to keep Dudz and Zelly from playing together is the hardest part, although I shan't complain about having two playful dogs who love each other.

At the animal clinic, the vet noticed that Dudley had some bruising on his belly and the inside of his back legs, easily noticeable since those areas are pink and hairless. "Um, that's where our other dog bumps him with her head when she runs underneath him," I told the vet. "It's, like, the best game ever." The vet and the vet tech laughed. Of course it is.

Yesterday, after we got home, I was watching Animal Cops: Phoenix and a mixed-breed dog that clearly had greyhound in him whimpered onscreen. Zel almost never reacts to anything on the television, but that greyhoundy whimper sent her tearing up the stairs to the loft where Dudley was resting, to make sure he was okay.


"Let me know if you need anything, buddy." BFFs.

Daily Dose of Cute

Video Description: Zelda the black-and-tan mutt chases Dudley the white-and-red greyhound around the back of the garden. When he gets too far ahead of her, he slows down to let her catch up, but never actually catch him. They stop, and I tell her, "Zelda, get him! Go get him!" She runs after him some more. Repeat.

* * *

As I mentioned, we recently had to have our back garden fenced in, as the two-years-and-counting increasingly FUBARed construction project on our street is set to leave us without sidewalks in every direction for possibly six months. So, since we live in a place that doesn't give a fuck about basic amenities, but do ourselves give a fuck about providing our dogs with regular exercise, we had to spring for a fence.

(To give you some idea of how absurdly mismanaged and chronically stupid this project is, they are spending today tearing out the street in front of our house. Great idea, because who needs access to their driveways on a holiday weekend? I'm sure no one was planning on having people over for Thanksgiving.)

Anyway! Although it was highly irritating to be obliged by local incompetence to put ourselves in debt, the dogs are convinced we've gifted them with their own private dog park, and their joyfulness makes me happy.

Dudley has also been inspired to invent a new game which I call Bump. Basically, the game consists of Dudley bumping me, lol. I stand in the middle of the yard, and he walks over and flops against the back of my legs as hard as he can, and then I say, "BUMP!" and he curls around me then flops against the front of my legs, then the sides, and around and around, looking up at me and grinning like a fool while I say, "BUMP! BUMP!" and pet him and give him kisses.

He is 70 pounds, and this game will definitely put me on the ground someday. But probably not before Zelda's new game of "RUN AT TWO-LEGS AT TOP SPEED THEN LAUNCH MYSELF THROUGH THE AIR AT HER WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" does.

Daily Dose of Cute

Olivia the Huntress: Your waggling fingertips do not stand a chance!

Daily Dose of Cute

"Hello, Two-Legs. Will you not pet my head as I desire?"