The Adventures of Bea and Byrdie

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:07:00 +0000

Hi eberydoggy! We had a grrrrate time goin fur walkies in da wuds an stuff on saturdy and sundy dis week. We wuz runrunrunin, an snifsnifsnifin ala da smells. Lotsa dose nastee skwurruls in da wuds tu chase.

Dis furst pichur is by da nu sine dey put up sins we wuz heer at dis park last- Pffffffft- cant let no horsies on bikes in dare wit guns- dats fur shure- dey wud stomp on da flowurs! Enyways, dats whut mom sed da noo sine sez- rrrrr sumtin wike dat.

We wint on walkies by da rivrrrr in a big wuds wit lotsa tweees. It wuz lotsa fun, an I had my pichur tooked on a stump- dont I sit nice fur pichures? Byrdie dont wike sittin on stumpses, so she dint git her pichure tooked by herself.

Mom sez I am a gud gurrrrl. Cookys arr bedder, butt I like 'gud gurrrrl' tu.

Mom had tu hold Byrdie so's she wud be a gud gurrrl tu git her pichure took. Mom sits nice tu fur pichures, butt den she gots alla cookies in dat bag she gots, no wunder she smilin.

We had a diffrunt walkies an had to sit unner a yapple twee- we wike eatin dem, not sittin on dem! It wained on dat walkies, an we got wet furs. Dare wuz sum big tings dey calld geeeze, buttt we dint chase dem- dey flu away anyhoo.

So it wuz a bizzy weekend, sum gofurrides, and sum walkies, sum cookees, and sum pichurs. Wut else duz a gurl need?

We gots noo frends!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:52:00 +0000

We went on a big walkies on Sunday an found sum big woooly creechures tu snifsnifsnif. I tink dey noo we ar sheepydoggies, cuz de din't want tu come by us no how.

Dare wer sum big wuns, and sum not so big wuns like dese guys.

An sum reeeely big wuns like dese wuns. Dese wuns wood run away if we comed neer da fens.

Dare wuz wun liddle wun doh dat wanted to make frens! He wuz reeely nice! Mom sed his wool was reel soft wen she petted him on da head.

I wuz a brave girl an got pretty close- eben doh he was lots bigger den me- apter all, I is a sheepydog!

He wuz a nice sheepy. I tink I'm s'posed tu do sumfing wit dese guys, but I not sure.

Byrdie wuz purty skeered ob dem. Sissy.

We had lots ob fun an advenchures on ar big walk. We got tard, an had naps wen we gots home.

Hangin owt on 'Da Deck'

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:49:00 +0000

We has a big yard at ar hows now, grrrate fur runrunrunnin an chasin bunnys an ebil skweruls. Wen we ar dun doin dat, we like tu hang owt on ar grate big deck so we can see ifn anyting is owt dare tu chase.

Mom sez we look reely purty cuz she brushded us. Byrdie thot she wuz gunna be nekkid, but all a my nu furs stayed put. Mom sez I look like a puppy with all the fuzzy furs I gots.

Tanks fur lookin! Bea

Sheltie Rescue Raffle!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:03:00 +0000

Our friend Nutmeg in Mokena, Illinois just won a pet of the year contest in her area. Yay, Nutmeg! She is donating the gift basket and stuff she won for a raffle benefiting Sheltie Rescue! Isn't that wonderful? Anyways- I thought it would be great to post a link to the web site here with the information on how to enter the raffle and see the great things that will be raffled off. The drawing for the raffle is February 8, 2008, so if you'd like to enter, send in those checks!

Here is the site to check out: http://www.freewebs.com/sheltieshack/

I can personally vouch for the person running the raffle- she's a wonderful person, very involved in Sheltie Rescue in Illinois, and has 4 shelties of her own. Nutmeg is the sweetest girl and certainly deserved her win! Congrats!

We gots a Noo House!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:50:00 +0000

Things hab ben bary, bary buzy heer- mom was puttin lots ob stuff in boxes for a long time, takin dem to da car and leavin, an she eben took us wid her wun time to see whut she called ar 'Noo House'. Sum strange guys came and tuk all ar furnichure away, an we had anodder car ride to ar noo house an we habn't left since, except fur some walkies. An surprise! alla ar furniture is heer! It's in diffrunt pawlaces now, but da kitties ar heer tu an we ar gettin used to it pretty gud. Da bestest part is we gots a reelly big back yard now! Lots ob ruum fur zoomies, and pawlaying. Mom goes out wid us eberytime we gotta go potty, an we like dat tu. Dares lots more snow heer tu- we gots 9 inchus yisterdee, and had lotsa fun jumpin aroun in it!

Yappy Howloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:50:00 +0000

Mom tuk us tu a Howloween Pawty las Saterdy. We gots tu ware ar costumes agin! We wer so eksited wen she gotted dem owt, we cud harly stan stil. Den she made us sit so she cud take a pichur. Pfft- we dint wanna du dat.

She gived us cookies, so we sat nice fur a pichur. We wernt tu happy doe.

Heer we ar at da Pawty, we got lots ob cookies fur bein gud gurls, an we meeted lots ob udder doggies. We had fun eben doe we dint win da big prize.
Dese tu doggies wun da big pwize- bofe furst and secun pwace! I tink da jugges juss felt sowwy fur da wun wit da boo-boo leg.

Dis is Lola. She wuz a 'Showgurl', wutebber dat is. Mumma kept laffin at hur doe an hummin sum silly barimanilow sumfin. She wuz a nice gurl.

We had lots ob fun at da Pawty, an we went tu vizit gramma an grampa after in ar costumes, tu- dey laffed an sed we was cute. I wore my honeybee hat da hole time, in da car, at da pawty and den at gramma's tu, cuz Iwike it so much. Bydie dont wike hats- she wudn't ware hers mush at all. We wuz gawn all afternun, but we got lots ob cookies, and I gots a birfday pwesent tu, cuz I was 4 yeers old dat day.
Franks fur wookin! Yappy Howloween!

Pleeze vote fur us!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:04:00 +0000

Pweeeeeeeeeeese vote fur us at da Tip Tail blog contest! We cud win a gift sirtificut to a cool store an git sum new woobies, and tweets!
Click here to vote fur us!
Franks!
Bea an Byrdie!

Dog Gone Good Stuff!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:10:00 +0000

hoo can resist dese eyes

Ar Mom was foolin arownd on da 'puter, wookin at udder 'blogs', and she finded a neet contest right here! So we is enterin it! All we gotta do is rite about why we tink we should win da contest, post back to da blog and hope reeeeeely hard dat we win!
So heer goes nuttin:
We tink we shud win dis contest cuz dere is lots ob good stuff tu be wun, fur wun thing, stuff dat is very speshul, just fur Shelties and da peeple hoo love us. Ok, ok, dey hab udder kinds ob dog stuff in dere tu, like books, an dishus, an toys. If yu wanna go look at da store it is called Doggonegood.com. It's ben a long time sens we had eny noo toys. we's underprivludgeded doggies. Plus we's reeeeeely cute doggies. Plus dere's tu ob us! So we tink we deserve tu win dis contest. So PULLLLEEEEEEEEEZE vote fur us tu win!!! Tank yu!
Bea an Byrdie

"hay bea- du yu tink dere ar eny sheep in dat store?"

New Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:34:00 +0000

I've been hard at work lately- not in my studio, but in my office, completely revamping my web site, one of my other blogs- Inspiration, and adding some different links in to this blog, In the Garden and Creativity my fine art blog. I'd love it if you could take a look at the web site, and let me know what you think- good or bad. I've added a few things, changed it A LOT, hopefully made it easier to navigate, friendlier, and lighter. I've added a guest book for comments and contact information too, so let me know you visited!
And now I'll get back to the girls- they are not too happy that I've been spending so much time behind the desk when the sun is shining, there's a nice breeze, and there's squirrels and rabbits to chase.

Boat Ride!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:17:00 +0000

Yisterdee wuz the fourth of Jooly, an we gots to go owt to da lake to see ar gramma and grumpa! Affer dinner we had a nice boat ride aroun the lake! We like boat rides a lot now, eben tho we were skeered the furst cuple ob times we went. Da carride to go owt to da lake is not so skeery eeder now- we get right in da car, and ride reel nice.

MMMMM, Tasty!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:19:00 +0000

I was looking around the internet a little bit, checking on some of my friends at Etsy for Animals and found a new friend! I checked out her shop at Etsy and she has the tastiest sounding treats in there- check out her shop Purple Puppy Paws I especially like that she offers kits to bake allergen free treats for your dog Click here to check one out. I hope you check out her shop for your canine companion!

We gots a noo cousin!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:57:00 +0000

Bumple Bob dopted a dog frum da hoomane sewsiety. We ar not tu shure we like him- he's purty big! Mom sez he is a Germin Shortyhaired PointyDog- his name is Wags, and he is all spotted with black and grey. We meeted him at da lake, and he wanted to pawlay, but we jus stuck to mom like velcro- whut-eber dat is. Mom fergotted to take pitchurs- Pffft! So we gots no pitchires ob ar noo cousin

We been helpin mom in da garden, and it jus tired us out- she neber stops moovin!

We're Aristrocrats!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Sun, 27 May 2007 00:45:00 +0000

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Milady the Right Reverend Bluebyrd Mcgee the Liminal of Melbury Bubblewick
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Milady the Right Reverend Honeybea the Fortunate of Yockenthwait Walden
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Westbarra Wee Bonnie Lass

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:50:00 +0000

Bonnie's Story

When our daughter was born, my beloved collie Stormy was already very old. After my husband and I had married and I moved in with him to a small townhouse apartment, I had left her with my parents where she was used to living, and visited her often. I took my cat Sooner with me when I moved, but there really wasn't room for a collie, nor a yard for her to run in. Stormy grew old and eventually forgave me for leaving her behind. My husband and I bought a house, and Stormy vacationed with us occasionally. Our daughter was about six months old when Stormy crossed over the bridge at the age of 13.5- very old for a collie, and she'd had a long wonderful life. I longed for a dog of my own again, but with a small baby- I knew I wouldn't have time for any puppy training or to play with a dog. I waited until the time was right, then adopted an older collie from Collie rescue. Lady was a blue merle, very quiet dog, of indeterminable age, very docile, calm and somewhat detached emotionally. We never knew what Lady's story was, her real age or where she came from, but we cared for her and loved her just the same. We suspect she was quite old when we got her- at least 6 or seven, and we had her for about 5 years, so she was also quite elderly, nearly blind and completely deaf when she crossed the bridge. I was very sad when she passed, but knew I had given her a few extra years she wouldn't have had otherwise. She died in the fall, and we decided to wait until spring to get the puppy that we all wanted, and we decided on a Sheltie, rather than another collie. Our daughter was going to be seven years old and of a good age to help care for a puppy. We sought out some breeders in the area and found one close by expecting a litter soon. Bonnie was born on April 11, 1993 to a litter of seven puppies- all sable and white, and descended from several generations of champions. We had to wait until the puppies were 11 weeks old before we could bring one home, and the only one left at that time was our Bonnie. She was very sweet and cuddly, very friendly from the start, and we all just adored her. She learned very quickly, and grew up to be a lovely girl- 'Westbarra Wee Bonnie Lass' was her registered name. She was the darling of the neighborhood, a stranger was just a friend she hadn't met yet.

Bonnie as a puppy

For some reason, Bonnie was a little accident prone. At about age two, on Thanksgiving, as several people were entering our house , all in different doors, she got underfoot and in her excitement to greet everyone, her tail was stepped on, and she jerked away- minus the pretty white tip. She yipped and continued through the house furiously and enthusiastically wagging her now profusely bleeding tail. She never quite forgave my father in law for that, although he was not the one who did it. When she was 4, she caught her back foot between two boards of the deck steps and severely tore and broke her hock joint, requiring extensive surgery at MSU and weeks of follow up and therapy to fix. There were bouts with strange lumps and bumps to be removed at various times, teeth cleanings etc, and she always seemed to fall off the dock into the water at least once every summer, while chasing purple martins up and down the dock, which she loved, requiring a follow-up bath, which she hated. Last fall she was attacked by a golden retriever and bitten hard enough to draw blood, but she remained unafraid and friendly after recovering. With every trip to the vet's she was always sweet and friendly, loved every one there, and they loved to see her. She was always very nervous that I might leave her there, but seemed to understand if I did. And of course, I never left her side her final trip there.

Silly Bonnie

Bonnie was indeed a very special dog- she loved children, and seemed to know the difference between an older child who could rough house with her and a little baby who needed to be treated gently. On our walks, if we met a stroller with a baby in it, she would sit just within reach of the baby, so the baby could touch her fur. If the children were afraid of dogs, she was also very quiet and sat very still, so that they could slowly reach out to touch her and feel her soft fur. Going out on Halloween night was one of her favorite things to do, since the sidewalks were just full of children and their parents. They always laughed when I said that Bonnie was dressed as 'Lassie' and I was Timmie's mom. With adults, she was always smiling and happy, very friendly with almost everyone, so if she growled or barked a warning at anyone- we took it seriously- they were not to be trusted.

Bonnie snoozing on the deck

Parlor tricks for treats was a favorite thing for Bonnie, she loved to learn new tricks and to show them off wherever we went. She knew 'sit' and 'lay-down' of course, but also 'roll-over', 'shake hands', 'turn around', and 'take a bow'. On walks, she would travel off lead much of the time, but recalled instantly and would also heel off lead if required. When we would go 'shopping' at the pet supermarket, she would walk regally next to the cart, looking for samples of this and that on the floor from a torn bag. She just loved shopping and meeting all the people at the store who adored her friendly nature.

Last spring when we decided to add another dog to the group, she was a sweetheart and soon learned what games she could play with a littler dog, how to share, and became a mentor to our Bea, showing her how to be friendly, walk nicely on a leash, and some of her parlor tricks. Bea learned about small children, and now just adores them and looks for them on our walks. It was wonderful to watch the younger Bea follow after Bonnie wherever she went, obviously learning the ropes. Bea took over all of Bonnie's 'jobs'- letting me know when the cat wanted in, going out to supervise as I loaded and unloaded my car for work, sounding the alarm when anyone came to the door, and of course guarding the neighborhood from squirrels. Bonnie gradually gave up all of these jobs to the younger Bea, and never looked back- her eyesight and hearing were failing her, and she was tired a lot of the time.

Bonnie and her new friend Bea

After the first of the year, Bonnie had a series of strange behaviors, very mysterious, and no immediate cause could be found. It seemed to come and go, but she gradually got worse, until it was finally determined that the cause could only be neurological, and most likely untreatable in such an elderly dog. She gradually got worse until it was clear that she was feeling some pain, was losing her abilities to function and was ready to go. When I arrived home from work that last Monday, she lurched to her feet, staggered a couple of steps to lean against my legs in her old way for the last time, and I knew she was ready. I told her I knew, and she laid down again. I stroked her fur for a while, and removed her collar- leaving it at home. A couple of hours later, her vet and I helped her cross over the bridge and out of pain.

Life goes on, there are other dogs that need love, and because Bea knew Bonnie and learned from her, some of what she was lives on in her. We will always remember her, and love her deeply knowing that someday we will all be together again.

Westbarra Wee Bonnie Lass

April 11, 1993- March 14, 2005

Happy Birthday, Dear Bonnie!

You would have been 14 tomorrow, and it was nice to be able to read the story I wrote about you shortly after you passed, and remember you as you were at your best. So I decided to put the whole story and pictures in here, where I can always have it to read.

You would have been so happy to be playing here with Bea and Byrdie, and I wish that you had been able to teach Bea more before you passed. She still does all of your jobs for you, and now Byrdie helps to do them too- they seem to have divided them up- Bea likes to help unload the car, Byrdie guards the door, Bea is protective of the cats, but Byrdie lets me know if Minnah wants to come in. Bea is getting friendlier, and is teaching Byrdie that strangers are OK, and they both like to snuggle up to me at night. In some ways they are different, but frequently as I watch them do those Sheltie things they do, I remember you, and I can't help but smile.
Until we meet again, I will always miss you!
Ellen Leigh

Big Paw Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:09:00 +0000

I've added a new link to the sidebar and it certainly is worth checking out. It's the Big Paw Blog. I subscribed to it last week, and got some very useful information in my e-mail today- something I didn't know about, and you may not either. Did you know that Avocados are toxic to our pets? There's a great article about it on the blog, and some cautionery words of advice.
Also on the site are links to Big Paw Designs- and on-line store full of all kinds of dog and cat related merchandise, rescue jewelry, and all kinds of nifty gifts! It's well worth checking out, it's a great site to shop!!!

Michigan Sheltie Rescue Donations

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:40:00 +0000

I absolutely adore Shetland Sheepdogs- I think that's obvious! I mean after all, I have two of them, and they are my 3rd and 4th ones, I belong to several Sheltie Message boards dedicated to the breed, I create art featuring these beautiful little souls, and I have a blog about them. I would like to foster Shelties looking for forever homes like the people at Michigan Sheltie Rescue do, but I am at capacity for pets in my comunity. So the only thing I can think of to do is donate to the cause. So I'm doing just that by offering Sheltie Art here on this blog, and in my on-line stores in the sidebar. 15% of the selling price, not the profit, but the selling price will be donated to Michigan Sheltie Rescue!
I'm hoping in this small way, that I can help these fine people who truly care about this breed.

Here's a link to a blog I just found through Sheltie Nation called Winning Duncan Over. It's about a little guy rescued from a puppy mill and really illustrates well the dedication of everyone involved in Sheltie Rescue all over the country. Some people, like my friend Cris, not only donate their time and money but open their homes to these dogs, and make every effort to find forever homes for them.
Ellen Leigh

Bea and Byrdie on Sheltie Nation!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:53:00 +0000

Check it out: I sent a picture of the girls over to Sheltie Nation, and they posted it!
Ellen Leigh

Check out my other blogs!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:40:00 +0000

Sheltie Puppy Fix

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:16:00 +0000

If you haven't been to Sheltie Nation yet- I was just there giggling over an adorable video of a sheltie puppy playing! I don't think there's anything cuter than Sheltie puppies, and there are several videos and pictures on the site right now that feature them. Another one features an adorable puppy trying to get the puppy in the mirror to play!

Shelties on ETSY

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:07:00 +0000

Just for kicks I did a search on ETSY to see what other Sheltie stuff was there- cute things are available in addition to mine click here to check it out.
This item was particularly intriguing:

It's in Cheryl Avenue's Store along with some other nifty felted items. Her dog Thunder is pretty cute too!
Bea and Byrdie's Mom

New Sheltie Pins on ETSY!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:15:00 +0000

Hi! Bea and Byrdie's Mom here!
I just spent all morning listing 9 unique sheltie pins and 6 more other designs in my ETSY store if anyone wants to take a look: www.ellenleigh.etsy.com Absolutely no pressure to purchase, but you can if you want- it's a good place to deal with, and each artist really runs their own store. Unlike EBAY- items listed are not auctioned but are available for immediate sale.

Etsy was featured on the news twice this week too- on the CBS news http://wcbstv.com/cbs2crew (see the video clip in the upper right corner) and also on Newsday on line at http://www.newsday.com/features/printedition/ny-c5102588feb22,0,6951501.story
Thanks!
Ellen Leigh

Look wut Mom made!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:45:00 +0000

Mom has bin berry, berry busy makin stuff in her workshop- she made sum pins wit pritty pitchurs on dem. She eben made sum wit Sheltie pitchures!

All do wuns dat look like dis one hab bin traded fur dose green papers (only 20 ob dem plus shipping), so she's gonna make sum more ob dem and wit udder colors ob shelties tu! If yu like dem I bet she wud make wun fur you! You could send an E-mail to her to let her no.

We helped mom with the dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:02:00 +0000

Mom let us wash the spageddi pot today- I fink we did a gud job, but Bea got a widdle messy.

A Big Surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 00:58:00 +0000

We gots a big surprise right after Kissmoose this yeer. A big box came to da howse carried by dat guy we barkbarkbark at ebery day. We don no hoo sended it, but it wuz full ob woobies and cookies, and speshul treets too- oh, an a cat toy, but pffft on dat- dat's fur Milo tu pawlay wit. Minnah got da box- she likes boxes.

We R goin' tu a Pawty!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Leigh) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:34:00 +0000

Ebery yeer da food pawlace has a pawty fur all da doggies to ware dare kostooms. Mom sez we kin go, so we tryed on ar owtfits so she cud take ar pichur. Bea is gonna bee 3 dis week tu, so she gets a nice prezzy frum da store tu.

Bea is a Bunblebea (whuteber dat is)and I hab a new owtfit dats sbarkly- mom sez I is a butt-er-fly- dont no wut dat is eeder. We likes ar costooms a lot an cant wate fur da pawty!

Byrdie

Petsmart has a costume party for pets every year- special treats, a contest and just fun for all- It's also Bea's birthday this week on the 27th, so it's a good time for her to get a nice little gift, too. Some of the costumes are pretty cute, it's a nice outing with other silly pet owners like me.