Rugby James

Saturday Snicker & Sunday Snuggle for Monday: The Morphing of Pretzel Snuggles

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I’ve had a really nice problem lately in the sense that I’ve been blessed with lots of extra dogs to train!  When that happens, I meet myself coming and going and there’s virtually NO time whatsoever for blogging!  I miss being able to contribute on a very consistent basis, and appreciate my readers so very much!  However, as this blog is an unpaid venture of love for me, I simply have to focus on training dogs when my work schedule demands it!  I appreciate all of you being understanding of that, and know that I will post new blogs as I have time to do so!

That being said, a couple of weeks ago, I happened to have a Saturday afternoon at home, and decided to check out the wonders of a fire in the fireplace, the cushy delights of a sofa that sucks me in, a soft blankie, and a snuggle with my bestie!  What I had planned, was to watch a movie and take a short nap.  What I got, was fodder for a wonderful blog!

This is how we started out the afternoon! Rugby snuggled right in with me….eyes adoring….thrilled to be invited on the sofa for a snuggle and a nap with me! Those eyes though….

 

He promptly snuggled right on top of me, putting his little head right on my chest and letting me pet him into a delirious nappy noodle.

 

As these things typically go, he got tired of that, and elected to sleep sunny side up, but still very snuggled between me and the back of the sofa. It always makes me giggle when he pulls his tail up to cover his junk! Since his tail naturally curls in the opposite way, I give him extra style points for this!  I love his little crossed front paws….

 

And that nap position morphed into this one…

 

Which morphed into this position….

 

Which ultimately ended up in this nap position! This was my afternoon view of my little snuggle bug! All fluff and fur….and two little back legs sticking straight up in the air!

That’s bound to make your Monday a whole lot better!!  Love and hugs from Rugby James!!

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Saturday Snicker: Puppy Pile With the Daddy

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Rugby loves a snuggle more than just about any other dog that I know!   He is always on the hunt for snuggle opportunities with us, and if he can’t snuggle with a human, then he settles for one of his stuffed toys like his Big Bear, which is fuzzy and soft like another dog.

Michael has a bad back, so he enjoys a good nap on the living room floor, because it allows his back to stretch out and feel better from the hard floor.  He also snores like crazy, so he typically sleeps on his stomach.

Rugby can’t wait to see Michael lay on the floor, because that means that he gets an opportunity to participate in a puppy pile, which he dearly loves!  The moment Michael gets in a prone position, Rugby climbs right up on his back side, and hunkers down for his own little nap!  He could snuggle anywhere at all with Michael, but he always chooses to be right up by Michael’s backside, and it always makes me giggle just a bit!

So enjoy a little snicker for your Saturday….courtesy of Rugby James!

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Saturday Snicker: Bubba Teef and Why Rugby Speaks Wif a Lisp!

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Bless him, Rugby is a little dog from East Tennessee!  He absolutely fits into the hillbilly stereotype of missing some of his teeth! Here’s the story:  He had beautiful, straight teeth  and a pretty scissors bite when I brought him home as a puppy.  They were pearly white, and I’m pretty sure when he smiled, you could even see a little “sparkle” on them to distinguish him as extra handsome!

However, probably about four years ago, two days before Christmas, he aggressively went after one of his polka dottie piggies when he heard a trigger sound, and he bonked his mouth really hard against the basement floor as he went after his pig.  In the process, he knocked three of his top, front teeth loose!  I went to the vet that afternoon, because he was clearly in pain, and one of the teeth fell out in her hand during his exam!  One of them fell out later, and the third one reattached itself, but it had moved, and became crooked as it re-anchored.  It looks like he has a big space on either side, and it’s right in the middle, crooked, but proud!

And then two years ago,  I noticed a swelling on his lower gum, and decided to keep an eye on it.  It started to grow, and as it grew, over the course of two or three months, I noticed that his lower front teeth started to move because they were being displaced by the growth on his gum.

If you look at his bottom teeth, you can see the large dark purple growth that was starting to shift his teeth out of place.

I mentioned it to his vet at an appointment, and she was very concerned when she saw it!  Two days later, he had surgery to remove the growth, and four bottom front teeth became casualties in the process! What was left after surgery, was an adorable crooked smile, that is so very endearing to me!  When he has his mouth open, he always looks as if he is trying to tell me something!

I giggle every time I catch him showing off his Bubba teef, and when he sleeps, his little tongue often sticks out in front, probably because there really aren’t many teeth to hold his tongue in his mouth!  It’s hard not to snap photos of him, because he is so flat out adorable sleeping with his tongue poking out!

So now you know the story behind how Rugby ended up with his Bubba teef, and you’ll also understand why he speaks “wif a lisp!”

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Saturday Snicker: Salute to Pretzel Napping

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This time of year typically gets so very busy for me as a dog trainer, because in East Tennessee, we can have brutal summer heat, and the fall temperatures are often simply delightful for training dogs!  The approaching holidays provide good incentives for dog owners to train their dogs before Aunt Edna comes at Thanksgiving or Christmas!

As a result, lately, my life most often consists of going to work, coming home, preparing for the next day, eating a late supper and going right to bed!  Rugby often doesn’t get the training and puzzle time that he really wants from me.  We try to make the best of the situation, and I have been trying to connect with him in other ways during this busy time of the year.

But no matter what my schedule is like, one thing never seems to change!  Rugby is a pretzel napper through and through!!  He sleeps in the absolute funniest positions, and today’s installment is certainly no exception!!  This one was especially funny to me, because he had his front leg straight up in the air, and also had his mouth open to show off his missing teeth, giving me a good view of his crooked “Bubba teeth.”

I hope this brings your Saturday a smile, a snicker, a giggle, or a guffaw…..all courtesy of Rugby James!

 

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