Hot Diggity Dog

Poor Lando’s been so cold this autumn (it appears that his cold tolerance is about as high as mine).  Since greyhounds have very little body fat, they’re more susceptible to the cold than most dogs.  This, unfortunately, does not explain my aversion to the cold.  But that’s a different matter… It was high time he got a coat.  And since coats for greyhounds run about $60, I decided that the only sane thing to do would be to make one.  I found vague instructions and some pictures on a website that helped me know what I wanted, and then I went from there.  This was the first time I’ve ever made something using my own pattern, and I’m so proud of how it turned out.  It looks EXACTLY like I imagined it would.  I used an old sheet for the pattern material (draped it over him and drew the outline right on him—so technical) and made a mockup so I knew that it would fit and have the right shape.  I then picked out my fabric—a sherpa fleece for snuggliness and a wide corduroy for durability and a bit of weather protection.  A few hours later and here is Mr. Dashing himself: . It fastens with velcro in the front and also has a band (sewn into the coat) that wraps around his body to secure it around his middle (again with velcro).  You can barely see the end of the strap in the above picture. It even has darts in the back to keep it from flapping around his bum and so that it looks nice and tailored.  He hated the million fittings I did, but I’m mean like that And look what Lando has learned how to do!   For those of you that don’t know, greyhounds aren’t sitters.  They will rarely sit on their own accord; it’s either lie down or stand.  Their bodies are just proportioned in a way that makes sitting awkward.  So it’s taken some work to get him to learn how to do this.  He’ll only sit on his bed for now (maybe because it’s cushy on his bony bum?), but we’ll work on that.  We use the clicker training method, and so far he can sit, settle (lie down on his bed), jump, stay (for about 10 seconds), touch a target (my hand), and wait at the door.  He also knows “MINE!!” (employed most frequently by Averi, since he has a bad habit of stealing her food) and “Out!"  So there’s my cute puppy and my latest sewing project.  Any suggestions on commands/tricks to teach him next?  Any more dapper dogs in their winter apparel?  Let’s see pictures!

Layouts

Yesterday was Digital Scrapbooking Day (yes, there really is one!), which means that I got a ton of new kits, so my desktop needs to be cleared off to make room. Enjoy!

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day, Nothing gold can stay. (pictures from our bike ride in the Bosque; poem by Robert Frost)