Puppy Love

Enter Shanti.
This is not our puppy. Some of Kenny's friends who own a cafe here, the same ones who let us use part of their field for our garden (weeds, you win), got this adorable Jindo/Great Pyrenees mix a few weeks ago. We went to see if there was any hope for our little garden row of vegetables, and next to the weeds that have overtaken our tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, was this little guy. The day we were there, his owners were on a two-week vacation and the person they had asked to take care of him had not done a very good job. He was clearly starving for attention and a better place to go to the bathroom. Anyway, when the owners came back, we went to see them and Shanti again and they invited us to take him for walks or trips whenever we like. So we made a special plan this Saturday to do just that. Isn't he precious?

He's three months old now, and he's going to be huge. Kenny and I both love big dogs, but we can't have one with the apartment we have now. Plus, we both work and I just wouldn't be comfortable getting a puppy and leaving it alone all day. Shanti is a perfect sweetheart, eager to run, eager to play, and just so eager to be loved.

He hasn't had any obedience training yet, so Kenny decided to give him a little practice. 

He also loves running! He's really good about staying close to us when we let go of the lead. We actually took it off right after this picture! So, don't think he had to run around trailing that thing all day!

He has the sweetest face, doesn't he? 

You should take a break to applaud here because I have about 40 other pictures of this dog that I restrained myself from posting. Consider this serious discipline, y'all!

Poor guy. He got so hot and worked up in the heat that he didn't want to walk back to his house! I carried him part way, mostly just because I love the guy, but also to give his little legs a break. We were out for about an hour and a half, and even though he had plenty of water, shade, snacks, and a romp in a cool stream, he was exhausted. I think it's probably the longest he's ever been disconnected from his little doggy house. We're going to go back plenty of times to visit. So, watch out for more puppy love in the future! (And a vlog about Shanti coming soon! You can subscribe to my channel here. )

When You Don't Need To Photoshop a Thing

Happy Tuesday, everyone! (Or, happy Monday for those of you Stateside. Hi, Mumsie!) This is the first untouched photo I've thrown up here in a long, long while. I've decided I definitely need a white Jindo with a pink nose. This sweet face melted me into a puddle of goo which Kenny had to scoop off the pavement and haul to the car after our Chiaksan hike this weekend. More pictures to come! And more puppies!

Also, make sure to click on over to see the new April design! I took the header photo at Guyongsa, a temple at the bottom of Chiak Mountain.

The Blog Goes to the Dogs

I am not dead. I am also still fat. In case anyone was wondering.
*Warning: this post is long with lots of photos. (Because my editing skills are on vacation. In a sunny place where it doesn't snow EVER.)

Good, now that we have all official business out of the way, I'd like to take this time to post an inane amount of pictures from my past two canine-inspired weekends. Kenny and I have the good fortune of having an awesome Mart Man. I think I've mentioned my Mart Man before. This is not former Mart Man, who was more like a boy and said nice things about my hair and gave me free things to drink from the Family Mart next to my old school in Gangnam. Nope, this is the new and improved Mart Man- married with a daughter who owns the Hyundai Mart next to our apartment building. He is AWESOME. He is kind, funny, and most importantly thinks I'm so much more lovely and wonderful than I actually am. And we all know how I feel about people who consistently overestimate my worth. Love. Mart Man even came to Kenny's art show opening with his daughter, who is a total strawberry.

So, when he told us that he wanted to take us to see some puppies (note: all dogs are puppies in my book. It makes them feel younger, okay?), I jumped out of my chair and did a "going to see the puppies" dance. Or, I just said, "Cool." I can't remember which, but both feel probable, so pick whichever one endears me to you more. Well, we ended up at a kennel for Siberian Huskies. I was a little nervous, because I tend to have issues with dogs in cages / small spaces / any kind of fenced in tiny area. But Mr. Cho is a true dog lover who cares for his dogs and even quit his job to be a full time breeder and handler so he could spend more time with his pups. All the dogs have huge pens with a separate little sleeping area and no more than two dogs are ever penned together. And the momma and puppies have their own little building to protect them from the elements a little more. Anyway, understand that these dogs are loved and cared for better than most children.

Digression: (Y'all, last night we watched this TV program on EBS about these "healing dogs," who help people recover from sickness, help mentally challenged patients improve their social skills, and assist the disabled. Well, one dog had been a healer for his entire life and they were retiring him. So they found him a good family to take him. One with kids to play with and plenty of space. And when his handlers left him there, I cried. I sobbed. I gave myself a headache. Because when his handlers left, he kept onlooking out the door. I don't know. This is how sensitive I am about animals. I can't watch Avatar because they kill imaginary nonexistent animals. Okay, maybe I could watch it, but I don't feel like crying right now so just back off.) End digression.

So, we hung out at the kennels and played with Bolt, who is still getting his show dog training. I had a great time with the dogs puppies. They get a lot of exercise, are well-cared for, and beautiful with sweet temperaments. I was thrilled.

These are 24 day old pups. Don't you want to squeeze the little puff balls?

45 day old pups. I squealed and cursed our wonderful, but small yardless apartment that keeps me from loving one of these pups full time!

Stop judging my face. This is how I communicate with the souls of the puppies, okay?

Mart Man's daughter gets a Husky Hug!

More Husky love.

 Mr. Cho, the kennel owner is also the owner and handler of Royal Prince, the husky who has won a ridiculous amount of Best of Breed awards and Best of the Best awards in Korean competitions and International competitions. And it just so happens that he was traveling to a dog show (KKF and IFC) in Icheon and needed an interpreter for some guests from Singapore. Well, guess who knows Korean and English? And has a wife who loves puppies? Yup. The HubbO! So, Mr. Cho asked us to accompany him to the dog show and do you know what? I got up at stinking 5:50 in the morning and we were on the road by 6:45 am. Can you even believe that? Me neither. So, we went to the show where Prince won Best of Breed again. Mr. Cho said that he doesn't take him to many shows anymore because all the other Husky owners get kind of miffed at him because Prince shuts down the competition every time. It's amazing and it was really fun to watch him win. Okay, now, onto more photos from the show!

Completely focused and relaxed. Eye on the prize, baby!

Locking down another prize.

Fell in love with these cuties. Perhaps it's our ChubbO kindred spirits?

Who you callin' ChubbO?

Horse Great Dane in the ring.

Preserving dignity for dogs getting groped around the world.

Hello gorgeous.

A brindle boxer shot for the Sisda. Reminds me of Samson!

Wait. Is this a good hair day or a bad hair day?

And I saved my favorite shot of the day for last. I had to comb through so many photos. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for paring it down, although my first goal was to post only 5 pictures. I'm only 13 over! (Maybe. That's calculated with Danielle Math, so no guarantees!) This bulldog and boxer interaction was probably the funniest thing I saw all day.

I now declare you this tall.

And, now, hopefully we'll be back to our more regular, less furry programming.