KathrynVirginiaA

Lurker of art/history. ex university inmate. Currently growing roses in urban clay. Let it be untidy. Two pooches - yorkie and mini poodle mix. I am so lucky.

[KathrynVirginiaA @kvirginiaa]

@GeorgeTakei Bossies - Yorkies

[Jo @JoJoFromJerz]

Oh how I love this man.

[Bunsen, Beaker, Bernoulli & Brix @bunsenbernerbmd]

What follows is an embarrassing story.

What follows is a disgusting story.

It's just one of many from sharing your life with dogs.

Beaker, our golden, came to us in June during COVID.

Our other dog, Bunsen, was never lonely, but he was alone.

As everything was shut down, and we were both working from home, it was the perfect time to think about a second dog.

Within a month a little golden retriever joined our family.

Beaker was a whirling ball of energy. After having a couple shy days figuring out her new surroundings, she quickly realized that her new humans simply ADORED her and the giant bear who was her new dog companion wasn’t dangerous.

In fact that giant bear dog thought she was the neatest thing on the planet.

Quickly the big dog and little dog formed a bond. The big dog played with her, chased her, and put up with her nonsense. Luckily his fur provided some protection from the sharp puppy teeth, something not afforded to the humans of the household.

The little shark followed the big dog everywhere and here in we get to the major embarrassing and disgusting story.

We had been in the habit of letting the dogs frolic in the backyard and have fun. Bunsen doesn’t wander away and he was a really decent babysitter, keeping the little chaos wolf close to the humans.

It was in this location that our family laughed until we cried watching the antics of Beaker sneak attacking Bunsen when he just wanted to relax in the shade.

Whenever Bunsen moved, Beaker sprung up and followed the big guy.

After a nap in the shade, Bunsen shook himself awake and padded off down to the grassline. I was lounging on this cool and comfy hammock thing Kris got me and I figured Bunsen was just going to do some exploring.

Ever the shadow, the tiny puppy followed her giant big brother.

Things happened so fast once both dogs reached the end of the cut grass.

Looking back the only thing I was thinking about was, omg, how freaking cute are these two dogs together. Now I probably would have been more on the ball.

Bunsen sniffed around, lifted his leg and began to pee.

Did I mention Bunsen is a big dog?

Big dogs have BIG poops and LONG pees.

Some days I’m like, is Bunsen recreating the start of Austin Powers when they bring him out of being cryogenically frozen?

Like a sprinkler stream on a hot day, Beaker jumped right into it.

The world moved in slow motion.

The curse of the comfy hammock was it was difficult to get up and out of quickly.

As I floundered, Beaker stood within the shower of pee.

It wouldn’t have mattered if I got out immediately though.

Beaker was getting SOAKED.

It wasn’t like a sprinkling soaked.

I’m talking how wet a dog gets after swimming in lake soaked. If that lake was hot Bunsen urine sadly.

To this day I don’t know WHY Beaker didn’t move out of the way of the stream. Perhaps it felt nice, a hot shower unexpectedly.

The aftermath was disgusting.

I scooped up the soaking wet piss dog and hauled her over to the hose. Being made of springs, chubby puppy fat, and coated in pee this was not an easy task.

We all had an awful time as I hosed off the little puppy.

By this point, Bunsen had slumped back down in the shade and went to sleep, obvlious to his part in this terrible development.

Yes, we have made all the golden showers for the golden retriever jokes and puns, but feel free to leave some in the comments.

If you have a dog they will do disgusting things.

If you have a dog they get eat disgusting things.

If you have two dogs, at some point or another, one of the dogs will pee on the other one.

Most of your life with a dog is the best parts of life.

The disgusting part will probably be the most disgusting parts so consider this story a warning.

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: Music superstar Dave Matthew infuriates Republicans by ripping lawmakers for falsely convincing Americans that they are "powerless" to stop gun violence and that the “vulnerability of innocent people in this country is a sacrifice we have to make if we want to be truly American.”

“It’s so mind-bogglingly cruel. It’s insanity,” said Matthews.

“I have no idea how people can stand up and say it’s ‘not guns’ and ‘NRA,’ it’s just mental health," he went on. "And then do nothing to address the fact that from the ‘80s we’ve closed every mental health institution we can in this country."

Matthew said that he has "many" friends who own firearms but they all agree that the would prefer that "a person can’t go into a school and blow people away after buying a gun.”

He then took aim squarely at right-wing paranoia and Fox News talking points by saying that "no is coming from your guns" but that we need a "conversation without mad outrage" about what can be done.

“I don’t like being afraid of my children being murdered at school. I’ve had to deal with my kids being at university when there is a shooting and they’ve lost friends,” he added.

Retweet to thank Dave Matthews for taking a stand!

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

This.

[Victor Shi @Victorshi2020]

Wow. This is a generation that has had enough of gun violence. But you aren’t seeing any of this on cable news today. So, let’s all take a moment & thank these young people for refusing to accept gun violence as normal. Please share far & wide.

[Happy Dog @thehappydog_]

Family Dumps Their ‘Ugly’ Dog, Doctors Transform Him With Life-Altering Surgery 🥰👏
https://t.co/tXH5KM1W9y

[KTYGraphics cartoonist✍🏻 @CathyGraphics3]

Not to brag but my drawing got me blocked by Josh Hawley 😎

#CancelCulture

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

BOOM! California Governor Gavin Newsom DESTROYS GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn for saying she was “ready to assist” the people of Covenant School in Nashville and for calling for prayers over the shooting.

“You received $1,306,130 in donations from the NRA,” Newsom wrote.

“You voted against the most recent bipartisan gun package in June.

If you’re so “ready to assist” -- start by doing your job and passing commonsense gun laws that will help prevent tragedies…”

Governor Newsom says what we are all thinking. We need action NOW. 💙

[To Eleven (well it’s one louder) @ToEleven1]

@CalltoActivism

[JMcC, Resister @DrMac85]

@ToEleven1 @IMNOTFNSELLING @CalltoActivism And he's proud of it.

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is suspended from Twitter for a week after once again violating the website's rules — she is known for regularly spreading racism, transphobia, and defending the terroristic actions of the Jan. 6th insurrectionists. RT IF YOU WANT HER BANNED FROM TWITTER FOR GOOD!

[Democratic Wins @Kamalas_Wins]

We're building the largest coalition of Gen-Z Democrats to help Democratic candidates and causes all over the United States. Can you retweet and follow to amplify our movement?

[Bunsen, Beaker, Bernoulli & Brix @bunsenbernerbmd]

The Canadian Winter is something sold by Canada as a magical time to visit.

It’s a bit of a lie.

The winter here is long, cold, and dark.

BUT

Within the blowing snow, and air so cold it hurts your face, there is magic.

It was a type of magic I didn’t really see.

That was until our bumbling little puppy grew up into a majestic bear dog.

This is a story about the winter.

For context, I have lived in Alberta my whole life.

If you are going to live here you have three choices to deal with the winter:

1. Quit and move away
2. Cope the best you can and hope for a “Plus 1” in the seven day forecast
3. Embrace it.

Growing up, I did stuff in the winter, but it was the season you wished would end to get to summer.

It wasn’t until our Bernese Mountain Dog Bunsen experienced his first winter that I really GOT how magical the winter was.

Bunsen normally conserves his energy.

That’s a kind way of saying he is a giant couch potato and chooses to sleep and lounge around over pretty much everything else. I’m sure many people can relate to wanting to be Bunsen. Some days I AM Bunsen and it’s the absolute best kind of day.

Bunsen’s first winter brought out a side of this dog we never knew existed.

He was a teenage dog, who JUST got his cast off from breaking his toe a month and a half earlier.

Perhaps it was the freedom to run and play and the backed up energy that caused absolute joy to explode out of his body…but I don’t think so.

I think it was the crisp air, a blanket of snow on the ground and flakes falling around him.

I think it was Bunsen realizing that THIS, THIS was for him.

Something deep inside him WOKE up.

It was almost like Bunsen realized WHY he was built the way he was, that the thing that made him hot and tired in the summer made him near impervious to the wind and cold of the winter.

It’s hard to describe how silly and hilarious it is to see a big dog dive head first into snow and burrow himself through it like a giant arctic gopher.

This joy is infectious.

Even on days that normally I would stay warm and toasty inside my house, Bunsen’s zest for the snow brought me outside.

It meant upgrading to a survival suit - kinda like a full body hazmat for the winter, as well as arctic boots and snowshoes that would fit them.

So many hours were spent exploring the winter because of Bunsen.

We noted the birds that winter over, and animal tracks, and saw animals like foxes, deer, and even moose. I saw glistening drifts and blowing snow making shapes and patterns that were stark and beautiful.

We sat and listened to the sound of nothing.

It’s hard to describe the absolute peace of sitting in a snowfall.

The only sound is your breath, your bear dog panting, and the soft pattering of snowflakes falling around you.

Through posting about our adventures here on Twitter, thousands of people all around the world probably also got an appreciation for winter. It may never snow or snow to the levels we have, but Bunsen became the ambassador for winter.

If winter was a cereal box, Bunsen would the mascot on the front saying IIIIIITTTSSSS GREAT!!!!

As the years went by, the winter became my absolute favorite season.

I get excited when it snows for the first time. I stand at windows and watch the snowflakes fall without disgust or frustration, but with anticipation.

I can’t WAIT to get home from work to take Bunsen on a snow adventure, skiing or snowshoeing through the farmland.

Winter here is long and cold.

It’s dark and it affects your mood.

A dog, through just being himself, made this season one that I cherish.

Dogs have that power over humans.

They make us love things we didn’t think we would and the reason why is pretty simple.

They give us unconditional love and ask for so little in return.

If the price I have to pay for what our bear dog has given us is walking through frozen fields and blowing snow, that’s a fair deal.

Winter isn’t a season. It’s a celebration.

#dogs

[Peter Frampton @peterframpton]

I have posted this before but ..

26 years ago, a gunman entered
Dunblane Primary School in Scotland,
killing 16 kids and a teacher. The UK
govt responded by enacting tight gun
control legislation. In the 9400+ days
since, there have been a total of O
school shootings in the UK.

[Lakota Man @LakotaMan1]

@laurenboebert Lauren Boebert absolutely hates this poster. It’d really piss her off if you liked it or retweeted it. So don’t. Ok?

[James F. Love IV @JamesFLoveIV]

I just blocked a woman I’ve known for several years, talked with on the phone and on Zoom calls, because she starts talking about “Garland isn’t doing anything and no one is ever going to be held accountable,” and will go on tweet after tweet arguing.
Another person chimed

[Jack Hopkins @thejackhopkins]

FIND HIM.