Gotta share them!

Me and Mr. Longhorn, Corky on my lap, then from left to right, Chase, Paco, Buddy, and Sparky. Yep, five of the lil darlins' in all, ranging from two to 11 years and 18 to 110 pounds! Consider this my Christmas card to my LBT colleagues!

Longhorn - Too cute! I'm amazed they all stayed still for that photo as well.

I'll post my xmas pups. I managed to keep the reindeer antlers on long enough to take a quick pic lol. The lower pic is my pug in his xmas sweater (that I couldn't help but give to him early).

Oh, my, aren't they cute! That expression on your pug's face is priceless! Is there some beagle in your other puppy? I grew up with a dog that looked a lot like him/her except she was mostly white. Just three or four more dogs and your life will be complete!

Seriously, I always wanted to be like Betty White and have a houseful of dogs. It can be trying at times but they bring me such joy, just as I'm sure yours do!

I don't think the poor cat thought it was hilarious, but I did. I was only trying to be a good mom...sniff sniff...:cry

I do want another dog, but we are a bit worried about the pecking order thing also, so we may wait awhile.

It's definitely something to consider. We'd never had any problems until we got Chase. I think he decided to challenge Sparky as alpha dog and when that didn't work, he decided to challenge Buddy. They have it all worked out now but there were some bad fights on the way -- and none of them are mean dogs! We made some changes on how we feed them, quit letting them sleep with us (to establish ourselves as pack leaders) and took away the toys, since they were a source of conflict. There hasn't been a fight since September and that was caused by my daughter's visiting dog (she didn't get the memo that all toys belong to Sparky!)

Sometimes they'll jump in bed with me in the morning after my husband feeds them (except Paco, who can't jump on the bed any more) and it's wall-to-wall dogs on our king-size bed, so I can imagine what it's like in your bed!

High school gym floor? I would have never guessed, it's beautiful. You are beautiful, your home, your husband, and your dogs are all absolutely perfect! Looks like you are already having a primo Christmas!

We've been able to reuse a lot of materials from my husband's jobs when we remodel -- sinks, dishwashers, light fixtures, even carpet. It's amazing what people will tear out and replace just because they want another color!

Thanks again for the ego booster! I haven't felt pretty in a long time!

Longhorn - The other dog is pure beagle. He is technically my parents dog now (I bought him when I was 16 and when I moved out my parents kept him). The pug is 2 and 100% mine =). I'm a huge dog lover so I wil definitely have a house full of them like you some day when I can afford it. They're both snuggled on the bed behind me as we speak...too cute. By the way you look fantastic!!! You're a beautiful woman. I would have thought that was your after shot if I didn't know you had your surgery the same month as me!

Lizzie:

I think beagles are so cute! I already loved them when I saw "Buddy," the beagle in "Regarding Henry." Our dog, Princess, was only part beagle but she was such a sweetie -- all white with tan ears and a tan spot on top of her head between her ears. I think there's another beagle in my future.

Gosh, if I had only posted my pic on here sooner, I could have saved myself $14,000 for lap band surgery! However, I could show you some photos that aren't quite so flattering.

By the way, I know this may be a dumb question because I don't always recognize the latest young starlet or pop star* but is that a picture of you in your avatar? If so, you're quite a beauty yourself! :clap2:

(*When I taught in middle school in the late 90s, we had some kind of contest and the winner was "Jennifer Love Hewitt." We announced her name for three days and she never came forward and claimed her prize. Then one of my students finally told me who she was! )

Oh I love beagles too. Mine is a little more timid than the other ones I have seen but I love him to bits. When I was 10 my neighbors bought a beagle puppy and didn't take care of her and would leave her outside all day with no food so I used to bring her food and Water and play with her constantly. They ended up giving her to the SPCA but I wanted a beagle ever since.

That pic is me before the surgery lol. Thank you though! It's a little more flattering as you can't see my body. Like you I have many more unflattering pics for sure.

Thats such a sweet picture. I have two cocker spaniels that are less than a year old and need alot more training.

I agree with wasabubblebut, you should update your ticker. You and

I were banded the same day and weigh the same but you look sooo much better than I do.

awww, what precious pooches!!!

i agree with wasa (must be a posse thing) ... no way you look over 170!!

Thats such a sweet picture. I have two cocker spaniels that are less than a year old and need alot more training.

I agree with wasabubblebut, you should update your ticker. You and

I were banded the same day and weigh the same but you look sooo much better than I do.

I love cocker spaniels, too! Our best dog ever was part cocker and part golden retriever. He lived to be almost 18 years old!

Congratulations -- you're just shy of a third of the way there! :clap2: From your goal weight, I have to assume you're a petite gal, whereas, if I had some muscle, speed, and skill, I could play football in the NFL!

That is too cute.. Wish I could get my cats to pose with my dog!

awww, what precious pooches!!!

i agree with wasa (must be a posse thing) ... no way you look over 170!!

My first thought is I should dig up a picture that shows how I really look. And then my second thought is, why the hell would I want to do that? :)

Thanks, Hon! I just did an hour (and 300 calories) on my recumbent exercise bike so I'm feeling pretty darn good about myself right now! :whoo:

Well, I have found my page. I love dogs too. I especially love to see pictures of these precious fur creatures. I have 3 Pekingese myself and found a baby Bull Dog the other day that I am fighting to not get. When you shave a Peke they look an awful lot like a Pug. I love their little flat faces, snorting and spraying. I have loved animals since I could walk and started out my young adulthood many years ago with a Golden Retriever mix, 2 Irish Setters, then a Afghan HOund. When I lost them I did not have a dog for 15 years because of the pain. I decided I could not go through that again and they live such short lives. My daughter ask for a small dog one Christmas and my husband found a Peke-a-Pom so we brought it home. I thought it will her hers..I will not get attached. I don't know what I was thinking. She was a wonderful dog. One day the doorbell rang and my son opened it. Samantha ran outside and got hit by a car. It was the same day the Trade Buildings went down and at the same time. She is the reason we started getting Pekingese.

Cannot believe I forgot this. Guess I got wrapped up in the doggies.

You look amazing! My first thought was...is she the one that had the lapband? Then I saw the date of your lapband. WOW! Good going girl!!

SueSue:

That's definitely the hard part about owning a pet -- knowing that we will outlive them. It doesn't seem to matter whether they live long lives or die tragically young -- it still hurts tremendously. But I can't imagine not having them because they bring us so much joy, especially now that our children are grown and out of the house. I don't know that we'll always have five, though!

Y'all should post your dog's pics on this thread! They don't have to be wearing Santa hats and reindeer antlers!

Thanks for your kind compliments! I think I got lucky and lost my first 20 pounds from my middle -- the rolls are much smaller!