Christmas with the dogs.

So it was off for Christmas to Grandmas's house last week for the dogs, and for Belle it was the first time.

We started off on a sour note, with baths for the pair.

"Turn that water on and you're gonna regret this..."

"Yup. I will get you for this. Count on it."

"No fair! I just had one of these last month!"

"We put it to a vote. It was unanimous. You suck. Now let us in so we can shake water all over your stuff."

Then it was off for an 8-hour drive up to Michigan. (OK, 8 hrs, 20 minutes, but only because I let Proud Hillbilly, who carpooled up to see her family, drive part of the way. Talk about Letting Miss Daisy Drive...) The dogs, penned up behind an impromptu cargo screen made from a baby gate and bungee cords, rode fairly nicely. Murphy still has riding issues, but it seemed like Belle calmed him down a lot. The dogs did fairly well at Grandma's, except for Belle mistaking Grandma's bedroom for the potty place. (Cost to rent carpet steam cleaner: $36.00.) But on Christmas morning, Santa didn't hold it against her as she and Murphy got hooked up with a pair of Kong Wubba toys. My mom got them each one. (And they squeak. I'll get even for that.)

Here, the male/female difference was apparent. Murphy chomped his, swung his, threw his and basically did everything that he could to kill it. Belle, on the other hand, gently caressed hers, grooming it and nurturing it and treating it like a cherished doll or a pup. Naturally Murphy spent most of his day trying to get hers too, and she did everything that she could to get his, so the Kongs changed hands (paws) quite a bit while my mom tried to explain to them that the light one was Belle's and the dark one was Murphy's.

"I win!"

Here, Gunnery Sgt. Murphy inspects the Spud's new shooting muffs.

"Do you think I'm cute, Private Pyle? Do you think I'm funny?"

Santa's armorers hooked Spud up with a new Airsoft H&K MP5 this year. Full-auto plastic BB fun.

In the end though, as everyone else pitched in to clean the house, the dogs called it a day and dozed off, no doubt dreaming of a fat UPS man in a red suit, and reindeer steaks.

We hope your Christmas was good, too.