The name of the blog

I think the name of my snoop bloggy blog is pretty clear, but maybe it isn't, so I will clarify.

First of all, my new last name is Sellers, well not legally yet, but it will be. However, since I announced my engagement people have needed help spelling it. They always want to know if it Sellers, Sellars, or Cellars. I would have never thought to spell it like a cellar(basement), but a lot of people have asked, so it has stuck with me.

Second of all, sometime I have my whiney pants on (if you need clarification on what it means to wear different types of pants, check out Becca's blog). In fact, when I was little, my parents used to threaten to call the home for the excessive whiners and I would have to live there, if I did not stop whining. I think the thought of going to live in a "home" was a little intriguing to me, however, since I did constantly role play being Little Orphan Annie.

So, when I was trying to name my new blog I was playing around with words, and I kept thinking about Sellers as being cellars, and what do you keep in a cellar? Wine! And possibly a secret brother or some other creepy thing....So then I was thinking of ways to play around with the two words together, and while I enjoy a glass of wine or two on occassion, I did not want to give the impression of being a wine expert or that the blog was about wine. Then, it hit me! I love to bitch and moan about things and I am a Sellers now...thus The Whine Sellers was born!

Picture it!

These two dogs could have possibly hooked up years ago, and started the chain of DNA that is Piper!

THE RESULTS ARE IN.....

Today, I received Piper's Ancestry Analysis in the mail...I was so giddy to see it, I literally jumped up and down. I was also so excited while opening I had a hard time tearing the envelope open, but I did! And now I have an answer for question that has plagued me for the last 4 years....What kind of dog is she?

Drum roll please.....

Piper is.....

20 to 36% Beagle
10-19% Bichon Frise
10-19% Chihuahua
10-19% Cocker Spaniel
10-19% Great Dane
10-19% Labrador Retriever
10-19% Poodle

Almost all of these were on the list of guesses, although I think some of the guesses were a bit sarcastic. Dalan's mom LaDene ended up being the most right with her guess of Beagle. Way to go LaDene!

In the report, they give you a brief summary of the characteristics and health problems a pet may have due to their DNA, and apparently, Beagles are prone to epilepsy. So, that pretty much explains the seizures. Chihuahua's are aggressive toward other breeds, so that could explain her hate for all living non-humans. Poodles and Chihuahuas are also loyal to the owners to a fault, so that could explain her over-protection of me in all situations. And Cocker Spaniels have a difficult time being house broken, so that could explain all her accidents.

I would have never guessed Beagle, but I do feel a little satisfied that all those years of calling her a cock-uahua was not far off base...I still am a little puzzled by the Great Dane, but stranger things have happened.

This is how I think Piper's ancestry went down. A Great Dane and a Lab had some puppies. One of those puppies had some more puppies with a Cocker. Which then had some puppies with a Poodle-Bichon mix. And one of those puppies had puppies with a Chichuahua, and one of those puppies had puppies with a Beagle. One of the puppies was Piper.

Or something like that....

Did you know....

....that one of Sarah Palin's daughters is named Piper. I did not. Santa told me told while my Piper was sitting on his lap. Well, actually he made a joke about my Piper being from Alaska that I did not get, and Ali had to explain it to me later. So, really I learned something new from both Santa and Ali today.

Piper's playdate with Annie

Today, my friend Hilary came over with her girls, Annie and Ellie. Annie loves to come over and play with Piper. Piper likes to chase Annie around trying to lick her, and to smell Ellie over and over. Piper loves the smell of a baby, especially their car seats. On more than one occasion Piper has tried to climb into someone's car seat. Maybe it is not the smell, but rather that she thinks she is, in fact, an actual baby?

Annie is about 2 and half, super precocious, and adorable. While she was here, she played with Piper. She screamed and laughed anytime Piper licked her, but always went back for more. She also sang her ABC's for us in both Spanish and English, counted for us in both languages, sang all kinds of nursery rhymes, figured out on her own that Piper starts with a "P" and Dalan starts with a "D", and spelled her own name several times. One of my favorite interactions of the day with Annie was when Dalan referred to her sister, Ellie, as a kid.

Annie said, "Yeah, Ellie is a kid."

I asked, "Are you a kid too, Annie."

She replied, "No, I am a genius!"

So true, so true!

Piper with her play date for the day, Annie. Annie is better posing for the camera than Piper.

I am holding Piper, so Annie can pet her without being licked to death. Although, I think the risk of the lick is part of the fun for Annie.

Piper's gone country....Billy Ray style

I am still anxiously awaiting the results of Piper's DNA test, but in the meantime, I do have some pictures that may explain some things about her roots......

Here is the view from the front

The side

And the back...Piper is licking Ali's face as a plea to take the wig off!

She hated every moment of having it on, but the results are hilarious. So hilarious, Ali is considering having Griffin wear it for his picture with Santa since he is way to huge to wear traditional dog apparel. However, if Piper ends up being some sort of a hunting dog then we know the mullet is all Piper's!

My silly puppy

When I adopted Piper 3 years and 10 months ago, she came with some issues and quirks. Ok, Ok, a lot of issues and quirks. As she has felt safe and become part of the family, some of issues have disappeared, some have intensified, and some have appeared!

She did not like men, and peed at the mere presence of an unknown male entering a room. In fact, on one of the first dates Dalan and I went on, Piper peed all over my lap, because I was thinking if I held her she would be more comfortable around this new guy if she was close to me. I was wrong. Luckily she has outgrown this for the most part, and now loves Dalan almost as much as she loves me.

She also did not like other animals. She snarled and hid from my parents' dogs when I brought her over there. This she did not outgrow. In fact, she actual got worse as she grew more protective over me and our house. However, she does now tolerate my sister's dog, Griffin. This is a big step for Piper.

She licks metal and collects coins in her bed.

She also hordes bones and treats. I know this is a stereotypical dog behavior. You know, a dog gets a bone and buries it. She has never buried a bone, but she does hide them in every corner of our house. Once she hid her bone in a clean basket of laundry, only to later climb in and start chewing it all over the our clothes!

Lately, she has become more obsessed with them. In fact, last night she would not put her bone down to go outside. I kept taking it from her, and she would just pick it up again. So, we went outside with her bone hanging out the side of her mouth, and then instead, of doing her business, she laid on the wet grass (usually her mortal enemy) to chew it out there. I brought her back inside, and went upstairs to go to sleep. She then went into the spare bedroom found a bigger bone, and tried to chew it on the bed. I took this one away, she got over it, and climbed under the covers to get some sleep.

She also won't chew her bone if no one is here. She must wait and wait for us to get home when she has a bone, because the moment we walk in the door, she says hello, and then charges full speed to her bed to get her bone.

She really is a silly, silly little doggie. Maybe her DNA will explain some of her quirks and issues, but any which way, I love her to death!