About Us

This is my husband Derek, myself, and our fantastic rough-coat Collie, Linus.  Though the blog title and the above picture would lead you to believe that he is our only pet, he isn't.  We also have a cat, and intend to add birds and a second dog to the mix once we're settled in California.  Right now, we live in Ontario, Canada, near Derek's family.  My husband and I met in Redding, California, where we went to college.  Though I've lived in a few places (New York, Tennessee, and Michigan) and Derek had only lived in one little Canadian town his whole life, California at once felt like home for both of us.  We moved to Ontario for financial reasons, but vowed to go back to the land that sang for us.  Living in Ontario has been a blessing and I'm so glad we did it.  Once Derek gets his permanent resident visa, however, we will be moving back to Redding, and then some day...on to Santa Barbara!  (We hope.)  

About Elizabeth    Email:  ThatLadyWithTheDog(at)gmail(dot)com
I am twenty two going on about age seven.  My favorite subject in school was always creative writing, followed by English.  My favorite color is brown, and after that, I love "jewel tone" colors, such as sapphire, ruby, emerald, amethyst, etc.  I also adore the color white.  I have to ban myself from wearing/buying white clothing, because my favorite food is PASTA, which as we all know tends to be accompanied with red sauce.  My role model is Audrey Hepburn, both style/looks wise, as well as in behavior and the way she lived her life.  She was an elegant woman in the truest sense.  I greatly enjoy reading, writing, watching movies, photography, and the great outdoors with our dog.  My "spirit animal" if I had one would be a bird.  I love birds.  My dreams, besides dressing how I want and having tons of animals while spending unlimited time with my husband, are to adopt a lot of children, live on an expanse of land in a partially-stone house, with horses, and be a woman of love and grace.  



About Husband
Derek is twenty three and...wonderful.  I honestly don't know how I got through life without him before I met him.  Besides being the most loving, caring, and fun man in the universe, he's also a GENIUS.  He's currently master-minding a way to not need to work in a typical job setting so that he can spend more time with meeeee.  I am very excited about this.  He's not an extreme animal person that way that I am, but once I bring a furry critter into our family, it worms its way into his heart as thoroughly as mine.  In fact, Linus actually prefers Derek.  It's really quite unfair.  This is part of the reason for dog #2.  


About Dog
"Linus Boston"

Linus was born in 2009.  He is only a couple of months different from how long Derek and I have been married, which makes remembering easier.  It all started in Canada, less than six months after husband I got hitched.  He was working, I was home alone, so I said I needed a dog.  I had wanted a rough coated Collie ever since I was very young (I wrote books about it, actually) so the time had come to fulfill that dream.  I looked into breeders and did a lot of research.  Then we moved to Tennessee temporarily, and it was three hours away from Nashville that I found this little beauty advertised.  I knew that I wanted a light golden Collie with little or no darker markings on him, which was a bit difficult to find.  We were also looking for a certain personality type.  Very laid back, not a barker, etc.  When I saw the picture of him...I just knew.  He was perfect for us, and I could literally tell just by seeing his adorable face.  He was actually six months when we got him, and at two years, he's still very much the puppy and full of bounce and go.  Despite that, he's the easiest dog in the world.  Linus was a slight pickle to name.  I was really into the name Boston for the sound of it, as well as how he reminded me of a "Boston creme pie." However, Boston doesn't shorten well, and it didn't seem perfect.  Linus is the name of the male lead in the movie "Sabrina," one of my favorite movies ever, starring Audrey Hepburn of course!  Linus in the movie is a bit of a solemn workaholic, and our Linus definitely has a wise look to him - not to mention class!  Linus also means "flax," which is the color that he is, so it works.

Little did we know when we accepted Linus into our family that not only would he steal our hearts, he would steal the heart of every person who ever saw him!  Owning a rough Collie is like going out with a celebrity.  Everywhere we go, people gasp, and stare, and point, and gush.  "Hey look, it's Lassie!"  "That dog is beautiful!"  "Wow a Collie, my aunt/grandpa/whoever used to have one of those..."  "He's so well-groomed!"  "Look!  *Pokes person next to them to share in the celebrity sighting*" Etc.  It's pretty gratifying...there's nothing like having other people love your dog!  Love me, love my dog VERY much applies to my philosophy.  Frankly, I don't mind the attention, either, and I love talking to people, so Linus makes it really easy to meet people.  When you own a Collie, not only will the Collie shower you with unconditional affection, but so will people!  Or at least, you catch the ricochet off your doggie companion's back, haha.


About Cat


"Casey"

Casey is about eight years old going on ancient.  She's been that way basically forever, but suffice it to say, she is not aging gracefully, the poor dear.  Regardless, she is the universe's best cat.  She's a gorgeous tortoiseshell (as of course you can see) whom I raised by hand, since her mother died from too many fleas.  I was young when I rescued this purrfect kitty, just going into sixth grade.  With her I showed my unquenchable need for a purse dog.  I tried to take her places with me, but she never got excited about that idea, and I eventually gave up rather than torture her.  Unfortunately, since I was going to college, she had to travel cross-country with me, and has had to do so many subsequent times, but she's handled it like a champ.  Now, she spends her time peeing on things incessantly.  So we're in a bit of a quandary with her.  Despite that, she is still the most fantastic cat to have ever existed.  So she doesn't let it bother her that she's psychologically incapable of being potty trained.  :)

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