Our family has a tradition of having our dogs on our Christmas cards that we send out every year. We’re mildly neurotic, yes. Of course every year it’s an absolute struggle to get the dogs lined up for a damn picture. Last year, when Willa and Rios were the same size, Willa kept pouncing on him until she knocked him down the stairs. The picture we sent out was her mid-pounce, him with eyes like large, red coins. This year we tried incredibly hard to have a better picture. The results were a little less William Wegman than we’d hoped.

 

Willa, getting ready for her Christmas card closeup. Those eyes? That is why I melt.

 

When we got outside, Rios immediately jumped into one of the chairs we have around the fire pit. My dad said that he’s never looked so majestic…

 

Of course then he less-than-gracefully jumped out of the chair, ears flapping in the wind and eyeballs rolling.

 

Willa, for some odd reason, got camera shy. She normally has to be the center of attention. Instead she insisted on trying to hide her large frame behind a gnome. Yes, we have a gnome.

 

Realizing that didn’t work, she jumped into the bushes.

 

We finally got the two of them next to each other in the leaves, but couldn’t get them to look the same direction.

 

This was honestly the best picture of the two of them. Rios, as always, looks crazy. No amount of Photoshop can change that.