The Dude and his person, Kristi's Page

Hi Kristi,

I lost your address.  Can you send it to my e-mail?  RFarr46@verizon.net.  My Christmas card has a picture of Beckett on it, so I wanted to send you one.  I still have Carla"s address, but somehow, not yours.

I love the pictures of Dude.  He is so cute! It was great to see the pictures from when you and Carla got together with the "pups".  Sure wish I could be part of that.  Maybe someday.  Beckett is doing really great.  He's super sweet and wants to be around us all the time.  Only having one problem.  When we have a big party, I introduce him but then I want him to be in our bedroom with door closed.  There's just too many people and too much food on low places.  He barks and whines and scratches at the door till I end up having to let him out.  Haven't found a good solution yet.  Any ideas?  Otherwise, everything is super.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Hugs to you and brother Dude.

Karen and Beckett

Hi Kristi, we saw Barry and Pippi as they were leaving puppy K today.  We are in the class after theirs.  Pippi is getting so big...she is such a cutie.  She and Rosie greeted each other pretty well.  Perhaps the sibling rivalry is improving (I hope!).   I was wondering how much Dude weighs.  The breeder said Rosie would probably end up being around 30-35lbs.

Hey Kristi,

Thanks for the nice note! Stella would love to meet Dude in the future! Let me know if he's up for a play date as we are in Berkeley frequently. Thanks again!

Hi Kristi,

Good memory! Yes Floyd has been dealing with itichiness for a while now. We have pretty much determined that he has allergies due to the environment. It's called Atopic Dermatitis. There is a small chance that it's the food but the itchiness has gotten worse as the spring and summer hit. We are currently feeding Floyd a raw diet which is supposed to help keep his body a little cooler and therefore his skin cooler. We are taking him to a holistic vet who has prescribed a couple of herbal treatments along with fish oils that I add to his food. I also bathe Floyd at least once a week if not twice which the vet recommended to wash off the allergens that could be stuck in his coat. We have to make sure and use a good conditioner during bath time to replinish the moisture to his skin. I found a doggie shampoo with Neem oil which is supposed to be good for itchy skin and it's recommended to add additional Neem oil for very itchy dogs which I have been doing and it has been helping.

It's been a LONG journey to help ease his itchiness. We haven't done the testing yet partly because of the cost but also partly because the recommended test by the Animal Dermatologist is a scratch test, just like for people and they don't like to do that test until the dog is at least a year old. I have been avoiding it because I don't want to put Floyd through that irritating test. There is a blood test that can be done but it may not be as accurate as the scratch test. So I am taking the treatment route right now but we will probably do the test soon. I'm having to give Floyd steroids for this condition when it gets really bad and an anti-histamine along with the herbal treatments. Like I said, it's been a journey!

Hi Kristi!

Beckett has just started to scratch a bit this past two days.  I can't find anything on him so I don't think it's fleas.  How is Dude in the "scratching department"?  Any suggestions?  He has never been a "scratcher" so it's all new to me.

Hope all is well with you and Dude.  I think I'll take Beckett in to vet tomorrow for flea and tick treatment.  I never had that done.  Did Dude?  Otherwise all is well.  He is still the "mellow" guy and is doing well in puppy classes.  Our latest class is "puppy manners with distractions."  He's very obedient but has alot of trouble with the "stay" command when anybody else is around.  Otherwise, no complaints.  I'll write you what his weight is after vet appointment.  Talk to you soon.  My best, Karen

Thanks for the friend request.  I just love that your doodles name is Dude.  hilarious! We call Peri doodette all the time.  Here is a photo of our mini goldendoodle Peri. She is 2 years old and weighs 25 pounds.