April 2011 Blog Posts (114)

Here are Dylan and lightfoot at 24 days--they are starting to have little personalities now--the black one (Lightfoot) is sooo friendly and comes up to you with his tail wagging. He plays with toys and his brother. Dylan is a lot more laid back and likes to nap!…

Ollie had his first ever professional grooming yesterday at Petsmart. I was a little apprehensive because I've heard it can go either way in those places. I told the groomer that I did not want him short and no shaving nose/muzzle area.

The groomer was really friendly and sweet and did a wonderful job. She was very sensitive to the fact that it was his first time ever at a groomer. He came out looking handsome and clean and happy. I can actually see his beautiful eyes now.

He…

Last night, I was already in bed watching Dancing With the Stars, when Vern came running into the room like he had seen a ghost. Most people in my family know not to bother me when my favorite show is on, but from the looks of it, Vern did not get the memo. He looked so scared and happy to see me that I forgot momentarily what was happening on TV.  Pretty soon, in came my daughter to tell me what happened. Yesterday, it got very hot, so I turned on the air…

Forgive me missing my Sunday Musings but the Bank Holiday here in Ireland had me by the seaside in a Log Cabin with friends having a barbecue.  They have a new Jack Russell puppy, Bella who at 16 weeks was the star attraction.  We took her for a long walk on the beach and over cliffs to the little port though we did carry her for a good portion of the way when she got tired.  

Sunday reminded me of my own childhood Summers which were spent in a caravan park in County Wicklow.  To our…

Harper and I had a wonderful time at another doodle romp - this one was at Hellyer Park in San Jose.  Here are a few of my photos, and a more complete sample can be found in this Picasa album:…

Today Cooper is 2! She is no longer a puppy, shes now an Adult Dog!

To celebrate her last day as a puppy, Cooper peed on our bed. Of course I didnt notice til I went to bed, an hour later than my regular bed time. Thankfully she was well hydrated and it was very diluted so didnt smell. We always have some Natures Niracle around just in case of mishaps like this. Its not like Cooper to not tell us she needs to go (though there have been a few very similar occurences when she…

I just wanted to put this out there for myself and others that may be the same.  Ya know, the dog smell.    I just adore the scent of Shelby, clean, of course and also on a daily basis.  Laying with her every night in the bed I tell her how much her daddy loves her,  petting her and giving kisses next to her eyes.  For me, not my wife,  I love her paticular…

Here is the most recent update on Remington's surgery...



I contacted Purdue's Small Animal Clinic on Friday.  After getting a referral from our current vet they were more than happy to speak with me about the surgery. They have several vets in house that specialize in soft tissue surgeries.  The type of surgery that we are discussing doing with Remington is something that their surgeons are very familiar with and do on a routine basis. What would happen is we would bring him in…

Rua will be 9 months old in a few days...so hard to believe she has been with us for 7 months already.  I can't believe how much she has enriched my life and how much joy she brings to each of my days.  When I go to bed at night I can't wait to get up so I can see her.  Every now and then I realize how much has changed as she continues to mature.

Potty Training...we started out taking Rua out every hour or so and asking her to "go potty" and never letting her out of our…

I have been back from vacation for one week and I am noticing that Fudge has become very attached to my DH. This morning, I got up very early in the morning and took the dogs out to go to the bathroom in the pouring down rain. When we came back in, Fudge wanted to get up on our bed. As soon as she got up there, she walked right up to my DH and just sat and looked at him so dreamily. He was asleep, so she kept putting her paw on him until he woke up and started…

Last Thursday I picked up our new foster Chelsea. Chelsea had to be shaved down to the skin because of all the mats. She only has hair around her eyes and the last 6 inches of her tail. When we got home I set a crate up in my daughters bedroom since she never plays in there thinking it would be a nice quiet place for Chelsea to adjust. Lexi got home from school we talked about Chelsea and her journey to us. Now most kids seeing a dog with no hair would ask what's wrong with it, not Lexi. The…

As most of you may know, our son and DIL and 21 month old grandson moved in with us briefly until they could find a house. We now have 4 adults, 4 dogs and one baby in our home. Basically I call it "9 mouths to feed". As that is all I seem to be doing. Planning meals, shopping for meals, and then preparing and cleaning up from meals. At any given time from 4:30 am to 7:30 pm, someone is either eating, looking for food to eat, or asking what there is to eat or what we are going to eat for the…

We have an under-the-stairs closet that we "converted" into a room for Stella. I heard her rustling around in there today and this is what I found. (she obviously is feeling better after her injury, thank you so much for the well wishes!

I got together with Nigel's (a.k.a. Sugar donut) new parents and Rafi's (a.k.a. Porkchop) new owner today at a local dog park. The puppies had a great time and it was amazing how different they look. Both Nigel and Rio have the upright tail (which I am told is called a "gay tail") but Nigel is tall and lighter boned (like momma). Rafi has a long body and shorter legs like his dad but his coloring is like Lyric's. Rio seems so boxy compared to the others. His proportions are different. In…

I am originally from the UK, and emigrated to Canada 7 years ago. My sister married a South African, and moved to Australia. My Mum flits between the counties! She is currently in Australia for my nieces first birthday. Despite not being premature, Annie was born tiny (just a few pounds). She is perfectly healthy thankfully, but at almost 1 still wears clothes for 3-6 month olds.

I Skype with my sister, and have to show Annie Cooper and my cats. They dont have any pets, and…

I could kiss the inventor of this amazing gizmo.  I pray he becomes a gazillionaire.  After six months of feeling like a terrible pack leader, suddenly I was the dog whisperer.  No pulling, lunging, or stops.  From our first step out the front door, it felt like Shyla was floating alongside me.  Twice I looked to make sure she was still there!  Yahoo.  Please don't tell me it was all a dream.