Training starts tomorrow
April 10, 2012 assistance dogs 6 Comments
Day 1
Guess what I got to be a part of…
Are you guys telling me something?
April 9, 2012 Danny, Jori, Skirvee 5 Comments
Skirvee
Seriously, I don’t think kibble for modeling fees is unreasonable.
Danny
You look like this is torture, not like I am lavishing treats on you.
Jori
Is this really how you want the world to see greyhounds? Just a bunch of couch potatoes?
Herding cats
April 8, 2012 Jillian, Skirvee, Slinky 4 Comments
Jillian
When I looked at April’s calendar for birthdays, I sadly realized that there were four birthdays and not one of the dogs are with us anymore. They are all celebrating at the bridge.
May on the other hand, is party central in the gardens. It’s just one celebration after another so I figured I could get a step or two ahead on the birthday photos. I’m desperate to get a picture of the triplets together.
Slinky
This is not a task for the faint of heart. Short of dangling a squirrel over their heads I’m not sure I will ever get the three of them together in the same frame.
Skirvee
Of course triple cooperation is probably a very tall order. Just exactly what am I thinking?
Slinky, Skirvee and Jillian
It didn’t take me long to figure out that trying to get a photo of the triplets together was like herding cats.
The beach
April 7, 2012 Crystal 3 Comments
Crystal
The weather was awesome today. We could hardly contain ourselves as we prepared to go to the beach. Karen wrenched her knee earlier this week, so as we looked around for the lucky dog to go to beach, Crystal quickly won because she is so easy to take and walk around with.
We headed out to Cape Kiwanda, closest beach to Salem and just a really nice beach. The dory fleet is a fleet of fishing boats that have a flat bottom that come up on sand rather than a dock. I’m not sure how the tide affects the take-offs and landings, but it seems that they always come in just as the tide is rising.
Here was the catch of the day. Not sure Crystal was impressed.
Crystal is always our best ambassador. She loves meeting new dogs, and there were plenty for her to meet.
No mommy, I don’t like that
April 6, 2012 Crystal, Timber 11 Comments
Timber
Timber had the whole gamut of tests yesterday, the little fat head really had me worried. He had gone off of his kibble for a few days and then the vomiting and diarrhea kicked in.
There isn’t a 24 hour rule when that happens, I loaded him in the car and we were off to the vet clinic. He clearly was feeling a little punk yesterday morning and even after I brought him home, he just wasn’t the wild and crazy guy.
I love this boy with all of my heart, but he’s not the best of patients. It’s ok to weigh him, listen to his heart and lungs and sneak in a shot if it’s only one. But, take his temp or try to pop a pill down his throat and he’s, well, a total pain in the butt.
Karen and I were able to 2/3s of his worming meds in him. For the last 1/3 he had to go back to the vet and get a shot.
Who knew that tape worms could cause all of the above symptoms? I had no clue.
This morning he was clearly feeling better and according to him, we nearly starved him to death. Our punishment? Guess what Timber would like to eat.
I had planned to work from home and Karen made a grocery run. She brought home deli turkey, hamburger, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, chicken gizzards and livers. Bleh!
I personally could not cook the gizzards. Nope, not a happening thing. So I tried some canned dog food we picked up at the clinic.
I carefully placed it on his cushion and walked away, hoping. Pretty soon I heard “clank” and then sound of metal on the floor. The fat head had pushed his bowl off of his bead and then started scooting to another corner in the kitchen.
I took that to be a thumbs down on the canned dog food.
Then I tried cheese. What dog does not like cheese? Timber. He promptly turned his nose up.
Then I tried the deli turkey. Big, big hit. He loved that stuff. Cottage cheese was weird, but he liked it too.
I got brave and scrambled an egg. I gave him a well rounded meal with deli turkey, kibble and egg. Yum yum. He ate the turkey and then, he pushed the egg and kibble as far away as he could. What a nutcase.
When Karen came home, she cooked the gizzards. Those were his all time favorites. She couldn’t cook them fast enough.
Crystal
Nurse Ratchet, I mean Nurse Crystal gave him the hairy eyeball and told him to suck it up.
Eventually he ate some kibble.
Happy Saturday!
Many thanks to our three hosts Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you’d like to participate, follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor. Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!
Under the weather
April 5, 2012 Timber 8 Comments
Timber
The red head seems to be under the weather at the moment. If I’m not completely gray or bald by the end of 2012, it will be a miracle. (Oh wait, maybe I am completely gray, I should ask my hairdresser).
The little fat head above has always been a finicky eater, always. But on Monday, he stepped it up three notches.Today was the last straw and it was off to the vets with his skinny little butt.
Blood and fecal tests and X-rays should hopefully help define which direction to go from here.
Being a fur parent is so nerve racking.
Borzoi horrors
April 3, 2012 Timber 8 Comments
Timber
It was awful, horrible and gut-wrenching. The kind of thing that keeps you up at night.
Timber had borzoi boot camp today. Part of boot camp training was, oh dear I almost can’t say it out loud… a pawdicure. He hates, hates, hates and despises having his nails trimmed.
I almost think he’d go through the torture of being de-clawed like a cat just to get out of nails trims. Laurie our personal dog whisperer assures us that he will eventually let us trim the nails, but he’s gonna give us a run for our money until then. Laurie is so good, she has that perfect combo of firm but loving, squirm if you must, but I’m still the boss and I’m still going to trim those nails.
Personally, I don’t get it. I pay someone every two weeks to do mine and I never squirm.
Mr. T is doing the humiliated sulking thing right now. Sheesh, what a weenie.
Miss Sassy Pants
April 2, 2012 Minnie 7 Comments
Minnie
I am working my way through the dogs to capture portraits. I’m doing it partly just to monkey with the lighting and also in hopes of getting just some nice portraits.
This is the cooperation I got from Minnie, or, lack there-of. She actually sassed me! The little fat head.
I’m beginning to see a pattern of disrespect here. I think I’m going to have to line them all up for a beaten soon. 
