And Tinker Makes Three

Recent Ori Pics

2011-06-19T16:52:00.003-05:00

While we've been taking pictures of Joy we've also been taking pictures of Ori Dog. She is such a cutie but such a brat! We love her so much. She's been doing very well adapting and adjusting to having a second dog around for a while. I also have a new work schedule which all 3 of us ladies are loving! O's sleeps in bed with us and seems to like the slower wake up that my later start time allows us. She loves to play ball and be my goofy pal. I never have to wonder what she wants as she's quick to let us know!

Ori doesn't know this yet, but we're going to take her swimming this summer. Get the right hot sunday afternoon and we'll meet up with LuAnn and her crew and see how Ori does!

Everyday at least once, I find Nick or myself saying "I love this dog so much." It's so reminiscent of Tink and how we felt about her. Not sure what it is, but this little dog has become such a vital part of our lives. We can't help but smile with her around even when she is knocking over the trash barrel or talking back because we're taking too long to throw the ball! As my mother says, "good thing she's cute!" yes, good thing Ori.

First email post: Joy Update 6-19-2011

2011-06-19T16:33:00.001-05:00

Joy has had a fabulous first week and a 1/2 here in the Rowe house! She and Ori are getting along just fine. We stopped gating Joy last weekend and the two of them are great. O keeps trying to get Joy to play but so far, not much luck. We couldn't find the girls yesterday night...they were both snuggled up in Ori's crate! It was past their bedtime I guess! It's hard to believe it's been less than 2 weeks as she fits the routine so fabulously already.

Joy was at the vet on Monday; overall positive news. Both patellas are fine. Her front left leg looks like either she was born like that or the radius grew longer than is should have when she was a puppy or there was a fracture along her wrist a while back. (she called it an "angular limb deformity") There was no indication of anything "crunchy" or recent trauma according to Dr. Ford. Everything appeared to be healed and Joy did not indicate any pain. She was such a good girl at the vet. People doted on her saying how cute she is and of course I told them about NEBTR and to fill out an application if they were serious about her.

The largest area of concern is the ulcer on her right eye. It looks like an ulcer but didn't stain like a classic ulcer would. So we've treating it with an antibiotic drop and eye lubricant drops for the past week. No major changes in the eye but Joy is a heck of a lot better about me putting drops in her eye now than she was the first few days. She hasn't been squinting or tearing up so as of now, she doesn't appear to be in pain. We're trying to treat in just in case it happened recently and to see if it can heal over any better. I am going to call the vet early this week to see if there are any other options to heal the eye any more.

At a stout 29lbs at the vet. We're hoping to help "tubby" lose at least 4-5 pounds!

She's just been a great joy around here. Ori and she have been good buds. The right home is out there for her somewhere! Fill out an app if you're interested! We just finished her petfinder app. It will be posted soon!

Meet Joy- our newest foster!

2011-06-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

Joy is here safe and sound! She's an 8 year old owner surrender from the York SPCA. She was apparently surrendered twice now and was originally a mill girl. Poor girl can't seem to get a break. She is fluffy to say the least but is definitely living up to her name since she arrived (A whole 2 hrs ago). She knows her name so we'll be keeping it for sure. She and O briefly said hello through the gate and everything was ok. Nick and I just got back from walking the girls and no issues so far there. She walked well and has been doing her business outside like she's housebroken. We're hopeful!

We are taking things slowly and not looking to integrate the 2 any time soon. Joy is quiet and seems fairly content in the kitchen. If my gut is right I think the girls will leave each other alone. Not testing that theory yet. She is a wiggly girl. She loves people and she already rolls over for belly rubs!

The shelter vaccinated the heck out of her just before they released her to Nick (He picked her up on his way home from work.) I have the detox supplement that I used for O last year and I've already started giving that to her to help move everything out of her system.

Our plan is to make a vet appt for her as soon as possible since there was talk from the last owner surrender of broken bones and/or patella issues. She seems to be walking ok, but I don't want to mess around with potential broken bones (I don't understand that story but that's another discussion.) Hopefully we can get her in on Monday when I have the day off.

She's quite the sweetie. She's been resting in the kitchen quite comfortably. I didn't realize how much I missed the fostering scene. Either that or our break was much needed and now we're ready for another adventure! Either way, I'm hopeful we can help this little one find her way to her permanent home for good this time : )

It's tough being Ori...

2011-06-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

After a marrow bone for lunch, O's been sacked out on the couch sleeping her heart out!

Not time for another walk mom...

It's hard work being cute!

Are you done with the flashy thing?

Pretty girl

Love this dog!!!

Vintage BT Fun!

2011-06-06T14:03:00.000-05:00

So while Ori was wrapping her Auntie Christina and Uncle Ben around her little paws (thank you!!!) Nick and I were canvasing Adamstown PA for vintage BT pieces.... 2 days of searching and discovering! We took the opportunity to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary at a cute little B & B and a weekend to relax and shop. Adamstown has a HUGE number of stores...after a while everything started to look the same...

We found 2 miniatures. The first one is a cast iron and looks like a Hubley "party favor" size. I'm not sure if it was repainted or not, but we like it : )

This is the set that started it all Saturday morning. I googled them and they look like Hagen Renaker DOG Figurines which were started in the 50's. The puppy's last year of production was 1986 and the mother dog is still being manufactured today. We think they're adorable!

Lots of fun searching. I decided I want to find BT salt and pepper shakers, but despite all our hunting we weren't successful this weekend. We'll have to search locally in the coming weeks and if all else fails we'll find some on-line....not quite as much fun, but it will do : ) A beautiful weekend with my hunny and some fun little mementos too!

Family Photos

2011-05-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

Some family portraits from the fun day in Mount Gretna!!!

Pretty ladies and handsome Curley!

I think Curley fits right in!!!

typical heathen style

Ahh, much nicer!

the 6 of us!

goofy pups!

Hiking in Mount Gretna

2011-05-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Lindsay and Jason (and Curley!) planned a beautiful lunch and hike in honor of my birthday in Mount Gretna. They planned a dog friendly trip and away we all went! O and Curley did fabulous and it was such a great time to be out in nature with all of us!

Curley and Ori leading the way!

I know this is upside but this is how Linds took the picture and I think it's great!

Resting in the shade at the top

Ori taking it easy

Did someone say cookie?

Curley and O hanging out!

Movie Star pups!

I love this photo of these 2!!

Tired pup #1

Tired Pup #2

It was such a fabulous day! I have family portraits that were taken that I'll post soon!

Jazz and Stretch come to visit...

2011-05-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

....oh and Mom and Dad too! Last weekend we had an apartment full of people and pets and it was wonderful! Jazz taught Ori to play!!! They ran around the house, mouthing and ruff housing until neither could move! It was so great to see O play and romp and roll with another dog! The 3 dogs did great together. One night Lola came over to visit and we had 4 dogs. Unfortunately Jazz was possessive of the couch so Lola stayed on the other side of the room. We had 4 dogs and 4 people squished into the 2 couches! Lola was a sweet heart and my parents adored her!

We had a beautiful time relaxing and walking, watching movies and of course eating! It was a fabulous break and I am so thankful for our time together as a family!

Gearing up for Ori's 5th Birthday!

2011-03-17T19:29:00.000-05:00

Ori turns 5 on Saturday! My little tripod is growing up! We ordered a leash and collar from PB & J World and it came in a few weeks ago now. (I still need to post pics!) It's adorable on her and we've been using them for therapy class and when we travel. I love having a stylish and matching leash/collar set for her!

Yesterday after class, Ori I visited the wall of toys and we picked out 2 new birthday toys for her. She picked out a cow with 5 little squeakies and I picked a monkey toy made by kong for her. I'm going to be kind of mean though first with the toys. Before she gets to play with them and make them "hers" we need to work on "leave it" with a high value toy if we're ever going to have a prayer of passing the delta pet therapy test. Leave it and the stay are our 2 biggest issues. So we gotta dig in and work hard so we can pass this test! I think she's going to visiting with people and we already have a nursing home lined up to go in and visit! (thank you Christina!)

Ori loves wubba like whoa. Wubba 2.0 unfortunately is on it's last leg and has been holding on for dear life for several weeks now. It seems only fitting that O be allowed to destroy it however she wants to on her birthday! We'll do our best to capture some of that fun footage!

Ori seems to be adjusting well to being the only dog. She also continues to remind us of another very special little girl with her well timed sighs, Joan Rivers bark, and fantastic snuggling skills. Ori truly knows how to make our hearts smile in her own right. She loves life with a fabulous energy and vigor and I never tire of watching her explore and try new things. (although I would be ok with her refraining from putting foreign objects in her mouth as fast as possible!) She's a powerhouse when she plays, but we love playing and letting her blow off some steam chasing balls and playing fetch!

The weather was beautiful today and we were outside talking with neighbors for a little bit this evening. Ori was chewing on a stick and then went into a sneezing frenzy. Poor little thing had something stuck! She eventually got it out, but she looked so panicked. Not that it will keep her from doing it again though....

O's been loving the 3 day weekends she's been getting. With me working some weekends, I've been getting Mondays off. O gets the best deal. I'm not complaining though. I get a fabulous snuggle buddy who lets me sleep in til 9 or so on Monday mornings!

Our little adventure continues each and every day.... now with pretty little Ori and our family once again of 3....

Therapy Class, new friends, and a bath

2011-03-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

Ori and I have been going to a class in preparation to take the delta pet therapy test at the end of the month. Overall, she's doing very well, but she occasionally reminds me of how strong she thinks she is when she sells me out for a piece of cheese instead of a great recall!

She loves to play and sometimes that's all she wants to do with all her furry friends! She gets a little skittish when I move a walker so it makes noise, but usually food helps calm her mind. We're working hard, but I won't be surprised if we don't pass the first time. At this point, we're working on exposing her to as much as we can.

We have a new neighbor in the apartment building next to us and she has a cute basset, Lola. Ori and Lola have been spending time together, so we're both hoping they can be good friends and spend time playing and hanging out as buds! Ori's going to be walking with Lola and Em this week as our usual dog walking in on spring vacation. So excited for new friends and puppy dog friends too!

We finally broke down and gave Ori a bath tonight. She's managed to avoid one for way longer than I'm comfortable admitting, but after the rainy weekend, we had to make it happen! She was such a little saint in the tub.....soooo much dirt down the drain!! And now Ori is a clean clean snuggling machine! I'm working this weekend so I had today off....Ori was snuggled up beside me and our 8am wake up time magically moved to 9am : ) She did a great job trying to distract me while I diligently work on grad work, but her snuggling next to me, helped me stay in one spot and get my work done!

This little one melts my heart.... I constantly find myself using words and expressions I had only used with Tinker before this point. I look at O and I see what Tink may have been like when she was sighted and younger.... God has an interesting way of healing and growing us.... thankful for the small gifts we're given, even when they knock the trash over when they aren't getting enough attention!

One Day at a Time

2011-02-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

The house still feels different. quiet. Ori was off and mopey that first week alone. She's now fortunately more Ori like but I still catch her running to where Molly used to eat as soon as she finishes her meal. I find myself still feeling like I need to stop Ori from eating Moo's food. Old habits die hard.

Ori's been sleeping in bed. We tried to get her to sleep on her own bed one night. We (by we I mean mostly Nick) spend over an hour putting Ori back on her bed each time she jumped off and either laid on the floor by the door or jumped up into our bed. I know from a behavioral stand point we set ourselves back pretty far, but after over an hour, I was stressed for O and I was exhausted from a long day....yeah, she won and she slept snuggled up next to me where she has been for 3 weeks now. The next night we put a blanket on the foot of the bed and she did stay there and sleep for almost the entire night. We figure we can shape that and move the blanket to say her bed eventually and see if we can get her to sleep there....

We're all adjusting to a new routine and schedule with my new job and Moo being gone... I love my new job, all that I'm learning and all that I get to do through music. We have a dog walker that comes in mid day to walk/play with O and that seems to be going pretty well. Ori's a ball of energy when we get home so we do our best to play her out for the rest of the night. We tag team and between walking and playing fetch and tug she's usually ready to sleep by 10.

Ori and I are taking the pet assisted therapy class in preparation for the Delta test that will happen at the end of March. She's doing well overall. She loves going to playful pups and I think she would rather play with everyone than work....I am finding different things that spook or freak her out which is ok. We'll take our time and work through those things. If we don't pass the first test, we'll just take it again later. We're working hard to make sure O gets the socialization she needs/wants. I know she would love a playmate but now isn't the time to take in a 2nd dog....we don't have the time that each dog would need especially to foster....although I'm careful to never say never....

Still thinking of miss Moo and of course little Tink each and every day, but loving each moment we get to spend with Ori....she's so mischievous and carefree.... : )

Sweet Dreams Molly Moo

2011-02-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

We had a quick slide down and before we all knew it, we were saying goodbye to our beautiful Miss Moo.... We helped her cross on Friday evening...she was in my arms snuggled close to my heart and she went peacefully, released of her pain and confusion.

She came into our lives, reluctantly on our part on Aug 15, 2009. We had a few beautiful months with her and Tink and then she helped us transition after Tink crossed the bridge. She helped Ori learn all the things she needed to learn as a dog in our house beginning when Ori came to us in Jan '10. And for just over a year we had "our girls" Ori and Molly. Molly being top dog and reminding O from time to time. Ori and Moo made a great pair. Ori made a mess of whatever she was playing with and Molly ate the mess if we weren't fast enough.

We fell for Molly fast. I used to tease Nick that she was Molly's boyfriend. She was easy going and over the past year and a half learned to snuggle and love and be an important part of our little family.

And in a blink of an eye, our time with her is up. She had a beautiful retirement with us. We couldn't have asked for anything more, but of course we always want just a little more time. Just one more pain free day.... Another beautiful golden girl left her paw prints forever on our hearts. I wouldn't trade our time for anything. She was another gem, another reminder of the good gifts we are given.

Miss Moo run fast and free, free of pain. Give Tinker my love; let her know I think of her every day. Teach her how to sing and always remember how much we love you.

We will have 2 roses in memory of our beautiful girls.... their legacy's will live on in the work we will continue to do....

Molly Wigglesbottom: Born Aug 29, 1998. Loved with us from Aug 15, 2009 to February 11, 2011 and beyond. We will always remember you darling.

January 2011 update

2011-01-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

We celebrated O's one year of Freedom from the puppymill on January 18th. We can't believe how quickly time has gone by and how much she has changed. Her coat is beautiful, she loves to play and she is the cutest little snuggler. She and Moo have taught each other so much. I love watching the 2 of them snuggle and relax on the couch or a bed together. I have such a hard time even attempting to comprehend how people can do what they do to dogs in a mill...I shudder at the conditions O was in last year especially during this cold snap that we've been having.

To celebrate Ori's 1 year of freedom, I think it's appropriate to come up with a Top 10 Favorites list for both O and Moo.

Ori's Top 10 Favorites:

10- slinky across the floor on her belly looking all cute and playful
9- dive bombing Moo while Moo's still peeing
8- playing tug of war
7- strategically resting her nubby to snuggle as close as possible
6- snuggly with her mommy!
5- standing as tall as she can to try and grab things off the kitchen table
4- Stealing Molly's kong as soon as they get out of their crates
3- staring at Molly in hopes of distracting her to grab whatever Molly is chewing on
2- sleeping in the big bed
1- Squeakie toys!!!

And dear Miss Moo's Top 10 Favorites

10- Food
9- peanut butter filled kongs
8- Cookies
7- Zuke's Z-ridges
6- trash picking
5-bully sticks
4- snuggling on the couch
3- liver
2- burying her nose under covers
1- Food!

Cold babies

2011-01-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

So Ori and Molly have gone on strike due to cold weather and inclement walking conditions. Nick took the girls out this morning and apparently by the time he got to my car in the parking lot Molly was screeching bloody murder (her screech is blood curdling by the way) and Ori was a bi-pod. Nick said he picked Molly up (and she continued to screech!) and Ori was laying on the ground looking up at him like "why won't you pick me up?!?!?" So Nick finagled Moo in one arm and Ori in the other and walked back to the apartment.

This evening I took the girls 1 at a time on their walk. I thought O and I would go around the apartments, but we made it to the longer dumpster, she did her business and she high tailed it back to the apartment. I couldn't convince her otherwise. Molly did pretty much the same thing, but I had to almost drag her out into the parking lot to get rolling.... oh my girls are so spoiled. We did go for a little walk after church this afternoon so Moo could do her business...good thing it's the only movement outside they really got all day!

They both did what they needed to do outside today and both are currently snuggled up on the couch right where I'm pretty sure they both know they belong. (until we move to the bedroom and then they'll think the same thing about the bed!)

They've got it good, that's for sure!

3 and 4 legged bed bugs

2011-01-06T20:44:00.001-05:00

So a few nights ago Ori slept in her crate for the first time in over a week...Let's just say she wasn't very happy with that. The next morning when Nick took the girls out to pee (as is the typical routine) she bolted back and jumped up into the bed not once but twice before Nick wrangled her down the hall and outside. After that she snuggled up in bed so tight and didn't want to get up for breakfast. She did get down and eat breakfast but she proceeded to jump right back into bed (on my side mind you) while I got ready for work and while Moo and I spent some time on the couch. It wasn't until almost 9:45 that she decided to join us in the living room. My little brat....she now expects to sleep in bed? My my....it's a rough life.

Moo must be catching on to Ori's ways as last night she basically refused to get off the bed (complete with playing dead dog, running away and snuggling up on my pillow....) Silly girl!

Oh it makes my heart smile to see Ori seek comfy places to sleep. This was the same dog who, just under a year ago, didn't know what carpet was or toys or play time....She's come so far. I also love that Moo is seeking out soft places to sleep and snuggling in bed. The 2 of them press in so tight against me. Nick calls them my "pile of Bostons." I love it!

Moo and Ori are getting a cousin!

2010-12-31T10:47:00.001-05:00

Lindsay and Jason have been officially approved to adopt Curley, a 3 year old poodle mix from the Almost Home Rescue! They're making their plans to travel to Maine this weekend to pick up their little bundle of joy! Congratulations you two! Ori and Molly are excited to be gaining a new cousin!!!

Rescuing a dog rather than buying one makes such a difference!! You guys are doing a wonderful act of kindness and Curley will repay you in ways you never imagined!

Happy New Year Lindsay, Jason and Curley!!!

Christmas Wrappings

2010-12-31T10:22:00.001-05:00

and Christmas unwrappings! It shouldn't have been a surprise to either of us that Ori LOVES to unwrap gifts and shred wrapping and tissue paper. She helped us unwrap our gifts at home and proceeded to make the entire living room a Christmas mess : ) Nick and I just laughed at our silly little girl.

After she sufficiently shredded one piece, she would come back over to us for another!

She knows what she loves to do, that's for sure!

We had to keep a close eye on Moo or the wrapping paper wouldn't have needed to be picked up!

Yup, that's our little girl!

The girls opened their gifts the next day (we do gifts up here before we go to MA) and while I don't have any pictures (it was a circus to say the least) the girls were spoiled with Zuke Z- Ridges, stuffies, squeak toys, hooves, another wubba, knuckles and cuzes. Ori was in heaven destroying the paper and trying to get to the next gift. Moo was thrilled with the hooves and knuckle and has been enjoying the Z-ridges for some time (much to Ori's dismay!)

Our girls have been spoiled by so many people this Christmas! Kristin, Spencer and Cincy gave the girls 2 packages of Cincy's favorite treats Nutro blueberry and apple cinnamon! The girls have been enjoying those yummy snacks for a few weeks now! Thank you!

Gram and Pap gave the girls Pur Luv dog treats which both girls love as a yummy treat! Thank you Gram and Pap!

Granna and Grampa gave the girls some jerky type treats and some ziwkipeak treats which neither of them would ever consider turning down! Each girl got another kong or kong toy and after Christmas I picked up 2 beds for their crates at a fabulous price! Auntie Phyllis got the girls some squeak toys and a rope toy which Ori LOVES playing with! Thank you!

We had a beautiful time in MA for 5 days. A total reprieve from reality. We were snowed in Sunday into Monday and while Dad was called in to work, Larry, Katie, and Penny stayed Sunday into Monday at our parents' place with us. It was perfect to say the least.

Ori and Molly amazed us up in MA. Ori was shy and withdrawn at first, but true to form, she watched the other dogs and was following them around and playing by Saturday! She learned how to bark at nothing (thank you Jazz and Penny) and was less submissive with Jazz and Penny by the end of the stay as well. She began asserting herself and tried to work her way up the pack order (not so successfully but I was glad to see she was trying). The girls worked it out just fine and Ori looked like she had a blast being "one of the dogs."

Both girls loved the freedom to go outside without a leash. The fenced in back and front yard made life so easy! Ori would wander around checking all the corners of the yard out, loving the freedom! Moo was less enchanted, but thankful we opened the door as soon as she wanted back inside : ) Both our girls just want to be where we are. While we were at the table eating or playing games, both girls were by our side snuggled in a little bed (1 too small for the 2 of them, but it didn't seem to matter) on the floor.

My cute little Ori snuggled up with Nick

Moo comfy on the bed too

This little face just melts my heart (and gets her out of trouble too!)

Sigh, miss Moo resting

So yeah, a beautifully wonderful Christmas season filled with family and friends and reminders of the real reason for the season. It's been a time to reflect and be thankful and to look forward to a fabulous 2011!

Miss Molly Moo

2010-12-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

Miss Moo's been giving us a little scare these past few weeks. I took her to Dr. Haver on Friday to speak with him, to have him look at her, and to hear his expert opinion. All in all, given what we're working with, Dr. Haver is very, very pleased with how she is doing. She hasn't lost any weight which is fabulous. Color, skin, and coat look great. She has her faculties for the most part and we're just to take each day as it comes. Her heart is strong and her lungs are slightly raspy due to age rather than the Cushings. We're upping her omega 3s and increasing her MSM, condroitin, and glucosamine levels. Thank heavens for Springtime Inc and their products! We're doubling her longevity dose and ordering the Omega 3-6-9 supplement to add to her program. She's still on flagyl and trilostane and we're doing ok with those levels.

We ordered zuke z-ridges for Moo for Christmas and since every day is a gift, we decided not to wait until Christmas for Moo to enjoy them : ) She got the cranberry flavor and she absolutely loves them. They're a bit softer than say a bully stick so it's nicer in her mouth. We gave 1 to her on Friday night and bully stick to Ori. Ori wanted NOTHING to do with the bully and layed at Moo's feet for almost 30 minutes while Moo chewed and chewed and chewed until her little heart desired. Ori tried to entice Molly with the bully and other toys, but to no avail : ) Moo chewed half one night and then the other half while Ori and I were at agility on Saturday (Nick said Molly looked relieved to have a little free time without Ori on Saturday : )

Since Friday, Molly's eye's have been consistently bright overall and she's actually been howling at us for snacks which she hasn't done in a long time. Of course we oblige her and give her a snack (or 2 : ) She's been dancing on her back legs which we haven't seen either. I love our snuggle time and am so glad she's doing well!

New Clothes!!!

2010-11-29T21:30:00.000-05:00

Karen totally outdid herself with these new clothes! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, time and love! We are so appreciate of this warm snugly clothes just in time for the winter months : )

Ori just loves wearin' clothes, can't you tell?

It fits her nice and snug which is perfect!

It doesn't twist yet she is fully mobile while we walk!

Ori posin' for the camera : )

Isn't she pretty?

butterfly and jeans

She was 1/2 way to a down when I said "sit" so she paused long enough for a picture : )

Pretty pink stripes on Moo!

my pretty girl in new clothes!

AND this BEAUTIFUL blanket for Miss O

Even the back is pretty!

Totally spoiled and so thankful! It was a fabulous pick me up! (And the phone call and conversation from Madeline Ventry was very cool as well!)

So thankful for my girls and now they'll be warm in the cold winter months. Thank you!!!

Ori: the Interior Destroyer

2010-11-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, I put both girls in their crates and went to work. Less than 8 hrs later I came home to Ori running around barking like a banshee and parts of my house, umm, shall we say redecorated? I must have not latched her crate tightly before I left. Needless to say, these pictures provide a strong rationale as to why Ori needs to be crated while we're out of the house!

The laundry basket and all the laundry was on top of the crate when I left that morning

She ransacked Nick's closet and destroyed some boxes and papers

A big picture perspective

Moo, surveying the damage

This was a stereo remote

And little black plastic pieces were all over the floor....

She chewed 3 pairs of nick's shoes in the back and carried the trash bag into the living room to destroy

Moral of the story, keep your room clean or ya might get raided by Ori!!!

It's the Little Things....

2010-11-28T21:13:00.001-05:00

...that make a difference!

Some days my girls are my little things. Other days, they are big things that help to make my life more full. They never cease to amaze me and usually bring a smile to my face.

I smile when they're snuggling together, almost like they love each other!

Ori chewing on a radish

Ori knows that I'm messy in the kitchen and I'm prone to drop food that I am preparing onto the floor. Ori takes advantage of this and often lays under my feet or sitting next to me, ready to spring into action at moments notice. She also enjoys a good challenge, so new items such as radishes, blue hubbard squash, sweet potatoes, daikon radishes and other veggies are no match for her nimble feet and ready tongue. She's cute and she cleans up after herself too. On the rare occasion she gets something she shouldn't have, she's pretty good about leaving something go when my tone of voice gets serious or when I have a trade for her (Ori want a cookie?)

Ori sampling blue Hubbard squash

A few nights ago, Ori thought she hit the jackpot when she saw a bag of onions (aka: balls) in the pantry. She knocked the bag over and grabbed the biggest onion she could find and took it to her bed for closer inspection. I knew I needed to get it from her, but I was laughing so hard at her large as saucer eyes and playful spirit. Nick came over to help negotiate a successful trade and we laughed at our little imp!

I realized on Friday, how important it is to make sure both the girls go for rides and get socialization on a regular basis. I took Ori for some Doggie black friday deals at local pet/farm supplies stores in town and she loved it so much! We started at Playful Pups where she met Auntie LuAnn and Edison. She didn't want to leave after hanging around, so we went over to Brand't Farm Supply and ended our trip out at McCrackens. She really was a well behaved little girl and grew more confident with each stop.

On Saturday I took Ori back to Playful Pups for an open agility class. She did so well! She was hesitant and nervous with the pieces initially, but she grew in confidence and by the end of the session she was sequencing a ladder, jump, tire, table and tunnel pretty well for the first hour! It was cool to watch her confidence and speed pick up. As soon as we stepped into the ring, it's like basic obedience came flooding back and she was an attentive angel!

It was interesting to watch people in class with O. There were 4 other dogs and at least 4 people came up to me asking what happened to O's leg, almost wondering if she would be capable of walking, much less doing agility work.

There was one piece of equipment that wasn't really an agility piece, but more like a kids toy with ramps made of plastic. It didn't have good traction and with 1 front leg it was the only piece O was at a real disadvantage with. She was nervous (and I was too, which definitely showed in our progress), but the trainer at one point as we were working on it asked me "can she climb stairs?" At which point, I was somewhat amazed this was even a question. I made the executive decision to not force the bad plastic piece on poor O any more. We gave it 3 good attempts and it just wasn't safe for her or her confidence. It was at this point that I realized the importance of story and knowing the pieces to an animals (and a person's) story. Understanding one's history makes such a difference in how the present and future is addressed. If this trainer had taken the time to learn just a little bit more about Ori's story, she may have understood just how awesome Ori was doing and why she was initially a little hesitant. Less than a year ago, Ori was pushing out puppies in a terrible local puppy mill without her basic needs being met, much less a warm bed to sleep in. And here we were asking Ori to go through tunnels and up slick surfaces. Who knows what baggage we may have drug up for her? I am so proud of this little girl and the life, vigor, and excitement she has each and every day!

I learned so much about Ori this weekend and by having another opportunity to work and train with her. She is nervous initially and may balk at a new piece, but given several attempts she will try anything and figure it out. Her confidence improves over time (fairly quickly) and she likes the game and speed of the agility. I also learned that she can be fine with bigger dogs in controlled situations. She can also be prone to peeing inside when nervous. : ( Food is a good motivator, but a good squeak toy will be an invaluable training toy at certain points in the day. I can't wait to go again next week so we can show off and show Auntie LuAnn all that she can do (She was off this past Sat!)

Our Moo is a little sweetheart who is learning to love and snuggle in ways I never imagined she would. She continues to slow down however and is less graceful than she was when we first got her. We're noticing some stiffness in her gait once in a while and she keeps falling on her head while walking. She has a cut next to her right ear that I'm cleaning and keeping ointment on.

She too needs trips and rides, so she's come with me to pick up a movie from red box and we were supposed to have a shopping trip on Saturday, but the shop was closed! I learned though, that the local consignment shop is pet friendly, so Molly and I will do our shopping date on another day : ) It's neat to watch her little face light up as she realizes she is going for a car ride but Ori is not. She copilots and loves little scratches behind her ears.

Both girls had baths yesterday after evening walks and the fun events of the day. Baths aren't anyone's favorite thing in this house, but I do love taking care of them and then toweling them off and blow drying Moo. She sits there (cookies on the counter being her motivation) and lets me gently blow dry and rub her little frail body until she's dry and fluffy clean. It's almost like she enjoys the extra comfort and pampering. Regardless the motivation, I smile as we work.

I've been shopping for the girls for Christmas both in stores and online and I'm loving it. Ori is the first dog we've had that loves to play with toys so a new world of squeakers and interactive toys has opened up. I'm finding softer chew treats (Zuke's Z ridges) and other treats to chew that Moo has expressed preference for (like the hooves at the farm store) to spoil Moo with too.

We haven't decorated the house yet and to be honest, I'm not rushing it. I know Tink's stocking is still in the Christmas box...we have a stocking for Moo, but we don't have one for O and it's just a few details that I don't really want to work through...We'll get there eventually.

It's been a long while since Tink and I did our training classes for pet assisted therapy. I think I'm ready to endeavor on a new journey with Ori in the same class. I was afraid that Ori wouldn't listen to me in classes and that it wouldn't go right like it did with Tink. I know this thought process isn't true and that while O won't be perfect, she is honest and loves to work and have fun. I watched her eyes light up and she maintained an energy and attention level necessary. I'm excited to see the bond that we can continue to build as we work and play together. She's not even 5 yet and the sky is the limit as far as what we can do and where we will go.

Ori's Favorites

2010-10-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

Ori LOVES popcorn. No matter where she is in the house, when she hears and smells the tell tale signs she comes running. She especially loves kettle corn though.

We found another favorite today, sour cream and onion chips!

My silly girls isn't as food motivated as Moo (good thing) but she does like to eat!!!

Remembering her Legacy

2010-10-05T19:16:00.000-05:00

Memorial roses with her beautiful picture

Today marks 1 year that Tink crossed the rainbow bridge. It seems to hard to believe that a whole year has passed. Nick bought us roses much like we did for so many months after her passing as a reminder of her life and beauty.

Up close and personal

I thought it was fitting to have the girls pose with the flowers. Of course we had to bribe them with cookies so Ori would eat the roses...silly girl.

another pretty pic of the girls

After dinner, Nick and I looked through the scrapbook I'm working on and shared a good cry together...we remembered our drive to Atlanta, how much Tink hated the rain. She would toss her pretty little head, and stamp her little feet until I gently toweled her off when we came inside. How she loved to snuggle and loved her mommy more than her daddy (ok, so i had to bring that up, but still : )

While we were walking, Nick and I laughed with Ori and her zest for life. We think that Tink would have hated Ori, but we think Tink would have been a lot like O when she was younger. Which also means there might be hope for Crazy Ori to not be quite so crazy as she ages. Tink was an amazing little girl...she wanted nothing here while as a part of our family. We had the privilege of caring for her until her last day... she passed in my arms knowing she was loved. I love you Tinker.

The Destroyer

2010-09-26T20:01:00.000-05:00

Scarf Carnage, 9-2010

So as we all know by now, Ori likes to destroy things. Sometimes she gets in a mood and seems to go on a rampage looking for things to get herself in trouble with. A week or so ago, O went on the hunt and after ripping the zipper out of the bed, she went for a scarf she pulled from the closet. The problem is, when it's something that isn't a big deal to have destroyed, I usually just let her do it. I don't wear the scarf she destroyed so it was fun to watch her pull the yarn out of the ends of it. She definitely keeps us laughing (and cleaning!) This picture doesn't quite do the scene justice. By the end, yarn was all over the bed and floor (of course my camera battery died before more evidence could be gathered.)

I watched her grapple with destroying a throw pillow (which she knows isn't ok) and an easy "Ori..." caused her to sheepishly turn her head towards me. She tried one more time and with another "Ori..." she actually stopped and found some other trouble to get into! Love my little girl...

Gluttony, the almost deadly sin

2010-09-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, we gave the girls chew snacks which we do fairly regularly around here. Ori was given a flossie and Molly was given a bully. Somewhere, fairly early on, the girls switched and I honestly didn't think anything of it. We kept an eye on them like we usually do. Ori typically chews and pulls bit by bit and doesn't make big chunks. Molly likes to make a big part soft and then chew it off. Well this flossie apparently was really good. At one point Nick said to me we need to watch Molly she's getting really aggressive with the flossy. So I went over and looked at it. She still had most of the 6-7 inch flossie so I said we'll just keep an eye and pull it in a bit. Well, Molly decided she was going to shove 3 1/2 inches worth of flossy down her throat.

As you can imagine, she was gagging and foaming and trying to get the flossie back up but trying to get it back down too. Nick grabbed some gloves and we tried to stick our hands down her through to grab it (we could feel it, but couldn't get a good hold of it.) We put her in the kitchen as she was gagging up foam. I called every NEBTR person that I thought could help us out. (at this point she was still breathing on her own and was acting ok as far as breathing and movements were concerned. Nick kept moving his hands in front of her face to make sure she was responsive.) Ginny answered her phone and explained what was going on. She talked us through and said if we had any concerns to take her to the e-vet.

Moo finally got it down far enough that she stopped gagging. She laid down on the floor in the living room and Nick hovered over her like a Mama duck. She wasn't comfortable and she kept sitting up then laying down again. Finally about 10 minutes after she laid down, we got her up and she walked over to the dining room. She started to hack it up again. Nick picked up Ori and Moo proceeded to make a mess. The flossie FINALLY came back up and Nick yells to me "Pick up the flossie!!" So I grab the grossest, slimiest flossie every and run it to the trash. Blah! Moo instantly felt and acted better (and looked for the flossie to try and shove it back down her throat.)

Part of us really thought we were going to loose Moo over this. If she stopped breathing there would be no way we could get her to the vet in time. Fortunately it didn't come to that. Next time though we'll have hydrogen peroxide handy to aid in the removal of the flossie.

2 morals I learned from this experience: 1) Don't give Molly a flossy and 2) be the 1 to hold the other dog so you don't have to pick up the grossness!

A little bit of this and that...

2010-09-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

Molly has continued to "recover" from not feeling well and is doing fabulous! She's get a great little bounce in her step and seems to be loving the longer walks we've been able to take in the cooler weather. (the cooler weather we had before fall officially hit- you figure that one out!) Her intelligence continues to show through more and more. Some nights she goes into a crate to sleep, other times she chooses the dog bed next to the bed and other times she jumps up into bed and won't take no for an answer. She's smart because Ori generally jumps right up into our bed and Molly will choose the dog bed. Which usually means O gets put in a crate and Moo gets to stay out all night : )

Molly truly makes me smile when she jumps up into bed in the morning and pushes Ori out of the way to snuggle with me. She has turned into such an affectionate little girl. It's such a stark contrast to a year ago. Yet more proof that no matter how old or how long a dog has been in certain conditions, they can still grow and change into the dog they've always wanted to be!

Ori has also been doing quite well. She gets into mischievous moods and starts grabbing and going for anything she can get her mouth on. The dog bed in the living room has permanently lost its zipper. She went for my bath towel the other day and wouldn't let go. She likes to go under the bed and pull things out we didn't even know were under (to help clean of course, she would never think of destroying anything!)

We had friends over last night who brought their big handsome boxer, Porter. We met out front for introductions and true to form, Moo wanted to eat him at first and then settled down once we were in the apartment. True to form, Ori was fine initially, then played submissive and then wanted to kill Porter as the night progressed. I was getting really stressed about O's behavior. Towards the end of the night O was in my lap and Porter was on the ground and O was fine until Porter got too close. He wanted to play and for whatever reason, big dogs that want to play and won't leave her alone, really stress her out. She's fine with big dogs like Maddie who wander around and leave her alone, but the persistent lets play types really seem to stress her out. At one point she went over to Porter on her own and everything looked ok, but then he moved his paw to play and his big paw smacked her on the head.... yeah that wasn't as positive as it could have been. I think over time she would get better with specific dogs. I'm glad we know her type, because now we can watch out and then work on helping her become more comfortable around them. I can't say that I completely blame her though. I wouldn't want a big 'monster' bothering me all the time either.

Everyone was fine when I was handing out cookies (I was trying to give some positive experiences and I knew no one was food aggressive.) Poor Porter put 2 cookies on the floor for further inspection and Moo the hoover came over and snatched them up so quickly! Porter looked at me like "you've got to be kiddin' me! Can I have another?" So I gave him 2 more and he ate them without putting them on the ground.

I really want to get some video footage of Molly doing her sing with me. Her song list is getting quite long including "You are my sunshine," "C is for Cookie," "Do your ears hang low," "Hello my name is Molly," and others I'm sure I can't think of right now. As soon as she starts singing O comes to the kitchen in a flash knowing she'll reap the benefits of Moo's concert!

Ori is also a shameless seat stealer! It doesn't matter what side of the couch or who leaves, if you're up, she's in your spot! Unfortunately she's so cute, we usually just push her over so we can squeeze back in. We're definitely snuggled up tight all 4 of us on the loveseat. Good thing we don't have a great dane!

Fall weather

2010-09-09T20:10:00.000-05:00

Oh I love the fall! This cool weather has been a beautiful opportunity for longer walks and watching Ori run around even more like a crazy nut!

We've been calling Ori "squirrely" lately as she loves to pick up acorns, chew them up and spit them out! Sometimes it's a race to see who can be faster on the draw, O to grab a nut or me to keep her moving! She also loves to take off running full tilt down the road and I love watching her love and enjoy life!

Moo is hanging in there, walking, and snuggling with the best of them! She and O have been snuggly on the couch and the beds lately! I was brave and left the 2 of them out for 45min while I had a chiropractor appointment on Wednesday morning and when I can home both were on the couch. I opened the door, 2 heads popped up and then they jumped off to say hi. I was so proud of them both! (This is by no means going to be a habit, but I thought I would see for a once in a great while deal.) They're really good little girls and I love them so : )

Bring on the snuggly down comforter, walking in hoodie with the girls weather!

Moo & O update

2010-09-06T20:24:00.000-05:00

Labor Day Weekend '10

O's foot healed quite nicely and she has been very sound since the surgery. She continues to love life and manages to get herself into trouble every day. Unfortunately, we can't help but laugh at most of it. The 2 commands we need to teach and be consistent with are "leave it" and "drop it." We'll get there, I'm sure :)

Molly has had 2 real good weeks. Prior to that she had us both nervous. About a month ago now we were at the vet having blood work done. Her appetite and drinking had significantly increased and we couldn't seem to keep her poop under control. She does not have diabetes but we confirmed that she wasn't regulated in regards to her cushings. We increased her trilostane to 15mg twice a day and added flagyl to the regime as well. We're down to 1/2 tab in the evenings and this combo seems to be working well. We were able to finally get Molly back on her regular home cooked diet which has allowed her to gain just a little bit of weight back. (she only lost 1/2 lb since Feb but it looks like so much more!) While she tires more easily, the spark is still in her eye and she seems to still be enjoying life here with us.

Molly and Ori really seem to enjoy each others company which was really exemplified this weekend. We typically bring 1 bed out by the campfire for the girls. The first time we brought them both up they typically didn't lay together. This time however, they snuggled up together more often than not. Others noticed too and commented on the difference. Things take time and I was happy to see the gradual change that has been going on with these 2!

Molly, despite her ups and downs, continues to blossom with us. It's been so neat to watch her personality grow. She jumps up on our bed on nights that she feels like sleeping up there and pretty much refuses to take "no" for an answer. She likes her routine and she likes to snuggle more and more. We've been taking each and every day we have with her as a gift.

Moo was with us for an entire year on Aug 15th. We celebrated her 12th birthday on Aug 29th with some yummy treats for the girls and an order of things to chew from onlynaturalpet.com which should be here any day now. It amazes me where the time goes. As we watch Molly gracefully slow down I am reminded of Tinker in so many ways. I try to think of the positives, but I see what is happening and I'm doing my best to treasure the little things like Moo's singing and snuggling and her chewing on bones and playing keep a way from Ori with the Kong.

Molly did lose her bottom left canine tooth this past week, root and all. The vet has checked her mouth on several occasions (including the last visit we had) so I'm not sure how crazy to get by it. I know the signs and we're just taking things 1 step at a time. For now Molly is happy and pain free so we take each day for what it is. Nick suggested adding more calcium to her diet though. I think it's a good idea and we'll get it rolling just in case.

This has gotten long! We had a beautiful time at the cabin and both girls are tired! Ori was a great snuggler in the evenings under the blankets and she snored beautifully too! Molly decided to snuggle up under some covers and chew on a bone last night : ) When we came home this evening, everyone got a bath and is shiny clean again. All the blankets and towels are clean as well and as much as I hate to say it, it looks like we're ready for the week ahead of us : )

Fall is coming and change is in the air!

Over a month?

2010-09-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

Where does the time go? These pics are from my phone from the LAST trip to the cabin we took in JULY with Linds, Jason, Christina, Ben, & Nate.

They really do love each other!

sniffin' around...

my pretty girls

Linds and I worked hard to get this shot!

Doing exactly what the cabin is for.... a whole lot of sleeping!

Ori Update 8-3-10

2010-08-03T17:06:00.000-05:00

Well there's no doubt in my mind that O is a trooper! While she knows how to make the best of a situation and get pity and extra TLC, she has bounced back today in a way I did not expect. Now she is on a pain killer and I'm trying to keep her somewhat quiet, but she seems to be feeling good! She hasn't even been dropping her shoulder when first getting up or moving around. I'm wondering if this bump was bothering her before it became a bump? I don't know, but she's moving smoothly and quickly already!

She stinks from when she made a mess of her crate right after surgery but I don't want to bathe her until the stitches are out....I guess a little sponge bath is in order later on... : )

Oh Miss O, we are so glad you're on the mend!

Ori Update 8-2-10

2010-08-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

So I took Ori to the vet and ended up leaving her there for what turned into surgery. There's a new vet at Valley and I really, really like her. (we took her over there 'cause Dr. Haver is on vacation until the 9th and Valley knows Ori the best.) She spent lots of time looking Ori over, learning about her and gathering the information she needed. She was easy to speak with, she listened to me and spoke to me like I knew what I was doing with my little girl! It was a pleasure working with her today.

O weighs 16.4lbs! She was such a good girl even with the thermometer and then a needle into the lump. She drew a sample and looked at it under a slide. After discussing the options and the route she would take with Ori, I left O and waited hoping not to hear from them later in the afternoon. No news = good news as we left it. I would call later in the day to check in.

When I called later in the day, the bump wasn't a puss pocket like we were all hoping. Which meant the lancing didn't work and O had to be put under for the surgery. Because of the location she wasn't able to get clean margins (in order to get clean margins O's 2 middle toes would have been removed) but I'll wait for the test results before I worry too much. Obviously we're really hoping it wasn't a mast cell but we'll see. We'll know what is was when the test results come back Thursday or Friday.

I picked her up after work this evening and she was the most pathetic little thing. I went in the back with the vet and O acted all excited 1 minute and then next she was sleeping again with her face pressed again the metal bars, snoring! Everybody loves her over there and I know they took good care of her. I picked up the tired little munchkin and she snubbed the vet when she went to say good bye to her! We have some antibiotics, painkillers, 4 stitches in her paw and a potential cone head if need be : )

She traveled home like and champ and has been here resting the remainder of the evening. She acted hungry when she came home so I did give her a few bites of cooked ground turkey. She's kept it down and has been resting on my purple down comforter that Tink used and I use and now O is using when she's recovering. She reminds me of Tink when she's not feeling well like this and I find myself struggling to call her by her name: Ori! Hopefully, recovery will be quick and relatively pain free with positive test results later in the week!

Bed Time Routine

2010-08-02T07:37:00.000-05:00

We do our best to maintain some semblance of routine around here. Ori is doing better in so many regards that we can flex that routine around and she is fine (aka: no accidents!) Evening routine though is pretty standard-- except for 2 nights ago!

Nick took the girls out for bed time potty then came it to give them their bed time snack. At that point O boogies down the hall and usually jumps up into our bed as if she is staying the entire night. Molly hangs around the kitchen in hopes of another turkey meatball. 2 nights ago Nick watched Ori run down the hall and take a right towards the crates instead of jumping up into bed. When we get back to bed, Ori has stolen the crate that Molly usually climbs into to sleep. Molly goes to go to sleep and is stopped in her tracks. She looks up at Nick as if to say "hey dad, the brat's in my crate, help me out here!" She then wandered around the room and kept returning to the crate O was laying in 3 or 4 times. Ori definitely wasn't moving and Moo didn't know what to do as her routine was now messed up! At 1 point it looked like Molly was ready to step over Ori into the crate but she decided against it. Molly finally decided she was jumping up into our bed for some rest since O had stolen her sleeping quarters. It was a Saturday night so she got to stay! Moo snuggled up against me and was a good girl all night long!

Ori slept in the crate until 2am (with door hanging wide open!) when Nick got up to use the bathroom. She jumped up into in his spot and surprised him upon his return : ) 2 snuggly little doggies in bed helped me to be 1 happy little girl!

So yeah- for those who think crate training is mean and cruel- I beg you to argue with my 2 who will steal the others crate at night for sleep! They practically kick me out of the house in the morning to get their kongs and they sleep peacefully all night long in them as needed! The crates are definitely their dens and they don't mind them at all : ) Of course we always seem to get the best little dogs in the entire world, so maybe that's it! Regardless, Nick and I had a fabulous laugh at the 2 of them Saturday evening!

Catch Up Time

2010-08-02T07:23:00.000-05:00

So between grad school and life lately posting seems to have become more difficult! I'm going to try and catch up a little bit in possibly a few posts.

Since the day we came back from the Cabin (July 18th) Moo's been battling diarrhea. I'll spare the gory details this time but it's included late night clean ups in both the crate and on the carpet : ( We finally think she's slowly on the mend. Everything's been looking better for the past 2 days. Turkey and Rice, flagyl, probiotics, slippery elm (between meals) and pumpkin seems to be beginning to do the trick. She continues to drink plenty of water, her appetite is good, but she is as thin as a rail : ( With all the things that don't seem to agree with her I'm not sure how we're going to put any weight back on her, but we'll see. 1 step at a time.

O's been doing well over here minus a cyst or tumor or growth or something that I notice Saturday evening between the toes on her only front paw. You've got to be kidding me, but no, it's true. It seems to be growing too. I have a vet appt this morning to check and see what it is and what we can do about it. It's not like she has another front leg she can depend on! I'm praying that it's "fixable" with no long term side effects. I'll keep you posted!

Time Flies

2010-07-23T22:41:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how much time has passed since our last post. Both the girls overall have been doing well. We went to the cabin last weekend and both girls were really great. I have a few pics of them I need to get off my phone. They lounged around, ate marrow bones abs pretty much whatever else they could beg off someone : )

Of course since we've been home Moo has been struggling with some explosiveness. I thought we had it Unser control with turkey and rice but no. Vet said time for 24 hours of fasting. Poor girl. If that doesn't work we'll add flagyl to the mix. She's acting pretty ok other than that.

My girls are real snuggle bunnies and vie for prime bed space in the morning. Aka: as close to me as they can get. I do love my snuggle time with both of my little girls. Getting out of bed can be so hard with the two of them sometimes....

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

Moo and O wish everyone a happy 4th of July!

They also ask everyone to pass the cookies their way in honor of freedom and independence!

Bone a petite! : )

So far in 6 Months

2010-07-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I am struck with profound thoughts while walking with Ori. Last week I took her to the car to get something work related and as we were walking back to the apartment I realized that theoretically we have 10 years with this dog. And given time, I am going to fall head over heels for her with a love so strong and beautiful. The difference is, this love is taking a very different course and time to blossom and grow. The process is so very different than it was last time....but oh so beautiful nonetheless.

She is my dog. I have grad classes starting back up and I've been doing my reading in the bedroom while Nick is out front in the living room. Every night, she comes back not too long after I do to come and keep me company. She's not always pressed tight against me, but she's on the bed with me. She follows me around the house and certainly keeps me on my toes. (2 weeks ago she ate my work flash drive while I was in the shower....) There isn't a tissue box that she can't destroy or a plant that she can't eat in 2 seconds flat! Her zest for life and love of the new and exciting puts a smile on my face and in my heart. There is something about this type of dog that Nick and I are both drawn to. With Tink we didn't know it until we had her for a while. Now we quickly recognize the courage and life that dogs who have some sort of "disability" (I don't like that word) tend to have. Ori has it just as Tink did.

This little monkey has come so far is 6 months. The potty training has been so consistent and accurate. She goes to the door when she needs to go out and did fabulous the weekend we spent at Linds and Jason's too! She's our little problem solver. At Lindsay's she learned how to knock the gate over and jump over it leaving poor Moo to pace on the other side not knowing how to step on the gate to go through! Ori can also be caught figuring out an intricate plan to grab something off the table or whatever she thinks she wants!

I was in awe again this morning that we have 2 wonderful little girls. I'm sitting on the couch and Molly wanted some love so I was petting her. Ori jumped up for some too and the little interlude that occurred between the 2 cracked me up. Moo is the dominant one, but she doesn't fight for certain things (like food, you figure that 1 out!) We figured it out, but both girls expressions were so funny "I don't want to share her!" Molly sat right on Ori's face and O looked at her like "are you kidding me?" Just like typical sisters!
I am so grateful for the love that is demonstrated to me through these 2 darling girls!

Moo is 1 smart cookie!

2010-07-02T07:40:00.000-05:00

So last night, Molly is laying on the floor and I'm petting her. She rolls over and I rub her belly. I talk to her in my silly baby voice and she seems to be loving the attention. I stopped petting her, because I like to wait for her to paw at me (like Tink used to do) to tell me she wants more. I then ask her "what do you want Moo?" And wouldn't you know she jumps up and walks over to the kitchen and starts her cookie dance! I laughed so hard! Of course, I had to give her a cook for that!

As we were climbing into bed (Ori was already there!) Moo was wandering around the bedroom and Nick asked her "where do you want to sleep Molly?" And as soon as he finished the question, she jumped up in bed and snuggled in next to me! Ha! 2 for 2! Both girls ended up sleeping in bed last night (My husband loves me!) I had 2 little doggie balls curled up next to me 1 on top of the other almost. I loved it! The girls did have a long day in their crates (with a mid day dog walking excursion). I find that in some ways that the long days are harder on Moo than O. Molly isn't typically an overly friendly dog, but she was clamoring for extra love and we were happy to oblige, complete with snuggle time in bed!

The Mess Maker Meets her Match

2010-06-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

Nick and I were playing a game at the dining room table this evening and Ori got a hold of Nick's pay stub. She chewed it up and spit it out making a mess under the table. At the end of the game, I went to clean up the mess and Molly beat me to it! She cleaned up the entire floor minus 1 piece!

She did a similar thing this morning with a cardboard paper towel roll this morning. She spent 15 min eating the cardboard Ori chewed up while I was showering! At least it's high in fiber!

My crazy girls!

Lousy Alarm Clock

2010-06-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I was trying to steal a few more minutes of sleep before I got up for the day. Nick had left and O was snuggled up next to me. Moo decided to sit by the closed door and wait. Until she got tired of waiting that is. She jumped up on the bed, sat down on top of me and proceeded to paw at my leg repeatedly. She wasn't taking no for an answer! I asked her how many cookies her daddy bribed her with to do this, but she wasn't telling! I finally got up and our routine resumed with a few good yodels from Moo thrown in for good measure. I'm laughing about it now, but I certainly wasn't happy at 7:15!! Nick fed the girls all weekend and he isn't quite as generous as I am with the portions so she must have been extra hungry and anxious for the breakfast train! A roundabout complement from Miss Moo if you will. Good thing she's cute!

Thank you Patti!

2010-06-21T19:07:00.000-05:00

Patti from Woof! otherwise known as fairy dog mother has done it again and sent the girls 2 beautiful blankets. They're beautiful and we love them very much!

Don't look at me...

Ok, I'm ready now!

She loves that huge green cuz and her new blankie!!

Moo isn't so convinced she wants to sit on the blanket

the cookie quickly changed her mind!

wrapped in the lovely blanket (gimme that cookie dad!)

my 2 pretty girls together

Awww, can we have them now?

Posing pretty

Such good girls!

the blankets by themselves... aren't they great?

These blankets will be fabulous for snuggling and for keeping beds looking fun and festive! We are so spoiled over here-- thanks again Patti!

Memories

2010-06-18T15:40:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning with Tinker on my mind. I drove to work and could feel her in my arms, my memory and senses heavy with the last time I held her. I could feel her body pressed against me that day even after she crossed the bridge. Still warm and full of the love that she gave to me every day we had together. I tried to move my mind to a happy thought and I saw Charli walking through the Petco door with Tink in her arms. I could feel Tink in my arms like the first time I held her everything so new and filled with life. Charli handed her to me and I didn't let her go.... memories so vivid, forever etched in my mind and in my senses. The first and the last...

Sometimes I think we did things backwards. I was given my heart dog so early in life that now things will never be the same. I guess things are never the same regardless. In my effort to control the tears this morning, I thought of how God cares enough about me to send such a perfect little dog into my life when I needed her the most. He demonstrated His love to me in so many tiny ways with the gift of Tinker. And for that I am eternally grateful.

On our walk last night I was thinking about how different things are now. When we first adopted Tink we were new doggy parents, everything so new, so particular and so important. We had only 1, so precious and sweet and we doted and learned together. We still dote and learn, but we're slightly more seasoned having several fosters come through and now our 2 beautiful heathens here (whom I love dearly). I chuckled at the somewhat inaccurate but comforting thought that Tink taught me how to love so much that it takes 2 dogs instead of 1 for me to give all the love I have to give. (This is while Ori is eating every plant she can get her mouth on and Moo is distracted by yet another fire hydrant : )

It's been over 8 months and while I don't think that time heals, I do think love heals. It takes time to learn to love and to use the love I've been given differently. I wouldn't trade these 2 girls in for anything, but my heart still aches over my Tink. The sharpness surprised me this morning as the ache has been dull for a little while. Grief is a lifelong process but fortunately for us, so is love. No matter how it hurts, I will choose to love.

The new green cuz

2010-06-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

So we had a little Christmas here with a recent Amazon order coming through our house this afternoon. In 1 of the 4 boxes was a green "good cuz." I ordered a medium because that's what I thought the dino cuz was. HA! The dino is a small and Ori's eyes shot wide open when I pulled him out of the box. He's so big that O had to figure out how to fit him in her mouth. Sometimes I catch her carrying him by the foot. The cuz for O is like doggy crack. I've caught her pawing up at the dining room table when cuz is in time out. She goes crazy over them and loves to kill them. The squeaker is on the back of this cuz rather than under the feet and she's already working on getting the squeaker out. We're keeping an extra close eye out whenever he's being played with!

What is more exciting than O playing with the good cuz is Moo playing with it! Nick called me out into the living room to have me witness Molly chewing on the same green cuz trying to get the squeaker out! I sat there in disbelief watching Moo chew and chew and work to get the squeaker! What was equally amazing was Ori's behavior while Moo had the cuz. She watched Molly and sat near her but not once did she get into Molly's space or try to take it from her. (Ha, slightly different story than watching O try to jump over the back side of the couch to get it from me earlier this evening!) O was originally chewing on a bone (a coveted bone might I add) and when the cuz started squeaking in Moo's mouth poor O wasn't sure what to do! It totally made my evening to watch Moo chew on the good cuz. These 2 girls are so good for each other! Walking this evening Moo did fabulous keeping up with Ori and while she sleeps a lot more she's still chewing on bones, bullys, and now a cuz!

We also picked up a small tug-a-jug in the Amazon order and that seems to be a fun interactive game for the 2 girls with at least 1 human. Ori pulls on the rope and when the kibble spills out like a pinata both she and Moo scramble to pick it up as fast as they can! Molly hasn't quite figured out how to get the kibble out and Ori left to her own devices tried to rip the rope apart!

It's 9:30 and Ori is finally looking tired. We spend over 5 hours in the evenings working to tire her out with walks, playing with toys and chewing on bones. She's a blast to watch and play with and we're happy to help her find appropriate things to chew on! She jumps a good 3 feet in the air up to grab a cuz or other toy from our hands. Her back end is so strong that it end above her front end in the jump. She's crazy and we love her so.

Ori did start the morning off by destroying a box of tissues though. Ha! Maybe her nose was running... or maybe she was cranky that she didn't get any coffee from my mug : )

Ori Really Does...

2010-06-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

...Love her Mommy! The past few weeks Ori and I have had somewhat of a love/hate relationship. I love her but hate some of her actions!! As a result, our time together has almost been "going through the motions" with feeding, walking, etc. This week however, things have mellowed and the softer side of O is reemerging. Every night Ori jumps up in bed and snuggles in on 1 side, laying there all cute like "what? I sleep here too!" Last night, I snuggled up next to her and she pressed in real tight against me near my heart like Tink used to. She must have known I needed some puppy love (and that I was her only shot from getting put in her crate for the night) but it was really nice. I fell asleep with O cuddled up next to me and slept quite peacefully.

I was in the back tonight talking with Linds while Nick was vacuuming and Ori came and sought me out! She jumped up on the bed and snuggled up. Then back out on the couch, she was doing her best to jump in my lap and snuggle some more! She's just in a Mommy mood I guess and that's totally cool with me : ) As I type this she's pressed tight against me. Chances are good that if she's this snuggly now, she'll only get better as she gets older!

Sometimes I joke with Nick and Ori and ask "when are you turning 10?" I love my "golden" dogs so much that sometimes it still amazes me that we adopted a 4 year old pup. The older dogs just seem to "get it" with certain things. I know Ori will get there...in a few years or so. I mean, she's already such an amazing little girl, given more time, love and consistency, she's going to be that much MORE amazing! But in the meantime, she's pulling puppy antics grabbing trash and weeds on our walks, destroying pens and chewing up paper towels, knocking my coffee cup over to drink the drops at the bottom, harassing Molly while she's pooping, etc etc. I usually still laugh at her antics, but every once in a while it's not quite so funny! (Ok, so our next door neighbors think it's pretty funny outside, but still!)

Everything seems to cycle in this house and I'm happy that we've come back around to a nice little routine that includes some meaningful snuggle time with Miss O (and Miss Moo! She doesn't miss out on her snuggle time on the couch either!)

We have 2 fabulous little girls.... : )

Glory Glory Crazy Ori!

2010-06-08T18:39:00.000-05:00

Oh my little girl is so full of life and loves to find mischief! Yesterday evening on our walk she was scared of a bush, complete with her hackles up and all. Then Molly peed on her head which saved Ori a step because she would have rolled in it! This evening, she smelled some guys beautiful roses and proceeded to take a big bite out of them! Oh crazy girl!

Saturday night taking pictures after a beautiful evening!

The weather over here has been absolutely beautiful! We've been spending some nice time outside and sitting out on the balcony. Both girls went out this afternoon on the balcony so I joined them while I finished some of my paperwork.

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Moo hurt what looked like her leg. Of course on a long weekend in the middle of no where. We thought it was her elbow but after Dr. Haver looked at it, he determined it was her shoulder. Just over a week later with some nice resting Molly is back up and running at about 90% normal. She's doing the stairs again and going for longer walks but I'm still trying to keep her from jumping off the furniture! She's had a nice twinkle in her eye and appears to be feeling pretty good!

There are so many crazy stories that I could share about Ori that happen each and every day. Nick and I find ourselves laughing at her over so many crazy things. Her poor dino cuz has now lost both feet and some spines. Nick cut the feet off last night when we saw she was 1/2 way through both of them. Knowing dogs that have got into surgery from eating cuz feet, we opted for the cuz to have surgery instead!

Ori loves to drink coffee...she steals my cup when I'm finished in the morning (or sooner if I'm not careful) and licks out the bottom of it. She's always looking for a new friend on our walks and remembers where people have been in the past, continuing to stop there for many walks after the initial encounter. She wakes up every morning happy and ready to romp and play, jumping on the bed waking me with a kiss and run move! We're getting the potty training down. She goes to the door and we take her out, no questions asked. She goes right away outside or lays down in the sun and looks up at us to say "what? it's nice out!" She still tries to tease Moo but Moo puts her right in her place. Ori always backs down.

Miss Moo continues to be happy and healthy over here and with her shoulder almost healed she's just about keeping up with Ori! (minus all the extra laps O does!) She loves her food, loves to sing and loves to be where we're at. Sometimes she comes into the middle room while I'm sewing and lays down chewing on her kong. (When Ori isn't in the room trying to save loofa dog from the trash that was emptied weeks ago!) Molly is even keeled, dependable, and easy going. Sometimes she craves attention and we're happy to indulge her. Other times, she prefers to sleep on her own bed and we let her be. All in all, we're a pretty happy little family : )

Daddy's girl

2010-05-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ori is a spunky crazy, do it her way kind of girl. She's easily distracted, loves to play and run around like a bat outta you know where and loves loves loves life. She has been doing very well overall with the house training but apparently had a slight relapse earlier in the week. Monday I think- she managed to poop twice in the house and pee twice. Now we keep a good eye on her, but have been getting a little lax because she'd been doing so well. One pee was right in front of me while I was on the phone...she knew I couldn't do anything! Since Monday, we've been back to our more consistent schedule and Nick has been dear about taking her out at key points in the evening....so far so good since Monday. I've been jokingly fussing about Ori and Nick is really quick to stand up for her. He loves her very very much and it's fun to watch his face both when we're walking and when he and O are playing together. So yeah, she's daddy's girl : ) But really she'd be friends with the entire world if they'd let her!

Moo on the other hand has been fabulous herself this week. The only thing we've been running into is because of her age she has good days and not so good days. We've had a spell of good days but this morning should couldn't jump up on the bed herself. It's those little details that I watch for with her... the pains of owning a darling senior dog. Her coat and skin look good, she continues to be loving and affectionate, and she still doesn't put up with any of O's shenanigans!

This heat takes it's toll on both girls! Our walks consistent of going to the dumpster and back until after the sun goes down and even then around the apartments last night proved a little taxing for Moo. I am so grateful for A/C as I don't worry about my girls while I'm gone to work during the day. I know they're cool and safe and ready to be crazy when we get home : )

Dreamin' Dogs

2010-05-24T09:08:00.000-05:00

I don't know if dogs dream or not, but Ori definitely made a case in favor of doggy dreams last night! We've been working on Ori sleeping on her bed next to our bed instead of in a crate since Friday. She's doing fabulous actually after our initial hesitation. So last night she's sleeping on her bed and we hear her start barking. Is wasn't her usual loud-mouthed variety, but rather a more muffled, almost 3 Stooges kind of noise! She was barking in her sleep! This went on for a minute or so, then a pause and then more barking until she faded back into her snoring pattern. Nick and I laughed so hard at Miss O and her yappy mouth! We joked that she was dreaming about the ducks that have been around the apartments. She so desperately wants to play with (or destuff) them lately! She's even started tracking the ones in the sky hoping to get them up there!

I've been lobbying for another bed for the girls (ha, cause we don't have enough in this house right?) for a while now and just last night, Nick agreed that another bed makes sense. We're hoping to move the crates to the middle room where the girls will stay when we're gone and then have 2 beds in the bedroom where they can both sleep at night. Molly's been sleeping in a crate with the door open for a few days and seems to be doing pretty well with it. (We tried giving her the option to sleep in the bed next to our bed, but she's been fussy and has been choosing the crate over the bed. I can't keep up with her!) So now I get to figure out what kind of bed I think the girls will like. You know how it's going to go though, both girls will want the new bed no matter what. Ha! My little kids, how I love you so!

Both girls had a marrow bone to chew on yesterday afternoon. I haven't given them out in a long time because we've been dealing with Molly's fussy digestive system. Since the switch to Dr. Harvey's food, Moo's been consistently consistent in a very positive way so we gave it a try. Ori chewed on the bone for hours!!! Molly enjoyed hers immensely as well and so far so good with everything else! Ori chews her bone gated in the kitchen and Molly stays on a towel in the dining room so there aren't any issues. Later in the evening the girls had fun stealing the bones from each other because obviously the other bone tastes way better than the one she has!

All in all a pretty wonderful weekend for the girls I'd say : ) Here's to a fabulous week of little rain and lots of walks, playing, and naps!

More than a Pretty Face....

2010-05-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

...but we're not complaining! She's a smart cookie and is good at getting what she wants. After talking with Kristin and Spencer about the trainer they're using with Cincy (!!!) we've realized we need to get on the ball with Miss O. We've started the training foundation but we need to continue and build upon it! We've changed just a few slight things so far but in 1 day she has already stopped being in our face and jumping up/barking at us when we get home. She greeted me calmly this evening and boy was it was nice! Next step, sit and stay so she doesn't bolt out the door when it's opened. She has so much potential and if I want to get her delta certified I need to make sure she has the pretty manners to match her pretty little face!

She and Molly are so stinkin' cute together, sometimes I can barely stand it! The 2 of them are laying on the couch together--- adorable!

Cabin Flash backs

2010-05-17T20:33:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, there were several moments at the cabin where I felt like I was watching Tink or hearing Tink again. When I took this photo of Molly, I thought of my darling Tink in the photo I posted below.

May '10

Both days were bright and beautifully sunny.

Of course I couldn't go wrong with either subject....

labor day weekend '06

Glory Glory Here Comes Ori

2010-05-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

Ori's a ham and loves to be the life of the party! However, by the time we got to taking pictures, she was tuckered out : )

Ahhh....

Was that a squeakie?

sigh...hmmm....

back to sleep....

this is the life guys....when do we come back?

I know I'm biased, but we have such beautiful little girls! The family loved Ori. Most hadn't met her before. She snuggled up with many over the 2 days and with that sweet face, I know why : )

The many faces of Moo

2010-05-16T21:28:00.001-05:00

I love this little girl. Here are some pictures of the many beautiful faces of the darling Molly Wigglesbottom! She definitely has a photogenic side which I'm glad we found this weekend!

Oh please, I'm too shy...

Enjoying the sunshine

Give me a cookie or else look : )

Profile shot

so sweetly interested in what's in your hand look

dejected. no cookie for me

lizard lips.

Yes, I love this girl. I think she has finally made our family her family. She now wants to be a part of the things we do. I think she truly loves us completely and understands that we love her and will always love her. Looking back, it's been an interesting process with her as she isn't always the cuddly snuggly type. I am so glad that she is part of our family.
I was thinking of her life as I was bathing Moo this evening. What one family viewed as a burden, another family now views as treasure, which she always has been. I think she feels better now, despite her medical stuff, she feels the love and care. She is patient with me as I gently bathe her and get her squeaky clean again. She's a funny little gem and fits beautifully in our family.

A trip to the cabin : )

2010-05-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

The family spent some time cleaning up at the cabin and trailer and of course the girls came along. They helped Nick tend the fire and turn old clothes into toys : ) We had beautiful weather with some nice time with family and sitting outside in God's beautiful creation.

We took the opportunity to take pictures of the girls this morning. There are lots of pics so I'll be posting them throughout the week : ) It was Ori's first (of many) to the cabin, and our first trip with all 4 of us.

The girls really do love each other but took turns sleeping on the bed outside all weekend long. 1 would get off and the other would immediately take her place. They were cute and funny!

Overall, Ori did very well. She didn't play with Zoey (Dan and Christy's Boxer) very much and got defensive when Z came up behind her and/or cornered her. I don't blame her as we figured this may, in part, be baggage from her puppy mill days. She got better being around Zoey so we figure in time, as she has with so many other things, she will get better. Part of the beauty of rescue animals, for me, is watching them grow and blossom. This often takes months and months and can continue for years. It's beautiful, but requires patience and love. I am so thankful for both of our girls.

I didn't realize how expressive Molly's face was until we were taking pictures of the girls today! I want to do a whole post on each girl individually to highlight all the pictures of them. Molly was fabulous up at the cabin. She stuck close by to us and was allowed a bit more freedom than Ori. I loved watching her trot along side Nick and Zoey and a crew coming to or from the cabin to the trailer. She loved to canter or trot along side so happy to be a part of the group. I think this weekend up there helped me to realize more clearly just how much I love this girl. I was so proud of her and loved watching her sleep or run or just be her goofy "give me food now" girl.

Molly jumped up in my lap this morning and was in a snuggly mood. I needed photographic evidence! The girls did great outside, but we could tell they were missing their soft comfy furniture. I guess this morning each girl found a couch or chair and at least 1 person to snuggle up to before the rest of us woke up. Smart little girls for sure!

Of course the first thing each girl got upon arriving home was a BATH! Ori apparently loves to roll in spots that dogs peed on and well, she was kinda stinky! Both girls look so beautiful and shiny and smell oh so wonderful! I love clean little dogs : )

It was a fabulous weekend with the family and with the girls. I really enjoyed the time to relax and snuggle with my little ladies. It was my first trip up without Tink and I found myself missing her a lot...I was thankful for Ori snuggling on Saturday evening and Molly snuggling this morning as Tink was my snuggle buddy everywhere but especially at the cabin. I was inside the trailer cleaning saturday morning and looking out I saw Tink in Ori as she laid there in the grass with the sun shining around her. Ori's head was slightly tilted up with her nose towards the sky, ears perked on top of her head. I stood there remembering the same picture in my mind's eye with Tink instead of Ori. Moments like those still take my breath away.

Overall it was a very happy and relaxing weekend. Only a few moments of brief tears while I listened to O snore in my lap as Tink so often did. I love my Ori and Moo so fully and completely too, just differently from my little Heart.

First Post via the touch

2010-05-11T19:20:00.001-05:00

It's been a rainy day over here and both girls have been active here in the house. Ori has been destuffing new toys like it's her job!!! And then of course Moo's been eating it. Oh the joys of a rainy day.

Moo makes my heart smile. Since we've up her mess she seems happier and
More affectionate. I came home today and she jumped up on the couch for some pets and love. Her eyes seem to let me know that she loves us and knows she's finally home.

Ori's has taken to trying to get Molly to play when they're outside ( usually right after she poops!) and poor Molly just want to walk and do her thing. We're working on it but it's not fun trying to drag 2 dogs for a walk. Good thing they're cute!

The Destroyer

2010-05-10T07:41:00.000-05:00

Don't let that cute face fool you!

We play lots of games in this house. Intricate board games that take 1/2 a year to learn all the rules and then figure out a working strategy. One of our long time favorites is a German game called Settlers of Catan. For years, we would play games with family and friends and I would sit with Tink on my lap for hours and hours. One night, I think it was Nate who game up with it originally, the idea of a "destroyer card" came up in our conversations. When played, we would put Tink on the table and anything she knocked over or off the board was gone and no longer able to be used! We joked for a long time about that idea especially since Tink was so easy going and mild for the most part.

Fast forward a few years and now we have a real "destroyer" on our hands. Miss Orianna has been caught attempting to eat the meeples from Carcassone, chewing on boxes for other games including Dominion. We made a slight reference to the destroyer at our game night on Friday but it's certainly true for Ori.

Ori is learning the art of destroying stuffies. The first jean version I made was chewed through in less than 2 days. When I made a new one yesterday, I filled it with jean material rather than the cotton sheet I used the first time. Ori goes right to the "sucking" phase where she gets in all wet and soft to make ripping it apart easier. She is goes crazy over squeakie noises to the point that I can make a pretend squeakie noise in the bedroom and she comes running down the hall like a crazy dog in pursuit of this new squeak toy! She's a blast! As soon as she's done playing though, she snuggles up in my lap wanting plenty of quality time with her mommy : )

Both girls love bully sticks. Those, along with marrow bones, seem to last the longest here in the house. Molly used to be the stronger bully chewer but now Ori is stronger and faster. If I'm fast enough we can get 2 chewing sessions out of the bullies and then I don't worry about them adversely effecting the girls' digestive systems. A good quality pressed rawhide might be another option, but those get Molly's legs all gross and nasty. We do our best to make sure both girls have lots of chewing time. We have a few knuckles around here that when the girls get "desperate" they take to chewing. Neither one has touched the hoof in weeks.

Nick filled the cookie ball on Saturday for Molly and we sat on the floor and helped Moo play with it. She's working on the rolling concept but she appeared to enjoy picking it up with her teeth and shaking it, hoping the yummy goodness would come out that way. At one point she sat there waiting for Nick to roll in around so she could clean up the kibble that fell out! She's all for the concept: work smarter not harder! It's been fun watching Molly become more active and engaged in the family activities. Ori has a way of drawing her out and it's really cool to see.

I'm sitting here with both girls in my lap--Molly jumped up on the couch and wedged herself between my right side and the couch which is rare for her to be so snuggly. Ori is draping herself over my left side and I am loving this little comfy arrangement! What a great way to start a Monday : )

It's been so long...

2010-05-09T15:48:00.000-05:00

...Since I've posted! Grad school sucked me in and stole my life for a while, but we're back now. All my work is done for the semester and everyone is very happy in this house!

You take this cuz, and I eat yo' hand!

So much has happened and it will be impossible to share all the details but I'll do my best to highlight some of the funnier and more touching moments.

Most importantly, last night, Ori and Molly played together, really played together for the first time! Moo was play bowing and playing a little bit of bitey face with Ori, dancing and spinning in the middle room while I was sewing. It was soooo wonderful to see! The whole scene lasted barely 3 minutes, but it happened!! Ori is teaching Molly how to play, FINALLY : )

We really have 2 amazing little girls. They balance each other out nicely and it's so much fun having the 2 of them as part of our family. Ori continues to thrive and learn and play. A few weeks ago now, I took her to Dr. Haver to get a file started and have him look at her. He was impressed with her overall. She looks great, weighs a whopping 16 lbs and is a happy little girl. Her front leg was a little ouchy like she was over doing it so I was hoping we might be able to find orthopedic support or something for her. He seemed to think keeping her from jumping off things was our best course of action. So we generally carry her down the stairs and do our best to keep her from jumping off the bed and the back of the couch. In less than a week, no limping or signs of over use. That was almost 3 weeks ago now and so far so good.

We're doing our best to figure out a nice balance for Molly. She is aging and some days are better than others, but overall she's doing a-ok. She can keep up with Ori with some adaptations and we're noticing that she is starting to sleep more than she used to. I guess that's what happens when you have a playful pup in the house!
Instead of cooking up veggies every couple weeks for Molly, I've switched to Dr. Harvey's vegetable mix for a summer break. I still cook up the meat and rice, but it's so much easier and to be honest, Molly seems to be doing better on it that with the veggies I cooked....if it works and it's easier, I'm doing it! We upped her trilostane dosing just a hair as we were once again losing Molly to the hunger monster. Molly is back and the monster is gone so we're happy.

Since Ori has become so good at destroying stuffies, I've decided that she's getting homemade ones. We have a squeakie from the last store bought toy she destroyed (and I got the squeaker before she did_ so I made my own stuffie for her out of old jeans and sheet. She's already destroyed it but it held up for almost 2 days of her wear and tear. I'll make a new one soon. It takes literally less than 5 minutes and it's free!

So overall, our little family is doing very well. Nick continues to love his new job and the girls are happy, overall healthy, and complete loves and riots to have in the house. We are never short on comedy with the four of us!!!

More posts to follow for sure. I have a little extra time on my hands and I can't wait to keep blogging, sewing, and scrap booking!

Ori's Spay

2010-04-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

Ori went in for her spay today. It ended up being a longer ordeal than expected, but she is doing well and will recover just fine. I brought her in this morning and the techs fell in love with her right away. Ori cantered around the clinic with them and even tried to get a hold of a grinch stuffy that was behind the desk : ) All her preop blood work came back fine and early afternoon I received a call saying she was out of surgery.
We knew she had 1 mammary tumor that needed to be removed. In addition to that tumor a second one was found when she was opened up. I guess it was pretty rough on the inside of Ori. Lots of adhesions and scar tissue from previous surgeries (C- sections presumably.) It looks like she popped out litter after litter of puppies in her 4 short years. As if that wasn't enough, there was a hernia that the doctor was able to repair as well. So in addition to losing a leg, O is now short a nipple too : ) Good thing she doesn't need it any more!!!
I was listening to the vet tech on the phone and I am so grateful that O is going to do just fine. I hate how a puppy mill is run. My poor little girl suffered so someone could make money off her and her puppies. People can be so sick and twisted...

I was able to pick O up earlier than expected and as they brought her out to me, she looked so out of it! Her jowls were extra droopy and when the tech finally let me hold her she fell asleep again in my arms. She couldn't quite seem to get comfy on the car ride home. She wobbled enough in the grass to pee and then before she would settle on the couch for me she peed on the carpet. I let her finish there so she could rest again! She was and is still so drowsy that she hasn't eaten or drank anything yet today. I was able to give her just a tiny bit of water when she perked up just a few minutes ago and now she is back to snoozin' on the couch.

As I was getting ready last night for her ride over this morning, I pulled out Tink's "snow puppy princess blanket" as Nick and I like to call it. It is a handmade fleece blanket that a dear friend and Woofer made for Tink as a beautiful gift several years ago. I stood in the doorway of the linen closet last night and stared at the blanket that I haven't been able to pull out for 6 months. While I was standing there thinking of all the occasions Tink used this blanket, I decided that Ori needed that special blanket on her surgery day. So I took the snow puppy princess blanket out of hiding. Ori had it with her in the car and all day at the vets and now she's snuggled up on it on the couch. It seemed fitting and beautifully sad...

So here we are, ready to recover. We will do our best to keep her quiet for the next week or so, but we all know how that goes with Miss O... : )

First Obedience Class...

2010-04-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

...for O and Moo went really well. Ori loved everyone and every dog and Moo actually did very well and didn't go after any of the larger dogs. People asked all sorts of questions about Ori and it was an opportunity to share about mills and rescue.
We joked that Moo loved class because she got to eat lots of cookies and do things she already knows how to do (sit, look, down, and shake). I love that Deb lets us put a plug in for rescue and fostering as most of the dogs there are some sort of cock-a-poo or young puppy that probably came from a pet store. Molly is the oldest dog there at 11.5 yrs. There's 1 Bichon who is 7 and then O comes next at 4. People were pleasantly surprised with all Ori could do despite missing a leg. She's such a ham bone and she ate ALL the attention up! A few ladies got a kick out of Nick saying "don't tell her she's missing a leg, she doesn't know!" but it's true!

It was fun to have Nick and the girls there. Nick and I swapped dogs back and forth and at 1 point I looked over and Nick had 2 girls sitting and staring intently at the yummy treat in his hand.... I love our little family!

Both girls are sacked out sleeping.....it's such a tough life!

Poor Loofa Dog....

2010-03-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

He didn't stand a chance against the jaws of death!

Yum stuffing!

mmmmm

see, dis schtuff isn't sa-poosed to be here!

bleh! it doesn't taste so good afterall mum!

making a mess is fun!

yeah, figured documenting the first de-stuffing was more important than a fast clean up!

Loofa is still in intensive care. We may be able to temporarily stitch him up, but death may be inevitable when Ori gets a hold of him again!

Catching Up

2010-03-23T18:34:00.000-05:00

Where does the time go? Life has been moving fast over here. Lots of great and cool changes and transitions including Nick's new job going full time after Easter! We've been getting ready for regional conference this week and then a long overdue trip up to MA next week. In between, we've been setting up a dog walker for the longer days that the girls will have once in a while. Good thing since things are moving a little quicker than we thought : )

The girls have been doing very well over here. Ori turned 4 on Friday! Not a lot of pomp and circumstance but she did sleep in bed that night, much to Molly's chagrin when she realized it! Ori was a bit of a wiggle worm, so it was truly a birthday only event! Molly still gets to jump up in bed in the middle of the night if she wants. Of course last night she chose to stay in her bed all night and all 4 of us slept very soundly. Nick's new job has meant a new schedule, an earlier schedule. It's been quite the adjustment but overall, it's been good. The girls are still happy to eat whether it's at 6am or 8am...of course Ori is just a tad bit slower in the earlier morning hours : ) Sunday morning both girls slept in with me until 9AM! We almost had to push Moo out of bed to eat! Silly girl....

The springtime weather, good food, and exercise has been doing a world of wonder for both girls. The past 2 weeks, Molly has been frolicking and romping around outside like a little pup! She's spunky and happy and got an excellent report from the vet yesterday. Moo's eyes are bright and clear, her coat is shiny, and her back end has muscle! She seems to be not quite as hungry either...of course she did do some trash picking earlier this evening, so I guess it's a give and take kind of thing.

Ori has been letting her opinion be known and has been staging her own version of "sit-ins" when she wants to say hi to someone instead of walking. She lays down in the road or side walk and gives us dirty looks. She also does this at the top of the steps or on the couch... so we're speaking her language and giving her cookies for going outside to potty which kills 2 birds with 1 stone: she's more compliant and we're reinforcing potty OUTSIDE! She doesn't go to the door all the time, but improvement is definitely noted.

I almost saw the girls play today. Molly "went after" Ori and even did a "play bow," the first I've ever seen her do! Of course Ori didn't see it as playing and then a stand off ensued...figures. But it was the closest thing to playing yet! Ori views Molly as dominant, so O backed down, but for a brief second, I thought they might play today : ) Maybe another day.

Silly girls : )

A little update

2010-03-16T20:50:00.001-05:00

Thank heavens the rain has stopped and the sun and warm weather have returned! The 4 of us have been going for longer walks again which has also increased the snuggle time on the couch! We're all hanging in here pretty well for the most part. Still working on Moo's med balance...a blowout last week, beginning to act more hungry, but doing ok. The last double batch of food I cooked I added sweet potato in addition to the ground beef so hopefully we can continue to add a tiny bit more weight to her. I haven't started her on the new batch, but most likely this weekend.

Ori is really getting into the routine over here. Potty training is going the right direction, minus a rainy saturday setback. She knows the routine and has even included snuggle time after breakfast if we can! She's been putting her self to bed by taking loofa dog into the crate at night and then we just close the door behind her. Poor loofa dog isn't doing so well though...I'll have to post pictures of Ori's latest adventure with Loofa. She's had a taste of destuffing and now every stuffy has Ori on a mission for fluff!!!! But she's cute, so before I clean up, I document the adventure.

We've had Moo 7 months yesterday and it will be 2 months with Ori on Thursday. Ori also turns 4 on Friday. Not sure how we're celebrating yet....maybe some yummy things to chew? a cardboard cake for her to destroy? A new loofa dog? Ha, we'll see : ) I totally love life with our 2 little girls. I was thinking on 1 of our afternoon walks though, how much simpler life was with just 1. Not that it was easy all the time with Tink, but obviously 1 dog is easier than 2. I viewed life as idyllic with Tink. I know it wasn't, but if was a beautiful not-quite-4 years with her. It amazes me where my mind wanders as I walk with the girls. I loved to walk with Tink, wandering around the neighborhood. I still love walking and wandering with my girls, in the sun, in the morning, afternoon, whatever. I just love it, even when these 2 are eating rabbit poo or whatever else they try to get into....

All in all a decent week or so....more pics to follow....

Sunday Morning Sleepies

2010-03-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

We learned something new about Molly this weekend: she loves soft things!! Our comforter ended up on the floor and rather than getting into bed like Moo usually does, she just laid on the pile of softness!

Isn't she cute?!?!

Meanwhile, Ori was snuggled up in bed with me just like a little teddy bear. Of course by the time we took pictures she was at the edge of the bed checking everything out

hey guys, what are we doing?!?!

Yeah, we have lots of quality snuggle time in this house! Nick enables me to sleep in with the girls on occasion and I must say, I relish every moment, even if it means I'm almost late once in a while!

My Bell Ringer

2010-03-16T19:55:00.000-05:00

Ori clearly knows how to get what she wants. Yesterday after playing, she wanted/needed a drink. Her water bowl was empty (mind you Molly's wasn't) and Ori literally clanged and picked them up in protest. I got up, fixed the bowls and while I'm getting the Brita, she's impatiently knocking them over again! I finally was able to fill her bowl and she drank 'til her little heart was content. She is something else!

Beautiful Weather

2010-03-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

The weather has been so beautiful these past 4 days! It's been a little taste of spring with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s or 60s-- way too nice to spend all day inside. It's been a wonderful opportunity to take Molly and Ori for longer walks and to go out and wander more often. Nick and I realized that when Molly came to us in August we were no longer going for walks around Hickory with Tink since at that point she was walking around the apartments but not any further. So this is really Molly's first weekend at longer walks which are fabulous for her back end. Both Moo and Ori appear to be really enjoying the longer walks (and then the longer naps as a result!) Ori is loving the opportunity to say "Hi" to every person she meets. A little kid carrying a stuffed monkey came up to her this afternoon and she turned herself inside out trying to get to the monkey, even making her own monkey noises as a result!

Apparently yesterday when Nick came home, all three of them ran home from the dumpster. Nick said that even Moo was at a full gallop! I saw a little bit of her running foot loose and fancy free this afternoon in the warm weather and sunshine. It makes me smile to see her happy and doing well.

Overall Molly is doing well. She's developed this habit of joining us in bed on top of the covers in between Nick and me in the middle of the night. She won't sleep on the side of the bed, it has to be right in the middle! What is left of her coat is shiny and healthy looking. Unfortunately she's still loosing hair on her back legs. I can't seem to get her to gain any worthwhile weight and to add insult to injury, I was greeted with a blow out on the carpet in the living room this afternoon. The first one in over 2 months, but man, what a mess to clean up! I think we're going to be ok....clean up, vinegar, Borax, vacuum, steam clean, now baking soda then a final vacuum. Hopefully that will do the trick. Mid clean up, Ori decided to add her own peepee to the list of things to do! In her defense, she was right by the front door she just didn't understand my "wait a minute" so I could get up and get my flip flops on! Then while I'm steam cleaning, I turn around and O is chewing up the place mat that was under Molly's food and water bowl! Oh my little monkey!

Ori is consistently going down the stairs but she is very opinionated about where she wants to go. She's quick to put the brakes on but generally waiting her out, she eventually thinks it through and making a "sunny choice," going my way : ) We start obedience the first tuesday in April. I'm excited as it's the first step in our formal training with O! Her coat is beautiful and shiny. I love her brindling and how perfect she looks when the sun shines on her. Both girls did great in their baths on Saturday night. Peanut butter on the tub is a great hit and help! Ori continues to sit in the bathroom and watch Moo get her bath and dry, taking it all in!

March 5th came and almost went... I realized that afternoon that Tink had left us 5 months ago and the weight of that thought hit me pretty hard. 5 months...really? I'm attempting to grasp that length of time without her. We still have her little red hoodie with the rest of the girls' coats. It hung there for her for so long that neither of us have been able to move it just yet. It's currently in the wash, but I'm sure it will find its way back to the doggy coat rack. Moo and O help us smile in so many ways and remind us of our little one every day. It's good and wonderful, healing yet painful. I look at Ori's smooshy little face while she is pressed tightly against me. I listen to her snore and sigh and I feel my heart come alive in a way I didn't think it could again. It's slight, but it's there. I watch her roll on her back first thing in the morning and lay there "stuck" like another little one we had and I smile. The thought of having Ori here for many years to come is exciting. We didn't move into our little rancher with a fenced in back yard for Tink, but Lord willing, Ori will have her own place and fenced in yard to run around and play in one of these years.

We've been blessed with some fabulous little doggies in our home. I asked Nick last night: How do we get all the cute doggies? His reply: We keep 'em!

My Social Butterfly

2010-03-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

Ori loves everyone! She wants to greet every person we see on a walk and goes to great lengths to be "noticed" by said passer-byers. She turns herself inside out, if/when they say hi and pet her, finally she is ready to continue the walk happy as a little clam.

Her social attitude continues to grow. She hears the other apartment doors and knowing there are dogs in 2 of the other 3 apartments she wants to go and see what is going on! She can be so persistent! She went to the door many many times this evening. So of course, I took her outside. Finally, I let her stand by the door and sure enough, the little monkey rang the potty bells we've been trying to get her to use for weeks! She knew that I wouldn't turn that down. Ha! She didn't want to go outside, she wanted to go across the hall!

Earlier this evening, as some girl scout cookies were being delivered, Ori slipped out into the hallway and then ran into the apartment across the way from us. She ran so fast and boogied her way right into the kitchen and helped herself to a drink! I guess she figures they have better water over there? Crazy girl! I can't wait to see her, Penny, and Jazz together when we go up to MA over Easter. It is going to be crazy fun to see her play, play, play with them! (Nick and I decided that Stretch will be the ref and bark at the game and Moo will be on the hunt for food oblivious to the rest of the world...)

Oh my silly pretty girl, we are so glad that you are ours!

not so random musings...

2010-03-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

Molly came into our lives last August 15 and for less than 2 months our little home felt complete with the 2 pups we had. Even though I knew it took Tink many many months to really settle in, I didn't stop to consider that it might be the same for Moo as she fell into our routine with ease. Unfortunately, Tink's health faded quickly after Molly arrived and much of my time and attention was spent caring, doting, and loving on my heart dog in every way possible. After Tink crossed the rainbow bridge, we stuttered and stammered our way through the usual routines. Molly did a fabulous job helping me smile, but often I still ended in tears. Fortunately the strongest grief intensity cannot be maintained forever and we slowly but surely slipped into a new routine that included pieces of the old and familiar and pieces of the new as we continued to move forward.
Molly has been with us over 6 months already. And in that time, we have been through much grief and excitement. Molly's medical issues, while not cured, are for the most part under control and do not impede her day to day activities. Nick and I laugh now, but it was no laughing matter waking up or walking through a mess of explosiveness. The cushing's is real and while not quite as regulated as we would like, we continue to press forward working with her diet, supplements, and medications as much as we can. She lets me roll her on her back, cradled like a baby while I rub oil into her tummy in hopes of helping her paper thin skin. She has love in her eyes and seems to know that her best interest is in mind.
I love when the snuggly side of Molly comes out and she presses in close to me. We share thoughts and secrets that can only be shared with a little golden girl such as she. While not a fan of baths and nail clipping, she tolerates them both much better than when she first came here, knowing that she will be treated kindly and with lots of cookies (or peanut butter on the bathtub wall) for her cooperation. She even lets me blow dry her thin little coat. She has taught both Macy and now Ori the ropes of the house and how to be a fairly well behaved little BT in our home. She does like to "yell" at me in the evening when she wants a cookie. She stands there and looks at me with mischief in her eyes. Then her tail and butt slowly begin to move and before I know it, we're both dancing in the kitchen to her yodeling tune. I have a very hard time saying no to her in moments like that so, she continues to yodel at me in the evenings and before bed for an extra snack or 3.
Ori's presence oddly enough is creating a balance between play and sleep over here. She actually arrived in our home 4 years after Tink did to the weekend. She likes to shake things up and have fun, always on the hunt for a new adventure or snuggle opportunity. She's a smart little girl and the more she learns the quicker she picks up the next new item. Some days I still can't believe that we adopted her and that she is ours to keep. Usually that excites me, but sometimes I feel sad knowing that we have Ori because Tinker is no longer here. But because of Tinker, we are better equipped to love and care for both our girls. There is still such a wide range of emotions inside of me... but again, each dog, especially one with a history like O, takes time to blossom and grow. It also will take time over here for us to adjust as well, more emotionally than physically at this point. Her smooshy little face and upbeat personality are just what the doctor ordered most days.
Ori and Moo are really quite the pair and we are so blessed to have them as part of our little family...

Moo loves to chew

2010-02-26T22:24:00.001-05:00

Meanwhile while Ori was going crazy over loofa dog, Molly was taking some time to chew....

first the kong....

....then the pressed rawhide...

...then the marrow bone from earlier today....

...then the hoof...

Moo has her own form of ADD when it comes to chewing treats!! We love our Moo!

Loofa Dog!!!!

2010-02-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

So Nick and I went out for a little bit this evening and ended up at TJ Maxx....of course we found the doggy stuff and lo and behold, there was a giant lavender loofa dog for $4!!! Well, I don't think I need to say anything else. Her eyes got so wide when we walked through the door....these pictures speak for themselves...

Her paw has been on loofa all night

not sharing tonight!

Aren't I beautiful?!

stop da flashes mom!

What's that?

I'll get you loofa dog!

take that!

She's even smiling like loofa dog!

Look at those teefers!

almost getting sleepy

she brought loofa dog on the couch and is sleeping on top of him so to make sure he stays around

yup, she may have found a new favorite toy....

I took loofa dog with us to go out and potty and she went down a few of the top stairs and then a few of the bottom stairs as well. She really is quite careful and I'm pretty sure she is going to be able to go down these stairs at some point. We're just taking it slow and doing our best to have all good experiences going down the stairs. I also learned that Ori can't pee with loofa in her mouth. (but I'm still smarter than the dog and can hide loofa behind my back so she will pee!)

catching up on some pics

2010-02-26T22:07:00.000-05:00

Ori and Moo are always doing fun and goofy things around the house. We do our best to catch them on film...

Sometimes Molly is anti social and she prefers her own space in O's crate

Apparently I'm on Ori's spot

Hussy!! She does love her belly rubbed. She also loves to roll around on the floor and looks just as happy as happy can be

yup, Ori has claimed that side of the couch. If we're sitting there and get up, she moves so fast!

ahh, so comfy!

My girls really loved chewing on marrow bones and bullys today. Moo chewed on the bully literally for hours until she finished it off. I took a nap on the couch and O kept jumping up to snuggle then got down....then up, then down. Then Moo came up and snuggled in...then O came back and landed on my head. Silly girls!

Having Fun

2010-02-26T13:10:00.000-05:00

Ori has a zest and courage for life that Nick and I are beginning to think is "standard" in dogs with what most would consider a "limitation." Every morning she wakes up excited for the new day and what new adventures lay ahead of her. She explores with excitement and energy and I can't help but laugh and smile even when I lose a beloved 30 minutes of morning sleep as a result.

It wasn't too long ago that Ori couldn't jump up on the couch, climb stairs, or play for more than 5 min at a time. We're not sure when exactly Ori turned in the energizer jumping bunny, but regardless she is there! She propels herself onto our bed (sometimes landing on my head) and races Molly up the stairs. She jumps into my lap and food plate on the couch without hesitation. She does a better sliding stop and roll back than most reining horses! She lands gracefully and knows when to "tuck and roll" rather than land on her 1 front paw if she needs to.

She is so stinkin' cute! her latest trick is crawling under the bed and "rescuing" stuffed animals. She looks like she has won the lottery each time she emerges with a new one. She snuggles in bed like she has her entire life and even does the "dead weight" act like Tink did when she doesn't want to be moved.

Molly is being a fabulous big sister and is teaching Ori all kinds of great how to act around the house moves....with only an occasional bad habit. : ) We've added some hamburger with some fat in it in hopes of adding some weight to her. Nick and I both think it's beginning to show some positive improvement. Not quite as bony. We're taking it slowly, but hopefully in another 2 weeks or so our bony skinny minny will be a thing of the past. She's acting pretty good, although we all tend to sleep better if Molly is crated as some nights she makes her way into our bed by 1am...and then pants and kicks getting comfy the rest of the night. Ha, how we love you Moo!

Both girls are loving the new bone and hoof collection although like true sisters they only want the one the other has. Some days become a never ending tag team of Molly chew, Ori chew, Molly chew, Ori chew. Heaven forbid they chew a different item : ) But hey, it keeps them busy!

However, hands down, my favorite part of the day is in the evenings after dinner, clean up, walks, and everything else that happens around here. Both girls jump up on the couch with me, usually 1 on each side. Sometimes I am fortunate enough to get a real snuggly Moo and O and we snuggle in real close with their heads in my lap and I gently pet them all of us content. Moments like that I feel that Tink is smiling and loving that Ori and Moo are here to help keep her Mommy smiling and loving each and every day.

A Forever Home

2010-02-22T19:18:00.000-05:00

A poem shared on the NEBTR list...it's beautiful and oh so true for all the forever dogs that come through our home : ) Much love to my Moo and O.

A Forever Home

Here in this house... I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there'. I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed. I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat. I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat. I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness, and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose. My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.

Here in this house... There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level. I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand, I can enjoy the warmth of the words. I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many. My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!

Here in this house... I will never be a substitute for anything I am not. I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves. I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who I should be. I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity. I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all. If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for blame.

Here in this house... I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch...knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me. If I am ill, I will be doctored. If scared, I will be calmed. If sad, I will be cheered. No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and known to be of value. I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough. My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought. I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.

Here in this house... I will belong. I will be home.

Author unknown

The Joys of Puppyhood...

2010-02-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

So Miss O is really a great little character and we love her so much! For the most part she is really good, but she loves to chew and pull on strings...this includes the ribbon to my flash drive.... : ) Our next command to work on needs to be "leave it" or "drop it!"

Ori's curiosity warms our hearts and brings a smile to our faces... for instance, watching her flip over her food and water bowls and then proceed to carry 1 around like it was the greatest toy ever was very entertaining earlier this week.

The four of us are heading to the local pet supply store tomorrow night but apparently we've been short a few toys as we watched Ori chew on the toy box (a clementine box) and get into all sorts of "trouble." Of course I had to find something that was ok for her to chew and an empty milk jug did just the trick! She chewed on that for almost an hour. I watched her carefully and pulled pieces away as necessary, but those jugs are pretty tough!

There is something new every day that helps us laugh and smile. She continues to get stronger and more agile and as long as we don't take our eyes off her, she is showing improvement in the potty training area. (quick poll...will she ever learn to go to the door to tell us she has to go out and/or hold it just a little longer until we take her out?!?!) She has such a large under bite but in all honesty it seems to be an asset as she uses her mouth to move things in place of 2 paws : ) Oh and the other thing cuter than watching a dog nest, is watching a 3-legged dog nest complete with her little nubby moving like she was moving the blanket with it!!!

Our routine has been getting more consistent and wonderful...after meals O goes outside and does both numbers in less than 30 seconds. It is rather fabulous for the potty routine! We've been playing and playing and playing with puppy and the stuffy flower and rope toys and we run her up and down the dining room and hallway. She jumps and chews and plays...sigh, just like a happy well adjusted little girl : ) She really does love playing with Nick as he plays pretty hard with her!

Now don't get me wrong, we do have our crazy, what were we thinking moments, but overall we are very happy with our little crew here. Molly's appetite seems to have slowed just a tad with the new trilostane routine. I do have to kick her out of the kitchen every morning after she's knocked both water bowls over, but you know... her personality is back and she continues to have her all business attitude...

Yesterday morning we had the luxury of taking the girls out to pee and then putting them both in bed to snuggle for 30 min or more...Ori flew around like a crazy dog and then snuggled into my arms and snored fast asleep. Molly settled right next to Nick. It was a great way to start the morning!

Student & Teacher

2010-02-15T20:23:00.001-05:00

Molly, for the record, is a fabulous teacher. Ori, for the record is a smart little student. Molly is doing a beautiful job of teaching Ori the routine and ropes here in the household in her own little quirky way. Ori is observant and looks to Molly for what to do and how to act (even pawing up at the dinner table!!!) Yesterday I bathed Ori first. She did ok but I needed Nick to help support her and keep it as positive and quick as possible. (and keep her in the tub!) After the bath, she snuggled up in my lap in the towels and laid there while I gently toweled her dry. (another sweet Tinker reminder....) She did not like the hair dryer so I let that go. When it was Molly's turn, Ori wanted to be in the bathroom with us. Maybe it was the peanut butter on the bathtub wall she was after or maybe she was just curious, but sure enough, she watched Molly take her bath, get toweled off and get blown dry with the hair dryer without any issues. Ori stayed in the bathroom trying to play and take everything in, looking for treats, etc. She was behind me as I started with the hairdryer for Molly. At one point Molly moved and Ori was closer to the action than I'm sure she preferred. However she continued to lay there watching and taking it all in a little bit longer. It was really quite remarkable.

Sleepy O

It's the same thing with our morning routine. They both get up and go to the door, come in get breakfast, then go out again to finish their business (a pain, but that's how it goes for now with potty training! Don't you dare dilly dally or you miss your chance to get her to do her business outside!) After we play with puppy Ori konks out on the couch with Moo and they sleep until it's time for us to go to work. I watched Ori watch Moo this morning for cues and it is just so cute! She really is paying attention.

feed me!

Moo is also teaching O acceptable behavior. More than once Moo has corrected Ori and let her know whatever she was doing is not ok. I let them work it out because I do want Ori to know that Molly is top dog and she needs to be respected. They do have quite the stare downs though.... one of these days I hope Or is able to teach Molly to play a little. There are glimmers of hope occasionally : )

Like wise, Molly is more quick to make sure her presence is known... I had O on my lap while we were playing a game last night and when she hopped down Moo wanted up. Molly sat on my lap and snuggled for 15 minutes or so!!! It was great, but funny at the same time!

They are quite the teacher/student pair and we are so glad that both are here to stay!!!

Pretty Pics...

2010-02-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

...of our little girls!

Isn't Moo beautiful? I love her expression in these pics, so stately!

And Miss Ori...don't let that sweet face fool you, she is a curious little girl who often finds herself in mischief!

Long Over Due Winter Pics

2010-02-14T21:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it was really hard to get pictures adequately depicting the snow we got down here! But these are the pics that we did get last week...

The view from our balcony....there really is a field under the sea of snow!!

Icicles

Our snow coral that works nicely as a potty rink!

The snow is way over Molly's head--it was probably almost 3 feet at one point

Hurry up and take the pic--it's COLD!

What was a garden last summer, you can't even see the tomato cages

the neighbor's patio furniture

and Moo true to form, waiting to go in at the WRONG door! Good thing we love her!

And apparently more snow is on it's way tomorrow?!?!?! But only 1-3 inches!

Snuggly Pics & a Big Announcement

2010-02-14T20:55:00.003-05:00

Nick and I have been considering keeping Ori pretty much from day 2 or 3 she was here. We canceled the transport up to NY she was supposed to go on and we've pretty much been smitten with her. However we've been taking our time making a decision in an effort not to rush the process. Jodi, 1 of the NEBTR placement coordinators, wanted a bio and pics to put her up on petfinder and Nick and I immediately decided that was a bad idea! So this weekend Nick and I made the decision, with the help of NEBTR and the amazing Board to officially adopt Ori. We certainly haven't rushed into adopting the first dog we found in an effort to fill a void that couldn't be filled...God's timing is certainly interesting and perfect to say the least.

We signed paperwork today, Valentine's day and will send it in the mail in the morning. Seems fitting to make it official on Valentine's day since this little girl will know nothing but love for the rest of her days on this big beautiful planet. Happy Valentine's day to Ori and Moo!! We decided on Friday evening and since Nick was at Blizzard with the 5th and 6th graders from church, we girls had a slumber party! We all slept in bed together and Miss O was a snuggly queen up by my arms and Moo snuggled down by my legs where she usually sleeps, all snuggled up close to me...needless to say I was in heaven! No sooner had I turned off the lights when Ori let out this sigh so much like Tink used to, I held my breath and held her close. More healing than hurting, but I do think of her often.

As Sheryl said today in an email to me:

I have learned through the loss of several heart dogs that there will be another to take that special part of your heart. It always seemed that it would be impossible because I loved them so very much. And then another comes and just pierces your heart as surely as the last one did.

Ori will be that for you both again, but Tink will live on forever with you. There are no shoes to fill. Ori has her own paw prints which are already being embedded into your hearts. I am so glad for all of you that she is in her forever home now.

How true, how true....the support has been amazing and we are so blessed to be part of such an amazing rescue group! It's funny, Ori seemed to know that she was staying for sure, I don't know how these guys know, but they just do. Now if we could only figure the potty training out O! In time, in time, with love and consistency I know it will come!

Now some snuggly pictures to celebrate!!

While they have their moments, often these 2 are found together....

We're not getting into ANY trouble...

napping friends

move over, I want some more room : )

Spooning sweeties

yeah, they look pretty comfy!

So our little pack is once again complete...and that makes all 4 of us pretty happy over here.

Molly Wigglesbottom and Orianna Trinity

2010-02-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Nick and I finally gave the girls full and proper names. It was the only right thing to do. So Molly is "Molly Wigglesbottom" and Ori is "Orianna Trinity" because "Orianna Tripod" sounds tacky!

We've had one heck of a week down here with snow, snow and more snow! I have a few pictures that we need to post, but it's been hard for us to figure out how to get some decent pictures that really show the amount of snow that we have! It truly is a sea of snow out there! Nick and I stayed home on Wednesday and Thursday much to the dogs delight and Nick was actually home today as well since many schools were delayed or closed which put a big monkey wrench in his day.

During our time home, we've actually been pretty productive with some Ori training. We've been watching her expression around the stairs and felt that she was ready to be pushed a little bit to get up them. Sure enough with a squeakie toy she took off. We were hit and miss on wed into thursday but by Thursday evening she's set to do it on her own! She has successfully mastered going up the stairs which is fabulous! In addition to the stairs, her "sit" command is coming along nicely. We catch her sitting rather than laying down more often and we try to reward those finds too!

Each new "trick" or desired behavior that she has learned increases her confidence and helps her personality emerge. Her back end is getting nice and strong as evidenced by her jumping on the couch (jumping over the couch) and now going up the stairs. You can see this in her new independent tricks she's learning such as....Last night she literally leaped up onto the hope chest like a cat and just stared at us like "what?" She is so stinkin' cute!

Molly is doing pretty well over here too. She hasn't been so extremely hungry as of late and her more good-natured personality is beginning to re-emerge. I find her happy again when I get home. She's been dancing around the kitchen singing to us for food (which actually she wasn't doing for a while.) It cracks me up to see her so animated and happy. I love to ask her questions and listen to her answer me!
Me--"Molly, what do you want?"
Molly- *happy howl*
Me--"Oooh, ok...is it in here? " (I point to kitchen)
Molly- More howling
Me- sounds good. (pull out container) is this what you want?
Molly- howls on cue

And so on and so forth. She's really gotten quite good at "answering" me. I give her choices as to what type of cookie she wants or where the cookies are found, fridge or counter, etc etc. She does a good job telling me what she wants and helping me laugh in the process. It's really hard to say no to her!

Some jealousy has been observed between the 2 ladies. No words, but definitely some looks for sure. I slept in a little bit on thursday morning and Ori came and snuggled in bed with me, right on my arm with her head snuggled on my shoulder (remind you of another little one...?) Molly came in the room and I invited her up. She eventually got her butt up into bed and the 2 girls exchanged looks that were best said without words. I told them both to knock it off, Molly snuggled with me like she usually does down at my legs and all 3 of us were happy as happy could be!

Lots of snuggling, playing, and eating this week for sure!

Before I was a Dog Mom Poem

2010-02-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

I saw this on a rescue friend's FB page and it rang true in my own life... especially with Ori here, but certainly with my darling Tink and our foster experiences.

Before I was a Dog Mom

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I made and ate hot meals unmolested.
I had unstained, unfurred clothes.
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
even if the doorbell rang.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got to bed
or if I could get into my bed.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I cleaned my house every day.
I never tripped over toys, stuffies, chewies
Or invited the neighbor's dog over to play.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I didn't worry if my plants, cleansers, plastic bags,
toilet paper, soap or deodorant
were poisonous or dangerous.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never been peed on
Pooped on
Drooled on
Chewed on
Or pinched by puppy teeth.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had complete control of
My thoughts,
My body and mind.
I slept all night without sharing
the covers or pillow.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never looked into big, soulful eyes and cried.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop a hurt.
I never knew something so furry and four-legged
could affect my heart so deeply.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never held a sleeping puppy
just because I couldn't put it down.
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was well.
I didn't know how warm it feels inside
to feed a hungry puppy.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being
A Dog Mom

Author Unknown

Snapshots of an Evening on Our Couch...

2010-02-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

Ori is sleeping propped up next to Nick

mouth slightly open, snoring away....

tough life here!

meanwhile, Molly is apparently enjoying Ori's frito feet

Seriously ladies? Whatever works....

Oh Miss Moo, we love you!

So Ori has just started growling/snapping at Molly when Ori is on the couch and Molly is coming up. I don't think it's anything major. We don't allow it and if it continues, Ori won't be allowed on the couch....it's that simple. I'm hoping. Once Moo is up, everyone is ok (as evidenced by the pictures posted tonight). As is, if Ori doesn't stay down off us while we're eating, she ends up taking a break in her crate. She can be relentless. A firm "no" and pushing her down to the ground several times means nothing to her... She is getting better but she has ended up in her crate a few times so we can eat in peace. I keep reminding myself that she is just a puppy and we will get through these puppy behaviors.

On a positive note, potty training went much better today! We've been watching her like a hawk and when in doubt, we take her out.

Meanwhile, we're doing what we can to take care of Moo. Her underbelly skin is thinner than I thought (stupid cushings!) so I'm rubbing some organic sesame oil into her belly which is already improving the look and texture of her poor skin. Proof that no mater how close an eye I think I keep on her, there is still a closer look to be made. One day at a time my beautiful little Moo!

The Joys of Snow....

2010-02-07T09:56:00.001-05:00

....the pains of potty training. So this nice storm dropped over 2 feet of snow on us in our little town Friday night into Saturday. I don't think I've seen a storm quite like this in PA in the 9 years I've lived here. I grew up getting snow like this in Massachusetts (oh the snow forts, snow men, snow creatures we used to make!) but this was pretty cool down here until I helped shovel out the cars. Two feet of light and fluffy snow isn't light and fluffy on a shovel : ) I couldn't let Nick clear them out by himself on his birthday though!

As you can imagine, the snow fall was so great that the snow towers over the girls walking down the snow blown paths. The piles of snow pushed by the snow plows are huge! Finding grass for the girls is a distant dream but overall they're learning to adapt, somewhat. We have a small area out back shoveled out and Molly, who is all business, does her business right away and comes inside. Ori has taken a different approach. She does a little piddle and then comes inside to finish her business, it's too cold out there for her! It's not from a lack of trying on our part though. All 4 of us bundled up yesterday evening and went for a walk around the apartments and Ori managed to escape doing anything important...lol. She saved it for the carpet, again. Moo, due to habit, wanted to get into the front yard and literally jumped into the snow in an effort to do her business in her usual spot. She quickly changed her mind and found a less snow covered place. It was funny to watch though!

Today is already a better day, Ori actually pooped outside this morning--go Ori! She'll get the hang of it, we're getting the hang of it and learning even more about her body language and routine. W've started gating her in the kitchen if either 1 of us can't watch her for more than 1 second. We'll get there. I also had the 2 girls snuggled in bed with me for a few hours this morning....what a wonderful way to spend 2 hours!

Yesterday Nick taught Ori to jump up on the couch. She loves that squeaky stuffy and before she knew it she was up on the couch following it a few times yesterday. Later that evening she just jumped up when she wanted to sleep on the couch... She also jumped up on the bed to get the stuffy but still doesn't do that one on a consistent basis (I'm ok with that!)

I don't know how quickly the trilostane works, but it seemed that Molly was more Molly like yesterday and less ravenous already. She slept in bed with me until 9am too.... Nick and I were both pretty impressed with her mood and behavior yesterday after 1 half dose. We'll see how she does this week.

We must have tuckered Ori out playing so much in the house yesterday because she is already sleeping with Moo on the couch with us. Hey, it's hard work being a puppy!

I don't have any pictures of the girls in the snow, but we hope to remedy that situation today. Hopefully some pictures to follow soon!

More Snuggly Pics....

2010-02-05T22:12:00.001-05:00

They were too cute to not photograph this evening...

Yup! They're cute together : )

I finally called Dr. Haver about Moo today...her appetite has increased to such a level that we are going to bring back some trilostane....smaller amount 2x's a day every other day.... I'm hoping we can hit a good balance. We shall see how that goes. Dr. Haver is concerned that she may begin to eat things that will actually cause her harm and I tend to agree with him. She actually wakes up in the middle of the night looking for food. Other than that, she's doing well...she looks good, but just the hunger.... hopefully we'll see some improvement in the next week or 2. We start the trilostane tomorrow morning....

Ok, back to snuggling!

Smooshy Ori

2010-02-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

She was so sleepy and adorable!

are you talking to me?

I'm beautiful!

Oh let me rest please!

Ori's finally eating consistently. I think the vaccine detox has helped her appetite as her appetite decreased right around the time she received her rabies shot. She's not only eating, but she's eating some kibble mixed with some home cooked of course! This saves me from cooking quite as much and we have a 15lb bag of TOTW! This also means that certain bathroom habits are becoming more consistent as well : )

She's still a great snuggler and is becoming quite the leaper! She has strong back legs! We try to keep her from doing that as the landing can't be easy on 1 front leg...but she loves to play with the stuffy and puppy and any thing else that is soft and she can fit in her mouth : )

We're all enjoying the the snow day here for sure.... : )

Yes, please throw Puppy!

2010-02-03T19:23:00.003-05:00

yes, Ori's 1 smart cookie! (too bad Nick was waving puppy above her head!) Isn't her face adorable?!?!?

Chewing Buddies

2010-02-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

So last night instead of getting ready for bed, I ended up taking pictures of my happy little chewing pals!

they were really going to town!!

why they can't do this at 8pm rather than 11pm I'll never know!!!

Let's talk about Molly

2010-02-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

Miss Moo Shoo is an interesting little girl. Since she's been off the Trilostane, her habits have changed a bit. We have her body functions pretty under control. Her weight is ok although I'd love to get a little more padding on her bones and she absolutely does not have a pot belly. She's not drinking any more than she ever has. She is however, acting more hungry. She's been waking up in the middle of the night and I don't think it's to pee but rather to look for food. (When we take her out, she stops in the kitchen rather than booking it to the door like she does if she does need to go.) I end up putting her in bed and then it's hit or miss as to how much sleep any one gets! I need to call the vet and discuss the pros and cons of what we're doing for her Cushing's. I still can't believe how good the cushex has been working, I just wish we could decrease her appetite slightly.... I think this has been the longest stretch (maybe 3 weeks?) of not calling the vet since we got Moo in in Aug. We're pretty much high maintenance customers....

On to other matters, Molly continues to become more of a snuggle bug. She paws up and leans into us looking for pets and scratches. I had her snuggled up against me on 1 side and Ori on the other and both were eating it up! I love the snuggly side of Molly : )

I was so proud of her when I gave her a bath this past weekend. She's usually good, but nervous and not entirely cooperative. However, warm water, a nice massage, some good conversation and cookies have pretty much helped her get over that. She stood their relaxed and quiet as if she finally knew the whole process wouldn't be painful (is it too much for people to be nice to their dogs when they're being bathed?) She did great and the neem oil helps get rid of some of the yeastiness too : )

So all in all Moo is doing pretty well. She continues to help Ori learn the ropes and continues to become a better snuggler every day! Yay for our wonderful little golden girl!

Thinking of Tink

2010-01-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

Since Ori arrived almost 2 weeks ago I haven't had an opportunity to work on Tink's scrapbook as our spare minutes have been spent working with O. As a result of potty training, we've been doing more laundry. We used to call it "Tinker laundry" as we were always washing towels and blankies as she peed in her crate daily. Now it's "dog laundry." I went through the house and washed all the bedding and I had a wave of sadness and nostalgia as I was folding dog towels. It amazes me where and when my heart finds a memory and it hits me.

Ori reminds us a lot of Tink. The sighs, the snores (not as loud, but we figure we'll give her a few years to work on that!), the snuggling, the determination and courage she shows all ring of the Little One that lived and loved here for so long. Every once in a while Ori sighs and I feel like Tink is in the room again. We played games last night and Ori laid in my lap for a good portion of the night (stinking us out of the room, but that's another story!) content as content can be. Her little face was so peaceful and comfy as she laid there lightly snoring away. When we sit on the couch, she likes to lay on our lap, touching us in some way. For some reason I didn't plan on this foster being a little snuggler...almost like I had given up hope of that happening again...

Nick and I are imagining that Tink was probably pretty similar to Ori when she was her age. If she was in a place at that age where she could play and snuggle, I imagine she would have had a nice blend of the two. We figure in a few years, Ori will be more like Tink as we knew her as her snuggling desire seems to be increasing the longer she is with us (I know it's only been 2 weeks but still!) It's like through Ori, we're getting a taste of what Tinker's puppy hood might have been like. Of course we'll never really know, but it does help me smile when I see Ori running around outside happy as happy can be. Somehow through giving Ori a puppy hood, pieces of Tink's are here with us too. And of course we are imagining that these similarities will carry out in Ori as she matures and enters into adulthood.

Of course we love Ori for being uniquely Ori, playing with puppy, chewing on bones, following Molly around in young curiosity, rolling on the floor and pushing off the wall with her back legs, her cute but big under bite, etc etc. There is something pleasant about the similarities between O and Tink. These similarities are producing more smiles than tears, although sometimes the loss of Tink still hits like a sharp blow to the stomach.

So here I sit thinking of my little heart dog and Ori is contently sleeping on my lap in all her smooshy face puppy-ish goodness. God's timing is not a mere coincidence...

My new dishwashers...

2010-01-31T15:18:00.000-05:00

...may be good, but they certainly don't have the Tinker "Take the Teflon off the pan" cleaning power. That girl would lick a pan for hours until every spot was gone. Even our chow hound Molly can't compete with that cleaning prowess. However, these girls are a good pre-wash cycle and they make a cute little team together!

Working hard as a team for sure!

you get that side and I'll work over here O!

Keep working girls!

Hard at work

mmmmm egg and potato goodness!

I love that neither one of them shows the least bit of food aggression at all. Even with all of Molly's food issues she isn't mean or nasty. Molly is teaching Ori to be a bit more inquisitive and Moo is showing her the ropes around the kitchen. We continue to settle in to our routine with the 4 of us and in all it's craziness it's been fun and we are really enjoying it....

The last few days

2010-01-30T12:35:00.001-05:00

The last few days have been a whirlwind in our little family. Ori went 4 meals without eating and was really starting to worry me. Thursday night I cooked up some chicken liver in hopes of enticing her to eat a little. She ate a little but it was like "well if you're going to force me, I'll eat a bite or too..." although she did spend some time in the kitchen smelling the smells. Then finally yesterday evening I was cooking up a new batch of food for the girls and Ori paid attention! Nick grated the carrots and the collard greens and peas are small enough that she can't pick them out. She ate a 1/2 cup of plain turkey for dinner and then as I would packaging up the food and let Molly lick out the pot, Ori came over and was licking it out too! So I put some in her bowl and she ate it! So then I put more in her bowl and she ate that too! She also ate breakfast this morning which is wonderful. Maybe her hunger strike is over.

Molly's been eating well, looking and acting well too. She has been getting up and getting into bed between 3 and 5:30 am though. She usually snuggles with me. I think she likes that Ori isn't in bed when she is in bed. She and Ori seem to be doing pretty well together overall. Often Ori goes over to Molly while she's eating like "hey whatcha doing?" and I never have to worry about molly being mean and nasty. She really is a teddy bear!

Ori's heat continues on and now the spots don't want to come out of the carpet. So we took a respected breeder's advice and bought some onesies....you should have seen us at K-mart yesterday night. Thank heavens for clearance. yes, these are 18mos onsies!

It doesn't stay on perfectly, but it certainly helps! We need to save our sanity and our carpet!

What a beautiful face!

Last night we had to make a choice. Remember Belle, the dog we were supposed to pick up after we dropped Macy off at her forever home? I do....it's a long and messed up story but she needs to come into rescue. I wanted her so badly, but the thought of moving Ori didn't make any sense. I sat on the couch to talk with Nick about it and Ori came up on the couch, licked my face and promptly laid in my lap. I couldn't justify moving her into another home for Belle. She fits here....and everyone seems to know it. Belle has a good foster home to go to where she can live out her days in peace and love, finally. It's just not with us. Some day we'll have our own place and be able to take in multiple dogs....just not yet.

Ori is my little snuggler. She climbs into my lap and has the most content and peaceful face on her. She came back to bed with me after breakfast this morning...yeah, I was in heaven. Her balance between play and snuggling is pretty fantastic. Potty training is coming along too. She has a pretty big under bite which is adorable. Her little teefers stick out and we smile!

The 4 of us have spent a good deal of the morning on the couch relaxing. I finished up a bunch of work on home visits, Nick played video games and the girls snuggled with us....1 of these days we'll get a bigger couch, until then, we snuggle up real close and tight!

Motivating Ori

2010-01-27T20:33:00.000-05:00

We haven't taught Ori to go up stairs yet. We've tried a little on the top few stairs but not being food motivated, she didn't see the need to try to get the hotdog especially when she knew we would pick her up. I was thinking about that this morning as I was taking her outside and she is bounding up and down and going up the concrete stairs to another apartment building. We're learning that Ori's commodity is puppy her stuffed animal. We just reach for it and she gets all excited! She plays and plays and plays with this puppy shaking her silly little head beating puppy back and forth. The lighbulb went off this evening: let's use puppy to motivate her to use the stairs. She hasn't mastered the stairs in any way yet, but she has actually bounded up the top few stairs on her own with puppy teasing her. She then grabbed puppy and chewed on him all the way into the apartment.

We're not sure if Ori will ever learn to go down our apartment stairs though. She's too top heavy and our stairs are too narrow. We'll start on the wider longer steps that we have around the apartments and see where we go from there.

Ori is certainly in heat and now we're coming to terms with what that means....it hasn't been too bad. Fortunately there are a few very experienced and responsible breeders with the rescue who have been helping and giving great suggestions to help us through the process. Always a learning experience with fostering. Always.

She's still not eating consistently. Some days she eats breakfast but then won't eat dinner. Other days it's dinner she eats after she's snubbed breakfast. As long as she eats 1 meal a day, I'm ok with that. It does kill me that she turns her nose up to my home cookin' though! If only she could get some calories and nutrition through puppy she'd be more than good! She has a waist line now though and she's acting and looking just fine so...1 day at a time! It still feels weird to have a fussy eater with Moo around though!

The detox supplements came today and we're going to start both girls on the thuja and ori on the vaccine detox this evening. Hopefully we can rid Ori of any lingering vaccination side effects.

It always amazes me at how adding another dog to our life alters the routine of the house. It doesn't take very long to get back into the routine, but it definitely changes it a bit. We're finally reestablishing the routine and as a result Ori is peeing less in the house and I can actually sit down for more than 5 minutes...although sitting long enough to eat dinner is still not consistent. Ori's a fabulous snuggler and I love it when she finally settles. She prefers to lay on top of me, some how touching me. She's so stinkin' cute!

I think it's puppy playing time as soon as Nick gets home and Ori wakes up!

Pictures of Ori and Moo in Action!

2010-01-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

It's been just over a week since Ori was pulled from the mill. She has come so far in so little time!

We affectionately call this stuffed animal "puppy" and she loves him! She carries him around, plays with him, sleeps in her crate with him. Puppy has been very good to Miss O! Nick and I throw puppy around and Ori chases and runs. Sometimes she gets him and then runs off with him. We fetch him and then start the game all over again! She doesn't seem to tire of it!

She's fast! Nick's trying to keep puppy away from O, but she's quick!

Her back end is getting stronger--she can jump : )

my puppy!

Can I keep him mom? Her tongue gets soooo long when we play!

good thing you're cute miss Ori!

Overall, she's getting into a pretty nice routine with us. She's not eating 2 meals a day, but she is generally eating 1. She was eating dinner but not breakfast, but this morning she ate breakfast then not dinner. I'm not forcing her although it does kill me to see her snub the home cooked deliciousness that everyone else has loved...here loss I guess : ) I've come to terms with the fact that Ori is in heat. I can't ignore it any more! She was definitely bleeding last Wednesday so we figure we had through saturday or so before she finishes. That means she needs 6 weeks before she can get spayed. Looks like you're hanging out with us young lady!

And while Ori is going crazy with the toy, Molly is helping us with recycling and licking out the peanut butter jar. You'll notice the label is gone. I removed it when she started eating it!

Moo's been more needy with Ori here. She begs for more attention or she leaves when Ori comes around. We've been going out of our way to give Moo more love and attention and making sure she has special privileges that Ori doesn't have, like sleeping in bed. Last night Moo didn't want to sleep in her bed. Instead she pawed up at ours! We did let her up for a little bit and then we moved her back into her own bed as no one sleeps with Molly in bed from the get go. It was funny. I put her on the edge of the bed initially but Nick got up to pee and she jumped over me so fast to get to the middle of the bed! Silly girl!

Molly continues to do well without the Trilostane. Let's just say I am VERY impressed with the cushex. In an effort to help keep a little more weight on her (and wear Ori out) we're back to walking more consistently. This cold weather makes it hard, but we have to get them both out. I'm hoping that we can put a little bit more muscle mass on Moo. Now it's only been a few days of consistently getting 2-3 walks (a walk does not mean going to the dumpster and back!) and she's already starting to look a tad less bony! Go Moo go! The increase in exercise should help her Cushing's as well. (and my waiste line!)

I love Miss Moo so much! It hurts me when she would rather sleep in O's crate than snuggle on the couch. So I've started giving her a personal invitation to sleep on the couch in the evenings. It seems to be helping. She needs to know that we love her and want her to be a part of the family. I do love that she is extra snuggling more often though! And i'm sunk when she paws up at the bed like Tink used to. Funny, she never paws up on Nick's side...she always travels around the bed to my side!

So it's us girls tonight. I need to get some school work done and the girls are resting, 1 on either side of me (my fav!) Ori is peeing less in the house and more outside, although not nearly as much. Molly can be a crotchety old lady, but she humors us. We certainly have plenty of things to laugh about and love over here!

Ori's Vet Visit

2010-01-25T10:16:00.001-05:00

Miss O went to the vet on Friday night. She was a good girl especially considering the length of time we were there and what was done to her!

The long and the short of it is, all the tests done came back negative, but she has a nasty ear infection and bladder infection. Clavamox and ear drops are supposed to do the trick. 3 days later she's still bleeding a little so I'm not sure if it's heat or UTI related. (Dr. Reigel couldn't tell me if she was in heat or not : ( I would just like to note that this is NOT my usual vet but the vet that helps the rescue out.)

He was also unsure if the tumor needed to be removed. I'm hoping he can decide that before the spay so if it does need to be removed he can do that while she's under... he decided that bloodwork could be done before her spay.

He didn't feel any knee issues, but possibly a little arthritis in her back right leg which is the better of the 2 options in my opinion

She weighs just over 18 lbs : )

She had a reaction to the rabies shot...she vomited a few times and was very lethargic for the day on Saturday. Looking back I should have waited to give that to her, but she has appeared to recover without any major incidence. I do want it put in her record and I'm hoping it can be grounds for future exemptions for her. She's still not eating very well for me. She snubs the TOTW kibble and pics out the turkey, but in the mornings she doesn't even do that. She's snubbing treats, but is chewing on bones...she usually eats a little for dinner and some out of her kong during the day. Hopefully soon she'll start eating a bit more.

She and Molly are definitely keeping me and Nick on our toes over here....potty training is having some success but not as much as we would like. The mornings are tough and I keep hoping the clavamox will kick in a little bit more! I made britches for her and unfortunately she can get out of them too quickly...i need to tweak my design but I haven't yet.

I'll have to share some fun Ori and Moo stories in another post. Good thing they're cute!

Starting the day with a bang

2010-01-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

My battery light came on yesterday...I drove on it all day without issue. I then drove home on it and slowly watched the power drain from my lights. It died in the parking lot of the apartment building. Yes I was being taken care of each step of the way. My VW guy didn't call me back yesterday so I called a guy in town that was highly referred by a friend. He answered his phone and said to bring it in. My car started this morning so we started the 2 mile journey to the shop with Nick following me. My lights started fading about 3/4ths of a mile into the journey and we died literally 1/2 mile from where we were going. Fortunately it was right at a Turkey Hill and Nick and a kind lady who was pumping her gas, helped us push it into a parking spot. I called Kurzen and left a message and before we finished with AAA, he drove over and helped us get it to his shop! He seemed very knowledgeable about VW's (and the stupid check engine light idiosyncrasies!)and I have confidence that he will be able to take care of my little car.

All of this took just over 30 minutes... Nick and I came home and listened outside the apartment door. Absolute silence. silence. Is this possible? Sure enough. She was laying down in her covered crate with 2 puppies inside and a partially eaten kong. We serve an amazing God who cares about each and every little detail in our lives.

I've been pretty narrow focused this week with puppy Ori here. She's all consuming but I'm hoping that we are still able to regain some balance and a widened perspective again. Sooner rather than later.

4 years ago today....

2010-01-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

Was the beginning of a magical journey....rest in peace little one. Know your memory and love lives on in your family

Ori, Ori, O

2010-01-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Ori is snuggling on the couch...Moo is under the red blanket and all 4 of us fit on this love seat : )

So finally slowing down over here. Less pressure to get everything figured out in a set time frame (or at least the perception of a set time frame.) Not as stressed because Ori seems to be settling in a little bit more. This really isn't a surprise considering she's been out of the stinkin' mill since Monday morning. She's made so MUCH progress in these few short days it is rather remarkable. Some day we're going to have our own place where we can take in dogs that have louder issues to work through.... who knows maybe Ori will continue to settle in quickly. We laugh and smile with her and Moo here so much. We'll take it 1 step at a time...her mannerisms are similar to another little one that we love so dearly. Nick and I have caught ourselves laughing and reminiscing at the same time. We watched her trying to lick out a bowl tonight and yeah, there was so Tink in her trying to keep the bowl steady, grabbing it with her teeth...her excitement and zest for life is contagious. Molly seems to enjoy the company and while she sometimes has that "Mom, are you serious, she's a PUPPY" look on her face, she is incredibly patient and loving towards Ori in her own weird way....both these girls are adorable and wonderful.

And how they cuddle so well....

2010-01-21T20:24:00.001-05:00

So for those who have been following us this week, I'm apologizing up front. We're not always this crazy... Apparently Ori was quiet in her crate today. She found some "puppies" this morning (my BT stuffed animals) and she was licking them and loving them....So I put 1 in her crate and apparently she really liked that? The neighbor across the way said she was quiet all day : )

My car is having issues..my little battery light came on today and apparently that's not a good sign. I drove home tonight with my lights dying the whole way : ( It did start again, but I am having it looked at ASAP tomorrow. As a result, there is not guarantee of reliable transportation for the transport on saturday (since I would need Nick's car for travel to class.) Looks like Ori is staying a little longer.... : )

Yes, they snuggle often!

Love it!

They're cute...what else is there to say?

I apparently know very little about a dog's heat cycle...it is quite possible that Ori is bleeding because of the UTI (I am very very convinced she has 1). My current plan (ha!) is to get her to her vet appointment tomorrow evening and get her started on meds as soon as possible and then get her spayed ASAP next week if she is not in heat.

We're going to take things 1 day at a time and now that we have a little more time we can make a more informed decision. We're hoping that we can at least foster this little one....we'll see what is in store.

She is so funny! She's been rolling around on the dog beds and sliding right off them. She's playing with toys and chewing on things....still not eating a lot, but eating twice a day. She seems to have more energy and is running around outside getting caught on her nose every once in a while : )

Molly is doing well...she stole some hot dog out of my hand last night just before bedtime. It was a flying hot dog in the air and catch it before it hits the floor kind of move. She was then totally convinced she was getting Ori's. So convinced we think she got up in the middle of the night to check for it. That's when I put her in bed and she snuggled for the rest of the night : )

OK, forward and onward....1 day, 1 step at a time....

So this is what it feels like...

2010-01-20T21:46:00.000-05:00

....to make hard decisions.

Apparently Ori is barking when we are not home. I stood outside the door this morning and listened. Within 3 minutes she was barking (she had to get the peanutbutter out of the kong first.) Nick came back 30min later, still barking. He put her in the back in the crate (to lessen the sound) and left early this afternoon. 3 hrs later I came home, still barking. This time a bit more frantic (she couldn't see Molly.) This is not the only reason, but it is kind of the deal breaker. We want to do everything we can to be responsible doggie parents and right now we do feel it is a disservice to both dogs to keep her here...yes these decisions are being made quickly but not without a lot of thought. Given the time parameters we have to work with, decisions need to be made...

There are lots of really great reasons to keep this little gem to ourselves. If I start the list, I'll never finish... The stress I felt today about making this decision and trying to work through her barking was excessive. We live in an apartment where barking dogs are a luxury not to be afforded (if we want to stay on good terms with our neighbors and landlord!) She only barks when we're not home...that makes reconditioning rather difficult. She may outgrow it or eventually not need to be crated after she's potty trained, but we can't take that risk. My mother really put everything in perspective this evening and as soon as she said it out loud, an inner peace returned. When I shared with Nick the same thoughts he said the same thing I said "I don't want to hear this, but I have a peace about what was said." I prayed earlier today that we would have a clear answer about this and that both of us would be on the same page. Thank you for the clear answer.

The plan the entire time was for her to be transported this weekend up to NY with Elly. Elly runs a kennel and is home with the dogs most of the time. She'll be in really good hands. We need to stick with that plan. Ori is young and has a beautiful disposition and face. She is going to find a good home with a great family...unfortunately it's not going to be ours. We do have the distinct pleasure of taking care of her this week and taking her out to potty outside and cleaning up inside more times than I care to count! Have I mentioned I think she's going into heat?!?! ahhh yeah....that's 1 area I have NO experience with whatsoever!

So the transport will continue on Saturday as planned. Nick will bring her out on the first leg of the journey while Linds and I are in class in Virginia.

I still maintain that the right old gal or guy is out there waiting to retire with us. And in the meantime we continue to enjoy the journey and our time with beautiful Miss Moo and whatever friends come along the way. More on Miss Moo and snuggly Ori too to follow...

Ori day 2

2010-01-19T19:57:00.000-05:00

So many thoughts and emotions with and about this little girl! She appears to be crating very well. A small bark/whine at the beginning, but we've been firm with "QUIET" and she settles after that. It's not an anxious cry/bark but more of a "hey! I'm in here!" kinda thing. She tries the same type of thing when she wants to follow Molly back into the apartment but she hasn't peed yet. I correct her and we move along and she is fine. The last thing I want to do is create an opportunity for separation anxiety. The neighbors said they didn't hear anything this morning/afternoon when she and Molly were home alone. (YAY!)

We're working on the housebreaking. Poor Nick. I took her out this morning to pee before I left at 7 and between 7 and 7:20 she peed 3 more times (that's even with being taken out twice.) I do think she has a UTI so we're trying to keep all that in mind too. (vet appt is scheduled, but of course not as soon as I want it to be!) We figure if we use the same key words and don't let her back inside until after she pees she'll get it pretty quickly. She appears to be a fast learner at everything else. We're taking her out every hour and treating with hotdog and lots of praise. Molly's a good model too : )

Already she's walking on a leash so much more nicely. She loves to watch the cars go by when we're out back (usually waiting for her to PEE!) The 4 of us went around the apartments again this evening. She works so hard to move. We figure her leg was lopped off and since she lived in a cage she never figured out how to balance and move her body quite right. She does fine on it, but we are convinced that over time it will become more "natural." These dogs never cease to amaze me.

She's taken to laying on the couch. She won't lay on the umteen dog beds on the floor, but she paws up at the couch. Of course Moo lays on the couch so if we're using her as the model it's ok for Ori to be on the couch too. She snuggles with Molly and every time I turn around she has her head resting on Nick's leg and they both look as pleased as punch.

You can't tell from the pictures, but I do think she's a tad on the thick side. I can't find her ribs which is weird, but true. She hasn't been eating all of the food we've been feeding her and we haven't been pushing the issue. Ori has started drinking from a water bowl which is fabulous! No food aggression from either girls (Ori shared a bite from Molly's dish tonight....) She does have a mammary tumor which I'm hoping we can have removed when she gets spayed. She looks like she's been bred and bred and bred though...poor girl still rolls over for a belly rub though. Her teeth don't look bad either.

I've already learned a few things about a 3-legged dog. 1) You can't lift up the front leg to move the leash or she falls on her face. (oops!) 2) Chewing on a bone becomes much more complicated that it is for a 4 legged dog, but it is possible! 3) laying down appears to be more comfortable than sitting.

Nick has already started teaching her sit and while I was getting dinner ready tonight for the girls I turn around and sure enough Ori's sitting! She's a smart little girl. Smart, smart, smart. She makes little noises like Tink did and she had me looking a few times for my little heart dog last night. Her sighs and exhales sound the same if that makes any sense.

I can't believe how much has happened, how much we've all learned, and how far things have come in 1 day. Is it possible? Can it stay like this? I'm currently here with Ori in my lap as I type this. Somehow it seems like she knows that's what it's here for...and that's where she belongs....

Ori the Mill Mama is here

2010-01-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

Meet Ori, our temporary foster. I picked her up from Sparky's Project who literally pulled her from the mill 1/2 hr before I got her. After a minor anxiety attack with her barking, we pulled it together and got our acts together. (God is soooo good, let me tell you!) Elly listened to me and gave some good advice as did Jodi and Sandy and here we are everyone quiet and settled. Ori (short for Oreals) is an almost 4 year old puppy mill girl which means she's done nothing but push out puppies her entire life. The miller was afraid she would get fined for having a dog with 3 legs and needed her out ASAP which is where Sparky's Project and NEBTR stepped in.

As you can see she's missing her front right leg. It doesn't slow her down very much. She supposedly injured it in a dog fight and it was amputated as a result.

She's slightly front heave which does cause her to fall onto her front leg more often.

She has a really beautiful face, if should would hold still long enough for me to get a picture of it!

She's here for the week and then is being transported to another volunteer in NY.

I did give her a bath when we first got here just cause she was so dirty and I wanted to get any bugs out of her. She's still kinda stinky but much better. She has a bit of shine to her coat. She is quiet in her crate and we will use that to our advantage at night and when we're not home. She has a real zest for life and for exploring and likes that there is another dog around. She's doing better on a leash already and actually walked around the block with me, Nick and Molly tonight (hot dog helped...) She seems to relish the warm weather and grass and I think her original darting was actually a bit of excitement. She did well following Molly and I know that she will be a good model for Ori. She's peed a total of 3 times outside (big praise : ) and 2x's in the kitchen and twice in the living room... after our walk... She's eaten 2 small meals of turkey and rice. After speaking with Sandy this evening, we did let Molly and Ori officially meet and have allowed Ori to explore the house a bit. She romps around and has even sniffed at the toy box and attempted to chew on a bone. Molly could actually care less that she is here.

She's a real sweetie and I think once she figures out the routine she'll be less confused/anxious and will do just fine for the week. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when she and Moo are left alone for a few hours.... : )

Never a dull moment around here! But man am I tired....

Molly's Pink Sweater & Update

2010-01-17T16:18:00.001-05:00

So a few weeks ago we went to petsmart and found this great little sweater for $3!!! It's a great light to medium weight shirt for those cool days but not cold days. I never thought I'd put Moo in pink, but here she is! (it actually matches her pink flower collar very nicely : )

I know that's a cookie in your hand...can I have it?!??!

Not so fast...hand me the goods!

It fits so nicely!

You can see in this shot that she does not have a pot belly in any way which is 1 of the Cushing symptoms I carefully watch for!

Hanging out...waiting for food!

I'm just coming to the realization that Molly is always going to have poop issues. We are doing everything we absolutely can do with and for her but it's just not going to cure her. She cycles through every week to 2 weeks. Molly and I were sick together last night. She got me up at 4:30 ish this morning and we made it outside in time. Now I made a new batch of food yesterday, but it's still turkey and the veggies are less complex than the less batch. And this is why she's a permanent foster. There is no way we could adopt her out with all that she has going on....how do you explain to a potential adopter that she is going to mess on your floor every week or so because she just can't hold it? Ha! We love her so though.

Moo's eye continues to look better and better. Not running very much, open nice and wide, very little squinting. So that's real good news. I spoke with Dr. Haver on Friday and he laughs (in a good way) when we talk sometimes. He continues to keep close tabs on our Moo and works with us so patiently. Thank goodness for vets like him!!!

The spot on Moo's side that was bald, is actually growing hair back. She's been off the trilostane for 2 weeks now and on the Cushex for over a week and a 1/2. All symptoms seem ok. She may be peeing just a tiny bit more, but I've been home more and I tend to take her out quite often (some habits die hard.) I'm still hopeful that we can maintain the bulk of the Cushing symptoms without the trilostane or at the very least, less of the drug taken twice a day rather than once.... we shall see. Although I think it's safe to say that the trilostane is not the main or only cause of the diarrhea.

She's been a great snuggler today. (Now I did have to pick her up and put her in bed last night so she would stay!) We got up at 8:30 this morning to feed her, clean her ears, then go out and but by 9:30 we were both on the couch sleeping again...until 1. We're still on the couch...both of us seem to be feeling better. I'm not great yet, but some improvement. So that's where we're at....chilling together on the couch : )

Another Perfect Memorial Rose

2010-01-17T15:34:00.002-05:00

My favorite flower shop to pick up a single rose is Hammaker's on Market Street in Camp Hill. They have big beautiful roses with beautiful greens and baby's breath at the best price. I tend to go on the Friday's before a big show and I get to pick from lots and lots of flowers. It makes my heart smile just a little to buy a rose in honor of my beautiful little girl.

We're coming up on the anniversary weekend that we brought Tink home...I've been scrap booking our journey with her and there is something very therapeutic about this whole process. I thought for sure I would be a blubbery mess, but instead I get lost in all the amazing memories and I'm too busy recreating them through my book to be upset. While I'm scrap booking and in "the zone" it is easy to forget that it's Molly on the couch and not Tink.

I was sitting here on the couch with Molly this afternoon after I woke up from my comma of sleep. (of course I'm sick on my 3 day weekend...) She had snuggled in to me and I was petting her as I often did with Tink. And it suddenly dawned on me that this is how it is now. That may not sound like a big epiphany, but for me it was. I pour so much into my girl(s) whoever is here and it's still slowly dawning on me that now it is Molly. January 15th marked Molly's 5th month with us. She's still adjusting and adapting and becoming more and more comfortable with us. She lived with another family for almost 11 years, of course it's going to take time for her to blossom here too. I love these little old ladies so much. I am so glad that we get to be a part of their lives and process...

Moo Shoo plays Simon

2010-01-16T09:36:00.000-05:00

So last night I had my life group girls from 56 over for a pizza and game party. We had 6 girls, plus me and Moo....boy did we have a lot of fun! My girls are in 5th grade, so they're older, but they were still all very good with her, keeping an eye on her and not stepping on her when she was underfoot around the table (imagine that, Molly where the food is?)

I told the girls Moo couldn't have any dairy, but a few chips were ok. You should have seen them with her. Of course Molly acts the most piranha-like that she possibly can which makes the girls shriek with delight even more : )

Towards the end of the night the girls were dancing in the living room and doing "dance offs" and other fun things (who knew a music therapist's ipod could provide so many hours of fun exploring just what exactly is on there!). 2 of the girls didn't want to dance so they were sitting with Moo and were the "judges" and of course a 3rd judge was needed....Moo fit the part perfectly. She had such a sour face on at that point that the role of Simon fit perfectly. She even laid down to sleep at one point which the kids thought was great too.

I kinda figured that Moo was fine with kids, but I've never had a real opportunity to see how she would do with a heard of them. And she was fine. She actually was eating up some of the attention (and pizza crust) and wasn't all over the girls with the food like I thought she might be. I mean, she was definitely present, but very little jumping up and getting into their space. Good girl Miss Moo! She was definitely tired after they left though. All in a days work for the Moo Shoo : )

Oh Miss Moo....

2010-01-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

So apparently the eye ointment isn't supposed to make her eye more red and puffy initially. It seems she may be allergic to the carrier ointment. Poor Molly and poor Dr. Haver. He said he keeps trying but can't seem to find something that will work for her! We stopped her ointment since yesterday evening but Molly's forgetful Mom forgot to call the doc again today...first thing in the morning! her eye certainly looks better than it did before we started using the ointment, but it's certainly not where we want it to be yet.

I came home to a poopy/vomity mess by the front door... I'm not sure what caused it, but it's possible her new bone was partly to blame. She just laid on the couch and didn't even follow me into the kitchen when I came home initially. She did eat 1/2 rations for dinner tonight and everything came out ok on our walk this evening. Thank God for vinegar and the steam cleaner. Our carpet is not the worse for the wear although it is quite the rude house warming gift. Oh miss Moo....please feel better soon.

Aside from tonight's events she still continues to look very good weight wise, skin and coat wise. She's been drinking and eating normal amounts and is displaying very few Cushinoid symptoms....hopefully the Cushex is helping and it will stay this way!

More good news rescue wise. Duke and Dutchess were 2 fosters that were adopted together this afternoon!!! Yay!!!