The new green cuz

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...

...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!

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

 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

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....

...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

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

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

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 : )

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

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

 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...

...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

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...

...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!