January 2011 update

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

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

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!

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

 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

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!!!

 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

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....

...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

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

 

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

 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

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...

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

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!