Recent Ori Pics

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

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!

 

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...

 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!

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

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

 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...

....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!

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

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

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

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

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!!!