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!

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!

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.

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!

Moo & O update

 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!

Catch Up Time

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!

So far in 6 Months

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!

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

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

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!

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 : )

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. 

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! 

Catching Up

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 : )