Charlie is officially growing up. He no longer sleeps on the air conditioning vents but sprawls out on the floor like a big boy and yesterday Josh found him asleep on the couch, a first for Mr.e Fuzzy Ears.
Last night he cam tearing into the bedroom where I had to give him a boost to get up on the bed and there he took up sentry duty at the foot of the bed and began to bark. His big boy I mean business bark and not his puppy goof around come on mommy play with me bark.
And he barked and barked and barked but I couldn't find any reason for him to bark. I even let him outside where he plopped down on his new porch pillow and seemed set for the night. No camping out for Charlie Bear. Not till he's old enough so I know he won't TRY to get out of the yard. I don't see why he would. We actually ordered him food when we ordered chinese last night. Charlie's no dummy. He'll stay where the food is good.
With Patty's parvo I threw away all of the dog pillows and in Deals yesterday I found new pillows. I got two, one for outside and another next to the vent in the bedroom though if he continues to join me in bed, leaving the air condition vent behind I may just move the second one to the craft room for when he visits me for a crafting session.
I really shouldn't write these posts at th office, it always makes me want to go and fuzzle Charlie.
Charlie addiction.... not a pretty sight.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
He's not just a memory
Yes, Charlie fills my life with delight but I still miss my Ollie and my Rocco, not to mention all of the other pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge. Little dog Ollie was a character. To look at him you would have thought that he was a frou frou dog but looks can be deceiving.
Ollie loved water and puddles and mud. He also loved taking a rolled rawhide outside and leaving it somehere so it would get rained on turning it into an almost indestructable flattened piece of hide. Usually by the time that happened, it was covered with dirt and who knows what all but, to Ollie, it was a treat. Not that he actually chewed it. Once it was all soft and floppy it was then hidden away somewhere for later. Thinking of it now, Ollie must have been part pirate always hiding his treasure to dig it up and rebury it elsewhere so his crew (Rocco) couldn't find it.
We have had three days of down pour. Downpour so massive that every muscle in m y body ached for days before it started. Today there is sun shine and little humidity just the kind of weather Charlie adores. He was in the yard and I needed to bring him in so I could open the gate and leave and when I called his name he came bouncing toward me, eyes bright, and this square of god knows what hanging out of his mouth. When he got closer I knew he had found one of Ollie's treasures.
I do mean treasure. You would have thought that Charlie had found the holy grail so thrilled was he with this dirty floppy bit of skin. He tossed it in the air, the pounced. Grabbed it, somehow managing to twirl it around his head only to let go and have to go pounce on it one more time. No flapping rawhide was going to get the best of HIM! I eventually got Charlie into the house after the rawhide had escaped his mouth and had to be recaptured another couple of times and once Charlie and the rawhide made it into the house, Charlie threw it down and rolled on it, thrilled that he had this wet, spotted thing all for his own.
I know when Ollie hid this away, he was saving it for himself and not for some fuzzy eared dog tween. (Not quite puppy, not quite grown but somewhere in beTWEEN) I don't know why Ollie hid it, in the first place, he never did chew it once soggy. Maybe he was just hiding and rehiding it to tease Rocco. Whatever the reason, it now comforts me. I feel as if Ollie isn't as far away as I thought. He's still here. Still around in the things he hid, the puddles he used to run through, the sher joy of puppiness even when he was an old man of 14.
A part of me wondered if I was unfair to Ollie's memory getting a puppy within a month of losing him (Ollie) But now I see, in a square of wet rawhide, that Ollie has bestowed on Charlie a gift, a memory for me,. A message that he understands and is glad that Charlie is here. A gift to Charlie to tell him he is welcome. And here I thought it was only a square of wet rawhide.
Ollie loved water and puddles and mud. He also loved taking a rolled rawhide outside and leaving it somehere so it would get rained on turning it into an almost indestructable flattened piece of hide. Usually by the time that happened, it was covered with dirt and who knows what all but, to Ollie, it was a treat. Not that he actually chewed it. Once it was all soft and floppy it was then hidden away somewhere for later. Thinking of it now, Ollie must have been part pirate always hiding his treasure to dig it up and rebury it elsewhere so his crew (Rocco) couldn't find it.
We have had three days of down pour. Downpour so massive that every muscle in m y body ached for days before it started. Today there is sun shine and little humidity just the kind of weather Charlie adores. He was in the yard and I needed to bring him in so I could open the gate and leave and when I called his name he came bouncing toward me, eyes bright, and this square of god knows what hanging out of his mouth. When he got closer I knew he had found one of Ollie's treasures.
I do mean treasure. You would have thought that Charlie had found the holy grail so thrilled was he with this dirty floppy bit of skin. He tossed it in the air, the pounced. Grabbed it, somehow managing to twirl it around his head only to let go and have to go pounce on it one more time. No flapping rawhide was going to get the best of HIM! I eventually got Charlie into the house after the rawhide had escaped his mouth and had to be recaptured another couple of times and once Charlie and the rawhide made it into the house, Charlie threw it down and rolled on it, thrilled that he had this wet, spotted thing all for his own.
I know when Ollie hid this away, he was saving it for himself and not for some fuzzy eared dog tween. (Not quite puppy, not quite grown but somewhere in beTWEEN) I don't know why Ollie hid it, in the first place, he never did chew it once soggy. Maybe he was just hiding and rehiding it to tease Rocco. Whatever the reason, it now comforts me. I feel as if Ollie isn't as far away as I thought. He's still here. Still around in the things he hid, the puddles he used to run through, the sher joy of puppiness even when he was an old man of 14.
A part of me wondered if I was unfair to Ollie's memory getting a puppy within a month of losing him (Ollie) But now I see, in a square of wet rawhide, that Ollie has bestowed on Charlie a gift, a memory for me,. A message that he understands and is glad that Charlie is here. A gift to Charlie to tell him he is welcome. And here I thought it was only a square of wet rawhide.
Monday, August 15, 2011
LIfe without Patty
Patty wasn't a part of our family for even a week before we lost her. I tried my best to beat that parvo that had a grip on her. I got water or food down her once every hour. If I fed her too much she would poop copious amounts of blood so I took it slow and easy. I prayed and cried and fought to be optimistic that the little girl would pull through. All to no avail.
And then the so and soh's that I adopted her through, inferred that it was my fault that she died that I didn't follow their adopt8ion rules and I had promised that I would take her to the vet if her symptoms got worse. What? I wouldn't have taken a puppy with symptoms in the first place. I didn't even know that Patty was from the same rescue group as Charlie until it was too late. And the the so and so inferred that Charlie was perfectly healthy when he left their care and I had made him sick or the man who had him before me while my vet told me that Charlie had to have been sick much longer than that to be as sick as he was.
So no new puppy. No little girl to curl in my arms, to give Charlie hell, to brighten our lives. We put her to rest under the tree were all of our fur babies rest and yes, I checked with the vet first. He also says we can get a puppy in two months as long as I keep on bleaching everything.
Losing Patty also opened my eyes to something else, a dynamic in the family that has probably always been there but I didn't see or didn't want to see. I see it now.
Charlie was a bit lost at first when Patty went. He was so solicitous of her, played with her endlessly and was as thrilled with a little sister as I was having a little girl. It doesn't seem to bother Charlie as much but I have noticed that he is growing up. I don't mean just getting bigger but more dog like than puppy. He keeps tripping over his feet like most tweens do but he now has his big boy bark that surprised even him the first couple of times that he used it.
He's still goofy and as smart as can be. When he wants you on his pillow he grabs any part of your clothing that he can reach and drags you there. I thought that was what it meant but , hey, I could always be reading something into it that really wasn't there but he was out in the yard with the older son when older son said he was going to the store. Charlie grabbed the hem of the older son's shorts and led him to the driver's side car door. Yep, it was Charlie language and I am stating to learn it.
He still has what we though would be only puppy fuzz but I suspect he'll always be fuzzy. He loves gummy bears and lollipops and has to attack cheese before he can eat it. We had taken him to the vet just to check him out and there is no sign of theparvo that killed patty. He's on antibiotics just to be on the safe side and I give him that nutri-cal stuff that he had when he was sick, just to keep him healthy. He loves the stuff and it makes it much easier for him to take his pills.
There is only one drawback to Charlie. Thinking about him makes me want to go home and be covered in excited puppy kisses. And if I am quick enough, I can give him a juicy on his bare belly. Besotted is the word for me.
And then the so and soh's that I adopted her through, inferred that it was my fault that she died that I didn't follow their adopt8ion rules and I had promised that I would take her to the vet if her symptoms got worse. What? I wouldn't have taken a puppy with symptoms in the first place. I didn't even know that Patty was from the same rescue group as Charlie until it was too late. And the the so and so inferred that Charlie was perfectly healthy when he left their care and I had made him sick or the man who had him before me while my vet told me that Charlie had to have been sick much longer than that to be as sick as he was.
So no new puppy. No little girl to curl in my arms, to give Charlie hell, to brighten our lives. We put her to rest under the tree were all of our fur babies rest and yes, I checked with the vet first. He also says we can get a puppy in two months as long as I keep on bleaching everything.
Losing Patty also opened my eyes to something else, a dynamic in the family that has probably always been there but I didn't see or didn't want to see. I see it now.
Charlie was a bit lost at first when Patty went. He was so solicitous of her, played with her endlessly and was as thrilled with a little sister as I was having a little girl. It doesn't seem to bother Charlie as much but I have noticed that he is growing up. I don't mean just getting bigger but more dog like than puppy. He keeps tripping over his feet like most tweens do but he now has his big boy bark that surprised even him the first couple of times that he used it.
He's still goofy and as smart as can be. When he wants you on his pillow he grabs any part of your clothing that he can reach and drags you there. I thought that was what it meant but , hey, I could always be reading something into it that really wasn't there but he was out in the yard with the older son when older son said he was going to the store. Charlie grabbed the hem of the older son's shorts and led him to the driver's side car door. Yep, it was Charlie language and I am stating to learn it.
He still has what we though would be only puppy fuzz but I suspect he'll always be fuzzy. He loves gummy bears and lollipops and has to attack cheese before he can eat it. We had taken him to the vet just to check him out and there is no sign of theparvo that killed patty. He's on antibiotics just to be on the safe side and I give him that nutri-cal stuff that he had when he was sick, just to keep him healthy. He loves the stuff and it makes it much easier for him to take his pills.
There is only one drawback to Charlie. Thinking about him makes me want to go home and be covered in excited puppy kisses. And if I am quick enough, I can give him a juicy on his bare belly. Besotted is the word for me.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Life iwth Chrlie and PATTY!
The husband made a mistake yesterday and mentioned that we really shouldn't wait till Charlie was much bigger to get him a brother. Charlie was driving our older than dirt, lighter than air cat crazy with his need to play and so, the husband, quite off handedly, suggested I start looking. Less than half an hour later I was furiously emailing a craigslister who had a girl for adoption, younger than Charlie, a chocolate lab, shepherd mix while Charlie is a black lab shepherd mix. I had told Kelly (the foster mom) all about my loss of Ollie and Rocco and how ill Charlie had been. It seems that Kelly lost an old dog of her own to lymphoma within the year and a foster puppy that she had named Charlie to distemper. So the puppy was ours. We left the office almost immediately and off we went battling beltway traffic that is awful even when
We get to Kelly's to find the smallest, daintiest little girl ever. She's hardly the size of a chihuahua, thin as a whippet and reminds us all of a small greyhound. Patty came to me immediately, which found favor with Kelly and I let the Hysband do the talking while I adored the puppy.
Like Charlie,, Patty was a rescue from a high kill shelter down south. So again I get a puppy and a rescued dog and while my heart breaks for the older rescues, I deserve puppies... yes I said it... and since these will probably be the last puppies I ever bring home... I'm no spring chicken... I should have puppies. Besides we tithe to charities each month and one of the charities is Animal Rescue.
We were told that Patty was a bit timid and that she was anxious because her brothers had been adopted the day before leaving her behind. Well. she wasn't left behind any more.
We avoided the beltway on the way home and so it took longer, tho not by much because we WERE nearing rush hour and I held her the whole way. She readily made herself comfortable, sprawled across the rocky mountains of my chest and tucked her head against my neck and slept.
There is something very moving about the trust an animal gives you. I never know what I do to deserve such an honor but I cherish and, yes, savor it, each time it happens.
When we got home, Older son let charlie out so he could greet me while the husband carried Patty into the house. I thought Charlie was going to go out of his mind with joy when he saw that we brought him a puppy. Come on. How many puppies do you know whose parent buys him a puppy?
As for timid Patty....HA! Timid was only a disguise she quickly shed. She's the boss and told Charlie so in no uncertain terms. Charlie didn't care, he gave her his goofiest grin, tripped over his own feet a couple of times and managed to send hard dog and cat food flying.
I've never known dogs who used their paws much like a cat would. Charlie does it but I thought it was just a Charlie thing. Nope Patty does it too and for a moment there they actually looked as if they were boxing. Oldest son has a tradition of sleeping with w new pet on the couch the first night, only Patty followed Charlie into the bedroom leaving Josh asleep on the couch. Of course, they got up WAYYYYY too early this morning but there is a certain delight in puppy breath in your face first thing in the morning, especially since they just came in from outside and want to tell you all about it.
Patty hasn't explored much of the yard yet. It was hot yesterday and rainy today but I have no doubt that she will love it. She and Charlie sat at the front gate watching the neighbor kid across the street walking a dog. Patty and Charlie sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder and I suddenly realised that it didn't seem as lonely as if did when Charlie sat there alone. Ollie and Rocco used to sit like that and before Rocco it was Ollie and Mutley and before that Ollie, Mutley and Emily. In fact, the walked dog must of scared Charlie because he bolted up the kitchen stairs and into the house, while Patty Cake just sat there being the princess.... I see a rhinestone studded collar in her future.
She had a touch of diarreah and a bout of vomit, neither of which are alarming. She was full of spit and vinegar this morning and is probably ruling the roost as I write this. And yet, Charlie is enamored. He adores his little sister already and even let her lay on his big pillow. Imagine. He even shares his most favorite toy a big stuffed flamingo that flops about just right as he shakes it.
I even wrote a ditty (though it isn't very good) ahem
Patty Cake Patty Cake
Charlie's girl
Her tail's straight
while his has a curl.
I know... I won't give up my day job.
It's wonderful being a new mother again.
We get to Kelly's to find the smallest, daintiest little girl ever. She's hardly the size of a chihuahua, thin as a whippet and reminds us all of a small greyhound. Patty came to me immediately, which found favor with Kelly and I let the Hysband do the talking while I adored the puppy.
Like Charlie,, Patty was a rescue from a high kill shelter down south. So again I get a puppy and a rescued dog and while my heart breaks for the older rescues, I deserve puppies... yes I said it... and since these will probably be the last puppies I ever bring home... I'm no spring chicken... I should have puppies. Besides we tithe to charities each month and one of the charities is Animal Rescue.
We were told that Patty was a bit timid and that she was anxious because her brothers had been adopted the day before leaving her behind. Well. she wasn't left behind any more.
We avoided the beltway on the way home and so it took longer, tho not by much because we WERE nearing rush hour and I held her the whole way. She readily made herself comfortable, sprawled across the rocky mountains of my chest and tucked her head against my neck and slept.
There is something very moving about the trust an animal gives you. I never know what I do to deserve such an honor but I cherish and, yes, savor it, each time it happens.
When we got home, Older son let charlie out so he could greet me while the husband carried Patty into the house. I thought Charlie was going to go out of his mind with joy when he saw that we brought him a puppy. Come on. How many puppies do you know whose parent buys him a puppy?
As for timid Patty....HA! Timid was only a disguise she quickly shed. She's the boss and told Charlie so in no uncertain terms. Charlie didn't care, he gave her his goofiest grin, tripped over his own feet a couple of times and managed to send hard dog and cat food flying.
I've never known dogs who used their paws much like a cat would. Charlie does it but I thought it was just a Charlie thing. Nope Patty does it too and for a moment there they actually looked as if they were boxing. Oldest son has a tradition of sleeping with w new pet on the couch the first night, only Patty followed Charlie into the bedroom leaving Josh asleep on the couch. Of course, they got up WAYYYYY too early this morning but there is a certain delight in puppy breath in your face first thing in the morning, especially since they just came in from outside and want to tell you all about it.
Patty hasn't explored much of the yard yet. It was hot yesterday and rainy today but I have no doubt that she will love it. She and Charlie sat at the front gate watching the neighbor kid across the street walking a dog. Patty and Charlie sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder and I suddenly realised that it didn't seem as lonely as if did when Charlie sat there alone. Ollie and Rocco used to sit like that and before Rocco it was Ollie and Mutley and before that Ollie, Mutley and Emily. In fact, the walked dog must of scared Charlie because he bolted up the kitchen stairs and into the house, while Patty Cake just sat there being the princess.... I see a rhinestone studded collar in her future.
She had a touch of diarreah and a bout of vomit, neither of which are alarming. She was full of spit and vinegar this morning and is probably ruling the roost as I write this. And yet, Charlie is enamored. He adores his little sister already and even let her lay on his big pillow. Imagine. He even shares his most favorite toy a big stuffed flamingo that flops about just right as he shakes it.
I even wrote a ditty (though it isn't very good) ahem
Patty Cake Patty Cake
Charlie's girl
Her tail's straight
while his has a curl.
I know... I won't give up my day job.
It's wonderful being a new mother again.
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