My fur babies are TERRIBLE beggars when it comes to snacks and people food. (As an aside they only get healthy dog friendly bits like carrots, broccoli, apples, lean meats, etc.) If they behave and perform their obedience commands I save the last bits to share with them.
I usually get this right up in my face…
And this is what you get when you command him to back up and lay down…
Pathetic right?
To be clear this is not an April Fools joke….but it sure felt like it at the time!
The hubby and I have two very happy and (knock on wood) healthy pets, Dex and Chloe. Chloe is a six year old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. She has a minor heart murmur that is under control with exercise and healthy diet. Then we have Dex, a five year old yellow lab that aside from some digestive issues after licking grill goo is very healthy. Until last week…
While visiting my parents Dex developed soreness/pain while jumping up and down from surfaces. He yelped/cried when he tried. Not finding any outward signs of injury we kept him quiet for a few days to ease what we thought was probably a pulled muscle. And for most of the week he continued to show no interest in jumping up and down off the couch or bed. He did absolutely fine running, eating, drinking, and playing. Then last Saturday came…
After having their supper and evening constitutional the pups settled in for their naps. I took up residence on the couch to catch up on my DVR. I turned around to see my lab hunched on his back haunches, ears laid back, and shaking visibly on his pet bed. To say I freaked out is an understatement…I yelled for my husband who came running. Dex didn’t want to stand or move his back legs. They were stiff and shaking. My husband had to carry all 90 pounds of him to our car to take him to the Emergency clinic down the road.
Upon reaching the clinic and getting settled into the exam room, our dog for no apparent reason began acting normally again. The (very sweet and lovely vet) examined him and found no muscle, skeletal, or neurological issues. So 15 minutes and $100 later we walk out of the clinic with doggy NSAID pain relievers and orders to keep him calm for a week.
I was half mad at myself for freaking out and half relieved that nothing serious was wrong. After five years of doggy ownership, this was our first “emergency”. And it scared the crap out of me. Lord help my husband and I when we have human kids, lol.
Have you ever had a puppy false alarm? How did you handle it?
(This is Dex’s sad face because he can’t go for walks or play Frisbee for a week)
My mom brought me some art to fill up the blank wall in our living room! She works at an antique shop a couple of days a week and found this tin stamped art piece.It had all the colors of our main living area: red, brown, tan, and green. I paired it with a rustic Live, Laugh, Love sign from Hobby Lobby. Not bad if I do say so myself!
I was also recently in a Marshal’s looking for a few last Christmas presents for my in-laws and I found this…
This now hangs in my office next to the closet where we keep our dog food and other puppy paraphernalia. It was SUPER cheap thanks to a few imperfections on the print. But I don’t care, it totally expresses how I feel about my fur children!
Happy Saturday! I’m off to the gym to work off my Thanksgiving dinner….ugh….
It’s hot….like really hot here in Kansas right now. And sometimes you just need ice cream. So the husband and I hit a local Sheridan’s for some custard. We let Chloe lick that last of the goodies from one of our cup.
I gotta give her points for both enthusiasm and perseverance!! She managed to get all the way to the bottom, lol.
Dex mean while had his taste and decided to sleep through the heat, lol.
It’s a hard knock life for dogs in this house!
Dex is addicted to his frisbee. But it’s a vehicle through which he gets lots of exercise and stimulation. Which keeps him happy and healthy. So for as many days as we can safely manage in this hot summer we take him for trips to the park in the evening.
The hubs is WAY better at throwing than I, but Dex doesn’t seem to mind. He hauls butt after it every throw near or far. He never mastered the art of slowing down upon approach and has the tendency to face plant or spin out when he bends to pick up the Frisbee at full speed. Even if he loses sight of it he sniffs out his “baby”! I think it’s his best friend.
He always knows where his precious frisbee is at all times. And would sleep with it if we let him, lol. And when he is done fetching at the park he takes his toy and sits at the car and waits for us to take him home.
Subtle right? I think he may be a bit spoiled, we have created a monster!
I hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday! I’m off to get a little knitting done and then on to rehearsal!!
I could not imagine my life without this face!!!
She is my husband and I’s first dog and our baby. She came to us a rescue and we couldn’t have asked for a better dog. She is sweet, loving, quiet, and full of snuggles. She is now a 5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She brings so much love and can instantly make my worst day better. (Even when she stares at me over my book, lol)
At a recent vet visit for her annual vaccinations, we got some bad news. She has a heart murmur. Now this is a common thing to Cavaliers, but was unknown to us. The murmur is a precursor to congestive heart failure. I’ll spare you the ugly details of the disease as they are unpleasant. Follow the link above to learn more about it. Right now Chloe has no other symptoms but the murmur. As the disease progresses there are medications that can mitigate some of her symptoms. But no cure. Chloe is unlikely to live past 9 or 10 years old and the last of those years could be uncomfortable.
I will admit this was a shock to me. And I spent the rest of that day trying not to weep. I grew up with dogs and I have been through the death and disease before. But this time is different because she is truly my baby. I have prayed and knit on this since that day. I have decided to make the best of what time we have left with Chloe and make sure she has the best most loved life ever. I may still cry from time to time but I will always love her.
Having animals always brings good with the bad. The trick is to make sure the good way outweighs the bad. I wouldn’t give up a chewed up shoe or early morning wake up call for a single day without her puppy kisses and puppy snorts.
Now if you excuse me, I have a puppy to snuggle and spoil….
Happy Fourth of July to all!! I can hear the fireworks right outside my window as the neighborhood kids blow up weeks worth of their allowances. It all brings back memories to setting off fireworks for hours at my Grandma’s and Grandpa’s ALL day long. Of course we also took a break to have a weenie roast and smores on what was almost the hottest day of the year, lol.
On the knitting front, I can’t wait to start Neon. I already have the new needles I needed and working on my swatch! But it’s a very complicated project for me and I have decided to hibernate the project for while. My theater rehearsals are just taking too much out of me. I Just don’t have the brain power to work on this wonderful pattern by Joji. I really want to enjoy this sweater and also end up with a garment that fits and is knit correctly. So it’s going to the back burner….for now…
Insert mindless and easy….
Just a simple stockinette baby blanket with a seed stitch border, in lovely peach chenille. You will remember my chenille antics here, lol. So I am going into this with eyes wide open and all my lessons remembered from last time. I just needed a home run project to work on while I am rehearsing my show. So I decided to cast on a cute blanket this morning because I have the day off from my big kid job. There is an art to working a mindless and easy project!
The puppies agree with me. They are very exhausted with my crazy schedule and needed an extra nap. I can never figure out why my lab, Dex, like to sleep with nose under the edges of couches or beds. Such a weirdo!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th! We are off to enjoy our day off and America’s independence!!
Today marks the beginning of 10 days of freedom from the big kid job!!! I have to take five consecutive business days once a year and since we have the new house I couldn’t think of a better time. I have a mini vacation to-do list:
1. Visit my best friend who also just bought a new house and is expecting her first baby later this year
2. Visit my college friends who had a baby 2 months ago and whom I have not yet visited (I’m a terrible friend)
3. Start Stashbustin #15 and work at least two color stripes
4. Finish my Snug baby sweater (Stashbustin’ #16)
5. Finish my Mud Season #2 sweater (Stashbustin’ #17)
6. Walk 2 miles a day with the puppies
7. Get back to my regular Mon/Wed/Sat classes at the Gym….I really miss my fitness ladies
8. Start the set up of my craft room….my very own craft room!!! (I don’t have all the necessary storage devices as we are bit tight in our budget and can’t afford them yet. But I need to do some cleaning and sorting before I get to putting away anyway)
I may or may not get all this done….but I like having goals that stretch me. Wish me luck!!!
I still feel like dog doo, but slightly less so this morning. I’m headed in to work. Here goes nothing! Green tea, honey, lemon, and DayQuil will be my best friends today.
I didn’t do squat yesterday but sleep, drink fluids, and knit a few rows on my Mud Season.
The pups took turns helping…
Just gotta follow Dory’s advice and just keep swimming!
Remember awhile back when I told you about my weekend hangover? Well this weekend I had the pleasure of spending Saturday with the folks of Prairie Fire Winery at their annual spring planting.
Right smack dab in the Flint Hills of Kansas on the slope of a hill, we planted over 500 vines. I wish I could remember what variety we planted but the names where in French and I’m a Spanish kind of girl, lol.
Thems a lot of holes! I even got to take Dex. He was a great dog and didn’t even try to make a run for it. He followed us up and down the hill and charmed everyone. After five hours he was one pooped puppy!!
I had a blast. I got my hands dirty, learned about vines, sampled some wine, and hung out with good friends. Bob and Julie are truly some of the best people I have had the pleasure of meeting. And boy are they passionate about their vino!! In the past two years their wine has really started to rack up awards as well. Check out this article in winespectator.com, they made the final four!
And you can’t beat the view either!!
Michele plays with yarn, food, and music in Portland
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