Playing With Matches a Girl Can Get Burned

The pups are a little cranky right now. It's raining and slushing out and at first they didn't know what to make of this. Weren't at all sure they wanted to go out in that. But I led the way and they all followed like little ducklings. Soon enough they were really enjoying themselves. But it is kinda cold out so soon enough one after the other, some lagging behind, they all crept back to the warmth of their pen inside. Dad toweled them all off and I think they enjoyed that at least after they figured out he wasn't trying to wrestle with them. Having gotten used to spending more time outside they were full of an amount of energy that the pen found hard to contain. They are all just now settling down. I just hear an occasional chirp. I am trying to keep myself from running over to them every time they let out a whimper. They're going to go out into the big world without me soon.

The weather forecast is calling for snow and I hope that it does. I know the pups would love that and so would I.

I haven't opened up my mail bag and shared any correspondence with you lately have I?

Excuse me for a minute... it sounds as if a cattle stampede is coming right through our living room. And just when I thought things were quieting down...

...I'm back now. Believe it or not it was just the pups. It's amazing what a ruckus they can make when they put their little minds to it. Well, so much for tough love, I ran over and they covered me with puppy kisses and all seems right in their little puppy worlds. For now.

Well, were was I? Oh yes, I received the following note a few weeks ago:

Dear Suddie:
I have a beautiful 6 year old brindel tibetan female named Lexie for adoption. I have lost the breeders contact info. If interested, please call or email me. Thank you.
Joy

Well I had never met and knew nothing about this Joy person, but my interest was quite naturally piqued and I, at least, wanted to see what this TT named Lexie looks like. I received the following response after I wrote back requesting more info:

Dear Suddie:
I am not selling her. I am just looking for a good home. I am looking for a good home as my husband’s allergies got the best of him and the additional meds on top of his other meds are causing a problem. I have attached a current photo of her. She is bright, obedient, lovable and true to the breed. She only barks for protection and rides in the car like a mouse.
Joy

Well, I thought that Lexie sounded very nice and the situation unhappy, but I had never heard of anyone being allergic to a Tibetan Terrier.

In any case, I sent the note on to a few people that I knew were looking for an older Tibetan Terrier with the caveat that I knew nothing more than they did about Joy or Lexie. Well, three people got back to me and said that they were going to contact Joy. Then two of them contacted me to let me know that they hadn't heard back from Joy and did I know what was happening. No I did not! I have nine kids of my own to take care of! So, ugh, I emailed Joy and asked what was up. It turns out that in at least one case Joy's reply was sitting in the person's spam folder. And then I didn't hear anything. Not for quite a while. But then the following note was delivered to my mailbox:

Suddie,
Thanks for matching us up with Joy and Lexie. We picked her up yesterday and she is delightful. She has a great personality and is a beautiful dog. We are thrilled, she's just what we wanted.
You're a great matchmaker!
Thanks again,
Carole

I never heard a thing from Joy. Not even a simple thank you. Sick husbands can be a lot of work.

And when I replied to Carole and asked her for her address, I never heard back from her. I guess she didn't want the special little Christmas something I picked up just for Lexie.

I hope it all works out because you know playing with matches a girl can get burned.

Gotta Go

The pups are doing so well! I took them to their vet on Tuesday for their first immunizations and check-up. Our vet thinks that they are a beautiful litter and very healthy. Some of my pups cried when they got their shot. But some of them didn't. The vet warned that the shot might make the pups a little sleepier than normal, but, oh no, not my pups. They were just as energetic as ever. They will get their next shots in four weeks after they are with their new owners.

Of course, I am still working on getting the pups used to doing their business outside. They are doing really well for such little things. I take them out immediately after they wake up from a nap and immediately after they eat. And I mean IMMEDIATELY! At this age, they don't like to wait. Not at all. The pups pen is right next to the door to the backyard. It's opens onto a wood deck and then a few steps down to the yard. The first day dad had to carry the pups out to the yard as the steps were too much for them. The next day he added stepping stones under each step and the pups now rip up and down the steps like little mountain goats. Now don't get me wrong, they can be a little wobbly at times. But you should see them zipping around the yard discovering everything for the very first time. They are pretty good at coming back inside especially if I lead the way.

I just came across a great tip on housetraining on a blog from dog expert Kathy Diamond Davis.

“I don’t train my dogs to ask when they need to go outside. I take them outside on a schedule. Their bodies easily adjust to wait until the next scheduled [potty break]. I get many questions from people who don’t consider their dogs housetrained until the dog will get their attention and persuade them to stop what they are doing and take the dog out every time the dog needs to go. In many cases, this is expecting too much from the dog.” Kathy’s distinction between training a dog not to soil the house and training a dog to let you know when he/she needs to go out is important.

Without knowing it, I'm doing the same thing. Maybe I should be a dog trainer? We go outside first thing in the morning, after every meal, whenever they start to stir from a nap, and last thing at night before bed. This way, the pups have predictable breaks, and they “hold it” (as best they can) until the next break. I also let them out if they’re sniffing around or are hanging around the pen's gate.

If you have been away from the house (no matter for how long), you should immediately take your puppy outside. Even though I am pretty responsible myself, I agree with Kathy’s suggestion that pet owners need take responsibility for getting their dogs outside for a potty break, rather than giving that responsibility to us dogs.

You can check out Kathy’s blog at http://kathydiamonddavis.blogspot.com/

The Dog Clapper

It sure does seem quiet around here. Well comparatively quiet anyway. It can only get so quiet with 10 dogs in the house. But right now all the pups are sleeping. They all crawled in their crate after lunch. But first I took them all outside to do their business. They did a pretty good job too. Especially since this is the first day we are starting to introduce them to the concept of going outside. I mean we did start taking them outside last week but that was more for the fun of it and to slowly introduce them to the big world. Of course they would go while they were out there but it wasn't that purposeful if you know what I mean.

Today dad had them all out there bright and early and again right after lunch. It didn't matter that it is raining out and a bit cold. Every time a pup would head over to the newspaper side of the crate and start sniffing, dad would scoop them up and take them outside. He only missed once but that was because someone called him on the phone and distracted him. The pups seemed to like the rain at first. Mucking around in it. They were captivated by the water coming out of the downspout splashing on their heads. But soon enough they got a bit chilly and were ready to head back inside. Yesterday it was bright and sunny and we went for two extended romps outside. All of us. Roxie and Angus and Sadie and me and all of the pups. It was so much fun.

Sadie and the last of the relatives left this morning. I think that even Roxie misses Sadie even though she sometimes gets a little bent out of shape when Angus pays her too much attention. That's a picture of Sadie and Angus above. They were sitting by the table where all the relatives were playing some dumb game called Quiddler. We love to hang out at the relatives feet. Dad said it felt like an English hunting lodge with all us dogs about. Grammy Jill is really good with the pups. Whenever they would get a bit rambunctious she would clap her haps together sternly and all order soon returned. My parents call her The Dog Clapper. Last time I had puppies Grammy came and helped me out for a month. I'm glad that this batch got to benefit from her good nurturing skills.

Below are some pictures from our time outside yesterday plus a few of the pups right after they came back in.

Busy Keeping Busy

You are probably wondering what has become of me. Or maybe you figured, correctly, that I have been busy with the relatives. The last of them are leaving tomorrow so hopefully I will have a bit more time to chat after that. We took the pups outside twice yesterday. It finally stopped raining. We are going to take them out today too. In just a few minutes. Sadie is really good with the pups too. I think I told you her buzz cut is growing out and now she has what looks like a puppy cut. Here she is with one of the new pups.

And here are a few pics of two of my new pups. More soon. I promise.

We Are Family

Well. It's almost Thanksgiving Day and the relatives have already started arriving. And yesterday one of my girls from my first litter, Sadie, arrived. She looks great. Her hair has grown out from the buzz cut that she got last summer. The new pups seem to like her a lot and she is hanging out in bed right now with Roxie and Angus. I haven't had to make any Whiskey Sours yet. So far the relatives seem content to raid the wine cellar.

On Sunday, the pups' six-week birthday, I took some pics. I thought you might like to see them.

New Horizons

Yesterday was the pups' six-week birthday so we celebrated. Everyone had a swig of wormer (it was time for their second dose) and we ventured outside for the very first time. The pups hesitated at first, but soon were enjoying the garden party.

Are you there Dara? It's me Suddie.

I was beginning to wonder and then I received this email the other day.

Dara wrote:

Hi Suddie,

I just looked at the blog and all the slide shows and videos. You are up to your asses in DOGS. The puppies are adorable. It's impossible to pick a favorite, but I do love the one with the completely black face. The way they walk makes me laugh out loud. Seeing Roxie and Angus greet them was very sweet. Angus' top knot is very chic. You did a great job, Suddie. They are certainly full of vim and vigor. Watching them cavort made me need a nap. I hope you are feeling well and getting your figure back, Suddie.

Take care,
Dara

Girl! Getting my figure back? Well! I think I am skinnier than before I got preggers. All of this milk production takes a lot out of a girl and burns a lot of calories. I'm pretty much done with feeding the pups now. They're getting teeth and their nails are sharp! Ouch! But the day before yesterday I was getting really swollen up with milk. I thought I was going to burst. So my dad made me get in there and nurse the pups just to release some of the pressure. I feel much better now. I think I am starting to get some of my usual energy back too. Although I am milking it a bit just to eek out a little extra pampering. My parents keep promising to send me to a spa when this is all over and done with. I'm pushing for Canyon Ranch or Miraval. Oprah really like Miraval and Grammy Jill went there. She got to walk around on stones in a really warm pool. I could use a really good massage.

I did find this place called the Lap of Luxury that provides warm water therapy in a hydrotherapy pool built just for dogs. I guess pet owners bring their dogs to Lap of Luxury for a variety of reasons, Some dogs have physical ailments, others are just learning how to swim and some are training for upcoming competitions. They also work with senior dogs that aren't able to take long walks or exercise normally. I'm holding out for Miraval. If it's good enough for Oprah, it's good enough for me. My dad used to see Oprah working out early in the morning at the East Bank Club back when he lived in Chicago. One day Oprah said somehting witty to him about sweating and lycra. He can't really remember the particulars. Now dad wasn't wearing any lycra. Oprah was. Dad also used to see Steadman in the locker room, but never in the gym for some reason. Dad says that Steadman used to walk around the locker room in his white boxer shorts and and the longest black nylon socks he had ever seen. I think, maybe, they were knee highs. I never hear anything about Steadman anymore. Now it's just Gayle, Gayle Gayle. Speaking of love, there is a whole series about training dogs with love on Oprah's website.

I'm following Oprah's advice and giving the pups lots of love. Yesterday we moved them downstairs to an expanded ex-pen that has a crate attached. Dad covered the crate with a towel and the pups love to go in there when they are sleepy. It's their little den. I think the pups like being downstairs surrounded by all the activity. If it's warm enough we might even take them oustide today.