Eight

The number of years I have had Wolfey
The number of years Wolfey is older than Lolly
Hopefully not the number of years it will take for Lolly to be as well behaved as Wolfey. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that she's still a pup and still new to our home, but she will settle down and settle in. I just have to be patient, and be thankful that I have Wolfey for some peace and Lolly has Wolfey for some guidance. I really am lucky to love two such amazing dogs!

Pretty puppies

I took the dogs to be groomed yesterday at my aunt's dog grooming business.  They were both super excited to get in the car, but then super stressed to be left somewhere.  Wolfey hadn't been left somewhere for grooming in years, and I'm not sure Lolly has ever been groomed, but with Lolly's split toenails and Wolfey's skunky encounter, I figured they could both use a little cleaning up.  When I dropped the dogs off I realized I had failed to bring leashes.  Not a huge deal, since they're both so good about staying with me, but I was a little worried about whether there would be other dogs inside and how my dogs would react, so I kept a tight hold on their collars.  I also realized this would present a problem for taking the dogs for a walk with Mom later in the day.  Thankfully it wasn't an issue at the groomer's, but I went ahead and bought them each a new leash while I was there.  After all, you can never have too many leashes!  I was looking at the standard fabric leashes when the groomer pointed out some leather ones that were hanging by the door.  I assumed they would be super expensive, so I hadn't even considered them, but she told me they were on sale, and were even cheaper than the fabric ones.  Of course, I bought two.  Taking the dogs for a walk last night, I learned that leather leashes are FABULOUS!!  Wolfey has always been such a good walker that I've always used a retractable leash and given him lots of freedom, but Lolly is not so well behaved on a leash.  She loves to walk, she just doesn't get the concept of keeping up with me and not running into me.  I found that I had so much more control with the leather leash than a fabric one, which is what I've been using for Lolly, and tons more control than with a retractable.  I think because the leash is stiff, it reminds her that I'm at the other end.  Now my doggies look pretty, smell nice, have healthier toenails and walk more nicely.  I love it, and I'm so lucky to have an awesome aunt who probably knew this long ago!

9:39

Both my babies are crashed out on the floor while I lie in bed and read. It's a good night, indeed! I think I wore them out today!

The new jogging

Last night was our first walk/jog since Lolly joined our family.  We have walked several times and she is the goofiest walker ever (she prances and keeps walking right into your path), so I hadn't yet gotten up the nerve to try jogging with her.  I decided to give it a shot last night.  I figured the worst that could happen was that she'd take out my knee, I'd fall painfully to the ground and be stranded there, since I don't have cell service where we walk.  No, really, I figured the worst that WOULD happen was that the jog would be unsuccessful and we'd just walk.  But she did great!  The walking parts were still kind of rough, but she was awesome for the jogging.  I think the issue is that when we walk she has too much time to get distracted, so she wonders off, then realizes she has to stick with me and over corrects, running into me or cutting me off.  With jogging, though, we're going quickly enough that she just keeps going and we don't have so many issues with her being a ding dong.  That's not to say we don't have any issues - I did kick her more than once last night - but honestly, most of the problems were when I was walking, or when we were transitioning from walking to jogging or vice versa.  I do believe, though, that between my awkward jogging, her weaving back and forth and getting herself kicked and Wolfey just being a goober, we probably could win some money on America's Funniest Videos.  Now who's going to come film us!?

Houdini

I feel like they had to have conspired against me to have pulled this off. Thankfully I see no destruction in the house, despite the evidence that Lolly has been out for quite some time

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that this picture isn't very clear.  Basically, the dogs knocked out the front wall of the crate so she could climb over it.  I still haven't figured out how they did it, but it's back together and she is back in it today.  We'll see if the same is true when I get home tonight!

Assault and lickery

Lolly is such a loving pup...but maybe a little too loving sometimes.  She wakes me in the morning by climbing onto the bed (she doesn't jump, but she's tall enough that she doesn't have to) and licking my chin.  If I don't react immediately, she starts licking my neck and inevitably ends up licking my mouth - GROSS!  This morning they both got me.  Lolly sat on my hair and pinned me down and Wolfey flopped on my chest until he got me to pet him.  Even as a dog person this was a bit much!  Lolly does the same thing when I get home from work.  She does everything she can to get close to me, get me to pet her and make me pay attention to her.  And she's such a licker!  I love snuggles and petting, but dog slobber is just a bit icky.  When I settle into bed to read before I sleep, she stands on top of me so I can't hold the book and forces me to pet her instead.  It's like she just can't get enough of me and just has to get closer.  She's so super sweet, but I could really use some personal space!  I determined right off the bat that she had never had any real training and was going to need some serious attention to be anywhere near as well behaved as Wolfey, but right now I'm only working on one command: back off!

It's official

I just signed the paperwork to Lolly's forever mommy :)

Relief

I am so thankful for Bestie, who has had so many dog tummy issues she's an expert by now.  Thursday evening we talked and she suggested Pepto Bismol and rice to settle Wolfey's tummy and help bind things up.  We did that Thursday night for dinner (with some ground beef) and again Friday morning and I am happy to report we have been accident free since Thursday evening.  He did wake me in the middle of the night Thursday to go out, but at least he was in control enough to wake me, and no accidents yesterday!  I know I'm a little goofy about my dogs, but I'm so lucky to have a friend who is nearly as nutso as I am!

Poop

Yes, I'm a child and I say poop (okay, I actually say poopies) when I'm irritated, but this is real poop.  Okay, it's irritation, too, but I'm irritated because of real poop.  Dog poop, to be more specific.  We've had four accidents in the house in as many days.  The first was Lolly, and I've already determined the issue and she hasn't had a problem since.  The last three were Wolfey.  This is NOT like him.  He just doesn't go in the house.  Monday he was at my parents' house and my poor dad had to clean it up.  Thankfully, it was on the tile, but he still wasn't thrilled.  I wondered what was going on, but chalked it up to stress, with Lolly coming, and then me leaving him at my parents' house but taking Lolly with me (I had known this wasn't going to go over well but hadn't expected anything so drastic).  The second day, though, was a little more concerning.  Yesterday I arrived home after only being gone a couple hours to find poop right inside the door.  He had to have had a tummy ache to not be able to hold it for such a short time, and (t.m.i. time) it was extremely soft.  Wolfey was obviously upset about it, since he sulked out the door, being very careful not to step in it.  Of course, Lolly came bounding through the house when I let her out of her crate and stepped right in it.  Gross!  Then this morning I woke up and there was another accident.  I know I'm a sound sleeper, but I can't imagine that he let me know he needed out and I didn't hear him.  Once again, it was extremely soft - nearly diarrhea - which, of course makes me worry that he's sick.  Three days in a row just can't be okay.  I'm anxious to get home and see how he did today.  Unfortunately it's going to be a long day at work (I'm just now on my lunch break, at 3:30) and I worry that he's not going to be able to hold out.  It does make me very thankful that Lolly's still a crate pup, though!  I'm definitely open to any input or suggestions on home remedies for upset doggy tummies!

She barks!

After four days together with only one little bark, I was starting to wonder if Lolly ever barks. This morning, when the garbage truck came by, Wolfey began barking and Lolly quickly joined in, barking like crazy and running to the front window to get a closer bark. I'm actually kind of happy to learn that she really does bark, but is just more discerning than Wolfey with her barks. I just wish we hadn't had that revelation at 5:30am!

I give

The monkeys have determined her name is Lolly. So there you have it! I'll buy Bonnie/Bunny/Benny/Snickers/Lolly her new tag tomorrow, and it will be official. Welcome to the family, Lolly!

Skunked

I've made a little progress on the name issue, but not much.  BBS suggested Snickers, due to "Bonnie's" coloring and last night I tried it out.  Her ears perked up and her whole face brightened.  I'm wondering if that may be her name, but I'm still not entirely sold.  I contacted her foster mom to see what type of dog she is (other than just mutt!) to see if that may help me come up with a name, but I'm still waiting to hear back.  So for now, no name it is!

We went for our first walk together last night.  Interesting.  Bonnie/Bunny/Benny/Snickers/whatever her name is) does NOT do well on a leash.  This is definitely something to work on.  She prances along, so happy to be getting the attention and so eager to please that she ends up tripping me.  It's really cute, but also really annoying when you're trying to walk for exercise instead of just for fun.  Oh, well, we'll get there!  To make our walk that much more interesting, when we were almost finished last night, Wolfey found a skunk.  Thank goodness it ran faster than he did and he didn't get hit too badly, but he still had to have a bath last night...after just getting one yesterday morning!  Poor boy was NOT happy with me, but I wasn't too thrilled with him for making my car smell like skunk, either!  For the record, if you ever have a similar situation, mix 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 teaspoon liquid soap in a bucket and use to wash the dog.  I couldn't believe it only took one application and Wolfey smells as good as he did before the skunk!

Bonnie, Bunny, Benny

The kids got along great last night.  Yes, my dogs are my kids!  There was one little growling match when Bonnie got a little antsy while I was making dinner, but Wolfey put her in her place and that was the end of that.  She is definitely taking cues from him, which is great, since Wolfey is so well behaved.  We also had an incident where Bonnie pooped on the bed in the spare room, but looking back I see that she asked to go out and I didn't know what she wanted.  She had pawed at the back door, but since the glass was open she was scratching at the screen.  I yelled at her so she didn't rip my screen and went on with my day, not knowing that was her signal.  Problem solved, the comforter is in the washer as we speak, and there is now a bell on the back door so I won't miss it the next time she asks!  In fact, I only had to show her the bell one time and she figured it out (she rang the bell and I came running to let her out...hmm...maybe it's me who's being trained here!).  Someone must have used that with her before, so I'm confident that won't be an issue any more.
Now, on to the question of the day.  I'm really not a fan of her name, and she doesn't respond to it very well anyway, so I'm wondering how big of a deal it would be to change it.  In discussing this with BBS last night, she suggested Bunny, so it's an easy change (Bonnie probably won't even notice the difference) and I would have two animal-name animals.  Cute, but perhaps a bit too cute?  Then this morning it hit me - what about Benny?  I went to Ball State, so it could be short for Beneficence, so it would be close to her original name and actually mean something to me.  The only problem there is that every time I say it, I start singing "B-b-b-Benny and the Jets!"  So...thoughts?  Name suggestions?  I'm open!

UPDATE: I just learned that Bonnie was only named a few months ago, when she came to Tails of Hope (the organization through which I received her), which explains why she doesn't respond to her name.  I wish I knew her original name, but now I'm just that much more motivated to find a name that does fit!  I had planned to hit PetSmart on my way home to buy her a tag with her name and my phone number, but maybe I'll just put one of Wolfey's on her for now (he has a spare since he lost it and then we found it a couple weeks later) and buy her a tag of her own once we have a better name for her!

Anyone who read my old blog knows how this makes my heart smile :)

Meet Bonnie

The newest addition to my zoo :) She's on loan until we see if she and Wolfey get along, and if she helps with his separation anxiety but I really hope she works out!

I think he thinks he's people

Out of sheer laziness I decided to walk around town last night rather than going to the park.  Mistake!  I had forgotten about the psycho dogs on the next block over (who probably scared me more than they did Wolfey, but he was definitely feeding off my tension) and didn't know about the big scary dog a few blocks down from them.  We had recovered from the psycho dogs, who were barking their fool heads off as we passed (Wolfey completely ignored them but was very attentive to me, since he could tell I was nervous) when I heard the big scary dog approaching.  I could tell it was behind the fence I was passing, but wasn't sure how sturdy the fence was, or whether the dog could jump, so I kept calm but picked up my pace, just in case.  No, I am not, nor have I ever been, scared of big dogs, but when it's dark and you can't see what you're dealing with, you've never met the dog before and your only indication of the dog's demeanor is the low growl you hear coming from behind the fence, it can be just a bit intimidating.  Wolfey, on the other hand, was completely oblivious.  He continued strolling along, stopping to sniff at the fence periodically and didn't even seem to notice the dog on the other side of it.  Wolfey didn't even react to the other dog until it started barking like crazy at us, and even then the only thing he did was position himself between me and the other dog.  I guess I should be glad he doesn't react to other dogs - often, I hear the psycho dogs barking in the distance and look out to see Wolfey snuffling around our back yard - but it would be nice if he'd give me a bit of a heads up when there's something big and scary around the corner!

I've been slacking!

No posts in a while, sorry!  I've been busy, but nothing really friends/family/Wolfey related, so it doesn't seem right to clutter a people-oriented blog with work and craziness.  Here's to hoping I have the energy to take Wolfey for a walk/jog when I get home tonight and that you're all doing the same! :)

I think I wore him out

We spent a lot of time outside today. First I mowed the yard while Wolfey ran around and barked at the neighbors. Later in the day I watered the flowers while Wolfey ran around and barked at the neighbors. Then this evening we went for a walk/jog. This is how I found him when I got out of the shower. I'm thinking it's bed time!

The little things

The phone just rang, with BBS's number showing up on the caller ID.  I answered with some silly greeting, as is often our M.O. and on the other end was a tiny little voice, saying "hi, Aunt Karen".  Doll Baby wanted to talk to me, so BBS let him make the call. We talked for a minute, including me asking him what he was doing, and he asked me to come visit.  Please excuse me while I mop up my melting heart!

Dogs shouldn't have Rhubarb

The things you learn from doing a little research!  I knew they shouldn't have chocolate, caffeine, alcohol (duh!), onions or avocado, but rhubarb is new to me.  I'm learning so much from this book!

Oh, and we ran Thursday.  There was a break in the rain, and we had perfect timing, getting our run in right between showers.  But man, was it humid!  Wolfey wasn't a fan of the thunder and I about kicked him in the head one time when there was a loud clap and he came to hide by me, but all in all, I'd say it was a successful run!

Aaand the the rain has started.  So much for our run tonight.  Wolfey will be so disappointed ;)

On to more blog-related stuff.  I'm reading the book, "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" right now and learning SO much!  I didn't realize just how much I didn't know, but this makes me want to say, "duh, that makes so much sense I don't know how I didn't figure it out on my own!"  I'll definitely share little tid bits along the way, but if you're interested in making your own pet food, this is a must read!

I'm feeling it

I'm beat today.  It's funny - we didn't walk any longer last night than we usually do, but the walk was a little faster paced and with eight minutes of jogging added in, I'm definitely sore.  I think Wolfey was feeling it, too.  When I left for work this morning, he was zonked on the couch.  I'm so jealous!  I wish I could have joined him.  At this point, I'm looking for input.  For one thing, I need motivation to get me back out there tomorrow.  I'm not good at exercising, and now that my walking buddy has pooped out on me, I have no one pushing me to meet them, and it's way too easy to say, "I'm tired, I'll do it tomorrow."  So if anyone has any input that will help motivate me, I'm all ears!  Yes, I know that Wolfey needs the exercise, too, and that helps, but I still need a little shove in the right direction most days.  Also, I'd like suggestions for jogging music.  I have no delusions that I will ever become a runner, but it does seem that some peppy music would help get me moving a little faster.  So this is my call to all my fit friends - help me out!  For my health and for Wolfey's, I'd like to get out and get moving more often.  Please help me make it more enjoyable!

Can dogs count?

It would seem that Wolfey can count. Tonight I started the "couch to 5k" app. We only walked one lap (about a half mile) farther than normal but with the jogging added in it really wore me out. Wolfey must have been working harder too, because after the fourth lap (when we would normally quit), Wolfey headed for the car. When I told him we weren't done yet he came running right along, but he definitely didn't have the pep in his step he'd had before. It's so funny to me that he seemed to know the normal quitting time. I'm so lucky to have such a smart boy! Lazy, but smart ;)

Kayaking

Went kayaking all afternoon with BBS and the monkeys. I stopped at mu parents' house to pick up Wolfey's leash and ended up having dinner with them (how could anyone turn down blts?). Now I'm headed home and I can't wait for a shower, some aloe and bed!

Wonder dog

Wolfey and I hung out with my mom last night. What a great Saturday night! I got off work, picked up pup and went to my parents' house. It was that yucky, wet kind of hot, but we went for a walk anyway and had a really nice time. We walked further than we planned and by the time we got home we were all sweating. We went inside and all went straight for our drinks. Wolfey took a long drink of water, then flopped down on the kitchen floor like he was just too wiped out to take one more step. We all crashed pretty hard, but it was such a great night. I'm so lucky to have such a low key, fun and fit option for a Saturday night!

Puppy time

Poor Wolfey is really looking pathetic.  He's been chewing, so his fur is getting thin, and today when I left the house, he gave me the saddest look.  I feel awful!  So tonight, since girls' night was cancelled (well, postponed.  We're going to do dinner Monday instead), it's going to be a Wolfey and Mommy night.  I've got a few little things to do around the house, then we're going to go for a walk, play, brush Wolfey (something he used to hate but now loves) and probably end the night by snuggling on the couch and watching some reruns of Big Bang Theory.  Sounds like a great night to me, and I hope Wolfey agrees!

Feeling the love

Yesterday was a rough day.  There's been a lot going on lately and it all came to a head yesterday, with several people letting me down within a just a couple hours.  Being bored at work (we were really slow for some reason), I had lots of time to dwell on it.  Not good for me.  I posted something on facebook (yes, I get on facebook at work.  When there are no customers and the store is clean, there's not much else to do.  I okayed it with our IT guy before getting on or allowing my employees to do so) about feeling let down and was immediately inundated with positive comments from people encouraging, supporting and generally cheering me on.  While I am not a huge fan of social networking sites as a whole, I do think they serve a valid purpose, and last night was abundant evidence.  While it is hard to admit that I have made some bad choices in putting my faith, time and energy into people who clearly did not appreciate or deserve it, I am so lucky to have so many amazing people in my life.  To all my positive, supportive facebook friends and family, thank you!

Jammies

This is why I don't wear pretty jammies. They all end up in the living room! I came home tonight to find that Wolfey had not only stolen last night's t shirt off my bed, but had drug out my pajama tops from the past three nights and had tangled them all together on the living room floor. I guess he likes for it to smell like I'm around while I'm at work all day. My sweet boy :)

What a day

What a couple of days, but yesterday was really interesting.  I guess Wolfey got into something that didn't agree with him, because after a ridiculously long, difficult both physically and emotionally, draining day, I was welcomed home by the smell of an accident.  My first inclination was to be upset with Wolfey (I was gone longer than usual and thought he'd just decided to go ahead and go.  NOT cool.) but I could tell he wasn't acting quite right, so I decided to investigate first.  Poor baby had gotten sick all over the playroom and hallway.  Let's just say I spent close to an hour scrubbing poo off my hardwood floors.  Yuck.  It's days like this that I'm so thankful for my hard floors and my generally well behaved pup!