It doesn’t matter where I go in the house, all the dogs have to come with me. My sewing room floor is covered with dog treats, toys and of course fabric and thread scraps. Every so often someone gets bored and lets me know……”hey Mom…..we need a little attention here”. It was Tilly’s turn today. She kept sitting in front of me with her rib bone in her mouth…..very cute. I happened to have my cell phone with me so I was able to capture this quick video. If you look on the wall behind Wally, you will see my Bargello quilt starting to take shape.
Category Archives: Tilly
Puppy play date
On the weekend we brought our ‘kids’ over to Susan’s house and they had a fun play date with Hope. She was so excited to see them that she was doing laps in the backyard. For a puppy who had several homes and a bit of a rough start in life…..she is doing so well. She is quite the flirt and she just loves men. As soon as Don sat on the swing she was right up there beside him. Susan says she never jumps up there normally. Here is a short video of all the ‘kids’ together.
Filed under Foster Puppies, Tango, Tilly, Two legged family, Wally
A special day
Today we are celebrating two milestones. Nine years ago today Wally joined our family as our first foster dog. He was only supposed to be with us for a year but we have been blessed with 9 wonderful years and hopefully many, many more to come. He has the most beautiful personality and a gentle spirit. He has fathered 51 puppies, many of whom have gone on to become guide, assistance, hearing or autism service dogs.
Over the years he has welcomed 7 long term foster puppies and numerous short term fosters. They have chewed on him, jumped on him, used him as their play thing and at the end of the day they have crawled on top of him and gone to sleep. For an intact male he is truly amazing. If it were possible to clone him and keep him in our lives forever, I would do it without hesitation.
June 22nd, 2001
And last but not least, little Tilly is 6 months old today.
Wally’s Bear
Wally’s favourite toy is his giant stuffed bear. It is bigger than he is but he will drag it around the house or outside so that he has it with him. Normally anything that is stuffed gets killed quickly in our house…..everything but Wally’s bear. Over the years he has never shared his bear with any other dog…..but for some reason he has relaxed the rule for Tilly. She has found a hole in the back seam and she is always pulling the stuffing out. Even though she just had 4 teeth pulled and has numerous stitches in her belly from her spay and hernia repair…..it doesn’t seem to stop her from wrestling with the bear. It’s feet are larger than she is. If you listen closely you can hear her snorting as she pulls at the red nose and the heart appliques on the paw.
Convalescing
Tilly has been taking it easy since her spay on Tuesday. I didn’t have the heart to put the cone head on her but even if I did, it wouldn’t have helped. The good news is that she doesn’t lick much but the bad news is that she is really itchy from the belly shave. I had to come up with a plan “B” to stop her from ripping out the stitches while she was scratching wildly and to stop Wally from licking her belly. He is obsessed with it. If I don’t watch closely, she ends up soaking wet from his licking. I went to PetsMart and they were clearing out all the summer dog clothes so I was able to buy a long muscle shirt for $4. It completely covers her incision and protects from her scratching. I’m embarassed when she goes out in public with her shirt because it says “Don’t act like you are NOT impressed”.
Filed under Tilly
Too many teeth
I just got a call from the Vet’s office. At first my heart stopped because the Vet tech sounded so serious. Tilly is doing great but she has 4 baby teeth that never fell out and they are doubled up with her adult teeth so they wanted to know if they should remove them. I think we are going to have to re-mortgage our house to pay this bill. It’s a good thing that this little girl is so darn cute and loved to bits.
She becomes an ‘it’
This morning I am dropping Tilly off at our Vet’s office so that she can be spayed. I was hoping to wait until she was 6 months old (she is 5.5 months) but our boy Wally has been telling us for the last few weeks that she is starting to become a young woman and is close to coming into heat. The boy’s nose…knows. He has alerted to a female in heat up to a month before it starts and he has never been wrong so we have learned to trust his nose. Hopefully she won’t have to wear one of those cones on her head to stop her from licking her belly. I think she would find it very stressful.
Tilly’s long coat has just started to show promise but I guess we will have to start back at square one because they will likely be shaving the long hair on the side of her belly. When I go back this afternoon, I will be bringing Tango with me so that she can get her annual exam and shots. We need to provide proof that she is a healthy dog before she can qualify for her RCMP certification in a couple of weeks.
Training Time
Three friends and I are in Calgary to attended the CAPPDT (Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers) conference. We arrived yesterday at noon, hit a few local quilt stores and then settled into our hotel rooms. I am really looking forward to hearing such experts as Jennifer and Steve White and of course the guru Karen Pryor speak. I have been awake since 5am and now I am waiting for the others to surface so that we can walk the dogs before the first session begins at 9am.
This is the first time Don has been left alone with the 4-legged kids and he knows I am a little worried. He sent me these picture to show me that everything is ok at home.
Playful Paws
I found a new MeetUp group for toy and small breed dogs. In the summer they meet weekly at a fully fenced outdoor hockey rink. It is great because the dogs have tons of room to run around and play and we don’t have to worry about anyone getting lost or running away. There were over 20 dogs at today’s get together and everyone got along really well. It was wonderful for Tilly to have so many dogs her size to play with. One of the Papillon’s was celebrating it’s first birthday so there was doggy cake for all the 4-legged participants and even a little treat for each human. I can’t wait for our next play date.
Filed under Tilly
Hope’s Visit
We’ve had Hope as our houseguest for the last 2 nights. She was one of our foster puppies in 2008-2009 so she is well known to Wally and Tango. She loved playing with little Tilly but she was a little rough……I guess she has never had any experience playing with a small puppy. Everyone survived and a good time was had by all. Hope was very good a remembering the house rule for only going potty in the restricted zone but she either completely forgot or ignored the rule of no swimming in the pond. Thank goodness we hadn’t moved the fish outside yet.
Filed under Foster Puppies, Tango, Tilly, Wally
Sleeping buddies
I don’t know what it is about Tango and Tilly but it seems like every time I find the two snuggling together they are in some weird position. First it was Tilly sleeping with her muzzle parked right up against Tango’s butt and now this. Tilly’s neck is sandwiched between Tango’s two back legs…..like she is in a wrestling death grip choke hold…..only she is peacefully asleep. Strange but true?!?
Fun Weekend
We went for an off-leash run with Susan, David and Hope this past weekend. There were so many gopher holes in the field it was like walking an obstacle course. I was concerned that one of the dogs would hurt themselves and possibly break a leg while they were running around and playing. Wally, who is not normally a high prey drive dog, was fascinated with some of the holes and began digging in them. I got a good group picture at the end. You can see how tired the dogs are with their giant pink tongues hanging out while they were panting profusely.
Filed under Foster Puppies, Tango, Tilly, Two legged family, Wally
A dog house morning
I love weekend mornings. I’m always the first 2 legged member of the family to wake up. As soon as I am starting to stir Tango is right there waiting to say good morning. I just need to snap my fingers or whisper ‘OK’ and she is on the bed in a microsecond. She loves her morning cuddles and she is so anxious to plant a kiss on my face that I often end up with a french kiss. Wally is more like Don…..not a morning person. It takes him a while to stretch and slowly come to consciousness and then as he approaches the bed you can hear the loud thumping of his tail against the mattress. Wally is a ‘spooner’…..he just loves to mould his body to mine and snuggle in close. Our little Tilly prefers to get as close to your face as possible. She will sleep draped across my neck or mouth.
If I get up for a potty break, by the time I come back Tilly has staked a claim on Don’s neck and the big ‘kids’have taken over my side of the bed.
New puppy toy
I know my ‘kids’ have a ton of toys already but I couldn’t resist buying this one. It is a giant yellow and green crocodile with 16 squeakers in it. There is nothing Wally and Tango love more than a stuffed toy with a squeaker….but 16 of them…..now that is a toy! It was a big hit with all 3 dogs. So far they have only killed one squeaker…..no holes, no missing appendages and it is still fully stuffed.
Cavalier play date
I found a local Cavalier King Charles Spaniel group on Meetup. Now that Tilly has had all her shots, we can finally go to one of the group get togethers. We met at the Doggie Style Deli on Sunday. It was the first time that she actually really got to play with another dog. At the off-leash park, all of the dogs we encounter are either so much bigger than her, they play too rough or they aren’t interested in her…..so she has never really had the opportunity for a good play session. Although all the Cavie’s today were bigger, they all got along very well. The owner of the Deli had a German Shepherd that was really interested in Tilly and played much more gently with her than Tango does. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera so I had to rely on my iphone. I got some fun video and a few blurry pictures of the gang together.
Back: Honey (Cocker spaniel), Cecil, Chloe Front: Tilly, Charlie
Puppies and kids
When we were trying to decide which breed we should get, one of our most important criteria was that the dog had to be great with kids. Up until now, the only interactions Tilly has had with children was walking by a few at the off-leash park. Today we spent the day with Susan and her granddaughters Petra and Gwen. Tilly definitely lived up to the Cavalier promise of being great with kids. Even when the girls got excited, jumped and made loud noise……Tilly seemed to take it all in stride. At first she was far to excited, jumping up and licking the girls like crazy. It took a few minutes but she quickly settled down and just enjoyed being with them. The visit ended with Petra and Tilly curling up on the couch together……so sweet!!!
4 Months and counting…..
Today is kind of a bitter sweet day for us. On the happy side, we are celebrating Tilly being 4 months old but on the sad side, this is our last play date with Garnet. Tonight Garnet will be leaving his foster family that he has been with for the last 14 months, and moving on to a new foster home. He is such a sweet, wonderful dog and of course he is incredibly handsome like his father Wally. Yes, Garnet is another one of Wally’s children who hopefully will go on to help someone as a Guide, Assistance or Autism Service Dog. Goodbye Garnet…..you will be missed by everyone!!!
Here are a few pictures and a video from our last puppy play date:
Bath Time
Does this look like a happy face? Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn’t seem to mind getting bathed in the kitchen sink. She just stood there quietly and when it was all over she climbed into the towel to get dry. Now she smells like a combination of lavendar and rosemary. Very smoochable. Of course, as soon as she was dry she went outside and starting digging in my vegetable garden. I think we are going to have to put up a Tilly-size fence to keep her out.
I was thrilled to discover that spring may have finally sprung. I noticed that I have some beautiful crocuses blooming. I just love the first sign of spring. I look forward to going out into the garden each morning to see what is peaking up out of the cold ground.
Perfect puppy weekend
On the weekend we always try to get the dogs out for a few off-leash runs. Tango lives to play with her chucker and Wally and Tilly are just happy to be outside with us. Here are a couple of videos from our weekend. The first one is just video of Tilly and Wally enjoying being at the off-leash park. The second one is Tango playing with her chucker. She is obsessed with it. If you watch her closely you will see that when she is chasing the ball, she makes herself more aerodynamic by flattening her giant ears against the top of her head. As she closes in on the ball they stand up straight almost like air brakes to help her slow down.
A real dog house
I walked into the family room this morning and got a real chuckle…..it is not hard to tell that this is a ‘dog house’. The carpet was covered with toys, stuffing and of course dogs.
When Tilly wants to cuddle or sleep she seems to prefer Wally but when she is in the mood to play, Tango is definitely her first choice. Here is a cute video of her doing her best to get Tango to play with her. When she does succeed at getting herself a playmate…..she is almost overwhelmed by the intensity of the game.
Many new firsts for Tilly
Today was a big day for little Tilly. This morning, bright and early, I took her to meet our Vet and get her 3rd set of shots. She did really well, with just one small cry when he stuck the needle in. She weighs a whopping 2.8 kg. That means that she has only gained .1 kg in the last three weeks. She was a big hit in the office and one of the Vet techs took her in the back so that everyone could oooh and ahhh over her.
We got Dr. Scott’s blessing to take her on her first trip to the off-leash park. I wanted to go at a quiet time so that her initial visit wouldn’t be overwhelming with all the dogs and people. She was true to her Cavalier heritage and was a complete social butterfly. She had to run off and meet every dog and every human. I was really proud of her. She even managed to come back when she was called.
Then it was off to Don’s office to meet his co-workers. She was pretty tired from all the running at the off-leash park so she was on her best behaviour. They all smooched her up. It turned out to be a very long day for wee Tilly. We left the house at 8am and didn’t get home until 2:30pm.
Filed under Tilly
Happy Easter
We hope that the Easter bunny hid some tasty treats for you to fill your basket with!
Another life lesson for Tilly
I am laughing so hard that the tears are running down my face. Poor Tilly just learned another life lesson the hard way. I’ve been in the den getting caught up on emails for the last hour or so. I looked around to see where Tilly was and I saw her curled up and sleeping with Tango. She had positioned herself between Tango’s tail and her hind legs and she had her muzzle parked in Tango’s butt. I mean she was literally nose to rectum. I quietly grabbed my camera and took this picture all the while thinking what a crazy place to sleep.
Then I hear the all to familiar sound that most dog owners can relate to……pheewt….Tango has farted and its a whopper. It takes a couple of seconds….but poor Tilly’s peaceful sleep has been rudely interrupted and she is shaking her head and snorting her nose trying to figure out what happened. Ok….I admit it…..I’m like a child when it comes to flatulence…..it just cracks me up. I’m still laughing and having trouble typing this out. Life in the dog house……you’ve gotta love it!
Nurse Tilly
Don has been convalescing at home this week. Not to worry…..he has had Nurse Tilly to keep him company. Here is a series of pictures of her snuggling and keeping a watchful eye on her patient.
Filed under Tilly
Tilly loves rawhide
We gave Tilly her first piece of rawhide. She wasn’t sure whether it was more fun to eat or play with it. She learned a valuable life lesson though. If you live in a multi-dog household, and you leave your rawhide unattended…someone will steal it!
Puppies have spring fever
Last week was so beautiful with temperatures well above normal…..almost all the snow was gone but that all changed. Here it is the first official week of spring and the temperature has fallen and we’ve had snow 3 days in a row. Everyone, two-legged and four-legged, is sick and tired of winter. The dogs have got so much energy but nowhere to burn it. Wally and Tango were having a good wrestle in the back yard and little Tilly really wanted to join in. I love watching them interact together but I’m always watching to make sure that she doesn’t get trampled accidentally.
Puppy mosh pit
Generally speaking, most German Shepherds are fiercely loyal and love their family but they often don’t really warm up to strangers. Tango is quite different. She is extremely affectionate and just loves all people When Don takes her out training, we have to warn the people that are hiding that when she finds them she is going to plant at least one big, wet puppy kiss on their face. When it comes to other dogs, she is not a real social butterfly. At the puppy park she is only interested in playing with the chucker and she doesn’t interact much with the other dogs. Over the years, Tango has welcomed all of our foster puppies. She is the first to play with them but for some reason she will not allow them to touch her. If they try and snuggle up with her….she will just get up and walk away. It doesn’t matter how many times the puppy tries….snuggling is just not permitted. It can take a month or more before she will start relaxing the rules….that is until now. It has taken Tilly less than 2 weeks to have a break through. It was amazing to watch. That little puppy had a plan and she carried it out to perfection. Inch by inch she dragged herself closer and closer to Tango until she reached her goal of snuggling up against her. It probably took almost 20 minutes to complete….but she was successful. When Don got up to grab the camera, Tango and Wally were muzzle to muzzle…unfortunately just before he snapped the picture Tango sat upright.
Clicker training begins
Now that Tilly has been with us for a week and she has settled into her new life, it is time to start training. We started out with ‘charging the clicker’ to teach her that a click is a very good thing and it means that a reward is coming. Then we moved on to clicking her for making eye contact with me and she caught on to that fairly quickly. Yesterday I introduced her to the Staples Easy Button and I clicked and treated her for any contact. Today she started offering a paw target, she got a big reward for the first hit and from that point on she just kept progressing. Unfortunately I didn’t have the video camera going the first time that she actually got the ‘That Was Easy’ sound but I was able to capture the second time she was successful. She is so tiny that she needs to jump on it with both paws to get the audio. As you watch the video you can see her thinking and processing all the things she has learned and when she decides to hit the button you can see the pure joy in her face and her body language. That little tail is wagging like crazy.
Filed under Clicker Training, Tilly
Celebrating 3 months
Today Tilly is 3 months old. She has really fit well into our ‘Dog House’. Wally and Tango seem to be accepting her and she is thrilled with them. Wally will allow her to snuggle with him but he doesn’t play much with her whereas Tango loves to play ‘chase-me’ with her in the backyard but she still has her ‘no touching’ rule. It usually takes Tango a month or so before she will let a new puppy snuggle up with her.
Yesterday we captured this great video of Wally and Tango holding a tug toy and little Tilly trying to take it away from each of them. Too cute!!
Family Portrait
Michelle, Grandma, Chris and Tilly
Our visit with Chris and Michelle went by so quickly. It was wonderful having help looking after the little, hairy monster. On Friday we stopped by Grandma’s apartment so that the kids could say good-bye. It was hard to get Tilly to sit still long enough to capture a few pictures.
Filed under Tilly, Two legged family
Life In The Dog House 