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”.
Convalescing
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.
Loud mouth frog – update
Since the day I published my blog entry about the boreal chorus frog who took up residence in our pond……we haven’t heard a ribbit from him. l’ve been overwhelmed with a sense of guilt and regret for wishing that he would go away…even if it meant that a predator got him. I tried to soothe my mounting guilt by thinking that maybe he didn’t become someone’s midnight snack…..maybe he found a mate so he didn’t have to advertise any more. As the days passed I almost wished that I would hear that annoying sound again. Well…….I am pleased to say that as of last night….and I mean all last night….he’s baaaack!!! As I type this post in my den, I can hear him begin his afternoon serenade. Welcome back Loud Mouth Frog! I will try my best not to think bad thoughts as I lie awake listening to your “1-800-Find-a-mate” calls in the middle of the night.
Filed under Garden
Tango and Cash Reunited
Back in April of 2004 a generous breeder from California donated two of her German Shepherd puppies to a guide dog school. They were given the names Tango and Cash and we were chosen to foster and train Tango for a year. Every week we got together with Tango’s brother Cash to attend training classes and to socialize them at off-leash parks. Cash was great with people but he had a bit of a dog aggression problem so he was eliminated from the program. He was adopted by a couple, Judy and Bob, who loved German Shepherds and had recently lost their beloved dog Laser. Judy has MS and she was hoping that Cash would be able to assist her around the farm. Tango made it to the second phase of training but it quickly became clear to everyone that she was a very high energy girl and not suited to be a guide dog. We were given the opportunity to adopt her and become her forever home. Over the years I often thought about Tango’s brother and hoped that he was living a wonderful life in the country.
Well, we no longer have to wonder about Cash. About a month ago I was contacted by Judy. Poor Cash had some serious health issues and she wanted to let me know about them so that I could get Tango checked out by our Vet. A few days ago we drove up to their farm to meet them and to reunite Tango and Cash. Except for the 40lb weight difference it was like we were looking at Tango’s twin. Their markings, colouration and even their vocalizations were identical. As we began talking we quickly discovered how similar their personalities are too. They both love people, especially kids and they are both very talkative. All four of us just couldn’t stop talking about how much alike they were. We had a wonderful visit and we look forward to getting together with them again very soon.
Judy with Cash and Tango
Don and Cash
Tango and Cash (8 months old)
Filed under Tango, Two legged family
Ladybug is ready to fly away
It has taken me almost 7 months but the ladybug quilt is finally finished and ready to be given away. To read more about it click on this link Ladybug Quilt for Renae.
Annoying Visitor
I just love our yard and how so many different and amazing critters are attracted to the pond….that was until recently. We have a first time guest who has already worn out his welcome. It started in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. We always sleep with our bedroom windows open to get fresh air and to listen to the sound of the stream flowing into the pond. At around 1:00 am a new sound could be heard. A very loud and annoying sound. It rang out every few seconds throughout the whole night. It sounded like a giant frog. Of course Don slept through it all and in the morning I was beginning to think that maybe it had been an annoying dream. Then late Wednesday afternoon I heard it again. Definitely coming from the pond. When you get up close it is so loud and it almost sounds electronically generated. I started trying to locate the source of the sound but it would stop once I got close to the edge of the pond. Once I turned away it would start again. Ok…..is one of our neighbours trying to ‘punk’ us with some hidden speaker. This time Don heard the racket too so he came out to investigate. We checked everywhere but we could not find any critter or speaker so we gave up and went back inside…..and then it started again. We could hear it in our kitchen with all the doors and windows closed. Don went out with a big metal stick and began poking around all the rocks and crevices. Nothing. We gave up and went to bed. And then it started again. It lasted all night. At around 3:20am the neighbourhood Robins joined in to the chorus. Of course Don had no problem sleeping through all the racket. I love nature…but this guy has got to go. I’m surprised that he hasn’t attracted some prey animal to come and get him since he is doing such a great job of announcing his presence.
It has now been 3 nights of frog serenades. Although we can hear him loud and clear we have not caught even the slightest glimpse of him which would lead me to believe that he must be very small. I just can’t believe that something that small could produce such a loud, reverberating sound. Check out the video and listen to his song……
UPDATE:
I think I have discovered the identify of our visitor…..a boreal chorus frog. When I read the description I knew I had found my loud mouth frog:
- These secretive and largely terrestrial frogs are often heard, but seldom seen. Their tiny size makes them difficult to find, even when the males are calling. Their calls are relatively loud, but deceiving, often sounding as if they’re calling from someplace else!
- Despite their tiny size, these frogs call so loudly that if you stand at the edge of a large chorus, your ears will ring.
Filed under Garden
Another family visit
It has been a whirlwind few days in the dog house. Catherine surprised Sean by flying them out here to visit us and Grandma for Sean’s 29th birthday. It has been about 3 years since they have been here so it was wonderful to see them. This has been a good year for visits from the kids. Chris is March and now Sean in May. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Erin will come for a visit soon.
Filed under Two legged family
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
Mother’s Day
We took Don’s Mom out for brunch this morning. We enjoyed a lovely meal overlooking the river valley.
Filed under Two legged family
Garden Visitors
Over the past week I’ve noticed a pair of ducks hanging around the neighbourhood. Friday night Don found them swimming in our pond. As much as I would love to have a pair of ducks nesting in our yard…..it is just not safe with the dogs. I would be sick if Tango caught one of them or their ducklings. The female had a good feed on my Irises while her mate just paddled around. Don did manage to get a bunch of pictures before they were spooked by the dogs. I’ve always thought of the females as being very colourless and drab. If y0u look at the picture of the female flying off you can see she has the same amazing blue/purple feature on her wings that the male has. What a treat to enjoy all the amazing wildlife that visit our garden and hang out at the pond.
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?!?
May????
Our backyard is a winter wonderland again. There was so much snow drifted against the back door that I couldn’t open it from the inside. It is hard to believe that it was 26 degrees Celcius last week…….go figure????
Filed under Garden
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.
Happy Birthday Don!!
Look at this face…..what a cutey. It is hard to believe that the skinny guy is 60 today…..gosh that sounds so old. When I think of someone who is 60 I get the image of a senior citizen…..that’s not Don. He’s still a lean, mean machine. No one believes him when he tells them his age. We are going to the Hardware Grill for dinner with Susan and David. I’ve never been there before but it has very high ratings from customers and critics.
Happy Birthday DAD from the 2 and 4-legged kids!!
Filed under Two legged family
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.
Our spring garden
Every day there are more and more signs of spring in our garden. I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and trying to capture some of the beauty around me.
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:
A Very Special Day
This afternoon we attended a graduation ceremony for guide, autism and service dogs. There were a total of nine graduates. The dogs were from 3 different litters, C, E and F. When I looked out over the group I realized that all 9 of the dogs were Wally’s puppies (he has sired 51 in total). It was wonderful to see how his genes have been passed on and how successful they have become. The E-Litter is the first litter that has had all puppies make it through the training program and be successfully matched with a partner.
Back: Everest, Enzo, Eddie, Finn, Chase, Chloe, Ebony
Front: Elliot, Cessco
Sam and Ebony
One of today’s graduates held a very special place in our heart. Ebony was our foster puppy from 2007-2008. She and I learned operant conditioning (clicker training) together. She was amazing. I got her at 7 weeks old and in her first week with us she learned her name, sit, down, come and she could retrieve a set of keys. By the time she was 5 months old she could retrieve or carry anything, take off my socks and help me undress, empty the washer and dryer , and turn on the light switch. At 5-1/2 months old she flew with me, in the passenger cabin, to California to attend Clicker Expo.
There was nothing that Ebony couldn’t learn how to do and she loved to work. Just before she left us, I taught her how to paint. I would hand her the brush and she would make strokes on the canvas. Many of her original pieces of artwork were sold at a charity auction. I presented her partner Sam with a framed print of one of Ebony’s best works of art. She painted it during the summer of 2008 when the Beijing Summer Olympic were on TV….to me, it has a real oriental feel to it
Ebony with her paint brush
Another one of our previous foster puppies, Charly and her partner Larry, came to today’s graduation ceremony. Charly graduated a few years ago. We were lucky enough to be able to get a picture of Ebony and Charly together with their partners.
Larry & Charly with Sam & Ebony
Filed under Clicker Training, Foster Puppies, Wally
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.
Happy Birthday Wally
My beautiful (inside and out) golden boy is 9 years old today. I can’t believe it. He is still so young at heart but the greying muzzle gives away his true age. This is what he looked like the day he joined our household:
2001 June 22 – 10 weeks and 5 days old
And this is my handsome boy today:
Here’s a slide show of him growing up:
Filed under Wally
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!
Life In The Dog House 