I Love Coffee, Dogs, and People

I love coffee, dogs, and people.

Yes, probably in that particular order.

Coffee helps me stay awake.  Dogs teach me about life.  People make my day, but can sometimes be moody.

This is my coffee mug.  I use it everyday.  I use it multiple times a day.  I went to school at EWU for one quarter to take Organic Chemistry.  Then Wes got orders to our next duty station and I transferred everything over to Spokane Falls Community College, who has an agreement of some sort with EWU, took a few classes, and got an Associate Degree from them so that my credits from Washington State would transfer to the University of Maryland easier.  See, colleges don't like credits that are not bound to a degree.  Makes transferring around the country difficult.  My advice of the day, when you transfer schools, get a degree first so that they can't take your hard earned work away from you.

I went a little off track there.  Welcome to my ADD mind. 

If I am carrying that mug, it means I have every intention of accomplishing something that day.  Or it means I just woke up.  Or it means I just wanted to drink coffee because I enjoy it.  Basically, if I am carrying that mug, the only thing you may learn about me that day is that I am drinking coffee. 

I am drinking coffee out of that mug right now as I write this blog.  I always drink coffee while I write on the internet.  You can imagine me every time you read this blog sitting on the couch with laptop in front of me sipping, or possible gulping, my coffee out of that mug.  That makes me sound like a DC yuppie, doesn't it?

Let me update you on the puppies.  We went and bought another medium sized crate for them yesterday.  We need to work on separating them and Wes and I need sleep.  Crate training puppies are the best way to accomplish those two things.  We brought it home and put them in their separate crates.  Bella did really well.  She didn't mind at all.  Shiloh was a little distressed that she was not near us or near Bella.  I eventually turned the crates facing each other so that Shiloh could see her sister.  She settled down.  That was during the nap we took yesterday.  Last night, we had the same issue with Shiloh, so we faced the two crates together again.  Bella woke us up in the middle of the night (which is about 4 am for us) to go out and potty.  I was really proud of her.  When we put them back in their crates, Shiloh howled and howled.  I finally let her out.  I gave in.  That was bad on my part, but Wes needs sleep.  I do too, but I don't have to work.  I can nap at home.  Shiloh came up on the bed and slept at my feet.  That's all she wanted.  Bella slept in her cage the rest of the night.  Shiloh is not the problem at night.  Bella is the one who chews through cell phone chargers and electrical cords.

Bella and Shiloh would much rather just sleep curled up together, but if I want to train them to be therapy dogs, they need to be independent. 

Today was very, very, very hot.  I did not walk the dogs individually.  The puppies don't seem to mind the heat, but I do not take a chance with them.  After Blondie had a heat stroke last year, it is not worth the risk.  I can train indoors, although it doesn't seem as effective as if I do it outside after a walk.

It is so hot today that I am not even going to put in the effort to pant.  I will just lay here with my tongue sticking out.  Panting takes work and who wants to work when it's 96 degrees outside?

Holy hot dogs it is hot!  Too hot for this long haired guy.  Mmm...hot dogs.

What mischief has the puppies gotten into today?  Well, after buying two packages of 50 potty pads each, I think we are officially done with potty pads.  It's not because they don't have the occasional mistake, it's because Bella won't stop shredding them.  I do think she has some of Blondie in her.  She is very smart and always into something.  Just when I thought I had gotten through to her that she couldn't eat her pee pads, she started tricking me.  She would lay on them, chew a rawhide, and pull the pee pad up through her two feet to eat it.  From a distance it looked as though she was chewing a rawhide bone, but she was really shredding her potty pad.



She is such a problem solver.  I wish I had her when I took Calculus in high school.  She could have probably done my homework for me better than I did.  She and Blondie would have been double trouble together.

Potty pads are put up.  No accidents so far.  Shiloh actually barked at me to go outside earlier.  I was very proud of her.

Shiloh has found an old tennis ball outside and now feels the need to shred it.  I have taken it from her a few times and given her a rawhide, but she wants the tennis ball.  If it keeps her busy, makes her happy, and doesn't cost me an arm and a leg to replace, let her have at it.

We went to lunch at Salad Creations with our two therapy dog friends, Kris and Kelly.  I love those two.  They are the sweetest people ever.  We talked about therapy dogs, a flyball competition, service dog puppy raising, foster dogs, etc.  I asked them if they knew why the puppies like to put their entire muzzles into Topher and Tanker's mouths.  They did not know, but we all think it must go back to basic instinct from wolves.  In the wild, wolf puppies will lick their mom's mouths to make the regurgitate for food.  Topher and Tanker think that's pretty gross and it's even more reason to be leery of the puppies.  Goofy puppies.

Kris has already met the puppies.  Kelly and her sister-in-law came over after lunch to meet them.  They loved them!  The puppies were very affectionate with them.  Once again, I think they are going to make great therapy dogs.  I just have to get on the ball with training them.  I am training them and working with them daily, but I feel like I need to be doing more.

That's all for today.  Wes is at work.  I ate left over spinach omelets from IHOP for dinner.  It was really good.  Tomorrow is another day and another adverture.