If there is mud, the puppies will play

I am convinced that if given a choice between running in a large pasture of green grass with clear blue skies on a 75 degree day OR rolling in a hole two feet deep with mud, a puppy will choose the mud hole.

Please tell me they will grow out of this stage.

We had Blondie from the time she was a puppy until she died at age 7.  She loved to swim and she played in the rain when she was a puppy.  She hated to walk in the wet yard when she was an adult.  I only hope Bella and Shiloh grow out of this "mud is fun" stage.  Until then, I continue to wipe paws and wash a lot of towels.

Blondie was really funny when it rained.  She didn't want to get wet, but she knew she had to go outside to potty.  She would run through the yard with her eyes closed as to not get her eyes wet.  She would peek out with one eye barely open to see where she was going.

Topher does not particularly care to get wet in the rain.  Tanker could care less.  He would lay outside in the middle of a hurricane just to watch things blow by.  (I have not allowed him to do that.  I'm just saying that he would.)

This blog is going to be very disorganized with my thoughts.  Welcome to my brain.  I am just going to write what I am thinking in no particular order.

Wes has the next couple of days off.  Tomorrow he goes back to his doctor.  We will hopefully find out what has been causing all his symptoms, whether it be a tick related illness or an autoimmune disease.  He is doing remarkably better.  He worked a few hours yesterday.  He is at work right now.  He came home exhausted yesterday.  A few hours of work did him in.  The doctor already told him that he will be fatigued for a while.  He was really sick.  His body went through a lot.

We are taking Shiloh to the vet on Thursday.  I am pretty sure she has a urinary tract infection.  She has been pottying frequently and very little at a time.  I can tell she doesn't feel well.  I love the vet we go to.  We take all our animals to Woodbridge Animal Hospital.  They know us well there.  They know our pets well.  They are worried about Shiloh if she has a UTI since she is only a puppy.  They told us to bring her in sooner if she seems to be doing worse.  They are an emergency clinic as well.

I collected a stool sample from Shiloh this morning.  Wes forgot it on his way to work.  I had to throw it away.  They need a fresh sample.  (Sorry for the details.  After working in nursing and growing up with lots of animals, there is not much that grosses me out.)  I have the feeling she will need to be dewormed a second time.  I will spare you those details as to why I believe so.

We have been looking on Craigslist and Freecycle for large dog crates.  It is our plan to clean out/reorganize the basement and put kennels down there for the dogs for when we are not home.  I recently had a friend whose one dog got into a fight and killed her smaller dog when she was not home.  They were not aggressive towards each other before that.  Our dogs get along fine.  However, they are dogs.  They still have dog instincts.  You cannot train that out of a dog.  I say that Topher would never hurt Tanker, and honestly I don't think he ever would, but you just never know.  I probably would not trust the two puppies and Topher together alone when the puppies get older.  The two puppies have gotten into a fight with each other while playing too rough.  It happens.  They are dogs.  Blondie got aggressive in the year or so before she died.  She bit me once and I had to get stitches.  We think she had cancer that was never diagnosed.  All it takes is a dog that doesn't feel well and doesn't want to be messed with for it to bite or attack another dog.  Therefore, we are going to start crating them.  All four of them will be next to each other in the basement so that they are not alone.  Crates seem to be a hot commodity here in the Northern Virginia/DC/Maryland area.  None are for free.  We have found them for $50, which is a good deal, but that's $200 for four.  Hopefully we can find some while Wes has a few days off.

I started reading a new book.  Wes did too.  We enjoy reading.  I think it makes us smart.  Everyone else probably just thinks we're boring.  The book I started is called What a Difference a Dog Makes: Big Lessons on Life, Love, and Healing from a Small Pooch.  It's written by Dana Jennings and it is recommended by Temple Grandin.  Temple Grandin is a lady with autism who teaches at a University, but also writes wonderful books on animal behavior.  I really relate to Temple because I tend to understand animals better than humans.  They are honest, true to their emotions, and non judgemental.  Put me in a room full of dogs and I am right at home.  Put me in a room full of strangers, and I have a little bit of social anxiety.

Puppies have learned the rooster alarm on our phones.  Tanker gets medicine for his epilepsy four times a day.  A rooster goes off every time he needs medicine.  The animals know it as treat time.  Everybody comes to the kitchen when the rooster starts to crowing.  It is quite the site to see.  Even the cats come for treats.



Take a look at that.  I got everybody to sit and wait while I fiddled with my camera to take this picture and while I prepared Tanker's medicine.



Shiloh is giving Tanker kisses on his face.  Aww.

Our dogs come into our lives as "just the family pet," but before we know it they become drinking buddies and fuzzy shrinks, playmates and Cheerios-munching vacuum cleaners, alarm clocks and sleeping partners.  And, in their mysterious and muttish ways, our dogs become our teachers.  -Dana Jennings in "What a Difference a Dog Makes"