Pet Day 2015: Best Waver

Trudy attended Pet Day today at Maggie's school. She was awarded a certificate for "Best Paw Wave to Say Hi!" We think every pet received an award, but we aren't telling Trudy.

Family Vacation '09 - Priest Lake

Earlier this month, we braved a cross-state road trip and headed to Priest Lake in Northern Idaho for a family vacation. The weather was unseasonably cool, pouring rain off and on. This probably would have disappointed most, but we welcomed the excuse to cozy up and take lots of naps. An added bonus of all the rain was it kept the pesky yellow jackets at bay.

Kaleia used the week to do some good growing and learning how to charm.

Because Magnolia was a bundle of energy, wanting to explore every minute, Brian and I were thankful for the extra hands of Grandpa, Nana, great-Uncle Craig, and great-Aunt Sherri.

Maggie drug her great-Uncle Craig around smelling all the flowers.

She enjoyed a short ride on the four-wheeler.

Great-Aunt Sherri taught her the finer points of berry picking.

She caught right on. Of the pint she picked, about 10 huckleberries ended up in the bag.

Purple-faced and -fingered, she was a happy girl. Diaper changes the next day were not happy.

We did see some bear scat on our trip, but these were the only two bears we saw.

Otis and Trudy love going to the lake! Rain or shine they take full advantage of exploring the forest with its abundance of smells and playing in the water. Otis chased many squirrels at full speed bounding over fallen trees.

Trudy played so hard she could hardly walk.

Our other adventure was riding on the boat. We got to stop in a cove and see a bald eagle.

Maggie loved going fast.

Any time we slowed she signed for more.

All in all is was a great week. We were all a little hesitant to leave -- well, maybe not Brian. He was pumped to get back for soccer.

I scream, you scream...

Mistaken Identity

Today at the dog park, mixed in with Magnolia's usual stream of "FFff" and "Rrururu" was an occasional "Mew Mew." A cat at the dog park?? Confused, I scanned the park.

This is what I saw.

I tried to reason with her.

"Magnolia, that's not a cat. It's just a little dog."

She didn't believe me.

Our New Pets

WORMS!

At a workshop on Saturday, hosted by The Lettered Streets Covenant Church, I finally learned how to compost.  Not only will this cut down on our waste but our wormy friends (which are pretty amazing: check out Wikipedia) will turn all our organic kitchen waste (except dairy and meat) into nutrient rich fertilizer for our garden.

Wanna start your own worm bins? The following links were given at the workshop:

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Redwormsedit.htm

R.I.P. Puppy

Today, our betta fish of three years passed away. He was a shimmering crimson fish (I wish I had a picture) my sister got for my birthday when I couldn't have a puppy yet, thus the name. 

He was such a smart little fish...Brian used to tap the bowl before he fed him and Puppy would come up all eager and chomping.  And he would show his gratitude every time we (read Brian) cleaned his bowl by fanning out his beautiful flowing fins.  He was so sensitive too.  One time when I was sad he licked me.  Okay just kidding, that was Otis, but Puppy really wanted to, I could tell.

Puppy, you will be missed.

The proud parents of...

the Tails-A-Wagging "Pets of the Month!"

Trudy and Otis attend Tails-A-Wagging, a doggie daycare, once a week. Yes, we take our dogs to daycare. When you have two 50 lb high-energy dogs and no yard, doggie daycare once a week is a must!

The staff has affectionately nicknamed Trudy and Otis "the crazies" because they seem to have an unending supply of energy and enthusiasm. Tails provides lots of playtime, training and even teeth brushing. They often receive report cards similar to the ones I've included.

As "Pets of the Month" Trudy and Otis get a free day of daycare and their bio posted on the Tails-A-Wagging website. The bio is hilarious and I encourage you to read it!

If Magnolia never makes honor roll... at least we will still have this.

Lots of people have been asking how the dogs are with Magnolia... Just take a look!

A first taste of babysitting

Due to Brian's continued sickness, my very pregnant state, and Otis's daily need to go to the dog park--we don't have a yard--I decided to seek out a responsible high school student to hire to take Otis for us. I quickly found one that enthusiastically accepted and we arranged to start today.

While waiting for her to pick him up after school, I gathered his leash, a poop-bag, and some treats, reassuring Otis that he was going to meet a new friend today. Then I decided I should make her a list of commands that he knows. When she got here I gave her the run down on our park routine including strategies on getting him back in the car when he is not ready to stop playing. As she left I reminded her to feel free to call my cell phone if she had any questions.

Walking back into the house, I started thinking about what I would do if Otis ran away on her and other far-fetched emergency scenarios. Then it hit me: I am a dork. I just gave this high schooler the equivalant of what I got when I was babysitting numerous small children for the first time. What am I going to be like when I am actually leaving my child with a babysitter! This is just a dog for crying out loud.

Needless to say, it sure was nice to rest at home instead of taking him to the park in our continuous Northwest rain! And Otis and his new friend had a blast at the park!

Messenger

Trudy is a very smart dog.  Even as a wee pup, we had to keep her mentally- as well as physically active. She catches on to new tricks pretty easily.  She's also eager to please and likes having a job.  So, in my pregnancy I've started taking advantage of that. 

It started a few weeks ago, when I decided it would be nice if she could bring me the dogs' leashes so I didn't have to look for them or bend over to pick them up. 

"Trudy.  Bring me your leashes."  She perked her ears up, and trotted purposefully out of the kitchen, as I smiled at the prospect of never again having to search for or bend over to pick up their leashes.  A minute or two later, despite previous success at leash retrieval, she returned empty-mouthed, unable to find them (I think they were in the car).  She looked everywhere.  Then she went into Brian's studio and sniffed a short piece of black webbing but left it, knowing it wasn't a leash.  A few minutes later, exasperated by the lack of leashes and desperate to go for a walk, she went back to the 12 inch strap and decided to bring it anyway. "Mom, will this do?"

A second case came when I took Trudy and Otis to the dog park. It was a typical blustery day, and I didn't want to have to get out and dig around in the car for the chuck-it with her ball in it.  I knew it was somewhere in the back with her, so I just asked her to bring me her ball. It took a few tries, since the plastic launching device was previously a doggy no-no, but she eventually overcame her learned inhibition and brought it to my perfectly warm and dry hand in the front seat. I'm starting to like this, I thought. 

Finally, last night I was exhausted. Dinner was ready, but Brian was downstairs in our bedroom. I had been up and down stairs all day at work and at home and didn't feel like yelling. So, I thought to myself, "I wish Trudy could go tell Brian that it's time to eat." Then I had an idea. And it worked perfectly! 

Not only did it get my message across, but when she brought the sign to Brian he thought it was so funny he came up right away, laughing hysterically  :) 

Our Babymoon

All of my pregnancy magazines have advertisements for "babymoons." (One last trip as a couple before you have a baby and your life changes forever). Most of the advertisements are for warm places with sunny beaches or romantic places in Europe, so a few months ago, Brian and I decided to take advantage of my Thanksgiving break and go to that most exotic of locales... Calgary, Alberta.

Why Calgary? Well, actually we stayed a few nights in Canmore, a town near Banff, which is a little more exciting and beautiful. There are a couple things that drew us to this destination. First, airfare during Thanksgiving is unreal, so we knew we would be driving. Second, we wanted to go somewhere new, and we could use our Trendwest membership to get a place in Canmore for very little. (It cost more to kennel our dogs for a night than for our room!) Finally, Brian's brother Kevin, his wife Melanie, and their 7 month old baby Jamie live in Calgary and we don't get to see them very often.

The drive is about 10 1/2 hours if you drive non-stop and conditions are favorable. Unfortunately with a 6+ month pregnant woman and two dogs you can't drive non-stop. Fortunately, the drive is beautiful. There was snow all around us, but the roads were bare and the sky was blue. The air was crisp and absolutely FREEZING! (Note the temperature on the dashboard in the middle of the day.)
At one rest stop Otis got to experience snow for the first time! Trudy needed to wear the coat Alli got her because she is so skinny and doesn't have much fur. While in Canmore we mostly vegged out in our room. But we did make one venture into town each day to walk around the shops and get something to eat.
Then on to Calgary to spend a few days with Kevin, Melanie, and Jamie. Melanie and I spent a lot of time talking about new motherhood. She passed on her maternity clothes, (My wardrobe at least doubled!) as well as some clothes and things that Jamie has outgrown. We saw some of Calgary; I drove around with Melanie one afternoon and Brian went to some art shows. We played a great new version of the game of Settlers of Catan and again just relaxed.

Our dogs got to stay with us at their house. Jamie gave them a crash course in how to act around babies! She poked them, pinched their noses, pulled their tails, took their bones away while they were chewing them and even tried to pull herself to standing using Trudy (and her fur!). They were so great! She also exposed them to lots of new smells and sounds. Our only trouble was making sure they didn't lick her to death every time they walked by. Jamie and the dogs even joined forces to become an irresistible wake up crew.

Our only sad part of our trip was that while we were gone Brian's grandpa passed away. We knew it might be soon and made a point to visit him before we left, but it was still difficult. The family decided to wait to have the service until after we got home, and Melanie decided to caravan back with us so she could be there too. Kevin flew in later in the week because of work.

Overall, it was great to get away with Brian. We had fun just laughing, dreaming about the next stage of our marriage, spending time with family we don't see often, and doing nothing. I came back really refreshed, in spite of spending an entire day in the car.

"Otis! You're not stupid!" - Brian

Sometimes, we have to trick our dog Trudy into eating. One nearly fail-safe method is to play catch with a few pieces of kibble. After about three she will begin eating out of her bowl. I'm not sure if she gets the idea that she should eat or if the taste of a few pieces whets her appetite. Either way it gets the job done.

Every time I throw food for Trudy Otis comes and sits expectantly, so I throw food to him too. Usually the kibble hits him somewhere in the face and he scrambles for the rebound. However, yesterday morning after the usual "Otis, ready ... catch" he actually opened his mouth in an attempt to catch on his turn. Excited I praised his effort as he scrambled for the missed food.

After Trudy's turn, I decided to try Otis again, hoping to reinforce his attempt, but not expecting much. This time Otis caught it! I was overjoyed and gave him lots of praise! Brian overheard the commotion from the stairs, confirmed what he was hearing was true and wished he could have seen it. Then he too praised Otis with some pats and said with delighted surprise, "Otis! You're not stupid!"

This morning Trudy required another round of kibble toss. And as Otis waited for his turn he had the same kind of crazed look Trudy gets while fetching at the dog park, quivering with excitment. I paused a little too long after saying ready and he sprang up directly in front of me. Hilarious! He missed that one, but was able to catch the next. A light bulb must have gone on. So our boy may be slow, but he's not stupid.

Foster dog...almost

We got a call, recently, asking if we would be willing to foster Otis's biological sister, Annie. When his litter was found she had been hit by a car and has been spending the last few months recovering. Her jaw was broken and her skull cracked. She is on the mend, but missed out on important socialization with other dogs. The Alternative Humane Society wanted to place her in a home with another puppy her age and an older dog that could help her socialize before she was adopted. They called us first because they know we take good care of our dogs and we had her brother. We agreed, but the family that was adopting her didn't want to wait and promised to socialize her. Brian and I were disappointed. We thought it would be fun to have Annie for a little while and see how she and Otis interacted. I know, three dogs...but Brian actually wanted us to have three dogs permanently when we adopted Otis. We were really glad to learn that Annie was not the one we passed on and that she didn't get hit by a car when she could have been living with us. Otis was a little bummed too, but he and Annie do still get to play together at doggie daycare on Fridays. The staff swears they remember each other.

Don't they look similar? Otis is just about 10 pounds heavier and his ears don't stay up any more. Trudy likes her brother now (though she doesn't like to admit it), but she was not looking forward to having another puppy to terrorize her.

Kinda like a single mom

I admire women (and men) that have to be single parents. Even though, I just have puppies, I kinda feel like a single mom right now. But we're adjusting.

The Fourth of July was a little rough as I figured out how to be at a social event with the dogs on my own when I was feeling crummy. A couple friends stepped in to a lend me a hand and reminded me to take care of myself.

Yesterday was better. Trudy went to Doggie Day Care. After some dog park time with Otis, I went strawberry picking with my friends Mike and Emily. Then we went back to Emily's house to make freezer jam with our harvest. Otis played contentedly in Emily's backyard. Trudy was tired in the evening, and after Otis's puppy class he was too. Overall, it was a great day!

A Trudy Philosophy

Trudy after a day at Tails-A-Wagging

Trudy goes to doggie daycare sometimes. I know...our dogs are spoiled. But really when you have active dogs and no fenced yard, Doggie Day Care is a life saver.

Before Otis, Trudy didn't like to eat in the morning before daycare. (Now she will eat just to show Otis she is boss.) So we would leave some food with her. But the food bag would often still be full at the end of the day.

One day, the owner of Tails-A-Wagging (her Doggie Daycare) said that they try to feed her, but "Trudy thinks eating is stupid."

It was an epiphany! That is exactly what Trudy thinks. These days I have been thinking that Trudy might have a point...

Puppy Kindergarten!

Tonight was Otis's second puppy kindergarten class. He is a fast learner, just like his big sister, but he is much more mellow than she was. He is quite content waiting for our turn to try the next lesson or while our teacher is giving instructions. My mom is bringing her new dog Murphy to class too. They definitely are buddies! I feel like a proud mom most of the time. How cheesy! Here are a few pictures...

Otis and Sofie couldn't wait for the off leash playtime!



Otis and I practicing Sit, Down and Stand while Murphy looks on...This is Solie. She is cute, but very timid. When most of the dogs come near her, she yelps. Otis always comes over slowly to check to see if she is okay before continuing to play. He's a nice guy.



Otis and Murphy were thirsty after class and did a nice job sharing the water bowl, but...








they were still a bit spunky and got each other soaking wet! Murphy is trying Otis's one ear up look.

A bit of R & R

Brian and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and free couple of hours today by taking the dogs to Camp Firwood for the afternoon. I've spent a lot of time at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal this week; an all day district math meeting on Thursday, Senior prom set up and supervision yesterday, and we are heading back for our friends' wedding tonight. It was really nice to get outside! I took Otis out on the lake in a kayak and Brian called him. Eventually, he jumped out and went for his first swim! He did great, but he enjoyed playing with all of the little girls digging holes in the sand much better. Trudy spent the entire time playing fetch. She never tires!

Lessons learned at the dog park...

how to meet and greet other dogs...

how to submit when the other dog is bigger than you...

hopefully a few things not to do...

but most importantly, the best places to hide!

Conspiracy!

Tonight, I am spending the evening with the pups while Brian is at his childhood friend, Steve Bentley's bachelor party. Otis is still learning that he needs to let me know he needs to go outside. Luckily, we replaced our carpet with laminate this winter so it is easy to clean up. Well, tonight he had an accident on the floor. After quickly doing an initial clean, I went into the other room to get the special pet mess cleaner. On the way back, I slipped on a stray piece of dog food falling on my bum and sending the spray bottle flying. When it landed the top popped off and it proceeded to roll across the floor relieving itself of it contents. I might be imaging it but I think I saw smirks on both dogs faces!

Otis Rush!

We brought home a brother for Trudy today! His name is Otis Rush...

<--No, not this Otis Rush...







This one!

Murphy!

My parents brought home a new puppy recently. Isn't he cute?! Trudy (our dog) gets a little jealous, but is mostly tolerant...maybe she needs a sister or brother...