Random Thoughts with Random Photos

Roxie's one year anniversary with us quietly came and went on October 30. Bob and I feel so lucky to have this sweet little girl living with us. She has settled into our life as if she was always here. We wonder if she still remembers her life before us...

We've taken great pains to make sure she never thought she was just here temporarily. No out of town trips or overnights at a kennel. And I think she finally knows this is her home forever. She certainly thinks this is HER home - she's carefully trained us to know what she needs and wants.

The pictures below are just random ones over the past couple of months. We just yesterday had a major snowstorm with 12-13 inches of snow. Rox is not sure what to think... she went out the garage and into a blowing snowstorm. Stopped and returned to the kitchen forthwith. She told Bob she wanted to go out the front door where the weather was sure to be sunny. Makes sense in a perverse doggy-world way, I think. Each door has it's own weather?

At any rate, she is firm that her walks continue; we just have to pick the snowballs out of her face and feet when she comes in. She's comfortable with this - she gets wrapped in a warm blanket while we pick off the snowberries, then she rests there for about 20 minutes until she warms up. See the picture of Bob holding her post-walk.

This is a picture out our sun room of the snow from BEFORE the 12-14 inches we got yesterday. I may be repeating myself, but I do feel a tad better when I say I HATE MICHIGAN IN THE WINTER.... sigh........... there see, I do feel a bit better.

As I'm writing Rox is curled up in her bed with two quilts. She does know how to snuggle, that's for sure.

Gratuitous Pictures of Beauty

One must forgive the gratuitous use of photos when they are posted out of love.... there are days when I just cannot help myself.

Fall is here, one of my most favorite times of the year. Cool, but not cold yet; the sun remains although thoughts of grey skies temper my smiles. Soon the Grey Skies will arrive and joy will hibernate until next March. I hate Michigan winters....

The picture above is classified. It is Roxie's secret path to the back yard. A hard left turn out of the sunporch puts her on this path to the way back. Bob's such a good daddy - he keeps the path clear when the snow comes and when the hostas overgrow.

If she makes another left turn at the stones, she heads directly under the bushes along the north side of the sunroom. This is her foul-weather potty area. She can do her bidness under the bushes and avoid the snow and rain. Always good to have a "sheltered sh*t spot".

Cute butt. Can't help it. She's my baby....... the River Otter Boo-Boo area is growing back hair, hopefully in time for cold weather.

As if she's deliberately forcing growth of her hair for winter, Rox has gone in and out today, hoping the cool weather will stimulate her follicles. Here she is checking west for ... well, for something.

Bob and Rox continue their walks each day, now wearing Hunter Orange. When they walk in the state land areas, hunters might mistake the upright, two-legged animal for dinner, so Bob carefully dons his orange hat. Sadly, his orange vest from 30 years ago doesn't fit anymore.... I'm working on an orange vest for Rox so she won't be mistaken for a wild turkey on a leash.

Pepe Le Pew on a Recon Visit

Poor Baby Girl got only one trip out tonight, although she still got her three treats.

Most of the year we leave the outer screen door open about 8 inches in our sun room, making it easier for Rox to go in and out. The cooler weather has just made us change our minds.

Bob let Rox out for her first trip and she immediately did the circle and sniff bloodhound maneuver. Bob says he smelled skunk! Could Pepe have come into the sun room and left without causing a problem?

Another call to arms - we rushed for the Flashlight-That-Shines-To-China (now also called the Flashlight-For-Coshing-River-Otters, or just "weapon" for short) and searched the porch for the sniffee. Rox had no luck finding Pepe on the porch so we assume his visit was just a recon trip. If so, he'll be sorely disappointed to find the camp has closed the gate.

She made it out and back without getting sprayed, so we decided to maintain our good luck and keep her in. Hope she did her bidness in the first trip tonight....

Remembering Gilda Radner...

For those of you who are about my age, you might remember Gilda's phrase "if it's not one thing, it's another"........ and my trite response is "truer words were never spoken".

Rox was incontinent of urine twice. Once Wednesday night and once Thursday night. In our bed. After a session of Humpy Humpy.

Sound icky? Bob thought so.

So it went like this: Rox and Bob were in bed (the old story about her not sleeping with us ---- well, that's a story for another time). Rox likes to show she's the boss once in a while by doing the Humpy Humpy. In general, we ignore it, giving her a bit of freedom to "show us who's boss", as it were. After she laid down to sleep she made a pee-pee.

The first night Bob found the wet spot but didn't know how it happened. Thursday night he saw her lay down, pee, then jump up like she'd ... well, just pee'd in bed! She was surprised and ashamed. We know she was ashamed because she hid under the bed.

Urinating while sleeping is one symptom of urinary tract infection in dogs so we saw Dr. Putt today. Turns out Baby Girl has lots of bacteria in her urine, not as many white cells as expected, and tons of struvite crystals. What does this all mean?

Rox has a bladder infection that we caught early and the crystals in her urine are precursors to bladder stones. An xray showed no stones yet, and they may never develop. Some dogs have crystals and never get stones. But most do. So....

Antibiotics for bladder infection and a change in diet for Crystal Girl. And mom has a new project researching crystals and stones and high urine pH and etc......

Rox may not have any pain right now, although we have seen one instance of "scooting" that looked like she might be trying to "scratch her pootie". For those of you who are unfamiliar with canine anatomy, the pootie is where the urine comes out on a female. It's a much more fun word to say than "urethral opening". For a male dog, the urine comes out of his winkie. Life is so much more fun if you know the secret language!

Off to research --- Rox is sleeping dry as I type.

"Sleeping dry" = code for no pee-pee.

The Dark Side Prevails

Seems our girl can tell time... or can she?! She has always gone out for her 3-times, 3-treats bedtime potty break at 9 PM. Sometimes it's 8:50 or so, but never later than 9...

So now the days are shorter, fall has arrived. And Baby Girl comes to get us at...... 8 PM !!!! She's shifted a whole hour now that it's getting darker sooner.

I have to wonder how she does it - it is exactly one hour earlier.... the only thing that hasn't changed is the 3 trips, 3 treats ~

We're pretty sure she thinks she's pulling one over on us.... she always looks so proud of herself accepting the third treat.

Sshhh, don't tell her --- we break one treat up into three pieces!

Folks peeping in our windows will scratch their heads at two people laughing hysterically and one dog smiling smugly.....

No harm, no foul.......... We all three go to bed happy...... :-)

Boo-Boos Healing Nicely

The title says it all. No infection or long term effects from the River Otter Adventure. Tomorrow is the last day of antibiotics.

Bob is concerned about her hair growing back in time for winter. He doesn't want her to get cold on their walks.....

I smell a new doggy coat in the wind. Perhaps wool or fleece, and definitely red. Would matching boots be too much?

A Mystery For Your Viewing Pleasure

Remember the red plaid bed Rox got when she came to live with us? Remember the red chairs and the blue chairs and the laps?

Somehow, for some reason, Rox decided to try out less commodious accommodations this summer. Who can figure what goes on in her sweet little mind?!

Behind things and underneath things seemed to be the order of the day. Sleep comes in strange places.....

It Just Doesn't Stop.... Rabbit? No, Thank You.

Bob and Rox were in Bob's car on the way to the park for a walk. Bob looks over to see Rox's head down near the floor. No sound, no gagging, no retching....... just a big pile of regurgitated rabbit guts.

Yes, the visual is as bad as the real thing. I tossed 4 times....

Not knowing what "it" was, and worried about some relationship to the otter incident or meds resulting therefrom, Bob bagged the barf and I headed off to the vet's office to let THEM look at it. My thinking was why not share the adventure?!

Dr. Plein, the only male vet in the practice took a look and declared "rabbit guts".

I wasn't surprised because half way to the vet my cell rang and it was Bob telling me he'd found a rabbit 4 feet from the patio door. It was missing some hair and it's insides. Ah, a clue.....

So here's the upside: Rox may have thrown up all there is to throw up. The downside is she may still throw up some more.....

Rabbits carry tapeworms so we have to take her back in 1 month to get a shot for tapeworm after any possible tapes go thru one life cycle.

Dr. Plein was concerned that Rox was being exposed to all this wild critter stuff. I assured him she is always on a leash (otter attacked her) and always in a fenced, locked-gate back yard in a subdivision (rabbit).

So we think Rox must have been pretty proud, she had dragged the dead half-eaten rabbit up to the patio to either show it off, or bring it in the house. The only thing that saved us was Bob calling her to go for a walk. She drops everything for walks.

She's only got one eye! How does she do this stuff?

And she's not kissing me for a long time !!!!

Icky poo and gag-city-to-the-max!

Sorry, we decided not to photograph either the gag bag or the empty-in-the-middle-bunny. I'm sure you understand..........

Follow the Scent Home

An interesting note to all the otter attack hysteria...

When Rox slipped her collar and ran after the otters bit her butt, her instinct was to run for safety and/or home. She ran right past Bob and turned in at the sidewalk to John and Diane's condo. Bob found her panting at their door.

We had been to their condo the night before and Bob figures Rox smelled our scent on the path, and chose it as the way to safety.

I guess scents linger. I suppose that's how bloodhounds track their quarry.

I guess that makes Roxie a bloodhound dachshund.

Good to know that her instinct was to "go home"....

The Dreaded Cadillac Crate That Made Roxie Cry

This is the crate that made Roxie cry. This thing is HUGE. It takes up the entire back seat of an SUV. It's made for car safety. Roxie didn't see it that way.

There is a foam pad on the bottom, two pillows at one end (one of them is mine, by the way, with my scent on it - although it is now hers, with HER scent on it...) and her favorite quilt.

I'm proud I got her the biggest one that would fit. I'm proud I got one to fit in the middle seat so she could be by us and not get hurt in a rear-end collision. Putting her in the way back seemed to be too much like cargo, so she made the middle.

We petted her with our fingers through the cage bars. She was not impressed. We talked to her almost all the way. She was not impressed. We fluffed up her pillows. She was not impressed. We told her we loved her enough to keep her safe. She was not impressed.

I feel like a bad mom putting her "in a cage" but it really and truly is the most safe way to travel. If I could have sat in the back and held her I would have, but she would have tried to get into the front seat and would have cried until she got there. So we opted to put up with the crying (which broke our hearts) to keep her safe.

She is not impressed.

A Girl and Her Daddy

At the rest stop on the way home from up north. I zoomed in for a closer shot...

This is behind the brick outhouse....

This is Bob wishing I'd leave him out of the pictures... isn't Roxie pretty? Can't see her shaved butt from this angle....

River Otter - 1, Roxie - 0

Our long week-end up north turned out a little different than we had planned....

We got special permission from the owner of a condo in a resort up north on Lake Michigan to bring Roxie. We thought she'd love walks in the the woods and a different environment for a change. Our hopes were high and we were excited about the mini-vacation.

For safety reasons, we made the huge decision to get a travelling crate for Roxie for the trip. She thinks, being moderately spoiled, that her place in the car is in the driver's lap. Someone before us did her that disservice - she cries if she's in the back seat, cries if she's in the passenger seat and tries to jump into the driver's lap when she can. Obviously not a safe thing to do.

Bob lets her ride in the front passenger seat to the park, as the airbag does not trigger because she's too light weight. But for me, that's still unsafe. In an accident she could go thru the windshield or out the door. So as much as I HATE cages, we got her one for the middle seat. It's huge, the cadillac of crates, and filled it with pillows, pads, and quilts. She can turn around and sleep crosswise in it, it's so big.

So off we go, Roxie in her specially decorated crate. The trip was 330 miles. She screamed and cried for 260 miles. Believe me when I say it was pathetic, heartbreaking and headache-inducing. Not to mention her laryngitis upon arrival at the resort.

Trying to be especially kind, we stopped every 75 miles or so and walked her, gave her treats and pets. No dice. She must have been royally pissed at being in jail.

At about 250 miles I called back to our vet and asked what we could give her to "shut her up".... now, truly I didn't say it exactly like that, but the intent was implied. Bless her little noisy heart.

Turns out that Xanax is a wonder drug. We used it on the return trip and it cut out about 80% of the crying.

Spoiled behavior... or anxiety? Whatever, Xanax is the drug of choice for long trips in the safety of her crate.

Next on the list of excitement: wild critters in the North Woods. Northern Michigan is really very rural and woodsy. I freely admit to being a suburban gal. Don't like flies, bugs, critters, dirt, lack of amenities... you get the idea. So when Bob was walking Roxie for her daily business trips, his stories of adventure went right over my head.

Long story short, they saw (at close range!) skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, foxes and most importantly, river otters. The northern Michigan river otters apparently like to hide under cars and attack unsuspecting dachshunds walking by. And if you are a regular reader, you know that Roxie lives to fight those wild critters....

The otter attacked, Roxie countered, slipped her collar, chased the otter into it's river den and we guess found a nest of them. She chose retreat as the better part of valor and got her ass chewed on the way out.

In the midst of the fray, Bob hit the otter on the head with his flashlight to get it off of Rox, and he was left holding the huge Flashlight-That-Shines-to-China, a leash with an empty collar and no dog in sight. Should mention here that it was 6:30 AM and pitch-pitch-inky-black. The otter will undoubtedly have a headache.

War wounds below. They shaved her beautiful hair and found many little scrapes, bites, punctures and lacerations. She looks like a patchwork baby.

Luckily she'd had her rabies vaccination last month after a close encounter of the raccoon kind, and she got her distemper at the vet along with antibiotics and pain meds.

This latest-and-greatest adventure occured on our last morning there. We threw everything in the car, wrapped her in a towel and took off for a five-hour drive to our home vet. Lesson learned - scout out local vets when travelling.

Roxie had a quieter ride home with the Xanax, our vet was wonderful, Roxie acted like a lady while they worked on her and I gave her a major pain pill for that night. She slept like a log and woke up refreshed on Monday AM. She's bruised and puffy, but no infection so far. She grumbles if you try to touch her boo-boos, so we avoid that.

We're wondering if she's thinking she had great adventure... she might be dreaming of the otter she chased away, who knows...

On the long ride home, I kept thinking how upset I was, how I couldn't deal with all the potential trauma, all the "what-ifs" and I finally came round to accept that this is just who she is.... she's good with most dogs and wonderful with kids, but she HATES critters, especially those nasty north Michigan otters.

Of course, in the future, we won't be walking her in the dark in the forest....

Corn on the Cob!

Another first - this is the first August Roxie has been with us. And we found out today that she loves corn on the cob and is a whiz-kid at eating it... right off the cob!!!

First she licks, then she nibbles kernels off with her front teeth, row by row......

Fresh corn right from Long's Farm, right off the stalk. Sweetest corn in the whole world. Some days we get it into the pot within 2 hours of picking. No need for butter or salt, it's that sweet..... you could almost eat it raw.

Roxie has good taste when it comes to veggies!

New Neighbor

I'm of two minds tonight..... Bob and I were sitting on the patio with all the doors and windows open. We have a new neighbor moving in next door. All of a sudden I see in our garage a huge black dog! It had come into our garage and up to the screen door to the patio. She looked at me like she wanted in!

Luckily Rox was not on the patio. I'm afraid she might have taken exception to a stranger in her garage....

I secured all the doors so Rox wouldn't see the dog, then went out into the garage to check on the dog. Turns out it's a "she" and her name is Pepper. The new neighbors had left a door open and Pepper was exploring her new neighborhood.

Pepper looks like a golden retriever except she's all black. She came up to me and wagged her tail, wanted to lick my hand, weaved around my legs like a cat. She seemed friendly.

So did the other dog until he bit me.

So Pepper goes out of the garage and ambles over to her new home. I called over the a young girl moving in "is this your dog?" and she said yes, called to Pepper and off she went trotting to her new house. The girl said Pepper is very friendly and is good with other dogs.

The question is, of course, is Roxie going to be good with her?!

The hesitation I'm feeling is this: we would never in a million years let our dogs wander, especially in a new home situation. After the previous dog bit me, I'm wary of free-roaming dogs. In our township, dogs must be on leash or in a fenced setting. The house next door is a rental with all yard sides fenced except for about 20 feet on one side, so the dogs can wander free.

How does one welcome a new neighbor and say at the same time, "oh, and by the way, please make sure your dog doesn't run loose"? And the other side is this, if Pepper is truly a very friendly loveable girl, I'd welcome her visits. But what about the other neighbors, what about other dogs running loose who aren't friendly....

It's a conundrum. And we still need to see how Rox welcomes this new dog....

Lordy, life is full of worries sometimes.

UPDATE: Roxie's new neighbor is Pepper, a big black long-haired dog. Pepper is very sweet and she and Rox sniff then ignore each other.... Pepper's mom immediately put up the final few feet of the fencing to complete her fenced in yard. Pepper can't run wild in the sub.... and ironically, she would be a great ambassador, as she is very gentle and sweet to everyone.

Pepper doesn't bark madly when she's out, and she isn't left out all day.... So it turns out the new neighbor is a responsible dog lover and owner. Who could ask for a better neighbor?!

Life is good sometimes....

Rabies Shot, One Month Early

So...

Bob started out with Rox for her second morning walk and the neighbor called him over to show him what she had in her car....... she'd live-trapped a HUGE raccoon!

As soon as she opened the car door, the raccoon started hissing and trying to get at Roxie and Roxie tried to get at the raccoon.....

Bob was able to pull her away and the walk never even got started. Rox would not leave the neighbor's driveway even after she drove off in search of someplace to dump... er, relocate, the raccoon. In the meantime, her dog (who came onto our property and bit me the week they moved in) was in her front window about to come through the glass to get at Roxie.

Thinking that the raccoon could have spit some saliva at Rox, I called the vet to get her Rabies shot one month early (she due in September). Who knows if she was at any risk of exposure, but better safe than sorry.

So Baby Girl gets a shot tomorrow. Ouch. Bob is upset for her. She'll probably get mega-treats from him when she gets home.

Oh, and the dog who bit me - they are moving... today was their last day in the house. Yea! That damn dog was mean!

Beauty, Once More

I just can't help myself. Here is another picture of beauty....

Bob and I have commented that maybe Rox knows by now that this is her final home. We are family # 5 for her. That must have been very confusing for her especially in the beginning. From a human standpoint, I'd sure be nervous about 5 homes in 5 years.... but Rox has made it through those homes intact. She's sweet, loving and smart. Has no bad habits and makes a point of not snarling at all the other dogs; only some of them.... we like to think she's being protective of her new home and family. Although we aren't really new anymore, are we?

Nine and a half months! Wow... it's been a wonderful time of getting to know her and understanding her. She's pretty easy to read, as she communicates very well. Bob is totally and unabashedly in love with her. He's been completely taken over by her charms. It seems so long ago when we first married and I wanted a dog. Bob was opposed to the idea and it took two years for him to give in. Now he lives for Baby Girl. I like to think she brings out Bob's feminine side. He frowns when I say this...... ha ha.

There's really not too much going on in our lives right now. Rox has her two morning walks, her frequent brushings and massages, and her home-cooked diet. She's lost weight since the neck injury and it's steroid weight gain.... she's back to her girlish waist. We've trimmed her hairy feets. Her winter coat is shed and she's trim and styled.

We're just hangin', as the kids would say. Summer time, and the living is easy....

Three is Magic Number

Roxie is fine. We've been busy and have sadly neglected our blogging duties....

She finally recovered from her neck injury, or whatever it was. It was 6 weeks of hurt for her and misery for us. We hate, hate, hate to see her uncomfortable! But the second course of valium is what finally did it. She is now the wiggly girl she was when we got her....

Rox has developed a plan, as all thinking dogs will do. She goes out for her final duty run at bedtime. Comes in and gets her good-girl treat. Prances, tells us how good she is and then........ back out for trip # 2. Same routine, same treat. So we've caught on and tell her after number two trip she is done. She stands in the kitchen and barks at us. Raa-roo, wahroo, ark ark! Then runs to the door for trip # 3. By this time we are laughing. She gets us every night. As if it's a first run movie and we've never seen it before and don't know what's going to happen next. She thinks we are stupid. She is so blatent, transparent as glass.

So on trip # 3 she sits at the outer door, listening to the night sounds. I guess she might be waiting for a possum to cross the patio - she sits stone still like a statue in the dark. Listening.

Finally we get her in and she gets treat # 3 and we have to carry her off to bed.

Yes, she's back in bed with us. Sigh. Those springtime thunder showers and July fireworks scared her so we had to protect her from them coming in the house. That meant middle pillow.

Sigh.

Score

Roxie bagged another critter........ a hapless chipmunk ran too slowly. So far this year, she's gotten 2 possums, 1 blackbird and 1 chipmunk.

Photo of chipmunk will not be forthcoming, for obvious reasons. Rox learned from the blackbird hit and this time she hid under the bushes so Bob couldn't confiscate her prize.

The old "steak bits" strategy proved successful, however, and Bob was able to get the munged-on critter dropped on the porch in exchange for a treat.

I bet next time she'll remember the treat trick and we'll have to come up with something new. She adapts each time.....

She was very proud of herself. And of course, I get the phone call while I'm out running errands, "Hey Mom, she got another one!" Bob is so proud of his little hunter.

She had chipmunk breath for two days. Ick......

Night Patrol

Black as pitch, no moon. The fireflies have gone to bed, the frogs are croaking periodically. The birds are silent. The only thing flying are the mosquitoes. The only light to see by is the light from the family room windows.

Rox is a lady of the night. The sun goes down and she heads for the door. Sitting absolutely still at the edge of the patio, she scans the yard, back and forth, back and forth...

Every half hour she leaves her post and circles the perimeter. Ambling silently to avoid detection, stopping to listen, look or sniff the air. We use our gigantic, super-size flashlight to find her at the back fence. Our light doesn't faze her, she continues her surveillance.

I wonder what she sees and why she feels the need to hunt at night... perhaps a deeply buried instinct? Her nightwork has rid our yard of possums and rabbits. We used to have them and now we don't. Could they really know to avoid our yard? Is it animal instinct, has she spread her scent that says "keep out of this yard?"

How does a one-eyed dog hunt at night? What does she see? What does she smell? What does she hear?

Muscle Spasms

Today Rox wasn't acting like her old self.... she was walking tentatively, going slowly up the one 4 inch step into the kitchen, seemed to be sleeping more than usual. And she was giving me the saddest eyes........

So, off we go to see Dr. R, one of our favorite vets. The good news is that when Dr. R did the neck manipulation, there was no painful screams like the first visit, or no growley moan like the second visit. This means Rox is on the mend in terms of the possible cervical disc problem.

There was, however, some muscle resistance at the extreme range of motion and an inability to reach max range on a downward movement. So....... it seems like muscle spasms, or muscle tenderness rather than disc problem. That's the good news, because a course of valium will help with that.

Once again, Baby Girl is on drugs... No, I shouldn't really joke about that. The med really helps relax the muscles and will help her feel better. Once she is feeling better, we will need to make sure she doesn't over do herself... up until now the pain/discomfort has been helpful in limiting her activity.

It's a hard thing to watch a dog in pain or discomfort. Rox is way better than she was last month, but somehow I just knew she was hiding her pain. A mother knows....

So once again our good vets have helped her feel better. Good vets are a treasure, for sure.

Another thing I decided on this trip to the vet - Rox is getting a car crate tomorrow! She is the world's worst passenger!! The worst! Singing, barking, whining, insisting on trying to get into the driver's lap.... falling into the space between the front seats... I finally pulled over and yelled at her. That shut her up. She didn't speak to me or look at me for two hours - not until dinner time, then she forgot she was mad at me.

By the time we got home in rush hour traffic, I was a sweaty wreck, worrying about her neck, about hurting her feelings.... yikes. If I have to take her in the car again all by myself, she will be in the safety of a crate in the back seat.

You all will know her next car trip - that's when you will hear her howling in California.

Sometimes being a mom means doing the right thing, even if it's not the thing your kids want.

Something's Missing

Sitting.... check

Wall Street......... check.

Starbucks.................... check.

Roxie........................................ wait! Where's Roxie????!!!!!

Where's the DOG??!!

Oh. It's OK... she's on MY lap.

Whew.

So... I Was Just Playing Around One Day....

..... and lo and behold, I figured out my camera has a macro setting! And of course while I was just sitting around, Rox was sitting around ON me..... and so the subject of my first set of macro photos was ... ta da! Roxie's butt hair................

Well, not really butt hair - this is her southside top rump as it rested ON my lap.

Pretty hairs, yes?

Spring: Same Pose, Different Chair

The Roxie and Bob Show moves to it's new springtime location. This is a pre-plant sunroom view. The next photos will have the seasonal plants in place.

Spring Brings Health and Happiness

So, the episode is ovah! Yea........

Rox is back to her old self, finally, finally, finally! She's talking and singing, wants uppie-uppies and has even gone back to her pre-steroid, lady-like nibble when taking treats from hands.

The lack of Her Walks for so many weeks has had interesting implications. We no longer have to get up at 5:30 AM for walks in the dark. She also sleeps in much longer because she's in her own bed on the floor instead of between us on the big bed.

Dog on floor in own bed

= mom gets a good night's sleep
= sheets stay clean longer
= no one wakes up with dry doggie spittle from licks

This is our first spring with The Roxter; first spring where bunnies, birds and other critters dare to walk in her yard. She's proving adept at gardening and hunting. We're learning to get the dirt clots out from between her toes and dirt boogers from her nose. She's pretty good about allowing us to pick her clean.... in fact, she takes the opportunity to guilt us into a massage after picking her for dirt clots. Oh the guilt..........

She has also developed an interesting little quirk - she tells us she wants us to accompany her outdoors in the back yard when she goes. She comes to get us, then makes sure we are following her; she stops and turns around to see if we are walking behind her. If we stop walking (which we do to tease her) she returns to us and 'rah-rooooos', the returns to her lead position, which we are to follow.

She particularly loves it when I sit in the grass as her home base. She gets pets, then goes out exploring in the yard, the perimeter of which is her exploration route. Periodically she'll return for some rubs and discussion, then off she goes again. She's turned back yard trips into family outings!

Better and Better

Each day Rox is improving. Yesterday she followed me down the stairs to the basement. At once overjoyed and angry, I had to carry her back up and remind myself to never forget again to barricade the stairs.

Still on valium, at least for another couple of days. I'm going up to see Dr. Putt tomorrow, trying to catch her between patients. Rox has another 1.5 weeks of enforced rest then we see how she is. Hopefully, that will be the end of this "episode".

Valium + Roxie = Happiness.

Friday's Vet Appointment

I'm not gonna say she's better, because I don't want to jinx her. But when Dr. Putt did the neck maneuver Rox growled instead of cried. She was also able to manipulate her head further than 10 days ago. Apparently that means improvement. Yea!

We switched from Tramadol for pain to Valium for muscle relaxation and Rox has mellowed out! Actually we are seeing a return of our wiggly girl slowly but surely. She will talk to us again. We're clapping each time she "woo-woo's" and "rah-roooooooo's" She even wanted up on the bed last night. (Sorry Babe, those days are ovah!)

At this point we have two more weeks of enforced rest. No walks, no Bob-bed, no running. This is going to be harder now because before now she limited herself. She felt bad and didn't want to run or go for walks. Now....... now she is coasting on the valium and with the accompanying improvement in how she feels, she is ready to resume her old lifestyle. And she's not healed yet.

The hugely increased steroid appetite is pitiful for her and us. She is hungry! And with her weight problem we can't give in. She's only gained (much to our surprise) 11 ounces - from 29 lbs to 29 lb, 11 oz. Not to bad for steroids. Green beans have been the mail stay. She gets cooked green beans, and sometimes cooked carrots for her snacks. She wants to "snack" all day.... another sneaky trick is to give her the glucosamine as a treat, and even the vitamin as a treat. She thinks they're good.

The weight loss becomes even more of an issue, as it seems Rox will never be allowed to go up and down stairs again. She'll be using the people elevator from now on. This is just one more reason I can't wait to move to a ranch style home - her neck and our knees. Sigh.......

Right now she's laying out on the sun room, having found her patch of solar heat. It's good that she's feeling better. We hate, hate, hate it when she's not.

The Saga Continues

Rox is still having problems. We started her on Valium yesterday to see if that makes a difference. It's becoming obvious that this problem is not a temporary stiff neck or muscle pull.

I stopped by the doggie neurologist's office yesterday. It's a new facility near us, and also has a 24 hr vet ER. I wanted to get prices and find out what we might be in for, as Dr. Putt suggested the next move would be a referral to a neurologist.

Imagine my surprise when I walked in and the lobby was filled with dachshund art and statures. The vet I talked with about prices, etc had a Germanic accent. He and the receptionist were pleased to talk with me, very friendly. I mentioned the dachshund statue and they commented that they were 'dachshund city' there. As I mentally slapped myself on the forehead, it came to me. Of course they loved dachsies, they are one of the breeds most afflicted with neurology issues and disc problems. It's chicken or the egg time.

I left thinking many things: 1) it's going to be very expensive to have CT with contrast or MRI to diagnose problem, 2) they seemed very experienced in what Rox may have to go through, 3) they seemed very, very nice, and 4) I feel comfortable that Rox will be treated well there. I got the feeling they would love her like we do.

Other thoughts, in random order... if she has to have testing then surgery, it will be painful for her. I'm hoping and will insist on very adequate pain control. It breaks our heart to think we will have to put her through some painful surgery and won't be able to explain to her the reasons.

She's only 5 years old, so maybe this would be a one-time thing, she'd have the surgery, get better and never have problems again. We can afford the cost (sort of) and after crying over the cost issue, I just said, 'shit, shit, shit - no more worrying about this. We are going to do it if necessary, we're going to buck up and make the best of it'. (I tend to swear in a non-ladylike manner when stressed- not one of my most redeeming qualities. Sorry)

And so, how's she doing today? OK. Just ok. We have a vet appointment for follow-up at 4 pm today. The Valium seemed to help yesterday afternoon, but this morning she seemed tentative again. Mornings are hard. The 6 am Valium didn't seem to help as much as yesterday's dose.

We'll see. It doesn't help that this seems to be at least her second occurrence. We didn't know that she'd had a bad spell at home #3. Combined knowledge leads to speculation that this is more serious than we originally thought.

We have one more week on the tapering prednisilone, and enough Valium for 5 days total. More later, as it develops.

Spring Gardening in Full Swing

The following pictures are for your viewing enjoyment.

Most people would say. "oh, how cute!".

I say, "dirt boogers in the nose, brown eye boogers and hard dry clots of dirt that stick in her foot hair.

But that's just me. I may be a pessimist.

Tramadol Dreams

Rox is finally feeling better. She's talking to us and asking to be up in the chair with us. No more squawks when we pick her up. She's sure missed her walks though. The forced rest has helped her but she doesn't understand it.

The pain med seems to help her but I don't think she likes the feeling she gets from it. I know she's happier with the decreased dosing of it.

The steroid has done it's work; another week to go. She's down to once a day dosing now, but the extra drinking and peeing continues. Hopefully that will go away after the steroid stops

Now I just wish for warmer weather. It's been cool and damp. That can't feel good for Rox and it sure as hell is making me cranky..........

On Her Way to China

Geez Louise! Rox is a DIGGER..........

Pictures to follow, after I accept the fact that out of the 14 dachshunds who have graced our home, she is the ONLY one who tunnels.

I need a moment............

UPDATE: I've been informed that Rox was not "digging". She was gardening.

Oh.

Getting Her Spunk Back?

So, she ate a wasp.

Bob noticed and tried to get her to leave it. That made her all the more determined. She leapt for it........ and SCORE! We can only hope the little bug was already dead. Ick.........

Sigh.............

Call to the vet. They love me there.

"Yes, Mrs. Flatley... what did she do now?" It's such a pleasure to provide them with their daily humor.

Check her lips and tongue. Watch for sneezing or excessive licking. Bring her in if she acts strange.

So far the only strange thing is her smug look of pride as she reclines on her bed in the dining room.

She seems to be communicating "you're not the boss of me, you can't tell me not to eat bugs".

Another day in the life of our girl........

Sigh again............

Cutie Pie on the Patio

Another cold, damp spring day and Rox wants to sleep on the patio. We cover her with a warm flannel quilt to stave off the dampness and she almost immediately sheds it. Right after this picture was taken Bob heard her snorting and huffing as she rearranged her bed.

She's doing pretty well. Steroids and pain med can do wonders. Hopefully the problem is healing and not just being masked.

Isn't she cute? We just love her to pieces.....

Middle of the Night

Last night went.... OK. We carried Rox up to sleep with us as Bob didn't want her alone downstairs. She was tender and a little uncomfortable with the lifting I think. Slept fine until 3 AM then the steroid raised its head and she needed a drink of water and a pee-pee.

Lights on, robes on, lift the baby...... came to a screeching halt here. Bob started to pick her up and she screamed. He hadn't even really touched her yet, so that left us frazzled. Finally she let me pick her up and off I go with a 29 lb dog down a flight of stairs. Worried about falling!

Did you notice the weight? She's lost a whole pound on her green-bean and veggie diet. Yay!

So dark and cold last night, 3 AM. Bob made sure there were no possums or critters to scare Rox or make her run. Rox did her business, then stood like a stature surveying the yard. Must have stood there 5 minutes. Either she was in hunt mode or the tramadol was in full effect.

Finally back to kitchen, drink of water, 2 tiny treats and a lift back to bed. Momma's tired this morning!

Tonight, despite Bob's pleadings to the contrary, Rox will be sleeping in the kitchen. Gated to keep her on one level, on a vinyl floor, near her water bowl. She can sleep in her comfy bed and not have to get lifted. Seems the lifting is a tad uncomfortable for her and we cannot keep carrying her. She's too heavy and our creaky knees are too old. (Mind you, Bob and I aren't old, it's just our knees). My worst fear is that we would stumble or fall on the stairs and drop her - the stuff of nightmares....

She's sleeping as I type this, after a massage and pets... she's wagging her tail in what I call the "tramadol wag" - slow and easy, a rhythmic wave to say she's doing OK in spite of all that's going on. I don't think she likes the stoner feeling, but it does keep her sleeping a lot so that is good.

Better Day Today

The pain med is working and the steroid has already begun its work. Rox is walking around, gingerly, but walking. She continues to spend a lot of time sleeping, allowing the healing to take place.

This morning was hilarious. In spite of the pain and drug fog, she wanted to go out the front door for her morning walk. It took both Bob and I to encourage her to join us in the back yard. Picture if you will, two adults in their jammies and robes, talking baby-dog talk. Well, as embarrassing as it may have sounded to neighbors listening, it did work.

Rox was pain-free (we're pretty sure) with that Buprinex shot, but she seemed mentally foggy from it. She was completely knocked out from it, except for the times she'd raise her head and look at us cross-eyed. I'm sure she was confused about why she was feeling spacey and because we couldn't tell her, she found her comfort in having us stay close by. Hence the back-breaking night on the floor for mom..... tonight she's in bed with us!

All day today she's been "clingy"..... well, that's not exactly right. She's communicated to us that she wants us to stay near her. When we go into another room she gets up to come get us. She insists that both of us go outside with her. We just feel so badly for her, you know...

I wonder if the oral pain med also makes her a little spacey - she is feeling reassured with us within sight. And of course, we are happy to comply.

Impatient me is hoping that she will wake up all healed in the morning, but I know this is going to be a weeks-long process. In the meantime, I'm getting gates for the stairs.

Spoke Too Soon....

Last night Baby Girl got out of her bed to come for dinner. She was walking funny but approached her plate. Suddenly she backed away from it and hid under the table. Clearly, something was wrong.

Bob and I think of our dogs as our children and it instantly causes us pain and worry when something happens to them. Roxie was shaking, looking like maybe she wanted to vomit, not raising her head, her tail between her legs. She followed us to the patio but got on her bedpad out there. As I leaned down to pet her she pee'd. Almost like she was incontinent.

That worried her more. Still shaking, she was trying to clean herself off; she had pee'd and was now laying in a wet spot and her legs were wet too. Bob got a warm wet cloth to help her but she just wasn't acting right.

Off to the vet for an emergency appointment.

Luckily Dr. Putt was working, although all the other vets are nice too; but Dr. Putt has been with us through four dachshunds, Lady, Hannah, Rocky and now Roxie. We are comfortable with her, and she puts up with my neurotic worrying and insistence on the dogs having good pain control. Hopefully she doesn't have too many moms like me!

Exam showed neck tenderness and pain with movement. Two cervical xrays failed to show disc problem, although that doesn't mean there isn't one. A better diagnostic tool would be CT or MRI scan which we are putting off for now. The working presumption is a sprain or pull in her neck muscles, which is a conservative first approach. There weren't any overt neurological signs such as muscle weakness, lack of pain response or paralysis. We're hoping that she had a stiff neck and then just slept on it wrong before dinner.... something that will fix itself with time and not have major long-term implications.

Roxie got a shot of the good stuff for pain. I think it's called Buprinex, but I don't know if that's the correct spelling. That puts these little short long dogs to sleep for the night! Good stuff.

She also is taking prednisolone on a tapering schedule for about two weeks and tramadol for pain for the next few days. Or until she doesn't need it anymore.

There was one funny moment when we got her home. The pain injection had started to work and Rox was in a stupor. I tried to give her the prednisolone tabs but she was so out of it at first she just let the piece of medicated cheese sit on her tongue. Had to fish it out with my finger and talk her into waking up a bit so she could swallow. Lesson learned: if you have oral meds to give, give them before the pain shot.

Stairs are out for the foreseeable future and Rox was passed out in a stupor in her dining room bed. It would have been painful to her to lift her to carry her upstairs.... so Bob went to bed and I made a bed of chair cushions and lots of pillows on the floor beside her bed. She seemed to be aware I was there. She would cry on and off during the night but it didn't seem to be from pain as much as being confused by the pain med. Sometime while I was sleeping she got up and made a pee-pee in the family room.

We were happy to see that for two reasons: first, it means I did get some sleep at some point during the night, and second, she was able to get up and move around a bit.

This morning she started on the tramadol for pain, every 8 hours. It seems to be working for her. She is moving around gently and ate her breakfast, although I did have to hand feed her. Perhaps a bit of The Diva coming out? She loves the pampering and is getting plenty of it!

The only time she's been whining today is when those pesky garbage trucks came by. I know she wanted to chase them but felt too bad to get up to make any effort.

I am known for not having much patience; I want her to feel better now. But this is going to take time, rest and meds. We're crossing our fingers that the acute stage will be over in a few days and she'll have no pain.

Feeling Better!

Whatever Rox did is finally getting better. She is still walking slowly (instead of her out-the-door bolt) but she actually went down the stairs this morning on her own.

We figure she hurt herself flying down the stairs when Bob got home from Omaha. Maybe pulled her shoulder muscles or sprained her ankles.

At any rate, she is getting back to her old self. She's had about a week of rest, no stairs, lifts up and down and we started her on some glucosamine. Many massages seems to have helped.

This is very different for us, as we usually run to the vet for any little thing. This time we decided to heed the advice we've paid for over the years and try rest and avoidance of stairs for a while first. It was definitely not her back - we could tell from other experiences with dachshund back problems in other dogs. So we felt comfortable, if not very patient, with trying a conservative approach first.

Seems to have paid off. We'll continue with rest for another 10 days or so, and re-evaluate then.

It's good to hear her barking and singing again.........

A Walk in the Woods

It's been a while since last I blogged. We've been busy, depressed, sick, injured, and recovering from surgery....

Busy was Bob going to the annual Warren Buffett stockholders meeting. He and his friend go every year in a mad driving dash from Michigan to Omaha and back again in three days. Whew - have to be a diehard to make that jaunt without bathroom breaks, stopping to shop at quilt shops along the way and eating in the car. Not my cup of travel tea. So Roxie and I stay home. This brings us to depressed.

Roxie was absolutely beside herself with sadness that Daddy was gone. Bob's friend Doug scoffed, saying dogs don't know that kind of thing. Poop! It should be immediately apparent that Doug has no idea how dogs work. Good at investing, bad at dogs..... sorry Doug....

I tried to keep her company, but this brings us to recovering from surgery. I had eye surgery done on Thursday and Bob left on Friday morning for Omaha. And yes, the surgeon said it was OK, and no, I was just fine by myself. Me and the ice packs kept each other company. Because of my recovery requirements I was not able to take Herself on her twice day long walks. So that added to her melancholy. No Daddy and no walks. Her life had fallen apart.

Add to that the fact that she's on a diet to lose 4-5 lbs and she was just a Sad Case of Moping all weekend.

Let's see, what have I missed? Sick, that was Bob. Long recovery from root canal infection - lightheaded and nauseous - which of course would send most folks to the doc, but he's a man, so he's soldiering on.

Ah, and injured, that would be Roxie. Seems she's pulled a muscle or something. Poor baby is having trouble with stairs. Doesn't seem to be back injury since we don't see any of the signs that go along with that. She might have twisted something flying down the stairs when Bob got back from Omaha..... so she's on limited activity and carrys up and down. Thirty pounds is heavy.... for a standard, she is still about 4 lbs or so overweight with that dreaded winter weight gain. So she's on a modified green bean, veggie diet. Luckily she loves green beans, cooked not raw, and room temp, not cold. Whatever you ask for, my sweet!

So I've put in some pics from one of the latest walks before Omaha. It's to a state park around here, and Rox just loves to stand on the bridge and watch the swans.

As they are ready to pull out of the driveway, she began to tell me where they were going: "raa-rooo" and "ark, ark, ark". So excited! She always goes directly to the car now as she leaves the front door.

On the path heading towards the wooden bridge where she stops to inspect all the waterfowl.

Two swans today. One on the nest and the other is shopping for lunch. Rox makes no attempt to chase them or bark at them. Just watches and watches and watches......


A mated pair doing the baby thing.

4 and 20 Blackbirds Baked in a Pie

Bob had been mowing in the front yard. When he came around to the back, he found Huntress Hannah on the porch with her catch. Just standing there with the poor dead bird at her feet, looking proud and satisfied. When Bob approached her, she started talking. "Will you take me for another walk now? I caught this bird for you so I get a walk, so let's hit the road, Dad......."

Every time Bob tried to get the prize from her she'd grab it and run. The first picture shows her hiding near the back shrubs, guarding her prize. She let me get a couple of pictures, then begrudgingly gave it up.

Looking dejected as Blackbird Billy was taken away....... so how do we handle this? Rox is an animal, bred to hunt. Do we praise her for her keen instincts and fine skill? Do we take sides with the dearly departed bird who probably had a family somewhere...

It's a conundrum. Today Bob praised her - told her she was swift and talented hunter. "Good girl, Roxie!" Roxie looked pleased with the compliments but confused as to why she couldn't keep her bird.

I'm sure the neighborhood blackbirds are swearing a price on our heads as I write.

And to think that is the mouth that kisses us........ blech.............

Dogs are one of life's joys, except when they are one of life's conundrums.

Gifts from an Angel

Ummmmm, ya know when I said she brings in leaves and mud and stuff? Well, she seems to have found a free source of pine tree sap.

She brought me a great big sap booger and stuck it right on my arm! I'm amazed how the booger stuck to me like super-glue and the only thing left on her was a light piney scent.

Looks like we may have to search the yard for the sap source before she plasters the whole house with sticky sap boogers. Acetone worked on my skin, but I have fears about using it on fabrics or bed sheets.......

Ah, springtime in Michigan with a wire-hair wild child tomboy......... cue the violins........

Trash Days Are Exhausting

Tuesdays are trash days here and Roxie gets no rest on trash days..... Constantly on the move, no time to sleep. Always on guard to prevent the trash truck from getting into our house.

Add to that the sound of the FEDEX or UPS trucks and she's really beside herself with anxiety. We've concluded that the sound of diesel engines triggers a protective posture and song that ultimately has been quite successful.

To date, no trucks have gotten in our front door...... for that reason, we don't shush her when she barks at them. She's keeping us safe.

Good Roxie!

Non-Native Species Identified on Field Trip... Sort Of...

Bob and Rox were walking in the woods at the state park this morning. Deep in the woods. They were interrupted by a gaggle of middle-school students with their teacher. Seems they were on a field trip to see natural flora and fauna; a possum or raccoon perhaps. Maybe some turtles on the shore of the lake.

What they found instead was the non-native Dachshundus Wirehairous. The kids FLOCKED EN MASSE to the cute animal on the end of the leash. Their collective murmurings could be heard throughout the park. Seems they missed the clue that the animal in question was on the end of a .... leash. "Look", they said, in awed tones. As a group, they descended with pets and pats.

And, by instinct long held, the Dachshundus Wirehairous fell onto her back to receive belly rubs. "What kind of animal is this?" they asked. Their teacher's eyes met Bob's eyes - would this animal qualify for the study unit the kids were working on? Sadly, no. Bob told them Rox was a wire haired dachshund. One boy said "but she sure looks like a beagle."

Ah, the state of education in middle schools today.............

I don't think Herself cares if they knew what she was; she was satisfied they knew enough to give her pets and adoration. As was proper..........

At Long Last, Spring!!!

Ah! At last I can get a good back scratch rub..... over and over and over again... all over the yard!

OK, I know the bunny has been here - I can smell it. Where is it hiding....


So, if I sit really still, maybe the bunnies won't see me.........

Wake up bunnies..... I'm here to play with you......... come on out!

So.... we were just standing around talking with the neighbors...

We looked down and what do we see? Roxie being cute, once again....... until we realized she wasn't just playing with her leash in her mouth....... she was chewing it!

Seems she was bored standing around chatting on the neighbors driveway and wanted to get going on her own. If we hadn't noticed, she might have made her way to freedom!

Another day, another trick. She's too smart by half!

And another cheerful note: IT'S 70 DEGREES AND SUNNY!!!!! I'm just beside myself with glee...... Rox is going in and out the back door whenever she wants, she lays on the sunporch in the sun, makes a circuit of the yard to check for possums, then returns to her perch until it's time to surveil again.

Life is good again ----- no snow or cold!

Relaxing with Daddy

Not the most lady-like pose, but it's what she does after her walks. Relaxes, spread-eagle, for her tummy rubs and words of endearment. Someone said she's spoiled..... ya think?

The days are getting longer now. The sun has returned from its holiday and Michigan is slowly waking up. Nighttime lows are in the mid-30s and the daytime highs are getting up to 45 degrees. It feels gloriously warm after a long, cold, snowy snowy winter.

Rox is becoming a long-distance runner; well, a hiker more than a runner. She and Bob are taking long walks 2-3 times a day, sometimes in the subdivision, but more and more they are going to the parks and woods. She loves her parks. A hunters heart beats in her hairy little chest. Her wire-hair coat has become extremely thick. She has no fear of going out in the rain; it almost seems to run off her like water off a duck's back. And snow... she loves it!

She's found her friends and enemies on their walks. Each house where dogs live comes alive as they walk past. Some are barks of "hello" and others are barks saying "get out of here you little dachsie - I'll eat you if I could get over this fence." To some she responds, others she just ambles past with indifference.

One of the items on our spring agenda is to have Rox attend "finishing school". She needs some socialization with other dogs to polish her company manners a bit. Her cousin Zoey got the snotty end of Rox's attention at Christmas and we'd like her to learn a bit of compassion or at least how to not be bossy with others.

Another item on the list is learning to walk at heel. She'll pull my arm out on the outbound walk, but when returning home she drags her feet as if to say "I know we're heading home and I want to stay out longer." She's a smart one, for sure.

Ever Hopeful

Last night it snowed again. 6 inches. You know how I feel........

The night before last Roxie went out at 8:30 and stayed out until 11 PM when we went out and made her come in.

34 degrees. No moon. Neighbor lights were not on. Very dark.

She stayed in the way back on patrol, we figure. Ever hopeful, waiting for the possum, we figure. Bob and I both looked out at different times to make sure she was OK. She was. She patrolled back and forth, stopping to listen and look. Like a soldier on perimeter patrol.

She was tearing down little trees and sapling branches. We figure she smelled something on the neighbor side of the fence but couldn't see it. Methodically she was making a clear field for battle. No branches to get in the way.

This dog is different from our last three who were feminine or who just didn't like being outdoors. Roxie is a "real dachshund" who likes to go after the badgers. She's not afraid of anything and is perfectly comfortable in rain, ice, snow, dirt and mud...... much to my surprise and displeasure. Icky dirty when she comes in sometimes.........

We love her to death of course, but she's her own person. Her personality is definite and while she loves to cuddle and get pets, she is seemingly becoming (or returning to) an outdoorsy girl.

It's interesting to watch what she does. Just amazes us........ It's so clear that she thinks and plans. Again, I return to the thought that she is reincarnated. She is so human in her approach to things...........

Summer will be fun............. we hope!

It's Going to be A Long Summer

Last night. Last potty trip.

HUGE BARKING, SCREAMING DOG-FIT in the back yard. Neighbors' flood lights are popping on all over the place. Some neighbors came outside for the show.

Yes, you probably guessed it. Rox found another possum....... a bigger one this time from the west side neighbors yard. I get the call "Mom, you better come up; she's got another one."

Bob headed outdoors once again in his battle gear, loaded with the flashlight and leash.....

I must have been in a pretty mellow mood because I didn't feel the need to call Matt in Seattle, and I didn't have gaspy chest pains. OK, so this says what? I'm getting used to the idea that Roxie is not a girly-girl. She seems to be a hunter and a ferocious one at that. Man, oh man, did she go after that critter.

This cannot go on. I worry about her safety. So tonight we've come up with a protocol - PPPPP.

Pre-Potty Possum Patrol Protocol. Bob will circle the yard with the flashlight, hunting for critters before we let Roxie out. If he finds one, he'll explain to it that Roxie is on her way to tear it apart. Skedaddle will be the best plan.

Let you know how this works...... sigh.......

Dogs. Whatareya gonna do?

Be Careful What You Wish For...... Bob........

Bob has always wanted Rox to sleep in bed with us. I always said I didn't want that. "Thirty years is enough. No more dogs in our bed!"

So Rox started out the first couple of months in her fancy bed on the floor beside us. Bob would sneak her in when I went to bed later than he did... like I wouldn't notice a 30 pound dog sleeping crosswise on the pillows.... ha!

Gradually I caved ... she is such a sweetheart. So I gave up and snuggled, pushing her out of the way when she took over my pillow. Braved her rumbly growlies as I pushed her into a more central location.

Well, I had to get up and leave the room last night about 4 am because I was laughing so hard........ Rox had one of those doggie dreams where her legs were running and she was barking in her sleep.... you know the kind. She'd awakened me and I look over - she's got her head on Bob's pillow with him, her nose in his ear and she's pasted to his side like a spoon with glue. Bob was on the edge of the bed.

Today as we drove to Brighton to have dinner with his brothers and their wives, Bob says casually "I think she's gonna have to go back to her own bed. You know where she was last night?!" And he proceeds to tell me, with frustration, amazement and pride in his voice "she was stuck to me like glue, with her nose in my ear... I could hear her 'snuff snuffing' as she exhaled" "She was on MY pillow!"

And then I heard the story of the dream, the running feet which scratched him, and the "ra ra ra ra ra ra" barking as she chased the possum in her dream.

He couldn't decide whether to be proud or put out - it was hard to keep a straight face. He campaigned so diligently to get her into the big bed, and now he's thinking she needs to sleep in hers.

The most ironic thing of all is this: Roxie sleeps where she wants. She varies her beds according to how well she slept the night before, I think. If she's with us and we toss and turn, she tries the dining room bed the next night.

Seems she values a good nights' sleep like we all do.

Who Needs Warm Weather?

Couldn't find Baby Girl. Looked and looked. Who would have thought she'd be out on the porch in 30 degree weather?! Seems the sunshine has tricked her...

Take a look at the background - still snow and ice... she wouldn't come in! Finally had to haul out the ole "steak bits" trick.

Roxie, the Nature Queen. She's gonna shed like crazy this spring when she doesn't need her thick fur coat anymore....

I'm inside under two quilts.

This summer she is going to have a ball outside; I wonder if we'll even see her during the day...

Chicken Tartare

In her perennial place under the kitchen table.

Mom cutting chicken for stir fry.

Ooops. Dropped one piece.

Fast as lightening, into the battlefield. She won.

Spoils of battle: one half of a raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Galomp. Nom, nom. Gone. Tail waggy-waggy!

Call to vet: is it ok that she ate big piece of raw chicken?

Yes. Watch for diarrhea in the morning.

OK, thanks. Off to bed.

Good poop this am. All's well that ends well.

Muscle memory. She returned to under the kitchen table this am.

Hopeful....

She's a Truck Chaser !!!!!

Out and about this afternoon, I get a call from Bob. My heart is still pounding....

Seems Bob was sitting in front room doing his homework and Rox was sleeping quietly in her red plaid bed at his feet. Doorbell rings. Roxie doesn't bark because she never barks at doorbells. (Yes, we are lucky....)

UPS had just dropped off a box on the porch. Bob opened the door to pick up the box and Roxie charged out the front door like a bat out of hell. She's barking and running full speed, chasing the UPS truck down the middle of the street. Bob says she was only 4 feet from the bumper. The street is 4 inch thick rutted ice with a dusting of dirt, courtesy of this shitty winter and the wonderful folks at Oakland County who haven't plowed our street for the past two snowfalls.

Bob was in his socks and it's 26 degrees. He had to put on his slippery slip-ons and his coat and grab the leash and collar. By the time he got out the door, the UPS truck had outrun the dog and she was 4 houses down, in the middle of the street just looking around.

When she saw Bob she turned around casually and walked back to him and rolled over on her back for pets. Put on her leash/collar and walked home just as pleased as she could be. Got into bed and went to sleep.

HUH?! What the hell was this about? We've never had ANY sign that she is a truck chaser... when folks come to the door she sometimes doesn't even get up out of bed; although she will look at them, she makes no attempt to disrupt her repose. She's never shown any indication of anything like this on her many walks - not toward cars or trucks...

Has she been a truck chaser all along? Was this perhaps one of the reasons she entered the foster care system? Is it only UPS trucks? Was she mad at it, or did her first owner work for UPS and she thought she might have found her first owner? Do UPS trucks have a specific sound or smell?

This is unsettling to say the least. The statistics of dogs being injured or killed while chasing vehicles are chilling.

Roxie continues to be a loving, sweet little girl with her own mind and eccentricities. But this... this was absolutely unexpected.

When I got home, I found her safe and sound, reclining in plaid luxury. She gave me the most beautiful look. She doesn't have a clue....

We're So Proud...

Rox had her second mani-pedi today and she was fabulous! Different groomer this time, just as nice as last time, but this time a second groomer held Rox while the first did her nails.

We had prepped the groomer, and a couple of them in the shop remembered her from last time.

Roxie never made a peep. She stood there, got the work done and seemed very pleased to be handling it well.

She even agreed to a "sanitary" - where they clipped the back end a little bit for hygiene purposes. You know.... no more dingleberries.... eeeeuw!

She was very reserved on the ride home, and after getting her well-deserved treat, she made her feelings known: she got in her bed and ignored us.

She's willing to act well-behaved in public and put up with the grooming, but made us pay for it when we got home. We didn't see her again until dinner.

We're so proud, she was so good on the grooming table!

The Cure for Winter Blahs

I was taking a little snooze after lunch when Rox flew up on my lap. Not to be ignored, she turned and twisted, rolled and wiggled to make sure I knew she was there. As if a 30 lb dog on your lap could be ignored! ha

Next came the stealth approach, trying to see if I was really asleep or just faking. She took at least 5 minutes to make her move, edging forward quietly, shifting from foot to foot all the while moving the quilt down lower and lower. No hiding from Baby Girl.... sigh........


At last, THE ATTACK, wet and wild! Her style is to lean into your face, putting all her weight behind that hairy little snout. She pushes hands out of the way like a tank rolling through a war zone. The wagging tail seems to propel her like kicking legs move a swimmer through the water.

It's a challenge to laugh with a closed mouth. Open-mouth laughing leads to the dreaded frenchy-licky kisses........... haven't learned to appreciate those yet.

Random Thoughts

It's amazing, simply amazing to me that Rox likes winter and snow so much. I am near tears and feeling quite claustrophobic with winter this year. The weather forecast is for more snow this week, every day. Will this winter never end? The sun is out today and I'm planning to stand outside as long as I can with my face to the sun. You may have gathered from my recent posts that this grey, snoggy snowy winter is killing me. I want out. I reached desperation the last snowfall.

Remember when I posted that we'd have no more dogs in bed with us? Well, that's over. Bob and Rox won. We all cram together in a heap in the middle of the king-size bed. It's become a race to see who gets the best spot. Bob and I are two-quilt sleepers but Rox likes to sleep without benefit or the weight of covers. If she's on top in the middle, the quilts aren't wide enough so we all have to bunch up. And that works if Rox is having a vertical night. If she's having a crosswise night, we all mumble and grumble and sometimes she asks to get down to go to her own bed. She likes her sleep, hates being bumped and covered. Diva... Sigh, we've once again become The Flatley Pack. Shhh..... it's actually kind of nice...

Rox is a big dog. Bob kept saying he wanted a standard wirehair dachsie. Well, now that she is with us (4 months, by the way!) he comments all the time how big she is. At 27 pounds when she arrived, she was deemed 2 lbs overweight by the vet. We planned to have her lose, but she has added 2 lbs of winter weight.

Wait, how can that be?! She and Bob walk at least 1 - 1.5 miles a day... it seems that this spring will bring green beans and running. This dog will not be fat! Our goal is to get her to 25-26 lbs. She's young and energetic so I'm thinking 'piece-o-cake'..... mmmm. Will post about her dieting adventures. If I survive until sunnier warmer weather.

Would it be rude of me to leave Bob and Rox for a couple months next year? Spend January and February in Sante Fe, St. Petersburg or Sanabel Island? Would they miss me?