Bath time!

Well, this morning was a mandatory bath for Miss Maddi. She was playing in the back yard with our other two dogs and rolled into a pile of, well use your imagination. She likes baths though and jumps into and out of the tub on her own. Here she is after her bath just ready to fall asleep. Playing hard and then a bath is hard work for young puppies.





P.S. an update on our older dog Sky. She had the sutures in her ear removed yesterday and her ear is healing nicely. Once the hair finishes growing back it will be hard for anyone to tell she had any problem.

New Arrival

Arf Everyone,

I guess it's time for me to introduce myself, now that I have been a good boy and did NOT mess up my crate and only got up once in the middle of the night to go potty. I must be all grown up now!!!

I arrived at my new home on Friday after Momma Marlene got me and Hailey all spiffy. I smell soooo sweet. I got to meet Slick and Timber and Roxie and Reggie and Stitch. They all like me cuz I'm cute and don't bite hard (usually).

I'm part of the Labradorks crew now, I guess.

Aww, Timber loves me so much he's smiling while I bite his elbow.

You can see some more pictures of me and Timber and Slick here.

Harley

Scratchy

Neva woke us up at 5am. She had to potty, but the real reason was persistent itching. It was so bad that she could not sit still; she was scratching, biting, and rolling around trying to ease the irritation. Topical treatments were not effective due to her fur, so we administered a Benadryl tablet to take the edge off until we could see the veterinarian.

The prognosis was inconclusive, although fleas and mites were not present. A steroid injection will provide relief for a few day along with Benadryl and medicated shampoo.

The Benadryl had calmed things down and the steroid was on board, so we took her to puppy playtime at The Dog Den. She chased, fled, wrestled, bit and licked the dozen of smaller puppies. With ten minutes remaining, we took a walk over to the bigger puppy group. She was a lot more timid, but overall no issues.

Neva was exhausted after the hour and we were tired from lack of sleep. We all returned home to eat and take a nap.

Neva is still wary of strange sounds and sights. The barking dogs in the neighborhood send her to the porch seeking safety. We walked the park and she is approaching other dogs and people with more confidence.

Stairs are still something to be avoided at all costs. So after our walk, we went downtown to practice. The village hall has four steps that are less intimidating, but still invoke fear. Using our magic treats we were able to get her up and down a few times, and then she was fine, running up and down fearlessly.

Newbies

This morning Neva attended an impromptu puppy exchange. She met three new OccuPaws puppies: Harley and Haley who are eight weeks old and a puppy to be named(TBN). Neva who is fifteen weeks old is about the same size as her eleven week old wrestling partner, TBN. The petite Haley watched from a safer distance.

Introducing Haley, Harley, and TBN.










After romping in the grass, Harley left with his new puppy raisers to his new home. Neva, Haley, and TBN went to visit a person that wanted to rescue one our "misfit" dogs from the island of misfit toys. However, when she met Haley she thought that puppy raising might be the perfect fit.

Our black butterball, Neva, might belong on the island with us by her side. The canine teeth on her left side have not come in yet, or they were knocked out weeks ago. She also has very dry and itchy skin. Any touch on her back makes her legs scratch uncontrollably. After a healthy two months with Banjo, we are back to raising a puppy with health issues. When will they learn that we just aren't cut out for this puppy raising stuff.

Naughty and Nice

We attended OccuPaws training class at East Towne Mall. On the way to class we stopped at the Boston Store to say hello to the wonderful employees that took such good care of us during our fundraising the past few weeks. They were very happy to see Neva again.

Neva and Sparta were Naughty.



In class we worked on HEEL and BACK; two things that we haven't even started to work on. We have only had her for two weeks and housebreaking has been our primary objective. Our homework is to have our little black potbelly pig HEELing by the next class. After class we stopped by to visit with Santa and his elves.

Neva and Sparta were Nice.

View a Few More Photos

Sleepy.

Although I brought a pop-up crate for Promise to sleep in, she's not too fond of it. We brought it because the crate we were borrowing turned out to be a little too small. However, since it's door is open, Promise has claimed it as her preferred sleeping spot. When I tell her to go to bed, she'll pick it over the pop-up crate.

When we've left her at home for short periods of time, I've let her stay in this crate, as she can curl up in it, but at night, I have to kick her out and force her over to the other crate, which she is getting better at. No more poking at the door as I try and zipper it up.

We also rode on our first full bus today. Many of the newer Oakland busses have a seating that is primarily elevated, with an un-elevated path down the middle, and accessible seating at this level at the middle of the bus. But all of that seating was taken. So Promise had to lie on the floor by the back door for a while, and then when someone got up, I had her hop up to the higher seating, but she couldn't back in, as it would have required backing up a step. I got her up and then had to pull up her front end to rotate her (not enough room for her to rotate her rear end under my seat and then she settled right down. That bus ride was also the first time I've been asked if I have an ID for her.

Dilemma

We were out of town on Sunday and didn't get home until late, so Neva stayed overnight with Buddy, Kane, and Sable. No issues were reported and she appears to be more comfortable with stairs. She would follow the big dogs up and down steps a couple steps entering and exiting the house. We may need to borrow a dog for a week to work on stairs and build her confidence. Actually she is probably a little short to attempt more than a few steps; I would hate to have her take a tumble and be scarred for life.

Monday was spent recovering from a long day. Everyone slept until puppy class at The Dog Den. Much of the class time is spent off leash working on the commands. In addition to the canine distractions, the puppies receive commands from the other owners which is good. However, Neva has picked up a few bad habits: begging, grabbing treats, floor surfing, and nibbling fingers. She absolutely loses her head when treats are plentiful and doled out indiscriminately. We need to either explain to the group how to treat our puppy, limit interactions, stop attending class, or lighten up and let her be a puppy. The easiest thing to do is stop attending class, but we will probably discuss the situation with a trainer at puppy playgroup on Saturday.

We were brave and took Neva out to dinner for the first time on Tuesday. Being a tad bit older than three months, she needs a lot of work. It makes you appreciate how the older dogs lie quietly under the table. She hasn't learned DOWN or STAY yet, so we figured it would be a challenge to corral her under the table. We hoped that after a long walk she would lie down and rest; she did not. We did experience the "star" treatment. People interrupted our dinner to meet Neva. Now we know how celebrities feel eating cold food.

After our lengthy dining experience, we attempted another first. A quick trip through Wal-mart followed by dreaded grocery shopping. Neva was not bothered by the shopping cart, which she handled better than loud rolling trash cans. Of course her favorite sections were the deli, the meat department, and pet food aisle. We all returned home happy and relieved - our greatest fear, the puddle or pile, did not appear.

Banjo's Bad Day

Today Banjo was chewing on a bone in the living room. I went upstairs, both Sadie and Banjo followed me up. I was doing some work, I then noticed Banjo wasn't there any more. I go downstairs to see this. My couch was pulled out about 3 feet from the wall, and the skirt was all chewed up.

His bone went under the couch, and he did all he could to get it out. All this in a matter of 5 minutes.

Later, while I was in the kitchen I came out and my small electric blanket that I keep on my couch, the cord was chewed threw. The cord must of been hanging down. Lucky it wansn't plugged in. I was only gone a few minutes.

Today was not a good day. I guess I have to crate him when ever I leave the room. Usually he follows me where ever I go.

Jan and Ernie


It looks like I should have shared these Tips from Cesar a day earlier.

Premature

Nov 17 - Bloggers Unite for Prematurity Awareness: The blog is normally devoted to the OccuPaws puppyraising escapades. However, when we found out about the March of Dimes Bloggers Unite event for premature babies, Lisa wanted to contribute a story on behalf of both of us:

We have been introduced to prematurity awareness by our beautiful, sweet and precious great-niece named Rylee, born 9 weeks and 1 day premature. I don’t know all the ins and outs about Rylee’s birth and all the trials and tribulations she has been through, but I know there were many. I cannot tell you all the medical terms for the equipment she has needed or the procedures she has had or the medicines she has been on, but again there were many. I do not even know the exact numbers of days she was in the NICU at Iowa City or the number of times she was back in the hospital in her very short life, or the number of nights her parents spent at the Ronald McDonald House to stay close to her, but there were many.

I may not have all the statistics, but what I can tell you is Rylee Marie is a beautiful and effervescent little angel who will melt your heart with her bright silver-blue eyes and tender smile and her big belly laughs as she watches the antics of her ever-doting big brother Troy. What I can tell you with absolute resolve is that Rylee is very loved. She has a robust, funny and inquisitive big brother Troy who watches over her and no doubt is just waiting for the opportunity to “show her the ropes” and teach her all he knows! She has the best mommy and daddy who seem to always remain calm and handle each new situation as it comes up, together, and with steely resolution. They are wise beyond their years, they have had to be, they are jugglers of time and schedules and responsibilities, and they are super heroes!

No, I may not be able to tell you everything, but what I can tell you is I have cheered on Rylee’s triumphs, my heart has leapt for joy whenever we hear good news, and I have more than once been down on my knees with my hands clasped fervently in prayer during those uncertain times of tribulation. No, I cannot tell you what Rylee’s current weight and length are or what lullaby soothes her tenderly off to sleep or how many ounces she consumes in a day. Our job is to be the great-aunt and great-uncle and believe those are not just titles, but truly character goals to live up to. We are 2 extra people now and forever planted firmly in Rylee’s corner. You see, a premature baby touches lives and sends ripples out across families in ways some of us never think about. I cannot tell you how many premature babies are born in the US every year, but I do know, thanks to the efforts of the March of Dimes, these babies have a much greater chance of living healthier lives than they may have a decade ago, and we support their efforts. Watch out world, Rylee is on her way and growing up and I can definitely tell you she will go on to do great things!

Read more about Rylee and her amzing family.

San Francisco

Yesterday we had a nice adventure in San Francisco. We took BART from Oakland, and then tromped around the city on foot. We went down Market Street and then up in Noe Valley. This is at the top of a hill, overlooking the bay.

We saw lots of little dogs, and some not so little dogs, that Promise wanted to say hi to. We said hi to some and got a little better at not saying hi to all.

We also had lunch at a restaurant...she slept quietly. Then in the evening, we went to the MFA recital of a friend at Mills College. It was a come and go concert, so we could leave when necessary. We sat out one piece that we had been forewarned might be loud and went for a little walk. Promise did great until the last piece, during which she started to snore. She was completely gone. After a large amount of petting, she finally woke up enough to move, and stopped snoring.


We've been riding the AC Transit busses, which Promise has pretty much gotten used to. They make different noises and are a little more erratic in traffic than she's used to. Our only issue has been barking. She's barked at the door to the apartment building a few times, and a couple other occasional gruffs or barks.

More pictures.

Mocha Moments

Today we were at Mocha Moments Coffee Shop in Janesville. There were 5 puppies there for a fundraiser for OccuPaws. Mocha Moments was nice enough to open on a Sunday for a benefit day. Divit, Banjo, Cinder, Sonny & Maddi were there. We would like to thank the owners of Mocha Moments for all of their help with the fund raiser. I think their kids had a great time playing with the puppies.


More Photos

School Daze

Woof Woof!

I've had an exciting few days. Last week I left home to spend a few days with another human, Pam who is a teacher. She spent some time with Mom and Dad learning how to have me guide children, go through doors, all of the commands I know and to give her a chance to see what living with me is like. What I didn't know is she teaches the very kids I hope to help some day.

I got to go to all the different schools she visits and meet all the children she helps.




I got loved and pet and cuddled and tummy rubbed!!! It was pure heaven for me.



Then each of the children got to walk with Pam and I just like they would if I was their special dog. I got to visit classrooms and Pam told the children all about me and what I do.

Then after I came home for a couple days, we drove for a long long time to someplace with a quad-zillion people waiting in a room real real quiet. Then all of a sudden Uncle Lou walked in and everybody yelled surprise and clapped and shouted happy 'irement or something like that. Everybody kept squeezing his hand and hitting the poor guy on the back. Maybe he was choking on the big cake or something?

Slick

Goal

Neva has been incommunicado for a few day. We have been working on confidence issues around the house with night walks and making friends with everything that moves or makes noise. Her new feeding schedule has proved successful and housebreaking is 99% complete.

Everyone was up early for the Community Day fundraiser at Boston Store. Neva was joined by Dale, Sonny, Divit, and Deegan. The puppies entertained us with their antics until they zonked. We found out that a sleeping puppy draws just as much attention as playful puppies.

We were also successful in dealing with the fog horn at the hockey game. Six goals this game and now when the Badgers score, the horn sounds, Neva lifts her head, looking for a treat.

One issue remains - fear of stairways. Although we have been positioning treats near our stairs which she eagerly retrieves, she has a distinct phobia of stairways. In addition to being carried up and down the stairs, which is common for little dogs, Neva stops and pulls in the opposite direction when seeing stairs. We were able to lure her near a stairway at the hockey game after she panicked. Resolving this issue is our goal before the next game (12/5).

Janesville Boston Store

Here are a couple of pictures from Saturday the 14th at the Janesville Boston Store Community Days Sale. Maddi & Casey were a hit. They got lots of attention and helped us sell coupon booklets as a fundraiser.

California

Promise and I flew to California yesterday. I took her for a long walk in the morning, and we were dropped off at the airport at about 1:30. After checking my bag, we walked outside until it was time to go through security. We met two people in the airport who knew about OccuPaws, including a TSA agent. We got through security fine -- Promise had to have a pat down search because she set off the metal detector, but no problem. We had plenty of room on both planes -- more foot space than first class. She slept through most of the first flight, waking up for the landing, which startled her. We had a nice bump and then with the deceleration, she slid forward.

In Minneapolis/St. Paul, we hurried out to the pet relief area, where Promise had a lot of sniffs, but didn't have to go. So we went back through security, and she had another pat down search. The second flight got a little long - 3 hours and 45 minutes in the air. She fell asleep with her head on my foot, which was a little cramped for me, though she had plenty of space.


In San Francisco, we were greeted by a spectacular pet relief area. Then we rode the AirTram, which was Promise's first train...which we took to BART -- the train to Oakland. The noises and movement on BART were enough to keep her on alert for about the first five minutes, and then she settled right in.

We also rode several glass elevators. And the AirTran had glass doors. She was intrigued by seeing things move through the doors, but did great.


Now we're in Oakland for the week. It's more urban than Promise is used to. The squirrels and pigeons have no fear.

More photos.