Monday, December 29, 2008

Good Luck

Rylee says good luck with your test tomorrow Scott!!


Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Guests

So not only are my dogs here but my sister and her dog Izzy also live here. Izzy is actually one of Sophie's puppies. She does not really do much other than sleep, eat and play and did I mention sleep, she's kind of a lazy dog. Then there are the guests that come to stay often,


Logan, also one of Sophie's puppies who belongs to my brother. He and Izzy are best friends and do not like to be apart for too long.


Alfie who is my sister's dog, he is Roxy & Casey's BFF and they play nonstop.

And Paddy (left) & Darby who are my grandparents dogs. Paddy is also one of Sophie's puppies, she had quite the little rainbow litter. Paddy likes to go swimming in the pond while Darby much prefers to be herding the goats, she is a tad bit obsessive about it.

Things are never dull here and there is always someone getting into trouble.... usually its Logan...



Sunday, December 21, 2008

Gone But Not Fogotten

Nike was my first dog. I had always wanted a big dog and saw an ad for Great Pyrenese puppies in the paper and much to my parents displeasure went and got one and brought it home. Being my first dog I had no idea what I was doing so she was bad, if she liked you she loved you but if she did not like you she made sure you knew it. All of her bad habits where no ones fault but my own, I did not research the breed of dog, had no idea about obedience and pretty much let her do what she wanted, but she loved me and that was all I cared about.

Then one year right before Christmas she developed a lump in her foot which turned out to be cancer. I weighed out the options on what to do as this type of cancer was not curable and would eventually lead to her passing within a few months. In the end I decided to have her leg amputated and she was with me for almost another year. The day she passed away was the saddest day. I knew she was not doing well and that soon a decision had to be made, my mom and I had planned a trip to Vegas and I decided that once we got back I would have to make that decision. While we where gone she went to stay with my grandparents, her second favorite place in the world to be, and the day we where leaving Vegas to come home I got a call from my grandma to let me know that Nike had passed away in her sleep. I was relieved and devastated at the same time, relieved because she went peacefully in her sleep but devastate that I was not there and did not get the chance to say goodbye. Its been 3 years now since she passed away and I know now she is happy, at peace and one day I will get to be with her again, but I still miss her terribly.

I Stood By Your Bed(Canine version)
I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep. I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear, "It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea, You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.
I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore. I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more. I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care. I want to reassure you, that I'm not lying there.
I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key. I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "It's me."You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair. I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.
It's possible for me, to be so near you everyday. To say to you with certainty, "I never went away. "You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew ... in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.
The day is over... I smile and watch you yawning and say "goodnight, God bless, I'll see you in the morning."
And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide, I'll rush across to greet you and again I will be by your side.
I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see. Be patient, live your journey out ... then come home to be with me.
Author Unknown

The Brat

And then there is little miss Roxy, weighing in at a whopping 2.2 pounds, but don't let her small size fool you, inside her is the heart and attitude of a rottweiler. Sometimes I really wonder if she knows just how small she is as I watch her leap off the couch, wrestle with Casey or play with the cats. She especially likes picking on Casey, they really are brother and sister as they have the same dad, she jump on him and tugs on his ears and he just sits there and lets her, it really amazes me what he puts up with from her.


Roxy loves to cuddle and is not particular at all with who she cuddles with, dog, cat, anyone that is warm and she can snuggle up to will do just fine. She loved last year when the puppies where here, nine sleepy warm bodies to curl up with, she was in heaven. I truly believe she thought she was one of them, she would spend most of her time in the kennel with them and even now you will still see her sneak into the front porch with Sophie and cuddle up for a nap.
But don't let the cuteness fool you, she is definatley a brat. She gets into everything and I mean everything. All of my wood furniture now has Roxy accents, I wonder sometimes if she is part beaver with all the nice tooth impressions left in everything. But she is fun, makes me laugh all the time and I love her to death and best of all she loves me back.....

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Jerk

After my Great Pyrenese, Nike, passed away I thought the last thing I ever wanted was another dog. She was my first dog and I took it very hard. But the days passed and it was just Buddy, Baylee, Rylee & me, and it really felt like something was missing. I had been looking on the different rescue sites and thought maybe this time I wanted something a bit smaller than Nike was, and feel in love with all the cute chihuahua's I saw. But unfortunatley none of the ones that where avaliable seemed to fit in with my other three, and then someone told me about a website for a breeder. I went on there to have a look and saw this cute little pom/chi cross that she had avaliable and gave her a call. So one Sunday evening we made the drive out to her place to "have a look", I mean really who was I kidding, so home came Casey. Shortly after we got home he decided that the best place to sleep was in his home made hammock under the bed, he made holes in the bottom of the box spring and would climb in for a nap.


Casey really is not your typical chihuahua, he can be yappy but loves everyone especially my nephew Nikolas, when Nik is here he and Casey are not far from each other. Unfortunatley Casey had a bad experience with my first foster dog a Great Pyrenese named Gracie, she was a great dog but had never really played before and was quite rough when she did. Casey was used to playing with Ben also a Great Pyrenese who was very gentle and since they looked the same he was always wanting to play. But after a few rough sessions Casey became very scared and would rather hide under the bed instead and growl whenever she came near him. Gracie has been gone for over a year now but he still feels its necessary to do sneak attacks from under the bed to any dog that is bigger than him, hence the nickname "The Jerk". Good thing for Casey my furry nephew Logan is usually on the recieving end of those and he just ignores him. But besides that he is a great little dog, loves to cuddle under the blankets, loves people, is great with little dogs, loves his brother Rylee and even his bratty sister Roxy (who really is his sister as they have the same dad). I think this is where my love for chihuahua's started, with this sweet little white bug eyed boy.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The Princess

This is the fist time I ever saw Zoey, in a photo, she had been picked up by a local pound and was waiting for her owners to claim her. A few days later I went to the pound with one of the dog rescue people to bring back a few dogs who's time was up so the rescue was taking them. There she sat scared and shaking in a little kennel, she could not come as there where still a few days left for her owners to claim her, I could have cried when I left thinking of her sitting in the cold smelly place. Well 5 days after she had been picked up her owners finally called to say she was theirs. The animal control guy told them the fine was $25 and they could have her back, can you believe they said forget it!!! I just really do not get some people. So one Friday after work I drove down there to get her and another dog and made our way back home. Then begged and pleaded for them to let me foster her and brought her home. Within the first few hours of her being home I knew she was not going anywhere, I just had to figure how to convince the rescue to let me adopt her. After some pleading and agreeing that this would not mean I was going to stop fostering they let me!! For the record I have had over 35 foster dogs and only kept two of them.


So Princess Zoey has been with me for 3 months now and spends her days sleeping and relaxing like a princess should. She is a good little girl and has not had an accident in the whole time I have had her, she had a few other incidents but those I will save for another time. She loves to cuddle on the couch, knows how to charm her way into getting treats and is learning how to play and have fun like a dog should. Why no one would want her back for $25 is beyond me...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Boss

Rylee was a first for me. I had always been a big dog person never really wanted a little dog, let alone a little boy dog, never had good experiences with little boy dogs always peeing on things or humping. But then I met Mr. Rylee.

My mom was working at a grooming shop and a lady brought in some puppies that she wanted to sell. His brother and sister where snapped up right away leaving Rylee all alone. Since I rode to work with my mom in the morning I would usually walk down there on my lunch hour and then after work I would have to hang out for a bit until she was done. So to pass the time I would play with the store cat or, since there was a puppy there play with him. Well Rylee preferred to cuddle and fall asleep in my arms instead of playing. So day after day I would go there cuddle him until he feel asleep, hold him for awhile then go back to work or leave for the day. Well Rylee started to enjoy our cuddle time and would get excited when I would get to the shop. After a few days of contemplating (or maybe it was seconds) Rylee came home to join the family.

Life with a small puppy was quite a challenge, big dogs are soooo much easier to potty train. It never occurred to me not to let him sleep on the bed at night when he was little, all the big dogs did, they would just jump down in the middle of the night if they had to go outside. Well it did not take long to find out that was not the case with Rylee, instead I woke up to a warm puddle by my pillow. Then there was the trip to Calgary, we went shopping for the day and took him along since he loved car rides. He refused to go to the bathroom the entire trip, no matter how many walks and stops we made to let him go, he chose instead to wait until we where seconds from home and went on my lap, not fun, kind of funny now but not at the time.


My baby boy is now 5 years old and still as cute as ever. He is well behaved, still loves to cuddle and makes sure everyone in the house knows he runs the show. He may be little but he is still the boss of the house. I know your not suppose to have a favorite, and not admitting that I do, but I might....

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Good Boy


Buddy was my second dog. He belonged to a friend of mine and every time I would go to her farm I would always tell her one day I was going to take him home with me. Well one day came and I got a phone call at work to see if I was serious. Buddy was bored (tired of being tied to a truck) and decide to go to the neighbours for some chicken dinner, chicken dinner in the neighbours chicken coup. Much to the displeasure of my friends dad and the decision was made that Buddy had to go, so it was my house or the pound. My house it was.

Buddy is the best dog, listens, well behaved in the house and very loveable. A few years ago I moved from my parents farm and Buddy stayed there until I was settled at my new place. I brought him to my house but he was not happy, he could not spend his days outside doing as he pleased. Every chance he could get he would hop in their truck when they came to visit in hopes of making his way back to the farm. If I went to visit them he would go hide, ignore me when I talked to him and when I did get his attention he would look away and pretend he could not hear me. So Buddy now lives on the farm with Grandma & Grandpa, he still comes to visit but does not go far from their truck for fear he may have to stay. Makes me feel bad but at the same time I know he is happy where he is and as much as my parents like to hint otherwise I know they like him there too.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Tomboy

Baylee came from the Odd & Unusual sale at a local auction market. I went there in search of a pot bellied pig and came home with her. Her mom (a border collie) along with her litter mates where there to be sold in the auction, but when the sale was done only 1 of the 4 puppies sold. So on our way out to leave we decided to take one more look at what was left to go through the auction and came upon the 3 puppies tied to the fence and of course I could not leave without petting them. Well big mistake, I walked over and she rolled on her back for a belly rub and suckered me in with those big brown eyes.





Baylee is definitely the Tomboy of the bunch, not very girly at all. She prefers to boss everyone around (her name is usually followed with "Be Nice"), stay full of mud whenever possible (and then try and sleep on the bed) and herd. She is not particular to what she is herding either as long as it is smaller than her, the cats, goats and most recently the chihuahua foster dog Jewel that is staying with us. She helps her on her way to her bed, waits for her to burrow in the blankets and then lays down and stares for several minutes waiting for her to move. I usually try to find something to distract her as I am sure she would lay there all night if she could.



So in the end I guess I did sort of get pot bellied pig , she definitely has a little pot belly on her and likes to roll around in the mud like a pig....

The Momma

I thought I start off with a bit about the dogs and how they came to be part of my furry family.


Sophie was my second foster dog and it took only a few days for me to fall in love with her. She was left behind when her previous family moved and left her with the rural animal control people, when her time was up she was turned over to the rescue group I help out with. After only a few days I knew she was there to stay, she made herself at home & claimed the bed in the porch as her own. Little did I know that she was also going to be gracing us with 9 other little house guests. Luckily they all where healthy, happy and went to new homes once they where old enough. The longest 8 weeks of my life, puppies are definitely cute, but why people want to have them on purpose is beyond me, the noise and amount of poop produced by something so small is insane.




Sophie is always there to greet people at the door with a toy, shoe, sock or anything that happens to be laying around the house or will fit in her mouth, its like she is giving them a present for coming to visit. She takes the role of mom whenever a new foster dog comes to stay, give them a bath and if they do not cooperate she just pins them with her paw. She is a great dog, who loves attention, swimming and truck rides. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to leave her behind but I guess you could say lucky for me they did....



Monday, December 15, 2008

My First Post

My first offical blog post...ever. I was at work today telling another of my many dog stories from the day before when someone said I should blog about the dog craziness that is my life, so here goes.


I have 6 dogs, yes 6, but 4 are small and amount to one dog total, or at least that is what I like to tell myself anyways. Then there is usually a foster dog kicking around somewhere trying to figure out what kind of a zoo that have ended up in, but its a warm place to sleep (sometimes on the bed if you are quick enough to find a spot), the company isn't really all that bad and there is free food. Then add to that my 2 furry nephews who like to come for sleepovers and you have a full house filled with Crazy Dogs Days.


But really there is no other place I would rather be.....