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It seems that whenever there are functions with Derek’s family, there are always just as many kids as there are adults. It’s hectic and loud, but it’s wonderful. Whenever there are functions with my family, however, the dogs seem to take over the role that kids seem to fill. It’s just as hectic and loud, and it’s just as wonderful.
We went up north earlier this month to celebrate my grandmother’s 88th birthday. And just as always, had a very relaxing trip.
We got there and Derek went fishing with my cousins and their spouses, while I sucked it up and put my toes in the freezing lake to give the dog’s their bath. Because the last bath they’d received was the last time we were there, and that was two years ago.
They met up with all their “cousin” dogs and played the afternoon away on the beach. Here’s the beginning of the pack.
My sister-in-law showed up and brought her husky. Those three absolutely love each other. And notice how Kirra just sits and watches over her men?
And because eight dogs just wasn’t enough, she had to go and adopt this little creature.
And Derek and I almost left with another. What a trip that would have been. I’ve puppy-sat that little girl only a few times and boy, am I glad we didn’t get another puppy.
As far as the people go. Remember, those human beings? Well, we didn’t actually do a whole lot of anything. There was plenty of this going on.
And this.
Up North. I miss you already. And I almost kissed the beach before we left, knowing there would be a peaceful ride home.
They didn’t make a sound the entire six hours. Those are some worn out puppies.
You know, sometimes being curious can be an adventure. Other times? Not so much.
Last night, I walked into the living room to find Keiko pouncing around on the rug like a cat, putting something in his mouth, throwing it and then chasing after it once again. He does this with tennis balls and other toys. But last night, it looked to me that he was simply being a little insane and chasing after nothing in general, probably a burst of air or something. Because he’s done that before, too.
Turns out, as I turned to walk away, a small black ball landed near my feet and he was once again pouncing on it. Well, not so much on it, but next to it. Then carefully picking it up again and continuing to play with it.
And okay, here goes. I cannot believe I am about to type this. Just thinking about it is forcing me to relive the entire experience, and that is one that I would gladly go another hundred years without reliving. It was THAT bad. Thinking it was just something simple, I picked up the black ball, which then decided to do away with it’s protective ball shape and turn once again into a spider.
I picked up a spider. With my bare hands. And what happened next wasn’t my brightest moment, I’ll say that much. To use the phrase, ‘I screamed like a girl’, is an understatement. Because I didn’t, I threw that thing and was quivering on the couch probably within two seconds of actually picking it up. And of course, Keiko is thinking we’re playing, so he chases it, picks it up and brings it back to me. Why thank you, Keiko. How generous of you!
Anyway, the story doesn’t end there. I worked up the courage to pick it up with a tissue and put it in a glass. Only then did I notice how friggin huge the thing was. I mean, I’m talking the size of a nickel, maybe bigger. And just for the record, I still can’t believe I am still talking about his, because if you asked me at this moment, I’d tell you that millions of spiders were burrowing underneath my skin, ready to eat me from the inside out for killing their cousin. So I carried the glass into the office and looked up the spider on the internet.
The internet is no longer my friend. Not when it can produce such disturbing images. Images, by the way, that kept me up half the night. I never did find out what type of spider it was because the thing decided to start crawling around in the glass and I couldn’t stand being within inches of it anymore. So I put it on a tissue and hit it with my shoe. Because, hello, I am not squeezing that thing between my fingers. And then I even thought about throwing the glass away.
After literally half an hour of researching spiders (who EVER thought I’d say that in my lifetime?), I stumbled across a picture of a black widow and it did me in. But not before etching nightmares into my brain that will probably stay there for eternity.
I think I may have a slight problem. And I may have to wear gloves for the rest of my life.
So, do you want to hear about my drunk dog? Because that’s all I’ve got right now.
About a month ago, Kirra ran into a little abscess on her bee-hind and I took her to the vet one evening. Not having any openings at our normal vet’s office, they recommended one of their sister offices, so I took her there. Turns out, the two women vets there are Simply. Awesome. So I decided to keep going there, but that’s beside the point. The one that took care of Kirra that night recommended a sedative before her follow up visit. At which point I wanted to throw myself into the vet’s arms and thank her for finally suggesting something to get us through those uncontrollable visits. So that’s what we did.
The other day I had another follow up appointment and had to give her the same thing. Now, this is only supposed to calm a dog a bit. Put them at ease. However, a larger dose was recommended for her due to her high distress level. So, from now on, before her appointments I will have a drunk dog who stumbles around the house with streams of drool coming from her mouth and bloodshot eyes.
Does it make me a bad mother that I think it’s hilarious? The first time I honestly was worried because she was acting like she was paralyzed and crying in a way I’d never heard before. Then I remembered that if there was one sole drama queen on this earth, it’s her. She spent her time milking it for all it was worth, pulling whatever treats and attention she could from me before I finally realized that she was just playing it up.
So the second time around, she was a little stronger and seemed to fight the effects a bit better. But she still chose to lay in the living room and pout the two hours between the dose and the appointment away.
Of course, that’s when she wasn’t trying to make me think she couldn’t walk and decided to scooch on her belly around the rug in order to move from one spot to another.
As it happened before, the moment I grabbed my keys she bolted up, albeit a bit wobbly, and was waiting at the door.
Welcome back, Kirra.
So, ummm…hi? Remember me?
I didn’t actually mean to disappear from the blogging portion of my life. It just sort of happened. I won’t make any promises, just say that I will try not to let that happen again.
In the meantime, Keiko will be today’s feature in all his goofy, nerdy glory. Him and I spent an evening together when Kirra stayed overnight at the vet a few weeks ago for an abscess on her…well, let’s just say it wasn’t in a very comfortable spot.
This is the essence of Keiko. With his ears drawn back and that long tongue with nowhere to go. Except, when he was a puppy, he was all ears and tongue.
See?
Why did he have to go and grow up?
A fifty five pound dog slept on my stomach most of the night. The thirty five pound one slept on my legs. The power went out yesterday and when I reset the alarm, I set it for pm and not am. I woke up extremely late this morning.
At our old house, our bedroom held enough free space for both of the dogs to have a bed of their own. This house doesn’t. We got rid of one, and Kirra promptly began sleeping on our bed. Usually at the bottom, across my legs.
A few weeks ago, I got rid of the other one, because we barely had room for that one. And almighty Keiko, after refusing to sleep near anyone for his entire three years because if that someone moved an inch, his entire day would be ruined. Literally. He got that upset. Anyway, he finally moved past his issues and began sleeping on the bed. At first, he would only take my spot on the bed once I got up each morning. Little by little, he would come up earlier and earlier, eventually turning into the entire night.
So I now spend my nights with Keiko nestled between Derek and I, the upper half of his body resting on my stomach, and and Kirra stretching out as far as her little frame will allow across my legs. It paints quite the cozy picture, the four of us on our little queen size bed.
And when I saw this sweet little girl, as much as I wanted to make room for her in our picture, I couldn’t.
I still don’t know how I passed up that sweet puppy breath, or that soft puppy fur. But most of all, those pink ears and pink nose were almost the deal breaker.
I even named her. Then I came to my senses and reality came spinning back to me. I don’t need any more creatures that shed in our house, especially not a white one. We don’t have time for all the training they require.
So I walked away. Only because it was the wrong time, not because I have a problem with getting another dog, because I really don’t. Someday.
Keiko is three today! Happy Birthday Kakes!
Kirra had her annual trip to the vet last night. But if you asked her, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t use the word ‘trip’. Something more along the lines of armageddon would suffice.
If you ask me, a trip would consist of a quick, painless walk into the office, a few shots and then a painless walk back out. Perhaps I shall rename it to ‘the one day a year that my 38 pound dog beats me up.’ That’s persistent with what happened last night.
I’ve gotten used to her fear over the years, have had to deal with it since we got her, but it seems each year it gyrates further and further out of control. And for such a little thing, that girl is solid and she PACKS. A. PUNCH.
For the life of me, I could not hold her still last night. I put a muzzle on her before I lifted her to the table, and from the first touch of the vet’s fingers, she lost it. I could feel her heart drumming under my hands, you could probably hear her breath heaving from her lungs a mile away. Not to mention the highly skilled acrobatic acts she was conducting in my arms.
Aside from the few kicks she landed to my stomach and the half dozen times her skull connected quite hard with my chin, we got through it. With FIVE people in the room. My sister was sitting in front of her, trying to calm her while Keiko was trying to hide under the chair, me and two vet tech’s were trying to keep her still, and the vet himself managed to get the shots in and the blood drawn.
I felt absolutely terrible. And this time, I honestly expected her to stay traumatized. But, as always, the moment I took the muzzle off and put her on the ground, she was herself again.
She is quite a complex dog, I’ll admit to that with no hesitation. And I really wish everyone could see who she really is. She’s smart, adorable, loving, loyal, with a little stubborn and bitchy thrown in there along the way. But you’ve gotta take what you’re given, right? I honestly wouldn’t change one thing about her.
I don’t think many people can see past what they experience with her. We’ve been at this vet since Keiko was a puppy, and they all love him to death, but I don’t think they ever came to accept her. There was another before this one she went to and the Doctor there loved her, and was very gentle and considerate of her, but not one other person in that office liked her. Granted, she did bite one of them when she was there overnight to get spayed, but I believe that is just as much their fault as it was hers. But they always blamed it on me, telling me I didn’t socialize her enough. So, we left.
I’m beginning to think that a new vet would ease a fraction of that tension for her, atleast for a few years. I adore that girl, and will continue to do what I can to ease her unease for that one annual visit to the vet.
My Aunt and my Mom tagged me with this one. While I can’t quite beat their list of pets, I will talk about what I have had.
1. What is the first pet you remember?
That would be Tiffany. She was a great dog, but I don’t remember much about her.
2. How many different kinds of pets have you owned?
Let’s see. Dogs, cats, hamster’s, birds, fish (including octopuses and sharks), a horse, and I think that’s it.
3. What was your strangest pet?
I’d have to say Kirra is the strangest of them all. All her little idiosyncrasies are hilarious, and very odd.
4. What is your dream pet?
To me, there is no dream pet. I’d be happy with any animal.
5. What is your nightmare pet?
Not one of those either. Every animal deserves a home and a second chance.
6. Your best/ funniest pet story…
The best I can think of right now is the nicknames we have for our dogs now. Away from home is usually the only time I call them by their given names. Kirra is usually Poo, or Pooh bear, or some form of that word, as well as Pook or Pookie, Munchkin or Pumpkin. It’s weird, I know. When she was a puppy she had an intestinal parasite that took us months to get rid of, she had constant diarrhea and eventually the name just stuck. Keiko gets called Buddy, Bud, Mister, Little Man, Teddy Bear, or Chewy because sometimes when he whines, his voice quivers and it sounds just like Chewbacca. Surprisingly, they respond to most of these names just as they would their normal ones.
Another funny story is when Derek first started an aquarium and lionfish were one of his favorites. He had two of them and had had them for a few months, and they’d never given us any trouble while we were feeding them. One day, Derek was gone and I was feeding them when the little one, the one that usually cowered in the bottom corner of the tank while a hand was in the tank, decided to dart up to the top and sting my finger. I knew it wouldn’t do any real damage, but it stung real bad, and after a few minutes, my entire hand was swollen to the point that I couldn’t move my fingers. The pipes had frozen, so there wasn’t any running water in the house at the time, when all I wanted to do was plunge my hand into a bowl of cold water. I was reduced to using the toilet, and it was pretty funny.
7. Tell your worst/ saddest pet story…
There are two that come to mind. First, when my first kitten, Samantha had to be put down when she was young after getting sick from drinking anti-freeze. I loved that cat so much. Second, last year when I had to get rid of my horse, Echo. That was the toughest decision I’d made in a long time, but was necessary.
8. Did you ever have a scary animal experience?
Yes. At our old house, I was walking the dogs one day, the same route I took them every day and passed by a house that a dog always sat in the doorway of. This day, he somehow escaped and started running after us. He looked harmless, so I just held my dogs tight and started to walk away. The woman who owned the dog came running from the house, screaming at me to get my dogs away, that her dog would kill them. At first, I didn’t believe her, but then a fight broke out and she wouldn’t even approach her dog, or yell at him. She simply kept on screaming at me to get away from them, when I obviously couldn’t. I just started running, yanking on my dogs until finally they were free from the other one and she was able to grab his collar. I never walked by that house again.
9. What was your favorite pet?
I’ve loved all my pets equally, and will continue to do so.
10. What did you really want to tell us about pets that didn’t fit into the other questions?
Only that pets aren’t pets to me. They are part of my family, they are my children. And they truly are a man’s best friend. It’s an everlasting companionship that never falters. I can’t remember a day in my life when there wasn’t an animal around and I don’t see that ever changing.
I tag whoever wants to be tagged. We’d love to hear your pet stories!
So, my huskies decided to be huskies yesterday. Who would’ve thought THAT could ever happen. Derek was taking the trash out and he left the front gate open for a minute. They were gone. Not just a little stroll outside the gate, they took off at a full run.
Let me backtrack a little and say that we have never had a problem with them running off. Yeah, they’ve gotten out before, but they never go far. There were times they had been out for half an hour before we even noticed, and they were only a couple of houses away. Whenever we are working in the front yard or are at my parents house (which is not fenced), they always stay right with us. We leave the gate open all the time when we are coming in and out, and they never do anything.
When he first called, I thought he was just joking around. But then I heard the alarm in his voice and realized it really happened. They didn’t even have their collars on. So, for 45 minutes, they ran, nonstop, all over our neighborhood. They ran the two and a half blocks to the main road near us. I was just arriving home when Derek called and said he had found Kirra about 5 blocks away. Someone said they saw Keiko take off toward the main road again. He found him a few minutes later. They were both fine, just out of breath. They were panting for a good hour and a half after that.
So, everything turned out okay, but I nearly had a heart attack. I called animal control on my way home, and I know a couple of people that saw them had already called the police. I still can’t figure out why they did it though. It was so out of the ordinary. Kirra always has a scheme for something it seems, so maybe she just wanted a good run. Whatever the case, we are definitely going to be more careful in the future. I am hoping the move to a yard 8 times the size of our yard now will cure any desire they have to do this again.
Keiko is two today. Yes, I do acknowledge all my animals birthday’s every year. They are my babies. I can’t imagine my life without them. Who wouldn’t love this goofy guy right here?
When we got him, we had no intention of getting another husky. We went to a breeder that dealt with many different types of dogs and were looking for a German Shepherd. As we were walking up, we passed this little guy’s crate and Derek adored him. We still looked at other puppies, but kept coming back to him. We brought Kirra along with us to make sure she got along with whatever dog we chose.
It was a match made in heaven. They loved eachother. Although she is a female, and a little on the small side, she is VERY dominate and stubborn. Keiko had no problem with that, they got along great. He was very laid back and looked up to her. We were convinced.
They are still best friends. I remember one night, Kirra spent the night at my sister-in-law’s house and Keiko was miserable. He sat by the door the entire night. They haven’t been apart since. I am so thankful they get along.
Besides the fact that he; digs massive holes in the garden, gets irritated if you touch him when he doesn’t want to be touched, has a huge fear of walking on any floor that doesn’t have carpet, sheds enough hair that it needs to be swept everyday, is scared of anything that he doesn’t recognize, attacks my brother and sister-in-law’s pet duck (sorry, again), I love him.
I love the times when I am eating breakfast and he will come rest his head on my lap, or paw at me to get my attention. The times when he will jump on the couch and cuddle in next to me. The times during the summer we spend running and chasing eachother around, or chasing the water stream. When we go for walks, and half way through, he will turn around and look at me to make sure he is being good, and when I assure him that he is, his ears wiggle and he jumps to give me a hug. I love the fact that he is a male and doesn’t lift his leg to pee, because he never learned how. I also love that I can feel safe with him, he has the power to be an excellent guard dog when he knows something is wrong.
He’s our guy, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy Birthday Keiko!
