Spring = Shedding Time

Auntie Shella has taken to grooming us this week.  She points out that we are shedding too much, she said that meaning mostly me, but Little Man got brushed as well.

Apparently, it is frowned upon when you can run your hand down my back and lift your hand covered in my black fur.  I don’t sew what the problem is, because I am covered in the black fur, it suits me well.

Auntie Shella took me onto the deck and using this odd looking metal loop brushed me.  I got to sniff the brush first, it did not smell bad, so I let her brush me while I sniff the air.  After a few minutes, there was lots of my fur on the deck…

Auntie was attempting to keep it in a pile to throw away, but the wind kept blowing it around, and she figured all the birds in the yard might like it for nests and stopped trying to collect it.  I took this chance to go into the yard and sniff around.

Auntie told me that was fine she could finish brushing me later, and she got Little Man and started brushing him with a different brush.  His white fur is short and his winter coat only took a few minutes to be completely groomed out.

Then when Little Man was done, Auntie told him how handsome he looked and his white coat was so pretty.

He thanked her for grooming him by promptly laying down on the pollen and getting a yellow streak of pollen on his leg and spine.

We have both been leaving less fur around the house, and Auntie will probably do a Product Rave about the grooming tools she used on Little Man and I, since we have different fur types.  She was just proud of how we look now and wanted to show us off.  She loves us no matter what, but is really happy that her hand isn’t covered in fur when she pets us now.

We love her no matter what, but we enjoyed the individual time with her when she groomed us because we got tons of kisses and hugs while it happened.

Tornado Warning....

There was a tornado warning where I live.

This is what it meant to me and Little Man:

Our humans' cell phones kept making loud beeping sounds, even when we were walking.

Our afternoon walk was not fun, I kept smelling something odd in the air.  Auntie was walking me since the Big Guy hurt his knee (he took Little Man since he walks slower).  However, I did not want to stay out too long.  MomMom eventually followed us in her car, but we were 5 houses down from where we live so I just ran to the house.  The wind was really strong, and the lights flickered in the house a few times.  Auntie lit the nice smelling candle and then got a flashlight to be safe.  I decided since we were inside it was time to take a nap.

I was really glad we were inside, because the rain was really bad.  MomMom, the Big Guy, and Auntie said it was actually hail.  I don't know what that is and it looked and sounded like rain.

I kept a steady watch on the backyard to make sure the trees didn't fall over, because it was windy. Thunder can sound scary, but Auntie pet my back and told me she was here and she would protect me.  I acted brave for her.  Then it was all over, the rain stopped, the thunder stopped, the sky turned blue, and the phones stopped making those annoying beeping sounds.  Mom came home and all was right with the world.

I got some pizza crust for dinner, I like pizza.

Today's lesson: Severe Weather alerts mean annoying sounds from the cell phones and snuggles with my humans while I watch the backyard to make sure it is safe.

Little Man and I are still sleepy from doing the quick walk before the storm came.  He is too tired to jump up on the couch or make the snuggle ball 'just right'.  The Big Guy is on the couch with his leg elevated to help his knee, he really hurt it the other day :(

When we walk...

Today started out like a normal day.

Everyone got up, Auntie left, Dad left, Mom left, and MomMom left.  The Big Guy did his normal routine and we slept upstairs while he got ready for his day.  Then we went downstairs and played with the cats while he worked in his shop.  However, he left around the time we normally get our afternoon walk :(  This was heartbreaking, because not only did we not get our afternoon walk we were left alone.  Little Man and I ended up finding out normal spot to sleep when left alone.

Yup, that is me on the bed and Little Man on the floor.

Auntie was the first to get home and she snapped this picture, then started talking to MomMom who wasn't there (I don't get cell phones).  Apparently, they both feel that Little Man deserves a snuggle ball to sleep in, because he can't jump up on the bed.  After some discussion between Auntie, Mom, and MomMom it sounds like they will order the bed below for Little Man.

Auntie took us out for out afternoon walk, which is good because the Big Guy has been limping after he hurt his knee.

Auntie took both of out at the same time.  When this happens we always start out together, but my long legs mean we quickly separate.

Auntie managed to walk the both of us we me leading her in the middle and Little Man following behind.  I had to stop and wait a couple of time, but it was a great walking with her again.

When we got home the Big Guy had just pulled into the driveway so I tried to run to him, but Auntie and Little Man slowed me down.  It was a great day!

Auntie thinks more happened, but really Little Man and I just enjoyed sleeping in the sun today and going for a walk - I don't understand why humans think there is more to life than this, because this is what makes us dogs happy.

I am too tiny to deal with the cold

Little Man writing here - 

I don't like the cold, my little body has enough trouble staying warm, it was near impossible today in this frigid weather.

This morning I went outside for the morning out and I FROZE!

My paws got so cold and my little body just started shaking like crazy.

Auntie was nice and wrapped me up in a towel and snuggled with me.  It was warm and cozy so I took a nap, which made it hard for Auntie to study, but she managed.

Later, Mom decided to go out.  My sister and I ran upstairs and watched her leave and waited for her.

We didn't want to go back outside, but we didn't want Mom to leave either.  We were both confused about why she would go outside in the cold so we watched the door thinking she would come right back in.  But, she didn't come right back it was a long time of staring at the door.  We fell asleep and when she came back we were so excited that we forgot how cold it was and went outside to go potty.

I took three steps off the porch did my business and could not get back in fast enough.  My sister was able to stay out longer, her bigger size and thick coat of fur really helped her stay warm.

Auntie had to wrap me in a towel and hold me in her lap again.  MomMom took a picture.

I was shaking for several minutes after I finally warmed up I snuggled on the cough with the Big Guy.

If it stay this cold I want a heated blanket.

I am not a brave dog...

I am NOT a brave dog.

I never said I was!

I say this because while out walking today, I got scared by a leaf.

It was a big leaf, it was moving across the road towards me at a fast rate of speed and so I got spooked by it and growled at it.  When the leaf didn't stop moving and still was coming towards me, I jumped behind the Big Guy and did my scared posture.

Auntie was too busy laughing and saying that I should not be afraid of a leaf to take a picture.

I am not thrilled that she was laughing, but glad didn't get a picture of me hiding behind the Big Guy who was trying to tell me there was nothing to be afraid of and get me to stop crying.

Later in our walk I was told to try and rustle up some birds from the bushes.  Apparently, the Big Guy and Auntie were doing something called the Great Backyard Bird Count and wanted to see if they could spot some more birds.  I don't know why they think I am bird dog?

I mean really! I might be a hunting dog genetically, but I was scared of a leaf a block before this.

When we got back from our walk Little Man got a new tick and flea collar

This means I will probably be getting mine soon too, I think it is a nice accessory, and a must to keep me healthy.

The flu went around the house...

When the flu goes around the house it means two things

1) We get extra cuddles

2) We get left alone on the couch, often

Sadly, Dad, MomMom, and Auntie all had to go to Urgent Care this past week due to being sick.  The end result of that is extra cuddles for us (for the most part) and being left alone on the couch at random times.  

Dad was sick but still went to work, MomMom worked from home so Little Man cuddle on her lap, but after I saw him get picked up and placed on the floor in a rush to the bathroom I decided that laying on the bed was a better bet.

Auntie was sick and she was harder to cuddle with, because she put like three or four blankets on top of her.  With all those extra layers it was hard to snuggle, but I am resourceful when it comes to cuddling and found a way to snuggle with her.  So did Little Man, he managed to have someone pick him up and put him by her feet.  

With all of that we didn't have much time for anything interesting.  I stayed near the Big Guy, because he wasn't sick so he was the one taking us out for walks.

Hopefully everyone will be better next week and we can get back to our normal ordinary adventurous life.

When Our Humans Leave

Our humans left this morning, and we didn't realize that Auntie was here, so she got a first hand look at what Little Man and I do when people leave.  First, we bark at the door.  Next, we run around and look in all the rooms to see if someone stayed behind (that is how we found Auntie).  Finally we find a place to cuddle and fall asleep.  This morning it was on Auntie's bed while we waited for her to finish getting ready.

After Auntie was ready we moved downstairs and found nice spots on the couch that let the sun warm us as we napped.  Mom and Dad had taken us out for a walk before they left so we were tired.

Little Man decided to snuggle with Auntie.

I being a light sleeper decided that sleeping on the other couch was a better option.

Auntie was really nice and took us both for a walk, by herself, before she left for a birthday party.  She got the leashes for Little Man and I tangled once, but we will let that slide since it is when she was picking up poop and Little Man and I started sniffing and mailbox post.  After Auntie left Little Man and I ran around the house and then decided that sleeping on our dog beds in the family room was the best place to be.  Auntie came home and snapped a picture, because I didn't get out of bed fast enough...

...and I knew she was going to come and pet me.  Right after this I was jumping to try and kiss her.  My normal routine when someone comes home, is to run to the door and cry for kisses.  Little Man usually follows me, his eyesight is fading at 16 years old he usually follows me instead of leading the charge.  After crying for kisses I run to the door to see if I can get a walk.  Auntie took the bait this time :)  She walked Little Man and I together again, but only for a short walk so we could both pee and poop.  We ran out of poopy bags, so Auntie had to put a new roll on the leash when we got back home.  She told us not to poop again after we used two bags, that is all we normally use but I guess she thought she needed to say it to be safe. It was great, I was so excited that when we got back inside I played with my duck.

Auntie says I have no shame, because I roll over when playing with my duck so that I can get my belly rubbed.  Auntie being the best, rubbed my belly and took care of Little Man.  Little Man likes being wrapped up in a blanket and held, so she did that while rubbing my belly so that we would both be happy.

It was a hard day, with lots of walking.  Apparently Auntie and MomMom are doing that Fitbit Challenge thing again.  I love it when they do that on the weekends, but that means I get extra walks.

When it rains....we don't poop

Our humans have been trying to get us to go out and poop all afternoon, in the middle of a terrible rainstorm.  Let me explain something about my brother, Little Man, and I.  WE DO NOT WANT TO GO OUTSIDE AND POOP IN THE RAIN!

See this picture, we would have loved to stay like this all afternoon.  We like snow it is fun to play in the snow, but not in the rain (it is too much like a bath or shower).  Plus when it rains we get sleepy, so why would we want to go outside to poop.  The Big Guy laid down on the couch and watched movies all day, apparently The Godfather Epic was on and he watched that. Little Man and I go to the bottom of the stairs of the porch and then take a few steps and pee then run back inside.  Little Man fell over tonight trying to run back inside.
Those cute raincoats Mom got us, don't cover us completely cover us so we don't like to stick our butts out in the downpour to poop.  I don't understand why our humans haven't figured this out yet.  we spent all afternoon running away from the door, and they keep trying.

Grooming Day

It was grooming day today.  At first I thought I was being taken to a groomer, but nope Auntie has found a groomer that comes to us.  Which is great, because even with a Dog Anxiety Calming Wrap I completely panic in the car and cannot handle car rides at all.

This was a trip in December, and it didn't go well for me.  Thankfully Aussie Pet Mobile comes to the house.  The groomer was wonderful, I want to do a before and after photo.  This is a photo of me before the groomer came this morning.

You may not see much of a difference, but I smelled better (at least Mom, Dad, and Auntie said I did).  And this is me after the grooming, which took an hour.  My nails were clipped and filed, my ears were cleaned, and even my private area got a cleaning - I will not talk about that.  I got shampooed and rinsed several times.  The groomer, a very nice lady who also gave me treats, sang and danced with me the entire time.  I liked her she can cut my fur anytime she wants if she sings and dances with me.  The mud that was hard to get out of my fur and paws from all the melting snow and puddles that were created are all gone now.

I also got a very cute pink tie with hearts on it for Valentine's Day.  Auntie moved it to the side, because I kept trying to lick it.  Hey we all do strange things when we get nervous and right as I came inside, my older brother was handed off and went out the door.

In the middle of my panic of having Little Man separated from me I decided the only thing to do was sit and stare at the door from about 5 feet away.  I can tell you nothing scary or bad happened in the grooming van, other than getting wet, which I am not overly fond of, but I panicked about what it would be like for Little Man to be by himself with a stranger.  I was worried at first that I wouldn't be given back to my family, but I was able to see through the window that we didn't move.

I waited for about 30 minutes, which was less time than it took for me to be groomed, apparently him being smaller means it take less time to dry him and clean him.  Mom has washed him in the bathroom sink before, what can I say Little Man is small.  When he finally came back inside I was ready to jump all over him.  He smelled so good, we both did in fact.  Auntie said I almost smelled like a strawberry or her favorite shampoo.  Mom said Little Man looked GQ, what does that mean?

I laughed because he had a tie on, and Auntie had taken mine off.  However, Mom put it right back on so she could try and take pictures of us together, we weren't very cooperative.  Sorry, no picture of both of us in our Valentine's Day ties.

Grooming Day isn't so bad, we can do this again any time Auntie or Mom feels it is necessary.

Product Rave

Product Brag:
It has been a few days and the Belly Band has really helped Little Man to either not spite pee on the carpet & bed or control his bladder if he can't.
There are some really cute bands that Amazon has great designs.  If your male dog is in the senior phase of life and can't control his bladder or is doing spite pee indoors we really recommend these products.  In our situation Little Man has stopped peeing.  To prove that point we didn't put it back on right away when he came inside and he peed behind the couch.
If you don't like the design above here are some of the other cool designs we found on Amazon.
         

Doggie Clothing

So this happened to me

A few days ago my older brother, Little Man, had to start wearing Belly Bands.

I teased him at first, because he had to wear clothes, I didn't care if it had sharks on it he had to wear clothes.  Then today, Auntie who I had loved very much, got all excited and mentioned the Carolina Panthers and getting ready for Sunday's game.  Then Mom picked me up and then next think I know I am in a Pink Carolina Panthers Jersey.  I was able to get my belly rubbed while wearing it so that was good, and Auntie gave me my special Milk Bone Goodies AND a Dentastix so that made me happy.

This is what I get for teasing my older brother :(  Dad came home and I ran to him for help, while he told Auntie he didn't like it he didn't take it off :(  I went to the Big Guy for help and he made Auntie take it off me :)  See that is why he is my favorite most of the time.

I apologized to Little Man and we commiserated about being embarrassed about having to wear clothes.  Auntie and Mom said I will be back in the pink jersey on Sunday during a football game.  I don't know what a football game is, but I hope it isn't long.

This was after furniture being moved today and me freaking out that I would have to leave my home again.  I like it here in North Carolina, and living with Auntie, MomMom and the Big Guy has been great.  Little Man and I were freaked out today and the clothing didn't help, so we curled up on the couch and fell asleep together.

See despite the teasing, and sometimes barking at each other we really do love each other.

Snuggle time

This post is written from the view of Little Man a Toy Rat Terrier who is in the "senior" phase of his life.

I like to snuggle, if you could wrap me in a warm blanket or towel and hold me all day that would be my dream of a perfect day.  I like being pet, snuggled, cuddled, and around my humans all day everyday :)  When I am snuggling with people I tend to not spite pee or poop - I am just saying holding me makes me less likely to pee, I wish my humans would realize this.  I have lucked out and had great snuggle time in the last 24 hours and wanted to brag about snuggle time with my humans,
Last night Auntie wrapped me in a pink towel, because it is her favorite color and she did not listen when I protested about being a man and pink not being my color.  Really look at my blue harness, I am more of a blue kind of guy.  After she wrapped me in a towel she held me close so I could listen to her heart beat but still see everything around, and just swayed with me, like you would to put a baby to sleep.  This was perfect, it was such a good snuggle, that despite my best effort to stay awake my eye lids started getting heavy and I felt myself falling asleep.
Then Auntie took me outside to pee, which was cruel because it was freezing outside.  Then Mom wrapped me back in the towel and we went for a car ride, I like car rides in part because I get snuggle time.
Today I got to snuggle with the Big Guy as he did his crossword puzzles, normally it is where my sister Daisy snuggles, but she was laying on her bench by the window so I took that seat today.  He is nice and occasionally pet my head while he did his crossword puzzle.  When Mom came into the family room I switched couches to snuggle with her while she read.  And the ultimate snuggle time happened when Dad came home and he and Mom both sat on the same couch and I was able to sneak in the middle and get snuggle time with both of them.
Snuggles are important is all I am saying and the more snuggles I get the happier I am.