After leaving Saskatoon, IV and I headed on to Edmonton and I wanted to do a wee bit of shoe shopping...so I tucked IV into her kennel, cracked all the windows open and went out. I was gone for 10 minutes MAX and I came back to find that IV had broken out of her kennel. Needless to say our next stop was PetSmart where she came in and she got to try out a couple kennels until we found one that has real screws holding it together :) I think I've got her beat now! The most hilarious part of this little adventure was when we were standing in line at the cashiers and this little tiny chihuahua (sp???) was in line behind us and just kept yapping at IV...(her owner totally was buying one of those barking collars...ha ha) and so after several barks IV started barking back. It was echoing all over and I couldn't hear the cashier and I finally got IV to be quiet, but the other little dog would not stop barking.
After our Edmonton Adventure, IV and I arrived in Breton where IV met Jill (and Jill met IV). IV and Jill became instant fighting friends. They started running around the house, chasing eachother and playfighting. Non-stop. They are starting to settle down now (after 2 weeks!) and are still a little crazy! It turns out that IV's a bit of a bully! But perhaps I should set the scene a little bit...
Jill is a 3 and a 1/2 month old Golden Lab who is super friendly and a goofy little puppy...she's growing quickly and so is very easy to knock over, is very gullible and is just super cute!
Anyway, so the fighting is easy for IV since she has a pretty good sense of balance, and she's pretty agile and speedy. They find sticks and fight over them, and fight over toys. Tug of war happens a lot. With big sticks or little sticks, even IV's tire! Well, the one issue that is a little touchy between IV and Jill is the rawhide bone. They each have their own, and before IV came, apparently Jill would not touch hers...but then when it was discovered that IV LOVES rawhide bones, obviously Jill had to get in on this action. The only problem is that IV LOVES her rawhide bones. So, this leads to some serious growling, snapping, and chasing...despite the fact that the 2 puppies can eat their food out of the same bowls...you can mess with IV's food, but
BACK OFF! GET YOU'RE OWN RAWHIDE!
So, back when they were allowed to have their bones outside of their kennels, IV would take her bone, and walk around, and then set it down, then she'd push it away and look in the other direction until Jill would innocently enough just kind of sniff at it and then WOWZA IV would snatch up her bone. She did this many times, and poor Jill kept falling for it.
Anyways, in summary, it seems that IV is loving the country life. She tries to chase elk (which is a bad idea since they are very very VERY protective of their babies right now) and when we walk down the road she used to tease them...but not so much anymore...I think they are not nearly as interesting as they were at first. :) She's a happy puppy, and will be very excited to see the rest of her people when we get back to Winnipeg...but she's happy as a country dog!
(No garbage gut since we left!!! Yay!!!)
Later
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Little Blood Sucking Armour Plated Beasts from Hell
Today IV and I took off on another roadtrip. Our ultimate goal is the family farm in Alberta, but we're sleeping in Saskatoon tonight to break up the trip a bit. So far so good...except 1 thing: tiny little blood sucking armour played beasts from hell.
Let me start at the beginning...
Poor IV's a little black puppy, so when she sits on the seat in the sun she gets so very warm...despite the AC. So, I thought,"oh how nice it would be to take a break from driving and throw some sticks in a dugout for IV to swim and cool off. Then we can run around until she is dry."
The plan went well, and a lovely time was had by all...until we returned to our travels. I felt something on my shoulder. It was a little bug. I just tossed it out of the window. Then, I noticed there was a little bug on IV, right under her eye. I went to throw it out as well, when I realized the darn thing was stuck.
Then I knew what it was. And what the bug on my shoulder had been. (if you know, say it with me) Ticks.
Eww. Ewww. Ew.
*shudder*
So I went to a gas station and on the way saw and threw out 4 more ticks on IV. Then in the gas station I went into the bathroom and a half hour later I had found no less than 12 ticks in my clothes (only 2 of them were biting me though).
AHHHHHHHH.
I then also bought a little comb in the gas station and used it to back comb IV's hair to see if I could find more ticks, but I found none.
But, just now, I found one when I was moving her kennel. I don't know where it came from. I hope it's the last one *crosses fingers*
And that's the story of how I went from having never seen a tick in real like to having seen 20 ticks in one day. A whole herd of them. Great.
I also used my handy dandy BlackBerry internet to look up ticks on Wikipedia. I learnt a lot. Like all the diseases they carry. Great again.
An educational day. Lucky me.
The moral of the story: stay off the grass. Especially if you're just wearing flip flops.
One last time: Eww. Ewwwwwwwww. Ahhhhhhhh!!!
Goodnight all, time for creepy crawly dreams.
Let me start at the beginning...
Poor IV's a little black puppy, so when she sits on the seat in the sun she gets so very warm...despite the AC. So, I thought,"oh how nice it would be to take a break from driving and throw some sticks in a dugout for IV to swim and cool off. Then we can run around until she is dry."
The plan went well, and a lovely time was had by all...until we returned to our travels. I felt something on my shoulder. It was a little bug. I just tossed it out of the window. Then, I noticed there was a little bug on IV, right under her eye. I went to throw it out as well, when I realized the darn thing was stuck.
Then I knew what it was. And what the bug on my shoulder had been. (if you know, say it with me) Ticks.
Eww. Ewww. Ew.
*shudder*
So I went to a gas station and on the way saw and threw out 4 more ticks on IV. Then in the gas station I went into the bathroom and a half hour later I had found no less than 12 ticks in my clothes (only 2 of them were biting me though).
AHHHHHHHH.
I then also bought a little comb in the gas station and used it to back comb IV's hair to see if I could find more ticks, but I found none.
But, just now, I found one when I was moving her kennel. I don't know where it came from. I hope it's the last one *crosses fingers*
And that's the story of how I went from having never seen a tick in real like to having seen 20 ticks in one day. A whole herd of them. Great.
I also used my handy dandy BlackBerry internet to look up ticks on Wikipedia. I learnt a lot. Like all the diseases they carry. Great again.
An educational day. Lucky me.
The moral of the story: stay off the grass. Especially if you're just wearing flip flops.
One last time: Eww. Ewwwwwwwww. Ahhhhhhhh!!!
Goodnight all, time for creepy crawly dreams.
Monday, May 18, 2009
At Long Long Last
It has been a while. Quite a while. So here are some tales for your enjoyment...
We have new roommates Kate and Steph who she has managed to twist around her little...toe. She's been working on her growling with Steph. She's getting pretty good at it (IV, that is!). Her growling becomes more intense as she realizes she is going to lose the game of tug-of-war she is in. The only thing is that her growl is a little strange, and I can't even describe it...but I find it a little comical. :)
She loves loves loves to play. We had a toy for her. She chewed it apart so that it kind of looked like a rather delicate part of the male anatomy...and she just chewed it apart. We all found it quite entertaining. The toy was tossed around and lying around for a few days before any of us were brave enough to point out what the toy looked like...then we had no end of jokes about how we are a house of 7 single women and we give our dog male genitalia to chew on. The toy finally fell apart and a replacement was needed.
Now IV has a little rubber tire that is not only her chew toy, but also her favorite chasing toy. Made completely from recycled rubber this toy comes from Canadian Tire and I believe it is completely indestructable. For now. It's the perfect tug-of-war toy, and a great toy to throw. You can throw it and it will bounce randomly all over the place, or you can roll it! It's multi-purpose! Plus she can chew on it, and she's only gotten a couple of the treads off (they are shaped like little dog bones). The best part about the little tire is that occasionally she'll pick it up and it will flip up and cover her eyes, so she has to walk a little bit sideways.
In other news (ie...a lot shorter since Jennie is accusing me of writing a book!): IV's peed on Kim's bed, chewed on the carpet, is developing a master plan to escape her kennel using a towel and sheer determination, is super excited when I get home from work, has walked to Assiniboine park and back a couple times, went to the farm with Kim and had a great time, and is not aware that she's going on a holiday with me to Alberta where she will meet Jill my mom and dad's puppy.
The End (til next time...which is hopefully not as far apart as the other posts have been...I need to get a picture of IV with the tire flipped over her eyes...)
Later
We have new roommates Kate and Steph who she has managed to twist around her little...toe. She's been working on her growling with Steph. She's getting pretty good at it (IV, that is!). Her growling becomes more intense as she realizes she is going to lose the game of tug-of-war she is in. The only thing is that her growl is a little strange, and I can't even describe it...but I find it a little comical. :)
She loves loves loves to play. We had a toy for her. She chewed it apart so that it kind of looked like a rather delicate part of the male anatomy...and she just chewed it apart. We all found it quite entertaining. The toy was tossed around and lying around for a few days before any of us were brave enough to point out what the toy looked like...then we had no end of jokes about how we are a house of 7 single women and we give our dog male genitalia to chew on. The toy finally fell apart and a replacement was needed.
Now IV has a little rubber tire that is not only her chew toy, but also her favorite chasing toy. Made completely from recycled rubber this toy comes from Canadian Tire and I believe it is completely indestructable. For now. It's the perfect tug-of-war toy, and a great toy to throw. You can throw it and it will bounce randomly all over the place, or you can roll it! It's multi-purpose! Plus she can chew on it, and she's only gotten a couple of the treads off (they are shaped like little dog bones). The best part about the little tire is that occasionally she'll pick it up and it will flip up and cover her eyes, so she has to walk a little bit sideways.
In other news (ie...a lot shorter since Jennie is accusing me of writing a book!): IV's peed on Kim's bed, chewed on the carpet, is developing a master plan to escape her kennel using a towel and sheer determination, is super excited when I get home from work, has walked to Assiniboine park and back a couple times, went to the farm with Kim and had a great time, and is not aware that she's going on a holiday with me to Alberta where she will meet Jill my mom and dad's puppy.
The End (til next time...which is hopefully not as far apart as the other posts have been...I need to get a picture of IV with the tire flipped over her eyes...)
Later
Sunday, April 26, 2009
And The Day After That
So the morning after her homecoming IV woke up as bright and alert as she has always been (except the few *several* times she has gotten garbage gut). So I took her for a long walk, then we came home and had a nap, and then she chewed on a bone while I finished cleaning my room, started cleaning the kitchen, and straightened up the front entrance a bit. After that we went to The Neighborhood and she was adored by Kim and Daniel, and other's who passed in and out.
Not at all a very remarkable day
U
N
T
I
L
we returned to the house and I was visiting with Jen while she finished packing and I could hear IV jingling around the room and suddenly it got VERY quiet, so I went to check out what she was up to. But she was nowhere to be seen. I turned the light on and found IV IN HER KENNEL.
Honest.
I wouldn't lie about that.
Not at all a very remarkable day
U
N
T
I
L
we returned to the house and I was visiting with Jen while she finished packing and I could hear IV jingling around the room and suddenly it got VERY quiet, so I went to check out what she was up to. But she was nowhere to be seen. I turned the light on and found IV IN HER KENNEL.
Honest.
I wouldn't lie about that.
Friday, April 24, 2009
IV Returns from the Vet
I picked IV up from the vet this evening and she seemed happy to be home, but it was a little hard to tell since she was a little snowed.
She's also moving a little slow, which is completely understandable...Jennie told her it would be ok, and that this was better than giving birth. Which is true.
IV came home and we put her in her kennel for a bit while we went out to Baked Expectations and had dessert, then we returned hyped up on sugar and had a dance party. IV was a little overwhelmed by this and at first tried to be involved (Fear of Missing Out) but soon decided that she was not up for standing in the middle of a room of "dancing" girls and quickly lay down on Larisa's bed with Loreena and napped/watched the proceedings. Jennie and I came and cuddled with her as well...until Jennie got her second wind and rejoined the dancing.
Anyway, long story short: IV was the only one of us with drugs in her system and she was the quietest of us all!
She may also believe that during the 24 hours she was gone we went completely crazy...poor sore puppy...
She's also moving a little slow, which is completely understandable...Jennie told her it would be ok, and that this was better than giving birth. Which is true.
IV came home and we put her in her kennel for a bit while we went out to Baked Expectations and had dessert, then we returned hyped up on sugar and had a dance party. IV was a little overwhelmed by this and at first tried to be involved (Fear of Missing Out) but soon decided that she was not up for standing in the middle of a room of "dancing" girls and quickly lay down on Larisa's bed with Loreena and napped/watched the proceedings. Jennie and I came and cuddled with her as well...until Jennie got her second wind and rejoined the dancing.
Anyway, long story short: IV was the only one of us with drugs in her system and she was the quietest of us all!
She may also believe that during the 24 hours she was gone we went completely crazy...poor sore puppy...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
An IV Bolus
Ok, so for those of you who aren't all nursey-nerdy like I am: a bolus is like a set amount of fluids (usually normal saline) that we set the IV pumps to pump into a person really fast. The purpose of this is to raise a blood pressure, replace lost fluids, fix a fluid imbalance, etc. Anyways, the point of all this is to explain that you are about to receive and IV bolus about IV...here it comes!
IV is a very good car dog. She just curls up on the seat and goes to sleep. However, she doesn't like the window's rolled down (it's noisy and she was sleeping!), and whenever we slow down or stop she has to give me this look that says "Why on earth would you do that?" like she's a better driver than me or something. I also was able to rate how well I shifted based on if she just swayed or actually fell over whenever I shifted.
Oh. And she farts. And it's really nasty.
Overall, I would say the drive to Saskatoon and back was pretty boring for her. She really liked getting out of the car and seeing the countryside though. I think if I had let her she would have stood all day just sniffing a clump of grass wondering what on earth had been there (probably a deer?) And whenever we stopped for gas and I left her in the car she would act so excited when I came back for her...I believe she has some abandonment issues...she would sit up so happily on her side of the car and keep bopping her head over to be close to be...almost jumping into my lap but not quite...just trying to show me that she was glad I came back.
Then in Saskatoon she met my cousins and was loved by them and loved them back. She really likes kids...maybe they make her feel bigger? She went on lots of walks. Met my parents (who approve of her). Ate a piece of a broken snow saucer, pooped it out the next day. She really adjusted quite well to the adventure, but she was definitely really excited to be home and see all her people again.
Since her return home IV has taken up her throne and seems to think she runs the house. She managed to tear apart all of her toys, and had to go an entire 24 hour period before she got replacement toys...she almost lost her mind then and had to chew on feet, fingers, blankets, anything. She has since regained her sanity and has a collection of rawhide bones to devour and 2 new toys to chase.
She had another run in with some garbage apparently, and when I took her for a walk she was so bloated I thought her stomach would explode, and then she puked all over (outside thankfully!) and her stomach returned to its normal size.
She was up on the balcony and decided she could be a tightrope walker and tried out her balancing act on the eavestrough...gave the girls quite a scare when she looked like she was contemplating jumping down to greet Loreena. Luckily she was captured and missed out on her opportunity to see if she could fly...perhaps that is why she has suddenly taken up chasing birds...she's trying to get some pointers for next time...
Hmm...what else is there to share...I think this bolus is coming to an end. The pump is going to start it's annoying beeping soon, so I had better shut this down...but before I do that I suppose I should mention that right now, IV's sleeping *hopefully* in a kennel at the Humane Society's Vet Clinic so that in the morning she can be spayed. But she'll be back Friday night...a little sore...but happy that we didn't abandon her...I'm guessing. I hope she forgives me.
G'night all! (And by all...I just mean whoever [if anyone] reads this blog!)
IV is a very good car dog. She just curls up on the seat and goes to sleep. However, she doesn't like the window's rolled down (it's noisy and she was sleeping!), and whenever we slow down or stop she has to give me this look that says "Why on earth would you do that?" like she's a better driver than me or something. I also was able to rate how well I shifted based on if she just swayed or actually fell over whenever I shifted.
Oh. And she farts. And it's really nasty.
Overall, I would say the drive to Saskatoon and back was pretty boring for her. She really liked getting out of the car and seeing the countryside though. I think if I had let her she would have stood all day just sniffing a clump of grass wondering what on earth had been there (probably a deer?) And whenever we stopped for gas and I left her in the car she would act so excited when I came back for her...I believe she has some abandonment issues...she would sit up so happily on her side of the car and keep bopping her head over to be close to be...almost jumping into my lap but not quite...just trying to show me that she was glad I came back.
Then in Saskatoon she met my cousins and was loved by them and loved them back. She really likes kids...maybe they make her feel bigger? She went on lots of walks. Met my parents (who approve of her). Ate a piece of a broken snow saucer, pooped it out the next day. She really adjusted quite well to the adventure, but she was definitely really excited to be home and see all her people again.
Since her return home IV has taken up her throne and seems to think she runs the house. She managed to tear apart all of her toys, and had to go an entire 24 hour period before she got replacement toys...she almost lost her mind then and had to chew on feet, fingers, blankets, anything. She has since regained her sanity and has a collection of rawhide bones to devour and 2 new toys to chase.
She had another run in with some garbage apparently, and when I took her for a walk she was so bloated I thought her stomach would explode, and then she puked all over (outside thankfully!) and her stomach returned to its normal size.
She was up on the balcony and decided she could be a tightrope walker and tried out her balancing act on the eavestrough...gave the girls quite a scare when she looked like she was contemplating jumping down to greet Loreena. Luckily she was captured and missed out on her opportunity to see if she could fly...perhaps that is why she has suddenly taken up chasing birds...she's trying to get some pointers for next time...
Hmm...what else is there to share...I think this bolus is coming to an end. The pump is going to start it's annoying beeping soon, so I had better shut this down...but before I do that I suppose I should mention that right now, IV's sleeping *hopefully* in a kennel at the Humane Society's Vet Clinic so that in the morning she can be spayed. But she'll be back Friday night...a little sore...but happy that we didn't abandon her...I'm guessing. I hope she forgives me.
G'night all! (And by all...I just mean whoever [if anyone] reads this blog!)
Friday, April 10, 2009
I suppose it is time to update Iv's progress, which is strangely ironic seeing as she is not here...she is in Saskatoon hangin' with her extended family, and Katie. However, I have a few remnants of her shedding hair scattered on my laptop, so I feel that she is really quite close in spirit, plus I am done my mounds of homework, and feel that I can at last pay proper homage.
I thought I would make a little list of some anecdotal instances to give you an idea of the kind of doggy that IV is.
1. IV eats everything. Buttons, rocks, paper clips, vegetables, fruit, gum, her chew toy, sticks, garbage. Especially garbage.
2. IV loves to go for walks. She will go on 3 or 4 walks a day and not get tired out. Her energy is amazing.
3. IV is loved by everyone she meets. Even police officers (but I will let Katie tell that story).
4. IV is slightly narcissistic. She loves looking at her reflection in the mirror for long lengths of time.
5. IV has FOMO (Fear of Missing Out Syndrom) as diagnosed by social worker-in- training, Kim Stitt. IV cannot handle being left behind or being left alone. We believe that this was due to insufficient attachment in her earlier months.
6. IV is 19 pounds...but we think she may be getting heavier due to all that exercise and random objects that she is eating. Those paperclips can sure add weight.
That is all I got for you...Maybe Katie will write a little post of how IV is doing with her first road tripping experience.
Cheers.
I thought I would make a little list of some anecdotal instances to give you an idea of the kind of doggy that IV is.
1. IV eats everything. Buttons, rocks, paper clips, vegetables, fruit, gum, her chew toy, sticks, garbage. Especially garbage.
2. IV loves to go for walks. She will go on 3 or 4 walks a day and not get tired out. Her energy is amazing.
3. IV is loved by everyone she meets. Even police officers (but I will let Katie tell that story).
4. IV is slightly narcissistic. She loves looking at her reflection in the mirror for long lengths of time.
5. IV has FOMO (Fear of Missing Out Syndrom) as diagnosed by social worker-in- training, Kim Stitt. IV cannot handle being left behind or being left alone. We believe that this was due to insufficient attachment in her earlier months.
6. IV is 19 pounds...but we think she may be getting heavier due to all that exercise and random objects that she is eating. Those paperclips can sure add weight.
That is all I got for you...Maybe Katie will write a little post of how IV is doing with her first road tripping experience.
Cheers.
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