Tango and Teddy

Griffie Boys

Roc and Tango are with me in the shop today. It's vacuuming day at home, and Roc, with his heart condition, gets too stressed (even in his crate in another room) to be at home. We're lucky enough that bringing him to work is a solution! Plus he gets to enjoy all the braided rawhide sticks without Dax in his face! (We always watch very carefully that the rawhide doesn't get too mushy and easy to swallow when the kids are chewing.) That being said, Tango is enjoying a time out in his crate because he snarked at Roc over a rawhide stick. That's right, the old guy gets all the rawhide. - Fran

If puppies weren't so cute - there'd be no excuse

Having a new puppy in the house is a bit overwhelming. There's so very much I have to teach Teddy and it seems like I'm already six months behind - even though he's only 12 weeks old! Until this year, we hadn't had a puppy in the house in the last five. But it's all, slowly, coming back - all the do's and dont's.
Don't leave any paper on the floor.
Don't leave any shoes on the floor.
Don't leave ANYTHING on the floor.
Don't leave the room without securing the puppy.
Don't lean out the door to get the mail without knowing where the puppy is.
Don't try to get anything done quickly, which goes along with:
Don't step on the puppy.
and the most important:
Do enjoy the puppy!

Tango's haircut

I think Tango's pretty cute after his first haircut. The bow stayed on for precisely long enough to take a picture. And CY said that Tango was a very good boy, except for getting him out of the crate. Well, at least he didn't bite anyone's face off! - Fran

Tango's First Haircut

I feel a little guilty (just a little). Tango is at the groomer's for the very first time. (Pictures to come!) For the conformation show ring, rough-coated Brussels Griffons are hand-stripped to achieve that short, scruffy ragamuffin look. That means the dead hair is ripped out using your fingers. Sounds painful to me. Tango was stripped for the first 10 months because he was shown a few times. But since conformation is not in Tango's future, and I don't have the inclination to learn how to strip him, Tango's getting a haircut today. I'm a little nervous too - not about the cut since CY's the best around - but because we're still working the bad behavior out of Tango's system. He's been much better around people lately, but Tango's a little jerk around other non-family dogs. I have to say, though, that when I handed the little knucklehead to CY this morning he was a good boy! Didn't try to bite her face off at all! (Let's hope that continues...) - Fran

Balancing Act

I know everyone is going to get tired of looking at pictures of Teddy, but I won't! This is Teddy learning to crawl and balance - all good skills for an agility dog! It helps tremendously that he's food motivated. Very, very food-motivated.

Double Decker Dogs

Dax and Teddy work hard for a living. Just ask them.

Too cute for work

It's hard to get much work done with the pups being so cute in the office. Tango (Brussels Griffon) and Teddy (French Bulldog) are play machines!

Momma said there'd be days like this...

Some days it's just impossible to win. I'm minding the shop by myself - Fran is serving on a jury at the Cook County Courthouse (next to Cook County jail), the furthest possible courthouse from home. Also the scariest, but that's another story.
So it's a long day for the pups at home. I brought Dax and Teddy to work - Dax has a lesson and Teddy's so little I just don't want to leave him crated that long. But Roc's medication means he can't go all day without relief. So I run home - gone no more than 1/2 hour. And get back to a nasty message complaining about our customer service "people" not picking up the phone.
Some days, the dragon wins.

Hi-ho, hi-ho.......

Yesterday I brought Teddy home! Today, Teddy came to work. His life of watching soap operas and eating bon-bons is over. One of the infamous Bullmarket Chipmunks litter, Carol pre-spoiled him beautifully. Now we're cracking the whip! So far today, we've worked assiduously at tug and tickle and chew and chase. This onerous life of slave labor will continue this evening, when Teddy makes his debut at our Obedience Club training hall. His duties there will include being cuddled, looking adorable, and getting cooed over. Life is tough when you're puppy.

Back to winter

I thought it was spring! Here it is May 8 and there's a frost advisory for some areas tonight. Good thing I didn't plant anything! I feel badly for my neighbors who will have to bring in their beautiful containers and cover their new plantings tonight. While their fingers are turning blue. Back to winter jackets and sweatshirts! Maybe even gloves.

But spring is out there somewhere - our maple trees are dropping their seed pods (helicopters, we used to call them when we were kids) as they do every year about this time. But, in much greater quantities this year, I'm thinking. It's been really windy lately. The lilacs bloomed the other day. Sadly the beautiful little purple flowers are all on the ground now - given the roaring wind and the torrential downpours. - Fran