Miscellaneous Ramblings

Anyone else tired of summer? I'm tired of being hot and sticky. I'm tired of the storms that keep Ceilidh (and therefore me) up at night. We've already ordered sweaters and holiday toys at the shop! I'm done with summer.

This is the first week that we're trying out a new schedule. I'm now at the shop on crazy Wednesdays with Tango and Dax and Teddy. Wednesday had been my day off. I was somewhat apprehensive about this, with Tango's propensity for nastiness, but while he did his share of barking he didn't seem entirely serious about it all the time. And, after a setback last week, at Agility class last night, Tango wasn't as aggressive as I expected. A muzzle might not be necessary. We'll have to see.

And now there's the potential threat of oil flowing into Lake Michigan? Seriously? The Gulf of Mexico isn't bad enough? I could rant for hours, but summer's made me too tired.... Fran

Cure for the blues

Roc did what Roc loves. He barked.

Dax was not amused.

Tango is looking for trouble - no one sniffs Ceilidh's butt!

The dynamic duo - Tango and Teddy had a blast!

They take turns chewing on each other.

Teddy's a happy boy.

Last week was a pretty awful one. Tango was horribly sick with some kind of stomach problem the first half, I discovered a huge bolt in my rear tire when I left work on Tuesday (ever hear that dreadful "thunk, thunk, thunk?"), thunderstorms kept Ceilidh (and consequently Fran) up all night on.... I don't even remember which one it was.

But on Sunday - it was beautiful! The way summer should be and hasn't this year. Temperature in the 80s instead of goddawful hot, sun shining, breeze blowing, fluffy clouds in the sky. So we let the dogs play in the backyard. It makes us smile.

Computer woes

Wednesday my PC crashed. CRASHED!!! Aarrrgh... Got the Windows user selection page and then nothing. Of course Wednesday is my day off, so Hope had to deal with the initial *(/@#! alone. I cleaned up, folded the laundry, popped most of the dogs in their crates and Dax into the car (for Hope's and Dax's lesson with Dee) and scrammed to the shop to deal with the technician so Hope could get on with semi-normal affairs. The Dell tech was very nice and quite understandable, even though he's in the Philippines. We rebuilt Windows XP and Carlo took control of my PC to load updates and drivers. Fortunately my data files were not lost. I know, BACKUP!! Lesson learned. So now I'm almost done installing programs and configuring default files, etc., etc., etc. ..... - Fran

Worn out!

Last night was Tango's second Agility Class, and this morning an AT&T technician came to check our lines. (We'd been having internet connectivity problems with our DSL line, but he couldn't find anything wrong. Despite the fact that our internet went out this morning for a little while. Grrr.) Anyway - as a result, Tango needed a nap! - Fran

The other two

Fran and I have both been blogging about our pups - Tango and Teddy. Dax gets mentions as well - she's the one competing in agility and she also comes to work on occasion.
But we do have two other dogs - Ceilidh and Roc. They're really not very old, Fran's Ceilidh (Boston Terrier) is nine and my Roc (Brussels Griffon) is eight. But we probably don't blog much about them because we're both trying not to think about what's to come. "De Nile ain't just a river in Egypt."
Ceilidh and Roc are both precious to us - and this summer both seem to be in trouble.
Roc has pulmonary hypertension - back in February when we got the diagnosis, the vet said he'd probably have a couple/few months. With the heat and humidity that's been plaguing us this summer, he's clearly uncomfortable outside and we're only allowing him outside, out of the air-conditioning, for essential potty trips.
Ceilidh has several problematic heart conditions (arhythmia, bad valves, etc.), in addition to the immune-system issues she's had all her life (her body attacks itself and her hair falls out without weekly medicated baths). And now, latest blow, she's developed myositis, an inflammation of the muscles. She's on steroids and for the first time in her entire life, she's an eager eater. Much as we love seeing that - the price is too high.
So if we don't talk about our older dogs - know that we, and they, are holding their own and no news is exactly what we want.

Frog dog's froglegs

Teddy frequently lies with his back legs behind him. Many, if not most, dog owners are familiar with this pose - lots of puppies do it. Some dogs continue throughout their lives. I have a feeling Teddy will be one of them. He not only lies this way....

He sits this way too.

Tango's first agility class

Tango loves to do "stuff." He's always doing something. (Here he's chewing on his bone next to his big brother Roc - they're both Brussels Griffons.) So it would make sense that he would love Agility. And as soon as Tango understands that in order to do all the fun stuff he has to allow other dogs to be in the same room with him, he'll realize that it will be a whole lot more fun! Last night we did some body awareness exercises (for the dogs - but I suppose that it would be helpful for the handlers to know where their back ends are too) and simple conditioning. Actually Tango was less reactive than I expected, so the evening was much more pleasant than anticipated! And both boys are at Golly Gear with me today. How lucky am I! - Fran

Almost-perfect puppy

I may have mentioned that Teddy's quite a bit more vocal than my other French Bulldog, Dax, ever was. He's a big complainer - especially when that treat isn't hitting his mouth fast enough! Every time we tried to get a cute picture of his face - the mouth was open. Either chewing or complaining. Can you say "brat?"
- Hope

Also cute!

I brought Dax to work today - all by herself! I figured a little "mommy & me" time would be a good thing. Now that she's figured out Teddy's staying, she needs a little reassurance that she's still special. I know - anthropomorphizing again. But it worked - she's in a great mood and playing like a pup.

Tango likes the bed too!

Even though it's not Tango's usual day at the shop (Thursday) I brought him in anyway. Actually, the poor boy has a cold and he's just pathetic. This morning he even lied down to chew on a bone rather than play with Teddy. We went to the vet, who prescribed antibiotics and an antihistamine. So hopefully Tango will be feeling better soon. - Fran