If I Can't See, I Can't Go

Emme has trouble finding the perfect spot to take care of business in the deep snow. Ken has shoveled a little "Princess Path" so Emme can go outside and not get buried in the snow. Emme has to sniff around to find the perfect spot to pee; finding the right spot for number 2 is a much more daunting chore. She gets down in the shoveled paths and can't see beyond the walls of snow. This seems to throw her off. I don't know if she feels especially vulnerable when she is in the position to take care of business or what the problem is. I just know that she hunkers down to begin and then pops up again to look around. Then she repeats this a few times until she just can't hold it any longer. I think she will be happy when this snow melts. If it ever does.

Two Treats

Emme never licks my face. I often put my face right next to hers and she will sniff me but not lick. She loves to get close and sniff my eye lids or my mouth or ears, but she doesn't lick. That is not the case with Ken. As often as she can, Emme will lick his ears or face. He is always egging Emme on to lick me. "Lick her. Lick her. I'll give you two treats if you lick her." But Emme doesn't. I tell Ken that is because Emme knows that I don't want to be licked. I know where that tongue has been and I don't want it on my face.

That wasn't the case the last time we picked up the dogs from the kennel. After we returned from DC, I carried Emme in my arms out to the car and as soon as we got in the car, she licked my face. UGH! I know she was excited to see me and Ken owes her two treats. But she doesn't need to repeat the lick.

Introducing Calvin Atticus Nuzum - Off Topic

Ken and I just got back from Washington DC to meet our new grandson, Calvin Atticus, who was born on Christmas Day. We had an easy ride to DC last week and then the snow storm they called "Snowmageddon" hit. DC had over two feet of snow and we were snowed in. It didn't really matter because we wanted to meet Calvin and visit with Eric and Katherine and we had plenty of time to do this. We never lost power so we were warm and dry. It was not the visit we expected to have, but it was a great one nevertheless. And Calvin is happy, healthy, and alert. What a great grandson! (and not bad parents, either) I think they are all keepers.

Oh, Those Smells!

Emme and Rudy love to go out in the grass at the lake house to smell things. They love to sniff around in the grass, which makes taking care of business a lengthy process. I know that we probably get many more wild life visitors there than in Wooster which makes smelling grass way better in Holmes County.

We spent last weekend at the lake house and while we were there we were visited by five deer. Ken looked out the kitchen window and called to me to look out the side yard past the bird feeder. There were three deer in the woods just to the side of our property. As we watched, one of them walked across the lawn to the lake side of our house and stopped at the bird feeder there. That deer was joined by others and at one point we had five deer just feet away from the deck on the lake side of the house. They were fun to watch and I tried not to think how many of my hosta plants they ate last summer. But I am sure that they added to the "wonderful smells" that draw Emme and Rudy.

Canine Flu Vaccine

Yesterday we got a call from the vet about canine flu vaccine. Since Jan. 1 our vet is requiring the shot before boarding dogs. It prevents a type of flu that dogs can get, which makes them very sick and does not respond to the normal antibiotics. Since Emme and Rudy have boarding reservations coming up, we made an appointment yesterday afternoon to get the shots for both of them. It is the first of two required shots. They need to return in two to four weeks for a booster and then they will be protected.

When we entered the vet's office, Rudy was calm and well behaved, but Emme was frightened. She began shaking as I went up the steps to the office and kept it up until we got back in the car. Neither dog responded negatively to the shot itself so we don't know what was in Emme's mind. She just did not want to be there. It's just like mothers saying to their kids "This hurts me more than it hurts you." She was unhappy and I was glad to get her out of there. She was not pleased to go to the vet. I am pleased that she will have the flu protection. All's well that ends well.

Feet

Emme and Rudy have two very different responses to feet. Emme loves nothing more than to lie on her back and have me rub her belly with my feet. Rudy does not like being touched by feet, any one's, any time, any where.

Each evening we go upstairs to change into our pajamas and to play "Closet Ball." As we change our clothes, Emme entertains herself by playing the PM version of "Go Get." She runs back and forth between us from the bedroom to the closet as we take off our clothes and put on PJ's. Rudy brings in a squeaky toy and wants us to throw it for him. The game started out years ago as "Closet Ball" because Rudy always chose a ball to bring upstairs. Over the years it has changed and now his current toy preference is any stuffie that has a squeaker inside, usually one that he has liberated from my sewing room. The name of the game hasn't changed because "Closet Squeaky" just doesn't have the same ring.

As I am sitting on the chair in the closet, Emme comes into the closet and lies down so I can rub her belly with either my bare feet or my socks. Either one is fine as long as her belly gets rubbed. She repeats this turn her belly up to be rubbed in the morning when I get dressed. As soon as I sit on the chair, Emme runs into the closet and lies on the floor for her rub. If she is too far away, she will wiggle on her back to get closer. She knows a good thing when she sees it. Belly rubbing with feet is good for Emme.

Not so for Rudy. If he is under the dining room table with a lovie, which he always is at breakfast, and accidentally gets touched by a foot, he hops up like he was touched with fire. He grabs his lovie and moves over, out of foot range.

How can two dogs be so different?

Pretzel Thief

Last night Ken and I each brought a snack into the living room. I had a dish of dried fruit and nuts and Ken had a dish of peanut butter filled pretzels. We put them on the table between our two chairs and returned to the kitchen for something to drink. I looked back into the living room and Emme had gotten up on Ken's chair and stolen a pretzel which she was chewing on the seat of the chair. We dashed back into the living room, confiscated the remains of the pretzel and cleaned the crumbs from the chair.

We should have been more careful with the food but stealing is not usually a problem. As big as Rudy is, he could reach any food on any surface in the house. With the exception of one time when temptation was too much, Rudy has never helped himself to any food. One time at the lake house, we had a house full of company and Rudy was not being supervised closely enough. There were left over chicken shish kabobs on the kitchen table. A few minutes later, one was missing and a shish kabob stick and one piece of vegetable was lying on the floor under the table. We never saw him steal and eat the shish kabob but we knew it was Rudy. Other than that, Rudy never takes food that is not his. We often will cool cookies or bread on the kitchen counter or have left overs on dinner plates before we wash dishes. Rudy would barely have to stretch to reach them on the counter top but he doesn't.

Emme, on the other hand, is less reliable. One time while we were loading Ken's car to go to the lake, Emme got in the front seat and helped herself to a tube of Burt's Bees Lip Balm. She couldn't get it open, but she put teeth marks all over the outside of the package. We are always careful not to leave anything in the console that she could grab and chew.

So last night Emme was a pretzel thief and Ken and I are more aware of the possibilities of Emme helping herself to our food. We will be more careful in the future.

Guard the House

Emme and Rudy often spend time in their crates in the family room when both Ken and I leave house. They get the command "Go nighty-nite in your crate" and they dash into their crates and wait for a biscuit which they always get as a reward for going into their crate. Many times they anticipate our leaving by watching if we lock the back door, put on boots or get our coats from the closet. Then they run to their crates before they are told to do so.

Recently we have been leaving them up when we are only going to be gone for about an hour. Both dogs are well behaved and we have never had any damage or problems when they have been left alone unsupervised in the house. (Is this where I say "Knock on wood"?) The drawback to this is they don't get a biscuit. We just say "Guard the house" and leave. We mean "Keep the house safe from intruders." I think the dogs hear "Ha, ha, you don't get a biscuit this time." Maybe we should re-evaluate our leaving procedures and add a puppy biscuit when they are guarding  the house.  It seems only fair.

Not in the Mulch

Both Emme and Rudy love to do their business in the mulch in the flower beds in the back yard. I don't know what the attraction is, but they are drawn to the flower beds like a moth to a flame. No matter how many times we pull them out of the mulch and redirect them to the grass, the next time they go outside, they head for the mulch.

I have flowers and plants in those flower beds. I have tea mint and chives that I use in cooking and I don't want them watered by Emme and Rudy. I have hostas, crocuses, and creeping Jenny that I don't want to turn yellow and gnarled from dog urine. I dig in that soil with my hands when I put in a new plant or weed the beds. I don't want the dogs to use the flower beds and their own personal toilets.

Ken thinks that there may be some varmints that have a home in the flower beds or who walk through the beds. I don't know what the attraction is. I just want it to stop.

My Own Personal Key West - Off Topic

This entry has nothing to do with Emme or Rudy. It is only to show some of my plants that are flowering in the dining room.

I have four different orchids blooming at this time, two white ones and two pink ones.

I also have one purple African Violet in bloom.

A Christmas Cactus that must have its calendar confused is blooming and has more buds to open.

This is like having my own personal Key West. Beautiful flowers in the dead of winter. What a lucky woman I am!

Maybe It's Poison

Every morning after breakfast, Emme comes upstairs with me to my sewing room when I check my email. I always give her a sweet potato treat after we enter the room. I buy the "Bichon Fries" which are cut like crinkle cut french fries. I break them in half so she gets a piece about two to three inches long. She has just recently finished breakfast so she doesn't need a huge chunk of sweet potato. Although I have been doing this for months, every time I give her a sweet potato treat, she backs up and smells it like it might be poison. You think she would remember from day to day that the treat is wholesome and that she likes it. Instead, she has to sniff it suspiciously each time before she take it from me.

An Opportunist

Rudy is an opportunist. Every time Emme asks to go outside to do her business, Rudy "needs" to go outside too. Not sometimes, not occassionally, but every time. No two bladders could be this much in synch. He especially loves to wait until Emme has taken care of her business. Then he dashes over to put a tablespoon of urine on top of her spot.What's up with this?

Scratchy Feet

Emme has a way of saying "Let's play" "Let's nap" or "I need this toy." She does the "Scratchy Feet." She stands on the floor or a piece of furniture and scratches her feet on the rug or the cushion to make a noise. This means "I need something."

Emme knows that after lunch she and I will often go into the family room and nap. Emme loves to nap on the couch with me. I go get a quilt and a magazine or book and Emme dashes for Big Mama Gorilla. She can't jump on the couch with Big Mama Gorilla in her mouth so she waits until I spread out the quilt on the couch and then pick up Big Mama Gorilla and place it in Emme's favorite nap spot at the end of the couch.

If Ken and I are eating lunch in the kitchen and are taking too long in Emme's estimation, she will begin the process of setting up for a nap. She jumps up on the couch and pushes the throw pillows around. She relocates the pillows to other places on the couch or down on the floor. If that doesn't get me into the family room, then she stands on the couch, stares me in the eye and does Scratchy Feet. That almost always works to get my attention.

The dogs' toy box is between the living room couch and my chair. If Rudy wants something, he just goes to the box, roots around and grabs something with his mouth. Emme doesn't usually get something herself from the toy box. The sides of the box are only a few inches high and she can easily reach most of the things in the box but she wants help. Instead, she stands next to the box and does Scratchy Feet so I will look down at her. If the Scratchy Feet doesn't do it, she will add a whine for good measure. Then I pick up each toy until I have the one she wants in my hand and she takes it from me.

Where did she come up with this as a means of communication? I wonder if other dogs scratch their feet to say "I need."

The Nuzum Dog Show

Every morning we have a routine with the dogs. After Emme and Rudy have gone outside, we play "Go Get." Ken sits at the dining room table and I sit on the couch in the living room and we send Emme back and forth between us with the command "Go get Ken or Go get Mary Lou." She will keep it up long enough that by the end of the game she is panting with the exertion. Rudy usually just comes over and sits next to me beside the couch so I can rub his chest or his ears. He doesn't participate in the crazy "Go Get" game.

But recently Ken has added "The Nuzum Dog Show" to the morning games. At the end of "Go Get" Ken calls "Rudy come" and Rudy and Emme both run over to him. He then gives the command for sit or down and stay. He opens the pantry door to get a bag of dog treats. Rudy usually stays but Emme is so full of excitement and expectation that she pops up and moves closer. Ken again gets both dogs down and after they have stayed down for a while, he gives each of them a half of a dog treat. Sometimes they do quite well. Other days, Ken has to sit them down two or three times before they stay. Either way, it is a fun way to start our day. "Go Get" and "The Nuzum Dog Show."

Blanket Buddy

Both Emme and Rudy love when we change the sheets on our bed. One or the other always runs to the end of the bed and lies down on the blanket. It must smell like Ken and me and the dogs love to sneak a few minutes on the blanket. They don't do anything bad to the blanket. They don't lick or chew. They just lie there as we remove and replace the sheets and reluctantly get up when we are ready to put the blanket back on the bed. It is funny that our dogs have some things they always do. Lying down on the blanket is an "always."

Pup on a Spring

Emme has a unique way of getting our attention. She pops up and down like she is on a spring. She doesn't jump up on us, rather she pops up and down next to us. She keeps her back feet planted on the floor and bounces the front half of her body up and down in one spot. She usually does this to get us to get up and move. If she thinks it is time for bed and we are not making any move to get up, she will come up next to one of our chairs and do her "Pup on a Spring." She will keep it up until one of us responds to her. Sometimes it is time to get up and go to bed; other times her clock is off and we tell her it is only 8:15 and even we don't go to bed that early.

Emme will sometimes do the popping up when she thinks it should be time for breakfast or dinner. She has an internal clock and is not hesitant to tell us that it is time to do something. We are well trained.

Strangers in Hats

Emme has always been strange around men in ball caps. Even if she knows the person and has seen them many times, if they put on a hat, Emme doesn't recognize them. She barks and growls and keeps it up until the hat comes off. Then she is fine. She goes up to the person with no hesitation.

I seldom wear hats so that hasn't been a problem for me but recently I decided that I needed to buy a winter hat to wear instead of the hood on my winter coat. So I went to the outlet mall and bought a winter hat (with ear flaps!) at Eddie Bauer. When I put on the hat in the kitchen, Emme was very unsure. She did not bark or growl and she didn't back away, but she came only hesitantly to me. She could hear my voice and smell that it was me, but with a hat on, I was a suspicious person. As soon as I took off the hat, Emme was fine. How can something as small as a hat cause such a reaction in a dog?

Permission to Go

Emme has decided recently that she is big enough to take herself outside to do her business. When one dog has to go outside, usually both dogs need to go. It is like they have a physic connection between their bladders. Ken sometimes will put both dogs on their leashes and take both outside at the same time. This feels to me like driving the eight horse hitch Anheuser Busch beer wagon. I usually take the dogs out one at a time. I put a collar on the most needy dog (usually Rudy) and let him go outside while I stand on the back steps or just inside the porch door. With a 26 foot retractable leash, the dogs can sniff around to find the perfect blade of grass and take care of business. If it is cold or rainy, I can stay dry and relatively warm by standing inside the porch.

Usually which ever dog is second waits until the first is done and then it is their turn. Emme has decided that this waiting is a waste of her time and that she is much too grown up to need a collar and leash to go outside. Although she sometimes will sneak out while Rudy is taking care of business, usually she waits patiently on the porch until I bring Rudy inside and take off his collar. As soon as I pick up Emme's collar and leash, she dashes outside. She is really good. She finds her spot, takes care of business, and comes immediately back inside. But she usually waits until I have the collar and leash in my hand. It is like a signal that she has permission to go. Race cars have a starting flag. Emme has her collar and leash.

The Leaf Game

Although autumn in Ohio is always beautiful, it is a mixed blessing. The beautifully colored leaves are lovely to look at but they make a lot of work to clean up. Ken and I sometimes look at the leaves and instead of thinking "Look how beautiful those leaves are," we think, "Every one of these leaves will need to be raked up."

Emme on the other hand has discovered that fallen leaves make a wonderful game. She loves to take her little tennis ball outside and bury it in the leaves. Then she pounces on it, just like Rudy pounces on his ball in the snow. Emme grabs the ball in her mouth and then drops it again in another pile of leaves just so she can pounce again. Emme loves fallen autumn leaves. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Two in One

Last weekend Ken and I went to Washington, DC, to visit our son and very pregnant daughter-in-law. Our grandson, TBD (To Be Determined) Nuzum, is due December 22 and we wanted to make a visit to them before he arrived.

We only went for a long weekend so we decided to try something different with Emme and Rudy. Usually when we board the dogs, we put them in separate crates/runs at the kennel. Emme gets a small one and, because of his size, Rudy gets a much larger one. The techs keep telling us that Emme is so unhappy being separated from Rudy. They take both dogs out to walk at the same time so they can spend time together, but when it is time to go back to their spaces, Emme runs into Rudy's crate and doesn't want to leave. We have been reluctant to board them together because we thought that Emme might make Rudy crazy. But we tried it this time, knowing that they had an available run they could move Emme to if things didn't work out. So we put both dogs in one space for the weekend. When we picked the dogs up yesterday afternoon, the report was glowing. Both dogs did fine. I guess we will do this again in the future.

Hide the Ball

Emme has a tiny tennis ball that she uses to play "Fetch" in the yard. Although it is an outside toy and is stored on the porch, Emme loves to sneak it into the house. As soon as she gets it in the house, she usually runs to the living room and carefully pushes it under the couch. This is a game she likes to play with Ken so she pushes her nose under the couch and makes little "Help me" noises to entice Ken to come play. He will get down on the rug and look under the couch with Emme. He talks to her about the ball and then slides his arm under the couch to get the ball. He pulls the ball out to the edge of the couch and then Emme pushes it back under again. She could play this game over and over again. This goes on for a while, Emme pushing the ball under the couch, Ken pulling it out again. If Ken didn't end the game, they could play for hours. Who knew "Hide the Ball" could be such a fascinating game.

They Just Listen

The question of the day has been "What will the dogs do when you are playing your dulcimer?" Opinions included howling and hiding among others. Actually what they do is listen. As soon as I go into the family room to play the hammered dulcimer, both Emme and Rudy come in with me. It is almost like they have assigned seats. Emme goes to the end of the couch to lie down. Rudy gets as close to me as he can. When he lies down, he usually bumps either the music stand or the dulcimer stand. It is almost like he wants to get near enough to feel the vibrations from the instrument. Then they settle down to listen. It doesn't seem to matter if I stay for 10 minutes or 45 minutes. They stay in their places while I practice. I have no idea what they think of the music but at least they don't howl along.

With a Song in my Heart

I haven't written a blog entry for a long time. Ken and I have just returned from a week's vacation at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. Emme and Rudy have been to Puppy Sleep Away Camp. We all got home yesterday, unpacked, sorted mail, and did laundry. Today we went grocery shopping and continued to get back to real life. Soon things will be back to normal.

We had a wonderful learning vacation. Ken took a woodworking class and made a musical instrument called a Campbellin. This looks something like a banjo but has three strings and is made with a dulcimer fret board. Not only did he make the instrument in a week, he can play Ode to Joy on it.

I took a class in hammered dulcimer. I didn't make my instrument, but purchased it so I had more time to learn tunes. I can play Home Sweet Home, When You and I Were Young Maggie, Oh Them Golden Slippers, Mississippi Sawyer, Amazing Grace and a couple rounds. I love the sound of this instrument and am eager to learn more.

As life settles back to normal, I will write more about Emme and Rudy for the blog. For now, all is well and I have a song in my heart. I fall asleep humming tunes and wake up humming others. Life is good.

Nitey-night in your Crate

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Yesterday afternoon Ken and I had to go out to run some errands. The day was warm so we didn't take the dogs but rather left them at home. Both Emme and Rudy are wonderful about going to their crates. They need no persuasion, only the command to go "Nitey-night in your crate." Both dogs stop what they are doing and run into the family room and get into their crates. We are so lucky. They never give us any trouble about getting into their crates. They just go on command. Good dogs.

Just a Dog

I loved this sticker and bought it when I was on vacation at Long Beach Island. What more can I say?

Goal Posts

When Emme first goes downstairs in the morning, she wants to play "Go Get." She sits by my feet and I say, "Go get Ken" and she dashes across the room to Ken. She sits at his feet to be petted and then he says "Go get Mary Lou." Back across the room she dashes with a doggie smile on her face. She loves the game so much, but I think she likes the running part best.

Ken says we are just human goal posts that Emme dashes between. Sometimes she is so excited to run back and forth that she barely sits to get petted. Occasionally she is so caught up in the game, she doesn't get all the way across the room before she changes directions to go back where she came from. After may runs across the room, Emme is panting and begins to slow down. Finally when the coffee is finished, we end the game so we can sit down and read the paper. Some things never change. "Go Get" never gets old.

Emme Likes Her Feet Dry

Emme does not like to get her feet wet. She does not like to go out in the rain to do her business. Sometimes she absolutely refuses to go outside when it is raining. If she does go outside in the rain, she holds up one front paw to keep her feet as dry as possible. When the grass is dewy, she does the same thing. We have purchased a child's swimming pool to use as a doggie pool. We put it on a slope so there are some areas with shallow water and some other dry areas. Emme will go into the pool, stand on the dry areas and drink the water. But she doesn't want to get her feet wet.

When we are at the lake, she is fascinated with the water. She will stand up at the railing of the boat and watch the water the whole time we are riding. On the dock, she gets as close to the water as she can and watches and smells.

We have never taken her swimming. The water by our dock is deep. At the front end of the dock, the water is over my head. This doesn't bother Rudy who jumps right in but it doesn't make for an easy transition from dry land to water for a Bichon. We have planned to take Emme to one of the swimming beaches sometime when no one is there to see if she will go into the water. I have no idea how she will respond. One part of me wants her to get in the water and swim and enjoy herself. The other part of me is concerned that she will like the water too much and will jump off the dock or off the boat and get herself into trouble in the water.

Rudy Loves to Swim

Rudy loves the water. As soon as we get to the lake house, he is ready to go down to the dock and jump in the water. We have never taken a boat ride with a dry Labrador Retriever aboard because as soon as Rudy gets near the lake he goes in for a quick swim.

Rudy's favorite activity at the lake is retrieving his throw toy. He has an orange toy that Ken bought him as a souvenir from the Labrador store on Long Beach Island one summer. (I wonder if we are the only ones who buy souvenirs for our dogs?) He jumps from the dock and swims out to get the toy. He then comes around the side of the dock to the rocks to climb back on dry land. He would do this a hundred times. It is a game that never grows old.

Beginning last summer, we realized that he would keep it up so long that he could hurt himself. He will swim to the point of exhaustion. We started limiting the number of times that he retrieved the toy from the lake. Rudy doesn't understand this and hates the forced rest times when he has to rest on the dock while his toy sits on the roof of the boat house. That is to prevent Rudy picking up the toy, dropping it off the end of the dock and then diving in to retrieve it. Even limiting the number of jumps and swims, Rudy is sometimes sore and tired at the end of the day and is reluctant to jump into and out of Ken's car when we go back to Wooster. It is a sort of balancing act: how much fun can you have before it becomes too much fun?

We Love to Ride in the Boat

Emme and Rudy both love to ride in the pontoon boat. If we say the words, "Ride in the boat" both dogs know what it means. They love to go down to the dock and can't wait to get into the boat. While we are riding in the boat I keep Emme on her leash because I am never certain that she won't go over the side of the boat to follow a water skier, Canada goose, tuber or other boat. I am not sure that she could jump out, but I never take a chance. She loves to stand on her hind legs with her font paws on the wall and look out at the water, other boats, and what ever catches her fancy. You can see her little nose wiggling so I know that she is smelling things also: water, fish, fuel, other people, etc. Throughout the ride, she goes from side to side and front to back to look and smell.

Rudy on the other hand rides in the boat without a leash. He usually lies down somewhere on the boat and just enjoys the ride. He is usually the first one on the boat and is eager to get under way. He loves being in the water or on the water. Both are good.

YouTube Puppy

Emme is fascinated with Ken's computer screen. She will sit on his lap and watch as Ken plays video games or wood turning or woodworking videos on Youtube. Sometimes she watches the screen. Mostly she just wants to be held in Ken's arms as he sits at his computer. She will stay there until Ken's arms fall asleep and he is forced to put her down.

I thought this was a special activity with Ken. When Emme is in my sewing room, usually she just naps on the rug or sleeps under my desk. I use my computer more for word processing, email, and embroidery designs. I don't watch many YouTube clips. I sometimes will play DVD's while I sew (favorites: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, A Fish Called Wanda, or Monty Python and the Holy Grail). While these are playing, I am usually at my sewing machine and Emme has never acted as if she wanted to sit on my lap.

But yesterday, I wanted to watch an instructional video about a machine quilting technique called McTavishing. The CD/DVD drive in my computer is not working and I am waiting for a replacement from Dell. So I asked Ken if I could borrow his laptop to watch the video. We set the laptop up on the kitchen table. No sooner had I started the DVD than Emme was by my side whining to be picked up. So I watched my DVD with Emme in my arms. Maybe she isn't interested in musicals or comedies, Maybe she is just into instruction. She is my YouTube puppy.