Neighborhood Watch

Emme takes her responsibilities seriously as part of neighborhood watch. The problem is her definition of neighborhood. It extends as far as she can see: the neighbor's yards, the golf course, and the houses on the next street. She is vigilant in letting us know if there are people out there. She not only guards her yard but everyone's yards. Often her alert starts with the "rolling growl" where she goes "rarrr, rarr, rarr" deep in her throat. If that doesn't scare the intruder, she goes into full Doberman mode: big barks and dashing from the front window to the window in Ken's office or the back door. I am not sure why. She must think that she can get a better view from somewhere else. When that doesn't work, she dashes back to the couch in front of the living room window. A command of "quiet" and a spray from the plant mister are often necessary to regain peace in the house. No intruders are going to surprise us.

Back to Good Health

Rudy went to the vet yesterday and is now taking antibiotics for the kennel cough. Both he and Emme are now on medicines and seem to be getting better by the day. Both seem to cough more first thing in the morning but the cough seems to be lessening as the day goes on. Rudy is not throwing up like he was before. It is about time. I am getting tired of playing Nurse Shirley or the equivalent in the canine world. We have spent a few quiet days on easily cleaned up surfaces and we are all ready to get life back to normal. I am so thankful for medicines that can restore the dogs to health. Seeing them sick is not fun.

A Quiet Memorial Day

We spent a purposefully quiet Memorial Day yesterday. Rudy was still coughing and any activity made it worse. Because he would often gag and throw up, we kept the dogs in the kitchen and on the back porch. The floors there are solid surfaces and much easier to clean up. We put the baby gates up and spent the day reading, resting, and wiping up dog spit. Emme is doing well on her medicine and only wheezes very occasionally. She hasn't been doing the throwing up that Rudy has. Rudy has a 10:15 appointment with the vet this morning, so I am sure that very soon he will be getting better. He is coughing and throwing up much less today so both dogs are with me upstairs in the sewing room. I am hoping that by this time tomorrow, all this will be a fading memory.

Kennel Cough

Rudy now has kennel cough. He began coughing yesterday which was Sunday and is coughing a lot today which, of course, is Memorial Day. It will be tomorrow before we can get him to the vet's for some antibiotics to kick this. Although both dogs were vaccinated against kennel cough, bordatella, I understand that only provides partial protection. Kennel cough is composed of a group of related strains, like the common cold or flu, and the vaccination only covers some of the strains. If the kennel cough they get exposed to is different than the ones in the vaccination, they will catch it. Which both Emme and Rudy did. Emme is doing fine on the antibiotics she got last week and I am sure that tomorrow morning when Rudy gets medication, he will do well also. We are planning a quiet day because activity exacerbates the coughing. We plan to be quiet and low key so Rudy will stay still and cough less. I hope it works.

We had guests for the weekend. Our son and daughter-in-law came from Washington DC to help pack up Grandma and Grandpa for their move next week to an independent living unit. The dogs loved seeing them again and even Emme seemed to remember them from their last visit. It has been since Christmas that they were in Ohio but both dogs started out right where they left off at the last visit: playing, being petting, licking toes, sitting on laps, wrestling and all those activities they love to do with friends. It is amazing what dogs remember.

A Visit to the Vet

While Emme and Rudy were at the kennel last week, they were exposed to kennel cough. We were sent home with a warning sheet and two pages of information from the Internet about kennel cough, bordatella. While Emme and Rudy were at the kennel, a dog began coughing; they took it to the vet, and it was diagnosed with kennel cough. We were told to watch for signs of coughing or wheezing.

Thursday Emme began to wheeze and at the first wheeze, Ken called the vet and made an appointment for Friday morning. Emme did not cough or wheeze much at all day Thursday and I was considering canceling the appointment, but she began wheezing again Friday morning so I took her in. The vet said that she looked fine and had only mild symptoms. He gave her a shot of antibiotics and a week's worth of antibiotic pills to take at home. I am glad that I kept the appointment. I would rather be over cautious, than let something go that could turn serious. Now we just need to keep watching Rudy to make sure he doesn't show any symptoms.

Don't Look at Her

This spring, when Emme started licking her feet constantly, the vet said it was probably an allergy to pollen. We have been giving her a half tablet of an antihistamine and have been washing her feet when she comes in from walking on dew covered grass in the early morning and late at night. Of course we have a system: I fill a little bowl with oatmeal shampoo and warm water and Ken holds Emme. I cut a kitchen sponge in quarters and use the little sponges to wash off the tops and bottoms of Emme's paws. While I am washing off her paws and later drying them, Emme will not look at me. She sits absolutely quietly in Ken's arms, but she turns her head to the side and looks away. It is so obvious that she is trying not to look at me. What is this about? After I have washed off all four paws, then I change the water and rinse off her paws. She still looks away. She has to turn her head all the way to the side to avoid looking at my face. She is very intentional about this. When all her paws are rinsed off with clear water, I take a towel and dry them off. She still does not look at me. Only when I say "All done" does she look at me as she is getting ready to jump down from Ken's arms. She doesn't seem to mind having her feet washed, but part of her system is not looking at me. Oh, well.

Doll Wrestling

Emme is very good about staying off of the beds. Only one time previously, she jumped up on our bed after we had gotten up in the morning and before we made the bed. She settled down happily in between our two pillows and was as happy as she could be. I told her to get off and she has not tried that again.

Recently, however, we have noticed that a cloth doll we keep on the bed in the guest room was in a strange position a few times, and one time was on the floor. We knew that it wasn't Rudy, because Rudy never gets up on any furniture including the beds. That only left Emme as the culprit, but we hadn't seen her on the bed. The door to the guest room is usually closed so access is limited, but we go in and out frequently and the door must have been left ajar a few times. Recently, when I was hanging up my costume for National First Ladies in the guest room closet, I turned around and Emme was on top of the bed, wrestling with the doll. I told her, sternly, "Off" and she jumped down looking properly chagrined. I am sure, however, that isn't the end and if the opportunity presents itself, Emme may again be doll wrestling.

Back From Puppy Camp Again

Emme and Rudy spent the weekend at Doggy Sleep Away Camp while we were in New Jersey at my sister's. My niece just graduated with her RN in nursing and her boy friend completed a degree in respiratory therapy. My sister gave them a grand party as a graduation recognition and a send off to their new lives in the south. We had a great time and Emme and Rudy went to camp.

We picked them up first thing this morning and since then, we have had Velcro dogs. They are sticking really close; they are never more than a few inches away from one of us. As soon as things had settled down, Rudy got his really big lovey and Emme got a bone and things started to get back to normal.

While we were gone, I got an email from Darlene, Emme's breeder. Her twelve Bichons have been chosen to be on Cleveland's Fox News 2008 calendar. She said that the photographer took 400 pictures of individual dogs, small groups of dogs and a total of 60 photos of all twelve dogs to get just one for the calendar. She sent a link to see the process of photographing twelve dogs: http://www.photographingsquirrels.com/12puppies/

It is really funny to see how they posed the dogs for the pictures. And to think I fuss about the difficulty of taking pictures of one dog.

I Love My Tail

Isn't it lucky that puppies come with built in toys? Emme thinks her tail is fascinating and loves to play with it. She often naps with her tail in her mouth. She lies on her back and then curls around to catch the end of her tail in her mouth. She often will lie there for many minutes, just resting with her tail in her mouth.

In case you can't understand the photo: Emme is lying on her back with her back two feet closest to the camera and her belly sticking up. Her front feet are bent over her chest. She is leaning over to the left and has the end of her tail in her mouth. Heaven!

Who's the Alpha Dog?

As strong-willed as Emme is, I often think she believes that she is the alpha dog in the household. She likes to be in charge. She doesn't like to be rolled over on her back unless she says so. She will often eat out of Rudy's food dish as he is trying to eat a meal. She thinks nothing of stealing a toy from him. She knows when we should nap and if I tarry at the lunch table, she jumps on the family room couch, pushes around the pillows and barks for someone to come join her. If she wants attention and Ken is busy at his computer, she will whine and then jump up into his lap to be petted.

But recently Emme has begun to wait to eat until Rudy is completely finished his meal. She will usually lie down on the waiting rug in the kitchen until Rudy has eaten his entire meal and he has had his after dinner medicine. Only then, will she go to her dish to eat her kibble. I have read that the alpha dog always eats first and the other dogs in the pack instinctively know to wait to eat until he/she is done. I wonder if Emme considers Rudy the alpha dog because of his size and age.

Ken and I both think we are the alpha dogs. When Emme and I are having a battle of the wills, I tell her, "I am bigger than you and more stubborn than you and you are going to do it my way." I wonder who really is the alpha dog of this household.

Allergy Update

When Emme began chewing on her feet a week or so ago, we took her to the vet who thought it was the result of allergies to the high pollen count, and prescribed an antihistamine, Chlorpheniramine, I think. The handwriting on the pill envelope is difficult to read. He prescribed a half a 4 mg tablet twice a day for ten days. If that worked, he said they we could keep her on the antihistamine whenever the pollen count was high and she was itching. For the first few days, we gave Emme the tablets, washed and dried her feet in the morning and again at night when she went out on dew covered grass, but saw little improvement. After about five days, however, she stopped chewing on her feet and has not started chewing again. So we have gotten another 30 days of the antihistamine. We will keep her on it until the first day of summer and then for about a week, we will give her only one dose a day and then discontinue. If the foot chewing reoccurs, we know what to do in the future. I don't like putting chemicals into her body, but I like the foot chewing less. We will continue with the medication until she no longer needs it.

Garden Helper

Emme loves to eat anything in the yard or garden. She goes outside to do her business and has to smell every blade of grass in the back yard. She plays ball in the backyard with Ken. This consists of Ken throwing the ball and Emme running up next to the ball and eating the grass around it. Invariably when she goes outside, she returns to the house with a little stick, a piece of bark, or a chunk of mulch in her mouth. Notice in this picture, the weed in her mouth. I was trying to take a picture of her by the rhododendrons and she was eating weeds. Typical.

Emme and the Rhodies

Happy Mother's Day!

I never realized how hard it is to take good puppy photographs. I see a million cute dog pictures in magazines, calendars, and on cards. I don't know how they take those pictures. All those dogs have to be stuffed. For every good photo I get, I take a dozen. Most of the pictures have a head turned, a puppy walking away, half a body or some other awful composition. Thank heaven for digital photos. I can take many pictures and delete the (many) that are no good. I have a new found respect for animal photographers.

Emmy Lou

Everyone needs a middle name so when they get in trouble, they know it by the way they are called: "Eric David" or "Michael Kenneth." Although Emme is very good, she sometimes gets in trouble. So she needs a middle name. Since her name came from my name, it is only right that her middle name should come from my name too. Thus Emme Lou. We know she is in trouble when we call her that. I don't think that she has figured it out yet.

Cook's Helper

Emme is learning her manners in the kitchen. When we first got Rudy, when I was cooking or preparing food, he would follow me around in the kitchen and I was afraid I was going to either trip over him or spill hot food on him. So I started making him lie down and out of the way. When he did, I would say "Good down-stay" and give him a puppy biscuit. He is extremely food driven and he learned that as soon as I started working in the kitchen, if he dropped down on the floor, a treat would be coming. Since we have gotten Emme, I have been teaching the same thing to her. She knows the command "Down" and will do down when requested. Unfortunately she hops up again a minute later, and I have to tell her down again, but it is a beginning. Yesterday I was in the kitchen and the two dogs came in to be cook's helper. Without being asked Emme dropped down on the floor while Rudy was still standing. I know that she knew what to do and was not imitating Rudy and didn't need me to remind her. She is learning!

Bird Watching

Emme loves to look at the squirrels and birds in the back yard. Yesterday, we were outside and there were two birds in the neighbor's yard picking things out of the grass and a robin in our back yard doing the same. When Emme sees birds, she is absolutely fascinated but she doesn't bark or run toward them. She watches them almost like a person would watch TV. She stands absolutely still and watches every move they make. Yesterday the robin in our back yard was about 15 feet from us. As we stood still, the bird hopped closer. It got about five feet away before it flew off. Emme was absolutely mesmerized. I couldn't believe how still she remained for the whole time.

Riding in the Car with Air

Emme continues to be enthralled with the air conditioning in Ken's car. We get so tickled with her smelling the air that we had to take the camera with us in the car and get a picture of it. Considering Ken was driving and I was holding the camera near him, not looking through the viewfinder, and hoping that I had captured something in the photo, this is a great shot. Emme likes air conditioning.

The Waiting Rug

We have a rug in the kitchen which has become the "waiting rug." Both dogs choose to go to this rug to wait. They wait on the rug for their dinners to be prepared. They wait for medicine. They wait for us to finish at the kitchen table. They wait for play time. I don't know how the rug has become the waiting spot, but it has for both dogs. Both Emme and Rudy seem to make rules for their environment and this rug has rules. You go there to wait.

10.4 pounds

When Emme went to the veterinarian on Friday she was weighed. At 10.4 pounds, Emme is fully grown or almost most fully grown. 10.4 pounds. My son, Eric, has a cat that weighs twice as much. I have a friend who has two Siberian Huskies that were born in December and one weighs 20 pounds and one 26.

Emme is just the right size. I can pick her up easily. I can hold her in my arms without much effort. I can put her up on top of the dryer in the laundry room to groom her. I can bathe her in the kitchen sink. I can ride in the car with her on my lap. I can nap with her right beside me, or sometimes on top of me. Emme is 10.4 pounds of pleasure.

The "A" Word

Emme has been worrying her left back paw since Wednesday night. She licks and chews on it constantly. I checked her paw and could find nothing wrong like a thorn or cut. I washed her feet well on Wednesday night in case there was an irritant on them and she seemed to leave them alone until Thursday afternoon when she began again. Yesterday morning I gave her a full bath to make sure that there was no irritant on her paw but she was still licking and chewing. I called the vet and made an appointment for someone to look at her paw. It didn't seem to give her any pain; she walks without favoring the foot, but she wouldn't leave it alone.

Well, we went to the vet's on Friday morning. Allergies! That is what the vet thinks is going on with Emme. He said that often dogs are allergic to tree pollen or other pollens and they pick it up on their feet and then they chew and lick their feet. He recommended two things. The first is washing off her feet everytime she goes out on dew covered grass, early in the morning and in the evening if the grass is wet. He said to use an anti-itch shampoo on a sponge for this cleaning. He also prescribed an antihistamine for her to take for ten days. If that works, we will continue it throughout the spring and again in the fall if she is starts chewing her feet again.

Emme has never taken a pill, but when we got home from the vet, I split the antihistamine in half as directed and pushed it into a tiny piece of Muenster cheese. She ate it immediately so it looks like the pills will be no problem.

I am so glad that nothing major is going on, but with our extensive experience with Rudy and his allergies, I hate to hear the word "allergy" and "dog" in the same sentence.

Dumb Bunny

For Christmas my sister, Judy, gave the dogs stuffed animal toys. She gave Rudy a moose and Emme a little grey rabbit. The dogs love them. Rudy was so excited with his moose that he couldn't wait until the tags were removed to play with it. On Christmas morning, he carried the moose around and laid down to love it with the cardboard tags still attached to it. The moose looks like a toy but the rabbit looks hauntingly real. About three times since Christmas, I have walked into a room after the dogs were playing with fluffies and found the bunny sitting upright and looking like a real rabbit. The first time, I was sure that an animal had gotten into the house until I recognized the toy. Since then, when I see the bunny sitting on the rug, I am still surprised. I realize it is a toy but only after a minute's hesitation. Who is the dumb bunny?

Love that Air Conditioning

As the weather has turned warm, we have frequently had on the air conditioning in Ken's car. When we ride with the dogs, Rudy lies down on the back seat and Emme rides in my arms in the front passenger's seat. Emme is fascinated by the air conditioning and tries to ride with her nose directly on top of the vent that comes off the dash board. I don't know what is so appealing: the cool temperature of the air, the smell of the air, the movement of the air, or something else. She never paid any attention to the heat in the car, but the air conditioning is something else. It is like a new toy. She is endlessly fascinated with it. I wonder why.

New PJ's

Before I had Emme, I used to sleep in a night shirt. After we got the puppy, I was uncomfortable going outside late at night and early in the morning with so little on, so I started wearing sweats and tee shirts to sleep in. This worked out fine for months as we got Emme in September when the nights were beginning to get cold and the house cooled down at night. I was comfortable and warm in my sweats and felt appropriate taking Emme outside dressed in them. Now the weather is warming up and the sweats are too warm to sleep in. Yesterday I went shopping and bought a few pairs of lightweight summer sleep pants. I can wear them outside with a tee shirt and feel dressed enough if I encounter a neighbor while Emme is taking care of business. I knew that having a puppy would change my life, but who knew it would change my pajamas.

Go Nitey-Nite in the Crate

Rudy has always been a champion about going into his crate. From the very beginning, all we had to say was "Go nitey-nite" and he would dash into his crate. Emme is following in his footsteps. We say "Go nitey-nite in the crate" and both of the dogs dash to their crates on the first floor and wait for a biscuit. There is no hesitation or effort to avoid the crate. They dash.

We say "Let's go to bed" in the evening when we go upstairs to bed and they know the difference in the two commands. That doesn't mean that Rudy doesn't sometimes get confused and run to the wrong place, but a quick reminder is all that is necessary to get him to the right place.

I am so pleased that putting them in their crates while we are out of the house is not an unpleasant experience for them or for us. They go in willingly and quickly. How nice.