Bite My Leg

Emme has a spot on her upper right front leg that she just won't leave alone. She has been chewing this spot, nonstop. This has been going on for two days. When her allergies get bad, she chews on her paws but this seems to be something different. I wondered if it was what is called a "hot spot" and I searched the Internet for information. There was a lot of information, perhaps too much, and I still had no clear direction about what to do. Most of the photos showed skin that was a lot worse than Emme's. She was constantly chewing on the skin, but had not lost any hair or broken the skin.

Not being sure what to do I called the vet. I was told to up Emme's antihistamine to on half tablet every eight hours, three times a day, instead of the two times she is doing now. I am also to rub a little Cortisone salve on the itchy spot and then distract her so she doesn't lick it off. So I began that yesterday and things seem to be lightening up already. I think I caught it early and no damage was done, but it was such a surprise. We went from no problem to not being able to leave the leg alone. Now things are getting better.

King of the Hill, Almost

Emme loves to sit on the back of the couch and survey her kingdom. She looks like the King of the Hill, except when she falls off. This weekend she was watching out the window and not much was happening. She often will just sit and wait for a little kid, a walker, a dog, or someone on a bicycle to go by the window. She just watches patiently until something interesting goes by.

This weekend, something really wonderful must have passed the window and she hopped up excitedly to get a better look. In the process, she lost her balance and fell down in between the couch and the window. I was right beside her and swooped her up in my arms. She seemed dazed and a little confused, but she was not hurt.

I have heard that Bichons are the cats of the dog world. They like high places and they like to get up on things. Emme does like to get up on the back of the couch, but she must not be as sure footed as a cat. So much for King of the Hill.

A Combined Visit to the Vet

Emme and Rudy had their first combined visit to the veterinarian this week. We had gotten a postcard saying that both dogs were due for various annual shots so we made an appointment for both of them at the same time. Although Rudy goes to the vet with some regularity, Emme has only gone a few times in the past year. Even so, each dog reacted to the visit. As we entered the waiting room, Rudy pushed as close to Ken's legs and he could. He sat quietly on the floor, but he couldn't have gotten any closer to Ken. I held Emme in my arms and as soon as she entered the vet's waiting room, she began to shake. I don't know what she smelled or heard, but it obviously was upsetting.

After getting the dogs weighed and dropping off a stool sample, we went into the examination room and Dr. H. looked Rudy over first. He was very pleased with the condition of Rudy's coat and said that everything looked fine. After examining Rudy's body and taking his temperature, the vet gave him three shots. Rudy was a champ. No whimpering, no whining. Just a very clear desire to leave the room as soon as possible.

Next came Emme. The vet needed to draw some blood from Emme's leg for a test and Emme did not like that. She whined, and pulled back. I held her on the table while the vet took blood. I felt like whining and whimpering, but I kept quiet. After her examination, Emme got her shots and was very good about them. Dr. H. gave both dogs a dog treat. Rudy gobbled his up, but Emme was too upset to eat hers and we saved it to eat later in the car.

While Ken settled the bill, I took Emme out to the car and she calmed right down. She ate her treat and we waited for Ken and Rudy. When Ken got into the car, he said that the vet visit cost about the same as two tickets to Cirque de Soliel. It doesn't matter. I figure that we both worked hard for our money so we would have it for things that are important to us. The dogs are both important to us and worth every penny we put into them. We are blessed to have them.

Three Balls Under

We have a lighted bookcase that Ken made sitting against the wall in between our living room and dining room. For many days, both Emme and Rudy have been pressing their noses to the wall behind the bookcase and whining and crying. We thought that Emme had pushed a ball behind the bookcase but getting it out was no simple feat. There was just enough room for a small ball to roll under, but not enough room to get a broom or our hands behind and underneath the bookcase.

The bookcase has two glass shelves and on these shelves and the first wooden shelf are a number of breakable glass objects. In order to move the bookcase and get the ball, we had to unload these items. So last night after dinner we did just that. We removed all the glass items from the bookshelf and moved it out from the wall a few inches. Not only was there one ball underneath it; there were three! One of these balls is visible in the photo on the rug in front of the bookcase. We knew that as soon as we got them out, they were going to be pushed back under again so we came up with a solution. The bookcase goes all the way to the floor except in the back where there is a gap about four inches high at the very bottom. We put a few rows of packing tape over this opening to prevent Emme from pushing the balls back under again. It worked.

A few minutes later while we were cleaning up the kitchen, I could hear Emme crying in the living room. When I went in to see what was happening, I found that she had pushed one of the balls under my chair and she was lying flat on the rug with her nose under the front of the chair and crying for her lost ball. At least moving the chair is a lot easier than moving the bookcase. One problem solved; another takes its place. Such is life.

I Can Squeak it with My Nose

Emme is a little dog, with a little mouth. This causes her some difficulty when she wants to make a dog toy squeak. Often it is hard, if not impossible, for her to get her mouth around the toy. So she has come up with another way to make the toys squeak. She pounds them with her nose and, by golly, they squeak. I am not sure how she discovered this technique but she now uses it often on her toys. When she plays with a dog toy, she can squeak it with her nose. Pretty clever!

Keep Away

Emme has discovered that if she runs under the love seat at the lake house, she can take a toy with her. If it is toy that Rudy wants, she can hide the toy from him. Rudy puts his nose under the couch and whines. Emme just lies still under the couch with the toy. There is not really enough room to play with the toy. There is just enough room to hide it from Rudy. She thinks she is pretty clever.

A Visitor

My sister from New Jersey came to visit us for a week. Emme and Rudy just took this in stride. They both love people and I think that they believe that people only come to the house to pet them and love them. They both took to Judy immediately. Rudy has met her before but she was new to Emme. That didn't matter. They both spent a great amount of time sitting by Judy, being petted and being played with. How nice to have dogs who are welcoming to visitors. We had a great time.

Shookie Time

I am amazed at how much Emme's appearance changes week by week. When she first comes back from the groomer, she looks little and skinny and sort of like a hoagie with legs. I am keeping her in a "puppy cut" because I love the look, but the first few days after she is groomed, she looks a little shorn. Then her hair begins to grow. For a few weeks, she looks just great with a daily face and paw washing and some combing. After six to seven weeks, the next visit to the groomer gets closer, and Emme begins to look shookie. I am not sure where that word comes from (it rhymes with cookie) but it means messy, frazzled, and in need of some attention. Bed head is shookie; nine year old boys are usually shookie; Bichons in need of a visit to the groomer are shookie. Today Emme is shookie. She visits the groomer this morning. Good bye shookie time.

Rub My Belly

One thing that Emme loves is having her belly rubbed. When we are sitting in a chair, she often will lie down on the rug by our feet, roll over on her back and wait to have her belly rubbed. It doesn't matter to her if you rub with your hands or your feet. Just rub.

Recently she has started sitting on our laps and throwing her body backwards so we can reach her belly for a rub. She doesn't understand the whole concept of gravity and she doesn't care if there are arms or legs under her. She just throws her body back and expects that we will catch her, support her and, of course, rub her belly. Then she lies there until she has her fill of belly rubbing. It is a shame that everyone can't ask as easily for what they need.

A Little Bit of Peanut Butter Makes the Medicine Go Down

Rudy is taking Cyclosporine twice each day. For a while we were wrapping the capsules in American cheese but lately Rudy has gotten good at eating the cheese from around the capsule and spitting out the medicine. So we came up with another way to get him to take his medicine. He will swallow the pill if it is wrapped up in white bread spread with peanut butter. And of course, if Rudy is getting peanut butter, Emme gets some too.

When it is time for the Cyclosporine, we take a half piece of white bread and spread it lightly with peanut butter. Then we cut the half slice of bread into four pieces. We wrap two of the pieces around two of the capsules and give them one at a time to Rudy. He eats so delicately out of our hand. Then he gets the third piece of bread naked, without a pill. Next, it is time for Emme to get some "sympathy peanut butter bread." We take the last piece, actually one eighth piece of bread, and break it into three pieces. Each piece is about the size of an aspirin. Emme gets two of these pieces, one at a time. Then Rudy gets the last little piece. I can't believe how gently both dogs take these tiny treats from our fingers. Emme has a mouth full of good sized teeth and Rudy's mouth and teeth look huge. They each look like they could chew a finger off if they wanted, but instead they gently take the small pieces of peanut butter bread from our fingers. What polite dogs!

I Missed This Pup

I am back home from my back-to-back workshops: the church women's retreat and the quilt seminar, and I can tell you, I missed Emme (as well as Ken and Rudy, of course). Last year I went to both events in October and I missed Emme then. Last year, I left only a few weeks after we had gotten Emme and although I already loved this little puppy, she was not as big a part of my life as she is now, a year later. Last year I missed her. This year I MISSED HER.

Ken says that Emme missed me as well. Each morning when he got her out of her crate, she would run to the side of the bed to find me. When she found that I was not there, she would run in and out of each room in the house as though she was looking for me. She certainly knew that there was a major change in our family composition for the week and someone important to her was not there.

Ken did just fine with the two dogs. They were loved and fed and played with as well as if we both were here. I know that it is a lot of work for one person to do and he was able to get everything done. Today I am unpacking, doing laundry, re-organizing my sewing room, going grocery shopping and loving a little white puppy. Being gone a week was a long time for all of us but we all survived just fine.

Gone on Vacation

I am leaving this afternoon for a weekend women's retreat with others from my church. I will be at the retreat until Sunday noon and as soon as I get home from the retreat, I will leave for Ripley, West Virginia, for a quilt seminar. I will return home on Friday afternoon, October 12, so I won't be posting anything to the Pupdate for a week.

Emme and Rudy will be in good hands. Ken will be watching them as he did last year. Last year Emme had only been living with us for a few weeks before I left for the women's retreat and the quilt seminar so much of the activities and routines were new for all of us. Ken and the dogs made it through just fine then and I know that all will be well this year. Emme is so much more grown up and she adores Ken. They will have a great week.

A Sturdy Toy

A few weeks ago, I purchased a tug toy at Petsmart for Emme and Rudy. I am very pleased with it. It is a purple rabbit made of canvas with a piece of webbing sewn through the middle for reinforcement. I was uncertain if it would hold up or if it would tear or split with two dogs tugging on it.

When I brought it home, both dogs were immediately interested in it. Rudy grabs one end and Emme grabs the other and they have spirited battles trying to pull it away from each other. It has held up to much play with Emme and Rudy and looks no worse for the wear. This one was a good purchase.

Holmes County Wild Life

Emme found another caterpillar on the deck yesterday at the lake house. She was fascinated and watched it as it crawled along the edge of the deck. She didn't try to bite it, but kept watching it for many minutes. Holmes County has the best assortment of wild life: birds, squirrels, caterpillars, and chipmunks. All endlessly entertaining for a curious puppy.

A Perfect Day

Yesterday was a perfect day at the lake. The temperature was in the high seventies; the humidity was low, and there was a strong breeze blowing. The sun was shining; the sky was blue, and touches of autumn were visible in the trees. We were able to sit out on the deck and enjoy the day.

Earlier in the day, Rudy even got to play fetch in the water. He has not been swimming much this summer because of his health and so he was really excited to get into the water and play fetch with his retriever toy. Emme stayed on the deck with me and watched. What a great day.

Only a Little Barrier

When we first started taking Emme out on the deck at the lake house, we kept her on a leash. We were not sure she would stay on the deck with us without wandering away. The deck is also many feet off the ground and we were afraid that she might go right over the edge. No matter what length leash we used, we created a mess. On a leash, Emme would invariably wrap herself around our chairs, our legs and the table legs. We would chat a few minutes, watch the lake and untangle Emme. Then we would watch the birds, watch boats and untangle Emme. Next we would take a drink, eat some chips and untangle Emme. Clearly we needed a different method.

Rudy has always stayed on the deck without a leash but we were not sure of Emme. No leash, however, had to be better than constantly untangling Emme. She does peek out between the slats of the deck, but she has never fallen off the deck or even come close. She seems to respect the height. We upended one of the picnic table benches to create a barrier to the part of the deck that wraps around the side of the house. It is only about a foot high and Emme can look over it. She doesn't cross the barrier, however. That is all it took to keep Emme where we want her. Another problem solved.