Kangaroo Dog

Emme is in love with life and without being too obnoxious about it, she is excited about every part of her day. She is so excited to get up in the morning. When she sees Ken, she is so happy, she wiggles every part of her body. When I pet her, she enjoys it so much she moans.

Rudy on the other hand is much more laid back. There are two times however that he gets so excited he hops up and down like a kangaroo: when he is about to get food and when we are getting ready for a ride in the car. When Ken brings in dinner, Rudy gets so excited that he hops up and down as Ken is putting his food on the floor. Rudy doesn't jump up on anyone, he just hops up and down in place. It is like an 80 pound Labrador retriever has discovered some kangaroo genes. When we are getting ready for a ride in the car, he is so excited, he hops up and down all the way from the kitchen, through the laundry to the garage door. Some things are just too exciting.

Darling Clementine

Emme never begs at the table because we have never given her food from the table, ever. That is she never begged at the table until a few days ago.

Neither Emme nor Rudy get tastes of human food from our table. But when I am preparing food in the kitchen I always have two buddies with me. Both Emme and Rudy lie on the floor, doing a good "Down Stay" and after I have finished preparing food, I often give them tastes of fruit and vegetables. I am careful to give them only small pieces of carrots, green peppers, apples, bananas, grape tomatoes, cucumber. I never give them grapes, raisins or chocolate or anything that could be a danger to them. They seem to have this all figured out: tastes in the kitchen before meals, nothing from the table when people are eating. Until lately.

Recently, Emme got a taste of a Clementine and fell in love with them. The next day when we were eating a snack of Clementines at the kitchen table, Emme came up to the table, took one whiff, and whined, loud and long. She never begged at the table before. Maybe she didn't realize how good people food could be. She didn't get any taste of Clementine from the table and she hasn't begged since. Even the best doggy manners have their limit and I think that limit was passed with the smell of Darling Clementines.

Sleeping in with the Girls

Usually Ken and Rudy get up about 6 o'clock and Emme and I sleep in until 6:30. When "the girls" get up, the house is warm and the coffee is made.

Yesterday morning, Rudy decided that he wanted to sleep in with the girls. Ken got up as usual and after he left the bathroom, he called Rudy to go downstairs. Still tired from all the Christmas festivities, Rudy decided to stay sleeping in the bedroom. Ken went downstairs by himself and Rudy waited and came downstairs a half hour later with Emme and me. Rudy is no fool. Sometimes it is better to sleep in with the girls than to get up early to a cold house.

Merry Christmas

Yesterday we had a wonderful Christmas day and the dogs were really good. It was a smaller group than usual, just eight of us: Ken and me, his parents, one of his sisters and her husband, and another brother and his girlfriend. The married children (son and nieces) all had other commitments and did not travel to Wooster this year.

As usual, when people came to the door, both dogs had to bark and act generally crazy. Ken put Rudy on a leash and I held Emme for the first few minutes. Then we let them go to say hello. Both dogs went from visitor to visitor to get petted and then they settled down quickly (the dogs, not the visitors). The rest of the day, Rudy and Emme were on their best behavior. There were presents and food all over the house. Neither dog got into anything they shouldn't. They visited, got played with, and most of all, got petted. They didn't steal any presents, eat any "people" food or knock over any drinks. They couldn't have been better behaved.

After the family left, the dogs both laid down on the rug and fell asleep. They were absolutely exhausted. Being good is a hard job and yesterday they did it well.

One Sick Puppy

Emme has been sick and although she is well now, the experience has been disconcerting. A little over a week ago, she just stopped eating. She spent almost all her time napping. She wanted to be held or to lie on our legs. She was not herself.

When meal time came, she stayed in the living room rather than running into the kitchen to watch meal preparation. She refused tastes of Rudy's cheese and she wouldn't touch her kibble. Finally, we got scared that she was eating nothing and both Ken and I took turns sitting on the floor, feeding her one kibble at a time. With that, she ate some, but not all of her food. Her behavior was so unusual, no playing, no chewing, no "blitzing." We knew something was going on, but could not put our finger on what it was. She smelled "sour," not at all like a normal Emme smell. Ken would look at her big black eyes and declare that Emme had "sad eyes."

On the third day, we took her to the vet who examined her all over and could find nothing wrong. Her mouth had no sores; her teeth were fine; her lymph nodes were good; her temperature was normal. We decided to just "watch and wait." Well, we watched her getting sicker. We added a quarter of a Pepcid tablet twice a day in case it was an acid stomach. We mixed a tiny amount of tuna with her kibble to make it more attractive. She began throwing up each afternoon and then she turned a corner. She started to eat again. She began to play and she seemed more normal. Now ten days later, she is well. She is eating and playing as if nothing was ever wrong.

So we don't know what was the matter. She was one sick puppy for a while and now she is well. I don't want to repeat this again.

Scary Smart

Both Emme and Rudy are smart dogs. They observe and pick up things that are uncanny.

They both have a sense of time that is amazing. They always know when it is time to eat or go to bed. It is a good thing that we are creatures of habit. They know the exact order of things at their meal time. They know which dogs gets which pills, before and after the meal.

When Ken and I are getting ready to leave the house, they know that we are leaving, because they recognize click the lock on the back door makes. They hear that sound and they both run to their crates with no command from us. Rudy knows that he is going for a ride in the car if we leave his collar on after he has gone outside to "hurry up." If we take them out in the car, both dogs know when we are arriving home. Rudy recognizes the bumps on Oak Hill before we even get to our street. He gets excited and stands up eager to get home. Emme recognizes the house as we enter the garage. She tries to stand on my lap and look into the garage. They both know the exact routine we follow before we go upstairs to bed.

But recently Rudy has outdone himself. When I am finished playing my Nintendo DS and shut down the machine, it plays the same ending music. Rudy has learned to recognize the music and knows that I am ending my game and will be going on to do other things. He jumps up and is eager to participate in whatever comes next. So I decided to get around this by turning the sound off. Now when I am ending the game there is no music to clue Rudy. Instead he has learned to listen for the sound of the stylus clicking in place in the side of my DS as I finish playing. So now he gets all excited when he hears the stylus click into place. Scary smart!

The Quilt Gene

Emme loves quilts. This weekend Ken wondered how God knew to give Emme a quilt gene so she would fit in this family so well. When Emme sees a quilt, she dashes to it to lie down on top of it. If one of us puts a quilt over our legs, Emme wants to be on top of our legs and the quilt. Emme loves to find a quilt abandoned on a couch or chair. She like nothing better than to snuggle down into it. And heaven is when someone walks over and covers her with part of the quilt. Life is good.

Emme, Come

Emme has a disconcerting habit. When I can't see her and call "Emme, come" she interprets this a command to freeze in place. She doesn't come. She doesn't make a sound. She just waits. She usually follows one of us everywhere and so over time we have shut her in our bedroom closet after getting dressed, left her out in the garage after we have taken out the garbage, and shut her out on the porch after we have taken the dogs outside. When we realize that she in not by one of us and we call, "Emme, come." She is absolutely quiet. So we have to do a search and find. We comb the house and she waits silently. She doesn't come; she doesn't make a sound; she just waits.

This morning we were clearing the dining room table, washing the breakfast dishes, taking out garbage and bringing the Christmas tree upstairs from the basement. I went upstairs to check my email and Ken remained on the first floor. Then we realized that Emme was not with either of us. Of course, I called "Emme, come." Sometimes I can be a slow learner. Of course, she froze in place and didn't make a sound. So Ken and I searched the house and garage. Finally we found Emme sitting on the seat of my chair at the dining room table just waiting for us to find her.

We need a new system.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 14

Emme in the kitchen.

Foot Dog

Emme is such a love sponge that she loves to be touched anywhere on her body. She loves me to rub her belly, pat her head, stroke her back, or tickle her ears. It is all good. She loves to be touched with any part of my body, even my feet. She especially loves when I have on PJs and bare feet. I rub her with my feet and she is delighted, even sneaking in a lick or two occasionally. She loves to lick toes.

Rudy on the other hand is very specific about how he is touched and with what. He freaks out if you touch him with your foot, even accidentally. If he is lying near my feet and I change positions and touch him with a bare foot, sock foot, or shoe, he quickly hops up and moves. Being rubbed by someone's foot is not for him. We got Rudy when he was three years old and don't know what his early experiences where with feet. We had no indication that he was abused, mistreated, or handled with anything other than kindness when he was a puppy. But he has a thing for feet. He does not like them touching him.

So, I rub Emme with my feet and I never rub Rudy with them. Literally, different strokes for different folks.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Emme, Rudy, Ken and Mary Lou.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 13

Emme at the lake house on the old deck by a sweet potato vine in one of Ken's planters. This photo was taken in September 2007.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 12

This was the photo I had posted in my hospital room when I was there for 17 days in March. It helped to have Emme "with me."

I Love the One I'm Near

When Emme wants a lovie, she always goes for Big Mama Gorilla. Rudy on the other hand is fickle. His favorite lovie is the Really Big Lovie but he is like the words to the song from the play Brigadoon: "When I'm not near the one I love, I love the one I'm near."

If the Really Big Lovie is not right at hand Rudy will pick up another lovie. Sometimes it is the Canada Goose, the Yellow Teddy Bear, the Pink or Blue Bunny, or even, horrors, Big Mama Gorilla. He is particular about size. The stuffie has to be big enough to cuddle. He wraps his paws around it so the smaller ones won't do. But any of the bigger ones will work. He is not discriminating. He loves the one he is near.

Go Get Your Lovie

Many days I take a nap after lunch and I always have two friends, Emme and Rudy, who nap with me. They each bring a lovie to nap with us.

I say "Go get your lovie" and Rudy dashes to the living room to find the Really Big Lovie. He grabs it in his mouth and carries it to the family room. Emme on the other hand sometimes runs to Big Mama Gorilla, but often will not carry it with her. I know she can carry her lovie because it is a favorite "Blitz" toy. Many times Emme will grab the toy and dash all around the house carrying it. She keeps up her blitz until she is gasping for air and needs to rest.

When it is time to nap I often have to go get Big Mama Gorilla and carry it to the family room couch. Emme has trouble jumping up on the couch with BMG in her mouth, so I put it up on the side of the couch that Emme chooses to be her nap spot. After we are all settled, we have 45 minutes of quiet as "Sleeping Beauty and the Two Dwarfs" and the two favorite lovies take a nap together. Life is good.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 11

Emme and the Hawaiian pillow.

Where's Emme?

This morning at breakfast, I couldn't see Emme in the dining room or living room. In the early morning, she is usually sitting on the back of the couch monitoring the activity in the neighborhood or cuddled down among the throw pillows. She was not on the couch and I couldn't see her anywhere in my line of sight, so I asked Ken if she was on his side of the table. She was no where to be seen.

After looking around for Emme, we found her tucked under the cabinet in the dining room with just her little nose sticking out. She loves to hide under there, but she likes best when we know she is there and call out "Where's Emme?" Hiding is part of the game. Our recognizing that she is under something is another important part of the game. I wonder where she learned this game. I wonder if they teach this game in puppy school.

Rudy and the Shop Vac

Emme has never been afraid of the vacuum cleaner. When she was just a little puppy, I would hold her when I ran the vacuum cleaner so she got used to the sound and would not be frightened of it. Now I no longer hold her, but she is comfortable around the sound and I can vacuum with no trouble.

Inside the house, Rudy is oblivious of the sweeper. But when he is in the shop with Ken, he loves the shop vac. Ken can turn on any machine in his shop and some of them are extremely loud. Rudy never bats an eye. But when Ken turns on the shop vac, Rudy is up and right next to it. He loves Ken to run the nozzle end over his coat. If Rudy is inside with me while Ken is working in the wood shop, Rudy can hear the shop vac being turned on and he goes to the kitchen door and whines to go into the shop.

We have no idea why Rudy is so in love with the shop vac. He cares nothing for the regular vacuum cleaner but the shop vac is a different story. Rudy came to us when he was three years old, so we don't know what his early experiences were with a shop vac. It looks like someone he loved and trusted groomed him with the shop vac and Rudy is in love with that machine. Go figure.

A Morning Cuddle

When I get up in the morning, as soon as I have taken care of bathroom routines and said hello to my husband, I need two things: a cup of coffee and a cuddle with Emme.

Emme knows the routine. As soon as I come downstairs, she runs for the couch in the living room. She knows that I will come to sit down and pet her. I rub her ears, scratch her back, pet her belly and tell her what a good dog she is and how lucky I am to have her. She sits right next to me on the couch until I tell her to "Go get Ken." Then she dashes over to his chair at the dining room table and does a reasonably good sit to get petted. When Ken is done greeting her, he sends her back to me with a "Go get Mary Lou." She goes back and forth a few times before she stops to visit with Big Mama Gorilla. As Emme settles down with her lovie, I go to the kitchen to wash my hands and pour a cup of coffee. How could we start our day without our routines?

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 10

This photo was taken by a professional photographer when Emme was two months old. Emme is on the far left with her litter mates, Junior and Koda.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 9

This picture was taken by Darlene, Emme's breeder, when Emme was only five weeks old, summer 2006.

Sit

Emme has known the command "Sit" since she was a little puppy. She sits on command before she gets a treat, when she is given dinner, before we put her collar and leash on and many other times during the day. The time she doesn't sit is first thing in the morning or when one of us returns to the house after being away. She is so excited that she forgets everything she knows and jumps up on our legs. This is not something we want her to do, so we continue to try to get her to sit.

Suddenly something has clicked; after all this time, she is getting "Sit" even when she is super excited. First thing in the morning when she begins to jump up on one of us, we say "Sit" and she actually does. She is so excited that she wiggles while she sits and actually wiggles across the floor in her enthusiasm to start the day. After she has burned off some of that excitement and energy, she is a champion of sitting on command. I guess training a puppy is never ending. It is nice to identify a new success.

Dog Chewing Gum

Yesterday I was working in my sewing room and both dogs were visiting me. As I sat at my sewing machine, I could hear Rudy chewing something. Since I had not given either dog a chew treat, I couldn't figure out what he was chewing. I got up from my machine and went around the desk to where both Rudy and Emme were lying. Rudy had something in his mouth and Emme had her mouth as close to Rudy's as she could get. I pried open Rudy's mouth which is no means feat with an 80 pound Labrador Retriever. After I got his mouth open, I ran my finger around the inside of his mouth and could feel nothing. I figured I was too late and he had swallowed whatever he had in his mouth. I went back to my sewing machine and Rudy started chewing again. I got up a second time and fished around in his mouth. Nothing. Back to my machine. Back to Rudy chewing. This third time when I got up, he had dropped the item out of his mouth. It was a piece of fabric about 3 inches by 5 inches.

Rudy used to always fish around in my trash basket for little pieces of cloth I had thrown away and chew them like chewing. I got smart and bought a trash basket with a lid and that ended the dog chewing gum. Recently I was straightening up my sewing room, putting things away in their right places. I must have dropped that piece of fabric on the floor for Rudy to find. After I picked up the soaking wet fabric from the rug, I took it to the bathroom to rinse it out, prior to throwing it away. I put it on the counter top to dry and forgot all about it.

Later that evening, I heard Emme whining and crying. I got up to take her outside and she was not at the door. I looked all over the house and finally located her on the second floor, took her outside, and went back to my chair in the living room. A little later, more Emme whining. Ken discovered that she had gone up to the second floor to the bathroom and was sitting in front of the counter whining for the piece of fabric. I brought her back downstairs and not much later she was back upstairs in the bathroom crying for that piece of cloth.

I didn't know how to get her to stop. Ken suggested that I go to the garage and find a "new toy" one of the toys that are currently not in circulation, take it upstairs, call Emme and give the toy to her. Maybe that would make her forget the cloth. So I went out to the garage and got two plush toys. Of course, I had to get one for both Emme and Rudy. I tucked them under my shirt (giving me more chest than I have ever had) and snuck upstairs to the bathroom. I called Emme and "discovered" the toy on the counter top. She was ecstatic. She ran downstairs with the toy. She forgot the fabric. Some times distraction works.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 8

Emme is laughing.

Some Thoughts on the Economy

Like everyone else, my husband and I have been talking a lot about the economy lately and how many people are experience life-altering events. I said I had such empathy for those people who are losing their houses and having to seek other homes. In many cases they cannot take a family pet with them because of restrictions with their new homes. Rental units often prohibit pets. We have read of the increase in numbers of family pets that have been given to animal shelters because of a family's move.

I can't imagine how devastating it would be to have to give up Emme and Rudy. Our dogs are sometimes an inconvenience and are certainly a financial burden especially with Rudy's fragile health. But they enrich our lives in so many ways. They bring us such joy. Emme is one of the loves of my life. I can't imagine how we could give them up if we lost our home. They have become members of the family and I love them both. Ken and I are so blessed that we are secure in our home and I feel so bad for those who lose a loved family member as well as their home.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 7

Christmas, poinsettias, and puppies. What could be better? This picture was taken in December 2007.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 6

Look at that tongue! Emme was licking peanut butter out of an old marrow bone. Her tongue is so long, it came out the other end.

Just Another Throw Pillow

Our couch in the living room is Emme's window on the world. Often she sits on the back of the couch to look out the window. Other times, she looks like just another throw pillow, tucked down by the arm of the couch.

Yesterday Emme almost lost her prime viewing spot because I considered moving the couch. Last weekend, I won a huge fern as a door prize at a fall gardening seminar. I put the fern out on the porch where it looked wonderful but I needed to bring it in the house as we have had a few pretty cool nights and days. I wanted to place it in front of a window and thought about moving the living room couch to open up the area in front of that window. That didn't turn out to be a great idea because there seems to be no other location to put the couch in the living room so Emme's viewing spot was saved. We wound up moving the piano in the family room and placing the plant in front of that window.

So Emme can continue to monitor the activity in the neighborhood from her favorite spot. And she can continue to look like one of the throw pillows when she naps.

We Love Greenies

Both Emme and Rudy love Greenies. They are billed as a treat that cleans dog's teeth. We have read that some times dogs get pieces of them stuck in their intestines, but we do give them to the dogs occasionally.

When Rudy gets a Greenie, he thinks "FOOD!" He immediately starts to chew it up and it is gone quickly.

When Emme gets a Greenie, she thinks "TOY!" She drops it on the rug in front of her, growls at it, jumps and pounces on it, pushes it with her nose and has a wonderful time playing. She knows that it is something to eat because she has eaten them before but their entertainment value outweighs their nutritional content.

Of course by this time, Rudy's Greenie is just a memory and Emme has yet to begin chewing on hers. We need to monitor Rudy so that he leaves Emme's Greenie and we encourage Emme to eat hers so that Rudy doesn't have to be so good for so long a time. After considerable play, Emme begins to chew the Greenie. What a difference in approach from each of the two dogs.

New Lovies

Last week, Ken and I stopped in a gift shop that was closing. Everything in the store was 90 per cent off. That was too good a deal to pass by so we made some purchases. We found two lovies: a pink bunny for Emme and a blue bunny for Rudy. They didn't seem too substantial, but for the price, we couldn't not get them.

When we got home, the dogs were ecstatic. New Lovies! They each got down to the business of loving the new toys. Rudy's interest held but after a short while, Emme returned to Big Momma Gorilla. Notice in the photo BMG is not far away from Emme. Some times the old friends are best.

I Want to Chat, Too

Ever since she was a tiny puppy, Emme decided that she could not go down the stairs without stopping to "chat." When we go down stairs, she sits on the top of the stairs and I sit two steps down and I put my face close to hers. She smells my breath and my skin and my eyes while I tell her what a good, clever, wonderful puppy she is.

That went on for months and then Emme made a variation on the game. When Ken takes her down the stairs first thing in the morning, Emme has to chat with him. But she doesn't chat only once. She stops at the top of the stairs, part way down and on the landing. Ken has to chat with her in all those places or she can't go down stairs. All this with a full bladder from last night.

Now Rudy has watched us chat with Emme and he has decided that he has to chat too. He only does this in the evening when we go upstairs to play "closet ball" when we change into our pajamas. Before he can go back down the stairs, he has to stop outside our bedroom door and stick his nose through the spindle wall so we can walk down to the landing and put our faces next to his. We chat and tell him what a good dog he is. Monkey see; monkey do. If it works for Emme, it should work for Rudy, too.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 5

Emme has the most pensive look in this picture. This photo was taken in March 2007.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 4

Emme and the daffodils in April 2007.

Monkey See; Monkey Do

I can't believe how often Emme and Rudy do the exact same thing. As different looking as they are, their behavior is often the same. They often nap at the same time, in the same room, in the same location, and in the same position. I wonder if they copy each other. Monkey see; monkey do.

If one is on the waiting rug, the other is on the waiting rug. If one is in the front hall, the other is in the front hall. If one is in the living room, the other is in the living room. If one is lying on his stomach, the other lies on her stomach. If one is rolled over on her side, the other is on his side. They look like a matched set: one big and brown, the other little and white. I am amazed how often they are doing the exact same thing.

All Grown Up

At the Wooster house, Emme sleeps in a crate in our bedroom and Rudy sleeps on the bedroom rug where ever he chooses. At the lake house, Rudy sleeps on the rug and Emme sleeps in Rudy's old crate. Because we bought the crate for Rudy when he was full grown and 80 pounds, it is quite large for Emme.

We have less floor space in the lake house bedroom and the large crate takes up a lot of room. It makes it quite difficult for Ken to access his dresser drawers without moving the crate.

We decided to try to transition Emme out of the crate. For a few nights we put her in her crate when we went to bed, but we left the door open. She started the night in her crate but sometime during the night, she got up and crawled under the bed, her favorite spot during nap times. This past weekend, we moved the crate into the guest bedroom and let Emme find the spot she wanted to sleep on in our bedroom. She chose a pillow and some fleece blankets on the floor and spent most of the night there and didn't seem to get into any kind of trouble. She is getting so grown up!

It will be a lot more convenient to have the crate out of the bedroom. This is one more step toward maturity for Emme.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 3

Emme looks so alert and playful in this photo. This picture was taken in April 2007.

More Important than a Video Game

I have fallen in love with a video game for the Nintendo DS called "Animal Crossing." My daughter-in-law discovered it and brought it with her on vacation in June. She was so taken with the game, her enthusiasm was contagious. As soon as we returned from vacation, I went to Best Buy and purchased my own DS and a copy of the game. My sister, niece and my niece's husband have all started playing the game. It is addictive and I enjoy it immensely and have played it many hours in the last few weeks.

This weekend, I was playing Animal Crossing when Emme jumped up on my lap and wanted to be petted. I gave her a quick rub and thought that she would jump down and walk away. Instead she wanted to be petted more. At first I got annoyed because she was interfering with my game. Then I stopped and reconsidered. What was I thinking? I was passing up the opportunity to pet a real live loving puppy to play a game with computer generated animals? Something was wrong with that picture. I put the DS down and paid my full attention to Emme. I rubbed her ears, scratched her back and petted her belly for a long time. She was happy. I was happy. I had my priorities in order. A real pet wins hands down over a video game any time.