Bichon "Fries"

Emme loves sweet potato chews and I have had a hard time finding them. I have gone to the company's web site and I could order them from the Internet, but I hate to pay shipping if I can find them locally.

I first purchased the larger sized Sam's Yams chews at a kennel in town. After they stopped carrying them, I located a holistic veterinarian in North Canton and bought two bags of chews there. We now buy the ones shaped like a French fry. The big ones are just too big for Emme to chew up and are too hard for me to snap into smaller pieces. The French fry ones are just right.

Yesterday when we went to the local pet store, Pet Supplies Plus, I found both the large sized chews and the Bichon Fries. And they were on sale for a dollar off, to boot! I am delighted that I can buy them now in town. Emme goes through a bag very slowly. Each "fry" is about six inches long and I usually snap them into three pieces so it takes a long time for her to finish a bag. But when she does, I know where to go to buy a replacement.

A Visit with Maggie

Last weekend was our family reunion and we had relatives come from all over. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece drove from Texas and brought Maggie with them. My brother-in-law found Maggie when she was about two years old and she has been a member of their family ever since. She is a lovely, even tempered lab and a great house guest. When she comes up to you, she wags her tail and wiggles all over. She loves to be petted and talked to.

The Texas Nuzums arrived late Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning, when I had another commitment, Ken went to the lake with Emme and Rudy. According to him, the dogs spent the day smelling each other's butts. If one dog was not being sniffed, it was doing the sniffing of another dog. They seemed to work that all out of their systems by the time I went to the lake house a day later. I didn't see much butt sniffing, but I did see the three dogs getting along like they had know each other all their lives.

The dogs got along wonderfully. Maggie and Rudy are both about the same size. Emme is much smaller. That didn't seem to make any difference to the dogs. They all spend a fair amount of time napping on the deck, napping on the rug, napping on the garage floor, taking boat rides, running, eating, and hanging out together. They all stayed at the house when we went out to dinner and all seemed to do well.

I guess family reunions are all about getting together. This goes for the four legged family members as well as the two legged ones.

Tired Puppies

Yesterday was the Nuzum-Sycks reunion and we all had a wonderful time. We were short seven family members: the North Carolina Nuzums were all sick and the DC Kendall/Nuzums are pregnant and not able to travel long distances. Everyone else was here. Maryland, Atalanta, Texas, Dover, Findley, Canton, Brimfield and Wooster relatives were all in attendance.

The good news is that the sun was shining. The bad news was it was HOT and humid. It didn't really matter. After we ate, we went on many boat rides and finally, late in the day, five of us were so hot and tired we decided to go swimming. It was hot on the dock but the water was cool. Ken kept saying that after we were in the water for 30 seconds, we would warm up. That didn't happen, but it was very refreshing.

Rudy and Maggie, my brother-in-law's dog, went swimming and Rudy over did it. He is stiff and sore today and he is taking a much needed rest. Going from a rather sedate life style to running up and down the hill from the house to the dock and jumping in the water many, many times wore him out.

Emme spent much of yesterday on her leash. She was spooked by men in ball caps and babies. She can know someone without a hat, but when they put on a hat, they must look like space aliens to her. She barks and carries on. Emme was also interested in but very barky around my one-year old great niece. I think that Rudy wanted to lick Taylor, but I don't know what Emme thought of her: toy, meal, interloper, enemy, friend? It just seemed a better idea to keep Emme by my side.

After a full day of food, conversation, boat rides, swimming, and hanging out, everyone was tired. By the end of the day Emme wasn't the only tired puppy. I think we all were.

I'm Bigger

Sometimes when it is time to go outside to take care of business, Emme chooses not to go outside. This is particularly true when it is raining or the grass is wet. She will go out to the porch and then hide on her shelf under the wicker table so I can't put her collar on. Then I call "Come" and she chooses not to come. I go to the table and wiggle her out from the shelf. I tell her, "You may be stubborn, but I'm stubborn too and I'm bigger." I always win.

I'll Eat After You Eat

Today was another chapter in the Breakfast Wars. Today neither dog wanted to eat first. After we have a cup or two of coffee in the dining room and read the paper, Ken and I go to the kitchen to feed the dogs. I prepare the medicine and Ken goes to the garage to fill the bowls. Then we put the bowls on the floor for the dogs to eat. This morning, both Emme and Rudy just sat there waiting. Waiting for what, I have no idea. Waiting for the other to eat. Waiting for the kibble to turn into T bone steaks. Waiting for Christmas. In the photo, you can see Rudy lying down behind the cabinets with his head in the lower left corner of the picture. Emme is sitting on the rug in the family room. Both bowls of kibble are sitting on the floor waiting. Ken is convinced that the dogs decide that they hate their food only when he has just opened a thirty-some pound bag of food from the vet.

We tried ignoring the dogs. Nothing. We tried picking up a piece of kibble in our hand. Nothing. I gave up and went upstairs to get dressed and Ken continued to try to entice the dogs to eat. He threw pieces of kibble toward each dog. Finally Rudy began to eat. When he finished, he went to lie down next to Emme's dish. Then she came over to her bowl and ate about half of her food and that was it. Breakfast was done. I want that "Up Collar."

Back from the Lake

We just got back from the lake house. We are preparing for an upcoming family reunion and we have been working hard getting the lake house and property in good shape for next weekend. We have been cleaning, mulching, doing laundry, mowing, clipping bushes, straightening, painting, planting and all the things you do when you are expecting company.

The best thing is that the boat has been fixed and is working well and we were able to take a couple rides around the lake yesterday and today. This afternoon before dinner we took out the boat and then came back to the dock and swam for the first time this season. Although it is August, the water was cool. It was nice however. Today when we went for a boat ride we didn't take the dogs. They were not happy about that but they will get their chance when we return to the lake house next weekend.

Everyone is tired. Ken just came upstairs to change into his pajamas and Emme came upstairs with him and took the opportunity to get into her crate and crawl under her pillow. I think it will be an early bed for all of us tonight.

Take Me for a Ride in Your Car

Both Emme and Rudy love to ride in the car. Both know the word "Ride" and get excited when we say it. If we say nothing but put on Rudy's collar, he starts jumping up and down in excitement. He is more like a kangaroo than a Labrador Retriever in his actions. As soon as she realizes a ride is coming up, Emme wants to be picked up and carried to the car as she was when she was a little puppy. She is perfectly capable of running out to the garage and jumping up into the car herself, but she prefers to be picked up and carried to the car.

Once we get started, both dogs lie down and nap. I am not sure why napping in the car is so much more exciting than napping on the rug in the living room. But it is. They will stay lying down quietly until Ken puts on the turn signal. As soon as the sound of the clicking begins, both dogs are up, on alert, waiting for good things to happen. We haven't figured out what good things they are expecting, but they love the clicker.

Then when we return home the excitement increases. It is like hitting yourself with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop. They love to leave home to ride because the ride ends with returning home. Go figure.

We LOVE Pill Pockets

Emme and Rudy both LOVE Pill Pockets. We began using them a few days ago when Rudy decided that he didn't want to take his morning capsule wrapped in peanut butter and white bread. We had seen the Pill Pockets in the pet store but had not used them before so we purchased a pouch of them to give them a try. We started giving Rudy his capsule in a pocket each morning and he is so excited to get it he begins to drool as soon as I get the pouch out of the closet. Emme couldn't stand seeing Rudy get something so wonderful so we tear off a small part of another pocket and give it to her. They act like it is doggie Ben and Jerry's or doggie Godiva chocolate or maybe doggie drugs. They love pill pockets.

When I posted that we were using Pill Pockets, my son, who uses them with his dog, Lolly, suggested that we give Rudy an empty Pill Pocket occasionally so he sees them as a treat. A friend emailed that she uses liverwurst to give pills, an excellent suggestion. But we didn't have to convince Rudy that the Pill Pockets were treats and we didn't have to try liverwurst as a backup for pill delivery. Rudy and Emme are happy with Pill Pockets. Another small success!

Emme and Big Mama Gorilla, the First Video

This is my first attempt to add video to Emme's blog. It is, of course, of Emme and her best toy, Big Mama Gorilla. I used my new Nikon Coolpix S560 camera to take the video. I pulled it into Picassa and was able to edit the start and end point with that program. I also tried to use Windows Movie Maker and did not understand at all what I was doing. I will try this again tomorrow to see if I can figure it out. I wish I had a ten year old living with me to teach me all this technology.

How Many Words Does She Know?

Yesterday Ken and I were sitting in the living room and I offered to get a banana and yogurt for each of us for an afternoon snack. The minute I uttered the word "banana" Emme jumped up and ran for the kitchen. She must know that word. I know she knows the sound of me tearing one banana off of the bunch. If I go to the kitchen to make a breakfast of eggs and toast, she could care less. She stays in the dining room or living room and just lets me work. If I make oatmeal, however, and pull off a banana to cut up on top, Emme runs to the kitchen so she can have a slice. She loves bananas and I was not surprised that she figured out the sound of a banana being part of a meal preparation, but I didn't know she knew the word, banana.

Emme is sometimes so smart, it is scary. I know that she understands many words: ride, bed, walk, snack, eat, come (sometimes), sit, down, get Big Mama Gorilla, nap. I wonder how many words she actually knows.

"Come" Sometimes

Emme has decided that the command "Come" only applies sometimes. If I am preparing a meal and call "Emme, Come" she dashes to the kitchen. If I am in the closet and call her from the bedroom, she runs to me as fast as she can. So I know that she knows what the command means and is perfectly able to do it. When she wants.

On the other hand, if she is playing "You'll Never Find Me," she hides somewhere in the house and gleefully waits silently as I call "Emme, Come" and search the house to locate her. I thought that was the only time that "Come" didn't count.

Recently she has decided that "Come" doesn't apply to her if I want her to go outside for a hurry up and it isn't her idea. Three or four times in the last few weeks, I have called her to come and her behavior is exactly the same. She turns her head away from me ("If I can't see you, I can't hear you.") and she walks slowly away in the other direction. She doesn't run; she just meanders like she is taking a stroll, so I won't get the idea that she is running away, just that she hasn't heard me. I only have to say "Emme, no" very quietly to call her on it. I don't have to yell. I just have to let her know that I know she has heard me and she can't ignore me.

What is this about? Come means come all the time. Except when it doesn't.

Big Mama Gorilla is a Multi-tasker

Big Mama Gorilla is Emme's favorite toy. Rudy, on the other hand, has many favorites. Usually by the time we have finished breakfast, Rudy has gotten out three or four different stuffies and has spent some time loving each one of them. He spends a few minutes with each lovie and then moves on to the next one. Not Emme. It is Big Mama Gorilla or nothing.

Big Mama Gorilla is Emme's nap buddy. After lunch, if a nap is on the schedule, all I need to say to Emme is "Get your lovie for a nap" and she dashes around the house to see where she has left Big Mama Gorilla. She grabs hold of her and runs for the couch on the porch or the family room. Sometimes she needs a boost to get both of them up on the pillows or the arm of the couch and then she is ready to settle in for some quiet time.

Big Mama Gorilla is also useful for a game of tug-of-war. Emme loves to grab some part of Big Mama Gorilla and pull while Ken or I tug on the other end. Some how this is a great game.

Big Mama Gorilla is also Emme's solace. If Emme is reprimanded for anything, such as making a racket, barking at someone on the street, Emme has to rush to Big Mama Gorilla for comfort. This must make her feel better because she always does this if she is scolded or shot with the plant mister.

Another task for Big Mama Gorilla is just being there when Emme wants some quiet loving. Emme with lie down and grab Big Mama Gorilla with her mouth. She mouths the stuffie almost like she is nursing and pushes her feet alternately against the side of Big Mama Gorilla and begins to fall asleep.

I don't know what Emme would do without Big Mama Gorilla.

Who Eats First?

There has been a change in mealtimes with Emme and Rudy. In the beginning and for a long time, Rudy ate first and often Emme would lie down on the waiting rug and watch until Rudy was finished eating. This never surprised us because we know how food-driven Rudy was and how Emme was a good eater, but not too enthusiastic. We were also told that often the "alpha dog" ate first and then the other dogs ate. Rudy was definitely older and much bigger, so we weren't surprised that he was the alpha dog of the pair.

Then we went through a period when they would eat simultaneously. Neither waited for the other to finish. We would put the kibble on the floor and both would eat. This went on for months.

Recently however the tables have been turned. Rudy will not eat his breakfast until Emme has completed her breakfast. He seems interested in his meal and even drools as he is waiting but he often lies down by Ken's side and waits for Emme to finish her breakfast. Only after she finished, does he begin his meal. This is much more pronounced at breakfast. Often at the dinner meal, he will begin to eat almost as soon as Emme does. But at breakfast, he waits. Have they decided that Emme is now the alpha dog and should eat first or is something else going on at the first meal of the day. I wish I know. I want that "Up collar." Now!

Pill Pockets

Rudy takes a few pills each day and it is usually not a problem. We give him thyroid medicine twice a day by stuffing it inside a dice-sized cube of cheese. He eats it down with no problem. We use cheese for any small hard pill with great success. Rudy also takes Cyclosporine daily and it comes in a large capsule. We have been giving it to him wrapped inside a quarter of a piece of white bread spread with about a teaspoon of peanut butter. This has worked for a year or more. Until now.

Rudy is refusing to eat the peanut butter/white bread/ capsule. If we put it in his mouth, he either spits it out immediately or holds it in his mouth for a few minutes and then spits it out. He is absolutely refusing to take the capsule but is not objecting to his other pills in the cheese cube. The capsule is too large to insert into cheese so we went to the pet store and bought "Pill Pockets" made by Greenies. They cost about nine dollars for 30 pockets. They are made out of some sort of doughy product and you put the capsule inside and then mold the pill pocket up and around the capsule. So far these work. Rudy eats down the hidden capsule. We plan to use the pockets for a month, until we use up the package and we plan to go back to the peanut butter and white bread method. Maybe by then, Rudy won't object. Who knows?

Same Dogs, New Camera

I went to the camera store yesterday to buy a new battery and photo storage card for my digital camera. It was taking too long to recharge the flash after I took a picture and I wanted the camera to be in top condition for the upcoming family reunion. When I showed them the camera, they told me that they did not stock batteries for that camera any more. They could order one but it would cost between 59 and 79 dollars. They can't get another storage card because the technology has changed and they no longer make the card that fits my camera. The camera was too old! I said that it was only four or five years old and they said "How old is that in dog years? It is the same for digital cameras." Manufacturers come out with new versions of cameras every nine to 12 months and my camera was eight or more versions back.

I asked to see new camera similar to my current camera and was told that they sold nothing like it. They said the new ones had ten times the features and capacity of my old camera and cost half of what I had paid for mine. So I bought a new camera. It is a little point and shoot camera made by Nikon. The model is called "Coolpix" and it is pink to my husband's chagrin. After charging the battery last night, I have been playing with the camera during breakfast. It is really nice and does have many features that I am sure I will use. It is easy to turn the flash off or turn it on all the time to use as a fill flash. It goes into macro mode for close ups with no problem. I can play back one picture or set the screen to show up to 16 thumbnail photos. It is easy to erase one or all the pictures. It has a five way zoom, both shorter and longer than my old camera. I really like this new camera and am eager to take more pictures with it.

Nap Buddies

Today is one of those almost perfect summer days, extremely unusual in Ohio. The temperature is 75 degrees. The humidity is low. There is a gentle breeze and the sky is an incredible blue. Unbelievable! After puttering around all morning: making a crock-pot dish for tonight's quilt guild picnic, watering my house plants, finishing the last 20 pages of a novel, and preparing lunch it was time for an after lunch nap. Ken and I finished lunch, did the dishes and while we were busy with those tasks, the dogs got their lovies and dragged them out to the porch in case it was going to be nap time. They watch everything we do and try to anticipate our next activity. They want to be ready so they don't miss any opportunity.

In this case, they were spot on. The porch doors were opened wide and I had a new book to begin. It was cool enough for me to spread out a quilt and settle down for a nap. Rudy only stayed for a few minutes before he relocated into the living room to be with Ken. Emme stayed. After loving Big Mama Gorilla for a while, she jumped down on top of my legs to lie down as I read. Naps are good. Beautiful summer weather is better. Having two nap buddies is best.

I Want That "Up" Collar

If you have seen the Pixar film "Up" you remember the collars that allow the dogs to talk. I want one of those.

Emme and Rudy are sometimes so strange and do such unusual things that Ken and I have always wanted to have a way to talk to them and just ask each of them "Why do you do that?" We have wished that we could have 15 minutes with each of them to ask about strange behaviors that we have seen. I am sure that 15 minutes would not be enough time to get the answers we want, so I want to switch to an "Up" collar. I could put one on Emme and Rudy and when they did something weird, I could ask why in the world they were doing that. And they could tell me. Maybe I will put an "Up" collar on my Christmas list.

More Than an "Power Chewer"

For Emme's recent birthday, I purchased a chew toy labeled "for your power chewer" as a birthday present for her. Although Emme is very gentle with her stuffed toys, she is a powerful chewer. Because she loves to chew on marrow bones, I knew she would enjoy a chew toy of some kind for her birthday.

She has a Kong, but she never chews on that. She will lick peanut butter from the inside of it or figure how to get out little bits of kibble stuffed inside but she does not chew the Kong itself. She is so excited when she gets the Kong but as soon as it is empty, it could be invisible. She wants nothing more to do with it. I hesitate to give her rawhide to chew because I am just not sure about that. She does get sweet potato chews but they are consumed and gone. I wanted a toy she could chew when she wanted.

I read every label in the pet department of Target and selected two toys for Emme: a small pink stuffed rabbit and a blue chew toy labeled "for your power chewer." I also purchased a fetch stick for Rudy because I couldn't get a birthday present for Emme and leave Rudy out. After Emme played with the rabbit for a few minutes, she left it to pick up the chew toy. Rudy immediately picked up the little pink rabbit and has had it since. Emme didn't mind because she immediately started chewing on the blue chew toy. She chewed on it for only a few minutes before she chewed a chunk of the plastic right off. You can see the bitten off chunk in the upper right corner of the photo. If that toy was made for a "power chewer" Emme must be more than a "power chewer." She must be a "super power chewer."

So I took the chew toy away from Emme and will return it to the store. I will probably exchange it for another pink rabbit so she can have some time with it while Rudy monopolizes the first one. The blue chew toy she had is just too dangerous for her. She easily could chew off another chunk and swallow it. I wish I could find a good, non-lethal chew toy for Emme.

Happy Birthday, Emme

Yesterday was Emme's third birthday. Although we did celebrate her first birthday, last year when she was two, we were preoccupied with health concerns and it passed us by. So Emme's third birthday was a "do-over." We wanted to give her a special treat for her birthday but were stymied in choosing something appropriate. We are very careful about what we give to both Emme and Rudy because many things upset their digestion. For Christmas one year, I purchased a doggie ice cream as a treat. Rudy handled it well, but it was too much for Emme. It gave her very loose stools and I don't want to repeat that.

Emme loves both yogurt and canned tuna and has eaten both of those items in the past with no difficulty. So we chose tuna as her treat. When we got up, I sang "Happy Birthday" to Emme and she was underwhelmed. When Ken got out her kibble, I opened a can of tuna. That caught Emme's attention. So both Emme and Rudy got spoonful of tuna and the water it comes in on top of their kibble. This was a real celebration. No songs, just tuna.

Wild Life in the Garage

This morning Ken and I were working in the yard. The garage door was open for about an hour or so while we were planting some perennials that Ken got on a great end-of-the-season sale. He got 26 plants for $10.28 and we wanted to get them in the ground right away. While we were busy working, unknown to us, a little chipmunk ran into the garage and stayed inside. Ken discovered it on the window sill in the garage later in the day. We tried to chase it out of the garage by stomping our feet behind it but we were unsuccessful. We stomped and the chipmunk ran and hid. We left the garage door open when we went out to run errands and hopefully the little creature ran out of the garage and back into the yard while things were quiet.

I wouldn't want Emme or Rudy to go our into the garage and capture the chipmunk. Even worse, I wouldn't want it to run into the laundry room and hid in the house. So for now, I think the wild life is out of the garage and back outside. At lease I hope so.

Seed Collector

Last evening after dinner Ken and I went on a walk around the yard to see what is blooming. We each took a dog on a leash. We looked at all the plants as the dogs sniffed, ate grass, and wandered along with us. When we came inside, Emme got up on my lap and I discovered that in addition to walking around the yard, Emme had been a seed collector. She had about 30 little black seeds sticking to her coat. I had to take her into the laundry room, wipe her off and comb the seeds out of her hair.

She usually spends her time in the house, on a sidewalk, or on the grass to take care of business or play her version of fetch. She seldom walks among the plants in the gardens. I don't think she will do that again. She collected every weed and flower seed that was available. The next time we check out the plants in the yard, I think I will leave Emme on porch to watch.

Hit Me On the Head

We have some little kibble sized treats that we use to put inside the Kong toys with peanut butter. Ken decided that he would use those treats to teach the dogs a trick. He was trying to get Emme and Rudy to catch a treat when he tossed it to them. Both dogs sit about three feet in front of Ken. He tosses one treat to each of them so they can catch it. Rudy is pretty good. He catches the treat almost every time. Emme doesn't seem to understand the game. I think she thinks the game is: you toss a treat; it hits me on the head; it falls on the floor, and I bend over and eat it. She isn't any better at catching the treat than she is playing fetch. She has other talents. Like just being cute.

Like a Cat

Emme is as agile as a cat. She loves to get up on the back of the couch and walk along the top of the cushions. She also loves to look out to monitor the activity in the neighborhood. She spends a good amount of time during the day watching, with an occasional rolling growl or bark to ward off intruders. This usually includes anyone walking on the sidewalk or the street. Anyone working in the yard across the street. Anyone in any yard she can see. And anyone on the golf course. This keeps her busy.

I usually draw the drapes after dinner and with these long summer days, it is still light when I do this. I think sunset tonight is at 8:59 PM so there is still plenty of light and lots of things still to see when I close the drapes. Emme is not deterred. She hops up on the back of the couch and knows just where to insert her head between the two sides of the drapes. Then she sits and watches the sidewalk and the street. She does stop after dark, but she is on duty again the next morning, early.

Private Bathroom

I have three giant Sagae hostas growing at the corner of the back porch. They are lush and lovely and Emme has decided that they are her own private bathroom. When she goes outside, she loves to go down the steps and under the Sagae leaves to take care of business. She disappears under the leaves. It is kind of like having the key to the executive restroom. It is all hers and private.

Dirty Mouth

I never knew it would be so hard to keep a white dog, white. Emme is like a little dirt magnet. She sniffs the deck and comes up with smudges of dirt, twigs, little pieces of leaf, and assorted messes all around her mouth. She picks up dirt, pollen and dust on her paws. She goes to the lake house white and within a few hours she is grey in places. I wouldn't trade her for the world but it is challenge keeping her clean.

First Swim of the Season

This weekend Rudy went swimming for the first time of this season. He absolutely loves to dive off the dock and play fetch with his orange toss toy. On Friday, we went down to the dock for a first boat ride of the season and Rudy had to bring his toy and play a little fetch. Ken threw the toy a few times and Rudy was in heaven. You can see then that he is really a water dog. You wouldn't know it when it is time for a bath or to go outside in the rain. Then he can't stand water and will do anything to avoid getting wet. If he misbehaves, we spray him with the plant mister and he hates it. Only in the lake is water good and there it is very good.

His coat is so thick that it takes hours for him to dry. After our ride, we all stayed out on the deck for some time so Rudy could begin to dry in the sun. When he is wet and goes inside immediately he uses the rug and all the furniture to dry himself off. Drying in the sun is better.

Emme has never gone swimming. She is fascinated by the water and loves to be out on the boat. I keep her on the leash because I am not sure that she wouldn't just go over the side. She stands on her back legs and sniffs the water over the side of the boat. The water by our dock is deep and the only way to get in is to jump off the side or the end of the dock. We don't have a gradual slope so you can wade in. We just have deep water. Later this summer we are going to take Emme to one of the beaches at the lake some week day when no one else is there. We will let her get her feet wet and see what she does in the water. I wonder what she will think of that.

Wild Life at the Lake

We just got back from a few days at the lake house. While we were there, a rather large deer strolled across the yard. Ken got out the camera and was able to get its picture before it disappeared into the woods next door. This is why I always want to have Emme and Rudy on the leash at the lake. I am never sure when we are going to have a visitor that they would like to chase. I am sure that if either dog were outside when the deer went through the yard, they would have taken after it in a heartbeat.

The house on the other side of ours had its own version of "Wild Life at the Lake" yesterday. In the afternoon cars began to pull in and a group of loud young men began a party. As we were sitting on the deck before dinner, we could hear them playing loud music, hanging out on their dock, getting into a boat, and yelling at the top of their lungs. We decided that if they got too loud, that we would play Steve Halpern or Yanni really loud to annoy them. Actually, they settled down early in the evening and didn't disturb us in the least. That was good. I am not sure you can play Yanni loud enough to even hear next door, let alone annoy a loud group of partiers. So much for Wild Life at the Lake.

Like a Fruit Bat

Emme loves fruit. She and Rudy both come to the kitchen when I am preparing a meal or snack hoping for a handout. We never give them food from the table, but I often will give them a treat when I am cutting up fruit or vegetables. Rudy is a little pickier, but Emme will eat a bite of almost any fruit or vegetable I give her. She eats many vegetables: green peppers, cherry tomatoes, celery, and baby carrots but her favorites are fruit. I never give her grapes because they are toxic to dogs, but she gets bites of apple, peach, watermelon, cantaloupe, bananas, and her all time favorite: oranges. Who knew that dogs would love citrus fruit. When we peel an orange or Clementine, Emme actually whines to be given a bite. Maybe she is part fruit bat.

Doggy Day Care

Yesterday morning, we took Emme and Rudy for a first time visit to Doggy Day Care here in town. My son and daughter-in-law take Lolly to a day care center in DC and they are very pleased with it. Ken and I decided to look into it with the idea that we would plan to leave the dogs there for day care and boarding when we went back to John Campbell at the end of the summer. We were planning to do a few short visits over the summer to assess how they handled being with other days.

I called the vet to schedule boarding for our New Jersey shore vacation and they were filled up. So we went to plan B: Doggy Day Care.

I called the day care center and scheduled Emme and Rudy to stay there for our vacation week and we took them on Monday morning to see how they would do. Neither Emme nor Rudy have had a lot of experience playing with other dogs. There are just the occasional visits from relatives with dogs.

On Monday, there were five other dogs when we went to the center at 9 AM. Every one of them started barking as soon as we brought our dogs through the door. Both Emme and Rudy seemed overwhelmed by the noise and confusion. The owner took Emme in her arms and walked into the middle of the dogs while we waited by the counter. They sniffed Emme and she seemed okay in the woman's arms. Then she put Emme on the floor. Emme started sniffing the other dogs. So far so good.

Next it was Rudy's turn. Holding on to Rudy's collar, she took him into the group. Every one barked and sniffed but seemed to get along. Then Ken and I went into the room to look around. There is one large room, a smaller area to separate small dogs if necessary, several small rooms about 6 feet by 8 feet that are used for boarding, a back hall, an always open door, and a small fenced in back yard where the dogs take care of business. Everything seemed clean and Rudy and Emme sniffed until I thought they would pass out. We watched the dogs for a few minutes and then left. As we backed out of the parking lot, Emme and Rudy were standing at the window watching us leave.

We came back to pick them up about noon. Both dogs seemed to be okay. The owner told us that Emme spent the morning glued to Rudy's side. Where ever he went, she followed. Rudy didn't play for a while but later in the morning picked up a blue ball and played fetch. I think he played fetch a lot. They both were worn out and plopped onto the back seat for the ride home. Emme was asleep before we hit our street and both dogs spent most of the afternoon napping. Later in the evening, Rudy was having a hard time getting up and moving around. He refused to climb the stairs to go to bed so Ken grabbed his pillow and slept on the family room couch with Rudy on the rug beside him. This morning, Rudy seems okay. I think he just over did at day care and next time, we will need to tell her to slow him down, not throw the ball too many times and to put him in a separate room to rest periodically.

We will try another short day before the actual boarding. I think we all survived our first experience with doggy day care.

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

I love Emme's new hair cut. There is nothing different on her body or legs. The biggest difference is in her face. Her ears are much shorter than they have been and she is clipped more around her eyes. She looks so bright eyed. Actually I always think she looks cute but with the new do, she is cuter than ever.