Love Letters

It has been many weeks since I last wrote a blog entry. I have been very ill and needed emergency surgery. I went into the hospital in mid-March and stayed for 17 days. After I came home, I faced a long recovery and return to health. My priority was getting better, stronger, and healthier and I did not take time to do many things I usually enjoy: reading, quilting, and writing about Emme. Now I am much better and am enjoying many things in my daily routine but I am heading into a second surgery, hopefully in mid-July. That has been described to me as "not a piece of cake" and "not a walk in the park" and "major surgery" but not as bad and the original surgery. I should be in the hospital a shorter time and should heal faster.

Now to the title of this blog entry. While I was in the hospital, I had visits from a few Therapy Dogs. One of the owners asked if I was sending my dog a "Love Letter." She described the love letter as a piece of cloth that carried my scent. It sounded like a great idea so I had Ken bring me a wash cloth from home. I rubbed it all over my body and kept it under my hospital gown on my chest for a number of hours during the day. When Ken came to visit, he picked up the Love Letter and took it to Emme. He tells me that she recognized my scent and smelled and played with the wash cloth that night and again the next morning. What a neat idea! I am grateful to the dog owner who described it to me and I will do it again in July when I return to the hospital.

Until that second surgery is over, I don't intend to blog regularly. After the surgery and the next recovery, I will get back to the Pupdate.

A Direct Link

There must be a direct link between Emme's bladder and my back side. Every time I sit down at the kitchen table for a snack or a meal, Emme needs to outside. It is so predictable, it is funny. It is not just that she usually needs to go outside when I sit down. She always needs to go outside as soon as I it down. Recently, I have been trying to remember to take her outside before we sit at the kitchen table. If I don't, I know that as soon as I get settled, a little white dog will go to the porch door and whine to go outside, now.

More Snow than Dog

We are in the middle of a blizzard that started yesterday and has already dumped over a foot of snow on us and is still going strong. We are predicted to get more snow this afternoon and even more tonight. Our roads haven't been plowed or salted and we are under a "Level Three" snow emergency which means that no one may be on the roads expect for emergencies. Things have been cancelled right and left and most everything is closed. So we are hunkered down for a while. We have groceries, library books, DVD's and a bottle of wine. We could last for days.

Rudy loves the snow and bounds out in it no matter the depth. Today the snow was up to his belly and he couldn't have been happier. He has lost one ball in the snow that he will have to wait for the thaw to reveal, but he goes out whenever he gets the chance and joyfully rolls, jumps, and plows through the snow with his nose. Today, he is a happy dog.

Emme, on the other hand, is overwhelmed with the depth of the snow. She loves to go outside and eat snow, but she can only go where Ken has swept an area for her. The snow is level with the top of the back porch steps and Emme is content to stand on the top step and lean over the side and eat snow. If she ventured out beyond her little cleared area, the snow would be literally over her head. Too much snow. Oh, well, April is coming; this has to end sometime.

New Nap Place

Emme has discovered a new nap place. A couple times in the last few days we have looked around and Emme was not right next to either of us. This is unusual. She usually is Velcro dog, stuck to one or the other of us. When I found her missing, I investigated and found her on the steps going upstairs, just below the landing. She just was lying there, resting, always on the first step below the landing. I have no idea why this is a good nap place. Maybe because it is between the two floors and she can be near the bedroom and sewing room and also the living room and kitchen.

This morning at breakfast, Ken said, "Didn't we used to have two dogs?" Rudy was lying under the table and Emme was missing. I checked the new nap place and sure enough, she was settled in on the first step below the landing. At least I know where to look for her, if I find her missing.

"Fetch" Means Eat Snow

As often as Emme has played fetch with Ken, almost daily for over a year, she still has not figured out the game. In good weather, fetch means run to the ball and sniff the grass. Wait for Ken to go pick up the ball. Watch him throw the ball. Run to the ball and sniff the grass.

Emme also has a cold weather version of the game. When there is snow on the ground, fetch means run to the ball and eat snow. Wait for Ken to go pick up the ball. Watch him throw the ball. Run to the ball and eat snow. What a good game.

Emme is so anxious to go outside as soon as Ken has showered and gotten dressed. She is just beside herself waiting for him to tie his shoes and go outside. So she can play fetch. Or a least her version of fetch.

Emme and the Blow-up Bunny, Continued

Emme is continuing to notice the pink blow-up bunny periodically. Over the course of a few days, the bunny looses air and falls over on its side. When that happens, Emme runs over to the bunny and pushes it with her nose. That makes the bunny emit a high pitched squeak from some kind of squeaker located in its body. Emme has never bitten the bunny so it is holding up to periodic punches with Emme's nose. Every few days, Ken picks up the blow-up bunny and blows it up again. When ever he does this, Emme growls and barks as he is inflating the bunny. I don't know why. Then we continue with the process: ignore the bunny, notice the bunny on its side, punch the bunny to make it squeak, blow up the bunny, wait until it looses enough air to fall on its side, notice the bunny, etc., etc., etc.

Entertain Yourself

I have been fighting a cold for the last week. Ken has been playing Nurse Shirley making me meals and tucking the quilt around me when I nap on the couch. Emme has had to pretty much entertain herself.

I think that we picked up cold germs on the airplane when we flew home from Key West. Ken started with a sore throat and runny nose. I was fine for days and then, wham. Sore throat, runny nose and a never ending cough. I spent most of Tuesday napping on the couch and watching Discovery Channel HD. I did go to National First Ladies Library on Wednesday, led two tours and wiped myself out. Came home Wednesday afternoon and napped and coughed again. Napped and coughed again on Thursday. Poor Emme hasn't had much to entertain her. She naps with me on the couch, watches out the window, and plays by herself with some of her toys. She must think that I am a poor playmate. Maybe today will be different.

Neighborhood Watch

Every morning we follow the same routine. After the dogs have been out, I sit on the floor in front of the couch and play with Emme while Ken starts the coffee. Emme and I pet and wrestle and play for a few minutes. Then when the coffee is done and I go to get a cup of coffee and Emme grabs Big Mamma Gorilla for a bit of loving. Ken and I read the paper in the dining room for a few minutes and then a little bit later we take a break and get the dog food and give Emme and Rudy breakfast and morning medicines. After they eat, Ken and I return to finish the newspapers and both dogs nap on the rug.

When Ken and I are done reading the newspapers and drinking many cups of coffee, I make breakfast. By this time it is light and Emme jumps on the back of the couch and watches the neighborhood. This is one of her favorite spots, tucked between the arm of the couch and the pillows, with her head resting on the back of the couch, and she returns to it many times during the day to keep an eye on things.

When we have an early morning commitment and the routine changes, things are just not right. There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Emme has this all figured out.

The End of the Snow

Yesterday it got warm, into the 50's, and all our snow melted. I couldn't be more pleased. While we were in Key West, we must have had a good amount of snow and some freezing rain and ice. It created a strange top layer on the snow that was almost crispy. Both the dogs loved it. It must have been their own version of premium ice cream.

Since we have been home, Emme and Rudy have asked to go outside repeatedly, not to take care of business but to eat snow. They would chew off the top crunchy layer of snow and eat and eat it. I don't know why they didn't get ice headaches. I was so tired of going outside for Emme to eat snow and nothing else and then coming inside and going right back out again 45 minutes later.

Now the snow is gone and we can see the grass. The weather is colder today and it will be cold and snowy off and on all week but if we get any coverage, it should be just regular snow. Both dogs like snow, but they LOVED what covered our yard last week. I am glad that is gone.

Blow-up Bunny

Yesterday I took down all the Valentine decorations and replaced them with the Easter decorations. I put out the table runner with the Easter eggs printed on it, the smocked eggs, ceramic Easter eggs that my mother painted 40 years ago, little flocked rabbits and lambs, and the plastic blow-up Easter bunny. Emme did not like the Easter bunny.

As soon as Ken began to blow it up, Emme started to growl and bark. I don't know if it was because the bunny started deflated and grew into a three foot bunny or if she just has good taste and was offended by the bright pink bunny. We have had many decorations on the floor in the house: pumpkins, Christmas trees, the blinking plastic Santa, flower arrangements and she has paid almost no attention to them. Something about the blow-up bunny caught her attention immediately. After the bunny was sitting on the floor in the kitchen for a few minutes, Emme went over to it to investigate. She must have decided that it was no threat and left it alone. This morning Emme is not in the least interested in it.

Dogs Have No Sense of Time

Dogs have no sense of time. If we read this one time in the many dog books, we have read, we read it a dozen times. The books all claimed that dogs can't tell the difference between an hour, a day, or a week. When you are gone and return home, to the dog it could be an hour, a day, or a week. That is why they get so excited on your return. After about the third time we read it, Ken asked, "How do they know dogs have no sense of time? Did they interview a dog?"

I don't know if there is any truth in this statement. I do know that Emme and Rudy have some sense of time in our daily schedule and know when it should be meal times and know when it is time to go to bed. Can they tell the difference in amount of time? I don't know.

When we picked them up from the kennel yesterday, they were wild with excitement to get home. They were much more excited than they usually are if we take them with us to run errands to the post office and library and return home in 30 minutes. Yesterday they seemed to know that they had been gone a while and they were excited to get home again. They spent the day needing to be near us and each other. Rudy couldn't get enough of his lovies. He would lie on the rug for many minutes at a time loving up one lovie, only to be replaced with another one a few minutes later. Emme spent a considerable amount of time chewing on her bone. They were both "Velcro dogs" sticking close to one or the other of us all the time. Emme needed to be close to Rudy and would lie down near him and roll over on her back. I don't know if dogs have a sense of time, but I sure do. I thought of Emme a thousand times while we were on vacation and I was really glad to see her again yesterday morning. It is nice to have all four of us together again.

Key West

Ken and I are back from a week's vacation in Key West. Today it is back to real life. There are dogs to pick up from the kennel, unpacking to do, laundry to be done, and groceries to be bought. But we are rested and the vacation was wonderful. We had a wonderful time.

Danger - Grapes and Raisins

Grapes and raisins are extremely dangerous for dogs. Dogs can be poisoned by eating just a few of them. Emme's breeder, Darlene, sent an email which contained the following which was written by a vet in Danville, Ohio:

"Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern."

I routinely give the dogs tastes of fruits and vegetables when I am preparing meals but I never give them grapes or raisins. We had read that grapes and raisins are bad for dogs in one of the many dog books we read before we got Rudy and Emme, but it must not be commonly know. Be careful if you have a dog.

Almost Like Hands

Emme often uses her front paws almost like hands. This morning at breakfast, she was playing with the stuffed squirrel. Emme would lie on her back and hold the toy with both paws. Then she would chew, squeak the toy, growl and wrestle. After she got done playing and chewing, she began to rest. She stayed on her back with the toy clutched in both her paws. Cute!

On chairs

The last few days, Emme has decided that she should be up on a chair rather than on the rug. In the living room, if she isn't on one of our laps, Emme jumps up on the rocker and rests on the chair cushion. In the dining room, instead of lying on the rug, she jumps up on one of the unoccupied chairs and naps there. In the kitchen, she has more of challenge, but she figured out that she can run into the family room and jump up on the little yellow rocking chair or another chair and still be relatively near us. In the bedroom, she jumps up on the waiting chair as we shower and dress. She has decided that her place is on chairs, not on the rug, like some dog.

These Boots Are Made For Walking

Rudy knows when I put on my black boots that something is happening. In the winter, I usually wear clogs or slippers inside the house. This makes it easy to take off my shoes and slide on my Bean boots to take a dog outside in the snow or rain or mud.

When I leave the house to shop or run errands, I usually put on a pair of black boots that lace up the front and tie. Both dogs watch me as I am getting ready and recently Rudy has decided that when I tie the black boots, either he is going for a ride in the car or he is going in the crate while I am out of the house. A few days ago, he just decided to go to his crate when I sat down to tie my boots. How much these dogs know! When I am ready to leave the house, I still have to tell Emme to go to her crate, but Rudy is in his as soon as I start to tie my boots.

Introducing Mina - Off Topic

My neice, Stephanie, had her baby on Tuesday night. She is a healthy baby girl named Mina Jillian. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Both she and her mother are fine. I am now a great-aunt! Welcome to the family, Mina.

Leave It

We are trying to teach both Emme and Rudy a group of commands that will make them pleasant to live with and keep them safe. We have worked on Come, Sit, Heel, Leave It, Stay, Down, and Off, among others. They both know all of these commands and obey them with some success although neither of the dogs is perfect.

Yesterday at lunch, as usual I put out calcium pills for both Ken and me along with our food. Ken picked up his calcium and immediately dropped it on the floor. Of course, both dogs were near by. They started to go for the pill and Ken said "Leave it." Both dogs stopped at the command and left the pill. This time, it was not a pill that would have been a danger for the dogs, but other medicines could do major damage if a dog ate them. I am so glad that we are teaching the dogs things they need to know and glad that the obey, usually.

Double Blitz

We are used to having Emme dashing around the house periodically doing a "blitz." Yesterday we had a "double blitz."

Ken and I were sitting at the kitchen table having a snack and in from the dining room came Emme with the little grey squirrel in her mouth and Rudy came chasing behind her. They ran, full speed, from the living room, through the dining room, into the kitchen, to the family room, circled around by the fireplace and then retraced their steps. In a minute the entire blitz was repeated. A few minutes later, the blitz returned. Emme ran into the room with nothing in her mouth, followed by Rudy loping along at her heels. This was repeated a second time: two dogs, no toy. Shortly after, we had one last double blitz and then they were both so tired, they laid down on the rug to rest.

One dog doing the blitz is funny. Two dogs doing the blitz together is hilarious. Rudy is learning the strangest things from Emme.

A Purring Dog

When Emme is really relaxed and is being petted, she almost purrs. She make low moaning, snuffling sounds in her throat and chest. She doesn't do this when she is by herself. She only purrs when someone is petting her. I don't know what it means, but it is the most satisfied, relaxed sound she makes. It sounds like she is saying, "I like it; I am comfortable; keep it up." It is like she is purring.

Rough and Tough

Emme is learning to growl when she plays tug with Rudy. Following advice from a number of different dog books we read, neither Ken nor I play tug with the dogs. Many different authors cautioned that playing tug with a dog is teaching an aggressive game and setting the dog up to believing that he/she is the alpha dog if it wins the tug game. I don't know if that is true, but we read it so many times that we decided there were other games we could play with the dogs so we never play tug.

Emme and Rudy play tug together, though, usually choosing the flimsiest toy to play with. We have a few really sturdy tug toys that they pass up. They grab instead a fluffy; one grabs the head and the other a tail or leg. The fluffies don't always survive this game and I can't tell you how many of them have a visit to my sewing room to have a seam mended or a leg sewn back on.

It is funny to watch a big, dark 80 pound dog tugging one end of a toy and a little, white, fluffy 12 pound dog pulling on the other end. Rudy pulls enough to make a game, but not enough to throw Emme around the room, as I am sure he could do if he chose. While he is tugging, he growls which does not scare Emme but does provide an audio accompaniment to the game. Emme is usually silent. Determined, eager, but quiet. Just the last day or so, she has begun to growl when they play tug. It is not too intimidating coming from a dog that looks a little like a dust mop. But now it is part of the game too.

Someone's Missing

Whenever Ken or I am away from the house for a long time, both Emme and Rudy get hyper-vigilant. If we are only gone for three or four hours, the dogs seem to think that is fine. They go on with their lives without a care. But if one of us is gone all day, after about six hours, the dogs go on alert. It is like they decide that someone is missing. She/He has been gone long enough and the dogs are super alert waiting for the return. If a car goes down the street, Emme is up on the back of the couch, checking if that is the car that will stop at our house. Rudy runs to Ken's office to look out the window to see if one of our cars is coming into the garage.

Yesterday Ken was gone for the day and the dogs were fine until about four o'clock. From then on, every time there was a noise outside, they thought it was Ken. It was like living with two pets with ADHD. Nap, bark, play, bark, bark, nap, etc., etc., etc. They have a real sense about how things are supposed to be and that includes two people in the house.

A Study in Contrasts

Emme is such a study in contrasts. Sometimes she is so soft and cuddly, touching my eyelids with angel kisses; other times, "rassling" like she is a member of some wrestling tag team. Sometimes she is so welcoming to visitors, rubbing against their legs and rolling over on her back to be petted; other times she barks like she attended guard school and guarding the house is her job in life. Sometimes, she knows the commands "Sit, down, come, heel, off," and other times, she acts like I am speaking a foreign language when I say those words. Sometimes, she is eager to eat her meal and finishes every kibble; other times she picks at her food, and leaves a large portion at the end. Some times she is white tornado, blitzing around the house non-stop. Other times, she is a couch potato, lying on our legs for an hour at a time as we read or watch TV. She certainly keeps us entertained.

Discovering Bears

Over the years, I have made a number of fully jointed mohair teddy bears. I have made over 30 bears ranging in size from four inches to 24 inches in every color and every style of fur. They are not play bears because they have glass eyes and metal and wooden joint hardware. Ken made me a bookcase, pictured above, where I display part of the bears while others are stored in containers on the second floor. I rotate the display bears and sometimes decorate the bookcase for holidays and seasons.

Rudy has never bothered the bears even thought I always displayed the bears on every shelf, even the one right on the floor. When I got Emme, I was not as confident that she would leave the bears alone. They look a lot like some of her lovies and I was not sure she would understand the difference between hers and mine. So I moved all the bears up to the higher shelves and put plants or other items on the bottom shelf. Recently, I moved furniture in the family room and put a chair right next to the bear book case. Last night, I found Emme up on the seat of the chair investigating the bears on the upper shelves. I told her to "Leave it" and she did. I hope she forgets all about the bears.

Knitting Again

I used to be a knitter before I got Emme. When she was a puppy, she loved nothing more than the smell of wool yarn and every time I got out my knitting, she jumped up to grab the balls of yarn and the project I was working on. It became so difficult to try to protect my knitting from her that I just put it away.

A few weeks ago I got the urge to knit and bought a little kit to make a felted knit flower. The project was small and I wouldn't have large balls of wool by my chair. With some hesitation I got it out to begin to knit. Emme couldn't have been less interested. She didn't even come over to investigate my knitting. I finished the flower which is pictured above and got out another project. I am working on a felted bag called the French Market Basket using Noro self-striping yarn and it is really looking nice. Emme is not bothering me and I am enjoying knitting again.

Dear Dogs and Cats

Ken got the following email and it was so cute I wanted to put it in the Pupdate:

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, or try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it 'fur'niture.)

3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less

2. Don't ask for money all the time

3. Are easier to train

4. Normally come when called

5. Never ask to drive the car

6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends

7. Don't smoke or drink

8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions

9. Don't want to wear your clothes

10. Don't need a 'gazillion' dollars for college And finally,

11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Nighty-night in Your Crate

Ever since we got Rudy, we would say "Go nighty-night in your crate" and he would dash to his crate in the family room and go inside. Then, with his head hanging out the door, he would wait (semi-)patiently for one of us to give him a dog biscuit and shut the door. Since we have gotten Emme, we all sleep upstairs in our bedroom on the second floor at night. We say "Time to upstairs to bed" so it sounds like a different command than go to your crate. Emme has a crate in our bedroom and Rudy sleeps on the rug.

We still have a crate for each dog downstairs and we put them in there when we both are gone out of the house during the day or early evening. Both dogs rush to their crates either when we say "Nighty-night" or even before if they see us getting on coats and boots or going to the cupboard for dog biscuits. They go in the crates willingly and eagerly.

Emme seems to understand the difference in the two commands. "Nighty-night" gets her into her crate and "To bed" gets her upstairs after she helps Ken take his pill and get dog biscuits to take upstairs with us.

Rudy is hopelessly lost. No matter which command we say, Rudy first runs for the crate. He is going to obey even if he is not sure what we want. If we don't show up within a reasonable length of time, he dashes out of the crate, locates us and runs back to the crate again. So at night when we go to bed, Rudy is in and out of the crate a few times and then up the stairs to the bedroom. We still have a little work with Rudy on figuring out these commands.

I Love Your Eyes

Emme has the strangest habit, one of many, I guess. When we stop on the stairs to "chat," she smells my eyes. Ever since she was very small, whenever we go down stairs from the second floor to the first, we stop and chat. I go down two steps and sit down on that step. Emme stays on the landing. This way our faces are exactly the same level. Then I pet her and tell what a good girl she is and how much I like her. She leans over and smells my eyelids. I close my eyes and she sniffs my lids. Her nose is cold and damp and it feels like tiny angel kisses every time she touches my eyelids. Why does she do it? I have no idea in the world, but she does it almost every time we chat. There must be a reason. Only Emme knows.

Seven Deer

We were at the lake this week end and, while we were sitting at the table by the living room window having coffee, seven deer loped across our front yard between the house and the lake. They were all female or young bucks: not a horn in sight. Kind of strange for Lake Buckhorn. They were coming from the left and running to the yard on our right and as we continued to count, we got more and more excited. We often see a deer or two but seldom this many.

When Emme and Rudy go to the lake house, they can't get enough of sniffing the yard. They ask to go outside again and again to do their business, but spend more time smelling than producing anything. Maybe they are smelling seven deer that ran across the yard on another day.

Best Pals

I am always amazed at how well Emme and Rudy play together. They are physically so different. Rudy is large and dark with smooth fur. Emme is little, white, and fluffy. They couldn't look more different. But they like one another and they play well together. Rudy is so strong that he could easily overpower Emme, but he seems to realize her size. They play tug and Rudy pulls only hard enough to keep up the game and not so hard that he throws Emme around the room.

Rudy is very tolerant of Emme when it comes to food. Emme is sure that whatever Rudy is eating has to be better than what is in her dish. She will occasionally wander over to his dish while he is eating. He just lets her nibble some food from his dish. He is not protective of his food or mean to her. If they both have a Kong or a bone with peanut butter inside, Emme will sometimes leave hers and go and check out Rudy's. He doesn't seem to mind. He lets her lick at his and then pushes her aside so he can finish. No biggie.

Rudy shares toys with her, up to a point. Sometimes Emme can just walk up to Rudy and take a toy his is playing with. Other times, especially with a lovie, she goes to pull it away and Rudy gives her a warning growl. Emme seems to understand that she has crossed a line and leaves the lovie alone.

They couldn't look much different or get along much better. We are lucky.