Do Dogs Like Fruit?

Do dogs like fruit and vegetables? Emme and Rudy do. When I go into the kitchen to prepare a meal or snack, Emme and Rudy come into the room and do a "down stay" on the floor. As I cut up fruits and vegetables, I often give each dog a tiny bite. Knowing that grapes and raisins, as well as chocolate, are dangerous to dogs, I never give them bites of these but they have tasted a variety of other foods. They eat slices of bananas, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, red and green bell peppers, carrots, peaches, tomatoes, and many others. So far the only reject has been celery. I don't know if it is the consistency or the taste, but neither dog likes it. Who knew that dogs would eat fruit?

A Drink of Water

Both Emme and Rudy know where water comes from. They go to their dish to get a drink and if it is empty, they go to the sink and look expectantly at the faucet. I think that is amazing. They know that we fill the pitcher at the sink to put water in their bowl.

They watch everything we do and can figure out so much. They know that late at night when Ken pushes the button on the TV remote, that it is time to go to bed. Rudy knows that when he comes inside from doing a "hurry up" and we leave his collar on that he is going for a ride in the car. They both know that when it is nap time they run for the couch, often with their lovies. They know that when we lock the door to the porch they will go to their crates for "Nighty-nite." They know that when I go into the kitchen to prepare a meal that they should do a down stay on the kitchen floor and wait for a hand out. How did they get so smart?

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 2

I love this picture of Emme in the back yard with the rhododendrons. I have this as my wallpaper on my computer. This photo was taken in May 2007.

A Perfect Nap Spot

Emme has discovered that the steps from the first to the second floor make a perfect Emme-sized napping place. She always comes upstairs with me when I go to my sewing room but she doesn't always stay in the room with me. Often she will go outside the room and nap on the carpet just outside the door. Now she has discovered that the steps themselves make a perfect nap spot. She tucks her nose back in the crack where the step meets the riser and waits patiently until I am done.

Call Me Timex

We could call Emme Timex because she is the keeper of the schedule. Every evening, she decides when we should go to bed. Out of the blue she starts with a particular whine that she only uses when she is reminding us that it is bed time.

The trouble is, she often starts whining about 8:15. She is insistent that it is bed time and will go from Ken to me and back again trying to convince us that it is time for bed. I don't know what is so appealing to the dogs about going to bed. Both dogs LOVE to go upstairs to bed. They each get a puppy biscuit in the bedroom but I can hardly believe that is the motivating factor. They love to go to bed and Emme tries to get us to go to bed as early as possible.

More than a Little Shookey

Emme's look changes from week to week. When she comes home from the groomer, she looks sort of shorn. Her hair is shorter and her eyes are huge because there is no hair covering them. As the weeks go by, her hair grows and she begins to look more and more shaggy. Although I trim the hair over her eyes between visits to the groomer, she looks a little more shookey each week. She is ready for a return visit to the groomer later this week and her coat, especially on her face, shows it.

A Tired Pup

Emme and Rudy spent last week at the kennel while Ken and I were at a craft seminar in West Virginia, Ken in a week long wood turning class and I in a quilting class. We had a great time but the dogs must have exhausted themselves at Puppy Sleep Away Camp. Too many late nights around the campfire must have done them in. Both of them are spending a lot of their time during the day napping. Summer can be so exhausting.

Split Personality

Sometimes I think Emme has a split personality. Some times she is "Lovey-Dovey Emme" and can't wait to be picked up, petted and loved. She lies still in your arms or on your lap or legs and wants her ears scratched or her back rubbed. She rears herself back so you can get to her belly to rub that. She is a love sponge.

Other times, she is "Raise a Little Hell Emme." She dashes around the house, grabs a toy, shakes it around, drags it from one room to another, dive bombs Rudy, chases her tail, jumps on the couch, knocks all the pillows to the floor and generally creates havoc.

Actually, I love both Emmes.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 1

This is probably my favorite Emme photo. She looks so bright-eyed and happy. It was taken by my son, Eric. I like this photo so much, I had a coffee cup made with this picture on the side.

The Wicker Rocking Chair

Emme loves to sit on the wicker rocking chair on the porch. This is one of her favorite places. Maybe it is because the cushion has our smells: my bare feet, when I prop my feet up on the chair as I read or play Animal Crossing, or our bottoms when we actually sit on the rocker. Ken thinks that because Emme is so nosy, she likes the rocker because she has unobstructed vision: she can see out of the front, back and both sides. For what ever reason, Emme loves this rocker.

Big Mama Gorilla is my Solace

Emme loves Big Mama Gorilla. Big Mama Gorilla is not a dog toy, but a child's toy that I bought for Rudy because I loved the soft feel of it. Ever since Emme was a puppy, she has taken over Big Mama Gorilla for her favorite lovie. She carries it around the house, takes it out on the deck, and brings it along for nap time. If Emme is reprimanded for barking at the living room window, she has to dash to Big Mama Gorilla and love her for solace.

If Big Mama Gorilla dies, we have another in reserve. It would be awful to lose your best friend and not have a replacement. We are prepared.

Sleeping Beauty and the Two Dwarfs

Since my surgeries, I have been spending a lot of time napping, trying to rest and recover my strength. No matter which couch I choose for a nap, I always have two companions as I lie down. Sometimes we nap in the living room, sometimes in the family room and best of all, sometimes on the porch. Rudy lies down right next to the couch and Emme climbs up on the couch and settles down by my feet or on my legs. Sometimes one or both dogs get up and go to check out what Ken is doing but for the most part they nap with me. All I have to do is say "Nap Time" and they are off for the couch. Sometimes they bring a lovie: Big Mama Gorilla for Emme or the Really Big Lovie for Rudy. Other times they just nap.

When I get up, I tell Ken that Emme, Rudy and I, are like "Sleeping Beauty and the Two Dwarfs." I know that I am creating a new fairy tale out of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but it seems accurate. My two nap companions are a welcome addition to my recovery process.

A House with No Door

This summer we replaced the deck and living room window at the lake house. The final part of this project was to take off the old storm/screen door in the living room and install a new one. The replacement door is very nice with a full length screen, rather than just screen in the top half of the door.

Before installing the new door, Ken took off the old door and painted the jam and the outside of the door. When the paint was dry to the touch but not dry enough to pull the door all the way shut, we just left the door open. This allowed Emme and Rudy to walk from the house to the deck as they wanted. This was exciting for them. They went in and out many times and then living in a house with no door lost its appeal. After a few trips, they settled down to lie on the floor next to one of us. It is great to live in a house with no door, but it is better to be next to someone you love.

Is an Umbrella a Dog Toy?

Last night, Emme was fascinated by something on our kitchen table. She would stand up on her hind legs by my chair and strain to see the top of the table. Then she would whine. I had no idea what she wanted but I lifted her up so she could see that there was nothing on the table for dogs. In addition to the table runner, there was a Good Housekeeping magazine that had just come in the mail, two to-do lists, a black folding Tote's umbrella, and Ken's watch that needed to go in for repairs. I couldn't imagine what was interesting her.

I went back to the living room to watch the Olympics. Emme stayed in the kitchen and whined. After a while, I decided that I would just take Emme out on the porch to get her away from the kitchen table. So Emme and I sat on the porch in the cool dark for a while. When we came back inside, Emme went right back to the table again.

By then Ken got involved. He put each item from the table down on the floor to show Emme that there was nothing she would be interested in: the magazine, the umbrella (which was folded up into a cylinder about 6 inches long and two inches wide), the shopping lists, and the watch. No sooner had he put the umbrella on the floor, Emme grabbed the umbrella and ran into the dining room and under the dining room table. We stood there amazed. What did she think the umbrella was?

We took it away from Emme and put it on top of the dining room table. Emme sat by the dining room table and whined. Some how she had decided that the umbrella was a puppy toy and it should be hers. Finally, we decided to call it a night and go to bed. Ken took the dogs outside and I hid the umbrella in the laundry room. We got to bed without incident and this morning, Emme seems to have forgotten about her new favorite toy. What a goofy pup!

Every Dog is a Friend of Mine

Recently Emme has had the opportunity to play with a number of dogs at our house. Although Emme spends all her time with Rudy, her contact with other dogs is limited so she hasn't had much experience playing with other dogs.

We had a family reunion a few weeks ago and my son and daughter-in-law brought their French Bulldog with them for the weekend. My brother-in-law and sister-in law brought their Yellow Lab with them from Texas. After a minute or two of cautious behavior, Emme decided that these visitors were all right and they got along beautifully. Size didn't seem to matter. Big or little, the dogs were welcomed. This past weekend, a friend of our brought his Husky for a visit to the lake house. Again, it didn't take long for Emme to warm up to him. It think she likes the idea of canine visitors. They are all her friends.

Another Love Letter

Tomorrow will be the one month anniversary of my second surgery. I was in the hospital only four days this time, but I sent Emme another "Love Letter" while I was there. Ken carried a washcloth to me in the hospital and I rubbed it all over my skin and wore on my chest under my hospital gown until he returned home at night. When he got home, he gave the wash cloth/love letter to Emme who recognized my smell immediately. She played with the wash cloth and brought her bone over to lie on top of the cloth and chew.

I am doing well. I am healing and am in no pain. I still have to work on strength and stamina and that is going slowly.

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!