Well You Know My Name is Simon...

Simon enjoyed his first big road trip and had a great time meeting his 'cousins' Polo and Rocky and peeing on his human sister Erika's rug. He hid multiple chewies.turns in his usual style. I saw him consume 2.  No idea what happened to the others. I'm guessing Rocky and Polo may find a surprise someday, if they haven't already.  Watching him decide where to stash treats is my favorite hobby. Is he hiding it from other dogs? Is he hiding it for later? He's determined for sure. I'd love to know what he's thinking. Props to Rocky and Polo for putting up with him. Anytime someone makes a blanket statement that pit bulls are inherently aggressive, please show them the following video.  We need to add a new appliance to our household. This will keep Simon busy  for hours. I might suggest to the manufacturer marketing them as Robotic Dog Sitter. Apologies to how brief  this is. My mom is having bypass surgery today so ha...

Facing a 12 hour drive today, I packed the dogs up appropriately. Food, beds, toys, leashes, water, etc. So far they're being very good. The little one is just chill. Bored I think.  The big one is doing exactly what re does every day. But with the motion factor he has to brace himself. Swerving is more fun than it should be.  Almost time to break out the popcorn. That'll wake Truman up. 

This puppy must have something in his mouth at all times. To date, I"ve pulled out of his mouth the following: Wood shim Drywall Foam pieces from Truman's bed Mulch Sticks Rabbit Poop (gross) Various palm tree parts Broken porcelain tile pieces Tissue Paper Coconut husk Countless leaves Everything he brings to me feels like an award. Like I'm his queen. So of course I replace what he shouldn't have with what he CAN have whenever possible. He prefers Nylabone Edibles, Smart Bones, and Teenie Greenies. These are special treats. I know because instead of presenting them to me like great bounty, he hides them. I mean, he 'hides' them. With the desperation of a serial killer burying his latest victim. He paces frantically until he finds just the right spot. For example. See if you can find the hidden bone in the following two pictures. These are just the ones I've documented to photo. One was under the curtains in the living r...

It's been a crazy week. Puppy related and otherwise. Let's start at the beginning. Note: It says something that when I started this draft, it was titled 'Days 1-5'. We are basically at two weeks now. But I digress. Simon's first day and night were both action-packed. After the ride home and the trip to Pet Supermarket, then the laps around the parts of the house I left open for him, he was one worn out puppy. On top of that, right before bed we discovered he had fleas. A number of  fleas. Because it was late and we had nothing in the way of flea control yet, he got a dunk in the sink at 10:30 and a humiliating 30 minutes or so of having live parasites picked off him. I felt so bad for him. We hit the pet store the next morning but due to his size, his age, and the general unhelpful nature of the snarky clerk at the pet store, we came away with nothing. At the vet! 11 weeks and 5 pounds. But the fleas were short-lived as I got him an appointment that firs...

I've always been a believer in signs. Little things that point life in one direction or another. Serendipitous moments that turn out to be turning points or beacons. The cosmic forces of the universe whispering, or sometimes screaming, at me to make choices. So would there be signs for me finding a new best friend? Well, let's take a look at the goals. The Mission: Find a new best friend. The Parameters: Small dog. Long projected lifespan. No yappers. Young. [God love the people who can adopt senior dogs. But I just went through that. I'm not ready for it again for a long time.] The Timeframe: Sooner, not later. The Geography: Close to home, of course - but I'm not ruling anything out. Truman came to us via a fabulous rescue called Canine Castaways here in SWFL so I started with them. They had a litter of sweet Chihuahua puppies, but the one I had my eye on got snatched up before I could see her. She really looked like Ruby in miniature but with shaggy hair and...

If you followed my last blog about puppy-rearing, or even if you didn't, I should probably set this up with some background.  Adventures With Ruby  chronicled the first year or so of my darling Ruby's life. Ruby, a Great Dane (or as I always told her an Awesome Dane) was a Christmas gift from my husband. One that I cherished for 8 short years. Ruby died about a month ago, in early December 2017. She died from a combination of age and cancer and I was with her to her last breath. More important than how her life ended is that until that day she lived a fabulous life.  Ruby went from having a house in Illinois with a friendly English Bulldog named Sophie, four teenagers, and a never ending supply of sassy Midwestern squirrels to chase, to a very different life. Different - not better or worse. One-by-one the kids moved away. The oldest to Nashville in 2012, the next one to college shortly after that. Then the boy left for the United States Air Force in late 2013. ...