I’ve been a total Grinch this year and have not put up a single Christmas decoration. I may have used up all my Christmas spirit last year, when I hosted the holiday at my house. This year I’ll be traveling and didn’t much see the point, so all my lovely decorations stayed in their boxes.
I never shared any holiday photos of the boys from last year, when I had one of the most kick-ass trees I can remember. Shame on me, and what a waste!
This week’s Throwback Thursday just happens to fall on Christmas Eve, so we’re changing it to Throwback Tuesday!
So with that said, from our house to yours… Merry-Happy-Jolly-Christmakwanzacha to all, and to all a good night!
Quick update: everyone’s great! OK now that the catch-up part of this post is complete, on to the main event: a video of The Boys eating celery.
You know how parents love recording their human kids trying new foods for the first time? Human kids really aren’t my thing, but I decided I wanted in on that action. So without further ado, I bring you Oscar & Cooper’s first interaction with celery.
I love this video so much for so many reasons, mostly because this it is a great representation of each of their personalities. Cooper approaches life with reckless abandon, and is immediately trusting of anything his Person throws his way. Any time I offer Cooper a new food to try, he gobbles it up, no questions asked.
Oscar on the other hand has a much more discerning palate. When faced with a new culinary adventure he approaches it cautiously, examining every angle before diving in. The smell, the texture, and the size of the tasty nugget are properly considered before ingestion can take place. Even then, sometimes the new food won’t make the cut. (Ex: The Great Failed Raw Carrot Experiment of 2012.)
And of course when all else fails, just rip it apart!
Yoooouuuuuuuuuu guys…..I was going to do a Facebook post for you all about this, but I am just too excited and the gravity is too huge. I have news of the most epic proportions that I had no choice but to dust off this ol’ blog and share it with you. The most EXCITING thing has happened!
This dude…this adorable precious furry little ball of anxiety, can finally cross something off his “I am terrified of this!” list.
After three years, Cooper has successfully been desensitized against…
The Evil Blender.
Cue the fanfare and trumpets!
Ever since Cooper came to live with us, he has had a very long list of Very Scary Things that will send him into a barking hackled nervous frenzy. The Evil Vacuum Cleaner, The Evil Mailman, The Evil Paper Shredder, The Evil Dog Barking on TV, The Evil Next Door Neighbor’s Car Door, The Evil Lawn Mower…to name a few. And until recently, The Evil Blender has been on this list, which was not the most conducive to mom’s morning smoothie routine.
So how did I do it? Nothing fancy, just simple good old-fashioned repetitive (very repetitive) treat training. Cooper was asked to “sit” on the rug in the kitchen while I used the blender. I would keep eye contact with him, call him a good boy, and start with very short blending bursts. At first it was just for one second. I turned it off before he could react, offered sooo much praise, lots of pets, “good boys” and most importantly if you’re as food motivated as Cooper: treats!
I gradually over (many) weeks increased how long I could run the blender without stopping and giving him a treat, making sure to go very slowly so we didn’t back-slide. Of course, Oscar was right there for brotherly moral support – and treats of his own – every step of the way.
And holy cow you guys this morning…Cooper actually got up and walked away to get a drink of water while I was using the blender. I’d call that a MAJOR win for the Coops, and I am absolutely bursting with momma pride. So with this momentous milestone, we are now officially demoting The Evil Blender back down to ordinary kitchen appliance status, and it will from here on be known as simply “the blender.”
Happy 2015, blogosphere! Wow, we’ve been pretty radio-silent since August, huh? Well I’d love to say we’re making a New Years resolution to post more often, but who are we kidding? Thanks for sticking with us through the quiet times!
So, we had a little adventure over the weekend! Cooper came in from playing outside with a minor injury, with some major bleeding.
He split his back toenail right in two! If you recall, Molly Tamale had a similar injury when she was with us, so we knew not to be extremely worried, but we also knew it needed attention. And naturally, since it was after hours at our regular vet, off to the emergency clinic we went…
The staff at Nashville Pet Emergency Clinic were wonderful! They took great care of our little man, and were even understanding when we explained that he’s not a fan of other animals. They cleared the waiting room of their feline welcoming committee and got us right into an exam room. In true Cooper-fashion, our brave little warrior showed no pain and distress while waiting to see the Doc. He was just excited for an outing, and that ever-wagging tail never stopped.
Little Coop was sedated while they trimmed back his nail to the healthy quick, stopped the bleeding and wrapped him all up. I remember thinking, that’s a lot of bandage for a little toe nail! But at least it stayed put.
Once we got home Cooper was pretty loopy for the rest of the day. He kept falling asleep sitting up! Cooper got lots of snuggles and lots of rest, and by the next day he was good as new. And still – never showed any signs pain or discomfort. Such a little Cooper-trooper!
While a trip to the emergency vet is never fun (or cheap!) we’re certainly glad we have a great facility like Nashville Emergency Vet available to us. They’re open every night and weekend, so even though we hope we never need them again we’re sure happy they’re there. Never a dull moment around here!
Oh my goodness, another record…Four months of silence on the ol’ bloggity-blog! **hangs head in shame**
I promised you dear readers that we weren’t going anywhere, that even though we adopted Cooper and are on a semi-permanent hiatus from fostering, that the blog would live on. So, thanks to a gentle nudge from one of our favorite blogs, live on it shall…
You guys, is it hot where you are this summer? Because in Nashville, it is HOT. We are finally to a point in our ongoing backyard project where it’s becoming a usable space, and what better use to put it to than to help keep the pups cool on a hot summer day?
Oscar loves the water, we know this for sure. Cooper is OK with it, though not quite as enamored with the wet stuff as his brother. We were interested to see how he would like his very own pool. So we dusted off the ol’ Sirius Republic water-doggin’ collars and a kiddie pool and let the magic happen. Oscar’s reaction did not surprise us, though it appears that Coop was much more interested in his old dear friend, the garden hose.
And of course what’s any good pool day without a little sunbathing?
One five dollar kiddie pool = two happy pups.
How do you keep your pups cool in the summer? Are they water-lovers like Oscar or would they rather keep their paws dry like Cooper?
We have been lucky here in Nashville to have had some bee-you-tee-ful weather in the past few weeks. After being cooped up all winter, hibernating and hiding from the Polar Vortex, we have been taking full advantage of it!
All of the walks and sun-loungings in the world cannot compete with Cooper’s favorite spring time activity: chasing carpenter bees.
We’re not too surprised Coop enjoys passing his time this way. The bees are big, slow-moving tempting targets, and Cooper has displayed similar tendencies with water hoses and snowballs. Although, I have a feeling that the first time he actually catches a bee might be the last time he attempts it!
We decided to put Oscar in agility class for a few reasons. Cooper has been getting a lot of attention with his TTouch sessions, and his own round through agility and other training classes. Poor Oscar, being the perfectly calm confident good boy that he is, has been getting left a home alone, bored out of his gourd, while Cooper got to go out and have all the fun! No freakin’ fair.
“Le sigh….”
The second, and if we’re being totally honest here, probably the main reason we decided to put Oscar in agility class is that even though on the whole he’s a pretty well-adjusted guy, he does have his kryptonite: the kitchen floor. For some reason the tile just freaks him out. He’s fine if he has his next non-tile surface in sight – he can go from rug to rug in a straight line, no problem. But if he has to round a corner, fuhgeddaboudit. It simply cannot be done without plenty of whining and whimpering and “COME SAVE ME!” panic. Seriously, it’s embarrassing.
So our goal with agility was to help Oscar gain some confidence on unfamiliar surfaces. For the first few weeks, as we expected, Oscar did great jumping over and running through things. But the obstacle we just knew would give us trouble was on the horizon – the dreaded teeter totter. Thankfully, dog trainer extraordinaire Kat Martin is no dummy, she knows that you don’t expect (most) dogs to just jump up on something like the teeter totter with no preparation. So, we work up to it. Enter: the wobble board.
The idea with the wobble board is for Oscar to associate the wobbley-ness with Very Good Things (i.e. hot dogs). Oscar was pretty nervous starting out, so at first anytime he just put his foot on the board he got rewarded. There were other dogs in the class who just walked right over top of it and off the other side completely unphased – obviously, we’re not quite there yet.
Luckily, as much as the wobble board (and eventually the teeter totter) will take some serious work, Oscar seems to be a natural at the rest of the obstacles. After just four weeks, we could not be more proud of his progress. Check out our boy:
Of course we’re not flawless, but he’s totally killin’ it, and that tail never stops wagging. Oscar and Dad and I all had a total blast during this class, and we can’t wait for the next session to start!
“Imma make that wobble board my b*tch, just you wait and see…”
For more information about Agility or other training classes with Dogs and Kat, visit www.dogsandkat.com.
Hello blog-o-sphere! Oscar-man here. I know, I know, it’s been awhile since I shared my wonderful bloggings with you, and I’m sorry for that – really, truly I am! It’s just that I have had a very busy 2014 so far. So very much to accomplish!! First, I had to do some serious snuggle-hiding through a Polar Vortex,
Then, I got my vicious chompers cleaned at the doggie dentist, and I had to get a needle in my arm! Ouch-a-bunga!
I’ve spent lots of time perfecting my “insisting” face. This is the one I make when I simply must have something from the human-folk.
I must be getting good at it, because they’re starting to catch on.
Also, I had to turn FOUR!
Not to mention, my hosting duties were called into play when I had to entertain various guests this spring, including my Aunt Amy. Don’t we make a cute pair?
Don’t let her face fool you, she loves my sweet kisses.
So as you can see, my year has been jam-packed with activity so far. Surely I would be ready for a break, wouldn’t you think? Well THINK AGAIN! This Oscar-man is ready for some FUN! And I knew exactly what sort of funs I wanted. I had to listen to my silly brother go on and on about all of his funs he had during his agili-doggin’ last year, and I just knew that being the older-bigger-smarter-taller-better-looking brother, not only could I do anything silly brother could do, but I could probably do it way better. I So I begged Momma and Daddy to take me to agili-playground so I could have some fun too. And guess what? This Oscar is taking to the Agility Course!! And kicking it’s tail, if I do say so myself.
Well I mean, OK, maybe I am a little bit scardy-pants about that weird tube thing, but after I saw that my Dad wasn’t scared of it, I put on all my braves and I ran right through there!
By the end of my agili-class, I am going to kick my silly brother’s tail and jumpings and runnings, you just wait and see!
For more information about Agility Class with Dogs & Kat, check out dogsandkat.com.
Today’s post comes from a dear friend and animal lover. Shelley is an Agape Animal Rescue foster parent and Animal Rescue Corps Volunteer. Her current foster dog, Presley, came from a horrible situation and is being overlooked for adoption, we think because of the ever dreaded Black Dog Syndrome. So, wonderful blog readers, I’d like to introduce you now to….PRESLEY!
Presley…what would I say about my little foster dog? Hmm, well to explain how awesome she is, I need to first explain where she came from and how I met her. It was a terrible place. (Please skip down to “HAPPY STUFF” if you do not want to learn the definition of “terrible place.”)
It was called Operation Unbridled Spirit. In September 2013, Animal Rescue Corps was able to go in and rescue 120+ dogs from hell. More than 120 dogs were removed from a property (aka PUPPY MILL), where females are bred with every heat, usually when they are still puppies themselves, to churn out babies for profit. The mothers usually suffer the most, as their bodies are exhausted from continual pregnancy, lack of medical care, good nutrition, healthy drinking water, human companionship, etc. In this particular case, there were about 4-6 dogs in each “box” with a male stud dog. This was their life. A box with a doggie door that allowed them outside to wire bottom footing to pee/poop. The babies are then stripped from (usually sick, unhealthy) moms and sold on the internet, to puppy stores, or on the side of the road. This is why we do not purchase puppies this way.
Once removed from the property, they were brought to an emergency shelter for emergent medical treatment, assessment and once legal, to get placed into rescue groups that were willing to continue their medical care and work with them socially to get them ready for lives inside with a family. Basically, to get them healthy and teach them how to be a family dog like you and I know.
I was fortunate enough to work at the emergency shelter, where our jobs were to medically treat and care for the dogs and also to hold/cuddle the dogs to get them used to more handling and human contact. (Sounds tough, huh?)
Presley, in particular, previously known as FF113 (see mugshot, above), was found to have chronic ear infections. She was in so much pain. The vet believes she is approximately 5 years old. Assuming she’s lived in this Puppy mill/box for 5 years, that means she’s had pain for her entire life! I had to hold her while the vet tried to clean her ears, so we could get the medicine in to help cure her. Her ears were swollen closed and she has chronic scar tissue from years of scratching at them, desperately trying to signal her pain and comfort herself. Poor baby, it was so painful, we actually had to put her under to clean them well. Her ear has chronic scar tissue, indicative of years of chronic ear infections. The vet believes this is due to food allergies. Of course, this is what eventually sealed my fate as her “godmother” and foster mom! Now moving on from the terrible place…and living in the “now”…
HAPPY STUFF
Once the dogs were legally cleared for placement, Agape Animal Rescue stepped up and took 28 dogs (34 total after all the pregnant dogs delivered)!
{Can we pause and clap for them stepping it up to take so many needy dogs? Can you imagine the medical bills??}
Presley was the last dog taken by Agape. When I found out that she had not been chosen by any of the rescues (short hair, black dogs are sometimes overlooked for the cuter spotted fuzzy dogs) and dogs were moving out of the shelter left and right…I had to speak up for my sweet little tolerant girl.
The vet says that her chronic ear infections are due to a food allergy. Poor thing itches all over her body, all the time. We are still working to figure out exactly what she is allergic to. (She is currently on prescription dog food, but once we get the itching to stop, we can start adding things slowly to see if she reacts). I am looking forward to discovering what it is!!!
I brought Presley into my home. I took this picture the first day, don’t those eyes just melt your heart?
She got her first bath
and a good hearty meal….and went straight to find a comfy dog bed for a nap.
It has been a pleasure to watch her grow and learn! See, she currently lives with 2 older dogs, and she has been a great student! They have been showing her how to have “house manners” and other good stuff such as…
how to choose the right comfy spots to sleep…
how to walk nicely on a leash with a harness
how to get onto a bed
(now she has learned to use the doggy stairs)….
how nice it is to snuggle up under the covers and sleep in a human armpit or behind your knees…..
how to potty outside {side note: On Presley’s first day, she followed my dogs right out the doggy door to potty…and she knows what to do. She attempted to pee, ONE TIME, on the mat by the door, once removed, there were no more mistakes }.
She has also learned quickly how to sit, lie down, and we are always working on “wait.”
Presley did not know what toys were, or how to play with them. Nor did she play with the other dogs. It was about one month after she came to live with me, until the “light turned on.” I was sitting on the floor with her, trying to get her to show some interest in a toy. She picked it up, but didn’t really know what to do with it, so she just dropped it. Her foster sister, Rosie, walked by….Presley stopped, looked at Rosie and dropped into her first play bow! After that, she and Rosie played all day long! I teared up!!!! Even better, I got some of it on video! It was like watching her wake up and enjoy life for the first time!
She is such a sweet little girl, who’s nubby tail is constantly in motion. All you have to do is say her name…and that tail kicks into high gear!!!
She has a few nicknames…Pres Pres (my favorite, that she now actually answers to), Happy Tail, Happy, Little Ms Impatient, Cuddle Bug, Love Bug, and Blackie (affectionately given by my boyfriend).
She makes me laugh daily…and there are so many more pictures to share….here’s a video…but you should only watch this if you like to see super cute dogs!!!
She has the biggest brown eyes, and she knows how to use them. She happily lets me brush her teeth, but she HATES getting her nails clipped….we are working on that 🙂 She has a cute little habit of “talking” too….since she’s black, it’s very hard to get a good video of her, but if you’re ready for some severe cuteness, this is a short clip of her “talking” when she gets excited…
**UPDATE 4/5/14** Presley has been adopted!! Congratulations to Presley, her new forever mom, and of course to foster mom Shelley and Agape Animal Rescue.
A lot of our posts lately have centered around what it means for Cooper now that he is a permanent member of our family. This whole next year will be filled with “Coopers first ____________ as a member of our family.” And next week, Cooper will experience a big one: Cooper’s first Christmas!
Of course you remember that Cooper was with us last year for the holidays. He got a whole round of “first” that week, too – he got to travel out-of-state, stay in a hotel, pretend to be a “city dog,” and experience snow for the first time. But this year, we’re staying put here in Nashville, so Cooper will get to see what Christmas Morning is all about. His excitement is contagious.
“I hear there’s some dude in a red suit gonna try to break in here while we’re asleep. Not on my watch.”
There were a few items we had to secure this year now that Cooper is a family member. He already has his own stocking, so we could check that off the list early.
Oscar has his own Christmas ornament,
…so of course Cooper needed one too.
We’re also a big fan of the photo holiday cards, so naturally Cooper’s gorgeous mug had to be included this year.
And finally, Cooper was forced to got to partake in my own little annual tradition of getting embarrassed dressed up to take the photo for next year’s Christmas card.
He put his paw down at the antlers.
Wishing you and yours a happy-merry-jolly holiday season, from our family to yours!
A Heartbeat at My Feet 