How To Keep a Passel of Dogs Occupied

Tina looking super cute with her "perked ear" look

Yesterday I started a massive cleaning campaign in my house.   It's a perfect time - JTK is with his Dad for the weekend and I wasn't going to an adoption event.   No matter how much I tell myself I'll do a ton of chores on an adoption weekend, I always end up too exhausted to do anything.    Plus, my little hoarder in training, JTK, will invariably get upset if I throw something away that might cause a crisis if I even consider throwing it away in his presence.  :)



Cooper has a big boy bone



I woke up yesterday morning ready to clean, clean, clean.   I don't know what it is about cleaning (Maybe I don't do it enough - haha) but the dogs generally flip out and try to turn it into some sort of play time.    Especially TRex - he's the worst.   If I lean down to pick something up, he'll usually grab at my hands to play.  You'd think the world is about to end when they see a broom in my hand. ;)



See Rex's tongue??



So yesterday before I started cleaning I broke out this package of treats that was called  Smokehouse   Variety Pack.   It's actually pretty disgusting, it's filled with all sorts of leftover parts from cows and pigs,  but did the dogs ever love it.  Not only did it have the usual giant bones and hooves but it also had some extremely nasty esophagus.   eeeewww   That was the favorite of the dogs - there was a couple.  I think one was from a cow and one from a pig.   yuck yuck yuck   I hate giving the dogs stuff like that because I have to touch it.     You'd think I'd be ok with that stuff - give me nasty diarrhea any day over touching some sort of "real" animal dog treat.    But they love it.    AND most importantly it kept them quiet for HOURS! :)    So it kept them occupied and I was able to clean.  



Tina attacking her bone!



What was really unique about this set of treats is there wasn't the usual "I have a delicious treat, but I must steal yours because it looks so much better than mine does" constant behavior.    Everyone pretty much stuck to their own treat and only snatched each others if they were wandering around the house and happened to find an unsupervised treat.

This bag of 8 treats was kind of high, it was about $15.00  but if I think of how much I'd spend on buying those items separately it was really a good deal.      Does anyone get real stuff like this from their butchers?   I might consider this ... let me know if you've done it.









The nasty cow esophagus .... blech says Kim



A T-Rexiffic Weekend



Striking a very handsome, "Anubis" pose

 This weekend I spent a lot of time with Trex.   Yesterday  was an adoption event and I took Piko and TRex with me.   I was by myself - no JTK beccause he went camping with boyscouts this weekend.   I have to tell you, I was not looking forward to  4 hours of dealing with the Drama Pom Piko and TRex my own personal living breathing example of neurosis.     When we got to PetCo we discovered the store was in the middle of a remodel and our group was split into sections on either side of the store.    In some ways it was annoying, but in other ways it felt ok because it wasn't so hectic.    I'm sure we were also not so hectic because it was Bark in the  Park yesterday.    One of my favorite people who works at PetCo, Annie, was telling me all about the changes that are in store for PetCo.   Very exciting - apparently all PetCos are being remodeled. 

Slim & Trim! with just the
right amount of hair!!

I discovered that Piko tolerated the crate if I sat beside him and I did NOT hold Rex in my arms.   Of  course, TRex will never ever deal with a crate so I always keep him on a leash.    Everyone was commenting how great he looks - how he's slimmed down, etc.   It was nice to hear because I used to always hear how TRex looked like a sausage or a football - but not anymore.    I take it so personally when someone acts like one of my fosters aren't perfect.   How dare they!!!   Yesterday and lately I've been hearing about his hair loss AARRRGGGHHH     TRex has always had hair & skin issues - he's been tested for mange and even a thyroid problem.   There's nothing wrong with him - he just has "receding bodyline" issues.  :)  I think it's just from his high strung personality and the fact he was locked up in an awful place for the first 6 years of his life.  Quit dissing my Rex!!!

Who Looks More Nervous???

Poor Rex had a bit of a traumatic day yesteray.   He received his vaccinations AND he got his nails trimmed.   I had to quit watching him get his nails trimmed - he looked so unhappy and if he saw me he just looked at me imploring me to rescue him.    Poor guy - he is such a sensitive little man.    His nails are in fantastic shape, though.

When we got home I thought I was going to nap but Diva Tina decided she needed to go outside and sun herself right as I fell asleep.   ::sigh::   Then when I got back in bed after Tina was sufficiently sunned, I discovered my bedroom TV had suddenly broken.   ugh  I could not fall asleep.   I browsed on Craigslist and found quite a few inexpensive choices but I didn't make any calls.    The one problem I have with CL is that there are often too many choices.    That's why sometimes I'll just buy something new instead of finding a good used one online.  If I go to Target or something they're not going to have too many in my budget so the decision will be fairly easy.   But on CL, I can find about a dozen to  choose from just from 1-2 days of postings.    Mental overload .... error ..... error ..... error.   Finally I decided to concentrate only on south city or south county.   I made about 3 phone calls and one email - the first person who responded I bought a new tv within the hour!   I don't need a flat screen TV, I've never had one.   So I got a very nice 25' Sony TV for $50.  woohoo    Beautiful picture .... I'm so excited.

After I cut grass this morning, JTK and I took TRex over to my Mom's to visit.   My brother and my  nephew were there.    Tristan (my nephew) LOVES TRex - he thinks he's the coolest dog in the world.   TRex loves visiting La La - which is what JTK has always called his Grandma since he grew up on Teletubbies ... hey at least he doesn't call her Tinky Winky.   haha    My Mom's dog, Foxie Roxie, is so spoiled and so picky.   My Mom will give her all sorts of treats that she will refuse so TRex knows he needs to do just a little investigative work and he'll find some yummies.   What's so funny is that when he finds one, he gets himself into a frenzy trying to "bury" it in the living room somewhere.   Invariably, Foxie Roxie will find it and suddenly think it's the most delicious thing and she'll take it.    Then, TRex finds it's missing and has a minor breakdown.    This is a pretty constant back and forth the whole while we're there.

Waiting Expectantly At Lee's

One our way home, we stopped at Lee's Chicken and TRex was in a frenzy trying to get to the food.   JTK  and I could hardly stop laughing at his frenzy.    When we were waiting at the fast food window for the chicken, I kept trying to get a picture of TRex in his super frenzy glory but it just does not capture on film well.  :)    All in all it was a good weekend and I feel like a very good Foster Mom for making sure TRex is current on vaccinations, has pretty toenails and then got to be spoiled for an afternoon to make up for the traumas of yesterday.  :)

One of my favorite things in the world is to have conversations with JTK talking as TRex.    He's very dramatic and likes to cuss A LOT.    Today he got to tell Joe all about how he was injected with acid, poison and truth serum yesterday and then to top it all off his toenails were amputated.   If nothing else, I make myself laugh like crazy!   Heck, I'm cracking myself up now thinking about it.

WHERE MY CHICKEN!!!!

Thoughts of good health to Frankie

I found out today one of my previous fosters had a seizure last night.   His Mom rushed him to the vet and he's doing well.    I know Amy loves Frankie so much and they've become the perfect pair.    Everyone keep good thoughts going for Frankie and Amy.     I'm so proud of the wonderful home he found with Amy.    Frankie came from a puppy mill and has hardly any teeth.  When he was with me, his name was Barkley and he was one of those dogs that was very territorial of his human.   It could be a little difficult keeping Frankie satisfied with the amount of undivided attention he prefers.  :)     Amy having no other dogs in her home was the perfect home.    She's treated him like a little prince and takes the funniest pictures with him.    He gets cute headgear for every holiday and he's even been seen sporting swim glasses and a life vest while swimming.    This is Frankie celebrating Easter.    Amy is a great person and Frankie is a great dog.    I love them both and hope to hear soon that everything is great with both Frankie and Amy.
Hugs and prayers are going out to you two!   If everyone would join me in sending out positive thoughts, prayers, angels, whatever is your preferred way way of  keeping someone held in  loving energy.

Dachshund Day Out



On The Road Again and Lovin It!

 After a nice late morning nap, I took Suzie and Tina out to LUCKY DOG in Webster Groves so they could get their nails trimmed.   About once a month there's a service that benefits the Gateway Lo-Downs, a local Dachshund Society.   Suzie and Tina just love, love, love going out in public.    I put on these cute little harnesses and they immediately knew they were going somewhere.   Unfortunately, so did all of the other dogs and boy were they annoyed.    They actually try to prevent me from putting on whatever outfit, collar or harness needed.   TRex is the worst - but Piko is coming in at a close second.   He actually jumped on my back while I was trying to maneuver the harnesses on to Tina.  :)

Puppy Latte - YUM

We first made a stop at Starbucks so I could get some delicious, overpriced caffeine and a couple of puppy lattes.    I never knew about this until almost a year ago, but you can get a free little container of whipped cream for dogs.   Different Starbucks do it differently - some put them in a lid, others put them in small cups.   No matter the packaging Suzie and Tina just love this stuff.    Tina was on the floor of the passenger side of the car and as soon as she saw that Puppy Latte being passed through the window she started barking her head off!   They both had one and it kept them mighty busy for about 10 minutes.     It's really cute to watch them.   I was about to take an awesome picture of the puppy latte and out of nowhere - SUZIE!   Sorry the picture's blurry but a 12 year old doxie can get pretty fast when a Puppy Latte is involved.  ;)

Coolest Leash Selection ... ever

While we were at Lucky Dog, we bought some delicious yummy treats for the rest of the dog family.   I can not encourage people enough to shop at LUCKY DOG.    The owner and then we headed over to  of the shop is one of the kindest people in the world.   Her name is Beth and she remembers all of her dogy and human customers and has a heart of gold.    Make sure to stop in and buy any of their beautiful collars and leashes  or any of their other awesome merchandise.      After our fun time at Lucky Dog, we headed over to PetSmart because I needed to get some cat food but I also wanted to buy some "No Go" spray.    TRex is a terrible marker, which makes the rest of the male dogs want to mark as well.  I am sooo sick of all the marking!!   I have this adorable dog bed I want to put in my room but I don't want everyone wizzin' on it.   I'm going to try this stuff out and I hope it works.    Belly Bands do not work on TRex - he's like a horse when you try to put a saddle on one that doesn't like to be ridden.   He literally pushes out his stomach so when you think you've got it secured tightly, he inhales, stands on his hind feet and steps out of it.     So, we'll see if this stuff works.   Fingers are crossed!!

I also got a couple of HUGE squeaky toys while we were at PetSmart.    I had Suzie and Tina in the cart and you know how they have toys right by the register?   It's just like little kids - Tina totally fell in love with this billy goat toy.   They were on clearance for $2.97 so I got them each one - a billy goat and a pig.    Tina never plays with toys, but she was actually having fun with this guy today.  However ... Queen of Everything Suzie has taken it over.   It's hilarious to see her drag it around - it's pretty much half as big as she is.  :)

Nothing like Sissy Love

All in all, it was a good day to be a dachshund in our household.   I look at Suzie and Tina and I have to say I feel so warmhearted every time I know we've given them a loving home.   They were so sad and miserable and lonely and confused that first week they came to us as fosters.   It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen and that's one of the reasons we ended up with them - I couldn't imagine breaking their hearts again.    And I definitely couldn't separate them.   Look at these pictures - they're always side by side.   Even in the pic with the stuffed toy, you can see Tina's collar in the background.    These two are family and they deserve to spend the rest of their days together, loved and pampered.

If you know of anyone that would love to bring a pair of bonded dachshunds into their home - let me know.   These two sweeties ended up in a shelter in MO due to a family member being too old/ill to take care of them.   (Sound familiar, Suzie and Tina???)    They're such cuties and they're terrified at the shelter.   They are definitely a matching set - no separation.   Aren't they sweethearts?    Their names are Dori and Nemo and they're 7 & 8 years old.   They're in Columbia, MO so spread the word to help these two out.   They're sweet, sweet dogs when they're together - they're house AND crate trained - and they've been around kids between 7-14 years old.   Sounds like a super set of doxies.     If you can help them out - here's the contact number  (573)443-7387 x210.   It's a direct line to the foster/rescue coordinator named Katie.

Piko the POSESSED

Well I learned a very good lesson the other day - I was home sick from work a couple of days this week.    I  actually went into work late on Monday but was immediately sent back home.   On my way home, I decided to stop by a Red Box and rent a couple of "R" rated movies since JTK wouldn't be around.   I happen to love spooky movies - not the gory kind, but the creepy, suspenseful atmospheric kind that usually centers around ghosts or other supernatural stuff.   Of course, they always scare the b'ejeesus out of me and I honestly refuse to go into the basement for a couple of days after watching one.   Sadly, that is not a joke.   I always have to pace myself and I don't rent these types of movies once a week or anything - remember ... I gotta pace myself or I'll have non stop nightmares and flip out at every noise I hear.  :)    And, yes,  there are a couple I outright refuse to watch.   I can't even watch the ads for "Paranormal Activity" or "Insidious."   EEKKK - I get totally freaked out.        So I figured Monday was perfect day to watch a spooky, but not terrifying movie.   Not only wasn't JTK there to be traumatized by  overhearing the movie, but it was also freakin' daylight.   Perfect scary movie watching time for Kim!  woohoo   

So, I'm lying down in my bedroom and I'm watching "Case 39" - of course it's not the scariest movie nor is it  the best scary movie but it is scary  I am watching it and I am home alone.    All of the sudden my dog Cooper comes streaking into my room for no reason acting like he's running from something and I about have a conniption fit.   I just hate it when dogs start doing stuff like that or start barking at thin air.   Oh yeah, I refuse to watch "The Haunted" on Animal Planet ... toooooo creepy for Kim!    So, after being startled by Cooper (and watching a scary movie ALONE)  all the sudden I hear this awful, horrible guttural sound which literally sounds like a demon.   (Yes the movie is about a demon)  So I totally freak out and I'm about to bolt from my room to safety when I notice ....  it's just Piko and he's pissed that Cooper came in so quickly.   It's Piko and his itty bitty brat self letting all the bigger tougher dogs know he's boss.   Geesh Piko!!    Seriously - scared the crap out of me.    Is there no wonder why I watch these movies only during the day?    I will not be watching  another spooky movie with Piko (Butterscotch) around.  :)

I have to admit, I really love having Piko as a foster.   He is fun dog to have around.    Isn't it one of the best feelings in the world to have a dog that is so beyond happy to see you when you walk in the room?   They're sad to see you go and they want to be by your side as much as possible?   Piko's happiness at seeing me when I come home definitely gives me warm and fuzzy feelings!     And what makes him even better to have around is that  he lets me know almost every minute of the day that I am absolutely his most favorite person on the planet.   Who cares if he's vocal?   Who cares if he's a poor scary movie viewer?   He's a sweetheart and definitely brightens my day with his kisses, wiggles and overall joy at being in a loving home.      He's a sweetie pie and whoever adopts him is going to have a great companion for a long time to come.     When we see a dog get this close to us, we know that they will easily be able to transfer their love to the person who welcomes them into their homes for the rest of their lives.    Sometimes potential adopters get worried that these dogs will carry a torch for their foster family, but I have no doubt that we're quickly replaced.    We see it time and time again.    A foster we've had in our home just adores us and then when they move on to their "real" family, they don't even recognize us after a few months of not seeing us.  That's ok - that's how it's supposed to be.   We're just a pit stop on their way to Happily Ever After.

JTK and Tina ... what a pair

Yesterday evening JTK and I spent a couple of hours putting signs up in the neighborhood where June, the sweet little Yorkie,  went missing.    Of course, Joey just could not leave Tina home so we took her along.   They're such a cute pair and she had so much fun with Joey.    They hung out in the car a lot except for times that I absolutely needed Joey's help. 

It felt like we put up dozens of signs, but it really was less than 50.   I was in a bit of a cranky mood yesterday so I was in no way wanting to socialize with the neighborhood, but the neighborhood had other things in mind for us.  :)    A lot of people stopped us and asked for more details, or worse to tell me sad stories of their own dogs being stolen.     I was surprised at the number of people who told me they had Yorkies that had been stolen or were missing.    Very sad.

One woman, though, made me laugh.   I was hanging up signs near a bus stop and a lady came over to see if I was putting up a sign because I had found her dog.    So we got to talking and she was telling me about prescriptions for some reason and then she warned me not to go to any doctors because they're all "foreigners" and they're here to just kill Americans.     From that point on, I created a "sign" that should I give it to Joey he needed to honk the horn and motion me back into the car.  

After our excursion out we stopped by a park to quickly give Tina a chance to go potty.    She was beside herself to be in a humongous grass area so every time she peed, she had to turn around and sniff to make sure she left "essence of Tina" behind.    JTK and I had to laugh because as we were wandering around  ... we came upon this sign.    I don't know why it struck me as so funny but I insisted that JTK hold Tina while I took a picture.   Afterward, we went to DQ and everyone enjoyed a bit of ice cream - including Tina.    I wanted to ask the DQ guy if they had rainbows on fire (One of the funniest moments in a commercial EVER) but JTK was horrified and I didn't push it.    When we got home, Tina was tired and pretty pleased with herself for having been treated like the most special dog in the house by getting to go out with us.    Really - a car ride, a park visit AND ice cream  .... all the while with her favorite person?   Perfect day for Tina!

Tina is such a brat when Joey's not home - he treats her like a little queen.  He's instituted a new bedtime rule where I have to even give Tina a good night kiss!   Not only do I have to give her a good night kiss, but I have to do it in a certain way and at a certain time.    You know, in a way that heightens Tina's enjoyment and feeling of prestige.    But on the nights Joey's at his Dad's house I generally don't get a great night's worth of sleep.     One word  .... TINA.    JTK sleeps with Tina in a very loving, special way - he basically cuddles her all night while she snuggles under the covers with him.   Not me!   I love the dogs, of course, but I like to have my arms free at night.    Tina will put up with it for a while, but invariably around 2 or 3 in the morning I start hearing her whiney yippey barks .... which don't stop until I give her the correct cuddles.

Tina is a Princess Brat thanks to my sweet boy and I think that's why he loves her so much.   She's such a diva and he knows he helped make her that way.   I love this picture to the left of them - that's kind of their relationship in a nutshell.   Just moseying along, enjoying each other's company ... side by side.   Too bad not everyone is as lucky as these two.    They kind of remind me of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.  I wanted to named Joey Christopher Robin because I love Winnie so much ...  but his Dad would have none of that.    One of my favorite Winnie quotes ...                                     So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.