Monday, a week ago Xena: It’s time to go, Mommy. I’ve got JenJen Bear, we’re at the door, and we’re ready to go home and get our supper.
Yes, it’s time to go, and you may want to say goodbye to the church for a while. Over the weekend you showed me you didn’t want to work at doing Freestyle, so we’re not going to Cleveland, Ohio to try to get your Title 4. Now you left turds for the Building and Grounds guy to find…who, by the way, wasn’t too fond of you to begin with. Then you growled and barked at people as they came in. When you figured out you weren’t getting any treats for doing that, you started running up to them, wiggling and wagging your tail just long enough for you to turn around and run back to me to get a treat. I’m not sure this “church dog” thing is working out so well for you.
Last week: Tuesday and Thursday Lucy: Is Pastor coming today? I love pastor, he’s so nice and he wants to get me a new bed for me to lay in his office when he’s here. I wonder if he’ll pet me a lot. He always tells everyone who comes in that I’m a good dog. This time when he kisses me on the nose, I’ll kiss him back. Are the church ladies coming today? They all ask to pet me, and it makes me so happy I wiggle and smile at them.
Yes, Lucy. Pastor is going to visit shut-ins, but he said since you are here, he will come by the church first to see you.
Note: No dogs on Wednesday simply because of how many folks come in for meetings that day. The church is closed on Fridays. So, Lucy now has every available opening for a “church dog.”
Xena: Mommy, if I’m a good girl, can I come back to work?
We’ll see.
A big thanks to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!
I haven’t been to the church where Mom works, but some stuff has come to me. I heard that the pastor went to a morning-long meeting and they were giving out a bunch of goodies from a vodka company rep that was there. Mom came home with a large collar, a medium collar (all too big for me, rats!), 2 scarves (also too big for me), and 2 squeaky toys. They all have the vodka company logo and picture on them. Lucy’s wearing her new (medium) collar, Riley’s got one of the scarves, and I’ve got a new squeaky toy!
It’s my Vodka bottle from Tito’s. Their motto is “Vodka for Dog People.” Riley keeps stealing it. He chewed a hole in the corner. I wonder if any vodka came out. I wonder what “vodka” is??
Riley: I was trying to smell like something other than the bath I just had.
A big thanks to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!
Lucy, Ace Reporter, coming to you live from WGWM with another episode of Grooming with Mom. We are so thankful for all of Mom’s wonderful clients and their pups! Today we have two new ones to introduce to you.
But first, a big thanks to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!
First up is Bear. He’s JoJo’s brother. We introduced JoJo back in January. You can see that episode here. Some of our friends suggested in comments that JoJo be treated for yeast. This is JoJo:
She was here getting groomed with Bear, and still very “yeasty.” So Groomer Mom showed her Dad what she has been giving Xena, a set of 3 powders called “Yeast Free Fido” from Four Leaf Rover, and suggested he try it. It’s really helped my sister Xena’s yeasty ear and this is the first time her tummy has looked “normal” in years. He asked for the link and said he would try it. Groomer Mom did warn him that it would take at least a month to start seeing results. Paws crossed it works for the dear little poodle JoJo.
Back to Bear. He’s also a miniature poodle, silver, and will be 13 this July. This is Bear before grooming.
He really didn’t look too bad. And yep, he’s got a mohawk. His dad wanted him to keep it, just trim it a little shorter. Remember that when you see his “after” picture, please. Groomer Mom would never suggest a mohawk on a poodle, but she also doesn’t argue with a client (most of the time.)
Bear was very timid, and did not want his toenails cut. Who does? I mean, I don’t, but I also don’t make a big production of it. *clears throat* Sorry. Didn’t mean to make this report personal. Anyhow, here is Bear’s “after” picture.
Moving on…
This next pup, Rosie, was referred to us by Brinkley’s dad. If you missed Brinkley, you can see him here. Rosie had been going to a different groomer who had her Dad sign an agreement that said they would not groom her if she had any fleas. The last time he took her, she had 3 fleas and they refused to groom her. They set another appointment for her and he took her home and gave her a flea bath. Then they called to reschedule that appointment. That was the final straw. He loved how Brinkley was groomed, so he got the referral and came the next day.
Here’s Rosie before her groom. Well, almost before her groom. Groomer Mom had already shaved her body when she remembered to take a picture. She is a nine-year-old shih tzu, and looks and acts much younger.
When Rosie arrived Groomer Mom used three different blades on her tummy for her Dad to decide what length he wanted her hair. It ended up that he wanted the longest one. She was a very good girl on the grooming table. Then it was bath time. Groomer Mom had the sprayer hose going full blast when Rosie decided to leap out of the tub. Groomer Mom dropped the sprayer and grabbed Rosie on her way down to the floor. Meanwhile, the sprayer sprayed the ceiling, the walls, the table and the floor. “Popcorn” rained off the ceiling onto everything, including Groomer Mom. It took three big towels to sop up all the water and wet “popcorn”on the floor. Groomer Mom didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, so she laughed.
After all that, here’s Rosie’s “after” picture.
And she looks so innocent.
Ace Reporter Lucy signing off, with wishes for a great “popcorn-free” weekend!
Chia: That’s what we hear people say when they hear about or see what we eat.
Our supper time is 5:00 sharp! We all know that, but we never ever mind if Mom feeds us early. Late is a different story. Every evening, Mom makes up our supper and our breakfast for the next day. Our breakfast bowls get covered and put in the refrigerator until 6:00 the next morning. We get her or Dad up if they sleep late. We’re helpful like that.
In the left column is our supper bowls. In the right column, Lucy will get 2 eggs added in the morning, and I will get one. I don’t think that’s fair, but Mom reminds me that means I get more meat, so that’s OK. Xena and Riley are both allergic to eggs, so they don’t get any. Then we get all our special additives on top, like fish oil and krill oil and bone broth capsules and pre- and probiotics and some other stuff, too.
Can you guess whose bowl is whose? Bet you can’t, so I’m gonna tell you. I get up on the stool on the far side of the counter and watch as Mom makes it all up, so I’ve got the scoop on this. The bowls at the top are Riley’s. He eats a lot!
Riley’s picky, so Mom puts his veggies and fruit in the food processor, then mixes it in with his meat. I don’t know if he knows she fools him like that, but it works. The day Mom took these pictures, he didn’t eat his fruit, so Mom saved it and processed it for his next meal. You might remember he had been having lots of diarrhea, and some throwing up. No more! His furs are shiny again, too! He never was excited about meals, and often didn’t eat much, but now he’s right there waiting with us for every meal and licks his bowl clean (when Mom “food processes” his veggies and fruit).
Next are Lucy’s bowls. She gobble, gobbles and barely tastes what is in her bowl.
No need for the food processor for her. Can you see her tongue licking even the outside of the bowl and the floor?
Next are the best bowls…mine!
I’ve got little teeth and I have to chew a lot. I don’t like swallowing my food whole like Lucy does. Sometimes Mom puts mine in the food processor too, probably to make Riley think his food is supposed to look like that, since we eat right next to each other.
Riley and I eat slower, and are always the last ones done. Sometimes Mom puts yuckie stuff like strawberries or apples in our bowls, and we both leave those as presents for our sisters. But when she uses the food processor, we lick our bowls clean!
Closest to the edge of the counter are Xena’s bowls. Mom has to remember or look at the list on the fridge for what to NOT feed her, because of her allergies. She does the same thing now for Riley, too.
Xena loves to eat, and licks her bowl clean then checks out Lucy’s while Lucy checks out hers, BOL! There’s never ever anything left in those bowls. I don’t know why Mom even bothers to wash them after every meal.
We get different things…sometimes grass-fed ground beef, sometimes beef roast, sometimes turkey or tuna fish or sardines. We get deer meat too, when Mom can get it. No one gave us a deer (for the cost of processing) last fall, but we all have our paws crossed that we’ll be eating venison again real soon. We get all kind of fresh veggies: cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, kale, collard greens, carrots, squash, bell peppers, and also cooked mushrooms that we love. Lucy and Xena really love all the fresh summer fruits, too: watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. We all like avocados, too, and they help with Xena’s leg cramps.
Anyhoo, you can see why we are happy pups, on Happy Tuesday and every day! And oh yeah, thanks, Comedy Plus, for hosting Happy Tuesday. Y’all are the best!
Lucy, Ace Reporter here with another episode of Grooming with Mom. Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Today we have another new poodle puppy to introduce. Toby is five months old and never been groomed. I, Ace Reporter, personally met and interviewed Toby. First, Toby’s “before” picture.
Under all that hair is a sweet, 3 pound baby. Groomer Mom’s original plan was to brush him out (that’s a grooming term) and take a couple of inches off that mop, all the way around. But the brush wouldn’t go through his hair. The comb wouldn’t go through his hair. She sprayed him with a de-matter and used the de-matting tool, and it wouldn’t go through his hair. His mats were almost to the skin; there was no way to get some sharp shears there without risking cutting him. So next, Groomer Mom tried a long, #5 blade. It wouldn’t go through the mats. She then moved to a #7 blade, which cuts a little shorter, with blades closer together. Sure enough, with a little work, it found it’s way through. Of course, Groomer Mom also had to use the table strap to keep the little guy on the table and not trying to crawl on her shoulders while being groomed. Here he is again, partway through and wondering what this thing is around his body.
It was at this point that the groom got really tricky.
“Do NOT shave my front legs! Do NOT put that noisy shaver near my throat! Do NOT cut my nails!” declared little Toby with his screams, his teeth, his claws and all his energy to fight. It was at this point that Groomer Mom unstrapped him, carried him upstairs to Groomer Helper Dad and said, “I need help. Now.”
Groomer Helper Dad went downstairs, taking this reporter with him. At that point, I was wearing my proverbial Zen hat. While I sent calming thoughts Toby’s way, Groomer Helper Dad held him, got peed on, got scratched, and nearly dropped him. Then Groomer Mom wrapped Toby in a towel and pulled out or uncovered only the body parts she needed to work on. Groomer Helper Dad agreed to a picture as long as he remained anonymous. I’ll look up what that word means later…
The towel actually worked better than my zen thoughts, if you can believe that! Toby calmed right down and the groom was able to be completed. Here he is after his bath and touch-up.
Since Toby’s Mom couldn’t pick him up for 30 minutes, Groomer Mom brought him upstairs and put him in Xena/Chia’s kennel. Xena and Chia immediately ran up and started barking at him, which our Mom immediately put a stop to, saying, “Stop that! How could you be so hateful to this poor little puppy?!” Xena harumphed and walked away, but Chia decided to stay and try to make friends with him.
In the end, Toby’s Mom – who had never before had an “indoor” dog – loved the cut and understood why it had to be different from what was planned. She bought a grooming comb from Groomer Mom and made a new appointment for six weeks from now. She also told Groomer Mom that her 7-year-old son was very worried about leaving Toby. He asked his Mom how they knew they could trust “that lady” they left him with. She explained that his great-aunt brought both of her Yorkies (Molly and Cooper) here, and that she would never do anything to endanger them. Groomer Mom suggested that the boy be given a chance to stay and help during the next groom, so that option will be presented when Toby returns in October.
Lucy, Ace Reporter and Zen Master, signing off with another successful groom.
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Larry Lemur: *gasp* Someone suffocated Rainey!
There’s a murderer among us. I need to start bringing in suspects.
So, Xena, where were you last night and this morning?
Xena: Last night I laid on Daddy’s lap while he and Mommy watched their show on Netflix. Then I went to bed with them and slept all night in the bedroom with the door closed. Do you have any idea how upset Riley’s going to be?
Larry: I do. So are you saying you’re innocent? If you’re innocent, why are you wearing those Big Girl Panties even though you don’t go into heat anymore? Are you trying to wear a disguise? Xena: Well, I’m not so sure I’m exactly innocent. I mean, I did chase a lizard into Lucy’s mouth once, and I’ve tried to catch chipmunks. Mommy put these Big Girl Panties on me so I couldn’t lick and chew on my tummy because of my allergies. Did you notice they match my herbal flea collar? But no, I didn’t kill Rainey. I think it was Chia.
Larry: Fine. You’re free to go. But don’t leave town. Larry, talking to himself: Hmmm. I know Lucy has absolutely no interest in stuffies, and she’s the least likely dog to inflict harm on anyone or anything. Although she and Ella did tear up the back of the couch cushion once when their folks were all gone. But that was a long time ago and she has promised to never do anything like that again. She’s a dog of her woof. So…
Chia, did you murder Riley’s Rainey? Chia: I’m innocent, Your Honor.
Sure, I’ve killed my share of stuffies, but I know better than to mess with Riley. You know he’s going to make somebody pay for this, and I don’t mean with cash or treats. Nobody, but nobody, crosses Riley (except Mom the Brave). There’s going to be pain and suffering…I should run away again.
Later…
Rainey: Hey there Riley. Do you have any idea where everyone went? I can’t find any of the other woofers.
Riley: *slurp, slurp* Rainey: I mean, I laid down on the loveseat to catch some zzzz’s, but the sun was in my eyes so I covered my head with the pillow before falling asleep. I woke up to the sound of dogs running and doors slamming. Oh well, you and me, we can still have some fun together. Umm, what’s with the Cone of Handsomeness, Big Guy? Riley: Allergies, and bacterial and yeast infections. I’m on meds, but in the meantime, Mom Amy doesn’t want me licking and chewing on myself. Yeah, let’s go find something to do around here, like figure out where everyone went to.
Me and Mommy are having so much fun going to practice our dancing on Sundays. We’re getting our moves and routines together to go get our Title 4 in Cleveland, Ohio in June. I think Mommy still has a lot of work to do. Here is what we’re going to do at the beginning. First, we walk in and Mommy honors the pretend judges and audience. Then we get set up to start. Then we start our Freestyle dance.
After that we worked on our ending. Yep, it needs more work…
We went to our class again today and changed up some things to look better and fit the timing better. Just wait til you see us dancing at the Titling Event in June!
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Awww Monday!
Hey there. This is Riley. I’ve had a bit of a hard time this month. Mom Amy got a new product to rub on my “lower” tummy to try to help it feel and be better. Besides, she can’t stand the sound of me licking and chewing on it. “Riley! Stop doing that!” That’s what I kept hearing from the other room at the far end of the house. I think she has superman or vampire hearing. I hope it’s superman. Anyhow, I started getting the squirts. Bad. And I started throwing up clear liquid. At least it wasn’t my food coming up. It was all shooting out the other end!
Then came the starvation diet. No food for 87 hours. Then just rice and pumpkin. Then half portions of my regular food. I’m normally — yes, I’ll admit it — a picky eater. By this time I was waiting to see if Chia left any of her veggies in her bowl that I might scarf up! Since my head’s almost as big as her whole body (OK, I exagerate) she started backing away and saying, “Here you go Riley, uh, help yourself.” Unfortunately, Mom Amy was right there stopping me. Strangely enough, I stopped itching during this time. And I never actually felt bad, except when the cramping hit. I still played and went for walks and bugged Dad Jeff for my nightly walk and gave a lot of happy tail wags!
Anyhoo, I got back on my regular Honest Kitchen beef nuggets diet, and all was well. Until I started itching again. Until Mom Amy put more of that medicine on my itchy area. Until I started squirting from the nether regions again. Dad Jeff was taking me out every time I asked and he started seeing bright red blood in the squirts. That went on for over a day, and that’s when I was stuck in the car and taken to the vet’s. It was a different vet ’cause our regular vet was full. It was a vet my Dad Andrew had taken me to years ago and we both liked them. I got to stay a while cause Mom Amy had to go to work. They ran some tests and x-rays and stuck that glass stick up my butt. And you know what? I didn’t fight them or scream or complain or threaten them, I just wagged my tail. They said I was the best boy ever! Mom just looked at them like they had grown horns and tails when they told her that. Then she explained how I normally act at the vet’s. (We won’t go into that!) I just looked at them and wagged my tail some more, like, “Don’t listen to her.”
So now I’m on metronidazole and just finished my low-dose opium drug. *wags* That’s good shi…uh…stuff. No more blood and no more squirts. No more itchies and my ears are better, too. I feel really, really good right now. *wags* And I’m very, very happy about that…
Just sleepy…*little wag* Oh look..my reindeer’s snoozin’ with me. His name’s..uh, name’s… Zzzzzzzzzzzz
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Mom Amy’s notes: So, is his itching caused by any allergy to beef? I’ll have to try changing his diet, but I won’t change the brand, since it is the only human grade dog food I can find, so… I may be cooking for the big boy until things other than beef and chicken come back in stock. Was his “squirts” caused by what I rubbed on his tummy? Probably, so sure won’t do that again.” Did the antibiotics clear up his ears? If so, it was within a day, which would be odd. Or was it, again, an allergic reaction to the beef in his diet, which he wasn’t getting both times during his “squirts.” During both those times– the first without any meds — his ears and lower belly cleared up. So, probably. So now the search for non-beef Honest Kitchen dog food begins. (In the meantime I really am cooking for him and he’s licking his bowl clean!)
There’s an old saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Today, however, I have a story for you about how good begets good. Let’s start at the beginning…
Our pastor put out an email asking if anyone could help one of the members by taking her a meal while her husband was out of town. She had recently been in the hospital with an injury and was having trouble getting around. Because Mom has never done this, she decided it was about time she stepped up. The member (let’s just call her M.A. for short) lives very close to Mom and Dad’s favorite Mexican restaurant, so Mom called and asked M.A. what she would like. After picking up the order and finding M.A.’s house Mom was greeted at the door by two sweet pups. (You knew dogs had to be involved, right?) Mom and M.A. settled in to visit for a while with Mom on the floor petting the dogs. Toward the end of the visit, M.A. said she sure wished she had someone who could groom her dogs. She was very excited when Mom revealed that besides working as the Office Manager in a Jewish synagogue, she is, in fact, a dog groomer. M.A. immediately made an appointment for her daughter or grandson to bring her two pups that coming Saturday.
Here’s Caesar, who is a 14 year old long-haired dachshund, doesn’t show his age at all. Here he is before his groom.
Caesar is a very good boy, but he doesn’t like his picture taken. Groomer Mom must have taken a dozen or more shots and finally gave up with the one below after his groom. Groomer Mom asked me to add that she didn’t cut the top part of his face hair at all, but after seeing the picture realized she could have blended it with her thinning shears to look better.
When he got home to his mom, she texted to say how much she loved his cut and that it was the best groom he’s ever had. Caesar will definitely be coming back!
Next up is his nine year old brother Rusty. Rusty supposedly has lab and poodle in him. He and Caesar were both rescues, so it’s hard to say for sure. Rusty has an auto-immune disease, and was recently diagnosed with diabetes, for which he gets daily injections.
Rusty is now the tallest dog Groomer Mom has as a client since Aoife moved to Denver, but he still fit just fine in the grooming sink. He’s a real sweet boy, even though he’s a bit “busy” on the table. Here he is post groom.
Excuse me Miss Groomer, there is a hair sticking up on my nose.
Groomer Mom corrected those misbehaving hairs on Rusty’s nose before he went home. We look forward to seeing Caesar and Rusty back again in a few weeks.
Lucy, signing off with thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Xena: We’re still waiting for Mommy to come home. She’s still at the hospital with our brother Adam. We haven’t seen her since Sunday morning. We are all going to be sooooo happy when she walks through that door. It’s true, she sent instructions to Daddy about how to feed each one of us, and what supplements or medicines we get, and how to cut the aloe plant and who gets it rubbed on their poor tummies. He’s trying really hard. We even saw the email she sent him saying, “Now, don’t you wish you had let me teach you how to feed them their raw diets?” And we all curled up tight next to him in bed last night. Anyhoo, I guess — no, I know — we’re all very happy that Daddy is still here with us. Lucy, haven’t you been wanting to introduce a new groom?
Lucy Ace Reporter here with another episode of Grooming with Mom
Today I want to introduce our newest groom, Katie. Katie is a peach-colored miniature poodle. Her 5th birthday is coming up this month. Groomer Mom loves doing the poodle cut, and only has one other pooch she can subject to this, so she was tickled to get this pretty girl in for a groom. Katie’s Mom asked for what Groomer Mom refers to as a modified puppy cut. Groomer Assistant Dad was recruited to hold Katie while she had her front paws shaved and nails cut. Groomer Mom is quoted as saying, “He’s extremely good with the dogs.”
Since Katie was not in bad shape to begin with, there is no “before” picture. Here she is after her groom.
We want to thank Lily Parker’s Mom for the referral! If you missed Lily, you’ll get to see a real before picture by clicking here. I also want to report that Lily has been back twice since her initial groom in August. She was still covered in fleas, but her Mom’s working on that, and ordered the special collar her excellent groomer told her to get after the first visit! After her last groom, her Mom texted Groomer Mom: “Perfect! I really love the way you do her cut. Keeps her looking like a sweet little baby pup!” Groomer Mom said it made fighting all those fleas worth it.
Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with a promise to keep you updated on our brother Adam’s progress.
As many of you know, I choose to feed raw meat, as well as fresh fruit and lightly steamed veggies to my pups. Chia has successfuly – and joyfully – switched over, also.
Then there’s Riley. He looked longingly at the other dogs’ bowls as I placed his bowl of kibble on the floor. Technically, he is my son Andrew’s dog. Andrew is not in a situation where he can keep Riley right now, and probably not for the foreseeable future. We had Riley before he became Andrew’s dog, and we continue to love him more and more as each year passes – he’s a 75 pound 11-year-old. But, eventually, RiBoy will go back to living with Andrew. The two of them are closely bonded. Anyhow, if we switched Riley to raw now, he would not to continue on that diet.
We always want the best for him, things that can continue after he moves out again. So what to do about his food?
When my sister-in-law was here visiting this summer with her daughter and dog, I took a good look at the bag of dog food she brought.
This intrigued me, so I went to their website. I learned that the food was never cooked at a high temperature (it also says this on the back of the package, below. High cooking temps are a big contributor to cancer. There were a few ingredients I didn’t recognize, so I researched them, and they’re all good.
On the website I learned they only use human grade ingredients, and test batches by tasting them. Yes, the people eat the dog food!
So, now you know what Riley eats. He loves it. And it doesn’t bother me if one of the other pups eat a few chunks of his food. I couldn’t believe I had never heard of this food before!
After a couple of weeks of this, he began eyeing the fresh food that Lucy, Xena and Chia were eating, and looked a bit sad. So I began adding some “extras.” Fresh broccoli, homemade sauerkraut and beef bone broth, greens, carrots, greens beans, etc. There were a few he didn’t care much for at first; it took him a little time to get used to them. Now, he looks for what is hidden in amongst the other food and gobbles it all down together. Until I got this Honest Kitchen dog food, Riley never, ever cleaned his bowl, no matter what was added to it.
So, along with this new, healthy diet, becoming part of a pack, and the addition of 1-year-old Chia, Riley’s puppy side has once again emerged.
I want to add that I am not being paid or given anything for this post. I care, so I’m spreading the word. Let me know if you try it! Oh, and I just learned that the company is adding cat food, made with the same integrity, to their line of products.
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Lucy: Our Mom’s home! (So’s Dad.) Dad got home Saturday afternoon in plenty of time to feed us our supper. Mom had everything all pre-made with instructions of what to add. He did a good job…16 paws up. (Me, Xena, Chia and Riley). In fact, he did a good job every morning and night until Mom finally got home around noon on Monday, just in time for our mid-day snacks. Great planning, Mom!
Today Mom wants us to share with you one of the highlights of her trip — Parrot Mountain and Gardens just outside of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is a peaceful Bible-inspired garden & parrot preserve offering chances to interact with rare birds. Many of the birds are given to the preserve when their owners are either too old to care for them or by their estate once their mom or dad have crossed the rainbow bridge. Others are hatched there and raised by their own moms!
The weather has been very hot with almost 100% humidity. That, along with the fronds and trees and all the other greenery and the many birds who had their freedom to sit in trees and pn perches gave the illusion of being in the Amazon where many of them originated.
This Blue and Gold Macaw and Red and Green Macaw are two of the handsome birds who reside here. Can you guess which is which, BOL?
Some posts had the words, “Birds bite, do not touch.” Everyone was supposed to leave those birds alone except to just stop and look at them. For the rest, you could offer your hand or arm for the bird to step on if they wanted. Some did, others had had enough of it for the day.
This pretty Macaw liked Mom’s friend, who we will call “Rhonda.”
Xena: Why are we “calling” her “Rhonda?” That’s her name.
Lucy: Can you just go with it for once, Xe? It’s a literary style I’m trying! Where was I? Oh, yes. This bird – whose name is Rosy – decided she wanted the clasp on “Rhonda’s” pack.
Every time Mom tried to get Rosy to step onto her hand, Rosy bit at her. It seemed “Rhonda” was going to have to surrender her pack! Then, she got the idea to turn the pack around…
She finally got the clasp away from Rosy and returned her to her own perch.
This yellow parrot was a friendly bird, but didn’t want held.
This Macaw had fluffed up all his feathers. I think this is where the phrase, “Don’t get your feathers ruffled” comes from!
That’s it for today. We’ll be back on Nature Friday with Rosy and the Gang with more pictures and stories from Mom’s visit to Parrot Mountain and Gatlinburg.
Love and wags, Lucy and Xena
Pee Ess: This is for everyone who came here to see us, not birds. Xena
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
Riley had his one week recheck after his eye surgery. Lucy explained the best she could about how the veterinary ophthamologist removed some of his inner eyelid and sewed it with the tiniest of stitches over the large and deep ulcer eating away at his right eye. We’ve noticed over the past week that the yellow puss has all but disappeared and he has been keeping his eye open more, which means that the new antibiotics are also working, and it isn’t hurting much.
First the really gross picture, so you may want to just jump over this one if you are squeamish.
Riley’s right eye is all red – even the colored part – because of the overlay of the thin film of blood vessel-filled sheath that is sewn onto it. The job of this sheath is two-fold: 1. protect the eye, and 2. carry the healing medicine via blood to the eye.
We can also tell he is feeling better because he has started to play again. He is interested in his reindeer stuffie again, as well as the chew bones laying around the house.
We had to laugh at him standing up with a bone perched on the end of his cone, much like this picture of him laying down with the same thing going on. No one’s getting that bone from him without getting caught in his big cone. He has actually caught Lucy in it this past week and backed her through the kitchen. Yes, our boy is feeling better.
The specialist said his cone can come off in two weeks and his re-check is in three weeks. I feel like I can breathe again. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers and concern. It has meant so much.
Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.
One day last week me and Lucy followed our peeps bro Andrew outside. Mommy didn’t miss me until she heard me out front barking at an interloper walking past our house. She started calling me, but couldn’t find me anywhere until she looked out the front door. I ran in when she called, and I got lots of “good girl’s.” I don’t know why I got good girls, but along with them came a super good treat, so I’m not going to ask why. Treats make me happy.
Today we were headed out for a walk, and I hadn’t gotten my hated harness on yet when I made a dash for the yucca plant. If there’s one thing I love (and there’s lots!) it’s hunting small critters. That makes me super happy! Here’s how it started:
And suddenly I, the mighty [lizard] hunter, sighted my prey:
Do you see my happy indicator going? Now y’all know what I was doing out front by myself last week! That sly lizard is still there, so I will have another go at him soon.
Thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.
Lucy: Right from the first time I met baby Xena, I was so happy to have a sister. We played a lot, inside and outside.
This video was taken when she was still a puppy in 2017. We still run together and play outside every chance we get.
Happy Saint Patricks Day, my friends! May the road rise to meet you and may the wind be always at your back…and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Riley: We don’t know, your Mom just told us to say it. Did you get that guttural c h sound right? Keep looking at the camera – we haven’t gotten our posing payment yet.
Xena: What’s gutteral?
Riley: Just pretend like you’re trying to dislodge a piece of food from your throat. If you can’t do that, then just say happy Shemini Atzeret .
Xena: Oh, Mom, Mom, Mom. I think Riley just swore.
We are joining our friends at Comedy Plus for the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop this week!
I got to go to Rocktoberfest on the very first day with Mom and Dad. Just me! Mom says please forgive the shadow–the day was sunny and warm with a nice breeze, and Mom got in the way of the sun.
We walked the trails, up and down stairs, through fat man’s squeeze, and saw some strange things, like this fellow here.
This is a gnome. He was distracted and didn’t see us.
Along the trail, I posed on this hard block shelf in a cutout in the mountain.
Then I decided it was time to keep exploring.
Which way now?
It was time to take a drink and snack break. Mom shared her pork and sauerkraut with me, and let me taste her locally brewed Rocktoberfest beer.
I didn’t like it very much, so I decided to stick with water.
But do you know the very best part of Rocktoberfest?
Everybody asked if they could pet me. And they did! And they told me how beautiful I am and sweet, too. I had to keep apologizing for hitting them with my tail; I just couldn’t help it cause I was so happy!
With wags and wiggles and smiles, I am Lucy the happy Rocktoberfest dog.
I'm Dalton, a Rat terrier mix and I came here in Sept, 2017, I was rescued from Hurricane Harvey. My birthday is 8-20-2016. My Gotcha Day is 8-27-2017. And I am Benji, a terrier mix of unknown origin. MY Birthday is June 6, 2018, and my Gotcha Day is Dec 28, 2018. I also was a rescue from a different part of Texas. We also have Angel MrJackFreckles, (2-5-2018); and also we have Angel Minko, (6-18-2017); and Angel Pipo, (11-3-2020);There are also Angels Groucho, Simba, Suki, & Toki. We meezers used to be known as WeBeesSiameezers. We'e all from Michigan, Dalton and Benji both came here from Texas, as rescues..
Dogtor B and his brother Sky, both ex-shelter dogs, moved from Florida to New Zealand in 2020. Benji loves to talk about his endeavors and life in general as an American expat in New Zealand. His motto: "Eat, Snooze, Cuddle, Repeat".
Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess with Lucy, Chia and Riley 