Who needs a towel?

Charlie doesn't particularly like getting wet. I've managed to convince him that wading and calm swimming is ok, but he doesn't really like it. The rain can be especially maddening to him. Rain or shine, he still has to go out to check if the squirrels have taken over the world. When he comes in from the rain he immediately tries to find somewhere to dry off. Much to my dismay he often chooses the couch. Today he particularly chose the decorative pillow on the couch. Here you can see he has strategically situated himself around the pillow so that it will soak up all the icky water that is hanging off his belly.

Can't you see I'm working here?

So whenever I bring my laptop out into the livingroom, Leo jumps up to sit on it. I think he thinks its his turn to work on it, but he doesn't really know what that means so he just sits on it. That or he's trying to prevent me from working so that I'll have more time to pet him. Lord knows he doesn't get petted enough around here.

Maggie died this morning. She will be greatly missed.

Parvo Sucks

Maggie has Parvo virus. For those of you who don't know what that is, I just found out and it sounds like it sucks. Basically, the virus strips the lining from the gastro-intestinal tract. Without a lining, the body can't absorb nutrients. When a puppy gets Parvo, it's especially bad because they are still so small and so easily dehydrate and starve. Since it's a virus, there's no treatment, but by providing the puppy with nutrients via an IV throughout the infection, the puppy can usually fight the virus and get better. The recovery rate overall is 70-80% but the clinic that Maggie is at has a 95% survival rate. They seem pretty competent there. And Maggie was still in OK shape when we took her there. Sometimes owners don't catch the parvo until the puppy is already pretty far gone. So, I think the prognosis is good. Well, we wanted to rescue a dog...I think we got what we wanted : ).

More Maggie

Maggie is at the vet's today. She got pretty sick starting on Saturday night and hasn't been feeling well since. She hasn't eaten at all, so she's getting fluids pumped in by IV today. Hopefully it's nothing serious. Anway, before she got sick, she was a regular happy puppy. Here are some pictures of her.

Double Teaming

Remember the chinese food bag? Well, the other night we had a potluck dinner at our house and some of our friends brought their contribution in a paper bag. The guests eventually went home, but the paper bag was left behind. Leo discovered said bag and hid inside. A few minutes later Rambo also discovered said bag and was thrilled that there was something inside. This is a little video of the two of them playing.

MAGGIE!!

Yep, we did it. We adopted another furry child. I know, I know, when will it stop? The thing is, God came to me in a dream and asked me to gather together two of every animal. Now we have two dogs and two cats...maybe we'll move on to fish next. But she's so adorable and she and Charlie are going to have a blast playing together--as soon as she gets big enough.

Do you have a picky dog?

I do. Charlie is the pickiest eater ever. He doesn't even like treats--and believe me, I've tried a whole range of different shapes and flavors. It's especially trying when I want him to take a pill. I can smother it in a half ton of peanut butter (the one treat he does like) and he'll still manage to spit the pill out. Well, here's the trick. Get a cat. Seriously, it's a godsend. I can get him to eat pills without any peanut butter now. Here's a video of Charlie with a treat I just gave him. As you can see, he is less than impressed by it. All I have to do is call the kitty and wah-lah, the treat disappears! Granted, he still doesn't seem impressed by it, but at least he ate it.

Squirrels

Charlie is obsessed with squirrels. Every morning, he gets up and immediately goes to the back door. It's not that he has to pee, he wants to be certain the squirrels didn't take over the world while he was sleeping. He diligently does his rounds and comes back inside to eat a well-earned breakfast. Then he posts himself by the back door and waits. He knows they're out there and that it's just a matter of time until they come out. Finally, a brave (or stupid) soul will venture down from the trees. Charlie responds, not so subtly, by whining, pacing, and occasionally barking. Never one to spoil the fun, I oblige him by throwing the door open and yelling "GO GET EM!". What fun.

A dryer sheet with claws

I'm pretty sure Rambo's goal in life is to find new ways to startle his dull, bumbling humans. He quite often succeeds. I'm sure he has a little tally board hidden away somewhere with hundreds of carefully and proudly placed claw marks. Yesterday he added another.

In the morning, I went to the dryer to get my running clothes. I left the dryer door open. A few moments later when I went back to go get my socks I found a little surprise lurking inside. I don't know about you, but the last thing I expect when reaching into the dryer is an aggressive dryer sheet with claws...

Chinese Food Is Fun

So the other night Alex and I brought home some chinese food. It came in a paper bag. In my haste to eat the food (you know how I get when I'm hungry) I threw the empty bag onto the floor. About two seconds later Rambo had discovered said bag. He was in heaven for about two hours at which time the noise of a crackling paper bag was about to drive me insane and I had to take it away.