Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Knit Sweater and the Pink Collar
It has been so cold here lately as we've had temperatures in the teens during the day and single digits at night. It's definitely been a 3 dog night around these parts except we only have one dog named Zoe.
The cold doesn't really seem to bother her too much, but she doesn't really want to hang out for very long outside. Yesterday morning it was 5 degrees and I decided to pull out Elmo's old knitted sweater that had fit him perfectly when he weighed 50 pounds. Zoe on the other hand only weighs 40ish, so it is a little big on her and way too long. I need to alter it but there is no time as she needs to have it now.
Zoe is such a trooper when it comes to doing new things and trying on the knit sweater is no exception. So here's some photo's of the fashionista herself modeling her comfy warm knitted sweater.
Zoe is also donning her new pink Lupine collar style "Puppy Love". Her very first collar that wasn't a hand me down from Elmo. I decided on pink because everyone thinks that all bullies just have to be male dogs when in fact there really are female bullies; very cute at that I might add.
The cold doesn't really seem to bother her too much, but she doesn't really want to hang out for very long outside. Yesterday morning it was 5 degrees and I decided to pull out Elmo's old knitted sweater that had fit him perfectly when he weighed 50 pounds. Zoe on the other hand only weighs 40ish, so it is a little big on her and way too long. I need to alter it but there is no time as she needs to have it now.
Zoe is such a trooper when it comes to doing new things and trying on the knit sweater is no exception. So here's some photo's of the fashionista herself modeling her comfy warm knitted sweater.
Zoe is also donning her new pink Lupine collar style "Puppy Love". Her very first collar that wasn't a hand me down from Elmo. I decided on pink because everyone thinks that all bullies just have to be male dogs when in fact there really are female bullies; very cute at that I might add.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sleepover
Zoe was so excited when she saw me gathering her belongings together in the "Zoe travel bag" last night. She knew something was up, and she was going on a journey in the van real soon.
On Friday morning I loaded up everything in the van and Zoe could not wait to jump into her crate (she can't reach it so I have to lift her into it) with her favorite blanket to take a ride. What she did not know was I was taking her to work with me. Then in the afternoon she was going to go for a weekend long visit with my friend Patty and her 2 dogs, Dakota a Siberian Husky, and Red a rescued Golden Retriever.
Zoe plays well with others (dogs and people) so I wasn't worried that she had not previously met or spent time with Dakota or Red. According to Patty all of them had a blast running around her fenced in yard, playing in the snow and sharing nylabone's, toys and ripping up cardboard boxes.
Then there are all the things that you have to put up with when you have a puppy versus having adult dogs. Like stealing your gloves and taking your boots!
Thank you Patty, Dakota and Red for letting Zoe sleep over and having a fun weekend!
On Friday morning I loaded up everything in the van and Zoe could not wait to jump into her crate (she can't reach it so I have to lift her into it) with her favorite blanket to take a ride. What she did not know was I was taking her to work with me. Then in the afternoon she was going to go for a weekend long visit with my friend Patty and her 2 dogs, Dakota a Siberian Husky, and Red a rescued Golden Retriever.
Zoe plays well with others (dogs and people) so I wasn't worried that she had not previously met or spent time with Dakota or Red. According to Patty all of them had a blast running around her fenced in yard, playing in the snow and sharing nylabone's, toys and ripping up cardboard boxes.
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| Who's calling me a chubby? |
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| Red's nylabones taste better than mine |
Thank you Patty, Dakota and Red for letting Zoe sleep over and having a fun weekend!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Zoe's a Big Girl Now
Zoe is coming into her own. She's getting bigger and more mature with each day. I can hardly believe that she's 6-1/2 months old now and weighing in at 44 pounds.
Bladder Infection Update: Zoe continues to take her medication and seems to be totally cured but has 4 day left to take her pills.
Raccoon Nip: The little mark on her butt has completely healed but she continues to be a little leery of hanging out on the deck by herself.
The weather here has been snowy and we have about 10" of the white stuff on the ground. I shoveled a path for Zoe, but she would rather "bull" doze her way through the piles of the white stuff just for the fun of it.
My husband and I are taking a road trip for a couple of days so Zoe will be staying with my friend. It's a great opportunity for her to get more socialization and play with the other dogs at her house.
Have a great weekend everyone, stay safe and keep warm.
Bladder Infection Update: Zoe continues to take her medication and seems to be totally cured but has 4 day left to take her pills.
Raccoon Nip: The little mark on her butt has completely healed but she continues to be a little leery of hanging out on the deck by herself.
The weather here has been snowy and we have about 10" of the white stuff on the ground. I shoveled a path for Zoe, but she would rather "bull" doze her way through the piles of the white stuff just for the fun of it.
My husband and I are taking a road trip for a couple of days so Zoe will be staying with my friend. It's a great opportunity for her to get more socialization and play with the other dogs at her house.
Have a great weekend everyone, stay safe and keep warm.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Once bitten, Twice Shy (Great White 1989)
Never a dull moment in Zoe's World. Zoe goes out for her evening ritual after dinner and then sits on the deck checking out the scenery since it's finally above 30 degrees here. I'm doing dishes and watching her through the window when all of a sudden I hear this screeching and see her dash across the deck and disappear. I run out the door to deafening screeching and activity under the deck. I'm screaming Zoe's name because at this point I believe that she's under the deck with some crazy wild cat. Here comes Zoe as fast as her chubby little body can carry her out the side of the deck and up the steps and then I see the screaming creature hightailing it in the opposite direction. It's a RACCOON!!
My mind is racing thinking of all the things that could happen to Zoe if this raccoon has bitten her. I grab Zoe and put her in the kitchen to check her over and don't see any marks. She's out of breath but looks just fine, thank goodness.
After a few minutes when everything has calmed down I notice she keeps turning around to try to see what is going on behind her; but she can't see because she's too chubby to turn her body in that direction. Then I notice a red mark on her butt. It appears that this wild animal has indeed grabbed Zoe in the behind; but fortunately did not bite into or tear her flesh.
Now it's time for my animal first aid training to kick in. Clean towels (check), Provon antibacterial soap (check), neosporin ointment (check). The wound is in a very precarious place, so I have to be very careful not too get the soap or ointment near/into part(s) of the body where it shouldn't be. Zoe's such a good patient, she just stands there and lets me do my thing.
I called the vet and she told me that it's good that Zoe was already on the mega dose of antibiotics for her bladder infection and just to keep an eye on the wound to make sure there are no signs of infection which can rear it's ugly head within 3 days.
Zoe is doing well both with the bladder infection and the raccoon bite so far; the medication seems to be doing it's job and my first aid treatment twice a day appears to be working.
By the way, the Once Bitten, Twice Shy...Zoe's not sure about hanging out on the deck now; one paw out the door and a look around first to check to make sure the raccoon isn't lurking.
Here's Zoe relaxing and soaking up all the attention she can get after such trauma.
My mind is racing thinking of all the things that could happen to Zoe if this raccoon has bitten her. I grab Zoe and put her in the kitchen to check her over and don't see any marks. She's out of breath but looks just fine, thank goodness.
After a few minutes when everything has calmed down I notice she keeps turning around to try to see what is going on behind her; but she can't see because she's too chubby to turn her body in that direction. Then I notice a red mark on her butt. It appears that this wild animal has indeed grabbed Zoe in the behind; but fortunately did not bite into or tear her flesh.
Now it's time for my animal first aid training to kick in. Clean towels (check), Provon antibacterial soap (check), neosporin ointment (check). The wound is in a very precarious place, so I have to be very careful not too get the soap or ointment near/into part(s) of the body where it shouldn't be. Zoe's such a good patient, she just stands there and lets me do my thing.
I called the vet and she told me that it's good that Zoe was already on the mega dose of antibiotics for her bladder infection and just to keep an eye on the wound to make sure there are no signs of infection which can rear it's ugly head within 3 days.
Zoe is doing well both with the bladder infection and the raccoon bite so far; the medication seems to be doing it's job and my first aid treatment twice a day appears to be working.
By the way, the Once Bitten, Twice Shy...Zoe's not sure about hanging out on the deck now; one paw out the door and a look around first to check to make sure the raccoon isn't lurking.
Here's Zoe relaxing and soaking up all the attention she can get after such trauma.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year! Bladder Infection
Zoe was six months old on 12/25/2010 and she was 99.9% house broken. So, when she started having accidents in the house last week and there seemed to be a foul odor I was wondering what the heck was going on. Sure enough after my successful attempt of collecting urine from a squatting female puppy and dropping it off at the vet's office at the crack of dawn; Zoe tested positive for a bladder infection.
Dr. M. explained to me what she saw under the microscope and felt that an aggressive treatment of antibiotics were in order. Dr. M. usually recommends taking the medication for 10 days, but she felt that Zoe had quite a lot of "bad" bacteria, so she extended the meds to a 14 day regimen.
It's been 2 days of treatment and we've already seen improvement in the accidents and the odor. Zoe is a much happier girl than a few days ago for sure.
Dr. M. explained to me what she saw under the microscope and felt that an aggressive treatment of antibiotics were in order. Dr. M. usually recommends taking the medication for 10 days, but she felt that Zoe had quite a lot of "bad" bacteria, so she extended the meds to a 14 day regimen.
It's been 2 days of treatment and we've already seen improvement in the accidents and the odor. Zoe is a much happier girl than a few days ago for sure.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Bullie in a Bucket
For the New Year I decided Zoe needed a new toy box, since she pretty much destroyed her cardboard toy box by chewing it into shreds. The new toy container needed to be sturdy and something that could not be easily mangled into oblivion. I had this Red Cross bucket that came out of the flood relief we had here over 10 years ago when our county was declared a disaster area.
It's the perfect size for Zoe as she can reach into it with no problem AND it almost fits all of her toys.
Zoe has decided it is the ideal dimension to jump into it head first!
It's the perfect size for Zoe as she can reach into it with no problem AND it almost fits all of her toys.
Zoe has decided it is the ideal dimension to jump into it head first!
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