He's Back!

Look who's sitting on the swing. Mr Punkman is back. 

He just disappeared  after last Halloween and we haven't seen or heard from him and suddenly here he is.

Dad's moving him over to the steps so we can see him better.

Look everybody, he's back.

I can almost get my head inside him.

Dad's moving him again so that we can't chew on him. He's pretty tasty.

Look guys he's over here on the potting table.

We love you Mr Punkman.

Thanks, Dad, for finding Mr Punkman.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Morgan, Tsar and all the Porties.

The Blues Brothers

People who say animals have no feelings annoy me. They more than annoy me, I think they have no brains. I'd like to take a few of them and lock them in a small room with a grieving Cockatiel that has just lost her best bird friend and make them listen to her mournful screeching for hours on end.

Holly continued to scream Thursday afternoon after seeing Cloud die. Finally I covered her and she quieted, but not before getting Samba very upset. Samba paced and whimpered and even peed on the carpet. It was much harder to calm her.

Rob and I discussed what our next move should be. We were concerned that when we uncovered Holly in the morning, she'd start screaming again when her friend wasn't in the cage next door to hers. Finally around 7 PM we drove to the pet shop.

Holly is too old now to put a young bird in with her, so we decided to get her a new parakeet friend and hope that they could bond. When we uncovered her cage Friday morning she immediately went over and looked at the floor of the cage where she'd last seen Cloud. Instead she saw the Blues Brothers.

All day Holly sat in the corner of her cage all puffed up. She refused to eat and didn't make a sound. I was getting concerned about her, but at bedtime she finally said 'hello' to me and I knew we were past the crisis. This morning she again hurried over and looked to where she'd last seen Cloud, but now she's starting to show some interest in the new birds. They're young and active and noisy and I'm sure they'll keep her entertained. Any ideas on names?

Cloud

This afternoon Cloud flew across the Rainbow Bridge.

Her friend Holly started screeching and wouldn't stop. When I went to see what was bothering her, I found that Cloud had died. Holly is still very upset.

I don't remember exactly how old Cloud was, but I believe she was about nine years old. We will miss her sweet song in the mornings. Rest in peace little Cloudy one.

A Break In The Rain

Finally yesterday afternoon the rain stopped long enough for us to have our party.

We took all eight of the PWDs into the back yard for Frosty Paws.

Rob commented that this is the longest time they're ever all quiet. We owe thanks to Purina for coming up with this treat that keeps their tongues busy for so long.

Everyone enjoyed their special treat.

Samba, as usual, was the first one finished.

 Fudge was distracted, but eventually got thru his.

 Sky was hoping for seconds.

 Look at those dirty feet.

Bailey was the last one done.

Because Morgan is a little unsteady on just three legs, we let her have her treat on the porch where the pups wouldn't knock her down.

Tsar agreed to keep her company.

Everyone agreed that it was a good birthday. We wish you could have all been here to celebrate with us.

Five Years Old

The pups are five today. Since they still act like puppies most of the time, it's easy to forget how much time has flown by. We do know that our lives were changed that cold October day in 2006. We're having a party a little later. Today it's raining for the first time in weeks so we're waiting to see if it clears up. If not, we'll party on the porch. Till then, here are some 'then and now' pictures of my furkids.

This was Samba the afternoon of October 25th. She was grabbing the last rest that she'd get for quite a while. Later the pups would arrive and nobody in the house would get any rest for weeks. She really doesn't look like she's carrying nine puppies, does she?

At 11:11 that night Tess was born. She weighed 9 ounces.

Here is Tess today.

At 12:28AM Sky was born weighing 8 ounces.

At 1:25 AM Lola arrived weighing in at 9.5 ounces.

At 1:58AM we welcomed Grace weighing 8 ounces.

Grace would go to live with J and Splash.

At 2:17AM Bailey arrived weighing in at 8 ounces.

At 2:36AM Indy was born weighing 8 ounces.

Indy would later go to live in Oklahoma and become Gib.

At 3:08 AM Noah came along weighing 6 ounces.

We had a bit of a wait while Samba rested, then at 5:18 puppy number 8 was born weighing 11 ounces,but there was a problem. His umbilical cord was torn and he was bleeding badly. Although we were able to stop the bleeding, he seemed to have suffered some brain damage and we were never able to get him to nurse. He wasn't breathing well and the next day we had him put down. The only picture that exists of him is this one.

He's the one in the upper left hand corner with the orange collar. He was the largest pup and had a lot of white markings.

At 6:40 AM Miss Norma Jean came along weighing in at 10 ounces. She was the last one born.

They were quite an active litter from day one and they haven't slowed down a bit.

Happy fifth birthday to my puppies. You have brought so much joy to my life. I can't imagine life without you in it.