Hot Day - Cool Fun

The weather has been a bit better this week. Instead of 100s every day, we've had mostly 90s. Today storms were forecast, but this morning the skies were clear, so we took Morgan, Samba and Norma Jean to the lake.

We drove to J's house and after the girls greeted Splash and Grace we boarded the boat.

On the way to the swimming cove we stopped to pick up T and Runtley.

Twice Norma Jean tried to jump into the water before we got to the the cove. She was so excited that she was the first one into the water.

The four humans were kept very busy throwing toys for the six dogs to retrieve. At times there were traffic jams in the water.

Morgan and the four Porties were swimming way out to retrieve their floating toys......

...but the star swimmer today was Runtley.

At one point her beloved tennis ball went under the boat and lodged halfway under. While the four humans debated the best way to get the ball, she swam under and grabbed it. It was a long, deep, dark swim for such a little girl, but she had to save her ball.

We took a break for lunch and the dogs had a rest. Morgan was tired.

Runtley was more interested in the food than in resting.

After lunch everybody went back in the water.

This group loves to swim and they were all having a good time.

Splash had to show off for us.

He loves to jump off the back of the boat to go after his toy.

That boy certainly has the right name. He makes quite a splash.

Finally it was time to pack up. Morgan had a good shake.

Runtley made sure her ball came aboard

It seems that our timing was perfect. As we pulled into J's driveway we heard a rumble of thunder and  we drove home thru a heavy rainstorm complete with thunder and lightning. My girls were so tired that none of them even noticed the storm, including Morgan. They'll all sleep well tonight.

BFFs

Do you have a BFF, a best friend that you can say anything to? One who always knows what to say and when to say nothing at all?

My brother still has his best friend from pre-school. When I was little we moved several times so I had a best friend in elementary school named Donna, in high school my best friend was Nancy and when I was working my best friend was Joyce. Now leaving spouses out of this, my BFF is Sue. You've all read about her in my earlier posts. Sue is from England, she's a breast cancer survivor and we used to live next door to each other. Sue and I talk on the phone at least once a week and we can say anything to each other. If one of us needs to rant, we just dial the other. If we're sad or angry or find something hilarious, we call the other and share.

Recently Chan and I have been discussing dog training classes. Today the discussion was about a class situation versus an in home trainer. My experience is that my dogs need a class for several reasons. It gets them away from home and the rest of the pack so they have to experience unfamiliar surrounding, people and dogs. I think it's good for them. You see, in my pack there are pairs of BFFs.

Morgan and Samba are like long time girlfriends. They do most things together. They have little spats but seem to enjoy making up and grooming each other.

Fudge and Sky are best buds. Although they occasionally have a spat, mainly due to Fudge shoving Sky or being bossy in general, they play well together.

One of the signs of being best friends is eating together. Fudge and Sky can share a snack.

Lola and Bailey have been best friends since they were young pups.

One of the nice things about keeping a whole litter together is that I can observe how the early alliances hold up. These two have always gotten along well.

Best friends almost since birth are Tess and Norma Jean, the oldest and the youngest of the litter. They compliment each other because Tess is shy and  unsure of herself in new situations and Norma Jean has enough confidence for both of them.

Tess was becoming so dependent on Norma Jean, that I separated them at night. Now Lola sleeps with Tess. Tess doesn't like to sleep alone and howls to make me aware of that fact. Lola has accepted the change well and was gracious about giving up her private crate to keep Tess company.

In the morning Tess is happy to escape her crate and greet Norma Jean with a big kiss.


Noah plays well with all his sisters and with Sky. He also gets along with Morgan and he was always the favorite of his mom, Samba. Fudge delights in pushing Noah around and Noah is always tense in Fudge's presence. Noah doesn't really have a best friend. He prefers to hang with Rob and me and to be a lap dog when we allow it.

Last, but certainly not least is Tsar. He's a loner by choice. He likes his space and quiet times. The others usually respect that, but the girls will sometimes coax him into chasing them.

It's fun for me to watch the interactions and see the pairings, but I also think it's good for them to have time away for concentrating on lessons. Then they can come home and tell their BFFs all about their adventures.

Vet Report

Several of you have asked how everyone is feeling after our rash of illness and injury, so here's an up to date report.

Sky's foot has been fine since I removed the stone from under his pad. He never licked it again and is as good as new.

Tsar's insect bite is completely healed and the hair has grown in over it.

Fudge's red, itchy ear is fine now after increasing his antihistamines and cleaning the ear every day for a week. Keeping Morgan from licking it is the tricky part. This hot, humid weather is rough on long eared dogs. They need to get air to their ears to keep them dry and clean.

Samba has a mixed report. She finished her antibiotics for her bladder infection and is feeling much better. She has stopped her constant pacing and is sleeping thru the night.

Yesterday we saw Dr B for a follow up. We took a urine sample and it was much improved. Everything had come back to normal except that there was still some blood in her urine. She's taking a second round of antibiotics at a much higher dosage in hopes of knocking out the bacteria once and for all. If she still has blood in the urine after this, we'll have to test for a bladder stone. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Everyone is feeling well but restless. They can't wait for cooler weather to get here so they can run and play.

Where's Noah?

The other night I was watching an old episode of Bones that I hadn't seen before and working on some cross stitch when Rob leashed Noah and went out the door.

When the TV show was over, I realized that I hadn't seen Rob and Noah for over an hour. I slipped on my shoes and wandered down to the garage. This is what I found.

On the grooming table were piles of black and white hair looking suspiciously like Noah's hair. Mixed in was some brown hair, obviously from Fudge. There was enough hair to make another dog. The trash can was almost full of black, white and brown hair, attesting to the fact the everyone had taken a turn on the table.

And running around outside and munching cookies as his reward for being a good boy, Noah looked smaller and neater and cooler.

Fudge States His Case

Hello everybody in Blogland! Mom said I could use the blog today because I have the most wonderful idea and she's not convinced about it. So she said I could take my case directly to you and then "She'd think about it".

 

As you all know, I, Fudge, am a spectacularly handsome, virile, talented and charming guy. Now I've been trying to decide how to best display my talents and I have come up with the perfect venue.

Since Oprah left her show, there has been a rather large gap in entertainment. I, Deerpark's Chocolate Legacy RN, am just the person to fill that gap, though I'm not as large. Here's my plan.

I feel that I should have my own TV show. I Fudge the Magnificent, would, of course, be the host. I could display my talents such as singing and dancing, my skills in the kitchen and my Rally moves, which are pretty neat if I do say so myself.

I would have wonderful co-hosts, too. My friend and Super Diva, Sissy could help introduce new talents while instructing the world on manipulating peeps and caring for our eyes in this bright summer sun.

My mate Samba would have a health advice segment because she's had so many health problems. She can speak from personal experience.

Thor and Thunder would join us to discuss great literature.

The world famous Mango would both entertain and instruct in the latest dance moves.

 

Ciara would join Bailey in our gardening segment.

For those of you with an eye for fashion, Lorenza would showcase the latest designs for the long, lean ladies  and Gretchen could handle the stylish wear for the petite ladies.

I would have Dexter, the Labradude do an exercise segment. He's a very fit fellow. Some of my own pack could assist him and give swimming instructions.

Phantom and Tsar could give diet advice for those who want to drop a few pounds.

Thor and Ziggy could do a high tech segment.

I would interview celebrities such as Bo Obama, Eddie from Frasier, Snoopy and others.

We would celebrate all existing holidays and even come up with some new ones.

So you get the idea, right? Don't you think this is perfect for me? But it doesn't end there. Oprah has her magazine "O", with a picture of herself on the cover every month.

I would need my own magazine with a big picture of me, Fudge, on the cover every month. I think I would call it "FUDGE" or maybe just "FU".

Well, there you have it, my grand plan. What do you all think? Will you help me convince Mom that I am ready for prime time?