A Teddy Mischief Update.

Teddy's online adoption ad describing his personality as highly energetic and "Dennis the Menace-like" has turned out to be frighteningly accurate...

Sneak on top of the kitchen table and steal my peanut butter and jelly english muffin in the thirty seconds while I jump up to put the American Girl doll away that he had in his mouth? Check.

Pull every piece of bark that he can reach off the palm trees? Chew up uncountable pieces of tree branches and bark and spread the leavings all over our house? Check.

Have a definite reputation at Camp Bow Wow for having the most "energy" of all the campers earning quite a few squirts from the "knock it off" water bottle daily? Check.

Think that nibbling on ear lobes and toes and fingers, with very sharp puppy teeth, is one of the best things in the world? Check.

Effortlessly jump up on 4' high counters and make you think that perhaps he's part kangaroo? Yep.

Slide his big head under every piece of furniture, sofa, chair, and bed, to shred the staples, webbing, and fabric underneath? Yes, that too.

Go, go, go most of the day with barely a break for a nap? Wake me up at 6 am with those ear nibbles and big scratchy stretches of his huge calloused feet in my face? Bring you his ball or his rope or his bone over and over again to throw? Cost us a fortune in doggy day care to keep him from destroying our house? Uh huh.

When he finally calms down, snuggle up with his head on your lap or on your shoulder sweet as anything? Have everyone at Camp Bow Wow telling us over and over again how much they look forward to him coming in the door because he's so much fun? Make fast friends with every dog in the neighborhood, large or small? Look at you with that adorable wrinkly face and those big brown eyes and melt your heart? Once in awhile surprise you with a lovely soft kiss? Rearrange himself in bed in a right-up-against-you ball so he can be closer to his humans? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

Have our hearts wrapped up all around him while simultaneously driving us crazy? Absolutely.

Love you Teddy Mischief. Teddy Moose. Teddy Beaver. Love you bunches.

I can drive Mom...

Best Friend Bishop and Teddy

King of the Dog Park

Finally Worn Out

Teddy | Mischief

It's been a week of trying to get our feet on solid ground with one large puppy named Teddy. Just when we thought we had the combination of Grandma, Camp Bow Wow and Visiting Dog Whisperer dialed in, Teddy-Mischief managed to injure his muzzle and then continue to keep slicing it back open again, with blood. Which means that instead of fun but wrestling-heavy doggy day care, he's home...in a cone.

More juggling for us.

One of these days I'll have the energy to write about something other than this growing whirlwind of a puppy, but for now, a quick video. Because that's how I roll at the moment:)

Hope you have a terrific week. Without too much mischief.

Camp Bow Wow | Can You Say Halleluliah?

So, puppyness. Puppyness is lots of things, including cute and fun and all kinds of wonderful.

But, also, let's be honest here, hard! Puppies are basically toddlers with sharp teeth who are more than happy to eat things that will kill them, fall into your pool and drown while your back is turned, or just tear up everything in your house.

Meanwhile, you do still need to go to work.

We've been jigsawing things together with a lot of help from my Mom because Teddy can't be in his crate alone for more than four hours and then he really needs a good couple of hours out, actively(!) before he can go back in and nap for a couple of hours more. This is not conducive to any sort of work life for humans. This past week we started bringing in a great lady we met through puppy school to handle two days a week, which has worked out well, but honestly, it's still only two hours. I have been going a little crazy trying to figure out a solution.

Today, she says with all kinds of thankfulness, the puppy help fairy descended in the guise of a little Elk Grove business named Camp Bow Wow. Halleluliah!

This place is exactly what we needed. Lots of dogs to play with, nice people to give attention to our little guy, and as a bonus, live web cams so I can spy on Teddy throughout the day and see that he's happy. Did I say Halleluliah already?

Picked him up after work and he was so tired out that he promptly jumped up on the couch and fell asleep. Several hours later, he's still mellow. This is nothing short of a miracle.

A tired puppy is a good puppy. Truer words, never.

Another bonus? These cute little "daycare" reports from his first day...with pictures.

What's not to love?

And, in case that wasn't enough happiness for one day, our first bloom is officially here.

Happy Friday:)

Puppy Life | Hound Dog

Teddy adventures, week 2.

We're all worn out from life with our toddler. But smiling. Lots and lots of smiles in our house.

Teddy's First Week

This week our house has pretty much been all puppy, all the time. Thought I might as well give in and succumb completely to the enthralled puppymamaness that is my life and make a little video. Enjoy:)

Hope you had a beautiful Easter.

Gotta Love a Rescue Dog

I've had quite a few puppies, but never one like this.

Teddy, Sit.

Our last three dogs, KD, Kayla and Gracie, came right from cages at the shelter, and all of them were pretty shell shocked from their time there. They had been crammed in with other dogs, in filthy conditions, and both KD and Gracie were dirty and sick. (The shelters are MUCH better now that they were years ago, so please don't let this scare you away...the new Sacramento County Shelter and the SSPCA are beautiful, clean and inviting.)

Also a shelter dog, Teddy lucked out and was rescued by Lynn Howe from A New Hope Animal Foundation and fostered by Kay Gramm-Palmieri, a trainer who worked miracles with him. She snatched him out just before he would have been euthanized, in trouble for being "mouthy." This means he likes to lunge at you with his mouth open, with his teeth able to make contact with your face, instead of just kissing gently.  He's much better now, although he still does it and we'll have to keep working on it. He was with her for foster care for a month and she crate trained him, taught him his basic commands, and socialized him with her four other dogs. He already walks nicely on the leash, sits, stays and comes to you for treats, is learning to roll over, and has only had one little accident in the house. I've never crate trained before, but after seeing it in action with Teddy, I'd never raise a puppy any other way.

Teddy and his foster pals

He's been trained to really like his crate because he gets fed there, gets treats there, and was acclimated to it slowly and carefully so he only has positive associations. Now he's to the point where he'll run in eagerly as soon as I get his food and he goes in at night when he's sleepy and settles in with no trouble. It's always seemed to me that crates were a little cruel, but seeing this guy has changed my mind. He's in a safe, comfy environment, where he can't get into any trouble. No chewed up shoes, no digging under fences, no falling into the pool and drowning, no bathroom accidents. When he comes out of the crate, after doing a quick sit to earn it, he goes right outside and goes potty. Then it's play time. When we go to work, after tiring him out with lots of play, some fun training with treats, and a walk, he goes back in for a nap. My mom has been coming over half way through the day and taking him to her house for a play session and then he comes back to his crate for another nap until I get home.

Teddy and Julie

If you are looking for a dog, please do consider rescue. There are so many amazing dogs, who are just as wonderful as Teddy, waiting for their forever homes. With the internet, I had such an easy time searching for available dogs in the area, viewing their photos, videos and profiles. When we met Teddy, we truly did feel like we already knew him. And I'm just amazed at how different it is having a puppy who has been started out correctly...I keep shaking my head at just how easy he is to live with. Puppies are always cute, but mostly drive you crazy. He's not that way at all.

He's a good boy, super smart, a quick learner and eager to please. He's gotten such a great start...now it's our job to keep him on track so he grows up to be the dog he is so capable of being. Being a pitbull mix, we want him to be a good breed ambassador as well as a loving and well behaved family dog and good canine citizen. Puppy classes with Kay start on April 11th and we'll continue with obedience training after that.

I feel so lucky to have this beautiful puppy and am so happy that our house feels like home again. When we lost Kayla, it felt desolate and so terribly quiet. We miss her, our sweet girl, but it's hard to be sad with this happy, busy boy to take care of. I've known for awhile that another dog was going to come into our lives soon, and I look at Teddy and smile so many times each day because I know that he was the one we were waiting for.

Right now he's stretched out on the bed, napping quietly right beside me. Writing and a happy dog...my bliss.

Christmas Eve Again

The Christmas Eve when I was eleven, I desperately wanted the Barbie motorhome...the long yellow one with the shower and eating nook and super cool 70s decals. I stayed awake in bed, wishing and hoping to see it waiting for me when I came downstairs on Christmas morning, unable to sleep for the excitement.

I'm there again, at 4 AM, all these years later, because tomorrow our new family member, Teddy, is coming home. We were planning on waiting until June, until after our New York vacation, to look for a puppy. But after just three days of a dogless house, none of us could stand it. All the happy was missing; we all were expecting that wonderful doggy greeting when we walked in the door, the sound of those scratchy toenails on the floor, the kisses. As Chloe says, "A Home is Where The Dog Is."

Forget practicality, the heart wins out.

This guy. This beautiful boy with his soft fur and his smart as a whip personality won us over. I searched all the shelter and rescue websites and narrowed our choices down to a few lovely dogs, but ultimately, he was the one. The three of us spent yesterday visiting the gorgeous new county shelter, an adoption fair at Petsmart, and finally, going to see Teddy at his foster home where he's been living with a wonderful trainer and her own dogs and other foster. After seeing his pictures and video online, I felt like I already knew him and thoroughly melted inside when he tumbled out of the house to greet us.

The good folks who do rescue work are very careful when screening for placement and we had paperwork to fill out and a there's still a home visit to pass tomorrow morning. Then we get to drive back to Roseville and pick him up and bring him home.

It will be an adjustment, and a challenge, as puppies always are. He's already very good at sits, walking on the leash, downs, and stays, and he's crate trained. That will be new to us and we had to make a shopping trip last night to pick out a big ol' crate, a new collar and leash, and to get a fresh shiny tag engraved with his name and our info.

Chloe felt a little emotional at the first meeting...I think just overwhelmed with the day and then finally meeting the in-the-flesh Teddy. It's a ton to take in, especially so soon after losing Kayla. But as the afternoon and evening wore on, and we got a little distance, she got more and more excited about him. Never having had a puppy, it's such a new experience for her. Puppies are exuberant and a little rough: sometimes they nip with those sharp puppy teeth. They aren't stuffed animals and don't always do exactly what you ask. But this is a wonderful boy and he's off to such a good start thanks to his foster mom. She told us she couldn't believe he hadn't been adopted yet and of course I told her, without hesitation, that was because he was waiting for us.

A big thank you to the wonderful Boxer, Jessie, for his brief stay with us, opening my heart to the possibility of a male dog. A big thank you to Kayla and Gracie, and KD before them, for teaching us how to love these canine family members so completely.

And a big, big welcome to Teddy. It truly is Christmas Eve all over again. (And, yes, Santa brought the motorhome:)

Angel Dogs

There have been some enchanted dogs swooping into my life lately.

First Lottie Mae. Enough said.

Then, Daphne, a teensy chihuahua/pug mix puppy who caught my eye on an LA street. Turned out she was a rescue, from a very bad breeder, in need of a home. I had a wonderful time petting her and chatting with her foster mom, and getting my fill of puppy kisses. I do believe that puppy breath is pretty much one of my most favorite things in this world. I was scheming in my heart to bring her back on the plane with us, but my practical side, and my promise to Chloe, won out. There is no room for a six pound (at full size!) little munchkin in our rough and tumble household. That cutie pie was in caring hands and I sent her off with kisses and wishes.

Daphne

Today, Jessie wandered into our lives. This gorgeous boxer followed one of Ron's coworkers back to the office...found dog flyers plastered up, vet visited for microchip scan (none, and no collar either), and then Jessie rode in the back seat of Ron's car to our house for the night. If it is possible to fall in love with a dog in one afternoon, we certainly did it. This boy is a love...the absolutely sweetest personality, all sloppy kisses and sit on your lapness in a body that looks so much like Gracie. As he played with Kayla, I felt like Gracie had come back home. We all had a little fantasy of keeping this charmer, and certainly would have if his family hadn't quickly claimed him. When his owner's son called him to the car, Jessie ran back into our front door and clearly wanted to stay. I think our house full of treats, dog toys, a trip to the park to meet the neighbors, Kayla, and all of our hugs must have felt pretty fine. We all got a little teary eyed as Jessie drove away.

Jessie

I believe that these dogs are showing up because our Kayla is getting ready to leave us. She's been steadily losing weight, drinking excessive amounts of water, and having accidents in the house because of all that fluid. Last night, the vet diagnosed her with cancer. Today I took her back in to talk about options, and because of all of her other health issues, along with her advanced age, we decided to just do what we can to treat the symptoms and make the time she has left the best it can be. No matter how old they are, and Kayla is fourteen this month, it's always too soon.

Tonight, Jessie's visit was truly a gift. Kayla perked up and played with him, and in the little bit of time we spent together he gave us so much joy. We had all forgotten just how happy a young healthy dog can make us.

All of these beautiful dogs have delivered their message to us...life continues. Kayla will pass on, and we will miss her and Gracie forever, but another dog will come into our lives and we will love again, fully and joyfully. And while I want Kayla to be with us as long as she is happy and able to enjoy her life, I also look forward to opening our hearts to another in the long line of dogs that I have loved.

Whoever you are, next dog of our hearts, I can't wait to meet you.

Lottie Mae, Chloe, and Teaching Mama a Lesson

We almost got a dog last week.

Lottie Mae. Found malnourished, without adequate food and water, with nine puppies to care for, this girl lucked out and ended up in a foster home through the SPCA. Her puppies went to separate foster placements, and all are doing wonderfully thanks to some loving volunteers. The puppies will be up for adoption soon.

I first saw Lottie on a video on the SPCA's facebook page, where she wagged her tail so hard that her whole body wiggled. Something about her just captured me. I showed the video to Ron and to Chloe, shared her picture with them later in the week, and reminded myself of all the reasons why we're not ready for a dog.

My heart though, my heart was ready.

Finally, sick of my obsession with her, Ron commented on facebook, "Just get her already before I have to watch this video again." That was enough for me. A quick phone call to him and I was ready to drive to the SPCA and bring Lottie home.

Luckily, Chloe called me before I left. When I mentioned to her that I was going to go and look at Lottie, and maybe adopt her, she was not happy. At all.

All along, since Gracie died, our plan has been to let Kayla live out her senior time in peace, as our only dog. She's a happy girl, but pretty frail, with back leg muscles that are slowly wasting away, and she's deaf too. When our friends got a puppy, we brought him over here briefly to introduce him to Kayla, and to see if she could tolerate a little one. I was very proud of Kayla's patience and gentleness with that little guy, but she clearly wanted him to leave. Immediately.

Somehow, in my mind, Lottie, three years old and house trained, would be different. Maybe even a friend for Kayla.

Chloe, though, felt otherwise...not just heartbroken that it would hurt Kayla, but also sad that we would get an adult dog instead of a puppy, which she desperately wants. Mostly, Chloe was disappointed in me. So upset and hurt that I would make such a big decision without asking her, without even thinking of her really. And my daughter was absolutely right. In my falling in love with that dog in the video, I didn't think of Chloe's feelings, not truly, and once I realized it, I felt horrible.

Raised by a very strong mother, I've always prided myself on being independent. I was taught to take care of myself, to not depend on anyone, to be strong and sure. It was very tough for me when Ron and I first got together, because I was so used to doing everything my own way. We had some pretty intense fights as I worked through that and learned to let him in.

Now, once again, I have a new way of thinking to learn. And this time, it needs to include my girl. Sometimes it's easy to forget that she's not little anymore, that she needs to be included in decisions that affect our family, that her input is crucial. Time goes by so quickly, and that baby of mine has grown up in so many ways.

She's certainly grown up enough to teach her Mama yet another lesson.

When Kayla is gone and we decide it's time to adopt a puppy, we'll be doing it as a family.

And, Lottie Mae? She had already found her forever home, complete with two boys to love her, before I even decided to drive to the SPCA that day.

Happy endings all around.

You have to admit though, she is one cute wiggly dog:)

Tonight's YouTube Gratitude List

Challenging evening.

Exhausted daughter from her sleepover last night, who may or may not be getting sick, but for sure is not her happiest self. Dog with ears full of nasty gack, which I had the pleasure of cleaning out with about twenty q-tips. House not prepped for Monday. And I'd really rather be reading Entertainment Weekly (and eating peppermint Jo Jos with a big glass of milk) than writing.

But, when these moments strike, the best cure I have is a gratitude list. And sometimes that list just has to include YouTube videos.

Today...

Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell on the Golden Globes.

A fresh pedicure. That's always a good thing--not so much the pedicure itself, which I pretty much hate as I'm super ticklish, but the week or so after when you get to look at your toes and smile cuz they look so cared for and shiny.

Sunshine. Ah, yes, I am always grateful for that.

Kayla, pre ear-issue, curled up in the middle of Chloe's Barbie-house-on-the-blanket, with her head nestled right between my yellow plastic Barbie lounge chair, circa 1972, and Chloe's mod pink coffee table. She reminds me of Godzilla come to stomp out Tokyo.

And then, this video. Because dogs will always make me happy. (And if you would like a bit of a darker laugh, watch this cat video right after.)

I feel a bit better already. No cookies necessary.

They Come Out That Way | The Kayla Chronicles

They come out that way.

I first realized this was true years ago when my mom adopted a shelter puppy, Heidi. Heidi, a Basenji mix, defined challenging. She was cute and fuzzy with big batlike ears but also very difficult to train, extremely high on the energy scale, and she pretty much destroyed everything she came into contact with. My mom took her to puppy school, repaired things, gave her lots of love...did everything she could think of.

Finally, completely desperate, she gave her to my ex-husband, Matthew, who took her everywhere with him, in his little white convertible Miata, and Heidi turned into a great dog. But it took having an owner who could be with her ALL the time.

Before Heidi, I really thought that dogs were dogs and that I had it all down as far as raising them went. My dog at the time, KD, was a doll. Sure, she was a little obsessive (okay, a lot obsessive) but she was also smart and wanted to please me, so she did what I asked most of the time. We called her our magic dog and she was our first baby.

KD

In case I wasn't convinced by Heidi, fate brought me Kayla. Ah, beautiful little Kayla, with the big brown eyes and the floppy ears and the softest fur. At the time, I was volunteering regularly at the county animal shelter. Another volunteer called me and said, "Can you come get Kayla? She's just been returned for the fourth time and I'm hiding her so they won't euthanize her...come quickly." I hopped in my car and drove right down, plopped her on my lap, and brought her home.

Kayla

Well, shucks. My dog education had truly begun. Turns out this little eight pound puppy had been returned for biting people's faces. Now, she didn't really BITE, as in drawing blood, but she certainly nipped. ALL THE TIME. She also could scale five foot fences, dig under just about anything, and claw a door jam to shreds in about ten minutes. In addition, she proceeded to dominate every other puppy at puppy school by jumping on their necks and wrestling them to the ground. Spunky, our Kayla.

The original plan was that we'd foster her and then find an appropriate home. Once I realized that with all of her issues she really wasn't going to be adoptable anytime soon, I talked Ron into letting her stay with us. Fourteen years later, she's still here.

We did finally solve the biting problem (a squirt of water from a spray bottle stopped her when nothing else did), the digging problem (chicken wire and cinder blocks under all of our fences) and the Houdini problem (six foot fences everywhere and metal plates on all the door jams.) But then, just when we thought we could exhale, Kayla brought another challenge into our lives.

She ate rocks.

Yes, correct, rocks. I'm not sure if you've ever had a dog eat a rock, but it can cause a lethal intestinal blockage. Which means if you don't catch it in time for the vet to give them a nasty potion to make them vomit it up, surgery. Cut that sucker out. Which we did. Four times. At $1200 each time.

The fourth surgery, we decided, was the last. There just wasn't any more budget for rock removals. So I SCOURED our back yard for every little rock I could find. I loaded buckets of them and then covered everything with a very thick layer of bark, just in case. Thank God, there were no more rock eating incidents, and she outgrew that problem.

Then, puppy school over, we enrolled in regular dog school. My little dominant puppy had turned into an easily distractible, slightly dog aggressive, adolescent terror. Naively, I thought it would be a good idea to take a break from dog school and let her mature a little. Unfortunately, by the time I took her back, she had a full out case of dog aggression and couldn't even be in class with other dogs.

A handful, this one.

Over the years, Kayla has mellowed. She still freaks out if we're gone too long, and until very recently, stopped only because of a lack of confidence due to her old age, she would attack other dogs if given half a chance. She also could always get the best of Gracie. One of her favorite ruses was to act like there was something super fantastic outside, and get Gracie to follow her. Then she'd sneak back in and take whatever it was she wanted, usually Gracie's food!  But she also learned along the way to give the world's softest kisses, to snuggle up against my legs for naps on the sofa, to walk nicely on the leash (okay, mostly...) and to be a loving part of our family.

Kayla & Grace

What I'm coming around to is that she really did just come out this way. The good and the bad. You roll the dice when you adopt a pet, and you best go into it prepared that it might just be more difficult than you imagined.

And if this reminds anyone of parenthood, well, yes, that too. Absolutely.

Ah, but the love. That love trumps all.

Kayla, 2005