Peanut Butter's Purrfect Gift

You can spend a fortune on cat beds, toys and gadgets, but the most coveted prize is the box that your well-intended gift came in......

Agility Practice

This beautiful Sunday morning, Prinnie and Digby begged to go outside and practice on their agility skills with the new course given to them by Siku Marie. Both were excited and cooperative (of course, the pouch full of treats helped!), and did really, really well. After about an hour, we, the parents, were tired and in need of a rest, but the furry duo would have none of that. They ran and jumped (most times just in mid air and no where near the hurdles) and hurriedly ran to us for a treat. Once the pouch was depleted of their motivator, they lay together on the grass, looking proud and accomplished.

We have a long way to go, but they are doing so well that we are considering offering our yard to our neighborhood canines for a weekly round of agility training.

P & D Go Shopping

As the work day wound down, Shar and I were gently being nudged by two very patient pups asking if we would take them to the store. When asked why, Digby told us that he felt it only appropriate that he and sister get a few things for their/our upcoming trip to New Mexico. As the days draw closer, we ALL are getting more and more excited.

Farmville and a half-full Frappuchino prevented us from jumping right up in the dash to put on harnesses, leads and seat belts. Apparently their crisis was becoming ours, as they began to demand that we "get crackin'" before the stores closed.

Being the obliging parents that we are, we caved to their demands and headed off to PetsMart for our first stop. Once there, Prinnie found a perfect-sized "rolley" (as she called it). She jumped in, sat down, and barked directions to Shar, who by now was in awe of how adorable she looked in the stroller made for pups. Digby taunted her a little, calling her a baby and saying that strollers were for wimps and that he was having nothing to do with it. Too many toys, pee spots, etc...to explore I guess.

After strolling (literally) around the store for what seemed an eternity, Prinnie led us over to the winter coats. She was insistent that she and brother would need something to keep them warm in the cold fall evenings of the desert. She selected a cute little pink coat for herself, and after a few fittings, found a matching blue one for her brother. He, being the perfect male, said "Fine. It fits - let's go". By now, the Queen had her subjects at her beckon call and needed one last visit to the foot wipes aisle.

After we loaded the newly-purchased stroller, bag of clothes and toiletries in to the car, we were instructed to head to PetCo. As we began heading down the road, a white eskie screeched in my ear that I was going the wrong way, and demanded I turn around to take "HER" to the next store on the list. Not wanting to have a power struggle on such a beautiful evening, I succumbed to her orders. Once we arrived at PetCo (yes, the stroller was out and in full use for her highness), we were lead by the tag-team pair to the collars, leads and harnesses aisle. Shar and I stood back as the duo hemmed and hawed about what colors to select, which would match more closely with their hair color, and what made one look macho and the other pretty. After the cashier reminded them it was now 15 minutes past closing, they jointly selected a new collar, harness and lead that was exactly the same for both, and was befitting a boy or a girl. FINALLY, we headed to the checkout as the little white one yelled - "Mom, just charge it!".

As we drove home, Shar grabbed her phone and called Parents Anonymous; asking for the next series of classes on how to deal with very spoiled children!

The "Trial" stroller ....................................................................... The "Final Selection"

In the Car

Mountain Fresh Air and a Few Dirty Dogs

We decided to beat the late August heat today and head to our local mountains for a fun day of new smells, fresh mountain air and new pee spots (for the dogs - not for us). Duncan would spend the day with his little friend (who is continually begging for custody of him), leaving the four of us to put on our sun screen and venture out on a road trip.

What a wonderful day it was. Digby and Prinnie were just pure joy, and behaved well beyond our wildest dreams. We packed a picnic lunch for each of us (including some left-over birthday cake), lots of water and tons of treats. Prinnie's white fur was gray-brown by the time we were ready to leave, and Digby found so many squirrels to guard over that he could do nothing but stand as a sentry at attention for most of our "down time".

We then explored more of the mountain than we have in trips past, and decided to head home before dark. One way off the mountain takes us to Palm Desert, and the other takes us home - or so we thought. What we didn't know was that there is at least a third way down the mountain that takes us just outside of Palm Springs, and somehow we managed to take THAT route instead. Unlike the male species, we women have no trouble stopping to ask where the hell we are and directions on how to get home. A few hours later than expected, we all arrived home, fully refreshed and relaxed from a perfect day!

Here are some pics of the day - you can click on them to make them bigger....

The Hangover

Poor Prinnie - looks like she had just a wee too much to drink this morning......

These other pics were just too cute not to post!

Paws Off, Mommy!!!

How amazing is this....the greatest gift an eskie child of two Starbucks junkies could get, and the best part was that it came from her BFF Siku Marie!!! Prinnie made it clear, though, that this Starbarks was just for her! She snuggled it, took it outside with her (as if protecting it), and was determined to make sure that we didn't make any attempt to hone in on her Starbarks! Now where would she get that idea?? :)

Many thanks to Siku's incredible family for not only giving Prinnie her very own latte, but for the other fantastic gifts that arrived in the mail today for her brothers. More pictures to come tomorrow!!

A special thanks to Diego Dog's mom for such incredible talent in making this perfectgift for Prinnie!

Pools, Pedi's and Pups

This weekend was so hot that we pulled out the pups' pool for the first time this year. We were anxious to see what "Doodle" would do with a large area of water - would he jump in? Would he avoid it? Or would he use it as an overgrown water bowl like his older brother? See the pics for the answer.....

The rest of the weekend was all about the pups (ok, so what else is new?). We've decided that since we are going on an austerity budget in preparation for the upcoming career change, we would start doing the grooming for each pooch at home, saving over $150.00/month. Oh lordy, what were we thinking?? All I can say is "Thank God I don't hope to make a living grooming dogs"! Poor, poor, beautiful Prinnie was the second (and most disastrous) kid to get groomed. The sweet little eskie looks like someone had a few too many drinks and attempted to chop at her fur! See is so kind, though. She thinks she looks beautiful, and licked me, insisting that with time, my skills will get better! Good thing there are no mirrors close to the ground!!

The "Boys" using the pool as a large drinking fountain

Duncan begging "Mommy" to let him out as brother Digby laughs

Doodle getting his "Pedi"

Poor sweet Prinnie after Mom's hack job on her fur!

Today, it's All About Dunkadoodle

As you know, our newest "kid", Duncan has quite a lot on his plate. He has food allergies, environmental allergies (to what we don't yet know) and a yeast infection. After a couple of weeks on a special hypo-allergenic diet, baths with an anti-fungal shampoo and several medications, things were looking up for the little guy. On Saturday and Sunday, we noticed that Duncan wasn't licking, scratching and biting himself. We were elated. Then Sunday night it all started all over again. He was scratching behind his ears, biting his back by the base of his tail, licking his you know what and his paws, sneezing and rubbing his face in his beds. When we woke up Monday morning, he had chewed a spot on his back raw. We were at a loss for what to do for the poor little dog. What on earth went wrong? We were faithful about only feeding him his special food, making sure he got his medications and bathing him per the doctor's recommendations.

Off we went for yet another trip to the vets office. Something had to give for him and for us. Though the vet didn't find any signs of fleas on Duncan, it was clear that something had bitten him on his back, under his tail by his rectum and on the side of his neck. The vet's thinking that perhaps it was something at the Duck Pond, either some errant fleas or one of several other biting bugs. We have monthly pest control and our other dogs don't have fleas. While we were there, the vet took some skin scrapings and checked for other parasites that can burrow under the dogs skin (like scabies). Thankfully, there weren't any, but now there's something else he's allergic to...bug bites.

We were sent home with yet more stuff to treat him with. He has Frontline because it not only kills fleas, but also the other biting insects. He also has an ointment for his hot spots that have a three pronged approach: an antibiotic, an anti-histamine and a localized skin number. And lastly, he now has a hydrocortisone lotion that we use on his coat like a leave in conditioner twice a week.

Because there is no way we can fully protect Duncan from the environmental allergens, and it's clear from his sneezing, face rubbing and paw biting that he has environmental allergies, the vet is highly recommending that we have him blood tested to see just what he is allergic to. Once the results come back, he will have to have allergy shots specifically formulated for him.

Geeesss. I don't even dare ask what else!

A Fun Easter Day

Happy Easter to you and your family!!

We hope you enjoyed your day as much as we did. Shar, the kids and I decided to go to Old Town Temecula to do a little window shopping, have a nice walk on this beautiful spring day, and just enjoy our family time. When we got to Old Town, all of the shops were closed for the holiday, so back in the car and on to the Temecula Duck Pond - another favorite place to take a nice relaxing walk.

This was the first time that the 3-pack had been to the Duck Pond, but we thought it worthy of a good college try. They all were nervously excited, but did really, really well. The two little kids were tethered together (as they are about the same size), and Digby was on his own lead. We didn't know how Prinnie would respond to the hundreds of ducks, both in the water and walking freely on land, but she was a charm, and stole the hearts of many onlookers.

We saw many, many ducks, a bunch of turtles, tons of birds, people and a few other dogs. Some pics of the day are below.....

Too Cute

How can you not have a good day when these three little faces are looking at you.....Duncan is wearing a monkey on his head, and Prinnie and Digby have fresh fur-cuts.

Update on Dunc-a-Doodle (aka: Duncan)

Today marks the 6th day of a potty-free and anxiety-lessened house for Duncan, which is a huge improvement over the previous two weeks. On Tuesday, we went to the vet to pick up a low dose of puppy prozac to help him deal with his extreme separation anxieties. Yes, our boy is on drugs. But if they work, and help him to control his fears so that he can get through and hour without us, it will be well worth it.

Today will be our first test to see how he does if we leave the house. Since Monday, Shar has been with him 24/7. There's only so much animal talk the poor woman can handle before she starts barking for her own bit of freedom to go out and interact with other humans. We'll do some errands today, and see how he responds by watching via our nanny-cams. Fingers crossed!

Prinnie hasn't been too happy this week. She has turned in to Cybil towards Duncan. We are at a loss to describe the satanic sounds that come out of that adorable little white body any time Duncan walks too close to her. It's a mix between a Tasmanian devil, satanic cursing and a raging spit of fire. She has, though, gotten closer to big brother, Digby - often snuggling up with him in the porta-crate we temporarily set up in the living room. Bottom line - she is jealous of having to share her mom and mommy, even though we have dedicated "special" time alone just for her.

Digby? He's great - just goes about his day as if nothing has changed. He's more of the personality of Dugan, who didn't let anyone or anything interfere with her "will do...slipped my mind" attitude.

Two-Cute!!

We couldn't resist posting these two pictures.....Digby and Prinnie decided that they were going to wait out our dinner "park-it" routine in the travel carrier we are using for Duncan when we need to go out. The two are sticking together like glue, and even brought a teddy bear in to sleep with them. Just too sweet!!