Happy Christmas........

HI All.......happy, happy, happy.........can you believe it, Christmas has passed now and what a bit of a let down. Really seemed like it too forever to get there and then bang it was over and now i am back at work again. It has been kind of gloomy and rainy here this past week so that was kind of nice for the holidays. In fact, it rained all last night and what a nice night of sleep it was. Temps were cool and the patter of rain on the windows as oh so nice and relaxing........not to mention the kids slept all night long. No wandering around as sometimes happens when I don't help with the exercise...........which is more often than i should admit. I suck as good dog exercise mom, but heck they have a big yard and lots of toys and beds so we just deal with the busy nights.

I got that picture of Molly and Kati sharing the outside cushion. As you can see from the two pics....neither mutt is perfectly happy about the whole sharing thing but they are making it work. Kati has been needing some serious pushing to do her business outside. Not sure if the cooler temps, wet grass or what is causing her to relapse a bit. Did get her tested to make sure there is no infection or anything going on but all is good there. I have to admit it seems to be just a case of lazy on her part. Heck, how tuff is it to walk 20 more feet to the backyard from the living room. I mean she has four legs and all, should not be that much work should it.

She and Dobie have been rather cute with their playing lately. More interaction but just not very long. Not sure which one of them gives up first.

All is good in Kati-land.....

Well things are going really well at Kati's place. The weather has turned and she loves being outside. Had a little thunder storm and she sat quietly, very close to me on the couch last night. She does not do furniture or any kind of snuggle but she was on one side and Molly was on the other and no fighting..........or Molly running her off that is. Neither like thunder and we even managed to have some hail so it was a bit noisy for about 5 minutes.

She managed to find a little ear infection last week and is taking her ear drops with no hassle. I guess she figured out they were a good think and made all the itching stop. She and Dobie are playing out in the yard and a bit in the house, more and more. Walks are still very stressful for her so have not been pushing that much..........she really is quite happy in her own little world. And she is my dog for sure..........will sleep and nap just about anytime.

Had company yesterday and she was taking veggie treats by the end of the visit.....she loves food and that makes her my dog as well. Good think someone gets to control her treats. She still has little accidents on the tile when she is nervous, not so much on the carpet anymore that i can find and i look hard for them. She knows where she needs to go, just gets side tracked from time to time. If she knows she needs to go and we make eye contact at the time......she will rush outside and get just barely outside the dog door and do her business, then come rushing back in. The funny thing is, Dobie is a neat freak shall we say, and will not go out the dog door until the mess is cleaned up..........so he stands inside at the dog door and whines until i figure out what has happened and clean the outside for him. It really is kind of funny to watch it all go down. I guess that is all for now, did not think to have out the camera when they were walking in the hail last night.........one day, i will put it all together.

Traveled again......

I left town again for the weekend and the kids did great it would seem.......and Kati let the pet sitter pet her and rub her as well. I say great, but then i don't know if the neighbors agree with that since they are unsupervised at night and probably howling at the moon the whole time. But it is nice to feel good about traveling again and leaving Kati with "strangers". She is a tough cookie and does not warm up will to new faces and voices. She really does make a person work extra hard to get on her good side. Actually it works out better if you do nothing and let her "come" to you.

The cooler weather has put everyone in dog heaven. Lots of running around outside and chasing each other. Not to mention just sitting outside and taking it all in. Our weather really is perfect.

Kati also got groomed this past week and smells all pretty again. She really has turned into a copy of Dobie somewhat, as she sniffs and marks like a boy. Always has her nose down sniffing on something and getting her face into things......and seems to think it is ok to put just about anything in her mouth. Good thing she is smarter than Dobie and does not eat what does not seem to be food. Have a great weekend............we are!!

Happy 1 Year...........

Can you believe it.........one year in Kati-land this past weekend!! Not sure what to say, first of all never thought I would keep up with a doggie blog for a year.... such that it is. Follow through is not one of my strengths when related to home/lisa kind of stuff. If it gets done great.....and then it usually goes by the wayside. Kati is currently curled up in one of the 4 beds here in the office (yes, JS there is a shopping problem......i promise to control for a while). Dobie is on one of the others and Molly is in her apartment (yes, my closet was renamed her apartment a couple of years ago by a friend). She started sleeping there because i used to keep a laundry basket of dirty clothes she loved to hang out in.

So one year..........who knew!!

Kati got a new bed.........

Well my trip out of town was good and the pet sitter said 2 of the 3 visits were good. Gonna try a bit more travel next month and see how it goes with Ashley again. Really did not find any new pee spots in the house so that is always a good sign and Ashley said she ate but still hung out in the closet..........gotta love a big closet for your hide out!!



So have you ever been shopping and got home with something that is much larger in your smaller home than the big store you bought it in. That is what happened with a new bed for Kati at the discount home store. It was only 26 bucks and that is pretty good deal for a big fluffy dog bed and is it ever big. As you can see from the picture, there is room for a couple of dogs on there. But then my kids don't sit/sleep or hang out much where they are touching each other or sharing much of the same space. The big bed is way cool and she likes it, and Molly has even been on it a couple of times so it stays............along with the other dog beds in the house. Lets see, I count 12.........oh and Dobie's crate. So there will be no more dog bed buying until a few are removed from the pack. Man, I really need some shopping therapy. Good thing they don't wear shoes!!

We went for a walk......

So we went for tiny walks this week and actually got in a real walk this morning. Well real being more than two houses away. I have to carry Kati away from the house to walk and then set her down and we walk back home. Today, i took us the other direction and walked on the other side of the street..........and took some treats with me. I cant believe i forget about treats when i want something from the kids.

We managed to walk back past the house and up the other street twice!! This might not sound like much but it was a big deal for us since Kati has really been scared of things outside her big ole back yard. She was very happy when we got back and knew she had accomplished something new today.

Going out of town for the weekend so the pet sitter will be stopping by. Trying Ashley again, as she is less expensive and really does well with Molly and Dobie.........just she and Kati have not hit it off too well. Lets hope since it has been a while Kati has a new outlook on life and Ashley. Only three visits so things cant be all that stressful for them. Details on it all next week.

And then they were gone......

So the company left and everything is back to normal and Kati is herself again. My sister was the one who went with me when i adopted Kati and they actually hit it off at the first meeting better than me and Kati............so Pam takes it pretty personal that Kati growls and barks a bit at her and seems to not have her as her best bud. Kati seems to have an issue with her and i know it is that Pam sends off vibes that let her know she is offended, though not meaning too.

As for the visit, there were probably three or four accidents in the house but for the most part it went ok. Nothing that can't be fixed with Natures Miracle. As usual we always do well outside and at the pool. Think maybe with the humans in the water, she is higher than that are. Kati also went for a dip in the pool and really is not bothered by it all.

Company coming.....

My sister is coming to town tomorrow and Kati will tend to crawl back into herself for a few days if not the whole time. The funny thing about it, is that folks take it personal when Kati does not take to them right off the bat. It really has nothing to do with them at all and they think it does. It is all about Kati and how she feels about the new person being around. Some she takes to faster than others........and there are still a couple she has not taken too at all. It might be the way they look, or smell or talk......but none the less she does things on her time, not the humans.

The weekend was another good one. A couple of potties on the tile but there was some odd stuff going on and i was moving kind of quick with one of those. Quick actions does stress her and that is when she seems to have her accidents. Tile pee is so much better than the carpet. Brat boy Dobie is the one who seems to be marking stuff more lately. I cant possibly give him any more attention, as i don't have any more arms or time. He is getting rubbed and lots of attention so not sure why he is bothered lately. Molly has been cute and lovable and Kati really does want in on some of that. She has been baying at us this morning and making it kind of hard to work.........when she is in need of some tummy rubbing. She gets groomed today and always looks so cute after her bath and haircut.........maybe i remember the picture this time!!

I love this kid....

We had a storm this morning with thunder and lightening and all the good storm stuff. I am a light sleeper so was awake and Molly is a big ole sissy so she was wrapped around my head. Dobie on the other hand, is bugged by the noise and does not like having his sleep bothered. Low and behold I hear a noise from the side of the bed. Kati has run into the remote, i just throw it on the floor when going to sleep and worry about it in the morning.

Kati is a loner for the most part so at bed time she moves between two dog beds in the bedroom. Not sure why one is better than the other but she does make a move in the night (probably to pee on my floor) in between the move but........ so the thunder and lightening scared her and I put her up on the bed beside me and rubbed her a bit. Took her a bit to relax but she eventually did. She has only been on the bed a couple of other times and Molly ran her off pretty darn quick but not last night. Maybe Molly being scared understood she was as well and decided she could stay with us. She stayed up there about an hour and a half and the storm had passed.

All at once she fell or jumped poorly but was gone. Not really sure if she woke up and realized where she was and made a quick exit or woke up and fell off. She was pretty close to the edge but it was really nice to be there for her and her knowing it was ok to come hang out with us on the bed.

And for the fun part last week........she discovered ice chips and is hooked. Or maybe it is the vodka the ice chips come out of. Either way, she thinks they are very cool and will wait beside my cup at the pool waiting for her treat. Once she got it figured out after the first couple of tries, she was hooked. She has become quite the little pest when she hears the ice drop from the frig.

Woohoo..........

So as i mentioned, mornings are Kati's good time.......she rolls on the carpet, scratches on the carpet, claws herself around the carpet sometimes from one side of the bedroom to the other. I worked weird and late last night so was not getting up when she was. She actually got up twice before i even acknowledged that it was time for us all. So she was on the floor waiting patiently for her tummy rubs and basically for her time to be the center of the universe. And let me tell you once i acknowledge her, Dobie is all in middle the middle of it letting me know he is actually the center of the universe and don't forget it!!

Today she was even more needy it seemed. She has figured out the paw thing with pawing my leg if i stop or rub on Dobie too much. Today i let her wiggle between my legs and then broke the cardinal rule...........I picked her up!! But today, she did not resist like usual but let me leave her on her back and cradle, yes i said cradle her in my arms and lap on her back. I can assure you, she has never allowed any touching of any kind where she was not in control and able to leave when she was ready. It was too cool!! It only lasted about 30 seconds but for her to "submit" and enjoy laying in my lap and having her belly rubbed was huge for us both..........stay tuned to see if we can manage it all two days in a row!!

Kati came up missing the other day, not so much missing but not around. She does not just sit and relax much but a couple times now, i have found her sitting by the pool fence just looking at things on the other side. Not sure what she is looking at, but it is very nice to see her just sit and enjoy without worrying about what is going on and always being on the move.

Just taking care of herself......

I got home a few weeks ago and played with the kids as usual and realized Kati was missing her collar. Being a puppy mill dog, she is not allowed to be without a collar due to their desire to run away if given the opportunity. So after searching a bit i found the collar by her bed and it has obviously been chewed off. She is constantly trying to chew on the tags but never gets far....until that time. I figured she must have been stuck on something but the collar was free and i could not figure out what.

Well this morning at about 5:30 i hear her usual collar chewing noise and tell her to stop, and she usually does. So after about three or so times of telling her to stop and it not happening i get up. The poor little thing has her dew claw stuck in the tag loop on the collar and she is just chewing away trying to free herself. She does a morning routine of scratching her neck and the collar moves all about, i guess that is how she got caught last time and had to chew her way out. As you can imagine she can't walk in that condition and must free herself. She did not whimper, cry out or anything when she got stuck. I can only think that it had to hurt just a bit but all looks fine. I find it interesting that she was smart enough not to just yank her paw free...that having torn the dew claw for sure. But had the fore site to chew off the collar if that is what actually happened. And silly me, i did not think to save or take a picture of that collar. Not sure how to get around that. She does not like having the toenails touched and those are getting longer all the time.

Where did the time go......

Gosh, I cant believe we have been away almost two months. What is that all about!! Well, in those two months I have been out of town two of those weeks. Went to the beach in Mexico and to the British Open in, well England of course. I have had a great time both places and as you can imagine the kids did just fine without me here at the house. The regular sitter could not stay with them cuz i changed the dates and she was busy. So they got the two visits a day with a sleep over every third night. This sitter costs me much more money, but Kati sure does like her better than the other for some reason. I am hoping that with time Kati will do better with Ashley cuz she spends the night with them and they get more human interaction when she is here.

They did great, only saw maybe one potty spot in the house and not much else was out of place. Water bowls were not as clean as i like but i guess that can all be worked out. I would really like to get a doggie cam sometime and take a picture of the weeks activity........i have a feeling there is much sleeping going on. The neighbors come by and visit a few times and that is really nice. I know the house is being looked at, and the kids are getting used to another human. However, Neil said he only saw Kati on the first visit and never again. He was not sure where she was hiding......but she was not in her usual spot in the closet. I am thinking she might have been in Dobie's crate. He sure is a real trooper about his crate!! Both the girl get in there and he just calmly waits for them to get out most of the time. He does get a little unfriendly when i am leaving and one of them gets too close, that his his spot you know. I need to find another nice looking crate so there are at least two and then see who ends up in the 2nd one.

Kati is doing great and having a wonder first summer in Arizona. She has been swimming a couple of times and seems to like it. I have not pushed that too much, as i don't want her to be scared. She does come sit by the pool's edge when I am in there and just kind of watches and lets me give her some lovin'. She sits up when she is ready to get in and lets me get her wet to about her belly and then decides she is done. But i will say, she has figured out the water feels nice. She allows me to pick her up almost anytime i approach her now. She stops, curls into a almost a turtle like pose with her head pulled in tight and waits for me to pick her up and give her the hug...... Took her just about seven months to not run from me when i approached and to accept the hug. She finally figured if the other two thought it was ok, maybe she could too!! Pictures and more later........

Hot summer in the city......

So summer has arrived and it is hot, well only 96 now and it is supposed to be 102 today so not so bad really. So with the heat comes me spending a few hours on the pool each weekend. Kati is very interested in the edge and what all goes on in there. So today we got her feet wet and was not happy at the time but seemed to come back for more. My other dogs, when taken into the pool instinctively start to dog paddle before they ever hit the water, she did not do that so will have to be careful as we get more of her wet. I do have a doggie life jacket so might see how she likes that. I have not tried to dress her up in anything, so will be an interesting venture for us. I held her and just got her back feet wet. She wanted out immediately so I set her out and she was very interested in her feet and all that wetness. She is so funny to watch as she discovers something new.

The garage door to the house really seems to be a big deal for her. She has decided is kind of fun i guess to go on the house from the garage entrance and then run and meet me back outside when i come from another direction. I was reluctant to play that game as there are cars and many spot is could not get to if she decided to get "lost" in the garage, but so far she is fine with the circle.

This week has been a big week for us. In the past if i wanted to pick her up for any reason, i pretty much had to corner her in a room or corner. Well this week, she has decided to stop once i start to approach her rather than run away. She does cower in her tracks, stops and waits for me to pick her up. She still will not make eye contact when i ma holding her but it is so cool she is not running away from me anymore..........what is next, maybe sleeping on the bed!! That is something we will have to clear with Molly. And i do have to say, Miss Molly has been way cute the last few weeks. She has been very happy, very social and darn right lovable. Hot weather is her time of the year i think......and maybe she is deciding Kati might just be ok.

Dobie got his first gecko of the summer this past week. He got a big one and was very proud of his kill.......let him outside this time and did not bring him in to show me. I really do appreciate that.

Company for the weekend....

Well had a guy visit last weekend and Kati was not too keen on that. They never did kiss and make up, when i look back on things i probably should have let him hold her for a bit to see he was not all bad. But did find out something new.........she does not like people with ball caps on!! I put one on a couple of weeks ago on my way to the pool and she was a little bit barky when i look back on things. It came off as soon as i got in so did not think much of it again.........until Glen put his cap on and she pretty much went off. So no ball caps for Miss Kati for a while it seems.

She and Glen never did hit it off but after he was gone, she kept looking for him down his hallway. We did have some friends over one night and she was pretty interested and was out and about with us. She really does well with new women friends that visit her.........men are hit and miss that is for sure.

She is playing more and really likes going to the swimming pool already. Dobie plays with her and Molly is thinking about it. I catch her following Molly every once in a while but she is just not ready to play with Kati. She shares all her stuff and beds with her, but not her time it would seem. I am sure Molly will surprise us all one day. Not like she does much playing at all but i am sure she will come around.

What the hell........

Hell would be the optimum word today. So unless you have lived in AZ....you wont be able to relate. Yesterday was our first 100 degree day of the year, 103 or something. Today rolls around and we have our first 110, and this is something new for AZ......break 100 and then hit 110 the next day!! Kati is still trying to figure out why she now lives in and oven!!

Molly hated her first summer here, i had to pick her up and physically carry her outside. This evening, she was out there sitting on the sidewalk while i was in the pool with a beer..........Dobie was chasing God knows what along the walls.........and poor Kati, could not figure out what the hell had happened to her new, cool living place. She kept trying to stay outside with us, but was doggie smart enough to know that it was cooler inside. We don't usually get hot, like instantly, but today we did and it was a bit uncomfortable.........even for us locals!!

We are all back in the house now, it is only 104 at 6:51 PM.........and there will be more days like this. It is only the beginning!! I know my little girl will make it, just might take a summer or two. I also know, she will learn how to stick just her head out the doggie door to look around, with her behind nice and cool hanging out in the inside with the AC!! Dobie will teach her that trick in no time at all!! And it is just as funny to watch as it sounds reading about it!! (i gotta remember the camera better!)

This is Kati, all cute and cool..........inside!!

All really is good.....

Kati is coming into her own it would seem......i think she "smiles" at me sometimes. But then i am the human and see things that aren't really there sometimes. She has almost decided she does not need to run from me anytime I want to pick her up. We had a little spring storm yesterday and she came to me for safety from the thunder and wind. She and Molly were both at my feet looking for some saving and a lap to be in. You would think that after 12 years, Molly would not be such a sissy with the storms.........she really is better than she used to be but still needs to be very close during all the noise.

Molly is doing so well this spring with her allergies since I put her on the raw food. No paw chewing at all for about three months now and only one breathing weirdness that i know of. I was a hard head with all the reports of the raw food curing the doggie allergy problems. Dobie is half way there and will be on all raw within the next week. He won't know what to do with the top of his paws to chew on. And who knows, maybe even the fur will come back.....LOL!!

So back to Miss Kati......she really has decided that she can do things on her own. Like go out in the backyard and scout for poop. She has become quite the little poop hunter. She barely gives me time to pick it up. I already feed her more than her missing ribs need but on the days i have cut back she really acts hungry very early before it is feeding time. So back to normal portions for her and maybe she will eat/scout for less poop.

She likes to switch up beds a lot. She used to need to be in site of me but i keep finding her more and more heading off to the bedroom and getting in her little bed. All at once i notice she is missing so have to go bother her......the minute you look at her, she has to get up and go see what i am doing. Just like i am checking her out........ Oh, and we had grooming day again this week.

I sent her out to the trailer all by herself and it went great. She has the cutest haircut yet and i need to take a picture for here. Deb can do everything but her toenails, and even with me there she will not allow those to be touched. I rub her feet daily to try and get her used to that little job, but no such luck yet.

Her and Dobie are going to daycare again tomorrow..........seems she really does like going on visits there!!

All is good....

Doggie daycare again.....

Katie and Dobie went to daycare again and seem to be having quite the time. I drop them off for two hours and this time when they came home Kati was even worn out.

Seems as if Kati is really getting along well with her daycare family especially Mom Sandi......i have to say this picture makes me a bit jealous as she never looks this relaxed when i hold her. But i do have to admit, when i am holding her i usually want something. I am working on holding her more just to be holding her and for it not to be for a chore.

Dobie really is having a good time too it seems, but then you all know he has always been the social butterfly of the family. He truly is just about having a good time and playing with buddies, he does not have a mean bone in his body unless a big kid gets kind of ruff with him. Since this is all going so well........i am sure they will be back for more. Kati gets home and seems just a bit more relaxed each time. This week after her visit, she seems to be very comfortable with just laying down where ever we are and sitting for a bit. Nice to see her starting to relax a bit.

And some other things....

So i have typed this a couple of times now so will keep it short in case it get to do it a third time. Daycare went really well. Both Kati and Dobie had fun, will the pictures of Dobie say he did. Kati still looks kind of scared shitless. So we will go back again this weekend and try it all over. They were both just fine when we got home, so i know it was all ok.

Kati has finally decided that the come home hug is ok....sort of. When i get home from work, both Molly and Dobie come rushing up to me and are wild little animals. I pick each one up and the get a doggie hug. Well twice now Kati has cowered down shortly after and let me pick her up for a doggie hug as well. She still refuses to make any eye contact when i hold her but she is allowing it a bit more each week. She will actually stop moving sometimes when she knows i am trying to pick her up for some reason......usually some sort of grooming effort. I will say, once i get her started in the combing or butt clean up, she is very tolerant and lets me finish without much resistance. She does appreciate it all.....later, and i do have some pics to get out there.

Bugs...

Seems Kati likes to disappear into the night and chase bugs under the lights. As the temps have warmed up and the bugs starting to comet out, Kati has a new love. All at once I noticed she would be gone for long times at night. Found her in the back yard, chasing the little bugs that are coming out now and hanging out near lights or light coming from windows and such. She seems to enjoy it all quite a lot.......

Six months in Kati-land.....

Well, we made it........six months!! Kati made it and the rest of us made it......well, Molly still won't let her on the bed but other than that we are in great shape. Kati and Dobie are going to their first few hours a doggie daycare this afternoon. Found a pet sitter nearby and that does day care so going to give it a try this afternoon. We passed the visit, i guess i should say they passed!! She was checking us out and all a long i was doing the same. Making sure the house was safe and secure and not too mention.........very clean!!

As for other things going on. Kati is settling into her little world. I have caught her just sitting in the house, outside in the grass, outside on the sidewalk.....surveying her little kingdom of dog!! Those are probably some of the most relaxed times I see her except maybe at night. I know she is happy at night when i hear her having little dog dreams. That makes me feel, she feel safe enough to sleep that hard and not have to worry about what is going on around her or who might be in to scare her. The neighbor dog has been unusally quite lately, so that means Dobie is quiter and everyone is happier and more relaxed. If Dobie barks at the top of his lungs, it still scares Kati but not as much as it used to. She just comes in the house at normal speed rather than bolting in like she has been shot out of a canon. I gotta wonder what that is like when flying thru the dog door....LOL.

Her and Dobie are playing more and more these days. It used to be just on the mornings, but not it can be any time of day and they seem to get really active right after the sun goes down. They disappear outside for a bit and then come in the house at warp speed with Kati chasing Dobie......it is very cute.

More later and some pics.........bye for now!!

The tail wag....

Oh my God.....it finally happened........or i finally got to see it, Kati wagged her little nub of a tail. She and Dobie were having quite a time playing on morning last week and they both came flying into the house from play and she was all happy and her little nub was just rocking back and forth just enough for everyone to notice.

She and Dobie seem to play more and more, when he is feeling good. I really need to get the new doc to check him out and see if maybe she can figure something out. He seems to be holding up his left rear leg more and more lately. However, i did notice that when i walk him he tends to keep them all on the ground as he gets tired. It does seem also seem that when he does his morning stretches he is somewhat hesitant to really get into the whole thing......like he can only move so far before he is uncomfortable. On the other hand, the geckos are coming into season and he is hot and heavy chasing them. I have seen a couple this spring and they are kind of big, if he gets a kill he will be very proud!!


And another first this week for Miss Kati.........she finally figured out the flower box wall that Dobie runs away from her on. She can't get up from the middle yet, but she certainly has figured out to go the low part where Molly gets up and can walk the whole thing now. She is a bit hesitant to jump down but does seem to be getting over that pretty darn quick. I have also "caught" her just sitting in the yard. As I like to say with the other two.....surveying their empire!! It rocks she getting comfortable enough to stop all the movement, sit and enjoy the day. Our weather is getting warm and it is just perfect out in the mornings.....they do seem to disappear for a bit and got out and just enjoy. Can hardly wait until she will lay down and nap with Molly out there.

So as I have said, she is very affectionate and cute in the mornings before getting all nervous. She rolls around on the carpet and has come to expect i will be down there to rub her back, legs, belly........just about head to toe now. And as you might expect........someone (Dobie) spends his mornings getting in between her and I and that is pretty darn cute. Good thing i have two hands or there would be a problem. He really has always been the attention hog when anyone other than him is not getting rubbed all over. Well on weekends, I tend to go back to bed after our little wake up session and so if she is not ready for all that will come try to get up on the bed. So this weekend, i picked her up and set her up there with all of us. She was nervous but was ok with it. Dobie jus kind of looked at her and sat there............Molly on the hand, if she could talk, she would have been saying.........."I know you are not serious with her being up here. This is my giant bed and there is no room for HER!!" So Kati decided to move, and as i expect was charged off the bed by Molly........it was kinda cute and pretty much what i expected. They will have to work that one out on their own, as I am sure Molly will make very clear the plan!!














And finally, princess Molly!!

I remembered the camera.....

So it was bath time again and i did remember the camera. Being a puppy mill kid, Kati did not not develop all those normal dog grooming skills right off and she is still working on some of them. For instance, when she first came to live with us.....a diggleberry did not bother her much. Now she pretty much drags her ass all over until it is off but it might take a day or two unless i can catch her and help out. So we have decided she will get a bath once a month and some grooming. That is Deb holding her after her haircut and as you can see it is not too bad. She really does not mind getting trimmed much until we get to her paws. She lets me pay with her feet ok some but sure does not like them being trimmed or toenails being cut either. At least she did not yesterday and i don't like fighting her to get it done.....so no toenails yesterday.


She really hates i would say, the bath part of it all. And i don't know if heard or read, that her cage may have been cleaned by just hosing it all down without taking her out. But either way, she does not like the whole water thing. And you can certainly tell by that picture below. The one above she is deciding that Deb might not be all that bad during the soapy, washing part. And you really can see moments during the warm water part, she might have been ok with it all.

This picture really does say it all for Kati....she is scared to death many times with something new and it is this face that probably causes me the most distress. But i do have to say, after her bath and we are back in the house........she is very happy to be clean and fresh it seems. She runs around gets all dried off, and knows she is all fresh and clean. We love Deb, she comes to the house in her truck and just kind of go through each dog. Dobie got all cleaned up and pretty yesterday.......he was starting to stink too!! They have been playing more, running around and chasing each other..........very cute, but they do get kind of smelly and with the temps warming up......well, you know.....stinky dogs!!

Molly even got her toenails done, so everyone is good to go for another month. I am thinking maybe i try the kitchen sink bath with Kati. That is how Molly gets her bath and it works just fine. However, Kati might be better off in the bathroom.....the drop/leap will be much shorter if she gets away. Anyway.........thinks are good and clean this week. Have a new resolution to walk at least one dog a day........lets see how we do!!

Mud.......

So this is Kati when she decides it is bedtime. She has finally gotten to where she will go into the bedroom on her own and go to her little bed. It is really cool now that she knows that is her bed and she can go there anytime she wants. Molly does tend to poach during the day time on the spot but Molly is all about the bed when night time arrives. Kati is not into the bed yet, but she does know that is where all the action is when Dobie is up there and in the mood to play. He jumps off and on kind of attacking her a play time. I just know she will follow him up one day. Rumor is the pet sitter "caught" her up there my last trip so i know she knows how to get up there. Not that there is room for three dogs on the bed!!

So it is pretty much spring in AZ and well that means time to have the sprinkler system checked out. And as $650 bucks would have it, there were some problems and a leak. The guys came out, rerouted a line that had busted under the patio, replaced some heads and found another leak in the year. All that work, has resulted in some mud.......and you guessed it, two of the dogs like mud. Go figure it is both of the girls. I dont think either have ever had much reason to see and get into any real mud before and of course it is not a problem for either. Dobie has held up his image a a sissy boy and will not have any part of getting his paws messy. The two girls are all into the mud. I did put some fertilizer on this weekend that is bone meal based and both the girlie dogs are eating those little grains as fast as they went down. No, not bad for them but not all that good either..........they will be fine and i think most is melted into the ground now. Funny to see them digging up to their ears looking for the little grains in the mud. And yelling to get out, only kind of works.

Kati and Molly are really enjoying the warm up. They both seem to be spending more time out in the yard just laying around and checking it all out. The minute i get there for a pic, they are both up and headed my way looking to see what i am up too. Gotta figure out a faster way to get the picture!! Headed out of town for a couple of days......Kati is not real fond of the pet sitter but she is going to have to learn to get along with some other humans........as we are not all bad.

Hello.....and she will work for food!!

Hi there......we have been away for a while but not just sitting around. Kati has met the lawn mower and the sewing machine. Yes the lawn mower in Feb.......i have been mowing up my dead grass since Jan. now. I have a huge backyard by AZ standards and i am now on my 5th giant trash can of scraped off dead grass and i am sure i will need to get to a sixth. The nice thing is that there is green coming up now too. Kati quietly goes into the house when she sees the mower and does not come out until i put it away in the garage.

On the other hand Dobie is all into mowing and likes to bark at the mower when it is running. He is certainly the noisy child and likes to be heard!! He likes to go from one side of the yard to the other dog talking to his neighbor buds. The funny thing is, he is never the initiator. We can be in the yard minding our own quiet business and he hears a barker several houses away and must respond to the call of the wild. Kati has almost figured out he is crazy and does not let his noise bother her so much anymore. She does not bolt into the house at warp speed anymore but kind of walks fast back to the door while he does his thing. Little brat!!

I am not sure if the sewing machine noise or the cords bothered her but we made it through that little venture and i got my pants shortened. Yes, i can sew......when you are short and want to wear pants it really is a necessity. Oh and we did a thunder storm the night before last. She was forced to be scared and allow me to pick her up during the loudest part and hold her. It think Molly was jealous as she has been the big storm baby in the past. She moves and can't decide what to do, i think she would have been fine with being held too, but she sat beside us. It was over pretty quick and Kati could not wait to get down. We all went back to bed and slept well.

She met her Dr. a couple of weeks ago. A doggie Dr. that comes to the house.....she is all cool and touchy feely and all into her dog patients. She changed up our flower essences and i think there is a change in her as a result. She also told me to make her work for food and she is doing her business much better outside..... So we don't go outside without treats now and if she pees or poops she come running for one. She is on to the deal and it seems to be working. And it is going to get a new fake wood floor in my office.........so i guess her bad habits have not been all in vain.....LOL. She seems to be going out more on her own and just wandering in the backyard. And that is really all it is about. Sit back relax and enjoy your big ole yard. I did cancel my April cruise, just did not think I wanted her forward progress to be damaged by me being gone for 12 nights. The last short trip i was on, did not go so well i thought and need to meet with the pet sitter again........

Anyway.......things are good and we promise not to stay away for so long. And that picture up top....Kati tries hard to follow Molly but Molly is not into sharing her space. Not sure what they were looking at but it was one of the few times they were both in sync and Kati was trying to be cool like Ms. Molly!!

The Tummy Rub!!

Guess what.....Kati has a tummy!! And i got to rub it for the very first time today!! So i have mentioned about the morning back rubs for Kati before........well today during our morning rub, she slowly turned over on her back and gave me her tummy to rub. I had never even seen it before. That was certainly off limits to the humans and never to be shared. I was not sure what she was doing until she let her head relax and her warm little belly was there for the rubbing. She let me do that for a few minutes, until the punk Dobie..........always afraid he will not get his share, busted his little head in for some loving too. It was over as quick as it stated. I think she has been watching each morning when we all wake up and I rub on Molly and Dobie. If they were all cats, i am sure there would be purring.

Bath Day!!

So Thurday was bath day and it started pretty well. Everyone got up happy and perky and Kati even managed to get busted chewing on a little blanket she pulled off the couch....it was very cute as you can see from the picture. Earlier in the day she managed to drag her ass all over the living room rug. Seems she has some leftovers from her chew bone the day before....fun clean up effort for me and another reason for that fabulous bath I knew was coming later in the day. When i did finally get her captured and it is indeed a capture event......as she does not come to me just to be coming to me like the other dogs. (Sorry about the crappy picture)

Dobie and Molly will come to me just about any time and certianly don't run from me. They know i am good people and there is no reason to run. Kati is starting to figure out that getting a back rub is not half bad and when i do manage to hold her, she does actually relax in my lap for a bit. But anyway, once captured and i got her into the bathroom......her behind was icky and there was not enough butt dragging she could have done to get cleaned up. So the agenda for bath day was going go be front and back end work!!

I screwed around and waited too long to try and start capturing her for her grooming. Once the hunt was on, she was on to me and was going to have not part of anything i had to offer. I feed her treats and tried to pin her in the office, then the bedroom........and well you can probably imagine. So in all this drama Dobie decided it was play time with a squeezy ball. And just so seems that this ball is loud and Kati does not do loud. So the loud ball sent her into the office under the desk, with Dobie and I to follow and the door was closed. Trapped at last!! and only 1/2 hour to grooming time. So i got her captured, collared and leashed and just decided to hold her for the next 1/2 hour..........and it was not all that bad!! She survived and so did Dobie, whinning at my feet to either be up there too or have her down with him!!

And of course, forgot all about the camera for bath time again. But we did get her face all cleaned up........probably a bit too short but she will grow out. And best of all, got her backside all cut up and shortened for better clean up on both our parts. Due to her puppymill upbringing, she is not into the basic cleaning that most dogs will do. She is coming around but it is no big deal for her to walk in poop or just run thru some pee from time to time. The other two.....especially Dobie, will step around in a huge way or even stop and go back.........before going near others business. He is a real snob about it all, wont drink old water either. And by old, i mean older than 12 hours. Goes up to the bowl, sniffs and walks away!!

A Much Better Week....

Welcome back to normal....sort of. Your mind wanders a lot when something like suicide hits your world...........but all i can do is better, cant go back and change what has already happened. So as I was saying, the regular pet sitter who spends the night was not available and i was convinced that the twice a day pet sitter would do fine and besides.....Kati really does better when no one is around. It is the other two that end to run rampant in the yard and bark just to hear themselves i think. So Rhonda the twice a day visit pet sitter is way into cats and not dogs for the most part, but she came over to meet Kati and said she was just like the feral cats that she finds from time to time. Needless to say they got along just great and Kati did not even spend as much time in the closet as she did when Ashley was at the house. But then she is getting much better around people in general.....well she does still pretty much run from me unless in the morning.

Mornings are our best time!! She lets me rub on her just about any where, she will some sit on the ground near me and stay there until i quite rubbing her or she decides she is done. Some days it is a very long time, others just a minute or two. This morning she did not even get out of her bed until i was totally ready for work, which was a first. But then now that i think of it, Molly who is always last got up first and Dobie and Kati were both last and dragging their feet. She just loves to potty on my rubber mat right out side the back door and now Dobie has decided he likes it as well. I have started to push it further and further away from the door but with the rain yesterday i think it really helped with them having some place to go that was not in the rain. Molly being the sweetheart that she is, will go out in the rain anytime and just hang a while. She is however, very opposed to thunder and lightning. We have not had much of that since Kati came to town, it will be interesting when the summer monsoons arrive because they can be very noisy indeed.

So we missed a week of puppy class when i was out of town last week but this week we had major breakthroughs if you ask me. So the first week she curled up in the corner and did not leave until i picked up up and class was over with. This past Saturday started out the same way but something happened halfway through class where she decided a walk around the room might not be so bad. We went around the perimeter or the room 4-5 times and walked past and around the other 4 dogs like it was no big deal. She really has no issue with other dogs and were bothered less by them than they were of her. She is the smallest dog in the class and the other most scared dog is a huge German Shepard, named Jerry. I think her and Jerry are trying to bond a bit and the other dogs she just walks around and mostly ignores them and distracts them from their training. She hates the clicker noise so there will really be no training along those lines but getting out and about does her good and she seems to really like car rides!! Now if i could just get her caught easier when i need to have her in had. She gets her second haircut this week and we will try and trim a few toenails!!

The real world arrived last week......

Smile Dobie!! OK well at least he did not run away but let me take the picture. He is the cool dude, just waiting for spring when there will be geckos to chase in the yard again.....

The real world arrived this past week. It has been pretty nice here in Kati-land doing the new dog thing and just living life day to day and seeing good in all. Last Sunday I get one of those after 10pm phone calls......you all know them, the one you are afraid to answer!! You know it will not be good news and sure enough it was the worst kind possible. My 31 year old niece, Jessie, had killed herself. My family is as far from the Walton's as you can get and there was no doubt thanks to caller ID this would be crappy phone call but ........gosh, how could it possibly be this crappy. I was expecting someone to be dead......but an older person. Not someone younger, vibrant and down right out beautiful .....her whole life ahead of her. Jessie has been "sick" for a quite a few years but either i never "heard" or wanted to hear that is was this bad. So as you can imagine, going back home to Kansas this past week was not much fun.....not to mention the 12 degree mornings they were having with day temps not getting much past 32. I just don't do cold so well anymore you know!!

I had not been home to Wichita in over 11 years and i really don't have a good answer for why not. I have always said, come see me in AZ.......i have seen all of Kansas i really wanted too!! It was a good visit i guess. Saw all 7 brothers and sisters some of those not seen in the 11 years.....funny how we can all manage to get together for a funeral. What is that all about anyway?? Why not get together while every one is alive......doh! Saw a few friends, met grand nieces and nephews i had never met. Funny how others are aging and not me....ha ha ha! Weird thing was i stayed with the friends that bought the house i grew up in.....weird in that the dreams were creepy and probably won't be staying with them again. I slept in the same bedroom i used to share with my sister and have fights in. I will have to give them credit.....they finally put a shower in that bathroom upstairs. Gotta wonder why Daddy only made it a bath and we had to run up and down stairs growing up to use the bathroom with the shower??

Kit (my sister) is doing pretty darn well i would have to say. She is very relieved not to go to bed each night now worrying about her daughter........and what kind of torment the next day will have for her. The voices, the people watching her......i can go on, but i think you understand. More later.......this makes me sad and need to give it up for a while. Sorry for the downer, but reality i guess even has to come to the happy dogland too.

P.S....regular dog sitter was not available, so all three "kids" would have to spend their nights alone....without a human in the house!!

What's going on lately??

So this has been a week of toys and games. Kati is learning to play ball in the yard, or chase Dobie not sure which she is doing just yet. She has to watch us a bit and then decide she can come out and play. She chases Dobie and then decides she needs the ball. As you can see above there is no shortage of toys for them to play with as well. They don't play with much for long but i think they like making the mess for me to push back into a corner for them to pull out again. She and Dobie have also started to play a bit more. He likes to play bite face and legs and she is just not sure what that is all about. Now if she will just let him clean her eyes, maybe between the two of us she will not look so scruffy.

Seems like there was more this past week or so, but i did not do a very good job of writing thing down to help me remember. She really has figured out that the kitchen area provides food and anytime i go near there she is right on my heels just sure there will be treats....and most of the time there is.... I did have to switch her water bowl last week.....she decided it was cute to dump out the water and play with the bowl. She has a big ole crock bowl now and the one time she tired to dumpy the noise and weight of it all scared her so that little game is over for now..

So that is Molly in the picture and i have to Kati credit for bringing her out of the closet. See Molly has lived in my closet for many years. It all started with her liking to hang out in the laundry basket that was in the closet. Well, she hurt her back on year hopping in and out so the basket came out but she decided to stay in. This is a picture of Molly having found a home in Pam's suitcase when she visited earlier this month. Molly is a loaner and would be fine as an only dog but i refuse to allow her to win. Kati decided her closet was a safe place and started hanging out with her in there and now Molly has decided she does not like it anymore. So she is on the bed, the couch, hanging in the back yard ......very fun to see her socializing in her old age. She does go back there some but for the most part she is some place i can see her and know she is still #1. (and she is!!)

The Holidays and Beyond!!

So once we got through the bath it was all downhill from there. Sister Pam came to visit. Pam was with me when i adopted Kati and they really seemed to get along well.....however, Kati did not seem to remember things that way and really took all four days to get used to Pam. Even was barking at her a few times. I really think it is the high pitch of Pam's voice, when talking to her, that bothers her. It would seem that the times it caused barking was when Pam would talk in a higher pitched voice........oh well, she is gone now and nothing seems quite normal.

Yesterday afternoon i was play ball with Dobie, and low and behold......after about 5 minute or so Kati comes running out to get in the action. She chased Dobie when he would chase the ball, it was very cute!! She played with us for about another 10 minutes and even picked up the ball once. I thought she was going to run with it but it was a false alarm. It was very nice to see her doing normal dog things and running at full speed in the yard. I just never know when she will decide it is ok to be a dog and let down her guard. It was a good night for sure........cuz after that.....Nat Geo DogTown was on and there she was with all the other Nebraska puppy mill rescues on the tv. I knew Animal would be featured but had no idea Kati would be seen as well. Certainly did not know they had filmed the rescue and that she got to BestFriends.org in a plane. How cool is that!! I have to admit i was a little jealous of Animal, he seemed to play more than Kati does with other dogs but then maybe she will just be a bit slower to trust and let others in.

And speaking of trust and in......she went to her first dog class today. She pretty much never left her corner once we got there. She had a great car ride and was pretty much scared and withdrawn at class. I know each week will be better and the point is she is getting to be around other dogs and people. She has been running more in the yard and doing business out there as well. I took her straight out there after class, closed the dog door and she ran around with the other like i wild woman and did her business........gotta love it. When i don't stress about it all, she does just what she is supposed to. I really would have liked for her to be a bit more open in class but i think that will come with time. Shannon has seen the show last night but did not know Kati was one of the rescue dogs until i said something when she was talking about the show. It certainly opened my eyes even wider to where she had been and what she had been through. No pressure and just lots of love .......she will come around when she is ready or not. Either way, she is staying and will be loved. Dobie has some training this afternoon........trying to control the barking and leash walking......wish us luck!!