As Always, Dancing In My Chair

...but the puppies inside are delightful.

Most of the time.

When they're not being destructo-dogs or oops-I-peed-again demons.

To be honest, the oops are usually our fault as in, "What do you mean you have to go out again? We were just out twenty minutes ago and you went then and you're supposed to be able to hold it for an hour per month so you should be good for four hours...oh, you really did need to go. Dammit. Now, where did I leave the paper towels and vinegar?"

Large flashing neon note to self: Logic has zero significance to puppies who need to go right now.

You could say their alter egos as destructo-dogs are usually our fault, too. After all, if we don't want something chewed on then we shouldn't leave it within their reach. Of course, their reach seems to be extending daily. To make things worse, there's the 'too cute to discipline' problem that Gary and I have. They are learning - and so are we - it's just that they're in the terrible two's right now and can be unholy terrors in-between their heart-meltingly sweet moments.

Oh well, Gary didn't want to read his ski instructor newsletter anyway.

Their sweaters are helpful for keeping them warm and a little dryer in the rain, but we've discovered snow is an entirely different proposition.

Gary takes them outside and they LOVE the snow, but he eventually has to bring them back in because they can no longer move in their snow boots. Those are boots made of snow, not boots we put on them for the snow.

We tried a few different methods for removing the clumps and finally settled on immediately upstairs and into the tub with 2-3 inches of warm water. Tessa is usually unhappy with that solution and is constantly trying to get out of the tub, but Molly will actually sit down in the water and wait contentedly while I deal with her fussy sister. Most of the time, it's just melt, dry, and go, but we still have the occasional bath when mud comes into the picture.

They are still eating up the majority of my day, so I'm starting to get a little worried about finishing my sga_santa story in time, but I will prevail. :-D

...although I believe Tessa could also qualify for gymnastics. She now flies over the gate into the kitchen, launching herself from the second stair and over. She can't manage the trip back, but I'm sure that's only days away. She's exceedingly bouncy. Poor Molly is limited by her much shorter legs, except when she goes for Tessa's belly and flips her over. She may be smaller, but she's tougher.

The sweaters were Gary's idea. I was looking online for lined raincoats for them and he decided they needed sweaters to show their support for their 'sister' who's currently away at law school (Michigan State). He was the one rummaging through outfits at the pet supply store before we even picked up the puppies while I was looking at food and collars and leashes. I had to be the tough mom who pointed out that although the human daughter would go bananas over a puppy dressed like Batman, we didn't know what size to get.

Gary is such a pushover for his babies - my sweet marshmallow man.

It's a gorgeous day here, so after lunch we're off for another walk along the canal (we live very close to the Erie Canal). We've been trying to pack them up and get out to a new venue at least every other day, working on learning to heel and behave politely when they meet other people and dogs.

Yesterday, we had a slightly worrisome encounter with an unleashed Labrador Retriever who didn't respond to his owner's callback. I was crouched down (never an easy proposition with my knees and hips) offering treats to distract the girls and reward them for not barking and suddenly I had a large wet nose in my face and was very glad it wasn't followed by teeth. Meanwhile, the owner is yelling 'those ankle-biters are vicious' and that her dog would end up being bitten and sorry he didn't obey. Right, my dogs were leashed and calmly eating treats - not chasing other dogs or people, lady. Oh well, another walk and lesson today in the sun. :-D

Another fun and busy day with the puppies. Only one accident today (Tessa) - we're getting better at recognizing when it's time to go outside and Molly even went to the door to let us know she needed out.

Oops, make that two. *sigh*

Gary's big chore today was blowing the fallen leaves to the back of our property and the puppies were quite distressed that he was outside without them, so we had to go check things out.

All we could see sometimes was a nose or the tip of a tail because they loved shoving their way into the piles of crunchy leaves.

It was a little tough to get them to pause in their crazy jumping and burrowing through the leaves long enough to capture more than blurs, but Tessa finally cooperated.

Then Molly gave me the eye.

Gary took them on a walking tour of the yard, one of many they've already made.


And then they shared a stick, which was a much better choice than, "Oh my God, what are you eating now? First, leaves followed by a rotting crab apple, then a chilled bee, and now rabbit pellets."


It was bath time when we came back inside so Gary could finish the leaves, and afterward I was stripped down to my very damp bra and sweatpants in the living room when the postman came to the door with a package. Thank goodness it was one of my very sensible bras that I'm certain looked like I'd been exercising. Really, I'm not usually known for flashing strange men. I reserve that for Gary.

I'm still blushing.

When I started this post, I was struggling to stay awake until at least 10:00 PM because falling into bed at 8:00 PM meant I'd be taking my bedtime meds too early and I'd regret it when I woke up at 3:00 AM going 'ow.' We indulged in pizza and wings for dinner because neither of us was up to cooking something healthy and it was impossible to stay awake. Fortunately, I only crashed for about twenty minutes and woke up to an incredibly indulgent smile from Gary because "my three babies are sleeping next to me." That man of mine still has the ability to turn me into mush with a few well-chosen words and a certain look. :-D

And now I'm wide awake and so are the puppies. *sheepish grin*

...the reason(s) for my 10-hour trip today.

>
We picked up two Yorkshire Terrier/Poodle mixes today! They are 12 week old sisters, the last of a six puppy litter. I hated the thought of them being separated (and would have dithered forever on which one to pick) and the breeder had reduced them to half-price, so two for the price of one.

Why yes, Gary does spoil me outrageously. Why do you ask?


Tessa is the larger of the two with greyer markings, while Molly has tan markings and a much darker and thinner face. They have the softest curls, with Molly's a little tighter than Tessa's. As far as personalities go, Tessa is a sweetie who wanted up on the loveseat with me while Molly quite vocally complained about being abandoned on the floor, but didn't want to settle down when she joined us and decided to jump down and continue exploring. They both traveled so well, probably because they had each other to snuggle with in the crate and they're both currently sacked out after their long day - Tessa on my lap and Molly on Gary's.


Not a single sneeze, sniffle, or watery eye on my part and I already love them to bits.