And so it begins..

Yes, it has happened. Torean has gotten his first cyst under his left leg. And it was only by pure accident that it was found. Thankfully we already had a vet appointment made for Torean so hopefully this will be taken care of. Torean seems oblivious to it all, but I think he knows the dreaded vet is coming. I am hoping this will be Toreans first and last cyst, and what a place to get it!!

The Dreaded Grains

Yes, grains are apparently the enemy for our beloved and mischievous Norwegian Elkhound puppy. Since Torean has been on his salmon and sweet potato dog food we have seen a tremendous change in him. His bowl is cleaned when he gets his food, and his coat has become so soft and fluffy. It is a relief to see the changes in Torean after our first incident with the hot spot. I hope we never have to go through it again for his sake. Having to be good in a collar is such torture you know, and we dread the inevitable knee knocks from him. Through all of this we have come to realize that Torean's grain allergy is pretty severe so we have to be extra careful he does not get into them, including keeping him from surfing his favorite spot,  Simon's crate. When Torean does get grains he almost instantly gets to gagging and throwing up to the point we are worried sick about him. When it passes he is back to his normal self, which as you know from previous blogs, means giving us gray hairs when we are not shaking our heads at him. When Torean and Simon are together, the aforementioned emotions increase in fold, and we are resorted to basically emptying the room out to save things from total dest ruction. Calm has not entered their vocabulary yet, but their bond is stronger than ever. Torean will be lost when Simon visits the vet for his neutering and micro chipping, and the healing separation will be awful for all of us! Simon is growing very well with his own quirks and habits including tormenting our shoes and the cats who have lost patience with him. His vision is still spotty but he functions so well now that we often forget he has problems seeing, especially when he is raising trouble which as you know by now almost always involves Torean. With Christmas coming and two puppies in the house, the Christmas tree does not stand a chance in hell of surviving, and the fragile ornaments will stay put away until they both calm down. But come Christmas morning, the discarded wrapping paper will be fair game for them along with their christmas stockings to keep them busy. I hope to have plenty to put up during that time, and if I do not write until them, enjoy your Christmas everyone. Happy Paws!!!

The Love of a Medicine Pet

I can't believe it has been as long as it has since I wrote a blog. I am definitely slipping, or suffering from severe writers block. Not sure which actually, but here is my attempt to put one out tonight since I love writing this blog so much. And as always, the topic will be about Torean, our goofy, loveable, socially obnoxious LoveHound. Tonight Torean has done something that never fails to amaze me, and can almost bring a tear to my eye. The love a medicine pet can show. My husband threw his back out again this morning, so he is stuck in the chair with his heating pad so that he does not hurt himself more and end up on the floor in pain like last time. It has been this way all day so I took Torean outside to his kennel so he could enjoy this beautiful day. The second I brought him inside Torean calmed right down, and marched over to my husband sitting on his feet and looking at him with nothing short of absolute love. Now Torean is sound asleep on his feet. The second Will shifts or moves Torean is instantly awake to make sure Daddy is ok before he goes back to sleep. The last time Will hurt his back I waited until he was mostly recovered before I let Torean see him. Torean ever so gently jumped up on his lap and laid down, ears back so far they were almost touching, and he laid there like an Elkhound puddle until I finally had to put Torean on the floor so I could adjust the heating pad for Will. All of our animals, past and present have had some form of medicine petery (is that even a word?)but none of them had had it to the extent Torean does. He has been devoted to Will from the second he chose him, and it only deepens as Torean gets older. Torean loves all of us, don't get me wrong, but he definitely has a soft spot for Will. A special dog we love more and more each day <3


  Since I have not written awhile I might as well update on what our therapy hound has been up to. A few weeks ago Torean got his very first hot spot and we had to take him to the vet to have it looked at. It turns out that Torean has a possible grain allergy, so in order to make sure he stays healthy, Torean is not getting any grains whatsoever. He is on Aqualuk dog food, and so far it seems to be making a huge difference in him. Torean has an appetite again, and his fur has become so fluffy and soft. But during his recovery he of course had to wear a cone, which meant limited play time with Simon, and limited time outside to keep the wound clean. Torean decided to take out his boredom on our knees, and his cones. Two plastic cones, a blue soft collar, and a donut all bit the dust within a few days of him wearing them. Torean proved that he was not only determined, but very flexible. He proved that the donut could not stop him from licking that tasty hot spot, and the soft collar could be moved back so he could do the same thing. He also proved that he was too smart to take his pills. Pill pockets did not fool him for long so it became a twice daily battle of giving him the pills then distracting him with a treat so he would swallow the pill pocket to get the treat. All of this became a joke at the vets office but it was all worth it to have our baby boy healthy and happy again. Ok, I am done being gooey about Torean :) Have a great week everyone.

Lessons We Learn Having Two Puppies...Part Two

Since I am still struggling a bit with writers block, I thought I would branch out from another blog and bring up the new lessons we have learned as Moose Mutt and Baby Shark are getting bigger.


Lesson Twenty One (continued from the other blog post)

   When playing with Moose Mutt, do not put your face down near him because you will either get a face full of warm puppy fart, or a deliberate sneeze (anyone with an Elkie will get this)


Lesson Twenty Two,

   When Baby Shark is full, or feeling very hyper after a session with Moose Mutt do not think that picking him up to put him in his crate is a good idea, because Baby Shark will either sink his weight straight to his butt so you nearly drop him, or he will let some very nasty puppy farts in hopes this will get him out of crate time.


Lesson Twenty Three,

   When it comes time to flea Moose Mutt and Baby Shark it is a good idea to separate the boys because word will get around that the dreaded vial is out and you not only have to chase down the remaining puppy but the cats in the house as well. And nobody wants to go that route.


Lesson Twenty Four,

   Do not assume that a basket full of toys will be shared equally between Moose Mutt and Baby Shark. No, they instead choose to pass their time by fighting over the same poor toy that eventually will have to be taken away to be sewn up extending its life just a little bit.


Lesson Twenty Five,

   The store sales on dog toys are your best friends, so is buying a particularly durable toy in bulk so that the children can continue to fight over their beloved same toy.


Lesson Twenty Six,

   When the boys are fighting it is wise to put up feet, and any valuable electronics because chances are the fighting will come to you, and you may or may not get caught up in another deliberate sneeze because Moose Mutt does not always get his aim right.


Lesson Twenty Seven,

   When taking both children out to play, be prepared to have long leashes on both dogs, and be prepared that you will spend most of the play session untangling leashes, and that both boys will play until they are tired and you have to carry the growing little Baby Shark inside, which is a chore in itself.


Lesson Twenty Eight,

   Moose Mutt loves his Kong Wobbler and he is incredibly skilled at launching it across the room. Be prepared that you will inevitably be hit by it more than once, or that he will shoot it just right and knock Baby Shark over thus starting another play session.


Lesson Twenty Nine,

   Baby Shark is just that, a baby, so it is expected that he will think the cats are his own personal play toys, and that he will think biting the grumpy one in the tail is great fun, which causes the grumpy one to become offended and use you as a launching board so that she can make it into the dining room for safety. Once Baby Shark gets a warning scratch across the nose he will then come to you with that wondering look on his face, with the awe I was just playing attitude.


Lesson Thirty,

   And this is another good one, poop bags are your friends, and whoever invented the decorative bone you can hang from your belt loaded with poop bags, is a genius. When taking Moose Mutt or Baby Shark for a walk, do not think that one poop in the yard will be enough, no, after walking and playing, they will decide that the neighbors lawn makes an excellent potty spot and you will then become a balancing expert holding said dog and picking up poop. I have become quite skilled at this thanks to Baby Shark, who finds the pickup process hysterical.


Lesson Thirty One,

   And the final lesson for this blog, cords, cords, and more cords. Cords are a nightmare when you have a three month old puppy, and even more so when Moose Mutt comes into the monkey see monkey do stage of having a baby brother. If Baby Shark can do it, Moose Mutt thinks he can to, and it is double the trouble and the gray hair. Nut brothery at its finest I tell you.


   This concludes another blog about the adventures of having two puppies, and again, please, in no way think that I am complaining about Simon or Torean. This is another blog meant to be nothing other than silly. Both Torean and Simon are precious to us, and even though Simon is facing a future where he could eventually go blind, he has not let anything stop him. He is facing the world with the exuberance of a puppy, growing like a weed, and loving life. We love these two with everything we have, and I would not have it any other way.

Torean and Bond

Yes, Torean and Bond, normally two names that would not go together in a blog, but this story is too good not to share, and concerns both of our beloved critters. The other day Will took Torean out to go potty after letting him out of his crate for the day, nothing unusual there, right? Wrong. All of the sudden Will comes racing back in, Torean is nowhere in sight, so I assume that Torean has gotten free of Will. No, Will came in to tell me Bond is on the roof over the back porch. Naturally, I had to wonder how the heck he had gotten up there, since we no longer have any trees around the house, or places he could climb. So I go racing out in my bedclothes to hear Torean barking his head off, and to hear a cat meowing his heart out. Yep, Bond was on the back porch roof and trapped because he had no way down. Will grabbed the stepladder and set it up, but Bond would not come to him because Torean was barking his head off. So, while Will took Torean inside I climbed the stepladder in hopes of getting Bond to come closer to the edge so we could grab him and get him back inside. After about a million good kitties, come here butterball, that's a good kitty, come on and how the hell did you get up there, Bond finally came closer, tongue sticking out, purring his head off. As Will came out I had to make a grab for Bond before he decided to run away from me again. Bond was all teeth and claws but I had his enormously wide butt, and I was about to let him go. Pieces of the roof went flying but Bond was passed down to Will safely and escorted back into the house. As Will was taking Bond in, I felt something running down my nose, yes, Bond got me good across the nose and mouth, but he was inside where he belonged. While Bond licked his wounded pride, I had to wipe the blood off my face. Cat gratitude at its finest, but I would do it again in a second for him, or any of the animals for that matter. Once my nose had stopped bleeding, we had to figure out where Bond escaped from, and it did not take long to find out where. In our old room. We think that he was sun bathing his lard in the window, and pushed the screen out, and then decided to take a leisurely stroll all over the roof before he realized he was in trouble. If the saying is true that cats have nine lives, Bond is rapidly using up all of the lives he has. First, it was him being abandoned by some careless idiot who left him to freeze the tips of his ears off in the middle of a very hard winter. Then Bond was attacked by an animal that left him with the skin below his jaw ripped off, and now he is cavorting on roofs. Not bad for a cat who was banned from going outside ever again after he was attacked by the animal. I am thankful Torean was outside during some of the roof incident because he kept Bond from wandering off on me. Torean can't let anything happen to the cat he loves to pick on, now can he? Not that Bond would admit it, but he loves Torean to death, and delights in getting a mini spat started before he hides his lard beside the toaster and dares Torean to step into pawing range. Now Simon has taken up on teasing Bond, even though Bond is bigger than he is, and the results will not be good, but he will learn. Well...maybe....

Cleaned up and looking better.

Torean Is One

Yes, today was the big day! Torean is one!! How time has flown by! We are busting with pride at how good Torean was today, and I think he is extremely satisfied with the way his birthday went. Both he and Simon are exhausted, and haven't moved from the fan since they got to come in. Torean started out his morning with a birthday bandana, a new rope toy, and a special treat since it is his birthday and all. He and Simon got to go to the overlook and the boat launch where they played their hearts out for almost two hours. Once they were done playing Torean got a little bit of ice cream to mark his special day, even Simon got a little bit. Once the ice cream had time to settle Torean got his doggie cupcakes complete with his special candle. One burned thumb later, the candle was lit, Torean posed for pictures with his birthday hat, then he promptly devoured his cupcakes. I think he approved of them. When the boys were done goofing around, it was present time. Torean got plenty of chew toys, squeaky toys, tug toys, treats, and a new squeaky fox. Grandma even put the presents in a nice bag for him. Torean could not believe the toys he got, and spent several minutes sniffing them all over before he settled on one toy before he went to sleep. I do not know who had more fun today, us or the boys, but today could not have gone any better. If only every day could go so smoothly! So in short, happy first birthday Torean. You are one of a kind, and so very special. There aren't enough words to describe you, so I will settle with this. Love you dearly, you little monster <3

Flower and Ring Photography Play

Yesterday the weather finally broke long enough for me and Mom to go outside and take some photos. After awhile we decided to play around with my rings, and I love the shots we got. Calla lilies hold a special meaning to me as my grandmother carried them on her wedding day, Mom wanted to but hers did not survive the shipping, and my sister and I carried calla lilies as well since we all share the same anniversary day, a neat tradition for all of us. So, instead of getting mushy and rambling on, here are the photos we took.

Parties and Patches!

   Torean's first birthday is rapidly approaching on the 21st and we are in full swing trying to get ideas and a little party for him planned. If the weather is good I am thinking about taking Torean out to get a doggie sundae or even being bold enough to make a cake for him myself. Either one I think would make him incredibly pleased. In the past couple weeks we have noticed a change coming over him. Little by little his baby fluff is leaving him, and he is getting  more mellow and loving. His patience with Simon is never ending, but he also loves his little alone time at night when he gets his walk and a little walk time around the yard to sniff to his hearts content. During that time, Simon is hopelessly deprived of his chew toy and completely lost, and when he sees Torean coming back in, he will literally bounce to him, and then starts the growling and romping until bedtime, then starts the whining from both boys because they don't want to be apart. Right now the current battle is over the fan, and I hate to tell them, but they are going to have to share with me because the humidity in the house is killer right now. At night Torean gets his own fan, so does Simon, but apparently the fan in the living room must be better for them by the way they fight. Last night Torean was determined to win going so far as settling on Mom's lap to get the air grinning down smugly at Simon who then proceeded to hit the fan so that he got the air and won the battle. Too bad they don't do any of this when a camera is handy...

   Simon is still growing like a weed and doing very well with his vision impairment aside from getting panicked when something is right up in his face which we are working on. Because of that I have been looking on the internet for a vest for Simon to wear that warns people of his vision. Thanks to some excellent advice from the Elkhound group I am in on FB I found some patches that can be added to a vest or harness so I think that is the route to go for him. Simon had his first outing in Petco the other day, and he did phenomenally well sucking up attention and meeting different people and dogs. We met a younger couple there with two absolutely adorable boys who train service labs, we got to explaining about Simon and while we were talking they were more than willing to let their boys play with Simon. Simon did so well with them petting his head, playing with his ears and feet, rubbing his stomach and fussing with him. We were immensely proud of Simon, and we got some tips for him too. Simon seemed to love the floor most of all, frogging his heart out and beating on the stuffed elephant we bought him for being so good. Nothing beats a puppy to get people talking, and we hope to keep doing this with Simon to keep his world open, especially around different dogs. Simon was thrilled about all of this, but he was even more thrilled when he got home to chew on big brother Torean for awhile. Simon loves playing with Torean a bit too much though, which is why potty training him is a bit more difficult than it was with Torean but we are confident Simon will get the hang of it with plenty of patience and diligence on our part. When Simon does get outside he is usually more interested in sitting in the grass and killing those evil grass blades, once he focuses though he is great about sticking to one area to potty unlike his big brother! When Torean was a puppy he thought that the leaf pile we made for him to play in was an excellent potty spot, and left us shaking our heads. Puppies can be so fickle sometimes and it makes us laugh must of the time. I have so much more material for this blog, but I think this is enough for tonight.

   On a side note, thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog, and thank you to the people who have left some very kind words for me. When I started writing this, I never imagined that I would get very many page views, let alone be on the verge of hitting a thousand page views. I hope to keep writing this blog for a long time to come, and I hope you all will stick with me through it. Thank you again, from all of us <3

  

How Long Can He Go?

Simon had a vet visit yesterday, and we were relieved to find out that he is not blind as first thought. Simon does have some peripheral and light distinguishing sight and that is enough for us. The vets don't know what caused his vision problems but it doesn't matter. We love the little terror just the way he is, although today Simon was proving he has a hard head like his big brother. As you all know, learning from Torean, we started crate training Simon sooner and so far he is making his displeasure about it very well known. When crying does not get him freedom Simon will either whine his way into giving up or he will chew at the bars of the crate until he thinks he has told us off thoroughly and go to sleep. Torean may have a piercing bark but Simon's is incredibly shrill and can make you wince. Eventually Simon will realize that none of this will get him out of crate training and he will grudgingly accept it like Torean did. Until then we will laugh at his determination and refuse to give into his whimpering demands because crate training is for his own good. Especially because he has a very hard time seeing in the dark...and because a puppy left to his own devices is nothing but trouble! Nothing is safe when it comes to his teeth and puppy mischief...bare footies beware...Simon is here!

The Lessons We Learn Having Two Puppies

This blog is going to be about the lessons we are learning from having two puppies in the house. Some were learned just this morning, so here we go.


Lesson One, one should not try to catch up on any sleep on the couch because Moose Mutt aka Torean will assume that you are simply laying there for his amusement and continually wake you up because he is using you as a springboard to launch his attack on the Baby Shark aka Simon.

Lesson Two, do not try to appease the Moose Mutt to have him calm down by calling him up the foot of the couch where you are sleeping because he will proceed to throw all of his weight up to you and sit on your stomach waiting to be petted.


Lesson Three, do not think that making Moose Mutt get down on the floor to play with the Baby Shark will give you any peace and quiet because they will keep coming over to you during their play session, and trap you in the middle.

Lesson Four, do not think that switching ends of the couch will give you any peace because Moose Mutt will again jump up sitting at your feet and sliding the cushions off so he can hang over Baby Shark and play bite him thus driving Baby Shark into a biting and growling frenzy before he climbs up on the couch to bite Moose Mutt.


Lesson Five, when both children have played to the point where they are collapsed on the floor sleeping together, do not expect the peace to last because being babies that they are, one will not be able to resist waking up the other one and starting the chaos all over again.

Lesson Six, do not expect to charge anything you value while both puppies are awake because they will either keep unplugging what you are trying to charge, or find the cords delicious and continually try to run off with them, especially laptop cords (ahem Simon)


Lesson Seven, do not assume that setting your shoes on the floor for any period of time is a good idea because they will either end up in a puppy mouth, or slid into some unreachable area because the nut brothers have blown through.

Lesson Eight, when the Baby Shark is ready for mischief do not dangle fingers or toes off the couch while trying to read because he will take this is an invitation to nibble thus attracting the attention of Moose Mutt and again you are caught in the middle of their battle and any hopes of quiet are hopelessly dashed and you give up.


Lesson Nine, do not assume that because the baby gate is up it will keep Baby Shark or Moose Mutt in the living room. No, Baby Shark will have to prove that he can climb over it by taking a mad leap over his dog food bag, crawl up the gate and shoot into the dining room. When this happens Moose Mutt becomes jealous and tries the same thing thus making things fall over and scaring both animals and anything in the vicinity.


Lesson Ten, when considering having two puppies in the house make sure you are fond of the names you have chosen for them because you will be saying those names constantly. Example, Simon I thought I told you to stay out of the cords, Torean, if you don't want Simon biting you don't go over to him and start something then act offended when Simon wants to play. Simon, don't bite Torean there, you wouldn't like it if he did it to you.Torean, don't slap Simon in the face with your paw, he isn't doing anything to you. I swear to god neither one of you is happy unless you are starting something with the other, fine, bite each other, I give up. Don't come hiding by me when you are sick of playing.


Lesson Eleven, while trying to take both boys out at the same time to potty seems like a good idea, it is really chaos waiting to happen and any hopes of the boys going potty are hopelessly dashed because it must be playtime again.


Lesson Twelve, putting a bandana around Moose Mutt's  neck to celebrate Daddy's Scottish heritage might seem like a good idea, and the Saltire flag might go beautifully with his fur but Baby Shark will see this as a never ending source of fascination and keep trying to go after the bandana until you are finally forced to remove it until Baby Shark gets a little bigger.

Lesson Thirteen, and this is a good one. DO NOT assume that when it is hot, and you have two rambunctious puppies, you have any chance in hell of getting the fan. If the nut brothers are not constantly unplugging or moving it, they are plopped in front of it fighting to see who can get the most air. And if that is not bad enough, in comes Blizzard to claim her fan rights, and then comes the glare down and inevitable cat/dog fight.


Lesson Fourteen, monkey see, monkey do. Enough said.


Lesson Fifteen, do not assume that because it is quiet both boys are sleeping. Quiet usually means that one of them has found something to get into and you are forced to open mouths and pick out whatever morsel they have decided to try and eat only to get the offended look before said puppy goes into the corner to sulk.


Lesson Sixteen, when taking a puppy to the vet always make sure you have a baby bag on hand filled with toys, pee pads, and antibacterial wipes. Heaven forbid a baby should get bored while waiting for the vet, or they decide it is time to potty and you clean it up so you don't get charged by the vet for a cleanup fee on top of every other charge.


Lesson Seventeen, do not think that putting Baby Shark in his crate for a cool down is going to put an end to the fighting that got him put in there in the first place. If you put Baby Shark in his crate make sure you put the baby gate in front of it otherwise Moose Mutt will insist on laying by the crate teasing and making Baby Shark cry louder. IT'S NOT FAIR MOM! HE STARTED IT AFTER ALL!


Lesson Eighteen, do not assume that because Moose Mutt barks at Baby Shark, Baby Shark will take the warning and back off. No, instead he rears up on his back paws and barks back until you have to separate them to cease the barking then  they both complain loudly that they got split up, and your sanity is questioned.

Lesson Nineteen, do not assume that putting Moose Mutt outside in his kennel so he can have some alone time will get you rewarded. Deprived of his baby shark chew toy, Moose Mutt will sit and bark his head off at an offending robin looking for worms until you go out and quiet him down, then he will expect you to sit there and play with him because he is bored.


Lesson Twenty, even though you try to keep treat time separated neither puppy will be happy unless they are fighting over the same treat, and around and around they go until one of them gives up and waits for the next go round.


That concludes this blog of lessons we have learned having two puppies. And if things keep going the way we are expecting, I will have a new round of lessons shortly. This blog is intended to be humorous, I am in no way complaining because we all love the chaos having Simon and Torean has brought into our life. We have never owned two dogs at the same time before, so everything is new and exciting. I do not think I would ever go back to having one dog again. Here is to lifelong puppy brothers, mischief, mayhem and adventures!

Simon and Torean

Today was Simon's first vet appointment and he handled it all like a champ deciding that the exam table was a very nice place to go to sleep. He weighs twelve pounds now, his heart and everything else is normal, and he tested negative for worms. He even got a nice nail trim from the intern, and rewarded her by trying to nibble her fingers, such a puppy I know. However, the news about Simon's eyesight is about what we were expecting. The vet has cautiously diagnosed Simon as being mostly blind, and we have an appointment for him to see the eye specialist next week. Simon failed all of the vision tests, but he did react to the light test so we are hoping that he can see a little bit. The vet was stumped as to why Simon can not see because in every other aspect he is healthy, but it does not matter to us. Simon is beloved to all of us, especially to big brother Torean, and our goal now is to give Simon the best quality of life that we can. He is incredibly smart, and such a puppy despite his vision issue, there is certainly nothing wrong with his puppiness as Torean would attest. When we got Simon home from the vet he had a power nap, then he went outside and Will brought Torean out. The boys spent the better part of two hours chasing each other around, growling and biting, rolling around, and tearing up the grass with their antics. Both boys are completely exhausted now, and it is a wonderful sight to us. Torean let himself go letting us see him roll around on the grass like a maniac, sticking his butt up in the air and hopping around Simon like a jack rabbit. Simon even threw a couple crow hops in for Torean's amusement. Moments like this afternoon are why Simon's diagnosis does not crush us, he is a content puppy and a happy one.

Puppy proofing

Simon is rapidly getting more adventurous and curious with every day. His play sessions with Torean are getting longer and more vocal, and you guessed it, Simon has picked up Toreans old loves including the dreaded gray hair inducing cord chewing. Simon is a smart little nut and so far our attempts at blocking areas off is being met with absolute failure. Yesterday I concocted a barricade to keep Simon out of the corner only to see him wiggle his expanding backside and crawl under the chair around the barricade to get my laptop cord, his favorite target. So today I am trying to figure out a new way to block him...and protect the living room from the nut brothers rampage. Torean has finally given up his love of cords only to gnaw lovingly on his time out chain when he is bored. Thankfully with Torean only two cords suffered his chewing and I hope we can be that lucky with Simon.  Puppies.
   Simon goes to the vet on Monday where we are hoping for good news. Simon is growing like a happy weed and putting weight on nicely but his vision still needs improvement even though it isn't stopping him from causing mischief, biting his brother and enjoying his puppyhood. He loves the grass, attacking and beheading those evil weeds, trying to bite feet, gee, he sounds like a certain Norwegian puppy....and overall being a nut. He is bringing us as much joy as Torean does and the two of them are quite skilled at making us laugh. As you can guess two puppies bring chaos, laughter and many phrases one says to a baby or a Norwegian elkhound puppy. The worst one for Torean being GET THOSE UNDIES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! I thought I told you to stay out of the bathroom! Thank god we didn't have guests that day. Ah memories. :)

Puppy brothers at play

Yesterday the boys were having so much fun that I could not resist taking a video of them. As you can see, the boys love each other dearly, and little baby shark Simon is growing like a weed. Torean is eleven months old today so we are trying to figure out what to do for him. We are in disbelief that next month he is going to be a year old, and trying to figure out where the time has gone.

 

Bare Floors for the Win!

Today we learned another valuable tool when it comes to having two puppies in the house. Bare floors, yes, I said it, bare floors.
 Example one, cleaning up puppy piddles on a bare floor is so much easier than trying to clean a carpet.
 Example two, cleaning the floors with a heavily shedding Elkhound requires only a broom and dustpan sparing the vacuum cleaner from death by fur (of which it thanks us greatly)
 Example three, bare floors echo the sounds of paddling little feet which instantly tells us where Simon is, and what he is doing, and if Torean is helping or hindering the situation before we get up and herd the monsters back into the living room. Simon's paddling becomes either heavier or lighter depending on whether or not he has a choice toy in his mouth dragging it, whether or not he is chasing Torean or an unsuspecting ankle, or whether or not he is looking for trouble. Being a puppy of course, looking for trouble is tops of his list at most times like his not so innocent big brother.
 Example four, bare floors also makes moving Simon's crate around and pulling out the dirty tray to clean when Simon has an accident.

  And we have Torean to thank for all of this as we had to take out the rugs we had in the living room and upstairs in our bedroom because he developed a taste for carpet threads, pillows and the stuffing in the mattress. So here is to you, Torean! Thank you for prepping us for Simon, and keeping us on our toes when it comes to new puppy antics. Simon adores you, as do we. Here is to more mischief, mayhem, and many more blogs about puppy adventures.

The Trouble Puppies!

Puppy brothers to the end. Having two puppies has to be the funniest and most gray hair raising experience of our lives. Simon has overcome his shyness at being in a new home, and loves the nice big backyard he gets to play in. He also loves the nice, big living room filled with magical electric cords that beg him to chew on them apparently. Simon also loves the gravel driveway and when he goes from grass to gravel he takes off like a yellow streak and we have to scramble to bring him back so he stays out of trouble. For a tiny puppy Simon has some incredible speed on him, thank goodness for leashes to keep tiny puppies out of trouble, or puppies like Torean, haha. Simon adores Torean to no end, and Torean adores him. Torean is being an exceptional big brother aside from playing a bit too rough at times. Torean has extreme patience with Simon's playing, biting and growling and has yet to growl at him, or show any signs of aggression towards him. In the mornings it is adorable because Torean can not wait to get downstairs to see Simon, and once they get the sniffs done, romping time begins until both boys are exhausted and sound asleep until the next round. Simon's earlier problems with balance seem to have improved, while we are still in debate about how well Simon can see. Our regular vet is booked solid, so Simon will get to see a new vet and we are hoping we can get some answers about Simon's vision hoping for good news. But no matter what the outcome Simon is part of the family, and we will adjust as needed for Simon. Torean on the other hand is as healthy as can be, and still manages to give us the gray hairs that come with having a baby in the house. But we would not change any of it for the world, we love our hectic family dearly.

    Simon and Torean had a whirlwind couple days meeting my sister and brother in law who are visiting for a few days from PA. Torean met them at six weeks old when we were taking him from OH to NY, but he had to remeet them, and he did wonderfully just about melting into a puddle from being petted and spoiled rotten by them. Simon did not seem to care too much about it all more concerned about running around on the grass and chasing unsuspecting feet of which he is the master like Torean was at that age. Simon also liked showing them his ability to behead the weeds and pounce on unsuspecting leaves. Gee, that sounds familiar (Torean) Simon also enjoyed trying to nibble fingers showing off those sharp little teeth of his. Such a puppy monster or baby shark as I call him. Simon proved us wrong on some aspects yesterday when he had to get his first bath because he decided to Poopy foot his way around his crate. We were heavily anticipating growling and escaping but Simon sat down in the water and took it all in stride loving the warm water and being patiently adorable. Now he is a happy fluffy terrorizing yellow bundle of trouble. Torean saw this and proceeded to hide expecting to get his own bath but he was spared this time around. And besides, a Torean bath will have to be done outside with full rain gear equipped. Yes, Torean is that good with his shaking and DELIBERATE SNEEZING! Torean is deadly with the deliberate sneezing and thanks to a warning from someone we are budding masters at shielding our food from his snotty ways when he wants something. I hope that is one trait Simon does not inherit. Two power deliberate sneezers...I shudder at that. On that note, have a great weekend everyone. Here's to many more blogs about puppy antics!

And then there were two

Well everyone, as you can see, we made the plunge to add a new member to our family, and give Torean his much needed playmate. This is Simon Winston Demetrius the Third, a mouthful for a mouthy little puppy. Torean did exceptionally well meeting his new doggie partner instantly fascinated by him and determined to sniff every inch of him. For the first day Simon did not seem to be too interested in him, but by the second day Simon realized he had a friend, and has been driving Torean nuts since then. Torean has to be reminded to play gently with Simon because of their size difference but he has been doing very well with him. Last night they were racing all around the living room together with Simon growling and barking at Torean, then surprising him by trying to lick him on the nose. Last night was their first official play time together on the floor and Torean spent the first few minutes spinning around in circles and jumping over Simon because Simon was chasing him and trying to step on his toes, then they were off until Simon fell asleep in the middle of the floor and had to be set in his corner to sleep. Simon's corner is next to Torean's so that while Simon is sleeping they can be near each other, and I think that helped Torean adjust to him more. We have been careful since Simon's arrival to make sure the boys have time together, and a little time separately. While Simon sleeps Will takes Torean for a run, or we spend some time playing with him, and so far, this is making Torean quite happy. Simon has been a delight and a challenge (sounds like Torean doesn't it?) and I know he and Torean are going to be the best of friends as Simon gets older.

To sum up, we had been looking for a companion for Torean for quite awhile now checking rescues, and going to the shelters where we had a bad experience hoping to find the right dog for him. We had just started thinking that maybe the time was not right when the possibility of getting Simon came up with Simon practically falling into our laps. Less than three days later, Simon came along and he was our baby. The first night we let Simon have a little time down here with us before Will brought Torean down and they got to meet. Simon was more interested in sleeping while Torean wanted to sniff the living daylights out him and sniff every inch of the living room and us. Then the sniffing obsession faded, and the two of them are living terrors. Thankfully we were still geared on puppy behavior because of Torean. Out came the pee pads, the cords went up out of reach from baby shark teeth (Simon's nickname is baby shark for good reason) and the baby gate went out to keep Simon in his corner at night and to keep him out of the dining room where the vengeful kitties are. Blizzard has dismissed Simon with a glare while Daisy has yet to come out of hiding. Simon does not seem to care about the cats, big brother Torean is much more fun to play with. Simon delights in startling Torean by chasing him, and bark growling at him, and the first day Simon barked back at him, Torean's mouth practically fell open. Simon loves bark growling at him now, while Torean just hops around sticking his fluffy butt in the air. Gotta love brothers. Welcome to the family, Simon, you baby shark you.