Daisy and Lulu

Lulu is Daisy's squid toy friend. She's likes to carry Lulu outside with her. I got this toy off of Etsy when I was looking for a cute crate bed (I ended up getting some cute daisy material at JoAnn's and neighbor Jan sewed a bed for her). It's been a busy week for Daisy. She had to go get a rabies shot and thus her first visit to my vet. It was kind of weird taking her after taking Kobi there for his final hour a few weeks before. A bit emotional for me. I love my new puppy, but I miss my old "puppy" too.

This past week was also Daisy's first dog obedience class. I am taking her to the same dog trainer I took Kobi to 16 years ago, Dan Brutsche. Dan has a great memory with dogs and he remembered me and Kobi. Kobi was a great dog in part because I trained him with the basic commands within a week of getting him. My plan for Daisy is no different. I think all dogs need training to be well mannered around humans and other animals.

I have to admit that Daisy is a very quick study. She is heeling and sitting as soon as I stop. Tonight I decided to get a jump on next week's session by teaching her "stay". It didn't take long. I had her staying with the leash dropped and walking circles around her without a problem. I even got her to do "down" (lay down) on command. We had a backyard play session of Fetch with her new tennis ball afterwards. I think she's now actually starting to put the word "fetch" together with the play time and she "gives" the ball back quite nicely.

She's a lot of fun and I'm enjoying an active puppy. I'm looking forward to 16+ years with this little dog. After dog obedience, she be old enough to go up the street to Partners for dog agility. I think I'm going to give that a go. We'll both have a blast!

Kobi's New Bed

Kobi has been sleeping on the hard floor because the cats keep taking over his stuffed bed and I think its just too hot. I wanted him to have a cool place to lay down that still supported his joints. I found this Coolaroo bed online. It's just high enough to get him off the floor and give him support as well as make it easy for him to get on and off. I think he likes it!

Kobi's Not So Great Day...

My dog Kobi has always acted younger than his age. He's 13.5 (He may be 14 but I think 13.5 sounds better) and for a bigger dog that's getting up there. He's has a pretty pampered life and still loves his walks, herding his cats and running out to scare off a bunny or squirrel in the yard. I'm optimistic that he has at least a couple of quality years left...so at the advice of my vet, I had his teeth cleaned—and while they were doing that—they removed 4 lumps that were in his armpit area. Eventually those lumps were going to be an issue with movement. Not to mention, it was important to know exactly what those lumps were.

The verdict was no cancer. The lumps were lipomas, which are common in older dogs. That's good news. I was also lucky that he had no tooth fractures, infections or dental issues other than a nice coat of tartar that got removed. His teeth are now all shiny and white. He has the teeth of a puppy now.

That being said, the bad part is that it's just harder for an old dog to bounce back from anesthesia and drugs. He was pretty pathetic when I brought him home yesterday. He would cry and whimper when Matt or I were not in immediate proximity to him and he couldn't stand on his own—letting out big yelps when we tried to move him. We finally got him to the bedroom and on a thick rug so he wasn't laying on the hard floor. I woke up at 1:30 a.m. when I heard his collar shake and looked over to see him sitting up and then he rearranged himself to be more comfortable. This morning he got up on his own and is now walking around pretty good. He took a nice drink from the his water dish (I put ice cubes in his water—he loves that) and snarfed down a little doggy sausage. That's always a good sign. He follows me from room to room and lies down somewhere between where Matt is and where I am, so he can watch his people.

I know I'm going to be quite pathetic when I have to say good-bye to my buddy... but that won't be for a few years now.

Below are a few photos to show his "war wounds". He's on the mend and he'll be back to his daily routine soon.