Duke plays hide-n-go seek

Jessica called me at work to tell me she couldn't find Duke. She was already in her car on the way to her job. So now I am worried about Duke!
I called my dog walker, Gina, and told her what was going on. I asked her to search my home and call me when she found Duke.
Gina called to tell me that she found Duke under the blanket on my bed. She opened my bedroom door, said his name and he jumped up.
Jessica had done the same thing earlier in the day. Duke apparently didn't want to get up because she got no response.
Crazy dog.

tags for the dogs

Jessica bought a tag for Raphael today. It has a paw on one side and my name and phone numbers on the other. I have been putting the tags on ribbon and tying it around all my dogs necks. None of my dogs can stand to have a collar on 24/7. I guess I should have started them with the collars when I adopted them. The ribbon doesn't seem to bother them at all.

I bought 12 yards of gross grain ribbon from Target for $1.00. I have chosen a different color for each dog. Except Chloe. She wears a pink collar and it doesn't bother her at all. I tie the medal to the middle of the ribbon and then put it on the dog.

I can't find a medal small enough for Rambo. The smallest one I have seen is the size of a nickel or a little larger. That is too big for him. I am going to try and find a small St. Francis medal and engrave my phone number on the back. He has a collar and it drives him nuts! If I added a medal to it I am not sure what his reaction would be.

I am feeling a little nostalgic today so I added a puppy pic of Rambo. He is 6 or 7 weeks old. So cute!! I love that dog.

Monday evening I decided to let the dogs sleep in my room because Daisy wasn't feeling well. I totally confused them! It was good to see that they expect to be put on the back patio at night to sleep. Obviously I am more upset about that than any of them. Raphi wouldn't go in my room. He kept standing in the doorway waiting to "go to bed" on the patio. Once again my dogs teach me. They have no bad feelings, so what am I worrying about?

Daisy is at it again

Daisy's ear is doing fine. She is still on steroids and wants to eat everything in site. Poor baby!

Jessica and I could not find her this evening. We looked for several tense minutes and finally found her in the laundry room barking this pitiful bark. Right in front of her was a pile of vomit. I know that is gross but what else could I call it? She may have had a seizure. With Petit Mal it is hard to know.

I was watching Animal Planet this afternoon. The show "Underdog to Wonderdog" was telling the story about Faith. She was left in front of a animal shelter in a cardboard box. Unable to move her hind legs. They showed her in physical therapy swimming. It brought tears to my eyes remembering Daisy swimming to strengthen her legs after the knee replacements.

The story for Faith ended beautifully. Just like Daisy's surgery. Daisy is more fortunate. She can walk and Faith must use a wheelchair. Both are very happy dogs!

Daisy's ear

We found a lump on Daisy's ear last night. My dog walker, Gina, took her in to the vet this morning. Daisy had a hematoma on her right ear. The vet drained it and put her on steroids. I hope it won't fill up again. If it does it will mean surgery :(. Poor Daisy.

Jessica runs out of gas.....

My daughter, Jessica, was nearly out of gas in her car so she and Clay decided to take her car and run some errands. Approximately 1 minute after they left the phone rings and it is Jessica. They are out of gas right outside the neighborhood. She asks me to bring them the gas can. I grab my purse and head out to help them. Rambo follows me and squeezes through the small opening in the puppy gate blocking the exit door into our garage. So I grab him.
Next the gate crashes to the floor and Raphael and Duke dash out the door. "Get back here!!!" No response. I try to open the locked door of my car and it won't open. Jessica has my keys!!! (Foul language) I go back into the house and call Clay to locate his keys to my car.
After finally getting keys, I open the door to the garage and there are Raphael and Duke. "Get in the car!"
And off we went to rescue Clay and Jessica. In retrospect I guess Raphi and Duke were good dogs. They did come back to the house.

Rambo and the duck

On Thursday, August 5th, I came home from work feeling great. I had friday off and was going to spend it with Jessica and my niece, Amelia. When I arrived home I let all 5 dogs out in the backyard like always. I went back in the house for a minute, put on my house shoes, and went back on the patio to call the dogs in. Four of them answered my call. Rambo was missing.





Rambo can squeeze through a 2" space and is very good at getting outside of our fence. So I started looking in the usual places and found him in my neighbors yard. He was barking at something but I couldn't see what it was. After closer inspection I realize it is a small duck. He is snapping and jumping at her, biting her tail feathers and she is snapping and leaping at Rambo. I really think he was playing but the duck was not amused.





I run back in the house, put on my shoes, grab the video camera (which was on my way out) and dash into the back yard leaving the other 4 dogs in the house. After making a huge horseshoe-shaped loop, I am in my neighbors fenced yard. I video Rambo with the duck (see attached). I don't linger long because the duck is tiring. She isn't flying and is mouth breathing which concerned me. So then I tell Rambo to "Stay!". Who was I kidding? He takes off and scoots back under the fence and into my yard. I make the horseshoe-shaped loop again and end up in my yard as well. Rambo is waiting for me at the back door looking cute. I was as amused as the duck.





I let Rambo in the house and go into the kitchen to get some ice water. As I am gulping the water down, Daisy and Chloe get into a fight. They are fighting under a chair in the breakfast room and then move under the table where I grab Chloe. I carry her to the baby gate by Jessicas' room and put her behind it. I turn around and see Rambo ~ throwing up on the rug.





I have been home 15 minutes. I love my dogs, well most of the time.

What is that SMELL???!!!!????

My Dear Bloggers I have a stinky story for you. For 2 days we have been smelling something awful whenever we walked by the staircase. There was no visible evidence of anything and we could not understand what the smell was or where it was coming from.
I sent poor Jessica upstairs just to see if there was anything there.....
OMGOSH!!!! All I could hear was "EWWWWW" and she ran down the stairs holding her nose. She then tells me the dogs had opened the door that led to our game room and was using it for a litter box. It was so bad we could smell it downstairs!!!!
I go up armed with a roll of paper towels and a plastic garbage bag. I cannot begin to describe the scene. Well, I'll try. Picture poop of all sizes and shapes everywhere. Not only on the carpet, but on the bed leg, trampoline, canvas ottoman (it went in the garbage), LSU rug, the side of the leather ottoman, oh, I am getting tired of listing all the places.
When you own 5 dogs it is necessary to have tools of the trade. Loads of paper towels, carpet cleaner, brushes, garbage bags and an industrial-size carpet cleaner. (Most of my home is wood and tile. Now you know why.)
I'm in hell. Not always. Just tonight.

Rambo has a stomach ache

Last night Clay and I had put Daisy, Duke and Raphi to bed on the patio and then we went to bed. The dogs are getting ready used to sleeping on the patio. As long as I have 'bacon' they will go out there willingly. No crying or barking, they just go to sleep. It is so nice!

Clay, Rambo and I went to bed too. Rambo usually cuddles with one of us and goes right to sleep. Instead he ran to the edge of the bed, laid down, and starting really shaking. I picked him up and put him on the floor not really knowing what he wanted. A few minutes later I found him on a big dog bed at the foot of our bed, lying down and shaking. So I picked him up and he crawled up on my shoulder and was shaking. Clay said he thought his stomach was hurting. I gave Rambo some Pepto Bismol. He sat on my shoulder and my throat for a long time just shaking. I kept patting him gently and he finally let out a HUGE burp!! lol I was then able to lay him next to me wrapped a blanket. It took a while for him to relax but he finally fell asleep.

Poor baby had gas.

My new hobby

I have a new hobby! I am sooo excited. I mean I think it is a hobby. Although it really isn't fun I do it on a daily basis. It sounds like a hobby. I will see what you think. . . .

I pick up piles of poo in my house!! I do this daily and sometimes more than once. I am assuming I must like this activity with the frantic pace I am keeping. I must say this is a foul smelling hobby. And it is bad for my plumbing. Of course that could have something to do with the amount of t.p. I require between my hand and the offensive pile.

Daisy, Duke and Raphi spent the night on the patio. They did just fine. All 3 will sleep there again tonight. I must tell you that they are not experiencing any discomfort. We have it air conditioned and each have a bed. They receive a "bacon" treat and a raw hide chew. So no worries. And Clay and I get uninterrupted blissful sleep. Rambo slept all night last night. Seems Duke was waking him too.

ATTACK DOG!!

Chloe has done it again! She has attacked Daisy 4 times in the last two days. Poor Daisy will just be standing there and BAM! Chloe is on her back biting her neck. I learned tonight that if we don't pick up Daisy right away, Chloe will go in for the kill again. Bad Dog. She gets Prozac starting tomorrow.

Chloe can be sweet though. In the picture she and Rambo are dressed for Halloween last year. Rambo is "Rambo" and Chloe is dressed as a Mermaid. They are giving each other a kiss; darling.

I need to get a video of Rambo trying to keep up with Raphi and Chloe running to the lake. He goes about half way, watches them run then turns to meet them at the back door. So cute!

There were photos in yesterdays paper of shelter dogs available in our area. A pure bred Cocker Spaniel and a pure bred yellow lab. Also great cats and wonderful mixed breed dogs to adopt. I wish I could take them all home. So many dogs, so little room.

I will be going back to the shelter to volunteer again. If you have a shelter near you, they need your help. I walk the dogs, bathe the puppies (awwww), and well just give the dogs attention and get them out of their cages. Wish I could help the cats, but allergies just won't permit. Jessica will come too.

Daisy and Raphi will sleep on the patio again. Night #2. It went well last night. It felt soooo good to only get up once. Rambo can't go all night without going potty. It takes a human 21 days to really feel comfortable with a new habit. I wonder how many days it takes a dog?

I must confess

I must confess that we let the dogs sleep with us at night. Not all 5 of them of course. But at least 3 of them. Daisy at the foot of the bed and Duke and Rambo cuddling next to me or Clay. Duke and Rambo switch sides in the middle of the night. Rambo doesn't want ANYONE touching him or looking at him while he sleeps. He will let out this little yap and growl that scares the crud out of us. Raphi sleeps under our bed or on the recliner in our room. And Chloe is on Jessicas' bed.

Last night was a typical night for Clay and I. I fell asleep around 11pm, Clay around 11:30pm. At 12:36am Daisy gets up and starts to pace back and forth at the foot of the bed. If we don't get up then she begins to cry and bark this shreiking bark. After I peel myself from the ceiling because she startled me, I notice that Clay is getting up with her. Also Raphi and Rambo.

It is now 2:30am and I have to get up to take some meds for my stomach. Duke, Daisy, Raphi, and Rambo want to go out AGAIN! I let them out and we all go to bed. Daisy cries until someone scratches her (she has bad allergies). Raphi has allergies too and sees Daisy getting scratched. He brings his big paw and slaps me with it on my right side. I'm scratching him now. Daisy touched Rambo so he is growling and threatening her. Duke is desperately trying to get next to me before anyone else does. I finally said "everyone go to bed!!".

They all lie down and go to sleep.

My alarm goes off at 6a.m. I am on the very edge of our king sized bed because Duke and Rambo are pushing me over. As I turn to shut off the alarm I fall off the bed.

Daily occurance. Honest. No really. True story.

The Lawn Men

We have lived in our house for 17 years. For 16.5 years we have had someone mow our yard. It is a large yard and Clay just doesn't have the time. I guess I just won't do it. Hmmmmm....
Anyway, we have had the same lawn men cutting the grass all these years. Our dogs have no memory of these men coming to our house. Ever. They bark at them as if the men and their tools are new to them and must be barked at until they leave.
And bark is what all of my dogs do. I am positive that Raphi is going to go through the glass window one day he becomes so agitated. Once in a while they turn on each other in their frenzy!
Running from room to room, window to window, the dogs bark, growl, howl, snarl, you name it. In the process things are broken. Anything within range of Raphis' tail is sent flying, food bowls flipped and spilled, the water bowl is toppled over, blinds are askew, and doggie mucus marks cover the doors and windows.
We have tried brilliant solutions to this problem. Screaming "Shut Up!!!!". This is our favorite. This has no effect. Closing the blinds = losing the blinds. Locking them in one room = back of the door is scratched and mared beyond repair. They will also destroy the door frame.
We, as owners of 5 dogs, have decided to live with this. I mean it's only 30-45 minutes out of our week. And sometimes we aren't here!!!

Chloe Ann

Chloe Ann was adopted by my daughter, Jessica, at PetSmart in Bossier City. She was a shelter dog that they had there on a Saturday. She sat in her cage scared and trembling. She looked just like Lacey Lynn, a long coat Chihuahua that we had several years ago. Of course Chloe is much larger. Lacey only weighed 6lbs. In this picture a friend captured Jessica holding Chloe as Chloe was "smiling" at another dog. Isn't she cute?

Chloe was covered with huge ticks when we adopted her. The shelter had bathed her several times and had removed a lot of ticks, but they were still some left. She and her hair were very thin. She bonded with Jessica quickly. Rarely are they seen seperated. At the time of adoption, Jessica was living in an apartment with friends. Her roommate adopted a stray. And the fights began. Always initiated by Chloe. She HATED Bella.

Bella grew and grew and was much much larger than Chloe. But Chloe already had her bluff in and won most of the fights. Chloe didn't break the skin or anything, but she made an extraordinary amount of noise. One would swear Chloe was killing something!

So, Chloe and Jessica joined Rambo and I in puppy training. Chloe also started taking Prozac. (I often ask myself why I seem to get the crazy dogs. I mean other people adopt dogs and there are no incidents. I guess God knows I will take care of them no matter what.) Chloe started every class growling and snarling at the other dogs, except Rambo. She loves Rambo. She also would hide under Jessicas' chair in class. So pitiful! Eventually she could walk into the training room on a leash without attacking anyone! She turned out to be a very bright student and was eager to please. She also became friends with Bella, her roommates dog. It was an exciting day the first time Chloe played with Bella.

Chloe became Jessicas' sorority mascot for a while. She attended most ZTA meetings and all the ladies gave her loads of attention. Chloe looks like a small Raphi. Her hair is like a kittens, soft and silky. She too has a tail that curls on her back with white hair draped down her side. Beautiful puppy. I call her the Marilyn Monroe of dogs.

When we ask Chloe if she wants to go "outside" she does 2 things. Bites Raphi on his legs (?) and spins. She also spins when we come home. I have never seen a dog spin so fast. She actually becomes a blur!

One thing Chloe did not learn in training is "come". We think this is why she was lost in the woods and the shelter ended up with her. She has escaped from our fence twice. The first time Clay, Jessica and I looked for her for about 10 minutes before our neighbor found her and gave her to Jessica. Chloe smelled like a dead animal from the swamp. I couldn't get within 3 feet of her. Jessica was so glad to have her back she was hugging Chloe. I don't know how she did it. That dog had on a major stink. The second time she got out of the fence Jessica was out of town. Clay and I looked for that dog for about 15 minutes. Clay walked the lake shore and I drove in my car checking the front lawns. Our neighbor, Robert, told Clay he had seen her chasing ducks behind our house. Suddenly this blur flies past Clay. It is a duck with Chloe not far behind! Clay grabbed her and brought her home. This time she was clean.

Chloe is very cuddly. She loves to be held and scratched. She is never agressive towards humans. She prefers males - human and canine. She dislikes female dogs intensely. Daisy Mae and Chloe fight occasionally. Daisy did really fight back one day and Chloe left her alone for a while. However, she has now forgotten that day. This morning she wouldn't let Daisy out of my room. She stood about 3 feet outside the door, head down, teeth showing, daring Daisy to come out. I told Chloe what I thought about that.

Chloe is the 5th and final dog in our family. I must admit 5 are a lot of dogs to have in the house. My house is not always clean and neat like I want it. I've read that one should surround themselves with the things that they love. I have certainly done that! I've been asked why I have so many dogs. The answer is simple, I love them.

Going for a car ride.

Jessica and I decided to run to the grocery store to buy a couple of things this evening. I suggested we take the dogs for a ride too. All 5 of them.

I held Rambo and had Duke in my lap while driving. Daisy and Raphi rode in the back seat and Chloe sat in Jessicas' lap. Just getting in the car was an ordeal. I had a sack of clothes in the back seat for charity. I tried to remove the bag before Raphi jumped in. He didn't see the need and just jumped in on top of the bag!

While Jessica was in the store the dogs cried, barked, jumped from the back to the front and back again. Jessica comes out of the store and tries to get into the car. Chloe, Raphi, Daisy and Duke jump in her seat in the front. Chloe and Daisy immediately get into a fight. I am trying to get Daisy away from Chloe and Jessica is banging on the window screaming at Chloe to stop.

I don't know if we can go to Brookshires anymore.

Rambo the 4lb Chihuahua

Rambo the day he was born. Rambo and his mom with Jessica and I. He is about 2 weeks old.

I love Chihuahuas. Some people call them rats, mean, yappie and I guess to some extent they are all those things. Except the rat thing. I can't stand rats.

I went against my rule of only rescueing dogs not buying them from a breeder. I had been wanting a Chihuahua for years, and my husband said "Just go get a puppy like you want". I contacted my vet and asked for a reputable breeder. The rest is history. Rambo was born on July 17, 2009. I met him on the day of his birth. He was so tiny he fit on my hand as shown in the picture above. The breeder was a sweet lady but oh so poor. We became quite acquainted as I visited Rambo weekly. On the 4th week she called and said he was weened and eating solid food. I had a hunch she just needed the money, but I went and picked him up anyway. She was keeping the puppies inside her home which was infested with ants. Everytime I left Rambo there I was so nervous for him and the rest of the puppies because of the ants. His mom too. But I couldn't take them all.

When I brought him home I had NO idea how hard it would be to take care of him. It was like having an infant all over again. He weighed less than one pound. I had to feed him constantly, watch his bloodsugar, and keep him warm. (Please if you want a puppy for a small child don't make it a Chihuahua. They are SO fragile!) I had to feed him by hand every 2-3 hours, but not at night. When we held him we had to have a towel wrapped on him because he had no control of his bowel movements or urination. That went on for months. He required as much attention as a human infant.

One morning I woke up and got him out of his kennel. He started sneezing. His entire body would tremble and mucus was coming out of his nose and mouth in large air bubbles. I thought he was dying and I became hysterical. I started crying and asking God "please don't take my puppy". I woke Jessica up and she rushed him to the vet so I could calm down and get dressed. Jessica kept saying he was going to be fine and he wasn't going to die. She told me later that she thought he was having a seizure.

The vet checked him out and he had a severe upper respiratory infection. Rambo spent the day in the hospital. So I had to give him antibiotics with a syringe, vitamins, special sugar for small puppies, and a special food. I didn't know this until I decided to have a very small dog, but they suffer from low blood sugar and can die rather rapidly before you know what is happening. The sugar I was giving him came in a tube like toothpaste and smelled like syrup. Rambo liked it.

He overcame the infection and kept growing. Everyone loved him. My boss, Fr. Charles, lets me take him to work. I didn't let a lot of people hold him because he was so suceptible to germs. Rambo became socialized very quickly. He was sweet and so tiny!!

As Rambo grew so did his personality. He became agressive. He would growl and bite. At 3-4lbs he packed a powerful bite! I have scars on my hand from him sinking his teeth into me then tearing my skin. A dog bite is very painful. Many times I went to work with several band-aids on my fingers. He would bite me because I picked him up, petted him, touched his bed, you know horrible stuff like that. I had a talk with the vet again and she thought he would out grow it and gave me some pointers. They worked to some extent, but he was still biting me.

I had enough one day and videoed him growling and biting me. Dr. Morgan couldn't believe it. So she put him on Reconcile (Prozac) and I took him to puppy training.

Rambo was agressive in training at first. He even growled at an 80lb. German Shepherd. But we pressed on and he relaxed when he realized he was not my boss. He caught on to things very quickly, but with an attitude.

Rambo weighs 4lbs now, full grown, and is my little man. He still snaps at me occasionally. I have learned through the training that he bites because he is frightened and insecure. I don't raise my voice to him anymore. I talk baby-talk to him when he misbehaves and it works! He listens to me and calms down. I'll ask him if he is growling at me and he will kiss me real quick then turn his head. It's like he is mad but sorry for his behavior.

I love Rambo. I take him everywhere. He always behaves. Right now I don't know what I would do without him. He has taken on a few nicknames ~ Rara (ray-ray), Mister Wiggles, and Rambicans. He loves our other dogs. He and Duke love to play tug of war with toy. Chloe likes to wrestle with him. Raphi will paw at him ever so gently. Once in a while Daisy will clean his face and ears.

One thing about a 4lb. dog is he gets stepped on. We have all done it. Kicked him too because we didn't see him. Right now his right hind leg is sore because I stepped on him while on a walk.

I love Chihuahuas, but I especially love Rambo.

Raphael

This is Raphael who is 5 years old now. He is named Raphel after the Angel St. Raphael, the patron saint of healers. All 3 of us needed healing after the death of one of our dogs the day before.

We found Raphi at the Caddo Parish Animal Shelter. If you live anywhere near here, go to that shelter. They have great dogs.

We adopted Raphi the day after our dear furry friend, D'Artagnon died. D'Artagnon was also a Caddo Shelter Dog. He was a chocolate lab/chow mix. Dart, as we called him, died at the age of 13.

We were so heart broken. Especially Jessica. Dart was her dog. She wanted another puppy so we went back to Caddo. Raphi was one of 11 puppies. He was the last one of the litter left. He was in a cage, just like Dart, and when Jessica spoke to him he cocked his head to the side, just as Dart had done 13 years ago. I had to turn my back as the tears flowed down my cheeks. Jessica scooped him up and said "Mom, Dart has sent him to me." We went straight to the vet to have him checked out. Our vet looked at Jessica and said "You know D'Artagnon sent you this dog." So maybe Dart did have a hand in us getting Raphi.

Raphi had blue eyes as a puppy. Even today his hair is as soft as a kittens. He is very gentle and also really scared of everything! If we are scolding one of the other dogs Raphi dives underneath a table next to my chair. His bark is loud and BIG! If a stranger arrives he barks just like Dart did when strangers approached him. He does a bark/howl and takes 2 steps back, bark/howl, 2 steps back, bark/howl, 2 steps back. Chicken. At least he sounds ferocious.

Raphi is the largest dog we own. He is absolutely beautiful. His tail curls over his back and white hair flows from the tail. His hair is long and when he runs he reminds me of Lassie on tv. He has a gentle soul and plays so well with other dogs. Our dogs that is. He is terrified of people and strange dogs. We work on socialization, but when a 70 lb. dog doesn't want to do something it is hard to make him!

Raphis' best friend is Chloe one of our other dogs. She only weighs 15lbs but they are great buddies. When we let them out of the back door they race to the lake, circle the yard, and stop at the door again. This happens everytime the back door opens. His second favorite activity is fetching a ball. He will only do it a few times then he lies down with the ball and refuses to chase anymore.

Once in a while Raphi will get out to the fence without our knowledge. He never goes far. It's like he thinks "Uhh this isn't right!" and he runs home.

I guess the worst thing Raphi has done is jump up in my face and hit my right eye with his nose. The result was a black eye ~ for me. I had some difficulty getting people to believe that my dogs' nose gave me a black eye! If Raphi steps on your foot you will remember it for a while. He also has a powerful paw which he uses to ask for things. Like "get up, I gotta go outside, I want to eat, can I have one of those you are eating?, scratch my back, don't stop scratching my back!, shakes hands, etc. He communicates very well for a non-verbal furry puppy dog!!

Duke the Chi-weenie

Duke, aka "Flaps" has no control over his ears as shown in the picture on the left. My Dad calls him Flaps 'cause his ears fly around like JarJar Binks' ears in Star Wars. On the right he is asleep in my lap with "toy".

We found Duke in a shopping center parking lot. The owner was selling him and his sister. We wanted a boy so we bought Duke. (Don't recommend this. Better to go to a shelter.) Clay wanted a Dachshund and I wanted a Chihuahua so we thought this mix was perfect! Not. The first thing Duke did was throw up on my shoulder (Ewwwww). He was sweet for a very short time, as he was only 6 weeks old. The sweetness went away rapidly as he aged. He became very agressive to other dogs and to humans. Clay and Jessica would jump everytime he showed his teeth. We owned Raphael, a border collie mix and Daisy. Duke got too excited down by the lake and started yet another fight with Raphael. Raphi weighed about 50 lbs and Duke around 10lbs. Raphi had enough of Dukes bullying and he turned on Duke. I tried to break it up. Duke + Raphi + fight + me = bite marks on my arm from Duke and Duke has a punctured eye. His eye is fine now.

I then enrolled Duke in obedience classes and he started taking Prozac. Both really helped him start to trust me more and also put him in his place in our pack. We discovered he loves soft toys that squeak. He carries one in his mouth 80% of the time. No need to put the toy down when he barks, he can bark and hold a toy in his mouth! When he hears the squeaky sound he becomes frantic!

Duke is now 7 years old. He is no longer on prozac and is the sweetest dog ever. He is a dream on a leash (except for the barking; never could break that) and is a wonderful friend. He loves to cuddle. Duke can usually be found sitting near me wherever I am! He is very gentle with our 4lb. Chihuahua, Rambo. He no longer snaps at the vet or her employees. He is shy and needs encouragement around strangers.

Dukes' motto: Bark at it until it goes away.

Let me introduce you to my dogs....

I own 5 dogs. They all live inside my home along with me, my husband Clay and daughter Jessica. I'm not going to pretend they never have accidents in the house nor are they perfectly trained. I, however, am perfectly trained. My dogs have worked with me 24/7 until they have me where they want me.

My oldest dog is Daisy Mae, who is 8 years old. Daisy is a Shih Tzu mixed with Chihuahua. She looks like a Cairn Terrior. she has 2 rows of bottom front teeth. We bought her from a family when she was 7 months old. I had a dream a few days prior to picking her up. I my dream I saw Daisy's face. She was so pitiful. Dirty and kept outside chained up. She only weighed 10lbs. They never let her in the house. I paid $75 for Daisy. Money well spent. Daisy is our most troublesome pet. She has been nicknamed "The Huntress" because she has killed so many squirrels and birds in our backyard. One day I went outside and saw a large area covered with feathers. Then I looked at Daisy and she had feathers in her mouth. She had eaten the bird. (How did she catch the bird? I dunno.) She paid for it though. That bird got revenge by making her sick to her stomach. We live on Black Bayou Reservoir. There are many ducks on the lake behing our house. One apparently was ill and got inside our fence. Since it could not fly, Daisy was in for the kill on this huge duck! When my daughter went outside to get Daisy she found her down by the lake, duck in Daisy's mouth. She was holding on to the duck by its tail feathers! We did rescue the duck and send it to our local zoo who nourished it back to health and released it.

Daisy has killed at least 3 squirrels. She trees them and then patiently sits at the base of the tree watching the squirrel tease her. The squirrel makes a clicking sound and flips their tail at her. She has a particular bark when she trees a squirrel, so we always know when she has one. I believe sometimes the squirrel missteps and falls to the ground. Stunned, they are easy prey for Daisy. I won't go into detail about the smell of the "kill". Let's just say it is disgusting. Ewwwww...

Daisy has epilepsy. She has Petit Mal seizures. The first one she had was after she ran smack into the log pile while looking up in the trees chasing a squirrel. Now she only has them occasionally.

Daisy is also very athletic. She could run like the wind! She is slower now due to 2 total knee replacements on her hind legs. She still runs, but is rather slow. After her surgery she was such a little trooper. Very brave cooperative patient!

Holding Daisy is like cuddling a fine Teddy Bear. She barks ~ a lot. Usually to get her way. She is the Alpha Dog in my pack. She keeps her pack in line and should they forget, she is there with a correction. Amazing dog!

I just spilled coffee everywhere! All down my legs, on the carpet, floor, my chair and it hit the pillow. Gotta clean up. (Foul language Foul language!)

Later: All about Duke