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.