Doggie Bath Day

Today was bath day for the two furry kids. We last bathed them just over a month ago. And they were starting to smell like it.

We have a pretty good system down. After we get a dog on the table (using a ramp) I start in on the toenails, getting them as short as I can with the Dremmel. While I'm doing that, Dave brushes out his or her coat... removing as much loose undercoat as he can. When the nails are trimmed then we wash them using warm water. Recently we finally piped warm water to the back yard so that the dogs and we would be comfortable during bath time.

After two shampoos, we do a conditioning.

Then a final rinse and the dry with a doggie dryer.

Last: A thorough brushing. And they look fabulous!!

Here are a few photos:


This photo of Dave washing Theo is here just for effect. It's from his bath last time. I didn't take a picture of his bath this time, but it looked just like that.



This is where I just had to run inside to grab the camera. We were finished washing Theo and had him almost dry. Cassie came and tried to climb up on the table too. She really wanted a bath.



Here's the baby girl getting all clean.



She does look sad here but you saw it: She tried to climb up on the table to get her bath!



And here she is, all beautiful, clean, and fluffy!!

That lasted about 60 seconds. As soon as she got off the table, she and Theo started running and chasing each other around the yard, kicking up dust. Oh, well, we tried!

Pics of Theo and Cassie

Someone recently requested that I post pictures of Theo and Cassie. I honestly don't remember who that was! But I wanted to fulfill that request... but then I realized that I already had. It's just not obvious. Over on the right, in the list of links, is a link to "Photos of Theo and Cassie". There are lots of photos there, including some that were taken last month. You may click there anytime to see the kids! Here's the link here too: Theo and Cassie pics

My Busy Last Few Weeks

Wow, I'm sorry that I've been away for so long! It's been very, very busy around here. Cassie has been a source of joy but she does take time to raise properly. We are taking her to 2 (yes, 2) Puppy I classes each week. And because she and Theo play together so much, they both have to be bathed quite frequently. Well, not Theo so much but puppies really know how to get dirty fast.

Also, at the end of last month, Dave and I went to Boston for 4 nights. It was a trip taken to combine visiting with some old friends of mine along with visiting Boston. Dave had never been there and while I have, it was really nice to take some time and explore the city. We were accompanied by Joanne, Tim, and Brian for much of the trip.

Another thing that's been taking my time is the garden, of course. We have some spots prepped for planting Brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, kale, peas, and garlic. I need to get these in the ground by this weekend, preferably.

The one thing that might interfere with that is this NASTY cold that I caught a couple of days ago. It's kicking my butt, but I'll hang in there. It'll be over when it's over.

That said, I'm going to go rest up some. I should be harvesting basil for pesto. Perhaps I'll feel like doing that later. For now I'm going to chill out for a while. Get it? Chill out? I have a cold!

Cassie

In yesterday's post I was so excited to write about our new little girl that I forgot to mention her name. It's Cassiopeia, and we call her "Cassie" for short. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a vain queen who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. We feel that our little Cassie is so gorgeous that if she could speak she would be bragging about it too. But she doesn't brag and she's so loving and sweet. To see her (and get puppy kisses from her) is to love her.

She and Theo are getting along great. The first couple of days Theo wanted to make sure that she knew he was the boss. He was ignoring her (while keeping an eye on her) and wouldn't let her near the toys. And one time she tried to take a treat ball from him and he gave a very strong correction that ended by him doing an "Alpha Rollover" on her, where he rolled her over and held her down with his foot. She got the message, and after that he was satisfied that she knew that he was the boss. If she breaks any more of his rules he will let her know. Now they are playing and offers her toys. They do enjoy each other's company. Sometimes you can see that he is tired of her trying to play all the time so we let him go have some alone time for a while. And Cassie is so easy going that she will play by herself or settle down for a nap.

The first couple of nights we tried to bring her up to our bedroom to sleep in a crate, but she was so restless and fussy. I was thinking she was probably too hot so I took her downstairs to sleep in her pen in the kitchen where it was cooler. She settled right down and slept the rest of the night. She's been sleeping there ever since and goes right into her pen with no fuss. She is so happy to see one of us the next morning and is ready for full-on play and kissing action. But, she has to go pee first!

She's so sweet and smart. I can't wait to see how she is as an adult. Theo is sweet too and has a wonderful temperament, but he is not affectionate. Even as a puppy he didn't want to be held and cuddled. Cassie seems to enjoy this a lot. If I hold her in my arms she quits squirming and rests there, enjoying being close to me. Then she will look up at me and kiss my chin. And I smile really big!