On This Date One Year Ago...

our little Katie went to the Rainbow Bridge.  Although we miss her, we know she's in a better place...laying on her back in the sun; enjoying all the tummy rubs she wants; eating all the kibble or human snackies she wants without any tummy upset or gaining an ounce!  They say everyone leaves a legacy, something that they give to the next generation. Katie's legacy lies in the lessons she taught us.  I know there have been many books written on this subject from other dogs, and this may be more of the same, but a little reminder now and then is a good thing.  Katie taught us to take pleasure in, and to appreciate the little things in life, like a good nap, a hearty meal, a scratch behind the ears, play, a nice walk, laying on your back with the sun shining on your tummy...you get the point.  Chloe and I aren't the same dogs we were a year ago, especially Chloe.

You see, Katie and Chloe were very close. 


Katie acted like a mother figure to Chloe.  She took Chloe under her paw and mentored her in how to be a dog.  In the year that Katie's been gone, Chloe seems to have matured somewhat.  She's a bit calmer and her manners seem to be improved, and we've been seeing more of her personality emerging.  Today, when the guy came to clean the air conditioning, Chloe didn't get as crazy bouncy as she has in the past.  She stood on her hind legs to greet the guy, but she stepped aside to let him pet me.  Chloe seems to smile a lot more than she did, and is more relaxed.  Granted, some of her calmness may be naturally due to her getting older, but I'm sure Katie's presence over the years has a lot to do with it.  Although we miss Katie, I think Chloe has figured out that the best way to remember her, is to enjoy life and those in it.

The Amazing Chloe!

Chloe's been practicing her Houdini impression the last few days. When Chloe and I went to the Groomer a couple of weeks ago, that Chloe got so excited, she slipped out of her harness.  Daddy was very scared, but he found Chloe sitting at the door of the shop, waiting to go inside.  Daddy and Aunt Pat thought it might have been a one-time occurrence, but it wasn't.  One morning Aunt Pat had us out for a walk, and she saw our neighbor at the end of the street's dog, Lucy.  Also, the people who live on the other side of them have a dog that looks like a mini version of Chloe, her name is Zoe.  Zoe was out for a walk with her human as well.  Chloe got so excited, she jumped around, a lot.  The next thing Aunt Pat and I knew, Aunt Pat was holding an empty harness and Chloe was running down the street to say hello.  By the time Aunt Pat and I caught up with her, she was introducing herself to Zoe and her dad, and running around the yard and playing with Lucy.  Aunt Pat I haven't seen Aunt Pat run that fast in a while.  Heck, I haven't run that fast in a while.  A few days later, Chloe did it again while out for a walk with Daddy.  So, Daddy took Chloe to Petco, and she came home wearing this.

Despite her smile, Chloe is less than thrilled with her new harness.  She's tried to get out of it, but so far, hasn't succeeded.  Last evening when we were out for walkies, Zoe ran out from her people's back yard, with her people running after her.  Chloe would have loved to run around with Zoe, but try as she might, she couldn't jump or wriggle out of her harness.  In the photo, Daddy had just brought her home, and she's still excited from the trip.  In the days since, whenever time for walkies rolls around, Chloe tries to get away from Aunt Pat when she holds the harness up for Chloe.  Chloe's taken to turning her head into the bottom rungs of the kitchen chairs so Aunt Pat can't get the harness over her head.  She'll learn to accept it, like I've accepted mine.

Keeping Our Cool

It was very hot here last week, and we made sure we kept cool.  We've been taking shorter walks in the mornings, and I'm not going out for a  second walk in the evening.  Chloe is such a stickler for routine, she puts up a real stink if Aunt Pat tells her it's too hot. So, Aunt Pat's been leashing her up and taking Chloe around the front yard.   It cooled off a bit last Friday, but it was pouring.  Aunt Pat didn't want to take us out in the pouring rain.  She'd heard a little thunder, and well, we all know that you don't want to go outside in a thunderstorm, especially if there's metal involved...like the parts on Chloe's and my collars and leashes.  I don't want to be a four legged lightening rod!  Chloe didn't care.  You can see the look she gave Aunt Pat.  She had just put Chloe's harness on and it started to pour!  The shower passed quickly so we finally went for a short walk.   

Chloe's willing to go for a walk in the rain, but she doesn't want to get wet while we're in the backyard. Weird.  I'm not fond of either option.  I know, I'm a water dog, but that doesn't mean I have to like getting wet all willy-nilly.  I don't mind the water treadmill, and I love the whirlpool, but those are controlled circumstances where there are treats involved! Plus, the water is nice and warm...and they tell me what a good girl I am, and how wonderful I am when they dry me off.  What's not to like!

  However, getting spritzed by the hose outside, or being out in a cold or warm rain isn't my cup of tea. Aunt Pat watered the garden frequently last week and in the process, waved the hose around so she could water all the plants evenly.  Sometimes, we were in the line of fire...Aunt Pat said it was an accident and apologized, but  I'm not sure.  I know she watched us very closely to see how much we were panting.  She may have thought Chloe and I might be getting too hot and took it upon herself to cool us down.  I've heard the expression, what goes around, comes around, and Aunt Pat got soaked herself when she dropped the hose.  It landed on the nozzle handle, so Aunt Pat got spritzed a couple of times herself!    

Happy Fourth of July!!

We'd like to wish everyone a very happy Fourth of July.  Our founding fathers (and mothers, and their dogs) founded this country on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We feel these principles apply not only to humans, but also to animals...and reptiles.  Sometimes animals, like bears, get into trouble and have to be moved elsewhere for everybody's safety.  Aunt Pat started a program like that here.  Only, the wildlife aren't the problem.  Chloe is.

You remember the May 30th post, when Chloe met her first frog and it didn't turn out so well for the frog?  After a few days of sniffing and not finding, Chloe let it rest.  Well, Chloe found another frog hiding in the bottom of the generator, and started playing with it.  The frog really didn't like it, and neither did the humans.  They're afraid the hot exhaust my hurt Chloe if the generator kicks on while she's sniffing around it.  They've been telling her "no" and shooing her away from it. 

Chloe's gotten the message, and is staying away from the generator...for the most part.  Now, she's shifted her attention to the garden.  The other day, Aunt Pat noticed that Chloe was sniffing around the lettuce and digging furiously under one of the peony plants.  Once she saw Chloe swatting something with her paw, Aunt Pat knew that there was something under there.  You guessed it, it was another frog!  It clearly didn't want to play. 

So, Aunt Pat got an empty berry basket from the garage, and, after a couple of attempts, caught the frog.  She wasn't too sure the frog was alive.  But, once she got it into the garage, it hopped out of the basket and into one of Daddy's sneakers!  I heard Aunt Pat let out a little yelp.  She recovered quickly and picked up

the sneaker, frog and all! Then, she took it to the front yard and let the frog out into the bushes by the front porch.  Chloe wasn't happy.  She sniffed around the garden, but soon realized her friend wasn't there.  Until last night, when she found another frog underneath a different peony.  She kept digging and did NOT want to go inside, even though there were fireworks going off in the neighborhood.  Chloe isn't normally a fan of loud noises, and neither am I.  Today Chloe's been sniffing and pawing through the strawberry plants, but hasn't found the new frog again.  Daddy tried to find it to move it, but he couldn't.  I think it got smart and hopped into the neighbor's yard.    But, Aunt Pat isn't so sure.  We'll keep watching...and the humans will keep relocating whatever frogs may need it.

Feeling So Much Better

just in time for the hot weather.  It's supposed to get really hot and muggy this weekend, so we're very happy that Daddy dropped us off at the Groomer yesterday!  You can see, Chloe really needed a haircut.  Here's her "after" photo.  Gotta love the red, white and blue bows in her hair.  So patriotic for the upcoming holiday.  Chloe was so excited to get there, she slipped out of the harness Daddy just bought her and ran right to the door. She really gave Daddy a fright!  Now, she'll have to get a new harness, since she slipped out of it when our Groomer was getting her ready to go home!

This is my before photo.  You can't really see much of a difference, but I can feel it. Daddy had to stop back for a moment and the Groomer told him that I was shedding more in the tub.  I'll let Aunt Pat brush me, but only for a little while.  There's still a lot of hair left to get off, but that's why I like to roll around in the grass!

This is my "after" photo.  Note the snazzy bandanna with red and white stripes dotted with blue stars.

After we got home, and had our usual post-Groomer long drink of water, we went outside.  I didn't even feel like rolling around like I usually do.