Merry Christmas!!!

 

Santa came last night!  I was so relieved this morning when we got up and found this under the tree!  No, not all of the gifts were for us.  There were some presents for Daddy and Aunt Pat beneath the tree, too.

We got lots of toys!  Freddy was able to get the squeakers out of a couple of them not too long after we opened them.  He was just so enthusiastic and grateful for the gifts.   I know they were both a little sad today, since this is the first Christmas without Heidi.  But, they're very thankful that Freddy came to live with us.  I am too.  It's so nice to have another dog to play with.  I may get a little jealous at times if he gets more attention from the neighbors or from my friend Lucy, but I really like him.  I told Freddy that today we should be on our best behavior, and look extra cute and be extra cuddly to make the humans feel better.  I think it helped.  I didn't chew up anything while Daddy and Aunt Pat were at church, and I didn't get into anything either.  Also, when we wished Lucy and her daddy a Merry Christmas, I didn't jump or whine when she sniffed  Freddy.  She had such a nice haircut.   

 We played around so much, we pooped out this evening.  Although we usually conk out on the sofa after the humans have dinner and watch the news.  We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with their families.

Getting Ready For Santa

 We hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas Eve.  Freddy and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus.  I told Freddy we didn't have to be that obvious about it.  I told him that we still had to be good and later tonight we'll have to be all snug in our beds, or Santa won't come!  I hope Aunt Pat can lure him upstairs with a Charlee Bear.  I know Freddy apologized to Santa for growling at him, but I just hope in his enthusiasm to make nice with the jolly old elf, that he doesn't scare the man off.  I'd hate to hear Rudolph's hooves on the roof just to have him take off again. 

We all know Christmas Eve is a time of family gatherings.  Ours is no exception.  This morning, Daddy and Aunt Pat took us over to see Freddy's breeder.  They're so nice.  Even though I'm not a blood relative like Freddy, they really want me to feel like one of the family.  They  made us Christmas ornaments for our tree, and they put me in the photo of Freddy and his mom, Gracie.  I didn't know what to do, I was so overwhelmed by their kindness.  

 

They also made Freddy a cute bone ornament that they put his name on.  And, they gave us some new toys to play with.

Daddy and Aunt Pat gave Stanley and Jade new toys, and they had the same artist that did the picture of us that Daddy gave Aunt Pat after Heidi died, and for last year at Christmas, do one of Gracie.  It came out very nice.  We all hope they like it.  they put it next to Gracie's ashes.  Stanley almost had the squeaker out of his toy before we left.

 When we got home, I thought Freddy would continue to be really good.  I had him on the sofa with me, and we napped after we got home from our afternoon walkies.  Daddy said he wasn't feeling too well-scratchy throat and some muscle aches, so I went upstairs to snuggle with him to make him feel better.

 

Wouldn't you know it, Freddy got bored and started to play with our presents!  Now, I know technically, since they were given to us today, that it's okay to play with them.  But Freddy may be on thin ice with Santa, and one screw up could make this a not so Merry Christmas.  Aunt Pat wasn't bothered by it, but some times I think she's fooled by his cute looks and how Freddy turns on the charm when he lays on his back to ask for a tummy rub.  He's such a schmoozer. 

  Freddy didn't know what toy to play with first, so he took both of them!

I wasn't amused when I heard about it.  I'm going to stay on the sofa for a while and make sure he stays out of trouble until it's time to go to sleep.  

Rest In Peace, Gracie

 

It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of Freddy's mother, Gracie. We hadn't known her for very long, but it was obvious from the moment we met her that she was special.  She was very calm, gentle, and very sweet.  She seemed to remember Freddy right away when they sniffed each other, and ended up licking each others muzzles.  She remained very calm when Chloe aka Miss Hyperpants sniffed her and wanted to play.  Gracie groomed both Freddy and Chloe during our visits. 

     

She will be missed by those who knew and loved her

 Gracie had three litters of puppies.  Several of her offspring became guide dogs, improving the lives of blind people throughout the region.  Gracie had more of an impact in her twelve years than some people do in an entire lifetime.  We are very grateful to our Groomer, D, who recognized  Freddy as one of Gracie's puppies and enabled us to meet with her owners. 

                                                         

Happy Thanksgiving!

 
I know, it's a little, well, a lot late.  We hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. Aunt Pat's hard drive crashed-funny, I didn't hear anything. But, Aunt Pat said that it's not the same thing as a car crash or something crashing to the floor when Freddy's tail gets wagging too hard. I don't know about that, I heard some choice language coming from Aunt Pat that isn't repeatable.  Anyway, We haven't been able to post until Aunt Pat was able to get the photos on her laptop and learn how to edit them with the software installed on it. 

 Anyway, Freddy and I helped Aunt Pat make dinner.  She put a little too much water in the roasting pan with the turkey, and some of it spilled over.  We made sure there weren't any drips on the oven door or onto the floor when she'd open the door to check on things.  Since this is Freddy's first Thanksgiving with us, I showed him the ropes, so to speak, so he'd know what to look for while cleaning.

 We also stood by while Daddy and Aunt Pat were having dinner.  We really were just waiting to see if they dropped anything, not looking for a handout.  Daddy and Aunt Pat usually share some crackers or their salad parts with us, so we weren't begging.  Especially when Daddy went for seconds.  Daddy and Aunt Pat were very neat.  They didn't drop anything. But, Daddy shared a little piece of turkey with each of us.  It was delicious!

 After dinner, we went into the living room to see the Christmas decorations Daddy had spent the morning putting up in the front yard.  We got a closer look when we went for our walkies.  Poor Fred.  I don't think he'd ever seen yard decorations before.  He barked and growled when we got out of the garage.  I barked, err, told Freddy that Rudolph was just a decoration, but he didn't listen to me.  Typical male.  Aunt Pat had to take him over where he sniffed Rudolph to make sure he was okay.  I think Fred was a little put out that Rudolph didn't sniff him back, but he finally got the hint that it wasn't real.  We had a good nap the rest of the afternoon while the humans watched football.

Friday, we went out to Lollypop Farm and had our annual Christmas picture taken.  It came out so nice, they even put one of the outtakes on their Facebook page.  It was a nice car ride on a lovely day.  Santa even remembered me from last year and thanked us for coming back!  I hope that means he'll put something really nice under the tree for me this year.  I'm a little worried about Freddy, though.  He growled at Santa when he extended his hand for Freddy to sniff.  But, once Aunt Pat stood by Santa and called for Freddy to come over, he was okay.  I should have looked after him a little more, but I really wanted to have a good sniff around the room.  I'm not being nosy, like Daddy and Aunt Pat say.  As your faithful reporter, I have to sniff out every detail. 

 

Family Reunion!

No, that's not Freddy.  That's Freddy's mother, Gracie.  When Daddy and Aunt Pat took us to the groomer the last time, she recognized Freddy as a puppy some of her friends had raised..  I can't tell you how happy Daddy and Aunt Pat were when Freddy's breeders called.  They came over once while Daddy was working, and said they'd love to bring his mother over to visit.  They're very nice people-they gave me lots of tummy rubs even though they had really come to see Freddy.  I just wanted them to feel extra welcome. They were able to tell Aunt Pat a lot about Freddy's upbringing and how he had been living.  Daddy called them the other day and invited them over, since it had been a little while.

 Freddy and I met them at the door, and it seemed like Freddy and his mother recognized each other.  I really wanted her to feel at home, so I sniffed her as well.  She tried to clean both Freddy and me like she did when he was a puppy.  Once a mother, always a mother.  It was very sweet.  Gracie sniffed the house and yard all over, like a good mother.  I know she wanted to be sure her son was living in a nice home. 

 

Unfortunately, Gracie's been having some health problems of late, and it had been only a day since Freddy had his knee injection, so Aunt Pat didn't want them to get too rambunctious.  But, Gracie seemed up to playing with her son, but just for a few minutes.  Freddy gave his mother a kiss on the muzzle, since he is a polite dog.

 

 

You can't be a good host without service some type of snack.  Our menu consisted of chopped ice cubes, which Gracie loves, and some Charlee Bears and Zukes Mini Naturals.  I would have preferred carrots, crackers, pretzels, or cheese crackers, but the humans want Freddy and me to watch our weight.  
 

 Of course, it wouldn't be a family reunion without....baby pictures!!!  Freddy was a very cute puppy...almost as cute as me.  I don't have the pictures to prove it, though. 

 

This is Freddy with two of his litter mates.  He's only a few weeks old.

 

  

Here he's being held by the person he was named after, who was president of the local Kiwanis Club at the time.  He's about four months old.  He was part of the "F" litter, and they did sponsor the guide dog program Freddy was bred to be a member

 Finally, here's Freddy at age 3.  He loves being in the kiddie pool and the water.  He'll play in the water any time he gets a chance.  Aunt Pat said that next summer she'll have to get us a wading pool to play in.  Daddy and Aunt Pat hope to take Freddy over to the breeder's house to meet his niece and nephew.  We had fun, and we both conked out for a nice nap afterwards. 

Aunt Pat Isn't The Only Nurse In This House

I am too!  Daddy and Aunt Pat have been taking Freddy to see the same Rehab Vet that took care of Heidi. He's limping and favoring his left leg, and the humans thought he might have some arthritis like Heidi did.  The doctor did an evaluation, and it turns out he probably has some trouble with the ligaments in his left knee.  His right knee may be a little troubled, but for now, it's okay.   He's getting therapy on the underwater treadmill like Heidi did, as well as laser therapy.  The therapy, as well as the pain medications and some of the supplements they have him on seem to be helping.  Freddy's not limping like he was when he first moved in.  However, the Rehab Vet  is trying a new therapy, called Prolotherapy, and she thought Freddy would be an ideal candidate.  After explaining it to Daddy and Aunt Pat, they agreed. 

Today was the big day.  Freddy had to have some sedation for the procedure, so he couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight.  The humans were concerned about how Freddy would react to not being able to eat breakfast.  After all, it is the most important meal of the day, and Freddy eats with gusto.  He looked a little hurt, and I made sure I didn't linger over my bowl.  After all, I didn't want to rub his nose in it...or have him stick his nose in it and eat anything he shouldn't.  But, he was able to drink water, and although he tried his best "I'm pitiful, feed me" looks, the humans stood firm.  However there weren't any dropped pretzels at lunch today, like there usually are.  Daddy and Aunt Pat were being very careful, plus, it wouldn't have been fair to Freddy to not give him the same as I did. I understood, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

Anyway, the procedure went smoothly.  They did one injection in his left knee.  He was a bit groggy when they were finished.  The doctor said that Freddy woke up when she said the word "cookie".  Figures.  All that boy thinks about is food.  They gave him a treat before he left, which he dropped on the floor.  Freddy still managed to eat it before they left.  He was a little wobbly once he got home, and a bit tired.  I was a little disappointed when he didn't want to play chase like he usually does after he gets home from one of his therapy visits.  I've been keeping an eye on him.  Sniffing him and his leg to make sure he was okay.  He ate well, a little at first, and then the rest of his dinner.  After the news he headed up the stairs to call it a night.  He did however, make an appearance at the top of the stairs when he heard Daddy get the pretzel bag out.  Daddy, being the big softy he is, gave Freddy one or two.  We'll all be in bed early tonight.  Tomorrow is a very big day.  We get to meet Freddy's real mom, Gracie!  Details tomorrow night! 

There's So Much To Tell You...

that it'll probably take two posts to get it all in!    I've been a little sad at Tony's passing.  He was a very dear friend of mine, and I miss seeing and sniffing him along our walks.  The humans have been giving me some time to adjust.  I appreciate that, especially since it's been an eventful couple of weeks.

With Freddy's help, I'm feeling up to posting again.  He'll bring a toy over and we'll play tug of war...if I can get my jaws on the toy at the time.  He sometimes loses his grip on it, and will keep moving it around until he can get a firm bite on it.  Aunt Pat's had to move quickly, since she's gotten nipped a couple of times because Fred has used her as a place to stabilize the toy.  Other times he'll take a toy I want to play with, and then I'll get a toy he usually likes to play with, like the ball I have in my mouth.  I'll play with it for a while and then drop it, hoping he'll drop the toy I want long enough for me to get it. If he's not doing it fast enough, I'll give him one of my irresistibly cute looks that often works on the humans.  Yesterday, I really wanted to play with the tree stump.  The squirrel toys that were inside had been chewed up a while ago, but the stump was still good. 

 

Freddy likes the tennis ball, but he's discovered that tug of war is difficult, at best with the ball.  So I wasn't sure if it would work. But I think the super cute look was the kicker.  Plus, it didn't hurt that I dropped the tennis ball so it would grab his attention.  It worked!  I was happy to get the toy, so I didn't have to whine and go to Aunt Pat for help.  Not that she helps much anyway.  I usually get a little lecture about sharing.

 

Anyway, enough about me.  Freddy's been a very busy dog.  Plus he had a family reunion, of sorts.  More, in the next post!

A Sad Day

 This is Aunt Pat taking over for this post.  Chloe will be back tomorrow with a new post.  We are sorry to announce the passing of our friend across the street, Tony.  You may remember his visit with us in August of 2009 when his owners went away for the weekend.  In his enthusiasm to see us, he jumped up and accidentally locked the kitchen door when we took him outside.  We couldn't get back inside the house, and we were afraid the neighbors would call the cops on us if we tried to climb through a window,  so he stayed the night.  He was full of energy, and it was really nice to have his positive energy around the house especially since Katie had passed a short time prior to that weekend.

Although we were all fond of Tony, it seemed that Chloe was especially enamored of him.  We would go over to say hello, and the two dogs would inevitably start playing.  Chloe always would watch from her perch in the living room, and whenever Tony would come outside, she'd whine, whimper and bark because she wanted us to take her outside to see him.  On our walks she would sit in front of his house, and wouldn't move for several minutes, in hope he would come out to play.  There were times when we'd have to pick her up and carry her across the street.  Tony was a great dog, and he will be missed.