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.

 

Getting Settled In

Freddy's been with us for three weeks now, and he's making himself right at home.  I've been doing everything I can to make him feel more comfortable, and he seems to appreciate it.  He certainly licks my muzzle often enough, especially when we're both draped across Aunt Pat's lap or we're playing. 

Freddy likes to play with me, which I'm really enjoying.  We'll run around after each other either in the living room and dining room, or even outside. Freddy's finally discovered the chew toys!  He's a great chewer!

Whenever I see him pick up a toy, I have to make sure he knows how to play with it.  I know, he's an adult dog, like me, but I want to be sure he uses the toy properly, and doesn't get hurt.  Plus, with the way he's destroyed, err, chewed the toys, I want to be sure there's something left to play with!

 

 Plus, I want to play too!  He has this game with Aunt Pat in the back yard where he'll play Keep Away.  Aunt Pat will throw him a stick to fetch, but he won't bring it back.  He'll run away from Aunt Pat and dodge and turn until he lays on the ground with the stick to chew it. 

 

Another game we'll play is Tug-of-War.  Freddy's very good at it. I think it's because he gets a really good grip on the toy before we play.  He has to learn to be careful, because he'll pick up the toy a few times and roll it over before he gets the grip he wants to on it.  He's almost bitten Aunt Pat on the foot and on the hip a couple of times, because he uses her as a way to position the toy. 

So far, I've let Freddy win these little contests, because he's new and I don't want his feelings to get hurt.  So what if he has a bigger mouth and stronger jaws than I do.  I know I can play with the big dogs!  I am woman, hear me bark!

What Every Girl Needs!

 Okay, and every boy needs, too.  A day at the spa, err, Groomer!  As you can see from my before photo, I was a little, well, more than a little scruffy.  But a morning of pampering resulted in this:

 

They always do such a lovely job.  I am wearing two bows in this photo, it's just at a jaunty angle.  The other is a little more towards the rear.   

 

This is Freddy's "before" photo.  You really can't see much of a difference between his before and after, but Daddy and Aunt Pat can tell he's not shedding as much.

Freddy behaved very well during his visit.  He was a real gentleman, err, gentledog, and everybody seemed to like him.  I was very happy about that.  You know how guys can be sometimes, especially when you're at a salon.  Some guys don't have the patience for all the girl bark, err, talk that goes on, as well as the gossip.  But, he was a real trooper.  I think he and his Groomer, a guy, were able to talk baseball or football or other guy stuff.  Afterwards, Aunt Pat took us for a walk.  Freddy still limps, but doesn't seem to be in more pain.  Daddy and Aunt Pat want to take him to the Vet they took Heidi to for her therapy to see if they can help him.    Anyway, we helped Aunt Pat with some things she wanted to do upstairs in the bedroom she uses as a computer room.  All in all, it was a lovely day.

I'd Like To Introduce

my new brother, Freddy!  He's a 7 year old Yellow Labrador Retriever.  Same breed as Heidi was, but he's a guy, and he's a different color.  Our Vet connected us with his human. She's having some health problems and needed to find him a good home.  So, they recommended us!  So, she brought him over here a couple of weeks ago, and then, last weekend, we went to his house to visit!  He's a very sweet boy.  Very affectionate, even with me.  Last Saturday he planted a big, wet, sloppy kiss on my face!  Both Daddy and Aunt Pat fell in love with him right away.  I like him, too. 

                                                   
However, as his sister, I have a big responsibility.  I have to show him the ropes around here!  Today, I took it pretty easy on him. Once he got here, we briefly played chase around the back yard.  Sometimes I ran after him, other times he ran after me!  It's all in good fun, of course. I introduced him to one of our neighbors, Mr. S.  His daughter has a yellow lab girl named Stella we've mentioned before. Then we hung out on the sofa and watched a baseball game.

After dinner, Daddy took me for our usual walk around the neighborhood.  He didn't take Freddy.  Freddy limps a little.  He probably has arthritis like Heidi did.  He was limping quite a bit this evening after all the horsing around we did outside.  

 So, Daddy and Aunt Pat are going to take him to the Vet they took Heidi too.  You know, the one where she got to go into the whirlpool, and walk on the treadmill underwater...and generally have people fuss all over her and tell her what a good girl she was.  No, I'm not jealous.  My humans fuss over me and tell me what a good girl I am all the time!