a dash of pep

i think dash is enjoying this cooler weather. he was positively peppy on tonight's walk. usually he's dragging behind as far and as slowly as he can.

the other night he got the post-bath zoomies big time. so big that he BARKED. understand, dash doesn't bark. ever. except when he's in the car with a distressed cat. i've taken riley, dash and nephthys all together for their annual exams the last couple years. and as soon as nephthys starts meowing in the crate, dash is there, barking and pawing at the door. the first time it happened, i was dumbfounded. i didn't know what to do, and he wouldn't stop. i tried pulling him away and distracting him, but he was on a mission! so i let nephthys out to see what would happen. she crept out and stopped meowing, and dash was fine. then she crept back into the safety of her crate, and as long as the door was open, she didn't meow, and dash didn't stress. and then he slept right in front of her crate, all the way to the vet. it was one of the sweetest and most amazing things i've ever seen an animal do. when the same thing happened the next year, i just opened her crate, and all was well. but first i had to hear his gruff little bark again.

the only other time (until last week) that i'd heard dash bark was when my complex was being repainted. the men crawled up on the garage roofs to get into the backyards, and dash saw them through the backdoor and barked. i was laying on the couch and he was sitting on the floor next to me. riley had been barking his head off, because that's what he does, but then i started hearing barks that didn't sound like his. bark. and a few seconds later, bark. i looked down, and there was dash, as casual as can be. bark. he wasn't stressed in the least, but he knew those men shouldn't have been up there, and he was letting me know.

luckily i had my phone handy to catch his frisky barks last week. it may not seem like much, but trust me when i say this footage you're about to see is rare and so very special.

winnie wednesday

i went out of town for a long weekend and had a friend dog-sit the boys. but i wasn't comfortable leaving winnie with a "stranger" who isn't too familiar with animals, so i boarded her at the v-e-t. it was the scenario i was most comfortable with, and i knew it was the best for everyone to leave such a high maintenance dog with professionals. but i had no idea how much it would change her.

when i went to pick her up, she walked up front on her leash, looking nervously at everyone. but she didn't seem to recognize me, even though i was calling her name. as she got closer, i knelt down and let her sniff me, and as soon as she realized mom was there, she tucked herself into my lap. she was saaaaaaved! she was so calm in the car, no longer nervously pacing. and when we walked in the front door, she sniffed for half a second, then skipped off happily, realizing she was home for good. she bounced all over the boys, and they were happy to see her too. but the biggest change is that she is so much calmer all the time, and it's stuck. she runs at a normal pace, not a frantic flee. and she's going outside on her own, rather than me having to corner her on the couch and carry her to the door. she doesn't bolt off the couch when i sit up or reach over to pet her. big, big progress. the biggest since she first crawled into my lap at the dog park.

dash always seemed to make noticeable progress whenever something "eventful" happened, like a meetup or trip to the groomer, but these didn't do much for winnie's progress. it took me leaving her alone for four days and then coming to her rescue, and now she's a new dog. she's finally realized that she's safe, she's home.

winnie's first year

last month was winnie's first gotcha day-versary. looking back at how winnie's progressed over the last year, she has come a long way. she no longer trembles when she's held by someone. she takes treats from my hands. she'll even approach me when i'm eating, interested in my food. she used to be too scared to even eat a treat or her food when anyone looking at her. her personality has blossomed. she is playful, and she wants to play so badly. that spunky little girl is in there, just dying to come out. but she's still so scared. and she is still a danger to herself when she's scared. she'll run head first into a wall, trying to get away. or she'll try to jump out of someone's arms at chest height. so, since it was time for her annual checkup at the v-e-t anyway, i asked him about anti-anxiety medication. i tried some natural remedies, but they didn't seem to help. and this isn't forever. it's just for now, to see if it can help to calm her down enough so she realizes that we're not here to hurt her. it's been almost a month, and so far, so good. hopefully big(ger) things will start happening soon.

as for the rest of her vet visit, she's completely healthy. and she weighs less than the cat.

august 29, 2010
scared to death in the back seat


october 2010 meetup
the only way to keep her from hiding under the table was to hold her


halloween 2010 meetup
little gingerbread girl


christmas 2010
she is a bearded dachshund


january 2011 meetup
the first time she crawled into my lap, now it's her favorite safe place


february 2011
napping viciously. it's always a good sign when they start sleeping belly up.


june 2011
the annual dachshund pool party at happy paws. she sank like a rock.
we'll work on it for next summer.

riley's radioactive eye

just kidding. i took riley to the vet this morning because his eyes were super bloodshot. you can kind of see it on the right. they put a yellow stain in them and looked at them under a blacklight to see if there was any damage on his corneas. i really wanted to take a picture of that, but it wasn't my normal vet, so i didn't want to ask. so i snapped this in the car of the little bit that was still oozing out.

riley's fine, he just has allergy eyes. yay. my old man. i'm starting to freak at every little thing that doesn't seem right. oh who am i kidding, i've always freaked over every little thing with them. but poor guy, he's always been terrified of the vet and shakes like a leaf the whole time. but boy is he happy when he knows it's time to leave!

let's go!!!!!