Maddux and I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend. We've been doing a lot of surfing this weekend...on the web, that is, not in the ocean. We'd like to share a couple of interesting blogs/websites we found.
Eddie started Pets for the Environment because he was barking mad that the human government doesn't require companies to test the chemicals for safety before they start putting them in animal toys, furniture or food! We sent several friends and family a postcard from Eddie a few weeks ago. Check it out, and help Eddie make a difference.
Of course Maddux and I made Eddie's Wall of Cute. Check us out: Eddie's Wall of Cute
We found this little nugget while reading a post on Eddie's blog. This website is dedicated to all the dog toys that have gone to that big toybox in sky. For those of you who know me and Maddux, you know that we've sent our fair share of beloved toys to toybox heaven. Check out this website to see pictures and videos of how other dogs destroy their toys.
So you don't forget about these blogs, we'll put them in the "Other Links" section under our Family Pictures link. We'll keep updating this section with new blogs and websites as we find ones we love. For those of you who have forgotten about our Family Pictures, check out our dropshots account to see all the pictures that don't make the blog...you can even leave comments on pictures. Maddux and I love to get comments on the blog or in dropshots so don't be shy (Amanda S. this means you!)
PICTURE TIME Mommy nevers misses an opportunity to take our picture, and since she just gave us a bath, she wanted to snap a few while we were clean.
As you know from our previous post, we lost our Pop-Pop last Monday so Mommy and Daddy had to drive to Indiana for the funeral. Before they made the trip north, they dropped me an Bella off at Mamaw and Papaw's house. On our way there, we saw two other animals that were on a road trip, too.
The first one we saw was a black calf that Bella named Bianca (I think she picked that name because it starts with a 'B' like her name). We sure hope there were two levels in that trailer or that calf has some seriously long legs!
While Mommy and Daddy were in Indiana, we got to spend a lot of quality time with Mamaw and Papaw. Mamaw would give us lots of treats, and Papaw let us run wild through the house and do whatever we wanted.
When Mommy and Daddy got back from Indiana, they told us the service for Pop-Pop was very nice, and they were able to meet several people that worked with Pop-Pop, who had funny stories to share about him.
Pop-Pop, you will be missed.
Visit with Cousin Sam
Of course we got left again, when Mommy, Daddy, and Nana went to visit Uncle Bryon, Auntie Tina, and Cousin Sam. Mommy said Sam is sooo cute, and he has cut a lot of new teeth. He is also repeating EVERYTHING you say.
In the past, Sam has thrilled us with his musical performances, but this time he put on a special show...dancing. Here's a video of him getting his groove on.
Auntie Tina is taking a cake decorating class so everyone got to try a piece of the cake she decorated with roses. Mommy said the cake was pretty and delicious. This may be the break Bella and I have been waiting for in the cake department. Maybe we can talk Auntie Tina into making us a dog friendly cake - no chocolate please!
Mommy was able to share a few bites of her piece with Sam. It looks like he got more on his face than in his mouth (I would have loved to have been there to give him kisses).
I'm sure no one is shocked to know that Sam is not just a cute face, but he is also very smart. Mommy's purse was within his reach, and he got her cellphone out.
He not only figured out how to open it but he also figured out how to turn the camera on and take a picture. I would post the picture he took, but Sam forgot to save it.
Of course, Bella and I did NOT get any cake. We were told once again that it had chocolate in it so we could not have any. Did you see that cake? It was white...can you believe chocolate comes in white, too?!
Even though we didn't get any cake, it didn't stop us from begging for it.
Before I close the post, Bella and I want to wish Uncle Rich a speedy recovery since he has been really sick the past few days. I would also like to introduce you to Uncle Rich's personal nurse.
We got some very sad news early this morning that our Pop-Pop had passed away. Although we never got to meet him, Daddy says he was a very nice man that loved to fly airplanes, talk on his ham radios, play computer video games, and ride his 4-wheeler to visit neighbors.
Our puppy prayers are with his wife, Debbie, and their dog, Mia.
Today was a very interesting day because I was home alone for a couple of hours since my little sidekick Bella had a vet appointment. Don't worry...she's fine. It was just time for her yearly vaccinations.
Today was also an interesting day for Mommy because she took Bella to the vet in Daddy's BMW!! Yep, you heard me correctly - she drove Daddy's car. This was only the second time she's been behind the wheel since he bought the car in May. The first time was last Thursday when Daddy made her take a test drive with him in the car. Bella and I even got to ride along during the test drive, which was the first time we had even seen the inside of the car.
Maybe I should explain why Mommy had Daddy's car...Daddy drove the Pilot to see Pop-Pop, who is in a Nashville hospital recovering from an aortic aneurysm. Daddy said Pop-Pop is doing much better, but the doctor wants to keep him in the hospital for awhile. Pop-Pop, we hope you get to feeling better soon.
Needless to say, Mommy was a nervous wreck driving Daddy's car because, as we all know, Daddy is a freak about his car.
As you can see, Mommy did not want to take any chances so she covered the interior in beach towels.
Bella wanted to be the one to tell you all about her adventure this morning, but since she's wiped out from the shots, she asked me to give you all the details.
As soon as Mommy and Bella walked in the vet's office, everyone starting telling Bella how cute she is (this is all according to Bella of course), and they couldn't believe she is over a year old since she is so small (this I can believe...she IS tiny).
Once they were put into a room, Mommy got a picture of Bella on the exam table (I'm sure no one is shocked that Mommy brought her camera).
After a few minutes of waiting, a very nice nurse came in to get Bella's weight (she weighed 3 lbs. 8 oz.), and then she had to withdraw some blood. Because Bella is sooo small the nurse had to change the needle to the size they normally use on cats. (I've been teasing Bella all day by calling her "Kitty", and let me tell you she does NOT like that nickname, and I have the video to prove it.)
The tourniquet they put on her leg before they take the blood would not adjust small enough for her little leg. The nurse was concerned she wasn't going to be able to find a vein, which would cause her to take the blood from her jugular (Ouch!). Luckily, she found a vein and was able to take it out of her leg, and Bella said her leg bleed quite a bit. Mommy told the nurse we'd have to pick Daddy up off the floor if he saw all that blood.
After being weighed and having blood drawn, Bella thought she must be done, but to her unpleasant surprise, the worst had been saved for last. The nurse pulled out a long green stick and used the two words that strike fear into the hearts of dogs everywhere, "fecal sample". I won't go into the details of this humiliating part of the exam, but suffice it to say this is every dogs least favorite part of the yearly checkup, which is saying a lot since there are multiple shots involved.
Finally the nurse's work was done, and Bella had a few minutes to regain her composure before Dr. Huhman (Isn't that a great name for a vet?!) came in. According to Bella, Dr. Huhman (like everyone else in the office) could not stop talking about her cuteness. After all the pleasantries, he got down to business, where he checked her teeth, listened to her heart, gave her a squirt of stuff up her nose (and he didn't even mind when she sneezed all that stuff out of her nose all over his lab coat), and two shots. Overall, he gave her a clean bill of health and told her she was a very brave girl during the shots.
After about an hour and half of my solitude, Bella was back on the scene. Of course, Mommy caught the reunion on video. (Bella was more excited to see me than I was to see her.)
Remember that I mentioned I was teasing Bella with the nickname "Kitty"? Here's a video of her reaction after I called her that for the first time. She starts by attacking my head and then she bites my legs. I told you she didn't like it!
Bella had a very big day, and she is very glad that she only has to do this once a year. She would also like to suggest that Mommy take a poopy sample with her next time so they don't have to perform a manual extract. I would like to say "ditto" to Bella's request since my yearly checkup is only four short months away.
Oh, Bella and I want to wish Mr. Adam (Ms. Stephanie's husband) a belated Happy 30th Birthday! Normally, Maddux and I would not be friendly with folks from Alabama (we are Volunteers after all), but we think they're good people.
It had been several months since we had seen Mommy’s friends, and we were very excited to have them visit. Here’s a picture of Maddux giving Ms. Corinne some birthday kisses.
Every time Mommy and her friends get together for “scrapbook" night, the host makes dinner and dessert. Mommy made breakfast foods for dinner since breakfast is Ms. Corinne’s favorite meal of the day, and Ms. Stephanie called it “Brinner”. Maddux and I got very excited when we smelled sausage. After we stood by the stove begging, for what seemed like hours, Mommy broke the news that it was actually faux-sausage since Ms. Corinne is a vegetarian.
Mommy even made Ms. Corinne a birthday cake. Daddy wouldn’t eat any since it had strawberries in it, but no one asked me or Maddux if we wanted a piece. We like strawberries! Of course we got the usual excuse about chocolate being bad for baby dogs. Could someone please make a dessert without chocolate so a little dog gets a tasty treat?! I sneaked a peek in the pantry, and I saw a box of Butterscotch Krimpets…those don’t sound chocolate to me.
While the girls were downstairs “scrapbooking”, we hung out with Daddy upstairs. Of course, Daddy fell asleep while he was “watching” us. Maddux and I listened to the festivities downstairs, and there was a lot of talking a laughing, but I’m not sure how much scrapbooking got done.
Well, I have to go...it seems Mommy is prepping for our baths. I need to sign off and get to my hiding place. If Mommy can’t find me, she can’t give me a bath.
