Update on Sadie

Sadie is going to be a bigger dog than we thought.  She is already 12 lbs.  And she has this wirehair which is a trait of only certain kinds of dogs.  According to what I read she should have her hair hand stripped about four times a year!!!!  I have watched a video of it, I have tried it, not easy.  So what happens if it is never done???  I would like to find out how to make her hair shine more.  Guess it is all about diet!

She loves to run and she loves to find little branches to chew on and she just ruined my new glasses by chewing on the lens and the stems.   I think the count is now up to three things she has ruined, besides the glasses, there was my ear plugs and some sandals!

Our favorite activity together besides walking?--watching TCM movies in the afternoon under the fur throw--she can sleep in my lap (she loves to sleep on the fur throw) while I stay put for awhile and pet her.

So which one of these  breeds did she inherit her wire hair from?????  Some kind of Terrier or Schnauzer?  Certainly not from a Beagle, Chihuahua, or Springer Spaniel as has been mentioned as possible parents.

Airedale Terrier

Australian Terrier

Border Terrier

Brussels Griffon

Cairn Terrier

Dandie Dinmont Terrier

Dachshund Wire-haired

Irish Terrier

Lakeland Terrier

Norfolk Terrier

Otterhound

Parson Russell Terrier

Scottish Terrier

Sealyham Terrier

Schnauzer

Welsh Terrier

West Highland White Terrier

Wire Fox terrier

So, she remains a mystery.  Matt said for $50 you can get the DNA of your dog and find out exactly what their ancestry is--that would be interesting.

April, 2013

I think this has been the longest I have gone without writing in my blog.  It has been a month of unpack, sort, clean, everthing from top to bottom plus do all my paperwork and print off necessary papers, pay taxes, etc. etc.  Since I don't have the energy I need and got sick along the way it has taken me a looong time.

I also made time to travel to Chico for my reading glasses from Costco and get more collage paper and materials from Michaels and travel to Susanville about three times for things.

 Then I also found time to start the yard clean up and start decopouging boxes for all my dolls.  I was exhausted every night but also found time to read "Poaching Daises", see the movie "42" with Maryanne and prepare my Relief Society lesson  plus walk with Sadie a few times a day.


My dolls had been all wrapped up and in a chest and I decided since I am not selling my house and moving I want to have my dolls out but there is not room to put them anywhere so I will put them all in nice boxes.  Finding the right size boxes is the hard part but I really enjoy doing the collage with the books of paper I bought for half prize.  They will last me a long time and are much better than calendars.

Matt came last weekend and did all the raking, finished the garage, and we took six very packed carloads to the dump.  We also bought what was needed to fix the hoses and for the first time in many years I do not have any leaks anywhere and no twisted hoses, etc.  He also cleared all the needles off the roof and out of the rain gutters.  That is a BIG and MESSY job.  Although there are branches left to chop, the rest of the wood is chopped and stacked.  I have never been so ready for spring and next winter.  Matt did a super, super job with everything and I mended the birdhouses and did a little paint touch up...and it is warm enough to start watering.  Many, many thanks to Matt.

We did have a cold spell though and all the pink blossoms disappeared off the apple tree--

The river rock patio even  got more sand and Sadie has a lot more space for her run.  She is finally learning where to do her pooh and adjusting to life on a leash.  When Bruce was here he led her astray a few times but I was happy to see that she did return promptly when called.

Yesterday she met her first deer.  Three of them were in the back yard and she actually barked at them and then she cried a little, too.  So many new things around here.

All in all I think we are ready for a great summer here and I am now ready to get started on all my projects again.  It is lonely without Mike to talk to occasionally but I have so much to keep me very, very busy.

Oh, yes, Sadie loves her new bed which Bandido did not use very much.  I now tell her goodnight and do not take her to bed with me.  She will not be allowed in my bedroom until she absolutely never has another 'accident' in the house again.

The Only Love You Can Buy

A friend recently told me that the "a puppy is the only love you can buy".  What a lovely thought and it is so true.  Sadie loves everybody and when I sit at the computer she gives me big wet kisses on my neck and she snuggles close when we sleep.  Of course, she also likes to escape me and the leash and run free whenever she can..


She is learning to love to sit in the sun on the deck.  She is frustrated by the no grass anywhere to do her wee and pooh, though and she misses running around in circles like she did at Linda's house.

One big advantage to her habitat here is that there are lots of sticks and does she love twigs and sticks.

Except for being frightened when the leash handle chased after her on the road (after I dropped it) she appears to really like it up here.  Soon I will take her to Maryanne's for a playdate so she can tussle with other doggies.

She really liked Mike and I am so glad I will not be alone--now that Mike is leaving!

Melissa and I drove to Chico on Sunday the 24th and had an easy trip.  Melissa is a wonderful traveling companion.  Very competent driver and most interesting conversationalist.  It was a great trip both ways and we loved the new car to drive in.  We arrived in Chico in time for me to go home to Lake Almanor.  Mike was packing and said he was leaving that night to visit his friends for a last time before driving East to Chicago and then his grandparents in Michigan and then on to Baltimore.  I never thought he would make it but he was out of the door by 8:30 pm.

I spent four days reorganizing, unpacking, cleaning etc etc.  The boys had done a nice job of cleaning out my freezer, cupboards and fridge.  Mike said they threw away all dated thing and ate the good stuff..  Saved me a having to do it and I just had to put things back the way I wanted.  I love being home  though I am really going to miss all the good food that Linda and Gary prepare and seeing all the grandchildren and lunching and going to movies with my daughters and visiting with my son and his family---nice options though, there in the winter, here in the spring, fall and summer!!!!! 

Sadie Did It!

Sadie took her test today and received her certificate.  What was the test?  Sit, Stay, Down, Come, Stop and Sit when commanded during a walk.  She did very well.  Of course, that doesn't mean she won't run under the bed or out of the room if she would rather do that than Come!!!

But she performed perfectly in Petco so it isn't that she doesn't know what to do.  She just is still reserving the right to choose when she wants to obey.  That is something we will have to work on.



I think she is a very smart dog and she is certainly loving.  She gave Taylor a lot of loving kisses before she left the store and she just lavished me with a ton of them, too.  And she continues to grow . 

Sadie and Her Ears

So Sadie has this wierd thing going on with her ears--often the right ear is sticking straight out or as it was in class last week, both ears were sticking straight out.  The instructor commented she had not seen that before.


Then there is often the right ear sticking all the way back.  What does that mean???

I bought these stairs for Sadie with her Gift Certificate she had won.  Works well on the couch.  May work on my bed, too.

This is the way Sadie's ears are supposed to look.  Does it mean anything at all to have them take different shapes from time to time?  I wish I knew.

She is getting awfully long.  How will she turn out?  We have no idea!

 

 

Sadie, Sadie, What Can I say?

Aha, so I am sitting with my ear plugs from my lap top and no sound is coming out.  On closer inspection I see little cuts in the wires...there can be only one explanation, Sadie has left her teething trademarks.

And just a few minutes before I was thinking about the Bumper Sticker I saw which was a Paw with a phrase written across it "Who Rescued Who?" and thinking how much I would love to find a sticker like that for my car because it is so true--she rescued me from  my loneliness--so comfy having that warm love to snuggle.

Still, Sadie, Sadie, I wish you hadn't ruined my ear plugs, and my sandals,,,and and I know there will be more, we must try harder to keep those teeth where they belong.

Sadie and Anal Sacs? Who Knew?

Last month Sadie was scooting and I thought it was worms--San Diego Rescue gave me some worm meds.  But lately she has really been uncomfortable and I am not seeing any worms, just lots of scooting and restlessness--like did I get any sleep last night?  So I read this and Voila $10 to Pet Smart and Sadie is a happy puppy again!!!  This was written by a Veterinarian... I googled ' why a dog scoots on his butt'.  Anyway, I am writing this down because my memory--you know...

This is only rarely caused by worms. Most dogs who have worms do NOT scoot. (ETA: Dogs absolutely can NOT get pinworms. Not possible. That's a human parasite which does not have the ability to infect dogs or cats. If any worms are going to cause anal itching it will likely be tapeworms, which are caused from swallowing fleas that contain part of the tapeworm lifecycle.)

99% of the time, scooting is caused by the anal SACS (they are NOT glands, even though that's what most people call them!!!!   What are anal sacs? They are very much like the scent glands that skunks have. Nature designed them to fill up with a disgusting-smelling fluid, and to be emptied each time a dog has a bowel movement, thereby 'marking' its territory. Dogs can also forcibly evacuate them when startled by a predator, in order to scare them away. (Again, similar to skunks.) Although the anal-sac 'smell' is one which is quite familiar to anyone who has worked with dogs, each dog has its own individual scent, whether we can pick up on it or not.

The problem is....

That is how nature *intended* it to work for dogs who roamed the wild. Nature did not intend for poodles, Yorkies, Schnauzers, chihuahuas, etc, etc. to roam the wild, however. We humans created all the different breeds, and in selecting the traits for all of them, no one cared/paid any attention to where the anal sacs were located. As a result, in many dogs (especially the smaller breeds), they are not always located in 'exactly' the right place or have the muscles around them developed enough for the dog to do what nature intended. They can't empty them out by having a bowel movement, but the sacs continue to fill up with the disgusting (bacteria-filled) fluid. It's not painful (unless a blockage in the duct occurs, leading to an abscess), but it is uncomfortable to have full anal sacs.

So......

The dog has only 2 other options to try to empty them out. One is by 'scooting' their butt across the floor. The other is by licking. (Which is, btw, the most common cause for coughing/gagging/hacking up phlegm that looks like egg whites in dogs who are not sick. That's because the nasty fluid trickles down the throat, causing chronic tracheitis and tonsilitis.  

Since neither of those 2 solutions is very effective, it is necessary for us humans to help these dogs out by emptying those sacs for them periodically. Some dogs need to have it done every couple of weeks, some every month, some every 6-8 weeks. Each dog is different. Larger breeds seem to have fewer problems, but it can happen in them, too.

Sadie Goes to School

Sadie gives me a soulful look before we start our 'work' for the day,

She missed the first class but quickly picked up everything and caught up in the second class.  She played the name game well and came to me from another aisle in the store.  She already knew 'sit' and 'come' and soon picked up 'down'.

I found out she was treating Keira just like another dog.  They supposedly do not distinquish between little children and animals and attempt to find out who is 'alpha'.  So one behavior we have to work on is to greet 'four on the floor' and no jumping.

Bandido was so independent he would come when he wanted to and ignore you if he didn't want.  He would hide and not answer which caused a few problems.  I don't want Sadie to be like that.

Sadie, MVP of Puppy Bowl

I think it was all this tusseling with Bear this last month that prepared Sadie to be the toughy she was at Petco's Puppy Bowl.  She made both touchdowns for her winning team and then she was unanimosly voted MVP by all the spectators.

I didn't have my camera.  We went there for a Rabies shot and the Puppy Bowl was starting so I put here in the ring and finished my shopping.  They were aghast when I missed her first touchdown.  It was fun to watch and she was very aggresive with them all.  The finale was for her to go steal the treat out of Big Sadie's mouth!

Sadie and Bear

When I nap, guess who naps with me.  Bear is the Hardy dog and Sadie has taken a big liking to him.  They chase and tussle and love to go out walking together.  In fact, it is hard to take one without the other.

Since it is such a big house and so many doors it is hard for them to tell you when they need to go out--so I take them out quite often.  It doesn't always help.

Yesterday I went to a movie and ran some errands and left Sadie in her 2 by 8 ft cage.  She had food and water and her 'cave' to sleep in.  She was fine.  But Bear wanted her out.  When I came home, Bear gave me a long, loud scolding.  There was no mistaking what he was telling me with his angry barks..

Sadie is growing!

Look at those legs...


January 20

January 30

She is a big eater!!

Meet Sadie

Sadie and her brother were rescued from an animal shelter on Dec 12, 2012.   She is a mix.  Her brother looked totally like a Beagel,  Sadie is more like her Mom, a Spaniel, and father perhaps who is Terrier.  I have to qualify this.  In talking to one of the volunteers two weeks later she says they don't really know what her parentage is.  On the spay report the Vet put down chiwawa???  So who in the world are you, Sadie?

She has a sweet, understanding temperment who likes to like your neck and face and picks up new skills fairly easily.

 

She is enjoying playing with Sarah and friends and her toys but likes to cuddle in her little hooded home as soon as she  enters her  2 x 8 cage in my room. She is a climber, the suitcases were no deterrent to her escaping to the world beyond.