tatt3r's dogstuff

Kaylee and the Sprout

2009-11-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Diametrag and her Sprout came to visit today. He used to be the Bean, but he's big enough now I should call him the Sprout.

Kaylee hasn't been around little ones a lot, and I've been a little nervous. Kaylee gets pretty excited and jumps when she greets people. I was afraid she was too rough to get along with the Sprout.

Kaylee was in the back yard, and Diametrag, the Sprout and I went to visit her. I brought along a box of kookies, and after I told Kaylee to "sit" the Sprout would feed her a kookie. It worked very well.

It was such a beautiful afternoon, we walked to the park. Kaylee and J. sat at the picnic table while the Sprout played on the jungle gym.

When we got home, it was snack time. J. gave the Sprout a peanut butter cracker. After he licked it clean, he said "All done" and gave it to Kaylee. They had a good time, and Kaylee waited politely while the Sprout ate his cracker.

Here you can see both of them waiting for their next cracker. J, the man with the jar of peanut butter, has their attention.

There's a Fungus Among Us

2009-10-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

We've had enough rain this month. I would wish for it to stop raining, but it would probably snow instead.

With all the rain, we've had a lot of mushroomy stuff growing in our yard. I was inspired by Alwen's post with a picture of an earthstar fungus she found, and thought I would post my find.
Kaylee is a garbage hound lately, so I've been doing a quick patrol in the mornings. There was no trash, but I did find these mushrooms, or fungus. I didn't notice when I picked them up, but they are lavender on the underside. I don't know if they would make Kaylee sick, but they're on their way to the garbage can.
I'll have to keep up the morning yard patrol at least until the snow flies. There's someone in the neighborhood who feeds squirrels, and I occasionally find old corncobs and chunks of bread. Our back yard abuts the teachers' parking lot, and I find litter from teachers as often as students.
Kaylee turned 3 this month, she's not a puppy anymore, but she still eats the most disgusting things. I tell J, “She's a dog, that's what she does!”

J finished DWE's guitar, and has started another. Here's a picture of his latest rosette in progress. It's the same one he did for Diametrag's guitar, but a different choice of colors. There's no bleeding, and the background is nice and clear. It's about 6" across.

Kaylee's Excellent Vacation

2009-09-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Kaylee and I went on vacation last week. We took J. with us, since he's the one that does the heavy lifting, trailer hook-up, and all the important stuff. We like to camp at Hoeft State Park, north of Rogers City on Lake Huron. We especially like the empty campground after Labor Day, one of the benefits of being empty-nesters.

Here's our campsite, with our little trailer and screened tent. Kaylee is guarding our site, checking all the dogs and dogwalkers that passed by. J is in the screened tent, reading a book with his eyes closed, he has the method down to a science. Years of practice, don't you know.

Kaylee got a lot of attention this year. Almost every day someone stopped by and said "Oh, is that an Airedale?" Kaylee loved the attention, and got to sniff lots of new people and dogs. One woman said she had an Airedale, but he wasn't with her right then. It would have been nice if they could have played a little. Two park rangers stopped and mooshed her face and ears, and another lady had a new dog from rescue. She thought her dog might be part Airedale, and asked questions about Kaylee for comparison. Kaylee also got to touch noses with a spunky little Boston Terrier, Chloe. Her humans were a little skeptical, but Kaylee plays well with little dogs.

Most of our vacation is spent reading and relaxing alternating with long rambles with Kaylee. We found a nice city park on the beach, and followed an interpretive trail. It was a 1 mile trail, and since it wasn't a loop, we had a 2 mile walk when we got back to the truck. Kaylee and I took a minute to admire the lake. We had perfect weather, cool evenings, sunny days in the 70s F and not a drip of rain.

I love the colors of Lake Huron. It has shades of green, turquoise, green-blue, blue-green, and the sun makes the water sparkle! The colors make me think of my birthstone, a turquoise (I'm a Sagittarius).

J. took this picture. We were all loaded up and heading home Friday morning. The sun was brilliant, the clouds looked ominous. J. stopped the truck, grabbed the camera and ran across the road to take a picture or two. That one is now wallpaper on my desktop, what good memories! We had a great vacation this year.

Where's Kaylee?

2009-08-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Let's play a game of Where's Kaylee? Is she in the lettuce? Maybe she's under the lilac, waiting for the groundhog.

There's Kaylee! Hiding behind the green beans.

She's found a nice spot to rest, didn't even have to dig a hole.

Here's my lettuce garden. I planted a second crop of lettuce 2 or 3 weeks ago, but it is having trouble getting started. Kaylee has claimed that side for her spot in the shade, and just won't leave it alone. I look at it this way. The left side of the garden has bibb lettuce, the right side has butt'n lettuce. Kaylee's butt, that is.

If it's a bird bath, there must be birds nearby

2009-08-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things we've had to do this summer was sell the family 'homestead' in Marshall. J's great-great grandfather (maybe another great in there, I'm not sure) came from Ireland, settled in Marshall and built a house. It's been in the family since before the Civil War, every generation adding to the house, but now it belongs to some other family.

We don't have plans to return to Marshall in our retirement, and our kids are established elsewhere, too. It was hard to let it go, but we sold it to a couple who intend to restore it and perhaps make it better than it ever was.

J. always admired the bird bath, built by one of the greats. On his last trip cleaning out the basement, he lugged the bird bath up the hill to the driveway and hoisted it into the truck. It was quite a job, but he's glad he did it.

It's concrete and stone, and breaks down into 3 pieces. It's missing a few stones, and generally starting to deteriorate. For years, J's family moved the bird bath into the garage for the winter, but the last 15 years or more, no one has bothered. J. has no idea how it was built, but he'd like to repair it if he could. I'll have to do a search on the internet and see if I can find some information about this kind of masonry.

We're enjoying it for now - it still surprises me when I see it in the yard. My mind still thinks of it in my mother-in-law's flower garden, surrounded by snap dragons, lupines and zinnias. In spite of its homely appearance, it holds sweet memories for us both.

You talking to Me?

2009-06-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

Kaylee has trouble with the concept of Garden. Especially "No Garden". Why shouldn't she lay in this empty dirt? It's soft, it's clean, it's simply perfect for a preliminary "lie-down" leading to an energetic "hole-dig" when the mood strikes.

She's telling me to calm down, it's just dirt. What she can't see are the tiny seeds that just sprouted in my "lettuce bowl". She can't see them because they are under her butt. Kaylee understands the general idea that the humans don't want her walking on the green stuff. Except for grass. (Humans are so picky). But she refuses to stay off empty dirt. Dirt and holes fall under her jurisdiction, and that's not going to change.

And just for a change of pace, we saw a skunk on yesterday's late night walk. We were walking through the school courtyard and I saw something black to the left of us. At first I thought it was a bag, or some other garbage, but then it moved and I recognized it was an animal, maybe a big cat? I didn't see a stripe, and I couldn't smell anything, but I recognized the pointy snout and bushy tail.

It moved again and I could see a sandwich or something in its grasp, so I said to J. "Be careful, we've got a skunk over there."

He wrapped the leash around his hand an extra time, and then Kaylee saw it, or maybe smelled it. It triggered her prey drive, and she was pulling and lunging as she tried to break away and chase it. Thank doGness J. has weight on his side, and a strong collar on Kaylee. I didn't want to spend the next hour washing a stinky dog in the backyard. It might be a good idea to make sure I have the ingredients for skunk remedy on hand. We might not be so lucky next time.

Odds and Ends

2009-04-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

More Guitar Guts. J started to finish the body of Jake's guitar. Kaylee gives her approval, the color is so bright and vibrant.

The lettuce, kale and radishes have finally sprouted in my cold frame. It gets dry in there when I keep it closed. Things started popping when it rained this weekend and I left the top off. I intend to replant the first rows, they are not coming up very well. Still no snap pea sprouts. Grandpa Guy's advice isn't working well this year. (grin)

Looks like a fine crop of rhubarb. Kaylee likes to run through this area, and J. put tomato cages in to give the rhubarb a fighting chance.

It's been amazingly resilient, but I'm afraid I will lose it if I don't pick some this year. I can't/shouldn't have rhubarb pie, so I'm on the lookout for sugarless freezer jam. Maybe sugar-free Jello will be my solution.

The End.

It's been a dog's age

2009-04-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

DWE and A came by last night, and Kaylee wasn't sure about letting them in the house. They came in the back door, and she was surprised and growly at first. Then D said "Hi" and A gave her a nice new dog toy.
I've never seen Kaylee so delighted. She grabbed the toy and ran into the front room, her tail was wagging in a circle! She sniffed it all over and then showed it to J. Here, check it out! Then she showed it to A again. She's always liked A, but now A is the best.

She took a nap this morning with the dog, and gave it a little chew just for fun. They had a good snuggle.

It's been a long time with no blogging, but we had some computer issues, and now I'm learning new software and and new OS. I'm not so happy with the way the pictures are resized, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground. I'll be experimenting some more, I guess.

We found a tree guy and he trimmed the neighbor's tree. It was hanging over the property line and endangered our house and truck. The tree is almost dead, and the wind blows down branches, twigs and leaves in our drive.

This past winter the downed branches were bigger with each storm, we were afraid the whole thing would come down.
Here's before and after pictures. We're glad it's done.

Kaylee Goes Walkabout

2009-03-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

Or Never Trust Your Dog....
Friday the thirteenth was an interesting day for Kaylee and I. Here's my story, even though it's a bit late and very long.
Friday morning Kaylee asked to go outside - very nicely put her head in my lap and gave me a brown-eyed look of love. I didn't suspect a thing, and opened the back door so she could do her usual rush into the back yard to get the squirrels. This time wasn't business as usual. There was a Big Old Yellow Dog (Boyd) in our driveway, and before I could move, Kaylee took off after him.
I grabbed the leash, squished my feet into snow boots and took off after her.
Boyd was a Saint Bernard-Great Dane mix, an even tempered guy, but a little shy. He was ambling along enjoying his day out of the yard, while Kaylee was doing tuckbuttruns and wild loops in the neighbors' yards. She wouldn't come close enough for me to grab her. Several times I convinced her to follow me home, but she always turned away to sniff Boyd and playbow to him.
The high school started to let kids out for lunch, and Boyd decided to take off. He lengthened his stride as he left our cul de sac, and Kaylee had to hustle to keep up. I followed, and all I could see was an Airedale butt bounding toward the next street - four lanes of traffic. Boyd managed to stop traffic; they crossed safely and headed toward the park.
I ran after them, huffing and puffing. I was getting desperate. The park is just an open field, a baseball diamond, a small playground and a soccer field. I could imagine Kaylee cutting across the soccer field, and then she'd be lost for sure. Once she crossed the bridge over the highway, the next neighborhood is unfamiliar territory.
Instead of heading to the park, Boyd detoured into another cul de sac. I caught up to Kaylee in somebody's front yard. I picked up a stick and waved it at her, inviting her to play. She came close and I grabbed her collar, but only because she was too exhausted to dodge.
As we headed home, I realized how cold I was. Friday's high was only 37 and I left the house without my coat. Boyd followed us, we crossed the street together. He veered off to check out the neighbor's garbage and I haven't seen him since. Boyd had no collar or tags. If I had managed to confine him to our back yard, the only thing I could have done was call Animal Control. A certain death sentence.
I chased Kaylee for at least 15 minutes, and I swear I added 10 years of gray hair. Needless to say, she's not going to get the chance to do that again. Now I promise - I'll always use the leash to make the trip from the back door to the back yard gate. Every time. Promise.
Never trust those big brown eyes.

Spring time is coming!

2009-03-07T05:18:00.000-08:00

We've had a string of warm days. Almost all the snow is melted, we're left with only little icy spots on the north side of the house. The squirrels are back, digging for acorns, and Kaylee is in full prey drive. She loves those squirrels, and thankfully hasn't caught one yet. I think she loves the chase more than an actual catch.

Yesterday was so nice I opened the windows and turned on "dog tv". Kaylee stayed at the door until her nose got cold, and then took a nap. We both enjoyed the fresh air in the house, but while she napped I shut the door. The windows stayed open until late afternoon when the temps cooled into the low 50s.

This weekend is supposed to rain and rain and rain. We don't care, and I'm hoping for a little rumble of thunder. The ground will begin to thaw, and pretty soon I'll dig my parsnips and find my snap pea seeds. I had a wonderful garden last year, but missed most of the harvest. I'm ready for this year, and have high hopes for growing some tasty salad greens, tomatoes, and green beans.

February Funk

2009-02-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

I can't believe February is almost done, and I haven't updated Kaylee's blog since before Christmas.

Here she is, snuggling with her favorite fleece blanket. She's had a boring winter, lots of walkies, but not lots of running and playing. We've had so much snow, she had trouble getting around the backyard. We've had a thaw that melted everything, and with only 6" on the ground, she can get around a little better.

I think spring is edging closer, Kaylee is watching sparrows out the front window. I can hear them chirping, maybe they know something we don't.

Kaylee Likes Her Greens

2008-12-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

I was taking a picture of my latest Thanksgiving cactus, when I saw this black and tan blur in the corner of my picture. (Cue music from Jaws)
Kaylee had just come in from her morning patrol of the back yard, and wanted to see what I was doing.

I think of this as her Alfred E. Newman impersonation. "What, me worry?" Kaylee assured me she was only looking.

Kaylee likes bananas, apples, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, but she'll never know if she likes schlumbergera. Thank doGness she will "Leave It!" most of the time.

This is what I was trying to shoot, Christmas Flame. I got this one and Christmas Charm from Whitton Greenhouses in June. Both plants were loaded with buds in November, and only one bud survived. Christmas Charm lost all its buds overnight. I came out in the morning, and thought I had mice in the house because every bud had disappeared. Christmas Flame gradually lost its buds, until I finally gave in and removed all but the largest. Next year it will be gorgeous, I'm looking forward to it already.

More Snow Tonight

2008-12-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

Kaylee loves it when we walk in new snow, she pushes the snow with her nose like a snow plow. She throws her head back, tossing a clump of snow and snaps at the aire. Big aire-snaps, chomp chomp.

We have a little bit of snow on the ground, J shoveled the walk back to the gate, and then stopped. Who would think Miss Pretty Princess would object to a bit of snow on the sidewalk, but she does. She stops at the gate and pauses, looking down at the snow barely covering the last square of sidewalk. She looks at J and back at the offending snow. Hmph. She wants her walk swept.

If there was a squirrel to chase, she would be after it in a flash, but without that distraction, Miss Pretty Princess needs clean concrete for her delicate dog feet.

We're expecting more snow tonight, and Kaylee's sidewalk will need shoveling, at least to get the gate moving. Maybe then her little dog paws will be happy.

Kaylee Says Thanks

2008-11-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

...for her yellow-billed, blue-tailed bird with no legs. I prefer dark meat, and would have been disappointed, but she is happy.

I mended Kaylee's blue-tailed bird today, and she didn't let it out of her sight. J got her this one from the grocery store, and she promptly shredded the legs. She doesn't usually pull apart her stuffed animals, but this one was so flimsy that she opened up a seam along the back.

We're getting extra walks while the sidewalks are still clear of snow. It takes a week of walking more than an hour a day to tire out an Airedale. Kaylee crashes in the early evening, and groans at us if we stay up for a late hockey game. When the Red Wings score, J and I holler; Kaylee groans. "It's a hockey game, Kaylee. Go back to sleep."

2008-11-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

Kaylee loves to watch the neighborhood out our front door. J and I joke that we're turning on DogTV when we open the door for her. You can see she gets a little physical when she watches her TV. The c@ts across the street aren't smart enough to stay out of traffic, but they have learned how to torment Kaylee. She lunges at the door, sometimes with one big WOOF, but hasn't broken through the screen. Yet.

We walked the Kent Trail this morning, and enjoyed what is probably the last nice day of autumn. The sky was blue, and the mild breeze pushed yellow leaves across the trail.
On the way to the bridge, we saw a flock of wild turkeys, 6 or 7; then we had a deer cross the road in front of the truck. Kaylee saw the deer, and wanted us to follow it. Come on, you've got 4x4! Just push that button and we can take off through the swamp! It'll be fun, really!
Sadly, Kaylee's humans aren't all that adventurous, so she didn't get to run across the swamp. She settled for a long walk, and relaxed at home with a little more DogTV.

Kaylee gets a Hairecut

2008-11-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Kaylee has been looking a little fluffy these days, but after the last grooming at the vet's, we were determined to do it ourselves.
We bought the clippers last month, and J. finished making a grooming table this afternoon. We knew it was time to put our plan into action.

First came the combing and a bath. Here she is, all happy and unsuspecting. Kaylee figured the bath was the only ordeal she faced.
We had printed directions from the internet, and studied them carefully. We could delay no longer, time to get Kaylee to the basement.
J. manned the clippers, I backed him up with reading directions and handling the scissors.
Kaylee was a rock on the table, never flinching or jerking around. At one point I offered her a dog treat, and she gave me a disdainful look. "I don't need no stinkin' dog treat, I'm just fine."

Here's Kaylee, all clipped and beautiful! You notice this is not a close up shot, there's plenty of room for improvement. But for a first effort, we're pretty pleased. We need to get some scissors to trim the hair between her pads, and I'm going to read those directions a bit closer. J. and I chose to err on the side of caution, and we didn't get real close around her face and neck. We'll do better next time, and of course, it all grows out in the end, anyway!

Thank Dogness for October

2008-10-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Kaylee looks a little rough around the edges, it's been a long, hot summer for her. She got the flea allergy again, and the heat bothers her. She's really a cool weather dog.
I wasn't able to comb her, and now it's a battle to get at her feet and legs. She's good with her back, and I can wrestle around and get her beard and face. When I try to get her feet, her mouth is free, and she puts her mouth on my wrist. Not enough to break the skin, but my forearm is still tender and it can really hurt. Once I comb her everyday for awhile, she'll behave again. It will take some time, though.
We went camping in October, and we all enjoyed it very much. It was cool enough for Kaylee, she had more energy and started eating better, too. We enjoyed the campground, it was very quiet during the week. The only problem was the mosquito crop was plentiful and hungry. One day was breezy, and we weren't bothered too much. The next day was calmer, and we had to spray before we could walk any trails.
Kaylee loves her multi-colored spider; it's just the right height for a little nap. Last week she decided she wanted to take the spider along on our late night walk. She would not leave it behind, not in the kitchen, not on the back porch. The spider had to come along. Both J and I thought we would end up carrying it after a block or so, but we were wrong.
Kaylee carried that spider for the entire walk, and it took a lot of concentration for her to do it. Airedales are not retrievers, her instinct is to shake it to pieces rather than carry. She dropped the spider when she did her business, but when I picked it up, she snatched it from me and continued on our walk.
We walked past 'fast food heaven' and Kaylee finally succumbed to the lure of an empty french fry box. Again, she snatched the spider when I picked it up. She carried that spider for the entire 20 minute walk, came into the house, dropped it on our living room floor, and went to bed. I thought she would carry it into the bedroom and sleep with it, but I was wrong.
The next night Kaylee grabbed the spider and was eager to take it along again. It was raining, though, and we didn't walk at all. I grabbed an umbrella and stood under the maple tree with Kaylee on her leash. It didn't take long for her to decide she didn't like the rain, and we were back in the house and her business was done.

Where's That Squirrel?

2008-10-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is hiding behind the compost bin, waiting for a squirrel to forget there's a dog in this yard. She's tried to hide in the bushes and make her rush from there. No luck, and so now she's trying to hide a little closer to the oak tree. She knows squirrels aren't too smart, and if she's quiet, they will forget she's there and come to get some acorns.

Summer is over, thank doGness. I have the brace off my wrist, and can comb her, and take a turn on the leash, too. Since I couldn't comb her, Kaylee got a huge hot spot; licked a bare spot the size of a quarter on her right flank. Now that it's cooler, the fleas aren't so bad, and she is regaining her energy. I couldn't get her into the house yesterday afternoon. Kaylee spent hours outside, hunting squirrels and luxuriating in the cool, damp weather.

We took her to the vet shortly after I broke my wrist, asking for a short summer cut. Seems the vet's office has instituted two policies - must have a current bordatella shot whenever you visit, and leave the cut long. We were unhappy with both the cut and the extra charge for the shot. Kaylee was miserable through July, August, and September. We're looking at clippers and blades quite seriously now.

kaylee keeps us laughing

2008-07-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

I broke my wrist a week ago, and typing is slow. For the whole story, see here.
Fortunately kaylee wasn't involved in my tumble. j. was holding the leash, so she didn't tangle with me or have a chance to run away.
While i was recovering, I spent a lot of time in my chair, it has arms the right height to prop up my injured wrist.
I didn't notice at first, but kaylee was taking care of me in her own way. She gradually accumulated her favorite blankets, balls, bones and stuffies, and made a mound in front of my chair. She spent her day time hours resting on this pile of toys, and kept her eye on me. If i needed a stuffie to snuggle or a bone to chew, she had it all at the ready.
Now i'm feeling better, and kaylee is delighted to have both humans walking again. j. has to tie my walking shoes, and kaylee helps as best she can. She pushes between us and licks j's face while he's kneeling down. She kisses and nibbles his ears, sniffs my shoes, and “chuffs” the whole time. I start giggling, j starts laughing, and kaylee gets more excited. It's special to start a walk with such enthusiasm, and i'm sure the love and laughter we share is good medicine for broken bones.

Hurry Up and Wait

2008-07-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Kaylee waits, and waits. Soon it will be her turn. She brings her blue puppy, and settles in for a long wait. The toilet paper roll rattles, and she groans. She moans as if she is the one waiting for a turn in the bathroom.

Our morning walk is never too early, it's always too late.

She's No Angel

2008-06-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

We went camping earlier this month, a long weekend, beginning Wednesday night and coming home Saturday morning. We are happy to leave just as the campground fills with the weekend crowd.

Kaylee enjoyed camping, although I believe she didn't sleep at all. She barked at a few dogs as they walked past our site, and grubbed garbage out of the fire pit once.

(It wasn't my garbage, ewww. While we set up camp, she snagged some grungy stuff left by the previous campers.)

We like to come home a day early - it gives us a chance to clean up properly. Our screen tent needed to dry out from the thunderstorms that marched through the campground. Kaylee ran into the tent and peeked out the door. I love that smile, and I'm sure she's trying to say "Let's go again!"

The garden hose behind the tent looked like a halo when I first saw the picture. I made sure I didn't crop it out, it's the only halo she'll ever get! She's not a real devil-dog, but she's certainly no angel!

Kaylee - Excavator Extraordinaire

2008-06-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Kaylee's hole is becoming a hidey-hole. She buries her tennis balls, her Frisbee, and the red ball with the handle. Kaylee has enlarged her excavation, she evidently needs one hole for each toy. We're not buying her any more outside toys because we don't want the hole to enlarge any further. I remember seeing pictures of sink holes in Texas; we wouldn't want to duplicate anything like that in our back yard.

I picked some lettuce and radishes this weekend, the first picking of lettuce, and the second of radishes. The radishes aren't very big, but I could see the row needed thining.

I'm trying to teach Kaylee "No Garden!" and "Good Grass!", but I'm afraid it's a losing battle. I have the sneaking suspicion she will become a tomato muncher before the summer is over. She wanders through the garden, sniffing the tiny plants. I think she is waiting till they are a mouthful, rather than just a nibble.

Kaylee Plays Ball

2008-05-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

We bought Kaylee a new, red ball. It has a little handle, and once she figured it out, she loved it.

Here she is inviting me to try to snatch her ball. She thinks if she looks away, her humans will try to grab it while she's not looking. She's right.

I throw the ball as far as I can, and Kaylee runs with the ball.

Catch me! Catch me!

She makes a lap of the yard, and runs up the hill to her favorite spot.

Kaylee has two holes in the shade this year.

She puts her ball in the new hole, and is always very pleased with herself. When she wants her ball, she uses her paw to turn it around until the handle is up. Then she takes it by the handle, very neat.

The game is starting again, Kaylee invites me to try to take the ball.

Kaylee Meets a Friend

2008-04-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

On our evening walk yesterday, we met a man who had once owned an Airedale. When he spotted us, a huge smile spread across his face, and he started across the street. He acted as though he knew us, and I guess in a way he did. Airedale owners share a wonderful love of these goofy, happy dogs.
He didn't waste time asking the usual, Is that an Airedale? Nope, he asked "Is it a he or she? Can I pet your dog?" as if we had an actual choice in the matter.
We warned him she was a jumper, and he just laughed. "My Rocky was 115 lbs, she's just a little thing." Sure enough she jumped, he laughed again and got down to some serious ear rubbing and face mooshing. Kaylee adored him and licked his face, and while she nibbled his hands and arms, he told us about his beloved Rocky. Rocky grew up with his kids, and protected them from anyone he didn't like. We learned how Rocky got a skunk one day and killed him before the skunk could spray him.
He said they had a Fox Terrier after Rocky, but it wasn't the same as an Airedale. He had been thinking about getting another Airedale, and after meeting Kaylee, I bet he was thinking about it even more. I was glad we met him, and even happier that Kaylee was such a great ambassador for the breed. I could see the delight in his face as all the memories of Rocky flooded back. Kaylee brings a lot a happiness to our lives, it was special when I could see her bring happiness to a stranger.

Kaylee lost her wooly winter coat last week, and here's a peek at how well the grooming turned out! I'm very pleased, especially after the very bad haire cut that took forever to grow out. I'm still toying with the idea of buying a set of clippers and learning how to use them, but I have to be sure I'm ready to do it. A set of clippers is pricey, but would pay for itself in a year or less. If I actually use them and not put the box under the bed.

Snow, Again!

2008-03-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Friday was the first day of spring, and it snowed again. Most of the snow had melted, and while it wasn't warm, at least Kaylee and I were walking on sidewalks with no ice.
We got about 4 or 5 inches, not a lot, but enough to make things nasty Friday afternoon. Kaylee was delighted to see snow again, and she used her nose to plow through the drifts on our walk. She snorts and blows when she gets a scent of something interesting. What does she smell - a mouse, or just some garbage? She looks at us, her nose and mouth covered with snow, I just love her happy dog smile.
Saturday morning was quite mild, and the streets and sidewalks started to melt with the bright sun. Kaylee sat on the little hill at the corner of the garage, and enjoyed the sun and snow. It's one of the things I adore about her. She seems almost contemplative as she stares across her back yard. On our late evening walks, we will sometimes take a minute to look at the stars before we call it a day. I never thought my dog would teach me to slow down and appreciate simple things.

Treasures in the Snow

2008-03-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

It's slowly warming up, and as the snow pack shrinks daily, many dog "treasures" are seeing daylight once again. Kaylee found one of her tennis balls, and recognized an old friend. Even though the ball is still solid ice, she pranced and hopped with it in her mouth. She stopped and tossed it up in the air. She seemed puzzled, her head tilted to one side, as she waited for the ball to roll or bounce. It's heavy with ice, and just hit the snow with a heavy thud. No matter, Kaylee grabbed the ball and danced away, inviting me to play with her.
There are other dog treasures in our yard, and we're doing daily dog duty as the snow recedes. I'm picking up as much as I can while it's still frozen. Once the rain starts, I don't want to go near that. Wet dogstuff is the worst!

All I See Is Snow

2008-03-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

We walked this morning on the P.H. Trail. The last time we were there, it wasn't plowed, and the ice had built up. On a chance, we decided to give it a try, and we are all glad we did!

Kaylee had a wonderful walk, she knew where we were before she got out of the car. She enjoyed all the new smells, and kept looking back at us with a big dog grin. Come on, humans! Let's Go!

The trail had been plowed late last night, and the sun was making the bare spots even bigger. Most of the trail is through suburban back yards, but one spot has scrubby trees and sumac growing up to the fence. This little grove is a haven for birds, and as we walked through, I heard the first cardinals of the spring singing! Then I heard a distinctive 'chut, chut' and saw a robin fly across the trail ahead of us.

Now, don't spoil my hunt for signs of spring, I know some robins stay in Michigan through the winter. I choose to ignore that fact this morning. I saw the first robin of spring today!

Kaylee Takes a Nap

2008-02-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is snoozing under the computer desk, her way of keeping tabs on J. When he moves, she will be underfoot, and maybe, just maybe he'll take her for a walk. Kaylee doesn't worry about cold or ice the way her humans do. She is always ready for a walk or a romp, and this is her way of reminding us. Kaylee wants to walk!

It's Snowtime!

2008-02-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

The skies are gray today, but how can I feel gloomy when I watch Kaylee prancing through the snow? She's not a puppy anymore, almost 15 months old, but she relishes every morning as if it were her first sight of snow.
I am tired of the cold, icy wind, but Kaylee brings energy and enthusiasm to every minute of our time outside.
She does have her quiet side. When the snow is blowing, she's content to take a nap on the couch and let me rub her ears. When J. hurt his back last week, he stretched out on the floor, hoping to straighten it out. Kaylee wanted to play, but she soon realized her favorite human was in pain. She got her softest blanket and dragged it to him, settling it next to his head.
I keep watching and listening for signs of spring. I should hear cardinals soon.
Autumn Joy buried in snow
dried blossoms wait
for springtime.

The Ball is in Your Court!

2008-02-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here is how Kaylee invites me to play ball with her. She prances with the ball, shakes it a little. When she's sure I'm looking, she drops it at my feet, and stares at it. Get the hint, human? Throw the ball!
Blogger is having problems with pictures. Now you see it, now you don't. It is an empty square in the compose window, but shows up on the Preview screen. It's just another picture of a dog, a ball and a lot of snow.
It looks as though the snow has eased up for now; we have some sun peeking through. With high temps in the 40s yesterday, the streets were filled with water. Another cold front came through last night, and everything is coated with ice this morning.

Brrrrrr!

2008-02-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

Kaylee has been spending a lot of time snoozing on the couch. She loves the snow, and doesn't seem to mind the cold, but her humans can take only so much. The daily walks are cut to 15 minutes or less when the wind is bad. The snowbanks are piled high, and last night she was hopping occasionally so she could peek over the tops.
The thermometer reads 10F, and that is generous because it is so close to the house. You're looking at our backyard, and you may notice the school parking lot is empty because there's no school today. Even city streets are icy when it gets cold and the chloride isn't working. At least the blowing and drifting snow is done for today.

Kaylee Loves Snow!

2008-02-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

It's been so cold lately, I worry she could frostbite her nose. She "plows the row" with her nose when we walk. She comes home with a thick coat of snow and a happy dog smile on her face.
We're getting more snow today, at least it's not so cold. Lately we've had terrible weather. Rain changing to ice, then snow; accumulate, melt and repeat. There are ice jams on rising rivers, resulting in flood warnings for our county.

Time Out

2008-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is taking a snooze on her favorite pillow, her very own human, J. He does almost everything she tells him, she has perfected the Airedale Mindmeld. I tell him he needs to wear a tinfoil hat for protection, but he refuses. Something about messing his hair, but I know it's because he doesn't mind indulging Kaylee's whims.

We hung a bell at the back door about a year ago, and Kaylee has been enthusiastic about ringing it. She rings the bell when she wants to visit the neighbor, or the neighbor's dog, or just sit awhile and sniff the breeze. These days, it's very seldom that she rings to ask to Do Her Business. (aka Poop). So now that it's winter, and a ringadingding means we have to find boots and a coat, many times Kaylee has to wait while we decide if she means business, and who gets do to the honors.

Kaylee has decided to communicate so her humans know exactly what she needs. When she really, really has to poop, she goes to the bag of bags hanging next to the back door and sticks her nose in there. Now this bag houses a collection of bags for J. to bring along on our walks. He doesn't mind picking up poop when we walk, but he has a definite preference for size and style. I cooperate by keeping a bag o'bags just for him by the door, and he can grab one on his way out. Kaylee has observed the bags, she knows what we do with them, and she's decided that's how she will let us know when she's really gotta go.

Soccer in the Snow

2008-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Kaylee doesn't understand why humans don't play soccer in the snow. She loves her soccer ball even though it's frozen and flabby. Nothing is more fun than racing through fresh snow with a soccer ball in your mouth.

Kaylee wants J to play, don't bother with that shovel, come play with me!
We had about 3" of snow last night. Fortunately we haven't had any of the lake effect snow work inland yet. It's pretty cold, 15F (-9C). We just got back from a 25 minute walk, and it wasn't too bad. The wind is light, and if you are covered up with a hat, mittens, scarf, heavy winter coat, and boots, you should be just fine.
Even an invitation to play with the soccer ball isn't enough to entice J away from his snowblower.

Kaylee, Why the Long Face?

2008-01-06T09:47:00.001-08:00

Kaylee isn't sad, she's trying to catch her breath. Hazel invited herself over the fence and the two dogs played for more than an hour. The temperatures are mild, there's no chance of frostbite. While I drank my morning coffee the dogs romped until they collapsed on a snowbank.
Hazel's owner didn't realize she was AWOL, so J and I decided to return Hazel to her yard. Armed with 2 leashes and pockets full of dog snacks, we set out to collar both dogs. Kaylee came easily; she was soaked to the skin and ready to come. Hazel was afraid of J, and would only come close enough to snag the proffered treat. She finally came to me, and I was able to snap the leash on her collar.
We put her in her own yard, and continued on our morning walk. We hoped that as Hazel watched us walk away, she would realize Kaylee was gone, and not jump the fence again.
Evidently human logic and dog logic are not compatible. Hazel jumped the fence while we were on our walk. I don't know how far she explored, but her owner finally saw her in the front yard, and took her inside.

Celebrating the New Year

2008-01-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

We got about 3" snow last night, and Kaylee always has a good time in fresh snow. Hazel was out in her back yard, and the two dogs started chasing each other next to the fence. S, the little girl who Hazel owns, decided she wanted in on the dog action. She tried to climb the fence separating our yards and dropped her mitten over the edge. Snap! Kaylee had the mitten in her mouth and started running in large circles through the yard.
Hazel was over the fence in a flash, and the two dogs had a wonderful time in the snow.
They had a great time! Even though Hazel isn't an Airedale, she understands how bitey-face works. They are well matched for size, speed and energy. They would come to a mutual agreement, and lay down in the snow next to each other, taking a short time out. After a bit, one would nose poke the other and off they would go, plowing through the snow at top speed.
All good things must come to an end, and I managed to lure them with beggin' strips. Stinky, but effective.

Christmas is a lot of work!

2007-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to settle down with a good friend and take a breather.

Kaylee watched us open presents, and then she got a present of her very own. She started out chewing the paper, but then realized there was something underneath.

The blue puppy is a big hit, and she settled down to sneak in a quick nap while the humans were talking. Of course, she is guarding the garbage bag of wrapping paper. Those humans wouldn't recognize 'entertainment' if they tripped over it.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Kaylee likes to chew paper, and with all the wrapped gifts and rolls of paper, she wants to chomp on everything left within reach.

We could spend all our time yelling NO, or we could put her in her crate until Christmas is done. Neither of those ideas work for us, so we put the gifts in the crate, and shut the door. Kaylee has spent some time sniffing the gifts. I think she wishes she could tear into the papers and wonders how she could get at them.

Lunch Break

2007-12-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

When J. came home for lunch today, Kaylee knew when his truck pulled in the driveway. She stood at the gate, barking, Come on, hurry up!
J. snuck around the front of the house, and came in the other gate, and surprised the heck out of her. He did a big, bad BARK, and she literally leaped off her feet in surprise. Here's what followed, an impromptu game of Chase Kaylee With Her Frozen Soccer Ball.
The snow is fading fast, and I won't miss it at all. I wish the ice would fade faster, but the sidewalks and driveways are still treacherous in spots. We're getting our walks, but I skip the late night one about half the time.

Kaylee Loves Snow

2007-12-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

We woke to 5 or 6 inches of snow this morning. Not too bad, some parts of Michigan are getting twice that much snow.

Looking Good

2007-12-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

I brushed and combed Kaylee this morning, and I think she's finally recovered from her bad hairdo. Even the tip of her tail is bushy again.
I usually comb her on the back porch, but it's too cold for that. I groomed her in the house, then vacuumed the living room to get up any stray hair. I couldn't get to the dining room, she was laying on my cord and wouldn't move!
Kaylee knows she can't chew an electrical cord, but I think she wanted me to know who's the boss. You can see she's exercising 'selective hearing', and can't hear me telling her to move.
One good thing, after that last haircut, I'm not so afraid of learning to groom her myself. Even the worst cuts grow out.

Meet Kaylee's Friend

2007-12-09T06:59:00.001-08:00

Kaylee likes to play with Hazel, who is a Labradoodle. Poor Hazel, her owner had her shaved recently, and she looks so cold in the snow. She loves to play with Kaylee, and they run up and down the fence.
The only problem is when Kaylee gets bored, she starts to dig. She has excavated a large hole next to the fence. It should be filled before Kaylee decides to finish the excavation and make her escape.

Before and After

2007-11-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

We took Kaylee to the groomer Monday, and here she is 'Before'. I didn't realize she was so wooly-headed, but now I can see it in this picture.
I'm not so happy with these results. She has odd eyebrows, and her forehead has some places where the clippers slipped. No knicked skin, but blank spots where there should be hair. Her tail is an entire different matter, the bottom side is completely bare.
She is clean and shampooed, but even that was not such a good idea. Kaylee has been itchy and we asked that the vet look her over and see what was going on. The groomer washed her before the vet got there, and of course, any evidence was down the drain.
I suppose if I'm going to be so picky, I'll have to buy some clippers and learn to do it myself. We'll see.

It's a Rainy Day

2007-10-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.

It's raining outside and I can't go out to play.

Why do we need the rain, anyway.

Camping In October

2007-10-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

Even though it was cold, we left after the rain stopped and we had a great time camping. J took Thursday and Friday as vacation days, and we headed out in search of a quiet campground. We found a State Recreational Area 45 minutes from home, and set up Thursday morning.

The campground wasn't as empty as we expected; by Friday night it was at least 3/4 full. It may have been noisy, but the trailer blocks sounds much better than the popup ever did. We turned on the furnace, and slept well both nights.

I forgot to pack Kaylee's chewy rawhide bones, so I scouted around and found a thick branch left in a fire pit. Kaylee thought it was a good substitute. (I have to change my camping list to include dog bones.)

Kaylee loves to greet everyone. She jumps and barks and invites all the dogs to come and play.

She doesn't understand why no one wants to stay and play.

Wait, wait, here comes someone new! Oh boy, maybe they will play!

One Year Old!

2007-10-06T10:44:00.001-07:00

Kaylee is one year old! She's growing up a little, but she still has that puppy attitude. It's warm for October, and Kaylee is resting after a good walk.

Kaylee pulls hard when we walk, but always calms down after 20 minutes. She chews rawhide bones, but doesn't destroy her soft toys. She chases a ball, but doesn't understand the concept of bringng it back. Her attitude is 'If you want it, come and get it.'

On our walks, she is good with 'Leave it' and 'Drop it'. At home, Kaylee is a sock thief, shoe sniffer, and a pencil biter. Any bags that come into the house have to pass her sniff test. Paper towels, kleenex, paper napkins, and wet dishcloths are snatched the instant they are left within her reach. She's not too bad with countersurfing, but we are extra careful about leaving food out of the refrigerator.

She weighs about 45 or 50 lbs, stands about 22 inches tall, and is graced with the cutest curly tail you've ever seen on an Airedale. Kaylee is a happy dog. I didn't know dogs could smile! She has a sense of humor, and smiles along when we laugh at a joke. We're lucky to have her in our lives. Kaylee is a handful, but we've never regretted adding her to our family!

One Year Old Next Week

2007-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is almost a year old now, but still very much a puppy. She doesn't countersurf as much, but continues to pull on the leash. I got an Easy Walk Harness, and have to finish adjusting it before we give it our first trial. I put it on her this morning, and she wore it for 2 or 3 minutes. It wasn't quite right, though, and she discovered she could chew the chest strap and get her bottom teeth hooked through it.

Kaylee had a good day, the weather was nice and she stayed outside all afternoon while we did a little bit of clean up. She stalks the squirrels, and slowly creeps across the yard while they bury nuts in the grass. She doesn't even get close, but if she could climb that oak tree, she would be up it in a flash.

We took a nice walk Saturday morning on a local trail, and caught the tail end of a walk-athon, this one was for C-Snip. There were two women at a table with water for humans and dogs, and Kaylee got a nice treat, too. We met a nice lady who also had a terrier. She was a volunteer for C-Snip, but hadn't spayed her dog because she wanted her dog to have puppies. She wasn't looking for another terrier, but wanted some other breed because 'the mixed puppies are so cute.'

Hello! She supports spay/neuter of animals, but not hers? IMO backyard breeders can be just as irresponsible as puppy mills. Grrrr. Lets hope she rethinks her plan to bring more puppies into the world.

No kookies for her, but lots of kookies to the dogs and humans we met further down the trail. Kaylee greeted a very nice big brown dog, after his human asked if Kaylee was friendly. She doesn't get to greet many social dogs, and this elderly pooch was a savvy gent. Kaylee got to sniff and didn't get too excited.

We're back from our vacation

2007-09-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Lake Huron for a week's vacation. It turned out a bit wetter and windier than we like, but we relaxed and stayed dry in our new trailer. Here's a shot of the site, taken during a lull between storms.
Don't think we didn't have fun! Kaylee was a good camper, it's hard for a pup to stay in such a confined space for so many days. Here she is playing with an empty plastic pop bottle. She watches J. like a vulture while he drinks his pop. If he's not careful, she'll snatch it off the coffee table, empty or not.

A Dog's Tail

2007-08-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Kaylee's tail is not a standard Airedale tail. Airedale tails should be straight, but Kaylee's tail has a kink that points up into the Aire at an odd angle. The angle of her tail is directly proportional to her level of excitement, and I spent some time this week trying to capture Kaylee's moods and tail.

This is as low as it gets, unless she is sleeping, or I'm scolding her. Kaylee thinks she hears someone in the driveway and isn't sure who it is.

Now she's a little more confident, maybe it's just the neighbor dog.

Here she is just happy to be outside in the sun. Kaylee is asking me to put down the camera and throw the ball. She knows we could have some fun.

In this shot, she's pretty excited. J. is at the end of the driveway, and she hears him working on his truck. He's been home awhile, so she's not excited with a greeting. Kaylee just wants to 'help' him. She believes no project is complete until it has been snuffled by a dog.
In this picture, we're playing with a toy in the house. Her tail is almost parallel with her back, her highest level of excitement. Her tail looks like this when J. comes home from work. Then it's wagging so hard her back feet lift off the floor.

We love Kaylee's tail It's a goofy little barometer of her moods.

Kaylee is 10 months old

2007-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is 10 months old now, and is entering a new stage of mouthing, jumping, and selective hearing. She comes when she feels like it, jumps on visitors, furniture and countertops, and is a general PITA. We still love her, and are enforcing all the rules. While Kaylee is full of vinegar, she's also full of joy and energy. She's always ready to go for a walk, and is a great watch dog. We hope her 'teens' don't last too long.

There's a Hole in My Backyard

2007-07-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

Kaylee takes a breather from her digging, her nose and head are dusty brown, but her eyes are so happy!
Back at work; Kaylee has discovered she can drop a ball into her hole and have something to pull out.

Summertime Fun

2007-07-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

Kaylee has seen the sprinkler many times, but this evening she decided to attack. She barked, play bowed, and had lots of fun with the water. Kaylee didn't get soaked, she danced away when the water came to her side.

She's found a cool, dark space under the arborvita. At first it was a tight fit, and some of the branches poked her or obscured her vision. Kaylee quickly pruned the underbrush, and now she has a comfy den where she can view all corners of her domain.
Kaylee decided to move a bit of dirt on the hill. Now her den under the arborvita has an addition. She's taking a rest in this shot. She can fit her head and shoulders all the way into the current hole. When she runs into a tree root, she snips it off and starts digging again.
Kaylee is an amazing digger. She puts her whole body into it, using her back muscles all the way to her hind quarters. She gets a rhythmn going and the dirt flies. We aren't stopping her excavation yet. As long as she's not destroying a garden or escaping under the fence, we'll let her dig.

I Love My Calendar Girl

2007-07-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is 9 months old now, and getting pretty sassy. She also needed a haircut in the worst way. We don't mind the natural look, but she was getting overheated on our walks. Kaylee spent most of the evenings laying in front of the furnace vent, to catch her share of the a/c.

We didn't mean to let it go so long, but when we decided it was time, the vet had no openings for 2 weeks. I felt pretty bad about that, and when we picked her up, we made another appointment 6 weeks from now. We'll see if she needs another grooming that soon.
We think Kaylee looks good enough to be on a calendar. Partly because of the haircut, but mostly because she's so happy to be home again. She's snoozing in front of the tv right now. A trip to the groomer interrupts her beauty sleep.

Dog Daze Camping

2007-06-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Our long weekend went very well. Kaylee was very excited at first. It took her awhile to understand that people could walk by our campsite and she didn't need to bark at them. We left the canoe at home this time, I think we'll try 'boating' another time.

Here Kaylee is watching the camper with some concern. It's Saturday morning, and we're starting to pack up to go home. Kaylee knows something is going to happen, and wanted to be sure she didn't get left behind.

Kaylee is pretty scruffy, and the campsite didn't have much grass, only sandy dirt. J gave her a nice bath Saturday afternoon, but now we have to find a groomer. We had her groomed at the vet's office, but the gal who was familiar with Airedales is gone. Now we'll have to take a chance, and hope she doesn't end up looking like a Schnauzer!

A-Camping We Will Go

2007-06-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

The camper is popped up for inspection. After much sniffing and snorting, Kaylee gives it a 'thumbs up'. We're planning a long weekend; basically a trial run to see how the dog and the camper work together.

We plan to bring the canoe, too. This could be interesting, and I might have some good pictures if I don't lose the camera in the lake!

What do I spy with my little eyes?

2007-06-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

Here's another picture from Sunday's family reunion. Kaylee has spotted something, probably a bird. I think this picture shows some of the intensity and concentration Kaylee has when she sees prey. If it were another dog, or a person, her whole body would be wiggling and her mouth would be wide open in a wonderful doggie smile, and she might yip a little.
When she sees prey, she freezes, no wagging tail, no barking, and no happy smile. She makes me think of the way an archer draws the arrow, then stops for an instant before freeing the bow. Kaylee doesn't have all that intensity yet, but sometimes I get a glimpse of what kind of dog she could become.

Kaylee Meets the Family

2007-06-04T05:26:00.001-07:00

It started as a simple Sunday afternoon get-together and ballooned into a family reunion. My parents are snowbirds, and are in the area for part of the summer. Mom wanted to see her grandkids before going to an RV Rally, and after all the phone calls and emails, we ended up with 15 family members. My niece and her bf, my aunt and uncle, my cousin, her husband and kids, my sister and one of her boys, Mom and Dad, plus my kids, all under one roof! Whew!

Let's not forget Kaylee, she was on her best behavior all day. I was terrified that she would jump on a frail family member, and forever be in their black books. J. watched her closely while I helped with the food. Kaylee was delighted when D. showed up, she recognized him and gave him a special welcome.

She was a bit of a mooch, and is asking my mom for one of those hot dogs. Kaylee did get a hot dog later; J. gave her one when we were done eating. Kaylee was a good dog, much better than I expected.

8 months old!

2007-05-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

Not yet, but close enough. Kaylee's official 8 month birthday will be next week Wednesday.
She was into everything this weekend. Recently I moved the baby gate out of the dining room archway, so she has access to the entire house. I closed the doors to the spare bedrooms, but she could get into her large crate in our bedroom.
Kaylee would come into the living room and and settle down to a hearty chew. I can tell by the way she prances she has found something exciting, usually a dirty sock or a dishcloth from the hamper. She still chews shoes, but stops when told.
This is a rare picture of Kaylee chewing an actual dog rawhide chewy. Kaylee says it's no fun when someone doesn't chase you. Gotta have the thrill of the chase.

Almost 8 months old

2007-05-23T04:52:00.000-07:00

Kaylee contemplates the new sidewalk under her previous escape route. Even Buddy, the stuffed dog, can't fit under the gate. J. did a nice job, and the yard is a bit more secure.

Here's a nice closeup of Kaylee. She is watching a bird, and hoping she can sneak up on it this time. When Kaylee sees prey, she doesn't rush headlong at them. Even when we're walking, she freezes and watches it. She tries to stalk the birds, and steps carefully and quietly toward them. When she gets closer, she will break and chase, but most often the bird flies away first.

We Got Lucky

2007-05-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Who would think a 37 lb dog could fit under a gate through a hole like this? It was a fine evening, so we put her out while we ate dinner. We're working on her manners, but Kaylee is a big mooch at mealtime. We didn't bring her in right away. She wasn't barking and we thought she was enjoying herself.

Kaylee was enjoying herself, but not as we expected. First she dug under the gate, probably took her all of 30 seconds, then she took off down the driveway. This is where the lucky part comes in. Kaylee decided to visit the neighbor, the one with 2 dogs. The dogs weren't out, and she found one of their big ol' beef bones. Like Goldilocks, she decided the bone was 'just right' so she settled in to give it a thorough chew.

J. went to bring her in, and saw her in the neighbor's yard. He called, and she came right up to the fence, all happy to see him. He tried to grab her by the collar, but Kaylee decided this was a great game, and she darted away from him. J. jumped the fence, and called her again. This time she came, which is another part of the luck.

That's my story, we probably used up our luck for the rest of the year. Kaylee never crossed a street; she could have been standing in the middle of 36th Street quicker than spit. Just thinking of that gives me gray hairs. This weekend J. will be adding more concrete to the back yard, extending the walk under the gate.

7 months old

2007-05-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is 7 months old now. She's relaxing in her fenced in back yard, enjoying the off-leash time.

She likes to dig under the fence, and so I have to check on her when she's out. I like to think she couldn't dig her way out in less than 10 minutes or so, but you never know. Kaylee gets pretty enthusiastic when she digs.

No obedience class this week, the instructor was on vacation. I'll have to work with her this week, we've been pretty lazy last week.

It's windy today and the ants are back

2007-04-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here's Kaylee, taking refuge under the marble top table and behind Diametrag's quilt stand in our living room. It's windy this morning, and

she's pretty skittish. Plus, I'm spending time out in the kitchen smacking 'flying ants' with a rolled up newspaper. Ugh. That's right, the 'flying ants' are back, and I'm on a rampage, killing them by hand rather than chemicals. Poor dog, she's not sure why I'm making that noise. Honest, I've never smacked her with a rolled up newspaper, but she doesn't like the noise, and is staying away from me. She must think I'm nuts.

Six Months Old and Our New Fence

2007-04-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Kaylee turned 6 months old last week. She has recovered nicely from her spay, and is as energetic and bouncy as ever.

We signed up for the next dog obedience class, which starts next week. I hope we have more than 2 dogs in the class, but I am happy that we have the same instructor. She was good with Kaylee, and we learned a lot from her.

Now the frost is out of the ground, J has been working on fencing the last open spots of the back yard. He's taken his time, digging 2 or 3 holes at once, setting the post and filling in with concrete.

We hope to finish this weekend. Not a moment too soon, Kaylee needs room to run. The weather promises to cooperate, and J. has only one more post to set. Then he can assemble the rest of the hardware and hang the fence. This is the south side of the house. You can see our neighbor's driveway and some of her house.

Here's the north side of the house. The fence will run from the corner of the back porch to the corner of the garage. It makes this narrow area even more cramped and useless, but it is the best solution. The blocks are temporary, holding the gate in place while the concrete sets. We'll have to find a new place for the garbage cans. Mr. Change is Not Good won't like that, but we'll adjust.

6 Months Old

2007-04-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Kaylee turned 6 months old Friday, and we 'celebrated' by getting her spayed. It just worked out that way, the vet's next spay date happened to be her 6 month birthday. Well, thank dogness, Kaylee is only a dog, and she can't complain. It was a pretty expensive way to celebrate, but nothing fun for her.
J. took her in at 8am, and picked her up on his way home from work. She was walking with no problem, but came up the steps to the back porch a little slower than usual. She was a bit groggy from the surgery, and laid down on her blankets for a little rest. Kaylee was restless, though, and eventually ended up underneath the dining room table, confused and not able to find her way out. We brought her large crate out from the bedroom, put all her blankets in there and coaxed (dragged) her into the crate. This was good, and she slept for a couple of hours. About 10pm she woke up and was feeling much better, thank you. Kaylee found a toy and invited us to play, ate and drank, then outside for a sniff of the wind and a little poop.
All of this in slow motion, she moves very gingerly, and chews her toys carefully. She had two baby teeth pulled, too. The upper canines were in but the baby teeth weren't out.
She's still in her crate this morning, napping after an early morning potty walk on her leash. No walks for Kaylee, seven days rest. J. thinks she will be walking with him before then, we'll see how she does.

Since I haven't posted in awhile, I have some catch-up to do. Last week Kaylee started to cough and not eat so much of her kibble. I have to admit, she was getting lots of snacks in the form of dog biscuits. I looked at the ingredients, and realized she was getting a lot of wheat. Fortunately not any wheat gluten, but I decided I needed to make a change.

I've been filling her kongs with Kong Slop and freezing them; they are a good distraction while we eat our dinner. The recipe for Kong Slop makes a lot, though, and it smells pretty funky after a week or so. I mixed a batch of Kong Slop, and saved about half of it for Kongs, and the other half I made into Kookies.
In the first picture you can see the Kookies cooling on the back porch. They are rather strong smelling, but not foul. I rolled the Kookie dough into large Snickerdoodle type balls and flattened them with a fork and scored them into 4 pieces with my spatula.

After they cooled, I decided I wanted small pieces for training treats, and chopped them with my spatula. They are staying good in the refrigerator, and Kaylee loves them. I used good dry food with a different flavor than her usual kibble, plus canned dog food that is not on the recall list. The treats are fudgy like a brownie, and Kaylee eats them quicker than a crunchy treat. That makes a training session go a bit quicker.

I know you're just dying for my recipies (wink, wink) so here they are. The Kong Slop recipe was given to me from Kaylee's instructor at Pet Smart. I made the Kookies myself because I didn't want her eating so much wheat.

Julia's Kong Slop Method
Combine equal parts dry dog food and boiling water. Let stand, kibble softens and cools. Mash the slop, add more water if you want it sloppy. I don't add more water, I like it firm. Flavor this mush with canned dog food, peanut butter, or whatever treats your dog likes. I use a can of Alpo, and it ends up thick like peanut butter. Stuff it in the Kong and freeze, store leftovers in the refrigerator for about a week. I use 1 cup kibble, 1 cup water, and a 13 oz can of Alpo.

Tatt3r's Kong Slop Kookies
Crush 1 cup dry food till it's the consistency of cornmeal or dried bread crumbs. (I used a hand food chopper, but next time I think I'll try my food processor.) Combine the crumbs with about 1 1/2 cups Kong Slop. Add 2 eggs. This made my Kookie dough a bit sloppy, so I added dry oatmeal until it was Kookie dough texture. Roll dough into balls, flatten with a fork. Bake in 350 oven. 20 minutes made a fudgy, brownie-like kookie that easily chops into smaller pieces. Bake longer if you want krispy kookies. Let cool, store in refrigerator. It's been a week and they haven't turned yet.

25 weeks old

2007-03-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is sunbathing in the driveway. The concrete is warm from the sun, and the garage blocks any breezes. What a pampered pooch!

Kaylee and her humans are enjoying a bit of a break from Puppy Kindergarten. I need to reinforce the skills she's learned, but I don't always take the time to make her 'sit' or 'off'. I will be surprised if she retains anything by the time Intermediate Obedience starts.

We're getting her spayed next week, right on her 6th month birthday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

See my lap dog!

2007-03-24T04:17:00.000-07:00

Kaylee thinks she is a lap dog. At 32 lbs and 24 weeks, she's developed a habit of climbing into J's lap after dinner. She licks every square inch of his face, just to reinforce his allergies, then settles in on his lap and watches tv with him.
Here she is enjoying the nice weather and her favorite pastime, chewing. Kaylee had her last puppy class Friday night, and she graduated with a certificate and diploma. Her diploma was a large rawhide chew with a red ribbon tied around it. Kinda cute, and she insisted on taking it to her crate at bedtime. We signed up for an intermediate obedience class starting in April. We'll take a few weeks off and get her spayed soon.

After a Day with the Groomer

2007-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here she is, resting up after a day with the groomer. Kaylee looks very nice and the groomer didn't complain when J picked her up yesterday.

We told the groomer Kaylee might be nippy when it came time to trim her nails. The groomer said Kaylee didn't nip, but 'talked' to her the whole time she worked on her feet. She thought it was pretty funny and said they had a nice conversation.

You can see Kaylee's new coat is going to have a lot of red. She looks good to me, I love her flippy left ear, too. She's starting to get a nice Airedale profile; including a little beard that fills up with enough water to soak your socks when you walk past her dish.

Kaylee and I took a half hour walk this morning, the sidewalks were for the most part clear of ice and snow. We walked for a block along Division Ave, and the traffic didn't bother her today. Lots of loose leash this morning, a true sign of just how tired this doggo is.

PS - J got her on the scale when he dropped her off at the vet's - Kaylee is up to 32 lbs now.

Kaylee is 22 weeks old today

2007-03-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is 22 weeks old today. She's going to the groomer Monday, I thought I should have a 'before' picture of her. Kaylee is a bit scruffy, but we don't mind. Her colors are changing, and I see more tan every day.

As I've said before, she doesn't mind the snow at all. In the second picture she's digging to find some mice. I love the way she buries her head in the snow.

In the last picture, Kaylee is checking out a squirrel hanging from the neighbor's tree.

She's not sure what it is, but she really wanted to find out. The squirrel was either old and sick or young and stupid. He had trouble getting through the fence, and then chose to climb the redbud tree instead of scampering across the yard.
Kaylee wasn't barking at him, she was waiting for him to fall. The squirrel is hanging by one leg from the tree branch. He's too afraid to move with the dog nearby, so all he can do is hang on for dear life.

Five Months Old Today

2007-03-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

21 weeks old today!

2007-03-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is 21 weeks old today! We've had terrible weather: ice, snow, rain, thunder and lightning, all in the last 24 hours. It's been hard to walk with all the ice, but we play as hard as we can inside.

We learned 'leave it' and 'take it' at the last obedience class. Kaylee does a good job with 'leave it', especially when she finds stuff on her walk. She's like a vacuum cleaner and inhales every nasty thing she can find. J. and I are amazed when we say 'leave it' and the crud just pops out of her mouth. I have to fill my pockets with extra good treats when we walk. She deserves a reward when she gives up her treasures so readily.

Kaylee at 20 weeks

2007-02-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is 20 weeks old now, and quite the young lady. She is so reliable about letting us know when she needs to go out, I have stopped watching the clock. She is losing her baby teeth and is crazed with chewing. Icicles seem to soothe her, but I have found she loves a Kong, filled and frozen overnight.

She is looking a bit odd these days, there's still lots of black on her body. Wherever new hair is coming in, it is a beautiful red. You can see some of that on her head in this picture.

Yum, Cauliflower!

2007-02-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Kaylee snatched a piece of cauliflower off the kitchen table yesterday, and raced off to the living room with her prize. I grabbed the camera and took a picture of her eating it. She really enjoyed it, I think the coldness and firm texture felt good on her new teeth. It was a bit of a mess to clean up, especially with her 'help'.

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty

2007-02-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

J. decided he couldn't stand the dog dander anymore, and gave Kaylee a bath this morning. She was very good, standing still in the tub while J. soaped and rinsed. He had more trouble brushing and combing her before the bath. It was a good thing he persevered, because he cleaned a big gob o'hair out of the drain when the water went down.

Where was I when all this was happening? Well, I had the camera, and I helped dry her off when she got out. J. had it all under control, and the bathroom is definitely not big enough for the three of us.

This is her 'after' picture. She's almost dry, and looking 'Oh So Pretty'. That doesn't turn her head, though. I took this picture while waiting for her to stop scratching. So ignore the foot, and look at her face. What a cutie!

Free At Last!

2007-02-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

What don't you see in this picture? The plywood board we've been using for a puppy gate is gone! Well, out of sight, at least. Kaylee has been so good about telling us she needs to go out to potty, we have moved the gate from the kitchen door to the dining room/hall archway. Now Kaylee has free access to the living room/dining room/ kitchen half of the house. She still can't get to the bedrooms or the bathrooms, which demonstrates the hoomans have some common sense left.

She is chewing a Puppy Kong, I filled it with peanut butter and dog biscuits this morning. I hoped it would help her work on those new teeth coming in.

Four Months Old

2007-02-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is 4 months old, and weighs about 20 lbs. She can ring the bell to ask for a walk outside, sit, down, and shake. She is learning to stay (sometimes) and OFF is our current focus. Off the counters, Off the chair, Off the person. whew. Kaylee has lost at least 1 baby tooth, and is chewing everything that she can get in her mouth.

Fortunately, she doesn't mind our current cold weather, and loves hopping in snowpiles. She loves plush toys, and toys with squeakers.

We're getting some snow today

2007-02-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Kaylee loves the snow! She is running up the little hill in our back yard, hopping through the snow uses lots of energy. Kaylee buries her head in snowbanks, all the way to her shoulders. I wonder if she really smells anything, or just likes to burrow?

17 weeks old today!

2007-02-02T06:36:00.000-08:00

Kaylee got her last puppy shots yesterday. Boy, was that ever fun. (not) She came home from the vet's and took a long nap. When she woke, she tried to leave her crate, but started yelping. She wouldn't put any weight on her right front leg, and she couldn't even stand. She hobbled out of the crate and sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, trembling. Fortunately it was just about 5pm, and the vet was able to fit us in.
The vet said Kaylee was swollen at the site of the injection, but was not having an allergic reaction to the vaccine itself. She gave Kaylee a shot of Benadryl and a sample of Previcox, an anti-inflammatory for dogs. When we got her home and gave her the Previcox, Kaylee managed to sleep for about 1 1/2 hours. When she woke, she stretched and easily walked to her dish and drank some water. She went outside and was finally able to pee. We gave her a capsule of Benadryl wrapped in cheese before bedtime, and fortunately she is doing well this morning.
Much more excitement than we wanted.
For the record, Kaylee is 17 weeks old, 20 lbs and about 17 inches at the shoulder.

16 weeks old today

2007-01-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

I got two good pictures today, and couldn't decide which one to post. So, you get doubles. Kaylee is 16 weeks old today. I think she's starting to teethe, she's biting more than usual, and groans when she tries to sleep. Poor gal, she's a bit grumpy.

But, she rang the bell to go out for a potty walk this morning. We got a bell last weekend, but didn't hang it up right away. It was sitting on the kitchen table, and I would give it one-ringy-dingy whenever we went potty walking. J. hung the bell Tuesday, and Kaylee rang it the first time Wednesday afternoon.

We were in the kitchen, and I was washing dishes. Kaylee heard something, and gave her alert Bark, Bark. I looked at the back door, but saw nothing. Kaylee was sitting in front of the door, all excited. I peeked out the window, and saw J.'s coffee cup on the back porch, then heard the snow shovel in the driveway. Ah, the Old Guy came home early and decided to move a little snow while it's still light. I turned to go back to the dishes, when Ringy-Dingy, the bell rang. Kaylee had pushed her nose in there, and banged the bell.

What's a gal to do? I got my boots, coat, hat, and leash, and Kaylee and I went out to greet J. in the driveway. All the time, telling her how great she was. After all, the bell had been hung for only 24 hours.

Thursday, no bells from Kaylee, and I decided it must have been a fluke.

Friday morning, 9 a.m., Kaylee rang the bell again. I wasn't even in the kitchen, and I heard a loud Ringy-Dingy. Again, boots, hat, coat and leash, and Kaylee hurried out and did her business without hesitating. Wow! I told her she was good and gave her a dog biscuit. Kaylee played catch with it before finally settling down for a good nap.

Yes, I am tired

2007-01-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

Kaylee had fun with an old newspaper last night, here she is finally asleep.

15 weeks and big enough to surf

2007-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Kaylee turned 15 weeks old on Friday. You may think I'm trying to strangle her, but she's on a flexi-lead and that's just the way it looks. She enjoys playing in the snow, I take one of her squeaky rubber toys and throw it for her. Kaylee is not a good retriever, but she has lots of fun hopping through the snow.

We're coping with counter surfing now. She's just tall enough to snag stuff off the table or the edge of the countertop. We've instituted a no-tolerance rule, and she gets a 'time-out' in her crate at the first infraction. No shouting, no hitting, just, No Jumping, In Your Crate. I set the timer and she's out for another try in no time at all. After a series of three or four jumps up, I tell her she's ready for a nap, and don't set the timer. She usually falls asleep, and she gets out when she wakes up.

A Day at the Groomer's

2007-01-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

Kaylee went to the groomer yesterday. She just got a puppy trim, bath, and had her nails done. Gosh, I never get pampered like that! Kaylee looked pretty good yesterday, but it was hard to get a decent picture of her. She was bouncy, bitey and just all around cranky. She gave up all her good behavior at the groomer's, and all that was left was puppy stuff.

The groomer said Kaylee was great on the grooming table. It was certainly nothing we'd done; it was all due to Kaylee's wonderful breeder. We need to trim her nails a bit more often, and she was a bit bitey around the mouth and face. I'll put that on my mental list of things to do.

This morning was cold and clear, so Kaylee and I went for a walk around the block, about 20 minutes. We walked along 36th street, and she got to hear garbage trucks, semis, school buses, and a couple of cars without mufflers. We heard a lot of different noises, it was a good walk.

That's how I was able to get this picture. She was a bit tired and cranky. I just got through telling her to get OFF the table, and she is thinking about jumping again. It doesn't show her new Airedale profile, but you can compare it with earlier pictures and see if you can spot any changes. I think the biggest change is around her neck and shoulders. She looks so elegant as we walk on the leash.

Kaylee went to the vet today

2007-01-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Kaylee went to the vet today, it was her third round of puppy shots. She weighs 16 lbs now, and is 14 weeks old tomorrow! It's past time to get her started in puppy kindergarten, so we're looking into that.

Just Havin' Fun

2007-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

Three Months Old

2007-01-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

Kaylee officially turned 3 months old this weekend, she was born 10/6/06. She's still sleeping a lot, but as you can see, I don't have to put her in the crate for naps every time. Kaylee will play and bounce around, then settle down by herself and nap. She used to get overtired and bite, chew and race and I would pop her in the crate for a time out. I still have to help her nap, but not every time.

It goes without saying that she is getting longer, taller and much stronger. I am amazed at how much space she takes up when she wants to spread out.

We had a little bit of snow on the ground this morning, and J. told me about her first potty walk of the morning. She stood on top of the steps, and refused to come down. What is this white stuff, anyway? Kaylee decided she would eat it, all of it, and get rid of this nasty white stuff. Eventually she realized there was too much for her to eat, and she hopped down the steps. She didn't like the cold concrete, and headed for the grass. Then she realized the grass was under the snow, and she went crazy - snuffling, hopping and running in circles. Kaylee would stop for a moment and look at J. as if to say 'Don't you understand? This is great!'

I wish I had been there, wait, no I don't. I was warm and snug in bed, thanks J. I enjoyed your description, but I'm glad you were there, not me!

This is January?

2007-01-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

We will probably pay for our current balmy weather later this month, but Kaylee and I sure enjoyed our walk this morning. We went north of the elementary school, over to Div Ave and south to our street. It was a good 20 minute walk, and I think she was pretty tired by the time we got home. She was very cranky and refused come up the steps, bit the leash, every naughty thing she could think of. Once we got in the house, she went directly to her crate and had a good long nap. Then we came out and got this picture. School is back in session, and she is distracted all over again. Maybe tomorrow will be better, but today each potty walk is testing my patience - too much activity makes it hard for her to focus on her business.

Twelve Weeks Old Today!

2006-12-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is making lots of progress. She easily goes up and down the back porch steps, so we are keeping the door to the basement closed at all times. I don't want her attempting those steps without supervision. Kaylee can 'sit' and 'down' and we're working on 'stand'. She can 'settle down' and I hope she will learn 'quiet' soon. She is not yappy outside, but does get excited and barks for attention in the house.

Since she is walking better on the leash, we are starting to take walks in the evening. We keep the walks short and fun. Kaylee is much quieter in the evening with a few short walks during the day.

Christmas Day we walked Kent Trails for 1/2 hour. It was great fun, she sniffed and munched on every leaf, weed and twig she found. We were surprised to see the Grand River was so high, it was low all summer.

Kaylee's Christmas Morning

2006-12-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning at tatt3r's house. Kaylee chews her phoney bone, while J and I drink our coffee. She loves D's present, Mr. Sunshine is a soft pillow with squeakers in each ray and the body. Kaylee delights in chewing the face, especially the bright red nose.

Kaylee is 11 weeks old now, and goes up the back porch steps easily. Sometimes she needs a little boost to a back leg to get started, but most of the time she goes up by herself. Saturday she started going down the steps. J had the patience to show her how to get started. Kaylee still hesitates, but with encouragement she is getting more confident.

Kaylee knows she shouldn't chew boots or shoes, and will take another toy when we offer it to her. Now she is starting to take the offered bribe, but returning to the boot and laying down on it to chew. Pretty soon her mouth wanders, and then she is chewing the shoelace again. Ahem. It is pretty hard not to snicker, but we do our best. Cute from the puppy is not always cute in the grownup dog.

Kaylee's second trip to the vet

2006-12-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

Kaylee went to the vet today for more puppy shots and worming. She weighs 11.2 lbs now, she added 2 lbs in 10 days! No more worms, thank goodness. Kaylee and I did the vet trip by ourselves, she rode in the crate with no problems. Everyone at the clinic loved her, and she showed off her 'sit' and 'down' for the vet. When we got home, I walked her in the back yard, hoping to get a poop out of her. No way, so I brought her and the crate inside. I went to the basement to get dinner out of the freezer, and when I came back, there was a large deposit on the kitchen floor. She went to her crate and is napping, I cleaned up the floor and am using the quiet time to drink a cup of tea. Whew, I feel like a nap, too.

Hey, J. Look at this!

2006-12-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

I went to the basement to put in a load of laundry, and there was the most beautiful fiddle I've ever seen! I thought you might want to see how well it turned out, so I brought it up and snapped a few shots. This one is pretty good, it is a nice rosy red color. I didn't inspect the finish very well, I was too much in love with the red. Don't worry, your fiddle is back in the basement, hanging on the hook where it belongs. Whew, I may have to find some more laundry so I can look at it a few more times.

Just to keep the blog on topic, here is a picture of Kaylee in a calm, totally cute moment. Very rare these days. I walked with her in the yard for 10 minutes this morning, she got nippy when she came in, so she is napping, very sleepy right now. Gotta love those ears, they add so much expression to her face.

Nothing Says Loving Like an Ear Rub

2006-12-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

Tatt3r gives good ear rubs, take it from Kaylee. She's 10 weeks old now, and we're establishing a routine. She settles down in the crate after early reveille (5am), and is learning to settle herself in the crate when she wants to nap during the day. The naps are getting shorter, but she still gets nippy when she gets tired.

Kaylee loves her Santa Dog with the squeaker. When she first got it, she could just barely make it squeak. Now she can run with it and make Santa Dog squeak at the same time. The squeaker in the duck has a terminal condition, and I'm afraid it's days are numbered. Fortunately, the rest of the duck is in great condition, and Kaylee still snuggles with the duck as a pillow.

Kaylee's ears came unglued yesterday, and I pulled off the remains of the glue and fur left on her ears. J. and I love to see her ears in action, they are so expressive. I think it helps me know what she is feeling. When her ears were glued, I was having trouble tuning in to her emotions. Now they are loose, I feel as though I know what's going through her little brain.

A Man and his Dog

2006-12-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

J. comes home for lunch, and is always delighted to see Kaylee awake and romping while he eats. Yesterday she started circling and sniffing, and he grabbed the leash and took her 'potty walking.' I grabbed the camera and took a picture from the back porch.

He's an old softy, and adores the pup. I love this picture. I just know he's talking to her, telling her about the garden and how much fun they will have in the spring.

On another note, you can see how our back yard abuts the highschool parking lot. Kaylee gets distracted by the cars and kids when she is trying to do her 'business'.

She has to learn to be a city dog now. Kaylee hears fire trucks, police cars, big semi trucks and school buses. Kaylee doesn't have lots of room to run free and chase rabbits or track animals. She has to learn to cross the street without stopping to sniff, and how to enjoy her walk without winding the leash around J's legs. Talk about trees falling in the forest! This guy makes a LOT of noise when he falls. Doesn't matter if you see him or not, he'll take you out when he goes down. (love ya, J.)

Learning the Ropes

2006-12-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for the December thaw! We spent some time exploring the back yard yesterday morning, before it started to rain. Kaylee got some good exercise and enjoyed some quality sniffing and exploring.

She's very good in her crate, and is learning to 'settle down' and 'leave it'. Sometimes she will 'sit', although I haven't started those basic commands yet. Once I get a real yummy treat in the house, I will start with 'sit', 'down', 'stay', etc.

Kaylee can see her reflection in the glass door on the stereo cabinet, and in the black door on my oven. I keep a towel hanging on the oven handle, and Kaylee thinks it is a perfect toy for tug-o-war. This gives me gray hair, I can imagine what is going to happen when she is full grown. So I am extra firm about NO JUMPING around the stove, but that just makes the game extra exciting.

She stole a dishcloth that was hanging on the oven handle, and went scampering into the living room, doing a crazy little victory dance. She was slinging the dishcloth around her head as she ran, and since it was wet and heavy, the centrifugal force pulled her around in a crazy, looping circles. I missed it, but my DH caught the whole thing, she was like a little boomerang bouncing along the floor, hopping and twirling with her wonderful stolen property.

When I came into the room, she was gleefully chewing the dishcloth, just waiting for Mom to begin a wonderful game of Chase the Naughty Dog. I refused to play that game, and started one of my own, called Ignore the Dog Chewing the Rag. She caught on very quickly. I Ignored the Rag, she relished her Stolen Property. As I left the room, she grabbed the dishcloth and pranced ahead of me down the hall, her little tail lifted high, the dishcloth dragging between her legs.

That's the only dishcloth she'll get, I'll have to find a new place to let them dry. More changes in our routines; we have to be flexible, that's for sure!

Kaylee and the duck

2006-12-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

Here are two pictures of Kaylee from yesterday. She is a little ham, always mugging for the camera. The breeder evidently took a lot of pictures of her, and when she hears the camera turning on, she pauses and looks ‘so pretty’. I thought I had enough ‘pretty’ pictures, and included a shot of her having some fun with the ducky. She can make it squeak sometimes, but most of the time she chews on the wings and yellow feet.
Another clean night in the crate, she woke us at 5am, telling us she needed to go out. DH took her out, but he is not at his best in the morning, and she was full of spunk, romping and hopping around the house. I put her back in her crate, and told her to settle down. She complained twice, then laid her head down and went back to sleep. This is a good habit, and I hope to make this a part of her everyday routine.

Today Kaylee went to the vet, and she rode in her crate and never complained. She gets pretty excited and trembles from tail to the tip of her nose, but calmed down once we were home. The clinic was a nice place, the vet techs all admired her pretty face. We got some meds for worms, heartworms, ticks, fleas, you name it. Her heart, lungs and everything else checked out just fine. Kaylee weighed in at 9.25 lbs.

Kaylee with Santa Dog

2006-12-10T03:50:00.000-08:00

After a rough Saturday, 3 accidents in the house and some stubborn tempers flaring from both females, Kaylee settled nicely in her crate for the night. She crashes about 9pm, when she woke at 10, DH walked her, crated her in our bedroom and we all had an early lights out.

She woke about 2am and whimpered, but settled nicely when we spoke to her. The crate was clean again this morning and I rushed her outside for her potty walk. She came inside and was excited and rowdy for a little bit, now she’s dozing at my feet.

Before we got Kaylee, we went on several trips for puppy stuff. At Target, DH, the old softy, bought a plush duck with a squeaker inside and a rope with tennis ball attached. I had my doubts, but it turns out that Kaylee loves the duck. It is almost the size of another puppy, and serves as a nice cuddly pillow when she sleeps. When Kaylee gets excited, she grabs the duck by the neck, shakes it, and flings it on the floor. She stares at it for a moment, then pounces on it and chews the heck out of the feet and wings.

Kaylee is going to be a talker, I think. She groans in her sleep, growls at the duck as she shakes it, and gives an excited yip when she invites us to play. She is not a yapper, though. At one of our rest stops Friday, we heard a small dog yapping in a car. Kaylee never barked, but she went on alert, standing at attention, ears perked, looking for the source of the barking.

One Pooped Puppy

2006-12-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

Meet Kaylee, the newest member of tatt3r's family. She's all pooped out right now, and taking a nap near the computer. Kaylee is a 9 week old Airedale terrier; she's full of energy, and of course, poop.

My DH and I made a quick trip (6 hrs) to the UP of Michigan Thursday, return trip on Friday. Thursday's weather reports had dire warnings of lake effect snow, and cold, but DH was determined. The next morning we met our new puppy. The trip home was exhausting for all of us, but Kaylee spent a quiet night in her crate. Kaylee was born 10/6/06, on 11/29 she weighed 6 1/2 lbs. We're taking her to the vet on Monday, and I'll update her statistics then.