Wordless Wednesday: I have control

And my ball!!

More Updates

Since we have been gone there are a few more updates.  A couple months ago Lola had a mass on her chin that had to be removed.  The good news is the mass was nothing serious.  It was from a cut that then got infected.  So nothing serious and Lola is all healed up.

See my stitches?

Thanks for all the positive thoughts.

And now that I am back at work after my leave, I should be able to get caught up on everybody's blogs.  (Yes I read blogs at work.  You have to do something to pass all the time on those slow days ;))

Welcome Home!

I know we disappeared again.  It has been a crazy few months in the Circus household.  As you know Lola got a new human baby sister Baby A.  Because having a baby did not seem like enough of a change, we also moved.  (Might as well do it all at once ;))

We were living a town home and now we are in a single family home.  Which means Lola has her own private yard.  At the old house, there was a shared yard, so Lola could not go out whenever she wanted. But now, Lola lays out and suns all day long.

She absolutely loves it, which makes me extremely happy.  I love seeing how happy she is in her new yard.

The Cone of Shame

I know we have been MIA again.  I will do a separate post about that.  But I need the power of the paw now, and I know all of you will send positive thoughts our way.

I noticed about a week ago that Lola had a small bump on her chin.  I looked at it and touched it and it did not seem to bother Lola, so I figured I would just keep and eye on it to see if changed at all.  Over the week it seemed to get bigger, but still did not bother her.  Then one day I gave Lola special bone (Lola gets some special treats since her human baby sister came along and does not get as much special attention).  After about 10 minutes with bone there was blood on it.  I took the bone from her and noticed that the bump was now bleeding.  Which meant a call and a trip to the vet.

Yesterday we went to the vet.  And luckily they were able to squeeze Lola in to their schedule and they removed the bump, (and cleaned her teeth and did her twice a year comprehensive exam).  The good news is her teeth are good and nothing came up on her comprehensive exam.  Because of the location of the bump Lola now has to wear a cone for 10 days, so she does not scratch at the stitches.  

My poor Lola is so miserable with the cone, so I take it off when I can watch her.  This is her last night.  She was still tired and drugged up. Lola is doing well this morning.  She is a little tired but feeling better, as long as she does not have her cone on.

I talked to the doc and they said they don't know what the bump was, because it was scabbing and crusty.  It has been sent away to pathology to be tested. If everybody could keep their paws, fingers, etc., crossed  and send out positive vibes that the tests come back and the bump is nothing, we would all be grateful.

Otis' Wildlife Encounter

I am sure most of you remember my dad's dog Otis.  Well Otis had an encounter with some wildlife.  Here is the email I received from my dad about Otis' encounter.

"Otis had contact with a rabid bat last night.  I was using the grill and once when I walked out on the patio Otis was looking at something on the rug.  At first glance it looked like a mouse but upon closer examination it turned out to be a bat which was still alive.  I had been going in and out for the last ten minutes or so and hadn't seen anything and Otis was acting normally so I think it may have just shown up.  Since seeing bats acting abnormally is a bad sign I covered it with a butter container and call animal control.  They came and took it away for testing since Otis had or may have had contact with it.  Today I was informed that it was rabid so Otis needs to get a rabies booster and in on home quarantine for 45 day.  Animal control doesn't act like it is something to be worried about."

Otis is doing fine.  He has been checked and received a booster shot.  He does not seem to be having any signs of rabies, so there is nothing to be worried about.  But because he has encountered this bat, there are no play dates for Otis.  

Introducing. . .

As I said last week, there have been some big changes in the circus dog household.  Lola now has a little sister, baby A.  Baby A was born in July, so we have been adapting to the changes.

Baby Girl A

Overall, things have been going well.  We still get out for daily walks, sometimes even 2 a day, which Lola loves.

Bad picture - Our first walk together. 

It took Lola a few days to get use to her new sister. Which is completely understandable.  But Lola has adjusted pretty well, and even seems to look out for baby A now.  Lola will sit next to her crib if she is crying.  And sometimes she will even cry with her.  She also loves giving A kisses when I allow it.  Lola love snuggling up with me and when A is getting fed.  Overall, Lola is doing very well with the changes.

I cannot wait to see how A and Lola grow together.  I have great memories of my childhood dog and all the fun we had together.  And I hope A can have some great times and memories with Lola when she gets older.

(And don't worry this won't turn into a baby blog; ;))

We Are BACK!!!!

It has been a crazy summer and there have been some big changes in the the circus dog household, which means I have been slacking on the posts.  But posts will start again!! Hope everybody has had a good summer and has stayed cool.  (And who else can find it hard to believe it is the middle of August?)

When are you going to update my blog????  My furiends are waiting for updates!

PS - Per Jazzi's request I have removed the word verification thingy (technical name).  At least I think I have.  If it is still showing up for anybody, let me know, and I will try to remove it again.  Thanks!!

See My Bone

Nobody, can have my bone.

Squirrel Hunting

It is spring and that means the squirrels are out.  Which also means, it is time for squirrel hunting.  Lola got to go to my dad's last weekend, and that means hours upon hours of squirrel hunting.

I think one there was a squirrel coming down the other side of the tree.  Lola was hunting, and just not quite fast enough

The squirrel ran down the tree towards the fence.  So close, yet so far.  I am sure there will be much more squirrel hunting this summer.

Mr.Chewy Review

The people at www.MrChewy.com were kind enough to give us a $50 gift card to try their website and then do a review of their services.  And of course we were extremely grateful and could not refuse.

MrChewy is an online pet food retailer offering over 70 brands of pet food, treats an supplies.  Of course, we went for the treats.  I thought they had a good variety of treats, vitamins, healthy treats and bones.  And I was amazed at some of their prices.  I could not believe everything I was able to get with gift card they gave us.

I loved the variety of joint wellness treats.  With Lola's arthritis I am always trying to give her stuff that will help with her joints.  And I was able to find a great selection of treats.  I will be going back to mrchewy.com to get more treats.

After placing the order, the box was here with in a few days.  And were we excited.

Whats in the box??  I smell something good!!

Look at everything we were able to get with our gift card!

Hmm, I think we should try something.

HMMM, Delicious!!! 

The other thing that was about to get, which was only a couple of dollars is a small moose antler.  It was about 4 or 5 inches long.  And Lola loved it. 

I will be going back to mrchewy.com.  I love the variety of healthy treats available.  And I thought the prices were great.  Thanks again mrchewy.com!!!!

Never Forgotten - 4/20/1999

Today is the 13th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School.  12 students and 1 teacher tragically lost their lives that day.  Please take a moment to remember those lost.  Never Forgotten.

RIP Bear

I am extremely sad to pass along the news that my dad's dog Bear passed unexpectedly Wednesday night.  Although Lola and Bear were not the best of friends, (they were like water and oil) they would always team up to hunt squirrels (while Otis slept on the couch).  The two of them would have squirrels trapped in trees for hours tempting them to escape.   And just has they would come down the tree, Lola and Bear would scare it right back up in the tree.  The two of them were a match made in heaven when it came to squirrel hunting.  They were both so stubborn and would never give up, unless food was being handed out. Bear will be missed, but he is running free now and will no longer have any pain he may have been experiencing.

Bear

Bear and Lola on the couch

Bear, Otis and Lola

Here is what my dad has posted about Bear.

Our dog Bear died very unexpectedly last night (4/4/12) at about 9:15 PM. Earlier in the afternoon we did our normal two mile walk, which always made Bear excited and which he seem to always enjoy. He showed no signs of distress during the walk. After the walk I went out for awhile. When we returned home at about 7:30, Otis our other dog greeted us at the door but Bear didn’t which was very unusual since they both would always be at the door. When I fed the dogs Bears didn’t eat which also was unusual since he would gobble his food down. He was lethargic and unsteady and over the next hour and a half got weaker, more lethargic and finally just quit breathing.

Bear was a rescue dog that we had only had for 18 months. In September 2010, we were at an end of summer festival in a local park on pet day. We ran across Bear who was older (probably around 8), overweight and in need of a home but we weren’t looking for a second dog. After we got home we started to worry about Bear so decided to try to adopt him. It took a week for us to locate him. When we brought him home he couldn’t walk very far but we got his weigh down and started to take him on walks and before long he could walk 2 miles with no trouble.

Unlike other dogs I have had Bear want to be in our vicinity but didn’t really snuggle up to you although he would come to get his ears and neck rubbed. Bear was his own dog - he didn’t try to please people the way many dogs do. I said he was more in touch with his “dog self” than other dogs I have had. We were hoping for more years with Bear and will miss him.

Jazzi Tagged Us

Lola here.  Jazzi tagged us and now we are going to answer 10 questions.

1. Describe yourself in 7 words.
    Fun, happy, snuggly, exuberant, loving, playful, and as my ma says 'crazy'

2. What keeps you up at night.
    Nothing really.  I am out unless there is some sort of craziness going on.

3.  Who would you like to be.
     Who could be better than me?!?  Nobody.  So I will stay me.

4. What are you wearing now?
     My pink collar so that people I don't know, know I am a beautiful girl.  Sometimes people get confused  
     by my well toned body and think I am a dude. (Ma always corrects them.)  I do have a beautiful pink coat that ma makes me wear when it is cold.  Nobody can confuse me as a dude when I wear that.

See my pink collar.

That's my pink coat

5.  What scares you?
     Not much really.  But loud noises when I am not expecting them startle me.  And I really don't like
     sprinklers.  I would not say I am scared of them, but I don't like getting wet from them.

6.  What is the best and worst thing about blogging?
     The best thing is all the amazing bloggers and dogs we have met.  And knowing there is an amazing
      group of people that care so much about dogs and their people.  And they are always willing to help anybody out there.
     The worst thing is when my ma gets busy with school and work, and does not update as much.

Me helping mom study so she can post more.  Hint  hint.

7.  What is the last blog you visited?
      Oh, Corbin.  He has not been feeling well so we like to let him know we are thinking of him.  Plus, I think he is REALLY HANDSOME!!

8.  What is the one thing you would change about yourself?
     Now that I am a little older, 5, my knees are bothering me.  Ma said the vet told her I have arthritis in my
     knees.  I wish I could have my puppy knees back so I could run and play even more without being stiff
     and sore.

Me as a puppy - with my good knees before arthritis. 

9.  Slankets?
     I like to lay on blankets and under the covers when ma lets me, which is not very often.  I also have my
     very own pillow that I like to rest my head on when I lay on the couch.


10.  Tell us something about the person who tagged you.
     There is so much to say.  One thing ma thinks is cool about Jazzi and Addy is that their ma grw up in the same city as my ma and me. Too bad we don't live in the same city now.  We could get together and have so much fun.  And I really like them too.  One reason I really like Jazzi is because she has been so kind Addy who is an American bulldog, like me!!  And Jazzi is always so nice to her even though we are crazy exuberant at times.  She has shared her toys and teachers her all kinds of neat things.  You could not ask for anything better.   And Jazzi LOVES tacos, and I do too!!!  

And now to pick 7 dogs to pass it on to.
The World According to Lexi
Four Legged Views - Bert's Blog
My Brown Newfies
Mango and Dexters' Great Adventures
Dog Foster Mom
Raising Rama
Life at Golden Pine

Are you going to give me some?

PLEASE!!  I am sitting like a good girl!

Can I Lay Down and Eat?

I think we have hit a new level of laziness.

Whatever makes her happy right!

Weekend

We had a nice calm weekend.  It started out with grocery shopping.  Not very fun, but a necessity.  And of course Lola had to sniff out the bags.

And she found some biscuits.

Then we had a great walk Saturday morning.  I have said before and I will say again, I love weekend morning walks.  It was so calm and peaceful.  And Lola and I took our time and just enjoyed being out in the nice weather.  It was not hot but it was nice compared to the snow we have been having.  There was not a cloud in the sky.

It was so nice that even squirrels were out.  And Lola hunted a few.

Sunday was not quite as nice.  It was windy which made it feel cold.  So our morning walk was not as pleasant.  We both wanted to get out of the wind and get inside. But overall good weekend without a lot of craziness. 

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines day to all the beautiful ladies and handsome guys out there!  Hope your days are full of treats and snuggles.

Snow Storm

We got huge snow storm this past weekend.  So huge I even got a snow day on Friday.  In the Denver metro area we got between 16 in and 24 in, depending on the location.  It we too cold, windy and snowy to go out and play.  For Lola, it was go out and do her business and come right back in.

We were able to go out on Saturday, and there was a lot of snow.  Not just the 18 in of snow, but also the amount that had been piled up from everybody shoveling.

It is hard to tell in this picture but the now is piled up to about her neck.  No climbing in that snow.

After a while Lola finally found a place where she could walk and not be drowning in the snow.  Here it is still up to her stomach.  But she managed to walk through.  I think she thought twice about it after she got into it.

After that, Lola had it with the snow.  She is like her mom and prefers the warm weather.  Much more fun, and easier on her knees.  And then she does not need to wear her coat.

And once we got home, she decided she was much happier relaxing on a warm couch.

Happy 5th Birthday!!

Some how I missed posting the whole month of January. (How is it already February?)  But I could not miss posting today.  Today is Lola's 5th birthday!!  I cannot believe she is 5.  And she is still as crazy and lovable as she was as a puppy.  The only thing slowing her down is her arthritis, but she is still happy and lovable as can be.

And here are a few of my favorite pictures over the years.

Puppy Lola with her buddy Otis

Dreaming and snuggling.  Can it really get any better?

No idea why she is standing on the table.  But that is why we love her.

Catching food!

Happy girl!

Happy birthday to my Lola!!