Cats Like It Too

 On the lookout for NOBELLS.

The cats also seem to like it when it snows. I think because we are inside more, Sandi seems to give them treats more, and we usually have a fire going and they like to hover around the fireplace. Our house has a certain calmness to it during these times.

Clearly NOBELLS came by this morning.

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The cats like looking out the back window too, keeping track of the bird activity on the feeders. The birds also seem to come up closer to the house when we are inside, giving the cats a good view.

Mostly the cats take over the comforters for their own use. They seem to cuddle with each other more during the snow days.

The Queen Mother aka Canned Ham, has taken a liking to lunch meat. She runs into the kitchen every time she hears the sound of the lunch meat drawer in the fridge open. She isn't particular on the type of meat, brand, or thickness of the cut. Just as long as we drop a tiny piece or two for her.

SNOW! (kind of)

The weather people predicted the first measurable snow of the year for this weekend. Earlier in the week they were saying several inches possible beginning Friday and the snow ending on Saturday. I guess they were kind of correct in that we did get a dusting on Friday and woke up Saturday with a bit on the ground. Sandi and I were hoping for more. Gypsy loves the snow. The first winter we had her we got a good bit of snow. I remember opening the back door and Gypsy taking a big leap (her patented move) into the snow.

Hey this stuff is cold!

 

I was lucky enough to have a camera with me back then. This is Gypsy at around 7-8 months (Rims age now) in her first snow. She absolutely loves playing in the snow. I don't know who looks forward to the snow more, Gypsy or Sandi.

 

We woke up Saturday to a bit of snow, not the few inches we expected. This was Rim's first experience in snow. I don't know if he has the same love for snow as Gypsy but, he does enjoy eating the snow and ice.

Can you say Brain Freeze?

 It seems that everything "Meatloaf" does involves eating.

 

Rim is looking to Gypsy for advice on how best to handle the snow.

 

 

Gypsy had a smile on her face this morning when she saw the snow. She hasn't been smiling too much recently with the hurt tail. You can see she has it up a bit more today and I saw her give it a slight wag when she saw the snow. It still has a knot and sore to the touch.

 

After play time in the snow, a puppy needs a nap. I'm glad I got this captured. Sandi is the disciplinarian of the family. With the dogs anyway, not so much the cats. She is always telling me I let Gypsy get away with what ever she wants to do. Like getting up into my lap. My new saying is a spoiled poodle is a happy poodle.

 

I hope we get more snow this year. Gypsy and Rim would appreciate that.

 

 

Magnificent Tail

I used to be so young and pretty!

Hurt Feelings

I don't feel too good!

 

This is our "Drama Queen" Gypsy. She has been walking around the house all week with tail hanging like a wet noodle. I can tell her tail is getting better everyday but still sore. She is going to look for all the sympathy she can get.

 

Sorry Gypsy! Accidents happen.

Bad Day In The Yard For Gypsy

Gypsy and Rim have what I would call a "roller coaster" relationship. Some days Gypsy seems to like having Rim around and other days she wants nothing to do with him. Actually maybe that makes Gypsy a normal female? It isn't anything that Rim is doing. He is just being a playful puppy. Unfortunately for Gyp, a puppy that out weighs her already. The other day they were out in the yard and Rim, as usual, was trying his best to antagonize Gypsy. Gyp likes to keep all the toys off the deck for some reason. Rim, likes to take them up on the deck for easy access. Gyp will remove said toys from deck, keeping it wide open and clear. Rim collects toys from yard and returns them to deck. After this, Rim tried his best to get Gypsy to play chase, nipping at her rear legs. Gypsy sometimes likes this game and will take off like a rocket. Rim may be big but he can not outrun Gyp yet. This particular day, Gypsy didn't want to play but Rim kept persisting. I'm not quite sure what happened but, it looked like Rim kind of bull dozed into the back of Gypsy and she gave out a loud yelp.

Hey, that hurt FATSO!

She came over to me, crying the entire time. I couldn't see any obvious wounds but she was in pain. We finally figured out it was her tail. She had it hanging down and wasn't moving it. When I touched it she gave another yelp. I'm thinking great, she broke her tail. After some discussion with Sandi, and a google or two, we decide it is probably sprained and that it will get better in a few days. It was very swollen around the base of the tail and still very sore. Seems that this is a very common occurrence.



 

 

 

So, this is how Gypsy has been looking for the last few days. Tail just kind of hanging down. She has begun to lift it a bit and Sandi can get her to give it a slight wag from time to time. She has looked so sad to me since this happened. When she comes up to me, she will usually sit. With the tail, she begins to sit and then quickly pops back up before tail hits floor.

She has been doing a lot of laying down. She has to turn several circles, lowering her butt slowly to the side to ease herself down. She can be a Drama Queen for sure and I'm starting to think that she is milking this injury as much as she can. I think she'll be fine in a day or two.

Meatloaf cont.

Hey,I'm not fat, just a puppy.

Sleepy Moose

Moose is a cat that likes to relax. He is always ready to hop in bed and chill out.  You can see there is not a problem relaxing. Moose, like the other cats think the poodles are just a simple nuisance but willing to coexist.

Rim aka "Meatloaf"

Rim at six months

 

Rim is six months old. Seems hard to believe. I remember when I first saw him thinking he was so much smaller than I remember Gypsy being as a puppy. I was thinking he wouldn't be as big as Gyp. That didn't last very long. Rim is a big boy. He weighs more than Gypsy already. I don't know his current weight but it has to be at least 45 lbs. Gypsy is 40-42 on a good day.

Big deal, so he is fat and I'm trim!

I wouldn't call Rim fat, I would call him solid. Can not find a rib on the boy. Gypsy is a bag of bones in comparison. I started calling him "Meatloaf" because he is such a robust eater. He will eat just about anything. And eat just about anything with gusto. In the morning when he sees his bowl of food being prepared, he hops around, tail wagging in anticipation. Sandi has him go sit calmly by his food area and wait for her to serve him. He does a very good job of waiting calmly until the big event. He then devours a few cups of kibble in record time.

Making me wait is cruel!

Gypsy, will see all the action going on with Rim and stroll over to her bowl, take a sniff and perhaps have a bite or two of food. Lately I've been mixing her kibble with chicken broth and that has sparked her interest in food slightly.

I even have a taste for seafood!

We had a few oysters in the backyard the other day and Rim sat right by Sandi, waiting to get his lips on a plump one. Meatloaf will eat just about anything. Sandi was discussing his weight with the the breeder the other day, mentioning the fact that when we walk them side by side, Gypsy has a skinny bony butt and Rim has got some "junk in the trunk." She renamed him, "Rim Kardashian"

They are two differant dogs for sure. Each with very differant personalities and eating habits.

Bye Sock Monkey

Rim has begun picking on the soft toys like Gypsy. He tore sock monkey a new one. Not a pretty sight. Guess we are done with the soft plush toys.

Nervous Nelly Gets Sick

It's been a busy start of the year for us. Between the holidays and work I have not had much time to sit and think about a blog concerning my quirky poodle, Gypsy.(aka Smiley) Things are getting back to whatever normal is and hopefully I will have things to share with you.

Last weekend I made a trip down to North Carolina to visit my daughters and grandkids. Sometimes I take Gypsy with me when I make a road trip like this. Gypsy likes to ride and she is always well behaved. Then I thought about taking Rim with me. Only one of my daughters has met Rim and I thought it would be a good thing for him to be around little kids. In the end, I went to Raleigh solo, leaving both pooches at home with Sandi. The weekend was great, seeing all the kids and grandkids is always special. We visited, played, and had a nice time cooking and just hanging out. I was able to get in a nice walk along one of the many greenway trails Raleigh has put in. There are miles and miles of trails all over the area now. I met a few nice dogs along the way and wished Gypsy was with me.
I hear they have Red Neck Squirrels in Raleigh!
While I was off playing and having a good time, Gypsy was home worrying about where I was. Sandi said Gyp became a "Nervous Nelly" pacing and being on edge while I was gone. She didn't eat the whole time I was gone. Perhaps a cup or two was it. She is very thin to begin with but when I got home she was a bag of bones. Rim tried his best to get her mind off my absence by playing with her but Gypsy did not want any part of the little guy. I've talked before about how Gypsy does not do well when we board her or when we leave her with someone and Sandi and I both leave. I have a week long out of town meeting to attend coming up soon, Maybe I should get Gypsy some anti-depressants or something? She did get a big smile on her face when I returned home and she was back to her normal self. The first thing she did was to go to her food bowl and eat a cup. A few days after my return, Sandi noticed Gypsy was standing at an odd angle. Kind of twisted to one side.

Gypsy has had a few ear infections in past. Poodles are prone to them with their long floppy ears. When she gets one, I feel like a bad pet owner . When she gets a bad one she lowers her head in pain and stands all twisted and only walks to the left. Very sad to watch. First time she did this I thought she had a stroke. We had some pain meds left over from a cat so we gave her a few of those.
Hey, how bout some Grateful Dead?
She slept for a few days and is now back to normal. Thank goodness.
I will try to be more diligent about the ear maintenance.

Lounging Poodles

Here they are, lounging on the rug that was to be"dog free."  Gypsy is allowing Rim into her space more and more . I actually believe she has accepted him into her little world . I walked them together on New Years day and they high stepped side by side the entire way . Gypsy looking for something to hunt, Rim thinking of a possible snack when we get home .