Watch out, Daisy!

Uh oh! New Monkey is missing her purple bow.

Freddy, the wiener dog, has definitely re-taken control of his household.  Daisy was running around in the backyard like a crazy puppy - with Freddy's New Monkey.  Freddy came onto the patio and noticed Daisy running around with his New Monkey.  First, he tried barking at her from the patio, but she just kept running around like a puppy will do.  Then, he trotted into the backyard, but she continued to play with the New Monkey.  She ran and flipped upside down so Freddy went over and snatched New Monkey back.  She tried to take it, but he, hum.....sort of, um...snapped/growled with New Monkey in his mouth.  He never dropped it -- hard to explain, but cool to watch.  Anyway, she held still in the grass so he peed about an inch away from her head and trotted with great pride back into the house.  Yikes!  Watch out, Daisy!

Back to his old self.

Cautiously watching Daisy as she approaches.

Freddy, the wiener dog, must have thought Daisy was a visitor.  He's realized that she's here to stay.  How?  Freddy is no longer sharing his woobies.  For the most part he's been on good behavior for the last week -- well, for Freddy.  Now he's back in charge.  For instance, he was letting Daisy play with his woobies without fuss.  He'd sneak them back to the graveyard when possible.  Today?  Freddy won't let Daisy play with his toys.  He takes them back from her in a big tug-of-war (he has an alligator's jaws of steel) and guards them.  If this chick is going to stay here, then she needs to know his rules.  Freddy is back to his old self. 

No, it's MINE!

"No, it's MINE!"

And so it begins.

Freddy, the wiener dog, and baby sis Daisy's favorite toys are still the tennis balls.  However, they only want the tennis ball that the other has and not their own.  This morning was all about the tennis ball.  When I throw the ball, Daisy's long legs arrive before Freddy's shorter legs, but not by much.  Freddy's got game!  Daisy will wait for Freddy to pick up the ball, thus commencing "No, it's MINE!"  It seems to work out for everybody -- Daisy gets some playtime with Freddy; Freddy gets to be the center of attention and king of the hill; and I get to wear them both out for naptime.  I enjoy a good "No, it's MINE!" play.  Unfortunately, early in the morning and the tweens are still asleep.  Freddy's growling/bark and Daisy's high-pitched puppy bark disturb the two-legged boys.  The youngest two will just be a little grumpy if they don't finish their night's sleep, but that's nothing compared to how a 14-year-old is if awoken early.  Whew!  He's like Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc., etc. all rolled into one when he's tired and grumpy.  I kept running outside with the ball, but Freddy and Daisy would bring it right back inside.  I finally had to call off "No, it's MINE!" so they wouldn't wake the boys.  But, later..... 

Little Daisy goes to the vet office for the first time.

"What are you doing back there?"

Freddy, the wiener dog, was very jealous that Mommy and Daddy took Daisy for a ride but not him.  Of course, he didn't know the special ride was to the vet's office.  Daisy was terrified there.  When we walked in, the dogs in the back were barking and she was scared of being left again.  Daisy weighs 11.5 lbs. and has all her baby teeth.  She had the usual well-visit for a puppy, including booster shots.  Daisy goes back to the vet in four weeks for the last round of booster shots.  At the beginning of September, she'll get her rabies vaccination.  Mid-October she'll get spayed.  (We need to watch out for the bachelor next door who is 7 months and not neutered.  I don't want any "golden beagles.")  Freddy was so upset when we came back that he needed his own ride in the car.  Diva.

Daisy found her bark.

Daisy wants to play.

Freddy, the wiener dog, doesn't like to share his woobies.  Daisy finds one; she plays with it; she gets bored or distracted; and Freddy rescues it...except for his tennis ball.  Daisy loves his tennis ball.   Freddy does not want Daisy to have his tennis ball even more so than a woobie.  Freddy is constantly walking around the house with a tennis ball like, um, a badass. He even took one to his ratty chair and laid on it so we couldn't find it.  But, when Freddy walks around with a tennis ball, Daisy jumps in his face to get him to play.  Yesterday, he'd just turn his head in an arrogant keep-away.  Today, Freddy started curling his upper lip into a snarl when she tried to take it.  This caused Daisy to bark.  What?!  Daisy hasn't made noise since her arrival three days ago except to bark at Freddy carrying his tennis ball today.  We thought she was going to be a silent puppy, but Daisy found her bark.

Daisy discovers Freddy's woobie graveyard.

Daisy discovers the Pokemon kitty.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves his woobies... and keeps them in the woobie graveyard.  While Daisy was out running the yard, she stumbled (literally) onto the woobie graveyard and tripped over the Pokemon kitty.  Happy to find another toy, she took it.  When Freddy saw her with his woobie, I could actually sense the anger fuming from him.  He didn't react but kept moving closer to her.  When she turned her attention to something else and dropped it, Freddy scooped it up and took it back outside to the woobie graveyard.  Interestingly, when Daisy found it, it was face up.  When Freddy took it back to the graveyard, he put it face-down.  I counted 12 semi-buried woobies, and Freddy won't share one.  Diva.

Daisy wants Freddy to PLAY!

A puppy's "come on, let's play!"

Freddy, the wiener dog, tolerated a lot from Daisy, but not everything.  When Freddy tried running around the yard, Daisy went puppy wild and tried to get him to play with her.  Freddy snarled at her a couple of times, but Daisy continued to torment Freddy with her puppy run around the yard and kangaroo hop at him.  Finally, he snapped at her.  When that didn't work, he started nipping at her.  Once, he managed to nip a shoulder.  Daisy continued her puppy play, but she kept her distance after that.  

Monkey see; Monkey do.

Daisy takes a nap.

Freddy, the wiener dog, is still ignoring his new baby sister.  Daisy, however, is desperately trying to make friends with Freddy.  She copies his every move.  For a while yesterday afternoon, Freddy took a nap in his ratty gaming chair.  Daisy climbed into another gaming chair and took a nap too.  She tried so hard last night to snuggle with Freddy, but he won't do it.  Since Freddy was in bed with Mark, I put Daisy in bed with me.  She really liked that..she stretched out the full length of her legs.  She can't make herself six feet long like Freddy, but she still takes up a lot of room.  

Daisy's first day.

Daisy discovers grass.

Freddy, the wiener dog, has decided to ignore his baby sister Daisy.  "Maybe if I don't acknowledge her then she'll go away."  Daisy nipped Freddy's tail and he didn't react.  Perhaps he realizes she's no threat.  He's still The Baby, and she's like a gangly baby gazelle.  Daisy is looking for things her baby teeth can chew, like the boys' gaming chairs.  I gave her an old piece of leather, but she hasn't been interested in it. Clearly we need to get puppy toys.  Daisy hasn't had a life outside of her cage.  She doesn't have good strength in her hind legs, but runs (or bunny hops) as best she can.  Daisy's never been outside - She seemed afraid to step off the pool patio and onto the grass.  Once I carried her to the back of the yard, she didn't have a choice.  Then, Daisy was amazed at the grass, leaves, flowers, and rocks.  The first bird chirp sent her running for cover.  She definitely doesn't like the sound of a woodpecker.  Daisy doesn't understand the concept of fetch, but she loves chasing the boys around the yard.  She hasn't noticed Freddy's woobies, yet.  Thankfully, she poo'd outside.  We're working on the other.

Freddy welcomes a baby sister! Well, sort of.

Daisy comes home.

Freddy, the wiener dog, welcomed a new baby sister today.  Well, sort of.  Mark, Eric and I came home today with a little Beagle/mix puppy from a rescue group.  She's a small, scrawny baby girl.  After looking through 100 of the top female doggie names, the boys decided on Daisy.  Freddy wasn't happy to see Daisy when she first arrived.  He was digging outside so we took her to the backyard.  He charged at her like a crazed bull.  This continued for the first few seconds until The Alpha Male (a/k/a Jeff) reined him in.  When she went to the water dish, Freddy grabbed onto her hind skin and tried to pull her away.  She's so docile that she didn't do anything.  The Alpha Male stepped in again.  The only other protest Freddy had was when she tried to sniff his face.  He pulled his lips back into a snarl, but didn't bite or nip.  Finally, with family love and encouragement (and a lot of doggie butt-sniffing), Freddy accepted his new sister.  Well, sort of.  For the most part, he stayed under a chair in disgust.  Jeff took Freddy to see Nana and he feels much better.  Daisy hasn't found the woobies yet...I guess that will be Round 2.

Running errands with Mommy.

Happy to be in the car.

Freddy, the wiener dog, and his Mommy ran errands.  Freddy didn't whine or fuss at all in the car.  He was very happy to come along.  We went inside the Middle School; no problems.  We went inside an office building; no problems.  We went to a strip mall; well...... I'm not sure why but he barked at the first few people at this location and then remained quiet.  Freddy didn't go inside any of the stores, but it was good practice to be around non-family members.  He was happy to trot up and down the sidewalk.  The only comment was an elderly gentleman who said, "I once had three of them."  I wanted to take him inside the bank, but it was busy and I wasn't sure if he would bark in line.  He was excellent at all the drive-thrus.  No barking, no fussing.  Good boy, Freddy Baby!  I wonder if I could sneak Freddy inside a movie theater? 

Mother is very annoyed.

Not a bath!

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves to dig in the dirt when we're swimming in the pool.  Today, we all swam in the afternoon.  Then, I gave Freddy a bath.  Freddy hates getting a bath - I'm washing away all his good dirt.  After his bath, the boys went swimming again.  Yep - Freddy went digging again.  He's a very dirty dog, and his mother is very annoyed.  I don't want to give him another bath, but I don't want that dirty dog in our bed.

Freddy's most annoying habit.

Freddy, the wiener dog, has the most annoying habit.  He pees in the house when he's upset with us for being gone too long.  The boys and I met a friend for lunch. Unfortunately, as usual, it was no dogs allowed so we left Freddy at home.  We were gone two hours.  When we got home, we discovered that Freddy had peed near the boys' gaming chairs.  Freddy has a doggie door and can get outside.  Freddy also knows he's not allowed to pee inside the house, but he does it anyway when he's upset. When I discovered the pee spot, Freddy went to the other side of the house. He walked along the far edge of the living room so he wasn't near me.  He avoided me for 10 minutes.  Finally, Freddy sneaked up behind me.  When I finally noticed him, he had his ears and tail down and made his eyes look all weepy.  Clearly he was waiting for the scolding.  What's the point?  He knew it was wrong, and he'll do it again the next time he determines we've been gone too long.  This really is Freddy's most annoying habit.

Peek-a-boo-chase-me

Come on, chase me!

Freddy, the wiener dog, is frisky when we get back from our walks.  He wants to play!  Besides digging, Freddy loves to play peek-a-boo-chase-me.  I throw his woobie.  He grabs it and runs off.  I yell "Run, Freddy, run!"  If I don't chase after him, he'll come find me.  He knows where I'm at, but he slowly walks around the corner because then we play peek-a-boo.  I crouch down and wait for Freddy to walk around the corner.  Then, I say, "Give me that woobie."  He take a couple of steps back, but not far.  He wants me to throw the woobie so the chase begins again.  When Freddy doesn't return with his woobie or won't let go of it, then he's done.  Another one of those 1,001 uses for a woobie. 

Update re: the ratty chair.

Comfy and sleeping on favorite chair.

This past week I took away Freddy's ratty chair and gave him a new one.  He didn't use the new chair all week even thought it had his favorite pillow.  So, I gave him the ratty chair back.  As soon as I set it down, he walked over, gave me quite a look, climbed up, got comfy, and fell asleep.  I can even hear him snoring.  Poor baby.  I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Woobies have a 1,001 uses.

Everybody always needs a woobie.

Our house is the hang-out house.  It looks like we have every neighborhood boy here today.  The crowd and/or the noise is making Freddy nervous, so he grabbed a woobie.  The current woobie is a Pokemon kitty-cat.  Freddy is carrying this woobie around the house...Of course, he's always using it to beg for food or scold us for running an errand without him.  Woobies have a 1,001 uses besides going on walks.  Maybe I'll grab a woobie too.

"Mom, you go first and I'll back you up."

Luckily for Freddy, I was already awake at 3:00 a.m. when he needed a big pee.  He doesn't want to go out in the dark by himself.   Maybe it has something to do with the woods behind out house.  "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"  Well, raccoons, foxes, um, alligators, bears, panthers, snakes...."  "Mom, you go first and I'll back you up."

Panic Attacks!

Freddy on Mommy's big bed

Freddy, the wiener dog, has a nervous mother – I get panic attacks.  In fact, I take medicine to try to avoid panic attacks.  What’s the one “medication” that always works?  Freddy Baby.  I am so much calmer when I’m with Freddy.  I wonder if I could find a little orange vest that fits Freddy and tell everybody that he’s my therapy dog?  I tried using him as a seeing-eyed dog, but nobody believed me.

That dog is addicted.

After dinner Freddy, the wiener dog, went crazy.  He was whining, barking, and lunging at me.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  It seemed to be about food and not his evening walk (surprise, surprise), but there's not something I eat every night.  At one point he couldn't figure out whether to run out the doggie door, climb onto the bed, or run into the kitchen.  He was literally going around in circles.  Jeff and I went to the kitchen to try to understand what he wanted.  Freddy again whined and fussed at me.  Finally, Jeff gave up, grabbed a couple of oatmeal cookies, and left the kitchen.  Freddy went after Jeff.  When Jeff gave Freddy a little bit of oatmeal cookie, Freddy calmed down.  Once Jeff and Freddy finished off the cookies, Freddy laid down for the night.  It was totally unreal.  That dog is addicted to oatmeal cookies.

Oh, it's going to be a long day.

"Mother, just open the door."

Freddy, the wiener dog, is upset with Mommy right now : (1) Daddy went to work and not on our walk and (2) I won't give him a 2nd breakfast.  Daddy was in the driveway with us when I hooked Freddy up to his leash.  Jeff got in his truck and I started down the sidewalk with Freddy in the opposite direction.  Freddy wanted his Daddy and tried running to the truck but came up short on his leash.  I kept us moving, but Freddy would take two steps, stop and look back...take two steps, stop and look back...take two steps, etc.  We finally completed our walk, but Freddy refuses to look at me.  When we came back and went inside, Freddy wouldn't let me take his harness off.  In fact, he'd walk around the furthest parts of the rooms and give me a "humpf" look and keep going.  After awhile when he finally decided that he needed me to get more food, so he started fussing for his second breakfast.  I don't think so....I gave him the first one.  He is now in his special chair, rolling his eyes at me.  Oh, it's going to be a long day.

Tricky Dog

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves treats.  He especially likes Pedigree’s MarroBones(R) treats.  It looks like little bits of bone with marrow inside.  It must be doggie crack.  Unprompted, he’ll do something that he knows I like so I’ll say, “What a good boy! Let’s get a treat!”  He’s far too intelligent to be a dog.  Freddy must be human, or an alien.

Freddy's 4th of July 2011

depressed Freddy

Freddy, the wiener dog, did not enjoy his 4th of July holiday. Once again, Old Man Spotty came to visit.  Freddy especially didn't like that Old Man Spotty spent most of the afternoon on Freddy's couch! We grilled hamburgers and, yes, Mommy fed him some. It was a pleasant day for Freddy's two-legged family, but Freddy was depressed that Old Man Spotty was here, again. Freddy is glad that 4th of July is only once a year.

Whatever makes Freddy Baby a happy baby.

Waiting for pool-time.

Freddy, the wiener dog, waited over an hour for his two-legged brothers to get into the pool.  So, I finally did.  It is a gorgeous day for swimming.  After a week of rain, however, the water temperature dropped five degrees.  That's a little cold for me, but a mommy will do whatever is necessary for her baby, especially a Freddy Baby.  I didn't splash around enough for Freddy.  After 15 minutes, he went back to the sliding glass doors to wait for his two-legged brothers. They finally came outside and Freddy whined-barked and took of running.  He had been waiting a long time for his afternoon of digging and lizard hunting.  Thank goodness the boys finally jumped into the pool.  Now, Freddy Baby is a happy baby. 

Freddy doesn't wear baseball caps.

Mark modeling a baseball cap.

Freddy, the wiener dog, doesn’t wear baseball caps.  Neither do any of his two-legged family members.  Freddy vehemently barks at a person wearing a baseball cap, but as soon as they take it off the barking stops.  Family and friends have learned to take their hats off at the door or not wear one at all.  Others are warned at the door to remove their hats because our attack Mini-Dachshund doesn’t like hats.  Perhaps Freddy is just teaching them good manners.

It's been quite a morning already.

It's been quite a morning already.

Freddy, the wiener dog, woke Mommy (and Daddy) up for his morning breakfast.  Jeff heard me in the kitchen so he went back to sleep.  After feeding Freddy, I went back to sleep.  (Today was our only day to sleep in.)  About an hour or so later, Freddy woke Jeff up, who staggered to the shower.  Then, he came back and woke me up.  Okay, now, we're both up and dressed and I say, "Let's go for a walk."  Freddy then runs away, climbs into Steven's bed, and tries to hide.  Oh, no, puppy.  You woke us up, now it's walk-time.  So, we're strolling down the street but Freddy is lagging behind.  Jeff says, "Come on, Freddy!  Let's run!"  Jeff takes a couple of jogging steps when he's yanked back by the leash.  Freddy was hiding behind me!  Bent over with laughter, Jeff hands me the leash and we finally get underway again.  We make it back without any further doggie incidents.  It's been quite a morning already. 

Pizza Nights

Freddy, the wiener dog, likes pizza.  Friday nights are Pizza Night.  Freddy actually barked at Jeff for pizza.  Freddy Baby is a Sausage Baby and doesn’t get pizza.  Freddy is unhappy that he didn’t get pizza.  However, we have to reduce his weight to 11 lbs. before his next vet visit in December.  No pizza.  Besides, cheese gives Freddy horrible gas.

Hey, that’s my seat!

Just made Steven switch seats!

Freddy, the wiener dog, spends a lot of time with his two-legged brother Steven.  Steven sits in a gaming chair to play xBox 360(R).  Freddy likes when Steven warms a chair up for him.  Freddy will come along and stand in front of Steven when he wants the chair Steven is sitting in.  Without looking up from his game, Steven will move over to the next gaming chair and Freddy hops into his chair.  Clever dog.

Learning New Tricks

Freddy, the wiener dog, taught me a new trick.  When it's time for lunch, actually when he's ready for lunch, he finds me and starts to whine...although not too much because he knows I hate that sound.  When I look down at Freddy, he snorts and dances his front paws back and forth.  I say, "Are you ready for lunch?"  Then, he gives me a big snort, jumps up, and we go into the kitchen and fix a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  You can teach an old mom new tricks.  Hey, wait a minute.......

Oh, no, not again!

Freddy, the wiener dog, went for this morning walk.  Once again he saw The Trash Monster.  The worst part of that big beast is the air-brakes.  That wooooshing sound made Freddy afraid.  We walked past it, but I knew we would see it again.  Our street is U-shaped, so the truck must pass us twice.  We beat it to the second half of the street, but eventually it made its way around the corner.  Freddy wasn't happy to see it.  Oh, no, not again!  This time instead of being afraid of the air-brakes, he trotted past it as quickly as possible.  Good boy, Freddy Baby!  When we arrived home, Freddy came inside all puffed up, proud of himself.  He went strolling through the house with his woobie looking to tell everybody that he made it past The Trash Monster, but everybody's still asleep.  Mommy knows you were brave, Freddy.  Mommy knows.

Nana’s visit.

Nana keeping Freddy safe.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves when his Nana comes to visit.  Freddy may be The Baby to us, but he’s The Grandbaby to Nana.  He follows Nana around the house because he never knows when he’s going to get an oatmeal cookie or sit in her lap for book-time.  Whenever she picks him up to sit on the couch with her, she makes sure that he has his special pillow.  Nana also doesn’t want the living room fan on because she doesn’t want him to get cold.  We had a bad thunder and lightning storm.  Freddy was sitting next to me, but when he saw a big flash of lightning he threw himself into Nana’s lap.  Nana, of course, kept Grandbaby Freddy comfy and safe.