Happy Halloween!

Halloween Freddy

Freddy, the wiener dog, cannot go trick-or-treating on Halloween. He barks and growls at all the children so Mommy can't take him down the sidewalk with all the outfits. Instead, every year Freddy stays home and barks at all the trick-or-treaters coming to the door. This year, we added Daisy. She barked and bayed at all the trick-or-treaters too, mostly because Freddy barks. Malibu did go trick-or-treating. She was terrified. She was even scared of the sorcerer's hat...inside the house.

Go, Malibu, go!

We had just started trick-or-treating. Mommy and Malibu walked three or four houses down when Mommy heard this terrible chittering. Malibu ran for a tree a couple of feet away and there was a squirrel scolding us. When Malibu reached the tree, the squirrel only ran about 3-4 feet up and stayed there loudly chittering at us. The squirrel didn't leave even when most of the neighborhood boys joined us. Everybody saw the crazy squirrel. Mommy has said for years the squirrels in this neighborhood are psycho. Now, we have proof!

Psycho squirrel.

Malibu meets Tank!

Run away!

Freddy, the wiener dog, stayed inside the house, again, when Tank came over for another playdate with Daisy. This time Mommy decided that Malibu should meet Tank. First, Mommy held Malibu while Tank sniffed her rear-end [the international doggie hello]. Next, Mommy sat down with Malibu in her lap. Malibu slowly ventured over to Tank. Malibu barked, growled, and chased Tank. Of course, she didn't appreciate being chased in return. Apparently Tank has never seen a little, tiny dog up close and personal. He thought this one was insane. He didn't understand her crazy barking at him. He was curious; he tried to ignore her; and he tried to play. Daisy wanted Tank to pay all the attention to her.

Barking.

Tank giving Malibu a backend-sniff.

Grrrrrrrrr.

More barking.

And, more barking.

Girl, you've got issues.

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Freddy, the wiener dog, isn't afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Malibu is. Freddy was resting peacefully when Mommy dragged the vacuum cleaner into the living room. Right in front of Mommy was Malibu running away from it. Malibu spotted Freddy and climbed on top of him to be safe from the vacuum cleaner.

Name that post!

Freddy, the wiener dog, did a good job teaching his little sister Daisy the Beagle to dig. Freddy likes to dig for lizards and moles. Daisy likes to dig for and eat roots - tree roots, grass roots, plant roots - and old bark, petrified wood, etc. Daisy makes big holes in the yard in a minute or two [she has big paws]. She's especially happy when Daddy's pulling weeds. He tosses them and she makes a run for them, grabs them, and then prances around the yard. Daisy found a very interesting root to dig up.   Next to the laundry door along the side of the house, she dug up a grounding wire for our power supply. Now, I just have to keep her from chewing on it!

Freddy v. Malibu in octopus tug-of-war.

No, it's MY octopus!

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves his woobies. He doesn't like sharing his woobies, except with Malibu. They got into a tug-of-war with his octopus. He would drag her across the floor, but she wouldn't let go. He would growl and snarl at her [while holding the octopus], but she wouldn't let go. They played tug-of-war with the octopus several times and he would eventually let go and let her have it, every time. Then, Malibu would jump on the couch and proceed to attack it. If Daisy came over, Malibu would growl at her to stay off the couch and away from the octopus. Daisy did...that girl was crazy!

I'm going to eat you, my pretty.

I love sushi!

Freddy's scary weekend.

10/25/11 9:17 a.m. Update - His first day back was a very quiet day for Freddy. Nobody gets sleep at hospitals, so I think he just needed rest. This morning he's full of himself....I mean, he's full of energy. Yeah, right. There's still a little swelling, but he chased two squirrels this morning so he's definitely getting better.

Freddy's scary weekend. (Some how I delete this from blog. Luckily, I had a copy). Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:03 AM PDT Drugged, transferring to hospital. Freddy, the wiener dog, had a scary weekend. He went to the emergency vet and then to the emergency hospital. They diagnosed subcutaneous emphysema. For those of you who don't have Freddy's Facebook page, there are the entries from this weekend: 10/21/11 10:11 p.m. Came home from the football game to find Freddy with a significantly swollen head and neck on the left side. When we touched the top, we could feel liquid. Jeff is taking Freddy to the emergency vet now. Malibu didn't like Freddy's leaving without her. 10/21/11 11:54 p.m. Not good. Can't find reason for tear in trachea. It's pumping air into body. They're concerned about possible collapsing lung. Going to run scope down his throat. He's staying overnight. I want my Freddy Baby back. 10/22/11 10:18 a.m. Good grief. No news yet. At 7:00 a.m., Freddy was transferred to this facility. They've done their diagnostic work-up and are waiting for a specialist to run the scope. 10/22/11 11:42 a.m. Couldn't find a tear with the scope. Saw an "irritated" area next to the larynx. He's staying the weekend for observation. If he's better on Monday, then he can come home and hopefully it will heal itself. Until then, they want him nearby in case it develops into an additional problem. I. want. my. Freddy. Baby. 10/23/11 9:44 a.m. I couldn't sleep at all last night. I kept thinking that Freddy didn't have a woobie with him. 10/23/11 9:45 a.m. WOOHOO! FREDDY IS DOING BETTER. All these specialty vets and they still can't figure out what happened. But, wherever the tear is, it's leaking less air which means it's healing itself. Freddy actually ate food for them this morning, although they said he was a picky eater. [Really? My Freddy will eat anything. Gee, Freddy's being difficult on purpose? Imagine that.] If he continues to do as well, then he comes home tomorrow!! If the vet calls again I'll let you know. Otherwise, hopefully the next update will be that Freddy's home. I cannot thank my FB friends enough for being there for me and Freddy. I couldn't have made it through this ordeal otherwise. My peeps ROCK! FREDDY'S HOME! FREDDY'S HOME!!!  Freddy "chatted" all the way home.  He sounded like a little kid telling you about his terrible ordeal.  Really.  It sounded like he was talking.  Freddy is extremely happy to be home.  Malibu is even happier, but not as happy as Mommy.

Malibu can't stay away from toads.

Freddy, the wiener dog, learned a long time ago to stay away from toads. He has no interest in them. He's a lizard man. Malibu can't stay away from toads. She digs and digs and digs until she gets the toad. Last night, she found a big toad. Took a while for all the digging to flush him out, but she did. Gabbed his legs and off she went. Malibu took the toad to her favorite play area. After "playing" with the toad, she took it back to its hole, put it back, and dug it up again. She quit trying to bring them to Mommy because Mommy just screams and runs away. Mommy is very concerned that Malibu is going to bring her friends into the house.

Daisy's new BIG playmate.

It was love at first sight! Well, sort of.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves his woobies. He always had a woobie with him or nearby until that day when Tank, the puppy next door, stole Freddy's duck [see blog "Duck and the Puppy Next Door 6/21/11]. Freddy has never forgiven Tank. Freddy's "little" sister Daisy is a BIG girl and needs a BIG playmate. So, this week I'd lock Freddy and Malibu inside the house and invite Tank over for playdates with Daisy. Freddy was outraged, of course, to watch Tank play in his backyard with his little sister. But, Daisy was thrilled.. eventually.. once she realized Bigfoot wasn't going to hurt her. The first playdate lasted 1 1/2 hours! Tank is 10 months old and 75-80 lbs., and still growing. [P.S. Tank's head is the size of all of Freddy].

Tank wants to play. Daisy's not so sure.

Tank patiently waits for Daisy to play.

Okay, Daisy agrees to play.

Daisy is warming up to the idea.

Malibu takes her pink ball back.

Freddy, the wiener dog, has a woobie graveyard. Daisy has been stealing from Freddy's graveyard and she took Malibu's only toy, her little pink squeaky ball. Today, Malibu turned a corner. She definitely seemed more comfortable with her surroundings. She took back her little pink squeaky ball. She looked so happy to see it. She played with it for quite some time. Whenever Daisy got too close, Malibu would growl, snarl and attack [always going for the muzzle] to tell Daisy to get away from her squeaky ball.

Malibu and her cave

Freddy, the wiener dog, has had his girlfriend for two weeks and two days. Everybody seems to be settling in nicely. Malibu has gotten more and more comfortable with her surroundings. For the first time [other than the toad], she started digging....under the pool patio.

1. Oh, look! Malibu is digging.

2. Isn't that cute?

3. That isn't too bad.

4. Yeah, that's a problem.

Oh, the best of friends!

Just wait until Daisy stretches out.

That's one big Beagle!

Everybody is getting along, and a lot sooner than I anticipated. Malibu has been here almost two weeks. Of course, it helps that Malibu is asserting her personality. Earlier she wrestled with Daisy. Freddy looked like, "Oh, another cat fight." But, Malibu won! My favorite part was the mouth-to-the-throat grip. Funny.

Daisy is stealing woobies!

Freddy, the wiener dog, is missing woobies from his woobie graveyard. Daisy has been taking them and putting them in her own graveyard. Daisy is so naughty that she took the one toy Malibu brought with her. Luckily, Malibu is only interested in lizards.

Freddy's woobie graveyard

Malibu's toy

Daisy's woobie graveyard

Poor little Malibu gets bad news.

Nervous Malibu

Freddy, the wiener dog, was very unhappy when Mommy left the house with Malibu this afternoon. Daisy had gone missing this morning (spaying) and now Mommy was taking Malibu, but she had her first appointment with our veterinarian. Malibu weighs 7.9 lbs. Overall, she's in good health. Unfortunately, her teeth are in horrible condition. It's part genetics - some dogs are more prone than others. I already knew she needed a teeth cleaning, but she needs significant teeth extraction. He'll leave as many as possible, but she probably won't have any teeth in the back. We already have dry food in tiny bites so she'll be okay. Of course, she also needs to be spayed. Thankfully, they can do both procedures at the same time so she only goes under anesthesia once. Her date is scheduled for Nov. 4. The vet said, "Is she a dapple? I've never seen such light coloring." The technician loved the long hair/short hair combo. Both said that she has a sweet face and was good-natured. Yes, she's my Malibu.

11/4/11 Update: Malibu had her surgeries today. She was spayed, had 13 teeth extracted, and a hernia repaired. The vet said, "She's had a tough day of it." They gave her pain meds and antibiotics for home.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

1. What's in here?

2. I found something.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves to hunt for lizards. He knows to stay away from toads. Malibu didn't...until today. For the first time, Malibu was willing to explore without Mommy standing next to her. Malibu stopped at a place along the fence to dig and she came up with a toad. Malibu kept trying to bring it to Mommy, who doesn't do spiders and snakes, or toads. Malibu was confused why Mommy kept screaming and running away from her toad.  Malibu carried it by its leg so she didn't get the nasty taste...until later.  She refused to play with the toad after that.

4. Don't touch my toad.

3. I'll take it to Mommy.

6. The Toad.

5. It's MY toad.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

That's the face of a hound.

Our sweet little girl.

Is Mommy still there?

Freddy, the wiener dog, worries about his girlfriend. He checks on her to see if she's alright, and he picks a spot near or next to her for sleeping. It's been a tough adjustment for Malibu - new home, new people, new schedule, new dogs, and no siblings. The first couple of nights she slept in Mommy's arms. Mommy has gotten Malibu to sleep on her pillow, but Malibu doesn't want to be there unless Mommy is in bed. In the evenings, Malibu only wants to be in Mommy's arms. Tonight, Mommy and family took Malibu on an outing to the school for the Book Fair. Malibu was okay until a woman tried to pet her. Perhaps Malibu thought the woman was going to take her away, but Malibu snapped at her. Malibu was good with kids and men, but not that woman. Since then, Malibu is back to shaking constantly and wanting to sleep in Mommy's arms. Our poor little girl. Worse yet, in the morning Mommy has 2 1/2 hours of volunteer work. Daddy will babysit, but what about our little Malibu? Mommy told Daddy to lie down with the dogs for naptime and turn on their favorite TV show. Mommy's still worried about being separated from her girl for so long. Maybe we should get a sibling......