Council Bluffs: Microtel

   A micro room for a micro person! (Actually, it was plenty big—bigger than some of the hotels in Japan—clean, and comfortable too!)

Prancer

   A tribute to the lil' dog who prances with her front paws when she wants your attention! Here is Zo-chan on MSIR's page, looking happy as ever!

   She loved hanging out on the deck with my pups. They really helped her adjust to being a normal dog. When she first arrived, I wasn't able to get photos of her, as she was nervous if you focused your attention on her. But look at her now, relaxed and happy!

   And speaking of "relaxed and happy", here she is in her brand-new home! Dianne reported that she was settling in very well in the first 24 hours. Sure looks like it... 9 months in a St. Louis puppy mill, 15 months in foster care, and 5 surgeries later, nothing can stop her. GO ZOEY!!!

Aki Unconed

   Tonight when I returned home from work, I could tell Aki was feeling better (even if her wounds still look a little gnarly). So we headed to our agility class--the last one of this series. Only one other student showed up, perhaps due to the heat, so Emma & Max, and Aki & Taylor & me, took turns and ran the course for an hour ourselves. Suddenly we could feel all of the 94 degrees! But the dogs did pretty well despite that, and we had fun, which is the whole idea. Aki did fine without the cone and it was fun to see her bouncing around unhindered again.

   She and Taylor ran laps in the dog park after class (too fast for my camera!), chasing each other, exploring, & hunting by running zig-zags to canvas the entire area. (We saw a large groundhog on the way in tonight.)

Hiding in the shadows...

   Afterward I resisted the urge to just stand & bask in the afterglow of my superclean garage, got the weed wacker started finally, & trimmed the whole yard. After that, and dinner, I'm ready to crash! Good night, internets!

Spa Day!

   Today everybody got a bath... first Aki and Taylor, and then Zoey, who emerged with an even more brilliant and fluffy white coat. I put them outside to dry in the warm sun. They, of course, wanted to come right back in. Sorry, gang!

 Then it was Kismet's turn.

   Don't let the forlorn face fool you. Once she got over the initial shock of the sound of the sprayer, she did very, very well. And looked adorable and hilarious. She didn't like the bath, but she liked being toweled off and she forgave me for the whole ordeal about 0.8 seconds after she was done. The damp kitty followed me all over the house afterward, purring and seeking more attention.

   As you can see, she wasn't traumatized. She is extra-soft and fluffy with a brighter, peach coat, and she smells like lavender. I thought Atom was a ham, but she might be the snuggliest kitty I've ever seen.

    Lest you think she's all good, though, she does like to torture Aki. The dogs are not allowed on my bed. Kitty is. Kitty knows this, and is exploiting it to taunt the dogs.

    While Aki stares at her with her, "Are you freaking kidding me?!" expression...

Appreciating the Season

   The spring flowers are spectacular, throughout my neighborhood and in my own backyard!

   And... OH, Taylor!

   I've caught him burying bones in my flowerbeds, and bedding down in (aka "crushing") my ground cover. It's a damn good thing he's so cute!

Here he is, in all his dorky glory:

Post-dog-park-sleepy-smile

Dreaming of romping through the woods...

Tired Tay

Too much running at the park = one zonked-out doggie!

Tay is A-OK

   The big man is sleeping soundly. It took 36 hours for his stomach to go back down to normal size. Now he's getting only sips of water and small amounts of food. I must find a way to teach him not to gulp them down, inhaling too much air.

Rear Window

Aki helps me keep my foot elevated.

Taylor isn't really helping much at all.

Gypsy is ready in case I need chest compression. 

 

I feel like Jimmy Stewart in "Rear Window", except all I can see is cat.

The birds have been very active outside. Glad I filled the feeders on Tuesday!

 

So far, no murdering out there. Update later.

Hangin' on the Couch

   I am a highly impatient patient, & am terribly bored after these first three days of lying around. Tired of the pain, ready to be back in my feet and running around again. Am I healed yet???

My caretakers today: Brett, Gyp, & Ak.

Rude Awakening

"Feed me now, or I'll get the belt."

   I'm taking it as a good sign that The Gyp is now waking me up to demand her breakfast! She ate almost a full ONE AND A HALF CANS of food today, plus a little dry food. This is huge news, and I couldn't be happier! (I did stack the deck by crushing up freeze-dried salmon and sprinkling it on top of her canned food, but all's fair in love & bribing your pets.

Sugarplums? No.

   The Shibas were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of squirrels danced in their heads... Murderous visions of naughty squirrels! Zzz...  Merry Christmas!!!