Voting Continues

Just a reminder, that voting is still going on over at Art by Karie-Ann Cooper. I'd appreciate any vote for my Trooper Bear boy...either Entry One or Entry Two. I'm partial to the second one, but they're both pretty good.

Here's another pic of him with my little cousin. He outweighs her! LOL When she and her sister spent a few days with us before Christmas I was a little nervous about the dogs but they did GREAT with them and it gives me hope for out baby boy when he's older. =)

Back to Bed

My little boy slept in his own room last night for the very first time. :( It was very sad for me. But a very happy occasion for the dogs and hubby.

Of course, I didn't sleep well because I was worried about Marshal...but Timber didn't help me any as he went right back to his old habit of sleeping on my legs. Why not daddy's legs? Why mine?!?

It was pretty cute this morning when I got up ... Timber was curled up at daddy's head and sleeping like a baby. Of all the dogs, he is the most cuddly and sensitive - and extremely attached to hubby.

I still want my baby boy in my room...but I guess I have to start letting go already. :( *sniff*

Malamute to a Good Home

I'm only half kidding.

Our first born human child was born on September 26 after I was induced a week and one day early. You can read about all the gory details here. :)

We brought him home a couple of days later (he had to be in NicU for 24 hours and I lost a LOT of blood so we were in the hospital for a couple days).

The doctor gave us the first towel to ever touch the little guy...it still had blood on it and hubby took it home a few hours ahead of me and baby for the doggies. He said they sniffed it and were sort of interested but didn't seem super aware.

So in I walk with little Marshal and Trooper is completely fixated. Timber is just happy to see me. He wanted to sniff the baby but mostly just wanted to be pet. Kodiak and Quinn could have cared less.

We go into the bedroom and put the baby in his bassinet. Daddy knelt down next to Trooper who was sniffing the bassinet and Timber was trying to get me to pet him while I used the bathroom (he has no boundaries). After a little bit Timber tried to walk by Trooper and daddy, showing no interest in the baby, and Trooper attacked.

Considering my condition and emotional state it was not the ideal situation for our first 15 minutes being home.

I pulled Timber away and daddy dragged Trooper out of the bedroom and the baby gate went up to keep all the dogs out of the bedroom.

We're not sure if Trooper was being possessive because he thought Marshal was food or a toy or because he's the new human. He's generally only aggressive over food so I'm guessing he thought he was food. :(

My first words to hubby were "we're sending Trooper away"...of course, I was a mess for the first two weeks after Marshal was born. I didn't really leave the bedroom much and I hardly ate. I'm already down to my pre-pregnancy weight. The stress of being in the same room with any of the dogs was too much for me.

We're going on 4 weeks this Saturday and I'm doing a lot better. The dogs on the other hand...

Let's just say that I will never trust Trooper and Timber is a big clumsy goof who would accidentally hurt the baby just by knocking him over. Trooper gets very fixated on the baby whenever he's near. If his ears go back I get very alert and tell Trooper "NO" in a strong voice and he generally goes and lays down.

I'm sure he's jealous and he's also bored. None of the dogs have gotten walked in over a week. Although daddy does play with them and wrestle in the living room...and throw the ball when it isn't raining.

The issues with Trooper are not going to go away...they need to be managed and carefully monitored. He attacked Quinn in the kitchen and got her pretty good...she had a huge gash over her eye and we almost took her to get stitches (it's healed up now). It was almost definitely over food as it happened in the kitchen where they were all barricaded and we'd just cooked dinner.

Malamutes have a huge prey drive and little Marshal (all 8 pounds of him) sounds a lot like something yummy to snack on. When he starts to crawl and move around it will be even worse. Right now we are using two different baby gates to separate the dogs from the baby when we need to. They are getting to smell him and see him though...if one of us is holding him the dogs are allowed to be in the room (but still not the bedroom).

I want Trooper to be one of Marshal's best friends someday and hopefully when he's older and bigger that can happen. But the next few years are going to be stressful for me and are going to require constant vigilance. And I will not hesitate to send Trooper back to his breeder (or his aunt) if he ever shows true aggression toward Marshal.

I do have some hope. He's never shown ANY aggression toward small kids - toddler age and up. He's always sniffed them and that's it...but it could be different with a child in "his" home. We shall see.

Doggy Sleepover

What a crazy weekend. I am thoroughly wiped out.

My brother came up with his dog, Echo. This is one of the sweetest and most awesome dogs. He's very well behaved and listens quite well, even to others who aren't his papa.

My dogs look like monsters in comparison.

So the plans for Saturday included my baby shower and then some folks going to the casino for their seafood buffet - including my brother. So I volunteered to watch Echo for the afternoon and overnight. Otherwise he would have been left at my mom's house for over 11 hours. Which is not okay to me.

Timber and Trooper had a total blast playing with Echo all afternoon and evening. They weren't even ready to stop playing at bedtime, but we made them all calm down and go to bed.

But Echo could not settle himself and would not be still or sleep for longer than an hour at a time. I did not sleep the whole night. He slept right up by my head most of the time but kept waking up and licking me (which I can't stand) or waking up and just standing. Very distracting.

Then when Timber decided it was time for him to be on the bed he didn't like finding his cousin there and did some growling, which we put a stop to right away but then I was all nervous about having them both up there (Timber at my feet, Echo at my head - it was a little cramped - although hubby seemed to sleep just fine).

When we got up for potty time in the middle of the night he headed straight for the front door - he wanted his papa! I didn't get to sleep in at all on Sunday so we all got up and I took him back to his daddy and he was very happy. Just talked to my brother and last night Echo slept with his head burrowed in daddy's chest and snored all night long. :)

I'm still tired from the event. But it was worth it. The dogs had a blast Saturday and then Sunday morning they continued their play time. Timber is still caked with mud. And he's still tired this morning. A tired dog is the best kind of dog. :)

I have a few funny photos to share but need to download them from the camera. We need more puppy play times, but maybe not too many extra sleep overs.

Update

It’s been an insane couple of weeks. In addition to my mother in law being diagnosed with Leukemia, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Then a week later I was told that I have a tumor on my placenta.

Good times.

So I had to head to the big docs in Seattle and we got good news. And not great news … the baby is too big - most likely due to the diabetes - so I’ll probably have to go on insulin.

All this stress has had a negative effect on hubby and I…as well as the doggies.

While all this was going on Hubby went back to work and this last weekend was hardly home at all. When he was home he was sleeping. So Timber was a wreck. It was almost cute…whenever papa was home Timber was glued to his side. The minute papa started getting ready for work Timber would slink to the front door and mope. I felt so bad for him…he so missed his papa.

I tried to take him on a walk, but the pain in my back and abdomen makes it very difficult for me to control him. It still takes some strength to correct him when he tries to pull too hard. He was okay until the neighbor dogs started barking at him and then he started hopping and pulling. We made it for about 20 minutes but that’s all I could handle.

Thankfully Trooper is a bit easier for me, though I still get pain even just walking with no dog.

Timber gets to go to daycare this Friday and I know it will be super good for him. I’m going to continue to try to walk Trooper twice a week if I can. I’m also going to talk to the daycare staff to see if any of them would be willing to stop by our house three times a week to walk at least Timber while I’m huge.

Sorry for not updating more often. I keep thinking of great things to write about but just haven’t been able to log in and update as much as I want. It’ll probably continue that way for a bit longer. I’m swamped at work and have four days of jewelry classes coming up starting Thursday.

Darn life…It certainly likes to throw kinks into my plans.

Life Goes On

It’s been a busy and somewhat rough couple of weeks. My mother in law was diagnosed with Leukemia. The most aggressive kind (AML) and is in the hospital having in patient chemo. She’s too week to take outpatient. So that’s been quite a stress.

Hubby has taken some time off and so the dogs haven’t had to be in the kennel nearly as much as in the previous few weeks. I even managed to take Trooper on a walk the other day. Hubby walked Timber and we managed to all stay together (a lot of times I end up going one way and hubby the other because both dogs want to be leader). And it didn’t kill my back.

I started taking Aqua Arobics and am hoping it gives me more stamina and more energy to walk the pups. I had my second class this morning and I was wiped out. Amazingly, from the first class on Tuesday to today’s class I think I felt a difference in my flexibility. I couldn’t touch my heels in one of the exercises on Tuesday but could today. So here’s to more flexibility!

So life goes on despite the myriad of difficulties and obstacles. We’re hoping my MIL pulls through … her kitties need her. And so does her unborn grandchild.

I’m making some special jewelry to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I’ll be posting it here as well as my other blogs. I hope no one will take offense, since this is not my jewelry blog. It’s all I know to do at the moment.

To Grandfather's House We Go

What a wonderful Saturday we had this weekend. And I am a very bad mama for not having pictures to share!

After great debate, hubby and I took Timber and Kodiak with us down to my grandfather’s house. We left Quinn and Trooper home, which made me sad but realistically I can’t handle four dogs right now. It would have been an utter zoo. Quinn doesn’t really enjoying being out, except for small walks around the neighborhood. Trooper would have loved it, but it really was achingly hot out and he would not have been comfortable.

So off we went, Kodiak and Timber in the truck cab with us. Timber continues to amaze and entertain me. None of the other dogs like to have their head out the window when we’re on the freeway - it’s just too much for them. So typically once we get on the freeway on ramp the windows go up. But Timber kept poking the window with his nose (which cracks me up to no end) like he wanted them open. So daddy obliged.

And talk about a cutie. He was just in such heaven, and our day had only begun.

When we arrived down at the farm, Timber was a tornado of energy. My grandpa hates misbehaving dogs. Seriously. Hates them. So I told him he was free to discipline Timber if he tried to jump up. His discipline is really just a knee up, but that’s kind of hard for an 82 year old to do so I told him he was free to use his foot. I’d rather he kick our dog than fall down and break sometime.

But hubby managed to keep hold of Timber, for the most part…my uncle did have to lift his knee to keep Timber off him. He was just SO excited.

Before getting ready for the rest of the visit we decided to go for a quick walk to get some of his energy out. It didn’t really help a ton, but as the day went on he got more and more calm. By the time we were ready to leave grandpa was telling him what a good boy he was. =)

And Timber got to SWIM, really swim, for the first time EVER! He’s a natural!!! I was so excited to see him frolicking and playing in the river. It was wonderful!!! Daddy threw sticks in and Timber would dive in and chase them as they floated down.

Of course, he was on leash the whole time. I don’t trust him further than I could throw him. But it was a nice long leash that allowed him to go all the way in the river to where his feet no longer touched. At one point he got stuck on a big rock out in the center of the river. It was so cute.

Kodiak on the other hand got to go off leash for the very first time ever. Being a husky he doesn’t always have the best hearing or sense of direction but he did really great. A couple of times I had to walk after him and call him back rather sternly…but even reluctantly he came back every time. And we put him back on leash when we walked past the horses…we didn’t trust him *that* much. But he went in the water higher than he’s ever done before.

Of course, he didn’t ever swim … he never has. I think it’s a Husky thing. Quinn has never swam with us either. And Trooper hates getting too high in the water. Timber is our swimmer.

So it was a wonderful day. Except for my sunburn.

We're Back - Lots of Pics

Oh my goodness…it is hard to be back, even though I do love being home in my own bed. We had such a great time on vacation, even though it was only 4 days long. It’s actually pretty stressful for me to go on vacation with my dogs, as much as I adore them. My next vacation might have to be without them.

It’s just a lot of work when your dogs absolutely can NOT be off leash and there’s no fenced in area for them. It means leads and tying the leads to things that can’t be ripped up or tipped over. And those leads then get tangled if all four dogs are out at the same time. It’s exhausting.

But it was worth it. We discovered that Timber is definitely part fish…or some sort of dog that loves the water. While the other three wimps freak out if the water gets over their knees, Timber was diving in head first with no fear whatsoever. It was incredible and I was almost in tears with happiness. I took a short video of his aunt Jennifer playing with him in the surf…please forgive my goofy commentary…and shaky hands.

Watching that makes me smile. He had SO much fun. He barked a lot from the house where we had a perfect view of the beach - every time he saw a dog on the beach he’d start barking, so he barked a lot. He was also enthralled by the birds…so was Trooper.

The house we stayed in was right on top of the beach and had a perfect view of Haystack rock. Unfortunately there were really steep stairs leading down to the beach, which made it impossible for my mother in law to go down and very difficult for Quinn and Kodiak. Quinn went on one walk with me on Sunday morning and while she had a great time she was done and exhausted for the next two days.

On our way back up the steps, I literally had to lift her back legs for her. The poor thing. Getting old sucks. But our walk was nice and relaxing…just the two of us.

I also got to take Trooper on a solo walk…it was after his main walk with his aunt and papa so he was nice and mellow. I wasn’t able to handle him so well when he was fresh with lots of energy. It was too exciting for him.

Thank goodness for their aunt Jennifer…she loves to walk and took the boys on real long walks that tired them out nice and good. A tired dog is a great dog!

I have so many more fun photos to share but I should probably stop. LOL If you want to see the rest of the photos I have (except for some of the family ones…hubby doesn’t like his face on the net) please check out my Vacation 2009 folder in Flickr.

It’s good to be home. I think the doggies were still tired for a day after we got back. We’re going to have to find a beach close to us to take them to…at least to take Timber and Trooper.

Big Changes Are a Comin'

I’m a little overwhelmed right now. Hubby and I have been trying to have a non-furry baby for about two years … and it finally happened.

Now what?!?!

I’m around 5 weeks right now and definitely feeling the signs. I’ve been nauseous for two weeks and my back has been hurting among other things.

This has cut into my dog time in a big way. I don’t think we’ve taken Timber on a good walk in over a week. Although I have still taken Trooper to agility, but it was a very difficult thing yesterday. I felt like I was going to throw up and my back hurt but I had to run with him.

Someone also mentioned that dogs can start getting protective when their ‘mom’ is pregnant. I’ve of course never experienced this…does anyone have any thoughts?

If Trooper becomes protective of me it will be an issue since we are around lots of other dogs at agility and I plan to do more agility trials soon. He’s pretty strong and while he listens to me, if I’m clumsy in pregnancy he could definitely get away. Plus he’s already got some aggression issues when it comes to food. He only growled at one dog at the agility trial last weekend (of course it was the only dog bigger than him!) and I was pretty happy about that.

There will be a lot of adjustments that we’ll need to make. I’m going to have to somehow teach the two young boys how to walk with a stroller without pulling me (and baby to be) off the road. We’ll probably start that when I’m a little (a lot) further along. They’ll need to get used to the new contraption and how to walk appropriately.

Four dogs and a baby on the way - I’m a little freaked out!

New Relatives

Trooper’s breeder sent me new photos … her bitch had TEN new Malamute puppies. TEN!!!!

Seven boys and three girls. OOps…my bad. Seven girls and three boys. Still…a lot of dogs. =) Trooper’s litter only had FOUR dogs!

Phew…she is going to be one busy mama. I’ve asked when I can come visit and I will take lots of photos to share. =) I can’t remember how the mama is related to Trooper but he’ll just be their Uncle until I figure it out. LOL

The Dog Chooses You

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had all last week off and really tried to tune out and do things around the house. So not much posting here or my other blogs. We had a wonderful week, took the dogs on a couple of walks, spent time together as a family.

I got to see my brother’s dog, Echo. I swear he is the sweetest and friendliest dog ever.

My brother suffers from extreme anxiety and depression. A year or so ago (has it been that long already?) my mom and I decided that he needed a dog. Partly for therapy and partly for companionship. Plus we were hoping a dog and the responsibilities of having a pet would get him out of bed on days when anxiety kept him asleep for 18+ hours.

Anxiety can prevent people from doing even the most basic of tasks. Something as simple as filling up the gas tank of his car can create such panic that he will throw up. So you can imagine the fear of choosing a dog to bring home from the pound.

That is where pushy, bossy, big sister comes in. Whether he will agree with me or not, I generally know what is best for him. Even when we were younger I knew when to push him and when to back off. This was a push moment. He knew we were coming but the dog we’d originally planned to adopt had gotten adopted.

If we had told him this he would have backed out so we just headed down without telling him. When we got there and told him the other dog was adopted the look of sheer panic on his face would have been funny if it weren’t so sad. We didn’t give him enough time to stress over it … just pushed him into the car and started to drive to the Humane Society.

That place was huge. I was impressed. We met one dog but it was just so jumpy and fearful. It would come to me but not to brother.

The next dog was Echo. We figure he was part Rottweiler (although he’s very small…maybe 40 pounds) due to his coloring and eyes but mostly some sort of collie. In other words, a mutt.

I actually tried to ignore him because I wanted brother to get the attention. At one point I told my brother “You know, we don’t choose the dog. The dog chooses you.” And at that EXACT moment Echo put his paw on my brother’s leg as if to say “I choose you” and that was it.

My mom and I paid the rescue fee and Echo was on his way to a new home (after getting neutered of course).

This sweet boy sleeps with my brother and listens to his every word. Brother said that he just has to whisper “Echo” softly and the dog comes right to him. I think that his companionship has increased the quality of my brother’s life…without question.

It was a blessing to see him again last week. I hope brother brings him to our Christmas gathering too. I want Echo to play with our pack.