Freya the Corgi

Crazy Chugs

2010-05-19T08:52:00.001-04:00

I'm hoping that this video isn't too dark for you guys. I took it when I was at my mom's house. Morningstar and Angel do this all the time--even without jackets. I'll post the strange thing that Angel does in the next few days.

Oh and epic news! On May 7th we went to First Friday in the town next to us to watch the "Three Amigos" for a dollar with dollar pizza and beer. It was a good time. Of course, there was a street party afterward and we walked around. I saw a really large Boston Terrier and then...a Frenchie! I saw my first French Bulldog up close. He was sooo cute...and really hot too, poor thing was snorting. I just had to mention it for all of those Frenchie lovers out there. He was one of 2 in the area that the owner knows about. I wish it wasn't so dark and he wasn't so dark too because I'd totally take a picture of him.

Wordless Wednesday Part 2

2010-05-12T09:06:00.000-04:00

Freya the Hunter

2010-05-06T20:52:00.000-04:00

I find it kind of amusing that the herding dog does more hunting than the hunting dog. But I think the truth is, she is a lot more aware of her surroundings than Cloud seems to be. Cloud can be obsessed with something sure, but he doesn't see until his nose seems to notice it first. Freya, on the other hand, actually watches her surroundings. She sees things long before Cloud notices them.

So this evening, I noticed Freya was dancing. I always fear that she is taunting a snake, this time it was a bird. This is the third time she has been found with a bird. I'm seriously beginning to think that she is actually hunting them for some reason. I got the fearsome boyfriend to take care of the bird (it wasn't fully dead when I got to it and not where he could survive with help :( ) and that was when I noticed all these little raspberries growing in my backyard.

I spent the last two hours of daylight this evening armed with a shovel and one leather glove (lost the other one) and began digging and pulling out the roots as much as I could. I honestly didn't want to relive last October again. I for see myself spending several nights pulling out those darn vines, which means I need to get some gardening gloves.

Also I found, what appeared to be poison ivy/oak/sumac or whatever it is that is growing out of a tree in the backyard. The boyfriend got some gloves and pulled it out, which was easy being that it was so young of a vine.

Wish me luck on my endeavor! Oh, should I be worried about diseases Freya may get from birds?

Wordless Wednesday Part 1

2010-05-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of Freya, Cloud, C3 (he died last year) and Cloud's sister Lilly on our trip to Arizona and New Mexico last September.

Sunday's Adventure

2010-05-03T18:51:00.007-04:00

So this isn't a Freya post so much as mine and the boyfriend's adventure. We went to the Renaissance Fair!

The Renaissance Fair is a great place to find some neat things to buy, new things to try, and to see neat people there. I wish I took some more pictures on my phone. Some I can't post because the boyfriend doesn't want to be publicized, so here is a random (crappy) picture of Stilts man!

The theme of the weekend was Highland. I was hoping there would be some highland games as I think that is so neat (hot) and maybe a lot of guys in kilts (also hot) but there wasn't. There were some guys in kilts though and some great bag pipes playing (I really love bag pipes.) The boyfriend got his eye candy through countless heaving bosoms thanks to the ever lovely corsets.

We drank some mead (honey wine) and shandy (lemonade mixed with beer) and the boyfriend had Steak on a Stake, while I had a meatball hand pie. For dessert, we each got a keylime pie sundae! Omg, that is pretty good, never occurred to me to add ice cream to my favorite dessert but there you have it.

After we left, we went tot he store the boyfriend wanted to go to in the Atlanta area. Since we did that, PetCo was closed, so there wasn't much chance of me going so we went to dinner at Shabu Shabu.

Shabu Shabu translates roughly to "Swish Swish" in Japanese. This was a Korean restaurant where you picked the meat you want and you cook it in a boiling broth--you swish it. It was a good time, except for when you stupidly eat the fish cake without knowing what kind of fish it is (I'm allergic to Perch.) Here's a pic of my meal.
I chose beef. Boyfriend picked pork. The silver pot is where you cook the meats and vegetables. You can see a hot dog, tofu, Asian sweet potato (no idea what it's called, my mom just calls them sweet potatos), bok choy, cabbage, an egg, glass noodles, a sheet of fish cake (there was also a roll of fish cake too), and the dipping sauce that was both spicey and garlicy. Yum!

After you cook the stuff in the broth, you dip it in the sauce! There were several different kinds of sauce to choose from, but since we stuck out like sore thumbs (boyfriend was one of two white people in the whole place and I'm half white/half Japanese) our server pretty much took care of us. The other real cool thing about the place was the bathroom!

I always hear about all those fancy toilets the Japanese are hoarding (which when we visited family, all I got was hole in floor!)

(picture taken from this site)
I mean after living in the states all I could think about is how can I use this without using the bathroom all over myself. Since I and my mom's family lived in Okinawa and mainly in the section that wasn't totally Westernized at the time--you rarely saw a porcelain throne unless you went to a fancy restaurant or an Americanized one. Man, let me tell ya, I was so ready to go home after our trip just so I could use a proper toilet it wasn't even funny.

Anyway, the toilet at the restaurant looked like this:
See it has controls on the side! It gives you choices for more lumbar support, how warm you want the seat (which was awesome), bidet action for, and air drying and I think even lumbar support. It had a lot of instructions for it and it was so cool! I wish I could have one in the house...maybe one day. I was so excited, I rushed out the of the toilet to tell the boyfriend that he should see if the men's bathroom has one too...sadly it didn't. I still don't know what they have plugged in that goes into the bathroom from the hall way.

The bad part of the night came about two hours later after we got bubble tea. I got this blinding migraine all of a sudden on our way home. I had the full on symptoms of light sensitivity, nausea, sensitivity to smell, and just barely to sounds. I had to put on my sunglasses to avoid the sharp lights from the cars going the opposite direction. Eventually, boyfriend made command decision to go to the gas station, where I got deathly ill and returned to find him with a Sprite ready for me (he's so awesome!)

My guess it was probably the fish cakes that caused the nausea to quickly turn into nausea and MSG causing the blinding migraine in conjunction with the lights. (The night we picked up Freya I got really ill all due to the lights from cars--I got sick in a Walmart too.) So I'm pretty much sticking with Salmon, Tuna, and Swordfish as my fish staples--otherwise, I'll just eat veggies or none aquatic creatures.

Naturally, when I'm dying to get home, we get caught up in traffic for an hour on a two lane high way at 11pm due to an accident. I never thought I'd get out of there. When the boyfriend went to the hospital, he got a bunch of vomit bags...I have since decreed that we need to take one each and put it in our cars in case another situation comes up again.

On that note, here's Freya being loving.

Interesting Night

2010-04-26T22:14:00.005-04:00

So tonight proved to be interesting. As some of you may know, corgis were bred to be herding dogs. I suppose part of it is to walk their terrain to see if everything is in its place. Well, Little Girl, did something of the sort tonight.

Except on this night, there was something amiss. Or rather, I should say...something was in the backyard that shouldn't be. Initially, I was really worried that it was a snake by her bark. Which kind of goes like this "bark bark barbarkwoowoowoo bark bark" it's kind of cute but hard to get a recording of as it happens so infrequently.

So it wasn't snake. I was waiting for the boyfriend to run out but decided I couldn't wait too much longer and I ran out there (leaving Cloud in the house--no need to make things worse) and tried to get Freya away from the creature. I ran over there expecting to see something scary...and then found out it was a bird. An injured bird.

I'm not sure if Freya injured the poor thing or if it was injured and happened to befall the wrath of Freya's constant "Mommommommom! Mommomomom!" The bird kept running towards me and then I was trying to grab Freya so I could try to take her inside so I could attend to the bird. But the bird hopped out of our fenced backyard and Freya got escorted by her daddy into the house.

I wish I could've done something for the bird but it disappeared by the time I went back outside. But Freya was sure proud of herself that is for sure. The last time she alerted us it was when Cloud discovered he could get out of the backyard and he was trying to take on a pitt bull next door, which probably was the least brightest thing he could do in his life.

Bath Time with Freya

2010-04-21T09:30:00.001-04:00

Initially, when Freya got her first bath, she absolutely hated it! It took a few more tries before she finally realized that she was stuck in the torture. At one point, to my chagrin, she hopped out of the tub. When that happened, it had been a while since I had last given her a bath and well...I didn't account for her growth spurt during that time. But this universal thing happens to her that I've noticed in all the dogs I've had in my life--she utterly flips out.

Frapping (Frantic Random Acts of Play) or zoomies, seem to happen after a bath. I think it is the cutest and funniest thing I've seen happen too. Sorry, if the video is a bit long. I couldn't resist filming her on my phone.

On the Topic of Names

2010-04-20T09:30:00.001-04:00

I know a lot people fret about naming their dogs, cats, babies, or other pets (and miscellaneous items such as cars and tvs and stuff.) I, however, am not really one of those people any more. I used to be, back when I was a kid and had no idea of the world. But now that I've had some years to view the world, read books, and watch some tv...I have a huge plethora of a name base that I go through.

The first pets I named in my method were Zainal and Seven. They were my cats (now one is my mom and Seven just disappeared one day :(.) Anyway, I was a huge Anne McCaffrey fan at the time and had just finished reading "Freedom's Landing" where I fell in love with the character Zainal, who was a feline looking alien--oh the irony. Zainal is my sweet boy. Whenever I was down he would cuddle with me. But I can't have him as Cloud would kill him and I can't deal with that. Seven got her name from Star Trek: Voyager---the borg human named Seven of Nine. Mom thought I was naming her Lucky Seven...oh the inner geek could not do such a thing!

Morningstar got her name...well I kind of looked down at her when we first got her and asked her what her name was. The first name to pop in my head was Morningstar. Of course, at the time I didn't correlate this with the fact that I was reading through Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series.

But when it came down to naming Freya, I went about the mythology route first. I picked a couple of names that I liked. Then I went through the Comic book world, the Anime world, the Book world...and every other world that I loved growing up. Did I mention I was an epic nerd? Oh yeah, totally am.

I narrowed it down to Lucy, Willow, Jubilee, and Freya. Then I met my little girl....and she was the deciding factor in her name. I was heavily leaning towards Jubilee but she was heavily leaning towards Freya. Such is how it goes. I leave it up to the animal or the item to give me a vibe....to make the final decision.

How did you come about naming your pets?

Truth About Poop

2010-04-18T22:44:00.000-04:00

Folks, I have a horrible truth that must be told. My little girl has been partaking in the eating of a nasty delicacy (in her mind it's a delicacy) known as her poop. She was doing it for a while...at least when Morningstar first came here was when I think it may have started.

I dismissed it initially. I thought perhaps it was a fluke, but then there came times in which she would regurgitate her contents...and well the truth is in the poop. I have to say that was the nastiest, most gag inducing day of my life.

I tried everything I could. Special powder on both Freya and Cloud's food. I tried fresh pineapple. I tried giving her more food. I did tons of research on the subject, which then suggested I should cut down her food and give her more fiber. Finally, I talked to the doctor about it.

Well, because Freya looked to be good in health and the blood tests came out great. He suggested that Freya decided to feast on her foul droppings because she was bored. She never did it as a puppy, but man did she pick it up after she was a year old.

The habit seemed to have slowed down now that we walk together some nights. I think even grooming her (her most hated ritual of being a dog) and brushing her teeth may have helped as well. I think my pain and lack of focus may have driven her to "comfort" eating. That is the only guess that I can make.

Don't get me wrong. She is still a little hoover. She will eat anything in her path that may be food...vegetation in the backyard for example. I do believe my little girl will always keep me on my toes.

Sleeping with Doggies

2010-04-16T09:13:00.000-04:00

I love sleeping with the dogs. But no one really talks about the possible dangerous aspects or rather maybe the people who do, don't usually have a dog as small as Freya sleeping with them. I remember while I was still recovering from surgery and the dogs were sleeping with us and I was trying to get comfortable and I snapped awake when I felt wiggling from where I threw a leg out of the covers to sleep on my side. Apparently, Freya ended up sleeping with us and I woke up heart pounding and pulled her up to my chest--she was dazed still so she let me do all of that.

So, it is very important to know if a dog is sleeping with you, otherwise it could have some dire consequences. That ends my Public Announcement.

The photo above is how Freya likes to sleep. I hate it. I curl up on my side to start and end up stretching through out the night--nothing worse than finding a lump that isn't budging. But Freya is annoying in that she likes to hop on the bed. I mean literally, she turns into a little bunny hopping all over the bed to avoid being put down on the floor. She also really loves her daddy and wants to sleep next to him, which naturally he hates. Where as I love for her to sleep on my tummy, but I only get the rare occasion of that as she usually sleeps by our legs.

Cloud likes to sleep between me and the wall--so our bed is pretty full. I get no foot space and the boyfriend gets maybe an inch of bed before he could feasibly fall over. I'm not really sure who has it worse me or him. Lol. Sometimes, Cloud will sleep on the couch, which is what he prefers after a night of me nudging for space.

But I will say this. I love going to bed and having the dogs go with me to keep me warm in the winter. It is especially nice if I'm in pain and Freya is sleeping on my tummy cause it feels loads better. She makes an awesome heating pad, at the same rate...when she steps on my tummy--not so happy.

It took Freya almost a year before she could sleep with us. Prior to that, when she was a puppy, she would continually pee on the bed if she managed to get up there. No idea what spawned that reaction, but because of that and because of her destructive ways, she was kenneled the bulk of her young life until she hit her year mark. Now Cloud was sleeping with us from the get go. He was good with it, I guess it depends on the dog. The only reason they don't sleep with us is if we are too sick or we are sick of them freaking out about a sound or something in the house that can't be helped.

Wordless Wednesday: Bullystick Edition

2010-04-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

My Deepest Apologies

2010-04-12T20:32:00.003-04:00

I'm really sorry for not posting almost...4 months now. I'm deeply ashamed. I'm going to do my best to post more regularly from now one. Unfortunately, I still don't have a camera that works and I can't really afford it (medical bills--bleh.) But on the rare occasion that I can snag the boyfriend's camera...I will try and post it otherwise we are down to my camera phone.

So Freya is doing really great! She just had her annual check up with the Vet not too long ago and is still holding steady at 19 pounds and free of heart worms and intestinal worms! Woot! He told me that she is a perfect weight for her size so it's good to know that I'm not under feeding the girl as it's kind of hard to tell as corgi's are greedy puppies. They will often feign starvation if it means more grub on the plate, which Grandma falls for all the time.

Morningstar is already back to fat and maybe fatter since I had to return her back to my mom. Now, Angel, is also really fat too. I think Morningstar is ready to come back home with me as she keeps making daring escapes out the house and heads directly towards my car when I visit.

Cloud is also doing great. He's actually getting sweet with age. Walking him is easier now than when he was 1 years old. Of course, I put a lot of work into it too. Oddly enough, I haven't done that with Freya and I really need to. But 70 pounds vs 19 pounds is a huge difference.

As for me, my painful bladder syndrome isn't nearly bad and I finally managed to sleep through the night these last two months. I can't tell you how much I missed doing that. I'm also thankfully done with the twice a week cath treatment I was being subjected too...that is a whole new kind of pain there. Some people build tolerance to it over time, I am not some people. I've also been working my butt off at both jobs trying to pay off bills.

painful bladder syndrome answers

2010-01-13T22:35:00.003-05:00

I know this is primarily Freya's blog, but I don't think she will mind me talking about this subject. I will admit I find myself in a funk over it at times and at others...I'm ok and I deal. I suppose that's partly why I haven't been online anywhere for a while. But I'm going to be ok, it's not a life threatening condition and thankfully it's one of the few that doesn't lead to cancer.

There is some treatment for painful bladder syndrome but mostly it's an inflammatory syndrome that you have to quell. I take a pill three times a day that is supposed to help rebuild the lining of the bladder. Also, they use two pills and put the powder in a fluid that they use as an infusion for the bladder directly (yeah that means a catheter...which I loathe) to help jump start the process. The pills take about 3 to 6 months before it really starts to work.

Since it's an inflammatory issue--I was told that when I'm at my worst with allergies, I can expect to have flares (otherwise known as uti like symptoms.) Essentially, I'm following a low acid and low/no potassium diet right now. Potassium and acids (as well as caffeine and alcohol and spicy foods) irritates the weakened bladder so it's quicker to avoid than the suffer in pain. Oh the pain...it's an interesting sensation that feels like a low voltage going through my gut. Thankfully, I have some fun blue pills that's supposed to help with the spasms.

All in all it's a lifestyle to maintain until things calm down. I won't regain the lost capacity, but the goal is to not lose more. Eventually, from what I've read of the forums dealing with this issue--I can go back to my love of coffee and beer and wines one day. Oh and the occasional chocolate bar. Until then, I'll drink my milk, eat my white chocolates, and try to abstain from the foods that cause me pain.

And We're Back

2010-01-07T21:17:00.003-05:00

Freya's Christmas last year. I think I'll post more later.

So I survived surgery. It took a little longer than I thought to be comfortable in front of a computer but here I am! I have loads to catch up on now.

The reason it took longer was...my response to pain is to not sleep. Similarly, my response to be really sick is to not sleep. Instead, my body wants to pace and move and move and move. I'm like a shark...gotta keep moving. The pain killers (Vicodin or Demerol) didn't help at all--no edge was taken off. Honestly, the pain from the surgery wasn't bad at all. It was the side effect of the surgery that hurt something special.

For those who aren't familiar with laparoscopy, they pump in a gas (usually Carbon Dioxide) into the abdominal area which helps the doctor get a better view of the area they are working. That gas can sometimes stimulate a nerve in the diaphragm that goes to the shoulder and the neck. I had such luck and the day after surgery it was like a I had the worst whiplash known to man on top of my right shoulder hurting like I sprained it some how.

In desparation upon realizing that the pain killer didn't work, I filled up a tube sock with some expensive Japanese rice and zapped it for 2 minutes and had it sitting on my neck. I decided that moving will be kept at a minimum, so that meant I was pacing in the living room until boyfriend came home at lunch with a glorious heating pad and ordered me to lay down and rest.

I spent my days watching this awesome British comedy called Black Book. It's hillarious! It's also a sadistic show to watch when it hurts your stomach and your neck to laugh. Boyfriend spent a lot of time telling me to rest and relax, but how can you when your neck hurts to lay down? The little trick I learned the second day when I was trying to get out of the bed was to grab my own hair and guide my neck to the direction I wanted it to go (Amazingly, I was using my stomach muscles a lot faster than boyfriend did after his laparoscopy surgery for his appendix.) The pain in the actual location of the surgery was--like I over did it in the gym doing crunches.

So this week, up until Wednesday involved me catching up on sleep--big time.

The reason for the surgery was for diagnostic reasons. The doctor suspected I had endometriosis (which I had evidence of but it isn't currently not active--though the cells in the tube is also doing something similar as endometriosis), they also wanted to check out my bladder and my uterus (which he suspects ademyosis--but you can't test it...you have to take it out of body for a comfirmation on that one.)

So the biggest thing is my bladder--it's been scarred so I don't hold as much as a normal person, I'm down to 60% and you can't regain what you lose. The problem is called interstital cystitis or painful bladder syndrome. Essentially, it's where the lining in the bladder stops working and allows the things into the bladder that irritates it, which inflames it, which then can scar it. The symptoms are very similar to an UTI. So, please learn a lesson from me--if your doctor doesn't start you off with a urine culture...ask for it. You may have something similar to me--it's pretty common and sadly not very well known. I don't want anyone to have to go through the things I had to to finally get a diagnosis (primary GP thought it was a UTI...that lasted from October to December.)

This episode was probably too much information but there you go. I felt that you deserved to know what was going on since I haven't been on for so long.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-28T11:33:00.004-05:00

I hope that you all had a great Christmas and hope you all have a great New Year!

Christmas was uneventful. I sadly didn't get the puppies anything personally but thankfully the Secret Santa at Weimaraner Addicts is what they got. Oh, also my mom (Grandma) also gave the pups some treats too on Christmas.

That morning I opened up the present (can't let them or else they will get territorial and fight) and got a nice Wubba to throw in the water, a kong the shape of a bone, a really cute Reindeer stuffie, and an Orka Ball. Cloud loves the kong soooo much! Freya likes it too and it is honestly quite hilarious to watch her carry something almost as big as she is.

Grandma gave them a bunch of cute dog cookies and raw hides (which Cloud got and Freya got the cookies) and some toys that are way not suitable for dogs so neither are getting--except maybe a future cat.

I wish I could post pictures but the means to download them are currently with my BF and I have no way of getting them off the camera as of right now. Sorry.

I also wanted to let you all know that after tonight, I will most like be awol until I'm capable of moving around ok. The reason being is I'm having surgery tomorrow. They said it was going to take about 2 weeks to recover...maybe less if I'm super good at healing and resting. Which, sadly, not remotely good at relaxing so this will be interesting.

I'll let you guys know how I"m doing as soon as I'm able. I hope you guys are doing well and hope to talk to you all soon!

Happy Gotya Day Freya!!!

2009-12-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

I was looking for Freya for a month before I finally found her. I left work early and so did my boyfriend who showed up at my work to take my car to get an oil change and then we went off on a 3 and a half hour drive all on country roads. We took Cloud with us that day so he could help us pick out a new puppy.

These were the picture on the ad I found online. I know...it is terrible to buy a dog that way but that's what I did and I got lucky. Next time I'm going a more reputable route for a specific kind of corgi--which involves going that route. That or a Frenchie.

Freya had two brothers and 6 sisters. Two possible black headed tris (not sure if they stayed that way or changed to sable or red headed tris) were a boy and a girl (man grammar is hard!) By the time we reached to Freya's grandmother's house there were three girls other than the one bht boy that the breeder kept.

The first thing I did was shake my keys after I was bombarded by a bunch of corgis (mom, auntie and grandma and I think grandpa of Freyas) and Freya was the first to investigate. She was known as two ears as she was the first to have both ears up at 6 and a half weeks (I know too young...sigh.) Then came Feisty and then the shy one that I can't remember the nickname. I had such a hard time deciding which girl to get. Ultimately, I picked Freya as I wanted a girl that was middle of the road and she was it--not too shy and not too independent.

Then we took her outside to meet Cloud for the first time. That weimy butt wiggled so hard that I knew it was approval right away. I got my puppy pack and my little girl and we were on our way home!

Unfortunately, I was stricken with a migraine so bad that we had to pull over to the Walmart, where I also picked up supplies. I actually fell terribly ill in there all thanks to the head lights coming at us (I'm light sensitive at times.) I found what I could for Freya that night and hurried up as best as I could.

Meanwhile this is what was going on in the car.

When we finally got home--it was very late that night. We tried to sleep with Freya (and her Friends--sigh...I got bit so many times that night) we woke to find her on the floor without our assistance what so ever. She was a daredevil from the get go.

The next evening we spent shopping and I bought a big tubberware that people used for storage and used it as her "crate".

Don't you just love that cute pink tummy! OMG I'm in love all over again...I just wish she would let me blow raspberries on her again:(.

Oh and if you are wondering, last year today was a Wednesday so I was terribly sleep deprived that next morning and for several morning until Freya finally stopped whining so much.

A Little Vocal

2009-12-14T23:02:00.002-05:00

Morningstar was a little bit vocal Sunday night. This is better than the last video I posted of her talking as she talks more and you don't hear me so much for once. Enjoy!

This is how she wakes me up in the morning since she can't jump up on the bed. This is also her trying to convey something except I don't speak her language any more than she seems to understand mine.

When A Corgi Gets Muddy

2009-12-09T08:31:00.001-05:00

*The random dog you see in the first two pictures was my foster baby Milo. He got adopted a week after my return from Arizona/New Mexico. I loved him very much and he is doing really great:D. I'll post a link on his story. And here's another link.

On another side note: Corgi fur is amazing. Freya rarely ever stink on her own doing (unless you count the time she rolls on smelly things or Cloud pees.) So when they get loads of mud on them...wait the next day and almost good as new!

Fight

2009-12-07T08:33:00.003-05:00

Sigh, I'm getting tired of dog fights. It's very annoying--not to mention this time I totally don't understand what provoked it. There wasn't any food at all. Freya just went for the neck again and this time--the water didn't work to break them up. I had to grab her by the scruff of the neck and I guess that was enough to break her hold.

I don't get it. I made sure anything of doggy value was put up. Maybe they are mad that Morningstar gets to stay out all the time? Cloud and Freya has to be kenneled otherwise they rip the house up in our sleep or they will eat everything in sight (plastic and anything else) and either wake us up by retching or vomiting or ripping something up. Morningstar is the only trustworthy pup in the house. She doesn't get into anything and doesn't potty in the house (unless I just don't wake up to her talking.)

The funny thing about Moringstar is that she "talks." It's a series of growls but broken up to sound like she's trying to say something important. She doesn't do it too often unless she really needs to go potty. I've woken up in the morning to her doing it. It's really funny and cute. Freya does it a little bit but mostly she harrumps. Maybe she'll pick up the talking from Morningstar.

She's Back!

2009-12-04T09:42:00.005-05:00

It was a brief moment of separation but Morningstar is back once again to stay. She's an odd little thing. She has quite the sweet life at mom's house and yet one of those days I visited mom at lunch she made a mad dash for my car. Silly puppy. She doesn't get the treats, she has fights, and she doesn't get to sleep with us in the bed and yet she is running to be with us. I don't get it.

I have some upcoming medical stuff that I get to do next week. I'm not looking forward to them at all--especially since there may be pain involved. But I guess I'll have to do it to get better.

Speaking of medical...this little girl is Angel. She is my mom's dog and she is 21 pounds!!!

I don't know. I find it kind of crazy that she weighs more than Freya. Freya is around 19 pounds--sigh. The vet told my mom that Angel is at least 8 pounds over weight if you go by the two breeds she is mixed with (Chihuahua/Pug like Morningstar.) I think he may be wrong. I think she needs to be a bit heavier as she is taller and is built differently than Morningstar is (they had different dads--or moms...I can't remember.) Currently, Morningstar kind of reminds me of a bulldog and Angel is a bit like a pug in height (at least I think so--never had a true Pug so I may be wrong.)

But don't worry folks! As soon as I get Morningstar at a weight that I feel is suitable for her, I'm going to dognap Angel and start with her. I am worried about Angel though. She is kind of...a weird dog. My mom didn't interact with her nearly as much as she did with Morningstar when she was a baby. I'm not saying that Angel is dumb--it just seems to me that she doesn't really understand English so much. She acts more like a dog though compared to Morningstar. She seems submissive, which is a good thing for our house, but at the same time she freaked out when I tried to put a leash and harness on her. So I worry she may spazz a lot in the beginning. And I'm sure it didn't help that I wasn't living at home when she came around. Initially, Angel was supposed to be my dog but I grew impatient and really wanted a corgi so I got Freya instead and mom got Angel from her friend.

Hopefully, it will all work out. I have agreed to bring Morningstar for Christmas but she isn't staying--just you know, getting presents. :D

Oh side note: We went back to Blue Buffalo (and didn't do the proper switching of food thing--sigh) cause boyfriend didn't want to drive 20 minutes out of his way for Canidae. Oh well, it cost him more for it too. The dogs really like Blue Buffalo (they also liked Canidae) but it didn't seem to work with Cloud that great which is why I wanted to switch. But oh well, I guess we'll deal with it until it's my turn to buy dog food.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

Minor Success

2009-11-30T22:56:00.002-05:00

Well, I weighed Morningstar the night before Thanks Giving and was pleased to find out that she weighed 15.8 pounds--which means she lost about 3 pounds! Woot! I also decided that after mom takes her to the Vet, I'm going to hijack her again once mom is through with her. Hopefully, I can get her to lose another 3 pounds as I think that is about the weight she needs to be to be able to move around without getting too tired all the time.

Thank Giving involved 3 fights between Freya and Angel and Morningstar. Sigh, mom's house is a veritable mindfield of all the things no dogs should have but every dog would love. Thankfully, I was able to stop it before it got ugly--I swear, it doesn't matter how many times I go through her house, I can't find a thing but the dogs always will.

An Early Ending

2009-11-24T09:46:00.003-05:00

I haven't been well enough to focus on Morningstar as much as I wanted to this month. As a result, she's going home a little earlier than I intended for two reasons: I'm going to have two procedures and having to worry about all the dogs getting along isn't going to help me and the second is Morningstar bit my boyfriend. She didn't break the skin (this time--the last time was during the epic Freya/Morningstar fight) but managed to red mark him a bit.

It is my decision to take her back home and she has a Vet appointment that following Monday so it's easier this way. I just think it's bad timing. I think at the beginning of the year I'm going to try fat camp with Angel. I hope I will have more success with her. Eventually, I'll get Morningstar again.

Honestly, I haven't figured out how people can have more than two dogs. I haven't figured out how to balance three dog's needs let alone two of them.

Sort of Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-18T08:44:00.003-05:00

Finally got Freya's new collar in from Lisa at Collar Mania! It's so beautiful and well worth the money.

Update: I'm sick. I've been sick for a while (at least a month) but now I'm really starting to feel it. I wanted to post the pictures but the boyfriend left his card reader at work and I feel like real crap. The bad thing is, I'm on antibiotics and I'm still running a fever--sigh, what kind of crap is that? I thought it was supposed to help.

Anyways, I'll be catch up with you guys as soon as possible and give you guys a proper update with Morningstar.

At the moment, she's starting to run a little bit with Freya in the back yard (I don't have energy for walks which screws everything up.) Um, they had an almost fight on Monday (which was totally my fault) thankfully, I was standing behind Freya and managed to grab her scruff before she could do anything outside of threatening. Cloud and Morningstar had it out last night--he managed to get something (not sure what) and she went to investigate and he started to growl and bark at her.

Thankfully, Cloud is relatively gentle for a big dog teamed with smaller dogs. He generally doesn't care about his food or anything unless it is something he really likes. It took a spray of water and it broke them up fast which is when I realized it was a branch from outside he dragged in.

Otherwise, they are doing great together. They were all laying down together last night when things calmed down. I'm kind of sad though--the month I get her I happened to start to get sick and can't do that much with Morningstar to help her. She lost some weight--to the point where she can kind of jump so it isn't all wasted time at least.

Crazy Dog

2009-11-13T08:25:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I couldn't find the card reader so that means a video taken on my cell phone. Freya is a strange dog. I remember when she was little, we heard her barking her head off at something. We run out to find her doing this...

Crazy, isn't it? I had to stop and start it a few times cause she got distracted. At the end of the video you can hear Morningstar bark because Boyfriend got home. Yeah, honestly, we fill those holes up and she digs them back...there's one hole that is as long as Freya is in terms of depth. Heh, at least we always know that she's in the backyard when she's doing this and out of courtesy, we bring her in at night.

So about the thing that happened on Wednesday. Morningstar is doing well. She is kind of tensed and freaked out about everything--but the second the other two are put up she will bark and growl at them like she's a hot shot. I swear, that girl is crazy.

Ever since Freya was little, I've always had to separate her when it came to the food. I knew that Morningstar was the same so since she got here, I've been making a point to keep them separated. I honestly didn't think that an unopened bag of dog food would cause such a reaction and that is where I failed as a dog parent. Freya hasn't reacted that way since either--maybe it was a jealousy reaction too?

I've been trying to divide my time with them equally but it is kind of hard. I guess the boyfriend is right in saying that 2 dogs is enough for us (though it doesn't quell the puppy fever in the least.)

As for Morningstar's weight--she only lost .2 ounces so far. Not that great. I don't know why either--as she has been on a strike for a while when it came to the food. She is just starting to eat again. She's getting more limber on her walks now, so that is an improvement.

A Good Day Ended Badly

2009-11-12T00:20:00.002-05:00

Well, the morning started out kind of rough. The stupid thing about dogs are they can be food possessive. Morningstar is food possessive. She will go up to whatever dog is around and instigate a fight just in the name of food that isn't going to be stolen in the first place.

So this 17 pound Chug of my mom decided to ball up and go after Cloud for trying to go to his crate. He, of course, laid the law and it freaked her out. Poor girl didn't want to leave her crate for a few hours after that.

Finally, I get her and Freya ready for a great food adventure. I have pics but I need to get a card reader so that will have to wait till later. All was great, we did a bunch of walking when we got home and they got a special treat (a Natural Balance food roll Beef flavored.)

I noticed that Freya began guarding the bag of Canidae that was sitting on the chair. Since I'm going to slowly introduce it to them, there's no point mixing the food up. She was guarding it from Cloud, who was on the other side of the gate and couldn't get it.

Do you see where this is going? Maybe there's a surprise twist.

Come 10 minutes ago and all of the dogs are out and free. Morningstar happens to walk by the food bag and Freya lost her mind! I mean it--lost her ever loving mind! She attacked Morningstar and I mean--she was going for the neck and kept grabbing the ear.

Boyfriend tried to separate them but Freya wouldn't let go even with the kicking she faced. I scrambled to find the water bottle (that manages to move and disappear all the time--maybe the dogs are doing it?) and finally started spraying Freya. That was the only thing that got her to let go. No amount of kicking didi it. He got her by the scruff and tossed her in her crate as I grabbed the shaken Morningstar just as Cloud tried to attack Freya first cause bf was getting her and then Morningstar cause I'm getting her. I yelled at Cloud to get out and took Morningstar to her crate.

No open cuts--except on boyfriend who got bitten by Morningstar in the middle of the fight. She is very shaken up and I'm hoping that she isn't too brusied. We'll have to see how the girls are going to act tomorrow.

Tonight...I'm going to bed.

Two White Weims and a Corgi Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-10T21:07:00.005-05:00

Rest in Peace C3. I'm glad I had the chance to meet you on our trip. 11-09-2009

Morningstar

2009-11-10T09:35:00.003-05:00

Ok, I weighed Morningstar last night and she came in around 17.6 pounds. I didn't realize just how over weight she is until I saw that she couldn't jump anymore. Wow! I'm so glad that I grabbed her.

My mom gave her pork last night before I got her. She said she gave her a little bit. Well, I hope she enjoyed it as that was the only thing she ate last night as she snubbed the Blue Buffalo I gave her.

Last night was interesting. I can count 2 fights between Morningstar and Freya. One fight with Cloud and Morningstar. A bunch of barking and growling. And one bruise knee (apparently Freya wasn't happy with this and decided to nip at my knee.) A whole bunch of whining last night as we made everyone hang out in a quarantined area until this morning.

Freya is afraid of Morningstar and Morningstar is afraid of Cloud. Oh well, I'll give it a few more days for them to acclimate once again. Last time we brought Morningstar home it took until day 3 before she was semi comfortable with Cloud.

We walked a little bit last night. She couldn't keep up with us. I had Freya running ahead of me and Morningstar trailing behind. I hope the rain clears up so we can do some more walking. I can't hold an umbrella and two dogs.

I have to say that I'm glad that Freya isn't fat. She's never really been fat as I always worried about it. Cloud was the first dog that I've seen that was actually a healthy weight. It's bizarre and BF get's annoyed that people are constantly telling him that Cloud is too skinny--when it's really the opposite, everyone is used to seeing fat dogs.

On a side note, I found a place 20 minutes away from me that carries an assortment of food that I could normally get from Petco (if there was one nearby--sigh). Any thoughts on Innova, Natural Balance, Orijen, Merrick, Royal Canin, Blackwood & Canidae? I had considered switching the dogs to something which will hopefully be cheaper than Blue Buffalo and of a better quality if that is even possible. If not--back to BB, the dogs really like it. I'm kind of worried that it isn't agreeing with Cloud (or something isn't) cause he had some righteous gas lately and worse than normal. Maybe I should invest in a gas mask? Lol

Fat Camp is On!

2009-11-09T09:25:00.002-05:00

I'm picking up Morningstar this afternoon for Fat Camp! I'm kind of really excited about this and I have no idea why. It's been a year since Morningstar saw Cloud last and I'm kind wondering how that's going to go. I hope the added bonus is that I get to lose a little bit of weight too.

So the plan is this: she will only get to eat dry food (Blue Buffalo at the moment is what we have on hand) and very limited treats (her mom gives her chicken jerky all the time--in the amount that you give an 80 pound dog--which 3 or 4 pieces a day.) We will walk every day at least 10 minutes or longer depending on the day--I work till 5 and live in a dicey neighborhood--so I have to find a place to take us walking. We will build Morningstar up gradually as I know she is tender footed and hasn't really done much in forever. I'm debating on getting her boots--anyone have tips on that? She only walks on grass and carpet and we will be walking on a lot of concrete.

I'm hoping that Freya will take to her more and play with Morningstar. Since she is coming to our home, I'm not sure if either of the dogs will react angrily or not yet--I don't expect them too, but you never know.

And now...me sounding like a dork talking to Morningstar--trying to get her to talk back.

November Puppy Fever

2009-11-05T09:04:00.005-05:00

I got puppy fever really badly last November. I know I always had it but last year was a hard time as I was still adjusting to life. My mom has Chugs and I had it in me that I was going to take Morningstar to fat camp. The bad thing about my mom is that she feeds her dogs like they are human--I mean they eat rib eye steaks and fried chicken pretty much every day! Plus, she feeds them all kinds of things that they shouldn't eat too. For example, onions--no amount of me telling her to stop or the vet doesn't stop the woman. I love my mom but she's stubborn. She loves her dogs a bit too much and uses them as a substitute as her children--it's bad.

As a result, her dogs are quite obese. Actually, they are heavier than Freya--which is a bad example as Freya is about 18 pounds and significantly small for her breed. It's quite bad.

So I had Morningstar for a week. She didn't get any scrap food from me, just dog food--that's it. We walked a lot and got her to lose 4 pounds or so. It was really good. She felt a lot better, moved around better...and gained all that and more after being at my mom's house. Sigh.

Currently, I miss my little buddy and want to have her for a month this time. I'm just a bit worried about how Freya will take it. Don't get me wrong, Freya has played with Morningstar and her sister Angel for a while now and though she gets on better with Angel, Morningstar is a bit different when away from my mom's house so it may work. Morningstar is a great dog. She walks really well on the leash for never doing it when growing up. She also lets me bathe her and clip her nails no problem. However, clipping of the nails doesn't go as smoothly with mom for some reason. I lull that girl to sleep with belly rubs! I wish I could do the same with Freya. Freya has somewhere she wants to be and do--she's a busy girl.

Here is Morningstar.

She is the reason I was seriously considering getting a pug for a long time. However, after much research I decided that with our current living situation it wouldn't suit a pug very well. (We don't have central heating or air and I would just worry more so with a pug, boston, or Frenchie because I know how temperature sensitive the breeds are.) One day, I would like to get a Pug or a Frenchie-- I must admit that I have fallen in love with their cute little faces and snorts, but hopefully I will be better off financially too so that I can better handle the possible medical issues the breeds can have.

So after I ruled out those breeds--I looked at dachshunds and corgis. I was initially thinking of a dachshund because I remember one of the good trips we had at the dog park and how much Cloud had fun with one running with her. But Cloud being a Weim, I knew that a hardier dog would be better and so I started to look up corgi breeders. I fell a bit short and ended up with a back yard breeder (I know, I know bad!!) as I wasn't sure how an adopted dog would fair with Cloud with his burgeoning male aggression. I can see a difference between a better developed corgi and my own but it is mainly to do with size. Freya is about the same size as Morningstar or a regular sized Pug for you pug folks.

I know for the next time I ever get a puppy, I'm going to go to a more reputable breeder and hopefully get papers. I may even go for a different kind of Corgi next time...a Cardigan. It really doesn't matter though so long as they are healthy and thriving. Either way, both Corgis and Pugs (Weims too) love to eat! So I'll always have to be on top of that and always will as I don't want my dogs to be so uncomfortable in life.

And now for the main point...I'm thinking about doing another fat camp with Morningstar. Thoughts anyone?

Birthday Pics!!!!

2009-11-03T21:51:00.006-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday Freya!

2009-11-01T09:04:00.003-05:00

Freya turned one years old!!! I'm so excited. Unfortunately, I didn't have too much money to spare on a meat cake for her birthday so I made her an apple--cheddar cake instead. I used Debbie's Mom's idea of baby food as the decoration. I swear Freya new what was up cause she kept pacing back and forth by the barrier while I working (and watching Glee).

Unfortunately, my camera is acting weird for some reason. With the flash, it looks like every picture is super dim and without the flash it's completely black. I don't live in a cave, our lights are on but the pictures read complete dark regardless--and I just put fresh batteries in it! Sigh, it's always something.

So, the pictures I did take I'm not going to bother with as you can't see anything. But thankfully, boyfriend got a new camera and I used it, so I'll be posting pics soon.

Freya got two loofa pups: one witch and one mummy, her grandmom got her a polka dot hoodie jacket, and we are still waiting on her collar to show up from collar mania. She really liked the loofa pups! I think it's funny to see her play with something that is as long as she is. The hoodie is a bit too big but I know that the smaller size would be too small, so I get to doctor it up some.

Also, Happy Birthday to Sagira!!

Corgi+bored= Hoover

2009-10-28T23:37:00.003-04:00

Honestly, Freya is going to keep me on my toes and not just because she's so darn cute.

Tuesday night, I was relaxing (I'm sick) and trying to sleep. I had already put the dogs up in their crates and was watching some Babylon 5 (cause that was what boyfriend was watching--I introduced it to him) and I was just wired. Well, I stood up to hug him and I smelled something awful--like poo.

Initially, I thought it was the meat juice he spilled all over the carpet. So we tried to clean it some more--then Febreeze the crap out of it. Then, on my way to the bathroom, I notice that there was pockets of the poo smell. I walk in one part and it was there then the other and it wasn't there. Finally, I decided to check up on the dogs. Cloud was having some bad gas the day before and I figured maybe something was bothering him. Oh...if only it was so easy....

The light flicks on and there is Freya eating what I smelled in the living room. It wasn't poo, it was vomit--really, really smelly vomit with these weird berry/grape like things. Honestly, where did she find it? I searched the backyard and didn't find it. Anyway, she vomited twice and I ushered her into the bathroom so I could fix her crate up.

I had to throw away her pretty red blanket I bought her as a puppy cause our washer is broken and there's no point dealing with all that mess in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I bought that on sale. I disenfected stuff--nearly got sick myself cause the smell was finally getting to me and I heard a strange sound in the bathroom.

I get to her and she's going at it again--2 more puddles. I put her in the crate in the living room so she won't eat that one and clean that up. From midnight to 2 am in the morning, she was either vomitting or heaving. I stayed up with her the entire time to make sure she was ok and not eating those nasty berries.

I figured she was ok after nothing would come up so I didn't feel the need to rush her to the emergency room. I think I can blame sleep depravation for the week on it too (I have a UTI and I've been waking up every 30 minutes.) I put a bowl of water in the crate and decided to just sleep in the living room with her so I can kind of keep watch.

This morning, she was back to normal and doing zoomies. I called the vet (which by the way, I call all doctors Vets and my doctor laughed at me when I told him how dog crazy I've become) and they wanted to see Freya. Got out of work early, drove and picked her up and she was fine--did a cursory walk in the backyard once more to see if I could find those things she ate and ended up finding her rabies tag! It was on the stoop--the one place I didn't look.

They gave her some fluids, told me to take the water up for 24 hours. Also, no food for the first 24 hours after vomitting and after that white rice or oatmeal. No temperature and she's only 18 pounds! She was a couple of ounces lighter than August when we went for her vomitting (that time was the raw hide.) So the vet trip was really for my sanity than anything else.

That girl, if I don't watch her and hold her paw...will hoover everything in sight even though I do feed her. Heaven forbid I feed her late. Currently, she is on crate quarantine just till she gets better and then she'll go back to the doggy door with her brother Cloud.

Sorta Wordless Wednesday Climbing Ladders Could Happen

2009-10-28T07:34:00.000-04:00

This happened a couple of weeks ago--ok a month now. Freya was trying to follow her dad up the ladder as she never saw one before in her life. We thought there was something in the attic and the man went up to investigate. I stood by and took cute pictures of Freya.

Also--we're not alcoholics. We just happen to brew our own beers and mead and need bottles all the time.

Lost tag plus weekend events

2009-10-26T15:01:00.002-04:00

This weekend my schedule worked out just right that I didn't have to go to work until the evening. Ultimately, the free afternoon meant that I was going to take Freya to another Howl-o-ween event that a local rescue was hosting. Unfortunately for me, they didn't do any kind of advertisement so when I lost my flyer that I got three weeks prior--I had to do a lot of calling around.

It was an hour away from where I lived. Freya whined the entire time and kept trying to sit with me (but thanks to the Kurgo Tru fit that wasn't too much of an issue.) But the worst part of it all was me getting lost--with a GPS, sigh. I'm not very directionally good--especially when I'm lead down a cemetery road. Who builds a park behind a cemetery and makes you take a road going through one in the first place?

Total drive time was 2 hours cause I spent the hour that I got there trying not to go down the cemetery road taking tons of u-turns. I finally got to the location after going down said read and found the stupid park. I have to say I was kind of irritated. Everything was finished by the time I arrived and it just started 2 hours ago--but I'm assuming with the lack of advertisment (tv and the internet) that it really hurt them more than anything.

The most I did was walk Freya around, had another picture taken of her, and tried to do the obstacle course with. The obstacle course was kind of fun but I had way too much on me to do it properly (see big purse and hotdog costume on purse) and they took it down after I was finished.

Freya didn't leave without treats though! They had some bacon tinis (bacon coookies shaped martini glasses), brownies (carob), and sweet potato fries. All in all, it sounded really yummy--and yes, I did try the brownies and they were quite good being dog treats and all.

Yesterday, I noticed something strange about Freya. Rather, I noticed some strange about Freya's tags. If you look up at the pic on the banner you can see that she has 3 tags on her collar. Last night, it took me a minute to realize one was missing and the ring was all screwed up. It took me another 10 minutes to realize that it wasn't her Home Again tag but her rabies tag. Sigh, what do I do if I can't find it? There's no telling where that thing could be in the backyard--especially with the amount of holes she created back there. Should I just say screw it and wait til her annual shot comes around or call the vet and see if they have something I can use for temporary purposes?

Wordless Wednesday--Freya's Costume

2009-10-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

The cutest doxie ever! Why didn't I think of that costume?

Petsmart Howloween

2009-10-20T23:06:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the Petsmart Howloween. I had to partake in the fun--sadly, I only got a few pics of Freya and a sweet pup as well. Freya was such a handful that between her trying to meet people and dogs and me trying to take pictures and not tripping on her leash. I gave up after a while and just enjoyed the show!

So, Freya got her Petsmart picture done in two seconds flat. I felt bad for everyone else who was waiting in line to get their photos made as they wanted perfect pictures and their dogs just weren't cooperating at all. I don't care. I'm just happy that Freya stayed still long enough for me to snap a picture half the time anyway. Of course, I have to say--Freya is a natural poser anyway.

Since she was a little pup--she has been posing for me without any real prompts. She just sit there and looks up at me and so cute doing it.

Anyway, I saw some cute dogs there. I wish I could sew or was more crafty. But hey, there's next year, right? I have ample time to learn how to sew for myself and for Freya :D.

Pictures of costumes on the next post!

Have to say Freya wasn't feeling it too much or maybe she just wanted to get it done with. I didn't stay for the parade cause I wasn't feeling good. But we did score a free treat bag which was fairly awesome--I need to take a picture of it too before it's all gone.

Updated: Go Bananas, Go, Go, Bananas!

2009-10-15T21:34:00.008-04:00

Woot, got my cell phone camera to work!

Freya as a pumpkin puppy. She actually didn't mind this costume one bit--surprisingly. Maybe it was because she was intent on the dog in front of her that she didn't care what I was doing to her.

The Freygon! Beware, this little thing will spit fire in your direction. Surprisingly, she didn't mind this one either--such a weird dog. I suspect it may have something to do with the attention she's getting and the fact her big brother isn't anywhere near her.

Here's one of the pictures I managed to get off my camera. I also have 2 others on my cell phone but I'm having issues with that as it always downloads into an unreadable file for some reason. Electronics are not my friend this month.

So I had to take this costume back because it was too big. Freya--let me say this--really hated this costume. She was beyond humiliated. The first thing she did when I put the main piece of the costume on was hide her face in the pillows on our bed. It was quite hilarious and I laughed very hard.

She kept the costume on long enough for me to snap these two pics. I considered the mental welfare of Freya and decided against on getting this costume again in a smaller size just cause she seemed to hate it so much. Cloud also disapproved as he tried to attack her almost immediately when she jumped off the bed to get away from the embarrassment.

Edit: I'm also participating in this
Go check it out. If the button doesn't work--Brutus is on my list to the right.

Dressing up Freya

2009-10-14T20:38:00.003-04:00

I remember before having Freya I made fun of my mom for dressing up her dogs. If you knew my mom, you would realize just how atypical it was of her to do such a thing and it would warrant the teasing. Well, since getting Freya I realize just how cute dogs are in clothes! Naturally, I was eating my words.

So Halloween is coming up and I've been through 3 costumes so far with Freya. Well, a lot more than 3 but I only have so much on camera. I have Freya as a dragon, a pumpkin, and a banana (just like Sagira--OMG that was hilarious) but ultimately I settled with a tried and true classic but I'm not going to tell you what was...you guys will have to wait. ;)

Freya's birthday is coming up soon (November 1st) and she will be one year's old! As per tradition in our house hold, I am going to bake a cake of some sort for her. I am preferring to bake a new one as I always bake the same one for Cloud. I kind of want them to have their own kind of cake--it's a weird thing to want and well, it's my attempts at baking a cake too.

Also, I want to get Freya a special collar. I'm still trying to decide if I should get the everyday collar in the colors I want first or get the fancy one first. Conundrums I say! Cloud is probably going to get one for Christmas since I was seriously broke when it was his birthday.

I'll be ordering the collar at www.collarmania.com and I got Freya a stuffie from Target--woot!

So, I'm going to try and fix my camera so I can show you Freya in her costumes. Wish me luck!

Update

2009-10-08T13:59:00.003-04:00

So, I haven't really posted since last week and I deeply apologize. We had a family emergency where I had to take my boyfriend to the er to see about that nagging appendix of his. Evidently, the Appendix rebelled against the norm and wanted its freedom.

He's doing well and recuperating currently so I'm running the show all by myself currently. It's quite the chore to keep the dogs from the bed and away from his stomach, let me tell you!

I also got to meet the most gorgeous little girl in the whole wide world. She's a dog of course. If she shows up again I'm going to try and get her to a shelter that won't put her down. It looks like she has an undocked corgi tail--has a double coat, but a pit head. She's got shorter than normal legs too which leads me to think she's a corgi mix. Oh and the most beautiful eyes--one eye is half blue and half brown and the other is fully brown. So wish me luck. If she comes tonight, I'm taking her to the volunteers house to get her set up.

Wordless Wedensday: Puppies!

2009-09-30T10:16:00.007-04:00

Pics!

2009-09-27T11:11:00.016-04:00

So there are huge gaps in the trip where there wasn't any pictures taken by me. A good explanation is this--I was sleeping or it was night time.

This is essentially Cloud doing what he did the entire time on the trip.

And this is what the entire state of Oklahoma's road way was like:

In Oklahoma, there was a Sonics Drive Through Restaurant that was apparently the 3000th in the states to be built. They had a really cool painted horse in front of it.

Somewhere in Texas, they were advertising the largest cross in the states. Maybe the world--brain was a bit foggy on that part. Naturally, you have to expect this with Texas as they often say they have the biggest of everything over there. (Note: Please excuse the Fairy, that was not part of the largest Cross site despite it looking like it. Lol)

Random pic of Texas:

Here's a pic of sunset in New Mexico:
Roadside Arizona:

Funny Cloud Picture!

Apparently in one part of Arizona, the cash crop is pecans! Who knew! Coming from Georgia, I was really surprised to learn this (that's our cash crop too.)

And finally the San Xavier Mission near Tucson. It's still an active mission, also being actively restored. It's very pretty and free! Of course I bought stuff in the gift shop--but mainly for friends and family.

And the strange cactcus they had at the mission:

About the Trip

2009-09-25T14:55:00.003-04:00

So, in total the initial trip to Silver City New Mexico took roughly 1 day and 2 hours (though we had an epic detour in Oklahoma and then mountainous roads in NM that slowed us down further--so maybe 1 day and 8 hours.) I can't express to you guys just how worried and stressed I was about this epic road trip. I planned a lot, wrote lists, and in the end--I usually always forget something anyway but for once it wasn't anything terribly important at least.

Prior to the trip I got the car oiled and trip ready, got a water proof seat liner for the back seat, got Freya a tag silencer (omg that was an awesome idea!), got Freya the Kurgo Tru Fit seat belt harness, and got her health record just in case I needed to board her or whatever else. I initially looked up hotels but boyfriend changed the trip route on me last minute so that fell to the wayside but that's ok as usuall you can trust Motel 6 and Super 8s to be pet friendly and La Quinta Inns as well for that matter. But we drove straight through anyway, so it didn't really matter.

On the beach trip I picked up acepromazine (sp?) it's supposed to be a mild sedatives and I gave them it when we were in the hotel to keep them from barking like crazy. Since I used it that one time, I still had plenty to use for the epic road trip. Turns out, Freya didn't need them at all! For the 32 hours of the trip--Freya pretty much slept at least 31 hours on her own. I really don't think she was awake much at all. I was kind of amazed actually.

She wasn't keen on drinking water and I was quite worried but I guess she knew what she was doing. She drank like two or three sips every few hours as a result didn't go to the potty as much despite having ample potty breaks. Hey, what can I say? My bladder is the size of a kid it seems like cause I had to go at every possible chance--unless of course I managed to sleep.

On hindsight, I really wish I gave Cloud the sedative. That dog was the opposite of Freya--he stayed up almost the entire 32 hours of the trip. He would lay down for 5 minutes and pop back up and stare at the road a head of us. By the time we hit New Mexico--it seemed like he was hallucinating and barking at ...well nothing. It was kind of funny. He drank up the bulk of the water between the two of them as well.

When we got to New Mexico, google maps took us to a route that involved a mountainous road where parts didn't have guard rails. Needless to say, I had a border line panic attack.

My little girl isn't the most affectionate pup--when it comes to me. She will love on her daddy all day--clean his ears and anything else she can get to--but me? Yeah, totally don't get the same treatment at all. The most I get is a daily greeting when I get home or take her out of her kennel, but she also wants to greet everyone.

So it was when I was upset and crying and hyperventilating did her little head pop up (wish I took pictures--sadly, didn't.) She nudged my shoulder so I unhooked her and picked her up and put her on my lap. She licked some tears and just sat there with me.

Finally, we made it to our destination where Freya got to meet Cloud's sister and granddog before we put everyone away to sleep. I think Freya had a ton of fun playing with Lily. C3, the grand dog, tolerated her at least and she seemed to know when to go into submission. She's a smart little girl.

Freya also learned a lot about cacti while we were out there--don't worry, she didn't get hurt too badly. Cloud didn't get hurt too badly either, but man was he freaking out about his crate the entire time we were at the boyfriend's mom's house, which is when we gave him the sedative--it wore off too soon though.

I need to get the pics and vids from boyfriend's camera so that I can post what he has since I didn't take many pictures there for some reason (probably laziness/tiredness.) Will write more--about Arizona next entry. Also, need to find pics!

Stay tuned! I'm going to post pics later tonight:D. Have a Great Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Many Modes of Freya on the Car Trip

2009-09-23T19:22:00.008-04:00

Heading out

2009-09-11T08:51:00.001-04:00

Sorry no pictures but we are heading out tonight so we won't be online for a while. Will write soon!

Road Trip Soon!

2009-09-08T21:28:00.003-04:00

Soon we're going on a road trip! A really, really long road trip actually--we can expect to drive at least 29 hours non-stop though we will stop as between me and the puppies will have to go potty.

The picture above is what I expect to happen in the road trip. Lol.

So I got Freya these two items for the trip:

1. Kurgo Tru Fit Harness since she decided to chew and eat part of her pretty purple harness--sigh, honestly, what do I do with this girl? Such a handful!

2. I got a tag silencer and omg is it awesome! I got the purple one and it is quite stunning--I'll have to take a picture of it when I get some time.

And for my car's sake I got a water proof seat cover which is way better than the seat cover that I happened upon at a pet store. It's not nearly as tacky and it's water proof! People have commented on the "smell" but really, it smells like rubber to me and not the "chemical" smell that people were talking about.

We're heading out to the desert--not entirely sure what to expect but I do know that the doggies will be kept well watered and fed during the trip. It's just the matter of "Mom, he/she's touching me!" that we will have to deal with through out.

So if you guys don't see me for a while, we're driving and I have no internet connection.

This is Cloud

2009-09-04T23:08:00.002-04:00

This is part of the beach adventure we had a couple of weeks ago. Here is one of the funnier pictures I've ever taken of Cloud. Actually, Freya looks like a doll on the sand too. She was in mid wiggle worm dancing as she just got out of the water and needed to dirtier herself more.

Wordless Wednesday: Bathtime

2009-09-02T18:51:00.003-04:00

Freya's First Beach Trip

2009-08-30T22:54:00.007-04:00

Freya had her first trip to the beach earlier this month and she did such a great job. The trip was about 4 hours away from home. I packed a towel, three bowls, Cloud's and Freya's foods in gallon size bags with the time for feeding (dinner/breakfast) on it, poop bags, anti anxiety pills for the car ride (just in case precaution), and it was all packed in a Books-A-Million bag that they used to give out when you joined as a member and it was the bigger bag.

Upon leaving, an hour or so prior, each dog was fed half of their meal. I never bothered giving them the other part of the meal as they both could stand to lose that little bit as much as I give them treats.

Freya did surprisingly well in the hotel atmosphere and I think that was partially to do with her being in her crate a fair amount of time. Otherwise, she would bark at everything. Cloud was the only one to bark twice--once was when I came out of the bathroom and the other because of someone talking. It was at the hotel that we gave them the medication as we worried about them barking--we considered going to the bar across the street but we never did.

Here is the view of road to the beach.

We got really lucky on the trip despite the fact it rained the first day that we arrived. But that was ok, boyfriend and I chilled in the nice hotel and relaxed and napped until dinner time. Sunday, we got nice clear skies.

Freya embarrassed me while we were at the beach because she cried so much and so hard when her "daddy" decided to go down a difficult path that I knew I couldn't go with her and with the bags and towels I was holding. She was crying in pain the entire couple of feet to the stairs, down the stairs, and down the beach until she decided to lunge to where her "daddy" was.

Surprisingly, she took to the water far better than her water dog brother of a Weimaraner. He hated the water so much. Little girl, on the other hand, was dying to be with her "daddy" so it didn't matter anyway....until the waves rolled in and scared her. I didn't mean for that to happen and picked her up as soon as it did--but guaging waves were not my thing apparently.

Beach day was the first and only time in her puppyhood that Freya actually didn't mind me carrying her. She was very tired and just wanted to sleep. I will definitely have to pick up a life vest for her before the next time we go to the beach or lake. She will enjoy it so much.

This is what she did when she left the water.

She loved to do the wiggle worm on the sand. It was funny to watch. Naturally, when climbing up the stairs moving away from her daddy--she started crying like crazy. Sigh...what am I going to do with her? I think I scared her because she was under the shower head of cold water they had by the bathroom. By the time we got to the car, she fell asleep immediately until we stopped at a gas station on the way home.

Oh the other thing I was proud about--other than how well she did in the water--was how she didn't drink the water like her brother did. Her manner of investigating things involves her paw and tapping it. It's quite cute. Cloud's manner of investigation involves his tongue and swallowing whatever it is--which is why he had a bad tummy ache and had diarrhea at the truck stop and I wasn't very well sure how to clean it all up. Freya did good at the truck stop and with all the people she had met that day--such a big and good girl!

Little Girl

2009-08-27T20:27:00.000-04:00

I love my little girl so much. She has some cute quirkiness that I haven't really seen in another dog before--grant it, she still isn't much of a cuddle pup much to my dismay.

Here are the cute things she does:

Whether it is first thing in the morning or the first thing when we get home, she has to greet everyone before going outside to potty.
If you don't remind her to go potty immediately, she will be so taken with greeting everyone that she will piddle on the floor.
When she first leaves her crate--no matter if it is 10 minutes or more--she does the downward facing dog position then stretches out to the superman pose (modified--no feet kicking back) and then she proceeds to pound her two front paws on the ground as she gives me a huge grin. I really need to figure out how to get this on video or pictures.
She learned all of her mad fighting skills from her big brother Cloud and has since picked up a few tricks from foster brother Milo.
A trick she learned from Milo is to kick back the dirt and grass (usually on to me) after she has peed/or pooped. She never did that before until we started walking with Milo.
Apparently, anything that involves water will cause her to wiggle around the dirt trying to get dirtier.
She loves her daddy! She was screaming her head off the second Part was away from view and I was walking too slow for her liking. She sounded like she was in epic pain!
We play a game called "Little Girl" in which I come and jump and tickle her ribs. She gets a little crazy and sometimes nips me. But that smile and wiggle nub is so worth it!
She loves her food! I think that's a corgi and a weim thing.
She also kills roaches for me...I can thank Cloud for that too! She watches her brother protect me all the time and she's starting to do it now--and sometimes, she does it on her own accord!

Here's to my sweet little girl! I love you so much and miss you so much when I'm at work.

Bad Mommy

2009-08-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry you guys. I've been really busy this summer working two jobs--one almost a full
time job and one a totally full time job. I haven't been around much on the internet and have only recently been able to read some blogs. I have tons to update you guys on!

List format for easy reading to boot:D.

Freya after her Spay at age 7 months. Her spay was earlier that morning back in June. She and I actually had cuddle time that night. She isn't much of a cuddler. So naturally, I made the best of the situation.

2. Freya finally made it to 19 pounds this month! She's been 18 pounds forever it seems--at least the last 3 months.

3. She has also been spontaneously growing a black patch on her back. As you can see the tufts and the wreckage that she caused behind in the background.

4. And she went on her first beach trip! She did such a great job too...I was so proud of her:D. My little girl swam. Of course, her main reason of doing so was her daddy was walking deeper into the water without her that she had to run and catch up and drag me behind her. Will post that soon.

She also had her first night at a hotel (Motel 8 if you're wondering and not that bad for the price either.) We got them medication that pretty much made both Cloud and Freya stoned. It was kind of funny but kind of freaky to see the Weim swaying in his crate. I think Cloud barked once the entire time and we corrected him immediately. I let her out of her crate for a few minutes at a time as I knew I couldn't trust her to not pee in the room. Sad, but true. But she did a very good job.

The road trip was also really great too for her. She did such a wonderful job--I was impressed. She's a good rider...very chill, I like it.

5. Freya was a bit sick a few days ago--which is very unfortunate for her and me as I had a major case of vertigo thanks to an inner ear infection. She was regurgitating her dinner a few hours after the fact--still fully form but slimey and well...we were really worried. Since we have a doggie door, I had no idea about her pooping or lack there of. Needless to say, she also managed to eat her harness while wearing it! Wich furthered my paranoia until she finally started pooping and keeping her food down. I was told to feed her nothing but rice for a few days before going back to Blue Buffalo.

6. Freya is going on a big trip soon too. We're going to drive to Arizona with both dogs in the back seat--I have a ton to do and buy!

8 things....

2009-04-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

8 Things I am Looking Forward to
1. Watching Freya grow up.
2. Eventually getting married.
3. Eventually having kids of my own.
4. Not having to work two jobs to get by.
5. Having all the dogs get along.
6. When Freya is leash trained.
7. Running with Freya
8. Being able to run a mile.

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Loaded bikes in the bike barn for work.
2. Was an expert witness to four cases at work.
3.Almost got stuck by a train and had to take an even longer way home.
4. Stopped at Tractor Supply and Petsmart for our dogs.
5. Picked up pizza at Walmart and didn't have to wait 10 or minutes (for once!)
6. Loved on my puppy and then the Foster dog.
7. Cooked and fed my boyfriend and I.
8. Fed and walked dogs.

8 Things I Wish I Could do
1. Find my muse.
2. Start writing again.
3. Get over my asthma.
4.Go on a trip.
5.Sing Karaoke again.
6. Hope to find Milo a great home!
7. Read more.
8. Weight lift at the gym.

8 Shows I Enjoy (DVR)
1. Lie to me
2. Life
3. Psych!
4. Bones
5.Buffy/Angel
6.Family Guy
7. American Dad
8. Sara Connor Chronicles: Terminator

Shopping list

2009-04-10T10:03:00.000-04:00

I think both of our dogs really need these. Freya's at least good about not running around in the back seat.

Seat covers are more for my peace of mind. Dr Foster and Dr Smith's site have these and they have a bucket seat version that is much needed for my car. Having airbags in the seat themselves hinders some of the seat covers I can use.

Freya could definitely use this! Georgia is going to be hotter than norm (my prediction) and anything to help keep my baby cool is a welcomed plus.

I still need to get collapsible bowls for the hiking we do on occasion. I also intend to get both dogs custom collars. http://www.cozycritter.com/collarspecs4.htm or http://www.collarmania.com/collar_mania_home are my two top choices in buying collars. Both have really awesome choices but one in particular cause you have more choices in the hardware that is involved in the collar.

I guess I'll have to work on the car stuff first. I've been pretty lucky so far that no one has had any kind of diarrhea explosion in my car. Cloud has done that to my boyfriend's truck...thank you gastritis--I've been too lucky so far.

Been a while...

2009-04-10T09:32:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted here. I've been so busy at work (read: insane to the point of mental breakdown.)

Freya is a big girl now. She's 5 months old and at 15 pounds. The vet doesn't think she'll break 20 pounds by next month and she very well may be on the small side (I have a mini corgi maybe?) Lisa told me that Freya's mom weighed in at 30 pounds and loved going out on 3 to 4 mile runs and Freya's dad, who was a foster, weighed in at 22-23 pounds. So who knows what she'll be, that's such a huge range!

We went through obedience class but I felt that it wasn't a great class so I'll be shopping for another class after her spay. She's set up for spaying on the 30th of April. I know I'll have the vWD test done which will run $28, $38 may be charged if they decide to gas her instead of anesthesia her, $15 per baby teeth, and if chip her $48 bucks. Wowie zowies, that's going to hurt my pocket. I've been working on paying as much of my bills or prepay most so the balance won't be so bad come the 30th. (This topic has caused much arguments in our family--my boyfriend feels it is an unnecesarry invasive surgery and he doesn't understand why I want to do this.)

We've had some food aggression issues spring up lately, and I'm not terribly surprised by this either. She's a corgi, who loves to eat! She's currently bumped up to 2/3 cups of food 3 times a day--though sometimes I only give her half. She gets kong time with some kibble (either hers or her brother's Taste of the Wild Salmon) with some yogurt or pb. She never really hated her crate, but she definitely hops in there in the morning excitedly. It's too cute. It makes me wish I had a camera to film all these moments.

She will be getting a foster brother soon. He'll be a corgi mix...I'm kind of thinking he's a dorgi. I could be wrong as it has been a while since I've seen him. The poor boy is heart worm positive so he won't have much time to play for a while.

So Freya also gets special bathroom time. Lol, what I mean by that is, she always follows me there and I started to give her a raw hide (I know, its bad, I need to get a better alternative) while we're in there. We used to play fetch but she lost interest in it at the moment.

I need to figure out how to link my post to mycorgi so I can keep one site going.

Bad news...

2009-04-09T10:02:00.000-04:00

Just got a call after the health check....heart worm positive. They'll need someone to sponsor about 200 bucks. I'm not sure what that entails. I know that it is a bad thing, but still.

Update:

So Milo is currently still at the vet's office. I was told this morning that they went ahead and treated him with heartworms (which wasn't a bad infestation) and neutered him also.

I'm not sure when I'll get to pick him up. I told the animal control officer the name I gave him (in my head as I never actually called it to his face) and she said its perfect. She was telling me how happy he was to get attention from people (which definitely makes me think he's a true corgi) and how he knew that something was up because he hasn't become depressed like many of the animals at the shelter.

Since he will be limited in his movements, due to his treatment not so much the neuter, I doubt I can even introduce the dogs the way I wanted to (whenever I get him home.) Hopefully there won't be issues due to that.

And thank you to everyone who has given me support. I really appreciate it. Yesterday was such a rough day for me to deal with that and work both of my jobs the last two days.

Foster update

2009-04-08T10:01:00.000-04:00

The animal control officer called me and told me the quarantine band has been lifted from the shelter yesterday. Woot! She also told me (just a few minutes ago) that she's taking "my baby" to the vet for his check up and if that goes well he will be neutered! I hate that she's calling him "my baby" because I don't want to get attached and I think that's what she's trying to do..the mean woman. He seems like he's a sweetie.

I'm debating on naming him. I'm afraid of getting terribly attached to him but when I think of him, I get his name. I know that sounds odd but that's how I name things. I look them in the eye and mentally, and sometimes literally, "what's your name?" Whatever comes back will be there name. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I have a crock pot of names waiting but man...sometimes they just don't fit.

So far, I have Milo stuck in my head. Not sure where the name came from but I like it and I suppose it suits him. I guess he'll tell me otherwise when I get him for the official start up of our time together. He doesn't seem to suit my stupid World of Wowcraft names: Aggro and Manna. But come on, those would be excellent names for those who play such a game! It would be fun to see how many people know what we mean by it.

I'm excited and nervous about this. I fear the worse and hope for the best. I hope that he's healthy despite however long he's been roaming the streets. I hope that he gets along with our dogs. I hope that I don't totally and completely fall head over heels for this guy because I know I would have the complete option to adopt him (it's a shelter and not a rescue so their rules are different.) I fear that he would be a total nightmare. I fear that he'll be sick and get my baby sick. Bah...at any rate, I'll deal with it as it comes.

Shelter will get me food, the guy at work (who is a big advocate for the shelter) will get me a crate, and that will leave me with bowls, kong, and grooming supplies.

Am I leaving anything out?

Work in Progress

2009-04-06T09:59:00.000-04:00

Outside of the potty training issue that has cropped up (which may possibly be a territorial thing *shrugs*) things have been going relatively smooth in terms of the food aggression.

Both dogs are separated when feeding. Freya goes into her crate to eat and Cloud goes in the hallway. She eats significantly slower than Cloud, and if he even steps foot in the room she will start growling. Keep in mind, she is locked in her crate so there's no way anything could be stolen. We've been spraying her when she does this. I'm not certain if that is the best method, but it is working so far. To keep Cloud from instigating, I usually send him outside or keep him in the hallway with me and by then Freya will be done eating her food. I collect both bowls and she's able to be free from her crate.

Now, when it comes to treat time--they are both given kongs filled with the same thing before we leave for work. It's really cute how much they love it. They know what it is when I get both kongs and they are super excited when they see me make it the night before. Freya will even prematurely hop in her cage (and I mean she will hop in there) cause she think its time.

The morning crate wrangle has been made significantly easier. Cloud, our Weim, has had a lot of issues about being crate during the day but if anyone here has ever had a Weim then you would understand the kind of devastation they can create. At any rate, from the once pulling and tugging and boxing (he boxes with the boyfriend, I don't take that crap cause he knows what I want him to do, but I will coax him), he will actually hope into his crate without any problems and I'll deposit his frozen goodness. Freya has never had an issue with the crate (she also wasn't punished by being in there like Cloud was before I came into his life) so she's a breeze.

Every time I go to the bathroom to take a shower or a bath, Freya will get her personal chewie time. Cloud is given two (they are the small ones cause of Freya) in the living room at the same time.

I've been working on the walking now. Freya isn't so bad despite the pulling. She was using the martingale but she pulled horribly when we tried the pack walk. So she's on a harness with the leash attached to the front. I may try a choke chain when she's older and doesn't pull as much. Cloud is just getting used to being healed as the boyfriend just lets him pull all day cause it doesn't bother him. I have to prepare both of them to be able to walk nicely when the new foster comes home soon. I also work on them bolting out of the door. I'm not taking that crap and I will just forgo the walk for a few seconds til they calm down and do what I tell them.

Hopefully, I'm doing the right thing. I still have to get some books (outside of the internet searches I've done) to continue my education. I'm not sure what kind of issues that may crop up, if any. The only thing we know about the boy's history is he was found on the streets with 2 other dogs (which means he has been in the pack mentality) as for him being the alpha, I'm not sure. I think he has also fathered some pups at one point as well and I'm not sure what that will do or if the neutering will even help.

She's a big girl now!

2009-03-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

Freya has surprised me in the last week. Outside of the incident with my boyfriend, she's been doing fine and I've been dealing with it as it happens. If Cloud instigates when she's in her kennel trying to eat or play with something, I'll lock him outside in the yard--which he doesn't mind cause there's a girl dog next door that he likes. Freya is really starting to learn how to play by herself. She was growling at her orka bone and scramblin it with her back legs while she's on her back--it was quite cute!

Since putting her in a harness, she at least isn't choking herself when we go walking with her brother and dad. My boyfriend likes to run and that particular day I was wearing just regular dress boots with no traction so I couldn't run on the wet grass lest I bust my butt or even worse break something. It drove Freya crazy! I never have any pulling issues unless we are with them. She wants to keep up and be in front. So, we started working on this that day. Every time she pulls, I stop. I only start walking after she stops whining and I give the heel command. Sometimes I will go the opposite direction and she doesn't pull when I do that.

I swear, I've never heard a puppy whine so much in my life! She didn't eve whine that much doing her first bath and nail cut. I subjected her to the swings (the baby one and I never let go of her) and pushed her a bit, then she went down the slide, and finally, she went on the spinning thing with her dad and brother. She didn't like going around too much while I pushed. She eventually came back to me and I continued to push my boyfriend and his dog (I had vertigo so I wasn't jumping on any time soon.)

She surprised me in that she jumped into the car by herself this week. She also jumped on the couch. I had no idea she could do that yet. I was talking to my boyfriend and turned around and there she was standing on the couch with her puppy smile (missing a few teeth) and her nubb going crazy! She was so cute and sooo proud of herself!

I sat with her for a few minutes and she tried to get comfortable and ultimately jumped back down to play with Cloud. My boyfriend thinks she's gained some weight as of late. She does look longer...I guess I'll have to weigh her soon.

Confessions

2009-03-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

I made fun of my mom when she started to buy her puppy (2 years ago) clothes. If you know my mom, you would too. Karma has come around and I know find myself with the same urges--must dress the Freya Baby! I've resisted it for the last few months (amazingly--and partly due to financial reasons.)

I think I may switch from the martingale collar to an easy walker harness. I'm hoping she won't pull like crazy with it and not slip out of it either. After watching her trying her best to catch up with her brother Weim and nearly choking herself doing it...I think it may be a needed change. The only plus is, the harness will be less painful to put on than the martingale because it will have buckles (I hope.)

I was afraid that she was going to be terribly ill when I first got her. I was afraid cause I paid for her, because she was my first official dog, and because she wasn't fully inoculated. Stupid, but thankfully, nothing happened and now she is fully inoculated and I feel tons better about the whole thing.

Thankfully, Freya baby seems to have lighten up too! I guess she may have sensed my worries? But she's a happy, smiley puppy that's really starting to enjoy cuddle time (on her terms of course.)

No puppy is intimidating when they snarl at their brother and have absolutely no teeth except for their k9s being bared. That, my friends, is all kinds of cute and funny.

I need to get money for the following items--seat covers (formerly expressed as car seats because that is forever in my mind for some reason), seat belt/harness deals for both dogs, tag, and a girly (not pink!) collar/leash combo so people will stop calling my baby girl a boy! It's all my fault, shouldn't have gone with the blue but that was all they had at the time.

Also, as a miscellaneous expense--Halloween costume, get her chipped and spayed, and collapsible bowls and the poo baggie holder.

Suddenly Affection

2009-01-24T21:31:00.000-05:00

I think it's cute that Freya finally learned how to use her ears fully. I always thought that was something that puppies new instinctively, but I guess I was wrong on that front. But now that she's close to 3 months old, she can fully put her ear back in a happy manner. It makes me so happy! I look at her and for once her ears are back instead of looking at me all solemn like. I swear, she is the most solemn looking puppy I've ever seen.

It's odd how she wasn't terribly affectionate when I first got her. I don't know if it is because I got her entirely too early or what. She would seek me out for protection form our Weimaraner when he was in a frenzy mode, but now she can handle her own better--she finds a corner or a hole to hide from him.

But lately, she starts whining at me and I pick her up and set her on my lap and she stays for longer than a minute. She fell asleep on my lap again after the first time since I got her. She actually lets me hold her longer than she has before and I'm not sure what happened.

But yay, thank you for being more affectionate. This week was the first time I actually vocally told her that I loved her. I know it's silly, but I was worried that something would happen. I've had to put down a kitten that I got because something bit the base of her tail and was very poisonous and she wasn't going to make it no matter what we did to save her.

At any rate, in four days, Freya will be officially 3 months old! Yay--she's getting so big too!

I've increased her food recently. Since I got her, I was feeding her 1/4 cup of food 3 times a day--that's on Avoderm and the Blue Buffalo. She's now getting a 1/2 cup. She still seems like she's hungry. She's crazy enough that if I'm late on feeding her--she will eat anything that's around, and I mean anything. I caught her trying to eat a penny.

I've done the rib check and I ask my boyfriend to help me too (mainly cause he's the only one who's actually had healthy weight dogs and I'm just starting out on this venture on my own.) She's got a little thicker skin around her ribs, but you can feel it. Before, she you could feel her ribs pretty easily. I feel bad that I didn't think to up her food sooner. Bah, bad me.

Oh the Calamity!

2009-01-21T01:56:00.000-05:00

Dearest Freya,

I am most surprised that you don't hate my by now. After yesterday's torment, I am quite surprised that you gave me one of the greatest gift ever--sleeping on my lap. I guess you do trust me after all, huh?

I have to say that I just noticed the faintest dusting of white on your forehead. It's closer to your star but still--these are new. I also noticed, while torturing with the clippers, that you have one black toe nail with the pad of that foot being partially black too. Are you trying to trick me? If so, you are doing a great job! I still can't figure out your color--you keep sprouting more black and more white spots on your body that I don't know what you will be--other than my foxy Freya baby.

You should thank me for giving you a bath. You were one stinky corgi girl! I even warmed the bathtub for you, otherwise it would have been bone chilling cold instead of really warm. I couldn't help but notice that you didn't like the spray of the shower head. I guess I'm relegated to cup to cleanse you.

At one point, I found myself in the tub with you. I was hoping that this would calm you. I ended up with scratch marks. You were quite happy (and cold) when we got out of the tub. I rubbed you dry as best as I could. Then came the next torturing device...

The blow dryer doesn't seem to be your best friend. Why, Freya? Do you not want to be dryer faster and be warm? I guess not.

Afterward, we cut your nails. Initially, it was just my job and your back feet were a snap (pun totally intended) because you had treats! Treats are awesome...but then your front paws were sooo much harder to trim. Once again, I got more scratches....

But after all that is said and done--you got your dinner with yogurt and you loved it!

Now, if only you would pee and poop consistently outside and not just pee in the carpet.

Until, I still and will always love you!

love,

Your Hooman--Cat

Profile

2009-01-16T09:35:00.001-05:00

I'm still trying to figure out how to add this to the site...

What do you think?

2009-01-15T22:55:00.001-05:00

If you have seen me the last few days, you might have notice the changes. I keep changing them because it has really been 4 years since I first learned a little bit of html and figure things out all over again.

I'm still not 100% satisfied but it is still better than the basic templates that I could find on blogger.

I love purple and I realized that the last template I had was a little too busy for me but I was so frustrated by the end of that night I just left it as is.

I need to figure out how to make a header that I like using Freya's pic with the Gimp program on Linux (windows frustrated me to no end when I had to reload it on my lap top 9 hours as oppose to the hour with linux and stuff worked!) I've made random things, a filmstrip with photos of me and my boyfriend. I've shopped a pair of sunglasses out of a picture once too!

So, I'm sure I can figure it out, not sure if I'll go crazy by the end of it though. But that's part of the fun!

Supplies I want and will get

2009-01-15T14:38:00.000-05:00

1.

This is an example of "want" but will not get. I think it would be nice to have, especially for the puppy on the go. Carry enzyme cleaner for her pee spots, carry a portable water bowl and food and snacks. Maybe even carry the extra blankets or towels--definitely baby wipes! At walmart online only for 16.84. The price excites me, but there is more I need to buy. Sadness...

2.

This I will get for her crate. I saw a liner, which acts similar that you can put in your car or the crate that was for about 10 bucks at walmart--that I may get instead of this. Anything washable is a must! Freya still has accidents in her crate. Thankfully, no accidents in her sleeping kennel.

3. Another item I'm interested in getting, not sure how adjustable it is.

4

Not sure which I'll get but it is time for her first bath!

5. Toothbrush set for Freya!

6.Styptic Powder in case I cut too close to the quick.

7. Either furbuster or a furminator from the mycorgi store on amazon. I may try the shed ender product...yes it is one of those As Seen On Tv deals.

8. One of these but...I'm not sure if it will keep a Weim in the back. May just get both of them straps.

9. I may break down and buy one of those poo bags and the carriers. I don't know. I am not always lucky enough to have a stashed walmart or kroger bag in my car when we go places. This will be necessary when we go walking more.

10. Another chewie, maybe a puppy teething ring? I always get so flustered at petsmart and just leave.

11. Scotchguard for my car! Should've done this when I first got the car about 2 years ago...but I was lazy. I now have some stains in it from...well...me. I have been lucky that the one time Cloud had explosive diarrhea, he was able to contain himself til we took him out of my car. My boyfriend, however, was not so fortunate.

I will definitely scotchguard if I don't get a seat cover or protector.

12. More towels for Freya. Currently, in her kennel that's all she's got in there. She's still have problems holding her pee so, she's constantly peeing in there. I'm happy she's managed to hold her poo at least. Since she doesn't eat or sleep in that kennel, I'm not totally surprised by this--and the fact it is incredibly big for her.

13. Eventually, when she can't wear the blue collar I got her, I want to switch to a purple one! The blue is killing me, not because it is blue (I like it) but because everyone thinks she is a boy--understandably. I will most likely get a martingale and perhaps a harness for car trips. Who knows.

Chart

2009-01-14T19:25:00.001-05:00

At age 6.5 weeks--she weighed 4 pounds.

Age 8 weeks--she weighed 8 pounds.

At her 12 week visit, I'm guessing she weighs at least 12. She seemed to have gotten heavier. I'm not underfeeding her or overfeeding her either--I can feel her ribs, so maybe she'll just be bigger or she's going through a growth spurt. *shrugs* as long as she's healthy, I don't care.

Growth

2009-01-14T19:14:00.000-05:00

I was a little worried when I first saw Freya, I thought her eyes were too small. Of course, boyfriend said that I worried too much and that puppies grow in spurts. He was right on all accounts. Her eyes, thankfully kept up with her head.

It seems that every time I put her to bed, time goes quick and she wakes up a different color or something is bigger.

Her paws started to catch up with her body, she seems longer now. Her biting has calmed down significantly but she still likes to attack whatever clothing item I am trying to put on at that moment.

But, she always sits when it is meal time and well whenever I look at her, she sits. That was a puppy trait she came with that helped me teach her to sit. I encourage it. She knows when I grab the bowl, it is food time and she won't whine about being in her sleeping box.

She's taken to digging and the Weim helps her.

Whenever the train comes by, our Weim goes out and howls at it. Now, Freya, started to bark with him--it's cute. I know that last night she was barking at something, not sure what, but eventually the Weim went out and investigated the scene. Nothing seemed out of the norm and the Weim came back and cuddled with me.

I wish I could trust Freya in the bed with me. So far, she has peed in the bed 3 times and pooped once--and this is after taking her potty and watching her do both. I want to cuddle with her more, but the blanket has to be professionally washed and I don't want to take it while it is so cold outside. Sadness...I hope she outgrows this.

Comfort--01-12-2009

2009-01-14T17:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I was informed by the animal control that there is a special mat that's at the entrance of the shelter filled with disinfectants that kills the parvo virus. So, Freya's diarrhea is from the olive oil. Yay.

I'm starting to switch her to Blue Buffalo puppy. It seems that she loves it more than the Avoderm. Our Weim even loves the Blue better too! He actually was protective of his food for once. They both seem to be doing well on it. Freya will be on half and half until all of the Avoderm is gone.

Also, while talking to the animal control officer, who also does obedience training on the side, she mentioned a class in February for 6 weeks in the area. That sounds great and Freya maybe old enough by then. It's the Kennel club that will be running it. I hope it will be a good class.

I can't believe how loving Freya has been lately. It is odd. She won't stay in my lap for any length of time, but she will sit close by. She's also starting to lick me more than bite. That's a nice break. She is every bit not a cuddler as Cloud is one. How funny, I'm the cuddle bug in the relationship and my boyfriend isn't. We both got dogs that is similar to the other.

Oh well, at least I can cuddle with Cloud and he is happier for it.

As Freya gets older, I noticed that she is having more control over her ear movements than before. She's staring to put them back more, like happy puppy style (I hope) instead of it leaving it perked and upright all the time. She is now able to see what's going no in the tub instead of only her nose showing. She is also able to see over her sleeping box, which soon will be changed over to her day kennel. Initially, I didn't have the money to pay for her kennel but Christmas money and a sale made that happen. Too bad I didn't know about Tractor Supply sooner.

She's getting so big! I wonder what her weight will be when she gets full size.

2 months

2009-01-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

I revamped the site some. I still have to go back through the html until I get things they way I want it. Then I have to gimp so photos of Freya and make a header. I get a geeky side part of having a puppy and that's awesome!

Freya turned 9 weeks on the first of January. The vet staff, as usual, went gaga over the little girl. I had a different vet this time. They rotate Saturdays and this one said the same thing as the last--"I've never seen one around this area! Oh, isn't she gorgeous." They didn't do a fecal exam this time, which the pup didn't mind, and she weighed 8 pounds at 8 weeks. She also got her second round of shots, which she hated. She cried immediately.

The worst thing though, was not even Freya. My mom called me Friday night and told me that something was wrong with Morningstar--her Chihuahua/pug mix. Outside of that dog being morbidly obese (which is a whole story unto itself) her skin was tremendously hot pink.

So carrying Morningstar into the vet last minute plus carrying a carrier with a scared puppy was very hard indeed! They gave Morningstar a steroid shot and some allergy meds. He suggested that it was possibly from some detergent, or the bengay my mom put on her, or carpet cleaner--essentially, he didn't know. I know she has a grass allergy. When she was a pup and the grass was a bit higher, yeah, she got hivey.

I'm just very glad that Morningstar wasn't contagious. On New Year's Freya played with her and the other chug, Angel. I'm also very glad that they let me bring her along last minute. I tried calling, but since they didn't open until 8:30 and I called at 8--I wasn't 100% sure. Though if you looked at a lumpy, hivey chug with hot pink skin--I don't think anyone would turn that away.

Oh, Morningstar is doing much better now.

Freya has diarrhea and I'm hoping it is because of the garlic/parmesan/olive oil drippings I mixed into her kibble as a treat and not because I helped out at the Animal shelter (that had 3 out breaks of Parvo since I've been working with the city.)

Cha-cha-changes

2008-12-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

Wow, I am utterly amazed at just how much she has changed since Wednesday night. She has put on some weight and her coat is starting to change. I can't tell if she's going to be sable or a red and white corgi. Her blue eyes are starting to change to this odd muddy green color. I'm expecting them to be brown any day.

Apparently, her ears perked up first out of the litter. She did it at a young age way before the actual time that most corgi's ears perk. She's a smart girl the ears tell it so! Actually, she's smart enough to come. She some how understood that command without me ever teaching her. Win!

So far, her potty training is going. We are crate training her. I take her to work with me every morning and sneak away to drop her off at "Grandma's" house since my mom lives close enough to my job for me to check up on her.

Actually, the little girl got to go to work with me twice. The first time cause I never asked my mom if it was ok and the second cause she had her vet visit.

Wow, I never heard a dog cry so much during a fecal sample. She was fine afterwards, but to her credit, the guy looked like he kind of jammed it in her. I've never dealt with that guy before but I do like the vet. I paid 17 bucks for Advantage multi for her fleas and 60 plus for the actual visit.

Now, comes the training. Sigh...she will be smart. I've already talked to a dog trainer who charges around 60 bucks for a 6 to 8 week period. If that doesn't work out, there is always petsmart.

On the super good news, our Weimaraner loves her! He checks up on her all the time. He peers over her 45 gallon tub and just looks. Sometimes he will jump on the bed and just look at her.

I'll have to post more pictures on flickr soon.

The Puppy Fever

2008-12-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

I've had puppy fever for the last year. I've always wanted a puppy of my own and a puppy that I picked out instead of my parents. I grew up with dachshunds, chihuahuas, and finally chugs (chihuahua/pug mix.)

In November, we had Morningstar (my mom's chug) over for a week in efforts to get her to lose weight. She did, but sadly not long. My mom made her gain more weight. Sadness.

Anyway, I've been looking into mini dachshunds and corgis. I initially wanted to adopt a rescue or a shelter dog but things didn't really work out on that end--so upwards and onwards on the search.

It took me nearly a month to find a breeder for a corgi. Then on wednesday, December 17th we drove 3 hours north to get our little girl--Freya.

Looking

2008-12-18T21:39:00.000-05:00

I'm following the trend of writing my pursuits for a puppy and my growing experience during it. I've wanted my own dog for a long time. I, unlike some, have grown up with dogs--just the toy breeds. I wanted a big dog. I wanted a rottweiler or a great pyrenees or a golden retriever or a newfoundland--anything but a chihuahua. I've had more chihuahuas growing up than any other breeds. Until, my mom got a chihuahua/pug mix which was the best dog I've met so far.