We Got TP'd

Joyce looked out the window this morning and began moaning about not being able to take it anymore. When I got up to see what she was mumbling about, this is what I saw.

Earlier, I had heard a noise like a tin pan banging around. I thought it was Joyce doing something in the kitchen. Since I lost hearing in one ear, I can't really tell where sounds are coming from. I got up after hearing the noise and went to the bathroom where I found our metal wire TP stand laying in the middle of the floor. There was a roll of TP in it, albeit a bit tattered. I had not heard Joyce moan yet, so I just assumed one of the pups had messed with it. I just set it back up where it belonged and went back to my recliner. After Joyce complained and I saw the back yard, I had a clearer picture of what had transpired. Fun, fun, fun!

Vigilance

Just a quickie this morning. When we lived at Cedarcreek, I built a little shelf on the window next to my recliner. Tillie could jump up in my chair, step across an end table and onto the shelf. There she could snooze in the sun through the window or watch for monsters such as squirrels.

This was her perch that let her see the outside and maintain vigilance. This was her watchtower.

Eventually, Tillie relinquished the reins to Ditto and the duties of sentinal and Ditto assumed her duties like a true soldier. Always on the alert.

So, when we moved to Springfield where we are now, Ditto had to have her perch, her watchtower. But, Ditto was now slowing down and did more napping than watching. Although, she did spot many squirrels from this watchtower.

Later, as it became more and more difficult for her to jump up the step to access her perch, I made a ramp which made it much easier on her old bones.

Today, the responsibility of maintaining the watch has been transferred. The change-of-command has placed Mary and Frances on duty, maintaining the safety and security of our home, ever vigilant.

However, this morning sitting here in my "Mancave" (which previously was the living room), I hear Joyce shouting, "No! No!", which leads me to believe the girls are not currently maintaining proper vigilance.

Typical Morning

We are apparently at the pinnacle of the pups' playtime impulses. This video was shot this morning as the pups played with a plastic container that I put a small handful of gravel in. Their frantic antics are very typical of every morning. I am beginning to become very jealous of their burning up so much energy while I sit here trying to work up the gumption to get up and go pee.

Our backyard is full of their "toys" strewn about, left where they tired of playing with them. It's amazing to see what they select as their toy of the day. They are particularly attracted to large plastic or metal things that they can chase, chew, and battle over. Here's our living room this morning. They are particularly fond of the large blue bowl.

And battle over things, they do. Mostly, it is play, but like human siblings, they have an occasional spat over one now and then. The squirrel episode in my last post was another example of how much energy can explode at any moment.

Ah, they are quiet now. Maybe too quiet. Nope, they just came sauntering in from the kitchen. They are subdued right now. Joyce left to go to the grocery store. They hate it when one of their pack is missing. They will fire up again no doubt when Joyce returns and it will start all over again.

Agh! They just dragged my trash bin away from where it sits by my chair and scattered tissues all over the place. Will it never end?

Squirrel !!!

This evening turned into a surprise just shy of dusk. But first, let me set the stage...

The big old maple in our back yard was a busy meeting place of the local squirrels. That is until Ditto moved in a few years ago. It became Ditto's daily routine to look for squirrels messing around on the ground around the tree and when she would spot one, the chase would be on. She would fire out her doggie door and zing out to the tree, at which time, any squirrel in the vicinity would frantically seek higher ground. That, usually being the tree. Sometimes they would spoil things and head for the privacy fence, but if they chose the tree, Ditto had them. Or so she thought. She would circle the tree standing up on her hind legs, forepaws on the tree, barking away. But, with time, Ditto slowed down as she became older and sicker until finally, it was just too much exertion for her. It got to where she would just lay in the window and watch them take over the yard. Izzy, Stephen's dog, would occasionally visit and put fear back into the hearts of the squirrels, driving them to the neighbors' trees. But, Izzy would then go home and the squirrels would come back. After Ditto left us, the squirrels became downright brazen.

Entrance, stage right, Mary and Frances. Their training started slowly, but it wasn't long before they both realized squirrels were vermin to be dealt with. The pups soon learned about the tree and the role it played in this little show. It became their daily fun chore to run out as fast as they could and chase the evil squirrels up the tree. And, like with Ditto, the squirrels sometimes would make it to the fence to run along the top to the corner utility pole where they could gain more height. There they would sit and scold the pups while the pups, gleefully, scampered about watching the squirrel closely. But, when the squirrel chose the tree, the squirrels found themselves surrounded with two yapping white threats jumping up on the tree. The squirrel population began to dwindle as they started to find another yard and tree. With two yard guards, it just wasn't worth it. But, then there was a new batch of young squirrels who weren't familiar with the pups...yet.

Now, during this nice fall weather, we have been propping our breezeway door open a little as well as the door into our "big room". This allowed the pups quick access in and out of the big room which was pretty critical during house training. 

The breezeway door and our little patio with the big room windows on the right.

That was the setup this evening. Both doors propped open a little, Joyce and the pups hanging out in the big room. A couple of young squirrels came hopping up to our little patio just out the breezeway door, directly in the pups' view out the big room windows. They both went tearing out the big room door then on out the breezeway door, startling the squirrels. One made it for the back yard tree. The other ran up the side of the house and hopped onto the top of the slightly open breezeway door. Both pups had the tree surrounded, yapping wildly at the trespasser, neither noticing the one on top of the door. So, it sat up there getting more and more frantic as to whether or not to make a run for it. But, it couldn't figure out how to get back down without jumping all the way to the ground. And, if it did that, the path to the tree was blocked by those terrifying pups. By now, the pups had decided they had punished the squirrel that had run up the tree quite enough and had headed back toward the house. It was too much for the squirrel on the door. He made a dive for the ground landing near the birdbath and ran to the corner of the sunroom. That action triggered the pups back into action. The squirrel saw them coming and ran up the brick veneer at the corner. I lost sight of him then, but after some noise and barking around the corner, the squirrel came screaming back around the corner and ran along the base of the sunroom wall straight into the open breezeway door...with two streaks of white right behind him. The squirrel ran into the sunroom which made me think, "Oh, no!" For those unfamiliar with our sunroom, let me just say there is a lot of "stuff" in there. I had a quick mental picture of how I was going to have to capture that critter to get it out of there. Where were my leather gloves? But, the squirrel spun around the room and ran right back through the breezeway on past me standing there laughing and into the big room. Again, for those unfamiliar, the big room has a lot of "stuff" too. Mainly two sofas, three recliners, and lots of other furniture pieces. After all, we do call it the big room. Anyway, both pups were hot on the squirrel's tail. First, it ran past Joyce and behind one of our wicker chairs. Not finding safe haven there, it ran out and got under a recliner, or rather inside it. The pups were circling the chair, digging at the floor trying to get under it, but couldn't. So, I laid the chair on its side to let the pups chase the squirrel out. Finally, it fired out of there, made a few laps around the room, right into the grip of Mary. It didn't take Mary too long to put the critter out of its misery. Frances wanted in on it, but Mary ran outside with it where finally, I had to talk her out of it.

If you look closely at the next photo, you can see Mary with her prize in her mouth.

And here's what all the ruckus was about.

Vet Day

We took the girls to visit Vet Becky yesterday. It was time for a puppy stuff booster and rabies shot. Ow! They were both good girls up until Dr. Becky stabbed them in the rear end...twice! That must have stung because both of them reacted for some time afterward. I tried rubbing their butt. That seemed to help Mary (she was first), but Frances said all it did was make it worse. She said it by whirling back and lightly biting my hand. It wasn't a hard bit, just a "Please don't do that" bite. By the time we got home, both pups were pretty pitiful. But, by bedtime, they were much better and not so sensitive when touched on the rear. They both had gained about 2 lbs. from 3 weeks ago! Both are now over 8 lbs. ea. Frances is about 1/2 lb. heavier than Mary, but she hasn't shown much weight advantage when it comes to wrestle and tumble time.

Part of the vet appointment was to address Mary and her apparent colitis. She had been having problems for a couple of weeks with blood in her stool and the loose pooties. So, we came home with an oral syringe of probiotic and a bottle of anti-biotics. Nothing like a med to address the side effects of another med. But, hopefully, it will fix poor little Mary's problem.

The new A/C and furnace job was completed a couple of days ago, so the city inspector is scheduled to come look at the job this afternoon. We'll see how the girls act around another stranger. So far, they have been pretty good and haven't brought any blood or torn any socks. However, they have destroyed several of Joyce's potted plants. It's difficult to tell what they had in for the plants, but they certainly made their ire known.

What A Day

For the past several days we have been dickering for a new air conditioner and furnace. Our old system still worked but it was old and we decided to get a new system before we were left high and dry or hot and cold as it were. Anyway, today was the day. The installers came and began tearing up jack. Running back and forth through the living room, in and out of the front door and, also, outside on the north side where the A/C unit sat. Not a big deal except it did get a little warm in the house before they completed the job. But, why am I mentioning this on the pups' blog, you might ask? Well, from the time the techs first stepped foot in the house, the barking began. We had the gate up between the living room and kitchen and they nearly tore it down. The two techs even stopped and petted them and got acquainted, but it did not matter. Anytime one of the men would enter or leave the house, the pups would sound off like they were going to tear a leg off the trespasser...Every time. Then came dolly time, time to roll the old furnace out and the new one in and it got worse. Joyce finally had to drape a cover over the gate so the pups could not see where the action was. But, that was to little avail. It seemed like the pups had X-ray eyes. They certainly had good ears, though our ears suffered "bigly".

Then, the techs began driving sheet metal screws with portable screwdrivers. Brrrrit! Brrrrit! Holy cow! I didn't think the pups could get much wilder, but they did. And then, when one of the techs would walk past the gate they would scream even more frantically...until the guy would bend over the gate and scratch their ears. Then they were all wiggly and licky like the guy leaning over the gate was not the same guy that was making all the noise.

Finally, the techs got their job done and cleared out. All is well. The new A/C is much quieter than the old one, the house cooled down quickly, and the noise stopped. Ahh! Well, maybe they'll make good burglar alarms.

Field Trip

Sorry, it's been nearly a week since I posted. I don't know where the time goes, but it goes.

We had a little softie bed left over from Ditto. Joyce put it down in a corner of the kitchen and Frances staked her claim on it. Mary, bless her heart, would just lay on the hard tile floor - unless Frances went outside or got more than three feet away from the bed. Then it would become a bit of a sibling spat. Mary nearly always lost. It was pitiful.

Wednesday, I think it was, Joyce came home with two new beds. They both chose one. Of course, poor little submissive Mary only had one to choose from because Frances grabbed one first. But, they are identical (except for smells now) and it did not make any difference to Mary. So, they quit fighting over a bed.

Yesterday we took them for a short ride in the RV, hoping to acclimate them to riding in it. We took their new bads, but it seemed the back seats were their favorite spots. And, believe me, they tried all possibilities except getting up on the beds. Joyce rode in a back seat, too, so they had to take turns until she put them both in a seat together. It was a trick as those seats are pretty small, but about the same size as one of their beds.

We stopped for lunch. Joyce had brought a bag of their dog food. She usually kneads in some chicken to interest them more and, apparently, it worked. They gobbled it all up.

After eating, we were sure they would have business to attend to soon afterward. So, we drove up to a parking area on the north shore of Fellows Lake. This was to be their first outing on leashes and they behaved remarkedly well. Joyce had introduced them to a leash at home, so it wasn't a totally new experience for them. Sometimes one would balk and refuse to move, like an old mule. But, then they'd see the other one moving ahead and the balking one would run to catch up.

It was a nice outing day for us and them. Then we headed home and on the way, they both were carsick and both vomited up that big lunch they had. Oh, well. You can't win them all.

Up 2 and Back 3

Yesterday was not so good housebreaking wise, mostly our fault. We have been slowly introducing them to "people food" by kneading their pup chow into something people-ish. Breakfast has been an egg, lunch is typically a sample of whatever we're having or some leftovers (if not too rich or spicy). Yesterday they got some roast beef that hit them pretty hard and they got the squirts. Poor little Mary got hit the worst. Unfortunately, she cut loose while they were having playtime in my TV room on the carpet. I caught her early and managed to get her outside to finish the job. She didn't have full-blown diarrhea yet, so it cleaned up easily, but it gave me a false sense of security and I let her back in. No, she didn't do it again, but she did piddle on the carpet. Not too long after that, Frances did, too! Okay enough carpet, already. Time for bed. and I purposely went to bed early to settle them down. We had quit using the big room for them to sleep and had switched to using the main bedroom. It has dark curtains and stays pretty dark when the sun comes up. We were hoping they would sleep longer and essentially they do. However, I don't, so when I get up, they get up. But, if I go back to bed, they usually settle back down. Last night was not the way we'd planned though. Mary had given me some warning that things might not be too settled and sure enough, she woke me up by stirring around at about midnight. I grabbed both of them up and took them outside and both had bad diarrhea, and both peed (there's that). We went back to bed and around 3am Mary stirred again. I grabbed both of them again and took them outside. Only Mary did anything. Yep, she still had bad diarrhea. Frances went back inside on her own, so when Mary and I came in, I was expecting the worst. But, all was fine. Frances was patiently waiting in the bedroom. We went back to bed. About an hour later, Mary stirred again. Frances was sound asleep, so I left her there and took Mary outside. Nothing... Not even a pee. She just sat looking around and up at the moon occasionally (it's still a bright Harvest moon). So, we headed back in. I put her down at the back door ramp before I slid the door open. Mary trotted right in and on into the living room. When I caught up with her she then trotted on ahead into the bedroom and reared up on the side of the bed where Frances was impatiently waiting. I put her on the bed, climbed in myself, and none of us woke until nearly 8am. Yeah!

Things were all good this morning. The girls got their usual puppy chow with a soft fried egg kneaded in. They both ate up then came over for a nap under the table (which is just a way to be ready in case we drop something while we eat). Then Mary jumped up and went outside and did her business. Frances followed shortly afterward. Mary came back in. Frances decided to try to come in via the sunroom, but the sunroom door into the kitchen was closed. Then she crapped on the sunroom floor. Up 2 and back 3.

Lots of Help

Last night was another success. The girls and I slept together again. We got up a couple times when business called and went right back to bed. They actually managed to go over 5 hours without peeing, Like human babies and trying to get them to sleep through the night. Breakfast time was like yesterday. They ate and ran outside, although I can't be sure if they went outside to poop or to play. They did both. Next lesson: Barking. This isn't going to be easy. They bark at most everything and play off each other. One will bark at something and the other will bark because the first one was barking. And, so it goes.

We were quite happy with our new little patio. However, after the contractor finished and left, we decided we made a small mistake in not having him fill in the voids where the blocks ran along the curving sidewalk. We intended to put mulch or maybe some pea gravel in those spaces, but on second thought we wanted blocks cut to fill the spaces. So, I thought, "I can do that." Well, I can with a little help.

The first help I got was one of the girls grabbed the end of my 100-foot extension cord and went running off. Next one grabbed the waist sash for my work apron as I was trying to tie it. Then, as I placed a block over the first space to mark it for cutting, one stood directly on it, seemingly to say, "Here, let me hold that down for you."

With all that help, we were finished in no time. Well, we stopped work to rest and eat lunch. By then the sun said we'd better not go back to work until later. So, siesta time and the girls were played out...or rather, worked out and were not to be disturbed while they snoozed. Me, too.

Yes!

The pups slept with me again last night or, rather, I slept with them. We went to bed about 10 pm and they settled in fairly quickly. They had played hard much of the day and did not take much coaching to go to bed. I usually have to get up a couple of times a night and last night was no different. So, I woke up about 1:30 am and went to the bathroom. When I returned, both girls were stirring so, I picked them up and took them outside. Mary did her business quickly. Even pooped! Frances, not so fast. But, she finally got both her chores done. I wasn't sure about her having pooped, that is until we started to go back in and I found her little surprise right in front of the door. But, they both did their deeds which was great and back to bed we went. Then, I woke up again at 6:15 am and off to the can I went. Upon returning, there they were, apparently awaiting their turn. I grabbed them up and out we went. This time Mary was not so quick, but she was first to pee and after several minutes of walking around with them, Frances let go. Back to bed we went, but they were not ready to go back to sleep nor ready for me to either.

Joyce and I know from experience, almost immediately after eating, it's time to go outside. Joyce fixed them their breakfast and then ours. So, while we were eating, I was on edge watching for the telltale indication that things are about to happen. But, before I even thought it was time, Mary headed out the doggy door with Frances following shortly after! Joyce and I did a high five.

Much of the rest of the day we were working around the yard. When we weren't, the pups were either with Joyce in the big room or in the kitchen with the gate up that I had installed between the kitchen and living room (now my TV room). Even during those times, we were inside, there were no accidents. Not even on-purpose events. This is going too well.

Damn Doctor!

Well, doctor day went well. Both Mary and Frances behaved remarkedly well, though the pieces of BBQ flavored pill pockets she (the vet is a woman) smeared on the table kept them busy. They got their DA2PPL (a shot for most everything) booster. Becky, the vet, injected them in the rear hip area and neither seemed to notice. They just kept trying to lick the goody smear off the table.

Both the girls were in perfect shape. Mary weighed 6.2 lbs. and Frances, 6.6 lbs. Real monsters. Oh, there was one little problem Becky found on both of them. Them lower canines were tending to grow inwards. They're still their baby teeth, so not a big issue, but Becky suggested giving them a small(ish) ball to chew on. She says it would help the new teeth grow in straighter. Oh great. I can just see the girls insisting on me throwing the balls for them to fetch and me with a torn rotator cuff.

Last night it got downright pitiful. We got home from the vet about 4 pm. The pups ate big because we had not fed them before going to the vet. The landscaper quit work at 4:30 pm so they were able to go outside shortly afterward. They romped and played and investigated all the landscaper's tools quite completely. Then it became time for a little nap just about dusk. I went to my TV room to catch up on the news. After a bit, Joyce called and said the pups would not move. Something was wrong. I got up and went to the big room (that's what we call our large family room) where Joyce and the girls were. There lay the pups, semi-comatose on the floor. Neither would even raise its head when I called and whistled. That was very unusual. I picked up Mary. She kind of came to life and looked OK, but when I put her down, she walked over to their big pillowy dog bed and collapsed on it. As she did, she let out a cry. Investigating, I found she was very tender on her rump where the injection had been given. I checked Frances and, sure enough, she was very tender there, too. We rightly assumed their lethargy and rump pain was the result of the injections. By bedtime, they both were more lively and would, at least, walk across the floor. This morning, all is good. Back to normal. Crapping all over the place.

Locked Up

Today was a not-so-fun day for the girls. We're having a guy redo our little patio area and laying some border blocks around the tree in the back yard. So, they had to stay inside and let the man do his work. It was a relief to all when he quit for the day and they could go outside again. Whew! Talk about pent up energy.

Tomorrow is doctor appointment day. No, not for me or Joyce, but for them. They get to meet Dr. Becky, at Route 66 Veterinarian Clinic. Dr. Becky was Ditto's vet since we moved to Springfield, about 5 years ago. Mary and Frances need to be brought up to date with their shots and a general checkup to set a baseline. Based on their performances this week, there is nothing wrong with either.

A Few Photos Finally

Here's Mary (used to be "No-collar)

And here's Frances (used to be "Collar")

Nearly always together.

Today was a lazy day. I think Frances wasn't feeling very well (something she ate, no doubt). Consequently, their roughhouse playing was a little slower pace. Mary, however, was her typical self, full of crap and always trying to get rid of it here, there, wherever. Housebreaking is a slow process, especially with two at a time.

In case you are wondering, I got out my trusty old Canon to shoot the girls with.

Training Day

(heh, heh) Joyce has started to introduce the girls to a leash. Yeh, right. This is gonna take some time.

They have taken the day off learning, it seems. We've been having trouble with wets and poops today, just about the time we thought they were showing some promise. But, it's too hot to sit outside with them waiting to praise them for squatting in the grass. I can take them out and one will poop, but the other, nothing. Go inside and sure 'nuff, let her rip and that's one thing about trying to raise two pups together. It is difficult to praise or scold one when the other is nearby.

I hear one of them barking now. Joyce just came out of the shower room sighing. We have a handicapped bathing chair in there and apparently, it was crouched to pounce on Mary or something. She had been telling it off, anyway. Mary, also, has an affinity for their brush. She found out the other day that it sticks her nose if she gets too close. So, all we have to do is lay it on the floor and she will bark incessantly as long as it is there. We have to put it away to make her stop.

Tomorrow is mower man day. I'll have to go out and walk the yard to pick up toys and stuff they have dragged around out there. One of their favorite toys is an old knotted sock. Those would raise havoc with the lawn mower...not to mention the mower would raise havoc with the sock. Luckily, my old socks are white so they are easily spotted. Another of their favorite toys is a Frisbee. Unfortunately, it's not so easily spotted.

Pictures. I'm sure you would like some pictures now and them. I have tried several times to get photos of their antics, but my phone camera just isn't fast enough. By the time the phone camera decides to snap, they've moved out of the scene or they are just a blur. Guess I'll have to break out my Canon...camera, that is.

Mary Frances

Now, this is weird. While I was in the backyard with the girls, the neighbor woman across the street came over to see the pups. She "oo'd" and "ah'd" and we struck up a conversation about the pups. She asked what their names were and I told her, "Mary and Frances" and where the name came from. She kind of took a breath then giggled and said, "That's the name of one of our dogs" (they have four dogs of various sizes and shapes). She said it was the name of their littlest (which is the noisiest). I asked which name, Mary or Frances and she said, "Both". Their dog's name is Mary Frances! How surreal is that?

Now Where Was I?

Here it is, already Saturday and I'm even further behind. But, we are making headway with the girls training. Joyce worked with them only a few minutes Wednesday evening and had them sitting on her command. It was pretty amazing even if it did take a treat each time. But, that's how you train them and it works!

Both Mary and Frances are making some attempt to go outside for "business". It's not been too difficult to get them to go outside since we introduced them to the doggie door. They love it outside. However, getting them to go when needed is a different story.

Joyce has cleaned out the atrium (she has had all her potting and plant stuff in there) so the girls could use it at night for their business. We penned them in the breezeway and opened the door into the atrium. It worked pretty well. We want them to get used to staying at home once in a while so we can have a date night now and then. Yeh, right. Last night they both slept with Joyce. Amazingly, none of them messed or even wet the bed, including Joyce. She did have to get up and let them into the atrium once or twice, but that's no more than either of us have to get up, anyway.

Hmm, I hear barking now. They are getting acquainted with the trash truck, I think.

Falling Behind Already

I can tell already I'm not going to keep up with this. I don't even know what today is!

We got the collars I ordered for the girls, today. Frances is the one that has been wearing a collar and she never noticed I changed her collar from a larger red collar to a smaller lighter blue one. Then I put a pink collar on Mary, (aka "No collar"). She did not take to it well. First, Frances insisted on chewing on it and dragging Mary around by her new collar. The Mary realized something was on her neck and went screaming, "Ki Yi, Ki Yi", apparently because it was going to chew her head off. After Joyce picked her up and soothed her a little and put her back down, she just sat there and wouldn't move. This is going to be interesting.

The girls have had company since yesterday. Mike & Russ's dogs, Jette and Dahlia have been staying with us while Russ flops around in the hospital. His surgery went well and so the cousins went home this evening. It was very entertaining but exhausting to watch them try to socialize. Jette doesn't care, although, she did get a little cranky when Mike came to get them. He put her leash on and just dropped it. Frances could not leave it be. We looked up in time to see little 4lb Frances trying to lead 80lb Jette around the room. Dahlia ran and hid from everybody. She hates the girls. Frances wanted to play with everybody no matter how big they were. Mary wasn't really sure of her cousins, so she mostly tried to ignore them.

The cousins are gone now and Frances is between my legs on the recliner. Mary is tucked in beside Joyce in her recliner. So, that's a quick summary of day 6 and 7.

Day 5. Monday, September 2

Today was a good day. The girls ran and ran and passed in and out of the doggie door like they had thought of it themselves.

Barking: This is going to be difficult. If one barks even just once, the other is triggered and the avalanche begins.

Napping: The girls can curl up and fall asleep at the drop of a hat. So, it's like having a baby in the house. Naps mean you can sit down and breath and maybe even get it a nap yourself. But, having two pups is like having twins. Getting them both settled down is tricky.

Mornings: I haven't gotten up this early since I retired. Shortly after 6 a.m., at least one of us better be up and turning the herd out; My usual "up until 1 a.m". is over for now. I'm dozing off during the 10 o'clock news...even earlier sometimes.

Day 4. Sunday, September 1

Today is my birthday, so...

The mess the little girls made last night sent Joyce to her sewing room. We had put down an oilcloth and weighted the corners with some 9" tiles. The idea was to keep the pups from moving the oilcloth and just pee and poop on it so it would be easier to clean up. Nope, the oilcloth was found in a ball in the middle of the breezeway with the tile floor exposed all around, covered in poop. So, she had an idea.

The breezeway, for those who have never been to our house, connects what we call "The Big Room" with the sunroom. It's an all tile floor with two opposing side doors as well as the door at each end. One side door goes into a small atrium while the other leads outside.

Joyce had a large painter's dropcloth made from canvas that she had bought years ago to make into curtains. That never happened so it was tucked away in her sewing room. She dragged it out and went to work. The result was genius. She had cut the canvas to the same width as the breezeway and over half as long. Then she added tabs on both sides that were to fit under the side doors. The idea being to lay the tabs on the threshold then shut the door, trapping the tab under the door. Work nearly perfectly. On the end of the canvas that reached the sunroom she, also, sewed a big tab like the sides. There is no door there, only an open doorway. So, I had devised a wooden panel that could fit across the opening and be clamped in place. By setting the panel down on top of the big tab, the canvas was trapped there. Hopefully, you get the idea. We had to have a place to contain the pups overnight and be relatively easy to clean up every morning. So, we threw Ditto's old pillow bed at the end of the room where the canvas does not reach, added a water bowl and locked the pups in.

The results were not perfect this morning, but very promising. The problem was the pups had managed to dig at the canvas and work it out from under the panel. But, never fear. She had made the tabs by folding material and sewing it to the edge of the canvas. This made large casings like one might find at the top of a curtain. We ran 3/8" rope through the casings so now, the rope gets trapped on the other side of the panel and doors, as well. I don't think the pups can dig it out from under the doors now (fingers crossed).

That was a long story about the breezeway "cage". Sorry. But, there was a shorter story of success with the doggy door training. Joyce got inside at the doggy door while I stood outside. She would shove the pups through the door while I called and coaxed them out. I gave them a treat then sent them back to Joyce where she gave them a treat. It didn't take long before they were running in and out, very proud of themselves.

Day 3. Saturday, August 31

Two pups are not the same as one. So off to Petco to assess crates, carriers, pens, and while we’re there, to get some collars and pig ears. We put them in a cart, listened to all the oh’s and ah’s from people who realize what cuties they are. They behaved great. Relaxed, alert, interested. Then they spied a bulldog. The terrier personality came out. Let me out of this cart, they squealed, we’ll rip off that mash faced ogre’s hip within a minute. They heard some “shhh’s” and “it’s okay’s”, and settled down. Good girls.

Home from Petco, we didn’t buy a thing. Pups were tired. So were we. Feed time. Poop time. Nap time. And we still had not decided on names for them.

And then my heart sang. One of them, we think it was “no-collar” went to the door to signal she needed to go outside to poo…and pee!

Doggy door sessions aren’t going well. It’s a double flap door with an eight-inch space between flaps. It’s like a cage. It’s scary. And anyway, the weather has been cool and the sunroom doors are open. Who needs a doggy door? We’ll tie up one flap for a while until they’ve mastered one flap.

Not started leash training yet. But soon. Frankly, they’ve kept us too busy to do more than what we’ve accomplished.

Tah Dah! We have settled on names. They are named after Joyce's mother, Mary Frances. So, Collar has become Frances and No-collar is now Mary. Done!

Day 2. Friday, August 30

The pups really like being outside. They were born and confined to a small area. It has been a joy to watch them run, just for the thrill of running free. I hooked an old sock onto a rope tied to a slide on the clothesline. That has become a favorite. Up and down, back and forth, with just enough jerk and resistance to be perfect. They didn’t even mind the drizzle and wet grass while they played today. Everything in the yard had to be smelled, and tasted, and nudged. A busy day for pups. I secured the fence holes. Same feeding experiences, running from bowl to bowl.

I got on one side of the yard, Joyce on the other side, for a lesson on coming-when-called. They are smart pups and caught on right away that getting petted and “good girls” praise waited at both ends of the yard. Got that done.

We were having trouble telling them apart. We thought we could distinguish them by their ears. One pup has ears that stand a little more erect. And the other one has ears that are more pink. Who has time to study ears when the pup is about to squat and pee on the floor? So we found an old collar and put it on one pup. Still no names for them, so one became ‘Collar’ and the other one ‘No collar’.

Barking is a hard lesson. Lots of new noises are startling and scary. Shhhh, is the word they hear for that. Not much response yet. That’s a hard instinct to control. A sharp handclap to get their attention helps. Shhhh. Reassuring them the situation “is okay”. Sometimes it works. Depends on how loud and scary the noise is…garbage truck noise isn’t “okay”. Big black dog walking beside the fence isn’t okay. Motorcycle, definitely not okay. Gpa’s drill and bandsaw (making a doggy gate) hurts ears and requires yelping.

Day 1. Thursday. Aug 29

Woke up earlier than I remembered was a time of day. Heard the sound of yelping, whining, yipping. What greeted us was almost overwhelming. A lot of poop and pee. What have we done?

We cleaned up the mess instead of having leisurely coffee. Got that done. They were starving. Got that done. They needed to be taken out to pee and poo. Got that done…but couldn’t leave them because of gaps in the fence they could squeeze through. They needed something to chew on. Got that done. Old sock knots. Done. Tee shirt snakes with a knothead. A coke can. Yes, a coke can. Just like Ditto. We laughed as we watched them skitter their coke cans across the sidewalk, and run through the grass holding coke cans in their mouths. I realized it was the first we’ve laughed about a doggy antic in a long time. Ditto had been so very sick and old for a long time. They needed to take a nap. So did we. Recliner time. Got that done.

One little pup was aggressive about the food bowl and would bully the other pup from eating. Can’t have that. Joyce solved that by making two bowls of food about 6 feet apart and showing the little bullied pup that she could have her own bowl. The aggressive pup ran over to the other bowl and bullied…so Joyce showed the bullied pup to run over to the other bowl. The “little” pup, (one is just a wee bit smaller than the other), caught on to the idea right away. Within minutes it was almost like needing traffic control as they switched from bowl to bowl. Got that done.

Noticed right off that if the bully pup was aggressive toward the other pup, chances are she would be aggressive toward people or kids with her food and snacks. Can’t have that. So, more training. Joyce reached down to take the pup’s food away. Joyce knew exactly what to expect and was ready for it. When the pup nipped at Joyce’s hand, Joyce flopped that pup onto her side, held her down by the neck and hip, and they had a chat. She learns fast. We can now take her food, snack, toys and she’s submissive. Training is easy when a person acts likes a mother.

We started considering names. I sent out a FB query for names. A lot of responses and most were cute ideas. But we delayed choosing names, waiting to see if a personality would shine through.

Night of day one, Joyce got smarter and put newspaper and their bed in the breezeway, to confine them to a smaller space. It worked. Not near as big a mess to clean up, the newspaper was good, despite some of it was shredded, and mopping the smaller area was quicker and easier. So, got that done.

Westie Girls

We lost our precious little Westie Ditto recently. We were bracing ourselves to the fact after her veterinarian told us a couple of years ago that she had an enlarged heart and a limited time to live. The vet said three to six months, but she made it about two years. And then she was gone.

So, the saga of two old people with pups or too old people with pups begins.

Let me explain how this happened. For those of you who knew Ditto, you’ll understand when I say her death left a really big hole in our hearts. I needed another dog to fill that hole.

We gave serious consideration to a rescue dog. And an older dog, like us. A different breed of dog. But we’ve had a Westie in our home for over 30 years. We know Westie behavior, traits, good and bad. We needed something familiar, we’re too old to learn much new. Joyce was fairly emphatic about we get a Westie and fairly emphatic about it being young so we could train it from the beginning.

We got Ditto in cold weather. Shivering in the cold while waiting for a pup to do its grass business is not pleasant. This seemed like a good time of year, so we began looking.

We found a little Westie pup ad on-line that was older than just weaned. Twelve weeks old! That age can hold their pee longer. That age doesn’t like to soil their nest. That age learns really quickly. That was Ditto’s age when we got her. That Westie might be the one.

We went for a short Pumpkin trip and just happened to be passing through the town where this little girl on the Internet had been born and was waiting for a home.

That morning, drinking coffee, Joyce said, “I’m going to suggest something to you and I need you to talk me out of it. When she suggested we could stop and see the little Westie, I didn’t talk her out of it. I felt my face smile, and my heart lighten. I told her, "Let’s do it."

When we got there, the seller knew her business. She had two Westie female pups. She said to us, ”I just happen to have two Westie girls and thought I’d let you choose.”

We watched them scamper and play together, they come running to both of us and then Joyce made the mistake of asking the seller if she’d make a special price for both. I could go into a long description of the back and forth, but will simply say, we got them both for an exceptional price. And it simply is that Ditto left such a big hole in our hearts that it took two to fill it.

On the way home, the car sickness hit. Funny how one puked and almost immediately the other did, too, all over Joyce’s lap where she was snuggling them for reassurance. They were so little and so scared…and Joyce was so yucky.

Our sunroom is the perfect place for little untrained puppies. We got home early evening. They were hungry and thirsty so we watered and fed them and got them settled in. Put them on Ditto’s big cushy pillow. Turned out the light. Dropped into bed, exhausted, just like the pups.