Summertime Summertime Sum Sum Summertime

Today is the first official day of summer.  And the best part of summer, in my opinion, is swimming.  Good thing we have a pool.  Not for us, for the doggies.

A few days ago, we got the pool out and filled it up.  It was a stiflingly hot day, and we thought this might perk up the pups.  Dexter had gone swimming last year, but this was all new for Chloe.

Dexter seemed much more interested this year.  In fact, he sat in the pool as we filled it up.  Just sat there, letting the cool water flow over his tootsies.  He was in heaven.

Then we tried putting Chloe in the pool.  She was, shall we say, unenthusiastic.  Most of the time, she would hop right out before she was completely out of our hands.  And once Dexter saw her freaking out, he was no longer interested in staying in the pool.

The pool did seem to help them cool off however. After his little swim, Dexter ran around the yard for the first time in weeks. He had been mostly just moseying, never really wanting to play, because of the heat. But now that he was wet, he was ready to run!

Chloe just mostly wanted to shake

and roll around.

But still, it seems like they had fun, and that is the important thing.

Walkies!

Well last night, we did it.  We braved it and took both dogs for a walk for the first time. Given Chloe's predilection for shenanigans, this was quite a risky thing to do.

Snarky things come in small packages.

We only went around the block, since a.) it was cold and I was wearing no coat b.) this was only the second time Chloe has walked on a leash and c.) our dogs have short legs and tire easily.

All in all, the walk went really well actually.  Chloe never fought the leash at all, other than to want to go faster.  She was not scared of cars much, which actually worries me a bit should she ever get loose, and she even took the opportunity to potty.  So all in all, we were really pleased.

Then when we got home, they wanted to run run run run run run run so we left them in the yard for a bit.

Apparently Dex is trying out for the track team, and needs to practice his hurdles.

All that fresh air and exercise really tired them out.  They were quiet all evening, and slept through the night.  For the first time ever, Hubby woke Chloe up this morning, usually it is the other way around.

Speaking of Hubby, read a funny tale he told about the pups here.

So, exercise and a good night's sleep.  Yay for walkies!

My First Friend, by Chloe

Mommy says I am big enough to write my own blog entry now.  Lot's of exciting things have been happening.  I finished all my shots, started walking on a leash, and went for my first car ride with brother, all in the past week.  But that is not nearly the best thing.  Last night, I made my first friend.

Rosie has been friends with Dexter, Mommy, and Daddy for about a year now.  In fact, she is Dexter's girlfriend.  Her mommy and daddy are good friends of ours too.  Since the weather was nice last night, they took Rosie for a walk, and stopped by our house.  HOOORAY!  Another girl around to help me pick on brother.

We all had fun running and romping in the house. Daddy got a little nervous, since I am still a lot smaller than Dexter, so he had to hold me for a little while. But otherwise, we had a grand time.

I can't wait for the next time Rosie visits, and we can play outside!

Could Spring be coming?

The last few days have been gorgeous, and we have certainly been taking advantage of it.  We are slowly transitioning Chloe into the backyard for potty and play times.  Until now, we were training her to go on our covered porch, and then we would clean it up.  This was the same method we used for Dexter, and it worked great.  With them being such tiny puppies during the winter, it is too cold to try to get them to go on the ground.  Trying to get a 2-4 pound dog to potty in the snow can result in hypothermia for the dog, so this way was just better for all of us.

But now, Chloe is starting to venture into the yard.  And boy howdy does she love it!

She is doing really well with housetraining, and she even walks up the porch steps by herself now.  She really is growing up.  

She just loves running around outside, but we have to be careful as she is still small enough to wriggle through the neighbor's fence.  But usually Dexter keeps her in line.

Winter's last hurrah?

Last night and early into the morning this morning, we got a terrible snow storm.  It took Hubby 5 hours to get home from work, when it normally takes less than 1.5 hours.  He did not even make it in to work today, so you know what that means?

Snow day!!!  And how do you celebrate a snow day? By playing in the snow of course!

The snow was about up to Dexter's chest, and he was bounding all around.  He loved every second!

Chloe was less impressed, as the snow was, no joke, over her head.  Plus Dex kept rolling her in the snow.  I am not sure who looked cuter, Chloe all covered in snow, or Hubby in his Pen jammie pants.

We did not stay out long, as little doggies get cold pretty quick, but Dexter packed plenty of enjoyment into the 5 minutes or so that we were out.  Chloe, well, she just wanted a towel.

Snow Day, by Dexter and Chloe

Hello friends, Dexter and Chloe here!  First off, a round of applause for Chloe's first blog post!!!!!

Today, we got to romp in the snow!  One of us liked it more than the other.

I, Dexter, love love LOOOOOOOVE the snow.

Today, the snow was up to my chest, and when I would run, instead of making pawprints, I made deep tunnels in the snow.  It was so fun, I got snow all over my face!

And I, Chloe, and not so fond of the snow, though brother says neither was he when he was my size. I did not even go on the ground, mom just set me on a snow covered part of the porch.

The snow came up to my chin, and it was about 2 seconds before I started to shiver. Mom quickly took me inside to warm me up.

So in short, when it comes to snow, Dexter gives it two paws up, but Chloe is decidedly more undecided.  Now, if you will excuse us both, we are going to snuggle up in our blankets for a nice nap.

To see more of Mom's pictures of our snow day, view her Flickr photostream here.  

Little Doggie Monsters

I make no secret of the fact that I adore Lady Gaga.  I think she is incredibly talented, and really beautiful.  I have even converted Hubby as a fan, though he may never admit it.  But the fact that he bought me tickets to her concert for our first wedding anniversary gift shows that he totally "gets" my love for Mama Monster.  Lady Gaga calls her fans Little Monsters, and for once I am proud to get called a monster.

We often sing to Dexter, and "Bad Romance" has long been our go-to song.  Hubby actually knows some of the words, and sings along.  Of course, we make Dexter dance as we sing it.

Today, we introduced Chloe to Lady Gaga (gotta teach em young).  Both dogs did the "Bad Romance" monster claw move.  Chloe loves it.  Dexter tolerates it.  But either way, they are now Little Doggie Monsters.

Just like Lady Gaga, I love my Little Monsters!

We want this...

So, in light of our recent potty schedule issues, we thought this was cute.  It is a German game called Kackel Dackel, and it involves a pooping doxie.



Hubby brought it to my attention, thinking I would scoff at it, but come ON, it is a doxie, so of COURSE I love it.  Unfortunately, it is not available in the US, so unless one of our Euro friends wants to send it to us, I guess we will have to do without.  But the good news is, there is an online flash version available here.

Puppy Power

Remember when I wrote earlier this week that Dex was getting so grown up, and behaving like such a big boy?

Yeah about that.....

For the last two days, he has been in major puppy mode.  As in, this is what he is like:

He has been prancing all around, chewing on my feet, flipping and flopping.  But not really misbehaving, it is like he is going through a growth spurt, and all his puppy energy is returning.

Want to know a secret?  I kind of love it.  I want to keep him a puppy for as long as possible. I can't believe that in a little over a month, it will be his first birthday.  I really want to find a recipe for a doggie cake or something.

11 months old or 11 years old, he will always be my baby.

Halloween Party for Dogs? Heck YES!

Thanks to my good friend and fellow pet owner Kacy, I was alerted to the coolest event of the fall.  It was called Barktoberfest, and it was being held in Pittsburgh.  Doggies could wear their Halloween costumes, come socialize with other pups, get some treats, have a costume contest, and be in a parade.  SIGN US UP!

We got there at noon on Saturday, and things were just getting started.  Already, we saw a ton of awesome doggie costumes.

Devil and Hot Dog

Indian Princess

Killer Bees

Scooby Doo (one of my faves!)

By the time the judging started, there was a pretty good crowd, about 70 doggies were registered.

One of the coolest parts was the costume judging.  One of the judges was Pittsburgh t.v. celebrity Sally Wiggin.  We talked to her during judging, and a little bit after.  She was raised with a doxie, so she has quite a fondness for them, and she just loved Dex (who doesn't).  She was so friendly and awesome!

Finally it was time to announce the winners of the costume contest.  The first place winner was a doggie dressed like Troy Polamalu.

Second place went to a teeny tiny doggie dressed like a Caterpillar.

All the doggies looked adorable, and everyone was so well behaved.  Dex did great, no barking, no roughhousing, he definitely got some treats afterwards, and even got to go have a play date with his friend Linus.

I am not quite ready to reveal Dexter's entire costume to you yet, so here is another peak, this is a picture of us from that day.

More cousins- by Dexter

What a weekend I had with Mommy and Daddy!  We went to visit Uncles Denny and Paul in Ohio.  Also, I got to meet my cousins, Seamus and Una.  They are whippets. 

Uncle Denny was afraid they would try to push me around because they were so much bigger than me, but I actually ended up pushing them around a little.  Mostly I played with Una, Seamus sort of kept to himself.  But we all did talk and play, and I had a blast!

We did hit a couple of bumps in the road.  I lost a tooth at Uncle Denny's house.  Mommy kept it, and when we got home, the Doggie Tooth Fairy came and brought me a chew toy.

Also, on the ride home from the visit, I got a little car sick, at least that what all Mommy thought it was.  But the next day, I was sick again.  Mommy thinks I probably licked something up off the floor that my tummy was not used to, because I did not act sick, I wanted to run and jump and play.  I seem to be ok now, so Mommy is letting me play more, and today, I get to eat my regular food instead of boring rice and hamburger.

So, what did you do this weekend?

Pugmania!

Dexter got to attend his very first doggie event today, with Mommy and Daddy, what a fun way to celebrate Daddy's first furry Father's Day!

We found out about the event from our doggie cousin, Bella, who is a pug.  The event was Pugmania, but all small breeds were welcome, so off we went.

Dex had a BLAST!  We got him a toy, and a hat, and he got lots of snuggles and pets from everyone!  He made so many new friends, and I am so impressed with how well behaved he was the whole time.  We did not think we would stay long, but we ended up staying for 3 hours!  Dex got to see a horse for the first time too!  Dex was such a good boy, and he really tired himself out.  He slept the whole way home!

I made two collages with some of the great pictures we got. 

 I also got some videos:

As you can see, a good time was had by all!

Splish Splash!

Yesterday, I was talking to my friend E, who is now taking care of Rosie, and she mentioned that Rosie had been scratching her skin a lot lately, but there was no sign of fleas.  I told E that Dexter has dry skin, and I hear it is common in doxies, so I bought him special shampoo, as well as an oil for his food that the vet gave me.  I then offered to let Rosie try the shampoo if E wanted to bring her over for some pampering.

E and Rosie walked to our house yesterday, and Rosie got some major spa treatment!  From the minute I put her in my sink, and started wetting her down, she was in heaven.  Have you ever seen a dog smile so big?

She just knew we were going to make her gorgeous!  Dexter was a little upset however, because he wanted to know what we were doing to his lady.  He hopped all over the kitchen the entire time.

To make sure she was really clean, and help get rid of some of that winter coat that was shedding, we washed her twice, and used a special doggie scrub brush that you can use on wet or dry fur.  She was in heaven, and did not even complain when we had to get her face wet!  We then went on to rinse her real good, and I showed E how to do the squeak test to make sure all the shampoo was rinsed out (you rubbed their fur, and it literally squeaks when rinsed properly).

Then we dried Miss Rose off with a big fluffy towel, before transporting her to the living room for cuddles and more drying.

Once she was all dry, we checked out her ears, which were nice and clean, and tried to trim her nails, but she was a little skittish.  We will have to work up to that I think.  But all in all she was so good, that I gave her a nice organic healthy doggie treat (E has her on a weight reduction plan).

Finally, the two pups were reunited, and spent the next two hours playing.

Rosie went home tired, clean, and very happy.

Hugs and kisses Miss Rose!

Giveaway Courtesy of CSN Stores!

I am so excited to announce a new giveaway courtesy of CSN stores!  CSN is a collection of online stores that sell a variety of different merchandise for different needs.  Because all of us here are pet lovers, I am giving away a gift certificate to the Pets by CSN Store!

One of the greatest things about Pets by CSN is they are able to serve a variety of different types of pets; dogs, cats, fish, and bunnies, just to name a few!

There is a variety of merchandise available as well, including...


Clothing

Toys

Pet houses and furniture

Even travel needs!

Pets by CSN just has a ton of products to offer, and now, you get a chance to win something fabulous, or should I say, furbulous!  And since it is a gift certificate, YOU get to choose what you win.  The gift certificate is worth $40.

Here is what you have to do:

Mandatory to enter:

You must visit Pets by CSN and look at their merchandise, then leave me a comment telling me what you would use the $40 gift certificate to get.  This is the required entry, and must be done in order for any bonus entries to count.

Opportunities for bonus entries:

Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect +1

Follow Me on Twitter @Tiffanysblogs +1

Fan, aka "like" Tiffany's Blogs on Facebook  +1

Follow CSN Stores on Twitter @CSNStores +1

Fan aka "like" CSN Stores on Facebook +1

Tweet this give away +2 (must leave URL)

Post this give away on Facebook  +2 (must leave URL)

Blog about this give away (must leave URL) +5

You must leave a separate comment for each thing that you do, and it must include your email address (non spam form is fine).  For any of the bonuses that have more than one entry, just note in each comment, for example, "blogged the giveaway #1 www.yourblognamehere.com, email@address.com", "blogged the giveaway #2 www.yourblognamehere.com, email @address.com"

The contest will end at 12:01 am EST on June 18th.  A random number generator will be used to select the winner, who will be contacted via email.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond, before a new winner will be chosen.

If you have ANY questions please contact me via email at tiffanyniekro at gmail dot com.

Good luck, and have fun!