Pete's Fine

Petey lost a few more teeth today. But, we have no special instructions regarding his on going care. No soft foods, antibiotics or dentures. I fear if the dog loses any more teeth we're going to have to check in to that.

The the old Pete-ster came through in typical Petey fashion. He's wild! He is zooming through the house, up & down the hall, in & out like he has a rocket on his back. We figure he'll crash soon. I have his favorite blanket in the dryer. Once the blanket gets nice and warm I'll throw it on him as he zooms by. I have a feeling he'll relax and sleep well when I do that.

Thanks for the thoughts today.

A Thought for Petey

John has just come back from leaving Petey at the vet to get his teeth cleaned. Last year the vet said Petey wouldn't survive a cleaning. This year a different vet said he could survive the cleaning and if we didn't get his teeth cleaned, he wouldn't live well for the rest of his days. So, we reluctantly agreed.

I don't have a good feeling about this and neither does Petey. He hid from John this morning as if he really understood when we told him last night that he was going to the vet today. He was most unhappy when John left him.

Petey will be at the vet all day. They'll call at some point after the cleaning to let us know how he did. We can pick him up in the afternoon after the anesthesia wears off. I'll post his status tonight. In the meantime, spare a good thought for the old Pete-ster.

So, now he wants gifts...

We're packing up the remaining gifts to to to Mama's for the final gift opening of Christmas. This is by far the largest number of gifts because it is the largest number of people. Petey is most unhappy that the gifts are being bagged up. He keeps putting his head down in the bags and then looking at us forlornly. Apparently, he just wants the gifts under the tree. Go figure.

The Heating Pad

Remember the snuggi wars? Remember how Petey and I fought tooth and nail for control of the beloved snuggi that John gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago? Remember how I finally ceded control of the snuggi to him? Well...forget about it. Petey and I have embarked on another war. This one could be epic.

For Christmas this year, John gave me a heating pad. It is an attempt to equalize our vastly different body perceptions of temperature. I'm cold. He's hot. He envisioned me putting this on my stomach under the aforementioned snuggi while we watched TV at night. He should have known, as should I, that Petey would be right in the midst of the warmth no matter what.

It began Christmas night, as we settled in for the evening. I made myself a nice little nest on the couch, with the heating pad at my feet since they were like ice cubes. I had that puppy cranked up on the highest setting and was enjoying the ever increasing warmth immensely. Then Petey sensing the heat on some cellular level or something hopped up with me.

Now, I'm used to sharing the couch with Petey so this was nothing new. That is until he notice head radiating from the foot of the couch. Petey was on that like no body's business in about two seconds. It was fine, really though, for me. He was adding to the heat down there.

John and I laughed about how quickly Petey noticed the heat and inserted himself right in the middle of it. We were a little concerned about what might happen when I got up and turned the heating pad off. Much to our surprise though, nothing happened.

I got up after the show and went on about my business. Petey remained firmly entrenched right where he was absorbing any residual heat. He stayed there all night. He didn't even get John up in the night to go pee.

Again last night, Petey and I cranked up the heat under the snuggi. This time I did have it on my belly and Petey was right there beside me. The only difference was that he got to hot last night and moved. (Score one for me!) I think maybe I'll use that strategy going forward. It has been a long time since I've actually been hot, not counting that fever I had with the e-coli.

Once I got up, however, Petey was right back in the warm spot and stayed there all night. This morning we had to wake him up and send him out.

Maybe this isn't a bad thing after all. Petey, right now, seems to be happy with the residual heat once I get up and the pad is turned off. And, he's sleeping all night, so John is too finally. Maybe this won't be the epic battle I envisioned at all. Perhaps we can work out a peace treaty. Perhaps, just perhaps. Either that, or I crank it up on high all the time!

Petey's Christmas

Petey was as thrilled as any two year old on Christmas Eve. He kept putting his head in the shopping bags with the gifts to be wrapped. He couldn't stay out of the wrapping paper. And zipped back and forth between the bedroom where the gifts were being wrapped and the Christmas tree all day. It really was like having a toddler in the house. But somehow Petey turned in to a teenager over night.

John and I got up Christmas morning and began opening our gifts. We take our time opening one at a time and admiring the gift before moving on to the next one. I had wrapped three treats in tissue and a whole box of a new kind of treat for Petey. We thought that we'd all take turns opening gifts.

John went first. Petey seemed to sense that this gift wasn't his and didn't bother to come assist as he always has in the past. I tossed him a tissue wrapped treat. He opened that with great gusto and proceeded to run to his favorite eating place to devour it when he realized he was already in his favorite eating spot. So, he ran the two steps to his ring bed and began chomping on the treat. John continued to open his gifts as Petey ate and Petey didn't care.

When he finished his treat, he wandered back in to the foray but only for another tissue wrapped treat. He didn't give John's packages a second glance. I gave him another treat. He opened and ate it once again with great enthusiasm.

I thought Petey might not like that he missed out on the gift opening so when I started to open mine, I called him over to help. He begrudgingly took a nibble at the corner. Then he took a good whiff and knew there were no bacon treats in that package, so we wandered back over to his ring bed with a sigh. I tossed him the third tissue wrapped treat and all was right with the world again.

I finished opening my gifts and that left the one package of new treats for Petey. I truly wondered if he'd care to open it. I called him over to open the last package. I don't know if he could smell the treats through the package, or if he recognized the shape or what, but he knew that was his gift. He happily tore in to the wrapping and got the bag out. He pranced and danced around as I opened the pouch to pull out a treat. I gave him one and he returned to the ring bed for one more Christmas morning treat.

It brought a little nostalgia to us to remember the days when Petey opened every one's gift without a care as to what was in it or if it was for him. Petey will be 15 in few weeks. I guess it is time he grew up.

Merry Christmas from Petey

Petey wishes everyone a Merry Christmas. He's so excited he can hardly wait to open gifts. He's been pacing the house all day between the wrapping area and the Christmas tree. He knows it won't be long now before he gets to tear in to those gifts. So far he's kept away from the wrapped gifts, but he's continually stuck his head in the shopping bags and wrapping paper. He's oozing with excitement and anticipation.

Maybe tomorrow we'll actually get some video clips of him opening gifts to post. Until then, enjoy yourself whatever your circumstances.

The Bathroom

We have two bathrooms in our house. The original one in the house is located in the hallway. We being the creative people we are, call it the "hall bathroom." The other bathroom is in the back of the house off of the master bedroom. We call it the "back bathroom."

I (Lori) use the back bathroom almost exclusively. John uses the hall bathroom the most. He gets up first and showers there so as not to disturb my beauty rest. In the evenings, when we're watching TV and decide to make a quick trip to the bathroom during commercials, John heads to the hall and I head to the back. It wasn't a deliberate, conscious decision on our parts it just happened. We didn't realize that Petey apparently thought it was a rule that John use the hall bathroom and I use the back one, exclusively.

Yesterday, just Pete and I were alone in the house. I was baking when I needed to use the bathroom. I figured I could take care of business and get back before the buzzer buzzed. But, since I knew that I could definitely hear the buzzer in the hall bathroom, I chose to go in there.

Petey who had been observing me closely from his perch on the couch, quickly noticed the error of my ways. He launched himself from the arm of the couch and scurried in to the bathroom straight to me as I sat on the toilet. He gave me a hard stare. I'm not sure if I was in grave danger or grave trouble.

I tried to explain that there was no problem with me using this bathroom. He would have none of it. I quickly finished what I had to do and got out of there. For both our sakes.

A Shift in the Earth's Axis

At about 8:30 pm CST today, the world very well, may have shifted on it's axis. A pizza delivery person mistakenly knocked on our door. Petey was sitting with me on the couch as the recliner was occupied. He was snug under the blanket between my leg and the back of the couch. He was quite cozy. So cozy, he chose not to bark at the pizza person. He didn't even stir.

I'm a little concerned. What's next? No bacon treats? Going to be alone? What? What?????

An Uneasy Truce

John and Petey have worked out a bit of a truce when it comes to the recliner.

John can have it as long as he wants as long as it isn't when Petey wants it. This gives John a good 30 seconds in the recliner. Once John's time is up he is signaled by Petey with much sighing, pacing and forlorn looks.

Petey gets the recliner, all night, when John isn't home and pretty much any other time he wants it.

There is no cohabitating in the recliner -at all - none, nada, not happening.

For now this is working for them.

John is hoping it is a phase and Petey will soon move on to another piece of furniture that he claims for his own. John could be right, Petey has a tendency to claim something and battle for it tooth and nail until he wins. And Petey always wins.

Once Petey has claimed victory, he seems to move on to something else. I recall a battle over a snuggi...

John Has Fallen from Grace

John decided to sit in the recliner with Petey. They've done this for years. Petey jams himself in between John and the arm of the recliner. Petey loves it. John tolerates it. If John wants to sit in the recliner he has to share.

Lately, though Petey has claimed the recliner more and more for his own. So, just a little while ago when John decided to have a seat, Petey set up a howl. He was yelping like he was hurt, but there is no evidence of an injury. He's not bleeding or limping. But Petey is mad and pouting and John is trying to make up with him.

John is actually in the recliner right now. Petey walks around looking forlorn and making sure John knows that he's unhappy. We could have an interesting evening ahead.

Insomnia???

Petey's typical bedtime is sometime between dark and 9:00. As a rule, Petey wants someone to go to be with him. He's smart enough to understand routines so for instance, even though it is dark before we eat supper, he won't start badgering us to go to bed until that is complete. Most of the time, he'll even let us watch a little TV or a DVD. But somehow, that dog knows when 9:00 comes and he's determined to go to bed. I've blogged before about how he'll start wanting to go out about 9:00 since that, to him, is the key to going to bed. Most of the time, we'll let him out about 9:00 or so and start out getting ready for bed routines. Even though we are not in bed, that seems to satisfy him.

This week, however, life was different in our household, but no one consulted Petey. John was off from work all week and I was off Thursday and Friday. We thought Petey would be thrilled for the extra time with us. Not quite. On Wednesday night, John and I had no real reason to rush off to bed. We could sleep in on Thursday. We watched a DVD until after 9:00, which was most upsetting to the poor dog. I let him out, and then noticed an unfinished spider solitaire game on the computer. I decided to finish that before bed. It seemed fairly simple.

Petey flopped himself down beside me at the computer waiting for me to finish. I'm usually the sleepyhead and Petey knows this, thus I am the mark. The game was taking a little longer than I expected. I kept undoing plays and trying new things to try and win. After a bit, Petey realized that I wasn't going to stop anytime soon, so he went to get John. I couldn't see Petey's face, but I think it was his tattle tale face. I heard John telling him that he couldn't make me do anything either, so he should just get used to it.

Then I heard the back door open. John had let Petey out again. I was still determined to finish that spider game. (It is addictive!) Petey came back in and flopped down beside me and started sighing. Over and over he would sigh these heavy sighs so that there was no misunderstanding his disdain. I continued to play cards.

Finally he began pawing my leg and doing his best, pleading face. Lucky for him, I'd just figured out the key to the game and finished up. By this time it was something horribly late like, 10:15!!!!! But we managed to survive the night, even though we were so late actually getting to bed.

Then, on Thursday night after a very relaxing afternoon, John and I were not ready to go to bed at 9:00. Again, Petey was not consulted and was not on board with the plan. I had the bright idea to just put him in the bed once he came back in. That worked!! For about 20 minutes, it worked. Then he got up MAD! Petey does not like to be tricked. It is a good thing that dog can't talk or we might have learned a few new words.

Anyway, after laughing at him for a while, I caved and went to bed. John had found some movie to watch on satellite. That was OK, since Petey usually only requires one human to actually be in bed with him. I must have been sleepier than I thought because I zonked out right away and John relayed the rest of this story to me in the morning.

After about 20 or 30 minutes Petey got up and came in to the living room. He wanted in the recliner, and he wanted in the recliner alone. Petey is a small dog, weighing only about 12 pounds. He could be stepped on and hurt badly, but he does not understand this. He is a demanding little thing and will not be dissuaded. John finally moved to the couch to watch the rest of the movie, giving Petey sole control of the recliner.

We knew that often we would find Petey in the morning asleep in the recliner, but we thought that he moved about the house all night long, sort of like a patrol. Now we are beginning to think that he gets up from the bed and goes straight to the recliner. We don't know for sure, and we probably won't ever know. We don't really care enough to know to follow him around all night and find out. We will however, try to go to bed at a reasonable time tonight.

Where's Waldo - Petey Style

This is what I found when I walked in to the living room this morning. See the blanket in the recliner and on the love seat in the top picture? Petey could be under there. See the bed in front pf the fireplace and blanket on the couch above? Petey could be under there. Petey could also be in one of three human beds we have in the house or any number of various other places in our...um...his...um...this house!

This is over the top.

Not Us

This is not us. Just in case, anyone ran across this article. Our Petey is a rat terrier.

John & Petey

It is very important for Petey to get his head under John's arm.

Petey's New Treats

The box clearly shows the actual size, but I didn't notice it. I had a coupon and I was too busy making sure I had the right product and best value to notice something as trivial as the size. Initially, Petey liked them, sort of like doggy popcorn. Today, he'll have nothing to do with them. Typical Pete!

Oops!!

Last night John lost his glasses. It isn't an unusual occurrence. He loses his glasses routinely. The difference this time was that neither one of us could find his glasses. We looked and looked all through the house for them. We looked and looked all outside of the house for them. In and out we went looking everywhere in the house, garage, yard and driveway. Petey, of course, was right with us trying to sniff out those glasses.

The last time John remembered having the glasses was when he was working on his car. He'd taken it out for a test drive and had a sinking feeling that he'd laid the glasses on the fender or someplace under the hood and failed to pick them up before taking the test drive. I offered to walk the test drive route but John thought it was too hot for that since it was still 110 in the shade! He thought the better choice was to drive the test route, so we hopped in the car for a brief spin.

Unfortunately, we failed to notice that with the ins and outs, Petey was out. We realized that we'd left him out when we pulled back in the driveway and he was sitting on the back porch. When we got out of the car, Petey tore of the back porch to us, barking his head off. That dog was mad. He wasn't barking his "get of my property, stranger" bark. It was quite different, and quite angry. He was so mad, that he wouldn't stay in the same room with us the rest of the night. We were forgiven by bedtime since he got in the bed with us.

For the record, the glasses were found once I convinced John to walk the test drive route. They were in a small grassy patch on the side of the road totally unscratched and unbent!

Petey's Pills

Petey has been taking a daily dose of medicine for his doggie arthritis ever since his last vet appointment. Much to our suprise, he'll take the pill right out of our hands and gulp it down.

That is until this week. On Monday, he wouldn't take it. He hadn't eaten much during the day. That is not all that unusual. He gets mad and pouts by not eating. We no longer try to figure out why or how to make Petey feel better. We will sometimes try to coax him in to eating if the pout goes on for too long, but most of the time we figure when he gets hungry he'll eat, pout or no pout.

It was still a bit of a surprise that he would not take the pill when I (Lori) tried to give it to him. Since he was in a stubborn mood, I thought maybe taking the pill should be his idea. I left the pill next to him, thinking he'd eat it once I'd walked away. I checked back later. He was gone, but the pill remained. Again, I tried to give him the pill and again he refused. It was important that he take the pill, since he needs to keep a constant level of medication in his system to keep the pain away.

He wasn't eating so coating the pill in peanut butter or some other delicacy wasn't an option. Periodically throughout the evening, I'd hand Petey his pill and he'd refuse it. So, John decided to save the day by giving Petey the pill. He put the pill in the palm of his hand and coaxed Petey over to it. Petey, bowing to the pressure, came over, got the pill in his mouth, and walked away.

John stood up, victorious and ready to celebrate. Petey had just turned his back to John with the pill in his mouth. But before the celebration could begin, Petey spit the pill out and continued walking away! I, of course, began to laugh but it was now a contest of wills!

Petey really thought he'd pulled a fast one on John, but unfortunately for him, he had not. John picked up the pill and Petey. He gave Petey the pill once again. John wouldn't let him down until he swallowed. Petey, realizing he'd been outmatched, swallowed.

Petey has since resumed eating and taking his pills. Go figure.

A Boy and His Dog

Petey Had to Put Himself to Bed - Again!

Petey Hates Horses

We weren't too surprised to learn this afternoon that Petey hates horses. He doesn't like many animals or humans, so it wasn't a stretch to think he hated horses. We just didn't know because he'd never been around horses until this afternoon.

John had to take the Mustang to get a little work done on it. He uses a guy that lives in the boondocks outside of Ashland City. He drove the 'tang and Petey and I followed so we could bring him back home. When we got to the man's house we discovered two horses and a dog. We'd seen the dog before, a friendly boxer that is easy to befriend, but the horses had been in another pasture when we'd been there before.

Since we were aware of the dog, the plan all along was for me to stay in the car with Petey while John handled the business with the other car. When we pulled to a stop, the horse was on the passenger side of the car near the front. He was quite curious about this new object in his space and he ambled over to check it out. He seemed like a gentle horse that would allow a little nuzzle and I might have tried if it hadn't been for Pete.

The minute Petey saw the horse he let loose a string of doggie profanity that turned the air blue. John and the mechanic could both hear him even with the windows up. The horse was undaunted and curious. He ambled around the back of the car and up the driver's side. Petey followed on the inside, never stopping the doggie swearing. Then the horse saw me. He looked down through the window at me, with his nose right up against the glass. Defying the laws of physics, Petey launched himself out of the backseat and in to my lap. I had never heard him so vicious. He must have thought I was in danger.

John and the mechanic snapped their heads around at the noise and the horse jumped. Even though Pete had been barking quite loudly, the notch up in savagery must have startled even him. John hurried with his business so we could get out of there before Petey started gnawing through the door to whip that horse.

I tried explaining to Petey that all the horse had to do was step on him and it would all be over, but Petey was undeterred. He knew he could take that horse, if we'd just let him. We wouldn't. And we won't be around horses again if we can help it.

Bedtime for Petey

It got late, very late (like 9:00 PM) and Petey could not wait up for the night owls any longer. He had to put himself to bed. This is how we can tell...





He takes very good care of himself.

Petey Went to the Vet

Petey went to the vet today for a six month check up. She wanted to see him again after finding the heart murmur at his annual exam. Much to our delight, she said the murmur has actually diminished since last time. So, there is nothing we have to do with regard to that.

She was concerned though that he has lost weight. It wasn't surprising to us, since Petey is the pickiest eater we've ever seen in a dog. She suggested getting some high calorie, but not high protein treats for him. Since we don't have any of that right now, we gave him some cheez-its. Hey, he ate them. Don't judge. We've learned that with Pete we feed him when he's in the mood to eat. One day he will eat all of whatever we give him for as long as we give it to him, and the next, he'll turn his nose up and act offended that we even thought he'd eat such as that. Anyway, putting a few pounds on a dog shouldn't be that hard to do. We'll find out.

The weight loss did make her a little concerned that he is losing muscle mass. That could be a sign of arthritis. So, he's supposed to take glucosamine/chondrotin for that. We'll get some and mix them in a little peanut butter for a lovely Petey treat. That should help with the weigh issue to.

All in all, particularly considering he's knocking on the door of 100 years old according to her, he's in great shape. He ought to be as pampered as he is!!

Petey is Mad at John

It isn't unusual for Petey to get mad at one or the other of us. We've grown used to the pouting and what we call power shifts in the house. It is a way of life with Petey. Most of the time he'll shun the one that is out of favor by making a big show of being with the favored one. The term favor is used loosely in this situation. It does not necessarily mean 'liked' just not the one he's mad at currently. Once he's established that he'd made at one of us and we know it, he'll make up.

This morning when Petey wouldn't look at John. He wasn't too worried. Lori was still in the bed, since she likes to take advantage of Saturdays to sleep in. Petey had to make do with walking the long way around to avoid John and going in to the bedroom to see if Lori was awake yet. Apparently, it is important for the unfavored one to witness the attention lavished on the favored one. This time the cold shoulder continued well past that point once Lori got up. John tried to make up with Petey by giving him a bacon treat. Petey took it because he can't turn down treats, but Lori found it in the floor a bit later.

They chuckled about how Petey had kicked it up a notch, and moved on with their day, which included going to the store for flea treatments for Petey. It was time for the dreaded monthly flea treatment, but also the much anticipated heart worm treat. On the way home from the store, it was agreed that Lori would give Petey the flea treatment and John would give him the heart worm treat. Perhaps equalizing the balance of power a bit. It is difficult to be both the favored and the unfavored. It is best when both are on a more equal footing with Petey.

Unfortunately it took both to get the flea treatment on Pete, so that part of the plan didn't go so well. John still gave Petey the heart worm treatment and found it in the floor moments later.

We don't know what John did to make Petey so mad that he would not take even the beloved heart worm treatment from him, but it is serious indeed. It could be that John is secretly enjoying his new found freedom, but Lori is about ready to call the vet! She's hoping balance is restored soon. Being the favorite is sometimes hard work.

Petey's Mellowing?!?

Petey's new friend. Most unlike Petey when this child came to our house he allowed her to pet him. He even rolled over and went for the belly rub!!

Petey, The Nearsighted Protector?

Monday was John's first day out of school on the break between spring and summer semesters. I knew this, John knew this, but sadly no one told Petey. Monday morning, I got up as usual since I have real job that does not give extended breaks every few months. Petey, as usual, hopped up in the bed in my spot. John was already up, so nothing seemed any different to him. I left for work, leaving Petey in the bed as usual.

Sometime later in the morning John decided to work in the yard. He left the door propped open in case Petey decided to wander out at some point. And at some point he did. He immediately realized that an unknown interloper was in the back yard. He went on full alert, puffing himself up as much as his little 12 lb body would allow, and barking his best 'I'll rip your head off' bark and set off at a full charge against this imminent danger in the back yard.

John turned to see what had caused Petey such distress, but saw nothing between the two of them. As Petey rushed ever nearer, John asked what the problem was. Petey paused for only the briefest of moments and charged past John in to the neighboring yard continuing to bark his fiercest bark and puffing his body to its most terrifying size, after a danger John never saw.

After a bit, he came trotting back the conquering hero. Now we are left with the dilemma -
* Was John in very serious danger which was invisible to him and Petey saved his life?
* Did Petey try to cover his mistake, and maybe embarrassment, of barking at John by barking at nothing in another yard, thereby covering up?

We're taking a vote. What do you think?
Real danger
Real clever

Here Comes the Sun!

In the neighbor's driveway because it is black top and holds the heat!

Sorry about the shot, I was trying to use telephoto so as not to disturb him. I need more practice with that.

Leaving

Last night John & I had to go to a graduation banquet like we do every spring. We came home from work as usual and followed our typical routine and all was well.

Then we started changing in to our extra nice clothes for the evening and all was not well. Petey noticed John changing clothes and came rushing to tell me and saw me changing clothes. That was more than he could take. I tried to explain that we'd be home about bedtime but he skulked out of the room all dejected.

I walked in to the living room later and found this:
It is his position when someone is gone. From this vantage point he can see the driveway and easily meet the wayward one at the door upon their return. He knew what was happening and decided to be prepared, or maybe make us feel bad for leaving!

IDK if he stayed there the whole time we were gone or not. He met us at the door when we came home.

Bath Time

With the blooming of the flowers and trees comes the blooming of the fleas. Petey had one, so he had to get a flea bath. As soon as he's dry the dreaded flea treatment will come. We documented the joy...


















Once the bath was over Petey got a treat. He was too quick jumping for it to actually get the shot.

What Else Can be Said...

Who sleeps in the Master Bedroom in the master bed? The master, I guess...

A Clear Delineation of Duties

It is imperative in every family that there is a clear delineation of duties. Everyone must know their role and perform it well for a family to function as it ought. If there is a family out there struggling with this issue, please let me offer Petey's assistance. He has designated every one's responsibilities and checks several times per day to see that each individual is carrying out his/her said responsibilities.

A fine example of this is the role of letting Petey in and out of the house. During the daylight hours it is my (Lori's) job. After dark it is John's job. We aren't sure why. Perhaps it is too dangerous after dark for me to open the door. This is not something that has developed over time. Petey has always awakened John in the night to go out. I must say I never discouraged this practice, and was/am secretly glad that I am not the night time designee.

During the day, however, the back door is me & me alone. Petey will walk by John to get to me, to ask to go out. Not kidding!! He has come all the way through the house by passing John on the way to me and then the way back to the door, so that I will open the door. On really pretty days, I can wear myself out opening & closing the door for him. I've propped the door open so that he can come & go as he pleases. He'll still come get me to walk to the back door with him. He will come in on his own. I guess he hasn't figured out how to come get me to tell me he's coming in without actually coming in.

John and I understand our roles with regard to the back door and it works well for the three of us most of the time. Earlier this week John was out of town over night for two nights. We were a little concerned that Petey would not make it all night without having to pee since he gets John up at least once and sometimes twice a night. He's also taken to peeing in the living room floor while we're at work, lately. We aren't sure if he's just old and tired of the no peeing in the house rule or if perhaps he needs to see the vet. Right now we're leaning towards the former because...well...because that's just how Petey is. (He has no other symptoms that would make us think he needs a doctor.)

In response to the peeing in the living room floor, we got some training pads for him. John fixed a nice place for him with about 5 of those monsters right in the living room, right where he pees. The plan was to slowly move the pads to the hall bathroom, where it would be a little more acceptable.

So...I went to bed the first night John was gone thinking for sure I'd have to clean up pee in the morning. I woke up about 3:30 am and had to pee myself. So, after I took care of myself. I woke Petey up and made him go out too. That was a trick in & of itself because it was night and that wasn't my job. I was about to pick him up and carry him out when he decided to go on his own. He came back in, got a treat and we both went back to sleep. I was a little concerned about setting a precedent with Petey. I don't want to become the night doorman. But otherwise, I felt a little proud of myself for averting a wet floor in the morning.

Alas, I did not. When I got up the living room floor was wet. Yes, the floor, not the pads. It was right beside the pads. I don't know if Petey has poor aim, or if he was trying to avoid the pads completely. I sort of think the later because the pads cover nearly half of the living room floor. Petey saw when I noticed the pee and ran down the hall away from me to avoid punishment. I cleaned up the mess and moved on with my day.

The second night, I was in a real quandary. Getting him up in the night didn't help, and I had that precedent thing to worry about. I went to sleep and slept all night long. When I woke up with the alarm, my first thought was that I was going to have to clean up pee again. Then I thought that maybe, just maybe, he hit the pads this time.

Petey greeted me in the hallway eager to go outside, which was a good sign. I let him out and went to check the floor. It was dry! Go figure. Perhaps because John wasn't there. He knew that he couldn't go out at night and held it. John will be at home tonight. We'll see how many times Pete wakes him up!!

Petey Gets His Nails Trimmed

I can't believe it has been a whole month since I blogged about Petey. He does something every single day that is funny or aggravating and most days he does both, sometimes at the same time! I'll use the excuse I've used for everything lately, I've been sick. The first couple of days I was sick, Petey was my constant companion. He likes nothing better than a sleeping buddy. After about two days though, I think I was beginning to cramp his style, or at least cut in to his naps somehow. He kept his distance. He was never openly hostile, but it was clear it was time for me to move on. BUT...that isn't why I decided to post today. Today's entry is about Petey's claws.

Petey hates to get his toenails trimmed, but it is one of those horrible necessities of life. We have two sets of clippers in an attempt to get some that don't make a loud noise and make things worse. John even got a Pedi-paws on clearance for $2, but that was a disaster. We never could get him accustomed to the noise, much less get it close to him.

Pete knows where John keeps those horrible implements of torture and if he sees John any where near the rack where they're kept, he'll steer clear of John for the rest of the day. Not to be outdone, John will slip the clippers in his pocket while Petey is outside.

On Saturday, it was time to do the deed. John let Petey out and once he rounded in to the back yard out of sight, John slipped the clippers in his pocket. The three of us walked around the back yard for 20 or 30 minutes looking at the new growth in the yard and planning what to plant in the garden. Petey had no idea that the clippers were in John's pocket the whole time.

We made the full circuit around the house and were at the back door. Petey thought we were going in and headed up the steps. John pulled the piece of carpet we use for a welcome mat over to the edge of the porch so Petey would have a soft spot on which to lay while his nails were getting trimmed. Apparently, John moves the carpet over every time he trims Petey's nails and Petey knows. As soon as John moved the carpet, Petey took off running through the back yard. John had to chase him down.

He did, and caught him. I had to hold him down while John did the actual trimming. Pete was mad, but his nails no longer looked like they needed polish!

Petey and the Vet

Petey went to the vet yesterday for his annual physical. He didn't care. He didn't really like it, but he was good by Petey standards. He is also in very good health for a dog. The vet commended us on taking such good care of him.

He got a battery of tests designed for the geriatric pooch, including both blood & urine tests. The vet called back this morning to say that all his tests came back fine.

While at the vet, John noticed a poster on the wall with estimated dog ages on it. It said that Petey was 72. The vet suggested that was a little on the low side for ole Pete, but didn't give a better estimate. She told John that Petey had at least two more good healthy years left. He's been so healthy that I was a little surprised to hear only two years. Who knows though, really. I'm not going to spend any time worrying about that.

The only cause for concern, is that he's developed a heart murmur. The vet said that 'at his age' it was not unexpected. Even dogs get the "at your age" speech from their doctors!! As of now, it is mild enough that all we need to do is take him back in 6 months for a recheck. Apparently, this issue will progress to a point where medication is needed. In the meantime we are to watch for him to get lethargic. If so, we are to bring him in right away.

Petey's had a day or two where he's laid around and acted like he just didn't feel well. But most of the time Petey's running around commanding to be let out or something. Right now he's outside 'helping' John work on the car. You'd never know he was in his mid 70's with a heart condition!!

Share and Share Alike

...ummm...not with Petey. Petey knows what is his and has no qualms about staking a claim on it. John and I know what most of his stuff is because we gave it to him and he keeps it near the fireplace. Every once in a while we discover something that Petey deems to be his, that we thought was ours, such as my snuggi. We can protest and fight back all we want. Petey is persistent and undeterred. Petey always wins in the turf wars. It is a fact of life with Petey that we have come to understand.


Last night, however, Petey kicked it up a notch. Apparently, the heat in the house is his and his alone as well. Petey knows where all of the heating vents are in the floor and will lay on the nearest one when the heat kicks in. His favorite being the one in the living room floor. Long time readers may remember pictures like the one to the left. This is one of Petey's favorite winter time places.
So on to last night...

John and I had watched a DVD. Petey was in another of his favorite spots, snuggled up with me under the snuggi while we watched the DVD. Once it was over, I got up as I generally do, and Petey stayed under the snuggi like he usually does. We had the fire going in the fire place and I walked over to warm myself by it while John got the DVD from the player. Petey somehow sensed that I was close to the fire and immediately got up from the couch and got in is ring bed which stays in front of the fireplace. He gave me a look that communicated in no uncertain terms that the fireplace and heat were his and not mine. I tried to explain that there was enough heat for both of us, but I knew even before I started that the battle was lost. I went back to the couch.

Petey Treats Part 2

Scroll down and read the previous entry before reading this one...

I just offered Petey a bacon treat. He sniffed it and walked away. I may get my wish after all - this could be a lifetime supply. When will I learn???

Petey Treats

On of our local grocery stores was running a super double coupon special this week. That means that all coupons up to $1.98 in face value would be doubled. Being one of those individuals that loves a good deal, I sorted through my coupons for those in the highest value to rush out there and double their usefulness.

What does this have to do with Petey? I got the dog what to any ordinary pooch would be a lifetime supply of bacon treats. I'm hoping this will last a month. I had coupons that made the treats less than half of their usual price. I came home with seven bags of his favorite treats and three bags of 'experimental' treats. I don't know if he likes those or not. He also got a bag of dog food for about a third of the usual cost. Of course, he really doesn't like dog food, but will eat it when he has to.

It will be interesting to see how long these treats will last...