Update on Jenna

As we told you last week, Jenna had surgery on her left knee on Wednesday.  The poor girl is such a foodie.  It was ruff for her to go without a meal the morning of surgery.  I felt bad for her, but Dixie didn't!

Jenna is a good car rider, but she wasn't sure about the destination until Mommy pulled into the parking lot.  She got a bit whiny at that point. 

She stayed two nights in the hospital.  The first time she had this surgery, the vet kept her a whole week!  Don't tell Jenna, but Mommy was hoping for the same thing this time.  It's less stressful for Mommy when someone else is taking care of the patient! 

The night before Jenna came home, Mommy moved Jenna's crate into the main part of the living room so Jenna would have prime viewing of all the activity going on around her.  I decided to check it out and make sure Jenna would approve.

This new location is lab tested and lab approved! 

When Jenna came home, we both gave her a whole lotta love!  Sniffs all around!  

Lucky for us, Mommy picked up Valentine's treats for all three of us at the Barkery while picking up Jenna.  Jenna says these cookies are good, but they don't make up for the pain and suffering she's going through!

Jenna got to wear her own Valentine's bandana once she was back home.  She said she felt like she was in her very own kissing booth!  She has to stay in her crate for most of the the next few weeks, especially when our parents aren't home.  It's going to be tuff!

Jenna will probably kill me for showing you this, but here's how she looks half naked!  Poor girl looks pitiful with her leg shaved.  Mommy keeps reminding Jenna (and herself) that this too shall pass.  It's only hair; it will grow back!

We'll keep you updated on Jenna's progress.  She returns on the 25th to have her stitches removed.  

Please keep your paws crossed that there are no issues before then!

Dutiful Little Brother, 

Ruger

Prayer Request Please

Our Jenna is having surgery tomorrow.  She needs her left hind leg operated on.  It's her knee again.  Two years ago in May, she had her right knee operated on.  This is the equivalent of a person having his ACL repaired.  In dawgs, once a knee has had this operation, there's a fifty percent chance the other knee will be operated on too!  At our house, this percentage climbs to 100!  Our big brother, Hunter, had both legs operated on; the second was almost a year to the day exactly! 

We'd appreciate you keeping our vet, Dr. Clary, in your prayers as his skilled hands perform this needed surgery.  We think he's a fabulous man and he's the same vet who performed Jenna's first surgery.  Please keep Jenna in your prayers that she does well and is patient in her recovery while at the vet (about a week).  Pray that Mommy and Daddy are calm during this time period too.  The recovery period is about eight weeks!  That's a LOOOOOOOONG time in dawg years!!

Mommy's mantra "This too shall pass" is about to make a comeback!  On the bright side, this surgery is taking place in the winter instead of the kick off week to summer.  Trying to look for a silver lining here . . .

Crossing our paws for our sister,
Dixie and Ruger

Boney Maroney

Our Halloweenie pal is back!  Boney Maroney has returned for another Halloween season at our house.  He'll eventually go outside, but our parents are currently allowing him to stay indoors.  He doesn't even have to sleep in a crate at night!  I can't believe this injustice!  I had to sleep in my crate for several months when I started living here.  My sisters remind me that he was here last year and so therefore this isn't really a new place for him. 

I don't care if he's been here before or not.  He does NOT have the right to eat our toys!  We're pretty sure Daddy allowed this to happen.  Perhaps we should start a fund to "Save Snoopy?"

Jenna did her best to save the toys without harming Boney . . . 

I, on the other paw, decided to show him who's boss!  It's labsolutely NOT him . . . it's technically not me either, but that's beside the point!

I hope you don't have any unwanted visitors at your house as we begin the holiday season this month.  But if you do, just remember to put your paw down, set the ground rules, and hide all the candy and toys for yourself!

Ruger

Flat Stanley

Do you know who Flat Stanley is?  Stanley Lambchop is a fictional boy who is flattened by a bulletin board falling on him.  You can read more about him here.  Mommy is embarrassed to admit, she hasn't actually read the book herself (she teaches middle school, not elementary school after all)!  Elementary schools all over the country read about Flat Stanley and then create their own Stanley to mail to friends and family in the hopes of learning about different parts of the country.

Mommy has had the great pleasure of meeting FIVE Flat Stanleys over the past twenty years!  We've hosted Stanleys in several different states, and if our two youngest cousins follow in their older siblings' footsteps, we will host two more Stanleys in the future!  Mommy enjoys traveling around our area and taking pictures with Stanley.  It must be the scrapbooker in her trying to find a new way to be creative.  With email, the process has become easier and quicker.  The most recent Stanley to visit us (and the largest) was only in town for four days!

We thought we'd share some of Flat Stanley's adventures with you before he headed back to Georgia. Jenna didn't get to meet Stanley.  She's such a paper lover, we were afraid she'd eat Stanley!

Stanley enjoyed Daddy's Jeep and went for a muddy ride with him!

Stanley got to ride a horse with a cowboy and a long horn bull at the Ranch History Museum. 

Cotton is a HUGE crop where we live, so Mommy took Stanley to check out a cotton field.  The cotton hasn't started popping yet, but Stanley was definitely walking in high cotton!

Stanley was fascinated by the prairie dogs.  They can be found all over town.  Our parents are surprised they haven't dug their way into our backyard yet!

 

Anyone ever use Stubbs BBQ sauce?  We think we may have converted Stanley to this brand after he got to pose with the creator of the sauce!

Stanley enjoyed seeing how the oil pumpjacks work although he may not have enjoyed the smell of oil.  Daddy says it's the smell of money!

And last but not least, Stanley fell in a prickly pear cactus while he was visiting us!  These cacti can be used for making fries and margaritas!  Unfortunately, Stanley didn't get a chance to try either of those delicacies and neither did we!

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We hope you've enjoyed Flat Stanley's tour of our current hometown.  If you ever get the chance to host your own Stanley, be sure to give him the red carpet treatment!

Dixie and Ruger

Ruger Strikes Again!

Just when you thought it was safe, I struck again!  Personally I don't think I should bear the blame for this particular incident.  It was an accident on my part, and Mommy should have been paying attention! I mean, really, how can you blame this handsome face?

Mommy keeps the wrapping paper and ribbons stored in containers under one of the guest beds.  She was bending down to pull those out and barely missed Dixie flying into the room and hopping up onto the guest bed.  It was a close call and she was very relieved she didn't get smacked in the face.

The problem is, Mommy forgot she has more than one dawg in this house.  I came flying into the room next and tried to jump up on the bed.  No, I still don't know how to actually get my hind legs up on the bed, but we shan't speak of that. Didn't Mommy recently say how smart I was?  Just keep thinking that.  I pretend I can jump up on the bed and I stand on my hind legs and wait for a boost from behind.

Anyway, that's what I did and Mommy's chin got in the way.  (Daddy would point out to you that it's a BIG chin!) Mommy says she felt like a cartoon character seeing stars spinning over her head.  It was super painful.  It wasn't exactly thrilling for me either.  Mommy said when she turned around I had a dumbfounded look too.  My headbutt left a semi-lasting impression on Mommy.

I'm sorry Mommy, but next time you should really pay better attention.  Don't you agree?
Ruger

Caught!

You're going to think from this title that I was caught in the act of doing something bad, but you would be entirely wrong!   I seem to be involved in all kinds of escapades lately.  Exactly one week after I made my great escape, I found myself in another predicament.

Our parents returned form church one Sunday and were greeted at the door by only Jenna and Dixie.  Mommy thought I was just being slow because I do tend to move at my own pace and only when I want to!  She was very casually calling to me and says she kept expecting to see me come strolling around the corner of the kitchen.  I could hear her, but I couldn't see her.

Nor could I get to her . . .Mommy kept calling for me and I kept wanting to go see her and Daddy, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so.  I heard the back door open and Mommy call outside for me.  Did she think she'd left me outside all morning while they were at church?  That never happens.

Finally I heard her approaching.  She finally saw me in my crate.  She didn't remember putting me in there and noticed the door was wide open.  She started talking to me and asking me why I wasn't coming out.  Then she started freaking out.  I could hear the panic in her voice.  ( I think she actually freaked more about this than my escape the week before!)  She could see my legs flailing around in the air and see that I was trying to get up but couldn't.  She yelled for Daddy to come help.

They both realized what was wrong at the same time.  My collar was STUCK on the wires of the crate!  Daddy released my collar from the crate while Mommy released the collar from my neck.

Mommy said I was so smart.  How is getting your collar stuck on your crate smart???  She says other dawgs might have kept pulling and pulling until they passed out or choked themselves.  I was smart enough just to enjoy the view from my crate and not panic.  She was so relieved this was my only problem.  She thought there was something seriously wrong with my legs or back.

On the other paw, she was shocked my collar got hung up on the crate.  This is the same type of collar we always wear at home (not the prong collar, that's saved for going out in public because we tend to listen better with it on!).  Mommy says she's never had any problems with these collars on any of us in sixteen years!  Oh well.  Since then I've been allowed to run naked and free at home.  And Mommy double checks the gate every time she opens the back door so we don't have a repeat of either of my escapades!

I'll try to not get myself into any more trouble!  Cross your paws!
Until next time,
Ruger

The Great Escape!

A few Sundays ago, we got into BIG trouble!!!  We had an all out adventure before the sun even came up!  We woke Mommy up at the usual time (6AM) and asked for breakfast.  When we finished eating, Mommy let Dixie outside to potty first followed by Jenna and then me.  We frequently go outside by ourselves and then we just bark when we're ready to come back in.  Mommy decided to check on us after we'd been out there for about five minutes.  When she opened the door, she realized to her horror the back gate was OPEN and we were ALL GONE!!!!!  With no collars on!!!!  (We're all microchipped thankfully, but still . . . )

Mommy immediately ran to wake Daddy and they began the search for us.  All total our adventure was about thirty minutes long.  Our parents have watched the security cameras at our house to see our actions and are able to giggle about it now, but they both agree it was no laughing matter at 6:15 AM!

As soon as Dixie came outside, she began barking trying to alert Mommy to the open gate.  Mommy thought nothing of the barking because we have so many dawgs in the neighborhood and we frequently bark at them.  Then Jenna came outside and although she took note of the open gate (which is apparently all Mommy's fault), Jenna didn't venture out.  She went about her morning routine while keeping her eye on the gate.  The incriminating video evidence shows I came out and within seconds I had discovered my path to freedom!  (I frequently sit in the backyard and dream of what's on the other side of the fence).  Jenna followed me shortly after.

The video shows Miss Goody Two Shoes Dixie leaving and then coming back and forth at the open gate for about five minutes before being discovered by Mommy.  Before Mommy and Daddy left in the Jeep to start their search, Mommy looked out one more time and found Jenna had made her way back home.  Jenna had pushed the gate open to let herself back in.

Our parents drove around about twenty minutes looking and calling for me.  They finally drove back to the house to see if I had returned home because Daddy says dawgs always come home.  Mommy ran through the house to see if I had returned through the back gate.  When she came back in the house, there I was!!!

Daddy found me!  Actually, I found him.  I met him in the driveway.  I got a "Good Boy!" for making my way back home.  Needless to say, we are naked no more!  Our collars are back on, the the gate is tightly closed, and my lips are sealed about my real adventure.

What happens on the other side of the fence, stays on the other side of the fence!
Ruger

Pawfect Ruger

At the end of July, I had to go to the vet for my yearly appointment.  I needed a few vaccines and just a good overall check up.  Dr. Clary declared me PAWFECT!!!!  (Seriously, was there any doubt???)

I wore my personalized seersucker bandana and received LOTS of compliments!  I looked LABRADORABLE!

I was a great weight!  Whew!  That means I don't have to eat green beans anymore.  I had packed on a few extra pounds while away from home.  Most of you might think the trainer would keep me slim and trim, but Mommy thinks he really likes BIG dawgs!  When my parents left me with the trainer for boarding last summer as a puppy, he commented that I was too skinny and told Mommy he fed me more than she directed him to.  Mommy thinks the same thing happened during my four months with him this winter and spring.  I even heard the word FAT tossed around by my parents upon my return!

What do you think?  Here's a slightly blurry picture taken back at the beginning of May . . . yes, I like to lie in weird positions, but that's another story.  Am I fat???

Here's another picture taken around the same time.  

Here I am now!  I guess the proof is in the picture (and unfortunately not the pudding).  

I've lost about TWELVE POUNDS!  Mommy put me on the green bean diet.  I ate half of my serving size in my regular dawg food and the other half in canned green beans.  Three months later, I'm slim and trim and the vet told Mommy I could stop eating the beans.  (She's considering trying this diet out for herself!)

Not all of my weight loss can be chalked up to green beans.  I walked about three miles every morning with Mommy this summer.  She walked a total of 6-7 miles each morning between the three of us.  You'd think she might have slimmed down with that much walking, but apparently her snacks aren't locked up like mine are.

Now I can just sit back and relax and focus on looking pawfect.  My good buddy Homer sent me this monogrammed bandana all the way from Australia!  I love it so much I can't stop grinning over it!

I think you'll agree, I'm as pawfect as the vet said.  My sisters may disagree, but what do they know??

Until next time,
Ruger

Dawg Park

Our city finally opened a dawg park in May.  Yeehaw!!  My sisters never needed a dawg park before since they had a huge yard at their last house, but this city definitely needed one since many of the yards are really small (including ours). Mommy isn't sure why she waited until the end of July before taking us, but she did (insert eye roll).

Mommy knew she couldn't take all three of us at the same time (at least not on the first visit).  She was afraid to take Jenna since her knee acts up from time to time, and Dixie can be aggressive towards strange dawgs.  So that meant the lucky dawg was ME!!!

I was very well behaved and ran around with lots of dawgs!  This is the first dawg I met at the park.  Her name is Lottie and she's a Labradoodle.

I also met Ralph.  He liked to run with me to retrieve balls.  Sometimes he beat me to them.  That didn't matter; I just took them back right from his mouth!

I've never seen so much space to RUN free!!!!

(Mommy says I would have LOVED the yard at the previous house.)

 It's too bad my body is cut off in this picture.  If you look closely, I look like I'm a bucking horse!

All this play time is a workout.  There's a water fountain for humans and dawgs, but I preferred the water bottle Mommy brought for me.  The other dawgs liked it too!  I was quite popular.

I can't wait 'til we go again!
Ruger

Hot and Hairy

This summer has been super HOT!  It started back in May with temps already in the 100s for several days running.  We've had at least THIRTY days this summer over 100 degrees!!!  Two days even reached 107 and 108!  WOW!!!  That makes me a HOT DAWG!

It seems every time my parents add a dawg to the family, they add a shedder.  When Dixie joined the family, she shed more than Hunter.  Mommy thought it was awful until Jenna arrived on the scene.  Jenna was one hairy girl!  Since I've arrived, I've blown Jenna's title of Hot and Hairy out of the water. Mommy was hoping I was going to take after my big brother Hunter.  He didn't shed that much.

My sisters did most of their shedding back in May when it first turned hot.  For some reason, I didn't really start shedding until late July. Mommy was dusting in her bedroom one day and noticed there were little brown hairs EVERYWHERE!  Soon after, she noticed I was leaving hairs all over her pants when I rubbed up on her.  She realized she needed to make more of an effort to help eliminate all of my hair.  She started brushing me DAILY!

This is the result . . . EVERY DAY!!!!

It's like a mini me running around the yard after Mommy finishes brushing me.  

I think Mommy should keep all of this hair, turn it into thread, and knit herself a Ruger scarf.  Who wouldn't want that?  When my parents and Hunter lived in Minnesota, Mommy's knitting teacher had actually done just that!  (Yep!  FOR REAL!!)

Instead, Mommy's been gathering it up and throwing it over the back fence.  She said she's sure the birds will enjoy its soft fluffiness in their nests.

While Mommy was gone to Santa Fe, Daddy did NOT brush me at all.  In his defense, he said Mommy did not leave it on his to-do list!  I looked like a shedding buffalo upon her return!

Can you see the resemblance???

Maybe this time next month I'll get to start keeping all my hair . . . probably not!  It won't be cold here until at least late October or early November!  Oh well.

Hot and hairy,
Ruger