The Dog Is Alright

 Arwen is feeling better. After 5 days of antibiotics, ground beef and rice, chicken and rice, lots of hugs and TLC, she has a happy belly once more. We even went on a walk this morning. Even though it was quite cool and damp, I figured it would be fine.
Then it started to pour.
And pour.
And pour.
And we were only halfway done our walk, which in the country means that we walk until I'm tired, usually about 20 minutes at a slow jogging pace, then we turn around and walk back, again at a (slightly slower) jogging pace. We do about 3 miles or so in 30-40 minutes. I know, I'm slow.
But back to the rain.
Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, if, say, we were in the city, with nice paved sidewalks that don't really get that dirty.
We, however, as stated previously, live in the country.
On dirt roads. With lots of loose dirt and gravel.

I'd show you the "before" photos, of Arwen absolutely filthy, and the left side of my pants (the side where Arwen walks) just disgustingly muddy (I swear she kicks up dirt on me on purpose), but I don't want to frighten young children. Suffice it to say, we were DIRTY! A bath was immediately in order, despite the Time-Of-Use power thingy saying we were at peak power and running the shower would cost a small fortune.
Arwen hates baths.
At first.
When she gets the soap off of her, and is having her post-soap massage in the shower she starts to like it.
When she gets out of the shower, then she really likes it.
Because she gets to hide under a towel.
I really don't understand why she loves this so much, but if I hold a towel out, she will walk under it, wag her tail and wait for me to lay it across her. Then, when the towel is on her, she stands there and - there is no other way to describe it - she wiggles. Yes, you read that correctly, she wiggles under the towel, almost like she is trying to dry herself off. It is the cutest, funniest thing ever.
Then she gets a treat, gets a cuddle, all while being told that she is the most gorgeous dog ever, and then, when she is mostly dry, she cuddles up on a blanket on the couch, and gets wrapped in a quilt to keep warm.
I love my dog.
(can you tell?)

Sick Day

I had planned a post on my new little camera. I had planned to post a few things that I've been up to lately, as a lame excuse for why I haven't been blogging consistently over the past few months.
Then 2:30AM Wednesday came.
Arwen started whining and panting to go outside. I thought that something was outside that she wanted to chase, so I got all of my winter gear on (we were in the middle of our first winter ice storm, joy) and slowly let her outside, holding on to her cable (she has a 40 foot cable to run around the yard, without - hopefully- catching any of the wildlife that come around) to slow her chase to whatever she thought was out there.
There wasn't anything out there.
Arwen was sick. Very sick.

After making half-hour trips outside, to, uh, relieve herself, I knew that she wasn't going to get well on her own, but she was so bouncy and happy and hungry, it was hard to tell what was the matter. I made rice and she happily gobbled half a cup of it, while continuing to go outside. By 9 AM, however, she had brought the rice back up and was still having frequent outside trips, so we took her to the vet. She must have eaten something, but we can't figure out what it is. She is constantly monitored during outside trips, walks, inside time, that I don't know what could have made her sick (I make my own cleaners with vinegar for Pete's sake!).
Anyway, the vet says she has colitis, so she is on some Pepcid AC for her stomach, and an antibiotic to calm her wayward intestines. Poor little dog. She had to get a *ahem* full exam, which I must say she was very good about (I sure wouldn't have been, if a doctor had to stick anything in my...well, you get the idea). She had a slight temperature and raised heart rate from stress, but other than that, the vet said that Arwen looks amazing for her age (8-1/2), the vet even thought she was only 5 or 6! Frequent tooth-brushing helps, I think :)
Good news though, I *think* we may be making less trips outside. After going almost hourly, by midnight last night she seemed pooped out (pun intended), and hasn't had to "go" since. YAY! She's still happy, and bouncy. Her temperature has come down, and she slept for a few hours straight, which meant that I slept for a few hours straight, which is always a good thing.
God willing she's on the mend.
But wow, what an interesting 24 hours that was. And I have a huge pile of dog-do to clean up in the now melting snow.
Joy.
Looking at her sleeping peacefully now though, I don't mind.
But, I might have a little nap before I go out to clean it all up....just for a minute or two

Moose on Monday

This is Moose. He's a Neapolitan Mastiff. When he runs, it kind of resembles a tank, there is so much body and so much momentum, it looks like he's never going to stop.

This is Moose running. The only thing that keeps me from being scared of him as he runs full tilt towards me is the fact that his lips and ears seem to reside on a different plane of gravity than the rest of him... it made me laugh so much that it was hard to keep the camera still enough to get good photos.

This is Moose with his "sister", Bella, also a "Neo", showing how well the blend into the scenery.

Another flying lips shot. Makes me smile. Moose has joint problems, which is why he's so skinny, and now, worst of all, has just been diagnosed with incurable bone cancer in his hip. He hasn't got much time left (the vet says 6 months, but his owner says the cancer has doubled in size in the last week, prompting her to think maybe 3 weeks), which is why I was out taking photos for her to have something to remember him by. These are just a few of the 300+ that I got on Saturday morning. God bless you Moose, you're a handsome and entertaining boy.

A Walk With Arwen

Hello! It's me, Arwen the Wonder Dog, here to take you with me on one of my walks. Mommy has nicely agreed to be my puparazzi and photograph me and my neighborhood to show you some of the things I see. I'm not sure about this pose though...I was in a rush to go for a walk and mommy didn't get a good shot of my adorable ears...

Mommy, hurry up! No one wants to see photos of maple leaves in our driveway, they want to see me! She doesn't always listen though...

*sigh* ok mommy, here's the deal, you can take photos of the "pretty sun in the trees" but now you will have to take photos of only me for the rest of the walk!

Here is the organic vegetable garden up the road from us. I don't know if I like this shot either...Does this angle make my snout look big? Anyway, the garden is good for more than just yummy foods, the owner has a little dog named Bailey and we do obedience together a few times a month. I still don't know how to play, but it is nice to be around other dogs (even if she is tiny!)

 Oooh! Here's the next stretch of road, mommy! What's around the corner? Hurry up, I want to see!! Mommy says she loves our country roads. She loves the old cedar and stone fences, and she says she loves how they always wind just enough to block your view of what is coming up, making you want to walk around the next corner, and then the next, and the next, just to see what is around it, even if we've already walked there before.

 Here's another cool part; we get to cross a little bridge and I can (sort of) see over the concrete ledge. I have to stick my nose in between the metal barriers, but we saw a heron here, though mommy was too slow to get a photo of it. I ruffed a bit at it, but it didn't hear me or it would have come and said hello to my beautiful self :)

Here we are after our walk, in the yard where I can smell all of the racoons, porcupines, skunks, birdies and various other wildlife in our yard. We had a bear here a while back, and I still don't like the smell of it, it makes me put my tail between my legs and run into the house!
Still, our walks ARE fun, and i hope you enjoyed this one too!
Until next time,

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

Check It Out!

Oh let me tell you a story. It is a story of a young woman, enamored with reading. Compulsive reading. Reading everything she could get her hands on, even bus timetable schedules when she didn't' have anything else to read. A woman whose Amazon wishlists extend to 30+ pages of books and movies, on both the .ca and .com sites. A woman who actually budgets money every month for books, even if she desperately needs clothes and can't afford them.
Enter this woman's birthday the past September (ok, ok, I know it took me a while, but at least I'm getting there now!). And enter one of the greatest creations known to human-kind.
The Kindle.
I have to say, I wasn't sure I wanted a Kindle. I like the feel of paper beneath my hands. I like to crack the spine that first time the book is opened and smell the paper. I even like the smell of certain library books. You know the smell, kind of musty and dusty, the smell that tells you it's an oldie but goodie. Makes you want to sneeze and read more.
But, I have to say, I have now filled more than 4 extra large bookshelves, even doubling, and in some cases, tripling books on shelves to get them all to fit.
And my VISA was threatening to disown me. Or give me a crown in honour of the interest I give them each month before paying off in full (jerks).
Brennan got me a Kindle for my birthday. Nothing crazy, just the entry level model with keyboard and 4" (or something) screen and a case, but I have to say it is amazing. I took it right outside (This was when temperatures were consistently in t-shirt level and the sun shone brightly, lulling us into a false sense of eternal summer) and the thing worked beautifully. No reflections, no having to shield my eyes from blinding white paper, and it is LIGHT. The case does add a bit of weight, but when reading outside, or in bed, when your hands start to get a little heavy and you just want to rest a read, the case comes off easily and the Kindle is so light you can read so much longer. Not to mention that, with no backlight, you won't interrupt your body's natural sleep hormones and you'll sleep better than if you'd read a backlit e-book. It is simply amazing.
Oh, and did I mention you can get literally thousands of free e-books? Classics like Bronte, Shakespeare, Austen and more. FREE. *insert evil giggle here* My VISA is going to get awfully lonely. I've been reading for at least an hour every day since I got my Kindle, and I haven't spent a PENNY! I've been reading Anne of Green Gables series (don't laugh, they're good), Jane Austen, Catharine Parr Trail, and so many more... FREE.
I looked at my wishlists, and realized that by downloading the e-versions of some of these books for free I've actually paid for the Kindle already. Most of the print versions cost anywhere from 2-20$ each and I've got them for free.
Highly recommended if you're looking for an e-reader of high quality.
And I've got one, nah nah nah boo boo! :P