When I first brought them home, they spent a long time running around from room to room sniffing and checking it out.  They really enjoyed the backyard.  I’m going to have to gain some confidence in trusting the fence.  They went out and marked their territory right away.

Most dogs have cute little doggie beds that the go to when they want to nap, but Daisy has claimed the king size bed in the master bedroom as her own.  She loves to burrow down underneath the covers and sleep. She would stay there all day if we’d let her.  She doesn’t particularly like it when I make the bed, but she has discovered a way to get underneath the comforter when I do.  She stands on the foot of the bed and uses her paws to pull the cover back far enough for her to crawl underneath.  Most of the time the only thing that sticks out is the tip of her little black nose.

I’ve always loved dogs.  When I was growing up, we always had one in the house with us and early on in our marriage we tried to keep one around, but with small children and living on the dairy it proved to be difficult… Leroy was opposed to house dogs… and so it was for several years.  When my mother passed away 5 years ago… she left behind a small Boston Terrier named Minnie.  She was adorable… always happy and full of life.  At the time, I knew Leroy would not object to bringing her home to live with us, but I did not have the heart to take her away from Mom’s neighbors that loved her so much.  So, Minnie stayed with the man who lived behind Mom… a man that was her friend and part of her home.  This whole process made me wish for a house dog again… and Leroy’s sympathetic spirit agreed.  

Leroy bought  me a dog at a charity auction by surprise.  It was a small, Chihuahua mix… really cute… and I was really in shock.  I saw him bidding on it and was overwhelmed when he won the bid.  He handed me the dog as a gift.  I couldn’t believe it.  He had finally given in…. but this wasn’t the dog I wanted.  I had always wanted a Miniature Dachshund like the ones that his Uncle Amos and Aunt Paula bred.  I knew they had a recent litter, so I asked him for one of those dogs instead.  He agreed and we donated the little Chihuahua dog back to the auction to be resold.  I went home and called Aunt Paula and went to their house the next day.

Sierra and Steel went with me and to pick out a puppy.  There were 3 or 4 that were available and they were all adorable.  We couldn’t decide.  I sat on the floor in the middle of the puppy pen and just waited.  I held them all, looked them over and played with them.  There was one… that kept coming back for more.  She didn’t follow the other puppies… she was interested in me.  She noticed that one of her eyes was different.  She had a white ring around one eye that didn’t match the other.  At first I saw this as a fault and dismissed her, but she kept coming back.  I couldn’t resist… and so I know to this day… I didn’t pick a puppy, Daisy picked me.  We put her in the car and she cried ALL THE WAY HOME.  The kids were second guessing the decision before we made it to the freeway.

From that first meeting to to day… she is a HUGE part of this family.  We can’t imagine what life was like before she was here.  She is my girl.  She loves us unconditionally and shares her sweet disposition with everyone she meets.  She has so many fans.  She’s makes everyone feel like they are the most important person in the world.  Friends and family beg us to baby sit her.  She spends a lot of time with my Uncle Glade when we travel and she has them wrapped around her paw as well.  She’s cuddly lap dog that actually loves to give hugs.  She is a love.  

Aunt Paula was here the other day and Leroy proudly told her that Daisy was “his” dog.  I laughed at that… the guy who didn’t want a house dog is now claiming her as his own.   But that is her gift… her gift of unconditional love.

I know, I know… I have way too much time on my hands… and I need to get a life, right?  Don’t be a hater… just enjoy the photos.  Happy Halloween from Charlie the Chicken and Lady Bug Daisy!

I did have one terrifying moment when I went back to pick them up in the afternoon.  When I checked in with the receptionist, she said… “The doctor would like to speak to you in one of the exam rooms.”  I was a wreck.  I thought for sure something had happened to one of them.  All of the blood left my face and my heart started to race.  I said… “Why?  What’s wrong?”  All I heard her say was Charlie and stomach.  A huge lump developed in my throat and I started to think there was some major complication.  I just blurted out… “Is he alive?”  She said, “Oh yes, he’s fine.  He just has a rash.”  I was so relived, but part of me wanted to reach across the desk and ring her neck for scaring me like that.

Charlie’s surgery is pretty self explanitory.  (A friend reminded me of a Far Side cartoon… “Charlie’s going to get tutored tomorrow.  He’s going to be SO SMART!”)  He did well but will be stuck with an E Collar when he’s in the kennel or left alone.  He’s on antibiotic and will have his stitches out in 2 weeks.  

Daisy’s surgery was a new one to me.  It’s called a Nail Quick surgery and basically all they do is put her to sleep and cut her nails way back.  Then, they cauterize the nail to stop the bleeding.  This will shorten the Quick of her nail and then we can keep the cut back shorter.

  The weirdest thing about having her home is that I can’t hear her walking anymore.  Her little feet have always made a scraping sound in the kitchen, and even on the carpet I could hear her little nails clicking together.  We’re going to have to be careful that we don’t step on her now.

Whenever I go down to the basement, they wait for me at the top of the stairs, staring down into the dark abyss.  I wonder what goes through their heads.  If I’m there for a while, Charlie will lay down with his front paws hanging over the step.  Last night I decided to take the camera with me and get a shot of these guys waiting patiently.  I took the first picture, then they turned and looked at each other as if to whisper… “What could she possibly be doing?”  Adorable.