Furry Friday: A Toddler's Best Friend

This is the face of a saint.  Not a saint bernard, but a saint in the literal sense.  This dog puts up with so much crap from my son Jayson, I almost feel bad for him.  But he asks for it.  He really does.  He and Jayson are inseparable. Irregardless of the trouble Jayson has in mind, Ace still goes to him when he calls him.

Frequently his fur has sticky or matted sections from grubby little hands covered in ketchup, syrup, yogurt, fruit snacks or any other substance Jayson has recently consumed.  Ace doesn't mind though.  He got to share whatever was covered in the ketchup or syrup.  It's a slight price to pay.  Luckily he's dapple colored, it allows stuff like that to blend in.

He accepts hugs that are a little too tight.  Despite being a whopping eleven pounds, he will wrestle and roll around on the kitchen floor with Jayson who easily outweighs him 2.5 times over.  He will also snuggle up tight for a nap, subject to being rolled over on and any other thrashing around that Jayson does.

They truly are best buds.  When Jayson asks for an animal cracker, rest assured he's looking up at me and asking "Ace?"  Yes, Ace can have one too and he's probably going to steal yours when your not looking.

Furry Friday: In Remembrance

It's been a week since we said goodbye to Riley. It's taken me a week to gain my composure and to collect my thoughts.  Riley was taken from us all too soon following an emergency splenectomy. The surgery went fine. A clot claimed our little guy the following morning.  The staff at the Capital District Animal Emergency Clinic did all they could and we were well aware of the risks,  including blood clots. We just clung to the hope that he would be the minority who defied the odds.  Our spunky bearded boy.

They say everything happens for a reason. I truly believed that when we adopted Riley.  We only had him a few short weeks before the passing of my father-in-law and if it weren't for Riley, I'm quite sure my husband would never have emerged from the depression that followed. 

Riley was a lover and a fighter. He loved nothing more than snuggling on the couch or between the pillows on the bed.  He was mellow like that which suited me just fine. Those who know me know I like to lounge around on the weekends and he provided great company.  Everyone loved Riley. He didnt believe he was a dog and he firmly believed your sole purpose in life was to provide him a lap to lay in and perpetual belly rubs. True to his breed though, he made few friends of the canine sort so we were a one dog household.  

Riley was a good dog. He never stole any of the baby's toys, he didn't ever exhibit food aggression and would frequently allow Jayson or my sisters to hand feed him his entire bowl of kibble.  I was always nervous about how Riley would accept a new baby in the house, but he accepted it just fine. I was also nervous how he'd be once Jayson was up and walking on his level, but again he put my fears at ease. He would follow Jayson all over the house. It didn't hurt that Jayson frequently had snacks and Riley was never one to turn down food.

It goes without saying we will miss our first son terribly.  I used to joke that he was the best child I could have because he didn't give me stretch marks and I didn't have to endure hours of labor.  Well, despite being spared stretch marks and labor pains I am enduring the pain of his loss and even though the grief will subside,  it will long outlast any labor pain I'll ever experience.

In closing, I'll leave you with a quote from Walter Anderson: "Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself."  I choose to rise from the pain and remember just how full of life Riley was and how much joy he brought to mine. 

I'll love you always and forever.  RIP Riley Chance Krueger. "If love could have save you, you would have lived forever."

Furry Friday: Toy Explosion

It's no secret that after a period of time dog toys start to stink. I decided to wash our fur child's basket of toys and believe it or not there were enough there to constitute a whole load of laundry! Well now that Riley's toys are all fresh smelling he couldn't decide which one to play with first, so he decided they all needed to be strewn about the floor.  How nice, right?

Furry Friday: Pretty Boy Snacking

It's no secret that Riley loves to eat, or hang out in Jayson's room, or do both at the same time.  We do limit snacks in the baby's room however, we're not a huge fan of food upstairs on the carpet.  With that being said, here are some recent shots of Riley sitting pretty in Jayson's room, drawn to something out the window.  I'm also sharing a video of Riley and his best bud sharing snacks after daycare.   It started when Jayson was using a walker. Jayson would purposely drop food down for Riley and Riley, stupidly, would be willing to risk being run over for the snack.  It progressed to feeding him from his high chair (Riley puts his front paws on the bottom rung to reach whatever treat Jayson is dangling over the side).  Now that Jayson is walking, Jayson realizes Riley will follow him all over the house for a treat and will occasionally stop to sit down and hand feed him whatever goodies are in his snack cup. This has become a daily ritual. Too cute.

Furry Friday: Looking Fabulous

Yesterday both Riley and I had a few appointments that afforded me the ability to work half day and spend the other half of my day driving around with my number one fur-child.  The old man had a check up, a bordatella shot, and a grooming.  I had a follow up doctor's appointment, six vials of blood work processed, and an x-ray.  Fun fun.  But at least he looks fabulous.

Furry Friday: A Boy & His Dog

It's been way too long since I've done a Furry Friday post.  Since becoming a mother, my posts have been more infrequent to begin with but I don't want you to think that Riley has been forgotten about altogether.  We still have plenty of snuggle time.  He still sleeps by me.  We snuggle on the couch after Jayson's gone to bed.  He is always within arms length.

Furry Friday: Tidbits

It has been forever and a day since I posted a Furry Friday post.  Since I don't have any cute stories to share, I'll do a quick update on how Riley's been.  So far he's been pretty good with Jayson.  He's a little much with the kisses to the face, but I guess it's better than biting.  However, speaking of

Furry Friday: Tub Buddies

Furry Friday: A Great Big Brother

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

They do not ask for all your love,

But give you all of theirs.

The good and bad times in your life,

They willingly will share.

No friend you have could be as true,

And love you without measure,

Yet bring into your daily life,

Such multitudes of pleasure.

They have a way about them,

That's sure to win your heart,

And then before you know it,

You cannot be apart.

Such a blessing when our Lord above,

Puts the puppy dog on earth,

Man's best friend, he is indeed,

That will always show his worth.

~Albert N. Theel

Furry Friday: Grandpa's Bud

It's no secret that Riley and his Grandpa are buddies.  Grandpa comes over every work day to walk him at lunchtime and even just the mention of Grandpa's name makes Riley do an excited little tap-dance.  In case your wondering what a dachshund tap-dancing is like, just imagine Riley jumping around on his little 3 inch legs clickety-clacking his little toe nails all the while.  It's cute, really.  He also does this when he can't decide if he should sit/stay or run for the back door when we're getting ready for a car-ride.  So as you can see, Grandpa ranks right up there with car-rides.

Furry Friday: Bonding

It feels like ages ago that I've written a blog post about my little buddy Riley.  He's still alive and well.  Since I last wrote about him in February, he's been enjoying his Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone and snuggling up with his mama.  I swear that bone was the best investment we made at Christmas time for him.  Even when its out of rawhide refills, he loves to sit and chew with this for hours.  It must be because he can get a better grip on it with the ball.  

At any rate, you might recall that we prematurely got him groomed in February on the same day as my dreaded Glucose Test. I love how he feels after he's groomed though.  His fur is so soft like a little teddy bear.  However, even though he really needed it, his new short haircut doesn't make him too fond of the great outdoors especially on days like today when the weatherman continues to forecast snow.  So we spend a lot of our time bundled up together on the couch in the evenings.  As I'd mentioned in my ESP post, this is the time that he just loves hugging up to my belly.  I finally got some shots of it to share on here.  I hope this is a good sign that he's already bonding with his brother.

Any pet experiences to share?  Particularly how your pet was during the pregnancy and once the little bundle of joy arrived?

Furry Friday: Muttluks

About a week ago I went to bed in Upstate New York and woke up in Antartica.  I kid you not.  All week long each day has started out below zero and only reached a high of eight degrees midday.  Insanity!  This of course leads to a number of things - the hubs is upset that it's too cold to snow any sort of accumulation for snowmobiling (we have had some crappy years for that) and I intake more calories than normal in the mornings by packing a hot cocoa for the ride to work.  Not to mention the dog has decided he's striking on anything related to going outside, and that includes bathroom breaks.  I swear he thinks he can cross his legs until springtime. 

Furry Friday: Prep your pup

Seeing as how I'm half-baked, well the baby is anyway, I am getting more and more nervous about how well my other little man is going to handle the new addition.  Riley has been our baby for the last five years and 1.) I don't want him to feel less loved, 2.) I don't want him to become a monster either.  A lot of different parenting and baby magazines have tips and tricks for prepping your pup for the arrival of a baby, however they all seem very "fluff."  

• Practice walking your pooch with your stroller prior to the baby's birth
• Download sounds of a baby crying and play it sporatically through the day/night.
• Carry around a baby doll
• Have your husband bring a receiving blanket home one night while you are still at the hospital to familiarize the dog with the scent
• Have your husband bring the baby in when you come home

Furry Friday: Holiday Excitement

This time of year my Rye-guy goes gaga for presents.  He's a like a little kid.  If you bring any packages into the house without allowing him to inspect them, he immediately thinks it must be a present for him and will sit and whine at the spare bedroom's closet door (assuming that's where you hide your presents) because he knows its in there.

Trying to wrap gifts with Riley around is also a feat.  He's only a foot tall, so keeping things out of his reach isn't really the issue.  The issue is that he cries as if you are hurting him the entire time you are wrapping something outside of his reach.  He's mister impatient when it comes to Christmas.  He wants a present and he wants it now.  If you even say the word "present" he gets all anxious and trots off to stand guard outside the spare bedroom's closet door.  Yep, he's one smart cookie and a real pain in the you-know-where sometimes.  But I love him and watching him open presents is worth the aggravation.  Here's a video from last year:

Anyone else have a dog, cat, ferret, etc that loves to open presents?

Furry Friday: Think Fast

I know in the past I've commented on how Riley was a great little time keeper (Like Clockwork) but this morning he must have been on break.  Justin and I had forgotten to set the alarm and had to scramble to get ready for work this morning in a half hour time frame.  I said to Riley "Oh man, you were supposed to wake us up!" and he just looked at me like I had three heads and rolled over.  Yeah, it was already starting out to be a rough morning considering we had to get two of us through the shower, the dog walked and fed, and I had to eat a little something before running out of the house (pregnancy will do that to you.) 

Furry Friday: Faux Hawk

As you can see, during his Furry Friday hiatus Riley has been very busy growing out his hair for the upcoming winter months.  His wire hair certainly lends itself to some super styles.  Who else do you know that can rock a faux hawk sans hair product??  This guy right here.

Furry Friday: In Good Taste

It's hard to find things our little Rye-guy doesn't have a taste for.  He will beg for a taste of whatever you are eating, even if it's celery sticks.  In trying to keep in mind that his waist line doesn't exactly love snacks as much as Riley does, we have been purchasing what are purported to be "healthier" versions of his usuals.  For Milkbones, we've been buying the granola based ones.  Rachel Ray offers her "Just Six" snacks, which I've mentioned before, and now we've tried out Beneful's baked versions called "Baked Delights".  He loves their Quacks and their Hugs.  We're now testing out the Snackers.  They're veggie/fruit shaped but are a peanut butter based product.  So far he seems to like them.  

Furry Friday: Halloween Prep

I cannot believe how long it's been since I wrote a Furry Friday post.  I'm also kicking myself that I didn't take any pictures of Riley this past weekend trying on his Halloween costume.  That's right, Riley even gets into the spirit.  One year he was a Hot Dog (creative for a dachshund don't you think?) and another year he was a Devil.  This year we didn't have his hair trimmed in August and so he's a little shaggy, however this would work great for a few costumes on the market right now: Yoda, Scarecrow, and... PIRATE.  Can you tell we went with Pirate?  He's so friggin' cute.  In the past, he wasn't crazy about the other costumes because they were constricting (one was a t-shirt style, the other had to velcro around him), so this year we simplified.  His costume has a skull and crossbones bandana and a pirate's hat.  Surprisingly he sits still long enough to put on the hat.  I should take some photos of him in all his costumes to date to share on the blog.

Furry Friday: Chillaxin

It's been a while since I've done a Furry Friday post, and it's not because Riley hasn't been full of spunk and keeping us all entertained.  We've been so busy lately that I've failed to capture most of those moments on camera. What I have been fortunate to get shots of was some of our downtime where we were just chillaxin. Well, I shouldn't take all the credit.  My sister managed to snag two out of three of the below photos.  Just looking at them makes me smile.  I love my little fur buddy.

Sitting outside

Visiting with Grandma Peck

On a walk

Furry Friday: Jumper

Riley is loving that we've moved our bedroom upstairs.  He is loving the fact that the stairwell is no longer gated and that the upstairs is once again part of his domain.  One small problem though, Riley has developed a new bad habit since we've moved upstairs... jumping off the bed.  He never did this in our downstairs bedroom, but I think that had to do with the fact that the floor wasn't carpeted.  He's always been a jumper when it came to getting up/down from the couch, but the bed is quite high and I cringe at the thought of back surgery for the little dude.  Doggy stairs aren't really an option either.  We have a set for the couch and try as we may, he only learned to use them to go up.  Coming back down he apparently enjoys the thrill of a jump.  So now I have to contemplate a solution to this very real problem.  Suggestions?