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: 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: Warm Laundry

So it's been a while since I've written a Furry Friday post on the blog.  That doesn't mean my dog hasn't been absolutely adorable for the last two weeks, it just means I haven't been quick enough with the camera.  At any rate, today's blog post is all about laundry.  More specifically Riley Chance's obsession with warm laundry. 

Since both Jay and I commute about 40 minutes to work, Monday through Friday mornings there is little time to dillydally.  I hate ironing with a passion and save it for special occasions (weddings, funerals, business presentations, first day on the job, etc).  So Jay and I have taken to implementing the "dryer trick" on weekday mornings.  For those of you who have yet to benefit from said trick, it's simple.  Get up, pick out your clothes, throw clothes in dryer, add a wet wash cloth or sponge, turn on dryer for 20-30 minutes while you are in the shower.  Voila!  No wrinkles.  There are contraptions that are supposed to do this (example: Mister Steamy) but we've found that they produce more noise than results.  Of course you could purchase a fancy dryer with a steam function for upwards of $1000, however, the "dryer trick" can save you some serious cash if you're not in the market for a new dryer.

Furry Friday: Comics

Just to reiterate how much everyone loves Riley, my dad brought over a comic he cut out that he thought was fitting.  Because I couldn't find the comic online and didn't have access to a scanner, I recreated the comic with bits and pieces of other comics just so you could get the picture (no pun intended):

As many of you  know, Riley is a dachshund.  Dachshunds are notorious for having short legs and long bodies.  Well, when it snows Riley is not such a huge fan of taking his walks outside and I can't say I blame him.  He leaves behind four paw prints and a line, if you get my drift.  Which is why we've taken to putting coats on him when it's particularly cold out.  Fortunately he doesn't seem to mind so much.  Which reminds me of another comic my mother found and cut out for us (which was a Dog Eat Doug comic that I had to recreate):

Furry Friday: Chatty Cathy

It's been a while since I've written a Furry Friday post.  As wonderful as my dog is, I've found it difficult to come up with new and exciting things to say about him (gasp!)  He does so many cute and quirky things throughout the week, but come Friday I have a writers block.  I really need to start writing things down when they happen and then Friday's posts will be much better prepared. 

Furry Friday: Belly Boy

Over time we have graciously given our little Rye-guy a number of cute nicknames, all of which he answers to.  Bearded-boy, Buddy, Rye-rye, Rye-guy, Bubba, Riley Baby, Love-Bear... the list goes on and on.  Truth be told, he just likes to be talked to so I think if I even called him an obscenity he'd come prancing over happily.  Lately I've taken to calling him Belly Boy because, well, he is getting a little bit of a belly on him.  What can I say? He has his mother's sweet tooth and an affinity for snacking around the clock.  But since he is a "tweenie" (not a standard or a mini) it's really not good to start letting him pack on the pounds.  Dachshunds are prone to back problems already and since he feels the need to avoid using his steps while getting down from the couch, throwing that extra weight into the mix is like a ticking time bomb for an expensive vet visit. 

Pet Allergies

My poor pup has developed allergies.  I don't know yet what he is allergic to, but he is scratching his face off.  It's only been a few days, but I am getting concerned.  We haven't changed his food.  He's on Frontline and Interceptor, all that good stuff.  I washed his crate bed (and no, I haven't changed our laundry detergents or anything like that.  We already use additive free stuff for Justin's sensitive skin.)  I am thinking of giving him a bath although it hasn't been 2 weeks since I put the Frontline on him.  It's either that or Benedryl.  

I had done some reading online and it appears plenty of people are giving their pets, at the recommendation of their veterinarians, Benedryl for seasonal allergies.  A family member who also has three dachshunds has told me that her vet has given the ok to give two of the pink adult Benedryl pills (not the tabs/capsules) and it seems to help.  I'm just a little nervous, even though our vet had mentioned Benedryl to us a while back.

When we'd first gotten Riley, he had a little soft pallet issue that would cause him to wake up from a dead sleep snorting for air.  It was pretty scary.  I took him to the vet right away and she said it could be one of two things: a.) a preexisting condition, or b.) a reaction to an allergen.  Of which three things were available: a.) surgery to correct the situation if it persisted, b.) 1 tsp of Children's Benedryl, or c.) make him give kisses or rub his throat when it happens and hope he grows out of it.   Well, we opted for the third option since the pallet thing wasn't happening all the time.  We figured it was a reaction to an allergen but were a little worried as to the reaction he'd have to taking Benedryl.  The vet said it could either knock him out cold or have him bouncing off the walls, which as new puppy parents already getting very little sleep this was not a risk we wanted to take.

So... we have yet to medicate the poor baby and I am *this close* to just mixing it in with his food.  

Anyone else have similar experiences?  Want to share your solutions?

Furry Friday - Meet Riley Chance

Inspired by a recent post over at Amanda Talar's blog, I've decided to blog about my Furbaby on this Friday.  I know it's going to sound cheesy, but every now and then my husband Justin and I like to look back at photos of Riley when he was a pup.  It's hard to believe he was once less than five pounds. 

"Riley Chance" - day of adoption