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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Critter progress

I came home from my job to find Captain and Baxter napping together (about a foot from one another) on the loveseat. :-) Clearly, Captain has learned not to apply the Paw of Doom for no reason, and Baxter does not view Captain merely as something fun to chase.

Baxter the Smiley SO wants to play with his kitty brothers. I thought he and Stanley were going to have a play session right after I got home, but Stanley is still not sure what to make of the dog's attention. So it wound up as a session of I Sniff Your Nose.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Baxter's Big Day

Baxter spent most of the day at PAWS, getting the Big Snip. I am happy to report that Baxter is HOME. :-) And he is sound asleep on my lap. He ate his food (1/2 the normal meal, per the vet's instructions) and has been given his pain med. He and I both take Tramadol, at least for the next 7-10 days. The neuter went well, and he is now microchipped.

He was NOT a Happy Camper while he was at PAWS, which I expected. He's very attached to his Mom, to put it mildly.

When I went to pick him up, I had a little surprise. I observed that another doggie in the waiting room looked a LOT like Baxter, and that's when I learned it was Pinky, Baxter's brother. OMG, they weren't kidding when they said he looks just like Baxter, only smaller! He looks like Baxter, but shrunk down to Mini-size (about half Baxter's size, in other words). I was disappointed to see that the doggies didn't recognize one another -- Baxter was too out-of-it from the anesthesia to pay attention, and Pinky didn't recognize Baxter because he's full of unfamiliar scents. Pinky's original foster was transferring him to a new foster mama, because she has four cats who weren't pleased at the addition of a pint-sized dog to the fold. She loved Pinky, though, and cried a bit at the transfer. :-( If not for the kitties' reaction, she'd have gladly adopted him. The NEW foster mama looked pretty enthused to be bringing him home, though, so here's hoping that this turns into a "failed foster" (an adoption)! :-)

Where Baxter is concerned, the Tramadol is not the only thing he's going to need for 7-10 days. They sent us home with a Cone of Shame. There are two problems with that. First, this freakin' thing is HUGE. Second, he had no trouble dragging it off. This resulted in my making a beeline to the PetSmart and picking up an inflatable e-collar, which he is leaving alone. I hope he keeps right on leaving it alone once the rest of the anesthesia wears off.

Friday, November 08, 2013

Well, that was quick! The first half-century

I am scheduling this post for the actual birthdate, but I'm writing it a few days after the fact because my weekend was so busy. I celebrated my 50th birthday on Friday with a big dinner at a nearby restaurant with my parents and a whole lot of friends. God bless Mark, he did a great job of hosting the dinner. We were a party of 13 in all.

Joe J. had a shirt made for me that reads "ARF" in the manual alphabet on one side, and 50 on the back. :) We are both insane and we bark at one another, and when we aren't actually barking out loud, I will spell "arf" into his hand (he's deaf-blind and communicates via tactile sign language). I think the shirt is hilarious and I can't wait to wear it.

Another classic gift I got was the tiara I'd been looking at and drooling over when Joe M., John, and I were at the RenFaire several weeks ago. :-) I came this-close to declaring the entire weekend My Birthday and wearing it the rest of the weekend. :-) But any time I plan to be Queen for a Day, that tiara is going on.

We had an unexpected visit from The Other Donna. While I was happy to see her, I was not too happy as to the underlying reason for her visit. Unfortunately, she was down here to attend the funeral of a longtime friend. :-( He was only 50 and died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm. Sigh. It was not lost on me that while I was celebrating a 50th birthday, 50 years was all he got to live, period. So you won't see ME griping over this landmark. It's a privilege, not a burden, to keep adding to the total.

So anyway, they say that the first half-century is the hardest. We'll see about that. Bring on the next half-century!

Monday, November 04, 2013

We had a great walk! Let me tell you about it! Yip! Whine!

Baxter was all kinds of happy after we took a long walk around the neighborhood. He came in and wanted to tell the cats all about it. He went and whined and yipped at Stanley, who Ignored him. Then he stood under the window where Captain was sitting, and yipped. More Ignoring ensued. Finally, he decided he was tuckered out after all that activity, and he's snoring on my lap. :-)

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Baxter vs. Captain and the Paw of Doom

Captain was lounging next to me on the sofa. Baxter, who had been wandering around the living room, decided it was time to come back to sit with Mom, and approached the sofa.

When he stood on his hind legs to look at the kitty, the sudden appearance of his head right in front of Captain's face, like a little doggy Jack-in-the-box, did not go unnoticed. Captain applied the Paw of Doom two or three times in rapid succession -- no claws, just the bopping paw. The dog withdrew, then jumped up on the sofa at the far end of the couch, well away from bopping Paws of Doom.

Now Baxter had a dilemma. The cat was stretched out on the sofa, right between him and me, and he wanted to sit with me. What to do? A tentative "Rrrff!" in Captain's direction had no measurable effect, and the dog stood there, perplexed.

Finally, I coached him a little, but he got the idea. He leaped up to the sofa back, and in that way, walked the length of the sofa to me without coming near the cat or the Paw of Doom. I hoisted him down and bingo. He's now sitting with me. And the cat is Ignoring him. :)

Intruder! Intruder! Oh, wait, it's just Dad!

We just had ourselves a little bark-fest in the living room. Mark was kneeling by the drum table at the front window, updating the lamp's timer for EST. Baxter woke from napping beside me, did not immediately recognize Mark as the person who was kneeling on the floor, and had a barking fit. He didn't stop until Mark came over and let Baxter sniff his hand. Baxter dropped his ears and stopped barking the moment he realized it was just Dad after all.

Captain remained curled up at the other end of the couch throughout all this, though he was giving the dog a "You've gone totally bananas" look. So I'm thinking that Captain is not particularly unnerved by the dog. :-)

As one of my FB friends puts it, "Intruder! Intruder! Oh, wait, it's just Dad." Yeah, that about sums it up. LOL.

So, what is a Chihuahua/Corgi mix called?

I have been googling a bit for photos of Chihuahua/Corgi mix dogs, just to see if my instincts regarding Baxter's heritage are correct. Yes, some of the pictures I have found have resembled him quite a lot.

I have also discovered that there are multiple names for this particular cross-breed. My personal favorite is Chorgi. I have also seen Corchi, and the most popular one appears to be Chigi. I think I'll stick with Chorgi, lol.

I am not happy that the designer craze has taken over the dog-breeding world. However, I say that if you really want a designer dog, make a beeline for your nearest shelter or rescue, and find one there. Not only did I get Baxter from a rescue, but Karla got a Puggle (pug/beagle) from a local shelter, as well. Adopt, don't shop.