ESCAPE!

A Dogs on Thursday one day late post…….

Mercy escaped last night.

Keith had just gotten home from work and was changing into comfy clothes.

I had just returned home with Sweet Pea after an incredibly busy day and sat down in her rocker to nurse her.

We both suddenly realized that Mercy had not been let out. Keith sprinted downstairs to do so, as we are zealously protective of our freshly refinished floors with respect to doggy business.

He opened the back door and bent down to grab Mercy’s line when RABBITZILLA appeared in the middle of the yard.

I heard some loud barking, followed by silence, and then an “Uh oh, she’s gone.”

SP and I came downstairs to three-stooges-esque activity. I was running one way, Keith was running another, neither of us had shoes on, he was in his “drawers”, I had a baby in my arms.

Our neighbor showed up, breathless and barefoot with a spatula in hand. “Your dog!” Much panting.

“I was grilling steaks,” more panting, “and she ran past me chasing that rabbit! She went through the fence into the thick brush in the park!”

Sweet Pea went into the playpen while I grabbed a bag a treats. I ran into the yard and started calling for Mercy, interspersing her favorite words like “treats” and “chicken” and “go for a walk.” Keith had since gotten dressed and was running to the park.

It seemed like forever before I heard my neighbor yell, “He got her!”

Mercy had eventually given up her pursuit of rabbitzilla and was walking back on the path towards our street (was she coming home?). When she saw Keith, she turned around and started walking the OTHER way, with her tail between her legs and ears back! He commanded her to sit, which she did, and he scooped her up and brought her back home.

Phew!

I was thinking that her turning around and walking away was an illustration of us and God. He wants us to live a life of obedience to him not just for us to follow the rules, but to protect us. We want Mercy to stay in the yard to protect her! When we stray from Him, there are consequences to our actions. Sometimes even when we are confronted with truth we continue to do our own thing or even turn away, but He will scoop us up and bring us back.

What an amazing God.

“If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” - Matthew 18:12-14

Ahhh… garden dreams….

Keith shot this photo in the lovely town of Lewiston, NY, about a month ago. I love it! The bright colors, the white picket fence, the whole package.

Little did we know that one week after seeing these beautiful blooms that we would have found a home for us, and one with fabulous gardens too! So next spring, we will have beautiful tulips blooming in our own yard!

Now, what to do about Mercy and the gardens… and the not-completely-fenced-in-yard.

Dog Whisperer, help!

Thanks for your support on my last post! Ahhh child rearing…

What about dog rearing? It is Dogs on Thursday, you know. And I have a dog in need of some intervention. Dog Whisperer, are you out there???

She’s generally a happy dog, but she HATE HATE HATES my neighbor. A lot. I think she would bite him if she got near enough. I’m not sure why; he is 75-ish and smokes- the smoking bit is one of Mercy’s phobias, remember? But seriously, it’s embarrassing. And I don’t know what to do.

Mercy doesn’t seem phased at all by this afternoon’s “barking mad” incident. my neighbor was out puttering in front of the condo and Mercy was having NONE of that. She sounded like she wanted to rip him up! Fortunately she couldn’t, and didn’t, as I promptly brought her inside.

The “sun spot” is back and she  couldn’t be happier.

It’s tough to stay mad at her. Especially when she looks like this.

Run Mercy Run

I came across a cool article in this month’s Runners World.

See Spot Run.

There are not only dog-walkers in the world, but dog-runners. People who are paid to take your dog out for a run.

Hmmm. I could do that!

Some of you may know that I run with Mercy. It’s quite a sight to see, I would imagine. You picture her kind in a foo-foo purse walking down Main as opposed to running full speed.

She can’t help it. She has two speeds: Fast and Faster.

I don’t seem to have a photo of her and I running together (I promise to get some soon), but here is one of her and Keith running.

I take Mercy with me on my Easy runs, not because she couldn’t keep up on a tempo run, but rather because I need to concentrate on those! Easy runs are relaxed, and not really for time, and it’s not a big deal to have to make a potty stop a few times for Mercy. I can stop at the fountain in town and she can get a drink, or we can cruise over to the creek and get a little wet.

Mercy doesn’t get a run in everyday, but if the weather permits, she and I and Sweet Pea will get out for a walk. A happy dog is a tired dog.

The vet says that she is ideal body weight.

I say she’s a machine.

Spring Swap

Katie sent me a wonderful package for the Dogs on Thursday Spring Swap.

What a wonderful package! It included some Sugar & Creme cotton, towels for Mercy, a squeaky squirrel, a tug toy, a package of sunflower seeds to plant, and some gourmet dog treats in the most adorable basket. Oh, yeah.. there was a package of chocolate & carmel Werther’s Originals… but I um, ran 6 miles yesterday and threw my willpower out the window. ooops. Thank you Katie for such a lovely swap!

Here’s an action shot of Mercy with her new squirrel toy:

All you dog people out there know how hard it is to get a non-action shot when you introduce a new toy!

This was the first swap I participated in since Sweet Pea was born… and it was fun! Thanks to the gals at Dogs On Thursday for putting it together.

Flight of the Yorkie

We took Mercy with us to California again this year, citing boarding costs as our “reasoning.”

Truthfully, we didn’t want to leave her home and since there were two of us, we figured that one could handle the dog, and the other take care of the baby. We were quite the hit in the airport- all the adults oooed and ahhed over little Sweet Pea and all the children oooed and ahhed over Mercy.

By the way, has anyone ever seen a family travel with their baby AND dog? I’d like to think that we aren’t the only crazy ones…

Mercy flew in her “little kennel,” the FAA approved kennel that can fit under a seat. Dogs under 15 pounds can fly in the cabin with their owners provided their kennel fits under the seat. Flying with your pet will cost you, but it was less expensive than boarding her while we were gone. We use Mercy’s “little kennel” whenever we travel with her, by car or by air. She knows the command and gets very excited when the kennel comes out. The day we left, our flight was at 5 pm and her kennel was in the front hallway along with the rest of our luggage and Mercy just kept going in there, as if to say “Is it time to go yet? Is it time to go???”

She was not sedated and she was perfectly fine. On our way to California, we had a longer layover and Keith was able to sprint out to the outside of the airport and let her out for a potty break before our second flight. On the way home we didn’t have any time between flights, but Mercy didn’t seem to mind.

These are a few tips I have found helpful in traveling with a dog:

- Have your dog’s shots up to date and carry that documentation WITH your dog, we stored the paperwork in a small compartment in her kennel. We’ve never been asked for proof of vaccination at the airport, but you never know…

- Do not feed your dog 12 hours prior to the flight to prevent airsickness and also to make sure that your dog won’t have to do a “doodle” during flight.

- Make sure your dog’s collar is secure. Check for wear on her collar to ensure that it will not break at an inopportune moment. Collars with plastic buckles can break and I don’t recommend traveling with these on your dog.

- Bring a 4 foot leash for use in and around the airport. It’s easier to control your dog when on a shorter leash. Some airports let you take your dog out, some don’t.

- Bring a few days worth of food for your dog IN YOUR CARRY-ON luggage. If you get stuck somewhere, Fido’s gotta eat and you definitely don’t want to change his food while stuck in a strange city. Some dogs get diarrhea when they change food.

- DON’T let anyone put their fingers in your pet’s kennel. Fluffy may have never bitten anyone in her life, but when placed in a stressful situation, she may react differently. Mercy has growled at well-meaning people in the airport before.

- Know a name of a vet near where you will be staying.

Happy travels!

So they say it’s your birthday….

Mercy is three years old! Her birthday was actually yesterday, March 23, but was a little overshadowed by Easter…

Her gifts were the basket from the auction last week and a trip to California tomorrow with the family:) lol.

Little diva

We attended an auction last weekend to benefit a local school and picked up quite a few lovely items.

Among the baskets we won? A “diva” dog package, that included Mercy’s new snuggle toy…

And some watermelon “in between bath wipes”, since ALL dogs need that, right?

The basket also included a collar, leash, gift card, bowls, and treats. It’s an early birthday gift for Mercy I think that the wipes will come on handy after those muddy romps in the park.

Among all the lovely baskets at the auction, of which there were hundreds, I was astonished to see that there WAS.NOT.ONE.KNITTING.BASKET!!! I believe I will be putting one together to donate next year. There have to be other knitters in attendance, right?

There are several other goodies that we came home with, but I’ll save those for another day… and show you my hourglass progress instead:

Today is the first day of spring, but there is snow on the ground, therefore I believe that I might just be able to wear this beauty soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

Dogs on Thursday Spring Swap Questionnaire

How many dogs do you have?

Just one!

What is her name?

Mercy (nicknames inculde Bee-Doop, Mercer, Mee-shnoops, Shnoopy)

What are her favorite toys?

She loves stuffed animals- she likes to rip the stuffing out.

What are your favorite treats?

Yarn, fabric, notions…….. and anything that includes coffee, chocolate or carmel!

What are her/his/their favorite treats?

Chicken Dingos are her favorite, but she likes just about everything.

What are her persons favorite colors?

Pink and blue

What allergies do you and/or your dog(s) have?

Mercy has no known allergies. I am allergic to nuts and cats.

Creature of Habit

Dogs, like people, are creatures of habit.

Mercy’s habits? Some normal, some weird, but that’s why we love her.

She is awakened from her slumber at around 6:20 am, which is when the coffee maker finished brewing and my husband goes to fix himself a cup ‘o joe. Keith will open Mercy’s kennel door and she will come tearing into the bedroom and jump up on the bed, quickly burrowing her way under the covers to sleep some more.

Once I grab my glasses from the nightstand, she will bolt out of bed to look out the window. It doesn’t matter how quietly or slowly I reach for my specs, she always hears me and gets up. Once I get out of bed to get MY coffee, she goes outside to do her bizness… but I have to be careful that she isn’t out there when our neighbor is walking her dog, otherwise mass chaos will ensue.

Other habits? She completely flips out when I open my sock drawer and pull out a pair of running socks. Granted I haven’t taken her on a run outside in quite some time due to the snow, but she is hopeful every time just the same. When the television turns off, she sprints to the bedroom, thinking it is time for bed, regardless of the time of day.

And one of my favorite habits? When Keith works late and isn’t home by his usual 6:30 time… Mercy sits up on top of the couch staring at the front door until he comes home. I smile every time I see her up there because my heart is doing the same thing… just waiting for my hunny to come home!