Chatbug Karen

See this cute little dog? Don’t let him fool you. He is rotten. He used to sleep in his own comfy bed, in a cage, at night. He decided he would rather sleep in bed with us. He barked all night long until he got his way. Don’t tell our other dog. Elsie still sleeps in her bed, in the cage.

How do you like my new hat? I know, it is not a Fedora Hat but it is the only hat I have found that looks halfway decent on me. My sister made it for me and I love it!

Let me introduce you to my Granddog, Chandler. The kids decided they needed a furry baby and so they made a visit to their local Humane Society. Once they were approved and they purchased the necessary dog supplies, they were able to bring a much loved dog home to their apartment.

Chandler appears to be a Boston Terrier, Fox Terrier mix.

My daughter in-law has been working on teaching him to sit, lay down and roll over. He just about has it!

My son holding his new baby:

Wow! What a whirlwind weekend we had. We visited the kids in St. Louis and picked up a mattress and box spring that was in their way. It meant unloading some truck accessories from hubby’s truck to make room but that was alright. I had been chomping at the bit to visit the newlyweds.

We met our new granddog. He is a cutie and extra smart too! I think he is going to be a fine addition to the family. Our daughter in-law already has him minding very well. She has been teaching him a few manners. He has to sit, lay down and roll over if he wants a special treat. I think a few more days and he will have it down. I volunteered to take him for a walk this morning and that was when he decided to do his business, of course. Good thing I had instructions for how to use the whole poop in the bag trick. Eeew!

The kids have their apartment looking very nice. It is cozy and comfortable. I love how they have put their wall hangings and painted a few walls to make the apartment “their own”. I’ll bet this first year of marriage will fly by for them. It was nice to visit them and see that they are settling in just fine.

Today started out as a usual work day. I was just finishing up some paper work when hubby came in and asked me what happened to our dog. I had no idea what he was talking about and was quite surprised to see that Elsie, our Boston Terrier, was covered with hives. She was panting terribly and that scared me. I didn’t want her going into shock so I scooped her up and took her to the vet.

When I put her collar around her neck, Brody, our Shitzu, heard the jingle of the tags on it and thought he was in for a car ride too. He was so excited that I didn’t have the heart to make him stay home and he joined Elsie and me on our trip to the veterinarian’s office.

Doc took one look at poor Elsie and determined she had been stung by either a bee or wasp. She had several red spots on her neck that looked swollen. Luckily, she had no puncture wounds. Doc gave her a shot and sent us home.

Brody had stayed in the car and was glad to see us when we returned. I, on the other hand, was perturbed to see that he had peed in the back of my SUV. In my haste to get to the vet, I had not made him potty outside before getting into the car. My bad. His bad. My turn to get the oxypowder out and clean up the mess. Oh yeah, he also shredded a tissue, which is his usual behavior.

Elsie went straight to bed and slept most of the day. She seems to be fine now.

There is never a dull moment when you have pets!

Brody got a haircut and a new bandanna to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. He feels so much better since he got rid of that heavy fur coat. He was laying over the air conditioning vent hoping to get some relief. Too bad we don’t run the air conditioner when the temperature outdoors is only 30 degrees. Silly dog!

From me and my puppies, HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY.

We don’t normally allow our dogs to get on the furniture but Brody has taken a liking to my Christmas table runner. I suppose he things I made it just for him. It does fit him rather nicely. LOL

My mom was away for three weeks and while she was gone, we babysat her dog, Suzie. We aren’t sure how old Suzie is because mom got her from a lady who had Alzheimer disease. Actually, the lady’s daughter made the arrangements for mom to take Suzie and she didn’t know Suzie’s age. Anyway, Suzie is old. Mom has had her a long time and thinks maybe she was 7 when she got her. She acts so feeble when she is around my mom. She acts stiff and walks like she has a difficult time making her poor old bones work.

When she stays with us, she gets a burst of energy. Just look at this spry old lady standing on the back of our couch!

What is it with me and paper towels? I am a crazy fool who feels the need to wipe down every surface when I get a rag in my hand. I went out to sit and relax while watching hubby wax our car. I thought it would be nice if I helped a bit by washing the car windows. That is when my OCD took over. I looked around at the garage and saw fly specks and dirt everywhere! Imagine that, dirt in a garage. I started moving golf clubs, grill parts and anything else that was in the way. I was a scrubbing idiot! Before I realized it, an hour had gone by and I had sweat dripping off my nose. Why can I not just sit and relax?

While washing stuff like crazy, Brody was having a good time. That silly dog found the drippings from the smoker. Lynn had smoked a chicken and the drippings were on the gravel. Though Brody enjoyed licking up the gooey drippings, the mess it made in his fur was driving him nuts. He was rubbing his face on the pavement trying to get some relief. I felt sorry for him during his moments of aggravation. It was off to the bathtub for him. He is clean. The garage is clean. I am pooped.

My crazy dog is obsessed with a frog. She wants the frog that she saw jump into our pond. She is relentless as you can see. Elsie rarely wanted to be “in” the water but for the sake of catching a frog she is willing to put her vanity aside. She gets out and comes into the house with muddy feet. I feel sorry for the frog. You would think it would leave during the night but it doesn’t. Maybe frogs aren’t very smart.

I have been looking, it seems like forever, for a sign like the one hubby put on my gate. I wanted to let people know that when they come into our yard they might be greeted by a dog. I didn’t want an ugly sign so I kept looking until I finally came across dog in yard signs from www.doginyard.com. I think it is very nice looking with the brass hardware it came with. I was amazed to find that they would send me a sign before I even had to pay for it. I could see if I liked the sign, which I definitely do, and pay after I received it. What kind of a place does that? A place that has great products to sell and wants happy customers. They call it their “Good Karma Policy.”

I want to say upfront that my dogs are not mean. They would lick you to death before they would bite. It is important though that visitors are aware that dogs are on the other side of that gate. They can be careful not to let my dogs out where they could run away. They can also choose to go to the front door instead of using that gate. They avoid muddy paws on their clothes that way. It is a good idea, for insurance purposes, to let people know you have a dog. Too many people are looking for a reason to sue. Protect yourself with a pretty sign from www.doginyard.com