Hello friends and happy Sunday morning! We've had a couple of crazy weeks and I've been sick this last week-for the second time in just 5 weeks. I don't get sick often and I've never gotten sick so closely together, but I am thankful to be feeling better again and back to a more normal schedule.
Yesterday marked 6 weeks since Paige came into our home. It is hard to believe that she's been here that long...I never expected her to have to wait so long for a family, but I believe all things happen for a reason. Paige has settled in so nicely here and, while she is still a crazy ball of energy at times, she has settled into our routine and has learned a lot about what it means to be a good dog. She still needs some love, patience, and training, but as I sit here watching her, it is amazing to see how much she really has grown. Later this week we have a meeting with a potential new family for her and I really think this one is going to be the right fit for her Wish us luck!
Last weekend, my nephew, Mason, and his basketball team were in town for a basketball tournament. It is rare that any of the kids ever have any sporting event so close to me, so I was excited to be able to spend the day Saturday with my family watching him play. His team had a great day and won all three of their games on Saturday.
In between games, we stopped for lunch, and after lunch, we had some time to explore, so I took my parents downtown to the Vietnam War Memorial on the Capitol grounds. It was cold and blustery, but it was nice to spend some time with my dad as he talked about some of the people he had known whose names are on that wall. It is sobering experience every time I visit.
After a long day of watching basketball and squeezing some errands in between games, I headed home for the day. The girls had been home alone all day, so they were ready for some fun as soon as I walked in the door. With the icy sidewalks in my neighborhood, it hasn't been easy to get them out for regular walks, and we were all ready to stretch our legs, so I decided to head back downtown to the Capitol Complex to explore a little more.
The great thing about this area is that no matter what the weather has done, the sidewalks are always clean. The bonus on the weekends is that it is generally pretty quiet too. It is the perfect place to take three crazy girls for a walk.
Since there is a lot of foot traffic in this area all week and it isn't an area we go daily, it is an especially interesting area for three bird dogs who love to use their noses. Plus the views of the Capitol Building are pretty great.
I always try to use the times when we're in places like this to practice some skills. Off-leash recall and stay are two that I work on regularly with Peaches. I also would like to teach her how to look a little happier when I make her sit for a picture for her Instagram page, but it seems like she's always just mad at me for making her stop exploring for a silly picture!
As you can tell, everyone needs to work on their listening skills. Sit is Maddie's least favorite thing to do...unless you have a goody for her, but she stills begrudgingly does it...and forget a sit/stay. She's only willing to do that if an entire meal is involved. So I take what I can get!
Paige especially enjoyed this outing because there were lots and lots of squirrels around us. Amazingly she sat nicely watching one while I was trying to get the previous picture of Maddie and Peaches. And even more amazing, Peaches and Maddie didn't chase after the squirrel even though I had them off leash.
After an adventure, it was time to head back to the car. Maddie was being such a good girl that she got to stay off leash all the way back. She always has a little extra pep in her step when she's not connected to a leash. It was a nice way to spend our Saturday evening before heading home to relax for the night...and before my cold knocked me out for the next couple of days.
While there were no obvious issues with her teeth, we couldn't rule out an abscessed tooth causing an infection. We also couldn't rule out an allergic reaction, maybe to a spider bite. So we came home with a course of Prednisone for the swelling and a round of antibiotics to take care of any potential infection. I was relieved that she was willing to eat some rice and eggs when we got home and she took her meds like a champ...and then she took a much needed nap.
Thankfully, by the next day she was already starting to feel better. Most of the swelling has gone down, although her gums are still a little red and irritated. In about a week, we'll be heading back for a recheck to make sure there is nothing more serious going on, but for now she seems to be back to her happy, silly self.
Since Maddie and I were both feeling better on Thursday night, we headed back downtown for another walk around the Capitol. It was dusk and the lights were just starting to come on downtown. I think it's such a pretty area in the evening. I couldn't resist trying to get a picture.
Finally, after a long, exhausting week, the weekend arrived. I had a lot to get done this weekend, so after spending Saturday morning cleaning, I loaded the girls into the Jeep and headed out to run some errands. They were so good all day as we drove from stop to stop-dropping off our styrofoam and batteries for recycling, running to the mall to do a couple of quick shopping stops, a stop at Great Harvest Bread company for a loaf of bread. In and out of the car I went with three girls patiently waiting for me. After hours of errands, everything I could do for the day was done and it was time to reward the girls for their good behavior.
I decided to explore a new area of the Lansing River Walk so we stopped at Maguire Park, harnessed everyone up, and off we went.
Since this spot was new to all of us, it was pretty exciting. The girls were taking it all in, sniffing and jumping and having a grand time.
There were some pretty views along the way and of course I made Peaches stop for a picture.
As it was starting to get darker and the wind started to pick up, we turned to head back to the Jeep. Although I had hoped to get another mile in, we ended up walking just about 2 miles. Never one to miss a photo op, I made the girls stop one more time on our way back to get a picture at the trailhead. As usual, they were distracted, but I am always happy to capture moments...even if they aren't perfect. This is real life with these crazy girls and I wouldn't change anything about it...well, except maybe having Peaches learn to walk better on a leash!
We got back to the Jeep just as it started to rain and by the time we got home it was pouring. Whew! Got lucky there. After a busy day, we all had dinner and settled in for a quiet evening at home.
Yesterday marked 6 weeks since Paige came into our home. It is hard to believe that she's been here that long...I never expected her to have to wait so long for a family, but I believe all things happen for a reason. Paige has settled in so nicely here and, while she is still a crazy ball of energy at times, she has settled into our routine and has learned a lot about what it means to be a good dog. She still needs some love, patience, and training, but as I sit here watching her, it is amazing to see how much she really has grown. Later this week we have a meeting with a potential new family for her and I really think this one is going to be the right fit for her Wish us luck!
Last weekend, my nephew, Mason, and his basketball team were in town for a basketball tournament. It is rare that any of the kids ever have any sporting event so close to me, so I was excited to be able to spend the day Saturday with my family watching him play. His team had a great day and won all three of their games on Saturday.
In between games, we stopped for lunch, and after lunch, we had some time to explore, so I took my parents downtown to the Vietnam War Memorial on the Capitol grounds. It was cold and blustery, but it was nice to spend some time with my dad as he talked about some of the people he had known whose names are on that wall. It is sobering experience every time I visit.
The great thing about this area is that no matter what the weather has done, the sidewalks are always clean. The bonus on the weekends is that it is generally pretty quiet too. It is the perfect place to take three crazy girls for a walk.
Since there is a lot of foot traffic in this area all week and it isn't an area we go daily, it is an especially interesting area for three bird dogs who love to use their noses. Plus the views of the Capitol Building are pretty great.
I always try to use the times when we're in places like this to practice some skills. Off-leash recall and stay are two that I work on regularly with Peaches. I also would like to teach her how to look a little happier when I make her sit for a picture for her Instagram page, but it seems like she's always just mad at me for making her stop exploring for a silly picture!
As you can tell, everyone needs to work on their listening skills. Sit is Maddie's least favorite thing to do...unless you have a goody for her, but she stills begrudgingly does it...and forget a sit/stay. She's only willing to do that if an entire meal is involved. So I take what I can get!
Paige especially enjoyed this outing because there were lots and lots of squirrels around us. Amazingly she sat nicely watching one while I was trying to get the previous picture of Maddie and Peaches. And even more amazing, Peaches and Maddie didn't chase after the squirrel even though I had them off leash.
After an adventure, it was time to head back to the car. Maddie was being such a good girl that she got to stay off leash all the way back. She always has a little extra pep in her step when she's not connected to a leash. It was a nice way to spend our Saturday evening before heading home to relax for the night...and before my cold knocked me out for the next couple of days.
Tuesday night we made an unplanned visit to the vet. When I got home from work that evening, Maddie's lip was swollen and painful and she was clearly not feeling well at all. I made a quick call to the vet and then loaded her into my Jeep and off we went. While Maddie is not a huge fan of going to the vet, she is a pretty good patient and enjoys the love and attention she gets from everyone there. And everyone there was happy to see us. Since we were an emergency appointment, they triaged her to check her vitals and then we patiently waited for the vet.
While there were no obvious issues with her teeth, we couldn't rule out an abscessed tooth causing an infection. We also couldn't rule out an allergic reaction, maybe to a spider bite. So we came home with a course of Prednisone for the swelling and a round of antibiotics to take care of any potential infection. I was relieved that she was willing to eat some rice and eggs when we got home and she took her meds like a champ...and then she took a much needed nap.
Thankfully, by the next day she was already starting to feel better. Most of the swelling has gone down, although her gums are still a little red and irritated. In about a week, we'll be heading back for a recheck to make sure there is nothing more serious going on, but for now she seems to be back to her happy, silly self.
Since Maddie and I were both feeling better on Thursday night, we headed back downtown for another walk around the Capitol. It was dusk and the lights were just starting to come on downtown. I think it's such a pretty area in the evening. I couldn't resist trying to get a picture.
Finally, after a long, exhausting week, the weekend arrived. I had a lot to get done this weekend, so after spending Saturday morning cleaning, I loaded the girls into the Jeep and headed out to run some errands. They were so good all day as we drove from stop to stop-dropping off our styrofoam and batteries for recycling, running to the mall to do a couple of quick shopping stops, a stop at Great Harvest Bread company for a loaf of bread. In and out of the car I went with three girls patiently waiting for me. After hours of errands, everything I could do for the day was done and it was time to reward the girls for their good behavior.
I decided to explore a new area of the Lansing River Walk so we stopped at Maguire Park, harnessed everyone up, and off we went.
Since this spot was new to all of us, it was pretty exciting. The girls were taking it all in, sniffing and jumping and having a grand time.
There were some pretty views along the way and of course I made Peaches stop for a picture.
As it was starting to get darker and the wind started to pick up, we turned to head back to the Jeep. Although I had hoped to get another mile in, we ended up walking just about 2 miles. Never one to miss a photo op, I made the girls stop one more time on our way back to get a picture at the trailhead. As usual, they were distracted, but I am always happy to capture moments...even if they aren't perfect. This is real life with these crazy girls and I wouldn't change anything about it...well, except maybe having Peaches learn to walk better on a leash!
We got back to the Jeep just as it started to rain and by the time we got home it was pouring. Whew! Got lucky there. After a busy day, we all had dinner and settled in for a quiet evening at home.
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