Christmas is coming and no doggies are visiting right now, it's the calm before the storm. The visiting and partying of the humans start happening about the 15th of the month and the visiting of many doggies at Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches starts about that same time. We will have many, many doggie visitors over the Christmas and New Year Holidays.
When we shop for presents for Santa to leave under the tree there will be 12 little presents for the visiting doggies too. When the presents are opened the visitors will be opening chew sticks and sheepskin teddy bears with squeakers inside. There will only be three humans here Christmas morning opening presents from Santa but there will be 12 doggies and one regal, yellow striped cat named Chester. Chester doesn't just tolerate dogs he thinks they are great fun. He does practice certain caution when we have many visitors. When he comes into a room his nose and eyes peek around the corner first and then the rest of the body tip toes quietly behind. At the first opportunity he jumps with one strong, agile leap onto the top of the computer cabinet where he sits amid the angels and peruses the room for danger. When he is sure that who ever is visiting doesn't think it is major sport to chase and bark at cats he joins the crowd for the pleasures of the evening entertainment. One thing he is always sure of is the doggies will go to bed before he does and he will have all night to have the run of the house by himself. What great fun it is to live with the four legged visitors and residents of Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches.
When we all go to bed, I often chuckle as these little furry friends arrange themselves on Peter's and my beds all cuddled down together. I may be single in my old age but I never have to worry about being alone in a "cold and lonely bed" not with all my warm, friendly visitors. What fun.
Santa may enjoy coming into this household so much that he doesn't want to leave.
And may you have as much fun as we are having around here getting ready for the jolly old elf again this year.
Labels: cats, Christmas, doggies, fun
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving
Each holiday I create a postcard to send to our clients with a photo of one of the doggies who come visit us on the postcard. The doggie whose photo is on last years Thanksgiving card died this year of a congenital problem with her heart. She was only four years old and nobody expected this to happen. When I went into the dog sitting business I knew I would have dogs with me that I would fall in love with and then their owners would either not travel again and not need our services or they would make other arrangements when they did travel. But Maisey, that was her name and she was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was a daycare doggie and with us four days a week for 3 years. When she died if left a big hole in our hearts.
What I didn't realize was that over the course of the 5 years we have been in business so many doggies would die. Small dogs often have life spans of 15 years or maybe a little more. So I just didn't realize how much loss there would be over the years.
It does make me realize, as many things in life do, how necessary it is to enjoy life each day and have fun with the friends, human and canine and feline, that you have with you on that day. Nothing is more precious than friends both two legged and four.
I think in honor of Maisey I'll include her photo from last years Thanksgiving card on todays post. And then I will go give the doggies who are here, Angel the Chihuahua, Rocky the Cairn Terrier, Abbey the Clumber Spaniel, and Tootsie the Doxie , all great big hugs and throw three or four balls for everyone for a while.
Then it's time to clean the deck again. Some poop detail but mostly leaves that are continuing to fall even now in mid November. And there are still some up there on the trees waiting until I get this load cleaned up to fall down and make more work for me. Cleaning the deck is kinda dreary in the NW fall weather but today we will remember to make it fun, enjoying the spirit of the moment.
Labels: Cairn terrier, Chihuhua, Clumber Spaniel, Dachshunds
Amber, The Wonder Dog
Amber, The Wonder Dog, The Dowager Duchess of Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches who was born on March 11, 1991 left us for her next great adventure Thursday November 8th, 2007. She was 16 1/2 years old. She was the deciding vote in which dogs we accepted as visitors at Aunt Kate's and she was the one who stopped the playing when it got too rough and before it broke out into scraps. She was the one who got into the middle of everything and kept control. She will be sorely missed. She was wise far beyond her doggie nature. She was an "old soul" and my constant companion for the last 15 years.
The doggie visitors we have right now are feeling her loss as am I. Rocky and Ripley and Boomer all know that Amber is missing and are sad to feel her loss.
Good Bye Amber, all of us still on this plane all wish you a pleasant journey, we will join you when it is our time.
Farewell
Labels: Amber Dowager Duchess, Poodle
Koda and Ellie came to vist
We were really busy over the weekend we had several doggie visitors and the sun shone so we spent time in the yard doing fall cleaning.
Koda is a very small Collie he really isn't much bigger than a light weight Sheltie and he is so sweet and loves to play. He particularly loves to play with the water from the hose and jumps around biting at the water flow and then jumping in the puddles I make while cleaning up the deck. We have lots of fun. This time Sparky a Yorkie that was visiting thought Koda was attacking me when he went after the water from the hose so Sparky was scolding Koda and Koda was bouncing at me. We all had lots of fun. Laughing and hooting around on the back deck like a bunch of kids. The neighbors must have thought we were nuts over here. The neighbors can hear us but there are really good fences so they can't see in the back yard at all. Some of the times when we are playing with the dogs I bet they really wonder what is going on.
We have a delightful five year old Cairn Terrier named Rocky, staying with us whose owner, a 42 year old woman, died suddenly a few months ago. The husband is in a position now where he can't keep Rocky and we have been asked to find Rocky a good home. We have such wonderful clients I hope I am going to be able to find him a home with some of our clients where we know he would have a good loving home.
Probably more about Rocky later as his story develops.
Right now the doggies are telling me it's time for dinner. So bye for now.
Labels: Collies, Shelties, Yorkies
Sparky for Halloween
When the Trick or Treaters come to our house, they will be met by Sparky the Yorkshire Terrier in his Witch costume and Rocky the Cairn Terrier all dressed up as Spiderman. Max the Havanese hasn't decided which costume he is wearing yet and Amber will wear her diamond Tiara and pink feather boa. The lady in the picture with Amber is not Aunt Kate it is Jannine a friend of the family..For many years Amber has worn her diamond Tiara as befits the Duchess of the Manor. She could be no less.
At Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooches everyone has fun on Halloween even Aunt Kate who is wearing her witches garb with a black pointy hat with a lime green boa around the rim and a matching boa for her shoulders. Peter with be in his Mad Scientist outfit.
Spiders and Bats hang from the roof of the front porch and you have to walk through the graveyard to get to the front porch.
For treats we pass out full sized Hershey candy bars.
For some reason every year we have more kids stop by, I think we are the talk of the neighborhood.
Doggies love kids and kids love dogs and everyone loves to get dressed up. What fun we have.
We hope you do to.
BOOOOOOO
Labels: Boooo, Cairn terrier, Yorkshire Terrier
Morning chores
Well, it's another morning in the doggie sitting business, all the visitors and our own doggies have been out to take care of their morning chores. Then back in so the people who wait on them, Peter and I (I'm Kate) can get their special breakfasts prepared. It's quiet today compared to yesterday when Ripley and Rocky were playing so hard together and so much fun to watch. Ripley's owner picked her up last night and I let Rocky and Ripley together in the main part of the house so he could see how much fun they were having together. When Rocky realized that Ripley was going home he was visibly sad. Ripley comes back on Thursday and Rocky will still be here then. So that's good but not a concept it's possible to communicate to the dogs sorry to say.
When doggies come to visit for the first time they have a hard time adjusting to the idea that the friends they have made are going to leave them. When it happens the doggie who stays is visibly sad and the owners tell me that the doggies they take home miss being here.
It really is good for all of them to have the company of other dogs. They make friends and have fun. That is why daycare is so good for doggies. Simplistic but very true.
Well, it's time for me to get out and pick up and scrub the deck. One of my daily chores. I must say a much easier one in the summer time when the sun is shining. We are definitely into the "dark times" of winter here in Western Washington. I have saved seeds from my cosmos which bloomed so beautifully last summer and am looking forward to planting them again in April.
Labels: Cairn terrier, cats, Havenese, Poodles
Basenji's and Cairn Terrier's
"Ripley", a Basenji we have helped raise since she was a puppy is quite a handful and full of mischief. She is somewhat of a schoolyard bully too towards the other dogs. I compare her to the kid in school who pulls the girls braids and sticks the ends in the ink wells. No, I'm not old enough to remember ink wells but I read a lot.
Anyway, she is visiting right now and she has finally met her match in "Rocky" a Cairn Terrier who is also with us for a week. They are rough-housing non stop, dashing around on the deck and into the house and around the table and bouncing off the couch, both of them having a wonderful time. We also have a mini-doxie named "Yadda" visiting who really wants to get right into the thick of things too. Ripley and Rocky have been letting her play with them and it's fun to watch because they are so rough and tumble with each other and then so gentle with Yadda.
Amber, our seventeen year old Poodle is too old now to supervise the rough play much any more like she used to but she is sitting on her pillow on the sidelines overseeing the activity like the Duchess she is.
In other words life is normal around the Aunt Kate's Pampered Pooch household. Besides our own Havanese and Poodle we have visitors that include two Mini-doxies, a Pug and the Basenji. Not a totally full household but enough to be a lot of fun.
Labels: Basenji, Dachshunds, Havanese, Hooray, Poodle, Pug
