In case any long time ago readers come here wondering why they are suddenly getting notices of new posts, it's because when I cam here to check on something I discovered a lot of the posts had been turned into drafts and not by me. As near as I can figure out Bloggers did it to posts with pictures in it they wanted out of their archives. There are more the might appear in your mailbox over the next week. Sorry about that.

I'm still blogging actively at: The Misadventures of Widowhood.

Blood, Pee and Poop Everywhere!

I've hardly had a moment to myself up here at the Rainbow Bridge since I volunteered to help with the dogs in the path of the hurricanes. Those poor dogaroons down there really need what our angel dog team is doing to help calm their fears. It's rewarding work but I feel a little guilty for not being around for my baby brother, Levi. His problem is getting worse.

Levi will be nine months old at the end of the month and he's been housebroke for five of those months but it's been raining a lot where Mom and Dad live and Levi is giving Mom fits about going outside when it's raining and when the dirt in the dog yard is wet. He's even started peeing and popping on the deck. He'll also ask to go out one door and when he finds out it's raining there, he'll run to another outside door and ask to go out, thinking it might not be raining on the other side of the house. Mom has gone back to square on and is sitting outside with him until he goes where he's suppose to go, regardless of the rain on his back or the wet dirt under his paws. He's making progress. This morning he peed on the rubber mat at the bottom of the deck steps and pooped while squatting on my grave stones. That kid has scrambled eggs when it comes to respect for the dead.

Mom's got the right idea about going back to square one, and I'm sure the problem will work itself out, but I did feel sorry for her yesterday. She woke up with Dad saying the S word over and over again. At first she thought he was trying to pull on his pants while Levi was trying to pull them off. But the tone of the word was different this time, not filled with laughter but panic stricken instead. He'd transferred to his wheelchair, cut his foot and had bled all over the carpeting from the bed to the bathroom and Levi was licking it up. Dad is taking a blood thinner so there was a LOT of blood. Mom jumped out of bed---as much as an old person can jump with arthritic joints---to get Dad and the floors cleaned up and to shut Levi out of the master bedroom while she worked. It took a long time and in the meantime Levi pooped and peed in the living room. That was not really his fault given the circumstances but still it wasn't a great way for Mom to start her day.

So tomorrow the carpet cleaners are coming. Between having the blood removed and sanitized—a $95 requirement for "health reasons so says the cleaning company"---and having the floors in three rooms cleaned and the pets stains deodorized that have accumulated since Levi joined the family it will cost Mom $239 total. If I had time, I'd mental telepathy a little humor down to Mom and remind her that puppy stains might be a good reason to get the hardwood floor she wants installed. What the heck, I'll take the time. What's my angel-brother going to do if I show up late for work? Kill me? I'm already dead. ©

Houdini, the Dog

Levi should be renamed Houdini. He managed to escape between the four inch slates on the white, plastic fencing while Mom sat reading the paper only eight feet away. She thought he'd gained too much weight to fit through them so he was in the dog yard without his retractable leash on. All that hair of his is deceptive.

He was gone five-six minutes after Mom noticed him missing and she went into a full panic attack. She did manage to grab the dog whistle and she alternated calling his name and blowing the whistle, forgetting to yell "come" as she'd been practicing with him in their mini training sessions. On her second pass through the back yard she found him chasing one of the robins he's been barking at since they came north. That boy is going to be a sissified ornithologist when he grows up. He came right to her and it was a good thing, too, because he was about to go up a hill too steep for Mom trail after him without having a heart attack in the process.

That afternoon Mom spent several hours putting plastic lattice work around the outside of her beloved white picket fence. Mom can fix anything with duck tape, bungee cords or electrical plastic ties. This job called for the ties and the leftover material that was used to enclose the bottom of the deck, keeping out the wild animals---well, sort of. The rabbits have chewed themselves many access points of entry and departure. But I digress. Mom only had a cheap hand saw that cut plastic so it took her a long time to accomplish the job. Levi is going to have to dig his way out next time.

Speaking of digging, Mom got the patio stones down over my grave but Levi likes to dig in the soft dirt around the edges, so mom is going buy more of them to stop his chances of getting to my bones. But he's going to keep digging around the edges of the new row of stones and she'll keep buying more stones and pretty soon he won't have anymore room to poop and pee. She told Dad she'll probably have to put bricks at the bottom of the fence when he figure out that he could dig his way to the backyard bird sanctuary. That boy even barks at the life-size polyresin owl who watches the house from the pine trees. ©

Big Boy Haircut

Before Levi's first haircut.



After his first haircut.



Levi went to the poo-poo, fancy-do groomers today and came home looking like a little old man. How could Mom do that to him? He's only 21 weeks old! Gone is all his fluffy, silky-soft fur that bounded with each step when he ran. Gone is his stocky look that had my humans wondering if he really is a pure breed schnauzer like the breeder promised. He's got a waist line and long legs! Who knew? And ears, eyebrows, and a little tail. Levi was so fascinated by the newly discovered wiggly thing on his butt that he chased it for the first time in his young life. Mom thought Levi was going to turn out to be a muddy shade of medium gray and was shocked when she picked up a puppy that turned out to be mostly charcoal gray with light patches on his chest, face, legs and butt. I guess his big-boy haircut will grow on me. Poor little guy, though, he's been scratching since he came home. I think he's allergic to haircuts.

Looking more like a schnauzer.



His haircut made his legs look longer, don't you think?



Before shot, looking short legged and out of proportion for a schnauzer.





Well, I've got to get back to my friends up here at the Rainbow Bridge. I'm taking flyball lessons, can you believe that!? A bunch of us small-fry poodles are running the course. ©

My Flaky Human

Levi is back. Can we talk? Me needs advice on what to do about Moomie. Me loves her but she is a flaky human. How do I help her understand that boy puppies are suppose to do the things me does? Like yesterday we were in the back yard and I was tracking rabbits when me found where they hide their belly beans in the grass. Levi was enjoying those tasty brown things when Moomie grabbed me and dug them out of my mouth! What self respecting puppy dog wouldn't eat bunny beans? Moomie doesn't know the first thing about raising baby boy schnauzers. Levi is upset with her right now.

Then Wednesday me found Moomie's boobie hammock hanging in the bathroom. Levi is smart. Me figured out how to get it off the hook and I turned it into pull-toy for my stuffie, Mr. Goose. He was having so much fun riding through the living room and Daady was having fun watching the two of play until Moomie came along. End of fun. End of Daddy, Mr. Goose and Levi being happy.

All week long it was, "Levi, no!" Levi, drop it." Levi, Levi, Levi---she's going to wear out my name and I'm only not even 9 months old yet. If she does, will she have to start calling me by my middle name? Me doesn't even know how to pronounce it. All I know is it's spelled s-t-r-a-u-s-s and me thinks it is going to sound like a sissy name.

Levi did do one bad thing this week but I'm not going to tell you about it. It might get back to Moomie and she hasn't found the friend I brought in the house. To tell you the truth I can't find her either. She got away.

It's nap time, me has to go. Oh, guess what! I hear Moomie say we get to go back to obedience school on Monday. Maybe someone there will set Moomie straight about what boy puppies are suppose to do. Keep your paws crossed for her learning before she turns me into a girlie dog. ©