Our new addition!

The reason why I have been MIA from the blogging world, baby W has been welcomed into the world!

Riley and Grace have adjusted extremely well, and we are now slowly getting back into our activities with them. I am just learning how to include baby W in the activities.

 On a side note, I think I need to think of a new name for my blog :)

Happy Easter!

Community Canine Title

A last month Riley, Grace and I were practicing for the ACGC aka. the AKC Community Canine test. It is the next title you can earn after the CGC. It required a bit more real-life situations from the dogs and I think Riley and Grace did a decent job. I mean, they passed, but for whatever reason, I felt like both of them were a bit off/ unfocused. But, I guess everyone has their off days, either way I am still very proud of them!

I ended up practicing and taking the test with both of them at the same time. It was a bit a juggle, but it worked out pretty well in the end. Just had to remind the evaluator a couple times I needed to go twice for everything. I had a soft kennel off to the side and after I completed one test item with one dog, I would switch and go again.

I actually didn't practice with Grace much, since I basically knew she would pass from the get go. She ends up doing most of what the test requires on a weekly basis, between obedience class and coming to places with me.

Riley, was the one I spent the most time practicing with. As you all know he has the social personality and one of the hardest parts for him is being greeted by a stranger. He doesn't jump of anything, just gets super wiggly and licks. The other hard part for him is to not greet other dogs, but I think he did very well considering.

I am so proud of Riley and Grace! Now we got to get our butts back in the Agility and Rally rings!

Here is the video if anyone wants to see. It is long since I did two dogs, but you can skip forward if you so desire, especially in the beginning, during the "waiting politely" test item.

Scare

Yesterday I had a bit of a scare with Grace.

Now, I have had my share of doggie injuries and ailments, that I have treated at home successfully. But, yesterday was something else, and I felt a little overwhelmed. Blame it on being pregnant, hubby not being home, whatever, but I ended up taking Grace to the E-vet. Luckily, my brother is staying with me during his spring break, so at least I wasn't freaking out alone!

So, rewind. Yesterday afternoon, my brother and I were outside hanging up a bird feeder and the pups were out in the yard with us. We were outside for about 15 minutes, cleaned up and we all came inside. Then, my brother went in his room and continued playing his computer game, with me sitting on the floor talking to him, with Grace beside me. She then started in incessantly licking her "girly parts" and I am thinking she must have a yeast infection or something. I try to keep her from licking herself, but she was insistent on it, even started itching the area. I looks closer and it's red and a bit more swollen then usual...

Then I looked at her in the eyes and on one of her eye lids/eye brow area I noticed and small raised bump. "Humm that's new" I think. I touch it and examine her, nothing stands out too odd, except the licking. Things escalated quickly after that...

From the time we came inside to this point, maybe 20 minutes, give or take, had gone by, and I am starting to notice the spot on her eye has gotten bigger and I am thinking her lips look swollen. She is also starting to itch everywhere. So I got up to the kitchen to find some Benadryl, thinking "ok she must have gotten stung or bit by something", unfortunately there was none to be found, and Grace's face, eyes, and snout are clearing swelling at this point and she is starting to itch anything and everything she can.

My brother and I load her up in the car and head to the Walgreens around the corner, where I run in like a crazy prego lady and buy the medicine and run back to the car. Her eyes and lips are so swollen, her eyes looked like she could bearly open them and she was developing hives. Not to mention she is going crazy in the back seat rolling around and itching. I shove 2 pills down her and we head home.

I only waited about 15 minutes, before I called the E-vets number because she was so uncomfortable; pacing, whining, painting, swelling, hives and it was starting to scare me. I started thinking the worse, like her airway was compromised, or she was going into anaphylactic shock.

We made it to the E-vet, and she was less itchy, but still swollen. (I only had one crying breakdown on the way and I blame it on the pregnancy hormones) They took her back and gave her a "Benadryl like" shot and a steroid shot, observed her for about 20 mins, and brought her back to me.

Left is her normally, the right was her face after the swelling started to go down. (She was wet in the right picture, because I wiped her face down with a wet rag)

She was still a little swollen in the face, but seemed much better and they doctor explained that she most likely did get bit/stung by something and Grace is just very very allergic. In the future, if she is stung again, I now know this and won't be as freaked out. I can just give her the medicine, try and keep her calm and watch for any warning signs of distress.

We got home and the pups and I cuddled on the floor, Grace passed out asleep, we watched a movie, all while it started to pour rain outside. What a way to end a Saturday!

This morning, she is much better, just some minor bottom lip puffiness, but mostly back to her normal self!

CGCA

We have been in a lull lately, not really doing much besides our usual everyday stuff. Work seems to be consuming all my time and I hate it. Not to mention, today is the second time in 2 weeks I have some kind of stomach bug. So I took off work but all I get to do is sit here and recover.

Luckily, for me, for the next couple weeks I get to do something with the pups. Our training facility is offering the AKC Community Canine test and since Riley and Grace both have their CGC, I would like to do this with them. The only catch is, it is a long while in between classes/test, so I am attempting to practice in class and take the test with both dogs together.

This past Saturday was our first practice class. It was a bit of a juggle at first, figuring out how I was going to practice with both. First, I tried switching them back and forth, one in the kennel, then switch. But that was too much of a hassle. Second, I had my friend, who works there, who was watching the class, hold one dog while I worked, and she could practice with the one she had. But she eventually had to go answer the phone.

What ended up working the best, was me working both Riley and Grace at the same time. I do it at home all the time. I guess I thought class would be different, I don't know. Grace knows the drill, we practice most of what the test requires weekly, in and out of class, and she tends to be more of a quite personality (most the time haha). Riley, is the more of the squirmy, social butterfly type, so it take a bit more work with him. He can do it all, it just take a bit more reminding.

I think our first class went really well and I look forward to the others!

We have two more practice classes then the test. I have no doubt Grace will pass and Riley I have high hopes for, with practice.

Pink or Blue?

Grace and Riley helped us once again to make a special announcement!

Baby Savoie is a BOY!

It was a bit of a task getting the paw prints on the shirt, considering I knew we only had one chance to attempt it and I had only one old white shirt. I think we managed pretty well!

Grace is for the most part the more compliant one and had no questions on why we were asking her to put her paws in paint. Riley on the other hand, was wondering what in the hell we were doing! As a result her prints turned out way better then Riley's, his turned out more like a blob.

In the end we got some priceless pictures and a great gender announcement!

Somehow in the protest, Riley got a little paint on his face.

Belated Gotcha Days!

We hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! Ours was pretty low key, staying home and going to bed before 10:00pm, but that's the way we wanted it.

With the start of this new year, we begin with celebrating Grace's 3rd Gotcha Day! 1/8/11 we welcomed this wonderful dog into our family and I love every minute she has been with us.

Not to take away from Grace's limelight, but, can it really be 5 years?! Riley's Gotcha Day was 11/3/08! We celebrated his 5th Gotcha Day! I do not feel as if it has been that long, time truly flies by.

I haven't officially celebrated their Gotcha Days, as it has been a little busy around here, but I will do something special for them soon and I will make sure to share it with you. I will leave you with a short video of my spotted duo :) Grace was trying ever so subtly to get Riley to play with her.

Here's to many more Gotcha Days for my spotted duo! LOVE THESE DOGS!