To recap briefly, Heidi came to me downed. She could take one or two steps at most, on a really good day with the wind blowing in the right direction, the planets aligned, after a warm soak in the jacuzzi tub, if the TV was on the right station ...... well you get the idea.

Fast forward 4 years, with chiropractic and accupuncture treatments, supplements, and other therapy, our little girl can stand and walk in deliberate steps. Running to keep up with the others is bunny hop. She bounces more than Tigger! Everyone is thrilled for her to have come this far and have regained some of her mobility. She uses her cart outside, but can get around in the house without it.

Last night, I came home from work to find Heidi's diaper down around her ankles (she has never regained bowel and bladder control). Valentin and Pogo have tried to steal Stanley's blanket from his expen, so Stanley (14, downed, very short sighted) is sitting in his squished expen, and the mill foster in the front hallway is in danger of finger/paw painting in her poop, so Heidi's diaper is going to have to wait for a minute. What's this I hear? A tail beating a tattoo on the floor? It must be Pogo and his smooth little tail. NO!! It is Miss Heidi!!! Free of the diaper, her little tail is just a blur as it wags!!!!!!!!! This is HUGE!! She has been able to wag her tail on her own for some time now, but never this hard and this fast. Our little girl (who is probably around 11 or 12) has come so far in her recovery, is there more to come????? Maybe control of bodily functions??? I am fine with the diapers, but wouldn't it be wonderful for her!

Again, I come back to the core reason for this blog. Do not give up on the downed ones (or other "handicaps"). They will suprise you. Heidi did not get the memo that she was paralized and had no hope of recovery - so she does not know that she is not supposed to be able to do these things. And I am certainly not going to be the one to tell her so.

In July, we we're contacted by a dachshund mom, looking to make a halloween costume for her pup. She loved my cow costume and wanted to have one for her doxie. We hooked her up with the pattern mom used to sew mine.



Meet Miss Georgia, sporting her cow costume, made lovingly by her Grandma.

I don’t even know if I can write words deemed worthy enough for the amount of cuteness that Monty beholds.  Seriously, is he not the most squishable, loveable, huggable, squeezable muffin in all the land?  I think I died a little bit when I first saw him.

He is a new addition to a family of Maltese (Abby & Lily) who, in fact, had their annual holiday session a few weeks ago and I’m so terrible I haven’t had time to post some updated photos of those two lovely girls.  But trust me, the trio is dyno-mite!  So, Abby & Lily had their session and then I’m notified by their parents that Monty’s face apparently got the best of them during an adoption day at the pet supply store.  Poof!  And then there were three. 

I really couldn’t be happier because I got to play with him and he pretty much rocked my puppy world.  A dachshund mix (could be a little wire terrier, could be a little schnauzer) with that awesome wire-ey puff snout that resembles the cutest looking toilet brush you ever would see, he’s got a huge personality.*

He’s super playful but very attentive.  He absolutely loves his teeny tiny toys and will go all terrier and dig for treats if they’re somewhere hidden.  He’s a giant snuggler and I totally took advantage of that by swaddling him in everything…including a fluffy scarf.  He’s amazing!  He’s a perfect companion and you just cannot get enough of his expressions, it’s ridiculous. I am so happy I was able to photograph him and so happy he got adopted that day!  He’s going to have to hold his own with both girls in the house but I think he’ll do just fine.  He’s got the charm and the looks. 

*Another client of mind referred to her dog’s snout as a toilet brush so I must give her credit here for that awesome visual.

On September 12, 2009, our friends JD & Max from Schnauzer and Schnauzer celebrated their 100th post by marking 3 firsts.
Our blog was the first, first they celebrated about.

Our blog was the first dog blog JD & Max's humans came across. JD & Max's mom got 2 dogs instead of 1 because of how well we get along. To celebrate they sent us a HUGE pressie.

So true!!.

Thank you, JD, Max and your mom & dad. We love all the gifts you sent us, especially the dog treats. They are our new favourite. You are so thoughtful and generous. We love doxie stuff and mom has already found a place for everthing.

You two have a great blog and we're glad there are two of you, instead of one.

Love Ruby, Penny and Mom

Poor old Bently. He was a casualty of the economic recession. His mom wanted a set of portraits and we had prepped the canvases and I started drawing when suddenly, a panicing email asked me to put this on hold until their personal economy stabilized. I SOOOO understand!