So Empty Around Here

Seems so empty around here!  Just the four oldsters plus Fern who seems to have settled in nicely to being an only puppy. Josie & Argus are only too pleased to keep her company as both enjoy pups.  They play nicely with her one on one, but when they are playing together and Fern tries to join in I worry that she'll get squashed, but she seems to be able to stay out of the way of dancing feet.

My summer has basically been spent doing puppy things, entertaining them and the people who have come to visit.  The older dogs sure enjoyed all the company, and puppies were very well socialized.  It was fun, but it's nice to have things back to normal - well, as normal as they ever get around here.

Luci's trip to California was uneventful.  The folks at Delta Dash were very nice, and Luci's new mom is very pleased with her.  Her new name is Marly, which I like.  Murray is doing fine at camp, other than objecting to his crate at night.  This too shall pass.  He still needs a permanent home, but we've had several good inquiries.

Kennel Cough seems to be winding down.  Josie is pretty much back to normal and Coral never really coughed, just did some throat clearing.  Argus is much better this morning, not nearly as bad as yesterday, and is back to being his silly cheerful self.  Watson is just doing some gagging, not much coughing.  Hopefully in a few more days everyone is back to normal.  Fern still seems to be unaffected - sure hope it stays that way as I'd like to continue the socialization and take her places this weekend.

And Then There Was One

Luci's flight should have departed about half an hour ago and she'll be in California by mid-day.  She's quite sure that everything is a party planned just for her, and had a lovely time meeting everyone at the Delta Dash office.  The staff was great this morning, everyone really friendly, and they even offered me coffee.  I REALLY needed that as 4:30 is way too early for getting up, but I wanted the pups to play and do their business before Luci had to depart.  Thank goodness I only live 12 minutes away.

Fern is now an only puppy.   She was up in the family room for awhile when I got home, playing with Josie who seems to be over her bout of kennel cough.  Josie is great with pups, and she & Argus will keep Fern entertained.  Tonight Fern will move up into the kitchen to a crate of her own.  She'll be exposed to kennel cough of course, but she and Luci have avoided it so far, probably because they were so recently vaccinated.  We'll see, and deal with it if we have to.

Josie will be thrilled to go for a short walk today!

Kennel Cough, Ugh.

Kennel Cough, what a drag. We haven't had a case of it in many years, but apparently Dog Parks are the hot spot for Kennel Cough nowadays. Josie started coughing last Monday and we were hoping that the old dogs would not come down with it. She and Letty go to the same Dog Park, and when we checked with her owners, Letty was also coughing. And so were a number of their Dog Park friends. Lots of different strains, some you can vaccinate against, some you can't.

When I took Josie to the Vet last Tuesday, my Vet observed that they were seeing lots of it now, especially in dogs who go to Dog Parks.  It's annoying and inconvenient, but rarely a problem for the dogs.  I asked if there was any way to protect the older dogs and she observed we might just as well let it run it's course.  Bummer.  Said the incubation period was generally 5 - 7 days.  She was right on that!

Yesterday, Watson & Coral started coughing, and this morning Argus was coughing. Poor Josie is really bummed about having to stay home. Argus is going to hate it, and the old dogs really need their walks to stay fit. So does Ron! Guess I will be doing a lot of biking until I get my walking partner back.

So far the pups are OK and we've kept them totally separate from the adults. Their recent vaccinations might also be protecting them. Told the new owners about it, and what to expect if their pups came down with it. When Luci leaves tomorrow, I'll have to bring Fern upstairs with the other dogs, and she'll either come down with it or not.

What a drag. IF your dog is coughing, please keep it home! It's just like a kid with a bad cold going off to nursery school and infecting all the other kids.

Names

Pups are sleeping, or at least no one is yelling yet, there's very little on Facebook, and no interesting emails, so a good time for a short blog post.

Now we are three.  Only three pups left, as handsome Mancini is gone too.  Mickey is now Axe (not a name a like very well), Dixie is still Dixie (I'm glad), and Mancini is now Ramsay (which I like a lot).  That's Ramsay in the picture, with his new mom Brandee.  Luci flies off on Tuesday and will probably be renamed Velvet.  Fern will stay Fern, though I am calling her Fernly, I find.  We'll see about Murray.

Murray is still looking for a home.  Have someone who wants him later, if I will keep him for a few weeks, which I may end up doing.  But he really needs a home of his own, and I really need to be down to just one puppy so I can start training her.

I ought to be in bed, as the weather is cool and breezy, and perfect sleeping weather, but today is Dog Park Sunday.  Jess & Meribel (Argus's granddaughter) will be joining us for our trip to the dog park, then Jess & I will be heading to Dr. Chocolate's Chocolate Chateau for brunch to celebrate her birthday.