Scout Master

Scout kitty is a little sad today because it has been raining buckets all day. He has been in the house. But he loves it when I come and give him treats, so it makes up for being in the house. We played the feather game today but he tired easily and crawled back up on his post and went to sleep. He is doing just fine. I piled all the pillows on the sofa he is not allowed on to keep him off and it has worked so far!

Abbie Girl......

Abbie enjoyed a beautiful day again until the rains came at around 7pm tonight. So, we played with her toys. As you can see I buried her in them. She will just let me do anything and just be happy as a clam that she is getting all the attention she gets. Can't ask for a better companion, friend, and fur child. She's doing wonderful.

Scout Kitty again!!!!

Scout was waiting for me just like his mama said. He was at the back door at 6pm tonight waiting to be let in and fed. He is tucked away in his bed with a full belly and content for the evening. I will go back tomorrow morning (and every morning) at 7:30 and feed him his breakfast and let him out IF it isn't raining. It is raining hard right now. We had sunshine all day until about 7pm and then the rains came. We will see what his fate will be tomorrow, but for tonight....he is safe and sound. Meow!

Waiting for our Mama

The zoo is running smoothly. Everyone has calmed down and they are enjoying the company of Kathy and especially the extra cookies 'Auntie Dee' took them. They are doing their daily runs outside and trying to behave inside even though its hard sometimes. LOL.......Kathy says all is great!!!!!

No posting on Thursday........

This blogger website was down all day yesterday for posting so I apologize for the delay in posting.
This picture was taken yesterday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Abbie was loving the sunshine and so was I. We sat outside for a long time. Didn't come in until about 6pm and had dinner. She is feeling her Cheerios these last few days. Of course, the treats I brought her might have helped. I am leaving the package....she LOVES them. She is as good as she always is. She looks healthy, clean and happy!

The Zoo

Abbie, Archie, Mose and Roxy are all doing very well. Kathy has them on a routine so we never take all four dogs out at once. Their mama has them trained well for her, but they don't act the same with their pet sitters. Kathy takes one on lead and one off lead at a time everytime she goes out. She is there 90 percent of the time and I am their daily to visit as I am at another dogsit. Well, Mr. Archie decided he was going to rush the door this morning at 6am this morning and took off after a cat. He got through the gate somehow and I drove like a mad woman to the house to help Kathy round him up. Didn't take long...we had him home by 6:30. He was gingerly walking at the end of the street looking for that cat. We held out a cookie and he came right to us. We were both frantic and very relieved he was so easy to find. However, we DID change the game plan. Now Archie goes in his cage before she takes Mose and one of the girls out. They are an active crew..that's for sure!!!! Everything is smooth as silk now and I intend to keep it that way!!!!!!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO THE FARM MOMMA

All the four legged fur children are doing great. If the damn rain would stop they would be doing better. But, it is what it is and we are dealing with it. It has been raining very hard since I got here except for a small ray of sunshine last night which was the perfect time for Laramie to get his grooming. (look further down for Laramie). Other than that, everyone wanted to say Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S PAW DAY!

A very special Mother's Day for Laramie's New Mommy! She keeps him looking so good...he's a handsome boy!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY PAW PARENTS

Everything is fine now that everyone is settled in. Where would we be if it weren't a circus when we arrived? LOL. The zoo is running fine and only the ringleader is exhausted! All wish their mommy a 'HAPPY PAW MOTHER'S DAY'!

Soggy and Soggier.....

Sorry for blogging so late today. It has been a miserable day today. My only salvation is that TOOTSIE is on right now and I haven't seen that movie in ages. Pretty sad life...except I have these wonderful animals around me.
Laramie was pretty animated tonight when I went to feed. He wanted to fight with Nash. But, Nash can hold his own. I love going in their pasture and spending time with them. I love to spend time with Chip and Major (these are all the horses) too but Major is somewhat of a butthead and doesn't enjoy company. The dogs have been great. I went to take pictures today and my camera battery is dead. Its always something. Tomorrow I will post Mother's Day photos for their mom's....Laramie has a new one!!!! Hope it isn't soggy where you are!!!! I still haven't dried out since this morning!!!

The Farm

Arrived at the farm early this morning around 8:30. Everyone was fine and the horses were glad to get their hay. Its dark and dreary and even the dogs don't want to go outside so I can tell this is going to be a lazy day. Hoping some sun comes out this afternoon so we can go work outside. But for right now.....everyone is sitting tight!

End of the road....

Abbie and I are almost done with this visit. She is looking forward to her family coming home on Saturday. Abbie is great and she will be happy to see her family. Lets hope the rain fades and the sunshine prevails. I will look forward to my next visit with her.

Time flies.....

Abbie and I are doing well. This has been a very low key visit. I haven't had much to do outside of taking care of her so all of my attention has been on her and I think she is bored with me :-(
But, we are as always, having a good time just hanging out. When the sky clears we get outside and take a little walk or play with her toy in the grass. Its been very wet the past few days, so we do not get much grass time. But walking for sure and being low key has given us both a rest. I am sure she will be very excited to her family come home on Saturday though, but I will be back just 11 days later! I love my Abbie time!

Happy Easter

Abbie says 'Happy Easter' even though she doesn't look very happy today. Its gloomy and rainy and she is missing her family but she is doing well. She gets a bite of ham for her Easter dinner which will make her happy. We are just hanging out today. We are happy we had such a sunny day yesterday (65 degrees) and she got to play outside all day long. Hope eveyone in the desert and all over are enjoying their Easter Day! Don't eat too many eggs! (or CHOCOLATE)

Beautiful Day!!!!

Abbie is enjoying the day layng in the bark in front of the house. She went for a long walk on the grounds this morning and seems to be happy to be outside today. Of course, she knows its about dinner time and she is ready to come in the house. She loves it when I am cooking hoping I drop something for her to nibble on.
She is doing very well, although last night she got up about every two hours to go outside. Not sure why, but will keep an eye on it in case she has her little infection back. She is a very happy camper with all this sunshine although it is suppose to rain the next three days. But, all in all, everything is good here on the Washington end!!!

How can you NOT love these guys??????

I just realized.....,

Its been three days since I blogged about our little Abbie. I apologize.....no excuse...we have just been hanging out enjoying the sunshine. Its cold, but the sun is shining and the clouds are big and billowy white. Its awesome. Also, my daughter was in town for one night on her way to Cave B, a place I gave them certificates for. If you have never been......gotta go, its a great winery.

Anyway, this is about Abbie and she is doing perfectly fine. We did our chores today...went to the Fed Ex, post office, gathered all the trash and now we are going to do a little cleaning. Funny thing about Abbie...she never ceases to amaze me. I have been having some stumbling problems. Nothing to worry about or freak out over...just when I get tired, my feet don't seem to work. Its kind of like MS...but, I have been tested and it is not that. Only happens on occasion and last night I was getting up from the bed and fell from the bed sideways all the way across the room to her bed that I bought her. Now this is only a matter of five feet and it startled me as I laid there and laughed with my face in her bed. Abbie came over to me, licked my face and sat there so I could grab her collar and pull myself up. At least that is what it seemed like in that split second. I didn't need to grab her collar as I was fine and just got up but it was as if she was taking care of me. She is the most awesome dog I have ever known. This is not to say that my other clients don't have awesome dogs but I have to admit that Abbie is one of a kind and she is almost human-like. I wish we could clone her because I would have ten of her. Anyway, she is doing great..,.taking care of me and I get paid for taking care of her....how's THAT for a job???????

Bored Retriever

We laid in the floor and played with toys today after spending some time outside. Abbie was not amused but I laughed out loud. After all, isn't she here to entertain me? She gave me lots of kisses afterward so I knew she wasn't mad at me. We had every single toy out of her toy box but she really wasn't interested in playing with any of them. I think she would be much more interested in a Cookie. I definitely spoil her. Well, today is Sunday so I may take her to McDonalds. We will see. Its not raining but it is really cold outside. However, I have to say it is a beautiful day. I hope her mommy received her package and if not, tomorrow. We have a lot of time left so if the weather holds up I am going to take her out on the trails for a long walk. We will see if we can find a rabbit for her to chase. She is doing great!

Another Rainy Day..There is now a lake in the yard

I know you have seen Abbie with her toy before, but she has nothing more to do. We have played this morning, but she is as tired of the rain as I am. I think it might be time to go on a McDonald's run soon. She loves her french fries and at least it would get her out of the house. I might even take her for a ride down to the river so she can check it out. I will put her raincoat on!!! But, she is happy. She is snoozing right now while I am on my computer. But she keeps looking at me with those big brown eyes as if to say, come on.....don't you have any pull with stopping this rain?????????

Abbie had a happy day

Today wasn't anything Special as it rainted st of the day. But Auntie Dee went to Muid Bay and bought Abbie girl some treats so she would have something to cgew chew on. It is suppose to rain the rest of the week so we will be hanging out a lot. But everything is great here!

Abbie was excited to see me today. She has been enjoying the sunshine all day today. She seems happy to just lay in the sun. Shes a happy girl and she's the best!

Pasture Pleasure

Chip is grazing today and enjoying the weather before the sky breaks lose and it dumps rain on him. I just found out that Chip and Major are going to have a new friend, Laramie, later this afternoon. We are all anxious to meet the new guy and spoil him the same way I spoil Chip and Major!There is fog in the mountains and they are predicting rain off and on with more tomorrow. I noticed more snow on the Rainier range today than yesterday. It was pretty cold this morning, 38 degrees. But, all is well and we are enjoying our Saturday by being slugs for the day! I had to see a client this morning but we are all settled in now! I am so proud of Cassie. She is really good when it comes to her feeding time. She lays and waits until you tell her its ok and she is just getting better and better. On the other hand, I found a FedEx envelope by the front porch yesterday. She was really good though...she didn't chew it or anything. She just took it from the neighbors and laid it down by the front porch. Hey....that's improvement isn't it! She really is a good girl.

Sunshiny Day

The pups are loving the sunshine this morning. However, there are black skies beyond the Rainier Mountain Range that are looking very threatening right now. But, for now, we are all outside enjoying what little sunshine there is. We cleaned up all the plastic they were eating....don't know what it started out to be? I love mysteries! LOL. If the sunshine keeps up we are going to go for a walk and explore the area over by the trees. A friend of mine wants an Eagle feather. I would never take one unless it were on the ground and my chances of finding one are pretty much the same as me getting a sex change. Ain't gonna happen. But we will have fun trying!!!! Everything is good here. Nothing is destroyed, broken or bent. Waiting on Barb to come by to pick up the trailer but haven't heard from her yet. Hope mom and dad are winning lots of money!!!!!

VACATION WITH THE KIDS

For those of you who check on my blog regularly, you will find I haven't been with any of my clients for a week now. That is because I am sitting the two-legged ones right now. I am taking care of my two beautiful grandkids. Or should I say they are taking care of me. Though I love them dearly, they are much more of a handful than my four-legged fur children that I normally take care of. Never fear all my fur children.....I will be home to take care of you soon!

Abbie in the Sunshine

Abbie and I woke up to a beautiful morning. Its no wonder I love Washington.....though we may complain about too much rain, when the clouds clear and that big beautiful blue sky shines through, its just a little bit of heaven. I think that is what Abbie is thinking in this picture. She looks deep in thought. She's Meditating with her old friend the squeaky chick! Everything here is great. We will be doing some chores today and tomorrow.....getting ready for Abbie's mom and dad to come home. As much as she loves me, she loves her family even more. My reasoning for being in the business I am in is to alleviate the separation anxiety that animals have when their family goes away. And, as my slogan says, "The best care for your pet is the care they get AT HOME'. I am very glad that Abbie is so well-adjusted and she greets her family with loving paws when they arrive back home.

Monday, Blue Skies

It feels like it might rain, but Abbie and I got to enjoy the sunshine this morning when I got back from the docs. She is so funny. She is very particular about where she does her 'business'. And there isn't any rushing her either. She is slow and tedious and has to find exactly the right blade of grass to wet on. I must have her spoiled because she will hardly go out unless I go with her. She has me do this about three times a day. I follow her out and say 'Hurry up'......and in her slow methodical way....she 'hurries up'. She is snoozing right now and is completely content.

Spring has sprung!

Abbie is taking a snooze while it begins to rain outside. It has been sunny all day and I went out for a walk with her a couple of times. So, she's worn out now. But as you can see......she surely isn't an over-energetic pup! She's the best. Everything on the homefront is GREAT!

HAPPY ST. ABBIE'S DAY!!!!

Abby was waggin her tail and showing off her green this St. Abbie's Day (we won't tell her it really is St. Patrick's Day). She had fun getting dressed up because she knew what was waiting for her when she was done. Yup......those bonies do it every time. We visited the neighbors today and it started to rain so we came inside and snapped these photos. No green beer for her though!!!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away......

I guess it is what we should expect living in this beautiful state of Washington....Rain, Rain and more Rain. We are suppose to get thunder showers tonight and there is heavy snow in the mountains down to about 3000 ft. Yikes....I might wake up tomorrow and Abbie and I will be making snow angels again. Right now she is just content to cuddle up against me and sleep the day away. I have been busy doing some chores and she is snoring away. She always knows when its time to eat though...her head perks right up and she's on my tail. Everything is fine here except for the torential rains we had earlier and its cold! Thank God for Housewives of ....whatever city thats on! I'm waiting for Housewives of Maple Valley......now I could do some writing for that show!!! LOL. All is well on the homefront and just hanging out!

Lazy, Lazy Weather

Boy, its been raining like crazy. Abbie and I caught a frog in the garage but the garage door had gone down on it, poor thing. So, we had a little buriel for it. I sang Amazing Frog and Abbie howled Old Man River.....it was just pitiful. I have no life....so I have to make these stories up! Abbie goes along with anything I want to do! She's great!

We did, however, go to McDonalds. Her favorite ride in the whole world. She seemed a little more nervous this time because I think she thought she was going to the groomer. I may leave her at home next time and just bring her the treat! She never shakes on the way home though.....she is just eatin' up those fries.

Its raining again today so she is not so keen on going outside. But, once it lets up we are going for a walk. She is doing great!

EEEEEEEKKKKK NO ELECTRICITY

I went down to feed the horses and the wind almost blew me into the other pasture. All of the gates were flung open and I felt so bad for Lacey. I almost put her in the stall next to Major and closed the gate but didn't know how she would react. Don't want to do anything that might freak her out. Anyway, I got electricity long enough to post this blog but it took quite a few attempts.

Everything is back on right now but it is flickering.

Kathy will be here tomorrow and Saturday. I will be back Sunday to clean. Never cleaned without electricity before.....hopefully that won't happen. Next thing you know I will have to churn some butter and wash my clothes on a rock down at the crick (that's farm talk for creek)!

Just a little diddy

There once was a pup named Cassie

She could be quite precocious and sassy

She has a best friend, her name is Sunny

They chew on each other as if it were funny

Ruggles is the Queen of the group

Everyone knows she's top dog in the loop

They have spent the day running and playing

Its such a nice day, outside they are staying

I let them in thinking they would nap

Boy was I wrong when they ended up in my lap

They were crazy and comical and wanted to be rough

So I had to take charge and be the one who was tough

So they are back outside chewing on sticks

In between giving each other licks

They are just too cute...I could watch them all day

As they entertain me while they play!!

Lazy, Rainy Day....

The rain is dumping like crazy and we are all just sitting around (and laying around) getting our naps in today. The ground is soaked and muddy which made it easy for me to slip coming up the stairs in the garage. I swear there is always something when I am staying here.

I'm ok, but got a slight fracture. I fell straight down on my left knee and hit the bone that goes into the hip. It sounds worse than it is. The doc said it is a slight fracture but it doesn't hurt that much and I am sure I will live through it as I have the other 149 falls I have had over the last year. At least none of the dogs got hurt and nothing was broken.

I am going tomorrow to pick up some crafts to work on. I will bring them back here so that the dogs can help me! The Farmer's Markets begin in June and I am still working on inventory.

All the dogs are doing great and we are having a relaxing day! I am sure mom and Dad are doing the same thing!!!

Interaction on the Farm.....with peaceful background

I write blogs all the time, but in reality they should be called 'blahs'. This time I wanted to show my interaction with the animals. Pet sitting is not the hardest thing to do, but interacting with the animals you sit require a trust from them. Also, a trust from me. I think most of my clients know that they can trust me and their animals can trust me. That doesn't mean I don't want to push the limit once in a while. Hence, washing the horses when I was told....Uh....maybe you better wait on that. Doesn't mean I don't want to try...but, I also respect that no one knows their pets better than their owner and I always take heed when I am told to hold off. So, I spend my time just playing. This gets me to get to know the animals and them to know me. I will leave the pictures to speak for themselves. It was a good day!

Me and the Horses

I arrived today around ten am. The pups and Barnie were glad to see me and of course we had to go through the ritual of hauling all my junk in which takes what seems like hours. I even traveled light this time. However, I brought my mop and bucket and a few other things for cleaning, but managed to keep groceries down to three bags and only one small suitcase of clothes.

As soon as I was done the dogs got their treats. They were very happy. I immediately broke a bottle of Snapple and had to clean that up. It seemed it was one thing or another and by noon I was finally settled in. I went down to the horses early because I wanted to work on their stalls a little and work in their pasture just scooping poop and cleaning up a bit. To my surprise, someone else had the same idea! It was nice and neat. I bought a new pair of rubber boots just for the farm. I also bought a slicker since the rain was so crazy so now I feel like I am all set for the farm anytime I come. I put all my gear down and went down to play with the horses and clean up some piles. I played with Lacey a little and ended up emptying her trough so that I could put fresh water in it. I also cleaned out Major and Chips and got rid of all the leaves in the bottom of it. I was hoping it would warm up enough to squirt the horses off to get the mud off of them but I won't do that unless it really warms up. Lacey was so cute. She played with me. Chip always hangs out with me but Major is cantancurous! I gave them all carrots as a treat as I was leaving.

The dogs are fast asleep in their beds. they have eaten and had a cookie and they are quite happy. I bought a new camera....a 30 times zoom with a removable lens so that I can get some decent photos to post on my blog. I receive it on Thursday so watch for some awesome pics.

Well, thats about it for now. All is well on the homefront. Hopefully their mom and dad are winning a lot of money!

Abbie's New Bed

Abbie is such a good girl, so I brought her a surprise today. A new bed and a big bone to chew on. She was in heaven. I hope her mom and dad don't mind. I put it where she sleeps at night. I don't allow her on the bed anymore as she has a little trouble jumping up on the stool to get to the bed. I don't want her to hurt herself. I tried to pick out a bed that went with the decor but as you can see she is quite comfortable laying on it. Mom and Dad can decide where they want to put it if not where it is now.

The snow is melting a little and we just got flurries today. Suppose to get some tonight. I actually got out this morning but the roads were very icy. I suspect it is going to warm up soon. Spring is in a couple of weeks! Sure wouldn't know it by the snow outside. Everything here is fine and Abbie is looking forward to seeing her mom and dad in a few days.

Home Sweet Home

Mid-Afternoon Playing in the snow

As Predicted.....here comes the snow

Its been snowing here for about four hours now. Began as hail, turned into freezing rain and now its full-fledged snow. This isn't the end of it either.....we are suppose to get more the next few days. Its beautiful when you are in such a beautiful home as I am. There are wndows all around to watch the snowflakes drop!

Abbie and I woke up to snow on the ground again. We are waiting for enough to build a snowman but unfortunately, it isn't enough to play in yet. But the forcast is calling for more this weekend so you never know when a snowman (or a snow dog!) might pop up. We have been vegetables the last two days. Too cold to do anything and Abbie likes just hanging out. She has been real good about going out at night and sleeping until morning. She follows me from room to room not leaving my side. She is the sweetest dog EVER! So, needless to say, everything is going well on the homefront. We are doing our chores and there has been nothing but peace and quiet.

Beauuuuu-ti-ful Day

Abbie and I enjoyed this gorgeous day. Granted it is a little cold (41 degrees), but when we woke this morning, the sun was shining and Abbie and I took advantage by taking a short walk and spending a little time outside. Abbie slept better the last two nights, only waking early morning for a trip outside. So, perhaps the two nights she was restless was for some other reason than her infection.

My friend from Chicago is staying at my house while I sit. She comes to visit during the day sometimes and Abbie really likes her too. I haven't seen anyone she hasn't liked. She is so friendly. When I take my friend home in the afternoon, Abbie goes along for the ride.

Today is a quiet day and it is just Abbie and I hanging out. The blue skies went away and is followed by overcast skies and the smell of snow in the air. We are suppose to get some snow this weekend. It snowed yesterday but was just a light dusting. Abbie and I are doing just great....no worries.

Here Comes The Snow.....

Abbie and I are ready for the snow they are predicting for tonight and tomorrow. They don't expect a lot but it is definitely colder than it has been in the last week. Abbie is waking me at least three times during the night to go out. It seems she waits a couple of hours and then is ready to go out again. She doesn't 'ask' to go out during the day as often? She recently had a little infection and I am just wondering if she needs another round of antibiotics. I will blog tomorrow to see how she does tonight.

Other than that, nothing happening on the home front. We are just hanging out and laying low. Two old ladies in Maple Valley. LOL

Walkin in the Rain....

We went walking in the rain and Abbie reminded me of Gene Kelly's rendition of "Walkin in the Rain..I'm Walkin in the rain...what a glorious feeling...."

Well, maybe it was just me singing that song....Abbie just wanted to come back home....so that's what we did. We didn't walk far as she didn't have her rain coat on, so I tortured her and dressed her up again! Its so funny when she sees me grabbing clothing she kind of has this look on her face like 'Oh NO>>>>'. But, she does so willingly as she knows who the keeper of the cookies is!

She is doing just fine, wet and all. She has had her cookie and I brought her some treats as well so she is not lacking attention. While we are dealing with high winds and strong rain, her mom and dad are happily sunning themselves in the desert! I'm not telling Abbie that of course!

Abbie Girl

Arrived this morning to greet my girl Abbie. She was excited to see me. Looks like she is shy a few pounds while I have gained them over the holidays. But she looks healthy and energetic too. I had to run a couple of errands but we have been hanging out since about 1pm this afternoon and all is quiet on the homefront. I will post some pics of our girl tomorrow after we take a short walk and pick up the mail. Hope her two legged owners are having fun in the desert!

Incognito

I was busy cleaning this morning when I wondered where Barney was? I thought I had locked her in the bedroom, but she wasn't there. I looked on the front porch where the dogs were laying in wait of anything to come by and she wasn't there. So, I didn't worry too much because she has a tendancy to just take off for hours and come back when she is ready. As I was sweeping the front entryway, I glanced up and there she was, hiding in the plant. If this plant gets any bigger she can hide in there for days and no one will find her. The pups are outside while I do laundry and some other cleaning. I will do the floors the day I leave so its pretty for mama and daddy. So, everything is good on the homefront.

Frozen...brrrrrrrrrrrr

We woke up this morning to everything iced over. It was in the 20's this morning. I froze my ....... off going down to feed the horses. I am glad I went early because the water for the visiting horse was frozen about a 1/2 inch thick. I beat it to death to break up the ice and I prevailed. So, she has water now. Everything outside was frozen including the pond. I know this is nothing compared to what it could be so I am not going to complain. I have been cleaning and organizing. The dogs are doing great. No more mishaps and thats a good thing. Hope mom and dad are enjoying that sunshine!!!!!