Meet Petunia....

Otherwise known as 'Cutie Petutti'. She is just 7 weeks old and she is full of personality. Who can't love a pug. She is inquisitive, weighs just 2 pounds and she is completely healthy. In other words, she's pure joy!

Katie and Katja

I have been with Katie and Katja for a week. They are a unique couple of Mini Schnauzers. I have known them for a couple of years and they always bring a smile to my face. They know their routine. They know what they want and when they want it and that always makes it easy to care for them as they let you know if you are slipping up! Katie is the Grey girl. She is verbal, outgoing and an avid huntress. She can smell a rabbit from 500 yards. She never heads out the door with less than a full speed run. She might seem stand-offish, but she loves a good ear rub and all the attention she can get.

Katja, the black girl is the larger of the two. She is a little more subdued but also loves to chase the rumblings in the bushes. Katja does everything on her own terms and her own time. She needs the perfect spot to piddle and comes only when she is ready. She too likes attention and love, but again, only on her own terms and she lets you know what those are.

They both love their mommy and daddy and have the luxury of having someone home with them all the time.

They were a pleasure to watch and I can happily say everything went smooth as silk!

Kira and Joe....

Kira is also loving the sunshine. She has averaged every other day outside. Nala came to play one day and she spends the rest of the time wth me, Kathy and Joe. But shes just as happy to chase squirrels up a tree or just sit and ponder whatever is next door. Joe Kitty is doing well too and both are being spoiled as usual.

Abbie Sings

Abbie sings for her cookie. She knows how to work me.

Forgive the slow blogs but Auntie Dee is working with one arm these days. Abbie got to spend most of the day outside today as the sun showed its happy face. she couldn't wait to bury the new bone I bought her. She has a pretty Ruff life.....Eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep, play.....etc. Nothing new to report as all is well on the homefront.

Joe and Kira

Joe and Kira are doing gret. No rain so Kira is enjoying the company of me and Kathy. Since I have a broken arm, Kathy takes Kira for walks while I visit Joe and drive him crazy with his laser light.

Nothing new to report. Both are happy and enjoying treats and company.

Tee Time

Anyone for a game of golf? Is there anything Abbie won't allow me to dress her up in? LOL. She almost looks Ahmish in this photo, but she is wearing her mommy's golf cap. She is still enjoying the dry days and walks whenever we can squeeze them in. Auntie Dee has a broken arm so a walk is sometimes difficult.

We may go for a ride tomorrow in between some cleaning. I bought her some bones so she is enjoying hiding them in the yard and digging them up at night for a nightly chew-fest. She is doing great and looking forward to her family coming home.

Auntie Dee and Kathy..........

The dynamic Duo are quite the pair.......

They are both cute with Jet Black hair.....

No two fur children are quite the same........

Gentle and sweet, they both remain......

The sky has been clear - no rain for days.......

So Kira goes out and loves to play....

Joe and his laser are never a bore....

But what is really funny is Kira likes it more......

Between Kathy and I they are getting some love.....

These two fit like a leather glove.

Chilly but dry.....

Its been dry the last two days, but a little chilly so she borrowed her momma's scarf for her walk. I think she looks stunning, don't you?

We had a little scare at 4:00am this morning. (its always something when I am here). The house alarm began beeping very loud. It scared me at first because I thought someone was attempting to get in. But this alarm was different than the screeching alarm that goes off. I would know the sound of that alarm since I have tripped it a few times. I walked through the house to investigate and read the code on the alarm. It read '02'. This meant the Front Garage Door had tripped the alarm. So, now it was time to go outside and investigate the garage door. The door seemed intact. I lifted it apprehensivley a few times as well as the other doors and the alarm didn't stop so I just input the code and it was fine. I locked the two doors that go into the garage but it still kept me awake thinking all those thoughts about strangers hiding in the garage, or worse, in the house. I checked everything out this morning and all is okay so I am just guessing it was a gliche in the alarm. Nothing to worry about (:0}

It is suppose to be dry again today but it is looking rather gloomy. I am bringing Abbie a big bone today so she will be happy.

Abbie and me.....

I've been on hiatus for the holidays. But, now its time to get back to what I love. Spending time with Abbie and all my other fur babies. Its been raining non-stop for days now so Abbie and I just hung out and read. Like me, her eyesight is failing so she is wearing her mommy's reading glasses. I think she looks rather studious. She is so good about posing for anything I want her to do because she knows at the end there is a treat in store for her. She is content to just hang out. She only goes out when she HAS to. If there is a sunbreak, she will go out for a while. She was out earlier when her German Shepard friend came over to visit. Abbie isn't real thrilled with her neighbor but she tolerates her. She was ready to come into the house before the neighbor went home. Looking out the window I felt sorry for the German friend because he looked so sad and just sauntered back across the street. Abbie is sleeping right now. Her belly is full and all that reading made her tired. She is a joy!

Weathering the cold.......

We are weathering the cold. They are predicting snow on Saturday. The indoor kids and I have been staying out of the cold as much as possible. Even the pups don't want to go outside much. The horses are braving the cold as well. It is 16 degrees this morning. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Cassie and I have a game to keep her occupied. She will chase the ball all day long if you just throw it. I have to admit they have been spoiled. Sonny sleeps on her loveseat, Ruggles sleeps behind the couch and Cassie never sleeps! I hope their mommy and daddy are enjoying all that warm weather because when they come home it will be completely different! All is well for now.

Hanging out.....

Its a lazy Sunday with my fur friends. As you can see, the three muskateers are hanging out with me and enjoying the fact that I didn't have to go anywhere today. They love all the attention. Its cold and windy today. The winds are pretty strong and I keep hoping we don't lose power. The pups and Barney and I are just enjoying the warmth of the house and not doing a whole lot. The horses have their blankets on and they are grazing where they can and run to greet me at feeding time.

Other than that...nothing new to report!

Cassie's First Snow

Well, I have been saying this snow was coming for a week now. It has been dry and freezing. Although we just began dipping into the thirties, we are scheduled for the low twenties, high thirties next week. But, when I went to feed the horses tonight, this is what I found. However, it began snowing really hard after these shots and we actually almost got a full ground cover. And its sticking! FFFFFRRRREEEEEZZZZIIIINGGGG.

Cassie had her first experience with snow. I know she will get much more than this but it didn't stop her from exploring and getting a little snow on her nose. Of course, Sonny is her partner in crime so she had to investigate too even though she has seen it all her life.

Everything is fine other than us freezing our butts off. Barney doesn't even want to go outside! I'm very jealous that their mommy and daddy are off in Costa Rica right now soaking up the sun!

Back on the farm.....

Back with Cassie, Barney, Sonny and Ruggles......(left to right)

The pup, Cassie has grown a little but remains small but mighty. She is wound tight like all pups but cute as a button. Sonny and Ruggles love her and take care of her. Well, Ruggles gets a little ticked with her once in a while, but loves her nonetheless. Barney is a great cat. She is much more social this time and loves it when you give her treats.

The horses are always glad to see me at feeding time. They got shoed yesterday and are doing great in the pasture.

Other than that, we are just hanging out. Everyone is happy, healthy and hungry as usual!

The older we get, the harder we fall......

Abbie is doing great. As a matter of fact, she is doing much better than me. She has been watching me doing some extra chores. We cleaned the entire bar area, cleaned the oven, washed all the kitchen cabinets and finally cleaned the stainless steel hood over the stove. While working in the kitchen today, Abbie laid at my feet while I cleaned counters and did dishes. I turned to take some recycled trash out and took a huge fall across the floor. Abbie came to my aide but unfortunately couldn't break my fall OR help me up. It took me a good fifteen minutes to get up and I realized I had done some serious damage. So, I spent two hours in emergency before coming back home to her. Nothing broken, but seriously bruised. I feel like a Mac truck hit me. Other than that, everything is swell.....or should I say 'swollen'. LOL. But, we will get by and do the rest of the cleaning one handed. I am glad we got the largest projects out of the way. I have a few days to finish before Abbie's mom and dad come home, so we will be okay! I wonder what goes through her little head. Wish I could speak pooch so I knew what she was thinking. On second thought....maybe I don't want to know. She is probably calling me a clutz or a dork or something! She loves me though!

Not too much new to report. Abbie and I have been slugs (appropriately so in this house!). We caught a sun break so Abbie romped in the yard for a while. She loves going to get the mail with me. Ever since she showed me the trick of carry a piece of mail to the house, she insists on doing this each time. Of course, it could be because she gets a treat every time to show what a smart girl she is. She is still sleeping on the bed with me. She has been knawing on the bone I bought her and just being lazy as dog should do!

We went for a ride yesterday and got some McDonalds. She got a french fry but was kind of upset I wouldn't give her any more. Don't want to make her sick. But that doesn't stop her from looking at me with those sad eyes pleading for a bite of my burger! I had to be strong.

I have some shopping to do today. A friend of mine is coming in from Chicago and she will be staying at my house and visiting during the day so Abbie will have more company. Other than that...all is well and peaceful at the Abbie household.

Abbie update.....

I just realized it has been a few days since her last blog. I guess we can blame that on the weather as she and I have lived a very low key few days.

Since the weather is bad I have been taking Abbie on rides in the car. Little trips to the Post Office, the market or just over to my house to check on my little one at home. She loves this and now expects it every day. We have also been working out in the garage as I have a few projects for Christmas and I have set up a little workshop in the garage. We don't spend a lot of time in there as we are freezing.

Abbie has been enjoying the bones I bought her. She doesn't want to go outside much and I can't say I blame her. But, she enjoys playing toss the toy in the living room and following me around to see if I am going to drop any food for her. She is getting lots of treats and plenty of attention. My friend who lives down the street always enjoys seeing Abbie and she played with Abbie the other day when she picked me up to go to lunch. We had a visit from Katy and Katja today but Abbie really just wanted them to go away so she could have all my attention. We go for walks too as soon as the sun breaks. All in all, everything is going smoothly and she is a happy girl.

Abbie...the smartest dog EVER!!!!!!

Abbie never ceases to amaze me. Comical as it was, she made me feel so safe last night........

It began about 11pm. Abbie on the bed and resting. We both heard a TWEET! Having the same Fire detectors, I recognized the sound of that Tweet! But, Abbie raised her head from a dead sleep and gave me a look as if to say "Did you hear that?". I told her (as if she understands me) it was okay. Just the fire detector and we would change the battery the next day.

Five minutes passed and another TWEET. Abbie again, raised her head and looked at me. This happened about three times before she sat up. She was not having any part of that TWEET! She jumped off the bed and became very restless. I tried to ignore her but she began her little growl that usually tells me she wants outside. I asked her (again......as if she understood) if she wanted outside. I went to the door and she followed. When I opened the door she wouldn't budge. She followed me back into the bedroom. I tried again to ignore her but she came to the side of the bed and nudged my hand. She continued to do this. I finally realized she was leading me to the door because of the warning signal from the fire detector. Well, needless to say, this is her house and what Abbie wants, Abbie gets! So, we went to the garage at midnight and rustled up the aluminum ladder and I was on the ceiling fixing the detector. I couldn't find batteries so the housing ended up in the garage until the next day. But one thing is for sure........As long as Abbie is around, you will not be hurt in a fire, eaten by a critter in the closet or have too many dog biscuits!!!!

More Abbie Antics!

The sun came out today and Abbie had a dry day for a change. The lawn was still soaked, but dry enough for the gardners to come out!

Yesterday was another story. It poured all day and we just couldn't seem to get a dry minute. I bought Abbie a big bone and she immediately wanted to take it outside and bury it. Well, I have been here long enough to know her favorite hiding spot (even though she doesn't like me to watch), so I let her out to bury her bone. She returned to the house for a while, but soon wanted out again. I was preparing dinner, so I let her out and continued my chore. Abbie usually will come to the door and let me know she wants back in. When she didn't come for a long time, I went looking for her. I called her name in both the front and back of the house. I didn't realize she was right in front of me all the time. But, she was laid out on the lawn, in the pouring rain, knawing on her bone and loving every minute. It was a two-towel clean up and I made her bring her bone in. When I realized how nasty it was from her chewing and the rain, I tossed it back outside and forgot about it.

When we woke up to the sunshine, I let Abbie out for a while. Again, she was very quiet and I looked out to see if she was chewing on her bone. She was laying on the grass but this time, a HUGE German Shepherd was chewing on her bone. I believe this is the neighbor, but in two years I have never seen him before. Abbie was watching every chew, every move, every lick of that bone. But, she didn't approach to take over her property. I let Abbie in the house hoping the neighbor would get bored and leave the bone. When he had gone, Abbie went to the spot he was chewing and didn't find her bone. Soooooo, I bought her another one. She doesn't like it as well because it isn't nasty, soft, chewy and have the scent of the German Shepherd. But this story has a happy ending. We went out to the front of the house tonight to take a little walk and Abbie found her bone. I told her she better find a better hiding place so the neighbor doesn't steal it again!!!

Kitties, Kitties and more Kitties!

Everything on the Cat front is doing well. No more alarm mistakes and all kitties are warming up to me great! Of course, it helps that they know I am there to feed them, pet them, clean up after them and play a little ball or string game. Cats are so smart! And, these are no exception. Yogi, the senior of the group loves eating food off my fingers. Lilly, on the other hand isn't excited about getting her pill forced on her but she hasn't bitten me yet! And Sabrina just wants to fill that empty belly and be on her way. However, they all enjoy the petting and attention they get while I am there.Of all the loving attention and play time with Sabrina, Yogi and Lilly.....I am sad to say that Spook continues to be aloof. (that is putting it mildly). He stayed in the corner of the room today and stared at me cleaning his dish and cat box and offering more food. His low growl told me he just wanted me out of there. He is not the social butterfly!

The Invisible Cat.... SPOOK!

Spook lives next door to the other three cats listed below. He is also a new addition. However, he is not quite the social butterfly that Sabrina, Lilly and Yogi are! I guess it didn't help that I accidentally triggered the alarm and he had to listen to all that noise. When I walked into his living space, he was sitting right in the middle of the bed. As you can see by the picture above, he flew like a jet and hid from me. So, I took the picture of his imprint on the bed! LOL. He was fine when I arrived this morning and again tonight. I saw him briefly but he didn't run. He casually walked away to his favorite hiding space. He is eating and drinking, so I am not worried. Some cats are like people.......aloof! If I can get an actual shot of him I will post again! I know......GOOD LUCK!

Meet the Felines!

Meet the newest addition to the Playful Paw Family. These little fur babies are relatives of Kira! (you can see Kira by clicking older posts on my blog at the bottom).

The largest solid black kitty is Sabrina and she is on the other side of that wall peeking out at us. The Medium solid black kitty is Lilly. And, that little tabby is Yogi and she is the oldest (again, like me).They were welcoming when I arrived at their house. Yogi was in her little bed cuddled in her blanket. Sabrina was laying nuzzled down in the back of the couch. And, Lilly was in her tube hiding out. But as soon as I entered and called all their names, they came running. Stretching and yawning all the while. The are all very social and seemed not to be bothered by their new 'Auntie' Dee showing up to feed them. We got through our routine and the alarm without a hitch. The next stop was not so breezy!!!!!!

Back at Abbie's for Thanksgiving......

I swear Abbie thinks I am her long lost Aunt. She is so used to me coming and going - its as if I live here. Come to think of it, I DO live here A LOT. Not complaining as I love spending time with my Abbie Girl. And you can tell by this picture she is sooooooo spoiled. She loves sleeping with me. Oooops......don't tell anyone she sleeps on the bed. Not sure if Mommy and Daddy know that! Well, she does when I am here anyway. She is getting a little near retirement - like me :0) so I scoot the footstool over to give her an extra boost on the bed. She is snoring as we speak.

The weather has been cold and rainy and lots of fall breeze. We went for a walk today and it got so cold, we turned back around. Abbie likes to spend time in the house these days so she pretty much goes out just to do her thing.

Anyway, all is well on the homefront. She's happy. I'm happy. Can't ask for more than that!

Gloomy Day

Well, we are down to the wire here. Only two more days until their mommy and daddy come home. Nothing new to report as we have just been following their routine and they seem pretty darn happy to have me sit with them round the clock. Cassie is chewing on a rock right now. I recognize this because my Retriever loves to chew rocks too. So, if it makes her happy, whatever! I also remembered my dog loves ice cubes. I use them as no fat treats. She accepts them as if they are a cookie. So, I gave Cassie one and of course, the whole gang had to get in on the action! So, they get ice cubes once a day for treats (or several times a day).

Ruggles isn't as low key as she was the first few days. She is actually going outside much more. Yesterday they were shut in as it was POURING rain all day.

As soon as it cleared I let them out to play for an hour or two.

You will see by the picture above how gloomy it is, but at least it isn't raining and that means playtime outside for the pups. We did, however, have heavy snow over the

Snoqualmie Pass and lots of Thunder and lightening.

Thats all for now. The pups send their love to their mommy and daddy

living it up on those Margueritas!!!!

Just Hanging Out

We have been waiting for sunshine around here. It has rained off and on (mostly 0n) the last week, but whenever we get a break of sunshine, its play time. Ruggles of course, would rather lay in the house and doesn't go out much unless there is a need. He will surely be spoiled when his mom and dad come home.

Sunny and Cassie play like Mutt and Jeff. They are inseperable. Even when they are resting in the house, they are laying in close proximity, if not on top of each other.
We have had no problems to speak of. I had to leave for a couple of hours yesterday and they were perfect! I have to leave for 4 hours on Monday, and that is the longest I will be away from them this whole stay. They are very lucky critters that I have not had other clients to visit while I have been here. December will be another story.

The horses and I are bonding well. They know that I am there to feed and that is all that is important to them. But, I get to pet them and pat them while they are eating and then they get one extra carrot half when I leave that I feed to them to say good bye!

But all is well on the homefront! Very smooth living!

Another day in the life......

Well, as you can see, these animals are NOT well-adjusted. See how agitated they are! Right! I'm just the body that feeds and pets and that is all I need to know. This is their afternoon nap time. Except for the horses. They come running when they hear me in the Tack Room. Well, at least ATTEMPTING to go in the Tack Room. Had a little problem with the code on the door, but I think we have it licked now.

Today was sunny all day. High about 62 and a very nice day. The dogs stayed out and played a lot today and we spent time throwing the bone and playing fetch for hours. Everyone except Ruggles. She just wants to sleep and eat and once in a while she will go out and do her business. She's old. She can do anything she wants!

Stay tuned for more adventures from the farm.

Meet The REAL McCoys!

Here is the newest addition to the Playful Paw Family. Sunny is the Yellow Lab, Ruggles is the Red Retriever, Cassie is the Retriever Pup and no house is a home without the house cat too! And all live in a harmonious home. These pampered pooches live on 10 acres of land. A beautiful view out the living room window will give you the perfect view of the two horses which graze all day long. I will feature them tomorrow to give you an outside view of where we are. This is our first day and all is running smoothly. Ruggles is being a little stubborn about going outside, but we are managing.

As you can see they have been spoiled by the treats that I brought them. Instant babysitter.....the biggest bones I could find. They are all happy and so far Sunny is ahead of the group as her bone is almost gone. I'm waiting to see who finishes first as I am sure they will move on to someone else's bone!

Its time to throw a flake and give some goodies to the horses soon. Stay tuned for updates on these fur children as I am here for 12 days!!!!!

Abbie is singing a song at the sunshine, treats and company of her 'Auntie Dee'. She is loving playing outside (as long as I accompany her) and the weather has been gorgeous. Its chilly here today and suppose to drop into the 30's tonight, but she has 6 hours of sunshine and warmth as the day moves on. I brought her some BIG bones to knaw on and she loves that. As usual, she is extremely joyful and spoiled. My Golden could take some lessons from her for sure! Other than that, everything is running smoothly and I am sure she will be very happy to see her mom and dad again. We will be cleaning house today and just hanging out. I will be back with Abbie on November 17th and I always look forward to her company.

Joe Kitty

I have been visiting Joe Kitty for the last few days. He is so friendly and knows how to get a treat out of you no matter what. He loves to play with his green string, his feather toy and ESPECIALLY the laser light. Although, he was being pretty finicky the other day and didn't want anything to do with it. I think it was because I hadn't given him a treat yet. But he is sweet and loveable and he told me he misses his Canine friend, Kira. Well, who WOULDN'T miss Kira.

Peaches and Punkin

Peaches is HUGE. She weighs about 50 pounds and just turned 5 months old. She makes me laugh. She makes me frustrated. But mostly she just loves me and that melts my heart. Punkin and her get along so well. Although, go figure, Punkin is the Alpha. She will put Peaches in her place when needed. Its funny to see an 11 pound dog dominate a 50 pound puppy.

I visited a new client today who has a Golden/Lab mix puppy just three months old. She is tiny compared to Peaches. I really think I should have named her Marmaduke! For those of you who are over forty, you will remember who Marmaduke was. She is just as goofy and stubborn.

Peaches is in perfect health. She refuses to walk with her harness or lead. I am frustrated trying to figure it out. I have tried everything except a pet therapist and that will be my next call.

Peaches still believes she is a lap dog. She also believes that the furniture and walls are her chew toys. This is a Retriever trait, so I was prepared. I bought her at least 50 toys, chewies, Kong balls, etc. so that she would not get bored. She just prefers the furniture. She chewed the middle cushion of my sofa and that is why you see the hole in the sofa. Now she thinks thats her little space. I just have to laugh at her after scolding her because she is so dang cute.

The New Clan

Meet Genny and her three Feline siblings. Genny is a senior girl and she is very loving. She loves to walk in her back yard which is full of trees, flowers and paths that lead everywhere. She jumped like a puppy when I would pick up her lead. The only thing she loved better was to eat her cookies. I am slow in getting her and her Feline siblings posted as there were some technical difficulties with my wireless. But, we are back up and running and I couldn't let the opportunity pass to post these four new fur children I had the pleasure of taking care of. I cared for them for 13 days and they were a joy to greet me every morning.

Wednesday - Cool Day

Today is the first day we have spent together under normal weather. Although, we can't complain because the house is very cool in the 90+ degree weather.

Kira and Joe are doing awesome. We walk, water the yard, play fetch (when Kira will let go of the ball) and we have been playing with the laser light. I had no idea Kira liked the light better than Joe. The first time I saw big ole Kira go after the light I almost peed my pants laughing at her. I had her running up and down the hall. For as big as she is, she can turn on a dime....she's pretty agile. But, it is hilarious to watch her chase the light!

Joe chases it but remails COOL while doing it. He doesn't want anyone to see him get TOO excited. He will lay there and throw a paw out if you put the light close. But he does like to play with his feather toy and the little rope. I guess I should say they are keeping ME entertained rather than me keeping them entertained.

I will give another update on Friday before I leave. But, for now, everything is A-OK.