Halloween

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

My friend and I took our kids, Leo & Prudence around to show off their costumes.

Pru was a punk ballerina and an adorable one at that. Leo was a sweet Pea.

To make Leo's costume I simply made a sweatshirt (out of old sweatpants) and straight stitched two half pea pod shapes on top of each other to the top. One pea pod I split open and put peas, which are just balls made from another pair of sweatpants, into the pod. I tacked the peas in, but they eventually came un-stitched with all of his wiggling around. This morning I caught him dismembering his costume, he wants the peas.

Leo's is scared of Pru, as well as all other dogs, but they got a lot of attention and pictures taken.





Here is Pru's blog- http://dearprudie.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/happy-howl-o-ween/

Leo was also on The Loyal Biscuit blog- http://loyalbiscuit.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/leo-is-a-sugar-snap-pea/



Josie (Leo's aunt, my mother's cat) also got into the action by sporting some homemade bat wings. She liked them so much we had to fight with her to get them off. I made them from 2 layers of black felt with heavy jewelry wire running through the length of them. I made a harness type thing out of lingerie elastic and sewed it to the underside middle.

Leo is The Loyal Biscuit's Dog of the Blog

Leo got the Dog of the Blog Award from his favorite local pet boutique The Loyal Biscuit :)




CLICK

Is My Dog Spoiled?

This is Leo




This is Leo's lunch. He had $8 a lb. sirloin cooked on the BBQ (only way he'll eat it) and steamed organic broccolini with shaved Parmesan cheese. I had leftover spaghetti sauce and macaroni.





So, I'm thinking, maybe I've spoiled him to much? He won't eat reheated food, he will only eat top quality beef. He will eat chicken if it's fresh cooked. He loves cabbage and steamed broccoli (with Parmesan) but only the heads. He loves peas, pea pods and sweet potatoes. Some days I just can't please him though and he gets mad and refuses to eat anything. That's when I have to break out the hot dogs. If he doesn't eat he gets shaky and if he doesn't like what I have to offer he won't eat period. Everyone says "oh he'll eat when he's hungry enough". No he won't he would just assume lapse into a hypoglycemic coma.
So yes, my dog is spoiled. I love him and I will do anything for him. He came from a kill shelter and he got a second chance. He deserves to have a spoiled life. My cats are also spoiled. They love expensive cheese. They're another story :)

Leo as Romeo

Leo
Originally uploaded by the_smiling_frog

This is Leo as Romeo. Leo is quite the Renaissance man.
It took me 5 hours to make that horrid fully lined coat. The shirt wasn't as bad, but was way to big around the neck, so was the coat. Leo has to wear a big size because he's long, but he's very skinny.

Have to make him some more t-shirts for winter and a few sweatshirts. Took me a while to perfect a pattern for him.

He didn't feel so good on Halloween though on account of having a rabies shot in the morning. No more shots for 3 years though, yay! He's happy I've decided on no vaccines except rabies, but doesn't think it's fair the cats don't get any shots at all.

Spring is here!

Robin shadow
Originally uploaded by the_smiling_frog

Spring is here! How can I tell? Birds are flying around like crazy and hitting the windows.

This robin hit my bedroom window a few days ago, tummy first. He was just a little stunned. Stunned enough to let me photograph, pat and of course kiss him. I kiss every animal, bird or lizard I can get my lips on. I need help I know.

Leo

Leo
Originally uploaded by the_smiling_frog

For those of you who don't know my sweet Gunny passed away last month. His cancer had obviously spread through his whole body. Our last month together was great though. I took him to the holistic vet every week and it helped a little, but it was too little too late.

If I have to go through this again I will start with the holistic route first and do chemo as a last resort. It was a long, expensive, sleepless and well worth while 7 month fight. He went through a lot, surgery, chemo, lots of doctors visits, lots of medicines and supplements. Through it all he remained a happy little puppy. He still acted like a pup, not a 13 year old cancer ridden dog.

And with all that said I love you my pup, but the show must go on and there is an empty spot in our house and hearts.

So... let me introduce Leonardo Miguel Ross, AKA Leo. He is a pup that was saved by someone in Louisiana. He is coming to Maine on Saturday and I will be picking him up in Biddeford. He is a Rat-Cha or Chi-Rat, they think. His mother is a Chihuahua anyway and his father may or may not be a Rat Terrier. Hopefully he's not a little brat, but all of my animals are little brats anyway!

Gunny Update

Gunny went to the oncologist Tuesday, it wasn't all good news. Monday night as I was bathing him I felt a lump in his groin. He had two fatty cysts removed from there before. I was hoping that's what it was, but I had a bad feeling about it.

Anyway I told the doctor. She said it's his lymph node and the one above it was also enlarged. These are the two that were about the one he had removed a few months ago. The surgeon said the one about it was slightly enlarged, but hard to get at.

The oncologist said good news is he's in perfect health other than that. His heart sounds good, chest x-rays are clear, blood work is excellent. She took an aspiration of the lymph node and we should have the results today. If it is cancer we have options and plenty of time to try a few. So
I am trying not to panic. I believe this month makes 6 months since diagnosis.

I have to get him to the holistic vet, but I just don't have the money to do it. The last resort in treatment is radiation. He would have to have it 5 days a week for 3 weeks and he'd have to have it done in Massachusetts. I'd have to take him there, that would be hard on all of us and more money than we have.

I'll do what I have to do though to keep my little boy here. So please I am begging you all to look at our Etsy shop and web site and buy something!

Happy Belated B-Day Gunny!

A pic of my pup's 13th birthday in April. He's impatiently waiting for cake. Notice his spiffy bandana and Old Navy Dog tee.

Rainy day

Yep it's a rainy day, but I guess the plants need it. At least my half dead plants I just put outside that spent the winter in the dome need it.
We have a robin family that set up house in our Rhododendron out front of the dome. So we have to quietly sneak by them. Although this morning my mother's cat ran up to the tree to get a closer look.
I will get some pics up very soon.
I would like to take my dog out in the woods for a walk, but it was pouring out and thundering a few minutes ago.
Gunny (the dog) had his second round of a new kind of chemo yesterday and I think it's made him tired. He slept from 10pm to 10am when I finally made him get up and take his meds and supplements.
Guess I'll go find some inside activities to do. I really should be sewing!