PNW Corgi Picnic 2014: The Waterlogged Corgi

Last year we missed the corgi picnic but we made it this year! There were over 150+ people who RSVP’d and brought their corgis.  Can you even imagine what it is like to have 150+ corgis in one spot at one time?!  Corgi chaos and it is amazing!  Think of all the little low rider, herding critters bark-a-larking (that’s what we call it in our house) around a huge fenced area while their humans mull about trying to capture photos and converse over the loud barking of their little beloved Corgis.  That is what it was like in a nutshell. 🙂

The picnic is held every year at a private home in Woodinville, WA.  It is a get-together for Corgis and their corgi-fanatic uprights (humans) as well as a fundraiser for CorgiAid, Inc., a financial organization that raises money to help out corgis in need.  Over $2000 was raised in donations alone! This year was the first year of the event being catered by the Dogfather Catering out of Woodinville.  What a perfect name!

This beauty is Dagmar and belongs to the hosts. I suppose this would be one of the hosting corgis! 😉

This was Fitz’s first official corgi outing and he had a blast!  Gwen mingled and made friends but Fitz, he gathered a following!  Fitzy is OBSESSED with water.  I can’t water the flowers, let alone turn on a hose, with him around.  He goes nuts and barks and bites at the water.  When the pool is full he goes in and won’t jump out til you make him.  It was no different at the picnic since there were two little kiddie pools set up for corgi enjoyment.

Gwen in the pool before “little brudder” took over…

 

Photo by Elizabeth Roth. Fitz in the pool. I love this shot!

Fitzy and his water buddy

The “ferocious” water corgi-beast!

Every bit the gentleman!

 

Fitz likes to try to steal the show.  While he was being a goof in the pool Gwen was schmoozing the humans with her Pink Lady friends.  I tried to pick a fabric that was bright and pretty so I could find her in the pack and it turned out some others had similar ideas!  I thought the fluffy to Gwen’s right was one of the prettiest there.  Look at that fluff!

The Pink Ladies

 

Fluffy corgi pants!

And lest we forget the Corgi Jail!  Yes, there were a couple of pens set up in case any corgis were naughty or needed a time out.  At one point there were over 10 corgs in jail!  A few were youngsters that were in there just taking a nap, but it did offer them a nice little refuge from all the mayhem.  Though there were some who refused to stay in the pokey…I witnessed a Cardi hop out of jail!

 

Gwen and Fitz made a bunch of friends!  We even met some of the local celebreties, Sherlock for example!

We also met Devyn but did not realize it was her until afterwards!  Devyn, if you recall, is the Corgi that I think looks like Gwen’s twin!

Gwen, Bella, and Cappy

Fitz

The event was so big that it even received coverage from the local news station!  Here is the link to that! Try to find Gwen and Fitz, they’re there! 🙂

I also recommend checking out the write up on Devyn the Corgi’s blog page about the Picnic!  She did an awesome write up with some awesome pictures.  Of course there is an absolutely adorable one of Fitzy in there that you should check out. 🙂  Here is the link to that one.

And last but not least is the “Official” page detailing the picnic and how you can get on the email list to be reminded of next year’s picnic if you are looking to attend!  Here is the link for the 2014 Picnic aftermath (photos, etc.).  I am also including the link to the Corgwyn website as I believe you should check out that for the full low-down (pun indended!) on the picnics, past and future. 🙂

If you are in the Seattle area or Western Washington and are looking for a great way to meet up with other corgi owners or looking for other fun events like this one, you may want to checkout and join the Corgis-R-Us meet up group on meetup.com.  There may even be meet up groups in your area, who knows!

Cappy

Best of all, we made new friends!  We are looking forward to next year and are so very grateful to Leo and Kathy and their Corgis to opening up their home for such a great event!

 

All photos are property of Elizabeth Roth.  You may share these but please give credit to the photographer.

Four-hundred Dollars Later…

Yesterday marked the first visit to the vet (for us) with Fitz!  Both Gwen and Fitz needed to head to the vet for various things and one thing we didn’t really think of was how much TWO dogs will cost at the vet:  over $400!  But what the vet talked to us about Gwen is really the reason that I wanted to share this in a post.

Let’s start with the easy one:  Mr. Fitzwilliam.  Fitzy had to get his rabies shot and get an exam so we could get him Trifexis — the flea/heatworm/internal parasite prevention & treatment that Gwen has been on since she was a puppy.  We went back to the vet that Gwen had seen when we first moved here. Initially I wasn’t too impressed as I didn’t really like the lady vet.  I’m not entirely sure what it was but I didn’t really like the way she talked to me or answered or rather didn’t answer my questions.  Either way, this time around we were scheduled to see the man vet.  He was a lot more easy to talk to, liked both dogs, and answered all of our questions!

They took Fitz back to get his rabies shot, bordetella vaccine, and to microchip him.  We could hear his little puppy screeches and it was so pitiful!  We tried to guess which was which…we knew from prior experience with Gwen that the microchip was painful (but over in a second!) so that, we figured, was the biggest screech.  The poor little guy was so happy to be brought back to us and given a cookie that his big sister tried to steal.

When it came to Miss Gwendolyn she was only supposed to get an exam and her bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine.  Then the vet asked us if we had any other concerns and at this point we brought up her paw which she keeps licking and itching at.  One paw, one toe.  Back in January or February, I had a friend of mine that is a small animal vet take a look at Gwen’s paw when we were at the barn.  She prescribed her an antibiotic, some bendaryl, and told me how to clean it and recommended keeping her from itching it.  She also recommended that I put Gwen on fish oil.  Gwen’s paw cleared up pretty well but then after awhile she started up again.  I have some spray stuff to put on it which seemed to make her feel temporarily better.  Only problem was, it would never go away completely.

So Mr. Vet took a look at her and said he would like to shave the toe and get a better look at what was going on there. Gwen was taken into the back to have her toe shaved.  When they came back he said it looked like she, again, had an infection in that one toe/claw and that it needed to be treated and cleaned.  The infection, he told us, could have either come from her having had a little fracture in the nail or a cut in the skin.  Either way he strongly advised that we get this taken care of ASAP or she could lose that claw in the long run!  Neither of us realized how serious her obsessive toe licking had become! 😦  He talked to us about the different options with the strengths of anti-inflammatory medicines and he recommended the stronger steroidal one that way she would not be itchy and it might speed up the healing.

Gwen went home with a baggie full of special paw soak cleaner, long-term antibiotics (21 days worth!), and some Prednisolone (the steroid).  (Plus they both got flea medication.)  Gwennie also has to go back in for a recheck in 2 weeks to see how her itchy toe is fairing.

All in all, these little twerps cost over $400 to go in for their routine visits.  I should have known it would be more expensive than we had planned.  Oh well, got to keep the Corgis happy and healthy!

Drinking water out of the same water dish at the same time! We are making progress!

Dog Food:

One of the things we talked to the vet about was the food the dogs are eating.  Fitz is eating Puppy Wellness Complete while Gwen is continuing to eat Purina Pro Plan.  When we broached the subject of Gwen’s itchy paw we brought up the question of “do you think it might be a food allergy?” and the vet said,  “honestly, I highly doubt it.”  She is at the age where it would become apparent if she did but the itchiness is only manifesting in one paw, she does not have the chronic yeasty ears, hot spots, raw spots on her face from itching, and her hair is not falling out.  Her skin isn’t dry and itchy everywhere, only in that paw.  We talked to him about the current trend of total grain free dog foods and he told us he thinks of the grain-free foods as being more of an off-shoot of the human dietary fad of gluten-free everything.  Yes, there are some people that cannot handle gluten in their diets. Yes, there are some dogs that cannot handle grains or wheat or corn, etc. BUT not all dogs/humans are like that. What he told us was that the food we are feeding Gwen is not a bad food and that her weight is not bad and we have no reason to change her diet unless it is really bothering us that she isn’t on something fancier.

Fitz came to us eating a really nice food called “Go!” which is a grain-free and overall really good food.  The reason we did not stick with that food was that it was going to be hard to find.  Only one store in the area carries it, unless we were to go over to Seattle (a ferry ride away) just to buy dog food.   That was when we decided Puppy Wellness would be the way to go with him.  If our Natural Dog store was closed for the day then we would still be able to swing by Petsmart or Petco and get puppy some more food.  I suppose that would make it about convenience (and a little of cost effectiveness too) more than anything.  Either way, the vet was happy with our choice in puppy food.

Both dogs are a healthy weight and have good looking coats and are nice and active!  Gwen weighed in at 30.8 lbs and Fitz weighed in at 18.4 lbs!

Gotcha, Gwennie!

Saturday was Gwen’s 2nd Gotcha Day! We celebrated by giving Gwennie cuddles (she didn’t really want them) and a new collar with some new bows to put on said collar (she would have preferred cookies and toys over accessories).  I can’t believe we have had Gwen for two whole years!!!  Though it has certainly been an enjoyable two years! 🙂

Also: Fitz is now officially 5 months old! (On saturday, he was.)

It was so difficult to get a picture of the two of them together where they were both looking in the same direction (sorta) with eyes open, ears upright, and not wiggling!  Anyone that owns a corgi and likes to take pictures of them knows how difficult it is to photograph one Corgi, but make it 2 Corgis and the level of difficulty is exponentially worse!

 

Introducing Mr. Fitzwilliam

Guess what!  We got a puppy!!!

I am a little late making this post but it has been quite the week with little Fitzwilliam joining us!  That is Fitzwilliam as in Mr. Fizwilliam Darcy, Master of Pemberley (Pride and Prejudice).

His name is Fitz/Fritz (depending on who you ask…) since Andrew wanted to call him “Fitz” but I like “Fritz,” good news is that the names are so similar that he answers to both!

Today (Saturday) has been one week since we made the 7.5 hr drive to meet mister “Winston” (his previous name).  We traveled all the way from the Seattle area down to the Rogue River in Oregon to meet him! Thankfully we started out the night before and stayed in Salem, OR and then only had a 3 hr drive the next morning. Of course that 3 hr drive took longer since I was suffering from food poisoning. (For some reason Andrew never gets food poisoning!)  Gwen traveled great though! She slept on the floor behind the driver’s seat and only woke up and got annoying when it was time for Corga Potty Breaks.

We met Winston and his sister Daisy, the last two puppies from the breeder’s January litter.  Going down there I had wanted another girl puppy and Andrew had wanted a boy puppy (he was feeling out numbered in the house) but when we met the pups, we both fell in love with little Winston!  Daisy was a little firecracker.  She and Gwen were two peas in a pod!  Daisy is exactly like Gwen was at that age (and sort of still is!).  Little Daisy hopped up on the couch and popped her head up over the back when you’d walk by the couch, like a little jack-in-the-box. So adorable! And she had huge upright satellites (ears)!

We got to play with the puppies and meet the puppies’ parents and the other Corgis that the breeder had in her home.  It was a lot of fun! And then Gwen was introduced the the puppies.  At first she ignored them and checked out the place (fascinated by their waterer) then she started a game of chase where she and Daisy hit it off!  Of course Gwen would choose the more rambunctious puppy!  But we liked little cuddly Winston! 🙂  After a little while of watching the girls play, he decided to join in for a bit.  After we saw Gwen play nicely with him we knew for sure that he was the one for us!

I didn’t think I could survive having Gwen and her dopplegangger running me ragged!  Plus, Fitz is a little cuddle bug!

The car ride with an almost 5 month old corgi pup is so much easier than a long car ride with a 9-10 week old pup (Gwen’s age when we got her)!  He was quite nervous leaving his little sister and the place he knew as home, but he sat on our laps and finally fell asleep when we switched drivers and Andrew held him.  We eventually got home a little before midnight since Andrew had duty the next day and had to be at work at like 6am!

Fitz and his floptacular ear.

Week 1 with Puppy:

Only a couple of accidents in the house on the first day and then after that we figured out his I-need-to-go-outside-now signals and  with the help of Gwen, he has figured out that outside is the potty place and which door to go out.

Walking on a leash is a hoot!  He is learning but the first couple times he walked on a leash he would hop around and grab hold of it.  I don’t remember Gwen’s first leash experiences but I am sure they were not nearly as funny as his!  He is doing a lot better about it now since every time he goes outside he’s on a leash.

Mastering the 4 steps from the porch down to the yard has been a little slower.  Going up them, no problem! Going down them…well, some days he’ll brave them and others he needs help.  Just yesterday he went up and down them all by himself, so he is getting braver! 🙂

Gwen loves it when he plays chase up and down the hallway with her!  She is not very fond of the fact that little Fritz likes to steal her antlers.  She in turn has claimed his puppy Nylabones as her own.

He has already gone out to the barn with me and sits nicely with Gwen! I take the x-pen out and set it up half under the picnic table so he has shade but can lay in the sun if he chooses, while Gwen sits in her usual area near the picnic table.  I tied him once when I was just making a quick stop and not wanting to leave them in a hot car, and he did fine!  He tried to follow me but other than that he just curled up next to Gwen to wait.

Fitz doesn’t want you to be out of his sight at all.  He loves to snuggle, sit on your feet, and give kisses!  So much more than Gwen who is just like a cat…  His crate training is going well, and Friday was the first day I decided to leave both dogs at home so I could run some errands by myself.  Freeeedooooom!!!  (Not to worry, I came home and played with them both and was only gone for a total of 3 hours.)  It is nice having an older puppy though!  We couldn’t both leave the house for very long when we first got Gwen since she was not master of her wee little bladder quite yet.

Snoozing in his new harness.

Gwen:

Gwen has been quite jealous of little Fitzy.  I think she wanted us to take him back for a few days but I think she figured out that he is here to stay.  She has started to try and get him to play tug of war and is getting a little better about sharing toys.  The world has revolved around her for so long that she is not used to this “sharing” concept.  {Don’t worry, Gwen, I get it!  Only child here!  Sharing attention with others (e.g. husband) = horrible, horrible experience!}

Yesterday, after Andrew got home, I took Gwennie to the park by myself while he stayed and bonded with Fritz. It was so nice to just be out in the park with Gwennie.  We watched some people flying kites, she rolled in something dead, and we sat and watched some boats on the water.  After Gwen’s 45 min of solitude she was ready to be patient again since she started pestering Fitz to play with her when we got home.

Gwen’s favorite sans puppy activity is still to go play soccer in the backyard.  For now, we are playing soccer without him so she still has one chance of running around without worrying if he is going to steal the ball or us worrying about where he is going.  Pretty soon, though, he will be out there running around with her and stealing the soccer ball!

Two worn out corgis!

“Um, guys? The puppy is too close!”

Can you spot the 2 submarines in our fish tank?

Wally: The Boomerang Dog

This is the story of our weekend with The Boomerang Dog.

Most of you probably do not know this, but we have been considering bringing another dog — specifically another Corgi or possibly a Corgi-mix — into our home.  I have alluded to it before [refer to the puppy in the window post] but outside of family and a few friends we have not talked much about it to others.  Andrew wants a puppy but, I on the other hand, had wanted to try and rescue or rehome a corgi in need.

Enter Wally.

I found Wally’s ad locally on the internet.  The girl who has him is looking to rehome him basically because he is too lazy.  She has a farm and needs a working dog and he is not interested in herding sheep.  She did warn that he would not be good in a home with cats (likes to chase them too much) or a house with children.  When I talked to the girl on the phone and asked her about him she did tell me that he had some food aggression but she had been working on it and was getting better.  She described some of his other quirks as well and there were some things that could be worked on.

On Friday, all three of us (humans and Gwen) drove an hour and a half down to visit Wally.  At that point I was not intending on bringing another dog home, just going to meet him.  The only problem with that brilliant plan was…we fell in love with him!

He was the perfect little 3-year-old, black headed tri male!  He was derpy — a most important trait for being a corgi! — and he was all about attention, waggling that nub of his, and chasing sticks (and cats).  We asked if the girl was willing to send him home that night with us but she said she still wanted the people who had called before us that were to come on Saturday to see him still, just to be fair.  I said that we understood and we drove on home to await the verdict of their visit with our little Wally monster.

Saturday was a day of anxious waiting.  Andrew couldn’t eat or focus on anything he was so anxious to hear back about Wally!

Sunday came and we headed to the gym for a game of “Fear (racquet) Ball” and on our way we heard back!  I got a call saying “would you like to come take Wallis home today?”  We of course were excited and said yes! We finished up at the gym, headed home and then for Wally’s farm.

Upon arrival we learned that our Wally had gone home with the other couple since the woman had begged to be able to take him home that night but had returned him that morning due to the fact that he didn’t fit in as well with their family, had chased the cats and bitten the husband.  We — and Wally’s family —  just wrote it off to him not settling in enough and them expecting too much from him.  We loaded him up without a hitch and were off!

Not 10 minutes into our ride back home, but then I got bitten trying to put on his collar.  I thought that maybe I scared him because he was anxious (we were told he had been on anxiety meds before he came to the farm) so I just left him alone until we got back to [home town].  We did stop at a kmart along the way so I could wash the bite out and buy some band-aids and dog biscuits.

We got to [home town] and stopped in at the local Petco where my friend works as a dog trainer.  He was an absolute doll in the store! He was nice and polite to all the humans and the dogs, he did not pee on anything, and he just adored all the extra attention!

When we got home, Wally and Gwen were reintroduced in the road/driveway (neutral ground) before we took them both to the backyard to play.  Those two hit it off right away and played and played!  Gwen mainly just wanted to chase the soccer ball but she didn’t mind that Wally was there running around too.  Wally absolutely loved Andrew too!

 

We only met Mr. Hyde after play time…  I dried Gwen off to come inside and when I went to dry off Wally he growled one tiny growl and then took after my arm again!  He grazed my arm and grabbed onto the towel before letting go.  After that he was definitely on his guard and wouldn’t let me near him.  I didn’t know what to do!  It was actually pretty scary to have this little Corgi snarling at me.  (He was on the leash at that point but still not happy with me.)  I have never in my life been afraid of a dog until Sunday afternoon.  At that point we made an “emergency” call to my dog training friend.  She came over after work to see if she could shed any light on the situation and also help us figure out if we would be able to keep Wally with us or not.

That night we were of the mind to take him back to the farm as we were not in a position to be able to handle an aggressive dog.  The next morning we took Wally to the vet to get an exam to see if maybe he was in pain in some way and thus causing some of the aggression.  We also wanted to make sure he was up to date on shots and had a paper record for anyone else who may take him after us and also to get his nails clipped and ears washed out as they were in dire need of attention.  I felt that was the only responsible thing to do.

Wally had to spend the night on the porch (he had blankies and a nice bed to sleep on!) since I could not get him cleaned off and he was dirty from the farm.  That morning I took him out to potty and then fed him and played in the yard with him and he was back to his good ol’ lovable little self.  That made the decision from the previous night that much harder to keep!

We followed through and took him to the vet’s, where he was examined, vaccinated, and his claws and ears were taken care of.  There we  also talked to the vet about him and the he was even encouraging us to try and keep Wally, but in our heart of hearts we knew we wouldn’t be able to keep a dog that was aggressive and caused us fear.

I cried and cried on the ride down there!  I really did not want to have to take him back.  We had called ahead so they knew to expect us and when we got there the girl’s dad said, “The Boomerang Dog is back! Maybe we should rename him boomerang!”  He  also said “when we heard the phone ring last night we had a feeling it was about Wally. About the same exact time as last night!”

The family said no hard feelings but I couldn’t help but to feel we had failed in our endeavor but our family and home were not the right settings for little Wally to be happy.  Wally is happy with a farm to roam around and chickens and cats to chase.  I really hope that they keep him and let him just be a lazy farm dog. If not, then I hope he finds a home with a person or people that will love him and care for him and let him roam around to his heart’s content.  He needs a big yard to reign over in all his proud corgi-ness.

Wally, 

You were only in our lives a short time but there will always be a place in my heart for you.  I really do hope that you live a long and happy life on the farm. We both love you.

Love, 

E & A

 

Playing soccer together. 🙂

 

Gwen is 2 years old!

I can’t believe how time has flown by!  Little miss Gwendolyn is 2 years old! (On Sunday the 27th.)  Yes, I missed making a birthday post BUT now I have pictures from her birthday to post. 🙂

We spent the entire day with Gwen!  We took her to the dog park where she played with her fluffy Malamute puppy friend, Zodiak, (he’s 3 months old!), she met a giant Wolfhound, and we even went on a walk on the trails around the dog park.  Afterwards we went to the local pet boutique shop where she got two fancy birthday cookies and a ropey crab toy.  Gwen was quite pleased with the outcome of her day!  The humans did everything she wanted to for once!

 

Pictures from Gwen’s birthday!

CLICK HERE to check out the bloggy post from Gwen’s 1st Birthday!!

I also cannot believe we have been back up in Washington for an entire year already!  Last year we celebrated Gwen’s birthday at my parents’ house and then received our keys to our house on May 1st.  A lot sure has happened in one year!

 

Gwen the Super Star

One of the things I have wanted to do with Gwen even before we got her was Agility. Now that she is almost 2 years old, we figured we should get to work on that goal! In January I signed Gwen and I up for the Pre-Agility/Tricks class at a local dog training facility. We have gone to 3 classes so far; here is the summary of those three days…

Class 1.

Gwen was a total butt the first day of class! It was like she had never been in public! Oh it was embarrassing. She didn’t want to walk nicely on the leash and she was so excitable that she couldn’t hold in her barks. She did listen just enough when we were doing introductions to show off her two good tricks (bang! and sit pretty). I decided after that first class that we had some homework to do and it didn’t even have to do with what we were learning in class.

Gwen and I went to the Sportsmans Warehouse with friend Betsy and her dog Hershey and we just practiced walking around with distractions and other dogs (Hershey). It really helped a lot!

The things we learned/did in the first class were: walk nicely on the leash, work on “creep” (Gwen didn’t get that one), walking over poles, “paws up,” going thru a hula hoop, getting on/in things (e.g. Trash can lid, boxes), and overall just seeing where all the dogs were at. This is the first class we have taken with this lady and you could tell that a lot of the other dogs had been in her classes before…

Class 2.

The second day went better than the first. Gwen walked nicer on her leash, though I still had to make a makeshift no-pull “harness” by looping her leash around her belly.

I don’t really remember everything that we did that day since I went home and proceeded to fall deathly ill for a couple of days. Needless to say we did not practice too much the following week.

Class 3.

Gwen was such a little super star! It was the first time that the equipment was set out. We weren’t allowed to take our dogs on the dog walk or a-frame until after class began but we were encouraged to work them around the obstacles while we waited for everyone to show up.

I arrived early and was one of the first dogs in the ring. I walked Gwen around and started making her do her do basic obedience things to get her mind focused. I think having her the a bit early and before all the other nervous energy dogs got in there was key. Gwen was focused and wanting to please.

When it came time to take our turns going over the dog walk and the a-frame, Gwen got on the dog walk like a pro. She was so eager to go forward…we were supposed to walk them across but Gwen had other ideas! The trainer lady asked me if Gwen had ever seen/been on the equipment before and she had. The dog park we frequented in Charleston had a full agility course. Gwen was so eager to show off on the dog walk that when I went to make her sit and treat her after she crossed it, she turned back around and headed back across!!! The trainer lady said, “Corgis will do this all day long. She’s like a kid in a candy store right now!” And that’s the truth!

The A-Frame was a bit harder for Gwen. In the past (at Sky Dogs in Charleston), it was harder to get her to go up and over it but she eventually did it. In class it was a bit slick so she had a little trouble getting to the top. Had to scrabble to get a toe hold but she made it! On the way down she thinks it is easier to just leap off the middle…which is bad. The dogs have to touch in the yellow area at the bottoms and Gwen doesn’t think that’s very cool. Of course we haven’t gotten to that part yet but I can just see how this is going to go. Oh brother.

My little super star and a female Aussie decided that lunging and snapping at each other would be a good thing to do…now we know who to keep away from in class!  (The other dog started it.)

Overall, I think Gwennie is doing very well and will eventually turn into a great agility dog if I can keep up with her! She is so eager to do everything and do it all fast that we are going to have to continue to work on the focus and slowing down. Fast is slow and slow is fast.

How much is that puppy in the window?

I remember when I was little, my mom would take me into the petstore in the mall so I could see the little puppies and kitties.  I remember they were cute but when I was little I never understood what it meant for them to be there.  I also don’t remember (to my knowledge) ever begging my mom for a new puppy or kitten…

Today, I went to a nearby feedstore to buy some grain for my horse.  When I pulled up to the store (not my usual store, by the way) I glanced at the sign and noticed the word “CORGI.”  This shop is a feed store, pet store, and farm supply store all rolled into one; and they are known to sell puppies and sometimes kittens.  They had a Corgi, Keeshund, Cockapoo, Eskimo, Goldendoodle, Papillon, and a Wheaton Terrier (according to their website).  After seeing the sign I should have put my car in reverse and left and gone to my normal feed store.  I knew it was going to be hard to go in and not go by the puppies, ESPECIALLY KNOWING that there was a corgi right there!!!

I sent a text to my friend Betsy, who is like my own personal dog guru.  Anything I need help with with dogs, I talk to her!  She’s a dog trainer, has shown dogs, was in 4-H.  My text read:  OMG as bad as it is to almost even consider this…farmland sign says they have corgis!  I have to go in to buy food…how to resist looking at puppies?! I don’t think I’m strong enough! This is like puppy mill animals isn’t it? I’m against those but I also feel totally bad for them!  HELP!!!! 

Of course I went in.  Of course I went by the puppies.  And I think you know where this is going… Of course I asked the lady if I could hold the Corgi puppy!

He is an 8 week old red/white male.  Born Nov 29th.

He is so dang cute!  I spent a little time asking the lady questions about the dogs and cuddling this little puppy.  He was so scared and I think maybe a little cold because he was shaking!  I felt so bad for him!  After a few minutes he started to look around and nibble on my fingers.  I felt so bad when I had to hand him back because I couldn’t take him home with me and I needed to finish my errands for the day.  I told them I’d think about it…

It broke my heart to hand that puppy back to the lady and watch her put him back in his kennel!

This brings me to the whole point of this.  I am afraid to purchase a puppy from a shop like this one because I do not support puppy mills and I am afraid he may be a product of a puppy mill or possibly a random backyard breeder.  I asked them if they knew anything about the dog’s parents or the breeder and they said “we have pictures and his pedigree” and they told me that the dog is able to be AKC registered.  Puppies that come from the store have their first round of vaccinations, are microchipped and have a health guarantee that if something happens to them health wise in their first year and if I chose not to keep it then they would either refund completely or partially (depending on the circumstances).  Now this is reminiscent of the health guarantee that I got when we purchased Gwen from a very reputable breeder but not quite to the same standards.

Gwen’s breeder was a reputable lady who has shown dogs for many years and both the sire and dam (both parents) were champions.  Gwen has a pedigree, champion parents that have both been given clean bills of health for their eyes and hips.  As a puppy, Gwen was examined and had her little hips cleared.  I don’t remember the exact rating they were given but since she is not being used for breeding, I guess we didn’t deem that important enough to remember.  All that mattered was she was healthy and had no major health concerns.  We were also able to meet both parents on site and were able to see their personalities and temperaments.

What I don’t know with this little one is anything about his background!  I feel that if I am going to pay $865 for a puppy then I need to know something about it.  If I am going to take a gamble, then I might as well go adopt something else from a shelter or a rescue.  Pound puppies can give you their heart and soul for way less.  Before Gwen all we had ever had were dogs rescued from shelters.

My friend Betsy evaluated the puppy and said he looked pretty sound mentally and physically but then there is always that off chance that he would develop some sort of health or mental issue in the future.  This didn’t really help discourage my interest in this puppy…

Before Andrew left on his current deployment (again) he had started to talk about wanting another puppy or dog.  I want to find a dog that needs a rescue home or a rehoming situation.  I’d prefer to not have to house train another dog right now and I want something that Gwen can rough house play with now.  Almost every email I have gotten from Andrew has some mentioning of puppies or dogs…  I made the mistake of telling him about a Cardi that is looking for a home.  He was all over that one flies on a hog!  I am still contemplating a Cardi and a Pem together.  Could be cute…

But I digress!  I don’t know if I am ready to take on an itty-bitty puppy by myself.  I guess I am trying to convince myself to hold out for our next perfect dog and if it is meant to be then somehow that puppy will find its way into my life.  I am trying to tell myself to focus on working and training Gwen.  I am trying to convince myself to stick with my original thought of wanting another female and the specific coloring too (black-headed-tri).  Though I’m wavering on that one since there is a cute corgi-mix nearby that I’ve had my eye on!  I know if Andrew had been with me then I would not even be dealing with these self-arguments but rather trying to keep him from going back tomorrow morning bright and early to bring that little guy home!

I am at war with myself! 😦

Before I leave you with a couple parting questions, here are a couple of links I saw the other day and thought they were quite relevant now after this little event of the day.  Please click the link and check them out, they are well worth the read! 🙂

• How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? The Surprising Economics Of Purchasing A Purebred Puppy
• Where *Not* to Buy a Dog: The Pet Store Connection to the Business of Puppy Mills

What is your take on this whole situation?  Given the information you now how, how would you proceed?  Walk away and not look back or run back and snap him up?

Do you think this dog is from a local/non-local breeder or a puppy mill breeder?  

Letters to Santa!

 

Gwen wrote a letter to Santa Clawz this year. 🙂

 

 

Gwen even convinced her “fire-breathing dragon” brother, Owen (my horse), to write one too.  Though his is definitely not quite as good as these ones!  (read them, they are hilarious!)

• Hudson’s letter
• Jitterbug’s letter

Owen just wants to live a very easy life…bigger stall, more food, less work…he needs to win the lottery for me then!

MERRY CHRISTMAS-EVE!

 

Christmas Cards & Trees

I like going into the card aisle at the grocery store or even stopping by Hallmark just to look through the cards.  Granted I usually end up buying one or two so I don’t do that very often.  I did stop in Hallmark the other day to try and find one last card for Christmas and ended up not buying anything but just sitting there reading the cards for a good chunk of time before I realized I had to get going so I could feed her royal highness the dog before she starved (Corgis always think they are starving even when they are little pudge balls).

This was one of my favorites that I saw there and I would have purchased had the people I still needed a card for understood the card…I am afraid they are not really animal people. *gasp!*

Christmas with pets…

If you have pets then you know this is true!  Last year we ended up with our Christmas tree cordoned off with an x-pen so little puppy jaws and claws could not reach the presents or the ornaments.  This year we decided to try letting her near the tree and she has done well about leaving the presents alone and we did refrain from putting any ornaments down low.  Well, there are a couple but they are metal (i.e. not easily broken by a curious Corga!).  The only time she touched one (it was a white metal horse) she jumped back when it moved and started to bark at it.  Since then she’s left it alone!

In the past, my family had two cats and we had to anchor our tree to the wall…I don’t remember exactly what our cats did but I have a feeling it had something to do with climbing up inside the tree and thereby making it fall over.  So my parents were smart and just anchored the tree so the cats could play inside their new evergreen treehouse.

I tried to find some pictures of trees by people with pets, but it was difficult to find anything!  I know I have friends that have to set trees on tables and presents up on shelves but I either couldn’t remember who had those trees or I couldn’t find their pictures!  I resorted to Google Images….

Dogs knock over Christmas trees too, of course!

Or you have THIS problem…

I found way more cat photos than I did dog photos but I did find this link with some helpful reminders about Christmas safety.  It is quite close to Christmas but some things to maybe think about next year.

“O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How dangerous can you be-e-eee…”