The new year and bangs in the nights ...

Hello!  Happy New Year!

Time sure flies.  First the flurry of Christmas festivities ... then it slips into the new year.  And now in a matter of a week it'll be February!

February will not be a good time for the dogs - possibly the worst.  Chinese New Year (CNY) - make the Dog Woods Pack shiver with fear.

Why?

Them blasted fire-crackers that most celebrating household play with relish.  It doesn't help either that firecracker supplies can be found in abundance - most would enthusiastically set one or two strips off now in January! (can you believe the 'enforcement' - or lack of BANNED items!)

Which explains why Trixie's already complaining now (she's whining to me a lot more these days) and you can see her trying to get into the same room as I am whenever she 'feels' one is about to be set off!  The poor girl is going to be down right miserable come the CNY!

Now what's this about firecrackers and the chinese new year?  It's got to do with scaring away evil spirits (you'd scare me and the Dog Woods Pack away too even if the dogs and I are half Chinese! ;)  !) and to usher in the new year.

It's the 'playing' or firecrackers that is deemed fun which explains the enthusiastic sporadic bursts of loud bangs over the evenings leading up to the chinese new year which Trixie particularly is unhappy about and which I've put up with living here.

Anna (the other perky ear-ed member) seems unperturbed - mainly because she's kept in her crate in the evenings after those few violent confrontations she's had with Trixie.  There's something quite comforting about lying low in the cosy confines of one's crate when there are loud scary noise to deal with (am quite glad Anna is not scared of storms nor the rest of the Dog Woods Pack).  Trixie on the other hand seems to be working up some kind of whiny anxiety every time it pours the older she gets (for some unfanthomable reason).  Thankfully, not as bad as what I've seen with Donny (the rehomed German Shepherd) who'd get restless and refuse to eat.  

While the rest would barkingly howl or protest after each loud bangs.  The puppies who are not quite puppies anymore, seem to have develop some cautious reservations about those loud bangs in the nights. Hopefully  none of their reactions would be as anxious as Trixie's - that  Belgian Malinois is known to climb fences to get into where you are when firecrackers are let off!  I suppose their floppy basset hound-y ears help in a way by shield their highly sensitive ears from all manners of loud pops.

CNY eve is one very loud and long bursts of firecrackers (some sounding more like dynamite blasts) all set off in unison just before the stroke of midnight.   Imagine the extent of most (with the exception of this household) households thorough out the city setting off firecrackers!  It's not only deafeningly loud, it's smoky, smelling of burnt gun powder and whatever that's in those crackers and fireworks that's permeates the air till dawn!  Not at all environmentally friendly exercise I'd say and the dogs would be positively cowering!  :P

So wish us all luck with coping with all those loud bangs in the nights.

  Interestingly enough, the first day of the CNY celebration falls on Valentine's day!  Talk about double whammy for them doggies.  Good thing, they don't know what Valentine's day is all about ... else they'd have even more to be complaining about!

Happy New Year!

Hello there!

It's been a busy, interesting Christmas week - with family visiting and feasting.  The Dog Woods Pack have been included in the festivities - with many yummy treats going around  (much to Snoopy's glee ... for some reason she's been one perpetually hungry dog since she returned from the Vet!) and new toys. 

It's interesting to note how the dogs know the difference between their new toys and old ones even though they look exactly alike.  It's funny ... like Joe and Trixie.  They would wrestle for the one TuffTire everytime we play 'Fetch' but when I produce a new one - thinking it would be nice that they each have one to carry about, they ditch the old Tufftire in favour of the new one and wrestle each other for new Tire. 

Then there's their individual colour preference.  Tuffy likes blue - give him the black and blue, you can actually see his eyes light up at the blue ... and he'd go runing after blue ball instead of black.  Joe on the other hand prefers either black or red.  

So before the next round of busy-ness sets in and I won't have time to sit down and write, I'd like to wish each and everyone of you good readers and your adorable furry members of the family a very Happy New Year.  Here's to good health and peace! 

Snoopy's Back!

Hello there everyone!

I am please to report that Snoopy's back home at Dog Woods and is up and about.  The great news is that her liver is back to 'normal' - (some cell count which I fail to grasp) and she's been constantly asking for treats - which is very normal Snoopy.  She's lost some weight because of her liver issues - which is good for her because she's alot more active being a lighter basset.  It could be that she's alot hungrier since she's now recovered, hence the hopping and prancing about - trying to get our attention so she'll get fed a treat or two.

Am glad she didn't have to stay at the Vet's for very long.  Infact in a mere couple of days, the Vet called to say she was ready to come home.  Missing home sure worked wonders on Poopy girl who had to be put on a drip for a couple of days.

We're not exactly certain what caused her liver problems so we're monitoring the environment to keep an eye out on possible things that may cause liver problems.  The Vet said something about bacteria that rats carry that may cause liver to react.  Admittedly, I've seen a couple rats scuttling about ... so maybe that could just be the problem. Kill the rat and save the dogs!  Easier said than done since rats (which I gather is related to squirrels) are equally cunning ... our traps don't seem to be working for some reason.

A feline addition to Dog Woods would be a helpful alternative but unfortunately no cat would ever come near Dog Woods (what more consider to stay) - for obvious reasons. 

Ratty thoughts aside,  I'd like to wish everyone of you good furry and fur-less readers a very happy Christmas and a Wonderful new year!

Anna Up, Snoopy Down ...

Hello!

My bad. I've been away... only to return with alot more to do and organize!  Putting that aside, am happy to report that Anna's out of her 'cone of shame', her stitches removed and she's looking like her old self.  Am really amazed how fast her wound has healed.  Dogs truly have tremedous healing prowess! 

Anna - back to sniffing business

However on the downside, I noted upon my return that Snoopy was looking a little sluggish.  She wasn't eating.  Not like her to refuse a treat even! Usually she'd be the first to wolf it down her share of treats before the others and give you an expectant look for more! 

Had the good doctor come by yesterday - when he couldn't find anything physicaly wrong with her - apart from the bad plague buildling up on her toothies, he had some blood drawn to be tested.  Snoopy apparently has some liver infection - external boo-boos I can deal with, but internal ailments worries me. 

Snoopy looked a little perkier after the doctor gave her a couple of shots - although I daresay, she wasn't the least pleased at being poked and prodded.  I was hoping her appetite would return but she still refused her dinner (maybe she's just tired of the same ol' stuff).  She had a little bread after, but that was it ...

The doctor recommended a couple days stay at the Vet's - deciding to put her on a drip so her liver can clear out whatever toxins that's affecting her.  She wasn't at all pleased that I had sent her in.  Out of the entire Dog Woods Pack, Snoopy hates the doctor most.  Even the sound of his car sets her off barking!  I don't think she's ever forgiven him for poking and prodding her when she was a wee pup - she had such sensitive skin then.  It's still sensitive (and the humid weather doesn't help much) but at least she's no longer suffers from red angry bloody itchy welts. 

I do hope she recovers soon - admittedly I've got a soft spot for Poopy Girl (Snoopy) - she's the only pup in the pack that knows how to say 'Please can I have some more?' in dog language that is.  Can't wait till I can bring her back home ...

Anna, Tuffy and UP

Hello there!

Anna's back.  The good news is her lump is a mere cyst - that formed over an old injury (possibly due to the violent confrontation Trixie and Anna had a couple months back).  So no worrying cancer cells there ...

The bad news is, her face is in stitches.  Not all of it but just the sight of stitches under her lef eye coupled with that post surgery puffiness - let's just say, Anna's not looking her sharpest.  The poor girl also in a 'collar'.  While her appetite's there (she wolved down her dinner in no time at all) she's still a little awed (judging from the droop of her usually pointy Dobie ears) from having her lump fixed.

As for Tuffy's lump, the doctor's confirmed it's merely a bruise swell brought on by injury.  The lump should go down in time, since our Alpha Basset has had a history of 'fat lumps' that soon disappeaered over time ...

I do hope face heals quickly.  Anna being Doberman likes looking sharp and right now her self and face esteem has taken quite a beating and she still hasn't quite figured out what for!  Poor poor girl.

On a brighter side, I finally saw UP (Pixar) yesterday (like my animations) and it was as good as the reviews.  One of those movies that leaves you with a 'feel good' feeeling at the end.  Dug the canine hero of the movie reminded alot of Tuffy - the underdog who later became Alpha dog.  It was quite hilarious ... although Dug's a golden retriever in the movie - some of his physical demeanor, flappy ears, rotund body, drooling  tongue, and how scared/brave he was and  how eager he was to please ...

                                                                                            

Tuffy - Dugs-y!

Then there were a couple of Rottweiller and Doberman characters in the movie that seem to fit Joe and Anna.  And how all dogs would somehow loose their train of thought (play or sniff) if anyone yells 'Squirrel!' - hehehe.  In Dog Woods that would be me doing a version of a high pitched mouse squeak and the pack would come running to investigate.  Sometimes, if they're quick enough they'd catch sight of a squirrel making a dash across the branches above and that's when the excitment begins!  It's a pity my camera is never fast enough to catch them in flying action. 

So yes, there's much relief and one's thnkful that the pups inspite of the occasionally oddments on their bodies are happy and healthy.   Anna, as i write this has gotten over her awe and is now prancing about - doing the usual 'damage' with her cone ... it's looking somewhat 'dented' already (i think she's discovered it's a useful 'ramming tool' with Tuffy at the receiving end).  Sue, i simply must go order one of collar rubber tubes you mentioned a while back ...

Oh dear ....

This is what happens when you try to fix something that's not broken ... :p  I thought i'd try to add a little Christmas cheer to 'Tuffy's Tales' only to have unwittingly delete my previous templates and widgets.  At least now, with a little tinkering around I can now begin to edit Tuffy's page. My previous template upload attempt - while was nice and green Christmassy ... had all the page's edit tabs so nicely hidden away, I had trouble working the page.

While I feel somewhat regretful over what I've just done ... (All that history on the sidebars! Gone at one silly, uninformed click.  Is there a way of reverting to my old page?  Does somebody out there know?) I suppose on the the bright side, this minimized page is a blank canvas for make-over.  Hopefully, this time I won't mess up the page tamplates and widgets.  So Op Pack, Martha Bailey (you've got fantastic looking blogs)... anyone who's got some idea about personalizing blog pages pray enlighten this blur human ...

Putting my editing mishaps aside, Anna has just gone in for her biopsy.  We'll see how that turns out.  I hope to be able to collect her home by this evening.  Alwas feel so sorry for the dogs when more invasive procedures have to be taken - just because of one suspicious looking lump.  Speaking of which Tuffy boy has a lump on his side too - after being snapped at by Joe.  Joe has this thing about NOT sharing his toys - The TUFFTIRE is official the Rottweiller's, and the Rottweiller's alone. 

The other dogs only get to play with TUFFTIRE only after Joe goes into his pent to snooze.  As for the wee mesh ball  (in previous post where Tuffy was chewing on it) ... it's not quite as robust as they put out to be.  They've given the mesh a good chew and it's looking decidedly too fragile for another episode of Dog Woods rough and tumbles ... I've since retired the ball for fear of some pup (Joe particularly ...) greedily deciding to swallow the rubber bits.

Happy December!

Hello!

Happy December!  It's amazing as well as somewhat disconcerting how fast time goes by.  Soon it'll be Christmas and then another new year - 2010 - wow ...it's been a decade since we celebrated the millenium!  Yet it doesn't feel too long ago since that happened!  It's when the realisation hits you, that so much time has passed, I'm always confronted with that question - did i use that time well?  How much have I achieved?  That question almost always leaves me somewhat anxious - how do you actually  measure achievements?  Objectively you could use types of material yardstick,but not all accomplishments can be accurately measured that way. 

 I reckon the dogs are not quite as concerned (as we humans are) about accomplishments, effective use of time and the concerns of againg ... they live life and enjoy every moment of it, more so the mischevious ones and have no regrets.  I've always thought we could learn a thing or two about living life from our four legged friends - at least about savouring the moment and worrying less.

Speaking about worries - Anna, our resident Doberman has a worrying lump just under her right eye which I recently discovered.  Apart from that worrying lump (that doesn't seem to hurt even if i apply some pressure on it) she looks to be in the pink-est of health.  Trotting about enthusiastically, with a healthy appetite.   Then there's a couple of Fur kids - Tubby and Dexter that I think are a little under the weather.  While they're active and eat well, they look like they've lost some weight.  I wonder if they've got worms ... or is it merely their human who's got nothing better else to do but to fret about the state of seemingly healthy dogs ...

While the Furkids, I can deal with (been supplementing their diet with high concentrated vitamins), I had the good Doctor to have a look at Anna's lump.  She's due for a biopsy tomorrow. So we're keeping our fingers crossed - paws too (if the dogs worried as much as their human) that its merely a hardened 'fat lump' ... :p

Will report again when she gets back after the Doctor's done tests on her lump.