Charlotte's Diagnosis

For a while now we've noticed Charlotte becoming increasingly hungry, thirsty and tired.  As most people would, we equated this to old age.   At 14 she isn't very active anymore, so we figured the hunger and thirst was normal and her lethargic behavior was simply her being an "old lady" now.

A few months ago a sty grew on her eyelid.  The vet said if it wasn't causing her discomfort and wasn't infected, it would be fine.  We watched it and it didn't bother her at all, so we let it be instead of opting for the expensive surgery to remove it.  Fast forward a few months to today - we're at PetSmart getting all the girls' nails clipped.  Charlotte is waiting "patiently" in the cart for her turn and they inform us they can't clip her nails because her rabies vaccination has expired.   It isn't recommend that senior dogs continue getting rabies vaccinations because it isn't good for them if they have underlying medical issues you may not know about.   So since I refused to give her an unnecessary and potentially harmful vaccination, they suggested I take her to their on site vet to have them clip her nails instead.  So we walked her over to them.   Around this time, while I was checking her in, Rob noticed the sty on her eye was bleeding and there was pus coming out.  So we asked if the vet could check that out too.

After some work on the sty (which was infected) he gave us some antibiotics for her to get rid of the infection.  He then looked her over and asked if she was always this bloated.  We had grown accustomed to Charlotte getting larger.  When we adopted her she was 6 lbs and sick.  By the end of that year she weighed around 14 lbs.  Now, when weighed at the vet she was 18 lbs.  We knew she was over weight and she seemed to have a pot belly, which we thought had to do with all the eating and drinking she was doing.

He felt her abdomen and listened to her heart and then recommend we do blood work.   He thought she may be suffering from Canine Cushing's Disease, something we had never heard of before.   We were worried, but I had a feeling it was for the best and we okayed it.  We have long known in the back of our heads that Charlotte isn't young anymore and something was going on with her, we just didn't want to face it.  This was God's way of saying we needed to face it and accept it.

We went home, with the promise from the Vet that they'd call us in an hour with results.  I immediately went home and started researching the disease.    Charlotte had all the symptoms.

-Excessive eating and drinking
-Excessive urination and deification (sometimes in the house due to lack of being able to hold it for long)
-Heavy panting
-Loss of hair
-Pot belly / bloating
-Lethargic
-Weaker muscles, especially in back legs
-Crusty skin and skin lumps
-Pacing a lot and unable to get comfortable

Every one of the symptoms, she had.  In fact, for months now she'd been keeping me up at night because at least once a night (usually around 3am) she would need to go to the bathroom and would normally not wake me up in time and would go on the floor.  Then she'd be whining for water and I'd have to fill her bowl.  Looking back, I realized I've had more nights where she has woken me to go potty or get water than I have had sleepless nights.  All this time I was so angry at her thinking she didn't need the water, but maybe this was part of a disease, something she couldn't help.

Sure enough, the Vet called us an hour later with the news.  She has Cushing's Disease and our option was to pay $700 for an ultrasound and other tests to see which gland it was coming from so they can put her on medication (which would cost at least $1,000 for a years worth of meds).   As heart breaking as the thought was, we decided against medication and further testing.  After reading up on it we saw that the medication would make her sick (vomiting and diarrhea), and would do nothing but prolong her life and possibly make her more miserable.  At 14 years old, we felt it was best to let her live as she is, as long as she wasn't in any pain.   She still seems happy.  Her tail wags to go outside, she lays in the sun to get warm, she gets excited and barks and jumps (or tries to at least) when daddy comes home.  We decided that when she was ready to go, she'd show us.

The disease seems pretty depressing. It is caused by an increase of the hormone called Cortisol, produced by the pituitary and/or adrenal glands due to a tumor in the gland. The tumor may be benign, but either way it causes the glands to overproduce the hormone that in return wreaks havoc on her entire body. It causes all the symptoms she is showing, plus it is puts damage on her organs. It's normally a good hormone, but when overproduced it causes everything from skeletomuscular problems, skin/hair problems to organ failure (specifically liver and kidney). Right now, her ALKP enzyme count is at 739 (the norm is around 212) and her ALT enzyme count is at 352 (the norm is around 200). This increase shows the disease is essentially killing the cells in her liver and she will most likely die from liver failure. The is also even a chance that before her liver fails she could have kidney or heart failure.

From what we've read online, she is closer to the end stages of the disease, and may not have much more time with us.  There is a chance she has had this for the past year or maybe even longer.  The vet explained most of the dogs with this disease go undiagnosed for a long period of time because this is common in older dogs and all the symptoms are what most people assume is just their dog aging normally.  That helped me feel a little better, because at first I was upset at myself for not taking her in sooner and thinking she was just being a typical old dog.

Either way, Charlotte seems fine right now.  After the vet she laid down in the car and took a nap.  She naps a lot, which is because of the disease.  Chloe and Chelsea were laying next to her, laying as close to her as possible.  I think they sense it.  I've noticed they sniff her a lot more, and cuddle closer to her than normally.  She also doesn't seem to mind their presence next to her.  I wonder if it is comforting for her?  I think having the other two girls was the best decision we made.  At first we worried how Charlotte would feel, not being the only dog anymore.  We were afraid she wouldn't get a long with them or they'd bother and annoy her.  But now, it seems like in her final days, they will be a comfort to her and to us too.

God really has blessed us with Charlotte.  From the day I said "Can we get a dog?", to the day she pranced into our lives and peed on our floor - the very moment Rob said "I'll get my check book" to the Robyn the woman who adopted her to us.  She has been the best dog we could ask for.

I know this will be especially hard for Rob.  She is the first dog he has ever had, and he is very attached to his little princess.  It will definitely be hard for me, but now having a diagnosis and knowing what is coming, I am planning for the final days and trying to make sure everything is in order so we can make her last moments with us peaceful for everyone.  I am also working on arrangements for after her passing.  All things I feel that if I plan ahead for we won't have to worry about later and can spend that time together with her.

I am just trying to be strong for me, for Rob, for Charlotte and the girls - like any mother would.  I may not have made them and they may have four legs... but they are my babies and I am their mother and I love them with all my heart - even once I have children of my own.

This is the girls in the car today cuddling with Charlotte on the way home from PetSmart.

The Solomon Sisters Saga Continues...

It has been an eventful almost two months since I've last written a blog about the girls.  As usually, things are crazy here in the Solomon household.  Rob's aunt came to visit for Memorial day weekend and his parents, sister and grandmother came to visit for 4th of July weekend so we haven't been short on company.  It's been wonderful having everyone and next month my parents and brother will be visiting.  We're so lucky to be able to have family come visit us considering how far away everyone is from us.  It's good to see them all when we do get a chance, and we'll even be taking a trip up north to see them next month (more on that to come later).

Chloe has been having a listening problem lately.  While she comes to me when I call her (most of the time) she completely "forgot" all the tricks I taught her and now whenever food is involved instead of listening to the commands and doing them, she just does all of her tricks in a row figuring one of them will get her the treat.  So when I say "sit" she speaks, jumps, lays down, rolls over, paws at me (high five) and somewhere in all that she kinda sorta sits for half a second.   It has been frustrating for me because it's like starting from scratch with her.   But I've signed us up for puppy training, every Wednesday starting next week, and will hopefully be able to get her back on track with her training.

Also, she is loosing her teeth so she is in the chewing stage.  She will begin to chew something and then Chelsea comes along and wants to chew it too and before I know it my wires are chewed or Rob's brand new $50 head phones are split in half.  I've spent more money on rawhide bones and chew toys than you can imagine and it still doesn't stop the chaos.

But today, she went in to be spayed (which is why I had the time to finally write this blog) and just came home looking so groggy and sad.  I immediately took her to PetSmart to get her a collar incase she tried to bite her stitches, and also picked up a brand new bed for her since she chewed hers up and there is no padding left.  Figured she'd want something comfy since she's supposed to be "relaxing" for at least a week.  So she got a cute little pink bed that came with a pink blanket and pink bone pillow/toy...

Chelsea has actually been having the opposite of a listening problem.  She is actually listening to me which is big news because she is the same dog that would run away the minute you looked at her.  Two weeks ago I called in a trainer to help me work with Chelsea and Chloe.  The trainer suggested I have Chelsea on a leash, clipped to me at various times throughout the day.  Most of the day I spend sitting at my desk or on the couch, so she just lays there next to me.  Other times she is free to run around with Chloe.  Well, I tried this for only one day and immediately she made an improvement.  Once I took her off the leash she still followed me and when I'd call her, she came right to me.  I was astonished.  This was the same dog that would have jumped through a 3rd story window to get away from me 5 months ago.  Now she not only knew her name but knew to come when I called it.    So I let her loose most of the time, and when I noticed she'd start distancing herself from me and heading off to sit in a corner, I'd go put the leash on her and bring her back to me.   But the best part is, from practicing putting her on the leash she has learned what "sit" and "stay" mean, and does them whenever I ask.

The other night, Chloe was cuddled up on a pillow under my arm while Rob and I were watching a movie.  I looked down at Chloe and starting telling her what a good girl she was and petting her and kissing her.  Well Chelsea's head perked up from her dog bed where she was sleeping and she immediately got up, came over to the couch, climbed up and laid down next to me with her head on my leg.  She wanted to be my good girl too, and I made sure she knew she was.  I was very proud of her for doing that on her own.  I never thought she'd come to me on her own but she did.   She also loves to lay on my lap and sleep.  I pet her ears (her sweet spot) so she falls asleep.  I definitely didn't think she be a lap dog but she is turning into one for sure.

Since Chelsea and Chloe are both doing so well at coming to us when we call them, we decided to try out the dog run nearby.  At first, we brought them in and kept them on the leash incase they were startled and tried to run.  The dog run is HUGE, like the size of a park but just fenced in.  If either of them took off running it could take forever just to find them wherever they ran off and hid.  So we then walked them into a smaller enclosed section of the dog run.  There were about 5 or 6 little Yorkies there, playing and yapping away.  We brought them in and immediately they all came running to greet us.  Chelsea pulled at the leash to run away and Chloe began growling and barking like she was going to protect us from this group of dogs bigger than her.   Finally when Chloe realized they weren't leaving us alone (all they were doing was sniffing) she began to yelp like they were trying to kill her.  Her yelps are so loud and shrill it's enough to make even the meanest person's heart drop.  I swear you'd think she was dying.  But the trainer explained she does this out of fear because she thinks we'll either pick her up or protect her.  The best idea is to let her realize she is a "big girl" and to stop crying about it (yeah, I laughed when I heard that too).   So we took them both off the leash and they both just followed us and the other dogs left them alone.  Both of them stuck to us like glue.  When we walked away, they followed.  Even when they went to sniff around they stayed close enough to get back to us in a short sprint, and made sure they could keep one eye on us.

Chloe did meet one dog she didn't mind.  He was a Yorkie mix (almost Chelsea's size) and the two of them sniffed each other and sat next to each other and she didn't once bark or growl at him.  So at least she is capable of making friends...  Chelsea wasn't interested in any dogs at all.  She did go face to face and sniff a bigger dog (as did Chloe) but they all realized they weren't mutually interested in each other and went their own ways.  So the dog park was a success in the fact that we learned that off leash they actually won't run away from us and still listen to us.  But not so much a success because they had no clue how to socialize, or maybe just didn't care to.

Part of the reason we wanted to try the dog park was because we are going on a road trip up to NJ & PA in August.  My best friend, Laura, is getting married in PA and I am her Maid of Honor.   We'll be packing the car full of dog beds and toys and heading up North.  It will be Chloe and Chelsea's first trip up to NJ to visit our family and she'll be spending the weekend with my parents and their dog Andy (this is where Charlotte usually stays when we need a sitter) while Rob and I head to PA for the wedding.  It will be a nice chance for Chelsea and Chloe to have a house to stay in with a back yard to wander around in. Plus, everyone up north has been wanting to meet the girls and this is a great chance for them to be able to.   By the time we leave Chloe will be fully healed and will have started her training too which is great.

Chelsea and Chloe are both great in the car.  They just lay there in the dog bed or look out the window.  Charlotte has been great on past car trips with us, so we know she won't be a problem.  I expect the dogs to be the least of our worries on the trip.   Their choice of 3 dog beds, water, food, bathroom breaks with new scenery and fresh air, and the occasional chicken nugget from McDonalds (their favorite) and these girls will be loving life.

I've been taking them on short trips to PetSmart during the week, just to get them out of the house and into social settings.  I'll take them and walk them around the isles and let them sniff and meet people.  This way they get used to people wanting to pet them and hold them.  They are usually very good about it. Chelsea still seems reserved and nervous, but once people start to pet her and she realized they don't want to hurt her, she relaxes.  Chloe just loves all the attention.  Everywhere we go people want to pet her and pick her up.  In fact, today at PetSmart, while she was all drugged up, a baby reached out in the check out line and pet her.  The baby was too small to even talk, but she reached over behind her mom, pet Chloe's face and then grabbed her paw.  I was glad Chloe was drugged for that because the paw grabbing may have frightened her otherwise and she could have yipped and scared the baby.  But I was shocked at how well she handled it.  Ah if only she could be drugged more often... (just a joke).

So I'll leave you as usual with a few fun photos of the girls.  Until next time...

Sleepy Chloe

Chelsea and Chloe cuddling together, as always.

Chloe holding Chelsea's paws. :)

One of Chloe's puppy teeth next to a grain of rice (the grain of rice is the bigger one...)

 Chelsea follows me everywhere now.  Including the bathroom...

Cuddling with Mommy. :)

Charlotte cuddling with the stuffed pig.

Wish I could make this into a portrait and hang it somewhere. :)

Chelsea and Chloe out to eat at Jollie Mon's (pet friendly) grill.  They loved the catfish nuggets. :)

Finally, A Chance To Write An Update!

I know I am FAR overdue for a Solomon Sister blog post, and I apologize profusely for that!   Life has been a bit hectic in the Solomon household.  On May 10th, my brother Jeremy flew down from NJ to doggy-sit the girls while Rob and I spent the weekend at Beaches Turks & Caicos where Rob filmed one of my client's weddings (since I am a travel agent, I plan a lot of destination weddings as well as honeymoons and vacations).

I fully expected the girls to be little terrors for my brother, but they warmed up to him nicely and not but a day and a half after he arrived, they found themselves alone with him and bonding.  Chelsea took to him very well.  By the end of day one they were taking walks together and she was coming up and eating out of his hand.  Once we were away, Jeremy didn't have a problem getting her into her harness and leash for walks, and he was so proud of himself when (during a thunderstorm) she let him hug and kiss her.  After that he was petting and hugging and kissing her all the time.   She still isn't comfortable with a lot of affection, so we tend to let her be for the most part.   When she wants attention, she knows to come to us.

Of course, Jeremy completely fell in love with both girls.  He thought Chelsea was absolutely beautiful, but found Chloe to be too adorable for words.   They LOVE their "Uncle Jay Jay" which probably has to do with the fact that he fed them treats that whole weekend, let them sleep with him in bed, and didn't abandon them like Mommy & Daddy did.  Plus, one afternoon he walked across the street to Walmart to buy some groceries and a bad storm blew through the area.  Instead of waiting it out at Walmart he literally ran home though the rain and lightning to make sure the dogs were okay (he thought he left the balcony door open and was worried that they'd be terrified of the storm.  We all laughed about how he risked his life for them, but it was still very cute to know he cared so much about them.

Once Uncle Jay Jay left, we prepared for a new visitor.  This time Rob's aunt, Christina, came to stay with us for Memorial Day weekend.  The dogs did very well with her and we were glad they are learning to warm up to people coming over.  Of course, Chelsea continues to keep to herself, watching everything as opposed to jumping in and looking for attention like Chloe.  But I think the fact that Chloe does it helps Chelsea come out of her shell.  Chloe takes all the attention off of Chelsea, and allows her the time to observe and then warm up to situations and people.

Now that the girls, and mommy and daddy, are settling back into our routine that went awry this past month, we can all finally breath a little and relax.   I am enjoying getting back into the swing of things because I spend all day with the girls and get to watch them in their element.  I've noticed a few funny things that have changed in the past month.

For starters, Chloe is becoming quite the little brat!  I am convinced that however many months old she is, is how many people years she acts.  So right now she is between 4-5 years old and she is definitely acting like a typical 4-5 year old.  For example, when I give Chelsea or Charlotte something, she wants it.  It doesn't matter if she is sitting in a bed full of her toys, she wants the one toy I gave to Chelsea.  Or, if I give them all rawhide bones, she will only chew hers until she sees the other girls got one too, and then all of a sudden she wants theirs instead.   My favorite is when she is passed out sleeping in her bed and one of the other girls goes to eat dog food out of the "communal" dog bowl.  She could be snoring away and as soon as she hears the crunch of a kibble, her eyes shoot open and she darts out of bed and into the dining room, nudging her way up to the bowl to get a bite too.  At first Charlotte was angry with her.  I'd hear the muffled growls echo out of the bowl while Chloe pushed her head in, right next to Charlotte's.  A few times Charlotte snapped and Chloe backed up looking very confused, as if to say "but I'm so adorable, how can you be mad at ME and not let me get away with everything??".   But after a while Chloe learned how to tip toe around Charlotte.  Charlotte would take a mouth full of food and drop it outside the bowl (she always does this and I have no clue why) and then she'd eat from her little pile.  While she is busy eating, Chloe would sneak by and grab a kibble or drink some water, and then sneak back and wait on the sidelines for Charlotte to get more food.  She has this down to a T now.  But I think this is because Chelsea put her in her place.

That is one thing I've been noticing more and more lately.  Chelsea is my little babysitter.  She is always keeping Chloe busy by playing with her, but she also keeps her "in check".   For example, the other day Chloe was antagonizing Charlotte who was just trying to eat her dinner.  Chloe was jumping all around her and trying to grab food that Charlotte had taken out of the bowl.  After a few growls and barks from Charlotte, and Chloe still not letting up, Chelsea decided to go over and investigate.   Well, Chelsea very quickly intervened.  She walked between Chloe and Charlotte (who was back to eating her food) and she growled at Chloe until Chloe walked away.  From a distance Chloe watched Charlotte eat while Chelsea stood there almost as if she was protecting Charlotte.  When Charlotte was done, Chelsea ate a few kibbles and walked away.  Then Chloe approached the dish and finished eating her dinner.   I wanted to praise Chelsea but she wouldn't understand and it would probably just frighten her.  I was so proud of her for putting Chloe in her place and showing her what her "rank" in the house was.  After that Chloe has been a little bit less of a nuisance when it comes to eating.

Chelsea and Chloe spend all day together.  When they aren't playing together they are cuddled up sleeping together.  In the morning, I let Chloe out of her kennel and the first thing she does is go jump on Chelsea and kiss her on the face.  Then she goes off to the potty patch to do her business.  She adores Chelsea and it is just too cute.   They play fight all the time and then every once in a while Chelsea gets tired of Chloe and lets her know with a firm nip or growl.  My favorite moment was from the other day when Chelsea gave up on play time and decided to switch over to nap time mode.  Chloe still wanted to play but Chelsea was already falling asleep in the dog bed, so Chloe decided to climb up on Chelsea's back and nibble on her ear for a bit before she fell asleep with her head on Chelsea's neck.   It is just TOO cute when these two play or nap together.  It melts my heart.

So for the most part, the girls have been getting along great.  In fact, so well that we have to now lock them all in the kitchen when we go out because they play around too much that they have started using pillows and decorations as toys [rolls eyes].  But at least they get along and everyone is happy. :)

Uncle Jay Jay winning over Chelsea's heart (the key is lots and lots of treats)

Uncle Jay Jay + cooking = 3 happy spoiled little girls

Chelsea and Uncle Jay Jay (at the vet waiting for Chloe to get her last set of puppy shots)

Uncle Jay Jay trying to reassure Chelsea that the vet visit is not for her and that she is only with us to enjoy our trip to the dog beach afterwards.

Chloe eating her rawhide bone at the beach

Chelsea and Uncle Jay Jay taking in the beautiful scenery.

The wind kicked up and Chelsea got a leaf stuck on her nose. She was terrified of it and couldn't figure out how to get it off of her. LOL!

Cuddle time for the girls :)

Chelsea's new favorite spot to lay in the sun.

The Solomon Sisters enjoying their new dog bed that I bought to match the new living room furniture. :)

Oh these two are too cute together...

Multiple [Dog] Personalities

When I look at my dogs I often don't see them as dogs.   They have such personalities that I constantly have to remind myself they have four legs, not two.

Charlotte is convinced she is a princess or of some noble blood line.  I am positive that could she see, she would have watched the Royal Wedding this past weekend and pranced around the house acting as if she was Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Clearwater.   I often think that she dreams of being a descendent of some important tribe in Mexico.  Dare I tell her Chihuahuas originated from Indian tribes that used them for food?  No.  I think I'll keep that bit of information to myself.   

But what surprised me was to see how completely different all three of my dogs are.  Once I had gotten used to Charlotte's royal ways, I expected the next dog to act the same way, chalking it up to "just another Chihuahua".   But Chelsea is completely different.   

Chelsea on the other hand is convinced she is a wild dog, maybe even a wolf.  She definitely has the physique to prove it, if it were true.  Her tail is fluffier and she even has some what of a mane.   She has no idea what it's like to be an indoor dog, or a family pet.  She loves being part of a pack, but when her pack is inside, she wants nothing to do with any of us.  If she could, she'd spend all day outside laying in the shade.  It's like two different dogs in one.  Inside she is scared, reserved, and lazy.  Outside she is alert, curious, and on guard.  It's the weirdest thing, but once she steps through the door way and sniffs that fresh air her tail goes up and away slips that nervous dog that hides in corners.   I think it is because outside, she gets to pretend she is a wild animal, living on the edge, but then she comes inside and realizes she is just a house pet and it depresses her a little.

Chloe, has the personality of a Diva in what she thinks is the body of a Great Dane.  No one has explained to her what a Great Dane really is.  She thinks she is the biggest and most important thing in this house.  I try not to baby her too much since I don't want to create a problem with the other two, so since I've stopped babying her, she's moved on to demanding attention from everyone else in the family.  When Daddy comes home she carries on a fit until he picks her up.  When she is running free and see's Charlotte she immediately runs over to her and smacks her in the face with her paw, as if to say "excuse me, look at me, I'm over here!".  She has no clue Charlotte can't see her and assumes every time Charlotte walks into her it's a game of "tag - you're it".   Poor Charlotte is NOT amused by these antics but even if she did want to fight back, she wouldn't even know where or what to snap at.  So Charlotte has begun to walk into the kitchen, where she can barricade herself, and then barks non-stop until Rob or I pick her up and bring her somewhere safe, which brings me back to Charlotte thinking she is a Princess...

It makes me wonder where these personalities come from.  Did I create it in my mind?  Or do I make my dogs act this way?    It's so strange, but whatever the case may be, it makes for some great entertainment. :)

An Unlikely Pair

On Tuesday after Rob got home from work, we headed over to the pool for an hour since it had been so hot outside.  When we returned home we noticed that Chloe had found a way to push her play pen away from the wall and get out.  So she had been running around with the big girls for the hour while we were gone.   One of the main reasons why we have her in her pen, aside from keeping her out of trouble, is to keep her away from Chelsea and Charlotte who don't appreciate her constant jumping and pawing at them.  When we aren't home to monitor her, I don't want her out for fear she may upset them and they correct her too harshly.

One thing I completely forgot is they are dogs.  It's their nature to correct each other.  When one dog thinks the other is going to far, it's okay for them to tell the other dog. It's how they communicate with each other.  So for me to assume I have to do it for her was me being a typical human thinking my dog is my baby. 

Yesterday,  I decided to do a little "experiment".  I let Chloe free.  The very first thing she did was run onto the balcony and try to play with Chelsea who loves to spend most of her days out there soaking up the sun.   I was surprised when Chelsea didn't run at the sight of Chloe.   Normally, I'd put Chloe on the couch with us and Chelsea would take off running.  Now I realize it was because every time she'd show her teeth I'd correct her, but I shouldn't have.  I should have her let establish her own boundaries and without her showing her teeth, Chloe wouldn't know when enough was enough.  I wasn't letting my dogs just be dogs.  

So a few minutes after going out there, Chloe began jumping all over Chelsea, who seemed not to mind too much until Chloe got in her face.  That's when Chelsea disapproved and bared her teeth.   After a few attempts at "testing" her, Chelsea finally snapped at Chloe.   

My first reaction was to jump up and yell at them, but I noticed Chloe wasn't hurt and was still looking to play.  Chelsea wasn't looking to hurt her either.  I'd seen dogs attack each other and this was far from one of those moments.  Chelsea looked calm and relaxed even when nipping at her.  And even after being nipped at,  Chloe still looked playful and excited.  After an hour of this back and forth, Chloe settled down and the two of them laid down to relax.

Very quickly Chelsea set her boundaries with Chloe and then the two became good friends.  By the end of the day, Chloe was laying with Chelsea in the same bed and was following her around everywhere.  Chelsea started taking on the "mother" role.  Whenever Chloe would get out of hand she'd correct her.  

At one point, Chloe brought her squeaky ball over to Chelsea and the two of them tugged it back and forth for a little bit before Chelsea gave up and let her have it.   Because of this new development, Chloe was able to spend almost the entire day out of her playpen and got so much exercise that she wore herself out and ended up falling asleep way before any of the us did (which is unusual because we usually all go to bed and she cries in her kennel before falling asleep).

Chloe is a little brat though.  The typical puppy and showing signs of the 3rd child syndrome. :)   Every time I give a toy to Chelsea, it doesn't matter how many toys Chloe is surrounded by, she wants the one I gave to Chelsea.  Poor Chelsea.   And if the toy squeaks, forget about it.  She goes NUTS.  What is it with dogs and toys that squeak?  She ripped apart her toy ball and pulled the compartment with the squeaker out and just sits there making it squeak for hours.  She thinks its the greatest thing ever.

Anyway, that is the latest.  Charlotte and Chelsea are buddies, and now Chelsea and Chloe are buddies.  Charlotte tolerates Chloe but does her best to stay away from her.  

Here are some photos of the girls I took recently:

Also, I have created a YouTube channel for all the videos I've taken of them.   You can view them all here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSolomonSisters?feature=mhum#p/u.  Take a look when you have some time.  There are some funny ones like "Chloe Has A Humping Problem" and "Chelsea, The Big Bad [Overdramatic] Wolf."

I'll leave you with one of my favorites, clips from Chloe's first trip to the beach this weekend, which was a success! :)

The Solomon Sisters Get A YouTube Channel

Just a quick update to let you guys know that I created a YouTube Channel for the Solomon Sisters.

You can now view all their video antics here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSolomonSisters?feature=mhum#p/a


Enjoy! :)

Happy Easter!

Wanting to wish all our family & friends a very Happy Easter.  Wish we were back in New York & New Jersey to celebrate with all of our loved ones, but we are there in spirit.

Today is a pretty quiet day for us.  Rob is making a pork tenderloin roast, which I am sure the girls will be very excited about.   :)

Chelsea is doing excellent!  She now goes and sits in the corner by the gate when she has to go out and when I come to her to put on her harness she lifts her paws up for me so I can get it on her easily.  Major improvement from when she'd just run away and one of us would have to hold her.

She also had a moment last night.  Charlotte climbed up on my lap and was licking my leg like it was chicken bone.  Not sure what possessed her to do that all of a sudden but Chelsea was just staring her down the whole time.  Finally, after a minute I felt Chelsea's little nose sniffing my arm which was right next to her face, and she gave me three very little kisses!  I was shocked and she probably would have kept going had I not gasped and startled her.  I just wasn't expecting it from her, but after that she put her snout under my arm and fell asleep like that.

Today, Rob had the brilliant idea to try and "play" with Chelsea.  So she jumped on the couch to try to play and she of course took off running and actually came to me.  I sat down on the floor and pet her to tell her it was okay and when he got up and came over I picked her up to keep her from running so he could come over and make nice with her again.   At that point she latched onto me like a baby and put her head on my shoulder.  It was very cute but when I put her down she didn't run away, she just backed up onto my lap and stayed there.  So I pet her and told her what a good girl she is and then Charlotte came over looking for some attention.  At one point Charlotte put her head under Chelsea's head and the 3 of us were cuddling as I pet them.  It was very cute and I almost wonder if Charlotte even knew she was cuddling with Chelsea or if she thought it was me.   But that was also an improvement that Chelsea came to me when she was scared.

Charlotte is being Miss Affectionate lately.  She is always up on my lap or kissing our feet or legs.  She just can't give enough love, and of course whenever we pet her she nudges us to tell us she wants more pets.  It's one of my favorite things that she does.

Chloe got a new bone today.  It's a special bone for puppies who are teething.  Since she loves to chew and her poor stuffed animals are taking a severe beating, I wanted something a little more durable for her to chew on.  She is loving it and now prances around the house with it.  She literally takes is wherever she goes.  It's too adorable. :)

Chloe is also learning new tricks!  I've already taught her to "sit", "lay down", "roll over",
"high five", "shake", "dance",  "crawl" and "speak".  I'm working on "play dead", "bow", and a few others... though she keeps confusing "lay down" and "play dead". HA!  She is smart as a whip! 

I'll leave you with a video of some of the first things I taught her.  

There Was Nothing "Good" About This Friday For Chloe - Vet Visit Part 2

Today was Chloe's follow up vet visit.  Being that she is only 12 weeks old she was due for her 2nd set of puppy shots.

The whole situation reminded me of the part in "Look Who's Talking Too", where the brother and sister are at the doctor and the little sister is all excited because there are toys and everyone is so nice, but the little brother tries to tell her it's gonna get worse, and then the doctor gives her the shot and she freaks out.  This is exactly how this played out.

Her first visit to the vet was with her big sisters two weeks ago.   That visit was fun and exciting to her.  She got all the love and attention while her sisters sat there shaking, huddled together in the corner.  I'm sure to tiny Chloe she had no clue why her sisters weren't as excited about how much fun this little adventure was.  In fact, Chloe didn't even have an exam, she just enjoyed being passed around between the employees, getting lots of love and kisses while her sisters were poked and prodded.  She got some cheese from the vet and then some treats with her sisters when she got home. It was probably the perfect day out for her.

Well this time was drastically different.

When we arrived a poodle and a golden retriever were having a conversation in the waiting room and the noise was deafening.   I will say though, it was adorable to watch the poodle yap away and then the retriever responding with his deep bark.  It seriously was a conversation.  One would bark, the other would answer, then the first one would bark again, and the second would answer.  But never at the same time because  I guess they figured that would just be rude.

Anyway, Chloe was already shaking in her carry case.   So I opened it so she could sniff around.  She watched the dogs but seemed terrified.  Last time she couldn't wait to come out of the case, this time didn't want to come out of it.  It was almost like she could foresee the future.

The vet came out and we chatted a bit about Chloe acting so scared so she immediately reached in and picked her up and took her around to everyone in the back to get her used to them all.  I guess it worked because she came back with some cheese (they give the dogs cheese to distract/calm them).  She was still a bit reserved but was excited about the cheese.

Then I handed her to the receptionists who were cuddling and kissing her.   Finally, we were taken into a room where Chloe was then brought to me, since she was still making her rounds when we were called in.

The poor vet tech had to get a fecal sample.  For those of you who don't own a pet and don't know what a fecal sample is, it is when the vet tech takes a long stick that looks like the wand you find in a bottle of bubbles (with a thinner circle) and sticks it in the dog's butt in order to pull out a sample of their poop to check it for worms.  It is just as disgusting as it sounds.

Chelsea didn't seem to flinch when they did it to her last time, which made me curious as to why the dog who runs away from lizards doesn't mind someone coming up behind her and putting a stick in her butt.  But anyway...

Charlotte has always hated it.  Poor Charlotte can't see what is in front of her let alone what is coming up behind her so every time it happens to her, her eyes bulge out of her head like a cartoon character (see example photo below).  It's always so hard not to laugh at her when that happens.

Well this was Chloe's first time and let me tell you, she absolutely hated it.   I can't fully blame her but her reaction was worse than any dog I've ever known.  She screamed bloody murder.  I don't speak dog, but I can only guess the words "help" and "rape" were somewhere in those cries.

Once that ordeal was over she trusted no one.   Every time someone walked into the room she latched onto me like a monkey.

The vet had to preform most of the exam with her in my arms.   At one point the vet felt around by her tail and Chloe let off a warning cry to tell her she was getting to close to her danger zone.

Chloe got 2 shots and luckily the vet was able to distract her with some more spray cheese which she was so busy licking off the table that she didn't even blink for her shots.   But after that she just wanted to either be in my arms, on my lap, or in her carry case.

The vet tech took a few photos of her to get a good one for her file.  This is what they were able to get:

After the entire ordeal I decided to stop at the bank since I had something to sign for my account.  Chloe stayed in her case and came in with me but of course the lady at the bank I sat down to work with wanted to hold her and pet her, and I was surprised that Chloe was calm about it.  A few times she looked back at me with a very unsure face, but she didn't yelp or freak out like she had at the vet.  

No she is curled up with her favorite stuffed animal and laid there with the most depressing face.  

I guess she is reflecting on her ever so traumatic morning at the vet.  Dare I tell her she goes back in 3 weeks?

New Bed = End Of Life As They Know It.

Rob and I have had the same mattress since we moved in together 6 years ago.   The poor "pillow top" mattress that we picked up at a cheap mattress warehouse in the Bronx was almost completely shot.  So this past weekend, after growing tired of waking up with back pain, we decided to look into mattress deals in the area.   We found a place that was offering a free flat screen TV with a purchase of a mattress, and since we don't have a TV in the bedroom and had been shopping for one of those too, we figured why not kill two birds with one stone?  

We spent two days deciding which mattress to get, visiting the store twice and spending more than an hour and a half there each time.  In fact, on the first night we stayed until closing just to decide we'd "sleep on it" (no pun intended) and come back the next day.  On day two it became apparent that we weren't just going to replace our Queen sized pillow top mattress, no we decided to go all the way and upgrade to a king sized bed.  One problem, our current bed set only fit Full/Queen mattress.   So then what started with just a harmless mattress turned into looking for a bed frame to go with it.  I couldn't help but wonder if maybe it would have been a better idea to impulse buy on night one because then we would have left with a Queen mattress and nothing more.

Of course, they didn't have the frame we originally had since we bought that at JCPenney and it was discontinued since then (just my luck).   But we noticed then that the bedroom sets were also on sale and offering free TVs with a purchase.  What we had hoped would be a quick stop at the furniture store turned into another night spent sitting on a whole bunch of beds and couches hiding from the store salesman so we could have a private moment to make a decision without pressure.

An hour later we decided we didn't need a whole bedroom set, but after sitting on a couch for nearly an hour we did want the couch!   So since that set also came with a free TV, we were getting 2 free TVs out of the whole deal.

Now we were ready to check out.  Our total damage: one king sized mattress/box spring, one king sized bed frame with head board, and one living room set (including a leather ottoman, sectional couch with pillows, swivel chair, a TV stand and the free TV).  

The new bed

This new living room set (the swivel chair is in the corner, kinda cut out of the photo)

We knew the sofa set wouldn't be delivered until May 18th, but the bed and frame were scheduled to be delivered today, so the morning started out with us getting up extra early to move the old bed set into the guest room where it will now live.  Of course the dogs were in sheer panic mode because they couldn't understand why we were up so early and why we were rearranging things in their space.

Once the bed was out of the bedroom, Charlotte wandered aimlessly around the empty room searching for the bed she used to jump up on.  Chelsea stuck her nose high in the air and sniffed around with uncertainty but dared not to move from her "safe" spot on the couch.  Chloe, who I had moved to her playpen in the other room was whining and yapping away trying to figure out what was happening.

The old mattress set was in the living room so it was out of the way of the delivery guys and so they could take it with them when they left.   Chelsea was the first one out of the bedroom and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the giant mattress set resting on the back of the love seat in the living room.   She ran back into the bedroom and refused to come out.

Charlotte walked right into the thing, in typical Charlotte fashion.  She was startled and bounced backwards a little and then continued to walk into it until she figured out where the end was and how to get around it.

I let Chloe out to investigate it, since she wouldn't calm down.  She immediately decided it was a giant jungle gym and spent 10 minutes running around the couch, through the gap between the sofa and the mattress and around the mattress.  She did this several times before I wrangled her and put her back in her pen.

Around this time I heard the delivery truck pull up.  So I quickly herded the big girls into the guest room where I made a nice little bed of blankets on the couch in there and turned on the TV to keep them from hearing the delivery guy's voices.   I do this whenever the maintenance people come in because Charlotte has this thing where as soon as she hears an unfamiliar voice she freaks out.  Every hair on her back stands up and she goes into attack mode.  I'm not so worried about her hurting someone, but there is always the possibility that she will hurt herself, like the time she freaked out and jumped off the chair headfirst onto the wood floor in our old apartment.   I swear she is a cat and has 9 lives, but I'll save all that for another post.

Chloe stayed in her pen since it was out of the way, but at soon as the delivery guys came in they all went gaga over how cute she is.  She very quickly turned cute into crazy when one of the delivery guys reached down to pet her and she started yelping like he tried to kill her.  He hadn't even touched her.  He felt so bad because he didn't mean to scare her, but she was so freaked out she ran into her kennel and barked from in there until they left.

Her tiny little yaps set off Charlotte, who I had worked so hard to distract.  The only one not freaking out ironically, was Chelsea, who was fast asleep on the couch when I looked in on them, despite Charlotte's obnoxiously loud barking.  I very quickly opened the door, and told Charlotte to "SHUT UP!" and shut it again.  That calmed her down for all of 30 seconds and the barking began again.

Now Chloe and Charlotte were competing for the loudest bark, and I can assure you Charlotte was winning.  I was just so happy that the delivery guys got everything done so quickly and left in under 5 minutes.

Then it was time to let the girls loose.  Charlotte wandered around sniffing and then made her way into the bedroom where she must have still "smelled" the delivery guys because she stood there staring at the corner barking for another 2 minutes before the new object in the room caught her attention.

Chelsea came running in to check on Charlotte and stopped dead in her tracks.  She sniffed the bed and around the bed and then decided she did not like the presence of this new furniture and climbed up on the couch and laid there with a very disapproving face.

Chloe ran in and seemed completely unfazed by the new bed until she realized it wasn't as easy to run underneath it and then it became too frustrating for her.  She gave up after her 3rd attempt of crawling on her belly and then went back into the living room to play with her toys.

By the time the dogs had been "introduced" to the new object in the house, they slumped into depression mode.   Chelsea and Charlotte laid on the couch together looking at the bed, well Chelsea looked at the bed while Charlotte looked in it's general direction. Chloe laid in her pen with the saddest eyes I have ever seen and only when I picked her up did her tail wag and the excitement kick in.

The dogs seriously acted like the world was coming to an end and this new bed was some apocalyptic message.

For me, I couldn't be happier.  I grabbed my laptop and the phones and climbed in to "break it in". I rolled around for a minute and was in heaven.  Of course, the entire time I was basking in the glory of this new bed, the dogs stared at me from their couch like I was the ultimate traitor.

After a while I figured out why they were all so upset.  The bed is now too high for them to climb up on!  Charlotte could barely make it onto our old bed and now this new bed it 2xs the height.  Chelsea only jumps up from the bottom of the bed and now there is a frame there so she can't, and Chloe, well whatever hope Chloe had for growing big enough to climb into the old bed, she has completely lost faith now.

So there I was in my big bed, looking down on 3 sad little faces and all I could to do was.... stick my tongue out and say "na na na na poo poo!" :)

I just can't wait until the living room furniture comes.   >:)

Saturday & Sunday Shenanigans

Finally, I had a break in my very crazy (and stressful) day today, to sit down and write a blog about our weekend!

On Saturday night we had a lovely unexpected (and sadly short) visit from Rob's aunt Christina who lives in Miami.  She was visiting friends in Orlando and drove over here to see us for a little bit.   It was Chelsea's first time having company (other than the maintenance guy or her rescue mommy Cynthia stopping in to check up on her).  She was VERY good.  She let them pet her, even though she looked terrified the whole time.



She mostly kept to her self but at one point she was laying with her head on my lap, sleeping, and Christina was sitting next to her on the other side.  So she was definitely relaxed even though we had company.  I was very proud of her.

Charlotte did well too.  Everyone was petting her and giving her lots of attention and she was loving it, which probably helped Chelsea calm down.  

Chloe was the star of the show of course.  Because she is so tiny and cute everyone wanted to hold her and pet her.   At one point she yipped and cried like she was hurt but we realized she was warning our guests that she didn't want to be picked up anymore.  She came running over to me wanting me to pick her up because she was tired of all the unfamiliar hands coming at her.  But other than that, she did very well.  I doubt we'll have too many problems with her being social.




Sunday morning Rob and I went to church and came home to a house full of sleeping dogs.   Rob spent a little bit of time playing with Chloe who doesn't get to spend time with daddy much during the week since he is at work all day.   She was loving it.  She'd run around and he'd chase her and she'd run so fast she'd start to pounce around in order to move quicker.  It was cute.  

After about 10 minutes, Chloe wore herself out and then joined Rob on the balcony where she got a nice little belly rub and took a 1 minute "cat nap" ... or maybe she was just trying to tan her little pale belly.  :)

Then after making some breakfast, Rob and I took Chelsea for a walk.  She does so well on our walks and really comes out of her shell.  Her tail goes up and wags around.  She is really in her element when she goes outside.

Every once in a while I catch her doing something really cute.  Like on Saturday when she was laying on her back sleeping, dreaming and pawing at her face...

Anyway, after our walk Rob and I thought it may be nice to take Chelsea over to the dog beach for a little early afternoon fun in the sun.  We wanted to give her some one-on-one time and while we thought the dog run may be good to help socialize her, she still isn't ready to be confined in a space with other dogs.  We think the beach is a good way for her to be around other dogs but not be stuck dealing with them just yet.  So we drove over for a little bit and hung out with her there.

We took turns walking her up and down the beach while the other sat with our stuff.  Then, Rob and I sat on the sand bar where the waves were coming in and creating a little shallow pool of water.  It was half a foot of water and sitting in it watching boats go by.  Chelsea was hesitant to go in, so she just walked back and forth with her tail wagging and watching us and everything else going on around us.  Finally, after a few minutes of ignoring her she made her way into the little pool with us and was standing right there next to us enjoying the water.   We were proud of her mini accomplishment!   A few minutes later we saw a pod of dolphins swim by which was a really nice treat. 

When we came home we decided to take Charlotte out for a walk since we didn't take her to the dog beach, but Chelsea wanted to go too, so Rob took our little pack out for a nice afternoon walk...

Which was followed by the big girls (Chelsea & Charlotte) cuddling up on the floor in a blanket and taking a nap together. :)

All-in-all a lovely but busy weekend.