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.

1st Visit to the Vet

This morning we had to get up early and get ready to take everyone to the vet.  Even though the vet is literally around the corner, we had to make sure the girls were walked, fed, and ready to go for our 10:00AM appointment.

While getting Charlotte and Chelsea ready, I noticed Rob and Chloe hanging out on the balcony.  She was so content sitting on his lap listening to the morning birds singing. :)

After hanging out for a bit it was time to go and we packed the girls into the car.   As usual, Chelsea and Charlotte took the 2 middle seats, and Chloe sat in her carry case that was on the middle divider between us in the front seats.

Even though the drive took only a minute, the process to get everyone in the car and out of the car was what took forever.  Charlotte had to go in the backpack carry case that Rob wore (since she hates the vet and can't walk in unfamiliar places on her own now that she is blind).  Chelsea was on her leash but was terrified once she smelled/heard the other dogs howling and barking.  So Rob ended up carrying her.  I had Chloe in the smaller carry case.  

Once we got into the vet and did the paperwork, we noticed Chelsea.  She was definitely scared but it seemed like she was taking comfort in Charlotte who was laying down and shaking in her case.  Charlotte is always nervous at the vet, especially now that she can't see the other dogs but knows they are all there.  So Chelsea ended up laying in Rob's arms with her head on the side of Charlotte's case, and Charlotte had her nose up to the mesh siding and they were literally laying there nose-to-nose with each other.  

Chloe was the life of the party.  She was trying to get out of her case and explore.  Everyone was going crazy over how adorable she is and she was loving all the attention.  She would stop and watching any of the dogs who were barking.  She was so alert and interested in everything going on.

Once we were called in, Chelsea was first.  They gave her some cheese to help her relax and enjoy.  Rob held her and I pet her while they took some blood and checked her temperature and teeth.   She was SO good.  No growling, no teeth showing, no biting.  She just stood there in Rob's arms and let the vet do whatever she had to do.  She was amazingly well behaved and I was so proud of her.   They also weighed her and she is 11 pounds, which is the perfect weight for her size.

After that it was Charlotte's turn.  Charlotte had to be muzzled, as usual, because with her she tends to snap when scared.  They took her into the other room to take her blood (not sure why) but then came back and weighed her.  She is 15 pounds and slightly over weight but the vet says that could be because she isn't as active anymore now that she is older.  

Chloe was last and after the vet spent 2 minutes kissing and cuddling her, she weighed her and confirmed she is a whopping 2 pounds.  The sweet little thing didn't need any shots or anything (we go back in 2 weeks for those).  So for now she was just weighed and given a big dose of love and affection from the staff.  After everyone passed her around and kissed her, she was given some flea medication and heart worm pills, and all the other girls were given heart worm & flea pills to take home too and we made our way back home.

On the way home we made sure to stop at Burger King and get a small chicken nuggets for Chelsea and Charlotte to share (Chloe won't get those kinds of "snacks" until she is a bit older).   It was a tradition we'd do when we took Charlotte to the vet, to reward her for being a good girl and to associate the vet's office with getting her favorite food.   

Now the girls are sleeping like babies after their ordeal.  

Rob and I are now getting ready since we are having unexpected company stopping in.  This will be the first time friends/family will visit while Chelsea has been with us, so this is a big test for her.   Chloe, I am sure, will not be a problem as she loves people.   Let you know how it goes... :)

Settling into a Routine

The hardest part of having 3 dogs is that just when dog # 1 settled into a routine, dog # 2 disrupted it.  Now that dog #1 AND # 2 have settled into a routine together, dog # 3 came along and disrupted it.  I'm wishing I could fast forward 3 weeks or so when they have all settled into the same routine as well.   Then life will be a lot less hectic.

My current routine is wake up when Rob gets up.  Chelsea has been having tummy issues lately so there is almost always a mess to clean (though she has done it on the potty patch and on the bathroom rug mostly, so it is a lot easier to clean than the carpet).   Once Chelsea's mess is taken care of, Charlotte has to be woken up to go potty, or else she'll wait until I'm in the middle of something else and demand I take her then.  Then Chloe comes out of her nighttime kennel and I take her right over to the potty patch where she immediately does her business.

Then I put Chloe in her play pen, where she has food, water, toys, and her bed (and a wee wee pad just in case).

She plays in there with her toys while I get Chelsea ready for her morning walk.  I'm usually walking out the door with Chelsea for her walk at the same time Rob is leaving for work.  By the time I get back home with Chelsea and give her and Charlotte their morning rawhide bones, Rob is texting me that he is at work.


Chelsea is warming up a lot more lately.  Now she goes and sits by the gate at the top of the steps when she wants to go out.  I come over and put on her harness and leash and we go from there.   She is also letting me pet her more when she is on the floor/walking around.   And she is listening more to "Come here".  When she is in the other room, I'll go in there and tell her to come here and she almost always follows me.  Gone are the days of having to carry her everywhere.

I even took her to stop in at the Leasing Office in our community.  They have dog treats there and I figured it would get her used to unfamiliar places and seeing people.  She didn't want to walk in at first, and the maintenance guy (same guy who comes to the apartment) came over to see her.  He has a min pin at home and was shocked at how Chelsea was so afraid.  He thought it was sad whatever her previous owners did to her to make her this way.  But he let her sniff him and then reached out and pet her, and even though she tensed up, she let him and was a very good girl about the whole thing.  In the end, she got the dog treat for it. :)

Yesterday was funny.  I was giving myself a manicure/pedicure and was trimming my nails.  I look up after about 2 minutes and see Chelsea, sitting up, staring at me with her teeth showing (it almost looked like she was just sitting there smiling at me).  She looked so vicious and angry that the hairs on my arm stood up!  I figured out that she hates nail clippers.  Kinda like how Charlotte hated tape measures and as soon as you'd start to pull the tape out she'd show her teeth and growl.  So I went over to her with the clippers (as soon as I got close to her she stopped showing her teeth) and she sniffed them for a little bit and then I showed her how it worked by clipping one of my nails, and she was fine with it after that.  It was funny, but freaky at the same time.   Only two other times have I seen her do that, once when poor little blind Charlotte jumped up on the couch and didn't mean to but hit her in the face.  The second time was when Chloe was being rambunctious and climbing and pawing at Chelsea's face.  So we make sure to monitor Chloe around both the girls to make sure she isn't annoying them too much.

Chloe has her new play pen.  I took her to PetSmart yesterday to pick it out.  She also got some new toys (a little ball and a tiny rope bone with a stuffed animal attached to it).  She already ripped the stuffed animal head off of the rope bone.  Poor little guy, who I named Oscar, only lived one day in this house before the wrath of Chloe was brought down on his soul. :)

She also got a name tag, but unfortunately the ones the other girls have are too heavy for her (probably weigh as much as she does).  So I got her the smallest I could find, which ironically fit her personality the best.

The other day, before I bought her any toys, I gave her this little stuffed dog (almost as big as she is).  I got it from Victoria Secret when I bought a whole bunch of stuff during one of their promotions once.  Well it came with a little hoodie on the dog.  I wondered if it would fit her since she as practically the same size as the stuffed dog.   I had to cut the middle part so I could get it over her giant head, but it fit and she looked adorable in it.

Charlotte and Chelsea have been stuck together like glue.  If Charlotte wanders into the bedroom to nap, Chelsea follows.  If Charlotte comes back in the living room, Chelsea follows.  It's cute.  It makes me wonder if Chelsea is really only 1 year old, or if she is older than that.  Even though she is active outside she seems very lazy when inside.  Maybe she just still needs to warm up a bit more.  I just expected a 1 year old to get tired of sleeping and want to play at some point, but we'll see.  Or maybe she is just following what Charlotte does.

Here is a great photo from the other night.  Rob and I were watching a movie and Chelsea was sleeping next to Rob, Charlotte was by his feet, and Chloe was in his arms.  He looked like the Dog Whisperer with his mini pack. :)

Day 1 of Operation 3 Chihuahuas. :)

Yesterday, Rob came home and met Chloe for the first time.  He instantly fell in love with her (who couldn't??).

Rob couldn't get over how tiny she is.

Today was (is still) a busy day.  Finally, after 2 weeks, Rob's car will be done and he left work early so we we can go pick it up in a little bit.

This morning, Rob woke up and went about his morning, but took Chloe out of her crate and put her in bed with me.  Immediately she jumped on my face and kissed me to wake me up.  It was a really sweet wake up call.

I took Chloe to the potty (she is using the potty patch we have and Chelsea has been too whenever she has to go at night).  It's been an awesome help, and a welcomed brake for the poor rugs in my apartment.

After Chloe and Charlotte did their business, it was time for Chelsea's walk.  I enjoy our walks because like Chelsea, I'm cooped up in the apartment all the time, so I sort of sympathize with her.

Here she is, enjoying the scenery on our walk:

Chelsea is slowly getting used to Chloe.  She allows her to jump all over and around her, but doesn't seem too interested.  

Chloe loves her to pieces and just wants to climb into her skin.  If she could, she'd cuddle up with her and sleep, but Chelsea isn't looking for a cuddle buddy.   Apparently she already has one...

So for now, Chloe is using me as her cuddle buddy.  Hopefully in a week or so, Chelsea and Charlotte will get used to this rambunctious little girl and allow her to cuddle with them too.  Until then, here are some adorable photos of Chloe, doing her own thing and cuddling solo. :)

The good part is, she understands "NO!" which is said a lot in this house lately.  She also understands her name already and looks at me when I call her.  She is SO smart.  I can tell she is going to be a great dog to teach lots of tricks to. :)

New Baby Solomon Sister :)

So Rob and I had been toying with the idea of getting Chelsea a "little sister or brother".  One that would have enough energy to play with her and cuddle with her and help keep her active.  Also, someone who she could grow up with.

Of course, we initially wanted to keep the dog all black just like the girls, but it's hard enough finding a the right dog let alone finding a matching one.  Chelsea and Charlotte were pure luck.

I guess fate sorta took control the perfect fit just fell into our lap... literally.

Her previous owner, Tarah, brought her to our house to make sure it was the right fit.  She put this tiny dog (who they had been calling Tequila) in my arms and immediately she stretched up and kissed my face.  There was no going back now.  She completely stole my heart. :)

I changed her name to Chloe, to go with Charlotte and Chelsea (who both came to us with those names).

As you can see in the photos below, she is tiny!  Here is a photo of her next to my house phone:

She is a mere 2 lbs and only 12 weeks old, and will probably be no more than 5 lbs when she is fully grown.  She is a pure bread Chihuahua, mostly black with white paws, belly, a little white on her face/head, and just the tip of her tail.  Her ears curl a bit at the ends but in a few weeks they will uncurl and will match Charlotte and Chelsea's ears.  She is the perfect baby sister for the girls!

Chelsea already seems to like her.  In fact, as I write this Chelsea is sleeping and Chloe is sleeping right beside her.

Charlotte is a little farther down the couch and as I expect, it will take her some getting used to, but I am sure she will manage in a few months when everything has settled down.

Here are some more photos:

Exploring....

 Sleeping on my lap

Ahhhh so sweet. :)

We definitely didn't plan on having 3 dogs, or getting the second two within a month of each other, but now that we plan to "settle down" here in FL, we feel comfortable expanding our family both 2 and 4 legged (though the 2 legged expansion will come probably in a year or so when we are ready to buy a house). :)

The good thing is, both Chelsea and Chloe are great with kids (Chelsea doesn't bite and has a very calm demeanor and Chloe was born with kids in the house).  That was important to us since we aren't sure if Charlotte will be around when we have kids but I am sure Chelsea and Chloe will.

Right now all 3 girls are sleeping on the couch together.  

Welcome to your forever home, Chloe Baby! :)

A few cute photos of Chelsea

There isn't much going on today.  Since it's so hot out (almost 90 degrees) I have the balcony shut, so both girls are sleeping the day away instead of wandering and exploring like usual.   So, during the lazy moments of the day I was able to snap some cute photos that I thought everyone would enjoy.

Chelsea enjoying her new beef flavored Dingo Bone

Lazy girl laying in my arms last night :)

Someone was really knocked out. HAHA!

I definitely didn't mean to wake her but she looked too darn cute I had to get a photo!

Peek-A-Boo!