About The Solomon Sisters

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Spring Hill, Florida, United States
I'm TTC (trying to conceive). If you don't want to read about that sensitive subject matter, then please don't read this blog. All else, welcome! :)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

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! :)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

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! :)