Before You Start Shopping, Consider Adopting!!

A Poem For Charlotte
By Kira Solomon

I can't imagine the life you had before me

And honestly I don't want to know.

All I knew was how much you adored me

And how hard it was to let you go.

From the first day you walked into our lives

Our world had forever been changed

To the saddest day where we said our goodbyes.

When I knew life would never be the same.

The joy you brought us was immeasurable

The pain you left us with was vast

The memories of you are not suppressible

No matter how much time will pass

If I could take anything back I don't think I would

I would only hope for more time

For the life we gave you was more than good

And you will always be in Daddy's heart, and mine.

One word of advice to those of you out there

Who are searching for the perfect pet

Trust me, there is an animal in shelter care

That will be the best friend you've had yet.

There is no greater joy in the world than knowing you gave a dog a second chance at life, and then gave them a wonderful one at that.  Before you start shopping, consider adopting!! 

Saying Goodbye To Charlotte

Today, April 4th, 2012, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Charlotte. Our first pet together.  Our first baby.


For those who don't know the background story:  we adopted Charlotte when we lived in NYC, back in 2006.  She was 8 years old at the time.  I wanted a dog and Rob wasn't too sure about all of the responsibilities of having a dog, but I pushed for it (in my typical fashion) and arranged for the rescue group to bring her to our apartment so we could see her in person.   I sat by the window for an hour waiting and finally a yellow cab pulled up in front of the building and out pops a woman with a small 6lb all black dog with pointed ears and the sweetest little bug eyes I'd ever seen.  We invited them in, and Charlotte (as the rescue group had named her) pranced around sniffing every inch of the apartment.  Finally, after a few minutes of exploring she decided this would be her new home and to show her gratitude, she squatted and peed on the floor.  I looked at Rob, worried that he would say "No way- get her out of here"  But instead he smiled at Charlotte and the nice little puddle next to her and said "I'll get my check book..."   As for me, I went to get something to clean the mess with.   After we gave the nice lady the check and she said her goodbyes and left, the gravity of it all set in.  We have a dog now...  but wait..  we didn't have bowls, toys, or even dog food.  So Rob got her a bowl of water while I rand to the local RiteAid and stocked up on food, treats, toys, a leash, etc.  What proud parents we were that day.

She lived 7 years with us- through a break up, a marriage, 2 moves to 2 different states, road trips, and more.   At the age of 10 she began to lose her sight and at 12 she was fully blind.  But that never stopped her.  In the past year we found out that she has been suffering from Cushing's Disease [see previous post about this].  We're unsure how long she had it before we diagnosed her.  We knew the treatment would be rough for her, so we opted to let her live out the remainder of her life happily and when we noticed she was in pain or the disease was taking a toll on her, we'd let her go humanely.

For the past few weeks we've noticed her deteriorating [see previous post about this].  We discussed our options, and I called around to the vet(s) and humane society to get an idea of pricing and what happens after she is gone.  Rob wanted her to pass at home, hoping she would just go to sleep and not wake up, but I was more concerned that she'd have a heart attack or it would be painful for her when she passed.  So finally, we compromised and decided on having her put to sleep at home when the time came.

We found a wonderful woman, Dr. Burrell, from of Gentle Pet Passings, LLC.  She comes to the house, gives you time and space to say your goodbyes, then will put your pet down and will allow you as much time as you need after it is done.  Then she takes the pet with her and brings the ashes back to you a few days later.  We thought this would be the best way to go.  The last thing we wanted is Charlotte to spend her last few breaths at a place she hated to go to- the vet.  And I was already dreading the walk back to the car with just her collar and leash in hand.

At first, Rob and I were at odds about having her cremated.  I didn't see the sense in spending the money to have her ashes retuned to us.  But when I called the vet to find out the pricing, I though to ask what would happen to her body if we didn't claim it.  The receptionist told me, in the nicest way he could, that she would be picked up by the same company who picks the euthanized dogs up from the pound.  I immediately began to cry.  All I could think about was how 7 years ago we saved her from that fate of being put down and thrown away with no one to claim her, and how could we give her such an amazing life and then let it end the same way?  I wouldn't be able to live with myself.  So I decided forking over a couple hundred dollars and giving her a proper goodbye was the best way for us to cope with this loss too.  So we arranged it all with Dr. Burrell and set up a tentative "appointment" for her to come to our home on Friday, April 6th- exactly 1 month to the day of my grandfather's passing, 4 weeks to the day from his viewing, and on Good Friday no less.

However, after a few sleepless nights of worrying as she grew sicker and sicker, we decided she was suffering too much and called for Dr. Burrell.   She came into our home tonight and allowed us to say our goodbyes and put Charlotte to sleep in one of her favorite spots- laying on our balcony.  Just as the sun was setting.

This past month has been very hard for our family.  My mother lost her father, my father lost his uncle, and now we've lost our Charlotte.  It's said that "God will never give you more than you can handle" but I'm having a hard time figuring out if he's grossly overestimated my abilities...  I'm just hoping that as terrible as this year has started out for us all, that it will only get better from here.

As a memorial, I've created this video of photos for her.  The song playing in the background is "Smile", and I am singing it.  I used to sing this to her when she was sick, or hurt, or just needed some help relaxing and falling asleep, and it would always sooth her.  I though it would be fitting for this video so I recorded myself singing it to her one last time...

"Happy" 2012.

I wish I could say "Happy 2012", but there isn't anything happy about this year for us so far.

You may remember from my last post "Charlotte's  Diagnosis" that Charlotte has something called Cushing's Disease.  It's very hard to diagnose and is diagnosed often too late in most cases.    Originally, we tried holistic treatments, as spending thousands of dollars on treatment for a 15 year old dog was just not a sensible option for us.   We used Cushex drops by PetAlive.   For the most part, they seemed to be working.  After about a week she seemed happier, healthier, and she wasn't showing the typical symptoms of Cushing's (bloating, frequent eating, drinking, and urinating, etc).  We were very hopeful.  But the truth is, this was just a mask.  The underlying problem was still there and was not officially being treated.

In the past 2 weeks I've noticed she has lost a lot of weight.  She went from having that big pot bellied look (like a pig) to looking more like Chelsea now- very lean and almost boney.  Her hair is starting to thin out much more (her tail almost looks like a rats tail now from losing so much hair).  She sleeps a lot more than she used to.  I'm noticing that her appetite isn't what it used to be either, which is saying a lot for Charlotte.  She won't touch the dog food, but will scarf down a bowl of rice and even eat Asparagus (something she didn't even like to sniff a few months ago).   She also has constant diarrhea and when she walks she looks funny because her back legs are very stiff.  She also shakes a lot.  Not sure if she is cold or in pain though.

Last night we had a "scare".  I fed her some rice trying to get her to eat something that may help her tummy.  Well, she ate it so fast that she looked like she started choking or something.  Then after about 30 seconds she just fell over and I started freaking out.  A few seconds later she got up, started sniffing around and eating more food.  I thought maybe she was having a seizure or something but it could have just been excitement (both Chloe and Charlotte do this weird thing when they get excited- their body stiffens and they look like they are going to vomit but they begin making this "honking" noise.  It's strange...).   Well, from there she just went about her usual business eating, drinking, bathroom, sleep.   She has been fine since (except for vomiting the completely undigested 2 day old asparagus and one day old rice, which I find strange).   My grandmother made a comment that maybe she had a stroke.  When I looked into it more I read that a stroke is very common for dogs with Cushing's.   It's another sign of the "end stages".

My grandfather passed away on March 6th.  His symptoms in the last few months of his life were eerily similar to Charlotte's.   We still have no official diagnosis on what my grandfather had, and no autopsy was done, but from what we watched him suffer through I know one thing- I don't want to put Charlotte through any unnecessary suffering.  We know that in the end she will suffer as we've been told the end stages of Cushing's often result in seizures, stokes, heart attacks, and/or internal bleeding.   The question is how many or which one will finally result in death.  Sadly, with this disease there won't be any peaceful passings in the middle of the night.   We know what we have to do... we're just trying to muster up the strength to do it. 

Here are some of my favorite photos of Char-Char when she was healthy & happy.

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. :)