Mark your calendars for May 10th!

 

 

Right after our guests left  and Aunt Becky had cleaned, Aunt Susan arrived all the way from Portland, Oregon!  Mama was asleep when she got here. Aunt Susan’s plane was stalled in Chicago becuause POTUS was there, and nobody could leave until he did.  So that put Aunt Susan at our house around midnight.  Mama had showered with some strange smelling stuff and had changed our sheets and towels, taken her magic pill and boom, we were asleep when Aunt Susan arrived (she knew we might be asleep).  The next morning at 3 AM, Mama got up and showered with that strange stuff again.  She and Aunt Susan left the house, and I thought they were going to an Estate Sale or yard sailing, but no.  Several hours passed, and Aunt Susan came home….without Mama!  Where the heck was Mama?  Aunt Susan said I paced and paced.  She could hear my toenails clicking along on the floor all night as I went from room to room.  You know how Mama likes to jump out from behind doors and tries to scare me?  That’s what I was thinking as I searched and searched.  No Mama.  I was pretty irritated.  I love my Aunt Susan, but where was Mama?????

The next day,  Aunt Susan  fed and walked me , and got a very hard time from some of our neighbors.  “What are you doing with Skyler?” was something she heard a lot. She said one neighbor really questioned her closely. How did she know Mama?   Why was she here with me?  When the answer was revealed, that Mama was having Thyroid surgery, and Aunt Susan was here to help, more questions….Why was Mama so secretive about the surgery?  Answer: Mama didn’t think anyone would really  be interested..it was supposed to be a quick overnight dealio.  Key words…Supposed to  be.

Aunt Susan left again, and this time she came back with Mama.  But Mama wasn’t herself.  She smelled weird, I couldn’t  climb on her chest, and I couldn’t lick whatever it was that ran across her neck.  Mama changed her clothes and quickly got in bed.  I was allowed on her lap, and behind her legs.  I took those options.  Turns out Mama had a very rough time with the anesthesia and a migraine style headache,  so she  had to spend longer than planned at the hospital.  She gave everything they fed her back…in a liquid form.    But finally,  after she, Aunt Susan and Aunt Michelle argued and threw a bunch of  hand grenades, she got the magic shot, slept for two hours and when she awoke, felt a lot better.  They still kept her until they were sure she could keep food down.  Only then did they let her come home.  And get this:  When she was in the Recovery Room after the surgery, she looked at her very kind Nurse and said, “Where is my dog?  Have you seen my dog?”  He said, “Madam, your dog is not here, so sorry, why don’t you just put your head back down and go to sleep?  We will have a room for you shortly.  I won’t leave you until you get put in a room”   And true to his word, he stayed with her until a room was ready, and took her to said room.   Once she got home, Aunt Susan and Aunt Michelle  bustled around, getting us comfy. They had cooked up some good things for Mama, including crushing up her pills so she could  get back to normal.   I watched Aunt Susan smacking the pills with the rolling pin and then putting them in Gelato, Tapioca pudding and other good things.  Mama got all calm and we went to sleep.

Sadly, when we awoke, it was time for Aunt Susan to got home to Portland. She has a husband and two sweet boys, who I really like, and her husband had to go out of town on a business trip. Mama was so grateful to Aunt Susan for making such a huge journey with such a short turn around time.  And she is grateful to Aunt Michelle for always being there for us.  We have the best friends and neighbors!

So today marks the tenth day since surgery, and Mama and Aunt Michelle went for the follow up  appointment.  The good news is that Mama can put Neosporin on her incision.  The sort of bad news is that there is more ahead.  But now, I am experienced in these matters and can deal.  I just know I can.  With Aunt Susan and Aunt Michelle of course.

I

It was a dark and stormy night…… Well, not really.  The phone rang this past Sunday,  and our sweet Sister In Law  (Jeannie) and her husband (John) needed a place to lay their heads.  They had driven from CT to their beach house in NC and found it covered in mold.  Surprise!  So while the mold people were beavering away, they came up here on Sunday  and stayed with us until Wednesday.  Wednesday morning, bright and early, our house cleaner was coming because we are having company tonight (Thursday) until Sunday,  we only have one guest room, and my Auntie Susan was coming all the way from Oregon.  Whew!  That is a LOT of activity for Mama and me.  But it all worked out.   There was seeing old friends, buying new pillows and comforters for their beach house – just a lot going on from morning to night.  Mama and I are not used to talking that much, or going that hard. We have decided that we are semi-reclusive.  Tuesday night, the night before they were to go back to the beach, Jeannie realized that she had lost her phone. MERDE.  Mama called around to everywhere they had been, they searched their cars, their pockets, their handbags a gazillion times.  Mama Googled Lost Phones.  They even tried to find the  through GPS.  No phone, nada. Reluctantly, they called it a night…..I was drained !

Wednesday morning, Mama got up extra early and started getting ready for our house cleaner.  Then she had one of her ideas.  When Jeannie came downstairs, Mama said, “Why don’t you get one of those burner phones, like the drug dealers use” ?  Jeannie said  “What on earth are you talking about”?  She’s pretty naïve.  So Mama explains that they can get a prepaid phone for the time being, and that became the plan.  Meanwhile, here comes  Aunty Becky, our house cleaner, with Kristy, her daughter,  and there ensued a Marx brothers scene with  EVERYONE rushing around, Mama yanking sheets and towels to put in the washer,  until Jeannie and John got loaded up and set off for Walmart and then, off to  the beach.  Jeannie and Aunt Becky hadn’t seen each other since Mama’s little incident a few years back, so they had to do some catching up.  Mama had worked herself up into such a tizzy that the suggestion was gently made that she take me for a walk.  That means get out of Aunt Becky’s  way, because the Mater was driving everyone crazy.  Mama took the hint.  She walked me, and then she walked herself.  WHEW!

We went to bed very early last night.

This morning I had my annual physical.  Everything was very sporty with two exceptions.  I am one year older than Mama has been telling everyone…I am six for heavens sake.  And, my eyes are gradually getting to the point where I could have cataracts.  Key word, GRADUALLY.  Spin Dogtor said, “Michele, repeat after me – GRADUALLY !”   But other than that, I am good to go!  As soon as we got home, Mama finished up washing everything in preparation for company.  The dishwasher has finished and  as soon as this last load of laundry dries, we are going for a well earned walk.  And she better not short change me….I had a rough morning at the Spin Dogtor’s what with a heartworm vaccine, and that physical.  I was given four dog treats whilst there, but that’s because they all think I am so cute.  And I am.  I am a VERY GOOD DOG.  And I can’t wait to see my Aunt Susan!

All portraits by Addren Doss Fine Art

This is Josh (above).  He was Mama’s very first Scottie.  She drove round trip to Knoxville to get him. He was a gift, and at the time,  was being boarded in a kennel there. Mama was told that he was the only Scottie in the Kennel wearing a collar.  She couldn’t get the Kennel lights to turn on, so she went to every run, and felt everybody’s neck, until she came to Josh.  Then, the gate wouldn’t open, so she climbed over, picked him up, climbed back over, and they got out of that situation.   She said “Want to blow this popscicle shack?” And he did.  He hopped right in the back seat, and then worked his way to the front. Mama had brought a crate, but Josh said he didn’t need it, he would just sit in the passenger seat and be just fine.  And he was.  Mama and Josh had wonderful  times together for quite a few years,  until he developed Addison’s.  They struggled with that until  Josh  said that they had done all that could be done, and he was ready for the Bridge.  So Mama bought him a ticket and cried the Grand Canyon twenty gazillion times over.  After an extended period of sadness, Mama was given another gift by the same friends.

His name was Noah.

Mama and PawPaw drove to Nashville to get Noah.  They spent the night going to and from Nashville  at the only  Motel they could find that accepted dogs.   It was in Newport, on the North Carolina side of Knoxville…..they new nothing about Newport other than they could all spend the night. After picking up Noah,  Mama went towards the kitchen area to get Noah a bowl, and was told not to go in, there was a Church service going on and they “hadn’t put the snakes away yet.”  Even Mama was floored…”Snakes?  Really??????  I mean REALLY ???. “Oh yes, snakes”, said the Clerk. ” This is a snake handling town”.  Mama went back to the room and told PawPaw that they needed to leave for home just as soon as they woke up the next morning.  And they did.  Noah and Mama had many happy years together.

One day, a lady ran a red light and T Boned Mama.  This is what her Volvo looked like after everything was said and done.  So Mama had to be away from Noah for several weeks, although towards the end, he was allowed to visit her in hospital.  Then, when she got home, he only left her bedside to go for a walk or to tinkle.

Finally, Mama could get up and practice walking with a walker, then walk  on her own. .  Noah was right there.  About three months after Mama started walking and driving again, she felt that something was wrong with Noah, but she couldn’t put her finger on it, so they went off to Dr. Pokey’s.  Mama could hear him saying, ” SHIT SHIT SHIT”  from behind the door .  He came in, told Mama that Noah had a bladder full of tumors, and they needed to go to the Specialty Vet.  And so  they did.  24 hours after being admitted, Noah told Mama that he needed to go to the Bridge.  So she bought him a ticket, came home and had the biggest meltdown PawPaw had ever seen.  This went on for months.  Finally, Mama said she was ready for another dog, and she was pawsitive she wanted another Scottie.  So the same friends who had given her Josh and Noah put her in touch with the Alabama Scottish Terrier Rescue Association, and voila, one rainy day when Mama had really been emotional, her phone rang and long story short, I was available, and when could she and PawPaw come get me?

They  got in PawPaw’s car and drove to Atlanta to pick me up.  I wasn’t feeling so hot, because I had been surrendered to Dr Pokey, then chipped, neutered and had a raging ear infection.  My Auntie Kate, who I was surrendered to, visited me several times, and really liked me, so she emailed back and forth with Mama, telling her how sweet I was.  But that morning, when they came to pick me up first thing at Dr. Light’s, I was a limp noodle. Mama stopped by my crate and told me that things were going to get better, but I was in a daze. Also, the woman who surrendered me didn’t like the Scottie cut, so I had been groomed like a Westie! I did look pretty strange and was greasy from the ear meds, but they didn’t seem to care.  Mama wrote the Vet a check,   PawPaw picked me up, put me in Noah’s crate in the back of  the Tahoe and away we went.  I wouldn’t drink any water, and barely tinkled on the way home. I was very aloof.  But once we got home, I perked up.  Mama sez I ran up the stairs, jumped on their bed, ran downstairs, bounced on all the furniture that I could get on…..I was transformed!   The very first day I was home alone with PawPaw, he  forgot I was there,  and left a door to the outside cracked.  I was out like a shot.  The poor man spent an hour looking for me and trying to figure out how he was going to tell Mama that her dog was gone.  But when he got back home, there I was, sitting in the front yard waiting on him.  I had just wanted to check out my new neighborhood! Happily, he did see the humor….I think he was just flat relieved frankly.    Initially, I did favor PawPaw, because he was at home with me all day, and slipped me treats.  Mama was good for paying the Vet bills, buying my food and such.  NOTE: Until she came up with my name, she called me George, and I was down with that.  Neither of us liked my original name.  But we all liked the name she came up with ( she said she had to be around me to create a name). Little did we know,  after just a very  few months, PawPaw asked to go to the Bridge (he had been very ill) and Mama bought him a ticket.   From that time on, it has been  us two.  We were  very sad together for a very long time (we are doing some better, but boy, has it been hard work, even with all of our dear friends)   Now that I think about it, Fate must have put us together,  based on the timing and all, cause we turned out to be  like peas and carrots ! Thanks Auntie Frances and Auntie Kate !

I am a very good traveler and guest, so we are on the go a lot. This  past Summer, I was described to be  “very chill”.  Well,  that’s my story.  Mama hopes we can hang together for many more years, and I do too.  That woman is flat crazy sometimes, and she needs me to calm her down.   I went from being a little dog with a bad ear infection with no home, to a little dog with a home,  tons of  wonderful friends, a Facebook page,  and a blog!  I think everything worked out just fine!

Till next time,

Skyler Braveheart

 

 

 

THE BIG SHOW was this week, and Sophie & Ernesto were #1 in our breed ! There sure was enough competition.   Mama met them two years ago when they came to the  dog show in Greensboro.  All the Scottie people knew they were coming  to that particular show so  there were only 3 Scotties showing  that year.  Ernesto and Sophie are both lovely…..Sophie is such a happy girl and has twinkly eyes, and Ernesto is very gracious and FOCUSED.  No other way to describe him.  He really knows how to do his job.   This year, they didn’t come to Greensboro and there were a lot of Scotties.

Looking at all that is involved other than breeding to be a show dog –  nobody could or should  ever grab me by the tail….mine doesn’t curve up….but as Mama says, it still wags, which is good enough for her.  And I don’t like just anybody looking at my teeth or feeling me up to ascertain my bone structure.  I think being a pet quality dog is just fine!

Our Scottie Community on Facebook reminded  itself of the official description of our breed –

“The Scottish Terrier’s character and personality reflect the bleak and lonely moors of his origin. Life to him is serious, to be met with dignity, reserve and stout heart. He is by nature aloof, but to the accepted few friends and family his devotion is deep and lifelong. A secure place in his home, understanding and companionship are essential to his happiness. In spite of his independent spirit, his strong desire for approval will win compliance with your wishes where harsh words and punishment will fail. To those who appreciate his unique character, the Scottish Terrier is a friend and companion, second to none.”

Now while I am  not especially serious, as soon as I have done something wrong (which is rarely), I apologize immediately, which is why most of the time Mama doesn’t correct me. Her biggest gripe is when I bark in our kitchen, which has a ceramic tile floor.  She says the acoustics of same really gives her a headache. I also bark when we have company and it turns out they haven’t come to pay homage to me. That really makes me bark, so Mama is either saying NO !, picking me up, or giving me cookies just to make me stop. All there rest of the time, unless she is out of the house or we are in the car, I am glued to her side…so much for being aloof. Dignified….hmmmmm a bit of a stretch.  I am way too friendly to people, and can be aggressive to other dogs.  Companionship….Check, check, check !  I guess I’ll do.

Mama has had three Scotties.  Josh, who was a gift from a dear friend who was also a Breeder,  and did not care for the ring. So, as my Aunt Leah says, “He did not and would not”.   And he certainly  was not aloof. A ghampion companion.  After Josh went to the Bridge, Noah came into Mama’s life.  He had finished most of his Championships, but his career came to a sudden end when another Scottie jumped him as they were going into the ring, drawing blood and  causing Noah to growl at the Judge.  So that was the end of that.  Noah was not aloof either.  He stayed by or on  Mama’s hospital bed after she came home until she could walk again, but shortly thereafter, presented with late stage bladder cancer.  We think he was waiting for her to be able to walk.  About six months after the heartbreak of Noah going to the Bridge,  Mama decided after visiting several shelters that she wanted another Scottish Terrier (our friend had retired as a Breeder)  AND,  she wanted to rescue.  The rest is  history.   I was a little aloof on the way home from Atlanta because I had a terrible ear infection, had been chipped and neutered,  and had been in quarantine for ten days for nipping a Vet Tech.  As we were finalizing my bill, the Vet said “He’s a biter.”  PawPaw said, “Who cares?”,  picked me up, put me in Noah’s old  kennel in the Tahoe, and away we went.  From the moment I got home, even with my ear infection, I was not aloof.  Mama did call me George until she came up with my name.  She wanted to get it just right, and I think she did.

NOTE TO MAMA:  My Gottcha Day is coming up.  Now would be a good time to stock up on some treats and such.  Just sayin’.

To my Scottie pals, how do you compare with that description?  I’ll be interested to hear what you think!

Bacon, our pal from the blog  http://piglove.wordpress.com,  is always thinking of great ways for us fellow bloggers to:  a) get to know one another, and b) to introduce us to new blogging anipals.  Today is Anipal Appreciation Day.  We want to thank Sammy, from onespoiledcat for giving us a shout out on his blog.  Not to diss, but if Mama had better computer skills, she would be able to add some links and more pictures  to today’s blog.  The good news is that the blogs we want to give a shout out to are easy  to find ( mostly through WordPress).  We encourage you to sample them because they are so much fun!  Many of then, including mine have been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award.  None of us seem to have 15 friends to nominate to become recipients of same, but maybe days like this will help the pool!

I am a small Scottish Terrier from the Alabama Scottish Terrier Rescue,  living with my Mama in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Great blogs for my breed are The Adventures of Indy and Lucy (WordPress), two  very busy Scotties from Oklahoma. If you want to see a girl rock a tutu, Lucy is QUEEN .  Indy, who is very sweet and good natured is more into sticks.  (Unhauthorized use of photo  from their blog, but we think it’s OK with their Mom).

My next is angusfala.com (or Angus Fala Worldwide Enterprises, again on WordPress).  While Angus has gone to the Rainbow Bridge,  his niece Ainsley McKenna has seamslessly  slipped in to run the joint. Ainsley is CEO of  the world  renowned Ainsely Instiute, devoted to non debateable scientific research, and  including her duties at Angus World Wide Enterprises (AWWE),  leads quite the busy life.  Sometime this March, Ainsley will be opening her home and the Institute to a new Golden puppy, details to follow. (Nondebateable unauthorized use of photo from Ainsley’s blog, but because I am the one who sent her the only Valentine she received, and she has made no bones about who loves her baby, I don’t think she’ll mind a bit)

We also follow The Scottie Chronicles. Stuart has recently and  tragically gone to the Bridge.  However his Peepstress is keeping his memory alive by keeping his blog going.  She is taking a brief hiatus, but promises to be back in March.

Other blogs we’ve been following and enjoying:

piglove.wordpress.com

sparhawkscottiedogs.com

racheldejong@wordpress.com – Speedy the Cheeky Rex Rabbit

jaspersdoggyworld; onespoiledcat.wordpress.com pigove.wordpress.com

corkscot.wordpress.com (the voice of this blog is  a beautiful, insightful and direct parrot named Kismet, but I digress)

kylascott.wordpress.com

onespoiledcat.wordpress.com (Thanks again for the shout out and photo Sammy!)

If we’ve missed anyone, apologies and we’ll catch you on the next go round.

Today, we added three new blogs to follow….yippee,  more friends!  We love new friends!

So spread the word on your blog if you haven’t already, and I’ll see ya around the ‘sphere !

 

 

 

I started limping last night, kind of like I did last Summer. It started suddenly, unlike last Summer,  so Mama carried me out to tinkle, up the stairs, up on the bed…..you get the idea.  This morning, she decided that I needed to see Dr B, the Spin Doctor, previously referred to as Dr WTF because of the first three letters of his license plate.

 

I was  worked me in for an appointment this morning.  Seeing as my schedule was a little off, the first thing I did was take a dump on the examining room floor, which Mama quickly cleaned up and sanitized.  She’s lightning quick…the Tech was poised to do it, but Mama got there first.

 

When it was all said and done, Dr. B told Mama with a twinkle in his eye that she had attributed my limp to  the wrong rear leg….she’s dyslexic, and he knows that, and that he thought it was a soft tissue issue ( I made a rhyme!).  He prescribed an anti-inflammatory given orally by syringe.  At this point in the conversation, Mama looked at him and said, “Just spray it in his mouth huh?  I can assure you that isn’t going to be successful.”  Dr B said it didn’t come in tablet form, this would be faster working, and if she would put it on my food, I would scarf it up because it has an “excellent flavor profile”.  Shades of Gordon Ramsey.  She is also  to stop carrying me everywhere and call by Thursday if things haven’t improved, cause then it will be X Ray time.  We don’t want X Ray time.

 

So when we got home, it was bonus time for me  I got a shot of my wet food and a shot of the inflammatory and true to Dr B’s words, I gobbled it up!  It’s going to be hard for Mama not to carry me everywhere, but in her heart, she knows B’s is right.  So stay tuned……..

 

 

Source: The Fine Art of Expressing Sympathy