Terrible two

Dogs prefer to run in packs (just like human teenagers). So previously our pack contained a number of 2, well now that Sienna has come along we have a pack of 3. In each pack there is a pecking order. There is the top dog and his followers. Rudy, being the oldest, biggest, having lived here the longest and a male, should be the top dog. But for some reason, every time we bring a younger female in the house, she has him whipped over in no time. So I would say that the pecking order puts Sienna at the top, followed in a very close second by Abby, then there is Rudy in 3rd.


It’s truly amazing that Abby lets her get away with the things she does, because they are things she never would have let Rudy get away with. Things like; taking her bone, eating out of her dish, laying on her pillow, and playing with her toys. I know that Abby is a very smart dog and I think that she has decided to take full advantage of Sienna’s cuteness to keep her out of trouble. I also think that after what I discovered last night, I have the terrible two on my hands.


Abby and Sienna LOVE meal time, it is by far better than naps, toys, or playing. And after meals they both behave as if they are STARVING still and must….have……more……food. So last night after all the dogs were fed the proper amounts I sat down to do something and realized that neither Abby nor Sienna were around. I went into the garage and there they were. Abby, was opening the lid to Sienna’s food, sticking her head in the bag, taking food out, and dropping it on the floor for both of them to eat. It must be the girl power thing because these two seem to be developing a bond that Rudy is not a part of (of which he seems ok with). One dog can get into plenty of trouble on his/her own; I just wonder what I’m in store for with these partners in crime since they seem to think that if they pair up, they can pull the wool over my eyes and all trouble will be avoided.

Alter ego

Everybody has one. What’s your alter ego? Are you shy but flirtatious in the right atmosphere? Reserved but out spoken when something strikes a chord with you? When does it come out? When you’ve been drinking? Or when you’re in the company of people you are comfortable with? Perhaps it has to do with sugar or caffeine. Maybe it comes out when you’re angry or sad or elated. Whatever the circumstances, everybody has an alter ego.

I discovered Sienna’s alter ego early on. It’s why her show name is what it is.
When naming a dog that will be shown, you have their regular everyday name and then a special show name. Sienna’s show name is Cle Elum’s Miss Sassfire Star. Sassfire comes from her lineage and when I saw that name I knew I had to use it because it suits her alter ego to a “T”. When she is in her alter ego state, she is about as sassy and fiery as can be. This is the time of her day when EVERYTHING becomes a toy, for example; shoes, feet, fingers, pant legs, long sleeves, towels, pee pads, the other dogs, the cat, the chairs, the couch, wires, shoe rack, papers, sticks, garbage, and the list goes on and on. She can be relentless when she is in this mood and it doesn’t matter how many taps on the nose followed by a stern NO she receives, she’s very much like the Energizer Bunny, she just keeps going and going.

When she is in one of these moods, there is really only one thing to do….. put away all things that could be dangerous and wait out the storm. I know that this is very typical puppy behavior but there are times when I think she has thought out her devious little plans and sits giggling just around the corner. Like the other day for example. We had just come in from the dog run and I took off my special dog run shoes and was ready to enter the house. She decided to take one of my shoes and with lightning quick speed run back out to the dog run. Well I can’t exactly chase her with only one shoe and I wasn’t really willing to go out in the run in my socks since this is the main pooping and peeing area. So one footed, I hopped outside to retrieve my shoe (whose the retriever here?) I found her, sitting there with my one shoe and a smile on her devious little puppy face that told me, she knew just what she was doing.

If you’ve watched much TV in the last 20 years you would have to be familiar with “Seinfeild”. A TV show about nothing. Jerry, the main character in the show, had a nemesis named Newman. The name Newman became a way of swearing for Jerry that would clear the FCC and allow him to vent his frustration towards some wrong this character had done him. Sassfire has become somewhat of the same thing for me but in an endearing way. I know that she is a puppy and they do 4 things, sleep (yea!), eat (a lot), poop (a lot), and PLAY! I also know that as fun and frustrating as this time can be it won’t last forever so I had better enjoy it while she is young. But don’t be surprised if you happen to be driving down my street and you hear a slightly loud and frustrated “SASSFIRE!” emanate from my mouth!



A friend emailed me this bit of trivia. Thanks Dave, your sense of humor is always welcomed and refreshing.

"You probably didn't know that "Sassfire" is an old world contraction referring to a condition of heinous flagellants. An example of usage would be . . . "What's wrong with your boy?" "Oh, it's the Assfire." OR "Oh, Sassfire." "

Everybody needs a good nap!

If you are one of those people that say, “I can’t nap or I never nap” YOU’RE LYING! The best years of school were when I was in nursery school and kindergarten and we actually had nap time scheduled into the day. I also had nap time in high school and college; it was called Mr. Whites History class and Sociology 101. When I had my son, his nap time became my nap time and oh how wonderful it was to get an hour of peace, quiet and relaxation. When he stopped napping, I was so sad. You just can’t take your eyes off of a toddler for a nap and not expect him to make you a pretty picture with your favorite red lipstick or see how much toilet paper he can fit in the toilet bowl.


The same thing rings true for puppies. Sienna’s nap time, is my quiet relaxation time. AND I LOVE IT! During this time I can watch TV, read, do a little cleaning, work on the computer, etc. It also gives me a breather from her alter ego and when she is in this altered state, NO ONE rests. So when she naps, it’s Heavenly. Not to forget to mention that when she’s napping she looks just like a little puppy angel.


When puppies and babies are awake they keep you busy; feeding, changing, soothing, chasing, etc. This is probably why the majority of the pictures of my son when he was a baby and my puppy, are usually when they are sleeping. The other reason for taking so many pictures while Sienna is sleeping is because I can’t believe that she can get comfortable enough to sleep in some of the positions she chooses. So when she’s napping, and I am not, you can usually find me with a camera in hand snapping off pictures of my beautiful and quiet puppy angel.




SHHHHHH – don’t wake the beast.

Celebrating the small victories

If you have ever had a puppy or a toddler, you know all about celebrating the small victories. It may be one step forward and two steps back but none the less it must be celebrated.

Praise is a big motivator for humans and animals. And our dogs have pretty much become praise junkies. They finish all their food and they come to us wagging their tails, looking for praise. If we go to the dog park, they come running back to us for praise for each ball retrieved, each butt sniffed, each sit, each stay and so on.

So in an effort to celebrate and praise the newest member of our household, I have taken up giving treats for potty time, along with praise and petting galore. And I think its working. Now when we go outside and she pees, she will run back to me for her treat and praise. So the other day, she was whining at back door, I said “Go outside” She ran through the doggy doors to the dog run, I ran to get her treats and praise be, when I opened the door, there she was POOPING outside. This, my friends, is a victory. And for this victory we celebrated with puppy cookies and praise, praise, praise. For that one moment, she got it! Of course she has since lost it, but at least I know she had it and will find it again.


"Look mom, I poopedid outside"

What inspires your happy dance?

Everybody has a happy dance. Some are subtle head bobs and some consist of jumping up on couches, giggling like a child and putting your head in your hands, rinse and repeat. But what makes you do your happy dance? Falling in love, getting a promotion, a piece of chocolate raspberry cheesecake?

Dogs are no different; they all have happy dances too. Sometimes their happy dances include a simple wag of a tail while others might jump and bark and wag and lick, and sometimes the happy dance may include urination. The causes of happy dances for dogs are usually quite simple. A treat, a walk or ride in the car, a visitor, a ball, a new toy, etc.

Rudy’s happy dance involves lots of jumping and it’s when he gets to go for a walk.
Abby’s happy dance is very calm, a wagging tail and usually when some member of the family comes home.

Sienna’s happy dance is about the cutest dance there is. She jumps in circles, while running forwards, then backwards, then forward again, all the way to her dish. The cause – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nothing gets her more excited than knowing it’s time to eat.


(I know it's not a picture of her happy dance - you'll just have to use your imagination)

FYI – my happy dance usually involves a trip to Starbucks!

What your dogs’ vice reveals about him

Enquiring dog owners want to know - What your dogs’ vice reveals about him.
Some dogs are chewers, some dogs are barkers, some dogs are diggers, some dogs are destroyers, some dogs sleep all the time, some dogs are excited pee-ers, What your dogs vice reveals about his personality Page 9, next the article about the bat boy found dead in Mexico.

Rudy – was a chewer when he was young and teething but grew out of that stage around a year. Rudy’s vice – barking! If someone walks by he barks, he runs to the window, he runs outside and bark, bark, bark. Other things that make him bark, people who ride by, scooter by, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, mail trucks, someone parking their car, our neighbor going to their door, neighbors getting their mail, someone ringing the door bell on TV (this one really gets me since we don’t have and never have had a door bell), the kids knocking to see who is hogging the bathroom and so on. You don’t want to know what he does when someone actually comes to the door. We have tried to teach him that barking is an “outdoor voice” and sometimes he gets it but mostly he doesn’t. He’s our “Special Boy”.

Abby – chewer of bizarre things. Shortly after we brought her home, she ate a heating pad. Then she ate a pillow that vibrated. She also ate a laundry basket, her kennel, part of the couch, Q-tips, used Kleenex, multiple stuffed toys, bones, greenies, underwear and some other things that are just TOO GROSS to mention.

Sienna – DIGGER DOG. I noticed today that she was out in the dog run for a very long time. It’s not that big of a space and there are no toys out there so I wondered why she was out there for so long. I went to go check on her and she was in the process of digging a huge hole. I figured it’s the first time that she is keeping herself busy without getting in trouble and since the dog run is meant to be a big pooping ground, few holes aren’t going to hurt anything, so I encouraged her new found vice. Now, if she chooses to dig a hole in my garden, well then there is going to be trouble!