Lucy Got A Makeover!

Hi Friends, Lucy here...

Zeus finally moved his rear end away from the computer so I could have some blogging time. I went to Downtown Dog and got a Spaw day! I was a little scared (okay, okay REALLY scared), but Ms. Gwen was so nice! She was very apologetic when she pulled the nasty hair out of my ears and shaved my rear end. She talked to me the whole time in this very soothing voice. It was kind of like going to the dentist. Really scary when you're there, but not so terrifying in hindsight.

I got a blueberry facial shampoo that make me a little more relaxed in the tub. For most dogs, the blueberry facial makes them totally relaxed. For me, it was more like taking 1/2 a Valium. Ms. Gwen says that once I relax enough to realize the bath isn't scary, that I'll really like it. I wouldn't put money on that bet, Ms. Gwen. You're good, but I have my Toadstool street cred to maintain.

Here's my before:



Here's my after:
Toodles,
Lucy

Trip to Nana and Papa's House

We just got back today from a loooooonnnngggg trip in the car to the frozen north (some place called "Arkansas"). Actually, I was a little disappointed. Mom promised cold weather, but it was 75 degrees on Friday and Saturday. I reset my expectations, though, and proceeded to do squirrel patrol in my Nana and Papa's backyard. Even better - they have little rabbits here too. I almost caught one last June and I was hoping for a re-match, but it looks like I scared him off for good.

Anyway, it took almost 9 hours in the car to get to my Nana and Papa's house. I chilled in my ride at the beginning of the trip:

... but somewhere around Texarkana I got REALLY bored:


Toadstool seemed to like her comfy bed in the car:


Once we FINALLY got there, I made sure to stick close to my Papa. He likes to give me snacks on the sly when my Nana isn't looking. See that I'm almost camouflaged on the floor? That didn't fool my Nana. My drool drips left a trail and gave me away every time.


Toadstool stole MY BED, so I was forced to fraternize with her in order sleep in comfort. Take a hard look again and notice how she is sleeping on MY PILLOW, leaving me no place to put my head. I had to curl up in a ball just to fit! Sheesh...


We had a nice visit from Mom's Mom. She gave us tasty treats and even got Toadstool to sit up for her!

These were really tasty goodies, so I blessed everyone with a droolsicle:


Toadstool got some cuddle time on Mom's Mom's lap. Don't tell her, but she looks like she even enjoyed it a little!


Mom and Dad broke up the long car trip on the way home by stopping in Little Rock. Our hotel was dog-friendly. They clearly knew I was coming because they gave us a suite with a sofa!

When we got ready for bed, Mom and Dad gave us some seriously good noms. Cow hooves with the skin still on! Mom said this was the grossest thing she had ever seen, but that just proves how uncultured she is.

nom nom nom




When we made it back to the 'hood, our house didn't have power because of some icy weather. My cats were really ticked off because it was 54 degrees in the house! The power wasn't out for very long, so I think they were being a little over dramatic. They do want me to give a shout-out to Steve for being a stand-in servant while we were gone.

That's it for our adventures in the frozen north!

Newman Stinks

Lucy here -

First, I have to say that Newman is nice, but he is stinky. Mom says that he just needs a couple more baths and he'll be fine. I probably wouldn't have noticed except that he did THIS:

Here I was, minding my own business on MY BED and he just climbs on in! Dad ran to get the camera. Mom wasn't even watching because she didn't think I would ever stay with another dog in MY BED. She was almost right, too. Here's what happened the first time he got into my bed:

I had to evacuate to the tiny cat perch that I curl up on when I'm very scared. I'm not sure why Mom keeps insisting on calling me "Toadstool". Obviously I move around plenty. And NO, I don't think this particular picture makes me look like a spotted toadstool either. You people are all nuts.

Introducing Lucy (aka Toadstool)

Hi All,

I would like to introduce my new "forever" sister, Lucy.  As sibs go, she is pretty cool.  She doesn't cramp my style by stealing my bed or eating my food.  In fact, she doesn't really move around all that much when she's in the house (mom will tell you about that in a minute).  She likes to go on squirrel patrol with me and will hangout with me at our lookout spot in the back corner of the yard.  She also likes to howl with me when the fire trucks come by.  She is definitely a soprano.   Okay, okay... mom wants to butt in and tell you more about Lucy.

Mom here...  Lucy came to us through the rescue we work with - Lost Paws Rescue of Texas.  We fostered Lucy for a while before finding her a home with a nice lady in North Dallas.  She came from a breeder in Oklahoma where she was part of the breeding stock.  We also fostered her mom, Annie, and managed to help her overcome most of her shyness.  Lucy, however, takes fear to a whole 'nother level.  She lived most of her life in a crate and is very scared of people and other dogs.  I had lots of hope for her first placement.  She was a very nice lady who was retired and looking for a companion.  Since she was home all day, I was hoping that this intensive attention would help Lucy come out of her shell.  Unfortunately, Lucy figured out that she could avoid human interaction altogether by dodging this nice lady in the backyard.  After being forced to let Lucy sleep in the backyard for a couple of nights in a row, the nice lady had no choice but to call us to come pick her up.  

I've nicknamed Lucy "Toadstool" because she is too scared to do much else besides sit on her bed.  At first, I just felt sorry for Lucy.  She was yet another dog from a breeder that was unsocialized because she did nothing but live in a cage and have babies.  Unlike her mom, Annie, Lucy never came out of her shell.  She'd been with the rescue for almost a year and was still scared shitless of EVERYTHING.  After her placement failed, we brought her back to live with us.  After a couple of weeks, it was clear that she wasn't going to blossom very quickly (or at all).  We had to really think about whether or not it was more kind to let her live in a constant state of panic or euthanize her.  I am generally against euthanasia for behavior issues unless they are extreme.  This, however, was pretty close to my "extreme" boundary.  Lucy was so scared most of the time that all of her little muscles were clenched.  I joked that she probably has .5% body fat, but it was really no joking matter.  I'm still afraid that she might develop heart problems because of the severe stress she was (and is) under.  

After much deliberation, we decided that we would give Lucy a little more time.  That was in October.  After two months, we celebrate every little victory.  The first time she changed beds in the living room.  The first time she chewed on a hoof.  The first time she barked in the backyard.  I'm sure you'll be hearing about each and every one of these "firsts".  I'm really like a new mother in this respect.  I did the happy dance when she went up to a new dog and sniffed his butt.  It was a victory because he was much larger than her and she actually had to stand up on her back legs to do it.  So, brace yourself for more stories about Toadstool.  Zeus might even let her write in his blog once and a while.  : )

Here are some pics: