Gracie's Gala - vantin'

I must remember to give Gracie Grace equal time ( reminds me of the ole adage of the squeaky wheel aka Dud ) so here goes....

  We have set up food & water bowls in the closet for her dining pleasure :)                      

She's consistently eating twice a day & continues to use her newly discovered brave gene more & more. Her coat is much softer & I think I even noticed a lil jelly belly. She has recently been spotted in the living room, laundry room & the 2 other bedrooms as well as the bathroom sink in the hallway - still mainly @ night, but, one morning she greeted ME in my bathroom with her tail straight as an arrow & was purring to beat the band. I've noticed that when she is really curious...she stands very erect up on her hind feet w/ her front paws loosely at her belly & surveys the dresser, bed etc....truly resembling a meerkat from one of those wild life shows that Pud used to love to watch :)

Last weekend, Trev moved his furniture around in his room so his dresser was placed by the window ( until we can get her cat tree from Ohio ) & now she loves to patrol her turf from this spot - also a good angle to forewarn Payton that he is on shaky ground!  When it was warmer last Sunday I decided to put my Spring time decor outside & that includes various statues of critters on every one's window sill. Well, when Gracie leaped up onto the dresser & looked out her new window perch ....a hiss-a-rama began....apparently she isn't very fond of 5in. raccoons or bunnies & her credo continues to be - when in doubt HISS!

                A close up shot of the very sweet & affectionate GG


She & Dudley have reunions in Trev's room & immediately approach each other & I'm sure exchange war stories.  My hope is Gracie will eventually get comfortable enough to be in the living room with the rest of pack/ family.

Oh My.....

Yesterday was NOT a stellar day OR night in the Bang household....let me share why.

Dudley & his cousins had finished eating @ 4:15p  & as they filed in line to go out..Duds made a bee line for behind Bru's chair & parked himself there.  Well, in this house - after you eat you go out & eliminate what you ate & then you can retire to your resting spot.  Apparently Dudley missed the memo yesterday & refused to follow the routine.  So, I called to him - no response ( again w/ the selective hearing ), then I gently nudged him with my hand to make sure I had his attention - still nothing. That left only one approach ....move the chair & move the chair I did!!  He was shocked to say the least...zoomed around the living room & kitchen - still refusing to go out the back door.  My ever patient husband .....holding the door open all this time ....came in & closed the door to the living room so Duds could not continue  doing his laps. So,, behind the chair he went again & again I lifted said chair & out he flew again BUT this time he was snarling AT ME!!!!!  Apparently when/if this behavior was displayed previously....the human backed down....again he failed to read the 1128 So. Haddow memo @ having a bad attitude towards your pack leader.  Needless to say as I approached him THIS time - he decided to exit the building.  Interestingly enough...when he came back in & returned to behind the chair - both Bella & Festus went to his side...as if saying ...man you have some bad energy right now & I suggest you lose it.

                    Dudley quietly heading for his favorite spot.


After some quiet time....the Duds asked to go out in a normal way & happily did so minus any drama.  Every one, including animals, can have a bad day now & again & I think it was simply Dudley's turn.

                 The Duds very content in his favorite resting spot.


Now jump ahead to @ 2:30a this morning .....there was a lil whining, a lil hissing, a lil gate bumping, various tags jiggling & lastly loud meows. Bru & I both got up & wondered if we got any sleep...was it all a dream...were those black circles under your eyes last night?


 Well,I can't accuse any of the fab five ( Cheddars is finally out in the garage - so she is innocent ) of them without solid proof .....perhaps some extremely tired multiple pet owner has already invented a pet-cam that I could find on line & hope Payton doesn't see us set it up & chew the wires...oy vey!

Oh Dudley.......

Well, I felt it would happen one day - but not @ 5:30am.  I was letting all the dogs back in the house from their morning " bathroom " time & one by one they hopped the step from my garage to the mud room w/ hopes of having their breakfast soon... all except Dudley that is.  He darted past me & trotted right out my garage, made a right turn & followed his nose to my neighbor's front yard & then made another right turn into their backyard. Yay team - they have a fence on that side so he couldn't get to the next block...whew!  The negatives were.... it was very early so yelling was not an option (not that he would have chosen to hear me w/ his selective hearing & all), it was cold, raining & windy & I was plain NOT happy.

Luckily for both of us, he stopped to "smell the roses" aka their lil dog Marco's favorite pee spot & I was able to scoop him up in my arms.  What I didn't know @ the time was that when I thought both my dogs were safely in side...the Pug had taken advantage of my slow closing screen door & let himself back out!!  Again, luck was on my side & he was sitting in the garage looking out into the front yard.  I'd love to say he knew better than to go roaming, but, truth be told he probably just got tired & sat down!

I then decided my newly found canine member would need an ID tag...so off to my pet supply house I went as soon as it opened.  When I was asked what exactly I wanted to be displayed.. .I said...his name - Dudley & Finders Keepers!!!

Just kidding......I had my name, phone & address all etched on his lil silver
bone shaped tag that he now proudly wears around his neck :)

 These are the apology flowers Duds ( Bru ) gave me for his early morning flight

                       How can you stay mad @ this lil face ?

Why O Why Are You SO Hard to Train??????

It has been a lil over a week since Duds & Gracie have crossed the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois borders and I'm happy to share that things have improved by @ 75%.  Still some work to be done as they continue to be a work in progress, but much improved from the first few days.

         Please tell me why your kitchen is NOT a huge vending machine!!!!



I've never seen a dog bark @ a platter of food before!! On Ky's B'day last Sunday  Bru had slow grilled ribs all day & brought them inside & placed them on the counter til the side dishes were ready.  Duds put his nose in the air, walked right into the kitchen & began barking incessantly....as if demanding they all jump off the plate & into his belly.  Long story short...all he DID get out of it was a correction & slowly left the kitchen hanging his lil head.....peace prevailed once again.

Other times he has clawed @ the refrigerator & the lower cabinets in the kitchen - I'm sure wondering why they are not producing treats!  The 3 boxes of biscuits that accompanied him on his trek to my house never even made it inside.  I want Duds to drop some weight ( as well as Gracie to gain some ) so he will be  comfortable doing more exercise.  We go for walks & I take him down the block to the tennis courts &  run around w/ him off lead. It's the happiest I've seen him since he's been here - besides eating that is!

     This photo was taken in Feb. - you can see the bushes to the left - our yard actually DID look this early in the week (sans snow).  Bru pumps the backyard out like most peeps do their basements :(

                                   UGH......


My dogs are used to Lake Bang & wade right thru it - BUT - Dudley surveys the land...looks for high ground & usually ends up in the bushes where I had put gravel to cover the mud.  Smart pup, if you ask me :)

Gracie Grace's Turn....

Since GG has arrived......she's basically been living in my son's.....closet.... during the day.....seriously! When any of us approach her "hiding spot"  - she just purrs like mad & rolls over to be scratched & Trev has discovered recently she is a cat nip junkie!

When it gets to be @ 8pm she comes alive & investigates the back of the house - even using her cousins litter box!. Apparently this was her behavior @ New England Club too -  as shared by John & Jay. Maybe too much activity going on in Pud's apartment w/ peeps coming & going all day long......remember in Chillicothe it was only Pud & Dud pretty much all of the time.


Any-who,I have been following her intake & out put pretty closely and after 3 days - became concerned.  My vet was contacted & an appointment was made (thank you JB)  She howled like an abanchee on the way there - approximately 3 blocks - and was silent once we entered the building ( who knows what scenario  her lil brain was putting together this time)?  Her paper work from Cincinnati (thank you Jay) stated she weighed in at 8 lbs in Oct of last year....I didn't think so...& was correct.  She was down to 6.  The Doc examined her from stem to stern, did blood work, expressed anal glands, treated her chin acne w/ peroxide & lastly gave her a nail trim. The technician commented how sweet she was during the whole process & her findings were - a stressed out lil feline who was NOT dehydrated, was somewhat underweight & had packed glands.

           Here's a photo of her taken in '09 - she loved being in Bru's shoes!



I'm happy to share that her bloodwork was ok & she has been eating, drinking,peeing & pooping with regularity.  She & Payton have had some rumbles as of late - Gracie being the winner - and I think in time, as she gets stronger & gains some poundage - she'll feel like a member of the Bang's New Zoo Revue :)

Now, about that Dudley.....

Getting a little TOO comfortable...

We have been all living under the same roof for a few days now.....seems ALOT longer to some people.......and someone's true colors are beginning to show. 

The barking is VERY annoying,to say the least,and I realize this tactic worked for 13 years but it does not fly on Haddow Ave.  The first time he let loud a few bars - my Mastiff jumped off the couch & looked down his throat!  The second time - she was jolted out of a peaceful slumber on the couch & was avidly looking out the picture window for the guilty party.

     I added this photo so you could see how close the outside world is to Bella.


Another time he serenaded us in the living room - I turned up the volume on the TV and waited...it took 3 minutes for him to stop ( again seemed like an eternity to some ).  My family thought Ihad lost my mind w/ this tactic so I had to rethink my technique.  So, I decided to use the body language method ( again thank you Cesar).  Now when he even thinks of whining loudly...I stand up very straight & tall before him & wait him out.  It actually works - except for the fact he's now testing me more frequently than ever.  No wonder my Aunt was SO thin, she was constantly getting up & down giving in to this dog's every whim!

Meet the Cousins...

Dudley & Gracie had cousins they did not even know @ before coming to Illinois - they are :

           Bella (9 y/o French Mastiff ) & Festus (13 y/o black Pug )
                      Fest & Dud did meet a while back in Ohio
         

      Cheddars - 10 y/o North American Dutch...left over from my pre-school days.

                  Payton - 2 y/o menace ....I mean lovely lil kitty :)

               And of course - The Buddha - who resides in Wisconsin.


The first day everyone was inside - Festus was oblivious to Dud, Bella & he were kissing cousins & Payton tried to intimidate him & failed.  I put Gracie in my son's room & she was affectionate from the git-go.  THEN she spotted the rabbit...
and starting hissing in between the purrs!!  Cheddars is used to Payton visiting her cage ( they even touch noses ) but had never been hissed at before....and was clearly dumbfounded!  Cheddars usually spends from April to October outside in a large dog cage and even has her own fan if it gets too warm.  The weather we are experiencing lately is just too dangerous for her....so inside she stays sharing her personal space w/ a cat that hisses at her daily!

Payton has never been intimidated by ANYTHING until Gracie Grace entered the picture.  He can't even enter my sons room lately without being told off - my hat is off to Grace....finally he has been put in his place :)

Welcome to Illinois.....

When My Aunt passed away on 4-7-11....the main topic was NOT her service arrangements BUT what would happen to Dudley - a 13 y/o Yorkie & Gracie - a 7y/o female short hair?

Now, let me share some history with you .....she purchased Dudley in the summer of 1998.  She & my other Aunt thought they could handle another Yorkie with no problem (they had previously owned 2 tipping the scales  @ 5 & 8 lbs @ adulthood).  What they didn't know was - Dud - was anything but a typical Yorkie- he was 10 lbs. by the time he was 7 mos. old.  He raved havoc from the moment he stepped inside his new abode.  Pud & Nanc had zero control & actually sent him away to a " a dogie boot camp " when he was under a year old.  This did more harm than good in the end & they were left with a very nervous & anxious canine.

I want to set the record straight @ one thing & that is THEY ADORED THIS DOG....they just weren't very good @ discipline...their hearts were too big. 

Soon to follow... my Aunt retired to take care of my Grandmother, who was no longer able to care for herself & life fell into a quiet altho very  nervous household.  Nancy continued to work and always came home for lunch - very exciting for Dudley - except when she would head towards the door to return to work ....Dud would pitch a fit & bark his fool head off.  THAT became one of his biggest issues - separation anxiety.  It was SO excessive that when one of my Aunts would go into the attached garage to take the garbage out -  his barking would become deafening to all who remained inside. Then they would try & calm him down with affection........


Last Friday ( 4-15-11) - my cousin & his wife drove to Illinois to firstly attend their son's baseball game in Chicago & secondly to bring Dudley & Gracie to their new home. My sister, brother-in-law & I flew to Ohio for her services & discovered MANY obstacles in attempts to fly them back with us.


I am an avid watcher of the Dog Whisperer & remembered a segment on taking the newest member for a walk first before entering your home.  So Dud & I proceeded down the block & around the corner where he happily moved forward.  When we returned to my yard....my Mastiff & Pug were waiting for their cousin by the door.  I backed them up - walked Dudley in & my Mastiff was immediately in his face - before I could correct her....Dud warned her w/ a snarl & she turned around & left!!! He set the tone & proceeded to trot into the back yard sans leash.  Happily, the first encounter was better than I anticipated.