Sleep over

Two old people with only one Oreo between them.

What's this,  a second odyssey?  Yesterday was Mother's day and Poppa collapsed my kennel and started packing the little car again.  I immediately got excited thinking I was going back to Heaven       ( also known as Uncle Joe's.)  After Poppa packed the car, he put my harness seat belt on and I settled down for a long ride in the back seat.

   Next thing  I knew we were pulling up in the driveway of Uncle Tim and Aunty Suzy.  Poppa started unpacking the car and cousin Madeline was pretty excited to see me. I could tell,  by how fast her tail was wagging and her desire to sniff me all over.

     Guess What?  It's a sleepover!  We get to stay with the boys for three whole days while their parents are away. Can you say party!  Madeline slept in her kennel right next to mine all night.  We got to go outside at 3 am in her fenced-in backyard.  No leashes,  green lush grass, flowers, and privacy.  I think it is one of the best smelling back yards I have ever been in. 

   Madeline wears me out.  She is such a puppy, all wags and perpetual motion one minute, and sound asleep in the next minute.   I try to tell her to slow down but she's gone before my words ever get to her.  Oh well, I think I'll take a nap.

0re0's Odyssey day 3

0re0' s Odyssey; day 3

Dear Grand pups, 

Hi, this is your old pal 0re0 the wonder dog.  Wow, this morning after breakfast Uncle Joe gave each of us dogs a Biscotti.   I have never had one before but I could get used to it very quickly.  I wonder if Diva and Poppa will start this tradition with me?  It sounds like a delightful way to start the day.  I wiggled my tail for all it was worth to make sure Uncle Joe noticed me too.  He laughed and told me I was a good boy before he gave me my treat.  I sure hope we can stay here for a long time.

Everybody left to go visit the great grandmother in the nursing home. They didn't invite me or my cousins to come.  I was sad cause  I like old people since I'm an old boy myself.  I  could look cute and cuddle up in great grandmother's lap to keep her nice and toasty warm if they had only asked. Instead, I took a long-overdue nap in my kennel.

It rained really hard today and I found out cousin Annie doesn't like lightning or loud noises like fireworks or gunshots.  Auntie Bobbie assured me that when the weather got better Annie would be her own sweet self again and she was.

Diva and Poppa let me run out of the ungated front yard to go potty. What freedom!  They never let me run loose in the city.  You know I came back for a treat. I sure am going to miss all this v.i.p. treatment when we go home.

Guess who got stung in the neck by a hornet?  Poor darling Diva, that's who. Poppa and Aunt Bobbie were so sorry but Diva was very brave and didn't cry.  I cuddled up with her and so did my cousin Tabby.  We looked cute and adorable to make her feel better.

After dinner Uncle Joe called us dogs over for cookies.  I hope we never leave!

Here are some pictures of our adventures.  See you tomorrow. Your old pal 0re0.

Sunday Seven

The Sunday Seven...Reasons to be Happy

1.  We are very happy that Oreo the wonder dog, is responding to the new medications that our Vet ordered for him.  All of us can now sleep for 8 hours at night!  (Definitely doing a happy dance!)  He still has a lot of difficulty in the morning with congestion, hacking, and loss of appetite but makes up for it later in the day.  He still enjoys walking the neighborhood, going out for the mail run, and just snuggling in our laps.  We are encouraged by his improvement and blessed by your kind words of encouragement.

2.  I mentioned a change in lifestyle and deciding to re-tire or re-tread.  We have been blessed with many kind words of encouragement and support this past week.  So I'm more into "Every little thing is gonna be alright" calypso mode than the ever-present panic mode in my head. God is good even when our present situation is not.

3.  I have been busy making my own greeting cards and printing them.  Charlie bought me several boxes of envelopes, so now I am keeping the mailman busy.  I have been so blessed to be able to have the time and energy to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and send out heart messages to encourage and bless others that are going through illness, loneliness, and hard times.

4.  We are looking forward to re-gathering at church and seeing all the people we have missed over the past year.  It's been really hard on us "huggers".

5.  I heard from both of my sisters this week.  I love getting weekly updates on Momma.  I am actually happy that she has no memory of all the changes in our world as it would greatly upset her.  She is truly "living in the moment" and she is content.

6.  I enjoying restoring order and decluttering in my office.  How is it that to restore order in one room you end up messing up several other rooms with the spill-over?  

7.  I finally put our Christmas tree (seasonal themes tree) up in the attic with all the corresponding decorations.  It gives the living room more living space and makes my spirit peaceful. 

Sunday Seven

Sunday Seven Reasons to be Happy

  It has been a busy week of trying to stay busy and not obsess about the Pandemic, health issues, Oreo's constant spasms, our greatly reduced income, or life in general.

We are in the season of Lent.  Time to take my eyes off me and give it over to Jesus. 

1.  I am happy because I have a wonderful husband who loves me and takes care of all the little technical things that greatly frustrate me.  All I have to do is say the magical words, " Oh Charlie" and help is on the way. Usually followed by a long technical explanation that bounces around in my head looking for a hook to land on.

 

2.  This guy, Oreo the wonder dog.  He loves us with all his little dog heart.  Lately, his stomach spasms are not only keeping him awake but us too.   We have tried frequent small feedings, pumpkin (easily digestible food) Slippery Elm powder (homeopathic food additive to keep regurgitation from happening) long walks, and prayer. He is 14 years old and we know we only have him on loan from God so we are trying to give him his best life while he is in ours.  

3. Staying in the Word of God and journaling.  I am much better at this now that our busy life has been interrupted by Covid 19.  I am doing an at-home Bible Study entitled: Becoming A Vessel that God Can Use by Donna Partow.  Wow, what an eye-opener.  I am really struggling with this but my distress is matched by God's grace and promises in his Word. 

4.  Catching up on long-forgotten blogs I started for each of our grandchildren.  Since I have started writing weekly Memory letters to my 94-year-old mom I have been including them in each of their blogs. Most of them will not remember her but they should know she was a remarkable woman and will know a little bit about Diva's life as a child. 

5.  Semi-retirement:  Major life change rapidly approaching.  Do we re-tire or re-tread?   Outside I am ok, reassured that every little thing is "gonna be alright" but this is the hidden picture of my emotions on the inside.  Thank you Jesus that only you know my innermost thoughts and fears.

6. My Momma.  It has been over a year since I have been able to see my mom in the nursing home in Alabama.  This last week my sister Bobbie was able to hug her and visit with her on the outside porch of the nursing home.  Bobbie has had both Covid shots and they still take everyone's temperature before they let them visit.  Bobbie asked mom if the staff has read her weekly memory letters from me.  She smiles but can't remember.

7.  Coffee:  The highlight of my morning.  My morning can start anywhere from 4:30 to 7:30 depending on how long Oreo can sleep without distress.  Charlie goes to bed much earlier than I do so I try to walk and feed Oreo around Midnight hoping he will sleep for maybe 4 hours before he wakes in loud spasms.  Sometimes it is successful most times it is not.  Coffee keeps me civil and keeps Charlie from being injured.
 

Oreo meets Madeline

Two old people and one Oreo between them

Oreo meets Madeline.

Oreo has a new cousin, her name is Madeline.  She was a Christmas gift for the family. Madeline has had all her shots now so today was their first meeting.

Charlie needed help with a ham radio Antena because the little old lady he lives with had a "hissy fit" about him getting on the roof.  We all know that the main cause of injury in old men is that they think they are young men.

Suzy, Tim, and the boys all came over and Miss Madeline was with them.  We decided it was time for Miss Mattie to meet cousin Oreo.

Madeline is only 7 pounds of happy hyper puppy and of course, our old man Oreo is 3 times her size.

There was no barking, growling, or aggressive behavior between the two.  Oreo sniffed her all over which any proper lady would find offensive. 

Oreo got so excited he lost bladder control in the kitchen. You could tell he was embarrassed so we took him outside to finish his business.

Suzy and I tried to get a picture of this momentous occasion.  It was hardly a " Lady and the Tramp " spaghetti moment.  Many thanks to photographer Oscar. Suzy and I found out how hard it is to get both dogs looking in the same direction at the same time.  We laughed hysterically during the photoshoot.

It will take a while before they play together but it was a good first meeting. Madeline fell asleep cuddled by her mom in a nice warm blanket around the fire pit.  Oreo found Poppa's lap and a warm blanket to snuggle in also.

Hopefully, this will be the start of a growing friendship.

Christmas day.

Oreo's Last Advent Oracles

December 25,  Dear Dad,  Merry Christmas!  It snowed last night and just like those Hallmark movies mom made me watch, all is merry and  bright.  Thank you for adopting me and giving me a forever home. I love my family, I love my life,  I love you Alpha Dog. You're  the leader of our pack ,( but a few more treats now and then goes a long way) ..just a thought. Your loyal follower and shadow.  Oreo     

Christmas Eve

Oreo's Advent Oracles 

December 24th, Dear Dad,  Happy Christmas Eve Day.  I hope Santa fills your stocking and brings you books, toys, tools, and goodies.  Mom and I told him you've been a good boy.  Your best friend ..Oreo

December 23rd

Oreo's Advent Oracles 

Dear Dad, I thought we had a deal abour  crazy Christmas pictures with antlers.  Oh wait, is that an elf hat you're  sporting?  You didn't fair much better did you dad?  Oh the things we do for love!  Thanks for giving me a safe home where we go the extra mile for those we love.  I kinda like the sweater but don't tell mom.  I refuse to sing the barking dog Christmas carol though, I do have standards!  Your silly reindeer dog,  Oreo

Lucky Dog

The misadventures of Oreo, the lucky dog.

Charlie and Oreo are home after being at the emergency vet for the last three hours.  As you can see, they are both exhausted but happy to be home. Oreo vomited and had charcoal  as well as an IV.  We are watching him and checking his heart beat during the night.  

Thanks for the prayers and comments. This was a little more excitement  than three old people needed.

Oreo the black tooth Wonder dog

More expensive adventures of Oreo the black tooth wonder dog.

 Oreo went to the vet on Monday to be evaluated for dental surgery and cleaning.  They drew blood work to check his liver and kidneys to see if he can take anesthesia.   The vet saw at least 3 teeth that need to be extracted.

He still has hookworms from his life on the streets that we are treating.  The vet put him on antibiotics and Pepcid for acid reflux as well as suggesting we give him a small meal before bed.

The time change last week is playing havoc with his wake up time.  Between old man dog bladder and acid reflux, he wakes us up at 5am.  He sleeps off and on throughout the day but I am unable to go back to sleep.

We are giving him dental chews for help with tartar build-up.  He is hilarious to watch and reminds me why I should never chew gum in public.

His breath has gone from "would gag a magot" to " oh good Lord!"   We are hoping the antibiotics will help too.

If you looked in his mouth you would you think that he just ate a whole bag of Oreos!

Max and Moby

Two old people sharing one Oreo.

Oreo meets Max and Moby.

Saturday night we were able to provide a date night for our daughter.  We hadn't introduced Oreo to his mainecoon cousins Max and Moby. 

  We weren't sure about Oreo's social skills with other animals and especially with these big cats.  We decided the best way to introduce them was with Oreo on a leash and on our lap.

Max and Moby like us because we fed them and cleaned their litter box while the family was gone for fall break for several days.  They were lonely and were glad for the company.

The " meet and greet" went well.  I won't say they were best buddies but there wasn't any scratching or hissing.  Oreo was well behaved and didn't bark or make any aggressive moves toward either cat.  We will call it a win for now.

This picture is of Max the bigger of the two cats and definitely the alpha.  Oreo is definitely smaller and older.  I guess you do get wiser as you get older, and you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Meet our newest family member

It's official!  Meet the newest member of our family.  Oreo, the wonder dog, Bennetch.  Here is his official portrait with his proud poppa.  Weighing in at 14 pounds, estimated to be 8 plus years, all legal with shots, tags, and flea medication and because of his age and our age, all fees were waived.  We have been blessed with just the right dog at just the right time.

We are so honored to adopt him.  He is very loving, loves to be in our lap sleeping,  Charlie says we should call him Visa, cause he is everywhere we want to be.  For an old boy, he has lots of energy (when he isn't sleeping!)   We are still in our honeymoon period where we think everything he does is cute. 

He peed in the basement last night which ended up with some quiet time in his crate to reflect on the merits of only relieving himself in the great outdoors.  To his credit, I believe this was a momentary lapse due to the incontinence of our older cats who slept in the basement.  He has an incredible nose so thought it was marked as an acceptable relief station.  Hopefully now after baking soda and spray enzyme that mistake is rectified.

He does have some digestive issues and has spasms after he eats.  We thought it was coughing at first but he makes noises that sound like gagging and hiccups combined.  It is distressing to hear and hopefully, the vet will have some suggestions.  We are trying to do a video so the vet can see what he does in action.

Charlie bought him a name tag with our contact info on it.  It is in the shape of a bone and his name is in white letters.  So even his name tag will look like an Oreo.  People laugh when they hear his name.  Oreo still doesn't know his name yet but responds to praise and we are trying to teach him basic commands. He seems eager to please. 

We found out the hard way that he is intrigued with toilet paper.   

life with milk and one Oreo

Life with Milk and one Oreo.

Two days left to see if this sweet boy will be a part of this forever family.  He has bonded very strongly with " Mr. Fun" and follows right behind him wherever he goes.  It's funny to see Charlie looking for him when he is right behind him as close as his shadow.   Last night he slept in his bed in our bedroom next to Charlie. He can now go downstairs into the man cave!  ( which is more than I can do!) This picture is typical of Oreo waiting for his beloved.

Oreo the black and white dog

 First night went rather well with Oreo.  We googled small dog names and I thought Oreo was so cute.  Mr. Wonderful had his dobts till I explained you patch up old things but Oreos are black and white with lots of of sweetness  inside.  The dog responds better to Oreo too.  He wasn't  happy about sleeping in his crate last night but we didn't  want him wandering around in a strange place.  We discovered he can bark!  He is a cuddler ,  potty trained, and a good eater.  He has a lot more energy today probably because of sleeping  better in a less stress full place.  We noticed he is coughing that distresses us , hope he doesn't  have kennel cough.

Oreo recap

Recap of yesterday with Oreo.  

Yesterday on our walk, Oreo discovered half a bun from a burger someone had dropped on the street. We saw a little more of his "life on the streets survival tactics" as he lunged for it despite Charlie  pulling him away on the leash.  

A power struggle began and Oreo managed to slip out of his" too big " collar and was on the bun and devoured it. Charlie literally had to pick him up and carry him home. 

 He recognizes Charlie as the alpha dog and literally follows him around like a shadow.  He is good at slipping out the door unnoticed but so far we haven't  had to chase him down.

 We are working on ridding him of fleas.  He has been biting at them and has several places where he has bitten himself that are raw.  We bought him a smaller collar that fits and flee shampoo.

He had his second bath in as many days this time with flea shampoo.  All of us ended up getting super wet but we are making progress on ridding him of flees.

I think we wore  him out as demonstrated in the picture.  We have 3 more days to go before we can call him our own, but regardless of the outcome he is cleaner, healthier, and happier.

Meet Oreo

We have really missed our dog.  We have been looking at the nearby animal shelters for a senior dog that is smaller than Lady.  We have lots of time but we have a small house and most of the animals at the shelter are big dogs.  Tuesday, Charlie had his eyes checked and dilated so it was difficult for him to see.  We took our car to have the brakes fixed.  Tim picked him up from the eye doctor and on the way home our Volkswagon got a flat tire.  What a day, a grumpy hubby and both cars with problems.

Yesterday I talked Charlie into going to our local shelter to look at dogs.  We found this fellow.  He was found on the street and had been in an accident.  He had no identification tags so he was in isolation for 7 days to see if his owners call to claim him.  I fell for him immediately and hated to leave him.  The [people at the shelter are so kind.  They told us we could foster him and take him home with us but if anyone called to claim him we had to give him up.  So, he won't be ours officially till Monday.  I am trying not to get too attached but it's not working.

When we got him to the car, he immediately found a muffin I had left in the car and devoured it in two bites.  I wanted to call him Muffin but Charlie said it sounded too girly.  I started calling him Foster but Charlie said he needed a better name especially if he becomes ours for keeps.  We settled on Patches for a little while till we researched small dog names.  The name Oreo came up and I think it fits him perfectly.  He is black and white with lots of sweetness inside.

We noticed a dry hacky cough that concerns us.  We put Oreo in the crate with his bed last night so he wouldn't wander around the house.  It was the first time I ever heard him bark.  He settled down finally and we all got to sleep.

This morning he acts more energetic, his skin is itchy and he has fleas.  We bathed him and fed him and walked him already.  He loves to cuddle and is potty trained.  He will be a wonderful addition to the household if we are allowed to keep him.  We have already bounded and Oreo is a cuddler.  Monday can't come soon enough for us.  Fingers crossed for a great outcome.