Loving my Oldies

Oh dear. We miss them so much. Your babies are just so beautiful, @grumpette.

Sooty weighed in at 3.53kg yesterday. So thrilled. I would guess another 800gm would do it and vet seems to agree as he thinks her ideal weight would be “low fours”. I’ve had to loosen her little collar, so the weight is now starting to be evenly distributed and I no longer get a shock when I feel her hip bones. We even went for a tiny little walk the other day when it was a bit cooler. She seemed to enjoy it. I certainly did: to see her sniffing and walking steadily with confidence was just wonderful. I have some lovely photos for you @persephone but they won’t transfer from my phone to the computer . It should happen automatically, but iCloud seems to be refusing to help !!

Why can’t they give her a bath and a proper clip??

Hannah is practising puckering up to shower her baby with kisses

Me too

I think so.

Ebony and Ivory - la la la From this: fullsizeoutput_a64 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr To this: fullsizeoutput_a77 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Nah, @persephone, although it is very sweet of you to say so. I am but a bit player in the scheme of things. Sure there have been a few little doggies over the years, but think of those who have been rescuing and rehoming for years, dealing with the pounds, the ghastly puppy mills, owners who expect someone to take their dog at a moment’s notice because they want to go on holidays, etc etc. I’m glad you feel that way about Sooty; she is remarkable and even the rescuer, who has been around the rescue traps for a long time so has seen more than her share of “cases”, wondered whether we had got her in time. I know for the first few days, I was almost too concerned and worried to go to bed !! As for new comments - I am sure they will all be positive from now on. The vet was pretty impressed with her on Friday. I just hope the news will be as good about me, because, come meal times, Sooty is a real danger to me She keeps her nose on my legs to make sure I don’t get away before the bowl goes down.

She sure is. She has a way to go still as her coat is dull and fine, and her skin a bit flakey, but early days still - only four weeks on Sunday night. I was looking at the first photos I took of her and they still made me want to cry.

Sooty weighed in at 3.3kg today. Little vid from a couple of days ago: IMG_0581 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Do you have a garden? Could he have been playing and jumping around? Some of the grass plants in my garden have very sharp leaves and I worry when my foster, Simba, goes ploughing through them chasing a ball or something that has caught his eye.

Yes, I endorse what Tassie says - take your little one to the vet. Good luck - I am at the other end of the line from you in that my dogs are all elderly and have episodes of incontinence.

I love this photo (taken while the Tennis Australian Open was on) except that Mezza isn’t in it. He was there right over to the left, but frame wasn’t large enough to include him . Simba is such a character and his place is now the recliner and he growls at any of the dogs who walk past. Sadly for his delusions of power, they take no notice. I don’t know if the hair on Sooty’s ears will ever regrow, but I am applying Vit E cream daily in the hope it will make a difference. Oh, and before anyone takes me to task for not having a bed for Bunter, lying on the bare boards is his choice . fullsizeoutput_a76 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Photos aren’t transferring automatically from my phone to my computer. Will post when able. She is doing brilliantly, @stellnme. It’s hard to believe really.

LMO here Another weigh-in this morning. Sooty is now 3kgs !!!!!!!! I’m over the moon as I was thinking just from feel that she might have reached that weight. She is one helluva little dog. I’m sure her temperament has a lot to do with how she has responded as she is quite outgoing and obviously resilient.

And in this shocking and terrifying experience, that is important how? Priorities !!

So sorry that the time has come, T. Trouble had the best life with you, but we know how much she will be missed by her ever loving mum.

I watched those videos. Not so much the first, but in the second it looks to me as though Tuffy is being allowed to get over excited. He is a baby remember. He certainly looks as though he is playing in the first one, but the barking and jumping are allowed to go on for too long and Tuffy ends up over stimulated and dissatisfied. Obviously he needs games and play time, but there is a difference between that and encouraging behaviours that lead to over excitement and frustration for him.

I was wondering what LMO stood for. A few posts had these letters in them - what did they stand for and what could they mean? And then it came to me .............

I actually typed this out much earlier today, up when I opened up DOL it wasn’t there. But somehow it was still there waiting to be submitted. The only one who reacts at all to Sooty is Simba, my other foster. His nose is sooooooooo out of joint poor boy. And Mezza is a bit perplexed, but the others are used to the regular comings and goings of new dogs. When I pick Sooty up, I have to remember to tuck up her tail as Simba jumps up trying to grab it. Sooty is now asleep on the kitchen mat ready and waiting to trip me up in the event that I start preparing food. She’ll be on a diet soon. Simba is in “his” spot on the recliner and the others are all flat out in their various spots. All quiet now and time for my next cup of coffee

@Little Gifts beautiful story of Oscar. Can you post the video here of Stussy teaching him to play? @mita I just simmer the bones (about three chicken frames to about about 7 litres of water) for 24 hours. I pack alfoil and cling wrap around the lid of the stock pan so it doesn’t all go up in steam Approximately 1/2 hour before the 24 hours are up, I crush all the bones up and then boil rapidly for the last 1/2 hour. I strain it through an old cotton tea towel, let it sit in frig for another 24 hours and then strain again through cotton tea towel because I like to get all the fat out. There are things you can add (eg apple cider vinegar), but I just use the bones. I then decant into jugs and freeze. I try to always have some on hand. @RuralPug I hadn’t thought of jellied broth, but I like to get all the fat out and use it to moisten the dogs’ meals and also I have to crush up Tamar’s meds and give via syringe. Sooty is really starting to find her mojo and is no longer just lying around sapped of energy. I’ll be running with her in the City to Surf at this rate

Yes. I took all my will power not to help her when she seemed to get stuck half way up, but the way she bounded up the last couple and then decided to sniff the plants ....... just wonderful. She is quite a girl.

Not sure this will work. I have marine carpet on the shopping list to put on the ramp as Tamar is finding it difficult too. IMG_0569 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

There is a rescue organisation in Brisbane which rescues Chihuahuas and they have rescued dogs from the Northern Territory. They seem to have their pulse on the Chihuahua world - that may be a source of more information for you. http://www.chihuahuarescueqld.com.au/contact-us/