Cold Blooded Killers

So now, here’s what happened with the squirrel, as told by MissMuddyPaws (aka Lydia):

Milly saw a squirrel in some underbrush and chased it up a tree. Having always loved chasing and treeing squirrels, and having never caught one, I used this as the perfect opportunity to snap some pictures and watch her play. I’m not sure if something was wrong with the squirrel, or if it had weak nails, or just picked the wrong tree – but while Milly was attempting to climb the tree/barking at squirrel I noticed the squirrel was only half way up the tree trunk. This is a really tall pine – probably 70 feet or higher – and the branches are not until the very top, so the squirrel is clinging to the side of the trunk. The next thing I notice, the squirrel has gone around to the other side of the trunk, Milly and Hush follow, at which point I think to myself what the hell is going through this squirrel’s mind? Why doesn’t he just climb the tree. I decide maybe the squirrel is tried and scared, call the dogs to me, and we head down towards the creek. The next thing I know, both dogs have taken off and are back at the squirrel tree. Then, I see the squirrel. It was like in his little brain he decided the only way out was down, and he could run sideways and fast, and leap into the tree beside the one he was in for better coverage.

At this point, everything goes into slow motion – like I’m watching some predator show on the Discovery Channel and they are slowing down the antelope being attacked by the Mountain Lion.

As if on the count of 3, the squirrel leaps to the ground and starts high tailing (no pun intended) away. Had it just been Milly, he probably could have gotten away. But it was 2 against 1. Once again, like it was some Discovery Channel predator moment, Hush and Milly team up – they move as one. While one chases, the other corners, while one blocks the front, the other closes in on the rear. It was the most natural, effortless, and graceful thing I have ever witnessed. With no way out, Milly pounced onto the squirrel, grabbing him in her mouth on the first try. Proudly she flings her head about, like Miss America immediately after crowning, she has tried for this moment her entire life, and never thought she would be here. Meanwhile, a tear is trickling down my face. I start franticly yelling, “Milly, Drop it!”

I know Milly, and I know she has a soft mouth. This squirrel is alive and alright, as long as she drops it. The next thing I see was heartbreaking. Hush playfully grabs onto the other half of the squirrel, and they begin tossing it about, playing tug of war with it. I want to vomit, and I’m praying they’ve broken its neck. The situation has gone from surreal Discovery Channel to horrifying murder.

Hush wins the tug of war, and they drop the squirrel, but continue to ignore me. I suddenly remember the one surefire way to get a solid recall out of them is to walk away, making them think I am leaving them. I head down the hill towards the creek and dog park, if I can just get them far enough away from this squirrel they will be distracted by the creek. I turn around to see Hush running full-steam ahead right at me… the squirrel hanging from her mouth. I know at this point I should have stood my ground. I should have called her over, made her sit, and removed the squirrel from her mouth. But, I didn’t. I couldn’t.

Instead, I run the opposite direction, flailing my arms about, as she playfully prances behind me flaunting her new possession. My heart is racing. I want to cry and vomit simultaneously. Luckily, Hush has a short attention span – she drops the squirrel and bounds over to people playing in the creek. At this point, Milly is at my side, I grab her collar, and walk her to the creek. The squirrel seemed to be dropped on the edge of the woods, it looked dead in Hush’s mouth; we’ll just leave it there.

That would have been find, had the lab that was playing in the creek with Milly and Hush, yes, the one keeping their minds off the squirrel, not taken off running. A game of chase started, but Milly made a b-line for the squirrel, now the lab is chasing Milly. I look up to see something hanging from her mouth. I yell, “Milly, DROP IT!” And, somehow, SHE LISTENS. The squirrel tumbles from her mouth and she obediently trots over to me. It isn’t moving, I sigh in relief knowing it is dead, and hope it has been dead this whole time.

At this point, the lab’s owner has gotten to his dog; the squirrel is in the lab’s jaws of steel. I grab my dogs’ collars, and head in the opposite direction, putting on their leashes. The dead squirrel now becomes the lab owner’s problem.

We amble away, and I look down and notice blood on Milly’s muzzle. I think it is blood from the squirrel, because Milly is completely un-phased... so I walk down to the creek and let her splash about in it. There is now more blood. Crap.

I wipe the drool off of her muzzle and see two small puncture wounds. My mind starts racing as I think when her last rabies vaccine was, and whether or not I’ve heard of squirrels carrying diseases. I know she isn’t due for rabies for over a year, but draw a blank on illnesses. We head back home, I use the hose outside to lightly rinse the area, head inside, clean it with betadine and e-mail the vet.

“Apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Clean it with Betadine. Keep an eye on it, and if there are puncture wounds she may need to come in for antibiotics.” $$$$’s, The Vet.

I've continued to clean the wound. The swelling is gone, and I'm keeping an eye on the way it looks (and smells)... so far, it is healing nicely, so hopefully a trip to the vet will not be necessary.

Murder At The Dog Park:

After work on Monday, I decided to take the dogs on what I hoped would be a nice long walk in the woods, followed by some time playing in the creek. Our plans were cut short by the following events, as told to you step-by-step, by Milly.

Step 1: Sniff out a squirrel hiding in a bush

Step 2: Chase squirrel up a tree and weigh the options

Step 3: Begin to bark at squirrel

Step 4: Consult with Hush to formulate a new action plan

Step 5: Attempt to climb tree

Steps 6-11: Miraculously coerce squirrel from tree; with the help of Hush surround squirrel on all sides; catch squirrel; Play tug-of-war with the squirrel; Chase Lydia with the squirrel; Murder squirrel

Step 12: Realize the squirrel got his final revenge before death

She's Still A Puppy

With Hush’s first birthday less than a month away, I have been thrilled with how much she has matured. She no longer sleeps in her crate, instead, now she sleeps on my bedroom floor with the door to the crate open so she can come and go as she pleases. She has been an absolute saint with the added freedom. The most destructive thing she has done is tear the head off of her plush duck toy that quacks. She has not chewed any furniture, nor has she gone anywhere near any of my shoes. She happily sleeps on the floor with Milly all night, and quietly waits for breakfast and her walk in the morning. When I am not home, however, I do still crate her.

With so much great behavior, I was absolutely shocked two nights ago when I heard a tearing noise and looked down to see her eating the corner of one of my books. I had two books sitting on a trunk at the foot of my bed. Of course, Hush decided to go for Tipsy in Madras, an out-of-print satirical preppy drinking guide that is selling used on Amazon for nearly $50.00. And, of course, my copy was in mint condition. I would not have cared at all if she'd gone for the beach read beside Tipsy In Madras that I snagged in a used book swap. But, alas, she went for the expensive one.

The silver lining is at least all of the words are still intact, which I discovered upon opening the book, and was promptly inspired to make a tasty beverage found on the first page I turned to. I suppose the bite marks do give the book more character, although I hope to never be in this position again. I am glad I caught her in the act so I had the opportunity to scold her, but I probably should not have left such temptations within her reach. This was the first, and hopefully only time, she ever chewed on any paper product or book... so it really caught me off guard. In many ways, you don't want to set your dogs up to fail by giving them too much freedom, but at the same time learning to just be and relax in environments is critical. I certainly will not stop letting her sleep out of her crate, though now I'll check to make sure nothing is within her reach. And, this reaffirms she still is not ready to spend longer periods of time when I am away from the house outside of her crate. Since this incident, I have made a real effort to give her lots of physical and mental stimulation, as behaviors like chewing tend to be out of boredom.

Swimming

You might remember Milly has never been a swimmer, she likes to wade, but has no desire to go in deeper water where she can't stand. For a long time, Hush was the same way, but now I can't keep her out of the water! It's like she's part fish. Probably no surprise, considering swimming was a major part of her dam, CH Birnam Wood's Expedia.com's, a GRCA Outstanding Dam, show conditioning. And, Hush's uncle, CH Nitelite's Tommy Sneakers, leapt in the fountain at just a few weeks old. Meanwhile, her daddy, CH Nitelite's Who's On Deck, goes on regular lake field trips and LOVES the water! But, alas, I was worried Hush would never discover her fins, or should I say webbed paws, because she had no desire to go in the deep end. But, now I have nothing to worry about! I literally cannot keep her out of the water and dock diving is clearly in her near future!

So far

Kennel up!

Last week I was running late, but this was just too cute not to stop and photograph. I walked into my bedroom and said, "kennel up"... but, in my haste I failed to say, "Hush, kennel up" and didn't specify which dog I was talking to. When I'm not home, Milly is loose in my bedroom, but her term is "Milly, go to bed," and she lies quietly on her dog bed until I leave. This said, there was a point in time, many moons ago, when Milly was crated, and "Kennel up" was her command to go in her crate. So, now with some back story, you can imagine when I said, "Kennel up," and looked up from tying my shoes, I was completely shocked to find both Milly and Hush in the crate.

FUN FRIDAY!

Less Talk... More Dance!!!

With my family spread out up and down the East Coast, I do quite a bit of Skyping. Actually, I'm not the only one who Skypes, my two year old niece also Skypes, as does Hush. Milly is much less into Skype than Hush, and usually the only thing the person on the other end will see of Milly is the occassional tail wagging in the background, or some reddish blonde hair on my lap. Hush on the otherhand, loves to Skype. She presses her nose up to my built in web cam, and shakes her blonde locks in front of the camera, basking in the limelight.

Skype is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. Especially with family, I feel very comfortable on Skype. I don't care what I look like, and we laugh and chat just like we would in person. My eldest brother is a musician, and he is the person I turn to to share my growing knowledge of cars and to talk about music with.



For a few months, I've been getting more and more into electronic music - especially House and Dubstep. This electronic phase is interesting for me, because I was borderline obsessed with it when I was 15 years old... I have to find those old mixed tapes, and a cassette player. It'd be a fun look back in time. Anyways, my oldest brother James is an excellent musician, and I always love the different songs he'll share with me. So when he shared some Nero with me, I was blown away. I never thought he would be into electronic stuff, nor did I think he'd also love it. Well, that was all the affirmation I needed about my new musical interests, I was hooked.

My friend Abby from the Equestrian Team in college came up to
Washington, DC to go to Fedde Le Grand with me.

Fedde Le Grand himself

Fast forward a couple of months, and I find myself going to happy hours on Thursday nights at the Donovan Hotel in DC to hear the DJ's, and sometimes retiring for the evening, or sometimes continuing the musical adventure into the wee hours of the morning. Most recently, I went to Lima to hear Fedde Le Grand. He was absolutely incredible. So, here are a few pictures and some of his sets (not from Lima), so you all know that while I love dogs, I do have a life outside of them. ;)

I have always loved to dance. Whether I am swing dancing,
clogging, or fistpumping... I just love it!

And for those readers who have known me a long time, you are probably shocked by my new(ish) taste in music. Do not worry, I still rock out to the Beach Boys and P. Funk... I'm still the same ecclectic Lydia, just a bit more diverse now.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Over the weekend, Hush and I took a few really long walks. At one point, it got really hot, so we found a clean part of the creek, and I let her get her paws wet. Dogs "sweat" through their paws (they don't actually sweat, but they release heat through their paws), and wading in a nice cool stream can really help them cool off. I try not to let her drink out rivers and streams, but I couldn't pour her portable water fast enough! So here is my little troll under the bridge.


After we played troll under the bridge, we continued on our walk until we got to one of Arlington County's many, many, many parks. This particular park has lovely rose gardens, and beautiful benches where you can sit and relax. We walked around the gardens, sat on a bench, picked and shared blackberries, and then took a nap in the grass together under a large shady tree.



Hush is a big fan of roses. First she wanted to smile with the pretty pink ones. Don't you just love this picture? When I showed it to her breeder she was blown away by how beautiful Hush is looking. She just gets better every single day!



But, Hush still does not have a very long attention span, so it did not take long before she was sick of playing photo shoot amongst the pink florals. Next we came to the yellow ones, and she decided it was time to stop and smell the roses. Of course, with all this trolling, posing and sniffing... we were exhausted. So, we collapsed in a ball of Lydiahushness under a big oak tree, and didn't wake up for over an hour! When we woke up there was a snow cone truck parked on the side of the road, so I bought us each a snow cone. Hush has hers with no flavoring, just shaved ice, but she doesn't seem to mind, and the snowcone salesperson usually discounts hers since there is no flavoring on it. You have to be careful feeding frozen treats or ice cubes, because of bloat, but the occassional frozen goodie is safe... just make sure you supervise your dog, and your dog does not eat the shaved ice too quickly.

Incredible Event Wednesday Night!

My dear friend Bess and I the day before Easter. She is currently going through chemotherapy, and is one of the most inspirational and energetic women I know.

On Wednesday, she will be modeling in the
Nicole Miller Design for a Cure Fashion Show at
K Street Lounge in Washington, DC from 6:30pm - 9:30pm.
Please come out and show your support!


You are cordially invited to an evening of couture and compassion. Come join us for the exclusive premiere of Nicole Miller's fashion line in DC. All ticket proceeds will go toward the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. D*C*: Design for a Cure boasts a collaboration through the Nicole Miller Fashion House and Glenda Fu's Woman of the Year Campaign to bring you an innovative catwalk experience melded with inspiring stories of blood can...cer survivors. You are not just supporting the cause, you are supporting hope.

***For tickets:***

http://designforacure.eventbrite.com/

- $50 for General Admission
- $75 for Open Bar Cocktail Hour and Hors D'Oeuvres
- $100 for VIP: Premiere Seating, Private VIP Cocktail Hour with Open Bar and Hors D'Oeuvres, Specialty Nicole Miller Giftbag

**All ticket proceeds will go toward the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society***

Some of you may have heard me speak of my dear friend Bess at some point in time, or perhaps you have even met her. Bess was my roommate in college, and our lives continuously cross paths. She was one of the first people to meet my sweet Milly when I adopted her, and weeks after getting Hush, Bess was welcomed to the pack when the little 12 week old puppy peed on her. Poor Bess was in church clothes at the time, but being the kind of girl she is, she just laughed it off, and said I was buying her coffee that afternoon.

We have that type of friendship where you can go forever without speaking, and then call the other one up and say, "I need somewhere to stay, can I crash on your sofa for a month?" We've been there for each other through so much over the years... she slept in my living room for a month in exchange for walking Milly, and she welcomed Milly and I into her apartment when my ex-boyfriend and I broke up.

Of course, college tends to have some crazy drama associated with it, so about a year ago when Bess moved to DC I was thrilled! Finally, we could have an adult relationship, and spend quality time together on a regular basis. And we did, church every Sunday, movies, dinners, wine, happy hours, cultural events, car shows, you name it... we did it! Well, you could imagine my shock in March when I got a phone call from Bess explaining she has Stage 4 Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. She explained she was going to fight it, she would get better, and all would be grande.

Fast forward, and she's doing great with chemotherapy! She is literally kicking cancer in the ass! I don't usually swear, but in this case, I have no shame. That is exactly what she is doing! She is an inspiration to me, beautiful on the inside and out. Kind, funny, and energetic. She has the most incredible outlook on life.

Bess has always been absolutely obsessed with fashion, so when I sent her the info for the Nicole Miller Design for a Cure Fashion Show at K Street Lounge, and my phone immediatley rang I was not surprised in the least. She wanted to know right then and there if I would commit to going with her, and the next thing I knew, I had a call that she had contacted the host committee, and would now be modeling in the show! So, tomorrow night, I will happily be perched as close to the stage as possible, supporting her in her first ever modeling debut at the Nicole Miller Design For A Cure fashion show! I am so proud of her. I encourage you all to buy tickets and attend! This will be a great event. If you're interested in getting tickets, comment and I will post a coupon code.

It's Swimsuit Season!!!

For most people, you hear the words "Swimsuit Season" and start looking into gym memberships, spending more time exercising, and substituting a large salad for a big bowl of pasta. It seems everyone around me always loses weight during the summer, and sorry for calling friends out, but most of them gain a few pounds in the winter.

But then, there is me. I am the opposite. In the winter, I shed the pounds. Of course, you wouldn't know it, because I'm buried underneath oversized sweaters, big scarves, and cords that fit when I bought them in October, but by January are 1-2 sizes too big. I hear summer, and I think "Sangria while sitting in a rocking chair on a porch!" As soon as the weather starts to warm up and the flowers begin blooming I yearn for the smell of cheeseburgers cooking on the grill, and day dream of holding a ginormous Ben & Jerry's cone under the blazing sun, racing the rays to eat it before sticky droplets of Mint Chocolate Cookie dribble their way down my fingers, passed my wrist, and somehow land on my blouse. For me, summer is socializing time, floating in the pool, and indulging over lobster tails drenched in lemon butter.

But, this year is different. I have Hush as my motivation. She recently started swimming (and by that I mean going in the deep end and actually swimming), and she loves it. I've taken to walking her on long walks, we stop half way to lounge under the shade of a large tree and snuggle... usually sharing some granola while we do. So far, I seem to have not gained any weight, and if anything, may have lost a little. Ideally, I want to lose about 3 lbs and tone up a bit. Not too lofty goals, and things that should be easily attainable with my furry friend at my side.



As soon as she heard the pool was opening, I walked in my living room and found her like this. I didn't have the heart to tell her the pool does not allow dogs. She looks so good in a bikini that I think I need to work on my own body now!