Darwin Communicates

This happens if I go out at night. Darwin's way of communicating to me that he is not pleased with me feeding him later than he is accustomed to. I cleaned up the mess and he refuses to eat even now! Spoiled...spoiled....dog.

Dog Park Days Returns

I am back to blogging slowly. I have adjusted to my new life in Iowa and feel ready to get back to blogging. I have missed it very much. Darwin and Salem are doing well. We lost Zebra, our other guinea pig about a year ago. She passed away quickly. Salem is getting old but you would never know it.
Darwin goes everywhere with me. He is such a great guard dog and companion.
Still ornery for being seven years old. In the photo above you see blue teeth. He enjoys finding crayons the girls drop and eats them. Yuck.
Darwin continues to love Salem, helping clean her and makes sure she is happy.
Darwin loves his girls and follows them everywhere. When they leave he wanders the house looking for them and whines. That breaks my heart but it is life now. Visitations causing children to go from house to house from divorce are not easy on anyone, pets included.
Darwin and me.
The girls love taking Darwin out for ice cream. He is spoiled.

The Long Winter

I can not believe how long it has been since I posted last. Maizie has been struggling to stay healthy. New events in my life have required great time to adjust and trips to the dog park have been few due to large amounts of snow and ice. And yet, warm and cozy times inside with pets are still special. In the photo above Maizie is reading to her respite care worker's dog after recovering from a hospital stay.Rudy, my mom and dad's dog enjoys laying on the kids snuggies at Thanksgiving. My friend Kate's new puppy is adopted from a shelter in Keokuk, Iowa. Quimby has brought so much love and play into our home. He is part Great Pyrenees and part Black Lab. Kate is training Quimby to be a therapy dog. He is so relaxed and loving I find it hard to believe he is not even close to a year old yet. Quimby brings us all lots of needed therapy right here.
Poor Darwin has been struggling with his paws this winter. The snow and ice has done a number on them. Eventually requiring an antibiotic and pain medications. His new Elizabethan Collar has sent him into a mild depression.

Darwin has always followed me everywhere and I usually don't think too much about it. However, with this collar he can't judge distance very well and every time I stop the collar hits my legs. The poor guy keeps crashing into the door ways to go outside. When he sniffs to go potty he lifts up his head and his collar fills with snow. I have resorted to keeping a towel handy to wipe the snow out. For the time being trips to the dog park or long walks have came to a stand still. Lucky for Darwin Quimby is always ready for a play date!