Tiny Dog Goes to Disneyland

I had dinner at my parents' house the other night. My brother was also there, which means that there were 4 dogs in their typically 1 dog household. Over the course of the evening, it came to light that when my brother is packing up the dogs to go to my parents's, he asks them "Do you want to go to Disneyland?!" The dogs now associate this phrase with going to my parents' house.

I guess it is Disneyland for them...people food, new furniture to sit on, more people to snuggle with, and a different yard to run around.

Tiny likes my parents' house, but it isn't her Disneyland. Her Disneyland is Aimee's parents' house. Their backyard is more her speed...it's currently a fabulous doggy play-land. They are in the process of installing a new above-ground pool which will be partially sunk, so their backyard is loaded with all types of amazing, fun things if you're a dog. For example, it currently has:

• Several different types of terrain: a deck, grass, a big sandy hole, and stairs
• A "club house": The underside of the steps that lead up to the pool are not accessible when there is a pool, but when there isn't, it becomes an incredible, sandy club house. 
• Piles of sand that are so much fun to dig-in and often hold little buried treasures
• The sandy hole does double duty as a racetrack

  

The sweet, sweet (and sandy) clubhouse! 

A pile of sand AND a stick? Doggie heaven. 

Nom nom nom   

Even if the pool was already in, this place would still be like Disneyland. The yard is huge and has tons of fun stuff to explore. There is a lemon tree that that puts up a great game of tog-of-war, the neighbors' tree hangs over the yard so there are always a few sticks to play with, the various chairs, tables, and benches are a great place to pretend to be a mountain goat, and there is usually a small baby pool for the dogs to take a dip in.

Yeah, this place is Tiny's Disneyland. She plays until she can't play anymore, then she gets hosed off, and by the time she makes it to the car, she is so tired that all she can do is curl up on the back seat and sleep. And, since a tired puppy is a well behaved puppy, it's no wonder Aimee's parents think she is so sweet and snugly.

More than once Aimee has gotten a call from her mom where she asks, "Is Tiny coming to Tinyland today?" Yes, she now refers to it as Tinyland. Afterall, it is Tiny's own magical world of fun.

Doggie Dentures

At the rate my dog is losing her teeth, she is going to need dentures. 

I knew going into this that Tiny would lose her baby teeth and get adult teeth. But, for some reason, I thought this would happened and I wouldn't really notice or play a role in the process. A couple of weeks ago, I was chugging along on an extraordinarily interesting spreadsheet, when I heard a noise. The pounce and scamper part of the racket I was familiar with; Tiny picking something up, tossing it in the air, chasing it, and then pouncing on it. The rest of the noise, the tink tink tink, was new. 

"Tiny?! What are you playing with that you are not supposed to have?" I asked as if she would run up to me, drop it at my feet, and offer a logical explanation. 

After a quick game of chase around the house and an attempt to fish the mystery object out of mouth, she dropped it on the ground. I scooped it up and thought, "What is that?" 

Oh! Gross. 

It was puppy molar. A freshly pulled, still gooey, puppy molar. Yeah, my thoughts exactly. That's why there aren't any pictures for this post. 

This has now happened 4 times, the most recent this morning. Much to Tiny's dismay, I am not letting her place them under her pillow in hopes of new toys or treats appearing in the morning. On the contrary, she usually finds herself in Puppy Jail after losing a tooth. 

Now that my dog has fewer teeth in her mouth than a non-denture wearing Mrs. Brady, the teething is out of control. More specifically, her launching herself at me and latching on to my arm as if I were a suspect in a police chase and she was a member of the K9 squad, is out of control. 

I know her poor little mouth hurts and she is uncomfortable; the blood on the towel she likes to chew on is evidence. But, that doesn't mean I am an acceptable chew toy. So to the kennel she goes with a few soft toys, the frozen washcloth that is tied in a knot seems to be her favorite. 

Once she has settled down and soothed her gums, she makes bail...until she batdogs, thinks she is on the police force, or fails to remove her paws from the dining room table while I'm eating. 

All That Jazz

Hello again. I know it's been awhile. I know you missed us, I know you probably lost sleep over the heartbreak that we were gone for so long. You probably wondered if something had happened. Did I finally have enough and Sarah Mclachlan Tiny Dog? Did Tiny Dog run away or finally get eaten by Lil Dog? No, no, no, I have just been busy. Believe me, Tiny Dog has given me plenty of material. I just wish I could capture more of it on camera. 

I'll post separately about most her antics later, but here's the quick update to give you a taste of what's been going on: 

• Tiny Dog is not so tiny anymore (23 lbs! WHAT?), but she no longer seems to grow every time she takes a nap. 
• Tiny Dog has successfully slept outside of her kennel at night a few times, but also has been tossed in Puppy Jail for the nights when she fails to grasp the meaning of bedtime. 
• Tiny Dog knows a handful of words - sit, potty, come, and puppy jail. That last of which results in her diving under the couch.
• Potty training is going really well. No accidents for a week or so, but we always backslide at some point.
• Tiny Dog loves the dog park more than she loves anything, more than she loves me or food. And she really loves the dogs that weigh in at over 150 lbs. 
• Tiny Dog built a clubhouse and has become a hoarder. 
• Tiny Dog made yet another trip to the vet.
• And last but not least, both Tiny Dog and Lil Dog love old Jazz.

Yes, both dogs love the classics on the Singers and Swing station. Eta James, Billie Holiday, the Rat Pack? Yes, all of them. The music works like a magic sedative that is administered via the ears. I can pop in an Eta James CD or turn on the music station (thank God for fancy TV) and they associate it with nap time. Or maybe they find it so boring that it lulls them into a coma? Eh, whatever works. 

Case in point, this is what they look like right now while Billy Eckstine croons "That's All."

Look how big Tiny Dog is! She is bigger than Lil Dog!