Help Cheeto!

Hey there fellow bloggers! Sadie's good friend Cheeto, has recently discovered that he needs a very expensive surgery to remove a polyp from his ear. Due to the complicated procedure that this involves, it is very costly ($1819 to be exact).

I am asking that, if you can, you help save this poor kitten from discomfort in the coming holiday season. Think of your own little kitten.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

-Sarah and Sadie

Did you know pumpkin is yummy?

In the spirit of the fall season, I decided that it would be great fun to carve pumpkins this year. Little did I know I was going to have a lovely little helper by the name of Sadie. After designing the pumpkins (a painstaking process, I assure you) I started cutting. (A good pumpkin carving tip: heat the pumpkin in the oven first. It makes it a lot easier to carve!) So I rolled up my sleeves and started scooping the pumpkin guts out...Well, a few seconds later I turn around to see a sneaky little puppy diving head first into the bowl of pumpkin guts. I guess pumpkin is a new favorite. Pumpkin carving has become a new tradition. As has giving the guts to Sadie to enjoy. (Though I kept the seeds for myself!)

No! Don't leave me!

As dog lovers, I am sure you know that leaving is a crime against your puppy. You put your shoes on and the look is sure to follow. You know, the puppy-dog eyes, mommy how could you leave an adorable creature like me behind look. My puppy seems to have gotten down the whole look as never before now that I have started school. One should not feel guilty about going to school. Though there is hope. I have recently discovered that the dollar store has dog toys. And you guessed it, they are all a dollar! So yes, I bribe my puppy with new toys and tennis balls when I leave. But hey, it works!

On a completely different note, have you ever taken out a pile of fresh laundry and set it down for even a second? My puppy wastes no time in climbing into the pile and making a lovely little nest...with my once clean clothing. Why sleep on the couch when there is clothing available, right?

Relaxing Sunday?

A relaxing Sunday afternoon sounds like just the thing after a long week of school, work, bake sales, and homework. Sadie, however, had other ideas.

A few weeks back we installed a very fancy invisible fence due to Sadie's love for the llamas next door (not to mention the goat and the horse!) Until today, that fence had been working wonders! She learned very quickly that crossing the fence is not good, though she has spent hours looking for a loop hole. For whatever reason, my darling puppy got so excited, she bolted RIGHT PAST THE FENCE. It barely phased her! Well, I did hear a bit of a yelp when she passed through it. Apparently, her training, along with the birds, has gone south for the winter. So I guess it's back to square one with her training. It was nice while it lasted. I wonder how people have more than one dog?!?

I Get To Go Poop!

Well, has there ever been a puppy who hasn't been excited to go for a walk? A few weeks ago my friends were over at the house for the evening, which was exciting all by itself, and around 9 PM or so, I called Sadie into the front hall to go for her evening walk. "Sadie, it's time to go for a walk!" I called out. At which point Sadie trots past my friend Robin with a shit eating grin and going, "OMG I GET TO GO POOP!" Now, the time for the walk comes along, and Sadie still loves to trot around announcing to the room that she does in fact get to go poop now.

Speaking of which, I believe it is just in time for our evening walk, so farewell for now folks!

Oh Noes!

Well, the inevitable has happened. Today, Sadie discovered that one of her toy balls had, in fact, dropped under the couch, disappearing from her reach. This event was followed shortly by whining until I got on my hands and knees to get this wretched ball from underneath the couch, surrounded by dust bunnies the size of my head. I'm debating on putting a net or something down there. In the end the ball was rescued, the puppy was happy, and I washed my hands. All in all, a day well spent. Not to mention the sun was out, and it was lovely! Sadie was loving the sun too!

Man-Eating Fish

So Sadie and I have gotten into the routine lately of Sadie checking everywhere I go to make sure it's all safe. If I get up to leave the room, she will follow, make sure all is well, then go lay down, or chew her toy again. This evening, after a long day of school and work, I gathered my things and headed up the stairs. I had barely gotten up the first step when I see the Sadie (who has been passed out for about a half hour and dreaming pleasantly) slowly lumber up from her spot and head toward me and the stairs. Forgetting that this has become her custom, I though she was just headed up to her kennel to sleep in her bed. No, not Sadie. Must check to make sure Mom's room is safe. Then pass out again.

So after I open the door to my room and turn the light on (by this time Sadie is slightly more awake, though she still looked like the walking dead. I have honestly never seen a dog walk so slow) Sadie is already investigating the bathroom and my fish tank (because heaven forbid the fish eat me in my sleep) -Mom, you know those fish could hurt you. Maybe I should eat them for you. Maybe just one?- After checking to make sure all toys were accounted for, Sadie whined a bit (Translation: Room is good mom. All safe. Can I sleep with you tonight? My kennel is just so far away. I would much rather flop on the floor right here. FISH?) and hopped up on my bed, all set for the night. -OK Night Mom. I'm gonna sleep here now.-

After being called away by my father, Sadie gave me a few good night kisses, a few more whines, and looked around the room one last time (to make sure no monsters had suddenly appeared of course) and headed out the door and down the stairs, just as slow as she had come up.

What would we do with out our protective little pups?

Car Time

Have you ever seen a dog as happy as when they get to stick their head out of a moving car? I don't think I have. Today, while driving home, I decided to pick Sadie up from my dad's work. After getting a full inspection and getting cleared for mom duty, we headed out to my car. The entire trip home was spent trying to focus on the road (a little unsuccessfully I might add) while being distracted by the cuteness that is my puppy. Her tiny ears flopping back, a grin the size of Kansas on her mouth and her lips flying back in the breeze. Quite a sight, I must say.

After the excitement of the car ride was over and after a short inspection of the house, (everything was good and puppy was happy), Sadie promptly walked through the door, hopped up on the couch and has been passed out ever since. I have a sneaking feeling that there is a wonderful puppy dream happening that involves a nyla-bone as she just started to chew her foot. Isn't she cute?

The Death Glare

As I was watching an awesome movie in the kitchen and setting up my blog, Winston, also known as Pudding, decided that it was time for a cuddle. Now in all the years of being a cat owner, I have never seen a cat that can be as happy or as pissed off as Winston at one time. While purring and cuddling with my mother, he also caught a glimpse of Sadie on her usual spot on the couch with what else, a nyla-bone (shocker, I know). This prompted this blob of cat, cuddled and purring in my mother's arms to give Sadie what I like to call the "Death Glare". Winston has perfected this look since Jessie started to be a regular installment at the house. He would sit on a high perch in the living room as Jessie circled the room, trying desperately to find a way to get to him, glaring like there was no tomorrow at Jessie. It was like the sweet, cute cat that loved to cuddle had disappeared completely and left behind satan cat. I swear, the look in his eye when a dog comes near is downright scary.

Now, to be fair, Winston just had his ear removed at the vet's office last week. He has had ear problems for a few years now, and the only solution seemed to be that (at least according to our trusted vet). So he has been walking around the house and lounging in the driveway looking rather pityful and sad for about a week and a half now. Sadie, being the puppy that she is, LOVES playing with Winston. Okay, playing is a rather loose term for what they do. Here is the 'game': Sadie: Common Winston, I just want to play! -snif snif- Winston: -SLAP GRR HISS- Sadie: YAY WE'RE PLAYING!! MOM GUESS WHAT?!? WINSTON IS PLAYING WITH ME! Me: -sigh- Sadie, leave Winston alone.

Wash, rinse, and repeat.

The New Bone

For the past two weeks, Sadie has been OBSESSED with the nyla-bone. We're not talking perking up when she sees one, we're talking full on puppy obsession and begging. Since giving her a new one this afternoon, she has not put it down for even a second, with the exception of when I placed a heaping bowl of yummy, meaty food down for her. Occasionally she will get up off of her place on the rug and come up and show it to me while chewing it on my lap. It's like when a kid gets a new toy and wants to show the world. HI MOM, GUESS WHAT I HAVE!? IT'S A BONE. HERE, LET ME SLOBBER ON YOU SOME MORE.

This is a regular thing for Sadie. She LOVES to share her toys with me. It's only an added bonus that it gets slobber all over my legs and what ever happens to be on my lap, especially if that thing on my lap is a cat chalk full of claws and hates puppies.

This excitement over the new bone has only made the excitement of her BFF, Jessie, coming over all that more exciting. Jessie, the springer spaniel next door, is a sweet and very well trained dog. She has been a regular installment in the house for about 2 years now, and the cats have trained her well. Sadie has yet to be fully trained, though not for lack of effort (or claws).

Starting Out

This whole mess got started due to the wonderful blog that is Dooce. I have been reading her blog for all of a week and have fallen in love with it. It is funny and heartwarming, and I hope someday to have as many loyal readers.

This is to be a blog about me and my darling puppy Sadie and our wacky adventures in life, as well as a guide to puppy ownership. I am currently starting my senior year in high school with my 11-month old puppy, Sadie. There are 4 cats (known to Sadie as the furry things that have sharp claws); Rosie (the queen bee), Mitzi (she tries to be the queen bee but often fails), Winston (the cat we call "pudding" due to his way of cuddling), and finally, Rachel (AKA Crazy, or our resident elderly lady). Together, these amazing animals make up the characters in this blog.

I hope you enjoy!

-Sarah

PS: The above pictures include Sadie (the star of this blog) and Rosie teaching Sadie to behave.