Nugg's Therapy Dog Days

On Fridays this summer, Nugg has been hanging out with some kiddos at a local rec center through our parks and rec special needs program.  He absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVES these outings.  And the kids just adore him!  B has been taking him since I am at work during that time, but I dropped in for a bit this past week and snapped a few pics.

Last week the kids fed him some banana - one of his very most favorite snacks!  And this week, they got to brush him.  I think Nugg thought he was in doggy heaven!

Our 1 Year Oscar-versary!

This week marks our 1 year Oscar-versary!  Yes, it's hard to believe, but Doodle Snacks has been with us for an entire year... and we all lived to tell about it!  (Barely)...

Undeniably, we got off to a rough start.  And by rough start, I mean I was initially concerned we'd adopted the next heir to the throne of Hell.  Aside from pissing and crapping on the floor 26 times a day, crying uncontrollably for no reason, pacing and wandering aimlessly and destructively, he was a great catch!

I mean, just look at that face!

 He has no idea how lucky he is that he is ridiculously adorable in every single way.  That is the only thing that saved his life most days...

 This was from our photoshoot last October.  He had already grown so much!

His red frisbee is his very most favorite thing in the entire world... second only to his momma, of course!

Just silly... so many laughs everyday!

Fortunately, after 11 1/2 months, he grew mostly out of the terror phase.  Ok, we definitely spent several long months on crate training, housebreaking and manners... like 6 or 7.  And he's definitely made up for all the training and puppy growing pains I never experienced with Nugget... TENFOLD!  During this past year, Oscar has transformed into a crazy, affectionate, incredibly silly, (usually) manners-minding, super fun and important member of the family.  He makes me laugh every single day!  I simply cannot imagine my life without my Doodle Snacks.

Happy 1 Year Oscar-versary, Buddy Boy!  

Momma loves you like crazy!

Here's to you, Doodle Snacks! I can't believe you've been in our lives for an entire year! And what a year it's been! Laughs, cries, hundreds of rolls of paper towels and bottles of Nature's Miracle, fortunes in vet bills and more sleepless nights than I care to remember - I wouldn't trade any of it for the entire world if it meant I didn't have you!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A Criminal Among Us... Part II

I'm not exactly suggesting that we have a repeat offender on our hands... but am I suggesting that one of us is always a little more guilty than the rest.  (What?)  If you'll recall, someone in this house already has a laundry list of offenses of which he's previously been convicted.  To his credit, his sentences are always drastically reduced for good behavior thanks to the cuteness factor which he plays up ridiculously well.  Though the evidence I've collected thus far isn't substantial, I do have reason to believe our little in-house criminal has been at it again.

The crime scene:

Vandalism.  Someone blew up the toy box! 

The evidence:

The tail-end of the vandal, fleeing the scene of the crime...

A suspiciously tired suspect... Could he have been up all night planning his toy box attack?

The suspect returns to the scene of the crime... but still face unseen!

If you have any information about this crime, please call the PAWLICE.  Information leading to the arrest of the suspect will be rewarded with Milkbones and rawhide chews.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I'm just going to keep bringing toys up here until somebody wakes up and plays with me...

WHERE IN THE HOUSE HAS NUGGET BEEN?

Couch? - Check!

Guest Bed? - Check!

My Bed? - Check!

And finally, BUSTED!

Slow Learner

Evidently, Oscar's emergency vet fiasco has not dissuaded him from seeking additional snacks  on the DL.  Seen below, he's stretch out like a python, sizing up the box of kibble just arrived from Fed Ex.  He's definitely thinking about whether he can beat his personal record of 5.5lbs in one sitting... and by a rather large margin.

"Hmmm I wonder if I could devour this entire box of kibble in one sitting... it's only 35lbs."

"Err, I mean...  What?  I'm just takin' a nap... right here by this very large box of noms.  I'm guarding it, Mom.  Swears!"

And then Oscar's dream came true.  While pouring the large bag of kibble into their food containers, I spilled approximately ... um, ALL of it on the kitchen floor. 

 #*$%!!!

They were very interested in helping me "clean up".  But I knew better... and I have better things to blow $237 on than an emergency vet visit.  If I didn't know any better - and let's be honest, I don't - I'd swear Oscar "willed" me to spill it for his own personal gain.  (Pun intended...)

"ZOMG!  Either we're gonna eat LOTS of noms right now, or mom's so pissed that she's going to run away and we'll never eat again!"

What's NOT to Love Wednesday

What's not to love about...

A Nugg with a carrot on his head?  Growing up I had two options at the dinner table: Eat it or Wear it!  I would be a disappointment to my mother family if I didn't continue such traditions in my own kitchen.  When it comes to carrots, I think Nugget made his choice very clear!  (I'm sure I don't even need to mention Oscar's choice...)

But my dogs don't need the harness...

It's the children who are unruly!

Doodletainment

                                         

Remind me again why I single-handedly support the local economy solely through toy purchases at Petsmart and Petco when this Doodle is clearly content in playing with an empty drink mix container...

I Can't Even Make This Stuff Up... Part 2

I'm so tired that I can't even remember what day it is, let alone where I left off in my previous like-titled post.  I'll start by saying this:  Just when you think you're out of the woods, a hungry mother bear snatches you right out of your boots and drags you back into the thick, dark forest... and then she and her cubs maul and eat you.  Or maybe that was just a disturbing dream I had.  Sometimes I wish I did have trouble sleeping, if only to get a prescription for Lunesta in hopes of benefitting from the amnesia side effect.  
After a $300 vet visit, turns out Giardia was the reason for Oscar's explosive bowels and my mostly permanent loss of sanity.  With the treatment, he was almost back to normal overnight, so I didn't have any reservations about sending him and Nugg to the kennel for 2 days last weekend while B and I went to the beach to see his family.  In fact, this was the first time I'd left them anywhere and didn't call to check on them at all - mainly out of respect because I knew they were crazy busy.  Fine, I forgot...  I'm a terrible mother!
B went to pick them up from the kennel on Tuesday evening and as soon as they got home, I knew something was off with Oscar.  He was happy to see me, but was a bit lethargic.  And he was panting heavily - this from a dog who can run 2 miles in the crazy Carolina humidity and never pant!  He was also laying stretched out across the floor rather than curled up on the couch where he typically prefers to lay.  So I got down on the floor beside him to administer the usual healthy dose of belly rubs when I discovered his abdomen was extremely bloated and very hard.  I knew what this could mean, so I immediately called our vet, praying they weren't gone for the day.  No one answered, but his tech recognized my number and called me back right away.  (I seriously <3 Cotswold Animal Hospital!)  After I gave her the rundown, she urged us to get him to the emergency vet.  Not freaking out... not freaking out... not freaki...IMFREAKINGOUT!

This was lethargic Snacks

It wouldn't be an official blog post about doggy chaos if I didn't admit I bawled.  I was 100% convinced he had bloat and would need surgery and I'd have to leave him there for a few days and also not eat for the next 6 months just to pay the bill.  As if I wasn't already aggravated and exhausted enough, getting him signed in to the pet ER was more intense than if I was signing myself into a hospital for a heart, lung and brain transplant while simultaneously giving birth to sextuplets.  I've never seen so much paperwork!  To make things infinitely worse, there was a couple with 2 small children waiting to enjoy visitation hours with their animal and thought it appropriate to play tag while screaming and clopping around in flip flops and Stride Rites... ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?  As are most hospitals and vets scantily decorated, this one was no different... and it's made out of solid concrete.  You can only imagine the intensity of the acoustics.  I was sure that someone else was going to be needing an ER that night as well... either me for putting my fist through a wall or a parent after being pushed into traffic... HA just kidding (kinda).  Now I'm not saying it happened, and I'm not saying it didn't... but all I know is B left the exam room to "use the restroom" and by the time he came back, 2 kids were crying.  Seriously though, I don't have kids (for good reason!) so I sure as hell don't want to put up with yours while I'm freaking the eff out at the EMERGENCY VET because my dog is sick.  Some people have ZERO common sense.  Actually, if it's possible to have negative amounts of common sense, that is what most people have.  But just in case, I did ask Dr. Smith if he was a pediatrician or a veterinarian because it appeared some of the people in his waiting room were mistaken.  
Regardless, I do love Carolina Vet Specialists and Dr. Smith, who is very attractive, saw us immediately and took an x-ray.  He returned quickly with the films and relieved most of our worries by confirming that Oscar's stomach had not flipped, but it was approximately 7 times its normal size!  And filled with food!  Oscar would never have been able to pass that on his own since his stomach was so stretched, so Dr. Smith shot him up with some apomorphine to induce instantaneous vomiting.  MY POOR BABY!  He threw up 5.5lbs of undigested kibble...  

It wouldn't be normal of me NOT to get a picture

He was so pitiful!  Woozy from the narcotic and pathetic looking from having just regurgitated an entire week's worth of meals, he kept falling asleep standing up.  Fortunately, we got to take him home with us that night since he was completely empty.  Did I mention he was so adorably drowsy!?  Dr. Smith gave Oscar a hug and kiss when he released us.  [Cue: HEARTS MELTING]  In due process, he was awarded some new nicknames like, "Doodle NO-Snacks", "Fatty", "Mr. Piggy" and "Momma's Little Tubbers Lovers"...  In case we needed reaffirmation, yes, Doodle snacks.

If you threw up 5.5lbs of food, you'd roll in the grass, too!

Dr. Smith was certain Oscar had consumed all of this within the past 12 hours at the kennel.  While I was relieved that he was okay, I was furious that this happened!  The kennel had no explanation when Brian stopped by to talk to the manager the following morning.  They did reimburse us for the entire cost of the emergency vet visit, no questions asked.  The manager called me at work later that morning to apologize and check on Oscar.  That was a nice gesture, but I'm iffy on whether I'll be taking them back there.

This is what he did for the rest of the night and the entire following day.  Hey, throwing up 1/10 of your body weight is exhausting!

Truly, the chaos never ends.  I'm still waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop out of the bushes with a camera crew informing me I've been Punk'd.  Yes, Ashton Kutcher would make everything better... 

WINNER -Tuesday's Trivia Answer

It was the DOODLE - In the living room - With my SLIPPER!  
Our WINNER is Kari in Weho from Dog is God in Reverse (she's the only one that correctly guessed the object in his mouth... though I'm not surprised everyone correctly guessed WHO was in the pic!).  If you haven't checked out her blog and FB page, please do!  The stories about her furkids, Bailey, Mesa and Big Carl, will surely keep you laughing! :)  

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Tuesday Trivia - $10 Petsmart Gift Card Drawing

Let's see who can correctly guess the identity of this monster-in-motion and the object with which he's on the run!  Looking forward to reading some interesting answers...  We'll reveal the answer tomorrow (Wednesday July 6th) and select our winner at random.  In order to be eligible for the drawing, you must:

1. CORRECTLY guess both the identity of the monster and the object in his mouth  ~and/or~
2. Share our contest on Twitter, Facebook or your Blog.
The more you share, the more drawing entries you receive!  
(One entry each for correct guess, FB post, Tweet or Blog mention for a maximum of 4 entries.)  
PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT BELOW WITH LINKS TO YOUR MENTIONS and TAG US ON 

FB: Life is Like a Box of Nuggets 

OR 

TWITTER: @KAROLINAKATE84

In the meantime, a few doggy fun facts:
Like people, dogs are either left or right-handed... er, um, pawed!

The common dog name “Fido” comes from the Latin word for “faithful” or “fidelity.”

The Chow Chow has a black tongue while other dogs have pink tongues.

A dog's whiskers are touch-sensitive hairs called vibrissae. They are found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the jaws, and can actually sense tiny changes in airflow.

A picture is worth...

I took this of Oscar while we were waiting at the vet.  Doesn't his face just say, "Mom, do you know what they did to me back there!?"

DOG BLESS AMERICA!

Not pictured:  The Doodle, who is currently serving a short-term jail sentence for vandalizing his American Flag... (don't even act surprised)