Riley – Page 6 – Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess with Lucy and Chia

Sunday Selfie Sleepy Crew with Xena

Published on September 5, 2021September 4, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia40 Comments

We are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Xena: It’s selfie time and I think it’s Riley’s turn. Now where did he go? Ah, there he is in our favorite red chair. Ri! Wake up for your selfie! Riley! *click*

That didn’t work out so well. Guess he forfeited his turn. I think that long mess called Chia is next in line for a selfie. I know she’s around here somewhere; she and Lucy were just playing. Or maybe I should say she was just grabbing Lucy’s face and stretching the skin as far as it would go while Lucy pawed at her to get her loose. Oh! There they are.

Well, so much for either of them doing a selfie. At least Lucy still has a face. *click*

I guess it’ll be my turn after all. But first, I wanna tell you about Chia “grossing Mommy out.”

Mommy was sitting on the rug on the porch, taping down the edges so that Chia couldn’t turn it over and tear it up. She got one side done and put her hand down on the rug to lift up to turn the corner. Her hand pushed on something soft and small and kinda gooey. Chia had killed one of my lizards, and it was laying there without it’s tail. I’ve never seen Mommy wash her hands for so long.

A few days later Mommy and Daddy were having lunch on the porch, and Mommy had laid her eyeglasses on the table while she ate. She looked down and saw a “twig” on the floor. Chia’s always bringing sticks and stones in from the dog lot, and Mommy picks them up so she doesn’t eat them. She realized when she laid the “twig” on the table that it didn’t look quite like a stick. When she put her glasses on she discovered it used to be a grasshopper, but now had no legs to hop.

If that put all kinds of icky image in your head, let me replace them with one of pretty little me.

Hoping you have a grossed-out-free week (which is much more likely without Chia around).

Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess

Xena’s Thankful Thursday at Bedtime

Published on September 2, 2021August 29, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia28 Comments

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Daddy, thank you for sitting here on the arm of the couch so I have something to lean my back against. It’s mighty comfy here on my princess couch pillow.

Look at those two slackers. You’d think it was bedtime.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Well, I’m thankful for my sister Lucy and for Riley, too.

*yawn* Maybe it is bedtime. I’m thankful for my soft couch pillow and for my soft big bed I share wih you and Mommy.

Chia: Get outa the way, sister. I want that spot with my Dad. Move!

Xena: I can’t wait until that pup goes to the Manners Matter class with Mommy. She’ll probably have to take it about 87 times. Daddy, go ahead and put that long mess in my kennel for the night and I’ll meet you in the bedroom with Mommy.

Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess

Awww Monday Tug-o-War

Published on August 30, 2021November 25, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia35 Comments

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Chia: I’ll play with you, Riley, how Mom just showed me. Please don’t hurt me.

Riley: I won’t hurt you, hotdog. Just remember whose rope this is when we’re through.

Chia: I think I’m winning.

Lucy: I’ll help you, Riley!

Thankfuls from Everyone

Published on July 15, 2021July 12, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia29 Comments

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Xena: I’m thankful that my sister Lucy plays with Chia so it’s not all on me.

Xena: Hey, Lucy, do I need to referee? Looks like she’s got ya’ by the throat.

Lucy: No thanks, I got this. Ow!

Lucy: I’m happy to play with Chia, and also thankful when I get a few minutes of peace.

Here I can think my own thoughts and dream my own dreams.

Riley: I am thankful for the sunshine on my face.

And expecially that I can see out of my right eye after all the pain and doctor visits and surgeries. That’s all behind me now.

Chia: I’m happy to get a turn in the big red chair with the sun on my face and no surgeries and think and dream my own thinks and dreams!

I mean, I’m thankful for those things, too.

Xena: You just copied our thankfuls, Chia.

Love and wags, Xena Schnauzer Princess Warrior, Lucy, Riley and Chia

Lucy the Referee

Published on July 1, 2021June 28, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia39 Comments

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday. Thanks, Brian! And I am so thankful for my sisters and brother. Lucy

As you know, I have a career as Zen Dog in Mom’s Grooming Business, and Ace Reporter, mostly reporting on Mom’s grooms. Hmm, this seems to have a pattern to it. I also tried my paw at modeling, but I’m not super crazy about getting my picture done, so that didn’t work out very well. However, I may be adding to my resume the title of Referee.

You’ve watched me play with the new pup, Chia. And you’ve seen Xena play with Chia. These events took a few weeks to happen, but weren’t totally unexpected. What was unexpected is who played with this little pup with no boundaries next. When I saw 11-year-old, almost 80 pound Riley go into the play position with Chia, I thought, uh oh, someone needs to monitor this.

Lucy: No hard biting or squishing or grabbing of personal parts.

Riley: Mmm, keep scratching my face with those little teeth. It feels good.

Lucy: Riley, don’t hurt her.
Chia: Get away Lucy! I’ve got this!

Riley: I let you up little dog. Do your worst.

Chia: Why don’t you lay down on your back when I do this?

Riley’s Ophthalmology Re-Check

Published on May 20, 2021June 30, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia43 Comments

We are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday blog hop with a special thanks today!

Hi friends. I went back to see the special dogtor today. Everyone there is so nice. They even understand that I’m not mean, I just get scared. They’re always nice to me, and even told Mom Amy that I’m really a sweet boy. *wag*

Before all that, though, I reclaimed Reindeer from Xena. Me and Reindeer, we’re tight, ya’ know? We hang together and I take him running through the house with me, and we nap together. He’s my bud.

Back to my eye dogtor appointment. My sight has been saved! It’s only slightly “diminished,” but I can still see out of it and it’s pretty much back to normal except for how it looks. This picture is shortly before my eye surgery.

It hurt so much I kept my eyes closed most of the time.

This picture is after my exam today. See how wide open my eyes are!

I know it still looks weird, but it doesn’t hurt. The dogtor, henceforth called the “Good Dogtor,” said it should eventually turn more white, but it won’t ever look like before the first dogtor, henceforth called the “Bad Dogtor,” messed it up. It looks like this because of the “procedure” the Good Dogtor did to save it. The veterinary ophthamologist (Good Dogtor) removed some of my inner eyelid and sewed it with the tiniest of stitches over the large and deep ulcer eating away at my right eye. If you didn’t get a chance to read about that, you can hop here to find out more.

Anyhoo, I was a real, real good boy today at the Good Dogtor’s office. He even said I was like a different dog today, which told him how much pain I was in the first couple of times he saw me. I go back in six months for a check-up on my eye, but that’s a long time from now, so I’m not worried about it.

We are all HUGELY thankful for my eye being better.

Your friend, Riley

Happy Birthday Me (Riley)

Published on May 2, 2021July 7, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia44 Comments

We are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Yesterday, May Day, was my eleventeenth birthday! Dad Andrew and Mom Amy had a big yard sale that took up most of the day, so I didn’t get to do too much. But then Mom Amy came in and gave me the biggest meaty bone in the package! Me and Lucy and Xena all went outside with our bones and chewed happily for a long time. I left a lot of the marrow and some of the meat on it so I could work on it again today. I couldn’t figure out what the rush was with Luce and the schnauzer cleaning theirs off as fast as they could. Then, when we all got up to come in, Luce grabbed my bone and tried to take off with it! Mom Amy put a stop to that! She washed it off, bagged it, and saved it in the fridge for me. Lucy got a scolding, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing the smaller bone the the schnauzer had brought in and left on the couch.

Mom Amy’s no dummy, and neither is that little schnauzer. She said, “Xena, do you want to go out and get Lucy’s bone to chew on?” Xena ran outside, then through the porch doggie door, found the bigger bone, and claimed it as her own.

Anyhoo, I’ll get my BIG bone to chew again when Mom Amy gets home from seeing my peeps bro Adam for the first time since the beginning of March last year. And maybe she’ll have something else for me, too!

Here’s my selfie. I asked for it to be a side shot so you don’t have to see my vampire red right eye.

I get to lose that cone for good (I hope) Monday week. (That’s the southern way of saying a week from this Monday, for all you who aren’t schooled in the proper way of speaking.)

Don’t I look good? I feel good too! My happy indicator is wagging all the time now.
The red film sewn over my right eye looks awfully scary, but my eye isn’t hurting and we think it’s healing. The doc got my eye culture back and changed my antibiotics. I don’t care. They taste the same in the big hunk of Philadelphia Cream Cheese as the the other pills.

Have a happy Sunday and happy birthday to everyone else who has a birthday soon. May you get great big meaty bones (or whatever you like best).

XOX Riley *wags, wags, wags*

Happy Tuesday Riley Update

Published on April 27, 2021July 7, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia35 Comments

Many thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday.

Riley had his one week recheck after his eye surgery. Lucy explained the best she could about how the veterinary ophthamologist removed some of his inner eyelid and sewed it with the tiniest of stitches over the large and deep ulcer eating away at his right eye. We’ve noticed over the past week that the yellow puss has all but disappeared and he has been keeping his eye open more, which means that the new antibiotics are also working, and it isn’t hurting much.

First the really gross picture, so you may want to just jump over this one if you are squeamish.

Riley’s right eye is all red – even the colored part – because of the overlay of the thin film of blood vessel-filled sheath that is sewn onto it. The job of this sheath is two-fold: 1. protect the eye, and 2. carry the healing medicine via blood to the eye.

We can also tell he is feeling better because he has started to play again. He is interested in his reindeer stuffie again, as well as the chew bones laying around the house.

We had to laugh at him standing up with a bone perched on the end of his cone, much like this picture of him laying down with the same thing going on. No one’s getting that bone from him without getting caught in his big cone. He has actually caught Lucy in it this past week and backed her through the kitchen. Yes, our boy is feeling better.

The specialist said his cone can come off in two weeks and his re-check is in three weeks. I feel like I can breathe again. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers and concern. It has meant so much.

Amy, aka The Mom

Update on Riley’s Eyes

Published on April 12, 2021July 7, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia36 Comments

After Mom Amy and Dad Jeff got back with wherever they took the girls all morning, Mom Amy loaded me up in the back seat of the car and off we went. I knew this could mean only one thing — another vet visit. My eyes hurt, and they seem to be getting worse instead of better. I’ve also had to wear this gawd awful collar of shame 24/7. It catches on everything as I walk by, and I yank it to get loose, dumping stuff on the floor. Not my fault! This is me in the cone just before I went into the new vet’s office.

My right eye really hurt and I kept it closed most of the time. Don’t mean to stick my tongue out atcha. I pant when I’m nervous.

After a little while in the opthomologist’s office, he left and came back in with Mom Amy. She had been waiting in the car like she was supposed to. Hmm, I thought. This can’t be good. It’s really not my fault I didn’t want him to touch my face or put a muzzle on me! He might try to steal my eyeball! I have big teeth and they look scary. Guess that’s why he went to get Mom Amy so she could “get bit” instead of him. Shhh, don’t tell her I would never bite her.

In the end, it took all three of them to get the muzzle on me and I still went crazy when the dogtor tried to put drops in my eyes. He did get some in, and real soon-like, the pain went away! Maybe this guy is OK.

Then he looked at my eyes in the dark with a special instrument, removed a suture, picked something else off my eyelid and even put a contact lense in my one eye. He said there was hair rubbing on it, and the lense would protect it until the swelling went down and he could see if that was the reason that hair could rub on it. After Mom Amy gave his minyan all her money and some plastic card, too, we went home with a sackful of pills and some new salve. I’ve got pills for pain, pills for anxiety, pills for infection, and others that I don’t even know what they do. I have a feeling I’m not going to be “uncomfortable” any more.

I’m back in the car ready to go home. Can you tell my eye already looks some better? (I’m told this is positive thinking.) I go back next week, next Wednesday. The people at the dogtor’s office said to be sure I get the strong anti-anxiety pills 1 1/2 hours before I come! Aren’t they nice?

Love and tail wags, Riley

Riley’s Surgeries

Published on April 2, 2021July 10, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia45 Comments

This is Riley. I don’t remember if I told you I’ve had ear problems for at least a couple of years. Sometimes, when you get to be almost 11, you don’t remember everything, you know? But I do know that my ears keep getting infected, and they have been miserable, and it’s been miserable having them cleaned out and then having the vet mess with them when they get too bad.

I really hate going to the vet. It scares me a lot, and it hurts to have them do anything to my ears and shots hurt, too. I freak out when they try to cut my nails, too. The entire lot of them aren’t strong enough to hold me still to steal my nails!

At the beginning of last month the vet suggested that it was time to “scope” my ears so he could see just what was going on. So early one morning, well before my wake up time, Mom Amy convinced me to get in the back seat of the car and we started down the road. I just knew she couldn’t be taking me anywhere good at that time of day, and I shook and cried and panted the whole 40 minute drive there. Oh, and it gets worse! They gassed me!! I fought like the devil, but in the end, I got really tired and fell asleep.

Miss Amy picked me up and I cried a lot that night but felt really good the next day. My ear didn’t hurt! The dogtor sent away what he cut out of my ear to get a histology report on what it is. Turns out it was a tumor, but the kind that is not something called malignant. Everyone seemed very happy about that. That’s not all they found while they were poking around inside my ear. They discovered that my eardrum has a hole in it! So I got more drops to put in just my left ear. It’s not so bad now that my ear isn’t hurting anymore.

Last week Mom Amy told my Andrew that she thought I had an eye infection. She saw yellowish puss around one of my eyes. Andrew said my eye was alright, and when she looked again it did look ok. Then, this past Wednesday night, I started licking my leg and using it to wipe my right eye. Over and over and over. Miss Amy got down on the floor with me to “see what was going on” and she found a little round lump on the inside of my upper eyelid. She said it looked like a swollen seed tick, but didn’t think it was. My eye was all red and I couldn’t stop blinking. Every time I blinked that dang thing rubbed against my eye. Well, you can guess what happened Thursday morning. I shook and panted the whole way there again. The dogtor said I needed to have it removed, and that I also had something smaller on the area around my left eye. I had to go back on Friday morning and breathe in that awful gas again.

I’m home now from having surgery on both my eyelids.

I mostly can’t keep my right eye open. They both turned out to be styes. The dogtor cauterized the one on my right eyelid. The other one was blocking my tear duct, and I would have lost that eye if it hadn’t been detected and removed. I wonder if that’s what private eyes do, detect eye styes. Oh wait, that’s a detective I was thinking about, not a detector. I’m getting pretty sleepy and not thinking too clearly.

My right eye is bothering me a lot. Since I ended up with this big ol’ collar around my neck, preventing me from rubbing it with my paw, I’ve been trying to rub my eye on other things, like the floor and Lucy’s behind. But she keeps whacking me with her tail. Anyhow, because of that, Miss Amy gave me a big dose of Xena’s sea beady oil. I’m starting to not care about my eye anymore. I’m getting pretty slee..zzzzzzz.

Thankful Thursday: These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Published on April 1, 2021July 10, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia39 Comments

Xena: Today we are thankful for some of our favorite things. I’ll go first. I’m thankful every time Mommy fills my food bowl. I have the self discipline to wait and not dive into it until she says, “Free!” Otherwise, I lose my supper for at least 87 seconds, and that’s a terrible thing to do to a starving schnauzer!

Do you want to know what all I got this time? Green tripe, chickie paw, spinach, saurkraut, orange bell pepper and blueberries! Those are all some of my favorite things!

Lucy: I have a lot to be thankful for too.

I love my friends and am so thankful for them.

From the left, that is my boyfriend Achilles, my BFF Ella and my house buddy Riley.

Riley: I love my reindeer.

I am thankful Miss Amy gave him to me for Christmas.

These are all just a few of our favorite things!

XOX from Xena, Lucy and Riley

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings, When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

A Shared Sunday Selfie (or Riley’s Revenge)

Published on March 21, 2021August 29, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia26 Comments

We are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Lucy: Mom, could I do the Sunday Selfie today? Please? I’ve been a good girl all week, and I’ll pose real pretty.

Hey, wait, what’s Riley doing there behind me?

Dagnabbit! Get outa my selfie, Riley!

Riley: You photo bombed my selfie. (See here.) Fair’s fair.

Riley: Ahhh, I finally got my selfie.

Sunday Selfie with Riley

Published on March 14, 2021July 11, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia27 Comments

We are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Riley: It’s finally my turn to do a Sunday Selfie.

I can’t believe you photo bombed my first selfie, Lucy.

Wordless Wednesday Playing

Published on March 10, 2021August 30, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia25 Comments

Thanks to Comedy Plus
for hosting the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Don’t worry, Mom turned our video into a silent film for “Wordless Wednesday.”

Awww Monday with Riley

Published on March 8, 2021July 11, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia31 Comments

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Sweet dreams, Riley.

Xena’s Thankful Thursday

Published on March 4, 2021July 11, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia38 Comments

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Hi there friends. I wanna start by saying sometimes it may seem to you like I’m just a needy, snarky little schnauzer. OK, so sometimes I am. I can give that snarky “look” with the best of them. And I can be relentless in jumping up and down on my hind legs for what seems like the zillionth time in a day for Mommy or Daddy to pick me up and “baby hold” me (or to let me see what’s on the table or counter top or cooking on the stove).

But none of that stops me from being really thankful for what a great life I have. For instance, I am super-duper, over-the-moon thankful that big ol’ Riley hasn’t bitten my head off. I know he could, and I know he would like to sometimes, but he respects the rules, and one of them is No Biting off the Schnauzer’s Head.

This is one of our rare sniff and touch nose moments. That’s Lucy in the background wanting us to quit bonding and play with her.

This next picture is of me as a puppy, wearing that gawd-awful red plaid whatever-you-call-it.

I saw Mommy put it up for sale on the Nextdoor app. I am so very thankful that
1. It doesn’t fit me anymore, and
2. Mommy’g getting rid of it. No one’s bought it yet, and I can understand why. But it is still out of my life forever.

I am thankful for my very best friend, my sister Lucy. She’s the best sister in the whole world. She understands me, and that takes a lot for a bully breed to understand a terrier breed. But she’s super good at it and never ever gets mad at me for acting like, well, acting like a little sister, I guess. She plays with me and hangs out with me and eats and barks and runs with me, and all that good stuff. We get a bit jealous of each other once in a while, but our folks always make sure we both get lots of attention and the same amount of treats.

I’m thankful for a lot of other stuff too, but I think this is enough for today. There will be more Thankful Thursdays…

I am the blessed Xena Schnazuer Warrior Princess

My Friend Riley

Published on February 11, 2021July 11, 2021 by Xena, Lucy and Chia36 Comments

Many thanks to Brian’s Ho m e for hosting Thankful Thursday.

Lucy: I’m so thankful for my buddy Riley. He’s been with us for about three months. Sometimes his dad stays here too, and sometimes he disappears for a while. Riley gets a little anxious when his dad leaves, so I keep near him to help him know everything is OK.

When Riley is chewing a bone I lay down next to him and share his sunpuddle. (He’s not too keen on sharing the bone.) He likes to play with his Christmas reindeer in the evening, and he wants someone to play with him. I don’t like to play with stuffies, so he barks at Dad and Mom to throw the reindeer and then to play tug-o-war. He’s got a really loud bark! Sometimes Mom grabs the reindeer and starts running through the house with Riley chasing her. They go round and round and round until she finally throws the reindeer for Ri-boy to catch, and that’s the end of that.

He likes to wear the sweater I gave him for Christmas. I think he knows he looks good in it. When it’s extra cold out and his dad isn’t here he wears it to bed like a nightshirt. I’ve been sleeping in the bed with him. When his dad’s here Riley and I sandwich him. When he isn’t, we sleep however we want.

Unike us, Riley likes to sleep in. Xena and I want our breakfast at 6:00 a.m on the dot, and then we go back to bed for our first morning nap. Lots of times Mom has to call Riley to come and eat before she goes down to her basement office at 9:00. If he won’t come, then he has to wait until lunchtime to eat.

Xena: Daddy, Mommy, Lucy’s sleeping with Riley.
Daddy: It’s OK, Little One. That means you get us and the bed all to yourself.
Xena: Oh. OK then, I won’t tell Achilles.