Tag: lab mix

Sunday Selfie Sleepy Crew with Xena

Published on 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*

hmff

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

The Sunday Selfie Five

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia29 Comments

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

Today we are starting with the founder and original author of this blog, our Angel sister, Lexi the Schnauzer.

Now we each get to take a turn so there’s no resentment or fighting. Since I, Xena, am the schnauzer who inherited this blog, I get to go next. Yesterday I got my monthly groom and weekly bath so I could look nice for you.

Don’t you just love how Mommy made my picture extra special to make me the focus of your attention?

You wanna guess what happened next? All of a sudden, Larry the Lemur, who had been missing since June, appeared from a field of flowers on our back porch! But where did the flowers come from!?

I was never very crazy about Larry, but he seemed changed. He said he’s been hiding because of Chia. Yep, I get that.

And can you guess what happened next? Chia zoomed past me, grabbing up Larry on her way.

Larry’s worst fears came true. Chia’s mouth is open, ready to deadie my stuffie. It was like the movie Nightmare on Elm Street. Do you see him covering his head to try to protect himself? Chia wouldn’t give him up to Mommy, so Mommy pulled her tail. When she looked back to see what was happening, Mommy grabbed Larry and helped him find a high place to hide again. Hey Chia, that was your turn for your selfie, BOL!

Riley’s up next. Mommy gave him a bath in the big tub yesterday, and she hurt her back trying to get all 75 pounds of him out of the tub. She told him he was on his own and left him there. Obviously, he did. (She’s going to the chiro doctor tomorrow.) Anyhoo, Riley said it was his nap time, so just get this picture thing over with. Riley, you’re not gonna get very far with that attitude!

Riley: Grrr.
Xena: OK, big buddy, all done!

Finally, we have Lucy, who wanted us to make her picture pretty like mine.

That’s all of us! So, who do you think has the prettiest picture. If you vote for me, I’ll…

Lucy: Xena! You’re doing it again! It’s not a contest!! And there’s no voting, either.

Xena: Well, if it was, Chia would lose.

XOXOX Lucy, Riley, Chia and Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess.

Riley’s Ophthalmology Re-Check

Published on 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 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*

Update on Riley’s Eyes

Published on 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

Thankful Thursday: These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Published on 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 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.

Xena’s Thankful Thursday

Published on 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 was only about six months old here.

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