Her Coat Is Comin In

At the age of 6 months, Mimi has reached 5 1/2 pounds and we have finally started seeing her long coat come in. She has the perfect blend of her mommy's and daddy's coat. The thickness of Ginny's and the softness of Buddy's - The best of both! I can't wait to see it once she is a year old!

Blue's Turn

The camping Gods must have been watching over us because Blue's heat didn't arrive until AFTER we got home from our camping trip this weekend! Thank goodness! Can you image us all in our cramped vacation dwelling with 10 other dogs, six humans and a park filled with countless other wild animals? Oh my word did we get lucky. And now in the comforts of our own home, Blue is separated from the others in a much more manageable environment.

It's so sweet! Mimi is experiencing round two of the heats and being the young one in the house, could care less about the hormones and such. Al she wants to do is play. She roams from "group" to "group" and sticks around who ever will fulfill her playful needs. Lately it has been Blue - So atleast she has a constant companion that isn't "dominating" her.

Another First For Mimosa

We have headed out to Sebastian Inlet State Park for the holiday weekend and it is Mimosa's first camping trip. She was "puppysat" during our last camping trip so I wasn't too sure how she would take the experience at the age of five months.  She buddied up with Colada and seemed to follow her every move. She has always been drawn to her at the house but it was rather cute to watch in an entirely new place that was so foreign to her. No free access to the outdoors - Importance of pee-pad training and the ability to "hold it" - New sights, sounds and smells and of course - Totally new "one-room" sleeping arrangements with all of us humans sleeping a mere few feet apart. She was a bit confused at first but with Colada as her guide, she caught on and relaxed.

It's Acorn Season

I started to hear the banging on the deck last night - A sound that can only mean one thing - It Is Fall! The acorns start to fall from the Oak trees in our yard and they become the natural toy of choice for our dogs. Not only do they chew them, but they are used as a toy to roll and chase and something to dig up in the yard. This will be Mimi's first fall season and she quickly saw the reason for all of the interest, bring a few into the house to guard as her new treasure

Think It's Time?

With all of the rain we have been getting the weeds and grass in the backyard has grown exponentially!!! Every time we plan on pulling out the lawnmower, another storm blows by! When the girls were out running the yard today, Mimosa ran over to the far corner of the yard and I literally spewed my coffee laughing. When you can't see your Chihuahua through your lawn, it's time to CUT your lawn!

Caught Ya!

As with all of our nursing mommies, Chica gets a mixture of soft puppy food, dry puppy and some extra vitamins to help her remain as happy and healthy as possible. I happened to place her bowl on the floor in the kitchen while the other girls were running outside after their standard dry food dinner. Mimosa must have slipped back inside and was drawn to the smell of the gooey puppy goodness and I caught her helping herself to Chica's dinner. Just look at her face when I called her name! Yes my dear! You have been caught red handed!

Day Two Is Better

MiMi had another bout with reactions to the rabies vaccine last night and then again, one more time today. We haven't seen it again since and she is finally back to her playful, lovable self.

For any of you wanting to see what a vaccine reaction looks like, here are a couple photos I snapped. It is so quick that until now, it's been rather hard to capture. With these pictures, I will also try to explain the progression....

It started with her scratching her head up against anything that she could, as if trying the  scratch out of her own skin. Thanks to her light coat, we could see the next stage happen - Starting with a very pale shade of pink, the skin color darkened to a bright pink. That's when the welts started to appear, rising the skin all over head. From there, the skin on her face started to swell, mostly around her eyes. 

I must tell you, the Benadryl will help as a quick at-home remedy but this really should be followed up by a visit to your veterinarian for a more instant solution of cortisone. And if your dog does have a reaction, I would suggest you have your vet write up the details in your dog's file - and be sure to ask for an exemption for the rabies vaccine in the future!

Lady Lake Adventures

I got a call  this week from Mrs. Garcia with some concerns over sweet CC. She absolutely adores her and hated making the call, but her puppy energy is just a bit too much for her to handle. CC plays a darting game at the door and she is afraid one time she won't be able to stop her and CC could get hurt - or lost.  So today we drove out to Lady Lake to pick her up and bring her home.

The moment CC laid her eyes upon me, she practically jumped into my arms. That's quite a height to jump for her! She gave me tons of kisses and was beyond excited to see me! SO Sweet! We promised Mrs. Garcia we would find her the perfect match - a more laid-back and subdued Chi.

Since we were in the area, I decided to bring MiMi so that she could get her rabies vaccine. Dr. Mario gave her a quick but through exam and then her shot. Now in the past, some of Ginny's pups have had reactions to vaccines. Dewey had reactions from his rabies! But they have always shown up within minutes of the vaccine being administered. Doc then gives an injection of cortisone and all would be well. Poor MiMi's reaction didn't appear until almost 2 hours after! We were actually still on the drive home when she puffed up and turned every shade of pink. POOR THING! A quick call to his office and a stop at the drug store, we gave her some Benadryl in the car and a cool bath after we got home.

A Family Portrait

Of all the beds and all the spots in this house, these three have picked the one bed in the kitchen and it was too sweet of a moment to not capture. Ginny with her sweet daughter MiMi and son Ace - They each piled in, one after another. Yet another example of how they just know - And how they keep it all in the family!

Learning Good & Bad

Mimosa has learned a lot from our other dogs - specifically Ace and Dewy. Not sure if it is because they are related to her or if it's because they are the closest in size but she watches the to boys constantly. She mimics their movements and watches for signs when it comes to pack activities and play. She has learned about which toys she can play with, where in the backyard to find the best sticks, to stand at the gate to be picked up at bed time and how to maneuver for the best bowl at feedings.

Today while playing out in the yard, she sat and watched Dewey digging a hole in the dirt. She just watched intensely, each step of the move, and then also as he walked away when he was done. That's when it got funny! She watched to make sure he didn't see her and then took her own stab at the hole. I have to admit, she was much more successful and she doubled the size of the hole rather quickly. Looks like we have another digger in the bunch!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Perhaps we need to let off fireworks year round to desensitize them? Not that as a human I would enjoy that but I swear, these poor dogs cowered for a two straight hours as our neighbors let off continuous fireworks. As the night went on, they did loosen up a bit but Dude shook the entire time. That poor boy. He does it at thunderstorms too - Our only one that does.

Dewey braved the noise and went out in the backyard for a bit but he was clearly still a bit uneasy. Ginny had it totally right! She laid in the doggy beds in the kitchen, looking out the window to enjoy the light show. She apparently shared the experience with Mimosa. She was the only one that didn't seem to be bothered one bit! It must have been all of those thunderstorms we had here was she was a young pup.

Mother's Daughter

My word - if this photo doesn't bring back memories of Ginny when she was a young pup I don't know what will. Mimi looks so much like her mommy!! And not only does she have her looks, she also has her affectionate ways as well as her laid-back temperament.

One thing that is uniquely hers though is her desire to be always be with you. Ginny will lay on the back of the couch and periodically come to you for a belly rub or kiss. Mimi has joined her brothers by wiggling through the bars of the gates to follow me when I leave the room. At the rate she is growing, it won't be possible for much longer! She has slowed down a bit - At 4 months is weighs 4lbs 2 ozs - but she still has a bit more growing to do. I see her reaching 5lbs by the end of the summer.

Our Slow Pokes

With all of our puppies in their new forever homes and the girls out of their heats, we are all back to normal around here. Basically, no real news and all is good. And now that we are back to our regular schedule, we can do our scheduled feedings with the whole crew again. That I must say is REALLY nice! And with the whole group together, it is hard to miss our three amigos and their antics.

Dewey, Ace and Mimi are the three slow pokes and the only ones that share their bowls of food. Everyone else sticks to their bowls and systematically go to the back door to go out. Not these guys! They peruse each of their bowls in their own mini-pack and slowly pick out each morsel out one by one. We eventually have to close them in so that when the others finish their potty break and run, they don't come back in to gobble down the slow-pokes meals.

Mimosa Has Spoken

She clearly loves life in the pack! She is hands down, the most social puppy from her litter and makes that known here for sure! She has made herself at home and fits right in.

Mimi is officially onto our daily schedule and follows the packs (plural) without hesitation. Whether it be our calls to get the dogs outside for their play sessions or the dog's instinctual mass greeting when people walk into the house - She has it all down pat!

Their True Personalities

The pups have been spending a lot more time out of the pen and playing with us and the others dogs. With Mimosa being just over a month older, she is their main playmate - or should I say- play TOY. They constantly seek her out. CC has also become fascinated with the little ones, often times joining in their play.

As I watch the girls play, I can see clearly that Dixie is the pistol of the bunch while Ebony is more of the easy going one that takes it all in stride. And when given the option, they both start by wishing to be with their humans but Dixie eventually wanders to her doggy friends while Ebony will stay in her peep's lap for cuddles. Basically, their forever families are totally perfect for their personalities!

Another Nature Lover

MiMi has turned out to be another Chi that loves to be outside. She will sit and look out the back window, as if imagining what fun she could be having out there. When we let them all out, she will run to the front of the pack and just run in circles to touch her paws on every square inch of dirt. Oh and she loves to dig too! Often times running back in with a muzzle covered in dirt - Mud now that it's been raining!

Cream Puff

That's what my husband has nicknamed Mimosa. As with all of our dogs, he has his own special name for each Chi.  Mimosa is MiMi for short - but he calls her Cream Puff. Why you ask? Well...

The day we brought Ginny home, she was a puffball of fur, carrying a bit of puppy chub. From that moment on, he called her Puff or My Puffer. So the moment he saw Mimosa, he started calling her Cream Puff - a Cream version of his Puff.

Thing is, she has reached the age of the puppy uglies. All of the puppies in her litter are smack-dab in the middle of it. The photo updates I have received show the saaaaaame thing. Their puppy coat is shedding and their adult coats are starting to grow in.  Buddy's silky coat is to die for - and all of the girls got their daddy's coat. But like the Ugly Ducking, they go through this awkward stage before the beauty sets in. So she is De-Puffed right now - but I promise she will puff out soon!

Walked Right In...

...like they owned the place! The friends of our that gave CC a try with their family, puppy-sat little Mimosa while we were off on our camping trip. Today they both came back here to us, with their house being their own "lil vacation spot". Their home is a bit more active that ours and the girls had a bit of a time adjusting to so many human feet and voices. When you are mere inches off the ground, lots of commotion can be a bit too much to handle.

When they came home, they jumped right into the pack like they never left! Granted, CC hasn't lived here since she was 8 weeks old but the sights and smells were very much in her brain. She jumped right up onto the couch, her comfy spot. Mimosa ran right to her mommy Ginny, who was equally as excited to see her baby girl, and seemed to bring CC over for an introduction, as if saying, "Hey Mommy! Look at my new friend!" So cute!

Future ChiChi Mommy?

Little Mimosa is one smart cookie! blue has not been too happy with other dogs peeking in on her and her puppies. Draping a blanket or towel over the portion of the pen that divides the two section has been the perfect solution.

Lady and Key Largo could care less about the little ones on the other side now. At first they were all up against the pen wanting to peek in for a look, but after a few growls from Blue, back to "their side" they stayed. But not Mimosa. She seems determined to keep an eye on the little ones. So much so that she drug the towel over and positioned herself for the perfect vantage-point. I ended up moving the towel over even more since Blue didn't seem to mind the extra set of eyes. Mimi was a pure heaven!