Rane Passed With Flying Colors!

First off, HAPPY EASTER!!! We have had out of town family here for the holiday, keeping us all, human and dog alike, very busy. A lot of activity for our anxious little Rane, and a lot of new people. She barked at our guests the first two days but that quickly subsided on the third. Then today, with so many coming and going and the front door being left open multiple times, I just HAD to snap a photo of Rane's major accomplishment.

She is in the Dewey Door Darting Club. Chicatoo, Rane, Ace and Dewey can all squeeze their bodies through the bars on our baby gates to run out and greet guests that come to our door. But with the front door left open as guests were being walked out to their cars, I stood from the street and watched as Rane stopped at the door-frame and just watched. The other three will run right out to the driveway to greet visitors. They do stop and and come on command once outside, but never have they been able to resist walking out the door. Not Rane! I yelled STAY and that's just what she did! Can't tell you how proud I am :)

New Chihuahua Friends Chicatoo?

My daughter had a few friends over and they are all still at the "sleeping with their favorite stuffed animal" stage. Ironically, they all find their Chihuahua Webkinz their favorite sleeping pals and Chicatoo clearly recognized the resemblance. The white Terrior Webkinz she barked are fiercely but the Chihuahua ones? She wagged her tail and begged them to play!  And then she seemed to thank the girls for bringing new friends for her to play with! Too funny to not capture.

The Bluurrrs

That's my nickname for Chicatoo and Rane. They play constantly, wrestling, chasing, nibbling and then, cuddling. Rane has become the perfect playmate for Chicatoo and the perfect companion for her during her heat.

Of course, if the boys were allowed access to her, he too would be in the mix. they are our three youngest Chi's in the house and I love seeing how they can get their "Puppy" on!

Updates From Hotel KZ

With Chicatoo in her first official heat, how fitting is it that she will get to spend it her mom Chica, who is also in heat! Karen snapped this picture and tell me she doesn't get her amazing good looks from her sweet momma?!?! Chicatoo isnt in her standing heat yet. thats somethign we weill get to contend with after we get home. But you can guarantee she will get some pointers from her mom while she's there!

And then of course there is Blue - the TEASE! Karen's boys are being kept in the other room and blue would be the first to sway and coo in front of the gate to get them all wired up. She does the same at our house. But she also is a jumper. Where there is a will there is a way in her mind.

Perfectly Official

With all of our dogs being named after cocktail drinks, I usually find a drink recipe that best fits the dog's colors, personality and temperament. From there, my husband decides on the call name, often a shortened version of their official drink name. Chicatoo is our rare occasion where the call name came WAY before the official drink name. She was named after her amazing mom Chica that stole all of our hearts. We wanted our own lil Chica to love and adore.

It came time to finally send in her AKC papers, so that meant I had to find a drink that fit her call name. The moment I found this recipe for a Hot Chicana I knew immediately it was perfect! Chica is our hot Chicana, that is for sure!

This Was A First!

Never in all of our camping adventures has this EVER happened! I realize that we are up one dog and my daughter got confused but apparently our one dog that doesn't run to the back door with excitement as we pack up to leave for one of our trips, didn't make it into the truck as we pulled out of the drive way.  Of course, the hustle bustle of walking the dogs after the drive to the park still didn't bring this fact to anyone's attention. It was when we were letting them into the camper after their potty walks that the head count brought the truth to light and the change of plans into action. Chicatoo was Home Alone! (queue paws slapped on either side of her face!)

Back to the house I drove. Thank goodness the park is a short distance from the house (within an hour). As I walked up to the front porch to unlock the door, I could hear her whining from the other side. Tail a wagging, she practically jumped into my arms as I stepped in. Here, one might think complete free reign to the house and not having to deal with any other dog would be pure heaven to her, apparently being with her humans was higher up on the list. The excitement continued until she kissed each human she could see at the campsite and the eyeballs of every Chi friend in the camper - then she crashed!

Weather in Florida

The last couple days have been absolutely beautiful and the dogs have taken full advantage of that. They too are enjoying the perfect weather and temperatures, soaking up as much sun as they possibly can. If they aren't piled up in the dog beds in the kitchen, they are out on the back room, lounging on the patio chairs. Ahhh...to be a dog aye? They have the life!

A Party Of Our Own!

This camping trip is one I personally have been beyond looking forward to. I haven't seemed to be able to catch up since Thanksgiving - Running nonstop with a never-ending to-do list containing items that seem to have multiplied like rabbits. No, this trip wasn't going to help me with my list - It was going to allow me to completely unplug and NAP!

I never get to catch up on my sleep at home and after we unpacked and settled in, I actually turned in early and retired to my mobile master bedroom. Chicatoo finally caught onto the "way of the camper" and jumped on up to nap with me. My shadows, Dewey and Ace were right behind. (Buddy joined in too). For Dewey and Ace, they appreciated the change of pace. For the first time in months we went to bed in the PM hours!

I Never Would Have Thought ...

...that a four month old puppy would be the one to alert me to what the month of February will have in store for us but he has! Nirvana sniffed out the fact that our sweet Chicatoo takes after her mother and at the ripe ol' age of 6 months will experience her first heat. Chica is one you can set a calendar to and Chicatoo clearly is about to become a woman. Nirvana is "all over that" and can't seem to get enough of her lately.

Chicatoo's Got It Down

Chica has totally loved this trip! She has finally gotten the whole camping thing totally figured out and the free-reign of the camper is what she truly enjoys the most. See, at home, Cosmo controls the "good" toys. He carries them with him everywhere, especially to greet people when they walk in the door. In the camper, none of the dogs really play with the toys. That leaves them all for Chicatoo! She gathered up her favs and brought them to one of the doggy beds for her own enjoyment and fun!

Visitors This Week

We are doing a bit of doggy sitting for the next few days and all the dogs have been in playmate heaven. We have Preggers, Heatmeister and Spazzie..oh I mean Tori, Chica and Rue.

Since Chica has stayed with before, she took right to the pack and to the house, knowing our schedule and slipping right in. It didn't take long for the others to catch on and it was even quicker for Chicatoo to realize she had her very own mommy over for a visit! She seemed to walk so proud, showing off, chest held high. The two have had a few wrestling matches and even a nap session!

Fashion Show For Chicatoo

We have a camping trip to pack for tomorrow and as is my normal behavior - I am so behind! Chicatoo hasn't been trained on the leash or on wearing a harness!!! I didn't want to add that to her very first camping experience so I picked out a Figgy's harness for her to romp around in to make it less scary for her this weekend.

She wasn't too happy at first, trying to scrape it off by dragging herself on the doggy bed. But once she realized it wasn't going anywhere, she chillaxed and accepted the fact that she will have a camping weekend wardrobe. They all go through it and she was the quickest to accept it thus far!

The Monkey Is HERS!

Chicatoo has taken our new monkey friend and staked her claim rather quickly. She drags him around by this leg for nap time and for doggy toy wrestling sessions on the couch. Looks like I need to go pick up some more aye?

Way Cool New Toy

I have found some amazing doggy finds at my local Walgreens in the past and have shared them with all my puppy families. The fabulous dog steps for $10.00. (The same that Target sells for $19.99) How about their bag of 50 pee-pads for $10.00? Now today while there I found SOCK MONKEY DOG TOYS!!! Holy moley! They are too stinkin' cute! And at 5 bucks a piece, I just had to buy a few for the crew.

Every time I bring home a new toy, they all go nuts to see it. This time was no different. Cosmo is our true dog toy addict and he was the first to check it out. The rest took their turns and they have shared our new sock monkey friend like a group of very well behaved children. So Proud! And now, so wondering if I need to go pick up a few of the Walgreens sock money dog beds too!

She's Got It All Figured Out

In addition to her amazing temperament, intelligence is also something she got from her mommy! Chicatoo is one smart cookie!

She has figured out the sweet spot in our living room. Perched on the back of our couch is the easiest way to watch all the action in our house. She is able to see who is coming and going - What's going on out in the backyard and the front yard with just a slight turn of the head. And when the time is right and wrestle time has begun on the couch - It's the perfect spot to be able to join the fun with the element of surprise.

A Chicatoo First Captured

We have ourselves another backyard lover!!! Chicatoo got her first chance to experience the backyard today and she was a natural. Not a single fear or inquisitive pause, she simply waddled down the steps from the deck and took off a runnin! She joined in the game of chase with the others and totally didn't want to come back inside.

This Was a Doozer!

At first glance this morning, Baby's eye was definitely bringing her pain and with Doc's first glance he thought it was a scratch. Once he got a better look, he was able to see that there was actually something still IN her eye! Poor Baby!!!

She had to be a bit sedated to be able get the piece out. If you look real close at the end of the swab you will see the tiny speck that was stuck in her eye. Doc says within the next few days and some antibiotics, her eye should heal nicely and she will be able to keep her eye open again. I miss her sweet eyes!! And I cant wait for her to feel her happy go lucky self again.

On a side note, Chicatoo came along for the ride for her vaccines. She was such a good girl! Not a whimper or whine and she totally licked and loved on everyone. That's our girl!

Our Newest Addition!

We have had the pleasure of getting to spend time with Karen's amazing dog Chica as well as several of her past puppies. She and all of her puppies carry the most amazing temperaments. Very friendly, confident, playful and loyal. When Chica and her pup were here for dog-sitting, my whole family fell hard - Especially my husband. When the chance to bring her little pup into our family became an option we all became so excited - and honored! We have a Chica pup!!!!!

My husband was SO excited that he insisted that her name be Chicatooo (that is,  Chica 2). He doesn't care what the registered name is, the call name WILL be Chicatooo, or ChiChi when cooing her.

We brought her home today and she immediately fit right in! Like there was ever a doubt??? And in true Figgy form, the boys were the welcoming committee and showed her the way. I think they need to worry about keeping up with her!

We are so honored to have a Chica pup of our own. Thank you SO much Karen!!! We are beyond excited!