It’s the thought that counts, right?

I know it’s been a very long time since I last posted and I’m fairly certain it will be a very long time for me to post again– but, it’s the thought that counts, right?

At the very least I have several good reasons why I haven’t updated:

1.)

I own this.  I have officially become a homeowner.  I’m not very good at it right now (made a few mistakes already) but I guess that’s all part of the learning experience.  My learning experience started as soon as I tried buying anything at all.  I originally put an offer in on a different house and had it fall through.  Had a pre-approval that was later rescinded due to an error on my bank’s part (did I mention I had a new purchase agreement?) and then several weeks passed, with more and more issues arising and the future looking more bleak for me to begin my journey as a homeowner.

Obviously, things finally came though, but not before I had to get a lawyer involved, got an ulcer and made a very long list of people I will never work with again if I can help it.  Now I’m here and for the most part, it’s pretty exciting that I have a house to call my own and have say over.

2.) I welcomed a new baby into my family, here in my new house.  This is my beautiful Harlequin Great Dane, Hank.  I found out about Hank by pure chance, working at the pet store– I met a family who was fostering puppies– I met one one of Hank’s brothers at the time– and over the course of a few weeks, got to meet the rest of the family.  Hank’s mom had been found stray and pregnant.  Believed to be a puppy mill escapee, the family took her in and nursed her back to health.  She was a Great Dane, but with puppies she weighed 79lbs, without she weight 59.  Even as a female Dane, she was clearly underweight and very unhappy with life, to the point she had to be sent to a Great Dane rescue when the puppies were old enough, because she didn’t like men and she didn’t like children.

Because I had met the family before anyone else who had an interest, I was given first choice of the puppies.  Hank had made an impression on my Mom and I, so home he came.  He was 8 weeks old at the time of that picture–  He’s only just 4 months now.  He’s more this size now:

As of Friday, the 27th, he weighs 41.2lbs.  He seriously doesn’t have a clue how huge he is.  It’s hard sometimes, to remember that he’s barely 4 months old given how huge he is.  He eats 3 cups of his food, three times a day– I have to try to buy his food ahead, just because he eats so much.  Honestly, it’s a joy to have him, even when he’s naughty (though I might not think it at the time).  My only fear for him is how short a life span Great Danes have.  If he makes it over 7 years old, he’ll be considered an old man.  I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the breed, that I wanted the experience for myself.  I may not be able to not have a Great Dane, after this.

Faith’s opinion of him is slightly less appreciative than mine… Even though he seems to be quite taken with her.

In fact, I’d say her opinion is rather low…

My old lady has gotten over how cute puppies can be.

3.)  Since moving in, I’ve been able to convert at least one of my basement rooms into a happy place for my piggies (I hope to get the other one ready for Baxter & Watson soon), of which I now have three:

The baby, Sammahdi (or Maddi).

I feel much better about things now, now that they have a big space to stretch their legs and get to know each other, without living on top of one another.  They already seem so much happier then they were and I don’t have that guilt that I’m making their lives suck.  I really do love them so much and this makes me truly joyful to see them popcorning around, wheeking happily.

4.) Although I am currently still working both of my jobs, I have just opened (technically, I guess) my in-home business.  Which is really a variety of things, just to get something that might strike someone’s fancy.  I am offering violin lessons and tutoring (since I became an Orton-Gillingham certified tutor back in September AND, Guinea Pig Salon services.

I know, that must sound ridiculous, but they’re all things I’m good at and to be honest, I have had customers at the store call to see if there is a groomer that will deal with their Pig.  Not all Guinea Pigs are sweet when it comes to their maintenance.  Dharma is pretty freaking cute, but try cutting her nails and she will turn into a crazed lunatic.  If I can potentially offer help for fellow Guinea Pig lovers while being able to pay for groceries or a tank of gas, then I see it as a win for everyone.

As for the lessons and tutoring– I want to maintain my skills and I enjoyed teaching when I did it in high school.  I’d like the opportunity again, hopefully, somewhere there’s a kid who wants someone to teach them and also be understanding that practicing 20 hours a day, is hardly a kid’s dream.  I like working one on one with kids, something that I’ve had the privilege of doing at my full time job.  Now that I have the space to offer any of these things from my home, I’m hoping I’ll get takers.

So that’s what’s been going on here.  And those are my excuses for not updating sooner.  Had nothing to do with being lazy, or under-motivated to type up an entire blog post…  Nooooo.  We’ll just stick with that.

Anyway, I will not promise to be faithful in updating this, as usual.  However, I will try harder.  It’s not like I can say I’m too busy living at my parents’ house!

Until then,

Jaina & the Gang

www.facebook.com/JainaofallTrades

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100335013851499.2639810.14834194&type=3#!/pages/This-Little-Piggy-Salon/217740011652140

I knew that…

I just read an article (nothing overly scientific) on Yahoo News entitled “Do Animals Smile?”– Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely believe that animals have emotions and feelings and yes, they smile.

Tell me that's not a smile...

I didn’t really need an empirical study to feel this, but it’s a little reaffirming to see it somewhere that’s not myself:

According to Professor Nicholas Dodman, head of animal behavior at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine and a regular on Animal Planet’sDogs 101 and Cats 101, until recently, scientists have generally underestimated the emotional range of animals.

No really?

I’ve been a pet owner for 23 years–  I have believed for all 23 of those years, that every animal I’ve had in my life has had a personality, a smile and emotional range.

… today it is widely understood by scientists that mammals do experience primary emotions such as fear, sadness, anger, and happiness and even some secondary emotions like jealously and embarrassment—and they communicate them. Dodman says that dogs even have a sense of humor and laugh with a kind of huffing sound.

I have several stories that can attest to this– most recently with Luka:

Angelic... Not

The first time I really saw a dog be embarrassed, was a few months ago– Luka likes to sit on Mom’s ottoman (as seen above).  He really shouldn’t be up there, he knows he really shouldn’t be up there and Mom tells him he really shouldn’t be up there, but it kind of just happens anyway.  On this particular day, Luka was messing around on the ottoman, playing with a toy and not paying attention to what he was doing.  I tried warning him that he was particularly close to falling off from where he was, but since he’s a dog and he wasn’t even a year old yet… He didn’t listen.  Annnnd as I and everyone else in the room suspected, he fell off.  And not very flatteringly.

Needless to say, he was shocked and we all started laughing.  He became intensely embarrassed, he howled at us as we giggled over his gracelessness and kidney punched my Dad as he stood by and had a good laugh over his fall from his pedestal.  I’ve never seen a dog have such a reaction to people laughing at them before, but he genuinely seemed annoyed that we even dared.

The second was also a Luka experience and just happened this Monday.  My Dad had intended to take both Luka and Mystic for a walk.  Something Luka desperately loves and is even willing to leave toys for.  We’ve been watching a lot of Cesar Millan recently and Cesar says when you’re preparing for a walk, your dog should be calm submissive.  Well.  Luka was neither calm, nor was he submissive.  Mom warned him and gave him commands to calm down and he just wouldn’t.  So she sent Dad off with Mystic in tow and Luka– I kid you not– pouted.  Like this:

For over an hour.

This just goes to prove that Luka is a perfect example of how animals, dogs in particular, really do have a wider emotional range than some people give them credit for.  I knew that the minute I met any of my pets they did and I can see it every day, when Faith smiles when I wake her from a bad dream, or Luka laughs when he gets something he steals from someone or Mystic leans into one of us with all the love someone who realizes she has a family now can have.  I was validated even before the Yahoo article, as pointless or invalid as it might seem without pages of research to back it up.

I did my research in real life, that’s all that matters.

I just thought I’d share that, since I’ve been doing such a fabulous job updating.

Here’s the link to the rest of the article if you want to read it in its entirety

Think about it!

Until then,

Jaina

Sunshine… Rain. It’s all the Same in Iowa

I got out of work this afternoon, as planned and boy was I glad to be done.  I figured it was nice enough, that I would let Buddha and Dharma enjoy the day before it started to rain.  They’d never been outside before and they got to borrow Baxter’s playpen just to check out the scenery.  Mom was nice enough to watch them for me so I could get my camera or we’d be stuck with some really crappy cell phone pictures.

Whoa, crazy hair!

What is this?

Mom trying to tempt Buddha with a piece of Clover.

"Do you see anything?" "No, do you?" "The grass on the other side of this thing must be *way* better!"

Annnnngry Dharma

Yay, grass!-- What's grass?

*Phoo* *Phoooo* Your hair is in mah face!

*Phoo* Really--

Oooh, leaf!

It started raining shortly after I got them outside.

Rain!?!

They still enjoyed themselves and they got to kick up their heels.  They actually enjoyed it so much, when I went to grab them as the rain started to fall faster– they both grabbed a mouthful of grass on the way up, just to have a snack on the way back to their home.  I laughed a little uncontrollably when I saw this.  My girls are hilarious.

How about them pigs, eh?

-Jaina

There’s this thing… Called an Update….

I do that.  Occasionally.

A conversation I had on Facebook made me realize I’ve neglected updating in about a million years.  Whiiiich of course I remembered, AFTER I had already given them a link to the site.  That’s never embarrassing.  We haven’t had any recent adventures here at Chez Lotta Pets, but then again, Mom of Lotta Pets hasn’t had a day off in a while.  Well.  That’s not true, I went to Disney for a week, but despite it being a vacation, still didn’t get to adventure with the pets.  Which may have been a good thing, because as much as I adore all of them.  I have days I need to not think about medication,  chopping cucumbers or if there’s enough chewsticks in the house to keep Uno satisfied.

Summer camp started for my work two weeks ago, so I’ve been a little busy with that, getting into my schedule and trying to not to burn to a crisp every time we go to the pool, which is twice a week and several times for field trips over the next few weeks.  Although it doesn’t require me to get up at 5am every morning now, I do have 8 hour days at the park, pool and whatever adventures the kids have planned for them, and I must admit it’s definitely exhausted me and put a bit of a damper on me doing anything of the things I normally do.  I get off work in the afternoon tomorrow and I have Sunday off, so I’m hoping to be slightly more productive.  Creatively, housework-idly and of course pet care-idly.

Too Hotz for Husky Puppies! Need Freezer!

I’ve also been battling a sinus infection since Tuesday, it was ugly for a day, now I’m just trying to stop hacking near anyone I like.

Ah needz a Kleenex

It’s been warm around here, to the point of being yucky. and so has the room with all the animals.  I have two fans going and most of the lights are off, but I don’t know if it’s helping.  The Pigs have been flattened out like little piggy rugs to keep from sweltering, both Evie and Uno seem to have gone into summer hibernation and my tanks have warmed up enough I was greeted to an algae bloom in Winston’s tank.  Turned off the heaters until I feel like they aren’t going to boil and I don’t have oddly colored algae crawling all over the glass.

Is Gud!

I think the only ones that have been staying reasonably cool are the rabbits.  The weathermen have been crying rain for the entire week and although it’s rained, sort of, it hasn’t been the thunderstorm special I was expecting.  Plus with the heat, I was afraid they’d get overheated and I wouldn’t be home to prevent them from getting sick, so they’ve had to stay in their indoor hutch.  I think it’s time to just get the outdoor hutch and figure out how to stabilize it from The Tank AKA Mystic doesn’t knock it over in her haste to see them.  I want them to enjoy the outdoors without risking them getting hurt or overheated.  Any of the hutches I’ve looked at have nesting boxes that a few frozen bottles of water won’t cool down.

Regardless of all this chatter, I should get to sleep.  Still have to get up for work even if I have the afternoon off.  Maybe I’ll end up being more consistent.

…..

Who am I kidding?

Until then,

Jaina

P.S. I’m not sure when I’ll get the actual button, but I recently decided to participate in a little blog program in conjunction with a company called Ears of Experience.  It’s a Travel Agency that I assume works fairly independently sending people to Disney, which, as you know, is one of the greatest places in the world in my opinion.  If you decide to go on a trip, you can get their information from me, just let them know I referred you and it looks like we both benefit.  The TA I set this up with is an independent contractor and her little business is called Wonders Dreams and Wishes.  I have her card if you need it, just let me know!

You'll always have a blast

Pepper Breath

I gave the girls green peppers that we had left over from our chili dinner.

PEPPERZ ARE DELIZIOUS! YAYYYYZ!

 

P to the U!

That would be the result of the peppers… Happy pigs with a sudden urge to snuggle and mom’s face melting off.

WARNING: Do NOT leave piggies unattended with any large animals you may have.  Even the best dogs are still dogs and if given the opportunity, they will snatch smaller animals up.  Be very careful– Faith is gentle and I was within grabbing distance, so my worries were small, but that by no means, means it’s a good idea.

Whatz you doing down dere?

 

I givez up.

Luka was also being, though it happens very little, adorable towards Faith– But she was having none of it.

He makez me sweepy.

That was all– Nothing big, just had some cute pictures.

~Jaina

Dharma

I apparently only post, when I have good or bad news.  Luckily, this is good news.  At least for me, Buddha may disagree at the moment:

Meet Dharma

Dharma is my new pig.  Dharma is very excited to be here.  Buddha is acting like she doesn’t know how excited she really is that Dharma is here.

Let’s just say, Buddha has been the Lone Ranger for a while and having Tonto enter the picture after all the prairie has been homesteaded is not an easy transition…  But Buddha is just going to have to understand we now have a “preserved prairie” area.

Iz mah prairee!

I’ve been reading up on how to introduce piggies to one another and apparently no one can agree on what’s best.  Thus far, I feel like I’ve done everything wrong, despite being aware they might not like one another right away.  Dharma has been nothing but friendly since she got here and seems to be aware that Buddha is indeed Queen Toad (I say toad, because she’s being one right now) and hasn’t done anything to dispute it.  However QT has taken it upon herself to remind poor Dharma as often as is piggishly possible.

It’s very hard not to have high expectations of one’s pig, when she’s been perfect up till a certain point.  I know Buddha has every right to look at this as a WTF?!?! moment, as her home/territory/prairie has essentially been invaded.  Right now, I’m trying to let them share a space for a little while and then I think it might be best to let Dharma sleep in Buddha’s old apartment until they get used to one another and I’m not afraid to go to sleep for fear of waking up to bloodbath.

Trust me, they don’t look like they could maim– Until they bite you.

I did at least do a few things right this evening.  Having them meet on neutral ground with a cucumber common denominator.  For a short time, it seemed like it was all going to be fine and then Buddha decided to have a hissy fit and I got to deal with that, like I don’t deal with that sort of behavior at work every day!  I also let them both sit on me for a while, of course, both prefer laying on my neck or sitting on my shoulder that was interesting to see, but they finally settled down for a while and didn’t bite me or argue that whole time.  Not sure why if they can’t deal with each at the moment.

She stawted et...

Omnomomnomomnom... I did wuht now?

I read on a few of the pig websites available, that behavior you really want to stop in its tracks is if there’s a lot of teeth grinding and raised hackles.  That’s great–

The only problem with that, is that I have two cowlick furred pigs.  I couldn’t tell you if their hackles were raised or if they were having a bad case of static electricity.

At least I can tell if they’re grinding their teeth, which thus far, aside from the nipping hasn’t been a problem.  Buddha did it to me when I removed her from the situation she decided to be annoyed about, but then realized who she was talking to.  Of course, I might have mentioned a sudden shortage of cucumber if she didn’t get over herself.

I’m trying to be realistic, but I really want them to be friends.  They’ve only known each other a short while and it is unfair to be expect Buddha to immediately be OK with someone moving in with her.  I’ll just have to be patient and understanding.

But I want this now!

Until then (or after a trip to the emergency vet),

Jaina

Buddha’s Spa Day

You know what’s really hard?  Giving a Guinea Pig a bath…  I know I’ve commented on it before, but I think it merits repeating.

Giving a Guinea Pig a bath is very hard.

And anyone who attempts it and survives should be awarded a medal.

<.<

>.>

Thanks to school and work and just general laziness I suppose, the fuzzy upstairs pets have been a little on the neglected side in terms of cleaning out bedding and trimming nails and such.  I like to try to clean everyone’s home out every week or week and a half, but alas, as stated above, it didn’t quite happen that way.  It’s actually been more like two weeks and it’s definitely shown.  So today, since I’m still on break and wasn’t scheduled to work at either of my jobs, I took the time to clean my room and everyone else’s too.

Evie and Uno rejoiced at the opportunity to take a spin in their exercise balls around the room, Faith watching them protectively from her new orthopedic bed:

Dog Not Included

It even has that stupid little tag in the corner that I’m itching to cut off.  So stupid– Like a dog is going to look at that and exclaim excitement over the type of foam.  I digress.

She got it for Christmas and loves it, I think she’s starting to prefer sleeping on that compared to jumping on my bed.  Good and bad for me I guess, as I’m glad she’s comfortable, but sometimes miss her being on the bed with me.

So while those two puttered around in their balls, I cleaned up, cursing Uno and her aim, for so effectively getting her bedding on EVERYTHING on my cabinet.  I do not understand why she does it and how she gets it over the netting I have around her two story condo, but it never fails.  Finally got those two cleaned up and moved on to my favorite little Guinea Pig and realized what a mess she was.  I felt really bad too, thanks to me her fur was in a state and her toenails needed clipping in the worst way.  So I cleaned up her house and then bundled her into the sink for bath time:

You. Are a horrible person....

She wasn’t happy.  And I wasn’t thrilled to see how brown the water got just from setting her in it.

Is that shampoo? It better stay there.

I SAID LEAVE IT IN THE BOTTLE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!

After what seemed like ages, I finally felt she was clean and squeegeed out the rest of the water, wrapping her up in a towel.  Her hootin’ and hollerin’ all the way.

Stop taking pictures and get me OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took her downstairs wrapped up in her little “robe” where I did a bang up job of making my mom think she had died (holy cow) and then got her ridiculously long nails trimmed.

I REALLY WISH THIS WAS YOUR FACE!!!!

This was all too much for her and by the time I got back up to our room, the only way to calm her was to give her an orange.  All that work and she got orange all over her face.  Oy.

And to wrap it all up– You know what else is hard?

Giving a Guinea Pig a haircut.

It’s harder than it looks, nerve-wracking and really just reaffirms how much of a hair stylist I’m not.

You call this a cut and curl? Please. I want my money back.

At least she can see now, before she looked like a calico sheepdog.  She still has plenty of fur, don’t get me wrong.  I just trimmed her around the eyes, screamed once when she bobbed her head when I was perilously close to her ears and scolded twice when she nibbled the hand with the scissors.  She didn’t take me very seriously.  I’m sure it’ll all grow back in about two seconds, but at least I made the effort.

All I know is that I need to sleep now, because this whoooole ordeal exhausted me.  I do know for sure that one of her favorite movies is Superman, because she didn’t take her eyes off the TV the whole time I was drying her.

I understand Buddha.  Christopher Reeve was a hunk and one of the best versions of Superman ever.

Time for Superman III just for laughs?  I think soooo.

Until then!

~Jaina G.P.S. (AKA: Guinea Pig Stylist)

Luka’s First Christmas and Other Assortedness

Well, we had another Christmas come and go today.  It was also Luka’s very fist Christmas extravaganza and let me tell you– He handled it like he knew what it was all along.

We started the celebration yesterday, by making Snickerdoodles and Banana Bread, both of which turned out quite nicely.  Surprisingly enough, Luka actually acted like a little gentleman and didn’t need to be kicked out but once– simply because he has a tendency to lay down right behind you.  Good for knowing where he is, bad for not tripping on your face.

Can you... Just. Dwop whatever dat is pwease?

He was very interested in what we were doing and was also pleased with the scents that were being emitted by our oven.

 

Lemme jus check de wecipe, 2 cups sugew, 16 cups cookees...

He was very helpful.  Not.

 

Yes, I was.

He really wasn’t.

He was also helping me wrap presents.  Sort of.

 

I was on twash dutee!

He really was.  Not.

 

Faith was just waiting for anything at all...

And then the big day came–

 

All of these were our presents, but there were probably twice as many dog presents earlier.

Yeah, Faith is going in for the kill...

Faith waits for no one apparently and went immediately for the smelliest present she could find.

 

And then try to open them before anyone else can have some.

But Luka learned quickly...

 

And learned effectively...

And voila-- Happy Puppy...

Verrrrry Happy.

Faith-- Meet Faith...

You can’t really tell in the photo, but the toy does look like Faith, in a tug toy kind of way.

 

HALP! SHE HAZ DE PWESENTS!

So he got a monkey.

Sharing???

Nahhhh.

It was a good Christmas– The puppies were happy, the other assorted animals were happy and all of the presents I gave seemed to go over well.  I love Christmas and I’m always sad to see it go– but, there’s always next year to look forward to and more shopping to stress over :0)  I can listen to Christmas music for little while longer and then it’s off to whatever holiday comes next… Easter?  President’s Day?  Who knows.

Anyway, all of us here at the Doggy Bloggy wish you the best of the rest of this beautiful holiday and the happiest of New Years (I actually have plans!  Wha-whut-whut?!).  Also, whatever weather occurs, we hope it isn’t overwhelming, as winter weather often is!

Off for leftover turkey!

 

Merry Christmas!!!

~Jaina & Faith & Luka and all the rest!

 

We Wish you a Merry Christmas…

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Christmas one and all.  Faith, the gang and I hope everyone has a pleasant and spirited holiday and that 2011 starts out wonderfully.

I’ll post photos later about our own celebration and what and alllll the toys the fuzzy faces got.  Because, frankly– They got way more than the rest of us.

Until then!

Jaina

Super Buddha

So, last night, after taking Buddha out for a little lovin’, I discover my poor piggy’s fur has matted on her behind, despite my best efforts to keep her in order.  I had to trim some of her rump fur off to make everything better, but decided, no matter how much I cut off, it still was troublesome.  So, I dug out her shampoo (It’s called, Squeaky Clean– Clever, right?).  Anyway, I fill the sink up with lukewarm water and at this point, she’s watching me intently.  I set her in it and for a second, she seems all right, but as soon as shampoo is squirted into my hand, all bets are off.

Fortunately for me, the sink has a bit of an incline to it, so she couldn’t just jump straight out and break something, but let me tell you, she was persistent.  It’s given me insight on how it must be to give a toddler bath, especially when your hands are wet and probably have something slippery in them, like soap or shampoo and yet you still have to manage a grip that keeps baby from killing themselves but without it turning into a Vulcan neck pinch.  Somehow, I managed (because I do believe the pig is harder) and about a second later, the once clear water was almost completely brown.  The directions on the shampoo say to give your little one a bath every 2 to 3 months and I gave Buddha one the day she came home with me in late June, early July– So now I’m thinking I’m going to have to give her one every other week so I don’t have to trim all her fur off.

She was none too pleased when I emptied the sink out, only to refill it again and then leave it on so I could rinse her off.  Let me just specify here, her face was nowhere near the water and only the fur that flips onto her neck was wet.  The way she started wheeking at me, you’d think I was actually trying to drown her.  By the time I got done with the whole thing, she was more than a little PO’d at me, but once I got her wrapped up in a towel (my little Burrito de Carnitas) and snuggled with her while drying her off, she seemed to be ok with everything.

While I was drying her off, I realized her fur had dried a certain way:

Clarkeena Kent anyone?

My Guinea Pig– Grew a Superman curl.

Look at her eyeballing me!

Even though she hates me right now, she smells better, her fur is soft again and her butt doesn’t look like she spilled something on it anymore.  So, I’d say it’s win-win, she doesn’t realize it yet.

"If I were Superman-- I'd chuck you out this window."

So, if anyone is looking to hire a Superpig, I’ve got one readily available who is talented in haircuts (long story, maybe later), eating and wheeking for your attention.  Her pay is not much, just a million-billion-trillion cucumbers, to be paid in equal monthly sums.

:0D

Until then,

~Jaina & Buddha