Love Your Pet Day!

 Yes, yes,  I know it's EVERY DAY but today was designated as "Love Your Pet Day." A day to pamper and spoil your pets (as if we don't do that EVERY DAY), and to appreciate the time we have with them. I love my boys so much,  even if much of the time they drive me crazy!

one of my favorite kitten photos of Roary

Roary is such an intelligent and interesting cat. If you snap your fingers (literally), he comes running. Loves to carry his toys in his mouth (neither of my other cats ever did that). He's an expert at opening drawers and closets and knows exactly where certain toys are hidden in those drawers! He loves going on top of the shower. He is obsessed with the dishwasher. He adores teasing the living daylights out of Levi (and seems to nap all day just to drive Levi crazy when Levi goes to bed in his crate at night.). He "talks" a blue streak.. Prefers sleeping in boxes rather than a cat bed. He is loving and likes to cuddle...if he's in the mood.

Levi is our BIGGEST challenge. Stubborn, determined with the strength of an ox he continues to help Lenny and I add gray hair to our already gray hair!!!! He's super intelligent, rather high anxiety (at times), extremely food motivated and feels that every single human being that was put on this earth is here for the sole purpose of giving him kisses and petting. He LOVES people (unless they are trying to bathe him!!) He likes to be our shadow and is one of the most affectionate dogs I have ever known. THAT is what saves him!

I would love to hear about some of the quirky things about YOUR pets too! Leave a comment and tell me!! Also, give them extra kisses from all of us!

Happy "Love Your Pet Day!!"

National Spoil Your Dog Day!

 HAPPY NATIONAL SPOIL YOUR DOG DAY!!!!

I would say that Levi is spoiled EVERY SINGLE DAY. MUCH more than Dakota was! 

Levi goes to Canine College to play (at least once a week). If you look at the photo on the left above (sorry it's blurry but I took it from my computer when I was watching Levi on camera when we boarded him, hoping they don't mind my posting it!).....it is obvious by the sweet employee, (possibly Julianna, I'm not sure), leaning into the playhouse where Levi is looking at her,, that he gets TONS of loving there! I often see him getting kisses and extra pets when he is at daycare/boarding.

Levi gets his beloved bully sticks (one a day, EVERY DAY). Daddy has taken him on countless walks since Daddy is home from school for the summer and he gets tons of kisses and loving from both of us. Levi is an attention hog so he makes sure he gets spoiled EVERY DAY!

Today is also another special day! Our eldest granddaughter turns FIVE today!

We cannot believe she is five!! Where has the time gone?

Have a great Thursday everyone!!!

Our Cat, Roary's Bladder Stone Journey (So Far...) #HugYourCatDay

Today is National Hug Your Cat Day (which obviously in your home and mine it's celebrated  EVERY DAY)

Today we are hugging our Roary much, much closer than we ever have!

A HUGE thank you to Ann
at Zoolatry for this beautiful graphic!!!

Some of you know that Roary had emergency bladder stone surgery almost two weeks ago...more about that later, let's flashback to around March of 2023.

The only GOOD thing
about Roary's condition
is he is now cuddling with me
on the couch. He previously only cuddled with Lenny

I had noticed that Roary didn't seem to be passing enough urine and contacted the Vet. Roary is only two years old so our Vet rightfully assumed that he wasn't getting enough fluids and advised that I increase his fluid intake. One way to do that was to offer him chicken broth.

I remembered having featured broth for pets that was made by Caru quite some time ago. I reached out to them and told them about Roary's situation and they kindly offered to send me quite a few boxes of their wonderful broth!

****Rest assured while Roary is now on a special diet and can't have the broth, thankfully Levi loves it too and he is enjoying it in HIS food! Thank you Caru! We love you!

For a while that worked, Roary seemed as if he was back to himself. He absolutely LOVED the broth!!! Then, things got worse near the end of April. Roary's urine output had greatly decreased. We knew he HAD to be seen at the Vet!

Dr.Lewis's assistant, Dominique
was BEYOND GENTLE, LOVING AND KID
with our sweet boy.
You can tell she has cats of her own!
She brought Roary so much comfort!

We took him to the Vet and were shocked to discover that Roary had bladder stones. The Vet said he was FULL OF GRAVEL. Frankly, we were only shocked due to Roary's young age, he had most of the classic symptoms of bladder stones in cats:

Straining to Urinate 

Frequent Urination

Roary had MANY, MANY trips to the litter box with little output

Genital Licking

Passing Urine in Unusual Places

Roary NEVER urinated outside of the litter box until these occurred.

Blood In The Urine

One of Roary's favorite places to urinate was the bathtub where I discovered blood in his urine.

"It is believed that neutered male Burmese, Persian and Himalayan cats may be genetically predisposed to developing calcium oxalate stones."

Our Vet advised that we switch  Roary's food to Royal Canin Urinary S/O, all of us were hoping that the food would dissolve the stones which commonly happens. So Far Not in Roary's case.

His urine output became worse and worse and I became increasingly more worried during the month of May.

Right before Memorial Day our Vet decided it would be too much of a risk NOT to remove the stones surgically.  Memorial Day was right around the corner and no one wanted a Vet emergency during a holiday. We were blessed that our beloved and fabulous "Dr. Smiley" also known as Dr.Lewis consulted with the amazing and incredible surgeon, Dr.Corey and she agreed to do the surgery the next day.

From Left: Dr.Lewis, fat me, Lenny and Dr.Corey
This photo was NOT taken that day!
It was taken May 13th, 2023 at DePorre Veterinary Hospital's 65th anniversary
a post about that will come later!

Our fabulous Vet, Dr. Lewis and Roary's incredible surgeon, Dr.Corey make the BEST TEAM!

Dr.Corey said Roary was a "rock star" with his surgery, as well as his general demeanor whenever he is at the Vet. She was able to remove all the stones and sent them out to be cultured. Dr. Corey has been beyond gracious and sooo patient when I contacted her after the surgery with TONS of questions!

Recovery at home has NOT been easy. As most of you know it is incredibly difficult to keep a young cat inactive. He can't jump, run, etc. We boarded Levi for 3 days and 3 nights to give Roary peace and quiet. One of the girls at Levi's daycare suggested I get puppy pads. THAT was a brilliant suggestion, I went through about 30 in the first day Roary was home. (That was due to blood/leaking urine for the first few days.)

Roary has been a champ through ALL OF THIS!

I had two feeding areas set up for him and two litter boxes, (one in each room he would be in). He had two bowls of water and his water fountain in the kitchen.  He has been  cooperating and hasn't had much activity. Wish I could say I was doing as well.

I have stayed home (whenever Lenny can't be with Roary), virtually every day but twice to go to WW. Keeping he and Levi separate and trying to keep them both happy has been quite challenging!

Roary and Lenny ("Daddy")

Roary's sutures will come out this Thursday but we aren't out of the woods yet. The stone analysis came back and we were told that Roary has calcium oxalate stones (NOT good). The chance of the stones returning are roughly between 20 and 50%. Had they been struvite stones the food would more than likely dissolve them, with calcium oxalate stones there is a chance he will be like me and have stones all of the time which will more than likely involve another surgery to increase the size of his urethra so he can pass the stones on his own. That is an extremely intricate surgery and we are praying that doesn't happen!

Purrs and Prayers are most welcome to help prevent those nasty stones returning!

Roary is a champ and the best natured kitty!

We couldn't be more proud of him!

We fully intend to hug him not just today, but EVERY DAY that we are blessed to share our lives with him! Love our brave boy soooo much! He is gentle, kind and such a TROOPER!! Like Dr.Corey said, "He's a ROCK STAR!!" (I guess in more ways than one lol)

Happy Mother's Day 2023!!

 Happy Mother's Day to all of you incredible Moms out there! Whether you are a fur mom, bonus mom, grandparent, aunt ANY mother figure (male or female), you deserve accolades today and every day!!!!

And...yesterday was National Dog Mom's Day so Levi made me a special card.

Wishing you all a beautiful day!!!

All Hail King Levi and Congratulations King Charles III

 Since Levi was a puppy

 he wanted to be King of the GIANT SHELTIES!

Photo created by Ann at Zoolatry

He knew that was his destiny!

Doesn't he look regal sitting in that chair now that he has a full mane?

King Charles III you had better watch out......there is ANOTHER King in town! KING LEVI!!

Congratulations King Charles III!

#PRESIDENTSDAY and #NATIONALLOVEYOURPETDAY

 

Who would YOUR choice be????

I love both of my boys

so I would have to choose both!

HAPPY PRESIDENTS' DAY

(to those who observe)

and 

HAPPY 

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY

which is EVERY DAY!!

Valentine's Day 2023

 From all of us to ALL of you...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

WE LOVE YOU ALL!!

Happy National Dog Day 2022!!!

 Happy National Dog Day! 

from Levi!!

The photo on the top left and the photo on the bottom right
 were taken by Alyssa Paris from Canine College

In honor of this special day, I wanted to share some of my favorite Sheltie and dog quotes with you:

"If Lassie had been a Sheltie, Timmy never would have fallen in the well in the first place."

"Silence is golden, unless you have a Sheltie, then it's SUSPICIOUS!"

"Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen."--Orhan Pamuk

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog and none of them are wrong."--W.R. Purche

For our final quotes, we are sharing a photo of our beloved Angel Dakota:

"Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart."

"Shelties, once they love, they love steadily. unchangingly, till their last breath."

"Having a dog will bless you with the happiest days of our life, and one of the worst days."

I wouldn't have it ANY other way! Kisses to all of the woofies out there!!

If I don't approve comments right away it's because I'm having a lithotripsy, will approve them later in the day or tomorrow!! Thanks for visiting!!

It's Dr.Seuss's Birthday and #ReadAcrossAmericaDay (Go Grab a Book and Start Reading!!)

 Ok so this is our post from 2021, cut me some slack! I'm lucky I remembered!! 

Thank you Ann from Zoolatry
for our darling graphic!!

 Today is the day we honor Dr.Seuss, my all-time favorite children's book author!! I memorized "The Cat in The Hat" when I was four years old and never looked back! I read every one of his books that I could get my paws on.

In honor of this year's theme of "looking back" to when we started posting about Dr.Seuss Day (for most of us), many of you will remember portions of this post (because it just wouldn't be the same to NOT share Cody who ALWAYS featured Dr.Seuss on his blog), but this year, we have tweaked it a bit and you will see some new "things." Enjoy!!

Today is the day,

it's truer than true,

today is the day 

we tell Dr.Seuss

"WE LOVE YOU!"

We GRATEFULLY
THANK GLOGIRLY DESIGN
FOR DESIGNING OUR GRAPHIC!
YOU CAN HAVE ONE TOO BY CLICKING HERE

Cody won this hat
that was made by
Ms.Ellen over at 15 and Meowing 
March of 2018

March 2, 1904

is a date to be remembered

evermore! 

Write it on your wall!

It is  the birthday

of probably the most

popular children's book author of all!

courtesy of cracked.com

It is only appropriate on this

most special day,

that we wish 

Dr. Seuss the
 HAPPIEST

of BIRTHDAYS!!

It is also Read Across America Day
which is ALWAYS celebrated
on Dr.Seuss's birthday


"Across the country, thousands of schools,
 libraries, and community centers
 participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books"
Visit Seussville for all sorts of activities!

Reading to your children is one of the

BEST gifts that you can give them!

Instilling the love of books

to your children  will bring them joy

for the rest of their lives!

 Be sure to enter your post at Comedy Plus

and at the Cat Blogosphere!

Our Sheltie, "Levi" is ONE!!! And...We Lived to Tell You!

 What a whirlwind of a year! Today is our Levi's FIRST BIRTHDAY and all three (make that four, if you count Roary), have lived to celebrate it!  

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY LEVI!

The above photo was graciously taken by sweet Annika at Bloomfield Pet Grooming

Let's take a look back....

Losing our beloved Dakota and Cody in 2020 was horrific, but having Roary and then Levi join our family definitely was a kick in the butt to start living again!

Before Roary joined our family I had started a search for another Sheltie. Due to COVID there weren't any rescues near us that had any Shelties available, so, as I did with Dakota, I decided to go through a breeder. A few that I was interested in at first  proved to be less than desirable for a host of reasons, none worth mentioning here.

Then I found Greyfyre Shelties, (actually, Lenny may have found her first, then I found her when I searched). As luck would have it, when I reached out, her beautiful Sheltie Myka was due to have a litter of pups! We were over the moon!

Levi and his siblings (there were 2 other boys, Riki who the breeder, Sue Sharp, decided to keep, Stormy, who lives in Ohio and we keep tabs on him through his Dad on Facebook, and 3 girls whose names I do not know). Levi and Stormy look the most alike. As pups it was hard to tell them apart! Levi was the first born of the litter of 6 on September 17th, 2020. 

He was the largest of the litter:

The above photo was taken by Sue Sharp, Owner/Breeder Greyfyre Shelties.

Levi is smack dab in the middle nursing from his mother, "Myka" whom he has grown to look nearly EXACTLY alike!

I was lucky because  Sue kept a diary on her website from the time the puppies were born until we picked them up. We could see how our puppy was growing. It was exciting (as well as frightening when we realized how large Levi was going to be!)  to watch them grow, learn about their personalities and watch videos of the puppies coming into their own.

That little nugget was Levi! (photo taken by Sue Sharp of Greyfyre Shelties, unless otherwise mentioned all of the tiny puppy photos were taken by Sue)

He soon began to grow:

And grow....

(One of Levi's siblings resting their head on their HUGE brother) 

And grow!!!

When we look at Levi now it is so hard for us to believe that he was ever this tiny!!

When our Vet first met Levi, I remember him saying "I expected to see a dog the size of a guinea pig come into the room, not a dog THIS big! Are you SURE he is a Sheltie???"

Yep, he is! 

Shelties are usually either quiet and discerning like Dakota was or loud and boisterous which is Levi. Levi grew fast, and while his mind was still in puppy mode, his body was BIG (for a Sheltie), he is definitely like the proverbial bull in a china shop. The meaning of which is below:

extremely awkward, clumsy person (in our case, make that DOG!)

to be aggressive when in fact the need of the hour is to stay calm

to handle a delicate situation badly

to not be able to manage a light situation

to act in a clumsy manner thereby causing destruction unintentionally

Source: theidioms.com

Levi has a definite seriousness about him (whereas his brother Stormy, takes photos that are more "smiley", Levi has always had a more serious expression, even when he was a puppy)

Our serious Levi....(photo taken by sweet Annika from Bloomfield Pet Grooming)

Contrary to what I have read about most dogs born under the sign of Virgo, Levi is highly impulsive and reactive. There isn't a shy bone in his body. He LOVES people (but has a strange way of showing it with our neighbors!) He is super affectionate, playful, mischievous and constantly keeps us on our toes.

It didn't take Levi long to jump this baby gate, the same one that  Dakota had for 13 years without EVER attempting to jump it, not even once! (Observe photobomber Roary in the background above)

Our "Ironman" Sheltie soon needed an IRON gate! (Truth be told he could probably still jump this one if he really wanted to!!)

Levi's relationship with Roary is still a work in progress. These photos are from when they were younger. They love each other but Levi hasn't yet learned proper "doggy etiquette" that must take place when playing with a cat. He thinks Roary's swinging tail is a toy, and he thinks Roary is a meal. 

He is super protective of our family and our home and has a bark that is DEEP and MENACING, one would think a Great Dane was living in our condo when they hear him from the hallway!

Levi is highly food motivated, saying that he loves food is an understatement! He is so food motivated that the Vet even has that noted on his chart!

Levi thankfully is good at our Groomer, and I am beyond grateful that when I asked if they would take some birthday photos of him in the hat that I bought, that Annika one of the hardworking assistants there, graciously complied:

When Annika came to the car to get Levi to be groomed, I actually noticed a difference in him that I attribute to his almost being one (on that day). Instead of walking beside her like the Tasmanian Devil like he used to do, (when entering the groomer AND our veterinary practice)

 he actually walked next to Annika in a normal fashion! I was also proud when I texted Annika thanking her for the photos and received the text below in response:

"We loved having Levi with us! He is such a sweet boy-very handsome too! I'm glad we were able to get the pictures you wanted, he was a very good boy! Happy early birthday Levi!! 

With much love, 

Bloomfield Pet Grooming"

It meant a lot to me because Dakota had been groomed there his entire life and was always the perfect gentleman. Then, along comes Crazy Levi!!!

The past year has been a blur, it's been wild, fun, awful, terrifying, exciting, rewarding and every conceivable emotion you can imagine having a puppy. It's a wild ride that I pretty much doubt I would ever undertake again. But...we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Our boy is growing up, he  is maturing right before our eyes.

I have faith that one day he WILL calm down!! In the meantime I call him my "hunka hunka burning love Sheltie"...... Levi lives hard, he plays hard, he barks hard, he eats hard, he slams into walls, he slams into baby gates, but when he settles down and wants kisses and cuddles, he becomes the sweetest dog on the planet. He is also INCREDIBLY intelligent too!

Saw the above  photo  in the Sheltie group I am a member of and it's perfect! The shirt is made by Tee Chip and I have a sneaky feeling I will be ordering a couple, SOON!!! 

Happy Happy FIRST BIRTHDAY to our Levi "Rowdy!!" (I realized once we knew Levi's personality that I made a huge mistake with the name I chose for him. He should have been named "Rowdy"...so...now, "Rowdy" is his middle name.

Thank you for bringing so much love, excitement (and TERROR lol), into our lives!!!! We can't wait to celebrate your "Gotcha Day" in November!!! Will share more info about our crazy Levi then!!

Happy Birthday you "hunka hunka burnin' love" Sheltie!!!

Photo was taken by Levi's main trainer, Dylan (September 15th at Canine College!) They had a Fall scene set up and they took this cute photo. Our boy is really growing up!!

Even if you sometimes drive us completely crazy, we love you more than you could ever imagine! We are forever grateful that Sue allowed you to join our family!!!!! HAPPY HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY LEVI ROWDY!!!!🎂🎂🥰💕