First Flower! Peace on Earth!

This Peace Lily was given to me by one of my favorite patients. Over the years she taught me a lot about plants, though she never reformed my “Throw and Grow” tendencies.

She gave it to me for Christmas so it’s appropriate that it would bloom for the first time in December. It started out as two small healthy shoots and will need to be repotted in spring. It actually should have already been repotted but then there’s that throw and grow thing going on. 😝

16 Reasons Why Jack Russels are the Worst Pets!

THIS brief article gave me the biggest chuckle this morning! Hope it makes you smile too! Remember that grinning is anti-aging face exercise in the form of joy!

Hutch’s Baby Book

Hope this works!

Click here to view this photo book.

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Practicing Their Stay

From left clockwise, Hutch, Fionna, Reilly

The dogs have gotten good enough at staying on their lounge to be able to have three of them together at once.

They'll ignore a stick I toss and can be counted upon to stay there if I run in the house for a few seconds. However if a chipmunk runs by all bets are off.





Eventually I'll add Fionn to the mix but he tends to get silly in a group. On his own however, he's great - and cute as can be. Wanted to add that Fionn isn't kept away from everyone else all the time! Just during these stay practices.

Fionn (pronounced Finn)

Here are a couple more pics from today's session.

First Treadmill Session

It was time for the pups to take their second walk of the day but the sky had opened up and rain was hammering our metal roof.

What to do? What to do?  It seemed like a great time to orient them to our treadmill. I thought they'd get on it and down a few times and maybe get used to the beeps and other noises. They clearly had other ideas. I was so stunned that Fionn actually walked that I wasn't ready to catch a short video of him but caught the other three in action.

First up the fair lady, Fionna

Then it's little Reilly. Here's a better video of him.

And closing out our session Hutch who is not half bad considering he has the shortest legs!

Except that Starsky the cat just had to get in there.  Immediately after Hutch got off the treadmill Starsky hopped on. No walking for him though, he just sat on the belt.
I caught a picture of it but my kindle won't let me post it for some reason.

Updating this post.  It's still pouring today so the dogs each did 12 minutes on the treadmill. They were smoother today than yesterday.Fionna discovered that the lead was long enough that she could walk forward, sit down and ride back until she felt the lead get tight then she repeated the entire process until she bored herself. 

Hutch, Fionn and Reilly kept wanting to get on and once again Starsky made his cameo appearance once the last dog was done. He walked up and down as if wondering what's the big deal. Hmmmm I wonder if a cat could be trained to walk on a treadmill?

You can find a TM Update HERE.

Great Duck Island

We've been on Great Duck Island since Tuesday morning. Unfortunately my 4G service is useless. I don't want to eat up all the data on the house owner's account so that's why I've not finished the detox exercise series.

Below is the view off one of the balconies. This morning we watched porpoises swimming of that balcony. No pictures though because we were using binoculars. I have many better pictures but they're on my phone and I can't seem to up load them. We've hiked to the other side of the island twice. It's amazing here. I can't tell you how restful it is to fall asleep to the crashing waves.

This is my favorite local retreat.....

Our top porch. It's really peaceful to sit and read while the hummingbirds feed. It's also nice during a rain storm but not so much with thunderstorms. At night I light the candles and I've even been known to move the table and do T-Tapp or yoga out there.

Puppy Update

Isn't Fionn a handsome boy? He's also huge!

I've been really bad about putting up puppy updates. Everyone is doing well. It feels like a major miracle but everyone gets along. There are minor squirmishes but no outright fighting and often a squirmish quickly turns to play with eveyone jumping into the fun. There is never a dull moment. There are quiet moments with dogs and cats in laps or around the woodstove but never it's never dull and we are really loving that. So far this has been a great decision. Not a decision for everyone perhaps but it's definitely working for us.

Fionn and Fionna

I tried to get a good shot of Fionna but she runs like the wind. She loves running just to because she can. You can't tell from this picture but she's still quite petite. Not that it stops her from mixing it up with her brothers! Yes, this little lady will very soon rule this roost. LOL!

Here they all are - same pose I took them in when the pups were tiny. Fionna still looks bigger than she is. She's a fly weight but that doesn't stop her for a minute.

Here's an action shot of all four. Poor Reilly
ended up in a full on butt pose when I snapped the shot.

I Guess you had to be There: T-Tapp Moment

Fionn napping - He's quite laid back. LOL!

Puppies do better with a schedule. I go to work early so the pups and I get up at around 4:05-4:15 am. It's amazing that I almost always wake up before the alarm but I do. :)

Pups are toileted - they are doing so well in this area - especially given the fact that it's winter and CCCCCold! Then we stoke the fire - again because it's CCCCold - about 25 below zero. Then I load their food puzzles and they anticipate while a cup of tea steeps. Then it's into the TV room where they play with their toys and chew their bones while I T-Tapp. They are used to this schedule and will often head to the next destination before asked to follow me.

At first they would only allow me enough time to do a few moves, then they graduated to Basic Workout Plus. These days it's "Healthy Hormones Menopause Management."

By the time I get  I get to T-Tapp Twist I give them the first food puzzle. Teresa says the words "T-Tapp Twist before we actually do the movement. Today when she first said those words, Fionn looked up from where he was busily chewing his toy, walked over the desk where I put the filled puzzles and barked as if to say, "She said it! She said it! It's puzzle time!"

I guess you had to be there......

I'm really enjoying this DVD! This is my second bootcamp using it, During my first bootcamp I actually lost 3" off my ribs! We'll see what happens this time. I reviewed it previously and you can find that review HERE.

Four on the Floor

Fionn and Fionna are doing really well with their puppy training. This picture speaks for itself. I took it Sunday night 24 hours after I started teaching them to sit.

They won't listen to the command to sit if they are excited but genuinely seem to enjoy practicing with their big brothers, Hutch and Reilly.

I took this picture after I put them into a sit. To their credit they held the sit while I fumbled around with the camera trying to quickly take the picture. The first time we practiced the pups where between Hutch and Reilly but Fionn started chewing Hutch's tail and you-know-what broke loose.

What a difference a week makes! Fionn and Fionna Update

Tuckered out animals after the last play session of the night

It's just over a week since we picked up Fionn and Fionna and I'm amazed at how far we've come in one short week.

We've established a wake, eat, play, sleep schedule and it's working pretty well.

Hutch and Reilly are not only tolerating them but seem to be fond of them and keep tabs on where the puppies are at any given time. The four of them interact all the time now. Quite entertaining!

Potty training is going really well. Fionn will squeek out a few drops any time you ask him to do so. He lives to please. Fionna will usually squeek out a few drops, not because she lives to please but because she wants the praise that she sees Fionn get for having done so. We have an in house grid style doggy potty and both will seek it out but we keep tabs on them and toilet them often.

Lazy puppy play

Fionn and Fionna will both reliably come when called so they know their names.

This is the very best! They are learning to sit. They mimic Hutch and Reilly. Fionna doesn't like ot sit on command - she has already established that she is the "Queen" of this household - but she does it - again not to be left out.



Starksy the cat is taking this all in his stride. He is always present; watching and read and has begun interacting on a limited basis with the pups. Hutch and Reilly both keep an eye on things and pull the pups away if they get too aggressive with Starsky.

Yes, a Connemara Jack Russell & a cat who get along

Reilly cleaning Starksy's face


 

I've talked about the fact that even our cat Starsky likes Reilly. Every time I see the two of them interacting it amazes me. Starsky will play chase with Hutch and for the moment he tolerates Fionna and Fionn but he seems to genuinely like Reilly. I can't help but think that there is a message to their unconventional relationship.

 

Half Nap Half Cuddle

Were napping together until the flash woke Starksy

Hutch and Fionna and Bite Inhibition

Puppy teeth are sharp and Fionna could definitely benefit from some bite inhibition training! She's earned the nickname puppy shark. Hutch was the same way as a puppy and we successfully used the information on Sheila's page on bite inhibition to train him out of the habit. Reilly was much easier to train because Hutch taught him bite inhibition as they played and rough housed together.

I would have never believed it but Hutch has become the leader and caregiver of our pack. He still watches over Reilly even though Reilly is an adult now. Reilly will often clean Starsky the cat's face and ears and Starsky allows it and even seems to enjoy it but if Reilly gets too persistent Hutch will step in and pull Reilly away by the tail. It serves two purposes. Pulling Reilly by the tail physically moves him back a few inches. It also distracts Reilly who then chases Hutch.

Well, caregiver Hutch is stepping in again. This time with Puppy Shark Fionna! Below are a series of pictures (hopefully pretty much in order) that I snapped of Hutch and Fionna playing together. Hutch instigated the session by moving close to Fionna and then rolling onto his side and then back. The play session alternated between sweet, soft interaction and sharp rebukes when Fionna would bite too sharply. It appears that Hutch is baring his teeth and biting her but in reality his bite is extremely soft and often doesn't truly land on her. We won't expect Hutch to do the job on his own because Fionna needs to know it's not ok to bite anyone but it's so endearing that he is taking on the task.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fionna and Fionn's First Snow Adventure

It was a very short adventure because it's cold here. The pups were only outside for a few minutes but they got a chance to experience what it feels like to wear a coat and Fionn managed to roll into a snow pile and cover himself head to toe in snow. (I didn't catch that on the video but you can see all the snow on this sweater.)

Getting Ready to go Outside

This is a picture of Fionna in her coat and Fionn in his sweater. (Hand me downs from Hutch to Reilly and then Reilly to the pups)

                                                This is a short video of their time outside.

I promise to get back to regular wellness blogging soon but for the time being we're preoccupied with pets.


 

Reilly Singing for his supper

Reilly is our younger Jack Russell Connemara Terrier. He is the most vocal dog I've ever seen and has been since he was just a small pup.

This is a clip of Reilly telling us that he feels that it's time for his evening meal even though it was a good 15 minutes before the regular time that we feed he and Hutch.

He starts out giving us quite a lecture. Then he is told to quiet down and is given the hand signal to sit and he does but then his big brother Hutch decides to take matters into his own paws and quiet Reilly in a more hands 'er I guess that's snout on manner. No worries about Hutch's rather unorthodox way of quieting Reilly. Reilly is used to it Sorry for the quiet sound. I was using the movie function on my camera and it's not all that great.

Here's another picture of the imp himself. He looks all sweet and innocent you'd never know he was such a bossy little thing.

Where'd You Get That Cute Little Dog?

Hutch with Reilly when he was just a pup

Yep, that's the second most common question we hear about our two Connemara JRTs, Hutch and Reilly.

First some background. You just knew there would be background, right? I searched long and hard and followed more than a few websites when I began looking for the "perfect" JRT puppy.

I can in all honesty say that I feel blessed to have found Sheila's website.  Before finding her site I never knew about Connemara Terriers. I also didn't know how very much I didn't know about JRTs, breeders, and picking the perfect puppy. I literally spent almost a year reading every word upon the site and soaking up all the wonderful information the site contains. Even if you are not in the market for a JRT I can't recommend the site enough.

When I finally introduced myself to Sheila via email I told her that she could cease to worry about having a stalker because it was only me hanging out on her site for the last year!

When we chose Hutch, Sheila gave us clear instructions on how to introduce him to Starsky in order to have them adjust as well as possible. You have only to look at the picture I posted yesterday to see that they adjusted beautifully.

Sheila helped us to choose Reilly in order to, again, insure peace and campanionship among our crew versus competition. Once again the transition was totally smooth as we followed her instructions.

When our final little Connemara pup comes into our life - yes the plan has always been to have a threesome - she will be there once again helping us to bring home the perfect pup for us.

I have never seen such an amazing combination of science and heart felt love used to bring dogs into the world. There have been rumors that Sheila will write a book outlining her breeding/training methods. I will be the first to preorder having seen the results first hand.

If you are considering a JRT you owe it to yourself to check out the Connemara Terrier. These little guys are clearly a cut above the rest and in a category all their own.

Not sure if you'll see this Sheila but if you do, thanks again from the bottom of our hearts.

What Kind of Dogs Are Those?

It's a question we hear often when we're out and about. It's usually followed by; "Where'd you get them?"

I tend to post pictures of our dogs simply because they are a huge part of our lives. Never ever a day a day passes where they fail to inject humor, love, affection and radiance.

We are no stranger to Jack Russell Terriers. We enjoyed being owned by two female American JR Terriers for close 16 and 17 years. Despite the joy there was also sadness because neither of our girls was really all that healthy. Morgan had eye and liver issues. Molly had eye and joint issues. The eye issues began at age 2 for both of them and required multiple surgeries. Morgan also had some temperament issues. She was fine with family but not with outsiders and forget introducing her to another dog!

Starsky the Alpha Pet

After they had both passed we wanted another JRT but wanted to try to find a breeder who put health and temperament above all else. At that point we had our beloved cat Starsky and having a JRT similar to Morgan and Molly would not have been possible given their temperaments. We would have simply not gotten another dog if it meant having Starsky stressed. He is - after all - the alpha pet.

Hutch

We found the perfect solution first in Hutch and now in Reilly.
They are our two Connemara Jack Russell Terriers. Hutch is now headed toward 2.5 years old and Reilly is headed toward 1.5 years old and our experience with them could not be more different than that with our first JRTs. That second picture is Reilly. Hutch has a smooth AKA short coat. Reilly has a Rough AKA long coat.

These little guys are amazingly adaptable, well adjusted, easy to train and a joy to be around. Even Starsky loves them! I'm not kidding. They all can often be found together just hanging out, playing and/or chilling.

Yikes I've run on but it's hard not to when you are talking about a part of your life that you find so revitalizing. I encourage you to find something you feel every bit as passionate about. Your passion might not be pets and it might not be wellness or massage therapy. That said, I do encourage you to find and live your passion because life is just so much sweeter.

Tomorrow I'll share the answer to the second most common question we hear about our dogs.