There is a Lot of Snow in Philadelphia

Sadie in the Back Yard

There is a lot of snow in Philadelphia. Sadie is looking quite tiny against the mounds on our back yard stoop. She enjoys it, yet she’s a little intimidated to be out in the cold without her forever pal, Lily at her side. The dogs are due for a Fairmount walk in a little while. In the meantime, they are soaking up some sunshine in a favorite sunny spot on the stair way landing. MM & RY 2010

Lounging on the Landing

Snow Portraits of the Fairmount Dogs

Lily, of Sadie and Lily

Sadie, of Sadie and Lily

MM & RY 2010

Sadie’s Photo Posted in Dogs in Sweaters!

It’s Sadie! We submitted a photo of her to Dogs in Sweaters. She was wearing her Sponge Bob sweater and a pink polka dot harness, plus she was covered from head to paw in snow crystals from frolicking with Lily in December’s snowfall. Click here to see more photos of Sadie and Lily in the last snowfall. With a new snow storm underway, we are anticipating that over a foot of snow  will fall in Philadelphia during the next 24 hours. Below is a link to 13 seconds of Sadie hopping around in it the last time. She and we are eagerly awaiting the new batch! MM & RY 2010

Lily, our Boxer Puppy – the one with the Giant Paws

Lily was a tiny puppy – once, for about 30 seconds. She is shown above at the age of three months. The picture tells the story to come. Lily, the energetic, curious, playful and slightly mischievous  youngster wants a piece of the house plant slightly out of reach. She is balancing on her giant paws to figure out whether or not she can sniff, lick, or pull a bit of foliage. We worked over those  seemingly endless early months to keep her from digging and eating plants, and fortunately those lessons worked because our grown up Lily is very disciplined. In those early days, people often commented on those giant paws: “what a cute boxer,” they would say: “she is going to be a giant one day.” Well, she is indeed a gentle giant – eager to please, ready for affection, and playful yet respectful of our moods. It is hard to believe that our memories of Lily’s blurry festival of boxer puppy action are slowly fading now that she is three and fully mature (so to speak).  MM & RY 2010

Sadie’s Cowl Neck Sweater

Sadie, our mini-poodle, has acquired the habit of scratching herself to the point of hair loss. She has giant patches of exposed skin where she has scratched her entire coat away. We have tried many remedies, none have worked entirely. After trying to manage the problem with steroids, creams, and anti-itch shampoos, we settled on clothing. She now wears a giant sweater nearly all the time. She does not love the sweater. She merely tolerates it. She still attempts to scratch herself, but with less vigor and with reduced harmful effect. We are not sure why this strategy seems to help her, but at least for now, she is our cowl-necked beauty.

MM & RY 2010

Lily’s New Behaviors for 2010

Sadie is not the only Fairmount Dog that has developed a few new tricks for the new year. Lily has a set of her own cute but also maddening new behaviors to share. Even as the new traits threaten to overtake the old ones, the one thing about Lily will never change is her smooshy, sugary-sweet, social butterfly disposition.

Here’s what is new for 2010:

1. Lily has neglected her favorite chair in favor of the bed, where she now sleeps with her back against all the pillows on the bed with her legs stretched out straight in front of her. 

2. Lily jumps into action much more quickly when we start cooking in the kitchen. In the past she has waited for Sadie to scout the situation. But after two years of Sadie getting first dibs on the really good stuff – like eggs, cheese, and peanut butter – Lily is a lot quicker to join the action.

3. Lily learned to kiss – she shares a teeny, tiny little one on the cheek with her favorite people instead of giving the big slurpy ones. Everyone is dazzled by her gentle ways.

4. Lily and Charlie, the great dane puppy we have mentioned before, have become friends. Sadie is out.

5. Lily is becoming a better walker. She is still not a great walker like Sadie, and she has yet to inspire a map collection, but she is better at pacing herself and seems to enjoy her walks a little more each day. 

MM & RY 2010

 

Sadie’s 2010 Adventures

List of Sadie’s 2010 Adventures (so far)

1. She wears her baggy sweater full-time. It keeps her from scratching her hot spots.

2. She has already fallen off the bed once. Now she sleeps with her paws wrapped around the rungs of the frame to prevent late night accidents.

3. Sadie has been howling with an extra loud voice at people who sing while walking down the street. We can offer no explanation for this behavior.

4. Sadie greets every runner at the Art Museum stairs personally. Then she shows off by running the “Rocky Stairs” as fast as she can, in her baggy sweater. We admit to bias when we say it is adorable.

5. She has extended her chair territories to include one by the upstairs bedroom. She likes it even better when there is a large fluffy blanket on the chair in which she can snuggle.

MM & RY 2010

Upside Down Sadie Sleeps through New Year Festivities

Sadie and Lily have enjoyed their holidays. Their routine has involved sleeping, barking at the postal service employees, lurking in the kitchen, eating (lots of eating), playing hard with their friends, getting baths (because of the mud that has replaced the snow), and – well, sleeping. Sadie is draped over her beloved Lily in this photo from our New Year’s Eve celebration. In order to have the honor of sleeping on top of Lily, Sadie has to negotiate. Sadie climbs on the chair first. Lily protests to us by whining. We remove Sadie for a moment (she is after all only 13 pounds.) Lily climbs aboard the chair; Sadie hops back on top of Lily. They settle in, and continue with the day’s main event.

MM & RY 2010

What happens when Sadie and Lily are alone at the Playground

Sadie is making some decisions about snow play. She does not see any of her usual friends. But there are vast amounts of snow to hop over.

Sadie sees a dog in the distance and decides to bark at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, the snow absorbs most of the sound and the other dog does not respond to her alarm.

Lily found a big stick and she is looking around to see if someone will chase her. There are no other dogs so she patiently waits to see what will happen.

Sadie is what happens. She wants the big stick, or at least to move Lily away from the big stick. Lily wants to be chased, but Sadie refuses. Eventually they both chew the stick.

MM & RY 2009

Sadie’s Boxer Buddies Play in the Snow

Sadie is fearless. She wears her Sponge Bob hand-me-down sweater as though it was a super hero cape for mini poodles. Her magic: becoming a boxer in spirit and enthusiasm. Sadie spent yesterday intently playing, fighting for sticks, dodging the extra-hoppy Lily, and barking down her larger boxer friends. She chases them, yet avoids being trampled by them. When Lily, Bali and Cassie chase each other, they have the appearance of a boxer freight train hauling at you – or more accurately, your knees – faster than can be imagined. Sadie has learned how to heard the group. She joins in when they are at their goofiest. She steals their balls when they don’t take fetch seriously enough. She chews on their left over sticks even though she’s missing a few teeth. She jumps on Lily from time to time just to get her going. And, when we yell “go Sadie GO!” she runs as fast as she can to catch up with them on the playground. After a long day of playing, everyone curls up together on the “favorite chair” in front of the tree. MM & RY 2009