Saturday, July 31, 2010

Sibling Rivalry

Ruby asked why she couldn't have a blog of her own.
Maddie Sue, trying to be honest, yet tactful, asked her what it would say:

Ate,
Pooped
Slept
Farted
Laid Around
Drooled
Ate
Pooped
Slept
Farted
Laid Around

"No offense," said the sage Maddie Sue, "But folks just aren't interested in this kind of routine."

To which Lex butted in, literally, with, "And I am too cool for a blog. I don't give a chihuahua's butt what other people think, I am what I am and I am the Boss 'a you."

yawn.

To which Maddie Sue replied, "Is it time for supper yet?"

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Call of the Wild

The moon was bursting with fullness. Wild winds were blowing off the bay. The night was magical and sultry, with the veil between the heavens and the earth blowing free. The shade between asleep and awake, thin in dreamlike consciousness.

A mystical time.
A call of the wild.
A call to the Nocturnal Naked Chihuahua.

And Ms Maddie Sue felt compelled to answer, from the magical moment the clock struck midnight to the time I debated whether to tie her to the street lamp or put her in her designer box at around 2 a.m.

Maddie sue answered The Call by calling to me in her chi-voice: WHACK. And I responded by climbing out of my bed, slipping on my shoes, saddling her up and taking her outside.

Once out, she sat.

Just sat. Alert and savoring the wild winds and full moon, the magic of the moment. She just sat. After about ten minutes, I took her in, but once I began to settle into sleep, she called to go out again.

This time, we both just sat.
savoring

She didn't move her body at all -- just sat there in the windy moonlight - blending her spirit with the spirit energy around her. I sat with her, watching in awe of this experience.

But as time moved on, my eyes got droopy.
Maddie Sue refused to move off her sitting spot.
My choice was to either tie her to the street lamp -- tempting, very tempting....
or as I chose, I carried her in and placed her in her box, closing but not locking the door behind her.

In her box, she often snuggles in her blankets and feels a cave-like safeness. And at 2:15 a.m. -- she did just that and put her little nocturnal head on her flower petal pillow and fell asleep.

as did I -- in my sleep nest in the bed.

*******
Maddie Sue approves this post -- after I woke her from her afternoon nap to review it. I should tie her to a doggie treadmill during the day to keep her from sleeping by day. She pines that she wishes we had a yard so she could spend more time in nature. To which I replied, "count your blessings, my sweet love-chi, count your blessings."

After a nocturnal night with the naked chihuahua

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Further antics of the Nocturnal Naked Chihuahua

Recently, Maddie Sue has taken to wanting to sleep on the couch in my sitting room. It's sort of like her "big girl" place. She thinks she cannot jump that high (although I have seen her do so), so I bought her stair steps so she could get on and off herself.

But as you would suspect, she thinks she cannot climb the stairs, so using a quilt over the stairs, I made a comfy, slopping little hill for her so she can get up and down herself. (Although I just noticed that the only boy in the house, the visiting Boo, has peed at the foot of her slope. Boys!)

But, as you would suspect, she wants to be lifted on and off at night, even though she scales her gentle mountain slope regularly during the day.

I would just as soon not have her sleep on the couch because invariably she will wake up in a few hours, realize she is alone in the dark and "WHACK" for me to come and fetch her. This is normally just when I am getting into a good rem of sleep.

You might say, "well, you're bigger than she is, don't let her sleep there." To which I would respond, "She is stubborn, and determined, and she will "WHACK" until she gets her way." So tough love does not work well with Ms Maddie Sue.

This is the long wind up to the story about Darth Chihuahua.

Last night, she wanted to sleep on the couch. So I grabbed her harness and "helped" her climb her gentle mountain slope to the couch. She settled right down to a snug sleep and I went to bed praying for her sleep to continue, yet, having a honed set of "mother's ears," I knew I would be listening for her call.

Several hours later:

BAM!

The door to the bedroom slammed open so wide it hit the dresser.
With a start, I opened my eyes just as light flooded the bedroom like a stage spotlight and in the shadow - made huge by the light, stood....................drum roll..............


DARTH CHIHUAHUA

Who proudly announced her presence with a "WHACK" (as if the Bam of the door and the blast of light did not get our attention) -- saying in her doggy way: "boy am I proud of myself! I not only made it off the couch, but through the house in the dark all by myself!" Looking like a giant chihuahua with her little piggy tail awaggin' like crazy. She was disappointed that this was not an occasion to rise and celebrate her accomplishment, since it was indeed only 4 in the morning.



*************
As is our agreement, and since this is her blog, Maddie Sue has editorial and approval rights. Her only comment is, "Aren't you being just a little harsh here?" To which I replied, "NO!"
Begrudgingly, Maddie Sue approves this post.

Monday, July 5, 2010

She Got By With A Little Help From Her Friends

As you know, Ms Maddie Sue is noise phobic and really, really, really thunder and fireworks phobic.

Earlier on the day of the 4th, I was laying on the sofa talking with a friend on the phone and someone in the 'hood set off a firecracker -- within nano seconds, Maddie Sue was wrapped around my face so tightly I was mumbling into the phone and had to sit up or suffocate.

Anticipating this and knowing that the huge firework display would begin at 9 pm just blocks from our home, I put Maddie Sue in her crate. Nope, she rattled the door -- no WHACKING or warbling, just rattling.

Plan B: Lex was snoozing on the fleece bed -- more than snoozing, she was in one of those deep doggy sleeps, so I picked up her sleeping body and tossed her in the crate. Being the last one in, she blocked the door from Maddie's attempts to rattle it and being near Maddie, she gave her comfort.

That was my plan and it was a workable one. But Ruby decided to go over to the crate and lay as close to it as she could. Don't know if she was protecting the Littles, or needed their comfort for herself.

The three buddies spent the 4th cuddled together while the nation celebrated.


+++++++

The Naked Chihuahua is snoozing on my chair behind me -- don't want to wake her or she will start her "isn't time for breakfast dance" and I am about to leave for an early shift, so I will presume approval. Happy tails to you, until we meet again............

Friday, July 2, 2010

My pack is truly a pack! Love Abounds in the White House

Well, actually it is the White-Powers house, a name, not a political agenda.

My heart was warmed last night to see that I truly had a pack -- ie, the three pups had actually packed with each other.

Pups can get along. Mine did. When I had rescues, they would. But it takes special chemistry and time to make a pack. To me, a pack is a group that actually cares about the welfare of each other, and tends to each other, and in human terms, loves each other. This is different than just getting along -- it is enjoying each others company.

Here's how I learned that I have a pack of three.

I pulled into the driveway shortly after midnight last night and I heard the "WHACK" from Ms Maddie Sue. This is unusual because the dogs do not bark when Gordon or I enter the house.
Perhaps I surprised her or woke her from a dream.

I opened the back door and did my "pssst" thing to gather them for their midnight potty break and out yawned Ruby, and out trotted Lexi and no Maddie Sue.

I went in and looked in her favorite places, whispering her name -- still no Maddie Sue. My heart did not sink fearing that she was again, the naked chihuahua on the loose and lam because luckily, I had heard her voice.

When I went back to the porch, Lex was doing her "come quick, Timmy's in the well" dance and lead me to the laundry room door. Upon opening it, out came Maddie Sue.

Lex was beside herself licking Maddie Sue's face and Ruby was doing the happy dance. Ruby's happy dance (which is rare since she is truly a slug) is to lift one front paw and wave it in the air, and then the other, and continue alternating front paws. It is a cute and funny and truly a happy dance -- with the frequent downside that when that giant front paw hits the ground, you don't want to be a small dog or a human foot to get stomped.

The three we so glad to be reunited - and this was my evidence that I had a loving pack.

Now you might ask the obvious: "why was Ms Maddie Sue in the laundry room?"

And the answer is: that it was a dark and stormy night, and after trying to crate her and having her continually rattle the crate, and trying to let her loose, and having her attempt to shred the sheets trying to crawl in bed, Gordon finally tucked her, her bed and blankie in the laundry room and bid her good night. It must have been a good plan because she was quiet until the one WHACK when I pulled in the driveway.

For once, it was a WHACK that I was overjoyed and relieved to hear since I knew she was safe, somewhere.

+++++++
Approved by a wet Maddie Sue, banned from my chair, but laying on her fleece right by my feet, drying off from our walk in the rain. She needs goggles since she winks and blinks in the rain. She may be celebrating the 4 of July in the laundry room, but I think I will toss Lex in for company. Lex can sleep anywhere. Happy 4th to All Ya'alls.