Henry is Three

Still a sweet baby clinging to his baby bed.

Happy Birthday buddy!

Almost Three

Henry is a getting to be a teen-age pup.  He will be three on Monday.  He doesn't seem to care that the years are stacking up.  Henry still gets crazy excited when one of us comes home.

He also lets us know when he needs a little extra love....like during the recent 5.1 earthquake.

There wasn't much damage here - other than one of Stephanie's ceramic pitchers but Henry seemed to think it was a good time to cuddle up close and personal with his human mom and dad after discovering that barking doesn't stop the aftershocks.

And finally, yes, Henry still reverts to his little tiny baby bed.  He has always liked it better than the grown up beds scattered hopefully around the house.  They just don't interest him.  Silly boy.

Kitty Damage Times Ten

What can I say. Cats love to use furniture as scratching posts. We've been good - we've purchased kitty scratch goodies for the doors, for the climbing structures, for the floor. They do use them but the favorite by far is the couch. Sooooooo tempting!  We finally gave up and purchased a neat new sofa. It is so comfy. And since the old set is retiring (instead of sitting under an all-concealing-cover) I decided to give the internet "cat destroyed couch" suggested fixes a shot. 

So, here is my start point. Yes look closely. It is pretty bad, right?

 

I have fabric reclaimed from the matching throw pillows to cut up use for my experiments.  Of course, now that I have purchased a great new couch - just two weeks from delivery - I realize I still have well loved kitties who like the idea of a fresh kill couch. Ah well.

So here is how it can be done.  I used a fabric glue that is both flexible and stretchable.  I cut the fabric attempting to match the designs (with varying degrees of success). I glue hemmed the fabric where it seemed appropriate like exposed corners and glued the piece in place with a ribbon of glue along the under edge.  Then I pinned the glued section in place to give it a little tension and support while drying. Then when dry, I went on to the next section.

This worked pretty well, but is not going to be an option on our next sofa since it is a light solid color and without forgiving - disguising patterns.Henry and cats, Otto and Vivika can't figure out why it is a big deal. After all, Henry gets to rip up his stuffed squeaky toys. He has done it tons of times and this is just one couch.  I'll try to explain again before the new sofa arrives.

Henry and the Flipper Car

For Valentine's Day, Henry got a trip to the flipper car.  It's just his size, but the doors were locked, so he couldn't take me for a ride.  Instead, we travelled to visit his doggie pal, Grover and then went for a return visit to the dog park.  

I think Henry liked the flipper car better than the trip to the dog park today.  That cute little girl pup didn't show up - just some handsome, but yappy little guys who did a lot of chasing. They were half Henry's size.  I'm going to pretend he was afraid of stepping on them and causing injuries.

     

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  

Rio San Gabriel Doggie Park

Henry and I had a great time at the Rio San Gabriel Dog Park.  Its in Downey California about nine miles away from our house.  I didn't know it existed until I started searching for news about the new dog park in the pre-building phase in Whittier.

When we first went into the "below 15" at the shoulder" compound, Henry acted like he was attached to me with a tether.  Any distance over ten feet sent him scurrying back to mama - tempted but not ready to commit.

Although my boy was a bit hesitant at first, in the end Henry and I both thought it was great, and we will be visiting it again.  The dogs and their owners were all friendly.

The cute little lady on the top right was Henry's favorite.  He seemed to think she was just the right size and she must have smelled great, because there was lots to doggie sniffing going on. 

The pups didn't do a lot of chasing and running - okay, I must admit I was hoping to get out of our exercise today - they just seemed to want to hang out together.  There was a lot of wandering going on.

Supervisory Canines

They should get along! Grover looks like a giant untrimmed Henry. However, the two boys have struggled a bit.  Grover is a puppy and is very active.  He is four times Henry's size and doesn't recognize that size does matter at dog playtime.  Henry has spent a fair amount of time hiding under chairs, mom and bushes.

Finally though, I've figured it out!  All I have to do is leave the area.  Grover quits herding Henry away from his mom.  Henry quits growling at Grover in irritation.

Suddenly they are satisfied with parallel play.  They don't really interact much. It is more plopping down next to each other or following the other around in case they discover something interesting.

Under Henry's expert direction, the wall is done. On the other side is a delightful room for the new baby.   And Henry - well, for being such a good supervisor - he scored a marrow bone when we got home.  Trained by Grover, he guarded it just in case his two cat friends decided they wanted a taste.

Laptop Kitten

The only thing that would make this cozier is if the kitty was in your lap.  That cat looked so comfortable with the whole typing situation!  Nice.  My kitties would never help me tilt my laptop.  Ah well.  They do have their own very special jobs in our house.  Otto traps stuffed animals and carries them around at night announcing his captures.  Vivika terrorizes Otto and Henry.  She is definitely top cat.

Henry and Otto

We have three animals - beyond the human ones living in our home.  The two boys are Henry and Otto.  As long as Henry settles first, Otto is welcome to join and take a nap in my lap.  While the boys sleep, Otto's sister is by the window trying to decide if she can manage to attack the humming birds through the glass.  Its a cozy day.

Oh My, DNA Results

Goodness.  Nobody guessed this one - or at least not all of it! We were pretty sure Henry was part poodle, but my guess was poodle/terrier mix.  Nope. At least we got the poodle part right.  For Christmas, Samantha and Ryan gave Henry and I a DNA test kit.  I mean, after all, we could not find him on Ancestry.com.  So, finally the results arrived.

They also sent along some sheets that are intended to help with understanding the identification. So, I will add them to the blog too. Henry was appalled by this one.  He is a buff tough Henry dog - he would never consider a sissy cut like that grey poodle.  He might stand back and admire, maybe….

If you check out the second pup from the right, there is some evidence of Henry - but he is way, way cuter and has tons more personality--of course.

I see absolutely nothing to make a Australian Shepard connection.  That said, I guess I could consider it logical.  His doggie cousin (owned by his Tante Kathie) is an Australian Shepherd.  Does that count?

And then there is the mixed breed ancestry sheet!  I have heard of the the short haired dachshund. They seemed to think that was most likely for some of the mix part.  Hum.  I see nothing there. I haven't even heard of the second dog and the third, well I did think he had some terrier.  He does try to snap the neck of his stuffed toys.

For those who want to be "in the know" there you have it!  Henry is perfect.

Grover and Henry

Henry's fluffy puppy friend is Grover.  Doesn't live with Henry and our cats. They do a bit of visiting....but here is the story. Grover is just a pup and he consumes whatever he can fit his jaws around. The latest tasty tidbits are ladies underwear, tennis ball parts and drywall. The underwear, he snatches out of the hamper. The tennis ball was a toy, but the remains show a pretty big chunk missing. The drywall, apparently, he chewed off a sheet stored for the current house project. 

Right now, Grover's not feeling so great. He has had a $750 trip to the vet with a sonogram and antibiotics (just in case the stuff tears something on those delicate insides). The results of inappropriate eating appear to be in both the stomach and colon. We are hoping it will appear on the lawn in a neat puppy poo package - but we aren't feeling too confident.

Updates to follow.  Here's the project. Hope to have the drywall up and completely encased soon, but that probably won't stop Grover the explorer.  I am thinking he is not going to make the connection between inappropriate eating habits and his current predicament.

Batching with Dad

Henry wanted to come too, but I didn't want to leave Greg home with the cats...they could seriously take advantage of him.  So, Henry and Greg are in Southern California while the mama figure in Henry's life goes to Oregon to defrost frozen pipes.  I'm sure he understands his responsibilities. I explained it all very explained it all very carefully.

Treat Opportunity

Just a heads up to my puppy friends. I've been working a great scam! Mama gets me all gussied up in holiday clothes and takes my picture...now here is the scam part. I know she made treats - all I have to do is nod my head and the hat slips. To get me to hold perfectly still, she bribes me with a yummy. Ha!! I win!

Even better -- I know where my Peep is keeping the holiday stash.  I'm betting there will some new stuffed animals to rip up when Christmas rolls around.

Marilyn's Dog Biscuits

Auntie Joy sent Henry a cousin-treat goodie pack.  Now, with his treats finished off, I am making more for the boy and his fence neighbor, Sheldon. I thought I'd share this very simple-to-make yummy concoction with our cyber friends.

Marilyn's Dog Biscuits


1 1/8 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/8 cup white flour
1/2    cup peanut butter
1       cup water
2       tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend wheat and white flour in bowl.
Combine peanut butter, water and oil in second bowl.
Add flour, one cup at a time to form dough.
Knead into a nice firm ball.  If it is sticky, add a little more flour.
Let stand 10 minutes.

Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on parchment paper and cut into desired shape.
Score the tops so that built up steam can escape.

Bake on parchment paper for about 25 minutes.
Turn the pan a couple of times during baking process
If treats are not hard, leave in oven about five minutes more.

Cool and then stick them in a zip lock baggie or a snap top and store on the shelf or in the refrigerator.

Henry adds his "wuff" to Marilyn's "woof."  In human words, they both approve!  The only problem with this is the pathetic looks from Henry awaiting his single treat for the day from the newly baked, cooling goodies…..okay, he was so pathetic I ended up giving him three.

From the Three of Us!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wish we could share our holiday treats with you.  Our Papa Peep is making pies.  Mama Peep is watching Stretch save the world in Independence Day and enjoying the sunshine.

Since you can't be here, we are sharing with our fence buddy, Sheldon. He wishes you a wonderful "Wuff" right along with Henry.

Scary Snowman

Don't you just hate it that it is not even Thanksgiving and the winter holiday music is already playing?  Me too.  This is not taking it that far -- but it did make me laugh.  I wonder how our boy, Henry, would react!
http://news.yahoo.com/snowman-prank-video-140020945.html

Henry attacks falling leaves.  He goes crazy when the squirrels visit our orange and avocado trees.  I would imagine there would be a whole lot of barking going on with the angry snowman!  That snowman is earning a noisy Henry attack in return!

And, from Pet Blogs United --
1. For those of you up north, be sure to give your cow time to get off the warm hood before you move the car…..and

2.  This is for my brother and sister, Randy and Misumi.  I think this would be a great look for Billy and Momo.  Get busy with those knitting needles!

Scary Vet

Time for Otto and Vivika to go to the vet for an update on their shots.  Out come the two carriers.  The cats disappear.  Really disappear.  Guess who gets to go for his shot today instead of Monday?  Henry.

Still pouting - 

No problem getting Henry in the car -- but when we arrive at the vet's office he does not want out of the car. He definitely does not want to go through that office door.  Even worse: Henry trembles so much that there can be no doubt that we abuse the poor boy.

The shivering pup goes in for his shot with mama leading him to the scary stuff, and two minutes later he dances out attempting to jump and run in circles on his leash.  Joy, joy, joy!  The peeps in the waiting room laugh at the before-and-after demonstration by our little wuss.

Pouting? I'm in too!

Otto and Vivika reappeared when Henry comes home.  They have the weekend to get used to the re-emergence of their carriers.  We'll try again on Monday.  For Henry, next time I'll consider leading him with a nice marrow bone.

Otto and Vivika seem to know my evil plan.  A marrow bone will not work for those two!

Cookies

I heard a bump-thump, bump-thump and checked the kitchen for the source of the sounds.  Henry, probably encouraged by his success with Stephanie's birthday cake, was doing his best to jump up to the counter.  (Scroll down three stories.) I am sure he was only trying to capture the cookies to save his peeps from themselves.

Henry Staying Hydrated

 What is it about dogs?  Henry has two perfectly good water bowls outside.  They are clean and changed regularly.  Humph.  Where does he belly up to the bar?  The water fountain.  Do I clean it?  Nope.  Do I rinse it out? Yes, but rarely.

I am counting this as an example of sympathy drinking. I mention this because Henry is still not helping with the removal of the oleander hedge.  The work has progressed up to radically cutting back the fourth oleander with  more to follow.  So, of course hydration is important.  Henry watches for awhile, takes a few slurps from the fountain and has found a lovely spot in the 95 degree heat to snooze until he deems it necessary to give his peeps more oleander encouragement.

Marmaduke's creator, Brad Anderson has come up with the perfect solution for the hefty root balls we will be dealing with soon.  Unfortunately Henry does not bury his bones.  He collects them in his toy box for further action.  Maybe I can trick him--doubt it though.

Laughing at the Peeps

In Henry's backyard, there are about 45 feet of oleanders creating a very solid hedge.  Well, it was once solid - still solid but now scraggly. The oleander bug has got the plants in its greedy little clutches and the hedge is dying.  The plants were installed many years before we moved in -- and have continued to grow during the 15 years we have lived in the house.  Until about a year ago, the plants were trimmed to 8 feet tall and about 4 feet deep.  They were happily thriving with their foot of oleander mulch. Now the poor darlings are dying out and looking pretty sad.  

Now I ask you, is it too much to expect Henry to do his part in the removal of these old monsters?  I made the request politely and all I got was an enthusiastic head shake.  Pretty rude if you ask me!  When my folks wanted work to be done, it got done (well, most of the time anyway).  Ah this younger generation - what is he? Generation X or Y or Z?

Worse than that, he laughed at me and the whole concept of helping out at home. He did watch the instructional pulling-the-roots video with me.  He just needs to dig down two feet around the plants in about a four foot circle cutting the roots as he goes along.  He can't officially count, but perhaps he understands the concept of 10 huge root balls.  Smart puppy!