Please welcome four year old Jazzy to our home! A good friend of ours asked if we would take Jazzy and we were very happy to do so. I have never had a dog as tiny as Jazzy. She is a teacup chihuahua. Soooooo tiny I can carry her in one hand!

Now that the weather is warm I will be posting more here! We are looking forward to many dog park visits! I will write more about Jazzy soon!

This happens if I go out at night. Darwin's way of communicating to me that he is not pleased with me feeding him later than he is accustomed to. I cleaned up the mess and he refuses to eat even now! Spoiled...spoiled....dog.

I am back to blogging slowly. I have adjusted to my new life in Iowa and feel ready to get back to blogging. I have missed it very much. Darwin and Salem are doing well. We lost Zebra, our other guinea pig about a year ago. She passed away quickly. Salem is getting old but you would never know it.
Darwin goes everywhere with me. He is such a great guard dog and companion.
Still ornery for being seven years old. In the photo above you see blue teeth. He enjoys finding crayons the girls drop and eats them. Yuck.
Darwin continues to love Salem, helping clean her and makes sure she is happy.
Darwin loves his girls and follows them everywhere. When they leave he wanders the house looking for them and whines. That breaks my heart but it is life now. Visitations causing children to go from house to house from divorce are not easy on anyone, pets included.
Darwin and me.
The girls love taking Darwin out for ice cream. He is spoiled.

I can not believe how long it has been since I posted last. Maizie has been struggling to stay healthy. New events in my life have required great time to adjust and trips to the dog park have been few due to large amounts of snow and ice. And yet, warm and cozy times inside with pets are still special. In the photo above Maizie is reading to her respite care worker's dog after recovering from a hospital stay.Rudy, my mom and dad's dog enjoys laying on the kids snuggies at Thanksgiving. My friend Kate's new puppy is adopted from a shelter in Keokuk, Iowa. Quimby has brought so much love and play into our home. He is part Great Pyrenees and part Black Lab. Kate is training Quimby to be a therapy dog. He is so relaxed and loving I find it hard to believe he is not even close to a year old yet. Quimby brings us all lots of needed therapy right here.
Poor Darwin has been struggling with his paws this winter. The snow and ice has done a number on them. Eventually requiring an antibiotic and pain medications. His new Elizabethan Collar has sent him into a mild depression.

Darwin has always followed me everywhere and I usually don't think too much about it. However, with this collar he can't judge distance very well and every time I stop the collar hits my legs. The poor guy keeps crashing into the door ways to go outside. When he sniffs to go potty he lifts up his head and his collar fills with snow. I have resorted to keeping a towel handy to wipe the snow out. For the time being trips to the dog park or long walks have came to a stand still. Lucky for Darwin Quimby is always ready for a play date!

Maizie, Ryan and me took off to our local dog park. Ryan had never been to a dog park before and he loved it. I did not think I would ever get them to agree to leave.



The walk home was nice. Darwin was exhausted and so were the kids.

This post is dedicated to Chris who finds everything Darwin does very entertaining. Thank you for being exactly who you are Chris. I am so happy our paths crossed. I love you.

Oh my!

It has been way too long since I posted. Please excuse the dust. I am going to be creating a new blog.

Dog Park Days is going on an extended Bloggy Break until Spring.

I want to make a Guinea Pig Blog. I know. I know. It is silly. This will be a great winter project for Maizie and me. I will post a link to the new blog as soon as it is ready.

Stella follows me around from the moment I wake up and let her out of the crate. She hangs out with me in the bathroom, she stares intently as I make breakfast.Stella insists on being a part of everything. When I fill the water bottle for the guinea pigs she is there making sure I do it correctly.Stella seems to know when I am thinking about running an errand. She begins "talking" and howling until I give in and allow her to come along.In the car she stares at me while I drive. Being an exceptionally high strung dog she can't seem to relax. By the end of the day her intensity can get to be a bit much. I discovered that Stella loves to be brushed before bed. The brushing relaxes her and she begins to calm down for the first time all day. Within minutes my hyper, over attentive puppy begins to get sleepy. Stella sighs her little sigh and before long she begins to drift off to la la land. Sweet dreams Stella.

Darwin creeps through the kitchen, head down...trying to look innocent.The evidence 'spills forth'. How much he managed to consume we will never really know.
Darwin says, "Animals manifestly enjoy excitement, and suffer from annul and may exhibit curiosity. That is a quote of the late Charles Robert Darwin."

I say, "Darwin! You think you know everything! You are just a dog. An animal. Be good...you cheeky dog!"