June is busting out all over.......

Well Memorial day has come and gone......Parades, cookouts, dog shows, friends, family, and most importantly...dogs! It was a great weekend and week for that matter....so much happening. Maroo has changed so much for the better over the past month...that once sad look in his eyes has been replaced with an actual sparkle! Playing outside with the other dogs he has become the fastest dog in the yard! No one can seem to catch him when he is running with a toy in his mouth. Oh they try but he seems to be able to maneuver himself in and out of bushes, around trees and patio furniture...up and down the steps of the deck...fast is the name of game with Maroo! Now that Luna, his heart throb has gone back home to my sister's house...."Sabrina" seems to be his new flame...They both are almost the same size which helps when you are chasing each other....The larger dogs seem to not be able to get around all those obstacles like smaller ones do. The weather has been perfect for all play yard activities lately and I know that my dogs are so happy about that.....nothing like sun bathing on a warm Spring afternoon just after having a wonderful meal or treat...chasing the hose as I water the flowers or spray off the deck.....or finding a bird or cat to study in the yard next door....Oh we are all very happy that June is finally here! Maroo seems to be busting out also...busting with excitement and happiness!

a dies ex abyssus or "a day from hell"

Late entry, events happened on 5/20/09

Well what was suppose to be a very positive and productive day turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare! First I want to let you know that Maroo is fine and nothing that occurred today involved him in any way.......Wednesdays I usually work from home grooming my client's dogs during scheduled appointments....I was to have 4 dogs today that needed grooming....Since my first dogs owner works very early at a local hospital and I myself am usually up at the crack of dawn I allow her to bring her baby to me on her way to work, which is around 7am........no problem at all. "Denzel" is one of my puppies from my last litter in 2007 and is also the litter mate and brother to my "Nobu" Denzel is solid black with a small patch of white on his chest........and he is as cute as a button! On the small side for a male Tibetan Terrier but what he lacks in size he makes up in personality! He is a joy to have here during his grooming days.......my next 3 dogs were scheduled at 10am and 1030am to be dropped off.........The 10am dog scheduled was "Webster" who is another puppy from my other litter in 2007 and he is also the litter mate and brother to my "Richard"......Webster's owners have had issues with him on and off since he first went home with them over a year ago......I really am too tired right now to go into any real details about this family but I will say that it is NOT Webster's fault! We are talking about people who ask for help, you offer or give the help, and they do what they want to do regardless of the advice you gave them..........This past Fall they wanted to return Webster to me and I was all set to allow this to happen.....just became so sick and tired of all the mentoring I did and it all going in one ear and out the other..........Poor poor Webster to live in a house where no body could get their acts together for his sake! Well this morning after being 40 minutes late for Webster's grooming appointment the owner arrived and told me that she no longer wanted Webster! She stated that he has had many issues and has become very aggressive toward members of the family! I asked how long had this been going on and she told me that it had been for a very long time now...........NOW, I have spoken to the owner several times during the past 3 to 4 months..........even had Webster her for boarding and grooming on several occasions.........and NOTHING was ever mentioned about any problem that occurred in their home concerning Webster???? I asked why they did not contact me or contact a trainer to come to the home to work with Webster......and she told me that they had met with a trainer and she gave them some tips on how to handle Webster's rambunctious behavior.......obviously it was not working since he was still doing what they did not like.......ok, I don't want to go into too many details or we will be here all night :) the bottom line is that she dumped Webster off at my house this morning and even if she did want him back.........it just is not happening!



Also this morning my sister who will help me out with grooming on occasion agreed to give me hand all day with my scheduled dogs......She said that she would be there at 9am which would give us plenty of time to even grab breakfast at the local dinner up the street....very good food btw..........Well she showed up at 11am after I called her when she was not here at 9:15.........she over slept.

Well after my sister arrived and we started to groom "Melody" and "Domino", my good friend Susan's two dogs I realized that both dogs were matted pretty badly.......This was very strange because Susan is fanatical about brushing her dogs......but with the change in the weather and some rain that we have had it was understandable that both of them would be starting to "blow coat"......During the grooming of both of these dogs I realized that I would not have time to run to my doctor's office to pick up a prescription that he wrote for me so I asked my sister if she would not mind going while I stayed home and finished Domino............she agreed and asked if she could take my Van.......I said yes. While she outside of the yard near the driveway she called to me and much to my surprise she was holding Luna in her arms! She told me that Luna had gotten out of the yard!!!! I was shocked because the gate was closed and locked and there was no other way for her to exit? I asked her to bring her back in the yard and go out again to see if Luna does it again and to also find out WHERE she was escaping from? Well she left the yard, locked the gate and headed toward the driveway.......In a flash quicker than a blink of an eye Luna ran to the far corner of the yard near the driveway and escaped through a hole in the fence that I could not even imagine a rabbit going through!!!! The first time she escaped she ran right over to my sister but not this time.....she ran right past her and into the street! Well this is just not any street.....at this time of the day there are plenty of cars and trucks and Luna was right in the middle of all of them!!!! My sister ran into the street to block the traffic in both directions and kept calling to Luna to come to her......no such luck........Luna was free to run and play this very dangerous game she thought was fantastic! I yelled to my sister to stoop down and call her like she was playing a gamed........Luna finally came over to her and my sister grabbed onto her hair around her neck and secured her by picking her up.......Both of our hearts were pounding so fast and my sister almost started to hyperventilate once the episode was over.....she told me she needed to use the bathroom......no surprise there since I would have l lost all bodily fluids if this had happened to just me and one of my dogs!!! She brought Luna into the house and proceeded to go through the gate between the kitchen and dinning room......this gate is in place to separate both my "Luca" and "Adam" since they do not get along in the slightest and would fight with each other in a New York minute! While I was still outside I had heard some pretty intense growling coming from the family room....I quickly went inside to find both Luca and Adam standing up like two Bears in the wild ready to fight! I immediately grabbed hold of the first dog I could reach and lifted Adam above my head to bring him out of the reach of Luca........in the midst of doing this Luca had gotten a hold of my right index finger and produced a very painful puncture :( I honestly was not his fault since he and Adam were in the middle of a dog fight.......and I placed myself in the middle by removing Adam.......Once both dogs were removed and safe I took care of my finger by rinsing it and applying a pressure dressing on it........Once both my sister and I had calmed down she left for my doctor's office.........about an hour later she returned and things had calmed down.......at least we thought that they had :) I was in the kitchen when I heard my sister call me into the yard with a frantic tone in her voice...........I arrive outside and see my "Olivia" (the other escaped artist) in my neighbor's yard behind my house running with her dog!!! Now their yard is large but it is NOT fenced in.........I called to Olivia in a loud voice and she stopped running and stood there like a statue..........oh she knew she was in trouble.......but with what had happened during the entire day I was in no mood to even get upset about this at all.........I very quickly lifted the bottom of the chain-link fence up and called to Olivia to come over and get her cute little butt back in our yard.........she did with no problem! I did not even have the energy to scold her and actually laughed once I realized what had happened.......So, this was my day from hell........That night when I was all settled in and the dogs were all around me....I was able to reflect back on the events of day and thank God that no real damage was done.......except for my poor finger which was very sore to say the least.

Warning: Kleenex will be needed

A few days ago Camille sent me the "slide show" presentation which will be shown this year at the National Specialty Tibetan Terrier show in Colorado....So far I have watched it about 4 times and each time I could not stop crying....I don't know if it is the pictures of all of those sweet faces, the music, or the sad fact that some of those babies are no longer with us and have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.......or all three! I do know that I am so grateful for each that Maroo brings a smile to my face and the tons of kisses he places on my face and neck when I am holding him.....Archie, his father is equally as affectionate and will lay on your lap for hours just loving every minute of it....both boys are so sweet! I meant to do and entry on Memorial Day weekend today since yesterday was our Memorial Day here in the states.......I had so much to write about which went on over the weekend....all good stuff! But I just had to make today's entry of Maroo's blog all about the slide show..........Camille did an awesome job and anyone who watches it will surely be touched by the bittersweet nature of the photos......Here is a link to the presentation.....I hope that you are able to watch it.........Thank you Camille......for all that you have done for these babies! and thank everyone else who has also helped out, you are all Saints in my book!

Link to slide show: http://animoto.com/play/vzNxGr7w5hKzg7liNLN0Og

Small dogs, big hearts......

Well this weekend, Memorial day weekend.......I have my "Luna" staying with me. Luna is the cute little girl that I co-own with my sister........daughter of my Liza and Luca......sister to my Richard. Since my sister had to be out of town this weekend and Luna is entered in shows both Sunday and Monday it made sense for me to have her stay here so that I would not have to run back and forth to bring her to both shows.....Well.....Luna is no stranger to my dogs since she has been her many times before........and Maroo has met and played with her in the past. But for some strange reason this time I honestly think that there is a "Spring Affair" in the midst :) Both of them are showing very strong signs of puppy love! Yesterday I thought Maroo's sweet little brown eyes were going to bug out of his head when Luna arrived in the play yard! His entire face lit up with excitement.....You see both Luna and Maroo are about the same size, which makes it much easier for them to play together.........I have noticed this also with my "Sabrina" (Luna's full older sister from a previous litter).......Sabrina is almost a clone of Luna...same markings and size........but Sabrina is such a little Diva that she is very selective with whom she gives her affection to.......most dogs do not make the cut. Oh she tolerates Maroo and will play with him......but can be very bossy and very vocal....something that Maroo just does not find appealing. Luna on the other hand is very much a little lady.......polite, demure, and very sweet to the opposite sex :) A perfect recipe for two star crossed Tibetans on a beautiful Spring afternoon...........Last night when all the gang was resting in the family room after a long day of playing in the gorgeous sunshine.....both Luna and Maroo were cuddled up on the sofa together while I was watching some TV.....Maroo seldom settles down with another dog except his pal Adam......but he certainly settled down with Luna last night! It was just too cute to see how great both of them got along during the day......playing and jumping about.........chasing each other.....drinking out of the same bowl of water.......sharing a toy.........and now they are both sharing a quiet evening together. It is also nice to see Maroo relate to another dog so well, especially a dog who is the same size that he his....all of my other guys are larger than he is with the exception of the spoiled rotten Sabrina :) Well we will certainly have to see what today brings between the two of them....since love is in the Spring air :)

Just too sad........

It is with great sadness that I am writing to let everyone know that little "Sadie" my Maroo's sister/litter mate crossed over the Rainbow Bridge early this morning.......I do not know the complete details of what had happened to her but Camille had written to me this week to inform me that Sadie was not doing well at the hospital where she was being treated.....I remember Sadie as a very sweet and bright little girl.......Just like her brother Maroo, Sadie craved love and affection. She was a total joy to visit when Susan and I would make trips to the kennel where the Missouri 18 were sheltered...I am certain that in the short time that some of us got to know her that she touched our lives for a very long time...........Rest well my sweet princess, you are finally free to play in those fields of green over that wonderful Rainbow Bridge......

"Playing on a Wednesday Afternoon" the movie :)

This past Wednesday was a gorgeous Spring day....The sun was out, there was a gentle breeze, the temperature was in the low 70s........a perfect day to play in the yard! Normally I do not let all of my guys out at the same time to play because I become out numbered.....and cannot monitor who is pulling who's tail or ripping out who's coat while chasing each other......Everyone gets along just fine but sometimes the playing becomes a bit too enthusiastic! But on this Wednesday afternoon I through caution to the wind........or the "gentle breeze" so to speak.......and let everyone out to enjoy this awesome weather. Maroo was the in heaven with so many choices in playmates.........He managed to find a chew toy in the freshly mowed grass and ran with it! This engaged all of the other dogs to chase him and attempt to steal this treasure away from him.......no such luck! He was the fastest of them all......Now I do not know if this had anything to do with his size but Maroo managed to escape each attempt to tackle him and claim the toy..........he would weave himself in and out of the others.......between their legs......around the trees........up and over other obstacles......A pro football player could not have done a better job! I tried to capture this adventure on video but he and the others were just too fast for me........What I was able to film was some of the down time in comparison to the real fun! So for your viewing pleasure........North Star Tibetan Terriers present "Playing on a Wednesday Afternoon" .........Enjoy...........I know the gang did making it :)


Link to YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y7CatCxlgk

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We love you "Archie", oh yes we do. We don't love any dog, as much as you....

Well the North Star TT pack just grew larger yesterday afternoon with the arrival of "Archie"......the father/sire of my Maroo. Susan and I decided to share the fostering responsibility for Archie and since she was lucky enough to have him stay with her the past several weeks it is now may turn to enjoy this wonderful boy! She has called me a few times since yesterday to check up on him since she is very attached to him as well......The best thing is that she will still be able to see him since she lives very close and we both work together during the week at her office where she has her practice (she is an MD) I just pray I do not fall in love with him and not return him to her when she wants him back :) Sharing a foster dog is not an unusual situation since there is normally much care involved for one person to handle at times.......so this situation works out very well for all involved! Plus it gives Maroo a chance to play and interact with his father.........which I am sure that he misses very much since he left the shelter kennel months ago....The play that goes on between the two of them is hysterical! Maroo jumps on Archie and just does not let go......as if he is hugging him so tightly. My other dogs have accepted him with flying colors! I am so proud of the gang for doing this......At meal time Archie is polite and waits his turn........in the family room he finds his spot on the sofa to cuddle up with myself or one of the other dogs......He barks when something is there that is not suppose to be there....and he is just adorable sleeping like a baby after hours of running in the yard! Archie seemed to have a head start on the other rescue dogs from Missouri since he was the only dog who actually looked like a traditional Tibetan Terrier! His size was appropriate and he had a few inches of hair growth that gave him that classic look! Watching him move in the play yard I am impressed with his structure since he moves very well and can turn on a dime........just like some of my other TTs when they play! "Adam" my alpha dog of the house has found a new buddy who is not a threat to him also......seems that Adam can get his tail out of joint with males who are not neutered......but since Archie has been "clipped" pardon the expression.....all is well at North Star :) Right now it is also difficult not to spoil this sweet little boy....he loves to jump onto my lap when I am sitting and gives me the "look" like he knows that I already adore him........Camille is still working on finding Archie a "forever home" but for right now he could not be in a better place......with Susan or myself, Archie will always be loved and treated with the kindness and respect that he so well deserves now that he a liberated puppy mill dog!