Get Ready! Cuz This Is Going To Be Good!

**Edit This is Not My Work, it Belongs to Brittany who (I think) came up with this wonderful idea**

Please consider doing this as I think it will be a blast!!

I don't know how many people read my blog anymore, if you do THANK YOU, especially since I haven't posted much lately, but I am hoping this will still work. I would like to host a New Years Puppy SWAP for all of us doggy people. I am pretty much a newbie at the whole swapping thing, but the one I did participate in was really fun! And no, we are NOT trading puppies with each other!

Here is how it works:

*Everyone who is participating will be paired up and will be sending a gift. Have fun getting to know your swap partner and picking out their gift. Oh, and the receiving part is pretty fun too.

*If you want to participate send me an email at brittany_ricks(at)hotmail(dot)com by midnight December 15 (that gives you 15 days + today). Send me your name, # of dogs and their info (name, breed/description, age), mailing address, email address, and blog address. This information will be sent to your swap partner. ***

*If I don't have at least 8 people I will postpone the swap......so spread the word! The more people that sign up, the more fun this will be.

*When you enter, please post about it on your blog with a link to this post so we can spread the word about the swap and get as many people as we can. If you know of a blogger who maybe doesn't READ blogs that often but might like to participate, feel free to let them know about the swap. Remember, the more the merrier!

*If you feel like it, add the swap button to your blog. It's on the rigkt side of my blog. If you don't want to or don't know how, that is ok too!

*Wait patiently until after the 15th for your partner's information to be emailed to you. After the 15th, or once I get 8+ people I will pair everyone up and send out the partners email. This will have your partners name, their dog(s) information, email, blog address, and physical address along with a reminder of the swap rules.

*HAVE FUN!! Visit your partner's blog, get to know them! The best part of swapping is getting to know another blogger, and best of all, another DOGGY blogger!

*Pick out your gift to your partner! This will be a two part gift. One part for the canine(s) and one part for their human counterparts. However big or small you want to make your gift, just make sure part is for the human and part is for the dog(s). Your gift can be eatable, decorative, big, small, homemade, store bought, expensive, not-so-expensive, priceless, durable, fragile, WHATEVER!

*Your gift must be made/bought/whatever, packaged, and ready to ship on December 27th. This will avoid most of the Christmas mail madness, but if you know you will not be able to send your gift on the 27th make sure it is sent before NOT after the 27th.This will ensure that everyone will get their gift during the first week (or two)of 2011.

*HAVE FUN!! Visit your partner's blog, get to know them! The best part of swapping is getting to know another blogger, and best of all, another DOGGY blogger!

*If you sign up, FOLLOW THROUGH! If you are not going to participate, don't sign up.

*When you receive your gift, post about it on your blog to show everyone just how amazing your swap partner is!

*Add your blog to my "link list" that will be posted after I receive my gift (yes I am in on this too). That way everyone can see what everyone else got. Make sure to leave some comment love on each others' posts!

*HAVE FUN!! Visit your partner's blog, get to know them! The best part of swapping is getting to know another blogger, and best of all, another DOGGYblogger!............Hmmmmm, did I already mention this one? Good, because it is important!

***If you would prefer to NOT give me your mailing address, just say so in your email, but PLEASE tell me which of the 48 you hail from. Then email your address to your swap partner as soon as you get the partner email. Comprende?

P.S. - So Sorry! This swap is only for people living in the 48 mainland states. Not that I don't love all the international bloggers, but the shipping costs and time don't make for very easy swapping. I briefly considered including Canada and just matching them up with other Canadian bloggers but......It got all jumbled and complicated in my brain so......maybe next time?

Dora & Boots: A Story That Will Not Be Forgotten

As you all read yesterday, Aniko was not feeling well at all. He vomited at least 5 times in a 24 hour period. This morning I woke up and got ready for school and Aniko was definitely not himself, he was very lethargic, not moving really, and was not his happy joyful self like he is in the mornings. I decided to take him into the vet as it had been over 24 hours and something was obviously not right.

We arrived at the vet and she felt him and his gut and said she felt something unusual and she wanted X-Rays. They vet called GDB to get approval. He came back from X-Rays and she said she wanted to do sugary because she was pretty sure something was in there causing him to not poop and he was throwing up to try and get it out. Well to do sugary they had to call GDB and get approval again as it was not going to be cheap. The approval took about an hour, so meanwhile me and Aniko and Ryder were in the room and Aniko was just passed out at my feet like he had been all morning. They finally came in and said GDB said it was a go for sugary, I was on the verge of tears I could not stand to think that my 3.5 month old puppy would be cut open, for maybe even no reason, but better to be safe then sorry. Right as the vet was walking in the prep him for sugary he stood up (note that he had not moved in 2 hours) and just as I was about to pick him up to take him potty, he started pooping, and out came my sister's sticky Dora & Boots. They are soft sticky toys that you can throw and they stick to walls, ceiling, etc.

Lo and behind as I could have sworn he ate nothing he did, and it passed all the way through his system!! So I am very thankful now that GDB took over an hour to approve sugary, as if they didn't he would not have popped it out and he would have had sugary. They still wanted to keep him for the day and do more X-Rays to be 100% sure there is nothing else in there and they wanted to give him an IV with fluids since he was dehydrated. They kept in touch throughout the day and they were in touch with GDB. They said that is was looking promising that he would be released at 5pm tonight, if he didn't vomit, and if he did they were doing sugary to look at him, because obviously there was still something in there bugging him.

So at 5 I got a call saying he was doing a billion times better and had not thrown up. I was very excited that he would get to come home! I got there and I could hear him barking in the back. The vet came in and talked with us and said he is a doing a lot better then this morning, and walked around and played with the staff.

He is now at home back to his usual self. He and Ryder were playing tug and he was running around and just being a puppy. He is on an antibiotic that will help his gut out because the Doc said it must be a little torn up so it will help seal and heal it up.

I am so happy that it took GDB a long time or else he would have had sugary. So he has his check up tomorrow which I am sure he will pass with flying colors, and then he can eat! He has not eaten in about a day and a half. He ate rice last night but he threw it up.

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Katlynn, Ryder, & Aniko

12 Hour Virus?

Last night Corona (my sister GDB puppy) vomited at least 5 times. We called our leaders because we did not think it was normal for a dog to vomit 5 times in a few hours period. They told us to watch him for 12 hours and if he continued to vomit take him in to the vet. He was doing fine this morning and I don't think he has puked since. Yay!!

On my way to school today I had Ryder and Aniko on the floor boards of my car and all the sudden I hear the vomiting noise, I look down to see that Aniko has thrown up his entire breakfast and all over Ryder. Needless to say I could not take Ryder to school with vomit all over him, so I went home and bathed the dogs and cleaned the car. Aniko has since then vomited 3 times, and to my pleasure I did not have to take care of that. :) My mom had a fun morning at work cleaning up his vomit.

I got home from school and went and got him, and he has not puked since 10ish this morning. He is not himself though, he is just laying around and sleeping, which is not like him when I go and get him, he is usually very playful and full of energy! I hope he okay from here on out.

We think the sharing of all the dog bones is how Aniko got it. So I washed all the dog bones this afternoon and have been cleaning the house a bit so Ryder or my pet dog does not get this horrible virus.

Tonight is Ryder's goodbye meeting, which means I have to read the dreaded "goodbye poem" (a tradition in our club) to him and it usually brings tears. Aniko will be staying home since it has not been 12 hours yet and I would hate it if any of the other dogs in our club got it!

Hope you all had a better morning then me! But it's all part of puppy raising and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Katlynn, Ryder, & Aniko

Long, Much Needed, Overdue, Update

It has almost been a month since my last post! I have been super busy with school and my mom is fostering 2 kids so I have been helping a lot with them.

It's hard to believe that Aniko is almost 4 months old and he gets his "legal" shots on Friday. He is turing out to be an awesome dog, who I love oh so much in the short month that I have had him. He is a very confident guy, loves shopping, and small outings. He knows "sit" and "let's go" very well and is walking 99% of the time which is helpful, because I don't think I can carry around a 25lb (or so) puppy much longer.He is getting bigger every day and learning more and more. He goes to my mom's Daycare every day while I am at school, and my mom and all the kids adore him! I am getting anxious to take him to school, but it will most likely be in December before Winter Break!

Ryder is still here with us, but we got the news last week he is on the 11/27 recall. :( I knew this day would come but I am SO not ready, but is Ryder ready? Yes. Ryder has been such an easy dog to raise and excelled so well in everything I taught him and socialized him to. He is very trustworthy and can be taken into any situation and you'll know he will do great. I am really going to miss this dog, I will be happy with what ever he chooses, even if it is coming home and being my forever dog.

Today my family and I ventured up to Scheel's (largest outdoor store) and this was Aniko's first "big" outing. I did not go very far into the store as I wanted to be close to an exit in case of an accident, but he did great no accidents!! I don't think he has ever had an accident while in vest! *knock on wood*. He did great and had no reactions to the stuffed animals or all the people and noise. He is truly amazing for a 3.5 month old puppy.

Aniko laying down in front of a White Tail Dear.

Aniko looking up at me while we were watching people on the Farris Wheel.

Looking very handsome.

Ryder & Aniko in front of an animal.

It looks like Ryder is kissing Aniko, but he is just looking in that general direction!

Hope you all have a good rest of your weekend!

Katlynn, Ryder, & Aniko