Just hanging out

Mya and her Poppy
My, what big eyes you have!

Always ready for the camera

Twins

Have you ever heard that a pet will look like it's owner after a while or an owner will look like their pet. Here's a perfect example. Both Mya and Roddy have jet black hair. However, both of them have been getting grey in the beard lately. It's hard to see Mya's beard in this picture, but it's almost all grey now.

The stitches are out

I brought Mya to the vet on Friday to have her stitches removed. They complimented me saying that I did an excellent job keeping her incision clean. I did clean her everyday and made sure she didn't run. That was the hardest part. They said that she healed perfectly. So yay, that is all done with.

The hair is growing back and she's back to her normal wiggly self.

Healing after the Spay

Here are some pictures taken today after Mya's spay surgery. It's a big long cut, but it is healing beautifully. There is no redness, no leakage and she is not bothering with it at all. I think she will be back to normal in no time at all.

Drop the Ball!!!

Why is it that Mya doesn't obey when she is being video taped? Every other time she drops the ball and waits for the next throw. Honestly!!! lol

Running Alone

Harley wasn't in the park today. We went out a little later than usual because of the cold. So, I brought Mya's ball with us so she could have a good "focused" run.

A Romp in the Park

Here is Mya and her female friend Harley. They get along great and love to run and explore together. Of course, here's a picture of Mya in a mud puddle. Her favorite place to be.

Here is Harley's Dad. Mya loves him and knows what pocket the treats are in!
Running at full speed.

Checking things out

Walking in the grass

A dip in the creek.

Run, Run, Run

The Month of the Spay

Mya will be spayed this month. On November 25th. Nervous????? Yes!!!

My father in law is paying the majority of the bill and I'm paying for the extra IV and the blood tests. Without him offering to do that, I don't think I would have ever saved up enough to get it done. Or maybe, that was my excuse for putting it off.

Other Friends

I didn't give him a name. He only arrived at the trailer in the last 2 days that I was there. Probably because Mya wasn't around for those days. He was a cute little guy. I hope he's there next year.

Ignoring Mya

Have I been ignoring Mya? ..... No I haven't...lol

I just haven't posted to her blog in a long time. I just finished with her haircut and there's nothing like real daylight to see where I made mistakes. So, tomorrow is touch up day.

I am scheduling Mya to be spayed finally. And I have to tell you, it does scare me to have her go under. I'm going to be a wreck that day.

Summer Shave

I have to shave Mya down for the summer. If I don't, she collects a ton of beach sand in her fur everyday. Wet beach sand! Then, as she's sleeping in my bed, she dries off and sheds all the sand for me. Not a comfy sleep. I learned my lesson the first summer.

Now, she gets shaved down and it is so much better. She may not look as nice, but I think she likes it for the summer. It's nice and cool and she can swim and chase frogs all she wants without being weighed down by wet fur.

By September, you would have never known she was a stick dog a few months earlier.

My New Clients

The little black dog is Thunder.
And this in Lila

I am now a dog walker. These are my first clients and my little buddies!

My Girl

False Pregnancy - Pseudocyesis

"Canine false pregnancy is a term used to describe female dogs showing signs of pregnancy, nursing, and lactation, and yet produce no puppies; either there was no mating occurred or have any fertilized eggs. This sign usually occurs after her estrus stage is over (about a month or two), and it may last for two to three months depending in type and severity from one female to another."

Well, this is what Mya is experiencing right now. She was not near any male dogs so she is not pregnant. Also, she will be spayed this summer so there is not need to talk about that.

She is experiencing all the signs of pregnancy. Increased appetite, weight gain, enlarged teats, lactation and nesting. However, her tummy is not big.

It's quite the thing to see. I never knew that this condition would mimic a true pregnancy, all the way up to the end....less the puppies.

Here are some pictures of her belly and her nesting areas.

Belly

Nest 1
Nest 2
Nest 3

Feeding a Giant Schnauzer can cost a lot of money. Before I switched Mya to raw food, she was eating about 6 cups of dry kibble. Her bag of food was about $70 and it lasted a month.

With her allergies, I cut out kibble and switched to raw. I first tried the raw meat with veggies and oatmeal, rice etc. But after I did more reading on the subject, I decided to go to meat only. I am lucky that my parents own a grocery store with a butcher shop. They give me the meat that they would otherwise throw out because it is getting close to the expiry date. I don't get it all as I don't get up there every month. It's a 4 hour drive. However, what I do get really helps cut the costs. The only thing I have to buy is the liver to add to her meat. I also buy chicken legs, necks, turkey legs, lamb ribs, fish and almost anything I can find on sale or reduced. She does get bones everyday (in the chicken legs, lamb ribs etc)
Here is a video of what I use to make her mixture. I was able to get 14 1lb bags made today. She eats 2lbs of food a day.

It's been a long time since I have posted about Mya.

Here's a short video of Mya playing with her basketball. The bigger, the better.

Mojo gets a new look

I would like to say Thank You to Cheryl at Gone with the Dogs in Courtice Ontario who groomed Mojo free of charge. It is people like this who make it all worth while.

Mojo is still available. He is currently living at his home, but his owners are looking for a new home for him. If you know of anyone who would be interested in owning Mojo or fostering him, please let me know.

P.S. Sorry Cheryl, I didn't mean to cut your head off in these pictures. It's my lack of photography skills that are to blame!

Mojo!

Here are some pictures of Mojo and some videos. The videos are very dark as they were taken in the house at night. Mojo's owners are looking for a new home for him. He needs obedience lessons and someone who will spend a lot of time with him burning off his energy.

I really like this dog. He is just a typical Giant teenager.

If you want more info on him, send me an email.

A Poem

by Sandi Thompson

My family brought me home cradled in their arms.
They cuddled me and smiled at me and said I was full of charm.
They played with me and laughed with me and showered me with toys.
I sure do love my family, especially the girls and boys.
The children loved to feed me, they gave me special treats.
They even let me sleep with them - all snuggled in the sheets.
I used to go for walks, often several times a day.
They even fought to hold the leash, I'm very proud to say.
These are the things I'll not forget - a cherished memory.
I now live in the shelter - without my family.
They used to laugh and praise me when I played with that old shoe.
But I didn't know the difference between the old ones and the new.
The kids and I would grab a rag, for hours we would tug.
So I thought I did the right thing when I chewed the bedroom rug.
They said that I was out of control, and would have to live outside.
This I did not understand, although I tried and tried.
The walks stopped, one by one; they said they hadn't time.
I wish that I could change things, I wish I knew my crime.
My life became so lonely, in the backyard, on a chain.
I barked and barked all day long to keep from going insane.
So they brought me to the shelter but were embarrassed to say why,
They said I caused an allergy, and then they each kissed me goodbye.
If I'd only had some classes, as a little pup.
I wouldn't have been so hard to handle when I was all grown up.
"You only have one day left." I heard the worker say.
Does that mean I have a second chance?
DO I GO HOME TODAY?

Pillow Talk

It doesn't matter where a pillow may be, Mya will always put her head on it. I can stick it anywhere on the couch or floor and she will position herself to sleep with her head on it. I can't figure out if she does it because it is comfortable or because she saw us put our head on it and she thinks that is what she has to do?

Food

Mya got a great treat today. I went to pick up her food order from Sheila. She has some nice lamb ribs, offal, turkey necks and chicken frames. I stuff the chicken frames with hamburg and freeze them.

I also got some free food from my brother, so I am making up little baggies of mush. They have beef hamburg, ground pork, ground chicken, chicken giblets and liver in them.

She's good for another month!

She thought she was alone

Mya was outside by herself. I video taped her from inside the house. She didn't know I was watching. This is what she does when she goes outside. Usually there is barking in there too.

Geez

I don't know what the heck is wrong with her, but she will not leave me alone today. She's sticking to my side, pawing at me, smelling me, jumping on me. She's sticking her head underneath my arm and tossing it up in the air so I will pet her. One word to decribe her today "Demanding"!

Mya Entering The House

And those snowballs don't come out very easily! They stick in there like glue. I'll still take the snow over the mud anyday.

Pumpkin Please!

Mya was out of biscuits so I put an order in with Sara at

The Barking Biscuit Company.

She loves these Pumpkin Please biscuits. They have no grains in them, so they are perfect for my little girl.

Say "Pumpkin Please!"

Grrrroooowwwllllll

As we were going out for our walk yesterday (at the end of our driveway) the water meter man came by. He said "Oh, what a beautiful Giant Schnauzer". Not very often people know what she is. Then he said "Is she friendly?". I said jokingly "Oh, most of the time". He went to pet her and the low growl came out. He moved back and she moved back. He laughed and I apologized. I put her back into a sit. I don't know if it was the uniform?

There are some men that she just isn't happy around. I wish she was friendly with everybody, but is that a behaviour that has to be corrected or are we just too trusting of people.

Shake your Bootie

Mya can handle the cold very well. What she can't handle are snowballs stuck under her feet and salt from the sidewalks. Usually a few times on our walk she stops and gives me her paw. I pick the snowball out and we keep going.

Today, I remembered that I won a little pair of boots at our Giant Schnauzer Grand Slam. They were from our game "The Laundry Line". They are not fancy in the least. I wanted to get a pair of Muttlucks in the auction but I had run out of money by the time they came around.

So I put these little boots on her and off we went. First, she walked like a dog in high heels. It took a minute for her to get used to them. They were great! They didn't keep her feet very dry, but they kept the snow and salt out.

They came from Komatik Outfitters in Ottawa: http://www.komout.com/

That's Right

We have been practising our right turns on our walks. She's starting to get the hang of it. I think I will get that one perfect before I start left turns.

Relaxing

I always put Mya in the centre of my pictures. I was just watching a little photography show and they talked about putting your subject off to the side. I think I like it. Maybe I should have planned the background a litte better (ie, cleaned my house first!)

Cold

It's to damn cold to go out for a walk with Mya. I can't handle this cold. But she seems to enjoy playing in the backyard with her toys even in this cold.
Did I tell you I hate winter!

I am walking...je marche

Decided that I would bring Mya out for a walk without first checking the temperature outside. I knew if I checked the temperature and it was cold, I wouldn't go out there!

I made her walk over a manhole cover today. It didn't bother her at all. But the next one we approached, she walked around it again. Next time I'm going to make her sit on it.

Today, a squirrel decided to run right beside us. Mya HATES squirrels. They are the mortal enemy. She went wild. Even with the pinch collar on, she was hard to control. Even grabbing her head and body and trying to put her in a sit didn't work. Once the squirrel was out of site she was fine. But I wasn't fine. I was mad at her.

Manhole Covers

On our walk today, I payed attention to what Mya did when we approached a manhole cover. She didn't even look down at it, she just walked around it.

I was thinking that she probably sees it as an object on the sidewalk. She wouldn't step on an empty chip bag, so why should she step on this.

I guess it's not fear. Tomorrow, I'm going to make her walk on one and then later, sit on one.

Going for a walk

I have committed to bringing Mya out for a walk more often. Not only is it good exercise for me, but it allows us time to work on her obedience. I've been pretty slack with it and let her get away with things that I shouldn't have. So, today we start over, kind of like a boot camp.

I did notice a funny thing though. When we are walking, she will not step on a man hole cover. She will go out of her way to walk around it. Strange eh!

Always at my Feet

When I am in the kitchen cooking dinner or doing dishes, you will always find Mya in this spot. Notice that she is right between the fridge and the stove. I let her lay there and step over her if I need something.

An Interesting Blog

Everyday, I like to look at my favorite blogs. Someone told me about a blog about a lady who took in an orphaned Coyote. I had to go and have a look!

Her pictures are stunning to say the least. If you have a chance, go have a look at

The Daily Coyote

She updates the blog daily with the life of Charlie the Coyote.

Even if you don't agree with someone raising a Coyote in a human world, just have a look at the pictures. My take on it is that this poor little guy would have died without a human taking him in. I think when he's ready to go, he will decide when it is time.

A BIG Decision

After giving this a lot of thought (and changing my mind about my decision everyday) I have decided not to host the 2008 Giant Schnauzer Grand Slam.

It is a lot of work and I really love doing it, but I would like to attend a large gathering of
Giants without being the one organizing it. I would love to talk to everyone and meet all the Giants, which is something I don't get to do when I organize the event.

I would still like to host the Grand Slam but only every second year.

I really hope someone else will step up and offer to host the Grand Slam this year (without the auction, penny sale etc).

It's a New Year

I read something on a friend's blog that I thought was interesting. She asked us to take one word to describe 2007 and one word to describe 2008.

( I would link to her blog but I'm not sure she made it public yet.)

So, here is my shot at it:

2007 - Stagnant

2008 - Change

I'm not going to go into great detail, but when I look back at 2007, I see a lot of could have, would have, should have.

I have to make 2008 different. I have to change. I have to live. Heck, I'm going to be 40 years old this summer!!!

The Hair is finally Gone!

I have been growing my hair for 2 years so that I can donate it to an organization that makes wigs for Cancer patients. It was finally time to get it cut. I had 11 inches cut off.

Before

After
The ponytail that I have to send in.

Ok, so it's Mya's blog so I thought I should include a picture of her in there too!