Chauncey and Adelyn

One of the things that daily warms my heart is to see the bond between Chauncey and Adelyn. It's hard to explain but they just seem to really love each other. I've never seen a child and a dog give as much affection to each other.



There are so many sweet stories and examples I could tell you about. Like the time a few days ago when Adelyn was in her pack 'n play while I was taking a shower. I could hear her crying in protest from the bathroom but couldn't do much since I was showering. When I was done, I noticed she wasn't crying any more. I quietly peeked into her room to see Chauncey laying right beside the pack 'n play keeping her company.



Just today, Adelyn took a big fall and bonked her forehead on a chair. I scooped her up and couldn't quite calm her down. I tried all sorts of things to get her mind off her injury but the only one that worked was when I said, "Lets go see what Chauncey is doing..." She stopped crying and pointed the direction that he was. We went over to pet Chauncey and she instantly forgot about her injury.



Chauncey is a timid dog. He is super skeptical of new people and usually just hides under our bed if anyone other than family is over. He can be easily spooked by any object in our house. If I just point a remote at him, he starts to back away in fear. It took him years to be even be in the same room when I have the hair dryer on. Don't even try the vacuum or Swiffer around him.

So it is amazing to me that with all his skittish quirks, he allows Adelyn to stack blocks on top of him. He allows her to put necklaces around his neck. He lays passively on the floor as she parades around with whatever new object she has discovered in our house. He seems to have no fear of anything she does!



Adelyn also loves to find Chauncey in his favorite place in the house- under our bed. If I ask Adelyn, "Where is Chauncey?" She heads straight to our room, squats down, and babbles to him as he peeks out from under the bed. She's also been known to back herself under our bed to join him in his sacred spot. I'm sure he got kicked and prodded in the process of her joining him but you would never know.

What I love most about their relationship is the gentleness that Chauncey responds to her with.

Check out this video to see what I'm talking about.

http://youtu.be/DoaHtPq4yU4

When we got Chauncey from the animal shelter, we had no idea what a wonderful dog we came home with. We really lucked out with our "Bubs."



Lastly, here is a video I made over a year ago of Adelyn and Chauncey together. Even though Adelyn is a whole different kid, his gentle demeanor hasn't changed a bit.

http://youtu.be/JVy8Rrvzl3Q

 

 

Poor Sophie

Poor Sophie.

Her life completely changed once this little one began to walk.



Now, no matter where she goes, there are eager little hands trying to grab that fluffy tail of hers.



Her threatening growls mean nothing to a toddler.



They only encourage the little one to chase with more enthusiasm. That soft, easy to grab hair is just too much temptation for a toddler.



The places of being unreachable are dwindling quickly.



This is her only place of rest. However, as soon as the little one starts climbing, there will be no safe place for Sophie to rest her head.



Poor Soph.

Giving Chauncey "Love"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-8_jibPNqo&feature=share&list=UUSKqLOMw-hUXq2Z54GS7yCQ

Doggie on a Diet

Poor Sophie. She's been put on a strict diet and doesn't get to be on the clean up crew when Adelyn eats anymore. She's taking it pretty hard.

Little Lady is on the Move!

It feels like Adelyn has changed so much even in the past WEEK!

This girl is all over the place. She's a crawling machine and has just started to pull herself up. She is in constant exploration mode around the house. It's so fun but long gone are the days when she would just sit contently on the couch with us.



She is cracking us up with her "hi's" and her attempts to say words. I LOVE when she crawls over to me and climbs up me to be held. LOVE it.



With her newly found mobility, comes the challenge of changing diapers and getting pants on her. Lets just say this lady doesn't like restraint.



She is still an eating machine. There is rarely a food we will put in front of her that she won't gobble down.



Adelyn gets around by the "wounded soldier" crawl. I think since we have hard wood, it's easier for her to slither around rather than crawl on hands and knees. This works fine until she gets outside and tries to drag across grass and concrete. Ouch!



She and Chauncey are buds. She crawls all over him and he loves it. He is so tolerant of her. For example, tonight as the dogs were eating their food, we turn around to find Adelyn tugging on Chauncey's tail AS he was eating. They've also learned how to play fetch. Chauncy rolls the ball to Adelyn and she kind of throws it for him. I'm amazed SHE has figured out what to do with the ball! We're so thankful to have such a kind doggie that puts up with a rowdy gal.

Videos Like These Make My Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuA6ZjpEJys&feature=share

A Quick Doggie Update

For those of you wondering, Sophie is doing much better. She's not 100% herself but she is for sure getting better each day. Thanks for those who have asked. We're glad to see we aren't the only ones who love our little "Tophs."

Sick little Sophie

Our little Sophie is not doing too well.

Two nights ago she was howling in pain anytime she moved. After being stuck in one spot on the couch for hours and a failed attempt to move her without hurting her, we decided to take her in to the vet.

Turns out that Sophie has Intervertebral Disk Disease. Basically she has slipped/bulging disk that can be very painful. Since it is inflamed, there is a chance it could rupture. This would not be good. I don't even want to think about it. Right now she is on pain meds and anti-inflammatory medicine. The poor little pup has been under our bed only to come out for a short time once or twice a day.  She's hardly eating or drinking. It's so so sad.



It's hard for people who have never loved a dog to understand why a sick dog would cause so much heartache. I guess it's not so much the fact that she is sick that has me worried, it's the fact that we're just waiting for it to get better or worse. The fact that she hasn't shown too many promising signs of feeling better saddens me. I hate that she wants to be under our bed. She never wants to be there. She always wants to be looking out a window or perched up on something in the middle of everything. I just wish she'd come out from under the bed.



Hang in there "Tophs." We're doing the best we can to take care of you. But for now, I'll keep crawling under the bed to give you pieces of chicken since that's the only thing you'll consider eating.

The things we do for dogs :)

Buddies

A few days ago I was cleaning up the kitchen and peeked in the playroom to make sure Adelyn hadn't escaped or gotten into something she shouldn't be messing with. I was surprised to find Chauncey in there just hanging out with Adelyn. I'm convinced that he really likes her. I caught a few of their interactive moments on camera.

And a few more from another play date they had.

Chauncey and Adelyn: Buddies Already

It's funny to me how many people ask how our dogs are doing with Adelyn. At first they were indifferent and would give her a sniff or two and move on.

Now that she has become more interactive, they are taking more of an interest. Chauncey, is making attempts to play with Adelyn and just lets her poke, grab, and pull at him as she pleases. We are constantly reminding Adelyn to "be gentle" with the doggies. Check out this video to see what I mean.

httpv://youtu.be/JVy8Rrvzl3Q

I Need a Gym Membership

Reason number 12 on why I need to join a gym:

The constant smothering of my dogs anytime I'm attempting to exercise on the floor.

Poor Sophie

How About Those Dogs?

I've mentioned this before but one of the most common questions I get from people is, "How are the dogs doing with Adelyn?"

I'll let you decide

httpv://youtu.be/Xnw7KUiBgnI

Snapshots

The Doggies Steal the Show!

Click HERE or the picture below to see the video!

Sleeping Beauty. Seriously. It's beautiful when she sleeps.

Smiling at Daddy...The doggies wanted to pose for a picture!

For some reason, I really like this picture. It really gives a snapshot into our lives. House a little cluttered, dogs around, oohing and ahhing over Adelyn, and lots of joy.

This picture cracks me up.

Sophie decided to try out the playmat.

New bouncer for Adelyn from Nana!

We had to modify it a bit. :)