Nightmare's stay at the vet

I am back with another installment of the Nightmare tale...

If you remember, we had left the black dog at the vet's and left to Brasov.

We were supposed to only stay for 5 days, as promised. But we had a call with the clinic and they were asking us to try to pick her up faster.

It seems she didn't take well to having to stay in the cage and was making a lot of noise at night. She was crying very loudly and the vet and his family couldn't rest properly. The clinic is actually a part of their house.

We considered asking a friend to go get her, but it was not feasible. The big black dog had a problem with walking too far on foot. So we went home a little earlier and picked her up.

Other than the noise at night, she had felt right at home. She enjoyed sitting on the scale, got used to asking to go out and in and was very friendly with everyone.

We took her back home, along with more antibiotics... It seemed the infection on her forehead was not going to go away so fast. We had to bring in the heavy artillery...

Scarface

Arr! The pooch has gone out to sea, trying her luck at becoming a pirate. She even fought in a vicious sea battle that gave her a new nickname for a while, Scarface.

How did that happen? Did she come out of it victorious? Was there any treasure?

It all started with a short trip to the seaside with some friends, where we also took little Aschiuta. Now this was last year and you will be happy to know that the pooch has no need for an eye-patch.

You must know that our pooch is not the kind of dog that can be off-leash, least of all on a crowded beach. She runs off to meet people with food, throw sand on towels and pick a fight with other dogs if there are any. So, we always keep the leash on her.

One time though, she was napping on the sand so nicely, that I assumed she would stay like that while I read a bit, so I let go of the leash. Poof! Poochie performed a disappearing act.

Very comfy pooch. Too comfy...

She ran off a few towels farther after a dog she saw behind us, which she began to quarrel with. You must also know that, although she seems vicious, she really doesn't hurt any of the dogs she fights with. But she also doesn't know that they can hurt her.

We ran after her and Scorpio managed to catch her and break the fight. The other dog was fine, but Aschiuta had a nasty scratch on her left upper eyelid that was bleeding slightly.

We of course picked up our things and, since we were in a small village with lots of fast food places but no vet (none that would be open on a weekend anyway), I made her some chamomile tea to at least try to disinfect the eye and we drove off for home. Why chamomile tea? Because I used to have frequent eye infections and the chamomile tea helped. There was an improvement in poochie's scratches too.

We quickly went to a vet and, after consulting her, said that only the inner lid was a bit grazed, but the eye was fine. She must have had the reflex of closing her eyes, phew. The doctor disinfected the wound, prescribed her some eye drops and sent us home.

This photo was taken a day or so after getting back home. She was squinting because of the camera flash.

For a few days, the left eye produced more tears and we were often wiping her eye, but slowly, it got better and now you can only see a very faint scar if you look very closely. Most of the hair and eyelash in that spot also grew back. We are very happy that she has recovered so well.

This was taken close to her birthday this year. You can barely see any scar.

I must say though, it was all my fault for letting go of the leash that day. I was careless and things could have been worse. I'm sorry, poochie!

Happy belated holidays!

We want to wish you a happy belated new year and a lot of accomplishments!

We have been busy these past few days, coming to visit with my mother-in-law (wow, such a long name) and our godparents at the mountains. We were lucky to have had some snow for Christmas and it's still snowing now. Aschiuta couldn't be happier.

We got here by train, of course, with a doggie ticket for pooch and regular priced ones for us. It was nice and spacey for once and we had time to take some interesting photos.

"Woohoo, first class! I'm taking the window seat and the aisle seat!"

Poochie already bored on the train and lying down on the floor.

Christmas was fun, we shared some champagne (yes, from Champagne in France) with the family and stuffed ourselves with traditional dishes. Of course Aschiuta had her share, as always.

I had to go back and forth for the New Year week, since I was working every day. I left on the 31st in the evening to join everyone at the mountains, then went back home the next day. I have to say, work was tedious, but luckily, I have another week off and so I'm back here with everyone for some more relaxation.

Poochie has been quite nice, without making a lot of confetti, but she did swallow some pieces of gum. Good thing she got rid of it.

She has been extremely excited about being here and for the snow as well. When we go out with her, she sometimes makes very quick dashes from one side of the other, as far as the leash allows her. All I can do is hold on for dear life, there's no way I could possibly match her speed. She even broke her extensible leash doing this and my husband had to go buy another one. It seems better quality, but too bad it's not red, as that is poochie's wardrobe colour.

Aschiuta taking a break from running.

And speaking of wardrobe, I made some adjustments to her winter coat. I replaced the leg elastic, so it wouldn't wobble left and right on her back and added a little embellishment, made by me. I think it looks fetching on her, don't you?

A much better fit and a snowflake. See my other needle works here, if interested.

Santa and the big-eared elf

Ho-ho-ho? Where did the summer go?

We have been very busy the past couple of months. Yes, Poochie and I, because she contributes as much as she can: shedding lots of hair all over the place, sleeping under my arm and of course, asking to go out during an especially difficult task. Thank you Pooch, you may have a treat.

What have we been busy about? Well, we have been playing Santa and making presents left and right, ever since October or so.

I know, I know, making presents is like baking your own Christmas cozonac (yes, look it up when you're in Romania, it is yummy) and making your own cakes. Who spends time on that anyway, when you can just go to the store and buy one? Crazy people, I tell you.

Well, I have learned to make lace using a needle lately; the technique is called tatting. I will not bother you much with the details, however the results are quite cute (Poochie has been teaching me to be less modest, haha), so I opened - sorry, we opened (Poochie helps, you know) an online boutique. If you are curious, you are invited to visit, it's called Dandelion Lace. Yes, we do ship abroad too, hehe.

The trouble is that there is so much to do and so little time until Christmas, I will still be away for a while, making presents. Poochie, come help me!

"Let me give you a paw with that."

Aschiuta goes on holiday

I will start this post with some good news: my fiance and I got married! Yes, it was a wonderful day and we had our friends and family to celebrate with us.

And what do people normally do after getting married? They go on a honeymoon. Ours was a honeyweek, but nonetheless quite fun and relaxing. However, poochie didn't come with us to Bulgaria, she had a different holiday on her own.

We often take her to a dog hotel when we need to go away for a few days and can't take her with us and this is where she spent about a week and a half.

She played with the vet and the other dogs and I am proud to say she was the cleanest doggie there (our good potty training showed, heh). She has been getting cheeky and I was upset that she would fight with other dogs, but it seems that she was well mannered enough not to growl at them first.

Aschiuta has been going on a lot of holidays lately, it seems.

A few weeks ago, we decided to go to the mountains to actually go hiking on a trail in the woods. This time, poochie was right there with us.

We bought her a dog ticket for the train and off we were to the mountains. I'm sure the dear girl had no idea what was in store for her. She kept running off ahead as soon as we got off the train.

Hiking was good fun, since neither of us had done that in quite some time. We each had a backpack and I was holding Aschiuta's leash. She must have had more energy than us and a better traction on her four paws, since she didn't tire very quickly.

We got to a cabin and set up camp there, in our tent. We slept huddled together with poochie in the middle, to keep warm. It was nice that two huge rescue dogs were keeping guard outside. It seems they never stayed too close to the tents, but they must have felt protective towards Aschiuta.

Photo by Scorpio, one of my favourites. This was taken high up by the cabin.

When we came back, it rained a bit and we had a few falls in the mud, but luckily, nothing too serious. Needless to say, Aschiuta behaved quite well and even started learning a few commands for choosing the right track.

We hope everyone had or is having a nice holiday. Don't forget the sun screen!

Happy birthday Aschiuta!

Today we lazed in bed for a while and when Scorp woke up, I told him "It's Aschiuta's designated birthday". So, he grabbed doggie and gave her a big hug and started singing "Happy birthday to pooch".

She's a big doggie now...

It's Aschiuta's first birthday today, at least the one we chose for her in her health file.

Pooch was found in the street as a pup. She was barely one month old at the time and looked very lonely.

At first, we thought she was older, so we chose her birthday as April 14. On a closer inspection and judging by the time she started changing her baby teeth, we talked to the vet and decided it would be May 14. This date is a combination between Scorp's and my birthdays: my month and his date.

Small fuzzy pup...

She has been with us for almost a year now and we've seen her grow older, wiser, into a very energetic dog. We've gone through health problems, vaccination, fleas and train and car rides. She has chewed on a lot of things and ate some things she shouldn't have. She has kept us warm during the cold winter nights and made us laugh and play when we were upset and worried.
 

She is our dear pooch and we are happy she's with us. And we don't plan on giving up on her either.

Many happy returns of the day, pooch!

Spreading awards left and right

Few people might know this, but today is my birthday. Also, Aschiuta's designated birthday will be on the 14th of May.
 

Here, on birthdays, we usually take our friends out for a beer or something similar, to celebrate. I'd offer you all a virtual glass of beer or wine or whatever you fancy, but, since this is blog land, I'll share something more appropriate with you. It's small and insignificant, but what the heck.

A little while ago, I got the Kickass Commentor Award from Conquering the World. I want to say thank you to Pencil Girl for offering it to me. It is now time to spread it around the world.

I want everyone of my friends, followers, bystanders to feel free and take it with no obligation. This is how it was given to me and this is how I pass it on. Thank you to everyone who has visited my blogs or left me comments, even if just once. I have received a lot of nice words, encouragement and advice from you all and I really appreciate it.

Also, from the same person, I received another award, the Cherry on Top one. Thanks again, Pencil Girl.

You must know I'm quite fond of cherries and they used to be a recurring motif in my childhood. But, before I digress to much...

I have often found blogs that have inspired me and to which I was able to relate. Some made me smile, others made me think. That little cherry on top made me go back again and again to read more. I want to thank the people who write in those blogs for what they do.

Here are the blogs, in alphabetical order (because that is nice and fair, in my opinion):

• 24 PAWS OF LOVE. This blog has a lot of heartfelt posts about the strong bond between people and dogs. This is a lesson in common sense and not giving up.
• Catbird Scout. Deb has a certain sensitivity and a way of telling a story that mesmerises the reader and leaves them thinking afterwards.
• Driftwood Ramblings. Desiree has become my biggest blog fan. Her mentality and encouraging comments are an inspiration to me and always a delight to read.
• FACING 50 WITH HUMOUR. Carol has a sense of humour that leaves me chuckling for a while. She is also a good storyteller and always comes up with a good tale.
• littledogsonlongleashes. Georgia is a very opinionated dog and also makes me smile whenever I drop by her blog. I hope the family can get over having to put Rufus, Georgia's friend, to sleep...
• Southhamsdarling. Thisisme is always a very nice friend and, even though I think she already has this award, I'll still offer it to her too.
• The Squashed Tomato. Linda is a very nice person, apart from being a gourmet who can talk about foods and wines until you're absolutely hungry. She also lost her pup Romeo, but trying to make a difference for other shelter dogs.
• There can be only Juan. Juanita has a very sparkling personality. She also has a collection of very interesting hypoallergenic recipes.
• this n that. Susan has a lot of energy and imagination and her photography is really good. Her coffee art is pretty interesting too.

I'm sorry if my list is a tad short. I'm also sorry I don't have the time to visit everyone more regularly, but I am very busy these days.

Thank you again everyone!

Hot potato is not a fun game...

"You can't stop me from eating this!" 
 

Aschiuta isn't the kind to steal food from the plate while we're watching. She does try to get to anything that is on the kitchen table when I'm not looking, but there usually isn't anything there.

I don't know how many other dogs do this, but when we give some new food to Aschiuta, she will take it in her mouth for a quick taste, drop it on the floor to inspect it and then eat it. Of course, this doesn't happen with meat or bones she finds in the grass. Prudence also goes out the window when she is caught stealing.

She knows she's not supposed to eat certain things and that we'll take them out of her mouth if we catch her and is ready to gobble everything up before we can do anything about it. This is never a good idea. We usually present her with a more enticing treat to make her let go of her dangerous prey.

Easter with a bad twist

This Easter night though, there was no time for that and, before I could even reach her, she gobbled a hot piece of sausage right in front of my eyes. No berating could have helped things, so we decided to leave her alone without any special treats that night.

Unfortunately, pooch really got herself into big trouble this time and the sausage (almost unchewed) came out almost as fast as it had gone in. Poor doggie had really upset her stomach and she spent about two hours throwing up. She was mellow and salivating and looking at me with the saddest little eyes.

We were extremely alarmed. We tried calling our vet, but on Easter at 1am we didn't get any answer.

Little pooch gets better in the end

So, I just sat next to her to pet her back and take care of her. Little by little, she calmed down, stopped throwing up and salivating and eventually fell asleep. Relieved that she was better, we went to sleep too and she came to curl up at our feet.

I must have woken up a few times that night, checking on her, to see if she was still sick or if she was breathing normally. I woke her up once and she raised her head, looked at me and then got comfortable again and dozed off. Somehow, I realised she would be alright.

The next morning, she was back to her usual self, bouncy and happy and ready to play. I gave her some food and she ate hungrily and nothing bad happened afterwards. Little pooch was all better now, but she did give us a huge scare.

You can look, but there's nothing there to steal.

I hope everyone had a safe Easter and remember, you can never be too careful when pets are involved.

Hapy Easter! Peter's story

Aschiuta got into the photo to complete the Easter-y feeling.

 
With just a day until Easter, everyone is talking about eggs, bunnies, spring and wishing one another happy Easter.

We haven't caught the rabbit craze too much here as we got the chocolate one. One spring though, about ten years ago...

Bunny for sale!

I was walking around the market place with my dad, buying vegetables and fruits for home, when my eye caught something different on one of the tables. A box with a little rabbit inside.

The rabbit was white with brown on its back and face and brown ears.

We stopped to look at the little fellow and admire it and dad asked me if I would like to have a rabbit. Thoughts of responsibility raced through my mind.

Even if I hadn't had a pet before, dad taught me to take care of grandmother's dogs and also, there was the story of my best friend's rabbit. She also got one, a cute little albino. It was however too small and had been taken away from the mother too soon. Even if she tried her best to take care of it, the poor thing died in a couple of days.

My dad assured me that he would help me out and, since the rabbit looked old enough, we decided to try our chances.

Of course, mom was surprised, to say the least. She doesn't like pets, except maybe for cats, but not even those in our own house. Deaf to her protests of "it will smell" "it will chew", we started making the little one at home. Needless to say, the first thing it did was wet the bed.

Accommodations

My dad came up with the perfect name, Petrică, which we often turned to Peter. He kind of got used to both.

Since we had a big flat with two hallways, we decided to keep the rabbit in one of the hallways, where there were few hazards for him. We got him a small sand box and he apparently taught himself how to use it instead of the floor or carpets, so we were very impressed.

He ate a lot of vegetables and we always asked the salespeople in the marketplace not to rip the leaves of carrots or radishes, since we had a chewer back at home. One of our favourite treats was sharing a pepper. The little thing was also licking my feet a lot and we heard that he needed salt, so we gave it a big chunk.

I spent a lot of time with Peter and we used to play chase on the hallway. The fridge was also conveniently in the same room and, whenever we would open the door, Peter would dash with the speed of light and try to steal some carrots or cabbage.

Of course, greens weren't the only thing he'd chew. He chewed my shoelaces until I couldn't use them anymore and also took a bite of the tv cable. From this point of view, he was a lot like Aschiuta.

We would go out to the forest for picnics and we also took Peter with us every time we went. Rabbit leashes were unheard of at that time, so we just let him run off around. He dashed through the grass like a bullet, but always came back when we called him.

No more time for bunny?

This all happened over the summer holiday and our rabbit grew up. We realised then that we had a female rabbit, but the name remained Peter.

Unfortunately for all summer holidays, it was soon coming to an end and my parents were starting to talk about what would happen to the rabbit when I started school again. They seem very strict about school and that nothing should stand in my way to knowledge.

All in all, they decided that Peter had to move out. My aunt used to have a lot of cats and dogs at her house and also a big yard with a lot of other farm animals. They decided we should leave Peter in her care and ask her not to make a stew out of her.

We went and visited after a while. Peter was in a cage and had grown very fat from the lack of exercise. I was very sad and made the decision to never ask about Peter again. I'm half sure she ended up as stew... I'm just sorry I wasn't able to keep her for longer.

My little story has a sad ending and I'm sorry about that. I know a lot of people out there might make the same mistake we did, taking a pet only for a summer. I hope they think about it seriously, because pets are not toys.

Hope everyone has a happy Easter!

Happy 1st of March!

Today is the 1st of March, the first day of spring (at least according to the calendar). In Romania, we celebrate this day as Martisor (a diminutive for March). Women and girls receive flowers and little trinkets adorned with a red and white lace (this is also called martisor).

Our little symbol of spring.

It is a nice holiday and all of us wear our trinket(s) to school or work. I bought some from my mom, Scorp's mom and a couple of good friends.

Aschiuta seems to have been in style today. Her little winter coat is red with a white fur collar and padding. I managed to make her stay still for a few photos.

A very nice side-view.

Notice the "hugging" flaps.

The classic "give paw" pose.

Have a beautiful sunny spring everyone!

Everyday is Valentine's day for Aschiuta

Happy Valentine's day! But wait, for Aschiuta, this is just a day like any other. Why is that, you ask?

365/366 Valentine's days in a year

Aschiuta will jump on us, cuddle with us, lick our faces and wag her tail (she actually wags her entire body) on any day of the week. Because, what else is Valentine's day for, if not to show some love to people and pets dear to us? For Aschiuta, every day is Valentine's day, especially when we get home after being out.

And she's not sweet and loving only to us, but to anyone who shows her some affection.

Puppy love

In the morning, she comes to see if we're still sleeping. If she's also sleepy enough, she will push her nose under the blanket. We lift it and she comes in, rolling into a warm doggie pretzel next to us.

If we're just waking up, she will sniff and lick our faces, happily wishing us a good morning.

Coming home from being out... Well, I don't need to say it again. She's a bouncy, wagging bundle of love and licks. She would push her ears back and strike the most adorable poses she knows, while bouncing and wagging her tail at the same time. Sometimes she almost loses her balance.

But Aschiuta doesn't only love us, she also likes treats a lot. And for them, she tries every trick she knows. Her cutest one is putting her paw in our hands.
 

Scorp is her favourite.

Giving me paw too... For a treat or two!

 

Well, that's it from our sweet little Aschiuta's Valentine's days. Have a great day with your loved ones!

Happy New Year!

It's already the 2nd of January and we're back home from a very lovely trip to Brasov. We really had fun, even if we still didn't manage to go skiing or anything fancy like that. It's just being in that city that makes us feel good. And the holidays, of course.

The train ride

We had packed everything the night before leaving and I was going to meet Scorp at the train station with Aschiuta. Everyone keeps asking "you're taking her with you?". Yes, we take her with us and she even has a special ticket too.

The taxi ride was just awful... Aschiuta was sick and the driver didn't pull over when I asked him to. You can imagine the rest.

The train ride was the usual standing in the hallway with Aschiuta on her leash. This time it was very cold and wet on the floor, so she kept trembling. Scorp's mom suspects she caught a cold on the train and that's why she wet the bed... twice.

A well-dressed doggie

But no more of that now, because she got Aschiuta a Christmas gift (see, I told you she was a good girl) - a great little coat with fur on the inside. No more trembling for her and she was really pretty in it.

New Year's Eve

My own mom came for New Year's Eve and we all stayed in the kitchen and had a nice dinner. I was impressed that my mother played with the doggie and let her stay next to her without complaining. Though I'm sure she still doesn't like the dog hairs.

At midnight, we went out and lit fireworks, with the pets inside. I'm sure they got pretty scared, because, although we had quiet fireworks, there were some neighbours who bought really loud bombs. Such recklessness...

The ride back home

We went by train again, except this time it was slightly faster than the ones we usually take. Aschiuta was frightened for some reason... She kept trembling and whimpering, even with all the attention she got from everyone. So, we stayed on the hallway again.

We walked most of the way from the train station, trying to teach Aschiuta to walk beside us. Long trips like these are good for walk training. She actually caught on and didn't pull on the leash as much, so I hope to teach her some more later on.

This was our little holiday in Brasov. And even if it's a bit late, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays

It's winter and a little chilly. The only snow has fallen and already melted, but we still had some fun in it.

And yes, it's Christmas! Mother and I cleaned the house, we have two fir branches that smell nicely, but are beginning to shed their needles. I went shopping for food, drinks and presents yesterday and today we can enjoy the day off.

Christmas decorations

We bought a little artificial tree a couple of years ago, decorated it nicely with lights, bulbs and wreaths and a little star on top. And we never undecorated it, so this year I took it, dusted it and set it up nicely.

Our little Christmas tree. Donkey sneaked under there too.

Donkey is Scorp's present. It's wearing the "noble steed" armour and helm.

We also have a long cable with red lights that I put around the door frame and on the bookcases. It's hard to walk in when it's plugged in, but it makes a nice light.

Aschiuta's first Christmas

Aschiuta has been especially good today, most likely because Scorp and I were both home and played with her. She even got to greet mom, who was squeamish as usual and didn't let her touch her.

Such a good girl... Maybe Santa has something for her too?

I don't think Aschiuta feels like it's a very important day, and she's sleeping a lot, but I'm thinking of giving her a nice bone to chew on. She loves them.

That was our little Christmas at home, no relatives, because they live far away...

I wish you all a merry Christmas!