First haircut

Romeo got his first haircut yesterday. He was really getting bushy and Carole was reluctant to take him to a groomer. Ever since she first took Buster to the groomer and got back a completely different dog than she took in she's been a little gunshy of groomers.

Personally, I'd have had her trim Romeo a little more than she did, but he looks quite cute. before the grooming he was beginning to look like one of those things you keep by the door to clean your shoes before coming in the house!

His ears are taking on an interesting look now. His right ear is always up and his left ear is always down. It's more pronounced now that he's had a haircut. It's really cute so I hope it stays that way permanently.

R.I.P. Rosie

We lost our beloved Rosie last night.  She died of congested heart failure at the very young age of seven.  We knew Thursday night that she wasn't feeling well so Carole took her to the vet Friday.  He told us then that she probably had no more than six months.  Obviously, he didn't know what he was talking about because she died less than twelve hours later.

I know that I've never loved a dog as much as I loved Rosie.  She was the sweetest thing in the whole world and the perfect lap dog.  She loved everyone and everything.  I remember when we got her, the breeder told us that she would probably go up to a mountain lion with her tail wagging.  

 

Needless to say, I'm having the worst day I've had in a very long time.  I'm really going to miss that little girl for a long time.  Romeo is a wonderful, sweet little dog and I'm very glad we have him right now.   To me, a house without a pet is a very empty place and while our house is very much emptier than it was yesterday, Romeo keeps it from being totally empty.  He's not at all like Rosie, but then there aren't many like her.  Someday I hope I find another Shih Tzu as sweet as she was.

Romeo is getting big. Well, relatively speaking. I think he's over four pounds now, maybe even five pounds. Big for him. Rosie is still twice his weight but side by side they look about the same size. That's because Romeo is all fur. Time for a grooming but Carole is hesitating. She's not sure she wants to see what he looks like without all the cute, soft, fur. I've seen him soaking wet and he looks like a chihuahua!!!

He started school last week and so far he's doing quite well. He almost always comes when called, sits politely to wait for his treat, and is getting close to being housebroken. He is still rather aggressive where Rosie is concerned though. He just won't let her be most of the time. You would think he'd learn because he gets his ass whooped every time. Rosie doesn't take any crap from him but he still keeps trying to give it.

He's four months old now and is in need of a great deal of socialization. It's difficult because he still needs to be kept away from most dogs until he's had all of his puppy shots. We need to get him around people a lot more, especially new people that he's never met before. Since we're taking Rosie and Romeo with us up to Qualicum Beach next month I figured he'll get to meet a lot of new people on that trip.

PT Cruiser

OK, I'll admit it. I have a problem. I probably should seek professional help.

I bought another car. Being the cheapskate that I am, I bought a used 2005 PT Cruisers with 31k miles on it.

I just got tired of driving a jeep every day. No power windows, no clicker to lock/unlock, etc. True, the jeep is a convertible but it takes about 15 minutes to put the top down and longer to put it up. The jeep also only gets 15 mpg. That alone is depressing.


Anyway, I decided I wanted a more appropriate everyday car. I started out looking at older BMW, Mercedes and Audi convertibles. I really like the german cars but it turns out that the 1999-2005 cars all had serious issues with their automatic transmissions. They all use the same basic technology so they all had the same problems, and fixing them is really, really expensive so I decided not to go that route. There were several other convertibles I really liked that were affordable but they didn't have back seats for the "kids" (Rosie & Romeo).

I finally decided to give the PT a chance and I went and test drove one. I have to admit, I was really surprised. I never really cared for the PT. It seemed like a fad and I had heard reports that they were really underpowered. That might be true for the base model, but the turbo powered cars are quick! So far it seems to be a pretty good handling car too. It's no corvette, but then you could buy three of these things for the cost of used corvette. It's really roomy and very comfortable, power everything, including the top. I LOVE push-button convertibles!

Romeo

Our new baby 'Romeo' arrived as scheduled on Sunday. He's an adorable little guy too. I think Romeo is a good name for him too, he's such a little lover. He was born on Dec. 27, 2008 so he's just about 11 weeks old right now.

Yesterday was St. Patrick's day so the kids came over for a corned beef dinner and, of course, to meet Romeo. I wasn't there, but I guess Romeo got so excited at all the attention that he peed on Amanda! Except for that, he was really good though. He loves a lot of affection and attention.

We also weighed him yesterday. The little guy is all of three pounds. He'll be going to the vet today for the first time too. We need to get him up to date on all his shots so he can safely go out in public.



Rosie is not all that thrilled to have a little brother though. She tries her hardest to totally igore Romeo. If he goes up to her she just walks away. If she pays any attention at all it's to see where Romeo is so she can avoid going anywhere near him.





I do hope that changes over time and that eventually they'll enjoy playing together.


But, while Rosie lives the life of leisure, Romeo will be working for a living. His future will be as a therapy dog, spending his time visiting the elderly in nursing homes and hospitals.

Happy Square Root Day!

That's right, today is a square root day. It's been a while since we've been able to celebrate a square root day and it will be some time before we get another.

The last time was Feb 2, 2004 (2/2/4), the next will be April 4, 2016 (4/4/16). That's a long time a way so celebrate while you can.

Visit the wikipedia site for more info on this special day:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_root_day