Day of Beauty

When Chloe goes to the groomer I call it her "Day of Beauty". Today was the day! It was time, since she was so shaggy and dirty from running around in the snow and the wet backyard. Chloe always looks so cute, clean, white, and fluffy when she returns from the groomer and I'm sure she feels 1000% better as well!

Chloe Before

Chloe After

Do Dogs Love Snow?

If Chloe, our Bichon Frise, had to answer the question in the title of the post, I'm positive her answer would be NO...even though she has on her cute little snowflake sweater. Being a "southern" dog at heart she hasn't adjusted to life in the snow. I didn't want her to feel left out so she had a mini photo shoot in the snow just like Kyle. By seeing Chloe in the pictures she looks as if she may be enjoying it, but remember pictures can be deceiving...especially of little dogs! Do your pets enjoy being outside in the snow?

Bad Doggy

Is it bad when your dog seems more high maintenance than your three year old? Lately, this has been the case with Chloe. She has a new fascination to dig out the moss from a plant in our bedroom. Tonight, she was up to no good once again and this is what I found. It sure is hard to stay upset with Chloe for very long since she is so darn cute!

Dogs Love Christmas Too!

Even Chloe had a Merry Christmas! She found a bag of candy cane rawrides in her very own stocking! Chloe LOVES rawhides...they keep her busy for hours! If you have a pet, do you give them a Christmas present?

Chloe's New Bed

The past several evenings Chloe has been sleeping under the smaller Christmas tree in our family room. She looks very comfortable and I'm sure she feels safe! I think it's cute!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Happy 12th Birthday to our favorite

Bichon Frise, Chloe!

Chloe was born on December 8, 1996 in Louisiana, the only female puppy in a litter of four. Below, is a picture taken of Chloe and her brothers when they were just little puppies! I often wonder how her little brothers are doing and where they live. Chloe has moved around quite a bit in her twelve years...seven apartments in New Orleans and two houses in STL, but has always adapted well to her new surroundings. It is amazing how animals become such a part of your family...Chloe certainly is a big part of our little family!

I look forward to spending many more birthdays with Chloe!

A Boy and His Dog

Kyle loves his dog, Chloe, very much! It has taken a long time for Chloe to warm up to Kyle, but within the past several months they have become "friends". Kyle has learned how to pet "gentle", but still thinks it's hilarious to pull her ears, tail, and legs. Chloe isn't a huge fan of this type of torture, so she has to voice her displeasure. Their favorite game to play together is chase. Chloe especially enjoys the chase game if Kyle has food in his hand... it is quite comical to witness.

As we were heading out on a family walk a few days ago, Kyle was so proud to have the honor of walking Chloe and holding her leash. Granted, it was for a brief period of time, but Kyle didn't know the difference. Below are a few pictures to capture the special bond between Kyle and Chloe! Enjoy the pictures!

Calling All Pet Owners

Just a little reminder to everyone who has a pet...please check them for ticks!! Chloe is almost 12 years old and has never had a tick before...that is until we discovered one on her last night! The tick didn't seem to bother her at all, but it sure wasn't pleasant to find and remove. During the night Chloe got sick and is still not feeling very well. I won't bore you with the gory details. Kyle and I did bring her to the vet this morning for an examination so hopefully she will be fully recovered in the next couple of days. She did come home with two different medications so once they kick in she should be on the road to recovery. According to the vet, her illness isn't related to the tick, but is probably a virus. It sure has been a fun day of washing bedding, sheets, towels, and carpet.

Chloe sure can be high maintenance, but I wouldn't trade her for the world!! She certainly is a very special part of our little family!

How can you not love this adorable little dog???

I forgot to take a picture of the actual tick that we found on Chloe, but this is a picture of it what it looked like. Luckily this is an American Dog tick and they don't carry Lyme disease.

New Family Addition

This black and white cat has been roaming our neighborhood for the past couple of years. He sure is a pretty cat and must belong to someone close by because the cat is really well cared for.

Even if we wanted to add another pet to the family, Chloe would not allow it. She loves people, but she isn't very friendly with other dogs or animals so having a cat wouldn't go over very well. Chloe wants all the attention for herself...she's greedy in that aspect!

We named the cat Oreo...for obvious reasons.

Sibling Rivalry

It has taken quite some time for Kyle and Chloe (our dog) to become friendly with one another. The first few months after bringing Kyle home, Chloe was very depressed and moped around..she was so sad!! She was used to all the attention and then boom...her whole little world changed. Chloe has gradually been warming up to Kyle and now they "play" with each other a little. Kyle loves to feed Chloe, so this has certainly helped the friendship.

On the flip side, Kyle has always been infatuated with Chloe. He thinks she is silly and extremely funny...he really does love his "big sister". Within the past several months Kyle has become much more gentle with Chloe and actually pets her in an appropriate manner. Before, Kyle was very agressive with Chloe, which of course bothered her.

Below is a picture taken last summer. As you can see, it's no wonder Chloe wasn't a big fan of Kyle. Just for the record, no one was injured during this picture! The second picture was taken this weekend...how sweet!

Summer 2007

Kyle harrassing Chloe

May 2008

I Love Chloe!

Toddler Treats

I really believe that Kyle thinks he is a dog. Very scary ...I know! First, he loves to crawl in and out the doggie door, now he wants to eat doggie treats. Recently, Kyle discovered the new art of opening doors, the pantry door being one of them. You would think he loves to eat, as much as he enjoys digging around in the pantry.

One day, I found Kyle with the proudest smile on his face, handing me the largest bag of Chloe's treats. As you may have guessed, a small tantrum arose due to the fact that I wouldn't let him have any treats. As a good mommy, the next day I headed out to purchase more door grippers so he isn't allowed to open the pantry anymore.

Chloe, in the background, following Kyle

around to score on some treats!

My Other Child

Chloe and I have been together for 11 years. She is the cutest, sweetest dog, but she sure is high maintenance! At times, I feel as though she requires more attention than Kyle. I have always treated Chloe as if she is my "daughter", so I guess it's somewhat my fault since I've spoiled her.

She has been through quite a bit and cost a pretty penny through the years...from surgery on her two back legs, allergy testing, grooming every 5-6 weeks, and the usual pet care required. She is beginning to have minor kidney issues and requires a special diet so at the moment this is a top concern of mine. She had a check up last week at the vet for various tests and a senior physical exam. She was also scheduled for a vaccination, but since I am a bad Mommy, I failed to give her Benadryl before her appointment so we had to reschedule until tomorrow. In the past Chloe has had an allergic reaction to certain shots so a Benadryl dose is always a prerequisite to her vaccination appointments. The vet and I didn't want to take the risk of a reaction so we will try again tomorrow.

I have a "Chloe to do" list for tonight and in the morning. John just went to pick up the Benadryl at the store, she has to fast for 12 hours, and also we need to bring in a sample, which is always loads of fun to collect in the morning. The sample from last week was inconclusive due to fat in the blood stream...guess what that is caused from??? Kyle feeding Chloe. I'm going to have to start locking Chloe up when Kyle is eating since she is getting "busted" by the vet. The game between brother and sister will need to come to end...how sad for both of them. I guess the time has come for me to start cleaning up the kitchen floor instead of Chloe. Hopefully, all her testing will be completed and all the results will be good...especially for her kidneys.

Chloe can be a handful, but she is certainly worth it all ! I love this little dog so very much!

I know all the dog lovers out there can understand. Pets become such a special part of the family.

Isn't Chloe just the cutest thing???