Visiting Dogs

I haven't posted any pet pictures in a while, so it seems like a good time to fix that. My parents' dogs - two shih'tzus - are currently staying at my house while my parents relax in Florida. Nicky (boy) and Alex (girl) were from the same litter and have been together their whole lives.

They have never been left somewhere other than home before; my mom used to swap dog-sitting with her neighbor. The dogs would stay at their own house and the neighbor would stop by several times a day to look after them, let them in and out, etc.

Anyway, they are somewhat despondent about being here. The multi-colored blanket is from my mom's house - I think she brought it so that they would have something familiar to sleep on.


Cricket is used to being the center of attention. If you pet or hold Nicky or Alex, you can bet that Cricket will be itching to get into your lap as soon as possible. She's keeping a good eye on things from her perch here:


My dogs don't particularly like the outdoors, at least not in the winter. Bailey goes out, does his business and comes right back in. Cricket will lounge in the sun if it is at least 90 degrees, but she gets picky moods where she doesn't like the backyard. Nicky and Alex, on the other hand, are used to a big yard with squirrels and rabbits and fascinating scents. So they keep asking to go out and are continually disappointed with my postage-stamp back yard.

I think Nicky is saying "there's nothing to do here!"


So he comes in and tracks snow everywhere.


Ten minutes later, he, Alex, and Bailey all went out for about 30 seconds and decided to come back in. Bailey leads the way, as he hates to get his feet wet.


My mom did provide them with doggie coats (in matching contrasting colors), but they are less than enthusiastic about them.


Finally, the cat is spending all of her time upstairs in the loft, under the desk. When the dogs venture into the loft, she growls at them. Really, she has them intimidated to the point that they don't want to come upstairs at all, so she has nothing to worry about.


If you haven't done the math yet, I currently have five four-footed critters living in my house. Plus, one of our friends is going on vacation next week and will be dropping off her border collie on Monday or Tuesday. Five dogs and a cat. That should be fun!