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Orion got his long overdue hair cut yesterday.

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Orion had so much snow clumped to his feet and legs that I put him in a tub of warm water to dissolve it.

8/24/96 – 11/3/09

Lody has been becoming increasingly frail this past year, and had one bad spell this past summer.  Today, when I got home after being away for five or six hours, I found her collapsed in the great room.  I used a sling to get her outside, and when she started trying to walk again, it became apparent that something had gone wrong in her back end.  I was able to get hold of my vet, who came out to the house and euthanized Lody while I held her.

Lody, a tri-color Smooth Collie,  was five years old when she came to live with us.  She was an AKC champion who was the companion of an elderly woman who had to go into assisted living.  Lody went back to live with her breeder, but did not care for life there, so her breeder, the friend of a friend, decided to find her a more suitable home.  Lody came into our house, looked around, and decided she was home.  She was such a sweet dog.

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Orion, a miniature schnauzer born on October 20, 2008, is one year old today. He came to live with us from the Pikes Peak Humane Shelter on December 18, 2008.

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I would have taken him for a haircut to celebrate his birthday but there is a dog flu epidemic in Colorado Springs right now, and I want him fully inoculated before he goes to the groomers’ again. Besides, I don’t think Orion thinks going to be groomed is much of a celebration.

His favorite things are eating, playing with his packmates, riding in the car to play-dates with his BFFs Cheney and Brody, playing with his squeaky toys, playing “Where’s Jack,” and giving Puppy Wakeup Calls.  He is much stronger than one would expect of a dog his size, and quite athletic. I don’t pick him up very often, since I am not into carrying dogs, but whenever I do I go “oomph.”

He has been a very healthy puppy.  I was concerned at one point because his permanent teeth came in and the deciduous (baby) teeth didn’t fall out.  His vet recommended waiting and seeing what would happen and the deciduous teeth finally fell out about two months later.  This was a big relief: I didn’t want him to undergo surgery to remove the teeth, but it was disconcerting when he would yawn and remind one of the movie, “Jaws.”

I hardly ever call him the demon puppy anymore.

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Lightning (the Sheltie) and Orion (the Miniature Schnauzer) suspect that I have some hot dog jerky in my hand.

…Orion lunged for the black thing that was making the clicking noise.