Lexi's Turn!

Good Morning! Today I have another member of the family to introduce. Alexis! We call her Lexi for short.
Lexi was born in Monroe, Connecticut on March 26th, 1999. Yes. That will make her 10 years old this year. Wow, how time flies. Well, remember when Nikki went to live with Bill for a short while? Well, when Nikki left, Slipper was sooooo very lonely. So we had to find her a friend. Well, it didn't take long to find a Bichon Breeder near by. and there was Lexi, sleeping while all the other puppies were playing and crawling around. When I went and picked up Lexi, she still barely moved. I was a little worried she might be sick. I was actually going to pick her sister who was a firecracker of activity but at the last minute I chickened out and changed my mind. I didn't know If this was the right place to get another pup. Well, after some thought I went back to the breeder's home and Lexi's sister was already adopted. So I picked up Lexi and said "I'll take her." Lexi just about slept the whole care ride home. But as soon as I got home she had perked up and she became a firecracker just like her sister. Lexi and Slipper got along perfectly. Even today they cuddle with each other at night and in the morning I catch them sleeping curled up next to each other in the same crate. Lexi is the perfect puppy. Even at 10 she acts like she's 2 months old but if you want to cuddle instead of play all you have to do is sit down on the ground and Lexi seams to turn switch from puppy crazy Lexi to calm cuddly Lexi. She can go from running and playing to calm and cuddly in an instant. She can also switch it around the other way too in an instant.

Nikki

Today i'm going to introduce you to another beautiful family member.

Her name is Nikki.

Nikki was born April 12, 1995 in Rock Port, Mosouri. Nikki was the most beautiful Shetland Sheepdog you would have ever seen. Poor baby Nikki was in a back closet at a pet store I worked at. There was no room up front and she was in a teeny, tiny cage near the top of the ceiling when I found her. Well, I picked her up and she curled her paws around my shoulders not letting go for dear life. It was love at first sight. So after that, everyday i'd take her out of that cage and sing to her and then I made a very big mistake. I promised her i'd take her home. "UH OH! " How could I do that I thought! We already had 3 dogs at home. NO WAY are mom and dad going to allow a 4th dog! Well, I had to try. I called home and told them about Nikki. I knew dad had a soft spot for Collies and Shelties so I tried to play on that. Well, low behold was I shocked! They said yes! "What a great friend for Slipper" I thought. Well, that afternoon, Nikki came home with us. I remember being outside trying to think of a name. I was reading off name after name and once I saw it I just thought it fit her great. Nikki it is! Well, again when Mark and I got married we adopted Nikki with Slipper and they came home with us. Over the years, I recieved many offers from people who wanted to take her. Especially when I was moving to Texas. As Slipper was my guinea pig for grooming, Nikki was my guinea pig for training. I used to teach dog obedience classes and Nikki was my demo dog. I also learned all about agility and even competed a few times with Nikki. I made alot of mistakes with her but she taught me alot about how to communicate with dogs. She was a Black Tri Sheltie and a little taller than most. Fortunately though she didn't have that heavy undercoat that most Sheltie's have so she was a dream to groom. Like most Shelties however, Nikki was a barker. Common to the breed I know, but it did become a problem. After many trial and errors with nothing working we were at a loss. Well, what was next? I didn't want to give her up but I couldn't get tickets everyday. Well, giving her to somene I didn't know was not an option. No one would treat her as well as I could. Well almost no one. Bill agreed to take Nikki. He had acres and Nikki would be able to play with his pack all day. So, sadly Nikki went to Bill's. Nikki leaving was a hard adjustment. I did see her a few times at her new place but she was my baby. Also, I missed doing agility with her. Well, during that year I tried to figure out ways to make Nikki coming back home work. Well, I decided to look into "Debarking". I went to seminars and talked to alot of vets. I did quite a bit of research about it and learned that there was a new way to debark a dog where the doctors go right through the mouth to the throat with no recovery time. Well, I decided this would be great for Nikki. Well, Bill brought Nikki back and the procedure went great. Nikki barked that very day and I held my breath. But she didn't wince or show any signs of pain and she kept on barking. Only now it sounded like she was a few miles away. SUCCESS! Nikki and I continued agility where we left off. Nikki later taught everything she knew to Maple and soon Maple took over where Nikki left off. After we moved to Texas Nikki had no problem making the adjustment. I was worried about the heat having an effect on her black coat. Fortunately she had fun chasing the water hose with her younger sisters and never seemed to mind the heat. Nikki lived for another 3 years. in mid 2007 we found out that Nikki got throat cancer. Soon she had trouble swallowing. I gave her medication to make her feel better. She had her good days and bad days. However, on September 26, 2007 it was time for Nikki to leave. On the 27th, I went and visited her one last time and waited for her ashes. I brought her back home and made a garden for her. Everyday she can still enjoy the sunshine and be with her sisters chasing the water hose. Here are some Pictures of Nikki.

Slipper

Happy New Year! For those of you who are not familiar with our girls we would like to introduce them to you! Above you can see a picture of our pack. From Left to right is Fury, Slipper, Maple and Lexi.

First Today, you'll meet SLIPPER

Slipper was born March 21st, 1995 in St. James Missouri. She will be a young 14 years old this year. Slipper came to us from a pet store. She called out to dad from her little cage begging him to take her home. "NO WAY" I thought, is mom going to allow another dog at home, but dad told me to go get her as she was in JCPenny. So off I ran. Well, to my surprise Mom said yes! WOO HOO! We bought Slipper a hot pink collar and leash and she went home with us. Mom gave Slipper her name as she did Kelly. What a great name it is too and fits her to a tee. She is as soft as a velvet slipper and loves to cuddle. Slipper used to be my guinea pig when I was learning how to groom. I put her in all sorts of fancy poodle cuts and practiced all sorts of "procedures" on her. Triming her nails, cleaning her teeth, and even pulling the hair in her ears out. "Ouch!". Now, when Slipper was about 3 we adopted her from mom and dad to live with us. She used to come to work with me every day when I was a Groomer. She got to meet all sorts of dogs, cats and people. At about 2 slipper needed knee surgery. First it was one knee and then the other. Poor girl was in alot of pain. Then at 5 years old poor baby Slipper got attacked by a White German Shepherd. She survived. However, I got kicked out of the vets back room because everytime I would go visit her and then had to leave she would scream for me to come back. After that, there have been no more traumas for her. So now at 14 she still acts like a pup. She grabs her toys and runs, begs for treats and loves to cuddle up with Lexi. Oh, Lexi? Well she's our other Bichon. It's a funny story how she came to our family. I'll talk about her too but before I do you'll have to meet Nikki next. Untill then here are some pictures of Slipper so you can get to know her better.