Rusty!

Wow… I haven’t written here in a long time!

Rusty is doing very well! We’ve been in our current place for going on three years now, and he seems to be getting better with his anxiety!

The vet he visits is really good with him, and has even been able to give him shots without him screaming and wailing- which is absolutely mystifying to me! He was getting pretty fat though so I’m meant to feed him less, which seems to be helping!

He’s even able to sleep away from us now, downstairs with his sister (the Chihuahua) so Ada and I have been able to sleep more often when we’re able to! Thank gods for small favors!

This will probably NEVER happen again...

Jynxie, the Chihuahua actually consents to playing with him in short bursts, which seems to help out a little, though she still sees him as inferior 😉 my little snob!

I will say though, he’s improved leaps and bounds since gran passed… he seems so much more adjusted, and can ‘dog’ a little bit better now… let’s hope he continues to improve!

He's far too comfortable 😉

Siiiiggggghhhhh….

Sleepy tired face

I have no idea how I got this adorable shot…but he sure looks cute doesn’t he? I wonder if Rusty ever gets overwhelmed or depressed ((again, I hear ya there, buddy)), and if this is how he copes. Of course, I could just be thinking too far into this! The pillow was definitely a substitute for a blanket and as we know- he loves being surrounded by fluff! Now…off to give this little monster some cuddle time 😉

What the Junk was THAT?

Rusty flew awake for no reason…but look how comfy he is?

I often wonder what Rusty dreams about. He’s quite active when he sleeps- his little feet twitch like he’s running, every so often he’ll whimper and I’ll have to nudge him awake…sometimes he wakes up on his own like he just came out of a terrible dream. (Poor little man, I completely understand you there!) He’s definitely the perfect little man to have next to you, though. He sleeps SOOOO LONNNGGG. (The only time its a problem is when he rolls over and “accidently” puts his head on the keyboard 😉 Silly boy.

 

This is his treat face 😉

 

Do I talk with my dog?

I just reblogged a wonderful post by Trainer Trish in which the question that was asked “Do you Talk to your dog?” The answer- all the time. I’ve always had dogs growing up, and each one has always been special to me in some way. I generally do find myself alone in the house with them, and how could I NOT chat with them when they look at me so expectantly?

My Chihuahua loves to be talked to 😉 Even if she’s deeeeeppp asleep if you say her name ever so lightly in a singsongy voice you’ll see her tail wag as she wakes up and she gets extremely excited! Its quite possibly one of the cutest things in the world 😉

I have noticed that most of my dogs love being talked to…perhaps they feel more connected to us in that way?

Rusty, even though he is deaf, still gets that treatment. Now, I’m not sure the extent of his deafness, as I SWEAR he hears some sounds (although pinpointing which sounds he can hear has proven difficult). Rusty has huge amounts of anxiety for a dog so small, and sometimes when he’s having a particularly stressful time I’ll wrap him in my arms, get really close to his ear and gently tell him that he’s okay and that he’ll be okay if he’ll calmmmmm down. It seems to help!

He’s my sweet boy…so of course I try to talk to him often!

Picky Cats = Happy Pup

Show those cats, Rusty!

Rusty is definitely a peculiar little man! I’ve noticed that he truly does NOT like sitting directly on the floor if he can possibly help it. So, even if he’s only sitting on a tiny corner of something squishy, he’s a happy boy! This cat pillow was acquired YEARS ago for the cats. Since we got it- never once has a cat used it. The first day Rusty came home? Put to use…the cats weren’t terribly pleased, but they’re still not about to sit on it themselves 😉

 

His royal highness on the pillow

 

Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

I am reminded of a time not too long ago. It was just a few months ago, my wonderful roommate had bought some cookies and almost instantly decided that I needed the sugar more than he did. I figured that I could leave them on the coffeetable overnight— since Rusty’s blind and he was sleeping.

Let me tell you just how wrong I am. This dog seems to have a sense for unattended food. Seriously. If there is unattended food ANYWHERE in the house- he will find it and dispose of it. He’s quick, clean and efficient. ((Why, just this evening he somehow magicked himself into my leftover Friday’s meal that I SWEAR made it into the fridge…but apparently not… little monster.)) He’ll not ONCE attempt the cat food if we’re awake to stop him..but the SECOND he’s left unattended? Gone. Lickity Split. BAM I’M AWAKE AND THERE’S FOOD FOR ME TO GET!

So I woke up in the middle of the night on the night of the cookie incident to see that not only had Rusty succeeded in getting two cookies- sprinkles were EVERYWHERE and lets not even get into the crumbs. Oh Lord the crumbs. Thankfully he hadn’t quite gotten into the full package yet— a blessing I think his stomach was applauding.

I managed to snatch this bad boy out of the couch…where he’d ‘buried’ it for later consumption 😉

And let’s not forget the Nan bread incident of 2013. ((Don’t ask me HOW he managed to get a full plate of bread onto the couch with him…but he damn sure ate all of the evidence in 5 seconds flat…)) All I’m saying is that he’s a sorceror.

CHOMPCHOMPCHOMP

little brat…

Hey- lady with the food- is there any more?

Which Way Did You Go?!

Having a blind dog in the house can be very rewarding- especially when it comes to play time. It takes a bit more effort to keep Rusty’s attention at playtime, but when he gets hooked- he’s hooked 😉

Take for instance the other day when he found the BEST NEW TOY EVER OMG. A sock. Now, normally I wouldn’t let dogs chew on my socks (I had a particularly nibbly chihuhua that would literally chew holes in EVERYTHING) but Rusty is pretty gentle and his attention span for playtime is soooooo short.

Rusty finds a new toy…

He found it (it had fallen out of the clothes hamper onto the bathroom floor) and he found it and held it up high as if to say “loookkkiiiittt whhhattt I founnnddd!” How was I NOT going to play with him?!

Funny thing happened- he forgot where I was and playbowed to the litter box 😉 Sometimes silly mixups like that can happen—but it never seems to phase him. He always corrects himself and continues on smiling until I play with him longer.

Playbow!

Heyyyy Waitaminute…THERE You are!

HAVE AT THEE!

 

He truly is a funny little dog… ((just don’t tell HIM that…I think he’s starting to get an ego!))

 

 

 

ATTACK OF THE KILLER COUCH!!!

His majesty in one of his many strange sleeping positions 😉

 

Rusty has the amazing habit of sleeping in strange positions for HOURS. Sometimes he’s upside down, other times he appears not to have a spine (or a care in the world about his spine). I swear one of these days I’m going to have to take the couch apart to make sure he hasn’t truly been eaten!

Its like he knows that I’m taking his photo…

 

Who’s that scary face?

I have never seen him make this face in my life O.O

This dog is so silly where toys are concerned, but generally speaking he gets bored with them quickly. I can understand that, though, because since he can’t see the toy, I imagine that’s one less reason why toys would be so interesting…since many dog toys have different visually stimulating aspects, I can see why that wouldn’t actually help a blind dog 😉

However, usually he tosses something around for a minute then walks away…but as I was snapping this photo, not only did he growl (like a werewolf!) but he made this face before flinging it around again! Both Ada and I were like O.O as you can imagine 😉

 

But of course then he smiles at me with this tiny little happy smile as if he knows that I am taking his photo. It was almost as if he was saying “FOR MMMEEEEE????”

Its almost like seeing a child on Christmas! He was so happy to get it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So happy 🙂

 

Rusty sleeps :)

No pictures! No autographs!

This little monster sleeps so much in one day I can’t help but be jealous. He’s almost catlike in that aspect- as long as he’s got me or a warm blanket, he can often be seen (or heard) sleeping and snoring away the hours. Sometimes he sleeps with his feet straight up in the air- the first time I saw it I thought he’d died! O.O It wasn’t until he sneezed that I realized he was just weird 😉

he’s a second away from typing in his sleep (and making mommy lose her place…again…)