A trip to the Vet

For a dog that's not really afraid of much, he is humbled when he goes to the Veterinarian. I feel sorry for Chance when I see his tail tucked between his legs as the Vet examines him. He is fine later and he starts to relax but is still somewhat cautious.

I love the Vet. She seems genuinely interested in Chance and Ivan and she lets me talk about them freely. She also asks questions about them which I love.

The Vet tech cut Chance's nails in front of me this time, with me holding him. I was a bit nervous because he REALLY doesn't like it when I try to cut his nails. But it's amazing that after a few minutes, I guess he realizes he's pretty much trapped. So, he relents and lets us finish the job. Whew. Thank goodness.

All is well. A nail clipping and few shots later, we're headed back home. Oh, by the way, he has gained 4 pounds since I adopted him a year ago in September. (40 - 44lbs.) Aaah, living the good life!

BUDDIES!

This is one of the greatest pictures of Ivan and Chance. Why? It's because it represents so many things about these two dogs. I have had Ivan for about 3 years before I got Chance. I adopted Chance last year in September. The adjustment phase was a bit tough for all of us, Pat included. But between the two dogs, it was a matter of who was next in the pecking order. First of all, I learned how to be the alpha. I learned how to make two dogs realize that they have to make it work.

If it wasn't for Ivan's coolness, it probably wouldn't have worked. But Ivan is so sweet that he eventually mellowed out around Chance. In the beginning they would have a standoff in an several areas in the house. Sometimes, it was because of food. Sometimes it was just to exert dominance. Of course, it got bad before it got better. That's the only way you eyes get open. Anyway, fast forward to a year later and they are comfortable with each other. This picture totally shows it. Ivan is relaxed and Chance is leaning on Ivan...Chance is such a leaner. He either does it to me or Ivan, if he's close by.

It's amazing what a year can do.

The Boat...

Well, Pat went trick or treating this weekend too and got a treat of his own. This is quite an acquisition for the Osborns. We have never owned a boat in our lives and I didn't grown up around water or boats. So, this will be a nice change in our lifestyle. It will be interesting how much I will like being in a boat. At some point when we were talking about getting a boat, Pat mentioned something about me and the dogs can join him. We haven't fully revisited this issue but I'm hoping I can bring at least of the dogs so that I can hangout with one. When we talked about it, it looks like Chance might be the better candidate but I'm not giving up on my buddy, Ivan.

I have to say I like this fishing boat. It's roomy for me. I don't feel worried about getting thrown overboard (yes, I do worry about that!) The best part of this boat is how it makes Pat feel. He is very excited to have his boat after waiting forever for it. I'm looking forward to seeing him have fun with it. He is already talking about taking it out for its maiden voyage this month.

A TREAT!

Halloween is a holiday that I really didn't grow up with. I think I remember trick or treating once growing up and I was already in my early teens I think. I don't know why I never did it. I don't remember if my siblings did it either.

I didn't start thinking about Halloween until we moved to Coeur d'alene, ID. I started to look forward to kids stopping by and seeing their cute costumes. Although, where we lived, we didn't get that many. 10 kids was a considered a good evening.

At our new place in Spokane Valley, WA we live in a new neighborhood with not that many kids. So, we will get a handful and we hoped we would get more each year. This year, the church that i go to now built a community center right behind our house. They had a big halloween function for the kids and it was a huge success! We really thought we would get those kids to come over our neighborhood after that function but we ended up getting less this year! However, I did get two treats. My coworker Charlie brought his family over to trick or treat. Pat's coworker, Rachel, brought her family over too. We did get a handful of kids later which was nice. They are just so darn cute.