Rub a Dub Dub

Today was a very upsetting day for Hammy. It was bath day.

Hammish hates baths!!! He is very good while taking them, but he hates getting all wet - especially his head. We have to bribe him (and ease our guilt) through the whole ordeal with many, many treats. After all those treats and a little rubdown all over my carpet, we have a very damp, but much happier Hammy!

He is very wooly so he takes awhile to dry completely. I think only his eyebrows are dry as of this picture.

P.S. He's still pretty ticked at us....I had to offer him a treat just to get his picture!!!!

Happy Birthday Hammish!!

Today is our sweet, little Hammy's 7th Birthday!!

Birthday cake with the guest of honor's image

A special guest enjoying cake. I tried to get a picture of Hammish enjoying his cake, but he ate the whole piece in one big chomp! By the time my camera was ready to take the picture, the cake was GONE!


Happy Birthday Hammy! We love you!!

The Case of the Disappearing Bagel Sandwich

WANTED

Case #: 2009-521





Suspect: Hammish Gygi (see photo below)




Age: 6



Weight: 31 lbs



Height: 15 inches



Accused of: Snatching a bagel, cream cheese and turkey sandwich from the kitchen table and scarfing the whole thing down!



The Evidence: Missing turkey bagel; lots of slobber on the floor under the table where said bagel was sitting; suspect had slicked back ears, wiggled a lot and wagged his tail furiously (he looked terribly guilty!)



The Mystery: How could a dog with 3 inch legs grab a turkey bagel from a 3 foot high table and eat it without being noticed by his parents who were in the room at the time of the crime?

Reunited, and It Feels So Good!

Hammish has this favorite little squeaky toy. It's a hedgehog that he got for Christmas; Cayden calls him "Hedgy" for short. It is currently the only squeaky toy that Hammy will play with. His favorite thing to do with Hedgy is hide him in different places around the house and he will cry and pace until he finds the perfect spot.

Well, Hedgy's squeaker was broken for a couple of weeks and on Sunday I finally got around to giving him a new one. Hammish was so excited and immediately went to find a place to hide him. He did a very good job because we didn't find Hedgy until tonite. After tearing the whole house apart looking for him, we finally decided to check outside as Hammy sometimes tries to sneak his toys out of the house. So I was looking out in the yard with a flashlight (Yes, a flashlight. You wouldn't believe what this dog puts us through as every night we have to look for Hedgy) and just as I was about to give up and go inside, I spotted Hedgy in one of the new garden dirt piles. Poor Hedgy, he had been out there for days in the pouring rain!

He actually looks pretty good in this picture, but he was soaking wet and covered with dirt!

I gave Hedgy a quick scrub in the sink and threw him in the dryer. Hammish was literally sitting next to the dryer waiting for him. We gave him a little peek.

A clean and dry Hedgy!



Together again!!!

"A Healing Halo of Love"

Poor little Hammish! We had to take him to the vet on Friday for an incredibly itchy raised spot on his tail. The diagnosis: a hot spot. No big deal you say? Well, think again! This poor baby has to be on antibiotics for a whole month as well as have a cream applied to the hot spot until it gets better; not to mention the shame of having the middle section of his tail shaved.


You're welcome for not taking a close up of the hot spot. It is a bit icky. Now, to add insult to injury, poor Hammy has to wear a cone for a whole week so he won't chew on the offending spot. Friday night, he was so miserable, I just couldn't bear to put on the old, hard, plastic cone we had from his leg surgeries. By Saturday morning I realized he really needed a cone as he took some little nibbles now and then the night before. We went shopping for a new cone. I just wanted to get a flexible, light weight plastic cone, when lo and behold we found this:

It's "The Comfy Cone"!! A very soft, flexible cone made of foam and covered in a washable nylon fabric. You can fold it down so your pet can eat and drink; it's soft and cushy so they can sleep in comfort; pets can fit thru doorways and walk by furniture with out getting stuck or bumping into things; it folds flat for easy storage and it has reflective binding on it so your pet can be seen at night! With the Comfy Cone, "feeling bad never felt so good!" If I can't convince you, this guy sure can:

Isn't he precious?!

Hammish is not quite as happy about the Comfy Cone as I am, but rest assured, he is much more comfy!

Hammish vs. The Vacuum

My sweet little protector Hammish. This video is a little silly and very grainy (sorry, I was really vacuuming at the time), but I just love how tough he is.....that is, until the vacuum comes on.

Poor Little Fat Dog

Hammish FINALLY went in for a shearing today. I think this is the longest we have ever let him go. He was supposed to get his hair cut in mid August but the poor baby hurt his shoulder really bad and we had to postpone.

Here are the before pictures:

He really does have two eyes

Profile shot

And AFTER:

Looking out his favorite window weighing at least 10 pounds less; of course the vet never agrees with us that his hair contributes to his chubbiness

I know he looks a little severe, but he'll be perfect looking in a couple of weeks. He's so happy....well, I think he is. Does your dog's personality change after a haircut??

By the way, if anyone owns a spinning wheel, I think we enough fur for a nice sweater!!

Field Trip

We decided to get out of the house for a bit today as it was soooo HOT! We took a little trip to Tumwater Falls. Pretty scenery and well, it's quite shady there which we needed!

Our journey begins

Hammy checking out the water

The boys posing in front of a very tiny waterfall

The drinking fountain the Olympia Brewing Employees presented to the park about 75 years ago. Looks like it needs a good cleaning.

Hammish stopped and investigated about every 3 steps (3 of our steps, not his thankfully)

Hammy looking over the edge again, but from a higher elevation

The view from the other end of the park

The falls at the end of the park

Hammy the daredevil

The tired and very hot boys taking a breather on a bench made out of an old tree stump. Notice the Sentinel Ranger taking a break too!

Sleepy Heads

They are so cute - I just had to share!!

O, Lamentable Day!

Today was a sad, sad day. I went over to my neighbor's house to thank them for the pastries they gave me, and when she opened the door, she was in tears! Apparently, her dog was hit by a car and then left to die on the side of the road. It was terrible! When Cayden and I came home, we held Hammish in our laps for a long time, thinking of how grateful we are for him and that he's alive.

*Note! The lovely artwork of Hammy was done by my niece 4 years ago.

*Another Note! Kudos to you if you can figure out what play my title is from!