Mini Bear in Icing

Cyndi:  Hey, Marcus, have you seen our recent house guest in icing yet?

Marcus:  I don't remember having a house guest in icing.  Is that a new fashion?

Cyndi:  No, silly, it's a cake a new member brought to the local Humane Society meeting Tuesday.  Actually, it's a cupcake cake.

Marcus:  I never heard of a cupcake cake.  Is it made of cake or cupcake batter?

Cyndi:   It's made from cupcakes and icing in whatever shape a customer wants. Jan thought it resembled Bear and took some pictures. 

Marcus:  Hey, that does resemble her somewhat, but it's hard to tell for sure.

Cyndi:  How can you say it might?  It looks like her!

Marcus:  It's hard to tell since the closest look I had of her was when she was on her back pummeling me on the nose for being polite.  (The Mini Bear)

Cyndi:  You're several times her size and you were trying to sniff her butt.  What did you expect?

Marcus: It was a misunderstanding. 

Cyndi:  Yes, it was.  I hope you learned a lesson.

Marcus:  What lesson?

Cyndi:  Never underestimate the ingenuity of a female!  You'll get kicked in the nose every time.

The Mini Bear

Merci:  Meet Bear.  Seriously, this is Bear the chihuahua mix.  She - yes, she!  (You have probably already guessed that Bear the female chihuahua was named by a guy.)  She stayed with us June 1 - 5.

Percy:  She was so quiet we hardly knew she was here at first, but the next day (Saturday) Jan and her friend Miss Teresa took Bear to visit her human at the nursing home, and Bear came back with ATTITUDE and a voice.

Merci:  When she was suddenly taken from her home and left here, she thought she was abandoned.  When Miss Teresa returned the next day and Bear spent time with her human, Bear changed from fearful to happy and hopeful.  Also, Bossy.

Percy:  Jan says if Bear were her dog, she'd rename Bear "Hope". She looks like a Hope, doesn't she!

Merci:  She loved to go outside and patrol the dog pen.  She'd walk back and forth, stand up for a better look in the neighbor's yard, resume patrol, sit in the shade where she had a panoramic view, resume patrol, say it was time to go in, take a leap onto the first step and bounce up the rest.

Marcus:  She did not like being crated.  Jan gave her the larger crate so she wouldn't feel cramped and she hated it.  I'm the bigger dog.  I should have had the larger crate.  But no, the mini bear got it!

Percy:  Jan let her have it so you wouldn't argue over her being in your crate.  When Cricket was here last year (Cricket Goes Home) , you didn't stop complaining about having to move out of your crate so she could have the smaller one.

Merci:  She had picked out a corner behind the desk Friday and Jan had blocked it with a gate so she could relax in private.   Then Jan blocked it with a gate.to keep her out with us, either in the crate or loose in the house, but not hiding in a corner. 

Marcus:  But after Bear returned Saturday, she figured out how to get back to "her" corner.  While Jan sat here at the computer, Bear accessed the bottom desk shelf from the open side and pushed things out the front for a private entrance.

Percy:  As hyper and noisy as Marcus is, he was a very good boy for the duration. Jan would let Bear out of the crate and when Bear went back in on her own, Jan would lock it and let Marcus out of his.  Jan claims playing musical crates and outside patrol is w-o-r-k!

Merci:  She also claims Bear and Marcus took about five years off her life when they accidentally met one day at the kitchen door.  Jan heard terrified screams, turned around in time to see Bear turn and run with Marcus right behind her.  Jan caught up to them on the enclosed porch.  Bear was on her back ...  Actually, Marcus should tell what happened.

Marcus:  Bear hasn't been around other dogs and obviously didn't know proper canine etiquette because she was just plain RUDE!  I was following Jan into the kitchen when Bear, who was supposed to be sleeping in her corner, suddenly tried to pass me.  Being the polite guy I am, I started to say hello - the canine way by sniffing her butt.  She started screaming, "He's trying to kill me!" and the chubby little mini bear took off running, screeching like I really was killing her.

Percy:  Jan caught up to them and nearly laughed.  Bear was on her back with all four feet pumping like she was riding a bicycle, screeching like Marcus actually was killing her.  Marcus was standing over her trying to ... er, be polite.

Marcus:  Yes, I was being polite trying to sniff her butt but as I said she was RUDE!  Aside from her shrieking in my ears, she was kicking me on the nose with those pumping feet!

Merci:  Jan took Marcus back to his crate and gave him a treat to let him know he wasn't in trouble.   Then she turned to go check on Bear, just as Bear came sauntering through the doorway as if nothing had happened.  Yep, Bear definitely had attitude.  

Percy:  That Tuesday Bear's owner went home and so did Bear.

Marcus:  She wasn't a bad house guest, but she needs someone to explain the facts of canine etiquette - never kick a gentleman in the nose for saying hello!. 

Cricket Goes Home

Merci:  Well, it's about time!

Rusty:  It's about time for what?  We've already had breakfast.

Merci:  It's about time our guest left so I can have my private room back..

Rusty:  That's not your private room.  That was our guest room for the past few days.

Merci:  Well, it's mine now!  I'm going to take a long nap.

Rusty:  I hate to spoil your plans, but you had better make that a short nap.  Jan is planning to break this dog crate down today.

Merci:  Then get out of my bedroom so I can enjoy some privacy.

Rusty:  Privacy?  You really think a room with bars is private?

Some of you have asked about our guest since we mentioned one in yesterday's post.  Here she is.  She was picked up on a country road on October 29th by a young woman who reached out for help to vet her from the local humane society (not a shelter!) because the dog has an injured eye.  She could not keep the dog there too long, so last Friday this old lady came to stay with us while we searched for her owner. 

It has been an interesting few days.  As any regular reader of this blog is aware, Marcus is not a gentle soul.  He is hyper and a bull in the china shop.  We all know to keep out of his way when he's excited but this dog was old and small (6 lbs when she arrived and 8 lbs yesterday).  She would be easily injured. 

So Jan spent the time playing musical dog crates.  When Marcus would go in his crate to nap, Jan would let the guest out.  When she went back in her crate to nap, Jan would open his door.  And then there were all those trips to the dog pen at all hours for pee/poop detail.  Marcus and the guest did meet on a few occasions, with Marcus checking her out doggy style.  The times when Marcus would go hysterical because he was about to go for a walk, or eat, or go outside to play fetch, he would wake her up and she would eventually give one high-pitched yelp that to Jan sounded very much like "SHUT UP"!

Merci slept in her bed against the outside of the guest crate, but she really, really, really wanted to move in!  Jan had to keep shooing her out.

Yesterday Jan and Kay (both with Upson Humane) started a serious Found Dog campaign on Facebook and the pictures/info were shared, shared, shared.  Jan shut down about 10 pm.  At 1:30 am, the owner suddenly saw her dog "all over facebook".  Barbara, the owner, called Jan this morning. 

Jan immediately called Kay and as she was telling her the news, that quickly the daughter-in-law Michelle was at our door, with Barbara on her cell phone.  Our guest responded to her voice.  There was no doubt those two were family!  Kay "flew" here for the reunion, too. 

Cricket the dog is a Reindeer Chihuahua and is older than we thought, about 20 or 21.  She had just wandered off and her family, fearing she was dead, had been frantically looking for her. 

Now you know who was visiting with us and why.  Michelle and Kay (above) are ecstatic Cricket is safely home. We are, too, and so are a whole lot of people on Facebook.

Merci: Will you guys please type quieter!  I'm trying to nap before Jan kicks me out of my room again.