We have a new puppy!

Maisie (1 year) and Rocco (5 months)

This is the first opportunity I've had to post about our new puppy and I've been so anxious to tell everyone about him. We had absolutely no intention of getting a new puppy, but Lisa of Afterglow Scottish Terriers practically forced me to take him. I tried to explain that this wasn't a good time financially (his name is Joseph) but Lisa said she knew he would have a good home with us and ask us to make her an offer. She was very, very generous to us so, of course, we went up to her home in Desert Hot Springs, about 30 minutes from us, to see the three puppies she had left. It was such a hard choice but we picked the smallest little boy and he is just so very sweet and loving. We picked him up on Saturday after Christmas.

Maisie is a beautiful, sweet little girl, but she is a bit high strung and a bit aloof. Rocco (Scotch on the Rocks) is just so sweet and very affectionate and he really keeps Maisie on the run. They play very well together. He learned to sit in record time and I have hope that he may learn other commands. I believe Maisie knows what they are; she just refuses to obey them.

Maisie and Rocco are half-siblings; they have the same father but different mothers. They look very much alike but Rocco has his mother's temperament and Maisie has her mother's temperament.

These photos were taken last Sunday after their grooming. Lisa's son, Robert, is a junior handler and also a groomer and he did a great job.

Harley and Maisie

Emma, Harley, Hugo and Tulie

We lost our little Scottie boy in November. Harley was the last of four Scotties that we had all at the same time. Harley would have been eleven years old on December 12. He was our very, very loving little boy and we miss him terribly.

We're very grateful that we brought Maisie into our family last spring. She's our only pup at this time and she is such a cute little girl. Her personality is very much like the other four in many ways, and yet she is also very different. She makes us laugh and she's eased the loss of Harley.


We were recently able to get a good photo of Maisie within minutes after her grooming. She'll be one year old on January 4, and we love her to death.

Happy Monday Morning

Well, after a week with Maisie Grace, she's the only one in the house that isn't exhausted. She has more energy than all of us put together.

She's doing very well...still sleeping through the night and doing pretty well with house training though she has had a few accidents.

She tries really hard to be Harley's friend but he's having no part of her. At least he's not seriously snapping at her anymore...it's more a low growl that says, "Not now, Trouble." She continues to try and she's doing everything right so he will have to come around eventually because she's so darned cute.

One day they'll be best friends.

Not off to a good start in 2008

I've talked about my Scotties before...
Tulie, 12; Emma, 10; and Harley 10. The day after Joseph arrived, we were just quietly talking when Tulie, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly went into a seizure. After five days in the hospital and many, many tests, we had to let her go on Christmas Eve. The tests had shown that in addition to an enlarged heart, three vital organs were failing at the same time: kidneys, pancreas and liver. Of course, we knew she was slowing down and getting older, but we had no idea about the all the other issues.

Our Christmas was very subdued and no one feels much like doing anything since we lost her. Even the other pups are unusually quiet and just not acting as usual. After a few days, Harley was back to his old happy, carefree self but Emma continued to seem very depressed. Then we noticed she was losing weight and was refusing even roast beef. Emma never turns down a treat so we were sure, after nearly two weeks, it was more than depression.

So now our Emma has been in the hospital since yesterday. We're awaiting more blood test results and an ultrasound today. We've known she has Cushings disease since she was about 4, but it's been under control with Lysodren. When we took her in her temp was 105, very, very high. Initial blood work showed some imbalances in her readings and an indication of her kidneys not working.

It's very hard to wait and not know what's wrong with her. We pray whatever is causing her illness will be treatable with adjustments in her meds. And so I'm hoping later today we'll get some good news.

Obviously, the picture is an old one, but from the left is Emma, Harley, Hugo and Tulie. We lost Hugo three years ago (when he was only 8) to bladder cancer while our regular vet was in Argentina for the holidays, just as he was this year when Tulie passed.

Christmas Swap

This is what I received from Penney at Seamore Collectibles. Our Teddy Talk forum offered a Swap for something we made ourselves other than teddy bears or other soft sculptures.Penney designed and hand painted this Christmas set because she knows we have three Scotties. The plate is quite large, the wine glasses with snowmen and Scotties even have little snow flakes on the base of the glass, and the little ornament has another Scottie. It's just a beautiful set. My swap to Penney was a delicate sterling silver and pearl bracelet and earring set. Sorry...I didn't take any pictures. Allyn said I got the better end of the deal.