My Yorkie Bichon Mix

I know pets can have allergies and I’ve dealt with it first hand growing up with my Turkish Angora cat named Rusty.  Of the 20 or allergens out there he was allergic to roughly 12 of them and we had to give him a shot once a month in order to combat the affects.  Rusty’s allergies would make him get very itchy around the face and it would also cause very skittish reactions.

With Jack we have noticed over the past year he tends to lick and lightly bite on his legs until the fur is completely wet.  It doesn’t seem to get overly red or irritated though so part of me thinks that he is just cleaning himself.  However, Jack does not like it when you touch that area and will pull his leg away or even show his teeth a little.

I have been trying to pay close attention to him with the hopes of finding the cause of the allergy.  Maybe it’s the type of food he is eating or a treat that we give him causes the itchy legs.  There is no particular season of the year  that brings it on because he has been doing it routinely.  Magoo will literally spend thirty minutes just licking and licking and licking.  Sometimes you wish the little guy could talk and just say “Hey!  my legs are itchy” or “It’s nothing, I’m just keeping up my appearance”.

All in all it doesn’t look to be causing any damage to his legs, he never draws blood or irritates the area that much.  On our next vet visit we’ll bring it up and see what the doc has to say.

This is a short video Val and I took when Jack was about 15 weeks old.   It’s amazing to think he was that small and also that dark in color.  At about 6 months old his coat really started to get lighter, but thank fully the cuteness stayed.  When I picked him out I had no idea what he would look like as he aged. I wasn’t too big on the bichon look and the white fur, but combining that with a yorkie coloring and snout ended up being quite the compliment.

Here’s the short video I promised…

This past Monday I was put on the DL (disabled list) when I opted for foot surgery to help fix some problems that have come back from an old injury.  Seeing that I won’t be able to drive for the next few weeks, I’ll be working from home.  This brings the added benefit of spending some wonderful time with our 2 year old Borkie (Yorkie Bichon mix).

Jack has been nothing short of great!  Every time I sit down he’ll curl up on my lap and just hang out with me.  He’s usually a playful dog, but I think he realizes I’m a bit injured and has just settled down next to me and kept me company.  Jack is afraid of my crutches though, as I think they remind him of a broom or something.  He hasn’t started barking at them just yet, but I can see it coming.  You should see the way he barks at my wife when she sweeps the kitchen floor…he goes nuts!

Right now I’m sitting on the couch (I hooked up my computer to my 42 inch TV so I could keep my foot elevated on the couch) and Jack is laying behind my head on the cushion.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that dog gots some cat in him.

Some things Jack has been doing since I had my operation..

• Sitting on the couch with me
• Follows me to the bathroom
• He brings his toy to me, instead of trying to get me to chase him
• Barks like a crazed lunatic when someone is coming in (well he does this all the time but I like to think he is being extra protective.)

Next week I’ll try and post a cute video or pictures of Jack doing some doggy tricks

Have a good rest of the week!

I don’t know why, but every dog or cat that I’ve owned has wanted to take part (read…get in the way) when the bed is being made.  I guess they think the moving sheets and thrown pillows are to enticing to pass up.  Jack, our Yorkie Bichon pup, is no different!  As you can see from this short video, he got underneath the fitted pillow top and was having a little fun.

Like many other pet owners, we always have trouble finding a good spot for our Yorkie Bichon doggy, Jack, when we go away for vacation.  We hate the idea of bringing him to a boarder and having him stuck in a cage for hours on end.  Growing up, my parents always put our family dog in a boarder and sometimes Cricket would come home with Kennel cough and she would always seem a bit off for a few days afterwords. We don’t want this for Jack, and we know how much he hates being in a cage.

About a year ago, my wife was talking to one of her co-workers and got a recommendation for a local family who watches dogs for $35 a day.   They have 3 dogs of their own as well as 3 great little girls.  On average they may watch 1 to 3 other dogs at any given time.  It is the perfect match for us and our pup.

Before even bringing Jack there for his first extended stay, we brought him over for about an hour to just check out the place and see how he reacts to the owners dogs and kids.  He understandably was very nervous and wouldn’t leave our side for the first half hour, but soon started sniffing around and getting comfortable.

The first time we left him there was for a week, and dropping him off was hard on us as we watched Jack shacking in Nicole’s hands as we walked away.  It was heart wrenching for sure!  About 2 days into the trip and just as we were really starting to miss our dog and wonder how he was doing, Nicole sent my wife a picture text message of Jack sleeping on their couch in his favorite feet up position.

When we saw that, we  knew Jack was in good hands and was having a good time.  At the end of the week, we picked Jack up and he was his old self but with some shorter hair.  The dog watcher also does grooming too!  Since then we have used Nicole 2 more times and each time Jack is a little less nervous, which makes us feel like we chose the perfect dog watcher.

I’m writing this post because Val and I just got back from Las Vegas (Great place to spend New Years Eve!) and we have yet to pick up Jack because we got back too late.  I miss him and can’t wait to pick the little guy up from Nicole tomorrow afternoon.  Jack is a huge part of our family and it’s not the same sleeping in our bed without him.

Hope everyone had a great New Years Eve!