Dogs and Chocolate

Two things that should never mix.

John's favorite treat in the entire world is dark chocolate. I mean DARK chocolate. He likes those candy bars that claim to be 90% Cocoa. I think they taste like chalk, but that is just me.

Anyway, I bought his a couple of these bars the other day. He was thrilled.

Tuesday afternoon he called me at work.

"What happens if a dog eats 1/2 a dark chocolate bar?" he asked.

"They die.", I replied.

"I'll call you right back." he said, and hung up.

I have been married to John long enough to know that these kind of things happen. So I didn't get too worried. I let it go, until I came home that afternoon.

I walked in to see John holding a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and a huge container of Idoz Salt. Max was looking up at him with an expression of hunger.

"Are you feeding that stuff to him?", I asked.

"Yeah, the vet said I have to get him to throw up all the chocolate, and that this is what you give a dog to make them barf. The problem is, Max likes this stuff and eats it with no problem." John told me.

So, after an initial dosage of two teaspoons recommended by the vet we ended up with giving him around six tablespoons of peroxide, plus two tablespoons of salt to make it foam up after no luck with the peroxide alone. Max lapped up peroxide and salt like it was a treat. He didn't even look like he was going to be sick at all. The vet was amazed as call after call she told us to give him more.

It was get him to barf, or get an emergency stomach pump. And I was not paying for that when Peroxide and Salt were practically free.

Max finally foamed up and puked loads of chocolate in the front yard, and all was well. So gross to watch.

We learned two things.

1. How to make a dog barf.

2. Not to leave chocolate on the kitchen counter. Max may only be a foot and a half tall, but he is three and a half feet long. On his hind legs he can reach anything.

Some Picture Updates

Mom is going to be a little irritated that there are no baby shower pictures on here. I grabbed the wrong memory card, so we are just going to have to settle for some random photos from over the last few weeks.





So here I am going green, with my fabric Target shopping totes. I actually use these every time I go to Target. It was weird at first because the Utah cashiers are not used to these like they are in California. I am glad to not waste so many garbage bags. Plus they are cute.





And yes, that is my super sexy double chin, that I have been blessed with, in all of its amped up pregnant glory. I am trying to get over it.....





John decided to set up the crib about a week ago, and of course the dogs were in the middle of it. They, like children, seemed to LOVE the box.


Here they are lounging. Max is getting fat, he is up to 80 pounds. I feel better knowing I am not the only one.

Here is the nursery, starting to take shape. Don't worry, I am not leaving that changing table next to the window, well unless I happen to get a really fussy baby. Just kidding Mom, geeze. It is moving to the other side of the room. Next to the solid wall.

Okay, now lets see how much I have grown. Here I am at 17 weeks. This is around the beginning of February. I remember thinking, "Wow, I actually look pregnant!" Yeah, well I didn't know how fast I would look HUGE!

So, here I am at 29 weeks, about two weeks ago. And would you believe me if I told you, I am already even bigger!? This shirt actually is making me look small.

An evening full of pee.

I have a little Aussie dog, who is too curious for her own good. She is always in the middle of what you are trying to do, and last night she got some consequences for it.
Little Izzy has a preference for toilet water. Her bowl could be full of fresh icy water and she will still choose the toilet.
Last night, before bed, John was using the facilities with the light off and the door open, while I was brushing my teeth. Yes, we are THAT married and THAT gross. Anyway, little Izzy, being involved in everything as usual, decided that the bathroom was the place to be. Not seeing that John was peeing, she stuck her head under the stream to try for a drink.
Needless to say, she got pee all over her head.
It was the damn funniest thing I ever saw!
She freaked out and bolted while I howled with laughter. We then had to chase her around the house, so we could give her head a good washing.
I laughed hysterically for nearly an hour.
I guess she did not appreciate being the laughed at. This morning as I went to take her and Max out for their morning potty break I stepped in an icy cold pee puddle, with bare feet at the back door. She must have set that up last thing before bed last night.
As is the saying, "Revenge is a dish (or in this case, puddle) best served cold."

The Beasties

Have you met our beasts? Well if you have not here they are. I have never met a more eccentric pair of dogs in my life. They are a pain in the rear, but they are our only children so I guess we have to love them.

Max (right) is part Basset hound and part lab. He stands about 2 feet tall, and 4 feet long. He is a very strange breed. The Basset hound in him makes for a self interested personality. He doesn't care if you tell him no. He plans to do what he pleases not matter the consequences. He enjoys running away to taunt us with chases around the neighbor hood. His pass times include sleeping, stealing food off counters, eating flip flops and remotes and pouting. He thinks he is a lap dog, but weighs in at 65 pounds.

Isabuea (left) is part Australian Shepherd and part Border Collie. She is so smart is is scary. She is never out of energy, EVER. She likes to chase Max around the house and nip at him playfully as he tries to sleep or relax. She keeps him fit. Isabeau can tell when Max is doing something he is going to get in major trouble for, and alerts her parents to the problem. She can round him up if he tries to run away. She is a great catcher of thrown objects and can play ball in the park for literally hours. She likes to attack lick people and can't stand Max getting attention without putting herself in the middle of it.

Between the two of them we are very busy. I am not sure how children will fit in the mix with these two personalities, but it will be quite the fun experiment.