Lake Day

      Ken (my boyfriend) made sure that KC was exposed to the water from an early age, because he loves the water and he wanted a dog that did too.  As a little puppy, KC was reluctant at first but she grew to love it.  She loves going to the lake and fetching balls or sticks out of the water.  The other day we decided to go the lake because it was warm outside.  This would be the first time we had been to the lake since last summer, and the first time since we got Jubilee.  I figured Jubilee wouldn't like the water, but no harm in trying.  

Tired after a long day at the lake!

      Once we got to the lake, the first thing KC did was jump in the water.  Ken always has a ball or a stick that he throws and KC will jump in, swim after it, and bring it back.  Jubilee, however, wasn't too sure what was going on.  I sat on the dry part of the sand and watched KC swimming after sticks.  Jubilee sat right beside me and did the same.  I told Ken that I wanted to see what Jubilee would do in the water.  He picked Jubilee up, walked out in the water a ways, and then put her down in it.  She immediately swam back to shore and ran over to me.  I could tell that she hated what just happened.  At home, when I give her baths, she likes to rub all around on the carpet to try and get dry.  Well, apparently, sand has the same appeal.  She began to rub all in the sand trying to get dry, and the next thing I know she looked like a tiny little sandman.  She was completely covered in sand!

      It was one of the funniest/weirdest things I had seen, but needless to say, that was the last time we put her in the water at the lake.  After that, we just let her sun bathe by me while KC swam after sticks.

All Better!

Perky as usual!

      It has been about a week and a half since Jubilee had her surgery and she has completely healed!  Her stitches were dissolvable so I didn't have to worry about getting those taken out and she barely even has a scar!  I am really impressed with the work that they did at the humane society, especially since it is fifty dollars cheaper than getting it done at the vet.
      As far as complications go, I didn't have any of those either.  Jubilee seemed as though she wasn't in any pain and her wound was easy to keep clean.  She was even eating and drinking normal as well.  All went well and I'm so glad it did!
      Whew, got that over with!  No more doggie diapers in the future!  :)

Post-Op

This is Jubilee on the way home from her surgery.  Soo tired!!    

Pooped!!

      Yesterday was Jubilee's appointment to get spayed at the Greenville Humane Society.  I dropped her off at 8:30 in the morning and I got to pick her up at 5 the same day!  My sister decided to go with me to pick her up and since we got there a little early, we got to play with the puppies and kittens that were up for adoption.  (It made want another puppy haha)
      Once Jubilee was ready to go home, she was so happy to see me.  It was so sweet!  I even bought her a new purple collar to make up for leaving her all day.  The humane society really did a great job and I would recommend them to anyone.  I know most people would prefer their vet to do those types of surgeries, but if you have a tight budget, the shelter is really the way to go.
      The shelter said that she should be completely healed within 10 days, but we have to be really gentle until then so she doesn't open her wound.  That means no rough play with KC!  I will let y'all know how she's doing once she is healed!

Jubilee, You're Not a Baby Anymore

Poor little thing has to wear her doggie diapers!

      Not too long after Jubilee got sick, around the middle of January of this year, I started to notice a few things different about her.  I had an idea of what it might be, but I looked up the signs just in case.  She was also at the right age for this to be happening.  Yes, my little baby was in heat, or properly known as the estris cycle.  I guess she wasn't a little baby anymore!  I had always planned to get Jubilee spayed before she ever had her first cycle, but her visit to the vet for being sick set me back financially quite a bit.
      It wasn't really that bad while Jubilee was in heat, and the only thing I really had to do was buy her little doggie diapers because of the bleeding.  I would imagine that having bigger dogs in heat would probably be a little worse, but with Jubilee being as small as she is, the bleeding was slight.

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      However, now that shes not in heat, I have her an appointment set up with the Greenville Humane Society to get spayed on March 11th!  The reason I'm taking her to the Greenville Humane Society instead of to the vet is because the shelter spays and neuters animals for cheaper, at least cheaper than my vet!  By taking Jubilee there I'm saving $50, which is a big chunk of change for a college student like me.  Let's hope all goes well!

Sick Day!

"I don't feel good!"

      During Christmas break, I was back and forth between working in Clemson and seeing my family in Easley.  Instead of dragging Jubilee back and forth with me, I let my family keep her a few nights.  Well, there was one night that was very unfortunate for Jubilee, and for my sister.
      "Ring! Ring!".  It was one o'clock in the morning of the same day I had to go to work at Walgreens and my sister was calling me.  I answered the phone to hear my sister crying.  I had no idea what was going on.  Then she started to tell me that Jubilee had been sick all night with throwing up and diarrhea.  I couldn't think of any reason why Jubilee would be sick other than she might have gotten in to something that she wasn't suppose to.  I told my sister just to hang tight and that I would pick her up after I got off of work. 
      Once I was off the clock the next day, I bought my sister a present (for staying awake with Jubilee ALL night), and I rushed home.  Once I got there, my family said she was doing much better, and that she was even running around and playing.  I took her back to Clemson with me thinking that all was well.
      That night, however, I faced the same nightmare that my sister did.  Jubilee got sick again and she couldn't stop throwing up.  She also had really bad diarrhea and it was bloody.  I knew that the blood in her stool was not a good sign and that I needed to get her to the vet as fast as I could.  I was scheduled to work the next day but I called them and told them what was going on and that I would be a little late.  I went straight to the vet that morning and I was anxious to see what was wrong with my poor little puppy.
      Once the nurse called me back to the room and asked me a bunch of questions, the vet walked in.  I told him everything that I told the nurse and then he started to examine Jubilee.  He decided to keep her overnight since she was dehydrated from all of the throwing up, and he also wanted to do tests on her stool.  I picked her up the next day to find out that she had hookworms.  I felt so bad for my poor little puppy and I started her on worm treatment right away.  I've been giving her monthly treatments ever since and I will continue do so always.   
          

The First Haircut is Always the Worst

      So of course since Jubilee is a Shorkie, and the hair of both shih tzus and yorkies grow continuously, she would eventually need a haircut.  Well, the day came and I decided to give her a haircut myself rather than spend $40 on one.  I figured the easiest way would be to use my dad's hair clippers to shave her because cutting her hair with scissors would take forever.  I thought wrong...

New fresh 'do!

      It was a beautiful summer day, and two of my roommates and I went to my parents' house in Easley for the day since they have a pool.  My dad also decided to cook hotdogs, ribs, AND cheeseburgers and I am definitely not one to turn down free food.  We all had a nice time that day, and once it started to get dark we went inside and ate.  With full tummies and tanned skin, it was time for my roommates and I to head back to Clemson.  Before we left, however, I decided to take advantage of the fact that my dad had hair clippers and to shave Jubilee.  That did not go over well.

      Once I turned on the clippers and they started humming, Jubilee was already giving them a weird look.  But once I put them to her fur, you would have thought that I was killing the poor thing.  She started screaming and yelping, and anytime I got close to her face she tried to bite them.  It was horrible.  I trimmed as much fur as I could until I couldn't take the hollering anymore, and I went back to Clemson and finished the job with regular scissors.  It took FOREVER, but I finally finished. 

      I still haven't to this day paid for Jubilee to get groomed.  I might start to, however, after the 3rd time of having to cut her fur with scissors...  

Sisters for Life

Jubilee and KC!  

       Almost two years ago, my boyfriend adopted a female mix puppy from the animal shelter.  She has the most unusual coloring and coat, and she may look like a dalmation but she is no where close!  We still aren't sure exactly what she is, because her brothers and sisters in the litter had the spots too, but they were all brown instead of white.  My boyfriend decided to name her KC and she is one of the smartest dogs I have ever met!  Her intelligence makes her mischevious though, but hilarious! 

       Of course once I took Jubilee to the vet and got all of her shots, I let her and KC meet!  It definitely wasn't love at first sight but they have grown to love each other over the year they have gotten to know each other!  KC teases Jubilee all the time, just like an older sister would, but she is also very protective of her too.  My boyfriend, Ken, and I love to watch them play and fight over toys, and we think its so cute to watch them cuddle at night!