Tessa Got Some New Bling

We ordered Tessa a new collar from SewFetchDog, a woman owned Maine small business.  It comes in a super shiny bag!

It fits perfectly and we really, really like it!

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;o)

Bath Time

Thank goodness for the lick mat or Tessa would never get a bath...

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;o)

Stalking Geckos

Tessa is obsessed with the little geckos that are everywhere!  She sits by the door watching for them and when you open the door, she immediately runs circles around the outside table, looking for them.  It would be cute if it wasn't so annoying.  She is completely deaf when she's in gecko mode. ;o(

"What?!  I'm just looking..."

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;o)

A Visit to the Emergency Vet...Twice!

We were supposed to go to see Brigid's Cross this afternoon at the food drive, so we didn't go to breakfast, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  We took Tessa for a walk, had lunch at home and were about to put her in her crate when she started coughing, like something was caught in her throat.  Then her breathing got more labored and sounded kind of like snoring.  We packed her into the truck and drove to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic on Murdock, 10 - 15 minutes away.  We called ahead, at Wendy's suggestion, and arrived about 1:00.  Of course, she seemed better once we arrived but they triaged her right away.  After determining that she wasn't critical, they asked us to wait in the truck.  

I'm not sure when they called us in but Dr. Amanda, who actually lives and works in Key West, was on duty and looked her over really well.  She noticed that Tessa's throat was a little red and possibly somewhat swollen.  She also felt that her breathing was all nasal and not lungs.  We talked about what might be wrong and treatment.  The vet was leaning toward a reaction to something, rather than something in her throat.  We agreed that we would give her an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory but wouldn't proceed unless she didn't improve.  Tessa was very patient while we waited.

We left around 4:00 with her medication and a bill totaling $167, headed over the bridge to see if we could still donate the food we had for the food drive but, alas, too late.  Once we got home, I gave her a treat and we had our coffees and read for awhile.  Then she vomits all over her bed, so I threw that in the wash and Bill noticed that her stomach was distended  Ugh!  What the hell? Sooooo, we loaded her up again and headed back.  She vomited again in the back seat.  Poor girl.  Again, they took her right in to make sure she wasn't suffering from bloat, which was what I was thinking.  

Thankfully, the staff works a 12 hour shift, so we saw the same tech and vet.  I noticed that she had a wattle under her neck and her eyes were red.  Dr. Amanda felt more confident that she was having a reaction to something, but what?  They gave her an anti-nausea shot to begin with.  She could have gotten into something in the yard, or eaten a spider or bug...  Her stomach wasn't distended but her mammary glands were swollen.  So weird.  We talked about next steps and agreed to have bloodwork done.  And we waited...

The results were pretty normal, nothing that the Dr. wouldn't expect with a reaction taking place.  She felt she was dehydrated, so they gave her some subQ fluids and suggested we add Benadryl to the other meds and feed her a bland diet for a couple of days.  It was well after dark when we left with another bill totaling $397.  We ordered a pizza from Hungry Howie's but stopped at CVS first to pick up the Benadryl.  It was 9:00 before we got home.  

We did not sleep very well as both of us were listening to her breathing but by the next morning she seemed somewhat better and after a couple of days, she was back to her normal self.  We still have no idea what the problem was but we're happy she's feeling better.  

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;o)

Tessa Meets Mason

We took a walk around Ollie's Pond today and Tessa met a new friend.  He was a beautiful black dog, named Mason.   

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;o)

Happy Valentine's Day

Cooler today so we took Tessa for a longer walk along the Linear Path and around the block.  We stopped at Landmark to drop off some mail that we thought belonged to the owner but Trisha said she had no idea who it was.  Drove uptown to the In A Pickle food truck, which Bill is dying to try.  Unfortunately, the operator posted on FB that he wouldn't be there today due to a sick child.  So, we got Arby's and sat in the truck to eat.  Ugh.  Normally we might search out a nice neighborhood park but there was a lot of smoke in the area due to some controlled burns. 

Once home, I made the bed and Bill put the trash out.  I sat outside with my coffee and book, then played with Tessa while the coast was clear next door.  

The three of us left around 3:15 and headed to Venice for our annual Valentine's Day sunset.  Not quite the same having Tessa with us but we made it work.  We walked down the opposite side of the street, Bill found a bench to wait on and I crossed over to Ciao Gelato for our traditional sweet treat.  Bill got chocolate and I got half chocolate and half sea salt caramel.  I usually take a picture but I forgot.  We hung out at the bench while we ate.  Bill tied Tessa's leash to the bench and she was actually pretty good.  She gets pretty excited when other dogs come by but she is somewhat easily redirected.  She thinks she would like gelato, too.

I, too, would enjoy some gelato...

We didn't do any window shopping and I didn't get to wander through the quilt shop.  We did walk to the bathrooms, then back to the truck along a less busy side street which had some grass and we were hoping Tessa would pee.  She did not. haha We were nearly run over, while in the crosswalk, by a driver that was blinded by the sun.  

We arrived at the jetty around 5:00 and found a nice spot in the front row.  We sat on a bench on the jetty side and watched the boats going in and out.  We spotted dolphins and a manatee, which was cool.  Tessa enjoyed sitting on the bench with us.  Around 5:45 we walked down the road, on the side with grass, giving Tessa time to sniff and explore and pee.  Again...she did not.  Back to the truck, Bill stayed with her for awhile and I found a nice rock on which to perch.  No way was I sitting in the truck on the warmest Valentine's night in a few years.  69* ;o)

Bill gave Tessa the treat bone we brought, then joined me around 6:10 for the 6:20 sunset.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which means an unexciting sunset but there was a lot of smoke, so the sunset was kind of orange.  Not the best but not the worst either.  We have got to remember to stay at least thirty minutes after sunset for the best "after show" color!

6:18 pm

6:20 pm

6:27 pm

We headed home at 6:40 and arrived by 7:30.  I took a shower, then made popcorn for dinner. 

Hope your Valentine's Day was filled with love!

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;o) 

The View at Lunch

I don't post the "view" that often because it's usually when we are somewhere with a nice view.  More often than not, the view is really something like this...

This is definitely not up to my usual "the view at lunch" standards.

And...there is this...the breathing down my neck back seat rider. 

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;o)

Let's Go To The Beach

It was so nice today that we took Tessa to the beach for the first time.  Well, technically, we don't know for sure that it was her first time, she did come from So. Carolina.  It was her first time to the beach in Maine. 

Her first footprints in the sand at Drakes Island.

She did get her feet wet but she's definitely not a water dog.  She was kind of like...whatever.

We walked a half mile down the beach, then back.  She was great meeting other dogs and couldn't resist saying "hi" to everyone she met.

Who would think there would be a beach day in November?

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;o)

Tessa's New Adventure

Today is Labor Day weekend already.  Where did the summer go?!

Since this morning was cool enough, Tessa went to breakfast with us at L130.  The driveway is gravel and every time someone drives by, it creates a ton of dust, so we have chosen to eat inside.  Tessa waited in the truck, with a nice treat.

At home, I cleaned and filled the birdbaths, filled the birdfeeders and watered the front garden.  Bill went to Lowes to get a new clip for Tessa's black leash.  We are hoping to avoid a repeat of our last excursion, where the leach came loose!

We left around 1:00 and drove to Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth.  As senior Maine citizens, we don't have to pay an admission fee.  Woohoo!  One of the perks of getting older. ;o)

We found a nice table on the back side of the path along the rocks and settled in with our two chairs, two bags and cooler.  We purchased a travel mat for Tessa to lay on, covered it with a towel and gave her another tasty treat.  Our plan was to sit and read but we were both keeping an eye on her along with people and dogs walking by.  

She was so good.  She doesn't really care about other dogs,  is excited to see them and really wants to say "hi" and play.  The only noise she made was to whine when other dogs passed her by.  She would trot to the end of her leash but didn't lunge or pull.  She loves seeing people and would be happy if every single one stopped by to pet her.  

We stayed for a couple of hours, had a snack and gave her another treat (she's going to weigh a hundred pounds if we aren't careful...hahaha).  I did get a couple of chapters read in "The Terminal List" and Bill tried to take a nap.  He took her for a nice walk around the area while I got things packed up.

We stopped at Starbucks on the way home for iced coffees and a puppachino...whipped cream in a cup for the dog.  

It was a perfect day, lots of sun and blue skies and comfortable temperatures in the mid 70's.  

Sitting on the bench with her mama

Such a happy girl ;o)

Be sure to check back for more adventures!

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;o)