"You want to put that thermometer WHERE?"

We took Rubix to the vet at 8am this morning. Fortunately, they take walk-ins. She had her temperature taken (not fun!) and that checked out fine. The vet then explained to us that she needed to shave the hair from around the wound, flush it out to sterilize it, and then put an antibiotic ointment in and around the puncture. Rubix came back to us looking a little bit different. She now has a "summer cut" and we can keep an eye on the wound (and find it a lot more easily)!

We were told that it was very important that we make sure the wound stays open and heals from the inside out. Dogs apparently are able to heal quickly, but with bite punctures like this one, bacteria can be closed up inside when it scabs over and an infection may develop. We were given both a topical and an oral antibiotic to administer twice daily. Rubix is doing just fine, showing off her "tough dog club" initiation wound like a pro!

Hole in One... One Rubix, that is.

Richard and I were so excited to take Rubix and her Poppa and Momma Smotherman to the dog park tonight! She was goofing off with several different dogs, enjoying herself as usual. We all were laughing at their antics, taking pleasure in watching her socialize with her dog pals.

After about 10 minutes at the park a fluffy, spotted dog trotted into the group from across the way. I mentioned to Richard that her hair was raised near her tail. This usually indicates the dog is about to show some aggression. Seconds after I said that, the dog was showing its teeth and began snarling and attacking Rubix.

Poor Rubix tried to fight back, but was unable to get the dog off of her. Richard and I began yelling and ran toward the two dogs. He tried getting between them and breaking the fight up, but they were traveling across the park. He pushed the other dog with his leg, giving Rubix the ability to fight back a bit.

Finally, the owner of the dog ran up and grabbed her off of Rubix. He held her down, trying to calm her down. Rubix walked over to the gate and I started looking over her for injuries. At first, I didn't see anything. Then, the other dog's owner said his dog had blood on her teeth and he didn't think it was hers. I looked again around her collar and this is what I found:

That dog bit Rubix and left a puncture wound on her neck! I was so angry and worried. We drove Rubix home and I cried the whole way. She didn't whimper or whine at all. In fact, for most of the car ride, she was hanging out the window.

When we got home, Candace and Richard took her outside and cleaned the wound out with soapy water and peroxide. Then, they put Neosporin on it. She didn't seem bothered at all. Our puppy is quite the trooper! We're going to take her to the vet first thing in the morning to find out what all we need to do for her. We just hope it won't get infected and she won't be in any pain.

Rubix tries to read!

Richard and I have been trying to leave Rubix alone in the house outside of her crate this summer. We're hoping we can get her to the point that she can have the house to herself while we're gone, so she's not cooped up all day during the school year.

In the past, we've just given her the kitchen, and she was fine for 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 3 hours. Then, we tried 5 hours and she ruined a whicker 4 drawer chest we had in the kitchen. No worries, though... it wasn't worth much and we wanted to get rid of it anyway.

So, today I tried leaving her with free rein of the house while I ran a few errands. I unplugged electrical cords within reach, picked up shoes and expensive items off the floor, and placed out the 3 things she's allowed to chew on: her tennis ball, squishy football, and her rubber Kong filled with treats. 45 minutes later, when I arrived home, the kitchen was still intact and my beautiful, innocent puppy greeted me cheerfully at the door.

As I glanced up the stairs to the living room, however, I quickly learned her innocence was short lived. In the 45 minutes that I was gone, she had managed to grab one of my library books off the end table, and had torn it to shreds! I was so mad... but found some delight in realizing that she at least had the decency to leave me the last 1/3 of the book that I hadn't finished. So, I'll be finishing my torn book in the next day or so, and returning the mangled pieces along with $26.00 to the public library!

Oh, the joys of having a dog with a desire to read! I'll certainly be leaving library books out of her reach from now on.

We are FAM-I-LY!

On Saturday morning when Richard and I were trying to decide what to do for the day, I was browsing her site. I found this really great link to a coupon from the Picture People photography studio! We found that there was one about 30 minutes away from us, so we called and made an appointment to come have our "family" portraits made. Richard and I have very few pictures of us together, and none with Rubix.

Our appointment was for 8:00pm. We got there early so we could find where the store was in the mall. Richard picked Rubix up and carried her like a baby through the food court. I have never seen so many people ooohing and aaaahing over a dog in my life! We patiently sat for about 15 minutes waiting for our shoot to start. Rubix was so good! She just sat there and looked around while people walked by in the mall.

When the actual shoot started, she was so nervous. She walked over to the backdrop and laid down in front of it. We had to pose her from that position a few times. The photographer was great! She worked with us and let us have a say in our photos. Rubix had her tail between her legs in a few of the pictures, but that just got cropped out. About 1/2 an hour later, we had 20 something photos to look at. They printed them on location, so we walked out with what we paid for!

Here are the 3 shots we ended up with:

1 year and counting...

We have officially been married a year today! What a great

relationship we've built over the last 2 years... and plan to continue

building throughout our lives.

This picture was taken in June 2007, about a month into our

relationship. My, how we've changed already!

On Friday night, Richard and I went on a dinner cruise near downtown

Tampa. We had a lovely dinner, watched a few people cut a rug or

two, and enjoyed watching the sun set over downtown. Here are

some pictures! God has blessed us so much and continues to bless

us more and more every day!

My left leg is shorter than my right leg!

... and I thought it all ended with the kissing knees! The latest and greatest in the news about my strange body is that my left leg is shorter than my right. According to my physical therapist, Cristina, I am only this way because of this gigantic knot in the lower left of my back. The muscles are really tight there, and this has contributed greatly to the pain my right knee. I can only conclude that the left back/hip area and right knee work together cross-laterally.

So, after two days of therapy (with at least 4 more to go), I've learned a few things I need to change. I have a few bad habits that have to be worked on:

1) No more sleeping in the lower "h" position. Up until now, I routinely slept on my right side with my left leg bent, crossed over my straightened right leg, with my left knee resting on the bed. Now, I have to sleep with my legs straight or slightly bent, with a pillow between my knees.

2) No more hunching over. I have horrible posture, and sitting up straight is exactly what I need to do to get rid of this pain in my back, which is causing the pain in my knee.

3) No more bending at the waist. I have to do more squatting to get things out of the dishwasher, car, or anything low.

I'm looking forward to going for my remaining PT sessions. Hopefully we'll get this problem fixed before it gets worse!