Jeep the Dog

We all know Jeep is the ultimate chill dog.  She rarely gets excited and when she does she will gently wag her tail.  She doesn’t jump, doesn’t bark and doesn’t run around.  She is calm even in the lunchroom.  Jeep likes nothing more than hanging out with her kid friends (unless of course there was some mud nearby.)

Jeep is very lucky.  She has a lot of kids that love to hug her and some like to use her as a fluffy pillow.  I have to admit, that is one thing that I like to do, too.

Remember when Jeep first came to school?  She was 16 pounds.  She is now 100 pounds of pyr fluffy love.

Our wonderful PTO has a fundraiser at Culver’s in Grayslake on Tuesday, May 23rd  from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (yes, that is tomorrow!)  Kids be sure to tell your parents you want Culver’s that way your mom and dad don’t have to cook and you don’t have to do the dishes!

Our friend Jeep is feeling MUCH better since her recent allergic reaction and she is looking forward to a small vanilla custard ice cream bowl and maybe even a plain butter burger.   Jeep and I will be there at 5 p.m. sharp.

It’s probably a good thing both Jeep and the ice cream are white in case she gets a little bit messy – I am sure Dot Com would like to clean her off.  On second thought, ssshhhh!!!  Let’s not tell Dot, she might get jealous.

Our friend Jeep has been going through a bit of a rough patch lately.  We all know how much Jeep likes to play in water, but for the last month Jeep has been drinking way too much water!  She just wants to guzzle, guzzle, guzzle water.  I am pretty sure she would drink her wading pool dry if we let her!

Jeep has been to the vet to see what might be causing her to over drink.  Her vet took blood and urine samples.  She was treated for a week with an antibiotic called amoxicillin for a urinary tract infection.  But that did not stop her crazy drinking.  After even more tests, her vet switched her yesterday to a new stronger antibiotic called Cipro.

I gave Jeep her very first pill last night.  Now we all know Jeep is a very picky eater and an even worse pill taker so I put it in liverwurst and covered it with maple syrup. She gobbled it right up. Yum yum!

But almost as soon as Jeep swallowed the pill, she started to shake her head, ears and body.  Pretty soon

her eyes started to swell shut.  Even her ears swelled up.  They felt as thick as pancakes.  I knew right then that our friend was having a serious allergic reaction to the medication and she needed help.

Unfortunately it was night-time and our vet was closed so I rushed her to the animal Emergency Vet which was a very  long car ride away – 45 minutes!  Once we got there the emergency vet gave Jeep a shot of antihistamine (Benedryl) to stop the allergic reaction.  It worked perfectly!  Whew! ( I have to brag that our Jeep was a good girl about getting her shot – she was very brave and didn’t cry or even whimper!)

I brought Jeep home last night and we have to give her even more benedryl for the next few days.  In case you didn’t know, benedryl makes people and dogs very tired.  Our Sleepy Jeepie is now at home stretched out on her cool pads with a fan blowing on her fur, dreaming great doggy dreams. (probably about stealing Dot Com’s ball and splashing around in her wading pool. I sure hope it’s not about drinking more water!)

Meet General.  He is a ten year old Great Pyrenees.  His family
recently went on vacation and left him behind at a kennel for boarding.  

Obviously General wanted to be with his family.  He escaped by opening four doors (one with his mouth) and was found later sleeping (no surprise there pyr fans) in a neighbor’s yard waiting for his family’s return.  Interestingly, some of the doors General had to push open and others he had to pull open.  I wonder how he knew what to do? He is one clever pyr!

Hopefully our friend Jeep doesn’t get any crazy ideas like that. Pyrenees are known in the dog world to be escape artists and secure fencing is a must for a pyr family.  Thankfully General is home safe and sound.  I bet next time his family will take him with them on vacation.  Hopefully they have a BIG car to fit everyone in.

Check out the video on this link –   General the Escape Artist

In case you are wondering what Jeep is doing over Spring Break, these pictures should give you a pretty good idea.  Our Mud Monster has returned!  Jeep is enjoying every minute of her time outside.   She stays out for hours finding new ways to roll, dig and flop in the dirt.

Fortunately, our friend Jeep is very good-natured about getting a bath when it’s finally time to come inside.  She actually walks me into the shower and waits patiently as I gather towels and turn the cold water on for her. (Of course it is cold water –  after all, she is a Pyrenees!)

Jeep was feeling the green today as she walked through the halls of Thompson, Martin, Hooper and Palombi.

Hopefully she doesn’t really think she has anything in common with leprechauns.  They are naughty!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Mrs Carter LOVES Jeep!

While we might not like the bitter cold blast that is currently sweeping the Midwest, our friend Jeep is ecstatic. Jeep stayed home yesterday and played in the snow for over 12 hours.  She didn’t even want to come in for dinner.

Of course she liked it best when Dot Com ventured out for a few minutes.  Apparently it is quite fun to chase Dot in the snow.  Dot seemed to enjoy the attention and certainly did her own share of chasing.

This has been Jeep’s first winter and I am pleased  she got some more time to play in the snow.

Goodness knows it won’t be long before Jeep will be playing in the mud instead.  We all know how much she likes to do that!  Ugh.

Jeep and Dot Com spend a lot of time together playing.  It seems they particularly enjoy roughhousing when I am sitting on the floor with them.  Often the play involves one of them holding a toy in her mouth and trying to get me or the other dog to take it.  Here is a clip of Jeep trying to get Dot to play with her.  Notice how big Jeep’s mouth is compared to Dot’s?  Dot tries to pretend she is not interested in the ball, but we all know she really is.  Dot is CRAZY about tennis balls.  Dot cannot stand it if Jeep has a ball.  Of course, this makes Jeep all the more playful.

You can also see how the dogs use their paws to playfully swipe at each other.  Of course our friend Jeep has some pretty big paws, but Dot doesn’t seem to mind.  In fact a lot of times Dot is the one who starts it.  Jeep and Dot also like to chest bump each other.  Take a peek.

So how do you know if the puppies are playing or really fighting?  When dogs play their tails are up and wagging.  You might see the dogs bow down on their front legs to each other.  Just like when you play with your friends, there should  be turn taking.  Yes, after a few minutes Jeep will drop the ball and Dottie will happily snatch it up.  Then the game starts all over again with Dot trying to get Jeep to take the ball from her.

While the dogs might be growling as part of the fun, their mouths should be open and their heads moving loosely.  Dogs who are fighting freeze their bodies, stare, then lunge.

I am happy that Jeep and Dot Com have so much fun together.  They really are best buddies even if Dot wants to steal all the tennis balls.

Jeep and I are both big fans of Dr. Seuss.  We bet you are, too!   We had a fabulous time celebrating Reading Across America today honoring the birthday of Dr. Seuss with first Hooper’s first graders.

Thanks to Miss Heifner, my pal Jeep and I had two very glamorous outfits to wear.  This was Jeep’s first time being dressed in a t-shirt. She was very good-natured about wearing it (and keeping it on).

Jeep was Thing 1 and I was Thing 2.  Of course Jeep was Thing 1 – you know she always comes first in my book.  Speaking of books, be sure to pick up your own book today and READ, READ, READ!

Be sure to check out this interactive link to explore more about the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss.  You won’t be disappointed!         http://www.seussville.com/#/author