Tag: saint bernard puppy

  • Saint Bernard Puppy Update

    Saint Bernard Puppy Update

    saint bernard puppy

    Saint Bernard puppy

    surprised by her first snowfall

    camera? inside.

    Yeah, I wrote you puppy haiku.

    Late last Friday night was Karma’s first snow. If you weren’t outside that night, it was that really cold snow where each fallen snowflake is perfect and whole; so crystallized that you could hear the snowflakes colliding with each other and crashing to the ground. Karma was afraid to come outside at first and then spent ten minutes snapping ineffectually at the swirling air. I hadn’t realized it was snowing before I opened the door to let her out, so no camera on hand. It’s a real bummer. I wish you could have been there.

    Anyway, I’ve had a number of people asking for more Saint Bernard Puppy updates 🙂

    Thankfully, Karma eventually overcame her urinary tract infection. Housebreaking was successful, and she now sleeps for six hours straight without wetting anything. THANK EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY.

    In related news, Jeff tore the carpet out of half the house.

    Karma is so very cute and sweet, but she’s mischievous as all get-out too. She is very routine-oriented; if I try to hit the snooze button on my alarm she yanks the covers off the bed. And she has decided that once the kids go to sleep, it’s Mommy and Puppy Playtime, which is immensely frustrating when I’m trying to get something done so I can get to bed at a decent hour. But I hate to tell her no.

    The nice thing about Saint Bernards is that their disposition mellows in proportion to their size. If this dog was this big and still nipping and raising Cain I don’t know what I’d do. Our Zooey (black lab) was a hellion until he was at least five, and up to no good until the day he died.

    Karma loves Cassidy with an intensity that is almost frightening. Jake comes home an hour before Mav and Cass do, and she is generally pleased to see him, sitting up to watch him come down the hill and wagging her tail. But when she hears the brakes of that later bus, boy howdy, she is up, she is ready, she is coiled and throws herself at the door, hurtling up to give Cass hugs and kisses.

    Which is quite a spectacle when the dog is as big as the girl.

    You see. Remember the little puppy?

    karma casino

    adolescent saint bernard

     

    That’s her at the vet last week. She weighed in at 80 pounds.

    “Oh, Robin,” I can hear you sighing. (I can hear it very clearly, which is odd because no one ever actually calls me by name. Even Siri on my iPhone calls me Honey Badger Mom.) “That picture doesn’t give me any perspective on how big she is.”

    Perspective? You want perspective?

    OK. Jeez, all you had to do was ask.

    Well, here she was as a puppy with Jimmy, aka The Dogness. (I’ve decided Karma is the Duchess of Dog, if anyone needs to update their spreadsheets.)

    st_bernard_puppy

     

    And here they are now.

     

    saint bernard and beagle

     

    Here she is with Cassie and Jake at 7 weeks–

     

     

    And with Cass now at 7 months.

     

     

     

    She’s a big girl.

     

    _____________________________

    Hey, this blog’s going to the dogs!

    I’ve got a few more pup-related posts to close out this week, including a giveaway.

    So y’all come on back now, you hear?

     

     

  • Saint Bernard Puppy Update: Karma, Week 10

    Saint Bernard Puppy Update: Karma, Week 10

    saint bernard puppy

    My little dog,

    a heartbeat at my feet.

    -Edith Wharton

     

    green dog

    green pets

     

    Using the Wharton quote while I can, because she’s not going to stay a little dog for long.

    That’s a 25% increase in body weight in just two weeks!

    Who wants to place bets on how heavy she’ll be weighing in, at 12 weeks old?

    Other random things:

    • She’s gone from needing to be walked every 90 minutes to every couple of hours, and she can make it from my bedtime at 12:30am to wakeup at 5:45am. That seems like it sucks but it’s SO MUCH BETTER than those first few days.
    • I think she brought a couple of fleas with her. I went to Petco and most all of the flea baths said they were not appropriate for dogs under 6 months old (and carried a huge number of scary warnings). There was an herbal choice that was for pups over 12 weeks old. Do I wait a few weeks and hope for the best? Is just a mild bath and thorough fleacomb sufficient? I really really don’t want a flea infestation.
    • I bought some toys and things from Petco’s eco line, all of which was on clearance. Which was good for me, but why? Is it being moved for a new eco line or was it not selling?
    • I feel dumb buying toys for a dog, particularly stuffed animals.
    • Saint Bernard-sized beds are really expensive. I paid less for my first mattress set.
    • I want to find green pet supplies that aren’t necessarily Petco brand; small companies, local, etc. Know of any offhand?

    How much longer until those puppy teeth come out? Those buggers are like tiny razors!!

    We’re adjusting nicely, she’s a good dog, but I can’t wait until I feel comfortable leaving her alone for a few hours at a time. I’m going a bit stir crazy.

    Good pup. Good Karma.