Introducing Ricochet: Our New Puppy!

[Integral]

Some of you may recall that while I was working in Ireland our dog, a 9 year only Pomeranian had to be but to sleep. My wife could not stand the void created by his death. We now have a new puppy. Ricochet, or Riki, is a now about 11 weeks old and has been with us for 3 weeks. He is a pure breed Papillion. They are a small but very agile breed.

Here he is at the end of a busy first day.
http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/Ricochet/riki2.JPG

Find the puppy!
http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/Ricochet/riki.JPG[/URL] [/PLAIN]

http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/Ricochet/riki3.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/Ricochet/riki1.JPG

Dear old Little Bear, was crippled from birth with a badly curved left rear thigh bone, his left rear foot never in his live was useful. In the 3 years we have lived in our current house the Pom only make it to the top of the stairs, unassisted 1 or 2 times, it was just to much work, each step was a labor. When Riki came into the house, I do not think he had ever seen a stair case. I had to coach him up the first time, in a matter of hours he was going up like an old pro, it took a few days for him to go down, now he runs up and down. He is able to get on our bed and our couches unassisted. It is a completely different dog then our sedate old Pom. He loves to play fetch and runs like the wind. We are in for some interesting times adjusting to him, the name Ricochet was slow in coming but it fits him well.

 

[mattmns]

Cute dog!

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, how adorable! Ricochet definitely sounds like a good name for an energetic puppy! That's what they seem to do.

 

[Integral]

Oh, how adorable! Ricochet definitely sounds like a good name for an energetic puppy! That's what they seem to do.

The game that has got him banned from the bathroom was running full tilt into the bathroom, bouncing off the wall, and taking off into the other room, with the end of the toilet paper in his mouth, spooling off 3m worth before you could even say stop!

We are going to have to train this dog, the old Pom was so sedate that he required mimimal training, he knew to go outside and would come, if he wanted to, when we called. That will not due with this fellow!

 

[Evo]

That first picture is SO CUTE! He's adorable! Be careful...I hear Tsu is planning on kidnapping him. :tongue:

 

[Integral]

That first picture is SO CUTE! He's adorable! Be careful...I hear Tsu is planning on kidnapping him. :tongue:

Yeah, Ivan may not be real happy with us, we have given Tsu the dog bug agian. She will have to catch Riki to kidnap him, that is no mean feat!

 

[Evo]

Can you post the picture of your cats again, the one where their eyes are all glowing? I had that saved to my old laptop and can't find it now.

 

[Moonbear]

The game that has got him banned from the bathroom was running full tilt into the bathroom, bouncing off the wall, and taking off into the other room, with the end of the toilet paper in his mouth, spooling off 3m worth before you could even say stop!

We are going to have to train this dog, the old Pom was so sedate that he required mimimal training, he knew to go outside and would come, if he wanted to, when we called. That will not due with this fellow!

:rofl: I miss having a puppy around! When I was a teenager, we got a Sheltie puppy that was a big ball of energy like that...she did that ricocheting act off the sofa. At the time, we lived in a house where the floor plan was that one end of the living room opened into the dining room that opened into the kitchen, and the other end of the living room opened directly into the kitchen, so there was a circular (sort of) route for her to run around in. She'd fly around at top speed, bound onto the sofa, bounce back off, and fly off again...in endless circles. So it was a big game to try to catch her. I'd sit along her path on the living room floor and try to catch her on the way through...not as easy as it sounds! If she saw me, she'd ricochet off the couch the other direction. That breed is meant to be very agile since they're a sheepdog. So, yep, I can totally picture what little Riki is doing. Don't worry, they mellow down eventually as the puppyishness wears off, but it is a big change to go from a mature, fully-trained dog back to a puppy.

 

[moose]

That first picture is SO CUTE! He's adorable! Be careful...I hear Tsu is planning on kidnapping him. :tongue:

Not if I get to the doggy first

That dog is so awesome :!) :!)

 

[Integral]

Was it this one?http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/Ricochet/3cats.JPG

Unfortunately, Mr Fuzzy, the one sitting on the bed had to be but to sleep last week, this was nearly exactly 1 month after Little Bear. They were best buddies, and we think that the loss of Bear had a effect on him, he quit eating, and may have already had kidney problems and perhaps an infection of some sort. He weighed less then 5 lbs when we got him to the vet, you could feel every vertebrae in his back and his blood chemistry was off the charts. We are wondering if part of the problem was bringing a new puppy into the family so soon. We miss him.

 

[Evo]

Yes, that's the one!

I am so sorry to hear about your Mr Fuzzy. It sounds like he might have been ill for awhile, they don't always have outward symptoms until it's too late. I'm very sorry for your loss, especially after Little Bear.

 

[FredGarvin]

Can you post the picture of your cats again, the one where their eyes are all glowing? I had that saved to my old laptop and can't find it now.

Glowing eyes? I can't take pictures of my two guys (seal point siamese) without getting the demon eyes. Well, if I can go without the flash they turn out ok.

Congrats on the new addition. He is adorable. In the same paragraph, sorry about having to put the little one down. I am unfortunately counting the days until we have to do that with our little guy. He's 17 but still pretty spry. I hate thinking of what our house will be like without him.

 

[edward]

The glowing eyes in animals is the same as red eye with people. I don't know if a photo program can eliminate it though.
I have a white shepherd coyote mix. When I take flash pictures of old dog, when she is looking straight at the camera, her eyes glow a beautiful shade of blue even though she has big brown eyes.

 

[hypatia]

A Papillion! What a great choice, wonderful personalities..a very funny dog.
Sorry for the loss of Mr Fuzzy. How do the other cats feel about the new puppy?

 

[Smurf]

Ricochet is the sweetest name ever.

 

[Astronuc]

Ricochet is adorable , and with matching pillows/cushions to boot!

I am sorry to hear about Mr. Fuzzy.

They [Little Bear and Mr. Fuzzy] were best buddies, and we think that the loss of Bear had a effect on him, he quit eating, and may have already had kidney problems and perhaps an infection of some sort. He weighed less then 5 lbs when we got him to the vet, you could feel every vertebrae in his back and his blood chemistry was off the charts.

That will happen. But at 5 lbs and with kidney problems, that seems like old age. Two of our oldest cats were like that at the end. At about 15-16 years, that is equivalent to 90-100+ for humans, and kidneys will start failing and the alimentary system stops absorbing nutrition. We had to use special Vitamin supplements (IIRC, Nutrical). In the end the oldest cats stopped eating and then stopped drinking several days before they died (in the end we euthenized them rather than prolong the suffering at that point).

 

[Integral]

A Papillion! What a great choice, wonderful personalities..a very funny dog.
Sorry for the loss of Mr Fuzzy. How do the other cats feel about the new puppy?

Yes, that is what we have heard about them also. Ricochet already has lots of personality. and can be quite mischievous. My 12 yr old daughter is his favorite chew toy! We are trying to stop this form of playing, but it is not clear which starts it!

Our cats are still watching from a distance, the large xmale, Chunky, has been fascinated/repelled from the first. He will now approach and sniff when Riki is asleep. The smaller female, Pinky, will have nothing to do with him. Hisses and gets nasty if the pup gets within 4' of her. But she is out and about, staking our her territory, so I think they will arrive at a truce sooner or later. IF the pup would stop acting like a pup it would help!

 

[Integral]

Ricochet is adorable , and with matching pillows/cushions to boot!

I am sorry to hear about Mr. Fuzzy.

That will happen. But at 5 lbs and with kidney problems, that seems like old age.

According to our vet Himalayans are not a long lived species, at ~8yrs Mr Fuzzy was getting old.

Two of our oldest cats were like that at the end. At about 15-16 years, that is equivalent to 90-100+ for humans, and kidneys will start failing and the alimentary system stops absorbing nutrition. We had to use special Vitamin supplements (IIRC, Nutrical). In the end the oldest cats stopped eating and then stopped drinking several days before they died (in the end we euthenized them rather than prolong the suffering at that point).

I keep asking myself if we could have done more to elongate Fuzzies life. But at what cost,and for how long were questions that did not have clear answers. Then there is the issue of his quality of his life. The decision has been made and the deed done. there is no point on dwelling on it.

 

[Moonbear]

Was it this one?http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/Ricochet/3cats.JPG

Unfortunately, Mr Fuzzy, the one sitting on the bed had to be but to sleep last week, this was nearly exactly 1 month after Little Bear. They were best buddies, and we think that the loss of Bear had a effect on him, he quit eating, and may have already had kidney problems and perhaps an infection of some sort. He weighed less then 5 lbs when we got him to the vet, you could feel every vertebrae in his back and his blood chemistry was off the charts. We are wondering if part of the problem was bringing a new puppy into the family so soon. We miss him.

Sorry to hear about Mr Fuzzy. Want a new kitten too? One of our farm cats has 10 kittens (I think one or two are already claimed). If my home didn't have a no pets clause in the lease, the runt of the litter would have a home already too. I was holding her the other day and she just sat so quietly and looked so cute with her dirty nose...just learning to eat canned food :rofl: She has a black back and white rest of her body; a long hair. She seems to take after her mother, which is a really pretty cat (even if the first night I saw her I thought she was a skunk by the door :rofl:).

 

[Astronuc]

According to our vet Himalayans are not a long lived species, at ~8yrs Mr Fuzzy was getting old.

I keep asking myself if we could have done more to elongate Fuzzies life. But at what cost,and for how long were questions that did not have clear answers. Then there is the issue of his quality of his life. The decision has been made and the deed done. there is no point on dwelling on it.

Eight years is certainly a short lifespan, and I think you did what you could. I had to struggle with the appropriate time to euthenize our oldest cat last year. Ending the life a creature is not something I do readily - for me it is a great struggle.

 

[Integral]

http://home.comcast.net/~Integral50/Ricochet/riki4.JPG

Here is a more recent pic of Riki, He grew leaps and bounds between 3 and 4 months. His growth has slowed to nearly nothing. I believe that he is over 90% of full growth.

He is the reason for the scrape in my other thread. Tsu and I had nearly had him cornered, I made a jump to close a gap and a coffee table intervened.

Tsu, do you really want the scrunchy back?

 

[chroot]

That dog must've eaten 60 lbs of dog food in the last few months.

- Warren

 

[Integral]

Dog food and anything else that fits in his mouth!
He even recycles!

 

[jimmy p]

Dog food and anything else that fits in his mouth!
He even recycles!

:yuck: :yuck: :yuck: :yuck: :yuck:

Dogs are really fast growing creatures aren't they. My friend bought a collie puppy a couple of months ago and it's huge now! It pees everywhere when I come over :grumpy:

Quite a handsome looking dog you have there, do you do shows?

 

[Integral]

My daughter is doing 4H with him, so we may show him at that level. It seems that he is pretty big for his breed, perhaps to much so for the real deal shows.

 

[jimmy p]

I didn't realize size mattered (keep it clean) when it came to shows. Do you show the cats?

 

[Integral]

No, we just have house pets, not show animals. Our cats are extremely shy, they would freak out if we took them to some place with lots of other animals and people.

 

[jimmy p]

I prefer my pets as house pets, show animals are too much hassle. I was just intrigued. :)

 

[Cyrus]

That's a mighty fine dog you have there Integral. He holds his head up (and tail) up high and is not easily intimidated. He is a proud dog.

 

[scorpa]

Oh that puppy is so cute! I miss my dog so much, at home I had a Belgian Tervuren and a German Shepherd.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Dog food and anything else that fits in his mouth!

Tsu will vouch for this. :uhh:

 

[chroot]

Does Tsu fit in his mouth?

- Warren

 

[Integral]

Not Tsu, but she kept showing him her hair scrunchy. This dog is not one to give up easily, he is ready and willing to meet any challenge offered. The hair scrunchy was a challenge. I was in the other room when he finally grabbed it and ran. Yes, keep away is one of his favorite games! I was still hurting from the previous game of keep away (Dog 1, shin O ). so was not real eager to join in the chase. But this game did not last long, he swallowed it whole.

I think it was Monday morning when my wife saw him carrying it around the back yard. She managed to recover it before he recycled it. We have it in a zip lock in the garage. Tsu can have it if she wants! :uhh:

 

[chroot]

Well, Integral, that's certainly quite disgusting. Thanks for sharing.

- Warren

 

[Integral]

I could post a pic, if you want? :yuck: