Joanie Loves Teggie

Saturday at the pet shop my best friend Joanie, who is going to be a service dog when she grows up, played with me really fast!

- Teg



Groovy Cats & Dogs offers holistic pet food and toys, which Teggie loves! We love that they keep the shop scrupulously clean. We were their first customers Saturday morning, so the fur kids were allowed to play together. (Teggie is still too young to walk on the floor at the pet superstores, our vet says be careful until she gets all of her shots.)

sent from my iphone

Teggie Wanna Go Outside!

The Poochie Bells are driving me crazy! Hard to believe I was worried about whether or not our Teg would get the hang of them. If she were not crated at night, she would ring them at 3am! Since we have a lanai, and know her potty schedule, I can leave the back door open when I am with her and she wanders in and out without bursting my eardrums with her constant, urgent bell-ringing (watch the video below). This satisfies her need to chase lizards and sniff the pungent breeze without actually going into the "dangerous" (and escapable) yard.





We will always have to watch her in the yard, thanks to our living in a preserve. Last night when I took Teggie out for her final potty break, the motion-sensing light illuminated a 2-foot-long snake slithering up the side of the house. We were barefooted at the time, and my imagination immediately began to work on me. Thank goodness she was quick! As we were going inside, I heard a clumsy rustle, and caught the gleem of timid o'possum eyes from the forest's edge. The local raccoons are not timid, however, and have attacked small dogs on late night walks around here.

We love living in a wilderness preserve. For a city girl who was born next to a New Orleans swamp, it suits me to hear the wild things talking at night (it's when the nights are too quiet that I worry...). That's another reason Teggie is such a wonderful family member. She doesn't let those creatures get away with anything! Just ask the fat lizard who lives by the screen door.

PS. I have been asked how Teggie learned to ring the bells when she needs to go potty. She learned this in less than a week (she has been with us at home for 7 days today).

A) We began by lifting her little paws and ringing the bells with them each time we went outside for a potty break.

B) In the first couple of days, we made sure that each time we opened the door, we made the bells ring. By the fourth day, she was ringing them to ask to go outside.

C) Yesterday, I began opening the door for her to go onto the lanai (what a screened back porch is called in Florida) when she rang the bells, if she had recently been outside to potty.

Keep Off the Grass!

Teggie has really gotten the hang of walking with us, and she must be a south paw like her human brother, because she prefers to heel on the wrong side. After her first trip to the holistic DVM, we have confirmed that Teg needs to walk on the sidewalk and stay out of the "poopy" communal grass used by other dogs who have already had all their vaccinations (hopefully)... until she gets all of hers. Incidentally, the vet is wonderful and Teg loves her!

At home, however, grass is the greatest stuff! Potty time, play time, all the time--Teggie could play in the grass all day. She has even learned to ring the bells on the back door to go out for a potty (or play) break.

But we heard a lot of noise in the yard this morning and went to check it out, only to find that little white fertilizer sign that appears about once a month or so, telling us to keep children and pets off the grass "until it is dry." Well, we've just had rain, so when is that? We decided, not today.

So Teggie was forced to use the emergency potty pads. She doesn't like them very much, and usually only takes advantage of one when she is being ignored by the distracted humans who should be letting her out...

By this evening, she was fit to be tied! Every thirty minutes, she furiously pawed at the bells and whined to be let out. She nosed around the lanai, but it just wasn't the same as that soft St. Augustine grass...

We took an extra stroll around the neighborhood before she went to sleep in her crate tonight. As I watch her now, I'm certain she's dreaming about romping through the dewy morning grass. Tomorrow will come soon enough, Tegwen, sweet dreams...



Here is Teggie with her cards and gifts from Cathy and Monica, welcoming her home. There are no friends like Corgi friends! Thank you both so much for the doggie bling and playthings. Teggie loves them!

Teggie plays with her boy. She jumps constantly--her poor back! Good thing she's small and lean...

Teggie Takes a Walk--?

We have been playing a fun new game with Teggie...

Teggie has taught us to work on our weight training during our walks. She is planning to gradually increase her weight day by day until we are able to walk 3 miles carrying about 20 pounds. Very clever!


On her plan, my arms should be more toned in a few months. Of course, I may be wearing braces on my wrists...


Little does she know, my personal training plan for Teggie involves gradually increasing her walking time to 1 mile by the time she is 6 months old.

We shall see who wins! Perhaps all of us...

Teggie Sits, Seeks, and Speaks in 3 Minutes

After a bath, a party, and barking good time, Teg naps with her binky chew toy

Teg is napping before her big evening walk, so I thought you may want to see the Corgi girl in action earlier today when she entertained the birthday party with her acts of obedience prowess.

She watched how yummy the treats her mom sent Gibson of Corgi Butts are, and will try some soon (check out his adorable video in which he plays with his food!).

Meanwhile, Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls in Turkey Formula used as training treats inspired Miss Tegwen's utmost in obedience. Watch her learning "come" and "sit" before a live studio (kitchen) audience.



Later, the Tegster found her voice just in time to greet Ricco the Lovebird. It's fun having two giant personalities in two very tiny packages around here... This video marks the first time heard her gnome-like woof.



If you have another minute, check out our tiny genius working to get the squirrel out of the hole... the hard way.

Teggie Trains Her Family

Teggie's Log
In less than 24 hours with her new family, Teg has trained them--using only precious squeaks and broad smiles--to do the following:

1) Throw her toys for a game of fetch (she figured out how to operate the squeakers and does not need help with that anymore)

2) Tear a bit of the humans' chicken dinner into tiny, bite-sized pieces and mix with her Innova

3) Go with her to get a drink from the fountain

4) Rescue her at night once the crate door is closed, and place her on the leather sofa with the down-filled throw, soft pillows, and cuddly humans

5) Walk her around the preserve where she may meet the neighbors, then carry her when she gets tired of walking

6) Take her with them wherever they go

7) Take her outside to potty, even at 1:30am (much easier to convince humans once they've fallen alseep with her on the sofa and she only has to wiggle and lick to get attention)

Only one thing remains to train, and it may be a huge challenge (ideas welcome):

* Get those humans to take off that silly leash and let her run into the alligator-infested preserve to explore!

(Before you judge this an impossible task, let us remember that this is the only Corgi baby in the breeder's 15 years who scaled the stall gate and escaped into the yard...)

For the record, the humans remain quite convinced that Miss Tegwen will never succeed at the escape. They say that they love her too much to ever let her explore the wilderness alone. Instead, she will be treated to daily walks and occasional camping trips.

Tegwen enjoyed playing with her new grandparents, too, who are cat people... but she has already started converting them to Corgi people.

Overall, Day One has been a big success!

In other news, one of the humans has just won 2nd Place in Junior Chemistry at the State Science and Engineering Fair. Hooray!

All Teggie cares is that her boy is skilled at puppy games.
Which, of course, he is.

Only 8 and Almost 9 (Weeks)

Teggie says, "I'm big enough to go home, too, see?"

Teggie's breeder says she will be slender like her Corgi mother. Teg is among the last of her litter to be picked up, and is beginning to look pretty grown up at almost-9 weeks. Time to come home, Teggie girl! She has such cute ears...

Monica at Expressly Corgi has tagged me to participate in the blog game Only Eight. It was a lot of fun!

8 Things I am Looking Forward to
1…..Watching my son become a man
2…..Being able to run with my son again after our necks heal
3…..Running with Teggie the Corgi as she grows up
4…..Succeeding at my new project at work
5…..Flying to Key West with my best friend this summer
6…..Swimming with the dolphins again this summer
7…..Our first Corgi meetup with Teggie the Corgi!
8…..Flying my sister and my 6-year-old niece to Tampa from San Francisco


8 Things I Did Yesterday
1…..Unraveled a scam by consorting with Verizon tech support
2…..Drove a rental car through a tornado-riddled rainstorm
3…..Smelled scorched cypress when lightning hit the preserve
4…..Sent witty text messages during the craziness of myriad appointments
5…..Muted my cell and scarfed a snack during a conference call on the run
6…..Helped my son tweak his science fair project until my brain went numb
7…..Laughed with a girlfriend across the miles
8…..Giggled with my son during dinner at Chili’s


8 Things I Wish I Could do
1…..Sing in a 40s era lounge on Friday nights
2…..Finish my first novel!
3…..Build the home of my dreams
4.....Help Americans build a more ethical country
5.....Volunteer with the dolphins every weekend
6…..Buy my sister a horse ranch
7…..Keep a herd of Corgis on my sister’s horse ranch
8…..Give every child a sense of her own potential


8 Shows I Enjoy (DVR)
1…..House
2…..The X-Files
3…..Law and Order: Criminal Intent
4…..NCIS
5…..It’s Me Or the Dog
6…..The Dog Whisperer
7.....Stargate
8…..Clean House


8 Fur People I tag
1…..Theodore at Corgi Tails
2…..Bryson at Paper Elixer | Corgi +2
3…..Freya at Freya the Corgi
4…..Sully at CorgiPants
5…..Addie & Jake at Corgi Dog News
6…..Moxie & Izzie at The Corgi Lounge
7…..Zippy of Zippyweb
8…..Ocmist & Dott at Country Corgis

Teg, We Will Come Back For You!

Our Teg comes home next weekend! My son goes to the State Science and Engineering Fair this week (wish him luck!) and we pick up Tegwen the following day.

We have written a filk just for her based on
Steely Dan's Peg:

Teg

I’ve seen your picture,
Your name is right above ya.
This is your big debut,
For us, a dream come true!
And when you smile for the camera,
I know we’ll always love ya!

Teg
We will come back for you.
Teg
We will come back for you.
When the breeder calls,
You’ve got us all, our Teg-gie!
It’s our favorite Corgi movie.

(If anyone can come up with that second verse, I will send you a free gift!)



We have decided to feed according to Dr. Shawn’s Simple Holistic Plan to Minimize Disease and Treat Problems. This means shopping at a local pet shop that specializes in holistic goods, such as Nature's Variety Organic Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet. The ingredients look pretty yummy... except for the raw chicken.

We also supplement with flax seed oil from the health food store. This provides Omega 3s. It's excellent for humans, too--I drizzle it over salads as dressing, which adds a nutty flavor. In the past, our pups have loved the stuff--and it helps the medicine go down, if ever that is necessary.

Less than 7 days! We are counting them down...

Teggie Investigates! Almost 8 Weeks Old...

Thank you to my friend for the help with this post while I'm injured.