How do you describe the two black bundles of fur that run our lives? Loving, persistent, affectionate, bedhogs, cuddlers, stubborn- these words don't begin to describe Riley and Seamus. Scotties in general are all of the above and more- one person dogs, friendly, playful, always looking for mischief and fountains of unconditional love.
Let's start with Riley Rose. Viv got her in September 2004 from a breeder in Canada, about six months before we started dating, and she definitely is mommy's girl. On my days off before Viv gets home Riley will sit with me but as soon as Mommy walks in the door, unless there's food involved or she needs to go out, it's like I don't exist. Riley has a light brindle- her coat is black with a little white that shows most right after she gets groomed. We didn't know about her brindle until her first grooming- there were a few white wisps in her tail and that was it. When I saw Riley after her first grooming I asked Viv if she'd picked up the right dog- the kisses I got from Riley and her waddling (I'll explain that in a minute) convinced me that it was her. Riley is VERY much a kisser- she'll lick you to death more than anything and if your ears are nearby good luck, she'll spend time cleaning each one for you VERY thoroughly. She can be stubborn when she wants to be but overall is a good girl. She loved cuddling with Viv on the couch and in bed, but also likes her time to herself. Many times we'll go in the basement to do something and she'll stay on her pillow at the end of the upstairs couch, content to hang out there and watch things go by. Her favorite words include "ride" and "Grandma and Grandpa's house"- she knows she's in for spoiling there!!! She won't catch food but is more than happy to pick up anything that hits the floor, and is good about taking things gently that you offer her. Riley's favorite toy is Pinky, the pink elephant that goes in her house with her. She used to take Pinky out and try to hide her every night- she thought if we couldn't find Pinky we couldn't put her in her house.
Riley's waddling- technically it's called Scottie Cramp. It's a neurological condition that, when she gets excited, her back legs start cramping up, making her waddle and hop. If she gets too excited she eventually can't walk and will fall over and lie there, helpless, until we go over to her. It really scared us the first few times but we've done a lot of research and know how to deal with it. It looked like she was having a seizure, and even the vet doesn't know much about it, it's not exactly a common condition she has. She gets vitamin E with dinner every night and, when we see her start to hop and sidestep, we pick her up or have her sit and "settle" to calm down. From what we've read most Scotties learn that when they start cramping to calm themselves down but unfortunately Riley gets too into what she's doing and doesn't do this. She and Seamus have accomodated for it when they play- Riley will sit in the middle of the yard as Seamus goes tearing around and she jumps out at him as he goes by, then waits for him to come around again.
Riley loves sunbeams, the porch, rides in the car and tummy rubs. She likes lying at the foot of the couch and rolling over as you walk past so you'll rub her belly and she will let you know if you haven't given her enough lovin'!!! She has Viv well trained- she won't jump up on the bed if Viv's there, just sits and growls until Viv picks her up. If it's just me in bed she jumps up on her own, she knows I won't give in and pick her up. During the summer she loves playing in her pool and with the hose- she'll drag it around and soak anyone nearby by accident. If you sit on the swing outside or on the bench on the porch she's right there next to you, wanting to be nearby and see what's going on. She is very social, loves everyone and loves giving me a once-over when I get home from work to see if I've been cheating on her with other dogs, which I usually have been.
On to our little man, Seamus MacTavish. We got him in March 2008 from a breeder here in Connecticut, and he is daddy's boy. We took Riley up to meet the puppies the first time and her Scottie cramp got the best of her. When we got to the breeder's place they had 3 males left and the mother and father, Captain and Tenille (we laughed at the names). We were sitting on the floor, visiting the puppies, and two of them were very intent on playing with each other, didn't really pay us much mind. The third one, Seamus, was playing some too but was watching us. After a bit he came over to see Viv, then over to see me. He crawled up in my lap, looked me in the face, kind of checked me out a little, gave me a puppy kiss then flopped in my arms, his head in the crook of my left arm. At that point Viv saw the look on my face and knew my heart was taken. After a couple minutes of me giving him attention he went over to Riley, who the other puppies had ignored, and tried to play with her. She was fully cramped up and couldn't move but he tried anyway, shoving his whole body under her head in an attempt to get her to play.
We could see how Riley was and brought her out to the car- poor girl was completely overwhelmed and I sat with her for a few minutes to calm her down. We went back in without her and talked to the breeder for a few more minutes. We had decided that we couldn't make a decision because of how Riley had been and the breeder, out of the blue, offered to bring him down the following Monday to see how he would do with Riley in her own environment. He said he'd been watching us with the puppies and with Riley and knew we'd take better care of him than many people do of their kids. We agreed, and it was a tough drive home for me without him, even knowing it was for the best for Riley.
The next Monday the breeder and his wife brought Seamus down, asked where a good lunch place was and left, saying they'd be back in a bit. Viv was at work and Riley was great- a little nervous but they were playing a little and she didn't get nasty at all. We had agreed that if Riley started getting nasty and protective about the house with him that we weren't going to take him- it would have been hard to say No but this was Riley's house and we weren't going to do something to upset her that badly. When they came back I handed them the check, with a little extra to thank them for their effort, we talked for a few minutes more and they went to leave. He reached out to say goodbye to Seamus (who was in my arms) and Seamus shied away from him and stuck his head down in my arm. The breeder was impressed and said he was already bonded to me, that he obviously knew who his daddy was.
Since then he has definitely worked his way into our hearts. He is a cuddler, much more so than Riley, and it's rare when he's in a room alone or isn't touching someone- right now he's about 2 inches from my elbow, propped up on pillows as usual. The first couple days Riley was a little leery of him but now they are inseparable. Shenannigans every morning and evening, races around the living room, playing in the yard- amazing how two dogs who TOTAL 50 pounds can sound like a herd of elephants!!! There were a few tense moments when we were doing housebreaking with the carpet Viv had installed barely six months before, and we're still working on him not shredding stuff when we're away and he's upset, but he's doing fine. On my days off when the three of us go into the basement to lie down on the couch he has to be closer to my face than Riley is, it's actually kind of funny. He isn't as much of a kisser as Riley is but he will clean my "solar panel" if he gets to it. He loves sleeping on pillows and is determined to catch a squirrel or one of the turkeys that frequents our yard at some point.
Our critters are both very loving and social and I can't imagine life without them. This is the first time I've really owned a dog and have learned more about unconditional love, caring, dependence and friendship from them than I ever would have thought possible. Yes there are times when they drive us nuts and we have to make babysitting arrangements for them depending on what we're doing but at the end of the day, seeing their faces and watching them passed out hard from a long day of play, it's easy to remember why we love them and how they are a part of our lives and will be for years to come.
Let's start with Riley Rose. Viv got her in September 2004 from a breeder in Canada, about six months before we started dating, and she definitely is mommy's girl. On my days off before Viv gets home Riley will sit with me but as soon as Mommy walks in the door, unless there's food involved or she needs to go out, it's like I don't exist. Riley has a light brindle- her coat is black with a little white that shows most right after she gets groomed. We didn't know about her brindle until her first grooming- there were a few white wisps in her tail and that was it. When I saw Riley after her first grooming I asked Viv if she'd picked up the right dog- the kisses I got from Riley and her waddling (I'll explain that in a minute) convinced me that it was her. Riley is VERY much a kisser- she'll lick you to death more than anything and if your ears are nearby good luck, she'll spend time cleaning each one for you VERY thoroughly. She can be stubborn when she wants to be but overall is a good girl. She loved cuddling with Viv on the couch and in bed, but also likes her time to herself. Many times we'll go in the basement to do something and she'll stay on her pillow at the end of the upstairs couch, content to hang out there and watch things go by. Her favorite words include "ride" and "Grandma and Grandpa's house"- she knows she's in for spoiling there!!! She won't catch food but is more than happy to pick up anything that hits the floor, and is good about taking things gently that you offer her. Riley's favorite toy is Pinky, the pink elephant that goes in her house with her. She used to take Pinky out and try to hide her every night- she thought if we couldn't find Pinky we couldn't put her in her house.
Riley's waddling- technically it's called Scottie Cramp. It's a neurological condition that, when she gets excited, her back legs start cramping up, making her waddle and hop. If she gets too excited she eventually can't walk and will fall over and lie there, helpless, until we go over to her. It really scared us the first few times but we've done a lot of research and know how to deal with it. It looked like she was having a seizure, and even the vet doesn't know much about it, it's not exactly a common condition she has. She gets vitamin E with dinner every night and, when we see her start to hop and sidestep, we pick her up or have her sit and "settle" to calm down. From what we've read most Scotties learn that when they start cramping to calm themselves down but unfortunately Riley gets too into what she's doing and doesn't do this. She and Seamus have accomodated for it when they play- Riley will sit in the middle of the yard as Seamus goes tearing around and she jumps out at him as he goes by, then waits for him to come around again.
Riley loves sunbeams, the porch, rides in the car and tummy rubs. She likes lying at the foot of the couch and rolling over as you walk past so you'll rub her belly and she will let you know if you haven't given her enough lovin'!!! She has Viv well trained- she won't jump up on the bed if Viv's there, just sits and growls until Viv picks her up. If it's just me in bed she jumps up on her own, she knows I won't give in and pick her up. During the summer she loves playing in her pool and with the hose- she'll drag it around and soak anyone nearby by accident. If you sit on the swing outside or on the bench on the porch she's right there next to you, wanting to be nearby and see what's going on. She is very social, loves everyone and loves giving me a once-over when I get home from work to see if I've been cheating on her with other dogs, which I usually have been.
On to our little man, Seamus MacTavish. We got him in March 2008 from a breeder here in Connecticut, and he is daddy's boy. We took Riley up to meet the puppies the first time and her Scottie cramp got the best of her. When we got to the breeder's place they had 3 males left and the mother and father, Captain and Tenille (we laughed at the names). We were sitting on the floor, visiting the puppies, and two of them were very intent on playing with each other, didn't really pay us much mind. The third one, Seamus, was playing some too but was watching us. After a bit he came over to see Viv, then over to see me. He crawled up in my lap, looked me in the face, kind of checked me out a little, gave me a puppy kiss then flopped in my arms, his head in the crook of my left arm. At that point Viv saw the look on my face and knew my heart was taken. After a couple minutes of me giving him attention he went over to Riley, who the other puppies had ignored, and tried to play with her. She was fully cramped up and couldn't move but he tried anyway, shoving his whole body under her head in an attempt to get her to play.
We could see how Riley was and brought her out to the car- poor girl was completely overwhelmed and I sat with her for a few minutes to calm her down. We went back in without her and talked to the breeder for a few more minutes. We had decided that we couldn't make a decision because of how Riley had been and the breeder, out of the blue, offered to bring him down the following Monday to see how he would do with Riley in her own environment. He said he'd been watching us with the puppies and with Riley and knew we'd take better care of him than many people do of their kids. We agreed, and it was a tough drive home for me without him, even knowing it was for the best for Riley.
The next Monday the breeder and his wife brought Seamus down, asked where a good lunch place was and left, saying they'd be back in a bit. Viv was at work and Riley was great- a little nervous but they were playing a little and she didn't get nasty at all. We had agreed that if Riley started getting nasty and protective about the house with him that we weren't going to take him- it would have been hard to say No but this was Riley's house and we weren't going to do something to upset her that badly. When they came back I handed them the check, with a little extra to thank them for their effort, we talked for a few minutes more and they went to leave. He reached out to say goodbye to Seamus (who was in my arms) and Seamus shied away from him and stuck his head down in my arm. The breeder was impressed and said he was already bonded to me, that he obviously knew who his daddy was.
Since then he has definitely worked his way into our hearts. He is a cuddler, much more so than Riley, and it's rare when he's in a room alone or isn't touching someone- right now he's about 2 inches from my elbow, propped up on pillows as usual. The first couple days Riley was a little leery of him but now they are inseparable. Shenannigans every morning and evening, races around the living room, playing in the yard- amazing how two dogs who TOTAL 50 pounds can sound like a herd of elephants!!! There were a few tense moments when we were doing housebreaking with the carpet Viv had installed barely six months before, and we're still working on him not shredding stuff when we're away and he's upset, but he's doing fine. On my days off when the three of us go into the basement to lie down on the couch he has to be closer to my face than Riley is, it's actually kind of funny. He isn't as much of a kisser as Riley is but he will clean my "solar panel" if he gets to it. He loves sleeping on pillows and is determined to catch a squirrel or one of the turkeys that frequents our yard at some point.
Our critters are both very loving and social and I can't imagine life without them. This is the first time I've really owned a dog and have learned more about unconditional love, caring, dependence and friendship from them than I ever would have thought possible. Yes there are times when they drive us nuts and we have to make babysitting arrangements for them depending on what we're doing but at the end of the day, seeing their faces and watching them passed out hard from a long day of play, it's easy to remember why we love them and how they are a part of our lives and will be for years to come.
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