Last week after taking the puppies to puppy school, we had a serious adventure- but not in a good way. Earlier in the day, we had noticed that the blower on our air conditioner wasn't working right and had already called Mom's brother, who thankfully, fixes air conditioners for a living. He agreed to come look at it after work. It was already a little warm in the house when we left for puppy school but we put out some fans and turned off all of the lights so that the house would stay a little cooler for the cats while we were gone to school.
We went to puppy school and had a great time. Class was uneventful. The heat was brutal outside, so after a couple of potty trips and their class, the puppies were fairly tired and ready to go home. We stopped to get something cold to drink and some ice for the puppies. We turned onto the main road and started our trip home. A few minutes into the trip, the car lost power. The a/c and electronics were still going, but the engine was not. Neither was the power steering. Mom pulled over to the shoulder and tried starting the car again. Nothing. We were already too far to walk back on the hot sidewalk in full sun to Petsmart. There was a little business not too far away, so we decided to walk over and at least wait in the shade on the side of the building. When we got there, Mom went inside and asked if we could bring the puppies in out of the heat. The car thermometer had said 98 degrees- so it was really hot. At first, they agreed to let us sit with the puppies inside for a while until the wrecker could come and pick up the car, but then the main lady decided that it might be a liability to have dogs in her shop and asked us to wait outside. I will not share my opinion of her here. Suffice it to say that I don't think she was much of a dog person.
We took the puppies outside and sat in the grass beside the building while we waited for a wrecker to come for the car and someone to come for all of us. One of the ladies that had been in the business felt sorry for us and brought us a pitcher of water for the puppies.
After about an hour, Dad decided to try the car to see if it would start again after sitting for a while. Mom was waiting with the puppies in the shade when Dad came driving up. The car had in fact started, so we loaded everyone back into the car and took off again. Mom wasn't too convinced that our problems were over, but Dad went ahead and cancelled the wrecker. About five minutes into the drive, the car did it again- this time in front of a feed store. Mom immediately got out and started unloading puppies again. We walked over to the feed store, where the guy working there had come out to see what was going on. The puppies were all very polite and didn't bark at him. He was very impressed by all of them and couldn't get over how well behaved they were. He told us we were welcome to stay there as long as we needed to. We didn't bother asking to go in, and just stayed in the shade in the front porch area. Miss B didn't understand why we weren't going inside where it was cool and even whimpered at the door. They aren't used to not being allowed inside.
The man there talked to us for quite a while. His son had pit bulls too, and he was so impressed with how ours looked that he even asked to take pictures of our dogs so he could text his son. The owner drove up and he told her what was going on with all of the pit bulls on the front porch. She brought out a Tupperware container with water in it for the puppies and even offered us something to drink. They were incredibly nice.
The wrecker finally arrived and whisked the car off to the mechanic. Dad had gotten in touch with a friend who had a car big enough to hold us and all of our dogs. His wife was at the dentist, but he agreed to come get us as soon as his wife was finished. Finally, just before 6 PM our ride arrived. The puppies didn't quite understand the idea of getting into someone else's car, but as soon as they felt the air conditioner, they decided it wasn't so bad and calmed right down. The four big puppies sat in the back of the small SUV and Miss M sat on the middle seat with us. She took a minute to greet everyone, then laid her head on Mom's leg and went to sleep.

When we got home, we were glad to see that the house was only 85 degrees on the inside. It would have been a lot warmer if we hadn't turned on the fans. The kitties were very happy to see us. Mom's brother got there just before we did, so the puppies visited with him briefly and then rested on the tile floor while he fixed the a/c. We filled up the little pool in the backyard to cool them down the rest of the way. 
Our fuzzy children were completely tuckered out, and were still a little lethargic the next day. Miss B's muzzle was very pink- I think she must have gotten a sunburn. It's starting to get back to normal now. All of the puppies went out to use the restroom first thing in the morning the next day, but then they went back to sleep and stayed asleep until around 11 AM! Talk about sleeping in!
Since we haven't posted any pictures of the cats lately, here is a picture of Kitty S trying to convince us that she needed to have a piece of birthday cake. We are glad we got them spayed. They have actually been a lot calmer since then. Kitty P has gotten extra cuddly since then and jumps onto the bed to snuggle up next to us any time we are in the bedroom.

The kitties have a routine that they go through pretty much every night. Once we send the puppies to bed to start calming down for the evening, the kitties chase each other up and down the hall. I caught them playing in the hall one morning and caught a picture of Kitty S jumping over Kitty P. They play just like the puppies. 
I think the previous owners must have fed them things directly out of the fridge because every time I open the door, they run over and stand up on their back paws to stretch up as far as they can so they can check out the selection. I have to actually physically move them before I can close the door again.

Times like these sometimes make me wish we lived further north. Today's high? 1 million degrees. Tomorrow's high? 1 million and 1! 
Why must it be so hot? When you're in the house, sometimes you get the feeling that the a/c isn't working as well as it should be. Then you step outside for a few minutes. When you step back in, you realize that the a/c is working fine, it's just that hot outside. Needless to say, the puppies have been getting a lot of use out of their little pool. Here are a few pictures taken over the past week of their backyard fun. They've realized that they can run around and get hot, then jump in the pool to cool off.

One thing about summers in the south is that it's so hot you end up being lazy. I see blogs written by people up north with pretty parks full of people and summer evening strolls outside with their dogs, and I feel slightly guilty about not enjoying our area parks more. Then I step outside and remember instantly why we don't go outside more- especially not in the middle of the day. In the middle of the day when the thermometer reads 96, it actually feels like 105. The concrete is too hot to walk on barefoot, so there is no way I would want to take the puppies with their tender inside-dog feet for a walk on that. Plus, after about 5 minutes, all you want to do is drink something cold and stand in the shade. Getting the dogs to come back inside after playing in the yard was difficult in the winter and spring. We would sometimes end up spending 5 or 10 minutes just trying to convince them to go inside. In the summer, you just have to say, "Okay, everybody in," one time, and they are already waiting by the door. It is just plain hot outside right now. Besides that, even if you don't mind dealing with the heat, the minute you step outside most days, you are greeted by a flying welcoming committee of mosquitoes. The closer to the coast you go, the bigger and fuzzier they get. Sometimes you worry about them beating you up and taking your wallet. They are practically the size of the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. 
Needless to say, once I've been outside in the yard for about half a minute, all of the guilt I once felt about not going to the park just melts away.
So what do we do instead, you ask? Inside stuff. Lots of inside stuff. Where there is air conditioning.
We went to Grandma and Grandpa's after a trip to the vet last week. It was already time for Mr. C and Miss B to get their 3 year rabies shot that they get a year after their first shot. Mr. C weighed in at a whopping 80 pounds! Miss B was right at 55. Miss S, Miss M and Mr. M weighed 74, 54.7 and 69 respectively. They are all so big already! I'm not quite sure where the time went and how it could possibly be time for the one year booster shot. When we got to Grandma and Grandpa's the puppies went to work on the plastic bottles that Grandma and Grandpa needed crushing. Grandma outsmarted them this time and moved the cat food before they got there. We took them outside several times, but with the heat, the potty breaks didn't take very long.

The puppies love visiting Grandma and Grandpa, but they always get so excited that they don't nap as much as they should. They were so worn out that after the early morning potty break the next morning, Miss B and Mr. C slept in until I made them get up at 10! The little ones won't sty still for very long after the first potty break of the day, so if we want to get any more sleep after that, they have to nap in their crates for a while. Miss B and Mr. C gladly sleep very still on the bed most mornings so that they don't get sent to their crates too. The day after the vet visit was a school day, so we let them sleep a while and then got them fed and took them out before getting them ready for class. We learned all kinds of fun things in school. This class we learned physical skills as well as mentally challenging ones that actually tire them out quite well- a very good thing when it is so hot outside.
For the past couple of days, we have been practicing their new skills and then playing some outside with the pool in the evenings. We are very proud of Miss M- she seems to have gotten the idea that she should pee before getting into the pool (unlike a certain 80 pound someone).

Of course, every time they cool off in the pool, they find a new spurt of energy and someone always starts a new game of chase. Miss M gets impatient with the bigger dogs if they aren't out of the water fast enough and will bark at Mr. M until he gets out and chases her. Then they stop and she chases him. Miss S doesn't like it when the play gets too rough and is constantly trying to make sure that Miss B doesn't get out of hand with the little one. Miss S is so funny. She takes Miss M's toys all day long and would take her food if we let her, but if anyone messes with Miss M, Miss S is quick to step in and handle the situation. She's big enough now that once she grabs Miss B by the collar to pull her away from Miss M, Miss B can't get loose. Miss B has a ton of energy and is very vocal about it. So even though she never actually bites down on Miss M (or any of the little puppies), she sounds like she is getting wild. Miss S doesn't appreciate her cussing like that at all. When any of the other puppies gets a little too rambunctious, Miss S gets right in between the two offending puppies and breaks it up. We used to think she was bullying them, but the more we watched, the more we realized she just doesn't like them to play too rough. 

All kinds of songs pop into my head when thinking about summer in Texas. Some like it hot, Feeling hot hot hot, etc. I'm not sure I like it quite this hot, but the advantage is that we have plenty of opportunities to play in the pool. I think we are going to need a heated kiddie pool in the winter so the puppies still get to play in the water. Mr. C, who doesn't really like getting into the bath tub or that kind of thing, has no problem getting into the pool on his own now. We can even tell him to go get in the water and he gets right in. Yesterday, even Miss B got in by herself when we told her to. I think they are really starting to understand that when they get in the water they feel cooler. Of course then they are cool and go into turbo mode, zooming around the yard before getting hot and going back to the pool.

Miss M likes the water so much that she doesn't even care if the other puppies are zooming around the yard any more. She just watches them from the water. Occasionally she will get out and chase them a little, but then she goes right back to the water. The others will join her and then go back to playing, and she is totally fine with that. I think that if we had a regular in ground pool, she would never get out.

I'm glad that the puppies all like the water so much. It works well with the big plan of eventually taking them sailing. I think they would do well with the sport of dock diving, but I am a little hesitant to start them in it because I'm not sure I want them to have an idea that they can just jump off docks- especially later on when we are sailing. I think Miss B especially has the energy to really do well at it. From what I hear, pit bulls usually do pretty well at dock diving because of their energy and power. I guess we will have to give it some thought.

And now...a little bit of fun in our redneck tanning bed. I would lie and say that we enjoy frozen adult beverages in our redneck tanning bed, but really, I don't think we could go near the kiddie pool without having puppies jump in and knock us and our drinks over. So we leave the pool fun to the puppies. We shot this short video while trying to put water in the pool. After this we decided to fill the pool before bringing the dogs outside. Notice how Miss S takes off as soon as she notices that Mr. M and Miss M have discovered the water hose.

Today our puppies had their graduation from the intermediate level of puppy school. We were very proud of them. They showed off in the aisle doing obstacle course work off leash (or really on leash but dragging the leash behind them) and got lots and lots of treats. After they demonstrated their skills and got their diplomas, they had graduation pictures taken. Mr. C played hard to get with the instructor. Every time she would get him looking at the camera, he would look and then turn away just as she took the picture. 

While the puppies were hanging out after class getting their pictures taken, Ms. A gave them some plastic bottles to chew on so they wouldn't get bored. There were also plenty of treats on hand.

Miss M was quick to volunteer for pictures , pointing out that Mr. C was just being a drama queen.

Mr. M got tired of waiting for his close-up and decided that he needed some attention.

Miss S got fed up with all of the others' picture avoiding antics and decided to show them how picture posing was done.

It was a full day. The puppies tried to tell the cats about their graduation, but the cats really didn't seem to care very much.

Yesterday was the 4th of July, and the puppies did not appreciate it at all! We dropped by to visit some friends for a little while, and decided that we should leave the puppies at home. We were glad we did because some of their neighbors let off firecrackers early, and it would have really freaked the puppies out. It's one thing for them to be scared of fireworks while they are safe at home. It would be really bad to have them freak out and get loose in an area that they don't know. The friends have an Irish Wolfhound puppy named Miss K. Miss K is only 3 months old but is already taller than my knee.

Once the firecracker fun started, Miss K decided she had had enough and that it would be way safer in her Mom's lap.

When we got home, the puppies were totally freaked out. It's actually illegal to set off fireworks in our neighborhood, but I think some of the neighbors may have been setting off firecrackers while we were gone. The puppies were so nervous that they wouldn't leave our sides. They wouldn't even potty at first. Every little sound made them start barking again. Miss M was so nervous, she just stood by Mom shaking. It took a little while for them to calm down. Until about midnight, people would randomly set off a firecracker. The puppies would crowd around us again, Mr. C would start barking and Miss M would start looking worried again. I felt really sorry for her. We took then out for a potty break again a little after midnight, but they just did number 1 and ran right back inside. I suspected that they needed to do number 2 but were too scared to stay outside long and just held it. Miss M slept cuddled up next to Mom all night. This morning, they all went right out and did number 2.

Today, we had fun with the kiddie pool in the backyard. We made the mistake of letting the puppies out before the pool was totally full. The little ones jumped right in. Then Miss M and Mr. M discovered that the hose was still on...

This is why we can't have nice hoses. 

We let the puppies play for a few minutes and then took them inside so that we could put more water in the pool. Once the pool had more water and it was a little cooler outside, we took the puppies back outside. At first they were a little hesitant to jump in because the water was higher than they had seen before. 

Then Mr. M discovered that it was even more fun with deeper water.

Miss S and Miss M were both a little nervous about getting in, but once we put them in, they kept going back for more pool time. We think they realized that getting in the pool cooled them down. They all took turns playing chase and then getting back into the pool. Miss B and Mr. C are a little less convinced. We put them both in and they enjoyed it while they were standing in the pool. Before taking them back inside, we put Mr. C back into the water to rinse off the dirt. I didn't have to fight him at all. We told him to get in the water and he gently stepped into the pool. I think we are making progress, 

Soooo. Apparently cats hate the cones of shame even more than the dogs do. We put the cones on the night of their surgery thinking we should put them on in case they decided to groom to aggressively. By the next morning, the cones were nowhere to be found. We managed to find them a while later, but after looking at the kitties, we decided to leave the cones off. Their incision sites didn't look irritated and their tummies looked normal. Their appetites have been really strong. We normally only give them wet food once a day, but we've made an exception the last couple of days just to make sure that they are eating enough to get well quickly.

The puppies seem to know that they are supposed to be a little gentle with the cats. Mr. M chased them a little, but he didn't stay interested in them very long. Miss B and Mr. C were napping on our bed this morning, and the kitties both jumped up on the bed. The puppies were so excited to see them. They smelled them and gave them kisses. Kitty P decided the puppies should be awake and started swatting Miss B in the face to get her to play. Of course Miss B is always willing to oblige when it comes to playtime. She was the main reason we got more puppies in the first place. She has a ton of energy and used to bother Mr. C when he was ready to take a nap. We decided she needed another puppy to play with to use up some of her energy without wearing out Mr. C.

On another topic, it's hard to believe it, but the puppies graduate from the intermediate level of puppy school next week. It seems like just last week that they were starting their first lesson. - sigh- They grow up so fast.
Today at puppy school, there were people everywhere. We saw a really cute little blue nose pit bull puppy. The puppies really wanted to meet him or her, but his/her parents were a little nervous about our big puppies. I always think it's funny when people are scared of our puppies around their dogs. Our puppies love other dogs. They are convinced that anything small is their puppy and needs to be licked. 
I didn't take any pictures in class, but here is one that we took on their first day of puppy school. We were just getting used to the tandem leashes and hadn't quite mastered the art of keeping them from getting tangled up together. Notice how small Miss M is standing behind Mr. C. She has even gone up a harness size since this was taken.