The Crotchety Old Man

Category: Mavis

  • Marvelous Mavis

    I’ve always preferred little dogs–the smaller, the better. It’s not just cuteness. Among other things, little dogs eat less, require less exercise, and cause little damage ripping and tearing through the house. At her weigh-in this month, Mavis tipped the scale at 30.5 pounds. That’s more than the combined weights of Tico (10 pounds), Toodles…

  • Next-Level Retired

    I’m grateful to have been able to retire. Not having to work is great. A few recent changes make me even more retired than I already was. Getting Mavis was the first big change. She drags things into the house from the yard. She’s especially fond of pine cones and small branches, both of which…

  • Head of the Class

    We celebrated Mavis’s five-month birthday on June 19th with a new swimming pool. She loved playing with the hose as I filled it, splashed around in it for maybe ten minutes afterward, and then never went back. I emptied it two days later. We’ll try again. Getting towel-dried was the fun part for her. She’ll…

  • Better Late…

    My garden plans were disrupted early this season by drought, Tootsie’s demise, and the arrival of Mavis. With few exceptions, two flats of seedlings started indoors in early February didn’t make it. I never got around to planting two or three more flats. Even so, I do have a bit of a garden. When rain…

  • Puppy Love

    We celebrated Mavis’s four-month birthday May 19th. She’s had all of her shots and doesn’t need to return to the vet until this time next year. According to her DNA results, she’s 27.2% pit bull, 24.7% Australian shepherd, 22% super mutt, 20.6% Labrador retriever, and 5% boxer. My 20-pound puppy is likely to weigh 40…

  • Mavis: Unconed

    Mavis was sentenced to 10-14 days in the cone of shame after being spayed on the 20th–the day I got her. In truth, she was less bothered by the cone than me or her fans. I’d never seen her without it and was thrilled last Monday morning when the veterinarian took it off. Without the…

  • Mavis!

    A great friend drove me to Lawrenceville this past Friday afternoon to pick up Mavis. Folks in the waiting room had come for one of Mavis’s siblings. Apparently, the adopted pup was their second choice–behind Mavis. Mavis was the last pup they brought out. Like her sisters, she was in a cone. I’m glad. Without…

  • Training Preparations

    I didn’t need to train Toodles, my first dog. Andy trained Tico (her older brother), and Toodles followed his lead. She was a good girl with no bad habits who never got in trouble. I adored her, but would never describe her as “fun”. Training Tootsie was entirely my responsibility. I was able to spend…

  • Name Games

    When I decided to get my first dog, I wanted a female, long-haired chihuahua. Long before I found the dog, I named her Toodles–the nickname of my favorite aunt. Toodles (and Andy’s Tico) came from a puppy mill. Best I can recall, they didn’t have names before we got them. When I lost Toodles, I…