Spring is an especially itchy time here at the DogDaz Zoo. All the dogs started on allergy medicine several weeks ago when the first crocuses started pushing their heads up out of the snow. Sofie tends to suffer from terrible skin problems in the warmer weather. I give her an antihistamine (this year it is Zyrtec) before her scratching starts to get too bad. Hopefully, this will delay the heavy duty expensive medicine (Apoquel) that we end up having to use by mid-summer (or she scratches her skin off). Louise and Charlie are sneezing and runny too, so everyone is on something every day until this passes.
Aren’t we lucky to live somewhere that everything that grows in the northern US, and everything that grows south, grows here?
What have you tried that helps keep the itch away? Spring flowers are lovely, but oh, this pollen!
Another month under wraps. I can’t believe how fast April came and went. The animals did not enjoy the pollen but loved to sniff the flowers and to sit in the yard and in the open windows on the warmer days.
The Zoo had a fun time helping the not-so-little humans find the eggs that the not-so-young ones hid all around the yard. They say that it is getting harder each year because there are fewer eggs and they are hidden higher and lower. Sofie decided that she was going to plant herself in the fern bed. We wanted to help eat all the candy but Mom said her usual, ‘NO,’ so we settled for some really yummy dog and cat treats. Though we do have bunnies living in the front yard, they were smart to stay away while we were hunting. We hope you had a festive weekend.
By the way, no one found the afikoman the night before, so they searched for that too.
Squash & Lulu under Big Tree January 2011 (he passed in February)
Lulu under the big tree 2012
Sofie and the tree shadow 2014
In honor of EARTH DAY, I am looking back at the big tree that has provided us many years of shade in the yard. The big maple towers over the house and must be many many years old. Many a dog has lazed in the shadow of her leaves, Tons of squirrels have raised their young in her upper boughs. Robins, wrens, blue jays, crows, nuthatch, chickadees, sparrows, cardinals, woodpeckers, finch, and even hawks have all used your branches. Thank you big tree for all you do for us.
It appears that we are suffering from the seasonal sleepiness that comes with spring. You would think that we would want to go outside and run around and enjoy the beautiful pollinating plants that are all over the place, but NO! We are sleepy and just want to nap. Maybe it is because of our seasonal allergies that everyone, animal and human, seems to get living in the Mid-Atlantic? Maybe it is the allergy medicine Mom gives us every day with our dinner? Whatever it is we sure are a sleepy bunch.
Now that Mom is working 5 days of the week outside of the house, the dog walker is coming every day to make sure that we are Ok. Most of the time I don’t want to go for a walk with her, because she isn’t Mommy, but today I decided I would give her a chance. She sent Mom this picture of me and Mini’s tail. I am sure it made Mom smile.
Most of the time we look like this –
Sofie and Charles waiting for Mom to come home from work
Mom says it is OK if Charles and I don’t go for a walk when she is at work since we get to go out in the yard, which, is alright by us. It’s Louise that really needs the walker because she cares about walking.
DogDaz Zoo 