I don't like CRAP!

Last time I wrote about pets, I didn't have anything other than two cannibalistic fish (read about them here). But, as some of you know, shortly before Thanksgiving 2010, my husband gave in to our wildest wishes and let us get a dog, Xanny.

Xanny is short for Xanadu. Xanadu is the 80's movie with Olivia Newton-John... you know, where it's like a fantasy and awesome place, and just a great movie in general... Xanadu is also a legendary, ancient, heaven-like Chinese city, pronounced Shàngdū, once visited by Marco Polo. It has a lot of history and even more meaning.

So, we call our wonderful miracle that we ever got her Xanny, pronounced Zan-nee. She embodies all that we have ever wished for and suits her name, as it is as close to anything heavenly will see on this earth. It was also better than the girls' other choice, Odette, as Xanny looks nothing like an "Odette." And so her "look" chose the name.

But... if you read my previous post (the one mentioned above...), you know I have issues. With Xanny, some of my issues have been taken care of.

She is a poodle mix. Aha! Yes! You can have a dog without fur issues! Hahaha! Neener, neener! And you all thought it wouldn't happen. And so, our dog barely sheds. She sheds MUCH less than us girls and is small and furry and cuddly and all that. She even listens to me ramble and loves me unconditionally, like every daughter dog should. She is one of my best friends and stays quiet for my our walk in the mornings. And I like it like that.

Oh! You remembered I have other issues? Oh shit crap! That's exactly what I'm talking about... C.R.A.P., POOP, that is. And that's the question, if you could change anything about your pet, what would it be? I would either make her crap smell like roses... well, not roses, because those really don't smell very well and can be totally overly pungent and leave me with a heady-passing-out-type of feeling. So... let's go with honeysuckle. I'd like her crap to smell like honeysuckle, which is mild and slightly sweet to the nostrils.

And if my doggy's crap smelled like honeysuckle, then maybe I wouldn't have to hold my breath and puff out my cheeks when I picked it up, because... like my other post said, you knew the kids weren't going to do it.

And another thing... I'd make those little shitty crappy useless organs that dogs have (renal glands) gone... POOF! There you have it. A completely gross thing that needs to be done every couple of weeks... expressing the renal glands... Do you really want to know? Then go here to see a video on youtube... It's pretty gross!

But, no matter how her crap smells, and what glands I have to express, I will continue to do what I need to do for her, because I love her... unconditionally, just like a mom owner should love their daughter dog.

Whatcha Want for Christmas?

There are SO many material things that I'd like, of course... BUT! The greatest thing we could've had was a new addition to our family. And so, without further ado, let me introduce you to our greatest gift ever! A puppy! Welcome Xanny!!!! (pronounced Zan-nee)

Xanny, a little long-haired, but we love her

This first picture is a couple days after we got her... We'd already given her a bath, but you couldn't tell... (hee, hee!)

We named her Xanadu (like the ancient "heavenly" city), but call her Xanny for short. She responds well to that.

She is a poodle mix, probably Maltese and Poodle (Maltipoo), but we're not for sure. Anyhow, we're all really excited. We've wanted a dog for ages, but hubs was NOT giving in.  I had researched dogs, and told him IF we were getting one, I had 3 conditions:

1) Had to be a POODLE mix. You see, with 4 girls in the house, and all having long hair... we have A LOT of hair in the house to begin with. People shed, too. And I didn't want HAIR everywhere (I have serious issues with it!). So... poodles have a more hair-like coat than "fur" and shed the least (some people don't think they shed at all... but everything in nature does).

2) Had to be FEMALE!!! I cannot stress this enough. I have massive issues with the "little pink rocket" that comes out of a male dog's you-know-what (the rated "G" version) when he gets excited. AND when little male puppies get excited, they wee-wee-wee all over the place. (Apparently, I'm not the ONLY one with this issue, as some companies actually make diapers for little male puppies... SAW IT in a pet store! HA!)

and 3) IF we got a dog/puppy/whatever, it couldn't be just Marissa's pet; it had to be a family pet. I meant, hey! That's fair, right? I didn't want ANYONE to feel left out here. Plus, it puts responsibility on everyone, not just Marissa (at 5 years old, that would actually be ME!).

And so... one morning after work, he went and picked up this most lovable dog in the world. (She is 6 months old).

After her professional bath...

She desperately needed a bath, so... being a poodle mix... ya know... we had to get her groomed ('cause they're the grooming kind of dog, ya know!). She got a bath, teeth cleaning, renal glands expressed (whatever that means... ew!), hair cut, ear trimming, and nail grinding/filing. Here's the brief pictorial:

Getting a hair cut (or them all cut)

A little ear-trimming

And the Finished Pooch (with Natalie-the Handler)

Here she is! The beautiful wonderful dog that we have! She is fairly new to us (got her a week and a half before Thanksgiving), but SO a part of our family.

She is smart, too. She knows where home is, she rarely barks, she is trying REALLY hard to potty-train, and she listens. She shows unconditional love and does what I tell her! (She is the BEST kid I have!)

Seriously... I love all my kids. And we all love each other. Xanny fits into our family like nobody else ever could. Shortly after we got her, she got really sick. We thought we were going to lose her, but... with a lot of love, nurturing and totally round-the-clock care,  she did well, and became the springy happy little puppy we've come to know and love. She is attached to us, as we are to her. We wouldn't give her up for anything.

And if... we all got nothing else for Christmas... that would be fine. This gift is gonna last a lifetime. So... Watcha Want for Christmas? We've got all we ever wanted right here.