Sunday, February 24, 2008

FOR THOSE WHO CARE...

Here is the letter I sent with Isabell to give to her new family! Cheezy I know! She was a part of our family!!!



Isabell Notes

1. Nicknames: Izzy (of course) ,Iz, Izzy-the-busy, & Izzy-the-bell.

2. Favorite activities: going to dog parks ( she does require a leash), Walks, boating, splashing in lakes(not swimming), sleeping, eating, playing catch with her toys, chewing raw hide bones (not the flat ones),and her favorite is car rides. She prefers the window down and rides on the drivers lap with her head out the window (this is however not the best thing for her ears so you have to drive slowly)!


3. Sleep: She will sleep best in her Kirkland bed anywhere in your room. She does fine in her cage too! In fact she may want that until she adapts more. She would jump at any chance to sleep in your bed if you desire (we did until we had the kiddos).

4. Naps: She is a big napper! She loves sleeping in the sun! Outside or even inside near windows and doors where sunlight comes in.


5. Baths: She does well in the bath, but she will shake and get you wet! Dry her off well with a beach towel and then she likes the towel laid out on the floor so she can dry her ears and head off! She usually then runs around until she is dry or gets too tired! She loves to be brushed with the red brush during and after the bath. She was always had her teeth brushed after baths.

6. Home alone: She does great being left home alone! She does like to have access to her cage and some toys. If we want to lock her in we simply open the door to her crate and say “Izzy cage” or “Kennel-up” and she goes right in. (She loves treats for good behavior)


7. Safety: She does jump on people and can bark angrily, but she has never bit anyone! She does try to hang out the car window so we never roll the window all the way down. She has been known to jump down towards your feet when you park the car (FYI) so you may want to put her in another seat before you park! She is also is kind of protective of her owners, food, and toys. Again, she does not bite but will startle people. Daschunds also have a tenancy to be overweight which can break their backs. Keeping table foods to a minimum and feeding her low fat foods with frequent walks will help!

8. Accidents: She does have an excitement problem (urinating)! So you might want to advise people to hold off petting unless she has calmed down or is outdoors! She usually does better if you have her go right before people come into your home. Not a huge problem, just a special bonus that comes with the package!


9. Return Policy: If you ever decide that it is not working out or you need to give her up, please call us! We would love to take her back. This was a very hard decision for us! She truly is a fun, loving, beautiful dog who has been a part of our family from the beginning. Unfortunately, at this time in our lives, we were not able to give her enough physical & emotional attention. We know she will receive the care she needs with your family. We appreciate the time you spent with her while we were away and we were thrilled to hear you wanted to give her a new home. We know you will love her like we do! We know she will be a wonderful addition to your family. We will truly miss her and we will always hold her dear to our hearts! (Feel free to remind her of that)


Thanks for everything,
The Richards

Isabell Tribute!!!

A heartbreaking farewell for the first born and her dad!
Raeggy pooh loved pulling out her hair! I am pretty sure that's how she learned to roll over! She was very intrigued by the dog since she could hold that baby head up. Izzy loved licking the left over food off her face! Who needs a bath?
Licking those chops after Ky v fed her from the table. No wonder she was getting so fat! Don't ya love those chocolate dipped ears?!
Another tear-jerker as the two oldest sisters say their goodbye's! Izzy knew something was up with all the tears. She kept laying on my lap then returning to her bed! I cried for 3 days before we took her. She kept trying to comfort me when I cried. She was a good friend!!!
This was her new favorite toy. She always had a baby doll to suck on. She loved anything with a pointy nose! She would lay on her stomach like this and almost nurse it! She did it from the day we got her to the day we gave her away. It was definitely her security blanket. Too cute!!!

THE REASON
Izzy has been a part of our family from the beginning. We adopted her when she was 7 weeks old. She was, at that time, my baby! She was very loved and spoiled beyond description. However with each baby and with each move, she has become more aggressive. Not to our family, but to everyone else. It broke my heart having to give her up, but we could not risk her biting someones child. We also were having to leave her at different pet resorts while we went back to Utah and it was getting to be very expensive. We had so much fun with her and will always love her, but it was time to give her to another loving family! One of Christian's co-workers watched her the last time we were away and told us that if we ever decided to give her up, they wanted her. Their children are all grown and they have all the love in the world for her. They cried when we told them that we would be dropping her off that weekend. We could not have found her a better new home. They put in a doggy door for her, they walk her twice a day, and she gets to sleep with them! It was truly very hard and we miss her very much. It is nice that we know her new owner and we get weekly updates. She is doing very well. She does snuggle up with our old shirts that we left in her bed at times, but other than that she seems to have replaced us! We wish her a happy life and we will always hold a special place in our hearts for her. Whenever Ky's misses her she puts her hand over her heart and says "it hurts"! Um, yes it made me cry for the first week!!! I did hate her dog hair, barking, foot prints on my floors, and her frequent attacks on strangers, but I will always love that bitch!!!

Friday, February 8, 2008

Happy Valentines!!!

Suddenly loves the camera again and cannot get enough of this dress her friend Kate gave her. She loves to twirl and dance in it. She is all girl!The girls playing in our room while I folded the laundry. Ky V pretends that the basket is her swimming pool. They really play so well together already. Ky V tells me every day that her little sister is her best! Not favorite, but her best! They love laughing at eachother too. If one starts then they can't stop.
The baby is really into my face lately. She has tried a number of times to grab my eyeball. It really hurts, but all I can do is laugh. She also likes to chew on my nose. Sick? No way, it's cute. I am such a mom!!!
We all hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day! We send our hugs and kisses to all of you!
WE LOVE YOU!!!
She wanted me to take one more picture of just her. Star material. Don't you want to squeeze those cheeks?! She also wanted me to invite all of you to her birthday party. She wants balloons, party hats, gift bags, a big cake, and lots of presents. We would like to thank Dora the Explorer for teaching her about birthday parties. GREAT!!!



Crazy week!

We had a busy week this past week. We gave Isabell up for adoption, which was harder than I imagined it to be. We also looked at different preschools for Ky-v. We finally bought a new TV and entertainment center. The baby learned to go from sitting to lying down and then rolling across the room while yelling momma, dadda, and nana! What a crazy week. Christian wanted to make sure we did a tribute for Izzy on our blog, so I will try to post that this week. So stay tuned (sorry that's stupid)! We are all doing well and look forward to having more family members visit this next week.