Bijou After Her First Big Haircut...

I finally got Bijou's hair cut, I really had to. There were areas that started matting, even though I brush her often. I was told that I should use a metal comb and make sure I get all the way down to the skin. The groomer was very nice and did not over cut her. I wanted to make sure she was not shaved. This is the picture a day after the cut.

I wonder what she is saying?...

I just love this picture of Bijou. This is how she looks at me when I'm taking to her…she's trying to figure it out.

I think she is trying to figure out what I am saying.

Yes, she has gotten big.

Bijou at 8 months.

Time for a Good Cut...

Time for a haircut

I love Bijou with long wavy hair, but it is starting to tangle and mat in places I miss when I brush. Although I do brush her at least 2 times per week, I am constantly pulling little sticky things out of hair as she loves walking through the weeds.
I did find a great web site that gave good recommendations on how to handle long hair dogs, but we may have to try after the "major" cut.

Bijou has had 2 grooming sessions, but I have only let the groomer trim her legs and I occasionally
trim a little here and there.  This time we may have to do some serious cutting :(. I wasn't too happy with the last groomer, so now I'm on to searching for a new one.

Time for a nice cut.

I'm hoping I can go thru with it :(.

Okay, Let's Talk About Spaying...

After tons of research, I decided that the right thing to do was to have Bijou spayed. I never had a girl dog before, so this was all new to me. I believe I was advised to make the appointment at 6 months of age, I did. Before I get into the actual day, let me just inform you that Bijou was a pro at going to the potty on the potty pad. It did not matter what she was doing, when it was time to go, she headed straight for the pad (more about this in the next post). She learned how to do this fairly quickly, with a few mistakes here and there.

The "spaying" morning arrived. Bijou was to report to the hospital at 7am. My husband drover her there and told me we can pick her up between 3 and 4pm. The family was there at 3!
They brought "the Bij" (as my daughter likes to call her) out and told us she did a great job. She was really happy to see us, and we were relieved she was okay. Her spirits were good, even thought she had a plastic cone on her head.

We brought her home and kept her in her little room near the kitchen. Every now and then, my daughter and I would come in and give her hugs. After a few hours, I checked the procedure area to make sure it was okay (no bleeding) to my horror, I noticed a HUGE red spot. It wasn't the incision area, but slightly above. OMG, what the heck! (see picture, sorry) When I gently touched it, she cried out. I immediately called my husband, grabbed my cell phone and started taking pictures. I then called the clinic. I am not going to bash the clinic, as things do happen from time to time, but why did it have to happen to "the Bij"? I sent the pictures to the clinic, they advised me to bring her in the next morning. Initially, I thought the procedure area was bleeding and the whole thing just went wrong. I felt so badly for Bijou. After further investigation of the area, I realized what happened. Apparently, they used a "worn out" blade when they shave some of the hair near the incision area and it left a bad burn…I was so upset! The only way I could rest, was knowing she was on pain medication for the next few days.

The next morning, I took Bijou to the clinic, they were very apologetic, gave me ointment and sent us on our way. The burn started to heal immediately, I continued with the pain medication and ointment, she was back to normal after a few days. I'm hoping she did not feel the pain of the burn as much as I imagined.

Look at That Face...

Sweetest Face Ever

Here's a great photo of Bijou's sweet little face. I just love her eyes, they show so much expression. Her eyelashes were so long, I had to trim them a little.

Bijou Portrait...

I purchased a red jacket for Bijou, she understands that putting the jacket on means she's going for a walk. Needless to say, it was difficult getting the jacket on, she gets so excited every time she sees it. Somehow though, I was able to get a few great shots before taking off on our walk.
Age: Approximately 4 months

Thanksgiving Bijou Photo...

Having fun with Bijou as she continues to grow. This was our Facebook Thanksgiving 2014 photo. She is such a fun dog. My daughter and all her classmates are in love…me too!
Age: Approximately 3 months