The Big Move – Before

Hey all!

Well, we are in the single digits now, with mere days until our big cross country move. We couldn’t be more excited! Mostly to get out of this horrible frigid weather and piles of snow, but also to be closer to loving family and in a new city with new opportunities for us.

Even though it’s been terribly cold, Beans and her sometimes reluctant to be bothered adoptive sister Chelsey have been staying active and warm. Both love to wear sweaters, so of course, I now have a small horde of tiny Chihuahua clothing options for them both.

While my hubby and I pack a bit more every day (we still both are working, right up til the end), the girls watch with curiosity, clearly understanding that something new is going on.

Of course, the cold also means that going outside, even in warm sweaters, isn’t an ideal situation for the girls. Many bigger dogs love the snow and enjoy romping around, but even a foot of snow is too much for these little ones. My hubby and I shovel our small backyard out as much as we can to give them a path to the grass, but the cold is another, sometimes worse issue.

Chelsey is much older than Beans, and often has to use a puppy pad instead, but for the most part, these two are strong. In addition, even though they sometimes don’t seem to like each other (think when around toys or momma’s lap), when in other situations, they definitely are there for each other.

Beans is more confident, often willing to venture off and explore, and Chelsey sticks by her side, making sure she does her business and gets back inside.

It is very nice having a fenced in backyard, something we will definitely miss in our new place! But it will only be for a year, and will by that time we will have found a nice house with a fence again so the girls can run and play once more.

Of course, even though there’s a lot to get done still for the move, there’s nothing better (and more needed!) than a break here and there to cuddle. While Chelsey tends to want to curl up on her own, Beans is a cuddle fanatic! She loves to stand on her back legs and place her little wet nose against our faces, sniffling around and giving little kisses here and there (as well as sudden sneezes).

Her favorite thing to do during cuddle time is rub her head just like a cat does on our face, neck, and hands, wriggling around like the little goof she is, and then suddenly trying to burrow in the closest blanket. Often, she even wants me to zip her up inside a hoodie I am wearing so that only her little head sticks out. She’ll then promptly fall asleep, snoring lightly and just being adorable.

Seriously, look at those eyes. How can I ever say no to that precious little girl?!

Another ritual we have every day is bedtime.

While Beans was recovering from her surgery and still learning to trust again, she didn’t eat too much. Totally understandable. We have a two bed, three bath condo and weren’t really using the second bedroom, so we set it up to be solely for Beans’ recovery area.

We put her favorite crate, two beds, and a lot of blankets in the room, and sectioned it off with a removable doggie door so Chelsey didn’t end up bothering her when Beans was not feeling the best. We even got her a little nightlight so she could see better if she had to get up for water in the night.

I spent a few nights on the floor in her room those first few days after her surgery. Now that she is fully healed, she still stays in her room at night, choosing between her crate and beds and blanket piles, and we still keep the nightlight on.

As far as the other ritual goes, because she wasn’t able to walk well on her own those first few days after her surgery, I had to feed her by hand. After she got stronger and more confident on three legs, we made a game out of it, tossing one kibble at a time a little further out so Beans could chase it down.

To this day, she loves playing that game, and bedtime is a fun way for her to get some extra exercise and keep strengthening that front leg!

But Beans loves to play!

We signed the girls up for Bark Box, and it has been so very wonderful for them. They get two new toys and two bags of treats, and even sometimes a bone to share (well, that is, if we break it in half, of course!).

They come themed, too. The first Bark Box we got was pretty cool, but this time around it was Viking/Barbarian themed. Beans instantly went for a little squeaky toy while Chelsey, of course, went for the food. 😛

When it comes to toy time, Beans loves anything that is furry and squishy and squeaky. She really gets into it, too, tossing the toy and chasing it down. She often brings it to us to play a little tug of war.

We are working on (and succeeding!) the commands “mine” and “leave it” which Beans has picked up very quickly. She’s a very smart girl!

Well, it’s back to packing for us, but keep checking out Beans’ page for more updates!

<3