Retirement……LOVE IT!

We have had the BUSIEST four weeks EVER!! About four weeks ago we left Fort Collins, Colorado. Wow! It doesn’t seem like it could have been THAT long. Time sure flies when you’re having fun! We were headed back to the KOA Campground ⛺️ about 25 miles east of Denver for two weeks.

We chose this campground for two reasons: (1) We were flying back to Missouri for one week to visit my dad and other family, and (2) to do something VERY special there. Can you guess what that special thing might be?

You can’t? Well, I guess I will have to tell you. Have I got you sitting on the edge of your seat yet? OK, OK ….

We picked up two eight week old Shih Tzu puppies! They are just the cutest things ever.

Many of you know we lost our beloved Shih Tzu, Zoey, last April (you can click this link to read about her: https://retirementnowwhatdoido.com/2020/04/28/our-sweet-little-girl-zoey/ ). We have been really lonely and somewhat “lost” without her. I am sure that the COVID-19 self isolating thing has had some to do with that “lost” feeling, but we felt lost mainly because we were missing her. Therefore, we decided to get another Shih Tzu puppy. Well, actually two puppies. Here they are:

I am holding the girl, and Jack is holding the boy. Their names are Ricky and Lucy.

We picked up Ricky and Lucy on July 23rd at a small town near Fort Leonard Wood in the south central Missouri Ozarks (it was about a two hour drive, one way, from my dad’s house). The puppies had seen the vet the day before, received their next set of shots, and were given a clean bill of health. It has been a total whirlwind since that day.

Jack and I are not as young as we once were, and having two puppies has been exhausting! We knew it would be, but I guess we REALLY didn’t know HOW exhausting. We stayed with my dad a few more days before heading back to Colorado.

Since we didn’t want to try to fly back to Colorado with puppies that young, we rented a car and drove back. The puppies did pretty good in the car for the two day drive! I am glad we drove because I found out later that substantial increases in elevation might be hard on dogs and puppies. We traveled from the STL area which is about 450 feet above sea level to Strasberg, CO, which is about 5300 feet. Ricky and Lucy were able to gradually adjust to the increased elevation.

Once we arrived back at the RV the “fun” began. We had to figure out where and how Ricky and Lucy would sleep, eat, and play. We set up “barriers” to places we didn’t want them to go until they were house broken. And, yes, we had to begin establishing a routine of going outside to use the bathroom. It was rough going a first, but we have basically gotten them on a schedule with which we can all live.

Now, more pictures!

Here are pictures of the litter Ricky and Lucy came from a few days after they were born. Look at those sweet little pink feet and noses!!

The breeder we found sent us pictures of each dog in the litter when they got a little older, so we could pick the ones we wanted. There was only one girl in the litter, and I just KNEW I had to have a girl! There were four boys in the litter, and it was really hard to chose which boy.

Here are the photos of the girl (Lucy) at about 4 weeks old:

Here are 4 week old photos of Ricky. We chose him because he looked playful and mischievous in these pictures compared to the other boys’ pictures.



Can’t you just see Ricky’s feisty attitude?! What we really did not expect was exactly HOW feisty this little guy was going to be.

The first two days we had the puppies, we began to doubt our decision and thought we might have to take Ricky back. He was SO aggressive towards Lucy! She was constantly shaking after his aggressive playfulness!

We called and talked to the breeder’s husband (a.k.a. the “dog whisperer”) who is very knowledgeable about dogs and asked his advice. After talking with us for over 30 minutes, we took the information he gave us and began letting Ricky know he was NOT the alpha of the pack (we were the alphas), and that we expected him to behave. I am very happy to say that most of the aggressive behavior was eliminated within the next 24 hours.

Here are some photos of the puppies while we were still at my dad’s house.

Of course, Ricky wants to use Jack’s phone! Ricky’s text: “Hi, mom. We miss you, but we LOVE our new parents and home! Love, Ricky 😘

Ricky is on his back, and Lucy is looking up at me and saying, “HELP me! Ricky is hogging the bed!”

Here are Ricky and Lucy in their car carrier on the way back to Colorado.

Once we got back to the RV, we had to “puppy proof” our home. Our goal was to keep them on the portion of flooring that is tile while we are trying to “potty train” them. Here is what the RV looks like all cluttered up with barriers and doggie beds and toys! 🤣😂🤣

Now you have an idea why we have been SOOO busy the last four weeks. I am happy to say the puppies are adjusting nicely, and SO ARE WE!

A couple of weeks ago, we moved to an RV Park in Colorado Springs which is very close to Manitou Springs. We are basically at the base of Pikes Peak. I’ll be posting soon about some of our adventures while staying here.

So, for now ….. “On the Road Again!”

Betty