Blaming the Wrong Mutt

So Sophie, our little ten-pound mostly Maltese mutt took the heat for Lulu. Someone of the canine persuasion was busy crapping about the house, leaving little brown apples about in the most inappropriate places.

So, new dog Sophie took the heat for this. We started putting her out very first thing in the morning, then breakfast, and then out again. Out, out, damn spot.

Several weeks of this until we discovered that 12-year-old Lulu was the culprit. Well, now, we have a baby gate at night confining the dogs in our dressing room/closet area. There have been no disasters again. Sorry Sophie.

The baby gate may come in handy. We have another grand daughter due in May. This we are looking forward to, though we have not had two young children running about the house since our children were little. Our oldest grand daughter, the amazing Anika, is attending college in the fall. We are not sure yet where she is bound. She got accepted to Colorado State University—nonetheless, she prefers to go to a college in her home state of California. Going to totally miss our number one grand daughter and traveling companion.

Wishing all of you well. FC

A HOLIDAY DOG POEM

Maurice the Dog
FC 12/9/13


Remember when we took the puppy
to the snow?
His black nose
black fur
amongst the white
romping
He'd nibble on my bearded chin
I was handsome then
You,
so young and beautiful
(no, you haven't changed much)
We threw snowballs
that Maurice the dog would chase
We tried to slide on disks down the hill
bogging down more than sliding
We've rescued more than one
puppy in our time
And you rescued me
from years full of winters
Now,
all the snow's gone to my hair
and I've been bogged down
for as long as I remember
but for those days
when I felt the cold
when I nibbled at your ears.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

MOVING WITH YOUR DOG

There are lots of important things to remember when moving—including the health and welfare of your pets.

While I am happy to share tips from personal experience, I’m not an expert on moving—one move in thirty years does not an expert make. But I do know that some pets are extremely vulnerable to the stress of moving. One of my dogs gets crazy with a car ride of even a few minutes. If your dog (or cat) is similar to my dog, moving any distance can be a nightmare. So, plan, plan, plan in advance. A move across town will be difficult. A move across country could be near disaster.

As far as relocation goes, moving companies do not take pets. You will either have to fly your pets to their destination, or drive them out. If you drive them, remember to check on pet-friendly hotels. There are lists of them on the internet. Plan for lots of potty breaks for your pet. Remember to bring water, perhaps a favorite pet toy, and confine your pet to a carrier. While your dog may be used to riding in the car, surely most cats are not. And imagine having your cat freaking out and sinking its claws into you while you’re driving across country.

Make sure your animal has its tags with a contact number that will find you—no sense having your old phone on the tag—or better yet, micro-chip your pet. Keep health certificates near and available. Some states require health certificates for your pets. There are a bunch of other tips available on the web. Check out the SPCA website (see link at the bottom of the page.) Also, no one is as in tune with bizarre pet behavior as Allie from Hyperbole and a Half, the hilarious web-comic. I also included that link.

This blog originally appeared on the Junk King website in a different form. (More of a Junk King-centric blog, but thanks to them for allowing me to use this subject.)

http://www.junk-king.com/

http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/caring-for-your-pet/moving-with-your-pet.html

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/11/dogs-dont-understand-basic-concepts.html

I LOVE--I MEAN MY DOGS LOVE DOG TOYS

I admit. I love dog toys. No, it isn't like I sit about chewing dog toys. My dogs love them. We have two dogs. Lulu, pictured, and little Sophie. Lulu shows such unconditional joy with new dog toys. It doesn't matter what the toy is. She loves it to death. She destroys any squeaky toy immediately. She still plays with it, after death so to speak. Squeaker gone, no matter, though that is the point of it right? To remove the squeaker.

Sophie too finds the squeaker objectionable, but not because of the noise. It matters not if the squeaker works. She is a dog that wants the squeaker out. Another destroyer--Sophie the destroyer. A soon-to-be Hindu (no offense intended) goddess. All fuzz inside also must be removed by Sophie.

Now Sophie has little interest in anything unfuzzy, unless of course, Lulu happens to be playing with it. But Lulu loves any new dog toy. Anything that resembles a dog toy. She pulls down the basket in the bedroom that contains her toys, and chooses one. While both dogs shake the daylights out of any fuzzy toys, Lulu cares little of their make-up. She checks the grocery bags when they come into the house. "Anything for me?" she seems to say. (Take a metal bolt and give it to her as her own, she will love it.) Sophie, even though new to us, came into our home with her peculiarities. She has her own choice of toys.

Some weeks, we bring home new dog toys two or three times. We seek inexpensive toys for sure, with an occasional splurge. I want to cringe when I say that. Dog toys, six new ones per week! Yes, we occasionally cull through them and get rid of a few. That we babysit our grand-dogs, Xena and sometimes Moo, gives us further "justification" for our purchases, but I admit, it feels almost like the practice of dressing our pets in doggy outfits, something I don't like.

But dog "coats" are a yes. We keep our house cool, and sometimes our dogs get cold. Moo, our youngest daughter's chihuahua/terrier mix, especially gets cold. So dog coats are okay.

Doggy Halloween costumes are barely a no. Yes, barely. Really, come on. Not necessary. (Gosh, so cute!) Doggy jingle bells? An unqualified yes.

So, what is the story with me? Am I becoming senile in my early-seniorhood? Not exactly. But, we love our dogs and so...

Look, it's not like we don't give money to charity, or slip the homeless guys a couple of bucks now and again. I don't read book after book about cute dogs or cats. I don't have six cats and five dogs. No, there is nothing wrong with such multiple pets as long as the animals are cared for well. I think people are more important than animals, though animals are more moral. It's just that I like to watch the dogs play. So sue me.

So, what to do? Okay, more to charity, less to dog toys. I get it, but darn, one of my charities is the SPCA, so there.

Darn, I love dog toys.

 

Our Dog's Celebrity Look-alike

Been awhile since I posted. This one will be short. For those of you counter-culture geeks, near my age perhaps, or film buffs, perhaps you will remember David Lynch's Eraserhead. Well, in case you don't, it is a typical Lynch vision of a very odd future, haunting and weird--very weird. The film may be one of the most disturbing I have ever viewed. One recurring scene is of the "Girl in the radiator." Well, my newish dog Sophie is the almost spitting image of this girl. If you haven't seen this film, well, this post may make little sense. If so, well, God knows, if this blog had relevancy it might be more popular. It doesn't, so it's not.

So A Blind Dog Walked Into A Bar Leading a Man

So I admit, I always wanted someone to come along and write my blog for me. Now I can do nothing but lie around, like my own dogs, slobbering on the carpet, awaiting dinner, trying to avoid going outside… Oh, wait, I already do that. Thanks to New Zealand's Amanda Edwards for the use of this beautiful poem. Visit her at her website. http://wwwjustwritewithmandy.blogspot.co.nz/

Blind Devotion

Along the river bank one day
I met a man and dog at play

the dog carried in his mouth
a rubber ring
an awkward thing

but that was not the strangest sight
his faithful eyes were milky white

“How can he find the ring?” I asked
And his master softly laughed

“I make sure he knows,” he said

bent down to point his blind dog’s head
toward the way that he would throw

and with tail wagging off he sped

the ring jostled by his side
then tumbled to the ground to hide

at first the dog walked round and round
sniffed and sniffed ‘til it was found

then headed off in joyful glee
you would not know he could not see

back eventually he came
sat back down – “more … more … the same”

every muscle was a quiver
he knew his master would deliver

And I?
I cried inside as I stood there
watching this devoted pair

For love that binds a man with dog
is surely love that comes from God.

Mandy Edwards 2013 ©

 

New Dog, Different Attitude.

So Sophie has settled in. We got Sophie from the Peninsula Animal Shelter on June 1. I admit, her attitude seemed a little "bitchy" at first. We did not properly introduce her to Lulu, pictured on the masthead of this blog. Lulu is 11, Sophie is but four. Immediately, Sophie tried to assert dominance over Lulu. She plays one-on-one,, but not fetch or with other dogs.

At a recent outing at my daughter Kirsten's house, Sophie had to be "prey" to Xena. Admittedly, it was on Xena's home turf, but Xena attacked Sophie, and Sophie got into it with Moo, my other daughter's dog, but not Lulu. Now, there are no more wars, or few wars anyway, between Lulu and Sophie. It is toleration for now. Lulu is pretty sweet. She waits for Sophie when she goes outside. Maybe I am kidding myself, maybe Lulu is just making sure that both dogs have to go outside.

The other day Lulu, and we think it was Lulu, peed on the bed when I had carried Sophie outside without her to meet the neighbor. Lulu didn't pee on her bed, she peed on our bed. She is making her point about being ignored.

You know, introducing a dog, not a puppy into the house with another dog isn't all that easy. It isn't a slam dunk. It wouldn't be that easy to introduce one dog into a household without a second. Dogs have personalities. Sophie is devoted to Lynn, my wife. She would follow her to the ends of the earth. Lynn has started to teach Sophie to back off and not follow. Sophie is lovable. She does this thing where she lies on the ground, rolls on her back, and moves her front paws back and forth, like "rub my belly." She will stand up and do this as well. After the 330th time, it isn't as cute, but hell... Look folks, dogs aren't interchangeable. Lynn hopes to make Sophie a visiting, therapy dog. If Sophie the dog doesn't work out, we aren't going to return her. She's mostly housebroken, but still makes a mistake now and again. She does her business on our back patio, which is frowned upon. No problem. We will deal with it.

But thousands and thousands of dog people dump their dogs every year, either at a shelter or worse. Pit bull people dump their dogs because they don't understand what they have gotten themselves into, or chihuahua owners dump their dogs because they think they are cute and don't poop or eat or need care. I mention these two breeds, or more accurately mixed breeds because I seem lots of them at the shelter every time. Dogs are not something that should be dumped if they don't live up to one's expectations. They are noble beasts, who would give their very lives for their owners. 

So, in regards to the pit bull attack and death of a six-year-old within the last few days in the Bay Area--surely you will not expect what I am going to say next. I admire people who adopt pit bulls and raise them. Kristen Johnson has a pit bull that she loves. Many people have pit bulls that are fine dogs and they trust them. On the other hand, I think a lot of people have no idea what they are getting into when they get these dogs. The child in this case was riding the pit bull like a horse. The father and mother were not present. This is bad parenting, not necessarily bad dog raising. Nonetheless, the dog was put down as one would expect. The owner was a police officer. What an idiot. I admit, I don't entirely trust pits. I think pits and children are a bad idea. Nevertheless, if you have a pit that is a great dog, bless your trust, your humanity, and your luck.