Approrpriate Use of Tax Dollars

My first reaction to watching this video was disgust. If my husband were to do this I’d make fun of him and be mad. At first.

This is in my neck of the woods. The officer stops traffic on a very busy highway in order to let a momma duck and her ducklings cross the street.

Why do I say it, at first, made me angry? Because it is not the job of a police officer to protect wildlife that happens to wander on the road.

Not only that, but most law enforcement deaths are from traffic accidents so this officer was putting himself in even greater danger for some ducks. I would be furious if my husband put himself in this kind of danger. You can see that even though he was trying to stop traffic some of the cars were still going around (which also pissed me off … you see lights you stop or pull to the right…you don’t go around!).

On second consideration though I think that the cop did the right thing. Why such a change in thought?

I was discussing this with my coworkers and one of them brought up the fact that if he hadn’t stopped traffic that it is very likely that some moron would have swerved to avoid the ducks, thereby causing a serious accident and very likely a fatal pileup.

Knowing the people in this state I can say that is probably exactly what would have happened. There are people here who would rather swerve to avoid hitting a squirrel and put their own lives or the lives of others in danger than to hit the squirrel.

Me? I’d hit the squirrel if there were cars or people around. I hate squirrels anyway and no way would I try to avoid one if it meant crashing my car or hurting someone. [Lest you think me heartless, I also wouldn't swerve just to hit a squirrel...yucky.]

So after considering the situation I am glad the officer did what he did, even though my gut reaction was disgust. He probably saved the lives (or at least prevented serious injury) of people.

Oh…and yes, I’m specie-est (or whatever the word is) because if it would have been a dog I would have immediately been glad the officer stopped traffic. But whatever. =) I know my faults.

English Muffins

It’s been awhile … I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas last week and that you are all looking forward to a great New Year. I had a great time with more than 9 days in a row off from work. Woohoo!

This meant more time at home with my babies. Except on Christmas Eve when they were forced into their outdoor kennel for more hours than I prefer while we visited family. They survived just fine.

Unfortunately, we also had a huge snow storm - three of them actually. Which is great in some ways. I love the snow and so do the dogs. Watching them play was hilarious and I have some great pictures to share later.

The bad part is that we were all pretty much stuck in the house for a good week. No walks - it was way too slippery and with a dog who still pulls slippery is not good. No agility training - the roads were too bad and it was too cold for the other dogs (of course Trooper loves the cold, but not all dogs have his lovely coat). And no car trips because we pretty much didn’t leave the house except for one or two times.

So the cabin fever has pretty much set in fully and our youngest pup Timber is acting up. Last night hubby came in the bedroom and asked me how many packages of English Muffins I bought at the grocery store.

The answer was three (don’t judge me…I eat one every single morning and sometimes for lunch too). Hubby had a slightly concerned look on his face so I asked what the problem was.

Apparently there were only two packages left and a piece of a wrapper from the third. Timber was a very naughty puppy last night! I just laughed because I knew he was going to have a very upset tummy - the English Muffins are double fiber flax seed. hahahahaha And he ate FIVE of them! Good grief. I can only imagine the tummy upset.

Lesson for the day - don’t leave high fiber English muffins where a long legged pup can counter surf and find them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Winter Wonderland

What a joy this weather is when you have snow dogs! They are having so much fun, even my little old lady is enjoying herself. But Timber and Trooper are having the most fun. Chasing each other around, throwing their balls in the air, digging in the snow. It cracks me up.

Trooper especially is in heaven with the snow. His coat is so thick he could sleep outside all night and be comfortable.

Of course we are cruel parents and “force” him to sleep inside at night. LOL The poor guy. Of course we do tend to open the window to get fresh air moving, even when it’s 10 degrees outside. The things we do for our babies.

Timber thinks this weather is the best thing since dog food. He wants to be out there ALL the time. All day and night. It’s so cute. I don’t know that he’s ever seen snow. Although I’m sure with his old owner he would have seen plenty and not have been taken inside.

I would have thought that he’d get cold but he seems just fine. Maybe he’s got a super secret undercoat that we can’t see. =) Because his coat is ten times as thin as Trooper’s.

It was 11 degrees this morning and, as usual, I had the door open while the dogs were outside. We don’t ‘lock’ them out … we like to be able to hear what they’re doing and let them come in when they want (when we don’t call them in ourselves). And for *some* odd reason I felt like it was colder than normal. hahahahaha I can’t imagine why that was! =) 32 degrees is one thing, but 11! We’re definitely not used to that kind of thing here.

I hope everyone is staying warm and dry wherever you are! I’m praying the electricity stays on during the wind storm they’re predicting.

If You Can't Do the Time

Don’t get a dog! In this case multiple dogs.

I’m very frustrated with an acquaintance and it is a slightly sensitive situation…especially with me being so darn vocal.

I’ll call this person Bob. Bob and his family have two stunningly gorgeous pure black German Shepherd dogs who are a little less than two years old. If we didn’t already have four dogs I would snap them up in a heartbeat.

Apparently these beauties have become inconvenient for Bob. Can you feel my rage burning?

As I ranted to my husband…dogs are not accessories to be purchased like a pair of earrings. Used a few times and then stuffed away and out of sight. Stuck in the back yard until they are more convenient. Left alone and expected to behave the way “we” want just because … but with no guidance or training.

The dogs are left in the back yard with each other. They are provided adequate shelter, food, and water, but their stimulation is only each other and the trouble they cause together. And of course they cause trouble…they are BORED!

German Shepherds are working dogs. They need an activity, a job, a sense of purpose. They can be extremely destructive dogs (I think Timber is part German Shepherd) if not given proper training and stimulation. Of course they will destroy a very expensive dog bed when the family goes out and they are left alone in the back yard. Of course they will bark like crazy when the family is inside the house with guests and they are stuck outside looking in.

I am not opposed to dogs “living” outside (though I could never have that situation myself) but only if they are provided for beyond the basics of food, shelter, and water. They need to be part of a pack, to have a leader, given boundaries, trained, nurtured, and especially exercised.

Apparently these dogs freak out when they get around other dogs - gee I wonder why?!? Could it possibly be because they haven’t been freaking socialized!!!???!!! They also don’t listen Bob’s wife and scare his children. Again…I can’t imagine why (insert sarcasm here).

I’m very frustrated with this situation…particularly since I have absolutely no control and only feel like yelling at Bob. He’s a responsible person who has a significant amount of authority in his job and takes it very seriously. I wish he took the care of his dogs as seriously.

I did try to advise him not to take the dogs to the pound as they would have a very hard time getting adopted. It would be better if he contacted a special pure bred rescue for German Shepherds. The best situation though would be to be a role model for his children and put some time and energy into the dogs. It would only take a few months - a couple of hours each week of good solid training and exercise and the dogs would be much happier and less destructive.

*sigh*

I Wish it Would Snow

Oh my gosh. I laughed so hard when I watched this that I have tears in my eyes!!! My dogs … well, at least two of them … would totally be doing this same thing if it snowed this much. I really wish we’d get a good amount of snow. At least 6 inches would make me happy. We may have to make a special trip somewhere to find a lot of snow for the dogs to romp in.

Seriously watch this and feel your heart warmed.

Hat Tip - Secret Lives of Scientsts

Do Dogs Understand Fairness?

We have four dogs. I love them all but I admit to having favorites. Trooper is clearly “my” boy and we spend lots of time together doing special things like agility. Don’t get me wrong, I love them all very dearly. Kodiak is my “first born” and his attitude cracks me up. Quinn is the queen. And Timber is my sweet rescue (always into something) baby boy.

But when it comes to picking one or two dogs to go with us somewhere I tend to prefer taking Trooper. He’s easier for me to deal with and better behaved than the rest. My mother in law HATES this and always says that it’s unfair and the other dogs are going to be jealous.

Really???

Do dogs get jealous?

I mean, I know that Trooper gets jealous in the moment…like when he sees me giving attention to Timber. Or when he’s at daycare and trying to be the center of attention and starting fights (yes it happened again the last time he was there). But in the long term? Do they really get jealous?

I have no idea.

I just called Timber inside from the yard and he came right when I said “Timber, Come” so I wanted to give him a cookie. So far we’ve averted two run away situations by shaking the cookie bag. Thank God my dogs love cookies.

So I walk to the cookie jar and the other three dogs run up to get their reward. Reward for what!?! They didn’t earn it. They didn’t do anything. I didn’t call them. So I gave Timber and Trooper a cookie and that’s it. The other two didn’t seem overly miffed. But it does make me wonder. Do you think they “know” somehow in their being that they got shafted?

They both need to lose weight (actually, so does Trooper) and I know when papa gets up he’ll automatically give them treats. It’s not like they’re deprived or anything.

The Dog Chooses You

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had all last week off and really tried to tune out and do things around the house. So not much posting here or my other blogs. We had a wonderful week, took the dogs on a couple of walks, spent time together as a family.

I got to see my brother’s dog, Echo. I swear he is the sweetest and friendliest dog ever.

My brother suffers from extreme anxiety and depression. A year or so ago (has it been that long already?) my mom and I decided that he needed a dog. Partly for therapy and partly for companionship. Plus we were hoping a dog and the responsibilities of having a pet would get him out of bed on days when anxiety kept him asleep for 18+ hours.

Anxiety can prevent people from doing even the most basic of tasks. Something as simple as filling up the gas tank of his car can create such panic that he will throw up. So you can imagine the fear of choosing a dog to bring home from the pound.

That is where pushy, bossy, big sister comes in. Whether he will agree with me or not, I generally know what is best for him. Even when we were younger I knew when to push him and when to back off. This was a push moment. He knew we were coming but the dog we’d originally planned to adopt had gotten adopted.

If we had told him this he would have backed out so we just headed down without telling him. When we got there and told him the other dog was adopted the look of sheer panic on his face would have been funny if it weren’t so sad. We didn’t give him enough time to stress over it … just pushed him into the car and started to drive to the Humane Society.

That place was huge. I was impressed. We met one dog but it was just so jumpy and fearful. It would come to me but not to brother.

The next dog was Echo. We figure he was part Rottweiler (although he’s very small…maybe 40 pounds) due to his coloring and eyes but mostly some sort of collie. In other words, a mutt.

I actually tried to ignore him because I wanted brother to get the attention. At one point I told my brother “You know, we don’t choose the dog. The dog chooses you.” And at that EXACT moment Echo put his paw on my brother’s leg as if to say “I choose you” and that was it.

My mom and I paid the rescue fee and Echo was on his way to a new home (after getting neutered of course).

This sweet boy sleeps with my brother and listens to his every word. Brother said that he just has to whisper “Echo” softly and the dog comes right to him. I think that his companionship has increased the quality of my brother’s life…without question.

It was a blessing to see him again last week. I hope brother brings him to our Christmas gathering too. I want Echo to play with our pack.

Abandonment is Not the Answer

It makes me so sad to see stories like this. People deciding that their situation is so bleak that their only choice is to abandon their pets. Animals who have come to rely on their humans for survival. Living creatures unaccustomed to living alone or fending for themselves. Giving love and loyalty to their humans no matter what.

Some humans do not deserve such loyalty.

My hubby and I would rather live out of our truck than give up our dogs. All four of them!

I’m at risk of losing my job and it made me think about how much we do spend on our dogs. One thing we will not skimp on is their dog food. It’s $50 a bag. And we can go through four bags fairly quickly. If I have to cancel our cable and cell phone service I will before I’d start feeding them cheap crap food.

One thing we could also do is give our own vaccines. My grandpa has always done that with his dogs so I’m sure he can help us purchase the vaccines we need. It would help us avoid the $40 office visit. Although I love our vet I don’t feel the need to visit him just for vaccines. And we wouldn’t switch to a lower cost vet either. For the things that matter he is the best.

As Urban Ground mentions and I agree … I’m sure the same people abandoning their pets are still eating out, still have cable, still use their cell phones, and smoke or drink.

This world seems to have gone insane. People are abandoning their children too. Is that what the “me” society has brought us? It’s all about me and forget anyone or anything else?

Don't Punish Breeds, Hold Owners Accountable

When I read stories like this one I get mad.

All dogs can be dangerous, regardless of breed, if not properly trained or handled by their owners. Some dogs are only “dangerous” when provoked or when guarding their family.

I’ve met some amazingly wonderful, sweet, playful, and harmless pit bulls. I’ve also met some mean and nasty mutts who have attacked (or tried to attack) my dogs.

Even Trooper has had his moments. He’s never drawn blood from a strange dog but he has cut Timber before. Though thankfully not in several weeks. I’m hoping he’s done with that phase.

“The City Council held a public hearing last night to consider eliminating that first warning for a dozen breeds, including pit bull, Akita and American Staffordshire terrier. The city doesn’t want to ban the breeds. Officials contend that owners of these breeds would have to take no additional measures if their dog doesn’t cause problems.”

ARG! How about holding ALL dog owners equally responsible and accountable for their dogs’ behavior? There is no need to single out certain breeds just because they get the most news time when there is an incident.

Are Pit Bulls potentially dangerous? Of course. They are powerful and strong and if not properly trained and restrained can be lethal. But I’ve never been bit by a pit bull and I HAVE been bit by small little ankle biter type dogs. Owners sometimes think that if their dogs are small that they are harmless even if they nip at people. Wrong.

Who will determine which breeds are “dangerous”? Many people think my dogs look like wolves (insert major eye roll here) so will there someday be a law that says “wolf looking” dogs are dangerous. The only danger Trooper presents to people is knocking them over when trying to get petted.

I hope that the dog owners who organized the rally against this proposal are successful. It’s called common sense and if an owner is lacking in this then they should be punished if their dog acts dangerously.

This whole thing ticks me off.

Keep Pets Safe in Cold Weather

My dogs love cold weather. This is their very favorite time of year. Hubby and I work hard to keep the heat off as much as possible to keep the house nice and cool. The few times that it snows the doggies love to go out on the deck and wallow in the white stuff.

But not all dogs (and other pets) are as furry and fluffy as my babies with their double layer coats. Cold weather can be dangerous to pets and owners need to make sure to take into consideration their animals’ special needs.

Many people over estimate their pet’s ability to tolerate the cold. They’re animals and so should be able to handle the lower temperatures. But that is not always true.

Reading this article, which supplies some basic common sense advice, I was shocked to read comments from people who seem to think that providing heat and shelter to pets is going overboard.

Yes, pets are animals. But many animals have been domesticated to the point that they have lost their ‘natural’ ability to survive in the elements (if they ever had such an ability).

Providing a heated space or a well insulated dog house does not seem to be an over the top action for pet owners to take. I’m sure that our house is seen as outrageous by some of the commenters on that site. Our dogs have their own beds and blankets and more toys than most kids.

I don’t think it is extravagant to ensure that animals have non-frozen water, healthy food, and shelter against the elements.

Two Souls Find a Home

I have an e-mail distribution list at work for animal folks willing to get sporadic e-mail announcements of doggy’s in need. It’s not a huge thing but if my e-mails get forwarded on to others then maybe doggies will find new homes.

The latest rescue is from my coworker Jason. He blames me for his two new family members. I sent out an e-mail last week about an adoption event at a local Pet store with a rescue organization. And he brought home Juno and Dex.

Do you think his daughter looks happy? He says that she is doing better with them than he expected. Juno and Dex are testing and learning their boundaries. We had a chat yesterday about night time crying and howling. It’s important to ignore it. The dogs are both old enough to go a full night without needing to go outside. Catering to their every whim puts them in charge and it needs to be the other way around.

I’m thrilled that he got two dogs together. One is two years old and the other is 11 months. The two year old is apparently more mellow, which is to be expected. The 11 month old is a puppy and acting like a puppy with a lot of energy.

So now my e-mail list has resulted in three adoptions and I’m beyond thrilled. If I could adopt more dogs I would. My dream would be a whole house full of dogs. Both adopted and pure bred from our favorite Malamute breeder. But mostly adopted.

How NOT to Pet a Dog

Especially the “First” dog and while being video taped.

I don’t blame Barney one bit. It was the reporter’s own damn fault for being an idiot. It’s not “cute” to reach in over a dog’s head … it’s dangerous for a person and threatening to the dog.

You hold out your hand (slowly) to let a dog sniff you first. You get down on their level if they are a small, close to the ground dog. And then, only if the dog wags their tail in acceptance (and if the owner says it’s okay) do you reach over the dog’s head to pet it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell little (and sometimes big) kids to back off when they approach my dogs. My dogs would never bite someone but walking straight up with hand raised to reach behind their head is threatening to a dog. My dogs don’t let people do that because their heads follow the hand. Most kids (who aren’t dog wise) react negatively and pull their hand back fast. Which only makes the dogs want to follow it more and it creates a whole unhealthy cycle. *sigh*

Then again, maybe Barney was ticked off by some story the guy did against his dad. *grin* Or he’s upset that a new strange dog is moving into the white house. Though I’m guessing he’ll be glad to get back to the ranch and chasing rodents. Do Scotties hunt? I know nothing about the breed. Other than the two that I’ve met in the past were not nice or well behaved but I didn’t blame them. And their owners were working through their issues.

Happy Friday!

Adam and Eve's Pets

I must ask that you go visit Comedy Plus today for her post about Adam and Eve’s Pets. It is hilarious!

And an update at the Casto Zoo. Timber and Trooper are getting along better and just this morning were giving each other kisses as they played.

Trooper’s Conjunctivitis is cleared up. Putting eye drops in his eyes was oh so fun for those seven days.

I went to my first Agility Trial last weekend…just to watch. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It looked like so much fun and I had a blast just watching. It was crazy though. People and dogs everywhere. I want to take Trooper with me just to get him used to the noise though. I’ll bring lots of treats. *grin*

Kodiak has started getting massage. The first time we went he cried the whole time like he was being tortured. I giggled a lot. But the last time apparently he did much better and hubby actually agreed to let him get massages every week. I was surprised but happy about it. I want Kodiak to be more comfortable and the massage gal said he’s very very tight in his back legs.

Quinn is still up to her usual barking and policing the other dogs. Silly girl. She’s been very spunky lately and I’m not really sure why. Maybe she’s lost some weight because we’ve been feeding her less.

So life is as crazy as ever here. We really need to get Timber into some obedience classes though. I cannot control him when we encounter other dogs on walks. He goes nuts and barks like he’s insane. Not to mention he still pulls like a Mac truck.

Walter Reed for Dogs

I love this!

A new $15 million veterinary hospital for four-legged military personnel opened Tuesday at Lackland Air Force Base, offering a long overdue facility that gives advanced medical treatment for combat-wounded dogs.

It sounds like, from the article, that dogs are in high demand for the military. So much so that they’ve started breeding programs on base. Which is interesting. I wonder why they are in such high demand.

I love the last quote in the story though…after their service is over…

“the military tries to adopt them out and “station them at Fort Living Room,”"

More Fights

*sigh*

So, Thursday night the T’s (that’s my new shortened term for Timber and Trooper) got in a massive brawl right on top of daddy and he got bit. Pretty badly. Threw a blanket over them and they stopped.

Then apparently on Friday while at daycare Trooper instigated some stuff with dogs and was riling them up and got in a scuffle. I called and got this update and then he got sent home with a note. I was so sad … and embarrassed. My kid came home with a note!

Daycare said that Trooper has been acting like this more and more since Timber joined our pack. They said that he’s acting jealous. *sigh*

So how do we fix jealousy? I have no clue.

On Sunday I was in the shower and hubby came in to tell me that the T’s got into it again while he was fixing some sausages. Well, that makes a little more sense because Trooper is more food aggressive. Unfortunately this time Timber got an owie on his eye…I’m just thankful the eye itself wasn’t too badly injured, just the eye lid.

I talked to one of the trainers at Agility on Sunday and her advice was to not give Trooper extra attention at all. He’s being a spoiled brat and we should pay attention to Timber just as we want to do and if Trooper tries to be “doggy rude” (cut in between Timber and me/hubby) or growls we should discipline him immediately. It’s not about what Trooper wants…it’s about our rules and what we want to do as pack leaders.

Trooper’s breeder mentioned that being a young male malamute…who was the baby until Timber showed up…is just one factor in his aggression. And he has been incredibly spoiled … and still is although he doesn’t get all the attention now. He was never aggressive with Kodiak or Quinn but they were in the pack before he was and he grew up with them from the time he was 8 weeks old.

The only other thing I can think to do is to watch them carefully and look for any signs of aggression. Hubby and I brought home four toys and four bones yesterday from the pet store. Each dog got a toy…which of course they promptly abandoned because they all wanted someone else’s toy. Sheesh. Timber wanted Trooper’s toy. Kodiak wanted Timber’s toy.

Thankfully there were no fights … I watched them all very carefully.

All dogs are home with hubby today since he has today off. I hope that they all behave and that he watches them closely. I’m a little concerned that he gets easily distracted and doesn’t catch those subtle first signs.

Like Trooper’s ears going back this morning when I was giving Timber lovin’. I immediately told him NO and back up they popped. The little spoiled stinker.

All I want is a happy and healthy pack.

Throw a Blanket Over Them

Last night I was making copies of some rebate forms in the office (it’s not like an “office” … more of a spare room with a desk) and all of a sudden I hear screaming and the sound of dogs trying to maul each other.

I dropped everything and ran out to the living room (our house isn’t big…it wasn’t much of a trip) to find my husband in the middle of a violent dog fight between Trooper and Timber.

I head toward the couch and grab a blanket and throw it over the dogs. This stops the fight immediately.

It probably didn’t last more than 30 seconds, and the dogs had no injuries, but unfortunately hubby was a casualty. He has three large puncture wounds on his arm and they bled pretty good. He was still complaining this morning about the pain.

Could this have been avoided? I’m sure. I have no doubt that it started because of a toy. They’re both young males and I think Trooper has felt less secure since we got our foster dog in September and now have our new member Timber. Since September he’s been quicker to lash out and growls much more than I’d ever seen him before.

Trooper and Timber get along really well normally. They play together roughly and chase each other around the yard. They even play tug of war in a playful manner. But twice now they’ve had these major blow ups with each other.

It just reminds me that we can’t let our guard down, even for a minute. Hubby was playing a video game and surely not paying attention to the two monsters who were right next to him on the floor. Should he have gotten in between them? Probably not but that is our first instinct…to break it up.

Thankfully, I remembered the advice we received when we adopted Quinn. She was our second dog and we asked the lady at the rescue what to do if there was a fight. We had no idea how Kodiak would respond and Quinn was a complete stranger to us so we were concerned.

The woman at the shelter said that the best thing to do in a dog fight situation is to throw something over the dogs - a towel, blanket, coat, something. This will generally break it up. Thankfully it worked this time.

Both dogs were taken down … I laid across Timber and hubby held down Trooper until they both relaxed and submitted fully. This is also an important part of calming things down…getting both dogs to submit and realize that they are not in control.

Trooper and Timber are both at daycare today…together. Both have no doubt forgotten all about their little scuffle last night. But hubby and I won’t soon forget.

I Am Very Lame

I have all these great and fun photos of Timber and the other doggies but haven’t yet uploaded them into my Flickr account. I also went to an amazing wedding on Saturday and MUST share it with all of you because it involved dogs. And horses. And cows. And unfortunately some bees but I’m trying to block them out of my mind.

And yet work and life are sadly getting in my way. I’d much rather be home right now cuddling up with Timber and hubby in bed. But no. I had to pull myself out of a very warm and cozy bed into the freezing cold and drive 40 minutes to work.

And I actually have a lot of work to do but I don’t want to do ANY of it. Is that wrong?

Oh and my baby boy Trooper has all this goop draining from his eye and it’s been doing that for several days now. Mostly that icky radioactive green color. And this morning when we got up to go potty he was coughing. My baby has a cold! His nose wasn’t -dry- but it wasn’t wet either. It wasn’t warm but it wasn’t cool. I think he’s sick. I hate that.

Do I take him to the vet? Or just let it run it’s course? Could it be something more serious or is it just allergies? Quinn has been coughing more than usual too but I generally ignore it or give her Benadryl (or her prescription medication which we’re almost out of).

Trooper’s appetite is fine and he doesn’t seem lethargic but we’ll be watching him closely.

Now I have to get back to work. Blech.

Wordless Wednesday - Timber is a Happy Boy

First Grooming

Trooper and Timber went to the groomers this morning. I can’t wait to see my big fluff ball all cleaned up. He’s such a handsome boy. Don’t you think?

Of course I’m slightly biased.

Timber is handsome too, but not in the same way.

He’s such a sweetheart … he finally spent a whole night cuddling with me on Wednesday night. Daddy had an overtime night shift so it was just me and Timber and he wanted to get as close as he could without actually being ON me. And I figured when papa got home that he’d move to the floor, as he’s tended to do. But not that night. He decided to sleep between us with his head in my arm pit. *grin*

He’s so soft … silky almost. I really want to dress him up in clothes but I don’t know if papa will let me get away with it.

So he went to the groomer’s for the first time EVER (I’m guessing in his whole life) and we’ll see how he did. I don’t expect his look to change but his toe nails will get cleaned at the very least. It’s nice to have a dog who doesn’t have dirt CLING to him.

We’re still working on walking on a leash … he pulls SO hard it is unbelievable. I can control Trooper, even when he pulls near his hardest. And Timber isn’t as ‘large’ though he’s fairly big and over 70 pounds. He’s total muscle.

So I’ve resorted to the gentle leader that goes over the nose. I hate it. Mostly because when a dog pulls really hard with this thing it moves back toward their eyes. With Kodiak he pulled so hard that it actually ended up CUTTING his nose!

And it makes it harder for our dogs to open their mouths all the way. But it also lets me take them for a walk…which is the most important thing.

I may try to find a gentle leader that goes around their chest instead. I think they’d be more comfortable. Timber threw a fit for two full times around our neighborhood. But he did much better today when I used it at daycare/groomer (same place).

Oh … and I got my 451Press payment for the month of September and it was the highest yet at over $9. Woohoo! I know I know … it’s not a ton, but it’s $9 more than I get with my other blog. *grin* And it’s $9 more dollars that I can send to Saving Shelter Pets.

Thank you for continuing to visit here at Home Zookeeper. =)

A Substitute for Children?

On Friday, hubby asked me if he thought our dogs were our attempt at filling a void in our life. We do not have any human babies but both want one or two. So far, no luck.

I answered yes. I do think that the dogs fill a void.

He got mad.

I was just being honest though. Having four dogs is wonderful and fun and never dull. But would we have four dogs if we had a kid? Probably not. We might have two…MAYBE 3. But four? Ouch. Adding a kid into the mix would make it more painful and difficult and stressful.

We’re still trying for a non-furry two legged kiddo, even with four dogs. We’ll make due and the dogs won’t get the short end of the stick. They are our babies, after all.

But for the moment, they are filling that void. I get to shower my love and attention on them… okay mostly Trooper but I do love them all.

Instead of soccer practice or T-ball games, I take Trooper to agility twice a week. No little kiddo pictures at my desk at work … it’s me and Trooper or our “family portrait” of hubby, me, Quinn, and Kodiak from a couple years ago.

I’m not sure why it upset hubby to think that the dogs are filling a void in our life. I don’t think our family is complete yet and that’s just how I feel. Will I love our dogs any less when a human kid comes along? Of course not. I want to pass on our love for animals to any rug rat we have.

I know that people think we’re a little nuts with our four dogs and all the attention they get. My mom says that when we have “real” kids that our dogs won’t get as much attention. Hubby and I both think she is wrong.

Digging to China

Trooper and Timber seem to be getting along better, though not perfectly. Sunday morning before Agility they were outside together … and a little too quiet. I was trying to get ready (breakfast and all that) and by the time I went outside to check on them I knew I was too late.

Apparently the two boys thought it was a good idea to try their best to dig to China!!!

I am not lying when I say that one of their holes was a good two feet deep. I swear I could hire them out as excavators! The little twits.

The good news is that it seemed to be a tandem thing - their two holes are side by side. Isn’t that sweet? *insert eye roll here*

Timber is doing really good, destruction aside (did I mention the digital camera cable torn to shreds? and the poor defenseless Kleenex box?). I took him outside last night and worked on some basic commands. I think we need more tempting treats for him though because the little nuggets I was using weren’t really inspiring him. He can sit on command very well but going down is another story. He would just look at me or try to lick my hand when I tried to coax him down.

“Leave it” though he learned super quick. With practice I’m guessing he’ll be as good as the other dogs in no time. I held out my palm with treats, said “leave it” and when he tried to take them closed my fist. After only one or two times of this he stopped trying to take the treats and the third or forth time was actually looking AT me which is exactly what I want. He’s such a good boy!

Feeding times are becoming less chaotic too. He isn’t like Bullet who tried to steal Trooper’s food at every chance. He actually just sits there calmly watching…while the other three monsters jump and dance like clowns. We’re at a point where I can *almost* walk away from his dish - at least he’s not diving for it the second I put it on the floor now.

As I sat at my laptop last night, all four dogs were soundly snoozing on the floor around me. A good dog is a sleepy dog!

Brotherly Love

The zoo is finding a routine, for the most part. Timber and Trooper have really started to bond and play and enjoy each other. There have been some fairly large … we’ll call them “broo ha has” over toys and such but otherwise lots of rough housing and hanging out together.

Which is nice for Kodiak who is not much of a rough-houser. He prefers to watch … or he’ll act like he’s going to play and then run away and hide behind mommy or daddy. hahahaha He’s so cute.

So while Kodiak and Quinn are at the groomers today, Trooper and Timber stay home with mommy and daddy. It’s so great to have a younger dog for Trooper to play with…though Timber really does have more energy. I expect he’ll calm down a bit as he gets older. He is, after all, still a puppy.

Walking on a leash is still a challenge. Hubby is such a softy that he tends to let Timber walk ahead and pull, when he needs to keep him right close to his hip and keep the leash tight … it’s one of those special leashes that when he stops pulling it loosens up but when he pulls it gets really really tight. I hate it but it’s the same kind that Caesar of Dog Whisperer fame uses.

Even Trooper isn’t an angel on the leash. I had to take him DOWN on our Monday evening walk. I mean, full wrestle to the ground in the dirt take down. One of the neighbor dogs is unfriendly and his owner/walker person (a high school boy) was not keeping him under control. I had Trooper in a sit stay but he was still focused on Bear (the other dog) and he finally lunged (not a happy, let’s play lunge) so I had to take him down and get him on his back. He did NOT want to concede, but he did. Because he knows that I am his alpha mommy. Of course we both were covered in beauty bark. Oy.

Trooper has gotten more and more … I don’t want to say aggressive … but assertive maybe. He didn’t used to be so willing to fight another dog but has started to be “protective” when around me. It started before we got Bullet as a foster so it was around that same time. I’m not sure if it’s just him getting older or what.

Thankfully he is realizing that Timber is here to stay and that it is okay if mommy and daddy give Timber love too.

It’s so fun to watch them together. I love having 4 dogs. They all have SUCH amazingly different personalities. Each one is such a blessing to our lives. I’m just thankful that Timber is such a wonderful dog.

Sibling Rivalry

One of the reasons I was excited about getting a new, young dog was because I wanted someone to play with Trooper. He is only two and playing with Quinn and Kodiak isn’t enough for him. My excitement was dampened as Timber fixated on Kodiak. Thankfully that fixation has dulled though he still really really likes Kodiak.

The one thing I did not really expect was a negative reaction on Trooper’s part. He did SO good with our foster dog Bullet. Though she was a female so maybe that is part of the difference.

Last night as I brushed my teeth I thought I heard growling. Kodiak was in the living room. Quinnie was curled on her bed and Timber was right next to me. I knew Trooper was under the bed so I couldn’t understand why he would be growling. No one was near him or bothering him.

But you know why I think he was growling? Because Timber was next to me…his mommy. I got down on my hands and knees and sure enough - Trooper was growling at Timber. With no provocation. I disciplined him (telling him No and putting my hand over his muzzle) each time he started growling and after awhile he relaxed a bit. Timber had followed me over to the bed and crouched down with me - his head toward Trooper. Of course Trooper didn’t like that but I ignored Timber and just pet Trooper.

I am hoping that over time Trooper will get over his jealousy and realize that he can share with Timber the same way he shares with Kodiak and Quinn. He is no threatened by them and there’s no reason to be threatened by Timber. I asked hubby if he was still giving attention to Trooper and he said yes.

Tonight is more mommy and Trooper time at agility. It’s so fun and healthy for us both.

Anyone have any advice for handling sibling rivalry? Hubby says that they are playing together - I just don’t see it apparently because they do it while I’m at work. Or is it because Trooper is being protective of me (he really is “my” baby…he loves papa but I’m his alpha for sure).

At least they will play together. We just have to make sure to supervise until we know they are the best of friends. =)

It's a Zoo Here!

Holy cow! Remind me why I wanted to have FOUR dogs? *grin*

Just kidding. All things considered the new puppy has joined his pack *fairly* smoothly…though there are some bumps that we need to work through.

First of all, he has not eaten since he got here. We’ve figured out (we think) that he doesn’t know what dog food is and was probably fed table scraps. I tested this theory by seeing if he’d take a *SMALL* piece of Dorito and sure enough he gobbled it up. Then we tested him last night with a piece of hotdog (we were trying to get him in his crate…another issue) and he ate that too. So I think our theory is right.

However this morning as the other dogs were gobbling down their food I had tried a little bit of Kodiak’s food in a bowl (Kodiak and Quinn get Solid Gold Holistique for lower activity dogs) and he ate some of it. It was funny though - he’d take a few pieces in his mouth and spit them out. And then try again. And spit them out. hahaha I was cracking up and Trooper was loving the scraps. Finally he ate about 1/4 of a cup or less. *sigh* I won’t get worried yet. I know that he’s gone through a lot and is still getting his bearings.

Another issue is his absolute total OBSESSION with poor Kodiak. He will NOT leave him alone. He’s been trying to establish his dominance since he arrived and found quickly that he could not do so with Quinn or Trooper. So Kodiak has been trying to show his dominance but he has a very hard time with his poor back legs. There have been several scuffles and some crying but no blood so far. Honestly we don’t break them up unless they are pretty serious and so far so good. There was ONE serious fight over a toy with Trooper but I broke that one up.

So do I let the new dog try to dominate Kodiak? And let Kodiak deal with it himself? Or do I try to stop him from establishing that dominance? I’m not sure which is the best option. Because right now we are trying to keep him from humping but it’s CONSTANT. It would be funny if Kodiak weren’t in such a delicate state.

Third issue is the name…for over 24 hours we just made kissy noises and said ‘new doggy’. LOL

*** drumroll please ***

His new name is … TIMBER.

Hubby, mother in law, and I were sitting around throwing out names and all of a sudden hubby said “what about Timber?” And we all just knew. That was it! We went through SO many names but none of them felt right until Timber. With his coloring and his long legs and his personality it just felt perfect.

We have a lot of work to do with our new boy. He can’t walk on a leash to save his life and that’s one of those areas that I’m really bad at training. Trooper now seems a little more cuddly so I think it’s a little bit of jealousy. He never likes to snuggle on the bed but he was doing that last night. LOL

I think that Timber will calm down eventually. Right now he seems like a crazy out of control animal. =) But we know that this is all so foreign to him…the freedom, the kindness, the doggy companions. It’s all new.

Oh…and the panting. Boy he has a bigger tongue than Trooper does!!! And he has been panting like a fiend. I’m not sure if it’s partly stress or from all his excitement but I hope it’s a temporary thing because the super heavy breathing kind of worries me.

Right now he’s laying at my feet and earlier he finally took an interest in a bone. =) Normal doggy here we come!

Another Chance at a Happy Life

He is ours.

I fought for him yesterday. I called the pound at 9:05 a.m. I got there at 11:30. Apparently at 9:35 a.m. another couple adopted him.

Oh boy. I was floored. However the lady said she tried her best to talk them out of it. They have never had a Malamute before and they didn’t have any other dogs. I was so concerned. Then I mentioned the abuse and the lady said she was going to call the couple and try to again convince them to adopt a different dog.

She asked me to go visit with the dog again because it had to be done in private. So I was back in the kennels, tears streaming down my face, not able to imagine him with someone else. He was meant to be part of our pack!

I went back to the main counter and she was just finishing up the call…and they agreed to look at a different dog!!! I was SOOOO happy.

He gets neutered today and I pick him up after work tomorrow. I’m excited but a little nervous. He was a total marshmallow at the pound, but he was also very stressed. He was with another dog in the kennel and totally ignored it (an adorable little puppy jumping all over him) so that’s a good sign to me that he is okay with other dogs. We’ll see how he reacts when Quinnie barks at him (as I know she will).

He is most likely not potty trained. He did not have shelter outside and I think that is where he slept. It’s going to be a whole new life for him…he has no idea how spoiled he will be. His old life will hopefully seem like a bad dream.

He’s going to have a playmate in Trooper, a “mama” in Quinn, a big brother in Kodiak, and of course his new “hooman” parents. He’s going to have soft cushy beds (or our bed if he wants to cuddle). He’s going to have enough food so he grows big and strong (he looks pretty thin). And bones to chew on. He’ll never be beat with a rake or shot with a BB gun again. And he’ll get proper training…proving that he is not “untrainable” as the a-hole former owner said.

I love all my dogs, obviously. But he already has a special place in my heart. I believe that adopted dogs appreciate (in their own doggy way) their new lives … especially when they’ve been abused … so much. He was so eager to get love and attention. I can’t wait to bring him home!

Oh…and we have no name for him yet. Feel free to offer your suggestions. Though it is up to hubby this time (I named Trooper so it’s his turn) so I’ll have to pass on the suggestions. lol

A Life Saved

My coworker called me yesterday from home (she was still on vacation) to tell me that her next door neighbor’s dog had been taken away!!!

WOOHOOOOO!!!

So now I’m itching for the humane society to open so I can call and find out if they brought him in and if he’s available to visit.

He’s one year old and a Husky / Alaskan Malamute mix named Rambo. He’d fit into our pack perfectly!!! The animal control lady told my coworker that he was very friendly and just wanted to play. Well, DUH.

Apparently the A-hole neighbor told animal control that the dog was untrainable.

UNTRAINABLE!!!

That seriously made me curse. NO dog is untrainable with enough patience, time, and love. As the owner (wait…maybe they own me) of two Siberian Huskies and a Malamute I can attest that these dogs are very much trainable. Are they stubborn? Oh heck yes. Are they incredibly smart? Absolutely. That is a dangerous combination.

Apparently this loser was trying to keep the dog in a small corner of the yard with gravel and NO shelter! What the freaking hell? (excuse my language…but I’m actually editing what I’d LIKE to say.) My coworker said that she told another neighbor to keep an eye out on the guy while they were on vacation. This neighbor saw the guy squirting the dog with a water pistol. Not the biggest deal of course - except the dog was trapped and could not get away from the spray and he wasn’t even being punished for anything. The guy was just spraying the dog for NO REASON!!!

I’ll be headed to the shelter soon. I have to meet Rambo, take some photos, and talk to hubby about whether he can join our pack. Trooper would love to have a new puppy to play with now that Bullet is gone.

I think that Huskies and Malamutes are like potato chips. You can never have just one!

How Much is Enough?

I’m wrestling with my inner self and trying to keep my mouth shut in order to keep peace at work. A coworker and her husband are witnessing the abuse of a dog behind their house. They have called the police several times as well as the animal control authorities.

Whether the authorities have actually come out they don’t know. But at this point she has said they’ve done all they can and they are going to ignore it.

Which makes me angry and sad. A dog is being abused. There is no excuse for shooting a dog with a BB Gun or hitting it with a rake (plastic or not). Dogs deserve to be loved - they are companions, helpers, and workers. They are not punching bags.

How much is enough? I understand her concerns. They have to live near this guy and if they try to contact him directly he could turn his abuse toward their home, or even worse, their dog. But can’t more be done to help this poor abused animal?

Why haven’t the police or animal control taken the dog? Isn’t it a bad sign that a person tortures a dog? Doesn’t it speak to his capacity to harm other animals … that he could one day (if he hasn’t already) hurt a person?

How far would you go to save an animal from abuse and torture? What if it was a neighbor doing the abuse? You have to live there still … would that matter to you?

I honestly can’t say how I would react but if I saw a neighbor shooting his dog I would not be able to help myself. I’d be yelling, hollering, and calling the police. Not to mention video recording it. Would that be the wisest move? Perhaps not, but sometimes acting with courage isn’t always the wisest thing but it is the right thing.

Witnessing Abuse and What to Do?

My coworker has been witnessing some horrific abuse of a young dog behind her house. She told me about it this morning and it made me ill.

Apparently some monster started beating his dog with a rake Friday evening and did it again on Saturday. Then Sunday they saw this piece of filth shooting at his dog with a BB gun.

Is there anything more repugnant?

I wish that our laws dealt with such abuse more harshly. There is a direct link between the abusing of animals and the prevalence of criminal behavior.

Apparently the dog is a Husky or Husky mix which makes my blood boil even more … Huskies are working dogs and need to be kept active and stimulated. When they become bored they become destructive. As a puppy, Kodiak ate all of our wedding candy! Not only that, he chewed the corners of our coffee table and kept trying to steal our socks and bury them in the back yard. We never once beat him for his adorable (though often destructive) puppy behavior.

My coworker thinks that the dog is doing something destructive in the yard but it sounds like he’s locked in the yard at all times. And I don’t care what a dog does to misbehave - there is NO excuse for taking a rake to him or shooting him with a gun. Even a BB gun! The dog doesn’t know why he is being mistreated. All the dog wants is to give love…and all his owner is doing is sowing fear and creating a potentially dangerous dog.

It breaks my heart. And what can be done? Thankfully my coworker called the non emergency police number and the sheriff’s department said they were sending someone out. She didn’t see the dog this morning but is going to check again tonight. If she see’s it happening again she plans to call again and if worse comes to worse will go over and try to rescue the dog herself.

This dog will need serious help from a rescue organization. I pray that he (or she) is rescued soon and one day finds the proper loving home that he deserves. The “person” abusing this dog needs to have charges brought up and a severe punishment (nothing short of hitting him with a rake and shooting him with a BB gun would really be enough) including monetary fines.

A Sad Zoo

Bullet is on her way to her new home. A day earlier than I was ready for and as soon as she left I started sobbing.

The sweet little girl is really excited and didn’t seem too shaken up when Bullet knocked her over. It was so cute. Bullet is just so rambunctious and gets a little too excited when people come over. They had plans to stop at PetSmart on the way home to get her some food and treats.

Bullet seemed a little hesitant when we walked passed my car to get theirs. Like she knew. She jumped right up into their vehicle but immediately started jumping over the seats to try to get back to me and then up to me when I walked toward the front.

Do you think she’ll remember us? I don’t want her to be sad in her new home and I know that I’m just assigning her human emotions - which is ridiculous. I know that she will get used to a new routine very quickly and be so happy with a new doggy and kids. She’ll have a nice big property to run and hunt on.

I now know that I am not meant to be a foster parent. I miss her so much right now it hurts. Although all three dogs are sleeping right now - something they wouldn’t have been able to do if Bullet were still here. She is just a mass of pure energy!

I’m glad that her new ‘mom’ works with me and can keep me updated with her antics. She will be missed and remembered…

Very Bad Malamute!

When Trooper was around 9 months old or so … plenty strong enough to knock me on my feet if he’d chosen … we took all three doggies to a local park for a nice long hike. So Kodiak and Trooper go in the back of the truck, Quinn goes in front with us. It’s not always easy to get the dogs out of the truck (at least it was a lot harder then…Trooper now “knows” how to sit and stay before I let him out … sometimes) and as hubby is lowering the truck bed door Trooper jumps OVER my shoulder, hits the ground, and starts to run…

TOWARDS THE FREEWAY!!!

Complete and total panic with no rational thought is the first reaction when this happens. I don’t even know what we did with the other two dogs while we both ran after Trooper. Finally I had a coherent thought and realized that chasing him was the exact opposite thing I needed to do so I started calling his name and running the other way. Thank GOD he followed … we grabbed him by the neck scruff and got his leash on and that has never happened again.

Until yesterday.

I pull into the driveway at agility (it’s a very rocky, pot holed driveway) and start looking for a place to park. As I glance back in my side mirror I see this blur of fur outside the car.

Yeah…Trooper JUMPED OUT OF THE f*&()&() CAR!!!

At first I thought that I’d hit him but he kept going to I threw the car into a space, rolled up the windows (I had Bullet with me too and she’d have followed), got out of the car and started screaming like a banshee.

I was so flippin’ scared and angry. I am not a cussing type of person but I was letting the expletives fly. He hadn’t just run off and was sniffing around the parking area looking all innocent. I knew that he knew I was pissed though because as I’m yelling at him to come to me RIGHT NOW he’s slinking toward me with his head down and ears back … “Uh Oh…Mama is MAD” look on his face.

When he got to me I grabbed his leash (he almost always has a leash on when we drive anywhere) and drag him back to the car where I FORCE him back in (yes…forced…he did not want to get back inside but I AM alpha and he WILL do my bidding!).

He had to sit and wait until I said “ok” before he got out of the car.

I *think* that is when I started breathing again. It took me about 10 minutes to really calm down. One of the trainers told me that if I couldn’t calm down I might as well go home…which is true. He had already forgotten what happened and was excited to work so I had to take some deep breaths and switch my mindset.

But dear Lord in heaven above I was scared. I never in a million years thought he’d do that.

And from now on the windows will only be open a crack!

Mouth Breathing Dog

I’ve been watching my poor little Quinn girl go downhill the last few months. This morning as I sit at home working she is laying on the floor and trying to breath through her nose but can’t. It sounds all stuffed up. So she’s having to breath through her mouth. Not panting … just opening up her mouth to take a breath and then trying to exhale through her nose. Kind of like I do when I’m all stuffed up.

Her vet is on vacation next week and the week after that she is scheduled for surgery for her little lip growths. They’ve gotten bigger and another one started growing.

I just want her to be healthy and comfortable. I think that she is allergic to something in the house. We aren’t the best house keepers and hubby thinks she gets a lot worse when she’s in our bedroom. It’s super old carpet and of course never completely vacuumed - there’s lots of dust and dog hair trapped in corners and behind dressers.

Can I give a dog something to clear up her nose? Like Benadryl? I don’t want to make her sleepy - she already sleeps a ton. If it stops raining I’m going to take her around the neighborhood … maybe during lunch. I think the fresh air is good for her. She doesn’t walk fast but enjoys sniffing and marking everywhere.

It’s hard to listen to her snorting and trying to get breath … there’s just nothing I can do to help her. It’s so painful to not know how to help my sweet little girl.

Trooper is Throwing Up

I hate it when I don’t know what is wrong with my dogs. Trooper started throwing up this morning. He was kind enough to jump up on the bed to do so. Right on top of hubby. Wasn’t that sweet of him to share?

It wasn’t chunky…just pure liquid … kind of yellow / milky. He threw up three times. I’ve been watching him like a HAWK ever since and only fed him 1/4 of his normal meal for breakfast. I’ll give him a bit more later on if he keeps it down. So far so good.

He’s not lethargic and was playing with Bullet a few minutes ago. His appetite was good - he ate all that I gave him. He’s drinking water as I type. And I think he’s still hungry.

So I’m not going to call the vet just yet. They already own my entire paycheck for the month. That’s another story that I will share soon.

What causes dogs to throw up?

Well when I google “dog throwing up” the first link is to this forum where some of the members suggested that a hungry dog will throw up yellow, frothy bile. !!! Really?!?! I’d never heard of this! But it made me feel a TON better. And it makes perfect sense for my big boy.

I also found this …

If your dog is throwing up in the morning before breakfast, it may be because the time between dinner and breakfast is too long. Try splitting dinner into two separate time, one at the normal dinner time and the other right before bedtime. This will leave food in your dog’s stomach throughout the night, and it should prevent or at least minimize the morning vomiting.

Dinner time is at 4 p.m. and he gets his two scoops of dry kibble (or one scoop of dry and a cup of The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food). He generally gets a treat or two before bed but sometimes not. Clearly he needs to have *something* in his belly before we go to bed.

I think I will go give him the rest of his breakfast now.

Narcoleptic Poodle

While visiting my Entrecard buddies I stumbled across this post at The Gang about a Narcoleptic poodle. Is it wrong that I started laughing when this poor guy plopped down asleep. The poor thing!!! I hope they figure out how to fix him so he can have a normal doggy life. But it’s still kind of cute.

Here I pray for my dogs to sleep! Well, at least for Bullet to sleep. She went to daycare today!!! At this moment, 5:30 p.m. Pacific time she is sleeping at my feet. In the 3 weeks we’ve had her that is unheard of. Woohoo!!! A tired dog is a good dog…except when it’s Narcoleptic.

Quinn Diagnosed - Oral Papillomas

My poor girl. *sigh*

Hubby took her to the vet yesterday to find out what the growths on her lips could possibly be.

The diagnosis was surprising - Oral Papillomas - a benign tumor caused by a Papilloma virus. It’s actually supposed to target young dogs (6 months to 4 years) but because she is older her immune system is more vulnerable to things like this. They’re sort of like warts but bigger.

It could have come from Bullet, our foster dog, who is 10 months old, but we haven’t seen any signs of oral growths on her. Though it is hard to get her to sit still and examine her. My suspicion is that she picked it up on her visit to the farm with us last week for agility. We took her, Kodiak, and Bullet to play in the neighboring field while Trooper and I trained.

The treatment is surgical removal or “benign neglect” as the book says. I’m going with neglect in this case. The lesions do not affect her ability to breath, eat, sleep, or do any other normal activity. I’d rather save the money it would cost to do electrosurgery. Plus I don’t really want to put her under anesthesia again.

So the plan is to monitor her and see if they go away on their own. It could take up to 24 months according to the print off the vet gave us, but should be between one and five months.

I would worry about our other dogs because it is apparently very contagious but since none of them show any signs it seems that they are immune. I hope so because the last thing I want to deal with is separating all my dogs for five months. Sheesh.

Wordless Wednesday - On the Farm