Goodbye Sweet Boy

Trooper is going to go live with my sister in law in Seattle.

:(

Trooper taking care of me when I was sick.

On the one hand I'm incredibly sad about this. But on the other hand, I'm relieved. I'm relieved that my home will now have three dogs, only one of which is young and rambunctious. I'm relieved that the dog fights that have become more and more frequent will cease.

Even more, I'm relieved and excited for Trooper and all the fun he is going to have. He's going to get two walks a day! My SIL is extremely fit and active and she loves hiking and taking long walks, exactly the type of thing he needs. He'll lose weight and be more calm from all the exercise.

Waiting not so patiently for his food.

She lives alone and he will be an amazing source of comfort and company for her. He was there last week and she cried when she brought him back.

Handsome boy.

And he wasn't too happy to be back either as within five minutes he'd attacked Timber again.

I'm so cute!

He had a wonderful time last week, and gave my SIL SO much joy:

"We get up at 5 AM and walk 30 minutes.  As soon as I sit up, he comes bouncing over to me then runs for the door then back and forth.  As soon as I get the leash, he does his happy dance!  Trooper is afraid of waves, people in parkas and a certain building on Alki (haven’t figured this one out yet).  I got him down the stairs to the ocean this morning but only briefly before the ears went back, tail went between the legs and he was flying back up the stairs.  He’s very different in the morning; I can’t figure out if it’s because we have the whole place to ourselves or because it’s dark… he’s very funny!

We then walk 3 – 5 miles at night.  We had a minor incident last night when a small unknown animal ran out of a bush and over the cement ledge into the water.  Trooper is ridiculously fast but not fast enough for the little animal or my cat-like reflexes which kicked in and prevented both of us from going into the sound!  But don’t think he didn’t actually try to go over the ledge!!

He sleeps on the kitchen floor for the first part of the night but then comes into the living room on the dog bed next to me on the couch.  He spends most of the day sitting on the chair staring out the windows waiting for me to come home. 

He is SO adorable and listens SO well… I didn’t realize how great a dog Trooper is."

I know what a great dog he is when he gets one on one attention and is "working"...

 

  

  

Our adventures in Agility. A very rare site - a malamute agility star!

I will miss him terribly, but my level of anxiety in our home will actually go down. With him gone last week I was much more calm and even let Timber interact a little more with Marshal. And Timber got more attention all week from both me and my hubby.

It's the best thing for all involved. Trooper is not in a good situation for him any longer. And might not have been ever since we introduced a 4th dog. Because even though he was dog number three in our house, he got most of the attention since the other two were so much older and less active. Timber brought a whole new dynamic...and then the baby really caused him to start stressing out.

The good news is that he is still in our family and we'll still be able to hear him and get news about all his fun and active days. I hope he'll remember me when he sees me in the future.

This is an Olympics I can Appreciate

I'm not a big fan of the Olympics. I find them extremely boring. Plus when they're on my favorite shows aren't ... and for a TV addict that is lame.

But these are some Olympics I can appreciate...the Cat-O-lympics! Beaded Tail has some incredibly cute, and competitive, events to showcase.

Apparently it started over at Housecat Confidential, there are obviously a lot of talented cats out there.

 The talent. The grace.

Way more interesting than a bunch of hoomans skating around in a circle.

Memories

Next Saturday I'm taking Marshal to a puppy party to visit new Malamute pups. Looking at their pictures at 5.5 weeks old I am unable to not remember our trips to visit with Trooper when he was just a tiny guy.

Today's Puppies under a car.

Trooper and his brothers/sisters. What is it with being under the car?

One of today's puppies.

Me with my Trooper Bear. I miss that wedding ring. (It was stolen.)



More baby doggy holding.

Who could resist that face!?!

There are so many other photos that remind me of our visit with Trooper.

All of the 'today' pictures belong to Tigzy and you can see all 350+ pics on Flickr.

Trooper Going on Vacation

Well, Trooper and Timber got into it again last night. I had just walked in the front door, handed hubby the car seat with our son inside, and they suddenly went at each others' throats. NO idea why. The only thing I can think of is that we were all sort of bunched up around each other and jealousies brought out the mean in Trooper (he pretty much starts everything).

So hubby is holding Marshal and I've got my hands full with diaper bag, purse, work stuff and we're both trying to break up this big "KILL" fight. Basically we're both sort of kicking at the dogs to break them apart...which does not work.

Finally hubby "dropped" (set down heavily) our boy and got between the two monsters...bad idea. He's now sporting quite the red marks on his upper leg and torso ... technically a dog bite, but thankfully no actual punctures.

These two are going at it to kill. These aren't just "leave me alone" growling or snapping. They are full fledged going for the throat fights.

And yet not one time has any blood been drawn. I suppose we can just be thankful for thick fur and tough skin.

When we finally got them apart, I pulled Timber into the kitchen but he wasn't done fighting and was still growling and barking. I think he just is reacting and not actually instigating. He enjoys his brother and they do play more than they fight (they are hilarious when they play).

So I finally convinced my hubby to let Trooper go visit his aunt Jennifer.

Aunt Jennifer with nephew Marshal and Timber Wolf.

It might only be for one week but if he does okay with her I might lobby for a more permanent status. I love my fluffy boy, please don't misunderstand. But I love my son more. If it had been just me coming in the house by myself with my arms full with my son ... I would have had to let the dogs fight it out. There's no way I'm setting down my boy to break up a dog fight. So I'm supposed to let these dogs kill each other?

Or even worse to consider, what if Marshal got in the middle of the fight by accident someday (especially when he's able to walk)? The dogs didn't bite hubby on purpose...his leg/body got in the way. But it doesn't make the bites less serious.

Who Me?

This dog loves me (as much as any animal can "love") and I know this. He's "my" dog more than my husband's and yet I'm the one who wants to send him away. Because I do love him and feel responsible...he doesn't get enough exercise or attention and his aunt Jennifer can provide this for him.

I bet he loses 10 pounds in one week from all the exercise he'll get!

Cats and Dogs, Worlds Colliding

My little brother has the sweetest dog named Echo. He is a rescue dog labeled as part Rottweiler. Before we actually met him that label made my brother nervous. This would be his very first dog ever. (My mom never let us get a dog when we were kids...just cats.)

Plus my brother gets anxiety attacks, especially with anything new. So you can see how this would have been a stressful experience for him.

That's what big sisters are for, though, and I just forced him to go with my mom and I to the humane society.

This is the "Rottweiler" ... vicious looking isn't he? :)

He will apparently pick either of the cats up by the scruff of their neck and carry them around. hahahahaha My dogs would eat the cats!

Echo just likes the company.