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

Eating Ice Cream and Getting Slimed

Eating food can be a dangerous task around here. Our dinner table has only been used for eating a few times. We eat on the couch and the dogs are happy with that - it means more chances for scraps. Though rarely from me - papa is the worst at falling for their puppy dog eyes.

I do have a bad habit though (only one!). When I eat ice cream I let the dogs have the empty container (because let’s jut be honest…I never eat part of a container!) so they’ve come to expect that.

Trooper waits patiently … staring at me with his tongue hanging out.

And the drool pooling!

It’s really gross. I didn’t realize that he was part St Bernard!!!

What is THAT?

Once again Quinn and daddy will be making the trip to the vet, more than 30 minute away from our house.

I took her on a walk on Sunday afternoon (she’s looking a little chunky and ever since Bullet arrived she hasn’t gotten a lot of attention) … so we’re going along at a super slow old lady pace and she’s panting and I see something a little ‘off’ in her mouth. It almost looked like her teeth were sticking out somehow.

On closer examination I realized that she had some weird growth on her lips!

My poor baby girl. Getting old sucks.

I don’t know what the growths are…I’m hoping it’s something easy that the vet can easily remove or treat without too much effort. I don’t want to put her through a ton of traumatic testing or procedures. She’s already at the point where she doesn’t like the vet office. *sigh*

She still seems to have energy and is very alert. I think the walk was a little tough because by the end she was walking behind me. Slowly. The arthritis in her back must be worse - and her weight doesn’t help. Papa need to be more careful about the amount of food he gives her.

Making Progress

Trooper and I are doing fairly good in our agility training…at least in my opinion. I’ve gained confidence in the last few weeks with my handling and I think that Trooper has really started to get it - watching me to know where he needs to go and recognizing word commands.

He had been doing the Weave Poles perfectly two weeks ago but now he will do half of them and then think he’s done and stop weaving. The goof ball. So it’s more practice doing the weave pole dance (this involves lots of treats and specific placement of my feet and hands) until he can do it perfectly again.

The table and A-frame are his favorites…probably because he gets so many treats on both of those exercises. We’re working on touches when he comes down on A Frame. He’s so big that he can jump off and out of the proper area in one stride (the dogs have to stay on the various objects down to the bottom or end and get docked if they jump over or off).

On the other hand I am having a hard time visualizing when and where to do front and rear crosses. Simple ones I can figure out but when the instructor asks where we’d put a cross I go completely blank! It’s really frustrating. And confuses Trooper when I am trying to move quickly and guide him at the same time.

We have another agility demo coming up this Saturday and I hope I do a better job than I did last time. I also hope the course is a little larger too.

Apparently when I run I stick my butt out. Ha! Which is funny because I used to run with a straight back. I need to work on that.

Yesterday’s class went really well. There were SO many dogs that we were split up into mini groups within our groups and one of the trainers asked me to watch over my group. It was scary but kind of cool that she’d ask me to do that. Not that my group needed watching over…it was the more advanced group.

I really am kind of hoping that they’ll move me up soon to the more advanced class. I think that Trooper can handle more difficult tasks and I hope that I’m up to learning new things.