I am amazed at Sofie Bear these days, I am so happy with her, she is like a different dog then the one that came to live with us 1-1/2 years ago. Sofie is at the point now that we can do a total walk around the neighborhood without the leash. She comes when called and rarely gives me any bad behavior, I must say that if I go for to many days without reminding her whose boss (me!) she can slide a little, but I would expect that. If someone told me I would be this big a fan of the e-collar method, I would have told them they were crazy, but the collar, along with 4 weeks of training (for me mostly), is what really really did the trick. I notice many people with e-collars on their dogs, but the collars are to loose or not positioned correctly. I also think that a lot of people buy them but don’t really know how to use them to get the kind of behavior modification that they are looking for. I hardly ever had to correct Sofie with the collar, which surprised me.
Watch out Lulu Belle, you’re next! Mommy likes the idea of 2 off-leash dogs.
Three years ago, we adopted a sweet little dog named Stitch. The woman who owned him told us his sad story. Stitch had been passed around to several people in his first year of life – a group of young kids who were part of the Hollywood club scene. The woman’s teenage daughter had ended up with Stitch, but the girl was wild and out of control, partying, disappearing for weeks at a time with her adult boyfriend.
Stitch had been locked in the teen’s room for days without sunshine or exercise, having to relieve himself on the carpet. The daughter had taken him to a wild party where he had become so distressed that he jumped through a pane glass window to escape. And eventually, in their care, the dog ended up abandoned in the middle of a highway 10 hours away in…
There is nothing like lazing on a fine sunny day. Louise just loves to sit in her spot on the deck and take in all the warmth of the day, Sofie finds a nice cool hole to lie in somewhere under the trees (just like Squash used to). Don’t you wish sometimes you could have a dog’s life?
Just the other day I was thinking about how lucky I am. Though I work way to many hours, I have great friends and family, a ton of silly animals, have food to my hearts content, and am blessed with feeling safe in my home and surroundings. If I were a dog, I would probably want the same things (well maybe not the work part). I guess maybe I do have a dog’s life after all, with just a different kind of herd to tend. Well, I think I will go lie on the deck.
If Lulu Belle or Sofie could have gone to the prom with C, what would they have worn? Lulu I think would be a frilly girl. I know she does not act like that because she is all athletic and serious and stuff, but she really would like something really girly. Maybe she would have chosen pink with her beautiful brown and black fur. Definitely a classic flowing gown, maybe chiffon. Since she is so shy, she probably would have a quiet pre and post party with her date and a few close friends.
Sofie Bear would go to P A R T Y ! with a large group of friends, date or not, and Miss Independent would probably wear something ‘different.’ Maybe purple clingy gown with a deep slit up the leg and lots of bling. I think she would play the ‘blond’ card, if you know what I mean.
Humm, sometimes it is fun to dress them up in my mind. Kind of like paper dolls when I was a little girl, or C when she let me pick out her clothes (I think that stopped when she was 6).
It is nearing the time that I have to let my little duckling fly on her own. This weekend was Senior prom. She is graduating high school soon and then she will be leaving to college, I have spent years teaching my daughter to stand on her own, take responsibility, and fly. It is just hard to close the chapter of childhood/parent and move into the next phase of the relationship. Not that I don’t want to, I just miss the little girl.
Maybe that is why I have animals. They may get older, but house pets are not able to be self reliant because of the situation. They depend on me for food, walking, things like that, and I like that. Heck, I need that or I wouldn’t have 7 rescues I guess.
As the summer approaches I know that there are many changes on the horizon in my house. All the children will now be gone and it is just me, V, and the zoo. It helps to know that the animals will stick to the routine: feed, walk, cuddle, play, sleep (repeat). And me, well I will have to learn how to embrace the change….. maybe I’ll get another dog (NOT!)
Sofie is a little dog among bigger dogs (Lulu and her friend Mojo). She is blond, they are black. She is whiney, they are quiet (well, Mo does bark a lot). She is furry, they are short hair.
3 dogs and a frisbee
The labbies have this incredible bite, Sofie is lucky if she can find enough tooth grip to pull a robe. She tires 1/2 way through our walk and starts to pant, Lulu just runs on. But Sofie does not know that she is different, so she just plays like she is a big dog. I guess ‘fitting in’ is a human concept. The dogs don’t really get caught up in it. Lucky them. Once again a lesson that humans can learn from their dogs.
As I was taking a picture of Stella, Nine, the troublemaker, jumped in front of the camera. Of course he did, he is Nine! Hear him Roar! This made me think about life from the animals view. For one thing, they are almost always looking up at us humans, unless they have been able to climb up on something and then they do that vulture thing and stare down at you. I’ve read varying opinions on whether animals see color, not that it matters, but sometimes I do wonder what they are visually attracted to. I don’t think their eyes are the most important sense for them. I learned that when Squash, the dog, lost his sight. They rely a lot on smell and hearing. I do wonder sometimes if cats see ghosts, because I can walk into the room and a bunch of them will be staring at something that I just can not see. I don’t find the dogs doing that kind of thing, but they do other weird things like hear or smell a fox 3 blocks away through the walls of the house. Often I get down on the floor with the animals and look at the world from their vantage point. Now I know that my eye sight is different. I definitely have a range of color, and my eyes are in a different place on my head, but I try to get a feel from their side. It also helps me find lost toys, bones, and miscellaneous pieces of crumbled paper that the cats play with.
Louise is a knee begger. She is the perfect height to put her head on your knee when you are sitting down. She actually doesn’t do it for food when you are sitting at the table, she does it for my attention when I am working or watching TV. Then she moves from head on leg, to paws on leg. She actually likes to sit up on her hind quarters and have her paws against me. This is silly behavior, and I am kind of sorry I never stopped it when she was little, but I found it cute. I don’t speak dog very well, so I don’t always understand what it is she wants (other than attention). How do you ignore an adorable dog like Lulu, when she looks at you with those brown eyes, places her paw on your knee and says…. nothing (she is not a big talker). I do love this dog. She is funny and silly and very serious all at the same time. Well, I do not think there is much you can do about a dog that is a knee begger, or let me rephrase that, there is not much I am going to do. Because, I love Lulu’s knee begging, it makes me smile.
I am amazed at Sofie Bear these days, I am so happy with her, she is like a different dog then the one that came to live with us 1-1/2 years ago. Sofie is at the point now that we can do a total walk around the neighborhood without the leash. She comes when called and rarely gives me any bad behavior, I must say that if I go for to many days without reminding her whose boss (me!) she can slide a little, but I would expect that. If someone told me I would be this big a fan of the e-collar method, I would have told them they were crazy, but the collar, along with 4 weeks of training (for me mostly), is what really really did the trick. I notice many people with e-collars on their dogs, but the collars are to loose or not positioned correctly. I also think that a lot of people buy them but don’t really know how to use them to get the kind of behavior modification that they are looking for. I hardly ever had to correct Sofie with the collar, which surprised me.
