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Tag Archives: pets

12.4.11 22:10 Oh No, Not the Bonker!

Was so busy this weekend that the poor dogs got cheated out of the usual dog park and lots of mommy time. All the humans were out at the same time, so the pups spent several hours in their crates, which they are not used to. What’s interesting is that Sofie has been stuck to me like glue this evening.  Maybe she needs more time away for me to start to tow the line.  ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder?’ (and the puppy more obedient?)  I am trying some renewed training tricks the last few days.  I have the positive reinforcement (treats) close at hand (especially on a walk) and have the negative one too (‘the Bonker’ – a towel rolled up with 3 rubberbands keeping it together) at the ready (hidden in the small of my back like a secret gun). My hope is if I go back to square one – constant attention to positive and zero tolerance for negative – we will get somewhere this week.  I have caught the killer cold for the rest of the family, so I will really need to muster up the energy to make sure that each one of the dogs is getting the focused attention they need.  Whose idea was it to have a 1 and 2 year old dog at the same time?  Just another dogdaz in paradise ❤

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Posted by on December 4, 2011 in Dogs

 

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12.4.11 4:44 Ah, to be the food source

Funny how cats know the minute you are in that light sleep state.  The Muffin Man (aka Muffy) has this way of sleeping on my head and then starts to nibble on my cheek the minute I am the littlest awake.  You don’t see me waking him during his 18 hours of sleeping in various places around the house (the latest is in my purse on the kitchen table – go figure that one out).  Now he is chewing on the phone cord on my desk while I type, because he decided “if the human is up, there must be food soon, and I want it now.”  Ah, to be the food source; at least that gives me some sense of power in this relationship.

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Posted by on December 4, 2011 in Dogs

 

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12.3.11 00:16 Please come in, I just want to go to sleep!

I forgot to put Sofie on the leash for her final pee before bed and accidentally let her out in the yard, so she ran around for about 1/2 hr playing her usual games before I was able to get her to come in and go to bed.  Lulu goes right out, pees and comes back in to go nite-nite in the kennel.  Got to figure something out really soon because I am tired of the games.  She is so like a little kid that does not want to stop playing with her toys and go to bed.  I guess it is back to puppy square one.  No off leash unless I am willing to let her come in when she feels like it.  And work on the come command 10 times a day.  Never had a dog that I just could not get to do this.  Half the time she won’t even look up when I call her name.  Hey, maybe she has a hearing problem.  Nah… she can hear a person walking in the street with all the windows closed or a dog barking in the next town.  I love this dog but I really do not like her behavior at all.

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Posted by on December 3, 2011 in Dogs

 

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12.1.11 11:24 Who left the gate open?

So I hear all this commotion outside my office window, while I am on a conference call, and V is calling Sofie and then about 10 minutes later C comes in my office, with a bag of turkey scrapes in her vegan hand, to say they left the gate open and Sofie is gone.  So I take Louise, a couple of leashes, and the turkey, tell them to open the back gate, and send Lulu out to find Sofie and bring her back to me.  Good thing I have Lulu or I would never be able to rangle that silly puppy.  Teaching her to obey commands is getting more and more important and harder and harder.  Thank goodness I taught the family that it is more important to stop the traffic when the dogs are running then to run after the dogs.  Glad the family listens. Just another dogdaz morning. ❤

 
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Posted by on December 1, 2011 in Dogs

 

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11.30.11 14:54 Dig this!

Can I dig here now?

I threw the dogs out back so that I could get some work done because they were really starting to whine and Louise always wants to paw me, but it is impossible to get Sofie back in.  The only thing that seems to work is to wait her out (about 30 minutes) and then have some pieces of turkey inside the door and give it to Lulu in front of Sofie (while she is looking in) and then she will come in.  Yes, I have resorted to bribery. This is crazy!  I spent hours training this mutt and over $1k for trainers and there seems like nothing that I can do to get her to come.  And, on top of that, since I end up leaving her in the yard, because I have to get back to work, she is digging her way to China – holes everywhere.  I really am at wits end with this one.  Out of 6 dogs, I have never had one that was so stubborn or willful.  V wants me to get a shock collar but my gut is really against it, but what’s an owner to do?  This is a hard one. Well now they are sleeping since they ran around and dug the yard up.  Good, I can get back to work for a while. Just another DogDaz afternoon ❤

 
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Posted by on November 30, 2011 in Dogs

 

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11.29.11 17:27 Rainy days are hard on dog & people too!

Rainy days are hard on the dogs.  They run out of things to keep them occupied, just like kids do.  Sometimes I realize they have a million toys, but their favorite one is… me.  They are busy chewing on each other and chasing cats at the moment.  I really need one of those tennis ball throwing machines with a zillion yellow balls (and some where in this little house to launch it).  That would keep them occupied for a few minutes maybe.  Oh well, can’t complain, they slept a good amount after our 1 mile walk in the midday downpour.  And now my hair is so nice and curly.  Oh well just another regular afternoon at the zoo. ❤

Lulu in the leaves

 
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Posted by on November 29, 2011 in Dogs

 

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11.29.11 5:43 Wish I could sleep…

Wish I could sleep more than 2 hrs at a time.  Got caught up in work and did not put the dogs to bed until midnight.  Sofie was so tired she had trouble going to the bathroom before bed (still a baby).  Woke the dogs at 6:33 am because had a meeting at 7.  Sofie was so tired she did not stretch and bolt out of her kennel as usual.  Actually, was a little concerned that she stayed in there with the door open.  Finally moved her along and sent them out the door.  Rained over night but not majorly wet.  I showered quick (as usual) and collected the dogs and was on the phone with India by 7 (few minutes late because they did not include a conference call number).  Feed the animals while on mute.  Luckily I knew what I was talking about so that I could multitask on the call because the animals don’t like to wait for breakfast. The weather is changing from this beautiful November 70 degrees, which is unheard of here in the mid-Atlantic.  Got to get the dogs out before the hard rain comes but on calls until about 11:30 am (currently on with Spain).  Hope the rains wait. Just a regular DogDaz morning. ❤

 
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Posted by on November 29, 2011 in Dogs

 

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11.28.11 6:10 First Blog Ever, Really….

Got up before the alarm to find the kid still sleeping; she overslept.  Sneaked into the bathroom and tried not to wake the animals.  The Muffin Man (aka Muffin or Muffy), 18 year old orange and white Alley cat who runs the house, had been gnawing on my ear since about 4.  Muffy has the skinny old cat look now.  He started to lose the weight about a year or so ago, and you know that once the cats start getting that look, well, you just give them anything they want to eat, anytime.  Brushed my teeth and then opened the kennels to let the dogs out.  First, Louise (aka Lulu Belle), my 2 year old 55 lb black Houadour (that is short for a hound/lab mix), and then Sofie Bear, my honey colored, 1 year old 35 lb Sheltie/ maybe Corgi mix.  Sofie was suppose to be a Collie/Shepard mix (and grow to about 70 lbs), but that’s what happens sometimes when you rescue dogs; you get what you get.  Constance Kitty (4 yrs, long hair black and white with a spine defect) and Noel (4 1/2 yrs, all white with feline herpes (almost lost her when we rescued her)) were already on the stairs waiting for me to come up to the kitchen. Yes up – our house is reversed: we sleep in the lower level and the kitchen, living room and my office are upstairs.  I turned on the outside light, since it was still dark at 6:20, and let the dogs into the fenced yard.  One problem with them free running is that Sofie is the anti-command dog; she listens to nothing and no one.  So, when she is out, it is really hair-pulling hard to get her to come back in.  Luckily, Lulu will listen to what I tell her, so I have 1/2 a chance on getting them back in.  6:40 am – kid out the door with coffee and a Poptart (not the usual healthy breakfast, but no time). I an happy she can drive herself to school finally.  Sofie is doing her morning whine and dance for food (like she has never eaten before).  She really does not like that Muffin helps me mix the dog food and takes bites out of the bowls.  Lulu is patient but does start to prance as the excitement builds.  I make them sit and wait until they are calm before saying ‘let’s eat!’  Next, feed the cats.  Muffin’s heart pill and 1/4 baby Aspirin in a gel treat, then 3 bowls of mush and crunchies (on the counter so the dogs can’t get them). Glad to be down to 3 cats for a while, it make feeding easier (more on that later). Happy cats, and happy dogs (now that they wolfed down their food) because they like to lick the cat food spoon.  Now it is 7:00 and I can finally make myself a cup of coffee.  Got to love that Kureg machine.  Just a regular DogDaz morning. ❤

 
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Posted by on November 28, 2011 in Dogs

 

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11.28.11 Dogdaz Begins

Squash (RIP) in his prime

 
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Posted by on November 28, 2011 in Dogs

 

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