Twitterpated

I met my new dog tonight.  I think I was nervous.  I certainly encountered daffy bloopers all evening.  I was to be at the rescue home at 6:30.  At 6:05, I backed out of my garage to set my GPS.  I normally type the address and other pertinent information in my calendar with the appointment.  It was not there.  Not even a phone no.  If I had not put it on my calendar, where on earth would it be?  I went back in the house, scratched my head, called the rescue person who did my home study, no answer and left a panicked voicemail, looked through To Do papers on my desk for an address hastily scratched down, used Spotlight on my Mac. . .  Nothing.  Finally thought of looking in my email file called “Pets.”  Aha!  Had to call to make sure I could still come even though I was late.  Grabbed what I thought was a can of Perrier and headed out.  When almost to my destination, I emptied my can of “water,” and noted it was not a Perrier can.  It was a Bud Lime-A-Rita!!!!  Oh, my. . .   Crazy!!!!  I wanted the Perrier to calm a gassy (probably nervous) stomach which it did accomplish.

Her four dogs met me at the door.  The two sibling collie-border collie mixes are large and well-behaved.  She has adopted them.  The two labs were a bit more eager.  The black one jumped on me, and Yukon sniffed me all over as if he could smell dog on me.  ??

I expected someone who was willing to keep rescue dogs would not have a “nice” house.  It would be a dog-house.  Not this one!  The four dogs in this home live in luxury!  Expansive, nicely furnished, very lovely.  My home is just a little bungalow cottage compared to this one.

The dogs’ crates are in her family room.  She showed me how readily Yukon will enter his crate upon command, and receives a treat.  Well, he is no dummy.  He walked out of his crate and back in several times demanding another treat!  LOL

Yukon has had an unfortunate life, though no mistreatment was involved.  The first owner died on his motorcycle.  A relative kept him for a while then handed him over to the shelter.  He is supposed to be AKC registered, though the rescue does not have his papers.  He does have wavy hair down his back which Guinness’s breeder told me was a sign of good breeding.  His eyes are yellow, as were Hershey’s, which means he is a “dud.”  There can be no aspirations of being a show dog with yellow eyes!  He is being treated for heartworms.  He knows how to sit on command and pays attention to his name when called.  He does not know “Come” or “Down,” and tugs when walked.  We will need some additional command training which will be a good bonding experience.

He is definitely calmer than either Guinness or Hershey; that is not a good thing necessarily.  I want a fun dog.  He pulled a trick on his foster mother!  He stole an amaryllis bulb out of a pot on her patio as we sat talking.  That’s my boy!  She says he has never done anything like that before.  He seems to like me, but was not overly excited.  He was not begging me to take him home, nor am I ready to bring him home for a couple of weeks.  Plus I forgot to bring a check book.  He seemed to understand when his foster mom told him he will be going home with a new mom soon and seemed ready to leave.

My last boner of the night was, after driving down the street, I could not find my phone in my purse or on the center console — the normal places.  I assumed I left it in the house, drove back, opened the car door.  The interior light flooded the car revealing the phone on the passenger seat. There was one more boo-boo.  I missed my exit.  No excuse.  Must be nerves/excitement!

This Is A First For Me

Andy, our boxer, had cancer and lived to be 5 years old.  The whole family was at home, and we experienced grief together.  The vet came to our house.  I went to the basement; the kids went to their rooms; Grant stayed with Andy and the vet.  I heard Karin scream.  She had looked out the window when the vet was carrying him to his vehicle.  We comforted each other.

Our first dog, Blackberry, died at age 14, just six months after losing Andy.  Only Grant and I were at home the early January day when we found her lying in bile.  Greg & Karin were both in college.  She had been sick for a while.  It was time.  Again, I went to the basement.  But we had each other to comfort.

At Christmas time, 5 months after Andy died and just weeks before Blackie passed, we acquired a new puppy.  Hershey.  Oh, my. . .  Hershey!  What a demon he was as a puppy!!!!  He dragged Blackberry around on her bed and probably hastened her demise.  Hershey, who became THE Gentleman, lived 11 years.  He was allergic to everything and was on the one and only prescription dog food he could tolerate plus allergy serums and meds which extended his life five years, thanks to Cousin Dr. Mark Herne.  Then he ate mushrooms in the yard.  The next day, he was losing through both ends of his body.  He died in the car on the way to the Emergency Animal Clinic.  Grant and I had each other.

Guinness was my dog, and only my dog.  There was no one to be with him but me.  I didn’t think that would be an issue, but I came home, and there everything was. . .   Guinness was EVERYWHERE!!!!!  As I exited the car, I took out the ramp which had helped me mobilize him into the car last night.  (Was it only LAST night?  It seems like DAYS!!!)  His tie out was on the front tree.  The vase full of grocery bags for our walks was at the door.  A bone was in the front hall, and his leashes hung on the hall tree.  Toys were under my desk.  The cupboard has half a shelf of treats.  A dish of treats sat on the kitchen counter.  The ramp I needed to move him on and off the bed since Sunday was set up in my bedroom.  His crate and dog food bin and bowls are in the master bath.  (Where to put them?)  The sofa in the TV/toy room had a blanket on it to keep his hair from the sofa cushions.  A bath towel was hanging in the guest bath as a hand towel, as he will not steal a bath towel, but he will a small hand towel.  His basket of toys was in the living room next to the back door as well as a throw cover for the fabric loveseat.  Other toys were scattered around the house.  His comb and brush were on the patio, plus a water bowl.  This house was HIS house!  Wailing, I removed most everything from sight.  I remember how upset Karin was when I cleared away all of Andy’s things immediately.  If I had not, the wrenching grief would have gone on and on.  Friends and relatives bewailed that I was alone to bear this grief.  My reaction was — I can handle it.  Nope, I couldn’t handle it!  He was my buddy, my protector, my exercise companion, my guard on trips, my introducer to a world of dog-owning friends.  He.  Was.  My.  Dog.  Before moving to hot Texas, he went everywhere with me!  My car had been his kennel, but he could not be left in a car here.  My home was his home.  His antics and love are seared deep into my heart forever.

It Wasn't the Best Experience

I needed a dog sitter to feed Guinny his dinner and let him go potty yesterday.  Only my DIL was available; she came with the two boys (4 & 6).  They are afraid of him because he is SOOOO exuberant!!!!  Over the TOP happy and excited to see little kids.  When they come, I keep Guinness behind baby gates.  Here is their story. . .

My boys were terrified, lol... Guinness chased them around the house and Gabe was screaming and in tears, and Kien hid behind your sofa waiting to leave. That was after he tried to jump in your bed but learned so can Guinness. Then Guinness stole Kiens stick and snapped it in uneven thirds then tried to eat it!! I threw it away in your trash and it was slobbery!
Then he tried to knock me down to eat, when I figured out where the food was Guinness stuck his head in to eat before I could get a scoop I had to pull him away and it was not easy. Then he knocked me over when I did get his food in the bowl. 

I then told the boys to stay behind the sofa while I let him out to go potty. I didn't see that Gabe had gone to look for his stick, and when I let Guinness in, he darted straight for Gabe. I kept throwing his bone so he would go far enough to send the boys outside. Guinness figured out my plan and went back outside. Sigh! Once I got the boys out and in the car Gabe screamed he left his stick on your bed and didnt want Guinness to eat it, so after explaining that some dogs see a stick and to them that means to play fetch. After begging him to let me come back to get it another time he was not accepting that answer. 

I went back in to get it and Guinness kept trying to jump on me to eat it.

Kien said as we were leaving "That Guinness is one out of control dog!"
Gabe said, "I'm not going back in there! Grandma can come to our house to see Daisy."

But, we did see a large frog at your front door and examined him for a bit, that was less exciting and the boys liked that.

 LOL... It wasn't the best experience. >>
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What she didn't include in this story is -- she had to deal with my house alarm too -- getting it turned off, and later on again with 45 seconds to get in or out of the house.  I wonder what craziness happened during that 45 seconds?!

Can you believe this adorable, sweet, calm dog would do such a thing???? 

Vet Visit

Guinness was scheduled today for his annual spring vet visit.  No one was in the waiting room - staff or clients.  After waiting 10 min. or more, Guinness became upset with no one paying attention  to him and began barking.  He knew this was a place for HIM!  A couple of young girls came to the desk to see what was happening.  Of course, he went absolutely bonkers, was jumping and barking and trying to get on the desk to be near them!!!!  They were SHOCKED, but found him to be hysterical.  They went away giggling, and I could almost hear them telling others about this crazy dog.

Eventually a technician returned with them.  They all recognized Guinness to be an overly friendly dog.  We followed them inside where they intended to weigh him.  He was bouncing by now, and there was NO way they could ever get him to stay still.  So I asked if they could please go away and let me weigh him.  82.4 pounds.  Way too heavy!!!!  He should be at least 10 pounds lighter.  Texas is not the best place for a dog needing exercise to stay healthy.  We discussed ways to help him lose weight.  One way is to give him a half cup of green beans in place of one quarter cup of his food. 

The trio led us to an exam room where he demanded attention from all of them.  They heard lots of his stories, and I learned the technician used to live in St. Louis where she received her vet education.  I was able to prove he can sit/stay and stand/stay while she took photos of him for their records.

She took him away for his heartworm test.  When he returned with a clean slate for heartworm, the vet came in with a Bordetella shot and examined him.  He was pronounced to be healthy, loveable, and handsome. 

The Collapsible Dog

As a puppy, Guinness would fall straight back exposing his tummy for rubs.  We called him a Pentecostal dog as he looked like he was "slain in the spirit."  His body grew, and it was not comfortable to fall backwards, so he began going down on his side.  He is almost 8 and still succumbs to anyone he thinks might give him a tummy rub, or perhaps better stated -- anyone he hopes will give him attention. 

In March, cousins came from England for two weeks.  Since they were here, other relatives from CA, AZ, and IN came as well.  Schedules varied, but for five days, I had eight cousins staying in my house!!!  It was GREAT!  Guinness loved it too.  

At first, his effervescence was a bit much for the cousins to handle, but, after a few days, Guinness won their hearts one by one with his cuteness and perseverance.   One of the cousins dubbed him "The Collapsible Dog," and reveled in making Guinness roll over for tummy rubs. 

NAUGHTY DOG!

Recently, I set up my Egg Tree on the dining room table.  Today, I bought Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs and placed them around the base of the egg tree.  Then I left the house to run errands.  When I returned home and walked through the great room, I saw my egg tree tipped over, disheveled, tablecloth askew and all the PB eggs GONE!!!!!  Paper and all!!!!  Fortunately, none of my handmade egg shells (egg blown out and shell decorated) were broken, amazingly!!!!  But he is in doggie-do-do and spent some time in his crate.  :\   

 

Christmas Dog

Guinness loves wearing his jingle bells.  To be in the spirit, he stole my Christmas teatowel.  He doesn't destroy.  He only hugs and slimes. 

Becoming a Cowdog

September 7, Guinness and I moved to Texas!  He is learning to be a cowdog now.  But it is difficult.  The first induction to cowdoghood is a challenge for a Canadian-born dog:  the climate.  However, this US, though northern born, girl loves being warm!  Fifteen minutes was about as long as he could tolerate a walk at first.  Six weeks later when the temps had cooled down to "normal" for him, he still was panting hard by thirty minutes into a walk.   Then a friend from Canada came to visit and commented on how much he had gained.  I had not noticed!  By the time I had him weighed, he had gained ten pounds in two months!  No wonder he is panting even in cooler weather.  So he is on a diet, and mommy is trying to be diligent about building up to walking an hour a day.  The weight gain has to be from lack of exercise.  The major problem is -- where to walk for a whole hour?  My subdivision is not large, so we have covered most of the streets after forty-five minutes.  And there is no place I can let him run free safely.  I have released him in a large area near the entrance, but there is only a fence on the main road side.  He has been very good about not running away until yesterday.  He ran into the boulevard leading into the subdivision.  No cars were around, but that ended his freedom permanently.

The second induction to cowdoghood is getting used to the Texas animals all around us.  About our second week here, we saw an man on a horse riding down the boulevard, into the ranch at the end of the street, and disappear into a ravine.  Guinness was excited about that!  The most stimulating places to walk are behind the houses backing up to my Rotary friend's ranch with cows, horses, and donkeys visible from time to time.  But, I have been warned about snakes there.  After first hearing about snakes, I have asked several neighbors.  Everyone has seen snakes!  One person told me yesterday they had a rattler on their front porch when they moved in five years ago.  Gecos abound in Texas.  They seem to like living around entrance doors to people's houses.  They are harmless and eat bugs, so I am supposed to welcome them.  But they are not allowed inside.  Two have succeeded scampering inside.  My friend captured this one for me.  Guinness likes them even less than I do. 

Last week we were treated to this sight!  :)   Guinness didn't bark; just stared.   However, the cattle in the pond moved out of the water leaving this one brave fellow.  Maybe the cattle saw him as a cowdog, and that is why they moved away!  They thought Guinness had come to round them up!  He IS a bonafide (or is it -- BONEfide!!) Texas COWDOG!!!!!

More Dark Chocolate

When ready to check out at Barnes & Noble, the man behind the counter was taking his merry old time before calling me up.  By the time he did, he apologized.  Godiva chocolate bars were at the checkout.  I set one out and said, "You owe me a chocolate bar for taking so long!"  The customer at the next clerk laughed and said, "I like her style!" 

Then I ate half the candy bar while driving.  At home, I forgot about it in my book bag.  Later, I came home and found the book bag ripped to pieces and Guinny protecting what was left in his mouth.  The book was fine, but the chocolate wrapper was in shreds.   :\    

This is his THIRD chocolate bar this year!!! 

A Second Chocolate Bar in a Month!

Guinness, Kevin, and I are at Chautauqua, and my friend Melanie came for the weekend.  She brought along a dark chocolate bar which she left within Guinness's reach.  She is the one who helped me administer hydrogen peroxide to him the last time when he ate MY bar.   :\    Anyway, she went shopping for Hydrogen Peroxide and a baby applicator.  We gave him 5 mls,  and he NEVER vomited!!!!!  After 6 hours, I wrote to my vet nephew asking, "Is he going to die???"   He said Guinness is a big dog and it would take a lot of chocolate for his liver to fail.

Earlier today, one person whom we met, called him "charming"???  NO one has ever called him charming!!!  LOL  

This evening, Kevin set down his ice cream cone.  Guess who got it.  Well then, Melanie put what was left in a paper cup and threw it away in a "drawer" type garbage bin in the kitchen cabinets.  Guess what. . .  He OPENED the drawer and got the cup out!!!!!!   He is INCORRIGIBLE!!!!

Muddy Paw Prints

If you walked out on your front porch and saw muddy paw prints on the white fabric cushion of your wicker chair, what would you think?  What would you do?

Well . . . we were at our "doggie park" this morning (as usual) which is not a real doggie park.  It is a city park with ballfields, fences on 2 sides, but no fences on the 2 ends.  I have to watch Guinness closely at each end of the field, or he is liable to run away.  ugh!  NOT a Labrador thing to do and he is pure bred.  (He doesn't fetch either.)  Before we continue, I have to compliment him on exhibiting typical Labrador behavior today.  A couple of weeks ago, he ran free while my cousins and I climbed a thickly wooded hill where we used to play as kids.  (See http://dogsofourlives.blogspot.ca/2012/05/roaming-woods.html) I was not feeling "safe" about Guinness being loose, as my experience with Guinny is that he runs away from me.  But he did the Labrador thing today:  he ran until I was out of sight, then he would reappear -- repeatedly.  I was very happy!

I had driven to doggie park today, leaving a sweater in the car.  At the opposite end of the park from my car, I realized it was too cold to not have the sweater.  So I took off for the car, wondering what Guinness would do.  Would he follow me -- especially since I was going to the car which might mean we were leaving?  He followed me!!!!  Yay!!!!

Now back to his anti-lab behavior.  Beside the escape route on the south end of the field is house where his friend Molly, a labra-doodle, lives.  If I am not diligent, he runs to her house.  Usually I can catch him talking to Molly through the fence to their backyard.  If she isn't there, I can catch him in their front bushes, though recently, he has run down the street.  We were on the north side of the field.  Bandit appeared at the south side, and Guinness ran to see his friend.  As I approached, he took off at top speed for Molly's.  I found him ON the wicker chair with the white cushion, now decorated with muddy paw prints, talking to Molly on the other side of the window.  We went back to play with Bandit.  They were running in circles when Guinness cut a tangent and ran to Molly's again.  This time Molly was barking, inviting him to come in.  More muddy paw prints. 

Interior Designer

A couple of years ago, Guinness started removing the three seat cushions on our living room leather sofa when we were away.  [Refer to December 19, 2009 -- http://dogsofourlives.blogspot.ca/2009/12/new-trick.html]  I guess, it was his way of saying he didn't appreciate being left home alone.  He did it enough that there were paw scratches on the center cushion which I needed to have professionally repaired.  After the restoration, when I remembered, I would tip all three cushions off the couch before leaving the house.

Now that our house is for sale, and we have done some removing and rearranging to make the house look more spacious, we removed the sofa from the living room.  The fabric loveseat has a fitted slipcover to protect it from Guinness's naps or any other activity.  Recently, he has started moving it across the hardwood floor.  Apparently, he is trying to rearrange the furniture.

I told our vet about this new "trick."  He said, "That proves he is a very smart dog!  His mind is always at work trying to find something to do."

Roaming Woods

Guinness and I drove to my hometown today to be with cousins and sister-in-law.  The purpose of the trip was to decorate our parents' graves for Memorial Day. 

While at their cabin, I let Guinness run free.  There were no fences, only woods surrounding us.  He stayed within the large area of woods with mowed grass and did not venture beyond.  We decided to take a hike up the hill where we used to play as kids.  I have not gone up there in years as there are now bears in them thar woods!  I felt safe with my husky cousin along, and my cousins thought Guinness would be just fine in the woods off leash as labs usually do not go out of sight.  I had never really tested Guinness, so we tried.  I panicked a few times initially, because he would run until he was out of sight, but, after a few seconds, he would reappear.  Whew!  He was a very good boy!  

Chocolate Hound

Melanie had invited me to dinner tonight and I was bringing dessert.  But. . .  Guinness found a 70% cocao chocolate bar I had left within reach and gobbled it up.  It was Saturday late afternoon.  I couldn't call my vet, and didn't want to pay for the emergency animal clinic.  So I called my vet nephew.  He said I MUST make him vomit.  Chocolate can cause liver damage.  He told me to give him a dropper of Hydrogen Peroxide.  I called Melanie to say I couldn't come.  I had to stay home and wait for Guinness to vomit.  She INSISTED I come.  We could leave him in her fenced backyard to vomit.  Besides, I didn't have a child's medicine dropper and she did.  So, I succumbed to her invitation and brought Guinness to her backyard. 

I have not put this on the blog before, so I must insert it here.  Guinness LOVES, I mean LOVES Melanie.  He knows the sound of her engine!!!!  When she drives up behind my condo, he KNOWS it is her before she ever gets out of her car!  And he KNOWS where she lives and how to get there.  As soon as I get off the highway, he knows he is either going to the vet (whom he also LOVES) or to Melanie's.  Once we pass the vet's office, he knows the destination and goes ballistic.  I mean BALLISTIC!!!!!  There is NO keeping him in the car once we pull into her driveway.  He is OUT of the car like a shot from a gun.  Oh my. . .   Even though they have a big labradoodle, her boys are intimidated by Guinness's wild exuberance.  So. . .  we gave him his "medicine," and put him in her back yard.  Of course, he needed company, so we were spent much of the evening outside too.  By 9:00, it had been three hours, and he still had not vomited.  I took him home.  And I closed him in a bathroom where it would be easy to clean up.  He finally vomited around 11pm. 

Dogs Have Emotions

Daddy asked to come today to pick up some summer clothes.  I told him I did not want to see him, would place them in the garage, and leave the garage door opener with the neighbors.  He asked me to leave the opener outside.  To avoid being vulnerable, I had other ideas.  I zipped up all of his clothes into suit bags and hung them on a clothes rack purchased for the purpose. I left the clothes rack outside the garage door under the overhang.

He arrived in a rental convertible with top down and classical music blaring for all the neighbors to hear.  Normally, Guinness begins barking at someone behind our house, particularly someone making such a splashy entrance.  He totally ignored someone was out there.  Daddy even walked up on the deck when he was finished, and Guinness did not react!  If someone comes on the deck, Guinness is super excited!  How could he know it was Daddy and purposely ignore him???  The answer has to be - he is VERY smart.  He watched me pack the clothes into suit bags.  He watched me put them on the rack in the garage.  He watched me push the rack outside the door that morning.

I love the book, Dogs Never Lie About Love: reflections on the emotional world of dogs by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson.  The author verifies dogs do have an emotional life and exhibit a variety of emotions.  Guinness is feeling insulted from abandonment.

Now That He Is Seven. . .

The biggest change I have seen in Guinness at his new age: 
When he sees a dog he knows, he ignores the dog, but says "hello" to the owner. 
When he encounters a new dog, he insists on meeting the dog, but then does not want to play.  He then turns his attention to the owner.  Sometimes, he may demand attention from the owner before introducing himself to the dog. 

Our Annual Vet Visit

As soon as he realizes we are going to the vet, he becomes boisterous and uncontrollable.  He is SOOO excited to visit the vet!!!!  He dragged me up the steps and into the building.  It usually is a circus when we enter, but today, there were no other dogs present -- only an elderly man waiting for his dog.  Guinness put on his normal show of jumping up at the high counter to see the staff behind and request a treat.  They now have the scale in the waiting room.  I need to do the weighing, because he is much too excited to sit for someone else do it.  He weighs only 67 pounds which is a bit concerning.  He has looked quite skinny since being at Holly's Pride at Christmastime.  The vet suggested I increase his two meals per day from 1 1/3 cups to 2 cups each.  As I talked with the vet, he repeatedly tried to escape into the inner sanctum where staff and doctors are.  He is much too excited there to settle.  He is constantly on the move and jumping.  I noted that his official report of his visit stated he is "exuberant and goofy." 

The Birthday Boy

April 21, 2012 -- Guinness is 7 years old today! 

                                                      Posing for his birthday photo.

Silly Boy

If I don't leave a cushion or something in this chair, when I am not around, he will jump into this desk chair and skate across the hardwood floor into the wood blinds or tip the globe over. 

The Laundry Lurker

Guinness stole three kitchen linens a couple of days ago. He has gone around with all three items in his mouth since. Today, I saw them lying on the floor, put them in the clothes hamper, then threw in a bath towel on top of them. Though he did not see me do it, he knew where they were. I heard a bumping noise and went to see what he was into. He had tipped over the laundry hamper so that it shut the bathroom door and he was trapped until released (not the first time!). He had pulled out the bath towel to reach one of his kitchen linens underneath. What a stinkpot! A SMART stinkpot! I took a picture of him with his prize.

Then took a picture of the tipped over hamper,

And he came in to see what I was doing.