Pet University

Not what I would call a pleasant morning!

It ended with a bath.

It started with a nightmare.

I was dreaming about visiting Greg at his house in TX. I noted that the windows of Greg’s truck were smoggy due to the extensive grass fires in the area. As we were talking about the smoke, I spied a flame in the distance moving in our direction. His house stood alone, surrounded by acres of empty land. He wasn’t worried and we went inside. Cathi said, “We will smell the smoke before the fire becomes threatening to us.” She proceeded to prepare a meat casserole, then pulled out some of the kids’ artwork for them to sort through to put away. I thought I should check on the fire and went out the back door to the porch and peeked around the end in the direction of the fire. It was right up to the splitrail fence a few feet from the house. I screamed for everyone to get out of the house and woke up.

It was past time to leave for doggie park. As I hurried to gather our things, Guinness pranced around the driveway, so I called him to come. It is so dark at 7:15 AM these days that it is hard to see. He apparently thought the back of the Lexus was open for him, and crashed into the closed tailgate! Poor boy! Then he was afraid to jump in. I opened a side door, and he leaped in. We were late for play time, and the others had to leave soon to go to work. I usually walk Smartie’s mom part way home to give Guinness more exercise, but, in my rush, I had not picked up his leash.

We drove home, donned the leash, and walked back to doggie park to extend our workout. I had not done sit/stay/recall homework with him in a long time, so we worked on that. Initially, he had forgotten that exercise but caught on again quickly. Then Frank came along. He had slept in this morning and was an hour late for playtime. A man with a German shepherd and a pug came along too. While I stood chatting with Frank, Guinness found something yucky to roll in! Guinness had his leash clipped on him, and we took off for home.

Now it’s time for my nap.

Howl-O-Ween

PetSmart had a party tonight. A photographer was available for photos, then a costume party began at 7:00. We went early to try to get the heebie-geebies out of Guinness first. He is soooo crazy when we go to a pet store. He just LOVES the shopping experience with so many friends to give him attention! He leaps and yelps and appears to want to trample everyone in the store. We walked around the store for several minutes to get him calmed down a bit. The store manager spoke to us and asked if a treat would help. I said, “No! That would make it worse!” Then he queried if I had considered training. “Yes, he has passed Advanced Obedience at PetSmart! He is perfect in the classroom.” I knew that we could not stand in line to wait for his turn for a picture like every other sane dog in the world. When the line was very short, we took our chances waiting. He did OK. Then when it was his turn for a photo shot, look how professional he was as a model! I am sure he did a much better job of posing than most.

Then we continued our walk around the store. Since I knew their shot did not focus on his costume, I took one.

Do you know what he is? He is a glass of Guinness – complete with a foam head on top! I can’t believe it, but he did not win the contest. What were they thinking???

Squirrel

There are some signs that Guinness is maturing. One of them is that he can be trusted to jump out of the back of the vehicle and not run away. Today, as Guinness and I drove into our driveway, a black squirrel with a white tipped tail was in the drive several townhouses down from ours, then ran off into the grass. Once we were parked in the garage, as soon as I opened the tailgate, Guinness shot out of the car and ran to find the squirrel. But the squirrel had skunked Guinness.

That squirrel has a history. He was here when we moved in eight years ago! Often, out of the corner of my eye, I would see something black and white running along the top of the fence outside our den window. Thinking skunk, it would catch my attention. It is actually amazing how many times my eyes were diverted by his coloring. I am used to him now and no longer jerk to look when he runs past. Recently, I have thought how sad it will be when I see a dead squirrel with a white tipped tail. I wonder how long a squirrel lives. He has become a familiar crony. One of these days, I will catch a picture of him to lionize him.

Tricks

My brother, wife, and little Yorkshire Terrier Sam came to visit overnight two weekends in a row. Sam is the proverbial controlling little dog who keeps big dogs at bay, though he was not unfriendly to Guinness. But Guinness learned quickly to give Sam his space.

Gary has taught Sam about a dozen tricks. Every morning, they go through their routine of tricks. It is hysterical. When Hershey was around, I would have Hershey do the same tricks through obedience commands or just silliness, and give him treats too. Guinness, of course, wants treats if Sam is getting them, but I am not going to pick up his front paws to dance with him or go through the antics required to get him to roll over, etc. Gary came up with a good plan: he threw a treat for Guinness into the hallway. While Guinness retrieved his treat, Sam could do a trick.

Here is Uncle Gary getting ready to throw a treat into the hall for Guinness.

This is a trick that both of them can do: Leave It.

Here is Sam playing dead.

Grant demonstrated that Guinness is just a lap dog.

He's at It Again!

Since hand towels are now moved out of his reach, he has to become more inventive in seeking his treasures. He lifted the lid of the laundry hamper again and pulled out another towel. Fortunately, his plan is not to destroy the towel (though he might put a tooth hole in it). He simply wants to cuddle it and hope that I will chase him to retrieve it. Or if he is offered a treat, he will readily relinquish his prize. It’s all about fun and games.

This is Too Much!

Guinness is still up to his tricks of pulling hand towels off towel racks. We can no longer expect a hand towel to stay on a rack in Grant’s bathroom. It has to be hung over the shower rod. If I push mine back to the mirror, it might stay there. Last week, he managed to steal a pretty, new, plush, pink hand towel from my bathroom. After retrieving it, it went in the laundry hamper. Today I sorted things in that hamper, and that towel rose to the top. This afternoon, I found Guinness lying on his bed snuggling with that towel! He had LIFTED THE LID of the laundry hamper and pulled it out!!!

Revitalized by Vitamins

When eating away from home, I take my supply of vitamins in a snack baggie. On our trip this weekend, I neglected to take my vitamins. I removed them from my purse and set them down to take upstairs with me, but they never made it. This evening, I discovered a torn baggie all over the floor, then realized that my vitamin bag was missing. I hope they don’t give him supernormal energy!

Life At Camp

When I pulled into the pet hotel to pick up Guinness this morning, he was in the play yard having his tummy rubbed by his personal camp counselor. By the time I pulled out my camera and rolled down the window, he was standing staring at me. What a happy boy!

Dog Cotton Candy

Guinness appeared at my side with a plastic bag in his mouth. I recognized the bag as one I had filled with styrofoam peanuts from a recently received box. I went downstairs to see what kind of mess we had. It wasn’t too bad – just peanuts everywhere. He came with me and immediately filled his mouth with peanuts. I took one to a sink to test if it would dissolve in water, which it did. So no worries as they are cornstarch peanuts, not styrofoam.

Several years ago, Hershey did a similar thing. I panicked. I assumed that all packing peanuts were styrofoam and that they were going to expand in his stomach and possibly kill him. After calling the Emergency Animal Clinic, they told me to test the peanuts to see if they would dissolve under running water. They did! He was only filling his stomach with benign cornstarch.

Another Test

A friend of Grant’s came to the house today. He did not stand at a wall, but he ignored Guinness. It worked pretty well. Guinness was not as obnoxious as he could have been.

Training Test

Here is Angela at Greg's wedding last weekend.

She arrived willing, in doggie clothes with short sleeves, but, I am sure, not very eager. Guinness was overboard in friendliness, as usual. She moved to a wall, put her face into her arms, and we allowed Guinness to jump at her. (Next time, I will tell our guinea pig to wear long sleeves!) It may have taken a full minute; I’m not sure. It wasn’t an awfully long time before he stopped, walked to a window to look out, then returned to her, sniffing and jumping maybe one or two more times. Then he was calm. I suggested that she try moving to the sofa. He ran to the sofa and jumped on it before she could get there. He was just goofy, so I put him away, and we went out to dinner.

When we returned, he did not jump on her! He sniffed, but none of his craziness! Yay!

Training Evaluation

Tonight I took Guinness to meet a trainer at Petsmart. He tested Guinness by watching me with him and by putting him through some paces himself. He pronounced that Guinness is a “great dog. Very well trained. You have no problems with this dog.”

“Yes, I do! When someone comes to our house, he goes bonkers! He jumps on them and won’t leave them alone. We give up and put him in his crate.”

So he gave me multiple suggestions. After explaining a few exercises, I said, “I need a notebook and pen to remember all of this.” He assured me I would remember. Not! Here is all that I could recall upon returning home:

1. Prepare someone to come to our house.
1. Tell them they will be ignored.
2. Enter; do not speak and will not be spoken to.
3. Ignore Guinness
4. Turn and face the wall with hands on wall so that Guinness cannot lick hands. Ignore Guinness.
5. When he is calm, proceed to living room without speaking.
6. Do not have eye contact with Guinness.
2. Have a family member ring the doorbell.
1. Put Guinness on a sit/stay.
2. Open door / close door
3. Take Guinness outside the door, but do not go anywhere.

I called two people to see if they would help me with # 1 tomorrow. My neighbor cannot, but Grant’s cousin can! I told her to wear “doggie clothes!”

Gentle Dog!

As we were walking through the mowed grass to reach the sidewalk this morning, a mourning dove flew out about three feet in front of us, squawking. As soon as she flew away, we were on top of the spot where she had been. A baby that couldn’t fly was there! Guinness sniffed it all over while I yelled, “No! Leave it!” pulling on his leash. He willingly left the baby and started sniffing around a nearby tree.

Last year, when we had a mourning dove build a nest in the lower branches of a blue spruce, I read that they build their nests near or on the ground. When we returned I wondered if the baby would still be there or if the mother would have moved it. At first I couldn’t find the exact spot where they had been, then I saw the mother sitting on TOP of the baby! Again, she flew away in a dither leaving her defenseless chick. Guinny didn’t get to sniff the baby this time, but I know he would have been gentle. I left him at home and went back with my camera. The mother had not returned yet, so I got a shot of the baby.

Brilliant Dog!

My daughter-in-law-to-be was telling me what her kids had been doing all afternoon with new friends: surfing the Webkinz site. As she was explaining to me what Webkinz is, I went to the site and clicked on “catalog.” There I saw the list of animals available including a chocolate lab! I read to her the description:
“Chocolate Labs are every bit as sweet as their name. This awesome dog is so energetic!" [understatement!] "Chocolate Labs love to swim, jump on trampolines, and ride on skateboards and scooters – pretty much anything that involves moving around! When your pup needs a break, pick up some Carob Chip Cookies!
Special Item: Cocoa Basket bed
Special Food: Carob Chip Cookies"

As I was reading, Guinness came over to me nudging me with his wet nose, begging for pets. He KNEW I was talking about him! He KNOWS that he is a chocolate lab! He actually KNOWS those words!!!! What a smart dog! I have always been convinced that dogs know when they meet a dog of their breed! He has heard me say “chocolate lab” enough that he knows it pertains to him! He has one up on Hershey with this revelation!

The Big Goof

As soon as we near the vet’s office, Guinness goes into hysterics. He is way too happy to be there. After dragging me into the building, he attacks the closest people with jumps and licks, then hops on his hind legs at the counter to say “hello” to the staff on the other side. The owner of our clinic is always a riot. He used to say that Hershey didn’t seem to know he wasn’t supposed to like him. But I would tell him that Hershey adored him and was thrilled to see everyone at the vet’s office including the mean doctors. “Thrilled” does not begin to describe Guinness’s ecstasy. Overzealously euphoric is more like it. They are his long lost best friends whom he thinks are as excited to see him as he is to see them. This elder vet comes off with one-liners about Guinness which I can never remember two minutes later. The only ones that stuck with me are the ones he repeated frequently: “goofy” and “clown” plus his original term for him – “the Al Qaeda Terrorist.” He also characterized him as “a flea on a hot brick.” He told Guinness that he is nothing like his predecessor. I chimed in that Hershey was a gentleman. He totally agreed, then added, “Guinness doesn’t know when he has poo in his mouth.” That’s for sure! He managed to wrestle him to a non-jumping position in order to weigh him – 78.6 pounds. Being the most adept of the vets, he gave bouncing Guinny a shot and checked out his orifices in record time. As we left, he commented that Guinness might be slightly calmer in a year.

This pose was taken before one final leap to lick doc's face.

Bird Day

We were the first to arrive at the ballpark for playtime this morning and found the field littered with seagulls. Guinness felt it was his obligation to clear the field for his friends. On the way home, he had his usual 26 foot lead to give him room to meander at will. A bird was on the ground. Of course, he ran up to it expecting it to fly away. It fluttered a couple of inches in the air but didn’t fly away. So he ran towards it again. It flapped its wings and hopped a foot or two. Then I realized – this must be a baby bird that hasn’t conquered the art of flying yet. I moved closer and saw that it was a baby robin. After two tries to chase it away, Guinness ignored it. He must have recognized that it was a baby and chose to not disturb it. What a gentle dog!

A few hours later, I was working at my computer with Guinny sacked out at my feet. Eight feet away from me on our neighbor’s deck, a Kingfisher landed momentarily, then chattered and flew away. What a beautiful, large bird up close!

It's Over!

The workmen are gone and the floors are looking great! Now we can begin unpacking and resettling our lives. Guinness is glad to have his house back but will miss his new friends. He spent many days over the last two weeks tied to a tree to be out of the way of the workmen. Fortunately, most of them loved him and would play as they passed by him in the yard. One morning, I was in the kitchen with the dishwasher running. I could hear some loud scurrying noises, so I turned off the dishwasher and asked, “Are you playing with Guinness or working?” Guess what they were doing. I had to remove Guinness from them so that these adult men could get to work.

I took a few pictures, over the past few days, of Guinness being very patient in the yard.

Look at that face! But the angle of this shot makes his body look too small for his head -- like a cartoon character. ha! Well, he definitely is a funny caricature with a handsome body in real life.

The Maze

Do you think you could find your way through this maze to lie beside your master's feet? This is our den. The hardwood is done in this room, but the quarter round is not down. The furniture includes den and living room large pieces plus the base to the china cabinet. My desk is on the far side of what you see below.

Below you can see where my computer desk is. And you can see Guinness's opening to reach me -- between the arms of two sofas. Then he weaves around the desk chair seen above.
This photo is a birds' eye view (I am standing on my desk chair to take it. The corner of my desk is in the lower left of the photo) of where he wants to be at my feet. To reach his goal, he has to weave to the left around the hutch sitting on the floor.
My path is much simpler. I couldn't fit his way, and he cannot fit my way. I squeeze straight in between two chests. Isn't he a smart boy to have figured this out!

Playtime!

A neighbor told me that several owners with dogs meet daily at 7 AM at the ballfield on the nearby bike path. I am not a morning person, so the chances of me ever going were slim. However, we are in a reflooring project for a couple of weeks. Workmen begin arriving at 8:30, meaning that Guinness is either confined to his crate or tied up outside. Not good for a high energy dog! Plus I shouldn’t be running out for dog walks while the workmen are here.

Thus, at 7 AM, you can find Guinness and me with our new best friends at doggie play group. It is a godsend for these construction days. I suspect that both of us are going to become addicted and will have to maintain this early morning schedule.

Here are some shots with our new friends:

Guinness is chewing a stick which he shared with his buddies.

Labs having a romp.
There are 3 chocolates and 1 black lab that are regulars. Today, we are missing Lucy (our neighbor), but Bailey and Riley (black) are having some fun. I am convinced that dogs recognize their own breed.
The non-lab is Smartie, an Australian Shepherd - Border Collie mix.

Calming down after the fun.