(110) Prepin' for the Summer Road Trip

Today was a mixture of tasting local cuisine and prepin for our Summer Road Trip with the dogs. We like to take a long summer vacation, rationalizing that we work hard all year and play hard during the summer months. We look forward to traveling with the dogs. One of the commitments we made to each other when we got married was that we would travel whenever we could. We have been lucky so far. We have been to China, to Mexico, to Canada and most parts of the United States. We really want to travel to Alaska and through the Panama Canal. Unfortunately with a big spending year last year (a wedding, and great vacations) and mandatory furloughs this year, we find ourselves a little strapped (okay, a lot strapped).

Therefore, and hence, we are taking a small trip to see our son and daughter-in-law in South Carolina. We’ve been there before and so have the dogs. In fact, that is where Beeks took his first swim in the Atlantic Ocean. The dogs are great car travelers. Once we get going, they ride well and comfortably. They get so excited when we are preparing to leave (what’s new?)and then they love all of the new smells at the various stops along the way. In North Charleston (our destination) there is the best dog park with a pond where the dogs love to run. We will spend each morning there before we go to the kid’s apartment. They don’t get up as early as us and they stay up many hours later. Hard to admit that we’re the old folks now. Anyway this post is about all of the preparations that we go through to get ready to leave. We leave the cat home where he has full reign of the house while we are gone but only ventures from our bed to the basement where he eats food.

This morning we got up early (early for a Sunday) and went to our local food tasting venue. Once a year the parks and recreation department has a food festival with local vendors highlighting their food. This weekend was the annual festival. As is usual for this “Taste”, it rained all weekend. Not just a little sprinkle mind you, Nooooo. Thunderstorms to beat the band! This morning, it thundered and threatened but it didn’t rain, so we ventured out and enjoyed some Thai food that was spicy. Mmmmmm. It seemed like a smaller festival than in previous years but there was a good enough attendance so hopefully the vendors and the charities were happy. Then we headed for the Prairieland feeds store. This is where we usually get our dog food, pet toys and chews. We didn’t have the dogs with us as it was about 80 degrees with 97% humidity and chose not to take them along. Dogs weren’t allowed in the park and it would have been so hot in the car and although I love Beeks with me it would have been cruel to take him along. At the feed store we were looking for harnesses for the dogs for swimming in the Ocean. We wanted them to have a good time swimming and also be safe. We had to decide what size harnesses to get for Max and for Beeker. The picture at the top of the page is the dogs sporting their new gear! We want to have a way to grab the dogs in the water (if we need to) and also to keep them free to swim. I think the Gentle Leader is good but restrictive in the water. I wanted a hook ring on top of the harness not on the underside, like most harnesses. I’m happy with our purchase, now I need to see how they work in the water. Soon enough.

Tomorrow I will review what other items we take with us on our road trips with the dogs. Their bags, for the car, for the hotel, for occupying their minds and bodies.

(109) The Rain's Comin' Down and We Can't Go Out

It is raining Cats and Dogs (what really does that mean?) and we can’t go outside to play. This morning before we went to work, we took both dogs outside in the front yard and let them play again. If we can let Maxie out without his leash for a little while, I think he will learn that it is a privilege and we will learn that we can trust him more. Both Maxie and Beeker loved being outside together. Again, Max went straight for the ornamental grass and Beeks for Max’s tail. As we walked the yard, they followed us and Maxie came when Brad called him to a heel. It is good for both Max and Brad to see that this is possible.

I was able do a little gardening this morning and I loved being able to have Beeks with me. When the Postal Delivery came around, I called Beeks to me and had him go down to a lay down. He did very well and just stayed and watched the Jeep pull around the circle and stop at each mail box.
Now it has been thundering and raining with great gusto. All of the plants need this rain so it is good but it isn’t conducive to spending time outside. There is a local “Taste of Champaign” festival going on this weekend and it seems that it rains each year. Wouldn’t want to change history. Maybe the rain is so heavy this weekend as a clue that I need to do housecleaning. When I started vacuuming I realized it had been a long time since the last time I had cleaned. The dog hair was really flying. Well, all gone now!

Here is my latest movie review. We watched Smoke Signals night before last. It is about young Native American Indians on the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho reservation. It is a delightful movie we first watched when we met my parents in Cascade Idaho, some years ago. Now it is one of our favorite movies. If you haven’t seen this movie, I recommend it. It’s quirky and funny and sentimental as well. Author Sheman Alexie is the author behind this movie. If you know his work, you know his great sense of humor and will really enjoy this movie as well.
Tonight will be another Netflix streaming night. I don’t know what we will be watching but we have had great luck so far. Just never can tell what the rain will bring. We have only one dog movie in the queue, My Life as a Dog. That’s a great flick also.

(108) A Frustrating Friday

I’ve been working a huge number of hours this week, which leaves me little time to spend with Beeker or write my blog. I know I’m not the only one who works long hours (ask my husband). We barely get time to do our walkabout in the morning and Beeks hasn’t had a long walk all week. I haven’t made dinner for most of the week and so I’m contemplating not continuing the blog. Both dogs are happy to see me when I get home but when I go upstairs to get to work on the computer(more work) Beeks just gives me a long look and stays downstairs.

Tonight, Brad grilled outside. It was a nice evening and while I was working upstairs he was outside putting brats on the grill. Usually we like to grill out together. While the meet is on the grill, we have a beer and spend time outside with the dogs. The dogs run together (a major treat for both dogs) and we enjoy the evening. I wasn’t able to be out with Brad and while I worked I was grumpy. So, I shut down the computer and decided since it was Friday night, I was going to enjoy my family. I grabbed a beer and let the dogs out. Since it was still light out the dogs ran around so happily I felt better instantly. Max went straight for the tall decorative grass and Beeks went straight for Max’s tail. He kept pulling and pulling until Max stopped chewing grass and curled around to play with Beeks. While the dogs were at it, Brad shared his yard discoveries with me. Turns out that the tall “light house” birdhouse we have hanging in a front tree has a wren and its babies in it. If you (me or Brad) walk up close to the birdhouse you can hear the baby chicks squeaking inside. How awesome! He also showed me a Toad that is close to the house. Usually if Max sees one of our toads he tries to grab it with his mouth getting a really foul taste. This will result in spitting and foaming at the mouth. Max didn’t see the toad this time, although he did sniff around the area.

I am glad that I decided to join my family and enjoy them. Sometimes the hardest decisions give me the greatest feeling after I make a choice. Now I just have to figure out what to do about this blog. Hopefully the decision I make will be one I can be happy about.

(107) What Do dogs Do All Day?

When I return home after work each evening or when Brad and I have been out and return home, I often wonder what the dogs have been up to. Sometimes they are so amped I think they must have been sleeping all day. Other times they are so rambunctious that I think they have been up to something mischievous. They want to romp and get my attention like the little kids when they think the best way to get you to overlook a mess is to distract you with compliments and funny acts. You just never know with dogs. Some people have resigned themselves and obtained a webcam to see exactly what their dogs do all day. This can result in some really interesting videos that we have seen on U Tube (Remember the cattle dog pushing thru the baby gate?) Sometimes I leave little things around the house for Max and Beeker to find or to puzzle through so that they are occupied for part of the day. For instance, today I left little pieces of sweet potato in three different places. One piece I placed in the dog football, one piece I placed in the Busy Buddy, and the last piece I hid under the bench in our laundry room. When I got home, the piece of sweet potato in the football was gone; the piece under the bench was still there as was the piece in the Busy Buddy. However as soon as I came in and after we greeted each other, Max went right to the bench and started scratching, trying to get to the treat. All night they both worked to trying to get the sweet potato out of the Busy Buddy. The point is that they didn’t find life boring enough to focus on the hidden challenges during the day. I do know that if I have picked up all of Beeker's toys and chews before I leave the house, they are all, and I mean ALL, will be strung out all over the house. Not one of them will be in the toy basket when I return. Some kind of happenin' has been going on!

My nephew and girlfriend found out what their Italian Greyhound was up to when they were out of town last week. Turns out that when they returned home, the IG had made two piles of their belongings. One pile was all of Eric’s shoes and the other was a pile of his girlfriend, Chelsey’s jewelry. At first this seems very odd, but actually it makes sense for a dog that loves his owners. He wanted things that reminded him of them and both the jewelry and the shoes would smell like Eric and Chelsey. When I heard this story I couldn’t believe that a dog would collect stuff of their owners. I‘ve heard that if you have to go away and leave your dogs for a while, it is good to leave something with your scent for your pet. We usually leave a T-shirt. Hadn’t thought of jewelry.

Maybe our dogs have parties (remember Go Dog Go?) or maybe they just sleep until we return. Whatever they do, they keep it to themselves and we will have to use our imaginations to figure out what they are up to.

(106) Primping Dog style

We use to take the dogs to get groomed at a Dog Stylist. Back when we had Belle and Beau, our AKC dogs. We took them to a friend of a friend that would take all day working with the dogs, bathing them, air drying them and then combing them out. When they returned them, Belle would have a bow in her topnotch, and Beau would have a scarf tied around his neck. Cute huh? Yea, a little too cute for us. We asked them to only put scarves around their necks, if anything. They got really good personal attention and they knew our dogs well enough that they would keep them together or in view of each other so that they would be comfortable. Once when they were trying to get Belle into the bath tub by walking her up a ramp (she would often come up lame for a day after grooming), Beau chewed up the leash he was tethered on and jumped into the tub with her. In those days we didn’t think anything of spending the money to get a professional grooming because we could afford it and the work was done by people we “knew” and liked their work. Fast forward to the present; and our move here, where we knew no one who was knowledgeable about grooming Newfoundlands. You might think that grooming any dog would be similar. Wrong! Newfoundlands have double coats (meaning two layers of different types of hair) and both need to be treated differently. We took our chances a couple of times with disastrous consequences. One time I actually took both dogs in to be groomed and when I returned at the given time (8 hours later) I was told that one dog was “almost” finished and the other dog wasn’t started yet so could I please bring them back the next day? Another time, we took them to one of the larger pet stores where they have an assembly line of groomers. When we picked up the dogs later, it wasn’t evident that anything had been done with the dogs and Belle was lame for three days afterward. Enough of that!

We quickly figured out that we didn’t have show dogs, we had family dogs, and that the important part of grooming was their comfort and our relationship. Therefore, we (me sometimes but mostly Brad) started taking the time to groom the dogs ourselves. When I groom the dogs, I use the under rake, and the rubber tipped Zoom Groom by Kong. It is also important to have a matt splitter if you have a long haired dog, like Max. We also use a nail clipper for dogs (heavier than the one for cats) and Brad uses a clipper set that use to be used for our boys’ haircuts. He uses this for clipping the hair away from Max’s hind quarters (sometimes called a sanitary cut). Brad cuts the hair around Max’s paws and up his ankles somewhat so that the feathering does not get stuck with dirt, weeds or sticks. Last night was a typical night of grooming for Brad. He starts after dinner and finishes about 11:30. It takes him a long time to groom Max but we see the benefits from doing this ourselves. Brad gets to spend quality time with his dog. Max is an exceptionally patient dog. He loves being with Brad and so is tolerant with all of the moving and manipulation that takes place. We start in the front and then slowly move backward toward Max’s rear and tail. Max almost has a filled out tail now. When we first got Beeker, he use to pull and chew Max’s tail so that for a long time Max had no hair on the end of his tail. When all is said and done, there are usually two or three plastic grocery bags full of Maxie hair. This is no exaggeration. I wish I had taken a picture of the pile last night but I didn’t. Brad tries to groom Maxie every week but in reality it is usually every two to three weeks before he can get to it. In the Spring and Fall both dogs and Chez the cat will blow their coat and the hair will be twice as much. Then we really have to keep on top of it. When I groom Beeker I don’t get much off of him compared to Maxie but when I just use the Zoom Groom or my hand I get a whole bunch. He sheds differently than Max and has a denser coat. After grooming them, Brad then clips their nails and cleans their ears. Here again, Max is more tolerant than Beeker. In fact, Beeker will hunker down and try to look invisible. He knows he has to obey Brad and be patient when he is getting his nails cut or his ears cleaned but he HATES it. When my sister was teaching Jesse James to get use to the clippers (he hated them and would cower at the sound) she started to give him dinner with the clippers turned on so that he would get use to the sound of them. Then there is the tooth brushing that I have learned to do. I don’t do it regularly but every month or so I get the brush and the toothpaste out and go to it for each animal.

When we get the three animals all primped up they look pretty good. Max’s coat shines! When we let them go and they start blowing their coats they look like wild abandoned animals. When I think of the work that goes into keeping them looking good, say nothing of the healthy benefits of a good grooming.
These are the benefits for grooming the dogs ourselves I have figured out… We notice any bodily irregularities, so can then talk to the Vet, we can teach them how to relax, we can cut/comb/ treat their hair the way we want it to be, we can catch ear infections or hair mats earlier so hot spots don’t start.
I am glad that we have decided to do it ourselves. We all love the quality time together.

P.S. As I am writing this post the little red fox came into our side yard to see if it could get any of the bird seed. I just sat here and watched it. As soon as I started to get up to get the camera, it turned and walked quickly away back into the woods! How cool is that?

(105) Laws That Rule the Dog World

There are certain social laws that rule the dog world. I am learning these laws by ovserving Max and Beeker in our family. Here are a few that I have learned and I am sure that you can come up with some that you have witnessed when your dog plays with other dogs. The first that comes to mind relates to ownership of toys or food. It’s the Love it or Loose it Law. If a coveted object (read: chew toy, bone, etc) is left behind, it is open season and another dog is able to retrieve it as their own. For example, right now Beeker was chewing on one of the antlers we got his past weekend. When I got up to go get something from the refrigerator; Beeker left the antler behind to follow me. Max, viewing this coveted antler, snatched it right up and started chewing on the antler. Beeker looked back at Max, but was not able to regain control of the antler because of the dog law. As soon as Max got up to check the door, Beeker got up and went right to the left antler and took repossession of the antler. An associated law states that when a dog has finished eating, and has left his bowl, other dogs can then check to see if any morsels have been left behind. Not until the dog has left the bowl, can another dog approach the bowl. Another important dog social rule is the bow to request play. This is a common courtesy one dog bestows upon another, requesting that the first dog would like to engage the second dog in some play. This allows the second dog to choose to play or signal back that, “now is not the time to play”. A dog’s social etiquette states that when greeting another dog for the first time or when first meeting another dog, it is appropriate to be smelled from behind and to smell another dog from behind. We know this as a dog’s way to identify each other like finger prints on humans. Dogs do this by smells. The who, what, when’s of the dog world. We have observed and read about the dominate dog rule. This social rule states that the most senior/powerful/ dominate dog in the group gets to go first. In the wild, this probably meant that the most powerful dog got to eat first, however, this means that the dominate dog goes through the door first. I have witnessed Maxie going first and sometimes Beeker gets to go first. I wonder if in a random group, one where people were not present, if the dominate dog would go first?

As I think about these observations I wonder if these are social rules in the dog world or if they are just observed behaviors? Is there any difference? Dogs know how to get along with other dogs. They are taught what is important from modeling after other dogs. They are taught from puppyhood, how to get along with other dogs. When Beeks was just a little puppy, we were visiting my sisters’ home where four other dogs were present. Max was there, Jesse James was there, a young lab, Callie was present, and an older dominate lab, Bullet was there as well. All five dogs were sitting in my sister’s family room, each lying next to their owners. Callie’s owner brought out chew for all of the dogs, while the owners enjoyed a snack of our own. All dogs obediently sat eating their own respective chew, except for Beeker who quickly consumed his and decided he would try to get the chew of the dog lying next to him, who happened to be the oldest and most dominate dog, Bullet. It took one short look and the quietest growl from Bullet to let Beeker know he had crossed the line; EVEN attempting to get Bullet’ chew, was bad dog etiquette. Beeker turned tail and moved over closer to Max. I could just see Beeker thinking about trying to get Max’s chew too but he learned that such things were not tolerated.
I know there are other dog world Laws, you may have observed these and others as well. It’s good to know that dogs have social rules and laws that keep their world orderly and also help young pups grow up with dog approved socialization.

(104) BFF

I have got to tell you this…I was walking into my kitchen to get a magazine when I caught out of the corner of my eye…GeorgeNGracie. At the bird feeder. I have been warned that Cooper’s Hawks sometimes stalk backyard feeders for song birds. Well, she flew off but returned when I left the kitchen. This is the first sighting that we have seen in a long time. The babies should be born by now, so she might be foraging for food. How exciting!

Now the BFF part. (For those of you without a teenager with a phone, BFF stands for Best Friends Forever) I read an article in TheBark Magazine today that was interesting and made me think about Beeker, Max, and his cousin Jesse James. My sister and Jesse James (her Springer Spaniel) left early this morning. Beeks and Jesse played together for the past three and a half days. At first Jesse didn’t really care that Beeks wanted to play. He was more interested in Chez the cat. Since Jesse doesn’t get regular access to cats he was way too excited by the cat’s movements and ability to hiss and grown at him. Jesse stalked Chez, went after him whenever he could and found him just about more than he (Jesse) could handle. Juli helped Jesse learn a little control by keeping him in a down stay, which allowed Jesse the ability to observe but not hunt Chez. I’m not sure who was more stressed, Jesse or chez. If Jesse wasn’t going for Chez, Chez came looking for Jesse. Truth is that both got a thrill out of each other. Juli told me that Jesse thought that Max and Beeker were taking Chez for granted. Jesse believes that Max and Beeker are not using Chez for all he is worth. How true that must seem to Jesse who coultn’t get enough of Chez.

The article in this months’ The Bark Magazine spoke of the need of dogs for best friends. It talked about how dogs can be best friends for other dogs, aiding them to overcome issues that we humans are not equipped to assist with. Social learning, grief, and even having a dog conversation are behaviors that dogs have with other dogs. We humans have our own personal relationships with our dogs, but we cannot fill all of our dogs needs. Who else can know jus the right mix of physicalness and then retreat but a best buddy? Who else can know to lick your face when you are down? repetedly encourage you to play without giving up or taking your growls seriously? The ability of dog friends to teach social skills and modeling, is greatest. For example, just this weekend, Jesse James was thrilled that we have squirrels that come to our bird feeders. Jesse is a squirrel lover. He whined to get outside to chase the squirrels. He wanted desperately to get to them. When we let all of the dogs out into the dog fence, Jess bounced out the door as only a Springer can. He bounced and he barked as he went to defend against the squirrels. Within two seconds, Beeker learned (through modeling) that squirrels were to be bounced at and barked at. From the top of the step, the dogs would sit waiting until the squirrels would feel calm and safe enough to return to the feeders, then Beeks would hop down, with a bark right at the same place that Jesse had jumped. This behavior happened four times in a row. We laughed from our view at the window. Beeker was Max’s BFF (Best Friend Forever) since the day we brought Beeker home to live with us. We are convinced that Beekr helped Max be a calmer dog, helped him learn about the give and takes of playing. Although Beeks was the younger pup, Max was the special needs dog. When Max and Beeker are at a dog park, they will often go their own ways to play with other dogs. However, if either dog encounters a dog that does not play nicely, is over aggressive or is too in the face, the other dog will come to rescue of his housemate. It’s awesome to observe. When Jesse and Beeker play Max is somewhat overly concerned and sometimes interferes in the play. We (Juli and I) have tried to figure this out since before Beeker was in the family, Jesse James and Maxie played together a lot of the time. Now Beeker and Jesse have a difficult time trying to engage because Max is either jealous or over protective. It is difficult to tell which it is at this point.

The relationship between Max and Beeker reminds me of an old 1965 Children’s Film Festival movie titled Skinny & Fatty. It was a Japanese film where two children form a friendship because they were odd kids out. It’s wonderful because both boys need the friendship and help each other out in ways that only each other can. Max and Beeker are like the two boys in that movie. You can see the actual movie on U Tube if you Google Skinny and Fatty, Children’s Film Festival. I recommend the movie just because it was such a heart full flick. I think that Max and Beeks are now and will always be BFF.