(50) Friends , Feathers and Flowers

50 blogs. Can you believe it? I'm kinda getting the hang of this thing. I'm enjoying the process of writing every day and also focusing on what I do with Beeks allows me to see that I am working to enrich his life as well. Pretty good combo I think. I am taking a mandatory break from my computer project(project computer issues, not mine) and Beeks and I are getting a little fresh air out on the deck. Max looks like he wants to come out but I don't have Beeks on a tie out so I will wait to let Max out in a short time. Beeks takes little darts at squirrels he hears/sees and then comes back to the deck. I have to recall him sometimes but sometimes he comes on his own. He mostly is cruzin for sticks to chew up. Funny dog.

Late Night Wilderness PartyLast night, close to 1 AM both dogs erupted into a barking frenzy and could not be calmed down. They ran to the back windows (nearest the thick of the woods) and kept barking. I thought Max was going to knock down the plant stand) something I couldn't hear was happening in the great wilderness and it got their attention. They obviously wanted some of that action. I looked out the windows but saw nothing. Finally I got both dogs back into the bedroom and after a few more minutes they settled down for the rest of the night. I thought maybe the interruption would mean we would be getting up later this morning but Nooooooo. 6 AM on the dot Max was breathing in my ear. He has a wonderful internal clock. If I am working upstairs on the computer I will hear him getting up and start walking towards the stairs to come get me for his dinner. When I look at the computer clock it usually says 5:01. Some dog!

Playtime with Little Girls
When I do get to the dogs' dinner routine it goes something like this: I put them out in the run to go potty while I put food in the bowls. Then I let them inside the garage on a a time, depending who sits first and most patient. Then I tether Max and open the garage. As soon a Beeks is finished he and I play some games. I throw the Frisbee, or ball and I get him to jump for the rope. Since it has been nice and sunny out lately, the little girls that live next door have been riding their scooter's over when they see the garage door open. This is great practice for all of us. I am so grateful that they want to come over and feel comfortable enough to do so. They are somewhat cautious of Beeker at first,(he sometimes will want to chase them or herd them, being the cattle dog that he is) but slowly they begin to play with him wanting to do the throwing or getting him to follow them when they are scooting around. I watch this slow warming and think of the "curiously afraid" that Temple Grandin talks about. This is good for Beeker and for the girls. I want Beeks to know that squealing, laughing small people are not for herding or chasing. I want him to know that they get to say when to play and he gets to choose if he wants to follow them.
Max is a different kettle of fish. He barks and pulls at his leash. His tail is wagging and I know he would love to play with the girls but I also know that he would be too brash, too rough. Yesterday when the girls came over, the youngest girl, had a small stuffed cat that she was carrying. She got brave and walked into the garage where Max was and was talking to him. He kept looking at her like he wanted to get to her, he was really pulling and barking at her. Then I realized what was going on in his mind. He wanted he stuffed cat! I went into the house, got one of his stuffed animals, had him go to a sit and then gave him one of his own stuffed animals. He lay down and quieted right up! That was what he wanted. It is true that he is always calmer when he has something in his mouth. I think it is a Newfie thing. My neighbors is so wonderful to help us with doggy obedience school. I want Max to be okay with the girls around and not think that small people=prey. He still has such a difficult time with meet and greet. The littlest neighbor just stands at the garage opening and talks to Max, she doesn't like it that he is tethered up but neither does she like his over the top behavior. Tonight when she was talking to him, he barked real loud and it scared her, I told her that max was just replying to her and like she was talking to him, he was talking to her. She turned around and told Max, "no barking!" I am hoping that we will get a lot of tolerance practice this summer.

Rewarding Playtime
After such a long day of ignoring my dogs, I thought that they would like some play time fun, so I filled the Premier bottle and the Premier Twist-n-Treat and had the dogs sit and watch me as I put them both under a small blanket. Then I released them, to go to it. You can imagine the frenzy. Actually, Max was the more inquisitive one. Beeks sniffed the rug but Max went right for the Twist-n-Treat. I thought that he might have some difficulty opening it up to get the treats out but i was so wrong. He put it between both paws and then used one paw to turn it with pressure from the floor. Now this might not seem to much of a difficult thing but the toy only turns one way. He really kept at it and soon all the goodies were gone. It took him only about 7 minutes. Beeker is use to the treat bottle but it takes him a while too bang it all around and get the goodies out. He too kept focused on the toy, even carrying it around when he thought that Max and I were going to do some thing fun in the kitchen. It has been so warm that I think I will put some cold stuff in the Kong and the squirrel buddy so they can have cold treats tomorrow. Summer fun!

George and Gracie's Nest
The trees have filled in so much in the last few days that I am not able to see the nest so well. We have seen George and Gracie in the late afternoon, flying in the woods. They are more vocal in the afternoon and I love watching how graceful they are flying in and around the trees. They really make their presence known. We (the dogs and myself) all stop and look up when we see their shadows pass by. The screened in porch is a really good place to sit and watch all of the afternoon happenings in the woods and down the lane.

I'm working with Max when ever some distraction occurs and he gets anxious and ready to bark. I sit with him and pet him while he watches. I want him to increase the part of his brain that is able to control his impulses. Think there is a chance? He actually is doing quite well at this exercise. He may bark at first but talking to him calmly goes a long way. It seems that Beeker is the initial alert system of the pair, so I can get Beeks to stop first then maybe I can get Max to ignore the excitement too. So much to do...

(49) Weird Dog World

I am deep into the computer project and not without some dissension. Beeks is willing to lay low for a good part of the day but soon (about 2-3 hours) he wains. He starts playing with the cat, he brings me toys and drops them in my lap, when his subtle hints doesn't do him any good, he goes for the big guns, Max. When Max and beeks walk in the office together and start wrestling, I've lost the patience battle. It's time for a break.

We live down a beautiful tree lined lane. On either side of the lane are our neighbor's back yards. With most backyards come family dogs. They bark, let their presence be known and all is good with the world. When we take the dogs for a walk, we have to walk down the lane. no problem, Lots of neighbors use our lane as a pass thru to other neighborhoods. It works well for everyone. However, Max and Beeks have a nemesis. Honest. When ever we get close to "Fido's" yard, both dogs get antsy. Max pulls and almost bucks. We have worked with him over the years so that now he mostly whimpers when we get near. Beeks gets right on that band wagon. He barks his wimpy bark, letting Max and Fido know he's there too. If we continue on, all gets aligned and the world continues to function. If we pass other dogs out in their yards, Max and Beeks will strut right past like they are ignoring the dogs, or if the dog barks a greeting, Max and Beeks will pull to see what is happening in the hood. It's a dogs world and they are happy to be a part of it. It's not just Max and Beeker with this specific dog issue. Fido lets my dogs know he isn't happy aobut this territory being invaded as well. If Fido's owners walk him down the lane towards our house and we happen to be outside, there is great dog tension at both ends of the leash. When we first got Max and I tried to walk him alone down the lane, he would pull me down into the gravel. Totally bad scene. Here's the thing. When we first moved here and we had Belle and Beau instead of Max and Beeker, they too would get anxious near Fido's yard. Belle actually growled, which is interesting because Belle was the most passive of any dog I have ever met. Fido isn't naturally aggressive. He is what we call "an Olden Golden". He is a slow moving, family loving dog as far as I can see. He just gets my dogs' goats. Why is that? I can't figure out why this one dog is able to cause pure chaos when we encounter him. something to continue to think about. Maybe something to do with a specific behavior or maybe unbeknown to us, he may be an intact male. He doesn't act like it however, no other signs of aggression when we see him with his family or next door dogs. Weird dog world.

Do you remember me telling you about Beeks hesitation with jumping on the bed when I call him up? Remember that I could stand by him and tell him to "bed up" and he would jump right up but if I was sitting on the bed and try to call him up in my sweetest voice and plead with him, he just sits and almost jerks with desire but some apprehensiveness to jump? The funniest thing happened when I was working on this blog. The dogs came to the bed to let me know they wanted to get up. Beek's with his head on the bed, and sad puppy eyes. Max just up close with heavy breathing,so I said "okay, come on". Max went to his side of the bed and jumped right up. No problem. Beeks quivered. I begged him almost. "Come on, Come on, up Beeks." Then he Jumped right up. On my lap! Between me and the computer. He wants to be my lap dog! I sat with him in that position for about 5 minutes cuz I was in shock. Then he was too hot. I moved him down a bit then moved my computer so I could continue to blog.
Weird dog world.

(48) Dog Heaven

Yesterday Beeker and I went to the woodsy part of the Lake of the Woods Prairie. This always gets the dogs excited. Even when I drive up the street to get to the entry, they start moaning. There is not other way to describe the sound that comes out of them when they know they are about to go somewhere they love. The prairie and the grandparents house. Since Brad had to work,it was just Beeks and me. Beeker has not been to the woodsy part since last year because it gets just too muddy during the winter and early Spring. I put him on the 20 foot leash with out his gentle leader so that he could really track all of the smells. He is absolutely in Dog Heaven when we go this route. It's wet, its muddy, its smelly, and its got lots of grasses and sticks to jump over. True dog heaven. I so wish I could have him off lead. We have been there when we have met other dogs and owners with the dogs off lead and I always wonder how they can afford to do that. I would be afraid that I would be ticketed for breaking the leash law and afraid that Beeks would run away and not return. My fear. Anyway, he loves getting twenty feet of freedom. We were about 5 minutes into the trail and Beeks starts to put his nose to the ground, tracking back and forth across the trail. I'm thinking that he is going to find some interesting stuff, a dead critter or deer doot or something real cool. He stops and then goes for something I can't recognize but looks orange. I get to him just as he is about to swallow a tiny piece of a goldfish cracker. The tail end. Yep that's my tracker!

The trail has been bushwhacked somewhat,cleaned up, tree limbs cut and large chipped limestone put down for the runners that use this 5 mile trail. It's rugged and it has good changes in the terrain so most every day there are joggers on this wilderness trail. Whenever we see some person coming I recall Beeks and when he comes I keep him to a heel. We greet who ever we meet and I notice that we don't get a warm greeting in return. Now if you know Beeker, he isn't threatening. He looks but doesn't bark. I think that most people are fearful of any dog they don't know, even dogs who are under control. Even if they have dogs themselves. Even if they are "dog people".

We cross creeks every so often. This is the best part to Beeker. On the right is slime water and on the left, filtered through the big limestone rocks, is clear. I gear him towards the clear side and in he goes. It cools him down, it feels great and then up he comes, happy as a dog in heaven. I was able to keep him to the left for most of the creeks, except one time when he went into the left side, splashed then darted up and out of the creek bed into the other side. the slime side. When he came out his face was covered green.
By the time we got back to the car Beeks was happily wet,sandy and severely muddy. He had to ride in the way back to get home. This isn't his usual station in life but he was so tired that he didn't complain. Good thing DQ was on the way home. He didn't complain about that either.

(47) Game On

It is a beautifully warm (some would say hot even)75 degree sunny day. Since Brad is at work all day and I can't work on my computer project I had to again make a day plan. So I decided to first take my walkabout and then take Beeks to the Lake of the Woods Prairie. Only this time I wanted to take him to the wooded area where a number of creeks bisect the 5mile trail.

On our walk about the yard we discovered that the tulips I dug up last year because they were not growing in the front garden, were growing in the ash pile. This says something about me or them, I'm not sure which. In the garden they grew big leaves and then die. No flowers. I kept thinking that it was the early spring weather we were having that had prohibited the flower growth, but each year nothing, so I dug them up and dumped them where we dump all of yard waste and ashes from the fireplace. I couldn't believe it when I saw how beautiful the one Tulip was. Hence the picture. I had Max tethered out on the back deck so that he could enjoy the shade and smell the fresh air. Beeks was off lead. My mistake on that one. Beeks thought it was a great game to run near Max and just out of reach so that Max couldn't get to him. Max nearly choked himself a number of times. They would wrestle and then it would turn into Max torture again, so I stopped the play and put Beeks on the 1 foot short lead for the rest of the roundabout. I am beginning to really like the 1 foot short lead because it forces Beeks to keep at a heel. He doesn't fight it and If I want to let him off lead I can just let go of it and it stays attached but not connected to me. In other words he can keep the leash attached but not trip on it when I am not holding it.

Then after making the complete rounds of the yard, inspecting the growing fern, the newly planted vinca minor(Periwinkle), and the already blooming Bleeding Hearts we headed inside.Only to see our resident Western Fox snake at the stoop of the front door. We have seen this guy(gal)since we moved here. I think it likes the warmth from the front bricks and the coolness of the cement. Anyway, last year we found babies in the spring. Brad says we need to name him also since we are naming all of our part time residents. I'm going for Stanley. As in Laural and Harding. He is pretty big, about three feet. Western Fox snakes are common in central Illinois and are not poisonous. That's a good thing.

We went to the Prairie woods this afternoon and I will tell you all about that tomorrow. It was pretty exciting. However, I want to share a conversation that my sister and I had this morning about dogs and play. Let me know what you think.

Juli was telling me that her dog Jesse James creates and plays games. Jesse is an only dog in the family. He has lots of dog friends whom he plays with frequently. Juli also takes Jesse to the dog park so he plays with new friends as well. At home Jesse gets lots of love and attention from Juli so he is not neglected by any means. When Juli is otherwise occupied, Jess will create games. One of them that I have seen is where he takes his ball to the top of the stairs and noses it slowly until it falls down the steps. He then runs to get recover it and brings it back to the top and noses it until it falls down the steps again. Another game he created happens when he finds a fly or bug of some sort. He will manipulate it in some sort of fashion and then watch its reaction, then manipulate it again, repeating the game. I have seen my cat Chez do this game playing and creating as well. He will fling one of his cat toys and then pounce on it, or fling it in the air and then over a bench and then stalk it. He loves this solo play. Max and Beeker don't create solo games. My question to Juli and to everyone else is: Why do some dogs and cats engage in solo play when others don't? We talked about a number or possibilities which I will suggest and maybe you will have some others. Do your pets create games to play?

I believe that Beeker and Max are as intelligent as Jesse James and Chez so intelligence doesn't enter into this conversation. I believe that play has a lot to do with novelty and surprise. The sheer rush of the unknown is fun and physically arousing for all of us (sometimes positively and sometimes negatively but arousing none the less). Beeks and Max have each other to play with to get the suprise aspect of play, so when ever Beeks wants some excitement he goes to Max. Jesse creates this excitement for himself. Juli reminded me that little baby humans do this too. They drop their spoons on the floor to see what happens and we adults pick it up only to find out that the babies are laughing and doing it on purpose.
Juli also suggested that other dogs that live in single dog families don't all create games to occupy their time and need for excitement. This is true. We know of other dogs that are just hppy to be around people and except for chasing a ball don't play. Then there is Chez our cat. As I said before, he likes to create his own games and plays alone frequently. However, he plays with Beeks often and with Max to some extent. Even today while I was having this conversation with my sister Chez was batting Beeker on his rear and Beeks was rolling over for some rough and tumble with Chez. They chased each other, Chez chasing Beeker and then backing Beeker up against the wall. His back was arched but there was no hissing or growling, Just for Fun. The whole thing. So Chez and Jesse James both are able to multi-play. Isn't that a higher brain function? I'd be interested in hearing if other people's dogs and pets create games for the thrill of it.

(46) Change I can live with...I think

I really have a difficult time when I have to change my plans for the day. When I got up this morning, I thought I was going to spend a full day working on a computer project. However,due to circumstances beyond my control,I wasn't able to work on the project. Therefore, I had to come up with an alternative plan. This takes a considerable amount of my energy. I tell myself that admitting that I have this issue, goes along way to dealing with the situation. Unfortunately, I still had the day to plan and it took about an hour to figure out what the best plan for my day was going to be. I decided that I should first take another walkabout in the yard. Today is much warmer than in recent days, in the low 70's and it is cool with a little breeze and lots of sunshine. Gorgeous. The fern are really showing themselves and the small hosta leaves are unfolding. I love to look for all of the new growth in the yard. Beeks acts like he is helping me but he just chews grass or practices his tracking skills. But we continue to work on recall.

I then decided that what we really needed was a couple of good garage sales. Beeks and I like to go garage sale hunting in the Spring and Summer. Heck, we like garage sales when ever we can find them. It's an inherited illness. What can I say. We drove around for a number of hours with little success. Only a few sales and no treasures. Don't these people know that when the weather turns nice we need garage sales?

The only thing to do was to come home and have some ice cream with blueberries and sit outside on the deck. I gave Beeks and Max each a chew and sat down to enjoy the day. Beeks behaves funny with his chew. Like he can't get comfortable or can't decide where he should lay down. He gets near Max, then gets up and moves to a sunny, grassy area then back near Max, then up on the deck near me, then back to the grass. This moving about continued for a good five minutes. I wish I could read what was gong on in his mind.

We are practicing our outdoor etiquette while we are out here on the deck. There are a number of teenage girls that are riding their bikes down the lane and generally making all of the happy sounds teenage girls make when they are together. This gets both dogs barking. I am trying to teach them that they get to stay outside if they look but don't bark. This is tough for all of us. Beeks is the alarm and Max is the welcoming agent. In other words, when I try to stop one from barking the other one erupts. They are both tethered and once I got them into a sit it was easier. They like to bark. They want to run and play with the girls. I am just so mean!

We have been watching Gracie and George in the mornings. One or the other continues to move about the nest, in a circle fashion. My assumption is that the nest building is still in process. We don't see them much in the afternoon, except to see them soar overhead like Jonathan Livingston Seagull.I saw the hawks flying over the woods this afternoon. Three of them. I don't know what the territorial range of hawks is, but there they were, three happy flying,cawing hawks.

(45) What's the Use (of the dog)?

My father sent me a 1952 article about the role of household pets in the family. This was an article published in Marriage and Family Journal. The article was a review of studies of how dogs affect the lives of family members. It was titled, Some Neglected Areas of Family Study. The title alone suggests the importance of dogs in families even in 1952. The list of 11 affects was interesting in view of the times but also in the stability of the multiple roles that dogs play in our families today. To start, the 1952 paper suggests that dogs are(I paraphrase): (1.)an outlet for our affection,(2.)"serves" each family member according to his or her individual need,(3.)the developing and integration of continuing responsibility (4.)One of the best vehicles for toilet training (5.) Sex Education (6.)Satisfactory victim of personal needs for ego gratification (kicking the dog when your down syndrome) (7.)satisfies the desire for power,the wish to dominate someone (8.) the normality of physical processes, lessening inhibitions and intimate family contacts (9.) allowing an increase in range of acquaintances, social aid (10.) effective and continuing subject of family conversations (11.)companionship each according to one's own needs.

Interesting ideas to think about isn't it? I am sure that in today's list we wouldn't want to admit that we need the dog for ego satisfaction or to have something to have power over. We might not even want to admit that we would use our pet dog as a toilet training example but... Maybe the example would present itself like..., "look Lucy, see Pumpkin going to the potty where she is suppose to go?" I do think that there are a number of the listed roles that are still relevant for our pet dogs today and I think the list can be expanded as well.

Here is my list of modern roles for dog family members.
1. Surrogate child in the family. No, I love my boys but some families don't or can't have children and dogs are viable replacements for affection and caregiving.

2. Source for outlet of affection. The 1952 article stated that the dog receives more attention and affection than any other family member. I have no doubt. Here I would add a great source of unconditional love.

3. Social transition object. When necessary I can always travel with my dog and I am never alone. Beeks is a good transition into any socially awkward situation.

4. Social responsibility... Beeks needs me. I'm his source for food, water, shelter. It's good to be needed.

5. Total source for interesting family conversations. Duh, I'm writing a blog about him huh!

6. Family safety. Who would threaten me with Max and Beeks around. They not only protect me but I feel empowered by their presence.

7. Source for meaningful work. A raison d'etre if you will. A compassion, we all need to have some passion. An inward love to focus outward. To some people the responsibility of their dog fulfills this need. We enter into it freely and we derive pleasure and from it.

I'm sure the list could go on and on, but let me stop here and suggest that Beeks does have a huge role in our family and so does Max. I have previously mentioned that Max has a different role than Beeks. I think that Max's role is one of teaching and Beeks is one of filling emotional needs. To put it another way, I learn lots of lessons from Max. Patience, problem solving, prioritizing. With Beeker, he fills the emotional needs left vacant when the boys grew up and left home. I have someone to nurture and challenge to thrive. I think they make a good team of siblings in our family.

I think the way we view pets in families has changed in the last 50 some years. We certainly treat them physically better than we use to. Most family dogs now are inside homes, instead of outside in the yard. I think we also take better care of them medically. Most owners take their dogs to the Veterinarian on a regular basis. I still wonder if we take better care of our dogs mentally. With leash laws so strict now we rarely allow our pets to have the excitement of the free run. I get all of the safety needs of our communities but I do think that Beeks loves running free when he gets a chance. Being constantly confined must have a devastating effect on a dog's mental health.

What other roles have I forgotten from the list of the modern family dog? Any to add, any to extract? What good are they anyway? Lots if you ask me!

(44) It's a Vet Party

Today was a big day for Beeks. Actually it was a big day for all of us in this family. It was the annual visit to the Vet's office day. We take all of the pets to the Veterinarian's office once a year. We like to do it up big. When we lived in the Quad Cities and had two Newfoundlands and three cats we (Brad) use to take all of them to the vet's office all at once. The Office staff loved that. No really, We scheduled the whole morning and in came the whole troupe. I think the funniest part was probably seeing Brad carrying two cat carriers (two cats in one and one cat in another)and a leash with two Newfs. The office staff probably sat inside and rolled with laughter. Here in Champaign we take Beeks and Chez in and then after Chez is finished we switch him out to the car and bring Max in for his turn. Of course Beeks gets to stay in the room and suck up all the attention he can get.

We are lucky that we have had really good Veterinarians where ever we have lived. Here in Champaign we always request Dr. Hadley. She has been with us since we first moved here and had Belle and Beau, Sunshine and Paddington. Dr. Hadley is always so kind and gentle and she lavishes all of the pets with love. Even Max. Here is the thing about Mr. Max. He is always on his best behavior when we go to the Vets office. Even when they have to take him into the back room to give him lab tests or some other manipulation, he goes so willingly and he is so cooperative. An owner always wants to have their dog be on their best behavior and thank god they all love to go to see Dr. Hadley. Well, okay so Chez might say he doesn't really like going to the Dr's office but he gets through it. Usually Chez molts while he is there, leaving a white coat all over Brad, Me, and the entire exam room. He doesn't like having his ears looked at or being given shots either. The last shot that Chez received was in his hip and it was like a pop gun. Kinda like the old small pox shots we got in our arms when we were young. Well, I think the "pop" may have scared him more than the actual pain of the shot but he let out a his heard a mile away. It's a good thing that the vet tech and Dr. Hadley are really good at their jobs cuz Chez was not happy.

Beeker loves going to the Vet. He gets so much lovey attention and Dr. Hadley is always so complimentary to him. Beeks just moves right in and noses his way into getting strokes and hugs. Check out the picture above. Is that a happy dog or what? I asked her about brushing Beeks teeth and she gave me some good tips on how to gently introduce brushing and the paste to him. We also talked about brushing Chez's teeth, but I'm thinking Beeker will be easier than Chez. She also gave us some tips on how to keep Beeker away from being interested in Max's doot. Cayenne pepper sprinkled on top to discourage Beeks from being interested. Dr. Hadley always send the pets off with little love notes too. On their exam reports she says kind things to them so that they know she really does care for them too. Even Chez... notes like"I'll miss you Chez","Max looks Wonderful", and "Have fun brushing those teeth". What a great Doctor.

After such an exhausting afternoon it was time for a walk and we all loved the exercise. Beeks wanted to run but I wanted him to practice his heeling skills, so guess who won that battle? He practiced his heeling on the walk and then when we got home he sat (on his own)in the driveway so I let him off lead and let him run. He did, he ran and ran and ran. Yep, two times around the house, around Max, wrestled with Max then ran around the house and then he was GONE! I called and called him and up he popped from the woods and ran over to our neighbor's house, around their yard and right to me, smiling like "here I am, wasn't that great?" He was soaked from running in the creek and he was in heaven. I have him drying out in the laundry room before I brush him and try to clean him up.