Prajantr, Thoughts and Wanderings

I had my doubts last night when it was 9pm and there was still no snow in my area. Foolish me. When it started to fall, it came down hard and by the time the pooches and I did the last check of the house, there were several inches blanketing the world beyond our doors.

This morning, the pooches were dancing and crossing their little puppy legs, dying to get out there and do their business. So sorry that mommy slept in to 7am! Ok, so I let them out and brought the camera to capture the two of them plunging into the perfect whiteness.

Kaiser makes note that it is STILL snowing outside.

He also makes note that he looks damned impressive, all black and tan against the the pristine white back drop. Dino and Doodles a couple of yards over don’t look nearly as sharp out in their backyard. (The dogs in question are huge lab and even bigger Great Dane, respectively. They come to visit Kaiser and Chelsea occasionally. Neighborhood has a mere 4ft fence limitation. Even Chelsea can conquer a 4 ft fence.)

And of course, Kaiser has to prove that he is fast, even belly-deep in snow:

Of course, if Kaiser is belly-deep in snow, what do you think Chelsea is doing?

She’s a smart girl, my Chelsea, with wisdom that comes with being the oldest dog in the house. She watched Kaiser mess around in the snow for a bit. She hung out where the snow was shallow under the protection of the house overhang.

She thinks Kaiser is a bit foolish, but she uses the trail he broke to wander into the yard and do her business.

But don’t get me wrong. Chelsea loves the snow too. She just prefers it under foot and not up to her ears.

And she does like the taste of snow. She likes to shove her muzzle in it and come out with a snowflake frosted face.

Both pooches came in happy and submitted to being towelled down gracefully. They are now napping while I brew up some spiked hot chocolate. You know, the real kind made with milk and not hot water, rich with dark chocolate shavings and not just cocoa powder.

It’s a fantastic day to stay snugged up inside the house.

Nope. You don’t get to see them.

Darren and STASH

But here are homemade images of entertainment that I just couldn’t resist creating, featuring my beloved Darren-kitty.

Oh yes, he went into my crafty room and hopped up onto my day bed and made a jumbled mess of my pillows. And honestly, it was Perfect.

Incidentally, none of my holiday projects are on the day bed. That’s truly stash awaiting the appropriate time and purpose to be knitted or crocheted into something.

They will be turned into something happy and wonderful to the touch.

For the stitchers, no worries. Darren-kitty already has that stash carefully organized into boxes and up on shelves where sunlight and dust can’t get to it.

Darren-kitty has Planz!

I am working feverishly on the holiday projects, of which there are several. At least two crochet projects and two knit projects are in progress to be completed by the holidays. One knit project is for Mandy to gift to her mother and I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of the supplies for that.

But never fear, pics will arrive after the super secret holiday projects have been gifted.

Plus, we really do have plans for all of the stash someday. Big Plans.

Chris, Darcie and Baby Jack came to visit this past Saturday, bringing along Mozart for a play date with Kaiser. We were really glad to see them and much fun was had by all. Baby Jack is a pleasure to have for a visit! Chris and Darcie are too, but you know how we all take adults visiting for granted.

Of course, considering Chris’ expertise in training canines, I like to check in with him on my progress with Kaiser. Chris is really good about how I latch onto him for his dog knowledge.

The assessment? Kaiser is something around 85-90% obedient to me. Not such a bad thing – much better than most owners and their dogs. He’s also very Very VERY protective of me, a little protective of hubby, but VERY protective of me. On first thought, that’s kind of cool and I couldn’t hide my grin from Chris. On the other hand, Chris was very right to point out, that could be a problem.  Kaiser is a dangerous dog in a worst case scenario. And if I get pregnant…yah, it’ll only intensify exponentially.

On one hand, it’s a very warm thing to know that someone loves you that much. On the other hand, it can be a dangerous thing for people like the mailman or friends who are visiting. Plus, having Kaiser that focused on me means that his jealousy factor is high too – something I won’t allow if I have a baby.

That means that I need to get that other 10% established with Kaiser before I ever get pregnant. Plus, Kaiser’s less obedient to hubby – and it’s my responsibility to make sure Kaiser is obedient to hubby. That means working with Kaiser more, being less lenient with him and being much more on the ball about correcting him. Oh, and just because Chelsea’s cute and fluffy doesn’t mean she doesn’t need work too.

I decided to kill two birds with one stone.

Darren is the senior pet in the house. He joined the family first and is dominant to Chelsea. Heck, he practically raised Chelsea. Since Kaiser came into the house, Darren has been limited to the basement for his own safety. Kaiser’s strong prey drive was a danger to Darren’s life. Over time, I’ve worked with them so that now, Kaiser just plays with Darren and tries to assert his dominance. I double checked my assessment with Chris. It’s a funny thing to see a large GSD trying to hump a kitty. Darren, for his part, isn’t afraid and won’t yield. Not a bad thing. He has a full set of claws and doesn’t opt to use them on Kaiser.

I’ve decided to open the house up to Darren under supervision. This means Kaiser needs to allow Darren free passage through the house. This gives me plenty of opportunity to work with Kaiser, correcting him and ordering him both to “Leave it” and to lie “Down”. I’m demanding immediate obedience. I do give them a little play time once Darren has chosen a safe spot, such as under the dining room table. I’m figuring that over time, it won’t be such a novelty and Kaiser will get used to Darren out and about the house. Plus, Kaiser will have improved in his obedience with me. Double bonus.

Kaiser and Darren Play Time

Before any cat lovers get on my case – look at Darren’s body language. He’s alert but relaxed. His claws are retracted. His fur is laying down rather than standing on end. He’s also chosen to lay half exposed when he could be safely under the table in the center of the chairs where Kaiser can’t get to him.

Darren deliberately chose to leave himself exposed so that he could play with Kaiser.

Besides, to be brutally honest, if Kaiser wanted Darren dead, he’d be dead in a fraction of a second. Obviously not the case. the worst Kaiser’s done to Darren so far is slobber all over kitty so that kitty has to clean himself…again. The play time is good stimulation for the both of them.

My biggest worry is that considering Kaiser’s size, he may inadvertantly hurt Darren. This is why I’m teaching Kaiser to leave Darren alone unless Darren instigates play from a safe spot. I’m also only allowing them all loose in the house under my supervision – no leaving them alone like this folks.

So. Hopefully next time Chris comes down, he’ll be able to see the difference in the work I’ve done with Kaiser and Chelsea. And then when we introduce our third dog to the pack, I’ll have laid the ground work to ensure that Darren has his place in the house despite the pack. We’ll have Little dog, Big Dog and the new Beast Dog with Super Stealth Ninja Attack Kitty (otherwise dubbed by hubby as El Catto del Muerto).

Ya know, big dog Kaiser manages to give me white hair and heart attacks on a regular basis. First there was the cell phone he ate, then he ate the 10″ wooden drop spindle with 2 months of angora spinning on it…now? Well now I was on the phone with poison control yet Again.

You see, he went trash picking. Normally gross but not dangerous.  Unfortunately, I had just removed and thrown out my NuvaRing that day, wrapped in a tissue. It was in a covered trash can! And then he was acting strangely lethargic and I took a look into the trash can and lo and behold but it was gone.

In case someone doesn’t feel like their Google-fu is up to the search, NuvaRing is a flexible ring that releases low levels of estrogen and progestin. Obviously, it was meant for me, not the dog. I use it because it releases lower levels of the hormones locally rather than higher levels systemically…lower dose of what you need to get the effect you want is the way to go, in my opinion.

On the other hand, if your DOG eats it…low levels of the hormones are being released into his GI tract and absorbed. Not such a great thing. So I made the call to poison control, because estrogen poisoning in a dog can happen.

Turns out, there’s a high enough rate of occurence that the Manufacturer actually pays the consult fee in incidences where a dog ate a NuvaRing. My Kaiser is apparently not unique. Based on his weight and size, the ring should pass safely through his system in a few days. In the meantime, monitor that he’s eating and drinking normally and bulk his diet with 3 slices of bread twice daily to help him pass it through. If he starts suffering the more severe adverse events related to estrogen poisoning (vommitting, etc.) I need to take him to the vet to get it removed less naturally. Luckily, it was eaten towards the end of the cycle of use and probably is releasing lower amounts of hormones…but.

Sheesh. The dog loves bread.

I met Troppo yesterday. He’s a Dogo Argentino that has come to live at Alexd00′s mother’s house with Coby. Troppo is a big dog, very lovable and affectionate and definitely a good solid 90 lbs or so, possibly 100 lbs.

The Dogo Argentino breed was originally a fighting dog breed, meant to be a great hunter and fighter with a courageous heart and incredibly tenacious perserverance. This breed also is said to make a very strong distinction between strangers and family – be aware when being introduced to one of these (not wary, because that would make the dog wary – just keep it in mind).

Apparently, I was “in” the moment I walked in the door with Alexd00. The household’s other dog, Coby, came scampering over to greet me enthusiastically as he’s met me before and we’ve had some good play times. Minutes later I was on the couch with both dogs giving out scritches and cuddles and getting affectionate kisses.

A few things I noticed were that Troppo is an incredibly affectionate dog, content to snuggle his way onto the couch with you and right into your lap. Adorable, but only if you like big dogs and like big dogs in your lap. I was fine, but I could see that being uncomfortable for other people not quite as into dogs as me. He’s also the type to hover around the dinner table. Since he’s tall enough to easily walk up and rest his chin on the table – he’s obviously going to be in your food. Again, Alexd00 and I had no issues with elbowing Troppo from our lunch and giving him the cold shoulder to express our displeasure but other people could be overwhelmed by this behavior and lose their lunch to the dog. Troppo is also a digger. Worse, he’s a digger that gets Coby excited to jump in there and dig with him – even when there’s human around calling him to play.  Normally, digging is a sign of a bored dog, but no, in Troppo’s case he’s actually a dog that prefers to DIG.

Over all, Troppo is a well socialized friendly, affectionate dog that is safe with Alexd00′s niece and absolutely lovable. He’s got a couple of habits that my husband terms sarcastically as “fantastic” but then, my hubby is a little strict with big dogs.

In our household, the dogs are not allowed on couches or beds or any seating that could potentially displace a human. We’ve got dog beds and cushions randomly placed around the house so that the dogs are comfy but don’t snuggle a human right out of their seat.  Big dogs are also a little more strongly discouraged from hovering at the table – they either lay down and quit hovering or they are ordered to leave the room.

On the other hand,  a dog like Troppo is still pretty cool in my mind. He’s got basic sit, lie down and paw commands that he responds to. He’s fairly submissive and easy going. I also was very happy to notice that he’s incredibly gentle with kids and pups. I guess the affection is a little over the top because not many people can handle a dog attached to their hip as they walk around a house and the moment they lay down he’s laying in their laps or along side them nudging for scritches and petting. Personally, I love that affection but I don’t live with it every day.

Considering hubby, I’d say a dog with Troppo’s behaviors is probably a little too much for our household. And yet, all of those things could be trained out of the dog fairly easily – although I probably wouldn’t ever discourage the affection. Just the when and the how.

If you are need of a dose of cuteness combined with motherly love – watch this:

linky

Kitty mommy adopts bunny baby and my day got a little better. Still have a bad headache issue, but I’m thinking it’s in response to the weather patterns in the area.  We’ll see if we really do end up with 8 to 14 inches of snow. I’m thiking I might be working from home tomorrow.

I can definitely see my neighbor doing this to try to get rid of my dogs someday:

Read here: linky

The basics of the story are that a woman found two tagless, purebred dogs loose and kept them at her home and sold them via Craigslist or eBay or something.  The point is that she didn’t make a reasonable effort to identify the owners of the dogs, who apparently live on the same block.

Well, to be fair – my neighbor probably wouldn’t do something like this simply because it would mean she’d have to have the dogs in custody. She’s so terrified of dogs big and small that she probably wouldn’t be able to pull it off. But the temptation to be rid of my dogs would very likely make her consider the idea.

I thought the news story was interesting because there’s a lot of ifs and maybes. Honestly, if the dogs were loose, that’s an oops on the owner’s part. But that happens – heck, I’m Always leashing loose dogs and calling the owners in my neighborhood. Mostly to save my neighbor the heart attack and to save the owners the grief if something should happen to their dogs. And trust me, my neighbor is living in the wrong neighborhood because 9 out of 10 houses have dogs in this neighborhood. Not the place she wants to be if she wants to avoid dogs.

On the other hand, the finder in the article should have made an honest effort to identify the owners. Tags fall off dogs all the time – in fact Kaiser looses his tag on a regular basis.  There are a lot of options I would go through to find an owner:

• walk the block and ask door to door.
• post pics and contact.
• visit the vet and see if the dog has a subcutaneous tag. (Kaiser and Chelsea both are microchipped).

My other thought – the finder obviously thought the dogs could turn over some decent cash. She obviously didn’t sell them for as much as a purebred can sometimes bring (Kaiser in his adult, gelded state is worth over a grand – an intact animal could be worth a lot more.) But she did sell them. Kind of wonder about the thought process behind that.

Considering the location, I wonder if Ami knows anything about the situation that could shed more comprehension.