Bubble Wrap?? General Chat

So yesterday, Tornado-dog found some bubble wrap in an open box. It was the type with the big bubbles. He immediately took to popping all the bubbles on the sheet. When he finished that sheet, he grabbed a second sheet.

Watching him do this is just like watching a person obsessed with bubble wrap. He methodically pops each bubble until they are all done.

I don't know where he learned to do this. It seemed to just come naturally to him. I may never get to pop my bubble wrap myself again...

So today I got a package. Tornado-dog was sleeping under the couch with his back feet sticking out. I opened the package and set a string of air packets on the floor. I watched the air packets and feet disappear under the couch like a slithering snake. Soon I heard the popping of air packets.

Later another package arrived and it had mini bubbles bubble wrap. No sign of Tornado-dog, but when I set the bubble wrap on the floor it slithered away under the couch and the popping began.

If he weren't so dang cute he'd drive me crazy.

I once found a game on the computer which had "bubble wrap" to be popped with the mouse - deleted it after I found myself popping bubble wrap for hours on end!

iHerb used to use those strings of air packets but went 'green' and now use very lightweight honeycomb packing made from recycled paper. As it can be recycled again it makes more sense. Not fun like popping bubble wrap was though!

I had that bubble wrap game too. It was very addicting.

I kept a huge piece of bubble wrap in my desk at work. Whenever things got crazy, I'd pull it out and start popping away.

Tornado-dog has a treasure hoard. It started in the hallway but has now taken up the floor in the bathroom (where Cat-dog likes to nap).

So, I explained to him today that we must go through his hoard and separate it out into three piles:
garbage
mine
his

We both agreed that his pile will be the smallest. It's not treasure unless it's stolen.

Now, do we consider popped bubble wrap as garbage? or his?

I believe once it’s been popped it’s garbage

So I told him that and I picked up the piece in front of the couch. It was suddenly slithered silently under the couch. I don't think he agrees...

I love bubble wrap but my OH hates it and takes it away!

Tornado-dog says "Bad man. Very very bad man."

Well, it took TWO garbage bags, but I can see the floor in my hallway and bathroom again. Tornado-dog did try to recoup items out of the garbage pile, but I persevered. His treasure hoard has been reduced to his toys. He even found some he had forgotten about. I did let him keep the chewed sandals - it makes him happy.

Meanwhile his monthly order of Happy Belly chews arrived. He stole one bag and has been prancing around all happy because he has a stolen chew (I confiscated the rest). He's a goofis! His sister, on the other hand, is so very perfect.

Tornado-dog is officially a Dog Thief. I have been catching him standing on the armchair with his front feet on the bookcase checking out the shelves for things to steal. He can reach the top shelf this way (5ft high).

He has stolen the little pom poms that WERE attached to the edging of a couple throw pillows and blanket (he hasn't discovered the burgundy blanket yet).

He steals my clothing. He steals the towels off the racks in the bathroom. For one rack, he has to stand up on the toilet to grab the towels.

Today I had a piece of lemon bundt cake. He got very close to it and I told him to back away from the cake. He went off to see Cat-dog. I set the plate with the cake on the back of the couch while I got comfortable with my book. Suddenly, there were two black ears poking over the back of the couch right behind the plate. He had silently crept back in to the living room to abscond with my cake. He was just reaching to grab the plate when I saw him.

I think he's beyond rehabilitation.

All our dogs teach us something. This type of dog is sent to teach us to be methodical!

Tissues. With my lot it has always been tissues. Dog gets on bed - dog's nose goes under pillows for tissues. Confetti on the floor. I also keep a couple of tissues on my table, so if I move away and grab my crutches to plonk somewhere, I push the keyboard away so that the tissues don't end up as confetti. I learned that lesson with Pereg, who could reach the table by standing on her hind legs - I also learned to put my computer specs in their case, which sits on the base of my monitor, after Pereg, err, borrowed them because I'd left them within her reach.

Tikva is too small to reach the table, unless she can get on my chair to do so, so I have to make sure that I move it quite far back. Only sometimes I haven't moved it far back enough... and sure enough, confetti on the floor. Not any more though.

A couple of days ago I was sitting reading online news while nibbling away at some chocolate covered orange peel strips. Dark chocolate at that. The telephone rang and I had to get a note I'd stuck on the refrigerator to read it out to the person who had called. And the chair was just close enough to the table for Tikva to reach...

...came back in to find her sitting on the couch with a very guilty expression and the little dish with the goodies tipped over on the table.

Chocolate - dark chocolate - dog+chocolate=panic - then she spat it out with a look of disgust on her face!

Eddie will gather any stray knicks, socks and hankies, but very rarely chews them. He likes to pretend that he has found these 'lost' items - and claim a finders fee.
Finding things before they are lost seems to be one of the downside of teaching track and search.

Tikva hides the occasional thing in her "nest" on the couch, usually things I have dropped and not noticed, and I have found such things as a pair of nail clippers, a pen or three, and once a vitamin capsule - from the look of it it was either C or B complex - not opened or chewed, not even a toothmark.

She does not normally just pick things up, and if I notice that I have dropped something and she shows interest, a "no" or "leave it" suffices. But if I am not around and she finds something on the floor that in her opinion should not be there...

Thank heavens, Rosie isn't a thief.

I can leave food on the coffee table and she won't touch it unless she's told she can have it. Not been trained in. It just seems something that has always come naturally to her.

One of my previous dogs, Jade, was another matter altogether. Anything food related was hers unless guarded with your life

Oh yeah, tissues, toilet paper and paper towels are all subject to theft and destruction. As are rolls of plastic bags.

He snooped on the dining room table once and stole a tube of crazy glue. I caught that in time, but still have visions of what could have resulted. Not sure what I'd say to the vet.

Pens are extremely popular theft items. They too must be destroyed. Silverware is popular too.

Surprisingly, he does not seem that interested in stealing food off the counters.

He did steal a bag of licorice once (off the table). I have to admit his breath was delightful. He liked to twirl a piece in his mouth for a few minutes. Then he would spit it out. A while later, he'd go back for another twirl.

He teaches me something alright...

I have mostly had shepherd mixes. They were never big on theft. The shepherd portion of their brains overrode most bad behavior. He has no such override.

He does listen to the "leave it" command. But for him that is simply a temporary command. He will remember the item and where I put it and at some future point will attempt a theft.

My Bat-dog was a chocoholic. Fortunately it didn't affect her. She could smell out chocolate ffrom miles away (beagle nose). She would literally eat an entire bag of foil wrapped chocate and be fine. She didn't stand on her back legs, so putting things on the counter or shelf was sufficient. Until the time I caught her in the kitchen. Her brother Moose-dog was pulling a chocolate cake towards the edge of the counter while she watched with a big smile on her face. As Moose-dog never stole food, I still question if she put him up to it or if he was trying to kill her. In attempt to prevent any potential future murder, I explained to him that she was immune to the bad affects of chocolate. I never caught him trying to steal chocolate again so I wonder...

I had a neighbor who’s two wolf hybrids (50%) got into some expanding foam... they both had to have emergency surgery. He claimed to have foam casts of their innards.

I thought I'd share their camping trip photos.

Cat-dog questioning why we haven't ridden in the motorhome before - that couch is comfy



Looney1 ready to explore



The dogs sleeping during the drive



Looney2 on his first tethered walk




Looney1 is somewhere in this photo. He snuck out the door on me and refused to come back for about 4 hours. While I was trying to get him, Looney2 backed out of his harness and refused to come back also. It took promised tummy rubs for them to come to me - AFTER they explored every crevice in those rocks

Tornado-dog decided he gets a camp chair... I'm researching dog cots for Cat-dog


Cat-dog showing off Brother's "outside ball"


Tornado-dog checking out Aunt C's solar led light - yes, he's in his chair...


It was a good first trip. Bird didn't seem all that excited, but she didn't hate it.