Bubble Wrap?? General Chat

Eddie worked hard for that jump!

My dad's husky got his CDX. I think at around 6 years. My dad did it with his first akita too. It took him longer, about 9 years. But he decided with his later dogs he'd rather focus on the conformation only. It didn't help that the behaviors in the conformation ring didn't always jive with the obedience ring behaviors (like standing when you stop moving vs sitting) - that was his issue with his first akita. He did do tracking with his first akita and that dog was really good at it but I don't think my dad did much competition overall.

I never had the patience to go that far. Tornado-dog could do it. And he'd be a whiz at agility. But I don't want to work that hard.

Yes, I feel like that now. I loved working my dogs but it is a long road to success, and so many 'if only' days. Even showing in the breed ring means too many hours on the road, when you would rather be asleep. Think I'm happy to just turn up and watch these days.
I had that plonking themselves into a smart sit problem with the Goldens, but not so much with the Beagles. I don't think trying to be precise comes naturally to a Beagle.

I used to argue long and hard with the KC about out of sight stays. To me, it gives the wrong message to owners about where and when it's safe to leave their dogs and it's downright dangerous for the dogs

In the past three months, I've taken 4 of the critters to the vet for their annuals.

Yesterday Looney1 went for his. He's lost a significant amount of weight this year - he had gotten heavy when I was trying to fatten up Looney2 after his weight loss last year. The vet said Looney1 looks great (she wrote "chubby" in his chart last year), but she found a heart murmur. This is new for Looney1. Looney2 has always had a heart murmur but Looney1 never has. So we're doing bloodwork to make sure nothing is going on.

And of course, the rest of the day, Looney2 declared Looney1 an imposter podcat (Invasion of the Body Snatchers)...

I did show the doctor this photo I took the other day. She is still completely blown away by how great Punx is doing. She said "look at her, she's a CAT!"


She is still only about 6lbs - 10lbs less than her brother Looney2 (on the right). There's a second full grown cat between them...

Punx will be a year old around the 25th of this month. Panther was a year old last month. Panther is still doing great. She's created a nightly routine for us. At night, I call everyone upstairs. The dogs are first up and go in the bedroom to wait for their nightly cookie. Looney2 and Punx are next and wait in the Cat's Room for canned food. Panther comes and lays on the stairs. I sit next to her and give her lots of scratches on her back while she scratches her neck on the carpeted steps. We do this until Looney1 decides to come upstairs. Then the three of us go in to the Cat's Room and I give them their canned food. Then I go into the bedroom and give the dogs their cookies.

Silly kids.

Oh and if any of you want to know more on that other matter, email me. juno com.

That is a worry about your two Loonies. How old is Loony 1? I do hope the blood results don't show a problem. Punx is looking well - lovely coat.

Looney1 will be 6 in August. It is worrisome. The doctor said he looks great and he's not having any other issues, but the sudden heart murmur is definitely concerning. I assumed the weightloss was because he was sharing the canned with two more cats so wasn't pigging out on it anymore. But with the heart murmur, it could be something else.

Looney2 has always had the heart murmur - since his first appointment at 7 weeks old. He'll be 5 years old in August (the boys share a birthday and are one year apart).

I'm hoping that Looney1 was just having a stressed day and that the murmur is just a momentary issue.

Punx's coat is very stylish. It is silky soft and doesn't really shed at all. Even at her skinniest, her coat was in great shape - the vet thought I brushed it, but Punx does all her own grooming. Her sloped face is a family thing - Rabbit had that same slope. While Panther and the other kittens have a nose that turns out of the face. Panther's face is very very pretty. I just wish she'd let me get a better photo of her. She's either in the window so I get her silhouette or she's tucked into a corner so she's in shadows.

Cat-dog and Looney1 enjoyed an afternoon in the backyard on Saturday. They liked the spanish lavender.

Looney1 was on his harness and leash, they just aren't visible in the photo.




Looney1 got his test results. Everything looks perfect except his cardio number which is elevated. So we're going to retest in the fall.

There is a bissell commercial on now. The narrator says "he's part jack russell and part tornado". Do you think they've been reading Tornado-dog's posts???

I don't think we have that one - yet. I'll look out for it.

Ha-ha. The Chihuahua bit is hard to spot! I would think that he is crossed with a more beefy Tornado.
My Shark went Pop! a couple of weeks ago and has refused to work since. I was going to get it repaired but perhaps I might be better with something like that.

Yeah, I'm not seeing much chihuahua in there either.

I do think they should have shown more of Tornado-dog's lying, cheating and stealing in that commercial. Showing him with a treasure hoard would have been a nice touch... But of course that wouldn't have sold the product - I don't think even a Bissell could clean up a treasure hoard.

The reactivity thread got me remembering Moose-dog and Bat-dog. What a great pair of dogs they were. When Moose-dog was about 3 years old, his sister, Dog, passed away. He started getting really anxious - wouldn't let me out of his sight, etc. So I ended up adopting Bat-dog at 4 months old.

Moose-dog totally relaxed and Bat-dog became my soulmate.

Bat-dog and I had a routine - every night, we'd cuddle on the couch so I could watch a bit of tv or read. When camping, this would occur when it got dark - we'd go inside the RV and cuddle on the couch while I read.

One trip, Aunt C suggested a campfire. We got it going and settled in around the fire. Night fell. Bat-dog kept heading towards the RV and then coming back when I didn't follow. Finally, I opened the door and told her she could go inside to nap. I went back to the fire. After a while, I asked Aunt C "do you feel like you are being watched?" She turned and there was Bat-dog standing on the RV steps glaring at her. Bat-dog liked her routine - it was dark and time to go in and cuddle and Aunt C was keeping us from doing so...

Moose-dog was laying at Aunt C's side keeping watch over her, but when we called it a night, he was relieved to go inside to the comfort of the RV. He didn't like being outside in the dark and cold, but he took his job as Aunt C Protector seriously.

Meanwhile, we are having a heatwave here this week. I'm trying to get the pool cleaned up (still have some small sediment at the bottom) but it is very difficult when Tornado-dog obsessively goes for the hose every time I try to clean the vacuum filter (it fills up within a couple minutes) and Looney1 gets his dragging line caught on something and yells at me to uncatch it for him. And Cat-dog really doesn't want to be outside, but she has to keep watch over Tornado-dog and Looney1. And then Tornado-dog wants me to stop everything and play ball with him.

With dogs, daily chores and following the internet, it's a wonder that we have time to get round to any big jobs.

Oh dear. Today we had a package arrive. Tornado-dog saw great potential in this box. He sat and waited excitedly as I opened it. Then he peered inside to grab the bubble wrap...

It was all that new non-poppable bubble wrap. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pop it.

He is now sulking under the couch...

Tornado-dog has developed a new routine. Every night, I fill a lidded jar with ice and water for my bedside. When I go to the freezer to fill the ice, Tornado-dog runs over and waits expectantly. I hold out one ice cube and he takes it politely and then runs off to eat it. I fill my jar with water and we go up to bed.

If I offer him an ice cube at any other time of day, he pretty much ignores it. But he has to have it as part of our nighttime routine.

Weird.

Last night, Aunt C came over for a swim. Once the sun set, we ordered pizza. I pulled a parmesan pack out and gave it to Tornado-dog. He jumped up on the lounge with Aunt C and showed it to her. This means he held it in his mouth (just the corners show) and shoved his face right into hers. Less than an inch between their mouths.

She seemed a bit shocked...

I just thought thank goodness I'm not the only one he does this with!

Haha! A friend took us to a beauty spot today. Temperatures were well into the 20's and it was packed with families having barbeques, splashing in the river etc. You would think that Tally had never had any training - overstimulated by the heat and the smells of food cooking, she towed me around. If I gave her freedom she headed for the nearest party! I am not very heat tolerant, so I bought ice-creams. I always save her the base of the cone but offered her a lick at the swirly part. (I know, Yuk - but I do let her lick my face). She grabbed everything that stood above the cone!
Oh well, a lot less spit from the teeth than from a licky tongue.