Some days, they both get it! Good boys!
Category: pets
Day out with Dog Scouts
I had a great day out with my friends from our Dog Scouts troop yesterday. Dog Scouts is a dog activities club, just like boy scouts – except your dog is the scout and you’re the parent. Right now it has been more of a dog training club, because the first step to get dogs from being Cadets to Scouts is for them to pass an obedience test. You have to film the dogs doing their test and send it back to Dog Scout headquarters and get approved. So far only one dog in our troop has passed! So we decided to get together yesterday and film our terribly obedient dogs and get them certified. We must have been ‘certifiable’ to think that would work!
We all met at a beautiful kennel up in the woods north of town. The facilities there are unbelievable, so nice, and with a beautiful view of Mt St Helens, our favorite active volcano! The place was also full of happy Great Pyrenees dogs, as that’s the kennel owner’s favorite, including one who lived on the property guarding the place year-round. She was a rescue who got away and chose to stay there just out of reach, and that’s how she’s happy so they let her stay. One of our members has two of them herself, big, lovable therapy dogs. Our fearless leader was there with her very obedient cattle dog and work-in-progress pit pup, my friend Sherry brought Sitka the eskie, and I was there with the Barker.
The obedience test is not all that complex. The dog has to sit, down, stay, heel, and leave it. Doesn’t sound hard, does it? Well, except for the cattle dog, who was already a pro, NONE of our dogs could manage those tasks! In fact they downright shamed us with their inability to ‘leave it’ and in fact had stolen ALL the dog cookies by the time we were done! Barclay got distracted from a stay when a bird landed on the water dish behind him (he wasn’t even supposed to be looking in that direction, but he doesn’t miss anything, unless it’s something I’m asking him to do). The pit did a nice stay but when she called him he went blasting on past her to go check out the Pyr kennels. The Pyr probably did the best, but they certainly weren’t fast or enthusiastic about it. Sitka stole as many cookies as he could stuff in his mouth at once 🙂 They were just all over the place, and we had to just laugh at our inability to train our dogs to do anything!
Afterwards we sat on the deck, enjoyed some cookies and lemonade, and relaxed with the dogs, told stories, and enjoyed the view. Great view, great company, bad dogs, what more could you want out of life?
Sorry for the horrible quality, I had to snap this with my phone, the only camera I had on hand.
Tired dog
Barclay had a big day and went to get his annual shots. I have worked with him since he was a baby on bite inhibition, and body handling, but how do you prepare a dog from something that only happens once a year, like getting a thermometer shoved up your bottom and getting poked with a needle? I was worried he might nip someone in spite of all my work. Poor pup! He cried and whined and they had to call in an extra person to hold him down, but when it was all done he still just gave her a lick on the nose – what a good boy! When we came home he was pooped!
I know getting shots always takes it out of them for a bit. He was sacked out.
Mighty came along to cheer him up.
She gave him a few licks
These two have such a funny relationship. The cats have always encouraged Barclay to play rough with them, and they refuse to scratch him and put him in his place, even when he’s dragging them around the house wailing. But they aren’t scared of him, in fact they both will come and lick his face while he’s sleeping. So we try to protect the cats from him roughing them up too much, but obviously they are ok with it, because they could put a stop to it if they wanted to.
Rest in Peace, little Pup
Just yesterday I posted how Alki seemed to be feeling great. I’m glad she had a great day and came out and enjoyed the sun, because today she woke up with a badly swollen leg. We watched her until afternoon to see if it was temporary, but it was bothering her, and she kept coming to me for help. We took her to the vet and she confirmed that the cancer had blocked something. She was able to let her go while resting peacefully in my lap. Almost three years since the cancer diagnosis, and it was no easier even though we knew it was coming. But it was the right thing to do. We never wanted her to suffer, and the time had come to let her go.
Alki was almost 15, and we got her when she was 8 weeks old, in fact we met her litter while they were still blind and in the box with their mama, who was also a wonderful dog and convinced us she would have a great temperament. One of my favorite stories is how we met her. The breeder had two girl pups left, and we got to choose. She said ‘take them out on the lawn and play with them and see which one fits you better, but I recommend this one’ and handed us a pup. We took her out on the lawn and put her on the grass and Dave called her and she toddled over to him, and then I called her and she toddled back to me, and she was so sweet and adorable. Then we went back in and she handed us the other pup. We took this one out and Dave called her and as soon as I set her on the grass whoosh – she took off running – away! Dave jumped up and grabbed her and brought her back, and I called her, and as soon as her feet hit the grass – zoom – she ran away again! Dave caught her and we took her back inside, the puppy wriggling and trying to get away, and told the breeder – we’ll take this one! ‘Are you sure?’ she said, knowing the other one was sweet and mellow, and we were first-time owners. ‘Yup, this is the one’ 🙂
And she was. Beautiful, full of spunk and trouble, she was absolutely evil as a puppy, destructive and pesky. But she grew up to be loving, and a great friend, loved to pin us to the couch with a paw on each shoulder and try to drown us in kisses. She knew all her toys by name, learned tons of tricks, knew hand signals, and would have earned her CGC except we moved across the state the week before testing. She would ‘go find Daddy’, and loved to say hello at the door, and wasn’t happy until everyone was home. When we moved out in the country and she stepped on thorns, she would hobble over to me and hold her paw up for me to make it better. We eat dinner sitting at a low table, and she would sit on the floor between us for the best view of the plates and potential for leftovers. Every morning she would wake up and come find me for a hug.
We did what we could about the cancer. She never complained a bit, and trotted off willingly with the nurse for every treatment. She got a couple extra years, and a chance to grow into an old dog. I’m glad we were able to give her that time, and keep her comfortable and love her for as long as we did. I know she never went a day without knowing how much she was loved, and in the end I guess that’s the best any of us can hope for.
Rest in peace Sweetie, Beautiful, Pup, Alki.
Fun with Barclay
He looks so little considering how much trouble he is! Tugging with Dave…
Waiting on the toy box for someone to come by and fill his dish
Happy boy!
Alki update
Alki on the porch with Mighty (when she was at the vet hospital they had to shave spots on both her front legs for the IV – so she looks like she’s wearing furry boots until the hair grows back)
Alki is hanging in there. Everyone is over their doggie colds, though Alki still gets a bit of a cough now and then. She’s definitely feeling better, and is even downright perky sometimes. I thought for sure her time was about up, but she’s like the energizer bunny, she just keeps going…
Sick days
Barclay, contemplating being sick
Alki is still having trouble with her coughing problems. She went to the vet yesterday and the vet x-rayed her and decided the coughing was caused by flabby old lady parts sagging into her airway. I don’t think I buy that though (though I certainly paid for it through the nose) because Alki has never coughed until the day after she came back from her hospitalization.
Then yesterday Barclay was kind of lethargic, and I thought he was still tired from playing so hard with the other eskimos on Sunday. But he did this weird backwards sneeze, kind of like a snorting fit, a few times, and by afternoon he seemed really miserable. By evening he was really pitiful, moping around, sleeping under my desk or by my feet, making gurgling congested noises, and freaking out everytime he had one of those snorty fits. Unfortunately this went on all night, with him miserable and snorty, and Alki coughing (despite the pills the vet gave her). I got no sleep at all, comforting poor miserable dogs!
This morning Barclay feels much better. He’s only done one little snort, and he’s up and around and wagging again. Alki had several bad coughing fits this morning, and was coughing up foamy stuff. I don’t know of that’s better than not coughing anything up at all. I gave her another pill and she’s resting now, and I have a call in to the vet. Hopefully this is just a bug that’s passing through and she’ll beat it.
Update: Talked to the vet this afternoon. By the time I talked to her Jack had started coughing, and she agrees it sounds like Alki picked up a bug and gave it to the other two. Nothing to do but wait it out. Barclay is much better. Alki quit coughing up foam. Jack is just heading into it, and looking kind of miserable. I’m just hoping for a better night’s sleep than last night.
Pets around the house
Mouse and Alki
I went to bed early, and by the time Dave came to bed there was no room left for him 😦 Sorry!
(Jack, Mighty, and Barclay)
Eskimo Playdate!
Today we had a doggie playdate! Sherry is in our dog training/activities club and she has two young eskimos – Sake and Sitka. Her’s are minis, like Alki. We’ve met at the dog park a couple times and they all get on great with Barclay, so I invited her over to the house so Jack could play too.
Run for your life, Jack! It’s a pack of eskimos!
I love Jack’s expression in this one!
They all know where the treats are!
They are all shamelessly working Sherry for treats! Even my two!
Thanks to Dave for thinking to grab the camera and get some pictures! I was busy watching dogs 🙂 They played until they were so wore out they were just laying around rolling on each other. Then Sherry took hers home, and Barclay sat in the front window and pined for them for a bit – he loves his new friends! But they left just in time, it started pouring rain about ten minutes after they left. Then everyone (me included – ha ha) napped away the rest of the afternoon.
Alki on the mend
Alki is doing fine, spunky and eating well again. And napping a lot, but who can blame her, it’s been a busy week for a little dog! She has been coughing a bit, so I’ll talk to the vet on Monday. We felt ok to leave her alone all evening and ran down to the beach to visit with our friends we were supposed to be camping with this weekend, if we hadn’t stayed home with the pup!
Steff Does Stuff! 