All It Takes Is A Good Dog

Love this gaiting shot of Krash, taken at the Northern California specialty last weekend where he won his 6th specialty Best of Breed.  Krash is an excellent example of the fact that a newbie can show a good dog to exciting wins.  Earlier this year Krash was Best of Breed at the the National, always handled by his owner Jordan.  Krash is Jordan's first show dog and he finished his Championship with an excellent record.  She's put a lot of work into him, also works him in Agility and recently earned a Coursing title.  Jordan also keeps Krash in excellent condition.  Yes. novices CAN win!  All it takes is a good dog, properly conditioned and correctly handled.  (Krash is from the Argus/Aruba litter and is a littermate to our Pauli.)

Had hoped to have a good link for making donations to help the animals in the wake of the Hurricane Sandy disaster.  Please don't be tempted to donate to the HSUS.  Only a very VERY small percentage of the money they receive actually goes to help animals.  Far too much of it lines the pockets (and retirement accounts) of it's managers.

Spent the evening watching hurricane coverage on TV, frosting a double batch of Pumpkin Raisin Nut Cookies that will go into the freezer, and making Porcupine Meatballs for the crockpot  The meatballs smelled so good as they cooked all  night!  A big recipe, so some of these will also go into the freezer.

Lots of emails to respond to, sorry I am a bit behind.  Holly is looking QUITE pregnant already, with at least 3 weeks go go  

Wearing My Other Hat

Wore my other hat this past weekend.  My Fishkeeper's Hat.  Spent Saturday at the Minnesota Aquarium Society's fall auction and picked up some excellent fish.  Fish that will spawn for me, I hope.  They are all settled in their new tanks and I actually spent quite a bit of time watching my fish yesterday.  I'm sometimes so busy tending them that I forget to enjoy them.

The trophy at the right is the Advanced Breeder Award which I got at the October fish club meeting.  It represents 40+ different species spawned, raised, and shared with other fishkeepers.  Not sure I will try for the next level, but there is great satisfaction in learning what is required to breed the more difficult species.  Current projects are Knight Gobies, Purple Spotted Gudgeons, Badis Badis, and Bolivian Rams.

Sunday

Starting To Show

Holly is doing well, and is starting to LOOK pregnant, getting wider and a bit rounder of belly.  She sure ACTS pregnant, very "squishy" and needy.  If I raise my voice at Fernly, Holly his the deck and says, "It wasn't me!"  She's hungrier now too, not leaving food in her bowl for later.  Walking her is much easier as she's much less inclined to drag me after squirrels and bunnies.  She certainly fits in well here, and is accepted as one of the gang.

Fernly started to learn the treadmill last night, not because I plan to run her on it yet, but because learning to use it will be a confidence builder.  When I first turned it on she barked at it - Fern's typical response to new things.  I brought Argus down to run on it for awhile and Fern decided that if it meant treats it was not all bad.  Soon she was walking on the treadmill with Argus, sharing bits of chicken.  Tonight she does it herself, just walking up and on the ramp for treats.  We'll work for a few minutes every night and before long she will probably enjoy it as much as Argus and Pauli do.  Have not had a Dal who was a startle-barker before, or at least not in a long time.  It's common in many other breeds, but not something I expect to see in Dal pups - but each dog is different, of course.

Fish Club Auction tomorrow - can't wait!

Better Than Good

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern about the lack of a blog post yesterday.  Nope, none of the things I was worrying about actually happened, at least not yet.  Things are fine here, but not so terrific that it makes me nervous.   If things are going too well, I tend to think, "Gosh, this can't last.  Something bad is sure to happen".  Need to be like my dogs and live for the moment!

This morning is off to a terrific start - RAIN!  Over 3/4 of an inch, the first decent rainfall in 4 months.  This is more than our total rainfall for the past 4 months.  Thank you Mother Nature, keep the precipitation coming, preferably in liquid form.

Dogs were good about going out in the downpour, even Coral, although Watson The Little Prince was less than impressed.  Holly was the exception and informed me that she did not do rain.  My call, Holly.  I dragged her out to the dog yard where she grudgingly complied, while giving me hurt looks about my abusive behavior.

Fern went to Jess's for a bath and nail clipping last week and came back looking pristine.  She's kind of gangly right now, all legs and no body, but with lots of bone and good sized feet.  Her face has always been cute and her head is improving, Very dark eyes, cute heart-shaped nose, and an excellent bite. She still has the things I really liked on her as a baby, including a very nice outline with a level back, flat croup and good tail set, things hard to find in this breed.  She has a huge long side gait - when she can collect herself - and should look very good going around a large show ring - if I can keep up!

Because she is a very intense dog, Fern sometimes still startles and barks at novel things, so needs to continue with the socialization.  Can't leave her sitting at home, but it will be a lot easier to get her out when/if my splint comes off next week.  Both she and Argus will go back to obedience classes then, Argus to get ready to show in obedience nest year, and Fern just for the manners and socialization.

Give Up! Get Up!

At 5:00 AM I knew it was pointless.  Although still tired (am I always tired ?), there was no point staying in bed thinking that I could get back to sleep for an hour. That blessed last hour of sleep, snuggled up in my flannel sheets, savoring the luxury of one last hour. Not today, my dear. Because I'd already been awake for an hour, I knew it was hopeless. Tonite was a Haunted Night.

There haven't been many Haunted Nights this year, and I've been sleeping well until recently, a blessing it seems as most mornings I share an elevator with some poor soul who apparently never sleeps.   I drop off immediately, propped up on pillows, bedside lamp on, some unfinished magazine or book on my lap, with an inch or two of milk still in my glass.  Getting to sleep is rarely a problem.  Staying asleep can be.

How I dread waking up at 3:00 or 4:00 AM, at a time when all problems are magnified and the smallest issues become unmanageable.   I try not to think about anything, absolutely nothing at all, in hopes of getting back to sleep.  Sometimes it works, but at other times a stray thought slips in, and the night is lost.  Again.  Sitting at the computer, coffee in hand, seems to be the best therapy, but now even that is an issue.

One more week to wear the splint.  Will my hand be healed?  Have I been careful enough, or have yard work, housework, dog training, aquarium water changes, carrying groceries, raw food, and laundry baskets put strain on that stupid little bone and kept it from healing properly?  When I took off the splint so I could use my right hand on the computer keyboard was I careful enough with my hand? Surely, if I can take off the splint when I shower, it is OK to take it off occasionally when I just can't BEAR typing with one hand/one finger. Is it?   And what about all the extra strain on my left hand, elbow and shoulder?  Is this what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome feels like?  Is the Bursitis coming back in my elbow?  Will the Impingement Tendinitis reappear in my shoulder?   I've managed these things for years, but now they CONCERN me.

And poor Coral - how much longer does she have?  Are the pain pills helping her? Are the mammary tumors cancerous and have they spread to other organs?  Does her life still have quality and is she really as content as she appears to be laying beside Ron on the sofa in the evening?  Will we know when it is time to say "Good Bye"?  I think I'm prepared, but will Ron ever be?  14 1/2 is a good live for a dog, but it never seems to be enough.  And what of Jess & Don's beloved Simmie?  She's very old for a GSD, but that will not make it easier.  Please, don't let them pass at the same time, and please, not over Christmas.  Time out to wipe my tears and hug Coral.

And what will Ron's MRI show?  He's so secretive about health issues.   I finally asked him if he had PAD, Peripheral Artery Disease.  He confirmed it, and the test results will show how seriously affected he is.  Will he require surgery?  Is he a suitable surgical risk?  Or will he just take MORE pills? And how will he manage recovery if he does have surgery?  In his condo which he only "visits" once a week?  Surely not here with my steep stairs and only one bathroom - upstairs.  And hopefully not while Coral is hanging on.  It's only because he is home that we can still manage her.

And what of Mom?  How much longer can she live alone?  Have I been neglecting her?  Do I need to visit more often?  What if she falls?  Is she eating right?  Should we be pushing for assisted living?  How will we know when we should?  Should I let her take Metro Mobility to her Doctor's appointment or should I take her?  Is she too frail to do these things on her own, or should we continue to encourage her to be independent?

Thank you Jess for giving me no current worries, at least no more than mothers always have. I think worrying must be part of the Job Description for Mother!  But is my sister still working three jobs?  Does she have health insurance?  Did she get her cholesterol checked?  Has she finally stopped smoking?  Are my nephews OK?  And my brother-in-law?  I need to call my sister and check on everyone.  And my brother? Are he and his wife OK?  I wish he'd call me!  And how is Laurie doing?  And Meg?  Are they really OK?

Can I hold out for two more years before retiring?  Will I be ready to retire then?  Will I be able to afford to retire then?  Will I be able to keep up my house payments?  Will I be able to sell the house?  But where will I live instead?  Will the drought end soon?  Will the new trees at the Dog Park survive?  Will Mai Village be able to avoid foreclosure?  Will my car continue to run OK? Will I be able to afford a new one?  So much to worry about.  But behind it all looms The Deposition, the one I will have to drive to Illinois for next month. The one related to the motorcyclist who sued ME when he ran into MY car while I was making a left turn.  How many years ago did that happen?  Will it ever end?  After the Deposition will I think about it more, or less?  I know this is why I can't sleep.  That wakes me up, and then all the other concerns flood in too.  I need THAT to be over with.  Too many things going on right now.

More coffee. Time to send the dogs out.  Hug each one, play with Fern.  Take pleasure in the moment and get on with my day.  It's raining, hooray!

Coursing? What fun!

What fun!  We had the best weekend and tried a new event with some of the Dals - Coursing!  If you know what coursing is, you probably think in terms of an event for Sighthounds - Greyhounds, Afghans, Whippets and such, chasing a "rabbit" (really an artificial lure consisting of white plastic bags) over a course.  It's not straight racing like at a dog track, but rather a 660 yard course with corners and angles.

About 18 months ago, the AKC approved Coursing Aptitude Tests for all breeds, and the sport is really catching on.  These tests can only be offered by Sighthound Clubs, so there are not a lot of tests available yet, but this sport will grow.  It's fun!

We entered Argus, 9-year-old Josie and Argie's granddaughter Meribel.  To complete the CAT (Coursing Aptitude Test) title the dogs have to qualify three times, and because there were only two tests offered, we could not complete titles - but we could start them.   Most Dals have very high prey drive and will chase almost anything, especially squirrels and rabbits, and friends in other parts of the country were running their Dals successfully.  Josie has always been obsessed with critters, and is slim, sound and fit at 9.   Josie's friend Sue Kelly came along to run her on Saturday.

The show site was fantastic with lush grass and secure fencing, and was cropped to an appropriate height by the Lhamas who normally live there.  (This did result in a few dogs taking a roll in Lhama dung!)  Weather was ideal and the Greater Twin Cities Afghan Hound Club hosted a wonderful event, complete with a great $5.00 lunch each day.  And to make it even better, the owner of the site (King's Ranch in Ramsey) also sells raw food, so we came home with 60# of turkey heart, ground turkey with bones, and ground salmon.

There were 125 dogs entered each day, a wonderful variety of dogs including Bassets & Beagles, St. Bernards, Poodles, lots of Viszlas and other sporting breeds, small terriers, Dobes, Boxers, you name it!  And Dals.  The Dals ran even better than we had hoped, and were extremely fast and intense.  On Saturday Jess ran Meribel & Argus, and Sue ran Josie.  They all qualified and are pictured above with their ribbons.  On Sunday Don ran Meribel while Jess filmed, Jess ran Argus and I ran Josie.  They ran even harder and faster than they had the previous day, doing something they absolutely loved.  What a thrill to watch them, it just gave you shivers.  The 660 yard course had to be completed in 2 minutes - the Dals did it in half that time and were so totally focused.

Meribel Coursing.   Take a look at this video.  What fun!

Yippee! Puppies!

It's official, confirmed by Ultrasound.  Holly is carrying at least 5 puppies.  I was able to palpate pups a few days ago, but thought it would be interesting to do the Ultrasound as well. She was great for the procedure and I was glad we did it.

Holly had a busy couple of days as she had gone in for grooming the previous evening.  I normally bathe my own dogs, but with this broken hand I can't do it right now.  It's been so dry and dusty here, and Holly has been itchy, so she got an oatmeal shampoo bath and hypoallergenic rinse.  That did the trick, and her coat is soft and satiny like Argus's now and the itchiness is gone.  The groomer also commented on what a good dog she was.

Fernly also got a bath, only her second one.  She's been swimming in the river which is very low and a bit funky, and Fernly was a itchy too.  My daughter Jess took Fernly home for an "overnight" so she could play with her cousin Meribel and have a bath and pedicure.  Here they are sitting in the doggy bathtub.  The two girls could hardly look much more different!  Thanks, Jess.

Ten more days of wearing this cast . . .

Antlers Anyone?

Short on time this AM as I have to squeeze in Holly's ultrasound into a busy day at work.  Fingers tightly crossed.

Received my first order of Elk Antlers directly from an Elk Ranch in Colorado.  They cost less than half as much to buy in bulk, and the dogs approved.  A very popular chew toy for dogs.  The girls approved.

Mailing Lists

Years ago I wanted to subscribe to a trade journal called Pet Food Industry.  It was available only to "pet professionals" so I became Paisley Pet Treats, in name only.  I enjoyed the magazine for several years and learned a lot about ingredients, sourcing and marketing.  When I was forced to fill out a company profile, I must not have sounded enough like a CEO because they cancelled my subscription which was mildly annoying.  That was many years ago but the fallout continues.

Apparently PFI sold subscriber names to companies that compile mailing lists, and my name was added to a variety of lists, including hair and beauty salons.  We've had a lot of weird calls about our "businesses" over the years, get a variety of product catalogs, and are on on the mailing list of a company that distributes popular magazines for waiting rooms.

Once a letter addressed to Paisley Pet Treats ended up in the mailbox of my flaky neighbor, and the next time she decided to yell at me about something (anything) she told me that she was aware of the fact that I had an illegal business and she KNEW I was not paying taxes on it.  Wonder how she knew that?  Hahaha.

Yesterday I received a box of Tylenol samples addressed to my "professional building".  Anyone got a headache?

Old Dogs

As I looked through my camera to see if I had any good recent pictures of Coral or Watson to add to this blog, I realized that I had not taken many pictures of them lately.  Why?  I think it's because I want to remember them the way they were, not the way they are.  But they are still the same dogs, just older models.  I need to take more pictures of them now, while there's still time, and time is growing short for Coral.  I have a picture of my beloved Rob, taken the day I took him in for the final journey.  I shed tears when I even think of that picture, but I'm glad I have it.

I once read a wonderful article by a gentleman who had recently lost a dearly loved companion, an elderly Labrador.  He had come to the conclusion that old age was not a problem for dogs, only for their owners.  Dogs don't reminisce about their past lives, all the things they used to be able to do, all the things they miss now.  They just live for the moment, and old age is now.  Given good care, pain management if needed, and an owner who loves them, they age gracefully and with no regrets, and when the end comes they go peacefully.

Watson is doing well at 12 1/2.  He's a bit grayer and a bit slower and a lot more stubborn, but he's fine.  Still sees and hears very well and still wants to chase squirrels and rabbits and fence fight with the dog next door.  He goes for his daily walks, can still sit up and beg, and is not in the least senile.  He had a bout of arthritis or some type of joint issue, but two acupuncture treatments and a couple of supplements took care of that, for the time being at least.  He sleeps a lot more now but has always been a laid back, easy-going guy.  Hopefully he has a couple of good years left.

Coral at 14 1/2 is running out of time, I'm afraid.  She still sees and hears well, and is not at all senile, but her poor old body is wearing out.  Because Ron is retired and can stay at home with her, he can get Coral outdoors as often as needed to pee, but she is losing control of her bowels.  She still gets her daily walk around the block, but in slow time now.  She sometimes needs help getting up on the sofa, and falls a lot as her legs grow feebler and her joints grow stiffer.  It hurts to watch her walk.  The mammary tumors are growing very slowly, and we made the decision not to do surgery, as she would not be a good surgical risk.  Coral's days are spent watching Ron.  Watching for him when he is gone, gazing at him when he is home and laying beside him on the sofa when he sits down.  She appears to be content with her life and we will cherish her and try to remind ourselves that this really is only a problem for us.

This Is The Week!

Holly says "I NEED a walk!"

This is the week!  The week we'll find out if Holly is actually pregnant.  I'll palpate her in a few days (I'm good at that, if I do say so myself) and probably do an ultrasound later in the week as well.  I've always said that I would not bother with the latter, because it does not change anything, but I'll probably do it just for fun.  Cross your fingers please.

Holly is so much better about keeping her feet off the counter - Counter Surfing NOT allowed here - and has learned to sit and wait at the door, and for her collar to be put on.   She's also stopped pulling as much on our walks, a good sign that she is "slowing down" a bit.  She'd still rip my arm off for a rabbit or squirrel though. In her "real life" she runs on a ranch, rather than walking in a city, so she's made a very good adjustment.  Am also delighted that she loves company and covers everyone with kisses - just the way I like my Dals.

Another doggy weekend as Argus, his daughter Nena, and Josie's son Tate did Dal PR at Home Depot for Fire Safety Day.  That's Tate and Nena practicing a Down Stay.  Argus and I took advantage of all the space and worked on our heeling and fronts.  Have to wait 'til my hand is healed to get Argus and Fernly back to obedience class, but we are working some at home.  Fernly went along to mom's to watch football on Sunday and Josie did a Walk For Hunger with her friend Sue.  Next week, Coursing Trials!

Good news on the dog show front as Argie's daughter Weather (Letty's sister) picked up a specialty major in Kansas, and son Boca earned a major in New Mexico.

One-handed typing is SO SLOW!

House Dog Only, Please

This is what I want for my dogs.  Not necessarily sofa privileges, but I want any dogs I place to live in the house and be part of the family.  Dogs are companions to mankind, not livestock, and companion dogs need to be house dogs.  They don't require complete run of the house, and in fact my own dogs are limited to the kitchen, family room and basement, but that's where we spend most of our times and the dogs are with us there.  There are dog crates in my kitchen, where the dogs eat their meals, and the seniors or pups sleep at night.  It's where the other often sleep too - in crates on soft rugs - by choice, with the doors open.  Watson in particular retires to a crate about 8:00 PM, probably for the peace and quiet!

I just turned down a home for a potential show pup, an otherwise good home.  No dogs in the house in case they had company with dog allergies.  Not because anyone in the family had allergies, but just in case.  I read that as simply a person who did not want the companionship of dogs in the house, not a suitable home for a Dalmatian, or at least not for one of mine.   The kennel is attached to the stable, which would be fine for a Dal part of the time, but not full time.  In fact, I'd love to have a kennel with indoor/outdoor runs where I could safely leave my dogs if Ron & I were both gone for a couple of hours.  This person lives in a cold climate like Minnesota, and I just could see how little attention that a dog would get during the winter.  A new puppy in February, isolated in a kennel?  No thanks.

Holly is all settled in here and runs with the other dogs.  She gets along well, though occasionally swears at Fernly who likes to tease her.  Coral and Josie are fine with another adult Dal girl in the family, as I knew they would be, and of course the boys think it's great.  Too early to know if Holly is pregnant, but she is displaying that cloying, sucky, rather apologetic attitude so typical of pregnant bitches.   I should be able to palpate pregnancy at about 25 days, or I could take her in for an ultrasound to confirm it.

Need to respond to some puppy inquiries tonight, so hope to get my brochure updated and a pedigree done first.

Dalmatian PR

One of the things we try to do as responsible owners is to get our Dals out and about so the public can meet them and see what Dals should be like.  How they should look and more importantly how they should act  The reputation of the breed suffered a great deal during and following the popularity boom of the 80s.  Some of the bad press was deserved - there were a lot of bad tempered, hyper-active and unhealthy dogs placed as pets.  That's what happens when a breed is cursed with over-popularity as Dalmatians were during those trying times.  Raising pups for profit, as commercial breeders do, means everything is done as inexpensively as possible.  Breeding from poor quality animals that often had health and temperament problems (yes, temperament CAN be genetic - both good and bad, and health issues most definitely are) resulted in poor quality pups who received minimum care and no socialization.  These pups were often purchased by people who had done no research, knew nothing about the breed or what it requires to properly raise a puppy, and were quick to dump the dogs when things didn't work out.  Rescues were full of unwanted Dals, and it was a bad time for the breed.

Although that happened a generation ago, the stories remain, and it's up to responsible breeders to get our dogs out and let the public see what the breed is actually like.  At least the well bred, properly trained and socialized Dals.  There are still bad Dals out there, dogs who should never be bred from, but fortunately they are not very common any more.  The commercial breeders got out of Dals a long time ago, and there are few backyard-breeders.  Things are looking up, and many of the people who inquire about a Dal are potential first-time Dal owners.  For awhile the only people who wanted Dals were those who had previously owned the breed and knew that the horror stories were not true of the breed as a whole, only that there were indeed some bad dogs.

A group of us supported the Fridley Fire Station Open House last weekend.  The dogs were a hit, and we were invited to attend Fire Safety Day at the Fridley Home Depot next Saturday.  Some of the Dal club members did the Columbia Heights Open House the previous week.  We're doing our best to get the message out!   Dalmatians are terrific dogs - if you buy carefully and put the time and work into training your puppy.

Another Camping Trip

Fern went "camping" again last weekend, an overnight at Camp Carol.  She got to be an only dog for two days, just her and Lovely the cat.  Because Fern is house-trained and good in a crate she's easier to manage, but Fern is one of those pups who really needs supervision.  She notices everything, and assume they are all toys to be picked up and carried around.  Or chewed.  She's very entertaining, but not a pup that gets much freedom at four months of age.  She'll have to earn that.

Pups vary in that respect.  Some are so easy, and only play with dog toys.  Others consider everything a toy.  My previous pup Letty was always a good pup.  Fern's a bit more work but catching on quickly.  It will be awhile before she gets house privileges though!

Everyone knows stories of dogs who have trashed the house.  So why were those dogs given freedom they hadn't earned?  Pups are a lot of work and many of them require a great deal of supervision.  Just like children do.  Pups are not born knowing that pillows are not toys, that door frames are not for chewing and that dogs don't belong on the counter.  It's our job as responsible owners to teach them that.  If your pup chews a leg on the piano - who was supposed to supervising him?

Another Monday.

Monday.  Again. Already?

Hope this week goes better than the previous one that left me absolutely wiped out.  A nice dinner and a good Martini Friday evening left me in a better mood, but did little for the exhaustion.  Am I going to be able to manage two more years of this?

It's so frustrating to be employed in the public sector, and notably unrewarding these days.  Because we have not received decent raises in many years, and rarely get anything at all, we've lost a great deal of our purchasing power.  Health insurance costs go up, but our salaries don't.  Our union does a piss poor job of representing us and does nothing to explain the fact that many of us have taken over the duties of our fellow employees who have left but not been replaced, with no job upgrades or additional pay.  And John Q. Public thinks we get paid heath care when we retire. NOT. We just continue to lose ground and hope we can afford to retire some day.

Lots of happenings this past weekend, and pictures to go along with them, but typing with one finger takes its toll.  Until tomorrow.

Part Of The Family

Holly has joined the family.  When she arrived, already in season, she moved into the basement with only the fish for company.  She was bred to Argus, and walked 4 times a day, and once she was comfortable with us I left her loose there with lots of toys and bones, a radio and frequent visits.

Once she was out of season it was time to introduce her to the other dogs and fit her in to the pack.  My dogs are all good with other dogs, partly because of genetics and partly because of how they were raised.  I knew they would accept Holly, just as they accepted Nikon almost 4 years ago.  And Lucy & Penny in recent years.  Holly is from a multi-dog household and also has a dog-safe pedigree.  Being good with other dogs is a trait I value and insist on in my dogs.

I took a few precautions though, just to be sure everything went smoothly.

More tomorrow.  Typing with one hands is very slow!

Passwords

I HATE Passwords!  Whenever I am ready to do anything, anything at all, it seems as if the "remembered" password has been forgottten, either by my brain or my computer.  It's amazing how many passwords clog up my life and my brain!  At least five of them at work, and at least two dozen more in my personal life.  Health plan, financial plan, credit union, PayPal, Audible, BlogSpot, Facebook, Apple, MnFish, DCA, website, and on and on. Plus PIN numbers too. They should not be written down or stored in my iPhone, and they for sure are not stored in my brain!   It used to be easy when I just used variations on one simple password, but soon that was not secure enough, and passwords "expire" and need to be updated.  And they are forgotten and replaced, but the next time they are needed, the only one I can recall is the old one.

Project for this week - figure out all passwords, write them down, get them tattooed on my stomach, and then eat the written list.  THAT should be safe. So if you see me standing in line at the cash machine, and I pull up my shirt and study my stomach, you'll know I am not crazy.  Or if I AM, it's because of passwords!

The other thing I currently hate is typing with one hand . . .

A Bump In The Road

Well, drat.  A fractured Metacarpal in my right hand.  Who would think that such a tiny bone would require such a large splint?  I was not surprised that the x-rays showed a fracture, but was hoping I could just wear a wrap.  Such luck!  It's going to be a long month.  At least I am left-handed, although I normally use my mouse in my right.  Can do it either way though.

7:30 meeting this morning.  Ugh.  Inhumane.

The Socialization Continues

Time is running out.  The Window of Socialization will be closing soon.  Although some socialization continues for the life of a dog, the "window" is from four weeks to four months.   That's the time period when the puppy can most easily make adjustments and learn new things.  The more novel and pleasant experiences a puppy has during that period, the more confident and well-adjusted he will be as an adult.  Playing "catch up" is never quite as good, and it's important to take advantage of this time period  for exposing the pup to all "normal" things it will encounter in its life as a companion, performance dog and/or showdog.

One of the most important things for pups to be exposed to and comfortable with is children.   Kids of all ages, loud ones, active ones, quiet ones.  Kids that cover pups with kisses and insist on hugging them, and kids who are fearful.  Fern and littermates were around a lot of children while the litter was being socialized, and Jess introduced Fern to Don's grandkids.  She's met children while on walks, and has taken cookies and petting from them, BUT she has never lived with them.  Never watched TV from a child's lap, been fed by a child, hugged on the rug by a child, or actively played with them.  Kids look, smell, act and sound different than adults do, and pups who do not get enough exposure to kids are often fearful of them, and some otherwise friendly dogs will even snap if they are "cornered" by kids and feel threatened.

Fern has exactly one week to go in the socialization period.  Where did time go?  Last week it occurred to me that she really needed a "dose of children".  Then, when she had a scary experience being grabbed by a screaming toddler, I KNEW we needed to be proactive about this.  Fern isn't a bold, fearless, devil-may-care type of puppy like her grandpa Argus, but rather a cautious, sensible one like Uncle Watson was as a pup.  Pups like that take a bit more work, but we try to socialize ALL pups as if they needed extra work, so no one gets less socialization that they need.  You can't easily go back.  The things we DON'T do now will be much harder to accomplish later.

Fern went to stay with Heather and her family for a few days.  Heather has two lovely daughters, a neighborhood full of children, four dogs (only one a Dal) and two cats.  A perfect place for Fern's education to continue!   I should have done this sooner, but I sort of lost track of time.  The window is still open for a bit longer though.  Thanks Heather!

All Is Well

No post today.  Where does time go?

Did It!

Success!  Stepping on the scale last night confirmed that I'd reached my weight loss goal. I was pretty sure I had, because I could "feel" it, but the scale confirmed it.  Hooray!  It was "only" five pounds but it needed to be taken care of before it became ten pounds.  Or more.   I CAN lose five pounds, but not absolutely sure I have the will power or resolve to lose ten or more, plus that would indicate that I'd gotten careless about eating and exercise, and established some bad habits that would be harder to break.  Best to deal with this as needed rather than letting things (such as pounds) pile up (or on).

My weight has stayed within a 6 pound range for about 40 years.   I eat carefully (most of the time) and walk every day thanks to my dogs. I listen to my body and we normally communicate pretty well.  When I "feel" as if I've gained some weight, the scale always confirms it.  This summer has been harder.  Perhaps my age, or perhaps just the temptations, and I lingered near the top of my regular range most of the summer.  We eat out quite often, but I do it sensibly and almost always bring home leftovers for the next day's lunch.  I rarely bake, never chocolate chip cookies which I love, and we rarely have dessert when we eat out.  The heat and humidity this summer made it tempting to walk less, although I still walked every single day.  Argus demands that!  What I did though was get careless about "treats", started feeling a bit deprived I guess, and suddenly I was consistently a pound over my maximum.

I often stop at Kowalskis on my way home from work, to pick up some produce, or perhaps a deli item for dinner.  They have a really tempting bakery and I got in the habit of buying cookies, and unfortunately most bakery cookies are HUGE, three times the size a cookie should be.  Or scones - I love frosted scones.  And those lovely dips they sell in the deli.  I LOVE tortilla chips with a really good dip.  And then there is ice cream, something I buy rarely, but suddenly found myself buying more often.  A small bowl of ice cream at bed time was so nice, such a special treat.  Yep, I know exactly why I was having trouble with those pesky five, then six, pounds.  No surprises at all.

So back to sensible eating.  An apple instead of a cookie, a small glass of lowfat chocolate milk instead of a brownie.  A glass of skim milk at bedtime. No ice cream in the freezer - we'll go back to buying it for special occasions, not every day. Leftovers for lunch the next day.  I still have tortilla chips on hand, but I take a few out and reseal the bag.  No reading the newspaper with a bag of chips beside me.  No cookies in the freezer.  Longer walks in the evening, and brisker ones too.  Having Holly here has helped - extra walks required.

Diets are not a beginning and end.  When they are thought of that way the pounds will always come back.  Diets are really about lifestyle changes.  Eliminating the bad habits that so easily creep into your life.  All the tasty temptations.  Let's hear it for sensible eating!

No lectures about other people's weight issues, although I feel very strongly about what obesity does to our health care costs.  Yours and mine too, unfortunately.  But I am only in charge of my own health.  Nope, I will NOT celebrate with ice cream or a cookie, but one of those expensive fall apples - now that's a treat!

Would Your Dog Protect You?

Would your dog protect you?  Dalmatians are basically a guard dog breed so we assume they will do that, but sometimes it's nice to know that your dog is discriminating, aware of what is happening around you, and will step forward if the situation warrants.  When Jess said she was posting this story to Facebook, I decided that it would perfect for my blog today too.  Meribel is a very friendly outgoing dog who loves everyone - normally.  This is an example of how good dogs react to a suspicious situation.  I hope you enjoy this story.

Jessica MacMillan

16 hours ago

Have you ever asked yourself if your dog - particularly your Dalmatian, would protect you in a bad situation? Well, I think I got a taste of Meribel character judgement today.

As most of you know, we go walking for about 2 miles every lunch - typically the same route, but today I changed it up a bit. Today's path took on us a fairly busy road, but safe for pedestrians. As we were walking we came

around a bend and about 300 yards a head of us, coming our direction was a thug guy with pants hanging down his legs, a black coat, and a net stocking cap (hairnet type thingy) - kind of lurking along - I am sure you can picture the walk. Behind him about 15 feet was his loud, flamboyant girlfriend (or whatever). She's flinging her arms around, swearing, talking loudly and just being obnoxious

Now Meribel is very socialized and like all busy body Dalmatians, is interested in all people, but watches them and then walks by. As we came around the bend and when she saw this guy, she started to watch this situation very, very intently and as the couple got closer, Meribel hunkered down, got in front of me and started to growl very deeply in her throat. She was not about to let them out of her sight. As we walked past the guy, he glared at me and the dog and just at that time all of Meribel's hair stood up and she growled so he could hear her. The guy didn't do anything, but she must have read something and her whole demeanor changed when we finally got passed the noisy woman. She went back to her sniffing, snooping and looking at everything..

After all of this, we turn down a side street and there was a mom, her son, her daughter and their little Chihuahua out.. The Chi was very cute and wearing a cast so we stopped to talk to the family. Now, after this whole incident, I was very curious to see what Meribel would do. Would she continue to worry about the prior situation, or would she go back to being the busy body dog who has to know all dogs and loves children. As we got closer, Meribel got down to the same height as the Chihuahua and did her "See, I'm small too... Don't you want to play?" thing. As we were standing their chatting, the young girl came up and wrapped her arms around Meribel, who preceded to cover her in kisses. My brown dog could switch gears that fast! So after a few minutes and Meribel giving up on the Chi - who wanted to be friends, but wasn't sure about the big dog, we headed on our merry way.

As we we headed back to the office, we had to cross a bridge over a major freeway, but it's the homestretch and a daily routine.. Meribel pretty much knows the people we meet and they know her.. As we came up around a corner, she stood up as tall as she possibly could - on all fours, her hair standing up and there is this low, deep gutteral growl. "What the h*ll?" Up a head of me was that same couple.. He's lurking along and the girlfriend (or whatever) is still reading him the riot act! Meribel watched them with an evil eye as we walked by, along with the grumbling under her breath... We caught up to the guy a head of us (who she always talks to) and she again climbed all over him and was her usual self.

To me this is the PERFECT dog temperament and exactly what Dalmatians are supposed to do. Would Meribel protect me - absolutely - no question in my mind! It was absolutely fascinating to me that she could switch gears back and forth that fast.

I do love this breed and love this dog!

Your Daily Chuckle

Short on time this morning, so you'll have to settle for this picture.  One of the oddest looking mixed breeds I've seen lately.  Let's hope this combination does not catch on! Dalsets?  Basmatians?  This little dog is supposedly a Dalmatian/Basset Hound cross.  Certainly looks the part!

Some interesting discussions on Facebook, including whether dog show judging is political and whether or not there are actually "fixed" dogs in the ring.  My answer to both questions is "occasionally".  

Never Too Cold To Swim

It was supposed to be a weekend spent on yard work and house cleaning, but like most other weekends it was also filled with dog-related activities.

The Japanese Beetle grubs did a real number on my back yard last summer, leaving large bare patches that were quickly overwhelmed by the clover that is always waiting to move in. The yard has also been invaded by large clumps of some kind of coarse grass that I've been killing and digging. This weekend I finished up the recovery work, fertilized, and planted new grass seed.  Fall is supposed to be a good time for reseeding, but obviously Mother Nature will need some help with the watering as the drought continues.    Next year I'll be on top of the grub control, now that I have identified the enemy.  My yard looked SO good last spring, until the beetles began to eat the grass roots and kill off large patches of lawn.

On Saturday I went over to take a look at Louis, who was Lucas in the Argus/Reebok litter that it now 14 months old.  I sold him to a pet home with the agreement I could show him if I wished, as he was such a handsome pup.  He's now a very handsome adult dog and could certainly be shown and win, but like his sister Letty he has "tail issues".  Unlike Letty who just carries her high, he also has a funny corkscrew twist to his.  Their mom has a new litter this fall (no not here - I leased her last year), and we'll be curious to see if the tails are so weird this time.  With entries so low in this area, it's hard to find points, and as a State Employee I continue to lose purchasing power because raises are non-existent.  Money is going to be tight around here next year, so we'll be showing no extra dogs or doing unnecessary dog show trips.  Louis is a much loved pet and it looks as if that will be his career - keeping his family entertained.  I got a cute video of him doing tricks that I will post later.

This was Fernly's weekend to swim.  The weather was a bit chilly but that did not slow her down a bit.  On Saturday she & Argus went down to Hidden Falls Park on the Mississippi where she splashed in the shallows, bravely ventured out over her head, came up splashing and swimming, and decided it was FUN.  There was cold wind blowing, so we did not stay too long as Fern was shaking with the cold, but insisted on going back into the water.  On Sunday we went to Lake Como and got a chance to play in shallower water where Fern learned to retrieve sticks.  Had hoped to stay there for awhile but it's hard to find a time when other people and dogs are not intruding in our space.  Fern's definitely going to be a "water dog".  Argus is more of a splasher, and does not understand the need to retrieve more than one or two sticks.  Fern acts more like many of the older Paisley Dals who loved the water and would retrieve sticks from the water forever.  Hopefully it will be warm enough for a few more water adventures this fall.

Fern's socializing is going well, although yesterday she decided that the vacuum cleaner is actually a monster that wants to eat her. She's never been very comfortable around the vac, but this reaction was stronger.  We'll have to do some desensitization, to convince her that "vacuums are our friends".  Stay tuned.