First wrestling match

It's been a cool wet week.  Ugh to Seattle winters. We get caught in a downpour on a bike ride yesterday. Both dogs have the animal print fleecies on under raincoats, but their legs are soaked.

I put Bella in the wicker basket after 2 miles. She isn't even panting, but the weather helps. Plus, we go a slow 4-7 mph for her. After she's up and out of harm's way, the pace picks up so Spike can run his mile at 8-10mph. He's a running monster for his size! When he stops tugging, we slow down to a gentlemanly 6mph trot.

He is happy all day long and she rests most the day. Bella walks off with Spike's toy in the afternoon. He's surprised and tries halfheartedly to tug it back. No giving in. She hangs on and keeps dragging it behind her (big long squeaky animal). He gives up in astonishment. Go Bella! He's always playing with her stuff, so I'm happy to see that she knows she can share his.

This morning when we get in from a short, cold walk (1.75 miles), the dogs have their first growling and wrestling match. No one is seriously dominating, so no one comes out on top. It's good fun, bouncing, tail wagging, "hey, buddy!" kind of play. Bella does her typical stomach-up surrender a few times, but Spike's sitting and lying down beside her most of the time, snarling wickedly as she barks at him. They don't even nip. Just bounce over one another, trot around the entry, and have fun. (like the photo below - not of them)

I am SO glad. They walked closer together today on a 20" coupler rather than the usual 40". I was too lazy to get the regular leash from the car. Yes, we walked by the car on our way up the driveway, but I would have had to take those keys, unlock the car, get the leash, relock the car, put the car keys back, etc. You get the picture. We walked past with our homemade solution.

I cobbled together my bicycling leg wraps (velcros that keep trousers out of the chain) and attached them to the dog collars and my leash; worked just fine. They trotted like ponies pulling a cart--me. And they walked beside me carefully on "Let's go for a walk."

They felt free to play around when we got back in. Now they're sleeping together in the next room. My office is very quiet with both of them snuggled on the sofa next door. There's a big smile on my face. Peace at last? Good doggies!

First bike duo

We picked up some free dog food ("fresh from the freezer" according to the gal who apparently freezes dry dog food to keep it unspoiled). She's tidying before moving to Texas, so she threw in a few other things - small collars, harness, leash, and elizabethan med collar. Bella wore the "I'm a cool dog" T-shirt to sleep yesterday. Perfect fit.

Today is a damp day, but the doggies went for their first joint bike run. Because Bella is not used to the pace, we cruised at 4-6 mph for 2 miles. She clicks into a trot at 5mph, but it takes Spike until 8mph to do the same.

The rain was pelting down on their raincoats and my cycling rain trousers. I was so glad we geared up or we would have been soaked! Bella hunkered down, watching Spike run another 2 miles while sitting on the warm wool fleecy and secured by a carabiner in the wicker basket.

Spike is gaining weight with our reduced exercise while Bella strengthen her muscles. He's also been sneaking Bella's leftover food from her crate dish in the morning. (Now I'm making sure her crate is locked when we get up in the morning.)

When we got back to the porch everyone had a good shake-out and wiped their feet. Once inside, the famous scoot: Spike dries himself on the entry rug as usual. Bella runs along the sofas after I dry her with a towel. They were perky and happy to be inside, and hopped into their crates to eat their lunches.

We played a bit of fetch and everyone is resting. Good doggies!

Finally Friday

It's been a working day for the dogs - this morning we took a longer-than-usual walk, almost 3 miles around the neighborhood. After a bit of food-searching and then lunch, I met a gal in Kirkland who passed along a fabulous PINK dog bed she wasn't using. She threw in some flea drops - yay for Freecycle!

Since we were halfway there, we went to Marymoor Dog Park. It's 40 acres of dog paradise. There are trails, grass, river beaches.

Today there must have been 50 dogs out with their owners. The retrievers were fetching balls and splashing around the river. The agility dogs were training. Most of the little dogs were doing what Spike and Bella did: sauntering around their owners (give or take 50 feet) and exploring the smells and textures.


I was a bit hesitant about the pace at which Bella has been thrown into Spike's world. She was surprised at all the dogs, but moved through them without snipping or growling. The golden retrievers and German shepherds might have been intimidating, but she let them sniff and then walked towards me when she was done.

I walk briskly, so had to call the dogs a few times when they lagged or cut trails through the meadows. They'd come running toward me full speed and zip along ahead. It's fun to see both of them hanging out.

Of course they had long naps this afternoon. Good doggies!

Busy day!

We start the day with a 2 mile walk. Bella is bouncing as she comes out of the crate, and seems stronger and happier walking. She's giving Spike as good as she gets on the coupler. Once one will be ahead, then another. I'm fascinated by the egalitarian temperaments of both dogs. Neither growls or fusses when the other runs off and drags them along, "drag" being a relative term. The slightest tug, and the trailing dog looks up and they trot off together.

Luckily for us, it doesn't start raining until afternoon. It's sprinkling when we walk up the driveway to get the mail. Spike and Bella snooze, run around the house, bark at Jonathan when he gets home until they recognize him, then drop to the floor or doggie bed for another nap.

Spike's eye is cloudy but open. It seems not to bother him much. The eye drops are easy to put in, and while Spike doesn't exactly volunteer, he doesn't pull away.

Neither dog is impressed by toothpaste and toothbrushes but they tolerate my sticking them into their mouths and scrubbing their teeth. Good doggies.

Vet visit

Both dogs are scrubby clean after their showers yesterday. As usual, Spike dries himself on the towel I put on the bathroom floor. Bella has to wait while my blowdryer shuts down a few times - overheating from the length of time it takes to dry her. I just sold my two unused dryers, a commercial floor stand and a Commander (for poodles) last week... before adopting Bella. Argh. Now I'll have to get another. I check out Craigslist. Someone has a used Commander - I write them and hope for a reply.

This morning Bella is curly - a human blowdryer just doesn't get poodles completely dry, even after an hour, so their hair seizes back up. When Spike comes out of the crate, his eye is swollen shut. It's oozing pus and light sensitive. What's happened? The first vet appointment we can get is 4.30 at our vet. I just can't make him wait that long. He is listless, lying down, not following me around the house. Bella stays with him, keeping her eyes on him from her bed under the desk. Usually she's wriggling and happy to lead us up or down the stairs. Not this morning. We skip our early walk.

The vet down the hill can fit us in at 10.30. Much better. I quickly sew up two double-fleece sweaters to pass the half hour before the appointment. Ready to get them into the car, but where are my keys? W's in Salt Lake Airport when he answer the phone - and it takes me another 10 minutes to find the the spare where he stores it. We are a few minutes late to the vet.

Spike lies down at my feet. Meanwhile, Bella bounces around the room, explores all the corners. She's quite happy and confident, running up to the vet for petting when Dr. C comes in. Bella gets a quick exam and vaccinations for rabies, bortedella, and distemper.

"She's in good shape except for one back tooth," says the vet. The doctor can't see how bad the tooth is: there's too much tarter on it. "Get a dental for her in about 6 months," she recommends. Bella is only 7.2 lbs. Is that too skinny?! "No, it's good for her size. Walking her will put a little muscle and maybe another pound on her, but that's all she should gain."

The dogs are the same height, but Spike weighs in at a sturdy 11.5 lbs. "He's chunky and muscular, and probably shouldn't gain any more," says the vet. He's been stealing Bella's treats if she doesn't eat them right away. She's more finicky and takes a while to get her food.

Apparently Spike's scratched his eye. That's it? "Don't let it get infected," says Dr. C. So, $207 later, armed with antibiotics for Spike and a rabies tag for Bella's collar, we head to the park across the street for a couple of loops around the trees. Both dogs are happy to be outside. Spike follows Bella, who takes a commanding lead and drags him along on the leash coupler. Their new coats are cute, but a bit loose: I'll have to adjust the velcro and shorten the straps. Bella keeps putting one leg through the neck as she darts here and there, Spike trailing behind.

An "almost-90" lady with a cute pug stops to exclaim on the dogs. We chat: she's walking "So I live longer. I'm not ready to die yet," she says. "My dog keeps me moving."

I check for email from the Commander dryer lady: "Come to Marysville, I've got one for you." It's $20 less than I got for mine, but has scratches and only one of the two attachments. No box. (Mine was in new condition, box and attachments unscathed.) Whatever. It blows like crazy, and that's all we need. I pick up a pair of dog boots for $5 (reg. $52). Now we need one more set and we can walk in snow and wet.

When I get to the counter, I've used my last check at the vet's and don't have enough cash. Who knows where the VISA card is? We drive to the bank down the street, get cash, back to the secondhand pet store, pay for the dryer and boots...

We're all ready for our 2pm breakfast when we get home. The dogs eat in their crates. There's not a trace of food in Bella's bowl, unlike the bits she usually leaves. They're glad to see me when I get them in an hour. A quick trip outside before we head to my office, where both dogs are relaxed and content.

"These dogs are costing us more than our kids!" W exclaims from the Atlanta Airport. Guess we can't send them to university, or that will be true!

Wet Tuesday

The dogs are sitting in the window, looking out at a very wet Tuesday. Bella has her Grinch and her sinew to chew on. They've just "found" a few pieces of dog food in the office. Working dogs, don't you know?

We did a 2 mile walk this morning. It's the first time we've used my homemade coupler and the new dog coats. The coats are black, and the dogs are happy about staying warm. I've looked up making boots for the cold wet days ahead. May whip up a few pairs in the next coupla days.

The coupler? W had a sturdy name tag lanyard left over from some conference. Rather than spend $33 on a leash coupler online, I put the retractable leash clip through the top loop of the coupler, threaded key rings and carabiners to each end, and connected their collars.

Spikey's a wanderer, and Bella's more of a straight walker, so they made a few adjustments along the way. Neither seems to mind being within 3 feet of the other and we got around the block and home just fine. We were thinking of going to the dog park, but this downpour has put a stop to our ambitions. Doggy nap, anyone?

Monday madness

What a day - I had so much fun I forgot to take pics. We picked up an unopened Frontline flea meds, dog raincoat, and Outward Hound booster. Bella whined all the way down, lying on the seat. As soon as I strapped her into the booster, not another peep! She could see out the side and front and was content. Spike loves his DogGone Device backpack and settled quickly into it so I could fasten his collar through the restraining loops.

We took a detour on the way home to the small dog park (off-leash) at Magnussen. There were at least a dozen dogs, from Cavalier Spaniels to pugs to Yorkies to poodle mixes. Spike ran around with all the dogs. First time in a half-dozen visits he hasn't just walked on the outskirts: Bella's good influence? She was a little hesitant, but got strokes from lots of adult dog-lovers, hung around the friendliest dogs, and sniffed her way around the half-acre. I heard very quiet growling when a dog would get too aggressive, but she never snapped or barked.

They ate lamb bones from my Sunday dinner in their crates (lamb is a non-vegan indulgence). Then it was time to come out and play and visit.

By 7, they were both tired. They quickly did their jobs outside, ran to their crates in the kitchen, and waited for me. Bella stood in front of her crate, hopped in the minute I opened the door, and Spike worked up his courage to jump into his crate above her. He bopped his head getting in last time, but this time around was a better effort. Straight in, turn around, lay down, chew the rest of the bone.

A Craigslist-er sent me 3 warm dog coats "on trust" that my check for $10 was in the mail. Yup. There's a nice fleece and furry black coat that will keep the dogs toasty on our walk in the morning.

For now, all is quiet and happy on the dog front. Time for me to hit the books for another hour or so without dog paws pleading for attention!

Exciting day

We started our early-hour walk at 7.30. W took one leash, I another, and the dogs walked together. Spike got pretty close to nabbing a fat squirrel, and Bella was right behind him. (Squirrel alert, photo below.)

After about 1 1/2 miles, Bella was dragging a bit, so W scooped her up and carried her home. Lucky dog! Meanwhile Spike was happy to stay on the trail. He scooted around the front entry rug to dry off while I hand-dried Bella.

They don't seem to mind the fleecy covers I made from a $3 blanket: I cut out leg holes, and safety-pinned the edges over the top. Comfy, warm, and inexpensive. 

After church (doggies crated), we had lunch and dessert to celebrate Rebekah's birthday. One of the children who shall remain unnamed left cocoa-nuts at the table (gift from a friend) and Spikey at them ALL. We induced throwing up with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, as recommended. Of course, I got to clean up the office where he did the dirty deed. He seems none the worse for wear. Unbelievable!

Bella's mom called - I had her on speaker phone so Bella could hear her in case her visit didn't work out. When I put Bella on the leash to "go outside" she walked to the center of the driveway and waited. She finally had to come in, but just before Nicolette came over, I put Bella on the leash again. Same thing - she was delighted! when her mom drove up. It was so cute to see Bella wiggle and dance for her. Bella enjoyed hugs and kisses, snuggled a bit, then lay down in her velour doggy bed and went to sleep.

As soon as Nicolette left, Bella ran to her crate and waited for me to put a towel on the foam floor. She jumped in with her chewey and fresh water, curled up, and got ready for a night's sleep. She whined a bit after about a half hour, and has settled down to sleep.

New name

We're now at www.poodlemixer.blogspot.com

Bella comes to play

Bella is a 6 year old female toy poodle, polite, housetrained, and friendly to people and dogs. She's come to our house to play this weekend.

Actually, we'd love to keep her, and will adopt her if all goes well. Her mom and family are in transition and advertised a good doggie to go to a new home. Meanwhile, we've been looking for a companion for Spike, who loves to play all day long. Since my stay-at-home job is studying, not full-time dogsitter, I thought he'd enjoy a playmate... besides me.

This morning, we all headed out the door for a 2 mile walk. They wandered along within a few feet of each other on long leashes. When I pulled them up for a few blocks of "Go-for-a-walk," (=walk close to me) Bella tugged a few times at first. Then they trotted alongside as though they had always been together.

They nosed out the treats I hid in my office, ate breakfast in their crates, and chased dog toys. Now they're sprawled on the floor, resting.

"Good doggie!" Oops, "...doggies!"

Sweet fit

Someone sent us a perfectly fitted red Outward Hound raincoat. Spike, not impressed one way or the other, tolerates the protection. I appreciate cutting down on wet-dirty-stinky dog hair, too. Instead of paying a fortune for dog coats to warm our recently groomed Spike, I cut leg slits into a fleece blanket ($3.99 at Grocery Outlet). Spike loves the added protection and puts his legs up to fit the fleece before we go for walks.

Plus he's awfully cute in fleecy black and white! People stop us all the time to remark on his little coat and how nice he looks. He ignores them, but I like to hear it.

We went to the dog park at Marymoor today, working on dog socialization. Spike's taken to growling at men the last 3 weeks, and rumbles at other dogs sometimes. A dog tried to bite him (both leashed, on our neighborhood walk = a friendly exploration gone wrong.) The other owner said her full-sized mutt had been attacked in the last week. He was dominating and unfriendly to Spike. We got out of reach in a hurry. Sooo, now we're working hard on eliminating undesirable domination stuff in Spikester.

Lots of room to run at Marymoor. LOTS of dogs to sniff and chase. Spike was herded by a little Maltese mix, and stood up to tell a Great Dane he was irritated with his attention. Funny, and friendly.

Seriously cute!

watch these dogs go!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2010/10/ok-go-white-knuckles-ikea.html

Car ride

It must be confusing to be a dog. The owner straps you into a backpack, puts you in the car where you can peek over the top of the restraints, rides you around for a while, then takes you out, and you are back home.

Or, like today, the owner straps you in, puts you in the car..., gets out and puts your backpack into a shopping cart at Dunn Lumber, and rides you around for a while. People swarm the crate, pet you on the head, and coo at you.

If you're really lucky, you get some Mexican food scraps after doing your business in the back of a parking lot, too. Then you ride around for a while, the owner takes you out, and you are back home.

"What just happened here?" asks Spike. "Though I prefer this to staying home in my crate."

What he doesn't know is we'll do it all again tomorrow. I'll give him a bath first thing, let him dry, and then he''s off to Petco for a haircut!

Doggie heaven

My office door is closed, my dissertation files are up. I'm ready to work.

Except that Spike the dog, watching me drink Jasmine tea and eat toasted rye bread, is doing tricks. He gets up on his hind legs and spins. Sits behind me and barks. Jumps onto the desk by the window and lies down, looking at me in anticipation. Lying down is often enough to get a taste of what I'm eating.

No results? No compassion in my eyes? He leaps off the desk and throws his front paws on my legs. He's persistent, I'll give him that.

Now he's distracting me from the task at hand. Spike is cute. And I skipped our three-mile morning walk because I couldn't make it up the hill from house to the stop sign at the end of the street because of an early morning torture session at the XGym. (Oh yeah, it's that intense.)

I throw him the heel of bread. He crunches it with great satisfaction. "It worked! It worked! She fed me."

Sometimes when I pray, I feel like I'm doing Spike-tricks to get God's favor. Maybe he'll satisfy my wants if I am good. Maybe he'll finally intervene in this problem if I do a few extra deeds of kindness. If I keep praying the same prayer, maybe he'll finally take notice.

Oh oh... let's get one thing straight! Our life of faith in Christ is not built on repetition, rules, or getting it right. It's a relationship with a Master who knows what we need and how to build his Kingdom in good times and bad.

The other kind of religion, of begging and chores? That probably only gets us a taste of doggie heaven, with acknowledgment and a few treats from other people, if we're lucky.

And a PS - a friend calls, "Wanna go for a walk?" Of course we do. So Spikey gets that treat too.

Good dog!

Yesterday Spike spooked at everything driving by. Busses, trucks, little Volkswagens. It didn't seem to matter what size the vehicle, he scooted behind me, tripped me by running in front, or tried to hide.

"Yikes, what's the matter with you?" I scolded as I unwrapped the leash around my legs again. "C'mon Spikey, it's ok!"

Finally, I stopped and waited as cars approached. Kept him beside me. Let him shiver until they were past.

About the tenth car, he quit watching. Settled down. Stopped worrying. What it took was the experience of nothing happening.

That works for me in real life too. When I'm anxious, if I can slow down, maybe even stop to look around and analyze what's happening, I feel better.

Our walk this morning was uneventful. He didn't flinch once. "Good dog, Spike!"

The energy of youth

I don't remember having the energy young Spike has, bouncing up and down our stairs. Fetching. Running.

He just spent an hour on the 40' leash, chasing flies in the courtyard, barking up our 150' driveway, getting tangled up in ivy when he checks out the flowerbed.

He's on the hunt for the squeaky toy I tossed over the railing. Spike keeps coming upstairs empty-mouthed. His nose helps him find me when I hide behind doors. He's pretty good at rooting out what he's looking for, so I'm going to keep him tracking until he finds it.

"Where is it? Go find!" He's been looking for fifteen minutes and keeps coming into my office to see if it has magically appeared. Nope. He pants off the heat, and off he goes again.

Tonight we'll take him for a slow run on the Walky Dog. We have to pick up some books at the neighborhood library. Afterward I bet he sleeps like a pup!

Toys and stuff

Spike got a shave at Petco, so naturally we had to check out the clearance section. I found a second harness ($2) and a few collars ($1.20 each). What I needed - leashes and a raincoat - were still outside my budget.

Spike's doing well at learning not to pee at every corner. Tug tug on the leash. From his excited sniffs, other dogs obviously hadn't been as disciplined. He scratched and rubbed himself all over when we got home. Probably itchy from his cut and getting used to his hair length = short.

He gets excited when I pull out the carrier and buckle it into the car. He hops onto the passenger seat, puts front paws on my arm to be scooped up, doesn't mind hind legs held as I fold him into the bucket, and doesn't squirm when I fasten a collar through the loops that hold him in.

When we drive, he loves to look out the window or he turns to me for a pat on the head. Good doggy!

Home at last

Spike is happy to be home, and happy to see me.

I'm so thankful for Spike's great care while we were in Asia for 5 weeks. Thanks to Rachel and my daughter-in-love Melissa for pampering him.

Yesterday we took our first walk through the neighborhood together. It was one tug after another. Spike's inclined to run ahead and pull. He's been indulged while I've been gone, but sorry doggie... I'm back!

Tonight, after strictness yesterday and the morning walk, Spike was walking almost beside me. I had decided that when I got back from summer travels, Spikey would become a "GREAT" dog... good manners, no jumping on people, barking only on command, playing fetch and doing tricks when asked. He's on his way today, aided by a piece of sardine and tiny chunks of beef brisket (smoked for yesterday's lunch by my husband). This dog is food-driven and will do anything for a good treat.

I'm glad to be back, glad to have my dog around, and having fun! Can't imagine what I was missing before Spike came to live with us :-)

missing Spikey!

Aaaaaaaaaaaah, I miss my dog. Spike did fine with Rachel, according to her updates, and Jono is picking him up tomorrow to bring him home.

But I want to see Spikey and have him around, especially seeing everyone walking their dogs in Singapore. A few more weeks and we'll be home. YAY Can't wait to see his face. I go to the posts and look at his photos. Not the same as having his warm fuzzy body walking around my legs.

Spike baby!

We dropped Spike off this morning at Rachel's. She's going to mind him for a few weeks. Thanks, young lady! You can catch up with him and Rachel, whose cat is about to drop kittens, at http://aloveofittys.blogspot.com. Thanks, Rachel.