The Snow Dogs Are Our December 15, 2013 Pups of the week

Here at Rainbow Bridge it doesn’t snow   We do have mountains  where we can climb then play in the snow, go sledding, and partake in snowball fights, while Huskies and their ilk have wonderful fun romping and rolling.  But we don’t have any of those cold, windy, icy, snowy days that we hate.

This week, on the mortal side of the Bridge, all across the country, many friends got slammed with snow, ice, wind, and downed power lines.    When they went to do their business they got snow covered paws, icy and damp fur, and the dreaded toweling off.

Thankfully no one was lost in the big cold fluffy.  All our parents survived. As I sit up here on the green banks looking in the River of Life I must admit I don’t miss sticking my who who in the freezing snow to melt a little with my pee, and I was able to muffle a snicker when Pocket went to settle into a squat and ended up spread eagle on the ice.

When I was a youngster Mommy, Daddy, Blake and I would go walking in the early evening at the state mental institution, through the snow, and I would scoot my bottom on the cold.  This got both my parents very upset, and they took me to the vet, who found nothing wrong.  But there was something wrong:  I thought it was a bad idea to be walking at the state mental institution at night and my scooting got them to reconsider their fallacy.

Let’s see how some of our friends soldiered through the storm.

Snow can’t keep our friend Leo from looking regal and proud.

Meika has already formed her opinion and is done with the snow for the year.

Scooby and Odie pose for a picture despite cold paws.

Molly is done with the cold and wants in now!

Toby, Maggie and Pokey make the best of a cold situation.

It looks like this is going to be the start of a long winter with plenty of snowy pictures.  So here is to the snow dogs:  May they always have a safe and warm place to hide from the cold.

Pocket's Poo vs River's Bone

River:  I like to spend the early evening curled up on Mommy’s nap, but, when it is Mommy’s snack time, I wake up like a shot, looking to play my favorite game, eat the treat out of the bone.  A month ago Daddy brought me home a white bone filled with yummy meat.  Once I ate that Daddy replaced the yummy meat with even yummier Natural Balance meat rolls. I would chew the bone, lick the meat, and have a very satisfactory evening’s entertainment.  Sometimes while I am trying to eat the meat from the bone I knock the bone to the ground and it lands with a satisfactory smack.

Pocket:  I don’t have a lot of interest in what games River plays.  While she is playing I climb on Mommy’s lap and settle.  I don’t like the vibe River gives off when she is playing with the bone, it is excitement, or desperation, like stumbling into a slot machine parlor filled with the elderly wasting their security payments. I can ignore that.  But then, from nowhere, comes the loud, disruptive noise that sounds like a gunshot: Strong enough to knock down the walls.  I have no idea of the origin of the noise.

River:  It’s the bone hitting the floor.

Pocket:  If only I knew what the sound was I could deal with it but it comes out of nowhere.  

River:  You are watching me.  I lick the bone.  I lick it off the couch.  It hits the ground.  It goes bam!

Pocket:  I don’t know where it comes from and then the sound turns my bowels to water.

River:  Everything turns your bowels to water:  Loud noises, yelling, human emotion, loud barking, big dogs, unexpected moths, smoke alarm beeps, tea boiling, different food, Sons of Anarchy, Ted Cruz, the Wankel Rotary Engine, your shadow, cats, ducklings…..I could go on.

Pocket’s and River’s Mom:  While River loved her bone, when she dropped it Pocket became so scared her bowels turned to water, usually inside, so something had to change.

River:  So we decided to find another home for Pocket.

Pocket’s and River’s Mom:  No, we got rid of the bone.

River:  Rats.

Pocket:  I don’t know why but now River has a Kong.  Actually two of them.  She’s double Kongged.

River:  Kongs suck.  First I have a small petite kong.  That is not something to brag about. No one got points in the locker room by announcing that he has a petite kong.  I am able to eat my meat out of my kong but having done this I am afraid if t becomes public I would never be able to adopt.  I also have what is called a Kong Genius.  It is called a Kong Genius because it is impossible to eat anything out of the Kong and it was genius for that company to separate parents from their money on a treat toy you can’t get treat from.

Pocket:  I don’t know why but ever since River got that Kong I don’t hear the big crashing sound that upsets my bowels anymore.  I sure am happy that noise is gone.

River:  At the end of the night Daddy needs to take, a sonic screw driver to get the remaining kibble out of the Kong Genius.  I do enjoy eating it but it is not as much fun as getting it myself.

Pocket:  All I know is life has been better since we got rid of that bone.

River:  I miss my damn bone.  

Blurry Wordless Wednesday

Angel Amber's Brother Jake is our December 8, 2013 Pup of the Week

Some dogs are like River, they move into their house, and while they don’t fill the hole of the lost pup, they suddenly and seamlessly begin to build new parts of their parents’ hearts, and ease their pain.

And then there is my friend Amber’s successor Jake.  It seems, hopefully, after 9 months of illness and aggression, Jake’s Mom has learned how drama and healing can make the bond between dog and Mom even stronger.

Here is his story.

When Amber sadly went to the Bridge her family was in a stage of transition.  There was a new house, employment changes, and many hurdles to overcome before they were ready for a new pup.  Thanks to our friends Jackson’s and Morgan’s Mom Aunt Jane, Jake went from being Jackson’s foster brother to being the new dog in Amber’s home.

His parents got the impression that Jake might be a bit or trouble on his first walk when he was invited into a neighbor’s house for a proper homecoming and pooped in their entryway.  From that moment on his parent’s should have known his pup hood would be more challenging than Amber’s.

Jake showed a puppy’s speed and desire for food when his Mom dropped a single coffee bean and Jake lasered in on it and sucked it down.  His Mom decided not to take him to a vet for a coffee bean, which was a good decision, because soon Jake would be well known at the vets.  

For two months there were only normal puppy issues with Jake but on Mother’s Day his Mom informed her online friends that the little pink pimple that Jake arrived with had gotten bigger, scabbed over then bled, scabbed over again and got much bigger.  A trip to the vets was in order.

The lump needed to be removed and the vet said that he had a histiocytoma.  Jake proved the be a very patient patient.  He also had a previously diagnosed infection in his anal glands treated by having antibiotics stuck up his butt. He went home stitched up and a little loopy.  His parents hoped his vet trips would be few and far between.

Soon the good news came in that the tumor was benign.  He was ready to get his stitches out.  

Then came the leg issues.  He had trouble with with his rear right leg and his front left leg, which caused him to hobble around the house.  He was put on non-steroid anti inflammatory drugs to help.  The vets had hoped it would work itself out but during Jake’s puphood few things worked themselves out.  

Perhaps understandably, for a young with so many health issues, Jake began to act out and show aggression.  He nipped at his Mom’s nephew.   He growled at some nice elderly women who came to visit, and barked through most of their time together, even while wearing a citronella collar.  With his Mom starting work soon she was worried about having a stranger take care of Jake, not knowing how he would act with them given his unpredictability with strangers.  .

To help with some of his behavioral issue Willie’s Mom Sandy sent Jake a Gentle Leader to control him on walks.  It stopped him from lunging and pulling when he saw strangers, although Jakes still exercised his freedom to bark.  Also his Mom bought, and used, the dreaded clicker, which made him more cooperative to her wishes, although her still nipped at her toes when he wanted to play.

But even with the Leader Jake was still a challenge when he met people.  He would spin around on his leash in what his Mom called a “demonic fit” when he saw a stranger.  When a woman saw him, and wanted to pet him, his Mom suggested she let Jake sniff her.  She put down her hand for Jake to sniff and he nipped at her.  His parents began to dread walking him because of his barking and lunging (or, in dog terms, doing what is called “The Pocket.”  He also barked at every sound in the house (also called the Pocket)  and wore out the battery on his bark control.  He also played rough, snapping at his Daddy’s hand and breaking the skin as he tried to grab a toy.

Then began another round of vet visits.  He had tummy issues and skin issues, chewing the fur off his front legs.  One trip to the vet was for chewing the fringe off a rug. Then he began to chew the fur on his tail and his paws.  He had to wear the dreaded cone of shame.  He didn’t take to wearing it well, standing in a corner and staring.  His parents resorted to praying over him, which gave him the strength to finally to get up and eat.  But he still had occasional tummy problems and had to wear the cone to keep him from chewing his fur.

Jake did improve slowly, although he did develop a strange crusty film on his nipples and was still very itchy,  The Prednisone he was taking did make him drink and pee more.  During on of these pee trips his Mom discovered he ate an entire paper towel.

Then his limping began again with his front leg coming out from under him until he was walking like a tripaw.  He did get to sleep in the big bed because he parents thought this would keep him out of trouble (known in the dog world as pulling a Pocket) but when he got out he couldn’t get back in. When it came time to take him to the vet he started walking better.  It was determined he had a foot infection which led to more expensive vet visits.

Jake finally began to stop itching.  His foot got better.  And, after months of research, his Mom discovered natural products that helped with the itching, put him on a healthy diet, gave him lots of baths, and with lots of patience the itching subsided, and, as the itching subsided, so did the behavioral issues.  Also a stricter training technique taught Jake that he was not the boss of the house.  

But Jake still had what his Mom called the Terrier Tirades.  Her stepson and grandson came for a visit.  At first he did his barking madness and was protective of his family.  His Mom knew that someone was mean to Jake before she got him and his accepting strangers would take time.  But my Mom can tell you having your grandchildren and your dog not get along makes things very hard

Now, after nine months of experimenting, training, bathing, praying, and patience Jake is becoming the wonderful pup everyone knew he could be.  He did a 3 ½ hour drive with only minimal barking.  He sat on his Mom’s lap where he now feels secure.  He didn’t nip at the grandchildren or lunge at anyone, and even walked off leash.  He rode happily in a golf cart in the arms of one of the grandchildren.  The only problem was with another dog, but Jake is on the right track, and has come a long way, so I am sure he will vanquish this to.

It has been a long, hard road for Jake and his parents but the end is in sight.  A big tip of the tail to all of them, and to Amber, who was watching over them, helping every step of the way.

There have been a lot of hard earned victories in Jake’s fight to be the perfect dog for his parents, and now that he is getting there, their bond will be even stronger.  

River Assumes Foley's Position of Studying Dumb Humans Who Study Dogs

When Foley was with us on the mortal side of the River of Life she was fascinated with humans, and studied their study of us, which, laughably they always got wrong.  When I took her place in our pack she asked me to continue to monitor the studies of human studying dogs.

I have been somewhat negligent in my duties, but as fall begins to turn into what promises to be a harsh winter I decided to begin my studies of their studies, and I was shocked to find out that they are studying treats and how we are able to determine which humans have the tastiest treats.  Let me quote the study:

“In the study, dogs watched a man ask two women for some of their cornflakes. Both women gave the man cornflakes when he asked, but in response to one woman, the man enthused about how delicious the cornflakes were. In response to the other woman, he gave the cornflakes back and called them gross (in Spanish; the study was conducted in Argentina). After these interactions, the man left and an assistant holding the dog let the dog go. While many dogs didn't approach either cornflake-munching woman, the dogs that did have a preference tended to prefer the woman with the yummier cereal.”

The humans needed to do a study to show that we know which person has the tastiest treat?  Our whole live are based on treats.  Every single dog that has attended college hss written their thesis about treats.  Our parents could dress up like storm troopers, play the above game, and we could still find the yummy treats.

This is also from the study:  “They prefer people who give others food when asked over people who don't give others food.”  Prefer people?  Not correct.  We have absolutely no use for people who won’t give us food.  Let me stop you before you spend any more money on this study:  We prefer people with yummy food.  Our Moms could have told you this before you spent a cent on this study.

Also from the study:  “And in one study, dogs oriented toward crying people more often than toward talking or humming people. When they saw a stranger crying, they sniffed, nuzzled and licked the stranger.”  Well of course we do, we are your angels on Earth and our jobs are to make you happy.  Why wouldn’t we go to the crying person, unless the person next to them had treat.

The next time that a group of deep thinkers want to learn more about dogs they should save their money and ask our Moms about us.  They know more about us than any scientist ever could.  We operate on a love for them, and a love for treats.  Don’t need no study for that.

Wordless Wednesday

Brian Griffin is our December 1, 2013 Pup of the Week

This week I would like to recognize Brian Griffin, singer, writer, porn producer, and loyal dog to the Griffin family, drinking buddy to head of household Peter, who suffered unrequited love for his Mom Lois, and best friend to youngest child Stewie.  He passed away after suffering injuries when he was hit by a car.

Actually….I wouldn’t.  Brian was a cartoon character on a sometimes amusing, often shocking, TV series, where all the characters stayed the same age, so Brian was lucky, with no one getting older, he was given the rare gift of being able to stay with his family forever.

As dysfunctional as these cartoon families are they are a bit of a fantasy for our parents, who would like to freeze a specific moment in time, when all their children were living under one roof, everyone was healthy, and the family dog never showed a second of aging.

Which is why Brian’s death struck me as cruel.   Like most dogs, he was the moral center and voice of reason in a home filled with overly emotional humans.  I know my parents would have loved if I could have comforted them with words, not just actions.  And if I never aged, could be with them forever, that was beyond their wildest dreams.  As often happens with works of fiction humans identify with the work, especially with a dog who never grows old and never dies.

Peanuts was, like the item always attached to Linus’ hand, our security blanket, and pet parents knew, even as their pups grew older, that Snoopy would always be there, on top of his dog house.  In the strip For Better or Worse, where the characters aged, their dog did die, a heroic death, saving the youngest family member from a raging river, and we mourned with them. (Peanuts creator Charles Schulz was vehemently opposed to Better Or Worse writer Lynn Johnston’s killing the family dog and it caused a rift with Schulz’s former prodigy.)   In movies, the death of a dog is always treated respectfully, and mournfully.  It’s why Mommy doesn’t like watching movies about dogs.  She agrees with Tom Hanks, who, when his movie “Turner and Hooch” bombed at the box office, said he learned the number one lesson of movies:  “Don’t kill the dog!”

Every dog lover who has reached their teen years has lost a dog and knows that unendurable pain.  Some choose, like my Mom, to avoid any program that features the  death of a beloved pet.  She was not watching Family Guy Sunday night.  It it a show that she has watched a scene occassionaly but she has  found a  of a little of it goes a long way.

Others were not so fortunate.  What they saw, while thinking they were watching a half hour of absurdist comedy, was the family dog run down in the street in front of a toddler.  It was done without a spoiler alert so anyone who wished to avoid the scene was caught unawares , to “shake up” the show and take it “in a new direction.”

The bond between humans and dogs, the terror of a child watching their beloved pet killed, the horrible memories such a scene can recall, all trampled on and disrespected in an officious attempt at comedy.

Brian deserved better.

We all did.