But I don't like these treats! Honestly I don't!!
Well, let me tell ya– it won’t work that way! BOL
Here’s that promised update! December 13, 2009
First off, we’re still in the motel. It’s okay. I guess. There’s a nice field across the scary parking lot were I can go “do my business” but… I have to walk down this scary balcony thing to the scary stairs and then walk across the scary parking lot. Mom thinks the balcony and stairs are scary for me ’cause I can see through them and all I see is IT’S A LONG WAY DOWN!! And parking lots are scary because… they’re parking lots! BOL But I have decided the bed’s pretty comfy. Especially if I lie down right where Mom wants to be! BOL
When we first got here, I was scared of the dog in the mirror. Now we have an agreement, I won’t bother it if it doesn’t bother me!
I think Mom told you that I was allowed to take the rest of Colin’s lessons at the doggy school. I had a good time. I met some big dogs I could play with. I still don’t come when called. BOL But I’m pretty good at sit and down and left/right. We got to play on the agility equipment one time and I really had fun running back and forth through the tunnel! I even jumped through the hoops and over the fences. The cat walk was kinda scary ’cause it’s so high in the air but I did it!
This is me doing my three minute down stay:
And when we got done with all the classes, we all got a trophy and some treats. I ate the treats. Here’s the trophy:
and me with it on my bed:
Mom says we’re going to go back to doggy school so I can get my Canine Good Citizen. And after that, maybe do some rally. It sounds like fun. I wouldn’t mind doing more agility but it’s hard on Mom trying to keep up with me. Our trainer told her that if I can learn all the obstacles by name and go to them as directed, then maybe we can do voice command agility. I like doing things with Mom. She keeps saying some day I may get to go visiting like Buddy did. I like the idea of visiting, I’m just not sure about all those people visiting involves.
I like my kind of visiting better. Here’s my friend Jordan visiting my friend Zach:
Zach’s only got 2 1/2 legs but he still loves to play outside and go for rides in his cart.
And here I am with his brother Robbie:
Did you see him? Look again:
He’s such a sweetheart. He was abused by someone before his mom adopted him. I’m so glad he and Zach, and their sister Zoe, have their forever mom and dad now. No one will ever hurt them again.
Remember Buddy’s buddy Little Buddy? Mom and I go there for visits and they have this cat, Peaches. I’m not sure about cats yet. Some are okay and all snuggly but some try to scratch me. I’m still not sure about Peaches so we have decided to just ignore each other. This is us ignoring each other:
Guess that’s about all for now. Lemme see… flood… school… visits with friends… Yeah, that’s about it. Mom and I hope to be home by the first of the year, maybe sooner, but she said she’s not gonna hold her breath, whatever that means. And when we do get to go home, I hope we don’t find too many things broken or destroyed or even missing.
So, in case I don’t get to use the computer before then, here’s a poem written by a teacher (with help from her students!) at one of the schools where my friend Jordan does “Paws to Read”:
I’m dreaming of a slow squirrel
One I could catch and make my toy,
Or a lovely shoe
That I could chew
Would add greatly to my joy!
I’m dreaming of a dog biscuit
Tall as a house and twice as wide,
Little toys that squeak
And kids that shriek
And huge bones made of rawhide!
HAPPY HOWLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!!!!
I promise to write ! December 6, 2009
I’m sorry I haven’t posted in awhile but Mom and I have been kind of homeless: we got washed out by something called a Nor’easter. I had to learn how to swim IN MY OWN LIVING ROOM!!!!! We’ve been living in a motel and it’s not as fun as some of you humans think it is. But I promise to write and tell you all about it real soon.
I just wanted to drop by real quick and ask you to vote for me. Just click on Johann’s Howling Howliday Giveaway button over there on the right and then look for me: 
and vote vote VOTE!! Thanks!!
Update: contest ended and I came in 6th! I couldn’t believe I got that many votes! Thanks to everyone who voted for me! Can’t wait to do it again next year! BOL
I’m an only child… October 17, 2009
Mom here:
I’m sorry but I had to take Colin back to the shelter Thursday afternoon. Last week he knocked me down twice, bit the instructor, bit me, and corrective training only made him worse. Wednesday night, he went after the neighbor’s dog and tossed it across the yard, knocked me down and tried to bite the back of my neck, and then went after Lily. I’m sorry. Enough is enough. He had to stay in his crate just about 24/7 because of the bad behavior while out of it. He flipped me and my chair over a couple of times. The ringing phone sends him into a fighting frenzy. He tries to get at every smaller dog he sees. I can’t trust him. And if he’s to be a service dog, or a therapy dog, I have to be able to trust him 150%. I feel bad for him, but not guilty about taking him back to the shelter. I had him for a month and things were just getting worse instead of better.
But there is good news. I took Lily to class yesterday morning, told the instructors what was going on, and since Colin only had one of the seven sessions, Lily gets to take his place in class. Let me tell you– she was awesome! She had to be shown what “sit” and “down” meant but once she got the idea, she did it! And stay! She actually stayed!! After the “leave it” drill, she wouldn’t take that treat for love nor money!! And on the 40′ recall?? She actually ran right to me (with some coaxing, of course) but she did it! A couple of the other dogs took the scenic route but she went as straight as an arrow! After class is play time where we let the dogs just be dogs and while she didn’t actually play, she did wander around. And when things got too rowdy for her, she went and stood by one of the bigger dogs, even responding to a puppy bow a couple of times! She was awesome!
Lily here:
I don’t know why Mom’s so excited about me coming to her. Of course I’m going to go to her when she calls me– especially when she’s waving a piece of cheese at me like the checkered flag at a NASCAR race! I’d come to her when she calls me when we’re outside too but not yet– there’s still too many things out there for me to discover! BOL
As for Colin… I miss not having another of my kind here but Mom keeps saying she’s going to find the right dog for us this time. She keeps saying a Great Dane. I know what “Great” means– it means “Good!”, but I don’t know what “Dane” means. I hope it’s something good too. (Oh wait– I know what a Great Dane is– it’s a horse in dogs clothing! Doogie and Gretchen are Great Danes and they’re okay. Big but okay. So I guess in this case “Great” means “big”.) But he did scare me the other night, and I have enough things I need to learn to be not afraid of without having to be afraid of my own brother. I’m glad Mom won’t tolerate “sibling abuse”. He’s basically a good dog, just really messed up. I hope he finds the right home soon…
You’ll have to excuse me now… if I act real cute, I think I can wangle a woofer* from Mom before we go to bed!
*woofer: dried meat chip, looks like a very over-done grilled hamburger.
This is better than a shock collar… September 24, 2009
Mom here: I was so fed up with Colin’s barking that I was actually thinking of getting a shock collar. I HATE shock collars. But while pricing shock collars, I found this cool little gizmo:
PetSafe Bark Control Pet Training System
The Ultrasonic Bark Control Pet Training System is a small unit designed to control your dogs barking with ultrasonic sound. The unit is activated when the internal microphone picks up the constant barking from the dog. The high-pitched ultrasonic sound startles the dog which interrupts the barking.
The Ultrasonic Bark Control can be set to work automatically or for manual operation. Operates on one 9-volt battery (not included).
It is fantastic! Especially the manual operation feature. Colin’s a humper (excuse the wording but…) and telling him “NO!” or “OFF!” would just lead to more humping and lots of barking. The theory of several folks is that he was with a family that thought this bawdy activity very amusing and never tried to correct him for it– or correct for anything else either. Then when he was no longer “cute and cuddly” they stuck him outside, and eventually just let him go to fend for himself. (Why anyone would spend that kind of money for a dog and then just turn it loose is beyond me. Oh well– their loss, my gain.) Anyway… I get this little gizmo, stick a battery in it, and as soon as I sat down, Colin tried to hump my leg. I pushed the button and he jumped back, shaking his head, barking like anything. Then — just like that — silence! It looked like he stopped in mid-bark!! A few minutes later, he tried to climb on me again. I just pointed at the gizmo, said “Colin! OFF!” and he backed off so fast he almost fell over himself! When I go into the back room to work on the computer, I put up a baby gate so Lily can see me but not get in– this is also the room where Harry and Bubba live and she is a prey dog… Normally, Colin would stand at the baby gate and bark and then pull the gate down. Not this morning! I brought the gizmo in with me and as soon as his paw touched the gate, I gave the button a short push. He backed off, started barking, and again stopped in mid-bark! I LOVE THIS GIZMO!!!!!
Lily here: I don’t love that gizmo! Every time it goes off, I hear it too. But I know it’s not for me ’cause as soon as Mom tells Colin “No!” or “Off!” or whatever, she always says “Lily’s a good girl” and gives me one of my favorite treats. 🙂 We call them “chicken nickles”– they’re little round bits of dried chicken. I like the crunching sound they make! But I guess I can live with the strange noise Mom’s gizmo makes as long as it keeps Colin quiet! BOL
OMD! What has Mom gotten us mixed up with? September 20, 2009
Colin
Colin, a 10 month old Anatolian Shepard, is my new big brother, and Mom’s new headache. Not really. He’s just a puppy who was never taught right or wrong about anything. Mom’s friend JBV thinks that Colin’s old family treated him like a lapdog and everything he did (including trying to mount everything and everyone around him) was cute and encouraged. And then he got out of the cute and cuddly stage and they just dumped him. He was found as a stray, no collar, no tags, no micro chip. He hadn’t been on his own for very long ’cause the shelter doc said he was in great shape and his health was perfect.
(What? Oh, okay.) Mom said I should put in this pic she found to show you what a full grown Anatolian Shepard looks like. Aren’t they the coolest? BOL
Anatolian Shepards
Colin’s main problem is he’s extremely hard headed. Mom says he’s ADHD all the way! Gets something in his mind and he fixates on it. His mounting urges are out of control. He’ll quiet down and lie down next to her chair while we watch TV and Mom will pet the top of his head. Instead of lying quietly and getting more pets, he’ll hop up and try to mount her arm! He’ll walk quietly and politely on a leash but if Mom stops to check traffic or whatever, next thing she knows Colin’s trying to mount her leg. I’m embarrassed to be seen in public with him right now! Mom says she needs to break him of his “bawdy behavior” before he breaks her! And I know she’s afraid of falling down ’cause she can’t get back up again by herself. I’m afraid for her with this galoot! If he does knock her down, I hope she has her phone in her pocket so she can call for help ’cause I’m sure not big enough to help her get back up again.
He does have potential tho. He’s already learned “sit” and “come” (which is more than I’ve learned! BOL) and almost knows his name (he was Cooper in the shelter). I guess if anyone can work a couple of miracles with Colin, it’ll be my mom. 🙂
Good-bye, Bridget. September 1, 2009
I think Buddy told you about his friends Bridget, Jordan and Gem. They are Cocker Spaniels, and for awhile I (and my “sister” Ava) was living with them before I came to live with Buddy and Mom. Well, two days before Buddy crossed the Rainbow Bridge, her mom and my mom took Bridget to the vet’s because Bridget was in so much pain– worser even than the pain Buddy was in so it was a lot of pain. Bridget’s mom said Bridget deserved to die with grace and dignity, and so she did, in her mom’s arms, just as she was the day she came into this world.
April 7, 1996 - August 27, 2009
Mom said to put in one of her favorite memories of Bridget: the day she stole a head of red cabbage out of the grocery bag!
Red cabbage-- and Brussel Sprouts-- didn't stand a chance around Bridget!!
Life as an only child… August 30, 2009
It’s kinda quiet around here without Buddy. I miss him a lot. So does Mom but she’s trying to be brave for me. She told me I could take over this blog– wow do I have big paws to fill! I’ll try to do my best.
I made a giant leap of faith today: I went out the door all by myself to go potty. It was scary but I did it. Mom was very proud of me.
Vacation’s over… August 23, 2009
And so is our access to a computer for a bit. A “Lily Bit” as Mom would say! BOL We’ve had fun, and Lily learned a few things, but it will be good to go home and sleep in our own beds!
We had some “day campers” visit us yesterday: my good pals Doogie and Gretchen. When Doogie saw the size of the front yard, he was in heaven! Finally a place big enough he could really stretch out those long legs of his! Gretchen has real bad arthritis in her hips so she stayed pretty close to her mom. Lily was kinda scared of “the horses in dogs clothing” at first but she warmed up to them pretty quick.
Doogie's the mantle, Gretchen's the harlequin
We’ll try to check in as soon as we can. Hopefully Mom will be able to get our computer fixed SOON. BOL We miss it!!
Doggy Waif 