Thursday, November 27, 2008

Teen Angel?




When have words been so separately different , yet together so true? I have a teen now- not a human, but an adolescent dog, a 120 lb Newf, and boy is it a of work I didn't expect. Funny thing is, that I raised not one other TeenNewf, but three others, including two littermates, and I don't remember having this much trouble with them. It must have been so painful that I blocked it out of my memory, is all I can figure. 

Don't get me wrong, I am having a blast with Rudder - when I am not holding my lumbar region after two walks, a game of fetch, watching Rudder like a hawk in the house so he doesn't surreptitiously lift his leg on everything vertical, taking 25 minutes to get him in the car, which he hates, and splitting up tiffs between Rudder and my 11-year-old Newf, Dulse.

Generally, I like to leave new dogs to work out dominance issues on their own. Here is the exception: Rudder is still intact, although he still respects neutered Dulse most of the time. When he gets a bit of rambunctious teen testosterone, or youthful enthusiasm, however, he "forgets" and challenges and jumps on top of my old resident Newf, and fights have ensued that I have had to break up, lest my old boy gets hurt. I don't want Dulse's last years to be a big struggle.

Training this boy is also a challenge. He wants to please, which is good, but he is easily distracted and I have to pull out my rusty dog training hat to figure out how best to get him to do what I want. He is not food motivated at all. He sits nicely, and is learning to heel slowly, and he does a reasonably good down (with the prerequisite, "Oh did you want me "down" like THIS?" - and then gets down on his side, four feet flailing, with a toothy Newfy smile that I can't resist.

All in all, I am doing pretty well with him until I can get him into some professional obedience training, and, of course, get the "nuggies" (as we call them in the vet world) snipped off.le is getting him into the car

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Fourth



A vet at work gave me a wind chime a few years ago when I still had 3 Newfs. It has the most beautiful sound, and it hangs right outside my living room window, so I look at it a lot. It's got four newfs on it, andI have always wondered if that chime "means" that I will have four Newfs in this house at some time. I am down to one now, one who sometimes enjoys his status and sometimes looks as though he lost his best friend, which he did. I miss having two dogs, too. Watching dogs or even pets interact is like having the PBS program, "Nature" in real life. The body language they exhibit and the fun they can have with each other, make it very entertaining. Even Max, my big ol' Tuxedo kitty, is getting involved with Dulse now that there are only two.

So, why not throw a wrench in the works? I have been thinking about getting another dog for a couple of months now. I had been in touch with Baci/Dulse's breeder through the years and had been updating her frequently on Baci's progress. She grieved with me at Bacis death because she knew how much he meant to me. Anyway, in September, she mentioned an older puppy she wanted to rehome.....

Fast forward to today. I picked up "Rudder" yesterday and, let me say, it has been a LONG time since I have had a teenager in the house. He is a sweet, sweet boy, but needs to be neutered - and soon! I forgot that intact adolescent male dogs walk around saying, "Hmmmmm- this doesn't smell like me - I'll have to take care of that right now!" and have endless urine to help them do just that. They also have endless energy, and this 130 lb teen LEAPS up into the air like a Border Collie. He is charming. Dulse, and even Max likes him. So, I have my fourth, I guess.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The grief is always lurking

I often stop by a group of owners with dogs that have or that have had bone cancer. Although the survival rate is dismal, there are people with dogs who survive much longer than my guy did. I think, "What did I do wrong? I brought Baci to the vet the day after he started limping. Some people wait weeks or months after they see symptoms and their dogs survive a lot longer than 2 1/2 months. Why did this happen to me?" Then I read about people who have dogs diagnosed one day and their dogs are gone less than a week later and remember that there are all different scenarios for this awful disease. I realize that everyone does their best and my heart goes out to all of them.