Today was the first day with Betel in the car at the garage at work. It was very tiring, and I still have about 100 things left to do tonight, among them, more work for a meeting tomorrow morning.
So, in brief: Betel did great in the car. He's not crazy about it, but then again, it's totally new to him. Juggling him and Odin and leashes and food and water and toys is a bit much, and I think I can relate to those moms with screaming kids who look a little harried.
It was day 2 with no accidents. We think he might weigh a little more, but he's sleeping now so I'm not going to disturb him to find out. My co-workers came down to meet him, and he was the obliging puppy - licking everyone's faces and chewing on whatever was the nicest part of their outfit.
He gets the hiccups at least once a day, he's good about sleeping in his crate (he goes into it on his own in the morning) but letting us know he needs to go out (about twice during the night, but sometimes more), he is still mouthy and jumps up and wants to be on your lap or near your face, he doesn't eat very much - still less than a cup a day (but he gets treats in the car which he goes crazy about the hot dog), and he still has little pointy nails that I will cut this weekend.
He jumps at Odin and then barks at him, because Odin doesn't really want to play with him. He's funny when he gets all wound up and runs around with the crazies. He's ignoring me some when I call him, but I had him on the leash today and he walked right behind Odin like the leash was no big thing. Odin is being an obliging older brother, but has to growl and bark when Betel gets too pushy, which is odd for Odin.
Betel chases Echo, sniffs Bella, and is scared of Watanabe. Which pretty much matches their cat personalities.
Off to do chores will Kevin keeps a watchful eye on the sleeping B.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Photos - Take Two
I messed something up. Here's the photos, plus a few more.
Also, I type really fast. That's why there's so many words.
And for those of you wondering, Duncan went to a better home. Kevin's boss Lori, and her partner, kept Duncan while we were in Ecuador. Their experience with him for a whole week (instead of the usual long weekend) made them think they were ready for a dog of their own. After a lot of thought, Kevin asked them if they would take Duncan. They have a no-other-dog home and the ability to take him to work every day. He seems so much happier with them - ears perked, tail lifted, and so he is in a better place for his special needs. It was a really hard decision for Kevin, but with our house, with the zoo, basically, he wasn't as happy as he could be.
Tuesday - 4th day with the new puppy
Having a puppy is harder than I remembered. I have no idea how I did it alone, with no fenced yard, moving three times the first month. No wonder Odin turned out to be so chill - he had already experienced everything by the time he was 9 weeks old.
Also, memory is fallible. I swore up and down Odin had three accidents, total, in his entire life. Then I opened his puppy book, and lo and behold, he peed out of spite, he peed when I wasn't looking, sometimes he peed in the house twice in a day. Up until almost four months old! I remember the torn up books, couch, chair, magazines, newspapers (a good use for a used Stranger), but not the accidents, biting, yelping, and all the other bad things only other dogs did.
I worked from home today, and we finally had a sunny, warm day (goodbye 50's, hello 70's) and so we got to sit outside in the yard, where Betel walked up to Odin, Odin growled, Betel walked away, Betel waited 10 minutes, walked up to Odin, Odin growled, Betel walked away. Repeat about 200 times and you'll have a good idea of what my day was like. That and me roasting in the sun with anemic-winter skin. It was a blast.
Then we went to the barn and my trainer drove Kevin around in the cart, which is totally awesome. As best I can tell, like other sports, what appeals to me about it is: the cart bounces and you get thrown around (surfing, falling) and there are lots of clanky noises and the smell of leather (climbing, regular riding, sailing). So it pretty much fits the bill for all my favorite sports, except you get to spend most of the time sitting on your butt. Betel got to watch, and he is definitely far more energetic than he was 3 days ago. Now I have to run to catch him before he gets in trouble.
The boring, but reason I started the blog: Betel eats about 1 cup of food a day. That doesn't seem like enough to me, but he's little. Odin only eats 3 now (with all sorts of old dog additives - herbs and horse joint medicine), but at the apex of his growth, he ate about 10 cups a day. Betel drinks a lot, and had no accidents today. He is biting a lot, and has little bursts of independence and then frantic running towards you with that ecstatic puppy look on his face. He has the fat little milk belly and the good puppy breath. His hair is a lot lighter than Odin's, so he looks sort of like an old man to me, whose scalp shows through.
I made a backpack for our routine which starts tomorrow. The backpack has a water bottle, two bowls (one for food, one for water), food, dog biscuits, pig ears, a jar of treats, a towel, and shortly after I finish typing, a leash and some 'biners to keep everyone together. I got a baby carrier at the used baby store, but he doesn't fit in it very well, so I don't think it will be useful. Plus, I feel stupid carrying him on my chest, like I am in the "desperate to have a child" category. Especially when he's wearing his sweater, which is only because his hair is short and he gets cold, not because I think he looks funny and cute in a sweater.
The parking garage where I work is about 50 degrees, and my plan is to get up early, wear him out, take a long lunch break, wear him out again, and give him a late afternoon bathroom, stretch-his-legs break. It's not ideal, but it's too cold to leave him in the dog room with the door open to the cat cage (which is basically an enclosed cat run, to make sure our neighbors don't think we're high class - we had to do it after the schizophrenic neighbor took Watanabe to the pound). Poor Odin will make the sacrifice of sitting in the car until mid-June when Orion arrives. Then the two boys will be in there together and in July I think I can start leaving them in the cat cage/dog room and coming home at lunch. I'm super stressed about only being able to work 8 hours a day with all the dog breaks.
According to the Odin bible, the first four months are the killer months. Then again, the Odin bible quits at the end of the fourth month, so my only basis for saying that is I quit writing "what am I doing wrong?" and start writing "my dog is great!"
Here's some more photos: the cats (gray=Echo, b&w kitten=Bellatrix, b&w fat cat=Watanabe); Quilliam; and Mercury, the wonder horse.
I'll do more photos soon (the new skylight, the raised garden bed, more adorable photos of Betel) and more highlights from Odin's wonderful puppy years.
Also, memory is fallible. I swore up and down Odin had three accidents, total, in his entire life. Then I opened his puppy book, and lo and behold, he peed out of spite, he peed when I wasn't looking, sometimes he peed in the house twice in a day. Up until almost four months old! I remember the torn up books, couch, chair, magazines, newspapers (a good use for a used Stranger), but not the accidents, biting, yelping, and all the other bad things only other dogs did.
I worked from home today, and we finally had a sunny, warm day (goodbye 50's, hello 70's) and so we got to sit outside in the yard, where Betel walked up to Odin, Odin growled, Betel walked away, Betel waited 10 minutes, walked up to Odin, Odin growled, Betel walked away. Repeat about 200 times and you'll have a good idea of what my day was like. That and me roasting in the sun with anemic-winter skin. It was a blast.
Then we went to the barn and my trainer drove Kevin around in the cart, which is totally awesome. As best I can tell, like other sports, what appeals to me about it is: the cart bounces and you get thrown around (surfing, falling) and there are lots of clanky noises and the smell of leather (climbing, regular riding, sailing). So it pretty much fits the bill for all my favorite sports, except you get to spend most of the time sitting on your butt. Betel got to watch, and he is definitely far more energetic than he was 3 days ago. Now I have to run to catch him before he gets in trouble.
The boring, but reason I started the blog: Betel eats about 1 cup of food a day. That doesn't seem like enough to me, but he's little. Odin only eats 3 now (with all sorts of old dog additives - herbs and horse joint medicine), but at the apex of his growth, he ate about 10 cups a day. Betel drinks a lot, and had no accidents today. He is biting a lot, and has little bursts of independence and then frantic running towards you with that ecstatic puppy look on his face. He has the fat little milk belly and the good puppy breath. His hair is a lot lighter than Odin's, so he looks sort of like an old man to me, whose scalp shows through.
I made a backpack for our routine which starts tomorrow. The backpack has a water bottle, two bowls (one for food, one for water), food, dog biscuits, pig ears, a jar of treats, a towel, and shortly after I finish typing, a leash and some 'biners to keep everyone together. I got a baby carrier at the used baby store, but he doesn't fit in it very well, so I don't think it will be useful. Plus, I feel stupid carrying him on my chest, like I am in the "desperate to have a child" category. Especially when he's wearing his sweater, which is only because his hair is short and he gets cold, not because I think he looks funny and cute in a sweater.
The parking garage where I work is about 50 degrees, and my plan is to get up early, wear him out, take a long lunch break, wear him out again, and give him a late afternoon bathroom, stretch-his-legs break. It's not ideal, but it's too cold to leave him in the dog room with the door open to the cat cage (which is basically an enclosed cat run, to make sure our neighbors don't think we're high class - we had to do it after the schizophrenic neighbor took Watanabe to the pound). Poor Odin will make the sacrifice of sitting in the car until mid-June when Orion arrives. Then the two boys will be in there together and in July I think I can start leaving them in the cat cage/dog room and coming home at lunch. I'm super stressed about only being able to work 8 hours a day with all the dog breaks.
According to the Odin bible, the first four months are the killer months. Then again, the Odin bible quits at the end of the fourth month, so my only basis for saying that is I quit writing "what am I doing wrong?" and start writing "my dog is great!"
Here's some more photos: the cats (gray=Echo, b&w kitten=Bellatrix, b&w fat cat=Watanabe); Quilliam; and Mercury, the wonder horse.
I'll do more photos soon (the new skylight, the raised garden bed, more adorable photos of Betel) and more highlights from Odin's wonderful puppy years.
Monday, May 29, 2006
End of the Long Weekend
We picked Betel up on Friday night, and now it's the end of the three day weekend. It's gone by fast. Betel seems to be picking up on housebreaking, though he's also picking up on weird little manic bouts where he doesn't know what he wants or how to burn the excess energy he's got, so he dashes around, grabbing toys or people or cats or tables as he goes past.
Things he doesn't like: being left alone in the car.
Things he does like: little bites of hot dog.
The cats seem totally chill with the whole puppy thing, and Odin has played for a few moments. I think they'll play more when Betel doesn't vanish beneath Odin's paw.
He got new toys from Value Village - 10 stuffed animals for $7 (1/2 off sale).
He's crying, so no more posts tonight.
Some highlights from "The Book of Odin" (his diary until 4 months):
fri aug 6 - takes over my bed - can stretch his tiny body and hog the top half of bed and both pillows. has begun jumping on my head at all hours to play. much more interested in surroundings.
sat aug 7 - favorite toy is small plastic sour cream cup.
Things he doesn't like: being left alone in the car.
Things he does like: little bites of hot dog.
The cats seem totally chill with the whole puppy thing, and Odin has played for a few moments. I think they'll play more when Betel doesn't vanish beneath Odin's paw.
He got new toys from Value Village - 10 stuffed animals for $7 (1/2 off sale).
He's crying, so no more posts tonight.
Some highlights from "The Book of Odin" (his diary until 4 months):
fri aug 6 - takes over my bed - can stretch his tiny body and hog the top half of bed and both pillows. has begun jumping on my head at all hours to play. much more interested in surroundings.
sat aug 7 - favorite toy is small plastic sour cream cup.
Introduction to the Family
This blog is about our dogs (and maybe, sometimes our other pets will get a mention). Odonata (Odin) is our rhodesian ridgeback. He will be 7 on June 21, and is a mighty (dumb) 120 pounds. He is, in all seriousness, the world's greatest dog. We are expanding the family so that Odin can train the newer members to be as regal as he is.
Our newest family member is Betelgeuse (Betel), who is also a rhodesian ridgeback, weighing in at 7 pounds and 6 weeks old.
We also have three cats: Bella, Echo, and Watanabe; one hedgehog: Quilliam; and a horse: Mercury. And three fish who I don't think have names.
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures, I will start putting up puppy pictures, since those are absolutely the cutest and most interesting part of having a puppy.
Betel joined our family on Friday, and in three weeks (we hope), his bigger, yet younger brother Orion will also add to the chaos. Orion will be a blue great dane, and who knows how much he'll weigh at 6 weeks.
So far, Betel: plays, sleeps, pees, and when we aren't looking, poops.
Our newest family member is Betelgeuse (Betel), who is also a rhodesian ridgeback, weighing in at 7 pounds and 6 weeks old.
We also have three cats: Bella, Echo, and Watanabe; one hedgehog: Quilliam; and a horse: Mercury. And three fish who I don't think have names.
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures, I will start putting up puppy pictures, since those are absolutely the cutest and most interesting part of having a puppy.
Betel joined our family on Friday, and in three weeks (we hope), his bigger, yet younger brother Orion will also add to the chaos. Orion will be a blue great dane, and who knows how much he'll weigh at 6 weeks.
So far, Betel: plays, sleeps, pees, and when we aren't looking, poops.
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