Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Stampy vs. Exuberdog - the Show Down
Judith started calling Orion "Stampy" about 10 minutes after she got here (whereas someone else was using dog toothpaste within 10 minutes, though I learned my lesson and kept it hidden away this visit). Stampy is an excellent nickname for Orion, who has so far just gone by "Little O" (because Odin is "Big O"). You can hear him coming all the way down the hall with his big, stampy feet; he's gray like an elephant; and it's just a funny word. Stampy.
I've just gotten a chance to sit down and do the week in review, because we had such a whirlwind visit with Aunt Judith and Grandpa Ric. It was fun to see the puppies through the eyes of someone new, and here's some of their observations:
When Betel walks, his belly snakes back and forth. He swings way out, like a slinky from the side. Orion and Odin don't do that. It's really funny to get above him and watch him go. He's like a Sidewinder.
Both puppies sleep on their backs when it's hot. They'll let their mouths hang open, and they splay their back legs out. Front legs sometimes stretch out, but more often stay curled in a begging position. Odin NEVER did this when he was young.
They have very different personalities that show when new folks are around. Betel promptly bit Judith several times (she politely called it nipping, but he hadn't done it to me before. After he got a taste of Judith, he started nipping me too. What a darling.). Judith, with her advanced obedience knowledge, put him in his place several times. She played a "game" where she rubbed him until he quit thrashing. He's very dominant. Orion, however, would flop over and just stay flopped. He's very good.
So, Judith took about 1000 pictures. Some of them are hilarious, and there's no way I'll ever post them all, but she took some really, really good ones. We are both very fond of pictures where people are making stupid faces, or a dog's head is moving or is too close to the camera, so we would laugh and laugh at photos other people might think are "bad." (I believe Judith shares this sentiment, that our favorite childhood pictures are this series of pictures of Dad sleeping on the couch, the ceiling fan, the walls, etc. No one knows who took it or why.)
While Dad & Judith were here we: took a lot of trips to the barn; went to the Farmer's Market; ate a lot of salmon (but not me and Judith, we don't eat things with faces); took the puppies on their first hike ever; got good photos of them getting a bath outside the one day it was hot; took Orion to the vet after his eye got totally swollen from a deer fly or yellow fly bite to the eyelid; Orion wiped his butt on dad's pant leg at the vet, which I thought was hilarious and Dad did not; at the vet Orion weighed 58 pounds, but at home the scale was acting up so I don't know this week's actual measurements. Judith brought treats, and the puppies LOVED their new toy. Odin promptly ate all three of the bones Judith brought, so the next day at Mud Bay she got more bones, but he hogged them too. We went to Western Meats and got them some marrow bones to help with the teething, but it seems to make Orion's butt even stinkier than normal, and they are really big bones.
I hope I entered this, but last Monday I finally gave Orion his 8 way shot - his final shot from the puppy series.
Yesterday, Melissa and Harry came over, and Harry showed that he is about 100x smarter than any one of my dogs (or even all three combined). They raced around and played and had a blast, and then Harry saw the cats, so I put them inside, but mean Watanabe kept looking out his cat door, and Harry ran around and looked in the windows for the cats. I've never seen a dog be so smart.
That's the short summary of the fun week. We took a few walks, and Judith also made dog treats. It was a lot easier to walk the dogs when there was one person per dog. Odin loves Judith, and I think all the family liked having her and Dad around.
I've just gotten a chance to sit down and do the week in review, because we had such a whirlwind visit with Aunt Judith and Grandpa Ric. It was fun to see the puppies through the eyes of someone new, and here's some of their observations:
When Betel walks, his belly snakes back and forth. He swings way out, like a slinky from the side. Orion and Odin don't do that. It's really funny to get above him and watch him go. He's like a Sidewinder.
Both puppies sleep on their backs when it's hot. They'll let their mouths hang open, and they splay their back legs out. Front legs sometimes stretch out, but more often stay curled in a begging position. Odin NEVER did this when he was young.
They have very different personalities that show when new folks are around. Betel promptly bit Judith several times (she politely called it nipping, but he hadn't done it to me before. After he got a taste of Judith, he started nipping me too. What a darling.). Judith, with her advanced obedience knowledge, put him in his place several times. She played a "game" where she rubbed him until he quit thrashing. He's very dominant. Orion, however, would flop over and just stay flopped. He's very good.
So, Judith took about 1000 pictures. Some of them are hilarious, and there's no way I'll ever post them all, but she took some really, really good ones. We are both very fond of pictures where people are making stupid faces, or a dog's head is moving or is too close to the camera, so we would laugh and laugh at photos other people might think are "bad." (I believe Judith shares this sentiment, that our favorite childhood pictures are this series of pictures of Dad sleeping on the couch, the ceiling fan, the walls, etc. No one knows who took it or why.)
While Dad & Judith were here we: took a lot of trips to the barn; went to the Farmer's Market; ate a lot of salmon (but not me and Judith, we don't eat things with faces); took the puppies on their first hike ever; got good photos of them getting a bath outside the one day it was hot; took Orion to the vet after his eye got totally swollen from a deer fly or yellow fly bite to the eyelid; Orion wiped his butt on dad's pant leg at the vet, which I thought was hilarious and Dad did not; at the vet Orion weighed 58 pounds, but at home the scale was acting up so I don't know this week's actual measurements. Judith brought treats, and the puppies LOVED their new toy. Odin promptly ate all three of the bones Judith brought, so the next day at Mud Bay she got more bones, but he hogged them too. We went to Western Meats and got them some marrow bones to help with the teething, but it seems to make Orion's butt even stinkier than normal, and they are really big bones.
I hope I entered this, but last Monday I finally gave Orion his 8 way shot - his final shot from the puppy series.
Yesterday, Melissa and Harry came over, and Harry showed that he is about 100x smarter than any one of my dogs (or even all three combined). They raced around and played and had a blast, and then Harry saw the cats, so I put them inside, but mean Watanabe kept looking out his cat door, and Harry ran around and looked in the windows for the cats. I've never seen a dog be so smart.
That's the short summary of the fun week. We took a few walks, and Judith also made dog treats. It was a lot easier to walk the dogs when there was one person per dog. Odin loves Judith, and I think all the family liked having her and Dad around.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Betel is now 18 weeks and Orion is 16 weeks
They weighed in at 43.5 pounds (Betel) and 50.5 pounds (Orion) this morning.
They graduated from Kinderpuppy, and we're starting Beginner Obedience in a couple weeks.
Here's some photos.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Orion put his front paws on the kitchen counter today
The batteries are still pretending to charge, so we will just miss a week of photos. Sorry dogblog fan club.
So, as the title says, today Orion stood up on the counter to try to get some dog food. They are getting a bag of Kibbles & Bits as treat food mixed in with regular food (we got it at the auction when we got the bed (now destroyed), the fancy collar (now too little), the toys (still being played with), treats (eaten), a free neuter (donated), and some other things). Betel is jumping on us a lot.
When they walk on the leash, Betel pulls and chokes himself. He'll go all the way around the block gagging. Orion runs away both from getting his collar on and getting the leash attached. So we are like Gumby - with our arms stretched two different directions.
Betel's name is better than Orion's. There are a lot of nicknames that go with it. Mostly I call him "Bete" (sounds like "Bee-tee"), but he is also "Greedy Bete" a lot. Right now of course I can't think of them all.
Betel likes to eat lying down. He'll put his paws around the bowl, get comfortable, and then smack his little lips and eat his food. It's pretty funny to watch. Orion tried it today, but decided he prefers standing. They are getting much better about eating out of their own bowls and not trying to eat the other bowl.
I have to leave town for a few days, so they won't get lunch. I'm nervous about how they'll do without the human interaction at lunch, and of course, lunch itself.
Bete's little "area" is a little red and swollen. Orion's looks good, but a little scratched up. I think they're both healing ok, but I think Bete is licking more. He's also a total drama queen and yelps and thrashes when I try to put on Neosporin or the Bitter Apple, while Orion sort of snoozes while I'm doing it.
So, as the title says, today Orion stood up on the counter to try to get some dog food. They are getting a bag of Kibbles & Bits as treat food mixed in with regular food (we got it at the auction when we got the bed (now destroyed), the fancy collar (now too little), the toys (still being played with), treats (eaten), a free neuter (donated), and some other things). Betel is jumping on us a lot.
When they walk on the leash, Betel pulls and chokes himself. He'll go all the way around the block gagging. Orion runs away both from getting his collar on and getting the leash attached. So we are like Gumby - with our arms stretched two different directions.
Betel's name is better than Orion's. There are a lot of nicknames that go with it. Mostly I call him "Bete" (sounds like "Bee-tee"), but he is also "Greedy Bete" a lot. Right now of course I can't think of them all.
Betel likes to eat lying down. He'll put his paws around the bowl, get comfortable, and then smack his little lips and eat his food. It's pretty funny to watch. Orion tried it today, but decided he prefers standing. They are getting much better about eating out of their own bowls and not trying to eat the other bowl.
I have to leave town for a few days, so they won't get lunch. I'm nervous about how they'll do without the human interaction at lunch, and of course, lunch itself.
Bete's little "area" is a little red and swollen. Orion's looks good, but a little scratched up. I think they're both healing ok, but I think Bete is licking more. He's also a total drama queen and yelps and thrashes when I try to put on Neosporin or the Bitter Apple, while Orion sort of snoozes while I'm doing it.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Weeks 17 and 15 (?)
The boys are recovering well from the big snip. They are a little pink and swollen, but they are just as active as ever.
Betel weighed in at 42 pounds this week.
Orion weighed in at a whopping 48.5 pounds. He's not even 4 months old yet!
My camera batteries are having some trouble re-charging, but I want to get some photos of their feet. The difference now between Orion's feet and Betel's feet is amazing.
They went on their first two walks - yesterday and today. Also yesterday we went to a dog show. We were there for the good deals (a cheap "Halti" for Betel, who pulls like a maniac, choking himself the entire way), but we saw some of the - I don't know one word for this - the world-of-it's-own-just-like-Best-in-Show while we were there. Including some "Busy Bees".
Betel weighed in at 42 pounds this week.
Orion weighed in at a whopping 48.5 pounds. He's not even 4 months old yet!
My camera batteries are having some trouble re-charging, but I want to get some photos of their feet. The difference now between Orion's feet and Betel's feet is amazing.
They went on their first two walks - yesterday and today. Also yesterday we went to a dog show. We were there for the good deals (a cheap "Halti" for Betel, who pulls like a maniac, choking himself the entire way), but we saw some of the - I don't know one word for this - the world-of-it's-own-just-like-Best-in-Show while we were there. Including some "Busy Bees".
Thursday, August 10, 2006
After the Big Snip
The big snip went smoothly. Snipping was done, nails were cut, and Orion got his rabies shot.
Odin also went in for his 3 month heart check up, and he is doing great. The vet suggested two things for his arthritis, when it starts really affecting him (a prescription and the Adequan weekly shots), and she said this winter, when it gets cold and damp, he'll probably get more creaky, but to keep him moving.
She said his heart is still a "Category II" murmur, which is what it has been since the first time she saw him. She said he can wait 6-8 months to come in for another check, unless I can't bear it or he starts to show some of the other heart failure symptoms. She said it has been exactly the same in January, February, April, and May - the other times I panicked and brought him in because he was acting funny. Since everything relates back to Elaine - I am the "bad patient" (except I'm good).
Speaking of being a bad patient, both puppies had swollen eyes last night, like the time Betel's eye got big (early blog photos). I gave them both Benadryl, but Orion's left eye got really gross and puffy. It had red puffy coming out of it. So I called the vet this morning and the tech I spoke with said they could have had an allergic reaction to the eye ointment, but she'd never heard of that happening before, so I left a message with the vet.
I think that's all the news for now.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Travel quote by Bill Bryson
"The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar that it can be taken for granted."
The boys are traveling today to the vet for the big snip. Last night in puppy class we worked on stay, walking on a loose leash, take it and leave it, and "go to your bed."
I'll miss next week's graduation, but Melissa is planning on going to take my place (and be a lifesaver!).
The boys are traveling today to the vet for the big snip. Last night in puppy class we worked on stay, walking on a loose leash, take it and leave it, and "go to your bed."
I'll miss next week's graduation, but Melissa is planning on going to take my place (and be a lifesaver!).
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Derby Day 2, Part 2
Mercury got 1st place on the second day.
Odin didn't break any more tents.
I got sunburned.
Derby Day 1, Part 2
Mercury got 3rd place on the first day, and Odin burst through the tent door, as pictured in the prior posting.
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