Diesel, Phoebe and Bailee all came home from their week at the resort with a case of the canine cold. The last few days, the girls have felt punky and even Diesel has been a bit restrained. Canine Cough is the canine equivalent of the common cold...so there's not a whole lot a vet, even one as awesome as Dr. Ron can possibly do about it.
It's just hard to listen to their little coughs, hacks and wheezes and know there's not much you can do to make them feel better. I imagine it's probably as frustrating as trying to teach a kid how to blow their nose...except, well, eventually the kid gets it or goes around school know as Snotty or some other unflattering nickname.
We've used a combination of remedies to try and power through this ordeal and I've learned that young Master Diesel is quite like a big ole Pooh Bear when it comes to honey...he LUUUUUUVS it. He loves all food, but this honey stuff gets him over the moon. silly boy.
I'm got Bailee on some childrens robotussin dm, to help her get some of the gunk out. Her nose is very dry and she is lethargic. But, still eating with gusto and telling Diesel when he's crossed the line. Mostly she's sleepy and not causing troubles...which is completely and totally unusual for her.
I think in a few more days we'll have this whipped and we'll all go back to the normal level of insanity around here.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Diesel Demands...
ATTENTION and if he doesn't get it when he wants it, he has about seven thousand different tricks to get it. These seven thousand or so odd tricks run the gamut between, adorable and psychotic! There's the push and snuggle, the galloping laps around the house to announce to everyone (even the spiders and dust bunnies) that MOM IS HOME, there's the counter surfing, the top of the crate bouncing and the low pet me rumble, which will morph into a bark if you're being particularly cruel hearted and ignoring him.
Now Bailee, also demands attention, but she only has about 4 tricks: pouting, squealing, pushing and peeing (in inappropriate places at inappropriate times). She postures over, adjacent to and in the face of her canine packmates, and will climb her humans like a mountain to should LOOK AT ME from the heightof a chairback or shoulder.
Bailee was given to Rescue for Rehoming, because her family didn't have the time and energy to give her the attention she needed. I am grateful to her first family for doing this, their selfless act allowed me to adopt a fantastic little diva when my heart and soul were pretty much shattered by the loss of my sweet Foley. I am fortunate enough to even have some of her puppy pictures and let me tell ya, I would have picked her from Day One out of that litter, she was freaking adorable. She was nearly two years old and had never suffered any hardship...though if you asked HER; not being worshipped as an unctuous object of enchantment, was hardship too terrible for any bulldog princess to endure. (She does think rather highly of herself, doesn't she?)
Diesel on the other hand, was surrendered to Rescue almost a year before his fifth birthday. From what I've been able to piece together about his history, he had been kept as an outside dog, in a pen with very sporadic human contact for the better part of 2 and a half to 3 years. Most of his experiences with his people in that "home" involved rough housing and playing tug of war death matches. There was little, petting, cuddling or soft hands and love for him. When he was surrendered to rescue, he spent several trial weekends in prospective homes, in which he proved to be too much dog for them. The remainders of out of control, crazy, rough play had left indelible marks on his sweet soul.
Diesel's journey really began on a March weekend when I went to visit my friend Jewlz, who is one of the "special" foster homes for Bulldog and Bullmastiff Rescue. She had Diesel for a few months and wanted me to assess him as a second opinion. I met a Brindle and White Wrecking Ball, that ran hellbent for leather and launched himself directly at my chest, to say HI! Fortunately, I twisted out of his way, or I would have felt a 65 pound rocket square in my sternum. I bent down to pet him and he was jumping up and grabbing at my hands and arms with his mouth. It took some doing, but I finally got ahold of his collar and got him to sit down and stop jumping. The mouthing though, oh he kept at that for what seemed like an eternity. I hadn't yet completed a Reiki course, or had an understanding of what it was, but I endeavored to make my heart and hands as steady and quiet as they could be, so that I could get Diesel to relax enough to let me pet him. Finally, I was able to pet him, in long, gentle strokes and let go of his collar. To my surprise (and Jewlz') he rolled right over on his back and let me give him a belly rub.
After that, we put the wild boy back in his crate with a fresh bone and had ourselves a hot tub. Jewlz asked me what I thought about him and I said "There's no way a new owner or average family could take that dog. He's got issues that will take YEARS to resolve and the mouthing is so rough, that he'd be in danger of being euthanized for biting." I committed to helping him find a perfect home and working with his manners whenever I had a chance to go out to Jewlz place. That was in March. In April, I thought we had found the perfect home for him...and in June he went on an 8 hour adventure to British Columbia...just long enough to terrorize the resident golden retrievers, cat and his adopter. I was beginning to lose hope for the little guy, he was such a sweet dog, but his behavior was pretty darn scary...EVER aggressive, but VERY intense and VERY physical.
So, over the Fourth of July, I borrowed Diesel for a few days, to allow Jewlz some extra room at her Boarding place for the HUGE number of dogs she was taking care of that weekend. Diesel came to our house and was great, he slept in his crate, pottied outside, wasn't afraid of fireworks and would chase his kong wubba until he could hardly stand up. Sure there was some mouthing and exciteable moments, but he was good with the girls and was really not a problem at all.
As it turns out, I was the right person to help Diesel overcome his issues. He never puts his mouth on people and unless he's super revved up, he doesn't jump and try to catapult into people either. He can walk on a leash, without dragging me into oncoming traffic and he's perfectly content to sit beside me on the couch or keep my feet warm on the ottoman, for hours at a time...so what if he gets a little vocal if he's not getting petted...he's inside with his family and he's definately owed some undivided attention...if not from the universe, from me.
I used to think that it was horrible to make a committment to an animal and then give it up to someone else. But, after having Bai and Deese in my life, I realize there are far more terrible things than rehoming a dog. As my friend Jewlz is always saying "Every pot has its lid."
Now Bailee, also demands attention, but she only has about 4 tricks: pouting, squealing, pushing and peeing (in inappropriate places at inappropriate times). She postures over, adjacent to and in the face of her canine packmates, and will climb her humans like a mountain to should LOOK AT ME from the heightof a chairback or shoulder.
Bailee was given to Rescue for Rehoming, because her family didn't have the time and energy to give her the attention she needed. I am grateful to her first family for doing this, their selfless act allowed me to adopt a fantastic little diva when my heart and soul were pretty much shattered by the loss of my sweet Foley. I am fortunate enough to even have some of her puppy pictures and let me tell ya, I would have picked her from Day One out of that litter, she was freaking adorable. She was nearly two years old and had never suffered any hardship...though if you asked HER; not being worshipped as an unctuous object of enchantment, was hardship too terrible for any bulldog princess to endure. (She does think rather highly of herself, doesn't she?)
Diesel on the other hand, was surrendered to Rescue almost a year before his fifth birthday. From what I've been able to piece together about his history, he had been kept as an outside dog, in a pen with very sporadic human contact for the better part of 2 and a half to 3 years. Most of his experiences with his people in that "home" involved rough housing and playing tug of war death matches. There was little, petting, cuddling or soft hands and love for him. When he was surrendered to rescue, he spent several trial weekends in prospective homes, in which he proved to be too much dog for them. The remainders of out of control, crazy, rough play had left indelible marks on his sweet soul.
Diesel's journey really began on a March weekend when I went to visit my friend Jewlz, who is one of the "special" foster homes for Bulldog and Bullmastiff Rescue. She had Diesel for a few months and wanted me to assess him as a second opinion. I met a Brindle and White Wrecking Ball, that ran hellbent for leather and launched himself directly at my chest, to say HI! Fortunately, I twisted out of his way, or I would have felt a 65 pound rocket square in my sternum. I bent down to pet him and he was jumping up and grabbing at my hands and arms with his mouth. It took some doing, but I finally got ahold of his collar and got him to sit down and stop jumping. The mouthing though, oh he kept at that for what seemed like an eternity. I hadn't yet completed a Reiki course, or had an understanding of what it was, but I endeavored to make my heart and hands as steady and quiet as they could be, so that I could get Diesel to relax enough to let me pet him. Finally, I was able to pet him, in long, gentle strokes and let go of his collar. To my surprise (and Jewlz') he rolled right over on his back and let me give him a belly rub.
After that, we put the wild boy back in his crate with a fresh bone and had ourselves a hot tub. Jewlz asked me what I thought about him and I said "There's no way a new owner or average family could take that dog. He's got issues that will take YEARS to resolve and the mouthing is so rough, that he'd be in danger of being euthanized for biting." I committed to helping him find a perfect home and working with his manners whenever I had a chance to go out to Jewlz place. That was in March. In April, I thought we had found the perfect home for him...and in June he went on an 8 hour adventure to British Columbia...just long enough to terrorize the resident golden retrievers, cat and his adopter. I was beginning to lose hope for the little guy, he was such a sweet dog, but his behavior was pretty darn scary...EVER aggressive, but VERY intense and VERY physical.
So, over the Fourth of July, I borrowed Diesel for a few days, to allow Jewlz some extra room at her Boarding place for the HUGE number of dogs she was taking care of that weekend. Diesel came to our house and was great, he slept in his crate, pottied outside, wasn't afraid of fireworks and would chase his kong wubba until he could hardly stand up. Sure there was some mouthing and exciteable moments, but he was good with the girls and was really not a problem at all.
As it turns out, I was the right person to help Diesel overcome his issues. He never puts his mouth on people and unless he's super revved up, he doesn't jump and try to catapult into people either. He can walk on a leash, without dragging me into oncoming traffic and he's perfectly content to sit beside me on the couch or keep my feet warm on the ottoman, for hours at a time...so what if he gets a little vocal if he's not getting petted...he's inside with his family and he's definately owed some undivided attention...if not from the universe, from me.
I used to think that it was horrible to make a committment to an animal and then give it up to someone else. But, after having Bai and Deese in my life, I realize there are far more terrible things than rehoming a dog. As my friend Jewlz is always saying "Every pot has its lid."
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Not a holiday themed blog.
I hate holidays. Seriously, all the drama, preparation, clean up, dress-up, etc. is more than I personally care to deal with. Cooking a turkey or a ham is a colossal pain in the ass. I mean, if it was just the cooking it would be cake, but there are bones, carcasses and grease to clean up. I'm not a neat freak by any stretch, so I prefer to not make much of a mess in the first place.
However, I'd be a colossal asshole if I didn't recognize that some of the meaning and sentiment behind the holidays were worthy of note. Yesterday, I cleaned out the last super sized vari-kennel and wire crate of Foley's and took them over to Barb Worrell's place, who is the main bullmastiff rescue person in the Pacific Northwest. She got two boys in over the weekend, one was emaciated and full of yeast and bacterial infections; he'd spent most of the last 6 months kenneled outside after his family lost their house and moved to an apartment that didn't allow dogs. I got to meet him when I brought the crates and cratepads over to her place. The next boy that came in was abandoned at an animal shelter in Spokane, no note, no nothing, we think he's about 8 or 9 years old. Can you imagine? Taking care of another being for that long and then dumping them, without a note or even a name tag?
So I'm thankful this weekend. Thankful that I was able to give some things to help make those boy's lives easier. Thankful that none of my dogs will ever have to be "unwanted" again. The tree are chewing bones; Bailee in the computer room with Aaron and Diesel and Phoebe in the living room with me. I need to get showered and to the grocery store...but it's sorta hard to get motivated while everyone else is being lazy and enjoying the day. Somehow, I will persevere, the dogs are nearly out of cookies and there appears to be only one more bone in the freezer!
However, I'd be a colossal asshole if I didn't recognize that some of the meaning and sentiment behind the holidays were worthy of note. Yesterday, I cleaned out the last super sized vari-kennel and wire crate of Foley's and took them over to Barb Worrell's place, who is the main bullmastiff rescue person in the Pacific Northwest. She got two boys in over the weekend, one was emaciated and full of yeast and bacterial infections; he'd spent most of the last 6 months kenneled outside after his family lost their house and moved to an apartment that didn't allow dogs. I got to meet him when I brought the crates and cratepads over to her place. The next boy that came in was abandoned at an animal shelter in Spokane, no note, no nothing, we think he's about 8 or 9 years old. Can you imagine? Taking care of another being for that long and then dumping them, without a note or even a name tag?
So I'm thankful this weekend. Thankful that I was able to give some things to help make those boy's lives easier. Thankful that none of my dogs will ever have to be "unwanted" again. The tree are chewing bones; Bailee in the computer room with Aaron and Diesel and Phoebe in the living room with me. I need to get showered and to the grocery store...but it's sorta hard to get motivated while everyone else is being lazy and enjoying the day. Somehow, I will persevere, the dogs are nearly out of cookies and there appears to be only one more bone in the freezer!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
"on Demand"
I was walking Diesel and Phoebe the other day and got to thinking about how totally imperfectly they walk on a leash...zig zagging, darting off headlong into a hedge, or in Diesel's case, sometimes trying to lunge at the occasional oncoming vehicle (ugh). It occured to me, that my dogs aren't necessarily "well-behaved" and then it occurred to me, that I really didn't care too much that they weren't. This got me to thinking about things that I wanted to behave perfectly, or function "on demand". I want my car to start when I turn the key, my lights and heat to turn on when I flip the switch, my internet needs to connect and my television needs to turn on ('d love it if there was actually programming to watch, but I don't expect that...).
My dogs? I suppose my expectations for them are lower...I expect them to go outside to potty (sometimes Bailee, takes exception to this and I did catch Diesel lifting his leg in the house once too). I expect them to get along with each other and not fight (again, Bailee is under close supervision and I find myself watching ear set....A LOT). I have different expectations for each of them, especially the bulldogs, who were and are just a little bit broken from mishandling.
I am simply amazed at Diesel's progress, when we first adopted him, he couldn't sit still for 2 minutes without trying to grab your hand or foot and mouth them...he had a lot of time outs and it took a lot of reiki and patience to help him learn to settle himself. He still has some issues when meeting people or seeing other dogs, or if, suppose Aaron is eating something and sitting on the couch. Now I can get his attention, have him leave Aaron alone, sit and do a down; he does get a cookie, but the fact that he CAN be called away from food right in front of him is HUGE. When I watch tv, or read a book, Diesel sits either right beside me, or on the ottoman, so he can rest his head on my ankles and doesn't make an attempt to chew...he will sometimes make some weird gutteral noises, to inform me that he would like to be petted, but otherwise, he is the perfect cuddle-bug. He even snuggles up with Aaron on the couch and is a perfect love. He's so sweet and loving, I can't imagine how anyone would have kept him in an outdoor pen, alone for so many years. Sure, he has his non-perfect issues, but the stuff that matters...well that's pretty much "on demand".
Monday, November 16, 2009
Bulldogs is nice
This morning, I woke up around quarter to 4, to find out that the power had gone out. 'Tis the season for windstorms and the like...maybe this will be the one I finally get a generator. I got up, grabbed our cell phones (to set for backup alarms, in case the power stayed out) and snuggled back into bed, where the bulldogs had not moved an inch. As I got myself situated, both the little snots snuggled closer and I realized that when they're sleeping and snuggling, Bai and Deese are pretty much the best dogs ever. Though, there's really not that much more room in the bed, from when it was three bullmastiffs....interesting.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
We're pretty much out of our everlovin' minds...
...but Aaron said the other day that he wanted another Bullmastiff puppy. So the search begins, it's a lot different from when we were looking for Foley ten years ago. The technology and communication is so much faster, plus we "know" more people in the breed these days...we're also a wee bit wiser about some of "drama" surrounding various dogs and people. In some ways that makes it all just a bit harder to sort through.
It's funny how priorities have shifted a bit as well. I was really excited and into showing Foley when we got him; puppy uglies and all. He was entered the day after he turned six months and resembled some sort of biafra hound with a gigantic skull and stilts for legs. But of course, to my novice eyes he was perfect and his breeder encouraged my delusions as she was "building points" for other dogs she was affiliated with. Anyway, live and learn. Now my biggest concern is finding a pup that is healthy, allergy and skin problem FREE and somewhat resembles one of my favorite breeds. If the pup turns out, I'll show him. If not, it surely isn't the end of the world...not even close.
I know there are honest breeders out there, with healthy dogs and I've started talking to a few of them. We're in no hurry, I believe we'll find the right dog at the right time....
So let's see...120+42+55=217 + 20 to 130, in the first year....that's a lotta dog!
It's funny how priorities have shifted a bit as well. I was really excited and into showing Foley when we got him; puppy uglies and all. He was entered the day after he turned six months and resembled some sort of biafra hound with a gigantic skull and stilts for legs. But of course, to my novice eyes he was perfect and his breeder encouraged my delusions as she was "building points" for other dogs she was affiliated with. Anyway, live and learn. Now my biggest concern is finding a pup that is healthy, allergy and skin problem FREE and somewhat resembles one of my favorite breeds. If the pup turns out, I'll show him. If not, it surely isn't the end of the world...not even close.
I know there are honest breeders out there, with healthy dogs and I've started talking to a few of them. We're in no hurry, I believe we'll find the right dog at the right time....
So let's see...120+42+55=217 + 20 to 130, in the first year....that's a lotta dog!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Everythings fine, everythings great...
I've just been busier than a one legged man in a kicking contest and haven't had time to post anything to the blog. Combine the demanding job, some volunteer time for Cascade Bulldog Rescue/Rehome and the COLD FROM HELL (no, i just WISH it had been swine related) and Diesel's blog is suffering for some content.
Don't worry, we're happy and in the end, isn't that really what matters?
Don't worry, we're happy and in the end, isn't that really what matters?
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