Horsefeathers!

Soooooo... my husband is letting the dogs in or out or something. Whatever it was involved him hanging out the back door having what sounded like a one sided conversation. When he came in, I asked, of course, what all the hub bub was about. In his most nonchalant voice, he told me that the kid at the house behind us just gave our dogs some bones, and he told him not to do it again. Uh huh. Okily dokily then. So what kind of bones and which dog(s)? That only resulted in him looking like this :-? and shrugging his shoulders. By now, I'm all freaked out and head out the door, braless at that (you'd reallllllllly have to see me to fully grasp the impact of that). I knock as politely as one can knock while in a full fledged panic attack/rage. Apparently, in that house, the entire family answers the door, dunno. Anyway, here they all come and I ask as politely as I can (while shaking like a bird sh*tting peach seeds) about the bones and if the kid can tell me what dog(s) got what bones. The whole family, except Mama, pipes up, "bones?" "he didn't give 'em no bones!" (the older kid seemed quite p*ssed off, but we've had problems with him before) "I ain't seen no bones!" *vigorously shaking heads*. Mama asks the one kid what he did with his chicken bones and he said he threw them in their yard. Thank whatever powers that be (because this woman and her family truly hate my dogs, I swear) this woman made the kid go get the bones and show her. By now, you're probably wondering what the point of this crap is. There is no point. The kid found the bone, Mama didn't kill him, my dogs are safe (I reckon), and I have earned even fewer popularity points with my neighbors. I'm sure Mama didn't appreciate my intrusiveness (izzat a wurd?), and I swear I was not trying to be rude, but at least she got to the bottom of it and didn't cuss me out. I had just walked back into the house when I first started typing this, and now I feel all better. Y'all have great ears for bending.

I'll betcha nobody on a dog board is going to care that you call them Newfies. I do it, too, and never would have thought otherwise about it. It's kind of like talking about blowjobs and head jobs on grooming boards. Nobody even considers that it might have anything more to do with a dog than just blow drying hair, or trimming a head. :wink: Absolutely impatiently tapping my toes here to get some news on this guy. Can't wait.

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WgDtAicd4Vom38xsxaLYcCHMWhUoh27mNDoJ00r6O2zNm!MSSgJaMul3vpYWZfH1MRPsS!Vti*pGN7AT!q7oneqJiiZU9MbFSJkjRLe4KxxigROyYYSzgYhlGjET7hop8w1wrgwaPLo/hahaha.gif?dc=4675441322206333973[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XgCJAj4eWcAmJrhh6PUbtN5WEdKm4k3tWeJNu4eWhUVJ8vJ0cBLtCLPs1trF30B8jAWtY1E2Y1yoYZTkHdwqKTCFe5p7dX1IMFBMQdm4UwSku16e2N2yF4YkXIO1loGqW8Kg19WdGFQ/cat%20rofl.gif?dc=4675441794237481597[/img]

Perry sleeps like that... with his eyes wide open. He looks dead. :-? The way Perry kidney punches me in my sleep, I think he must be dreaming he's a cow or a mule or something. :-?

Just a little vent... Right now, I have dogs and cats coming out of my ears, it seems, and I don't mean just mine. I network with some of our area's rescue groups which works out great for me... it means I don't have to feel so overwhelmed by taking on more than I really have the resources for. Having help now, I can usually get the easily adoptable dogs into a foster home without more than a 48 hour MAX layover at my house. If I'd had these resources available to me over the last few years, the truth is I wouldn't have ten dogs. Some of them are former fosters. Well, some people who are wanting to dump their animals can be a little demanding, can't they? Not only are they wanting to dump them, they want me to make it convenient for them. There's a lady with two Persian cats that's been after me for a few weeks about those cats. I think I finally might have it worked out for a rescue group to take them, but it's about 1 1/2 hours from where the cats are now. Do you think she wants to drive them that far, even though she's desperate to get rid of them? Nooooooooo.... I suppose it'll be my job to drive the half hour NORTH to get them from her, and then drive the 1 1/2 hours SOUTH to get them to the rescue and then another 45 minutes NORTH again to get home. Sure, no problem, I'm not doing anything. Geez, it just p*sses me off that people will try to treat me like *I* am the bad guy for not being more accomodating when they're ready to dump their animals. Maybe I should call ahead and ask if they'd like me to bring them anything while I'm out and about taking care of THEIR business. :x I also have the sweetest little Lhasa in the world that we're trying to find an open foster spot for. At least the lady with this dog is patient and not in a hurry to "get rid" of her, and she's not being demanding and rude. This dog has a good chance for a foster home and adoption, but it's not like these rescue groups are just sitting around with no other animals in need and nothing else to do. I'm so glad that at least this lady is not being a butthead. How is it that the people actually involved in rescue work can be the ones villainized by the people dumping their animals? These rescue groups have been really great to work with, and have made every effort to help me (heck, by working with me, they're taking dogs from out of state... they could just tell me they're too busy with their own), but I can't just go demanding that they stop whatever they're doing to accomodate me. I wonder what makes the people getting in touch with me about their animals think they can do it to me? :-? I do what I can to help, but I think I'm going to put a stop to some of it. What happens a lot of times is that it's a client of mine, or a client of our clinic. Sometimes, people call the clinic asking about how they can get rid of their animals without dumping them at the local high kill shelter, and the receptionist usually tells them, "I don't know, but let me put you in touch with our groomer... she can probably help." It's just a rant. I really don't mind helping, but I wish people wouldn't treat me as if I'm just a dog or cat dumping post with a neon sign out saying OPEN 24/7.

Or DivOb could post a link to some resources. :oops:

[quote name='DeafAussieLover']and just now about 20 mins ago Styerk and cody were on the floor at my feet both sleeping, then all the sudden i hear stryker screaming an i look down to see cody attackin the h*** outta him for NO REASON [/quote] DAL, it may not have been apparent to you, but there had to have been a reason in their little doggy minds. Perhaps they were staring each other down? Not really obviously to you, maybe, but THEY notice it. I'm certainly no expert, but I'll tell you how we've handled conflicts in our household. Taking it at face value, meaning I'm going to assume that Cody is not acting differently otherwise... no health issues, nothing else going on, I'm wondering if it's something that has started really small, maybe things you really didn't notice, and it's just escalated to this. That's what happened when my friend had Peaches. Peaches is the most docile, easy to get along with dog I've ever known. However, my friend created a monster with her. When her dogs would "compete" for attention, treats, whatever, she tried too hard to be fair, or her perception of it, and really overdid it. They began competing a little more violently and she tried even harder to coddle them down. Peaches became TOO competitive and began outright attacking one of my friend's other dogs for what would seem like no reason (but looking at the whole picture, in hindsight, I should have seen it coming... it wasn't "out of nowhere..." there had been signs). In my house, Peaches is a different dog. If I hadn't seen her do it at my friend's house, I'd almost swear that she is incapable of attacking another dog. She shares her bed, toys, space, they tromple her, and she just seems to laugh it off. I think we create our own monsters and my friend created one by coddling Peaches whenever she would compete for attention. All that jibberish said, what we do in my house is simply not tolerate it. I know a lot of people believe in letting dogs sort out their problems, and I used to believe it, too, but not anymore. I've had too many near catastrophes. We stop it before it ever starts. We don't allow posturing, lip raising, growling, hackling up, [u]staring[/u], anything that could be perceived as threatening. It never has a chance to escalate to a physical confrontation. The times we've had dogs scuffle, we make it clear in absolutely no uncertain terms that we strongly disapprove and will not tolerate it. This may fly in the face of some of the more esteemed experts, but I just don't let them try to establish any sort of pack rank, anymore. I mean, it's always kind of there, but none of that posturing and reinforcing stuff. With ten dogs in the house, it's imperative that they all get along, and I call the "pack" shots in this house, not them. It's also important for me to know that I can bring home fosters without my dogs wanting to attack them. Since they know that animal aggression isn't tolerated, they don't even do more than sniff a new dog. Now... with all THAT jibberish said, it's probably a good idea to keep Cody and Stryker separated except for when you are monitoring them as in eyes on them, at least for a cooling off period. I have a couple of dogs that absolutely cannot stand each other, so we put as much space between them when we aren't able to watch them as we can get. We don't allow them to scuffle and they know better, but I would never trust them implicitly. Sometimes there are just some dogs that have decided, for whatever reason, that they do not like another dog. My Schnauzer and my Lab... ugh! They love everyone else individually, but my Schnauzer HATES my Lab and never misses a chance to try to pick a fight with him. Of nine other dogs, the Lab is the ONLY dog he bothers. Watch them closely. Intervene [b]before[/b] it turns into a violent confrontation. Stop any staring, posturing, growling or anything that could be threatening behavior. Just direct their attention elsewhere. I'm not quite crazy enough to believe we've got it all figured out and that we will NEVER have a fight break out... just that we really stay on top of it, and the dogs seem more content in knowing that they don't have to compete with each other. Hopefully, someone with a little more insight will pop up. This is just what works for us. I tend to try not to over-analyze them and instead deal with the problem at hand rather than try to get into their little heads. I only dig as deep at the problem as I need to unless, of course, I suspect a health issue or some other underlying problem. Good luck.

Sitting here tapping my toe... Waiting... Waiting.... :o

Yay for Pooh! I know Tucker was walking on his leg much sooner than I actually thought he would after surgery. Makes you feel good when they start acting like they feel better. I'm glad Pooh Bear is coming along nicely.

Like, hello n' stuff. 8)

[size=1]Am I the only one wondering if somewhere there's a very happy Mrs. Puggy?[/size] :oops:

[quote name='Cairn6']I am one of those that likes to give people the benefit of the doubt because we never know who is on the other side of the computer, how old they are, what your going through right now, how lonely a person might be. [/quote] Hey, I thought we agreed to let that drop and never bring it up again! :x Just kidding. I remember when you thought I was the biggest jackass here. You still might, but at least you stopped saying it. :oops:

I can't wait for Debbie's input. I'm sure she'll be along later. :lol:

[quote name='Horsefeathers!']Well, the way Debbie goes on about how they're hyper, barky, dig up everything, [b]detructive[/b], I just can't imagine why.... *ducks* :oops:[/quote] De[u]s[/u]tructive, even... :oops:

Well, the way Debbie goes on about how they're hyper, barky, dig up everything, detructive, I just can't imagine why.... *ducks* :oops:

Of course, there are long haired pits. I have two of them. Some guy at a gas station told me so, so I know it's the gospel truth. Strange people at gas stations don't lie! :o What would you like to know? Here is a picture of them. Notice the tough guy (that would be Mr. HF) with them and the heavy duty plastic chain used to keep them at bay. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0ZADtAuke*RS54ZSGFpBYXJZzAzxNDDmHkx*YcBkvJv9tM!1VoxJIY7zRV*ucAbzS7ueB5ghZw4lMLxDP9xJfRZIAedqDCxP4aRB1ygbXUEderq3m4ur2sjhC6Wq99UW6DywfXpz3v6N89YOxVL*!uQ/Jerry%20%26%20P3.jpg?dc=4675444591903650416[/img] I would SO love to see a picture of Mei-Mei's long haired pittie. I just assumed I had the only ones.

[quote name='Kat'] She is a dog after all and you can dry her feet when she comes in. [/quote] Oh, dear, sweet, beloved Kat... :lol: (if BK sees that, she's going to vomit, and then she's going to rip me a new arsehole :lol: ) Have you ever had to dry a coated dog that's soaking wet (what a stupid question... you probably have)? I'm not talking about those wonderfully dense, water repellent coats that *ahem*cough* Collies and such possess, but [u]Maltese[/u] (like the original poster has), Lhasas, Poodles, and the like. It's a whoooooooole 'nother ballgame than just drying the feet. Unless that dog is kept in a relatively short trim, repeatedly getting wet and dry can be a nightmare. I promise I'm not picking on you. That just made me laugh out loud because I remember my own experiences with coated, wet dogs. :lol: To be totally honest, when I had dreams of keeping one of my Lhasas and Poodle in show coat (a looooong time ago), I potty trained them for INSIDE. I never had luck paper training because they always wanted to shred the pee pads, but I litter box trained them just like a c@t. It was easy and they didn't confuse inside and outside. If you're interested, just get a large litter tray. I learned from experience to use plain cheap clay (or paper) litter, none of that scoopable stuff. If they ever get the scoopable stuff in their mouths (and mine did), it turns into pretty much concrete and becomes a very real choking hazard. Mine nearly had to make an emergency run to the vet. Never a problem with the regular clay or paper litter. In a pinch, I've even used clean sand. Anyhoo, I'd place some waste, a turd or a paper towel that was used to soak up pee, in the litter box with the litter. Then I'd frequently put the dogs in the box with it and give a command (ours is "go wee" and it works well to this day... if outside and in a hurry, I can give that command and they go on the spot). It only took a few times for my girls to realize that was an acceptable potty spot. My dogs took to litter training MUCH better than paper training. Perhaps it just feels more natural... more like "outside." It's been years since we've done this and my dogs are all kept nekkid now, so they have no more need to use a litter box (out in the rain they go), but I've had no problem with them just going outside. They never seemed confused at all.

Errr... uh... On the rare occasion that I've had to use Benadryl for MY dogs for, you know, itching and stuff, it's never hurt them. Occasional use and all that. All it's ever done is make them [u]sleepy[/u], poor things. They so needed the relief from the scratching until I could get to the root of the problem, you see. Of course, I would never, ever condone drugging a neighbor's dog. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQAAAOIcFkbjkju3DyhF0Is2Awf0ooyqQf8aNFZEyMhSrRzedqhYhWU396sW7BGF9RenCBEE0Uf!LP1KIyv0*SXtM6FYWSWcO68UG8!0lvdNf6XnRqfHIoGYwXLAY18WFcxyEqg!0jA/mouse.gif?dc=4675490923803269424[/img][img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YwDwAqsfxk2VQwKU1!51HdetqBQpkey6r4Ba*Uqc8bfdY8h*3b6rvSdKSunlCzz!BT!jdfFigyEal07zKEqu8IR4yXKY3Mq9vVCkI2mntlAeniKMgP*muOa*MQUjwXwekkyiWO8Kh18L01CxoGXC6g/can%20o%20worms.jpg?dc=4675436072335082448[/img]

Give the dog a nice Benadryl meatball tonight? :oops:

What a sweet thing. I'm sure she appreciates all you are doing for her.

[quote name='DogPaddle']"dancing" which seemed to involve hopping and flailing to the beat. [/quote] Sorry, I have nothing to add that no one else hasn't already said, but this made me laugh out loud. Flailing to the beat... *snicker*

We have a four foot livestock fence. Any of my smaller dogs could walk right through it if they wanted to. Fortunately, the electric wire just inside the perimeter keeps them from wanting to. I wish so much that we had a privacy fence for several reasons. For one thing, the neighborhood kids love to taunt my dogs through the fence, causing them to bark. Another thing is that I have a swimming pool and the neighborhood kids like lining up at the fence and just gawking over when I'm trying to swim :o . Shoo! Go away! We considered installing a privacy fence, but since we are planning to eventually move, couldn't justify the expense. Hopefully, before too long, we'll be out of here and on some acreage where there will be no close neighbors and we won't need privacy fencing. My best friend has privacy fencing and the neighborhood kids still beat on her fence and holler over and taunt her dogs. :-?

Oh, we posted at the same time. :oops:

If it were MY dog, I'd wash the crap out of his face with baby shampoo (since it's tearless and easily accessible... can buy it anywhere) and then go ahead and wash with the dish soap. It shouldn't hurt a thing as long as you rinse properly. Rinse, rinse, rinse and then rinse some more. As soon as the water runs clear, rinse a bit more and you should be good. A vinegar rinse will help cut some of the soap. The greatest risk you run of skin irritation from using dish soap is from not rinsing it thoroughly. The dish soap itself shouldn't hurt a thing (err... avoiding eyes, of course).

Ok, today at work, there was a lovely young Bloodhound pup. Not a wee tiny thing, but maybe half grown... that gangly, goofy age. Now, this is the South and there are several Bloodhounds (as well as other hunting hounds) that grace our clinic with their presence. Several of them are regular boarders. Anyway, I've had a chance to hear many a bay and it's not too disturbing OUTSIDE. We have some covered outside runs where the larger dogs can stay during fair weather. However, today was rainy and dreary and all the bath dogs had to be confined to a small room INSIDE. Back to the young Bloodhound. He bayed his fool head off all day. One wall of my room is opposite the tub area where this little fella bellowed and bayed all freakin' day long. Might not have been so bad but for the block walls and concrete floors and stainless steel cages... all of which seems to just bounce the sound around. By the time I left today, I was fit to be tied. Nothing I tried would drown him out. I turned on every piece of equipment I had today for white noise (fans, air conditioner, clipper vacuum system), radio up loud as I could stand it, nothing. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0ZQAjY4IfFEgn5YnL00k!DWMkMJdh4FzliTKiKRvBvIMg5WjmFG!gXwWfO3q536t5JSsFh3bb7EBhDKWqIPqXzXaOaILgFvw6ce0f9aKLMajUYXQxkN3OJUwoOWq8hLsQQjjK4bBf6hil3hb0QAwo7Q/la%20la%20la%20la.gif?dc=4675382217526523049[/img] So I thought of you today. :) Sweet dog, but HOLY CRAP! Hounds lost a little bit o' their appeal to me today. :o [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XAAGAzcer707l5zUo6ZUSodcJtv7RaJ7B*1ZKPgMc3!ZrUctbI4NtNSok*mq9i*kZ5OpMPWw202gAGBhXtX43jyBsk4AlUOSXA51YvbmyQQF56X2SSJ7EfSJh46z0CiI76eNjrNZkws/crazyguy.gif?dc=4675403379470483734[/img]