Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Party Time!!

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Anyone who knows me knows I love a party. I admit this party is a bit different to me, but I’m willing to put myself out there to gain some exposure for my blog.

Not typically one who likes to sit on the side-lines or on a chair against the wall, I still find it somewhat difficult to walk up to someone I’ve never met and introduce myself. But since you aren’t looking me in the face, here goes!

Hi my name is Jodi and I’m a dog-a-holic. I love my dogs, I think they’re awesome and I love to talk/write about them. My dogs are so wrapped around my heart that I sometimes find it hard to believe that there are actually other dogs out there that are as cute, or as smart as mine.

Sampson is my baby; he is the first dog to ever grab a hold of my heart. He rescued me when my children had all left and I was lonely. Everything I had was poured into this sweet little puppy; that brings a smile to my face everyday with just a wag of his tail. He can jump up on the bed in the morning and I can hear/feel the tail; thump, thump, thump, the smile comes of its own accord.

Delilah is my second hand rose. Someone dumped her off at a high kill shelter with the misconception that she wasn’t worth anything, their loss is my gain! It has been a long, hard road but she brings me joy on a daily basis.

No-one ever said the road of life would be easy, but being on it with my babies makes the journey so much sweeter, so kick back and enjoy the ride with me.

The Ants Go Marching One By One…Day One Hundred Fifty Six

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The banana skin and its uneaten ant covered flesh were lying close to each other, I took notice as we got out of the car. 

Delilah LOVES bananas, she saw it as soon as she jumped out of the car.  Thankfully I had her on leash, so I walked into the park and released her.  She turned around and ran right back for the banana, she picked up the uneaten fruit and tried to chew it. I was panicked because the banana  was covered in ants. I ran back and grabbed her by the back of her neck, giving her a little quick jerk…”Drop it.”  I repeated the motion and the command, Delilah valiantly tried to swallow the banana but couldn’t,  she finally spit it out;  but it was no longer covered in ants.

Why must people leave garbage on the trails?  How hard would it be to carry the banana home?

What Is Really Best For Your Dog…Day One Hundred Fifty Five

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If I have learned anything from having Sampson and then Delilah it’s this…no two dogs are alike.

Sampson is Mr. Friendly, when he sees another dog regardless of whether he is leashed or not, he wants to greet the dog.  Once he ran out in the street to greet a pit bull; he was rewarded for his efforts by a nip on his ear.

Delilah on the other hand has become very unfriendly to other dogs when she is on leash.  On Saturday our friends joined us on our walk; as we entered the park all the dogs were on leash.  Amelia who Delilah knows from Thursday night obedience class came a little too close for Delilah’s comfort and Delilah growled at her.

Yesterday as we were leaving the park Delilah was on leash and I saw some dogs tentatively approaching us, I tried to maneuver Delilah so we would not be involved in a greeting, but quickly realized that the dogs were coming faster than I anticipated and a meeting was inevitable; I unleashed her.

I made the decision (as the person who knows my dog best) as to what was best for her; the dogs all met, and then we went on our way with no altercations of any kind.

Today when we got to the park, the lady with the little pit bull was leaving; she had her dog on the gentle leader and was trying her best to keep her dog from approaching mine.  I had Delilah leashed and tried to distract her with meat, but she would have none of it; in the end I had to grab her collar and pull her away.  She resisted.  To an observer, it would have looked like I was DRAGGING a dog, who was trying desperately to get away from me, as she twisted, growling and snarling trying to get to the other dog.

I knew Delilah was not going to sit while the lady with the dog passed, so once again I made a decision about what I thought was right for my dog.

My point is this; there are many passionate, well-meaning dog lovers who will gladly share with you their thoughts on what is appropriate or inappropriate in training your dog (me being one of them.)  I listen, I love to hear what other people think, I will consider anything (short of physically man-handling my dog) but in the end, I do what I think is right and what I feel comfortable with and you should too.

No one knows your dog better than you do and no one knows what is best for your dog, except for you.

She doesn’t look like she would hurt a fly.

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