Heart Like a Dog

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

Dear Delilah/Dear Mama…Day Three Hundred, Twenty One

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There are times I dearly wish the dogs and I could have open, clear communication.  I imagine it might go something like this:

Dear Delilah,

I love you very much and am so proud of all that you have accomplished in the four and half short years you have been with us.

There are times when your intelligence knocks my socks off, like how quickly you took to agility and how when we are walking and your leash becomes snagged you stand there calmly waiting for me to free you.

Then there are times when I am left shaking my head and wondering just what the hell you are thinking.

You have a tendency to destroy things, and really I am ok with your destroying toys that I give you, however I really have a problem when I come home to find you’ve eaten:

a stick of butter,

a bag of chips,


destroyed a box and rearranged the paper plates.

And while I’m cleaning up that mess; you go in the shopping bags and take out the grapes.  Delilah, there is a reason I don’t give you grapes, they are dangerous for you; they can kill you!

Can you enlighten me, as to what goes on in that chocolate brain of yours?

With much love,

Mama

Dear Mama,

I believe you are referring to yesterday morning when you ignored my hint that I was bored and wanted something to do. Okay, so you threw the ball a couple of times, then ignored me and went into the kitchen where you tempted me with a fresh stick of butter.

Do you remember butter Mama? And the butter wrapper you used TO LET US LICK.

You made yourself something to eat and then without even sharing anything, got dressed gave me a garlic tablet and left.  A garlic tablet!  What kind of dog do you think I am?

I thought about that butter and its salty goodness and I couldn’t help myself Mama, I had to have the butter!  Once that stick was gone my appetite was whetted and I started looking around for something else.

I thought about the table in the dining room and how you are always shooing me away from there and I figured there must be something good on it.  Unfortunately I had to lick a few plates, and chew a little cardboard before I hit the mother load.

Those potato chips are good, but I don’t have opposable thumbs Mama, (you said it tonight when you insisted on going through the door before me)  my only resource is my teeth, so I tore that bag up getting those chips.  But oh the saltiness,  it was well worth the disapproving look you shot me when you saw it.

I’m sorry you don’t approve of my methods Mama, but quite frankly I don’t always approve of yours, like making me lie down or sit for my food, or how about that long leash you make me drag around, or that bath you gave me yesterday after my wonderfully smelly roll in the field, and the way you make me wait until exactly 9:00 before giving me my treat.

Think about it Mama and you will realize the blame for yesterday falls on you.

I love you too.

Delilah

Delilah's a Diva…Day Three Hundred, Twenty

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Sampson and Delilah basically took the summer off from daycare.  They still had lots of interactions with other dogs, via our walks and our impromptu training classes, but they didn’t go to daycare and hang out with their buddies for nine hours a day.

Since they started daycare again last month there have been a couple of amusing stories.

There was the day Sampson disciplined a puppy rather harshly and needed a timeout. 🙁

That same day Delilah almost went over the counter when the pizza delivery person came; and I don’t think it was the pizza she was after. 🙁

Then Friday I got a call at work. 

“Jodi?  This is ‘N’ from the Mellow Mutt.” “Sampson is laying in a crate sleeping, which I think is normal, but Delilah is standing in front of the crate barking.” “Is she trying to tell me something?”

She then goes on to say, “I looked at him and he’s breathing, but I don’t know if Delilah is trying to tell me something is wrong; does she do this at home?”

My head was spinning and I was thinking no, she doesn’t do that at home because he doesn’t go in his crate at home, he prefers the couch.  And why the hell am I paying money for the dogs to go to daycare if they are only going to be sleeping?

I had a customer on the line and said, “I’ll have to call you back.”

I hung up on her and handled the client, then called her right back.

“A funny thing happened after I hung up,” she said, “Sampson got out of the crate and Delilah went in, I brought him over and told him he could go in there too, so they’re both in the crate.”

That’s a true story, I swear.  Delilah will bark or whine at Sampson when he has a toy she wants or if he has had some treat and she wants to clean up after him.  One time she barked at him in the middle of the night because she wanted his spot on the bed. He got off the bed.

I’ve come to the conclusion, Delilah’s a Diva.

Blog The Change….Day Three Hundred, Nineteen

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Every three months, the 15th day is designated  Blog the change 4 animals.  A day when bloggers united by their love and passion for animals use their voices to try to make a change.

For me what is near and dear to my heart is the six to eight million dogs and cats that get dumped into shelters every year.  More importantly I ask myself why?  Why does someone adopt a pet, then unceremoniously dump them; a week, a month or a year later?

Those sweet little bundles of fur grow up, kittens become cats and puppies become dogs and raising an animal takes time and money.  All of a sudden a couple months later, what was once a sweet, cuddly bundle of fur is making demands on you.

I don’t have all the answers, but here are a few reasons I can think of.

CATS:

Cats smell. One of the main reasons I didn’t want another cat after I lost my Smokey was the litter box. I hate cleaning the litter box.  I forget there’s a litter box until I smell it.  GROSS.   Sometimes cats don’t use the litter box.  Un-neutered males will sometimes spray.  If the litter box is full sometimes cats will void somewhere else.  In my mind there is nothing stronger than the smell of cat urine.  I can smell it as so on as I walk into a house.

Cats scratch.  Kittens have claws for defense; that is how they protect themselves.  In order to keep their only form of defense in tip top shape, they scratch.  Furniture, wood, rugs.  My current cat is tearing up my rugs.

Cats climb on things.  Yes, the current cat loves to jump on the counters as well as the dining room table.  I don’t want a cat on either one of them.  

DOGS:

Time.  Dogs require training and training takes time!  When you meet someone with a beautiful dog that sits and waits for petting you are looking at a dog that has a LOT of time invested.  Well trained dogs do not come that way!  They must be trained.  Just like you ‘train’ your child. 

Exercise.  I don’t care what anyone tells you; dogs require exercise.  Depending on the dog it may be minimal exercise but you still need to exercise the dog.  You have a job, a family and friends; your new dog has YOU.

Expense.  Dogs are expensive.  The cost of food, vet bills, training classes; they all add up to a tidy amount each year.  We spend about $2,500 per year on our dogs including food, medications and vet bills; and that is not including training or doggie daycare.

Having just written and re-read this it would seem like I am trying to discourage people from having animals and that is NOT the case at all.  What I’m advocating for is for people to educate themselves BEFORE they make a committment to bring a furry bundle of love into their home.  

BREEDERS:

A responsible breeder should make sure people are aware of the costs and time associated with a new dog/cat. 

A responsible breeder should do a home check or at the very least should check in with you every couple of months to ensure all is well.

A responsible breeder WILL take your pet back for any reason at any time.  You may not get your money back, but the goal is to make sure that pet is well taken care of.

Shelters/Rescues/Pounds:

Should educate potential adopters of the time and expense that goes into raising an animal.

Should partner with a local training center/trainer and negotiate a discounted training rate for adopted dogs.

WILL make it right.  When we adopted Delilah we were told she was spayed; no-one was more surprised than us when she went into heat.  I contacted the rescue and they paid for all the fees associated with her spaying.

WILL  take the animal back if for any reason you cannot keep him/her.  The American Lab Rescue where we adopted Delilah from REQUIRES we return her to them if for any reason we can no longer keep her; it is written in our signed contract.

For me the goal will be to educated ourselves and others who may be interested in adopting/owning a pet to know the investment required to have that dog sitting nicely; waiting for petting.

Blog the Change. Be the Change!

This is the Blog the Change Blog Hop, you can get your link here.

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