Heart Like a Dog

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

We're At 50%

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Yesterday I posted about Hubby and Sampson’s close encounter with the tree branch after our Friday night walk.   BTTB (Before the tree branch) I had intended on posting about a really good recall Delilah had.

I knew Hubby was heading our way so I was trying to keep the dogs busy on the trail to give him the time to reach us.  We had just reached the top of one of the trails and I was planning on doubling back through, when I heard Tia (the GSD) and her moms approaching.

I tried to hustle the dogs along before they reached us, but Tia had spotted Sampson and came running at him to greet him.  Delilah and I had stopped and turned and when Tia saw Delilah she came running at her.  She wasn’t being aggressive in the least, but given Delilah’s past experience of being a bit leash reactive, I didn’t want her to feel she was trapped.  So I dropped the leash.

After a few seconds of greeting, Tia ran back to one of her moms.  Without panicking I sang out, “Delilah come on, here!”  She came running back to me and I rewarded her with treats, praise and pets.  I was so very proud of her!

The very next night we were cresting the top of the trail where the other entrance to the park is, and Brady and one of his moms were just getting ready to head in with their friend Kodak.  I dropped the leash so Delilah could run over and greet them and she ran right past them and out into Tia’s yard.

Luckily for me, one of Tia’s moms stepped on the leash which stopped her progress.  Tia was in the yard having a rousing game of fetch with her other mom and I’m glad Delilah didn’t approach her in her own yard.  You never know what the outcome will be.

So right now, her recall is at 50%.  When her recall gets to be about 95%, I will consider taking her off leash.  In the meantime I’ve just finished reading “Bonding With Your Dog” by Victoria Schade and am practicing some of her methods.

I also started a new command with her, which I intend on blogging about one day this week.

Sunday isn’t over yet, but I’m calling it a good one!  I hope you had a great weekend and I hope you rock your week. 🙂

Holy Smack Down Batman!

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When we got to the park last night the LaCrosse team was there. 🙁

Lately someone has been opening the gate to the park so most of the cars drive right in.  It was kind of overcast and pretty windy and at one point in our walk I said, “We’re going to get some weather tonight.”  Of course neither one of the dogs answered me because….well they’re dogs and they can’t talk.

While we were walking Hubby called and said he was on his way home, he said he’d meet us at the park.  I figured he’d be getting there pretty close to the time we were leaving and I was right.

Hubby drives a Jeep Wrangler, it’s his baby.  He’s had it lifted, he puts accessories on it, he loves it. He has a soft top and soft doors so the hard ones can come off in the summer and he can remove the soft doors when the weather is nice and he takes the top down.  It is a boy’s toy.  Did I mention he loves it?

I figured when Hubby came to the park he would drive the jeep right in and I was right, since the gate is rarely open and he likes driving his jeep in the woods. He thinks it’s cool. Go figure.  He was driving up the main path as we were walking down.

Sampson and Delilah were excited to see him but we were on our way out, so I asked them to sit so Hubby could pass (they did of course.)  Hubby said, “You can go ahead, I’ll go slow.”

So Sampson, Delilah and I started out of the park with Hubby driving behind us. Sampson kept running back to the jeep wanting to go with Daddy, but the jeep following us was freaking Delilah out.  She kept turning around and looking and after about 30 seconds of this I said to Hubby, “Go ahead, she doesn’t care to have you behind us.”

After we had exited the park Hubby asked Sampson if he would like to ride home with Daddy.  I’d like to say Sampson jumped at the chance but truthfully the jeep is so high that neither one of us can hike our fat butts into it.  Daddy had to help him up.

Delilah of course, went with me.

Hubby has this thing about parking behind me.  I could speculate about the reasoning, why men like to be behind women, but then I don’t really think this would be a dog blog. 🙂

So Hubby sat in the road while I drove around him.

Sometimes I have premonitions.  Scoff if you’d like but it’s true.  It is usually just a strange or random thought and I never realize it’s a premonition until after, and it’s usually fairly quickly after.

In this case, I drove by the jeep on the passenger side and noticed Sampson sitting there, with no seat belt and no doors.  I thought to myself, “I don’t like the idea of him in the jeep with no doors on it.”  This (in retrospect) was the premonition.

It’s a very quick trip from the park to our house with about seven houses on each side of the street.  From the park down the hill our house is on the left.  Since we are in America and not in Europe, I was driving on the right-hand side of the road.

Just as I got ready to pull into our driveway, I heard a very loud, whooshing sound.  I turned around just as this really large branch fell from the very top of a tree, missing the jeep by inches.

It may not look it, but it’s a VERY large branch.

I’m almost 100% certain that my eyes were wide and my mouth was open and I was doing a fairly good impression of a tree frog trapped by a snake.

We pulled into our driveway and Hubby and I got out of our vehicles in a bit of shock.  Hubby said the tree branch did in fact hit the top of the jeep and scared my punkin so, that he actually climbed onto Hubby’s lap.  (OMD I just got a case of the giggles thinking of  big ole Sampson squishing himself between Hubby’s tummy and the steering wheel.)  Hubby lifted up his shirt and had a huge scratch where Sampson scrabbled over him.  My poor, poor punkin was so scared.

Thankfully he seemed fine when he got out of the jeep.

We put the dogs in the house and went over to help the neighbor.  She’s an older woman suffering from MS and she uses a walker.  She was actually out there picking up the smaller pieces and putting them on her walker and chuffing them up the driveway.

So whaddaya say?  Was that a premonition or not?

I say it’s the Saturday morning blog hop hosted by our friends at Two Little Cavaliers, Confessions of the Plume, and Life With Dogs.

You can link up at any of the above hosts.  Enjoy your Saturday!

Follow-Up Friday

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For those new to the blog, my follow-up Friday provides me with an opportunity to update or revise a post from the previous week.

You know sometimes you post about something and you need an update but it doesn’t warrant a whole blog.  Or sometimes someone made a comment that really resonated with you.  Yup, Follow-Up Friday baby!

Happy Gotcha Day Delilah! – Author’s Note:

Like just about everything else I write, somehow that post didn’t quite come out the way it ran in my head.

She has come a very long way and I sometimes forget to focus on that. Instead I look at where I would like her to be.

Truthfully if she had a reliable off-leash recall the rest would be fluff. 🙂  She really is an amazing dog.

Ouch THAT Bit Me! – Update:

Last year I wrote a post about how the bugs love me and how as soon as I step foot in the park they send out the call, “Dinner is here, come and get her.”

Well let me tell you, since I started bringing that racket the call now goes, “Oh my God, she’s hear.  Stay clear, she’s got the stick of death again.  Please take a moment to remember our fallen comrades.”

I’ve walked with that racket every day since I wrote that post, keeping a mental note is my head of all my kills. 🙂 Currently the house points bug kills stand as follows:

Monday – 5 (Although I do think one of those zaps might have been a dandelion fluff.) No points for indiscriminately swinging. 🙂

Tuesday – 1 (What a disappointing day.  This has got to be the day they sent out the warning call.)

Wednesday – 7 (My best day yet, but I’ve still not gotten a deer fly.)

Thursday – 4 (Not my best day, but definitely more satisfying than Tuesday.)

Friday – 6 (I was so close to getting 7 and tying the record, but alas it was not to be.)

Even though I’m walking and swinging the death stick, it is still somewhat startling when you hear that SNAP!  Oh and guess what?  Bugs smell when they’ve been fried. 🙁

I’m disappointed that I did not smote more bugs and have to say the death stick is certainly not even close to being in the same league as the Elder Wand, but it has afforded me some satisfaction against those bugs AND it is another weapon I have at my disposal to aid in my protection from ne’er do wells and the Zombie Apocalypse.

Exercising Challenges – Update

The weather broke!  YAY!  While we all still get hot as we are walking, it is not as humid so the exercise is way more enjoyable. 🙂

WTF/Whoo Hoo Wednesday – Author’s Thought

This week’s post while sad, was not nearly as horrific as last weeks.  I think what I learned from this post is my next Blog the Change post will be directed at education for law enforcement as to how to handle canine interactions.  Siriusly, this shit has got to stop.

The Post Where I Whine And Cry And Basically Feel Sorry For Myself – Update

I have the absolute best readers in the entire world and yes, I’m talking to you.   You all had such really nice things to say about me and my writing and I really, really appreciate it.  I intend to respond to every single comment, I promise!

I said I felt like shutting the computer off and never writing another word, I didn’t say I would actually do it.  Sheesh, you should know me well enough by now that when I have a captive audience (yes you are, go ahead and deny it all you want) I’m going to keep sharing my opinion.

Siriusly, I was/am disappointed but there is a reason and some time when the time is right, I’ll figure out what that reason was.  Rejection is part of a writer’s life and I need to toughen my skin.  I was so taken off guard by the e-mails and I took it personally.  As many of you pointed out, they were not saying I am not a good writer they are just choosing another, easier path for them.

I think I also need to have a bit of confidence in my writing, it’s just that so many of you are SO good and I read your posts and think, why can’t I write a post like that?  Sometimes I think my writing it too simple.

What I want to be clear on is I volunteered for about 8 different things and have only been contacted on three.  One I had to decline because of personal stuff going on with me.  One I actually did work and the others are administrative opportunities that take place during the day when I am working.  Oh and I was asked to put up flyers.

I haven’t decided if I will blog about their organization (I am very spiteful it seems) or if I will just say thank you, I hope it all works out for you and look for something else.

I think sometimes I just feel like all I am doing is treading water and making no progress.  I’ve been posting every day for a year and a half and I think somehow I thought I’d be a little further along than I am.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am truly grateful for your friendship and support, and the fact that people other than my family and friends actually read this blog.  I guess I just hoped I would have attracted a sponsor by now, or be at least doing product reviews.

As they say, “All in good time, my little pretty – all in good time.”

Oh wait, that was a witch wasn’t it? Well….if the Ruby shoes fit. 🙂

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