scaredy cat

And the thunderstorm fear continues.

hi!

we need to find doggie day care here. what is our baby going to do when the babies come?

its been a while

since I've aw-ed our dog.

Isn't he a cutie?

medium dog, mini bed

When 9 lb Mini Dashhounds visit, Bailey gets a new pillow (stolen and placed atop our bed...)

typical sunday

naptime (he was asleep before i turned on the camera!)

the scary black dog

Earlier this week, Bailey and I took a jog on our usual two mile loop and ran into one of these folks. More specifically, her dog came to visit us.  Apparently he (also a Bailey) slipped his collar and came running down the street. I heard him approaching via the scuttling of the leaves - scared the crap out of me to be honest, since it was dark and I didn't know it was a 11 lb Boston terrier coming).  So little dog and my dog sniffed each other. Little dog peed in someone's yard. Bailey was jealous since he couldn't go far enough into the yard from his leash to pee over the spot. I finally got the owner's attention (she was 4 houses up the hill and seemed to think I was yelling for fun and her dog was still in her yard). She came to get him and nearly died when she saw them sniffing each other. Ok, so her dog was under my dog. But her dog was there by choice, sniffing my dog's junk!

her "oh my goodness"
me "haha i think they're ok, just saying hi"
her "blah blah you dog is surprisingly friendly"
me "um, yeah, he loves other dogs"
her "wow"

OK, so not the worst exchange ever but still annoyed me for the rest of the run.

Sure, my very medium black dog - he's only 45 lbs - is, well, black and a mutt of undistinguished heritage.

But he IS super friendly.

Likes: food, people, dogs, treats, running off leash, dog food, car rides, standing in the bay window, car rides with head out the window, cheese, food, petsmart, doggie day camp, the dog park, milkbones (see a theme here?), other dog's water bowls, nylabones, stuffed animals, my bed, kids, bicycles, cleaning plates, belly & ear rubs

Dislikes: stuffed animals with the stuffing intact, hot sauce, rain, walking slowly on leash, coming when called outside, anything the vet does near his hindquarters

Fears: thunder, storm drain grates, cars backfiring, fireworks

People need to learn that some dogs are mean, and some are not. You can't tell just by looking at them. That fluffy 15 lb cocker spaniel at my mom's is way more likely to bite you than my dog is (knock on wood of course, on all counts). And he smells better too.

really, he looks harmless anyway.

nighttime run

So I had tonight free, and the weather is nice (50s, clear), so I figured it was time to suck it up and run in the dark (and the dog needed a run. He must have slept alllll day.)  So we go, planning 2 miles with the dog and 2 on my own.

I broke out the headlamp I got at the end of last winter too; figured I should get used to it again. It was ok. Honestly, I probably looked a little silly. It was under $15, and isn't super bright (but is bright enough...I mean I'm not running in rural Idaho here), and since it was so clear tonight AND the moon is out and it was 7 pm, not 6 am, there were quite a few cars on the road (so, all said, it wasn't super dark save for about 3 separate blocks).

Super Dork.

So around mile 1, Bailey pooped. This is normal, and I think a result of our almost-always-10-minutes morning walks. He almost always poops at mile 1 when we run (This is actually a recent development though, since until 6 months ago he would only poop in our yard, not out walking. Weird dog.).  So I pick it up in the grocery bag I have tied to the leash, and we go on our merry way. This is probably our fourth or fifth run since March or April. I got pretty spoiled with rugby & the dog park in those warm months (and he's a crummy running partner when its warm and there BIRDSSQUIRRELSRABBITSohisthatakidonabike??). At this point, I'm pretty darn pleased how well its going, as we're still working our way back to the 3 miles we were doing together at the end of last winter (I am 100% sure he is 100% fit enough for this. I think he just gets bored. And then he sits. Then I get annoyed. For now, low expectations.)  I was considering trying for 3 with him tonight since he seemed so happy and undistracted.

So around mile 1.5 I check my watch.
Except I can't see a damn thing on my Garmin.
Because it is covered in spattered poop (I didn't take a photo, you're welcome).

I was carrying the poop bag in my right hand, not knowing there was a tiny hole. Apparently the bouncing as we ran propelled just a tiny drip up and over my wrist with each step to land smack on the face - the large face - of my Garmin.  Not a speck to be found on my jacket. The wonders of (gross) physics.

It cleaned right off with a little water and a paper towel when I got home....but I nixed those other couple of miles tonight for emotional trauma ;) (any excuse, right?)

happy (belated) howl-o-ween

milkbones & candycorn, Bailey's favorites (really, he likes candy corn) in one concise skeleton costume!

my little baby

seriously. he's so freaking spoiled.

A Dog's Life, Cont.

So our dog is scared.
SCARED.
Of pretty much everything but food & people. Oh how he loves people. And running off leash. Though he doesn't like people and running off leash at the same time since he's pretty much impossible to catch and running off leash is never on purpose (for me) unless there's a 6 ft tall fence around us. But I digress.

He wasn't always scared of things. I'm not sure when he started disliking sewer grates, but I remember the morning when he first scaled a 10 foot snow bank to avoid walking over one (this went on for weeks, thanks Snowpoclyspe). I do know when he started fearing the stove & oven...two separate incidents involving two seperate cooks, one with bacon, one with dripping cheese, both with a smoke alarm and people unresponsive to the dog's pleas to BARKgetoutsideCIRCLEreallyBARKokfineyoudieatleastletmeoutHIDEUNDERBED. Apparently under the bed is the place to go if there is fire. Or, say, anyone is cooking. This perturbs me, since now if there ever is, heaven forbid, a fire, the dog will be under the bed :(

And...perhaps as a result of two years of July 4th Fireworks at my parent's boat, 200 yds or so from the fireworks barge, Bailey is also scared of thunder.
He hears storms coming long before the wind or rain starts, and ends up climbing on you, burrowing his little ostrich head into the pillows. Or he hides, under the bed.

This week though, I think he's been reading up on thunderstorm safety.
See, thunderstorms can bring tornados (theoretically even in Eastern PA, believable given what happened in Brooklyn this year!).  In a tornado, you should go in the basement. If you can't do that, a room without windows will do. Or a bathrub, preferably with a mattress overhead.

He's all set (sans mattress).

maybe he was just hot? I don't know. He stayed in there for an hour!

a dog's life

Can't find the dog?
Wandering all over your (1400 sq ft) house calling for the dog, wondering where the heck he is?

Did you check his bedroom?

Sorry I woke you up dude. Be sure to make the bed when you get up.

Heaven forbid the little prince sleeps on the dog bed when there's two people in the queen and he's relegated to the foot...

Happy 4th of July!!

We were lucky to have awesome weather and a nice shore breeze! A beautiful day with family & an old friend!

A car-ride nap...a puppy necessity for a busy day!

Wind in the ears = happy dog. Until the fireworks anyway...

lunching on a little table!

Mom & our fearless captain

lots of sunblock for us!!

showing him off

no point to this at all.

But Bailey was very well behaved (in his bandana in honor of our college kids' prom dress game) and had a great time chilling with the fans and other dogs on Saturday!

spoiled rotten

In honor of our dog - he's not a puppy anymore I guess - who woke me up by taking my spot on the bed today. I was wedged so tight between him and my wife I couldn't roll over. He has a bed in the bedroom too. Brat.

good dog

Or not.

We love our Bailey like a baby. I'm sure he'll be second seat when we have an actual kid, but for right now, he gets new toys and special trips to the park and a heck of a lot of attention.

So you can imagine my horror when we returned from some errands on Sunday to find an empty brownie pan on the floor. I admit half my horror was from the fact I was planning on making sundaes with that half tray....

But an hour or so after this discovery, our semi-lethargic dog got me worries (nevermind that he'd had a pretty busy weekend and is typically lethargic on Sunday evenings).  A call to the emergency vet, a trip to CVS for hydrogen peroxide, and a good puke later, we were on our way to the e-v (what does one call an emergency vet for short), since many calculations and some confusion about the type of brownie mix and amount of added chocolate chips led the vet to think Bailey had probably had a high enough dose to warrent treatment. I kind of think he would have fine with just the hydrogen peroxide - which revealed he ate most of the brownie whole - but I know if I got home from work today to a pup in a coma or worse, I'd be beside myself with guilt. So, it was a $374 batch of brownies ($1 mix, $1 ingredients, $2 hydrogen peroxide, $369 at the vet).

He is cute though.

shopping (semi)fail

I am a terrible Christmas shopper. I like to shop. Really, I do. But, I kind of suck at giving gifts. My family always tended to buy things as we needed them, something that has continued into my adulthood and certainly the way Princess Charming and I handle things. We were hard pressed to get stocking stuffers. (OK, I am pretty easy to shop for. Get me wool running socks. Or earrings. Or clothes. But I don't NEED anything).

Anyway, tonight, on December 22, I went out to get my parents a present.
Started out OK. I got the last camera at the $79.99 sale price (not bad for a 10.2mp camera...no bells and whistles but it will do the job and be 10000% more effective than the "we didn't want to bring the good camera" situation they currently have). Then I waited in line for 13 minutes to get it from Customer Service.

Then I thought, "hey, I'm out, I'm 2 blocks from T.arget, let me run and get the memory card and case"

Let me remind you it is December 22.

I got to T.arget and got a spot within a reasonable range, though pretty far out for 9:43 pm.
Then I went inside.

Holy hell.
I have never seen the inside of a T.arget - much less this particular very suburban typically impeccable one - in this sort of condition. It looked like a W.almart, without the people.
I spent about 10 minutes trying to find a game for my cousins and the camera accessories, then decided I was nuts and left.

I got in the car and had a complete heart attack because the camera box was not under the seat where I left it.

Then I looked in the back seat.

Bailey - he was along for the ride...he loves a car ride and is perfectly happy to sleep in the driver's wheel well for 20 minutes in temperate weather - appearently thought it was his and chewed the ends off the box. The camera, CD and books are fine, but I sure hope my mom and dad like it...

snow!

We're having a big storm this weekend, really early for our area too. So our excursion to NYC was canceled - a two hour drive or train ride sounds like a poor choice with 14-18 inches predicted - and I'm home working on my paper browsing the internet for deals and baking.

Princess Charming just took Bailey across the street to play in our neighbor's fenced yard with his dogs. Snow + two dogs! What more could our little guy (who spent most of the morning curled up on a pile of couch pillows, spoiled little dude) want?

I can see the three of them running around in my neighbors yard from my seat on our couch, and am filled with joy. Amusement. Something like that. Regardless, it reminds me how much I want a baby. Is that weird?

love

Tired dog.


The only way to get this photo.

practice

Our pup was a rescue, and his litter had a bad case of pavo before we adopted him (2 of the 7 didn't make it). Bailey is quite a robust dog, but this summer developed a wart which the vet said was related to the pavo, and had a bad enough bout of diarrhea to warrant a trip to the vet (which is, actually, where the ugly wart was finally diagnosed...since it wasn't bothering him - for a month - we'd let it go).

Some chicken and rice, powdered food sprinkles and some sort of pill later, he was fine. But two months later, the diarrhea is back. It could be anything - eating a weird mushroom in the yard perhaps - but it has been a day and is starting to concern me. Back to chicken and rice tomorrow, and powered sprinkles on the food (we did the last pill already)....lets hope we don't need another ($$) vet trip. He's lapping down the water, so I'm hoping he stays hydrated.

But I am worried a bit. Ok, perhaps I spent 30 min on the floor petting him in front of the heat vent where he likes to hang out. But I want him to be ok, even if he is a little annoying at full energy. How will I function with a sick kid??

destruction

Bailey has been really good the last year about only chewing on his toys. Except for the occasional pair of underwear plucked from the laundry, but otherwise, really good.

The last 8 weeks or so we've even stopped crating him most days. And he's been good! Sure, the couch cushions get shoved around (how else can he get to the window to watch me drive away and abandon him for 10 hours?). Sure, his treat bag gets plucked off the 4 ft high hook (hey, I want a midday snack too. Though I don't jump 2.5 feet for it...). But he has a bladder of steel and is beyond happy to see me when I get home, so things have been good.

Then about two weeks ago, he learned to open the front closet. (It slides, he doesn't have thumbs for turning door knobs).
Over the next two weeks, one at a time, he ate two pairs of my running shoes (thankfully, both nearing the end of their lives). These were cool shoes (see stock photo below. I somehow didn't have the heart neglected to record their demise). Why else would I buy two identical pairs within a month of each other?
I am 100% sure I will never find perfectly fitting python print running shoes again.

He's also pulled out Princess Charming's shoes, but hasn't as much as nibbled on them. So, I assumed I just have tasty foot sweat. My new running shoes are safely upstairs, so I let it be.

Then I got home Monday.
The new fall mail/key/remote control basket was on the floor. Up the stairs. Down the stairs. All over. You get the picture.

Also all over, in lots of bitty pieces...my rain boots! ARGH!

Then Tuesday. Happy Halloween for the pup, who pulled the bowl of leftover candy off of (the middle of) the dining room table and proceeded to pick out all of the mini Reeses. And unwrap them for a midday snack. He was really neat about it - every foil wrapper had the paper wrapper neatly inside of them. I really wish I had a photo of this, but I cleaned it up in a mild fury (and I also searched for signed of doggie chocolate rejection, of which there were, thankfully, none).

And then today.

Today Bailey apparently got bored. The stuffed kong and two PB dipped nylabones were not enough. Today, we moved on to the couch.

Specifically, the lower right corner of each of the three cushions that make up the back of the couch. Example (all three look oddly alike):


While he is looking adorable sleeping on the couch next to me right now, exhausted from a long day of a walk, sleeping, chewing on furniture for the first time, visiting his friends at the PetSmart hotel, and playing with new balls, you can BET he will not be left uncrated again for at least a few days. Sad!