Sub-Par Treats

Sep 24, 2012

This guy used to be homeless. Now he turns his nose up at treats that are not chicken jerky.

You Stink.

One lovely Sunday at the lake, the rain began to pour. Buckets, I tell you. So, in the interest of preventing muddy dogs for the drive home, we put all six dogs in the garage and closed the door. Somebody went into the garage for ice and came back to report that the furry guys had gotten into the garbage. 

Oh geez. Well, it's better than mud, right?

Wrong.

Dasher came galloping into the living room, a smile on his face, tongue hanging out and REEKING of what smelled like dead, rotting fish. He came at me like he was going to give me a nice, big, juicy fish kiss, but before he could, I sent him to the bathtub for a detox.

Grandpa said he'd had tuna fish a couple days ago, and Dasher must have discovered the remnants. We all agreed that must be the root of the smell and had a good laugh over it.

On Monday, Grandma emailed. Yes, there was tuna fish in the garbage, but Dasher didn't get into it. He chewed a bottle of deer repellent and do I know what the main ingredient in deer repellent is? 

Do you know what the main ingredient is in deer repellent?

BEAR URINE.

Dog Run

I'm a runner, and Dasher usually runs with me. It's a great way to expend some of his young-dog energy. Last week, I ran the Peachtree Road Race in my beloved hometown of Atlanta. Sixty thousand people run the race, and there just isn't any room for pets. In lieu of Dasher's presence, I wore this shirt:

Shirt from johnshipe.com

I bought the shirt from John Shipe, a musician in Oregon who happens to have a pit bull. He knows the bad rap his pal gets, and he decided to write a song called "Pit Bull Blues" about the undue stereotyping. Watch the video on YouTube - you'll love the message!


Although Dasher did not run with me, he did run with all of his doggie friends. All. Day. Long. They played so much that he and his best friend slept all the way home to Knoxville. They started the trip like this:

Gracie and Dasher snoozing in the backseat
July 4, 2012

By the end of the car ride, they had ended up this way:

They're a pack all to themselves!

I'm a proud doggie mama and will most definitely hang a framed copy of this one on the wall.

Chew Love

I've mentioned once before that Dasher despises baths. The entire idea of water pretty much repulses him. So, to reward him for letting my wash him, he gets a special treat afterwards. I'd say it's worth it, and I bet he agrees.

That rawhide is as big as he is!

Look at his wagging tail!

I love when they use their paws like little hands.

A Sunday Swim

Against his wishes, Dasher endured yet another swimming lesson yesterday. We went to the lake earlier than usual so the water would be relatively still and there would be no other dog or human distractions. We hung out on the shore, easing ourselves away from the edge a little bit at a time. The first step from the solid rock beneath his feet gave Dasher a little surprise, but he began paddling. And paddle, he did. Right back to the rocks and out of the water. 


We called, and he returned. I think he's hating it a little less. We repeated this exercise a few more times. Then he became really reluctant to return, so we took a break. Other dogs and humans had arrived by that point, so we loaded everybody up in the boat and took a ride. Dasher was the first the jump on board. He loves the boat! He must not understand that the boat is in the water, and he might have to swim in anything went awry. He sits regally on the seat as he watched the shore whoosh by us. It's the ultimate head-out-of-the-car-window feeling.


Later in the day, Dasher's favorite human dude had a brilliant idea. Let's try him on a float! When I beckoned him to the dock stairs, he attempted to divert our attention by trying to jump back on the boat. It did not work, and I eventually got him to step onto the float with minimal resistance. A huge step forward in my book. It took some convincing to get him to sit, and then lay, on the float, but we were successful in the end. Dasher wasn't shaking and seemed only marginally afraid, mostly when I walked out of sight to grab the camera.


Then, as proof of our progress, we asked Dasher to swim to the dock from about twenty feet out, and he did! He attempted to get onto the dock where there were no stairs, so we still have some learning to do, but I'm feeling more confident that we'll get there someday soon.

"I will never understand humans. Where is the joy in this? Where is the dirt? Where are the rawhides?"
June 2012

"Alright. It's cool as long as you just hang out right there and pet me. I guess we can work this out."
June 2012

"What are you doing?! I told you to stay right here. Where are you going? You can't breathe under there, you know."
June 2012

"Huh. This is kind of relaxing. Not so bad after all. Hey, will someone throw me a bone?"
June 2012

Riding in Cars with Canines

When Dasher found me, I had recently embarked on a long-distance relationship. He and I traveled 6-hour round-trips every other weekend, so Dasher had to quickly adapt to life in the car. Like any good car dog, he enjoys sticking his head out the window. Once we're on the interstate, though, rawhides and naps are key. I once neglected to throw a rawhide in the backseat before a trip, and, lo and behold, Dasher took to gnawing on a seatbelt. You can bet I no longer make that mistake. Another example of dogs teaching their owners.


We have since moved and are a mere ten minutes from our favorite human dude. Now, Dasher's car rides are shorter, and he gets to hang out in the car when I run errands. He whiles away the wait napping.

Car napping
June 2012

 And he usually has this disappointed look on his face upon my return:

Dasher doesn't know why storeowners don't accept dogs.
June 2012

We do take longer trips with our furry friend, Gracie, when we go to the lake. Dasher gets so excited that we're going somewhere (it might be the lake!!!) that he wears himself out. Gracie doesn't mind when he falls asleep in any ol' spot.

Puppy Pals
May 2012

No matter where we're going or when, Dasher is thrilled. He has come to love car rides and often jumps in any open car door he sees. Today he got a special surprise when his favorite human dude came to take him out of that silly crate for a car ride. Where are they going?! Not sure, but Dasher hopes there will be bacon.

Oh my!
June 2012

Ignorance is Fright

In some cases, ignorance is bliss. We all enjoyed our Starbucks mocha-choca lattés a lot more before we found out there was bug protein in them. Other times, ignorance begets fear. The word "ignorance" isn't exactly fitting. It's more "acceptance without verification", but that's awfully lengthy. Humans have a tendency to outsource their thoughts when things are murky and complicated. We like definitive answers, so when someone proclaims one, we hop on board. Take Jenny McCarthy's posit that inoculation against disease caused her son to contract Autism. Moms and dads all over the country, afraid of the threat of Autism, did not get their children vaccinated. If these parents had done proper research, they would have learned that Autism is not a virus that can be transmitted. It's a genetic disorder. You're born with it or you're not. Fast-forward a few years, and the doctor who claimed the vaccination-Autism correlation admitted he fabricated the data and had financial motivations. Oddly, parents are still hell-bent on not vaccinating their kids. And now there is whooping cough in the Western part of the US.


This concept applies to Pit Bulls. A few bad apples have ruined the bunch. Instead of listening to the whole story on Pit Bulls, the original American family pet, many people have hopped on the bad news wagon. Their confirmation bias has forced them to focus on the sad stories of owners who have untoward agendas. They freeze or move aside when they encounter a Pit Bull in public spaces. They are afraid, and they shouldn't be.


 If enough of us pervade the public with happy tales of our pals, we might be able to shift the attitude. Here's one pooch we encountered at Bark in the Park, a fundraising event for the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley:

Bird Dog
June 2012

He just hangs out and walks along, nary a false move, with his bird buddy hitching a ride. And who could not love this face?

Sad face
June 2012

Maybe those who know why he had his sad, puppy-dog, sorry-mom eyes?

Bad Dog
June 2012

Dasher's new favorite weekday pastime is knocking his crate over and pushing the table and chairs as far as he can. Sometimes he manages to get them on their sides, too. Where do they come up with this stuff?!