I really do wonder...........

what is going on in his doggie brain. He always seems to be a dog on a mission.
At times it is a serious mission as in "who has been in my yard?"

Other times it is just a scent in the air

that causes him to come to attention


I don't know but he always has this sense of purpose.
It is most disturbing when he is in the house and gets this 'sense of purpose'.
It is to the point that when he heads upstairs in the morning and we are downstairs we look at each other like 'uh oh'.
Because of his size we can hear him going from room to room, searching, apparently for just the right thing.

He rarely fails to live up to our concerns, as he often returns with a gleam in his eyes, an object or three in his mouth and his tail upright and wagging.

So I ask you, how does he select his objects; a remote, a shoe, some glasses, a magazine, a jar of lip ointment, a foam earplug, a sales receipt, or something from DH's desk, etc.?

What is happening in his little head as he goes from room to room? I know that we will never know but I'll always wonder.
Same for when he is laying near us in the porch and bolts upright, nose to the breeze. Then off he goes. Exploring, investigating all over again.

I will say that sometimes he is fairly innocent (although still working)



He is a busy dog, with purpose, well until it is time to rest.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I can crawl!!!

A couple of weeks ago I happened to take Bugsy to Petsmart and they offered us a free 30 minute training session. Since I am always looking for new things and techniques and in this time in which we are 'resting' him, we really need to keep his mind going so we said, "SURE!"
Today was the day - we were scheduled with Niki in Garner, NC 919-661-0690 - and I was worried when Bugsy was so excited in the car that he whined the whole way there. We are talking a whole-lot-a-dog to be that excited LOL
At the best of times he isn't the easiest dog to train. He is more interested in pleasing himself than anyone else, is easily distracted and can cause trouble in an empty room. I have more memories of embarrassing moments in Petsmart than anywhere else.
Curiously Bugsy was very motivated by the beef liver treats and kept doing an instant sit complete with a focus that burned holes into Niki. But that is all he would do. Sigh. We did manage a 'high five' and even a 'high ten' but it was all in Bugsy's special frenetic way.
And true to form he gave Niki many kisses and attempted to kiss everyone that looked in the training pen. Especially one adorable little girl that became the apple of his eye.
Moving on we decided that he would learn 'take' which we have never formally worked on. Now the real Bugsy emerged - he wouldn't take any toy in his mouth. It was like taking a toy was being asked to enter a torture chamber. He spit a few out, clamped his mouth shut, kept moving his snout away from Niki, etc.
She even let him choose a toy - nope none were any good. Sigh. Eventually with a new looking nylabone we had some success and a lot of laughter.
She was able to get him to take the nylabone and he would walk off, turn around, spit it out and go get his treat. To be honest I am not sure which part of the sequence he thought was earning the treat, LOL
We had a chat while he rested and made an assortment of his sighs and groans. Then Niki decided she would teach him to crawl. He did fairly well at this pretty quickly. She worked him on that a bit and then I said it was probably enough as he looked like he'd just walked out of a marine boot camp.
If he could just do things at a semi-normal pace he wouldn't get so fried but he is who he is.
I must commend Niki on being patient with his stubbornness and for realizing that he is an overgrown sweetie. She was able to see through his insanity and see that he is quite bright and loves to do things.
So thanks Niki we had a great time and even learned something!

microchipping is easy and cheap - get it done!

Well yet another story of a wonderful dog that was found, no collar or tags, no signs saying lost puppy and most important no microchip. So my friend is checking all the rescues, craigslist, newspapers etc to find the owner. So far no luck.
It would be so much easier to find the pup's owner if that owner had spent $5 getting the microchip placed AND registered their info.
additional information here
and here

there is a ton of info on the web on microchips - ask your vet or humane society for what is available in your area.
One word of caution don't believe anyone that says your pet must be anesthetized to be chipped - flat out not true. Some dogs will yelp when it is done but they will get over it quickly. I was with a friend when she had two foster pups done - one yelped the other glared, 5 minutes later they were perfectly fine.
Many dog events have chipping on site.

Please get it done - it you want to be reunited with your pet should they wander it is the surest way to get them back.
Many a day when Bugsy was a pup he would just take off. The configuration of our development meant that he couldn't go far without our blessed neighbors helping us grab him. However it was a great reminder to make sure we could easily be identified as his owner.

Bravery has its limits

Not sure if I have mentioned this before but Bugsy, the big dog who fears nothing, is actually terrified of our broken, rather dilapidated, cheapie baby gate. He can nearly walk over it but he will not go near it. LOL
Just before as I was sitting here surfing the net, I heard him crying. I look and he is laying in an odd position next to a hall closet door that houses his toys. So I figure he wants a toy. Not now.
More crying.
Even more crying.
OK I'll get up and see what the problem is.
His Everlasting Fun ball which had treats in it had rolled up against the baby gate.
bwa ha ha ha ha
I am still laughing. As soon as I retrieved it from its precarious position he was happy again.
Silly dog.

Bugsy is one lucky dog!!

About a week ago I finally figured out what is causing Bugsy to limp on and off. We will get some hip x-rays soon (when we find a highly recommended vet to do it) but it appears to be a soft tissue injury. He likely has the beginnings of arthritis but I think the main issue is the soft tissue injury.
So why is he lucky? Well because he has very good friends.

One wonderful soul has sent him some liquid supplement (Synflex) for the arthritis, we started that last week and will have to see how that works out, he sure likes it! It was an extremely generous and thoughtful gift from his Aunt Annie - he owes her some 'sugars' for that!

Then today he received a package containing Wood Lock medicated oil. This is to be massaged in the sore area. When I let him smell the bottle he didn't look impressed. But I rubbed some in the general area of the sore area and he was super calm and relaxed. Then afterward he fell asleep. Deeply asleep. Must be real good!
In fact, he just came over and nudged the bottle, tail wagging so that seals it, it is good if he is asking for more.
So a big thanks to his Aunt Callie and a tip of the hat to the provider of the oil - Morningstar Health

This mixed up over-sized mutt is one lucky dog! Now if he would just be calm and let himself heal.