Zoomie Tales!

His gift to me for 2012

2012-01-01T20:13:00.004-05:00

Bugsy and I decided to take advantage of a pretty morning to do some field work. As per usual he wore his e-collar, for those times when he discovers something more interesting to hunt or flat out refuses to work with me.
Today we were using quail wings tied to a dummy, we have previously been working with pheasant wings and I can say without doubt that quail wings are WAY better than pheasant wings. Well if his intensity and insanity are an assessment of which is better!

He was so excited, yet he sat and waited when asked.
He tore into the long grass or woods, pointing and retrieving as asked. Delivering to hand, admittedly sometimes doing a victory lap around me before relinquishing his cherished wings.

I am not sure how long we worked but it was a blast to see him flying over logs and gullies and cleverly making his way through thick cover.
It was thrilling to work with his enthusiasm and energy.
And when I said ok Bugs let's head home, he trotted, wings in mouth to my car and waited for me.
He gave me the wings, waited to make sure I put them in the car, then hopped in the back and was ready to roll.

Not once did I even think about the e-collar, or struggle to recover the dummy, or have to remind him to stay. At one point he was in a stay over 150 yds from me and he didn't move until I sent him.

I don't think that from here on out he'll always be this good but we've been seeing signs that my silly, crazy, now 6 yr old boy is maturing.
It's wonderful and much less stressful.
Bugsy just when I think I can't love you more, you show me I can.
Thanks for a great New Year's Day hunt
:)

A few photos

Jan 1,2012

Happy 6th Gotcha Day for all of us

2011-12-11T19:09:00.003-05:00

Six years ago today, we decided we'd take my mom downtown for a pint of beer. We were a couple of miles up the road and Steve said,"let's go see what puppies are in at the SPCA."

We did. And we brought home the baby Beast, formally known as 'Boscoe' and currently known as "Bugsy". Or Beastie, or Monkey, or MacGillicutty or Kramer or.....

We had a lot to learn, fortunately he is a great teacher, so we've got most of it down.

I've shared many escapades here and I can only assure you that the funny ones were actually a lot funnier.

Today I've been thinking about all the changes in our lives that are attributable to adding him to our family.

Any dog owner can tell you about the hair, toys, fluff, slobber, travel issues and various other 'negatives' of dog ownership. No doubt things are different, my home is not as neat and guests are greeted a little too exuberantly.

However, the changes I have been thinking about are the good ones; the ones that have put this goofy grin on my face.
He makes me laugh out loud at least once a day, usually many times a day.
His joy for life is contagious.
EVERYTHING is exciting.

I've learned so much about dogs: their behavior, abilities, communication methods and most importantly I've learned how to work with them to elicit their best.

It was Bugsy's mischievous nature that led me to a dog forum where I have made many friends, good friends, and where I learned which books to read and was able to debate the methods of working with him.

Bugsy's energy level has dictated that he is walked or run daily (twice daily when he was at his craziest) and this brings me to another wonderful thing he has done for us.

Having walked him daily for 6 yrs I've met pretty much everyone who ventures out for a walk around here. I am the lady with the big black dog. The other day I went out on my own and 4 people (2 in cars) stopped to ask if he was OK.

Through these walks and people wanting to meet Bugsy I've made great friends.
The friends we will celebrate Christmas and New Year's with, and birthdays and Thanksgiving and pretty much every holiday and some ad hoc gatherings too.

I could go on for a long time about all the wonderful things he has brought us and all the wonderful people who are in our lives now because of him but it would bore everyone to tears (some of you have probably already hit that mark).

He has been so much more than we expected: in size, energy, & mischief but more importantly in love and smiles.

Thanks Bugsy, I sure hope we have many more healthy, happy and insane years ahead!!

Duke : take 2

2011-12-06T12:08:00.002-05:00

We were very happy to have been selected to return to the Duke Canine Cognition Center, especially when we were assigned to the impulse control study. If you've met Bugsy you know he isn't a master of impulse control so we were sure it would prove interesting.
Today was the day and this is my attempt to write up what occurred. I must first say that Bugsy has been flat since the end of last week and although he seemed more chipper today he still was clearly not totally himself. This actually helped us out I think.
The handler only weighed 5lbs more than Bugsy and we all had a concern about this, although as I assured them he would, as soon as she asked him to work he was very focused on his task.

In the first task one tester was behind plexiglass panels. She had a treat. She called him in a very excited manner and once released he ran up to the screen and then around it. His time was just over 2 seconds.
No matter how they positioned the panels he quickly went around them to receive his treat.
One time he ran up to the panels, stuck his head in the gap and took the treat- this caught the person behind the screen by surprise,..... but not as much as when he then continued around the panel and kissed her.

Apparently many dogs take a bit to give up trying to get through the panels before going around them. The panels are see-through so dogs tend to not process why they can see the person but not get the treat.

Then there was a 2 minute break to settle down (and seemingly for them to get more organized).
Then they ran the same study however when they called him they did it with the flattest affect possible.
It was quiet funny to watch him, he clearly wasn't too sure (think furrowed brow and chin scratching, hmmm) but he went to her, around the panels and got the treat. I think his times were in the 5-7 second range.

I believe that they are allotted 30 seconds to complete the task so his times were quick.
More importantly to me he was very well behaved and focused.
He had caused some chaos on his way in and as we tried to discuss the process; it wasn't as ridiculous as last time but it still put a pit in my stomach that he wouldn't settle down.

Despite them being disorganized (enough so that I lost interest so I have no idea how Bugsy hung in there!!) we finished early and they asked if they could do another test with him.
Of course I said yes as it was clear Bugsy was still enjoying the tests and testers.......and treats!

In the second test some food was placed in a tupperware bowl which at first was not fully closed so he could bang it open and get the treat.
Then they fully closed it and it couldn't be opened.
The tub was placed in the middle of the room and the two testers were in different positions in the room; one looking forward and the other looking away from Bugsy.
They were monitoring what he would do once he realized he couldn't open it; who would he go to for help?

Of course this meant he had to first come to terms that he couldn't open it.
This took a bit of time but eventually he gave up and went over to the girl that had filled the tub and kissed her. He also went to the other girl and stared at her.
They did 8 different variations of this and in each case one or both testers got kissed.
He did give up sooner as the test went on and he started to pay less attention to the girl that did NOT fill the tub, and IMHO more importantly, she NEVER OPENED the tub and gave him access to the treats.
He did not seem bothered about the direction the testers were facing and I feel confident that he saw the one girl as the treat dispenser so that is who he went to for assistance.
On the 8th try he didn't even push the tub he just looked at each tester, quickly licked the 'chosen' one and collapsed in a heap in the middle of the floor. LOL

When we reunited I apologized for him quitting and they said he was the first dog to complete all 8 tries!! Yea Bugsy!!

Once again it was fun to watch, although this test felt less organized so a little less interesting to me. There also wasn't much wrap-up compared to last time and that was the best part for me.

Bugsy performed well and loved doing it. He'll remain in the database and be available for additional studies. Both of the students LOVED him and of course he ate that up.
I do think his energy was subnormal but it was plenty for what he was asked to do. Another fun experience for both of us!

Musings

2011-12-03T18:25:00.002-05:00

Life does not pass Bugsy by, he makes the most of every moment.

After a week of monitoring the movements of a mole and a hawk that wanted the mole, he won the prize, capturing and killing the mole.

If you do everything at warp speed you can add more to your day

His philosophy is clearly never be thwarted by the wishes of humans, even if they say they don't want kisses, just kiss them. Barge your way in, keep your tongue licking, and distract them with much wiggling and various frenetic activity. Just when they think they've got you beat, you'll get a full tongue on their lips. It's worth any damage that occurs to your tail.

Lastly stuffed toys are for destroying. Sometimes you might keep them intact for a while but then you just destroy them. Because that IS why they exist.

Had a little flashback

2011-11-29T19:12:00.002-05:00

When we brought Bugsy home at the tender age of 12-14 weeks old we didn't know much about puppies.
Day 2 we took him for a walk. I won't talk about the insanity of trying to leash him and keep him from running out every door. In fact I have to try to remember those days.
But I don't have to try and remember this silly pup that walked with his head & tail up, with this jaunty Lipanzaner-esque trot, in front of us at the very end of the leash. He didn't pull, he just used all the leash. :)
Our very first walk was 2 miles long. ( I giggle when I realize how ridiculous that was)
And he loved every step.
He didn't stop. Or look back at us, he just strutted at the end of his leash.
I remember laughing with my husband that he walked as if he was proud of the humans he had claimed.

Fast forward very nearly 6 yrs to this morning as we walked in a cold rain, and I wore a huge smile as I was still behind him, at the end of the leash, as he strutted with his head & tail high, and a spring in his jaunty, rhythmic step. Life is great when I am out walking!

It was as it always has been.

It was a powerful flashback and one that has a huge grin on my face as I write this.

How things change

2011-11-21T20:58:00.003-05:00

Saturday, in what has become a tradition, we took Bugsy to the Raleigh Christmas parade. Each year he shocks me with his ability to deal with the chaos, noise, and sights of the whole shindig. They estimate about 75,000 people were there this year and 110 different floats/groups in the actual parade.

He was literally swarmed by kids upon reaching the crowds. They hug, kiss and want to pose with him and he is truly happy to oblige. This year we had a particularly sweet interaction with a little toddler who he gave the gentlest and smallest kiss, twice. She then came back and offered him a rock and a leaf as a thank you treat. Even better I gently held his head so she could pet him without a giant tongue on her face and she decided to give him a teeny, gentle kiss on his ear. And then she did it again.
While this was happening he was in dense traffic and had an adult and 3 kids petting various parts of him and the matching band, color guard and horses were passing by.

It is to me extraordinary that any dog can deal with all of this.

The truly amazing part is that it is my sweet Bugsy, a dog who was well over a year before he could tolerate being pet, even by us. He is as non-cuddly as a dog can be. Only in the last 3-4 months will he allow me (and only me) to lie next to him on the floor. In the past he would either instigate play or get up and leave.
Every once in a while he'll curl up next to me and sometimes lay his head on my lap. Every time he does this I am reminded of that wild, feral pup who you literally could not touch or hold.

Because he has always been difficult to touch. I find these interactions at the parade and other events so heart-warming.
Because he has also always been too easy to overstimulate, I am stunned when in the midst of this outrageous environment, he's calm and happy, soaking up and doling out all the love he can.

It thrills me to think he has learned how nice snuggling can be and how wonderful being touched and pet is.
It also thrills me that he can enjoy the children and others at parades and events now and that they get to meet the Bugsy I know.

Now if we could figure out how to get him there without having to be at a parade LOL.

this really made me laugh

2011-11-18T16:00:00.002-05:00

Bugsy has three regular drinking water spots: his inside water bowl, an outside water bowl, and when we installed a bubbling fountain that became his bird flavored water bowl :).
Here he is trying it upon installation

We have no idea why but he will often want a drink and look at his inside water and then ring his bell to go out. By doing this he has trained us so we realize that he asks out solely to have a drink.

Which brings me to the reason for this entry. This morning it was 26*. The fountain was frozen over, but Beastie asked out and we let him. I walked back to the sofa and saw him with his foot in the fountain - testing the ice I suspect.
I grabbed my phone and proceeded to capture this:

I don't know about you but I find that funny. I can't believe that he likes bird poop flavored water that much, but I guess he does!

He loves a party!

2011-10-09T19:58:00.002-04:00

Earlier this evening we attended a party called,"Down at the Tracks" . This is an annual event organized by our SPCA that takes place at an outdoor shopping area and has live bands, lots of fun vendors, food trucks and wonderful beer that is free with admission.
True to form Bugsy sniffed every dog butt he could.....and that was a lot.
He ate as many treats as he could, knocked over two beers (attempting to drink the second one), had an impromptu training session which was beyond comical, got loving from teeny little girls and many other humans, kissing each whether they liked it or not, and even settled on a patch of grass for a few minutes.
Unsurprisingly after nearly 2 hours of Bugsy style partying aka chaos, he is now completely zonked out, snoring and emitting putrid gas, the result of too much variety in his intake.
I am always amazed at these events, so many dogs of all ages & sizes and there never seems to be a problem. I am impressed by the attitude of small dog owners who seem relaxed and not worried about interactions with large dogs. So often owners of small dogs seem to fear large dogs.
I find myself giggling as Bugsy sticks his nose in the butt of a 200lb great dane and laugh when the owners of two placid bloodhounds say that Bugsy will be less excitable when he gets older, they seem shocked when I tell them he is six, their two are 5 & 7.
He is so ridiculously happy in these settings. He is hard to manage due to his excitability but it's always worth it. And no doubt it is better that he loves being social than if it was stressful.
Luckily he can sleep it off now. :)

Totally biased

2011-10-07T20:38:00.002-04:00

But I really love my boy. He truly puts a huge smile on my face and I find myself wondering how I got so lucky to have him in my life.
Yes he is not the easiest dog but in some ways he is easy.
For instance, this morning a young pup came to play with him. She is at best 10 lbs and I have no fear he'll step on her or snap at her. He play bowed and was ever so gentle even though she is WILD he remains controlled.
Or consider his gentle taking of treats
Or that he has always had a predilection for lying down on a square so if there is a towel or blanket or bed, he's on it
He's happy. 24/7 happy. Greets each day as if he knows he's lucky to be alive.
Spins in circles every day when you dress to take him for a walk
And greets your every entrance so enthusiastically you can't help but be happy to be home.
Continuing my bias, he's so handsome, athletic, and sleek. I admit I look at him in awe.
I have for years wanted to add another dog to our home, yet I sometimes realize that this one takes a lot of effort.
Bugsy you are worth the sacrifices.......and much much more

Why can't he.......

2011-10-05T21:14:00.002-04:00

Understand what 'later', 'tomorrow' mean?
Is it so difficult for a dog that somehow knows it's a Sunday and it's 8 am so he needs to go look out the window because his friend is coming, to get these simple concepts?
I am guilty of talking to him regularly so he understands more English than I planned on him knowing, which means we have to spell things fairly often or risk setting off his adrenal glands and dealing with the consequences, but he sure doesn't know what 'later' or 'tomorrow' mean!
For instance he was really up my butt earlier, clearly wishing I would DO something with him ( he had an enforced rest day so had only a 1.5 mile walk this morning) so I said, "I promise tomorrow we'll have a really long walk".
All he heard was WALK!
Try telling him that he'll go in the car later and watch the spinning begin
It's kind of fascinating because he picks up so many unintentional cues and pieces them together and draws a conclusion about what I am doing next that I am surprised that he hears "walk tomorrow" and acts like it will happen immediately. He knows the sequence of events leading up to a walk and one would think that the word 'walk' without the other cues wouldn't have so much meaning to him, but it does.
Somehow I am going to work on teaching 'later' and 'tomorrow'. I am not overly hopeful of success but seeing that he has learned so much of the language on is own I figure it's worth a try.
Hmmmm not sure how to even start though

Just one of those times

2011-09-23T20:58:00.002-04:00

We arrived at the beach earlier today for a long weekend, a long damp weekend. Looks like storms will be on and off at least through Sunday, fortunately Bugsy isn't worried about getting wet.
About 7 this evening I took him down to the beach. The sun was thinking about setting and had emerged from behind some clouds. The sky was shades of orange bleeding to purple. The wind was blowing and it was raining lightly.
The beach was empty for as far as the eye could see.
I unclipped his line and set him free. He ran and played, splashing in the active sea and zooming around me.
Pure joy
Just a great moment with my crazy beast that I'll remember forever.
The joy, the lighting, the smells of the sea.
Fabulous

How to eat a lamb's ear....by bUGsy

2011-09-16T15:23:00.002-04:00

I brought home a bag of lamb's ears - he's never had one before.
He sat patiently staring into my eyes as I opened the bag.
He sniffed the 'new food item' and looked at me as if to say," Good God woman these are from baby sheep!"
A little more scrutiny by Bugsy and then he ran off with it to the living room.
I'll let him explain the rest................

Expel it from your mouth and move away from it.
Crouch down and stare at the wacky humans that gave it to you, keep tail wagging while doing this
If your humans walk toward your lamb's ear, run and get it (this is very important if they have a "ziploc bag")
Then dance with it in your mouth
Expel it and go several feet away from it
Get it again and put it as close to your nose as you can but don't let it touch
Talk to it
Playbow, see if it does something
Nope not moving
Pick it up and dance again, whimpering as you dance
expel it (note humans laughing at you and rolling their eyes)
Look at it very carefully
Dance with it one more time, then go ahead and eat it in less than 30 seconds.
Lick your lips.
Roll on your back
Go drink the entire contents of your water bowl
Check cupboard to make sure there really is a whole bag of these yummy treats.

The end.

Feeling groovy

2011-09-13T20:27:00.002-04:00

When Bugsy was a young pup we were charged by two large off leash German shepherds. I & my husband were frightened and prepared to fend off the dogs. Bugsy just stood there calmly as they ran toward us aggressively barking and meaning business. The hair on the back of my neck was raised and I feared for my puppy. Bugsy stood there, head up looking right at them, tail in his normal slightly raised position.
He didn't cower, roll over, bark, or any other fear or defensive move. He just stood there. The two dogs lost steam upon arrival. They sniffed him, he sniffed them and off they went. We humans were shaken, we watched carefully as the dogs sniffed each other, having difficulty in understanding our puppy seemingly fearless upon being charged by two large and unpleasant dogs and the fact they pulled up and didn't attack him.
This was the first and most remarkable incident we had with him and unpleasant dogs but we often found ourselves amazed at his disinterest in the three very noisy schnauzers we passed daily, or the border collie that wouldn't stop trying to hump him, or the bc mix that bit his neck pulling out fur or any of the other unpleasant dogs we met in our wanderings. He never cared. He never retaliated he just stayed happy and in human terms seemed to ignore them.
Things changed when at about 3.5 yrs old an aggressive dog in our neighborhood, with irresponsible owners, got a bit too close to making contact with us. The third time it did it Bugsy responded. He responded with an aggression that was beyond anything I thought he was capable of; he seemed to have either a non- response or a very serious response.
Very shaken and confused we headed home.
Thus began a journey. A journey to recover MY Bugsy.
After this incident he became a reactive dog. And he was darn serious and at 105lbs of muscle I was no match for him.
I'll skip the blow by blow and just say I shed tears, read furiously, studied his behavior, tried every technique I felt appropriate and I prayed.
I also just kept walking him.
A while back I started to notice improvement. There were still times I managed him in order to prevent an opportunity to react but he was more easily managed. He became extra alert but did nothing more. And he just kept improving.
Saturday we were out walking and we were charged by a golden, a dog known to have harmed two other dog's I know. As if in an instant replay from that day over 5 yrs ago he just stood there. Looking right at the charging dog, confident but not aggressive body language and once again the situation was diffused.
As my heartrate slowed and we made our way home I was less shocked by Bugsy's behavior compared to puppy Bugsy but I was more impressed. Slowly I realized my prayers had been answered, MY Bugsy was back.
As if to reinforce this we met a crazy young BC the other morning who stalked and then pounced on Bugsy and snarled and was generally unpleasant. Bugsy ignored him.
So my Bugsy is back.
I'll never not watch his interactions with new dogs again (as I did pre-reactivity) but I feel this tremendous peace and happiness that we have made it full circle. It has taken 2.5 yrs but we've made it.
Thank you Bugsy, I sure do love you.

I think we have an agreement or perhaps I'm a failure ;)

2011-09-08T11:42:00.004-04:00

For the first few years of Bugsy's life my husband and I were determined that he would walk next to us and not sniff the entire time. And by golly he'd walk at our pace.
We tried all sorts of training methods and tools with very limited effect.
Quite honestly it felt like a daily battle.
Then somewhere along the way I changed my goal. All I wanted was that he didn't put any tension on the leash.
With the change in my goal we started making more progress.
Then as he rehabbed from his TPLO I allowed him to set the pace; I kept him slow on inclines and descents but on the flat I let him set the pace as long as the gait was balanced.
What I realize now is that I have maintained this agreement and that it works for both of us.
He gets to sniff - although at times he hears "let's go" and he moves on (he's more of a tracking sniffer than a stop in one spot and sniff sort of guy)
but he doesn't get to pull on the leash.

I also allow him to set the pace - so he is in front and I don't care. I am happy to be able to see what he is doing and not have a 105lb dog underfoot. If I say "here" he needs to come to me pronto and he does.

As for fast or slow or in between pace - he's a fast moving sort of guy but he doesn't all out sprint (unless attached to a bike) so it's great for me to have to jog and I am a fast walker so the trot works too.
He so rarely walks slowly that if he is, it is either super hot or he isn't well. In both of those cases it is better we go slow so no big deal.

So there you have it - I let my dog - who is out in front of me - sniff/track/ and set the pace on our daily jaunts.
In doing so I have replaced the battle with a positive experience for both of us.
If this indicates I have failed as a dog trainer than so be it - works for me and it works for Bugsy

Breaking news.... the Beast is SIX!

2011-09-02T09:18:00.004-04:00

We don't know his real birth date so we picked the 1st of September in honor of a good friend's mom who lived to 101 and was an amazing woman. We hoped she would guide our nutty boy from above :)
What I didn't realize is that the first of September is also the first day of Canada Goose season in North Carolina; now that couldn't be more appropriate.

It's hard to accept that due to his size he is now considered a senior, especially when he's running around like a fool and continues to get into puppy mischief, but he is. This makes me a bit sad but I refuse to age him mentally if he refuses to age physically!

When I sat down to consider the last year I was amazed at all the fun he has in his life and what a wonderful existence he has. This year is the first year that he lost some friends who went to the Bridge, it was also a year of puppies as he has 5 new puppy friends just this year!
He traveled to new places, met new people and carried on the like the fool he is.
Here is a little slide show I made of his year:

That doesn't show the captions but I believe if you click on it you'll go to the main site.

Yesterday to celebrate his day I made him a lovely cupcake and then later we played some fetch with his pheasant wing dummy. Those pics are here:
LINK

sorry for being lazy and just linking but I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Bugsy let's make it an even better year!

Never enough time

2011-08-28T21:55:00.002-04:00

As I head off to bed I am thinking about my neighbors and good friends who are going to bed tonight wondering if today was their dog's last day on earth. Their gorgeous, oversized, sweet and gentle, Golden Retriever Cody has declined rapidly in the last month. Tomorrow he goes off to the vet school for a second visit to see what if anything can help him. But I think everyone knows it is a visit that potentially becomes the visit when dear sweet Cody will be helped to cross the Bridge.
Another friend had to put their very young sweet boy to sleep this week after learning he had late stage cancer.
Another friend helped their young Boxer cross the Bridge earlier this summer.
As I peer over and see Bugsy curled into a tight ball breathing heavily with sleep, I am reminded of how short their lives are, how little we know about how they feel, and how deeply we love them.
We had our own scare this summer and as Bugs struggles to fully regain his health I have questioned whether he is truly ok or not. My mind wanders to thoughts of how huge a part of my life he is; our routines, the laughs, the mischief, the angelic sleep (really) and the intense love. I consider the ways in which he has changed our lives, the things he has taught us, and why God decided he was the dog for us.
I worry that I take his being here for granted but with so many people I know having their faithful, loving companions cross the Bridge recently, I take care to appreciate my crazy boy.
Regardless of how long we have our furry babies, it is too short.
My heart and prayers are with my friends this evening, and with all who have lost their pets and especially with those who are contemplating how they will know it is time.
I wish you strength and courage to make the decision that is in your fur babies best interest, it is the last loving thing you do for them on this earth.

when did he develop self control?

2011-08-01T21:01:00.003-04:00

We are having work done in the house, significant work, week two of various workmen coming in and out all day long.
Bugsy's behavior has been exemplar. I can hardly believe it LOL
He just hangs out in our TV room behind the baby gate and watches them go in and out of our bedroom at the other end of the hall.
At lunchtime I grab a leash and leash walk him down the stairs (that are covered in plastic) and into the kitchen. At that point I can drop the leash and he just hangs out with me as the men continue to go in and out the front door & work in the driveway. It's open plan so he could go say hi but if I see him consider it I just say no.
"OK Mom"
Whose dog is this?
By evening time he's more apt to need close monitoring as he really, really wants to say hi and only the contractor feels comfortable with the beast. Tonight he did pop up when today's main worker entered the front door and I had to say NO really quickly. The guy looked terrified, meanwhile Bugsy's tail was wagging and he had a mouthful of three rubber bones.
Anyway he's being super cooperative and well behaved and the self-control he is exhibiting is beyond any previous display.
I suppose many of you own dogs with a good level of self control but it isn't one of Bug's strengths.
I'm so pleased with him.
He even left a box turtle alone yesterday when I asked him to.
Remarkable
Always full of surprises :)

"I knew I wasn't sick" claims Bugsy

2011-07-28T17:14:00.004-04:00

So after 10 days of a wild emotional ride, the lump that was removed was a pseudo-tumor.
Really.
The belief is that he had a focal trauma to the tuber ischii and an inflammatory response set off the process that created this 'very good at pretending to be cancer' tumor.
The vets were stunned as they felt that from what they saw during surgery and the characteristics of the tumor that this was going to be exceptionally bad news.

I cried. I sobbed. I screamed. And I laughed as Beastie just kept zooming.
Despite three layers of sutures including a dozen or so staples in his butt he really didn't seem to care, he just wanted life as normal.

Why aren't we going for a walk? How come no swimming? I miss my buddies!

My husband and I talked about what we would do if the worst case scenario played out.
For 8 of the 10 days I felt captive.
I was waiting to find out if my boy was in danger and if so how much.
I focused on the wound site and giving meds.
I photographed him and video'd him. If he was leaving me soon I needed documentation of my gorgeous, playful, nutty beast.
And then nearly a week after the surgery I had had enough waiting. I picked up the phone and called to find out what was happening.
Unfortunately my bravery went unrewarded as they didn't know anything yet.
But something important happened as instead of being a passive spectator I took charge of my and his destiny. Emotionally I was ready for whatever we were to find out.
But then the call came and it was this psuedo- tumor.
Pure craziness!
I admit that part of me wonders if it can really be true.
We are still trying to get the wound to close for good and the anti-biotics hit his GI system hard, so we are still working our way to pre-surgical health.
I sure hope that once we do achieve the above, it is the last of it. I realize that it is a bizarre diagnosis and we truly dodged a bullet. I am tremendously thankful.
Even if part of me still wonders.
Bugsy is a special dog, not just because he is mine. The outpouring of affection was incredible and I am sure that God was listening.
Thank you God, I love the silly Beast.....and so do many others!

pfft what do humans know

2011-07-23T10:41:00.003-04:00

if he could talk I am sure that is what Bugsy has been trying to tell me

Its been a tough week around here - Steve & I have been shocked and saddened to accept the events of the last week. The outpouring from our friends, family and neighbors (to whom I am know as the lady with the big black dog or as Bugsy's mom) has been incredible.
Everyone is doing their best to remain positive but sadness has prevailed along with concerns that his health is poor.

Well except with Busgy.
He's the happy, loving, excitable, hunting goofball that he always is.
Last night a favorite human stopped by, good Lord you would think he was Bugsy's long lost twin. The excitement was off the Richter scale.

This morning he woke me up by shoving the carcass of a stuffed goose in my face at 5:30. He was ready to start the day and start it now!!
We went downstairs and he grabbed a couple of rubber bones and a kong to go with the goose carcass and was wiggling and waggling and then launched into his morning routine of stretching, somersaults and rolling.

"It's a new day! it's a new day, it's a new day!!! woohoo!!!!!!!!"

And then it happened...........I should have known it was coming.........
zoooooooooooooooomies!!!!!!!!!

LOL he went outside to take care of business and came flying onto the deck and through the doggie door into the porch at warp speed. Clearly he had been running like a nut for a while because he was smiling and his chest was heaving.

"I am soooooooooooo happy mom!!!!"

I decided that a short walk was appropriate so we just did a half mile and then he helped me in the yard for a few minutes. Then I said, "come on big guy, let's go in"
and it happened again

zoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I tried to wipe the smile off my face I looked at him in all his exuberance and joyfulness and thought, "you know, may be he knows more than we do"

With all our brain power, dot-connecting, reading, and surmising we make conclusions based on 'facts'. We worry and hope, we get sad.

Bugsy however just carries on - the sutures and staples and intestinal upset aren't even noticed - "I feel good! Ain't life grand? Wanna play?"

OK Bugsy at least for today, I will not look at you and think OMG he might be sick. Today you are my Bugsy, as nutty and healthy as ever.

I'm not ready to hear yet

2011-07-22T11:51:00.002-04:00

Good golly just back from the vet (to check on the wound) and the vet asked if I'd heard anything, um no, so he went off to check the computer.
I nearly fainted...................Really

I looked at Beastie staring back up to me, waiting for me to declare what our next adventure would be and thought all over again. No way no how he is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too alive.
They didn't have the report yet. Thank God.
I mean I know its coming but I wasn't ready.

All day yesterday Bugsy was well Bugsy. Over here, over there, chased a crow, sniffed around, realized that he just had to ask out to pee and he'd get an opportunity to see what was happening, played with toys, ran up and down the stairs, begged for steak, stole a Q tip from somewhere clearly thinking it was valuable, etc.

The anti-biotics are causing much intestinal upset so when he woke me at 5 I took him out, apparently that is a good time to hunt possum, sigh.

This is Bugsy, he is ALIVE!
The twinkle in his eye is certifiable trouble of the belly laugh kind.

I am sorry but he is just way too alive to be sick.

he's a healing machine!

2011-07-21T08:20:00.002-04:00

No one has told Bugsy that he's sick and healing, after resting some yesterday and finally remembering that drinking water is good he started to revive in the afternoon.
By yesterday evening he was stealing kitchen towels and taunting us with them, ringing his bell to go out in an attempt to join me as I watered various plants in the garden (He is usually my "helper" for these tasks)and playing with a toy goose.

This morning he went out with me for the paper and saw one of his smallest buddies, gave the owner a kiss, wandered the cul de sac, then searched our yard for critter activity, drank from the water fountain and finally brought the paper in.
25 minutes of wandering with not even a hitch in his step.
Incredible.
After eating only half his breakfast he wanted out again and had his first post-op poop, complete with full kick-backs, presumably declaring "I'm back"

No weeping from the wound even after all this activity which is wonderful.

As I sat down to check emails he came over to me laid down and then rolled on his back begging for belly rubs.
Yes sir I will rub that belly! Silly boy fell asleep like that but then heard something popped up and off he went.

A healing machine I tell you with the toughest constitution imaginable!
Go Bugsy!!
But let's rest again today bud

how to process all this

2011-07-19T20:01:00.002-04:00

So he's home, sans a lump, but with three layers of sutures. The tumor was deeply embedded and difficult to remove. If the margins aren't clear he'll have to have surgery at NC State vet school (thank goodness we are so close to a wonderful resource).
But I have to confess now that he's home and I look into his groggy eyes I can't swallow it all.
Bugsy has cancer.
Bugsy who is ever happy, every active and more full of life than any living creature I have ever been witness to, has cancer.
I think I keep typing that to try to convince myself
Bugsy with the chiseled muscle body
Bugsy whose coat shines like no other
Bugsy whose power is just ridiculous
Bugsy whose energy never seems to wain

How could it not be visible in pictures I took on 7/10 and the size of a ping pong ball on 7/15?

How could it not be mast cell?

How could it be so deep and tangled in his body?

How can my world change so swiftly?

We picked him up and he dragged the vet tech to me even though his legs weren't ready yet so they splayed in 4 directions.

Then he ran past everyone in the lobby and straight to the car and up the ramp as if nothing was wrong

Once home he wanted some dinner and some comfort.

He wandered outside, swiftly going into hunt mode and deciphering who had visited in his absence.

My Bugsy has cancer???

The ruler of the neighborhood? The dog who has more buddies than any dog I know?

He's not yet 6 and there isn't a gray hair on him. He's lost a step to a TPLO but not much more. He is not exhausted by swimming well over a thousand yards or 5 mile hikes and days of play at the beach.
He wiggles his butt and wags his tail like a pup and has never lost the tremendous drive for mischief usually associated with pups.

But they age him at mid-50's in human years. Still too young to reach the end.

If you are reading this and made it this far - kiss your dog, smooth your hands over their body, and vow to allow them to sniff to their hearts content on tomorrow's walk. Their lives are short.

I fear way too short for Mr Bugs.

everyone has a breaking point

2011-07-18T11:21:00.003-04:00

and I'm experiencing it right now.
Last Friday I noticed a pronounced lump on Bugsy's hind quarter. I thought it was a bite or sting but he didn't seem to even know it was there. Off to the vet.
We left with no answers but a suspected mast cell tumor
We gave benadryl all weekend and saw no change so off to the vet this morning.
After a blood draw and fine needle aspirate it appears to be a soft tissue sarcoma
He'll have it removed tomorrow and off to the lab to determine what we are dealing with

I did a little reading on STS (soft tissue sarcoma) and we need all your best vibes, prayers and thoughts. It can be a straight forward thing or a very messy thing.

My life has had a ton of stress over the last few years and the Beast with all the insanity and rotator cuff-tearing hunting has been my savior.
He's been a guaranteed smile.
Oh heck he is a guaranteed LOL
He is the GRAND diversion from all that ails you

when his amber eyes lock on to yours you know some serious fun lay ahead

when the tail wags a certain way he's plotting some mischief and is clearly a step ahead of you

and then there are the moments when he looks at you with such unadulterated joy and his special brand of adoration that no matter what real life holds, in that moment, life is good.

Bugsy transports you to that place where life is only good

Everyone needs that from time to time and I have been lucky enough to have him do that for me daily. He's spoiled me and I have come to expect those moments and need those moments.

Bugsy this has to be something that can be fixed, simply and finally.
Your mama needs you.

Dear foxy,

2011-07-07T20:41:00.002-04:00

Please for the love of God will you never again run towards the beast!
I know you panicked and wanted to head to your den but really getting to within 12ft or so of a beast that is 3+ times larger than you and who very much wants to kill you is just flat out stupid.
And in making this dare devil move you made my life very difficult and extended my walk more than I really had time for.
So, from here on out, use your nose, if you smell the beast move AWAY from him, if you see the beast, he sees you too, and it is recommended you hightail it in the opposite direction and into thick woods.
Questions?
Good.

Multi-tasking in the morning

2011-06-28T06:58:00.003-04:00

Bugsy's version anyway.
At 4:30am I was awoken by the dulcet sounds of a gacking, soon-to-be vomiting dog.
I ran downstairs and let him out just slightly too late so I cleaned up the tiny bit that he got on the rug.
I then flipped on all the outside lights, grabbed a flashlight and went out to find him.
Well...... I didn't have to look long. He was flying around the yard HOT on the trail of something.
HOT on the trail and remained so for about 30 minutes.
He covered every corner, shrub, blade of grass with great vigor. Stopping at certain points to look up and try to see the offending critter.
Oh and he briefly stopped to poop and pee but mostly he charged around the acre as if launched.
I was really hoping to just get back to bed but no chance of catching him or calling him off when he is like this, so I waited until he came back to earth a bit and in we went.
So vomiting, pooping and peeing while hunting. That is quite a display of multi-tasking.

When we got up at 6am he immediately went back to psycho hunting mode, found a small box turtle in deep shrubs, and went berserk on that, he even barked at it. Just been out again 7:20am and he of course went right back to hunting, I heard another bark and found him trying to get even deeper into the shrubs where the turtle was. Thankfully he was struggling to get his big body in there!
He's in now and staying in.
I'm exhausted!

sublime to ridiculous

2011-06-21T09:25:00.002-04:00

Bugsy was all serious business this morning hot on the scent of fox.
Very hot on the scent of fox.

He is an impressive beast when he works like that, just saying I don't want to be the fox or any other creature on the wrong side of that intensity.

But then it happened.............

a sprinkler popped up and started spraying water

bwa ha ha ha

apparently the only thing more frightening is a snake skin.

He went flying out of range plus 10 feet, with the wariest face on, completely forgetting about the fox.

No worries though, immediately past the sprinkler range he went right back to Mr Serious.

Completely ridiculous

If you are wearing a tux

2011-06-19T20:06:00.002-04:00

You might as well live up to it :)
Lots of people have commented over the years about Bugsy's coat looking like he is wearing a tux.
I've played this up at times, buying him a white collar, having him wear a bowtie on Halloween; just fun stuff.
We've heard James Bond jokes and jokes about going to the prom. When he was a pup, the children of the home which owned his girlfriend Bella, staged a wedding for them; he wore his tux.
Honestly I've never thought it looked much like a tux but we hear it so often its grown on me.
Well anyway the thing is whether it looks like one or not he often lives up to the image of a tux-wearing gentleman.
He takes a treat ever so gently.
He is fairly prissy and rarely dirty.
He'll refuse to lie down on a dirty surface.
He's fussy about the water he drinks and the places he poops.
But most of all he is a gentleman with all his friends.
Just this Sunday his friend Izzy was here. Izzy doesn't like to share and I had thrown out a ice treat for them to chew on to cool off. Izzy took it over, and sweet Bugsy just laid there with a big smile on his face, watching her tuck into the treat.
He was calm and content and smiling away in a very relaxed pose.
We all smiled.
Way back in the puppy days with Bella he used to let her have his bone or stick or treat. She'd wind up with two bones and he would just watch her.
If he wants it there is no snarling or conflict he just takes it, but by and large he doesn't.
He wants to share his toys and his water bowl and everything he has.
The more the merrier.
Bugsy the gentleman and for that I am appreciative
Does it look like a tux to you?

All day, every day

2011-06-14T21:39:00.002-04:00

From the moment he gets up to the moment he signs off every evening Bugsy is on. He hunts whatever he can hunt. Vigorously tracking who visited his yard overnight and then throughout the neighborhood too.
He looks for friends, intruders, cars he knows, the mail lady, UPS, hawks, anything that moves through the cul de sac. Should someone enter the drive the frantic search for something to bring them begins; a shoe, a kong, the newspaper, anything in reach. His body wiggling with so much gusto it is hard to imagine.
Late afternoon or early evening the hunt is on again, this time there is an intent to find a rabbit.
In a way it's always the same yet it is always different.
Today was a good day, chasing crows, attempting to chase fox, walking with a pretty lab pup, cars stopping to say hi, fun in his pool, chasing deer, meeting a workman, playing with the cocker pup, chasing a rabbit, plenty of tracking, surveying and some treat ball fun.
Finally flopping on a bed in front of a rare open window in June.
That's all for today, just wait until tomorrow I'm going to catch something, I just know it.

Now if I just knew what you were dreaming about as I watch your feet going, face contorting and odd sounds emanating from you.
Goodnight Bugsy, sleep well bud.

diagnosis: he has a mind of his own :)

2011-06-08T17:22:00.002-04:00

LOL well it doesn't seem to matter where we go Bugsy always, as someone so eloquently put it, always makes an impression.
Today these moments all added to the surgeon's diagnosis:
He excitedly entered(understatement) the waiting area, it amazes me that despite having been here before for surgery he loves everyone and his tail is wagging as he tries to explore each nook and cranny.
Then while outside trying to gait for the doctor he was much more interested in the smells. Not gentle sniffing mind you full on bloodhound-esque tracking. I had to keep taking hold of his collar and try to guide him in the direction I needed him to go. Each time he'd look at me like oh hey what you doing here, sigh.
Then the coup de gras; he discovered something interesting behind one of those big heavy outdoor garbage cans (the ones outside strip malls with the sandy cigarette trays on top)and proceeded to knock it over. The doc and I flinched but not the beast, I could sum up his reaction as 'oh'
Then inside the surgeon took him off for xrays, I literally said good luck with that. After a while I heard heavy sniffing and then the door blew open and it was Bugsy with the 6'3" surgeon in tow.
Lastly we went to the exam room and we left Bugsy in there for a few minutes so we could look at his previous xrays. The doc asked if Bugsy would be OK in there, um sure although he might open the door. Minutes later we heard the door handle rattling so decided to hurry back in to see him.
At that point the diagnosis was sealed
ha ha ha - yup he definitely has a mind of his own.

Now more seriously - his knee is OK for now, it might have had some fluid in it but only a touch, his shoulder joints look excellent but there is some muscular issues on both sides, and sadly the arthritis in his lower back is getting worse.
There isn't much more we can do for him, however we are going to try using Rimadyl every other day or every third day for two weeks and see how much difference that makes.

One last funny - well at least to me was this in his report from the doc:

Sigh

2011-06-07T22:04:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning I will take my happy, crazy boy to the orthopedic surgeon to have his 'good' knee x-rayed.
I know something is bothering him, but I don't know what. So am I hoping it's his knee or do I hope it's fine?
You know, I don't know.
If it's the knee we schedule the tplo and prepare for 8 weeks of hell and another 8 weeks of slow progress. So goodbye summer 2011.

I'll find it hard to take him away from all his buddies, he has a whole new slew of puppies this year and oh how he loves his puppies. They'll be no swimming or bird work or scent work. No neighborhood walks, no downtown patios. No Izzy. No sleeping in our bedroom, no crow chasing, etc.
Sure it is only for 3-4 months (it was 9 months to get back to normal) but going through it twice, sigh.

If it isn't his knee? I can only hope it is easily found and easily treated.
Although he isn't limping he has had this front end lameness on and off, and has signs of pain fairly regularly so it needs to happen.

And so it will

whew it was busy out there

2011-06-03T14:35:00.002-04:00

I was a gorgeous morning, the humidity finally dropped and there was a nice breeze. I was looking forward to a peaceful wander through our park-like neighborhood.

Why I think this will ever happen I am not sure

About 100 yds up from our drive Bugsy spotted his girlfriend Izzy, this meant we had to run up to the top of the road to meet her (about 1/4 mile). They immediately broke out into play - now Bugsy usually refuses to play while on leash, ages ago he decided leash= business. So the instant rumble caught me off guard, once we calmed them down we ambled along until something of high interest caught Bugsy's nose and he went diving into a culvert.
He has been very good of late but whatever this was he wasn't too interested in moving on. But we got the message through to him and were able to keep moving.

Izzy headed back home and we kept on moving towards the lake - our hopeful destination.

He was clearly following a scent but it was his normal stuff so I had relaxed again.
I looked up and saw a woman with two dogs, both of which were agitated. Once Bugsy saw them he got agitated,....great.
I spoke to the woman from a distance and said I would wait for them to turn up the road as he seemed worked up - she said, "sorry my two are going nuts we just passed the fox." Great.
The fox was curled up sleeping about 15 yards from the road surface. So I debated - go forward or go the other way?
We'll trot forward and quickly pass the fox - I saw it but dummy's head was down sniffing away so he didn't.

We came around a curve and there was a dog we know to be aggressive/leash reactive.

Great let's turn around and run by the fox again, sigh.

So we did, but this time Mr B 'noticed' sleepy fox. Sigh.

At this point I am bemoaning the detours but still thinking its a lovely day.

I'll make the rest of this short - the rest of our walk included mole hunting, rabbit hunting, turtle spotting and moving, and a snakeskin.
Whew!
So we met 4 dogs, a fox, a turtle, two rabbits, umpteen squirrels, saw hawks and songbirds and a snakeskin.

I suppose there were moments of peacefulness and that is OK. The morning was still a good one and at this point I do know what to expect when we head down the drive. We'll never just sashay, it's business for Bugsy, things must be investigated, greetings made, critters hunted.
And that is just the way it is.

My new bubbling water bowl

2011-06-01T20:45:00.004-04:00

Ah life with Bugsy. We have been putting in a patio and today we put in a bubbling fountain. After spending all day listening to the workers, upon being let out he immediately checked out the new rock area and fountains. Since it was 97-98 degrees the rock was extremely hot.
This didn't phase the beast, he slipped and carefully plotted his way to the water.

He sniffed and then drank from the fountain.

And drank and drank and drank.
I thought we would have to refill the basin first time out.
He quite clearly was pleased with this new water source, sigh.
Then he decided that the driftwood was ripe for chewing so he dragged one off the rocks and gnawed away.
DH wasn't impressed with this so went over and took the wood off him and tossed it back to the rocks.
Bugsy stayed in a comfy position until DH turned to head back to the bench. At the moment DH turned, Bugsy got up and got the wood again and laid down to chew it.
This cycle repeated several times with Bugsy's tail wagging more furiously with each intently disobedient move.
There was nothing we could do but laugh.
At some point he was done with the wood (the good part was just taking it when Dad would say no) he went over and had another 5 minute drink from the fountain.
Ah well it's good that we can all enjoy it

Such a ridiculous dog

2011-05-30T22:16:00.002-04:00

We had some friends over tonight to celebrate my birthday. These are people that Bugsy loves, really loves. This means he is ultra chaotic when they visit or if he goes there.
Tonight in the less than 3 hrs they were here, he received lots of treats for behaving, if he relaxes away from the action and food we usually give him teeny rewards for doing so and to keep him in that position. I bet he had a dozen almonds and cashews, several tortilla chips, little snippets of ribs, cheese, and half a sweet potato. He also devoured a 12 inch rawhide retriever, several treats from in a kong, and the coup de gras; a large chunk of microfiber towel.
He was doing his infamous steal the kitchen towel trick, dropping one only to grab the other and finally grabbed his 'slobber' towel. So we laughed and said whatever. But then I looked over and thought crap he has it in pieces. On closer inspection he had eaten a fairly large chunk of it.
After they left he proceeded to attempt to drink the contents of his kiddie pool, apparently he'd built up a thirst.
So please spare a 'hoping it all passes through unimpeded' thought for the idiot.

BTW we don't feed him like this usually as it clearly isn't healthy for him or any other dog, it was purely to reduce the amount of chaos, which it did.
Which is a bit scary :)

Add fox to the list

2011-05-19T10:50:00.001-04:00

right up near the top.

Top of what list you may ask?
The top of the 'animals that incite' Bugsy list.
It appears to be in the goose & cat range, thinking that goose probably still reigns at the top with cat & fox tied for a very close second.

How did I discover this?
We had a fox come out of someone's yard and cross in front of us - about 20 yds in front of us. It wasn't pretty.
But I still have all my appendages and so does Bugsy so its all good.

Dear Mr or Mrs Fox it would be best if you did your crossing of the road either before we arrive or after we pass through,
Thanks

guard dog

2011-05-09T14:35:00.000-04:00

NOT!
Big bad Bugsy who never misses an opportunity to bark at the UPS man that stops and plays with him has made no indication of interest with regard to the 4 men digging right outside the window.
I went to go see what he was doing and he was on his bed which is about 2 feet from the open window, snoring.
When the trucks arrived with much clatter, nothing.
When they shout to each other, drill, saw and when they ate lunch. Nothing.
Not interested.
When I pointed them out to him he wagged his tail.
OK whatever Bugsy, but your reputation as a tough guy will suffer.

Oh that's right everyone knows you are a big baby!
My sweet boy!

Thanks for all the smiles Bugsy

2011-05-05T20:16:00.001-04:00

For a variety of reasons life is getting on top of me lately. I feel 'darker' than usual and just irritated and serious.
Enter Bugsy.
Gosh he can make me laugh and get me to play no matter my mood.
I am much more than very thankful for that because sometimes as adults we get way too serious and forget to just have some simple, silly fun.

So thanks Bugsy for reminding me how much fun life can be on a beautiful evening - all it took was a 4 inch piece of cedar from a plant too.

I also want to say once again that this dog has a full social calendar.
This morning he had a bit of a play with a chocolate lab pup, who then walked most of the way home with us.

Then this evening the cocker spaniel puppy came over and they ran around like fools.

Tuesday he played and/or walked with 5 different dogs. It's crazy and oh so wonderful.

Yes I am unabashedly feeling the love for the beast.

MY world is a much better place for having him in it.

just a day in the life

2011-05-02T19:59:00.000-04:00

as per usual Bugsy was just waiting for one of us to make the first move, not sure how he knows when someone is getting up to pee or getting up for the day, but he does. This morning it was DH at 5:30am and Bugsy could not have been happier.
Oh to awaken each day as if breathing was the greatest and most pleasing thing ever! He wiggles and wags and does a somersault which is followed by much rolling, stretching and making odd noises. He beckons you to rub his belly and it cannot be resisted.

Then after the coffee pot is started he races to the backdoor skidding to a stop just in time to not slam into the door. His collar is affixed and then he about tramples you out the door and the next one too.
Off into the morning to determine who has visited overnight.

Whether it is I or DH we amble bleary-eyed down the drive to get the paper. At some point along our journey back he will fly into the picture grabbing the newspaper out of our hand and he carries it in to the house and then drops it on the steps to the kitchen door. Without fail this is how he begins each day.

Breakfast follows and then he is a first class imp until he follows me upstairs to make the bed and get ready to run or walk.

This morning he wanted to fly - it was one of those mornings I wish we could still bike ride together - he would have outrun the bike this morning. Instead we settled for mixing some jogging with a few sprints and a few walks.

I thought he was tired when we got done but no, he needed to play fetch with his wubba, run in and out of his pool and then zoom in the goofy way he does. Oh I can't help but laugh.

After the morning festivities he settles down, thankfully, until lunchtime when if one of us is home, he goes out to once again investigate his turf and then sun bathe for a short time.

This afternoon we went to the vet for his bordatella and immediately after we arrived a pretty hound/boxer mix came in and the two of them started playbowing and trying to wrestle in the lobby. Now he loves to go to the vet but this I have never seen before.

Finally, tonight we had someone coming to give us an estimate for some stonework. Bugsy always knows when we are waiting for someone and to say he gets excited/anxious would be a HUGE understatement. The guy turned up an hour late so Bugsy had been running to windows and on high alert for most of that time.
The guy was here for about an hour and Bugsy was chilled out inside but still watching every move.
Finally the man left and he went flying out the door and tracked every footstep the guy made.
Every.foot.step.

Having completed his inspection he pooped, came inside, had a huge sloppy drink, and retired to bed.

Day over.
Well until someone opens the cottage cheese tub and tells him to go banyo.
Then if he is lucky, some unsuspecting rabbit is grazing in the yard. He stalks them for ages, standing at point, and then *bam!* he's off.
Rabbit runs free
He takes a pee, comes in, up the stairs and chooses a bed for the night.

See you when one of you gets your lazy human butt out of bed and we can start this all over again.

Success!

2011-04-13T18:58:00.000-04:00

Today something amazing happened.
Something I truly did not have faith 'could' happen,
but I wanted to believe we would achieve.

I successfully called Bugsy off geese.
Yes you heard correctly. He went into full attack mode but I was able to stop him before he launched.
I'm still processing it. Still tingling with the fear of losing him and the intensity of the 'moment'. Which was much more than a moment.

So it goes like this. It's a beautiful day. Perfect. All day I've been imagining taking him to the lake for a swim, but since I am still suffering with bronchitis and asthma I was concerned about having the energy to be fully in charge. (one never does anything with the beast without having the ability to be fully in charge)
So I came home from work, changed, strapped the e-collar on the beast and a waterproof collar, added fresh duck scent to the dokken duck, and loaded up.
As soon as we took a few steps toward the beach area I spotted two Canadian geese by the boats. The boats we have to walk past.
Fortunately they walked off behind the boats so although his nose was aware and he was looking for them, they were out of his sight.
Unfortunately two American Coots were not out of his sight. Since he doesn't usually show an interest in them he caught me off guard and took off. The coots launched and some small children and their parents screamed at the scene which distracted him giving the poor coots a bit of time to get free. He continued his chase but I called 'here' and gave a stim.
Shocked he looked back and decided to listen.
Whew minor crisis averted. I apologized to the children and parents, the kids were thrilled to watch the doggie swim, parents thought I was nuts.
Ah well, I am I suppose.

We then were able to do some nice retrieves and everyone was happy.
But then our Canadian geese friends resurfaced from behind the boats and were squawking like mad.
He whipped around so fast and went straight into the pre-launch attack mode that my heart stopped. They mindlessly honked while he became ever more fixated.
Gulp.
The audience was now still and silent, even the little kids stopped playing.
Despite the cool water and temps I began to sweat profusely.
His 30ft line was attached but I knew I couldn't physically hold him.
I called 'here' with a sound stim. He crept lower and toward the geese.
Crap I thought I am going to lose him.
HERE! stim
He flinched but became more intent.
HERE! higher stim
He looks at me, with a look that could kill. "I am busy Mom, do not interfere"
HERE! same stim
He loosens and reluctantly comes toward me, clearly confused by what his whole being believes is the right thing to do (attack geese) and doing as commanded.
I re-engage him with the dokken, but the tension in his body is unmistakable.
One mom and her kids are now transfixed. She comments that she has never seen intensity like that and that it fascinates her to see his conflict.
Her little boy wants to throw the dokken.
hmm OK so Bugsy happily gets it and brings it to the little guy, still with an eye on the geese.
They honk again. He's on the verge.
We struggle again, but once again he re-engages.

I'm joyous and terrified because I know we are on the edge, he could take off at any moment. The darn geese are on land near the boats so if he did go on a tear it would be a disaster, keep in mind he has a 30 ft line attached.
We continue this dangerous dance for as long as I can stand it. If I lose any concentration I'll lose him. And he is looking for that moment.

So we wrap it up BUT the geese are about 5 ft from our gear bag that I tossed on the beach. No way, no how I can walk with him to get it. So we had to walk up and around the beach house, through the playground and back to the car.
This was no easy task because he clearly knew I was trying to avoid them and was doing all he could to get an opportunity to launch after them.
He is nothing if not persistent.

My favorite move was a pretend mark of a tree in which he hunkered down and locked on to them from behind the tree. Another 'leave it' and zap helped move us along safely.

We received horrible stares as I led this large, tense, muscular dog, hand on his collar to keep him right at my side with no leverage, through the playground.
Although one little girl ran up to pet him and he broke into tail wagging and kissing, LOL.

Eventually we got back to the car but he refused to go in. He just kept staring at the boat area, you can't fool the beast.

But for all the struggle we had a lovely time.
He swam, retrieved his dokken, kissed some 2 yr olds and I stopped him from chasing the geese.
I am still trying to fully process this achievement.
I know we are not free from our struggles, he will likely really work me next time having been thwarted this time, but we did succeed.
There is hope.

The work we've done with the collar is showing.
Its not the easy time many report but the fact that it worked today on geese on Bugsy, is nothing less than extraordinary.
I'm still smiling.

I still fantasize about having a normal dog that just loves to play in the water and will fetch anything you throw, paying no mind to the resident wildlife.
But I don't have that dog.
I've got my Bugsy and I love him and I suppose I do appreciate the challenges he throws my way. It makes successes like today extra special.

Charge your fears... or something like that

2011-04-11T19:57:00.000-04:00

I've been battling some bronchitis so I haven't been walking Bugsy in the morning (fortunately DH has been able to do that) but the last two nights I've wanted to take a short slow stroll and have brought Bugsy along.
Tonight we had a very interesting experience.
It was a gorgeous warm evening (too warm if you are Bugsy)and we were casually walking along when suddenly, in a low lying area Bugsy charged into some long grass.
Of course I am used to him darting off to smell things but this was more than that.
He started to intently sniff some grass and his tail went from its normal up to very low.
Very, very low.
Only time I've seen his tail this low is when he found the 5ft black snake skin, so that got me thinking.
Then he flinched as if stung by the grass.
I couldn't see anything.
Flinches again and acts as if there is some barrier between him and the grass.
OK now I am getting worried.
I'm looking frantically and trying to get him to leave whatever it is alone.
He won't budge and keeps sniffing and exploring.... tail and body language very concerned.
He seems wary of a long twig (ugh I think he really is smelling snake) so I grab the stick and he freaks and tries to grab it from me.
Good Lord Bugsy don't give me a heart attack.
He's continuing to sniff and search.
I'm desperately trying to get him out of there and to see what he smells.
I can't see anything.
But he hones in on a particular spot.
I carefully lean down to see if I can see anything.
He flinches as I move down- I swear my heart is racing.

I think I can see the head of a snake deep in the grass/mud.
That is all I needed, to do what I should have done in the first place, grab him and get our noses out of there.

So I cannot confirm there was a snake there but if I was a betting woman I'd say there was. And since I know that area always has copperheads I'd also gather it was a copperhead.

Bugsy the snake detector.

Now if I could just get him to not try to 'get' everything he smells/finds/fears we would all be a bit safer and my heart rate wouldn't spike so often!

a softer gentler Bugs

2011-04-03T20:14:00.000-04:00

Bugsy is a wide-open sort of guy.
He is a big baby and a very gentle guy but his energy and power usually live up to the bull in a china shop cliche.
He's on or asleep and has never really shown much consideration of injuries or illness............his or yours.
I always hear people say how their dog is so attentive when they are sick or disabled and I kind of chuckle and think not my Bugs. He drops his toys on me, drags me limping down the street with a face that says, "could you pick up the pace? gimp!"

But the last few days he's been super attentive to me. I've got a bad cold which has hit at peak allergy/asthma time so my chest is laboring to breathe.
He has been by my side.
I've been napping on and off for two days and each time I awake my boy is at my bedside. Sometimes asleep sometimes just staring at me.
In addition he has been bringing me his half chewed rawhide or antler and leaving it next to me. I'm not sure what that means but it seems awfully cute.
Not great to step on but it seems interesting and kind that he puts it next to me and wanders off. If I move he will collect it and place it next to me in my new place.
He's been watching me as if he is waiting for something to occur - this is a bit creepy because I can't help but wonder if he thinks I'm going to drop dead - I certainly feel like I could!
His body language is soft, very, very soft. His eyes are soft. I've never seen them look so kind.
He has collected me and shepherded me to DH at meal times, tail wagging as if to say, "here she is Dad, I've got her"
I don't know it is melting my heart - no doubt I am more emotional because I feel so weak but he amazes me.
Constantly
For so many reasons

Today I finished a great book "The Tattered Autumn Sky" by Tom Davis.
I finished the passage below and looked up to see Bugsy's powerful yet soft amber eyes staring straight into mine............

"But even if she did nothing else, there would be the way she looks at me. Emmy has always been one of those dogs that meets your gaze, and when we stare into each other's eyes there is nothing more that either of us needs to know" (p244)

It's a great training tool - IF you use it properly

2011-03-28T19:01:00.000-04:00

After much hemming and hawing (which really translates to much research and consideration) in January I purchased an electronic collar for Bugsy. These are usually called e-collars and I associate them with hunting dogs, although they are used for obedience training and I have heard they can be used in Schutzhund too.

I really had to step up my consideration of an e-collar after Bugsy's 3/4 mile swims at the lake which were only stopped when I was able to get a boater to take me out to get him; him who was still violently chasing the geese. It had become a serious safety issue.

I had many concerns: would it confuse him with the invisible fence (which he is 100% reliable on)? was it too harsh for him? would he respond to it or would it be a waste of time and money? My husband thought I was nuts when I selected the right collar (a 1 mile radius, waterproof, & vibration/shock/sound stimulation)and said it ran about $300.
Nervously I took the plunge.

Then I spent another week reading some more.

Carefully I started the training.

I won't lie, we've had ups and downs and I've made a few mistakes but it is working well.
In fact, the momentum for this post comes from the realization that for Bugsy, this is a much more humane solution than any sort of collar or harness, which I'll lump as 'physical' restraints.
The problem with physical restraints for him is that the ones that can withstand his power could easily cause damage to him.............and have to me.
With the e-collar the momentary stimulation in no way inflicts the pain of the prong collar that he has pulled on so hard he has broken it, or a flat collar smashing his windpipe as he attempts to break free to go after prey.

Our walks have become pain free.............for both of us. My shoulders are healing or at least not aching all the time.

His neck and shoulders MUST feel better to not have to bear the intense pulling that he would do from time to time and also the normal herky, jerkiness of "what's that?" "oo over there", etc.

Now I have put two leashes together and created a hands free situation.
He can duck into culverts (which is a favorite move but before if something was in one I could not, DH could not, remove him from the ditch)and check them out. He has gotten corrections for not responding to 'here' when his head is buried in the tube, reluctantly he responds post correction; we move on and he's happy again.
And no one is harmed.

Our collar emits a sound when I turn it on; he gets a treat each time he waits to hear it and to have the collar fastened. Tail wagging as he waits.

He enjoys some off leash time that wasn't previously available to him. He gets to stretch those long legs in scent-filled fields and it brings tears to my eyes to see him so happy.

I have not proofed it on geese yet - although this will happen in the days ahead. I wanted him to fully understand and appreciate his freedom and how he has earned it and its relationship to the collar before we try it on geese. I expect that it will be a situation that we have to work on before heading to the lake with confidence. Fortunately I have a fenced in school yard to practice on geese nearby.

I will finish by saying, I know that many people feel these type of collars are cruel. I would say that for some dogs they might be.
If your dog is soft and is easily corrected or spooked; these are not for you.
If you have a dog whose power is not great enough to inflict damage to them or you with a harness or collar then you really don't need this.
If your dog is what I would call biddable - they want to be with you and near you and look to you for direction - you don't need this collar.
Work your butt off with some positive training and the vast majority of dogs aren't going to need an e-collar. I have seen them on the wrong dogs and agree it is overkill and not a good idea.
Bugsy however is a hard dog. Hard as in it isn't easy to bother him. He hasn't been 'harmed' by the use of the collar even when I made a mistake (only one significant one in which I gave a tone correction in the yard away from his fence line but that confused him) it is gone in an instant.

We've tried every method of positive training to redirect him from his prey or self-anointed focus and to walk without pulling.
And we've tried choke chains (he broke it open at 5 mos old), prong collars (broke 2 of those going after geese), sporn harnesses, gentle leaders, easy walk harnesses, & various training classes.
But when he doesn't want to listen or do as asked (or what seems more like he actually doesn't know you exist any longer) he will overpower you or any physical restraint you try.
This is where the e-collar differs. I find that just the tone seems to wake him from where he goes mentally; sometimes he will choose to withstand the shock correction but it does interrupt his focus. And that allows you back in.
Nothing else has done that.
And it doesn't cause injury or pain (I have tried the setting I use on myself).
So for us my only regret is I waited this long.
The freedom we both feel is exhilarating

But it isn't for all dogs. You have to do a lot of homework on how to use it properly and ensure that your dog understands what you are asking and when & why they will get corrected.
It is unfair to stim a dog that doesn't know what you are asking. Do that and you will surely lose their trust.

In our case it is interesting, if anything he is more attached to me, in a healthy way, for the first time I can really see him look to me for direction.
All the touchy, feely, food-based, toy-based, fun, creative, physical correction based, etc. training we have done over 5 years did not create a situation where he looked to a human for direction. He hasn't lost confidence and he isn't nervous to do his own thing he just seems to realize that we are out there together.
Its a beautiful thing!

Cold tail/Limp tail and other things

2011-03-18T09:12:00.000-04:00

Last week I decided it was time for a swim.
Bugsy was very happy about this decision even though the air temp was a bit cool and windy.
I threw his Dokken Duck into the lake and off he went.
Over and over.
Joy written all over his face.
I didn't do as many retrieves as we usually work our way up to and when he left he seemed to have plenty of energy in the tank.
In fact he drove me nuts all day long.
Late that afternoon I decided to trim his nails, no biggie, we do this a couple of times a week.
However this time when he got up his tail was limp.
To make a long story short he was once again suffering from cold tail.
Which is a bit of a misnomer although no one has determined exactly what causes it (it can happen in the middle of summer) it is clearly not only a nuisance but extremely painful.
The first 24 hours were really bad - he displayed more signs of pain than at anytime after his TPLO.
But it started to get better and I would say by the third day he was carrying it better and not showing signs of discomfort at all.
Its all honky dory now and its back up in the air and wagging furiously!

He's had this 3 times now - once a dog gets it, they are very likely to get it again.

Its a warm day today and it will be tempting to let him swim again, hmmmmmmmmmmmm
Perhaps we'll wait a week. I don't want to do that to him again!

In other news he is thrilled to have a baby cocker spaniel living next door. This is only one step less exciting than if he had his very own puppy.
They are figuring each other out and enjoying being silly together. I'm glad and fortunate that Bugsy loves puppies and loves to share!

Puzzle boy

2011-03-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

Bugsy loves puzzles, really loves puzzles.
But he figures them out swiftly and then they are fairly useless in what I want from them.
What might that be you ask?
Time. I want them to take a bit of time.
That's all, its not too much to ask now is it??

Well a very good friend of mine gave me this toy Tornado because her dog just didn't like it.

We could hardly take the box off fast enough!!!
Typical for him we didn't have to teach him how to do it. We just put some kibble in the spots and off he went.
So we did it again with only putting kibble in a few of the compartments.
Even better, he said!

What I think is wonderful is that you can use it in so many ways. You could fill all the slots, or a few on one level, or random slots.
Or you can take the little plastic bone covers and place them over some kibble in the top slots.
This turns out to be a challenge because the beast's nose is too large to get at it cleanly so he has to wedge his face in there to get them off.
But he does.
And then he wants more.

Excellent!
Here's a little video of him working it

Foster homes are always needed

2011-03-08T19:02:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is very active with the Best Friends Pet Adoption agency and sent me this:
We have had such a busy, crazy week in BFPA - resulting in us needing to find 6 new foster homes, for the following dogs :

Freddie - (black Labrador Retriever), 63lbs - he is a happy, medium energy loving dog that needs experienced dog owners, who understand pack leadership. Probably better if Freddie is an only dog, but would be OK if carefully introduced. He can be nervous around small children, so preferably a home without children, or with older children or teens would be better for Freddie.
Thorn (Husky) aged 8 / 77lbs (but needs to lose a few of these) is well behaved, good with everyone, easy to foster. He currently lives with Beau (below) they are very attached to each other, but could be separated.
Beau(mastiff) aged 9 / 90lbs and a big lovebug Beau can be shy - so probably needs a quieter home. He and Thorn are victims of the economy and a broken marriage.
Isis -( Shepherd mix) - 7 months old and very sweet. Good with children and other dogs. She is young, and still learning.
Jake :(Boxer) Male, 6 years old, about 63lbs. Jake is a happy dog and treat motivated. He knows basic commands -- including wipe your feet. Jake loves head scratches and the hair dryer!! After playing, Jake will settle in for a long afternoon nap. He would benefit from a home with another dog and lots of Frisbees and balls
Miki - (Border collie/terrier mix) she is an adult female, about 45lbs. Great with other dogs and cats, Miki is black and white, with beautiful blue eyes! Very sweet natured dog.

There's no pressure for you to get involved with all of this! I just thought that there may be someone out there that you know, and who might be able to help us. So if you are able to add to your log, or email this out to anyone you think might be interested, I'd be very grateful.

People foster until a permanent home can be found, all expenses are paid by the BFPA group (meds/food/flea/tick/heartworm preventatives) We need people to have a secure yard or be prepared to walk the dog on leash (i.e. no loose dogs as this is often the way we get them as strays!), they fill in an application form so that we have contact details etc. Dogs cannot be chained up outside, of course! More details on fostering can be found on the website www.bfpa.org

If you are local to the Triangle area and are interested, post a comment or email me and I'll hook you up with the right person

Oh and my friend's current foster was featured as the WRAL pet of the week
link

Sniffing with a purpose

2011-02-28T14:11:00.000-05:00

I'm always trying to find new things and challenges for Bugsy to do. He just isn't the type of dog who is going to be happy going for gentle walks and lying around day after day.
So with the help of someone who is active in Search & Rescue work I've been experimenting with some of the exercises they use to train cadaver dogs.
Yes I said cadaver dogs.

For now we are starting with some nail clippings in a glass jar that has holes on the top. I'll be getting some hair clippings this week from the salon to use as well.

We've done a few exercises with the nail clippings and its truly fascinating stuff.
I've taken the cap off a few times and just let him smell them. I did this several times on a walk to the fields we run in.
After which I hid the glass jar in the field and sent him to 'find'
He went off with vigor and had the scent but there were so many wonderful scents (he always finds plenty of rabbit poop in this field) and he was clearly working hard to find the scent.
I thought I'd stretched him too far on the first one, but fortunately he has lots of drive so he kept working until he found it!!
We had a party when he did LOL
The party is with a toy that we only use as a reward for finding - we do some tug or some fetch whichever he prefers.

We did a few more finds that day and I even got him to sit when he found it instead of picking it up. This is a significant change in what I ask of him - our usual game of 'find it' is completed by him bringing the object to me.

A few days later I decided to up the ante. I placed the jar in our yard and left it for 15 minutes. It was a windy day so I thought that this would be a good warm up challenge. At this point I am wanting him to succeed so that he enjoys the game and wants it to get tougher.
I sent him to 'find' and due to the wind it was interesting to watch him hone in on the scent. You can tell when it gets strong for him, his pace quickens and you can see the light bulb moment!

Finally on that day I hid the jar in our yard and we went for a long walk. We were gone for about 90 minutes when we came back I told him to 'find'. He looked at me like huh?
Ugh.
I told him again and he seemed to go 'oh I remember' (since the moles are active at this time of the year he usually follows his walk by hunting moles in the yard so he had headed off to do his mole hunting)
The wind had really dispersed the scent and you could see him struggling but working hard.
After making me nervous that he wasn't up to this challenge he caught the scent and was on the jar immediately!
great job Bugsy!!!!

It absolutely amazes me that a few nail clippings in a glass jar with a perforated top give off enough scent for him to find it after sitting out for 90 minutes on a windy day. And I haven't given him a quick whiff to remind him what he's looking for!
Ain't no doubt about it - dogs are amazing and I am lucky to have a willing partner in Bugsy, he makes it pretty easy to get excited LOL

he's a crazy beast

2011-02-26T19:49:00.000-05:00

LOL he really is
He's calmer than he's ever been which I attribute to age but he is still one funny, crazy dog

I just gave him a huge knuckle bone to chew because he was being a pain while we prepped our meal and he continued to chew through our meal and after it. You would think that after 90 minutes of chewing a frozen knuckle bone he'd be ready to settle down.
You would be wrong.
First he needed to go out exploring. This included playing in the sprinkler
Then he came in and stole some socks, then he went and bothered my husband who was on the computer, then he stole some papers from the desk, then he opened the hall closet.
Having opened the hall closet he decided to take out the kibble nibble toy.
I caved and put a few Charlie Bear treats in it, sigh.
He then rolled and rolled it until all the treats were out and promptly went into his crate.
No goodbyes.
No nothing.
Just one minute rolling the next minute tucked up in the back of his crate.
'night Bugsy

Bugsy's trip to the Duke Canine Cognition Center

2011-02-22T14:42:00.000-05:00

It all started with classic Bugsy - well Bugs-a-duke. The road into the campus is very wooded the further along we went the more excited he got. Sniffing like a madman. So when we arrived on the campus he was fully charged and whining/spinning in the back of the car. I was getting worried, but doing my best to keep a calm demeanor.
A nice young man met us in the parking lot just in time to see Bugsy fly out of the back of the car in full hunt/frenetic/new place mode. The guy looked worried as Bugsy literally pulled me to and fro. At times like this he appears to be a feral animal not a domesticated dog. I gave a strong 'sit' command and without changing his orientation (away from me and the tester) he sat. The young man said, "oh good he knows sit." There was a sense of relief from him but also I could hear the holy crap this dog is untrained and a freak.
Having lept up onto a ledge and headed up some steps Bugsy seemed to know where he was going. Unfortunately he didn't need to go up the fire escape so I called him to me and we entered the building as if shot from a cannon and into an office.
We went through the office to the room where the testing would take place. It was adjoining to a small sitting room that was set up for owners to view the test as it took place.
Bugsy was VERY excited to be in a new place and meet new people. [:|] There were many 'things' in these rooms. None went unnoticed.
It all happened so fast I really have to try and recall how it played out.
The two students looked overwhelmed as Bugsy found treats, both the bags of treats up on a windowsill that was eye height for me and the ones that others had left behind, the male tester was scrambling to collect the treat remnants faster than Bugsy found them which only seemed to spur Bugsy to go faster!

He found the box of toys on the table at the other end of the room, took one out and ripped it open, knocked over a board they use as a barrier, stole the mascot (a black lab stuffy) from the waiting area knocking over someone’s left behind water cup, brought a pen, a clipboard, a magazine, carried the buckets around (used for the test), two large buckets mind you stuck together with magnets, gave fly by kangaroo kisses to them (he goes up on his hind legs and gently licks the person’s face), ate a leaf from a plant in the waiting area and generally caused chaos. He even tried to take some of the tape they had on the floor off and eat it. The two students were in shock.

Heck I knew he’d be excited and curious but even I didn’t imagine the havoc he wreaked. It was absolutely insane. He was everywhere and into everything as the three of us struggled to communicate about the testing. Three pairs of eyes watching him and three mouths agape as he furiously investigated his surroundings with extreme scrutiny and mischief.

I was trying not to panic but I was horrified. My worst nightmare was unfolding before me. Then when he was strutting around with the clipboard, wagging his tail and his entire body a display of mischief, we all laughed so hard we had tears in our eyes. That made me feel better but I was still worried about how he'd do in the test.

I told the female tester who was going to be tasked with holding the leash to take some treats and do a few little commands with him, she did and he did as asked. Ah we are turning a corner!!!
From that point he was awesome.
Throughout the testing the female held Bugsy and the male gave commands and performed the testing.
First up was giving a command, first facing him and then with his back facing Bugsy. Bugsy sat on both occasions.
Then they did a series of challenges with the buckets. There were four buckets which were set into two groups of 2 buckets. Each set of two was connected by magnets, with one bucket facing up and the other facing down.

The male tester would put a treat into one bucket but appear to put one in both buckets, Bugsy would then go to the bucket to get the treat. Sometimes the treats would be placed from behind a barrier so Bugsy couldn't see which one he did, and they varied how they blocked his vision, at times with a small board covering the tester’s hand and buckets and others Bugsy couldn’t see the buckets or the tester. Other variations included changing orientation in the room, adding distractions (like pretending that putting their hand in one bucket hurt) and giving him pointing cues.

The dogs are given 15 seconds to make a decision. They stopped timing him because all his decisions were within 2 seconds, most were immediate.

Due to his quickness they asked to do an additional test so we stayed for that too. In between tests he was allowed to wander again and was sticking his head in all buckets and garbage cans and came to see me and was as happy and I might say pleased with himself as I have ever seen him.

For the second test they had to use particular treats and the person would leave to the office room and come back. He would have a treat and odd objects. Not wholly sure what the challenge was but each time B was released he went and ate a treat, again without hesitation or any evidence of confusion. The final run they used two small plastic garbage cans, he ran up to one knocked it over and ate the treat.
All done LOL.

He loved working for them, it was very interesting to see how intent he was to perform. His behavior once working was excellent. He was exceptionally friendly, took the treats nicely, stayed on task, seemed to understand the ‘game’ without instruction, he would have kept at it until they quit, and clearly wasn’t overwhelmed by the surroundings LOL.

During the break between the two tests the testers were gushing at how well he was doing and how well-behaved he was being (this part was clearly a shock for them). We had a bit of a chat about the opening franticness and how that is HIS normal but once given a task he is focused. It was interesting and I was able to see that they, in no way, thought he'd do anything for them and had not had a dog that went from his 'introduction' to his performance level. They also thought he was under 2 years of age due to his high level of energy.
They said that although it’s a 'lottery' to be used in the tests when a dog performs as well as Bugsy they are usually asked back.

I'm proud of the little butthead LOL It was wonderful to see him work and also exceptionally funny to watch him investigate his new surroundings. I suppose that this was an instance where his curiosity and confidence in new surroundings were huge pluses.
It also was an opportunity for me to see that my suspicions are correct: the boy wants to work, always has and always will. It is a shame I didn’t know more from the beginning perhaps I could have found something for us to do, but to my credit at least I recognized it early on and have tried to utilize it.
Love you Bugsy – you are without question a one of a kind!

The colder it is

2011-01-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

the nuttier he is!!

Its been a cold winter and today is a bitterly cold day with a wicked wind. So what does this mean to the dog with super short hair and a nearly naked belly?
It means WOOHOO lets be crazy!!

Seriously he loves the cold. LOVES the cold.

He's been mole hunting, running laps around the yard, trying to eat the bird's suet block that is suspended 9 ft in the air, & chasing crows

He chased a toy that was falling down the stairs - this is a very hair raising experience. Watching a 105lb dog with a mechanical knee trying to catch a falling toy down the stairs is, well not for the faint of heart.

He's fished for cottage cheese that he dropped into his water bowl - talk about a mess!

He's played fetch with his stuffed goose with me and then with himself when I decided it was too cold outside.
Nothing like watching him tossing it in the air only to stalk it and pounce on it, give it the death shake and start again.

Now he is here trying to prevent me from typing so that I will take him for a run.
And you know I will
LOL
and so does he :)

Later

Life with a bird dog

2011-01-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

We won't ever know exactly what mix Bugsy is - he sure seems to have a ton of GSP traits and at times looks like a giant GSP. I will always say whatever he is, he is a bird dog, a pointing or versatile bird dog, not a retriever (although he will retrieve)

I just began reading this book; "Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs" and when I saw this quote it just rang so true;

"Bird dogs plead with you to imagine the great things you could be doing together. Their delight is a lesson in the bliss of living." Thomas McGuane

That describes my boy to a tee. Heck if you read my description of him on the Daily Zoomie site I talk of his infectious zest for life.

So as far as I am concerned he's just my big old bird dog - obsessed with birds - the bigger the better and all critters large and small.
He awakes he each day with an unmatched enthusiasm.
He implores me to explore the world with him.
Bugsy I enjoy your energy and optimism more than you can know.

Yo mom turn dat TV off and let's go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How could I refuse

an interesting walk

2011-01-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

Not sure if it was due to yesterday's wonderful 60* weather or what but the dogs in the neighborhood were acting strange today.
We live in a neighborhood with a lot of dogs, acre + lots, and lots of natural areas. There are no sidewalks and all the houses are set a good distance from the road. Except for morning rush hour its like walking in a nice large park.

Fast forward to today as we approached our turnaround point - which is near a house with an elderly beagle and a young lab and a shih tzu. The latter has a habit, although not frequent, of wandering, today it was out aggravating everyone. I heard a bunch of dogs barking in that area but couldn't see anything at first. Then I saw the shih tzu, who decided to angrily charge Bugsy, who was busy sniffing.

The shih tzu, clearly upset that his angry agitated barking wasn't being taken notice of, did a lunge and yap yap. Finally Bugsy looked up, body language soft and unbothered, and seemed to say, "quiet down little one" and he went back to sniffing.
The dumb dog kept at him so he went to sniff it and it took off - his brain clearly changed to "rabbit" "chase it!" Scary moment but I was able to divert him and we went back to walking with the dumb dog following and yapping the whole time.

I found it interesting to watch and quite humorous too as the shih tzu seemed so offended that its efforts to agitate were for naught.

About two miles later we passed a house with a grumpy, intact male GSD, it decided to charge us, complete with nervous tongue flicks. He always tries to assert his dominance over Bugsy and there have been some tense times between the two, so when I saw the GSD coming and it ignoring its owner, I decided that stopping and talking to the GSD was my best option.

The GSD was fairly intense but B was calm and his tail wagged. The GSD was growling and trying to put his head over B's shoulder when the owner (7 mos pregnant) came and got him. B then went over to say hello to the owner and her son, sniffed the GSD's butt (who was still growling) and then marked their mailbox which made me and the GSD's owner laugh.

Another neighbor was out running and saw it all. We caught them up afterward and she was laughing but saying, 'whew thank goodness Bugsy is a sweetheart,' that could have been ugly.

That is very true, I was really proud of the beast today, he has returned to the place he used to inhabit which is a comfortable and confident place.
He is master of his domain :)
Good boy Bugs!

Dear Bugsy..........

2011-01-16T13:59:00.000-05:00

why do we have to run up every hill?

why do large birds upset you so?

what factors do you consider before choosing your resting place each night?

Have you ever considered walking up or down stairs?

How does opening the cottage cheese tub wake you from a deep slumber two floors away, yet surround sound action movies blasting away four feet from you have no effect?

What is it about moles?

What is so enjoyable about wandering around in a thunderstorm?

What is with the howling when we go for a walk or run without you?

You know life would be less stressful if you didn't constantly try to predict what was going to happen next.

You will get your 2 meals each day even if you don't come tell me its time.

It grosses me out when you eat cicadas

You would have more toys if you didn't destroy them all as quickly as possible

Lastly, Dear Bugsy, We love you. A lot.
We are so sorry you have bad knees and we will do all that we can to alleviate your pain and get you back to zooming. We know how important zooming is to your affable nature and we enjoy watching you as much as you enjoy doing it. If its time to fix your other knee we'll get it done. asap
Your Humans

Slaying the beast

2011-01-10T09:22:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back we met a baby golden-doodle on one of our walks. Although I have some ethical issues with the whole poodle cross craze this is one seriously cute puppy!
We've seen her a few times now out walking and although Bugsy is ever so excited to see her, as soon as her puppy teeth start going after his ears, tail, legs, leash, etc., he moves on - as if to say I have no time for this.

I actually had begun to wonder if his love of puppies was waning. I knew the real test would be off leash.
Fortunately on Saturday we had opportunity to find out and no worries, Bugsy the puppy worshiper is alive and well, LOL.
Once we arrived back to our yard and he was off leash he was my crazy, silly, patient, gentle, puppy-nuts boy.

She became a bit concerned about everything and rushed over and sat with her owner. He play-bowed over and over until she mimicked his play-bow and off they went. She began quite timidly but he encouraged her and she became more and more playful.

Here she is having slayed the beast

It was fascinating to watch. And also loads of fun.
Every once in a while he would just take off zooming - as if to let off steam from having to be so controlled in his play with her.

A few times she tried to zoom with him - now THAT was funny.

When we decided it was time for them to part - she sat and tried to refuse to go and he whined - "no don't take my puppy away!"

I'm sure that it was the first of many play dates.
My boy is very lucky to have so many friendly dogs to play with and so many girls to love!

Happy New Year from the Bugsmeister

2011-01-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

Bugsy has given us a wonderful gift one that we knew, but not one that was so evident as it was over the last 24 hours.
Apparently walking your dog every day for over 5 years helps you not only to meet people but to make friends. Good friends.
We live in a nice community that has only two exits so you will be seen out there by the same people and you will walk past the same homes day after day. Everyone waves and I always wave back. I, at times, rue the same ol', same ol' routine; but today I realize how fortunate we are.
You see this New Year's we spent with a variety of people all of which we know because of those daily jaunts with Mr. Social, aka Bugsy.
After going into town for a bit we came back to the 'hood and stopped at a friend's house uninvited. We knew they were home and that it would be fine. It was better than fine and we all appreciated the friendship forged five years ago when Bugsy and their dog were pups. The pups played regularly and to this day have a love/affection/relationship (It looks like love to me but who knows) unparalleled. Unfortunately now they don't play very often but amazingly if her humans visit here he looks for her and when we go there she looks for him. Brought together to play, its always pure joy for the dogs and for the humans who witness it.

Then we went to another friend's - we were invited this time LOL. These are the owner's of Bugsy's current regular playmate. Her owner is out walking about the same time I am most mornings, so we went from walking them together to allowing them to romp off leash in our yard. Now its an every Sunday event. I bet we've known them for nearly 2 years now, and we consider them good friends.

We finished off our New Year's celebrations with a wonderful brunch hosted by another family who we met through Bugsy. Bugsy was a regular play mate for their boxer pup two years ago and time has developed my relationship with the boxer's owner even though health issues for Bugsy and the boxer have all but eliminated their contact.
Many of the guests at the brunch were also residents of the community - some I know by name because they have stopped over the years to say hi to Bugsy and I, others I only know by face and they only know me as the lady with the big black dog.

So Bugsy, thanks mate, and happy new year to you too.
Oh and apologies for visiting all your doggie friends and their humans without you, but please don't hold it against us. We'll be out walking tomorrow too.

snowstorm Boxing day 2010

2010-12-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a little fun in the snow - more pics in another post

Oh Dear!

2010-11-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

Bugsy has slept all day.

This is a rare occurrence and in this instance I attribute it to the dark, gloomy weather and we were all up about 4:30am.

This is very, very bad.
The next four hours or so will be a challenge; how to entertain and tire a 105lb ball of energy in the house (its pouring outside)

We've played some hallway fetch - until he cracked the tennis ball in half.
We played a bit with the intellibone toy.
we did some basic obedience - why is he always so obedient when we 'do' obedience but never any where else?
He's now watching the birds from a second floor window.
Thank goodness for birds!

Uh oh its too dark to watch birds and longer so he's just arrived and dropped a slipper on me.
Its going to be a long night!
:o)

The story of Pepper - and more amazing dog facts!

2010-11-18T17:40:00.000-05:00

Pepper is female Labrador Retriever mix that is approximately seven years old. She’s had a tough life but she’s survived. In fact she has done better than survive and now she is on her way to winning the lottery and finding an awesome forever home where she’ll be kept warm and safe, get some belly rubs and lots of walks. She deserves the best life a dog could have at this point, let me tell you why……………

Her first owner left her in the care of a friend. This 'friend' kept poor Pepper tied up outside 24/7. Eventually she was taken away from that person, but was passed from home to home and once again found herself tied up outside 24/7.

Fortunately she was taken in by Animal Control who delivered her to a local rescue group – she needed to become healthy, as she had become obese. Pepper has been lovingly cared for in an experienced foster home, where she lost a lot of weight by careful management, and is now much healthier, although there is more weight to lose.

Recently, Pepper moved to a loving foster home in Raleigh, with two dogs and cats and even a young adolescent human.

It’s hard to imagine why someone would tie her up outside; she is sweet, housetrained and quiet, she is friendly, loves her crate, asks to go out and gets along with the resident cats and dogs.

Bugsy has had the honor of walking with her a couple of times and he clearly is enjoying his new friend. He stops from time to time to give her a kiss or two and she accepts his silliness.

This pretty girl has the softest, kindest, sweetest eyes you can imagine. There isn’t a hint of her ugly past in those eyes, just a look like, “I am so lucky to be alive and in a house with loving people and fun dogs and walking several times a day.”

There is thankfulness in those eyes and joy, pure unadulterated joy.

She epitomizes the amazing heart and soul of dogs. She doesn’t seem to bear any scars of her past abuse just joy for her fortune in this moment. Humans can learn so much from dogs, and this sweet girl will bring many smiles to whomever provides her forever home. She doesn’t resent humans though she has a right to, she is just thankful for the nice ones.

Pepper I am happy to know you and am looking forward to walking with you and your foster mom and watching Bugsy sneak in a kiss here and there as you wait to find the right home.

Pepper is fostered through Best Friends Pet Adoption, who are based in Cary, North Carolina. More information about Pepper and the other dogs and cats in their care can be found at www.bfpa.org

Dogs are fascinating

2010-11-16T10:18:00.001-05:00

I'm a long time people watcher who has studied how people learn and relate and process so it is quite natural I suppose that I now thoroughly enjoy studying the same aspects of dogs.

Bugsy the lab rat LOL

He is a quirky beast so there is always some new reaction or behavior to watch, however some of the things that fascinate me have been him since day 1.

He is such an intent sniffer, for animal scents not food. Its the time of year that a lot of animals are on the move and mating season for deer (rut).

His eyes are glazed over, his nose to the ground, stopping some times to lick a blade of grass that he is sniffing, he puffs his cheeks and salivates. He skips over invisible obstacles and carefully surveys the area. His gait is smooth and quick.

None of the above is interrupted by border collies or schnauzers barking, the snarling pug, the baying of a lonely beagle, of a chocolate shake strewn across the ground.
He does hesitate for a moment to say hello to a father, son and GSD but quickly is on the trail again.

But then as we near the last turn towards home - he hears two dogs he knows going at each other and he snaps to attention, and his body becomes taut. He begins to whine and wants to investigate. These two are pack mates and he has played with them within the confines of their fenced area, which is where they are now, although not visible to us.
He stays on alert but will not budge until the sound ends. His nose to the air he sniffs vigorously a few times, becomes still for a moment...............

Then nose to the ground and he's off again.

I so wish I knew what his nose and brain were processing, but being an inept human, I'll have to just watch him and enjoy the ride.

Playing 'Find it'

2010-11-15T08:47:00.000-05:00

Here's a little video compilation of Bugsy playing his favorite game 'find it'
This is the first time I've used the box and hat as further complications.
As you can see he wasn't fooled LOL

His normal verve was missing but we hope its back soon.

At the end of the video after his last find, he decides the scent of squirrel is much more interesting than the toy - that's my boy!

well its back to square 1!

2010-11-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Some followers of Bugsy's romp through life know he has a 'thing' for geese.
It's not a good 'thing'.
We've worked for years around bodies of water.

First we had to convince him that water was fun

Then we had to work on the idea that swimming was not only doable it's fun!

Then he discovered geese.

And ever since all trips to water are fraught with tension.

But we worked really hard and he became very disciplined, able to ignore ducks and geese and retrieve his Dokken with vigor.

Unfortunately a few weeks ago we went to the lake with a friend and the change in routine and some geese that wouldn't swim away led to his worst, or for him best, chase yet. He went so far out and was clearly not interested in coming back that I had to get the rescue boat after him. Sigh.
Instead of being tired from having swam about 1/2 mile he had a silly grin on his face and continued to play with my friend's dogs.

Two weeks ago I took him to the lake and tried to do some Dokken retrieves and he wasn't that interested but did a few.
Yesterday we had wild goose chase number 2.
He had zero interest in the Dokken and was just looking for geese. When some came around the corner he took off ripping the rope through my hands and that was that.
After swimming about 500 yds one of the boaters heading out asked if I wanted a lift to go get him.
Um yes please, sigh.

We had attracted an audience at this point most of whom were concerned for his safety (I had put his life vest on so I wasn't too worried) and were pleasantly surprised that once he was towed in, he was still wagging his tail and thrilled to meet some new humans.

So its clear that the Dokken's job is over - well for now anyway. I'm going to have to come up with a new plan to retrain his discipline around his beloved or hated geese.
Pray for me, not sure how much more my heart can take!

Walking smart in darkness

2010-10-20T19:49:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year when the mornings are dark as are the evenings. Our neighborhood has very few street lights and no sidewalks so we are very aware of poor visibility and sharing the road.
Since I am a natural geek I take precautions to attempt to be visible.
I wear a high visibility vest with reflective stripes. I have reflective bands around my ankles and I try to wear light colored clothing.
Bugsy being dark would be impossible to see for drivers so he has a reflective collar, a white mesh vest with reflective stripes and a red light that attaches to his collar.
I am still very aware that we are likely to be barely visible until the vehicle gets fairly close.

Please no matter what color fur your dog has take some precautions - safety before fashion.
There are many reflective collars available, the light I have is by RuffWear but others abound and get an inexpensive safety vest for yourself. I've seen the latter at Walmart, farm supply stores, and various other places.

I was reminded once again of how poor the visibility is when I drove home last night about 9pm and I didn't see a man walking two labs until I was nearly on them.

I love my cool dark walks but I do all that I can to make them safe - you should too!

Halloween and Dogs - play it safe

2010-10-13T08:57:00.000-04:00

A few safety tips copied from an Honest Kitchen email:
Halloween Safety

As you prepare for Halloween this year, keep these safety tips in mind to help keep your animal companion out of harm's way.

1. Guard the Halloween candy — chocolate and certain sweeteners such as Xylitol can be fatal for pets so be sure to keep your Trick-or-Treat stash stored safely and out of reach. Remember that empty plastic and aluminum wrappers can be just as dangerous as the candies themselves.
2. If your pet does consume a large amount of chocolate or candy, make a call to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for guidance. If in doubt, take your pup or kitty to the vet in case medical intervention is required.
3. Don't take Fido Trick-or-Treating — Many pets can be frightened by unusual sights and sounds that come along with Trick-or-Treating, so keep them at home for their own safety. Nervous pets can feel very alarmed when kids in costume try to pet them, and this could result in a fear based bit in extreme cases.

well that was clever

2010-10-12T20:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Bugsy did his normal nuisance behavior at about 3pm desperate to get my attention.
When he does this and I have the time, I grab the clicker & some Charlie Bear treats and do a few minutes of training.

I had a hide-a-gingerbread toy (its a house with three small toys that go inside the house) and his intellibone toy. The latter is a center piece with five rings that go over the center and the dog must remove the rings.

He does both of these very quickly so to make it a bit more interesting I decided to toss the small gingerbread toys around the room after he removed them and told him to 'bring it'. 'Bring it' is a term we use in various situations but not in this context prior to yesterday.

By using the clicker I got him to bring me one of the gingerbread toys, for this he got a charlie bear treat. Then something amazing happened - amazing to me anyway - he collected the two remaining toys and brought them to me - not one at a time. For this he got a higher value treat (Zuke's)

We then moved on to the intellibone. First I had him remove the rings for which he received a treat, then I tossed the five rings around the room and told him to 'bring it'.

He brought me the first ring - earned a charlie bear
Then he brought me THREE rings! - earned a few charlie bear treats
Then he brought me the last ring and the center piece to earn the Zuke's treat.

I don't know enough about dogs to know if this is unusual behavior but it sure impressed me.

I did the intellibone with him a few more times and each time he at times brought a single ring and others brought 2-3 rings.

I admit I thought this was way cool

Even Bugsy has some quiet moments

2010-10-03T19:20:00.001-04:00

Most of the time I describe Bugsy (accurately) as insane. Anyone that meets him would say the same.
But my boy has a sweet side of him that he reserves for me and sometimes my husband.
Earlier this evening he huddled up close to me and nuzzled his head in my neck and worked himself under my arm. So gentle, so CALM and peaceful.
Wonderful moments.
He has an amazing scent about him - not very doggy, not of shampoo, just his scent. I can't really say what it smells like but it is a nice smell. A very nice smell. A smell you can only detect when he's up close.

I cherish these quiet still moments all the more because of his inability to be touched as a puppy. He was over a year old before I could pet him without him getting up and trying to initiate a game or mouthing me. It took even longer before he would lay still for my husband. Sometimes he even lets a friend snuggle him must to the surprise of all witnesses.

Thanks for the quiet sweet moments Bugsy I hope that we can enjoy them for a long time to come.

FUN , FUN , FUN

2010-09-19T17:29:00.000-04:00

Yup there's been lots of fun of late. We finally have consistently cool mornings and evenings. The days are still too warm for insanity but hey even the Bugs needs a nap on occasion.
He's been out and about and playing with his girlfriends and sneaking into people's homes (not really I was told to open the door a bit and their dog would come out but instead Mr. Greased Lightning flew in and said hi to all the inhabitants before being captured and escorted out).
This morning as per usual he had his Sunday playdate with his girl Izzy. They are always good for a laugh and today didn't disappoint.

He greeted Izzy with kisses - but she looks not too pleased with his breath or something

We did have one not so happy moment when Izzy decided that sharing his ice cube treat was not good enough. (I put some cheese or bacon bits or other yummy in a 32oz yogurt tub and fill it about halfway with water before freezing. It makes a cool low cal treat and he loves to gnaw away at the ice) At first Bugsy was so happy when she came over to join in,

but then she really went after him and we had to break the treat in two and then all was right again. Poor Bugsy he always wants to share and he usually has his treats stolen and/or gets ripped into!

Very happy to say there was no issue once we had two hunks of ice they ate their ice and went right back to being silly best buddies!

He did it!

2010-09-06T17:16:00.000-04:00

We are enjoying a little break from the heat with lows in the 50's so I decided that it was time to take Bugsy on a hike.
Somewhere different, green, and with water access
I decided to go to Raven Rock State Park and was really pleased with the trails, the day, the people we saw, and the Cape Fear River.
The trail we chose, OK I chose it LOL, was 5 miles and labeled 'moderate'.
We haven't done any trails in well over a year due to his knee so neither of us is tip-top shape but I thought I was in decent shape.
This is leading to this; we were very tired at the end!

I was getting a bit concerned about his legs but I didn't see him limping just tired. No limping last night or today, just tired legs.

Well not so tired, in fact we just had a Bugsy move - we blocked the doggie door that leads from the porch to the free world because a friend was coming by and we didn't want him charging the car to greet them.
So she pulled in the drive, he realized who it was and he leaped over the footstool in front of the doggie door, hit the porch door which swung open, but instead of going out of the opening door he dove through the doggie door as the door was swinging open, so he nearly crashed into the house windows but didn't.

Now one could say is a bull in a china shop and no doubt he is but he is a darn agile bull LOL = INSANE

chocolate and your dog

2010-09-02T09:38:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to share an informative article on chocolate and dogs. Most dog owners are aware that chocolate can be dangerous for their canine buddies - this is a chart of which types of chocolate are more dangerous
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/pets/chocolate-chart-interactive

He's a water dog now!

2010-08-27T15:34:00.000-04:00

I've been taking Bugsy swimming about 2x a week and he is loving it more and more.
This summer has been crazy hot so it provides a nice way to exercise that isn't too hot.
He still has a strong interest in the ducks and geese but he has decided that it is loads of fun just to chase his Dokken duck.

Bugsy do you want to go swimming?

OK OK let's go then

Are you paying attention?

Come on let's do a proper retrieve

Forget just have a bit of fun Bugsy!

As you can see he really loves to swim now - amazing from a dog that at first we didn't think COULD swim!

Dear Bugsy..............

2010-08-12T18:40:00.001-04:00

I take you for a walk/bike ride/hike or swim daily.
I have done this since the day (December 11, 2005) we brought you home.
Why do you get so excited each and every day for this walk - as if it is the first one you have ever had and you have been desperate for it?
I promise as long as you are healthy enough to do some exercise we WILL do some!
There is no need to spin and whine.
No need to open the closet door and steal socks.
No need to fly down the stairs and bang the door knob to go out.
No need to spin around me licking me while I put my shoes on.
There is especially no need to lick my sunglasses - this only delays the activity because I have to clean them in order to see.

There is also no need to rush down the driveway as if shot from a cannon. You can actually keep your brain attached to your body and WALK
I know walking isn't really your thing, but trust me its good. And you will actually get places faster because we won't have to stop every two feet and wait for you to back up.

So my dear Bugsy please try to relax just a bit - I can still tell you are happy to get out and about without the whining and spinning!

woohoo this may be significant

2010-08-07T21:13:00.001-04:00

I took Bugsy to the lake this morning and worked him hard (he loved every minute of it). He loves swimming for his Dokken duck!

The really important part is that after nearly 45" of swimming sprints and being a goofball jumping up and down in the water................no soreness.

Yup no soreness.
No shoulder tenderness
No groin/psoas soreness
No limping

He has been fine and raring to go all day.
I am very happy
Very, very happy

so many happenings - so few posts

2010-08-05T08:39:00.000-04:00

My bad!
No way I can catch up on it all so I'll talk about some highlights -
or in Bugsy's mind lowlights.
A few weeks ago I went to visit my family in NY leaving him behind with my husband. He loves my husband a whole lot but he misses me terribly when I leave.
Rumor has it Bugsy spent the week under the dining room table, LOL
He'd come out to eat and go back under. It was also a very hot week and I think that is one of the cool spots but he's not been under there much since my return.
Bugsy, Bugsy, Bugsy!

He has also upped his hunting prowess - the week I was gone he found the rabbit's nest and caught the mom and 6 babies.
My husband was completely freaked out and wound up having nightmares. He believes that Bugsy ate at least three of the babies.
So very sad but also part of the cycle of life and a good reminder that dogs are not humans in furry coats.
Bugsy goes and checks that spot daily - just in case they come back or he missed one I suppose.
He also caught three moles last week - he seems very depressed that there aren't any others to catch.
BTW I haven't seen any rabbits in our yard since the massacre either.

The mourning doves better beware as they are some of his favorite prey, at least historically he has released them unharmed.

Another major happening I will write up in a separate post
Apologies to those who check in I will promise to post more regularly!

Moles, cicadas and Bugs :o)

2010-07-12T08:09:00.000-04:00

We had an interesting walk/run this morning.
As per usual we started out fast. There were a couple of homes being worked on but that drew no attention. I jumped when the guy fired up the circular saw about20 ft from us, but not so the Bugs.
About 1/2 mile from home we were trotting along and he stopped abruptly. He whipped his head around and went over to a patch of grass.
He stared at the grass, tilting his head every now and then.
You could almost see him thinking "hmmmmmmmmm what is that?"
I tried to move him on but he was in deep listening mode and was immovable.
Then he POUNCED!
Leap, bang!
Sod went flying with a violent swipe of the paw............
In went his nose
Out came the mole
Incredible

Fortunately I was able to take the mole (now dead) from him and get moving again.
To the homeowner sorry about the hole, I put the clump of grass back.

Then as we neared home he nearly stood on a cicada. That prompted a little play that ended badly for the bug because the big Bug has determined cicadas to be very tasty. Yuck.

Oh and lastly we were then come upon by a rude owner running with her two small dogs on flexi-leashes both of which came at us - Bugsy didn't like that much. Hopefully next time she'll reign them in.

Understanding Bugsy

2010-07-10T13:06:00.000-04:00

Apologies in advance this will be a longish post.

Bugsy will be 5 in September - we will have had him in our lives for 5 years in December. I would have hoped I would have figured out and accepted some of this years ago but hey - we've gotten there. So here it goes.

1) He has no use for going slow. I think if you could ask him he would say he hates walking. Trotting with a few sprints thrown in seems to be his natural rhythm. We have tried various methods, collars, harnesses and tricks to get him to walk. He will humor us and walk a few feet, nicely, with a loose leash. Then he gets a whiff of something and he trots. Oblivious to the task of walking.
Bugsy from here on out I will do my best to kick it up a notch. I do have to look out for your knees but we'll go faster and quit this 'walking'

However please slow down in the house, when I see you fly down the stairs it really stops my heart. I know you've put your TPLO behind you but pal I will never be able to, so humor me on this one and slow down.

2) He should have been an experienced bird dog handler and hunter's dog. He hunts and works non-stop. I believe if he had consistent outlets for his prey drive and that from early on it was worked on he wouldn't have been so troublesome. As it is we constantly try to manage the prey drive and contain it. I have in the last year worked on using it more and it does make him more balanced. Unfortunately keeping/getting control over him while he is 'hunting' is exceptionally difficult to try to implement at this stage.

3) He should have always had at least one other dog to live with. He is a pack animal and yes he sees himself as leader of that pack. His happiest moments are with other dogs, always have been. Fortunately we always seem to be able to find him a buddy to run with at least once a week. This helps but again I will state he'd be more balanced if he had his own canine pack.

4) He needs challenges thrown his way regularly. Intellectual challenges. We do a fair job of this I think but I wish there were more interesting classes to go to or groups to attend. Obedience isn't his thing (LOL) but I think classes in which he was active and asked to achieve things would be great. I realize it is late but perhaps we can do some basic agility with him.
He loves to learn and gets excited when he sees the clicker or one of his intelli-toys come out of the closet. He doesn't just want to 'play' he wants to learn. I have always known this too but I have better skills to deploy now.
I contacted various agencies in the first month that we had him because I was able to see that he wasn't 'just a pet' sort of guy.
Wow am I glad no one was interested in a mutt!

5) He has extraordinary pain tolerance. Seen this over and over and in case you think it is just me when I picked him up the morning after his TPLO, the girl came around the corner with him and when he saw me he started wiggling and attempted to sprint to get to me. She laughed and said, 'wow he really loves you' and 'I've never seen a dog the day after surgery so stable and happy' LOL Oh and she also told me he took his Fentanyl patch off a couple of minutes after it went on so he wasn't too doped up.
I have heard so many stories of dogs crying and not being able to sleep for the pain. He was just my Bugsy, happy and alert during the day and asleep at night.
So when he limps or yelps it really, really hurts. Pay attention to it, take note and watch him like a hawk.

ah well that is all I can think of for now.
Thanks Bugsy for hanging with me as I learn who you are and how to work with you. You are a good boy and I love ya lots - even if you give me fits at times!

Dog walking etiquette

2010-07-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

It is unfortunate but our neighborhood has seen an increase in reactive/impolite dogs and walkers. Used to be that everyone knew the basics of controlling their dog and being aware of others out walking.
These days way too often dogs are on LONG leashes and allowed to pull and lunge toward other dogs with their humans not paying attention and/or not doing anything to stop this behavior.
I've discussed this with several other people who agree that it is getting worse.

So when I saw this from Pedigree I thought it was worth posting
Etiquette for City Dogs

It isn't that difficult to:
Ensure your dog is close to you when approaching other dogs/humans -
Lunging towards other dogs just isn't cool!

Pick up after your dog - I find it hard to believe that you'd be OK with dogs pooping in your yard, why allow yours to poop on others' property?

If you want to allow your dog to meet other dogs - ask first. Its all about being polite.

I really didn't think much about meet and greets with other dogs when my dog was younger but after a few incidents where a careless owner let their aggressive/reactive dog get way too close, my dog sometimes acts out.
It is something that I work on regularly and also something that makes me quite sad as before that one dog was consistently allowed to threaten us he thought all dogs were wonderful.

Please don't let your dog be impolite!

Bugs and bugs

2010-07-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

Although some don't believe it Bugsy is not named in honor of his affection for bugs. We were struggling to find a name for him, I was calling him to me, and he just sat there scratching himself. I queried whether 'he had bugs' and he came running to me.
LOL so I called him Bugs. DH wasn't too pleased but Bugs or Bugsy as we usually call him is a perfect name for him.
About this time every year the cicadas start to be available on the ground or are low flying, clearly slowing down and nearing their end.
Bugsy has been fascinated by them forever. And he loves, loves, loves to play with them.

Today he had his first play with a cicada this summer. We were out walking and nearly stepped on it.
Oh he was thrilled!
His tail was wagging vigorously and he ever so carefully touched the silent bug. And that caused it to rattle or buzz.
Oh he looked at me like "oh ma I never thought I'd have this fun again"

Each time the bug stops he touches it. When it becomes less active he gets a little firmer with his touches.
Once even a mild "whack" doesn't wake it he tries to awaken it with a nip.
Nothing.
Ah well if it isn't going to play any more I will eat it.

And so he does.
RIP cicada number 1 of 2010.

the heat is on!

2010-06-22T20:39:00.001-04:00

Woohee it is hot folks - been hot all of June really but this week is especially hot
So keep an eye on your furry friends, they can't deal with the heat as well as us.
There is a bunch of essential information here
LINK

Some of the things I do for Bugsy are:
only walk him very early (pre-sunrise) or after sunset
I wet him down prior to his walk/run - the best parts to wet are their underneath, groin area, armpits, & feet. I do these and then wet his back for good measure LOL

After our walks I fill his kiddie pool and he stands in it (Oh how I wish he would lie down in it) and he has a huge drink. I splash the water underneath him again making sure his groin area and armpits get wet.

I don't let him out for long during the heat of the day. For some bizarre reason he will go lay on the deck and bake himself so I limit this.

In the evenings when he goes out I often give him one of the ice treats I make with an old 32oz yogurt tub water and cheese. This helps occupy him for a bit and cools too.

He basically sleeps all day which is highly unusual for him so he is raring to go when it cools a bit.
A few energy burners -

I tend to not just throw his meal in his bowl - I use some sort of kibble dispenser to occupy him.

I do some indoor training and/or games.

The heat really limits his activities and he is a dog that needs activities so the above are simple ways that I try to use up some of that unused energy.

Here's an interesting tidbit - a short single coat dog is the worst in the heat as double coats insulate from cold and heat. Obviously darker colors absorb more heat. So if you like me own a short single coated dog who is dark in color be very aware of them overheating

Oh and of course dogs with 'pushed' in faces (think bulldog) have extra difficulty breathing in the heat.

Lastly watch you dog's tongue - sure it is normal for it to lengthen with exertion but watch the color as it shouldn't go too dark and also watch for when it will widen. If you see your dog's tongue dark red, extended and widening it is time to stop what you are doing and cool them off. For more specific details read that link above

Oops!

2010-06-20T19:28:00.000-04:00

the busy times continue............ sorry for the lapses in posts
The high heat is here to stay so we are constantly looking at ways to exercise without spontaneously combusting..........

In a Bugsy funny he has decided that the best position to drink from his outside water bowl is to stand on the steps and reach down to it.
Don't ask.
Today he tries this maneuver while his friend Izzy is here and although I am not sure exactly how it happened he managed to tip the water bowl on his own head.
It was hysterical as he looked at me like whoa how did that happen.
But he didn't stop drinking or wagging his tail as I replaced the bowl.
One crazy dog I tell you

getting back to normal

2010-06-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

it has been a busy time here but we have been getting back to our routines starting yesterday. I think Bugsy was going to disown me if I didn't give him a good walk so we went for a long way this morning.
I sure wish I could get him to stop tracking all the time - he seems to be 'hunting' which I don't need. Don't have any ideas about how to change that though
Other than that not much to say. I still think he isn't 100% but can't figure it out.
Also can't comprehend why he thinks it a good idea to go lay in the sun on a day that is well into the 90's.

He is happy to have his normal schedule but he misses our boisterous and fun guest who brought him lots of stuffies and played with him all the time.
Such a poor neglected dog

Woohoo extra humans at my place!

2010-06-06T21:12:00.000-04:00

We have some guests this week including a retired dog handler from a major police force and Bugsy is super happy with this development. We are too, but we just don't show it in the same exuberant way.
For me it has been wonderful to talk 'dog' and to get an experienced outsider's view of Bugsy.
The dog handler is very impressed in many ways but just had a ton of fun playing find it in the yard in the dark with B.
I feel validated in a way to hear someone who has worked with amazing and intense dogs talk about my silly mutt with such respect.
I plan on getting as many tips and suggestions as I can off this guest before they leave next week
These are also the first guests that I don't have to constantly manage Bugsy for - they are perfectly capable and happy to take care of themselves and he has been very well behaved

updates

2010-05-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

Some of you are aware that I have been very worried about his other knee, last week I took him to the surgeon and he declared both knees healthy. Some of the things we are seeing MAY be due to spondylosis which is a form of arthritis that attacks the spine. I hope that isn't the case but we will be taking extra care from here on out.
Otherwise he is good to go and ready for fun!

Speaking of fun I bought him a new toy last week - a so-called intelligent toy - well after the first session with it I thought we had finally done it. We had a toy that would take a bit of time for him to figure out.
Nope
Second time with his toy

We will continue to search LOL

My trip to the beach

2010-05-23T13:33:00.000-04:00

Whew my human is lazy - I had to keep on her about getting this out there, so without further ado......

My trip to the beach was great!
In the car I look out the window the whole time. I can see out the window while I am lying down so that keeps me out of trouble. Apparently lots of dogs just sleep - I get way too excited for that!

Once we got to the beach place my mom took me out to the ocean and sand. In the ocean I saw something moving around so I caught it, it was a baby shark - so I was told - and I had to drop it and my human put it back in the ocean. Whatever!
This was my shark, please note my paw prints next to it.........

This is my beach, isn't it pretty?

I did lots of exploring, my dad is very good at this too so we look at things together....

I remembered that it is fun to dig in sand.
It is very exciting even though you don't always find the crab

I give it my all!

Another really good thing about the beach is you meet lots of friends.
This year my two favorite friends were Mac and Doc.

Mac was just 1 yr old but he was a good swimmer and he really, really loved to fetch the toy from the water.
He loved it so much he got kind of sick so I didn't get to play with him again. That was a shame because he was so nice and lots of fun.

The next day I met Doc. We played a different game and chased each other around the beach. We were already pretty tired when my dad took this video.

So as you can see going to the beach is lots of fun. There are a lot of things to do and also lots of fun new dog friends to play with.
I would love to live at the beach, I bet I could even catch a pelican when my human wasn't watching!

through thick and thin

2010-05-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

I know that anyone that reads this blog knows that I love my crazy oversized mutt. Probably too much..............but it is what it is.

We are off to the beach tomorrow.
Bugsy loves the beach and we love that we can take him there. Unfortunately we learned last year that no matter how much fun the boy has all day long - he does not want you to leave him in the room and have fun without him.
Last year he howled for hours when we left - I was horrified when I found out.
We thought it might be separation anxiety but that just doesn't make sense. He may be very happy to see us come home BUT he never minds when we leave. Well unless we are going for a walk or run or bike ride.
So it is fun anxiety - he is letting us know he is not OK with us having fun without him. And there isn't any training we can do with that. I mean we leave him and he howls.

Today I have pulled together most of the things we are taking and he is ready to fly every time I move. This is not Mr Chilled Out - I so wish he would relax and not constantly try to predict my next move.......

Which brings me to what this post is about - My little Bugsy just is who he is. I try and have tried to change him to a more relaxed dog. And I suppose he is. At least now when the mood strikes you can sort of snuggle him. No chance of that when he was young, so it is an improvement. But he really is still always ON.
I wish I could help him to be less stressed, but whatever he is, I love him.

hopeful thought, thank you Tina

2010-05-10T18:31:00.001-04:00

Today a friend - an internet friend- had her dog put to sleep due to a heart condition. It is a sad moment but also a kind end to an amazing story. My friend works at a shelter and last August this old brown dog was turned in and in poor condition and health. It was thought she would only live a few weeks at best. My friend decided she didn't want this old girl to die in the shelter so she took her home.
She was heartworm positive and had a host of other issues but his old girl had life in her and warmth and love and joy. My friend gave her a home and nursed her to better health. Little Agnes the old brown dog got toys and a bed and scrumptious healthy food. She never met the huge contingent of "Aunts" she had scattered across the country but she knew they were out there.
And as her heart faded she got the best care possible.
But when it became too much for her, my friend took her to cross the bridge with dignity, with an owner, with love.
Powerful stuff.
Amazing stuff.

The stuff that helps balance the ugly part of humanity - the people that mistreat their dogs and the ones that give them up because they had a baby or because they don't have time or some other typically self-centered and lame excuse.
I understand that not everyone can afford the very best food or thousands of dollars for specialist veterinary care but dogs can get by on much less - but they do need love.
They need some of your time.
Dogs - unlike cats - are truly companion animals - we humans made them such.
They want a place to sleep, inside with you.
They want to join you for a walk or a silly game in the back yard.

I could go on but I'll stop, however I will say this........
If you are thinking of getting a dog, be honest with yourself about your dedication level. Dogs need training and exercise and time and love.
Their lives are short in comparison to ours - in my opinion each of their moments bears more weight than each of ours for this reason.
A dog will love you unconditionally do not take advantage of this, treat them right. But before you get a dog, ask yourself how much you are going to give to that dog? If you are unwilling to do the training and exercise and deal with slobber and hair and puke, please don't do it, dogs deserve better.

Tina, thank you for restoring some sense of the good part of humanity for me. I get a little overwhelmed but the bad sometimes.
Run free and breath free sweet Agnes!

he's a cwazy one!

2010-05-07T13:55:00.000-04:00

just a few ditties......
He found a piece of snakeskin last night. This is always comical in that he absolutely HAS to have it but it is clearly the most terrifying thing he knows.
I picked it up for him and still leery he grabbed it, threw it down, pounced on it and then proceeded to eat it.
Found the rest of it this morning and was less intimidated this time :-)

He's been very active this week and it is tough to tell if he is sore or in flat out pain or just tired. Sure wish he could talk

And lastly he is a constant source of smiles - even when I want to wring his neck! An online friend lost their fairly young dogue de bordeaux yesterday. So very very sad. And a reminder that these furry pups aren't with us long, always remember to enjoy them.
Run free Talus you are already missed

so good and so bad

2010-05-05T09:04:00.000-04:00

Oye! In the last few days I have been reminded as to why I haven't done more obedience with Bugsy. I am trying to teach him a few whistle commands to use on the goose patrol job. So far it kind of goes like this..
"hey Bugsy want to do some learning?"
oh yea oh yea ha ha ha lets go lets go
I am so excited!
"sit"
what?
"SIT"
me? well um OK
"heel"
(shockingly he does - there is movement involved therefore it is acceptable)
tweet "sit"
he did it - happy dance woohoo, treat
"heel"
this again? er well OK
tweet "sit"
reluctantly he sits - lots of praise and a treat
"heel"
sniff sniff hmm what's that over there - oooooooooo its a squirrel, got to get it, hey look I found a piece of wood.

I go and get his high value toy.
Oh mom awesome we are going to play woohoo spin spin I am so excited
tweet "sit"
"wait"
I throw the toy and release him to get it
He charges after it "tweet tweet" (means bring it back)
He does, tweet "sit"
He does (big smile)
Oh yea baby he's got it
We try again, I release him to get it, whistle him back, he heads back, I tweet/sit he sits - incredible
then when I go to take the toy he grabs it and runs
and runs and runs
he circles back to show it to me
nanny nanny poo poo - I'm sure he said that

Eventually I get it back and make him sit to the whistle. Which he does but with his back to me.
Whatever mom - are we done yet?

Me - "I could ring your neck"

But I love you too much so I won't
LOL

a bike ride!!!

2010-05-04T11:24:00.000-04:00

Today Bugsy had his first bike ride since last summer!!!!!!
Only a half mile but he was thrilled :-)

The hardest part seemed to be getting acclimated to the bike again.

Time will tell if it was OK or not.

second day and other musings

2010-05-03T14:04:00.000-04:00

gosh I am just not keeping up!
Saturday morning I decided to take Bugsy to the course again. We started with some basic obedience as we made our way to where the geese tend to hang out. He once again quickly realized what he was there to do and took off full speed right at them.
He kept going and going. He was well out of my sight and I was fairly panicked. Then I saw him making his way up the ninth fairway still chasing the geese who were headed towards me.
When he did finally return to me the grin on his face could not have been bigger. When I came home I used google earth to figure out how far he ran, approximately 2000 yds (a mile is 1760 yds)
He kind of looked like this - just hotter and happier :-)

Happily I saw no indication of pain at any point in the day.

He also on Friday had his first playdate with his girl Izzy since the day before his TPLO
there was a lot of chasing and a bit of this

They only had a few minutes together but once again I was thrilled that I saw no limping. He's tired but OK - for now.
Oh and he is happy
and that folks is what it is all about!

1st day on the job!

2010-04-26T10:46:00.000-04:00

Bugsy was recently asked to clear the geese off of a golf course. He couldn't dream of a better job so this was very exciting indeed!

Today we had our first attempt at it. The problem is always going to be calling him off the geese, definitely not finding them or chasing them.
As if sent as a message when we left our driveway this morning a single goose was walking on the neighbor's yard. The windows were open and Bugsy was on high alert immediately. I stopped and let him really scent it. I told him "goose" & 'good job'.

We carried on towards the golf course which takes us passed fields of livestock and um geese. Once again he rose to his feet, nose to the air and took it all in. Goose.

He was thrilled when we got the golf course and all this wide open space.
Then he saw 4 geese. He slunk down to panther mode and stalked them, edging closer. Then I did something (not sure what) that sent him.
Oh dear Lord after being dragged halfway across the wet fairway I let go. He was on a tear, and they weren't hanging around. He went after each one until the left. After a bit of sniffing, he responded to my whistle and returned to me.
"good job", treat, and "let's go"
From that point forward, he knew exactly what he was sniffing for, no doubts at all.
Off we went.
Then he heard them, high above. You could see the energy and intent in his body.
They landed and he started creeping.
This time they took off well before he got there. (clearly already realizing he means business)
Oh and so did he.
He took off like a rocket as they headed towards the murkiest pond you can imagine.
GULP! No Bugsy!
Not a chance.
He launched over the reeds/high grasses and about 20 feet into the pond, swimming with an intent that could not be missed.
Me= ACK! Thinking of snakes, snapping turtles and the slop.
I whistled and whistled, called his name.
Not a chance
He was pissed off and on a mission.
Fortunately after some time he got tired (the geese neared the side of the pond and flew over his head to the other end again)and my encouragement that he was done he decided to come out of the pond. He was absolutely exhausted. I was a wreck.
OK bud let's call it a day..............
We got home he pooped and launched into major zoomies.
Then he got a quick bath which was followed by more zoomies.
I love my new job mom!

The Pawzzle

2010-04-22T15:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry folks I have not been very good about keeping up on things - I have many toys to review, thoughts to share and a link to an awesome show but all in good time ay?
Today I want to tell you about Bugsy's new toy - The Pawzzle
I reluctantly bought this product - reluctant because every kibble dispensing toy has frankly been too simple for Bugs. Generally they take longer to fill than for him to empty. And this toy wasn't cheap so I was taking a risk in my mind.
Thankfully it has worked out superbly. He loves it.

This is certainly more difficult than any other ones we've tried. There is only one hole in the inner ball which is about the same size as his kibble (his kibble is not uniform so I have to break some of the larger ones) and the inside of the inner ball isn't smooth so pieces get caught in the inside of the inner ball. Also the hole in the inner ball has to hit one of the holes in the outer ball in order for the kibble to come out. So its a challenge.

I could see a dog getting frustrated easily and some dogs I would think would just destroy the outer ball to get to the inner ball. Also Bugsy's head/nose is so big he can't reach the smaller ball through the outer ball - most dogs will be able to do that.

He loves these sort of things so even when he first got it and would roll it and roll it to no avail he kept trying.

It would be easy to enlarge the hole on the inner ball to make it easier to get stuff out. For now Bugsy loves it just the way it is LOL

Here are some short videos of him playing with it

Thanks for looking!

Today is the big day!

2010-04-17T08:05:00.001-04:00

Yup its the 2010 Dog Walk! Its sunny and not too warm and the turn out is bound to be HUGE!
Bugsy got a bath and has a new collar and is raring to go!
The fund-raising total is ginormous and not nearly done yet, we are so proud of the SPCA and so proud and honored to be a part of it all.
Thank you to everyone that has sponsored us, I don't like to ask for donations but this is different.
I'll be back later with photos!

Final week to sponsor us!

2010-04-13T14:26:00.000-04:00

Bugsy's favorite day of the year is here!
On Saturday we will be walking in the 2010 SPCA of Wake County Dog Walk. This is an enormously successful event and rightfully so.
The money all goes directly to the support of animals in need in the county - of which there are 10's of thousands.
From the top to the bottom, the people that make up the SPCA of Wake County are amazing, demonstrating an unparalleled dedication to homeless animals and animal protection.
We have been walking in this event since 2006, this will be our 5th!
The first year Bugsy was about 8 months old and had the time of his life. He is a happy boy, but never happier than when he is in a congregation of thousands of people and thousands of dogs.
Please join in the fun if you are local - the weather looks to be wonderful - you can walk with or without a dog
or if you can't make it
please consider sponsoring us
LINK
scroll towards the bottom and you will see a box and my name Karen Lee, click on that and you are good to go!
thanks
Karen & Bugsy

Mr Prissy lets his hair down

2010-04-12T20:46:00.000-04:00

well not really but bear with me on this one, LOL
Bugsy has always been an exceptionally neat dog, carefully skipping over mud and other than digging for moles he doesn't play in the dirt, puddles sometimes yes sometimes no, and he hates to do a down or sit on concrete or at the dog park, etc. if that gives you some idea.
OK now jump forward to - he always rolls on the floor after eating a raw meal, to me an indication of, "oh yea baby that was good eating!"
So tonight after having a wonderful meal of emu drumstick he went outside with me and rolled on the grass.
HE ROLLED ON THE GRASS.
Over and over. He would get up and shake off some dirt and bits, stop and think and then he was back on the grass rolling.
Woohoo he can act like a dog! :-)

Now don't get me wrong I am not hoping this progresses to rolling in stinky stuff but I did think gosh he is finally chilled out enough to roll in the grass.
Good boy Bugs!
First you realize you can poop on your walk and don't have to hold it until you get home and now this.
:-)

The social butterfly

2010-04-08T16:25:00.000-04:00

I have been very remiss in not reporting the happenings here in Bugsy's world. Sunday, Easter Sunday he got a very special treat. He got to ride in a pickup, in the cab, with his head out the window licking the neck and ear of one of his favorite humans. When we stopped he was at his girlfriend Bella's house.
Bella is a beautiful golden retriever that is about a month younger than Bugsy. They grew up together and the 'kids' were his first and only experience with kids until about 15 months ago. He has always seen all the humans at that house as his humans too.
So the excitement was immeasurable - his first play date since November AND his first play date with Bella in goodness knows how long. They ran and ran and kissed. A little wrestling but mostly running and loving. The joyfulness and the intense emotion brought smiles to all of us, heart warming smiles.
AND he was tired but OK afterward.
Then this week he has walked with Campbell, and Max & Annabelle a couple of times and said hello to Bowie and Cody. He's so happy, he could burst!

Remember that dogs are social creatures, they want to be with their humans and they want to be with other dogs. It is important that if your dog hasn't been socialized that you start the process slowly but for the vast majority of dogs it turns out to be a very good thing!

an older picture of Bugsy and HIS Bella - its love I tell you

Stages of dog ownership

2010-04-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

Dog ownership is much more complex than it seems from the outside. People that don't have dogs or that do but don't do anything with them tend to see owning a dog as a simple thing.
I did, I admit it.
I mean you get a dog, you train it a bit, feed it, take it to the vet and pick up the poop. Simple.
What I and I think many, forget is that dogs are living creatures with individual personalities and development stages and needs, just like you and I.

The above means that for most of us dog owners, training is an ongoing thing. As your dog traverses through the stages of its life you will need to review some things or work with a whole new behavior (or 20 LOL).

OK so some of you may be saying I wonder what this post is all about. Its just about walking through life with my boy Bugsy. I am not sure whether he has entered adulthood or it is a response to the whole surgery experience but I am noticing a calmer dog, a slightly more obedient dog and a dog that is more peaceful.
The other night our cul-de-sac was full of young kids running, screaming, using bikes, motorized scooters, you name it.
This has been a situation where he would need to go inside because he would want to be running with the kids so much that he would be running the line and getting way too worked up.
Not the other night. He watched them and was alerted when they shouted or cried or screamed but he didn't get agitated. DH & I were watching in amazement. He would watch intently and then go back to grazing the grass.

Anyway back to my original thoughts on this subject it has been an eye opener to realize the appropriate energy and effort of 'good' dog ownership. You must grow with them and know who they are and what they need.
Bugsy is not the dog I grew up with nor the neighbor's dog. He is a unique (you can say that again) individual that I am responsible for.
I love that.

The beast sleeps.....................

2010-03-29T13:58:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a Bugsy day from beginning to end. You've already heard about the suet block on the head it continued from there to be just a crazy day & night.
He was wired and mischievous until the very end.
Strangely when he decided to settle down for the night he made a nest of my sweats and slept next to the bed, next to me. This is very unusual behavior as he chooses to sleep in his crate down the hallway or his bed downstairs.
We were having horrible storms all night and he would pop up at various times and nudge me. Um yea I heard it too.
Today he just can't seem to wake up. Clearly his wild weekend has caught up with him.
All he does is move from bed to bed and immediately fall asleep.
Seeing that it is a dreary, rainy Monday who can blame him!

whew I iz vewy sweepy

Bugsy the gun dog

2010-03-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

Although we will never know exactly what is in the mix we know he has some sporting breed in there that loves birds and doesn't mind a bit of noise - you know a gun dog or a bird dog.
Today someone gave DH an air rifle to check out and he started 'shooting' it (no bullets) in the yard.
Bugsy right next to him. Whatcha got Dad?
So I get an idea to have DH 'shoot' the duck and get Bugsy to retrieve it. It was going to be brilliant.
I went and got his Dokken Duck still wet from our trip to the lake earlier. Grabbed Bugsy by the collar and had him sit next to DH.
DH shot the gun.
I tossed the duck.
Bugsy ran.
The duck hit the suet block in the bird feeder.
The suet block hit Bugsy in the head.
He picked up the suet block and took off running.
Grabbed the duck while still holding the suet cake in his mouth and was off, not to be caught.
The suet block had fallen a good distance onto his head, so his head was covered in suet and seed. Including in his right eyebrow so he kept blinking.
Unthwarted he kept prancing and blinking with his suet and duck.
Presumably my hysterical laughter wasn't conducive to him giving me either the duck or the suet.
DH shaking his head, "you two are a pair."

Once I got both the duck and the suet block (which I put back in the feeder) it was time to return to our garden work.

So clearly Bugsy is a gun dog unbothered by the gunshot nor having a suet block fall from 15 ft onto his head.

Good boy!

bits and pieces

2010-03-25T12:24:00.000-04:00

The arrival of Spring means many things - going swimming at the lake, a change from mole hunting to catching morning doves, and welcoming a new kiddie pool.
Yup we've done all three now.

Last year I was too late on the kiddie pool search and they were all sold out so Bugsy had to make do with a leaky old pool all summer. Not this year, he got a brand new bright yellow pool. Very high fallutin' now!

Then yesterday morning right before I was leaving for the day he went out and caught a morning dove. They honestly must be the dumbest birds on earth. I have lost track of how many times he has caught them and I presume the 'couple' we have are a returning couple. He never harms them but still you would think they would move on!

Lastly almost for documentation purposes I report that he is still limping on and off. It seems that 3 days in a row walking/running is the max before he winds up in pain again. I feel so sorry for my boy. He just wants to feel good again - everyday.

I finally went swimming again!!

2010-03-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

well it took some doing but my humans finally took me to the lake again - actually it is the first time my dad human took me swimming.
He just took pictures though, my mom human was in charge of the duck.

The beautiful, smelly, floating duck -
my beautiful, smelly, floating duck!

Look how nicely I wait for her to throw it

then I have to swim to get it

then I have to swim with it in my mouth

and I bring it all the way back to mom human

This is the best game ever!

wow that wuz a loud visit!

2010-03-20T13:49:00.000-04:00

Poor Bugsy - yesterday started with being charged by two large german shepherd dogs and ended with a loud non-stop barking dachshund house guest who wanted nothing to do with him.
Some friends of mine were driving up the east coast and I was glad to say sure stay with us. What I didn't know is that their dog isn't trained very well and isn't friendly to other dogs.
She snarled, growled and barked at him. He brought her a toy, grrrrrrrrrr. He would go away from her and lay down and she would bark non-stop. He'd come back and she'd growl.
We wound up having to keep them completely separate.
This was very stressful for Bugsy - he wanted so badly to play.
OH well big guy you did really well with the charging GSD's and even better with the unpleasant house guest.
But from here on out, you bring a dog to my house it better be one that plays!

he's flat out crazy!

2010-03-15T19:39:00.000-04:00

happy to say we had no limping after his long walk yesterday - woohoo doing a happy dance!
We did just a short walk today (1.5 miles) and admit to wondering when or if we will ever get back to doing our thing day in and day out. Fingers crossed the day comes soon!
Upon arriving home DH was heading out for his walk and Bugsy decided to do some zoomies. Unfortunately this led to two major leg splaying spills.
It is a good thing my hair dresser has been making my highlights lighter and lighter because the gray hair is taking over!
He seemed a little confused as to how it all went awry but he wasn't any worse for the wear. Save the mud that was all over his bad leg and butt!

Then he spent the rest of the day very lethargic. Only to awaken at about 7 pm when he asked to go out, found an empty tissue box in the garage and decided to run around the yard tearing it up and giving it a death shake.
Then he found the remains of his stuffed duck toy and finished that off.
I was able to coax him back in only to have him drink an entire bowl of water leaving about half on my kitchen floor.
Just yuck!
A face only a mother could love - I assure you

making new friends ..............

2010-03-14T17:17:00.000-04:00

and going for a really long walk on a pretty Spring day.
Some of you may recall that I believe Bugsy has lost some confidence in the last year. I mostly attribute it to feeling weak due to knee pain and then having to go through the surgery and restrictions. Whatever the cause he has certainly shown himself to be less confident and this has meant he has at times been reactive on leash.
The reactivity hasn't been consistent but I have been working hard to get my Bugsy back.
Over the last few weeks we have joined some other walkers with their dogs as we do our daily stroll which seems to distract him, he is clearly more relaxed walking in a pack.
We've also been reading "Scaredy Dog" and "Control Unleashed" and doing lots of short training sessions.
Which brings me to today. DH & I went out with Herr Bugsy and shortly after leaving our street I noticed one of the neighborhood ladies out with her two very large german shepherds. Bugsy wanted to run up and meet them but I kept him fairly slow.
By the time we caught up to them, they had met up with 3 labs so when we arrived there was Bugsy surrounded by 5 large dogs all sniffing his butt.
It was all fine and the only sadness was when we all went our own way.
It was my Bugsy of old whose greatest joy in life was meeting a bunch of dogs.
I felt such a wonderful sense of joy and relief.
Later in our walk we passed some runners and then we came upon a small dog that was slightly excited and barking. At first I didn't like Bugsy's body language - but then it softened and the tail wagged furiously so we went to meet this little guy too.
So all told we met 6 new dogs and he was wonderfully happy and relaxed with all of them.

We also did our longest walk since well before surgery. He was very tired and clearly sore towards the end. When we got in I gave him Traumeel and he rested. At the moment he is out stalking squirrels so I believe him to be fine.
When he gets up tonight for his final business of the day we will know for sure.
Hopefully the limping of last week is behind us and we are now on the path to a play date!