So I know this guy who went on a long trip out of town to Thailand or somewhere. He gave his mother a key to his house so she could check on things while he was gone. He also gave her the garage door opener. The key was for the front door, but since he gave her the opener she misunderstood and thought the key was for the door between the garage and basement. She never actually went into the house while he was gone, just walked around it every few days to make sure the doors were still locked and no windows had been opened and she never used the key. Eventually she forgot she had it.
Flash forward to recently. The mother is fostering a dog. Granted, she didn't think it through real well because she'd agreed to keep her son's dogs for the weekend, but with plenty of crates and a kennel, it would be fine.
The son brings the dogs over (late, so there's no time to take them for a walk together). The son's female thinks she is the Grand High Imperial Poobah of Dogs and any dog who disagrees must die. The foster dog, a little pitbull, says, "you're not the boss of me!" In the course of the son's dog proving that she is, indeed, the boss of her, the son's dog gets a bite in her eye that requires a vet visit. (she's fine). Since the son had to leave on his appointed trip, the mom takes his dog to the vet.
She calls the son to let him know his dog is alright and suggests that they keep his dog at his house and she'll go there to take care of her. He keeps telling her that she has his key and she vaguely remembers putting one on her keychain but doesn't remember which one it is.
The son is still up inside the house packing for his trip when she gets there, but the garage door and basement door are open. She lets the dog inside and starts trying keys to see which one opens the door. Since every key turns the lock when it isn't in locked position, she locks the door. None of the keys work, so she goes back to the car to get her phone and call her husband to see if he has the key. He isn't answering. Just then, her son comes out to the garage, shutting the door behind him and locking them both out.
All of his stuff is inside the house. He doesn't have time to wait for a locksmith. The mom tries not to laugh but doesn't quite succeed. She thinks about it and starts to suggest that he break the door knob and she'll replace it that night and that's when the husband calls back. She gets as far as "maybe you can break..." when the phone rings and she wants to find out if there is a key somewhere before they do any breaking. The son, who is royally pissed off by now, hears "break" and breaks in his own door and the frame with it, pissing him off even more.
Once inside, he asks her why she locked the door in the first place. She explains that it was to figure out which key opened it. He then tells her that there is no key to that door and the key he gave her was for the front door. They look at each other a minute and she hands him her keychain, with the key to the front door on it.
He thinks the broken door is her fault. She disagrees. What do you think?
Monday, November 14, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Bear and His Emerging Role
I could just be imagining things, but I think that Bear has been acting protective over Aki. It's unexpected, since aside from their mutual barking hobby and the twisted mind games they play over treats and lap privileges, they don't really pay much attention to each other.
Aki, an 8 pound maltese, is fascinating to other dogs. They can't seem to figure out what he is. A puppy? A toy? a snack? wtf?
Shimmie, our foster dog, is no exception. Much to his discomfort, she stares at him constantly. On top of his normal distaste for other dogs, he's afraid of her, so he goes out of his way to avoid her attention. Yesterday as I was letting him back in from going outside, she started messing with him, trapping him between herself and the couch and moving in front of him every time he tried to get away, staring the whole time. That's when Bear came over and barked and nudged her. Twice. I'm not positive whether he wanted her attention in order to give Aki a break or if he was jealous that it wasn't focused on him, but he was clearly trying to get her away from Aki.
My son's dog, Bonzai, has been fascinated with Aki from the beginning. The first time he was here, he was the smaller of the two, and he spent the entire visit chasing him and trying to play. Exasperated, Aki finally jumped on the back of the couch, and Bonzai kept bouncing up and down unsuccessfully trying to reach him. A year later, Bonzai has stretched into a tall, lanky animal with greyhound-length legs. He is able to jump over the back of the couch without touching it. People ask what kind of dog he is and we have no idea. He looks nothing like his mother, who appeared to be part boxer. He's at that awkward dog age with the body of an adult and the mind of a puppy. He's driving my son nuts.
Today he was following Aki around, pushing him with his nose and trying to engage him in play like he does the other dogs. One nudge could send Aki flying so I told him to lay off, but he didn't listen. Then Bear walked over and interrupted, quietly barking and pushing Bonzai in the other direction. I'm pretty sure he was intentionally trying to distract him so Aki could get away. It was fascinating.
Bear's helpful in other ways, too. Any time I try to use a door knob or tie my shoes or do anything with my hands, he very gently puts his mouth on my hand. When I get home from work, he leads me to Aki's crate and puts his face first by the top latch and then by the lower one and then, when I've unhooked them, uses his nose to open the door. Yesterday I had Shimmie in a crate in the basement and he led me to the door and then ran down the stairs to help me let her out, too.
I can't figure out whether he thinks I need his help or if, like the other males in the family, thinks I am incapable of completing tasks like this without his supervision.
If he wasn't so hyper I'd train him to be one of those dogs that visits sick kids or lonely, elderly people. But I'd hate so see a kid trampled by Bear's enthusiasm.
Aki, an 8 pound maltese, is fascinating to other dogs. They can't seem to figure out what he is. A puppy? A toy? a snack? wtf?
Shimmie, our foster dog, is no exception. Much to his discomfort, she stares at him constantly. On top of his normal distaste for other dogs, he's afraid of her, so he goes out of his way to avoid her attention. Yesterday as I was letting him back in from going outside, she started messing with him, trapping him between herself and the couch and moving in front of him every time he tried to get away, staring the whole time. That's when Bear came over and barked and nudged her. Twice. I'm not positive whether he wanted her attention in order to give Aki a break or if he was jealous that it wasn't focused on him, but he was clearly trying to get her away from Aki.
My son's dog, Bonzai, has been fascinated with Aki from the beginning. The first time he was here, he was the smaller of the two, and he spent the entire visit chasing him and trying to play. Exasperated, Aki finally jumped on the back of the couch, and Bonzai kept bouncing up and down unsuccessfully trying to reach him. A year later, Bonzai has stretched into a tall, lanky animal with greyhound-length legs. He is able to jump over the back of the couch without touching it. People ask what kind of dog he is and we have no idea. He looks nothing like his mother, who appeared to be part boxer. He's at that awkward dog age with the body of an adult and the mind of a puppy. He's driving my son nuts.
Today he was following Aki around, pushing him with his nose and trying to engage him in play like he does the other dogs. One nudge could send Aki flying so I told him to lay off, but he didn't listen. Then Bear walked over and interrupted, quietly barking and pushing Bonzai in the other direction. I'm pretty sure he was intentionally trying to distract him so Aki could get away. It was fascinating.
Bear's helpful in other ways, too. Any time I try to use a door knob or tie my shoes or do anything with my hands, he very gently puts his mouth on my hand. When I get home from work, he leads me to Aki's crate and puts his face first by the top latch and then by the lower one and then, when I've unhooked them, uses his nose to open the door. Yesterday I had Shimmie in a crate in the basement and he led me to the door and then ran down the stairs to help me let her out, too.
I can't figure out whether he thinks I need his help or if, like the other males in the family, thinks I am incapable of completing tasks like this without his supervision.
If he wasn't so hyper I'd train him to be one of those dogs that visits sick kids or lonely, elderly people. But I'd hate so see a kid trampled by Bear's enthusiasm.
Shimmie Day 2
I feel like Marlin Perkins of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, except instead of studying animals in the wilds of Africa, I'm observing them in my house.
A full stomach and a good night's sleep made a world of difference. Shimmie woke up as a different dog.
The first thing she did was engage Bear in play. I watched closely for any signs that it was going to turn into a fight, but the tails were wagging and they kept stopping to re-set so it was all good. That seemed to tire her out.
We went to the office, Aki got on my lap and Bear went to his customary spot by the doorway. Shimmie tried to get on my lap as well and Aki growled at her. I just looked him and asked, "really???" She didn't react. Just went over to Bear and sat next to him.
I had to take her to the vet. She has some residual bleeding from being spayed. It turns out she's heavier than I thought...over 30 pounds! I've never seen a dog so happy to go to the vet. She was really excited to see them there. They obviously took good care of her.
Aki and Bear enjoy barking at certain things like squirrels, chipmunks, joggers, the fedex truck, and the ups truck. They give each other a heads up when one is approaching and then race to the windows to bark wildly. This startles Shimmie every time. She jumps up in a doggie karate stance and then looks confused when they attack the window and not her. The UPS truck actually had to make a delivery yesterday, which always sends Bear and Aki into a crazed bark fest. Shimmie joined in, giving one hoarse bark and then just stood at the window to watch. It's like she's trying to learn how to be a dog. or maybe she's just too cool for these shenanigans.
She's much better about letting Bear eat. I keep hearing we shouldn't do it like this, but we've always kept bowls filled with food so they can eat whenever they're hungry. This way they eat several small meals throughout the day, like we're supposed to do and they learn that food is available to them when they need it. Now when Bear eats, Shimmie runs to the kitchen to make sure there's still some left and then she leaves him alone.
They are pretty inseparable now. I found them on the couch, her lying down and him sitting behind her, watching out the window. The big test came when I took them out before I left for work. Bear gets REALLY excited when he sees a leash. He leaps up in the air, about my shoulder height, with his front and back legs about even. He comes down hard. Yesterday, he landed on Shimmie. She didn't even growl. And then he continued to trample her. All she did was try to get out of his way. Even Aki isn't that tolerant.
She was kind of stand-offish with me most of the day. She seemed to really like my husband, but I had to call her to me and then she'd only let me pet her head a couple of times before she moved away. That changed after the bath.
I gave her a bath and I have a feeling it was her first. She didn't protest at all when I picked her up or put her in the tub. She just looked around in that cooperative way she has, like, "hmmmm. nice box you have here." Then I turned the water on and she panicked. She seemed to feel that getting wet was not part of the deal. I gave her treats and encouragement, though, and we got through it quickly. She was having none of the blow dryer, however.
I don't know whether the bath proved something to her or if she was just cold, but afterward she jumped on the couch to cuddle with me. She prefers to be on my right. Bear found his spot on the left. Aki wanted in on the action but didn't want to be too close to her teeth so he ended up on the back of the couch, behind my head.
I really love dogs and Shimmie is easy to love.
A full stomach and a good night's sleep made a world of difference. Shimmie woke up as a different dog.
The first thing she did was engage Bear in play. I watched closely for any signs that it was going to turn into a fight, but the tails were wagging and they kept stopping to re-set so it was all good. That seemed to tire her out.
We went to the office, Aki got on my lap and Bear went to his customary spot by the doorway. Shimmie tried to get on my lap as well and Aki growled at her. I just looked him and asked, "really???" She didn't react. Just went over to Bear and sat next to him.
I had to take her to the vet. She has some residual bleeding from being spayed. It turns out she's heavier than I thought...over 30 pounds! I've never seen a dog so happy to go to the vet. She was really excited to see them there. They obviously took good care of her.
Aki and Bear enjoy barking at certain things like squirrels, chipmunks, joggers, the fedex truck, and the ups truck. They give each other a heads up when one is approaching and then race to the windows to bark wildly. This startles Shimmie every time. She jumps up in a doggie karate stance and then looks confused when they attack the window and not her. The UPS truck actually had to make a delivery yesterday, which always sends Bear and Aki into a crazed bark fest. Shimmie joined in, giving one hoarse bark and then just stood at the window to watch. It's like she's trying to learn how to be a dog. or maybe she's just too cool for these shenanigans.
She's much better about letting Bear eat. I keep hearing we shouldn't do it like this, but we've always kept bowls filled with food so they can eat whenever they're hungry. This way they eat several small meals throughout the day, like we're supposed to do and they learn that food is available to them when they need it. Now when Bear eats, Shimmie runs to the kitchen to make sure there's still some left and then she leaves him alone.
They are pretty inseparable now. I found them on the couch, her lying down and him sitting behind her, watching out the window. The big test came when I took them out before I left for work. Bear gets REALLY excited when he sees a leash. He leaps up in the air, about my shoulder height, with his front and back legs about even. He comes down hard. Yesterday, he landed on Shimmie. She didn't even growl. And then he continued to trample her. All she did was try to get out of his way. Even Aki isn't that tolerant.
She was kind of stand-offish with me most of the day. She seemed to really like my husband, but I had to call her to me and then she'd only let me pet her head a couple of times before she moved away. That changed after the bath.
I gave her a bath and I have a feeling it was her first. She didn't protest at all when I picked her up or put her in the tub. She just looked around in that cooperative way she has, like, "hmmmm. nice box you have here." Then I turned the water on and she panicked. She seemed to feel that getting wet was not part of the deal. I gave her treats and encouragement, though, and we got through it quickly. She was having none of the blow dryer, however.
I don't know whether the bath proved something to her or if she was just cold, but afterward she jumped on the couch to cuddle with me. She prefers to be on my right. Bear found his spot on the left. Aki wanted in on the action but didn't want to be too close to her teeth so he ended up on the back of the couch, behind my head.
I really love dogs and Shimmie is easy to love.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
New (temporary) addition to the family
She's somewhere between 12 and 18 months and she's already had at least two litters. She just weaned the last one, which produced 9 puppies, 8 of which survived. She was set to be euthanized even though she was pregnant and at the last minute a rescue group rescued her. She spent some time in a temporary foster home and then went to the vet and had nowhere to go after that. So she came to me to foster until they find her a permanent home.
Her name is Shimmie and she's a tiny thing. She might be 20 pounds at full weight. Right now she's skin and bones. Taking care of her babies took everything she had.
She has a haunted look about her. Do mother dogs get sad when their pups are taken away? I know they grieve when their humans or other dogs in the house leave or pass away. Do they bond with their babies? Or are they relieved when they're gone?
Shimmie is the "P" word. She's a breed that strikes fear into the hearts of many and is apparently scarier to the Ohio state legislatures then a yard full of tigers. She's a pitbull, so small that they call her a pocket pittie.
Pitbulls came from English bulldogs, who were bred to fight bulls in a horrible "sport" called bull-baiting. The bulldogs were bred with terriers to give them other qualities, including a respect for humans so deep that they wouldn't turn on their owners when being pulled away from the fight. When bull-baiting was outlawed, their douchebag humans started fighting them with each other. They were the most popular breed in the 1920's and 30's and were known as "nanny dogs" because they were so protective of children. Did you know that Petey from "Our Gang" was a pitbull?
Her first day was interesting.
Danny from the rescue brought her over. She got out of the car and greeted us enthusiastically as if we were old friends. The plan was to have her meet Bear outside and then take them for a long walk together, but it started raining. They met in the house and were less than enamored of each other. Rain or not, we had to walk them and dissipate some of that energy.
Things were calmer when we got back, but Bear and Aki needed reassurance that they weren't being replaced in our hearts or laps.
Two things about pitbulls that make them a little scary - they have sharp teeth and a really nasty growl. Bear plays rough with my son's Bonzai. They sound like someone is being murdered and it doesn't alarm us at all. But when a strange pitbull starts growling? It makes me a little nervous. I don't know whether they are playing or having a power struggle, but we stopped them right away each time.
She doesn't like being sniffed. Today I wonder if she was in pain. She was half on my lap and Aki tried to sniff her from behind and she snarled and lunged at him. I caught her but she scared the hell out of him. He ran behind my chair and started yelping, making me think she bit him. I put him on my lap and he was so upset that he started hyperventillating. He was ok, just scared. It was kind of funny once I knew he wasn't hurt. And it's not unusual. Every dog wants to eat Aki at first. He either looks delicious or obnoxious. or both.
She's protective of food. Every time she heard Bear eating in the kitchen she'd run over and chase him out. I had to keep her barricaded so he could eat.
One time after she chased him out of the kitchen, he came to sit by us. She walked over as well and started giving him the stink eye. He didn't move, but apparently he gave her that look I know all so well and she lunged at him. He was chastened to say the least. Later, he barked at her, inviting her to play (or so it looked to me). She walked up to him, stuck her face right by his, and started growling until he walked away. It was exactly like a street punk getting in someone's face, yelling "Yea? You want a piece of this? Let's see what you got!"
Later, we were all hanging out in our usual spots - my husband on his couch and me on mine with Bear on my lap and Aki on the armrest next to me. Shimmie settled on the blanket my husband was using, in between his legs. She looked comfortable and content and was snoring in no time. I was struck by how this dog could be in a strange house with people and dogs she'd never met and a sad and terrible past but could take full pleasure in the moment. There was a life lesson there.
Her name is Shimmie and she's a tiny thing. She might be 20 pounds at full weight. Right now she's skin and bones. Taking care of her babies took everything she had.
She has a haunted look about her. Do mother dogs get sad when their pups are taken away? I know they grieve when their humans or other dogs in the house leave or pass away. Do they bond with their babies? Or are they relieved when they're gone?
Shimmie is the "P" word. She's a breed that strikes fear into the hearts of many and is apparently scarier to the Ohio state legislatures then a yard full of tigers. She's a pitbull, so small that they call her a pocket pittie.
Pitbulls came from English bulldogs, who were bred to fight bulls in a horrible "sport" called bull-baiting. The bulldogs were bred with terriers to give them other qualities, including a respect for humans so deep that they wouldn't turn on their owners when being pulled away from the fight. When bull-baiting was outlawed, their douchebag humans started fighting them with each other. They were the most popular breed in the 1920's and 30's and were known as "nanny dogs" because they were so protective of children. Did you know that Petey from "Our Gang" was a pitbull?
Her first day was interesting.
Danny from the rescue brought her over. She got out of the car and greeted us enthusiastically as if we were old friends. The plan was to have her meet Bear outside and then take them for a long walk together, but it started raining. They met in the house and were less than enamored of each other. Rain or not, we had to walk them and dissipate some of that energy.
Things were calmer when we got back, but Bear and Aki needed reassurance that they weren't being replaced in our hearts or laps.
Two things about pitbulls that make them a little scary - they have sharp teeth and a really nasty growl. Bear plays rough with my son's Bonzai. They sound like someone is being murdered and it doesn't alarm us at all. But when a strange pitbull starts growling? It makes me a little nervous. I don't know whether they are playing or having a power struggle, but we stopped them right away each time.
She doesn't like being sniffed. Today I wonder if she was in pain. She was half on my lap and Aki tried to sniff her from behind and she snarled and lunged at him. I caught her but she scared the hell out of him. He ran behind my chair and started yelping, making me think she bit him. I put him on my lap and he was so upset that he started hyperventillating. He was ok, just scared. It was kind of funny once I knew he wasn't hurt. And it's not unusual. Every dog wants to eat Aki at first. He either looks delicious or obnoxious. or both.
She's protective of food. Every time she heard Bear eating in the kitchen she'd run over and chase him out. I had to keep her barricaded so he could eat.
One time after she chased him out of the kitchen, he came to sit by us. She walked over as well and started giving him the stink eye. He didn't move, but apparently he gave her that look I know all so well and she lunged at him. He was chastened to say the least. Later, he barked at her, inviting her to play (or so it looked to me). She walked up to him, stuck her face right by his, and started growling until he walked away. It was exactly like a street punk getting in someone's face, yelling "Yea? You want a piece of this? Let's see what you got!"
Later, we were all hanging out in our usual spots - my husband on his couch and me on mine with Bear on my lap and Aki on the armrest next to me. Shimmie settled on the blanket my husband was using, in between his legs. She looked comfortable and content and was snoring in no time. I was struck by how this dog could be in a strange house with people and dogs she'd never met and a sad and terrible past but could take full pleasure in the moment. There was a life lesson there.
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