I Sometimes Have to Wonder if Owners Think Through Their Dog's Names

If this dog's name doesn't cause someone in Helper to take a pock shot at me, nothing will.

Shouting 'DAGO!' across the play yard just can't be good for my health.

And I though yelling 'BOOZER!', 'BOURBON!', 'WISKEY!' and 'DUFUS!' was embarassing.

Big Dog, Little Dog

I no longer believe that people either love little dogs or big dogs. I have too many families made up of the wildest ranges of sizes. Gunny and Chewy - Rottwieller and Shitzu. Amica and Teenso - Standard and Teacup Poodles. But Dago and Giambi have to be the largest range - Extra Large Standard Poodle and Yorky.

What I have now learned about sibling dogs that vary this much in size...
It is very hard to keep both a really big dog and a really little dog inside the same kennel at the same time if they really want to get out. Big and little dogs require entirely different techniques for blocking an escape.

Dago and Giambi really have a routine going. Whenever I put Dago away, Giambi walks right out under his brother's legs without me ever seeing him.

Tummy Troubles

I thought my tummy troubles were over when the snow finally melted away and I could open the play yard gate all the way. There was a point in February when I thought that if we got any more snow, I wouldn't be able to squeeze past the gate.

Now, my tummy isn't giving me a hard time trying to get in - it is letting the dogs out. I can't seem to step into a run without letting a dog out anymore.

I had been trying to find a button that flew off my coat and across my dining room a couple of weeks ago. No luck so far, it might have headed down an air vent or under the china hutch never to be seen again. Getting down on the floor and looking for it was asking too much of me so I asked the kids. Unfortunately, my children's observational abilities are severely lacking. They couldn't find an elephant if I said I lost it in the dining room. I have decided to stop worrying about in since I can't button the jacket anyways.

Sorry to Break Up the Party

I thought I disturbed the deer's fun last night when I headed out to put the doggies away. I spotted 4 deer on the far side of the horse pasture, and they definitely spotted me. I was trying to sneak quietly away when I spotted a huge deer in the back yard, about 20 feet away from me. It is nice to see how much weight they have put back on after such a long hard winter.

I did my doggie duty and was headed back to the house when I walked right into the big get together. There was one deer standing in front of my steps, two or more on the far side of my car and at least 6 eating the grass on the side of the driveway. Man, it all shook loose when they heard me. Reminded me of how fast a house can empty of teenagers when mom comes home a bit too early.

Ah, Spring!

I have been looking forward to spring after such a long and cold winter. I imagined nice long play times with lots of running and wrestling. This winter play time shrank to about 10 minutes and sometimes only 5 and few bedtime session that lasted all of about 30 seconds. You'd be amazed how fast a dog can pee when the temps hit the single digits.

What I failed to take into account, and I do this to myself every spring, was that dogs lose their minds and their manners come March and April.

Watch yourselves and your puppies, there are more dog bites and dog fights in the spring than any other time. I find myself stopping play time early because the dogs that were having a blast for the first 10 minutes start threatening to bite each other's faces off in the second 10 minutes. It is a bit freaky to see a dog you know to be friendly and playful suddenly go Mr. Hyde on you.

Oh well, this too will pass and everything should settle down into normal dog behavior by the time May rolls around. Well, as normal as dog behavior ever gets.