Bad Case of Blog Neglect

I really have been just awful with keeping up with this blog. I was hoping to get back into it after I finally finished the taxes. Alas, this is not going to happen.

I finally started working on the database for the Ranch. I have is set up and am spending all of my precious nap time trying to get all the info typed in. In the end, I hope that the regulars won't have to fill out paperwork anymore. I will print it out for them.

The pile of papers stemming back into 2000, was about 4' tall. I have already entered 420 dogs. And that is only 2008, 2007, and 2006. I have this year's and about 2' of old stuff to go through. I am dying to find out what the grand total of dogs is going to be.

On top of that project, I am going to go for a Small Business Administration loan for a new building. I am working on the plans, and notes already. I hope to get them out to some contractors in about a week. Then, I can crank out the financials the bank needs. So no blogging for awhile. But if this works, no having to say "Sorry, we are full" all the time.

If anyone has a contractor they can recommend or names that I should avoid (I know one of those already) let me know.

I Hate Spring!

And no it is not because the temperature just decided to head back into winter.

This happens every Spring and every Spring it catches me off guard. When am I going to remember and be prepared for this! Once again I find myself pacing around the play yard asking the dogs, "Have you all lost your furry little minds!?"

And the answer is YES they have.

It is Spring and the dogs have all had the volume turned up on their aggression. I have dogs threatening to dismember each other that would normally have a grand ole time together. Ugh, I hate Spring. Big or little, male or female - it doesn't matter. There has been more growling and snapping in the past week than in the past 6 months.

I had a policeman tell me there are more dog bites in the Spring than in the rest of the year. I believe him. I am the one that was completely terrorized by a Shitzu this weekend. She was very small and very mad and was not going to let me open her door. I persisted, I just couldn't leave her stuck inside all day. I used the tennis racket technique I got off the Dog Whisper, and kept her at bay while I pulled the door. I had to laugh at myself later. My heart was beating so hard and I was so scared of such a little dog.

Everything is funny as long as you make it back out of the run with everything intact.

Poor Biscuit

She spent a long weekend with me, completely freaked out.

This is her second stay and I have made no progress on winning her over.

Her owner tells me that she hasn't been the same since her sister dog, Allie, died.

She is completely adorable and I would love to love on her, but she won't come near me. She won't even come out anymore.


She does have one of the oddest habits I have never seen before in a dog - storing her blanket in her dishes. Each morning, I would fish her blanket out of her water dish. I couldn't figure out how or why it was in there every day until Monday morning. Just as she finished her breakfast, there was all this noise coming from her kennel. I head over only to watch her finish tucking her bright green blanket nicely and completely into her food dish. It stayed there until she got picked up that evening.

I guess I should have stopped messing with her interior design efforts.

Driving me to Drink?

We had Whiskey and Midori here for the weekend, but Tequila canceled out.

I also have a Bourbon, a Kahlua, and now two Boozers.

I, too, almost went this route. Years ago I said that if I ever had 3 Labradors, a black, a brown and a yellow, I would name them Guinness, Harper, and Bud.

Happy to Come! Happy to Go! That is what we like to see at the Ranch!

I love that dogs run down to the kennel, dragging their owners the whole long way.

I love to see how excited they are to see their owner's again, no matter how short the stay was.

Today, I am just going to be so happy to see them all go home. Just as happy as I was to see them all arrive. They have been a fun and happy group, a bit barky, but that is just to be expected. It is just that the level of physical abuse heaped on me has passed 'beyond the call of duty' and into the realm of 'cruel and unusual punishment'. Ugh.

I explained about Maki and her fist of steel. I can't keep this dog off me to save my own life. Not for lack of trying, mind you. I can't get out of petting her. So I try to keep her paws off me as best I can. Unfortunately, she leans into me when I pet her. Maki has a unique ability to shove my kneecaps off the front of my legs. Ouch.

Then there is Blue. He tries to sneak in a petting or two when I am working on Maki. Blue is a bit mouthy - he tends to put his teeth on my hands. That is a no-no in my book. So he has been getting the Dog Whisperer - tisshhh and a touch. This is actually working on him.

Midori, Midori, Midori...speed and stealth are her weapons. She can nail me with a flying leap of love and be gone before I have ever even see her. What is really unfortunate is that she has an uncanny knack for landing her leap directly on my bruise. Double Ouch!

Diesel usually only hits me on his way out of his kennel. I try to let other dogs out first so he will focus his "shot out of the gate" energy on someone who can take it. It doesn't always work.

The others, Whiskey and Sadie, have not come in direct contact with me all weekend.

Knock Down, Killed and Eaten!

I make jokes about that all the time. Knock Down, Killed and Eaten! is going to be my obituary. All in fun, until Sunday when I actual thought it was going to happen.

Dogs bite. That is just a fact. They bite other dogs, they bite people. They bite for good reasons, bad reasons, and sometimes no reason at all.

I have been bitten 5 times in 6+ years.
A Rottweiler on the thumb
Something small and fuzzy that I can't remember on the back of my hand.
A Teacup Poodle on my lip, ouch.
A Pomeranian through a work glove and my finger nail, bigger ouch.
And now a Boxer on my forearm.

Statistically speaking, verses the shear number of dogs that stay here, not too bad.

The first and the fourth, I got breaking up a dog fight. Not really unexpected.

The second and third were out of the blue, stroke of lightning kind of bites. The dog is frightened, lunges out. They are fast and over just as fast. The dog was afraid, he made me stop and now it is over. These kinds of bites can come from any dog, no matter how well behaved. Freak a dog out, and he will chomp on you once and be done with it. Most of the time, the chomp is just a snap - no contact. Often, it will be more of a warning shot over the bow. Most dogs will lunge and snap to miss just to warn you off.

The fifth was a dog declaring his territory with the intent to really hurt me. We had trouble with this dog from the moment he arrived on Friday. He and his daughter were just fine when Mom and Dad were still here, but shortly after when my dog sitter went to let them out, he lunged at her hand on the gate. She called me and I told her, 'If you don't feel comfortable, don't let them out."

Maybe I should have taken my own advice.

When I got home on Saturday, I let all the other dogs out for dinnertime play. When I went in, I made a point of feeding these two dogs last. That basically lowers their status in the pack. I found them to be both very submissive when I went in to feed them. And even quite lovey. They were all over my hands, licking my gloves. I thought that their 'time-out' had mellowed them.

So, I went back out and let just those two have some playtime. The female came out, no problem. She came up to me for some petting and went on to explore the play yard. The male would not come out of his run. This is a first for me. He stood in his outside run with the gate wide open and was barking at me, defending his territory. I have never seen any dog be that defensive about the kennel space. Most dogs don't even care if other dogs go into their runs.

I just let him alone. I did my usual with a skittish dog, no eye contact, no direct movement toward them. He did eventually come out, but would always run back in. I was thinking that made them easy to put away. And that night they were.

Sunday breakfast, he is pretty much over the territorial stand in the run and is out with his daughter. He eventually goes back in on his own, but I can't get the female to go in. I am not really up for grabbing a shoving this female in. So, I am trying to get her to approach the kennel by petting the male. This works after awhile and they are both back in. No sign of aggression this time, at all. Just defiance of going in, but that is a pretty typical response to the end of playtime. I was actually thinking that she might be afraid of the male and that is what is holding up her going in.

Sunday lunch, I take my camera down to get a picture of this dog barking out an open gate, but he never does it. Everything is fine until I try to put them away. He is already in and the female is running around anywhere but in. I try to tempt her over with loving on the male, again. This is going well until he gives out one of his 'This is MINE' barks. I pull my hands away before I even finish the thought process. Good thing, he was going for me, big time. He wasn't going for a warning shot over the bow either, he was aiming to maim.

I was backing away and realizing that I had to control him or he would get me, all at the same time. I grabbed for his collar, and landed the grab. Thank, God! I started dragging him back to his run and as I shoved him in, he turned and bit down on my left arm. I just kept shutting the gate and he had to let go as it closed.

My husband heard the commotion and ran down to help me out. We got the female into a different kennel and called it good. We put everyone else away, fed the puppies their lunch, and I called the owners to ask them if someone could pick up their dogs. They said they would come home and get them. I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear that. Most people can't come home early and I would have been stuck with a dog I couldn't let out or dare to even feed or water.

All of this happened before I would even look at my arm. I find that the adrenaline can carry you pretty far, until you see the blood. Don't look, that's my advice, if you need to get something done before you freak out. Turns out that my arm only has a very nasty bruise. I feel that I should write a letter thanking the Lands End company for my winter coat. It saved my arm. Had this been summer, that dog would have taken the meat off the bone.

Once again, never a dull moment at the Ranch

Maki, Maki, Maki

If loving you was just much less painful.

Maki is my one and only Mastidore - half Mastiff, half Lab.

So she is big, her paws are huge.
She is playful, that is the lab.
She is determined and a bit pushy, that is the Mastiff.
And she is the most confident and secure dog on the planet.

Let me explain.

When not running and wrestling with all the other dogs, Maki wants loving. She will demand it by jumping up on me, or just putting her paw on me. Getting a love tap from Maki is comparable to being hit by a velvet covered brick. I keeping putting her paws down while I launch into 'ear nuggies', 'collar scratchings' and her favorite 'rub the fuzzy butt'. (You can win over any dogs with these three maneuvers.) But this is never enough for Maki, all petting sessions end in her stretched out on the ground awaiting a tummy rub. I am a bit hesitant to drop to the ground with this many big and bouncy dogs just waiting to include me in the wrestling. But not Maki. As I start in, all the other dogs show up. Sniffing and smelling, even stepping over Maki. It takes a very secure dog to stay in the most vulnerable of positions and let other dogs sniff them. Maki is only mad because I can't keep rubbing in the middle of a dog pile.

Feast or Famine?

I had 2 days off from doggies this week. The puppies went home at 9 am on Monday and I didn't get any new dogs until about 9 am on Wednesday. That was two mornings with only baby and kids to deal with and two nights of not having to trek out into the cold just before bedtime. Maybe the recession does have its silver lining?

My business has been way off since December, but I am not usually totally empty. I have had a number of weeks when there is only one dog here for days at a time. That is boring and unprofitable for me, as well as boring for the dogs. So, the downturn is even hurting the canines.

But my empty and briefly, totally clean, kennel is once again stuffed to the rafters.

Everyone showed up yesterday, 4 reservation and 2 emergency drop offs, total of 9 dogs. Mostly all big dogs, mostly all Labrador or bit of Labrador. With so many big and bouncy dogs, the play is pretty intense. I mostly try to stay out of the way, with little luck. I am desperately trying to protect my left arm from impacts with even less luck. (I got bit last weekend, but that is another post)

I will try to get some pictures today.

Getting the Right Dog to Arrive Makes All the Difference

I was having a lousy week.

The dogs aren't playing together well. When everything jives around here, this job is a joy. When the dogs aren't having a good time, I clench up about it.

Diesel has been here awhile now and was honestly getting bored. When Khiya arrived the other day, I thought I had a good play team. Not so much. Khiya acts all excited to play with Diesel, but her enthusiasm fades in under a minute. Diesel is still suffering from his inability to read the body language of other dogs. (I was wondering if it was because he must have been taken away from his litter early.) The growls, the showing of teeth, even snapping doesn't register with him as anything more than, "Let's play MORE!"

Really, he is that oblivious.

So I had my hands full, with keeping these two apart and still try to get them to get some exercise.

Then came Dusty. He is new, small, skittish and is to be no where near either Khiya or Diesel.

Ugh!

And today came Smokey and saved my week. Smokey might be freaked out by people but dogs love him. Diesel just keeps trying to mount him and Smokey just stands there and takes it. Smokey is also big enough that there is no fear of Diesel smooshing him. Diesel was attempting to mount a Boston Terrier over the weekend, but that is another post. When Smokey breaks free of Diesel's affection, then Khiya joins the group for a lap around the play yard. Dusty is being happily ignored by the big dogs and is settling into the Ranch just fine.

And I have big sigh of relief.

Usually it is the Owners that Call

Misha and Murray

Murray is the yellow one and Misha is the brown.

Love the names.
Love the dogs.
Just have no idea what combination of dogs built these two.

Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

Emma is one of my favorite dogs. Have you ever seen such a white Labrador? Isn't she just the cutest thing. I do have a soft spot for the labs. Emma is getting old and a bit on the heavy side, but hey, who isn't? But, she still likes to run and play.

Only problem with Emma is that her owners just don't travel often enough.

Doing What He Likes Best!

This dog, who will remain nameless, is really fond of peeing on everything. As a rule, male dogs have incomprehensibly high opinion of their own urine, but un-neutered male dogs seem to think that everyone else values there stuff nearly as much as they do.

That is why they constantly want to share it with their neighbors.


I have two dogs, both I will not name, that just have to pee on their neighbors. This is why, when I build the new kennel it will have walls between runs.

I Did Get It!

I got some decent footage before the battery gave out! So here is Ziggy leading the parade!

Coco, I Never Would Have Guessed

I have a number of clients named Coco. Inevitably, they are brown dogs. Mostly, they are brown Labradors. Not this one. Not really brown at all. Cute as a button and all, but not really fitting her name.

I had to ask about the name, turns out the owner picked the name before the dog. Well, that does explain it.

I had one other Coco that wasn't brown, now that I think about it. It was a very small poodle. She was old and mostly gray all over. So gray, that it prompted me to ask if she had been named after Coco Chanel.

Who?

I guess not.

Misplaced Guilt

I had two Bailey's this weekend. Bailey the Beagel, who along with his brother Max, spent the weekend wrestling with anyone and everyone. Mostly they played with Ziggy, but they don't limit their pestering to dogs that actually want to play with them, everyone is fair game.

The other Bailey is a Corgi, my first Corgi. She was a cutie-pie that only wanted for me to love on her. So much so that she kinda beat a whole into my upper thigh in the request of said loving.

Now, Bailey and Max get scolded on occasion, as you might imagine. Only problem is that when I yell at Bailey the Beagle, Bailey the Corgi, looks guilty. Bailey the Beagle is completely unfazed by any disappointment I might voice over his behavior.

I was worried about giving Bailey the Corgi a complex so I stuck to yelling at Max whenever he or Bailey got too rough. Max doesn't listen to me either.

And Then There was Hank

So much for just the girls. Hank, the cow dog, showed up Tuesday morning to mess with my quiet week. Hank can sometimes take issue with male dogs that want to wrestle with him. I have to keep a close eye on him. But it turns out that he is happy to let the girls beat the tar out of him.

Dusty, Emma, and Nuray are all taking advantage of a boy dog that they can catch.

What Are We Going to Do Without Ziggy?

Ziggy and Buddy were the only dogs that didn't stay until Monday. I wasn't sure the other dogs knew how to play together as all they had done since Ziggy arrived was to chase him. We spent Sunday re-figuring out how to play together, just as if they had only just arrived. They had their play groups worked out by lunch time, so all was good again.

Max and Bailey got picked up just before dinner and I was shocked by just how quiet the kennel had gotten. We jettisoned the boys and the place was down right tranquil. Tessie headed home just after that and bedtime could only be described as placid.

Missed the Shot, Yet Again!

I remembered the camera, finally. I remembered to bring a camera with dying batteries, finally.

I was hoping to get some video of this great group of dogs doing some amazing dashes around the play yard with Ziggy in the lead. Ziggy has come into his own and clearly has left his skittish days behind him. Behind him this weekend was a group of dogs panting hard to keep up. Bailey and Max were always close behind with Tessie, never in the group, but always running along side barking the whole long way. She is our orange and white referee. Even the old ladies, Dusty and Emma would try a lap or two. The one dog that could never really keep up would be Ziggy's brother, Buddy. Buddy is a Dachshund. He doesn't seem to realize that is legs are only 2 inches long, but the fact is that they are and he will never be able to keep up with the big dogs.

Buddy, like many little brothers before him, only joins the fight after Ziggy stops to take a break. As soon as the running stops, Buddy starts lunging for Ziggy's neck. With a high degree of skill and determination.

Ziggy doesn't seem to mind and it does keep Buddy out of the herd during the stampede where I worry that he might just become a little furry speed bump.

Full House

What a change. Since everyone headed back to school and work, the kennel has been more empty than full. I even got a morning off this week with no dogs at all. We are full and soon to be over flowing this morning.

One of my clients won a trip to the Inaugural and I just couldn't say 'No' to that. I thought Doggie Karma might save me, but no I will have a whole day of dog juggling. I think it will be worth it. I just hope the owners don't freeze in D.C.