Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Clueless

By

The park at the top of the street isn’t an off-leash dog park.  Heck it isn’t even a dog park if you want to be technical.  It’s a soccer field surrounded by trails.

Most people who walk on the trails either have a dog, or have had a dog in the past.  Most of these people walk(ed) their dogs at the park off-leash.

There are a lot of people who use this park, but most of them don’t care to walk their dogs with me.  When I mentioned that in a post a couple of days ago, a few of you asked why.

This is the way I see it.

I’m a conscientious dog owner.  I want to make sure that my dogs are well-behaved and respectful.  I do not want to be the reason that animal control says you can’t walk your dogs up here anymore.

Okay, I do admit I fall into that…..what did Kristine call it?

Oh yes…..MDIF (my dog is friendly) category but for the most part I’m very consciousness when I walk my dogs.

I keep my dogs close by and do not like them to be out of my sight for a number of reasons.

Poop

I always pick up after my dogs when they poop.

Okay you got me… if Sampson goes off the trail and poops, no I do not go in after that, and yes  I might sometimes push some poop off the trail if Delilah decides to squat where she’s walking.

But I never, ever leave my dog’s poop anywhere that someone could step in it.  When they poop in the field, I pick it up.

Besides, I need to make sure their having normal poops. 🙂

People

Most of the people walk with dogs, but there are some who walk alone.

Let’s face it, not all people are dog people and those people do not want to come across an unaccompanied dog that they have no idea whether the dog is friendly or not.

This person could call animal control or worse, scare or hurt your dog.

Or your dog could hurt someone else.

“S’s” dog Brady is a jumper.  Not too long ago he jumped on a mentally disabled person causing them to lose their balance.  The person went down a number of stairs, somehow (amazingly) managing to remain on his feet.  Imagine the trouble ‘S’ and Brady would have been in if he hadn’t.

Property

Delilah loves to run off the trail and scope out other people’s property.  She will scrounge around looking for food.  Maybe this doesn’t bother some people, but what if she damaged something?  Remember the time she got caught on the air conditioning unit?  It’s a good thing (for me) that she didn’t do any damage, I would have been responsible for that.

Other dogs

The few people who do walk their dogs on leash do so for a reason.  Perhaps their dogs are fearful, maybe they are runners like Delilah.  They do not want unleashed dogs rushing up to their dog.

One would hope that no-one would let an unpredictable dog off-leash but we all know that not every dog owner is responsible.  I like to supervise any meetings my dogs have.

Injury

We are walking on hiking trails.  This means there are rocks, cliffs and fallen trees.  How can I help my dog if (s)he becomes injured if I do not know where they are?

Not to mention animals.  There are wild animals that could really hurt my dogs up there.  Granted they should not be out during the day, but I’m pretty sure if they’re rabid they don’t worry about what time of day it is.

Illness

I have big dogs, I worry about bloat.  I’m very cautious about making sure we wait two hours after eating.

Sometimes I walk before breakfast, but I still make sure to wait an hour before I feed them their meal.

But there are kids who like to go into the park at night and have bonfires.  They sit around the fire drinking alcohol and baking potatoes.  Not that a potato should hurt my dogs, but you never know what else those kids are doing.

And it’s not just food items that can be dangerous, there are bugs, small animals and plants that can be dangerous to your dogs.  If you don’t know where your dog is you cannot monitor what your dog is eating.  And if you don’t know what your dog ate, you can’t tell the vet and get the proper treatment.

You get the point, right?

Most people who walk their dogs where I walk don’t think like this.  Walking with me doesn’t jive with their way of thinking.

I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who walks up there that even has a clue about what could happen with/to their dog.

Are you like me, surrounded by people who don’t train the same way you do?

Most Improved

By

Well hello, most improved the instructor said in a high-pitched meant-to-praise-and-reward-your-dog tone of voice.

It worked.

Delilah lifted her head up as Jackie our instructor reached down and took Delilah’s face in both hands, bringing her own face down to deliver a kiss on the end of Delilah’s nose.

We had just completed the last class of our Intermediate Dog and Handler class put on by Pet Education and Therapy.

Jackie looked up at me and we shook hands.

Thank you, I said.

Thank you very much.

It was my pleasure, really.  You know you could title her in Rally with no problems, Jackie said.

Really? I may have sounded slightly incredulous, I mean this is Delilah we were talking about after-all.

Oh yes, no problem.  She’d pass first time in the ring.

If she did as well in the ring as she did in Tuesday night’s class, yes she could pass in a Rally ring.

Our class was held outside.  We started with a quick recap of sits, downs, looks and stays.

Then we went advanced.

We did Figure-Eights.

Using two cones and starting in the middle, work your figure-eight with your dog in a heel position.

We worked on recalls.

Jackie had us line up and then she walked up to the first dog, took the leash from the handler and the handler crossed the field and recalled their dog.  She did this super quick, so we were running.  On the second pass she didn’t tell us, but she was holding a handful of treats.

I had to call Delilah twice, the first time she didn’t even look at me. 🙁

Using a jump, we practiced our wait command.

This is Mopar, he is nine months old; waiting was hard for him.

We then worked our stay commands.

Delilah was the one of only two dogs who did a three-minute down WITHOUT breaking.

Three minutes, that’s nothin! What else ya got?

She was the ONLY ONE who did a one minute sit.

Jackie says the sit stays are really hard, because some dogs want to just lie down.

Lastly we walked past another dog, making sure we had a loose leash.

I think this class was really good for Delilah and me.  I really do feel like we have formed a bond.

And I’m really grateful that Sara has no problem with me checking out another trainer.  Sometimes I think it’s good to hear the same thing from someone different.

I know there are things that Delilah and I learned in this class that Sara has tried to teach us.  Maybe it’s because I’m so comfortable with Sara that I don’t pay attention enough. :-0

Surprised, eh?

Me too.

What surprised you the most, that Delilah and I were most improved or that I don’t pay attention? 😉

WTF/Whoo Hoo Wednesday

By

Please note this post is not meant to make light of the deeds described here, only to make fun of, ridicule, bully and just plain beat the shit out of the idiots who commit these stupid acts.

Town wants family to get rid of pet bunny, New Haven, CT

Yeah, apparently New Haven has a zoning law that says rabbits are not allowed on properties if the property size is less than 2 acres.

I have one question.

WHY?

What’s the reasoning behind not letting a seven-year-old keep one little rabbit?  I can understand why you wouldn’t want tons of bunnies hopping about but what’s the harm in one?

What can I say about this?  It’s a bunny people, it hops around, chews wires and leaves little pellets of poop.

Oh and once a year it delivers eggs.  (Why does a bunny deliver eggs?  Wouldn’t that be better from a chicken? I guess here comes the Easter chicken just doesn’t sound right.)

I’m a little nervous for New Haven’s Easter Egg hunt next year.  I hope the site they choose is over 2 acres.

Dog Abandoned in Mountains, Colorado

I first saw this post on My Girlz Got Paws, and followed her linkage to the LOST AND FOUND page.  I’ve had this song stuck in my head all day.

Rocky Mountain High.

Yeah, someone is high in Colorado all right.

You don’t take your dog hiking, let it walk to the point that its paws get torn up and then leave it on the stinkin’ mountain.

You’ve been hiking too long and the altitude has gone to your brain.

Have you ever seen the picture of the person wading waist deep in water with their dog on their back?

Grab a vowel Vanna, there are ways to move your dog if you need to.

I often think about this while I am out in the woods with my dogs.

What if one of them became ill or were injured?  How would I get them home?

Yes, I’ve actually thought about this.  I would remove my shirt or pants if necessary and drag my dog if need be.

Relax, I’m pretty sure Hubby would be able to help me to prevent that, but I reserve the right to keep my options open. 🙂

Puppy Stuffed In Bag Thrown Out Of Moving Car In Brentwood, West Islip, NY

A three-month old puppy was thrown out in a plastic bag from a moving car.

The puppy named Joey, broke his neck, bruised his lungs and has chest trauma.  The vets are not sure if he will ever be able to use his front legs again.

The puppy also showed signs he may have been used as a bait dog for dog fighting.

Honestly what kind of sub-human species does this?

I hope they find these sick SOB’s and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

Better yet, I like the idea of a Bully Beatdown.

Have you ever watched this show?  It’s on MTV.

I know who watches MTV anymore?

This former UFC fighter takes on people who bully others and puts them in the ring with professional fighters.

Yup and then they get their asses kicked.

Oh to live in Jodi’s world. 🙂

 Miami-Dade Residents Vote to Keep Pit Bull Ban Tuesday, Miami, FL

I had hopes that Miami-Dade would be my Whoo Hoo segment but sadly ignorance still abounds in Miami.

Tuesday just over 63% of the voting population chose to keep the 23-year pit bull ban in place.

Disappointing?  Yes.

Surprising? No.

Unfortunately even though we live in the information age, many people are misinformed about this breed of dogs, mostly because of the ignorance and cruelty of a small, select group of individuals.

Let’s not take this as a defeat but as a lesson learned.

Educate and advocate.  That should be our battle cry.  Together we CAN defeat BSL.

Whoo Hoo

After all that awful shit I had to leave you with something beautiful.

John Unger and Schoep, Bayfield, WI

You’ve all seen the photo on facebook.

A man standing in the water cradling his dog.

A dog that has been his companion for 19 years.

A dog old-age is creeping up on.

When John carries Schoep into the water, Schoep finally gets relief from his aches and pains.  The comfort of his human, the rocking of the waves and the lack of pressure on his joints allows him to finally get some sleep.  Sometimes they stay there for hours.

After all the ugly and sad WTF stories, it restores my faith in humanity to see someone taking such care of their geriatric dog.

How was your week?  Anything exciting to add to this Woo Hoo post?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...