Dogs in the 'Hood

Posting Again

2010-11-13T07:54:00.008-06:00

It’s nice to have only four siblings; really my mom and dad are crazy. For the last month at least, we’ve had a very full house. Up to seven dogs and of course Sydney, the evil cat overlord that we all pay homage to. If you’re counting that’s eight animals, plus two uprights. Of course Harley and Lucy remain with our family but my spot on the sofa has definitely been occupied a little more than I’ve wanted. Today was an adoption day and two of my three brethren have moved out. So here’s some pictures and stories of recent temporary family members.

Winston. Dad upright really liked this guy. He would just lounge on the sofa. Fortunately it wasn't my sofa or there would have been a rumble in the hood.

Like I said, lots of housemates. And those pesky neighborhood cats keep coming by. Fortunately for them, this window breaks before I can get to them. Eventually I’ll get a running start and I WILL get my cat. The uprights should just put in a dog door, they’ve already replaced three panes of glass.

Peggy. The discomfort I put up with! Sheesh. It's only 'cause Peggy was a sweet soul. I wouldn't have done this for anyone else.

Trinity. A great friend. And she inspired mom upright to make sure here shoes were away!

Bunny, Breakfast of Champions

2010-04-15T20:07:00.004-05:00

Mom here... Zeus is busted and is grounded from writing on the blog. Here are the details of his crime:

I was eating dinner last night on the patio of a restaurant and Zeus was lying next to me in his usual relaxed position. My friends pointed out that a bunny was hiding in a bush near the patio. The bunny got closer and closer until it was just a few feet away from Zeus. At this point, Zeus smelled him and sat up. All attempts to get Zeus to take his eyes off the bunny were in vain. The bunny just sat there and stared at Zeus, then moved even closer! At this point, Zeus was quivering and starting to whine while I was putting my napkin away so I could get up and redirect him with a little heeling work. All of a sudden, a little girl comes running down the sidewalk and scared the bunny. It took a huge leap away from the girl which, unfortunately, was right towards Zeus. You could almost hear the little bunny say "Yikes" before it scrambled off in another direction. Everyone at our table yelped "eek" at the same time and I was having visions of Zeus eating a bunny appetizer.

Thankfully, Zeus recovered quicker than we did. I yanked his leash and yelled "SIT". He planted his butt down on the ground and stared at me. Everyone on the patio startled a little when I yelled, but at least we didn't all get to see the "circle of life" in action.

We're Back!`

2009-05-04T16:23:00.003-05:00

We've been abroad for the last two and a half months hunting Heffalumps and Woozles. It was quite an adventure. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of ephemera to show from our trip besides some empty bug-repellent bottles and nasty case of jet-lag. Mom forgot the camera and Dad insisted on "catch and release", so I don't even have the very nice Heffalump to show you. His name was Homer and he was kind enough cook us dinner before we released him. Not a minute too soon, I can tell you. Dad had planned a "dehydrated meal" for us that he had leftover from his Boy Scout Days. I didn't know what that was, but judging by the slightly green tint Mom's face took on when he announced the menu, I couldn't have been good.

Z-Dog

Chug is HOME!

2009-02-01T19:58:00.003-06:00

Our Chug-Man is doing a two week foster-to-adopt with a nice family in Richardson. They have a 10-year old boy who likes to train dogs to do tricks. He has two foster siblings - a shy pomeranian and an ancient chihuahua who runs the show.

I have confidence that his new family will fall in love with him just like we have.

Rock, Paper, Scissors... Damn!

2009-02-01T19:28:00.010-06:00

Z-Dog Here,

Auntie Cheri taught Truman and me a new game called Rock, Paper, Scissors. Truman was really good at the beginning. I didn't think I would ever win. Truman beat my paper with his scissors 10 times in a row! He can make the scissor shape really quick with his two-toed paw:

Fortunately, I'm smarter than Truman. I switched to Rock and smushed his scissors 13 times in a row. I think it's time for me to sign up for the Rock Paper Scissors World Championship. Here's an article on how to play.

Hi Rufus, Bye Rufus

2009-02-01T19:28:00.007-06:00

Z-Dog Here,

Rufus was here with us for less than one week. Somedog's fur-ever homes are ready quicker than others. Rufus went to go live with his new human on Friday. Check out those teeth!

Delilah Found a Home!

2009-02-01T19:27:00.006-06:00

Z-Dog Here,

Our sweet temptress, Delilah, has found a home on Saturday with a nice lady and her daughters. She adopted Roman, a teeny miniature schnauzer at the same time.

Delilah is such a happy soul and she is going to be missed here AND at Downtown Dog

I'm a little happy to have the whole couch back, though. Delilah was so good at cuddling that Mom would let her up there all the time. Sheesh.

Bittersweet Dog Tricks

2009-01-25T18:45:00.004-06:00

Z-Dog Here,

I've really enjoyed having most of my foster brothers and sisters live in our house (except the ones that steal my bed - or worse - pee on it). We've had a lot of adventures and I always like the extra paws on squirrel patrol. Something, however, has been bugging me a bit. Some of our foster guests come with more manners than others. Consider our beautiful Delilah:

She was turned in as a stray to the Fort Worth Animal Shelter. As I mentioned in an earlier post, she was nasty dirty and covered in mats. Mom even pulled a wire out of her beard that had become snarled in a mat. The thing is, she knows how to sit. Mom plays this game with treats - whichever dog sits first gets the first treat. She wins every time! Sometimes her rear end hits the floor so fast it makes a thump.

So here's what's bugging me: Why would a human teach a nice dog like Delilah how to sit and then let her end up in a shelter matted, dirty, and on the euthanasia list? Maybe she got away from her humans and got lost. It could have been totally innocent - one of those twists of fate that indiscriminately sweeps people and dogs into bad situations. It just seems like we get a lot of dogs at our house who have better than average manners. More than could be explained away by coincidence. It makes my Mom really sad to see them sit so nicely - knowing that someone taught them that trick in their former life. I told her that us dogs don't really dwell on the past. That's why there are no doggie therapists. Still, I do wonder a little what has happened to some of these dogs before they come to live with us. I'm happy to share my toys, treats, and spare beds with them.

Woofers,

Zeus

Introducing Dalilah - Bearded Collie / Lhasa Apso Mix

2009-01-22T20:54:00.004-06:00

Z-Dog Here.

I would like to introduce my new foster sis, Dalilah. She is the 5th dog in the house right now, so it's a little crowded. She's really nice, though. She doesn't steal my bed and shares her toys. Actually, since she likes to sleep under the coffee table, she's really never in my way at all.

She has one blue eye and one brown. How cool is that?!?

Mom and Dad went to pick up Dalilah at the Fort Worth Animal Shelter. She was really stinky and filthy when they brought her home. She was really glad to get out of that shelter. It was noisy and smelly and full of dogs that were a "bad influence". We had to get her away from there and bring her into our pack as soon as possible so she didn't get lured to the dark side.

Mom gave her TWO baths the next day. Frankly, I'm shocked that she didn't die from over exposure to dog shampoo. Then, Mom took her to Downtown Dog for a makeover Spaw day.

Here's her before pic (she was number 323):

Here's her after pic:

She is really smart. Mom assigned her the top bunk in the crate area and she learned to jump up in there with just two treats! She stays really quiet and goes to sleep quickly after she's tucked in. She's definitely housetrained because she hasn't had a single accident. She's not really an outdoors girl, though. She pretends to want to go out and do squirrel patrol with us, but then she turns back around and wants to go inside. I think she's addicted to belly rubs.

Paws crossed that her furever home comes soon!

Woofers...

Lucy Got A Makeover!

2009-01-22T20:32:00.007-06:00

Hi Friends, Lucy here...

Zeus finally moved his rear end away from the computer so I could have some blogging time. I went to Downtown Dog and got a Spaw day! I was a little scared (okay, okay REALLY scared), but Ms. Gwen was so nice! She was very apologetic when she pulled the nasty hair out of my ears and shaved my rear end. She talked to me the whole time in this very soothing voice. It was kind of like going to the dentist. Really scary when you're there, but not so terrifying in hindsight.

I got a blueberry facial shampoo that make me a little more relaxed in the tub. For most dogs, the blueberry facial makes them totally relaxed. For me, it was more like taking 1/2 a Valium. Ms. Gwen says that once I relax enough to realize the bath isn't scary, that I'll really like it. I wouldn't put money on that bet, Ms. Gwen. You're good, but I have my Toadstool street cred to maintain.

Here's my before:

Here's my after:
Toodles,
Lucy

The Chug-Meister is Back!

2009-01-22T20:16:00.006-06:00

Hey everyone. I would like to announce that Chug has re-joined our pack. His new family decided that they couldn't keep him. They said he pooped in their house. He's been back here for a little bit and we haven't had any problems. Maybe he's one of those stealth poopers.

We went to Downtown Dog today and had a BLAST! Mom is going to work for them for a little while and boy am I happy. This is doggie nirvana! It's not very far from our house and I get to play outside all the time - not like that stinky Pete & Mac's where they put me in a cage for 4 hours a day. They have big outdoor areas that take up an entire ACRE!

Chug has lots of energy. I don't remember him being this frantic, but Mom says that changing homes a lot probably has something to do with it.

Truman didn't like Chug when he first came back to our house. Probably because Chug has the speed and dexterity of a cement truck with a flat tire... After a couple of days, Truman started to play with Chug and now they are good friends. Truman plays this weird version of the bitey-face game where he hops around and then wants Chug to chew on his face.
Chug opens his mouth, Truman sticks his whole head in and Chug just noms away. Wierdos.

Woofers,

Zeus

Meet Truman! The Tripawd Wonder

2009-01-22T20:07:00.005-06:00

Hey guys. Sorry it's taken me so long to post. My Mom has been keeping me pretty busy lately and I haven't had any computer time!

I would like to introduce you to my new foster bro, Truman!

He is a Chi-weenie (a blend of Chihuahua and Dachshund). His front right leg was born underformed, so he doesn't use it. Hasn't slowed him down a bit, though.

He really likes running around the house with Lucy's toad toy (which is about twice as big as him). He also runs to the lookout point at the back of the yard with me and Lucy when we do our 17 squirrel patrols a day. In fact, Mom is having a hard time keeping him out of trouble. He jumps up onto the sofa, jumps up onto the bed, jumps up on Mom's desk. And then after all that jumping up, there's the jumping down. Oh, and he's also learned how to go out the cat door to the garage to eat cat treats out of the litter box. I tried to go out there with him and got in REALLY big trouble with Dad. Dad yelled at me, but says he is still trying to figure out how I fit through that tiny door.

Truman says "Live Long and Prosper" (or Hook 'Em Horns if you aren't a trekkie)

Woofers,

Zeus

Spotted Tongue Bliss

2009-01-16T21:50:00.003-06:00

Mom wants me to announce that she's started a blog called "Spotted Tongue Bliss" to spotlight all those beautiful polka-dot tongued dogs we meet. Oh, and she might want to use it to vent a little about animal (and people) issues in general.

Trip to Nana and Papa's House

2009-01-05T19:55:00.004-06:00

We just got back today from a loooooonnnngggg trip in the car to the frozen north (some place called "Arkansas"). Actually, I was a little disappointed. Mom promised cold weather, but it was 75 degrees on Friday and Saturday. I reset my expectations, though, and proceeded to do squirrel patrol in my Nana and Papa's backyard. Even better - they have little rabbits here too. I almost caught one last June and I was hoping for a re-match, but it looks like I scared him off for good.

Anyway, it took almost 9 hours in the car to get to my Nana and Papa's house. I chilled in my ride at the beginning of the trip:

... but somewhere around Texarkana I got REALLY bored:

Toadstool seemed to like her comfy bed in the car:

Once we FINALLY got there, I made sure to stick close to my Papa. He likes to give me snacks on the sly when my Nana isn't looking. See that I'm almost camouflaged on the floor? That didn't fool my Nana. My drool drips left a trail and gave me away every time.

Toadstool stole MY BED, so I was forced to fraternize with her in order sleep in comfort. Take a hard look again and notice how she is sleeping on MY PILLOW, leaving me no place to put my head. I had to curl up in a ball just to fit! Sheesh...

We had a nice visit from Mom's Mom. She gave us tasty treats and even got Toadstool to sit up for her!

These were really tasty goodies, so I blessed everyone with a droolsicle:

Toadstool got some cuddle time on Mom's Mom's lap. Don't tell her, but she looks like she even enjoyed it a little!

Mom and Dad broke up the long car trip on the way home by stopping in Little Rock. Our hotel was dog-friendly. They clearly knew I was coming because they gave us a suite with a sofa!

When we got ready for bed, Mom and Dad gave us some seriously good noms. Cow hooves with the skin still on! Mom said this was the grossest thing she had ever seen, but that just proves how uncultured she is.

nom nom nom

When we made it back to the 'hood, our house didn't have power because of some icy weather. My cats were really ticked off because it was 54 degrees in the house! The power wasn't out for very long, so I think they were being a little over dramatic. They do want me to give a shout-out to Steve for being a stand-in servant while we were gone.

That's it for our adventures in the frozen north!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T21:38:00.004-06:00

It's been a pretty busy holiday, so sorry for not posting sooner. Mom has been really busy making curtains for the bedroom so that she and I can sleep in without the light waking us up. Since I get her up at 4:30 every morning to go to the bathroom and do early squirrel patrol, I figure that letting her sew curtains instead of blogging is the least I can do.

I have a lot of things to tell you about.

First: Newman is getting a home! He has had MANY suitors and should be going home with one of them this week! We sent him back home with Yvette (the nice lady in charge of Lost Paws) so that he could meet his fur-ever family while we are in Arkansas.

Which leads me to my second note: We are going to visit my grandparents in Arkansas tomorrow. It's been pretty cold there lately, so I'm going to dress for the occasion:

Just kidding. That would never keep me warm. It's just to attract the chicks (or as we say in the 'hood, the chicas). I am an Akitador - I'm made for the cold weather! Plus, Nana will make sure that I come in to "sample" each meal while it's being prepared, so I can't possibly be out there long enough to get chilled.

Mom and Dad took us to Cafe Brazil on Monday. It wasn't too cold, but it would have been nice to have a heater like my super fave - Beckley Brewhouse. Newman had never been to a restaurant before, so he was a little antsy. In fact, the only way Mom got a picture of him is because she has super-duper camera. He was still for about a millisecond. I got to lay on the blankie that my Auntie Cheri made me. It is zoo animals because she says my name is "Zoooooos".

As if hanging out with wiggly, stinky Newman in a public place wasn't embarrassing enough, THIS happened:

See that little white spot on my head??? Someone DRIPPED ice cream on me!

I was minding my own business, sniffing under the table for tidbits when my klutzy Mom dropped ice cream on my head. And did she apologize right away and clean it up?? NO. She took a picture first. And did I at least get to eat the drip?? NO. She said ice cream isn't good for dogs.

Sheesh.

Newman Stinks

2008-12-24T21:33:00.005-06:00

Lucy here -

First, I have to say that Newman is nice, but he is stinky. Mom says that he just needs a couple more baths and he'll be fine. I probably wouldn't have noticed except that he did THIS:

Here I was, minding my own business on MY BED and he just climbs on in! Dad ran to get the camera. Mom wasn't even watching because she didn't think I would ever stay with another dog in MY BED. She was almost right, too. Here's what happened the first time he got into my bed:

I had to evacuate to the tiny cat perch that I curl up on when I'm very scared. I'm not sure why Mom keeps insisting on calling me "Toadstool". Obviously I move around plenty. And NO, I don't think this particular picture makes me look like a spotted toadstool either. You people are all nuts.

New Foster Bro - Newman

2008-12-22T18:56:00.006-06:00

Mom dragged me to adoption day on Sunday - AGAIN. She says that it was the last weekend of having Saturday and Sunday adoption events. Something about Santa doing pictures to help raise money for our rescue. I'm trying to talk her into burning that picture Toadstool and I were forced to endure. I mean, Santa is nice and all, but I have my street cred to maintain. As it is, I was forced to wear THISThat's not just a holiday collar, folks. It has JINGLE BELLS and there are more on my feet. It was totally embarrassing. I jingled when I walked and all sorts of people came up to me to tell me what a "cutie wootie doggy" I was. Humiliating.

Anyway...

I suppose I should introduce my new foster bro, Newman. He's a Brussels Griffon. He's pretty cool. He likes to cuddle with mom on the couch. He tries to cuddle with Toadstool, but she's not really into that. He's nice to my pet cats and doesn't try to steal my bed, so I guess I'll let him stay a while.

Newman:

2008-12-20T18:48:00.006-06:00

Mom says I should start putting my foster sibs on my blog. After all, they ARE in the "about me" section. I can't promise I'll always say nice things, but I generally like most of them. My latest foster sis is Darby. She comes from a stupid breeder that was trying to create a new designer dog - terrier poodle mixes. Like most of the dogs that come from the breeders, she doesn't have very good dog manners. She growled at me and jumped on Toadstool. I had to use my tough-guy-growl-bark to tell her that she was being rude. I hate having to do that, but she just wouldn't stop running around being mean. Mom told me she was sorry. She brought Darby home from adoption day because she reminded her of one of our first fosters, Spike. Spike and I loved to play chase and bitey-face. Spike liked to cuddle and never stole my bed. I guess I don't pay much attention to what a dog looks like - I just remember how they act. Maybe Mom should try that...

Here are their pics:

Darby:

Spike:

Introducing Lucy (aka Toadstool)

2008-12-19T20:12:00.008-06:00

Hi All,

I would like to introduce my new "forever" sister, Lucy. As sibs go, she is pretty cool. She doesn't cramp my style by stealing my bed or eating my food. In fact, she doesn't really move around all that much when she's in the house (mom will tell you about that in a minute). She likes to go on squirrel patrol with me and will hangout with me at our lookout spot in the back corner of the yard. She also likes to howl with me when the fire trucks come by. She is definitely a soprano. Okay, okay... mom wants to butt in and tell you more about Lucy.

Mom here... Lucy came to us through the rescue we work with - Lost Paws Rescue of Texas. We fostered Lucy for a while before finding her a home with a nice lady in North Dallas. She came from a breeder in Oklahoma where she was part of the breeding stock. We also fostered her mom, Annie, and managed to help her overcome most of her shyness. Lucy, however, takes fear to a whole 'nother level. She lived most of her life in a crate and is very scared of people and other dogs. I had lots of hope for her first placement. She was a very nice lady who was retired and looking for a companion. Since she was home all day, I was hoping that this intensive attention would help Lucy come out of her shell. Unfortunately, Lucy figured out that she could avoid human interaction altogether by dodging this nice lady in the backyard. After being forced to let Lucy sleep in the backyard for a couple of nights in a row, the nice lady had no choice but to call us to come pick her up.

I've nicknamed Lucy "Toadstool" because she is too scared to do much else besides sit on her bed. At first, I just felt sorry for Lucy. She was yet another dog from a breeder that was unsocialized because she did nothing but live in a cage and have babies. Unlike her mom, Annie, Lucy never came out of her shell. She'd been with the rescue for almost a year and was still scared shitless of EVERYTHING. After her placement failed, we brought her back to live with us. After a couple of weeks, it was clear that she wasn't going to blossom very quickly (or at all). We had to really think about whether or not it was more kind to let her live in a constant state of panic or euthanize her. I am generally against euthanasia for behavior issues unless they are extreme. This, however, was pretty close to my "extreme" boundary. Lucy was so scared most of the time that all of her little muscles were clenched. I joked that she probably has .5% body fat, but it was really no joking matter. I'm still afraid that she might develop heart problems because of the severe stress she was (and is) under.

After much deliberation, we decided that we would give Lucy a little more time. That was in October. After two months, we celebrate every little victory. The first time she changed beds in the living room. The first time she chewed on a hoof. The first time she barked in the backyard. I'm sure you'll be hearing about each and every one of these "firsts". I'm really like a new mother in this respect. I did the happy dance when she went up to a new dog and sniffed his butt. It was a victory because he was much larger than her and she actually had to stand up on her back legs to do it. So, brace yourself for more stories about Toadstool. Zeus might even let her write in his blog once and a while. : )

Here are some pics:

2008-10-28T19:57:00.003-05:00

I had an okay time at Bark in the Park in Hickory Creek last weekend. My mom was a little bummed because they wouldn't allow adoptions of her Lost Paws rescue dogs. She perked up a little when she realized that sending dogs for our two week foster-to-adopt probably didn't "technically" count as adoption. Since my mom is a total girl scout when it comes to following rules, I figured she must have been pretty desperate. The little lady that wanted to take Ashlyn home was REALLY nice. She even gave me a pat.

There weren't as many people there as I thought there would be.... which was fine with me because mom made me wear an orange apron from the Home Depot kids table. Sure I looked all manly and handy and everything - but sheesh! Thankfully, her camera battery ran out before she could take a picture of me.