Bad Dog Baxter

Baxter Eats Dinner in Record Time

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:52:00 +0000

Hey everybody! I know it's been a while since I rapped at ya, but things have been busy around the ol' casa. This child rearing business is time-consuming! I find little extra-curriculars like blogging, video gaming and personal hygiene seem to fall by the wayside.

But no matter, I'm back now! So, I finally got around to filming Baxter and one of his most amazing tricks. It's called "I can make dinner disappear in under 20 seconds." It's quite impressive, but don't take my word for it ... judge for yourselves:

No fancy video editing here. That really happened. His full dinner in 19 seconds. If we're not careful, he'll shove Biscuit aside and finish hers off in a matter of seconds, too. I think he has a tapeworm about 7 feet long.

OK, that's it for now. I'll gather up some cute pics of Baxter with Daphne and share them in the next post. In time for Thanksgiving, promise.

Did We Catch the Skunk Who Sprayed Baxter?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:49:00 +0000

Surely you'll remember Baxter's fateful encounter with a skunk this past Spring. We can't forget it. In fact, if the wind is just right, and he's a little wet, we can still smell the odor on Bax's face. I swear it's true.

Well, we knew that we had some skunks in the neighborhood, so to prevent a recurrence, we've been taking the dogs out on leash in the backyard at night. So far, so good.

But, then the other day Pepe le Pew got gutsy. I stepped onto our back porch area in broad daylight and caught him poking his head out from under our deck. "That's it," I said. "Game over."

I immediately called All City Animal Trapping, and we vowed to rid our property of the skunks once and for all. Enough living in fear!!

Enter Trapper Bob ... a friendly guy who is far too cheery for someone who has, possibly, the worst job in the world. He set two live traps, and told me to call him when we caught something.

We went one night with no activity, but the second morning -- BAM! -- Two skunks! Bob came with a big blue tarp and threw the pungent perpetrators in his truck for a trip down to some park in Carson.

The next morning, we had a third captive ... this time a small, adolescent skunk. And the next morning, our fourth victim, again a little guy. Don't be fooled by these cute little ones ... they still spray. And Trapper Bob said they're worse because their aim is bad and they are more easily excited.

So, over the past week I've done the best I can to close up the two points we think they're using as entry/exit. However, I can't seal it up until they're all out. Apparently the only thing that smells worse than a live skunk is a dead one.

So, if we have empty traps for a day or two longer, I'll seal it up and consider the problem solved (fingers crossed). The trapping is pretty expensive, but -- trust me folks -- we would pay any price to avoid EVER having our dog sprayed by a skunk again.

Baxter Welcomes Home Daphne

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:16:00 +0000

You probably know why it's been so long since my last post ... little Baby Gershon came home two weeks ago, and there hasn't been much time to blog. However, she's napping now, and I'm going to steal a second to share a couple things.

The doggies have been doing great with the new addition to the family. Biscuit acts generally uninterested, for the most part. Here and there she'll sneak in a sniff.

Baxter, however, is fascinated with the little one. He can't get enough of smelling her and, when we're not being more vigilant, licking her teeny face. Here are a couple pics:

Baxter supervises "Tummy Time",

he joins in on snuggle time,

and 'bends over backward' to welcome Daphne home.

So far, so good. Everything should be copacetic until little "D" starts chasing them around and grabbing their tails!

Blasts From the Past -- Volume I

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Here and there, one of Baxter's old antics will come to mind and I'll have a chuckle. I've shared many of his extraordinary exploits with you, but I've spared you every silly little thing.

Here and there, I'll sprinkle a few anecdotes into one post, just to save everyone time :)

We had a roofer over to check out a leak that first winter we moved into the house. He was a bit of a character. Baxter wasn't amused. He managed to nip the guy on the calf when I wasn't paying attention.

I apologized profusely, and the roofer barked, "Ehh, no worries. My ex-wife bit harder than that!"

I had no comeback.

If you'll recall Baxter's assault on friendly neighbor Phil ... that was the first time we'd seen the crotch bite. Well, I'm sorry to say Baxter recently repeated the feat with another friendly fellow.

Our good friend Dave was down last month, and Baxter greeted him by launching towards the family jewels teeth first. Dave's pants weren't as baggy, and Baxter failed to attach himself. But, we all applauded his effort.

On a couple of occasions, we have avoided lawsuits with a quick tug of the leash. A couple of high school cross country runners made their way down our street, and Baxter decided he wanted to know how running shorts taste. He would have found out if Jenny didn't yank the leash just in time.

Same thing with a friendly Golden Retriever not too long ago. Bax wanted to know what retriever flank steak tastes like. Jenny put the kibosh on his little snack in the nick of time.

Quick update -- The input from Philip the Dog Trainer has really helped. We now walk both Baxter and Biscuit each day, and Biz seems happier and more energetic for the exercise.

We're now using short leashes and martingale collars to keep everyone on track out there. Baxter still pulls quite a bit. But, when we see other dogs, we can usually calm him down quickly and he rarely even barks anymore. Big progress!

California Shelters Another Budget Victim

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Animal shelters will almost certainly lose significant funding, along with just about every other California public service. Governor Schwarzenegger confirmed as much recently, remarking on his (I kid you not) Twitter feed "We can only spend money we have and can't afford many programs...."

Now would be a good time to make a donation to a local shelter, the Humane Society or a rescue organization. Many or these organizations are non-profit meaning your donation is tax-deductible. We recently threw a bone (har har) to Philip the Dog Trainer and his Animal Advocates Alliance. They rescue pups from the pound and find good homes.

Learn more from BestFriends.org's coverage here.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:10:00 +0000

OK, so the dog drama on our street has intensified since my last post.

I'll try to keep this short, because it borders on the ridiculous. Two days after meeting up with the off-leash lab, we were out for a walk with Biscuit and Baxter. Across the street, we see a woman walking calmly behind her unleashed dog. I commented to Jenny, something to the effect of, "here's another dog being walked off leash."

All of sudden, the dog darts across the street making a bee-line for us. He went for Baxter first, and I quickly pulled Bax back with his leash and stuck my leg in between the two. I was able to shove the other dog back with my leg.

This dog then turns to Jenny, who has already Biscuit picked up to protect her. The dog (I kid you not) lunges into Jenny's chest and bites Biscuit.

Jenny screams and the attacker gets spooked, running back across the street towards the owner, who has only made it halfway across the street by this point.

Luckily, Biscuit wasn't hurt. This dog only got a mouthful of fur, which she tore out of Biz's tail.

Jenny and I lost it, and we marched across to confront the neighbor, each with a dog under our arm. We really unloaded on this lady, to the point where we both felt quite guilty later on.

She explained to us that the dog had gotten loose on accident, and that she wasn't able to run after it because it would only run faster. That's why she was calmly walking behind the dog, trying to catch it.

We really caused a scene, and several neighbors came out of their houses to see what the commotion was about. All in all, the dog owner and her husband, who showed up soon after, were very apologetic. We all calmed down and moved on.

So, after this all happens, we're left feeling pretty shaken up. Suddenly talking the dog out for a walk seems like a full-contact sport.

I decided to try talking face-to-face with the folks who own the lab down the street. They were very friendly, and when I asked them to consider walking their dog on leash, he told me that he had already asked his wife not to walk Reese off-leash in the neighborhood anymore. He told me three other people had also complained. We left things on a very friendly, neighborly note.

Well, since our talk, we've heard reports that the lady has been out since with the lab off-leash. OK, so her husband was shining me on. I didn't have a lot of faith that they'd change their behavior, but I had been encouraged by how well our chat went. In fact, yesterday the husband stormed down the street to yell at our next door neighbor for asking his wife to keep the dog on a leash.

Can't we all just get along?!

This has turned into some serious junior high drama. The lady across the street is spreading rumors that she's been sent to court for letting her dogs run amok. Some other neighbors are telling people that someone's sending around a petition regarding the leash law. I mean, it's all way out of hand.

At this point, we've thrown our hands up. In a perfect world, everyone would agree that walking your dog on a leash is the best way to keep everyone safe and happy. But, we all know the world ain't perfect. And I can't help but think ... If this is how fellow dog owners interact, I am truly frightened to begin dealing with fellow parents.

Baxter Bites the Hand the Feeds Him

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:43:00 +0000

I had been preparing a post about how great Baxter has been doing with our new training techniques. Now, he's still doing very well, but we've had a bit of a setback.

This morning's "incident" is also a handy way to bring up some drama that's been brewing here in the neighborhood. In short, our next door neighbors got a new dog, and they've been very committed to providing Leyla with excellent training.

What they've found is that other dog-owners have a big effect on your training success. More specifically, if someone else's dog is off-leash, it can make training much more difficult. If your dog isn't ready for an unrestricted meet-and-greet, you are in a tough spot when Sparky from next door bounds over off-leash.

Along with Philip the dog trainer, they've approached some other dog owners in the neighborhood asking for their help. By help I mean putting a leash on their dog. These requests have been met with, shall I say, lukewarm responses.

There's a Lab down the street whose owners walk him off-leash. In fact, they walk up and down the sidewalk throwing him a tennis ball with one of those special long-throwing stick things. This means he's often 50 to 100 yards ahead of them running full speed on a fetching mission.

Jenny was taking Bax down the street for this morning's walk when the Lab came bounding towards them. I doubt he meant any harm. In my experience, he's a very sweet and friendly dog. But he's pretty big and he came right up to Jenny and Baxter.

Bax-Man flipped his lid. Jenny said she's never seen him so upset, growling and barking ferociously. Jenny tried to calm him, and got down on the ground, holding him tight. The Lab darted in and out, basically ignoring the clear signs that he was not welcome.

The owner finally caught up and asked Jenny, obliviously, "When are you due?"

Jenny ignored her, trying in vain to calm Baxter's fury. Completely unhinged, he turned frantically to Jenny's hand on his back and bit her.

Jenny burst into tears, stood up, pulled the leash tight and headed for home. The Lab's owner apologized weakly as she left.

So, this brings up a larger issue of responsibility. Is our dog perfect? Hell no, but we're working on it. Is your dog perfect? I don't know, but very few are, so the answer is probably no.

Is it OK that dogs aren't perfect. Absolutely. It would be hard to hold dogs to a standard of behavior that humans do not achieve.

So, maybe Baxter was the one who made a scene this morning. That much I will grant you. But, we were doing everything in OUR power to keep things copacetic. If your dog is off-leash, it leaves us powerless.

That's one reason why there is a leash law. L.A. has county and municipal codes that require dogs to be on a leash at all times in public areas.

Sorry, them's the rules. There's a lady across from us who let's her two dogs run free. (Remember this incident?) They consistently poop in various yards, and she makes no effort to pick it up. She's breaking two laws at once!

And it becomes a matter of respect. Not everyone likes your dog as much as you do. I have my dog on leash so he doesn't bother you, or bite you, or poop in your yard. Please return the favor.

I comes wif 2 sub woofers

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:58:00 +0000

When I see a particularly guffaw-worthy one of these, I gotta share:

see more dog and puppy pictures

Baxter Turns It Red

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Baxter has a really bad habit of getting up on the dinner table. It has gotten him into trouble on several occasions. In addition to those episodes, he managed to steal most of a Thanksgiving leftover dinner from us last year.

After briefly leaving the table, we came back to find he had sucked down all our remaining meat plus the mashed potatoes and stuffing. He was kind enough to share a drumstick with Biscuit, who went to town on it until we managed to steal it back.

He is fascinated with the table, and rightly so. He has purloined many a tasty treat there. When we're finished eating, he begs to come up on someone's lap so he can get a look at what's left for the taking.

The other day, we were preparing for dinner when neighbors dropped by. Luckily, we had only put out a couple things when they arrived. We were soon distracted to another part of the house.

Upon returning I caught Baxter on the table sucking down the "special sauce" Jenny had made for our chicken taco burgers. It's made from yogurt (we ran out of sour cream), rojo taco sauce and a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot.

As I shooed him off the table, he was making a face like you might expect from a dog that just lapped up something quite picante.

Well, it was back to the ASPCA poison control site to find out if he was facing certain death. Apparently onion and garlic aren't the best things for dogs in large quantities. But there couldn't be much of that in the taco sauce, so we figured he would survive.

As you know, surviving is Baxter's strong suit. The only repercussions were two days of neon red bowel movements. Jenny said she was reminded of our trip to Sedona, land of the red rocks. Another silly chapter in the life of the Bax-Man.

Sedona photo by Flickr user rose_des_vents

Bad Dog Baxter Enters Rehab

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:18:00 +0000

There comes a time in every Bad Dog's life when he hits rock bottom. The destructive behaviors no longer bring the high they used to. Barking isn't quite the rush it once was, and the human shin doesn't even taste good anymore.

One night, while listlessly flipping through the channels, the Bad Dog comes upon an episode of The Dog Whisperer. In a moment of clarity, he identifies with the snarling delinquent on the screen. "That's my life," he says. "I'm the one who's out of control."

OK, I apologize, that was a bit dramatic. Truth is, there are just a couple of things we need to work on with the Bax-man, and now's the time. With baby right around the corner we're going to have enough on our plate without a lawsuit from the UPS man.

Our neighbors recently rescued a dog from the Animal Advocates Alliance. A trainer from the organization has come over a few times to help get Layla adjusted, and he was kind enough to spend some time with Biz and Bax.

Over the next few weeks, we're planning to have Philip, the trainer, over a few times to teach our old dogs some new tricks. We'll keep you posted on the progress, and I'll also let you know when we can change the title of this blog to Good Dog Baxter!

Whipped Cream is Their Favorite Food

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:56:00 +0000

It's true ... there are few substances on earth that get the Killer B's as riled up as whipped cream in a can. Wherever they are hiding, when they hear that "Psshht" noise they come a'runnin'.

It's not unique to these two, either. My dog growing up was the same way. Whipped cream and popcorn were Apple's guilty pleasures.

This morning we had strawberry pancakes with whipped cream, and I snapped some shots of the free-for-all that ensued.

Biscuit ready for delivery:

Yum!!!

It's Baxter's turn:

You need a napkin there, pal:

Is that whipped cream in your fur?

Diarrhea later on is a guarantee, but I'm pretty sure they think it's worth it.

An Explanation for Baxter's Palm Nut Binge?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:24:00 +0000

What would possess a dog to gorge on palm tree nuts? Not just one nut, but 22 nuts! Well, we may be one step closer to an answer today, folks. And it has a little something to do with Baxter's cultural heritage.

A coworker today hipped me to Paan, a traditional chew popular in Southeast and South Asia. Hmmm, is that near Tibet? Chewing paan is a long-standing tradition in these parts that has taken on historical, sociological, even mythical significance.

So, Paan is generally wrapped in the Betel leaf, a creeping vine similar to ivy that's known for its minor stimulant properties. Inside the leaf is chopped up areca nut.

What's an areca nut, you ask? Well, it's actually the fruit of -- wait for it -- a palm tree.

Bingo!

So, our furry little friend was feeling homesick for the Asian subcontinent when he chowed down on the palm nuts! Unfortunately, he chose the wrong kind of palm tree and totally missed out on the buzz.

Oh well, you can't blame a guy for trying to reconnect with his roots. He is a spiritual little man.

Tibbie Tooth

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 09 May 2009 20:42:00 +0000

There are many things that make Tibetan Spaniels special. They're loving, loyal, intelligent (kinda), just a bit mischievous. But, I find there's one feature about them that people always notice: Tibbie Tooth.

Yes, I'm talking about the dental disaster that is the Asian breed underbite. Many little dogs have it, and Tibbies really flaunt it.

Breeds like the Shih Tsu, Pekingese, plus Bulldogs and Boxers, too, share the underbite. It seems to go along with the pushed-in face. Luckily, it doesn't seem to slow these guys down when it comes to inhaling kibble. It just gives their cute mugs a little extra personality.

We had to give Baxter a 'happy pill' for his first plane flight. He was really chill. For hours:

This is Biscuit after have a little skin growth removed. We put booties on her so she wouldn't scratch it:
Here's Bax after his big allergy attack in the backyard. That plus a bath and he was pretty unhappy:

There's a Flickr user (angelatchou) I found who posts lots of pics of her Tibetan. Obviously, she thinks Tibbie Tooth is funny, too:

For more underbite fun, there are lots of funny ones that come up on a Google image search.

Two Doggies Are Better Than One

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Biscuit was an 'only dog' for five whole years. I think she enjoyed our undivided attention. She also enjoys lots of peace and quiet, so that worked out well.

We always knew we would get a second dog, but we waited until we moved into the house to bring home #2. We had no idea how Biscuit would react, and we were really concerned that her personality could change. She's very passive, and we were afraid a more dominant dog could turn her into a shrinking violet.

Enter the Bax Man, a real Dog's Dog, a Man Among Men, King of the 10-Pounders, if you will. Would he dominate the personality right out of our little lady?

We snapped this shot on Bax's first day with us. Biscuit wanted no part of the new guy. It was a struggle to get the two of them in the same frame. In fact, she did a fair amount of growling while Jenny held them. Look how she won't even look at him!

Fast forward to a year later, and we are SO glad we pulled the trigger on a second dog. They are definitely pals who love nothing more than barking loudly with one another. They sniff noses a lot (really cute), and they definitely compete for attention.

Last night, I snapped these awesome pics of them sharing the dog bed. This doesn't happen often, but I happened to have the camera nearby.

They're BFF's! Here's one more from a while back:

Do You Have a Bad Dog Story?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:22:00 +0000

Does your dog get into a lot of trouble? Have you had a dog in the past that made your life, shall we say, a little more interesting?

If you answered yes, please tell me about it. I'd love to include some "Guest Baxters" on this blog.

I know you're out there! A vet tech at Szanto told me about one of their patients, a golden retriever, who had two stomach surgeries before his first birthday. He had a taste for socks.

Same guy recalled another golden retriever who had had a total of five (FIVE!) stomach surgeries due to his fondness for tennis balls.

A friend of mine told me about her sister's dog, who happened to be named Baxter, who ruined a child's birthday party by eating the entire cake while no one was looking.

This stuff is golden! If you've got material, send it to story @ baddogbaxter.com. I look forward to sharing some reader stories in upcoming posts.

Biscuit and Baxter in the BOB

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:28:00 +0000

We continue to be invaded by baby stuff. Yesterday, after nervously staring at the box for several weeks, I busted out the BOB Revolution Stroller. We were thrilled to get it, but I was concerned about a complicated setup. Thankfully, the thing comes 90% built ... just slap on the wheels and you're rolling.

Once I got it together, we just had to put somebody in it! Considering the 70 pound weight limit, it wasn't going to be me or Jenny. So, the dogs were the lucky riders.

Biscuit is so sweet and oblivious. God bless her!

Baxter is much more aware that there's something going on around here. He seems bewildered and pretty much terrified. Hey Baxter, so are we!

Current Conditions in Baxter-Land are Calm

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:37:00 +0000

The forecast, however, is uncertain.

We've been enjoying several weeks of 'uneventfullness' in Baxter-Land. He's recovering well from the surgery, and the minor reaction he had to the sutures is fading.

To borrow a movie cliché -- Things are quiet. Almost too quiet.

In any case, we'll continue to enjoy the non-drama. We have plenty to get excited about as Jenny's belly continues to grow. It won't be long now!

For the moment, here are a couple of pictures of Baxter behaving himself. He's been pretty friendly to our recent guests and generally chilling out. When he's calm, he's quite the snuggler!

These two are big fans of Trevor. Oh, and before you ask what girly drink he's holding, I will have you know it's the manliest of manly drinks ... The Manhattan.

Baxter is very friendly with Chris. He used to have a particular taste for Chris' fingers, but that seems to be a thing of the past.

Finally, Bax is quite the helper in the kitchen. He positions himself just so in case I drop anything. Easy clean-up ... thanks Baxter!

Random Post -- Flight Aware is a Cool Website

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Bear with me, we'll get to something dog-related in a bit. I've become a big fan of text/email alerts for arriving flights. Most airlines have a utility on their website where you can enter a number or email and they'll automatically drop a line if the flight is early or late. It's super handy if you're driving around and can't check flight status from a computer.

Well, I've found the mother of all flight tracking sites: www.flightaware.com. OK, it's a little overkill but it's sweet. First of all, it handles every flight and every airline (plus private aviation), so you only have to go one place to set up your alerts.

I highly recommend checking it out next time the 'rents come to visit or that old college buddy is flying in to drink beer and talk glory days.

OK, I promised dog stuff. Flight Aware has a large forum for pilots, and they post cool plane pics. I'm a bit of a plane geek, so I dig it. Here are some great pics of dogs on planes. These pooches don't fly coach. They don't even fly silly business class. It's straight private air travel for these lucky dogs:

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

CA Considers Tax Credit for Adopting Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:07:00 +0000

The California legislature is considering a bill that would allow a tax deduction up to $300 for costs associated with adopting an animal. This is valid for dogs, cats and other animals rescued from state and local shelters and non-profit rescue organizations.

Read a summary of Assembly Bill 233 here.

I'm noticing a pleasant theme here in California towards more responsible policies with regards to our animals. Read my last post Towards a Puppy Mill Free LA.

The Human Society is all over it, as you can imagine, and they're urging folks to call their representatives and support this bill.

Most donations to non-profit organizations are tax-deductible, assuming you do not receive goods or services in return. So, why would an adoption fee be any different?

Is it because you get something in return for your money?

Well, I choose look at it this way: You don't get goods or services in return. You receive love, loyalty and devotion for the life of the animal.

A couple of quotes I find appropriate, with regards to these recent developments:

"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
-- Immanuel Kant

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Couple of heavy-hitters there. My man, Kant!

Interesting to note ... The aforementioned summary of AB 233 includes a mention of two related bills that failed to reach a vote during the 2001/2002 session. One would have created a deduction for veterinary expenses incurred by adopted animals (oh how I wish THAT had passed). The other would have created a deduction for spay/neuter operations for adopted or purchased animals.

Here's hoping this bill doesn't suffer the same fate.

Photo: sayheypatrick

Moving Towards a Puppy Mill Free LA

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Over the past couple of months, I've noticed weekly protests at a store right down the street from me called Puppy and Me. Protesters hold signs every Saturday to warn people that puppy mill puppies are being sold there.

I generally honk in support as I drive by, but I recently checked out their website to learn more.

The organization is called Best Friends, and they're committed to making LA County "puppy-mill free". I'm all for it, and it looks like they're gaining some traction.

For eight months last year, they protested outside Pets of Bel Air. In December, the store closed. Even more remarkably, it quickly reopened as a "store" for rescued dogs only. One of the shop's former employees is responsible for the turn-around. I suggest a quick read of this success story at BestFriends.org.

This is absolutely the right way to go. Puppy mills degrade the quality of all dogs by propagating recessive genes and hereditary defects. Plus, the conditions and treatment of the dogs is disgusting. Just ask Oprah, who did a whole show on it. If you can stomach it, here's video of her undercover report by Lisa Ling.

Even local government is getting in on the act. The LA County board of Supervisors is taking some steps to crack down on puppy mills in the area. Here's some info on the resolution they passed unanimously last month.

We rescued both Biscuit and Baxter from non-profit agencies. I don't say this to be "holier than thou". I just think it's important to stand up and say this is the right thing to do.

Plus, they cost about $200 each -- That's opposed to $1000+ you may pay for a rare breed puppy. And, you give the money to a non-profit group which is doing good and just trying to cover their own costs (which they don't always do).

So, I'm curious to see what becomes of the protest outside Puppy and Me. And if you happen to drive by, honk in support.

The Dogs Help Build Our Crib

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:32:00 +0000

Earlier in Jenny's pregnancy, we got the same advice from several sources. "Order the crib early," they said. People consistently told us to order the crib at least 4 months before the due date.

We thought they were crazy.

Well, crazy or not we decided to take their advice. Jenny's due in June, and, after weeks of agonizing over the decision, we placed our first crib order in January. After that fell through (darn you phthalates!) We found a second choice right away.

Then three months went by. It eventually became clear crib #2 was a no-go, so after choosing a third crib, we finally had it delivered this week. We put it together right away, with some much-needed help from the dogs.

Biscuit was totally into it and very helpful.

Baxter just seemed bored.

Kind of the same way he acted when we played the crying baby CD. I have a feeling he'll change his tune once there's a little munchkin to chase around.

Old Runner Loves His Old Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:06:00 +0000

Life is full of interesting coincidences .... Having just posted about that great slideshow of old dogs, I had an interesting chat with an older gentleman out on a walk yesterday.

He was in his sixties and just finishing a run. Eyeing Biscuit and Baxter, he stopped me to ask what breed they were. He guessed King Charles Spaniel, and I was impressed that he had gotten close. Most people go with Chihuahua.

Then he asked how old they were, and I told him. He said that he had a German Shorthair who's 14.

"She's run a lot of miles with me," he said wistfully. "It's hard to watch them, you know, decline."

OK, this just got depressing.

He continued, "I just wish they could last forever."

All right. Thank you, Mr. Melancholy Runner Man, for making me feel like weeping. Can't we just go merrily about our business pretending they DO last forever?

That reminds me ... I've been meaning to look into dog DNA cloning. I hear it's getting cheaper these days. I'll report back with my findings soon. It's been a long-standing dream of mine to someday have 4 or 5 Biscuits running around the house. Come on, scientists, let's get to work on the important things!

Get some sleep, Biscuit. You have your cloning operation in the morning.

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:58:00 +0000

A friend sent me this link ... it's a great collection of pictures and kind words people have submitted about their long-time four-legged friends. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, as many folks are remembering friends who have gone to the great dog park in the sky.

I try not to think too much about saying goodbye to our little ones. But these stories and pics from the book Old Dogs are the Best Dogs are worth checking out if you're truly a dog lover.

Here's a link to the slideshow: http://www.wowowow.com/photo-essay/old-dogs-are-best-dogs-our-readers-share-some-their-old-dogs-170867

And I found the book on Amazon for cheap!

These Just Make Me Laugh

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:26:00 +0000

I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I giggle at these silly pictures. My patience has paid off ... they finally got a Tibbie on IHasaHotDog.com:

see more dog and puppy pictures

Baxter Drinks a Bunch of Pancake Syrup

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:49:00 +0000

A couple months back, Baxter sucked down a pretty large amount of pancake syrup. Suffice it say, he's now on a first name basis with Aunt Jemima.

A couple of lucky coincidences kept this episode from being far worse. But, it was still quite messy.

We had some friends over for brunch one Sunday morning, and made blueberry pancakes. Because, who doesn't love blueberry pancakes? Jenny likes her syrup served hot, so we microwaved the syrup and set it on the table in measuring cups. One was regular and one was reduced sugar.

After eating we walked our friends out to their car to say goodbye. Baxter didn't join us -- he sensed an opportunity.

While we were outside, Bax jumped up onto the table and went to town on one of the cups full of syrup, sucking it dry. He must have had his fill, because he left the second cup alone.

We returned moments later, unaware of his latest conquest. Everything was normal for about 30 minutes.

This picture was taken before all this went down. You can see there's
just less than a cup of syrup in the measure on the right. Not for long!

I was in the kitchen cleaning up when Bax came in and got a drink of water with unusual gusto. He was slurping water with such vigor that it struck me as a little odd. Sure enough, within moments he puked in the living room.

This was not a normal batch of vomit. It was golden brown in color, thick and viscous. Kind of like ... hmmmm, syrup? Jenny and I realized it at the same moment. We checked the table and confirmed that one of the cups was empty, even though we knew we hadn't finished it.

Here's a recreation of what we think happened.

Jenny called the emergency vet right away. They suggested that we come in immediately and call a veterinary poison control center on the way.

Oh my god. Seriously? The emergency vet again? We called animal poison control and hoped it wouldn't come to that.

First of all, who knew a veterinary poison control even existed? Turns out to be a great service. For $60 they take open a case for you and a vet reviews your info and tells you how to proceed. (See the Animal Poison Control site for some great info)

We gave the vet all the info, including the type of syrup. Turns out Bax had chosen the low-sugar variety. In a great stroke of luck, the syrup didn't include the fake sugar xylitol. If it had, he probably would have died.

The vet was concerned that such a spike in blood sugar could lead to a serious but treatable condition called pancreatitis. She told us to monitor him, withholding food and water, for two hours. After that, we were to introduce a little water and see what happened.

OK, so far so good. No emergency vet, and no immediate life-or-death danger.

The bad news? I had heard of projectile vomiting, but projectile diarrhea had now commenced. We spent the next two hours in the backyard watching Bax spew liquid from his butt. It was like his body had completely pulled the plug and was bailing everything. It was a mess and a little sad to watch.

Neighbor Phil submitted this recreation of what happened AFTER Bax sucked down the syrup.

As the vet warned, his metabolism was in high gear and he was dying for food or water. He had even tried to drink from the toilet at one point, something he'd never done before or since.

Eventually, the anal leakage slowed and we gave him a little bit of water. He slurped down the little bit we gave him, and we waited to see if he would vomit again. Everything went smoothly from there on out. We were on "pancreatitis watch" for the next 48 hours, but he showed no further signs of sickness.

We had all dodged a bullet. And Baxter learned a healthy respect for Aunt Jemima.