An introspective affair. Most slice-of-life updates are on facebook, while mass photo uploads are now on flickr.
My Toucha boys are Jory and Maximus.
Jory was having a roar of a morning in November; I couldn't reach him, and he died in traffic. His loss has carved a hole in me.
Max is Jory's little half brother. Jory taught me a lot, but we weren't finished growing. Max is on the journey with me and Alpha Male now.
That's my decades old Dinoroar in the background. Both the kids enjoy it, Jory got more mileage out of the 'squeaker' first. As in he kind of broke it. haha Jaren said he sounded like a sadist with it. But Max likes it too, a good mouth pressure I imagine.
I heard chicken feet can be a chew treat. He got one and I froze the rest.
I thought it was frost... something weird just stained the wax paper this way.
FAIL. Fail.
Not sure what to make of it.
keeps aiming for the tendons sticking out, but not enough purchase.
He's cute, anyway!
Max played with them, but they were not properly crunched by any means. Just left lying around. I tossed the puppy ones out. Will use the others for soup, I guess.
Frozen Turkey Necks. For his weak canines coming out, it took an hour to remove the flesh. Quite the chew win!
The next day he KO'd the meat off of one in like 15 minutes. The bones smell good, like it's been cooked already. That impressed me. I clearly don't have a lot of culinary experience with Turkey. I don't like the texture of the bones when they are breaking, raw or not. It was a wicked sale, so we'll just have what we have, and then not worry about any more.
I was playing trick ball with Jorah when I threw it west, and the stinker just sat there! So I run over to it, pick it off the grass and say "see? It's here-go GET it!" Lob it over my shoulder and turn to see--dingey dark tennis ball's trajectory, and a massive meteor breaking apart and burning across the sky!!!!!! =-O
There is a list of epic astral images I've seen in person, and this is second on it! Tiny meteors are #5.
Good things happen to those who train! Thanks, Jorah, for charming me into staying outside for five more minutes.
edit: it was part of some Russian space something ripping apart and burning across the atmosphere. Big fire ball.
We moved in may. When I was unpacking the kitchen in an empty town home he was very uncomfortable. This was WRONG. He didn't relax until Alpha Male came to join us hours later. (Yes, it took me HOURS of thought to get that kitchen, the back bone of any god fearing house, poised to be great.)
Well, when I got a summer job in good ol Minnesota I wasnt sure how he would do if moving the house things to another condo of similar layout was a three week adjustment.
The good news is that he is rolling with it faster each time we try somewhere new. Like: a hotel, moms couch, dads guest bed, sister visits (she calls him her doggy nephew), June rental, and his first camping! Not that he ever misbehaved, but he closes off and looks uncomfortable, instead of his smiley self. Also quicker to warning-bark, and does that more persistently. He's VERY helpful, you see, and that's his best job.
He did so well camping! His old friend the green cot made a come back, and he didn't mind the zipped up tent. We got him a petco lifejacket, and he SWAM! Thrice! On his own, and his face looked like a cute little otter! He still preferred wading and dry land, but it was great. We experimented with a new splashing game. Bones are there but note sure on the rules.
My first week (day?) in mn I took him to the lake I used to see people exercising their lab's at. We saw three labs he interacted with two of them. Haha. On the way back from our long walk he added into the water like any other place... And something clicked. He LOVED it! He was jumping in the swells and going crazy on the beach. (Pictures will come later.) Jory did not like bear lake in Utah, and we've had a couple dicey moments when he popped into the current of a river. So his general attitude is more utilitarian and this beach scene was pretty surprising. My guess is that it's comfortable sand, maybe gradual depth... Waves, wind? Eh
Today was his first herding class! It took a while to find a rental for us, and in the chaos I could not logisticate him being three hours from my hometown in the middle of the week. So about a month off (sad bear) but today was awesome! He gripped on the leg and nape of the neck of these different sheep (they move weird and get in a single file). Not for too long tho. I get to try handling him next week! The teacher was very nice, said picards were for cattle (?) and gave us the homework of him respecting my body's pressure. No doorway step overs. Ill add this to "neutralize lay-down." also a "there" or something for marking a doggie check-in.
In our St Paul neighborhood there are many rabbits and squirrels. He really struggled to even relieve himself vs bolting the first couple days, but has improved drastically in a week n a half.
He's in my room while I work, its not entirely ideal. But I'm very happy to have time with him after work again. We are seeing into a Minneapolis place bear a dog park and different lake.
We went to a vet out here about shaking ears. He wasn't letting me clean it well n it seemed clean and clear... Well the next day I find an engorged wood tick! augh! 163$ pest. But he has a mild allergy, officially. Showing in ears an eyes. My best guess is dust/hayfever. He was getting a lot of "pink eye" in the winter. Ofa eye doc said "maybe allergies" and i started going from that angle with cleaning and drops. But now I know better drops to get, and have a mild steroid cream for his ears.
I also found or that the food bag instructions are for neutered dogs! Ugh!!! I feel bad. He's getting 4+ cups now and his pelvic bones and spine muscles are much nicer. (Was getting 3.5) On a scale of 9 with 4 n 5 being ideal weight, I think he was at a 3.5 (hopefully 4), and is how a 5. Stronger. I can't believe I was so stupid about following directions for so long.
Besides dog life i sleep and work. Its pretty boring but the money is good. We have explored some cool places in the cities a bit, but mandatory overtime has expanded from early mornings to rob me of my promised weekends. It had better settle down soon.
Jory loves this petco special dog food I tried . Half the price of Ultra. I was told similar quality, but can't help but worry a little. Great taste and price? Must be a catch...
It was funny, at the new herding lesson area, Jory was looking for a way to get at the sheep without human meddling. Testing the fence. "There must be a way!"
On the way home to Utah Jory had a sensitive foot, was a bit wobbly in the car. I chalked it up to being too picky/fed up to eat much, and especially that time I was stupid and didn't notice we were walking in spiky grass stocks until the poor baby had been jabbed in his paws several times two weeks earlier. Or maybe it was his balls being so long... So today we cut them! Wow, what a load off my shoulders there. His stability Seemed about the same in the car, but maybe better.
Jory did fantastic work at herding practice. He stayed focused in the heat for over 5 minutes, and didn't lose his head trying to grip the strays. I should know, because I personally was responsible for several blow outs, and barely got the flag in his face before prevention was impossible. He Still got at a couple, but let off right away. Shauna came in and held the stick & my arm to guide-teach me, and that went much better. (We get two turns, the first was all Shauna, and the second time I tried.)
All was well, Jory even laid down in the water trough like all the cooool herding dogs.
But on the way out he was openly limping, which is serious stuff with this stoic guy. I assumed it was a nail I saw might be compromised earlier ( but herding is on soft dirt! Curse my ambition!), got him in the car with AC, and decided to deal with the paw at home, with my first aid kit.
Jory started licking at the joint area, a clue: just burrs, or stung, perhaps? Then, half way home, he turned around to let the AC blast his back, and there it was, burr and a lump of fur. But when I picked it up--- it wasn't a burr at all!!!! It was a section of his PAW PAD!!!
Thoroughly horrified, I tried calling bae, but no signal. Jory wasn't bleeding all over my seat, so I surmised it wasn't serious, and to stick with plan A, since all of the vets just closed. When he put paw to mouth again i snapped at him, and there were no incidents the rest of the way home.
Ah, home. I carried my scrawny boy to the door, and once inside he retreated to the living room wall. Damaged paw folded under him: nothing to see here. I washed my hands and collected the implements of Dr Sad: vetericyn spray, petroleum jelly, vet tape, gauze, and a boot! He knew he was in for it then, but was a very polite, if hesitant, patient. The spray tickles!
I went from gauze to sock, decided the boot would never fit, and remembered the vet tape. He can walk around okay. This will get us through to Monday. There is more pad below what he took off, maybe its like a lizard shedding skin?
I wonder if he got a blister? I don't know what caused this. :( its upsetting on two levels, he's jacked up somehow, and now we probably can't go to practice next week.
Partly in grief, partly with his new-ness, Max started out as a round little being to focus my dog person routines and Jory-inspired habits at. Better than a void. But I felt... Disconnected, and blocked.
I knew that he was new, but Jory was new, and we bonded fiercely on our trip back from Arizona. It was much more of an ordeal for me, I was tired and under an artificial time limit. Then we made that finish line and Jory's heart was broken when he lost his sister. I was all alone with my new partner. He slept at the foot of my very long cot in the new apartment, guarding us from my brother and Alpha Male.
I don't believe in fate although This time I think I've met my match
-Sum 41
It could be age, or socialization opportunities, but Max was a trembly little squeak machine. He had both of us to depend on, I wanted him better bonded to Alpha Male anyway. Only half my dog. We weren't struggling to get home, Alpha Male and I were wiser from my mistake and planned on a night of sleep, no screaming deadlines. He was cute, I was terrified something would happen to him.
I trusted that a relationship would come, but for now Max was a project, a fragile new thing entrusted to us, a soul for which I had to summon warmth and pride and confidence... When I just wanted to cry and die. At least hibernate in a cocoon for years and years. So I was all present and sweet in the day, and when we're apart I retreat(ed) into my grief.
Max's firsts weren't mine, I was in chapter two of a book with my eyes on the resolution, waiting for him to reach the conclusion. "Just keep going out, and he'll be confident."
His behavior was also similar enough for the reactions to his novel items, our old haunts and routines, to be reminders that Jory was part of a breed, a dog like other dogs. Jory was my everything, yet had been functionally replaced. I don't like that about me, that I could do that, and be pretty okay with it. But I kind of have to be.
Back to the firsts: I'd seen these expressions before, in a fuzzy body that had charmed me to pieces. Why wasn't Max as cute to me? Maybe the hole in my heart was too big, there wasn't any heart left to build "a new place." Or too scabbed over. Some emotional block, loyalty forbidding me from really connecting? I had concerns, but I also had optimism. His baby grunts were the sweetest, most expressive, sassy little things that made me forget all my baggage.
I tried my best to listen to who he is. His little personality. Still do. That's helped, to try and put these clues of his personality together into something cohesive. He's still pretty little, but it's coming out. Then Max hit 18 weeks, and his griffonage fluffed out a little more. "You're so CUTE now!" :D8 I guess I just have picky taste.
But most of all, I think the difference is in training. He will get stuck on offering "sit" or "down" sometimes, but he figured out down, and his proud little flop to the floor is just heart warming. I'm just very pleased with how well he is doing. And between our little grocery explorations, the puppy party, playing, and regular care for him, we are building ourselves a nice relationship. He doesn't cry for me to pick him up anymore, he grabs the leash and trots proudly with it in his mouth.
I feel like "pleased" is a word that requires investment in something other than yourself to really grasp the true meaning of. Maybe I'm wrong. I was planning on exploring this more, but whatever.
Btw, Maximus loves the slicker brush. That was a cute discovery. Gets his hind leg kicking wild. :)
We also tried the nail grinder (weak dremel) for the first time. Less fuss but it takes longer.
His shot tired him out yesterday, and we took him to the park today to sniffs and chase his ball. I got some outside obedience in, too. So it has been a really relaxed, nice weekend.
I shared a pdf with Alpha Male and explained why I do what may seem weird, like shaping and taking the puppy to bake our pizza with friends, and he was very nice. Sometimes I don't communicate vocally very well. I'm glad that he took it nicely.
I found a good source to help me with the shaping. I'm a pretty big noob there, but it's great practice for me. Him too. He talks when he gets frustrated. :)
