Doggie Update

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Maggie is 2 yrs old. (wow that was fast!) She is her own "person" but so like Molly that I often accidentally call her the wrong name. She seems to understand and forgive me for it. She is my simply amazing girl.
She plays soccer, ball, loves to play frisbee and if she perfects some of her moves it will just be unreal.....she has a flip catch thing that I simply cannot believe a dog her size can manage. Maggie still can't stand to see anyone unhappy. She firmly believes enough kisses will make them feel better. She still greets everyone with something in her mouth.

Rufus turned a year old. He's still very much a puppy although he is about 90 lbs. He's my bumbly eager beaver always happy go lucky dude who has a knack for troubles. His personality tends to make you believe he's not very intelligent like Maggie. But he's proven time and again that he is. Being a lab he loves loves loves to fetch and will do it until he falls down exhausted if you keep tossing his tennis ball. He taught himself to play soccer so he could play with Maggie. Now we have doggie soccer games that are quite the sight. They dribble and steal the ball away from each other. Rufus is not quite as agile as Maggie nor as quick but he can block a pass far better than she can. lol

For the most part, I gave up on "formal" training them. It doesn't work well for me, nor does it seem to work well for my dogs. They do better if I just talk to them or if I show them what I want. This isn't to say there aren't commands, but they aren't many. Rufus taught himself to sit. He taught himself down. He taught himself backup. He knows go to bed or nite nite. But he and Maggie know far more by us just talking to them and them doing it.

Both dogs up and decided to change their signals to go out to potty. What was once going to the door is now come to Mom and kiss her, usually the arm or leg. Going to the door is an urgent need to go. Like you better move quick.

Rufus cracks me up. He will not jump on a small child for anything. I never taught him this. But he will jump on a big kid or adult, thanks to my grown kids encouraging it. We're working with him to get him to stop. We need to get him to stop. My mother is coming to live with us soon and he cannot jump on her. She is much too frail these days. I know how to get him to stop. It's just getting everyone else to cooperate so he gets a clear message. Otherwise.........I may have to consider re-homing and I don't even want to think about it. Rufus can be a pain in the rear, but he's my lovable pain in the rear. Know what I mean??

Rufus also never ceases to amaze me. He got out of the yard despite the 6 foot privacy fence yet again. We fixed the last bolt hole. (a gap in the corner) We've not found another. At nearly 100 lbs (and Rufus is not fat, he's huge) I'd never dream he could jump. Seems he's been watching Maggie, and since he still thinks he's little......he jumps......pretty darn high. He also runs straight up the trunk of my old maple tree........to about the height of at least 6 feet. I've see dogs do lots of things over the years......but not a dog this size run straight up the side of a tree like it was nothing. omg

So no more being in the yard alone.

Oh, since I'm updating......the gentle leader was a miserable fail. Rufus became a tangled disaster too many times to keep trying. Don't ask me how.....he just did.....right in the middle of walks. After he gets over his initial omg we're going for a WALK insane crazed dog reaction.....and wears himself out......which takes about 3 blocks of Travis being nearly drug down the street........He walks just fine. We've tried all the other techniques, including a choke collar out of desperation. Nothing works.

Despite his faults he's all love.......unless you're a stranger. Then he is Mr. Adolescent protector, hackles raised snarling, barking, growling. He doesn't bother anyone I let in but heaven help the person who tries to break in. I wouldn't want to deal with him, and he has Maggie as a back up.

Now that the warm weather has returned I need to get them a new wading pool so they can swim. There will be walks galore, which should help Rufus with his behavior. There will be trips to the Lake to swim, which Maggie never wants to leave......and I can just imagine Rufus' reaction. There will be fishin' and hikin' and playing in the yard. Lots of playing with the grandkids too, whom they absolutely adore. :)

I know this is a dog update but I thought I'd add........ My stray pride is gone. Minnie I believe had crossed the rainbow bridge because I hadn't seen her in months upon months. Turns out a neighbor adopted her and in her old age she is looking mighty fine and spoiled. Midnight has moved to Nicholes so she can be inside. She is thrilled. So she will be spending her advanced years indoors comfy cozy too. Sir Bruce is not fairing so well. He has severe respiratory issues, his teeth are a disaster, and he's dropping weight even though I'm feeding him canned food twice a day. I will take him to the vet in the very near future and see what he says but he has been sick for some time and I know at this point he is pretty darn miserable. He may be crossing the rainbow bridge. I can't afford extensive treatment and I won't let him continue to suffer.

I will never feed another stray cat again. Not without doggedly finding them a forever home. I'm allergic and tired of feeling miserable myself trying to take care of them. I don't think it will be a problem. easy child seems to be the resident stray lady now. lol
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
MWM I'm hoping to get video of the two of them playing soccer. They move awfully fast......which will make it a challenge. I'll post photos soon as I figure out how to do so here on the new forum. It takes me a while to get used to change.
 

4PawsSake

Member
I won't even tell you what they call ME!
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It's easy, hit the file icon at bottom and choose from your pictures.


Wendy
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Wonderful post! Abby turned two also the end of March this year. Buddy has to be close to 10 now. You would never know it watching the two of them play.

We worried about how Abby was going to handle us moving right here into the city with all the people in our backyard but she has done wonderfully. We live right next to a park and the basketball court is about 25 yards away (maybe). We had to teach her not to sit there barking but we do allow her to bark if someone comes up to the fence. We were pleasantly surprised with how well she has done when there are celebrations here...like the Easter egg hunt and this weekend the pool opened.

What's really funny is that when we lived at the other place I could never get her to sleep in bed with us but here she does.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
People at work probably think that about me. I talk about Maggie and Rufus as much as I do, or rather more, than my kids and grandkids. lol

I try very hard to give my furbabies a rich full life. They are limited by what I allow them to do or what I expose them to.........so I keep that in mind. There are the everyday things they enjoy like the walks or soccer or swimming in their pool. But there are the special occassions like when grandpup Ammo or Baily come over to play with them in the yard or join our walks, or we make a trip to the lake so they can swim with all the other swimmers....... My furbabies pack a lot of fun and experiences into their shorter lifespans. And heck, it's a lot of fun for us too.

I'll try to add photos.......

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Mr. Rufus wearing his bow tie. I forgot to mention both Maggie and Rufus like to dress up. No clue why but they do. lol

Maggie 8 months.jpg

Maggie
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Maggie and Rufus enjoying their pool last summer. He's just a puppy here. This is the largest size plastic wading pool they make.
 

pasajes4

Well-Known Member
I was recently adopted by a 2 year old shizu/maltise . He is just too stinking cute and so smart. I am not much of an animal person, but this little guy has stolen my heart.

I finally get how people can be so gaga about their pets.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
LOL pasajes

My mom never got the whole "dog" thing. Oh, she could think a dog was cute or whatever but she just really never got it. Then someone got her a giant Schnauzer puppy. My sister did the house training. But this pup kept mom going during her hip replacement surgery / recovery and the grieving process after her last husband died. The woman who had told me i was crazy for years was literally tucking her dog in at night with his special blankie, baby, ect. I'm surprised she didn't read him to sleep. He had doggie insurance. He was vetted and groomed so often I'm surprised his fur didn't fall out. All I ever heard was the dog this and the dog that. Mom was so sad that he was just too large for her to keep. She rehomed him with a wonderful friend who adores and spoils him too, plus she gets to visit. lol Now? She gets it.
 

pasajes4

Well-Known Member
Hound, I am going to order a doggie stroller so I can take mine everywhere with me. He likes to sleep on his back right next to me. I can take him to work with me on Thursdays. The ag. kids do dog baths that day. He loves it and gets to stay in my room when they finish. The kids who struggle with emotional issues gravitate to him. He sits in their laps you can see the kiddos relax. I wish he could go to school everyday and be a therapy dog.

I can safely say that he is spoiled, pampered, and totally worth it.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I *have* a doggy stroller...lolol.

Nobody gets the dog thing except my husband. My kids mostly like pets, but they think I go too far. Oh, well...lol.
 
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