Today shaped up to be a gorgeous day for the park. There were horrific t-storms last night and it was still really overcast when I got up this morning. By 10am-ish it was all blue skies and a gentle breeze. I decided to take Apollo, Zeus and Hera today. They really enjoyed themselves! They made lots of new friends and Hera explored a little further from me today too. They all stayed with in ear shot and visual contact though. We met Courtney and her husband again with Jack the Pyr and Greta the Swissie AND Laura and Gabby the greyhound. Fun was had by all!

Apollo found a little pink stuffie in fell in love with it. The lady who owned it came and took it back from him when they moved over to the agility equipment. Apollo was gutted. He followed her all the way over there and smiled and wagged his tail hoping she would play a game with him and the stuffie. Well she gave into his “wiles” and she insisted that he keep the stuffie. She said he would take much better care of it than her dogs and it would just be disemboweled when they got home. Turns out the lady was Laura’s vet Dr Marian Burns, DVM! Thanks Dr Burns… Apollo LOVES his stuffie!

I was a little put off today though. There were several dogs there that weren’t very well behaved and one in particular that harassed Jack to no end. There were several grumbly disturbances that had to be “moderated” and it made the day less enjoyable. Thank goodness my dogs weren’t involved in any of the drama. I hope the crowd is a little better next week.

On a lighter note, I bought another gentle leader today. Now I have one for Brutus and Rufus so I can walk them together and won’t have to adjust the thing every time I take one out. Of course they didn’t have any of the pretty colored ones in XL (there’s so few “pretty things” available for big dogs) so I will have to put something on it so I will know which leader belongs to which dog.

Here’s a few pictures from our day! They really enjoyed themselves. I also added a photo gallery from today with a TON of pictures. Check it out and see what a lovely day they had.

After the broken slip collar incident with Rufus I have done alot of researching and contemplating over what I should use to walk the boys. Since the break was hardware related, all the extra rings and clips make me nervous and aren’t really an option in my opinion. I have received countless suggestions from others; some good, some absolutely ludacris. Of course most suggestions included elaborate combinations of leashes, collars, buckles and clips. Saint Bernards are big, they pull hard and any sort of harness system is just going to make it easier for them to pull me all over the place. I mean lets be honest, what to dogs use to pull stuff with? Harnesses!

I looked at the pinch/prong-training collars and couldn’t find one large enough for the boys with out costing over $50.00. The largest one I could find was only 22 inches and then I would have to buy extra sets of links and basically do a makeshift one. Where on earth do people find the big ones! If I was going to spend that much one, I’d just suck it up and get a Dogmatic from England. Another slip collar was a possiblity, but i needed to find one that’s sturdy with cast rings, not welded rings.

I finally settled on trying out the GENTLE LEADER. I have heard a ton of good things about it and a few of my blogging buddies actually use them with big dogs too. (Mango and Chelsea both use them) I am embarrassed to say, that I actually have had one in my closet for a couple of years. It came with Brutus and Rufus when they were surrendered to me by their previous owner. I never used it on them and sort of forgot about it. Well, I pulled it out and “dusted it off” and low’n behold – it worked like magic!

We have now tested it out over the course of a week on both Brutus and Rufus. We’ve had several encounters walking past little dogs and big dogs and I am absolutely amazed the control I have over them. Brutus doesn’t really care for it and must come off as soon as we walk in the door, but Rufus is completely unphased by it. They walk like proper gentlemen and don’t pull like madmen when they see other dogs.

Ahhhh I am soo pleased. Its a major victory and all is right with the world again!

I dont really have many pictures of myself, I am usually behind the camera lens. I also gained alot of weight and haven’t been very proud of how I look. Well since we moved, I have had to do a lot of walking the dogs and have managed to loose a little bit of weight. So, I decided i should take a few pictures with the boys. I think these are the best two. I think I am going to have the first one blown up and framed. I think the boys look absolutely adorable. The second one is absolutely shocking. I didn’t really realize how BIG they truly are. I look at them and see what most people see when they look at a Labrador. I guess it’s all about perspective. No wonder people say..”wow, THATS a BIG dog” More photos in the Gallery.

OMG I just love it! I have just seen Hera the Diva has stared in her first “movie” – she has reprized the role of Heramoany Sainther in the upcoming “Hairy Pointer and the Prisoner of AzGoneBad.” Gorgeous George the mega moagle movie star has produced his take on the Harry Potter classic. I love the movie posters!

George is a 19 month old Rottie which has recently been adopted by his new forever family in the UK. He has tons of exciting adventures. His most exciting adventures are the “movie” spoofs he stars in. His blog showcases his adjustment into his new home after being in a dog shelter. Stop by and check out my friend George’s fabulous blog!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone

I have hmmm-hawed around for a LONG time wanting to get Saint Bernard barrels for the boys. Its kind of a long standing joke about my husband supposedly getting them for me for every holiday for the past 2 years. Well, every time I take them for a walk or to an event I always hear (at least once, but usually 5 or 6 times) “where’s his barrel”. In fact I get that a lot more often than “where’s the saddle” or “wow that is a big dog.”

I have searched the internet several times and have found a couple of different sources. Since I need two, it gets a bit pricey. I found a guy in Indiana that makes them and sells them on his Ebay Store for a fraction of the price of some of the other makers and there is no long wait time for them to be sent out. So I bought two Saint Bernard barrels for the boys and am going to try them out. If I don’t like them, well I will just have to shell out the big bucks for the really nice ones. I am having fancy neck straps made for the barrels by The Sew Crazy Dog Lady. Now I just have to decide what pattern.

Whooo Hoooo! My new The Sew Crazy Dog Lady collars came! They are Gorgeous! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Even better than I could have ever imagined. I can’t decide which pattern I like the best, they are all so beautiful. Once again I am so impressed by the quality of these collars. They look so posh and don’t even compare to the “fancy” collars in the petstores. I wish I could acurately describe the quality and refinement to you. I think you all will just have to purchase one to see for yourselves .

Brutus and Rufus look just stunning in their collars. I love the colors and pattern. The Sew Crazy Dog Lady strikes again and has made gorgeous “big boy” collars for my “plus-sized” boys.

Hera looks sooo stunning in hers. The Hot Pink really pops against her black fur. I have already gotten a ton of compliments on this one when we checked in at Bark Park. I took it off as soon as we got in so it wouldn’t get ruined, but I had it (and Apollo’s) hanging from my neck with the leashes.

Eris is not cooperating and won’t let me take a decent picture of her! UGG she’s so camera shy. There are a couple of picutes of her in the Collar Galley if you want to check it out. Apollo looks absolutely DARLING in his. I am really pleased with how this one turned out. It totally captures Apollo’s personality. He looks so cute in it too. Look at my handsome boy!

More Photos can be seen in the Sew Crazy Dog Lady Collar Gallery HERE.

Thank you for the beautiful Collars! I am absolutely thrilled!

It was a gorgeous day in the upper 60′s and sunny! We have egarly awaiting Bark Park opening for the year and I took Apollo and Hera for the day. We met up with my friend Laura and her two greyhounds Gabby and Cyder and a fellow Big Dogs Porch member Courtney and her Swissie, Greta and Pry, Jack. There were alot of dogs there and they had 10 fenced acres to run and play in. I have created a gallery of all the pictures and some of other dogs there if you want to take a gander at them.

I was really pleased there was no drama and the dogs had a good run. I think both of them had big grins on their faces the whole time. I will take Zeus with them next Saturday. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I didnt want to take too many dogs with out being able to control them (I hate when people do that – so I didn’t want to be a hypocrite). Apollo is completely zonked out.

Here are a couple highlights from the day.

**** More photos from the day can be see HERE ****

Well, supposedly today is Coby’s last day roaming our neighborhood. I saw him running around all day yesterday and couldn’t be bothered with him as I wasn’t feeling well. Today however I opened the door to get the paper that the little paperboy tossed on my porch. He was delivering throughout the neighborhood and as he walked away Coby appeared from between two houses and charged after the little boy barking his fool head off.

So I go back inside and grab a leash and collar and head out after him. The little boy asks me if he is my dog and I say no and he points to him heading down the street AWAY from his house. Shes up growling at a golden retriever that is in his invisible fence and then heads across the street to the MinPin’s house and is peeing all over their bushes. I call him and he comes running. I lasso him up and head back to his house. His owner is standing in the yards swinging her kids… she sees me coming says thanks, takes him from me and lets him go again. OMG! I shot her the dirtiest look ever! She proceeds to tell me that he is leaving tomorrow for her sister’s house where he is going to reside. The whole time I am thinking what ever, we’ll see! She constantly blames her kids for him running around but if truth be told she lets him out because she doesnt want to deal with him. In the past two days alone I have seen him running around for hours on end. I have taken him home 5 times in the last week.

Here’s the kicker, I say “He’s such a good dog, I’d hate to see him get hit by a car or for someone to call the pound on him” she gets snotty with me and says ‘I told you he’s leaving tomorrow!” Hmmmm, how much do you want to bet I see him out roaming on Saturday!

“They call it puppy love”

Here’s something you don’t see everyday! My son played dress up with Rufus.. I am desperately trying to think of a funny caption to add to it so I can submit it to LOL Dog’s… Anyone have any ideas?

I decided to get creative today and installed a few new plug-ins and updated my theme. I thought it was time for something more spring/summery. I am really pleased with how it has turned out so far. There’s still a few bugs to work out but I am getting there. The biggest change for the style is the placement of the comments bar. It is now at the bottom of the post in the categories bar. I have been playing around with the code and am having ZERO luck moving it back to the top.

I installed NextGen gallery plug in… Its awsome! I am just figuring out what I can do with it, partly by accident. There’s a slide show added to the right sidebar… and check this out: click the photos to view larger.

and

I hope you enjoy the new header and sidebar gallery.

Cheers!

Someone stop me… no wait DON’T stop me! I am in love with fancy posh dog collars. You may remember a few posts ago I said that the dogs had been wearing the same collars for YEARS and I ordered a couple of bight flashy collars for B and R from The Sew Crazy Dog Lady… Well, that purchase has spurred a “healthy” obsession for my dogs to be fashionistas! I made another purchase from The Sew Crazy Dog Lady and I can’t wait ’til they come. This time I bought matching ones for Brutus and Rufus AND matching ones for Hera and Eris! Apollo got one too. Here’s a group shot of the collars.

Jen sent me photos of the finished products and Oh My DOG can I just tell you how AWESOME they are! I mean never in a zillion years did I expected them to turn out so good. They should be here this weekend, just in time for Memorial day. I can’t wait.

Here is what I chose for Brutus and Rufus – this pattern is called Zig Zag and I ordered it in 2 inch wide fabric – click on the photos for larger view. As you can see the fabric looks like it is dark colors.

This however is what it actually looks like! it’s bright and vibrant. I LOVE IT! They are similar to the Mardi Gras ones I got last time in color, but he pattern is alot more masculine and fits their “every day” attitudes as opposed to special “festive” moods like the Mardi Gras ones.

Next up, the girls. Hera and Eris had to have something pretty and feminine. I choose the 1 inch daisys pattern for them. How gorgeous did they turn out! They are going to stand out and just POP on their dark fur. Totally remind me of when my sis and I were kids and we would wear matching clothes and call them our “twinnie outfits”. OOOH Squeal I am so excited I have “twinnie outfits” for my girls.

And last, but certainly not least is Apollo’s collar. I love him in blue. And although he is 4½ years old, he is my baby and he acts it. So he needed something cute and representative of his personality. What better than the 1 inch bones and hydrants pattern! I am most impressed with how this one turned out.

I know, Zeus doesnt have one. I haven’t decided what I want for him yet. I am going to try Apollo’s collar on him and see how it looks. I like the idea of matching, but Zeus’s black fur looks so good in green. Anywho… I am excited to get my package in the mail and will be sure to get some awesome pictures.

Thanks for all your hard work on my collars Jen.

I got back from going to the Yorkie’s house. Things went much better than expected. We talked for about 2 hours and she is a very reasonable person. I played with the dogs and we talked dog for awhile. She did take the girl to the vet this morning and he told her the same thing, had Rufus had any malicious intent what so ever the Yorkie would have been killed. There isn’t a single scratch on the dog and she is completely ok. I doubt we will be “best of friends” but there are absolutely no hard feelings. I told her I was sorry and Rufus was too – she said “I know” and we left on very pleasant terms.

We are very lucky the Yorkie (her name is Lexie and the brother is Bently) wasn’t accidentally hurt in the scuttle and we are not going to take any chances that it will happen again. I contacted the leash company and they are going to refund my money… like that fixes everything. Its been a hard lesson learned, but at least no one was hurt. I am going to take much better precautions from now on. Whew!

First off I want to apologize for the length of this post. I am sooo upset I can hardly type. Its been a pretty rough day for me. Walking the dogs daily has been quite a challenge and adjustment for me. They have for the most part adjusted, but still get very “excited” from the other dogs in the neighborhood. This morning I was walking Rufus and on the corner is a house that has two tiny little Yorkie pups. They are barking at/to Rufus as we start to walk by. I tell him no and to leave it and he stands there very intent on the two. We start walking again and he pulls just a little and SNAP the slip collar I use for control breaks and he goes charging acrossed the street to the Yorkies. OMG! I think crap hes going to see them, then run off and I am never going to catch him. He decides he wants to play. He play bows with the little girl and they start a game of chase while I am screaming at him.

The lady starts hitting him and screaming – at this point they are still playing but it is annoying. Then they get tangled up in the tie out the yorkie is on and the dog starts screaming. When Rufus had his head down the little yorkie ran around him 3 times so the tie out is wrapped around his neck and when he picks his head up the yorkie is dangling from his neck squalling and covered in slobber. The tie out snaps and the yorkie runs off and the woman is about to faint. She is screaming at the top of her lungs and the whole neighborhood comes running. Why do women scream, just scream at the top of their lungs durring stressful situations? It just makes the situation worse! So Rufus is standing there with the other Yorkie looking at everyone like “hey whats up” and the lady is on the ground bawling and cradling the female Yorkie. The husband comes out and she’s screaming and crying.. I ask is the dog ok.. she says she sees no blood but its all wet from being in Rufus’s mouth. I tell her he was just slobbering (saints do that – alot) and he didn’t have her in his mouth, she was hanging from his neck. She continues to insist that Rufus attacked her dog and she has to take him to the vet that instant. She goes inside and slams the door while I am standing on the lawn with her husband. I am in tears at this point and assume she is going straight to the phone to call the ACO to have him picked up. I told him I was so sorry and I hoped the pup was ok and that if Rufus had intended on hurting her, she would be dead (Rufus is 160 pounds the yorkie is 5 pounds). He is all concerned that Rufus is agressive towards children etc, I said he is sooo friendly and he loves people and that they just got tangled… it was a huge accident. We say good bye and says I should check back in on the pup later. I am just gutted!

I go home and tell my hubby what happened and he says that I should just leave it alone. That there is nothing I am going to be able to do to smooth things over. Most little dog owners just don’t like big dogs. I am so upset and figure the ACO will be at my door any minute.

We decide to run to the store about an hour later and guess who I run into, the husband. OMG! He sees me and asks if I am feeling any better and I burst into tears again. He says the Yorkie is fine. They looked her over good and not even a scratch but she is taking her to the vet tomorrow to be checked out anyways. I am just sick because now the neighborhood is going to think Rufus is a vicious dog that “attacked” her dog and had it “hanging from his mouth” – Trust me lady, if he did, there would have been alot more than slobber on the dog.

I bought the little Yorkie a gift bag full of treats and toys and a card from Rufus saying he was sorry he was bad. I went to take it to her and she was out, but I talked to the husband yet again. He assures me everything is ok and for me to come back later to give her the bag.

I am just so upset this happened. I can’t believe that his collar snapped. I have been using that brand/style of slip choker collars for years and never had any problems. This is a brand new one and has only been used a few times for walking. The ring just broke and popped off and he wasn’t really pulling. I am going to have to buy a better collar for walking them. I really hate prong collars, but I think with all the distractions in the neighborhood, it might be the best thing for Rufus’s safety.

I am sitting here on the computer getting ready to go to bed. The dogs have been out, fed and are waiting for me to take them to bed. Then it hits… a little subtle at first, Iam thinking oooh they have nasty gas. Then it gets stronger… hmmm someone must have had an accident! NOPE… it gets stronger and OMG I start sniffing the dogs – I know this smell and it isnt pretty.

Now my nose is burning! I go to the front door and open it. Its outside, can you guess what it is? We had a “run in” with “it” in December 2006. B and R lost and I smelled “it” for months! Thats right, “it’s” a SKUNK! Its wandered in to the neighborhood and is stinking up the place. I had to have been right under my window to have smelled that bad!

Make it go away! Unless your dog has ever been skunked, you just dont “know” how awful it is. Those little buggers pack a mean punch. I never ever want to go through that again. Hopefully this retched little creature won’t set up shop out front and will mosey its way somewhere else. Preferably far, far away.

My nose is still burning!

LIGHTBOX ENABLED – CLICK PHOTOS FOR LARGER VIEW

Today has not been a very good day. I made a HUGE mistake last night and gave the dogs a big time No-NO with their dinners. I BBQ’d burgers, made mac & cheese and of course Bush’s Baked Beans from hell! There was an extra burger so i split it into 6 pieces and the dogs each got a bite. There were extra beans too.. lots of them. So I thought I’d give the puppers a little treat in honor of Eris’s b-day, HUGE mistake. Almost instantly Hera started farting. I giggled and thought to myself:

beans beans, they’re good for your heart
the more you eat, the more you fart
the more you fart, the better you’ll feel
so let’s eat beans for every meal

Ha Ha until 4:30 am! I awoke from a dead sleep to a horrible stench. Apollo had gotten sick in the bathroom and boy did it stink. Our bathroom has the toilet off to the side in a separate little room and the main part of the bath is open where the sinks, shower and big tub are. Apollo layed a big giant loaf next to the toilet on the linoleoum (whew thanks) and then a second soupy pile smack dab in the middle of the open part on the carpet – GAG!!!!!!!!!!! I cleaned up the mess, turned on the fan and opened the window. Rufus didnt even want to back in the bedroom it smelled so bad. I went back to bed and thought that would be the end of it.

Not even close! I get up and let the girls out of their crates and Hera, the original farter, did way more than fart in her crate. She had the nastiest accident and covered it up with her blanket. She of course needed a bath and I needed a gas mask. She has been sick all day. She has vomited a couple of times and had the runs, but seems fine now. Poor baby girl. Apollo seems fine now too. I think I am going to go to bed early tonight and hope for a better day tomorrow. Beans are now on the short list of things the dogs absolutely will never have again!

We just made it before the stroke of midnight!

My big fat chocolate chunk is 7 years old today! I can’t believe how time has flown by.

Eris only stared her “real life” 3½ years ago when she was rescued from the Amish puppy mill. She didn’t know how to do anything. She didn’t know toys, treats or how to play. She would follow me around and just lay under my desk at first. Then she figured it out… there has been no stopping that chunky little girl ever since.

This morning she got some eggs and ham as treat and everyone else got a bit as well. We are going to take a trip to Petsmart shortly to get her a present. I cant imagine what she is going to pick out. A bone or a stuffie probably.. She loves bones and loves to chew. I think if I just gave her one of my shoes she would be in heaven, but thats NOT going to happen.

Here’s my girly shortly after she came to live with me.

She’s come a long way and is such a happy girl. I am so thankful for the time I have had with her. Here’s the birthday girl!

I finally broke down last week and ordered myself a Furminator. I have seen them in stores and heard countless accounts of how “wonderful” they are but have never wanted to shell out the $60 for one. I mean for $60 that thing better make my dogs’s farts smell like roses, right? Someone on the Big Dog’s Porch suggested Ebay. Ebay, now why didn’t I think of that? There’s all sorts of deals on Ebay – I found the Large Yellow Furminator for $29.95 plus shipping at Value Pets Supplies.

It came in the mail yesterday and OMG is it great! I had one of those imitation ones from Bamboo and while it does a “Semi-OK” job, It is NO furminator let me tell you! I spent 90 minutes brushing Brutus with it last night and look at the pile of hair that came off him. I think these pictures say it all!

That pile is 24 inches high, 36 inches wide and 40 inches long! He’s almost bald now..lol I didnt take a picture of Rufus’s pile, but it was just as high and just as wide! I could have propagated a litter of puppies with all that hair. I even brush them regularly! They should be very happy this summer with all that undercoat gone. It certainly is going to cut down on the shedding in the house.

We give the Furminator

The neighborhood had another community garage sale yesterday and today. The weather wasn’t very good yesterday so most people didn’t put out any of their stuff. But today was another story. It was beautiful, sunny and 65°F. There was a ton of activity and we decided to venture out and meet the neighbors. I walked Brutus and Rufus separately and we toured the neighborhood visiting all the garage sales. We gathered quite a group of people at each house we went to and passers by stopped and got out of their vehicles just to pet them. They were just soaking it up – especially from the kids. I managed to snap a picture of Brutus soaking up some attention at one of the houses we stopped at.

I think he’s smiling!

It was so nice to have my neighbors interact with them and see how well all the dogs behave. They are also getting alot better at ignoring the neighborhood dogs. Rufus still gets the most excited, but he is starting to loose interest in the other dogs. If I can just get them to ignore those 3 pesky little min-pins in the underground fence.

One of my friends who has 2 Great Danes had a really scary experience today. She let them out to potty around 4am (w/out collars/tags) and they opened the gate and got out. They were gone for hours and hours. I chatted with my friend trying to make small talk and help her to sort out her game plan. Sometimes when in a crisis we aren’t thinking about all the angles and its good to have someone that isn’t emotionally involved to rundown a laundry list of things to do.

I suggested all the normal stuff, call the vets, shelters, canvas the neighborhoods and drop flyers. Since the dogs were not microchipped (later we found out that one was, but she did not know it and the chip was not registered) a Home Again alert could not be broadcast. Then I remembered that Ohio uses Pet FBI and the UK uses Dog Lost to send out alerts, why wouldn’t Colorado have something similar. I prayed to the google goddess for answers and was directed to the Dog Detective site which is a National database that alerts shelters, vets, rescue groups and volunteers of your missing dog.

As luck would have it, the SOS went out of the e-waves to everyone in a 50 mile radius and her dogs were located 45 minutes away in another municipality’s shelter. They had wandered to the water treatment plant which fell under another jurisdiction and the dogs were taken to the shelter that services the area. Oddly enough the vet chipped one of the dogs, but never told her or registered the chip. Both dogs are now microchipped!  She wouldn’t let the other one leave the shelter with out getting a chip.

Had Dog Detective not been involved, there’s a good chance they would not have been reunited. Home Again states a staggering statistic that 90% of dog that are not wearing some form of ID are NEVER reunited with their loved ones. I would just die if I lost my dogs that way. Mine are all chipped AND tagged and always wear their collars – inside and out.

I urge everyone that has not done so, to PLEASE microchip your beloved dog. It may be the ONLY chance he or she has to get back to you if the unthinkable were to happen. You can maintain your information on line on the Home Again website in the event you are on vacation or a natural disaster should take place and you are displaced from your home (I have the 1-800 # programmed on my cell phone). Katrina ring any bells?

Here’s a good recipe for dogs that have trouble putting on or keeping weight on due to illness, age or prior neglect. Many rescues use these when they take in dogs that are severely malnutritioned. They will cause rapid weight gain so monitor the dog to make sure he/she is not gaining too much weigh too rapidly.

Satin Balls

• 5 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
• 1/2 lg. box of Total cereal
• 1/2 lg. box oatmeal
• 1/2 jar of wheat germ
• 3/4 cup veg oil
• 3/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
• 5 raw eggs AND shells
• 5 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
• pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf. Divide into 5 quart freezer bags (roll into balls approximately the size of tennis balls) and freeze. Thaw as needed and feed raw!

**Recipe has been added to the Canine Cookbook**

As you know, now that we have moved I have to walk my dogs every day. I leash my dogs, carry poop bags and pick up after them. NO ONE in this neighborhood picks up after their dogs when they walk. The next door neighbor has a blind 16 year old beagle who she lets wander around and it comes into MY yard to poop. I have caught him there twice in the past two days and watched him poop infront of my mailbox. The owners are both doctors but of course have NO common sense and just let him wander with no supervision or electric fence.

Well tonight I am walking Hera and Eris and out from between two house charges Coby the wandering black lab – I have already had to take him home once at 11:30PM – his owners had already gone to bed and just left him out. Well, Eris and Hera are on leads and that dog charges out and tries to attack Hera. I get between them and scream at him to GO HOME. They tangle up once and luckily Hera isnt hurt. So he runs off and then ambushes us again from in between two other houses as we round the corner. He snarls, lunges and snaps at Hera and again I scream at him and he runs off. I go between the houses to his house and his owner is out front. I say hello and tell her that he has gone after Hera twice and I am very upset. Hera knows no stranger and is very very friendly. She proceeds to tell me Coby is the same way… (whatever) and right there in front of her he snarls and charges at Hera again and starts circling us and lunges in a few times snapping. Hera is growling back and standing her ground next to me. She screams at him and tells him to go inside and snatches him up. And all she can say is “I dont know what to tell you, he has never done that before” — you dont know what to tell me! how about SORRY for starters and I will keep him in the house or on a tie out!!!! I am “this” close to calling the dog warden. I can’t even tell you how scared and mad I was.

OMG I am sooo freaking ticked off! This dog roams the neighborhood! I can only hope that he is not stupid enough to try and engage B and R because if he ever put on a display like he did tonight to them, I really think they would at the very least attack and severely hurt him, trying protecting me. (I really thought it was going to get ugly tonight) Luckily the last time I saw him when i was out with the boys I saw him before they did and ran back inside with them and was able to take Coby home before I took out the boys.

As it is I walk the dogs late at night to prevent any incidents with the dogs that roam, are unattended in electric fences and being walked on and off lead – I love my house, love the neighborhood, its very posh but walking the dogs is killing me. This sort of neighborhood isnt supposed to be like this. I am just sick! I miss my acreage!

My poor Hera Bera!

There’s a thread on the Big Dog’s Porch about one of the member’s Saint Bernard. He is only about 18 moths old and she thinks he is small. He is gorgeous and does not look small for his age at all. A couple people asked for pictures of B and R since that is around the time that I adopted the. I dug through mounds (not literally since they are all digital) of photos and found a couple that show how young and juvenile they were when I first got them. Its so funny, I don’t remember them growing, but they clearly did and have put on ±30 pounds a piece. My how time has flown by.

THEN:

NOW:

(I just can’t pass up an opportunity to showcase this picture, its one of my all time favorites of the boys)

Coby is the black lab that lives on the next street over. Coby is the neighborhood wanderer. He is a very nice dog, very friendly, but his owner really irks me.  I started to walk Apollo, Brutus and Rufus the other night around 11:30pm. Its quiet then and i don’t have to worry about the little ankle biters charging out at us.  We manage out of our house and start down the sidewalk and my son say “what the heck!” and points at Coby thinking one of our dogs has escaped some how.  Of course it is Coby. I usher my dogs back in the house quickly and set out after Coby with a leash in hand.

I catch up with him and we march back to his house.  The lights are off and his owner has gone to bed for the night and left Coby outside.  I ring the bell a couple of times and finally she comes to the door.  I say “Is this yours?” and she takes Coby in.  We start talking and she begins to tell me how bad he is and asks if I want him.  She can’t find anyone else that will take him. Ummm NO – got 4 labs of my own, thanks.  I ask her if she walks him and of course she doesn’t and the invisible fence?  well, its so invisible that its non-existent.  He apparently went through it after two days and she just shut it off and he doesn’t wear the collar anymore.  So he is free to roam the neighborhood.  I try to explain the benefits of regular walks, but she has her hands full with 2 kids and has NO intention of walking him.  She says she fully expects to find him dead on the road one of these days, and I think she is hoping for that.

Some people don’t deserve to have animals! grrrr

I know thats a bizarre title and you are probably wondering what in the world all four of those have to do with each other. The answer is nothing except they are the top things on my mind for all things doggy today… lol

1. It is hard to believe we have been in (only) our new house for 2 full weeks. Everyone is so settled it seems like an eternity. The dogs have adjusted so well. I am really impressed! People never seem to give well adjusted animals enough credit in their ability to accept change. I was guilty of it too. My worst fear when moving was my dog plastered to the door and windows barking at every car, bike, person walking, dog and child walking by. I pictured them clawing and barking frantically trying to get out at the “intruders” and generally making a scene. But none of my fears have come to fruition and the dogs have adjusted to suburban living with grace. I wish more people could see how resilient dogs can be when they decide to dump them off at shelters because they are “moving”… trust me if I can get a pack of 6 giant dogs to happily adjust to “burb life” from “rural life” in a matter of two weeks, I think someone else can figure out how to manage one dog.

2. Since we now have to do the “poop and go” thing and I am a responsible pet blogger, I mean owner, I have to carry doggie poop bags with me constantly. Recycled grocery sacks are not cutting it. They are always torn and i inevitably get poo on my hands when I clean up after a land mine and the bags absolutely STINK in the trash can. GROSS! So although I would really like to be “green” and recycle it really isnt an option for me with 6 dogs in the burbs. So I went out in search of cheap, biodegradable poop bags at Petsmart and online. I have tried out Mutt Mitts in the past and know they are super dooper pooper scooper bags. They are just pricey in the stores and I have to order them in serious bulk (we’re talking 900 bag cases) to be cost effective. The only down side is that I have to actually carry them in a pocket or my hands. I typically don’t wear athletic pants with pockets when walking the dogs so this is a serious drawback.

When I went into Petsmart yesterday they had individual dispensers with a roll of 15 poop bags inside on sale for $1.99 – What a bargain. So I picked up a pink and blue one to try out. I mean you can’t go wrong for $1.99, The little dispensers attach to the handle of the leash and you pull out a bag from the bottom just like all the other little bag dispensers – nothing special, but the bags inside are alot thicker. They are 100% biodegradable which is good for the environment and don’t stink when you are carrying a used one or in the trash can. I also picked up a package of refills at $9.99 for 120 bags (8 rolls of 15). I’ll give it a whirl and see how it goes. At this point ANYTHING is better than used grocery bags.

3. We joined BARK PARK!! Its a 10 acre private membership dog park about 15 miles from here, similar to the one I used to own (only a lot bigger and better run). Each week a dog rescue organization is featured and all the proceeds of the day’s admission fees, food sales and dog wash is donated to the rescue group. I am really excited for the first date.. May 24!

On our walk this morning we came upon a garage sale in the neighborhood.  Brutus, Rufus and Apollo (I braved walking the 3 together) could hardly contain their excitement and pulled me straight there.  They spied kids!  And kids mean getting loving and pets.  A little, maybe 2 years old max, rushed up to them much to chagrin of his mother.  She screamed “no!  Dont!” and I assured her they are very friendly and love children.  Reluctantly she lets her son proceed to hug and pet the boys.  They stood there and soaked up the attention like champs.  The mother was very impressed how they allowed her son to pet them.  She said, my goodness they are so big (like I hadn’t really noticed.. bwahaha) it scared me and thanked me for letting her son meet them.

Ahh… my boys are the people’s princes..