Fueling the Chill

Food. Something that should be so easy....but isn’t. It’s controversial and at times uncomfortable to even talk about. Yes, I know what it’s like to be given the blank horrified stare because I feed my dog kibble and not raw. I want Chili to get the best, but the best must also be what I can afford. I mean really, we have to eat and live too. There should be no shame in knowing when to say I’ve spent enough. Everyone has their limits. What if someone is feeding their dog a lower quality food but that’s the highest quality they can afford? What if that dog is given the absolute best life in all other ways? Does that make them bad?

To our standards, Chili eats well, probably better than we do. I do a lot reading and ask a lot of questions before coming to a conclusion about what I buy her. Also, Your Pet Pals where I now buy her food only carries well-made, high quality brands. They don’t sell a brand just because it’s popular, they sell what they feel good about selling. It’s like another line of defense in weeding out the bad.

Until this point, I only had to worry about getting Chili a great food that she liked. Now, Chili has mild pancreatitis and it’s imperative to find a diet that will meet her new needs. This is where it gets really difficult. I have never stressed about food more in my life than I am stressing right now. It’s overwhelming. I like to make decisions that I feel good about but I’m finding it difficult to put it all together. The more I read, the more lost I feel. Low fat, low carbs, high protein, raw, dehydrated, and it goes on. Oh yeah, and she has to want to eat it. Add to it that Chili is a high energy dog and needs her fuel. I can’t have her starving. She’s at a perfect weight and doesn’t have any fat to spare.

I don’t think for a moment that I’m the only one who thinks this sucks. Chili is not impressed at all. She’s not impressed when she doesn’t get her chips, she’s not impressed when she doesn’t get her spaghetti, and she’s even more unimpressed when she can’t have her absolute all time favourite Kraft dinner. You’d think we just tortured the beast. To be honest, we miss sharing with her too.

I find myself just staring at her sometimes. Willing her to tell me what to do, watching for signs that I’ve made the right choice, or the wrong choice. If it’s wrong, I hope I catch it quick enough before it causes her any pain. I don’t like this at all, watching and waiting. So, when I switched her food and started noticing that she was chewing on her paws and rubbing her ears and eyes I knew I made the wrong choice. Now we are trying yet another brand of food and the watching and waiting starts over. The girls tell me this particular food has performed well for other dogs with mild pancreatitis so I’m hopeful. I won’t know if I don’t try.

No matter how much you think you already know, every dog is different and what they respond to is different. Like with training, you take the experience of others, mix it with some of your own, add some new information and hope you’ve made the right choice. Chili doesn’t expect anything more. I have to try. She’s not going to improve if I’m not willing to make changes and trust myself. A part of that is accepting that I might make the wrong decision sometimes but at least I made it with good intentions.

The True Power of a Powerful Dog

I love big, solid dogs. That’s not to say I don’t love all dogs, because how could you not, really, they’re all so cute and unique in their own way. But it’s the big ones that catch my attention. I like a square nose, broad chest, a big happy smile, and a deep bark. My love of big dogs doesn’t come from feeling a sense of greatness because I have one. I just love a dog I can wrap my arms around and give forced hugs to. A dog I can play with and body check. There’s a lot more of them to love.... and clean up after. The point of today’s post is power. Although Chili has made me powerful, I didn’t get that power because of what she is, I got that power because of who she is and what she’s taught me.

Getting any dog is a big decision, that’s a life you’re taking responsibility for. People mistake the power of a dog for breed, size and strength. That’s just physical, although it can carry a certain amount of intimidation with it. Their true power comes from who they are on the inside. Some say that if you’re lucky, you’ll get a really easy, laid back dog. OK, I agree. I also believe if you’re lucky, at least once in your life, you’ll get a handful that will push you to your limits and teach you a few things about yourself. The catch, you have to be open to it.

To benefit from having a large, powerful dog, you must first abandon any idea that just by having this dog you are somehow powerful. That in itself is a lie. The least impressive thing is a dog owner standing tall and proud behind their pulling, out of control dog because they feel a sense of power from the tension, or from how uneasy it makes others feel. I feel for these dogs, not being allowed a sense of peace. Vulnerable to the inevitable consequences their owner has created for them.

For me, the power of inner strength, compassion, patience and endurance is what Chili taught me. Not just for dogs, it’s spilled over to other parts of my life and I’m better for it. Who’d have thought that a dog would break me down and build me up again? I didn’t. I thought I was already strong and powerful. What did I know? I did have people along the way who helped me see what a great thing was going to come from the chaos of me and Chili. What a concept, asking for help. Another lesson learned. I didn’t have to do it alone. There are actually people out there who want to help, out of the goodness of their heart. Wow.

I laugh more now and don’t take myself as seriously. Sometimes training a dog can make you look and feel like a bit of an idiot. You really do have to get over yourself. I was boring to Chili until I finally let myself just have fun. After all, that’s what Chili loves, fun. She didn’t think I looked like an idiot. The hardest lesson of them all for me was relaxing. Slowing down my mind and just naturally managing whatever situation Chili gave me. It felt so unnatural but in the end, it’s less stressful for both of us, and more effective.

So, that’s the power that I’ve gotten from my big, strong, powerful Boxweiler. I think it’s reasonable to say it’s a good power. In my mind though, I don’t have a power breed, I have a dog, and her name is Chili.

Brattier Chili Week

Every now and again for about a week Chili decides that nobody rules her, she doesn’t answer to anyone and she’s the boss of the world. Like most other things she takes on she’s dedicated to her cause, unfortunately for us and anyone else in her path. You’d think it would be one of those isolated things where she just rebelled against us. Kind of like when your dog behaves for everyone except you. But no, Chili doesn’t discriminate. She pushes everyone around equally. No one is immune.

You might be wondering how it’s even possible for a bratty dog to be even brattier. Well, it’s possible. Believe it or not, Chili is quite predictable and for the most part well trained. Stop laughing. I’m serious. She may be crazy, but she’s predictably crazy and that’s how I get the upper hand. I usually know her moves, before she makes them. I can hear the meatballs rolling around in her head and formulating a half-cooked plan. She can’t get much past me. Even when she goes into Bratty-Bossy Chili week, it just means I have to pay attention that much more.

So what makes a bratty dog brattier? It goes something like this:

- Loss of ALL commands and a whole lot of avoidance. (She knows them all but somehow forgets them, and she’s a master at ignoring you.)

- Every sound and every movement requires barking. (This is just plain annoying. I mean really, do you have to bark at the hummingbirds.)

- It’s impossible for her to walk beside or behind us. She MUST be in front and she must ensure there is tension on the leash. (She usually walks great on leash, at my left.)

- She barges past everyone to make it through a door or gate first. It’s like a dance, block with your left, block with your right.... (She almost always waits. I don’t even have to say anything.)

- Going out for a pee or poo takes FOREVER. There something in the bushes or something was in the yard, or there’s something down the street, or hold on I need to just find something to bark at. Squat, change her mind, squat, change her mind. The problem here is, if I take her inside before she’s ready, I have to bring her right back out an hour later. It’s better to suffer through it until she’s done. (She’s never quick when she goes out to the bathroom, so this just makes it worse)

- Worst of all, she’s on high alert, which takes all the fun out of walks. (She’s been doing so well on the Halti, but during this week, I have to actually cover her eyes when we walk by another dog)

The poor girls at daycare. They have to deal with her all day while we’re at work. At least we get her back tired. When I was waiting to pick her up the other day I heard the door open, then I heard a bit of a commotion. I shook my head, I knew what was going on. Then Chili bound around the corner and Angie comes behind her telling me her and Chili are not friends today. I laughed. She said Chili was bratty all day. I wasn’t worried though, they know how to handle her, even on her bossy days. Not to say it’s easy, like I said, Chili is dedicated to her cause.

So why don’t these bossy days really work for Chili? Easy. The people who manage her every day aren’t afraid of her. She’s too much of a squishy goo-ball when it comes to people. She just can’t help herself. She loves people. She might be bratty-bossy, but it’s just a phase. As long as you can be more patient, you’ve got her. She’ll push and push, but there’s nothing behind it, it’s just tiring for everyone around her.

Then one morning, she’s back to normal, bratty Chili who’s full of tricks and smiles. From that point, it’s over for a little while, at least until the phase hits again. I don’t know what triggers it. We haven’t nailed down anything in particular. It’s just something she does. Chili being Chili. A bratty dog being brattier. It’s all a part of life with Chili.

A Little Help from a Friend

There are many times that I dream about getting a little brother for Chili. To be clear, I’m meaning the four legged kind. She loves being around other dogs and will play, play, play until there’s no play left. I imagine them cuddled up together and hanging out. I imagine Chili teaching him everything she knows...... and that’s where the dream comes to a screeching halt. I love my girl and she has a lot of very endearing qualities, but she’s a brat. She’s a smiley, wiggly, enthusiastic, stubborn, independent, queen of the mountain brat. I have to be ‘on’ at every moment with her. If I slack off for one moment, she doesn’t miss it and takes the ground. She’s a lot of work and the idea of her teaching another dog her tricks is exhausting. One day, when she calms down a bit I may seriously consider the idea, but for now, she can be the only dog in the house. Maybe that’s her plan.

This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t get to teach other dogs her tricks in the meantime. She can do that at daycare and they can deal with it. Although, when she’s in the pack, she falls right into her place in the middle. She doesn’t care to be the leader. I guess you have more fun in the middle, nothing to worry about. That sounds about right for Chili.

In the summer I did get a few opportunities to watch Chili teaching her friend Oakley and Oakley, in turn, teaching Chili. Oakley is a perfect match for Chili since he’s solid and doesn’t mind playing rough. Chili loves body checking other dogs and she loves to be body checked too. Oakley needed a confidence boost and that’s something Chili has miles of. Chili is also excellent when it comes to sharing toys and balls. At first, Oakley would shy away and let Chili catch the toy. Then, Chili started to slow down and let Oakley get there first. You could see him having more and more fun as they played. She would catch it, then he would catch it, then they would both have an end. They shared perfectly.

Then Oakley had the opportunity to return the favour. Being a Lab, he’s a great swimmer and boy does he love the water. Chili loves the water too, but isn’t confident about being in over her head. You can see her bobbing up and down as she bounces on her back feet. She swims, but only if she can put her feet down and touch the bottom.

We threw the floating toy out into the water and neither dog hesitated, until Chili got to the point that she had to bob up and down, then she slowed. Not Oakley, he swan full on to the toy and swam back ready to go again. It took about 3 throws for Chili to start forgetting her fears and submit to just having fun. She started getting braver and braver following Oakley into the water. She would bob, then swim, bob then swim, each time swimming a little more. Then came the point that she was getting to the toy before Oakley and swimming the whole way back with it. They were having a ball and I was loving watching her learn to swim.

There was one point where I was held my breath though. I thought it might be the end of swimming for Chili. Oakley had caught the toy and made it to shore first. Chili stayed out in the water. When we threw the toy back into the water, Oakley took a running leap out into the lake. He landed right on top of Chili and kept swimming for the toy. For a few seconds, all we could see in the water was Oakley. No Chili. We waited and waited. The couple of seconds felt like minutes. I knew I had to stay cool for Chili’s sake. Then, her head popped up. I happily said her name and when she turned around, you could see panic all over her face. I pretended as if it didn’t happen and told her to get the toy. She swam directly to shore and to my side. Once Oakley returned, we kept throwing and she went right back into play mode. Disaster averted. Thankfully she wasn’t scared too much by her dunking and kept on playing.

Even for dogs, it’s great to get a little help from a friend. They can teach each other good and bad habits in a way that we could only wish. Chili gained some confidence in her swimming that day and although she could use a few more lessons, Oakley brought her further along than any other day of playing in the water with us. It’s days like that, that make we wonder if she should have a little brother. Then I remember; I named the blog ‘The Bratty Dog’ for a reason. Perhaps I’ll wait on that thought.

Chili's Magic Wand

Chili was born a magician with her own magic wand. She didn’t have to go to school to learn how to use it, she just knew. She knew she had the power. She has all the moves that mystify, enchant, make you smile and laugh until it hurts. When she has you in her sights, she has the focus and patience that captivates. You are under her spell, and she knows it.

I have spoken in past posts about people being nasty to us, calling her vicious, gathering their dogs and kids as we walk by, or simply avoiding us by crossing the street. This is one end of the Chili spectrum, where people give her a quick look, and a quick judge. The other end holds all those people that tried to ignore her, but couldn’t. Those who found themselves laughing and smiling and giving her all the attention she demands. These are the ones who have fallen under the Chili spell.

I shouldn’t be surprised by it, that’s how we ended up adopting her. She used her magic wand on us. As I was walking along the rows of cages at the SPCA, I could hear a light thumping. As I kept walking, it got louder and louder until I was standing in front of her cage. She started to cast her spell. I walked away but could still hear the light beating, beckoning me to return. I couldn’t ignore it. As before, it got louder and stronger as I approached. That was it, she had me.

I now get to sit back and watch her cast her spell on others. My favourite place is at the vets office. Most people there could use a smile. I take a seat and have Chili sit in front of me. Chili then singles out her target. She begins by staring and lightly thumping her tail. Usually the target will give her a quick look. That’s all Chili needs. She then sits a little taller and thumps her tail a little harder. The target will look again and smile. Then Chili sits as straight as she can, thumping her tail as hard as she can while intently staring. The target can’t help but look, but this time they can’t look away. They start smiling and Chili starts vibrating with excitement. Then the target always comes over to say hello and Chili is rewarded with the attention she wanted, and the target gets a lot of wiggles, licks and love in return all the while being beaten by Chili’s tail. The magic wand in action. She’s just added some happiness to someones day.

I’m proud of my girl and how she uses her powers for good, mostly. She seems to have a special place in her heart for elderly people, especially men. She pays special attention to them when they walk by and most times, she uses her powers to draw them right to her. She knows not to jump and snuggles up to them, licking and licking, and thumping her tail. Showering them with Chili love. There’s usually lots of laughter and talk about how wonderful she is and once again, Chili has left someone smiling. She’s really good at picking out the elderly men with cookies too. She hasn’t been denied yet.

She has a lot of followers who have gotten used to seeing us and immediately come over to say hello. Not to me, I’m just the tagalong. Chili and her magical powers at work. Spreading mostly good around the world but even when she’s being bad, she still makes people smile.

I can’t imagine Chili without her wand. She’s lucky that she still has it and it wasn’t taken away from her. She is a Boxer/Rottweiler cross and we all know that most of them have their wands/tails taken away from them when they’re young. I guess those that take them away don’t realize just how special they are. I believe the true standard is nurturing the magic they were born with. That should be the standard.

The Legendary Bagfoot

I can be a bit of a nut-job when it comes to the dog, especially when it comes to her health and welfare. I’m getting better though. I don’t have a choice. I don’t have an easy going, laid back, demure, ladylike little girl. Well, she is easy going in that she lets almost everything just roll off her back. On the flip side, she’s an extremist. She doesn’t do anything half-way. In her book, there’s no such thing. How do you have the absolute most fun when you take it easy? When she plays, she plays hard. When she decides to be bratty and stubborn, she puts everything she’s got into that too.

With this great zest for life, comes injury. Punctures, scratches, sprains, strains, missing tufts of fur, a sprained tail, chunks missing from her pads, a cracked tooth, and badly sliced carpal pads (this is the pad that lies a few inches up the back of her front legs). She sliced one running through the water at the beach, this took forever to heal and was nasty to look at, then just when we thought it was healed, she tore it open playing. Again, it seemed to take forever to heal. Then after that one was healed she sliced the other one open running through a stream. All of these injuries were of varying degrees. There were a number of vet visits, most weren’t necessary, but at least it was an education for me. Better safe than sorry.

When I’m caring for an injury, you’ll usually hear Brad warning Chili that she’s in for it now. Or you might hear something like, “What are you doing to the dog now?” Yes, there is typically a degree of embarrassment for her. Sometimes it’s because I’ve taped a sport sock around a leg or two to keep her from licking. Or, it could be that I’ve taped a fluorescent poo bag around her leg so she won’t get the sock wet when she goes outside to pee. No, Chili is never impressed but she does indulge me, most times. However, she also does her best drama queen act and makes a big deal out of it. I mean really, it’s just a sock, or a crinkly bag taped to her leg, no big deal. But there she goes, hobbling around, kicking her legs out trying to shake off the socks or the poo bag. Looking like the world is about to end. Funny how once the shows over, she walks perfectly to her bed and drops herself down huffing and puffing the whole time. Oh yeah, as she’s shooting me dirty looks.

Yes, the thankless job of the dogmom. OK, so it’s not so thankless. I know she appreciates it. Especially when she’s sick and she looks to me for help. She puts up with my antics and trusts me even when I leave her at the vets. How is it that they seem to know how to make us feel better, when they are the ones who are hurt? They look at you with those all knowing eyes as if they’re saying, “It’s OK, don’t worry about it.” Then, you catch them at an off moment, and you see their vulnerability. You see how much they need you. That’s the moment that drives you to be the crazy dog-mom or dad. That’s the moment that validates every little thing that you do to protect them. No matter what, they need you, just as much as you need them.

Mild Pancreatitis: Really?

About a month ago, Chili had her blood taken before she had some dental work done. A couple of days later I come home to a message from the vet asking if I could call her to discuss the results. “Aw hell”, was the first thought that came to my mind. I was right. Her blood tests showed that she had mild pancreatitis. The vet explained that I should change her food as soon as possible to a low fat gastro. She recommended MediCal Moderate Calorie Gastro. You know, the stuff that all the vets sell. I was skeptical. I’ve never really thought much of the vet brand foods. No, I’m not a nutritionist nor a professional, but I do know that I should question things. What I do know is, if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. It didn’t feel right. It was time to do some research.

What I found out, I didn’t like. Pancreatitis comes in two forms, acute or chronic and it can be mild or life-threatening. Great. The vet just said Chili had mild pancreatitis, she didn’t mention anything about acute or chronic. To get it in hand, it seems that the best thing to do is first give the pancreas a rest and fast the dog for at least 48 hours. Chili was not impressed by this. A change in diet is also required. I was not impressed by this. It took me forever to find a brand of dog food that was high quality and Chili liked, and can you believe I just spent $80 on a bag of food not 2 weeks earlier. Figures. The new food should be high quality, low fat (about 10%), low carb, and grain free. Many sites recommend feeding raw. AND the final nail; we had to stop sharing our food with her. None of us were impressed by this. We all enjoyed the ritual of sharing.

Honestly, I don’t really want to believe. I don’t want her to be sick. After throwing my own little tantrum, I face the facts. Not that it was going to go any other way, but I just had to protest a little bit. I gather my food notes, take one long look at that almost full bag of food, shake my head and go directly to the pet store. For something like this, I have to go to a place where I trust, Your Pet Pals. From experience I know they are very knowledgeable and they only sell food that they have thoroughly researched and trust. When I tell them about Chili, everything they said about the food requirements was almost exactly the same as what I had researched. Right away I rule out raw. I’ve never fed her raw before and I really wanted to stay as simple as possible. I wanted to get her on the right diet, then get her blood rechecked in a couple of months, then take it from there.

The girl starts checking out the different foods. All the bags that she looked at said senior and weight management. What? Then she finally settled on one brand; Amicus, Small and Mini Breed Dog Food, Senior and Weight Management. Everything about this was anti-Chili. She’s not small (80lbs), she’s not mini (she’s a truck), she’s not a senior (she’s only 3 ½) and she’s not overweight (she’s very athletic and solid). It didn’t matter. The food met the criteria.

So, there it sits. This little bag of food (it doesn’t come in the large bags because it’s meant for small dogs), next to the large and full bag of Fromm (that still chokes me). Chili seems to be happy enough with it so that’s something at least. I don’t really know if it’s doing anything though since Chili didn’t really have any signs that I could gage it by. Or did she? Every now and again she would throw up, seemingly out of nowhere; or have diarrhea, out of nowhere; when she drinks, she really tanks up; she was very fussy about her food; just around the time when we had her blood taken, she had stopped eating, starting throwing up, and had diarrhea. I don’t know if all of that is relevant, but I do know that some of it is.

Now, we wait. Wait to see if this food change makes a difference and wait to see the next step. I really hope this works or at least is taking us in the right direction. I’m uncomfortable being at the mercy of the vet and their recommendations. I know I can do internet research, but that doesn’t make me a vet. Add to that, I just want my girl to be healthy. She deserves to be healthy. I don’t like the pressure of making these health decisions, what if I make the wrong choice. Obviously this won’t be my last post on this topic. I’ll let you know how it goes when it comes time to get her blood taken again.

Back to Obedience

I almost forget to write about our second trip to obedience class. The first one went well but I had a lot of stress in my life so I lacked focus and it really came across in our performance. Chili knew I wasn’t myself, and took advantage whenever she could. Not this time, this time, I was ready. My head was on straight and I was ready to have fun. That’s right, have fun. Obedience doesn’t have to be about ‘showing the dog whose boss’ or ‘taking control’. Once your head goes in that direction, I think you’re starting in the negative. Start from fun, and go from there. You’ll both get more out of it.

We had a lot going for us in this class. We were focused; it stayed light out till late so we could work outside; Connective Training is located by a school where there are obstacles, things to jump on, and a field; and best of all, we had a great trainer and a great group of people and dogs. The trainers’ style is key to a great class. Michele has a calm way of dealing with incidents and challenges immediately, without any negativity. She makes every experience a learning experience for everyone. She also realizes that we’re all different so she doesn’t try to apply the same set of rules to everyone.

Chili loves to perform. She realized ‘it was on’ and she gave it her all. I forget sometimes just how trained she is overall. I find when I’m working so closely with her, I don’t see her focus and sharpness anymore. I think she’s being good but I’m missing just how good she is. One of the evenings Michele used her as a demo dog to demonstrate what she was about to teach us. I was in awe watching them. I didn’t want the demo to stop. You could see how much fun Chili was having. She was tuned into everything Michele did and everything she asked. The sharpness of her body movements was beautiful. I was so proud of her.

On another night, we switched dogs. I took a moment to watch the other owner working with Chili. At first the owner was a little tentative. Having 80lbs of Boxweiler enthusiasm running towards you can be intimidating. However, once she saw that it was all positive, again, it was great to watch them. I really do love working with Chili and I really do love watching other people working with her. You get to see things from a whole other perspective and it’s so rewarding. I think it’s great that she can happily work with other people and not just me. She should be comfortable with others.

I hope I don’t ever forget the value of working with my dog. Life and routines sometimes get in the way and somehow there doesn’t seem to be time for anything else. Although going to training, any kind of training, is great, even 5 or 10 minutes just working on obedience in the driveway will do. One thing I can count on is Chili. She’ll always remind me that we’re not working together enough and pull out The Bratty Dog when life starts to distract me.

Barking & Barfing

Barking. Sometimes I think Chili loves the sound of her own voice. Bark, bark, bark, bark. What was that? Should I bark? I should bark. What do you mean no? I’m pretty sure I should bark. That’s it, I’m barking. Bark, bark, bark, bark. Then she looks back at you all proud of herself.

Luckily she doesn’t bark at everything and it’s more or less confined to inside the house. She doesn’t bark at the doorbell or someone knocking. She just barks at imaginary sounds and things outside. OK, she probably does hear something that we can’t, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying. She has a very big bark for a little girl, an 80lb little girl. She’ll go for a while where she just ignores everything, then it starts up again. She’ll casually walk over to the French doors and stare out the window. It’s quite amusing, especially since we now know her body language. She looks back and forth, searching for whatever. We know when she’s ready to start because her head starts to jerk, her body stiffens and leans forward. She does look quite remarkable. I really have to get a picture of her in her intense stance.

It’s one thing to be barking in the middle of the day. It’s another when it starts in the middle of the night. That really sucks. Imagine yourself, dead asleep, then being woken up as if you were just shocked. Sometimes being kicked in the head as she jumps up to defend against .... whatever. Not a pretty picture. What could make it even better? Add some barfing.
Yes, barfing. It’s been a tough month for the Chill. We noticed that she had a crack in one of her canines. Now, I like to be proactive about these things so we had to get it dealt with right away. Anyway, a few days before she was supposed to go in to have her tooth fixed, she stopped eating, got diarrhea, and started barfing. Now, instead of waking up in the middle of the night to bark, she was waking up to barf. Poor girly.

Somehow we’ve been able to train her to do her best to go outside if she has to barf. She really does try. Sometimes she doesn’t make it all the way, but at least she makes it to the tile. Once she get sick I don’t really sleep, I just go to bed and stay in this half sleep, half awake state. I know the signs. She starts to pant, and lick her lips, then smack her lips. When she’s ready, she jumps up and off she goes. I want to be there for her when she has to go. I think she likes the moral support. She relies on me. She just has to move the right way and I’m half way down the stairs before I’m completely awake. Right by her side.

She did manage to get better before she was put under anaesthesia, only to be sick again from the anaesthesia. Another couple of nights go by where we’re running outside in the middle of the night. Finally she started to feel better. I was looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep. I did, for a day or two. Then she got sick again. I don’t even know why I bothered going to bed. Again, poor girly.

After a tough month, she’s almost back to normal. Almost. We did find out that she has mild pancreatitis which might explain the occasional barfing. As a result, we’ve switched her food and stopped sharing. The last one has been tough on her and us. We’re all used to the sharing ritual but when it comes to her health, we can be strong. It’s not over, but at least she seems to be feeling better.

I’ll take the barking any day or night, it that means she’s well.

Christmas Presents for the Dog?!

It's the time of year when people talk about the ‘commercialization of Christmas’ that it’s a ‘racket for the retailers to make more money’, or they're just plain old ‘bah humbug’. What’s with the anti-Christmas attitude? Christmas is sparkly, bright, shiny.... an excuse for people to smile more and say ‘Merry Christmas’. The first time you say it sheepishly, almost a little embarrassingly, then as you see the light in the other persons eyes, you do it with a bit more passion, and suddenly people in your path are left smiling and feeling merry. What’s bad about that?

If you’re lucky enough to have a crazy dog in your life at Christmas, then you really have no excuse to feel like the Grinch. By the way, did you ever notice that no matter how Grinchy the Grinch was, his dog was always happy? I think he knew the Grinch had more in him and was just waiting for that moment when it all burst out.

I buy Christmas presents for my dog. There I said it. It’s the only time of year she gets new toys. I even buy her the toys that she really, really loves, stuffed animals; even though I know most of them won’t last the day. She has a stocking hanging above the fireplace too with her name on it in red glitter. You can’t have Christmas without stockings. Brad thinks I’m a little nuts and laughs at me but that’s OK. That’s the point, the laughter and fun that surrounds it.

There is nothing ladylike, refined, or demure about Chili. She’s all wild, free and crazy. If there’s an opportunity for fun, she jumps right in. When it comes to loving life, we could all learn from her. Christmas morning with Chili is great. It doesn’t take her long to get into the present opening mode. It’s funny watching her rip the paper off, then there’s that moment where out of nowhere, she realizes there’s a toy inside. This happens with every gift. When she sees the toy, it’s like she’s a super wound spring ready to let go. She takes her newfound treasure, flings it into the air, and springs after it. Then grabs it in her mouth and gives it a good shake. We have to duck for cover to avoid a black eye from flying stuffed animal limbs. She looks like she’s drunk as she stumbles around shaking her stuffed animal, with limbs everywhere.

As for Brad and I, we’re rolling around laughing and laughing at her. We all take turns opening our presents but we have the most fun when it’s Chili’s turn. Well, actually, we do have fun laughing when one of us gets a bad present. You know those presents that you get but you really don’t get. You have to laugh when you open them because really, what else can you do.

In the end, Chili leaves a path of torn paper, chewed limbs, and slobber. She doesn’t just slobber on her own gifts either. She has to personally inspect each one of ours and since we aren’t completely capable of opening them on our own, she has to help. Yes, it’s not easy sitting in front of the tree trying to open a present with an 80lb dog hovering over you and shoving her head right in your way. It’s not easy, but it’s fun. So much fun that I wish there were more presents for us to open just so we can laugh at Chili.

So in the end, that’s the real gift. Chili. The best gift we could ever have.

Collection... Yeah, You Get It

As dog owners, we have to do some rather unpleasant tasks from time to time. I mean really, walking around with rolls of shit bags in our pockets waiting for the moment. The moment we get to pick up that big hand warmer and carry it around for a while. I guess it’s not so bad if you own a little dog, but a big dog, that’s quite the load. You just have to hope the wind is blowing in the right direction so you don’t pass out. At least most of the bags do what they’re supposed to do and you get through the task without actually having any of the load touch you.

Recently I had to get a pee sample from Chili. It’s not like this was the first time I’ve ever done this but for some reason the ridiculousness of the whole thing hit me. Is this some kind of joke? This is exactly what I was thinking as they handed me this little cup with an opening that was 2” wide. What the hell was I supposed to do with this? Talk about setting me up for failure. Do they all go into the back and laugh after you’re given the cup? There should be a prize for getting through this task successfully. It’s like one of those puzzles where you have to put everything in its exact place before the buzzer goes off. As the vet was telling me that I had to collect Chili’s morning pee I just kept looking from the cup, to her, back to the cup, then to her. I didn’t say anything; I just kept staring and then walked to my truck looking at this little cup.

I was not looking forward to this, so when it was time, I had to will myself to get out of bed. I’m half asleep, but I’m ready for it. Before we go outside I make sure I’m geared up. I tie my hair back, I don’t need anything impairing my vision, I’ve already got enough things working against me. I wear a close fitting jacket so the sleeves won’t get in the way, and no gloves. Now we’re ready and out we go into the yard. Oh hell, that’s right, Chili had diarrhea for a couple of days and I haven’t cleaned it up yet. So now I also have to walk through a maze too. This could be a wii game (get it?).

I’m at the ready, watching her every move and waiting for the moment that she squats. She’s looking at me suspiciously because I’m acting weird. “Come on Chili, just pee”. She stops to sniff and I get ready to go in. I already know this won’t go well. She’s a girl and she squats. How the hell am I going to get this little cup in the right spot when she’s squatted so low to the ground? How do people with teeny little dogs do this? The cup is taller than the dog’s squat clearance.

OK, here she goes. I dive in and shove the cup under her, moving it around. I can’t see unless I kneel or lay on the ground and there’s no way I’m doing that it’s still a little dark. I’m blind holding a cup under my peeing dog. I really hope she doesn’t pee on me. Figures, I just get the cup under her and she shuts off the tap, gives me a dirty look, and walks away. All I got was about a raindrops worth. But hey, at least I didn’t get peed on. I kept following her around, telling her to pee, but she was done. I can only imagine what she was thinking. Psycho Mom.

I know what you’re thinking, “You idiot, why didn’t you just use something bigger and then transfer it into the cup?” Well, I actually did think about it but then I started to overthink it and you know the story from there.

The things we do for our dogs.

So Many Reasons

There seems to be a theme lately with people having problems with their dogs. They’re just bad in general, or going to the bathroom in the house, cranky with other dogs, in-house destruction, etc. Sometimes I’m even hearing the words ‘if it doesn’t stop we’re getting rid of him/her’ or ‘some days the dog’s just not worth it’. Guess what, dogs don’t come with owners manuals. You shouldn’t get to return them for a better model when you think they are defective. Have we forgotten that they think and feel? I don’t care what anyone says, you cannot ever 100% control something that thinks. They are also not human so our rules don’t always apply. When you make the decision to adopt, you make a commitment to a life, and a life should never be taken lightly.

Before Chili was even 3 she already gave me many reasons to doubt our decision:

• The times she walked around the house chewing on everything with a crazy look on her face.
• The times that I sat and cried because I just didn’t know what to do with her anymore.
• The time we thought she was finally house trained and she pooped on our bed.
• The time she chewed a chunk out of the new baseboard.
• The time she dragged me off my feet and through the mud.
• The other time we thought she was house trained and she peed 5 times in a row on the new carpet.
• The time she chewed a hold in the love seat.
• The times she ran through the garden and wrecked a bunch of new plants.
• The time she jumped on the table and spilled coffee on the computer.
• The time she ate the roast off the counter.
• The time she ate a hole in the other love seat.
• The other time she dragged me off my feet onto the sidewalk and I ended up with ripped jeans and bleeding knuckles.
• The time she broke one of the new blinds.
• The time she went right through the screen to get to a squirrel.
• The time she was tied to the truck and knocked her daddy to the ground when she saw another dog.
• The time she ate the stuffing out of her bed.
• The time she ate a hole in her other bed.
• The time she dragged me across a field trying to get a chicken.
• All the times she’s lunged at another dog and caused an altercation between me and the other owner.
• All the times she stomps on me before work.
• And, I could go on, but I’ll stop

Even though the list is long and incomplete, I never once considered getting rid of her. I looked at myself and thought about the things I needed to change. It was work, but it was worth it. Chili is the absolute greatest thing that ever happened to me. She made me change and she made me be stronger and challenge myself. Just because you don’t have an easy dog, doesn’t mean you need to take the ‘poor me’ road. Yes, I’ve felt like that but I’ve always come around. I had no choice. I made the decision to adopt Chili and it’s my responsibility to find the solutions to these problems. Chili, well, she’s just doing what she does. She’s a dog.

So, embrace it. Easier said than done? Yes, in the beginning. But you will learn soooo much about yourself and you will be soooo proud of what you’ve accomplished. The connection that you’ve made with your dog will be kind of surreal. It still makes me say 'wow'. It’s a feeling of accomplishment that you will love. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone, find a good trainer, or connect with someone else who has a challenging dog. It does help to talk to someone who understands.

Most importanly, enjoy it, and have fun!