Visiting His Buddy

Rowdy got to see and play with his buddy Niely again this weekend.  After taking care of their sniff butt greetings, they got right into their play time.  Though they have lots of room to play outside, they play indoors too.  It was so funny to watch when we were laying on the bed, we couldn't see the dogs on the floor, but Rowdy's head would pop up and down as he was jumping up at Niely at the foot of the bed.

Below are the killer attack dogs!

When Rowdy jumps up, it looks like he's boxing an opponent!

Niely's getting worn out, but Rowdy still want's to play!

Tail Chaser

Over the last couple of weeks, every once and a while Rowdy will all of the sudden jump up and chase his tail.  It's sort of like a flea has sunk his teeth into it, stinging him into action.  Usually, he will make four or five rounds before he stops or catches his tail.  I have counted up to 20 revolutions of him spinning around and it surprises me that he isn't dizzy when he stops.   Sometimes I think the dog is nuts!   

Trouble!

Well the little butt has been getting himself in trouble the last couple of days.  First he pulled one of his bedding towels out of his cage and started chewing a big hole in the middle of it.  He did that twice!  Next I caught him with a Combat roach trap chewing on it.  At least I caught that before he got to the poison and threw it in the trash.  Then at the shop, when I was helping a customer, he snuck back to the back of the shop and got the mouse trap I had set back there.  He had tripped it, so I don't know if it bit him or not, but he had brought it back up to the front where his carpet pad is.  I reset it, put it back where it was and covered it with a snow shovel, so maybe he'll stay out of it.  He got yelled at each time, which made him run off to some corner and hang his little head down with a little 'I didn't mean to do it' look on his face! 

The Little Puke

Saturday I had to take an hour trip away from home and took Rowdy with me.  He's been ok riding in the car most of the time, but today after about 30 minutes down the road, he stood up in the seat, started heaving and puked in the seat again.  Luckily I've been keeping a towel on the seat where he rides, so he just puked on the towel.  I stopped the car and changed the towel out and then proceeded with our trip (I carry extras!)  I'm not sure why he does this occasionally, but the only common denominator seems to be that he's chewed and swallowed some of his rawhide bone, as chunks of this bone are in the puke.  Maybe it irritates his stomach and the car ride stirs things up.  Next time I'm taking him on a long ride I'll see if I can keep him from chewing on the rawhide before we go.

Most of the time while riding in the car, he likes to doze off in the seat!  I shot this pic while we were traveling down the highway!

Snow Day

We got about three inches of snow last night, so Rowdy was faced with a different kind of ground to do his business on. He was a little reluctant to go out this morning but went anyway. After about 15 minutes I looked out and he was darting across the yard in the snow acting like he was chasing something and having fun. I took these pictures of him this afternoon when I let him out again. He was again acting like he did this morning and acting like his nutty self!.

Hanging By A Thread

Or I should say, hanging by a rope. When I was playing with Rowdy tonight, I was throwing his rope toy down the hall and he would chase it and bring it back. Then I would grab it as he tried to run by me and he would pull tug and growl, while I pulled tugged and growled back.

I had a hard time getting him to turn loose of the rope toy, to throw it back down the hall, so I pulled up on the rope thinking he would let go when he was being lifted off the floor. To my surprise, he just hung on and I lifted him off the floor. I did that several times when I knew he had a good bite on it, but I got to laughing so hard at him that I couldn't keep him hanging!

I'll have to figure out how to take some pictures of this and post them!

Left In The Rain

I had to leave town for several hours, so I left Rowdy outside in the yard with hid food, water and cage (pet carrier) for him to lay down in while I was gone. I had no idea it was supposed to rain until much later, but I was wrong. It didn't rain much but poor Rowdy was a little wet when I got home. To make matters worse, the little butt pulled the towels (used as his bedding) out of his cage and strung them out in the yard to get them dirty and wet, so I had a bit of a mess to clean up and a load of towels to wash when I got home.

When I let Rowdy in and was toweling him off I said in my best Pat Morita oriental accent, "Ah, Dog-ule-son, You all wet-a-behind ear"! He was certainly happy to see me and get back in the house!

Road Trip

This weekend I took Rowdy with me to Sarah's house. She lives about an hour away and he rode just fine all the way down and back. He snoozed most of the time in the car seat, only occasionally waking up during sharp turns or stops.

It was going to be interesting introducing him to their dog Niely. I knew Rowdy wouldn't be a problem, as he's friendly to everyone and everything, but I thought Niely might be territorial and want to attack him to protect his home. Even if he did attack, Rowdy would just cower down on his back and assume the submissive position which usually stops an attack.

When we introduced them, Niely lunged and growled at him to which he ran and cowered down. Niely too is afraid of other dogs and kept his distance for a while, besides, Niely thinks he's a people and dogs are strange to him. He finally sneaked up on Rowdy doing the sniff test several times, but it took a while for them to start interacting. They finally started sniffing and jumping at one another beginning to play a little. They were still a little stand-offish for the rest of the evening only playing a little bit.

Saturday was nice outside so they spent quite a bit of time outside and got to playing a lot more. Niely has been spending too much time in the house and not getting enough exercise, so Rowdy wore him out before half the day was over. Later in the afternoon I took them outside and Niely would only run a few steps while Rowdy would come up to his face and rare up with his paws then leap up and down, trying to get him to play more, but he was too pooped. Rowdy is so funny to watch when he plays or runs around chasing things!

Niely, to me, never looked to be as big a dog as he really is, until seeing Rowdy up next to him. Niely is over 90lbs while Rowdy is only 26lbs. Quite a difference in size! I would have posted some pictures of them together but I forgot to bring my camera. I'll be taking him back down in two weeks, so maybe I will have some pics of them playing then!

For the most part, the got along pretty well and when we were gone to eat dinner, they spent a lot of time in Katrina (Sarah's daughter) and Chris's room lounging around or chewing on bones or toys. Also when I was gone during the day they spent time in the yard. When Niely get's used to him, I believe the will get along well in the future and become play buddies!

Day Thirteen

Went to pick up Rowdy today at about 2PM. He was taking a nap when I arrived and he was happy to see me when I got there. They had him in a pet carrier just like the one he likes to sleep in, so I believe he felt right at home. I was sure relieved to see that he was alright. He, of course, didn't have much zippidy in his doo-da, thus he wasn't feeling too rowdy today. He played a little when we got home but tired easily. I'm glad he's home and I believe he's happy to be home too!

I found out that he is not to get the stitched area wet for 10 days, so no baths until then. I might be calling him stinky! One thing I was surprised to find out was that he will need rabies boosters once a year. Seems like years ago we would get rabies shots for the farm dogs every five years. They told me there was a three year shot but not a five.

When they gave him his distemper a week ago, they gave him a pill that will kill all the live fleas on him within a couple of hours. That pill was called Capstar. There is also another pill that will kill for 30 days called Comfortis. This one works just like and in place of Frontline!

Day Twelve

There is no clatter of little paws on the floor, no squeaky toy noise, no crunching of rawhide bones. Rowdy is not with me tonight!

I was supposed to run him by the humane society today, for them to run him to the vet for his rabies shot and deworming. I had forgot and they called me wondering where he was, so I had to run him directly to the vet instead. While I was there they talked me into getting him neutered.

I wasn't going to neuter him at first, as he was not aggressive or a problem around other dogs, but the vet told me it is actually beneficial for his health to do the procedure. He told me that it helps to prevent him from getting a couple of types of cancer and when he gets older it will help prevent his prostate from enlarging, which would make it hard for him to poop!

I felt so bad about leaving him there and there was so many people in the office along with another dog, that he didn't even see me leave. He probably thought I deserted him. Makes me wonder if I made the right decision. I will pick him up at the humane society tomorrow afternoon and anticipate a lot of happy whining from him!

Day Eleven

It was too cold to take Rowdy for a walk today, so when the opportunity presented itself we played inside. He brought his rope toy, an eight inch piece of rope knotted at both ends, into the den and shook it fiercely. So I got it away from him and threw it down the hall. He took off after it and brought it back, where I would grab it as he tried to go by me and I would pull and shake it while making growling noises at him. He would pull and growl back until I got it away from him and threw it back down the hall and the whole thing would start over again. We did this for about a half an hour so I think he got his exercise!

We had two bouts for the evening and when we started the second time, he had another one of his chew toys in his mouth when he went after the rope. It was so funny as he tried to pick up the rope toy with the other toy in his mouth. He then brought the toy in his mouth to me, set it down and then ran back and got the rope toy!

Day Ten

Went to take Rowdy out for a walk today while it was snowing. He was excited like he usually is when I hooked on his leash and then opened the door. He started to shoot out the door till he saw the snow and put the brakes on. Then he was hesitant to go out but went anyway. He still didn't want to get out from under the eves of the house, so I had to tug on the leash to get him moving.

The snow was coming down pretty good, but there was less than an inch on the grass and the streets were relatively clear. Once we got going he took the lead and we went our usual route. He didn't stop near as much and like me, I think he wanted to get around and get back home and out of the snow.

Day Nine

Sarah gave Rowdy his bath today.  After his toweling off rub down, he shot back and forth the length of the house, running and bouncing, just going nuts.  Before his bath I took him for a quick walk.  We traveled the same distance we usually walk but it was so cold, in the lower thirties, that we jogged part of the way and my face was freezing by the time we got back to the house. 

It started snowing tonight, so he may not be getting any walks for a few days.  Without exercise, he gets a little rambunctious and like to get into things.

I got a plastic bulldog piggy bank that I got from my grandfather years ago, when he worked for Mack Trucks and had it setting on a shelf under a TV.  It's been in the same place all week and Rowdy just noticed it for the first time tonight.  I had to laugh at him as he carefully approached it, sniffing at it, then jumping back away from it as if it had moved. 

Day Eight

Nothing great happened today.  I fixed a spot in the fence where Rowdy might wiggle through so I wouldn't have to worry about him.  He spent a little more time outside today, as we went into town fro a while without him.  After we got back we took him for a walk.  Except for stopping for a sniff here ane there, he pulls you down the road!

He's so friendly, he'll try any way he can to inch his way up into your lap for a little attention!

Day Seven

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to spend with Rowdy today, as I had too much to get done for the day, so the day was pretty uneventful.  Sarah brought him a nice big beef bone and I thought he'd go crazy over it, but after sniffing it, he turned away from it.  We brought it to him several times he would either turn away or run away from it.  This dog needs a psychiatrist!  I don't know any dog that wouldn't go nuts over this bone.  I started calling it the Voodoo Bone!

When we sat on the couch to watch a movie, he would try to lovingly inch his way up into our laps for attention.  We petted him for a while and then had to force him to stay off.  He kept pushing his luck until I got the Voodoo Bone and then he stayed down and went into his cage.  I kept telling him if he wouldn't mind me, I'd get him with the Voodoo Bone!  I said I'd chase him around the house going "Boogity, boogity, boogity!"

Day Six

Today, the little 'butt' got on my nerves.  I had a lot to do today, so I could not give him as much attention as I have had the other days.  I had to go to Lowe's to get a couple of bags of concrete mix to make a ground latch for my double gate at the house, so the ignorant utility meter readers can get it latched right.  Every time they have been in the back yard they haven't latched it properly and it blows open.  I can't risk Rowdy getting out and running down to the highway which is only five houses away.  With a pipe hole cemented in the ground the latch will work easier and maybe they will get it latched properly.

Now back to the Mutt!  The first thing he did was barf up in the car while I was in Lowe's.  At least it was on the towel again, but since there was no vehicle motion, I don't understand why he threw up.  I thought he was getting used to riding in the car.  I've also left him alone at the shop before and alone in the car and he didn't puke then.  Also he didn't seem to be nervous and just laid in the seat while I was driving, so I wouldn't of thought he'd puke!  Next time, he's gonna get left in the shop until I get back! 

The next thing was that I wanted him to be outside while I worked on the cement job.  Because I had to have the gate open, I tied him with the leash to the deck, leaving about 10 feet of slack so he could move around.  Then I caught him chewing on the leash strap, so I told him 'no', took the leash away and got his rawhide chew stick to chew on instead.  He chewed on the stick for a little bit, but after I had worked some more, I noticed he was chewing on the leash again.  Told him 'no' again and pulled it away from him.  Went back to work and in a little while, I saw him chewing on it again!  So I decided to just shorten it all the way up and found that he had almost chewed the cord in two.  Now I'm pissed, because this is one of those fancy retractable ones that aren't cheap, so I popped him a good one and put him in an old garage building and left him in there until I was finished with the job.  After that I let him out and reassured him that he was still my pal.  After fixing the leash, I took him for a walk, which he enjoyed.

Day Five

Up until today, Rowdy ignored the toys Sarah bought him.  When I put him in the back yard this afternoon, he was jumping up and down like he wanted to play so I got a ball and pitched it across the back yard and he took off after it.  He brought it back almost to me but not all the way.  All further pitches were only returned to about 10 to 15 feet away and he would lay down and chew on the ball.

I tried to get him to bring it to me but he just laid there.  I would go to get it and he either got up and run away with it or not let it go for a few seconds.  I would bring it back to home base and he would follow and sometimes jump at it until I threw it again.  The last time I went to get it, he wouldn't let it go.  His teeth had punctured it and he was hanging on for dear life, as I shook it in his mouth.  As I pulled and shook it, I would growl at him and he started returning the growl back.  It took a while to pry it from his mouth!

He looked so funny when he would chase the ball, then get the ball and take off running, dropping the ball and chasing after it again, circling it until he got a hold of it again.  I laughed at him several times watching him chase it with his little body bouncing up and down and his ears flopping.

Day Four

This morning Rowdy didn't want to come out of his cage.  Usually he steps right out to greet me when I open the door, but I had to motivate him to get him out of there.  I thing he's starting to enjoy his lazy in-activities in his new home.  Silly dog!

Left Rowdy in the shop for an hour and a half, while a friend and I went to lunch and to the hardware store.  He seemed to do just fine though I know he had to be whining a little while I was gone.  When I got back I took him for a walk in the park and I could tell he was having a blast taking in and the new sights and sounds.

I then took him to the humane society to see about getting his shots.  The ladies there just loved him and thought he was so cute.  He got his distemper booster and scheduled his rabies shot and deworming for Wednesday of next week.

Several people today remarked that they think he is part Basset Hound.  That does fit his body type and especially his front legs which are turned in at the knees.

Day Three

Took him to work for the first time today.  He enjoyed greeting customers that came in the shop.  Dad came by for a couple of minutes and after giving him some attention, he left and Rowdy whined for him for a little while.  He had been Rowdy's master for the last several months and Rowdy was missing him. 

He spent most of the time on the little carpet pad I provided for him, chewing on his rawhide stick or napping.  By the end of the day he just napped and ignored the last several customers that came in.

While driving in the car around town, he puked on the seat unexpectedly.  Good thing I had him on a towel, so it didn't get on the seat.  I was taking him to see about getting his shots but the place was closed.  I'll take him tomorrow.

Day Two

Today was relatively uneventful.  Last night Rowdy slept in the carrier without incident.  I believe he likes it in there, as he would return when he wanted to nap today.  I still noticed some fleas on him so I had him ride along to the store to get some of that once a month flea and tick killer.  Other than wanting to stand on my lap while I was driving, he rode well in the car.  I had to scoot him over to the passenger seat several times and when we went through the drive-thru at Braum's, he wanted to greet the attendant too.

I took him for his first walk on a leash and he did pretty well.  He did try to stop and smell the roses frequently though.  There was one area that there was a couple of big dogs in the yard barking at him and he didn't want to pass by so we took a longer way around them.  I would have drug him past them, but I wanted to get him used to and enjoy the walks before I have to force him to go past these obstacles.

I put him in the back yard for a little while and set his food and water out there with him and he finally ate, so that was a relief.  Tomorrow he goes to work with me, so I'll see how he does at the shop.  I've also got to make arrangements for his shots and other stuff.  I noticed more fleas so I'm going to see if I can get him dipped also!

When he was at the farm, he loved to chew on sticks so I got him a rawhide stick and he went to town on it.  Notice he likes to lay with his hind legs out behind him, funny dog!

Our First Evening Together

January 1st. 2011, New Years Day, I picked up Rowdy from my folks this afternoon.  It's the first time I've owned a dog since I was a kid.  I've always lived in apartments or homes without a fenced yard or had been going somewhere all the time, so I never really could take on the responsibility of a dog, though I've longed to have one.  I've usually enjoyed other peoples dogs or my folk's dogs on the farm and had let that fill my dog needs.

Now I've got a new companion!  He's kind of an ugly mutt, a stray that showed up at the farm, but he's got a personality that endures everyone to him, including me.  We think he's close to a year old, but still has a lot of puppy in him.  I had been considering taking him for a couple of months and now since I've had this home with a fenced yard in town the last three years, I could take on a dog, so today I did.  I got a feeling that I will have some interesting and funny stories about him in the coming months, especially with his personality.  I had suggested they name him Rowdy, but they had named him Short-stop instead, because of his short legs and long body and I think he's part Dachshund.  He might possibly be part Pointer as I've seen him take set with his paw raised and his tail straight behind him, but he's definitely all mutt.  I've renamed him Rowdy though, as I believe that fits his personality much better!

So tonight we spent our first afternoon and evening together.  It started with locking him in the back yard while Sarah (my girlfriend) and I went to the store to get some basic supplies; dog food, flea and tick dog shampoo, a leash, some chew toys and some rawhide bones and snacks.  I had a collar and went to my shop and fashioned a dog tag with his name and my phone number on it, in case he gets away or lost.

Soon as we got back, we brought him in the house for a while.  We followed him around and watched him investigate his new surroundings and of course in the bedroom he thought he should mark his territory.  He lifted his leg by the doorway and I hollered "NO!"  He immediately cowed down and did not pee either, whew, disaster avoided this time!  My mother had trained him to respond to the 'no' command and he obeyed, so we rushed him back outside and let him go out there a couple of times before bringing him back in.

Then Sarah gave him his first bath and I expected him to go ape, but he took it quite well.  From running around on the farm, he was quite dirty and turned the water in the tub brown.  He enjoyed the rubdown while drying him off and he was his happy-go-lucky self again!  As we interacted with him for the next hour, we noticed some more fleas on him.  We had also forgot to get some pee pads from the store, so while Sarah went back to the store to get them, I gave him another bath with the flea and tick shampoo.  Still noticed some fleas later, but I think we will get him something to kill them instead of another bath the next few days, which may also give the shampoo time to work a little more.

Sarah also bought me a pet carrier cage, so I can put him in over night and won't have to worry about him crapping and whizzing all over the house.  He had a snack bone and jerky treat, but turned his nose up at the dog food.  I hope he will eat tomorrow after he gets used to his new surroundings.  Sarah had to go home early because she had to work tomorrow, so Rowdy sacked out all evening while I watched TV and wrote this post.  He was plum tuckered out over the fear and excitement of a new place!