The Sign Monster

Recently we have been going on regular walks and since they widened the highway in front of our neighborhood, they put in a nice wide sidewalk along each side.  On one side of the road, there is a large sign for the Visitors Center, that is a sort of lighthouse with a lighted banner across the upper middle of it.  It sort of looks like a giant with his arms out to his side, resting his hands on his hips.

Well, we have been walking past that sign on the opposite side of the road for weeks, but one day all the sudden, Rowdy stops and started barking at it.  It must have scared him because he barked and peed on the side walk.  For several days he shied away from it when we went past.  He would try to position himself behind me as we past it, putting me between him and it.  I finally took him across the highway several times and drug him up to it, till he finally got desensitized to it and it no longer bothers him.  Silly dog!

Pushing For Attention

Just in the last few weeks and when he is with me when I'm driving somewhere, when I start petting him and then stop to put my hand back on the steering wheel, Rowdy noses under my hand for me to keep petting him.  I can pet him several times and stop.  Then he will nose under and push against my hand to do it again.  This process will repeat over and over again, till he gets tired of it.  I have to be careful and hold on tight to the wheel with my other hand, because he has made me weave on the road a few times.

He has never done that before and doesn't do it any other time, just when we are driving!

Nightmares and Smoke Detectors

This particular evening, Rowdy was having nightmares while he was asleep on his pillow-bed down in the den.  He was really twitching, growling and what I consider to be bark-yipping in his sleep.  He was doing this more than usual, so I woke him up out of it.

He sleeps in a dog carrier for his bed and later, after we went to bed, it was about 2AM and I felt something move on my bed.  I woke up and found him lying on my bed, right up by my face, licking his chops.  I wondered why he was on the bed, because I rarely allow him up there and only tolerate him just putting his paws up on the edge and greeting me sometimes.  But here he was, not only laying on the bed, but right up in my face and then I heard it, the smoke detector low battery chirp.

We both got up and he didn't want to go back into his bed and I also thought that when he excessively licks his chops, he is close to throwing up, so I let him outside for a minute or two.  During that time the alarm quit chirping, so after I let him back in, we went back to our respective beds and went back to sleep.  Not too long after that, Rowdy was back up on my bed, this time lying beside me.  I heard the chirping of the smoke detector again and every time it chirped, Rowdy would jump, tremble and lick his chops.  I didn't help things much by teasing him, grabbing him and telling him, "It's gonna get you!"  Of course I got tickled at the whole episode and laughed at him for being such a cute little chicken dog.  I don't know why the occasional chirping scared him, but the alarm was in the hallway right above where his bed is.

Anyway, I got up, changed the battery and we both went back to bed without further incident.   

Waiving His Flag

After the neighbors dog had her puppies and after they got old enough, they would run around the yard and occasionally come up to my fence for attention.  Rowdy is always interested in the puppies and would like to play, but can't because of the fence.  However, he does raise his tail up high in a slight curl and the longer hair sticks out away from the tail, like he is waving his flag as he is running along the fence and saying 'notice me!'

Watch Where You're Going!

Since I have recently been doing a lot of work in the back yard, Rowdy has been following me in and out of the house, usually darting past me when I go through the door.  This time when I opened the storm door, the main door was shut, but Rowdy tried to run past me anyway and ran nose first into the door.  I didn't hurt him any and it sure stopped him in his tracks, but I did get a little snicker out of it.  Some animals are just funny being themselves!

Tragedy Averted

Rowdy almost lost one of his buddies last week.  His friend Niely had gone out into the yard to retrieve a steak bone and came inside and jumped up on the bed.  Either when jumping up or while chewing on it, he got it lodged in his throat.  His momma Katrina was busy in the kitchen and his daddy Chris was out mowing the lawn.  When Chris came in, he found Niely sprawled out on the bed with the life drifting out of his eyes.  He managed to get the bone out and after some chest compressions, Niely came back to life.  Niely was badly traumatized by the ordeal and has not slept well for a week, but is now starting to calm back down a bit.  WHEW!  Tragedy averted!

When Katrina and Chris found Niely, he was a tiny puppy that had nearly starved to death.  They managed to bring him back to health, but I think the abandonment from a previous owner and starvation had a profound effect on him and this episode may have mentally brought him back to those feelings.

4th Times A Charm

My schedule hasn't allowed me to make an appointment for Rowdy to get his rabies vaccination.  His year was up back in January, but I haven't tried to get him to the vet until now.  It took four times of stopping by when I had him in the car and a vet was available to give him the shot, but finally got him in.  This time I got the three year shot, so I won't have to take him back yearly.  The single three year shot was cheaper than three one year shots and it will save the gas and time taking him back two more times!