Get That Cat!....... Or Maybe Not!

If you holler 'Cat' or 'Squirrel,' Rowdy is up for the chase.  I believe 'chase' is all he does, because when he catches up to it, it becomes a standoff, or it is up a tree and he can no longer reach it.

So the other day, there was a cat roaming around in the street in front of my house.  So I got Rowdy's attention by hollering 'Cat' and he came running up to the door.  Then I said, "Get the cat, get the cat!" and he tore off after it at full speed.  The cat ran away for a short distance and then turned, arched it's back and stood it's ground.  Rowdy stopped within 3 feet of it, stood there for a few seconds sizing up the situation and then backed away.  I laughed and called him a chicken dog and called him back to the house.  The little chicken dog came running back to the house all proud and happy from his chase.

A More Human Trait

Even though Rowdy does all the things dogs normally do to show affection, like jump up, wag his tail, rub up against you, roll over on his back, lick you and loves to be petted, he does something else a bit unusual.  He does what I would call 'hugs you!' 

Now I don't mean this in the sense of reaching up with his paws and trying to wrap them around me with an embrace, but instead, he will lean his head sideways against me with some force and hold it there while still taking in the affection I am giving him.  Usually he will do this when I am sitting on the couch and he comes up between my legs for attention and will press his head up against one of my legs, with what I would call an affectionate embrace.  That's why I call it a hug!

Another thing is what he does is with his paws.  Though he will do it occasionally at other times, he usually does this when he sits up on his haunches or two legs for me to rub his chest.  While I am doing this, he will place his paws on my hand and then pick them up and touch my hand over and over again, in a movement that resembles someone reaching out to take or hold your hand.  This movement is different that when he shakes hands or 'gives me five!'

Though I have been around many other dogs in my life, I have never encountered this type of affection from a dog.  The closest thing was one Sheppard cross that would push up against me to be petted, but that was pushing it's whole body and not just a part of it, as with Rowdy.

Another Christmas Treat

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and Rowdy got a stocking full of treats.  He had fun playing with his buddy Wrigley on Christmas day, but the two dogs kind of got inconspicuous, when the paper wrapping started flying an piling up all over the floor.  They tried to stay out of the way by lying on a couch or beside it and were inactive until things (un) wrapped up and got cleaned up.  Rowdy sure is enjoying his treats though!

He Brought Me The Ball

I thought this was so cute;

I started playing ball with Rowdy, which entails me throwing a tennis ball down the hallway and he retrieves it, brings it back to me and sets it down by my feet to throw again.  Well today, when I started to play with him, after a couple of throws the phone rang and I had to take the call.  I walked outside to my shop to discuss the situation with the caller and when I hung up and started to go back into the house, there was the ball on the floor by the back door.  I got a little chuckle and thought it was so cute that he left the ball at the door like he was saying, 'When you are through, come play with me again.'

Well, when I got back inside, he got a good dose of fetching the ball and I even threw in a little tug of war with his rope toy, for which both are always followed by a nice treat!

Another Trip To The Vet

Last time I took rowdy to the vet, he was having some problems and not feeling well.  So more recently, I have been more in tuned with the way he has been acting or behaving.  He had been showing some signs of a possible problem that I thought might been linked to heartworms. 

Since his last vet visit, he mostly regained his ornery self and was back to the playful dog he was before he got sick, but a couple of times he had got worn out too soon after just a little exercise, by either lying down frequently or excessive panting.  Also he had a skin rash that looked like it could have been mange or ringworm and I wanted to get it checked out.

So, I took him to the vet yesterday and got him checked out.  The vet thought the rash was probably fleas and that he gnawed the spots raw.  I had been treating him for fleas and would check him for them every time I caught him gnawing on himself, but never spotted a flea till the other day.  While he was on my lap and on his back getting a tummy rub, I spotted one flea which quickly disappeared into his fur before I could get it.  It was almost time for his monthly treatment, so I gave it to him the next day.  By the time I got him to the vet, some hair had already started growing back in the spots and it looked like they were healing up.

As for the heartworms, he tested negative, which was a relief.  The vet thought his problems was from a lack of exercise, as I have not been able to take him out for walks very much recently.  He has also gained a few pounds, even though his appetite has decreased some.  Now that I know his heart is okay and strong, I will try to take him for more walks, weather permitting! 

The Perfect Dog!

I can't believe I started this post in February of 2012 and never finished it.  I have had to deal with a lot of turmoil in my life the last three years, so my postings have been haphazard at best.  It's now November of 2014 and I guess I will complete it.

I have considered Rowdy to be the perfect dog for me.  He has required very little training and is easy to train.  He must have been previously house broken, so I didn't need to train for that.  He doesn't excessively bark at things or people.  He's not aggressive in a mean way, but he is standoffish to strangers if I am not around.  If I leave the gate open, he doesn't run off and usually won't leave the backyard unless I okay it, but excitement, when I am gone and return home, sometimes overrides his judgement and he will shoot out to greet me.  For the most part he is not a problem dog and I seldom have to get on to him for any reason.  He's always eager to go for a walk or ride in the car and he makes a great companion.  He is a very sweet and loving dog and usually likes everybody.  This is why I think he is the perfect dog!

I Missed My Doggie!

In the middle of October, we took a trip that lasted 13 days.  We had to leave our dogs behind and Sarah's daughter and son-in-law took care of them, while we were gone.

This was the first time Rowdy got to see his pal Niely in over a year or so.  They had bought a new house a couple of years ago and when they moved out of Sarah's home, Niely went with them.  I  had only taken Rowdy over there a couple of times, just after they bought it and not again since.

Now for the time we were gone, Rowdy, Wrigley and Niely got to play together.  Unfortunately, I wasn't around to see the reunion of the dogs, but I heard that all went well.  Rowdy seemed to like Sarah's new grand-baby and I was surprised to hear that they got along well.  I wasn't sure how Niely would react to Rowdy being around the baby either, because he is very protective of him, but that turned out alright too.

Though we had a great time on out trip, I sure missed my doggie while we were gone.  The day we were returning, the kids dropped Rowdy and Wrigley off at Sarah's house and they were waiting for us when we got back.  Rowdy was so overexcited to see me, that he whined while jumping up on me and ran around the room with excitement.  I was just as happy to see him too!