My Awesome Dog

Wash n' Dry

2009-05-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Sid needs a bath. They say german shepherds don't need to be washed often but they need to be brushed frequently. The problem with giving him a bath is that our tub is out of commission and he doesn't fit in the shower stall. It's little, I feel like I barely fit in there. But Sid's stinky like any dog is, but his odor isn't overwhelming. I remember when Sid was a little thing. He had belly problems and messed up his crate twice in one night. That meant cleaning twice, hosing off the tray he sits on twice and giving him a bath twice. The second time it happened, he just knew and went directly into the bath tub when we opened the crate. So Sid's not a stranger to bath time, but I know I feel like I should do it more often, if ever, even though the vets say it's not necessary. The thing is, how the heck do dogs stay clean at all? They do disgusting things and walk on bare paws.

Here's something that Sid could use. I really wonder if it'll take off. After I witness another dog going through it, I may be inclined to do it to Sid. He likes water so I'm hoping he'd like it.

http://www.supercoolpets.com/archives/2009/05/dogomaticautomatic_dogwashing.php

Voice of Sid: I haven't been feeling well lately but yesterday I started to feel better. My belly hurt a lot and I made messies everywhere even in the kitchen. I tried to get their attention the night it happened. I ran upstairs and sat outside their door. I didn't bark. I don't know why. I needed to go out badly. They didn't get mad at me because they know I didn't mean it. Today, I felt so much better that I played the bubbles game with the girl. She blows bubbles and I jump around like a maniac trying to eat them. It's one of my favorite games. I hope I start getting human food treats soon. I'm ready to gobble up the world.

*Please do not read further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Oh my god! Sid's bowels have been completely out of control lately. I thought canned vegetables were the culprit but later Steve thought that he'd eaten a paper towel that had dirt and yuckies on it. So, the first day. He had a good one and all was usual. Then he wanted to go out again and I thought it was just because Grey cat was outside. Nope, he went again and this time it was like pureed oatmeal without lumps. I say oatmeal because there was a mucus ee quality to it. Later on in the day, his ass must've been on fire. Poo flew out of his ass much like a firehose would spray water. It was followed up with snot-like material. He went several more times that day and it continued for a few days thereafter. He's all back to normal now. He produced one that anyone would be proud of. And that's the exciting story of Sid's bowels.

Yard time

2009-04-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

More yard time yesterday. Yes, and another great big ole fire. I was finishing off the rest of my mini-keg of Heineken and feeling nice. Steve and guest were straightening things out around the house. Mostly throwing stuff away. Thank goodness. Anyway, as they were rummaging through the house, I was watching the fire and playing with Sid. He has got such strong prey drive that it's frustrating trying to play fetch with him. He just won't give up the toy or stick. Anyway, Sid had another fun day. Oh, and the beer got to me yesterday. I vomited in the corner of the yard. Nobody saw me except Sid. And maybe the neighbors if they were looking out their window. The thought of it embarrasses me. I'll let you hear from Sid now.

Voice of Sid: Another happy day for me :P I'm happy as a clam and I like clam shells to play with on the beach. The guy and this kid were playing with me outside and letting me dig and dig anywhere I wanted. The girl went inside and I didn't see her for a while. Then when she came out, she played with me some more. Later, when it was just me and her, I saw her vomiting by the wooden fence. She stayed there for some time making all sorts of noises. I just sat and watched her quietly. Then she was okay.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: I paid especially close attention to this one so that I could give you a more interesting and detailed report. There were five segments in total. And there was an oddball out. Different color. It was darker than the rest. I believe it was the second nug to exit his anus. The others had a hint of dark green to its browness. It was kind of pretty. Like, i wouldn't mind an article of clothing in that color :P I'm disgusting :) A quick word about the last taper piece. It did have a nice taper and color, but the texture was off. It looked as though he ingested a large amount of hair. Like if you pulled hair out of the shower drain and mixed it up with dog crap, then that's how it looked. *eyebrow thing*

Sid Firepit Boy

2009-03-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

We built a great big fire in our awesome fire pit in the side yard. It's like over six feet in diameter with great big rocks. We went into pyro mode and Steve scared the crap out of me. He used a little gasoline to start the flames and it went poof, like a big poof and I thought he'd set himself on fire. He calls himself a professional though when he's had extensive experience with something. He did some major fire training when he was in the Navy as a young buck. Anyhow, Sid played his game, the game for hours that afternoon. We let him dig up the yard and chew away at sticks all over the yard. He was playing non-stop. And because we had him on the tie out, we knew that he'd eventually wrap himself around a tree which he did. But an amazing thing happened. We think he learned. When he was a pup, he'd get stuck all the time. I didn't understand how he could get so wrapped up. And I'd say go around and make the go around thing using my index finger. Well, yesterday, he got it and actually unraveled himself. We were so pleased.

Voice of Sid: I played my game. I hate that stick. I have to pull and paw at it til it gets my message that I mean business. It's not going to get the best of me. I will rule over it. They let me play all day. I didn't want to stop and I didn't. When we went inside I drank a ton of water. I was so thirsty. Then I settled in for a snooze. I was beat. I'm just taking it easy today. It's all wet out. The girl shared some mandarin oranges with me. *lick lips* and Aurrufff! :P

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: He's been pooping in threes. Three medium length (about 2" or so) pieces at a time. The pieces themselves could be smoother and more supple (lol) but at least they're not tearing. And he has no tapering difficulties.

Puppy Cam

2009-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping an eye on my bulldog puppy cam. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pelto-bulldogges--puppy-cam They are so adorable and I don't even like bulldogs. Well, now I do. Actually I do like bulldogs, french bulldogs. Our tenant had one and it was the funniest, cutest dog I'd ever seen. I wanted one immediately but we got the wid instead. Steve has always had german shepherds and though I wasn't loving the idea, Sid was offered to us for free. Well, in exchange for his *eh-hem* services. Breeder lady wanted to stud him a couple of times. Yeah, so over a year ago, Sid got laid. And the breeder lady cracked up that he put his head on her back to rest just as his grandfather did. That was when they did the locking thingie. I'd never witnessed breeding before. It didn't feel entirely natural to me. I suppose it was sorta like a doggie version of an arranged marriage. They just kinda went through the motions. *laugh* Sid was probably thinking about...

Voice of Sid: I got some nice treats today. Man, it was awesome. First the girl hands me a huge bite of her roast beef sandwich. I took it to the other room to have some privacy. Then I came back to the kitchen and *drool* she had another treat for me. Then she makes me do this retarded thing. She yells 'upstairs!' And like a fool, I fly up those stairs and sit down at the top of the landing waiting, just dying for her to say okay, come here. Then she points her finger to the floor in front of her and I have to sit down as quickly as possible right in front of her. This is where it can get tricky. It's very hard not to stare at the treat as she's holding it right in front of my face. I can smell it. I can almost taste it. I salivate and she makes me wait and wait and wait. Then she finally says, 'look at me' and I, without a blink, raise my eyes towards her and give her an obedient but gentle look. Then alas, my treat. My treat! My treat, my treat, my treat...Mmm!

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Lately, Steve's been taking Sid out in the morning and I take him out at night. Therefore, due to the darkness, I've been missing out on a lot of potentially good poos. I'm pretty sure it's become a sickness. I find that I have to watch Sid poo. It satisfies me a great deal and I have no idea why. Am I alone on this?

First Walk

2009-03-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

We took the widney to the park yesterday. Oh my goodness. He was so poorly behaved. I thought he was barking aggressively at some of the other dogs, but Steve says it wasn't an aggressive park. He said it was higher pitched which, in my mind, means he just wanted to play. He did get down on all fours several times upon seeing a friendly dog. Sometimes I let him meet other dogs, but usually not when there are too many ppl around. We barely walked a mile. There was a tiny hill here and there but when I woke up this morning - man, it felt like I'd walked ten miles. When Sid came home, he passed out. That is, after his second adventure. We ran a long errand and took him with us to Yonkers, NY. It seems as though Sid does better on concrete with some crowding than he does in the woods. I guess the freedom of the woods makes his brain go nuts or something. Enough from me, here's Sid.

Voice of Sid: I can't believe I got to go out twice today. My humans took me everywhere with them. It was so cool and so much nicer than being trapped in the house. All I ever do is sleep when no one's around or if girl is sitting in front of her monitor. But yesterday, we went to the park and I completely spazzed out. I couldn't help it. I saw other dogs like me and I wanted to say hi and play around. But, sigh, they wouldn't let me so I started barking to get the other dog's attention. My humans didn't like that and kept hushing me. I'm a little tired today but I hope they take me out in the car with them again.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: The mine field is getting worse. We finally had days where I felt as though I could go on poop patrol. I'm confident that his turds aren't stuck to the ground from the cold. I think I can easily scoop them up. But, a big but. Our pooper scooper thing broke. Steve tried to shake it free from the position it's been sitting in for months and it broke. So now we have to go buy one or our yard will continue to look like a war zone. Yey! Crap!

Almost Spring

2009-02-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's over 50F today. Ah, nice. Steve suggested that I take a neighborhood walk with Sid but I couldn't bring myself to do it. So instead, I threw the leash on him several times so far and walked him around the yard to smell things. I even let him take one out of usual range. This last round outside all I wanted to do was sit on the stairs and have a cig so I did. I took Sid with me. He sat down close to me and when I checked on him his you know what was sticking out. We sat outside for at least ten minutes with him in that position. I guess the spring really is coming.

Voice of Sid: The girl keeps making excuses. Why won't she take me for a damn walk? I mean all winter long it was the weather. And now, it's because - oh, I don't even know. So she took me outside in the yard a couple of times. She probably knew I was going to do this but I had to mark my new territory. I wasn't sure if I could do it but out it came. I felt satisfied. Later I was still so happy that my thing popped out. I felt it in the light breeze but I couldn't make it go back in. The excitement is all over with now. I'm back to vegetating on the couch. Hey, I'm not complaining.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Yes I knew he'd do it. I took him out in the far yard, the side yard. He kept trying to pull me towards the neighbors, but I stopped him at the border. More our side of the border. There he squatted and produced his masterpiece. It was regular, light in color (good color) and of medium mass. Bravo Sidney!

Too Cold

2009-02-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

I've been a bad mom. I haven't taken the wid out for a walk all winter long. Yes, it's been months. I just couldn't tolerate the cold this year (and the last but who's keeping track?) Sid & I have gained weight. We must exercise. And I feel badly. I know he's bored. He needs new scents and new sites. I must provide that to him this coming spring. I'm really looking forward to it. I miss my park, FDR park. When Sid was a puppy, I'd put him on a really long lead and throw balls around for him to fetch. It was the cutest thing to witness and it did a good job of draining away some of his manic energy. Boy, yeah, he was a handful. Still is, but much improved and thank goodness for that.

Voice of Sid: *yawn* Hey, how ya doing? I'm sleepy. Nothing much to do. The girl is always sitting in front of that monitor and ignores me most of the day. Then the guy comes home and does the same thing. I'm lucky if I get 5 minutes of cud sometimes. They usually make up for it the next day and they make it an extra super duper treatment. Lately, the girl's been massaging my butt area. It feels so different, so nice. But for some reason it makes me have to sit down. I'm going stir crazy. I can't wait til it gets warmer out. I miss my park. I miss going to the park with the girl.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Oh man. The yard is like a mine field of turds. Everywhere. Little ground uncovered. It happent again where he poos, it snows, poos again, it snows and again and again. So when the weather got warmer and all of the snow melted away, the multi-layers' worth of poo was revealed. I was gonna go on poop patrol last week, but the darned rake and picker upper thing was stuck in the ground. Iced. So I couldn't and every day I struggle to find a new spot for Sid and worry that's he's going to step on something.

Playing in the Snow

2009-01-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

Steve took a mini vid of Sid playing in the snow in our unshoveled driveway. I thought it turned out cute but he wasn't satisfied with it so it won't be posted. Shucks. So we let him run around our yard without a leash on. He was having so much fun running back and forth between me and Steve. We were at a good distance apart. I loved watching him. I swear, he looks like he's smiling. Anyway, he was playing in the snow the way he did on the beach in Nantucket. He sometimes plays that game in the living room and flips the rug around all this way and that. Sometimes he's a pain in the you know where.

I combed him today. I haven't been keeping up on that. I have been focusing on his ears which are completely better now. He still licks his feet and thing but not nearly as much. We discourage him from doing it every time we catch him. It turns out that the discoloration on the tips of his feet are due to proteins in his saliva. I thought that was interesting. I washed his paws once thinking that they were just dirty or urine stained. Anyway, enough from me. Here's the wid.

Voice of Sid: *big goofy smile* I had so much fun last week playing in the snow. I played my favorite game. I swear I can play it for hours and I didn't care that it was cold. I ran back and forth between the girl and the guy and I was going at top speed. I was faster than a bullet. *proud look* Next time it snows I hope they let me do it again. I was good and I didn't run away so maybe they will let me. *paws crossed*

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: He made two in a row the other day. The second one was right near the house. It was in the triangle where we've previously had a lovely vegetable garden filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, celery and flat leaf parsley. Anyway, his second one was really little. One little piece sat sideways and the other longer piece leaned up against it standing erect. It was artistic looking. The next day I thought he was going for a second one again but all he did was sniff the artsy one and take a little nibble off the top. I was so surprised. He usually only eats it when it's fresh. I guess it smelled unusually pleasant.

Doctor's Orders

2009-01-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

Sid's scratching has minimized and he seems more comfortable now. He still licks his feet but not as bad. I give him benadryl (generic) three times a day. I wrap it in fat free cheese singles. He eats them without a problem. My cats used to eat all around the pill and leave it completely intact. It was clever of them to do that. Anyway, I also have to clean Sid's ears with Epiotic solution every 3 days. And give him tresaderm twice a day. All that stuff is supposed to take care of everything. Oh, and can you believe that Sid's gained so much weight? Five pounds or so. I've been cutting back on his dry food intake. I've also been making an effort not to give him too many table scraps. The vet really prefers us not to give him human food like Steve says. She says they don't need it; they don't need variety. So Sid misses out on a lot of things now. But last night I gave him some chicken. Not too much and there was hardly any fat in it. So that's what's been going on in Sidney's world.

Voice of Sid: *snarl* They put me on a diet. It sucks. I used to get treats all the time. The girl always saved the last bite for me. I usually sit and stare at her eating for a few minutes then I go about my business cause I know I'll be getting some. I make it look like I'm bored and couldn't care less about it but the whole time, I slowly sniff the air and imagine what I'm going to be tasting. Some things are familiar and somethings aren't. I love trying new foods. It makes the day more fun. And the girl keeps putting stuff in my ear. God, I hate that. I wish she'd just leave me alone but I have to admit that my ears do feel better. Aaaah. I can relax.

*Please do not read if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Sid's been ingesting my long hairs again. Yesterday, his turd was dangling down by his feet attached by my hair. I was worried that I'd have to pull it out of his butt but it finally broke free. This morning however, it didn't fall too far from his anus. And I made an effort to stop him, but in the end, he ate his nugget. Eeewe. *dry heave* Now he's making a lot of noise eating his ass.

At the Vet

2009-01-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Steve decided to work from home today so that we could take Sid to the vet. His recurring yeast infection has returned. Now it's in both ears and he's been trying to eat his feet. The vet we saw today is the same one that Sid knew as a puppy. As a matter of fact, Sid attended puppy kindergarten there. Gosh, was that the cutest thing ever or what. Watching six little babies playing around with each other for ten minutes. Taking a potty break. Then coming back in for the real work. Ya know. Sit, down, off...etc...The very same vet used to be a little mean to us when we went there in his earlier years. I felt like she hated us and thought we were the worst parents in the world. But today, she said he was a very good boy. Then as I was leaving, the receptionist whispered to me that the vet said he's a very nice dog. Yes, the same mean vet was saying sweet things to the staff about him. I was so happy. So proud.

Voice of Sid: They took me to the place I went to kindergarten. They're so nice there. I love coming back every year for my check ups. They did the usual. Weighing me and would you believe I gained a whopping five pounds? I need to stop stealing food. *pause* Nah! The nice lady looked at my hurting ears and spoke sweetly to me. Then they held me still again while she stuck a giant Q-tip in my ass. It didn't bother me. Did I like it? Hmmmm. I peed a little while they were doing all this stuff to me. I felt a little embarrassed. But it always happens and everybody says it's okay.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: As soon as he got back from the vet, he took one. I knew he would. Yes, the car ride. Does it to him every time. No matter how short the ride. We're just five minutes from the vet.

McDonald's

2009-01-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

We had a few errands to run and decided to take Sid, the wid. First we stopped off at our local little market for cigarettes then we headed off to McDonald's. I gave Sid his first taste of an egg mcmuffin with a piece of hashbrown. Then we had to go to the hardware store within the same large parking lot. We had to leave the first parking space we chose because there was a little dog sitting in the driver's seat of the car next to us. Sid would've flipped. Then I thought we were in the clear, but as I was waiting for Steve to return from the store, I noticed that Sid was quite enamored of the sea gulls all over the place. I've seen them there before. I don't know why they gather there. When we got home, I took Sid down the driveway so that he could take care of business and that he did. Then I took him in and fed him his breakfast. I washed out his food bowl while he sat and waited patiently behind me. His thing was popping out as he watched me prepare his food. Yes folks, he had a woody. He didn't move. He just sat and watched. By the time, I got the plain yogurt out to add to his food, he couldn't stand it any longer and walked towards the counter. I fed him right away.

Voice of Sid: Oh boy! I got to go on a car ride with my humans. They can be so good sometimes. We stopped off at a lot of different places and I saw some interesting things. There was this little dog in the car next to us. I wanted to eat it. Then I saw the sea gulls, I wanted to eat them too but I was trapped in the back seat. The girl gave me a piece of her food like she almost always does. There was egg and cheese and potato stuff on an...what did she call it? Oh yeah, english muffin. It was Mmm mmm good. I wish she gave me a bigger piece. It was McDelicious. When we got home, oh man - car rides always do it to me. I was pinching my ass and breathing heavily the whole time. When I got home, I pulled the girl fast down to my landing strip and I *eh hem* took care of business. Then when she was getting ready to feed me, I got happy. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow then she fed me quickly.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: I could not believe it. This is a first. Sid is usually very careful about the location of his pile in relation to locations of other nearby piles. He usually leaves ample space between the piles but today, he made a pile right on top of another pile. And I was all, well I'll be...He quickly stepped over and around it. I don't think he got any on his foot but he was awfully close. I don't think he even saw it. I'm going to blame mother nature for this. I haven't had a chance to do poop patrol cause the snow keeps covering them up. As the snow melts, more will be revealed.

A Sidney Christmas

2008-12-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas was great this year and I really mean it. I never had much luck with the holidays but this year made up for a decade. There was just five of us for Christmas dinner. The same five we had for Thanksgiving. And of course, Sidney. Our meal consisted of lasagne, baked ham, green beans and Greek dishes that Steve's mom made. Well, to make a long story short, the wid was very, very, very bad. It was before we reheated the spanakopita (spinach pie). I let it sit on the table cause the stove top was full and the oven was not yet available to warm the lasagne and the spanakopita. I went upstairs. I forgot for what but I heard Steve yelling. When I came downstairs to see what the commotion was, I realized that Sid had eaten the spanakopita and some of the baklava. Steve was furious. I wasn't. I almost snicker sometimes when he's bad, I'm not sure why. I love him when he's being naughty too.

Voice of Sid: *rolling laughter; holding belly* Wooo! Guys, I had the best christmas dinner ever. All day long I was getting yummy treats. Things I'd never tasted before like the spinach pie I stole off the table when no one was looking. I'd been policing the situation for hours and when the girl went upstairs I knew my chances for getting at the pie had doubled. I got the hollering of my life when the guy found out. I ran all the way into the living room and hid behind our guests. Guy was so mad. *snicker*. But I got some pie :) *lick lips* The guy wanted to throw me out of the house but the girl wouldn't let him. She put the leash on me and brought me to the spare bedroom. They left me there for hours. It was dark in there and not much to do so I caught some Zzzzz's. It was a good, refreshing nap. If that's all the punishment I get then I'm gonna do this again! Yeah!! :P

Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: It was a first for me yesterday. I'll just say it. Sid shit a mini monument. It's base got lodged in the snow and so his log was standing upright. It was so funny. It was like the tribute one. Most of his piles have been composed of dark nuggets. Not too bad.

Pink Frisbee

2008-12-21T07:16:00.000-08:00

We picked up a few things from Petsmart just hours ago. Steve got the two fishes, gold fishes. He's been wanting them since I got him that aquarium for his birthday. He's so excited by them. And though I will most likely not blog about fish poop, I would like to take part in the observation of them. Perhaps in the future they can become occasional featured stories like if they do something spectacular like crap the rainbow or something. Anyway, we picked up Sid's Christmas toys. Two things: A pink frisbee and a christmas ee long'ish dog I think. Just like I let Steve open his birthday present up early, I let Sid have one of his. I gave him the pink frisbee.

Voice of Sid: *nibble* Hi! *nibble* *rip* (Voice of Grace: Sid isn't thinking at the moment. He's just gnawing on that pink frisbee like there's no tomorrow. There are bite-size marks ripped off the side. He's being very possessive of it. Very. He won't even bring it to me. And this boy tried to play with him but he wouldn't let go of it. It wasn't a pretty seen. His prey drive is sooo strong!)

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Yesterday, Sid made six doodie mcnuggets. They didn't even melt through the snow. They're still sitting on top of the snow. Picture that.

First Snowfall

2008-12-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

It's this year's first big snowfall. I always look forward to it because Sid loves it so much. I love watching him run around in circles and all around like a maniac. He gets snow on his nose and on his coat. He looks amazingly cute. If it's possible to swoon over a dog's delight, then I'm definitely swooning. Steve & I haven't let Sid run free yet because we were worried that he'll take off. Unfortunately, I left the really, really long leash in the trunk of the car that's completely buried in the snow. Sid will have to wait until we're physically and mentally able to take him out. You have to be prepared for anything. A chase, serious anxiety provoking coaxing. Jumping around trying to get his attention. And scream at him if he starts doing icky things.

Voice of Sid: The cold, white stuff is falling from the sky again. It feels nice when the flakes drop on my nose. It smells so fresh and clean. My humans fell asleep for hours and didn't take me out. I had to hold it in for a really long time. When the girl finally came downstairs, I flew to the door. I peed in the walkway because the girl wouldn't come out of the doorway. I had no choice. Then later, I made a nice pile in the cold snow. The cool of the snow touched my bung hole. A ha ha ha! *arruff*

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: I had the pleasure of watching Sid take one in the snow. Though I didn't see it, I just know it steamed up as it hit the snow. It melted the snow instantly. I couldn't see it laying in the snow. It was buried far beneath. I'll know to avoid the area based on his paw tracks. I'm going to try to get a better look at his mass tomorrow. I fed him pizza crust the other day and I wanna know how he makes out. Concerned parent or not!

In My Face

2008-12-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Steve came home and farted in Sid's face.

Voice of Sid: The guy came home and farted in my face.

*Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Mostly balled nugs. If they were perfectly round like, hmmm..what animal? Guinea pigs poop pellets. I think rabbits or is it deer that poop balls. Anyway, if they were smooth balls, I'd be very impressed and proud of my boy. I'm still proud of him. No matter what, he makes a minimum of two piles per day. He's a good bowel eliminator.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

2008-12-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

We always manage to go to the laundromat when it's raining. Usually we get lucky and it breaks up just as we're putting the laundry into the car and then again when we come home. Tonight we weren't so lucky. It was raining hard and the top layer of clothes got wet. Then Steve couldn't find his blackberry and he freaked out. I had to take Sid out for the night so I put Steve's big, black jacket back on and headed out with Sid on the leash. I wanted to let him out alone, but Steve was afraid he'd run and get hit by a car. And he does have a bad track record for running away during the rains. (It's because we used to let him out alone when we didn't feel like getting rained on.) So there I am, Sid on the leash, telling him to go potty and all he does is stay very close to me. Perhaps trying to take cover under my big, black jacket. Well, we both got pelted. He was all soaked when we came back in. I felt bad cause I could take my jacket off but he couldn't. He looks cute all wet. Reminds me of how much he loves swimming and how great it is to witness. Well, Sid didn't do anything outside. He'll have to hold it in until tomorrow morning.

Voice of Sid: Weeeeee! My human took me out in the rain and I got soaked. Why did she do that? *exhale* I didn't give her the signal to go out. She and the other guy came home from *sniff* the laundromat and she said 'outside, let's go.' So I went even though I didn't really want to. I sorta had to go but not bad. And what's with the leash in this rain? What did she think I was gonna do? Run away? *snicker*. I feel good. *aaarrrufff!!!* Yes, it feels good to be a wet, stinky dog. Mom kept petting my wet fur and then sniffing her hands. And I heard her say, Mmmmmm as dad complained about how disgusting wet dog smell is. *ahhh roor!!!*

*Please do not read further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: I remember saying to myself. Grace, remember this. Remember what it looks like. And I can't. I think it was impressive enough for me to want to remember. I don't mean to keep track of Sid's daily outputs but it takes up many minutes of the day, every day. So I started observing more and more and made notes to myself. Next thing I know, I can't stop making mental notes. So, sorry there's no update today. I'm too pooped to remember. Pooped. Ahahaha. Get it? Of course you do because you have a brain.

I'm So Spoiled

2008-12-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's true. I spoil Sid. I really shouldn't unless they're healthy'ish treats but I love feeding him. I usually give him a little human food mixed into his dry food which is Nutro natural choice. Then I have Nutro maxx mini bones biscuits and freeze-dried liver treats. He goes crazy for that stuff. We jokingly used to call it puppy crack when we used them to train him. We got the idea from our vet. They keep cookie jars full of the stuff. And at every visit, Sid gets treats for being a good boy. We've been using it as a tool to keep him still while Steve clips his nails. Anyway, I give him those treats and they're considered good. If I give him carrots or apples or watermelon, I don't feel bad. But if I give him a tortilla chip, I don't feed great about doing that. But I get pleasure out of watching him eat it. *crunch*. This morning I had to give him a little plop (like 1/4 cup) of 1% cottage cheese to get him to eat. Yes, he does that now. He won't eat his dry food unless there's something to go with it. He's been known to eat his dry breakfast at 3pm. So yes, I'm a spoiler of dogs. I used to do the same thing to my dead cat Graham. He loved to eat. Absolutely loved it. From fruit to veggies to meat to pizza. He loved it all and had a great appetite. Most of his life, he weighed over 16lbs. (He was big boned *giggle*.) Back to Sid. He's eating a napkin right now and I don't feel like dealing. I'm going to ignore him for now.

Voice of Sid: I'm slowly training my human. She gets better year after year. When I was a young pup, I never got to eat human food. My dad said, dogs eat dog food so I didn't get spoiled even though my mom wanted to. Maybe it was because I had so many belly problems then. Everything gave me diarrhea. Sometimes uncontrollable. As I got older, mom would sneak me treats and I savored every moment with delicious human food. They get to eat that while I eat this dry, dry, dry and hard stuff. Now my humans know. I refuse to eat unless it's supplemented. *nose up in air*

*Please stop reading further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: He's been pooping little balls lately. They're about the size of Planter's cheese balls. Remember those? They used to come in a can/container. I loved them but I can't find them anywhere now. Okay, the piles. Last night he made one at the edge of the lawn and a nug rolled onto the driveway. I was horrified. Well maybe not horrified but I pictured tires rolling over it or worse, a shoe stepping on it and it smearing all over the place. Then the person who stepped on it has to deal with cleaning it. And the stink is so terrible. I haven't stepped in dog poo in a while but I remember it clearly. Now that I've talked about it, I'll probably step in some *sigh*.

Morning Routine

2008-12-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

I remember when Sid was just a puppy. We used to have to take him out like fifteen times a day and he'd still have accidents, frequently. He didn't get fully potty trained til like a year. He did, however, improve greatly after six months. Anyway, since his puppyhood, he has demonstrated excellent bowel control. I usually take him out twice in the morning. Once before he eats and once again afterwards. He usually takes advantage of both opportunities. There are times, however, that he fakes me out. I'll take him out because of the signal gives me. ( He puts his front two paws on the chair closest to the door - elevating the top portion of his body - when he wants to go out.) We trained him to do that so we wouldn't have to bend over to put his leash on. When he wants to go out is the key. He usually doesn't try to use this tool to his advantage and go out like ninety times a day. But sometimes, it happens when he wants to go out and not necessarily when he has to do the deed. It takes a trained eye to tell the difference. When I take him out and he does nothing, I get frustrated. Especially when he does the lingering thing when it's raining or otherwise precipitating.

Voice of Sid: Oh man, I had to take such a crap this morning. I was giving her the signal but she kept ignoring me. So I ran back into the living room and played around. Sometimes when my human takes me out to make my piles, I wait for a really long time 'til she gives up on me and wants to take me back inside. Sometimes I let her and sometimes I go as soon as I sense that she's getting mad at me. I fight at the door to stay out and she lets me have my last few moments that I use to poop. I especially love the way my human gets when I do this when it's freezing and/or raining out. She gets mad and she says: Inside! And I hop into the house, put my paws up on the chair, she takes off my leash and then I get a treat just for coming inside. My human is so well-trained. I am proud of her :P

Please do not read any further if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: I've been feeding Sid less human food and more dry dog food in hopes of getting his GI tract back in shape. It's working. His outputs are more uniform and his segments are well-rounded instead of torn. Today's featured a very little taper piece. (That would be the last segment to exit his anus.) It looked like a large, lightly colored chocolate chip. Are you ready to dry heave? :)

In The Way

2008-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

Steve was surfing through some channels last night looking for a good movie to watch. Sid kept getting in the way of the remote. He stands right in front of the satellite receiver so no matter where you are, you can't access it. Steve starts screaming "Honey!". I coaxed him over to me and then he went right back in front of the receiver. When Steve yelled, "Honey!" the third time, Sid went into a down position. He's on the couch next to Steve now.

Voice of Sid: Ha ha ha! I played a trick on my bigger human today. He was trying to watch TV and I stood right in front of it. I smiled at him and then he yelled at me. I was feeling naughty and kept smiling and staring at him. He kept yelling and he was getting all red in the face and I kept smiling. I went into a down only when I thought he was gonna stand up and shoo me away. I don't think he got my joke.

*Please stop reading if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Ok, I just took him out and he made a decent pile. In detail. In order of output. A 4" segment, 1" segment, 2" segment then a final 3" segment. And he did a fair (not too much - dribbled instead of squirted) amount of spritzing.

Ya know how they have those anal glands and stuff. I never knew about that before Sid. I thought he was having a problem with his ass. And one day he couldn't stop attacking his ass and we brought him to the vet. They 'expunged' his anal glands. Squirted all over the floor. I asked the vet if this usually takes care of itself and she said yes (and made me feel like I wasted $). I think she sensed that and added, sometimes it gets clogged or stuck or something. So now when I see him attacking his ass I don't stop him cause I figure he needs to suck out his anal liquid. *laugh* Oh goodness, I'm so gross!

Sid & His First Chardonnay

2008-11-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

The darndest thing. I was actually having a glass of white wine chardonnay in a wine glass. *nose up in air* Anyway, as I was looking at Steve's computer screen, Sid came and took a few laps of my wine. (Ok. I'm lying. I saw him out of the corner of my eye but I was very curious and wanted to see his reaction.) I didn't even research whether or not dogs can tolerate a small amount of alcohol. Oh dear. Anyway, he licked his lips, went over to the couch - continuing to lick his lips - then he made hoarse coughing noises. I thought, oh my god! I killed my dog! Then he stopped and continued to lick his lips. I thought he didn't like it at all, however, he came over once again and looked at the wine glass. I'm bad again. I let him have a few licks. He licked his lips again but didn't cough. Steve is giving him some loving now. Sid always looks at me funny when Steve's petting him. Anyway, that's Sid's first chardonnay.

Voice of Sid: I had a strange experience today. My human had a glass filled with something. I got curious and went over. She was spacing out and tilted the glass slightly and it happened to line up perfectly with my tongue :P *friendly woof with a smile* :) I tasted it when she wasn't looking. It was weird. It smelled weird but I kept lingering over the glass. It wasn't that tasty but it made me feel nice. And it made my mouth all tingly. After I finished coughing my brains out, I went over and my human let me have another little lick. It didn't make me cough. But I still felt tingly. *burp*

*Please stop reading if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: His fecal consistency is more or less back to normal. His tapering is not bad but we've got to get his nuggets and segments back in shape. They still tear. Sid hasn't had a good one in a while. It's my fault that I spoil him with human food.

When Sid was in obedience school the instructor said do not feed him turkey unless and I forget what she said exactly...but something about a fire out of his ass. So what did I do? I fed him turkey and she was right. (He'll still get turkey next year but less of it.)

What's a pizzle?

2008-11-28T16:38:00.001-08:00

Thank goodness we had turkey to feed Sid last night. We'd run out of dog food earlier that day. So today we had to go to the Feed Barn (local pet suppy store) and stock up on his Nutro natural choice dry food, nutro maxx mini bones and we got him a pizzle. Steve picked it up. It was about 12" long and really hard. It looked like all the other chewy sticks and such by the cash register. Anyway, Steve grabbed it and asked the cashier what is was.

Steve: "What's a pizzle? Is it like the bull's tail?
Cashier: *pause* Uhhh, it's a little more personal than that. *blush*

Okay, so despite knowing what it was we still got it because the cashier said that dogs go crazy over it. And we believed him. Steve presented it to Sid at home and he took it to the living room. He hasn't done a thing since. I tried to encourage him to play with it, to chew it but he wasn't having that. I tried. *shrug*

Voice of Sid: My humans left me home alone all day today. *grrr* I sat in the living room, on the couch and didn't move the whole time. I fell into a deep sleep and when I woke up my humans came back and brought me a gift. Oh boy, I love gifts! I love stuffed animals but they don't buy them for me anymore because my human says I eat them too fast like in five minutes. So this gift. My human told me it's like something that rhymed with bull stick. When I smelled it, my first thought was - I'm not gay. I'm not touching that thing no matter how much my human taunts and teases me with it. It was nice of them for trying. I love my humans!

*Please stop reading if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Yes, the thanksgiving dinner caught up to him this morning. It was the wettest pile I've seen him make since he was a puppy and got belly aches. It was like a dark chili without beans but with corn. Eeewee! *dry heave* And he squatted like four times but only once more with output. A very little, sickly output. Steve said he did the same thing tonight and got mad at me for feeding him so much human food :)

My Yummy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

It's just past 11p and Steve & I are winding down. We're listening to classic rock off of Youtube. There was just five of us for Thanksgiving plus Sid and Grey cat. Sid was well behaved for him. There was a long table of appetizers and he didn't touch any of it. Not one chip even. Then during dinner, he didn't go around begging for scraps. He was so good that I gave him a nice sized bowl of dark & white meat turkey, skin, corn & peas. Thank goodness we had leftover turkey for both him and Grey cat. Grey cat woofed hers down. Not as fast as Sid did though. He was out of the kitchen and back to the dining room really quickly. Oh, he didn't jump up on anyone. I was surprised by that, too! Now he's sprawled out on the couch, full as a bull and ready to sleep. So that in a nutshell was Sid's thankgiving dinner.

Voice of Sid: Woo! What a fun day I had and I didn't even go crazy. *pant* I wanted to but for some reason I didn't. Everytime I passed the big, white table in dining room, I smelled the most wonderful things. *inhale* And I know I smelled tortilla chips! It was the first kind of chip I 'stole' from the Fourth of July barbecue. When my human approached me with my bowl of food, I was ready to eat a whole cow. It smelled so good and I wanted to savor every bite but once I started eating, I couldn't stop. I just kept eating and eating. Mmmm. I licked my lips like ten times afterwards. I wish my human gave me a bigger portion :( But it's thanksgiving and I'm thankful for what I got and my humans who love me :)

*Please do not read further if you find fecal matter offensive!

Doodie Update: I wish I could give one. It was dark out and I missed my chance to witness his thanksgiving output. I was upset by this. But I had high hopes that it was big with well-formed, lengthy segments. I don't even think he had tapering difficulty. He didn't linger. I will take a look at it tomorrow. I know where it is.

Pieces of Paper

2008-11-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is with Sid, but we can't seem to break him of the habit of stealing socks. He usually tears holes in it. So far though, Sid hasn't eaten a hole in Steve's good socks. He still steals them out of the bedroom, but he doesn't damage them. Maybe he knows better. Steve is very particular about his socks. His favorite socks are called 'smart wool' hiking socks. They're made of merino wool.

Oh, there's another thing we can't seem to break him the habit of doing. And that's stealing napkins or wrappers or anything of that nature - he tears them into little pieces. I can hear him from the kitchen doing it. Sometimes he eats the napkin and I manage to get it out of his mouth half the time. Thank goodness he stopped ripping peoples clothes and scratching them with his big, rough nails. Alright. He hasn't completely stopped jumping up on people. He gets excited for the first few minutes and doesn't listen very well. Then he finally and more quickly (with age) lies down and chills. He's chewing his favorite red crate now. The crate will come up from time to time.

Voice of Sid: I was wired today! I loved it! Sometimes my humans are so much fun. Today, I stole a napkin - shredded it to pieces - *snicker* and didn't get busted for a long time. Then later, I saw a candy wrapper and I stole that too. They caught me right away. *shucks!* I was sorta bummed. I could've played around with them more and really made them mad but for some reason I let them get away with it this time.

*Please stop reading if you find fecal matter offensive!!!

Doodie Update: Twice now this week, Sid's nuggets were 'kabobed'. In other words, he had somehow ingested one of my hairs and his nuggets came out looking like a string with balls attached. The nugs were broken. There were torn pieces. He didn't do well in the tapering department either but at least nothing was hanging out of his ass like last time. Yes, one of my hairs again. This update has been exceptionally disgusting.

The Nap Surprise

2008-11-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

I woke up at 7a and I was way awake. I did some stuff and did a lot of pacing around before I sat down. Then I started to get tired and decided to take a nap. I just woke up from the nap and when I came downstairs, Sid was sprawled all over the couch looking as comfortable as can be. Steve worked from home today because he wasn't feeling well. He thought Sid was up in the bedroom with me because it was so quiet in the living room.

I'm a little bummed. I woke up early cause I passed out around 10:30p last night. And I missed all of it! Apparently Sid fell asleep in the bed (king size) with me. When Steve came upstairs, he didn't kick Sid out of the bedroom as he usually does. So my darling little boy and Steven and me were all in the same bed sleeping last night. By the time I woke up Steve and Sid had gone downstairs. I didn't even know Sid slept with us all night until Steve told me. I'm so bummed. I would've loved to have seen that. I love it when Sid sleeps with me.

He usually sleeps downstairs in the living room and "protects" the house. Really, he's just cozied up and comfy. We have a pellet stove in that room and it keeps it mighty toasty.

Voice of Sid: My human was really tired last night. I followed her up to the bedroom cause the door was actually open. That nasty Grey cat wasn't there. I don't think my human noticed me there even though I'm like 80 lbs. I'm a pretty big boy they tell me. (They also tell me that I'm handsome *smile*.) So anyway, when the taller human with the deeper voice comes to bed, he usually throws me out of the room. But, last night he let me stay. Yey! I was so psyched. Sleeping in bed with my humans is a special treat and I'm happy.

*Please stop reading if you find fecal matter offensive!

Doodie Update: Sid made two piles within a minute apart. The first was ok. Nothing fancy or interesting. Then he made a little one and the second piece was nicely tapered.

The Deer Chase

2008-09-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

So the other day I'm taking Sid out and we're about to head in when he spots some deer in the neighbor's yard. I had him on a leash so I wasn't worried. Just as I was thinking that, he lunged and the leash went flying out of my hand. I called after him but it was just too late. He was into mode and on the trail. I ran after him into my neighbors yard. Steve's mom's yard. I asked her if she saw Sid and she said, 'I think I may have. All I saw were two little black ears flying through the woods.' That made me laugh but I was really worried. A little more worried than usual because the leash was still attached to him. I was afraid he'd get snagged on something and get stuck or get kicked in the head by a deer.

So I'm out in Steve's mom's yard screaming his name every two minutes and squeaking his toy nonstop for over a half hour. Steve's mom hops in her car and goes around the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a big, black german shepherd. And nothing. Then she gets a phone call. I thought it was from one of the people she'd talked to - I thought she must've given them her phone number. But it was Steve. A lady found him. His phone number is on Sid's tag.

Apparently, he ran all the way through the woods, past church property and onto the property of a distant neighbor whose sister we happened to be good friends with - small world. I was so happy to see Sid and he looked cute in a big ole SUV. She said he was sitting at her doorstep as she was about to leave the house. I figured he exhausted himself. Didn't know where he was and stopped into the first house he saw. He was panting like crazy when he got home and didn't stop for like a full ten minutes. I was mad at him but more worried and relieved then anything else. So that's the dog tale!

Hidden Treasure

2008-08-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

I just went on a neighborhood walk with Sid. It's a little over a mile long. Not too bad. Anyway, way off to this person's side lawn, there was a white thing popping out from the grass. As I looked closer, I saw that it was a wiffle ball. Then I did something bad. I encouraged Sid to steal the ball. I told him that it was his toy. He carried it back all the way to the house (looking mighty cute of course) and now he's promptly destroying it. Nibble, nibble. I started to feel bad about it and decided I'd return it to its spot the next walk. Too late now. I'm having feelings of guilt. I probably stole some small child's toy. And he could be spending days crying and searching for it. I'm so bad :)