Wash n' Dry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.