Christmas 2013

I should have been writing this blog for the past several days as I have been experiencing Christmas from a dogs point of view. Well actually it is if it is on the floor it is fair game. It started with me wrapping presents and bows disappearing. I had to keep finding ways to wrestle them back from her. Needless to say when you wrestle a bow back from a dog you do not wish to put it on a package, but I did not want her to ingest the glue of the back of the tab. The second problem came when I started to put up our tree. I am allergic to pine so I have an artificial tree, with lights already strung. First I had to get it in the door, while Kai jumped all over the bag trying to bite it. Then it was putting the three pieces together and connecting the lights while Kai crawled under the tree with me. Once I got all connected and started fluffing the branches Kai started helping by biting them. I finally got her to stop and I plugged in the lights, a couple of head turns and ear perks, and she went straight for a blue light. I got her before she chomped. Tree skirt down and then back up again. Kai found out that not only could she pull it away from the tree but she could run and slide on the tree skirt and go under the tree. Several times at this game and the tree skirt was put away. I decided to wait to put the ornaments on. Third problem, ornaments finally on the tree. I thought she would be all over them, but she is only really interested in what we have deemed evil Santa. It is a Santa ornament that I forgot about and when I pulled it out we were instantly thinking there is a problem with this Santa. Kai must think so to because it is the only ornament peaking her interest. She goes up and pokes at it with her nose. Actually, there is another ornament that has feathers and I have found several on the floor. Since she has a problem with anything hanging I thought the tree would be on the floor but she has kept a good distance away from the tree. Maybe she actually learned a lesson when I told her no. Christmas morning, Kai gets treats from an Aunt and a stocking from us, she is very content with all her things and is quite happy sharing in our morning. She has decided that the ribbons and bows are for her to take apart as well as any boxes left too long on the floor. She still has not taken the tree on and she has left everyone's gifts alone. She has finally pooped out and is lying on my back after she kicked me out of my chair and I sat back down in front of her. I really love this dog.

Clumsy Human

We were out on a walk one drizzly day when quite to my surprise a mud puddle lay. Me in my cold weather gear and Kai on her leash were strolling along at our usual pace. When up went my legs and down to the ground I fell with a whoosh, will my dog be found. I rolled over onto my back to see my dog hovering over my nose, she looked quite shocked, "Get up clumsy human we haven't finished our walk." I told her it was time to go home, realized my ankle was not very happy, though I hobbled quite gracefully. The bridge of my nose betrayed me, as my glasses had pounded into my face, and blood trickled down like lace. I had mud on my legs and looked quite weird, all the cars that went by kept moving don't blame them. My husband said I must have looked like the homeless, but that made me sad why judge by my mudness. My dog stayed beside me and didn't bother the squirrels, we arrived to my house, I did my assessment, no broken bones, just sore in some places, though I look like some boxers who got punched in their faces. Kai does not care she has let me be and occasionally licks my sore knee. Though she I am sure she has in her head, "Clumsy Human go to bed."

Kai the Christmas Tooth Monster

How do you get your dog to stop destroying things you are trying to do? I started pulling out my Christmas decorations yesterday, the next thing I know my dog is in the middle of the wreaths. Now I use fake wreaths so I do not et pine needles everywhere and also because I have pine allergies. So now I have a mess of fake pine needles all over my floor. She has also grabbed my bows and nicely deconstructed them. Every time I find myself occupied, she finds something to tear up. Now I do not mind her tearing up my bills, but only after I have paid them. Nothing escapes the Christmas tooth monster, bills, bow, fake flowers, wrapping paper, and the usual things she likes to tear up. Now she is after my camera. I know she is bored and usually we take a walk but it is freezing outside. What is going to happen when I put up the tree, utter chaos is my guess. I think I will wait until Christmas Eve, or just put unbreakable ornaments, because while visions of sugar plums should dance in my head, I have visions of a falling tree. Can anyone say TIMBER?

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my dog Kai. Though she loves to get into trouble and messes up every once and awhile, she is still a lovely dog. She has enriched my life as much as I have enriched hers. Today she has been all about the smells, but she has let us cook unhampered. My other dog use to get right under my feet when I cooked and I felt that I was going to trip every time I turned around. But Kai just moves over to her bed and lies down until I am finished. Luckily, today was a nice day and I was able to take her on a walk. She is a fair weather dog, only wanting to be outside when it is not cold or raining. Yesterday we spent all day with me rolling her ball inside the house and her chasing it because it was snowing and cold. Today, however, though it is chilly it is not below 40 degrees so she was quite happy to be outside. I think she got as board as we do stuck in the house. I have yet to sit down to dinner, but she has been given treats, worthy of a queen. I am pretty sure I will have to block her in the kitchen so I can eat my dinner. TO EVERYONE: Happy Thanksgiving.

Friends for the Weekend

This week not only were we entertaining friends, but Kai had a visitor as well. I was a little hesitant at first because Kai has only had one dog in the fenced yard and she was so busy being entertained by the kids of that dog that she could have cared less that there was a dog in the yard. But this weekend she had a buddy, almost. Lobo was a darling mixed breed 6 year old dog. He tolerated Kai's puppyish behavior, but I was so worried that Kai was going to get too rough. Kai likes ears and this dogs ears were buttery soft, so Kai kept trying to grab them. This was especially true when Lobo would come to greet me. Kai would run over and stick her head and then her body between us. Then she would start for the ears. They both were trying the one up game. One would try to stand over the other, both would refuse to lay down. But Kai wanted to play, so she would lay on her back, either Lobo did not understand the action or he just didn't care or he thought he won, either way he just walked away when Kai exposed her belly. Kai of course would not be ignored so she would grab one of Lobo's legs as he walked by. I think the thing that really ticked off Kai though she did not react to it was when the other dog would lay in Kai's crate. Kai would then go explore Lobo's crate and she would grab what ever tidbits she found in the crate, which got her in trouble. Kai used to hide stuff in her crate when we first got her, now she digs up my backyard or hides it under a couch cushion. Lobo's owner says that is how Lobo exerts her dominance, well he is an older dog. The other thing I found funny was the fight over the rawhide chew. This was not a tear your ear off, biting , growling fight. This was a very dignified ownership fight. I gave each dog a chew because I thought it would be better and there would be no problems. Well, every time one of the dogs dropped there chew the other dog would swoop in and grab it. This happened over and over again, finally they got down to one chew. One would drop, the other would pick it up, then immediately drop it, then the other would pick it up, and do the same thing. they must have done this at least ten times over one square of chew. Finally, they both abandoned it and left it in the middle of my floor. Kai is pooped, she has been sleeping all day except for when I took her for a walk after our company left. I think she was just getting use to the idea of this other dog who invaded her space and now poof the dog is gone. But I think she is also happy because now she can bring her toys out of hiding.

Sleepy dog

Kai, is 1 year old and she has regressed somewhat this week. On walks she seems oblivious to any commands. I took her to the dog park yesterday and she rough housed with other dogs for about an hour, then we went for a walk around 4 to get any last energies out. Usually, we run or walk fast on the last walk of the day but yesterday she just kept stopping, pulling backwards and not listening to any commands. I thought it was because she was sleepy, because when she came home she curled up on her bed and slept. She was so tired from our day that she did not even get up when I was cooking beef stew. Usually she begs for anything I put into my mouth, but she did not wake up. She only got up when I moved into the TV room. I am thinking this is a good deal, sleepy puppy equals, two walks and a dog park. This morning she slept in until 8, which unusual as when she has had a tiring day the day before she is usually ready to go again in the morning. The only thing she did do this morning was be a pest on our morning walk. She was always either pulling ahead or stopping and pulling backwards. When we came to a street she just tried to jut out, I had to keep pulling her back to the curb as, come, was not being listened to. Now she is growling at me and not in a pleasant I am going to play with you way. Maybe she is still tired, I did something I do not usually do I gave her a tap on the butt, not too hard but enough to let her know that was unacceptable behavior. She immediately backed off, after realizing I was mad. I also took the thing she stole from the kitchen, which is why she growled, but it was not a play toy and she was being very destructive. So sleepy puppy or monster pup, who knows.

My dog is going to kill me.

I had been planning to take my Kai for a walk after the men finished raking and moving the leaves to the street. She was having chasing the leaves as they raked them, so I did not think anything about it. I should have brought her in the house, because as I was cutting peppers for stuffed peppers, I heard "KAI get your butt back here." Then general commotion from the men. I looked out the window and the back gate was wide open and the men were in the street, no sign of Kai. They pointed the way they went and I started sprinting, Kai is a very fast dog. I thought that maybe she would come down the alley so I backtracked and sure enough that is where she went. But on seeing me she decided a game of chase was at hand so she u-turned and flew back up the alley. I am glad she did not get hit as she crossed two streets, with me in hot pursuit. She had never been that far up on that street, mainly because it is uphill. Then she went up to another street, where a family told me she was in the next yard as I came running, huffing and puffing to find her. When I got to the house she was gone. So I walked up and down that block shouting her name. No Kai, which is worrisome since there are wooded lots nearby. Just as I was about to give up and go get the car, Kai comes flying up the street. This time she came right to me, I guess she felt unsure of herself. I had no leash so I had to carry my 30 pound dog all the way home. She just crossed her legs like she was the Queen of Sheba. When she got home she immediately got in her crate. I think that she will not get that extra walk tonight, as I am now exhausted from my run.