If one was to characterize my house by a smell it would be “Ode to Dog”!  I sometimes feel embarrassed by this, that the first thing that assaults visitors noses is the pervasive smell of pets.  I keep windows open and use a Lamp Berger, but if I am being honest, it then just smells like Citrus with an under lying note of dog.  Today the heavens opened up and the rain came down, a literal torrential down pour, despite the lakes in my runners I don’t let a little condensation deter me!   I have a job to do (I think the dogs wish I had the Super Power of stopping the rain as they looked bedraggled and unimpressed) but we still got our morning stroll accomplished.  As I sit here at my desk attempting to dry off, after doing  an hour total of dog walks, I have two rather damp, smelly pooches at my side.  Wet dog smell….not the freshest of scents, but then I remembered going to see the new “Star Wars” movie last night and the couple behind us who are unaware that antiperspirant is a courteous practice, and whose  feet were overtly odoriferous, which were wedged in between the arm rest of where I sat and I think, I will take the dusky smell of my canine friends any day over that!  Rainfall fresh, that’s what today’s household scent shall be labelled.

Today I went for a walk with the “Three Stooges”!  The excursion this morning was a complete comedy of errors from beginning to end.  Curly, Larry and Moe were in fine form from the start and I am not sure I can adequately convey what that forty-five minute trek entailed, but suffice to say, it was an exercise in patience.  From the outset the boys were getting tangled in one another’s leashes, I would bend over and get one situation fixed when the next dog would be tripping and get caught up.  One would be raring to go, while the other decided it was time to roll in the grass as the third one figured it was a good time to poop beside the one that was on it’s back stretching and rolling oblivious to the excrement he was about to smear all over himself.  Lucas, was playing the roll of Moe, the sometimes aggressive, take charge Stooge, who over-all really was a loyal and protective friend.  The role of Larry would have to be awarded to Diesel, he wanted to follow “Moe’s” lead and just get on with the business of walking, but just couldn’t help himself by joining the fracas.  And then there is Rupert, who aptly took on the character of “Curly”, who was the one with child-like mannerisms, very fitting for the pup in the group.  He was the Stoog that had the most energy and was at the heart of the physicality of the group, he was known as the “Yapper” with that high pitched voice that would do the “nyuk, nyuk, nyuk,” catch phrase.  As we made our way through the park, “Curly” kept barking and bantering about, getting the other two caught up in his antics and making me an unwilling participant in the hilarity.  Every turn we ran into someone with their own high energy dog, it seemed no matter where I turned I was faced with barking and avoiding the fray seemed damn near impossible.  In an effort to gain some control and sanity, I decided to leave the park and head down a quiet street, which for awhile was total bliss.  My little comedic geniuses were behaving and had gotten with the program, we were walking with no hijinks!  That was until we hit Davenport,  as I have mentioned before, Diesel likes to carry a stick, so does Rupert.  Often along our routes one can find abandon branches from previous outings that one of the boys have discarded.   As “Moe”  (Lucas) decided to lunge at this particular dog that often goads him from behind the safety of a wooden fence every morning,  “Curly”  (Rupert) and “Larry” (Diesel) had differing agendas, one dove for the stick that he had abandoned the day before, as the other decided that the cars whizzing by needed to be contained.   My left arm went one way, crossing over my right that was pulled in the opposing direction as I tripped over the stick that was on the ground, which quickly got jammed into my Achilles tendon as my little buddy tried to get a good hold on it.  Good times!  How I remained upright was quite a feat, I was feeling a little hot under the collar.  With the humidity it was now a rather sticky thirty degrees, I had sweat pouring down my face and was feeling rather over the concept of strolling.   There was no Zen in the experience, all I could think of was, “Okay you Stooges” it’s time to go home!  Now that I in my air conditioned office and reminiscing about this mornings brouhaha of a walk, I can smile and have a good chuckle and be good with the concept that this evenings adventure might be another repeat performance!  The Stooges will most likely provide me with another “Tail”.

 “Moe”

  “Larry”

  “Curly”

 

 

“You can ring my bell…ring my bell…”  But chances are neither Lucas or I will hear it!  I have been realizing for a little while now that I have rendered myself iPod deaf.  I have a very bad habit of blasting  Linkin Park, the Biebs, Blake Shelton, whatever I am in the mood for when I am walking and you can be dang sure it is loud.!   When you find yourself a little hearing challenged having a dog is a wonderful asset, because they hear everything, right?  I have come to realize my old boy has joined me in the land of impairments.  Normally if I brush my teeth that is his cue that we are going for a walk, as of late I can be standing at the door, leash in hand with that tinkling sound that used to whip him into a frenzy and he’d be jumping and bounding, raring to go.  Now there is nothing but crickets.  The other day I had to go wandering around looking for him as calling his name wasn’t working either.  I eventually found him, he was on his bed in the back of the house, very soundly sleeping!  This week I have my Grand pup visiting and his ability to detect sound is in great shape!  You can be four doors down and quietly bid your neighbour adieu and Rupert will sound the alarm!  Rupert’s shrill bark could wake the dead, and much to my dismay Lucas has no issue hearing him!  My rather quiet senior citizen has transformed this week, he will be out like a light and Rupert will bark and Lucas jumps up like he’s had cold water splashed in his face and he’s been caught sleeping on the job.   He runs around barking, he has no clue why, but the little upstart thinks there is good cause to carry on, so he better be ready to protect his home and show the young pup he may be old, but he’s still got game.  As long as we have dog visitors, Lucas and I are good, you can “ring my bell” and we will come hither, but if it is just the two of us…chances are you better let me know you are coming.  For this week, Rupert is on guard, his super power hearing is on point and engaged. “Oh to be young and enthusiastic!”  (might I say I have been waiting three hours now for that dear little noise maker to put on a show so I could video it…with no compliance.)

‘Cat’-astrophe averted!    We just had a long weekend and might I say, the Monday was a bit more eventful than we had planned.  I have a “honey do list”, it’s not extensive but one of the big things I needed my spouse to get at was replacing a post on our front porch that was rotten.    Monday morning he was getting his materials organized and I was getting a load of laundry ready to hang out.  Our cat Romeo is an indoor cat, who likes to go outdoors.   I was heading out the back door, laundry basket in hand, the dogs were  jumping around my feet eager to go out and the cat decided he was going to join them.  My hands were full,  I figured I would give Romeo the opportunity to explore for a few moments.  Romeo likes to sniff around the Barbeque, when he is done he usually stops near our patio set and the stairs that lead to the back yard and he patiently waits for me to hook his collar up to the leash.  He likes to an adventure and I thought I would indulge him!   Besides, I was watching him, one minute there he was sniffing around the cover of the BBQ and then next I had lost sight of him.  He’s a big cat, so he is usually pretty easy to spot.  I was starting to worry he had slipped under the gate to the side yard when I saw the tip of his tail disappear under our deck where the drain pipe comes out.  Crap, I went flying into the garage to announce to my spouse that the cat was under the deck, he was chatting to my daughter and the two looked at me like I was ‘cat’egorically crazy.  He, my daughter and I  whisked out to the back,  crawling around on all fours peering under the  sides to try and see if we could see our dear cat, but it was too dark and Romeo is a mottled grey colour,  so was nicely camouflaged .  Both my family members were doubting that he was  under there, but my spouse finally went into the garage and returned  with his cordless screw driver and started taking apart the boards.   After removing a good section he popped his head down into the hole and announced that Romeo was indeed down there, and of course at the furthest point  possible sitting on a joist.   Great, there is one thing about Romeo, he can sit in a spot for 6 hours if he decides he’s comfy, he’s got staying power.   We had a couple options, I could have begin a vigil and sit out back and wait for him to get the notion to come out from his new found hiding spot, we could try enticing him with food or perhaps the hose might be a good motivator.  When the food idea failed we opted for water, I began spraying the deck rather vigourously as  my spouse hung his head down into the void so he could direct me as to where I should spray the water.   “Go left, now go right,  come over here, he’s in the far corner,  now he’s moved to the middle section…finally he got close enough for my daughter to reach in an pull him out!  Romeo was not impressed, he was muddy and covered in leaves and looking rather water logged.  As irritated as I was with him for breaking the code of aimless meandering whilst waiting for me to put on his leash, I decided to let him lay out in the grass.  My spouse put the deck back together and went back to the garage and I hung the clothes out to dry.  I went to head down the stairs into the house only to realize I  was so panicked about loosing my dear Romeo I had plum forgotten that my daughter’s cat was staying with us and I had left the back door wide open when I came out with the laundry.   At this point I was feeling rather like I needed a good kick in the kiester!  I enlisted my daughter to  began a search for  Savanah!  Thankfully after a few short minutes we found her perched on a chair in the basement,  a few feet from the door.  I guess freedom didn’t seem that enticing, what with dogs running about barking, humans using noisy electric tools and hammers and the crazy lady running about with a hose in hand spraying water everywhere.   Today, as I went to go out into the back yard to let Romeo have some  R&R I momentarily forgot to close the door and then I remembered the “catasrophe” from the day before and that there is no one home to enlist to come to my aid and I closed the dang door!

“Do you bring your work home with you?”  Better yet, does your partner do that?  I think we can all say we are guilty to some degree of allowing our working life to creep in to our home life.  What do you do though when your home life is your working life?   And how do you cope when it is the person you are in a relationship with that is the culpable one?  My spouse works at home in the evenings, quietly, well sometimes I hear Thomas Rhett  or Carrie Underwood’s vocalizations emanating from the office, but otherwise, I am not overtly affected by his working at home.  Then there is my job, it is based out of my home!  On any given day my spouse has to share the couch with a 100 pound Golden Retriever, walk in a lake of drool from my friend Newton or wake up to the sound of a cacophony of dogs barking at the front window.  I decided last night he needs a shout out, a hive five, oh heck, a Trente sized Very Berry Sangria from Starbucks!   He’s a good man, he wears a Breathe Right strip on his nose, so I don’t have to listen to him snore!  He uses his inhaler two or three times a night when his asthma acts up,  so my cat can sleep on our bed!  Last night, he really deserved my gratitude!  We have one rule, our dog isn’t allowed on our bed, as our boy Lucas is a good size and our cat takes up about a third of the space and I recognize we need somewhere to put our legs.  There are always exceptions to every rule, when Cooper comes to visit he has his area carved out, the Grand Puppy is also allowed to curl up with us and recently Sam found his way into our bed!  Last night we had a sleep over with Sunny, who isn’t a big fan of storms so we threw out the decree of no dogs in the bed, and she joined our trio.  She isn’t a big dog, so that is a plus, but she was having a wee bit of difficulty getting herself situated and as I lay in the darkness listening to her going back and forth things suddenly got quiet and I wondered where she was, as I couldn’t feel her at my feet.  “Are you awake?”  I asked my spouse.  He responded with a yes, I then asked, “Do you know where Sunny is?”  He was quiet and then chuckled, “Yes I am very aware of where Sunny is, she’s with me.”  I sat up and began to grope around and I found her, laying across my spouse’s midriff.  When I asked if he wanted me to move her he said nope, to leave her be, she was comfortable.  So I need to acknowledge that it is pretty cool that my spouse not only puts up with my bringing my work home, he also let’s me bring my work to bed!!!

“Sticks and stones, may break my bones…”

There are lot’s of idioms with the word stick in them!  Many of my canine friends enjoy carrying or chasing a stick.   When I am out walking I am often scanning the ground for one that is just right.  Finding a good carrying stick is like finding a piece of treasure, not all discarded branches are created equal.  If you get one that is too thin, my four legged friends gnaw and chomp on it like it was a raw hide, and we all know what goes in, has to come out and passing those  not so digestible little pieces isn’t pretty for me or for them (any good dog walker worth their salt has had to perform extraction assistance to our buddies in need).  When looking for a stick I try and find one that is no longer than about a foot and a half in length and about two inches in diameter.  Big enough to carry around but not unwieldy.   Diesel is one of my clients who just loves to troll around for a good tree limb, but he often gets a little over zealous with his finds. The day after a good storm there is often a lot of fodder on the paths in the park, and he usually will go for the biggest one.  Size matters to him, he likes to prove he is no slouch!  He’s be known to try and drag a mammoth piece the size of a sapling, not something I like to encourage.   This morning we started our adventure with Diesel carrying a raw hide, but alas, we lost it early into the walk, so the hunt was on for a replacement item to appease his oral fixation . A few nights ago we had a good thunder and lightening storm and a Locust tree along one our our routes lost a few good sized limbs, every time we walk by the branches Diesel eyes them up.  There is one particular one that he has tried to wrangle along with us and I always thwart his efforts.  This morning I decided to cut my buddy some slack, what the heck, I was wearing runners.  I figured I would snap a nice piece off and we’d be off to the races.  What started out with good intentions quickly went sideways.  The dang branch wasn’t brittle enough to snap , much to my dismay it kept springing back at me, which Diesel thought was some new sort of game.  What fun!  As the branch gave me a good thwack in the calf Diesel sprung on it and this is where the term “Stick it to you…” seems appropriate, the branch did not break like I had planned, the whole thing shot like an elastic band into my leg.  “Ouch!”  Diesel was ecstatic, and began looking around for an audience, he likes to show off his acquisitions, so there I was get thrashed with every turn of his head.   I spent five minutes wrestling with my friend to get the offending object out of his rather vice like jaw so that we could resume our trek without a locust branch jamming into my legs every few minutes.  The life of a dog walker, never dull!  The moral of the story…I did “stick with it” and disarmed Diesel of the Locust branch, launching it into a marshy area.  Some times you have to be a “stick-in-the-mud” all in the name of self preservation!

 

“Do you ever feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in…”

Yup, I know a few of my canine friends that suffer greatly from this phenomena!  Summer storms and long weekends are the bane of a lot of dogs existence.  It’s cruel really, one night your human opens up the back door to let you out for your evening pee break and then there is a crack, a flash of light and all hell breaks loose.  Armageddon has arrived!  When it comes to flight or fight, there is only one recourse, run for the door and pray someone is there to rescue you. Once inside you get under the bed, if you fit, if not you jump on the lap of your housemate and hope that they have super powers that will save you! Panting, drooling, your furry friend is in a state of panic, hoping it will end and wondering why you haven’t stopped it.

‘You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the fourth of July’

I understand the need to light off some fireworks!  They make us “oh and ah”.    They transform the night sky  into a dazzling spectacle!  Katy Perry wrote the song “Firework” to empower and encourage people to embrace who they are!  To be bold and unique.  It is interesting that something that is symbol of liberation and happiness for us human beings is circumstance that can incapacitate our pets!  My dog has suffered from this phenomena for years, he was ruined by Canada Day celebrations which have debilitated him from going out at night to relieve himself in the summer.  Somehow he has figured out that these events do not occur when it snows!  One of his buddies Harley, was his stabilizing force, when he would visit our house Lucas felt there was strength in numbers and he would go uncharacteristically venture out into the dark!  But this summer Harley has also fallen victim to an aversion to Fireworks, which now has manifested into a fear of storms!   At night when I open up the back door to encourage them to empty their bladders they both skulk away, tails between their legs, they no longer trust the dark and the buddy system is no longer in place!

”Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ’em what your worth
Make ’em go “oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y…’

The one thing I think we humans should consider before we decide to paint the sky with a dazzling display of colours and light, is the concept that not everyone shares an appreciation fora device containing gunpowder and other combustible chemicals that cause a spectacular explosion when ignited, !  Perhaps posting a notice on your neighbourhood mailbox or hydro poll letting your neighbours know your intentions of to use Fireworks would be a good course of action!   That way , those who have pets can perhaps use some rescue remedy, close the windows and put on some loud music…we can make a plan to help our four legged friend ride out the night without being totally terrorized.  It’s awesome to celebrate, Fireworks are amazingly beautiful…it’s sad though when your completely confident pooch is transformed into a slobbering, terrified mess, having accidents in the house which hasn’t happened since they were a pup, because they are traumatized by crackling light in the sky that is illuminating  their back yard which they once thought of as a safe haven!  Have fun and be considerate this summer!

 

“I get by with a little help from my friends…”   Diesel loves to have a prize to show off when he is walking…it can be a ball, a raw hide, an errant mitten dropped from a walker, he’s not that particular.  One time he found a baseball cap and carried it for 45 minutes taking it all the way home!  He drops his finds on the front porch and it is comical at times to see his collection.  He loves to find treasures on our walks.   The other morning I pared Diesel and Rupert up for a stroll.  Rupert likes to consume things, he will carry them for a little while, but primarily as he walks he wants to chew the item to bits and make a meal out of it.  Diesel was very industrious and found a rather long chunky limb from a tree, which was rather unwieldy.    Rupert thought that the stick looked pretty enticing and truth be told, his original intent was to take the stick for himself.  Both dogs realized that the branch was a bit more than either one could handle, that is when Rupert decided that instead of trying to get it away from Diesel, he would help bare the load.  Very cute to watch the two of them work together.  We  strolled along with them holding each end for a nice little stretch.

We all know about the five second rule, if one drops food or sometimes cutlery, on the ground, it will still be safe to eat or use after five seconds of being dropped.  But there is another five second rule we lovers of canine’s should pay a great deal of attention to and observe!  With the  overtly hot and humid days that one experiences over the summer there are lot of factors one should take into account before latching the leash on to your dog’s collar!   If the air is as thick as pea soup with humidity then a short walk is in order and bringing water along for you and your friend is a smart idea.  One thing I think we humans forget, as we have rubber soles on the bottom of our feet, is how hot the sun can get when it is beating down on the asphalt or concrete!  One small trick to making the decision of whether it is a good idea to take an afternoon stroll is to place the back of your hand on the pavement.  If you cannot hold it for five seconds, it’s too hot to walk your dog!  A couple of years back I used to walk my dog for long stretches, it took two things for me to realize that I needed to be more considerate of Lucas’ paws.  The first, I realized one day that the rubber on the bottom of my new shoes was completely worn through after one month of walking .  The next was when I realized Lucas’  foot was bleeding and had broken open, first off we were walking too far, secondly, it was too hot on his feet!  I had to bench my poor boy for two weeks for his paw pad to heal properly, but sadly that spot has a weakness now which is my fault.  I am always advocating to get out and walk, and I still am!  Make sure you consider a few important key factors:  your dog can’t bring water along,  their paws pads can easily get burnt in high heat, they are wearing a fur coat and they are also capable of getting a sun burn!  If you have to get your dog out in the midday summer heat, make sure you  take short walks, hug the shade and bring water when you decide to hit the pavement!

 

 

Have you ever heard that expression,  to squirrel something away?  The concept when you want to save something for later.  A good example of this, my dog Lucas if given a raw hide, unlike most dogs, will not chew on it, instead he will hide it under a couch cushion — in other words, he likes to squirrel away his treats.  I went away for a week and my spouse sent me an interesting picture from our porch.  It appears some elusive creature in our back yard finds my patio cushions rather irresistible .  At the beginning it was just a small nibble, a tiny hole.  Over night the industrious little creature managed to gain some headway and make a mess.  My family has been musing what animal might be ravaging our patio chairs, today it hit me, it’s our crazy backayrd squirrel! I do no have proof that this midnight foam marauder is in fact a squirrel, it could be a mouse or a raccoon, who knows, maybe some variety of bird.  I am stuck on the idea that the culprit is  this rather incorrigible black squirrel that likes to laze on the railing of the tree fort outside of my bedroom window and on the rare occasion  has been known to hang off my screen.    He clucks and taunts the cat and dog on a daily basis.  One night we were in the kitchen, and the window there looks onto the roof, next thing I knew that saucy little guy was staring in the window at me.   My guess is all that foam has gone towards making a wonderfully comfortable new bed , who cares if it makes my lounging area on the patio less attractive.  Now that the damage is done I have decided to be neighbourly and leave things be, maybe he’s got a few friends who would like to add a little  comfort to the place where they slumber.   I won’t lie, I am still hoping to solve the mystery, it’s making me a bit nuts.  As much as I am willing to sacrifice the dilapidated cushion, the other five will stay safely stowed in the garage, lest the varmint decides to expand it’s horizons.