Home Zookeeper

It’s been an insane couple of weeks. In addition to my mother in law being diagnosed with Leukemia, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Then a week later I was told that I have a tumor on my placenta.

Good times.

So I had to head to the big docs in Seattle and we got good news. And not great news … the baby is too big - most likely due to the diabetes - so I’ll probably have to go on insulin.

All this stress has had a negative effect on hubby and I…as well as the doggies.

While all this was going on Hubby went back to work and this last weekend was hardly home at all. When he was home he was sleeping. So Timber was a wreck. It was almost cute…whenever papa was home Timber was glued to his side. The minute papa started getting ready for work Timber would slink to the front door and mope. I felt so bad for him…he so missed his papa.

I tried to take him on a walk, but the pain in my back and abdomen makes it very difficult for me to control him. It still takes some strength to correct him when he tries to pull too hard. He was okay until the neighbor dogs started barking at him and then he started hopping and pulling. We made it for about 20 minutes but that’s all I could handle.

Thankfully Trooper is a bit easier for me, though I still get pain even just walking with no dog.

Timber gets to go to daycare this Friday and I know it will be super good for him. I’m going to continue to try to walk Trooper twice a week if I can. I’m also going to talk to the daycare staff to see if any of them would be willing to stop by our house three times a week to walk at least Timber while I’m huge.

Sorry for not updating more often. I keep thinking of great things to write about but just haven’t been able to log in and update as much as I want. It’ll probably continue that way for a bit longer. I’m swamped at work and have four days of jewelry classes coming up starting Thursday.

Darn life…It certainly likes to throw kinks into my plans.

What a wonderful Saturday we had this weekend. And I am a very bad mama for not having pictures to share!

After great debate, hubby and I took Timber and Kodiak with us down to my grandfather’s house. We left Quinn and Trooper home, which made me sad but realistically I can’t handle four dogs right now. It would have been an utter zoo. Quinn doesn’t really enjoying being out, except for small walks around the neighborhood. Trooper would have loved it, but it really was achingly hot out and he would not have been comfortable.

So off we went, Kodiak and Timber in the truck cab with us. Timber continues to amaze and entertain me. None of the other dogs like to have their head out the window when we’re on the freeway - it’s just too much for them. So typically once we get on the freeway on ramp the windows go up. But Timber kept poking the window with his nose (which cracks me up to no end) like he wanted them open. So daddy obliged.

And talk about a cutie. He was just in such heaven, and our day had only begun.

When we arrived down at the farm, Timber was a tornado of energy. My grandpa hates misbehaving dogs. Seriously. Hates them. So I told him he was free to discipline Timber if he tried to jump up. His discipline is really just a knee up, but that’s kind of hard for an 82 year old to do so I told him he was free to use his foot. I’d rather he kick our dog than fall down and break sometime.

But hubby managed to keep hold of Timber, for the most part…my uncle did have to lift his knee to keep Timber off him. He was just SO excited.

Before getting ready for the rest of the visit we decided to go for a quick walk to get some of his energy out. It didn’t really help a ton, but as the day went on he got more and more calm. By the time we were ready to leave grandpa was telling him what a good boy he was. =)

And Timber got to SWIM, really swim, for the first time EVER! He’s a natural!!! I was so excited to see him frolicking and playing in the river. It was wonderful!!! Daddy threw sticks in and Timber would dive in and chase them as they floated down.

Of course, he was on leash the whole time. I don’t trust him further than I could throw him. But it was a nice long leash that allowed him to go all the way in the river to where his feet no longer touched. At one point he got stuck on a big rock out in the center of the river. It was so cute.

Kodiak on the other hand got to go off leash for the very first time ever. Being a husky he doesn’t always have the best hearing or sense of direction but he did really great. A couple of times I had to walk after him and call him back rather sternly…but even reluctantly he came back every time. And we put him back on leash when we walked past the horses…we didn’t trust him *that* much. But he went in the water higher than he’s ever done before.

Of course, he didn’t ever swim … he never has. I think it’s a Husky thing. Quinn has never swam with us either. And Trooper hates getting too high in the water. Timber is our swimmer.

So it was a wonderful day. Except for my sunburn.

I read on another blog, I think it was That Mutt but I could be wrong, that you shouldn’t try to avoid situations that your dog has issues with but should try to confront those situations and work through them. I’m paraphrasing obviously.

I sometimes don’t like walking Trooper because when we encounter other dogs he gets rowdy. Timber is the same way. But I realize that the more I walk Trooper and encounter dogs in various states of excitement the better he gets in his reactions.

If a dog is lunging (excited or aggressive) Trooper still wants to react toward that dog but with the choke chain and the sharp command “leave it” or “No” he isn’t trying to pull me off my feet anymore. Of course, an aggressive dog makes him get protective but he’s getting better at that too.

Timber, meanwhile, is also making gains in walking properly with his mama. I took him to daycare on Friday and for about 20 minutes went back and forth from my car to the door trying to get him to not pull on me. Finally the owner took pity on me and in 2 minutes had that dog healing and looking up at her in total submission.

I was very jealous. What was I doing wrong? I was being too nice!!! =) Which is funny since I’m the “mean” one of the family (mean as in strict). But I wasn’t being mean enough.

So more practice is necessary. My goal is to be able to someday walk both boys together. Without being pulled over. In the meantime I’ll be happy walking them separately without having a shoulder dislocated.

As I wrote last night, Timber continued to act weird after I got home from work and when we started getting ready for bed.

Every night I’ve been taking one Vitamin B-6 and a Unisom in order to combat the horrible nausea that my pregnancy is causing. So last night I went to take my pills…but the bottle of Unisom was missing. Just gone. Nowhere to be found. We started searching and finally found the EMPTY bottle under the bed with tooth marks.

That’s right. Timber had eaten more than 15 liquid gel Unisom pills. The little *&$#. Add Unisom to the list of things he’ll eat…which now includes soap and foil.

So we called the emergency vet who had us call poison control who told us to take him in. As we described his symptoms…first acting kind of slow in the morning and then ramping up with jitteriness and general weirdness…the guy on the phone said that they were classic symptoms of the active ingredient (something I can’t even really pronounce) and if we just tried to wait it out Timber could have a seizure or slip into a coma.

Lovely.

So I’m sobbing and begging hubby to take Timber in to the emergency vet…he didn’t want to go without me but I had to try to get some sleep. Hubby is already on a night schedule and on his work days doesn’t get home until 2 a.m. so heading out at 8:30 p.m. isn’t as hard for him. Off they went and I did doze with the phone clutched in my hand waiting for a call. Finally a little after 10 p.m. they came home and I was SO relieved.

They gave hubby the option to leave Timber at the clinic for observation or take him home and treat him there. Hubby brought him home. He fed Timber liquid charcoal, which I thought we’d have to force feed him but he ate right up with food. The doctor said that within 4 hours he should have to go outside and do #2, but nope. In 4 hours I got up and Timber was snoozing away…still breathing and wanting his belly rubbed when we got down on the floor with him.

When I got up and out of the shower at 6 a.m. he wanted his breakfast and howled as usual. Finally starting to act like his normal puppy self. I followed him outside afterward and he FINALLY had a small bowel movement…he hadn’t had one all day yesterday or all night. Hopefully he’ll have a few more today.

I cannot even say how stressful this was. I kept imagining that we’d wake up to a dead dog.

The only thing he did that wasn’t normal for him this morning is when I was getting my lunch ready…he normally sits right next to me and begs for scraps but this morning after going potty he went right back into the bedroom and JUMPED ON THE BED!!! WOOHOO!!! We were so happy that he did it on his own. We even gave him his ball back. LOL

Trooper must have been worried about him too because he also normally sits with me as I prepare my lunch and he went right back into the bedroom after potty time too. Silly boy.

All of our medications are now capped and put back from the counter edge. It never occurred to either of us that any of our dogs would eat our medications. Never in a million years. I’m so grateful that he ONLY ate the Unisom as I had five other medications that would have caused much more serious consequences.

It’s a good thing that he’s over 70 pounds and seems to have a stomach made of steel. I love that damn dog. =)

Is weirder a word? It must be because spell check didn’t give me a red wavy line when I typed it.

I came home from work and only three of my doggy babies greeted me at the door. Timber was outside in the yard … just sitting. Looking at me and wagging his tail. But he would not move no matter what we said.

He was also really protective of some toys he’d accumulated around himself. He was growling (kind of) at papa when we approached but didn’t do his scary growling attack mode. We took one of the toys away and he was fine. But when I went to the grocery store he and Trooper apparently got into it pretty bad over the toys. Hubby wasn’t sure which one but there was lots of snarling and barking…no blood though.

Hubby finally got him inside and put away all his toys since he seemed to be obsessing with them. Now we’re cooking dinner and he is acting like he’s never eaten before. Absolutely chomping down on anything we give him (which is normal when we cook…he’s getting cauliflower and stuff) and practically shaking with excitement. And panting.

He’s also taking Rhimadil which I don’t like. My SIL had a bad experience with her dog Koyuk and she thinks the drug caused his liver problems which eventually led to his death (though he was much older).

I’m still very worried about my puppy boy. He is not acting like himself. Though he’s letting me touch his back end he sort of tries to scoot away or sit down. We’ll see if he tries to jump up on the bed (it’s really high) tonight or if he sleeps on the floor.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I cannot handle this stress!

UPDATE: Hubby called and the vet doesn’t think it’s anything too serious or internal. THANK GOD!!! I seriously went in the bathroom and cried. I hate that. They are still doing some exam stuff and I’ll know more later this afternoon. Sounds like they’re going to send hubby home with some anti-inflammatory meds.

It’s so scary when your normally crazy hyper and active dog stops being active all of a sudden!!!

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Please pray for my baby boy. I don’t know what is wrong with him. He seemed fine this morning - he ate well, just like he always does. He didn’t seem lethargic to me.

Hubby called and said that he’s been acting funny all morning. He isn’t acting like his normal puppy self…when hubby threw the ball Timber didn’t chase it. Hubby tried throwing it just a few feet and he said that Timber wanted to get it but couldn’t.

Hubby thinks he’s having a hard time with something blocking him up. I hope it is something simple and easy to fix. He’s on his way to the vet right now and he said that Timber didn’t even act like his normal self going out the door…he normally tries to jet out in front of us (yes, we’re working to stop that but still) and instead just walked out slowly. And that when he tried to jump into the truck he didn’t make it all the way up. However he was excited to get his collar and leash put on him so that is good.

So please just keep my baby boy in your prayers. I don’t think I could handle it right now if something were seriously wrong. I’m having a hard time keeping it together at work. Sheesh. We’ve had doggy issues before and I haven’t gotten this upset.

Why does he have to eat everything in his sight? I’m worried that he got something bad in him. I hope to hear from hubby within an hour or so…I’m sure this is going to cost us. Great timing too. I should hear final word about my job next Wednesday.

Timber is still a puppy. I wish we could have had him when he was puppy sized. *grin* But for now we’re just trying to work through his big puppy stage.

Hubby woke me up last night when he got home from work to inform me that Timber is now eating soap.

Yes, soap.

I knew he liked licking up bath water after hubby’s showers. I knew he liked drinking bubble bath water (don’t ask). I knew he didn’t mind soapy water in the sink. But I didn’t think he’d actually EAT soap!

I just laughed and went back to sleep. So now we have to keep the bathroom door shut because he actually crawls into the bath tub to get the soap.

I’m sure he’ll grow out of all these weird behaviors. Trooper did. Kodiak did. Quinnie came to us without these weird things. Hubby was laughing and asking Timber when he will grow out of these things.

He IS a good dog though and I’m happy to let him be his puppy self. He doesn’t get in trouble when he does naughty things, unless of course we catch him in the act.

Punishing a dog long after they’ve gotten into mischief is completely counter productive and does nothing but make the dog fear you. If a dog has an accident in the house, rubbing their nose in it does NOTHING to explain to the dog why they did wrong. If a dog chews up your favorite shoes and you start yelling at him after you find them…he doesn’t know why you’re mad.

The only time that “punishment” works is when you catch the dog immediately in the act. When Timber counter surfs and I catch him I can tell him “off” and pull him down off the counter. He’s starting to get that “off” means to get down. Dogs will learn if we humans are patient and do our jobs properly.

Time heals all wounds, or so they say. I’m feeling a bit better today. Working at home sometimes makes me feel more isolated and sad, but today I’m enjoying the quiet with my dogs. Timber went to daycare yesterday so today he is super mellow and I love it.

He’s been walking around everywhere with his tennis ball in his mouth. It’s so cute. We’re not used to having a dog who likes to play fetch, but Timber has really caught on and seems to enjoy it. We’re still working on him bringing the ball back directly to us and dropping it. But the command “drop it” does seem to get him to loosen his jaws and allow us to take the ball. And when he really wants to play he’ll come drop the ball at our feet.

The last few nights he’s started sleeping with his ball. Which I find hilarious. He’s not supremely obsessed with it or anything. He doesn’t have to have it at all moments and he doesn’t attack the other dogs if they pick it up and play with it. But he sure does love that ball.

Having a dog that will fetch is really nice because there’s a built in way to exercise. Hubby doesn’t always feel like going for a walk, but Timber always needs to get his excess energy out. So they can go in the back yard and play for 30 minutes before Timber says enough.

Trooper on the other hand needs a walk for his exercise. Playing is just never enough for him.

I’ve decided that I want him to be able to walk by a house with a dog in someone’s yard and ignore that dog. There is a dog on the corner who attacks his fence, barking and growling. Trooper tends to want to “attack” back (not literally, but he will bark, growl, and pull on his leash to try to get to the fence”. So for two days now we’ve walked by and I’ve used his choke collar and said “leave it” … I’m not sure if this is the right way to do this though.

Yesterday I took some treats with me and made him sit in front of the fence (it’s a solid fence so you can’t actually see the other dog) while the dog was going bonkers. He sat very nicely facing me and I gave him a treat and told him he was a good boy.

I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do either.

All I know is that I need to be able to walk him without worrying about him going nuts when another dog is aggressive towards us. It’s going to be my new project with him. I’m open to suggestions too.

Yesterday we took all four dogs to a local park for a short walk. Of course, we had to walk in shifts because I can’t handle two dogs at once right now and Timber isn’t quite ready to walk together with another dog. But overall it was wonderful!

This was Timber’s very first walk outside of our neighborhood development.

We’ve come a LONG way with this boy. The first time I took him outside with a leash on he threw himself to the ground. He had NO idea how to act or what to do with a leash on.

We moved from tantrums on the ground to pulling so hard that my hand hurt. We tried to do everything that we knew, but none of our tools seemed to work. And by tools, I mean things we’d done with Trooper. Which, when I look at it never really worked either. He’s gotten better due to his older age and our agility bonding.

So we asked for help from our wonderful daycare staff person, Crystal, who had him walking on a loose leash in five minutes. I was astounded. But of course WE were not that successful when we tried it. She had the immediate alpha touch. And as she says, she’s been using a choke chain for a lot longer and knows exactly how to use it properly.

But we were determined. So we got the choke collar and started working. It’s been very hard work. I’ve never met such a stubborn and willful dog. He still throws tantrums but they are getting fewer and further between. His new tantrum though consists of standing on his back legs and wrapping his front legs around the leash. It’s funny but we try not to laugh. We let him wrestle with the leash and move his front legs back down to the ground and keep going.

Anyway…back to yesterday. I think hubby was nervous. He really hates correcting Timber and gets frustrated very quickly. But things went so well that I was almost in tears.

We did encounter a dog almost immediately and he did his barking, growling, hair raising dance. But hubby corrected him and made him sit quietly before we continued. Trooper actually did worse than Timber. He was pulling me quite hard … but it could be I’m just more sensitive to it lately with my nausea and weakness.

We walked for a good 30 minute and went all the way down to the river. I think we have a water dog!!! It was his first experience with a river. And he dove right in. It was such a blessing to watch. Have you seen the expression of a really happy dog? He had that on his face and I was so happy.

This successful trip means that we can start training more outside of our neighborhood and I’m very grateful for that. I get bored just walking around in circles and I’m sure the dogs do too.

I’m hoping that Timber will really get good at walking gently on a leash. I want to move up to walking him and Trooper together (*gulp!*) and eventually get them to both walk gently together with a stroller. I may need to employ Crystal’s help again. When I have a baby in the stroller I do not want to deal with pulling dogs. They have to recognize the stroller as alpha dog and let it lead.

So much work to do! =) But yesterday was a great, wonderful step forward.

Thank you all for your support and kind words. I’ve not quite recovered but am starting to pay more attention to Trooper. We aren’t going to agility class this week. The idea of going right now turns my stomach. I am fearful … afraid to see the look in people’s eyes. Afraid to see them look at Trooper. *sigh*

I know it will get better someday. But right now I’m still unsure and haven’t talked to Diane (Kilo’s mama). We sent money for the vet bill…that is what emergency funds are for. And we will pull more money out to help her get a new puppy or dog and to help with other costs like new leashes, toys, food, etc. Not to mention if she still wants to do agility.

Trooper’s daycare called and offered to serve as a character reference for him. Is that not the sweetest?

Anyone who knows him knows that he is not a mean dog. He would never bite a person on purpose (my bite was completely accidental), nor would he hurt another animal just to HURT it. He can get testy when it comes to food but he’s never put a scratch on any of his brothers or his sister. He’s so big and can look really mean and scary, but that works in my favor when taking him for a walk by myself. I consider him stealth security from bad people. Although a gun would be more effective I suppose.

In general, Trooper is the sweetest, most affection and loving dog we’ve ever had. He loves people especially.

I caught him and Timber playing today in the back yard. They chased each other like wild boys and finally settled down in the snow for some tandem chewing.

My grief for what happened will never go away. I pray that someday I will be able to look at Trooper and not think about what happened last Sunday.

Timber is really making progress and I couldn’t be more pleased. I took him with Trooper and me to our agility practice yesterday. He stayed in the truck and when we were done I worked with him on leash. It took a little less time than last Sunday - only 15 minutes as opposed to 25 minutes. *grin*

The choke chain is working well - hubby and I are learning better how to use it effectively. We had an official hour long training on Thursday. It’s clear that hubby is a big ol’ softy and Timber knows it. Hubby has a very hard time getting Timber’s attention.

On our walk today I had Trooper and hubby had Timber but only a few minutes into it hubby asked me to take Timber. He is clearly getting frustrated by his lack of control … he would let Timber pull for a few seconds and wouldn’t correct him until I said something. But I don’t know that he’s totally doing it correctly. So I think he may need to go back and work with the trainer more.

When I took him we only had to walk for a few minutes before he was heeling!!! I was SO excited. This really is HUGE progress for our boy. The first time I took him out on a leash he threw himself down to the ground because he’d never been on a leash before. That was when? September? October? Not that long ago.

But I still feel bad for hubby. He’s not a weak person but he lets these dogs walk all over him. Considering his line of duty it’s almost funny. But I don’t like it when he tries to tell the dogs to do something and they just sort of look at him. *sigh*

We’ve already established that Trooper is “my” dog (who will do almost anything I say) and it upsets hubby.

Any advice? How do you help someone who has no “hand” (random Seinfeld reference!) to get “hand” when it comes to dogs?

hahahahahaha This is so cute. Learn about the real reason for different dog breeds.

Sorry I haven’t posted lately. Lots of things going on. Still working on getting Timber on a loose leash. *sigh* We had an exhausting session on Sunday morning where he very nearly pulled me over, but thankfully my agility trainer was nearby and she took pity on me. She showed me a few different techniques, and although he threw several tantrums and was still shaking to run forward he did settle down a bit.

He was anxious to get forward because in front of him was a big field with other dogs and balls. Oh the joy! When we finally made it to the field we spend 30 or so minutes … I threw the ball (God bless the chuck it tool) and Timber, Trooper, and several other dogs would run run run run to get it. Timber did not get it one time while the other dogs were there. Poor guy. He just couldn’t keep up with the border collies.

He keeps up better than the slow lumbering Trooper. I used to think he was fast but when you watch him with these other dogs he looks like a big ol’ slow giant. Poor sweet guy. He was SO tired (after all, he’d just had an hour of agility) and it was pretty obvious he wanted to leave. But I kept them both there until they were good and worn out. When we finally got home they were both muddy, absolutely filthy, but super sleepy.

A tired dog is a heavenly dog in my view. =)

It’s been awhile … I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas last week and that you are all looking forward to a great New Year. I had a great time with more than 9 days in a row off from work. Woohoo!

This meant more time at home with my babies. Except on Christmas Eve when they were forced into their outdoor kennel for more hours than I prefer while we visited family. They survived just fine.

Unfortunately, we also had a huge snow storm - three of them actually. Which is great in some ways. I love the snow and so do the dogs. Watching them play was hilarious and I have some great pictures to share later.

The bad part is that we were all pretty much stuck in the house for a good week. No walks - it was way too slippery and with a dog who still pulls slippery is not good. No agility training - the roads were too bad and it was too cold for the other dogs (of course Trooper loves the cold, but not all dogs have his lovely coat). And no car trips because we pretty much didn’t leave the house except for one or two times.

So the cabin fever has pretty much set in fully and our youngest pup Timber is acting up. Last night hubby came in the bedroom and asked me how many packages of English Muffins I bought at the grocery store.

The answer was three (don’t judge me…I eat one every single morning and sometimes for lunch too). Hubby had a slightly concerned look on his face so I asked what the problem was.

Apparently there were only two packages left and a piece of a wrapper from the third. Timber was a very naughty puppy last night! I just laughed because I knew he was going to have a very upset tummy - the English Muffins are double fiber flax seed. hahahahaha And he ate FIVE of them! Good grief. I can only imagine the tummy upset.

Lesson for the day - don’t leave high fiber English muffins where a long legged pup can counter surf and find them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What a joy this weather is when you have snow dogs! They are having so much fun, even my little old lady is enjoying herself. But Timber and Trooper are having the most fun. Chasing each other around, throwing their balls in the air, digging in the snow. It cracks me up.

Trooper especially is in heaven with the snow. His coat is so thick he could sleep outside all night and be comfortable.

Of course we are cruel parents and “force” him to sleep inside at night. LOL The poor guy. Of course we do tend to open the window to get fresh air moving, even when it’s 10 degrees outside. The things we do for our babies.

Timber thinks this weather is the best thing since dog food. He wants to be out there ALL the time. All day and night. It’s so cute. I don’t know that he’s ever seen snow. Although I’m sure with his old owner he would have seen plenty and not have been taken inside.

I would have thought that he’d get cold but he seems just fine. Maybe he’s got a super secret undercoat that we can’t see. =) Because his coat is ten times as thin as Trooper’s.

It was 11 degrees this morning and, as usual, I had the door open while the dogs were outside. We don’t ‘lock’ them out … we like to be able to hear what they’re doing and let them come in when they want (when we don’t call them in ourselves). And for *some* odd reason I felt like it was colder than normal. hahahahaha I can’t imagine why that was! =) 32 degrees is one thing, but 11! We’re definitely not used to that kind of thing here.

I hope everyone is staying warm and dry wherever you are! I’m praying the electricity stays on during the wind storm they’re predicting.

I must ask that you go visit Comedy Plus today for her post about Adam and Eve’s Pets. It is hilarious!

And an update at the Casto Zoo. Timber and Trooper are getting along better and just this morning were giving each other kisses as they played.

Trooper’s Conjunctivitis is cleared up. Putting eye drops in his eyes was oh so fun for those seven days.

I went to my first Agility Trial last weekend…just to watch. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It looked like so much fun and I had a blast just watching. It was crazy though. People and dogs everywhere. I want to take Trooper with me just to get him used to the noise though. I’ll bring lots of treats. *grin*

Kodiak has started getting massage. The first time we went he cried the whole time like he was being tortured. I giggled a lot. But the last time apparently he did much better and hubby actually agreed to let him get massages every week. I was surprised but happy about it. I want Kodiak to be more comfortable and the massage gal said he’s very very tight in his back legs.

Quinn is still up to her usual barking and policing the other dogs. Silly girl. She’s been very spunky lately and I’m not really sure why. Maybe she’s lost some weight because we’ve been feeding her less.

So life is as crazy as ever here. We really need to get Timber into some obedience classes though. I cannot control him when we encounter other dogs on walks. He goes nuts and barks like he’s insane. Not to mention he still pulls like a Mac truck.