Port-a-Poo

Got a new device to try out...I'll let you know if it helps with the leash dance!

They're called Port-a-Poo and they are the cutest little bone-shaped do-hickeys that attach onto your leash with screws, then open kind of like a barrette.

What goes into the barrette?

Your poo bag of course!

One less thing to juggle when walking the dogs! I've attached mine, I'll be giving them a road test first thing tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

If you want to see for yourself, check out www.portapoo.com

The Leash Dance

One of the most challenging aspects of having 2 dogs is managing the leashes. I cannot imagine how people with 3 or 4 or more dogs do it. I'm sure it's my technique.

I use regular old rope style leashes. We do have flexi leashes, but I find those even more difficult to manage with two dogs because of the bulk of the part that goes in your hand. Try holding 2 of those and picking up poo...I dare you!!

Anyway, I digress.

Inevitably during our walks, there is a moment when I have to stop and adjust the leashes because they are wound around my torso, hands, or wrists. We'll get going at a good pace and then Heidi will catch a whiff of something and try to circle around from behind. Uh..my arm doesn't bend that way!

Yesterday, Reese managed to get the leash wrapped all the way around one of my legs, much to the enjoyment of the tourists who were trying to get into their car. Luckily she didn't spot a squirrel or a chunk of someone's abandoned hamburger because I'd probably have an injury right now!

So...we've tryed flexi leashes, rope leashes, wacky walkers (leashes made from fitness tubing)...the latest gadget that's caught my eye is those y-shaped attachements so you can have 2 dogs on one leash. I'll have to give one of those a try and see if the going is any easier.

The Boob Tube

We watch quite a lot of the National Geographic channel and Animal Planet. One quirky phenomenon that we've noticed as a result of this is related Heidi's behaviour if a show involves a dog.

It's funny to compare Heidi and Reese. They each have their strengths -- Reese is much better at sniffing out things she likes (especially food) and in more than a few ways, she appears to be more alert, almost smarter. But then Heidi surprises us.

Anytime we're watching a show with a dog, Heidi plops up onto the couch and settles in to watch the show. She watches the dog(s) on the TV with interest. If a dog makes a noise on the TV -- barking, whining, or growling -- she is on alert. Her ears perk up, eyes on the TV, sometimes she even lets out a couple of warning barks, like "Hey!! This is my house - shut up!"

Reese on the other hand, is completely oblivious.

Maybe Heidi is just the laid back, quiet type and we should give her a little more credit? Or then again, maybe Reese knows that the TV dogs are not really in our house, in which case poor Heidi is wrong again! Guess we'll never know.

You're back!

There's nothing like coming home to my dogs. It doesn't matter how much you love and adore the person or people you are living with, we as humans just don't react the same way. We don't run to the door. We don't jump up and down. We don't lick the person feverishly (well, maybe some of you out there do?). We don't even hug the person unless they've been gone for a long time.

With our dogs, even if we're gone into a store for 5 minutes while the other waits outside with the dogs -- the girls go through this routine of greeting us when we come back. It's desperate. It's as if they're saying "I thought you were never coming back, but I'm so happy we're together again!"

I'll say it again...there is nothing like coming home to my dogs. They are always excited to see me. That's a nice ego boost. It's nice to know that when I get home, I'll be greeted like a queen coming back to her court. I'll take that over our standoffish human greetings any day.

Let them eat quiche

Had our walk today. Met "Waggy" on the way back into the building.

We bought our next bag of kibble for the dogs. We've been buying Fromm's which is made in its own factory and won't be affected by any future tainted ingredients scares (unless they happen at their own plant I guess). Anyway, we've been buying duck and sweet potato, but decided to try the salmon and veg. Wow! Guess we found the money spot, they licked up their bowls in seconds instead of the usual turn-taking that they do to eat.

So they've just had breakfast. Jamey and I are bantering back and forth about nonsense while he gets breakfast ready for us.

Then I hear "Reese...(insert swear words here)!!!"
I say "What did she do?"
Jamey - "She ate like a third of my quiche!!!"

I look over at Reese who is sitting on her dog bed and licking her lips feverishly. Guess it was worth it.

Scavengers

Another funny thing I've noticed about my dogs...they will eat anything! And no matter how much they are fed or how little, our walks have become their time to scavenge the all-you-can-eat-buffet that is downtown Ottawa.

I have to admit, we've been living downtown for almost 4 months now, but it really surprises me how much garbage is thrown on the ground under cover of darkness. Sorry to say so McDonalds, but a lot of that garbage is from your lovely customers! Not that the dogs mind, anything food related -- they're all over it!

bits of hamburger
bread crumbs
half a sandwich
pepperoni stick wrappers
french fries
sauce containers
pizza crusts

You name it, they've found it on walks and tried to get it down the hatch before I notice what they're up to.

And geez...they are quick! I'll give them the fact that they're closer to the ground and they have a way better sense of smell than I do, rather than admit that sometimes I can be a little foggy on our morning walks.

I feel like a bad parent who is starving my children or something...the way that they pull and struggle to get that one piece of bread crust. I'm thinking...geez, we feed you!!! You are not starving!!!

Today, Reese got a hold of some sort of paper I think, I didn't get a good look at it and it was gobbled up and down the hatch before I could pry open her mouth and yank it out. It must have been a tasty little morsel, hopefully it doesn't make her sick.

The moral of the story: garbage cans are there for a reason...Maybe I should start a downtown education initiative? Put litter in its place...don't be a litter bug...the only cure for litter is you...huh...guess it's been done.

Ode to Reese

Who wakes me up faithfully if I try to sleep in

Reese

Who can sniff out an old balled up Kleenex long forgotten

Reese

Who enjoys TV watching with a side of belly rub

Reese

Who pogos at the sight of another dog

Reese

Who sits her snout on my thigh to let me know she wants attention

Reese

Who loves to fetch tennis balls, running like the wind

Reese

To Reese, the peanut butter pup who has stolen our hearts!

Rinse and Repeat

One of the things I've realized now that I live with dogs is that they love routine. They want to get up at the same time every day, be fed at the same time every day and have their walks at more or less the same time every day.

Luckily for me, I like routine too. I don't mind repeating the same actions in the same order with the same tone of voice.

When this doesn't work out is the odd day when I just want to sleep in. If we got up at 6:00 the day before...guess what? The dogs will be subtly giving me signs it's time to get up. Fidgeting in the bed. Licking my toes. Resting their noses on the edge of the bed so that they are about a centimetre from my face and I can smell what they had for dinner the night before. You know, all those gentle ways to wake someone up.

Since our move, we've fallen into a comfortable routine. I was thinking about that this morning as the girls trotted happily along beside me on our walk this morning.

Full House

I have never monitored another being's digestive functions like I do now that I have dogs. I'm certain this is not unlike most dog owners...you feel like you have to keep track since your dogs can't come up to you and say "Uh, how's about you take me for a pee break?" or "Well, you can walk me now, or I'll just go over in the corner and have a big poo on the floor, your choice."

We do about 5 walks a day. One upon rising, one just before bed, and at least 3 throughout the day, on a day when we're home. If we are home alone with the dogs and the other is at work, we leave little notes for each other: "11am - 1 pee, 2 poos." To the average person who does not have a dog in his/her life, I'm sure this would seem very strange.

We know we've hit the jackpot on a walk if we can come home and say FULL HOUSE. Our code for 2 pees, 2 poos.

So, for those of you who were hoping I was going to reminsce about tv sitcoms in this particular blog, sorry to disappoint. But isn't poop much more exciting???

Squirrel chasing at sunrise

Heidi dragged me for half a block today chasing a squirrel.

She noticed the squirrel before I did and took off...my heart was in my throat because the surprise factor threw off my balance and I was imagining being dragged along on my stomach down Metcalfe street for the entertainment of everyone driving to work. I kept it up on two feet and ran along behind her until I could get her stopped.

My doggie discipline (who knows if it works) is to calmly and assertively (thanks Caesar!) get Heidi to sit, then I hold her face in my hands so we're looking eye to eye and say "NO. BAAAAD." Writing it, it sounds ridiculous. But it doesn't hurt her, and getting her sitting down and listening usually snaps her out of whatever behaviour she was getting into.

Okay, back to the squirrels....DAMN YOU SQUIRRELS!! I think squirrels are cute, I've always liked them....until I was a dog owner, that is. Now, I would swear that they knowingly taunt dogs. Some will run just out of reach, then stop again, so the dogs keep trying to make chase. Others will climb a tree, but stay low enough to still be within reach - making the dogs crazy with longing for squirrel meat.

My dogs have never caught a squirrel and I would bet money that they never will. No matter what happens though, they are persistant, they keep trying.

And what suffers?

My arms
shoulders
wrists
fingers
from holding on for dear life.

Their necks
and windpipes
from pulling against the leash.

If only the squirrels would go about their squirrelly business from the sanctity of the tree tops....

So if you see me walking, you'll know it's me because I'll be the one scanning the sidewalks and lawns for squirrels so I can catch Heidi before her ears perk up and she decides to take off in pursuit of her little rodent snack.

Waggy

On my list of cute things in the world...little old men. And there's one who lives on our street who grins from ear to ear whenever he sees me walking the dogs. This morning, just as I was coming up to our building, I saw him coming. I slowed down and waited at the walkway to the building so he could pat the dogs.

"Waggy! I call them Waggy because their tails are always wagging!" he says with the brightest smile. "I like your dogs, they're so friendly!" Every time I run into him, he has nothing but nice things to say...I try to wrangle the dogs to sit politely so that he can give them some affection.

Heidi plops down looking up at him with pure delight, as he pats her and smiles down at her.

Until next time Waggy!

Does size matter?

Here's one of my doggie pet peeves. People with little dogs who treat their little dogs like they are fragile babies. Who pick them up at the first glimpse of a dog weighing over 20lbs. Who haven't taken the time to socialize their winky little dog so that it doesn't wet itself or become a barking, snarling menace when it sees a bigger dog. Who make excuses for their tiny dog's misbehaviour.

When it comes to dogs, size does not matter.

A dog is a dog.

Some people get this. Most people who go to dog parks get this, because they have no control over what size of dog uses the park and they let the dogs be together. It's great.

Yesterday, we were out for a walk with the girls and we saw this tiny little 4-month-old Boston Terrier skipping towards us. All 5lbs of it was pulling the young man walking it towards Heidi and Reese...it was hillarious. Heidi and Reese were pulling just as enthusiastically in the Boston's direction-tails wagging-anticipating first sniff!

The little dog was not frightened in the least. It marched right up to Heidi and Reese (who I admit can be a little intimidating with their level of excitement when meeting a new dog) and the full sniff was happening. It then proceeded to bat Heidi in the nose and bow as if to say: "Let's wrestle tubby...I could take you anyday!"

Anyway, my point is, the dog wasn't scared in the least! And neither was the owner who allowed the playful interaction. He was willing to at least give the dogs a chance to meet before deciding they wouldn't get along.

Unfortunately for us women out there...I have to admit that it is almost always women who scoop up the little dogs, making excuses for why they "aren't good with other dogs."

Is it really the dog who's scared and nervous? Or is it the owner?

Peace

Okay, so I know I've implied that there is some sort of anamosity about getting up early in our household, but the truth is I'm a morning person. I'm my best until about 3pm and then I progressively go downhill from there.

I
love
early
morning
dog
walks.

But don't tell my husband that!

I roll out of bed at the first stirrings and fidgetings (silent code for mom, time to get up!!!), wash my face, brush my teeth and we're out the door. Usually it's between 6 and 6:30 and it is so peaceful! We maybe run into 5 other people the whole time. The only other beings we regularly have to share the world with at that hour are the squirrels (and I swear they know how to taunt dogs...but I'll write more about that another time).

This morning, I think we saw 3 other dog walkers and 2 other people, one of which was an elderly gentleman who called "Good Morning" across the street with a radiant smile, which I returned. The other was a middle-aged man with a coffee who wanted to know if my dogs were friendly and then cooed at them for a minute or two.

Did I say this already? I like my early morning walks.

It feels good to be up early.

It's peaceful.

I feel like I'm part of something that all those sleeping people are missing out on.

I don't have to rush with the dogs.

There are no people looking annoyed because we're taking up so much of the sidewalk.

It's the best time to be out walking a dog! (Now that I've let you in on my little secret...maybe there will be more of us out there? Who knows!)

Open for Business

One benefit to living in the downtown core of a city is that there are actually businesses that allow you to bring your dog inside! I never would have imagined this growing up in my small town...even the idea of Petsmart was novel.

Our bank branch is on the same block as the dog park, so I've taken to bringing the girls in with me if I need to use the instant teller (I'm not brave enough to try it when the bank is actually open!)

But so far, we have discovered that the magazine/newspaper store allows pets inside and so does the video rental store. Yay! Even better, they give your pup a treat for going in! Now there's positive reinforcement.

So yay to stores who are dog friendly!!

The Big Dork

Home from work, beautiful day...took the girls out for a walk. About a block from our house, Heidi did one of her special dorky talents...her somersault/back flop on some random lawn. She then proceeds to squiggle left and right like there's a hinge in the middle of her body...until it feels right. Then she hops up and repeats the process as many times as I'll allow before I coax her onward.

I've heard that many dogs will do this to camouflage their scent and therefore roll in feces or other equally gross findings...Heidi never rolls in anything visible to the naked eye...but she seems to adore the fragrance of her special spots.

What does Reese do while Heidi is rolling on her back, all 90 lbs of her, looking like a giant dork? Sits politely, always facing away, as if to say "Oh god, there she goes again, how embarrassing..." Then she looks to passersby longingly sending them the message-- "Don't worry, we aren't related biologically...I don't even know her that well!"

This absolutely cracks me up. I guess Reese has decided that rolling should be reserved for the privacy of one's home?

Morning Surprise

*Warning...poo discussions are coming, if you're weak of stomach you might want to skip this post!*

So, I'm woken up this morning by Heidi who is pitifully whining just loud enough that she knows it will wake me up. I look at the clock 5:59...sigh...for those of you who have dogs you have probably accepted the fact that lazy mornings are a thing of the past. I figured she probably really had to go because she almost never does this and she did have a bit of a sick stomach the day before...so up I get.

I step out of the bedroom to find nice little poo-pudding lilly pads in perfect formation on the floor of the hallway...sigh...for those of you who have dogs, you've probably enjoyed the occasional surprise such as this upon waking. Heidi is acting like she's ready to create another one any second, so I pick up the pace --not even looking in the mirror before I open the door and release the hounds!!! Heidi RAN to the front door of our building (usually she's a bit slow on the stairs) and was looking back at me like "hurry the F*&$ UP!!!!!!!" So I clipped in the leashes to prevent a traffic accident and, although I never let them do this, I let them drag me to the corner, running, to the nearest patch of grass.

I'll spare you the details of the ensuing 45 minute walk, but I guess Reese decided that since Heidi has gone enough for both of them, she'd hold off.

Hopefully whatever Heidi ate will be out of her system soon, cause this sucks!

Got tips? Please comment on my post.

The Pied Piper

Food. Sometimes I wonder if we aren't feeding our dogs the right amount of food or the right type of food...because they will eat any thing, any time, any where!

On walks, their little noses are constantly going...trying to sniff out tasty little morsels. A french fry here, a pizza crust there. Even the occasional muffin wrapper has made it down the hatch before I could fish it out. Lately they've taken to eating walnut shells...that can't be good, can it?

At home, any time someone goes into the kitchen it is an event. If you take a moment to turn and look, you'll see two pairs of eyes watching your every move. "Is this my lucky day?" "Are they filling my food bowl?" "Did she just drop something?" Tonight, when Jamey was coming to sit on the couch with a snack, I saw both dogs following in perfect formation. Heidi even had her nose in the air in the "Just follow your nose" fashion from the old Fruit Loops commercials. Hillarious.

Sad Eyes

Okay, so it's Monday. Monday for most of us means workday after having a couple of days off. Well for the girls, any day when both Jamey and I are at work is a sad day. This morning we were up and at it by 6am and once the dogs see that both of us are showering right away, they know.

We're going to work.

There are a couple of ploys they use to try to make us stay home...sometimes they both go lay down in their kennels well before it's time for us to leave, as if to say "Fine, we're ready...just leave then." Today it was the sad eyes. Reese was laying on her little bed, feet out in front, nose low with the saddest puppy dog eyes ever...just hoping that Jamey and I would be convinced that quitting our jobs, living off of water and cardboard would be so much better because we would be TOGETHER all day, every day.

But, tempted as I was by Reese's offer of cardboard and water, I headed out to work. And what do you know? They both survived.

Seven years of bad luck?

I've decided I wanted to start blogging and as anyone who has one or a few dogs can attest, there is much to say about life with dogs. My husband and I have two beauties: Heidi, a two and a half year old newf mix who is full of beans and loves to cuddle and Reese, a small lab mix who has the most killer puppy face (even at the age of almost 2) along with the softest velvety ears.

I love having dogs. I never really had the chance to have pets growing up (my parents rented) and so I played it off like I didn't like animals...but I think the number of people in the world who truly don't like animals are few and far between. Anyway, so in May of 2007, we adopted Heidi and life completely changed...

Dogs are a lot of work!

There are the walks (of which we do 4-5 per day), feeding, grooming, cuddling, training, and the cleaning up after of course...and I don't just mean in the poop and scoop manner...I mean the dog fur tumbleweeds that accumulate within a day of sweeping, the water and food splatters around the food bowls, the black smudges on walls, baseboards, and even the fridge (the FRIDGE??!!) and the random gifts of clean up like the one yesterday...

I was in the shower, my husband had gone to the store, when I heard this giant crash (multiple crashes actually I think) and I was imagining the 42-inch TV crashing to the floor, or the PS3 in pieces scattered on the hardwood...and I was thinking "Oh crap, Jamey is gonna be PISSED!" (Let's just say my husband enjoys techie gadgets...) I get out of the shower, glance into the living room expecting the worst, only to find everything as I left it. Hm. Strange. I know I didn't imagine the crashing sound...I'm not on drugs...I peer cautiously into the bedroom with the glimmer of hope that they just knocked over the pedestal fan...and YIKES! Saw the damage...my beautiful antique mirror was lying on the floor with the glass shattered into a million bits. I guess it could have been worse! Glass can be replaced and no one got hurt, except that my husband got a few tiny shards of glass in his feet before I suggested we put on our shoes before we clean it up!!

So, knowing that our dogs now have 7 years of bad luck (if you're superstitious) I figured I will have LOTS to write about for quite a while.

So strap on your seatbelts and get ready for some dogtastic stories!