A Dog Park Experience

We used to go to the dog park a lot, but lately, we've been a little down-trodden.

Why, you ask?

We've had some less-than-fortunate experiences while out at the city dog parks.  Everyone has good and bad experiences, I know, but we're going with the "3 Strikes" and we're out.  All the pictures from my post are from my first and second visits to the doggie park. :)

Experience #1:
I was a wee puppy (probably 4-5 months old), and we were SO excited to go to a dog park to get some socialization!  It was probably February or March when we went, so there was still snow on the ground, and it was a nice sunny day.  I was pretty submissive when all the big dogs met me at the gate, but within 5-10 minutes, I was pretty accustomed to the dogs there and had a pretty good time.  Bosses were pretty amused, and there were TONS of dogs there (probably 30-40).  All Bosses and dogs were pretty friendly.

Running with some of my new buddies last winter.  This guy was pretty nice!

Experience #2:
We told my friend, Willie, and his Bosses, that this place was pretty cool.  It had a nice open place to run, and agility equipment.  They came with us, and we had a blast!  I still was pretty submissive, but I learned to pick my playmates and have a pretty good time.  The verdict?  Success.  Dog Park was awesome.

Willie, one of my "besties" and I running like crazy puppies.  Oh wait, we ARE crazy puppies.

Experience #3:
This time, however, was not as great.  We were there on a weekend (pretty busy), probably 30-40 dogs again.  I like to go to all the humans and say hi by leaning into them and sniffing their dogs, and I did so!  I went over to a lady and her medium-sized dog, and she KICKED me.  Really, really hard.  Dad was infuriated.  And I'm not exaggerating.  Mom was in shock.  Why in the world would you KICK a 5-month-old dog?  Or any dog, for that matter?  So, Dad went over to the lady, and asked why she kicked me.  Her response?  "I don't want your dog interacting with my dog".  THEN WHY ARE YOU AT A DOG PARK?  Come on.  This has translated into my entire life: I now bark at strangers and raise my fur, because I'm a little scared of strangers at a distance.  So thank you, Lady with dog, for giving me mixed signals.

I still am a happy pup, even if we have "bad" days at the park.

Experience #4:
Another interesting experience.  We gave the dog park another try, on a less-busy day (a Tuesday around 3:30pm). We were there, and Mom met some new people, I met some new dogs, and we had a blast!  Another lady and her Australian Sheep Dog came into the park, and they were pretty nice!  We chatted, Mom and the lady chatted, and it was fun.  The lady walked over by the entrance of the park, and her dog was wandering around the open area, doing what us dogs do...play, run, etc.  10 minutes pass, and this dog bolted at Mom and BIT her leg- just about 3" up from the Achilles.  She was wearing rubber rainboots; he latched on and wouldn't let go!  She tried to get him off herself, knowing he was friendly, but he was stopping at nothing.  She realized he had herding behaviors, so she tried moving away, but he didn't let go.  He kept tightening his grip, puncturing through the rainboot and hitting her skin (she said it was hurting a lot).

Look at me, Ma!  I'm getting my zoomies out!

The people watching from the bench did NOTHING.  She was yelling "CAN ANYONE HELP ME?" and no one came to help.  Finally, after 30 seconds of yelling and struggling, someone came to help, trying to find the owner of the dog.  And there she was: facing the parking lot, texting or on the phone with someone.  We immediately left, stunned, and ticked off that Mom's adorable rainboots were not very water-proof anymore!

Experience #5:
This, was the third strike.  We went on a weekend, and it wasn't as busy in the morning.  There were maybe 15 dogs or so, and most seemed friendly.  All owners were attentive, and watching their dogs, so we figured we'd give it a try.  Now: since I've been kicked, I'm VERY submissive to other people and dogs.  Within 15 feet of entering the field, I rolled on my back and submissively peed all over the place.  Bosses were heart-broken, seeing a jubilant puppy turn into a hot mess.  Mom & Dad helped me get used to the dogs in the park, and everything was fun- met some new people, dogs, etc.  We were fetching tennis balls at the other end, getting some quality dog-chasing in, it was great!  We were about 20-30 minutes into our adventure, when a big black dog came over and wanted to play.  He looked a little more assertive than me, but he was being nice.  I started running, though, and he dashed to get me, making me run a little faster.  We both kept speeding up, and I was bolting away from the dog.  He was running so fast, and wanted me so bad, he grabbed my back leg with his mouth and cut my leg open.  Definite third strike.  Mom and Dad were livid.

I'm not so sure how I feel about this tunnel...but no worries, I learned that it was fun and skidded through it lots more!

And we have never gone to that dog park ever again.  The dog park is a pretty popular place, because it's right off a busy highway, and is visible to a lot of people.  Anyone can bring their dog there, as long as they are up-to-date on vaccines and "well-tempered".  The one thing is that it is never regulated.  It honestly never should have to be regulated, but after three times of horrible experiences, we're not going back.  After both a dog and a person get bit, that's it.  No tolerance of that, whatsoever.  We also learned that a small-breed dog died there last year, after being attacked by a bigger dog.  You can always call in an incident, but all the social stigmas of complaining and ratting out a dog in their group of friends/"regulars"?  We might as well never go back after that, anyways.

However, there IS hope- we found a different dog park that is a bit closer to our house, that is just short of being a dog sanctuary (it's so peaceful).  We'll have to write another post about that one- we've never had a bad experience.

Here I come, Ma!

What are your dog park experiences?

Chow!

What do you do at the dog park?  I run around with one of my bff's, Willie! :)

#Thankful Thursday: How We Saved my Brother, Thor

As many of you know, I have a VERY ornery brother named Thor.  Recently, Thor had a very pressing medical issue that, if left untreated, would've killed him while Mom and Dad were gone at work.

He's a bit of an "in-your-face" kind of kitty.

The cause?

A urethral obstruction.

"A what?"

Mom noticed that Thor was being more ornery than usual in the morning while eating breakfast, so she monitored him for the hour or so before she left.  He was very sensitive to touch, sat in the middle of the hallway and howled at people, hissed when anyone got close, and was just...odd.  More odd than normal.

Not an unusual sight in our house.  He rules the roost!

Thor went down to the laundry room, where the litter box is.  Mom followed him down there, just to see if he was using the bathroom.  He walked into the litter box to do his business, but he sat there for minutes, straining to get anything out.  Mom knew exactly what was happening, and called the vet immediately to see if there were any open appointments for the day, and to get an idea of exactly how urgent the situation was.

No one ever said my brother Thor was normal...

The vet told Mom to bring him in for monitoring, since the earliest appointment they had was at 3:45 pm (as she was calling at 7:30am).  Mom got Dad to drive home from work to bring him in, since he has a much more flexible schedule than she does.  He brought Thor in, and the vet said he would monitor him to see how severe the condition was.

Thor lives by the motto "If I fits, I sits"!

Mom and Dad both received emergency phone calls at noon- the vet said that if we didn't call back in 2 minutes, that Thor would either need an emergency procedure or be euthanized- he wasn't going to survive if left alone.  Of course we called back to authorize the procedure!!!

He's really cute when he sleeps- but he's pretty crazy, so he doesn't sleep as much as a normal cat would.

Luckily, the vet saved him, and he stayed at the vet for 2 days to make sure he was using the litter box alright.  He came home, and boy, you could tell he was a happy kitty! His twin sister, Allie, was confused, and hissed at him, but they warmed up within a day and they're back to snuggling in a big gray/white striped ball again. :)

Aren't they a cute pair? :)

We're beyond glad we have our little ornery kitty- it is definitely one thing we are thankful for this November.  Recently, we have started a new way of thinking: always finding positive and wonderful things to be grateful for.  It really cuts down on the negativity in life, and our home is more joyful because of it.

The infamous picture that made it to Grainbelt's Twitter page- he's officially a Beer Box cat!

What are you thankful for today?

Mom didn't get her hair binder back that day.

Back when Thor was a kitten & Bosses lived in an apartment...

Thor's curiosity for the big camera...

He likes to lay on Mom's desk and watch her sew.  I don't blame him- he gets pet up there!

Chow!

Wordless Wednesday- Hockey!!!

Okay, we're big fans of hockey here....living in Minnesota and all.  Big Boss won tickets through his work to go to the Minnesota Wild hockey game last night, and you know what the worst part is?!

See? I'm all ready to meet my fans (and watch hockey)!!

They left me HERE, while they went out and had FUN.  Think of all the hands that would've pet me- the Xcel Energy Center (where they play) holds 18,568 people. Multiply that by 2, and you have, wait, shoot, my paws don't work a calculator very well, wait for it....

37,136 HANDS. 

Really, bosses?!

This is what I think of you.

Hmph.  Guess I'll just cheer from home. :-(

Chow.

#AdventureDogChat Road-Trippin' to Duluth

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

This week, I thought I'd show you a fun little trip that we took to Duluth after a camping trip on the North Shore.  Mom and Dad loooove Duluth, because the area is just so beautiful!  These pictures were taken in Canal Park, right on Lake Superior.  While the water is terribly chilly all year, sitting next to it and watching the lift bridge go up/down, looking at barges, shopping at quaint shops, and visiting a brewery are always on the "to-do" list when going there.  Enjoy!

Jax and I on Canal Park Brewery's dog-friendly patio.  We loved begging for food and watching people walk by!

 The Bosses love to go to breweries, as they are big into craft beer.  As a matter of fact, they brew beer in our kitchen.  Someday, I'd like to put in an order of "dog-friendly" beer- think there's a way to do that?

I'm underneath the table- you can see my tail and, ahem, rear end. :)  Check out their awesome beer selection!

 Canal Park Brewery has a great patio, and great service.  The servers loved having us dogs as well.  They even provided us with water dishes!  How thoughtful!

Hey, uhh, Boss, can you spare me some of that beer?  Please?

 Bosses and Jax's Bosses said the beer and food were both fantastic.  It's very accessible, too.  Mom and Dad always get beer cheese soup and a tasty beer to boot. :)

Bosses didn't want to share any beer- they said "not until I'm 3"! (And by that, they mean never, since it's bad for me)

 It was such a lovely day when we went!  The sun was shining, it was pretty warm out, and there was a breeze.  Sometimes, it's pretty cold and windy up there because of the big lake, but the afternoon was perfect!

Lovin' the North Shore life!  Watching people on the boardwalk was a lot of fun.

 I still am pretty energetic for a patio, but we're working on it.  The people passing by made me pretty hyper, and I liked to try to go get their hands for some high-quality pets.  If that fence was just a little bit shorter, I bet I could've hopped it!  Rats.

Oooooh, a barge off in the distance!  How neat!

 Dad's favorite thing to do is see the lift bridge go up and down (aside from enjoying craft beer).  He says he really wants to see a barge go through the canal- they don't go through it much on weekends.  Luckily, they have a schedule online, and someday we'll catch one going through!

End of the canal into the harbor- the lift bridge is just to the right!

 The scenery "Up North" is breathtaking.  The rocks, the water, the trees (well, not in this picture, but everywhere else)!  Everything is very quaint and serene- Mom and Dad would love to have a cabin in a place like this someday!

Some humans are crazy enough to swim out to that abandoned building. Jax's Dad did! But I think they're nuts.

A gorgeous day for a walk next to Lake Superior!

Big Boss loves me.  A lot. :)

Look!  My bosses!  I love adventuring!

We love to go on adventures.  Have you ever been to the North Shore?  Or another place that you thought was really nifty?  Let me know, so I can tell the Bosses to put it on the bucket list! :)

Chow!

This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs every Tuesday.

Monday Mischief: Project Sadie

Whew, it's Monday.  What a weekend! All my pictures would be of me sleeping, so I thought some "throwback" pictures would be kind of fun. :)

Post-bath hyena run, with my tire toy in my mouth.

Puppy Sadie, ready for destruction!

Now here we are, Monday- lately, since Kaiser has left our roost, I have been a little off-kilter.  I was SO happy to have a little buddy that lived with me.  Now I'm stuck with my little kitty siblings, and they aren't really fond of playing with me.  Alas, I have been causing some mischief.  During the 5 1/2 hours Mom is gone, I get a lot accomplished- I ate another stair's worth of carpet and padding, I left the contents of my bladder on the carpet, and shredded some newspaper and stuffies all over the carpet.  Mom was NOT amused.

I get rewarded for playing with appropriate toys!

Mom is pretty disappointed when I do this, but Dad?  He really is not amused.  They have been thinking of some solutions to curb my problems.  Dad suggested that I get crated for the day while both of them are gone at work.  This works for many, many people, but  Mom feels bad that I have to spend 5 1/2 hours in a crate, so she got creative and came up with this plan:

Naughty naughty!

Operation Sadie.

Purpose: To get me to stop my behaviors when home by myself.

The plan:

1. As Mom leaves (she's the last one to go), I get a Kong with peanut butter slathered on the inside.  This teaches me that good things come, even if I am apart from my humans!
2. I now have a soft radio playing in the background.  Mom thinks this will help to have some white noise, therefore keeping my brain from going crazy!
3. The landing/basement have been baby-gated so I can't even touch the stairs.  That way, the stairs aren't even an option.  I have plenty to do upstairs.  Mom and Dad are going to eventually cover the stairs/upper level with nice laminate flooring, but that involves $$, as you know.
4. All bedroom doors are shut, and the bathroom mats are hung up on the shower rod.  I have been known to shred a few memory foam bath mats, so now that they're out of my reach, I can't even go there. *sigh*

Me, surrounded by my good toys!

So far, this has worked for 3 days.  Think this might work long-haul?  What are your suggestions for curbing the mischief to an appropriate level? :)

Mission accomplished!  A tired doggie!

Black and White Sunday: Enjoying the Weather While it Lasts

Hello, Everyone!

Whew, it was so refreshing to get an extra hour of sleep last night! I sure enjoyed it- we've been pretty tired around here.

With the extra hour, though, comes one thing: the sun sets one hour earlier.  So, with that in mind, time to run while the sun's out and the grass is somewhat green!

Sepia Saturday- Halloween Treats

Bosses got me a stuffed pumpkin- any guesses on how long it lasted?

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/#sthash.4pjBE6kJ.dpuf