September Chat

Glenda, I know what you mean about the stillness without a dog. When Frisby died I didn't last long--it was awful (both that she died and the stillness!). I am pretty sure the kitty will be calling your house "home" pretty soon--or at least it will stop by on a regular basis!

Doug, I sure hope Sky feels better soon! I do love airedales-I've never seen one work, but I can imagine it is a sight to see.

My Rock-A-Doodle is learning to walk on the lead without pulling! I realized (duh!) that everything I'm asking him to do is pretty much opposite what he was trained to do as a coon dog. He is a smart boy and he's getting it. He met three kids today--he loves them and they loved his big ears. Mozey has figured out that he is a messy eater, so she "cleans" after he finishes eating.

Today, we had a bit of a break from the heat, but it's coming back with a vengeance tomorrow and Thursday. Then decent through Sunday and super hot to start next week. I agree, Glenda, enough already! I am having to water the garden, too, and it has been a while.

PS Glenda, I know you'll find the right young dog or pup. Do you think you'll look at  a GSD or another breed?

Will try again since I got a validation error when I tried to post. Kate, yes, I'm leaning towards another GSD simply because after so many years with them, anything smaller seems fragile somehow! But, the right dog will be the right dog, regardless of breed.

Glenda you should have received an email telling you that this thread had been moved.

Yes, I was. But, I followed the link to Kate's post and wasn't able to post until I went to custom text and tried again.

I'm having a busy week -- too many deadlines that are falling close together, and I'd like take Monday off, so I'm trying to wrap things up as much as possible.  It looks like I'll have to work for a couple hours on Saturday, but I can handle that if I can get Monday off.  

We finally got a bit of rain and some cooler temps this week.  In fact, this morning it was down-right chilly when I went to work.  Actually, it was my favorite kind of weather -- sun and blue sky, but crisp air, maybe 58-60 degrees.  I even put the heated seat on in my car on my drive in!  This afternoon it got cloudier and a few minutes ago I heard fairly heavy rain on the office skylight.  

I'm sorry to hear that Sky 's got a cough -- hopefully it's just a passing thing.  Maybe it's just a tickle in his throat from ragweed pollen or some other autumn allergen.

Glenda, I can understand your conflict about whether to get a puppy or a more mature dog.  I was adamant about not wanting the work of an 8 week old puppy again (it was hard work when I was 15+ years younger when we got Tonka!).  However, you do risk getting a dog with some issues if you don't do all the socializing and training yourself from the earliest days.  Despite how wonderfully Ruby performed on the SAFER testing they did at the shelter and how well behaved she  was when we met her (and for the first few weeks of being at home with us), her primary problems stem from not being socialized well during her formative months.  It's a struggle to have a dog who's a little bit dog-reactive AND a breed that most people fear or judge.

Kate, I can just imagine how hard it is to get a hound-type dog NOT pull on a leash, following his nose and forging ahead, looking to track down what his sniffer detects!  You must be doing a lot of great training with him.  Too funny about the messy eating and the "help" he gets with cleaning up!  

Back to the piles on my desk.  A few more things to do before I can go home today.

Sky is feeling better. Occasionally barks like a goose, but we can see the improvement. Had him to the WMA for a run, then a short swim in the creek. Vet said the cough is just a summer thing. Dog park meeting, lick mouths, cough, spit up a bit, get better. His blood work looks good though. He got the cough a little worse because of the liver thing, but is just as crazy as ever. . His endurance is low, especially with the heat and sun today. He sat in the creek for a while, just enjoying. I think we will hit the WMA early tomorrow. Going to avoid the dog park for a bit.

Looking at reviews of a dog trainer, and I don't know. One complaint that the dog came back head shy. Worries me. Nobody hits my dog for any reason.

Tracy, before writing about "piles on my desk".........

New carpet is in. Soft underfoot. Clean. Unmarked by dog or cat. New windows for basement are on order. Son is coming Monday to put up our kitchen backsplash. I have to provide good beer. Son is thinking about biking down-it's "only" 50 miles one way. Maybe lots of good beer.

Has a surprise storm hit the other night. 2" of rain. Good test of the new patio drain system. It passed.

Glenda-the size thing is real. You get used to a breed, size and mannerisms. I am used to hunting dogs, and now, ESS. I didn't even look at labs when Gunther died. They just seemed too tall. And I've had labs and liked them.

New picture of Sky in "Gallery". Couldn't post it here.

Yes, I was. But, I followed the link to Kate's post and wasn't able to post until I went to custom text and tried again.

Weird. My post from last night just popped up when I tried to post something else.....what's going on baddog? I can't post without using the custom text editor....keep getting "validation error" and I'm on the regular puter.

Glad to hear that Sky is ok.

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Hi -- not being anti-social, but I've had really bad sciatica the last 3 months *and* this time I can't frigging SIT.  (No I can't walk, I can't stand, and at first lying down was awful, but I **still** can't sit and  I **GOTTA** sit to work,.  Work has been insanely busy but by the time I get home I'm just trashed and wind up lying down.  But I really can't bring myself to complain about a job when so many don't have one.  and Busy is better than b-o-r-e-d!

I think if one more person tells me "well you know we don't heal as well when we're over 60" I may just deck them.  as you can all see I've still got that "shyness" problem??? *sigh*  

Tracy I would send you rain if I could.  In all the years I've lived down here I have never seen a year as relentlessly WET.  The rain just really doesn't stop and neither does the humidity when it's not flat out raining.  The water level in the lakes is frankly alarming and everything is mold and mildew.  I wish there was a way to even it out!!

Glenda -- fwiw I am just so not a puppy person.  Luna has been an enormous challenge -- she was SO well socialized with dogs it took us 2 years to get her to listen to US.   In any training class she's the one the trainers all just LOVE ... (but I promise you I will never ever ever EVER have a hound ever again in my life!!  oh the whines and that frigging talking!!  I actually have a dog who talks more than *I* do!!) but she's the one we took because I felt sorry for her.  LOL

Our only restriction is it has to be a dog *I* can lift.  I absolutely will not ever have a dog that *I* can't get to the vet for help because I can't lift it.  So 30 pounds is kinda pushing it for me ... but it still creates a wide open area of breeds for us, and I honestly enjoy learning to get inside their heads..  Charlie just keeps getting sweeter (but Tracy -- HE would send you **ALL** of the rain if he could!!), Luna is 14 and slowing down, but she's never boring, and La Pug is still making me smile constantly.  I can't believe she's 8 and I wish I could just freeze time and have none of them age!!

Callie, it's so nice to hear from you.  I'm sorry that you've been battling the sciatica for so long.  Not a happy way to spend the summer!  Tell Charlie we'd be happy to take all the rain he's offering . . . it is truly frustrating to see opposite extremes around the country.  The places like Florida with heavy rains and flooding versus the tinder boxes of drought in our part of the country.  It's crazy how Mother Nature can cause such problems in totally different ways.  

I totally agree with your wish that we could keep our dogs from aging (and ourselves, for that matter).  We notice some grey hair in Ruby's muzzle and it makes us a bit sad.  I told DH that maybe we should color her fur so we can keep from accepting that sign of aging.  That's what I do with my grey hair!

Doug, I should have been more clear about the piles of PAPER on desk . . . but on some days, the reference you picked up might just be how I'd describe  what I'm facing at work!  :-)

Today was the last day of an easier drive to work.  Next week the kids will be back in school and the traffic will be worse with buses and parents transporting kids in the morning!

Wow, Callie. This has been going on for way too long. Buy, if I recall your allergies make it even harder to treat?

I truly am torn about age. I didn't mind pups so much, but it's been a long time, I've gotten older, and cleaning up puppy piddle doesn't appeal to me. But, even if I found a young dog, 6 months old or so, I could have some major issues to deal with depending on how the pup had spent the first months of his/her life. The shelters and rescues don't necessarily midlead or misrepresent, but they pretty much know what they've been told and/or seen themselves and these people are somewhat outnumbered by critters. And I sure wouldn't take a dog back like I might a pair of shoes.......

Speaking of allergies.......I went without even a single benedryl, forget the RX stuff, for a week, so that I could have allergy testing done yesterday. No one told me that I shouldn't take beta blockers and that they wouldn't allergy test with me on them. Seriously????? A week I went through absolute hades??? For nothing? I'm glad that they are diligent enough not to take chances....the beta blockers mean that in the case of a severe allergic reaction, epi wouldn't work and basically, I could die from allergy testing. Yep, not a good day to die so......But. That practice HAS my meds list since I've had surgery done through there in the past few months. Maybe review it? Maybe mention drugs that shouldn't be taken? BEFORE someone suffers through a week of no allergy meds FOR NO REASON???? Now I'm going to have to go through that again.

My doc was cool about eliminating the beta blockers since the BP has been well controlled for several months. He called me last nite after his office hours and told me that the other doc had called, asked if I was willing to not take that med and we made a plan. Easy peasy....had someone from the ENT's office just said something in advance......sigh!

At least I got the procedure set up to have my deviated septum repaired while I was there. Will have an actual date early next week. I had to laugh at the PA. She was telling me that for the week or so right after surgery with the tubes and all that jazz I might not be able to breathe through my nose. So.....the darned thing hasn't ever worked before, it's going to actually be a learning process to figure out how to actually be able to keep my lips together and get air through my nose!!

Must be getting old....today I actually took a nap! However, since I got up at 3AM so I could take Ryan to the airport...he's going to spend a long weekend in VA with his baby brother, the Sous Chef, I guess I can be forgiven! I honestly don't recall the last time I actually slept during the day!

Gosh, no dog, no adult son, just Todd and I for the next few days. Can't imagine what we'll do......

So sorry Callie that you are suffering so badly with your sciatica. I'm with you about a dog that you can pick up. One of ours  (Corey) is 35 and the other (Gus) is 52 or there abouts. It's actually easier to pick up Gus than Corey. I wouldn't be able to carry either of them too far but I can at least pick them up and get them into a vehicle. When I see the bigger dogs I always think of the one (Alaska)  who had to be picked up while he was in a Grand Mal seizure. He was 75 lbs and it wasn't easy for my husband to pick him up. Anything bigger would about been impossible.

Glenda, I'd go for the 6 month or older dog. When they are older like that ,I think anyway, that you can see what there personality is apt to be. You start with a puppy and you really can't necessarily tell what their true personality will be, when the pup becomes adult. No matter what you might do, they still have their individual personalities. Good luck with your deviated septum surgery. I just can't bring myself to have that done. It sounds awful. Will be waiting to hear how it goes for you.

Had to access the forum through my email. When I tried to just come to the site by putting address in address bar, I couldn't seem to find the August or September thread. Could only see July.

The surgery is supposed to be much easier than it was when my boys both had it done 20+ years ago, but still.....not encouraged by the post op instructions, however to actually be able to breathe through my nose and also provide a far less fertile breeding ground for all the allergens that find their one into the nasal passages, will be worthwhile. Once I know when the procedure will be, will post, and then, of course, after the fact. Now to convince my DS to do whatever it takes to be able to use my puter on the first floor.......

Speaking of DS, he is 36 years old today. This is my BABY who is so old! Yikes! Guess that really makes me old!