Ahhhh, new season...

...or as I have come to realize, duck and wabbit season. These two innocent woodland creatures have turned my daily walks with Ruby into challenging duels. On the one hand, her curiosity is adorable. On the other hand, my right shoulder is going to require surgery soon if this keeps up.

In the morning it's all bunnies. I'm convinced there are 10,000 bunnies in our neighborhood of 100 homes. And all of them, at 5:30 in the morning, like to dart across the sidewalk in front of Ruby, causing her to lunge forward and nearly take my arm from it's socket. In the afternoon on our walks around the lake, it's duck city. I know most of them are watching nests so I don't want her upsetting them. At the same time her curiosity is fairly adorable.

Which leads me to tonight's purchase dilema. Gentle leader? Or choke chain?

I hate that name, choke chain. It sounds so cruel. But I've had much success with one when Abby was a puppy. For Abby, the choker became less about the fear of the yank and subsequent choke, and all about the noise. So that all I had to do was rattle the leash and she would immediately heel right where I wanted her. Sorta like when I trained that worthless cat, whatshername, to stay off the counter by setting mousetraps and throwing them down next to her. I even hung them off the Christmas tree one year. Not set, but the rattle alone would have her running for cover.

Bottom line, I've had success, so i'm tempted. But the choke part still bothers me. I think the line of succession goes something like this:

1. Regular collar (which, let's face it, is pretty worthless from a control standpoint).


2. Body harness (Ruby is wearing one now).


3. Gentle leader.


4. Choker.


5. Barbed choker (Not sure if that's what it is called, but that's how it probably feels).


6. Shock collar.

Gentle leaders weren't around when I had my last puppy so the concept is new to me. I see advantages of it, but wonder if it teaches, or just controls while the dog is harnessed up. And given a a chance, that dog would bolt. Ruby isn't I'll-behaved. She's just crazy puppy energy and programmed to chase anything that moves. Birds, leaves, bunnies, ducks, other dogs, small children, etc.

And I'm no sissy, I actually consider myself relatively strong. On a scale of pale pink being pampered princess to blood red being power tool-weilding diva, I'm pretty darn red. But man that dog can pull. The days of me coming completely off my feet are not far behind if I don't get a handle on her. Or install a handle.

I'm conflicted and will probably end up with both. Because tonight's walk made it abundantly clear that Ruby's ever-increasing size makes it imperative that I gain a new measure of control. For everyone's sake.

In other news, my big baby continues to get bigger and bigger. And her personality becomes more clear. I like what I see. While not always completely well-behaved, she DOES mind. And she is very sensitive. Both Kevin and I scolded her for something yesterday and she immediately dropped to her bed with sad eyes and a big sigh. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she's still a baby. Her size makes it seem that she should know better. But let's face it, she really doesn't.

She had a great week last week as the boy was home on spring break. So she got lots of long walks and hardly any time in her kennel. I'm back to home on lunches, trying to level off her food. Still the same amount, but at regular intervals instead of larger amounts morning and night. This, I'm hoping, will eliminate the recurring nighttime wake-up poops. I can't argue with her telling me it's time to go out, but geesh I'd like to sleep all night again.

In other news, Ruby got to spend some quality time sliming, and getting slimed, by cousin Murphy. She was pretty well-behaved, until she decided to leave a gift on Aunt Pam's living room floor. But she felt really bad about it. She traveled well, riding in Sophie's kennel with one of her big fluffy beds. Outside the kennel, she has a hard time keeping steady. After all, her center of gravity is decidedly different than the Bulldog's. So for as long as she will fit in the kennel, that's how she'll travel. She was pretty content there. And Sophie couldn't steal her chewie, so that's a plus.

This is how we play the 'no dogs on the furniture' game now. As long as one foot is lightly resting on the floor, she considers this to be 'off the couch.' Yeah, not hardly.

But it IS kind of adorable.

All for now.

GINGER! Worthless cat's name was Ginger.

Street Legal

It has been a busy week again. I'm trying to get Ruby to last all day even without the kids home. If you've read the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day post, you'll see that isn't working. The kids are on spring break this week and at home, so Ruby will get lots of extra attention and I'll still get lunches. After that, we'll reassess the timing of all this.

Her ever-growing body continues to be a surprise to her. She still insists on cutting through the railing from the living room to the kitchen. The spindles have to spread apart by a good inch for her to fit her hips through, but she refuses to go around. Waiting for the day when we have to cut her out of the railing. THAT will be on video, I promise. She still thinks she's a lap dog and it really is getting hard to breathe when she's on my lap. I just love snuggling with her though. She now walks over the top of Sophie on a regular basis. And sometimes stops to take a rest while she's there. That's why we call her the Sopha. Because now she is one.

Growth continues to be steady. A visit to the vet yesterday had her at 38.8 pounds. She looks to be close to 21 inches tall. Her feet and legs seem to out-pace the growth everywhere else. I don't think we'll be shopping in petites for her. She had the last of her shots, including her rabies vaccination so she got her tag. She's officially licensed and street legal in the state of Illinois. Unfortunately, the shots gave her terrible diarrhea last night. But on the plus side, she must have learned more than I sometimes think she has, because she woke us up when she needed to go out. It was annoying the first couple of times, until I realized why she was so desperate. I'll get up and let her out 10 times if it means I don't have to clean up runny poop in the middle of the night! GOOD DOG!!

The weather has been awesome for walks. I take her out for about 15-20 minutes in the morning (4:45 am). Kevin lets her out when he gets home at 3:30, and then when I get home an hour later, I take her for at least an hour-long walk. She really enjoys the walks and for the most part, meeting other dogs and people. The only thing she seems to have issues with are things with wheels. Bikes, strollers, roller-blades...all freak her out on the trail. But it is nice to see her more social with living things.

Speaking of living things, she discovered something about the cat that she had either never tried, or just never noticed before. I think the video speaks for itself.

I took her and Sophie to the dog park Thursday afternoon. The weather was beautiful and there must have been 50 dogs there. Ruby wasn't timid at all about the people or the dogs. Sophie acted like a kid dropped off at the mall and just bolted to go socialize. I had to hunt her down to leave. Ruby stayed pretty close to me and the first dog we couldn't miss was a big Dane named Major. He was all black, about 150 pounds, and Ruby seemed to take to him like a big brother. It's weird. Like she knows her own kind. She wasn't really interested in socializing after that, just hung out with Major. I didn't get a picture of her sitting under him because every time I'd back away she would follow me (seems Mom trumps Major). She had a great time there. Ended up getting rolled in the mud by some spazzing yellow lab, but that's just a hazard of the dog park.

I picked up my new car right before the dog park and used that trip to try out having both dogs in it. Sophie I wasn't worried about of course, but Ruby hates not being right next to me at all times. So I tethered her to one of the tie-downs in the way back. I had a blanket in there and a chewie and a toy. And the ride is only about 15-20 minutes. What could possibly go wrong? Ruby was fine, but about 5 minutes from home I heard the unmistakable sounds of Puke-Thirty from Sophie. That's right. Had the car less than two hours, and Sophie barfed in it. She could have hit the blanket, which of course was my hope. And she did, but only about half. So the floor mat got hosed down on day one. But all is well. It won't be the last time I have to do some deep cleaning because of dogs. I know what I signed up for.

Off to take Ruby for a long walk. The weather has decided to take a turn and our 65 degrees from yesterday has turned to 30 degrees this morning. We're lucky to be missing the snow that some folks are getting today. It will be spring again by Monday, so I'm not worried.

Ruby and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Wednesday was my Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.

I woke up and had to go for a walk and while my Mom was getting ready for work, I stole more laundry and got yelled at. I barked at the hair dryer and chewed on the cabinet. I could tell it was going to be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I tried to take a morning nap and Dad wanted me to get up and use the bathroom. I didn't want to. I was tired! So I went from my upstairs kennel to my downstairs kennel without pottying. Dad forgot to leave me something to chew on in my kennel. So now all I can think about is peeing. Oh I hope they come home at lunch. It's going to be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Nobody came home at lunch. I'll show them what happens when they leave me in a kennel all day. There's a blanket on top of the kennel and I'm bored, so I think I'll pull it through the top and start chewing on it. The more fluff I make, the better I feel. Thank goodness I don't have to pee anymore. But now my bed is soaked and I stink. I'm going to get in so much trouble for this.

I think I'll move to Australia.

Dad finally came home in the afternoon and let me out. I didn't feel like pooping. I peed a little, but let's face it, I didn't really have to because I already had. He didn't notice though. He didn't even yell at me because I'd chewed up the blanket. Said it was his fault for not leaving me something legal to chew on. He had to leave again, but he said I could go with him. Yeah! I love a car ride!

My favorite person in the whole world was at the end of that car ride. My MOM. I met two other dogs and they were pretty friendly. But on the ride home, Mom had the lid off the car and it was really windy and I HATE that. AND Mom hooked me to the seat belt so I couldn't climb in her lap. I couldn't even look out at the world going by and instead I curled up in the seat and tried to stay warm. So much for my Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day getting better.

At home, Mom sees the mess I made and she isn't mad about the blanket, but she picked up my bed and it and all the blanket stuffing are soaked with cold puppy pee. NOW she's mad. But not really at me. She just said she'll have to start coming home at lunch or I'll have to drag my 'lazy butt' out of bed and pee before Dad leaves in the morning. When the kids are here, I get put in my kennel later, and out earlier. I miss them. I hope they come back soon.

So while Mom was cleaning up the mess I made, I realized I had to poop. Since I wasn't really sure how to tell her I needed to go out yet, especially when she's already mad, I just went in the front living room. Nobody hardly ever goes in there, so maybe they won't notice. Oh, she noticed. RIGHT away. And now she's REALLY mad. I had to go in my kennel without even a bed in it and she yelled at me a lot and now I just want to take a nap. It really is a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

After I woke up, I got to eat my dinner and I got the hiccups. Mom was washing my bed but she was still mad at me. We went for a walk but walked through the mud and I got all stupid when some other dog started barking at me. At home, I had to have a bath because of the mud and the pee and I got in trouble for chasing the cat. I stole a shoe. Sophie got mad at me too and didn't even want to play. I did crazy puppy run too many times and Mom told me to settle down. I had my bedtime snack and she put me in my upstairs kennel for bed but it smelled like pee too! I wasn't even IN here all day, the BIG dog was!

I didn't like the smell so I kept trying to tell Mom to help me. She just kept getting madder at me for not sleeping, so I started tearing the stuffing out of THAT bed. It got her attention for sure. She yelled 'THAT'S IT!!!!' She was so mad she put me back in the kennel downstairs and made me sleep there all night. Alone. And now, I smell like somebody else's pee too. This was indeed a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Mom says some days are like that, even in Australia.

Meeting Duke

Ruby and I went for our daily walk around Tipton Lake in the next neighborhood over. On our way back, we met the big boy in the video below. His name is Duke and his boy, Mclain, is a friend of Jamie's. Mclain was over last weekend, but it was raining, so we didn't get to meet Duke. He happened to be out front when we walked by so we stopped and said hello.

At about 150 pounds, Duke is a monster. And a giant sweetheart. He played so gentle with Ruby. And she was just eating it up. Not the least bit intimidated by him. We'll have to stop by and play some more as she grows. Duke is an example of why Great Danes are known as Gentle Giants.



In addition, I managed to get some pictures taken this weekend. I love this one. It is so hard to believe she will ever big as big as Duke. But the odds are very good.

Long Overdue

My throng of reader (those aren't typos) is due an apology for my lack of blogging. Or bloglessness. Or whatever is the appropriate terminology. You'll be glad to know I have a whole host of excuses, each one a little more believable (and true) than the last. Or not.

I became a witch and for the last two weeks have been plucking the heads off live chickens.

No?

OK, then I was arrested for public indecency and had to serve my community service over the last two weeks, scrubbing the outside of the church that I defaced by drawing Calvin and Hobbes cartoons in purple Sharpie.

No?

I've spent the last two weeks trapped under something heavy. Fortunately, it was my couch and I survived on random Pop Tart crumbs and stale popcorn.

Alright, the for-real excuse is I've just been so damn busy. Work has been insane and by the time I get home and give Ruby her now much-needed daily exercise, I'm completely spent. Two weekends ago we were in Chicago and last weekend was just...busy I guess. Also, my free download of Outlook took a dump and now I can't e-mail my iPhone pictures and video to the computer to upload them to here. I hope to be buying Outlook this weekend and have that problem corrected. (and no, you can't upload photos to the blog from the iPhone. I tried.)

So Ruby, my Great Dane...no my AWESOME Dane, is doing splendidly. Not sure I can capture the entirety of the last two weeks, but I'll try. It goes something like this:

weighs 34 pounds/created muddy mess on family room floor in the blink of an eye when snow started melting/HAS to have walks everyday/is in love with Allan who takes her for long walks everyday/went to the dog park to play came home super muddy but loved it/learned to counter-surf/LEARNED TO CATCH TREATS IN HER MOUTH!!! but only sometime/is less of a mamma's girl but still loves me more than anyone else she knows...'cept maybe Allan/continually gets ass kicked by the cat/is enjoying outside/ discovered why Sophie goes ballistic when the squirrels come up on the deck/is eating a TON of food everyday but growing slower/kicked extermely bad habit of attacking food bowl and now waits patiently for the 'OK' to eat/legs get beefier on a minute-to-minute basis/doesn't understand why couches are off limits oh who am I kidding she just doesn't CARE that couches are off limits/is much better with strangers/is MUCH calmer around cars and other outside noises thanks to Allan's long daily walks/needs to understand that an alarm that goes off at 4:40am so she can have a walk should NEVER be usurped by a puppy who wakes up at 4:35am/goes through rawhide chews like water/tonight discovered pig hooves and now has barnyard breath/mamma bought her a new car today so she has a place to sit without trashing the seats/is less afraid of the noisy boys in the house/has the occasional potty accident, but is doing very well in that department/is still the sweetest puppy/doesn't understand that the lap is not getting smaller (I WISH), SHE is getting bigger/ geese flying overhead are terrifying/PETCO is known as 'the candy store'/met Grandma and Grandpa Monroe and LOVED them/spending the whole day in the kennel now so mamma get's lunches again!/printer, because it goes off randomly (in Ruby's mind) is absolutely terrifying too/somehow still manages to squeeze body through railing but it looks painful/randomly pulled a dozen tissues out of a box before I could get to her one day/stopped barking at the hair dryer/loves to take showers with me/doesn't hate baths either/raised food bowl twice in the last week, cat can't reach it now/till hates toys that make noises making the list of ways to annoy her almost endless.

So that's the nutshell. Sorry it's short and has no pictures. I'll try to do better.

Thanks for reading!!