destruction

Ace is not my favourite pooch this week. After leaving both dogs loose during the day for the past two weeks, we had some destruction the past two days. Yesterday I came home from an 8 hour school day to kleenex scattered around the floor, and two pairs of now un-wearable underwear.

Nice.

This morning I thought maybe it was a fluke (they've been so good lately!), and left them loose for a shorter amount of time, around 6 hours. I lost another pair of underwear and a bag of tortillas which was sitting on the counter.

I was also short a crate today (I gave away a crappy one yesterday, and was not able to pick up my new, but still used, crate this afternoon), so since I suspected Ace was the culprit, he was crated. Willow was left loose, to great success.

1 point for Willow, the foster
0 points for Ace, the pet

I'm going to have to test Ace a bit, to try to figure out if this is behavioral or if he is just not getting enough exercise. Maybe both?
Time will tell.

re-homing dogs

While I believe that owning a dog is a lifelong commitment, I do understand that there are times when a dog must be re-homed. This does not mean dropped off at a shelter, but it could include working with a rescue organization or your vet to network and find a more suitable home for your dog. Sometimes a dog may have to be re-homed if the family situation changes (increasing number of children often means decreasing amount of time for your dog), financial situation changes, or other unknown factors that crop up. When I was a kid my family had to re-home our dog, because my parents just could not figure out how to deal with her anxiety issues in a humane way.

However, I have met a few people who have re-homed dogs for reasons that I cannot comprehend. For example, people who have re-homed an older dog when it did not get along with their newer dog. And these are pets, not working dogs in any capacity. While I believe that working dogs should still be loved and cherished, I understand that there are different standards for dogs who serve a purpose. For example, I could understand a family re-homing their pet border collie to another family who could guarantee work for the dog. Likewise, service dogs who have been retired and their human was unable to care for them as a pet. 

Oops, better get back on track. The point of this post is...

How can you choose to give up a dog you have loved for the past six years, to keep a dog you have had for the past two months? Shouldn't seniority count for something? If anyone can explain this to me, I would love to hear from you.

I suppose I should remember that we live in a throw-away society, and that our pets are often treated with less respect than our cell phones.

willow at the cottage

Last weekend at the cottage I kept Willow out of the sand and the water, since she had open sores caused by excessive itching. Although not a happy camper, she still managed to relax and enjoy being outside!

happy hikers

Just look at those smiles!!!
If only my camera was fast enough to catch the actual hiking... 

Willow smiling at the camera, tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth.

Ace coming towards me through the field of goldenrod.

Willow and Ace smiling for the camera. What happy dogs :)

mutluks

Ok, so when my parents moved to a brand new house in January, it meant big changes for my beasties. Firstly, Willow was no longer allowed to visit - only one dog at a time could enter through the sacred doors. And since Ace is 10x more popular than Willow - which I totally don't understand, since she is more gentle and less work - he is usually the only one invited. However after my first visit with Ace (who promptly gouged out chucks of the staircase with his nails), booties became a requirement for any dog who expected to stay anywhere other than the basement. 

Enter Mutluks. 

 

With a light rubber for the sole and around the toe to keep from slipping, the booties are held in place by velcro straps around the ankle. Not a bad design. Luckily Ace is one of the most accepting dogs I know, and even though he doesn't like them, he tolerates them pretty well. After only a few verbal corrections, he stopped trying to rip them off. 

Notice Archie investigating his brother's discomfort. Archie has worn Soft Paws for several years now, so he's probably glad that Ace has his own torture to bear.

So the moral of the story is that Mutluks are a great option to keep hardwood floors scratch-free, as long as your dog is as big a push-over as mine is.

And that my parents are crazy. It's a friggen house, not a museum.