Baby it’s cold outside!

Well, I’ll tell ya’, it really is getting cold outside. I have seen photos of snow dustings from friends in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and New Hartford, New York, and doors each covered in a sheet of ice in Dayton, Ohio. 

So far as yet a sweatshirt has sufficed. I had to switch out my flip flops for socks and sneakers, but that was about it. Tonight I really should have worn a jacket to break this terrible gusting wind pummeling me as I walked the dog. It really was so forceful we had to bring the flag inside, and most of the decorations. The umbrella was blown into the pool! We fished it out but it was still so windy today that I couldn’t open it up to dry the inside. I flipped it over to dry more flaps and a gallon of water must have fallen from the folds.

I’m going to have to get my barn coat out and change out my fashion sweatshirt for a real one. Red ears need earmuffs or a warm cap and the neck is naked without scarf. I may not like decorating for the winter holidays before my birthday (in mid-November!) but I do like breaking out the mittens and scarves! I will even admit to (website) window shopping for fashionable coats. 

Baby it’s cold outside!

(clipart)

Dog Days: Day 2 (Veteran's Day)

Day 2 brings Tanner a bit more calmness. He stays mostly in his crate but comes out and follows us around as we walk the house. Last night we tried to secure the crate but he whined and pawed at the crate door. I was already asleep by then. DH woke me up to ask what to do and I told him to just let him out. He stayed in his crate.

Both of us are off from work today, Veteran's Day. It was the perfect weather outside so we took our coffee out and sat at our patio table. To make sure the dog wasn't afraid of the pool after his dunking last night, I made sure he saw me walking the perimeter.

redhooklibrary.org

After a while, as we chatted I saw him walking around the pool. Score! No fear, at least not to walk around it. He even bent down to drink out of the pool.

We decided to skip the free meal or appetizer offered by many restaurants in honor of Veteran's Day. It is always so crowded, stressful. I was hoping to go out for lunch to beat some of the rush but we slept in and had a leisurely morning.

When Tanner walked between us as we sat I tried to pet his head up to a level position and softly pull his tail up. I saw it on The Dog Whisperer. He had tied the tail to the lead so both the head and tail were up, offering the dog forced confidence. Think a support to walk with a straight back, like a dancer. You feel taller, in charge, powerful. Works for dogs, too. DH noticed I was doing it, and then we happened to watch that exact show later that day. Funny how the universe works out.

An appointment was made for grooming at a local Petsmart. This way we could get him washed and see how he acts towards dogs. We had debated whether we wanted to put him into the car so the windows go down, or the truck which only has pop-out windows in the back cab.

We went out to lunch at a local Thai place and left the dog out of the crate as a trial. He was just fine.

We decided on the truck in case of an accident, its easier to clean. This time we decided not to use the crate and threw caution to the wind. Around the block and back if he couldn't take it. But he was just fine. We put a blanket down but he pulled it down and pawed at it when he turn in a circle, like nesting, to lay down. Every once in a while he would sit up and look out the window. No whining, no fuss.

We should have taken him for another walk just before the trip because he was even more nervous walking through the parking lot than he was in the house.

We encountered some dogs and he was great with them. Stopped shaking, smelled, circled, it was a huge positive. It got his mind off the grooming room until the dog left and then he started shaking again. DH was nervous leaving him. (awww)

I told the attendants that we had no idea how he would behave and if there was a problem to just stop and we will come get him. But they said he did just fine, nervous, but very well behaved. Excellent. What we did not know was that it was a 3 hour process. During the wait, we bought a lead (short leash) a few water bowls for outside and a new bed to fit in the cage. We grabbed some treats and a toy-on sale, too.

www.pawesome.net

After that we walked over to Ross to check out the bathmats to go under Tanner's food and water bowl. We decided to just use one of the old towels we have at home. From there we went to Walmart to buy a car cell phone charger and scored a light-up leash we saw someone in our neighborhood use.

I had posted on a facebook page to see if I could borrow a few baby gates to try to let the dog walk around the kitchen near his food and water but not to access the carpet or furniture. So many mom's offered gates, it was wonderful. We headed west to the neighborhoods over there to pick them up. As it turned out, they all live in neighboring developments.

As we were headed that way we go the call to pick up the dog, of course. DH was instantly worried the place would close on him and we wouldn't get him back home, that he would be locked in. Ridiculous, he was just attached to the dog, it's so cute. I knew the last appointment was at 6 pm so if three hours were needed we had until 9 pm.

Tanner was shaking but just fine. Another good interaction with a dog and then we went home. Again the trip was fine. We went for a walk before turning in.

Dog Days: Day 1

We have a dog!!!

My friend Des's sweet little boy has severe asthma and the dog was making it much, much worse. The doctor told her it was best to rehome the dog for the sake of his breathing and I saw her post his picture on a few facebook pages.

We had already planned to foster a rescue dog and figured now was a good time. I contacted her to let her know we were interested but to let him go to anyone who could get there before me. A few people interested couldn't take him and so he was still around. I wanted to make sure we were both meeting him at the same time and at his own house. I had talked with her before about him and she was very forthcoming with the pros and the cons of his personality. Great with kids and dogs, stays in the crate, only like soft toys. 

Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, is a staple at this house so we knew we had to take him for a walk. Living on base, Des's house was the perfect location. As soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk kids went whizzing by, strange noises came from bikes or scooters, cars drove right next to us and through it all  he was unfazed. Great.

I made sure DH was there with me the first time I met the dog. He was rescued during a deployment so there was no way to know if his skittishness around males was from a past abuse or just confusion as to why a strange male was suddenly allowed in the house-or a combo of both. I wanted DH to be there to make sure the dog was ok with him. Any trouble and he was a no-go; he seemed perfectly fine.

He came with a plastic crate and we were told he sometimes had to be locked out of it so he would be around the family and not inside of it. None of our dogs growing up ever had a crate so it's my plan to get rid of that. We shall see.

The crate went into the truck and Des's DH picked up the dog and put him in; he apparently freaks out if not in the crate for car rides.

Getting him home was fine, he was quiet, and we couldn't tell much more because the crate is opaque.  To cement the relationship between dog and man, as we were told he follows Des around (and therefore probably me also), I had DH take him for a walk while I unpacked his stuff from the truck. It was at this time I managed to lose control of the full dog bowl and toss it all over the inside of the truck and out on to the driveway. What a mess. At least it was dry. The dog did not want to walk without me (aw!) but he did just fine.

In the house he checked out the lower level. We kept the leash on him just in case, an idea from the Dog Whisperer. Using the leash we were able to convince Tanner to go upstairs and check out the rooms up there but he headed right back down stairs, where we unhooked the leash. I knew to limit him because nervous dogs can be overwhelmed with so much space.

He spent most of the time in the crate. By the time we got him home it was dark out and we thought nothing of letting him out into the backyard. On base they have a good space of grass or rock. Here was have three steps and then a pool. He went right out the door and into the pool on the wading deck, up to his ears. Poor thing, it was cold out.

I yelled into the house for DH, who was upstairs, to bring towels. I dried off the dog with lots of rubbing but managed to miss his neck which became obvious when inside, the dog kept putting his head on my lap, wetting my pants.

He is inquisitive but so skittish. I did notice Tanner searched for DH when went out to pull the truck into the garage. Definitely a good sign.