Best dressed doggie

This has got to be the cutest dog coat ever, even if I do say so myself! I was paper piecing heart blocks a couple of weeks ago for the Pike River mine disaster charity quilts effort in New Zealand, and said "Red hearts would look very nice on my brother's dog." So, a dog coat was born.

Having no dog to model it, I pressed my trusty Juki into service:

I can't wait to see this on Pepper!

I liked it so much I made this one too in animal print for the diva that she is! Note the red lining.

Puppy trouble

My neighbor, owner of the two "rat dogs", the miniature pinschers about which I have written, has taken to feeding a stray puppy. It's a pit bull mix, perhaps part retriever of some sort, caramel tan brindle with the most striking gray/green eyes and white toe tips. He's a young dog, probably less than three months, but obviously going to be big when he's grown. Her daughter is calling him Caramel, in fact. He's an attractive animal but I'm hoping that she doesn't keep him.

Her twenty-something son, according to her youngest daughter, is in favor of keeping the puppy and finding a new home for the min pins, a difficult task because they are over 10 years old and not reliably house broken, and she doesn't want to split them up. When you think about it, the son's preference is obvious, though. What pet would a young man want - a pit bull mix or a couple of yappy rat dogs? But none of the family seem to be very pet-oriented past the "have a dog out in the back yard" level. The min pins were the late husband's dogs, and my neighbor has already said that she's only keeping them because he liked them so much. She's a self-admitted non-dog-person. The youngest daughter is even allergic to dogs. No one in the family seems to give them a lot of attention, although they get good treatment - food, water, shelter, vet care. It just seems that they don't get much interaction, socialization or love. I feel sorry for them and try to fill in with love and attention with I can. They were both consummate escape artists and were constantly slipping out of the fence and roaming the neighborhood. Neither dog has any road sense at all and were in danger of being hit by a car. Thank goodness it seems that the neighbor has finally solved the escape problem because neither has been outside of the fence in several weeks. I go to the corner of the fence to talk to the poor dogs and toss dog biscuits.

The puppy and the min pins aren't getting along - the pup's already bigger than they are and very rambunctious, and the other dogs are older and probably don't appreciate rough play. If she is going to keep this puppy, she needs to instigate some rules right now or the min pins are in danger of being harmed. The male min pin has hip issues an the female dog is very small and fragile. Even unintentionally, the puppy could hurt them. I don't discount pit bulls out of hand, but I have known several people with pit mixes, and while they were great people dogs, they were intolerant of other animals.

Since my neighbor and her son work a lot of hours, and the daughter goes to school and is allergic to boot, I can't imagine that this puppy with get the attention and training that he's going to need to start him out right and make him a good pet. I envision an awfully lot of barking and car chasing in the future, as well as unmannerly behavior and possibly aggression. So it's kind of a mess. I've already started my "the neighbor lady is really nice" training this morning with petting and dog biscuits and also trying to instill some manners by discouraging jumping and clothes tugging, and making him sit down to be petted. It's only smart to be on this dog's good side if he's staying. Hey, it's worked for years with other neighborhood dogs. Haven't met a dog yet who couldn't be bribed with a cookie.

In the meantime, the local shelter probably isn't the place to take a stray dog right now because the Humane Society yesterday raided a pet store in the local mall and carted off all the puppies and other animals because of substandard treatment. This has contributed to the city Animal Control's chronic overcrowding issues. I'm all for this raid because the puppies in that pet store looked sickly (products of puppy mills), but there is only so much room in the shelter. While it's not a no-kill shelter, it does keep the animals longer than other places I've seen and has a pretty good placement record. They try to only put down animals that are non-adoptable due to aggressive behavior reasons or bad health. But, if you look at their "Pet Parade" program of dogs available for adoption on the cable On-Demand channel, almost every one there is part pit bull. It's obvious. So this little guy may not have a good chance if he's taken to the shelter. It's a mess, all right.

Vanity, thy name is doggie

After my brother retired, he got a dog. Now, he's had a succession of dogs throughout his life, starting with a puppy for his birthday at the age of six. All the other dogs he has had, however, have been regular old outdoor, live in a doghouse dogs, not short furry people with living room access.

Pepper is a striking dog, so named because she's sprinkled with black spots as if well peppered, as my sister-in-law said. Supposedly she is half Australian Shepherd, half Shiba Inu. I will believe the Shiba part, because she has many of the physical characteristics, but she got blue eyes from somewhere else - people eyes, I call them. I think it's disturbing to look a dog in the face when it's got the same color eyes as you do. But, I digress.

Part of Pepper's daily routine is a visit to my mother's house during one of their daily walks, which is just a block from my brother's. She even comes inside the house at Mom's, which I would have never believed in a million years unless I had seen it myself. Mom is not an indoor animal person. She has, however, accepted that three of her "grandchildren" appear to be two cats and a dog, and if I were to visit with my Molly, the cat would be welcomed indoors (who are you and what have you done with my mother? But, I digress again.).

For Christmas Pepper got packages like everyone else in the house - treats and squeaky toys and a very nice light blue rain coat, lined with warm snuggly flannel. I bought this at the Petsmart while surreptitiously eyeing the dogs in the groomer's, trying to find one Pepper-sized to check the fit of the coat. I wasn't sure that my brother would clothe a dog, even though he is very fond of her. But, Christmas afternoon, he suited her up and went for a walk. By the way, Pepper took to the coat like gangbusters and didn't make a whimper of protest. She seemed to really like it.

Up and down the block they went, until my brother turned for home. Pepper would have none of it. Did she want to go to Granny's house? No. Have an off-lead run at the ball field? Not a chance. She lead him down the block, turned the corner and came to a stop in front of the house where one of her playmates lives, a small fluffy white dog who has an array of coats and slickers for inclement weather days.

Pepper stayed rooted to the spot like a statue for quite a while, until my brother coaxed her to go home. We think she wanted to show off her new coat to her doggie pal, as if to say, "See? You're not the only one with a pretty outfit."

Requiem for a good dog

My neighbor has a little chihuahua named Pepe. He's purebred but not the best example of the breed. He's always been a little plump and has a crossbite that gives him a snaggletooth look. Despite his conformation faults, he is an excellent companion for this lady, who lost her husband about 11 years ago and now lives alone.

Her husband was the one who actually bought the dog from a neighbor who wasn't giving the little puppy very good care. He just couldn't stand to see the dog mistreated. As a result, the couple got a loyal pal. The poor thing grieved pitifully when his master died. After her husband's passing, Pepe became very attached to the lady, and shadows her every waking minute of her day.

Now, almost 14 years old, he is terribly spoiled and adored. But a few months ago Pepe started losing weight. Alarmed, she took him to the vet this week and found out the awful reason. Pepe is diabetic and very sick. He's almost blind from cataracts. His diabetes is so severe that it could not be controlled by oral medication. If he were to be treated it would be by insulin injections twice a day. My neighbor is in her upper 80's and lives alone; she is not sure if she would be able to do this by herself. She also worries about his quality of life and how he could live with his failing sight.

Now she faces the most horrible decision a pet owner can imagine. Pepe is on a strict diet for now, but his disease is not abated. He will probably lose the rest of his sight. His kidneys may fail. He has lived a wonderful life and has meant so much to her, but she must let him go. Soon, she must give him her last gesture of affection, a peaceful passing.

She didn't have a good photograph of him so I went over this evening to take a few pictures of Pepe so she will have a memento. Pensively, she said to me, "I lost my husband, I lost my sister, I lost my mother, and now I'm losing my dog." That tells everything about how important this little dog is to her, and how much company he has been.

Good boy, Pepe.

Location is everything

Since I have told you about my relationship with the neighbor's dogs, I will recount this little story from yesterday. I was outside watering the flowers and enjoying the evening when Sparkle and Fritz appeared around the side of the house. After I got them calmed down, we all sat down underneath the oak tree for a little head-patting time (the dog cookies were in the garage - they would have to be happy with affection alone). After a few minutes, Fritz stood up abruptly, his head cocked sideways, and then trotted off around the yard to his house. Something had happened on his home turf that demanded his attention.

Sparkle and I moved onto the front stoop, where I sat enjoying the evening and she lay on the rug facing the front door, listening to my husband talking on the phone inside. (He's like the Voice of God to animals, I swear. They sit up and listen. I wish I had that kind of presence.) Finally Fritz returned from whatever pressing dog-business he had to attend to, and sat down on the step.

In a few minutes, however, he got up and moved to the stoop, where he sat down precisely as close to me as he could without actually sitting on me. This alerted Sparkle that her self-proclaimed position as Most Darling Dog was in jeopardy, so she wormed in between us even closer to me, pushing him aside. I "ssshh"-ed them, made them move over and put them in a sit again where they weren't trying dominate or monopolize me. It was OK for a minute, and then there Fritz was again, pushed up beside me like "She's MY property". And here came Sparkle trampling over him, like "No, she's MINE." So I had to take control and move them over and remind them that access to my lap and my person were not at their bidding but only if I said so.

This went on several times until I got the idea across that it wasn't their prerogative to pick their spot, I was the boss right that minute. I didn't belong to them and they couldn't "claim" me. It reminded me of two kids fighting over sitting in momma's lap.

The Cesar Millan approach to dogs

You might think this is a funny topic for a post, seeing that I don't have a dog and all, but with my neighbor's little miniature pinschers (aka the rat dogs), I have seen first hand how his methods are grounded in a dog's innate mental state, and that they really work.

The rat dogs visit us at regular intervals, being consummate escape artists. The chain link fence around their yard isn't even a serious deterrent. They get out often no matter what the owners do, and roam the neighborhood. I have heard brakes screeching followed by car horns when they get in the road, particularly the smaller female dog, Sparkle. She hasn't got the sense of a chipmunk and I would be afraid to try to estimate the close calls she's had on the street in front of her house. Her doggy guardian angel must surely be on duty, because she's never to my knowledge gotten hurt. It's a miracle.

The male dog named Fritz is a little more savvy and a lot smarter than his pal. I think he's smart enough to stay away from cars, but he's a nervous little thing and a consummate barker at anyone and everyone he doesn't know. Since his owners don't do very much with the dogs besides feed and provide water for them and give them a house to sleep in, they pretty much run amok and do whatever they please, including giving the fence the slip and roaming the neighborhood. Since his people haven't assumed a position of control in their lives, Fritz has taken it upon himself to be the alpha dog in this little pack, but he doesn't really want the job. His personality is way too nervous and timid to be an assertive leader, but in the way of animals who naturally live in packs, he stepped up to the plate since his humans weren't taking control by his way of thinking and Sparkle surely wasn't leadership material. Someone had to give the orders, so he appointed himself.

Now, for several months they have been visiting us for a pat and a cookie. Those two would walk through fire for a Milkbone. For a while I was admittedly nurturing their bad sides, because I am a cat person at heart and I treat an animal as a friend, not a minion. Unfortunately, this was making Sparkle more demanding of attention and Fritz more nervous.

My husband has more innate skills with dogs, but he doesn't enjoy the task. We have been watching Cesar Millan's "Dog Whisperer" show for years, and my husband already knew what Cesar was telling his clueless clients. If you don't want your dog to become a complete nuisance, you have to clamp down on them from day one. They have to understand that you are the leader of the pack and you won't tolerate any nonsense from them. This isn't being cruel or mean to your pet, it's clearly defining the social structure of the family and making sure the dog knows he's not at the top of it. It actually makes dogs more secure and happier. If a dog sees a vacuum in the power structure, he will try to take over the position of leader simply because as an animal that evolved living in packs, he thinks somebody's got to be the boss - why not him? Without a clearly defined leader, a pack animal can't function comfortably. They're nervous without structure in their lives. That's why most people's dogs run all over them. I don't think my husband feels there's a dog alive that is worth all the work it takes to keep them tolerable. We both would rather be a cat's buddy than a dog's boss.

The rat dogs were a textbook case. My neighbor John passed away last year. He was the one who got the dogs and the one who cared for them. His wife isn't a dog person and only keeps them because there wasn't anywhere else for them to go and I suppose she would feel guilty getting rid of John's dogs. I felt sad for the dogs because no one next door seemed to give them much attention; the youngest girl is even allergic to dogs. When they started slipping out and coming over, I would give them a little affection and a dog cookie, and they started to like me. Sparkle was an instant fan; it took Fritz longer to trust me. Now, whenever we are outside, two little faces appear at my gate for a visit.

I used to let them sit on my lap, but that's bad for two reasons: they are flea-bit and they STINK! I mean seriously; I had to change clothes after cuddling them. Doling out all this constant attention and petting and lap-cuddling was having a bad effect on them. Sparkle was becoming even more demanding of attention and Fritz was getting stressed trying to control her. Every time Sparkle started the "min-pin dance", jumping on her little back legs and waving her front paws in the air to attract attention, Fritz got very nervous and ran around her in circles, trying to calm her down.

I took a clue from my husband and Cesar. No more jumping and pawing at me - not allowed. No more 100% attention when they were around. They had to listen to me. They had to calm down and sit down before they got any treats or pets. Sparkle actually started to do little growly-barks at me when she felt she wasn't getting enough attention. Let me tell you, a seven pound dog trying to dominate you is funny looking, but it is very serious business. Thus are ankle-biters born.

The last few days I'm seeing results when they visit. After some corrections (mostly a finger point and "ssshhh" noise, delivered with the proper command presence) they are starting to get it. They mostly sit down and quit trying to climb in my lap, and behave themselves. Only when they are calm do they get any attention. The change in their demeanor is remarkable. Nervous gestures like lip-licking are diminished. Sparkle's almost-hyperventilating is diminshed and she's breathing more normally. They can sit or lie down beside us and relax. It's their natural state. Dogs don't like to live all spun up like that. Imagine yourself being anxious and nervous and adrenalized 24 hours a day. Horrible thought, isn't it?

I'm trying to make their little doggy lives better and I think we are succeeding. They still listen to my husband better than they do me, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Of course, since we only see them maybe an hour a day, this won't change them completely, but I would like to see them calmer and happier. Fritz doesn't see me as the leader 100%, but it's coming along. Sparkle, she of the little brain, is a much more pleasant dog when she's not bombarding you with the hopping/barking/pushiness.

Cesar, you're absolute right.

Dog wrangling

These are my neighbor's dogs. The male on the left is Fritz. The female on the right is Sparkle. We refer to them as the Bark Brothers, regardless of gender. They are Miniature Pinschers, pretty good barkers, excellent hoppers (the bouncing on back legs, front paws in the air, "Gimme cookie!" dance). I keep treats for them so they won't bark at me. I'm not above bribery.

They have also become expert escape artists. Being so small, they can slide under the fence at any area where the chain link doesn't meet the ground. Their escape spot was on the other side of the house, but recently, they have burrowed under this corner into the neighbor's yard. The property line for these two yards is in the middle of my back fence, so my yard abuts both properties and they share my back fence line.

Several Christmases ago, the Bark Brothers broke into my yard under the fence. I had to block an area with bricks to keep them out. Now, they're doing the same thing to my other neighbor, who added bricks there too. The owner had used some scrap wood to temporarily blockade the area, but these are practiced little sneakers and they defeated the barriers enough to slide under the fence and explore around in that back yard. I'm sure the poor little things are bored. My neighbor's husband passed away last summer, and he was always the one to give them attention.

Today, my husband walked outside to see them and found Sparkle in the neighbor's yard, acting pretty pleased with herself. Those neighbors weren't home either, and their back yard is fenced and locked, so she had the run of a whole new area where no one could reach her. He couldn't get her to go back home, and told me about it. Armed with a box of dog biscuits and a long-handled hoe, I went to do battle with the sneaky dogs.

I feel a little protective of them because their owner isn't home during the day, and since they're not the best examples of canine intelligence I have ever seen, I worry they'll get hit by a car. I have caught Sparkle on the loose several times and taken her into my back yard until her owner got home in order to keep her safe. She comes to me without a problem. Fritz doesn't quite trust me as much, and has the characteristics of a possible ankle-biter. I like them both, but I don't turn my back on him.

As I approached the fence I could see that both were in the neighbor's yard. Fritz, the more straightforward of the pair, was easy. "Cookie, Fritzie, cookie," I cooed, waving the biscuit in the air. His little brown eyes locked on the treat. "Go get it," I said and tossed it into his yard. He scooted under the fence like a streak of lightening and grabbed the treat. Sparkle was up by the other house, nosing around the bushes. I called, waved cookies and cajoled until she came trotting down to the fence. During this I employed another biscuit to keep Fritz on his side of the line.

Sparkle was up on her hind feet, doing the Happy Cookie Dance, so I waved the cookie in front of her nose and tossed it over the fence. Fritz was on it like a shark, while she looked at me, puzzled. She's a sweet little dog, but like I said, not the smartest thing. I picked up the hoe, took out another biscuit and got her attention, and dropped the treat right next to the fence opening. With the hoe handle, I pushed it under the fence, while she darted and snapped and tried to get the cookie before I pushed it away. She was starting to follow the cookie, when Fritz grabbed it.

Fritz 3, Sparkle 0.

I got out two more biscuits, tossed one far from the fence to keep Fritz occupied, and tried the same maneuver with the hoe handle. Sparkle squeezed by and grabbed the treat before I could push it under the fence.

OK, let's try that again, using the head of the hoe, so I can block her access to the biscuit until it was under the fence. Fritz got his cookie, Sparkle waited too long to try for hers, and Fritz got it too. I tried again, with the same result.

Fritz 8, Sparkle 1. Me - defeated by a couple of pocket dogs with the combined intelligence of a gray squirrel.

I closed the biscuit box and picked up the hoe. "Well, brat dogs, you're just going to have to wait until they get home, I guess," I said and started to walk away from the fence. Deprived of her source of entertainment and treats, Sparkle watched me dejectedly, and then, probably jealous of all the food Fritz was getting, scooted back under the fence to check for crumbs. Hallelujah. I dropped the cookie box and used the hoe to maneuver the bricks back in place at the opening. For good measure, I added a brick of my own. Now they're home and safe. I managed to sneak Sparkle another cookie for a reward. Reward for what, I'm not sure. Not driving me crazy?