Day 70: Chow for now

March 13 2011 . . . This marks Day 70 of the 365 blog.  Chugging along, we are.  And today is the view from the basement as I prepare dinner for the dogs.

By prepare, I mean I toss a measured amount of dry kibble into bowls. Each dog eats a different food, each a different amount. Not rocket science, but a bit of attention to detail is needed.

In the meantime, there is whining and fussing going on.  But just from Jager who acts as if he may stroke out if this ordeal of dinner prep takes even one minute longer.

Day 51: Party at Micron's place

February 22 2011 . . . You don't have to be nuts to have four dogs and a puppy in your house. But it helps.

Day 49: Mindtrust

February 20 2011 . . . The new dog family. Got three smart and clever dogs here. Know what else is smart? That the new kitchen flooring matches yellow dog hair is no accident.

Day 48: The balance of good and evil

February 19 2011 . . . First day with the new pup, Yaxley. Micron is resistant to this conspiracy to give up his Golden Boy crown. While the pup is simply angelic, his ersatz mentor has gone over to the dark side.

Micron, for the first time ever, discovered the wonders of mud. Rolling, digging, and just soaking up the goodness of all that is mud.

I don't know - is that a look of defiance?

And not to be trumped in the I got the food lady's complete attention and you don't contest, Jager found something dead in the yard to cover himself with. I don't have a photo of that. He went straight to the shower where he acted like the water was acid or something.

Day 20: Spotted dog

Jan 22 2011 . . . The vet techs at the clinic refer to Jager as the Skinny Head Syndrome.  We all feel pretty comfortable making fun of him because he has been enjoying good health over the past few years.

When we adopted this freaky little dog, we knew he had been diagnosed with dermatomyositis. Feel free to pronounce that any way you want.  I've said it at least three different ways to various vets and have yet to be corrected. Dermatomyositis is just not very common in dogs, it seems. Especially those that have survived it past puppyhood. 

The atrophied muscle about Jager's head, as well as the scarring on his muzzle, is his hallmark. Just part of the equation that makes him such a unique little fellow.

But Jager has perhaps outgrown this condition. Or is in remission.  It's just a guess, so we watch his health closely.

So the strange little growth on his shoulder had me feeling a little uneasy. Toss the little guy in the car and off to the clinic.

Turns out it's a papilloma. A doggie wart, if you will.  A diagnosis that would have had us somewhat freaked out on any other dog, brought instead just a sigh of relief. Is that all? Well, ok then. Let's go home and get your dinner, you little funny looking thing.

Day 12: Some say three's a crowd

Jan 14 2011 . . . If you talk with veteran puppy raisers for Canine Companions for Independence, you find that many of them have at least three dogs in their homes. Usually a pup in training, then their own keepers. They say after three dogs, it doesn't really matter how many you have. Four or five or more - it's all the same.

I've tried to explain this philosophy to the Husband, but he's not buying it.

The company I work for is very generous in their pet policy, allowing our dogs in the office. We have strict rules to follow, to be sure. But if you have a dog with good manners, they're welcome to be with you during the work day.  Even more wonderful for me, the company is supportive of my efforts in puppy raising for CCI. Here in this shot are three visitors to my humble cube. Micron has had enough of this good behavior nonsense and is waiting for me to finish my lean cuisine so we can go play in the snow.

(On another note, being cognizant of the blogosphere and how things can get around, I do want to say to those who might be wondering that I do indeed have a photo permit from HR for photographing and sharing images of the CCI pups.  No company secrets exposed here. Just dogs.)

Day 8: The reason my dogs hate me

Jan 10 2011 . . . I thought I had things kinda under control with the keeper dog. Generally obedient, doesn't bite the pizza guy and things like that. Then we started raising puppies for Canine Companions for Independence and we saw a need to change a couple of things.

Think about it for just a sec. A service dog has an important job to do and can't be distracted from the task at hand. If a person with a service dog chooses to have a relaxing meal at their favorite diner, well the dog certainly can't be hoovering the carpet all the way to the table, right?

So the most basic of dog brain concepts (if it's on the floor, it's mine), is out.  Here are the boys, Jager on left and Micron on right, ignoring a tasty treat under their noses. No lines of drool between snout and floor. That's not for them and they both know it. Actually, I'll take those biscuits away and set them aside.  They will get a reward, but not the Iams biscuits on the floor.

I had another shot sometime back that I shared on a social network. In this one, the dogs were ignoring treats that were resting on their paws. One of my friends so kindly captioned it "why dogs bite their owners." 

Day 6: Jagermeister barks back

Jan 8 2011 . . . This is our keeper dog, the family pet.  We adopted Jager from a local pet rescue group a few years ago when he was two years old.  He came with a frisbee, a squeak toy, some nervous tics and his unusual name.

Jager?, people ask, like Jagermeister? Or Jager Bomb?  Right, just like that. Only he doesn't drink.

This fella is a good time, regardless of his temperance. He already had some basic commands down and was quick to pick up whatever else we wanted to teach him, including several hand commands.  He is my dog of choice when working on the Dog Care merit badge with the Boy Scouts.

Speaking of hand commands, to impress his friends the kid will give the dog some bogus command, in German or whatever, while covertly using a hand signal. It looks like the dog is bilingual. Pretty funny, really.

Here's the same Day 6 shot, but altered into a Blue Dog portrait. Just for fun.

I once put together a collage of Jager and his doppelganger, Salacious Crumb from the Star Wars movie. The kid tells me not to make fun of the dog, he doesn't deserve it.  I know he's right. I probably shouldn't have enjoyed this as much as I did.