Dog's Best Friend

The Name Game

2008-06-30T22:40:42Z

I realize Hurley isn't a terribly common dog name, but Hurley isn't a terribly common dog either.

To be honest, I came up with the name years ago, when talking to my then girlfriend about whatever dog I might own in the future. She wanted to know what I would name the future dog and I had a few names in mind, none of which she approved. (Funny that all stories involving exes are about the shallow, hard-to-please ones.) Anyway, I racked my brain for a name that I liked for its meaning, origin, and originality while still meeting her shallow, radcliffy standards. That's when I came up with Hurley.

I started to think of clothing lines, because that's what type of woman she was. Naming a dog Blitz was inexcusable in her mind but naming it Gucci would score high marks. So I remembered the Hurley clothing line inspired by surf fashion and figured it might have nautical inspiration, which it did.

Hurley is Gaelic for "the sea tide" according to multiple name origin sites. So there, that's cleared up. Hurley isn't named for the character on TV's Lost, which I've never watched, nor is he named for that sultry babe Elizabeth Hurley. He's more named for the clothing line found in Pacific Sunwear mall shops across the States.

Sadly, I'm actually wearing a shirt by that company. God, I am a tool.

How do you feel about dog naming or even pet names in general? Are you the type to name your furry ones after verbs or objects? Are you more apt to don your animals with a human name? A mix of the two?

Dogs as faux presents?

2008-06-20T22:58:39Z

I'm sure we've all heard the age old addage that dogs (and other pets) do not make good gifts. Mostly, they just make poopie. (Ba-dum-tsch!) But seriously, it's hard to get away with buying somebody an animal unless they're your kids, in which case it's your animal to raise despite all that "teaches them rasponsibility" nonsense.

So I set about this prank forgetting all of that.

I picked up a "bumble ball" for $15 and had every intention of dropping said ball, bumbling about, into a large box. Then closing the box. Then wrapping the box. Then cutting air holes into the box. Then setting the final product in front of Kat at her big party tomorrow.

Fun, right? Then it hit me today that, as with any good prank, there was a fair chance of her bursting into tears over the whole ordeal. I admit it, I wussed out. The thought of her crying at her huge birthday bonanza made me feel bad enough to opt into returning the ball and just going with a nice, traditional (read: welcome) gift.

Naturally, I called her to fill her in on my aborted prank. She would have never bought into the premise, she said. The idea that I would be so irresponsible when it comes to bringing a pet into the home is absurd and foreign to her so she never would have believed there to be a puppy in that box. Not unless its wet nose came bursting out.

Still, I think she's pretty pleased with what I actually did get her.

Feel free to head over to fortuna_juvat's territory to wish her well-to-dos on her quarter century milestone. :)

How I know I'm lame

2008-06-16T02:54:07Z

I've been playing a bit of Pokémon Pearl lately and I'm getting to the half-way point of the game, which is where you want to put some consideration into what you want your "final party" to look like. You see, RPGs often allow you to use multiple characters to form a group or party. Because RPGs employ a levelling system to strengthen your characters, taking on a party member as soon as it's available means you'll spend more time levelling a character up that you actually want to use rather than wasting your time levelling characters you'll eventually leave behind when better ones become available.

You have six available slots and you want to be careful in what you fill them with. Pokémon is like rock/paper/scissors in that every character has strengths and weaknesses. You want to be able to play to the weakness of your enemies and so you want to have all strengths covered. For instance, if I had 6 fire-types and fought someone who had a few water-types, I'd be ... well ... hosed.

So far, I have two of my six slots taken up by pokémon I'd wish to level for my final party, which allows for six pokémon total. I have an Infernape (one of the starter pokémon) and a Haunter (which evolves into Gengar when you trade it). These are considerably strong selections, but they aren't "legendary" in the sense that certain pokémon are just plain tough. These legendary creatures generally aren't available for capture until the end of the game. I've selected two of those already that I will likely want to catch and use.

This leaves two slots open to fill with whatever I wish. I have fire and ghost/poison covered and my other two selections involve dragon types, which are tough sons of bitches. I'm thinking about grabbing a shark-looking pokémon because of my flippant love for the movie Jaws. So... one last choice to make.

Would it be terrible to take on a relatively weak character just because it looks like Hurley in a bone helmet?

A milestone!

2008-06-16T02:37:16Z

There's this old pseudo-fact that a dog is a cat's worst enemy. Thing is, it's absolutely true. (It remains true if you replace the term "cat" with "pair of panties" or "vanilla ice cream cone.")

Zot, Kat's cat (redundant much?) has never been in on the whole buddy system thing. For every ounce of love and kinship Hurley feels for the silver tabby, a pound of spite and malice is returned. It's okay by Hurley, as he's a thick dog. Take the adjective "thick" in that last sentence and apply it to both of the nouns "skinned" and "headed" and you'd know what I'm getting at.

Many a time, Hurley has found himself hot on the tail (literally) of Zot only to run head first into one of Zot's trademark 180 degree spin / front paws of fury combos. It's amazing to see, really. Picture every time you've booted up Street Fighter II and selected Zangief (I know, nobody selects Zangief unless they're angrily mashing the select button to get through the selection process) only to lose to Chun-li in the first round. That's the Hurley v. Zot set-up.

Now, given that Hurley and Zot have been housemates since May of 2007, you can see the complication of this delicate ballet. Initially, Zot remained out of sight/out of mind to Hurley. Eventually that progressed to out of reach/out of mouth. However, it would appear Zot has grown tired of spending his days looking out at us from counters, tables, shelves, and entertainment centers. This is, after all, his house as much as it is Hurley's which is to say he pays the same annual $nothing as the dog.

So he's been venturing down to Hurley level. There was a time when this meant an ensuing scramble of paws on the kitchen tile as Zot rushed to a designated Hurley-free space. That, or the dog was dead to the world and stretched out on the floor of the living room. No longer (I hope!).

Tonight, after taking Hurley to Kat's parents' place for Father's Day munching, a tired Hurley walked over the threshold and into the house. I switched on the lights in the living room and witness a miracle to be rivaled only by the miracle of sleep-aides.

Zot actually left a Hurley-free zone and marched right up to Hurley to greet him.

I know, I know. Fingers firmly crossed.

dog_and_his_boy @ 2008-06-11T20:23:00

2008-06-12T00:26:11Z

Hurley is a fiend for vanilla ice cream.

I don't know what it is about that creamy goodness but everytime we have him in tow when we hit an ice cream shop, we get him the smallest cone possible of "the V."

Now, his initial reaction to V is a happy recognition. He knows what this is and knows he wants more. So he licks at it and doesn't stop. His eyes glaze over, his ears go back and when he does come up for air (only when he's finished) his nose is white. It's pathetic and yet oh so entertaining.

It's been so long...

2008-06-11T01:14:08Z

This photo is actually from last summer, although he looks similar to his current appearance in it. Figured you all might like to see the adult, but sometimes immature, Hurley. Expect more photo posts in the future!

Dog v. Human?

2008-06-11T01:09:54Z

Recently, I've seen some wank in a question community I'm part of and I just wanted to share my thoughts on the subject.

The question featured multiple scenarios where you must make a choice between saving two entities. For example, which would you save from a fire: your brother or 10 strangers? Would you save your computer or your car?

Would you save your dog or a complete stranger?

Now, I think it's fair to assume that if you're the type to read a web log about dog ownership, you're probably going to let the stranger burn. However, for those who would choose the stranger, I have no ill feelings for you either. However, a few people found it offensive that a good deal would save their canine before another human being. After all, shouldn't we value the lives of our fellow man over that of our pets? Isn't a human worth more than a dog?

The thing is, that's not how I broke down the decision. For me, it's about three factors: faith, duty, and love.

Faith
This factor is simple enough. I realize dogs can be brilliant (not mine) but at the same time, were a life or death situation to arise for a canine and a human, I would put more faith into the human figuring out how to get out of it on his or her own. I feel a dog would be less likely to know how to get out of a deadly situation than a human. While every living thing may fight for life when it comes down to it, I would assume a human would have more resources available to his or herself to win that fight. A dog, being less likely to make it out on its own, requires help more than the human may.

Duty
Duty is something we, as pet owners, sign on for when we bring an animal into our homes. I would feel that, were Hurley in danger, it would be a breach of our arrangement to not do everything within my power to save him. We are, after all, each others' protectors are we not? While he may take it upon himself to rid the yard of pests and secure the borders of my home, I take it upon myself to feed, nurture, and otherwise keep him out of harms way. Should harm find him, is it not my duty then to pull him from it?

Love
For those who don't really enjoy keeping animals, it may be a foreign idea but the truth is yes, I do love and value my dog above many human beings. It's this sentiment that boggles some, but it's the truth. I know my dog, have raised him, and have loved him more with each day. A stranger on the street may one day become a friend but Hurley already is my friend. While he's not in the same category as my friends in my social life, he is superior to them in as many ways as he is inferior.

I won't even get started on those who said they would rescue Adolf Hitler over a dog. That's just asinine.

dog_and_his_boy @ 2008-06-10T20:51:00

2008-06-11T00:51:47Z

Let's give this another go, shall we?

Human intelligence

2007-02-27T14:18:20Z

I work at a boarding facility for pets and I pretty much play with dogs all day. No really, I'm a professional fetch player and hump stopper. It's not glamorous work but it pays the bills and is flexible with my needs as a college student. For example, I could take the entire week of March 9 - 17 off because of spring break. Sorry, had to brag a bit.

On to my story. There are play rooms for the dogs to go into and run off their energy, and I'm in the same room supervising the entire time. These rooms are seperated from the sales floor (they also sell supplies and food etc.) by some sturdy plexiglass so people can look in and see how much fun the dogs have and want to bring their dog. It also gives the dogs something else to look at and it's pretty entertaining to watch a dog that's been calm and laid back all day get riled up when it spots its owners. Unfortunately, every now and then this glass is used for evil.

Sometimes one of the dogs in the room isn't pleased with what's outside and begins to bark and go at the glass. When one starts, the rest pretty much follow and it gets loud and hard for me to control. Usually it's either another dog or a kid they just don't like the look of. That said, most people take the offending dog or child away from the glass, but not everyone.

The other day a girl kept walking her dog by the window in order to make all the dogs bark. She would have her dog stop and sit on the other side of the glass and then give it a treat for not lunging at the dogs. Now, I understand obedience training but why must she make my life hell so that her dog won't fight back?

Yesterday was even worse. A woman came by the window three times with her little kid and every time the dogs went into murderdeathkill mode. The third time, the woman sat her kid down right in front of all the dogs and untied and then tied her kid's shoes. Why would anyone do this?! The dogs wants to crunch your kids bones and you want to dangle it in front of them like a carrot on a stick? I just don't understand some people.

Two February pictures

2007-02-23T01:48:23Z

He's really growing up.

On dreams

2007-02-20T00:18:02Z

I can't recall having had a dream including Hurley as a cast member yet. However, he did play a roll in last night's mind adventure...

I was in Europe. Beautiful, sunny, and coastal. The architecture was classic and I think I was either in Spain, Italy, or the Greek Isles. Anyway, lots of people were there too. Andy, Jackie, Laura, my freshmen year roommates, and several others made appearances.

So I get arrested for driving my car into the exit for a parking lot in order to skimp out on the parking fee. Sucks, but not so bad right? Nope, punishment was a summary execution. Apparently Laura had also done something bad because she was on the balcony where we were to be executed as well. It turns out, they'd planned to kill us by forcing us to walk off a balcony about seven floors off the street. But wait! They were foolish in their choice of balconies to force us off. This particular one overlooked a narrow street and beyond that, a deep canal. The clear escape was to launch ourselves off the balcony and over the street into the safety of the water.

Laura goes first and she barely hops off the ledge. I cringe because I'm sure she won't make it over the street. She's gotta be pavement grease. Splash, and she's fine. So it's my turn and something goes wrong. I get to the edge of the balcony and for some reason don't jump. Instead, a stand on the edge and slowly fall forward, ensuring my demise as I have no momentum. By some miracle I make it to the water, but barely. I can hear the crowd who'd gathered to watch cheer just before I hit the water. That's when I woke up.

And that's when I realized why I'd fell forward instead of jumping. I was laying on my back with my knees folded up and my feet flat on the bed. Hurley was laying across my feet, pinning them down onto the bed.

Silly boy.

Goodbye to puppies.

2007-02-14T03:23:00Z

There are moments when this whole puppyhood thing reveals itself as fleeting.

There was a time when, to escape the jagged teeth of Hurley in one of his chewing modes, one could simply sit on the couch and be saved. He's since progressed to couch jumping as a leisurely activity. I just walked out to the living room and for the first time found Hurley to be crashed on the furniture, rather than laying horizontally across the hallway or in some other prone position on the floor.

He's officially made my furniture into our furniture.

It's been a long time since he last whimpered at the foot of the bed to be let down. These days the floor is just a crouch, a leap, and an awkward landing away. I don't know what I'm going to do when he first makes the jump from floor to bed. I wonder if I'm just being silly or if this milestone is something other dog owners would notice as well.

I finally got around to putting a picture inside a "dog treat jar" ornament I received from my dad for Christmas. One of the bones in the jar is marked 2006. Naturally, I had to put a picture of him from 2006 in the display and he just looks so... small. And cute. And like a puppy.

He's still a puppy. But he's clearly working toward that awkward canine adolescense and I feel like my time with him as a puppy is dwindling down. Still, I like to think I've made the most of it. Kat remarks from time to time how closely we've bonded and how great a match we are in personality. It's just a little sad to see this time passing by so quickly.

They really do grow up fast.

Operation: Destroy all itchies / Operation: Puppygarten / Operation: Go coastal

2007-02-05T04:16:00Z

The other day, during one of Hurley's routine baths, I saw a flea or two treading water as well. Not a pleasing sight, especially for a new dog owner with very little experience with the defleaification process. I don't care if that's not a word, it fits what I'm trying to convey. I know enough to say that if you see one or two, there's definitely more. So, after Hurley ran off his post-bath zoomies, Kat and I took a trip to the flea aisle at PetSmart.

Aside from brands, there's quite an array of options. Kat jokingly held out a bottle of Hartz, knowing my disgust with the brand. We investigated the powders but ultimately decided that powdering Hurley down with a pesticide would only result in his ingesting said poison by licking his fur. We opted on the traditional flea shampoo, going with the Sentry brand because they had an oatmeal one that would likely be easier on Hurley's sensitive skin.

We stopped by the market to pick up a few live lobsters and after a grand time of boiling, cracking, and munching away on them, we gave Hurley his flea bath. It seemed to me he was a bit confused at first, as if to say "Why you do this? I was already sudsy today!" but allowed us to wash him down again anyway. I must admit, I am blessed with an amazingly tolerant dog. He gave Kat a few whimpers of distaste while he had to sit for the required five minutes to allow the shampoo to work its mojo. He really knows how to work her over, because I had to be doubly strong while she was melted to mush by his sweet siren song.

And the payoff? Round two of post-bath zoomies. Whatta dog. Too soon yet to know if it did the trick, but Rufus is up next for the flea bath and then I clean and vaccuum the entire house down. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

. . .

Sunday morning and I'm off to puppy classes for Hurley, as is our eight-week-long ritual. I was happy with Hurley because after much trouble last session, he's managed to pick up the "paw" command quite well. This week we worked mostly on going into a down position from a stand, taking commands from others (the group switched dogs for this one), and the leave it/take it command. Hurley grasped "leave it" remarkably well but he's struggling with "take it." He will even allow a treat to be rested on each paw without snatching it up, but it would seem once he knows he's to leave it alone, it takes some prodding to convince him to take it when the command is issued. It was sweet because when we traded dogs, the woman who got Hurley was excited.

"I'm glad to have Hurley," she explained, "because I noticed last week how good he is about gently taking treats. I don't have to worry about him biting me like Ohana (her lab) does."

Some day I'm going to have to face the fact that Hurley is the celebrity and I am merely his agent.

. . .

I then spent a bit of today online looking up all sorts of information for my eventual move to Charleston, S.C. Kat and I will be heading down there soon to check out apartments and do the tourist thing just to get a better feel for the city. I looked up a couple dog-friendly apartments and even a beach that allows dogs. The beach would likely become my favorite hang out once I'm down there. Naturally, there's a lot that needs to go right for a cross-country move to occur but I think I can do it because I want it so badly. At this point, I'm practically just going there first to make sure I love the city as much as I love it in concept. If not, it might be Savannah or hopefully some other southern coastal city with a lot of charm.

Of course, there will be negatives to this move. Kat's going to be finishing out med school here and working hard at it. I know I'll miss the hell out of her, as I'm sure she'll miss me in kind but it's a little heartbreaking to know how she's going to miss Hurley. Sadder still, looking down at him curled up in the fetal position in the corner of my bedroom, I just know how much he's going to miss her too. She's been really great to both of us, and I know I'm incredibly thankful to have someone so exciting and supportive with me at this transitional period of my life. And I know Hurley doesn't look at her as just another pair of hands with a treat to give or just another pair of legs with ankles to be bitten. It may sound strange but I know I can deal with missing her... It'll just be a lot harder dealing with the two of them missing one another.

Annoying repetition of the word "annoying"

2007-01-30T00:42:07Z

We, as pet owners, must face facts and accept reality: we are all a little bit annoying. Not to worry, as APOs (Annoying Pet Owners) have equally repugnant neighbors which include Annoying Parents of Kids, Annoying Bass Fishermen, and ever-nauseating Annoying Couple People. Alright, so I threw one of those in just to make the list an even number, so sue my annoying OCD.

We, as Annoying Dog Owners, make up a significant portion of the APO population. Although there are many who keep cats, birds, lizards and even tarantulas, the baby-talking population of all these assorted owners combined is almost certainly lower than those who coo and "uffy-wuffy" to their smelly, drooling canine. I mean, wouldn't it sound a bit off to hear someone say "How's my wittle Haplopelma lividum waplopelma wividum?"

And so this is my confession, my admission. I am an annoying dog owner. I realized this the other day after signing Hurley's name to a birthday card for my mother. That's right, I'm one of those people who signs the dog's name. I didn't draw a paw print... but I seriously considered it.

Although I refrain from the practice, I'm likely no better than those who use pronouns like "daddy" and "mommy" when describing their relationship to the four-legged child. However, I refuse to accept that I be cast down into the babytalkers, who will likely one day find themselves in the fourth circle of hell. To avoid the entire thing Kat and I have made up a sub-language to use in times of affection with Hurley closer to internet jargon than it is to snugglebunnies and sillybillies. The user icon I've selected for this entry is a great example of the language. It's the same nonsense you'd find on those trendy internet cat photos, and admittedly still annoying.

Hurley has a middle name too. It's Quinn. Sure, I just chose that name because the nickname Hurley Q. Butt has been around and I wanted a middle name to explain the Q, but that doesn't save it. It's repulsive. What does Hurley need with a middle name anyway?

I'm sure it won't take a lot of self searching to realize you're just like me. If you're not, perhaps you will be once you have children. You'll probably be as comfortable talking about the consistency of their excrement as I am talking about the consistency of Hurley's.

Hurley taunts a bull mastiff

2007-01-22T04:28:44Z

Saturday was a busy day. We all trucked it over to the vet with limited visibility out of my front window thanks to the frosty/snowy weather. We found out Hurley is 26 pounds, free of problems, recovering nicely in the "hairea" and well behaved. He's also finished with vaccinations for distemper, parvovirus, parainfluenza, rabies, and bordetella. Go team Hurley Healthwatchtm. He was given a few more syringes of the ivermectin for this week and next to be sure his itchies go away. Given that the medicine works out, he's good now until six months, when he'll go back for the big operation and microchip. Bionic dog anyone?

Afterward we headed to Kat's friends' place for brunch. Hurley met Maggie, their year-old bull mastiff and after a bit of introductory sniffing started the play bow business. It was pretty funny, watching him try to trounce a 103 pound monster, but Maggie took it well.

When we were all settled inside, Craig had to hold Maggie by the collar because one of the girls brought her newborn and Hurley took it as an opportunity to embarrass Maggie. First he did the war dance in front of her and bopped her on the nose just because he could. Then, as I predicted he would, he dragged all of her favorite toys and bones out of the living room and near her so he could chew and squeak on them just out of her reach. It's entertaining, but he's kind of a jerk like that.

Today rolled around to his first obedience class at 10:30 a.m. We met his classmates: a 10-week-old chocolate lab, a hyper rottie mix, a VERY hyper but also cute beagle/sheltie mix, and a timid rottie mix. The beagle was hilarious. It looked just like a purebred beagle pup but in that blue merle coloration. Quite interesting.

He did well enough. I don't know that I care for clicker training, but it's just the way they do it there. Maybe I'll rebel against all that and just say "Good" instead. Not to talk down on clickers but I know I'll never use it again after the class because that sound is incredibly annoying to me. They seem to work for training, but I'd rather not have to hear the sound let alone be the source of it.

The main command we have to work on is "watch" which consists of my holding a treat in between out faces and demanding he focus on the treat (and my face) and be still and not distracted. Hurley would much rather either jump up and down to try and get the treat or check out what everyone else is doing.

On the way out I bought a new leash (I lost the last one), a box of treats to give him a better variety and a few nylabones, as he seemed to enjoy Maggie's so much. ;-)

Port Huron and training classes.

2007-01-19T17:11:16Z

It's shaping up to be a very doggy weekend, and last weekend was quite Hurley-filled too!

Hurley and I took a trip to Port Huron, Mich. to visit Kat and family. The three of us pretty much lazed around in front of the fire the first day, breaking for an excursion into the woods that begin where Kat's backyard ends. Hurley had a bit of fun playing Godzilla with the seedling evergreens. We opted to let him go leashless once we'd gotten far enough from the pond and he just had a blast. It seemed everything he found resulted in a "Hey you two, look what I discovered!" look.

The next day we set out for the beach Kat used to lifeguard at, although the name escapes me. Again, a leashless Hurley squeezed every ounce of fun out of the stop as possible. He ran to the shore of Lake Huron not realizing what he was headed for and stopped abruptly with a look of awe once he realized it was all water.

Something tells me he's going to love the ocean. A family was on the beach too, and Hurley had a game of doggie dash with their labrador. We all walked up and down the beach snapping pictures, and Hurley refused to wander too far from us. I am thankful he knows there are boundaries even when we're not enforcing them through barrier or restraint. I think he rewarded himself by once again playing Godzilla, this time with the beach grass.

We eventually got too cold and snapped all the pictures we'd wanted, so we headed to the boardwalk to chase ducks and gulls before finally packing it in. The results? Pooped pup in front of the fire the rest of the day.

Now that the weekend is back upon us, I've got all sorts of plans for Hurley. For one, he's got another set of DPP vaccines tomorrow at 9 a.m. and perhaps the dog park after. Then on Sunday his puppy training begins. I have a feeling he'll be far advanced from everyone else, but that's okay. Maybe he'll play teacher's aide.

An observation made by Kat:

2007-01-15T01:47:51Z

Hurley v. Stitch.

The similarities are endless. Photo post from the weekend forthcoming.

Published photography

2007-01-12T18:16:26Z

I know it's not a huge deal, but a photo I took of Aidan, my ex's chihuahua, some time ago was recently published on dogbreedinfo.com. Perhaps I should submit some shots of Hurley to bulk up their Kai picture gallery. You can always check out the photo by clicking here, Aidan is the white one at the bottom.

Aside from that, I will go ahead out on that limb and say that Hurley is officially trained to only go outside. Accidents inside are an extreme rarity now and there's never a need to let him know he did wrong when they occur, because he already knows. The only time he goes inside is every now and again while I'm not home and my roommate's don't realize to let him out often enough.

His fur seems to be getting better, likely thanks to the cocktail the vet started him on last visit. He's got one more dose before I need to schedule a follow-up and then I'll he and I will likely be vet-free until he hits six months, at which point he'll have a little operation er... down stairs.

School work is keeping me busy, but I'll get back on top of this journal now that I'm more settled into the schedule.

Dad... I failed to notice your waste basket was made of wicker...

2007-01-07T05:20:32Z

My dad's response to the subject line was "...Was?"

Hurley downed his first bathroom trash can tonight, along with about 0.5 rolls of toilet paper while Kat, Dad, Jean, and I all were out eating expensive food and drinking a $30 Riesling.

I appologize for my lax updating. Shouldn't happen again. I'll describe Hurley's medical outcome and vet visit more in my next entry. For now, let's keep it light with a question for all you folks playing at home.

What is your dream dog? Breed? Color combination? Don't worry about it fitting into your apartment now or whatever, just dream away. Feel free to include pictures for bonus points! Oh, and NO saying your own dog. You already have that one, so get dreaming.

I am near positive that I will one day own a white akita.

The untold virtues of dog ownership

2006-12-30T12:34:44Z

This is Kat, Second in Command of Puppy Petting reporting in. As Nick has been called in to work early, I'm flying solo on this latest vet appointment. While Hurley has been a wonderful dog thus far, and knows me pretty well, it's obvious that Nick is the Voice of Authority, and I'm always wary of taking him out on my own. Happily, some of my anxiety is allayed by the fact that this should be a good visit. Hurley has nearly mastered all the commands Dr. Smith taught us last time, including "roll-over" which everyone is rather proud of.

However, it is 7:24 AM and I have already played a round of an exciting new game called "Where's the poop?" Following a black dog around a cold pre-dawn backyard in order to find a fresh sample for the vet is a treacherous task indeed.

Ironically, I will be starting the clinical rotation part of medical school soon and this seems like good practice for surgical rounds, in which we wake groggy patients at 5 AM to ask them if they've pooped in the last 24 hours. Who knew that taking care of a dog would prepare me for a medical future?

So really, what's up with purse dogs?

2006-12-29T02:01:35Z

Even at his puppiest of sizes, I don't think Hurley would have fit inside a purse. He's a lap dog at times, sure, but never could he have been a purse dog. I should also admit that he's currently fulfilling his duties as lapwarmer nicely, although his chin resting on my arm makes typing a bit more difficult than usual. Back to the subject: why do people feel the need to cram a living, breathing artifact of the ferocious and mighty dire wolf inside four folding walls of italian leather?

Frankly, I've never understood the miniaturization of dog breeds even before these pint-size pooches were being shoved into handbags. It always seems to be that no matter the method of miniaturizing the breed, you ultimately end up with an unhealthier dog. There's two common ways to do this: mating runts or mixing with toy breeds.

It's hard to ignore that a miniature australian shepherd does look a bit bug-eyed, perhaps because of the pomeranian blood coursing through its veins. Also, why do it at all? Aussies are fairly large dogs and energetic but if someone really wants a herding dog with a smaller build, aren't they giving corgis a bit of the shaft? Breeding any breeds together with more concern of the size of the offspring than the health is downright despicable. To be honest, mixing any two breeds together on purpose is reprehensible breeding. The entire reason to breed dogs is to further the breed by creating a sturdy line of offspring through remarkable gene lines. So if honest breeding is for the love of the breed, what breed is it that these miniaturizers love? Certainly not the breed they're shrinking, the litters are most always worse off than the parents. A runt usually has the weakest mix of genes out of all pups in a litter, so breeding the weakest dog with a comparably week dog, and then eventually breeding their offspring with another of runt parentage is ghastly, to say the least.

Worse still is the current trend in small dogs. The surest bet to spot a negligent breeder from the ad? Well, first off a decent breeder doesn't advertise. They don't need to. But aside from that important fact, take a look at any advertisement for chihuahuas, malteses, or other toy breeds and they all seem to be saying the same thing: buy from me because my dogs are the eenie meaniest of itsy bitsies. Forget what the desired show size of a yorkshire terrier is, a lady should never be forced to strain her shoulder carrying a whole five pounds of canine inside a bag. She'd better be sure to go with the breeder that swears by a maximum weight of 2.57394 lbs., a claim that cannot be guaranteed because pups often outgrow their parents.

I'll just say it. Paris Hilton has done to chihuahuas what the movie 101 Dalmatians did to the title breed. I love dalmatians. They're beautiful dogs. But you couldn't pay me to take one in, thanks to the boom breeding and incestuous matings that followed that film to supply the sudden demand for this spotted dog. Now deciding to get a dalmatian is a roll of the dice with four sides reading "you lose." They're fearful, neurotic, and genetically unsound. Chihuahuas are well on their way to the same fate.

Besides, aren't dogs built to travel on four feet? If I ever hear someone refer to a trip around the mall with their dog tucked under arm as "taking the dog for a walk" I just might throw a punch. And doggy strollers? No reason for them, under any circumstance without excuse. All breeds can walk on their own so please, for the love of natural order, let them.

Do you feel similarly or disagree? This is all a lot of my opinion so feel free to add yours, even (and especially) if it goes against my own.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-25T14:17:47Z

Hurley and I just wanted to wish everyone out there, canine and humanoid alike, a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. May you have a safe and happy holiday with those you love.

The Tail of Two Horses

2006-12-23T03:51:32Z

Kat and I had a bit of a dog date the other day, Hurley being the referenced canine. We dropped in at his vet to pick up some Frontline before heading over to PetSmart to grab some stocking stuffers for his Christmas stocking. Please, please, please... tell me I'm not the only dog owner out there who gave his dog a stocking. I'll let everyone in on the loot once he's received it, because where's the holiday cheer in a Christmas update without presents?

Anyway, we'd looked up local dog parks before leaving and decided to check one out that's in Lake Orion, not far from the Great Lakes Crossing mall. If any locals care to check it out, head north on the Joslyn exit off I-75 and it's between that and Baldwin right around Lake Sixteen. Actually, I should say that Lake Sixteen allows no human swimming, dogs only. The park is huge, 14 acres to be sure, and it attracts quite a few friendly faces of both species. I'll let the website explain it in depth, if you're a SE Michigan dog owner, it's worth a look: Orion Oaks Bark Park.

We arrived shortly after 4:00 p.m. and unfortunatly it closes at dusk, so Hurley only got about an hour in. He was pretty hesitant at first with all the new smells and dogs assaulting him at once, but by the end he'd relaxed a bit and began to play bow with several, including a husky/shepherd mix and a pair of black great danes, whom I kidded as being as tall as horses.

It's only $30 for a year-round pass for Oakland County residents, so I imagine we'll be spending a lot more time there in the future. Please, feel free to leave any experiences, good or bad, you've had with bark parks and your dogs. I'd love to hear about the great ones or even the awful ones!

Also, all photos in this thread were taken by Kat, on her Christmas gift, the Nikon D50. In the future, I likely won't be citing the source if the shot is by her or myself, with her permission of course.

Breakdown of visit to the veterinarian on 12/16/06

2006-12-17T15:48:28Z

Yesterday was Hurley's first visit to his vet, Dr. Pam Smith, since coming into my care. His breeder took him in for the eight week visit, so I he didn't have to go again until the 12 week visit. Dr. Smith operates out of Maple Veterinary Hospital in Troy, Michigan. I was referred to her via a yahoo group called MIDogs.

First, Hurley weighed in at 11.6 pounds, over 1/4 of his adult weight. He didn't make a fuss or appear shocked by anything there. First, a vet tech appeared and asked a few questions about his behavior, eating, and medical past. She asked about his bowel movements, if I planned to neuter, potential future boarding (in case he needed Bordetella shots), what he eats and how often, and crate training. I explained that movements have been generally solid, but a bit runny when he first came home and after I began him on fish oil, he'd be neutered as soon as they wanted to do it (when he's six months old) and that he wouldn't be boarded, he eats Chicken Soup puppy food twice daily and downs it all, and that yes, he is progressing well in crate training. To this last answer, I received a cheery "Great! I love you!" Kat remarked that she likely meant it in the platonic sense, as she had a rock on her finger.

After handing me an IAMS puppy kit, she disappeared and Dr. Smith arrived a short time later, to the sound of trumpets, harps, and heavenly chorus. Okay, so maybe without the soundtrack but she's really fantastic. She gave Hurley a thorough exam, we chatted about the breed as she'd never seen one up close. She remarked that his head structure is more bear-like than fox-like, so different than the shiba.

I explained that he's been a bit itchy and she suggested three consecutive applications of Frontline, which usually clears up itchiness in puppies in her experience, though it isn't fleas. She suggested I contact the breeder in case of any history of itchiness in her dogs, and to also inquire about hair growth and patchiness, as Hurley has strips on the backs of his hind legs where the hair is quite thin. We're not sure if that's the skin thing or characteristic of the breed.

His lab test came up 1+ positive for Giardia, which is common in dogs around here. She explained that the one denotes a weak case, the weakest in a range of four, but she prefers to clear puppies of it anyway. She compared it to Montezuma's Revenge in humans. It's basically a single-cell organism that lives in the water outside and many dogs have it without ill effect or even notice. She just wanted to be sure to clear him up of any little critter, even if it may be harmless, so Hurley was prescribed Metronidazole to take care of that.

Then, she had me feed Hurley a treat while she administered the DPP (distemper, parvovirus, parainfluenza) vaccination shot. She said she was curious if the kai was as thick skinned as the akita and she turned out to be right in her assumption, Hurley never batted an eye. Then Dr. Smith did a truly amazing thing: she gave me a quick training lesson.

After some praise and loving to Hurley, she showed me a few good tips on how to build upon the training I've already done. Before this visit, I was still searching for a good method of teaching him his own name, but not anymore. Dr. Smith showed me to hold the treat between my thumb and middle finger and use the index to point or cue Hurley to look at my eyes when I say "Hurley." She then showed me how to turn "down" into "settle", which is laying on his side, by bringing his head around to his elbow and over so he'd lay down on one side. Past that, "roll over" is a similar added step.

The vet tech came back and remarked that Hurley was a bit of a celebrity with the staff, as he was so well-behaved and even tempered, not to mention a breed they'd never seen before. She said she'd be paying close attention to him as he grows because she's fond of the asian breeds but has cats, and is still looking for a breed that she can trust with cats.

Upon leaving, I even found the bill to be lower than I initially thought it would be, which was a nice surprise. I'm hoping this type of vet visit continues as a trend. It'd be wonderful to never have to worry about going to the vet because Hurley isn't afraid and doesn't act up.

The tale of how Hurley came to be a Kai Ken

2006-12-16T05:36:47Z

Today I made a detour to a Petland in Waterford and they had a couple shibas together in a pen, so we (Kat and I) opted to take the cream out for a romp in their play area. She was agreeably adorable, and she let us in on a taste of the infamous "shiba scream," a vocal trait many shibas share.

To explain, I originally put a down payment with my breeder, Marian at Classy Kennel for a male shiba, but a handful of shiba litters came and went with no available males. Eventually Hurley showed up and she offered me a male kai instead and the rest is Hurley history, as evidenced by my first entry to this blog.

Anyway, the confrontation with the overpriced pet store shiba ($1,600?! WOW what a deal! /sarcasm) led me to this entry. A true explanation of how the dice came up kai. Essentially, I think it worthwhile to reveal the breeds I considered before finally deciding that the shiba, er... kai is the right breed for me.

It all started with a $3,250 english bulldog dozing in a mall window. Erica, my out-of-state girlfriend of the time, was visiting and we stopped in at a pet store to check things out and perhaps play with a puppy or two. I should admit, pet stores are one of my secret favorite date locales. They're like zoos where you have the option to take the attraction home, even if responsibility dictates you will not. That aside, we'd brought out and snuggled by this point in the night one too-small chihuahua and one overpriced-for-a-mutt chihuahua mix. As I'm sure one can surmise by the previous sentence, I'd not been in charge of picking which dogs to play with up to this point. Yes, Erica was one of those purse-dog people: the tinier the pricier, and therefor, the better.

I've always been partial to dogs with a bit of mass. At this point in my life, I knew well enough that whatever breed I could honestly consider owning would have to be able to live in an apartment as I'm still a good ways away from able to afford my own house. Many apartments have weight and breed restrictions and more importantly, many breeds have exercise and space requirements. It'd be terribly selfish of me to bring a border collie into my life when the only surroundings I could offer him during his developmental stage would come with a single-tense acre of a yard. Still, I'd rather not own a dog that could easily suffer a fatal fall by falling out of my bed. And so we return to the pet store.

English bulldog

He was cute, a lot like the one pictured above. He was sleeping his time away in the store window with no other young canine companion to romp with. The store associate later explained that english bulldogs have a nearly useless immune system while very young and so they cannot mingle with the other dogs. I never figured out if that statement was a wad of crap, so don't take it as fact. Anyway, we got the bloke out and once in the pen, he romped voraciously around with us and did that adorable thing all puppies in pet stores must do, which is to chew on your shoelaces as if they were divine in origin.

It was decided, the english bulldog it would be. It's a sturdy breed, one that gets by fine in apartments, and one that could likely get along with her chihuahua. I can't recall now if she already owned her chihuahua, Aidan, or if he was still only a concept, but I think she had gotten him by then.

Aidan

Eventual research revealed english bulldogs to be hard-headed and one of the priciest breeds around, in both initial price and eventual vet cost. The line of health problems they suffer from is incredible, and a bit heartbreaking. A new breed had to be found. But what?

Australian shepherd

It was my first glimpse of a blue merle aussie that struck my fancy. They're incredibly beautiful and to this day, it remains one of my favorite color/breed combinations. Unfortunately, an aussie isn't far from a border collie in nature, which is to say, they're balls of energy concentrated into a 50 pound mass of muscle and fur. Incredibly intelligent too. They're about as far a cry from english bulldog as I could hope for. They have the classic "doggish" build and their frisbee abilities and flyball times reveal them to be anything but fragile. To solve the space and energy dilemma, they come in smalled sizes with silly names like "mini" or even smaller, "toy."

My ethics in dog breeding didn't allow me to hold the notion of one day owning a miniature aussie for very long. You see, when a breed is miniaturized, or bred to be smaller, it invariably ends up a weaker breed than the original. A miniature aussie may as well be advertized as an aussie/pomeranian mix, because somewhere not far down the line that's what they really are. I can't support designer breeds, they honestly break my heart a little bit, but again I'm digressing into another entry I'll one day have to make. Still, my dog had no breed.

It's around this time that I broke things off with Erica, so her opinions on dog breeds (opinions that oftentimes clashed with my own) no longer held any sway. It was my love for one of my mother's dogs, an akita, that had me eying the japanese spitz family of dogs. There are several breeds similar to the akita in japan, varying a bit in size, temperament, and looks of course, but only two are commonly found in america: the akita and the shiba inu. The akita grows between 75 and 120 pounds, and has a terrible reputation thanks to breed bias, so it's right out of the question which leaves the shiba inu, a 20 to 30 pound fox-looking dog.

Shiba inu

Before making the decision to place a down payment with a breeder, I researched the breed as much as anyone can. At this point, I still didn't feel ready for a dog, so I passed the time researching. A good deal of time passed, and still I continued to mull the decision over in my mind, even after reaching the point where I felt I could handle a dog in my life. Getting a dog is a huge deal, so I wanted to be sure I'd pick a dog I'd be happy with. I read info websites and books, talked to owners and breeders, and met a few in person. After an equally thorough search of reputable breeders, including email conversations with the breeder and connecting with people who'd gotten dogs from Marian, I decided on Classy Kennel and put my money down to begin the waiting game.

I knew Marian bred kais, a friend of mine really yearned for one, but I'd never heard of the breed and, knowing nothing of the breed, they held minimal interest with me. I had shibas on the brain, and was to continue thinking about them for a little while longer, as litters came and went without producing a male I could claim as my own. A male was my only request, though she offered me the option even to hold off for the perfect color, save for cream. Creams of the breed are penalized in the show ring, and so no reputable breeder would purposely produce creams in their litters. Three litters came, two of only females and one with a single black and tan male that was already contracted to go to another shiba breeder in Belgium. By this time, a litter of siberian huskies came to Marian's granddaughter and a lone male kai ken had been born to one of Marian's dames and in her considerations, she offered me the option of transferring my down payment to either a husky or the kai if I wished.

Knowing the energy limits, or lack thereof of huskies, I ruled them out and moved on to examine the kai ken as a breed. Much of what I read piqued my interest. Like shibas, they're a primitive breed and so have very few genetic problems, significantly less than most other breeds. They're independent, but not near as aloof as the shiba and also friendlier to strange dogs and people alike. They're a bit bigger, which I like, but not so big to lose them as contenders for being an apartment-safe breed. They're also more likely to enjoy water, something most shibas detest, and they can also be off-leash trained, while only a select few shibas can be trusted without a leash when outside as their prey drive is just too great. It didn't take long before I agreed to use my down payment toward the kai and never looked back.

It's a decision I don't see ever thinking twice on.