Eight!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

My big boy has reached another milestone today... 8 years old! Holy. I guess he's all grown up now. Here's to another 8 great years Benny!

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Halloween Horrors

*'scuse me. Could you help me find the way back to my own blog, I appear to be lost.*

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No worries Romeo! I'm just going to borrow you for this post, then I'll send you home. Yesterday my roomie and I went out to the birthplace of Life is Better with Sheltie Hair for a little Halloween fun.

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To start with:

Treats! Aw, thanks boys!

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And for the two-leggers:

Scary!

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After settling in, it was time for the main event... pumpkin carving. In the name of decadence, the three of us each decided to carve two pumpkins... which has translated into many pumpkin related aches and pains this morning. Who knew!?

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But, we ended up with such masterpieces as this:

My roomies tribute to Where the Wild Things Are... a fantastic Carol!

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And a rockin' crow.
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Sheltie Hair came up with a wonderful:

Sheltie! Surprise! Didn't see that coming right?
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As well, she did a funky howling wolf backlit by a multicolor pumpkin light. Too perfect.

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Next, my creations:

EPIC! No really... I made the transfer from one of his pictures. It isn't that easy to see, but I'm still proud.

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And then there's:

Creepy little dolls! They turned out nice. A few mishaps here and there, but all in all not too bad.

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Epic also decided to dress up for Halloween this year, only he didn't like the dressing up part very much. So he simply stood and looked cute.

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*Oh hai! I'm a Halloweeny monster! What? Shut up Mom, is not true.*

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Bailey, however, wore Epic's costume with pride. A fantastic vampire! Not exactly scary though Bailey!

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Favorite Things

The Christmas season is coming! I know, I know... Halloween first. I'm starting to feel the Christmas spirit though. So, in honour of the non-season, I present you with a few of Epic's favorite things:

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It's an interesting collection. The snake, ball, food dish, and sardines are straight forward. The shoe... well, he likes shoes. But the petroleum jelly? What's up with that?

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Epic ate some stuff the other day. Or so we thought.

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The boys had some RMBs one Monday, and there was a bit of a mishap with the packaging of the bones. The styrofoam package was set on top of the big outside garbage can while the bones were being organized, and was forgotten there. No biggie, right? No one can get up there... except apparently they can. When my roommate went outside again she noticed the bone packaging laying on the ground... and the absorbant pad from in it was missing. Now, there were a couple of suspects to consider, but while we were standing out there Epic happily showed off his ability to get ON THE HUGE GARBAGE CAN. Dirty little stinker. So Epic went on blockage surveillance.

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When this happened, I made the decision to not give him hydrogen peroxide to puke it up, and just wait and see what happened. Waited. Nothing happened. Waited some more. Nothing happened. Started to panic.

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Then I learned about the vaseline. Rumor has it feeding dogs vaseline will help push whatever they have in their system through. So for 24 hours Epic ate nothing but vaseline. And he LOVED it. If it didn't make 'things' messy, I'd stuff his darn Kong with it he loves it that much.

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Nothing happened. Sure, we had some quick potty trips (aided by the vaseline) but nothing funny came out. Panicking again. I started to really think about it then... the RMB's we get are frozen, and remain frozen until they are used. Do they really NEED to have absorbant pads in those packages? There aren't really juices to speak of. So back we toddled to the grocery store to discover that no, no they don't put absorbant pads in the RMBs.

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So Epic ate vaseline for a day. For nothing. And he LOVED it.

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So, in honour of the non-season, what are some of your dogs favorite things?

7 Groups

There are some awesome blogs around that have done an interesting post today. My turn! The game is to look at the CKC/AKC dog breed groups and pick one breed from each group that you would like to own. No choosing your current breed!.

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Group 1: Sporting

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Man, I'm stumped right off the bat! There aren't any breeds in the sporting group that really stand out to me. I think my choice would be a Flat-Coated Retriever. I haven't seen many, but I do know of a few that are both great family dogs AND fantastic workers.

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Group 2: Hounds

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Greyhound. Hands down. I'm not sure what exactly I'd DO with a Greyhound, but I've always wanted one. I think part of the draw is that there are a lot of fantastic Greyhounds in rescue that just need a home to retire to.

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Group 3: Working

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Great Dane. Again, this is hands down. There's something about the breed that I just like, and yet I don't know why. They aren't well suited to most dog sports, they don't have the loveliest attitude, and they take up the entire bed... but I think there's something there. I can easily see this as a companion dog in my future.

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Group 4: Terrier

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This is my group! This is my group! Seeing as I have a Jack... I'd go with the American Staffordshire Terrier (Not the Bull Terrier, and NOT while I still had Epic). I don't like the boxy look, but I've met plenty of lovely Staffies and think they would be fun working dogs. Properly kept and socialized, they can be great all-around athletes.

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Group 5: Toy

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Forgive me, I'm choosing the Italian Greyhound. I know, I know... my sister has a fantastic little Papillon cross, but they're not for me. I've seen some wonderful little Italian's in flyball, but I think they need a patience and understanding that I do not have. It would be quite the learning experience.

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Group 6: Non-sporting

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I had a lovely Dalmation once, and would happily take another. Is it cheating that I've already had the breed? If so, then let's pretend that I said Bulldog. Again... not a dog sport prospect. I'd have a better chance with a Dalmation on that front.

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Group 7: Herding

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Again, forgive me... I DO NOT want a Border Collie. I have met, lived with, and loved many awesome Border Collies but I can't handle the obsessive "Go!Go!Go!". Says the Jack owner. Still... I like a dog that's willing to sleep as late as me. This being said, I'd go with the Belgian Malinois. Now THAT'S a candidate for a good working/dog sport friend.

6 MONTHS!

Happy 6 months to my not-so-little-anymore boy! *runs off crying*

Epic thinks to his future:

*Hmmm.... needs more cookies.*

Old Man Winter Apparently Hates Trick-or-Treating.

Can YOU spot the puppy?

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Epic thought he might like to go as a blob of snow for Halloween. I told him there was no way he could stay still long enough to sell the charade.

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It's frickin' cold here these days. Winter. In the middle of October. How very... Saskatchewan.

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Epic spent some time pondering what it means to be a short coated dog in a cold climate on our walk today. He decided this meant running really fast to keep warm.

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Sometimes I feel sorry for the people who live in areas of the world where they don't have 'winter'. I mean REAL winter... winter where the temperature falls to -40 and your nostrils freeze shut every time you take a breath. Winters where frost crystals form a veil between your scarf and your toque. THOSE kinds of winters. If you don't have those kinds of winters, you don't get to experience the bliss of coming in out of the mind-numbing, swear-inducing, penguin-killing cold.
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There's nothing better than just kicking back, relaxing, and warming up, on those frigid winter days.

SNOW!

It's a hit!

So Tell Me

How do I get this:

On this:

SIGH. I had Epic to the vet on Monday, after he developed a limp on the weekend. It's the same leg that he had previously found painful, so it was time to get it checked out. As it turns out, there's nothing too serious to worry about (Thank doG)! That's not to say there isn't some concern though. Epic's triceps are very tight, and his quads are bad too... although not to the same degree. He also has a cracked pad (requiring me to actually wrap it sometime in this life. I've been putting it off. You would too). So the vets sent me home with some Metacam for this week and a whole bunch of stretches to help loosen the poor little boy up.

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I've very pleased with our vet visit. The quality of care was fantastic, and they didn't just prescribe painkillers and send me home. I told them that anti-inflammatorys were fine, but I didn't want to put him on painkiller as my only hope of keeping him quiet is if he continued to be uncomfortable. That's sad, I know, but it's very true. So they sat down with me and taught me stretches to target different muscle groups, suggested I teach him to bow, give hugs, and pray, and that Epic and I set up an obstacle course where he could walk over objects (no jumping!) to stretch out those quads. After a couple days of two foot stretches, weaves, and deep cookie bends, Epic's limp is a bit less pronounced today.

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Epic decided he had enough of laying around and napping today, so engaged his brothers in a round of zoomies. Obviously, I'd rather he didn't do any strenuous activity right now... but what can I do? Sitting in his crate 23 hours a day isn't going to help those muscles. The zooms were happening outside where it is relatively flat, with no couches to Superman off of. I let it go.

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Brothers are just too fun.

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Its been a weird week. Things are quite sad and odd without Sam here, but it's nice to see the boys out there enjoying their youth!

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Hard Days

On Saturday, October 3rd, we lost one of the great ones.

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I know that these days are extremely hard for all of Sam's family and friends, but i'd like to take a moment to speak to his life.

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I got to know Sam a few years ago, as I became close friends with Sam's mom... one of my teammates. Sam was his mom's first dog, and one of the original members of our flyball team. He was also his mom's heart-dog.

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Sam spent the last 11 years shaping his mom into the person I know and love. For myself, and many of my teammates, Sam's mom is our go-to person whenever we have a 'dog' question. Whether it's health or behaviour related, she knows it all. She and Sam truely understood each other. Sam eventally retired from flyball due to spondylosis and hip dysplasia. With care and managment, Sam was not slowed down by his health problems, and continued to enjoy his offleash walks, and fetch sessions with Mom.

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Although I always had a soft-spot for Sam, he became more than just a friend's dog three months ago when Epic and I moved in as roommates. From then on, Sam was a part of my daily life. Attacking me with kisses, cuddling with me on the couch, and simply following my every footstep, Sam knew how to make long writing days less lonely. Although too dignified to play with the other dogs Sam did indulge Epic in a little Bark and Chase, and was the only one ever willing to cuddle with my little boy.

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About 10 days ago, after suffering a couple weak periods, Sam was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma... a rapidly growing, invasive form of cancer. Sam had masses on his heart. He was brought home to be with his family, and had 10 FANTASTIC days. Bright, alert, and cheery, Sam enjoyed his brothers, his toys, good food, and good company... acting like a young and healthy boy. On Saturday, after a big breakfast and a kiss attack, Sam collapsed. His mom and I were both with him at this time, and when he was helped across The Bridge.

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It was my pleasure to know Sam, to live with him, to love him, and to be there throughout his diagnosis, those wonderful days after, and when he completed his journey.

Random Owner Interlude

The only thing worse than waking up early:

1. Noticing your puppy is up, has apparently been up for a while, and is chewing on something.
2. Noticing that the something is a spider.
3. Realizing that in the time it took you to notice it was a spider, he had lost the damn thing.
4. Knowing that there's a spider somewhere out there. One that's big enough to play with.