Boys and their rugs

I was in Calgary a while ago and picked up an Alpaca area rug. I had it upstairs on the side of my bed but brought it down to the living room one day to show someone who came to visit. Well, as soon as the dogs saw the rug they absolutely loved it. As anyone with a Shih-Tzu knows, once the dogs attach themselves to an item, it becomes theirs. So my friend left and I went about my business and totally forgot about the rug. When I remembered, I went looking for it but the Alpaca rug mysteriously went from the living room to the boys' sleeping area in the family room. Oh yea...guess who was sleeping on it so I couldn't move it? (They're not as innocent as they look...)

The Best Cleaner for your Carpets

Like most people, I've probably tried 75,000 different things on the carpet to get urine and marking stains out. It's been a trying journey with Rocki who, although he's a bit slow to learn, does understand that he has to go poop outside. However, he never quite grasped the concept that peeing is done outside as well. Although I've tried every which way to train him, it's been a losing battle. So I've come to accept that during the day, Rocki will go outside with his brother and at night, he'll just go wherever and I'll clean it up.

It's not just the stains that drive me nuts - it's the lingering odor that is nauseating and guarantees the dog will return to that exact spot when it comes time to do his or her business. But now I've found something better than my old white vinegar and water solution and it's natural.

I've used this on the bottom of my light colored couch (which is microsuede) and on the carpet. (did I mention the carpet we have left is pale grey? Yellow is quite obvious on it....) This stuff works wonders. I pay about $5.99 for a large spray bottle...I guess it depends on where you buy it. You just spray it on the carpet or furniture and it will remove the odor and the stain.

If the stain is set in, I have had to do more than one treatment. But it does work. The only thing is that when you first spray it on, the urine (or whatever odor is present) gets really strong for a short period of time while the product breaks it down. After that, you don't smell anything. And the nice thing is that this product really doesn't have a smell itself, so you're not covering up the odor with some stupid flowery scent (you know the stuff...you spray it on and later you smell pee AND lilies).

Anyway, this is the website for the company and the product: Nature Clean. Try it...you will like it...and it works.

Selecting a Kennel

We recently had occasion where we had to go out of town and no family members were available to sit with our boys, so we had no option but to put them in a kennel.

Now I thought I did my research - I looked up kennels in our area on the internet and thought I had found a good one. I checked the website of the kennel to see their facilities, I searched for good and bad reviews, and I talked to people in my vets office. We also had friends who left their Daschund and Jack Terrier there and were very happy with the treatment they received.

The bonus with this kennel is that it was close to home. I found their site on the internet and was impressed by the tiled cubicles for small dogs. When I talked to the staff at the vets office who said they heard that this kennel was now under new management (and I too had seen the sign when I passed by it) and that people were starting to bring their dogs back (apparently they had a bad reputation before but no one would commit to saying why). I was told people were now commenting on how well this kennel was run and their business was growing. Sounds good, right?

So, armed with bedding, treats, toys and food, I took my boys to the kennel. I was greeted by the staff and they took the stuff for the boys and, lastly, our lovable little dogs were taken as well. I stressed over and over, on the phone and in person, that I didn't want them in contact with big dogs. Little dogs were fine, but not big ones. I was assured over and over that they would not be around the large dogs.

We had given the kennel the approximate time we would return and were about an hour late. I walked into the office and the staff member immediately went into the kennel area to let the dogs out of their chain link enclosure. Right there my mind started working - why were they in a chain link area where the large dogs were kept when on the web site the small dogs were shown in a tiled area with little white walled cubicles?

The staff member processing my debit card seemed quite friendly so I decided to probe a bit. I asked how the dogs were? Were they well behaved around other dogs? Oh yes, he said...they had no problem in the common area. Then he started yapping and I could feel the blood rushing to my head. I could see the enclosure they came from was chain link on all sides but the far wall. He told us that he put two German Shepherd dogs in the space next to our dogs. According to him, German Shepherds are very competitive when it comes to food and he said he had to separate these two when it was feeding time because they would fight with each other over any food item. He then told me they were going crazy one night because our dogs were chewing on little pig ears and the Shepherds wanted them. He said our dogs were really good: they stayed in one spot, stared straight ahead and chewed their treats while the Shepherd was pawing at the chain link. All I could think of was "of course they were chewing like robots - they were scared out of their wits!" I know my little guys - they chew, they look around, they chew some more. Now when they are nervous, they chew like robots. And that is what he described. I said "why were German Shepherds next to my dogs?" He kind of brushed it off like it was nothing and never really answered the question. There was something not right going on. He told me that he actually ended up putting a blanket over the chain link so the Shepherds couldn't see my dogs. What kind of kennel is this?

We ended up having to go on another trip and I had already pre-booked my boys with this kennel when we first brought them, but I couldn't even sleep at night thinking we had to take them back. So I started looking up other kennels and calling to see what kind of facilities they had. I found one that had solid walls between the kennels so I told the owner of that kennel what my dogs had gone through with the chain link fencing. He was quite sympathetic but also worried that my dogs got peed on. You know, I wondered why they were freshly bathed when I picked them up because I didn't order nor did I pay for a bathing. I started feeling even worse about where I had left them before, but I now have found a new kennel where the dogs are fed, provided with beds, given toys, bathed after a week, in a secure enclosure with three solid walls, and their only neighbors were a Chihuahua and another Shih-Tzu.

So the moral of this story is please check out the kennel yourself. Insist on seeing the area they will be in. Do not rely solely on other people's word...do not rely on pictures from their website. As I discovered, there was no tiled area with cubicles for small dogs in the one kennel. The small dogs were placed with the big ones.

The Boys Visit the Veterinarian

It's that time of year when the boys need their shots so we make a quick trip to the vet.

Bruiser had been having some trouble with his ear - scratching it, repeatedly licking his paw and shaking his head - so I asked the vet to look at it. It turns out he has another ear infection. I can't figure out how or why he keeps getting them and Rocki never does, but now we have antibiotics and drops for him and it appears to be clearing up.

Rocki has been skittering around on his bum, so the vet had his anal sac squeezed and he seems to be okay now.

All in all, aside from the $380 bill, it was a good trip. They're both healthy and are at a proper weight. We have a follow up visit to ensure that Bruiser's ear infection clears up, but he seems to be doing much better than he was.

The vet has been asking if I will be neutering them. I said I would shortly but I'm the one who is squeamish about it. But apparently neutering them avoids many health related issues such as testicular cancer so I should do more than think about it and actually get an appointment for them. Apparently, if they are not neutered, the vet told me they can go from best friends to rivals that snarl and fight with each other so that's another issue to consider. 

The Geese Return

It's that time of year where the leaves start to turn shades of amber, orange and red. It's that time of year when the Canada geese gather at our little lake to prepare for their long journey south. And, it's that time of year when Bruiser absolutely refuses to go outside for any reason.

It's not that the dogs are afraid of the geese who parade through our back yard twice a day. It's not the incessant honking when the geese gather at night that spooks him. What frightens Bruiser are the "crackers" that go off at intervals throughout the day.

The "crackers" (as I call them) sound like a gunshot. The city has placed them around the lake because there are some individuals who live on the lake who don't like the geese. So, they complain to the city and the city puts in "crackers" to ostensibly scare the geese away. As far as I can see, the geese keep coming back. Some fly away when the "crackers" go off only to return shortly thereafter while others just sit there and ignore them completely. My Bruiser, who is also scared of firecrackers and thunder, will not go outside. At this time of year, he remains in a constant state of panic and will only go as far as sniffing the air when I open the door. If I physically place him outside to go pee, he panics and runs back to the door, madly scratching it if I do not open it fast enough. 

So my issue is why do people live on a lake where, obviously, fowl of any kind will congregate at certain times of the year. It's like buying a place next to a cattle ranch and then complaining that the cows are mooing. The geese are here for three or four weeks. Surely people can deal with it! They swim in the pond and wander around. Yea, they poop, and sometimes it hits your vehicle if it's parked outside. So what...other birds poop too. Should we start getting rid of them as well?

So in the end, I am forced to line the doorway with paper all night and day so Bruiser can do his business. The poor little guy has figured out that if he eats and drinks sparingly, he won't have to do his business as often. So for about four weeks my sweet boy virtually abstains from food and water. I talked to our neighbor about it - they have a big black lab. They go through the same thing each year with their dog being petrified to go outside. 

Maybe it's just me, but I think it's a sad day when we can't tolerate nature at her finest.

City boys become country boys

After my mother-in-law passed away, we had to go out to the country to her home to help my husband's siblings pack up the house. The three hour drive was no joy given the circumstances. However, it is made even more onerous when the boys decide that, rather than use the entire back end of the SUV that contains their toys, bedding, water dish and other assorted treats, they MUST spend the entire ride on my lap. Both of them...together. Side by side. They switch positions every two minutes.  About 10 minutes away from our destination, they decide that perhaps it's time to go in the back and curl up for a nap.

 

When we get to my mother-in-law' place, the boys perk up because they know that here they can run amok without leashes and still never run out space to roam. They water every tree, and when they run out of liquid they simply lift their legs at the remaining ones while looking puzzled that nothing comes out. Well, by the 35th tree you would think they would learn that nothing is left. However, being very determined little Shih-Tzus, they are adamant that they are going to mark every last one. 

I lost Rocki at one point...he had chased a bird all across the garden but ended up finding a cat and chasing him up the tree. This is the same cat that came to visit earlier in the day - it belongs to the neighbor across the road. Bruiser was actually quite friendly when the large, yellow cat came to visit. Rocki kept his distance but Bruiser started sniffing and the cat kind of let him as it slithered around. The cat then got bored and decided to trot off into a large rock garden at the front of the house. Bruiser, ever the inquisitive one, followed the cat into the shrubbery. I called him repeatedly and said "no" in my loudest voice, but Bruiser was going after the cat. He had the cat backed up against a tree and I began yelling for him again, but Bruiser was going to have to learn the hard way. The cat suddenly "meowed" and slapped Bruiser across the face with his paw. Bruiser squealed and leaped backwards, landing on a dead rose bush. He screamed again as the sharp branches scraped his skin and frantically skittered out of the rock garden. Needless to say, for the rest of the day, he followed me quite closely and was an excellent listener. The next day was another story entirely...

Even though the boys have oodles of acres to run through and explore, this apparently is not good enough. When things got just a wee bit too quiet in the yard, I decided to go investigating. I found my two "precious" boys digging a large hole where the hose to the sump pit is. I called for the two of them to come out. To my shock, Rocki listened immediately and took off while Bruiser started growling when he realized I was about to take him away from this most enjoyable activity. As I leaned in to physically drag Bruiser out, my husband had caught up with Rocki and was wrestling a dead bird from his mouth. From the tone of my husband's voice, I could tell it was not going to well for him. I let him deal with that. After all, I had a filthy little Shih-Tzu to clean up.

Ah yes...the joys of going to the country. Did I mention we're not going back in the near future?

The Boys Lose their Grandma

The boys know something is up. We're gone for long periods of time, and they've seen more of our family coming and going than ever before. People are always dropping in and staying the night. And then we're all gone again for hours. 

They haven't had their bath or brushing like they always did. Their walks to the lake have become non-existent. When their mom and dad come home, they don't do much more than fall on the couch and sleep. And through it all the boys are the most patient, caring little guys you could ever wish for.

Although they don't know exactly what's going on, we know they will never see their Grandma again because Grandma is in the hospital and, after being poked and prodded and tested for the last month, we are told there is no hope for recovery and she is simply being kept comfortable until she takes her last breath which, we believe, will be at any time.

The boys became close to Grandma when she stayed with us for seven months. Grandma had surgery on her hand and was supposed to be here for about four weeks to recover. However, with complications and further surgeries, she was here for almost a year.

Every night as she slowly made her way to her bedroom, the boys would run ahead and go into her room. They'd check it out, sniffing every nook and cranny, and then return to the doorway when all was clear. When she woke up in the morning, the boys were waiting to greet her with their tails wagging and their bodies wiggling with joy. It put a smile on her face every day and, after she went home,she said the one thing she missed the most were the boys greeting her each morning and coming to say goodnight. During the day, they would sit with her in her chair and cuddle with her. They never worried that she limped and walked with a cane...they would patiently wait for her. They never saw her twisted, arthritic hands...all they felt were the warm caresses those hands provided each and every day. When my husband and I went on vacation, Grandma was always the first to volunteer to house sit with the boys so they didn't have to go to a kennel. 

The boys continue to run into "her bedroom" and look around even though Grandma is not there.  They sometimes will sit in the room and have a little nap. It seems to bring them comfort to be there. Last night we noticed the little nightlight we placed next to Grandma's bed was on. We did not turn it on as we don't really even go into that room. But perhaps this is Grandma's way of letting us know that even in her comatose state, she still comes to visit.