SplitRock Dozer

Snow Dogs

2010-02-11T12:17:00.005-06:00

Snow in Texas?? I love it! The best part is shoving my brothers face in it.

I'm going to sit by the fire.

Moose Kisses

First of Feb - 2010

2010-02-01T08:09:00.001-06:00

Wow, its already the second month of 2010. I guess its like the saying goes, time flies when your having fun.

The only real update I have is that my buddy, Dr. Jim, called my dad on Friday with the test results from tests they sent off. The good news is that the blood samples came back okay and the steroids to keep my allergies under control aren’t hurting me. It’s a real low dose, especially for a 132lb slobbering moose such as myself. The bad news is that the urine samples showed some bacteria. I have some sort of urinary track infection. Its not real bad, but may be why I’m so thirsty lately. Mom brought me home so medicine she calls horse pills. I’m not sure why the doc gave her horse pills for a moose? So now I get lots of peanut butter every morning and every night with my pills. I love peanut butter and start drooling as soon as the lid is opened. Anyway, I have to take my new meds for three weeks then go back see my friends at Dr. Jim’s place.

Until next time,

Big peanut butter kisses! - Dozer

Thirsty Thursday

2010-01-28T13:56:00.003-06:00

Oh, excuse me. I’m a thirsty boy! You really have no idea how thirsty I am. See I have my own food and water bowls on a stand so I don’t have to bend down so far to eat or drink. I almost never drink from the bowls on the floor, that’s just for the other dogs. I’m a big Moose and I’m soo much better than that. But today I’m extra thirsty..

I just got back from seeing my buddy, Doctor Jim. I’ve been doing real well and not eating too much I shouldn’t so I haven’t had a good reason to go see him in quite a while. He looked me over and said I was looking good and lost some of my “fluff” he had noticed last time I was in. I’m down to a lean and mean 132lbs. He poked me with a big needle in my neck to get a blood sample but I didn’t really notice. Then he took me outside and tricked me into peeing into a tray. That was kinda weird, but mom thought it was funny. I have some bumps here and there and the doc took some samples and said it was no big deal. Overall the doc said I’m doing great. When I got home mom gave me lots of carrots for being good. The best part is my brother has to go back in a couple weeks to get his teeth cleaned and I don’t. I hope he comes back still woozy from the meds so I can pick on him. It will be lots of fun!

Until next time,

Moose kisses.

New Moose Toys

2010-01-06T12:04:00.005-06:00

Slowly but surely... Here is one of the new Moose toys of the new year.

This is a Nylabone, Big Chews - Beef Bone.

I wasnt a big fan of Nylabone, but I've got to say.. WOW! This is the first toy in a long time that has lasted more than a few minutes with our Moose. He's had for about a week now and it shows very little wear. He loves it! We only let him have it while we can supervise him and every time he sees it he starts hopping around like a rabbit and he wiggles his nub (tail) so much that his whole back end wiggles to the point it looks like he'll fall over.

We also tried a horse toy called a jolly ball on a recommendation. The ball itself is large enough that he cant chew it, but he started eating the handle off it within a few minutes. It was actually fun to watch because he would spit the pieces out. I let him continue this for a little bit just to get a few pictures of the little plastic bits scattered around him but then took it away. While this might be a good toy for some dogs, I would not recommend it for chewers such as our Moose.

Still on the hunt for more Moose friendly toys!

Until next time,

Moose kisses!

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T12:22:00.003-06:00

Hey, Its Dozer! November's nice weather spoiled me and now I'm growling at these low temps. We got a little snow for Christmas and I thought that was pretty cool but overall I'm not a big fan of cold weather. Dad's been lighting the fireplace for me and I've decided it much warmer to sleep between mom and dad at night so I've managed to keep myself warm one way or another.

I got a few new toys I want to tell you about, but I want some good pictures to share so I'll tell you about them later this week. I know, two posts in one month? Are you serious!??

Check back in a few days. Till then, here's a pic of my little/older sis keeping warm.

Moose kisses!

Winter? Whats that?

2009-11-16T09:29:00.003-06:00

Hey yall,

Its mid November and the weather's great. I keep waiting for it to get cold so dad will light the fireplace. I love to lay in front of the fireplace, ya know. Since the weather is so nice and dad isnt using all that firewood I like to get logs off the woodpile and scatter them around the yard. Dad took the oppertunity this weekend to play some fetch and take a couple pictures.

Its my birthday!

2009-10-22T15:56:00.002-05:00

Its my birthday, its my birthday!! Okay, well not yet, but almost! I still act like a puppy so its hard to imagine, that in a few days I’ll be two years old.

It’s rainy around here right now and I don’t like the rain. I think we’ve had more rain in the last month than we’ve had all year. The yard is normally flooded and my big feet soak up the mud and water like four giant sponges. That’s only after mom coaxes me out into the yard to take care of business. I’m normally good about getting my feet cleaned off after trudging through the mud, unless Hayden is close by and then I want to act like a fool.

I’m an extremist when it comes to the temperature. In the summer I want to lay in the sun for a little bit then go stick my head in front of the air conditioner. Now that its getting cooler I want dad to turn on the bathroom heater in the morning so I can lay in front of it. I don’t like sharing the heater either. I’m a big boy, I should get my own heater right? I hope it cools down even more real soon. I love to lay in front of the fireplace but dad says its not cold enough yet to light a fire. I cant wait!

Halloween is almost here. Dad keeps threatening to dress me up like one of the Chickfila cows. Someone please talk some sence into him. I’m not a cow, I’m a moose!

I’m going to go snuggle up with my mom. Until next time, big slobbery moose kisses!

Some random stuff

2009-08-19T11:21:00.004-05:00

Last night mom said something that was pretty funny. When I go to bed I like to sleep on moms side of the bed, sometimes right on top of mom if I can get away with it. Anyways, I do this little dance where I spin around on the foot of the bed. I almost always lay the same way I do this mostly to annoy dad so he cant see the TV. So while I was spinning last night mom says "Oh boy, its moose flipping time. I get a fifty-fifty chance here. Will I get heads or tails?" She got tails! Nothing like a big moose butt pointing at you to make your evening.

Maybe it was funnier if you were there?

One night last week I found a really tasty chew toy while mom and dad were sleeping. It had lots of business card in it which I didn't find too nummy so I just scattered across the bedroom. I mainly liked the corners and cover of this toy. I chewed it up pretty good. I thought I did a nice job but mom wasnt as pleased as I thought she would be. It turned out okay though. The bank accepted the paycheck that I slobbered and chewed on and dad gave her a new wallet. I've never had a wallet chew toy before, I wonder if I can get another one of those? It was good!

I'll get ya some pics soon.

Moose kisses,

Dozer

Another weigh in.

2009-08-18T11:53:00.003-05:00

I had a bumpy on my ear that wouldnt go away so I had an excuse to go see my friends at the Vet and get weighed while I was there. The scale jumped to 140 then settled at 138. Mom says that cutting my food back has started to slim me up a bit but the doc said I still have some love handles and I'm still getting broader. I'm just big boned!

My bump turned out to be an in grown hair or some-such. After the doc took a sample mom picked at and finally popped it. She said it was very gross and I didn't like her messing with it but I got lots of carrots and cookies so I didn't care too much. After going to the doctor I got to go meet some of moms friends and their kids. I was real gentle with the little boy and acted very shy.

For dads birthday, he and mom stayed home with me for four days. It was like it was my birthday. We got to lay around and watched movies, took lots of naps, but I only got to watch when they ate lots of good food and drank lots of good wine. I tried to eat some of moms soup but it was too hot and I wasnt fast enough, she caught me!

I'm doing good and the doc said I needed to start getting less allergy meds. He said I'm looking great and he's hoping I can be weened off of the meds for the Winter. Hopefully that will help me shed some of my fluffiness too.

I'll steal moms phone when she's not looking and get a pic for you soon.

Moose kisses,

Dozer

Texas Heat

2009-08-06T11:59:00.002-05:00

Hey ya'll. Sorry for the crummy picture. My dad is too busy to take some new pics of me so I just snapped a pic with mom's phone. She was home sick and I was laying on her while she was sleeping (surely that will make her feel better right?).

Anyway, its August and way too hot for a big ol Boreboel like me here in Texas. Dad tells me my blood line is from Africa and I should be okay in the heat. I've got sensitive skin! Come on! I need my A/C and some soft blankies. Heck, I'd rather just lay on mom's bed or better yet mom.

Not much new going on. My allergies dont seem to be bothering me. I'm getting lots of love, drooling all over the house, and watching over my family. Same 'ol, same 'ol.

Thanks for checking in on me. Feel free to stop by to scratch me behind the ear and bring me some carrots, lots of carrots!

Till next time, big moose kisses.

Dozer

Surrounded!

2009-07-01T09:00:00.006-05:00

The Moose is getting a little tubby (he was 135lbs a couple weeks ago) so I’ve been threatening to walk him. He gets hot so easily and his skin is so fare I only want to take him out early in the morning or late at night. I’m not a morning person and we’re busy at night with martial arts, motorcycles, or other social events. Basically I have a laundry list of excuses not to walk Moose.

Last night I had to work late and missed martial arts class. The sky was overcast and threatening to rain. It was humid but much cooler than the 100+ we’ve seen for many days so I grabbed the gentle leader and Moose and I started around the block for little walk.

We only made it a few houses before the neighborhood kids started running towards us. The first one to make it to us stuck out his hand and asked if I thought Moose would remember him from a few weeks ago when I allowed him to say hello while we were in our front yard. Since there were five other kids running close behind I told him it wasn’t a good idea and we kept on walking. The Moose seemed interested in saying hello but kept walking with little resistance.

We rounded the second corner of the block and we both froze. There was another barking like crazy and the barking was getting louder. I knew it was off leash and was coming at us but I couldn’t find it. Soon it was running into the street at us. It was a little Chihuahua. It was tan with the little cute pink nose, but this little thing was pissed! I told it to stay back as it would be just one bite for my big boy. Quickly a woman was running into the street yelling to try and get the little dog under control. All the while Moose could care less. He just sat down and had his attention on something else.

I turned around to make sure the Chihuahua wasn’t going to nip my ankles and Moose was attacked from the other side by a little girl I would guess is four years old. She ran to Moose with arms spread wide and gave him a huge hug. The whole time her mother was screaming like crazy and her dad was at full sprint from the side of the house. The Moose kind of pulled his head up away from her but allowed her to hug and pet on him with no real complaints. The little girl continued to hug on his neck, and then around his belly, and while her dad was admiring the moose the little girl stuck her head under the moose curiously. It was kind of comical. Everyone gave Moose some love and we continued on our walk.

We made another lap with no interruptions and headed back home for some nice A/C and a big bowl of water. It was a true test for the moose to be surrounded by a little girl, her mother and father, and their faithful little guard dog. He was very gentle and behaved very well. He got some peanuts when we got home as a special treat so he was very happy.

Until next time, Moose kisses!

Moose Belly (warning, adult content)

2009-05-18T07:35:00.003-05:00

I owed ya a new picture and the Moose was laying on his back yesterday morning just chilling so I snapped a quick pic for ya. He's not in his undies, so might shield the kids eyes. ;-)

His belly is real pink in the picture, but thats just his skin. His allergies have been under control for awhile now. Most of the places his hair is white his skin is pink. The areas that are brindle his skin is brindle. Then he has a few spots that look like someone spilled black paint on him. His hair is white, but his skin is black. He's certainly unique.

You can really see how thick he's getting in the middle. Those feet are huge too!

For the last week I've been getting up about an hour earlier than usual and he's catching on. Instead of waking momma for breakfast he now snuggles up to me just a few minutes before the alarm is set to go off. I think he knows how to tell time? Nothing like a 130lb dog laying his head, which must weigh 40lbs, on you at 5am because he wants breakfast. I try to play opossum sometimes but he'll nose me or kiss me till I tell him to stop or I get up to feed him. After he eats he hops back in bed with momma. He's so spoiled.

Happy Monday from the Moose!

Dirty, dancing with a Moose.

2009-04-30T11:22:00.005-05:00

Looking at those pics of the moose in undies really makes you realize how big he is. Those shorts are 30-32's and they barely fit on his hind end.

Dozer is doing great. After a couple of days dealing with the ice packs and taking his medicine he is looking good. Everything seems to be healing well and he is being his typical moosey self.

We have had heavy rain for the past three or four days. Dozer doesnt like taking the first step into the rain, but once he's wet he wants to roll in the mud or at least go hop in the puddles. I've been trying to stay outside with him to help reduce his mud wallowing. Its worked fairly well until today. The missus stayed home today and at some point he was left to play outside unsupervised. He decided to take advantage of the freedom and do a little solo mud wrestling. Cleaning his monstrous feet with a towel is one thing, but a big muddy Moose requires more serious cleaning. So, Moose got bathed today. He likes to take a shower, so sometimes I think he gets all dirty on purpose. The biggest problem is that he doesnt really fit in the shower. He has to stand diagonal, corner to corner, in the small shower stall. The showering process isnt too exciting but the drying is fun. It requires three to four giant sized towels. You need at least one on the floor and two to dry him with. He runs around the bathroom snorting and hopping around like bucking horse. We leave him damp and put some special lotion on him to help with dry skin and allergies. He hates that part and attempts to curl himself into a corner. When you apply the lotion he starts hopping around and tries kissing and nipping at you. This creates a dance of sorts as you try to stay in step with him so you dont get your toes crushed and continue to do something between the Cotton Eye Joe and a Salsa routine to get the lotion applied.

Once he's free he normally finds a nice place to lie down and rest after the ordeal. He likes to hop on the bed and give a dirty look as he plops down with a heavy sigh. He's so silly!

I'll put a pic of a clean Moose up tonight for ya.

Southbound end of Northbound Moose

2009-04-27T08:27:00.006-05:00

Its been a couple weeks since the big "snip". Just when we think "things" are healing well, "things" swell to twice their previous size. Dozer gets to visit the doc, which is pretty common if you havent figured that out by now.

He weighs in at 129lbs! The doc grabbed, pulled, poked, and even drew some blood from the swollen area. Would you believe the big boy barely flinched? I'm constantly surprised at his good behavior and extreme pain tolerance. The doc checked for all the common stuff they could think of, but nothing about our boy is common. The tests came back fine and they guessed he pulled some internal stitches. We were sent home with some antibiotics, just in case, and we werent charged for the visit. WOO-HOO!

The doc said if he were you or I, they would suggest putting some ice on the area. So, I had a brain storm later that night. Why not throw a pair of undies on him and shove an ice pack down there. It was quite comical, but it worked great! I turned them around backwards so his tail could poke out the fly. It looked like he had a load in his drawers. After the initial chill wore off he didnt seem to mind too much. The ice and/or meds must have done their job cause things are getting back to normal.

Just another crazy adventure for our Moose. Enjoy some pics!

2009-04-07T08:25:00.001-05:00

Dozer's hanging with the vet today. He's not real happy about it, but I'm sure he'll get over it quickly. The worst part was having to skip breakfast. He didn't like that at all. Wish him well!

2009-04-06T09:45:00.002-05:00

Pssst.. HEY! Its Dozer. Dad’s been busy lately, and a little lazy if you ask me. He hasn’t updated my site in awhile. I had to hop on here because I really need your help! Let me tell you whats been going on and then I’ll get to the important stuff.

Do you remember that time I ate the stuffing out of mom and dads comforter? I kinda forgot about it and tried it again on their brand new comforter. Dad caught me pretty quickly this time and threatened to kill me. My sweet dear mother came to my rescue. She freaked out and after some research started pouring hydrogen peroxide down my throat. It actually wasn’t too bad. It was kinda fizzy and tickled my tummy. After a few doses of the stuff my tummy tickled so much I lost my dinner and all the stuffing I had been snacking on. Mom said that was a good thing but seemed like a big waste of food to me. Anyway, I made it through okay and decided to leave the comforter alone.. for now.

I got a small whelp on my right check a few weeks ago. Dad said it looked like a bee sting or maybe a scratch but mom got worried and took me to see Doctor Jim. The doc said he thought the Spring season was bringing my allergies back and gave me a shot and some medicine to rub on my face. I hate that medicine! I think I’d rather just have some more shots. The swelling went away but the hair fell out around the spot. Mom says she still loves me but I’m a little self conscious. I now have to turn my head to the right so you can see my good side, the left side! Dad says the hair should grow back soon. I hope he’s right.

You wont believe this! Mom and dad were so busy running around on Saturday they forgot to buy me some more food. I ran out of the good fishy stuff and since I’m not supposed to have anything with chicken in it they fed me some vegetarian junk. It was nasty! I ate a little of it Saturday night because I was about to starve to death but Sunday morning I decided starving to death would be better than eating more of that icky icky boo boo. Daddy was nice and went to the feed store as soon as they opened Sunday and bought me more of my fishy stuff. I love my fishy food! Dad even gave me a little extra and fed me one extra meal yesterday since I refused breakfast. I how I love to eat! I also got some carrots, green beans, and a couple of cookies yesterday so I was a pretty happy boy.

Okay, so here’s the real reason I’m writing. I’m in trouble, big trouble! Mom called Doctor Jim and scheduled me an appointment to have me fixed. Dad says its just a weight reduction thing and it should make me faster. I’m no racing dog and I’ve grown quite attached to those danglies back there. I mean why do they want to get rid of them? I keep them real clean and take good care of them. Hayden had his removed and I laugh at him and tell him he’s a girl and now they want to remove mine too. We cant have that. I need your help! Somebody out there has to come save me! Look, you know you love me. I need your help. Lets work something out. I can dig up your plants, eat your garden vegetables, chew up your wooden furniture, produce lots of “fertilizer”, drool on your clean work pants, tear up your new comforter, walk on your back while your sleeping, or I am sure I have some other useful talent you can use. Come on.. what do you say? Please……

Happy New Year

2009-02-04T07:52:00.005-06:00

Its been a little over a month since I posted a new pic of the Moose. He's been doing good and keeping busy. I think he's starting to mature a little, I stress a little. ;-) He reminds us often that he's still a pup and that he will always be momma's baby boy. He hasnt eaten anything too crazy lately. He can tear up the largest Kong with ease and steals logs from the wood pile to chew on in the yard. We've changed his allergy meds a bit and he seems to be doing good. If we bath him regularly and put some lotion on him his skin looks much better. He doesnt mind the shower he just doesnt fit very well in the standup shower anymore. I'm not sure if we can get him to step into the tub or not. I'm not real sure I want to teach him to get into the tube either. He likes to stay in the bathroom with us when we shower and if he learns to get into the tub we may not be able to keep him out. He already likes to poke his head in the shower curtain and check on us.

Although he's continuing to grow and mature he is still very well mannered. We had our niece and nephew over last night and I was curious to see how he would react to them. He has seen them a few times before but he doesnt have alot of exposure to small kids or their energy. He did great. He still has some issues knowing his size and weight but other than trying to crawl onto them to get attention he was gentle. Their excitement made him a little excited but he was very loving. Typically puppy behaviour for the most part. He wanted to jump around and act a fool but after a minute or two he calmed down and behaved.

The protector in him is growing stronger everyday. His momma was walking him a few weeks back and when they got to a house with doberman in the yard he would not let her pass without changing sides so he could be between her and the other dog. While that goes against his leash training I let it slide a bit since he's doing his duty to protect his momma. He still doesnt bark much, but when he does half the neighborhood knows. He has a very deep, loud, commanding bark. He's actually made me jump before when he let out a huge bark when I wasnt expecting it.

Since its gotten cold he has started to crawl on the bed at night as the temp drops in the house. This is kind of crazy considering his size. Lucky for me he likes to protect his momma. He normally lays on her feet but if another dog is already near her feet he will lay on her legs and chest. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with his momma telling him to get off her because she cant breath or her legs are asleep. Its kind of funny, but kind of a problem. He doesnt stay up there when he gets warm so we think it will pass with the winter season. Since we dont like to cage him at night we will just deal it for now. He's so spoiled!

The next doc appointment is scheduled for a few weeks from now. We'll get a new weigh in when I'm expecting somewhere in the 130's! Until then, Moose kisses!

Have Moosey Xmas.

2008-12-11T08:38:00.003-06:00

We wish you a Moosey Xmas. We wish you a Moosey Xmas. We wish you a MOOSEY XMAS, and a Happy New Year!

Its my Birthday...

2008-10-27T21:49:00.004-05:00

go Dozer, its my birthday!

Here's a pic of me on my birthday. I have NO IDEA how those bite marks got in the foot board!

Here I am after my birthday bath.

Not much new. I'm still being a real good boy. I love to follow momma everywhere and look forward to rides in the truck. I got to see my freinds at the vet for my birthday and I gave everyone lots of kisses. I even sat nice and still on the scale so they could get a good weigh in for my birthday. 110lbs!

Thanks for checking in on me.

Lots of kisses,

Birthday Boy Dozer

11 months old

2008-10-06T13:16:00.004-05:00

Here's a pic of his Elvis smile. I aint nothin' but a hound dog... thank you, thank you very much!

So, we're a little over eleven months old now. He's still filling out nicely. His head and chest seem to be getting broader but I dont think he's gained much height. His weight is just over 100lbs. He lost a little weight after the surgery but I think he'll be putting it back on pretty quickly based on his appetite.

The vet has expressed some concern over him getting aggressive around a year of age due to maturing and wants to "fix" him. We're considering it, but holding off a bit based on the little info we have suggesting that BoerBoels shouldnt be fixed until a year and half or so. With all the time he's spent at the vet the last few weeks his concern has lightened up a bit. He's very protective of us especially his mom, but in public is so friendly and happy. He has become a favorite at the vet and all the employees have to tell him hello and get their Moose kisses.

So anyway, as I mentioned in the last update, we’re back to our normal Boerboelness. Even the incision area is almost healed up. I don’t think its going to leave too much of a mark either. His appetite is back and we’re slowly increasing his portions back to where he was before all this mess. He’s not eating just anything though. We’ve noticed that he doesn’t try to eat the other dog’s food like he used to. Before all this we would have to race him to the food bowl to pick up anything left over from the other dogs. Now he waits outside the kitchen until we pick up the dishes. I’m not sure if he’s gaining some manners or is a bit hesitant to eat something that’s not his. He still likes to chew sticks, branches, and logs but I think that’s just natural. I caught him nibbling on the comforter again, but I’m not sure how serious he was about it since I was looking right at him… crazy dog! Since his “accident” we haven’t left him unattended at any time. Its kind of sad! He cant sleep beside our bed or run the yard unsupervised. I’m hoping the day we can trust him again comes soon. For now he has to watch the other dogs roam around from his cage.

Dozer’s doozie for today… Dozer’s outside getting some air and tending to nature’s call. His mom is out there keeping an eye on him. She hears a noise from the front of the house and he perks up facing that direction and gives a light warning bark. He then goes to investigate. As he gets closer to the gate he lets out a few more barks, louder and more commanding. His mom goes to the gate to see what he has found. She didn’t see anything or anyone but a large bag of poo she had left next to the gate after cleaning up the yard earlier that day. He didn’t like that large bag of poo and made sure it knew it was not welcome in his yard! She had to comfort him and thank him for protecting her from the large bag of poo before he felt that she was safe and they could both go inside the house. Its good to know that Dozer will protect us, even from bags of poo.

Back to being a pup

2008-09-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

We made through the weekend and are pretty much back to our mischievous self. Well, he’s not that mischievous. Its hard to remember he’s a pup sometimes due to his size. Really, he’s been one of the most well behaved pups I’ve ever been around. Anyway, he’s getting back to old tricks. He wants to wrestle with the other dogs, jump on the bed, and run around the house and yard. Its good to see that he’s feeling better, but we have to keep him to “light duty” while his big ‘ol incision heals.

His appetite has returned and he’s enjoying the canned food. The portions are small per docs orders so he always gives us a look like “Is that all? Where’s dinner?”

He has been extra loving the past few days. He’s always a very loving dog but he seems more loving than usual. Last night I was sitting in the floor stretching and he walked up and started nibbling on my left ear then nibbled on my right ear. By the time he was done I had foamy drool hanging from my chin. His mom thought this was pretty funny, but it was kinda gross if you ask me.

Its good to have our baby Moose back to normal, well as normal as a Moose gets.

Emergency Surgery

2008-09-18T12:40:00.005-05:00

Its been a rough week! We caught a little cold over the weekend and spent a few days in bed. I was pet sitting for a friend who has four dogs, three cats, three aquariums, a bird, a hamster, roughly twenty sugar gliders, and a koi pond. Between naps I was running to their house to tend to the critters. I awoke from one nap to find that Dozer had ripped some stuffing out of our comforter on the bed. We cleaned up the stuffing and threw his butt in bed without much thought. Monday morning we were still feeling bad and went to the doctor. When we got back from the doctor Dozer had thrown up some stuffing in his cage. While cleaning it up he started throwing up all over the house. By mid-afternoon he was still trying to eat grass and not much else so we took him to the vet. He had some x-rays done but other than some gas build up we could not see anything for sure. He would eat almost nothing and the meds the doc gave him made him very strange. He even snapped at the other dogs which he has never done! Any little noise seemed to startle him and now he would not even drink water. The next day he stayed at the vet all day and had barium treatments with xrays every couple of hours. It was obvious by the end of the day he had a blockage in his stomach and would require surgery. Yesterday he was in surgery for two and half hours. The doctor removed over two feet of stuffing that was strung through his stomach and intestines. He was lucky to be alive. We visited him last night and got to love on him a little before he was put to bed for the night. He made it through the surgery and now infection was our main concern. His mom made it clear that he could not die on her and gave him a strict command to keep on fighting. This morning the reports are good and he seems to be doing better. His next test will be this afternoon when he will be offered soft food and water. If he will accept food and water and keep it down he will be allowed to come home tonight.

update..
He gets to come home, if only for tonight. He's still not eating but hes not running a high temp either. We're going to try to get him to take some food and water tonight, if not he's going back to doc tomorrow. Baby steps but in the right direction...

The day after getting cut open

2008-09-18T12:40:00.004-05:00

The Moose was released yesterday for the night. He was restricted to light duty, mushy food, and lots of rest and TLC. He almost seems to know he ate something he should not have. He doesn’t want to eat unless I spoon feed him. He didn’t eat much, but he did eat a little so it’s a step in the right direction. His nubby tail was a wigglin most of the night. He was certainly happy to be home with us.

He did very well considering what he has been through. He even barked a few times so he had to be feeling better.

We took him back to the doc today to hang out while we are work. They wanted to keep an eye on him and still needed to take his stint out since he was starting to eat and drink on his own. I thought they were going to do that yesterday. I was getting ready to leave him this morning and they told me a group of kindergarten kids would be visiting and he was going to be a main attraction. I think they were looking forward to him coming back today!

Everybody loves the Moose!

Here's some pics of his big 'ol incision.

Fasten your seat belt....

2008-09-14T15:48:00.003-05:00

and please keep you hands and feet inside the car at all times. Welcome back to the allergy roller coaster! So after all the hoopla with the mange stuff we are back to thinking our baby just has allergies. We finished the process for taking care of the mange and while he was much better he was still itchy. We considered taking him to a dermatologist but they told us he had to be off benedryl for three weeks. After not having benedryl for three days he had scratched himself bloody under his chin and elbows. It was not pretty! He got some special shampoo, lotion, antibiotic, and a light prescription antihistamine. After two weeks he is cleared up again and looking pretty.

Somewhere along the way we switched his food again. Right after we switched his food last time the manufacturer changed the ingredients in their food. The changes seems to benefit their bottom line more than the animals. All there dogs had bad reactions to the new formula so we yet again did more research and found something else. He is now on a whitefish and potatoes type food. He is eating better than I am although I dont think he has food allergy. Even the vet is now convinced he has an air born allergy. The new food may not be necessary but its good for him either way. We made the mistake and ran out of food on Sunday a couple of weeks ago and were forced to try and find something at the local pet store still on his "diet". Have you ever tried to find a dog food without ANY chicken in it? After almost an hour of reading every bag in the store an employee rounded up some vegetarian food with no wheat or corn. He only had to eat it one night thankfully.

The last few weeks our boy seems to be getting a bit more ornery. He has eaten another chair in the living room. He is not listening as much to commands. It seems like he thinks about things before doing them. Like he has choice? We've been putting him in his cage more at night because he has been waking us up in the middle night for no apparent reason. It wouldnt be so bad if he wasnt waking us up by pouncing on our chest. We have decided it is time to have him neutered.

Time for a funny moment. I hear some neighbor kids talking like they were in the driveway or something so I open the front door stepping outside and closing the door behind me. Two kids around ten years old or so are standing there and give me a spiel about wanting to walk my dogs. Without saying a word I crack open the front door and Dozer and Haden stick their heads out. Both the kids jump back and their eyes get real big. I start to tell the kids they should try someone with smaller dogs but get cut off. We hear Suesse barking and running towards to the door and one kid looks at the other and says "lets get out of here". The two quiet big dogs kind of freaked them out but the ten pound loud mouth miniature schnauzer scares 'em off. ;-)

As of last week Dozer is about 104lbs. He didnt want to stand still and scale was going from 104 to 106 so we'll just say 104 for now. This pic was taken yesterday.

2008-08-08T07:52:00.004-05:00

Where does a 93 pound Moose sleep? Anywhere he wants, including the entry to the master bath. These pictures were taken at about 9 months. Notice he is a bit cramped on his side and touching door jam to door jam. What a big moose! He’s been right around 90lbs for the last couple of weeks. We recently changed his food up quite a bit working on his allergies (more on that in a minute) so I’m trying to keep a close eye on his weight and build. He seems to be filling out but were trying to keep him slim and fit. The new food is supposed to have less fillers and more meat protein. He seems to like it but then again he will eat anything and everything.

SO the allergies.. notice in the pictures how red his feet are? Under his arms too! We’ve been on this rollercoaster with him. He’ll get itchy and scratch himself up for a couple of weeks then he’ll clear up and be fine only to look worse a few weeks later. Its been nuts! We’ve tried different shampoo, different detergent, different supplements, and now even switched up his diet quite a bit. As you see in these pictures he’s worse than he has ever been. So to try to offer some relief we take him to vet to ask for a cortisone shot or something. The vet takes one look at him and informs us he doesn’t have allergies he has Sarcoptic Mange! Its canine scabies caused by parasites. The flea and tick stuff we give him will kill them but it has to be given in more frequent doses than typically used for flea and ticks. This explains why it would clear up only to come back worse. We would kill off one batch then another batch would hatch and multiply. While I hate it that he’s had to deal with this for several months I’m so relieved to have some answers to whats wrong with him. The doc put him on some meds, ear drops, and increased his dosage of the flea and tick stuff. Its been two weeks and he is scratching less and seems to be healing up slowly. His feet are not bright red anymore, his legs are healing up, but his chin is still scratched up pretty good. I think there is good improvement for two weeks, not as much as I’d like but he is eaten up pretty good this time. The doc said he should be cleared up in six to eight weeks.

Other than the itching he’s doing great. He knows what his lead means and acts very nice when its on. If you take it off and hook on to his collar your in for the ride of your life though. He will pull you right off your feet! He’s pretty smart about such things. He knows when he can get away with acting like a fool and continues to test him limits often. He’s great with people. His attitude and demeanor continues to impress me. If he hears something around the house he has a nasty deep bark. I’ve even heard a growl or two and those are scary! Around people in public he is a gentle giant happy to pass out little kisses and get all the attention he can. Recently his mom took him to a friends house to visit while she did some work on their pool. After she let go of his leash he continued to follow her everywhere she went. I’m not sure if it was curiosity to see what she was doing; he’s getting used to healing, or if he was staying close to protect his momma. Either way his mom liked it and he continues to be momma’s boy.

A funny side note. I mentioned that the doc gave him some ear drops. The first time we gave them to him I laid on top of him to hold him down. Keep in mind we’re about the same size other than I have about 60lbs on him, when those drops hit his ears he stood straight up with me hanging on like rag doll. I couldn’t believe his strength! He still hates them and now tries to avoid me when its time for the tackle and bear hug. But he’s taking it a bit better and either I do a better job at holding him down now or he resists a little less.

Until next time… Moose kisses!

Mooseopotamus!

2008-06-20T16:36:00.003-05:00

Whats a mooseopotamus? Cross a hippopotamus with a moose and walla… mooseopotamus or moosamus for short.

I’ve got some new pics coming… The moose is almost 8 months old now. He was weighed at the doc’s yesterday for his next round of heartworm, flea, & tick stuff. He’s 82.5lbs! What a big moose!

The new lead has him walking on leash much better. He hates the lead, but it works! Although he gets trips to visit friends and the dog park I don’t feel that he’s getting enough leash training. Luckily he doesn’t stray far even when he has the chance. The main issue is keeping him from lunging. If not using a no pull lead he is strong enough to pull you off your feet quickly. I can still restrain him by wrapping my arms around him, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to do so. We are lucky again in that his temperament remains easy going and friendly. He is certainly a ladies man, but is nice to the guys too. People at the dog park always make comments about how well natured he is. A few weeks ago a smaller dog was trying to mount him and he didn’t care. The dogs owner apologized and made a remark about how she was surprised he didn’t even nip at her dog. I explained that he’s still a pup of only seven months and is still very care free. She was shocked he was only seven months old. Most people are shocked at his age due to his size. He’s such a big moose.

He has become much more vocal. He now cries when one of us leaves the house. We keep in his cage when we both leave and he doesn’t seem to mind. If one or other leaves he will go to the door and cry for a few minutes. I think he’s just upset that he didn’t get to go. He has also started barking much more often. He now barks at the other dogs while playing and barks at just about any little noise around the house. I’ll sneak around corners and spook him from time to time and he’ll let out a big mean bark. He’s such a good moosamus.

He is still having allergy issues. We’ve tried benedryl and different detergents and have seen some improvement only for it to get worse a few days later. We are currently on an upswing and his skin seems to be clearing up. I’m not sure if it’s the new detergent or something in the air. We will be asking about allergy test soon if he gets bad again.

What a loverboy, still momma’s boy! Momma was sick one day and let him crawl up in bed with her… a big no no in the past. Now he crawls in bed with either of us if the other is not in bed. He just loves to snuggle! He used to sit in his moms lap but he cant even fit in the chair anymore. He tried to crawl in her lap one night recently but could not figure out to lay down in her lap. It was comical to watch him try to squeeze in between the arms of the chair. I still hug on him at night before bed. He doesn’t mind a big bear hug or a headlock and sometimes start to snore with my arms wrapped around his neck. If you ask for a kiss he will gladly slap his huge tongue against your face. He only sticks out the tip to give kisses which is a good thing since his tongue is about the size of my hand! He’s such a sweet mooseboy!

Well that’s all for now.

The new Moose cage

2008-05-06T13:34:00.004-05:00

Alright, well as you see we finally got his new cage. Its the largest one we could find. He seems to like it better than the old one. Not only does he have plenty of room to stretch out he can see much better.

Last week I came home to find that he had eaten one of his toys. It "was" a tire on a rope but only half of the tire remained. I'm used to the dogs chewing a hole in a toy and maybe even eating a small piece of it, but this was surprising. I figured he would pass whatever he ate with little effort. If you saw what he leaves in the yard you'd understand! After a few days he threw up a little "tire". A trip to the doc including x-rays showed he was fine with minor irritation of his stomach. It was an expensive trip, but worth every penny to insure our baby would be fine AND we got a new weigh in @ 64lbs!

I took him to the dog park for the first time last week and he did okay. He walks on the leash fine until he's distracted so we're still working on that. Once inside the park he didn't really stray to far from me. He would trot to other people, especially females, to say hello. A couple of times I chased him down fearing he would pounce on some unsuspecting old lady, but he was always nice. I didn't have to apologize for him jumping, just drooling on them. Many people had to come over and pet him and ask all kinds of questions, mainly "what kind of dog is that?" After about half an hour he walked to the gate, picked his leash out of the lot hanging from the fence and sat down. I called him to me a couple of times only to have him return to the gate. I took his cue as being ready to go home so we called it a day. I hope to get him back out there more often to work on keeping his attention with all the distractions.

Although he's a Moose at 64lbs he still crawls in mommas lap every chance he gets. He is also very agile. He rolls around on his back and does barrel rolls while playing with the other dogs, especially the Min Schnauzer so he can get to her level. He jumped onto the bed the other day clearing the foot board all together. I also wrestle with him alot, taking his legs out from under him and giving him bear hugs. He retaliates with big slobbery kisses or by nipping my ears and nose.

The allergies seem to be under control. I'm not sure if it was the season, the detergent, or the addition of Benadryl but he's doing much better!

Six months old

2008-04-18T12:32:00.004-05:00

Our “little” boy is about six months old now. How time flies…. I’ve been doing some more leash training with him and he’s doing pretty well. Having a pocket full of carrots really helps but even without treats he responds well to a small choker and is learning quickly. He’s easily distracted, so that remains a challenge but I think with more training he will be fine. He’s still growing, of course. Its not as noticeable as the first couple of months but he’s finally outgrown his cage and we ordered the largest one we could find. It should be here in a few days. I’m sure he’ll be more comfortable once we get it setup for him. He is starting to get some skin allergies. He recently started scratching his right arm up pretty good. We think it’s the fabric softener we used on his blankets based on a few tests we’ve done and his reaction. We will continue our tests to see if we cant figure it out. I’ve been giving him a small dose of benedryl which seems to help a little. I normally put it in a glob of peanut butter so he now runs anytime he hears a pill bottle opening thinking he might get his PB treat. His new favorite toy is a plastic motorcycle that Ronnie and Trista bought him when they were shopping for their new baby Boerboel. He’s already eaten a hole in it and I’ve had to take it away from him so now I’m on a hunt for another one. His second favorite toy is a heavy duty thing made from ballistic material or some such stuff. Its supposed to be the indestructible dog toy, but he’s about got it torn up too. He seems to be over the worst of his teething and hasn’t torn up much other than his toys so that wasn’t too bad. He likes tags though and we have to correct him when he tries to eat the tags from our bed, sheets, pillows, rugs, clothes, etc…. He remains a big baby that I give a big bear hug each night before bed. He doesn’t mind his daddy hugging on him too much, but he’s still momma’s boy.

5 Months old

2008-03-28T13:14:00.004-05:00

Our baby is now five months old. He hasn’t been weighed in a few weeks but I think his growth spurt has calmed down a bit. His head seems a little wider and those legs keep on growing but he is staying fairly thin. He’s eating five cups of food a day now so I’m not sure how he’s staying so thin. He remains on a strict diet and its going good but that food is getting costly. Its also quite a task of measuring out this supplement or that. Luckily momma takes care of his food most of the time so I don’t have to worry about it. The vet said we probably didn’t really need to give him the supplements but also said there is not enough research to make an educated stand one way or another. We were told by the nutritional consultant that the supplements were good for his growth and support so his momma will not allow him to have anything less. And we wonder why he is such a momma’s boy?

Last week we were laying bed on an early afternoon and heard him crunching on something. He’s a pup and finds all sorts of strange things tasty. I’ve had to take pennies out of his mouth a couple of times. Anyway, momma dug around in that big ol mouth and pulled out a baby tooth. Not quite the afternoon snack he normally gets. Last night while taking the pics for his five month record we dug around in his mouth to see that the majority of his baby teeth were gone on the sides and the tips of the adult teeth were poking out. About that time he decided to put my whole fist in his mouth. It fit with no problem! He just wanted to gnaw on it a little. I imagine those new teeth were bothering him so I grabbed a chew ring for him and he happily nibbled on it for awhile.

Due to his size we have trained him to wait outside the kitchen while his food is being prepared. Its takes a few minutes and if allowed he will circle your feet and just about knock you down while your getting everything ready. He’s doing pretty good at waiting but gets impatient in the mornings. Momma is starting to be stricter about him being patient or having to wait awhile before trying again so he’s catching on and getting better.

He remains a very lovable pup. He climbs in momma’s lap every chance he gets and is starting to try to sit on her feet like most big dogs do. He is a momma’s boy but he is starting to warm up to me too. He seems to mind me a bit better than he minds momma and lately he seems to seek more affection from me than in the past. At night I snuggle with him for a few minutes in his lounger or on his pillow. He seems to enjoy that with no attempt to be free of my hugs or affection. Sometimes he offers a light snore of appreciation. That’s good, I think? During the day I can get in the floor and hug on him for short periods but he normally squirms away quickly to go play or find his momma. In the morning and when I get home from work he will approach me for attention, but again its short lived before he’s off doing something else. For being such a big galoot he is very friendly with strangers and still allows the miniature schnauzer to think she is the boss. He has given a few a loud barks at strange noises, but its rare. I have not yet heard him growl a single time, even while playing tug-o-war with the schnauzer who growls like she’s going to rip a leg off.

While talking about his lovable demeanor I have to mention his eating habits. A few times a week I test his willingness to share his food. This baby boy finishes his food in under two minutes, so he’s pretty focused on it. Keep in mind that dinner is less complicated than breakfast but its still a combination of 2.5 cups of dry food, about a cup of water, and two heaping tablespoons of canned food. I had a friend time him and he clocked from start to finish one minute and fifteen seconds. Another half a minute later and the stainless bowl was licked clean enough to see yourself in it. The pup don’t mess around when its meal time. So anyway, a couple times a week I take his bowl away when he about half way through. He just licks his chops and looks at me with his nub wagging. If I get down on the floor and put my hand in his dish it doesn’t even phase him. The schnauzer has tried to stick her head in there a few times being the little piggy that she is, but he doesn’t care. His head takes up most of the bowl so she can hardly get in there anyway, but he doesn’t do anything about her sniffing around his food. Everything seems good other than the speed at which he eats. We’ve done some research on ways to slow his eating down and will be working on that.

Well that about sums things up. Our “Baby Hughie” is five months old and still a big lovable baby boy.

p.s. If you look down to the post from February you can really see how much he's grown in the last six weeks. The blue bed he is stretched out on is the same one pictured here, just flipped over showing the plaid side.

2008-03-05T21:32:00.002-06:00

Its been a busy month around our place and while I have a few pics to track the baby's growth I can only offer some recent pics right now. Last week he was at the vet for some followup shots and a general checkup at four months of age. He weighed in at 40.6lbs. What a big baby! His bark is starting to deepen, he is galloping around like a horse, he now snores like a bear, and he continues to be spoiled like the other "kids". Enjoy the pic, more later!

All Legs.

2008-02-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

Our little boy is growing so fast that I dont think I'll be able to catch a photo of him on the rocking ottoman that I posted about last time. He just doesnt fit on it anymore. He has started crawling onto the lounger which we figured would happen pretty soon anyhow. We are allowing him to sllep on his bed outside the cage for an hour or so each night to get used to it. He seems to really like it and took to it fairly easily. He would rather be in bed with us but we know that would not be good in a few months. I snapped a couple of quick shots for those asking for more pictures. He looks like he's all legs, but his head is growing fast too!

Thats all for now. Sorry so short....

Rock-A-Bye Baby

2008-01-23T13:22:00.000-06:00

Dozer is not confident enough to jump on furniture, which is kind of a good thing. He has claimed a rocking ottoman as his day bed for now. This is quite humorous mainly because he is twice the size of the ottoman. The fact that it rocks makes things more interesting. He claimed this because it’s the only piece of furniture that is short enough for him to crawl onto without jumping. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that his momma was normally sitting in the rocker next to it with her feet on the ottoman. He is momma’s boy after all. The first few times he decided to lay on the ottoman he would roll off one side or other due to it rocking and him not being coordinated enough to counter balance himself. It was cute to watch him crawl up one side and slip off the other. Once he settled down on it he would fall asleep only to twitch in his sleep and wake up on the floor. Maybe we are easily entertained? This went on for about a week and now he can crawl up there and settle down with no problems. Well, no problems but his legs hanging off.

His training is going well. He was under our feet grunting while we made his food and he would charge head first at his food bowl when we tried to put it down. This could be a big problem when he gets a little bigger so within a few days he has learned to sit and stay outside the kitchen while his food is being made. He will stay seated until his food is put down and he is told he may have it. He still grunts a little while waiting, which is kinda cute, but he is doing very good.

He still whines a bit more than I would like when we put him in bed. I think part of this is our fault for babying him too much in the beginning and the fact the two other dogs are allowed to roam freely. He is getting better at this though as well. He is also starting to lay down on the dog bed next to our bed at night. This is a very good thing since this where we would like him to sleep when he is older and we can let him roam freely.

He is a fast learner and continues do just about anything for a carrot or piece of apple.

The Firedog

2008-01-15T21:38:00.001-06:00

Finally got a few more pics of Dozer posted. He is growing so fast! His legs are growing about as fast as his head, but not as fast as his ears ;-)

We got a short cold snap this past weekend so I took the opportunity to light up the fireplace. Dozer loved it two-fold. He left his "momma" to come snuggle with me by the fire. He laid facing the fire for awhile just watching it and later curled up with me in the floor and took a nap. Other then enjoying the warmth and watching the flames he really enjoyed eating the bark that fell on the hearth. Each time I brought in more wood to stoke the fire he would search around for crunchy treat. Silly boy...

We were feeling under the weather and decided to stay by the fire most of the weekend which offered Dozer lots of one on one time that he really needs right now. By the end of the weekend he had not had an accident in the house, would "sit" on command, would "stay" half of the time, and goes to cage (or any cage close by) for a carrot.

At one point his mom was working with him on "stay" in the kitchen. The floor is ceramic tile and his soft puppy pads would slide on the floor while sitting. He would sit for a few seconds but get up as his back legs slide out from under him. I noticed what was happening as his mom was about to take a break from the "stay" training due to frustration. As I tried to explain to her what was happening he came up with a solution on his own! He wanted that carrot! He would slide backwards so he started moving his front legs backwards so his butt did not come off the floor and he could have his treat. I was amazed at this and we got him to do it a few times just to see it again and have a laugh. He received several carrots and lots of praise for that one!

Waskly Wabbit

2008-01-08T08:51:00.000-06:00

We are still working out some kinks in the DSL so I cant share any pics today and have to keep the post short. Dozer is doing good and growing like a weed. We have increased his food by half a cup (2.5 cups total of dry) and reduced his feedings to three times a day now. We are still mixing in a little canned food along with some enzymes and providing the joint supplements. About the only other food he gets are baby carrots which we slice up. These are his only treats and we have trained him to sit using them. I would have never guessed dogs would eat carrots, but all three dogs now sit together and wait their turn for a slice of carrot. Its one of those things you’d almost have to see to believe. Our other male dog didn’t like the carrots at first but after a few days watching the other dogs eat them decided he didn’t mind them too much. Anyway, it seems our little dozer is part rabbit because he hops around like a cotton tail and will do anything for a carrot….

Dozer is growing so fast. His head is getting so wide it barely fits in my hand anymore and his jaw feels like steel. Every morning he seems heavier and harder to pick up. I think he gains a few pounds and a few inches each night. He was snoring in his cage last night and I looked in to see him stretched with his tail nearly at the back and his head on the door. He barely fits in there now so we are going to move him to the large cage tonight. I imagine that it will only hold him for a few more months and we will have to get an even bigger cage for him. He doesn’t mind the cage too much as long as we are in the room with him. He is also getting better at keeping his whining to a minimum with a few requests to “hush”. He mainly whines when he has to go outside or we leave him alone locked up while we are in another part of the house.

Dozer’s house training is going good. He is starting to whine and bark (oh yeah, he is barking a little now!) at the back door when he has to go. He still pees in random places around the house if we don’t keep a close eye on him but he wont do anything else in the house (thankfully!).

That’s all for now. I hope to get some new pics up by the end of the week at the latest.

Its a bird, its a train, no its Dozer!

2007-12-31T09:51:00.000-06:00

I have to keep it short today. Just wanted to post up since I've been out of pocket due to Holidays and such.

Dozer's legs are back to normal! :-)

He's been on his diet which is the same food, just cut back to proper amounts. We also picked up some canned food (Eagle Pack as well) and are adding some supplements just for good measure based on recommendations from the GDL. Ultimately the most important thing is that he's back to his normal self and hopping around like a little deer. I snapped a few pics of him playing with the other "kids".

A quick humorous note. We were laying in bed the night before last and heard a strange noise. After turning the TV down and listening closely we decided it was some birds. Not long after that the "birds" grunted and changed their tune to light puppy snore. ;-)

Merry Christmas from the ballerina boy

2007-12-26T09:09:00.001-06:00

Its been an eventful couple of days so I’ll try and just cover a few of the more noteworthy tales. To start with, it seems I have been over feeding my baby boy! We are buying him a special food packed with protein and since he is a big boy I was leaning towards the upper end of the suggested servings. After some research and advice I found out that I was giving him nearly twice as much food as he should have right now. With his little body growing so fast and un-proportionately at this point it seems his little legs are not strong enough to support his fat belly. I started to notice that he was looking bowlegged Sunday. Having been warned by the Breeder of such things being caused by a poor diet I figured it was all in my head. Monday he was having trouble getting around and it was noticeable that he couldn’t support himself very well with his front legs. After a short freakout session I phoned the Breeder who suggested I contact a specialist in such things and while waiting for her reply I did some research on my own. In the end the specialist confirmed that we had overfed our baby. With a strict diet, some vitamins, fruit, and joint supplements he should be fine in a very short time. We can already see a difference. Its amazing how fast things change on this growing boy. While he is still on the road to recovery, he seems unaffected after naps and the problem is most noticeable after playing for a long period of time. I think of it being similar to doing a lot of pushups. The first ten are easy and you hardly increase your breathing. Do ten sets of ten and you can hardly lift a glass of water to your mouth.

Other than cutting his food back we are giving him some join supplements. We’ve given him no treats, bones, or anything other than dry kibble to eat from day one. Last night I pealed a slice of an apple for him and he gobbled it up leaving no crumbs. I’m not sure if he really liked it or was just willing to eat anything. He has a great apatite, which is what got us into this situation in the first place.

He’s starting to hop up and down the door sill to the back door now. When we would let him out he would sit there and whine as if scared of the one inch change in elevation. After chasing one of the other dogs out a few times and then wanting to be back in the house bad enough he has finally convinced himself that he is capable of the feat. He still has accidents in the house, but its only been a few days. He will not go in his cage, which is nice! We are starting to figure out the signals when he needs to go and are doing good about getting him to the yard. The yard, OMG… I’ve already had to clean it up twice! His mom promised she would take care of this before we agreed to get the pup, but so far I’m the only one on duty. Dooty duty, if you will. LOL. He likes a five foot radius right outside the door and if I don’t pick it up he will tromp right through it. The boy goes ALL the time. I think three times in twenty minutes is the record so far. The size is whole different story I wont even get into.

I have used the term “follows you around like a puppy” before but this little guy is like a magnet. I’m constantly tripping over him. I’ll see him across the room with his mom or one of the other dogs so I walk out of the room to do something. When I turn around he’s under my feet having followed me without me knowing it. I doubt I’ll be tripping over him for long. He’s growing so fast, even just over the past few days. He’s going to be a roadblock before long!

Even with his naps throughout the day he has been sleeping about six hours or so through the night only waking up to go outside. He whines a little when he gets put to bed because he wants to eat or play but after a few arguments he quiets down and goes back to sleep.

He had a good Christmas receiving lots of toys and attention. We took him and Suesse to my parents house to play with the family and my five year old niece. He liked snuggling with everyone but wanted his momma the most. He is a mommas boy for sure. Him and Suesse spent most of the day playing with their new toys and after four hours or so we had to throw one away due to the stuffing being pulled out. One rope toy had lots of frayed pieces but was salvageable. Another rope toy had been tugged so much the toy on the end of the rope came apart and it had to be trashed. Hey, better than using dads house slippers right?

So, other than fat boy being on a diet everything is great. He’s growing like a weed and getting more spoiled every day.

I took pictures of him in his ace bandage type stuff that help support his little ankles I”ll post up later. I call them his “ballerina” pictures since it looks like he is wearing leg warmers. ;-)

For those interested, you can read about his leg problems here: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/puppy_feed_program_for_knuckling_over.htm

The puppy named "NO"

2007-12-24T09:32:00.001-06:00

Its been four years since I’ve had a puppy. I forgot how much fun and work was involved. I didn’t remember thinking puppy breath was cute, yet somehow it is. Although we’ve had a few accidents the little boy is doing his business outside most of the time. I believe most of that is due to us watching him like a hawk and taking him outside every fifteen minutes or so.

The other dogs are starting to get used to him. The miniature schnauzer, Suesse, has someone her size (for the moment) to play with. It also helps that he is not intimidated by her and if she takes his toy he chases her down. The mutt, Hayden, is glad to have someone else to distract Suesse so he can play with toys in peace. He plays with the pup a little. The pup is just the right height to easy grab his dangly things so Hayden tends to seek shelter elsewhere when the pup wants to play.

We are crate training the pup. It keeps him safe and out of trouble when we cant keep a constant eye on him as well as provides him the quite time he needs to take his puppy naps. He is doing very well even though his mom is spoiling him too much. He thinks he is a baby and wants to be held already. This will be a HUGE problem when is bigger than she is so I have to break them both from the habit quickly. He is getting used to crate and doesn’t whine for his mommy too much, considering he’s a pup and still settling into his new home. Last night he actually slept six hours straight! That was a nice treat.

I think the hardest thing has been trying to name him. We laughed about giving him some foo-foo name like Fluffy. Since he will be a big boy we wanted a “manly” name like Tank or Brutis. Somehow we came up with the name Rocco, but his mom wanted to spend some time with him before committing to a name. Before we even received him and only had pictures I started calling him Pumpkin Head. Wouldn’t you know that after a few days of affectionately calling him Pumpkin or Pumpkin Head he now responds to it? While he will probably always by our little Pumpkin Head we have decided to call him Dozer, in reference to a bull dozer. This is because he is already stout and like a load of bricks. He was sitting by my feet all weekend while working in the kitchen and I cant count the number of times I tripped over him. You’d think I would have hurt him or kicked him across the room, but instead I come tumbling down while he continues to sit there with a look on his face as if wondering why I cant seem to stand up. We’ve started making every effort to call him Dozer so his new name will set in, but for now the thing he seems to hear the most is “NO”.