Shotgun

How safe is it? Shouldn't you put a seat belt on him? What if IF?
All these are legitimate questions for any dog except Blue and any driver except me. Accidents do happen and being ready and prepared will decrease the injury.  That is what I sincerely advise all people to do.  If you have a rat-dog or a cat-dog place them in their seats or stuff them down your purse, which ever is more economical for you. 

Here are some excuses why I do it:
Blue does not suffer from motion sickness-If I tell him to go back, he goes-no shotgun on highways-no window open at the passenger seat- no driving in the front in stop and go traffic (statistically this is when the most accidents happen)-no driving in the front when i'm distracted, depressed or tired!

There ya go....

Blue the Boldilocks

We came back from Inspired to encounter this great welcoming board.  Blue was almost howling, Indy was grabbing our arms and trying to get us down and it was great. The first things we looked for when we saw them were the Indies bold chin and Blues paint covered fur.  We debated and debated on what to do and we simply assessed the situation: Blue had a problem with but glands, had a crust under his eye, paint in his fur, and nails huge.  Indy on the other hand just had the chin breaking out full of pimples.  The decision was made: We were going to the vet. 

Weight Info: Blue is down one pound to 62 lbs.
                       Indy is down 3 pounds to 75lbs.

Conclusion: We fought with Indy to get a scrape of his chin pimples and that took 3 people.  Blue had his but glands squeezed. nails clipped and a HAIRCUT...

We were simply scared to make things worse by trying to take it out by ourselves but if you are brave enough this is the link that explains some thing. CLICK HERE

Do not worry: I'm not giving up on the blog.  I've just been enjoying my doggy company so much lately that I run as much as they do and then I sleep as much as they do.  Currently, after a short walk in 90 degree weather, the doggies are sleeping so I put some effort into writing this post.

Here is a picture of Blue and Alfredo having a conversation. Unfortunately, neither Alfredo or any "humans" in the house have mastered the Blue talk.  There are a couple of different schools of thought on what Blue wants when he jumps up to the counter and I will share mine with you.

-I've noticed that Blue expresses himself through face licking.  He is not a leaner or a "lay and pet me" type of a dog.  When he welcomes you in the house he would keep jumping to your face trying to show his hospitality.  So one explanation for his behavior here is the "kiss-lick a face"

-Another possibility is his constant search for food.  That is a shared belief in this house.

Either way, Blue does it and as cute as it is, sometimes it can be hazardous especially during lunch time.

Alfredo's Chicken Treats and Toys

Papi brought new toys,

puppies jumped of joy,

Papi brought a plastic bag,

puppies had tactics: SNAG

pull and rip apart

and start to strip,

drool on lips was smart

now hard is their grip....

Everything they tear it's in the air like a flare but would land on the stairs along with a rare hair! All we can do is stare and guess where pieces of bare material would land-THERE..and THERE...and on the CHAIR!

On a serious note, a recent article I read from Humane Society said that "For dogs and other animal companions, toys are not a luxury, but a necessity."

"Toys help fight boredom in dogs left alone, and toys can even help prevent some problem behaviors from developing."

In conclusion, like Blue says: "Without toys, life is RUFF"  Well, I said "without the toys, life is" but he said the rest.

Sniff Sniff Away

When he sniffs his lips are stiff, drool drips and if he catches the whiff of something iffy, swiftly he will lift his front right paw, and bent it at the pastern, he would breathe faster, as if seeing a pattern, he would look at his master, to tell him to plaster his nose all over those rows where the suspect decided to go.

Sniff Sniff AWAY

If If A DAY

had an hour more, 

to smell he would thrive

with the nose so powerfull

he would sniff 7/25!

Tale of one Thirsty Puppy

His mouth is dry,

so loud he sighs,

have you seen a hotter lab?

He'll quench his thirst

by frenching the burst

from the water tap

Since he could raise his paws in the air without ending up on his bum he preferred the stream of water to a still bowl.  It has brought up some sanitary issues as his tongue would end up very close, near or inside the faucet but we still allow him to occasionally experiences the rush of drinking from the moving body of water.  I believe that through ancestral heritage, his brain is hard wired to do certain things out of his control.  A valley filled with pray that ends up in their intestinal tract needs to be washed down.  A stream cutting through the valley would serve them as the source of fresh water. They would approach it from the most open area, enabling them to notice potential threats(poachers). This is my working theory on Blue's need for wasting water by letting it slip through his fangs. 

P.S. Like his big bro(well older) Indy, as soon as he gained confidence and stability in his back paws, launched up to chase the flow of water.

Blue: The Ball Breaking Wizard

Labrador retrievers are known by just that: retrieving but their is no where in the Lab manual that it specifies on how to deal with a ball chewer.  I am a soccer player at heart and with that said it is jut normal to find bunch of balls in the house.  This used to be my favorite Adidas ball.  Such nice feel and weight and had an immense spin.  But then one time when i wasn't looking he stabbed it and that was it. 

Labrador Retriever PFFF...

Treat Face 2

3 weeks ago, Indy had a strange encounter with a object of desire the MD later named the Treat Face.  Very similar in build, with some of the same facial attributes such as the mouth can be found on today's specimen. This time Blue took the lead on the investigation at the MD Downtown Office where the "Treat Face" has been detained.

"Blue-Stay"

Punk, lookie here: No answers - knee brace!

"Blue-Stay"

No leeway, I ran a street trace

"Blue-Stay"

I know all about you little meet place

"Blue-Stay"

Or should I say meat place?

"Treat Face"

A needy my lawyer ha? Plead the case

"Treat Face"

Kapish? In 5 I'm out, Outside there is a fleet placed

"Treat Face"

 I'll have your head, your wife, and that packed heat at your waist

"Blue-Stay"

(he kept eating his bowl of pasta)

Indeed what a waste, because I'll beat out of your mouth that sweet taste

"Blue-Stay"

I just need a phrase! You don't bleed and he pays!

"Blue-Stay"

He eats alone Capo, in that greed maze!

"Blue-Stay"

(finishing his pasta)

Who's the boss? Or I can make some more eating space

"Treat Face"

 I ain't no rat, but I remember reading a praise

"Blue-Stay"

Seriously, a church is your outfit's base?

 "Treat Face"

Close to the town relays, plus in the back are where the hounds we race

"Treat Face"

(looks around)

Eh, I don't see that tape spinning, does it record or even play?

JUST AS HE SAID THAT A BULLET GRAZED, 

AT THE LIVING OMERTA "TREAT FACE" GAZED

BLUE BROKE OUT OF STAY, AIMED AND ATE

"Blue-Stay"

SNITCH ON THE FAMILY, THAT'S A MISTAKE 

YOU CAN NOT SNITCH AND LIVE HAPPILY-

he said while he cleaned his plate

Bluemania

Words often tend to minute the emotional responses to things.  That is of course natural since writing about something derives from your materialistic sense while deep emotional connections are meant to be shared among living things through physical contact instead of words.  Then again, not even physical contact is necesary for a person to sense and "read you like an open book." 

I am confident that there are words for every minuscule emotions we have but how many people are familiar with them?  

Over 600 000 words in Oxford Dictionary, but an average vocabulary consists of 20 000 and we use just a fraction of that.  The rest is recognition vocabulary. 

My point here is that I strive to surround myself with things I feel comfortable with, the things that inspire me and even though I have the real deal behind me sleeping it is quite comforting to have a picture of Blue that I can glimpse over while I'm immersed in the screen working.  That and of course the sound sof him breathing few feet behind me.  

P.S. This is a cutout Marianna made for Blues 1st Bday party! 

Despiration of Propriety: Separation Anxiety

"Dogs need to learn to accept being left alone from an early age if they are to cope well"  

Gwen Bailey

She goes on further to explain that dogs do not understand locked doors, security alarms and such and that their own sense of protection stems out of your presence.  For dogs(Blue) that were spoiled to the core, and never given a chance to be by himself, being without anyone present in the house can cause them to have panic attacks.

Even though Blue has Indy, who by the way does not exhibit any of these issues, he still needs someone around.  Many dogs when left alone would cause chaos, such as ripped furniture, clothes, and anything in their reach. Indy used to do that, for a complete other reason but Blue is not like that.

Blue tends to whine, bark and be in constant motion.  

So here is something we will try to do with Blue.  (Hopefully it is not too late)

1. Short, planned absences each day that gradually extend.

2.  Ensure that they had food and water and that they have peed and pooped.

3. Have lots of toys for their entertainment. 

We will see how this thing works out. 

Blue: Super Doggy

So my Casio finally arrived.  Shot at 1000fps, but of course, lighting was less than ideal.  we appreciate movement much more when we sjavascript:void(0)ee the complexity involved.  Expect many more, better shot movies from blue and Indy.  Till then, Convention awaits.

This is sPAWrta!!!!!

We WILL fight in the shade! With the2SHADES of BLUE!!!!

Accounting Cash Paw

 

1.Make Blue speak on cue

 2. Make Blue seek for clues

Sneaky Blue

In the sleeve have a trick or two

not us, this technique is new! 

According to this article I've read a while back on www.sciencedaily.com dogs are on the same intellectual level as a typical two-year-old. Now, that does not mean that your Chihuahua can get her GED, finally, but that there are some dogs who are adept at learning and memorizing much better than others. 

"As for language, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the "super dogs" (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words"-WOW, more words than the ones existent in my vocabulary.  Those of you who follow the blog (yes you baby) may have noticed. 

Dogs can also count up to four or five.

They also have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in 

simple computations,

such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3. 

 

According to  dog behaviorists there are 3 distinctive INTELLIGENCE types IN dogs:

INSTINCTIVE (what the dog is bred to do)

ADAPTIVE (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) 

WORKING AND OBEDIENCE (the equivalent of 'school learning')

You can read more on how to teach your dog to count RIGHT HERE

Blue keeps me company

Even.........

in the bathroom where the path glooms of rat fumes, and he sees my half moon at noon 

I would sit and he would hear a splat tune, a platoon: WHAM! BOOM-that soon?-

it echoes through the toilet lagoon

he just looks at me and I laugh at his lampoon face as if it was from a cartoon!

Pet Look-a-Like

TV Shows, street banners, commercials, and of course Internet have all at one point of time pushed forward an idea of humans and their pets who share the same physical characteristics.  

Some good pictures can be found here.

 We may look alike but do we act alike? I scavenged the web for any research or studies regarding humans passing their personality traits onto their pets.   

So far I now that both Blue and Indy, as kids in a bad marriage, run away as soon as one of the parents starts yelling or slamming doors as it has happened here.  

Blue also expresses jealousy, not only towards Indy, but when either Alfredo and Mariangela or Marianna and I hug.  

Furthermore, there is a myth going around for time after time that dogs can smell fear.  In one hand it does hold some truth since when scared we sweat more and they can smell that.  But often ignored is our body language: how we hold ourselves, how we look, what we do after approached.  It all plays a role.

The reason why I brought this issue up is because Marianna and I would always compare Blue and Indy with us. 

Blue is a loner, like me.  Indy loves to meet other dogs, like Mari.  Blue needs someone to play with him and be with him, like Mari.  Indy is fine by himself, like me.  I could list numerous other examples but could it be that we influence them so much that they become our avatars in a dog world? 

 

The six general personality types include:

1. AGGRESSIVE
2. CONFIDENT
3. OUTGOING
4. ADAPTABLE
5. INSECURE
6. INDEPENDENT

A great article written by Maneka Gandhi can be found here.

 If you would like to find out what dog personality you have click here.

For another fun psychological quiz about you and your dog click here.

 

I also wanted to share this site: About your dogs health.

http://www.pethealth101.com 

 

Lab naps in the cab

This is a dangerous street

and he's hit by a sleep spell

on the passenger seat

without a seat-belt...

over the bump CD changer skips

and he feels what the street felt

but he is not a stranger to treats

so he rose to his feet well

 I was searching for anything tying dogs and cars together to write a poem and I encountered this site: http://www.dogcars.com/

Now, that gave me an idea so I "googled" some more. It turns out that the car which transports these pups to parks and back is number 6 on the top 10 Best Dog-Friendly cars. Good pick Alfredo!

http://www.gayot.com/lifestyle/automobile/lists/topdogcars/mitsubishi-outlander.html

Blue's Nose Knows

His nose knows: his nose chose which dirty clothes to rub against- OH NO....well

His nose knows: his nose flows like a sturdy hose to scrub intense- all the smell

His nose knows: his nose glows, its surely gross so the pup is hence icky as hair gel...

his nose knows the difference between stinky toes and a pink rose...

his nose knows that open car windows mean air will blow in but he still chose wind...

His nose knows those foes that froze when he got too close...

iBoogies

Humans have them and so do the puppies....One thing, though, separates us from them.  Well most of us.

WE DO NOT EAT OUR OWN EYE SECRETIONS OR NOSE DISCHARGES.

Eye boogies are a simple body release of protein.  It can be a result of sleeping or some allergens such as food allergy or pollen.  For breeds with long hair it can be caused by yeast and give their eyes a bloody look.  Terramycin ( retails for $12 at Petsmart) can help.

For my dogs I had to make sure that it wasn't entropion. Luckily I could write that off the list.

Hi, lookie here:
this eye boogie tear
CAN YOU TAKE IT OUT
so I can see clear
FINGER SWIPED AROUND
that shy rookie smear
LET ME SNIFF IT WITH MY SNOUT
 I'll bite the souvenir
NOW I HAVE IT IN MY MOUTH
 tastes like cookie: weird
just like Indy's floppy ears!

Picky Pup

We do not have any photos of Blue eating by himself.  There have been attempts to make him eat out of the bowl but those days are over.

Nowadays, we have come up with a system.  Indy, who is Sir Eat-a-Lot, licks his bowl inside out while we try to hand feed Blue.  Indies bowl just gets a cup or a cup and a half of food while Blue's gets two or two and a half.  Blue requires an audience so by the time he stops walking in circles brushing himself against us and the couch Indy is done with his food.

Then the fun starts: Blue would start slurping food from our palms and of course drop a fourth of them on the ground.  That is when iNdy, the main competitor to the household iRoomba, would vacuum the floor.  At the end both of them would have eaten the same amount of food.

To start the "feeding process" we would feed him single ones.

Sometimes he just would not budge so we would have to make him work for it.  Playing the guess game, incoming food, throwing them in the air for him to catch and sometimes not even that would work.

Switching hands helps, yelling "Chicken, Chicken" does too, putting the food on the pavement or tiles or even carpet would make him start eating.  The most effective way is for Alfredo to say "come, come" which is eat in Spanish.(and arrive in English) Blue's tail turns into twister that keeps knocking candles of the coffee table and his appetite awakens.

If you have a problem  with your pup disliking food visit this link.

Ruff Lauren Modeling

Height: 30 inches (60 if on back paws)

Weight: 55 lbs ( can go up or down upon request)

Neck: 16 inches (depending on the collar color)

Chest: 30 inches (result of benching Indy)

Waist: 22 inches (girls envy me)

Tail: 13 inches (Florida's Tornado warning)

• Completed Pet Smart Training
• Certified Door Opener
• 5-Octave Barking Range (Harmonics not included Mariah)
• Participated in many manhunts ( I always find my Dean)
• Proficient in soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball,  tennis, etc ( New Air Buddy)
• Deep Character Discovery ( can act as Marley)
• Wanted to audition for Pets Ahoy at Seaworld but they pay little
• Main actor in various Youtube short clips
• 25 inch vertical leap
• Star on the set of many photoshoots
• Driven in the passenger seat of high speed highway race
• Protagonist of multitude of epic poems
• Grapes have no effect on me

Wants: " to do a walk by the lake-romantic but action-packed commercial for pet food such as "Blue" in which I would face off wolves, steal their food and defeat them in my ladies honor."