Tuesday, 7/11 OK, I'm falling down on the job again. =) It's been hectic these last few weeks! First was the Great Escape - somekitty pushed out a window screen in the middle of the night and a number of Zoobies went exploring outside. I managed to get all but 4 back in right away, but getting the other 4 back took a whole week! Everyone's safely back home, though, and I've noticed a positive attitude adjustment in the Terrible Trio since their Unexcellent Adventure. They're not quite as shy anymore, and I get to see TC at least a couple of times a day now. Punch hangs out by the food, and doesn't move when I refill the bowls. I guess they decided I'm not such a monster after all!

I took the dogs to my sis's this weekend, and we went down to Belle Isle in Detroit on Saturday to the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) show being held there. The Dogo rescue chairperson came up from OH with a rescue fellow named Kane - a year-old, 100-pound, sweet doofy loveball. Blizzard got to meet her first Dogo, and she didn't like him! He'd poke his nose into her by way of hello, and her upper lip would start to curl. She'd give him a really dirty look and, if he didn't cease and desist, she'd snap at him. Still can't figure out what that was all about - she's never shown the least sign of dislike with any other dog she's met. I understand that many Dogo bitches react that way with the goofy Dogo boys, though. (She was fine with a Dogo female about Kane's size, so maybe it was typical Dogo bitch behavior!) I really enjoyed meeting Kane - he was very generous with kisses, and he nibbled on my chin a little bit. (It's the funniest sensation to have this huge, fierce looking dog kind of nursing on your chin!) And it was really nice to have someone who knows Dogos well finally confirm that Blizzard is, indeed, a Dogo. =) Blizzard was very well-behaved and ladylike, for the most part. I was so proud of her I couldn't stop grinning. She made friends with a lot of people (as did Kane), and I think the two of them went a long way to correcting the impression of Dogos that people got from reading the "Breed in Brief" article in the July issue of Dog Fancy. (The article said some breeders won't place a Dogo in a home with small children as their quick movements can remind a Dogo of prey. That's the silliest damn thing I've ever heard - Dogos are exceptionally gentle and patient with children! They adore kids, and kids love 'em right back.)

While we were at my sis's, Blizzard got the concept of fetch. She used to chase whatever I threw, but then take it somewhere and chew on it instead of bringing it back. She finally caught on, though, watching cousin Jaeger, and now she brings stuff back. Doesn't want to give it up directly to me, but will lay it at my feet then sit and wait for me to throw it again. This is very good news! Now I can tucker her out with a couple of daily fetch sessions, and she'll have less energy to get into mischief.

Next weekend is Penny's turn. I'm taking her up to Saginaw on Saturday for the American Temperament Testing Society's temperament test. Some of the tests involve a dog's reaction to sound - a shotgun blast, for example - so even if Penny passes she won't be awarded a certificate. But I will be allowed to say she passed the other parts of the test. We're going up with Chris and Rainey - Rainey was a couple of months too young for the test (18 month minimum) the last time it was given, and Chris wants to get her tested. It should be fun to go do this together. I think Liz (the Dogo rescue person) will be there too - it'll be interesting to see if she brings a Dogo - there's never been a Dogo enrolled in the test, so I may get to witness a "first".

Penny and I haven't done a therapy visit in a few weeks - first Nicki was sick, then the holiday, so it'll be good to get her out visiting tonight. She stood perfectly still this morning while I clipped her nails and groomed her. I think, once we were past the nail clipping part, she actually enjoyed it. She moved voluntarily to give me access to places I was grooming toward, and actually leaned into the brush. I spritzed her with lemon/rosemary, too, and she didn't seem to mind that, either. Good deal. =) I wonder if she'll let me trim her feet? I'll have to get a pair of scissors and give it a try. The fur on her feet grows faster than her curls; if I could trim it myself, I could save the trip to the groomer's just for a foot trim.

All the felines are fine and dandy. Copurrnicus is a total crack-up - he's a big cat in a kitten body, and he tries to be so sophisticated. Pookah is a delicate little girl - can't seem to get enough food into her. She eats a whole can of kitten food a day, plus she free-feeds on dry kitten kibble. And she's still skinny as a rail. Both their stools look normal to me, but I'm going to try to get a sample from Pookah to check for coccidia - that would explain why she eats so much but doesn't gain weight. I've just got to catch her in the act. =)

Tuesday, 7/25 It was an exciting evening yesterday. A house across the street and down 4 doors burned. What a spectacle. The woman who lives there was cleaning - with gasoline. The fire started in a front bedroom of the house and quickly spread into the attic/under the roof. The young fellows who live across the street grabbed garden hoses, ran over there and tried to keep the fire from spreading while waiting for the fire department to show up. I don't know how I missed all the commotion, but when I went out to bring my trash can back in there were 4 fire trucks blocking the street a little further down, people running everywhere, flames shooting up, and (of course) all the neighbors standing around watching. When I saw flames licking out from under the eaves, I knew the whole house would be a loss and that's what they said on the news last night - $32,000 worth of damage. (I missed the news crew - they must have come after things quieted down and everyone went back in.)

I went to Indiana this last weekend with Blizzard and Penny to a last-minute informal Dogo get-together. It was really neat to see all those Dogos in one place - sort of like a little dog show. It was neat to be able to see the subtle differences in the dogs. They were all so lovely and long-legged; Blizzard is a stumpy little girl. These folks told me they saw a lot of the bull terrier influence in Blizzard. I joked that I thought Blizzard would look taller if her ears had been cropped, as it would draw the eye upward. One of the fellows told me she'd look taller if her legs were 4 inches longer. Smartass.

They thought Penny was a really beautiful girl and a great dog. (She is, of course.) And they got a big kick out of Blizzard and Penny together, especially when Blizz grabbed hold of Penny's leash and started dragging her around. Penny's pretty tolerant and just follows wherever Blizzard pulls her. It's pretty funny. These folks started laughing and couldn't stop. One said "The look on Penny's face!! Kind of like when you were a kid on a ride at the amusement park and you're shouting "make it stop!" but every time you go around past your mom and dad they're waving and smiling at you!"

It was really nice to see all these dogs getting along, especially since there were intact males there and a bitch in season. But nary a lip was raised, and everything stayed very calm and easy-going. Here's a pic of an intact 6-year old hunting Dogo on the left meeting a neutered rescue boy who's a year old:

Whatever was causing the kittens to not gain weight is gone, because they're putting on weight nicely now. I'm betting it was the fleas - they've improved rapidly once they were old enough to Frontline. I'd used flea foam on them twice prior to that, and though it kept the fleas in check I think it made them feel unwell. They are both just too cute for words. Purrnie is a devil - very determined and incredibly stubborn. He's fearless, and will leap great distances to land on me whereupon he digs into whatever he lands on and crawls up to my shoulder. Fortunately, he's learned he slides off skin so only goes for a fabric-covered landing spot these days. It still hurts, though. Pookah is a total doll, but she's got a good helping of stubbornness and determination, too. I think they're going to be pretty big cats - they have very long legs. Sometimes they remind me a little bit of spiders.

It looks like maybe (knock wood) the fleas are under control. It took a second round of Frontline to get them all, but nobody's itching any more and I'm not getting bitten any more either. (Except for some tiny bites from dying fleas that ride in on the dogs.) This is good; I was beginning to look like I had measles.

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