stoutfellow

Dog Treats

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 22:16:46 GMT

Since I'm getting three-day delays from Shipt, I've decided to buy my dog-related goods from Chewy - hopefully, they're less inundated with orders, and can get stuff to me more quickly. Unfortunately, they don't seem to sell the particular dog treats that Buster & Gracie like, but I stayed with the same company, at least, and have ordered a big bag of everyday treats and another bag of dental treats. Hopefully the dogs will like them.

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Cuddle-ish

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 13:21:11 GMT

When I lie down, even for a nap, Buster and Gracie like to join me. Buster lies near the head of the bed, curled into the crook of my arm, and Gracie crawls down to my lower torso, usually slipping under the covers. Buster's is kind of pro forma; after ten or twenty minutes, he jumps down and goes to his Safe Place, under the hassock on the other side of the bed.

Lately, Gracie's gotten a little testy. If she's already on the bed when Buster wants up, she'll snarl and even feint at snapping. I give her a little shove when she does that, but still, Buster (twice her mass!) has become reluctant to challenge her on this.

He has now taken to going to the other side, climbing up on the hassock and getting on the bed from there. That achieved, he then steps over (or on!) my head to cross to his preferred spot. I'm usually quick enough to grab the pillow and sit up so he can cross unmolested, but not always.

:shakes head:

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Fake-Out

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 14:38:34 GMT

I am not a cat person, so perhaps I'm out of line posting this, but this strikes me as a neat idea: The Fake Lap.

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Urgency

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 13:18:56 GMT

It's 5:30 AM. I'm trying to snatch a last few minutes of sleep. Gracie is standing next to the bed, intermittently barking shrilly. I sigh, and get up to see what she wants. She walks across the hall to the computer room, waits for me to sit down, and curls up under the chair. Soon she is snoring.

:sigh:

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Buster McBoingBoing

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 02:40:37 GMT

I don't know if there's any connection, but since I started giving Buster the new meds, he's been remarkably bouncy and happy-looking. He'd been having periods of seeming lethargy, off and on, for several weeks, but none of that lately! (The only problem is that Gracie sometimes gets hit with - call it "friendly fire".)

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Longsuffering

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 15:10:41 GMT

Buster's X-rays were negative, so the vet still thinks it's soft-tissue trouble. They gave me more of one of the pain meds, and also a long-term anti-arthritis medication, which I'll be giving him for the rest of his life.

Frankly, I was worried about bone cancer or something like it. It's a relief to have that ruled out.

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Going Limp

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 00:20:48 GMT

As of Sunday, Buster seemed to have recovered from his lameness.

Monday, when I got back from work, he was limping again, worse than before, and this has continued.

I have two possible conjectures. On the one hand, the vet gave me two pain meds for him, one of which ran out on Sunday. On the other, Monday was the first day since this began that I'd left him home alone (well, with Gracie); that means that, to go out, he had to use the rather steep doggie steps to the garage rather than the shorter step down to the back porch. (For that, I open the doors to and from the porch.)

I'll be taking him in to the vet Friday or Saturday. It's odd. It doesn't seem to be hurting him; he's as joyful and bouncy as ever, just on three legs. (He does put on a look of concentration when he has to put any weight on that leg.)

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Favoring

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 22:02:47 GMT

I just got back from the vet. Buster's been favoring his right foreleg a little the last two or three days - limping, holding it off the floor, like that. It's off and on, but he's going on fourteen years old, and you don't want to take chances at that age.

Just on the basis of manual examination, the vet thinks that it's not a bone or tendon problem, but most likely a soft tissue problem, a pulled muscle or something. They gave me a couple of pain meds to give him for a couple of weeks, and if that doesn't clear it up I'll bring him in again for X-rays.

They want me to keep him from jumping up or down for the next while. Heh. I'll see what I can do...

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Seals

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 02:41:14 GMT

One drawback I've found to Bell's palsy is that, though I can close my right eye if I also close my left, I don't get a tight seal on the right. I discovered this when I washed my hair and got shampoo in my right eye. I have since learned how to minimize the chance of that, but it requires a good deal of care.

A few days ago, I discovered another consequence of the poor seal, when Gracie (cuddlebug that she is) started licking my face. Of course, I closed my eyes, but... well, you can guess the rest.

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Dog Days

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 17:47:47 GMT

Apparently Petco's getting a *lot* of appointment cancellations today.

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Winter Woe

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 17:37:38 GMT

Apparently I was mistaken about the number of special-needs students in my classes; there were only three, and I've received all of their tests.

Unfortunately, I may still have to go onto campus tomorrow. In my geometry class, I gave a take-home final, allowing submissions in either electronic or paper form. Three of the ten students opted for paper, and somehow I managed to leave them in my office on Friday. Grades are due at noon, and it will take me an hour or so to grade those tests, so I'll have to leave home at about 9 AM (leaving margin for error and acts of God).

There's a winter storm warning in effect, through midnight tomorrow - an estimated 7" of snow and 0.1" of ice. The campus may be closed, and if so I'll have to decide what to do. I have a plan B...

On top of all that, I've got a grooming appointment for Buster on Tuesday. which was set back at the time of his last appointment six months ago. If the storm is as bad as predicted, I may have to call in and reschedule.

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Reading-Brain Dogs

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:58:48 GMT

I've read a number of posts lately on the beneficial effects of living with a cat. I'm cool with that; I prefer dogs, but have no particular objection to cats and those who love them. But this is also worth noting: dogs encourage serious reading.

Not that I need dogs to keep me reading, but it's nice to hear that they help other people.

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A Yorkshire Gag

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 02:02:39 GMT

There is a thing that Gracie does - has done, for the ten-plus years she's lived with me - that is, frankly, kind of scary. It happens most often when she's excited, and it sounds like she's choking. It stops after a while, but it disturbs me a lot. I've mentioned at Hawthorne Animal Hospital, but they've pretty much shrugged it off.

Now, I have stumbled on the explanation, in, of all places, the linguistics blog Language Log. (Scroll down to the second video.) It's a breed-specific thing, the "pharyngeal gag reflex"; all Yorkies do it, and it's nothing to worry about.

I am relieved.

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Ch-ch-ch-changes

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 21:03:29 GMT

As I mentioned before, the other Schnucks doesn't carry B&G's favored Alpo Variety Snaps, and the soon-to-close Schnucks' denuded shelves don't have them either; I've had to buy a box of Milk-Bones.

Buster's fine with the change, but Gracie is a little dubious. A couple of times, she's outright refused them, but more often she'll reluctantly accept them.

I've given them treats several times today, most recently when I got back from another trip to Schnucks. Both dogs accepted them, and went off to their Crunching Places (Buster's, near the bookcases right outside the dining room, and Gracie's in the middle of the TV area). I heard them going at it as I put stuff away.

When I came out of the dining room, there were two Milk-Bones, lying side by side just at the edge of the carpet. I assume they were from earlier in the day. I have no idea whether they'll be eaten.

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Giving Up

Sun, 27 Oct 2019 19:21:21 GMT

After breaking two pair of glasses, in the same place, in two or three months, I decided to go without for a while. I did fine without them for nigh on sixty years; surely I can do it again!

Nnnope. Standing in front of the class, peering at the textbook, and finally having to ask, "In problem 25, is the exponent on the 'x' 2 or 3?"... is *embarrassing*.

So, today, I wandered over to Target to pick up a new pair. The glasses that seemed best to me are unfortunately decorated - a degree of glitter that is not to my taste - but they do the job, so...

On the way back, I stopped off at the old Schnucks - the one that *isn't* closing - to buy some milk and try to get a feel for the layout. I think I'll be able to find things. I didn't check the cereal aisle, so I don't know whether they have the brands I like, but I did peek at the dog food/treats area. They don't seem to carry Alpo Variety Snaps, so B&G will have to make do with Milk-Bones, but in other respects it seemed satisfactory.

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Gotcha!

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 08:57:54 GMT

A year or so after I brought Buster and Gracie home, I got a card from Hawthorne Animal Hospital celebrating their birthday. Thinking that perhaps they had information I didn't, I called to ask, but they denied knowing the pups' actual birthdays; it was more an acknowledgment of the day they entered my life.

It has occasionally bothered me that I don't know when they were born. Just now, though, over on WeRateDogs, I saw the answer: gotcha day, an annual celebration of the adoption of a pet. I wish I'd heard of (or thought of) this long ago. (I've had B&G for more than ten years now.)

I will celebrate their gotcha day next year.

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Knees

Sun, 20 Oct 2019 23:45:41 GMT

Buster is not a large dog; his raised head is about level with my knees.

When I'm in the kitchen, fixing food or eating a snack, he is, of course, very interested.

It is a most disturbing sensation to feel a dog panting directly into the back of one's knees (the armpit equivalent).

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Camo

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 02:28:04 GMT

It's just about bedtime; I'm stripped down, ready to crash. I was a bit hungry, though, so I went into the kitchen for a snack. When I finished, Buster was gazing at me, waiting for a treat. (Gracie had her head in the dog bowl, but she knows when to turn around and get hers.) I pulled out a couple of the Alpo Variety Snaps that they like and handed one to Buster. As he took it, a piece broke off and landed on my bare foot.

He couldn't find it. (I suppose the smell of the treat was drowned by... other smells, and its color isn't that different from my skin's.) I had to stand there, motionless, while he hunted about. He did, finally, spot it and lipped it up.

It's always hard to tell these little dog stories and make them as funny as they are while in progress. But I'll keep trying.

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Lost and Found

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 21:19:54 GMT

The call to the police did the trick; they called back after maybe twenty minutes, and just now delivered her to my doorstep. No ticket, either. :fingers crossed:

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Gracie, Come Home!

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 20:46:24 GMT

When I got home from work today, neither of the dogs greeted me at the door. I found Buster curled up on my bed, but Gracie is nowhere to be seen. The people who mow my lawn left the back gate unsecured, and it was wide open. I suspect that Buster also got out, but after a good romp around the neighborhood came back home. Gracie... is not that smart.

I quartered the neighborhood, but saw no sign of her, and the few people I saw outside (Heat Advisory, remember?) hadn't seen her either. I just put in a call to the police; that's my only real hope, unless Gracie somehow finds her way back.

I'll probably be ticketed for "letting a dog run loose"; I was warned the last time this happened. (The mowing people are usually good about securing the gate, but once in a long while they goof up.)

All I can do now is wait.

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Bad Timing

Sat, 13 Jul 2019 21:33:18 GMT

I'm standing in the bathroom, using the facilities. Buster is right outside the bathroom, repeatedly play-bowing at me. I am in no position to respond appropriately. By the time I finish, he's nowhere in sight. (I ascertain quickly that he's gone into the back yard.)

Silly mutt's thirteen years old. He should have acquired some idea of good timing by now. (Gracie's a nitwit, but Buster's a smart dog. Except about timing.)

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Floof

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:10:31 GMT

It always tickles me how small Buster looks after a trip to the groomer. I forget how much of his apparent size is floof. (It's Gracie's turn on Sunday, but the apparent change in size isn't nearly so drastic.)

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Fencing

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 14:57:33 GMT

Buster got out again today. I was preparing to take a nap when I decided I needed to know where the dogs where. Gracie was in one of her usual places, in the main bathroom. Buster was not. I checked throughout the house, then went out back. There, I saw that one of the pickets in the gate was missing. Fearing the worst, I grabbed a leash and circled the block, but didn't see him anywhere. I came back in to put on shoes and a t-shirt; Buster was in the living room. I scowled at him, got out the hammer and went out for makeshift repairs. The picket was actually inside the fence; someone had politely leaned it against the wall.

I've got it nailed in again, but poorly. I'll have to run over to a hardware store and get better nails and maybe some mesh. (The Sears Hardware that was a couple of blocks away closed last year; the next nearest is maybe four times further. Needs must, though.)

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Motives

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 13:24:08 GMT

This morning, as on many other mornings, Gracie lay down beside my bed and started barking.

I got up, as I usually do, because it was possible that she needed to be let out.

Gracie walked out the bedroom door, looked over her shoulder to make sure I was following, and headed, not for the porch door, but for the computer room. She lay down in the cubby under the desk.

I sat down at the computer. What else was I to do? (If I went back to bed, she would return and repeat the process.)

Is the cubby so much more comfortable, or comforting, than the floor beside my bed?

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It's Better With Bester

Thu, 23 May 2019 19:48:00 GMT

An aside on the Buster/Gracie post: I'm in the middle of a Babylon 5 rewatch, and I hear the line "It's good to have such stout defenders" in the voice of Al Bester.

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