Chip trial day 1

SUMMARY: Getting accustomed to each other; figuring out bed time.

Backfill: Added March 30

Chip (Chipper) is here. Arrived about 4:00 and I needed to leave shortly for my company's annual holiday party. (Yes, really.)

Owner and Chip came into the house on leash. I had put Boost behind the gate in the living room so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed coming in. Tika was out of sight, but showed up as Owner and I were chatting. That meeting went OK, so I unhooked his leash to see what would happen, and mostly he looked like he was sticking around; he seemed slightly concerned but not cowed by any means. So I stepped around the corner to let Boost loose; had to convince her to come out (I think she thought she was supposed to stay there), and when I stepped back into the kitchen, there was a big yellow puddle on the floor.

Owner didn't see it happen, either, because I think he was paying attention to me. I assume that it was a stressing Chip, since neither of my dogs have ever done that when other dogs have come into the house. Quick cleanup with paper towels and Nature's Miracle.

At one point, Chip popped up to his hind legs, paws on the edge of the stove to sniff; I was able to grab him quickly and say, "I don't think so!" Probably not an issue really, but something to keep an eye on until I'm positive.

Then we went out to the back yard. He checked out everything briskly, and marked everything briskly, too. Had a brief entertaining interlude with Mr. Triceratops while Chip tried to decide whether he was a real critter or not. Sorry, didn't have my camera out for that amusement, didn't want the distraction.

Owner left Chip's crate--a huuuuuge Varikennel from when he used to have a Catahoula. Some toys, bowls, bag of food, leash. After we both watched Chip for a bit and I asked what I could think of to ask, then Owner left fairly quickly, or, he said, "I'll start to cry." Chip has had a good home but we'll see whether I can maybe give him a bit more.

He went into his crate easily on command, I gave all the dogs Guard The House Goodies, and went out for the evening.

Came back about 3 and a half hours later, let him out into the yard where he did his business. Then I kept him on a short leash attached to me while I did a few things around the house, checked my email, and so on. He whined quietly a lot when I wasn't actually doing anything. He got petted when he lay calmly next to me and other times, too. He is SO soft.


Boost seems to mostly accept that he's here. She's looking for more attention from me and I'm trying to give her at least equal attention. She seems somewhat interested in his existence but is trying not to show it. He's definitely interested in her existence and follows her around when I let him off leash in the yard.

Tika is not happy; she actually exposes her teeth with a snarl when he comes close to her face, especially if she's right next to me. Never have seen her do that to another dog, but obviously everyone's a bit tense at the moment. He's good and backs off but I'm mostly trying to keep him away from her (he wants to make friends) and giving Tika plenty of loving, too.

He ate his dinner when I gave it to him, so he can't be too stressed. Eats slowly, though. Wow, when have I ever had a dog who eats slowly?

But he uses the same gentleness when taking treats from my hand, how nice compared to Tika! Even gentler than Boost, and she's pretty gentle.

Bed time: Set up the 24"-high x-pen with his bed and my dog throw about 2 feet from my bed, up against the dresser. He didn't want to be even that separated from the rest of us. He whined, tried cautiously to climb out, which I discouraged, pushed at the (unlatched) end of the pen, which I discouraged. And then, SPROING! He was on the bed! Jeepers creepers! I grabbed him and convinced him to go back into the xpen. Yes, I do have a taller one, but I just want him to get the idea of confinement with minimal trappings, as it's so much easier. He didn't want to settle again, whined, and once again, SPROING! He was on the bed! It's as if he levitated from within this little space, standing right next to the x-pen, across the space between, and up onto my high bed. I can't even tell you how he did it, and I was watching!

Yes, I think that this dog could do agility.

He stayed in the pen this time after I put him back, but kept whining and didn't want to lie down.

Then a funny thing happened. Boost jumped off the far side of the bed, came around, looked at him curiously for a bit, and then lay down on the floor between me and the x-pen, so that her nose was just a little way away from him. Then he settled down with his nose against the x-pen closest to her. I have no idea what her motivation was, but I'm very grateful to her. (She has never slept in that location before, ever, that I can recall.)

He might end up on the bed with the other dogs eventually (sigh), but for now I want my dogs to understand that this is still their place, and him to understand that I make the rules.

Eventually Boost ended up back on the bed, he stayed in his pen, and everyone slept, more or less.

Checking out the Hmmmm dog

SUMMARY: Evaluation meeting.

Backfill: Added March 30.

Met Chip and his current owner at a dog park up in Palo Alto. I asked an agility friend who lives just a couple of blocks from there to join me and give a sanity check.

Chip's story in a few words: Adopted Chip from the shelter at 5 (!) weeks old. Divorce. No more house or back yard. Working long hours. Feels terrible about not giving Chip the attention he deserves.

My basic observations.

• Chip is sooo skinny. Not unhealthy, no, I mean that his build is so slender, much thinner than Remington. Hard to tell compared to Tika or Boost because they have so much more hair. I can see why they might think Whippet, but otherwise he doesn't look whippetish to me.
• He is *fast*! He loved playing chase with any dog he could convince to chase him. He looks well-proportioned for running and jumping, in my limited expertise of evaluating build. Upright more like Tika than low-slung like Boost.
• He wants to fence-fight at other dogs approaching the park. Tika is like that, too, when there's a fence between. Like for Tika, it doesn't seem to be truly hostile, but more like wanting to have access to the other dog, and then everyone's happy.
• His fur is soooo soft. He is sweet and gentle with me and just a happy guy. But very much more interested in the other dogs. That's not surprising; that's why he's been coming to the dog park, to run and play with the other dogs. 
• He and my dogs were fine as we all hung out at one end of the park, as I expected--Tika's not that interested in other dogs other than an initial sniff or two, and Boost just wants someone to throw the tennis ball.
• Oh, my, it's been enough years since I've had boy dogs that I'd kinda forgotten about the marking-everything thing.
• He kinda comes when called. Current owner says ruefully, yes, one of the many things that Chip wasn't taught well. Wouldn't let him off leash somewhere because owner would spend a lot of time chasing him down.  Well, not like I've never dealt with an enthusiastically exploring, independent dog before. Right, Tika?

I confirm that I really am interested in him, at least on a trial basis. We agree to get together later in the week to do the hand-off.

Driving home, I'm going through a checklist of things that I'll need to do--emotionally, mentally, around the house, short term, and long term. Well, it's just for a trial basis to start with. Plus, the dog has a kid whom he sees every couple of weeks, and they're not going to do a final goodbye until we decide it's final.

Hmmmmm

SUMMARY: A gorgeous face.

Backfill: Added March 30.

I see SO many photos of dogs who need homes. That comes from having hundreds of dog contacts on facebook and from being in a dog agility club in which people care greatly about dogs and many do rescue work (as in, rescuing the dogs, not search and rescue).

But this.

I understand that Franz Mesmer had a compelling gaze, but I think he'd lose here.

Sent to the Bay Team club list by another member.

"He is 3 yrs, mix breed most likely Whippet. He is medium size 33 lbs, with a slight build. Chipper is super sweet, fast and agile, and settles nicely when he had some exercise. He is great with people and kids, and has been in his current home since he was tiny puppy. He is also crate trained, and rides nicely in the car. Chipper is a little cautious and has some anxiety when he first meets new dogs but is not reactive. He would make a great companion for someone who likes to go for walks or could also potentially make a great agility dog."

Not that I'm quite ready for a third dog--or so I keep saying. Two hands, two dogs. Peaceful household. Tika getting older. Money. Never enough time to do everything. Etc. I've said it before.

But then, there's this.

Remember my late lamented Remington?  (He was less than a year old in these photos.)

Well, I have to get more info, obviously.

Dog Parts -- Tika Up Close and Personal

SUMMARY: Wordless Wednesday

>>  Visit the Wordless Wednesday site; lots of blogs. <<

Words of the Day

SUMMARY: Facebook word/photo meme

There's this thing that's been going around on facebook. The original description was something like,

"To counter the horrible photos of animals being abused, let's post photos of happy, well-loved animals. I was given the word 'spunky' and here's Tootsie showing her usual spunky self. If you click Like, I'll give you a word."

Although, sometimes they changed it to "if you comment on this photo, I'll give you a word."

So, apparently, I Liked a post with the first variety and commented on a post of the 2nd variety without meaning to, and then (thinking I had no words), I asked a 3rd post for a word.  Suddenly I had 3 words from 3 different people.

Since I hate being forced into either silence or accepting a word, I rephrased like this when I finally posted:

"OK, the game has been to post positive animal photos related to a word that you've been given. (If you ask me, I'll give you a word.) I inadvertently received 3 words, which took a little pondering, but here's the result (thanks, Susan Fallon Paulsen ("dramatic"), Joni Hulen Grace ("frolic"), andMitzi Keating ("hat" -- ha ha) for the words)."

So, now, if you want a word for Facebook or for your blog or anywhere to post your own photo, ask and I shall give you one!

And Even Better Today

SUMMARY: Another Up period for Tika

Today was even better than yesterday-- Tika did things that I don't think she's done in many days, or even several weeks in some cases:

• Came to check out whether I was really awake in the morning (so often now, she just lies there, chin down, looking old and tired)
• BOUNDED down the stairs! Wow!
• Leaped into the air when I got out the leashes for a walk (well, maybe her back feet didn't quite leave the floor, but for quite a while she has just been sort of prancing quietly)
• Went on a brisk 2-mile walk before breakfast. Such a difference from just two days ago.
• Ate full meals of kibble both morning and evening.
• Ate all of her pill pockets, with the pills in them, morning and evening. (When feeling poorly, as in a few days ago, she just won't.)
• Virtually no coughing/hacking

And this is what my life with Tika has been like for months--from really bad days to really good days and everything in between, then back around again.

I'm trying to remember to hug her and pet her many times a day no matter how she's feeling.

Of Renewed Energy

SUMMARY: Tika's doing well today.

Annnnnnnnd, whew, Tika's back to more like Tika again, after 3 or 4 days of not. No coughing. Ate her kibble for breakfast--well, not all of it, and I had to put it out on the floor for her a few pieces at a time--but at least she showed interest in it and ate it without coaxing or having to try 3 or 4 varieties. Ate her pill pockets with the pills in them (which she hasn't for the last 2-3 days, typical when she's not feeling her best), has been out in the yard patrolling and just came bouncing in to say hi and get some snuggling, found the remnants of the bully stick and has gone hard to work on it, not desultorily as yesterday.

Today is a good day.

Of Tika the Old Dog, and Food, and Walks, and Bully Sticks

SUMMARY: A general decline.

It is hard to write about Tika getting older and slower and less healthy. I meant to do so regularly, to track for my own purposes, but somehow don't have the heart for it most of the time.

She hasn't been in a steady decline, but more like descending waves: Some days or weeks almost like the same old Tika; other days or weeks I wonder whether she's going to make it to the next morning. I remember just before Thanksgiving, she was so bad, I was terrified that it would be all over during the holidays. And then she perked up again.

The worst part for both of us is the Cough. Vet had said that it might be pressure from the enlarged heart or just an old, weakened esophagus that doesn't stay open as well as it used to. Sometimes she'll hardly cough for days. Other times, as in the last 3 days, it's almost constant except during the short times when she can manage to fall asleep.

And it's not so much of a cough any more--just a harsh exhale with a rattle in the throat, with every. single. breath.

Some days she's perfectly happy to eat any choice of kibble that I offer. On other days, it's the same story that I think I've mentioned before: Might or might not eat any of the different kinds of kibble. Or might eat it if I give it to her by hand a few pieces at a time. Or, not that, but only if I put a few on the carpet in front of her a few pieces at a time.

Canned food, she usually eats. But no matter what it is, she's eating less and less of it and leaves some or lots uneaten (from the dog who inhaled anything you gave her). I think that eating adds to the discomfort in her throat or whatever's causing the problem. She still looks pretty good--the advantage to a nice fluffy coat--but underneath, she feels like skin and bones.  (I haven't weighed her lately... I should... but have always done so by lifting her and stepping onto the bathrooms scale, and my back is so painful lately that I'm not eager to do it. But I should...)

She usually is happy to lick my plate, however, or eat any doggie snacks/treats or human food that I offer. Haven't tried to make a full meal of that sort of thing yet, but this week I am at the point where I really need to make the effort to cook for her and see whether that helps.

Pleez can haz more charlie bears?

She still wants to play, but the urge doesn't last very long, and she doesn't shake very hard at all when shaking the toy. She can still sometimes pull pretty darned hard with tug-of-war, but sometimes now she doesn't want to.

She pretty much never runs any more for any reason. She'll still sometimes chase a thrown frisbee or toy, a couple of times, but only at half speed, and she no longer makes an attempt to grab it off the ground, which she always excelled at, like a shortstop scooping up a ground ball.

In the last week, I've been out in the park taking her for a walk almost every day, but just for a short, slow walk.

You know, she used to be untiring; could "hike" 10 miles with me, which meant that she ran back and forth and acted as scout the entire time, so probably more like 15 or 20 miles for her, and then still wanted to play when she got home. She used to fly over jumps and through tunnels at a phenomenal speed with great joy. So this is hard for both of us to take. Yet, going for a walk is still her favorite thing in the world, even on days when she doesn't want to eat or play.

But, this week in particular, she doesn't seem to have the energy to walk very far or very fast, and she's coughing a lot, and she's not eating very much.

When she lies down or sleeps, now, she almost never lies on her side like she did her whole life; she just puts her chin down. Vet person at the seminar I did yesterday with Boost said that fluid and pressure can become worse when lying on their side, so that's probably why.

I gave The Merle Girls bully sticks about an hour ago. Tika sniffed at hers and then put her chin back down. It hurts me to see that. But, after about 15 minutes, she picked it up and started gnawing. Set it down for a bit and went out into the yard to cool down, I think (can't believe it hit almost 80F today!). I rescued it from Boost, the little thief, and gave it back to Tika when she returned.

Then Tika took it out to the back lawn--to her exact favorite spot for chewing chews, working on stuffed Kongs, and the like.

Boost will typically follow and lie a couple of feet away, hoping that Tika will give up chewing and leave it, and this evening, same thing. So all of that is normal. But Tika isn't doing much chewing, just lying there with the rawhide between her feet, panting/gasping, poor girlie.

Another agility friend's dog died suddenly today, not even 11 years old. A frequent hiking companion of ours. I cried, not just for him and his humans, but for Tika, too, after the slow walk and her eating only half a can of food, and for myself, feeling the pain of loss in advance.

Then I just now heard an odd noise in the garage and went out to look. Because of some things going on here lately, I have a couple of interesting stacks that aren't usually there of boxes and dog mats and canopies and such, and there was Boost on top of one of the piles, eagerly checking out a couple of the storage shelves that are normally way out of her reach. Her look of alert surprise when I turned on the light and saw her there made me laugh out loud, and she came bounding back into the house.

My girls.

Seesters Go To San Francisco

SUMMARY: Almost Wordless Wednesday

There are five sisters. Three went to San Francisco to see Says You! live.

Heavy drinkers: Water, lemonade, raspberry lemonade, and hot chocolate chasers.

Who's the photo bomber?

At the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco theater.

It's San Francisco: Arrive in the sun, leave in the fog.

>>  Visit the Wordless Wednesday site; lots of blogs. <<

Nature vs Nurture plus Evil Floors

SUMMARY: Who's her daddy?

If you haven't already read this short article about nature vs. nurture in dogs (USDAA posted it in its news feed), you should. It's easily read and has nice diagrams. It clearly describes how both nature and nurture affect a dog's behavior, but that even the best nurturing can't overcome genetic flaws in behavior (and, vice versa, the worst nurturing can't completely overcome genetic strengths).

It's All in How They're Raised (not)

Here's my response:

Thanks for this article; just read in in the USDAA news. I particularly liked it because it followed a discussion with a friend about human children. I commented that she'd done a great job raising her kids, and she said that, no, she was just lucky. I said that I believed it's a combination of nature and nurture, and she said it's almost all nature, because she's seen good kids in bad situations and vice versa. Your article captures the answer to our discussion quite nicely. Thanks.

My border collie (Boost) abruptly developed a fear of unfamiliar flooring (especially if it was smooth, although it could be the exact flooring that I have in my house, just in a different building) when she was maybe 3 or 4. She'd always been concerned about changes to her environment, but this stunned me, because it also included floors in houses in which we had previously spent many days during her life or even weekends visiting. This manifested with the toes splayed out, the legs splayed out, hunkering down for a low center of gravity, and preferably hugging the walls and furniture as if somehow that made the floors safer. Fast forward to when she's 8 years old--still does it, although not quite as much and she can get used to the floors given time and patience. Talking to her breeder one day about border collies in general and reactivity, and I mentioned the floors thing. He said, oh, yes, her father did that his whole life, on *all* smooth floors, even in his own house--hugging the walls, toes spread out. Funny thing is that in looks and attitude, she's so much like her mother (whom floors never bothered).

Previous posts about Evil Floors (some with photos):

• Evil Floors 
• Vicon weekend in Point Arena (scroll down to Evil Floor Syndrome)
• Evil Floors and Working Dogs
• Evil Devil Floors (the very beginning)

Started Another Blog plus History of Martial Cottle Park

SUMMARY: Martial Cottle Park Naughty Neighbor Patrol.

Sooooooo I haven't been posting here much. Maybe blame it on Facebook (where I do post pithy pointless sayings and photos), or blame it on not doing much in the way of dog sports or dog training, or whatever.

Meanwhile, a new, nearly 300-acre park opened its perimeter trail right behind my house. We've been waiting for this for many, many years, and the neighborhood loves it, based on how many people I see out on the trail at all times of the day. This, in an area where going for walks at any time of the day usually found the sidewalks deserted.

No landscaping yet, and the west side near me will mostly be agricultural land, but it's still nice to go walking.

A little history: The Cottle family moved to the San Jose area in the mid-1800s. San Jose was next to nothing until the gold rush, when the whole valley began providing food for the booming San Francisco and the mining towns in the Sierras. This is really where money was to be made! The Santa Clara valley is amazingly fertile, and over time, agriculture spread across the valley, with plum and cherry trees in particular, so that in the spring, the whole valley bloomed. It became known as The Valley of Heart's Delight. (Now it's Silicon Valley. Which do you prefer? Discuss.)

Martial Cottle, born in 1833 in Missouri, came here with his family when he was 21. They were fairly affluent to begin with, bringing 600 head of cattle with them.  They bought and married into--I think--several square miles of the the valley.  When his father died, Martial ended up with hundreds of acres, but on this 350-acre parcel he lived, built a Victorian farmhouse (still there), and raised wheat, cattle, and orchards.

His five children were born in the house, including Ethel (1891-1977). Ethel married and had two children, also born in that house, Walter Cottle Lester (b. 1925) and Edith Lester. Walter (and possibly Edith?) lived in that farmhouse their entire lives. Ethel started the idea, as she watched the valley change around her, from agriculture to suburbs and business parks, of preserving the site as a reminder of the valley's agricultural roots. After Ethel died, Walter talked with various governments for probably two decades--not trusting government and not liking what they wanted to offer--before an agreement began to unfold with the state or the county (not the city--some bad feelings there of some sort).

And then Edith died. Leaving Walter with an enormous inheritance tax: Developers had reportedly offered him up to half a *billion* dollars ($500,000,000) for the property.  Eventually, after more negotiations, the state, which had a bit more money at the time, bought half the property, allowing him to pay the taxes, and he donated the rest to the County of Santa Clara, along with a deed that covered BOTH parts of the property as one park and stating explicitly how the park could and could not be used (this is often referred to as "the donor's vision," but it is, in fact, a legal document).

Part of the agreement was that he could continue to live on the property in the same house, along with his barns and orchards and smaller fields, in the Life Estate part of the park, until he died.  So no development or planning could occur in the Life Estate until then.

This was a few short years after I moved here. Then began the long permitting (environmental reports, etc.) and planning process. I attended many of the public meetings, which started in 2007, and provided my input, as well.   Construction finally began first on the perimeter trail last autumn, with heavy equipment working behind my house for months.

We looked forward to the promised opening at the beginning of February. Plans were made for a huge celebration and official opening.

On the evening of January 31 of this year, Walter Cottle Lester died.

On the morning of February 1st, the official opening of the perimeter trail abruptly became a hasty memorial as well, as the very first public access to the park opened: About half of the Perimeter Trail (I think it's about 1.8 miles of trail).  Sadly, I was off doing dog agility that weekend and didn't attend.

I think that Walter might have held on until he could really see that his mother's and his sister's and his vision had become a reality.

Anyway, back to us.

We've been out walking around fairly often, and [sigh] picking up litter and occasional abandoned poops. Then, last week, I decided to make a blog about it.

Check out my Martial Cottle Park Naughty Neighbor Patrol blog. Main goal is to track what I'm picking up (and there are others, probably staff, also picking up), but as long as I'm out, might as well throw in some photos and commentary.

Happy 9th Birthday, Boost!

SUMMARY: Well... actually January 31.

I didn't post here--but I did post on Facebook.

Still, just so she doesn't feel left out, here's a new picture for today.

Happy 13th Birthday, Tika!

SUMMARY: My Valentine's Day girlie.

2002	2003
2004	2005
2006	2007
2008	2009
2010	2011
2012	2013
2014

And just a few bonus shots from random years:

2003	2007
2008	2009
2012	2013
2013