Peer Pressure

Grrr. Left the dog to his own devices while I ran out for 10 minutes to pick up Gilly. Came home to discover he had torn apart a book. I've explained to him that in this family we create books; we don't destroy them. He swears it wasn't his fault. Apparently the gang of naughty squirrels who live in our backyard made him do it. I suspect he might be lying.

On Newsstands Now

The March 2010 issue of Dogs in Canada is on newsstands now. It features a little essay I wrote about Jetty and one of his more disgusting habits. Pick up your copy today.

We're off to the park before the other dogs discover what a dirty dog Jet is and get together to kick his ass.

Spring Cleaning

It's the time of year when thoughts begin to turn to spring cleaning (well, for the more obsessive of us, anyway). I decided there was no point in beginning to clean the house while Jetty was such a mess, so off to the groomer he went.

As you can see, he's much cuter in his before shot. I definately love him more when he's furry like this, but he was getting matted, so it was time to get him shaved down. He's not nearly as cute as he was, but he's much happier. I anticipate that my vaccuum cleaner will also be much happier. For a non-shedding dog, he certainly left a lot of dog hair throughout the house over the past few weeks. Another plus? He looks about 20 pounds lighter. Hmm, maybe I'll book an appointment with the groomer too...

Today, the world's a little brighter

...because Jet's sister Ivory has had her puppies. Jet is now the very proud uncle to 2 nephews and 2 nieces. All are healthy and happy, although only one was fortunate enough to have inherited his gorgeous black fur. It's hard to beat puppies for bringing a little sunshine into the world. If your day needs brightening, check out the puppies in the video below. They're delicious.

http://www.youtube.com/wheatleywaterdogs

(Click the video called Ivory's First Litter, at the top right of the page. Otherwise you'll end up watching video of Jet and his siblings.)

Happy Birthday!

Wow. Jetty's 2 today. Happy Birthday baby. It's something of a miracle you've survived both your own stupidity sense of adventure and my wrath. I'm hopeful that these will be the terrific twos, and not the more frequent terrible twos; I think we've all suffered enough, don't you?

On another note, we've recently learned that Jetty's going to become an uncle. Yes, the gene pool is continuing. Close your eyes and pray for the best...

Anyway, I think he's going to make a wonderful uncle. The canine equivalent of the fun loving, bad influence uncle who the adults always think twice about inviting to family gatherings, but then the kids rally together and clamour until they make sure he's on the guest list. He's going to teach Ivory's puppies how to:

• wrestle cookie remnants from the pockets of pants once they've been put in the laundry hamper,
• play soccer,
• kiss a toad,
• hump other dogs (he is the Mayor of Humpsville, after all),
• find the prime position in the bed and then somehow become completely unmovable,
• and my personal favourite — how to eat poop.

Best of luck with everything Ivory. We love you. And Jetster, we love you too. Happy Birthday sweetie, and Happy New Year to all. May 2010 be happy, healthy, and prosperous for us all.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know, I know - I should know better, but I forgot to put the gate up, so the dog got into the presents. He unwrapped and chewed apart a compact that Gilly chose for me. What a mess - there was mirror everywhere.

If you're still doing some last minute shopping and are in the market for a dog, I know of one who's available cheap...

Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas (yes, even you Jetty).

Money, money, money...

I'll admit that we went into all of this doggie nonsense knowing it wasn't going be to be an inexpensive proposition; but even so, Jetty is seriously pushing my limits. Just off the top of my head, here are some of the costs we've incurred since we made the decision to get a dog:

• The initial outlay to obtain the dog from the breeder.
• This was quickly followed by a steep initial vet bill to cover the first visit which ensured he was healthy and provided his first series of shots.
• Then there was the cost of neutering, which we felt was not optional because puppy support payments are out-of-the-park expensive these days.
• Add to that the food, toys, collars, leashes, licensing, and regularly scheduled vet visits, and you're quickly rethinking your decision to get a dog.

If you have a dog like ours, who is a total klutz, then you have to add in a lot of additional, unplanned vet expenses. Paying for those and the oh-so-necessary monthly pet insurance premiums is the icing on the cake. Well, I thought it was until today. I came home to find that Jetty had been counter surfing again. Last week he scored a stick of butter which made him repeatedly and violently ill, but apparently that was no deterrent. Today he scored two $5 bills from the kitchen counter. Oh yes, not only does the dog cost us hundreds, if not thousands, per year in maintenance, but now he feels it necessary to use money as a chew toy. Honestly, I don't think the phrase "eating us out of house and home" was meant to be literal.

Last week I offered him up "Free to a Good Home". This week I'm rethinking the good part.

ACCK!!

My dog is now tall enough to reach the kitchen counter.

That is all.

Puppy Love

On our walk last night, Jetty fell in love. We don't know her name because she was on the other side of the street, but he was immediately taken with her striking blonde, labradoodle-ish beauty. It's fair to say he was gawking as he trailed along, looking nowhere but behind him, eyes only for this new object of his affection. If he could wolf-whistle, I have no doubt that he would have. She seemed equally interested, walking away with many longing backward glances. That is, she was interested right up until the time he walked smack into a tree. Oh yes, way to be cool and impress the ladies, Jet.

I felt like I was watching a cartoon. You could almost see the thought bubbles popping up out the dogs' heads (in Jet's case, it would say D'oh...) He tried to maintain his composure by giving himself a quick shake and acting like - "Yup, I totally meant to do that", but it was too late. Blondie stalked off with nary a backward glance.

Poor boy. For anyone out there mending a broken heart, Jetty assures me that liver treats are an ideal tonic.

Alas, poor Jetty

Or poor Mummy, depending on your point of view.

Sigh. Another day, another visit to the vet. Out for a nice, long walk this morning when Jetty suddenly lost the ability to bear weight on his hind leg. We were equi-distant from home and the vet, so I called home for some reinforcements (i.e. the car, since he's now 60 pounds and I can't carry him). After some confusion (the troops thought I was at a different park than I was, and freaked when they couldn't find us), we hustled the Jetster to the vet and managed to sneak him in for an appointment, despite the fact that "they don't do walk-ins".

Once again his inability to speak hindered the diagnosis. I suspected he had a bee sting on his paw, but when it was shaved down, the vet couldn't find any evidence of a stinger. She thinks he twisted his knee, as the ligaments are loose in that leg. Poor boy is on bed rest for two days, and if it's not better in a couple of hours, I'm to head back and pick up a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. Perfect, just enough time to have a shower and grab something to eat, neither of which I'd done before leaving the house hours ago!

Jetty, it's a good thing you're cute, because, thanks to you, I'm slowly but surely going broke, $75 at a time.

I kissed a toad, and I think I liked it

Well, truth be told, Jetty kissed the toad, and I don't think he liked it at all.

So far, August has involved a lot more vet interaction than either my bank account or I like. Two weeks ago we noticed that Jetster's chest was bleeding from a puncture wound. I took him to the vet the next day, and she thinks he managed to impale himself on a stick (oh yes, he gets his gracefulness from me). The tissue surrounding the cut was too bruised to allow for stitches, so he was given a prescription for antibiotics, and I was told to clean the cut twice daily and make him wear a t-shirt to prevent dirt from getting into the cut. Generally I don't approve of canine clothing, but he did look awfully cute in his T. Opinions seemed to be evenly split on the t-shirt - poor GB was heckled mercilessly by a car load of teenagers when he took Jetty for his pre-bed spin around the block, but then he ran into a group of runners, and they oohed and aahed over the doggie "P.J.s".

We managed to get vet approval to head up to the cottage, based on our promise that he wouldn't go swimming or get the cut wet. We were enjoying a lovely week (no rain!) up north with my sisters, and the dogs were having a grand time running around, chasing chippies, and getting into mischief. The girls and I were getting ready to head out to the farmers' market when Jetty appeared on the deck, head covered in bubbles. He proceeded to puke repeatedly, all over the deck. Jenn helped me clean up and, assuming he must have stuck his head in a bucket of soapy water, I set off down to the dock to read the riot act to the boys. I told them off for not paying attention to the dogs while they were cleaning the dock furniture. Except then I noticed that there was an absence of buckets, bubbles, or work at the dock; everyone was chilling or swimming, and they had no idea what I was talking about.

Jetty continued throwing up and foaming at the mouth, so GB and I grabbed some towels, threw the poor boy into the car, and headed off to Parry Sound in search of a vet. Just as we were leaving, someone shouted that it was possible he'd eaten a toad, as there had been two on the dock earlier. We pealed into the parking lot of the first vet clinic we found, and rushed inside. They were fantastic. They took our information, called the vet who had just left and asked her to return, and sent us into an exam room right away. I adored the no-nonsense style of the vet. Her first question was "What's with the t-shirt?" I knew then that we were in good hands.

I mentioned to the vet that it was possible he'd eaten a toad, although my CSI-style analysis of his barf hadn't revealed any toads. She said generally a dog picks the toad up, the toad gets scared and releases its toxins, and then the dog releases the toad because the poison tastes so foul. It's too late by then, though, because the toxins are already in the dog's system. Nothing too much to worry about, a big injection of Benadryl in his butt and a long nap restored Jetty to his usual good humour.

Fingers crossed that September is quieter, less expensive, and has much less vet interaction.

PUPPIES!

New puppies! Sailor gave birth to Jet's six new brothers and sisters on August 16. They are Jasper, Rosalie, Bella, Edward, Tia, and Esme (of Twlight fame). Congratulations to Sailor and Echo and to Mike and Cheryl. You all must be very proud, and tired (well, except Echo). Jetty can't wait to meet his new siblings. And the timing is perfect for us. I have not one ounce of yearning for one of these puppies. The past ten days with Jetty have been a little stressful and expensive. It's been his summer of clumsy fun and exploration. More on his recent escapades in a later post, when I have recovered from our trip to the cottage.