Sasha vs the kitchen pot

I'm suddenly understanding that "socialization" thing. I did a pretty good job introducing Sasha to the world. We take daily walks where she meets tons of people, and lots of other dogs. She's flown on a plane. Snuck into a Starbucks. Gone to friends' houses for dinner. Attended rather large family events for the holidays. And more. But what I apparently never showed my 4.5 month ol puppy was an ordinary old kitchen pot. I took one out yesterday to make her some rice and chicken (her stool is still soft), and boy did she go off on the pot. I grabbed my iPhone, and caught the action.

Read More......

The bed was made up perfectly so that Sasha would have half...

Read More......

When someone tells you their dog is nice, and won't harm your puppy, don't believe them

One of the things that has surprised me the most as a new dog (puppy) owner is the degree to which people either lie about their dogs, or have simply no clue about their pets' problematic issues.

In the week or so since Sasha finished getting her last immunization, meaning she can meet strange dogs on the street relatively safely, she's been snapped at four times, and bitten in the snout once (it drew blood). All from dogs that the owners first assured me were "very nice" and had no problem at all with a rambunctious puppy who would jump all over them seeking love.

The thing that bothers me is I didn't simply ask "is your dog okay?" I told people that she was a 4 month old puppy who loved everyone and everything and would jump all over their dog in an attempt to play with her, especially jumping at their faces. And I was told "not a problem." Then their dogs snapped at her. And I seriously doubt that it was the first time any of these dogs snapped.

I don't get it. If my dog ever were to snap at another dog, and someone asked me if she was okay with a puppy jumping all over her, I'd say that she's usually very good, but can snap if pushed too far. I'd say it because my dog has never snapped at anyone in her life. She's never even growled - well, only at me once when I tried to get something out of her mouth. It happened once, I corrected it, and it never happened again. So when I say my dog loves everyone, I mean it. Others apparently don't.

So, I'm now triply cautious about my dog meeting other dogs - she's only 5 pounds, and the one dog that drew blood, the mark was about a centimeter from her eye. But it's really frustrating. If you can't trust dog owners to tell you, honestly, whether their dog has any issues with other dogs, then how are you supposed to protect your own dog, when it's much smaller and needs to socialize for its own development? Read More......

Oh what a difference a metal brush makes

I had no idea that different brushes make your dog's hair, or fur, appear totally differently. The groomer came yesterday, and did a great job. Comes to your place, spent two hours, did a great job, and charges $45. I'm almost afraid to give people her name, lest she become too popular and raise her prices! She was recommended by one of the readers, who is also a neighbor - just wonderful.

Anyway, the groomer informed me that a metal brush (with a very soft bristle, since Sasha has fine hair and soft skin) would fluff up her hair more, and not leave it as wavy and Terrier-y. And boy did it. I got a great brush today, and this was the result. Her hair is definitely more Bichon-y than Yorkie-y, and I like it.

Read More......

Sasha gets her first haircut

Before:




After:

Read More......

My neighbor Brenda teaches Sasha to dance

I've been trying to find new tricks to teach the pup, and it's hard to find instructions that make sense, especially for so small a dog. So my neighbor Brenda has been helping out. Her dog, Chato, is a year and a half old, so she and her husband have already been through the puppy training thing. Here Brenda is teaching Sasha how to "dance." She actually does pretty well by the end.

So far Sasha can sit, and give me her paw, and "come" when she wants to. She also isn't terrible at "wait" and "stay." But she needs to learn more. I taught her "paw" in one sitting, so the potential is definitely there. I just have to figure out HOW to teach her the tricks. I bought a book, but the instructions seem to be for a bigger dog. Any suggestions for her next tricks, and how to teach her? Brenda says to teach her to lay down by putting her on the couch, so I can get on the ground and move her feet out as I tell her to lay down. Haven't tried it yet, but will.. Read More......

Cat friend on the road

There are more photos of this cute little cat that started traveling with two French backpackers. We always stop what we're doing to say hello to cats when we're traveling though we've never had any adopt us quite like this. I can't imagine our own cats sitting so calmly on top of my backpack. Here's the website for the couple who walked from Miami to the southern tip of South America. Read More......

So I thought I'd put on C-SPAN to calm the dog while I was out...

And I get home, listen to the door to see if Sasha's continuing to get better about being locked in her crate while I'm gone, and I hear the dog going insane. I'm thinking, oh God, here we go again. You see, Sasha was a disaster with her initial crate training. Absolute total panic. Clawing at the cage, screaming, squealing, and these out-of-breath almost airless cries that sound like she's gasping for air. Then she'd crap and pee all over the cage, no matter how small, and get it all over herself. Truly a lovely scene.

The vet, and all the experts in the books, said to leave her in there, screaming and all, until she calms down. Only problem, I was out for a few hours, and she was still screaming. It was just awful. Well, since that time, things have gotten better. I've even come home and found Sasha just waking up in her crate, no screaming, no whining. So, it's definitely getting better.

But there she was, not two days ago, going insane when I walked in the door, and I couldn't figure out why, until I heard the dogs barking in the corner of condo. What was C-SPAN's boring discussion of God-knows-what had magically turned into the Dog Whisperer. Yes, my DVR was changing the channel while I was out, in order to record shows, and it kept subjecting Sasha to the most messed up dogs on the planet.

It was kind of funny, except that now I know I can no longer trust my faithful friend C-SPAN to bore my pup into submission. Read More......

Litter training a dog: New litter, new problems

Another day, another litter. As you'll recall, I'm trying to litter train Sasha, and I've yet to find a litter that works. We've tried recycled newspaper pellets (she ate and played with them, non-stop), I'm told pine disintegrates into a yucky mess, I don't want to try clumping litter because she eats everything and it could swell inside her stomach or worse, so yesterday I went for regular clay cat litter, non-clumping.

Results: Sasha did try to eat it, but since it's clay, she didn't like it. Next, the terrier in her came out and she stated digging, and digging, and digging through the litter. Litter everywhere. So I moved the tray outside, to her outdoor pee/poo area, and am continuing with the puppy pad inside. I'm going to continue with this litter outside, for a bit, and may change to clumping litter if and when it becomes clear that she doesn't risk eating it. Read More......

Litter training a dog

My sister has been quite the advocate for litter training Sasha. Sounds crazy, but from various reports, it actually works. (Sis has a friend who trained her dog to use litter.) I was somewhat skeptical as to whether it was useful to even do, but having seen Sasha in action when the temperature gets below 60F and/or it rains, she's going to need an alternative when winter comes. I can only imagine the histrionics when I try to take her out in 30 degree weather AND there's snow on the ground (or drizzle and 40F).

So, I got a good sized doggie litter box from sis's friend, and have started with puppy pads, which Sasha already knows to go on. (She's remarkably good about the puppy pads, and about going outside in general. She knows she's supposed to go outside, and tries to signal when she has to go. Only problem, she's also learned that when she signals, I take her out, so now the dog who cried wolf pretends she has to go so that I'll take her out. It's quite annoying.)

Anyway, Sasha has no problem using the puppy bad litter box outside, and inside when she simply must, she uses the puppy pad (or the puppy pad litter box combo), but she doesn't enjoy it. I think she knows she's not supposed to go inside, so she avoids it - but at least when she has to, she uses the puppy pad.

The trick now is finding the right litter. I avoided clumping litter since Sasha eats everything, including her poo. Really don't need clumping litter expanding inside her gut. I tried, instead, litter pellets made from recycled newspaper. Supposedly they're not bad for the dog if she eats them. Well, she thinks they're the best game ever - jumping in the box and throwing the pellets everywhere, then grabbing a few, walking away to a safe spot, and chewing the hell out of them. At least she doesn't seem to swallow them, but still...

So, now I'm going to try regular cat litter, unscented. My hope is that once she puts it in her mouth and see that it's not terribly tasty. My concern of course is that she jumps in the litter box and discovers that throwing cat litter everywhere is the new "best thing ever." There's also the issue of cat litter sticking to them little paws, and then traipsing it everywhere.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Bought some wheat based litter, so that it would be safe if she ate it. And boy did she eat it! I think she thought I put a huge bowl of wheat down in front of her. I had to pull her away. Trying regular, non-clumping, clay litter next. I hear the clay can be messy, but I'm concerned about her eating the litter that's made from god-knows what else. Read More......

The ongoing saga of Sasha's mysterious illness, or not

As I'd written before, Sasha has had a loose stool since the day I got her. After a few weeks, the vet diagnosed her with coccidia, we did two rounds of treatments, and she got a clean bill of health last week. But still, something wasn't quite right. She was taking frequent breaks when we would go on our walks (laying down on the sidewalk, mid walk, for a minute), something she did when I first got her, but something that stopped once I started treating her coccidia. It's back.

Then this week, her stool turned from soft to gloppy. Not a good sign, so I put her back on the ID dog good the vet prescribed (basically, a bland mix of rice and meat, I believe), and I started giving her pumpkin and non-fat plain yoghurt. At the same time, the day of the glop, she didn't want to eat any more of her kibble as a "treat" - she always would before. I called a family member/friend who is a vet on Monday, but never got a call back.

Today, her stool is still soft, though better than that first day, and this time there was a small bit of blood. I called my vet this time, and left a message. Still waiting for a call, and will call back again soon. Sasha, in the meantime, is acting remarkably normal. She's taking the kibble treats again (though I cut her off, just to be safe), and she doesn't lay down as often on our walks. Her appetite is great, she drinks, and is otherwise "normal."

I've done my own research, and there are simply too many possibilities, ranging from giardia, to more coccidia, to an irritated bowl from too much play, to "something surprised her," to all sorts of worse scenarios. The thing is, she doesn't have out and out diarrhea, and I've noticed that what she does have tends to come and go in phases. Her poop is never perfect, but it does get better and worse. All of which is making me highly suspicious that this might be giardia (but again, wouldn't she then have out and out diarrhea?). Read More......

Delta loses dog, offers owner $200

From Dogblog:

Delta told Allen that the dog didn’t make the flight (what, was he having a ciggy in the VIP lounge?), but that he was being cared for by employees and would be there on the next flight to Detroit, and then delivered to his home in Ontario, according to ABC News. The next day, Delta told them the dog had actually escaped from from his carrier the previous day, which is why he was missing. (Understandably, Allen would like to know why he was told his dog was being cared for if his dog really wasn’t there.)

Allen doesn’t buy the story.

“I do not believe for a second that Paco escaped from his carrier,” he said. “It was a very secure hard plastic pet carrier with two locks and a metal wire door.”

“There is no excuse for this kind of situation to take place, and I expect that when you pay to have a live animal flown with you to take him home that Delta Airlines would take every precaution and action needed to make sure that is what happens,” Allen wrote to the blog Consumerist, which broke the story.

I intentionally got a smaller dog so that she could fly in the cabin with me. I house sit in France every summer, and am gone for a good 4+ weeks. That's just too long to ask friends to dog sit. So I needed a dog that was small enough for me to take home to Chicago where my family could care for her. So, small dog it is (though I really wanted a Golden). And flying in the cabin wasn't so bad. I'll post about that in the future. Read More......

How do you say 'bed head' in dog?

It's approaching that time. Sasha is in need of her first haircut. I wanted to let her hair grow out a bit to see what kind of hair she actually has. Being a Yorkie-Bichon mix, it could have been straight, could have been curly, could have been in between. Well, at least for her puppy coat, it's clearly the exploding terrier kind, with a bit of curl.

I've done a bit of preliminary searching in the DC area, and it ain't cheap. On the order of $45 to $60 (and the $45 was only now that she's a puppy - as an adult they'd charge $55). Of course, not having a car, I'd have to rent a zip car at $10/hr to take her to get her cut anyway, unless it was somewhere nearby, so I have to factor that in as well. I've heard horror stories about grooming places traumatizing dogs, and have seen horror stories of supposed "haircuts" that look like someone took a machete to the dog. The good news is that Sasha has a pretty thin coat, so matting is not an issue. Still, everything has to be so difficult. Anyone have any suggestions for groomers in the DC area, easily accessible? Read More......

Whether to let the pooch sleep in your bed

Generally speaking, I'm not letting Sasha share my bed.

First, I'm a bit worried about my allergies. I'd rather not push my luck by having her scent and dander over everything I sleep on. But also, she suffers from a bit of separation anxiety, though it's getting better. (More about that in a future post - it was horrible the first few weeks.) And I worry that if she shares my bed, she might get that much further attached to me. And finally, I've read that having the dog in the bed can set it up to be too dominant vis-a-vis its owner, and I don't want that.

So sasha has her own crate in my room, and for the most part, she's pretty good with that.

Until 7am. Or today, 6:15am. You see, Sasha wakes up early, and regardless of whether I put a sheet over her crate, some time between 6am and 8am, she's up and barking. So I'm up. After a good three to four weeks of this, I was at the end of my rope. I had had nearly 30 consecutive days of not sleeping enough, couldn't think straight, was falling asleep at 7 o'clock at night, and had overall had it. So, I started caving and bringing Sasha in bed with me once she woke up. I don't know what else to do.

Funny thing, after she wakes up, and I take her out to do her business, I put her in bed and she plays for a few minutes, but then conks out and is asleep as long as I am. Saturday morning she and I slept until 11am, and I finally got HER up.

The thing is, I tried putting her back in the crate in my room once I took her out, but she'd howl. And it didn't seem to stop. I just don't know what else to do. I am not a morning person. I can't have her getting me up at 6am and 7am the rest of my life, or until she's house trained enough, and no longer teething, that I can let her loose in the house and she can roam all she wants all night and morning. Read More......

Loose stool

Never thought I'd ever be writing a blog post about this, but apparently, in puppies, it's quite common. And it sure is common with Sasha.

From day one, she was having issues. I figured it was the change in environment and change in food. But things never got better. I took the vet shortly after I got her, and the vet said her stool checked out fine. Still, there were signs of a problem. When we'd go for walks, she'd lay down on the sidewalk every once in a while, and fall asleep. The vet told me "puppies sleep a lot," so I didn't worry about it. Well, when I took her to a different vet for her next set of vaccinations, I was told she had coccidia, a parasite. She was also a bit dehydrated. The vet put her on some medication that looked and smelled like egg nog (Sasha LOVED it), and gave her a water injection under her skin to rehydrate her (that went over well). And immediately, Sasha was spunkier. No more naps on the sidewalk.

Then, a week ago, the sidewalk naps came back. So did the loose stool. Her stool was never perfect. It was usually okay in the morning, but as the day wore on, it got worse. I called the vet last week, they said to bring her in, they tested the stool, and the coccidia was gone. The vet admitted that her behavior, as I was describing it, was odd - especially the part where Sasha started nesting last week just around the same time. She was building a little nest, that she'd sleep in, between her cage and the litter box, back in a corner. So the vet said to watch her.

Anyway, yesterday we were back to diarrhea, not full blown, but still. Also, she didn't lose her appetite, but was less excited about food than usual (she refusing her kibble as a "treat" - normally, she'd wolf it down). So I switched her back to the special food the vet prescribed (it's basically a mash of chicken and rice), and I put her on a teaspoon of pure canned pumpkin per meal (it's supposed to firm up the stool). I plan to call the vet again today, but so far her stool is more firm, though far from perfect, and her appetite is stronger (she took the kibble "treat" no problem).

From what I've read, and this is what makes things difficult, anything could be the problem. She could have a cold or flu, she could have a parasite, she could be eating too much, it could be the food itself that she's not used to, she could be upset about something, she could simply be playing and exercising too much. An insane number of possibilities, ranging from "your dog is fine" to "your dog is pretty sick."

So, I'm calling a family friend who's a vet to ask his advice. Ah, parenthood. Read More......

There is little in life as fulfilling as a garbage bag and a hose

Read More......

Sasha and Chato

Fortunately I have some neighbors down the hall with a one and a half year old puggle named Chato that adores Sasha, and she adores him. We usually have play dates every evening in our very long hallway so that the two dogs can get the kind of exercise we can't give them on a long walk. Sasha usually dominates the play. Read More......

If Sasha had words, she'd be telling Behrooz to get out now

The dog watches TV. It's funny. And a bit disconcerting. Suddenly I'm having to worry about what I'm watching and how it's affecting her. No, not the substance, but I do watch back episodes of "24" every evening, and I wonder whether all the yelling and excitement, and explosions, startle her in any way. I do put on C-SPAN during the day, as background chatter when I have to leave the house, so in addition to her expertise in foiling foreign terrorist plots, Sasha is now one of the top American experts on the British elections. Read More......

Sasha expands her mind with educational toys

Apparently, they have toys for dogs that hide their food, and the dog has to figure out how to get the food out of the toy. The toy is supposed to help the dog learn, I guess, though, while amusing to the owner, I can't help but feeling that the dog is getting awfully teased. I believe it's called a Busy Buddy Twist n Treat. Though in the end, with a little help, Sasha figured out the game, and seemed to enjoy it. Read More......

Kanellos the Greek protest dog

Apparently there's a dog that keeps showing up at all the massive protests in Greece over the past two years. The Guardian has put together a photo essay of the dog's various sightings. Read More......

Whiner

Today Sasha is pulling her usual stunt where she first barks and jumps on the door to let me know she needs to go out and do her business, and then a few minutes later she barks and jumps on the door because she doesn't have to do her business, but knows it will con me into taking her out.

What to do? If I take her out, then I reward her for the con job (and teach her that barking has benefits), but if I don't take her out, then she may end up going on the floor (puppy pad), which sets back her potty training. It's not terribly clear how to proceed.

Of all the training, this has been the worst of late. She's getting the house-breaking thing, and she's been pretty good at night (though she's taken to getting up at 7am of late). But she barks for my attention during the day (I work at home), and I have a really hard time telling if she has to go out, or is just playing me for the fool.

As she just went out and did both number 1 and 2, I'm ignoring the barks, and she's finally calmed down. But it would be nice to figure out a trick for breaking this cycle. Read More......

A belated welcome to the blog

I meant to start this blog a little over a month ago, when I first got Sasha. But little did I know that every waking (and sleeping) minute of every day and night would be spent caring for what I thought was a Yorkie-Bichon puppy, but in fact was a human infant in fur.

No one warned me about how difficult it is to take care of a puppy those first few weeks. No one. I don't care how many "warnings" the shelters and others give you about "whether you're really ready for the responsibility of having a dog." No one really tells you how bad it is. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still glad I got a dog. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit to having some serious doubts about what I did to myself, and my life, by getting a puppy. You simply are not prepared for being woken up twice, or five times, a night to take the pup out, then she wakes you up every day two hours before your normal wake up time, when her day - and now your day - begins. And that's just the lack of sleep.

It's amazing how quickly your psyche can get worn down by going without enough sleep for a good two to three weeks. It's the puppy version of waterboarding. She actually made me cry. And I really don't cry.

Fortunately, now that we're in our fifth week of Sasha, things are better. The crate training, which was truly one of the worst experiences of my life, is finally getting better. Don't get me wrong, she still hates the crate - well, to be precise, she hates the crate in the kitchen that I put her in when I go out. She loves the crate in the bedroom that she sleeps in at night. But the first few weeks, watching her scream and claw at the crate, and then crap and pee all over the place, was unbearable. So was the smell. There are only so many times you can give a dog a bath (she hates those too), and in fact, the vet said to only bathe her once a month. Well, you let your dog roll in her crap for a few hours and see what you do after she gets out (I find myself constantly apologizing to strangers that I really do bathe my dog).

Then there was the coccidia. It seems my pup came with a parasite. I didn't know it at first, and though that her frequent bouts of instant-sleep were just a puppy thing (the vet told me it was). For example, there was the time we were walking around the block and about 3/4 of the way through, Sasha had had enough, and promptly fell asleep in our neighbor's driveway.



Or the time that she visited my sister's work, and was all happy and peppy, and then suddenly was down for a nap, and that was it.



Several readers told me that she looked sick. And once her poop started getting a bit too soft, I asked another vet what was up, and bam, we had coccidia. Fortunately, it's treatable, though it took a good two weeks. And as she got better, Sasha got more energetic, and no longer needed her mid-step naps. That was, until a week ago when the insta-naps came back. So again to the vet, where she now got a clean bill of health on the coccidia, but the vet agreed that something appeared to be up. Sasha has been more tired than usual, and she started nesting two days ago. Instead of napping on her bed, which she always does, she started sleeping on the floor between her crate and the litter box (I plan on litter training her soon).



The vet said that old dogs that are dying do this, as do young dogs going into heat. But Sasha is just short of 4 months old, so she's not going into heat. Since she's eating okay, and drinking, and is gaining weight, doesn't have a fever, and otherwise appears healthy, except for her slight lethargy, the vet said to simply watch her.

This a long-winded way of explaining why the Sasha blog didn't start a month ago, as I had planned. I've only now begun to steal back some of my free time. So AMERICAblog Pets is born. I did, however, populate the blog with photos from the past month, and dated the posts to reflect when the photos were taken - so you can get a sense of how growth over the past 5 weeks.

The new blog won't just be about Sasha. I'm hoping Joe will find the time to give us Petey updates (his adorable cocker), and Chris can update us on Nasdaq and Sushi (his Parisian cats). I'd also like to post photos and stories of your pets, so send me pictures and your stories about your pets here: ablogphotos@gmail.com

Oh, it seems someone is now awake. So I'm off to be fooled again by her making her "I need to go out" signals, when in fact she doesn't have to go at all, bur rather simply wants to play outside.

Read More......

Sasha helps me garden

At the end you'll hear me cry "no!" as Sasha tries to bring her new toy into the condo. Read More......