Cute piece in the Washington Post with a 36 picture spread about all the dogs our Congressmen take to work. There is a dog named Maya who looks a lot like Lily in there, although my favorite picture is Kent Conrand in the elevator carrying his pup.
Speaking of dogs, it appears that as long as I have Rosie, my days of sleeping in past 6 are over. Looks like I am going to have to crate train her or I will never get to sleep in again (although I usually wake up around 6:30 to 7 anyway).
Also, I have noticed a distinct difference in the attitudes of Lily and Rosie. Lily is content to just spend time near me. Rosie, on the other hand, has very firm ideas about how I should be spending my time. Not surprisingly, they all involve her. Since I found her the other day, I don’t recall her being more than three feet away from me. I also had forgotten about the intensity of a Jack Russell stare, which can bore through human flesh. “Why aren’t we doing fun things? Why aren’t we doing fun things? Why aren’t we doing fun things? Why aren’t we doing fun things?” I’m so screwed.
Also, amusingly, someone is too pudgy to jump up on the bed. It is about 3 feet off the ground, and Lily can stand at the base and jump up no problem, but Rosie has to get a running start and barely makes it. What this means is that if I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I have to turn the light on and pick Rosie up and put her back in bed before I can go back to sleep, since she inevitably jumped down thinking I was going to do something fascinating like throw a ball or hand out treats or go for a walk.
demkat620
Try taking a bath with a JRT in the house. Mine throws his toys in the tub.
“if you are going to sit in there, you need something to do”
He’ll get them wet and then bring another and throw it in.
Lisa K.
Here is Maddie behaving as a garden ornament…
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1098/4710535/22896474/388715911.jpg
Couldn’t you just die from all that cuteness?
debit
I am getting that stare right now, except it’s saying, “Why don’t you love me? Why don’t you love me?” I have given up on being able to sleep comfortably due to being pinned in by a cat on side, and a dog on the other. After 8 hours of her snuggled against me, I insist on alone time long enough for at least one cup of coffee and banish her to the other chair.
Kristine
Isn’t that a general terrier trait? Gaby is part terrier, and her stare fixes me like a really fixative stare. She tracks my line of sight and positions herself so she’s in it. If I’m watching TV, she sits in front of the TV and stares. If I’m working on the laptop, she sits so she is staring at me over the top of the display. If I persist in ignoring her, she moves thisclose and stares up at me. The only thing that moves is her tail, which wags faster and faster if I stare back at her, until I feel a breeze and can pretty much turn off the ceiling fan.
King is my alarm clock. If I’m in bed much past 630am, he walks around and whimpers and grabs things (shoes, Gaby’s food bowl) to try to entice me to chase him. If I don’t move, he will bring them to me and shove them in my face. It’s hard to sleep when a 115-lb dog is sticking your clog in your face. So up I get. Go into the kitchen to make coffee, and King lies down to watch me. A minute or so later, he’s sleeping. His job’s done. My job is apparently to keep moving.
electricgrendel
Man. I love Jack Russells. They’re my favorite breed, even though they’re so destructive as puppies.
Kristine
@Lisa K.:
Maddie is a cutie. Which terrier breed–she looks a little like Gaby.
Cheryl from Maryland
On a serious note, my husband and I are severely allergic to animals. Medications which work also make us sleep all day. The slant of the article that pets in the office are good for you is disturbing to me — because it isn’t good for everyone.
One of the reasons I love this blog is that I can experience pet life without sneezing my head off. Pet access on terms good for my health!
And kudos to John for hitting Goodwin’s law in the first sentence.
beltane
My dog always has a concern troll look on her face. In an attempt to bring a little joy into her life, my kids shower her with treats and affection all day. She has a great gig going if you ask me.
Kristine
And I am guessing you saw the pictures of the JRT who is brought to the office because the dog sitter can’t deal with him? All the other dogs stayed pretty much on the floor. The JRT was atop desks or crawling on staffers to lick faces.
Poopyman
Jeez, Cole. No wonder dogs like you. You’re so highly trainable.
frankdawg
Years ago I read an SF story about an alien race that had sent an advance part to earth to conquer it. The party never reported back so eventually a second team was sent to discover what happened.
Turns out the aliens had four legs, furry coats & tails . . . The first group convinced the second group to shut up & get in on the best deal ever – these foolish earthlings will feed you & walk you & you don’t have to work!
bkny
@Poopyman: and nothing demonstrates what a mensch he is than how quickly both poochies settled in coming out of distressing situations. although i’m guessing rosie’s lost/dumped status was only hours old…
it’s such a pleasure to read these sweet stories.
donnah
John, you think you’ve got problems, my dog Wendy has become psychotic. She’s a 70 pound foxhound/beagle mix.
We’ve lived in this house for ten years. We have had her for eight of those; this is the only house she’s ever known and we’ve always had hardwood floors. It never bothered her.
So last month she knocked an aluminum dipper off a cart in our kitchen when she went in to eat from her food dish, it spooked her and she wouldn’t go back in to eat. I had to move her food and water to the end of the kitchen by the dining room. This was the beginning.
It got worse. Now she’s afraid TO WALK ON THE FLOORS. We have two couches in our living room and she hops from one to the other to get to the front door to go outside. It doesn’t matter if people are sitting on the couches. It’s like when kids play “the floor is lava and you can’t step on it!”
Everyone says that she’ll walk on the floor if she gets hungry enough, but she hasn’t. I finally broke down and moved her food between the living room and dining room and she wolfed it down because she hadn’t gone in to eat for two days.
So now I’m looking into getting those secure booties they make for dogs to walk on the snow. But they make a set for dogs to walk on hardwood floors, too. I think, other than calling the Dog Whisperer, that it’s our best bet.
Anybody else had something like this happen?
Rosalita
Sorry you couldn’t sleep later but we’re enjoying the early morning missives…
Since it’s so light so early right now, my 17lb cat likes to land on the bed before 5 and start head-butting.
fasteddie
Good luck with your growing family. I am expecting you to son adopt a raccoon named Otis.
Seriously – Multi-dog leahes – these are awesome. http://superleash.com/
We have 2 big Doodles ( Labra- and golden-) and before I got this my wrist was raw from 2 leashes pulling in different directions.
shortstop
Yeah, the JRT Stare is legendary. I took my folks, who are not looking for a dog right now, to the shelter where we got our pooch so they could see what a cool operation it is. My mother almost signed up for a Jack Russell named Simon on the spot due to his promptly mesmerizing her into helpless submission.
After I explained that yes, he could do her taxes, deal with difficult call center reps and direct traffic on her street, but no, she would never have a moment’s peace again, she shook herself and backed away with an “Away, devil dog! Release me!” look on her face.
Kristine
Because this is sort of a pet thread, and because I am delaying getting back to work, I thought I would collect links to some classic pet posts and repost them. Bookmark them if you ever need a laugh because they never, ever get old:
For cat folk: Max & the Typhoon.
For dog folk: Dogs in Elk
For something different: the famous squirrel story.
Rosalita
@debit:
When I’m having my first coffee and trying to catch up on B-J, I get this every morning
John Cole
Tragically, she responds to the name Piggie.
debit
@Rosalita: Oh my god, I love that expression. Utterly adorable.
I have a cat behind my head, a cat at my feet, a cat staring longingly at me from his cat bed, and a dog staring at me sadly, because I no longer love her, from her chair. I’d better finish my damn coffee.
@John Cole: Aw! That’s cute. This one actually responds to Shithead.
Rosalita
@John Cole:
My cat Noah responds to his name and “getthefuckdown” [off the counter]. I don’t know why I bother.
debit
I will add that Shithead’s actual name is Rufus and he does answer to it. He’s cat number 3, the second one we found living in our backyard but the first one to swagger into the house on his own and decide to stay.
chopper
having a toddler, i offer you no pity at all. hell, if she doesn’t get me up at 6 the dog starts whining for a walk at 6:30. i lose either way.
Rosalita
@debit:
pics?
Rosalita
@Rosalita:
nevermind, saw the link above… more coffee coming up
demo woman
@donnah: Just imagining the dog jumping from sofa to sofa made my day. As for advice, no clue.
Linda Featheringill
@donnah: Have you talked to your vet?
There are some really mild meds that help with anxiety. Sort of like what camomille tea does to humans.
Since me, God, and Freud know everything . . . :-)
I wonder if when she frightened herself, she became embarrassed and then had to struggle with shame. So then this shame has caused her to distrust the hard, shiny floors.
Poor baby. I am sorry she is so upset.
Violet
@John Cole:
Hilarious.
Have you thought about getting a ramp up to the bed? You could just use an old board for the moment. That way you wouldn’t have to turn on that light to get Rosie back into bed.
And…
@Poopyman:
This.
Joe1347
You might want to put something like an ottoman next to the bed to make it easier for the dog to get up on the bed (i.e,. let her do it in two hops).
Poopyman
@Joe1347: It works for aging cats, it’ll certainly work for active (?) dogs. Just make sure it’s on the side you don’t normally stagger out of in the middle of the night.
Don’t ask me how I know this.
MattR
It’s an Ellieversary!! Twas six years ago today I made the best decision of my life. Ellie (or Bonnie as she was known then) was not in as bad shape as Lily but she definitely had some issues in the first seven months of her life before I found her. She had real submissive urination issues as well as a few other neuroses we are stiill working out. I don’t know if she was abused at some point or just traumatized by her brother Clyde or from being in multiple foster homes. But she seems quite happy now and will be even happier when I find a house to buy that has a yard for her to romp in.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any new pictures of her so I will just link to this old one.
HE Pennypacker, Wealthy Industrialist
Our cattle-dog follows humans around with deep groans of “I’m BORED. You’re so boring. When are we gonna do something.” It’s the penetrating stare combined with drama-queen theatrics of “Take me on a walk / take me to the beach / throw the damn ball already, damnit.”
Violet
@MattR:
She’s cute! She sort of looks like Lily in that pic. Love the bowl.
CynDee
@frankdawg: A really fun movie was made of this a few years ago. It’s called “Good Boy!”
I watched it last week. It’s so imaginative and appealing.
An extra bonus is the end titles when you learn who did the voice for a very important dog character. All the dogs talk, and they are real dogs, not cartoons. And the young boy is really sweet, the son of dorky parents who mean well but cause him trouble. The dad is played by a SNL guy. Fun! A nice movie for people like us.
Cat Lady
OT, but more “just window dressing” from Obama. What a failure.
/firebagger
donnah
@Linda Featheringill:
I wondered about that. I think that for the most part it’s physical. I think she must have fallen at some point when walking across the floor or trying to jump onto the couch and she has decided that it’s too risky to keep walking. I hoped that the gripper booties would instill a sense of security for her.
But the vet is a good option. If the booties don’t work, I’ll take her for an evaluation.
Goofball dog.
raisingbq
can any animal enter your home and not get fat?
Gina
Gah. With 3 cats and 3 dogs, I make sure none of them sleep on the bed. It’s bad enough having to share w/another human. The only dog allowed in the room is my oldest, 6 year old Mo, he has two beds of his own (a thin, cooler one and a puffy warmer one w/bolster). Sleeping in is his favorite hobby. The two younger ones are crated.
Today Tank was yelling since 5:30 to go outside and party since it’s sunny out. Lily had to tag along. Even after letting him out and feeding him, no back to bed as he heard my son bumping around at 8am. So, despite me getting to bed at 1am, I’m UP. Mo’s still crashed in the big bedroom w/DH. Early Father’s Day gift.
sbjules
@Kristine:
My favorite picture was the Jack Russell on the desk. In the building where I have my office, the marriage & family therapist brings a golden lab each day and the jeweler his Jack Russell. The lab is so very, very sweet and I hear the jeweler going, ” Jack, Jack, come on now,” often.
MattR
A couple more Ellie pictures but nothing too exciting (she is not a big fan of the camera).
An old one I just found on my PC and a new one from today.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Cat Lady: You are such a hardcore Obot.
Violet
@MattR:
Gosh, she looks a lot like Lily in that first photo! What a cutie.
@CynDee:
I remember hearing about that movie. I’ll make a point to watch it if I see it on TV at some point. Sounds funny if you’re a dog person. Which I am.
Allan
@donnah: Lobo got spooked by something and refuses to approach his food dish. Tried moving it, changing dishes, etc. Nothing worked.
He insists on being hand-fed now.
We’re doomed.
Cat Lady
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
Also. Too.
MattR
@Violet:
I always assumed that Ellie and Lily were the same size so I was shocked to discover that Lily was a tiny 17 lbs (compared to Ellie’s 30)
@Allan: Lobo looks like such a vicious wolf :)
SiubhanDuinne
@MattR: I love the new picture of her. That long stretched-out pose is great, and her red bandanna is very cute. She’s lovely.
I agree in the first photo where she is eating from the FEED dish she looks a lot like Lily. Not so much in the other pictures.
WereBear
Yes, the early light coming in the window convinces our three cats that it’s LATE and breakfast is too. Thing of it is, once they wake me up, I have to make a pitstop… and this only convinces them that their mad plan is working…
@donnah: I agree with Linda, a mild anti anxiety med is often the quickest route to convince her she has nothing to fear. In case it helps, here’s some of my experiences curing a cat’s fear of ordinary objects:
The Uneraseable Cat Database
donnah
@Allan:
I guess there’s a lot of psychoses going around. I have a friend who’s Golden got spooked by his food dish, too. She said it may have been his tags hitting the ceramic bowl, so she covered his tags with tape, but the damage is done; he won’t eat from it any more. Substitutions with plastic bowls and moving it to another spot didn’t work, either. She has to lay his food on a placemat in the dining room.
Who knew our four-legged friends would be so susceptible to things like this?
YellowJournalism
@chopper: Word. But my dog is smart. She does her business, nibbles at her food and whatever my boys generously drop on the floor, and then runs back to the bedroom before two grabby little guys head her way. Sometimes during the day she’ll be watching me try to wrangle two fussy kids, then she’ll throw me a look that says, “Eff this. Good luck, lady.” Then she runs for the sanctuary of the bedroom. There’s days when I wish I could go with her.
Allan
@MattR: Lobo charges up to dogs ten times his size barking at them. He stands on his hind legs and puts his front paws on their chests so he can intimidate them eye-to-eye.
Lisa K.
@Kristine:
She’s a mix of sorts-however, everything but her ears is pure terrier. She’s a rescue dog from Louisiana, where I was informed the shelter from whence she was adopted puts down hundreds of animals a week. So she came from absolutely nothing, but from her attitude you would assume she was born of royal stock, or a Kennedy.
But that’s a terrier for you. Wouldn’t have her any other way.
Arsenic Boy
@Cheryl from Maryland:
Tyranny of the minority. Go work in a bubble.
WereBear
@Lisa K.: My dog Arby came from Louisiana, via the North Shore Animal League on Long Island. During his puppy chewing stage, he acquired the nickname of “Louisiana Gator Dog.”
He was an Elkhound/Lab mix. I think.
donnah
Here is Wendy: you can see why her leaping from couch to couch might be impractical:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/Rughooker/DSC01386.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/Rughooker/DSC00567.jpg
She’s a real sweetie and we love her, but we have to figure out a solution to the “No walking on the floor” issue. She’s just too big to be leaping around.
Josie
@donnah: I saw a Dog Whisperer episode in which he cured a dog of this fear. The family had replaced carpet with wood flooring and the dog freaked. He did it by starting a long way from the flooring and getting the dog up to speed and then running with it onto the floor before it could stop. Of course he also uses a very positive attitude which is hard for us normal people to replicate. I wonder if a combination of this with some treats might work.
wonkie
About the couch jumping dog: Cesar Milan had an episode about teaching a dog to walk on a smooth shiney floor.
YOur dog is afraid of falling. The solution is to desensitize the dog to the floor by giving him successful experiences in floor walking and treats. The hard part is gettinghim to try because obviously if you just grab him bythe collar and drag him across the floor he will be even more terrorized than he is now.
Cesar Milan covered the floor with throw rugs and walked the dog around in the house. Then he started gradually reducing the throw rugs so that the dog had to step every now and then on the floor, He kept up the confident walking and rewarding. Removed some more rugs. Kept walking and rewarding . removed more rugs Etc.
We did that for our collie. He couldn’t handle wooden floors at first. It took a couple weeks of throw rugs, rewards etc but finally he got so that he would walk on the wooden floor.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@donnah: Well, I had 3 Danes, decided to put hardwood floors and tile in (easier to clean, I said). Dogs would not/could not walk across them. I had to lay out runners from the front door to the back door so they could navigate. At least it kept the floors nice.
EDIT: I see the Dog Whisperer beat me to it. LOL
donnah
@wonkie:
And thanks to Josie, too.
I have put a throw rug in front of her food bowl, which is now in the dining room, so maybe I can make a path of rugs from in front of the couches to that rug so at least she can feel brave enough to eat.
I know she’s a very intelligent dog, so this is frustrating for me. I will try the “rug island” approach this weekend to see how it goes.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Cat Lady
DOGZ R TEH CRAZEE
/Teh Catz
Zach
I want a framed print of picture #29 (Conrad).
QuaintIrene
So I guess that wasn’t just a schtick on ‘Frasier.’
people are sitting on the couches. It’s like when kids play “the floor is lava and you can’t step on it!”
matoko_chan
my moms tubby jack has this.
Ben
I’ve met Maya…she really is a sweet dog, despite “working” in a Republican office.
jh46inaz
“Rosie, on the other hand, has very firm ideas about how I should be spending my time. Not surprisingly, they all involve her.”
Sounds exactly like my wife. I do believe you have just gotten married, John . . .
Jenn
@donnah:
Ugh, I just wrote a huge long comment and it just disappeared. Sigh.
Anyway, how does Wendy respond to training and being on leash? When my pup was going through her puppy fear period, I did a lot of obedience stuff on leash — it distracted her, the leash gave her a bit of extra confidence, and the copious praise really helped!
What I’d suggest is (given you have rugs on the floor now), to start off with some relatively stationary obedience tasks that take place on the rug, complete with lots of food and praise. Then move on to moving tasks, making her keep focussed on you, as you work on heel or whatever else you want to work on!, and you can at first keep her on the rug, then as she’s feeling more confident, start moving off the rug (don’t react differently depending on the floor surface, as she’ll likely react to your reaction) as you work on it, then start moving into different rooms, so that you’re taking her on routes that go through the kitchen, etc. Lots of food, lots of attention and praise. You could treat it as a home version of rally obedience :-).
Anyway, that’s how I would try to get a handle on this. Good luck!
asiangrrlMN
Cole, your stories of life with Rosalita are so sweet. I can’t wait for new pics, including ones of Tunchie. How is he doing, by the way?
@Cheryl from Maryland: I actually agree with you. I am very allergic to animals in general, and not all dogs are well-behaved. I don’t think I would want multiple animals milling about me at my work situation.
@MattR: Happy Ellieversary! She’s a cutie, and she does look quite a bit like Lily in that first pic.
someguy
Letting Republicans own dogs is per se cruelty to animals.
The dogs, not the Republicans.
Betty
Hi,
From what you say, it sounds as if Rosie is used to getting someone’s undivided attention. Could it be that her previous owner passed away and those responsible for the estate just tossed her? Just a thought.