jenBobDogs

This blog has moved

2010-04-18T09:18:00.005-04:00

If you bookmarked the JenBob.net page (http://Jenbob.net/blogDogs.html), you don't have to change anything.

If you bookmarked the old blog itself (http://jenbob.net/blogDogs/blogDogs.html (subtle difference)), you'll have to change your bookmark either to http://jenbob.net/blogDogs.html or http://jenbobDogs.blogspot.com.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://jenbobdogs.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

In all likely-hood this blog will migrate back to JenBob.net and entries will be discontinued here. You can probably just leave your bookmarks where they are for historical sake.

- b

Teased

2010-03-28T08:58:00.002-04:00

There was a squirrel encroaching upon Gretchen's domain.

Lucky bugger had two glass doors between him and imminent thrashing.

Too bad the floor didn't have the same protection.

- b

Nap Time

2010-03-07T18:25:00.002-05:00

We were all napping. Why not take advantage?

- b

Snowball Fetching

2010-02-25T15:34:00.002-05:00

She can do this all day.

- b

Opossum Kingdom

2010-02-19T00:54:00.003-05:00

Gretchen found a buddy today.

The opossum had been strolling along our property line previously this afternoon, which sent Gretchen into a tizzy running back and forth along the invisible fence line.

The closest it got was the compost bins (still on the other side of the invisible fence - yeah we're smart like that) when it decided it was time for dinner.

Our compost doesn't typically attract varmints, but with all the snow lately normal food options are hard to come by.

- b

Snow Day

2010-02-13T09:43:00.002-05:00

Gretchen playing in the snow after the storm Feb. 6th.

We were kind of worried with all the snow Gretchen wouldn't get enough exercise while we were taking care of the baby.

Luckily the snow was deep enough that wherever she tried to go, she had to jump; therefor, tiring herself out quite nicely.

Of course chasing some kicked snow didn't hurt either.

- b

Four to Six Months

2010-01-30T10:36:00.002-05:00

In the last 5 months, CJ's lost 5 pounds.

He's gotten very picky with his breakfast. Sometimes he'd eat some of it and sometimes he'd eat none of it. Dinner was always fine. Sometimes he'd even eat what was left from breakfast.

The Vet. recommended an abdominal ultrasound.

The ultrasound didn't reveal anything we didn't expect for a 14 year old dog, but it did put a timeline on things.

He's got a pretty aggressive tumor in his adrenal gland.

Luckily it's not causing him any pain - at least none that he's revealing.

- b

Cat Sitting

2010-01-29T07:50:00.002-05:00

The tenant had to go away for a few days, so we're cat sitting.

They're slowly adjusting to the new place. This one (I'll have to get their names) a little slower then the others.

The black one immediately became my new best friend (I'll have to get a picture), which is a hell of a lot more then Jen's cat has ever done with me.

- b

CJ's Birthday Hike

2010-01-17T07:59:00.005-05:00

Went for a short hike at Springton Manor Farm yesterday.

It was 50°F in January and Jen & the dogs needed some exercise.

It was also CJ's birthday. He's officially 14 years old, though he was running for treats like he was 12.

Gretchen spent most of the time on the leash. There were too many things for her to chase and Springton Manor Farm isn't really big enough to just let her chase.

- b

More Strange Behavior

2010-01-04T06:50:00.004-05:00

Gretchen and CJ both have their own beds. CJs bed is preferred by both of them. CJ won't go near Gretchen's.

Usually when Gretchen lays in CJs bed he walks around whining until Jen or I pull Gretchen off, so he can lay down.

These dogs hardly lay on the same couch together, so you can imagine my surprise when I came upstairs and found this.

Both of them on CJs bed!

Granted, CJ doesn't look very comfortable and is simply tolerating her presence, but I get the impression she was there first and he laid down anyway.

- b

CJ the Pedicurist

2010-01-03T09:28:00.002-05:00

CJ hates most interaction from Gretchen. If she walks near him with any kind of intent other then walking by, he's barking at her.

So we found this to be pretty strange.

And then the other paw

Yeah. Not all that exciting. We don't get a whole lot of action out of CJ (he'll be 14 in two weeks), so any recorded bit now will be nice later.

- b

Bah Humdog

2009-12-17T06:26:00.003-05:00

This is Gretchen's first time with a Christmas tree.

So far she seems to really like it.

She likes to eat the ornaments that is.

- b

The Cat Reads

2009-11-22T10:30:00.004-05:00

Or so she pretends.

- b

Infested

2009-11-17T21:38:00.001-05:00

Don't let the cuteness fool you. She's covered in ticks.

- b

Famished

2009-11-15T08:41:00.004-05:00

According to the feeding guidelines Gretchen, who's 60lbs., should be getting 2 1/2 cups of food per day.

According to Gretchen and her exercise regimen, she's actually getting a little over 4 cups of food per day.

She's eating what a dog twice her size should eat and still looks skinny.

- b

Bedtime

2009-11-07T08:33:00.002-05:00

What I see going to bed each night.

Jen keeps saying it's too cold at night and we need our heavier blanket, but with Gretchen the furnace laying against me I usually end up throwing the currently thin blanket off.

- b

Bad Dog

2009-11-05T08:25:00.002-05:00

So Gretchen's not in daycare anymore and I can't always get her out for a run. Occasionally we come home to find things like this.

Not a woobie by any means, but I did have that blanket since I was a freshmen in college.

- b

Nice Fall Hike

2009-10-31T13:12:00.004-04:00

Headed to Springton Manor Farm this morning for a hike. Everybody needed to get out.

CJ's been getting pretty stiff in his hind quarters. Nothing like running around the woods to loosen things up.

- b

Mmmmm Puke

2009-10-24T09:51:00.003-04:00

Not sure what happened, but as fast as Gretchen's breakfast went down it came back up again.

Applying something similar to the five second rule (not like the human rule where it's still good if on the floor for less then 5 seconds, but the dog one where it's still good if only in their belly less then 15 minutes or something.), we let her try again.

It was still crunchy.

It was appetizing enough that CJ wanted some.

This is a natural behavior for dogs. In the wild they're supposed to lick each others faces to stimulate regurgitation for a snack. Yick!

Anyway. It all worked out the second time around.

- b

Protector Against all Things Fuzzy

2009-10-18T18:32:00.004-04:00

Gretchen spent the day guarding the yard from terrorist squirrels.

She'd hang out in various strategic spots around the yard, waiting for one to cross her path.

Then strike with cruise missile precision chasing the furry critters back up the trees where they belong.

Of course such efforts required a lot of napping. Each stint of assaults required much rest.

- b

Dog Ride

2009-10-15T22:12:00.003-04:00

Sean and I did our first ride with both dogs (Gretchen and Yoshi).

Turned out better then either of us expected.

We've each successfully ridden with our dogs individually, but together made us nervous.

The way I described Gretchen's behavior was she just follows me. The way Sean described Yoshi was she stays out front.

The way it went down was I rode out front with Gretchen and Yoshi on my rear wheel and Sean taking up the rear.

It worked perfectly.

Occasionally Gretchen would show-off a bit and run next to me on single track trails (i.e very narrow trails), which she never does.

Yoshi was having a great time. When we stopped for water breaks, she'd run around in circles then back to Sean as if to tell him how much fun she was having.

Gretchen was like "Whatever. I do this all the time."

It was cool when we'd hit a field. The dogs would just take off chasing each other across the grass and into the night. It would get quiet as Sean and I peddled alone along the path in the grass, then suddenly crescendo with the sound of dog collars jingling when they came tearing by and heading off to a different corner of the field.

Hopefully we can get some kind of schedule together. I think we all could benefit from this being a regular thing.

- b

Gretchen Needs This

2009-10-15T21:52:00.002-04:00

Ultimate Harness

Ruff Wear makes awesome dog stuff.

- b

After Bath Dogs

2009-10-04T20:20:00.002-04:00

Dogs are nuts after they've had a bath.

- b

Well Kept Skunk

2009-09-20T20:22:00.002-04:00

Gretchen still smells like skunk.

Maybe tomorrow she'll roll in something different and have a whole new stink to bring home.

- b

No Daycare

2009-09-12T07:40:00.003-04:00

You may or may have not noticed, but Gretchen's gone two weeks without daycare.

Between a careful balance of taking her to the lake, walking her around the park behind our house, and/or her growing up, we've managed to exercise her anxieties enough to leave her home without chewing the place to pieces.

In the past we've had a rule of no more then two days between lots of exercise when leaving her home. When we couldn't exercise her, she'd go to daycare.

With daycare and exercise, she was never a horrible chewer, but without daycare would have been a different story.

Hopefully the trend continues.

- b

Late Summer Hike

2009-09-08T21:03:00.003-04:00

Managed to get out for a short hike with Sean and his dogs

If you look up ahead of Sean, you'll see Yoshi. She's still the same old Yoshi as far as I can tell.

The dog dynamic was kind of funny. CJ and Zephyr are the old dogs. They hang back with Sean and I while the kids (Yoshi and Gretchen) run all over the place.

Every once in a while CJ or Zephyr will get off track and Sean or I will be yelling (the old ones are deaf or play deaf) to get them back in line.

Meanwhile Gretchen and Yoshi are off over the hills chasing who knows what. No use trying to get their attention.

Every once in a while the kids get a little rowdy for the old ones and bump into one. The old ones take it upon themselves to remind the kids who they're dealing with and the kids quickly take their recklessness elsewhere.

Though maybe rude, I find it kind of funny if and when we come upon another dog. The new dog is like fresh meat. The kids run to play and greet not knowing what kind of demeanor the new dog may have. I guess because it's two of them (Yoshi and Gretchen) they don't seem to care if the new dog wants none of it. They're two young energy explosions with two older meaner minders to back them up.

It must be a blast for them.

- b

Yoshi Update

2009-08-31T21:37:00.001-04:00

She's back and running!

Took only five weeks to get her back on her feet.

Hell, she's probably running more then Gretchen is right now.

Can't wait to get the two of them out on the trail with the bikes this fall.

- b

R.I.P. Daisy

2009-08-04T20:02:00.003-04:00

My Dad had to put their dog Daisy to sleep today.

She was a fourteen year old Cocka-poo. She got along great with cats and CJ, but not so well with Gretchen.

She was a true lap dog and a warm companion.

We'll miss her much.

- b

Dogs & Ladders

2009-07-27T21:20:00.003-04:00

Ladder down the backside of Saddleback or Basin. I can't remember which.

- b

CAT!

2009-07-21T21:43:00.001-04:00

- b

Mmmmm Yummy!

2009-07-20T08:07:00.003-04:00

- b

Remember Yoshi?

2009-07-16T21:35:00.004-04:00

Remember late last winter we started hiking with Sean, his kids and his new dog Yoshi?

Yoshi was full of boundless Australian Cattle dog energy, but a little light on the side of manners or training.

All that changed (except the energy) within a few hikes. Quickly she became a well behaved trail dog running and playing with the pack as expected.

She got so good on the trail she graduated to trail running with not only Sean on his bike, but with a group of bikes too.

Things were really going great until this weekend. Saturday night Yoshi got hit and drug by a car. Needless to say, She was hurt pretty bad - mostly road rash, but no broken bones.

Recovery is expected to take two months.

Hopefully she'll be ready for hikes again come fall, and we can help get her back in shape.

- b

Outdoor Dog

2009-07-16T07:30:00.004-04:00

Gretchen did pretty well while we played on the rocks all weekend. Sunday got a little rowdy when two other dogs showed up, but at least they had fun while we had fun.

- b

Morning Routine

2009-07-14T08:10:00.003-04:00

Gretchen pre-run-ready.

Gretchen post-run-rinse.

After each run/ride it's into the lake to rinse off the gunk. A couple of stick fetches from the lake usually do the trick, then it's time to towel dry, load up and head home for coffee - for us, not her.

- b

Ouch!

2009-07-13T21:06:00.005-04:00

Remember Badu and Nali -- I said I was going to post more about them this week?

This isn't exactly the post I intended, but this is certainly interesting.

When we got back to the house in Julian Saturday night (12:30am) after a long day of climbing and dining, we went to let the dogs (Nali, Badu, and Gretchen) out. Without any notice, Nali and Badu bolted into the night. Luckily I got Gretchen to go back with me into the house.

Mike called and called, but Nali and Badu were gone. Too tired, annoyed and helpless to chase them into the night, we decided to go to bed and let them be.

Throughout the night I could hear Badu barking (way) off into the distance. Around 4:30am the barking got closer, so I woke up Mike to get them back in.

They didn't make it back in, but he did get them. Besides a little skunkiness, here's why they stayed chained up outside the rest of the night.

See the two in Badu's nostril? Ouch!!

What's worse is this is the second time in a week Nali did this!

That's $750 worth of porcupine quill removal in one week!

Good news is both are recovering.

Whether either of them learned anything, we'll just have to wait and see.

- b

Gretchen the Destroyer

2009-07-13T07:24:00.003-04:00

It's probably anxiety, but we left Gretchen for only 30 minutes the other day.

When we got back, we found this.

(blogger's rotating my pictures wrong again!)

It was a cassette tape.

Oh well.

- b

Meet Badu

2009-07-08T07:37:00.006-04:00

At least that's how I think you spell her name. She's a genuine sled dog. You'd never believe it just looking at her, but it's true.

Hopefully I'll have more on Badu and her "sister" Nali (you can sort of see her off to the side) next week.

- b

Raining Dogs & Dogs

2009-07-06T19:49:00.002-04:00

It rained hard all day in West Virginia on Sunday July 5th, and this is about all we did.

- b

Stinker at Daycare

2009-07-05T16:41:00.001-04:00

I won't deny it. She's a spoiled rotten stinker.

- b