I think the trash guy might kill us.
Taking some time to clean the house today. I think Winter might have made peace with the vacuum cleaner, because he's no longer side stepping and staring it down as it's being wielded throughout the house.
However, for just the downstairs main floor, the process works something like this. Push, push, step. Push, Push, stop. Empty container. With the two dogs, you can only vacuum about 5 feet of carpet before it's full of hair. I kid you not, my trash can looks like we threw away three dogs, and again, this is only for the main floor of our house. I would really hate to see what it would be like if Winter had the long fur like some Huskies do. /shiver
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Back to School
Tonight's the night. First night of Intermediate Obedience Training. Winter seems pretty excited. Well, any time you move his leash, he gets really excited. Certainly a new and wonderful excursion.
One thing I really want to hit hard in the next coming months is our walking with Bailey, our other dog. When it's just Winter, he's amazing on walks. Rarely leaves my side, doesn't pull (Which is crazy since he's a pulling breed), etc. However, toss another dog in the mix, and it's a fight for who's out front. I think I'm going to take some time tonight with our trainer and talk about some things we can work on together with him and other dogs.
All in all though, I'm very proud of far he's come. That first week with us, while a very affectionate, loving, and smart dog, he didn't seem to grasp the simple things, like sit, down, or even his name.
We still have some problems with him listening to Geoff, but through more work, he's going to get that it's not just me that's in charge. He's stuck with both of us.
And I'm so very glad we're stuck with him.
One thing I really want to hit hard in the next coming months is our walking with Bailey, our other dog. When it's just Winter, he's amazing on walks. Rarely leaves my side, doesn't pull (Which is crazy since he's a pulling breed), etc. However, toss another dog in the mix, and it's a fight for who's out front. I think I'm going to take some time tonight with our trainer and talk about some things we can work on together with him and other dogs.
All in all though, I'm very proud of far he's come. That first week with us, while a very affectionate, loving, and smart dog, he didn't seem to grasp the simple things, like sit, down, or even his name.
We still have some problems with him listening to Geoff, but through more work, he's going to get that it's not just me that's in charge. He's stuck with both of us.
And I'm so very glad we're stuck with him.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Growing Family and the Coffee Thief
I had so much to tell with this blog, I didn't want to over do it, and then I went and under did it.
Rest assured, the dogs are in training mode. The weather has warmed a bit and daily walks around the park have started daily again. Winter has gone through Basic Training and we start Intermediate in just a few short days.
The family is really coming together. Geoff proposed in February so the family will be legally official in October.
Now, I promised a story about the Coffee Thief.
Coming home from our first class together, I swung by a coffee shop. I knew it'd be a late night of work and I needed an extra boost. I also needed to make a quick stop by my boss' house to record, at the most, 2 minutes of audio. At most, this would be a 5 minute stop, then home.
No big deal...right? He's got a huge fenced backyard. Just put him out there...record, and be on our way. Well, was I wrong.
Winter's outside for a total of 1 minute, before he sees that I'm inside talking to my boss, so of course, he should be inside too. One problem. The big sliding glass door that separates the two of us.
When that boy hit that door, I kid you not, the house shook. On the deck outside, one stunned dog with a look that clearly said "What the hell just happened?" Fearing that he'd do that again and break the glass, I put him back in my truck.
Two minutes later, I exit the house and jump in my truck. Now, remember that coffee? Yeah. Winter had it on the passenger seat with streaks of Cafe Mocha streaking down his white legs and around his muzzle and spreading across the seat. /head desk
Coffee and Caffiene are NOT safe around him. He's since been known to grab Mountain Dew bottles off the end tables and chew the tops off and drain any contents that happened to have been left inside.
For the record...this is not the worst he's gotten into. Spring may be here...but Winter's reign is far from over.
Rest assured, the dogs are in training mode. The weather has warmed a bit and daily walks around the park have started daily again. Winter has gone through Basic Training and we start Intermediate in just a few short days.
The family is really coming together. Geoff proposed in February so the family will be legally official in October.
Now, I promised a story about the Coffee Thief.
Coming home from our first class together, I swung by a coffee shop. I knew it'd be a late night of work and I needed an extra boost. I also needed to make a quick stop by my boss' house to record, at the most, 2 minutes of audio. At most, this would be a 5 minute stop, then home.
No big deal...right? He's got a huge fenced backyard. Just put him out there...record, and be on our way. Well, was I wrong.
Winter's outside for a total of 1 minute, before he sees that I'm inside talking to my boss, so of course, he should be inside too. One problem. The big sliding glass door that separates the two of us.
When that boy hit that door, I kid you not, the house shook. On the deck outside, one stunned dog with a look that clearly said "What the hell just happened?" Fearing that he'd do that again and break the glass, I put him back in my truck.
Two minutes later, I exit the house and jump in my truck. Now, remember that coffee? Yeah. Winter had it on the passenger seat with streaks of Cafe Mocha streaking down his white legs and around his muzzle and spreading across the seat. /head desk
Coffee and Caffiene are NOT safe around him. He's since been known to grab Mountain Dew bottles off the end tables and chew the tops off and drain any contents that happened to have been left inside.
For the record...this is not the worst he's gotten into. Spring may be here...but Winter's reign is far from over.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Second Date
The next day, I headed over with Bailey and picked up Winter. We got his collar on and after a few "Do you think you can handle them both?" we were out the door.
One block later, those two are both walking side by side. No aggression. Just a steady rhythm of walking. They were in working mode and perfectly fine with each other. I too this as a pretty good sign. These two could work together, so there had to be a way to get Bailey over her "Oh my God he's loud so he's mean!" mindset.
We made a big circle around the neighborhood before we got back to the house and sat chatting in the living room. Winter proved he could be a quiet and calm boy as he laid there between us, and let the humans do the talking instead of him.
Bailey got to examine the house and before I left, I had both of them working for treats side by side with a few simple "Sit" and "Down" commands. Another good sign. They were very close together and not fighting over each others treats.
Left feeling pretty good. Geoff was still a bit unsure. And after the first night, I don't blame him. But a couple days later...Winter came home.
One block later, those two are both walking side by side. No aggression. Just a steady rhythm of walking. They were in working mode and perfectly fine with each other. I too this as a pretty good sign. These two could work together, so there had to be a way to get Bailey over her "Oh my God he's loud so he's mean!" mindset.
We made a big circle around the neighborhood before we got back to the house and sat chatting in the living room. Winter proved he could be a quiet and calm boy as he laid there between us, and let the humans do the talking instead of him.
Bailey got to examine the house and before I left, I had both of them working for treats side by side with a few simple "Sit" and "Down" commands. Another good sign. They were very close together and not fighting over each others treats.
Left feeling pretty good. Geoff was still a bit unsure. And after the first night, I don't blame him. But a couple days later...Winter came home.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Blind Date Number One
In deciding to take in Winter, It was important to see if he and Bailey could get along. So, enter in Blind Date number one...the possible catastrophe.
Winter's owner lived no more than a mile from the place I had just bought. Pretty awesome. We have wonderful parks and it's a great neighborhood to walk around in. So after Geoff and I met the handsome Winter boy, we set up a date to bring over Bailey.
Here's where I start doing things terribly wrong with dog training. Had I brushed up a bit more, I would have kept Bailey on the leash so I could correct her easier and let him have the run of his territory.
Doh. Meeting one didn't go as well as we planned. Geoff was pretty worried. The problem is, Bailey is a bit timid. She's pretty shy and we're pretty quiet around here.
Winter is not shy in the least and he's very talkative. Bailey has never heard anything so loud in her little life. And while Winter showed no signs of aggression, Bailey didn't quite understand what his play growl sounded like and started getting a little worried.
Taking this into consideration, I went about figuring out how to structure blind date number two to see if they could work side by side together, feeling each other out, without mistaking each others sounds.
Trust me, things start getting a lot better from here on out.
Winter's owner lived no more than a mile from the place I had just bought. Pretty awesome. We have wonderful parks and it's a great neighborhood to walk around in. So after Geoff and I met the handsome Winter boy, we set up a date to bring over Bailey.
Here's where I start doing things terribly wrong with dog training. Had I brushed up a bit more, I would have kept Bailey on the leash so I could correct her easier and let him have the run of his territory.
Doh. Meeting one didn't go as well as we planned. Geoff was pretty worried. The problem is, Bailey is a bit timid. She's pretty shy and we're pretty quiet around here.
Winter is not shy in the least and he's very talkative. Bailey has never heard anything so loud in her little life. And while Winter showed no signs of aggression, Bailey didn't quite understand what his play growl sounded like and started getting a little worried.
Taking this into consideration, I went about figuring out how to structure blind date number two to see if they could work side by side together, feeling each other out, without mistaking each others sounds.
Trust me, things start getting a lot better from here on out.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
In Truth, He predicted this
I distinctly recall a trip to Lawrence where he said that he shouldn't tell me about the Humane Society up there having a deal on animals. I was confused. I didn't think I was really showing the vibe of bringing home strays. After all, I have Sey and Bailey.
Oh, let me pull out the wallet and show you the girls.
That black monster you see there, that would be Bailey: My Border Collie Lab mix. She's a December Baby, taken home around Valentine's Day, 2007. My Valentine's pup, or Rescue Mutt as I call her. She was mostly a gift from my mom that year, even though I paid for about half her fees. (That handsome fellow in the picture with her is my better half, Geoff.)
And this striking feline is Sey. She enjoys striking terror into cats twice her size so they will sleep behind the toilet out of fear of her small size, waiting on her "Dog" (Bailey) to come back in from her bathroom rituals because she is just sure that Geoff and I will not be bringing her back, and playing with the laser pointer and the inside of the fireplace. (Not when there's a fire going, at least, we hope not. We'll test that theory soon enough.)
That Lawrence trip, was over 6 months ago now. And here we are, December 2009. Yule is coming up. The house is almost finished inside. And there's a dog that needs a home.
Not just any dog. He's a Siberian Husky.
Geoff will tell you that the moment I said those last two words, "Siberian Husky" he knew it was over. There would most likely be no way to change my mind otherwise. Of course we could give him a home.
And so, Winter sets in.
There's a reason for the Husky. But before I dive into that, I think it's best to put Winter's situation out there.
Winter's owner is moving. Ironically, to the town I just moved from. Already having cats and another dog, and moving into a home with another dog, it would be too much. Relunctantly, she started trying to find him a home, that wasn't he Humane Society. I completely agree with her. It would be nice to know the family taking him and feel assured he'd be in good hands.
Through a mutual friend, she found me. What happens next...well, should be interesting. Most of the back story out of the way, I'll let you know about this sneaky coffee thief and what's going on in our family.
Oh, let me pull out the wallet and show you the girls.
That black monster you see there, that would be Bailey: My Border Collie Lab mix. She's a December Baby, taken home around Valentine's Day, 2007. My Valentine's pup, or Rescue Mutt as I call her. She was mostly a gift from my mom that year, even though I paid for about half her fees. (That handsome fellow in the picture with her is my better half, Geoff.)
And this striking feline is Sey. She enjoys striking terror into cats twice her size so they will sleep behind the toilet out of fear of her small size, waiting on her "Dog" (Bailey) to come back in from her bathroom rituals because she is just sure that Geoff and I will not be bringing her back, and playing with the laser pointer and the inside of the fireplace. (Not when there's a fire going, at least, we hope not. We'll test that theory soon enough.)
That Lawrence trip, was over 6 months ago now. And here we are, December 2009. Yule is coming up. The house is almost finished inside. And there's a dog that needs a home.
Not just any dog. He's a Siberian Husky.
Geoff will tell you that the moment I said those last two words, "Siberian Husky" he knew it was over. There would most likely be no way to change my mind otherwise. Of course we could give him a home.
And so, Winter sets in.
There's a reason for the Husky. But before I dive into that, I think it's best to put Winter's situation out there.
Winter's owner is moving. Ironically, to the town I just moved from. Already having cats and another dog, and moving into a home with another dog, it would be too much. Relunctantly, she started trying to find him a home, that wasn't he Humane Society. I completely agree with her. It would be nice to know the family taking him and feel assured he'd be in good hands.
Through a mutual friend, she found me. What happens next...well, should be interesting. Most of the back story out of the way, I'll let you know about this sneaky coffee thief and what's going on in our family.
Gone and Done It Now
Everything is great. Really. It's almost perfect, if that's even possible. I just closed on my first house. I've got a great job. Spent the week I closed on the house with great friends moving in my duplex next to my favorite park in the city and repainting rooms, patching walls.
Sometime in the past year, I found my best friend and our lives together are on the road to successful. Even the furry ones, my rescue mutt Bailey and my calico cat Sey are adjusting to the new space and yard that has been absent the past year in the one bedroom apartment.
I even find that an old friend of mine lives 5 blocks away in the neighborhood we've moved to. Oh yes, life is going really good.
And then I do this.
Hi. My name is Ash, and I'm an animal lover. I guess you could say dog lover, but honestly, I think I'm just an avid animal lover. I don't think I was ever so bad as to bring home strays or anything. I rescued my kittens from trees when I was little. I had a dog that my mother could attach a note to and tell to go find me when I'd be trekking around the woods on our property when I was little. So, no. I don't think I was the kid that made the excuse of "But he just followed me home!"
Bailey is indeed my rescue mutt. I picked her up from the Humane Society three years ago this Valentine's day. I had just done a radio story about the over abundance of puppies they had there and my mom and I had been secretly looking at them online. In no way, did we really believe we'd come home with another dog. I was moving out on my own in just a few months anyway. But there she was. A little ragdoll of black scruffy fur on a volunteer's shoulder, and she went back to work with me to the radio station for my afternoon shift.
Sey came into the picture when we found two calico kittens that the mother had disappeared on. I stayed up through the night with them in the hopes that they'd make it, and the next morning, the porch cat had her kittens and took the two calico's in. The cat I had, I gave to my roommate as she had fallen in love with her so much, I was sure there might be an issue if I took her when I left, so Sey came home with me one June afternoon.
Those were my girls. The three of us in a one bedroom apartment. The stories that go with them. Well, that's for another time. But the three of us, went to the four of us and then to a house. One big happy family.
And then...there was Winter.
Here's my disclaimer. As of right now, I have had Winter for 24 hours. Short time, I know. Make no mistake that I have fallen head over heels for this boy, and in no way shape or form regret the decision to take him, and overall, he is exceptionally loved.
"Surviving Winter" has been started to help keep me on track and rigid on retraining Bailey and Winter so they both understand and recognize the same commands. In 24 hours, I've noticed some things that were too good not to share, and maybe, just maybe, it'd be fun to see what happens through this process with these dogs.
Without further ado...welcome to the ride of Surviving Winter.
Sometime in the past year, I found my best friend and our lives together are on the road to successful. Even the furry ones, my rescue mutt Bailey and my calico cat Sey are adjusting to the new space and yard that has been absent the past year in the one bedroom apartment.
I even find that an old friend of mine lives 5 blocks away in the neighborhood we've moved to. Oh yes, life is going really good.
And then I do this.
Hi. My name is Ash, and I'm an animal lover. I guess you could say dog lover, but honestly, I think I'm just an avid animal lover. I don't think I was ever so bad as to bring home strays or anything. I rescued my kittens from trees when I was little. I had a dog that my mother could attach a note to and tell to go find me when I'd be trekking around the woods on our property when I was little. So, no. I don't think I was the kid that made the excuse of "But he just followed me home!"
Bailey is indeed my rescue mutt. I picked her up from the Humane Society three years ago this Valentine's day. I had just done a radio story about the over abundance of puppies they had there and my mom and I had been secretly looking at them online. In no way, did we really believe we'd come home with another dog. I was moving out on my own in just a few months anyway. But there she was. A little ragdoll of black scruffy fur on a volunteer's shoulder, and she went back to work with me to the radio station for my afternoon shift.
Sey came into the picture when we found two calico kittens that the mother had disappeared on. I stayed up through the night with them in the hopes that they'd make it, and the next morning, the porch cat had her kittens and took the two calico's in. The cat I had, I gave to my roommate as she had fallen in love with her so much, I was sure there might be an issue if I took her when I left, so Sey came home with me one June afternoon.
Those were my girls. The three of us in a one bedroom apartment. The stories that go with them. Well, that's for another time. But the three of us, went to the four of us and then to a house. One big happy family.
And then...there was Winter.
Here's my disclaimer. As of right now, I have had Winter for 24 hours. Short time, I know. Make no mistake that I have fallen head over heels for this boy, and in no way shape or form regret the decision to take him, and overall, he is exceptionally loved.
"Surviving Winter" has been started to help keep me on track and rigid on retraining Bailey and Winter so they both understand and recognize the same commands. In 24 hours, I've noticed some things that were too good not to share, and maybe, just maybe, it'd be fun to see what happens through this process with these dogs.
Without further ado...welcome to the ride of Surviving Winter.
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