what's on the stairs today?

in the last few days, sam has had some digestion problems, resulting in the evocative smell of runny poo combined with that of cleaning chemicals. that trouble has cleared, thank dog, and sam even did his bit to give the staircase a fresher, more hygienic scent. how? he stole the children's tooth paste, which he has had his eye on for a while, and mauled it to death then and there.

if this gives him indigestion, i'm going to force him to eat it! wait... better not get into that particular vicious cycle.

naughty doggies

if sam had a doghouse, he would have been in it after his behaviour over the last few days. first he chased sweaters, then he caused me grievous footy harm, and as if that wasn't enough, he started chewing on my new plum tree in the garden! branches were harmed! he's only allowed there under heavy guard now.

still, reading about other dogs' mischief, such as mountain dogs munching money, terriers teasing with tasty bones or hounds helping out with halting economy, makes me realise that sam isn't a particularly mischievous mutt after all. just... average. with big teeth and a lot of weight.

with a steady supply of branches and bones that are okay to chew, toys and insects that are okay to chase, and walks where it's okay to go mad a little, he seems to be contained. for now.

a big pup

doggie and humans: just before adoption, and four+ months after.

sam seems to have grown a little since we got him. first i thought it was simply him getting more confident, not to mention better fed, as his former loving owner had kept him quite skinny. however, when we noticed that he could now comfortably rest his head on a dining table he previously had to jump up to reach, we knew it was true: our pup has been growin.

sam has retained a lot of his youthful playfulness, which can on occasion be rather annoying in a dog so huge. he'll casually pull down coats and rip them to shreds -- mostly, we're able to channel this skill into an old carpet in the garden, but sometimes he gets a kick and forgets that clothes are not his toys.

today, he decided that my daughter's sweater would be good fun to chase and worry. unfortunately, the sweater was still on my daughter. while he the time of his life tugging at her sleeve, she wanted the sweater and herself to stay where they were, and not be dragged about. i came flying to the rescue, like an avenging mother, and trod (with bare feet) on a pair of sharp tacks which were lying scattered (by playful doggie, no doubt) in the garden.

while i was rather angry, that darned dog was caught in a mix of exuberant playfulness and fear of the great leaderess. he danced about while i was trying to catch him, then banged himself about to get loose. big heavy dog on my frail musician's hands equals hurt hands.

i almost felt like locking the door and throwing away the key after i'd thrown him into the garden shed to calm down a little. but i didn't, i just closed it. after some time, and some whining and thrashing, sam managed to open the door and sauntered out. cowed? perhaps. still full of fun and games? you betcha!

dogs might mutate?

from a vet on the edge:

One time a dog was in for a surgical procedure, and it was noted to have a very large mat behind each ear. We shaved them off [...]. The owner was enraged. They thought that the mats were extra ears, and that their dog had a unique mutation that made for four ears. I ask you. Did they not notice that in its original form the dog only had the normal number of ears? Did they think their dog just suddenly decided, as an adult, to grow more ears? It's not a starfish. It's a dog, and dogs don't spontaneously grow extra ears.

this last statment, i am quite ready to believe. but don't try telling me that dogs may not suddenly shoot laser beams from their eyes!

like owner...

times, reporting from crufts.

(is the link between dogs and owners the reason pedigree breeding has taken so much flak recently? with more people becoming overweight, asthmatic or depressed, pets follow suit?)

magic

neil gaiman has a magical flying dog.

sam has a red collar, too.
but can still not be trusted off leash.
do we need pixie dust?