Standoff!

The man and woman were walking their three shitzus. Jay, the pit bull, noticed them from far off and ran up to meet them.  Jay is only ten months old. Still a bouncy puppy. Still eager to meet new people and dogs. But because of his breed, he will likely always have to deal with the prejudices of dog owners of little shitzus. The woman admonished her husband to pick up the smallest of the dogs, and they carried on, watchful and nervous.

Which only heightened Jay's interest. He bounced harder.

Jay's owner (call him Bob) told everyone that his dog was just being playful, that he was safe - if rambunctious.

The shitzu owner - apparently not believing that a larger-than-a-soccer-ball sized dog could be playful, and feeling that walking away was just not enough - turned, crouched, waved his arms like a goalie refusing to let the opposition in...and growled.

(One or two things about little dog owners:


Their dogs are moppily cute. They charge, they bark.  They stalk, pounce and threaten just like other dogs.  But because they're so small, they get away with it. Mommy and Daddy scoop them up and coo in their fuzzy ears after they've shown aggression because it's just so darn adorable when a small dog tries to be menacing. These owners (and I'm not suggesting all of them are this way) are irresponsible, if not downright terrifying in their ignorance of dog behaviour. Small dogs are still dogs. Bad behaviour is still bad behaviour.


Conversely, big dogs are not always exhibiting aggressive behaviour when they bow, box, or grin.)

If you know anything about dogs - which shitzu owner obviously did not - you know what happened next. Jay, the pit bull, lowered his head, looked up through slitted eyes and began to bark. Jay had been threatened and he was protecting himself and his owner.

Bob, always in control, grabbed Jay's collar and settled the dog.

The shitzus and their silly parents carried on, the man blissfully unaware that, if not for the pit bull's training, he'd narrowly escaped attack because of his ridiculous actions.

If you're going to spend time at the dog park, it's not just your dog that needs to be under control. Make sure you, as a responsible dog owner, know how to behave as well.

Do not:

- stare a dog down.
- reach over to pet his head (scratch his chin instead).
- speak in a squeaky voice to get him excited and then jump back, astonished, when he leaps.
- tug to get him away from a potential fight (this will only make him struggle harder to get what he wants)
- stand off with a dog you don't know

I hope Mr. Shitzu Owner doesn't have to learn these rules the hard way.

Phoenix

Phoenix came from Pawsitive Match two years ago.  Before that she came from a dumpster on one of the reservations.

She's a beautiful Shepherd Something.  Sheds great gobs of hair in June and December despite the hopes of her Mom and Dad that her sleek coat would be almost maintenance free.  Great disposition.  Waggy tail.  Played hide 'n' seek with my husband (even though it was the first time they'd met), and happily slobbered all over Lobo until he decided that yes, she could be one of his select group of friends.

I've told you that Lobo is very choosy about who he plays with.  This one took some time - walking around the entirety of the dog park until, when it was nearly time to go and Phoenix had laid down to protest the suggestion of more exercise and bemoan the fact that there was nothing she could do to entice him, he turned and pounced in play mode.  New life!  The two chewed each other's necks and tails from a sitting position, then standing.  Then they burst into an all out game of chase that lasted several minutes.

Patience could be Phoenix's middle name.  She persevered and won.

Good dog!  Lucky Lobo.

Bad Weather!

I heard on the radio yesterday that this area gets its worst storms in the spring.  No surprise.  It's been nasty out there.  Rain, snow, you name it, we've gotten it.

I've missed a walk with Lobo once.  It was last week, actually, when the rain was coming down so hard one morning he looked at me at the back door as if to say, 'Are you serious?' Then he backed away and refused to do his business until later that evening when nature was determined to have the last word.

The next day I covered myself up and the two of us battled the winds to make a short romp through the slushy fields.  I was proud of myself for making the effort.  In my recent Lobo-less past, I would've asked myself the same question, 'Are you serious?' and curled up on the couch.

Today, however, there's no question that we'll be missing our morning walk.  The snow is coming down sideways.  Even on the coldest -26C Lobo and I managed to complete a swift circuit at the dog park, but this is so unappealing we're going to have to wait to see what the evening weather brings.

Lobo's pouting.  I feel guilty.

To make up for it, I filled my pockets with a bunch of goodies and we ran around the house practicing 'Stay' and 'Come'.  He was brilliant and eager and it was good exercise.

I'm thinking that, should we find ourselves housebound again, I'll take the opportunity to reinforce his training.  It gets him thinking (which really tires him out) and for me it washes away a bit of the guilts.