Dog Days

On Halloween with Kelsey…

At the cabin in November…

Typical Sleeping Position…

Playing on the floor with Kyler…

6 Months Old

I took Earthquake to the Vet for his 6 month puppy shots and a weigh in. The girls all gushed over him (and how could they not!).  He weighed in at 85 lbs, a gain of 29 lbs in 2 months!  Yikes.

Darn It Dog…

EQ has decided he is a puppy after all… usually he is a well behaved dog. However when we see puppy behavior it is a whirlwind of drama. He is such a BIG dog (weighing in around 75 lbs at not quite 6 months old), so when he finds trouble, it is BIG.

This is what happen when Earthquake stays home alone and the kitty is outside. He chewed up the back 1/4 of my book… if he’d gone for the beginning, I’d already read it! Now I have an empty planter by my fireplace because he mangled the plant within, tearing it out roots and all and chewed it to shreds.

The photo doesn’t do justice to the full mess… I’d already picked up a good portion of the chewed paperback and many of the potting soil piles aren’t visible.

And a wall he mangled… evidently scratching at the wall is soothing… this is the second time he has done it. The first one was much smaller.

We bought a crate.  Then we took it back and got a better one.  Our Earthquake is a Hoodini Dog.  He can escape through the smallest places.  Finally we decided to use zip ties on the crate… sigh.  At least it is working.

Playful Puppy

Earthquake has found a playmate in our outdoor kitty, Coffee who became our third cat because he had a little issue with peeing all over the place. We couldn’t let him take a fateful trip into the forest, so he came home with us. Our job- give him food, water, playtime; His job- get rid of the mole which has destroyed our yard. I want to let this kitty come inside, but I live in fear of cat urine all over the place. ‘Nuff said. Peanut and Athena have started spending time out doors with Coffee. When they are indoors, they enjoy taunting the poor kitty.

Coffee has given up his cozy kennel to hang out underneath the house. Bonus points for keeping us rodent free. At least I don’t have to worry about him having a safe place to hide from bigger animals and he will stay warm and dry during the winter months. It’s like having a barn cat, except we don’t have a barn.

EQ is thrilled to have a friend waiting outside when he ventures out. Oregon Dad had to pick him up and carry him to the car so we could go to the dog park. EQ was perfectly content sitting in the yard playing with kitty. Of course, we didn’t hear any complaints once we arrived at the dog park and he was allowed to run off leash and play with the 40 or so other dogs there.

Earthquake is a VERY social pooch. He ran from one group of humans to the next, wagging his tail and greeting them happily. Everyone was in love with our pup and made numerous gasps about how big his paws are and what an adorable dog he is. In between visits with people, he romped with dogs of all sizes. I was amazed that all the dogs were well behaved. I mentioned to hubby that most people who bring their dogs to the dog park are probably better dog owners than those you might run into on the street or behind a chain link fence.

My good friend Meg sent me a great link of places that are dog friendly. Check out your area to see where poochy can go with you!

Oh, and I must mention, all the above photos were taken on my iPhone.

Four Month Birthday

EQ is four months old today (Which is actually 4/9/08 despite the posted date shown here, evidently WP and I are having a bit of a date/time disagreement).

We celebrated by going for a car ride to the VET for his well puppy check up. He weighs in at 56.6 lbs.

Everything looks great, Earthquake is such an amiable dog… he wagged his tail through the whole exam. Then he flopped against the wall and went to sleep.

After the vet we stopped by PetSmart to pick up some treats (and to return a cat toy that broke the first day home). EQ was the center of attention. He seems to like that.

First bath.  Yes, the water is THAT brown.  Gah.

One would expect that bathing a Saint would be an ordeal. Not so much. Oregon Dad picked Earthquake up and put him into my garden tub (anyone want to come scrub it out for me? Post surgery I’m not feeling up to bending over!)

The only water splashing was from EQ’s tail wagging. He loved the bath. This morning he went back in to investigate the tub and tried to climb in all by himself.

Too bad he won’t always be able to take baths in the tub… its big enough to accommodate him even full grown, but we won’t be able to get him in and out for much longer.

Enjoying his walks. Each morning and evening, we go on a walk up and down our (hilly) road. This is great exercise for EQ’s growing bones. Most of the day he stays in the house, so it is vital to get him out and about a couple times each day.

Visiting the Market

Last night the children, Oregon Dad, Earthquake and I all loaded up in the truck for a trip to the Farmers Market. Earthquake got to ride on the front seat between Oregon Dad and I. That was entirely his idea… my initial thought was that he would ride on the floorboard by my feet.

It was a fun outing, Earthquake attracted lots of attention. I love all the comments about his size, “oh he’s going to be HUGE.” Um, yeah… we didn’t know that when we brought home a 60lb 14 week old pup. Or when we met his friends and family (all 26-30 of them) many of whom are larger than I!!!!

I still haven’t heard him bark. Not even a little bark. How interesting to have a dog who isn’t obnoxious. He did give Athena the kitten a little chase this morning, I found that amusing. It was a friendly, “hi, want to play” chase.

We’ve only had three accidents in the house… and all of those only waterfalls. Fingers crossed!

He’s Here!

He’s home at last! EARTHQUAKE… a purebred Saint Bernard puppy. He is 14 weeks old and glad to call our family his own. The first (and last time) we saw this pup, he was a mere couple of days old and just a small ball of puppy love. I wasn’t prepared to bring home a 60+ pounder today! Eeeek!

We found out last night that EARTHQUAKE would be coming home today, so Oregon Dad and I went to the pet store to prepare. $200 later we were headed home (guess that’s a tiny amount compared to the actual cost of making the pup ours).

Since our newest family member is an AKC Registered show quality dog, I’m planning to take handler classes and be the one to show him. As such, I had to set up this blog dedicated entirely to our dog.

Many of you know that I would LOVE another baby. Today I thought this was the perfect opportunity to throw down for one. Oregon Dad is talking about bringing the pup home and how we will have some sleepness nights and potty training to go through. I said, “Well, if you get the dog doesn’t that mean I get a baby? Afterall, what’s the difference?” He didn’t think they compare. However, if I ever do manage to convince him to give me another human baby, we have the name ready… if its a boy.

Today’s Green Tip- Responsible pet owners clean up after their doggies (NO one wants to step in doggy-doo-doo at the park. Ick.) This poses a bit of a challenge when we factor in Earth Friendliness. Most of the clean up baggies we looked at claimed to be biodegradable except as defined by the states of California and New York. Huh. Then we came across Mutt Mitts which degrade in compost and landfills and are made in the U.S.A. So clean up after your pet and use degradable bags while doing it.