A New Toy and the Conversations it Evokes

This past weekend, I was in Jackson buying a dress for an upcoming wedding that I will be in and while in town decided to stop by Petsmart and check out the toy selection. Topaz's bone is still intact and she still has a large selection of balls that have yet to be killed so I decided to get her a Kong Wubba. This is her very first squeaky toy since most squeaky toys are stuffed animals which would mean that the squeaker would be removed within the first 5 minutes of play.

Upon, receiving the new toy she just assumed that it was a normal human toss, I retrieve and proceed to annihilate toy. After 30 minutes of play she finally discovered (with help) the squeaker part. The squeaking resulted in the toy being punished by her for squeaking. This usually takes place by her just pawing it a bunch and then grabbing it by the straps and flinging around a lot. However, the punishment usually results in more squeaking which results in more punishment and round and round we go until...finally she decides her punishment is not good enough and brings the toy to me for punishment.  

This is how day one and day two with the new toy went. However, on day three she discovered the toy had another secret. Underneath the cover there is a tennis ball. She has spent ever moment that mommy has deemed her toy "awake" attempting to extract the tennis ball from the toy. After listening to the toy squeak for the better part of the past five hours, while she attempted to remove the now completely dead tennis ball from the toy, I have declared it the toys bedtime. This announcement was of course met by lots of sighs and grunts of complaint from Topaz, a sad puppy face laying on my knee as she looked pitifully at me for taking away her latest obsession and finally ended with a flop on the floor with another large sigh and a groan thrown in to ensure that I understood her displeasure.

This is not the first conversation that we have had pertaining to the toy. Usually, the conversation goes along the lines of her being instructed not to kill the toy. In response, whomever told her not to kill the toy is given a look as she continues to gnaw away the cover in hopes of extracting the tennis ball. She gets a few warnings and then if she continues to simply gnaw at the cover instead of playing with the toy, the toy is taken away.

The other conversation I have had with her about the toy occurred earlier this evening. She wanted me to go to bed with her so she would bring me the toy and make sure I had a strap and she had a strap. She would then proceed to pull on her strap in an attempt to lead me to bed. However, I was not ready to go to bed and never stayed in bed so she decided that my refusal to go to bed meant that I should then toss the ball. She brought me her toy and pushed it into my lap, then walk a few feet away from me, sat down with her ears perked. I just sat there looking at her waiting to see what she would do. I expected for her to give me a little bark to encourage me to throw the toy. Instead, I got a dog with perked up ears who proceed then proceed to wiggle her butt around on the floor several to emphasis the fact that it was in fact touching the floor. She has been taught that she has to sit to have her toy thrown for her ( a rule that is enforced 90% of the time). Since her butt was indeed on the floor and it was something we do sometimes have to reinforce, I went ahead and gave the toy a toss and got stuck playing a game of toss and retrieve for quite sometime.

Oh well, I would rather play the game despite my soreness and tiredness and enforce her training and let her get some energy out. Plus, all this playing has result in a finally worn out puppy that is ready to curl up with me. This is mainly because she has finally lost the high she had from spending the last 5 hours attempting to get that tennis ball.  

Topaz's Property Laws

I saw this today and I chuckled. 

 

 So I decided to make Topaz's list of property laws.

1. If it is a pillow, it is mine.  

Thankfully she graciously shares most of her pillows at night. She requires that she is left at least 2 pillows (3 is preferred) and her nose is still going to be on the pillow that your head is on no matter how many pillows she has.

2. If it is a space rug, it is mine.

 I have 3 rugs in the kitchen and 1 at the front door. Only they are never where they are supposed to be because they are always serving as dog beds. The one that belongs in front of the door is always behind it for when she is on door guard duty. The one that belongs in front of the stove is always just to the side of the stove for when she is on taste testing duty.

3. If it is a ball, it is mine. 

If it is not intended for her it better be put in a place where opposable thumbs are a requirement for getting it.

4. If it is intended for dogs, it is meant for me to destructo it. It is intended for hoomans,  it is my dog bed. 

We have been through 3 dog beds (she ripped the stuffing out of all 3). Now all dog beds are either our pillows, blankets or space rugs.

5. If you bought it for the intention of it being mine, then it's yours (unless I later decided it's mine). If you bought it intending it to be for you, then it's mine

. I purposely went out and got her her own pillows. She still uses all of my pillows and occasionally the ones I bought intending them to be for her.

6. If you bought it for the intention of it being for me, it is mine to destructo. 

I have purchased 3 different blankets for her, she has destroyed/is in the process of destroying all 3. She just uses my blankets as a bed.     

 7. If it is yours, it is mine to stand on.

For some reason laptops seems to receive this particular treatment a lot.

8. If it looks like a plant or food or smells like food then it is mine to eat.  

She eats or attempts to eat all plants and their fruit, insects and normal human food. 

 9. If it does not look like food or even taste like food, it is mine to eat. 

She likes to eat bar soap and has ate a towel before.

 

 

Storytime

I love having books read to me! It is one of my favorite past times. I curl up on all the pillows and blankets, or at least as many as I can get Mom to give me and she will read a story to me. I like to listen to the story with my eyes closed BUT I am NOT asleep. Sometimes Mom thinks I am and she stops reading to me. I quickly shoot open my eyes and raise my ears. Sometimes she resumes my story, other times she says that is all she is going to read to me at the moment.

This book looks really good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA41sUirybU Maybe I can talk Mom into this book to read to me. Then I can lay there with my eyes shut and imagine I was hiking those mountain tops. Just think of all the new things I could smell, see and taste. Shhhh....Mom doesn't have to know about that one.

Here is a picture of me listening to a little human read me a story. Little human's story had pictures so I had to keep my eyes open to see all the cool big machines. See what a good story listener I am?

How I came to share my life with a pitbull

I used to not know about the stereotypes pitbulls face, the battle to try to eradicate these dogs.

I first began to hear about pitbulls when the Vick case became a national sensation. My heart immediately went to all those dogs. I did not know at the time that fighting dogs were usually euthanized without being given a chance. All I could see in the case was the cruelty of humans for doing that to an animal. 

I had never met a pitbull, however, I did not believe the sensationalized stories I saw the media releasing. I treated every strange dog the same way despite breed.  I approach all strange dogs with caution, but am willing to give them a chance.

The first pitbull I every truly got to know was Pearl. Good friends of mine discovered her on their lawn with a leg wound. They took her in and got her treatment. Once she recovered, I began taking her for walks because she had an extremely high energy level and needed it. She loved people, was strong headed and extremely energetic. Her high energy level and stubbornness often got her in trouble since she had an affinity for destroying items (headsets, shoes, etc.). Eventually, she was re-homed to a home that was better suited for her. The new owners had a large yard where she could run and play, etc.

 Pearl

After that I volunteered at an animal shelter. Several pitbulls were there during the time I volunteered. Sure they had loud barks and strong muscular builds, but when given a chance they all proved to be sweet, loving dogs.

The next pitbull I met was Roscoe. Roscoe lived about a mile down the road from us. He had a regular routine in which he would visit several neighbors between our house and his. Our house was always his last visit. He would hang out at our house and play with whomever would come out to play with him. He was not allowed in the house because he tried to eat our cats. He had a silly grin that terrified plenty of people, I loved his silly grin. Sadly, he was euthanized by the pound after being picked up running at large for being involved in an altercation with another dog. 

Roscoe and Topaz chilling on the front porch, July 2010. Roscoe wanted to go inside and play with everyone.

*Roscoe was hit by a car as a puppy and his right leg had permanent damage from the accident which is why it looks a little odd in this picture.

After that, I did not have any interactions with any pitbulls for close to a year. I missed my walks with Pearl and playing with her. I continued to follow the pitbull saga as the media continued on its endeavor to convince everyone that these dogs were horrible, man-eating machines. I knew I wanted to own one of these precious dogs, however, I was in college and so I did not think it would be anytime soon. Then I received a text message. It was December 28th and Pearl had given birth to a litter of puppies (the owners unneutered pit mix had got her when she went into heat before they realized she was in heat).

My parents decided that we could go look at the puppies. We went to see them when they were twelve days old.When we arrived, Pearl was one of the first to greet me. It had been around a year since I had last seen her. She stood up on her back legs and put her front paws on my shoulders and rested her head on one of my shoulders. To this date that is the only time I have ever received a hug from a dog. 

When we went back to see the pups, the owner warned me that she had nearly bitten someone a few days prior for touching one of the pups. However, to the owner's surprise, Pearl began nudging the pups to me. When I originally decided I wanted to own a pitbull, I wanted a black one. I thought black pitbulls were absolutely gorgeous with their sleek, glossy coats. Pearl did not have a black puppy so I decided I wanted a puppy that looked like Pearl. Over half the pups in the litter looked like her. I also knew I did not want the runt or the largest puppy in the litter. I wanted a puppy that was not a push over but that was not going to be giving all the orders either. After watching the puppies for over an hour, I picked out a puppy that was not able to push everyone around but did do a fair amount of pushing.

Topaz and Jasper at 12 days old

Little did I know that my puppy would grow up to be so like Pearl (and not just in looks). At nearly 2 and 1/2 years old Topaz has an outgoing, loving personality similar to Pearls. Pearl was not as in your face with the loving; Topaz is much more exuberant when meeting new people. Both have an affinity for trying to catch birds though Topaz takes hers further by pointing out other game as well. She also doesn't give into immediately trying to take out the game, she points and waits, then when least expected makes a large leap in an attempt to catch whatever the object is. They both love to chew and destroy things, though Topaz is much better about only destroying her objects (or objects that she believes are hers). For instance, she did not differentiate between my brother's balls and her balls. If it is a ball then clearly it is intended for her. This is one of the reasons that stuffed animals are not one of the types of toys she is permitted to play with. Of course, Topaz is just as strong headed if not more so than Pearl ever was.

She can definitely be a handful at times but never once have I regretted making the choice to share my life with a pitbull.

Changing minds

I think every pitbull owner at some point is faced with others prejudices against their dogs. I have faced this issue many a time. Usually, it is people crossing the street/lane/path and hurrying past while giving us horrible looks. On occasion, it has been a person to stop and reprimand me for having a pitbull because I am putting society at risk. Most recently, it has been neighbors who have been making their children go indoors anytime Topaz is outside.

I always use the moments to try to educate others about the breed. In the case of those who choose to stop and speak to me whether to ask questions or simply to reprimand me- I get to have a conversation with them. Inform them that the way media presents pitbulls is not the way that majority of pitbulls behave. I get to educate them about pitbulls past- prior to their most recent past as being a top choice in dog fighting rings. I get an opportunity to explain why they are a top choice for dog fighting rings currently- not just for their strong, muscular build that contains powerful jaws; but for their loyalty to humans. The willingness to do anything for their owner so long as the owner is pleased with them. AND a major trait that dog fighters look for in their fighters is that the dog shows NO human aggression. Dogs that expressed human aggression were culled because the last thing someone wanted was a dog in the pit that would turn around and attack them if they had to go in and grab the dog. I also suggest other sources for them to look into to seek more information about the pitbull- shows like pitbulls and parolees and pit boss; facebook pages such as my pitbull is family, stubby dog project and many more; books; etc.

However, Topaz and I are also educating those who allow their fear and prejudice to prevent them from talking to us through our actions. Having a well-behaved pitbull in public, interacting with those she knows and strangers, other animals, etc.- plain out just doing normal things that dogs do with their families educates people. It counter acts the stereotypes that media presents to people. Since people fear what they do not know and media is taking advantage of peoples lack of education about pitbulls- it is a breeding ground for creating mass hysteria about pitbull type dogs. Something that media has been taking advantage of since the 1980's.

Most recently, the way we have educated those unwilling to voice their concerns to us is by walking down the lane to our mailbox nearly every day. Since our house is the last house this requires going past all of our neighbors houses. It did not take long to determine that our neighbors had concerns about us owning a pitbull. However, instead of giving her a chance, talking to us, meeting her, etc.- they simply instructed their kids that anytime Topaz was outside their children had to be inside.  I know because anytime we come outside their kids hang their heads, slump their shoulders and shuffle towards their house saying "Come on, we have to go inside that dog is outside". After walking Topaz to our mailbox almost every evening since we moved (nearly a month and a half) last night instead of making the children come in, the adults came outside and watched. While their dog barked, growled and lunged at the end of it's chain (I have been warned by some neighbors that the dog is dog aggressive); Topaz walked by. She did not bark once, she just did her happy dance and bounced down the lane.
 
Hopefully,  as we continue doing normal things with our dog that our neighbors and others observe we will continue to teach others that pitbulls are not the monsters at the end of leashes that media represents them as.  

Walking Aids

Topaz has a tendency to pull. Her walking manners are not completely lacking. She usually walks nicely, however, there are moments (on just about every walk) where something cool lies ahead or to the side and all of the sudden the slacked leash goes taut and the arm gets a nice yank in whatever direction she just jerked. She has managed to strain/injure several people's arms and a few have face planted.

She has been taught leash walking rules that to this day continue to be reinforced. In  addition, walking aids have also been used over the past 2 years. When using walking aids, she always has her regular collar on as well.

The first walking aid we tried was a harness when she was two to three months old. She promptly ate them all.  My parents had two for their dogs and I had one for her.

Next was a choke chain collar. She only wore this collar when going on walks. It did not take long, maybe four pulls, for her to give up the habit (so long as the collar was on). However, after several months, I noticed that her fur was missing in spots around her neck that seemed to be consistent with pattern for the collar. I thought perhaps she was allergic to certain metals so I switched all her food bowls to ceramic or plastic and stopped using the metal collar. It would be nearly a year later that I would find out that the problem was a food allergy.

We went months before trying another walking aid. However, after she injured my mom's arm and mildly strained a few more peoples arms it became clear that something was needed. After searching options on the market, I decided to try the gentle leader. It came with high recommendations from several friends who had similar pulling issues from their dogs. I have also seen it used by dog trainers such as Tia Torres to help train her dogs not to pull.

Of all the aids we had tried, up to this point, I preferred this one the best. We used it for several months before we got into trouble with it. My dad, brothers and I had taken Topaz and Jasper, their big dog,  (that happens to be Topaz's brother) for a walk. My oldest brother is an athlete and he decided to run with Jasper. The rest of us walked. At half a mile, I checked both dogs who seemed to be handling the walk with ease so we decided to walk further on. We ended up walking a total of 2 miles. We stopped to offer the dogs water multiple times, however, neither dog wanted water. By the time we were within an eighth of a mile to the car, Topaz was showing signs of overheating. We rushed home and I immediately began trying to cool her down. Sadly, it was to late and she suffered a heat stroke. Thankfully, I knew what to do and she lived through it with very little to no long term damage. The vet said from the descriptions we gave him that she should have died that day. This is when it was determined that she had food allergies. He said her overheating was caused by a combination of her system already being stressed from her allergies, the temperature that day and the gentle leader restricting her full ability to pant.

The gentle leader works great for healthy dogs like Jasper who was also wearing one and ran some of the 2 miles and had no complications from wearing one. However, for Topaz it increased her risk of having another heat stroke. So while I liked the gentle leader and it worked, I was back to the drawing board.

At a trip to the lake with my family about a month later I met a labrador wearing an Easy Walk harness. I went home and researched the harness. It seemed perfect for us. It prevents dogs from pulling without restricting their ability to pant or by putting pressure on their tracheae. The fact that the same company that made the gentle leader was just another plus. They had already made a product I liked but that didn't work for us, so I was hopeful that I would like this product and it would work for us.

We have been using the easy walk harness for nearly a year. The only complaint that I have with it is that the L is just slightly to big for her but the M is not durable enough for us. However, since I purchased her harness it appears that premier has created the M/L size that is just as durable as the L which would fix my complaint.

She only wears her harness when going on walks. Thankfully, this is a harness that she does not eat. So she either outgrew that stage or she does not hate this harness.   

Our Lazy Easter

Happy Easter!

We have had a fairly uneventful day.

Ken and I had to run to the store today for a few ingredients to go with dinner. When we returned home Topaz went through all of the bags. She knows that usually trips to Wal-mart means we bring her home vegetable or fruit goodies. To her disappointment, we did not bring home any veggies or fruit (we still have plenty in the fridge).

After triple checking the bags for any goodies she may have missed. I ended up pulling out some cauliflower that I had purposely not used so that I would have it on hand to use as a treat. A lot of the times her treats also double for edible toys. I broke off a few florets with stems and one at a time gave them tosses across the house. She happily chased her treat and gave it a few more tosses before happily laying down to munch it.
 Ken and I also made deviled eggs today and she carefully supervised. She would have looooooved to taste test as well.

After all that supervising and playing, she is having a much needed naptime. This began with my ankle/foot serving as her pillow while she snuggled against Ken and we watched a documentary about a leopard. Thankfully, for my legs sake, this only lasted 20 minutes. She determined that real pillows were much better and happily went and curled up on top of 2 pillows.

She is now happily snoring away curled up with her pillows and Ken. Or not....she just decided naptime has come to an end and that she needs to go outside.  

When a dog talks stop and listen

Topaz is not a full-blooded pitbull. While being mostly pitbull she is also part game dog (my guess is pointer). So I often find that if I listen while she is trying to talk to me through body language that I get to see some pretty cool things.

First, if something is nearby her head will raise high into the air and she will walk around intensely sniffing the air. When she is facing in the right direction she will point in the direction of whatever is out there...usually it is a bird or a squirrel.

This morning she pointed out a whole herd of deer that were walking through one field and into the next. So there we were...me standing in the yard, her pointing...watching a herd of deer two fields away for five minutes. 

This is the second time she has pointed out deer. The first time, I did not listen to her and ended up coming around a corner and scaring them off.

I really need to start carrying my camera with me when I take her out so I can get some pictures of her finds.

Now, I will spend the rest of the day with her dancing in front of the door in hopes that I will take her out so she can go look for more deer. 

Topaz and the monster in her dream

Topaz is a dreamer. I always know when she is good and a sleep because her paws, eye lids and ears start twitching. Sometimes she will give little barks that sound absolutely nothing like her. They sound like they belong to a much smaller dog or a puppy. Then a cute smile spreads across her face.

She has been a dreamer since the day I bought her home. I remember holding her little, sleeping 8 week old body in my lap as she dreamt away. Of course, when she was that little it was not cute, it was SCARY. She did not give cute little barks and it was not just her paws, eye lids and ears that twitched...it was her whole body. The first couple of times she did it I was terrified she was having a seizure. Thankfully my girl is just a dreamer.

However, her dreams are not always happy dreams. Sometimes she has vivid nightmares...well I assume that they are vivid. Two nights ago, she had one of these nightmares. I was up watching tv; my show was almost over and then I was going to head to bed. She had worn herself out playing with toys and was already sound asleep. Ten minutes before the show ended, she was up barking and growling at the door. You would have thought someone was about to charge through the door and attack me. I tried to calm her and show her it was just a dream. She went and checked the entire rest of the house. We then spent the next hour sitting together in the easy chair. Me petting her and talking soothingly to her...her sitting alert and intensely watching the house.

After an hour, I finally convinced her to come lay in bed with me. However, every 15 minutes or so she would lift her head, sniff and look all around the room to reassure herself all was still safe. Finally, after an hour of this she finally went to sleep and I was able to go to sleep as well.

Hopefully, only happy dreams are in the future for us.  

It's Playtime

Topaz is a destructo dog...I guess destructo is a real word. Oh well, I just made it one :)

Some dogs have toys that they play with gingerly making sure the precious toy lasts them a long time. My uncle has a dog that loves her stuffed animals and boy does she make her toys last. Topaz is not one of these dogs.

 Her mission is to destroy the toy as quickly as possible. Stuffed animals are destroyed in under 5 minutes...under 3 minutes is probably more accurate. Tug a war toys...5-7 minutes. Tennis balls...under 30 minutes (unless they are taken away from her as soon as she is done enjoying chasing them).

Therefore, I typically only buy one type of toy for her...bones, bones and more bones. Oh, how I love her bones. One usually last 3 or so months, will undergo surgery during that time to remove any thinning pieces and finally there will come the day when I deem it done for and throw it away. This would be when she has worked it down to a nub that will fit inside her mouth with her mouth closed.

Sometimes, I will also buy her tennis balls and frisbees (for outdoor play), however, these toys she only is allowed to play with so long as she is willing to chase them. Once she has decided that it is time to rip the toy apart the toy is put away.

We have also used Kong toys in the past and she loved the Kong toy, however, with all her food allergies I have not found a good filler to put in it and so the toy is not near as much fun her her to play with now. Her favorite filler was peanut butter, sadly peanut butter days are gone for us. 

All other toys are DIYed and then she gets to have all the fun in the world destroying them (in moderation). She only is allowed a set amount of time with the toy...otherwise she would destruct all her toys (minus the bones) in under half a day and then I would have a very bored, sad dog on my hands.

So what becomes DIYed into a dog toy? Old towels that have become worn thin and holy, sheets that have holes in them, and old, worn out jeans that will not work for hand me downs.

For the towels and sheets, I just cut them into strips, braid the strips together and tie a few knots into the fabric (after washing them one more time of course). For the jeans, I cut the legs off and then cut the strips, braid and knot. If you have a dog that is more easy going on its toys you could just cut the pants legs off and tie a few knots.
 
I also, on occasion will allow her to play with items I already intend to toss prior to junking them. Most often the item is Kens 2 liter soda bottles. All he ever drink is pop- so we end up with lots of pop bottles. I have made a large pile of the bottles and then hidden things in the pile and let her use her nose and brain to find the item. I have used both toys and food for this game. I have removed the plastic wrapper and let her chase the bottle, however, the plastic is not very durable so that usually lasts for about 3 throws. Next, I intend to put large enough holes in the bottle so that food will come out and let her try to solve the puzzle of how to get to the food...hopefully, her answer is not to chew the cap off. 

Mirror, mirror on the wall... and ceiling

There are mirrors on 3 mirrors on a wall in my living room, 6 mirrors on walls in my bathroom, the closet doors in the master bath are full length mirrors and then two of the ceilings have mirrors on them. Can you tell the home owners like mirrors? Lol

When we first moved in Topaz was terrified of the mirrors (really the reflections). Thankfully, she only noticed the full length mirrors in the master bedroom. The first night she ran in and investigated the whole house. The investigation came to a halt in the master bedroom when she came across the mirrors. It took a few days but slowly I convinced her that the image in the mirror was not going to hurt her and she began to go past it without problems.

After that began attempts to play with her reflection, the best ones are always when she is playing with a toy in the mirror and sees the toys reflection. She always tries to trade toys with her reflection. When this does not work out for her she gets annoyed, takes her toy, turns her back on her reflection and plays with the toy. Occasionally. she will glance over her shoulder and give her reflection the stink eye.

She is of the opinion that the mirrors that are hung on the walls in the living room and bathroom are funny windows. They are about the same size and shape of the windows and placed on the wall in about the same position that a window would be placed. At first, anytime a figure appeared in the "window" resulted in alert mode. If the figure is a person and continues to approach then she will run to the door and bark and return to the "window" to guard. We are still working on it, but she has somewhat begun to connect the dots that the images that appear in the odd windows are not something that we need to be protected from. She still watches the images in the mirrors intently and curiously- occasionally she will glance at the person whose image is in the mirror. You can see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to figure out how the odd windows work. This is especially true if a person and her image appear in the mirror together.

My favorite mirror times are probably the few times that she notices the mirrors on the ceilings. This results in a funny dance as she jumps around under the mirror trying to play with the other dog. She will take breaks in which she cocks her head to one side and you can see her trying to figure out how to play with the dog. This will last for about 5 to 10 minutes until she finally gets annoyed and walks away shaking her head. She will proceed to ignore the ceiling dog for a week or so and then it will all be repeated as she makes another attempt to play with the ceiling dog.