doggies – Page 44 – Kari Neumeyer

Rocky Balboa is really a girl

I’m starting to suspect that Stew might be a girl. I’m not sure, because he/she hasn’t laid eggs or displayed any male genitalia. But he/she doesn’t have the secondary sex characteristics distinctive to male iguanas. Stew doesn’t have fatty bumps behind the eyes, or enlarged jowls or large, rounded subtympanic shields (you totally want toContinue reading “Rocky Balboa is really a girl”

Field notes

Two observations: When I try to take pictures of people doing something, inevitably they have their backs to me. If possible, I walk around to the other side and usually can get a shot of the face. Makes me wonder if there’s something instinctual about turning away from the camera, even when they’re not reallyContinue reading “Field notes”

I feel "off"

Could be because I didn’t come into the office yesterday after my dental appointment. (Something about having a half-numb face makes me want to lie on the couch.) Could be because I’m listening to an audiobook of a memoir that opens with a graphic description of the author’s rape. Could be moon wobble. I justContinue reading “I feel "off"”

Flea to be you and me

Frontline Plus is way cool. I applied it for the first time yesterday, so I’m not quite ready to declare it 100 percent effective, but this morning, little dying fleas were surfacing on top of Isis’ fur to gasp a last breath before I picked them off and flicked them in the toilet. I wasContinue reading “Flea to be you and me”

School Bully

Now that Isis has gotten a hang of this training thing, I’m starting to enjoy taking her to school. It’s way better working with a group of other dogs, and we’re starting to feel friendly toward some of her fellow students, including other shepherds and a 7-month-old floppy-eared Great Dane she’s been in class withContinue reading “School Bully”

Outward Hound

After watching a marathon of eight Dog Whisperer episodes, the answer was clear. My dog needed a backpack. Dogs need a job, see? And then they need a way to relax after work.

Get sprung

Yup. It’s here. Sposed to get into the 70s today. Quite a change considering it hailed on Sunday. I plan to take both my dog and my iguana out when I get home from work today, because sadly, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow and Sunday. This is definitely a day when I should find aContinue reading “Get sprung”

Dear Dog Whisperer,

It pains me to admit it, but my dog isn’t perfect. She talks a good game, sometimes, like Monday morning when she followed my treat lures right into the house and into her crate. Monday night, we went to an obedience class and she was on point. I didn’t have to deliver a single sternContinue reading “Dear Dog Whisperer,”

Smiley

We took Isis to a “free” agility class this weekend. I didn’t care for it. The teacher was very keen on using treats as a lure, which is all well and good if you have a stupid dog who’d follow a treat off a cliff. Our dog is much too clever for such bribery. SheContinue reading “Smiley”

Inside a dog it’s too dark to read

I’m taking Isis to remedial obedience classes. She “failed” her pre-test, and rather than risk failing the real test, we’re going to weekly “tune-up” classes, where we actually get to practice around other dogs. Our obedience school doesn’t encourage dog-on-dog interaction at the basic level, which makes sense to me. It would take too longContinue reading “Inside a dog it’s too dark to read”