It wasn't me!

Oh, our boy. He is a pack dog, through and through. In a pack of dogs, (cue the music from the dance/fight scene in "West Side Story,") at meal time, the canines at the top of the hierarchy of the pack will eat first. After the are finished, whatever is left behind is fair game for the lesser members of the pack. Sounds about right, right? Wonder how this translates in domesticated dog world?

It means if you leave it, you lose it. Especially around here. I can remember hearing Sarge's owner complaining that her son left his sandwich on the counter "for a second," and turned around to find Sarge had eaten it and was waiting for another. Our boy will get into the garbage as soon as we leave the house, which led to the raw pork eating /whole house steam cleaning incident of 2008. Oddly, Gonzo does not eat our cat's food. Ever. That is the exception, not the rule. (Can you tell I watched "He's Just Not That Into You" yesterday?)

The other area that seems to have a giant green light over it is the kitchen island. If we leave it, Gonzo will eat it. Especially bakery items. Our boy has eaten countless loaves of bread, an entire bag of these little Latin croissants (don't know what they are really, but oh-so-good,) and numerous bags of hot dog and hamburger rolls. Why don't we learn to use the bread drawer, you ask? Because we are beyond forgetful.

This morning, I awoke to an extremely loud belch from under the bed. Praying that our boy hadn't just barfed under there, I cajoled him out, and went downstairs to let him outside. As I turned to walk into the kitchen, I saw it there on the floor. The tray from the day-old donuts my husband had bought last night torn open with a gob of sprinkled frosting next to it. Of course, Gonzo was the culprit, skulking off under the dining room table, but sadly, my first instinct was not of our boy's health and well-being. Nope, not even close.

No, my first concern was that my husband would think that in the 12 hours he will be gone to work today (loooong commute) that I would eat all 4 of his day-old donuts. It wasn't me! I was actually going to try to stare down said donuts in a battle of will today. It really wasn't me!

Good Boy, Gonzo. Go eat some grass, and work on your skulk for when he gets home so he'll know it wasn't me, ok?

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Our boy and the little girl next door

I've posted about Sarge's people who live on the one side of us. On the other side lives a family who have no cats or dogs but rabbits and birds. They also have a little girl who is obsessed with Gonzo. I think she really, really wants a pet that she can cuddle and train and hug and will follow her around...rabbits and/or birds aren't cutting it for her. But her parents have said that they don't want an animal that poops in a litter box or the backyard. Hmm? The birds poop in their cage and the rabbits poop in their hutches...how is that at all different? All animals poop. Everybody poops. Meanwhile, Chrissy* plays in her backyard quietly, usually by herself, and I am a little sad for her.
Last night, Gonzo went out to do his thing, and she spotted our boy. Chrissy* ran to the fence and then it started. The pitiful pleas of "Gonzo, Gonzo, Gonzo, c'mere, Gonzo, Gonzo, Gonzo, Gonzo, good boy, c'mere....ah, c'mon Gonzo!" lasted for a full 5 minutes while I finished the dishes. (Did I mention that Gonzo just tolerates kids? He'd rather play with grown-ups.) I went out and brought Gonzo over to the fence where she could pet him and love him (and name him George.) But that's not enough.

That kid should have her own dog that she could love as much as we love our boy. Yes, it's a commitment, yes, it's work, but the joys of dog companionship far outweigh the duties. I may be a little biased here, because I do have the best dog ever (no offense, Penny.) Get the kid a dog, people! (steps off soapbox, straightens clothes, and smooths hair) Ahem.
*not her real name. It didn't seem right to post her name, not that there's weirdoes on the internet or anything.

Good Boy, Gonzo. You know she loves you, so go to the fence for her, hmm ? Just once, on your own?

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Don't Eat That! (Don't feed these things to your pup)

Gonzo loves his veggies. I used to find this strange, because as a child I tried to feed our family beagle brussel sprouts, lima beans, and mixed vegetables to no avail. Mom would find a pile of veggies on the linoleum next to my chair. "Where were you when I was growing up?" I lament as Gonzo begs for cucumber peels and tomato tops from the cutting board. He actually would pick cherry tomatoes off the vine with his teeth last summer. We have grape tomatoes this season, and he doesn't seem interested. I understand that green tomatoes and leaves can make our boy sick, so I am careful not to feed him under-ripe ones or too much at a time.

It's hard to know what you can and can't feed a dog, because you'll read,"Don't feed X to a dog; it will kill them," meanwhile, your dog has been eating X since it was a puppy and is alive and well. I will give our boy lettuce and carrots (indigestible according to the online sources) and I used to feed him a few grapes every time I ate them by "accidentally" dropping them, but now I read that I may have damaged his kidneys with my treat.

To save heartache, I have put together a list of items that you shouldn't feed your pup, regardless of how sweetly he asks:

Alcohol
Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Peaches and Plums
Avocados
Baking Powder or Baking Soda
Chocolate
Coffee Grounds
Dairy Products
Eggs and/or Egg Whites (raw)
Fatty Foods
Grapes and/or Raisins
Macadamia Nuts
Moldy or Spoiled Food
Nutmeg
Onions or Garlic
Salt or salty foods like chips, pretzels, or ham
Tea or tea bags
Xylitol or other artificial sweetners
Yeast dough

The link above will take you to the list at petplace.com and there you can read the reasons behind why you shouldn't feed these things to your pup.
Other sources:
http://www.raigr.com/badfoods.aspx
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=1030
http://www.hankiebears.com/Things%20not%20to%20feed%20your%20dog.pdf (notice it's a PDF file and will need to be opened, from Drs. Foster and Smith)

Good Boy, Gonzo. Eat a dog treat instead.

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Home again, Happy Gonzo

Yes, I made it back home, and Gonzo was thrilled to see me. Of course, it's the same reaction I get when I've been gone 20 minutes to the store, or hours and hours on errands. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe you came home again! You're amazing!" How can anyone not love dogs?

My cat on the other hand, has not greeted me as of yet. More like,"Oh, you again."

I'm going to give Gonzo a chewie, and unpack.

Good Boy, Gonzo. I've missed you, too.

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Vacation post day two

I imagine that if my parents didn't still have dial up, I would try to post from their house. But they do, so I won't, hence another video post.

I hope this makes you smile:

Good Boy, Gonzo. The babies are smiling at you.

More to come, so come back if you're interested.