I told you there was something in the woods

I told you there was something in the woods!

We have lived her for 15 years and very rarely do we hear coyotes, but last night sent chills up my spine as what sounded like 5 or 6 crying and howling in unison to the train whistle last night. They were mere feet from the back of my house. The coyotes are usually well enough away that we have not had to deal with them, but with our outside dogs passed away now and only Damon (who stays in the house) they are now very close to the house in the woods. Damon knew a few weeks ago that there was something in the woods and was digging earlier, probably at a den, and was upset.

Today he and my husband walked the trail in the woods and Damon was on constant alert with his hair on his neck and back up. Usually we have plenty of deer in our woods but we have not seen them in the last few days. I have been in the garden and the deer only feet away in the spring and the fall, but even the rabbits are not around lately.

 I won’t allow the kids to play in the yard without constant supervision and they will definitely not be walking the wooded trails anymore. I'm also going to now carry a pack more often then i do for some possible needed items. Coyotes are unpredictable and love to play at tag type sports before they attack…I’ll keep you posted.

Dogs and children and jealousy

Dogs and children and jealousy
Damon has been used to just myself, my husband, and our teenage son for a few months now that when the grandchildren come to spend the night there is a bit of jealousy. Especially when it comes to their toys. Turn your back and he will try and steal anything that they are playing with. He has chewed up more wooden blocks, train tracks, stuffed animals; and the crying starts. Damon gets plenty of attention but like with all children and animals they know when your attention is divided.

 I have to block off the living room or the guest room from Damon when they are here because he wants what they have, almost like sibling rivalry! but out of all the toys he wants the stuffed monkey is the one he tries to get at the most.
He knows that when the grandkids are here they get a lot of attention and he wants in on it. And god forbid they leave a half eaten peanut butter sandwich on the table for later...Damon will steal it the first chance he gets.

Wouldn’t it be nice to sleep this good?

Wouldn’t it be nice to sleep this good?

Damon has had his ups and downs with listening, but what dog doesn’t have those kinds of days. (or people for that matter) But I have noticed that he sleeps more than any other dog we have owned, except for the puppy stage.  He snores loudly, and I tried to get a sound bite recorded because no one would believe the sound coming out of his throat. It woke me up with the snarling, beast sounds. I thought animals were being attacked in my house or there was demonic possession, but it was just Damon. I woke him up when I took his picture. (can’t get rid of the ugly chair, he thinks it’s his. i need to find a good dog bed)

A good dog, is a great friend

Sometimes you lose your best friend, and the shock can cause the mind to go into denial. That happened to us last night. We live on a quiet road, but accidents can still happen, and our 6 year old dog Mason was hit by a neighbor. It wasn’t their fault and they came knocking on our door visibly upset that they had hit him, but he was chasing my son in his truck, when the neighbor was coming in the opposite direction. He died instantly.

Mason was one of the best dogs we have ever had. Part blue tic heeler and part doberman. He would sit regally, as if he was an ancient Egyptian god statue squatting like the Sphinx with paws out front, yet always on alert. Great on voice and whistle commands, defender of home and children, but also an avid bird, cat, squirrel, and butterfly chaser. This sometimes was pretty comical. He will be sorely missed. 

I’m telling you, there’s something in the woods

I’m telling you, there’s something in the woods

Damon has just about lost any response to voice commands today, and since his health has gotten better, he is hard to control some days. Today he wanted what was hiding in the woods.

After halting him and walking numerous times, he wanted to chase or dig at whatever smell was driving him crazy. We have everything from skunk to bear in the woods, so I was trying to be on alert to danger and Damon wanted to get…whatever it was. I could hear it, but he could smell something was not quite right on this autumn day. I finally let him off the leash and he chased and barked at something big, but it was faster than he was, and with the crashing noises I’m guessing it was a deer. He came back after his quick running burst of adrenalin and I put the leash back on him to continue our walk. Rounding the bend he smelled something that drove him to pull, tug and dig, dig, dig.

It was comical because I could not get the leash off of him and he was tangling himself in the fallen branches and bushes. It took me more than 10 minutes of ‘leave it’ before he would listen so I could get him untangled and back on the path.

He found a nest of some small furry animals, they dispersed before he could get any of them. And only then did he finally stop digging. It’s always an adventure!

Men are dogs, Opps i mean men and dogs.

Damon has been a rascal since i have gotten back from Baltimore. I give a command and he runs to my husband or son, and ignores me, completely. Unless i have food! A couple days after i was home, Damon and my son Dan were, wrestling, for lack of a better term on the carpet. Damon tore his pants, grabbed his shoes, and bit at his arm and my son was laughing. I could shout but it would do no good, Damon was having none of it, he wanted to play. Usually they are outside for a bit of roughhousing, but in the house a 170 lb boy and a 80+ lb dog can create a lot of mischief. when they almost knocked me over, i ordered them outside. My son was upset, saying that Damon did not have enough exercise today since it was raining. Fine, it's not raining now, get outside! They play outside for a while and them my husband brings Damon in and starts throwing the ball in the house; against the floor, wall, and furniture. ARRRGGG!!!! What the hell are you doing? I shout. My husband then informs me that the dog needs exercise, as he throws the ball again into the hallway and Damon bounds after it. I give up, I'm going for a walk.

Pick your battles...then call it a draw

This is what i wake up to now every morning when i go to make coffee.

I've lost the battle...Damon won! enjoy your coffee and bless the day. Dunkin' Donuts Ground Coffee - 40oz - Ground & Instant Coffee (Google Affiliate Ad)Every night i go to bed i can hear him jump in the chair. Oh, I could get up and command him to get down every 10 minutes or so, but i kind of like my sleep. If it brings the dog some form of comfort then so be it! He feels better, i get my sleep and everyone is happy...almost. Every morning Damon now likes to trot down to my mother house and wake her dog up. she has a scruffy terrier mutt that was abandoned, as a puppy, on her property. She named him MacDoogle, but every one calls him Doogle. He is a wondering mongrel and a car chaser, so we keep Damon away from him as much as possible. I guess Damon wakes him up so he can watch his alter ego, tramp all over the neighborhood: unleashed and care free.

That’s so bad it’s funny…almost

I recently had to travel to Baltimore, Maryland for the funeral of my nephew Kenny. He was 27 years old and had many health problems: leukemia when he was five and a heart transplant in 2004. He was a caring, sweet, funny, fun loving guy and will be sorely missed. Damon has been with my husband the last week, and has picked up many bad habits. Some are laughable and others are down-right terrible. Upon arriving home Damon was really happy to see me and immediately tried to jump on me. That can’t happen, “down Damon” and he gets down. We all go into the house and I start to make something to eat and Damon jumps up into the comfy chair. What the H???

Lounger Pet Bed - Black - Pet Beds (Google Affiliate Ad) “Damon down” and he just look at me like I have a screw loose. “Damon down” He is not moving. I walk behind the chair and firmly say “Damon down” and begin to slowly lift up the back of the chair. That gets him down. “Good boy” and he lay down on the floor. “Geez what have you guys been letting him get away with while I was gone.” My husband told me he didn’t know Damon had taken over the ugly chair. (It is an ugly chair but comfy) The next morning I had to watch my grandsons and we were playing in the guest room with toys after lunch when I hear this horrible crash, boom, boom, crash. I come running into the kitchen and Damon had jumped from the dining room chair onto the table to devour the leftover food on the table. OMG! “Damon down, bad dog” He jumps off the table and lies down on the floor like he has done nothing. I’m still in shock at this point. But I have enough sense to place the dirty dishes in the sink before going back to play cars with my grandsons. In the last week I have noticed that Damon is testing more and more boundaries… Like trying to get your sandwich, when you set it on your plate, to chew the last bite you took. Apparently if you put it down your done with it…aren’t you! Heaven forbid you need to get a glass of water. I’ve had to command him to lie down on the opposite side of the kitchen, just so I can eat, without being dog-eyed and my plate lunged at. He is now wolfing down his food, so he can try and get at yours. (We feed him dinner at the same time were eating so we wouldn’t have this problem. (Apparently it is not working anymore) But at least Damon is eating now, where we were worried about his appetite earlier. Also in the last month since we have had him, his hip has improved tremendously. Since he is getting lots and lots of exercise (and so are we) He does not favor his hind legs. I guess being cooped up in a pen the month prior caused most of the problem.

I'm so lonely i could chew the wall...and i did

Week 3. My father had taken very in as was in ICU for the last few days, so Damon has had to keep himself occupied. by chewing the wall, door frame, my shoes, and anything else in his path. He is taken out and walked, run, but when i have to leave him by his self, he gets lonely and frustrated and chews. Damon has eaten every ball. I got him a new rope and ball tug of war toy but it was destroyed in the hours i was gone. 4

Yesterday i found a jumbo size butchers bone. (looks more like a mastadon femur) and in less then 6 hours has got it partially gone. Some one recommended elk horns. I have to look those up and order some. "Beefhide Bulk Dog Bone Dog Treat" (Google Affiliate Ad) I remember a friend of mine who's son left two small terriers at his house when he went away to college. While the doctor was at work the dogs ripped up his couch. OMG!

Day 10, You can’t see me standing here.

Oh yes I can! Damon does not like the ear treatments, can’t blame him there! So I now save the peanut butter sandwich pills for after the ear treatment. It’s only once a day, but after 2 days he knew that if I was shaking up the white bottle, it was gonna be bad. As soon as he sees it he runs and hides his head in the couch. Just like a 2 year old putting his hands over his eyes thinking you can’t see them. Since I found his hiding place he now goes behind the chair. Guess what I found him there too!

Day 9, The evil pillow has to die!

Today I had to take my grandson to the doctors for a checkup and Damon was upset he could not go. Sorry but I’m not putting a 75lb dog in the back seat with a 6 week old baby. There are just some chances I’m not willing to take. Damon looked very sad when I had to ‘man handle’ him away from the door so I could get out. We forgot what stay means today. He was only in the house for about an hour and a half by himself, but it has also been raining and he has not had the longer walks he usually gets. So maybe he was bored, or just really frustrated today, but today was apparently it... my evil throw pillow was going to get his today…I found his remains on the floor when I returned. Damon was very proud of his accomplishments, and was standing over top his conquest like a true warrior. No dog treats tonight! Do they make sturdy pillows as well as sturdy toys? How about chainmil? Just a thought.

Day 8, When did you get a cat! Can I eat him?

About 10+ years ago we rescued an adult cat from the shelter, because he was not a kitten and so big about 18+ lbs, they were going to put him down since no one wanted him. Shipwreck had some great adventures for a cat and my cousin who worked at the shelter asked us if we would take him. I don’t like animals in the house and she knew I was not a cat person, but Shipwreck doesn’t like people either so we were even. It took the cat 3 months just to get used to us, and he has not had too many animal visitors either. He is definitely not a lap cat or a cat that even likes to be petted. After 10 years we still just tolerate each other. Then Damon entered the house. First couple of days they ignored each other. The cat would sit high and just watch him. Today Damon noticed the cat because the cat wanted to be noticed. I was bringing in Damon from his walk when the cat was by the front door. I told Shipwreck to get, like the cat understands me, and instead he walked closer to the screen door and looked out at the dog. They both stood there not moving, eyes staring for what seemed like the longest time. My teenage son saw me and tried to scat the cat away from the door as he opened it, and that was all the encouragement Damon needed to bark, growl, and bound for the cat. Stupid cat turned and hissed back, and the fun began. Damon runs the floor and the cat jumping on the high places, chairs, and counters in a game of chase. I took us a good few minutes to get the cat into the basement and close the door so Damon couldn’t get him. The cat hasn’t been upstairs since, unless Damon is outside.

Day 7, Peanut butter sandwiches and pills.

Another great trick I learned from our other dogs when they needed a pill was to fix a half a peanut butter sandwich and split in two. Put the pill in the first sandwich, so they swallow down bread and pill to get the second half. Works every time…but now Damon thinks everyone’s peanut butter sandwich is his. Daddy was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Damon immediately sat next to him, like he was waiting for his bite. Every time Dad took a bite Damon ‘chomped’ like he was biting with him. Moving his mouth, waiting… you couldn’t help but laugh. Lucky it was pill time anyway so I made Damon his peanut butter sandwich.

Day 6, My foot is not for eating. Eat this!

Did I mention that Damon likes to chew stuff? We keep on the lookout for sturdier toys, but most are dismembered in a very short time. Today my foot looked like it could be a sturdy play thing and after him chasing it throughout the house while I was cleaning, I just gave up and let him rip my sock to shreds. Made him happy for less than a minute. We finally figured out a neat trick to get him to eat his dry dog food, when I’m done making breakfast or dinner, I put a little water in the pan to scrape off the bits of meat, egg, fish, etc… and use to make a gravy on his food. Mix it good and let it sit for a couple of minutes before giving it to him. He is eating the nutrition from the dry dog food but still getting a taste of people food. So far so good and he is eating the entire thing this way,

and not spitting the dry food out.

Day 5, I’m a good boy, but I don’t like that other dog.

Damon loves going for a ride in the truck, anywhere is fine. He was all excited about more new smells at the vet’s office and there was a teenage girl there and he just couldn’t get enough of her petting him, and was trying to sit on her lap. He thinks he is a small lap dog. The vet said he was a healthy dog, but age wise were still not sure, so they are guessing between 1 – 3 years old. He was so excited having the vet pet him that he leaned into her and his weight knocked her on to the floor, where he gave many kisses. Damon has acquired a fungal infection in his ear and rash on his belly from somewhere and needs some meds to clear that up. He will also have to come back for another appointment to be sedated so they can get x-rays of his hips. He didn’t seem in pain but the hind legs, ‘click’ a bit and it might be something he could have a problem with later in life. We talked about his lack of appetite and the vet seems to think whom ever had him before he was put in the pound, spoiled him with a lot of people food, that is why he is not eating his dog food. I wonder if he is just scared about being in a new environment. As I’ve changed from one brand of dog food to the other trying to entice him to eat but to no avail yet. There were two other large dogs in the office that day and Damon was not going to have any other dogs getting his attention. We worked again on sit, stay and leave it. But eventually I had to get between him and the other dog, while still trying to get him to stay. I can’t have him attacking other dogs and he needs to learn the stay and leave it commands again.

(Captured from Burke Animal rescue Friends for Animals Face Book site) Thought i would let every one see the post for Damon adoption before it was taken off the site. Fisher-Price Love To Play Puppy (Google Affiliate Ad) This is the dog my daughter fell in love with.

Day 4.5 evening pizza and eating habits

Damon is still not eating his dog food even though I changed it. Tonight we had pizza and he was sitting on the floor near the dining room table waiting…watching…for you to turn your back. My husband was giving him pizza crust and I was mad that he was feeding him while at the table, this can start some really bad habits quick. So he started to put the crust in his food dish, much better. Damon would eat out of his bowl and then come and sit again near the table and watch. Every time I would turn away from my plate, Damon would try and move forward, to take the pizza off of my plate. He would get caught and pretend to look around at anything other than you or your food, but you would catch him darting his eyes to the plate again. He really is a smart clown. Since he was not eating his food still…daddy took some sardine oil and put it on his dog food to try and entice him to eat it. Damon would suck off the oil and spit the dog food out. He has a vet appointment in the morning and we will see what else we can do.

Day 4.5 Chew, chew, chew

Damon has chewed up or eaten just about every ball I have in the house. I had to promise my grandson that I would buy him some more. He loves to fetch the ball but is not very willing to give it back to you, instead he wants to play tug of war with it and test your strength. We have to work on the Drop command and get him a braided rope for tug of war. More research on the internet said that pit and pit mixes love to chew stuff up. Great. While trying to clean up the carpet from the ball mess, Damon definitely is not a friend of the vacuum cleaner. I was using it to clean our guest room / grandsons play room when he bounded in and jumped on the kids bed… “Damon get down” He got down then right back up to steal a beanie frog toy and run into the kitchen. In the seconds it took me to shut off the vacuum cleaner he had it torn up the frog and small beads were all over the floor. I took remainder of the frog and put it in the trash to get the cleaner and clean up this new mess and while my back was turned. He stole it from the trash can very quietly and went into the living room. I saw the mess when I was working my way there cleaning. “Oh Damon” More pieces to pick up and vacuum…when I turn the cleaner on he jumps on the couch, barks… “Damon get down” and I swear the dog laughed as he jumped down and bounded to the other chair where he stole a pillow and ran into the kitchen. I shut off the vacuum again and told him “drop” that was not gonna happen. We didn’t learn that one yet. He wanted to play tug of war and I wasn’t playing. I held the pillow very gently and waited for him to release for a better grip and quickly took and hid it behind my back. He looked everywhere for that pillow. Lucky for me he didn’t see when i put it on top the china cabinet. I took Damon out for a walk to release some of his energy and figured I would clean later…much later. I read on line that pit’s are clowns and like to play and joke around, but I still worry, not knowing the dog very well yet.

Day 4, Could you please tell me everything you know about a dog that my daughter adopted?

I leash and walk Damon in the morning through the woods again, he is doing really well, so let’s see how he does without one. (This is not recommended for owners in parks, cities, etc… or for any dog owner who has no control over their dog, and definitely never an aggressive one) Since I don’t have many close neighbors and he has acres to run, we see if he can follow commands to return. Here goes. Damon sit! He sits and I take off the leash. Go! And he is more than happy to oblige, darting in and out of the forest, sprinting, chasing Mason. Damon! Mason! Come! Mason runs back and Damon follows. I pet and praise them both, “good boys!” Go! Damon is very happy exploring and smelling everything. Damon! Mason! Come! Mason runs back and Damon…crap. Damon, Damon! Come! He comes back, but apparently deer piss is just too great a smell to have to leave. Yuk! This same process, with and without the leash is repeated…EVERYDAY! Even if a dog is trained, they need constant reminding. I think of it as my children when they were 2 and 3 (and as teenagers) if they can test the boundaries…they will. I call the Friends for animals place after reviewing the paper work and ask them if they can please tell me more about Damon. They tell me he is still on their Face book page and that the previous owner even commented about it being her former dog. She tells me that the previous owner had trained him and that he knew Sit, Stay, Leave it, and a few others. The owner had to move and was in college and could not take the dog, so someone else told her that they would take care of him, but instead after a day or two took him to the pound. He would have been euthanized if it were not for Friends of Animals who realized he was trained and a good, healthy dog and took him to their no kill shelter. He was there for about a month before my daughter adopted him. I called “Nameless” (we are thinking of giving her, her name back) to get on Face book and see if she can contact the former owner to ask if Damon had any medical problems, exactly what kind of training, etc… anything she can find out. She found a few pictures, and is still waiting to hear back from the girl. In the meantime I go to our local vet and make an appointment for Damon. They copy all the paperwork and as I get in the car to come home, I realize that we also have become very attached to Damon in just a few days.

Day 3, I have to do what?

The house was very quiet last night, No barking…No wondering around…No poop! Damon waited to do his business outside and that is when I noticed he was still squatting like a pup, and he was favoring his back legs a bit, leaning more on the front when taking a poop, and even spinning a bit. I tied him back up under the peach tree again with his food and water, still afraid he might run off. When I came in the house I did a little more research about Pit temperament and had many, many questions: Is he still a puppy and how old is he Is he sick Does he still have soreness after his surgery Does he have hip problems Was he trained in any way This prompts me to find out as much as I can about Damon and as you can figure we are becoming attached to him. I ask “Nameless” for the paperwork that came with him. I also realize from multiple wonderful web sites; that I have to get off my butt to exercise him, numerous times a day because of intelligence, boredom and high energy. (I could lose a few pounds) Web sites also talk about training him, or in our case re-training him to keep him out of trouble. I decide to first work with proper leash training. “Let’s see what you know Damon, sit! He sits, and I attach his leash to him. He is more than ready, but I am still having some anxiety. With our property having a 3+ acre wooded path for walking in the mountains, I also called Mason to join us (Mason is unleashed) and already knows the drill, so he begins to run the path and dart in and out of the forest. Damon is ready to chase after watching Mason sprint and lunges foreword. “Stop!” I stop and call Mason and he comes back. Wait till Damon calms down the start off again. “Walk!” A little better, not as much pulling…opps what is over here… “Stop!” Mason come, he comes back, Damon relaxes and no pulling. “Walk!” Damon is walking with me now, less pulling, and I’m letting him smell and sniff the new things in the woods. He watches Mason and wants so bad to run and explore but he needs to know the property boundaries first. He becomes better accepting of Mason but as with all Pit dogs on many web sites, never trust them not to fight. We repeat this process a few times and he does wonderful. Damon is actually doing very well.

You can't keep that thing here?

“Nameless” called me in tears because the apartment manager spotted Damon, gasped and said “Oh my God! You can’t keep that dog here! (Apartment rules state that a dog has to be less than 20 lbs.) As with many uninformed people about pit bull mixes, and all the scary news segments sensationalizing horror stories about them, I judged Damon as well, before getting to know the animal. I told “Nameless” that he is just going to have to go back to the Shelter! (2 hours later) I called “Nameless” to inform her that daddy was picking up the dog. I’ll keep him here, until you can take him back to the shelter. “Where is he going to stay?” she asked. “I don’t care, but he isn’t coming in the house!” I said. “This dog isn’t my problem.” Again she tried to inform me that he was house broken and a good dog, but his attributes were falling on deaf ears. My husband brought him to the house and tried to introduce him to our other dog but just at this time Damon tried to mount our 5 year old Doberman/Blue tic Healer/ Rottweiler mix male named Mason. He (Damon) was going to show him who was top dog. Mason was still for only a few seconds before he tried to fight and my husband picked up Damon (not an easy task) off of Mason and I commanded Mason to leave him. Damon did not like Mason, but he did not try to bite my husband as he “man handled” him. Needless to say we gave him some food and water and tied him under the peach tree so he wouldn’t run off or try to immediately dominate the other male dog. He just laid there under the tree and wouldn’t eat…Humm. “Did you feed him at the house?” I asked “Nameless” after I called her on the phone “I fed him but he hardly ate anything in the last couple of days.” She stated “Crap, I wonder if he is sick?” I said, and had an idea “Let me call you back.” I went into the house and got a beef hotdog out of the refrigerator, and broke it into 3 smaller pieces. He smelled it and was all excited, “Sit Damon” Dang if he didn’t sit and patiently waited for me to give him the food. Wow! I tested him by petting his head while eating and told him he was a good boy. No growls, no bites, he just ate. I looked at his food and wondered what he was eating elsewhere? “Where are we going to put him, he can’t stay tied under the tree?” I asked my husband. Our 17 year old teenage son had the solution, “He can sleep in my room.” He said enthusiastically. ARRGGGG! Did I mention I don’t like animals in the house! As Damon settled in my son’s room for the night and all was quiet, I got to work researching Pit bulls and Pit mixes on the internet…Amazing!

Oh hell no! Are you Crazy?

Day 1.5 I was not speechless, far from it, and after cursing every expletive I could reasonably articulate… Are you crazy? What the ….are you thinking? How much? @#$^&$^# (I became incoherent at this point) “Nameless” told me he was house broken, good with kids; they think he was trained…blah, blah, blah. Seeing that I was not thrilled with her new puppy, she left for home. “By the way mom,” she said “his name is now Damon” (I should have known since her favorite shows were ‘Pit Boss’ and ‘Pit Bulls and Parolees’

Dont judge a book by its cover

DAY 1. you know the saying don't judge a book by its cover. I have to admit I did. so now being more informed by no means an expert I'm writing this blog to take a journey forward my daughter who shell be nameless from this day forward was a buzz with joy to go visiting a no kill shelter in Bu#rke County North Carolina to look for a small puppy that her 3 year old and 1 month old sons could grow up with. "Large Black Lab Plush Stuffed Animal" (Google Affiliate Ad) I should mention she only has a small 2 bedroom apartment. My nameless child brought home the perfect pooch; a 75lb pitbull / lab mix that was rescued from the pound before being euthanized