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.