Working-K9: June 2010 Posts

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Pomeranian Power

You may have heard already that we had some houseguests recently. My neighbors had to move recently and could not take their two small dogs with them. They were able to leave the dogs in their back yard while they were cleaning out the house. My human and I felt sorry for the little pups being left home alone for so many hours during the day and all night.

After some consideration she offered to watch the dogs for them until they could be found a new home. The two little dogs, Daisy and Marley, moved in one evening. Because they were accustomed to being outdoors they lived primarily in the backyard. My human brought them into the kitchen during the hottest hours of the day to help keep them cool.

It was like having young puppies in the house again, as we would go outside so everyone could potty and we could avoid accidents in the house. Granted, there are still very few accidents in the house but nothing major. My human has never really had a small dog before let alone a lap dog.

At first the pair was quite shy and didn't know what to make of Atlantis and I. we were probably the largest dogs they ever seen. After a few days they did warm up to us quite a bit. In fact, Marley and Atlantis quickly became playmates. Marley even master the doggie door after watching Atlantis use it for several days.

I was quite glad Marley and Atlantis enjoy each other's company so much. They could go off and play in the backyard while I stayed in the nice cool house sprawled out on the tile floor. Daisy never did figure out the doggie door properly, but that was okay.

Marley was definitely the more outgoing of the two. If she wasn't sprawled out on the tile floor, you find her in my human's lap. In fact every time my human sat down and left her lap exposed Marley would jump up and greet her with lots of kisses.

The Pomeranians lived with us for about a week before they found a new home. We were all sad to see them go but we are very glad that they found a good and loving home.

Thursday, June 24, 2010
Pet Expo & Mean Kitty

About a week and some days ago; you know I'm a dog and have little sense of time; my human and I went to the Pet Expo in Glendale. This was just one of those fun outings that my human and I enjoy doing together. This time was extra special however, because my human's cousin decided to join us.

As usual the trip across town was long and boring. Naturally, I slept in but that the whole way, snoring now and then just to remind my human that I was indeed still back there. My human, sang and danced a bit along with the radio trying to stay awake. When we arrived at the cousin's house my human was in desperate need of a caffeinated beverage. The cousin had just the place to go, and for the first time in her life my human found herself going through the drive-through of a drive-through liquor store just for a soda. It was a strange experience for her but soda was very tasty indeed.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at the Expo the security made them throw the drink away before we could go in. It was a sad day for carbonated beverages everywhere.

The Expo itself was packed with people and their dogs. Pet dogs are not normally invited into public buildings, and I understand why. These dogs had terrible manners. Some were trying to pick fights; some were just trying to play; most all of them relieved themselves whenever and wherever they pleased. It was truly disgusting.

I will admit to a few indiscretions myself, there were some very fine looking studs that I had to stop and sniff. My human, and her cousin, were kind enough to remind me that I was still on duty as a service dog and the excessive sniffing would have to stop. Granted, it would have been a lot easier if everyone wasn't crammed into such a small space. Half of the floor space was roped off and completely unused.

It was very difficult for my human and I to move about the Expo given the setup. Even more amazing, especially to my human's cousin, was how many people would cut in front of my human scooter only to stop and talk to somebody. This forced us to stop and wait frequently. Many people try to pet and get my attention but I was so focused on the handsome male dogs that I ignored most everyone else who tried to get my attention.

It took an hour or two but we finally managed to zigzag our way through the Expo and see most of the vendors. Afterwards the humans were becoming rather hungry so we headed to Chick-fil-A. We took the food to go, and even though we weren't in the building very long I still became a focal point. The kids wanted to pet me and everyone oohed and awed over me. I love being so irresistible.

We then headed back to the cousin's house so that humans can eat and I could play with my best pal Smokey. Knowing that I am not always trustworthy around cats, cat was confined to the dogs kennel when I arrived.

After some playtime they decided to let the cat out to see how I would handle it knowing darn well just how vicious that cat could be. At first I was confused because the cat did not run away from me like most cats do. So I followed him around sniffing at it all the while. I've must have annoyed the little creature, because he turned and slapped me in the face. This was a very new experience for me, so I raised my paw and bopped him on the head.

Apparently that wasn't the best idea I've ever had. The cat sought out higher ground to gain a tactical advantage. He was also getting a little too close; and too friendly with my human. I tried to stay between them to protect my human from this unruly beast, but that only resulted in a few more whacks from the cat.

So I decided to keep my distance from the feline menace and get some loving from the cousin and her husband. I watched as Smokey approach the cat, and play with the cat, with virtually no retaliation from the cat. This I found extremely odd especially because Smokey is less than half of my size. Why would the cat let Smokey wrestle with it and not me? So I decided to try again.

I approached in a very quick yet very playful stance only to be greeted by the cat rearing up on his hind legs and batting both sides of my face like a professional boxer. Thank goodness that cat was declawed, or yours truly might have been in need of a good plastic surgeon.

My human is hoping that I learned my lesson and my intense desire to chase cats has been beaten out of me. I can say one thing for sure if the cat has reason not to fear me, I should probably have reason to fear it.

Sunday, June 13, 2010
Volleyball

Okay, so I'm a little behind again. Last week my human not only to me for my first ride on the light rail but also to the US open national volleyball championship in Phoenix. I wasn't overly crazy about the light rail ride. In fact I didn't even realize I was in the vehicle until it started to move. To make matters worse I can see objects and buildings moving past the windows as we settle on the tracks. Those of you who know me; know I don't like looking out the window even in the van. My human finally managed to wedge into a spot where I could not see out very well, this helped calm me down a lot.

Even with the frequent stops, the trip into downtown Phoenix went fairly quickly. Once they are all we have to do was find the correct convention center building where the tournament was taking place. A very friendly security guard was kind enough to guide us to our destination which wasn't very far from the light rail station.

Normally sporting events of any kind are not my human cup of tea. What made this event so special was seeing a friend who she knew in Iowa many years ago. Truth be told, this friend was actually one of her brothers friends and schoolmate. Links to social networking websites, my human and Nic have kept in touch. Since he was coming to Phoenix to play in the championship he asked my human to come cheer on his team.

My human, always being a sucker for a handsome man could refuse Nic's request to come watch the team. Plus being in a large room, with so many athletic men was too good an opportunity to pass up. The women's volleyball teams were also playing at the event, and they played very well, but you know how my human and I are, so we generally just watched the men.

Everyone at the tournament simply adored me. Who could blame them; I am adorable. From the moment we walked in players and spectators alike came over to greet me and possibly to see my human too. People petted me, they hugged me, they rubbed my belly, they told me how pretty I was; it just doesn't get any better than that. It took a while to get around amongst all the petting loving, simply to find Nic and this team. seemed happy to see my human again, and his teammates were very nice; they petted and loved on me too.

My human and I watched them play several games before we had to head back home. After all, Atlantis was home and in the kennel alone. The trip home on the light rail wasn't as bad as the trip out. My human tucked me into a corner right away and I slept most of the trip. Needless to say Atlantis was not a happy puppy when we finally arrived at home.

However, the next day my human got up early again to head back to Phoenix, and this time she leashed up Atlantis for the trip. I didn't really mind, I was still tired from the previous day's adventure. Apparently Atlantis wasn't crazy about the light rail ride either.

She was also greeted with lots of loving and petting, and a few people even noticed she wasn't me. My human didn't say anything about this being a different dog, she wanted to know if anyone would notice. Atlantis's puppiness made it rather obvious that she was not me.

Unfortunately, the guys team didn't win so a few of them along with my human and Atlantis went to the science center to have a little fun.

Maybe next year they'll win the championship, and hopefully they'll be back in Phoenix before too long.