16 February 2008 - Both dogs needed a Bordetella vaccine so I took them to the Petco vaccination clinic this afternoon. I have no idea what a Bordetella vaccine is. Sounds like the name of a wine, or an expensive cheese or even a mushroom. But I do know that it is required if you are going to board your dogs and we will be boarding them soon when we go on vacation. So it was time to take them in.
Both dogs were very excited when I got their leashes out. I can just hear their thoughts: "Oh goodie, we get to go somewhere with Momma. I hope we're going someplace fun!"
They eagerly jumped into the car and I headed off to Petco. They soon made their way from the back seat into the front seat where they would have a better view of what was going on. They stood and looked out the windows. They also put their noses to the air vents to sniff them. When we arrived at Petco they began to get very excited. I don't know if they could smell the dogs as we pulled into the shopping center parking lot or not, but they knew something was in the air.
We made our way into the store and were directed to the line for the shots. The dogs were pulling on their leashes the entire time. I had no idea there would be so many other people there. The line was very long and my dogs were very excited and had loudly announced their presence. "Hey everyone we're beagles! Did you know a beagle won best of show at the Westminster Dog Show this year? Well he did and we are beagles too and we are tough!"
We had a very docile pit bull mix in front of us and a quiet German Shepherd behind us. But my dogs were pulling at their leashes the entire time and barking and growling. It was downright embarrassing. It seemed to take forever to get to the front of the line. I held each dog as they got their shot. Thankfully at this point they were very good. Then we had to get into another line to pay for the shots. Thank goodness this line was much shorter.
I made my way out of the store, loaded the dogs into the car and headed for home. The trip home was very different fron the trip out. It was as if they figured the shot was punishment for bad behavior. Chloe was lying down in the front seat and Jack was lying down in the back seat all the way home. I looked back at Jack when we stopped at a light. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes as if to say, "Gee wiz, if you'd told me I'd get a shot if I didn't quiet down I wouldn't have made all that noise in the first place!"
They rushed in the house when we got home, ate their dinner, and are now sleeping soundly on the waterbed like little angels. You would never think they were the same out of control beagles that were at the shot clinic today.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
More Crate Anxiety
10 February 2008 – By now you are well aware of the fact that Jack hates to be put in his crate. What I don’t get is how on earth he knows that we are planning to put him in there. It’s Sunday and Kent has already left for some meetings. I am getting ready to go to church. It is a beautiful sunny day and the dogs want to go out, so I open the sliding glass door and out they go. They have already been in and out a couple of times this morning, but it is so beautiful that I am happy to give them a few more minutes to play in the sun. I go back into the bedroom and finish getting ready. I grab a sweater and put it on, then go out to the dining area to make sure I have all my bags and scriptures ready to grab. I leave everything in the dining area, even my purse and car keys, because I don’t want to tip Jack off to the fact that I am leaving. I go to the sliding glass door, open it, and call the dogs to come in, just like I always do, just like I did earlier this morning when they were out. Chloe comes running immediately and is in the house. Jack stands across the yard and just looks at me. He KNOWS I am leaving and he has to go into his crate. How does he know this? I had no problem getting him to come in earlier this morning. What is different now?
He won’t come to me. He just stands there looking at me as he lowers his head. I step outside and he drops to the ground. As I get closer he rolls over on his back in a completely submissive posture. He knows I want him to come in. He knows he is being disobedient, but he has no intention of helping me get him into that crate. When I get to him I have to grab him by the collar and literally drag him up into a standing position. I walk him into the house and to the crate, holding his collar the entire time. I push him into the crate. Chloe eagerly follows him. I close the door of the crate, grab my stuff from the dining room and am off to church. How the heck does Jack know when he has to go into the crate? I haven’t a clue as to how he knows this.
He won’t come to me. He just stands there looking at me as he lowers his head. I step outside and he drops to the ground. As I get closer he rolls over on his back in a completely submissive posture. He knows I want him to come in. He knows he is being disobedient, but he has no intention of helping me get him into that crate. When I get to him I have to grab him by the collar and literally drag him up into a standing position. I walk him into the house and to the crate, holding his collar the entire time. I push him into the crate. Chloe eagerly follows him. I close the door of the crate, grab my stuff from the dining room and am off to church. How the heck does Jack know when he has to go into the crate? I haven’t a clue as to how he knows this.
Watch Dogs
13 Jan 2008 – In the morning when my alarm goes off, first the radio comes on for 15 minutes, then the alarm actually rings and I turn it off and turn the radio back on. One morning last week I had done this and the station was doing a news story. It had to do with the ASPCA and the interview was taking place at an animal shelter. You could hear all the dogs barking noisily in the background. Jack and Chloe were sleeping on the waterbed until that interview came on. The minute they heard the dogs barking, they jumped up and started barking back at those dogs. It didn’t matter that they could not see the dogs or that they were not anywhere near our house. They could hear the dogs and that was enough for them to sound the alert: ”Beware! Beware! Intruders! There are other dogs about and they are mean and nasty. We must protect you with our incessant barking.” And then the interview was over and the dogs stopped barking and went back to sleep.
Hungry, Hungry Beagles
9 December 2007 – The dogs could care les about the switch from daylight savings to regular time. They were used to being fed a 5:00 PM on the dot. But when daylight savings time ended their 5 PM became 4 PM, but we still feed them at 5 PM, which is actually their 6 PM. So they are not happy about being fed an hour late. At 4 PM they start doing the beagle “feed me” dance, but of course we wait until 5.
Well, today Kent was getting ready to leave the house at 5 PM to go do some home teaching. I had been laying down with the dogs and got up. They got up too and came in to the kitchen doing the beagle “feed me” dance. Kent realized what they wanted and grabbed the yellow tub we keep their food in. It was empty so he headed out to the garage to fill it up. They saw him grab it and got even more excited, knowing that food was coming SOON. But Kent came back from the garage empty handed. Both of the food buckets in the garage were empty too. The dogs were not amused. I explained to Kent what we needed to get and where to buy it and he left on an emergency dog food run. But while he was gone the dogs were not the least bit happy and expressed their displeasure to me. They both went to the front door, barking and looking for Kent. I had gone in to the bathroom and they came in there to bark at me and let me know I needed to do something about feeding them. I came back out to the dining room area and Jack started playing with a plastic bowl that is in here. They both kept running around the house, then going to the door to see if Kent was coming back in with their food, then running to me to see if I could do anything about it. FINALLY Kent came home with the food. As I write this the dogs are happily crunching away on their dog food.
Well, today Kent was getting ready to leave the house at 5 PM to go do some home teaching. I had been laying down with the dogs and got up. They got up too and came in to the kitchen doing the beagle “feed me” dance. Kent realized what they wanted and grabbed the yellow tub we keep their food in. It was empty so he headed out to the garage to fill it up. They saw him grab it and got even more excited, knowing that food was coming SOON. But Kent came back from the garage empty handed. Both of the food buckets in the garage were empty too. The dogs were not amused. I explained to Kent what we needed to get and where to buy it and he left on an emergency dog food run. But while he was gone the dogs were not the least bit happy and expressed their displeasure to me. They both went to the front door, barking and looking for Kent. I had gone in to the bathroom and they came in there to bark at me and let me know I needed to do something about feeding them. I came back out to the dining room area and Jack started playing with a plastic bowl that is in here. They both kept running around the house, then going to the door to see if Kent was coming back in with their food, then running to me to see if I could do anything about it. FINALLY Kent came home with the food. As I write this the dogs are happily crunching away on their dog food.
Claustrophobic Dog
2 December 2007 – Jack is not such a dumb dog. I’ve told you about how he hates going into the crate and will try to avoid it. Well this morning Kent was ready for church before I was and decided to put the dogs in their crates. He got some of their treats and brought them into the bedroom in his hand. Both dogs were on the bed. Kent came in to get the dogs. Chloe was ready to go anywhere where food was involved, But Jack knew immediately what Kent wanted and he wanted nothing to do with those crates. Jack rolled over on his back in a completely submissive posture while wagging his tail, all the while looking at Kent imploringly as if to say, “Please don’t make me go in the crate. I have claustrophobia. I can’t stand being enclosed in small spaces. Oh please don’t make me go.” Kent held the treat right in front of Jack’s mouth. I’m talking ¼” away from it, and Jack would not take the treat. It was the funniest thing he’s done thus far regarding the crates.
Crating The Dogs
18 November 2007 – Kent was down in southern California this week so I had to put the dogs in their crates every morning before I went to work. Chloe will go in quite willingly, but Jack is another story. When I put Chloe in the crate Jack used to go to the sliding glass door hoping I would just let him out. But I would go over and grab him by the collar, pull him to the crate, and shove him in. He got wise to this. So now, when I begin to put Chloe in, Jack will go in to the dining/kitchen area and hide. If I start towards that area via the entry hall, he will start heading for the piano area. So I go to the piano area and meet him and he just gives up and sits down, I then grab him by the collar, pull him to the crate, and shove him in. Poor Jack. He really hates that crate.
When I get home from work they are both dying to get out of the crates and eat. I let them both out, open the slider so they can run outside, then fill both of their bowls so they can eat. Jack will begin eating immediately. But this week there were 2 days when Chloe would not eat. She pranced around her bowl, but was not eating and she kept coming over to me. So I gave her a few moments of attention and love and that seemed to be what she wanted, because then she went to her bowl and ate.
Nutty dogs.
When I get home from work they are both dying to get out of the crates and eat. I let them both out, open the slider so they can run outside, then fill both of their bowls so they can eat. Jack will begin eating immediately. But this week there were 2 days when Chloe would not eat. She pranced around her bowl, but was not eating and she kept coming over to me. So I gave her a few moments of attention and love and that seemed to be what she wanted, because then she went to her bowl and ate.
Nutty dogs.
Pillow Play
10 October 2007 – When Bryce & Cole were little kids, Kent and I would play a game with them that they got a real kick out of. They would lie down on the bed or on the floor. Kent & I would then lie down near them and put our heads on their backs or stomachs and pretend they were our pillows. We would say things to each other like: “There’s something wrong with this pillow, it keeps moving. Pillow STOP moving!” OR “This pillow is talking and making too much noise. Pillow, STOP talking!” Whereupon the boys would burst into giggles over the silliness of it all. Well, this past week I woke up to find that my pillow was moving. Really! Miss Chloe had crawled under my pillow during the night and was now beginning to stir. It reminded me immediately of the old game we had enjoyed so much when the boys were little.
14 October 2007 – Miss Chloe did it again. This morning I got up to go to the bathroom. I came back and started to lie dawn and then immediately jumped up. Kent turned to me and asked “What’s wrong?” I said, “My pillow is moving.” As I had started to lay my head down on the pillow, it moved. So I got up and lifted up my pillow, and there, sandwiched between two pillows was Miss Chloe, curled up and sleeping soundly. I can’t figure out if she had been there all along, or if she moved there when I got up to go to the bathroom. She has a tendency to do that, you move and then she moves to be right next to you. Anyway, we moved her off the pillows and I was then able to lay down again and go back to sleep.
14 October 2007 – Miss Chloe did it again. This morning I got up to go to the bathroom. I came back and started to lie dawn and then immediately jumped up. Kent turned to me and asked “What’s wrong?” I said, “My pillow is moving.” As I had started to lay my head down on the pillow, it moved. So I got up and lifted up my pillow, and there, sandwiched between two pillows was Miss Chloe, curled up and sleeping soundly. I can’t figure out if she had been there all along, or if she moved there when I got up to go to the bathroom. She has a tendency to do that, you move and then she moves to be right next to you. Anyway, we moved her off the pillows and I was then able to lay down again and go back to sleep.
Biting Water
5 September 2007 – The dogs are just plain psycho. I took them both up to the cabin over the Labor Day weekend. I also took both of them in swimming. I keep them both on their leashes because they cannot be trusted and will run away if I let them off and they catch a scent. So although I have taken them swimming before, this is the first time I have taken them all the way up to the rapids. My nephew, Matthew, took one of the dogs and I took the other one. When we got up to the rapids they jumped up on the rocks. But Jack seemed uncomfortable and was shaking and whining. I thought perhaps being in the middle of all that running water was making him nervous. So I took both dogs over to the little rocky beach area that is up by the rapids. I no more got them on the beach than Jack jumps back into the water with Chloe following close behind. Jack went over to the rapids and began sniffing around frantically at the rocks and the water. Then he began frantically biting the water. Yes, he was biting the water. He was acting like he was trying to catch a fish or something although there were none to be found. He was obsessed with biting the water and it was so funny watching him. At one point Chloe started barking at him and would not stop. I decided she was saying, ”Jack, you stop biting that water this instant. You look like a total retard and you are embarrassing me to death. Do you hear me? Stop it now!”
Separation Anxiety
19 August 2007 – Well it’s been an interesting week with the beagles. When we picked the dogs up from the vet on Sunday they both had very bad diarrhea. I called the vet immediately and complained and said I wanted it noted in their record. By Monday night Jack was still ill and not eating anything. As soon as I got home from work I took him into the vet. The tech told me that it is typical of the beagle breed to have separation anxiety. Then after the vet examined Jack he said he did not appear to be ill, no fever or any other symptoms other than the diarrhea and lack of appetite. The vet said that he probably was suffering from, …. you….. are ….. not …..going …..to ….. believe ….. this ….. ….. ….. ….. , irritable bowel syndrome.!!!!!! Can you even believe this?!?!? Are you laughing hysterically?!?!?!? What really adds to the hilarity of this is that my own IBS flared up on the trip and I was absolutely miserable for most of the trip. But I was determined to not let it ruin our vacation so I trekked on and had a fabulous time anyway.
So back to the dogs. The vet gave me some medication for Jack and tells me to put Jack on the rice diet that I used to have to make for Gideon when he was sick. So I go home and make the rice stuff up for the dogs. I put both of them on the rice because although Chloe was eating, she still had the diarrhea. So on Tuesday we feed them the rice stuff. Jack wolfs it down but Chloe won’t touch it. I think, “Oh no, now I have to take her to the vets too.” But she is not acting like Jack did. She acts like she is hungry. I had some leftover pot roast in the fridge. I put the drippings from the meat on her food and she eats it. OK, so now I know it was just too plain for our picky Miss Chloe. So how will I get her to eat it the next night? I know, I just bought some chicken livers at the market. So when I get home from work the next day I get the chicken livers out and boil them until cooked. Then I put them into the blender and puree them and add them to the rice stuff. Now both dogs will have a delicious meal of rice and liver. Right? Wrong! Jack is happy as a clam. He LOVES the liver stuff. Thinks he has died and gone to doggy heaven for sure. Nothing could be better than this. Chloe on the other hand is turning her nose up at it. She takes a sniff and walks away. She wants nothing to do with the rice, the liver, or the combination of the two. When Kent fed Jack, he gave him the liver stuff and a bit of his hard dry food. Jack is so excited by the smell of the liver stuff on the counter that he leaves some of the dry food in his bowl. Miss Chloe goes over and finishes it off. So I serve her up a bowl of the dry food and she eats it all. No more problems. She’s not interested in the sick dog diet.
Thursday I had to drop Kent off somewhere and we took the dogs with us in the car. When I got home there were cars in front of our house so I parked in front of the neighbor’s house across the street. As I pull up the dogs start barking like crazy. They love to bark, but usually you can figure out what they are barking at; another dog, a person walking by on the street, a squirrel, a cat or some other critter. But there was nothing in front of the neighbor’s house. Then I figured it out. My 2 brainless dogs were barking at something sitting on the neighbor’s front porch. It’s a statue of a dog. I can hear their conversation now. “Boy, we really scared him. He didn’t move a muscle!”
So back to the dogs. The vet gave me some medication for Jack and tells me to put Jack on the rice diet that I used to have to make for Gideon when he was sick. So I go home and make the rice stuff up for the dogs. I put both of them on the rice because although Chloe was eating, she still had the diarrhea. So on Tuesday we feed them the rice stuff. Jack wolfs it down but Chloe won’t touch it. I think, “Oh no, now I have to take her to the vets too.” But she is not acting like Jack did. She acts like she is hungry. I had some leftover pot roast in the fridge. I put the drippings from the meat on her food and she eats it. OK, so now I know it was just too plain for our picky Miss Chloe. So how will I get her to eat it the next night? I know, I just bought some chicken livers at the market. So when I get home from work the next day I get the chicken livers out and boil them until cooked. Then I put them into the blender and puree them and add them to the rice stuff. Now both dogs will have a delicious meal of rice and liver. Right? Wrong! Jack is happy as a clam. He LOVES the liver stuff. Thinks he has died and gone to doggy heaven for sure. Nothing could be better than this. Chloe on the other hand is turning her nose up at it. She takes a sniff and walks away. She wants nothing to do with the rice, the liver, or the combination of the two. When Kent fed Jack, he gave him the liver stuff and a bit of his hard dry food. Jack is so excited by the smell of the liver stuff on the counter that he leaves some of the dry food in his bowl. Miss Chloe goes over and finishes it off. So I serve her up a bowl of the dry food and she eats it all. No more problems. She’s not interested in the sick dog diet.
Thursday I had to drop Kent off somewhere and we took the dogs with us in the car. When I got home there were cars in front of our house so I parked in front of the neighbor’s house across the street. As I pull up the dogs start barking like crazy. They love to bark, but usually you can figure out what they are barking at; another dog, a person walking by on the street, a squirrel, a cat or some other critter. But there was nothing in front of the neighbor’s house. Then I figured it out. My 2 brainless dogs were barking at something sitting on the neighbor’s front porch. It’s a statue of a dog. I can hear their conversation now. “Boy, we really scared him. He didn’t move a muscle!”
Boarding the dogs
12 August 2007 – Kent & I went on a weeklong trip to Utah and boarded the dogs at the vets. We picked them up today on our way home. I think the dogs are mad at us. They are exhausted and I don't think they liked being boarded for a week and being separated from us. Right now they are crashed out on the waterbed as if they haven't slept for a week. When we got into the house they both drank water as if they hadn't had anything to drink for a week. One of the vet techs told us that he had tried to play with them last night and they wouldn't come out of their cage. I feel like the worst pet owner ever. I've traumatized my babies! Hopefully they will be back to normal by tomorrow
Beagle Hide and Seek
29 June 2007 – Jack does not like squeezing through tight spaces or going by moving objects. So if a door is open only 2” he will just stand outside the door. He will not try to push it open because the movement scares him. If no one lets him through, then he will bark until someone comes and opens the door enough for him to get through. Miss Chloe, however, is afraid of nothing. She will just push that door open to get where she wants to go. If she pushes it open far enough, then Jack will go through too. The funny thing about all of this is that it is obvious that Chloe knows about this little quirk of Jack’s. When they are playing in the house and he is chasing her through the dining, kitchen, and living room areas, and she decides she has had enough, she will just go stand under the dining room table. She knows darn well he will not follow her under there because he does not want to squeeze through the chair legs. She just stands under there watching him. He stands outside of the table area and barks at her. “Come on Chloe. That’s not fair! Come out and play ‘Run, Jack, Run’ with me. ….. Please?”
Never a dull moment with these 2 around.
Never a dull moment with these 2 around.
Chasing Squirrels
15 June 2007 – Earlier this week the dogs were chasing each other through the living room, kitchen, and dining area. They run round and round and round, occasionally taking a detour to run down the hall. Sometimes one of them will double back and catch the other one as they come running by. It’s pretty funny to watch. Well, I was sitting on the sofa watching TV while the dogs were running around. Suddenly Chloe took a detour and jumped up on the sofa and onto my lap. The two of us sat there watching as Jack kept running around and around thinking he was still chasing Chloe. He then realized he was NOT chasing her and began to look for her. His nose went to the ground in front of the sofa and he followed her trail up onto the sofa. He looked up and saw her sitting up there with me and I just laughed. When I told Kent about it he asked me if Chloe was laughing at Jack. I think she was.
16 June 2007 – The dogs live to chase squirrels. Today there was a squirrel out on the front lawn at the base of the tree eating some bread we had put out there. With the new storm/screen door that we have, if they stand up on their hind legs the dogs can look out the door to see outside. Well, Kent made sure Jack saw that there was a squirrel out front. When he saw it, Jack got so excited he was shaking all over. He wanted to get out and get that squirrel so bad he couldn’t stand it. We debated about whether we should let him out or not. Kent said if we let Jack out we’d never catch him. Bryce and I countered that Jack would go straight for the tree and stay there barking at the squirrel. So we opened up the door and let the dogs out. Quick as lightening Jack was out that door with Chloe on his heels. In one quick movement Jack had the squirrel up the tree, doubled back to grab a bite of the bread on the lawn, then was back at the tree barking at the squirrel. Chloe made a quick stop for a bite of bread too. We were able to grab both dogs and get them back into the house without too much trouble. We sure got a good laugh out of the whole incident though.
16 June 2007 – The dogs live to chase squirrels. Today there was a squirrel out on the front lawn at the base of the tree eating some bread we had put out there. With the new storm/screen door that we have, if they stand up on their hind legs the dogs can look out the door to see outside. Well, Kent made sure Jack saw that there was a squirrel out front. When he saw it, Jack got so excited he was shaking all over. He wanted to get out and get that squirrel so bad he couldn’t stand it. We debated about whether we should let him out or not. Kent said if we let Jack out we’d never catch him. Bryce and I countered that Jack would go straight for the tree and stay there barking at the squirrel. So we opened up the door and let the dogs out. Quick as lightening Jack was out that door with Chloe on his heels. In one quick movement Jack had the squirrel up the tree, doubled back to grab a bite of the bread on the lawn, then was back at the tree barking at the squirrel. Chloe made a quick stop for a bite of bread too. We were able to grab both dogs and get them back into the house without too much trouble. We sure got a good laugh out of the whole incident though.
Del Barko
29 May 2007 – I was driving home from the cabin with the 2 dogs. It was close to dinner time (both theirs and mine). I knew I did not want to go home, have to unload the van AND cook dinner too. So I started thinking of various places I could stop on the way to get takeout food to bring home. I suddenly remembered it was Tuesday night and Del Taco has their Taco Tuesday special of 3 tacos for about $1. That sounded quick, cheap, and easy and would make everyone happy. It was also on my way home. Since I had the dogs with me I decided to go through the drive-through window. I placed my order for 18 tacos and pulled ahead to the pick up window. The dogs went nuts because they could smell the food. They both came up to the front seat and Chloe was practically in my lap trying to get out my car window and in the pick up window. The girl at the window thought they were so cute. I told her it was their dinner time too, we’d been on a long trip, and they were hungry. Then Chloe let loose with one of her beagle howls and the girl loved it. She asked if they liked French fries. (DUH! They’re beagles, they will eat practically ANYTHING!) I said yes, and thought she might hand me out a couple of old fries for them. Nope! She hands me out a complete order of fresh fries for them. Now if you went into Del Taco and had the world’s cutest kids and they were starving and crying, nobody there is going to give you free food for them. But my two stupid dogs got free food at Del Taco just for looking cute and acting starving! GEESH!
Yuba River Experience
26 May 2007 – I took both dogs down to the river this afternoon, on leash, of course. I began walking out into the shallow area of the water and they willingly followed. Chloe is so short that she quickly reached the point where she had to swim. I could tell she was trying to get to someplace where she could stand again. I put her on a submerged rock that would allow her head and body to be out of the water. But then Jack was swimming and looking for solid ground too. There was room for both of them on the rock, but Jack was panicking and climbing on top of Chloe. I couldn’t deal with both dogs at the same time so I brought them back out and tied their leashes to the metal stairs. Then I went in by myself. Got wet all the way but did not swim much because Jack kept barking.
The Great Escape
25 May 2007 - I took the dogs with me to our family cabin on the Yuba River in Washington CA - Upon arrival at the cabin I let the dogs out on the river porch. They paced back and forth on the deck and seemed anxious to explore. I let them out the front door and they immediately headed down for the water. I let them go and brought a few things into the cabin from the car. I then grabbed the leashes and headed down to the water.
The dogs were having a grand time hopping around from rock to rock, investigating scents, and wading in the water. Neither one of them has the least bit of reluctance regarding going in or near the water.
After we’d spent a few minutes at the river I decided it was time to head back up to empty out the car. I headed towards the stairs and called the dogs. They came, but chose a different route. They came straight up the hill to the left of the stairs. When I reached the top of the metal stairs, I called them, managed to grab them, put the leashes on them, and we went back into the cabin. I finished emptying out the car while they stayed in the cabin or on the river porch.
In the early evening I knew they must need to go out to go to the bathroom. At home we just open the sliding glass door and they go out into the back yard and do their thing. But here there is no fenced area to let them out into. Plus, for some unknown reason, Jack will not go to the bathroom when he is on the leash. So, I could take him on a long walk and it wouldn’t do much good. He would still come back and either go on the river porch or, heaven forbid, in the cabin.
I decided to try an experiment. I grabbed the leashes and a plastic container with their dog treats in it. I put my bug repellant on and out the door we went. The dogs were off leash, but not too far ahead of me. Periodically I would call their names, shake the treat container, and they would head back towards me. Before we reached the gate at the next cabin up river, Chloe stopped and pooped. I was very pleased and praised her. Jack trotted ahead and Chloe soon joined him, and then they were off. Nothing I did could get their attention. They were off on an adventure and had no intention of heading my way. I watched helplessly as their little tails rounded the bend and were gone from sight. I was so mad at myself for thinking I could trust them, or control them. I continued on up the road, calling their names and shaking the treat container.
Suddenly I spotted Chloe and called to her. Thankfully she headed my way and I was able to get her leash on her. I was past the second cabin up the road from ours, but not yet to the 3rd property. Jack was no where to be seen. I was worried, praying to find him, and heading down the road knowing I would not give up. Then, suddenly, Jack came running out in front of me from the driveway of the 3rd cabin. I can’t tell you how glad I was to see him. I shook the treat jar and he came running. I leashed him, gave them both treats, and headed back to the cabin. You can bet I won’t be doing that again.
The dogs were having a grand time hopping around from rock to rock, investigating scents, and wading in the water. Neither one of them has the least bit of reluctance regarding going in or near the water.
After we’d spent a few minutes at the river I decided it was time to head back up to empty out the car. I headed towards the stairs and called the dogs. They came, but chose a different route. They came straight up the hill to the left of the stairs. When I reached the top of the metal stairs, I called them, managed to grab them, put the leashes on them, and we went back into the cabin. I finished emptying out the car while they stayed in the cabin or on the river porch.
In the early evening I knew they must need to go out to go to the bathroom. At home we just open the sliding glass door and they go out into the back yard and do their thing. But here there is no fenced area to let them out into. Plus, for some unknown reason, Jack will not go to the bathroom when he is on the leash. So, I could take him on a long walk and it wouldn’t do much good. He would still come back and either go on the river porch or, heaven forbid, in the cabin.
I decided to try an experiment. I grabbed the leashes and a plastic container with their dog treats in it. I put my bug repellant on and out the door we went. The dogs were off leash, but not too far ahead of me. Periodically I would call their names, shake the treat container, and they would head back towards me. Before we reached the gate at the next cabin up river, Chloe stopped and pooped. I was very pleased and praised her. Jack trotted ahead and Chloe soon joined him, and then they were off. Nothing I did could get their attention. They were off on an adventure and had no intention of heading my way. I watched helplessly as their little tails rounded the bend and were gone from sight. I was so mad at myself for thinking I could trust them, or control them. I continued on up the road, calling their names and shaking the treat container.
Suddenly I spotted Chloe and called to her. Thankfully she headed my way and I was able to get her leash on her. I was past the second cabin up the road from ours, but not yet to the 3rd property. Jack was no where to be seen. I was worried, praying to find him, and heading down the road knowing I would not give up. Then, suddenly, Jack came running out in front of me from the driveway of the 3rd cabin. I can’t tell you how glad I was to see him. I shook the treat jar and he came running. I leashed him, gave them both treats, and headed back to the cabin. You can bet I won’t be doing that again.
Beagle From Hell
6 May 2007 – Chloe is the beagle from hell. This morning I woke up at 3:16 to find that she had peed in the waterbed. There was pee all over the sheets, the mattress pad, my nightgown and ME. She had peed way up at the top of the waterbed by our pillows. I was so mad at her. I ripped the bed apart and started a load of laundry. Then Kent and I put the bed back together with clean linen and went back to bed. Of course I was now wide awake so it took me a while to get back to sleep. I told Kent I now know why her previous owners did not claim her from the shelter.
On a happier note, I was watching America’s Funniest Home Videos on TV tonight. They showed a video of someone playing with a squeaky toy with their dog. Chloe loves squeaky toys. She got up off the bed and got down on the floor in front of the TV, then she got up on her hind legs like she was trying to get the toy. The scene then changes to a dog climbing up a ladder. This one got Jack’s attention and he stood up and started watching the dog on TV. It was pretty funny.
On a happier note, I was watching America’s Funniest Home Videos on TV tonight. They showed a video of someone playing with a squeaky toy with their dog. Chloe loves squeaky toys. She got up off the bed and got down on the floor in front of the TV, then she got up on her hind legs like she was trying to get the toy. The scene then changes to a dog climbing up a ladder. This one got Jack’s attention and he stood up and started watching the dog on TV. It was pretty funny.
Pinecones?
1 May 2007 – Just when I think there cannot be much more to write about the dogs, they do something new and outrageous. I keep thinking, “Well, the dogs are settling into a routine and other than just being terribly cute and funny there probably won’t be much more to add to the Jack Diaries.” So today Kent tells me that the dogs’ new game is to go into our bedroom, pull the handmade quilt off of the bed, drag it into the living room, and play tug of war with it. I asked him to please keep the bedroom door closed to prevent damage to the quilt.
So tonight I’m cooking dinner and the dogs are underfoot, watching my every move so they can snatch any morsel of food that drops on the floor. They are looking at me with such longing and hungry looks that I begin to wonder if Kent has fed them or not. I am sure that he has, but then again, those big brown eyes are so convincing. I give in and call him. Sure enough, he has fed them. Soon after the phone call I hear an odd crunching noise coming from the living room. I quietly sneak in there to see where the noise is coming from. I find Chloe sitting on the carpet chewing on a pinecone. I tell her it has to go back outside and I pick it up and throw it out onto the back lawn. Jack runs out and retrieves it like it is some sort of special treat. Chloe finds another pinecone and they both sit out there on the lawn crunching away on their pinecones. They both look up at me with their big brown eyes as if to say, “See, we are so hungry we are eating pinecones. Don’t you feel sorry for us? Won’t you feed us?”
So tonight I’m cooking dinner and the dogs are underfoot, watching my every move so they can snatch any morsel of food that drops on the floor. They are looking at me with such longing and hungry looks that I begin to wonder if Kent has fed them or not. I am sure that he has, but then again, those big brown eyes are so convincing. I give in and call him. Sure enough, he has fed them. Soon after the phone call I hear an odd crunching noise coming from the living room. I quietly sneak in there to see where the noise is coming from. I find Chloe sitting on the carpet chewing on a pinecone. I tell her it has to go back outside and I pick it up and throw it out onto the back lawn. Jack runs out and retrieves it like it is some sort of special treat. Chloe finds another pinecone and they both sit out there on the lawn crunching away on their pinecones. They both look up at me with their big brown eyes as if to say, “See, we are so hungry we are eating pinecones. Don’t you feel sorry for us? Won’t you feed us?”
Barking at Beagle Sounds
23 April 2007 – I found a link to a website about beagles that has a video clip of a beagle baying.
Go to: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/beaglephotos8.htm
Scroll down and click on the link "Watch the Clip"
I played it and the dogs came running to find out where the dog was. Chloe will come out and cock her head, look at the computer, and start whining and barking and baying on her own at the non-existent beagle! It’s sooo funny!
29 April 2007 – Tonight I watched a PBS special on dogs. When they featured a bunch of dogs barking, Chloe went into action, barking. Jack just ignores the dogs on the TV.
Go to: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/beaglephotos8.htm
Scroll down and click on the link "Watch the Clip"
I played it and the dogs came running to find out where the dog was. Chloe will come out and cock her head, look at the computer, and start whining and barking and baying on her own at the non-existent beagle! It’s sooo funny!
29 April 2007 – Tonight I watched a PBS special on dogs. When they featured a bunch of dogs barking, Chloe went into action, barking. Jack just ignores the dogs on the TV.
Bad Dog X2
15 April 2007 – PS. Chloe snores. She is just a little bit of a thing, but she really snores up a storm. Jack will be sleeping and her snoring will wake him up. He will lift his head and look around as if to say, “What the heck was that?”
21 April 2007 – Bryce and I took the dogs to a beagle group meet-up at the dog park in Union City. There must have been over 20 beagles there. It was so fun watching them all. Chloe was the loudest beagle there I swear it. She is a tiny little thing with one very loud beagle baying voice.
Jack and Chloe have earned the permanent title of “bad dog.” (So neither one of them will ever be Pinocchio dogs!) (A Pinocchio dog is a dog who, if they are very, very, very good will one day earn the right to be a real little boy or girl as the case may be.) Bryce and I are telling them everyday that they are bad dogs. The reason? A pit bull has moved in next door. The dogs are trying to get through or under the fence to get to the other dog. We put a whole new planter area in against the fence between the yards with some nice flowers and bushes. The dogs go over there and dig big huge holes in the planter area and dig up our plants. I am not too happy with them.
21 April 2007 – Bryce and I took the dogs to a beagle group meet-up at the dog park in Union City. There must have been over 20 beagles there. It was so fun watching them all. Chloe was the loudest beagle there I swear it. She is a tiny little thing with one very loud beagle baying voice.
Jack and Chloe have earned the permanent title of “bad dog.” (So neither one of them will ever be Pinocchio dogs!) (A Pinocchio dog is a dog who, if they are very, very, very good will one day earn the right to be a real little boy or girl as the case may be.) Bryce and I are telling them everyday that they are bad dogs. The reason? A pit bull has moved in next door. The dogs are trying to get through or under the fence to get to the other dog. We put a whole new planter area in against the fence between the yards with some nice flowers and bushes. The dogs go over there and dig big huge holes in the planter area and dig up our plants. I am not too happy with them.
Getting to know Chloe
11 April 2007 – Last night Bryce had both dogs on his bed, as I mentioned, Chloe is not supposed to jump up or down until her incision heals. Bryce left the room and Chloe jumped off the bed. Jack started barking. Bryce came back into the hallway to see Chloe turned around giving Jack a dirty look as if to say, “Tattle tale!”
15 April 2007 – Chloe wasn’t feeling too well last week. Kent took her to the vet and we found out she was in pain and might have an infection. We got some medication for her and by the time I got home from work on Friday night, she was a whole different dog. She was much livelier and actually started playing with Jack. Watching the two of them play has been hilarious. First off, Chloe is the initiator even though she is 1/2 his size. She will jump on Jack and start nipping at him and then he will play with her. They roll all around on the waterbed playing with each other.
On Saturday we had them outside for awhile. Jack got her to play his “Run, Jack, Run” game and he was absolutely loving having her chase him around the yard. We have one of those big covered storage or car cover things we put in the backyard. Well, Jack discovered it quite awhile ago and thinks it is a good hiding place. While they were playing the run, Jack, run game, he would duck in there. Chloe would stop short outside and had no idea where he had disappeared to. Then suddenly he would appear out the side and she would chase him again. They did this several times before she finally decided to check out the big covered thing herself. When she went in there, Jack followed her and immediately came out with a bone he had been hiding in there; had to find a new hiding place for it.
The other thing that has been funny is that Chloe likes to play with Jack a LOT. So when he wants some peace and quiet, he goes in and sits on the bed in the extra bed room. I’ll be looking for him and there he is, quietly sitting on the bed and sleeping, hoping Chloe won’t find him.
Chloe goes back to the vet on Monday for a follow-up visit and we are taking Jack in for his first visit so the vet can just check him out. Oh, another thing we have discovered about Chloe is that she won’t eat dog food. In the beginning we figured it was due to her recent surgery and the fact that she was still in pain. The vet sold us some of the expensive canned dog food brands to feed her to try to get some nutrients into her. She ate about 1/8 of a cup and that was it, but when I offered her dog biscuits, she kept wolfing them down as long as I kept feeding them to her. I think her former owners spoiled her rotten and fed her just people food and dog treats. So I have to ask the vet about that and what we can do to get her to quit being picky.
15 April 2007 – Chloe wasn’t feeling too well last week. Kent took her to the vet and we found out she was in pain and might have an infection. We got some medication for her and by the time I got home from work on Friday night, she was a whole different dog. She was much livelier and actually started playing with Jack. Watching the two of them play has been hilarious. First off, Chloe is the initiator even though she is 1/2 his size. She will jump on Jack and start nipping at him and then he will play with her. They roll all around on the waterbed playing with each other.
On Saturday we had them outside for awhile. Jack got her to play his “Run, Jack, Run” game and he was absolutely loving having her chase him around the yard. We have one of those big covered storage or car cover things we put in the backyard. Well, Jack discovered it quite awhile ago and thinks it is a good hiding place. While they were playing the run, Jack, run game, he would duck in there. Chloe would stop short outside and had no idea where he had disappeared to. Then suddenly he would appear out the side and she would chase him again. They did this several times before she finally decided to check out the big covered thing herself. When she went in there, Jack followed her and immediately came out with a bone he had been hiding in there; had to find a new hiding place for it.
The other thing that has been funny is that Chloe likes to play with Jack a LOT. So when he wants some peace and quiet, he goes in and sits on the bed in the extra bed room. I’ll be looking for him and there he is, quietly sitting on the bed and sleeping, hoping Chloe won’t find him.
Chloe goes back to the vet on Monday for a follow-up visit and we are taking Jack in for his first visit so the vet can just check him out. Oh, another thing we have discovered about Chloe is that she won’t eat dog food. In the beginning we figured it was due to her recent surgery and the fact that she was still in pain. The vet sold us some of the expensive canned dog food brands to feed her to try to get some nutrients into her. She ate about 1/8 of a cup and that was it, but when I offered her dog biscuits, she kept wolfing them down as long as I kept feeding them to her. I think her former owners spoiled her rotten and fed her just people food and dog treats. So I have to ask the vet about that and what we can do to get her to quit being picky.
Chloe O'Beagle
9 April 2007 - Bryce is a wuss! We picked up our new female beagle, Chloe, today from the animal shelter in Auburn, CA. She is a 13" beagle and absolutely the sweetest and most adorable dog ever. We named her Chloe O'Beagle after the 24 TV show character Chloe O'Brien in keeping with Jack's name, Jack Bauser. She was spayed today and was still under the effects of anesthesia and pain medication when we got her home. She had a couple of accidents and peed in the dog crate and also on Bryce’s bed. But, get this, Bryce wasn’t even upset that she peed in his bed. Dad and I decided that she should sleep in the dog crate tonight while she slept off the effects of the anesthesia. She is also not to jump up or down at all for a week following her surgery. We felt it was safer for her to be in the crate. I asked Bryce to please put her in the crate before he went to sleep. Did he? Heck, no! He said “Look at her face. How can I make her get off my bed?” I said, “That dog hasn’t even been in this house one day and she already has you wrapped around her finger.” She spent the night in Bryce’s bed. Bryce is a wuss!
You can see from the photo how much smaller Chloe is than Jack. We figure Jack is at the large end of the 15" breed and Chloe is at the small end of the 13"breed. She is about 1/2 Jack's size.
Jack & The Bonestalk
2 April 2007 – Jack and the bonestalk! (This entry was written by my husband, Kent, and sent to our son, Cole.)
You're gonna love this one.
When your mom and I stopped in Grass Valley to do some shopping, we walked to a pet food store that was in the same mall as Albertson's. (The store is called Scraps) We saw that they had a supply of buffalo bones for sale so we bought one for Jack.
We gave it to him Sunday afternoon and he spent, and this is no exaggeration, three hours knawing and attacking that bone. When he finally came up for air, I went out to retrieve it because I did not want it to become an ant project!!!!!
Lynne has set a rule that Jack gets the bone, but he takes it outside. ( Note from Mom: The reason for this rule is that I read that if you let an aggressive chewer like Jack have their bone in the house on the carpet, and the fats and flavors from the bone rub off on the carpet, they have been known to rip up the entire carpet because of the bone smell in it!) Jack does not like this because he wants to chew on it inside the house. This has become a source of entertainment to watch her "instruct" Jack that he eats the bone outside and Jack attempting to out maneuver her and try to bring the bone back inside.
This morning Jack was doing the "shake the blinds" routine to let us know he wants to go out. (He rubs up against the vertical blinds on teh sliding glass door to alert us that he wants to go outside.) I opened the slider to let him out but he just stood there looking at me. I said to Lynne that I think he wants his bone. She agreed and added, "OUTSIDE."
I got the bone and, of course, Jack started doing the beagle happy dance. I threw the bone out the door, he ran out, went past the bone, and proceeded to take care of his personal business. So obviously he was not interested in the bone - he wanted to pee. Within a few minutes, be was back at the door wanting back in.
He ran into the house and proceeded to do his spaz thing - running all over the house like a crazed lunatic. He then stopped by the slider and started barking. This time it was for the bone. I let him out and he went right for it. Immediately he turned around to bring it back in the house. I had been fast enough to close the door on him (knowing that this is exactly what he was going to do) and he stood there, bone in mouth, looking at me with the expression, "What was that for?"
However, unlike Gideon (our previous beagle), he put the bone down so he could bark his displeasure. Lynne went over to the door and proceeded to open it. As she did, he picked up the bone. Lynne told him "No bone" and closed the door. He put the bone down so he could bark, Lynne opens the door, he picks up the bone, Lynne closes the door,...... you get the picture.
Jack is ready to tear your mother's leg off. HE wants the bone and HE wants to eat it inside the house. SHE doesn't care what he wants, SHE is not letting the bone inside the house.
This is going to be an interesting (and humorous) exchange to watch.
To be continued....................................
You're gonna love this one.
When your mom and I stopped in Grass Valley to do some shopping, we walked to a pet food store that was in the same mall as Albertson's. (The store is called Scraps) We saw that they had a supply of buffalo bones for sale so we bought one for Jack.
We gave it to him Sunday afternoon and he spent, and this is no exaggeration, three hours knawing and attacking that bone. When he finally came up for air, I went out to retrieve it because I did not want it to become an ant project!!!!!
Lynne has set a rule that Jack gets the bone, but he takes it outside. ( Note from Mom: The reason for this rule is that I read that if you let an aggressive chewer like Jack have their bone in the house on the carpet, and the fats and flavors from the bone rub off on the carpet, they have been known to rip up the entire carpet because of the bone smell in it!) Jack does not like this because he wants to chew on it inside the house. This has become a source of entertainment to watch her "instruct" Jack that he eats the bone outside and Jack attempting to out maneuver her and try to bring the bone back inside.
This morning Jack was doing the "shake the blinds" routine to let us know he wants to go out. (He rubs up against the vertical blinds on teh sliding glass door to alert us that he wants to go outside.) I opened the slider to let him out but he just stood there looking at me. I said to Lynne that I think he wants his bone. She agreed and added, "OUTSIDE."
I got the bone and, of course, Jack started doing the beagle happy dance. I threw the bone out the door, he ran out, went past the bone, and proceeded to take care of his personal business. So obviously he was not interested in the bone - he wanted to pee. Within a few minutes, be was back at the door wanting back in.
He ran into the house and proceeded to do his spaz thing - running all over the house like a crazed lunatic. He then stopped by the slider and started barking. This time it was for the bone. I let him out and he went right for it. Immediately he turned around to bring it back in the house. I had been fast enough to close the door on him (knowing that this is exactly what he was going to do) and he stood there, bone in mouth, looking at me with the expression, "What was that for?"
However, unlike Gideon (our previous beagle), he put the bone down so he could bark his displeasure. Lynne went over to the door and proceeded to open it. As she did, he picked up the bone. Lynne told him "No bone" and closed the door. He put the bone down so he could bark, Lynne opens the door, he picks up the bone, Lynne closes the door,...... you get the picture.
Jack is ready to tear your mother's leg off. HE wants the bone and HE wants to eat it inside the house. SHE doesn't care what he wants, SHE is not letting the bone inside the house.
This is going to be an interesting (and humorous) exchange to watch.
To be continued....................................
Cinderella's Slipper
26 March 2007 – Cinderella has lost her slipper. Well, not actually lost. It was stolen, and it wasn’t Cinderella’s, it was mine, and we know who stole it, it was Jack. He loves to chew on soft things like stuffed animals and slippers. He already got hold of Bryce’s Packers slippers and completely destroyed one of them. He has tried to take my slippers a couple of times and we have found them and put them away. But last might he got my slippers again. Kent found one of them, but the other one is still missing. Kent says he told Jack he had to give it back or he won’t get any dinner tonight.
27 March 2007 – Cinderella found her slipper with some help from Jack. Kent and I were joking about my lost slipper and Kent was asking if Jack had told me where he’s hid it yet. So I then called Jack and asked him to find my slipper. I called him into the bedroom, grabbed my other slipper and gave it to him. He grabbed it in his mouth and went running out the back door. I followed him outside and found him on the lawn chewing on the slipper. I called him and he got up and ran to the new shed that Kent put in the back yard and dropped the slipper. Kent came out and asked where Jack had put the slipper. I told him Jack had dropped it in front of the shed. He said, “Well, then that is where the slipper is.” He then opened the doors to the shed and started laughing. I walked over, looked in the shed, and saw the slipper over in the near left corner of the shed. I had actually looked in there previously, but had just looked into the middle of the shed and at the back corners. I think that Jack thinks the shed is his clubhouse and he was planning to invite his buddies over for an evening of slipper chewing.
27 March 2007 – Cinderella found her slipper with some help from Jack. Kent and I were joking about my lost slipper and Kent was asking if Jack had told me where he’s hid it yet. So I then called Jack and asked him to find my slipper. I called him into the bedroom, grabbed my other slipper and gave it to him. He grabbed it in his mouth and went running out the back door. I followed him outside and found him on the lawn chewing on the slipper. I called him and he got up and ran to the new shed that Kent put in the back yard and dropped the slipper. Kent came out and asked where Jack had put the slipper. I told him Jack had dropped it in front of the shed. He said, “Well, then that is where the slipper is.” He then opened the doors to the shed and started laughing. I walked over, looked in the shed, and saw the slipper over in the near left corner of the shed. I had actually looked in there previously, but had just looked into the middle of the shed and at the back corners. I think that Jack thinks the shed is his clubhouse and he was planning to invite his buddies over for an evening of slipper chewing.
Pathological Liar
20 March 2007 – I’m not sure what to do with Jack. He’s got some serious problems. Today I attended a seminar in Sacramento for my job. Since it was during the day I got home before 7PM. Both Kent and Bryce had activities in the evening so neither one of them was home. Jack was in the back yard so I let him in. He was, of course, ecstatic to see me and was jumping around and wagging his tail off, etc. He went straight for the kitchen and his food bowl, but his food bowl was nowhere in sight. I remembered that the previous evening he had carried the bowl out to the back yard so I went out and got it. I brought it in, filled it, and he gobbled the food down like his usual starving self. When Kent arrived home a few hours later he asked if I had fed the dog. I said yes and he replied, “So that’s what his problem is.” I asked what he meant and he said that he had already fed the dog before he had left the house earlier in the evening. I had figured that since the bowl was still out in the yard that Jack had never been fed. I now realized the full extent of Jack’s problems. While I had been defending him all along and believing in him, Kent had known the truth: Jack is a pathological liar. After eating his first dinner he had carried his bowl outside, cleverly knowing that I would think he had never been fed and be duped into feeding him again. But now I am wise to his tricks. I don’t know if I will ever be able to trust him again.
21 March 2007 – Jack tried his bowl hiding trick again tonight, but I did not fall for it. As I entered the house at midnight following a hard day at work, Jack came out to greet me as he always does. But Kent was still up and announced that Jack had hidden his bowl again and Kent could not find it. I checked Jack’s usual hiding places: the backyard, the master bathroom, on top of the waterbed, but I could not find it either. Bryce arrived home soon after me and we let him know we were looking for Jack’s bowl. Bryce found it in his room on top of a bunch of other stuff on the floor in front of the closet. After we discovered it, Jack picked it up and moved it again. But we were hot on his trail as he brought it into the living room and dropped it on the floor, then turned and tried to convince me he had not been fed. Yep, he’s a pathological liar.
21 March 2007 – Jack tried his bowl hiding trick again tonight, but I did not fall for it. As I entered the house at midnight following a hard day at work, Jack came out to greet me as he always does. But Kent was still up and announced that Jack had hidden his bowl again and Kent could not find it. I checked Jack’s usual hiding places: the backyard, the master bathroom, on top of the waterbed, but I could not find it either. Bryce arrived home soon after me and we let him know we were looking for Jack’s bowl. Bryce found it in his room on top of a bunch of other stuff on the floor in front of the closet. After we discovered it, Jack picked it up and moved it again. But we were hot on his trail as he brought it into the living room and dropped it on the floor, then turned and tried to convince me he had not been fed. Yep, he’s a pathological liar.
Bad Jack
5 March 2007 – Bad Jack has struck again. Last night Jack was playing with his ball, which he loves to chew on. He dropped the ball off of the side of the bed but kept right on chewing and ended up chewing the corner of the quilt I made for the water bed. Then later that same evening he did the same thing and ended up chewing 3 holes in the sleeve of my robe which was lying on the bed. BAD DOG!
Tonight I come home and Jack comes out to greet me as he does every night. He heads into the kitchen where I find a note from Kent sitting on top of the dog food container. It’s written on a Styrofoam tray; the type that food comes on. It says. “Jack was too fed.” Jack picks up the note in his mouth and looks at me as if to say, “What note? I didn’t see a note.” Then he walks away with the piece of styrofoam. I grabbed it from him and threw it away, cracking up the entire time.
11 March 2007 - Jack is fine and as silly as ever, carrying his bowl around the house and stuff like that. He just makes me laugh so much. We took him to the dog park yesterday. He couldn't find any dogs to chase him in the large dog area and was getting a bit bored. We took him into the small dog area. There were lots of small dogs there. He just kind of checked them all out for a few minutes and then went over to the gate to let us know he wanted OUT of the small dog area. When we opened the gate he shot out into the big dog area and then looked at us as if to say, "What the heck do you think you were doing taking me into the small dog area? Do I look like a wuss dog to you?!?!?!" It was soooo funny.
Tonight I come home and Jack comes out to greet me as he does every night. He heads into the kitchen where I find a note from Kent sitting on top of the dog food container. It’s written on a Styrofoam tray; the type that food comes on. It says. “Jack was too fed.” Jack picks up the note in his mouth and looks at me as if to say, “What note? I didn’t see a note.” Then he walks away with the piece of styrofoam. I grabbed it from him and threw it away, cracking up the entire time.
11 March 2007 - Jack is fine and as silly as ever, carrying his bowl around the house and stuff like that. He just makes me laugh so much. We took him to the dog park yesterday. He couldn't find any dogs to chase him in the large dog area and was getting a bit bored. We took him into the small dog area. There were lots of small dogs there. He just kind of checked them all out for a few minutes and then went over to the gate to let us know he wanted OUT of the small dog area. When we opened the gate he shot out into the big dog area and then looked at us as if to say, "What the heck do you think you were doing taking me into the small dog area? Do I look like a wuss dog to you?!?!?!" It was soooo funny.
Tormenting Jack
21 Feb – I had the opportunity to work overtime tonight. I decided to stay until 1 AM and thought I should call home and leave a message so Kent and Bryce would not wonder where I was. (If they even noticed I was not home yet.) So I called home and left a voicemail message. Kent called me when he got home and played it. He said that while he was playing the message, Jack was whining. We’re not sure if it was because he heard my voice or not.
23 Feb – Kent torments poor Jack and then calls him psycho. Kent claims he is not tormenting the dog. You be the judge…. We keep the dog biscuits in one of those large see-through plastic jars. I’d gotten large pretzels in them previously. We keep it in the double door pantry on the bottom shelf. Jack knows they are there. So today Kent gets the container out, opens it and lets Jack smell the treats. Jack cannot get his head in to get the treats because the opening is too narrow. Kent then puts the lid on the jar and sets it on the ground. Jack paws at it because he wants the treats. But the container is round and he cannot get a grip on it with his teeth. So he was batting it all over the kitchen trying to figure it out or get it to open. It was pretty funny and kept him occupied for a while.
23 Feb – Kent torments poor Jack and then calls him psycho. Kent claims he is not tormenting the dog. You be the judge…. We keep the dog biscuits in one of those large see-through plastic jars. I’d gotten large pretzels in them previously. We keep it in the double door pantry on the bottom shelf. Jack knows they are there. So today Kent gets the container out, opens it and lets Jack smell the treats. Jack cannot get his head in to get the treats because the opening is too narrow. Kent then puts the lid on the jar and sets it on the ground. Jack paws at it because he wants the treats. But the container is round and he cannot get a grip on it with his teeth. So he was batting it all over the kitchen trying to figure it out or get it to open. It was pretty funny and kept him occupied for a while.
More Psycho Jack
16 Feb – Kent called me at work last night to tell me that he’d been sitting at the computer working and minding his own business when Jack came up and bit him on the leg. I asked why Jack had bitten him and Kent said he’d forgotten to feed Jack again. I told him it served him right. Kent said that dogs are not supposed to bite the hand that feeds them. I said they were when that hand FORGOT to feed them!
17 Feb – Kent and Bryce were both out tonight and I was home with the dog. Jack was perfectly calm and spent most of the evening sleeping on the waterbed. I began making dinner at about 5:30. Jack came out into the kitchen a few times to check on what I was doing. At about 6:15 I realized it was time to feed him. I filled his bowl; he ate, and then went back to resting. No psycho dog. So when Kent got home I said that I thought it was interesting how he was calling me at work every night telling me stories about psycho Jack, and yet when he was home with me I had no problems with him at all. He was perfectly calm. So Kent told Jack he was a traitor. Well, not exactly, he called him a son of - -----! hee hee hee
17 Feb – Kent and Bryce were both out tonight and I was home with the dog. Jack was perfectly calm and spent most of the evening sleeping on the waterbed. I began making dinner at about 5:30. Jack came out into the kitchen a few times to check on what I was doing. At about 6:15 I realized it was time to feed him. I filled his bowl; he ate, and then went back to resting. No psycho dog. So when Kent got home I said that I thought it was interesting how he was calling me at work every night telling me stories about psycho Jack, and yet when he was home with me I had no problems with him at all. He was perfectly calm. So Kent told Jack he was a traitor. Well, not exactly, he called him a son of - -----! hee hee hee
Stealing Food
14 Feb – Kent called me at work tonight to relate the latest Jack story. Kent heard noise in the kitchen and came in to investigate. He found Jack busy rearranging the cupboard where I store the Tupperware and foil, plastic bags, etc. Kent caught him taking off with a few lids in his mouth.
15 Feb – Bryce apparently brought home some cookies last night. He left them on the kitchen counter. This morning they were no where to be found. There was however a paper plate on the floor with a few bites taken out of it. I wonder where those cookies went.
I also brought cookies and cupcakes home last night and left them on the counter. This morning, Kent caught Jack with the box they were in. He was batting it around the kitchen floor. It was a left over Kentucky fried chicken box. I had placed left over goodies from our work pot luck dinner into the box. The lid then folds closed and the ends tuck back into the box. Good thing Jack does not have opposable digits or that box would have been opened in a flash. I’m sure that if Kent had not happened along when he did Jack would have just started chewing on the box and gotten to the contents in his own way.
15 Feb – Bryce apparently brought home some cookies last night. He left them on the kitchen counter. This morning they were no where to be found. There was however a paper plate on the floor with a few bites taken out of it. I wonder where those cookies went.
I also brought cookies and cupcakes home last night and left them on the counter. This morning, Kent caught Jack with the box they were in. He was batting it around the kitchen floor. It was a left over Kentucky fried chicken box. I had placed left over goodies from our work pot luck dinner into the box. The lid then folds closed and the ends tuck back into the box. Good thing Jack does not have opposable digits or that box would have been opened in a flash. I’m sure that if Kent had not happened along when he did Jack would have just started chewing on the box and gotten to the contents in his own way.
Run, Jack, Run
Feb 9 – We went to a church dinner tonight. It was raining. We put Jack out, but apparently he hasn’t a clue what a dog house is for. He must have sought shelter under a bush. Anyway, when we got home and let him in his legs and chest were covered in mud. He must have just curled up in the mud. What a mess! We had to put him in the bathtub and then keep rinsing him off and rubbing him down until all the mud was off of him.
Feb 11 – Last Thursday my husband, Kent, calls me at work and says that whatever Jack tells me when I come home, it isn’t true. Well,Kent can get a bit preoccupied sometimes and even forgets to eat on occasion. Usually our son Bryce is home in the evening and he takes care of feeding the dog. If Bryce is out then Kent or I do it. But I work Mon-Fri on the PM shift so I cannot do it on those nights. On Thursday, Bryce was out late at school. Kent completely forgot about feeding the dog. Jack was prancing around the kitchen and doing everything he could think of to get Kent’s attention, but it wasn’t working. So Jack came into the kitchen, picked up his food bowl with his mouth and brought it to Kent in the living room. SMART DOG!
So on Friday night I called home at about 8 PM and told Kent that Jack had asked me to call to make sure he’d been fed. Kent just cracked up. Then on Sat night, Lori, a friend from my work, called and got Kent and told him she’d gotten an email from Jack asking her to call and check to see if he had been fed yet. It was sooo funny!
Saturday we took Jack to the Fremont dog park for the first time. We’ve gone to the Union City one in the past. Jack had a bit of trouble finding other dogs who were interested in playing his Run, Jack, Run game. See he doesn’t just want to run with the other dogs, he is only happy when he is leading and they are chasing him. He finally found a miniature husky that would chase him, but the poor dog could not keep up with Jack and lost interest. It was pretty funny.
Feb 11 – Last Thursday my husband, Kent, calls me at work and says that whatever Jack tells me when I come home, it isn’t true. Well,Kent can get a bit preoccupied sometimes and even forgets to eat on occasion. Usually our son Bryce is home in the evening and he takes care of feeding the dog. If Bryce is out then Kent or I do it. But I work Mon-Fri on the PM shift so I cannot do it on those nights. On Thursday, Bryce was out late at school. Kent completely forgot about feeding the dog. Jack was prancing around the kitchen and doing everything he could think of to get Kent’s attention, but it wasn’t working. So Jack came into the kitchen, picked up his food bowl with his mouth and brought it to Kent in the living room. SMART DOG!
So on Friday night I called home at about 8 PM and told Kent that Jack had asked me to call to make sure he’d been fed. Kent just cracked up. Then on Sat night, Lori, a friend from my work, called and got Kent and told him she’d gotten an email from Jack asking her to call and check to see if he had been fed yet. It was sooo funny!
Saturday we took Jack to the Fremont dog park for the first time. We’ve gone to the Union City one in the past. Jack had a bit of trouble finding other dogs who were interested in playing his Run, Jack, Run game. See he doesn’t just want to run with the other dogs, he is only happy when he is leading and they are chasing him. He finally found a miniature husky that would chase him, but the poor dog could not keep up with Jack and lost interest. It was pretty funny.
The Dog Park
Feb 4, 2007 - Kent took Jack and me to the dog park in Union City last night. They have 2 areas for dogs. One is for the smaller dogs, up to 29 lbs. The other is for the larger dogs. We took Jack into the larger area. There were at least 12 dogs in there: 3 big basset hounds, a huge Irish wolfhound, a couple of labs, a couple of German Shepherds, a Heinz 57 mix, a Doberman, and others. We were not sure how Jack would react or of how the other dogs would react, so Kent had him on his leash. Another dog came up to sniff at Jack and Jack started to growl and snap. A woman came up to us and told us that our dog would do better if we took him off the leash. We were surprised by this and she said it was true and that the dogs feel more free when off the leash. So Kent let him loose and the change was amazing. Jack just went off and started checking the place and the other dogs out. The female Doberman wouldn't leave him alone and at first he got a bit bugged about it. But then he started sniffing at the other dogs and going after them. He started running and had 3 huge dogs, the Doberman and a lab and a German shepherd, all chasing him. He would run a ways and then turn sharply. The other dogs could not turn as sharply and it took them a moment to switch directions and run after him. By the time they started after him he was ready to switch directions again. So they chased him all over that park. It was absolutely hilarious watching the whole thing. He was the hit of the dog park. When he had had enough he would stop and roll over on his back in a completely submissive posture. The other dogs would come up and sniff him and he would lay there for a minute. But he was soon up and running again. He was absolutely exhausted last night. I think it was the best night’s sleep he’d ever gotten. (Us too!)
Tonight we took him over to visit our friends the Aquino’s dog, Lehi, who is also a beagle. Jack ran all through the Acquino’s downstairs with Lehi on his heels. They just kept running around and around and around. Again, it was VERY entertaining and everyone got a good laugh out of it. Lynette said she will have to call me to set up a play date for our little boys.
Tonight we took him over to visit our friends the Aquino’s dog, Lehi, who is also a beagle. Jack ran all through the Acquino’s downstairs with Lehi on his heels. They just kept running around and around and around. Again, it was VERY entertaining and everyone got a good laugh out of it. Lynette said she will have to call me to set up a play date for our little boys.
Psycho Dog
29 Jan 2007 - Jack is psychotic! Kent says he does not have a chewing problem; he is just a destroying machine. He likes to chew on anything and everything. He chewed the cap to a highlighter of Bryce's, tried to chew a pencil. He likes to chase Frisbees but does not want to release them once he has them. He'll chase a tennis ball but then wants to keep them and chew the fuzzy covering off. He figures it's all his to chew up. He destroyed one frisbee in about 5 minutes the other day. He's a heck of a lot of fun though and we are adjusting to him just as he is adjusting to us.
Sleeping Issues
14 Jan 2007 - Jack has his time schedule backwards. He likes to cuddle with me in the morning and will stay in bed as long as I do, which is nice. But then he wants to be up when we are all ready for bed. Last night, Saturday, Bryce had been out late and I was up watching the Donald Sutherland remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." (Great movie!) So we were both going to bed late. Jack usually sleeps with Bryce but did not seem interested in staying in his room. So I took him into our room. Dad was already asleep. I got into bed, got Jack up on the bed, and then he immediately jumped down, went to the door and started scratching and whining. I try to ignore him and then I start thinking, what if he heard something? What if he has to pee? I do not want a replay of our previous beagle Gideon peeing on Mom incident. So I get up and let him out of the room and he goes to the sofa and jumps up on it and curls up to go to sleep. First off he is NOT to be on the sofa and second, there is no way I am leaving him out there to chew up anything he wants to. I am afraid he will start in on the sofa and destroy it. So I put his leash on, lead him back to the bed, get in and make him lie down. But he sits there shaking and whimpering, and if I start to fall asleep he tries to jump off the bed. So I was up until about 3 AM trying to settle him down. What's really weird is that if I am up late after work sitting at the computer he will come and sit next to me and actually stays there when I tell him to, but then there is this big fight over going to bed. It's wearing us down.
Bad Dog, Jack!
10 Jan 2007
Today I caught Jack trying to destroy a spool of ribbon. He also ate a breath mint, another one of Bryce’s slippers and a basket that I keep his toys in. Yesterday it was an old plastic potato salad tub. Just when I was beginning to think I could trust him he goes back to his destructive habits. Bad dog, Jack! Bad dog!
Today I caught Jack trying to destroy a spool of ribbon. He also ate a breath mint, another one of Bryce’s slippers and a basket that I keep his toys in. Yesterday it was an old plastic potato salad tub. Just when I was beginning to think I could trust him he goes back to his destructive habits. Bad dog, Jack! Bad dog!
Strange tastes
4 Jan 2007
Jack tried to eat a ketchup packet today. You know, the kind you get at fast food restaurants to go with your fries. Luckily I saw him pick it up and scurry away with it.
Jack tried to eat a ketchup packet today. You know, the kind you get at fast food restaurants to go with your fries. Luckily I saw him pick it up and scurry away with it.
Here's a photo of Jack chewing on his Nylabone. He loves it.
Licensing Jack
2 Jan 2007
Jack ate a toothbrush today. He also attempted to eat a pencil, a ruler, a plastic film canister, a plastic bag, our son Bryce’s slipper and the newspaper.
Jack was officially licensed with the City of Newark as Jack Bauser. BTW, he was already named when we got him. His previous owners were fans of the TV show 24 and named him Jack Bauser after the main character, Jack Bauer, played by Keifer Sutherland. We too are huge 24 fans and decided that Jack Bauser was the perfect name for our new beagle.
Jack’s mom went to the library and checked out 4 books and 4 videos on dog training.
Jack ate a toothbrush today. He also attempted to eat a pencil, a ruler, a plastic film canister, a plastic bag, our son Bryce’s slipper and the newspaper.
Jack was officially licensed with the City of Newark as Jack Bauser. BTW, he was already named when we got him. His previous owners were fans of the TV show 24 and named him Jack Bauser after the main character, Jack Bauer, played by Keifer Sutherland. We too are huge 24 fans and decided that Jack Bauser was the perfect name for our new beagle.
Jack’s mom went to the library and checked out 4 books and 4 videos on dog training.
All Beagle
31 Dec 2006 - Oh yes, Jack IS a beagle!
Apparently his first family got rid of him because they put in some expensive landscaping and Jack dug it all up. I do not know how long they had him, but considering that he will be 3 in April (I think) they probably had him for a while. His second family, the ones we got him from, had to get rid of him because they had a cat and Jack was obsessed with chasing the cat. Since the cat had been there first, Jack was the one who had to go. I think they had him just a matter of a few weeks.
A couple of days ago I made turkey sandwiches for my husband, Kent, and myself. Kent took half of his sandwich and started eating it. I was busy putting my sandwich away so I could take it to work for my dinner. I told Kent he had better put his other half sandwich away before the dog got it. Jack is a lot longer in the body and legs than Gideon (our first beagle) was and when he stands on his hind legs his nose is at counter height, and that is WITHOUT any stretching. Anyway, Kent did remove his sandwich from the counter and I did not give it any more thought. Jack was next to me as I walked about the kitchen putting away my sandwich and the stuff I had used to make it. I went to the refrigerator to put something away and as I opened it and bent down to place something on the bottom shelf, Jack, quick as lightening, snatched the top half of Kent's sandwich, which was just sitting there, not covered or in a container. I did not even know Kent had put it in there, but Jack's beagle nose detected the scent immediately. It brought me back to that time Gideon snatched our son Cole's sandwich off the kitchen table, or the other half of Kent's sandwich that time he placed it on the floor next to him while working on the VCR. HILARIOUS!
Jack likes to chew things. He has chewed on several stuffed animals around the house so we have had to move them all to the top bunk. He ate 2 ornaments off the tree too. Oh yes, Jack IS a beagle! I will continue to tell you Jack stories as they occur. This week we got him a choke chain so we can begin some sort of training with him. He is completely untrained and we have got to get him trained to make life easier for us and for him.
Apparently his first family got rid of him because they put in some expensive landscaping and Jack dug it all up. I do not know how long they had him, but considering that he will be 3 in April (I think) they probably had him for a while. His second family, the ones we got him from, had to get rid of him because they had a cat and Jack was obsessed with chasing the cat. Since the cat had been there first, Jack was the one who had to go. I think they had him just a matter of a few weeks.
A couple of days ago I made turkey sandwiches for my husband, Kent, and myself. Kent took half of his sandwich and started eating it. I was busy putting my sandwich away so I could take it to work for my dinner. I told Kent he had better put his other half sandwich away before the dog got it. Jack is a lot longer in the body and legs than Gideon (our first beagle) was and when he stands on his hind legs his nose is at counter height, and that is WITHOUT any stretching. Anyway, Kent did remove his sandwich from the counter and I did not give it any more thought. Jack was next to me as I walked about the kitchen putting away my sandwich and the stuff I had used to make it. I went to the refrigerator to put something away and as I opened it and bent down to place something on the bottom shelf, Jack, quick as lightening, snatched the top half of Kent's sandwich, which was just sitting there, not covered or in a container. I did not even know Kent had put it in there, but Jack's beagle nose detected the scent immediately. It brought me back to that time Gideon snatched our son Cole's sandwich off the kitchen table, or the other half of Kent's sandwich that time he placed it on the floor next to him while working on the VCR. HILARIOUS!
Jack likes to chew things. He has chewed on several stuffed animals around the house so we have had to move them all to the top bunk. He ate 2 ornaments off the tree too. Oh yes, Jack IS a beagle! I will continue to tell you Jack stories as they occur. This week we got him a choke chain so we can begin some sort of training with him. He is completely untrained and we have got to get him trained to make life easier for us and for him.
The Beginning
In December of 2006 we became the owners of Jack Bauser the beagle. Jack is a 15" beagle but one of the larger 15" beagles I have seen. We were actually looking for a 13" beagle but when we met him we just couldn't resist those big brown eyes that were pleading, "Please take me home and make me part of your family. I promise to bring you many years of joy and lots of laughs!"
With one son away from home and unacquainted with Jack I decided to create The Jack Diaries to help him get to know this crazy beagle. Following are The Jack Diaries.
25 December 2006 - As we get to know Jack I figure I will share some of the funny stories with you.
The family we got Jack from told us he didn't like dog treats. They had purchased some and gave them to us in the bag of stuff we got with him. When we got home with him we tried offering him one. He took it, but then dropped it on the floor. Yesterday Bryce tried offering him some treats again. Jack took the treats and then went and put one under the piano bench, one by the antique sofa, and another behind the ceramic deer that I place under the Christmas tree every year. We decided to leave them there and see what happened. Later in the evening I heard Jack scratching and thought he was at the sliding glass door and wanted to go out. I went into the living room and realized he had been scratching at the deer. I moved it forward a few inches. Jack immediately retrieved his treat and ate it. I told Bryce what had happened. He checked Jack's other hiding places and all the treats were gone. I think he thinks he is the Easter Beagle and is supposed to hide treats. LOL
Last night I had sliced some bread for open-faced turkey sandwiches. I left the rest of the loaf on the cutting board. I was sitting at the computer when I heard a noise in the kitchen. I looked over to see what it was and did not see anything. I then stood up and ran into Jack sneaking out of the kitchen with the loaf of bread in his mouth! He is definitely a beagle.
The family we got Jack from told us he didn't like dog treats. They had purchased some and gave them to us in the bag of stuff we got with him. When we got home with him we tried offering him one. He took it, but then dropped it on the floor. Yesterday Bryce tried offering him some treats again. Jack took the treats and then went and put one under the piano bench, one by the antique sofa, and another behind the ceramic deer that I place under the Christmas tree every year. We decided to leave them there and see what happened. Later in the evening I heard Jack scratching and thought he was at the sliding glass door and wanted to go out. I went into the living room and realized he had been scratching at the deer. I moved it forward a few inches. Jack immediately retrieved his treat and ate it. I told Bryce what had happened. He checked Jack's other hiding places and all the treats were gone. I think he thinks he is the Easter Beagle and is supposed to hide treats. LOL
Last night I had sliced some bread for open-faced turkey sandwiches. I left the rest of the loaf on the cutting board. I was sitting at the computer when I heard a noise in the kitchen. I looked over to see what it was and did not see anything. I then stood up and ran into Jack sneaking out of the kitchen with the loaf of bread in his mouth! He is definitely a beagle.
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