The Great Blizzard of 2013

This week we're catching up on all the posts we didn't do over the winter!

The great blizzard of 2013 had Massachusetts under a state of emergency. The governor passed a law making it illegal for anyone (other than cops, ambulances, etc) to be driving during the blizzard. So for 3 days, everyone was basically under house arrest. A few of my northern-bred friends were disappointed that there wasn't MORE snow, but there was more than enough to make us very thankful for our garage parking.

We got more than a laying-down dog worth of snow!

Badger loves snow, so we expected him to have a blast. True to form, he romped around, jumping in every snowbank, until his paws froze and we were able to convince him to come back inside.

Can I stay out and play some more?

Mushroom was ready to go inside the second she stepped out the door.

Stop taking pictures and open the door already!

Did you enjoy the long, snowy winter like Badger, or are you more than ready for spring like Mushroom?

Badger Watches the Puppy Bowl

It's spring, and we're out of hibernation! This week we are catching up by posting about what we did over the winter.

I barely even remember the Super Bowl this year. All I remember is that the Patriots weren't in it, and the lights went out for a very long time.

The Puppy Bowl was more memorable because Badger totally got into it! We've posted before that Badger sometimes watches TV with us, but this time he was running around and wagging his tail. Take a look for yourself:

Mushroom, of course, napped through both the Puppy Bowl and the Super Bowl. She did manage to steal some leftover bean dip afterward, though.

Being guilty is delicious

Hi, we're back!

It's spring(-ish), and we're coming out of hibernation! We actually did do some cool things over the winter (pun not intended), so we'll spend this week catching up.

Mushroom in her adventuring gear

Mushroom and I met up with fellow reactive dog Lilee and her owner Viv. We went for a walk around the park, where we passed several other dogs with varying degrees of success. At the lower end of the spectrum, we did meet one large off-leash dog, which we all but ran away from. Luckily, it didn't come too close, and the incident was probably scarier for the humans than for the dogs. Still, it would be nice if people respected leash laws more or at least had the foresight to leash their dogs when approaching another dog.

Mushroom's worst moment came when a woman walked by with a little dog on a flexi-lead. She barked, jumped, did the whole reactive dog dance. In retrospect, Viv and I could have picked a better stakeout location because I'm not sure Mushroom and Lilee, from their low vantage point, could see the other dog approaching until it was about 15 feet away.

Other than those two experiences, we had a good walk. The dogs they did not react to included: a big black Lab that passed by twice (Mushroom responded to clicks and treats the 2nd time around), a yellow or white dog that we followed around the park (they probably thought we were weirdos), a beagle that stared at our dogs from across a narrow street, and a German Shepherd that didn't even bother to look at us. Mushroom and Lilee also sat calmly while a man walked by with a roller suitcase that looked vaguely dog-like from a distance.

After the walk, we went back to Viv's house to relax. I kept Mushroom on-leash because Lilee didn't like her getting too close (she would scurry away). Lilee wasn't as interested in treats as she was in not letting Mushroom sniff her, so it was difficult to get them both in the same frame. Mushroom, on the other hand, was pretty good about giving Lilee her space, so long as we kept the treats coming. In the future, we plan on taking Mushroom and Lilee for more walks together and possibly using clicker training to convince Lilee that being near Mushroom is a good thing.

Mushroom: What other dog? I just want my treat!

Lilee: Let's just be long-distance friends

Want more pictures and stories about Lilee? Check out Viv's new blog: Life with Viv and Lilee!

How Old is Mushroom?

The short answer: No one will ever know.

Mushroom: International Dog of Mystery

The long answer: We asked our vet earlier this month when we took her in for her shots. He said that while it was possible to tell a dog's age by their teeth as a puppy, the older a dog gets, the wider the range of ages. So the earliest estimate is usually the most accurate.

The earliest estimate of Mushroom's age came from a shelter in North Carolina and listed her birthday as October of 2010. Her intake date was sometime around June 2011. In November of 2011, she was rescued and arrived at her foster home in New Hampshire. Her foster mom estimated her birthday as February 18, 2011, and that is the date that is listed at the vet's office.

Based on the fact that Mushroom has had a litter, presumably before she entered the shelter, and the assumption that shelter workers would know the difference between a 4-month-old puppy and an 8-month-old puppy, it seems that the most believable estimate is that Mushroom was born around October 2010.

The vet also said, though, that it was rare to see a dog going grey at the age of 2 - his own dog started graying at 5. Add to that our personal observation that Mushroom is significantly calmer now than when she first entered our home, and the sometimes-true myth that dogs "click" into a calmer mode when they turn 3, and she may be even older than the shelter estimate.

To add to the confusion, the reason that Mushroom's foster mom estimated her to be younger was because she came from the South, where heartworm is widespread, and was only in the early stages of heartworm. So if she is significantly older, it may mean that she was previously someone's pet, even though the shelter took her in as a stray.

If only dogs could talk.

She'd just pester us with requests for food all the time

What do you wonder about your dog's past?

Mushroom's Gotcha Day

We're sharing Mushroom's gotcha day story as part of the Ray-Ray Gotcha Day blog hop!

Around this time last year, we started looking for a second dog to add to our family. We made a list of traits we were looking for:

• Female
• Adult
• Good with dogs
• Larger than Badger (not actually possible because of apartment rules)
• Pit bull-type but not listed as such (apartment rules, again)
• No major medical issues
• No bite history

Armed with this checklist, we browsed Petfinder. The first dog we were interested in didn't get along with other dogs, so we were immediately turned down. The second dog we were interested in was a little brown dog named Samantha. Samantha was a little on the young side, but we went ahead and e-mailed her foster mom. This is the reply we got:

Thank you for your interest in Samantha.  She is a sweetheart!  She is still available for adoption.  She is currently staying at my home in foster, so will be able to tell you all about her and answer any questions  you may have.
Looking forward to chatting more about the gal.  You can mail me back or call.  I am at work during the day tomorrow, but should be free after 5 PM.

Samantha sticking her tongue out at her foster home

Our first meeting between Badger and Samantha didn't go as well as we'd hoped. Samantha barked at him from a distance. After a few walk-bys, we brought the two dogs together, and she swatted him in the face. She jumped all over the humans in her attempt to get treats. Her foster mom told me how only one other family had been interested in Samantha, but they backed out, saying she looked too much like a pit bull.

When we went home, L and I had a long discussion about whether Samantha was the right fit or whether we wanted to meet more dogs. We finally decided to go forward with adopting Samantha (who we renamed Mushroom). She arrived at our apartment one day before Super Bowl Sunday. However, I continued to have second thoughts throughout our one-month foster-to-adopt period. 

The very first picture of Badger and Mushroom together

Looking back, I sure am glad we adopted Mushroom. Because of her, we were forced to learn more about dog behavior, from leash reactivity to appropriate play. Because of her, Badger was forced to learn calmer behavior and the "leave it" command. She loves everyone she meets, and they all love her back.

Mush-dog, we're glad we took a chance on you.

Also check out Badger's story here.

Power Chewers: Supervision and Sizing Up

Despite being a petite pocket pittie mix, Badger is a power chewer. When he chews on stuffies, we blink, and he's already eating stuffing. One time, he cracked an antler in half, lengthwise (and ate all the marrow, making himself sick). Another time, he chewed through to the hollow center of a Nylabone we thought was solid. Over Christmas, we had a problem with Badger quickly eating the marrow out of a deer antler and then crunching the rest of the antler into splinters.

This means that we have to keep a close eye on him whenever he is playing with his toys. We also have to inspect his toys frequently to make sure he won't bite off any large parts and eat them. And when a toy starts to show signs of wear, whether it be a stuffy with a hole in it or an antler with a large piece of exposed marrow, we retire it or relegate it to "Mushroom only".

When we choose toys for Badger, we tend to "size up". We almost always buy a size larger than the one that Badger's weight falls in. (For example, Badger uses an XL Kong made for dogs in the 60-90 lb weight range, and he weighs just under 45 lbs.)

We were eager to try out moose antlers from Acadia Antlers because their website says that moose is the hardest antler. We purchased two of their XL antlers (for 70+ lb dogs), and the owner, Carol, even allowed us to specify tynes as opposed to splits.

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty awesome

So far, the moose antlers have held up much better than the deer antlers have. They've held up so well, in fact, that poor Mushroom hasn't been able to make a dent in hers. She'll just lie forlornly next to Badger and clean up any marrow crumbs he leaves behind. We do have a stash of "Mushroom only" toys, but as we're transitioning to having both dogs out together, they now spend more time in the closet.

Excuse me, I can't even fit my mouth around this

Do you have a power chewer? What toys do you give him/her?

Is Mushroom Secretly an Elderbull?

Look at this picture of Mushroom, taken at her foster home over a year ago.

So comfy in my bed

Now look at this picture of Mushroom, taken around Christmas. Notice any differences?

So comfy in my sunbeam

If you answered "She's going grey", you're right. But how can this be? We were told that she was only about a year old when we adopted her.

We did some Googling and found that muzzle greying is not a reliable way of telling a dog's age. Just like people, dogs can go grey earlier due to a combination of stress (*cough* Badger) and genetics. A better indicator is whether a dog's bottom row of teeth are jagged or smooth. Jagged would indicate a younger dog, while an older dog's teeth would have smoothed out. We weren't able to get a good look at her teeth, though, because she kept trying to give kisses. Mushroom already has a vet appointment this week, so while we're there, we'll also ask them to reevaluate her age.

Has your dog started to go grey? If so, at what age?