On Barking Dogs

When Ares was a puppy he didn’t bark at all. He would make all kinds of other noises, some standard dog noises, others more like alien noises, but he never barked. Chaos followed the same pattern. Barring the first time he saw himself in the mirror, he also didn’t bark. But then one day Ares barked. And then he kept barking.

 

Okay, let me clarify. First of all, although Ares is small dog, he doesn’t have the standard yap that is mostly associated with small dogs. If you heard but couldn’t see him you probably would picture a large dog because his bark is pretty deep and solid. And it’s not like he just walks around barking constantly, he just barks a lot now compared to his younger days.

There are different kinds of barks too. He barks if wants something like food, water, a toy or needs to go outside. That one is closer to a whine. We call it his chirp. He has a play bark which is loud, happy and usually comes in short bursts. Then there is the sassy bark, always accompanied by snorting, to say he doesn’t like something. And of course the alert bark. This one is sharp, very deep and longer than the rest but will continue until he gets someone’s attention. He does this if he is looking out the back door and someone or something walks by. It’s his way of saying, “Hey guys, someone is out there.”

We should have expected at least the alert bark because Boston Terriers are known for this. They may not look intimidating or how the capacity to protect like a larger more powerful breed but they are still guard dogs in their own right. And to be honest, while sometimes the rest of the barking irritates me, I don’t mind at all that he always lets us know when something is going on outside.

I think it’s safe to say that a lot of Ares’s barking developed as part of his loving to be the center of attention. It’s hard to ignore a barking dog, But although you all know by now that Chaos certainly is not afraid to seek out head pats and belly rubs, he is always the follower and never the leader.

Chaos does bark now but not regularly like his older brother. If Ares darts to the back door and starts barking Chaos may follow suit, but he doesn’t bark to be let out, during play or to “talk back”. Instead he gives a pathetic cry by the door if he has to potty.

Sure, a lot of people would consider a Pit Bull a good guard dog. And yes, Chaos is strong, powerful and would certainly be protective if need be. But he doesn’t feel the need to bark alerts for every passing neighbor or visiting squirrel. Chaos only warns us when he senses actual danger. Like when our buddy Wiley walks the tree line at dusk.

Instead of a big, deep bark like Ares uses to give us a head’s up, Chaos has a very low, throaty growl. The first time I heard him do it I got nervous because he was standing by the back door staring out and I couldn’t see anything. I soon caught a glimpse of the grey and brown furry tail of a coyote and knew that’s why Chaos meant business.

Many people don’t want their dogs to bark or growl. They may feel it is inappropriate behavior for a house pet or simply something they cannot tolerate. I would agree that obsessive barking should be addressed. And growling other than for protection or to signal danger requires training. But Chris and I will never train Ares to stop barking or Chaos to stop growling when Wiley is around. I guarantee if someone was snooping around or broke into our home, it wouldn’t take long for them to hit the road fast after hearing Ares barking and Chaos growling.

We don’t have our dogs for protection. Clearly Ares and Chaos are adored members of the family. But we believe the fact that they warn us of things we may otherwise not be aware of is mostly a good thing. How do you feel about barking dogs?

Hiders or Seekers: How the Furbabies Treat Guests

When company walks through our front door Ares and Chaos are there to greet whomever it may be with lots of excitement, licks and waggles. Little O will slink around to check them out, go through their personal belongings as they set them down and introduce himself as the resident cat-dog. But Miss Piper is not a greeter.

Sure, if she knows you pretty well she might not take off like she’s on fire but she is never the welcoming type. While the dogs can barely contain themselves vying for attention from the guests and Little O is weaving through legs, Piper is either out of sight underneath the bed or tucked behind my clothes in the closet. If you do happen to be a frequent guest the best you will get from her, at least upon your initial arrival, is a glance from her perch on the barstool or the cat tree.

 

The boys have always been very social and love having more people to fawn over them. Piper has always been much more reserved. She likes to take her time to warm up to the presence of people she isn’t familiar with and come assess the situation on her own time. She’s not going to attack anyone if they try to come see her, she just likes to be the one to come to you.

 

In the human world we would label Ares, Chaos and O as outgoing and friendly and Piper as anti-social, shy or awkward. But to animals these traits don’t exist, they just are the way they are. The boys respect Piper’s space (for the most part) but feel free to invade each other’s at any time. The dogs and the cat-dog seek attention and affection from everyone whenever it’s available while Piper chooses who she will cozy up to and when it’s to her liking.

Before Little O joined the family people would say Piper’s behavior was just her feline nature. Now that we have O, who is clearly more of the mind to play greeter when the door opens, it has dispelled some of that thinking. If you recall, I’m sure you have walked into people’s homes or yards with dogs or cats who may regard you tentatively, unsure about you being there. That could last your entire visit or just until they’ve given you a once over and decided you pose no threat. And I’m sure you’ve also experienced being jumped up on by exuberant dogs, so happy to have you come see them or tried not to trip on kitties who immediately take to rubbing against your legs.

Pets have distinctive personalities that can vastly differ from one another just like people. My dogs and cat-dog happen to be enthusiastic about having people over. Piper decides on her reaction based on who it is and her current mood. How do your pets treat guests in your home?

Location, Location, Location: Moving with a Pit Bull

Recently Chris and I have been talking a lot about our plans for 2015. We want to buy a house so we will have plenty of room when we start to expand our family. Of course there will be many decisions to be made on a budget, whether to build or buy and on size and style. But the ultimate question is location. And that is heavily dependent on Chaos.

Most of you have probably at least heard about Breed Specific Legislation, aka BSL. Many of the cities and counties in Northern Kentucky have unfortunately bought into this idea and jumped on the Pit Bull haters train. BSL does not only affect Pit Bulls and “Pit Bull type dogs” but also other breeds such as Rottweilers, Dobermans and Mastiffs. Lawmakers believe that if owning these breeds is not allowed, or least comes with heavy restrictions, the general public will be safe from attacks. Even though countless studies done over the course of time these laws have been in effect have produced results showing BSL enforcement efforts have not shown any correlation with lower attack numbers from the targeted breeds, these laws continue to be passed.

When deciding where we would like to live, BSL automatically rules out many locations for us as a family with a Pit Bull as a member of it. Some people would think it’s crazy to base where we live on our dog. Well, we think it would be crazy to do anything otherwise. Chaos is a part of our family and giving him up to live in a specific city or county would absolutely never be an option. Would someone give up a child just to move closer to work? Ridiculous question, right? We think so.

Neither the city nor the county we currently reside in have any BSL in place or in the works, as far as we know. Chaos is labeled exactly as he is, a regular dog. But we are surrounded by cities with BSL and some of our friends and family live in these areas. Technically Chaos isn’t even allowed to visit their homes, but Chris and I always carry our IDs showing we live in another city so we do take him on trips fairly often.

The home he most frequently visits in a BSL city is my parents’ place. They have lived in their house for 20 plus years and are either friends or friendly with nearly the entire neighborhood. We don’t have to worry about anyone getting upset when Chaos visits, but according to the city, once he crosses that imaginary boundary he is considered a vicious dog. Yes, really.

I could go on a lengthy tirade about BSL, but I won’t. It’s not fair that dogs can be banned or labeled simply for being a certain breed. It’s not fair that the dogs are getting blamed instead of the owners. And it’s not fair that we can’t live anywhere we want simply because Chaos happens to be a Pit Bull. But while we are working against BSL, the best thing we can do is stop complaining about how unfair it is and just show people what amazing dogs Pit Bulls and other misunderstood breeds can be.

I can’t tell you how many people who have either been on the media’s side of the fence about Pit Bulls or simply were not sure one way or the other due to lack of experience with them, that have told us we have a great dog after meeting Chaos. His sweetness even comes across in his pictures. It’s always those sensitive golden eyes that just draw the awwwws. When people can see passed the big head, wide chest and muscle bound body of a Pit Bull, they get to see the waggly tailed, smiley faced, people loving dog who just happens to be a Pit Bull.

When we do decide where we will live, our first order of business will be ruling out anywhere with BSL. Of course living somewhere without the laws in place does not mean we won’t run into people who are of a mind to have them. All we can do is hope our future neighbors can see our sensitive snuggle bug as a just another dog and not Mr. Vicious, ready to attack their children.

Accepting the Mess: On Living with Furry Toddlers

If you ask me there is a vast difference between dirty and messy. Dirty is actual dirt, dust, mold ect. Messy is stuff without a place or stuff not in its place. Furbabies bring dirt and mess but if you ask me, the mess is much harder to keep up with than the dirt.

I used to be very messy. Just ask my parents. I’d have clothes all over my floor and random things shoved in drawers. Only I could find anything and sometimes things were just sucked into the abyss, only to show up years later.

In college the apartment I shared with Zelda and Nimo’s mama and another friend was actually dirty and messy. Really it got out of hand. I’m embarrassed thinking about it now.

Everything got much better at my second apartment. I had Piper and was painfully aware of her white fur clinging to the dark brown microfiber couch and raspberry colored carpet squares on the floor. I was a little older and made more of a habit of cleaning regularly and keeping things mostly neat. But it wasn’t that difficult to pick up after just Piper and me.

 

No I have furballs and a fiancé to look after. And let me tell you, it’s a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong, Chris helps out. But he works longer hours than I do so I take on more of the housework. Plus we do differ on the meaning of messy. But it’s okay because I always win that battle.

 

I’ve talked about how we keep the place as hair-free, dirt free and dust free as possible with 2 dogs and 2 cats. But the mess is a lot harder to control. And if you’ve ever lived a lifestyle like me, you completely understand.  

The dogs have several plush doggie beds. We keep 2 in the main living area because these are the ones from my mom that fit in nicely with the décor. Although they don’t look bad because they are so stylish, they are permanently on the floor. And of course with beds come blankets and pillows. We have 2 old pillows with cheap cases the dogs are allowed to use. But Ares drags his blankets everywhere and the pillows get tossed around the floor.

 

We have another dog bed in the master bedroom for lounging while I may be in there cleaning or doing laundry. Chaos has a hard time leaving my side so it gives him a place to stay with me but out from under me. And there is a mesh kitty cubby in the corner. There is a fourth dog bed in the backroom where the dog crates are plus another kitty cubby. Basically half the back room is taken over by the furballs’ stuff.

And then there’s the toys. Ares and Chaos have many toys and bones they love to play with and chew on. When they were puppies we would only leave a few out at a time and rotate them so they wouldn’t get bored. Now that they are older we no longer need to do that but that means there are usually 5-6 laying around at any given point. They get stuck under the couches or blend into a blanket, rug or bed and get stepped on way too often.

Of course the kitties have toys too. And the dogs like to play with them. They all especially enjoy the little birds on the sticks and the homemade t-shirt rope. We also have countless different leashes, collars and harnesses for the dogs, and clothing, treats and other supplies for all 4 of fur kids.

I’m at a point in my life where I appreciate having a nice place to live and having some nice things. I like everything to have a place. But keeping everything in its place can be very difficult. Sometimes it seems so much easier to just leave things in the most convenient place.

We pick mostly everything up when we know company is coming over. The blankets and pillows go in the basket. The toys go in the box or the basket. The leashes go on the rack. The clothes go in the basket and the treats go in the cabinet. But if you are stopping by or drop over unannounced, you will most likely walk into to a home that looks like it belongs to toddlers. Furry toddlers who don’t care about their mess.

 

A leash will be coiled on the dining table and a harness draped over the chair. A bag of treats will be sitting on the counter and a brush on the bar stool. You might see a cat toy in the hallway, some dog bones on the living room floor and blankets and pillow strewn about.

 

The fact is, I can keep the human stuff neat and organized easily. Clothes in the laundry basket, shoes on the rack, toiletries in baskets and food on its proper shelf. But with the furbabies, the mess is too hard to control. Their beds need to stay where they are so they know where they are supposed to lay. They need their toys to keep them occupied when mom and dad are doing other things and their blankets and pillows if they want to nap. Their leashes are in constant use to go in and out for potty breaks or walks and treats kept close by for good behavior rewards. Everything is used constantly throughout the day so it’s impossible to have it all put away.

 

Although I’ve come a long way from the disorganized, messy girl, sometimes it’s hard to tell with the furballs and all their stuff. Although we do work hard to keep things clean, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact they’ve overtaken most of the living space so it will usually look messy at my house. But it’s a small price to pay for the awesomeness that is being a pet parent.  Just remember this disclaimer if you ever drop in on us.

Adding Up the Pennies: The Costs that Come with Furbabies

When people plan to bring a human baby into the world they generally start adding up how much the kid is going to cost. They make mental and often times physical calculations from short term costs like formula, diapers and the crib to long term expenses like a car, college and maybe a wedding. Whether the bundle of joy was planned or not, people know to expect all kinds of money will be spent throughout the baby’s life.

It’s not the same with furry kids. I’m not arguing that having a pet is as expensive or as difficult as raising a human child. But I am saying that parents of furry kids probably don’t plan ahead monetarily for furbabies like they do human ones.

Whether a new furry family member is a planned choice or something that just kind of happens, a few ways you’ll spend money as pet parent are immediately obvious. They need food, food and water bowls and a leash and collar at the bare minimum. Depending on the situation, your new furkid may have to visit the vet for a standard check-up and shots. Maybe there is a greater need for medical care other than routine procedures, but this is probably considered a one-time thing. If you get a dog and you already have another dog, you probably have a lot of the necessities like toys and treats. You might need to get another dog bed or a crate or if it’s a puppy you’ll get puppy appropriate supplies (hopefull). But these are the more obvious and sometimes short term expenses.

If someone had told me that I would end up spending hundreds of dollars on a regular basis for my furry kids before I got them I would have laughed. How could little furballs be so expensive? Well over the past couple years I’ve found out why anyone planning to get a pet should plan for the expenses early on.

Generally speaking, all the pennies you spend on your furballs probably don’t add up like mine do. We happen to be just so lucky to collect furbabies with special issues. And that is something I never saw coming.

Piper has had recurring urinary tract infections and crystals in her bladder. It’s not uncommon for cats but it’s not cheap to treat or fun for the kitty and also requires them to be on a special (expensive) diet if they continue to happen. As a 11 years young lady, she will also need bi-yearly check-ups for her kidney, living and heart function.

Ares, the genetic bomb as we lovingly refer to him, developed demodectic manage as a puppy and also had a bout of worms. The treatment themselves weren’t too costly but several visits to the vet, tests and multiple courses of treatment for the mange added up. We also paid for his neutering and his cherry eye surgery. Surgery costs include anesthesia which depends on the weight of the dog and how long he will be under and a blood test prior to the procedure is optional. Of course we paid the extra charge both times to ensure he was fit to be put to sleep. Our genetic bomb has also had ear infections, urinary tract infections and had to be seen for a luxating patella. And he only just turned 2.

Chaos is actually the biggest pocket picker of them all. We discovered his horrible allergies when he was just 4 months old. Over the past year we’ve dished out the dough for regular vet visits, doggie dermatologist visits, allergy testing, several different allergy medications and steroids and a couple visits to the pet ER for after-hours allergic reactions (triple the cost of a regular vet). We continue to pay monthly for his current medication as well as blood work and a check up every 3 months to ensure his liver remains functioning normally with the medication. He also was neutered with pre-screening blood test and has been on painkillers and antibiotics for the various infections he’s had in his short 1 ½ of life.

Little O is the only one who so far, hasn’t cost us in vet bills. He was neutered when we got him and has been healthy to this point, but he costs us in other ways. Little O has pica. Essentially he tries to eat things that aren’t food. And I don’t mean like dogs eating poop or socks. I mean he gnaws on almost anything plastic, blinds, boxes, table corners, anything hard he can chew on. And there is nothing we can do about it aside from moving things around if we can and being careful not to leave things out when we are gone.

Other than medical bills and household items that have fallen victim to the furballs, we’ve spent money on training, training supplies and countless toys, blankets and clothing. While these may not be necessary, we are the kind of people who treat our pets like family. Clearly. So we also feed them the best food and even buy tubs of yogurt weekly to add to their diet. We have an entire doggie medicine cabinet including a topical flea, tick & heartworm medication that gets applied monthly to the dogs. We buy these in bulk to save on the total cost but it’s still more than a month’s worth of human food.

Sure, when you plan to have a human baby you probably don’t plan for possible problems like allergies, infections or genetic conditions you didn’t know about. But you do plan for pretty much everything else. Adding up the pennies spent on my furbabies makes my head spin and feel a little sick to my stomach. I do wish I would have thought harder about the costs and looked past just the daily necessities. Would I have still gotten them if I’d known ahead of time? You can bet your life on that. They are worth every penny. All the pennies could never add up to what they’ve given me. Not all the pennies in the world.