Dumbo!

Hunter. Hunter. Hunter. You big dummy. This is what you get for trying to eat the trash.


Stuck in the lid. It's one of those trash cans with the little domed lid that has a two way flap and he stuck his head through. It popped off the flap and got stuck behind his ears. We were at dinner for a birthday and it was a few hours before we came home.

Jacob thought it was hilarious and Hunter just wanted it off. But he had to wait until I got some photographic proof of his silly predicament.

Hunter And Jacob

Staying at my mom's the past few days, we've been enjoying ample dog time. During the day, Hunter mostly stays outside so even though we're here daily, he doesn't get to spend much time with us. Mostly by his choosing as he thinks it's better to be outside here. Unlike when we have our own place, where he would like to be with me every single minute. This causes issues because he's bad dog here at my mom's. He digs holes and worms his body into the pig pen to eat their food. Hunter doesn't actually play with Jacob, unless Jacob is eating. Then Hunter is at least three feet away, waiting patiently for Jacob to be done, drool hanging from his mouth, anticipating being able to scope the floor once I get Jacob out of his chair. Jacob learned the other day that he can drop food into Hunter's mouth and we had to stop that nonsense RIGHT AWAY. The kid doesn't eat enough as it is, I don't need another reason for him to not eat the food I make. Although, somehow Jacob got a hold of the cup of chicken noodle soup I was going to feed him, and while my back was turned he dumped the contents onto the floor after taking a few noodles for himself. Hunter was more than willing to clean it up. And the only reason I know they did this? I found the empty container on the still damp floor.

I miss having Hunter around. Jacob loves to hang on Emma, much more than Hunter, but he's been known to play with Hunter the same way. Like tonight, when Jacob had a late nap and would normally be very crabby, he's happy playing in between the dogs as they lay on the floor in front of me, begging for snacks. Jacob can be rough with them, as he likes to poke their eyes, pull their ears, shove his finger into their nostrils. His favorite thing to do it run up to them and quickly pound his hands onto their backs as they try to sleep. Fortunately, we have very good dogs and the most they do is get up and move away. They must not be smart enough to move into a different room, one with no lights on. But I am thankful for my dog babysitters. Sheesh, it's the only way I'm going to get to post anything at all tonight. So it might as well be a big thank you to Hunter and Emma for putting up with the Squawly Thing.

They have come a long way from this:




This was in Alabama and it's blurry but it's still a photo of the two of them!

Watching Hunter

Jacob showed an interest in Hunter the other day. However, Hunter was chewing a bone and could care less. I'm more impressed with the fact that 1) I put Jacob on the floor and he was happy and 2) Hunter didn't try to lick or step on Squally Thing.

Like Starbursts In My Heart

Jacob has developed the most wicked case of the grins. His happiest times come right after waking up or after nursing. But occasionally, he has unexpected bouts of smiley time. CS took this picture right after we took a walk. Jacob does so well with the strolled. Usually he spits out the binky and just enjoys the ride. Hunter, on the other hand, really hates that he has to compete with the stroller now. Can I not just let him run in front of it so he can be first? Maybe I could just let him off the leash entirely so he can go into everyone's yard and eat cat poop. And he wonders why I won't let him lick the baby.

A Boy And His Dog

Jacob: Has no idea what's going on.
Hunter: Would like Squally Thing off him if he's not allowed to lick him.

Hunter

Hunter did quite well with the introduction of Squally Thing, as he likes to refer to Jacob. When we came home from the hospital, it was late at night and everyone was in bed. Hunter came out to greet us and he was quite interested in smelling me but he didn't notice the car seat right away. CS set the seat down and let Hunt come close. He got really still and intense, trying to get as close as possible. He was so focused that I was worried he was going to spazz out and bark in the Jacob's face. He didn't, but he might wish he had now.

The poor dog. He used to be such a parasite, following from room to room. Now he goes to bed on his own, usually before I do. He occasionally comes near me when I have the baby, but generally picks someone else to find affection. He even sits on the other side of the table when we have dinner, choosing to be close to Uncle Abe rather than me. Or he wanders around the kitchen, acting like he doesn't understand "lay down."

Oh, he must know I'm writing about him, as he just decided to come lay next to me. CS also has the baby, which could be the other thing.

However, he has done one very, very stupid thing. He ran away. Really, it's not his fault. Abe had him out in the garage while he worked on his bike and he didn't pay very close attention to Hunter and he decided to take the heck off. I'm not sure how long he was gone, Abe certainly doesn't know. I wandered out to see where he was and SURPRISE! Dog was gone. We called for him, and everyone but me went off to search. CS found him down the road about five minutes later. And boy did he smell good! Like skunk! And dead things! Hunt was so happy!

And then he got a bath. Oooh, bummer. But first we had to get pet wash. So he had to stay outside, where the flies thought he smelled good too. It reminded me of Pigpen from Peanuts.

So not only did he smell awful and earn himself a few nights outside, he also broke his tail. BROKE. TAIL. How does a dog break his tail? We'll never know. He was acting funny a day later, not sitting down normally and not wagging his tail. CS took him to the vet and they determined that he probably dislocated it and needed to have a shot, anti-biotics and pain pills. He's fine now, and that's good because I keep forgetting to give him his pills.

The Best He Can

Hunter has been very tolerant of allowing us to place things on his nose before getting a treat. I actually had nothing to do with his willingness to hold still while a treat was placed directly onto his snout. A man at Brakes Plus in Pueblo can take the credit for that. I was waiting for my car to be serviced and a man who was waiting in the room with me placed one of Hunt's rawhides on his nose and got him to hold still. (I used to take Hunter with me because my uncle runs the Brakes Plus and he likes dogs.) Ever since then, Hunter will allow you to place a snack on his nose and hold his head steady until you move your hands far enough away from him to flick it off and gobble it up. I think the fact that he was able to stand like this for so long was because the object on his head is not as appetizing as a succulent piece of chicken or left over cheese. Don't get me wrong, he loves to rip up water bottles but that's a process and he's really tired right now from following Abe around like a little leach.

Maybe You Aren't Stalkers?

Here's a picture of 25 weeks. I haven't taken 26 weeks yet, plus it takes a long time to load. I still hate iPhoto. I wonder if I can snatch up some program at work to put on here for photo editing. I know I saw books about CS3 just lying around in someone's cart so there must be discs somewhere!

Anyways, maybe some of you don't follow my belly postings on Facebook or MySpace, so this is for you.
















Also, you can see the dog! The very tired dog who played fetch at the lake two days in a row and would really like to go to bed now. Maybe you could rub some balm into his paws, too. They are a little sore from the gravel. And check him for ticks!

Hey Momma!

"I'm fooking Lassie, Momma! I'll help you."

Hunter has taken to "helping" us shut the garage door when we go there for the trash cans. It's an old-fashioned type door that opens toward you, then up above you. So when I'm pulling it down, Hunter jumps up about halfway and pushes down. He says he's "fooking Lassie."

I love having the yard we have with him. The front yard is completely fenced in, so he can sit at the front door and watch the street before him without fear of him bolting after something. The backyard is not completely fenced in but the driveway makes it a little harder for him to run after someone on the street. There is a huge rock wall on one side that prevents him from getting to the neighbor's house and Hunt seems content to just follow CS around as he goes from the boat to the garage. Or he eats grass in the backyard. Who knows, he's weird.

I'm trying to teach him to "kiss the baby" when he comes up to me while I'm laying down on my right side in the evenings as the baby has a kick-fest. So far, he's not buying this "baby" thing. He would rather throw his stuffed crab in my face. But in the mornings, he's a little more docile and we have rare, touching moments like this:






The Beast and the Belly

Why The Windows In My Car Are Now Set To Child-Proof

The other day I was driving around Globe with Hunt hanging out the window and we happened upon a very steep hill. So steep that when I stopped at the stop sign, my car immediately began to roll backwards when I took my foot off the brake to press the gas. My car made a clunky noise in protest to getting across the intersection and we made it through when I realized the next street was a dead end. So I swerved to get the car into the first driveway I can turn around it and when I get there I turn my head to make sure no one is behind me and I see Hunter. With his head being rolled up in the window.

Click, Lock, Drop

I lost my keys this morning.

Funny thing about that?

Losing my keys has been the "worst thing that could happen to me" since I've moved down here. Mostly because there is no way I can break into my house if I lock the dead bolt. No entry through windows like at my house at home. Hell, these windows don't open in the slightest (fire hazard?). Also, I have no spare key to my car here. I lose that and I have no vehicle.

So I was a tad bit worried this morning at the gym when I discovered that I didn't leave them in the front seat like I thought I had when I couldn't find them in my pocket on my walk. They weren't on the street. They weren't inside the gym. Just vanished. Usually, when Hunt and I start a walk, he gets all excited and holds the leash in his mouth and bounces all around me, and I get into it with him and we hop down the street for a bit before settling into a nice pace. I thought maybe my keys got jounced out during all the hopping, but they weren't on the street. One nice man from aerobics class offered to help me look, and we took off jogging down the street to an empty field I walk through to let Hunter do his business. As we are searching in the weeds, a couple walks past and they are holding my keys hostage. Turns out they found them on the ground by the gym, realized they belonged to me, and continued on their walk in hopes that they would pass me to return them. Hurrah! Then nice aerobic man and I jogged back to the gym. So this morning, I had 45 minutes of "Weight Lifting to Music" followed by a (bouncy) 1 mile walk, then a 1 mile jog. I feel bad for Hunter , mostly, because he stayed in the car while I went to look the the keys and he missed out on the jogging.

Also, the car alarm was blaring because it doesn't like it when you unlock the doors from the outside.

A Horrible Thing

Hunter and I took a walk this morning. Just like we do every morning. Same route as always. We were walking down a semi-busy street. It doesn't have bad traffic, but it's nearly impossible at 8 AM to have no cars driving past you as you walk down the road. Here in Hobbs, there aren't many dogs around. People keep them penned up in backyards, and that's only about 5 of the 100 houses I walk by every morning. This morning, as we walked down the road, I saw someones little lapdog playing in a yard with another dog, or possibly a cat. I've seen this dog before, it belongs to an older woman who lives in one of the 5 houses on that side of the street. The houses are clumped together, littered with broken cars, junk, and a few signs warning trespassers. It's not a very welcoming part of the neighborhood. I have only seen that woman and her dog out once, and that one time, her dog did choose to follow us barking down the sidewalk for a while. But this morning, the dog was outside her fence, alone. Hunt and I were walking on the opposite side of the street and I thought that would deter the dog from crossing over to us. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The dog decided to step out into the street and barrel toward us just as a car came rushing by. There was no time for the car to stop. Or swerve. I couldn't do anything to prevent it. What's worse, is that I could do nothing to help. The car that hit the dog didn't stop. Neither did the other three cars that came by right after. I couldn't let Hunt get close to it and there was no place to tie him up. No one was around, and I couldn't figure out how to get to the woman's house. I didn't know what to do. I had just seen a horrible thing and no one could help me. I eventually walked away because I simply didn't how to help. I was afraid of finding the woman, afraid she would be mad at me for her dog's death. When I finally walked away, I just broke down crying. I couldn't even get the dog off the road because I couldn't let my dog go for fear that he would get hurt or just be annoying while I moved the dog away. I wanted to be home so I could call my mom. I called the Police as well, and asked them if they could send Animal Control to the house and take care of it, and I found out that someone already called it in.

I felt so bad. I still feel bad. I know it's not my fault. That I didn't cause that dog to chase us, nor was there anything I could have done differently. But I will never forget the sounds I heard when it happened and the way the poor dog died before my eyes. I've seen animals die, but never like this. This was violent and done to a pet. Not to livestock raised for food and done with as much humanity as possible. I feel bad for the woman who lost her dog, even if it's an animal I pretty much despise. Maybe, hopefully, next time will end happily. And the lesson I learn is: Never let your pets run loose.

Puffy Puppykins!

My brother called me yesterday around lunch time to tell me that Hunter's face was very swollen. He was acting normal but his snout and eyes were very puffy. I called my vet and they said to bring him in that afternoon. My normal vet is at least an hour away, so I called every place in town to get him in that afternoon. My last choice said I could bring him in at 2:30. I dislike them because they advocate spaying and neutering your pets too young and I disagree with that. It is not healthy! Anyways, they were the only vet in town that could take us. (Seriously? That's just weird.) So my brother brings Hunter to me at work, and he is a complete FAT FACE. His eyes were like bulgy golf balls and his snout looked just like those pictures where the animals head is seventy times larger than the body. He was happy as could be, though. Just slightly misshapen. And his snuffing around sounded a little different. The vet determined that it probably wasn't a snake bite, as they leave puncture wounds. So that left bad spider bite, or bee sting. Two shots later, and a $60 bill, he's no longer puffy. The swelling went down rather quickly after he got the medicine, and he was back to his annoying, demanding self. I brought him back to work with me where he was quite unhappy to not be allowed to run and play with the kids around him. And why couldn't he sit on my lap and whine? Surprisingly, he chilled the heck out when I started putting books away. He decided not to keep his head out the window on the way home, opting instead for my lap. He's still a bit mopey this morning, but it was quite an eventful day for him yesterday. Maybe he will learn that bees are NOT for eating. Somehow, I doubt it.