Live and Learn

Let's face it. Marriage isn't easy. You win some battles, and you lose some, but ultimately, you must surrender to the ones you can live without winning and stand strong on the ones you cannot. From crazed money spenders to groggy insomniacs to premenstrual monsters to past drudger-uppers (hee, hee), we all have our moments - our insecurities, our skeletons. During marriage, your ugliest (and prettiest) side is exposed (for some, more often than others). If you can still look each other in the eye after an "ugly" moment and say you love each another, well... congratulations. You might actually make it work after all.

Just remember the recipe:

1 heaping tbsp. of love
a pinch of forgiveness & understanding
2 c. wine (white or red)

Bring to a boil. Usually done boiling after a phone call to your sister or mom. Then simmer on low. Add another cup of wine, if necessary. Top with patience & humility. Serves 2.

Canine Morale has Continued to Improve

After several weeks of monitoring their behavior, Skeeter and Bailey have shown less and less interest in the taste and texture of each other's bowel movements. Canine morale has certainly improved and subsequently, so has human morale. You see, for dogs routine always trumps instant gratification. And so, we walk them after work (and some late evenings, too, when we've had a few and need to "walk it off"), they chew a bone after dinner and put themselves to bed at 10.

All is well...for now.

Organic Dog Food, Part II

I forgot to mention in my last post that in addition to buying them a higher-quality dog food, I have also been making a serious effort to exercise them more frequently and for longer periods of time. I figure exercise coupled with a protein-rich diet, and we may have a chance.

I think we're making some great progress. To date, there has been only one, little 'piddle' in the kitchen, and it's been over two weeks. As far as the coprophagia goes, there is some progress, but not as much as I'd hoped. I believe this is due to the fact that it has become almost habitual at this point. An acquired taste, maybe? Needless to say, I've had to become extremely vigil in my 'poop patrol' duties, picking them up with the scooper practically as they hit the ground. Of course, this is now one of Bailey's favorite games: who can get to the poo first. At times I've even had to run at her with the scooper shovel, brandishing it like a Spartan warrior does his spear.

I'd say overall, the experiment has been successful and canine moral is high. So I guess we'll just keep on keeping on.

Organic Dog Food, Part I

What finally put me over the edge was the realization that Skeeter was almost 3 and was STILL peeing on the kitchen floor. And after much research on coprophagia, I discovered that Bailey's desire to eat Skeeter's or her own feces, was unhealthy for an adult dog to be doing (apparently, only puppies get away with this). Believe me, I was very close to losing my temper with them both.

However, in my reading about coprophagia, which may have to do with a nutrient-deprived diet, I came across another behavioral problem with dogs who aren't getting enough nutrients in their food: excessive urination due to drinking a lot of water. I couldn't believe it. Here are my two babies eating feces and drinking water to fill their bellies because we can't spend a little more for quality food. It broke my heart.


I immediately began the transition from Pedigree - a low-grade, corn-based filler food (which was clearly going right through them) to Blue Buffalo - a high-end, protein-rich food that I could probably eat. Of course I remembered to gradually mix in the new food with the old, and of course I don't give them as much of the new food, since it is so rich. Now, wouldn't that be a nightmare for their digestion tracts - that'd be like switching from Fritos to Caviar!

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the results.

Rescue Dogs

There are so many dog shelters out there that now have very interactive web sites. You can literally see the litters of dogs and puppies who need good homes. The shelter we got both of our dogs from is in Sterling, Massachusetts. Both dogs (one rescued in 2003, the other in 2005) are hound mixes.

The Sterling Shelter gets most of its dogs (mainly hounds) from New Jersey, who were merely transported there from Virginia. In Virginia, using dogs to hunt deer is a centuries-old tradition, and after the hunt, hunters are often unable to retrieve their hounds for several hours, if at all. Although new laws are being passed in Virginia regarding mandatory electronic tracking collars on hunting dogs as well as a dog license fee (cost is higher for dogs who are not spayed or neutered), there are still many stray offspring from hunting dogs.

Unfortunately, the dogs are pretty traumatized when they finally do get to the shelter. When we got Skeeter in 2005, she was spayed at the tender age of 4 weeks old and had to be treated round worms, stopping in 3 states on her way up to Massachusetts for various shots and vaccinations. She was so anxious on the drive home, she drooled a thick mucus and vomited all over the backseat. Although she hid under the bed for months following, she finally ventured out. Bailey helped her come out of her shell, too. Having an outgoing dog around is good for her. Today she's much more active but still has some anxiety we are working out.

Alpha dog vs. Beta dog?

Contender #1: Bailey
age: 4
breed: Foxhound
traits: stubborn, a snuggler, obsessed with tennis balls

Contender #2: Skeeter
age: 2 and 1/2
breed: Chow/hound mix
traits: skiddish, a yapper, loves to chew, gives actual hugs

About a month ago, my dogs had a pretty serious fight. Bailey was playing with a tennis ball (which we don't even allow anymore) and growled at Skeeter who sauntered by with absolutely NO interest in the ball. Skeeter, who is normally very even-tempered and used to being harassed by Bailey for being in the vicinity of anything she doesn't want to share, had clearly had enough of the harassment and snapped.

When they started wrestling, it seemed as though the more my fiance tried to split them up, the more intense the fight became. When we finally got them separated, Skeeter's eye was badly scratched and bleeding. But Bailey got the worst of it (and rightly so, I might add). She had two sizeable puncture wounds and ended up needing staples and antibiotics. The vet bills totaled almost $300 (between the two of them), and in hindsight, we wondered whether we should have let them finish duking it out without our interference, as clearly no official winner, or alpha dog, was established.