Easter 2015

I know that many people look a little sideways when I mention that my dogs get gifts at Christmas (Ari knew and loved how to unwrap her own presents - and sometimes 'helped' with mine) but the raised eyebrows really come out when I mention that I have Easter egg hunts for my dogs. I suppose people think it's odd to do something for dogs that they can't really understand and when I was younger I think I did it more because I didn't have children. Now though it just seems natural, my stepchildren are 13 and 16, far too old to hunt for eggs but just right to hide them; and as for the dogs, it is instinct for them to 'hunt' for food - especially Luna.

 

It was the first hunt for all three of our dogs and I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew Luna would be game; she had even been practicing balancing the plastic eggs on her nose the week before and was already treating them like a (supervised) toy. Once she could smell the treats inside she would be all over the yard hunting. Ella’s always up for just about any game, although I worried that even if she found the eggs her mouth would be too small to open them. As for Boots, well her eyesight isn’t what it used to be and she stopped playing with toys a while ago. 

In the end all three of them took to the idea on one level or another. I was right about Luna, with little effort or encouragement from us (after the first egg) she was on her own and certainly found the most. Ella went crazy and would run around the yard with one in her mouth until it popped open and then run around some more (I’m still not sure if she even bothered to eat the treats). Boots needed help ‘finding’ the eggs, but once one was in front of her she opened it without a problem. The kids had fun too – and I got some amazing pictures!

Here’s some helpful tips if you want to host your own hunt next year:

• Supervision, supervision, supervision. Those plastic eggs are easy to break and the little pieces can be dangerous. Know your dog, I always take away Luna’s ASAP where Ella really does just want to run around with hers – but she would start to chew on it when the running stopped.
• Small treats. I love the treat bar at Petco for all my hard treats and used one or two small bite sized ones for each egg along with a couple pieces of their regular dry food.
• Hide the eggs like you would for a toddler, taller grass patches work great.
• I use new eggs every year and discard the old ones. To cut back on costs I normally pick them up on clearance after the holiday or got to a craft store for their pre-Easter sale such as Michaels or Jo-ann when their supplies are 50% (or more) off.

MIA

I have been away for too long. Not just here, but everywhere online that is dog related, including Worldly Dogs. I found that after losing Ari and then Miley I needed a break from stories and photos of dogs. It was too easy for the tears to fall, on some days it still is, but now it is past time to start a new chapter and return.

Luna is doing great, if still Loony (she wouldn't be Luna otherwise). Together we have completed intermediate obedience three times now, still trying to obtain her Canine Good Citizen (CGC). She has become a very obedient dog in the last 11 months; she just cannot manage me leaving her with a stranger for three minutes - or even one. It’s frustrating, but I know it isn't everything. Luna is amazing on a leash and her stays are almost unbreakable, she does so well that despite the CGC mishap we enrolled in Rally two weeks ago. Of course, that was also due to me being unable to have two dogs in class at the same. It became two because apparently my life is a little empty without three dogs.

This time I really wasn't looking for another dog (unlike when I told myself I wasn't with Luna). My husband and I had decided we would look for a third dog after our next family trip sometime this year and I already felt like my hands were full training Luna. Then the photo of "Binkie" found its way onto my Facebook feed. She was an adorable four month old wiry Jack Russell mix and somehow I knew right away that she was the missing dog in our pack.

I was a little worried that being a Jack Russell mix she would remind me too much of Ari, but when we arrived at Best Friends I was shocked to find that aside from a different coat color she was very much a "Miley-dog". She sat up on her hind legs in those first few moments and for a moment I thought my heart would break. How on earth could I bring home a dog that looked so much like my old girl? Luckily I gave her the chance to be her own dog - because in personality she is a dog all her own!


I had been slightly worried about trying to introduce a new family member to Luna, but the two of them bonded as soon as we got home and the newly renamed Ella and her have become inseparable ever since. They love to roughhouse, Ella thinking she's one of the big dogs while Luna still thinks she should be allowed on laps.

Life is good again. My pack is complete.

17 Still Isn't Long Enough

This wasn’t supposed to be my next post – in fact it isn’t even about Luna. It is about dogs and that wonderful, unexplainable emotion they bring to our lives – and how empty it becomes when they are gone.

On Monday the time had finally come for me to say goodbye to my dog of seventeen years, Miley. Often called ‘The Elder’, her body had begun to fail in too many ways to ignore. She was no longer comfortable even laying down due to arthritis and no medication seemed to help her find comfort, so I made ‘that’ choice, the one we all as dog owners dread.

I always knew that Miley would be the last of her ‘pack’ to go, Sprite and Ari were each lost within the 15 months before. She was the mutt, the healthiest and the one damned and determined not to leave me. She was the first true dog that was mine and we bonded late in my teenage years, still so early in my life that she was my everything for so long.

Since it has been such a short time since losing Ari the pain from her own death is still fresh. It is strong enough that a few weeks ago I bawled over a happy story about a cat that shared her nickname and had diabetes, the illness that began her downward spiral.

Most can tell you their favorite dog, but I could not choose between the two of my girls, they were one unit and everything to me. So why is it now that I have cried so much less at the loss of Miley? The first day I cried so long and hard that my head would not stop aching, but since then hardly at all. Is it that she was older, her death more gradual? Or, is it simply that I have suspected for a while that it was time for the pack to be together again?

I know the tears will come in their own time, they always do and I want to hope there is a place where they are reunited…but I suspect even if there is after the first initial greeting Miley is sitting on the sidelines patiently waiting for me.

A Slight Snag

I’ve said for a long time that if I had known how to train a dog Luna wouldn’t have needed to take basic training classes because she already had the basics down before I brought her home. Now, more than halfway through her intermediate class, I was proud to know that she was one of the top dogs in her group. She loves to work and her stays (sit or down) can last forever as long as I’m in her sight. She once tied a lazy St. Bernard in our class on a down/stay competition. A tie because we got tired of waiting to see which dog would break.

I beamed the first time I had to leave her with our trainer while I cleaned up an accident and he told me that she hadn’t acted the bit concerned when I walked away. Apparently leaving your dog with a stranger for three minutes is one of the harder parts of the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test we are expected to take at the end of our course.

This was all before last week.

It was my own fault for not researching the CGC, I was so pleased with the way that she had progressed that I hadn’t felt the need to. Our trainer was walking down the line, petting each of the dogs on the chest and head, but on that particular time added the paws – at which point Luna’s ‘grin’ from the kennel returned and she backed away from him. She was having none of the feet touching and was not even pleased to resume the petting at that point.

After class was when I found out that touching her paws was part of the CGC and he wasn’t confident that she’ll be able to pass the test in a few weeks. It might sound odd to some, but it does make perfect sense when you consider that groomers and vets would have to handle the same area (oddly she had no problem at her vet appointment). Worse, if she can’t pass the CGC they won’t let her move on to the advanced class.

I understand the why, but it’s still disappointing. I’ve been to several sites researching the CGC and so many of them make it sound easy – if you’ve had your dog as a pup. It’s clear Luna didn’t have the perfect socialization as a puppy and I still half suspect that she was abused on at least some level by a male.  I always say both puppies and rescues are hard in their own way and socialization is Luna’s trial.

We’ll take the next few weeks and try to work past this point. While I’m already working on her social skills we’ll be adding some extra trips to relative and friends in the next few weeks. Our trainer still wants her to at least test even if she’s not ready so we’ll know what to expect the next time around – and who knows, maybe the evaluator will be female and she’ll be much more relaxed!

Lunar Explorations - Bridal Veil Falls

I have the suspicion that Luna didn’t get out much in her old life. The first time I ever took her in the car after bringing her home I made the mistake of running into a store for under 5 minutes (it was plenty cool out) and returning to find her in a pure panic that I had left her. You can’t leave a parking lot with 30 pounds of dog in your lap and she wouldn’t budge for several minutes. Needless to say, it wasn’t a mistake I made twice.

We do plan most of our outings with our dogs, as I prefer to take them with us and get them out of the house. My older dogs weren’t able to get around much in their later years, aside from a neighborhood walk, and as I originally had them in southern Utah I’m now searching for places to take Luna and Boots up north. 

Our first hike was out to Bridal Veil Falls, located just south of Salt Lake City in Provo Canyon. Living in Utah most of my life I’ve passed through this area many times, but I’ve never taken the time to drive up there before. They are one of the most impressive falls around, so one Sunday morning we piled the kids and dogs into the car and headed out that way.

The parking lot is located only 3.5 miles up the north of Provo Canyon but we had about a 45 minute drive from our house. By the time we reached the parking lot all the ‘kids’ were eager to get out and stretch their legs.

There is a small park next to the lot with tables and plenty of shade trees for picnicking – but be aware it isn’t maintained well. The garbage cans were overflowing so if you have a dog that’s quick to forage be wary. I would also recommend planning to pack out anything you bring in, just so you don’t add to the clutter. There are also no plumbing, portables only if you need to use the restroom.

The hike to the falls itself is short, only about ½ a mile and an easy walk. We went early and the trail wasn’t busy, but it’s easy to see that it would be later in the day. It’s frequented by hikers, bikers and families that are simply out for a stroll. 

It is a quick payoff, the falls are gorgeous and although the water is cold there is a small wading pool at the base. Luna was hesitant to get even get her paws wet, but Boots, ever the Border Collie tomboy was in the water right away. Once I was in Luna’s hesitation was gone and it only took her a minute to find her footing.

My husband climbed a bit up the mountain, but the kids and I stayed below with the dogs. Boots was eager to follow, but the rocks are slick and I wouldn’t recommend the climb for anyone who isn’t experienced or for canines. There is a second trail that will take you to the top of the falls themselves, but the day was going to get hot fast and I had no desire to get the dogs away from the water or on a long trail.

We played in the pool for quite a while, Luna enjoying a game of catch (ball straight up) rather than fetch since they were on leash. (There is no off leash area.) She had completely forgotten her earlier qualms about the water. There is also a small off limits area where fish are stocked if your dog likes to watch, although neither of ours were interested.

Overall it was a nice morning trip, great view and the dogs were tuckered out and happy. We didn’t bring lunch in and I don’t know if I would in the future. I think we will stick to the early in and back out plan to avoid the crowds. The whole family enjoyed it enough that I smell a return trip once the leaves change and maybe even again when the falls have frozen over this winter.