Spring was born today… I hope you found a minute to get out and enjoy it! I tried to, but it was as blustery and cloudy as mid-February and the extent of my fresh air for the day was standing around outside the carwash during my lunch hour.
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More grocery store tulips… red this time.
Luka was back to the vet after his neuter for a suture check – what a train wreck that dog is! Peed all over the handsome vet’s shoes… fussed and embarassed me.. at least everyone knows to expect it from a Lab. I’ve decided he needs a hobby (other than pestering me!) so I’m thinking of sending him to doggy day care at least one day a week for some more exercise. That’ll be easier, of course, once the weather improves, but still I think some time away from home may improve our relationship some.
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Last weekend I started to amass a little collection – for a photo shoot – of the things that I yank from Luka’s mouth in a typical day. There were wads of toilet paper (more often it’s the whole roll), assorted bunny toys and strands of hay (he thinks he’s a goat, I swear! – but it helps with the vacuuming), a couple charcoal briquettes. I stopped, though, when my husband told me he had eaten (EATEN!) two nails dropped when he was fixing the aluminum siding on the house. What dog eats nails without requiring a trip to the vet? Unbelievable.
He’s ninety pounds now, so you can imagine the challenge in making him do anything he doesn’t mean to do. I’d given up on the training harness and the prong collar and decided to go instead with the old standyby promise headcollar for tonight’s trip to the vet. Luka will walk okay on a lead for our regular walks, but a trip to the vet is something else, you know. I’d forgotten how hard it is for a dog to get used to one of those, nevermind a dog as mouthy as Luka! He was doing the alligator death-roll for most of the time at the vet – when he wasn’t peeing on someone’s shoes – remind me how long it’ll be before he’s civilized, please?
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I have a couple days off from work and am looking forward to some time to decompress – some time at the beach maybe; to greet the osprey and plovers, some time in the woods to look for bloodroot and woodcock and phoebes and mourning cloaks, some time on the couch to nap and daydream…
Whew, it wore me out reading about taking him to the vet Laura! Glad everything was healing up well. :c) Have a great few days off and tell the ospreys and plovers hello for us!
Poor Luka! It’s stressful being a teenager. But doggy daycare sounds like a good idea. I wish we had done it because our dogs would have developed much better social skills, I think.
Enjoy your days off….looking forward to stories and pics of your trip to the woods.
Enjoy your down time from work. Happy Easter.
Ooh, have a good holiday! That Luka’s a handful. Guess that’s why I stick with kittehs!
I look forward to hearing about any migrants you might see.
Oh Labs, we love them so! We’ve been having glorious bulbs this season.
Labs are so funny. We’ve all had embarassing moments at the vet!
Enjoy your time off, Laura.
Happy Easter!
Boy, good question – how long before a dog IS an adult???
Nice to have some time off …
Except we don’t ever get time off … we are always on call for bunny duty!!!! There is always something to chew or pee on or dig in or disapprove of!!!!
Jayne: I’ll be sure to!
RuthieJ: His social skills with other dogs are fine.. it’s just that he such a nudge at home. He needs somewhere to direct all that energy.
Lynne: Yes.. you, too.
Delia: Stay tuned…
Diva Kitty: Bunnies and kitties are much easier, I think!
Mary: Thanks! He just makes such a show of himself.
the bunns: Yeah… I know that feeling. There is always someone to feed or who needs pets…
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You know how, when a summer day is just beastly hot, the evening is bound to be long and ravishingly beautiful? I’m thinking that Labs might be a bit like that–the worse they are as pups, the lovelier they are as grown-ups.