Wylie Wagg Adoption Day

AP, CM and I spent the day at the Wylie Wagg pet store in Middleburg, VA today trying to help Liam (another blind Pyr/Marima) find a forever home.

Liam is a young boy about 6-8 months and very sweet and very smart (like me).
I like the Wylie Wagg, everyone is very nice and they have all the food and treats that I like. It smells so good in there...

My friend Bertha came by and we got to hang out for a while and some people stopped in to get to know Liam. He will make a great friend for some lucky human.

Big Boy Collar

AP here.
Tonka is officially a BIG Boy - he is weighing in at 123lbs. He is usually a very good boy on a walk but he does have his moments when he can jolt forward and pull your arm off. Since he is blind there are also certain situations where I need to have him in control for his own safety and when he was little I could grab him by the scruff of the neck but at 123 it's not so easy anymore. So I found a collar made for BIG and STRONG breeds by a company called Blocky Dogs http://blockydogs.com/ . I got him the 1.5 inch martingale collar and I think it looks great. The martingale peice doubles as a handle and each collar is custom made so I did his in 2 colors so I can see the handle clearly and grab him really quick. Everyone is making fun of it since it is big and heavy duty. They keep calling it the 25lb collar but I love it and it does not weigh 25lbs.

He is very handsome with it on.....

Feeling Better and So Bored

I need to play and run and tackle but since I am stuck "being quiet"

I have decided that the towel and the rug must suffer..

A New Year

CM here, as AP has mentioned earlier Tonka is injured. We really don't know what happened the night he got hurt. I was working late so I got a text from AP that Tonka was on the way to the vet. Now even though he is still in the "dog house" with me; I will explain that later, I really was concerned. Okay, okay just don't tell people that I really love that boy!!


When he came home from the vet he was sooo pitiful. Yet he wanted to play when he heard my voice! So AP fussed at both of us; "don't get him all worked up and I mean it" BLAH, BLAH,BLAH! Does she really think Tonka and I are afraid of her? PLEASE! I'm sure WE can take her; if she is SLEEPING IN ANOTHER STATE! :)

Tonka is feeling better which means he is getting BORED and thus getting into trouble. He took off with my Croc Slippers one morning, tore apart the recycling another and pulled my scarf off the coat rack and wanted to "tear it" apart! Keep telling myself "he's blind"!

This Saturday morning I had to go into work, which is not normal. So AP had taken Tonka on a SMALL walk around the court as I was getting ready for work. When he came home he started looking for me as if to tell me that he got gyped by AP! He had his egg and sweet potato and decided he really wanted to play. By this time I had my coat on getting ready to leave.

Tonka was sure that I should be playing with him. I was "attacked" on the butt; he grabbed my jacket and started to pull at it. The whole time his tail is just wagging, I swear at times he is smiling when he is doing this. The more I pushed him away only encouraged him...."GAME ON". I know, "be the alpha" but he could care less WHOM the alpha is. AP had to pull him away so I could leave the whole time fusing at ME for getting him "worked up on his bad leg"! Is she BLIND?

Oh yes, why is Tonka in the "dog house" with me? For the bruise and scraps on my arm from the trip to Deep Creek when went up for the Holidays with Christopher and Laura. I was recovering from surgery and was told I could go to the mountains as planned but had to be careful in the cold air. NO SLOPES, but I could have SPA treatments! OH YEA! But the night before my spa day with Laura (she's 4 mo's along. no slopes either) I woke up with a complacation from surgery. There went my day at the spa. AP had to take my day (already pd for) while Christopher was on the slopes.

That left Tonka and I alone in the condo.....I thought while AP is gone I would give in to him just a little. I think it was because I didn't feel good. He had cheese, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage and some rice crispy treat! Now before I get flooded with all the "OMG'S", these were ONLY taste, except for the cheese.

I thought he would settle down so I could....NOPE. He was vocal and "digging" at the door to get out, trying to eat Laura's Ugg's. So I thought maybe he needs to go to the bathroom. So I put my snow pants over my pj's and got bundled up to take him out.

Tonka has now decided he really likes snow and since it was snowing like crazy he was happy. He HAD to go walking in the snow that was at least a foot deep with fresh snow. He bounced and dug and lay down and wouldn't get up! Now I had been told by AP that I wasn't to be out and Christopher was like “yea, or we'll have to take you home" again blah, blah, blah.

When I realized that I really needed to get back inside, Tonka heard a dog down a bit from the condo. He took off like a bat out of hell to get there to play! PULLING me with him down a hill on the ice and though the snow!! I hit my head, jarred my back and scraped my arm ALL though my snow gear! The guy with the other dog saw it and came over to make sure I was okay and as I was trying to get up Tonka realized the dog was near and jerked me down AGAIN! This time though I believe he realized what he had done or the fact that he was STILL attached to me and was trying to get free. He came back and started to "sniff" my face.

By this time the guy and the 14 mo puppy were there and Tonka forgot all about me. Let's just say his get "acquainted" time was VERY short! I just want to know WHY he only does this stuff to me. Yet when he hears my voice he gets so excited.

Tonka: "Whoa, that crazy person is here! I can take her and get into things and walk away and let her take the blame! I'll look angelic and AP will go to PetSmart, Petco, Costco or better yet order me things from Dr's Foster's & Smith. That's what I'm talking about. Hey, a BIG BOX came today I think I heard that it's for ME! I have these humans so whipped."

Feeling Better

So my shoulder is much better and AP has run out of old toys for me to destroy / I mean play with -so Costco to the rescue

The Tuff Tugger 3 pack for just $10 - they should last about 15 minutes..

Getting Bored

AP here - So what do you do with a blind dog that is hurt and can't go play with his friends? You drag out all his toys and try to keep him busy.

Tonka loves the sound of things ripping, stuffed animals, blankets, towels, socks, shoes - anything he can hold and pull apart which means most things are a one time toy. A year ago I found these toys that come apart in 6 peices and the pieces are all put back together with velcro, they have a tiger, a cow, a beach ball and a watermelon. Tonka loves them all but his favorite is the blue cow.

The horns have been chewed off and the tigers tail is long since dead but they have lasted a good long time. So since he is hurt and needs to stay off his leg we will be playing with them every night.

Ouch

AP came home from work and Nala and her mom came over and we walked to the park, like we do all the time. We got to the park and went off lead and were playing and somehow hurt my shoulder. I stayed with Nala and her mom while AP ran home to get my truck. I didn't want to put any weight on it so I laid down and kept still till she got back. We took Nala home and AP called the vet and we went in as an emergency visit. We saw Dr. Gerity and she checked me over and made me move my leg and shoulder all around. She said I have a soft tissue injury and put me on Meloxicam and told AP no stairs, no doggie door, no walks and no playdates for 14 days. We got home and AP setup all kinds of baby gates and locked the doggie door. If I want to go upstairs I have to go out the basement door and up the ramp to the kitchen. I havent had to do that since last January when I had to have x-rays for my other shoulder and my hip. I hate being hurt.

Sharing

It's cold outside so Nala came by and we went for a shorter walk than normal and then came back to the house to play. We wrestled for awhile and then settled in to share my Christmas bone.

I love my Nala.

Who Created the Monster

Blah, Blah, Blah all this nonsense about me being a bad boy. Silly humans spoil me then complain about it. Just look at this- my favorite boy Christopher is holding my bone so I can chew it while his wife Laura loves on me. So really- who is at fault- the very cute and cuddly dog or the humans?

Tonka's Temper Tantrum

CM here - It's 2010 and Tonka is in for a rude awaking! He will need to be on more "time-outs", no "extra" treats and maybe be grounded from playing with his friends! You may be asking yourself "why, what could have the blind boy done?"


As the Christmas Holiday approached there was the rustling and bustle of getting ready. I (CM) had family coming from out of town and was also was due to have surgery. So I started with the shopping and wrapping early.

Every time that I would wrap a gift and put it with the others; Tonka was then determined to un-wrap them! I had to re-wrap two just because he was sure that the toy for the Grace; who is 18 mo's old was for HIM!

Finally the time came when the family arrived; at first Tonka wasn't sure about the two babies that were here. The "sounds" the 3 and 4 month olds were making were new. Everything is different -Why do their butts smell funny? Why can't I get close to smell their face? What is this thing that has a rubber top that smells different? Why can't I take the stuffed "baby" and tear it about like my other babies? Why am I being told NO, TONKA?

But don't feel sorry for the blind boy. Because it didn't take long for him to realize that the one he wanted to be close to was Grace! When ever Grace was at the table Tonka wasn't far away! Most of the time laying there waiting for that familiar sound he had realized was music to his ears and stomach!

Grace would call "ONKA, BITE" and proceed to make sure that "onka" had plenty of "bites"! At times he would even pretend to wait till she was out of the highchair; before he was trying to lick her face. Of course in his mind he was ONLY helping clean her off! He became very good at cleaning the highchair as well!

When that group of family left and I had few day days before Christopher and Laura got in; the signs of what was to be was like a scene from "A Christmas Carol" started. Tonka was into anything and everything. I should have listened to the "ghost of Christmas future" to see that Tonka was going to be trouble.

I couldn't go to the kitchen for even a glass of water with out Tonka becoming vocal sure of the fact that he should have something. Since he is so tall, his head is the right height for the counters and table; he was busted so many times for "surfing"! He so didn't care, it almost became a game for him. If he got fussed at he then would "attack" the recycling container or the kitchen rugs! "There take that, since I can't do it to CM or AP!"

It got so bad that we had to keep him out of the kitchen and put up a baby gate. Now USUALLY when Tonka has been in "trouble" and restricted he catches on.....not this time.

My mistake was assuming he had got the point. One morning while I was making pancakes for breakfast in came Tonka. Then it began; he started barking and making the funniest deep growl sound. Yet, it wasn't a growl that was something to be afraid of. When that didn't produce the pancakes (since he realized he liked pancakes thanks to Grace) he decided he would lie down to get what he wanted.

He was laying on his side "swimming" and continuing to bark and growl/howl. But that wasn't enough so he took his BIG PAWS and proceeded to grab my feet! I did mention that HE IS BLIND, right? I really am beginning to wonder about that. Oh yes my feet, that wasn't enough either. So he then tried to pull the rug I was standing on from under me! The whole time still being extremely vocal!! To the point that Christopher came upstairs to see what all the fuss was. Christopher had to help pull the moose out of the kitchen and up went the baby gate!

Now you would think that would have been the end of it right...NOT! He still stayed vocal while we ate and then went downstairs and was quiet. So again I ASSUMED he went to lie down. Later after the kitchen was clean, beds made, people dressed as we discussed our plans for the day all was quiet. Christopher went downstairs to play Wii and was down there for a while. I came down to take laundry down to a FREEZING family room. Christopher commented on how cold it was while I was trying to understand why. I still had the laundry in my hands so I went to put it in the laundry room to notice that the doggy door had been jammed!

Tonka had decided that the bone he was told could not go outside he was doing it anyways. So there was a 4 foot bone wedged in the doggy door so all the cold air was coming in! So I removed it and closed the doggy door, a little while later Tonka went to check out his bone. When he realized that I had removed it the barking began!

Like I said in the beginning, 2010 might start as a year of Tonka having "time-outs"!! How else to you punish a blind dog?