The Dog Thread

[Tricycle Rider]

Yes! Odie really is a big baby but a lovely dog to care for. This afternoon I jogged around with him and I did not even take a leader. Although the route is mostly away from roads we do need to cross roads on the way round, Odie is good at stopping and waiting roadside before crossing upon command.

It is amazing how dogs may use their superior sense of smell/hearing to detect what's ahead . A friends collie will race off unexpectedly to greet an approaching train . The dog runs alongside the train disappearing in the opposite direction before returning.

Here in the UK we see a border collie variety with blue eyes known as a blue merle . Sadly that is not always a healthy genetic mix and such dogs are more likely to be born blind . The vet Vicki I mentioned has often taken in such dogs for special care.

I was wondering about the blue eyes and whether they are a serious defect, sad that some dogs are born blind when they have them.

Going back to the Aussie I googled Australian Shepherds and turns out they're not Australian at all, they were actually first bred in California some time in the 19th century! Might explain why I see more of them on my side of the pond.

Bless Vicki btw., sounds like she's doing some really excellent work with the dogs who have special needs.

 

[CXXC]

Going back to the Aussie I googled Australian Shepherds and turns out they're not Australian at all, they were actually first bred in California some time in the 19th century! Might explain why I see more of them on my side of the pond.

??? It's surprising just how many dog breeds are seen after thousands of years of selective breeding .Living in northern england breeds such as bedlington terrier , patterdale terrier, border terrier are commonplace could seem rare further afield from where they were bred.

Now another doggie tale, before I took on Odie walking at the park a young woman's GSD had lost track of his ball in a stream and the woman could not get down the steep bank to retrieve it. Up I stepped scrambling down only to realise that I would be getting my feet wet and I would have to virtually crawl back up the wet bank delivering the ball back to the dog. What a gentleman was my reward!

Riding my MTB I was surrounded by a pro dog walkers many dogs . Loving dogs I was happy to stop and embrace each and every one of them . The dog walker responded 'wow! your the friendliest dog walker I have ever met! I guess there can be friction between dog walkers and cyclists on shared routes.

And a kind friend called by with a 'New Home' card for Odie + food /snacks + wine/beer etc for myself , so I quickly drew Odie on a card to say thanks!
[url=https://postimg.cc/zyQx2jNx][/URL]

 

[Tricycle Rider]

??? It's surprising just how many dog breeds are seen after thousands of years of selective breeding .Living in northern england breeds such as bedlington terrier , patterdale terrier, border terrier are commonplace could seem rare further afield from where they were bred.

Now another doggie tale, before I took on Odie walking at the park a young woman's GSD had lost track of his ball in a stream and the woman could not get down the steep bank to retrieve it. Up I stepped scrambling down only to realise that I would be getting my feet wet and I would have to virtually crawl back up the wet bank delivering the ball back to the dog. What a gentleman was my reward!

Riding my MTB I was surrounded by a pro dog walkers many dogs . Loving dogs I was happy to stop and embrace each and every one of them . The dog walker responded 'wow! your the friendliest dog walker I have ever met! I guess there can be friction between dog walkers and cyclists on shared routes.

And a kind friend called by with a 'New Home' card for Odie + food /snacks + wine/beer etc for myself , so I quickly drew Odie on a card to say thanks!
[url=https://postimg.cc/sQSHxvTg][/URL]

You remind me of a poster who used to post here a while back, he drew me a lovely picture of my prior dog Toby that I turned into my avatar and wore for years. Sadly, Toby is no longer with us due to age, so Nairo will have to do.

Anyhoo, nice drawing! And yes, many a cyclist or even runner has issues with dogs who are not on a leash, it's understandable. (I have an issue with dog owners who don't leash and pull their dogs back properly when the peloton is passing through during a race!)

 

[CXXC]

Thanks! I'm not much of an artist but it is good to have the opportunity to create a personalised card to thank people .

Bless your departed friend Toby I'm sure they remain in your heart

Up thread I mentioned rarer dogs I have passed on my walks, over the past couple of days I have met a couple more breeds , a thai ridgeback , sealeyham terrier and deerhound . Digging deep within my memory banks I recalled a couple more varieties that I have met only once or twice, a dandie dinmont terrier , corgi and scottish terrier.

Corgi's were made famous by Queen Elizabeth 2nd who had a number in her household yet they are not at all popular in modern times.

And yes! there is no excuse for having a free running dog at a cycle race. Have you ever seen the Tour of Sicily? There there is a profusion of street dogs yet these savvy dogs never seem to get in the way of cyclists despite being free running!

Edit- Out today I'm asking about a dog that I often see but had no idea what breed it was , an istrian hound from Romania , another new one to myself.

 

[CXXC]

Completing my input here for a while I was considering other dogs that I have seen on my trips from home , not the rarest or most popular but those inbetween. It's quite a list , and inline with my OCD it's alphabetical.

Afghan hound , akita , alaskan marmalute , american bulldog , american bully , american pitbull , bearded collie , belgian malinois , bernese mountain dog ,bichon frise , boston terrier , boxer , bull terrier , bullmastiff , cairn terrier , cane corso , cavalier king charles spaniel , chihuahua , chow chow , dachshund , dalmation , doberman , dogue de bordeaux , english bulldog , english pointer , fox terrier , french bulldog , french brittany spaniel , german pointer , german spitz ,golden retriever , great dane , greek harehound , greyhound , husky , irish wolfhound , lahso apso ,lakeland terrier ,lancashire heeler , maltese , newfoundland ,norwich terrier , old english sheepdog , papillon , pekingese , petit basset griffon vendeen , poodle , portuegese water spaniel ,pug , pyrenean mountain dog , rhodesian ridgeback , rottweiler , saluki , samoyed , schnauzer , shar-pei , shih-tzu , tibetan terrier , vizsla , weimaraner ,westie , whippet and yorkshire terrier.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Completing my input here for a while I was considering other dogs that I have seen on my trips from home , not the rarest or most popular but those inbetween. It's quite a list , and inline with my OCD it's alphabetical.

Afghan hound , akita , alaskan marmalute , american bulldog , american pitbull , bichon frise , boston terrier , bull terrier , bullmastiff , cairn terrier , cavalier king charles spaniel , chihuahua ,
chow chow , dachshund , dalmation , doberman , dogue de bordeaux , english bulldog , english pointer , fox terrier ,
french bulldog , french brittany spaniel , german pointer , golden retriever , great dane , greyhound , husky , irish wolfhound , lakeland terrier ,lancashire heeler , maltese , norwich terrier , papillon , pekingese , pomeranian , poodle , pug , pyrenean mountain dog , rottweiler , saluki , schnauzer , shar-pei , tibetan terrier , whippet and yorkshire terrier.

That's quite the list, and Tandy probably has half of those breeds in her! lol

But seriously, according to a DNA test you can buy online she's 1/3 Chihuahua, and the rest in equal parts are supposedly Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, American Pit Bull, and Welsh Corgi. I can see the Chihuahua and Pit Bull physical characteristics (her head and neck and brindle coloring), but the Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, and Corgi parts I'm unsure about. So I just call her my Corgi butt so never fear, even if it's just the butt there is still some Corgi representation out there!

In the past my family has owned a Puli, a Scottish Terrier, an American Eskimo and mini Schnauzer mix, and now Tandy, the mutt. They were all great dogs but Tandy the mutt is just the bestest!

With the upcoming holidays do you have any fears of Odie getting into food he shouldn't? If you celebrate, I mean.

 

[CXXC]

That's quite the list, and Tandy probably has half of those breeds in her! lol

In the past my family has owned a Puli, a Scottish Terrier, an American Eskimo and mini Schnauzer mix, and now Tandy, the mutt. They were all great dogs but Tandy the mutt is just the bestest!

With the upcoming holidays do you have any fears of Odie getting into food he shouldn't?

It's correct that you think Tandy is the best dog ever, for you she is . She's got quite the gene pool in such a tiny frame , that should keep her healthy.

Of course I think Odie is the best , talking with Odie's previous owner today she told me all the commands he will follow ,sit , paw , other paw , lie , roll
and spin , he will even stay upon command as I carry his food away!

I expressed surprise that Odie doesn't jump into ponds or streams as most labs do and she told me that is because she told Odie not to!

I have been reading more about foods that are hazardous to dogs, I will be keeping such items well out of reach , it's still some time until christmas I think the only item I must be careful with is chocolate .

Since compiling my dog list I had thought of other dogs that I had spotted so I have added these . Your last post reminded myself of a couple!

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sqTNlznT2ic

 

[CXXC]

[url=https://postimg.cc/xqk9kdH0][/URL]

I'm still thinking of other dogs I have previously seen as my brain cells slowly rotate and fit into place so added those to earlier list.

Here we finally have a dry day with sunshine so took opportunity to take a further pic of Odie . He really is a gentle soul .

 

[Tricycle Rider]

[url=https://postimg.cc/xqk9kdH0][/URL]

I'm still thinking of other dogs I have previously seen as my brain cells slowly rotate and fit into place so added those to earlier list.

Here we finally have a dry day with sunshine so took opportunity to take a further pic of Odie . He really is a gentle soul .

Odie for sure is a good looking fella!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

It's correct that you think Tandy is the best dog ever, for you she is . She's got quite the gene pool in such a tiny frame , that should keep her healthy.

Of course I think Odie is the best , talking with Odie's previous owner today she told me all the commands he will follow ,sit , paw , other paw , lie , roll
and spin , he will even stay upon command as I carry his food away!

I expressed surprise that Odie doesn't jump into ponds or streams as most labs do and she told me that is because she told Odie not to!

I have been reading more about foods that are hazardous to dogs, I will be keeping such items well out of reach , it's still some time until christmas I think the only item I must be careful with is chocolate .

Since compiling my dog list I had thought of other dogs that I had spotted so I have added these . Your last post reminded myself of a couple!

This is Tandy's second Xmas with us (she's about 2 years old), I adopted her a year ago, so I kinda know what to expect now over the holidays. She will get into any food she can get her paws on, so have to be careful with the chocolates too!

I've been taking her for walks when it's already dark so we can look at people's Xmas lights , and being she pulls so much I tried running just to keep up. I wouldn't actually call it running, it was more of a slow trot (or illegal speed walk), but I told my orthopedic specialist I actually feel better running than walking! (I have to be careful because I have a bum hip [chronic bursitis] and achy back, but I tell ya, it felt so good to get the heart pumping a bit again!) So thanks to the pooch's brisk walk I started doing something that I truly love and had missed, it doesn't appear to be doing any harm. So thanks, Tandy!

 

[CXXC]

I've been taking her for walks when it's already dark so we can look at people's Xmas lights , and being she pulls so much I tried running just to keep up. I wouldn't actually call it running, it was more of a slow trot (or illegal speed walk),

Enjoy your festive season , is it dark at yours for lengthy periods these days?
Here my first walk starts in the dark, I like my final walk to be just before dark.

It's good you were able to stretch your legs , jogging along today I looked across to Odie who was just walking quickly!

Today I walked out 5 times with Odie between other activities so the only time I cycled was popping to the shops . To be honest when it's been so wet jogging seems a better idea even when I choose to jog in hiking boots splodging through flooded fields.

Thanks! Odie is the only one who hears 'what a handsome boy' on our walks.

 

[jmdirt]

Enjoy your festive season , is it dark at yours for lengthy periods these days?
Here my first walk starts in the dark, I like my final walk to be just before dark.

It's good you were able to stretch your legs , jogging along today I looked across to Odie who was just walking quickly!

Today I walked out 5 times with Odie between other activities so the only time I cycled was popping to the shops . To be honest when it's been so wet jogging seems a better idea even when I choose to jog in hiking boots splodging through flooded fields.

Thanks! Odie is the only one who hears 'what a handsome boy' on our walks.

I really dislike this time of year because its pretty dark when I leave for work, and pretty dark by the time I get home. I don't love the cold temps either, but I could tolerate them more with daylight.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I really dislike this time of year because its pretty dark when I leave for work, and pretty dark by the time I get home. I don't love the cold temps either, but I could tolerate them more with daylight.

I'm more of a vampire, I love this autumn/winter darkness. Not just because I don't tolerate the sun and hot temps very much physically, but also, the world seems just so much quieter and more peaceful once everyone else has gone to bed.

 

[jmdirt]

I'm more of a vampire, I love this autumn/winter darkness. Not just because I don't tolerate the sun and hot temps very much physically, but also, the world seems just so much quieter and more peaceful once everyone else has gone to bed.

One of many things I love about the hot summer temps, once it gets above 85 there are less people on the trails.

My love for fun in the sun is really haunting me in the last 10 years though with lots of tissue getting chopped off!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

One of many things I love about the hot summer temps, once it gets above 85 there are less people on the trails.

My love for fun in the sun is really haunting me in the last 10 years though with lots of tissue getting chopped off!

You know you're getting old once you start talking about how many Mohs procedures you've had!

I didn't mind the sun when I was a kid, and back in the 80s everyone was still laying out in the sun while barely using any sun screen, me included. But about 25 years ago was the last time I had frolicked in the sun, and I got blisters on my shoulders. So that is when my love affair with the sun had ended, give me the moon instead!

 

[CXXC]

How times change! Being an Idiot I forgot that Odie would still think he was playing 'hunt his food' when I placed a couple of pieces of chocolate to one side to eat after my sandwich . Odie pounced upon the chocolate and it was gone in an instant! Growing up we fed dogs chocolate without worry, I kept an eye on Odie but he was fine.

Out a Staffy was playing happily with Odie before recklessly running into my legs. I fell hard upon my outer butt and took longer to rise . Afterwards any thoughts of jogging along faded and now even sitting is uncomfortable . Alas these days I don't bounce back as quickly as I once did.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

How times change! Being an Idiot I forgot that Odie would still think he was playing 'hunt his food' when I placed a couple of pieces of chocolate to one side to eat after my sandwich . Odie pounced upon the chocolate and it was gone in an instant! Growing up we fed dogs chocolate without worry, I kept an eye on Odie but he was fine.

Out a Staffy was playing happily with Odie before recklessly running into my legs. I fell hard upon my outer butt and took longer to rise . Afterwards any thoughts of jogging along faded and now even sitting is uncomfortable . Alas these days I don't bounce back as quickly as I once did.

Aging sucks so much, heal well and have Odie fetch everything for you!

 

[CXXC]

Thank You . Walking around this afternoon I did manage to walk easier with time . On a happier note , an old near neighbour was watching out for me passing and had a bag of treats for Odie , what a lovely woman!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Thank You . Walking around this afternoon I did manage to walk easier with time . On a happier note , an old near neighbour was watching out for me passing and had a bag of treats for Odie , what a lovely woman!

That's great the lady gave Odie some treats, and that you're able to walk again!

Here's a picture of Tandy on my dad's bed, he's old and not doing so well, so I'm taking care of him. And Tandy is doing her part too as a therapy dog!

She always looks so serious in pictures, but just look at that Corgi butt...

 

[CXXC]

Your father is fortunate to have you and Tandy to take care of him. We live our lives thinking we will live forever then suddenly we are old too . Many mornings I admire older people taking their daily walk with their dogs over
our hill . A guy walks his jack russell and a woman walks her staffy , I'm sure both are 86.

Recently I chatted with an elderly couple who lost their lab in November their loss seemed greater because they both thought it would be unfair to take on another dog at their advanced age.

 

[jmdirt]

You know you're getting old once you start talking about how many Mohs procedures you've had!

I didn't mind the sun when I was a kid, and back in the 80s everyone was still laying out in the sun while barely using any sun screen, me included. But about 25 years ago was the last time I had frolicked in the sun, and I got blisters on my shoulders. So that is when my love affair with the sun had ended, give me the moon instead!

Four 'major' MOHS procedures, and couple of others. My dermo retired (she is a year younger than me!), and my new dermo does a scraping procedure for surface squamous cells (I just had two scraped last week).

My entire life I have lived, played, and at times worked outside. I can't recall ever using sun block in the 70s or 80s. That combined with my heritage/genetics have set me up poorly for this part of my life.

 

[jmdirt]

How times change! Being an Idiot I forgot that Odie would still think he was playing 'hunt his food' when I placed a couple of pieces of chocolate to one side to eat after my sandwich . Odie pounced upon the chocolate and it was gone in an instant! Growing up we fed dogs chocolate without worry, I kept an eye on Odie but he was fine.

Out a Staffy was playing happily with Odie before recklessly running into my legs. I fell hard upon my outer butt and took longer to rise . Afterwards any thoughts of jogging along faded and now even sitting is uncomfortable . Alas these days I don't bounce back as quickly as I once did.

Theobromine is the toxic ingredient in chocolate. The two things that determine how toxic it is are the amount of theo in the product, and the ratio of that amount to the dogs weight. So for example, if its milk chocolate, and a big dog like Odie, he is probably OK. Disclaimer: I'm not a vet.

My sister in law left a package of Oreo cookies in the extended cab of my PU, and I didn't know. Belle (the 60 lb lab I once had) ate the entire package! I was really worried, but other than being extremely thirsty she seemed OK. I called a vet who told me to keep an eye on her, and assured me that there wasn't much theo in Oreos. In a few hours she released the biggest/darkest poop I had ever seen!

Artificial sweeter is really hard on dog livers (ours too probably).

Hopefully you recover quickly from you fall!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Four 'major' MOHS procedures, and couple of others. My dermo retired (she is a year younger than me!), and my new dermo does a scraping procedure for surface squamous cells (I just had two scraped last week).

My entire life I have lived, played, and at times worked outside. I can't recall ever using sun block in the 70s or 80s. That combined with my heritage/genetics have set me up poorly for this part of my life.

Daaaang, you got it bad! Sorry to hear the dermo isn't finished with you yet.

My mom just had another Mohs on her face - she's had a few excisions or Mohs on her scalp, some on her eyebrow, and now a big one on her cheek. She kinda looks like Frankenstein now, but fortunately she's not vain and isn't freaking out over it, and makeup can cover up just about anything.

Back in the 80s when it was still in vogue people (me included) used this coconut smelling oil to tan, it was no sunscreen at all, just some oil that would help you bake in the sun. D'oh! Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer had basted himself with butter and then had fallen asleep while laying out in the sun!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Your father is fortunate to have you and Tandy to take care of him. We live our lives thinking we will live forever then suddenly we are old too . Many mornings I admire older people taking their daily walk with their dogs over
our hill . A guy walks his jack russell and a woman walks her staffy , I'm sure both are 86.

Recently I chatted with an elderly couple who lost their lab in November their loss seemed greater because they both thought it would be unfair to take on another dog at their advanced age.

I understand where they are coming from, but maybe they could adopt a senior/older dog? I think as long as the dog is healthy and doesn't require too many trips to the vet senior dogs need some loving too!

Because I'm not getting any younger I had something very specific in mind when I had adopted Tandy - first of all I wanted a rescue, and also, I wanted a small, light dog I wouldn't have trouble carrying around once we both got old. I had to carry my prior dog Toby around a lot toward the end, it became difficult and he only weighed 26 pounds! (Tandy weighs about 15 and is supposed to lose a pound according to the vet.)