Finnegans's Paw Print

Playing and howling!

2012-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Finn and Annora playing!

2012-02-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

Playing in the kitchen New Years Day. Yes, I was trying to cook during all this!

Annora's first snow!

2012-02-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

The snow wasn't very deep or fluffy, but she had a good time playing in it!

Barn Day!

2011-11-13T16:09:00.000-08:00

Once a year we hold a 'Barn Day' where we invite co-workers and friends to stop by and see our horses. We also give pony rides to kids (of all ages). This year the hounds were just as big of a draw.

Finn had guests too!

It was a beautiful day!

So very tired...

2011-11-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Annora often lies down next to Finn. I think she would like to pile on top of him, but he gets up when she tries that.

Notice how they take of most of the floor space in the family room, it's more fun when they do this in the kitchen as you are trying to cook!

Monday, Monday.

2011-11-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

The Daily Puppy profile

2011-11-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

Annora is Famous! She was selected to be today's profile on the Daily Puppy.

Annora, Finn and the Kong!

2011-11-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

This morning I needed a distraction while I got ready for work, so I filled a Kong with puppy kibble, and gave it to Finn and Annora. Finn knows how to work a Kong, but Annora has never seen one before.

She very quickly took it over.

Morning light..

2011-11-01T11:40:00.001-07:00

There is something magical about early mornings, especially with dogs to run and play with.

They are both quite alert, since during the night all sorts of intruders have been through the yard. We must be vigilant!

This is the lovely time, when puppies are still sleepy and sweet, before they turn into demon spawn ankle biters..

Who, me? Bite anyone? Never...

Note Annora now comes up to Finn's chest. We had our second set of shots, and a weigh in. 39 pounds, and 13 weeks old tomorrow.

Happy Howloween!

2011-10-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

I planned costumes for Finn and Annora, but they spent most of the day playing outside, so they weren't much enthused about Halloween this year.

Butterfly Annora would rather nap that go out trick or treating.

Finn was a scary wolf spider this year, but he too was a bit too tired to have fun.

Mom, can I go nap now?

Sunday afternoon with Wolfhounds

2011-10-24T02:06:00.000-07:00

It has been 2 weeks since we got Annora.

Finn is still not overly enthused.

Annora, the fierce protector! (barking at the neighbor)

Surveying her domain.

Annora clearing sticks out of the yard.

Who can resist that face?

Renn Faire with a puppy!

2011-10-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

We took Finn and Annora to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.
Finn and Bill walked with the Queen, while Annora and I stayed at the sign of the Royal Dogs.

Annora snuggling.

Odin and Freya are wonderful ambassadors!

Annora and her fans.

Puppy kisses!

We had a lovely time, and had a hard time leaving. Everyone was so delighted to see Irish Wolfhound!

Sunrise with wolfhounds.

2011-10-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Notice the innocent Annora, smelling the flowers..

Umm, yeah..she was beheading my flowers.

First week..

2011-10-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

We started the week with a visit to the vet on Monday. Finn was quite happy for Annora to go without him.

Annora slept in the waiting room. She was 25 pounds, and very well behaved.

Each morning we went outside to play. (don't you just want to smooch that head and ears?)

Annora has already started her pruning career...

Finn finally started loosening up a bit, inviting Annora to play. He can't yet, but he isn't seeing her so much as an annoyance anymore.

He even lets her lie down next to him.

She is 12 weeks old now, and even in the week you can see she has grown.

We found a great new toy at the dog show!

It has been a good week.

First day..

2011-10-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

No, we aren't allowing the puppy on the furniture....

Killing the bunny!

Finn shows Annora the back yard.

Mom, she's touching me!

So far Finn has been the typical big brother. Doesn't want her touching him or his stuff, but when she goes outside he goes with her and guards her. Wants to eat her food, but commiserated with her on the bath.

Welcome Annora!

2011-10-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today we traveled to PA to talk to some lovely people about a younger sister for Finn. We got there, and went in to meet puppies.

We were immediately mauled!

Finn was swarmed!

They were all gorgeous, but there was one with a black collar....

A sassy young girl..

She joined in the scrum for the leash.

But she also was so sweet!

She kept following Bill and Finn around.

Welcome Annora (an NOR a)!

PVIWC Fun Show 2011

2011-09-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

We went to the PVIWC Fun Show in Annapolis today. This is an annual show just for fun and to raise funds for the club. A lot of people show up just to sit around and talk with friends, and we often have other breeds of dogs long too. The show is also a great way to learn a bit about showing and practise with your dog. All in a low key, friendly atmosphere.

Oh, and after the show classes we have a yummy potluck lunch! This year we had regular conformation classes, puppy, dog, bitch, veteran, and also longest tail, best head, best gait, longest beard, biggest foot, best sit, and most unusual talent. Our Judge this year was wonderful, very patient with puppies and people who are clueless about showing (me).

We also had a demo from a local Irish Dance group, who were wonderful!

Finn did very well, winning Best Head (2nd year in a row), Best Sit, and Most Unusual Talent. We had a great time chatting with everyone, and playing with some puppies.

Finn with his ribbons!

Royal Hounds...

2011-09-18T19:03:00.001-07:00

At the invitation of Queen Elizabeth I we were invited to attend the merriment at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. We were commanded to appear with a Royal Hound to adorn the court and stand guard for the Queen.

We appeared suitably dressed with our noble hound.

The noble hound was wearing his Montgomery Tartan collar.

The Lord Montgomery, Earl of Eglinton, Black Knight of the Hudson. Laird of Ayrshire, and his loyal hound.

Finn and his groupies...

Listening to the cannons and music.

Finn really wanted to meet the goat. The goat declined.

Argh! It be Pyrate Weekend Mateys!

A group of were-children descend. Finn was not afraid!

Finn greets the other Royal Hounds at the Faire.

T'was a lovely day, a good time was had by all.

VA Scottish Games 2011

2011-09-04T17:43:00.001-07:00

We decided to go to the VA Scottish Games again this year. We always have a good time, and it is open to dogs.

Finn is always a big hit.

There were many other dogs there, including this very cute Scottish Terrier.

This adorable little girl kept hanging around, and finally asked "May I hug your dog?"

Bill and Finn holding court. Notice Finn's neck ware matches Bill's kilt? Later we found a collar and leash in the Montgomery tartan.

We also met Guinness, another IW at the festival. He is a lure coursing champ!

We walked in the Dog's Parade, met lots of people, and ate bangers and mash for lunch. Despite it being hotter than we expected, it was a good day.

More BlogPaws Photos!

2011-09-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks Amy!

Finn Speaks Out about Be The Change.

2011-08-31T14:49:00.001-07:00

Yes, he is standing on his hind legs with his paws on the podium.

BlogPaws 2

2011-08-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of BlogPaws was fun despite the hurricane on the way.

Finn was fascinated with the ferrets.

Made some new dog friends.

We said hello again to Kristin Dewey of Cokie the Cat fame. Finn decided she was one of his favorite people.

Finn posing with a pack of Flat Pet friends.

Finn also go to meet Dr. V from Pawcurious and Dorian Wagner of Your Daily Cute.

Finn was voted 'Biggest Dog' at BlogPaws (unofficially) and was frequently mentioned in the Twitter stream. He must have posed for hundreds of photos, including the entire wait staff of the conference center. We did get him to stand up at a podium, hopefully the photo came out well! I'll be checking Toki Poki for it since it was one of their photographers that got that photo. (plus they have cool stuff!)

I do think the people who stayed in the hotel had the most fun, but we had a great time, and certainly will try to go next year.

BlogPaws 2011!

2011-08-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Finn and I headed off to BlogPaws today.

Just imagine hundreds of blogging pet-enthusists all together at the same hotel for a party...
Add in lots of cool vendors with freebies...
A Vet conference going on at the same time...
A bunch of people in airline uniforms (???)
Really yummy noms..
and a mix of pets, from ferrets to flat pets to enjoy.

You wish you were here, don't you?

Finn had a fabulous time! More details tomorrow.

We were warned...

2011-08-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

You never have just one. Once you have one sweet goofy hound, you just want another, and they are so much happier in packs. We were ok with that, we have been on the lookout for another Irish Wolfhound, as company for Finn. Preferably a female, and younger. But we weren't having much luck.

We happened to hear about a litter of Scottish Deerhound puppies at a Celtic event, and our ears perked up. Bill has always wanted a Scottish Deerhound (all that Scottish ancestry...). Scottish Deerhounds are another rare breed. They share a lot of the same traits, same wonderful temperament, but a bit smaller and lighter (and faster) than their Irish cousins.

We thought a SD sister would be just the thing for Finn (and us!) So we talked to the breeder, and this weekend had a chance to visit the puppies.

We got there after the morning energy had been worked off, so they spent a lot of time napping in the shade.

This is two different litters, about 8 days apart. Some are 9 weeks, some 10 weeks old.

This lovely girl planted herself at Mandy's feet and requested attention.

She had visited Bill earlier, and also came to see me.

How could you resist that face? There wasn't a puppy in either litters that wasn't spectacular, so any new owner would be well pleased.

Birthday Party, 2011

2011-07-31T19:41:00.001-07:00

Finn turns 4 next week, we decided to have his party this weekend. A bunch of Finn's human and dog friends came.

We had Finn's pool filled with water, and lots of balls, tug toys and stuffies. I made carrot cake pupcakes, turkey cookies, and banana-peanut butter frozen yogurt for the dogs. The humans had to make do with a shrimp ring, vegi munchies, burgers, hot dogs, Greek salad, pasta salad and brownies.

Carrot Cake Pupcakes!

Cookies, made with whole wheat, oats, rice and turkey.

The frozen yogurt.

I also made Finn a giant bone shaped cookie cake for his birthday. All his friends helped him eat it, and it was gone in about 2 minutes! I never got a photo, LOL!

Corky, Kelly, Chloe and Cody.

Cody, Bella, Corky, Kelly and Chloe.

Kelly watches Finn and Bella from the shade.

Cody and one of the many toys scattered around for play. (and party favors!)

Pogo and Cody play with a toy shaped like a cartoon cat.

I didn't get any other photos because I was having too much fun playing.

Finn, after the party.....

Saturday morning

2011-07-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Every morning, I get up and take Finn for a walk before work. We both enjoy the walk, it's our 'together' time and a chance for Finn to check out his friends in the neighborhood. Usually we walk around 6:30 am.

On the weekends, I would like to sleep in a bit. Finn is somewhat understanding. He will nudge my arm, I'll tell him I'm not getting up yet, he will sigh, and lay back down to wait. Today he waited, and waited, nudged, sighed, and finally decided to try a new method. He stuck his nose under my pillow and lofted it and my head up. That had the desired affect, I was then laughing too much to go back to sleep.

So we had our walk.

As I usually do, I let Finn off the leash and the end of our road, so he could run home. Our neighbor, who is fond of Finn and whom Finn always greets was walking up his driveway with some tools. Finn galloped up to him, but instead of going to the front of him like he usually does, he ran up behind our neighbor (who had headphones on and had not seen or heard Finn) and shoved his nose rudely into his butt, scaring the poor guy half to death. Finn dashed away to run gleefully laps around the yard.

Yes, he knew exactly what he had done. I called him to come over to properly say hello, but Finn just kept running and bouncing, laughing the whole way.

I have very tolerant neighbors....

More 4th photos!

2011-07-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Finn wearing his red, white and blue bandanna, supervising the yard work.
This is after I did his toe nails and cut one a bit too short. Not bleeding too much, but I felt so bad for him. :-(

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T13:18:00.001-07:00

Finn has had a play-date, his toe nails trimmed and some supervisor work in the back yard.
He's resting up before tonight's fireworks start so he will have energy to bark at them.

PA Celtic Fling!

2011-06-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Potomac Vally Irish Wolfhound Club was invited to come to the PA Celtic Fling to present our breed. We had 6 hounds there over the two days, and we were very well received.

Bill in his kilt setting up the tents.

We had lots of visitors.

A lovely lass from the Great Dane rescue came to call.

Sunday, walking through the fair before opening.

Finn was interested in this knight, until he sniffed it and realized it wasn't a person.

This little girl was fascinated with Finn's eyebrows.

Memphis had his fans as well.

Both days we were serenaded by a group of pipers.

We all had a grand time, and everyone was delighted to see the hounds.

Irish Wolfhounds at play!

2011-06-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend Finn had some extra large visitors!

Corky
and Kelly! They are Irish wolfhound brothers that we know from parades and shows.

There was a lot of running..

Dodging...

and jumping.

Pauses for Manly discussions..

Then more running.

and checking out all the toys. Typical wolfhound activities.

Pretty soon they were al ready for the other main wolfhound activity...

Lying down.

Finn had a great time!

Irish Wolfhound Humor

2011-06-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Irish Wolfhound are a funny breed. Goofy, some would say. They have a sense of humor, and can be quite clown-like at times. But they can also be quite clever with their humor. Finn has several times pulled stunts that were obviously thought out, and which he also very obviously thought was funny.

A Facebook friend passed around a link to an Irish Wolfhound site where both the hounds and the humans are quite funny. I thought I would share the joy.

Here are the main humor pages of the site: http://www.irishwolfhounds-guernsey.com/fun-tortstandard.html click the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next page.

For the full site, with lots of gorgeous photos of hound, and Guernsey scenery, go here: http://www.irishwolfhounds-guernsey.com/

PVIWC Specialty Show 2011 - Rally!

2011-04-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

I missed the earlier Rally classes, but here are some fun photos from the last few runs.

In the midst of all the puppy enthusiasm was a wonderful veteran. 8 years old, and doing Rally!

Honor dog..

Well done everyone!

PVIWC Specialty Show 2011

2011-04-03T21:00:00.001-07:00

Random shots from the show today.

Van walking the girls.

Some photos from the main ring.

I believe this class was Puppy 12-18.

On the right in this photo is Fyre, handled by Linda Souza co-owned by Jocelyne Gagne + Susan Prokopenko, and bred by Pat Murkland + Jocelyne. Fyre was 3rd in this class.

The winner I believe, of Puppy 12-18.

Novice Dog.

This was the winner of Novice Dog, Banner with Ewa, co-owned with his two breeders Jocelyne Gagne + Susan Prokopenko.

One the sidelines....

If anyone has names I can put to these photos please e-mail or comment below, and I will add them.

More St. Patrick's Day Parade Photos!

2011-03-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Alexandria Parade

Baltimore Parade

Playdates past - Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T13:18:00.001-07:00

Arlington

2011-03-24T12:18:00.001-07:00

Bal'mer parade!

2011-03-21T10:08:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Judie for the photos!

Alexandria St Patrick's Day Parade with PVIWC

2011-03-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Judie and Jodie for the photos!

A day in the life..

2011-02-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

I gave Finn a bath today. When my husband got home from working on the barn roof, he wondered why it would take me all day to do that.

Well...

To start with, bathing Finn means you get a shower too. There is no way to give him a bath that doesn't involve you ending up soaking wet and covered in dog hair, so better to bow to the inevitable and plan for the after-bath shower. I just take Finn in the walk in shower with me. (he doesn't fit in the tub)

Ok, fine, but after his bath, Finn will be lying all over the floor. if the floor is dirty then you have just wasted your time bathing the dog. So first I had to sweep the floor. Fortunately I didn't have to worry about the bedroom, we had recently scrubbed the carpet thanks to Finn coming in from a 2 am tinkle call with poo all over his feet and then tracking it over every inch of the carpet.

So all I had to worry about was sweeping 4 rooms and a hallway, all oak flooring. I put Mr. Poopy Paws in the back yard while I clean. (a necessity, trust me) I start to sweep all the floors, then realize the rugs are dirty too. I take small rugs to the basement to wash, toss large ones outside for vacuuming. As I am sweeping I notice crumbs and dust bunnies under the couches, so I pull everything out and sweep under everything. I try to sweep off the dog beds, but figure they probably need a wash too so I take the covers off to wash. Meanwhile Finn is scratching at the back door and looking mournful.

I look at the swept floors and thought sweeping really just gets the loose stuff, the floors were still dirty (after all, wood floors are dirt colored) After Finn has his bath he will lay on the floor with his wet coat. Any dirt on the floor with quickly rub on him rendering the bath a loss. Ok, let's just do a quick mop then. I pull out my Swiffer mop, and a package of wet floor scrubbies. I work away at the floors, finding many interesting mystery spots to scrub up.

Hmm that is sticky..hey, bird poop! When did a bird get in here? When did that spill? More bird poop? How long was that bird in here? How did sprinkles get all they way over here? More pine needles...Finn is now barking to get in. Hope the neighbors don't mind.

I get to the area where Finn eats and spend 10 minutes just scrubbing there. Of course if you are going to clean the floor, you have to wash the wall behind it and the baseboard (splash factor). Once I was finished I looked at the floor. Kind of dull, and streaky. It was clean, but... So then I get the Golden Glo wood floor spray and a dry cloth and proceed to polish the floors. Much better with a bit of a shine.

By now the dog bed covers were washed. I pull them out, put them in the dryer and put the small rugs in to wash. I go to vacuum the rug from the family room (Finn eats cookies on this rug) and realize the shop vac weight about 50 pounds. Obviously it was never emptied from cleaning out the pellet stove. Lovely, I take it outside to empty it. As I do that I see the back yard. After his bath, Finn likes to run around in the back yard, and sometimes roll in the grass. Our back yard is a mine field of poo. If this isn't cleaned, again, the bath will be wasted effort. I play Mine Detector for a while, and clear the decks for action. Finn supervises this work.

Back to the rug now, and it is beyond help. There are numerous unidentifiable sticky things on it, including peanut butter. Another trip to the basement to the laundry room. Pull the small rugs out to dry, stuff large rug in the wash. I vacuum the other large rugs and put them back on the floor.
I am now ready to actually start the bathing of the hound. I prep the battle field, lots of towels, shampoo, and slip leash to drag the unwilling pitiful creature into the shower. I strip down to underwear and go in the shower with him. (it's the only way, really). 30 minutes, a lot of shampoo, and 3 huge clogs from the shower drain later we are done. I do my best to towel off as much water as possible before releasing a wet, whirling dervish into my house. Finn runs around the house shaking and jumping, then I let him into the back yard to run.

I wait at the back door for him, sopping wet in just underwear, but holding a wet, dog hair covered towel in front of me to save the eyes of my neighbors, plus just in case someone from Zillow is driving by looking for a reason to drop our house values again. I put a towel down for Finn to roll on and go to take my own shower.

Of course now the bathroom is covered in dog hair, so I clean the bathroom, walls, floor, shower, scrub out the sink, etc. (since I'm cleaning anyway) and finally take my own shower.

I put the dog bed covers on and set them out, took all the wet towels, etc to the basement, and put Finn's collar back on.

And that's why it takes 5 hours to give the dog a bath..

Guess the dog breed quiz!

2011-01-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to http://dogsdeservefreedom.blogspot.com/ for posting this, it was fun!

Created by PetsDirect.co.uk

But all the other dogs get to do that!

2011-01-20T08:26:00.001-08:00

Thursday is trash day in our neighborhood. Every Thursday Finn and I have this discussion on our walks. He wants to sniff and pee on the trash cans, and I won't let him.

'Why can't I do that?'

'Because trashcans have to be picked up by their owners and the trash guys, and dog pee on them is disgusting. Polite neighbors do not allow that.'

'But all the OTHER dogs get to pee on the trash cans!'

'I don't care, you are not. If all the other dogs jumped off a cliff, would you jump off too?'

'But...it smells so interesting!'

'No!'

Then we walk to the next yard and have the discussion all over again.

It's like I have another kid, that won't grow up.

Chloe comes to visit

2011-01-13T16:24:00.001-08:00

Chloe is a 6 month old Mini Aussie. She and Finn played chase in the house, in the back yard, then crashed for a bit.

But then Chloe was off again. She is a busy. happy girl.

Notice her left eye is about 1/3 blue, gives her a mischievous expression, doesn't it?

Christmas tree totals...

2011-01-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

Final total results of Christmas Tree vs Wolfhound tail: 9 ornaments and one candy cane. But only one of the ornaments actually shattered!

The tree is now down, and the living room belongs to Finn again. He is now free to indulge in his happy greeting dance at the front door.

Sort of like this, with more tail action.

Play date!

2011-01-09T11:12:00.001-08:00

Christmas Photo shoot....

2010-12-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

We wanted to pose for a Christmas Photo...By 'We' I mean me, Finn is always a reluctant model.

We started out with our jingle bell collar.

And added reindeer antlers..

We had a few technical difficulties - a wardrobe malfunction, and a brief mutiny by the model. But with some patience, and a liver treat, we finally got the photos.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The impact animals have on our lives.

2010-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

The following is a mini documentary about a former criminal, Jason Wood, and the impact his Pitt Bull Odin had on his life. It follows the last days of their relationship as Odin battles cancer. Jason also talks about the hardest decision he had to make, to let his dog go.

Be warned, there is language and you will cry.

It made me think about the impact animals have on our lives. Here is a former criminal (they don't say what crime) who credits turning his life around to the 'unconditional love' of his dog. What was important to him was not only that the dog loved him, but also accepted and loved all his friends, no matter who they are or what they did.

He also saw animals as gifts from God, put on earth to teach us and be with us, and that is a sentiment I wholly concur with.

His decision to let his dog go, while the pain was still under control, and not making his dog try to climb all the stairs to his new apartment is also something I concur with. I noticed the dog was not moving much or walking well, so the cancer was pretty advanced.

Heartbreaking, but good to watch. I would like to think I will make the right decision when the time comes for my horse and my dog. It helps that I do believe that spirit is eternal, we will go on to another plane of existence, and that our animals will be there with us.

Wolfhound Tail -1 Tree - 0

2010-12-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

The first one bites the dust, victim of 'Happy Tail.'

It's cold outside!

2010-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

But Finn is staying warm next to the fire....

Finn has a sleepover!

2010-11-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

One of Finn's friends is a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog named Belle. Belle needed a place to spend the night while her owner went to an event, so Finn got to have a friend spend the night!

Finn was quite excited when Belle arrived, and they played in the back yard for a while. Then Finn was tired and wanted to come in, but Belle wasn't tired!

Belle doesn't have a backyard at her house, so she didn't want to stop playing in it! She ran around the yard, then rolled in the grass. I called her to come in, but she didn't want to. I stayed outside with her for a bit, but I had cooking to do, so I called Finn outside to keep Belle company.

As I worked, I saw Finn coming up to the back door, then walking to the side of the house. He kept doing it, looking at me, then going to the side. I then realized I couldn't see Belle and went outside. Once there, I saw what Finn was concerned about. Belle was in the pond! She had jumped in and was tangled up in all the lily pads and plants. I called Belle, and between me pulling, and her scrambling to get out, she got out of the pond.

I then had a very wet, rather yucky dog to deal with. That pond is au naturale, we let the fish, frogs, etc take over. I started to hose Belle off, but she was feeling good and took off running. I figured I would be pulling her out of the pond every time she went out if I didn't do something about it so I set up the wading pool and filled it with water. This both kept Belle entertained with clean water and also hopefully rinsed off all the icky pond water.

I left Belle outside until dark, and was then finally able to convince her to come in. She wasn't much interested in her dinner, until Finn came over to sniff it, then she ate everything. I gave them each an after dinner Greenie and Finn went to his bed to eat his.

Belle walked up with her Greenie, and proceeded to lay down on Finn's bed. Finn got up just before she plopped down on him. Belle took over his bed for the rest of the night. Finn never protested though.

I left them both with dry kibble to munch on. Belle checked Finn's out first. Finn watched her and just wagged his tail. He didn't mind sharing. Of course he then went and finished her kibble, something he later regretted as it was a different kind than his and upset his tummy.

Belle slept on Finn's bed in the living room, and Finn slept in our bedroom. The next morning after breakfast Pogo, another of Finn's friends came over for a play-date. The three of them had a good time playing until it was time for Belle to go home.

Finn was quite good with his company, very gentlemanly, but I do think he was ready for her to go home. He slept the rest of the day. But that is always the way it is after a sleep-over!

2010 Irish Festival

2010-11-16T19:26:00.001-08:00

We went to the Baltimore Irish Festival on Saturday. There were several Irish Wolfhounds there from the Potomac Vally Irish Wolfhound Club. As usual, the wolfhounds gather a crowd.

Especially children.

This little one didn't actually ride Finn, but she was quite fascinated with him.

Finn was very gentle, and gave her a kiss.

Long, tiring day...

2010-11-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a work day.

I needed to clean, which means Finn has to stay outside. It really doesn't help the cleaning process, if the 140 pound fur covered dirt magnet who is the cause of most of the dirt is following you around getting in the way.

Finn was exiled outside, to help the hubby with some outside work. (By help, I mean lie down and watch) I swept, vacuumed, cleaned all the small rugs, took the cover off Finn's bed and washed it, vacuumed all the cookie crumbs off the family room rug and washed it as well. I left the rug and bed cover hanging to dry.

Next it was out to the barn, and 3 hours of barn work. repairs, cleaning out the hay room, some digging, stall cleaning, then feed and water the horses. Finn got to run in the pasture with us, and we also worked on some back and forth with Finn. We have treats in our hands, and one would call Finn to come, treat him when he sat, then send him back to the other one. We got further apart, and Finn did well except he tended to want to stay with the person who had the whole treat pouch in their pocket.

Then it was back home for showers. This includes Finn. It was pretty muddy at the barn, and he was overdue for a bath. Just so you know, it takes a huge walk in shower, a lot of soap, and about 35 minuted to bathe Finn. Then you have a few seconds to towel off as much water as possible before he goes galloping through the house shaking water everywhere.

Then dinner...which for us was Chinese delivery. Finn had leftover turkey, cheese and kibble. After clean up, we settled down with the gas fire going to watch a movie. Finn couldn't settle. He kept nudging me. No, he didn't want out. He had food in his dish, so not still hungry. It took me a while, but finally I figured out he wanted his rug back. It was still a bit damp, but then so was he. I spread it out in the family room and with a sigh he curled up on it, right in front of the fire.

So we watched the movie, with the gas fire going, popcorn to munch, and a warm furry (slightly damp) wolfhound on our feet.

It was a good day!

What does Halloween mean?

2010-11-08T10:59:00.001-08:00

To me it has always meant dressing up (the very best part) and as a kid trick or treat gatherings. Now as an adult with kids all grown it's still dressing up, and also parties at work and costume contests. I still carve pumpkins, still decorate the house and have plenty of candy on hand.

For Finn, Halloween means lots of kids come to the door to see HIM! He gets to sniff them, lick them, and if he could just sneak away quick enough, go trick or treating with them. (He tried!) It's the one time of the year I really get to see how much Finn really loves children.

The first kid that came petted Finn, took his candy and left, and Finn thought that was neat. The second knock on the door was a couple of girls, 9-10ish, who asked if they could pet Finn. I let him out so they could, and there was a lot of licking and giggling. As they walked off I heard one exclaim 'He kissed me on my ear!'

The next group was about 7 kids with parents waiting on the street with flashlights. I asked if they wanted to pet Finn and I got a very loud YES! I let Finn out the door and they all got to pet him and get licked, then Finn saw the people on the street and took off to go say hello. It took a bit of convincing for him come back to the house, he really wanted to walk with them. We had a few more groups, then that was it. Finn waited, looking out the glass door for at least another hour, hoping for more visitors. He absolutely loved seeing all those kids!

Finn wants to know if we can have Halloween every weekend?

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:51:00.001-07:00

There was a wild bull in our house, and a cowboy was trying to ride it.

The bull tried lying down...

Jumping up..

Sudden stops...

But the cowboy stayed on!

I don't know how long the cowboy will last, that bull has eyes of fire!

Birth order - does it matter?

2010-10-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

There are many studies on the importance of birth order in humans. How it can determine personality as well as success. I've never seen a study of birth order in dogs, but from my unscientific observation, the studies work just as well for dogs. A friend has two Irish Wolfhound puppies, both male, full brothers but from different litters, about 8 months apart in age.

They follow the classic formula. The first born is serious, worried about getting things right, and feels driven to be perfect. The younger brother is carefree, not worried about anything.

Look at the photos below. Can you tell which is which?

The older brother is on the left. The whole time I was taking photos, he was focused on me, worried about what he was supposed to be doing, what did I want, wondering if he should be protecting his brother. Meanwhile his brother was enjoying life, and thinking "Yay, a human to pet me!"

I don't think birth order in a litter matters, but in a household of several dogs, it could be very important.

A Tale of Tails

2010-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Dogs are very expressive with their tails. Since Irish Wolfhounds have such long tails, they have lots of expressions.

The first expression we learned from Finn was unfortunately an unhappy one. He was tired, worried and stressed from his move, and his tail hung straight down, or was curved in under his belly a bit.

Here you can see Finn, tail tucked up.

Here his tail just hangs straight down. Not fearful, just not quite happy.

A confident relaxed wolfhound has a curl at the end of their tail. Each dog is unique in the curl, some just make a 'J' at the end, some curl more.

Here is Finn sniffing something. His attention is on something else, but his tail still has a bit of a curl in it.

Out means confident.

Here is Finn with his 'swagger tail' on a walk around our neighborhood.

Up high means play.

This is Finn and Zack, 5 seconds before they both start to run and play.

It also can be used as a rudder, for sharp turns.
Of course Finn also gets 'Happy Tail' whenever we are heading out for a walk, or when we get home.

A dog owners worst nightmare...

2010-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

For any dog owner, your worst nightmare is something going seriously wrong. Dogs can't say what is wrong, and why they don't feel good. If you haven't been with them all day, you don't know what has happened (or what they ate).

It becomes a guessing game, while the clock is ticking. For so many problems, catching it early is the only way to avoid serious consequences. For those of us with deep-chested breeds, we have the added worry of bloat and torsion.

So how do you know when your dog is in danger, or already is bloating? That is hard to answer, since every dog reacts their own way. The best advice I can give is remember that you know your dog best, and trust your instincts.

September 9 I came home from work late, (it was a Thursday) and the first thing I noticed was Finn was not at the door to greet me when I got in. Normally he is there, wagging his tail and bouncing around ready for a walk. This evening, he came over after I had gotten in the door, sniffed me, wagged his tail, and went and laid back down on his bed. I remember thinking one of the kids had walked him, and he was tired. Oddly enough, his dish was still full of water from the morning.

I fixed his dinner, and he didn't eat much. But he often doesn't finish his dinner until later. Over the next couple of hours, I started to realize he really wasn't feeling well. He still wasn't drinking, was just lying flat on the floor without moving and when he wouldn't even get up for one of his favorite cookies, I started to get worried. I checked his pulse, 75 (normal), gums were pink, with good refill, but his breathing was fast and shallow, and when he did get up, the back legs were wobbly.

I hopped on Facebook and messaged one of our Irish Wolfhound club members, Judie. She immediately said call her daughter Jodie, and after a quick discussion she advised me to take him to the emergency vet right away. Having gone through bloat with their own dogs, she knew how short a window you have to get help.

I had convinced myself I was being a nervous dog owner and seeing things worse than they are, so to have my fears confirmed was the worse news possible. I have had many dogs in my life, and I have loved all of them but Finn is the dog of my heart so this news devastated me.

My husband helped me get Finn in the car and we drove immediately to the emergency vet, fortunately very close and someone who had worked on Irish Wolfhounds before.

When we got there, Finn immediately started stress panting and his heart rate shot up. (he is terrified of the vet) They checked him over, and suggested x-rays, and here is where I made a big mistake. They insisted on taking Finn in the back to x-ray, and I let them. I should have gone with him. He doesn't do well when I leave him, and with his fear and size, they can't force him to co-operate. After a long time they brought him back, and we looked at the x-rays. He had a lot of gas, but the stomach looked ok and wasn't flipped. BUT he had an oddly shaped mass where his spleen was supposed to be. It could have been a kidney out of place or just viewed oddly (they admitted they had a lot of difficulty getting the x-rays, he fought being held on his back) or it could have been splenetic torsion, where the spleen fills with blood and flips over on itself.

They gave him fluids, and palliative meds for his stomach and intestines, just to tide him through the night and recommended I take him in to my regular vet for an ultrasound. I was to check his pulse through the night, and bring him back if it elevated.

So we took him home, and I was pretty much up all night checking on him and fretting. The next morning I took him in to his regular vet. His vitals were all good, and he was acting like he felt a bit better that morning. Not happy to be at the vet, but some better than the night before. Our vet looked at the x-rays, and agreed an ultrasound would show things better. They had to call in the ultrasound technician, so we waited.

We are not happy.
One advantage to the wait is that it gave Finn time to relax, and get over some of the stress of being at the vet. He did eventually relax a bit. It helps that everyone who ever sees him wants to say hello, and pet him.

Feeling a bit better.
When the ultrasound technician got there, she told me they would have to shave his belly, and that he would have to lay upside down in a cradle for the ultrasound. I told her then I would need to come back with him. She gave me this tolerant look and said "If I need you I will come get you."

Fifteen minutes later she came back, looking rather chagrined and said "I need you." We went back and they had two people holding onto Finn for dear life as he struggled. I put a hand on Finn and told him 'Stay' and he relaxed. They hadn't even been able to shave him, LOL!

As they shaved his belly, we found a long contusion, a bit of dried blood and bruising. I thought perhaps they had done it trying to shave him (I was NOT happy!) but it was too old for that. As I am soothing Finn, and asking him to stay down, I'm trying to figure out how he got hurt. The only time he was alone the day before was a couple hours in the afternoon. We had left the sunroom open so he could go out when he wished, and someone could get in the back yard.

We did the ultrasound and either the spleen was normal now, or we were just able to get a clear picture with Finn co-operating. Everything looked good, but the vet was concerned with his intestines, and gave him meds for Gastroenteritis.

We went home and recovered, Finn slept a lot. He still wasn't eating much, and didn't seem to want to move around. It took about a week before his appetite came back, and almost 3 weeks before his activity level and mood were back to normal.

The week before all this happened I found out about problems with Blue Buffalo Dog kibble. The Chicken formula had made 12 dogs sick. Of course, we had been feeding that to Finn but only as a top dressing for flavor. We discontinued immediately, but I think that was the cause of the gastroenteritis. Finn has always had a delicate stomach.

We also found evidence that someone had been in our back yard, we found some tampering. Our best guess was that Finn surprised whomever was in the yard, and they kicked him or hit him with something (there are poles and rakes in the yard) and that was the cause of the contusion and bruise. I think the combination of the brewing gastro and the injury caused his gas and stomach upset.

I believe we were very lucky. I can't help but think if we hadn't taken him in, he would have bloated sometime in the night, and we would have gotten up to a much worse, possibly fatal situation. So heartfelt thanks to Judie and Jodie for your good advise and help!

PVIWC Fun Show 2010

2010-09-26T19:32:00.001-07:00

The day started a bit damp, but spirits were still up. (Besides, the drizzle was pretty authentic!)

Finn at our tent.

Bill and Finn.

Corky and Kelly

For some reason Corky was very intent on the camera, that or he wasn't forgiving me for taking him in the ring and away from his mom!

Love this expression, this is that soulful stare IW can give you.

Love those ears!

Naps are important, no matter where you are.

Judie and the boys.

Agnes, the Lady of the day. 10 years old and counting.

Click here for more photos by Mary O'Mally.

Virginia Scottish Games 2010

2010-09-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Virginia Scottish Games at The Meadows in The Plains, VA. The festival runs for two days, Saturday and Sunday, and is dog friendly! We saw lots of other dogs there.

Scotties,

Westies, all kinds of dogs and even other Irish Wolfhounds. There was a booth for the Westie Rescue, Greyhound Rescue, Shelties, Collies, a dog wading pool and terrier races.

Finn shared some of our fish and chips.

We watched a pipe and drum band perform. I notice Finn was not noise reactive at all, not even when the pipers played right in front of us.

We stopped at the Montgomery booth to cool off in the shade. Finn had a lot of visitors., including some who remembered him from last year.

Eventually he just went to sleep. He was one tired puppy!

Rally!

2010-08-30T19:00:00.001-07:00

Friday night Finn and I went to a trial at Oriole Dog Training Center in Baltimore. We have our Novice Rally Title, so we were going for Advanced Rally. A few new challenges (a jump!) and all off leash. Finn does well off leash, and we knew all the usual signs. My concern was the jump, something we had only gotten to practice twice (with lots of cheese as incentive).

Finn and I got there, and he hopped out of the car, tail wagging. Since we had taken a couple of classes here, he was not stressed about coming. But when we went in the room, a different room than our class, with lots of strange dogs, the tail went down and he started stress panting.

We sat down to wait, and he calmed down a bit. I was able to get him to focus a bit, and we practiced our course. Then it was our turn in the ring.

We started well, but it soon became evident that Finn wasn't focusing on what we were doing. I had to repeat commands, constantly regain his attention, and call him back to me.

He would do well, then it was like his mind would wander off in another direction. We wandered around the course, and while I was frustrated he wasn't keeping his mind on what we were doing, he did do everything I asked, sort of.

He did the jump! (Yay!) Then we were just a sign or two away from the finish..

It was here that Mr Finnegan saw the exit, and decided it was time to leave. He just casually strolled out of the ring. He wasn't trying to run away, and he may have thought we were done, since the last sign had us heading for the gate.

It's just as well, by then I was laughing so we weren't presenting a very good picture anyway. :-D

Thanks to Judie for taking the photos, and congratulations to Jodie and Corky, score of 95 and second leg!

Sunday river walk

2010-08-23T07:11:00.001-07:00

I have been hearing for a couple of years about a 'swimming hole' on the Patapsco river, so we decided to see if we could find it. My intel was good, and we drove right to the parking spot, and less that 50 yards down a trail brought us to the river.

We were on the opposite side from the swing, so we decided to explore and see if there was a way to cross the river without the humans getting their shoes wet. (Finn was not concerned about getting wet)

Ok, Finn is in this photo, can you spot him? I can see why his ancestors were such good hunters now.

Finn greets a swimmer. Always ready to make new friends. I think he was wishing we would get in the river and swim so he could play with us.

I think he spotted a fish here!

We all had a great time!

Shout out for Natural Balance dog food

2010-08-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

As you know, Finn has a sensitive stomach. We have tried many brands of dog food, but continued to have the delightfully descriptive 'pudding poo', evil gas incidents, and less than enthusiastic eating. Sometimes one thing would improve, but another would get worse. I started with higher end regular dog food, tried large breed, limited and no grain formulas, but finally hit gold with Natural Balance grain free limited ingredient formulas.

We are now on our second month of solid normal poo (yay!!), no gas (yes, NONE!!!), and enthusiastic eating. I've actually had to cut back on treats because Finn has gained enough weight to have a little fat layer (and we don't want to lose our girlish figure). His energy level is up (well, up for him) and he is a happy dog now his tummy doesn't hurt.

We started with the duck and sweet potato formula, and now have the bison and sweet potato. He likes both, but I think the duck so far is his favorite. They also have sweet potato and chicken, venison, and fish, so easy to mix it up so he doesn't get bored. They also have a lamb and rice formula, and a completely vegan mix for dogs prone to meat protein allergies.

I would like to give a huge thanks to Natural Balance for developing these formulas for those of us with sensitive dogs! Cost-wise this isn't your grocery store dog food, but the prices are in line with other high quality foods, and Petco has a coupon!

More Party Photos!

2010-08-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day for a party!

The adults talked and enjoyed munchies.

and the dogs played!

and played...

They enjoyed munchies too.

Thanks Jan for the photos!

Dog Trainer's version of the age old question...

2010-08-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

Pavlov: we fed the chicken on the opposite side of the road each day at 4 p.m. until the chicken’s autonomic system actually began causing the chicken to cross the road at 4 p.m. without even questioning the “why.”

B.F. Skinner: on prior occasions when the chicken voluntarily crossed the road, this behavior was followed immediately by a reinforcing consequence.

Cesar Milan: I bullied, chased, poked, and intimidated the chicken until it raced across the road, because I am a strong leader…

Barbara Woodhouse: You just say, “Walkies” with the right accent and place a crumpet on the other side of the road…

Karen Pryor: by associating R+ with road crossing and P+ with standing still, with a VR schedule, and offering a reward in keeping with the Premack principle, we increased the intensity and frequency of the road crossing behavior.

Bill Koehler: a few well-timed pops on the choke chain and the chicken was happy to cross the road.

Nicholas Dodman: I gave the chicken fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, carbamazepine, and azapirone and then it was happy to cross the road.

Patti Ruzzo: I crossed the road, pausing every step to spit a treat out of my mouth like a human pez dispenser and the chicken followed along catching the treats.

Electric Collar Advocate: whenever the chicken does not cross the road I give it an electric shock. But do not worry, the shock is no more than you would feel if you walked on a carpet wearing socks and it does not bother the chicken at all. The feathers standing up and the smell of burning flesh mean nothing. In fact, they are happier having nice clear communication than they would be otherwise.

Yuppie: chickens are just like little people in feather jackets, and if you love them and give them diamonds and feel sorry for them all the time, they will be happy to cross the road for you.

Paris Hilton: Because I put it in a Gucci bag and carried it.

Shelter director: Any chickens that do not cross the road will be euthanized for their own good, and the others we will “adopt” out tomorrow for only $200 each. Please send us money so we can keep doing more of this important work!

HSUS member: I do not know anything about animals, I have never been around animals and am not really fond of animals, but we passed a law mandating that chickens be kept without cages because animals belong only in the wild and cannot be happy coexisting with man, so now they are walking wherever they want.

PETA member: chickens have the right to live in world without roads. Any chicken that lives within a hundred miles of a road is suffering an inhumane existence and might eventually be hit by a car so we should kill it today to ensure that it does not die tomorrow.

This is making it's way around the web. I haven't found an author credited, but I thought it was brilliant!

Anyone else remember Barbara Woodhouse (No Bad Dogs)? I remember living in Yorkshire in the 80's, and a radio personality (Terry Wogan) playing Barbara's voice saying 'Walkies!!' He got constant complaints because all the dogs would go nuts when he did that.
I also have to add this clip. I defy anyone to watch this and not laugh with that baby! Notice the dog getting his licks in!

Finn's Birthday Party

2010-07-31T18:46:00.001-07:00

The day was beautiful, the dogs were playful, and the food was plentiful.

Munchies and discussion around the table.

Pogo plays with one of the 'Party favors'.

Finn wears his birthday bandanna.

Notice the ribbon, it says' It's my birthday!'.

Other party guests dressed up for the occasion. Zack and Bella.

Finn Maddie and Bella head for the pool.

We had a pool for splashing, toys to play with, and home made dog cookies for munching. I also made home made doggie ice cream. (Thanks Pawcurious and 7MSN Ranch for the recipe!) It was very popular, and smelled so good I think some humans were tempted...

Tinkerbell in her lavender tutu.

Chubbs, Belle, and Teddy. Notice the webbing I put up, to keep canines out of the fish pond. (it's 3 feet deep, and murky)

You can't see from this photo, but there are toys scattered all over the yard. They started in a small pile next to the pool.

Lots of wet pawprints...

I had crafts for the humans at the party. We made toys for the dogs out of soft felt.

Chloe the Mini Aussie with a tug toy.

The toy is almost as big as she is, but she ran around the yard with it.

The braided toys were popular.

I had games organized and ready, 'bob for tennis balls', 'hoop jump', 'Rally course', and 'bubble chase', but just like with kids, the dogs decided what they were playing was far more interesting.

Finn's birthday cookie. This is a cookie I baked the night before made with ground turkey, chicken stock, whole wheat flour, sage and rice. (decorated with cream cheese)

Everyone helps Finn eat his cookies.

Pogo is a very finicky eater, I was glad to see he would eat the cookies.

Tyler comes over to try the cookies.

Grendel and Jake play ball.

Somehow I missed getting photos of a few guests, hopefully when everyone shares photos around we will get some of them.

We had a wonderful time! Finn got some great gifts, and he send his friends home with cookies and toys. The humans had a great time too, I think we will just have to have a get together again, and not wait for a birthday!

The Rescue

2010-07-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Update! Thank you Tap for providing the link to the original post!
http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog's professional dog trainer. Janine's passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2010 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.
I would promise to always be by her side.
I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

This was posted on an e-mail list I am a member of. I have no idea who wrote it, but how appropriate! We say we 'rescue' them, but really it is the other way around.

A letter to certain dog owners in my neighborhood..

2010-07-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

I live in a great neighborhood. It was built in the 1960's, mostly ranchers, all with good sized yards. We have a mix of retired, middle aged with teenagers, and young couples with kids. It's quiet, as the neighborhood is a dead end so no through traffic. We have a lot of activity, bicyclists, joggers, moms walking with strollers, exercise groups, kids on skateboards, whole families out walking together (often to the community pool). Of course also a lot of people walking dogs.
We have a very active and friendly neighborhood. For the most part we all get along. As a dog owner I do my best to insure my pet is a good neighbor. Since I didn't own a dog for over 20 years, I know how it feels to walk in your yard and encounter dog poo. It's frankly infuriating. I didn't have a dog for all those years because I didn't want to clean up after a dog, so I certainly didn't want to be cleaning up after someone ELSE'S dog!

Because of that I always clean up after Finn. (not an easy task sometimes, trust me!) I make sure he isn't tinkling on someone's flowers, or esp in his case, walking on them and crushing the plants! I don't let him charge up to people, jump on them, or otherwise get near them unless he is invited. (esp if they are in work clothes!) I talk to neighbors, and make an effort for Finn and I to be ambassadors for dogs. I keep in contact with the other dog owners, and we discuss ways to insure everyone is happy with us and our pets.

Our city has a leash ordinance. You dog must be on a leash, and you MUST clean up after your dog when you walk him. I would say 90% of the dog owners in our neighborhood are good dog owners, and work as hard as I do to make sure everyone is happy to have the pets around.

But there are always a few who are seemingly deliberately trying to ruin the camaraderie we are working so hard to create.

This post is for you, the handful of dog owners, who refuse to clean up after your dog on walks. You know who you are, and trust me, everyone else in the neighborhood knows as well.

It doesn't matter how early you walk you dog, or how late, even if it is after dark. We see you. We watch you walk you dog and not clean up. It doesn't matter if it is a small dog, or where they go, it is still your responsibility to clean it up! This responsibility goes with the joy of pet ownership. Why should someone else have to clean it up?

What is worse is the couple of people who think because their dog goes in the street, they don't have to clean it up! That is even worse! Not only does the poo get run over and smeared everywhere by cars, but joggers, bikers, kids playing, everyone who is out on the road will step in it, spreading germs and carrying it back into their houses! Disgusting!

Then when it rains, all that ick gets washed into the gutters and streams, and contributes to the destruction of our waterways. It is runoff like this that is causing the algae blooms in the Chesapeake. It is runoff like this that is closing beaches with dangerous bacteria in the water.

Oh, and if you dog has diarrhea for longer than a day or two, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Take it to the vet, change the food, do whatever it takes. Imagine how miserable you would be with the runs day after day, and think about how it is impacting your dogs health.

You know, we are all happy you are taking the time to walk your dog. It's good for the dog and your relationship with them. But there is really no excuse you can give for not cleaning up after them, not even squeamishness, since you can get long handled 'scoopers' now. Don't even have to touch anything.

So, act like a grown up, be responsible, and stop being the person we're all embarrassed about.

\rant

Whole list of dog scoops

Too darn hot...

2010-07-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been like a sauna here in MD. We have been hiding inside in the air conditioning. It's even too hot to write! (not really, but that is my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)

Here is Finn's comment on the heat:

Notice he has positioned himself between the two vents for maximum cooling.

Today we are supposed to hit 110 with high humidity.

Finn and I are staying inside and sleeping all day. Hopefully this heat wave will break before next Saturday and Finn's birthday party!

Book Reviews: Breathless and Orchid Beach

2010-07-06T18:23:00.001-07:00

Breathless, by Dean Koontz and Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods both feature a dog as a main character. Breathless an Irish Wolfhound, and Orchid Beach a Doberman. I had not read books by either author, so didn't have any background to draw from in the novels.

Breathless is a novel that gives you multiple characters, multiple viewpoints, and a rather unique plot twist. It was kind of short and thin when it comes to the story, more like it was an expanded short story, rather than a full novel. Still quite enjoyable though. I especially liked the characterization of the wolfhound. Very much accurate, from the personality to the noisy drinking. Good fun, but if you don't like stories with odd philosophical twists you may not enjoy this.

Orchid Beach is a good detective story, with the twist of a female lead, who befriends a highly trained female Doberman. The dog is integral to the story, and well written. Lots of action, and the dog is involved in most of it. (Note to self: Never antagonize an attack trained Dobe.) I recomend it for any dog person, but if you love action/mysteries, you will really enjoy it.

Both are good summer reads, and have dog characters, what could be better?

Even in the heat, walkies are good.

2010-06-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Chris: "Finn, would you like to go for a walk?"
Finn: "Yes Please!!" Happy Dance!

The enemy has infiltrated our territory!

Attack!

Alas, he was too cowardly and fled to the pine tree.

Almost as tall as Chris...

Rules of Acquisition #3 Ownership

2010-06-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

Wolfhound Rules of Acquisition #3 Ownership is negotiable.

Ownership of items, especially food or especially chewy ones are always open for negotiation. Licking confers ownership to all food items. if you can lick it, it's yours. Fun items to chew are everywhere, and ownership is usually conferred by toothmarks.

If the human takes the slipper away and says no, then find the other slipper because surely they don't mean ALL slippers are off limits.

If you can get enough tooth marks in the item (especially leather!) the ownership will be established beyond doubt, and you will be free to chew or bury it in the backyard.

Finn works the Kong!

2010-06-23T19:39:00.001-07:00

It was filled with pieces of Alopaw cookies! He worked it until every bit was gone.

Product review - Alopaw cookies

2010-06-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Alopaw Hawaiian Dog Treats are dog cookies created specifically for the dog with food allergies or dietary restrictions. They are Vegan, have no wheat, no corn, no gluten, no meat, no dairy, low fat, low protein, low phosphorus. Check out the website for the whole story about the chef who created the cookies and her dog.

I asked for a sample bag of cookies to try, and a bag came in the mail in a couple of days.

When I opened the bag, Finn and I both started to drool!

I gave Finn one to try, and he immediately took it to his bed to savor. (something he only does for special treats)

They came is several fun shapes, each a different flavor. In my opinion, the pineapple one was best, but Finn loved them all.

This happened right after I set the photo up. The cookies did not survive this encounter.

I was going to eat this one (I nibbled a corner of several, they were yummy!) but the anguish on Finn's face was more than I could bear, so I gave it to him.

Finn and I give Alopaw cookies two paws up, and we have already ordered more! I am so thrilled to find a healthy wheat and corn free cookie that Finn loves.

Association and fear

2010-06-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Finn has never been bothered by loud noises. Loud music he sleeps though, screaming kids don't stress him. Even thunderstorms don't worry him, in fact, he loves them! (wants to be out in the wind sniffing and running around).

Yesterday evening as we were finishing our walk, we heard a loud bang from our neighbors yard. Finn stopped and looked towards their house. There was another bang, and I could see over their roof fireworks spreading up into the sky. To my surprise, Finn spun around and quickly trotted away down the street. When I called him, he came to me, but stayed right beside me in heel all the way up to our door, and could not get inside quickly enough.

This really surprised me. Last Fourth of July he didn't even notice fireworks were going off. I thought about it a while, and the fireworks sound a lot like a gun going off. This may be the clue to Finn's behavior. Last fall we had a problem where we board our horses with foxes digging dens along our fence line. They were digging down by the posts, causing the posts to fall over, and the potential of looses horses, or broken legs should a horse step in the hole.

We were dealing with it by filling the holes with rocks, and encouraging the foxes to live elsewhere. A neighbor, however, decided to take a different approach (without consulting the owner of the farm). Finn and I were taking our usual daily walk in the pasture when Finn alerted to something on the other side of the fence, next to a tree stump. When I looked, I saw a fox caught in a leg trap.

The fox was terrified, and his leg had broken completely. I called the farm owner to let them know. We decided the kindest thing to do would be put the fox out of his misery, so he brought out his gun and shot the fox. (killing him instantly) While Finn was at the barn with me when the he did this, he was watching, and when we went to talk to the barn owner (who was considerably upset about a trap being set on his property) Finn refused to get anywhere near him. At the time I thought maybe the scent of gunpowder (or cigarettes!) put him off, but now I wonder if he made the connection between the sound of the gunshot and something bad happening to the fox.

The fireworks we heard certainly sounded like a gunshot. So now I will have to be sure I have Finn in the house or contained some way whenever there are fireworks. He is very obedient, but fear will trigger his sighthound reflexes, which tell him to RUN!

Here is an excellent post on what to do about Thunder/noise fears: Pawcurious.

Tomorrow we have a yummy cookie review to share! (the review, not any of the cookies...)

Family visit

2010-06-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

We had a graduation last week, so our house was filled with family. This included a 10 month old baby, and a 2 year old toddler. I was understandably concerned about how Finn would react to to the chaos. While he loves children, having 2 in the house for a few days is totally different than the 10 minute greet on the walk that he usually gets. Plus, lets just say our family is noisy, and leave it at that. I wasn't sure how Finn would react to that.

Everyone got here, and Finn happily greeted everyone, bestowing quite a few licks on the children. As the chaos got louder and louder, Finn simply went to the other room and took a nap. No stress at all. He was amazingly tolerant of the baby, and very careful around them, especially when walking.

He laid still for 'petting', and crawling over.

He usually napped where he could keep an eye on the baby. I think because we let him crawl so much Finn thought we were being quite reckless with him, and he needed to guard him.

Out in the backyard we had a pool and blanket set up. Finn was quite concerned about this too, circling and watching. He didn't like either of the children wandering away from the house without an adult.

When the baby was left on the blanket and started crawling towards the grass, Finn laid down with his body blocking the baby. He wanted him to stay close to the house.

Finn was also quite interested in the bubbles being blown.

He had a great weekend, and quickly learned to wait by the children's chairs while they were eating. Good snackage!

It's a rollercoaster ride.

2010-05-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

Pet ownership, no matter what kind of pet or where they came from, is always going to have it's ups and downs. We are all individual creatures, with feelings and minds of our own. It's just life, how things happen.

Take for example the last week. Finn had a lovely breakthrough at our Pets On Wheels visit last Thursday. Finn had been willing to go, and enjoyed meeting people and getting petted, but he didn't understand why we were there, so was always a bit stressed and distracted. Last Thursday I had the day off, so we were able to go to the center and take our time.

I walked Finn a bit more before we went inside, and I concentrated on keeping him at heel and engaged. After the first 10 minutes, Finn relaxed, and started connecting with the people at the center. By connecting, I mean eye contact and attention. Before this, people would get a quick glance and maybe a lick, but that was it. This time he focused on their faces, and waited for them to talk to him and pet him. It's like the light went on in his head "Oh, I'm here to see people!"

I was really excited, because that is the purpose of Pets On Wheels, and other pet therapy programs. The people we serve NEED a connection. They need someone, person or animal, to look at them, and validate their existence. By interacting with the elderly, or challenged we let them know we acknowledge them, that they are important, and we care about their thoughts and feelings.

This was a big high! Finn left the center with tail high, happy and energized. He 'got it' finally. This has been a goal of mine, as a way we can both give back to our community. Plus Finn is such a sweet gentle dog, I have suspected he would be very good at this kind of therapy.

Fast forward to Sunday, and another goal I have. We went to Manassas for dog show, to work on our next Rally leg, and try our first Obedience class. We had not has as much time to practice as I would like, but I really only wanted to qualify, I wasn't looking for ribbons. Finn knew all the commands, and done them flawlessly. We had practiced with a friend as judge, and gone to a run through at a training center.

Sunday was warm and muggy, with lots of rain and puddles. We were up at 6, out the door before 7 and then a 2 hour drive to the show. We get to the show, set up, and frankly it was rather miserable. But Finn and I soldiered on, practicing, and waiting for our class. Finn got less and less enthused and more clingy, wanting to not leave my side. When our turn came for Rally, he basically shut down. The dog who got a 95 at the last rally, and complements from the judge on his sit and response, this time couldn't remember what 'sit' meant, or 'heel' or even to just follow me. I was mortified and embarrassed, and excused ourselves from the ring.

We did no better in obedience. Finn had mentally checked out. Whether from the heat, the long drive, the rain, or a combo of them all, he was not participating. I was bitterly disappointed (in no small amount because I gave up sleeping in and a whole day of my weekend to do this). So there was the low. But just like the high, Finn shared the low also. He didn't have fun that day either, and no one had even asked him if he WANTED to come to the show. So we both came home, wet, tired and grumpy.

But we came home together, and that is always a good ending to the day. As several people at the show said, no matter how you do, you get to go home with your best friend. What could be better than that? (It was a rough show for a lot of people)

I also have to remember that these are MY goals, and Finn has no clue what they are. It's my job in the partnership to help him understand what I want, and to make it rewarding for him to participate. I certainly failed in that part of it.

The next day Finn was wagging his tail, and bouncing after his ball, and delirious to see me after work. All forgiven and no grudges held. We should all be as generous of heart as our dogs are.

Score! Finally a dog toy Finn loves.

2010-05-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have gone through many dog toys with Finn. He will play with them a bit, but mostly he enjoys shredding them. Balls he has good fun with, but they only keep his attention for a while.

He will not play with squeeky toys. At the first sound he drops them and walks away. The closest we have come to real enthusiasm are his two monkey toys, but still, he mostly wants to chew them, with occasional shaking and flinging.

I always try new toys though. At Petsmart yesterday, I found this ball:

When you bounce it, it flashes, and keeps flashing for a minute. I brought it home, showed it to Finn and tossed it. He was fascinated by the flashing, and played with the ball off and on all night, eventually even taking it to bed with him.

Today, he played with the ball most of the evening, adding growling and barking to the game. The ball has weathered the playing well, just minor scoring.

Maybe it's a sight hound thing, but I'm just delighted he found something he loves to play with.

Frederick Celtic Festival

2010-05-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Frederick Celtic Festival with the PVIWC. Despite the winds we all had a great time. Best kept local secret, Scottish Highland Creamery ice cream. Yummmmmmm!!!

Van and his car full of hounds.

Yes, that is Bob under there.

Finn takes in the festival.

Lily does some face washing.

Finn and Bill.

Finn is a popular stop,

and he got to kiss quite a few lovely ladies!

Highland cattle! This is a yearling bull.

Jodie wrangles puppies, and looks smashing doing it!

Bill, Finn and I with some dancers.

Jodie and Corky.

Jodie, Bob, Kelly, and various legs and eyes.

Finn and this young lad spent some time communing in the shade at the end of a long, fun-filled day.

Finnegan, RN

2010-05-04T13:00:00.001-07:00

May Day!

2010-05-01T09:14:00.001-07:00

Happy May Day!

Finn and his buddy Zack

Blurry video of Finn playing 'Fetch' (Wolfhound version)

Augie and Pogo.

Pogo enjoys Finn's 'award toy' from the Rally. Finn doesn't like toys that squeak.

It's a good day!

(Thank you to Jan, Dawn, Pogo and Teddy for hosting the play date and conversation!)

Rally #3, Catoctin Club show

2010-04-26T13:49:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the Catoctin Club show. This was for the 3rd leg of our Rally Novice title.

We got there in plenty of time, despite the rain. Not as many people at this show, but we saw a lot of the same faces at the Rally ring!

Finn and I color co--coordinated this time, all in shades of gray.

Our go wasn't exactly flawless, LOL! We were distracted a couple of times, but in all it went rather well.

The Judge was delightful! Very exact on what she expected, very helpful for us novices, and very complimentary when we did well.

She complimented Finn on his sits. (The judge has Danes, and understands large breeds!)

Finn hob-nobbing with other qualifiers.

When I asked the judge for a review and suggestions, she was very complimentary.

Points off for a leash pull.

Points off for Finn crowding, off course a bit, etc.

Then I found out we got a 95! Well done Finn!

This was the third leg of our Rally Novice Title. We got the title ribbon, had our photo taken with the judge, and Finn is now Finnegan RN.

Big thanks to Vicki for the photos, video, and ring side support!

Rally #2, Old Dominion Kennel Club

2010-04-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

We had our second rally experience, this time at an open show at the MD State Fairgrounds. The show is called the Cherry Blossom cluster, it is a group of 3 shows, on 3 different days put on by three different clubs. It's an easy way for dog owners to attend several shows during one trip. Great time and money saver!

It's also a great way to get points and qualifications.

Here we are ringside, watching the people and dogs who know what they are doing go through the course.

Um, it gets boring....

But friends show up to chat with and give well-needed advice,

and puppies must be petted. This is Corky, and yes, he is still a puppy.

Finn finds puppies rather confusing.

There were a lot of entries in rally. But our turn will come.

The folks running our ring were wonderful, and made sure everyone was up to speed on the protocols. We were of course Novice A, so we appreciated all the help we could get.

Our turn came up and off we went. The problem with IW is that rally courses are tight. Space is limited, and to get a lot of moves in, the course requires tight turns and precise maneuvers. Not a strong point for a 140 pound, 7 foot long hound.

Umm...a not so great turn. The leash is supposed to be loose.

That's better, and nice focus from Finn!

The end, yay!

Score of 86, and our second qualifying leg! One more and Finn with have his certification in Rally Novice. Next show is Monday, with the Catoctin club.

Thanks to Judie for the photos and support!

Rules of Acquisition #2 Snackage

2010-04-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

Rule # 2 - Whenever you hear the rustling of paper or plastic, immediately go to the source. There may be snackage available. Food comes in plastic and paper, always be aware and ready to accept treats, or acquire them as the situation allows. Also be aware of the opening of pantry or refrigerator doors. If you don't listen for those sounds you may miss out on food!

Remember to engage your stealth powers, if the human has warning you are coming they may quickly put away the food.

Rule 1

Rental car....

2010-04-21T08:04:00.001-07:00

Not really happy about this...but willing to put up with it to get to our Pets on Wheels gig.

Who is training who?

2010-04-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have been working with Finn, training him for Rally and Obedience. I have come to realize though, that Finn has been working on his own training agenda.

Finn, like any child, prefers cookies to dinner. He knows where the cookies are, he knows I can get them for him. About a month ago, he started a campaign for cookies in the evening.

He nudges me when he wants something. This can be rather inconvenient when I am on the computer, or if he nudges me just as I am taking a drink. After determining he didn't want out, and had plenty of water, I figured out he was wanting to score some munchies. In the beginning, I gave him a cookie, just so he would let me type in peace.

I then realized he was eating less and less of dinner, so put a stop to the cookies. Finn then tried to figure out what would start up the free cookie machine again. He would eventually finish his dinner. then one time he finished, then asked for more. I cleaned his bowl, and put out fresh dry kibble, and some cookies. At the time I just figured he was still hungry after dinner.

He rather quickly figured out if he finished his dinner, he got dessert. Not that he didn't try to get cookies without finishing, he is always hopeful I will relent and just give him treats. Often he will eat half his dinner, then come nudge me. I will tell him no, he has to finish his dinner first. He will sigh, but will eventually clean his bowl. Sometimes it is hours later, but immediately after he has he comes and nudges me to let me know he is finished.

I wash his bowl, and set him up. This has been a regular thing for the last two weeks, and I am now realizing he has figured out a way to get cookies every evening. Granted, he has to eat his dinner first, so it's really a win-win situation. (Finn is a finicky eater)

So who trained who? I think it was an open negotiation, with benefits for both parties.

Fetch, Finnegan style

2010-04-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Since we got Finn, over a year ago, we have tried to play with him like you usually do with a dog. Tug of war with a rope toy, squeeky toys, fetch with a ball. For each of these attempts Finn has just looked at us with what I guess is the same expression a formal British butler would give a grubby street child's offer to play hopscotch.

"No thank you, I don't do that."

All the toys we have gotten have been used as chew toys and quickly dismembered. But, he will play with a ball, on his own. He tosses the ball in the air, bats at it, and will chase it. His leaps and tosses are hilarious to watch, more like watching a cat play with a toy than a dog.

Often after our morning walk, Finn will play with a ball in the front yard. He runs, leaps, tosses the ball and growls at it. He pretends the ball has gotten away from him, runs laps around the yard and then pounces on it. A couple of times I have tried to toss the ball for him. He will go after it, but doesn't bring it back.

Until this morning. His ball wasn't where he left it because the yard has been mowed. I found it and tossed it out for him to play. He played with it, then came to where I was and dropped the ball. I tossed it back out, and he leaped after it. He played with if for a few minutes, then bought it back. I tossed it out again, and he chased and played with it. This time he decided the game was over and left it in the yard.

So he CAN fetch, as long as you don't want the ball back in a hurry, and he hasn't gotten bored with the game.

Wolfhound 'Rules of Acquisition'.

2010-04-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

The number one Irish Wolfhound Rule of Acquisition is about abandoned food.

1. All unattended food left on counters or tables is considered to be abandoned, and as a public service the wolfhound should eat the food.

This food should be quickly taken and eaten out of sight, to protect delicate sensibilities.

Finn takes this rule very seriously.

Product review - Greenies Pill Pockets

2010-04-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

I have been shoving pills down throats for most of my life. From dogs and cats, to my own child, I can get a pill down an uncooperative throat.

Enter an IW into the picture. There are a whole different problem. First, you can't reason with them, no matter what the bribe is they won't eat the pill or powder you need them too. Second, you really can't shove a pill down an IW throat, it's just too far and the jaw is too big to control. (at least for my hands)

Since Finn came with Lymes, I had to quickly figure out a method for getting multiple pills in him twice a day. I shoved them in hot dogs, rolled them in cheese, squished them in bread. It worked ok, occasionally he would spit out the pill, but for the most part I got them in him. Then I spotted these in the local pet superstore:

Perfect! Tuck the pills in the pocket, mold it closed, and in it goes. And that is exactly how it worked. Finn loves them! No matter how many pills (larger dogs have larger doses of meds, that equals multiple pills) he will happily gulp it down. I always make a point of telling him 'Good boy!' for eating his pill pocket, because I know he chews them a bit, and tastes the meds sometimes.

Today was the day I give him his monthly heartworm preventative. I shook out a pill pocket on the counter, then went to get the two pills he has to take. When I came back, the pill pocket was gone. Finn stood there licking his lips and wagging his tail. His whole posture said "I took my pills, I'm a good boy!"

I reminded him he was supposed to wait for me to give it to him, and prepared another one which he happily ate. He waited for a moment, to make sure I didn't have more for him to eat, he really really likes them. I have to admit, they smell kind of good, like a very savory soup or pate.

Finn and I give Greenies Pill Pockets two paws up!