My Life, As Told Between (Baby Cakes') Naps

Message left by T on my phone after picking up Alfie from the groomer’s today:  “The dog formerly known as Stinky is safely back at home.”

We had beautiful weather this weekend!  On Saturday, we took advantage of living next to the beach and went biking along the ocean (since we pay such a premium to live close to the beach, we really need to take advantage of it more).  We met up with our friends J and M for a bike ride along the ocean and lunch near the marina.  Then T’s fabulous brother came over to fix our computer and grabbed dinner with us a Piknic’s.  I think we’ve become regulars there.  It’s a little weird since I prefer anonymity when I’m dining.  Although (I think) we’re always perfectly polite and tip well so I don’t know why that should bother me.

Sunday, T had to work so Alfie and I met up with some friends in Pasadena for a doggie play date.  We love the Pasadena Dog Park, which is spacious and clean and always seems to have the best behaved dogs.   (Btw, Alfie’s ears are doing much better!  Thanks for the concern everyone.)

Oh, and in the inbetween moments,  I read on my Kindle.  I love it.  I can’t wait for our flight to Nor Cal this weekend so I can use it on a plane!  =)  I want to buy all of my favorite books on Kindle so I can have them on hand all the time.  I also want to buy books I already own and haven’t yet read – partly because they’re too cumbersome to comfortably read – on Kindle so I can cart them around with me and, maybe, actually read them some day!  The possibilities are endless…if a little expensive…

Poor Alfie has an ear infection.  He came bounding up the stairs at 4am today, sat quietly next to my side of the bed, and then shook his head violently until I woke up.  We tried to get him to stop, but even when his head wasn’t shaking, it was tilted far to the left.  A quick google search indicated he had an ear infection so we rushed him to the vet (whom we love).  Unfortunately, the vet was in the middle of surgery so we had to wait awhile to see him, with Alfie getting more and more anxious (he doesn’t love the vet nearly as much as we do) and stressed out.  It was a harrowing visit.  It took three grown men to get Alfie still enough to look into his ears.  Then, after the vet diagnosed the problem, we had to muzzle him and pin him down to get the ear drops in.  He got so worked up, he ending up peeing all over T!  We’re going to have to apply the drops twice a day for a week.  Fun.

He calmed down once we left the vet and seemed to be settling in okay at home, so I hope the worst is behind us.  Given that this is the fifth or sixth time we’ve been to the vet this year (routine check up, eye surgery and follow up, ticks, ear infection), I joke with T that we got a broken dog and we’d have to be more careful the next time we get a used one.  =)  Honestly though, I’m just glad he’s okay.  And in retrospect, it was even kind of cute how he rushed upstairs, sat down and started shaking his head, as if to say, “Um, People, my ears hurt.  Please fix them.”

Back from Mammoth!  We had a great time, despite getting caught in a huge storms both there and back.  T was super excited to go skiing.  Unfortunately for T, his ski trips are hampered by the fact that I hate the cold and am way too uncoordinated to master and/or enjoy skiing.  This time however, T’s brother and his friend were able to join us so T had some companions on the slopes.  We also brought along Alfie so I’d have a companion off the slopes.  =)

This was Alfie’s first time in the snow, so I went a little picture crazy.  Below are two of the many pictures I took of him.  I tried to talk T into tossing him into a snow bank so I could take a picture of it, but T refused.  Something about being humane, blah, blah, blah.

Alfie is generally really well behaved. He doesn’t jump on people, won’t be in your face unless you want him to be, and will gladly take any affection that’s doled out. He’s a dream with people. He’s not so great with other dogs, although he’s not horrible either. Generally, he’ll greet them a bit and then leave them alone. If they’re persistant, he’ll play with them. If they’re aggressive, he runs.

However, this Saturday, we took him to our friend’s house for a group brunch/doggy play date and he was a terror. He got along fine with the two corgis there, but turned into a snarling beast around the two chows. We suspect it was because they weren’t neutered. It so so bad we had to keep the dogs in separate rooms, thereby entirely defeating the purpose of the doggy play date. I guess this is a reminder that animals are unpredicable.

Luckily, he was much better at the second dinner/doggy play date we had set up that day. He pretty much ignored the puppy, Sophie, and semi-played with his dog buddy, Baxter. We took all the dogs on an hour long hike in the Valley, which was the first time I’d been hiking in years. I forgot how much I enjoyed it! In fact, T and I are making plans to go on another hike soon!

Alfie was recently invited to a costume birthday party, so last night T and I were brainstorming costume ideas for him. It occurred to us that since he already looks somewhat like a bear, we could capitalize on that and dress him up as Winnie the Pooh. It would be simple, cute, and, most importantly, inexpensive since all it would entail was getting him a red shirt. We greatly underestimated how difficult this would turn out to be.

After failing to find any Winnie the Pooh pet costumes online, or appropriate red pet shirts, we decided to see if one of T’s old, red t-shirt would work. It didn’t.

Alfie was not a happy camper. He was unhappy about being forced into a shirt and extra unhappy about the fact that he kept tripping over the thing since it was too long and too big for him. In fact, although he had it on for less than 30 seconds and we immediately tried to get it off of him, he started panicking and making whimpering noises and generally acting as if we were viciously abusing him instead of putting a shirt on him for 30 seconds. So, yeah, it was a no go. Plus, honestly, Alfie didn’t look like Winnie the Pooh. He just looked like a poor miserable dog in an old t-shirt.

Every night, either I, T, or both of us take Alfie for a short walk around our street before bed. T’s more adventurous than I am and will let him off leash for the short jaunt. Alfie usually stays pretty close, even off leash, but once, when T was walking him alone, Alfie walked ahead farther than usual to explore something laying on the curb around the corner from our condo.  He happily bounded back carrying a big slice of pizza in his mouth.  (How the pizza got there remains a mystery to this day.)

T tells me he tried the “Leave It” command, which works when we’re training Alfie not to eat the kibble in front of him in exchange for even more kibble, but turned out to be less than effective when trying to talk him out of a big slice of pizza in exchange for nothing. However, after a brief wrestling match, T won and managed to extract the pizza from Alfie’s mouth.

The next night, T and I took Alfie out for his nightly walk together. When we neared the corner that served as the scene of the pizza incident the night before, T noted, “I bet Alfie’s thinking ‘I know a good pizza place around the corner.'”

As told to me by T.

We’ve been very diligent about keeping Alfie off the furniture and have been mostly successful so far, helped largely by the fact that Alfie is not actually interested in getting on any of the furniture. Except for a little white armchair in the living room that happens to be in front of a window overlooking the street. He LOVES sitting on that chair and watching for cars and strangers. He also loves that we leave that window open to cool down the living room. So, in order to let him enjoy his favorite seat and still uphold our position as pack leaders, we’ve worked out a compromise. He doesn’t sit on that chair when we’re around and we ignore all the paw prints on the chair.

This delicate balance was threatened earlier this week. You see, lately, T’s been leaving for work around 4:30 am, which means that Alfie is usually still asleep when T gets up. More often than not, Alfie sleeps upstairs, but occasionally, he’ll pass out downstairs (in fact, the only place he doesn’t sleep is in his doggie bed). This particular morning, Alfie was curled up and fast asleep on his chair when T came downstairs. T didn’t know if Alfie fell asleep while watching for cars or deliberately set out to sleep there (unlikely since its necessary for him to curl up into a tiny little ball to fit in the chair), but he did know that for our charade to keep on working, he needed to either pretend not to see Alfie or get mad at him for sleeping on the chair. Thankfully, Alfie solved the problem.

As soon as Alfie woke up and saw that T was there, he quickly slunk out of the chair and stealthily settled onto the floor. Once there, he gave T a look as if to say, “What chair? I was never on any chair. Prove it. Those could be anyone’s paw prints.” T, in turn, gave Alfie a look which he hoped said, “I never saw you asleep on that chair. If I had, I would not tolerated it as I am the Alpha dog and you are not allowed on furniture.”

And with that silent exchange, balance was restored.  The end.

T and I bought our wedding bands this weekend! We both knew what we wanted so it was a relatively painless experience. I hate jewelry shopping (I’m happier with the fake stuff – real jewelry seems like a waste of money) and dislike the Jewelry District (too much pressure to buy) so we tried to get in and out as soon as possible. I was looking for a 2 millimeter white gold, rounded band in a size 4. T was looking for a Tungsten (it’s a scratch proof metal) band in a size 10. Unbeknownst to us, it turned out we were looking for the two least expensive items in the Jewelry District, which are not even carried in many shops. Nevertheless, we were able to track down the exact rings we were looking for in a little over an hour – which left us plenty of time to head home for T’s softball game!

After the game, we met up with our coordinator at the wedding venue and finalized some more details. With a little over a month left, things are really starting to pick up! T had to work Sunday, so I ran errands, did some organizing around the house, and hung out with Alfie, who’s been limping lately for no discernable reason. He hasn’t been whining and there’s no obvious sign of injury so we’re hoping it’ll pass soon on its own. =(

This is one of Alfie’s favorite relaxing positions. Weird, huh?

Now that Alfie’s settled in a bit more, we’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover that he’s super friendly. His breed isn’t known for excessive friendliness and we weren’t sure what to expect since he’s a rescue dog, but we had hoped for the best based on the behavior we observed at the pet adoption fair. So far, he’s exceeded our expectations. He loves people and will snuggle up against everyone for more than his fare share of attention. He’s also friendly, although to a lesser degree, with other dogs. That bushy tail never stops wagging.

For some strange reason though, we’ve noticed that other dogs seem to really like chewing on him, especially small dogs. Whenever T or I walk him and run into someone else also walking his or her dog (which is always the case because everyone in our community has a dog), the dogs sniff each other, Alfie’s tail starts wagging, and then *boom* he’s lost a chunk of fur! Poor Alfie. We’re all baffled by the incident, including the other dogs’ owners, and I swear, Alfie shoots me a look as if to say, “What just happened?”

Yay, found out the court ruled in our favor on a big motion today! *Stealing T’s victory dance* (T has no need of it since his softball team never wins. 🙂 J/k T and team. I’m sure you guys will win tonight’s game! Alfie and I will be there to root for you.)

Looking forward to having friends over for a pot luck tomorrow, although we have so much to do before then. The place has been a bit of a mess ever since we got Alfie. He’s adorable, and actually very clean and non-destructive for a dog, but he sheds even more than I do, despite our daily grooming. Plus, for some odd reason, he loves to lick the hardwood floor, which leaves a slight film when it dries.

Actually, we’re finding Alfie is full of odd little quirks. For awhile, we thought he was suffering from some doggy mental distorder because he’d get super-hyper for no reason and race around the room, seemingly chasing an invisible prey. Our trainer recently told us, after he did this in class, that it’s fairly common with younger dogs. She calls it the Zoomies. Now that he knows our dog isn’t mental, T loves to see if he can bring on a case of the Zoomies! We kind of hope he doesn’t grow out of it. =)

Alfie also likes to sit on the stairs with his backside one step higher than his front legs. Weird. Oh, and feet. He likes our feet, whether it’s sitting on them or licking them.

His training is going along fairly well.  He’s learned several basic commands and does them when he’s focused.  The problem is getting him to focus.  Our trainer, who works with a lot of dogs, has pointed out that he’s pretty ADD.  You can just see his mind start to wander in the middle of obeying a command, if he’s paying enough attention to register the command in the first place!  Sigh.  Hopefully, practice will make perfect.  We’ve got one more class to make him perfect!

Went on a nice long run with my friend V Saturday morning. Rushed home in time to drop T off at his beach volleyball game (so he could drink with his buddies) and get back before my friends J and A came over with J’s cute, friendly mop of a dog Baxter. After some initial play fighting (we discovered Alfie’s secret weapon is a wicked butt bump), Baxter and Alfie got along really well. Unfortunately, T and I planned the day badly and I had to leave in the middle of the doggie date to pick T up, but we returned in time to hang out with J, A and the dogs a bit before they had to head off.

Saturday night we went to V’s 30th birthday party. (All my friends are turning 30. I’ll be up in a couple of months. Sigh.) There was tons of yummy food and friendly people. I fell off my Weight Watcher’s wagon and indulged in home made guacamole, empanadas, and cupcakes. SO worth it. Yummm.

Sunday, my friend D came over with her husband and their dog, Shelby. We hung out, played Scene It, walked to BOTH nearby dog parks, had a drink at the Coffee Bean and grabbed dinner at C&O (decent food, best garlic knots ever).  Alfie was great all day, even when we left him and Shelby home alone to go grab dinner!

Because I know y’all just can’t get enough.  Look, we got him groomed!  He’s even CUTER! 

He had his first training class today and had the attention span of a gnat, but the trainer said he was very friendly and sweet.  I think our mistake was feeding him before the class so he had no interest in the treat rewards. 

We wonder sometimes if we’ve gotten in over our heads with a Chow.  I read this quote about Chows, which, while funny and cute, is not terribly reassuring for first time dog owners!

“One thing that most people don’t realize about Chows is that they are ‘sentient.’  By that we mean that they are able to think for themselves. Most people forget that the Chow was raised to be a ‘working’ canine. They were supposed to go out into the field, size up the situation, figure out how to handle it, and then act upon it without any direction from a human or even being accompanied by one. Therefore, it should be no surprise that they do not blindly follow your ‘orders’ just because you have said so. They take what you have
‘requested’ under ‘advisement.’ If they deem it to be a reasonable request at that time, then they ‘obey’ . . . if not, well, they just kind of let you know they acknowledge your having spoken, they love you, but are busy at that moment and please get back to them another time. This can be a maddening response to some, but to those who understand the temperament of cats will just look at them, laugh, and understand that that is what is to be expected of the canine that is called the ‘cat of the dog world.'”

So far, so good. Alfie is still tugging on the leash and not responding so well to his name or any commands, but he’s quiet and non-destructive and gets along pretty well with other dogs and people. True to his nature, he’s a little obstinant and can be stand offish, but he’s not mean or aggressive. He’ll greet the other dogs at the dog park and then wander off to do his own thing, occasionally participating in a bout of chase if it happens to pass him. He’s gotten much friendlier with T and I. Last night, when I was sitting on the floor playing with him, he plopped himself on my lap. Keep in mind he’s a fifty pound dog, not a lap dog. I’m not sure if it’s something I should discourage (we’re going to take training classes soon), but it sure is cute.

Alfie has the added benefit of allowing us to meet more neighbors. We’ve met more neighbors in the day and a half that we’ve had him than in the nine months we’ve been living in our condo. Since everyone has a dog, it’s much easier meeting people in the dog park and walking around the neighborhood. The dogs give us something to do about and bond over.

We got a dog! His full name is Lord Alfred, but we’re planning to only call him that when he’s being bad. =) He’s a Chow mix and is about three years old. He seems super friendly, and has the cutest little hop when he’s excited, although he’s a little sad now since the woman who’s been fostering him for three months just left. She got him from a pound so we don’t know what his history is, which is a little scary, but according to her, he hasn’t been destructive and doesn’t jump on people, which is good, but he tugs on the leash a ton and doesn’t understand “come” or “stay,” which is not so good. We’re planning to take him to doggie (and people) training school as soon as possible. We’re hoping with daily brushing, he won’t shed a mountain of hair everywhere.

Right after I got over the excitement of getting a dog, the weight of responsibility starting sinking in. I hope he like us. I hope we can train him. I hope he’ll be happy here. For the time being, he’s confined to a relatively small space when we’re asleep or not there (which he’s not happy about). We plan to give him free reign of the house, or at least the downstairs, after he’s gotten use to us and his new home. We’d gotten a Chow mix because Chows are supposedly a little more independent and feline in temperment. Hopefully he’ll be okay home alone on the days both T and I work.