Miss Jasmine, looking dignified and ever so slightly disapproving
Please to not be touching mah squirrel, ma’am
You touched it! Gimme back mah squirrel!
Mah squirrel
I loves its tasty belly
And its delectable wee leggies
Om nom nom nom
Tag: dogs
Cuteness
I’ve been suffering from puppy withdrawal, so I had to take a few photos of my aunt and uncle’s Boston Terrier, Jasmine. She’s ludicrously cute.
Happy Birthday Miss Brown
A day late, but that’s okay, because it’s not a real birthday. I just know she was born around this time.
It’s hard to believe, but Harriet is 8 years old. To celebrate, she had a special breakfast of scrambled egg with cheese and mushrooms on toast. No cake, alas, but I don’t think she minded. After an extra long walk, a game of Fetch-n-Kill the Ball, and some quality rawhide time, she was ready for her beauty sleep.
Department of Complaints Department
It’s supposed to get up to 78F today, with storms late in the afternoon. Tonight, the low is supposed to be 28F. It was a little chilly last night (I’m guessing it was about 50F when I got up). Too cool for a fan, but too warm not to have it on. Unfortunate, because the fan provides white noise, which masks some of the weird, random sounds that come from upstairs during the night.
Which brings me to my complaint o’ the day. Why, oh why, is it necessary for Mr. Upstairs to practice scales at 4am? Up-up-up-up-up, down-down-down-down-down. I usually get up at 4:30, so I didn’t appreciate being waked up a half hour early by him plunking on the keyboard. And stomping in time with the, um, “music.” That went on until I left at 5:45.
He’s also added an early evening session of step aerobics to his routine, of which I approve in theory (exercise is good!) but cannot abide in practice (step aerobics is noisy!).
I’m going to have to complain to the management folks. I don’t want to. Really, really, really, I don’t. I have a feeling that the guy has bigger issues than just being an asshole, and it’s probably not fair to expect him to have any concept of what constitutes socially acceptable behavior. But, damnit, he’s driving me to tears!
In other crazy neighbor news, a new tenant moved into the apartment above the Bumpases. He’s got a cute little white Pit Bull, but she’s an obnoxious pain in the ass. He left her out on the balcony most of the day on Sunday, and she bark-bark-barked at every little thing. And when I took Harriet out for her afternoon potty break, she snarled and growled and flung herself at the balcony railing, trying to get to Harriet. Not good. She’s up on the third floor, and I’d hate to see her fall. I also think she’s awfully young to be exhibiting that level of dog aggression, even for a Pit Bull. They usually don’t get snarky until they’re a year or two old, and this girl is maybe 4-5 months old.
Snow Dogs
It’s 55F and 92 percent humidity. I’m starting to think it’s never going to get cold this winter. So, I thought I’d take a moment to remember what snow looks like.
Note to Self
On the next move, do not lose the dog’s nail clippers. Also, her leash. Also, too, her rubber curry comb. I finally found the nail clippers this morning. I still haven’t found her leash, so I’ve been using Elliott’s old one. I have no idea where to even begin looking for her curry comb, though, and there’s really nothing that will substitute for it. Hrmf.
Good, um, Morning
I’d really like to be sleeping in right now. I had fully intended to do so this ayem, and stayed up extra late onna counta that. So being wakened at 6am by a Beagle in full bay was not my idea of a good time. Not even close. He’s been trailing something in the woods behind me, and has been barking and baying for the last two hours. I am not amused.
I’ve been able to catch glimpses of him out my kitchen window, and I recognize him. He’s the same mostly white Beagle who was dumped here a few years ago. He attached himself to my landfolks’ pack o’ Bumpass hounds, but later took up residence at the Silver Mullet’s house. He nearly got hit by me last Fall as I drove past. Luckily, I’d seen movement in the tall grass and weeds by the side of the road, so I’d slowed way the hell down. He careened onto the road and ended up bouncing off my front tire, unhurt and, hopefully, a little better educated on the laws of physics.
Anyway, he’s having a grand time hunting on this gorgeous morning.
Speaking of Math…
I may be math challenged, but my dog is likely some sort of math jeenyous. According to this article, Miss Brown can run and do calculus at the same time. I am uber impressed.
When running from A towards C, the ball at B appears closer and closer as the dog gets closer to C, but its speed of approach to B diminishes (reaching zero at C). At some moment of its run, its speed of approach while running on the beach equals its speed of approach when swimming directly to the ball. If the dog jumps into the water at this moment, the strategy yields the same y value as that provided by the travel-time minimization model (where r is the dog\’s running speed, and s is its swimming speed).
I get a brain ache just trying to figure out what that means.
In art news, I worked on a bunch of ATC-sized mini-collages last night while I flipped between The Amazing Race and Independent Lens. I’m not a drama or theater buff, but the documentary on Oakley Hall III on Independent Lens was fascinating. I hope they re-run it, because I’d like to see the whole thing.
I haven’t scanned/photographed the collages yet. Hopefully, I’ll have time to do it tonight. I think I did 9 or 10 of them, and all but a couple are completely finished. Not a bad evening’s work, I think.
A Gallimaufry
- The good news is that drilling in ANWR is on hold, at least for the time being. The bad news is that senators who supported Arctic drilling are pissed off about it, and decided to vent their spleens at the folks who can literally least afford it. What kind of mental disconnect are they suffering from, that allows them to cut US$2 billion in home heating relief for low-income families, all onna counta they didn’t get what they wanted? Waaah!
- From the Things That Make You Go Wha…? File: If you have early stage Parkinson’s, are having trouble walking, and you live alone, you probably shouldn’t consider getting a high octane dog, like a Husky x German Shepherd Dog. I’m just sayin’. Also, just because a dog sits quietly in its pen at the animal shelter does not, not, not mean that it’ll be mellow at home. Worse, just because it’s mellow at home for the first few days, or even weeks, does not mean that it’ll continue that way. There’s a honeymoon period, in which dogs settle into their new homes. After that period of acclimation, the dog’s behavior can change pretty significantly. Your perfectly behaved dog may suddenly decide that she really needs to investigate what’s on top of the fridge. (No, I am not making this up.)
- Also, why anyone would find it remarkable that the new King Kong is found battling dinosaurs is beyond me. I mean, does King Kong vs. Godzilla not ring any bells?
- I’ve developed an odd sleep pattern lately, wherein I go to sleep fairly early, have lots of peculiar dreams, wake up for a couple of hours, then fall back asleep. It’s useful, though, because some of the mind-wandering that occurs after waking up from those weird dreams is artistically productive. Last night, for example, I woke up and realized that I had the image of a new painting in my head. I guess that late-night programming can be good?
Random Dog-related Ranting
- Pitties. They’re Pit Bulls, or Pit Bull Terriers, not Pitties. It’s bad enough when people baby talk to small children, but doing it to other adults is inexcusable.
- Pitt Bulls. No, they are not related to Brad.
- Dalmation. It’s Dalmatian, like, from Dalmatia.
- German Sheppard. They’re German Shepherd Dogs, because they, well, herd, whereas a Sheppard is a wingnut FOX “news” personality.
- Shepherd. Is that German Shepherd Dog, Australian Shepherd, Belgian Shepherd Dog, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, or Pyrenean Shepherd
- Spade/Spaded. It’s spayed, please. Unless, of course, you’ve whacked your dog over the head with a damned shovel, then you can call it a spade.
- Furkids. O ick.
- Skinkids. O ickier.
- My dogs are like my children. Do yourself and your dogs a favor, and treat them like dogs. Children, hopefully, will one day grow up, leave home, and become useful members of human society. Dogs, not so much. (Yes, I know that many dogs are far more useful than certain humans could ever hope to be, but I think you understand my meaning.) By all means, enjoy them and spoil them rotten–the dogs, not the children–but do not forget that they are an alien species, and that they don’t necessarily understand or abide by our rules and customs.
- Doodles. Please don’t get suckered into buying a high-priced mixed breed dog that you can get from the shelter for a paltry adoption fee. I have yet to see evidence that anyone breeding any sort of Poodle mixes are doing so responsibly, so why reward their irresponsible behavior with your hard-earned money? It is far better to obtain your next dog from a shelter or rescue group. You’ll be giving a dog a much needed home without giving crappy breeders incentive to continue churning out more pups for bucks.
- Non-shedding. There is no such thing. If it has hair, it sheds. Furthermore, don’t assume that because it’s low-shedding, that you will not be allergic to it. People are commonly allergic to dog dander, which exists independent of how much the dog sheds.
- Short-hair = Less shedding. True, many short haired dogs have single coats, which means they are easier to groom, but that does not mean they will not drop hair all over your furniture, clothes, carpet, car, etc. Worse, those short hairs that have glued themselves to every surface in your home are likely barbed, so that they work their way into fabric like a hook into a fish’s mouth. In other words, you cannot brush them off your furniture or clothes–they’re stuck there, like cockle burrs.
- Getting rid of your dog because you’re moving. If you can have a dog where you currently live, then surely you can find similar accommodation in your new location.
- My dog bit someone, so I need to find a new home for it. Who in their right minds thinks that’s a good idea? If the dog’s current owner cannot house it safely, then what makes them think that someone else can?
- Free to good home, needs room to run in the country. That’s a spectacularly bad idea. Aside from the risk of being stolen or hit by cars, loose dogs are at risk of being shot or poisoned when they, inevitably, stray onto neighboring property. They are also at risk of being attacked by other dogs or wildlife. It’s never, ever a good idea to allow dogs to run loose. Never mind that “home with room to run in the country” is a myth made up to placate small children by parents who want to dump the family dog at the nearest shelter.
- My lab is 100 lbs of pure muscle. If your Lab truly weighs that much, he’s either a draft horse or he’s morbidly obese.
- My dog is overweight, even though I don’t over-feed him and he gets plenty of exercise. I’m sorry, but barring a medical condition, if your dog is overweight, it is either because he is not receiving enough exercise or because you are feeding him too much. It’s a simple math equation. One thing to keep in mind is that most dog food labels over state the amount of food you should give your dog. If your dog is overweight, try increasing exercise, decreasing the amount of food, and adding low calorie items for bulk (e.g. plain, canned pumpkin, frozen green beans, etc.).
- My dog’s not fat, he’s just big boned. My ass. I’ve seen a lot of overweight dogs whose owners swear they are “just right.” And, how do they know their dogs aren’t overweight? Their vets have said they’re “okay” or they haven’t told them to put the dog on a diet. I’m sorry, but my experience is that many vets either don’t know what a fit dog looks like (they get used to seeing so many overweight dogs that they become acclimated to it) or they are afraid to tell their clients that their dog is a butterball. For example, when compared to the Purina weight chart that hangs in many vet offices, my dog would be underweight, verging on thin (she’s somewhere between 3 and 4). She’s in very good shape, though. If she weighed enough to look like the “ideal” dog, she’d be unhealthily overweight.
- My dog is in heat and I want to breed her to your dog. Um, that’s not possible. And, if it were, I wouldn’t allow it. Besides, if you can’t tell the sex of a docked, short-haired dog, do you really think you have any business breeding?
- My dog is friendly, so it’s okay if he says “Hi” to your dog. No, it’s not okay. My dog is not dog-friendly, and she does not appreciate strange dogs approaching her. Please keep your dog under control and out of my dog’s space.
- My dog is clueless, so it’s okay if your dog kicks his butt. No, that’s not okay, either. It’s not my dog’s job to train your dog not to be a jerk. Please put your dog on a lead, and do whatever you have to to keep him from invading my dog’s space.
- It’s okay if your dog jumps on me, I like it. No, that’s not okay, either. My dog is a Boxer, and the breed is notoriously difficult to train not to jump on people. Every time you allow or encourage her to put her feet on you, you undermine the training I’ve done to stop her from jumping on people. Please, knock it off.
- If you didn’t want me to pet your dog, you shouldn’t have left your car window rolled down. Dude, if you don’t get your arm out of my car, I’m going to call the police. Lowered window or not, you’ve got no right to help yourself to my private property. And that goes double for my dog. Besides, what kind of a jackass sticks his arm into a car to pet a strange dog?
- One little bite won’t hurt anything. Wanna bet? Unless you’re going to be the one stuck in a confined space with my dog, please, for the love of all that’s good in this world, do not give her a bite of your sauerkraut.
red paper boat 