Dog Index - Found Dog Diary 04-14-06 - Buddy teaches a stuffed animal who's who and an update on Buddy's wonderful progress.

03/09/06: Buddy found the stuffed wolf cub and set out to teach him who's the Alpha Dog in this apartment.

I know it's been a while since I added something to the Doggy Diary. Since there was no reply to our notice with Animal Care and Control, or Craig's List I figure Buddy found a home.

Just after I got him I got sick with a chest cold, it was raining hard, hailing even, but he still got his walks. Although when it was windy and rainy he would be kind enough to do his business quickly and head back in. So even with a fever and coughing I'd be out there dressed like the Gordon's Fisherman walking Buddy at all hours in all weather.

He knows "out out out?" means we're going for a walk. He gets all excited and goes to my shoes then turns around and sniffs my walking clothes: sweat shirt jacket and poncho.

He's learned how to "Wait" which means for him to sit and just wait. So before we leave the apartment he has to wait for me to go through all doors before him.  He knows "Excuse me" means for him to back up a bit so I can open doors.

One thing about "Wait", we do that each time before crossing the street. We're set up with an English Park system with round abouts and there's a bit of traffic around the complex. I tell who is a dog lover and who's not. Dog lovers in cars will stop at the round about and wave us across. Buddy is sitting there being so good and he's just too cute. 

Buddy loves EVERYONE, I mean each person who is walking towards us, behind us, coming across the street, Buddy wants to go up to them wagging his tail with ears back, "lovemelovemepetmepetme" is what he seems to be saying.  I'd say about 75% of the people will either smile or say something friendly. 15% will stop and pet him.

One night on our late walk there were four people coming towards us with arms full of groceries.  It wasn't raining for a change. This one man, who looked like a former KGB General, put both of the bags he was carrying down on the side walk and spent a couple of minutes talking baby talk in Russian to him, petting him and I was just amazed.  I've seen this man dozens of times and we've never even said "Hi" to each other, but for Buddy this big burly man melted into a puddle of Russian Baby talk for Buddy. It's just magical.

"Empty Garbage" means he gets to go out to the apartment hallway, which is very long and carpeted, and he gets to run like crazy, up and down the hallway. The garbage goes down this chute behind a door so I just go slowly and let him run up and down. He knows "IN" and he'll come back in the apartment and he then gets a treat, like some baked chicken. He's got to be Min Pin or part, because he runs like a grey hound. With the wind and rain just going non stop for about 30 days he needs to have a dog run, so the hallway works for that. We empty garbage late at night, when there's little chance of the neighbors being startled by a black streak of fur zipping past them.

He must have some American Rat Terrier in him too because he's a true "Ground Dog". He finds a gopher hole and he wants to dig all the way to China.  He sticks his nose in the gopher hole and takes deep breaths and growls when he's on a trail. He will ignore an old hole, he ain't no fool.  I let him dig where there's no lawn, along where there's construction or up around the pine trees that surround the property.

He gets to dig to his heart's content. He'll have his whole upper body in the dirt, head totally disappeared in the gopher hole.  That along with very long walks he comes home and just takes his nap.

When he plays with his chew toy rope thing, or knotted up old socks, or stuffed animals he'll shake the dickens out of them, then swing the stuff around over his head, throw it off the sofa and to jump after it.  I can see how he would dispatch a rat or gopher this way.

We've had no trouble with him pooping in the apartment or tearing up stuff that isn't his toy. I do have to be careful with James' socks and undies because they are just too tempting for Buddy to resist. I've found dirty socks in the bed, under the pillow, ICK. Buddy buries chew bones and these dirty socks under the pillows for "later".  I spoil this dog but there is a limit.

When he first got here he was very insecure. When he would wake up he'd need a lot of hugs and love and would lick my face like crazy. Now that he's feeling more secure he'll wake up and come and give my face a good morning lick, roll on his back and do doggy laughing "uh uh uh" and squirm around with his legs in the air, which makes me laugh.

When he first got here I couldn't iron a shirt without him being right by my feet. Now when I go to iron a shirt he'll come by, check out what I'm doing and then go play with a toy in the other room. This is a good sign.

Same too with my washing dishes or cooking. He'll come in and realize I'm doing things that I don't include him in and he'll go wander off. I can type like this for a long time and he'll leave me be.

He's stopped begging when we eat.  But I've let him learn that if I'm eating while laying on the sofa he gets a bite. This has cut down my eating on the sofa laying about watching TV.  Or I eat things that he's not interested in like salad, canned fruit in jello.

I've lost 10 pounds with walking him every day. We got out around 7am, then around 11am, again around 3pm, if we got our timing right we can meet James on the way in the complex around 6pm. If not then we go out around 7 or 8pm.  Two walks are short, like 15 minutes, and two are longer, like around a half hour. He gets to go to different areas on each walk and I've been to areas in the complex I've never seen and I've lived here for 20 years.  Just never had reason to go down every street in our residential community.

He barks at the TV: Dogs, cats, horse, sheep, donkeys, buffalo, tigers, bears, alligators, dinosaurs and vampires. But not the Geiko Gekko. Not for dogs talking with human voices, that just confuses him.  Since he's not "fixed" he's not socialized with other dogs so if someone is walking their dog I pick Buddy up and just take him to another route. He'll want to bark and get all huffy. When people are walking their dogs behind our tower, where there's a common green, Buddy will bark at them from the bedroom window.  Little Big Man he is. But his bark isn't that annoying, it's sort of cute.

Well that's the update on Buddy. My neighbors tease me on how attached I am to him already. Hilda and Jollie say that I've changed since Buddy has come to live with us.  He has been a wonderful addition. James and I laugh each day at his antics. He's loved and with his new harness just the most well behaved dog one could have.

CITY-0-Clay

ClayAlley

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