After speaking with my mother, who has raised many dogs, and used to breed and show Collies, about Libby’s chewing issue, the decision was made to confine her during the night. We did not want to shut her away from the family, and to be honest, there is no room in which to do that anyway. The second option was to tie her up inside the house. She is a big, strong dog. We needed a place where she could stay out of trouble, be able to reach food and water, and have a place to lay down, and play with/chew on her toys. The choice was made to tie her to the kitchen table. The table has one large pedestal leg. She can reach into the hall way, and see into some rooms, (which means she can still see me at night), but she can’t reach anything that she would tear up. We made her a bed on the kitchen floor (remember the comforter she destuffed?), and left her toys on it. I also gave her a couple of dog biscuits. We don’t tie her up until we go to bed. The rest of the evening she still has the run of the house. We’ve done that for nearly a week now, and she is not happy. The first few nights she whined a little, but then she settled down. Once she is in there, she seems to be fine, but being the smart dog she is, she is looking for ways to avoid it. Last night, I was getting ready for my shower after which I was going to tie her up. Well, as I was getting ready, I saw her make a bee line for my bed, and under she went. I told Kyle that after I got out of the shower, he would have to help me get her out. When the time came, he got on the far side of the bed. She saw him and started to come out the other side, but I wasn’t quite there yet. She however, saw me, and went back under, turning herself until she was under the bed long ways. After a few minutes of muttering, Kyle managed to get hold of her, pull her out and drag her down the hall, with her looking for escape at every option. Once she was tied in the kitchen, she simply laid down as if to say “oh well, I tried anyway. I never heard a peep from her all night.
There was another Libby incident earlier in the week however. I got up that morning and unhooked her. She went straight to the garage door and scratched at it, which in Libby language means “I want out, now!” So I got my shoes and coat and opened the door to the garage with the goal of getting the other leash, and taking her out the back garage door to tie her outside (this is the only way to get to the back yard). Unfortunately, when Kyle left for school, he left the outside door open, and off she went! For the next forty five minutes, I followed her around. I can’t say I chased her, because that doesn’t work. Mainly, I see where she goes to make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble, and try to get her to come to me, or at least follow me back to the house. Finally, she got distracted by a dog down the street, and I was able to get hold of her. By that time, she was getting tired, but it occurred to me that she might not be tired enough, so she and I walked some more. I walked her around the “block” which is probably about a 4 block distance, before I tied her in the back yard. I know she is not getting enough exercise (and neither am I), so I’m trying to rearrange schedules to make sure she gets a little trip every day. We’ll see how that goes as well.
On the feline front, there was an incident involving nine-year-old Katherine and her 8-year-old cousin, who had come over to play. Ed and I were both at the computers in the office, and I noticed Katherine rather frantically going back and forth up and down the hall. When I asked her what she was doing, she said she was trying to find the kitten (Bookworm). I said I was sure she was sleeping somewhere, but Katherine was adamant that she had to find her. When I asked why she said “Because Josie and I want to play vet!” (OMG!) I told her there were plenty off stuffed cats that would work well for that purpose and she didn’t need the real cat! After she went back to play, Ed and I burst out laughing. Ed remarked that he wondered if the reason cats hated the vet so badly is because they’re afraid it’s a kid “playing vet”! Anyway, Bookworm escaped that indignity, at least this time.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Trial and Error
First, my apologies for taking so long to post. Things have been nuts here between work, weather, sickness, and general craziness. Now that I’m starting to get a handle on things again, I hope to be posting to both of my blogs more regularly.
There have been a few interesting developments on the Libby front. First of all, everything we have read concerning chewing says we have to catch her in the act. If only it were that simple. Libby seems to have built in radar that tells her when it is not a good time to be chewing because she might get caught. Normally, this means most damage is done during the night when we are asleep.
The second thing we have learned is that she is sneaky. We might have already guessed that, but we now have proof. The other night, Ed caught her trying to get something off the kitchen table. He chastised her and she left the table. He turned to go back down the hall to the office. I, being in the living room, with a direct view of both Libby and the table, saw her watch him go down the hall, and as soon as he was out of sight, turn right back around to the table. This time, I yelled at her, and told Ed what she had done.
Over the last few weeks we have been trying to catch her chewing. One suggestion we read was to leave anything we might find, giving her an opportunity to come back to it. Then chastise her. That worked once. Ed thinks somebody may have tried that before, and that’s why she only chew little holes in things and then goes on to something else. I wonder if she hadn’t got the “don’t chew” just the “don’t chew on that”. Chewing on something else might be ok.
We have caught her a few times at night recently, because Ed has been ill and been up and down a lot. One night in particular, he came in the room and she wanted to play. She started jumping at him, with him telling her no. Suddenly, she disappeared around the side of the bed and came back with one of his t-shirts, and tossed it at him. It took him a second to recover, but then they had a discussion about the t-shirt. He has caught her twice now with things in her mouth, taken them from her, and scolded her. With every scolding, she hides under the bed. A few times we have found things on the floor unchewed. We were beginning to be hopeful. Until last night.
I heard her milling around the bedroom. I opened my eyes and saw her standing on her hind legs, inspecting the top of the dresser. I scolded her, and she stopped. A few hours later, we realized she must have waited until she knew I was asleep (the sneaky thing again), and gone back. She chewed the collar off Ed’s work shirt, and ate about half of his plastic name tag. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
There have been a few interesting developments on the Libby front. First of all, everything we have read concerning chewing says we have to catch her in the act. If only it were that simple. Libby seems to have built in radar that tells her when it is not a good time to be chewing because she might get caught. Normally, this means most damage is done during the night when we are asleep.
The second thing we have learned is that she is sneaky. We might have already guessed that, but we now have proof. The other night, Ed caught her trying to get something off the kitchen table. He chastised her and she left the table. He turned to go back down the hall to the office. I, being in the living room, with a direct view of both Libby and the table, saw her watch him go down the hall, and as soon as he was out of sight, turn right back around to the table. This time, I yelled at her, and told Ed what she had done.
Over the last few weeks we have been trying to catch her chewing. One suggestion we read was to leave anything we might find, giving her an opportunity to come back to it. Then chastise her. That worked once. Ed thinks somebody may have tried that before, and that’s why she only chew little holes in things and then goes on to something else. I wonder if she hadn’t got the “don’t chew” just the “don’t chew on that”. Chewing on something else might be ok.
We have caught her a few times at night recently, because Ed has been ill and been up and down a lot. One night in particular, he came in the room and she wanted to play. She started jumping at him, with him telling her no. Suddenly, she disappeared around the side of the bed and came back with one of his t-shirts, and tossed it at him. It took him a second to recover, but then they had a discussion about the t-shirt. He has caught her twice now with things in her mouth, taken them from her, and scolded her. With every scolding, she hides under the bed. A few times we have found things on the floor unchewed. We were beginning to be hopeful. Until last night.
I heard her milling around the bedroom. I opened my eyes and saw her standing on her hind legs, inspecting the top of the dresser. I scolded her, and she stopped. A few hours later, we realized she must have waited until she knew I was asleep (the sneaky thing again), and gone back. She chewed the collar off Ed’s work shirt, and ate about half of his plastic name tag. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
In Memory of Buck
I wanted to take a few lines here to remember the life of a dog named Buck. I’m sure Libby won’t mind. Buck was a Chow who for twelve years was my mom’s friend and companion. She gave him a home and he helped her through the trauma of widowhood, and another emotionally devastating relationship. Although she loves her children and grandchildren, it has often been the necessity of caring for Buck that has got her up and going. She loved Buck and he loved her. During the very few times she hasn’t been home, and I cared for him, he would often look toward the house to see if she was there. It was touching and a little sad to see him looking for her. In recent weeks, Bucks gait had become uncertain and he began to fall often. Mom began to fear that he would fall somewhere that she would not be able to get him out of. So this morning, with heartbreak that only those who have had the same experience can understand, we took Buck to the vet for the last time. After watching him walk, or try to, the vet, who is a wonderful compassionate man, said that kind of damage is the result of a brain injury such as a stroke, and there was nothing that could be done for him. He also told mom that the problem is “Dogs don’t live as long as we need them to”. I have to agree with that. Good bye Buck, you’ve been a great dog, we’re going to miss you.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Creature of Habit
Libby is definitely a creature of habit.
I was thinking about that as I brought her in last night. When she is outside on the cable, she always takes the same route to come to me whether she needs to or not. It’s a little difficult to explain, but I walk out the back door and go as far as I know she can reach with the cable in order to unhook her. Usually, that is in the same place so I can find the end of the cable in the dark (or snow) the next time I put her out. Her dog house sits near the end of the house furthest from the back door. It also sets out away from the house about six feet. (Because it’s very heavy, and when Kyle got it close enough for her to get into comfortably, he left it there).
Normally, when I go to get her in the evening, she is in the dog house. When I call her, instead of coming directly to me, she will go from the dog house up to the side of the house, and walk along the house, under the eaves, until she reaches me. Initially, I thought she was doing that to stay out of the weather, but remembering her behavior when she was tied in the front yard, I’m not so sure.
In order to keep her from clobbering people who came to the front door, and in order to give her the maximum running space, we tethered the cable along the fence at the far side of the yard, midrange between the house and the road. It gave her the run of half the front yard, and allowed her to get on the front porch comfortably, but not to the front door.
One of her favorite things to do was to run out barking vicously at any pedestrian, bicycle, ATV, or vehicle pulling a trailer (That was one of the reasons, I moved her to the back yard…although she couldn’t reach them, she scared people to death.) She always took the same path to the road regardless of where she was in the yard. She would go all the way back to the fence and follow the fence line down to the road. She would do the same thing when she came back toward the house. She would go back to the fence, and follow the fence line back to the house.
The whole thing just leaves me scratching my head, but a lot about her does.
She got more of Katherine’s clothes from the bathroom yesterday. Unfortunately, the bathroom door broke so we can’t keep her out. If I was to compare my life to the movies, right now it would be Marley and Me Meets The Money Pit.
I’ve got to do a little research, but I’ve got to stop her chewing. If I don’t we won’t have any clothes left!
Connie
I was thinking about that as I brought her in last night. When she is outside on the cable, she always takes the same route to come to me whether she needs to or not. It’s a little difficult to explain, but I walk out the back door and go as far as I know she can reach with the cable in order to unhook her. Usually, that is in the same place so I can find the end of the cable in the dark (or snow) the next time I put her out. Her dog house sits near the end of the house furthest from the back door. It also sets out away from the house about six feet. (Because it’s very heavy, and when Kyle got it close enough for her to get into comfortably, he left it there).
Normally, when I go to get her in the evening, she is in the dog house. When I call her, instead of coming directly to me, she will go from the dog house up to the side of the house, and walk along the house, under the eaves, until she reaches me. Initially, I thought she was doing that to stay out of the weather, but remembering her behavior when she was tied in the front yard, I’m not so sure.
In order to keep her from clobbering people who came to the front door, and in order to give her the maximum running space, we tethered the cable along the fence at the far side of the yard, midrange between the house and the road. It gave her the run of half the front yard, and allowed her to get on the front porch comfortably, but not to the front door.
One of her favorite things to do was to run out barking vicously at any pedestrian, bicycle, ATV, or vehicle pulling a trailer (That was one of the reasons, I moved her to the back yard…although she couldn’t reach them, she scared people to death.) She always took the same path to the road regardless of where she was in the yard. She would go all the way back to the fence and follow the fence line down to the road. She would do the same thing when she came back toward the house. She would go back to the fence, and follow the fence line back to the house.
The whole thing just leaves me scratching my head, but a lot about her does.
She got more of Katherine’s clothes from the bathroom yesterday. Unfortunately, the bathroom door broke so we can’t keep her out. If I was to compare my life to the movies, right now it would be Marley and Me Meets The Money Pit.
I’ve got to do a little research, but I’ve got to stop her chewing. If I don’t we won’t have any clothes left!
Connie
Monday, January 18, 2010
Odds and Ends
This will be a short post, Libby has spent a lot more time outside, so our life with her inside has been rather dull.
Friday
Ok the quiet is over. First thing this morning, I found the shirt Katherine wore to school yesterday and subsequently left in the bathroom, on the floor of my bedroom with the tell-tale round hole chewed in it. Oh well. I knew it couldn’t last.
Sunday
This was just too cute.
We had our traditional donut run this morning and once again shared with Libby, only this morning, when it was “all gone” she just quietly laid her head in Ed’s lap. He started petting her, and she just stood there, gently wagging her tail. He said, “Now, aren’t you sweet. Just when I think I should cut a hole in the ice in the river and throw you in because you won’t quit eating my clothes, you do something like this!” No we all know (Libby included) that Ed wouldn’t really do that to her, but you can’t help but understand why he might think about it.
Something else she normally does on Sunday is howl at the church bell. I hadn’t mentioned it before because Church was cancelled the last three weeks because of the weather. Anyway, every Sunday morning, at 10:30, the bell at the church is rung. After the initial peal, Libby begins to howl, and continues howling until the ringing stops. Mom thinks it may be because it hurts her ears.
Friday
Ok the quiet is over. First thing this morning, I found the shirt Katherine wore to school yesterday and subsequently left in the bathroom, on the floor of my bedroom with the tell-tale round hole chewed in it. Oh well. I knew it couldn’t last.
Sunday
This was just too cute.
We had our traditional donut run this morning and once again shared with Libby, only this morning, when it was “all gone” she just quietly laid her head in Ed’s lap. He started petting her, and she just stood there, gently wagging her tail. He said, “Now, aren’t you sweet. Just when I think I should cut a hole in the ice in the river and throw you in because you won’t quit eating my clothes, you do something like this!” No we all know (Libby included) that Ed wouldn’t really do that to her, but you can’t help but understand why he might think about it.
Something else she normally does on Sunday is howl at the church bell. I hadn’t mentioned it before because Church was cancelled the last three weeks because of the weather. Anyway, every Sunday morning, at 10:30, the bell at the church is rung. After the initial peal, Libby begins to howl, and continues howling until the ringing stops. Mom thinks it may be because it hurts her ears.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Nice and Quiet
The last few days have been rather uneventful; although that may be due to the nicer weather allowing Libby to spend more time out side. Another trip to the laundry mat found more hidden damage and once again we threw a few things away. Looking at a clothes catalog we got in the mail, I told Ed I was not buying clothes anytime soon, unless of course Libby eats all the ones I have, to which he remarked “which she is well on her way to doing.”
Yesterday I changed sheets and blankets on the bed. Since Libby is so fond of the striped comforter, I’m going to give her what is left of it. My gut tells me she won’t want it either because it is no longer on the bed or because she has pulled all the stuffing she wants from it.
Libby has been peaceful, but the cats have been a little nuts. Bookworm is pushing six months old, but Captain will still let her nurse. You can hear her sucking from across the room. It’s gross. Later in the day, Ed sent Bookworm flying accidentally, because she attacked his feet while he was sleeping. On top of that, we haven’t been able to get her fixed yet, and I think she’s coming in season which just makes her so much fun. There is nothing like trying to keep a cat indoors when she wants out.
However, I am reminded of another dog and cat that I had. Whiskey was a little black and white cat and Taran was a standard poodle. I think I’ve written about them on my hub pages. Anyway, Whiskey came in season and was driving me crazy making those terrible noises cats in that condition can make. Apparently, they were driving Taran crazy too, because he tried to help her out. Never mind that he was the wrong species and neutered. He stood over her and just went to town. Unfortunately, it didn’t have any effect on her. It was one of those times when I was desperate for a video camera. It would have been a $100,000.00 winner.
Yesterday I changed sheets and blankets on the bed. Since Libby is so fond of the striped comforter, I’m going to give her what is left of it. My gut tells me she won’t want it either because it is no longer on the bed or because she has pulled all the stuffing she wants from it.
Libby has been peaceful, but the cats have been a little nuts. Bookworm is pushing six months old, but Captain will still let her nurse. You can hear her sucking from across the room. It’s gross. Later in the day, Ed sent Bookworm flying accidentally, because she attacked his feet while he was sleeping. On top of that, we haven’t been able to get her fixed yet, and I think she’s coming in season which just makes her so much fun. There is nothing like trying to keep a cat indoors when she wants out.
However, I am reminded of another dog and cat that I had. Whiskey was a little black and white cat and Taran was a standard poodle. I think I’ve written about them on my hub pages. Anyway, Whiskey came in season and was driving me crazy making those terrible noises cats in that condition can make. Apparently, they were driving Taran crazy too, because he tried to help her out. Never mind that he was the wrong species and neutered. He stood over her and just went to town. Unfortunately, it didn’t have any effect on her. It was one of those times when I was desperate for a video camera. It would have been a $100,000.00 winner.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Bed Isn’t Safe Either
Every time I think I might run out of Libby topics she does something else.
I was awakened by Ed turning on the light at 3 a.m.. Sadly, my very first thought was “she couldn’t have got any clothes, I took all the dirty laundry to the garage last night.” What she had done was get hold of the end of the comforter, and systematically pulled a large amount of stuffing from it. The stuffing, which was now covering the bedroom floor, was what Ed had stepped on,in the dark.
When Kyle came upstairs about three hours later, we knew it, because we could hear Libby doing what Ed calls the “Libby Dance”. Basically, it’s prancing, and jumping. She does it anytime anyone comes in, but she really loves Kyle and goes especially nuts for him, even if he’s just been downstairs. I asked him if he would put her out. He said he would, but what he didn’t tell me is that she got away from him and he didn’t have time to try to catch her, or he would be late for school. When I opened the front door in order for Katherine to catch the bus two hours later, there was Libby running around the front yard. Thankfully, she was ready to come in and ran right in the house as soon as she saw the door was open.
Later in the day, as we were getting ready to run errands, I noticed Ed had left is slippers on the floor in front of the bed. I reminded him Libby was in the house and actually sleeping under the bed. He put the slippers in the closet. Then as he was making the bed, I asked him if he really thought that would last. He said it was an experiment. When we returned home, we both went to check on the “experiment”. Yep, the neatly made bed had been unmade. The covers were all pulled back from the pillows. It gives a whole new meaning to “who’s been sleeping in my bed?” At least she didn’t ball them all up in the middle of the bed. She’s done that before too.
I was awakened by Ed turning on the light at 3 a.m.. Sadly, my very first thought was “she couldn’t have got any clothes, I took all the dirty laundry to the garage last night.” What she had done was get hold of the end of the comforter, and systematically pulled a large amount of stuffing from it. The stuffing, which was now covering the bedroom floor, was what Ed had stepped on,in the dark.
When Kyle came upstairs about three hours later, we knew it, because we could hear Libby doing what Ed calls the “Libby Dance”. Basically, it’s prancing, and jumping. She does it anytime anyone comes in, but she really loves Kyle and goes especially nuts for him, even if he’s just been downstairs. I asked him if he would put her out. He said he would, but what he didn’t tell me is that she got away from him and he didn’t have time to try to catch her, or he would be late for school. When I opened the front door in order for Katherine to catch the bus two hours later, there was Libby running around the front yard. Thankfully, she was ready to come in and ran right in the house as soon as she saw the door was open.
Later in the day, as we were getting ready to run errands, I noticed Ed had left is slippers on the floor in front of the bed. I reminded him Libby was in the house and actually sleeping under the bed. He put the slippers in the closet. Then as he was making the bed, I asked him if he really thought that would last. He said it was an experiment. When we returned home, we both went to check on the “experiment”. Yep, the neatly made bed had been unmade. The covers were all pulled back from the pillows. It gives a whole new meaning to “who’s been sleeping in my bed?” At least she didn’t ball them all up in the middle of the bed. She’s done that before too.
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