Do any of you scrapbook your dogs? If so, do they have their own or do you just add to the family album? Pictures would be great.

I have a question for y'all. Are there any dog lovers here who have a certain breed of dog that they desperately want, and are so crazy about, that though they cannot afford to have it just now, have done tons of research, bought loads of books concerning the breed, and always think about owning one? And have even thought up names for it?

Here's mine. ( My dream dog breed is.... )

Current Mood: blah

My friend sent this to me and I thought it was too cute not to share :) ...and I think at about 1:20 the puppy is trying to nurse on him XD

There was a bulldog group meetup at the dog park near our house today. Nat and I decided to take separate cars and finally expose Mala (our cane corso/bullmastiff mix) to the dog park as well.

Mala has pretty bad leash aggression. She's fine with other dogs as long as she's not on a leash, but she rarely meets dogs in leash-free condidtions. On the leash, she puts on a fearsome display that freaks the crap out of other dog owners. I'd been working with her on that in the Spring, but since I couldn't take her out during the summer I was afraid she'd forgotten most of it. Turns out I shouldn't have worried.

Since the weather has been cooler in the evenings the past few weeks, we've been taking the girls on night walks. Mala's done pretty well with other dogs barking from their yards and, while she's a little more excited than ideal when we another dog walking down the street, we've been able to curtail her aggression; so we thought we'd take the next step today.

The plan was to walk both Sydney and Mala around the perimeter of the dog park, just to expose Mala to the situation without throwing her directly into a social situation she wasn't prepared for. If she did well, I thought I'd take her inside, if not, I'd pop her back in the car and take her home, planning to expose her again next week until she starting seeing the park and the other dogs as a non-issue.

For the first half of the 1 acre or so walk, she was overly excited and freaked out. Then a sheltie mix came up to the fence and was all happy to see her. That was all it took. She started to understand she didn't need to worry about all these other dogs.

She met three or four other dogs across the fence by the time we'd circled fully around, and had been excited but playful and happy. We decided to take the chance and let her go inside. We waited in the entry zone for a bit so she could acclimate a little more, I checked her muzzle, slipped her leash off and went in with her, keeping close enough to jump in if need be but keeping a couple of steps aside so she could find her own way.

It was as if there had never been a problem. She played and sniffed and snuggled and hit people up for affection. She had a fun wrestling match with a male Rottweiler about her same size and chased after a Great Dane who was running full tilt. She even kept up for about help the distance around the park.

By the end of the little more than an hour visit, both Mala and Sydney had made some friends and had a lot of fun. On the leash walking back to the car and in the car on the drive home, there was no barking at other dogs and no sign of excitement beyond the heavy breathing of a well-exercised and happy dog.

She couldn't have done better, and I am a proud puppy papa.

x-posted to my journal

Current Mood: Proud

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Hi everyone

( Discussion of losing my dog behind the cut )

I found an adorable puppy in my front yard this morning. He was really interested in Rush... like REALLY interested.

I managed to scoop him up and took him to Scruffy's (our maintenance guy) garage apartment to ask him if the puppy was maybe a new addition to their network over at my landlady's place. He said he'd never seen it before. I took Foofie and Rush inside, showed the puppy to a freshly awakened Darfler and left to knock on some doors -- to no avail.

I figure it was early so everyone was probably either in church or sleeping. Around 12:30 we're gonna try again. For now we have him quarantined in the bathroom with food and water. He has a collar but no tags and is intact. His nails are a bit on the long side and he smells like he's been outside a long time. I figure he's someone's outside pet that escaped the fence or something. Just have to find out who he belongs to. Hopefully, it's someone who actually cares about the dog so that I can press upon them that for only $5 they can have a tag with the dog's name and their phone number on it in case he gets lost again.

( Here's some pictures of the little guy )

Current Mood: stressed

Slightly off-topic: This coming week me and my Field Spaniel Audrey, Audrey's breeder, and Audrey's litter sister Quest will be heading up to Houston, TX for their OFA hips/elbows X-rays, and so that I can show Audrey at the Brazoria Kennel Club show.

Does anyone have any suggestions for must see dog-friendly stores, boutiques, bakeries, cafes, etc. in Houston? And for that matter, any good restaurants and/or non-dog-related stores we need to stop at? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. :)

( Under the cut! )

Current Mood: cheerful

From the Washington Post, as relayed via DailyKOS.

"Because of the limits placed on the exchanges, most of the participants will have some form of premium credit or affordable subsidy. That means most will be ineligible for abortion coverage. The idea that people are going to go out and purchase separate "abortion plans" is both cruel and laughable. If this amendment passes, it will mean that virtually all women with insurance through the exchange who find themselves in the unwanted and unexpected position of needing to terminate a pregnancy will not have coverage for the procedure. Abortion coverage will not be outlawed in this country. It will simply be tiered, reserved for those rich enough to afford insurance themselves or lucky enough to receive from their employers."

The amendment is expected to pass with relative ease. Republicans will join with anti-choice Democrats to push it over the finish line. Once the amendment passes, the bill is cleared for a vote, and all parties expect that vote to succeed. Today looks likely to end with a historic, and important, vote. A vote that is a first step towards helping more than 30 million people secure health-care coverage, and making sure hundreds of millions are better protected from the vagaries of the insurance industry. But Stupak's amendment is a bitter start. It is, however, not the end. Even if it muscles into the House bill, it will also have to pass in the Senate, and then survive conference, before it becomes law.

My note: Even the most ardent, supposed "feminist" politicians have stated they are willing to vote to allow this amendment to stand, as long as they can pass the reform today.

This is PATHETIC. And we have a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate who can't seem to buck up and get a spine, so I dunno folks. What do YOU think is the best way to deal with this grassroots style?

Current Mood: disgusted