writer, warrior, whack-a-doodle

Guess What?

Guess What?

September 28, 2010
Posted in: Dogs | Reading Time: 5 minutes

Our fence is in! And not a moment too soon. It went in last week a day before Mr. Wild Dingo and I started our Cultural Training Program.  "Come again," you ask? Yes, that's right. Mr. Wild Dingo and I don't got no culture and we don't got no class. So we had to hire someone to teach us how to get some culture. More about the culture thing later. First the fence.

Pre-Fenced Yard.

Here I had the dogs on long lines so they could open up their legs a little.

 

It seemed harmless, until...

Juno rodeo-smack-downed Loki and had him tied up like a rodeo bull in 3 seconds. I think I found her new sport. She is eyeing those bulls on our walk with a glimmer in her eyes these days.

We also won't mention the 2 times Juno jumped off the unfenced retaining wall into the street with her 20 foot leash in tow. Ya, so long lines are not a sure thing for safety!

Fenced Yard

Well it cost twice as much as our crappy fence at home but in defense, it was much better made. The poles took 2 days to put in, then a 5-7 day wait period for the cement to dry. Then last Thursday, the fence wire went up within a day. Sometimes you get lucky with contractors I guess. Yet we can't get the gardener to come mow the lawn.

Loki marks the border of the "potty" part of the outside. The nice thing about not having the fence up right away is it was easy to teach the dogs where the potty was so that they don't use the entire yard. Since this part  of the lawn is quieter and is mostly weeds, we thought it would be the best place for their potty.

As you can see, we desperately needed a fence for the open areas of the hedge. On the other side of the hedge is a very busy road. I chose this location to live so we could be near town and lots of people and that meant being on a busy street.

Juno's already planning her husky escape route. This is the retaining wall area she leapt off (pre-fence) on a chase game with Loki. This street is not as busy, but there are houses with dogs and the busy street is quite close to this one. The fence doesn't quite go to the ground, so Mr. Wild Dingo and I will have to be creative to prevent digging. Though neither dog is meant to be outside unattended.

The day after the fence went in, Mr. Wild Dingo and I were stuck at home in "cultural training" and could not get out to take the dogs for a long walk. It was pouring anyway. That fence saved our butts as we could let them out to stretch their legs in between breaks.

Loki leaps for Joy as Juno is still looking for her escape route.

 

First smack down without the long lines.

"Oh my DAWG! I'm dying! You're killing me Princess!"
"Oh Swiss Cheeses! I didn't even touch you, you big pansy!"

"Dude! What did you have for dinner last night? "
"Oh my dawg, I'm so embarrassed!"

Juno enjoys patroling the paremeter and walks the long fence line each time she's out.

"Where oh, where could the nice French kitteh who visited our humble garden a few nights ago have gone? And why hasn't she been back to visit us?"

"Oh boy, if I stand here really still, maybe the French kitteh will come back."

Ya right Loki. Peut-être le chat gentil français n'aime pas le chien fort fou?

Loki is allergic to Switzerland.

Or that's what the vet suggested. As I type this, he is scratching his neck, again! He was up several nights in a row in a panic. We thought it was fleas but there was no evidence and Juno wasn't scratching and the scratching didn't go away after I reluctantly gave them Frontline. I found an English-speaking vet with a sense of humor within a 5-minute walk from our house. His colleague, a petite Swedish female, met us and while Loki was a polite gentleman and didn't bark once, she did seem a bit intimidated by him. She liked him enough when he tried to kiss and snuggle with her but suggested her partner handle him if he needed any "procedures!" Bien sur! He is Cujo the Cracker after all.

We think he's allergic to something in the environment, perhaps the grasses or something in the farms. He licks his paws and arms a lot and rolls around on the grass on his back. He also scratches his neck and licks his belly constantly. His skin is dry. She was happy to hear he was on a BARF diet (Raw Meaty Bones) --which is another post in itself about getting him to eat his Raw Meaty bones--but she feels its likely environmental and not from food and not mange/mites since he has no hot spots. So he's on a course of prednisone of 2 weeks and a high dose of omega 3 and 6 oils (Megaderm from Vibrac). He hasn't taken his regular dose of fish oil since we moved because I can't find any salmon oil here. Hopefully the prednisone will stop the itch and the oils will prevent him from reacting too severely in the future. It's a wait and see approach.

But seriously, Internet, the bigger issue is Loki, the Cracked-out Cujo on prednisone. Because he isn't cracked out enough? Heaven help the people of Morges!

Leave a Reply

17 comments on “Guess What?”

  1. Oh my dawg-- I had to go through 5 days of intensive "cultural training" before starting my project in Japan-- and, this was BEFORE they let me enter the country! My editor had the (unreasonable?) fear that my mouth would force them to cancel the contract, and I would be an embarrassment. Keep in mind-- their fears were AFTER the US President (Bush) vomited during a meal in Japan.

    No comment.

    Sugar says "HI"

    Miss ya!
    Karen (and the Sugar-Monster, of course)

  2. Yay for the fence!!!! What a nice big yard. I bet they are loving that!

    Why did they go straight to a steroid for the allergies? Is it that bad? Poor puppy. I hate that he's miserable. What about an antihistamine? Do they have benadryl over there? I hope you figure it out soon. Who knows maybe it's just dry skin and the omegas will help. Good luck!

  3. Just a warning: we Siberians take our perimeter patrol furry seriously. Juno WILL locate any weak spots and store it away till she can exploit it at a later date after you've let your guard down. Just sayin

    jack a-roo & miss moo

    Hope Loki stops scratchin' soon, poor guy.

  4. Hallelujah! The fence is up!

    I gave Homer salmon oil in capsule form which is supposed for human. I never gave those that were selling at the petshop. Anyway, if you still can't find that salmon oil. Let me know. OK?

    Love,
    Homer

  5. Loki is certainly showing himself shamelessly in that smack down photo. I bet Juno misses the long line for tying up the cracker dog. But the fence must be a big relief, huh? Hope that cultural training works out for you. It is always good to have culture.

    Slobbers,
    mango

  6. I'm sure The Duke of Destrukhtion would advokhate Juno and Loki get some sheep to help with the grass -

    What a great fence! I'd love to help Juno figure our eskhape!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra

  7. Awesome yard!

    Casey (my Lab) is allergic to something random lately too. No change in food and no noticeable fleas, but he's super itchy and even gave himself 3 hot spots.

    I can't wait to hear about the cultural training. It's the kind of stuff guidebooks won't tell you (how else could the locals make fun of travelers?), so I can use the info if/when I ever make it to Europe.

  8. Yay, a fence! 🙂 I (Mochi) like to dig, so mom and dad bought some concrete blocks to put around the yard where the fence doesn't touch the ground.

    Poor Loki! Hope he get's better!

    Mochi & Bali

  9. Why am I not surprised that you'd need "cultural training" for the transition from California to Switzerland? I have Swiss relatives, and I need cultural training before going to visit.

    Love the fence!

    I hope that Loki feels better soon. Hopefully it's seasonal and will pass soon.

  10. Let's hope it's nothing more than a seasonal allergy. The Bougalou Bear goes crazy scratching himself at this time every year. I use calamine lotion topically and the itchies go away after the 1srt frost. We haven't found what triggers them so far...
    If you can't easily find fish oil, have you considered feeding sardines as an alternative? I am sure they are easy to find and usualy a cheaper alternative too.

    Does cultural training involve yodelling?

  11. Congrats on gettign your fencing! That looks like the most incredible garden - Honey is so jealous - seriously, it's bigger than most of the so-called "dog parks" here in Brisbane!! 👿

    Hsin-Yi

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram