An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!

[lisarea]

tiredzz.jpg

LOL TIRED.

She got a little confused in agility class while she was practicing off-leash following with Matlock in the middle of the room today, and broke off and ran over to me on the sideline. But that was better than the one guy the first week who went off and just ran around the room in circles, so she is not THE most terrible of dogs in class.

Also, Zsa Zsa loves the chutes. A LOT. Like I was scared she was going to break off and go back in the chute while other dogs were using it.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but Zsa Zsa is a pretty great dog.

[BrotherMan]

[SR71]

9 catshots in a row! Uncensored, unedited!

[livius drusus]

[lisarea]

Dear Mr. Bor T. Herman,

Zsa Zsa would like me to relay the message, "OMG THANK YOU for hypmotizing that slattern into finally signing me up for class!"

She fucking loves her class. She loves:

* The drive to the Boulder Humane Society, because we pass cow pastures and cars and people and lots of dogs out on their walks, and she sticks her nose out the window and closes her eyes and just smells everything going by really fast.

* Going up to the shelter, because there are lots of dogs and people who love dogs there and she gets to say hi sometimes.

* Class! She loves her teacher and her teacher's assistant and the training director and the room and all the other dogs and getting to run and jump and climb and have everyone say "GOOD GIRL! YAY!"

So this week, we did the A-frame; an A-frame like thing where it's like half regular and the other half really narrow, like a balance beam; the chute; and the tire hoop thing you jump through; and she learned everything really fast and did them all. She also learned to put her front feet on a box on command.

And this one time? So once you're super advanced, as Zsa Zsa is at everything already, instead of getting treats to coax you through the obstacles, you get one 'target' at the end, which in our case is an upside down red frisbee with treats in it. So she's on the A-frame, and gets to her target, and this other guy breaks away and starts eating her treats! But she wasn't mad! She likes to share! The two of them just ate her treats together out of a frisbee, and now I think they're pretty good friends.

So anyways, all of this is a lot of work, so she usually doesn't do as much smelling on the way home.

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[BrotherMan]

[Crumb]

How come we never get any action shots?

[BrotherMan]

Zsa Zsa's revolution will not be televised.

[livius drusus]

[Leesifer]

That is such a pretty kitteh!

[Stephen Maturin]

Originally Posted by lisarea

So anyways, all of this is a lot of work, so she usually doesn't do as much smelling on the way home.

Of course, it's p. much guaranteed that later in the evening -- as we're falling asleep on the couch and/or living room floor -- ZZ will be wide awake and insistent on making up her own advanced course in applied agility.

[lisarea]

Today, we learned a few new tricks, all of which Zsa Zsa was really good at. She did them off-leash for a whole lot of the class and didn't run away from us to socialize, not even with that big handsome black dog she is always making eyes with. (He is kind of a "hunk," I have to admit.)

Anyways, this class has made her so much happier and more confident that we're going to try to be better about having Special Zsa Zsa Times. I found a couple of options, including a Canine Good Citizen training class that refunds half the fees to any pit bulls who end up getting their CGC (which is a grant from Animal Farm Foundation), and a supervised drop in play group that costs $10 each session. I think we'll do the play group thing after class is done, and then maybe later the CGC training. I don't know if she's a "pit bull" for those purposes, but it's kind of irrelevant, because the CGC is really hard and I don't think she's likely to be able to pass the parts where you have to completely ignore stuff that's going on around you. She still likes school, though, either way, so that wouldn't be a huge deal.

Oh and so after I found that group play thing, I realized I wrote a profile of the lady who developed the program and works at that shelter. She goes all around the country setting up groups like that for socializing dogs in shelters to make them more adoptable, so it's cool they're also now offering it for regular dogs too.

There's no class next week, then Thursday after next is the last one.

Bort, as her attorney, I expect you to yell at me if I go too long without signing her up for something new.

I cannot take an action shot no matter what--I'm just incompetent with cameras like that--so here's your weekly ride home pic.

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[BrotherMan]

[Sock Puppet]

Remember when I said that VC doesn't make friends easily? She just found a friend in the neighborhood, another little girl named Lulu. They were kissing and running around each other the whole time, from the moment they laid noses upon each other. Lulu is a little black ... pug.

So yeah. Turns out VC isn't anti-social at all. She's just a huge racist.

[Ensign Steve]

Maybe she's just afraid to kiss a dog with a muzzle.

[Crumb]

lisarea is just posting the same dog picture again and again and trying to pretend it is new. Don't let her get away with it people!

[LadyShea]

Remember that study that said pit bulls are more likely to sleep on the bed? Yeah you know why, because they just get on the furniture whether you want them to or not and without resorting to physical violence you can't get them to move because they won't listen at all when you say "get off". Well, all pit bulls that are Lana anyway.

I am trying to keep her off the new couch pillows, so put her blankie on the end of the chaise to be her spot and we have been moving her to her spot when we're also in the living room. So I walk out a few minutes ago and where is Lana? In a pile she made of all the pillows!

[Stephen Maturin]

And that's why we can't have nice things.

[LadyShea]

Me:
Lana:

And one of the sad eyes is all fucked up. I can't do anything with that

[LadyShea]

I find the lack of a pibble smiley disturbing by the way

[livius drusus]

[BrotherMan]

[Ensign Steve]

So we were out walking the dogs late last night and in the dark this black dog got the jump on us and his people. Before I knew what was going on, bey was shouting "put her down! put her down!" and I see Gizmo in the dogs mouth and he's shaking her around like a rabbit. The one guy comes charging out and dives on him and holds him down, but now he's got Gizmo's leash trapped between his chest and his dog. I try to get Gizmo and she bites me hard on my thumb and I drop her. Then another dog comes running out bey's trying to hold on to Ripley who is going apeshit. The lady comes out like "don't worry about that one" about the second dog, who I guess is the good one because he just gets underfoot but doesn't act up or anything. Eventually I figure the shit out with the leash and the lady's like "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" and I'm like "what? i don't even..." all in fucking shock. I carried Gizmo home and she was wet all over with saliva. Now it's dried and crusty on her fur and she's a bundle of nerves. Fuck that was scary. And I have a gnarly tooth puncture on my thumb that looks totally infected already.

[LadyShea]

OMG how scary!! Puncture marks swell and hurt like a mofo, clean it out real good and take some Motrin. Maybe even go get it looked at.

I am glad Gizmo isn't hurt! Regular dog fights between same sized dogs are terrifying, I can't imagine my little purse dog in a big dog's mouth.

[S.Vashti]

Wash wash wash! And make sure your tetanus shot is still good!
Such awfulness, I hope Giz gets over it.