Luigi

Sibling Rivalry

Bouchard got irate with something Luigi did this evening. You can see the steam coming out of his ears if you look closely enough, squint, and blow puffs of air from your mouth when it’s below 40 degrees.

I didn’t see what transpired prior, but when I stepped outside, Bouchard was prancing and ready to take some action on the “innocent” Luigi. I told him to knock it off, but he had a bug up his butt and continued to strut around Luigi, trying to egg the Italian on. Luigi ignored him because whatever he did to get Bouchard in this state of mind was done, and so was Luigi’s work. That boy can focus when he has a job to do.

Luigi loves to get Bouchard in trouble. Loves loves loves it! And Bouchard keeps falling for it. And so it goes, Luigi got Bouch in trouble again. Bouchard had to go into a crate behind an ex-pen closed room because he wouldn’t stop his posturing. He barked. I told him to stop. He stopped. A few minutes later, we went through the same thing. Eventually, when he was quiet, I let Bouchard out of the crate and he had to stay behind the ex-pen for a few minutes. When I let him out, he still had the bug up his butt for Luigi.

He walked around Luigi and Luigi ignored him. Luigi just kept his eyes ahead and held onto his blue Dino Cuz ball. Bouchard held his chest out like a peacock, walked around, peed on whatever needed pee, came back to taunt Luigi, who was the image of innocence through this whole dance he choreographed.

I had to go into the kitchen, and Luigi came with me while I doled out dinner. Bouchard strutted back and forth a few times, and Luigi put his blue Dino on the top of a bin. Bouchard walked by, stopped in front of the blue Dino and poked it straight on as if saying, “I could take this if I wanted to.”

Sister did that make me laugh! Though I couldn’t laugh out loud, or Bouchard would be hurt. Bouchard had a very real bone to pick with Luigi and was trying his best to set Luigi straight on his feelings while obeying Fort Doberdale’s premier rule – absolutely no fighting.

After the Cuz ball poke, Bouchard settled down. That was his triumph. He also hung around the kitchen a little more than usual while I fixed dinner just to show that he could be anywhere he wanted to be, even if Luigi was there. And Luigi acted the cool cucumber with the sausage snout and (not so) innocent looking, big brown eyes.

They’re my boys, and boys will be boys. Sibling rivalry is a very real part of their relationship, and my keeping one step ahead of them is what keeps the peace. Now where’s the Rescue Remedy?

Helen

Bouchard, Luigi

Mar

2008

The Nature of Fort Doberdale

Helen

The first thing I saw as I stepped out the back door this morning were several or more members of the FDSP, a sub-section now dubbed the Fort Doberdale Rat Posse being they were hunting one. I think it’s that blasted papaya tree rat. It was under a tightly packed bunch of folded boxes, which are wrapped in plastic and up on 3-inch planter stands. This is for when the big day comes and the house sells.

Meanwhile, the entire FDRP was on one side of this stack, and what comes out the other side and towards me? The rat! It was a fat rat! OmG! I think it’s a pregnant one. The only Posse member who saw it was Luigi, and I’m on the fence as to whether he’s a Rat Posse member or not. Believe me, he’s not THAT much of a ratter. OK, he did follow it. Not by moving his body, though, by moving his head. He then took a minute – a long minute – to sniff the spot it walked across. This stalling procedure, I believe was insurance that he wouldn’t have to actually touch it for reals.

The rat waddled. It was HUGE! I could hope it was all the papaya she snorts in, but I am saying neigh neigh neigh to the coin dropped into that wishing well. That thing waddled right through all the yard paraphernalia in its path, and under a slab of concrete which my air conditioning unit sits on. There was a hole there. Now there is a concrete brick against the hole, my brave self managed to put down while sweating thinking that rat was gonna jump out and bite me. It didn’t.

All I can say is the FDRP need a lot of work on their tracking and hunting skills of non-squirrels. They do really well with blimps and squirrels, but when it comes down to ground varmints, their tracking skills lag behind. It took them minutes of sniffing the box pile to realize the trail led across the path to the a/c. By then, I had the hole blocked. I am hoping that thing stays under there where she will rest in peace forever. The owl who owns the territory in this area, including my back yard, is remiss over this papaya eating mama, and I’m going to have a talk with it next time we meet.

Besides rats, we have ticks here at Fort Doberdale. I’ve been spending the last few weeks working on this problem. Today, I rounded it out by stopping at Home Depot for yard spray being the dogs and the house have been treated. The customer service dude told me that ticks have been a big problem here for the last 3 years. Would that coincide with the hurricanes? Or could it be a combination of my new mulch and wild varmints and neighboring kitty cats and the rodeo arena we visit? Whatever the case, it was a day of shopping and spraying, and worst of all, inhaling that stuff. It’s done. I hope to goodness it works. Those ticks love my old mann … Regis.

And Luna is really peeved about the whole thing. She hates ticks as much as anyone. Yes, she does.

Later on, it rained. This was a pleasant surprise as I’m always looking at innocent ways to get back at Little Big Pants Raven for the daily torment she puts me through.

One of her favorite things to do is barrel out the back door. So I put her in her crate, and Regis in the bathroom, and Luna in another crate when I open the back door for play or potty time. This is because these three are the most obnoxious going out the door. Raven just wants to be first. Luna wants to chase Bouchard and bark at him like a nagging pain in the neck. Regis gets out the door, turns around, and barks at the boys. If Bouchard doesn’t get out first, he can’t get by. Regis also snaps at passers-by. The old geezard.

So when I saw the rain, hahahahaha, do you think I went through all that trouble to put away those rascally ones? Nope. I opened the door and said, “Let’s go!” Luna and Raven were first out, and the only ones out. They did an about-face several steps out and were back over the thresh hold about the time I really got going on my laughfest.

Ahh, yes, Karma. She’s out there waiting to come out at the right time…just like the moon.

Nature and Her workings are beautiful things.

Helen (click to e-mail me)

Doberkids, Luigi, Raven, Regis, Sky, Spiritual

Feb

2008

Monday Madness

Helen

Today I got into the elevator on the 26th floor to go to floor 16, and when the doors shut, Mr. Elevator said, “Floor 7. Going up.” Ewkay.

One of the dead bolts to a door of mine became unyielding when I returned home after work. This was not good being tonight was obedience practice, and I had to rush to feed everyone a well-balanced dinner, so no time to fix the bolt. I fretted, though, because I had to take Baby with me to class. It’s not fun to go drill class without your canine partner, and I wondered if I should stay home and fix the darn thing instead. Then I thought to myself, “Whaddya crazy? The house is well protected. Go.” So we went.

In class, Baby, once again, proved to me how much she HATES the recall. Somehow, she couldn’t hear me when I called her. Tonight, instead of running to do something else, she decidedly sat there and looked up and around her as if to say, “Did someone somewhere say something?” Yeah. What she was hearing were two obedience trial entry fees flapping their monetary wings bye-bye. We – that would be Baby and I – are entered in two upcoming trials. See, if we JUST pass them … not spectacularly, just pass them, Baby gets that darn Companion Dog title. That is all I will ever ask of her, and she can retire DoberDiva Extraordinare. After that, I can start working with the dogs who really like doing this stuff. I swear, besides Lilian, Baby is the only snitster Diva in the bunch. I figger.

I’m talking to Luigi again. I had to. He was walking around in a daze.

He’s very personable, and gets out of sorts when his person is chilly with him. And when he is out of sorts, well, the unscrupulous members of the Posse tend to take advantage.

So, here we are, tenuously getting back to normal.

Ginger played keep away the ball from Luigi over the weekend. This is about the only ball she carries around these days. I think the others are too rough on her (and each other) when they are playing keep away with the Cuz balls. But this big one is a good one to use if you want to konk the competition on the head and run like the wind.

One of my friends sent out an e-mail recently on how mast cell cancers can cause itchiness. It was very coincidental that she sent it around the time Ginger started to itch a lot. Though I didn’t think she has mast cell cancer, perhaps she does. According to the literature, the mast cell cancer doesn’t go to the lungs. Confusion sets in, but I am giving her some Benedryl. I may have to up the dosage as she is still somewhat itchy. She is the sweetest red girl in the Posse. I love her dearly.

Then there are others who are sweet, too, with a teeny bit of attitude.

Helen
(click to e-mail me)

Baby, Doberkids, Ginger, Luigi, Luna, Raven

Feb

2008

Food for Thought

Helen

I am not speaking to Luigi today. Why? Because this morning he broke a big Fort Doberdale rule – NO counter fishing. He put his big paw on the counter and took out of a bowl, two chicken wings and a chicken neck, meant for other members of the Posse.

To top it off, he then started in on the yet un-lidded crock pot where a whole chicken laid in wait to be slow cooked. There’s a big hunk of skin missing and the pot is misarranged. I had a neat chicken in there, not a disheveled one!

To add insult to injury, he had no remorse! Look! He was waiting for me to put something else in that empty bowl!

I heard my Italian boy barking while I was outside. His “I can’t reach it” bark came out loud and clear, but only once. That should have clued me in. When he plays that game, usually, he keeps barking at whatever he wants, till I come over to help him due to I can’t ignore his loud and pushy vibrations. He never reaches what he barks about…until today! Annie was there, too. She usually tells him what for, but she didn’t. How unusual. More Mercury retrograde, or just plain bad behavior? Now that he has been rewarded for his bad behavior, I will have another beast on my hands.

I have to set booby traps on the counter. Pots or big dog dishes that will clang to the ground the next time he tries this. I caught him, by the way. One paw on the counter the other ready to make a getaway. He has never betrayed my trust like this, so I am just not ready to speak to him yet.