pondering a pup

lol kale

we've decided, fuck it, we probably can't afford to buy this year or next, so we're gonna find a new rental in the next few months so we can finally get our dog!

yay! Do it! Warning: it's rally hard to predict how much a dog will cost! i am about to drop mad $$ on a fancy trainer to help get basil through some if her anxious/fearful and impulse control issues (most of which didn't manifest until recently). It's ok i don't mind if it will help her be happier, but goodbye, tax return!

Oddly she is doing way better with obedience stuff! (tomorrow she "graduates" from intermediate class).

P.s. Harbl i actually saw that woman out walking with her cat on the leash!

I just got yelled at by a crazy old witch for walking basil on the sidewalk within one of the adjacent condo communities. we were about 50 feet away from her and her shitty little dog and I stepped aside so the dogs would not cross paths because I could see that her little dog was acting somewhat aggressively. she told me I was not allowed to be there and that I had to leave. I was somewhat confused and she told me only residents could walk there and she knew I was not a resident because they have a 30 pound weight limit. I told her I was not aware that I was not allowed to walk there and she went off saying that there are signs posted everywhere. she told me my dog was scaring her dog because she was big, not having any realization that my dog may have been scared as well (she is actually fearful of many dogs, which is why I'd stepped aside). I explained that, and again said I was not aware that it was not allowed and she continued to tell me I had to leave but wouldn't stop yelling at me so that I could. So i told her she was being very rude but that didn't help. by the way, she was accompanied by her elderly mother and they were also many onlookers sitting there like WTF. (I apologized to them for the crazy once she had gone.) we walk there all the time and every other resident there has always said hello and been friendly towards us. one person even asked if our dogs could say hello to each other. after she left I exited the community but walked the perimeter to check for signs about not walking your dog. there are none.

I hate people.

this is really irritating to me because I know that basil has some issues but I work very hard to keep her out of uncomfortable situations and I'm a very responsible owner in that i am conscious of her triggers and am proactive in managing her when we're on walks... many dog owners around here have no control over their dogs at all or don't care that they act inappropriately. also if her dog is scared of my dog, then her dog is going to be scared of a 30 pound dog. she needs to learn how to manage her dog and not take it out on other people.

this is one scary dog
http://i44.tinypic.com/ohqv04.jpg
(her response when we got home)

That woman is crazy and wrong on so many counts. I am tsking her harshly + shaking my finger at her, she is so wrong.

Also - awwwwwww!!

fuck that lady!!!

<3!

(and by the way i don't hate all little dogs, just the poorly behaved ones whose owners don't think it matters that they're aggressive or reactive because they're little and easier to control.)

I feel like that woman was probably pro-segregation.

lol. what an asshole. she was probably covering up her shame at having an inferior dog.

I noticed today that my neighborhood/condo community (covers many blocks) actually has signs posted about having your dog leashed, licensed and spayed/neutered (I'm fine with that... Not telling anyone they can't walk down the street!) but there are definitely no dog or sidewalk related signs in the adjacent complex. I'm still irate at her snobbiness...it's not like she lives in some fancy gated community...it's 3 outdated buildings and the condos are cheap. Not like a "have to keep the riff raff out" type of place. I should just get over it, but it just makes me want to move evn more.

you should make a point of walking basil over there EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY. and when she sees you and starts yelling, you should just smile a little condescendingly, pretend you can't understand her and keep walking.

it'll drive her nuts

basil is having fun in the rain with her doggy sitter
http://i41.tinypic.com/jshcw1.jpg

i like the color composition of that picture

Me too! I want those towels. I love the color.

doggie sitter says b cried the whole first day til she bought her a new tug toy and apparently she has been content with that ever since (spoiled! Apparently the toys i packed weren't good enough!). Also they went on a two mile run today and i am amazed because i can't run more than a few blocks with her before she wants to attack the leash! I went to the pride parade and there was a table with free doggie stuff so hopefully she will forgive me for going away. I miss her!

basil's first fireworks:
1. What's going on out there? Lets go!
2. What are these curious noises? Oh well, lets continue our walk.
3. Calmly met three other dogs (this never happens)... Too preoccupied to care about them?
4. Poops.
5. I want to go home. NOW!!!! (High tailed it 3 blocks... Hey lady, are you walking the dog or is the dog walking you? At least I know she knows where home is!)
6. Mommy, hold me, I'm scared! (Intense snugglez)
7. Finally over. Pant for 5 min.
8. Lay down. The end.

<3 !!!

i get really REALLY mad when i hear fireworks going on before/after the official fireworks day/s: it's not fair to animals.

basil otm

Yeah i don't know why the country club down the road did their 20-min fireworks show last night? I got her a thundershirt, which is awesome, but we couldn't use it last night because I'd recent put her frontline on. Hence the snuggles. Interestingly she didn't bark or growl at all.

we are pondering this little old lady (her name is Joy):

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q81/s720x720/1010383_692652954083609_1531078625_n.jpg

second attempt at convincing the landlord is underway :/

o jeez good luck! she is v. pretty

ooooh do it!!! sending good vibes to your crazy landlady.

Any news? Dying over here!!

not yet :/

i wrote a pleading email to the LL, since she keeps making a point to jordan that she knows him, but she doesn't really know me. and the head of the rescue group wrote to her as well, explaining that they are particular about who their dogs go to, and that joy would be perfect for us (and also gave a heartwrenching description of the terrible state she was in when they found her).

now we just wait. i think there is about a 5% chance she'll say yes, but we had to give it one last shot.

All appendages are crossed for you!

she left a voicemail last night, saying that she is feeling "very positive" about this, swayed in our favour, etc. etc. and she needs to research pet lease agreements. but this is the same stuff she said last time, before finally saying no, so i'm not holding my breath :/

Maybe the adoption people contacting her will help though!

yr landlady sounds like a piece of work

nah, she's actually a very nice and extremely fair person, she's just SUPER neurotic. like, signing our lease when we moved in took FOUR FUCKING HOURS because we had to go through the entire house and note the condition of every.single.thing. we also pay about $7-800 below market value for this place because she is so insistent on being fair. also she is planning to sell eventually and said that when she does, if we are still here, we'll have 6 months notice or as much time as we need to find a new place before it even goes on the market.

she totally adores jordan, though, which is why he is the one that deals with her 99% of the time.

joy is gonna be at another adoption fair on saturday, so the LL might come meet her. if she meets her in person, we'll have basically won bc no one could say no that adorable face.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151507675837050&l=63b796dcbd

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q71/s720x720/549479_10151507675837050_1176538601_n.jpg

<3

that's a lot of face

she is gorgeous, i hope the landlady goes to the fair.

decision?

still waiting :/

last time she said she would decide in "a few days" and we waited like 6 weeks so

this lady, ughh!

she has definitely got an aggravating streak.

i kinda feel a bit sorry for her - she was in a serious car accident 20 yrs ago, and it left her pretty fucked up. she walks kinda funny and she can't really open her mouth when she talks. apparently she has a whole bunch of plates in her body and can't ever fly again (my guess is the pressure would create swelling?? or something). she IS a nice person, just.... weird.

oh and jordan just got home and told me that she called and is meeting us at the adoption fair tomorrow!!!

oh yay, that is very promising. and I admire how kind and fair you are about her even though she has been difficult.

Basil's expensive dog trainer just left and I am feeling like I may be wasting my money? I feel like she has given us some good techniques but I might have been able to find those by researching on my own? She didn't actually work with b but instead talked to me the whole time, and at the first sign of excitement she had me put her n her crate, which I think just made her anxiety level skyrocket.

I don't wanna be one of those people who thinks they know better than the professional, but it feels weird for her to recommend x,y,z without working with her and seeing her behavior more.

ooh i read this thing about crate training - that you have to get the dog to WANT to be in the crate, so you put a treat in the crate and close it and let the dog try to get in there for a while, then finally let them in.

UPDATE:

so we got to the adoption fair and joy wasn't there, they told us that she'd been pretty much already adopted by an older couple with a lot of malamute experience. my heart just sank bc i figured the LL would just freak out, since we'd talked up this one particular dog. but then they introduced us to vivienne, who is waaay different but so pretty and friendly. she's a husky mix (brown eyes), more energy than elderly joy, but still v v well behaved and only 2 yrs old so we'd have her a lot longer.

LL showed up and we talked with the rescue group people for a while, who have been totally amazing and answered all her questions and were v supportive and encouraging. THEN we had to go have coffee with LL and talk even more, but it's looking pretty good?? she wants us to get liability insurance with our renter's insurance, which is fine, we'll make whatever concessions are necessary. there's some issues with the other tenants in our duplex, but she doesn't really like them, so she's not gonna let them sway her decision.

next up is a house inspection by the rescue people, then... hopefully it'll be finalized??

Oooh I'm glad things are looking up!

Xpost I never crate her without some treat or toy... Sometimes she just goes there and hangs out on her own (she napped there this afternoon), but she does not like it if she's crated and you're across the room and ignoring her. I don't know why this lady didn't just work with her to calm down or help me practice managing her.

yeah does she think you can just shove her in a crate when you're out walking her?? our rescue group hates caesar milan btw - idk much about him bc i've never actually watched his show, but i guess he focuses more on negative reinforcement?

No she's given lots of advice/ideas about walks, it just strikes me as odd that the trainer would rather put her away than interact with her and understand what makes her tick...

Caesar is ughhhhh. His techniques, if used on a dog like basil, would make things worse! He does a lot of dominance stuff and punishing. Negative reinforcement isn't always bad; it can include "good things go away when you misbehave" (ie, if you get overexcited and start acting out, a game stops). But his techniques seem more like he's physically dominating the dogs :(