Some Things Never Change

Little Pedro, "El Diablo", is still convinced he is a Great Dane. My mom says he's a rat-cha (a fancy way to say, mutt, or  rat terrier and chihuahua mix), but I say that this particular rat-cha derives from the word cuba-RACHA (BOL) In any case, Pedro will never learn, and here's just a bit of proof:

He has no fear of those ginormous toothsies

He will throw himself in the middle of a large dog brawl without a second thought

(not sure he thinks much about anything)

As for the rest of us...

I'll let the Frankie the brindle Chiweenie to express how we feel:

Ay, Caramba! This rat will never learn!

Tsk, tsk...

Twink!

Snow Day Fun and a Tiny Incident

My pack had too much fun in the snow... with the exception of a little mishap.

 All aboard!

 At first, everyone was on leash, and behaved.

 Well, almost behaved.

 But soon, all bets were off!

 Rescue mission!

Ziggy, our merlequin Great Dane, managed to slide off the bank. We weren't sure he could make it back because of his Wobbler Syndrome, which equals weakness. At first, he stood at the bottom looking all disoriented. Our humans were calling him, but the echo was confusing. He started to walk the opposite direction. Mom, with her unhealthy attachment to this dufus, was ready to dive off the edge, but instead she started to wave. Her boy finally saw her and somehow made it back up.

 He recovered quite fast

Our black queen, Sasha

Pedrito, posing by a guard rail.

 Thirsty 

Nobody was in any hurry to get head back home to me.

Well, did you seriously think I would agree to a trip to the snow? My tummy is practically hairless. Temperatures below 72 degrees Fahrenheit are not my thing.

Twink!

The Dangers of Dog Collars (and Cat Collars too)

Mom wasn't supposed to be home today, but, lucky for our Sasha, our black Great Dane, she had a last minute change of plans, so, she stayed home and started measuring our couch, hoping to find the right size cover to save it from us. She kept looking fondly out the glass doors at all of seven of us. We've come a long way as a pack. We all get along, and we all enjoy one another's company. The two litter mate Danes were horsing around (literally) with the new pack addition, Rocket, who was also playing with Pedrito, the tiny Rat-cha. I was observing them and our mom. At the blink of my tiny eyes it happened! Sasha and Ziggy, her even larger Great Dane bro, where both under Sasha's collar. Huh? Ziggy cannot ever wear a collar because of his Wobbler Syndrome. I started to bark my little head off and sure enough mom heard the urgency in my voice and ran outside. Sasha and Ziggy were SUFFOCATING each other, but Ziggy appeared to be "winning". Sasha's eyes were fading fast. She went down with a thud as mom got to her. Mom grabbed both dogs' heads and fell down to the ground, squeezing their heads together to allow for a bit of air to get through their throats. She was screaming for scissors, but nobody was coming. Finally, she was able to feel for the plastic buckle, but the tension was too great for her.  As it sometimes happens at times like this, extraordinary amounts of strength come out of nowhere. Mom's fingers squeezed hard enough and Ziggy and Sasha fell apart onto the ground. Mom was shaking. The rest of the pack, watched quietly for a change. Sasha's eyes looked bloodshot and Ziggy had gotten a few cuts in the process, but they were both alive!

The potential dangers of dog collars are a serious matter

Dear dog lovers, and cat lovers too: Dog collar strangulations are common. The dangers of dog collars are numerous. Even in the case of a single dog, the collar may get caught on something, for example as they jump, and then your beloved furiend will be... think about it. Our own Linguini, about 10 years ago, was tied up in our front yard while mom was getting our things loaded for a hike. In those short moments, Linguini, jumped over our fence into our neighbors', about 8 feet below. Mom found her on her on her tippy toes doing the strangest dog dance, as she hung by her throat; another close call. We missed that one. NO more. My home is pro-active. We're changing things around here.

There are a couple of solutions out there that I know of, but feel free to add to my research. First, get us all microchipped. Secondly, if you must have a collar on us, here are a couple of suggestions. A breakaway collar, or a stretch safety collar for dogs that stretches when it's not clipped with a leash, allowing us to slip free in potentially life-threatening situations.

Peace and quiet are by now restored at Casa De Twinkie, but we will not forget again, and you better share with your friends and furiends. No uncalled-for trips to the Rainbow Bridge!

Now, go give your dog a hug and keep him/her safe!

Respectfully,

Twinkie

To Pee or Not to Pee on Other Dogs

Does YOUR dog pee on other dogs? Huh? Does he?

Actually it's a quite common behavior that our Pedrito, El Diablo, the little yellow "Great Dane", is fond of. Overall, the act itself can have diametrically opposite interpretations: submission OR domination.

Let's analyze this!

Your average dog pee pose

A safer distance pee

Notice the indifference in both beasts' faces

You can almost hear them singing indifferently

These two gentle giants, are secure in their relationship. They go potty only when and because they get the urge. 

There's another reason for dogs to go potty however. We will have our little DOGMINATRIX demonstrate the rest:

Eggs-ibit A

Eggs-ibit B

Eggs-ibit C

Lil' Pete, is a dog full of surprises. If you remember him from past posts, he is also a talented Po(o)p Artist... 

Let's focus for a minute. Peeing on other doggies, is an excellent way to spread one's scent; however, one possibility is that the Pee-er is submitting, therefore showing deference to other dogs. Hmmm. In that situation, the Pee-er means no harm to the Pe-ee. Let's look at the body language in the 3 photos above. Is Pete's head lowered? NO. Is Pete showing his belly, even just a tinsy bit? NO. Is his tail down? NOPE! Well, in his case he is trying to DOMINATE. This is no subordinate urination, it is treachery and he's lucky the Great Dane litter mates are so laid back.

Mark away Lil' Pete, mark away you amazing little big dog...

Twink!

Littermates!

As soon as the Great Dane Puppies, Ziggy and Sasha, joined our pack, many of our furiends' pawrents, approached us via email and Facebook, giving us sound advice on raising gentle giants and commenting on the difficulties and potential hazards of raising littermates. Worry not, dear friends.

Photo of the 3 littermates

The "lil' Dane" in the midst is way more attached to the Danes than they are to each other.

These two littermates are inseparable.

When M took the two Great Dane puppies to Santa Barbara, leaving the orange one behind, the lil' one got so depressed that he stopped eating and took to going around the house sighing deeply. 

Lil' Pedrito (a rat-cha), the orange blur, has infiltrated the littermates, creating an even stronger bond with Ziggy than his actual sister.

Sasha puts up stoically with her new littermate, Pedrito, the Orange Great Dane.

Twinkie