Day 14 - Robbie has been muzzled

Over the last few days Robbie has exhibited behavior that we dont condone. Aggressiveness!

He has started barking a lot - especially at other dogs and/or people. He also tends to snap at people trying to bite them. I think it is a combination of missing his parents and defending his babysitters and Hershey! Either way - it is unacceptable.

So we went to Bosleys today and bought him a muzzle. M. actually went there a couple of days ago but the one she bought didnt fit Robbie's big schnoozle. So we had to exchange it. So he is now wearing one that is designed for St. Bernards and dogs that size.

Of course he is now trying to pry the damn contraption off his snout but for some reason it doesnt comply. It fits just nicely and wont be moved! But the comedy we get out of watching Robbie.....well...its a Master Card moment! Or a Kodak Moment! Or just really great comedy!

He walks non-chalante and all of the sudden his snout will go dig up ground while his paws try to pry off the muzzle. It is a VERY funny sight.

And of course - he cant snap at people or dogs anymore. He can still box them with his paws but I keep him on a short leash when we are near anyone. Its not easy. He sure pulls hard and goes up on his hinds trying to get lose. But despite my "advanced" age I am still stronger then he is - barely though, I think I need to work out a bit!

We will see how he behaves over the next feew days. If all goes well maybe we leave his schnoozle un-muzzled. If he DOESNT get the hint - oh well - no problem for us :-)

wuff wuff

11 days have gone by - and I am getting in shape!

It does appear that the days are going faster now. Its natural. I am sure about 10 days before Robbie is to go back to his home the days will stand still. 24 hours will seem 48. 48 hours will seem an eternity.

And yet, with 31 days still to go, I already miss the bugger a little bit. Not because of all the ruckus he is causing, that is just him and Hershey together being animals.
But he is making me "work out"!!!!!

First of all, I am walking. Not a lot. Just around the block. Maybe a total of 20 min. But thats at least 40 min a day more then I usually walk. Hershey just wants to do his business and then get back to his couch! Not Robbie. He wants to go out. Explore. Chase joggers and bark at other dogs!

And BOY that bulldozer is pulling on the leash when we go. So not only do my legs and lungs get a workout, but also my arms. When Robbie decides to go a certain line he doesnt deviate much. He will square his shoulders and walk! Straight ahead. A sniff here and a mark there but basically full steam ahead!
And NOTHING can stop him - much! I mean, I put 200lbs (all muscle of course) on a scale and I have to stem against the tide. Have to haul him back - be stern with him. Yeah, right! A lotta good THAT does!!! He stops for a second and then back to steamrolling anything in his way!

But as I said. I am getting a workout.

And then of course I have Robbie at work with me. Another few workouts! Short ones, since I dont have time to go for a 1h walk with him but still - a few stairs need climbing, a very small embankment needs hiking and all the time Robbie needs pulling!

Why did I sign up at the gym? I truly dont know - all I need is Robbie to get in shape!

Tada :-)

Week 1 is history

We survived the first week! Barely! Only 5 more weeks to go until Emil returns to claim Robbie! I am not sure if we actually want to give him back.

I think we would miss all the slobber, the relentless crying when he's hungry or when I have to do some work and he can't accompany me. Or the battles between Robbie and Hershey that makes us think we need to renovate the living room. I am sure we would longe for the 95lbs bulldozer coming at us when we wants the couch. Or the relentless pulling on the leash and the VERY large and VERY VERY stinky poo's Robbie loves to present us with - not to mention the fact that one of his farts can be considered a WMD (weapon of mass destruction). Lets not mention the fact that he snores so loud the City of Winnipeg had an earthquake!

But then there is the the puppy- like adoration, the undoubted affection and the unconditional love this monster of a dog shows us. How can we in good consciousness NOT love this dog back!!!

So we survived the first week. He came to work with me and made a nuisance of himself more often then not. I have to find a babysitter just to go to the washroom or else he dismantles my office and cries the police out of the bagelshop! He came back home with me - even though I tried to sell him numerous times to numerous people - and made a nuisance of himself there too with the all to willing help of Hershey. He hogged the couch and jumped in bed with us - dragging Hershey behind him!

Yet, I don't think neither M. nor me, despite all the bitching and whining we do about him being with us, would miss having him with us for anything.

Robbie is family and if you do nothing in life - you must always protect and love your family - like this dog loves and protects us!

Here's to the next 5 weeks!
Cheers!

NIght 4 and Morning 5

Unbelievable but there isnt any news to tell. Same ol' same ol'. The Boys are doing really well. I guess Robbie being the lead hand at work now is way too tired to get into any mischief with Hershey! Though not for lack of trying on Hershey's part.

We walk through the door around 530pm and there is the Hersheynator, ready and waiting to pounce on Robbie, to welcome daddy with a crotch schnoozle and to get the night of playing going! Of course he doesnt understand that his daddy and big brother are way to tired from a hard days work! He doesnt really seem to care!

Robbie jumps with him for about a minute and then after I give my wife her kiss and coffee (which of course I get at our favorite cafe on Commercial Drive on the way home) I give the boys their "welcome home" treat. Then its off to the couch for Robbie. 3 Seconds later the apartment, nay the whole neighborhood, is filled with the wonderfully loud sounds of a brindle boxer's snoring!!!

We walk them at night and then its off to bed for daddy. When I wake in the morning, or should i say, when i am awoken in the morning by two wet schnoozels and two wigging tails, they are both ready already to go walkies, have din-din and just run around like mad possessed with a poor little toy in the middle of two very heavy jaws!

Now its 5:55am and I am about ready to wake mommy. She has an early day today. Both pup's are already poofed out, lying on the couch and sleeping. I am sure their dreaming of breakfast, the beach or bog, more food and more play!

Happy Dreams, Boys!

Funny Episode

Robbie is now a seasoned veteran at my work. 3 days x 7 for dogs = 21 days. 3 dog weeks of running around like mad possessed chasing foam chips, schnoozeling everyone that comes even NEAR the warehouse, following me around everywhere (even just to the file cabinet which is 1 foot away!) and checking out the dock to see if he can jump off it! When he is exhausted he goes in his corner, lies on his bed and within seconds the warehouse and really the whole building vibrates from his snoring!

So here is the funny: he is afraid of the elevators in the building. Its hilarious. I have to go down to the basement about once a day or so and of course have to take him with me. He cries so loud when he doesnt see me that people think there is an animal being abused! PLus he tends to jump or even knock down the barrier I erected to keep him aside when I have to deal with clients.
He wont move into the elevator though. I have to gently nudge him in the butt and even then it is difficult to move that 90lb monster. It takes a lot of tugging, pulling, kicking and "pottzeming" to get him to go.
Inside the elevator he is completely submissive, stands low, tugs his little tail stump and leans very close to me! As soon as the doors open he charges out and is back to normal Robbie behaviour!

OY VEY - is all i say!

Night 3 and Morning 4

What a team Robbie and Hershey make!!! Unbelievable. Sometimes I wonder how my In-laws can cope with that for more then 1 min when they get Hershey for the weekend!!!!

I had to do an after-work OT run to the Airport and M. wanted to join me, so we could go to the store after. She started walking down 16th and I was driving up 16th. We met somewhere near the school.

I rolled down the back window and Robbie stuck his shnoozel out. He saw Hershey walking and his whole body started wiggling! What does Hershey do? Ignored us! Didnt even see us there! Had HIS shnoozel on the grass sniffing only G-D knows what!
So M. walked by the car twice before I called out Hershey's name. His head shot up - he saw Robbie - and M. was almost pulled on her Bee-hind. What a sight! Then she opens the car door and Hershey jumps in, while Robbie tries to jump out. MAYHEM!!! It took us a minute to untangle and calm the boys down!

When we got home 2h later - they saw the toys and off they went....we think they has serious aspirations to destroy the living room. But like always just before the damage got to much NOT to renovate the apartment they fell on the ground tired, ready to sleep.

Even walking at night is not as bad as we thought it would be. As long as we stay away from dogs, people, cars, birds, squirrels and anything else moving, we are fine!!!

Sleeping at night has now become a distinct possibility Thanks to M.'s brilliant idea of leaving the bedroom door open. They both love the couch and only come wake me up around 4am now! I actually get a few hours of ZZZZZZZZZZZ's!

I take them both out for a walkies at 5am or so. Its perfect (for them anyway!). NO dogs out so i dont have to worry about them draggin me halfway to Fiji on my ass!
Though it IS funny to watch them both race for about 2 min, then do their business and then be all calm.
Hershey especially is funny! When he does his business, he is ready to go home. So he pretends to be a mule - he stops and doesnt want to move. He puts his bum on the sidewalk and only a gentle reminder with my boot makes him move. For about 2m. Then its back to the pavement for his butt! He doesnt care if Robbie is done or not. When Hershey wants to go home, Hershey wants to go home!!!

Its a wonderful day in paradise!

Day 3

Robbie's 1st day at work with me. He was acutally better then I thought he would be! Robbie has a tendency to follow anyone around that is taking care of him! He does that with his daddy and now he does it with me!

But then there are the occasions when I CAN'T have him around me and have to barr him to behind the barrier by my desk! OH BOY is all I can say :-)

He scratches, whines, barks and jumps like a gazelle just to make sure I am still there. I have to deal with clients and at the same time have to keep shouting to Robbie, "I am still here". That calms him just about like a fan would calm the Sahara desert HEAT!!!!I have to go to the washroom, the whole building can hear him whine bark. Yes, thats what I call it - whine bark. He does both at the same time!! A gifted dog!!!!!!

Funny though, as soon as I sit back on my desk he lies down on his little bed and 2.5 seconds later he snores. But beware me moving a muscle - he is all up and ready to start working again!!!

G'Day!

Night 2 - Morning 2

M had a fantastic idea. I knew there was a reason I married her ;-) She definitely is the smarts in the family!!

We close all the doors in our apartment, erect a barrier to cover the kitchen entrance (which is an open hole) and leave the bedroom door open. That way the boy can hog the couch, mosy around as they will and maybe, just maybe we will get some sleep!

guess what! I got about 6 hours! M. got about the same I would think (though as of right this second she is still sleeping!).

So I got up at 430am instead of my usual 530am. No big deal. The boys were already bugging me anyway. I did my usual routine of checking email, working on any imaginable sports pool that I play each year, fed them, took them for a walkies and I even got to see the West Wing episode from 2 weeks ago!!!!

Now I am here at work - with Robbie, who after being all giddy to check out the new digs, is sleeping again!

So far this experience is not as bad as I thought it would be. Knowing how Robbie is when his parents aren't around I truly thought it would be more of a nightmare. But then - we still have
39 days, 15 hours and 47 minutes to go!!!

Good morning :-)

Night 1 - Morning 1

Here we go! It didn't take long at all. I think we will have at least 2 entries a day: the morning and the evening!
Without any further ado - the short version: wife lets Robbie on bed, Husband lets Hershey on bed. Hershey cuddles up to mommy as he does every night and falls alseep, Robbie cuddles right up to me, makes his bed for 20 min and starts snoring!!!! And I mean S N O R I N G! Also keeps moving toward the end of the bed, trying to kick me off!

At 4 am I had enough and headed for the couch! I am not 20 anymore where I could last without 8h of sleep for days and weeks!

M. not realizing I didn't get up because it was morning, let both dogs out at 6am. ON the couch they went, OFF the couch I went! IN the bedroom I went and let go on M. Poor M. I am not the nicest person when I don't get 8h of sleep!!! LOVE YOU, HONEY!

Then it was time to take the boys for a walkies this morning. Me being stubborn me, decided I could handle it alone. Let M. have a bit longer sleep. Yeah right...ok...humbled man at PC right now!
The boys started pulling and barking before we even left the building!!! And too boot, out and about in the miserable cold rain are lots of dogs! WHO in their right mind walks their dogs at 730am on a SUNDAY???????

Needless to say, my arms are sore right now! Hershey and Robbie were pulling at their leashes like mad-possessed trying to get to the other dogs. Knowing most dogs in the neighborhood are friends of Hershey I wouldn't have had a problem with him playing. But Robbie? He CAN be a bit nasty on leash - especially when Hershey is around. He thinks Hershey needs defending.

So here I am - trying to pee and poo them but mainly trying NOT to land on my ass with road rash on my cheeks!!! To make matters worse, every other dog owner didn't make an effort to get out of the way - THANKS EVERYONE!!!!

oh well....at least I had a good 30 min walk with heavy arms workout and some abs work. Nothing like two 80+ lbs dogs pulling you along the grassy knowles of a median to get your arms, abs and thighs in shape!!

Now both are happily snoring on the couch again. M. is working out on her elliptical machine and me - I am slowly falling asleep writing this!

Nighty Night!!!!