Average Jane

Category: Dogs

  • Average Jane’s Dog Goes on a Play Date

    On Friday night, I was invited to a Pampered Chef party at Cagey's house. My husband had a gig that evening, so it occurred to me that it might be fun to take Toby with me for the two-fold purpose of giving him a chance to play with another dog and not leaving him at home alone longer than his bladder capacity would indicate.

    It also gave me the chance to try out the dog restraint harness I'd bought for car rides.

    I already knew Toby hated to ride in the car. It makes him very anxious, upset and whiny. He spends the entire ride lunging toward my lap, panting and crying. So basically, no fun for anyone.

    This trip was no exception. I was kind of hoping he'd be better because I was considering taking him on a longer trip over the weekend, but it only took one leg of this trip to make me firmly rule that out.

    We got to the party and Toby was a hit with both Team Chaos and Cagey's dog Lucy. He spent far more time sitting on my lap than he ever would at home, but he and Lucy did run around and play, which is exactly what I wanted to see.

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    I need to befriend someone in my neighborhood with a small dog so Toby can play more often but not have to be driven anywhere. (Do not even dream of suggesting that I get another dog. My house is overrun with small mammals as it is.)

    In the meantime, I'm glad he had some fun, even if it was overridden by the stressful car trips. For the time being, Toby will have to be satisfied with Dr. Jones as a playmate. If he can ever catch him awake.

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  • Average Jane Gets Crowded Out

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    When my sister posted this photo of my niece asleep with her favorite cat, Hutch, wrapped around her head, it made me realize I had a post in the making about the various pets that are always competing with me with for bed space.

    In general, I have no objection to sharing my bed with any of the other beings in the household. Well, my husband does snore more than I'd like…

    Anyway, that can mean as many as three cats and a dog jockeying for space on a queen-sized bed with me and sometimes my husband as well, depending on his sleep schedule. Fortunately there's never a fourth cat in that equation. Xena and Trillian take turns because they can't stand the sight of one another.

    Toby is always the first to join me. He curls into a compact ball and presses himself against me. If I'm lucky, he keeps his back to me. Otherwise, I get his feet poking me at random intervals when he stretches in his sleep. Either way, he tends to cause me to move closer to the edge of the bed than I'd prefer.

    Xena likes to cuddle. She especially loves to settle her great bulk into my husband's armpit and drape herself onto his shoulder, but she'll accept me as a substitute if he's not available. It's kind of nice to be able to hug her while I'm sleeping, but she's awfully warm. She also likes to get under the covers near our feet, which is where she was when I woke up today.

    Velvet usually lingers around my head – all the better for licking my hair when she gets the urge. I wish she wouldn't.

    Dr. Jones spends all day sacked out on the bed by himself, so he doesn't seem to feel as compelled to lie there when we're there. Still, he'll occasionally come up and settle himself on my chest.

    Trillian is an even rarer visitor, but she'll go right for your chest as well. She really prefers to interact with people who are sitting up, though, because she likes to be held and snuggled.

    So that's why I have dark circles under my eyes every day. Just kidding! That's genetic.

    No, the pets are really fine most of the time. I'm sure I'd sleep somewhat more restfully without them, but I'd miss them. Every time I stay in a hotel room, I wish I had at least one cat to keep me company.

    How about you? Do you allow pets on the bed at your house or keep them somewhere else while you sleep?

  • Average Jane and Her Little Dog

    Was it fate that I ended up with an Italian Greyhound? Maybe not, but I thought it was interesting that I happened to take this photo of an Italian Greyhound statue on my trip to Eureka Springs back in July.

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    And now I have a real one:

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    Today is a test of our new relationship because it's raining outside and Katharine had warned me that IGs don't like to be wet or cold. That means they don't want to take care of any biological business outside in bad weather, even when they really need to.

    We've been outside twice this morning and Toby wants nothing more than to go back inside. We're going to have to figure something out or it'll be a long fall and winter.

    Otherwise, things are going swimmingly. Toby has found a toy he likes among the BlogPaws swag haul. It's a stuffed animal that squeaks when he bites it, and the cats are fascinated when he plays with it. Apparently the simulated sound of terrified prey is a big hit across all carnivorous species.

    Now that it's gotten chilly outside (and in the house), Toby has moved from sleeping next to me on the bed to sleeping under the covers with me. Fortunately, he does not have any kind of doggy smell. Unfortunately, he tends to drool a bit when he sleeps, but then again so do I. It'll be a good incentive to change the sheets regularly.

    Right now Toby is curled up in a little ball under my desk while I'm typing. What a cutie.

  • Average Jane Adopts A Dog

    This post is my entry into the BlogPaws Blog Carnival Contest sponsored by BISSELL Homecare, Inc.

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    When this much cuteness comes into your life, you have no choice but accommodate it.

    In less than a week, we went from "we're fostering Toby to see how it goes" to "of course we're keeping him." The adoption will be finalized next week, but he's been "our dog" almost since the beginning.

    I've never had a dog before. We had dogs when I was growing up, but none of them were ever mine. I was always a cat person and I figured that our unfenced yard was a dealbreaker when it came to getting a dog.

    As it turns out, there are plenty of types of dogs that aren't suited for being left unattended in a yard, and Italian greyhounds are among them. That means we take Toby on lots of walks. He's well trained to walk on a leash, so our walks aren't a struggle in any way. He really needs a long walk each day; otherwise, he gets restless and bored. Have I mentioned that he's already shaved a minute off my average mile pace when we do my 3.4 mile morning walk together?

    When Toby is indoors, he's very well behaved. He likes to lie next to me or sit on my lap while I'm reading. He'll follow me up to my office and curl up under the desk to sleep once he's been petted to his satisfaction. I haven't seen him get into anything, chew anything or otherwise misbehave in any way.

    He wants to meet everyone he sees. Fortunately for him, the sight of a well-mannered small dog on a leash is a magnet for passers-by. He's also a magnet for free roaming dogs. Twice I've had big, unleashed puppies come bounding up to introduce themselves. Toby is not one of those small dogs who thinks he's a big dog; he's rather intimidated by larger dogs, so I have to be cautious when we encounter them.

    I never realized we had a dog-shaped void in our lives until we met Toby. He's so different from our cats, but we love him just as much already. I look forward to many years of his companionship and I'm glad we can provide him with the attention he so clearly needs and enjoys.

    Welcome home, Toby!

  • Average Jane’s Doggie Boot Camp

    IMG_1409 As soon as I met Toby, I could tell he was significantly overweight. A little research revealed that he's at the tall end of the range for an Italian greyhound (15" at the shoulder), but should still weigh no more than 15 pounds. He weighs almost 20.

    That means he and I are doing a lot of walking. I usually only walk my 3.4 mile route 3-4 days a week, but Toby needs the exercise and routine, so now we're walking the route daily.

    He walks at a brisk pace. I experimented with jogging a little on this morning's walk and he had no problem going faster.

    There's a saying, "If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise." I have a feeling that his exercise program is going to slim us both down.

    Everyone I meet thinks he's a puppy. I guess his smallness is a more noticeable attribute than the grey hairs on his muzzle. All of the extra "baby fat" around his ribs probably contributes to the impression.

    One of the only things his previous owners shared about him is that "he likes treats." Yeah, no kidding. I, however, am not a treat-giver. Just ask the cats. Instead, my plan is to keep him well supplied with chews to help keep his teeth and gums healthy, and also make him think he's getting treats.

    I'm also measuring his food and giving him one portion in the morning and one in the evening. That seems to be holding him and he has thus far failed to make good on his threat of eating the cats' food.

    Once the weather gets cold, I know Toby isn't going to want to go on long walks. I think it's important to make swift progress getting some of his extra fat melted off before he spends the winter mostly indoors.

    Does all of this sound like we're keeping him? Yeah, it sure looks that way.

    He hasn't won any cat friends yet, although Velvet is willing to sleep on the bed by my head while Toby is sleeping by my legs. Dr. Jones is still stalking him, Xena is hissy yet possibly interested in playing, and Trillian has more or less vanished. I'm taking some cat food and water down to the basement to make sure she can survive her self-imposed exile.

    Still, it's only been a couple of days and I think the cats will get used to him. He hasn't done anything scary at all, and they'll realize that sooner or later.

    Now I need to head down and make myself a breakfast shake. All that walking works up an appetite!

  • Average Jane Brings Home A Dog

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    Meet Toby. He's an eight-year-old Italian greyhound. I picked him up from The Animal Rescue Alliance (T.A.R.A.) yesterday after work.

    He was turned over to the rescue group because his family split up due to divorce. I was hoping they'd bring some of his stuff, but all he had was his collar. Maybe he doesn't have any stuff, but you'd think they'd at least have brought some of his food and whatever clothes he wears when he goes out in the cold.

    For now I'm just fostering him while we see how things go with our cats. If everything works out, I'll pay his adoption fee and keep him.

    When I picked him up he was clearly upset at having been left behind and he was whining and looking for his people. Our first short car trip was from the kennel to my sister's house and Toby made it a challenge. Fortunately, all of the novelty started to wear him out and he calmed down for the trip to my house.

    Obviously the first item on the agenda was to take him shopping. I went home to get the $5 PetSmart gift card I'd gotten at BlogPaws and look through the coupons I'd received. I knew there was at least one for free food.

    We made a quick run through the pet store and I got him a harness, a retractable leash and a bag of food. I'm going to order him some Nulo food, partly because it's abundantly clear that he doesn't like the food I bought him and partly because he's noticeably overweight. Just look at the armpit chub in that photo.

    The cats are less than thrilled. They're being pretty defensive and Velvet has already bopped him on the head once. Dr. Jones waited for him to lie down yesterday and then crept up behind to check him out.

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    Trillian has been making herself scarce and Xena is more interested in eating his food than dealing with him.

    He slept through the night lying next to my legs and didn't wake up until I was nearly dressed. I took him with me on my daily 3.4 mile walk and he had more than enough energy to keep up.

    I've been taking Toby outside pretty often because I don't know his preferred bathroom habits, but it seems that he's low-maintenance so far. I forgot to bring waste bags on our walk and I didn't end up needing one anyway.

    Right now he's downstairs with a chew stick, but I'd probably better go check on him before I shower and head to work. As long as he and the cats can learn to coexist, I think he'll be a fine pet for us.