Dog Days of Summer

It's getting hot in Minnesota. Time for doggie sunbathing!
















The boys are enjoying their first summer together in Minnesota and we're learning more and more about Eli every day.
For instance, we think someone used to smack the poor little guy with a hockey stick. The 10-year old neighbor boy stopped playing driveway hockey to say HI to Eli and Eli went crazy when he saw the hockey stick. We didn't figure it out right away so he nipped at the boy's arm (fortunately, he was wearing long sleeves and Eli just got some fabric). It was also a good thing that they're "dog savvy" neighbors. The little boy put down his hockey stick and gave Eli a treat from under the chin, instead of over the head. They became friends, but it was a scary moment! Now we're extra careful about who says HI when we're out walking. Everyone is happier with a slow introduction (especially if it includes treats).

And, in a monumental step, L-Dawg is working to cut out the afternoon walk. We still do a long morning walk and an even longer evening walk, but no one (especially two hot doggies) needs to be walking in the sun in the middle of a hot day. Besides, the boys keep each other plenty busy running around and wrestling in the yard. And if it's too hot, they beg to come inside to enjoy the air conditioning...then sit at the window and stare out (as seen below).

Eli, snoozing on his new blanky made especially for him by his G-Maw Susie.










Eli is fitting in quite nicely at the Dawg House. His favorite pastimes include:
-inhaling food from his bowl
-when left on his own indoors, collecting and surrounding himself with a pile of B-Dawg and L-Dawg's shoes
-playing chase and wrestling with Ossi on the couch and in the dirt outside
-barking (loudly) at passing motorcycles, trucks and trailers. He is joined in this (and probably egged on) by his buddy Ossi
-snuggling up with his people and laying his head in their laps
-chasing birds in the yard
-peanut butter in the Kong

He is going on his third week at "dog school". While the class size at the PetSmart training class is much smaller than Ossi's was at the Humane Society, Eli has been a star listener so the two little naughty dogs in the class--Howie and Chowder-- get all the attention. We feel Eli could use a bit more attention from the instructor, but it's tough when you're not a Yorkie with a bad attitude or a little Beagle puppy.

Ossi is loving having a pal and begs to go to bed every night because he's so tired from playing all the time. The boys hang out so nicely and, so far, have only argued over a treat or two and an outside toy.

Both boys enjoyed their Memorial Weekend visit from G-Paw Jimbo and G-Maw Susie and they're both excited about pal Tucker coming over to visit Friday night. L-Dawg, however--knowing that Tucker has just generally been exasperated by Ossi's relentless playing in the past--is unsure Tucker will enjoy his visit as much as Ossi and Eli enjoy chasing and harassing Tucker. Poor Tuck. He doesn't know what he's in for!

Eli says a big "Thank You" to G-Maw Susie for making him a blanket of his very own. He loves it.

Welcome ELI

Last weekend, Ossi got a little 'brother' Eli (seen above). Eli is a Corgi/Border Collie mix so he looks like a black and white version of Ossi--stubby legs and all.

The Dawg family was drawn to Eli because of his posting on Petfinder.com which said he was a "play machine" and would not be a match for a dog that did not like to play. Well, Ossi is a dog that LOVES to play and with their similar backgrounds (rescue dogs, Corgi boys) we figured it would be a good fit.

The first meeting with Eli didn't go great. Both boys were very good, but ignored each other at Eli's foster "mom's" house because there were so many sniffs to sniff. The Dawgs thought, based on that, it probably wouldn't work because part of the idea in getting Dawg#2 was for Ossi to have a playmate. But L-Dawg couldn't give up on Eli and talked the wonderful people at Second Chance Animal Rescue into bending the rules a bit so Eli could come visit Ossi's house. What a great idea that turned out to be.

The boys played and played and chased and wrestled and played some more until they both collapsed from exhaustion. Ossi shared his space and his toys (not happily, but he did share them) and Eli took full advantage of the hospitality. He was already part of the family.

The boys play together very well and Ossi seems to enjoy having a buddy around to play with any time he likes. He doesn't mind sharing his indoor toys, but seems to be less generous with his outdoor toys. The only things the boys have really fought over were treats (i.e. Eli takes too long to get a treat out of the Kong so Ossi steals it and eats two treats--if Eli tries to take his treat back, Ossi is waaayyy unhappy).

For his part, Eli has settled in nicely. He gets fed at particular times of the day and now Ossi does too because Eli can inhale an entire bowl of food in less than 30 seconds and will steal Ossi's if it's left out. He follows the human Dawgs--particularly L-Dawg--around everywhere and enjoys laying his head on the side of the bathtub when showers are being taken. When he's being serious, he can have a big German Shepherd bark in a 33-lb body, but mostly he loves to give kisses on your nose.

So, welcome Eli and here's to all the new adventures the Dawg family will have with eight stubby little legs around the house!!

Thanks for the Memories Gimli

Gimli the foster cat (seen here curled up in the sun) went to her new home last weekend. The Dawg family was sad to see her go--well, most of the Dawg family. Ossi has a new lease on life. He's been prancing around the whole house just because he can.

After the last photo of them very tentatively sitting next to each other on the couch, things really went down hill. As Gimli gained strength back, she realized she really, really hates dogs and would growl and hiss at Ossi and attack him any chance she got. B-Dawg and L-Dawg had to separate them, closing off part of the house for Ossi and the other part for Gimli. Confined to their respective areas, they both desperately wanted to be where the other one was located.

Gimli' s new family reports that she's been feeling a bit shy in her first week with all the new sniffs and sounds, but that she's starting to love her new home. She loves to look out the window at the birds, bunnies and squirrels around the feeders and her new favorite hobby is pressing her nose up to the fish tank and licking her lips every time the goldfish go by.

We're happy she's happy in her new life and Ossi is glad he no longer has a kitty visitor that despises him. Now he can go back to barking at James, the tail-less cat next door and being King of his Castle (something he's very good at)!

Ossi and Gimli

Look what Ossi got for Christmas--everything he never wanted. On the left is a very wary and sleepy Ossi. On the right is the Dawg house's new foster cat Gimli.

Gimli was brought in to take care of the uninvited mousy guests that Ossi couldn't get to because he can't fit under the bookcase.

Gimli was rescued from a local pound after being found wandering the cold street. As you can kind of see from the photo, this cat was all skin and bones upon arrival.

After 1/2 hour of exploring, Gimli showed Ossi who was boss when Ossi came in for a curious sniff. Only slightly worse for the wear, sporting a few claw marks in his nose, Ossi has since steered pretty clear of the cat. They are, however, learning to live with each other a bit more each day.

B-Dawg is a big "Lord of the Rings" fan which is why the cat's name is Gimli. When we picked the cat up, we were told it was a neutered male. Last night, the cat finally got comfortable enough to submit to a belly rub.

Here's a riddle for you: What has four legs, two ears, one tail and six kitty nipples? Whoops, that would be our GIRL cat Gimli.

We're hoping that soon our Ossi boy and our Gimli girl will be curled up together napping happily, but we also think that may not be on tap for this holiday season :)

Happy Howl-i-days!
Ossi (and Gimli too)

The Most Spoiled Puppy of the Year

Ossi aka "Burrito Boy"




Since it has gotten colder and the snow has started falling, Ossi has spent a lot of time "burrito-ed" up on the couch in his blanket.

He loves the snow--loves to go outside, romp around and stick his head into it. If you make a snowball and throw it, he'll even chase it and try to retrieve it for you (good luck with that). But, inevitably, he will stand by the door and bark to come in because he's cold. After being toweled off, he heads for his spot on the blanket on the couch. He curls up in a little ball until someone comes over and "burritos" him up. It seems to be his favorite thing ever and, once he's warm and cozy, he dozes off with a doggy smile on his face. Every time B-Dawg and L-Dawg look at their "Burrito Boy" all curled up, we shake our heads--we have the most spoiled puppy of the year.

Happy Holidays to all and to all a warm blanket!
-Ossi

The Tale of the Sprained Tail

Poor Ossi boy! Some time between last Saturday and Monday night, he sprained his crazy tail. But it took a long time to figure that out. B-Dawg and L-Dawg knew something wasn't right because his tail wasn't wagging and he was chewing on his bum.

At 1:30 a.m. Monday, we heard barking from the resident watchdog. He usually only barks in the middle of the night if he hears a weird noise (i.e. once part of the fence fell down--he alerted us to this). B-Dawg went down to see what was wrong and Ossi wouldn't come out of his crate. Weird.
After awhile, he coaxed him out and got him to come upstairs where Ossi promptly hid under the bed. Weird--never done that before. After more coaxing and finally just pulling him out (dust bunnies and all) we got him to hop up in bed where he curled up by our heads and refused to move. Super weird. Ossi is NOT a cuddly dog.

In the morning, Ossi wasn't any better so we called the vet and they said to bring him in to have his "glands expressed". If you're not a dog person and don't know what this means, look it up. L-Dawg isn't going to explain it...it's gross. At the vet, they found out that Ossi had "expressed" one of his glands on his own, but they had to do the other one. Problem solved, right?
Wrong.

The next day, Ossi was still not himself. No excited tail wags, just lethargic clinging. We started missing the old Ossi! Back to the vet where they poked and prodded and determined that he probably had sprained his tail. Wow--who knew? He got some deeeelicious pain medicine and, while he still can't roll over and is a little hesitant to sit, he's getting back on track. That tail was wagging away again today.




A classic Ossi photo showcasing the ever-wagging tail

The Neighborhood Dog

This is Bandi. Bandi is the neighborhood's dog. Bandi is also known as the neighborhood "problem dog". Actually, it's Bandi's people who are the problem. Poor Bandi never gets walked or exercised and his people are really a bunch of kids who never seem to have *any* adult supervision so, of course, Bandi is a little neglected. Lucky for Bandi, everyone in the neighborhood kind of takes care of him and watches out for him--especially when he gets out of the house and runs around which is pretty often.

Ossi and Bandi are pretty good buds. Bandi LOVES Ossi, gives him kisses on the mouth and follows him around like a little brother. And, like a good big brother should, Ossi tolerates Bandi's presence and chases him around until they both collapse from exhaustion. As you can see from the photo above, Bandi got out of his house and showed up at Ossi's house. Before his people came to retrieve him (which they sometimes don't so we call Animal Control--someday someone will tell the family that they perhaps are not responsible enough to own a dog) it started to rain so the boys came inside where Bandi was like Velcro to Ossi.


Ossi chilling in a canoe during a Chain of Lakes canoe outing. He'd settled into the trip here--he wasn't this calm when the water was choppy and was ready to be a dog overboard then!

A Cor-GIRL-Dor!

Ossi and his new Corgador GIRL friend Tasha

















Ossi has had a big week so far. On Monday, Auntie Susanne came from San Fran and GMaw Kerstin and Auntie Eva came to visit from Sweden and to sleep over. On Tuesday, B-Dawg and L-Dawg took the whole circus to Frontenac State Park and to picnic at Lake Pepin. As everyone was walking to the car a man rode past on his bicycle and skidded to a stop. "Can I ask what kind of dog you have there?" he said excitedly. We're pretty used to this question and then usually we wait a few minutes while people place their bets..."Basset Hound/Golden Retriever?" No. "Jack Russell and Lab?" No. We told the nice man he was a Corgi/Yellow Lab mix, but before we even got the -low Lab out he was saying it right along with us. He said, "No way! We have a Corgi/Yellow Lab named Tasha and I've never seen another dog like her before. She's right down the path at the campground, will you stop by so we can see how they measure up?" How could we say no to that offer?
Tasha is a 7-year-old Corgador girl adopted from somewhere in Wisconsin a few years ago. She and Ossi sniffed but seemed no more interested in each other than they would be in any other dog. They didn't seem to understand they were cousins (or so we decided). We also met Tasha's "brother" 7-month-old Sammy the Jack Russell/Beagle mix who Ossi quickly showed who was boss by pinning him to the ground. After Ossi and Tasha strutted around on their stubby legs together for awhile and we all laughed at the weird coincidence and similarities, we were all on our way with a story to tell and pictures to share (see above). But not too many pictures because that would have required them sitting still together for more than 2 seconds which didn't happen.

Also, the day before the Swedish circus came to town the air conditioning went out at Ossi's house. Just an hour before his guests arrived, the repair man came and saved the day. However, in the day and a half it was 85 degrees in the house, Ossi found the perfect hiding spot to stay cool. Hang out near the bar in the basement on the cool tiles underneath a table. Nice.

A New Hiding Place

An extremely dusty and muddy Ossi in from the rain

Remember that nursery rhyme "The Old Woman that Swallowed a Fly"? Well...we've got our own version. B-Dawg has a motorcycle, the motorcycle has a storage trailer, the storage trailer provides a hiding place for Ossi and his toy Alf...and on and on.
Well, today it is raining. During a brief let up in the rain, L-Dawg let Ossi outside and what came inside was a different dog. A dusty grey snout and muddy black paws (as you can see).
As mad as L-Dawg was that she had to thoroughly clean Ossi and wipe his muddy paw prints off the floor, it was admittedly really, really hard not to laugh at him, especially since he knew he was in trouble.
I think B-Dawg and L-Dawg are going to have to find a way to discourage Ossi from hiding Alf under the trailer that hides the motorcycle...






Uh oh...I'm in trouble

Nude Dude

As you can see, Ossi got a haircut today. He got the "Lab Shave" look and we are now calling him the Nude Dude. We forget how giant his head is until all his hair is shaved off. He's been strutting around waiting for one of his girlfriends to be outside to notice his handsome new 'do. Hopefully it won't pick up summer dust very easily and we'll be able to see any ticks before they burrow in.
Below is a picture of Ossi and his squirrel toy, Alf. We call him Alf because when we say, "Get the squirrel!" He races over to the bird feeder and looks for the *real* squirrel that hangs out there a little too often. Alf is his favorite toy ever. He's full of dirt, is stinky (not unlike a real squirrel) and Ossi likes to grab him and shake him until he's "dead". Better Alf than the real bird feeder squirrel. L-Dawg is pretty sure she couldn't handle that.

Happy Birthday #3

Ossi's wild side--chomping on the mother of all bones

Happy Birthday to Ossi--he's three! He got a clean bill of health from the vet at his yearly check up. He was vaguely disturbed by the shots (jumped off the table into L-Dawg's arms) but was MOST offended by them taking his temperature in his bum. How rude!
However, he recovered quickly and in the lobby met a new Corgi friend named Duncan. This is the first time we've seen Ossi interact with a Corgi (half of him). Duncan was stubbier (if you can believe it) and had even more of what we call "wombat butt" (a flat bum) but they got along swimmingly. AND, the best part of dog birthdays, Ossi got a stuffed squeaky squirrel named Alf. He loves it so much. He runs around with Alf outside, shaking him back and forth trying to "kill" him. Better Alf than a real squirrel from the bird feeder.




It's not a great picture, but
it's Ossi (wagging tail on right) and
his little girlfriend Molly the Weiner
Dog (wagging her head on left)

Ho Ho Ho...Happy Dog-mas

The "Humunga-Tongue"

Ossi had a great Christmas--see above. No, B-Dawg is not pulling Ossi's tongue out, they're playing a game with the Humunga-Tongue toy. It's a toss up as to what is Ossi's new favorite; the Humunga-Tongue or the Hurl-a-Squirrel G-Paw Jimbo and G-Maw Susie got him. He went after the Hurl-a-Squirrel like it was made of bacon! Speaking of bacon, one this is for sure--Ossi goes CRAZY for the bacon treats he got from the aforementioned G-Paw and G-Maw.

Before Christmas, Ossi got many visits from many friends, both human and animal. One friend he wasn't so friendly with was Liam. The one-year-old little fellow reached out to touch Ossi's nose and Ossi gave him a not-so-friendly finger nip. No harm, no foul, but now we know Ossi doesn't think the old "nose beep" trick is so funny. Ossi and Liam were back on "speaking" terms when Ossi was behind the glass doors and Liam could look at him like he was in the zoo...and vice versa (as you can see below)

SLEEPOVER!!

A very, doggie Hello...Ossi and Sugar

As a loyal reader of Ossi's dog blog, you--no doubt--know that Sugar is one of his best girlfriends. Last week, Sugar's family went out of town overnight and Sugar got to stay overnight at Ossi's house. Yahoo!


These two goofballs couldn't leave each other alone for five seconds. If Sugar was resting, Ossi would "stalk" her and pounce on her. If Ossi was resting, Sugar would jump on his head.
Sugar sampled Ossi's food and Ossi sampled Sugar's food. Sugar found a bone and Ossi took it away. Then Sugar took it back. They both kept stealing the same bone away from each other even though there were three other *identical* bones laying on the floor next to the disputed bone.
Ossi jumped up onto the couch on his blanket (the only place he's allowed on the furniture) and Sugar jumped right up after him. Ossi was APPALLED. He couldn't believe someone had the audacity to crowd him while he was on *his* blanket. Geez.







Finally, we stuffed treats into each bone and gave each dog two to work on. Ossi is on his blanket, on the couch, keeping watch over the scene while gnawing on the bone. Sugar is relaxing on the floor gnawing away, obliviously, on her bone. They both played and wrestled so much they completely exhausted each other.
When it was time for bed, they both seemed extremely grateful to be in their separate crates, able to get some piece and quiet and not *have* to tackle each other.

When Sugar's people came to pick her up the next afternoon, Ossi was so tired, but grateful to have his castle back. However, he was a little pouty for the next day until he was sure he was an only dog again. Of course, when we went for a walk the next day, we walked by Sugar's house and she was outside. Of course the two of them tumbled and played like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Dogs...

Happy Howl-o-ween!

This is about as dressed up as Ossi got on Halloween...


HOT DOG!











CHILLY DOG!

It's Raining, It's Snowing

Ossi, now with extra added rain coat!












It rained and rained for an entire week and now it's "spitting" snow. Poor Ossi loves to take walks and is used to between 3-4 each day. When it's cold and pouring down rain, however, he turns around, runs inside and stares sadly out the window and sighs. B-Dawg and L-Dawg took him for a walk under the giant umbrella and he walked very, very slowly to stay under the umbrella (smart dog!) but he was still miserable because he wanted to go, go, go. So, an embarrassed L-Dawg broke down and bought him a rain coat at the pet store. We thought he'd hate it, but turns out he enjoys strutting his stuff like he's on the runway! He was just dying to see one of his girlfriends--Sugar, Lucy, Molly--or even his buddy Thor so he could show off his new duds. Best of all, he realized right away that he doesn't get wet and now he's happy to go on rain walks. His humans, on the other hand, are not as happy about that.

Fall Gardening with Ossi

Ossi helping L-Dawg pull crab grass roots. He's such a good gardener!

Lately, the weather has been pretty darn nice so Ossi has been pretty darn busy with playdates. In fact, last weekend, Lucy came over to play then just a few short hours later, his girlfriend Sugar walked by and came in to play. He was one pooped out puppy that night!
Ossi likes to be the Ruler of the Yard and/or the Alpha when he's playing with his pals. Thankfully, Thor is a big marshmallow or Ossi could end up as lunch. Also thankfully, when his little friend Molly the Dachshund is out walking when we are, Ossi turns into a big marshmallow or Molly could end up as lunch! Ossi doesn't seem to take much of an interest in "little dogs", but he loooves Molly. He lets her beat up on him and jump up on his chest. She thinks she's tough, but we can tell Ossi is just indulging her.




(left) Andrew Wyeth's "Master Bedroom"
(right) Ossi T. Dawg's "Guest Bedroom"

All those walks around the neighborhood and the park have definitely paid off. Tuesday night, L-Dawg was going to take Ossi for a quick walk before leaving for a meeting. However, Abbie and Sophie--Lucy's human "sisters"-saw Ossi and begged for him to come over and play with Lucy. L-Dawg gave in and Ossi and Lucy ran around Lucy's yard and wrestled and frolicked while the girls watched and giggled and tried to stay out of the way.
As an aside, Ossi *loves* little girls. They give him lots of pats and love and always scratch his ears and tell him he's soooo cute. He loves that.
It was time for L-Dawg to leave which meant it was time for Ossi to leave his buddy Lucy. One of the girls opened Lucy's gate and, in a split second, Ossi realized he was free and bolted. He ran a few laps around the park, Lucy hot on his tail, then he shot off in another direction. After searching for 20 minutes, and not even seeing a tail in the distance, L-Dawg decided to check in the direction of Sugar's yard. Ossi knows where Sugar lives and L-Dawg had a feeling he might visit her and show off his newly discovered freedom.
Just as L-Dawg was walking down the block, the little neighbor boy Matthew, came running toward her holding Ossi by his harness. The kid was totally out of breath and (from what L-Dawg could understand) saw Ossi chasing a garbage truck (Ossi hates the noise they make) and grabbed him before he could be road pizza. Matthew was definitely the hero of the week. Ossi made one more appearance at the front door of Lucy's girls to show he was safe and sound. It's a good thing too...they were just putting the finishing touches on their homemade "Lost Dog" signs, complete with pictures of Ossi drawn in marker.

And, in an effort to show off just what a spoiled baby he is, tonight he showed off his new toys.
A big shout out to Ossi's Jimbo!

A Playdate with Thor

Thor, guarding "his" water bowl and taking a break














The weather has been beautiful around here and Ossi healed up quickly so he got to have a playdate with his buddy Thor, the Great Pyranees from down the street. The boys LOVE to play together, even though Ossi weighs 39 lbs and Thor weighs 130 lbs. Thor is kind of a big marshmallow and lets Ossi pick on him. Whatever. At the end of the playdate, they're both happy and tired...and Ossi needs a sponge bath to clean the Thor drool off his back. Here's to good friends!
Thor and Ossi, taking a break to smile for the camera

Follow The Leader--Ossi's way

Why We Are No Longer Visiting the Eden Prairie Dog Park

Pre-Vet Visit




Post-Vet Visit

Last night we decided to take an impromptu trip to the Eden Prairie dog park (the closest fenced in, off-leash park). We haven't been there for quite awhile because something about that particular dog park makes Ossi very hyper. He LOVES to play at the Fridley dog park and is pretty mellow there, but he gets overstimulated at Eden Prairie. When we got there, there were a few little dogs there and Ossi mainly ignored them. Then a big, furry, black Newfoundland named Bella (?) Belle(?) showed up. Ossi head butted her a few times to get her to run so he could chase her. She wasn't buying. They ignored each other for awhile. Ossi head butted her again, no sale. Then a Husky puppy named Timber showed up and all the dogs ran to sniff/greet him. There was a scuffle that turned into a fight and Ossi was on the losing end of a snarly Newfoundland--who weighed 120 lbs. B-Dawg broke up the group and said, "Ossi is bleeding!" Then Timber the puppy's owners said, "Timber is teething and has been losing teeth. I think the blood came from him." That seemed to be the case. No harm, no foul. We decided to call it a night and load up a slobbered on Ossi into the car.

As L-Dawg was cleaning Ossi up at home, she noticed that he really *was* bleeding and that big, dumb Newfoundland dog had punctured him. As you can see above, it's a nasty looking thing, but he's fine. The vet checked him out, cleaned out the wound, gave him some antibiotics and sent us on our way. So, for the next two weeks Ossi gets "special treats" of cheese-wrapped pills. Yummmmmmm. And that is why we are no longer going to visit the Eden Prairie dog park. Make sure to send Ossi your get-well-soon vibes.

Beat the Heat--Ossi Style

Ossi, taking a dip in the creek behind G-Paw Jimbo's and G-Maw Susie's house











It has been hot--very, very hot--here so we've had to find new ways to help Ossi beat the heat. As you can see above, he enjoys swimming and loved his time in the creek. Even though it wasn't really swimming because the water was so low he could walk all the way across. He would walk to the deepest part of the water, take a few drinks, and keep going to the opposite bank. It was like swimming in a giant water bowl! AND, since it is 95 degrees, Ossi dried off right away so no drippy, stinky, wet dog.



Ossi, in his cool hiding spot














Ossi has found that the bare, wood floors are a delightful place to lay when he's hot but he's been troubled because there's no soft spot to rest his head. Problem solved. His favorite new place to lay down is between the couch and the coffee table--he lays on the bare floor by the couch and sticks his head under the coffee table on the carpet. The effect from above looks like a sleepy, but headless, dog.


when push comes to shove, roll back your ears and pant, pant, pant!

Ossi says Stay Cool!