Budde the Puppy is 13 Weeks Old

Proof, He Sits!

Three months and one week.

This makes Budde our new live in buddy for six weeks now and times been flying past. Budde is officially, if he wasn't already, part of the family. My dad is in love with him. It was a slower start then some people with puppies, because my dad missed his beloved late dog Poncho. Budde had some big paws to fill. My dad is seeing now that he is smart and very trainable. I think he's finally realizing on his own, since he wouldn't listen to me, that a dog is how you raise them. Sure sometimes there are other factors, I can train Blind Louie all I want but I cannot train him to see. I can however, train Louie how to be a very high functioning blind dog, as I have and then we really don't even notice anymore that he is different from the rest of us.







Everyday it's a little easier to pet Budde with out getting your hand chewed on. I ask him to sit for petting. If he gets up before I start to touch him we start over. As soon as his mouth touches my hand I yelp and move away. We start over again. Someday he'll get a really good massage without biting and having to stop and he'll realize what he's been missing all along. He's getting there.

Budde is getting big. He's eating more and having less in door accidents. The moments of quiet cuddle time with Louie are getting more frequent. Budde knows very well that he's not allowed to eat out of the dishes of the big dogs while they are eating. He happily bounds over but puts on the breaks a foot or so behind them and sits. He watches them eat. He waits. When they are done devouring their meal he scours their bowls for them, making sure they are nice and clean for their next meal. What a good boy he is doing the dishes.

Budde truly is a bundle of energy, but also a bundle of joy. So much love and devotion in a small package. He is clearly still learning. He's still learning where we draw the line, how to hold himself, how to ask for help and how to play nice with others. It takes constant attention and gentle correction for him to understand. We cannot give up, we cannot leave him home and head out. Budde needs us around all the time, just like a baby. If we don't teach him now, he will not know how to act. Then soon enough he will be a big dog with bad manners and that is much harder to accept or ignore than it is in a puppy. So all day everyday, someone is with him. We take turns. He comes over and plays with us in the evening when my husband and I are home from work. My dad as him all day when we are gone. Dad also looks after Snorp and Louie so Budde has the big dogs for baby sitter's too.

Budde is lucky, we are lucky that we are in a position to give him so much attention. We know that is what it takes to make a great dog, and then he will pay us back in love and obedience ten fold. We thought ahead, what would it be like to get a puppy? We planned. We decided we had time, money, resources enough to take care of one and we had more than enough love. Then we adopted. I hope everyone who is thinking about getting a puppy takes this first part seriously. There are plenty of older, calmer, partially trained dogs that are up for adoption. They need loving homes too. So if the full time job of puppy rearing isn't for you, consider a more mature mate and adopt and adult dog. There is no shame in that at all, knowing your limits. We all know you can fall in love just the same.

Budde is taking his cues from the big dogs. When I ask Louie to sit, Budde looks over to Louie, watches him and copies him. He stays seated looking at Louie to wait for what's next. Louie doesn't know he's being watched, he doesn't know he's setting a good example. He can't see! He's just a darn good dog. Budde has some great teachers.

Snorp is the more patient and tolerant teacher. He will let Budde wrestle with him where Louie will not. Snorp doesn't mind letting Budde think he's winning for a while before he decides to quickly pin him to the ground. Good boy Snorp.

The three amigos! Snorp, Budde and Blind Louie

An Exciting Saturday

It cold out, and Louie wants to sleep in...
Trying to wake Louie up is quite the task, he's a heavy sleeper. Talking to him, shaking him, even picking up his head with both hands doesn't work really. He moans and sighs and just keeps snoring. I took this photo with his face in my hand and he still 'slept'. I think he's just faking it so he doesn't have to get off the bed and go outside in the cold. Since he does sleep with his eyes half opened a lot of the time it's hard to tell. The first time I saw him asleep with a blind eye opened it scared me, now it's just a sleeping Blind Louie! The one word that will wake him up? Breakfast. of course.

Today is our fifth day of our Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Class.
This is the last day of actual class, next Saturday is our final day and test day. Test! Ah! I never felt that I tested well in school. Something about the pressure made my mind go blank. I quickly found out how to avoid tests by dropping out of school at 16 and working full time instead. Phew. No tests at work... or is there?

Everyday I'm tested, quizzed on things I've learned before. It's just not called a test, exam or quiz. Every time I tell Louie to sit and stay we're practicing. As long as I can let go of that evil word 'test' then we will do fine. Louie doesn't know that word, he doesn't know what a test is and he won't know we're being tested so I'm sure he'll do fine. Again, I'm jealous of Louie's simplistic nature. He's always in the now, in the moment. Louie is also very happy... maybe he's onto something. If we don't let our past or future scare us, we can truly enjoy the present. Oh Louie, always such sage advice.

So today I will go to class with an upbeat attitude. If we do not pass the test next week we can retake it, and even if we don't, we had a blast taking this class. It's something I thought I would never do and now that I have, I hope to do it again! I'm already thinking of taking my dad's puppy to class for him. It's not something my dad would want to do but I think it would be fun to try to teach new tricks to an open mind and a clean slate. This puppy is fresh! His mind is like a sponge! He's eager to learn!

Which brings me to our next exciting thing for this Saturday!
Budde the Puppy is eight weeks old and it's his one week anniversary of being a part of the Swift-Waschke family! How did we ever live without him? I'm sure my dad is wondering that. It has been a great week. Budde never needed to be left alone and we all took turns taking him outside to potty, trying to do that about once an hour. It's annoying but he's so tiny, he needs to go very often. Also, the less accidents in the house the easier it will be for him to understand that he is supposed to ALWAYS go outside. He's too little to tell us when he needs to go yet. That will come with time.

Budde the Puppy is doing a great job following along and coming back when he's called now. I know from experience that will get worse before it gets better. He will have to test his boundary over and over time and again. That is how a puppy learns, or even how a child learns for that matter. It is our job as the adult humans to be constant in calmly showing what we expect from them as appropriate behavior again and again. and again and again and again! Patients, above all else, raises a great dog. Thanks again, to my Blind Louie for another valuable life lesson.

I decided that I would have the family fun photo shoot time only once a week.
This is a photo of Snorp and Budde the Puppy last Saturday, the day that we picked Budde up and brought him home. They are cute and playful, but after a whole week, things have only gotten cuter yet!

There is a new puppy, and taking pictures of him doing cute stuff could quickly become a time consuming addiction. So I definitely had to set myself limits. I decided to take photos of Budde every Saturday. Shots only once a week consistently will overtime provide a really great album showing him growing, and this will happen so fast! He's already a little bigger, a little stronger and a little smarter. He knows how to get up and down the front steps now and he's really getting the idea that he needs to be the one to get out from under Louie's feet. Smart guy, it only takes him being tripped over a few times and he gets the idea.

Please check back for two more new posts before the end of the weekend!
'Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 5' and 'Budde the Puppy is Eight Weeks Old!'

Budde in Action

Here's a quick clip of Budde in action! Louie was out of the picture in this video, but Snorp and Meatloaf Kitty make a cameo in the beginning. Enjoy!

There's a New Pup on the Block

The ride home in his new Papa's lap

1/12/13
Blind Louie is a Big Brother!
We are super excited to welcome a new addition to our gang... and I wish I could tell you his name! So far it's Buddy or Puppy, but something else might come up and stick. I've tried to talk my dad out of calling him 'Poncho' after his last dog. While I know how much my dad loved Poncho, this dog needs his own name for a fresh start. Poncho had some pretty big paws for this little pup to fill.

We drove early this morning to pick up the puppy.
Just my dad and I went. It was about a 45 minute drive to the home of my co-worker. We were greeted first by a gorgeous black lab with big saggy boobies. This must be mom! My co-worker's wife, Michelle led us out to the wood shed where the puppies were staying. Inside we found about 6 or 7 pups. One dark brown, one golden and the rest were black. My dad already was set on a male, and was hoping for black puppy. He scooped one up and held it close to him and said "Okay, let's go." I took the pup from him and looked at it. Checked in his mouth, his ears and held him on his back to see his reaction. He squirmed around a bit but quickly gave in and relaxed. I agreed this was a fine specimen.

Running full speed ahead!

Momma doggy didn't seem to care that we were poking around at her puppies. She seemed more than happy to get rid of one, she couldn't keep them off of her! She didn't seem to want them to nurse at all anymore.

Along with all the pups, there were two cats in the wood shed as well. The cats seem to like the puppies and had been staying in there with them. This is a great sign. The pups are already well socialized. Great! This is going to work out wonderfully.

After selecting his puppy my dad quickly got in the passenger seat of the car "You drive, I'll hold him." The ride home was quiet. Other than a couple of squeaks and whimpers, the new pup pup sat happily in my dads lap. My dad was in love! Huge red heart shapes jetted out of his eye balls and throbbed as his tongue hung out the side of his mouth, jaw dropped. His new pup and he melted in to the seat and became one.

Louie 'looks' at the new puppy sitting in my mom's lap.

When we arrived home, Snorp was outside to greet us.
He sniffed at me frantically inspecting my sweatshirt before heading around to the other side of the car, finding my dad with the source of the smell. I had expected barking and over-excitement, but Snorp was calm and curious.

We went into my parents house and Louie was asleep on Poncho's old dog bed. That dog bed has not moved since Poncho passed away a few weeks short of a year ago. Louie got up sleepily to come and greet us and it wasn't long before his nostrils were flapping like butterfly wings! Louie also, was calm. He did not bark, jump or run. Snorp, Louie and the new addition sniffed and mingled like three gentlemen. I was very proud.

The only thing a bit off was Louie and his uncontrollable drooling. I think he was just hungry for puppy! Pure, unfiltered, unprocessed, fresh organic puppy meat. mmm. The puppy was awash in Louie spit and he didn't seem to mind. Instead of puppy smell he stinks like bad Louie breath.

So they named him Budde.

Inspector Snorp Meets the Pup

It's official. My mom went to the store and bought him a collar with a name tag and everything. That's what we kept calling him anyway. "Hey buddy, come here buddy. Good boy." It's stuck. He's officially Budde P. Swift. The 'P' stand for Poncho, that's nice. In memory of. We loved that dog. So watch out world, here is Budde!

Budde follows the other dogs so well. He comes to you when you call him. All good signs. He is even starting to get out of the way when Louie is coming for him. It only took Louie tripping over him twice before he started to get it. I can't wait to get to know him better and write about his interaction with Blind Louie. Yet another chapter begins.

Training a Blind Dog

On the move! Playing fetch in the driveway 2007

Spazz Out Puppy!

So far I'd been training Louie just like any other dog I'd known, except with more maturity and patients on my part than ever before. Just wait there one second while I pat myself on the back. Okay.
By six months, Louie already knew the basics and would listen well. Sit, stay, shake, lay down, out of the kitchen, and go lay down on your bed. I was careful never to raise my voice. This came in handy when he was barreling toward a tree at 50 mph with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. You could almost hear the "Whooo hooo!" as he ran.

STOP!

This became a command so naturally. He was literally about to run smack into a tree and I just blurted out STOP! as sharp and loud as I could and he screeched to a halt and just bumped the tree. My heart was in my throat like a mother watching her toddler run into traffic after a ball. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. Softly saying "Good boy, good boy Louie. Good job, stop. Good stop." I pet him and he wagged his tail. I realized by stopping him with such a sharp tone it just shocked him out of the mission he was on and redirected his attention to me. I followed that with a gentle and playful 'good boy' to move him from the moment of being scared into feeling proud that he'd found me. Remember, Louie is a dog. If I forgot something in the car and had to go back out he would be insanely happy to see me again
                                                                                                    when I came back inside.

The next time I had to say STOP! was because he was excitedly heading for a friend that had just arrived who was still standing in my driveway. The fact seemed to go unnoticed by Louie that this person was standing on the other side of a parked car! He was just a few steps away from putting a good dent in a door and having a pretty bad headache:
"STOP!". He stops instantly and turns around heading toward me instead. He got HUGE praise this time. What a good boy! That is perfect. STOP! Means freeze and turn all attention to my voice. STOP! is the emergency break. Then I give praise and we go together to see my friend and I lead Louie around the car. I tap on the side of the car as I walk around it. As I tap I say Careful, careful Louie.

Slowly and Carefully

Careful was another term that just came about unforced. When I wanted him to know there was something around him that he may bump into I said careful in a way that was almost soothing. I said it in a low voice. Gently, slowly Careful.  

'Don't run into that stuff dummy' didn't seem to work as well. Careful now meant to watch out for an object close by, Stop made him stop. So now how do I get him to just slow his roll? He's a frickin' puppy! He's spazzing out and running around all crazy. Constantly on the move, that's what puppies do. They run away from you, hide under stuff, chew things up, get into the garbage, climb things, chew on your shoes, chase cats, try and eat your plants, dig holes and much, much more. Louie was NOT an exception to this stereotype.  Louie was a puppy! The only difference is he couldn't see jack squat.

2007 Rustling leaves help him keep track of me on the trails.

Slowly became a long, drawn out word. Slowly is said, well slowly, go figure. I noticed that by slowing down the way I said the word it slowed down Louie. If I said it out of frustration it wouldn't work. Realizing this made me understand the underlying rule in teaching a blind dog. Calm. If we are calm and think it's no big deal, we leave room for our dog to be calm. They may not be right away, but if you're not calm you're guaranteed he won't be either.

Wait

"Wait" or "wait up" means just that. "Hey dude you're going too fast, wait up for me!"  Louie loves walking in the woods on a trail. He knows when he steps off of a path by the feeling of the ground under his paws. He lifts his front feet kind of high so he doesn't trip over anything. As long as he stays close enough to me that I can stop him if he's about to stumble upon something dangerous. "Wait" allows me to ask Louie to pause for a few seconds so he's never out of earshot from my voice. Usually he will turn back and face me for a minute before turning around a going on his way.

Chill Out (Yeah you, human.)

The most important thing I've learned is to focus on myself and how I'm feeling and Louie will follow. He could sense if I was angry even if I was silent and he can't even see me! A blind dog is more in tune to 'vibes' or 'sensing' something. Smell, feel, hear, taste.  Really, he hears the way you breathe, hears the way you step or stomp, the way you move. Louie knows if I'm upset or happy or tired or hurt or whatever! I'll take a clue from Louie and focus on my chi, man. If I felt Louie wasn't listening to me when I was trying to call him, I would take a deep breath, relax my shoulders, relax my forehead and take another deep breath before instructing him again.

One thing I know for sure is trying to rush a blind dog just doesn't work and getting frustrated doesn't help either.

Next Installment: Expanding Our Vocabulary

Louie Meets the Family

Louie looks up to Poncho, literally. 2006

Meet the family

Louie's introduction into our family was interesting. My parents were convinced he was a "Rottweiler or Doberman or whatever those dogs on the news for attacking and killing kids." No he's a lab mix, I always insisted, lab and pit bull.
"Pit bull! That's it, they're the breed that suddenly turn on their owners and rip their faces off."
I would argue how dogs are a product of their surroundings just like children and this breed gets a bad name because people use them for fighting dogs. They have a coolness factor to bad and irresponsible people. The dogs are 'cared for' by people who only want to make the dog tough and mean. This would not be the case in my house. No play fighting, no "Get 'em, Get 'em!" and encouraging chasing cats or fighting dogs. I was raising a nice family dog, just like Poncho.
   

 

Poncho showing off his sock fighting skills and his shiny pink butthole.2002

 
Rewind about four years.

Poncho was an eight week old puppy I brought home from Olympia in 2002. I went to visit a girlfriend and we went to a pet store in Lacey to buy her a fish. There was a man outside with two black puppies. I was looking to get a dog soon, I knew I wanted a black lab. I  had just turned 18 and was sure I'd need a road trip companion soon enough. I looked down at the puppies, one was lying motionless on the cement. The other puppy happily greeted a lady and a little kid who were kneeling down to pet him.

I suddenly spoke sternly toward the puppies "Alright, if one of you stupid puppies wants to come home with me you have to give me a sign." One puppy did not move. The other stopped what he was doing and turned his attention from the lady with the kid. He ran over to me and started pawing at my shins then licking my hands as I bent down to pick him up. "Oh, You no good son of a bitch! Smelly little bastard. Now I have to take this fricken dog home with me? Look at it's stupid face! He doesn't even know anything." The lady glared at me and snatched her kid away. I was full on into my tough guy phase and was not concerned if strangers approved of my use of describing words. I asked the man for details and he said the pups had a chocolate lab for a mom and a blue healer lab mix for a dad, he thought. The puppy was free of charge. I took him back to my car with me.

Poncho and me with my awesome hairdo

I left Olympia later that day. My new puppy, who I called Turbo fondly named after my favorite character from the movie Breakin', sleeping on the front seat of my car the whole way home. By time I was home I decided to call him Poncho, ode to the Townes Van Zandt song Poncho and Lefty. I love Willie Nelson's version of this song.

I was not ready for a puppy. I hadn't put much thought into caring for one. I got home and showed my family. I got a call from a friend soon after letting me know they were hanging out at a nearby house. As quickly as I came in, I left again. Leaving Poncho in bed with my dad, I went out to be with friends and didn't come back for a couple of days.

When I got my own house a couple of months after that I took Poncho with me. I would take him to my dads house for him to stay while I worked. Before you know it, he was my dads dog. He went everywhere with my dad. Dad just worked on rental homes he had so Poncho was always in the truck or exploring someones yard. They were inseparable from then on.

Poncho and Louie playing at my parents house, 2006

Back to 2006

When I got Louie I was sure I was mature enough not to repeat the same mistakes I had made with Poncho. I knew a puppy was a lot of work and very high maintenance. I wasn't as social as I once had been. I liked to stay home, watch movies, go to parks or take drives. All things a dog can join me in. My parents, however, were not so sure I had learned a lesson. "Oh, great now dad's going to have two dogs? We're not taking in a vicious breed."

All these statements were made before they actually laid their eyes on Louie. Things changed quite a bit once they saw him. My dad came over to help me fix the steps to the front porch a few days after I got him. Louie continuously falling through the broken step made me finally fix it after I'd been living with it like that for nearly a year. See, he's already helping me be more responsible.

Poncho came along with my dad of course. Louie was beyond excited to have another dog there. Poncho on the other hand, not so much. Poncho immediately started marking my yard, peeing on every tree and corner as Louie ran behind trying to keep up. By time Louie actually caught him, he was peeing on a tree. Louie walked right through the stream, soaking himself in Poncho's urine. Poncho seemed pretty pleased with this. Now this was his puppy too.

Two happy dogs, Louie and Poncho

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.

It didn't take long for my family to fall in love with Louie. He was just a nice guy. Playful, loving and so eager to please. I had no problem teaching him to sit and he was soon wowing my folks with his hand shaking skills. He always missed the hand the first few times but he kept throwing his paw at you until he would get it.

Louie loved to snuggle, when he was on the bed he'd wiggle his way under the covers and close up next to my body. He always liked to have his head and face covered by the blankets, which I'd never seen a dog do before. Louie did a lot of stuff I'd never seen a dog do before. I just figured it had been a while since I'd been around a clumsy, dopey, happy puppy. There would soon be some glaringly obvious differences between Louie and other dogs that I couldn't explain.

Next Installment:There's Something a Little Off Here

The Litter

Mommy Rose with her litter (Louie top left)

Introducing, the Litter!

Now that we've learned more about Louie's parents and how I came to know them, we can move forward to the exciting part.
Rose had puppies! Seven puppies, poor girl. She was so young and had seven pups to care for.There could have been more, I know she lost a least one, maybe two, at birth.

Dog Pile: The whole bunch. About 4 or 5 weeks old. (Louie top left)

 

What is a Litter?

Merriam Webster Dictionary says: "material used to absorb the urine and feces of an animal". That's gross. I don't think we should be sopping up other animal's sick-mess with tiny, younger animals. Is this some kind of canine hazing ritual? 

Wait a second...

That seems wrong. It's always a good idea to read the whole definition before getting confused.

Here's one that seems a better fit: "the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal".

Well then what is maltiparous? I also have no idea. I think it means 'a bunch of something'.

Like puppies? Yay! I love puppies! Good thing dogs have bunches at a time because they sure do love to snuggle! Look at this dog pile. I suppose this is where that term originated. Dog pile. Who would have thought. The more you know.


Meeting the Litter

It was summertime when the puppies were born. They lived in an apartment that had a nice backyard. My friends cleared out a closet and laid down towels and blankets for an impromptu nursery. It was hot and stuffy and Rose seemed tired with all those pups constantly suckling the sweet life nectar from her many teats.

The first time I went over to see the new litter, the puppies were only four or five weeks old. Their eyes had just opened a few days before and they were still getting their sea legs. I was not sure at the time that these were actually dogs. I was pretty confident Rose had just brought home some guinea pigs and fooled everybody. I was sure she and Rio were just planning to eat those piggies when everyone fell asleep.

Three litter-mates (Guinea Pigs?)

Honestly, these pups were pretty boring. Sure they were cute, but they didn't do much. Mostly just sleeping or crawling over each other to attach to their mother and drink. They slept most of the time I was there that day. Still, one puppy stood out to me. He looked like the most comfortable puppy, always sprawled out on his back, really neat color patterns on his chest and belly, floppy ears and soft pads on his paws.

Suddenly, Second Thoughts

It came about abruptly, but again I was filled with doubt about taking home a new pet. Sure I have a cat, but Jack pretty much takes care of himself. He's a tough dude. He goes out whenever he wants, grooms himself, and the only feeding requirements are to fill his bowl when it's empty.

I left those puppies that day driving home and thinking about all the reasons I couldn't be a doggy mom: I didn't have the best living situation at the time and had some pretty rude and messy roommates. I worked a lot, drank often, stayed up late, listened to loud music, smoked cigarettes and I didn't always brush my teeth. How in the heck was I going to be good for this dog? Oh, well. Nobody's perfect. I'll try my best and that's most people can say. I met him already, no turning back now.

Preparation

In about two weeks I would bring home a puppy, time to get ready. I turn to the housewarming section of the Taoist puppy book.

Shelter: My house. Check.
Food: Puppy kibble, water and bowls. Check.
Rest: Dog bed on the floor of my empty closet. Check.
Love: Well, we'll just have to see about that. I'm still not sure it's really a puppy and not something in the hamster family.

Clean up, puppy proof. No dangling cords, no dirty clothes on the floor, no precious memorabilia lying around on the floor waiting to be chewed to bits. Bought a leash, a collar and a chew toy. I think I'm about ready to bring home a new friend.



Upcoming Installment: Destiny

Rio and Rose

Rose (left) and Rio (right) tug of war, Louie's not sure how to get in on it.

Now we'll go back a bit in Life with Louie. Rewind. Or not. Depending how you read this blog.

A blogs first entry is the last one you read if you go from top to bottom as far as I can tell. You have to go to the last thing on the page to read the first thing I'd written. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

What's Louie's story? Where did he come from?

A good friend of mine and her boyfriend got a puppy. Then they got another one. They lived together and time went by. The puppies turned into young dogs and some other stuff happened that I don't understand and I think they were stuck together at one point and I don't even know what that means? Anyway, Rose got pregnant somehow

Wait. Rewind again.

My good friend had a dog named Rose and her boyfriend had a dog named Rio. Rose was a pretty girl, shiny black with a smooth white chest. Floppy ears, kind eyes and a gentle kiss. Rose was very young when she became pregnant, less than one year old if I remember right. Rio was about a year older.

They got Rio first when he was just a little fella. Rio grew up fast. This dog was a thick headed brute, a big stocky fawn with piercing eyes and big expressive bat ears that he could stand straight up. He was a love to us, but a super tough guy. As far as he was concerned, his job was to protect and care for his people. He was always on duty. This intensity definitely got him into some trouble.

My friends got Rio from a litter that the family dog had. Then they got Rose from another litter a different family dog had. Rio's sibling, a litter-mate of his had puppies. Then came Rose.

Too confusing? Let's clear it up.

Yes, that's right, Rio is Rose's Uncle. Old Uncle Rio.
Something beyond taboo in our society so carelessly over looked when these two relatives of the opposite sex come of age. Maybe someone should have taken Bob Barker's advice and taken those pup pup's under the knife.

Well, no one did and she was pregnant before you knew it.What do you do now? Is dog abortion even a thing? ... am I gonna Google it?

Wait for it
I did. 

First headline:

Abortion in Dogs - Symptoms and Signs

Identifying the symptoms and signs of Abortion in dogs is the first step to knowing if your dog requires medical attention. Diseases and symptoms can vary, so it's...

Really? People need to know how to tell if their dog is having an abortion? Isn't it kind of an active procedure that would take some planning and skill? Wouldn't an abortion ALWAYS need medical attention?

I don't believe in dog abortion anyway. Just like Santa and the Easter Bunny.

Wow, REALLY far out. Off subject.

The point is Rio and Rose, uncle and niece, loved each other and they made puppies.
Weird little inbred guinea pigs. So we love them anyway, because when life gives you a lemon? Suck it.

Louie's mom Rose (Left) kisses his dad Rio (Right) 2006

Upcoming Installment: The Litter

Meeting Louie

Louie 7 weeks old, 2006

Meeting Louie

That is Louie circa 2006. Little seven week old pup, bright tailed and bushy eyed, as they say. I picked him from a litter of mutts. It was an unplanned pregnancy. The mom Rose, black with a white spot, three quarters lab and a quarter pit. The father, Rio, tan and white, one quarter lab and three quarters pit. Rambling Rose and Rio Grande. Named after Greatful Dead songs. Louie's parents were hippies. Sorry, don't mention it around Louie. He's sensitive about the subject. You know, don't bring up global warming, organic farming or micro brews either. Just to be on the safe side.

Louie's parents weren't married. His mother was very young and his father was a bully but a sweetheart. There was, however, a distant relation between the two, causing me concern regarding the health and intelligence of their offspring. Realizing what would be of these pups was kind of sad. They were so precious, but no one really wanted them.


I got into this idea of raising a puppy head first. Once I heard about Rose being pregnant and decided I would give one a home when they were born regardless of the circumstances of their conception. I was set on putting full effort into training an amazing dog.

I pictured days lying in the sun at the park reading my book on Taoism and puppies, with my calm and trusty friend lying off leash on the grass next to me, catching a Frisbee mid-air, running beside my bicycle.

I quickly came to, remembering that I was a homebody with mild to moderate social anxiety. I don't like lying in the sun and I'm not very confident on a bike. Hey, but I do like taking walks and I'm gentle and can sometimes force patients, so what the heck, I'll try my hand at puppy rearing anyway. If I don't allow my pit-mix to attack and kill anything more adorable then him, then I call that a win!


So how do you pick out a puppy from a litter? It's like picking a M&M from a candy dish. They are all delicious and pretty much taste the same, who cares what color it is unless your some kind of obsessive freak. Am I right? Don't answer that.

Picking a Puppy

I read a few chapters on the subject and learned a few tricks. When the litter is at least six weeks old, stop in and observe.

Watch the Puppies Interact

The 'Eastern European Magic Sleeping Puppy' may not be as cool as it sounds

•  Is there one puppy that is ruthlessly attacking others or foaming at the mouth? This puppy may not be for you, unless you're really into dog fighting, which I don't condone myself.
  
• Is there a puppy hiding in the corner unable to figure out how to turn around and get to the other side where the food is? This puppy rides the short bus.
  
• Is there another puppy waiting in line, confused, behind the short bus puppy in the corner? This puppy is a follower, not a leader. This puppy may have a lot more going on there than just being a puppy, if you know what I mean.
• Is there a puppy that is asleep the entire visit? Has this puppy moved at all? Has the owner of the dogs told you, shifty eyed, that "This puppy is known as an Eastern European Magic Sleeping Puppy."? Is there flies starting to accumulate? This puppy may be deceased. Don't buy this puppy, the will be boring and quickly start to stink.
• Is there a puppy trapped under a heavy object, unable to free himself? You should probably help that puppy. What are you, some kind of sadist?
  
• Is there one puppy playing with others and letting others play with them? Enjoying a toy, interacting with the people around, exploring, following when you call them, running when you run? Now this may be the puppy for you!
   

Inspect the Puppies

Check List to Inspect:

• Teeth, mouth and gums: Make sure your puppy's been brushing and flossing regularly.
• Ears: Infested with insects and stuffed with goo? Does the puppy bite you when you touch their ears or yelp? That puppy might be a wimp.
• Eyes: Can you see the pupil. Do they look at you? Are they cloudy? Don't over think it.
• Paws: How many toes do they have? You don't want some kind of a mutant freak, now do you.
• No-No special private parts (don't let anyone catch you looking at this one, they may not allow you to adopt that puppy after all.)

 
The Final Decision

After short deliberation I realized the little black, tan and white male was for me. He had a white spot on his neck in the shape of a triangle, that's how I'll remember which one I will take home. He has a pleasant demeanor, plays well with others, seems attentive, normal amount of extremities and not viciously attacking anyone. His eyes seem off, different but cool. Since this young puppy is still developing, the best I can tell is that he will probably have blue eyes.

I think there were about seven or eight puppies, but I took home Louie. After trying to call him Turbo, Willie Nelson and politely declined the suggestions of Shark Tooth and Killer, I thought Louie would be nice. Louie Prima. Louie Anderson. My Louis Bernard.

Fast forward one more week:

Now I'm ready to take home my perfectly normal 7 week old puppy.