Canadutch » The Zoo

A Day in the Life of Stella

Breigh — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 07:34:30 +0000

What a life! When I die I want to go back in time and come back as Stella. I figure if reincarnation is possible then time travel must be too.

This is such a great video! I’d love to make something like that for a day in the life of Bailey or Pixel. Get a photo of them running out of their crate in the morning and legging it to the living room to see if Spencer left any food behind, lazing on the footstool in the sun, going for a walk, eating some poop, giving kisses (sigh), playing fetch, you know… the usual day to day stuff.

I just love seeing people who love and appreciate their pets. Videos like this make me happy…

The Best Pet Product to Ever Happen to Us

Breigh — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:08:16 +0000

Before I tell you exactly what the product is, let me give you a bit of a background…

We’ve always known that our dogs bark when we aren’t home and would always try to be out for 3-4 hours at most, so that they could go in their crates. They love their crates and are happy and silent when they are in there, but we don’t like to leave them in too long (unless it’s bedtime). If we were going for longer, which was rare, we’d make sure to be home by 10pm so that they don’t disturb the neighbours too much at inappropriate hours.

I think we had sort of fooled ourselves into thinking that they stop barking after the first few minutes. It was how we coped and made it possible to go out without worrying the whole time. Little did we know…

They are so lucky they are cute…

In order to see what the situation was my husband designed a robot that detects when the dogs are barking and sends a message to Twitter. We call it the Tweeter Tattle.

I KNOW, he’s a GENIUS! Seriously, this is a ROBOT that TWITTERS. I love this man!

So once the robot was functional we decided to test it while we went to the grocery store. We set it up, left the dogs loose with it in the living room and headed off to the grocery store. We had our phones with us so we could check the robot’s Twitter updates while we were out.

Sweet baby Jesus, we had no idea what was going on while we were out. Check this out, this is a screenshot of what went on in the short time that we were at the supermarket (the first few minutes are at the bottom, so read from bottom to top):

People, this all took place within the space of an hour. I shit you not… my dogs are idiots.

As I said, we sort of knew this was going on. We’d asked the neighbours now and then and they’d say yeah they bark a lot while you are out, no it doesn’t bother us, it’s not so bad… but clearly we have been blessed with some incredibly patient people in our building.

Not only did this bother me because of the disruption for our neighbours, but I also hated the thought of the dogs being so agitated the entire time we are gone. I want them to be happy and feel secure, not miserable and distressed every time we walk out the door.

I started thinking of what we could do. When we are home we have been trying to Cesar Milan their asses as much as possible, but that doesn’t do us any good when we aren’t home. We had considered getting one of those collars, you know the ones that give a small static shock or shoot out some citronella spray, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was not such a nice thing to do to them.

I went on Facebook and asked the opinion of some of my friends who also have dogs. They had some great advice in regards to making the dogs a little less sad when we leave, the best being giving the dogs a Kong with treats inside just as we are leaving, so that they see us going as a good thing for the, rather than bad.

I didn’t think this was going to solve our barking issue entirely though, so I cracked my knuckles and got my Google on.

That’s when I found it…

The Petsafe Indoor Ultrasonic Bark Control System. Otherwise known as, the gadget that saved my dogs’ lives. Best. Money. Ever. Spent.

The way it works is, it detects when the dog barks and then sends out a really high pitched ultrasonic noise. It doesn’t hurt the dogs, it just startles and annoys them, so they quickly learn that if they make annoying noise they will get annoying noise in return. As humans we can’t even hear it, but if you are standing really close to the machine there is a soft mechanical noise that it makes that you can hear.

I was a little skeptical when I was reading about it, I mean how is this little thing going to stop my crazy ass dogs from barking? There’s no way. I mean I think there have been times that I got so irritated with them that my own shrieking reached ultrasonic levels and they didn’t stop barking then! Still, I was desperate and we had to try.

I checked with Wesdijk.nl to see if they had it, and luckily they did! What was also lucky is that they are only a few minutes drive from here so we were able to hop in the car and go pick it up right away.

You see, we had a BBQ to go to that night and now that we knew without a doubt that the dogs were assholes, we had to try this thing RIGHT AWAY. Our sanity and their existence depended on it.

So we get this thing home and I look at it, still unsure… but we didn’t have time to worry about it. We popped the battery in, set up the Tweeter Tattle and headed out to the BBQ with our fingers crossed.

Oh the suspense!! I think I checked my Twitter about 400 times on my phone that evening… and do you know what I saw?

That was IT, for the ENTIRE EVENING. Omg… and that was probably just the amount of barks it took them to figure out “Wait a minute, wtf… when I bark that annoying sound goes off and I don’t like that!”

The next day we went out again to a party at a friend’s place, once again as we are on the way I check Twitter on my phone.

Again, it probably took them a few minutes to realize what was going on, but then they were silent for the rest of the day while we were out.

Honestly, this thing is FANTASTIC! I sit here and shake my head because I don’t know why we didn’t look into this years ago. When I think of all the times we’ve had to leave places super early to make sure we’d get home to make sure the dogs weren’t barking and bothering the neighbours, I could scream.

We also notice a remarkable difference in the dogs’ behavior when we are home. They don’t bark nearly as much as they used to (which was pretty much anytime the wind blew) and just seem generally more chilled out. I used to feel like we were constantly getting up and trying to get them to stop barking at whatever was under their skin at that particular moment, now they’ll let off one bark now and then and are quickly reminded that they need to zip it.

Since it can only detect barking within 8 meters, it really just works in the living room. Although I have had it on the balcony with me and manually pressed the button on the top when the dogs bark and dogs that are passing by. I’ve also sat it on our shoe rack in the hallway when we were expecting someone, to stop them from barking like mad at the door (which they are terrible for). I’m pretty sure we are going to pick up a 2nd one for that end of the house (by the entry) to also cut down on their frantic barking when the doorbell rings.

Honestly, if you have a dog and have trouble with barking and don’t know what to do, you must try this. I can’t guarantee it will work on all dogs, as I read in the reviews that some just ignored it or became immune to it after a while… but so far it’s been a godsend for us. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

Now, if only we could find a machine to make them stop jumping on people, or shedding, or licking between our toes… or eating other dogs poo…. *sigh*

P.S. I forgot to mention, there is also an OUTDOOR VERSION of this if you have issues with your dog barking outside! It’s even cute like a birdhouse, makes me wish I had a garden to hang it in!

*I am in no way affiliated with Petsafe. I paid for this product and this is my own personal opinion, I was not sent this product for review.

Adventures at the Dog Park: Jack & Russell

Breigh — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:22:14 +0000

We are still taking Pixel and Bailey to the dog park pretty regularly. Pixel is never a problem but we continue to be somewhat anxious when it comes to Bailey and his aggressive attitude towards other male dogs.

You can imagine how worried we were the first time these two entered the park.

They are brothers and their names are Jack & Russell. Yes, Jack Russell. NOT what I was expecting the day I was standing in the back of the field and someone said “Oh here comes Jack Russell!” Not what I was expecting at all!

First, they are both male.

Second, they are both huge.

Third, being male and huge, I was pretty sure this was going to be the day Bailey got his ass kicked.

It turned out to be quite the contrary though. These two dogs can’t be bothered with anyone but each other. They are constantly trying to outdo each other with the sticks, and if the two of them get their mouth on the same stick, there’s no getting them apart.

No seriously, we’ve walked all the way home with the guy and they were both walking all crooked trying to hold onto the same stick.

Here’s the weird thing… Bailey LOVES these dogs. If they come near him he doesn’t do his usual growling and snarling, when they run he wants to run too. He thinks they are the bees knees.

Only one problem though, there’s no way he’s keeping up with them.

He knows it too. He legs it trying to keep up with them, then just just gets frustrated and barks. He’s like the little brother or the younger cousin who wants to play with the big kids but gets left behind every time.

It doesn’t stop him from trying again the next time though, and he’s starting to get clever with his shortcuts. I’m not sure what he’d do if he ever caught one of them but judging by how quick he gets out of dodge when they stop, I’m not too worried!

Pixel’s Pitiful Attempts at a Howl

Breigh — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:12:17 +0000

The other day I heard sirens coming in the distance. I quickly grabbed my camera and got it ready to record Bailey and his howling, just because I think it’s funny. I was wondering if this would be the time that Pixel finally joins in as up till now she has only barked and given him weird looks when he howls at things. Here is what happened… you have to listen carefully for Pixel because Bailey tends to drown her out a bit.

Yeah, not a lot of howling going on from Pixel but she is trying! You can tell that she is finally catching on that she is supposed to be doing something, but she doesn’t quite know what. Instead of a howl, all you get is a sort of strangled cry that wants to be a howl but isn’t.

One day she’ll get there and I’ll be sure to have the camera handy.

Bailey! Quit Being a Jackass!

Breigh — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:15:03 +0000

That’s me about 100 times a day at the dog park. Oh, give me strength!

For the last week or two we have been trying to socialize our dogs by taking them to a nearby enclosed dog park. Bailey has become quite anti-social over the years, especially with other male dogs. He snarls and lunges and gives me a heart attack.

I know Cesar Milan would tell me to be calm, but how can I be calm when my little dog is trying to get himself eaten by a Bouvier!! After he was attacked by a Rottweiler I’ve been incredibly frightened when it comes to other dogs.

I am extremely uncomfortable having our dogs off their leads, even in an enclosed dog park. Especially when there are other dogs unleashed as well. Xander, as well as all the other dog owners, try to get me to relax and reassure me that Bailey will improve the more we let them loose with other dogs.

In my mind? We’re not helping him get better, we are playing with fire and begging for our dog to be torn to bits.

When you have the smaller dog with the attitude, you can’t trust that the bigger dogs are always going to put up with him, what happens the time the wrong dog with the wrong owner shows up? The dog that is ready for a fight and isn’t going to listen to his owner when the time comes?

Seriously, it shreds my nerves. I absolutely refuse to go without Xander because I don’t want to try to have to control the situations on my own, and also because in situations like that quick communication is a must and that’s not something I have at the moment.

Don’t get me wrong, it is fun and Bailey isn’t on the attack every minute… but he does act like a total jackass at times and will snarl and lunge at other male dogs. Much BIGGER male dogs. I wish I could just snap my fingers and fix him.

This is one dog that he managed to be around without any serious drama. Mostly because I think this dog didn’t take him at all seriously and just let him act like a dick without giving him much thought. I mean, what point is there in fighting with a dog that can’t even reach to sniff your balls?

Pixel, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

Whenever a dog gets near her, regardless of its size, she does this…

STOP DROP AND ROLL!!!

Yes, even though she pwns Bailey hardcore at home and is totally the dominant dog, when we are out among other dogs, she is about as submissive as they get.

If another dog comes along, she flops over on her back, spreads and is all “Here, smell my lady bits!”

This is about as close as she’ll get voluntarily. She’s curious but the minute they return that curiosity she turns and hightails it for the nearest human, to cower at their feet.

I think in order to get the full grasp of Pixel’s complete disinterest and fear of other dogs, you have to see her in action. At one point while we were there a lady came along with a giant Bouvier, which she was not able to take off the lead because Bailey kept trying to pick a fight with him. Shortly after, her neighbour arrived…

It was so bizarre. This lady arrives at the dog park in a pink robe and six or seven Shih Tzu in tow. The lady was quite content to hang around the park in her bathrobe chatting away. She was very friendly and had some good tips on how to get the dogs a little more social.

I assume they were good tips, I mean… with that many dogs she must know what she is doing.

Her dogs loved Pixel. The feeling was soooo not mutual.

You can see in the end of the video, the lady came around with the Bouvier again and Bailey was quick to make a move. I had to stop filming then because I was busy panicking.

I KNOW, I need to remain calm. I don’t do calm very well…

So yeah, I’m not sure how I feel about this dog park thing. On the one hand I agree that it’s in their best interest to try to socialize them, but I can’t help but feel like one day Bailey is going to pick a fight with the wrong dog and is going to get hurt. I don’t think I could forgive myself if that were to happen.

Does anyone have any experience with dogs and aggression? He is only REALLY aggressive with other male dogs, especially if they are dominant as well. It scares me and I’m really not sure that this is the best way to deal with it. Help!

P.S. Flickr appears to be having problems so if the photos aren’t showing up, that is why. Hopefully it will be sorted soon!

Frosty Carnisse Grienden

Breigh — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:04:13 +0000

I apologize in advance if your modem melts while trying to load this post. It’s picture heavy, I can’t control myself…

This appears to be the week where we revisit places we’d been at around the same place last year.

Yesterday when we saw the sunshine yet again, Xander and I grabbed the dogs and headed off to Carnisse Grienden for a walk. If you look at that link, the last time we were there was February 22nd of last year, and the conditions were pretty much the same yesterday… beautiful, cold and frosty.

This was my Project 365 photo for the day. I loved the texture of the wood and how the frost sparkled in the sunlight.

No matter how green things appeared to be or how sunny it was, there were always reminders around to make sure we knew it was still winter.

There was ice everywhere. I didn’t mind though as it made for a few more nice photo opportunities. It was hilarious watching the dogs waking over puddles though. The few times their paws went through they scurried off like their tails were on fire!

It was so incredibly serene there. I don’t know if it was because of the cold weather or because we went so early, but we only came across one other person walking out there and they were leaving just as we went in. It seemed as though we had the entire place to ourselves.

This did me a world of good as I’ve been stressing out a bit lately and being out in the fresh air in such a lovely place gave me the time and space I needed to just breathe and relax.

The dogs loved it too! Bailey was on high alert at all times, while Pixel made it her life’s mission to sniff every blade of grass, fallen leaf and tree stump.

I’m not sure if that area is somehow affected by tides (I think it is) or if it was lack of rainfall recently, but where there used to be water, was now mostly just mud. It wasn’t entirely a bad thing though as it made for a bit of a different view from our last visit, when it was quite wet.

The last time I walked by this area it was completely full of water. I was sort of startled when I saw that thing at the bottom there on the right, it looked like a dead animal. It was just wood though.

This left me a little confused…

As did this…

Not one, but two ladders to nowhere.

I saw them when I was there before too, although half of them were underwater. I suppose at some point there may have been some kind of dock there, although I can’t imagine for what. It’s possible people used to use this area for small boats as there are waterways that lead to the Maas (river) but it obviously wasn’t kept up. You aren’t getting anywhere with those ladders nowadays.

There is a lot of nature in Carnisse Grienden, but the main focus are the willow trees…

They line most of the walkways through the park but there are also fields and fields of them. Apparently they are trimmed on a cycle of three years, allowing them to grow and then cutting the branches. They are used for loads of different things like making baskets and reinforcing the walls of canals.

Our peace and quiet was temporarily disturbed as we came along a field where the workers were busy with their chainsaws. It didn’t really jive with the relaxed mood we’d managed to make for ourselves up to that point, but they had a job to do.

I tried not to let my anger about chainsawing trees get in the way of my enjoyment. Plus, I don’t really care about these trees. Even if I did want to tell them off for it, I don’t think they would have understood me. I’m pretty sure they were Polish.

Like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end. We had reached the end of our path and civilization could be seen off in the distance. I sort of wanted to turn around and go hide back in amongst the willow trees where everything was simple and beautiful, but I had to get on with my day.

Not before trying to get some more photos of the dogs though…

Have you ever tried to get photos of dogs who are super excited in unexplored territory? Not an easy task, let me tell you!

After about ten attempts to get a photo of Bailey and getting nothing but a leg lifting, grass kicking blur, I finally managed to get him in a still moment… and that was only because he thought he heard a sheep.

I gave up on Pixel. She is so fast and the only time she stopped for a moment was to scratch an itch. Is it too much to ask for a cute pose, after all we do for her?

Oh, and see in the background? Leg lifting… after an hour walking through the woods there wasn’t a drop left.

I guess he was just threatening…

You can see all of the photos I’ve taken at Carnisse Grienden in my Flickr Set. For more information on the area, you can visit their website. It’s in Dutch, but Google Translate is your friend.

The Tables Have Turned!

Breigh — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:57:58 +0000

Remember back when Pixel was only a few weeks old and I made some videos of her and Bailey playing?

That was two years ago… Pixel really gave it her all but Bailey had the upper hand with a huge size advantage.

A friend of mine made a comment on one of the videos saying she wondered what it would be like once Pixel was a bit bigger.

Well… she’s still not quite as big as him but it’s definitely not as easy for Bailey as it used to be!

I took this video about an hour ago when the dogs were playing on the sofa. They’d already been playing for a while but I didn’t realize the camera was right next to me until later on. You can see that Pixel can really hold her own now and it’s usually Bailey that gets tossed off the sofa. Much to his dismay, as you will hear.

The video is a bit dark, as it was dusk here and I knew any real movement on my part (like getting up to turn on the lights) would cause them to stop all playing action and immediately run to my ankles to see what I was up to. You can still see them though.

How cute is it when they are licking each other after they stop playing. It’s all like OK! Time to kiss and make up!

Pixel looks so much bigger than she really is now that she has her winter coat on (we get her plucked in the spring so she’s sleek and tiny through the warmer months).

I love that they play together. I’m hoping it will keep Bailey young. He’ll be eight this year and he’s aging far too quickly for my liking!

30 Days of Truth: Day 15

Breigh — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:53:13 +0000

Ok first let me get the usual suspects aside. My husband, my friends, my family… goes without saying.

There’s something I have tried to live without that didn’t go very well, I was miserable.

When I first left home when I was 21, back in 1996, I lasted approximately three weeks without any pets. It was horrible! I wasn’t allowed to bring the horrid little dog that I had to the flat I was living in so I left her with my parents. I had no pets, just a dick boyfriend, I needed someone sweet to love.

That’s when Spencer came into the picture, and my life would never be the same again… He is, to date, the longest pet relationship I’ve ever had.

It’s been 14 years and the only time I was without pets since then was when I first got here to the Netherlands and was waiting for the cats to arrive.

Anyway, as I was saying, I could never imagine living a life without pets. They bring so much joy into my life, even if they do get on my nerves from time to time. I love animals and will always want them in my home.

These are the pets that are still living with us right now:

Bailey, our Yorkshire Terrier, will be eight years old this year. You will never find a more loving and faithful dog than he is. I wish I could go back to when he was a pup and do it all again. I never want him to leave me.

Pixel, our Wirehaired Dachshund / Chihuahua mix, will be three years old this year and she still looks like a puppy! She’s lethal and knows how to play us humans like a fiddle.

The Turtles…

Frick, basking as a hatchling.

Lego, our newest addition just after we got him home.

Chip and Sydney, back before they had to be separated.

Sherman, our Greek Tortoise who loves to eat.

Some of the pets that were with us in the past…

Salem was rehomed almost two years ago. I miss him . Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision in rehoming him, but when I see the change in Spencer I know I did. They fought a lot and Spencer is a lot less anxious without him here. Salem was happy to accept new owners but Spencer demands to be here with us. I know Salem’s new owners are giving him a wonderful life too, I just miss him sometimes…

Harley was our Africa Pygmy Hedgehog. Quite an interesting pet but I wouldn’t have one again. They are nocturnal and don’t really bother with you. They require a fair bit of space in their cage and can be quite dirty. Still though, he was an awesome little pet while we had him and he was very very cute and photogenic!

Cleo and Molly… yeah, we had rats. Another pet that we enjoyed while we had them but wouldn’t have again. We couldn’t really let them out of their cage because the cats would go bananas. Also keeping up with the cage cleaning got to be a bit much. Most of all though, their short life span is what I don’t like. I don’t like that about mostly all small and fuzzies, to be honest. I hate losing pets and that comes around way too quickly with these guys.

Turtles, some failed to thrive as hatchlings… which is very common unfortunately. Others died for unknown reasons. Always a risk when keeping turtles.

Radar, cause of death unknown. I was very sad when he died as I’d had him the longest.

Cupid, failed to thrive as a hatchling.

Stelo, cause of death unexplained. He died within a week of Radar. Was a bad week for me.

Phoenix, same species as Cupid and also failed to thrive as a hatchling. I swore to never get this type of turtle again.

Whew, yeah so I think that’s it. This post has made me a little sad to be honest, thinking of the pets I’ve lost along the way. I guess that’s all a part of choosing to have the pets that I do though. When you keep turtles there is always a chance they won’t make it as their care is so specific, and sometimes there are just things wrong with them that you aren’t aware of. With pets like hedgehogs and rats, their life expectancy is only 2-4 years, which doesn’t give you long to enjoy them.

Cats and dogs are where it’s at, they give you a bit better, time wise… I don’t even want to think of what I’ll do when the time ever comes I have to say goodbye to one of the dogs, or Spencer. Seriously, I’ll be a weep machine.

On that note, here’s something that made me giggle with my pets yesterday. Bailey howling his arse off at a siren going through the neighbourhood. Pixel still hasn’t ever howled, she just barks. As long as she makes sure she’s heard. Crazy little shits, they are…

What Do You Get When You Cross a Weak Woman and Tiny Dog?

Breigh — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:24:59 +0000

Something that looks a little something like this…

Someone mentioned recently that the blog has been lacking in Pixel photos so I thought I’d post this one my husband took this evening while we were watching TV.

What? Isn’t this how everyone watches TV with their dog? Umm…?

I mean, she likes it like that, she jumps, and jumps, and looks up at me with those little eyes, then jumps three or four more times before making it up onto the chair. How can I not give her a wee cuddle after she put in all that effort. It must be exhausting!

It’s not easy being her, you know… what, with her short little legs, Bailey running off with her toys, Spencer refusing to ever play with her, the shouting matches between her and the Devil dog upstairs. It’s a rough life she leads, she deserves a little R&R.

It’s also entirely possible that she lives a life of luxury and has me wrapped around her little paw.

A Cat Only a Mama Could Love

Breigh — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:22:13 +0000

He drives me crazy.

Over the years, he’s come so close to death so many times I can’t even explain it.

He’s obnoxious. He’s bossy. He whines and he gets his hair everywhere.

He makes me itchy.

He hisses and scratches most people who aren’t me.

He refuses to be anywhere but in this house with us.

He chews plastic bags and plants and then pukes them back up around the house.

He’s insane.

Still, when I see him curled up sleeping somewhere, or he climbs up on the back of my chair for a cuddle, I can’t help but love him.

I often fantasize what life will be like without a cat in the house, and then I feel guilty because I don’t ever want to lose him. No matter how much he makes me want to throw him off the balcony sometimes, I’ll be devastated if anything ever happens to him. He sure has made life interesting over the last 15 years.