chew on this... again

What?  How?  Really?  But?  Huh?

If you didn't recognize it, this is a photo of two different destroyed items.  The piping used to be stuck in the crack of our couch to keep the slipcover in place.  I don't even know how he knew it was there.  You can't see it at all when you look at the couch or sit on it.

The very end of the plug is from the lamp cord, which I took great care in hiding behind the couch where I thought our mini Aussie puppy couldn't reach it.  Now we have a cute lamp that can't be turned on.

I'm getting a very clear picture there is nothing Dash can't get a hold of!!!

chew on this

Hmm... sharp tiny pieces of clear plastic scattered throughout the apartment.  I wonder what Dash got to today while we were at work???

If only the Modern Warfare 2 disc was actually in the case before our mini Aussie puppy destroyed it, then maybe I'd have one night of no video game playing by Papa Dash.  At least he has headphones now so I don't have to hear the shooting noises...

blue dog food

So if anyone read my "food choices" post, we had been feeding Dash a raw food diet.  Unfortunately, our wedding budgeting calls for cut backs everywhere, including our mini Aussie puppy's extravagant diet.  Thus, we started the Blue food diet a couple of months ago.

After doing some research online, we found that the Blue brand of dog food is made of healthy, real ingredients.  There are no by-products, artificial colors/flavors/preservatives, soy, wheat, or corn.  Dash eats the puppy dry food mixed with various flavors of the canned wet food, which contains meat and veggies.  It still creates smelly poop (which the raw food diet didn't) but, you can't win them all.

Understandably, this brand is on the fancy end of the dog food chain so the prices are higher than some of the other well known brands.  However, we've found it to be a satisfying compromise between bargain kibble and the raw food diet.  So far... Dash is very pleased with the switch.

baker beach: part 2 of 2

Continuing on with our fun at Baker Beach...

What are you doing silly puppy?  Dash found a hole another dog had dug and just flopped down in it, right in the middle of playing fetch.  I guess it was cool and refreshing?  He laid there for a couple of minutes at least.

This is my favorite picture from the whole afternoon!  Papa Dash and I were slowly walking down the beach, tossing the ball for Dash, when we met up with a cute peachy colored pup.  Cute right?  Although we didn't know it at the time, I caught another nude friend in this photo.  Can you find him?  He is positioned between Papa Dash and the puppies.  AAAGGHHH!!  We totally forgot the end of Baker Beach is a nude beach and were rudely awakened by this dude taking his afternoon stroll.  Why is it that nudists are never attractive?  (Just for all you folks who have to see it to believe it, I've left this picture "clickable" so you can blow up the photo.)  BLEH.

I call this photo "mystic puppy".  The footsteps going in both directions are from Dash, and I love how there's nothing else infringing on the shot, i.e. other beach goers or litter on the sand.

We just couldn't resist taking more cheese ball shots in front of the bridge.  What a beautiful afternoon.

baker beach: part 1 of 2

Another fun weekend excursion!  Today our little family went for a romp at Baker Beach, which is our new favorite dog friendly spot in the city (sorry Crissy Field).

We like Baker Beach because for the most part, people there are either walking their dogs, fishing, or enjoying an obviously dog friendly beach.  For our super friendly mini Aussie puppy, this means a little more understanding when he comes happily bounding towards every group on the sand.

As we take Dash out more and more off leash, we've discovered he has a "type".  Small, white, and fluffy!  He definitely struts his stuff around them, even when they happen to be boys too.  LOL.  We've had to scold him several times for mounting these little puff balls...

Of course, we had to do a couple of poses in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.  After all, being so close to the national icon is one of the beach's highlights.

One thing that I find interesting about this shoreline is the way the waves recede after they break.  I don't know the technical term for it, but the waves slowly slither back and leave a sheen like glass across the sand.  I'm sure Dash's reflection would have been more crisp with a fancier camera, but this sort of captures the idea.  Even when watching the constant game of fetch gets boring, I can gaze off at the waves and smile.

More on our fun afternoon (and more new friends) to come later!

destroyed

This is after one week with Dash...  Our mini Aussie puppy is seriously a chewing machine!!!

hair hair everywhere

There is fur EVERYWHERE.  All the time.  EVERYWHERE.  I don't know how other dog owners can deal with this.  We sweep every other day and lint roller the couch just as often.  There is a layer of fur on our blankets at all times and gigantic fur/dust bunnies rolling around no matter how vigilant we are.  Really.  I'm very big on keeping a clean house and this is liable to drive me insane.

We thought brushing him more often would help, but this is what we get every time...  A FULL brush of hair.  Brush after brush after brush without end.  It baffles me how it can grow and shed so quickly!!!

This is no joke.  Even when we do our laundry we can't get rid of the fur because it's all mixed into the load and sticks onto everything.  It doesn't help that before Dash my favorite clothing color was black and his long white hair stands out like crazy.  In fact, one of my New Year's resolutions was never to buy black clothes again.  It's actually the only resolution of five that I've kept so far.

This weekend our friend stayed over and had so much fur on his clothes he said he would take it home and grow his own mini Aussie puppy!  It's no wonder why they have non-shedding breeds like poodles and schnauzers.  Seriously.  How do other people deal with this?

sleepy head

Hello my Dash...  Another successful blue eyed photo!

sick again

Yesterday Dash was sick... again.  He had really watery, bloody diarrhea and was vomiting his dinner up.  Then once all the dinner was gone, he was still dry heaving.  Of course we were very concerned, so Papa Dash took today off to take our mini Aussie puppy to the vet at Balboa Pet Hospital.

It turns out that for one, we should not have taken Dash on our Valentine's Day outing.  The vet said due to his previous injury we should have given him more time to heal rather than go crazy right after the pain meds were gone.  We intend to honor this suggestion as much as possible, but it's really getting difficult when our puppy is becoming a psychotic little would-up top in the apartment!

The vet also gave us various forms of medication for Dash's diarrhea and we purchased cans of a special bland dog food.  These were all supposed to help calm his stomach and get his digestive system back on track.  Thankfully, so far they are working.

My main concern is that Dash isn't even a year old yet and he's had several illnesses, more than one of which has been mysterious and unsolvable.  And if taking care of a dog is this troublesome and stressful, how are we ever going to raise a baby successfully???

fort funston: part 2 of 2

"Break time is over.  We're back in business..."

"Toss the ball!  Toss the ball!  Again!  Again..."

"Mama can I have some water, please?  Thank you..."

 "Look Mama!  We're pretending to be zebras.  Can you find me?"

"I love Fort Funston!!!  But I sure am pooped..."

fort funston: part 1 of 2

As Valentine's Day non-believers, Papa Dash and I were in no rush to get dressed up and fancy on Sunday and go anywhere special.  Instead, since the weather was nice we opted to go to Fort Funston and give Dash his first big day out since his injury.

Not only was it Dash's first big trip outside, but it was also a chance to socialize with tons of other dogs.  Basically Fort Funston is one huge dog park with all kinds of different terrain.  There are trails, hills, forested areas, sand dunes with low ground cover, paved walkways, and even beaches.  Oh, and don't forget the billions of off-leash dogs!!!  It's totally doggy heaven.

Once we parked at the large parking lot area and got away from the moving cars, we let our mini Aussie puppy off leash and he went flying.  Papa Dash spent the good part of the morning trailing after him as he literally dashed from dog to dog to person to person all over the creation.  When Dash is this excited he doesn't really have any recall skills, so we just have to be patient and wait it out.  Thankfully he's cute and small so people don't really mind his spazzy behavior.

After he focused a little more and had his initial fix of freedom, he was more than willing to play fetch with Papa Dash.  Pathetically, I still haven't gotten the hang of using the Chuckit!  My throws seem to just plunk the ball into the ground 20 feet away.

Here Papa Dash and our mini Aussie puppy are checking out the other dogs down the pathway.  Dash has been very fortunate to only meet friendly dogs at Fort Funston with equally friendly (and responsible) owners.

Looking back, I can't believe it was so sunny.  The weather was just perfect for our Valentine's Day out.  Of course, even crazy hyper dogs eventually get tired, even if just momentarily...

rag rope ball

Pet Smart has provided us yet again with another great find: the Petstages rag rope ball!  This is the image from the Petstages website.  It was intended to give Dash something to chew on besides toilet paper and the furniture legs...

 

Mission accomplished!  Our mini Aussie puppy attacked the non-rope pieces first and ripped off the knots at the ends.  He then proceeded to pull out all the stuffing from each piece.  I had to cut one piece off and there are two more hanging on for dear life.  After less then a day, this is what our rag rope ball looks like now:

Like all new toys, Dash is infatuated with this thing.  He carries it with him everywhere!  The best part is that he tosses it around and keeps himself entertained.  This means a few less repetitions of fetch for us.  Whew.

bathroom fun again

In the morning I'm the last one to leave the house.  It is my responsibility to close the bedroom and bathroom door securely to ensure that Dash doesn't cause trouble while we're at work.  I swear I closed the doors.  I really do.  Maybe Dash happened to jump and pull the door handle down?  Remember, you have to imagine handles, not round doorknobs...

THIS is what Papa Dash came home to today.  OOPS!  Note the gray bathroom mat in the living room on the right hand side of the picture.  The most amusing part of all this is how Dash can just lay around as if this mess is totally normal.

Papa Dash left the special decorations in the bathroom for me to clean up when I got home.  It was crazy!  We had just changed the toilet paper roll so Dash pretty much had the maximum shredding capacity possible.  Our new roommate joked that we should save it to use as faux snow at Christmas.  

Snuggles one day and chaos the next.  Such is the life we live with our zany mini Aussie puppy...

more snuggles

Like I said before, when Dash was injured we got extra snuggle time from him.  In this case he actually let us wrap him up in the blankets too.  It was too cute for words...

snuggles

There are rare moments in our life with Dash where he relaxes and becomes the perfect lap dog.  I love it when Papa Dash is able to carry our mini Aussie puppy like a baby.  He even sings a little song where he says, "Carry you like a ba-by, carry you like a ba-by."  It's so adorable.  And it makes me think he's going to be such a doting father one day...

My favorite snuggle moments are when Dash joins me on the couch and sleeps in my lap.  It happened a lot more when he was injured, but usually it's a rare treat for me.  You can be sure that every time our mini Aussie puppy ends up in my lap I happily whisper to Papa Dash, "Look at my lap dog..."  I live for those snuggles.  It makes all the bad times totally worth it!

bed hogs

This winter we felt guilty for letting Dash sleep in his crate alone while we curled up under the warm covers, so we caved and started letting him sleep on the bed with us.  Our mini Aussie puppy is very good about staying on top of the covers towards the bottom of the bed, but he's chosen the bottom half of my half of the bed to share.

As you can see from the picture, this shrinks my sleeping space considerably.  Papa Dash is no help either, since he prefers to sleep towards the center of the bed.  I spend each night curled into a small ball on what turns out to be less than 1/4 of the bed space on our full-sized mattress.  It's so much fun...! NOT.

puppy pad ingenuity

Have you ever heard of the Simple Solution Puppy Pad Holder?  If you have a puppy who likes to tear up his pee pad every day like ours does, this is the greatest invention ever!!!  We made a trip to PetSmart this weekend for some odds and ends and just so happened upon this awesome product...

 

Today was the true test, since we both went off to work and left Dash and the pee pad alone.  Papa Dash got home... and SUCCESS!  Everything was in place!  However, we're still holding our reservations on the long term success of our solution due to Dash's injury and related sluggishness.  I really, really hope this works out for us.  Papa Dash is pretty tired of cleaning up shredded cotton and plastic day after day...

bathroom fun

Today we went out to run errands and left Dash at home to recuperate.  Apparently his blood and urine tests came back normal, so it seems like the back injury may have been accurate.

Well...  When we came home Dash was right there at the door to say hello.  He was more energetic and perky, which was a huge relief.  However, our little mini Aussie puppy had something stuck to his foot.  That's strange, we thought.  Where did that come from?

 

OH.  That's... where it came from.  I guess we neglected to close the door to the bathroom before we left.  OOPS.  Dash had a field day tearing up the entire roll of toilet paper, then picked through the rubbish can and found an empty package of face cleansing wipes - hence the closure sticker on his paw.

We had him go back in to pose in front of his art project.  Doesn't he look genuinely proud of his work?  Oh my.  On the bright side, at least Dash is feeling better!

mystery ailment

A few days ago we noticed Dash was acting more mellow than usual.  He didn't tear up his pee pad while we were at work or toss around the couch throw pillows.  Then the next day we noticed he would just lie around and not get up to follow us around the house.  He had no interest in his toys and refused to jump on or off of the furniture.  Dash also had a very hard time standing up.  Although this mellow version of our mini Aussie puppy was a nice change from the typical active version, it was also cause for major concern.

 

Then today was a major scare.  I was the first to come home, and when I opened the door he didn't come to greet me or even move from his laying position.  Upon closer inspection he was trembling and tense.  When I coaxed him to stand he struggled but was unable to, then proceeded to urinate on himself.  It was an awful sight.

I called our vet for an emergency appointment and rushed right over.  Dash looked agitated, uncomfortable, and was panting.  After Dr. Henriksen at Balboa Pet Hospital examined him she was unable to find an obvious ailment.  The only clue we had was that Dash seemed to react slightly when she touched his mid spine.  In the end she prescribed him with pain medications and took blood and urine samples for testing.  The only thing that seemed to help Dash was a visit with Dr. Henriksen's two regular sized Australian Shepherds.

Since we got home he's just been sleeping it off and at least he's not quivering any more.  Hopefully the tests will tell us something more tomorrow, because we have no idea what could have caused this...

introducing julio

The Biggest Loser is one of our favorite reality shows on television and last season one of the most significant transformations was Julio, on the black team.  So naturally when our roommate gave Dash a new stuffed animal friend that was skinny and black, we named him Julio in honor of the show...

Hi Julio!  You look amazing!

crissy field

One of our favorite dog friendly spots in all of San Francisco is Crissy Field.  Before I had a dog, this is where I would go to lovingly "dog stalk" people and their adorable companions.  Papa Dash and I would intentionally route our run along the coastline towards the Golden Gate Bridge just so I could see all the dogs playing on the beach and in the field.  It was heaven!  Even though I didn't own a dog it was almost like I was living vicariously through the joy of others.

Then when we got Dash, we transitioned into one of those couples who brings their puppy to Crissy Field!  It felt so awesome to share in the happiness this park brings to so many.

 

On a sunny day, being here is so picture perfect.  I mean, playing with your dog on the beach with a clear blue sky and the Golden Gate Bridge as your backdrop...  It's pretty awesome.  The only problem is that our mini Aussie puppy is still not 100% on his recall ability.  This means when there's another dog or other people around Dash sometimes gets distracted and runs off.  Then it becomes a dance to try to get his attention again.

 

 This is why I prefer to play fetch in the fields rather than the beach.  There is much more space per dog and I personally think the sight of Dash running through the green grass is so wonderful.

art project

Oh Dash.  So cute.  So naughty.  What will we ever do with you?

 

Usually Papa Dash is so frustrated that he neglects to take photographic evidence.  However, this mess was so monumental that he just had to show me...

  

This was certainly Dash's worst mess ever.  While we were all at work our mini Aussie puppy pulled our roommate's hibiscus flower plant off the shelf and tore it to pieces.  Even the pot was shredded, because it was one of those organic types that could eventually be planted in the ground.  :(  The dirt was just everywhere!!!  EVERYWHERE.  We had to move all the furniture, sweep the whole living room, and take the rug out to thoroughly dust it.  To make matters worse, since the pot for the plant was destroyed I resorted to replanting the remaining stalk and roots into a spare rubbish can.  It was so ghetto.  Sorry roomie.

rain ready

There came a point earlier this winter when it seemed like every single dog in San Francisco started wearing a raincoat.  I'm not even exaggerating when I say almost EVERY dog was dressed for inclement weather.  So, of course Dash needed to step up to the occasion.  We made a quick run to Osso & Co and found this adorable red raincoat:

 Dare I say, he looks dashing???

christmas 2009

It seems like I'm almost caught up with posting old photos of Dash from life "pre-blog".  So, this seemed like an appropriate moment to document our Christmas weekend 2009...

This year, Papa Dash and I wanted to get off the grid and spend some quiet time together.  No cell phones, internet, or even TV.  Just the simple life. Luckily, our Aunty and Uncle in Davenport just bought a gorgeous new property and allowed us to stay for the weekend while they were vacationing in the Caribbean.

It was a really secluded piece of land in the Santa Cruz mountains with a huge backyard, a charming rustic house, and sounds from the waves drifting up from the ocean views.  Within seconds of arriving, Papa Dash and I decided we should volunteer to become the housekeeper and groundskeeper so we could live there forever.  (Or at least wish that were reasonably possible!)

I mean, check out this backyard!  And this doesn't even showcase the grove of pine trees surrounding the whole property or the wide sweeping connection to the adjacent properties.  Dash was in heaven.  Watching him run with such a carefree attitude made it very apparent that we need to move somewhere with a backyard.  ASAP.

Dash seriously payed fetch for hours and hours and hours.  He did, however, take a break when we opened his Christmas present from Koa and Lehua, our Aunty and Uncle's lab and cat.  It was an adorable orange fish that made bubble sounds.  Dash is very infatuated with every new toy he receives, so "Fishy" has become his new fling of the month.

Overall, Christmas weekend was exactly what I had hoped for.  Peace.  Joy.  And Quiet!!!  Living like that for the weekend made me seriously rethink whether being in San Francisco is the best lifestyle for us.  Perhaps we should move off the grid permanently and live a simpler life...

I'm sure Dash would greatly appreciate the additional beach time so he can work on his perpetual hole to China!