Poorly Paws and Eating my Feet

Harumph. Dogs, I am NOT happy. I, Diesel, the cutest and coolest dog in the neighbourhood am sitting here wearing a numpty hat! Whats a numpty hat you ask? Well, its a stupid hat that makes me look like a complete numpty. Mum says its for my own good......pffff!!!

If you are wondering why i am forced to bear this humilation, then here is the story. Every few months or so i get a bit tetchy and decide to eat my feet. Well, one of them anyway. I've been sneaking a peak at Mums book and have diagnosed myself with self-destructive cycles. I chomp away and pull bits off my pads until they get really sore. Then obviously, i have to constantly lick it in order to make it better. Mum, however, doesn't undestand the sanitary, medicinal or theraputic importance of licking . Not only does she try and stop me eating my feet in the first instance, but she then refuses to let me lick them better!!! I mean, C'mon!!! Every dog knows that the only way make things better is to lick them. Buuuuut, she won't let me. so everytime i slip into a self destructive cycle and eat my feet........ on goes the numpty hat.

Fortunately my Mum isn't totally evil, so she doesn't try and humiliate me in front of my friends. When we go out she takes off the numpty hat (yay) and lets me wear my totally cool K9 trainees!!!! The other dogs are soooo jealous!!! Soooo, until i can break out of the circle, it looks like i'm in for a cycle of numpty hats, trainees and relaxing paw spas, until my feet get better.

Carls' Note: since we adopted Diesel he has had a recurring habit of chewing his pads until they are raw. at first we rushed him back and to to the Vets to see if he had something stuck in them, or if he had picked up something nasty while out swimming. £100's later we realised it was stress related. A habit he picked up from being left alone all the time at his previous home. These days we've managed to cut it out almost completely, but every so often something will set him off and it will start all over again. Here is how we fix it. In the house he wears his numpty hat to break the licking cycle. Then, when we go out, he changes into this trainers and this allows him to walk on the saw area without too much discomfort. Then, when we get back, his paw is bathed in saline salution and fully dried. Finaly the numpty hat goes on and we repeat the process. All in all it takes about 3 days if you break the cycle (licking/ chewing) early or a week if it has gotten very sore.

Photos

As Petra-No and Prince Jake needed their photos taken for the Fylde Coasters flyball website, Mum 'kindly' consented to getting her priorities right and taking some pics of me! I love having my picture taken. The more i pose for pics, the more treats i get! Whats not to like?! Anyhoo, here we are out and about and around the house.

Carls' note: You have nooooo, idea how long it took to get 3 dogs to sit, one behind the other, on the garden wall!!!

Rottie Review: Quick Draw - 'Stowable' Lead by Ruff Wear

Carls' note: IMO a dog toy/ lead/ bed/ harness.... or whatever that can stand up to an enthusiastic rottweiler is a toy/ lead/ bed/ harness worth having! Or, at the very least, it will be strong enough to stand up to most other canine usage. As i am constantly buying D & P new things (some lasting longer than others) i thought it would be useful to let you know how they stood up to rottie crash testing.

The Quick Draw - 'Stowable' Lead by Ruff Wear was a must have for me. In principle its a brilliant idea. Normally when i'm out and about in a new area, the dogs are generally off lead, and i have their leads wrapped around my body. Even though i know that both my dogs are great with other dogs, i can never know what the other dog/ owner is like. So, generally speaking, i put my two on their leads if I see a strange dog approaching. If its a popular dog walk then i often find myself spending more time putting leads on and off than i do enjoying the walk. Enter the Quick Draw - 'Stowable' Lead.

This is a short lead with a clip at one end and a strip of velcro at the other. The clip attaches to the d-ring on your dogs collar, wraps round the neck (like a second collar) and then velcros back onto itself. Everytime i see another dog coming i just pull the tab and Hey Presto, both dogs are under control on a mini lead. Then, when the danger is passed, i can quickly velcro it back into a collar again.

The idea is fantastic and it works perfectly and exactly how it is meant to. Life on busy dogs walks has suddenly become a whole lot easier!!!! BUT......

The clip is made of plastic and is in NO WAY STRONG ENOUGH to hold a rottie who is eager to meet a new dog. Obviously, the velcro doesn't have to be strong. That just holds the lead in place like a collar. But the clip? Once the quick draw is in lead mode in needs to be strong enough to be, well, a lead.

We found this out to great amusement when Petra snapped the clip clean off and charged off on a happy hare around the park with two new red setter friends.

In summary this is a brilliant idea but no good for strong dogs. However, i still use mine all the time but with some minor alterations. Namely a stronger clip.

Wabbits!!!

I Just love rabbits. Sometimes Mum lets us chase them and sometimes not. We're DEFINATELY not allowed to chase them at Grandma's house because the rabbits live too near to the sheep. And we must never NEVER chase sheep. Mum says that sheep chasing carries the death sentance in the UK. Usually with no trial and by a very angry farmer with a 12 bore shotgun!

Chasing rabbits is my absolute favourite thing though. At the park near Dad's house we're allowed to chase them all the time and its fab. Whats more, i have discovered something else that i'm great at to! Not only am i as fast as a grey hound hound during the chase, i'm also as small as a terrier when it comes to following them into the rabbit holes!

Check this out!

Here i am, in the dead of night, sneaking down a rabbit hole to capture an unsuspecting wabbit!

Magically shrinking down to the size of a terrier i worked my way further into the burrow.

I've got them now! Those wily wabbits have got no chance against my undergound skills!

MUMMMMMM!!! HEEEELLLP!!! My butt has got stuck in the entrance!!!

Now, normally i'd be totally embarrased by this little incident. But hey, any story that finishes in a great picture of my super cute rottie butt must be worth it!

The sofa is STRICTLY off limits.....

Ok, so Mum n Dad have a rule in the house that under no circumstances am i allowed on the sofa. Let me first point out that this rule is totally unfair. Petra-NO is allowed on all sofas!! In fact, she even has a sofa of her own that they call 'PP's chair'. PP'S Chair??!! Sheesh. I ask you? I'm the compact, clean, non-drooly one and yet its that big galumphing thing that gets the sofa. Where is the equality?? I mean, check this picture out for cripes sake. Who would want THAT image in the corner of your eye when you are watching tv??

Carls' Note: Diesel is not allowed on the furniture because he has alpha male issues. Once he's on he won't get off with out a growl. Hence no sofa. Petra on the other hand gets on when told and off when told and reaps the subsequent rewards.


Anyway, they are very strict with the no-sofa rule and i am always relegated to the floor. Both Mum and Dad get very cross if i get on the sofa, BUT...... check this out. Mum came home from work to our old house and caught Dad watching TV with me on his knee!!! Ha ha, Dad is so weak. As soon as Mum was out the door he let me jump up, sit back and chill out while we watched the football. Mum went mad (after taking this photo of course). She harked on about disciplin and continuity etc.

So the no sofa rule was enforced for mnths after that, then, last night Dad went out and left me to look after Mum while she watched a scary movie and guess what??!! Mums a sucker for my cute little rottie face to!! By the time Dad got home Mum and I were fast asleep on the sofa. Check me out, how comfy does that look???!!!