We re-rented the front of our house, and so we have new neighbors again. They seem very nice.
They have a dog. As part of discussion before move-in, I reminded them that we do not allow aggressive or excessively barky dogs. I asked if their dog is aggressive or excessively barky. They told me it isn't. They said the dog does bark when people comes to the door, or if people invade the dog's territory, but otherwise it doesn't bark much. (That's acceptable.)
Over the past week or so they've been gradually moving in. I can tell that they've brought the dog now, because it started barking around 1 pm today, and it has kept barking all day long--it's 8:15 pm as I type this and the wretched beast is still barking.
If you've ever met our dog, you'll know she is almost completely silent. That's on purpose. Jeff wanted a Chihuahua and I said "no way, Jose," because Chihuahuas are almost always extremely barky. (Does anyone disagree with this? Go visit the small dog room at the humane society and then visit the big dog room.) The reason I screen for barky dogs before accepting a rental application for our house is because our last renters had a dog that was extremely barky and aggressive when he was outside, and moderately barky inside. I hated it.
I don't mind hearing the neighbors' dog bark occasionally, but all day long?? Shouldn't it have a sore throat by now?
So, my dear friends, how did this happen?? Please vote.
a) The dog is adjusting to the new home and it will get much quieter very soon; it is not actually a barky dog.
b) The owners didn't realize their dog has a serious barking problem because it actually only barks when they are away, so they really do believe it is a quiet dog.
c) The owners lied or really exaggerated: the dog is barky and they knew it. (Asked about their dogs, how many owners would actually say, "Oh. Actually our dog is very barky, so this may not work out.")
d) Someone has been knocking on the front door all day long and the dog is just barking about that.
e) It isn't their dog. Someone else's dog is in the front of our house.
f) Some other reason. (Please explain in the comment space below.)
If this happens again tomorrow maybe I should text them to let them know there may be something wrong and they should probably check on their dog because it has been barking for x hours. Or slip some poison under the laundry room door. (Of course I could never actually do that, but my goodness, make the noise stop!)
And, for extra credit, will someone please explain to me why they keep making dogs like this? If it were up to me, all barky or otherwise "bad" dogs would be neutered or spayed, and then sent to Australia to live out the rest of their miserable lives hunting wild rats and being eaten by fleas.
Showing posts with label dog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Bringing Chalcy Home!
Now, here is a short post with some pictures from when we brought Chalcy home.
We met up at Chalcy's dad's house, so I wouldn't have to drive all the way up to Smithfield again (2 hours each way!). His name is Axel and he is 36" tall (at his shoulders?), which is very tall, even for a Great Dane. The lady who owns him said she hasn't weighed him in a while, but the last time she did, he weighed 150lbs. He is massive! But he is just the friendliest guy.
Me with Chalcy, right after the lady (not the one in the picture above; the one who owns the mom) gave Chalcy to me, for us to keep.
Holding Chalcy for the ride home! I put a towel on my lap after the picture. She licked and licked and licked me! And then she was a little nervous for the first half of the ride. She slept in my lap for the second half of the ride.
After we got home, we took her out to the backyard to do her business, and to romp around a little bit. Mostly, she just wanted to sleep in my lap for awhile. This is the first non-blurry, awake picture of Chalcy, at home.
J playing with Chalcy. He plays nicely with her. She thinks he is a lot of fun. (He is.)
And then this last picture is of Chalcy, the morning after we brought her home, playing with her KONG for the first time. She figured out how to get the treats out, and I think she could smell the treat inside the toy, but when the treats would fall out, she didn't realize treats had come out, so she would just leave them around on the floor. (Which kind of defeats the purpose of the toy, because the dog is supposed to feel rewarded for figuring out how to get the treat out. But, whatever, she'll get it sooner or later.)
That's all for now! I'll have to post more later about lots of fun things, like 'Meeting Paley!', and 'Deep Cleaning My Entire Carpet, 6" at a Time!'.
We met up at Chalcy's dad's house, so I wouldn't have to drive all the way up to Smithfield again (2 hours each way!). His name is Axel and he is 36" tall (at his shoulders?), which is very tall, even for a Great Dane. The lady who owns him said she hasn't weighed him in a while, but the last time she did, he weighed 150lbs. He is massive! But he is just the friendliest guy.
Me with Chalcy, right after the lady (not the one in the picture above; the one who owns the mom) gave Chalcy to me, for us to keep.
Holding Chalcy for the ride home! I put a towel on my lap after the picture. She licked and licked and licked me! And then she was a little nervous for the first half of the ride. She slept in my lap for the second half of the ride.
After we got home, we took her out to the backyard to do her business, and to romp around a little bit. Mostly, she just wanted to sleep in my lap for awhile. This is the first non-blurry, awake picture of Chalcy, at home.
J playing with Chalcy. He plays nicely with her. She thinks he is a lot of fun. (He is.)
And then this last picture is of Chalcy, the morning after we brought her home, playing with her KONG for the first time. She figured out how to get the treats out, and I think she could smell the treat inside the toy, but when the treats would fall out, she didn't realize treats had come out, so she would just leave them around on the floor. (Which kind of defeats the purpose of the toy, because the dog is supposed to feel rewarded for figuring out how to get the treat out. But, whatever, she'll get it sooner or later.)
That's all for now! I'll have to post more later about lots of fun things, like 'Meeting Paley!', and 'Deep Cleaning My Entire Carpet, 6" at a Time!'.
Naming Puppy, or "Rules for Naming Dogs"
It is so difficult to name pets, I think.
The thing is, it's awkward when you give a pet a person-name. Jess and I had our cat Abby, and it seemed to just be kind of awkward because sometimes there are little girls named Abby, and I just think "Hey, I had a terrible cat named Abby!"
I would have liked to call our puppy "Gracie" because I think that's a cute name for a dog, but one of the girls in J and I's primary class is named Grace. How weird would that be to name our dog Gracie and then tell our primary kids about it.
Me: "Brother K and I got a puppy!"
J: "We did!"
Kids: "Oh!" "What did you name it?"
Me: ... "Gracie!"
Kids: "Like Grace in our class?"
Grace: "That's my name!"
Us: .... [?]
It's a little different if you're copying a person name for a person, because then it's just like you liked the name. Dogs are not people, though. Like, how would everyone I know feel if I named my chickens after them? Somehow it makes a weird association that doesn't belong. Like, if your name is Sam and I named a chicken after you, and I pretend it's actually named SAMantha, but I always call her Sam. Then I talk about Sam laying eggs, and maybe I share Sam's eggs with Sam, and eventually I have to eat Sam because she doesn't lay enough and it's time to have some fresh chicken. Like, do I invite my friend Sam to come eat dinner that day? (Because it was the bird named after him, so he should get to enjoy some?) Or do I especially, certainly, most definitely not invite him for dinner that day? (Because we're eating his namesake?) The whole thing is just a little weird. Dogs are different, because we're not eating our puppy, but still.*
Anyway.
So, people names that are uncommon are okay, because people name kids weird things anyway. You could name your dog "Comeheregirl!" and some lady in downtown New York could name her daughter "Comeheregirl!" too, anyway.
Tracy and Freddy named their dog Riley, and that seemed like an okay dog name. Dog names that are people names but also common dog names are okay, because if you're a lady who names your kid Riley, you've just got to know that your precious baby is going to share the name with slobbery dogs. Jake? Same thing. But you name your kid Jacob, usually, not Jake, and everyone calls him Jake, but nicknames are fair game for dogs, so your kid can still be dignified.
I kind of like old names for pets. It makes them charming, I think. I wanted to name our dog Betsy. J thought it sounded like a name for a cow. I said no, that's Bessy, not Betsy, but he still didn't like it. I also liked Dolley, because she's going to be a big dog that just kind of flops on the couch, like a doll. J said no, that's a sheep name. I guess it sometimes is.
For a few minutes J and I both liked 'Sadie.' But it turns out Jess likes that name for a kid, and it's not nice to use the name your sister actually really likes and specifically mentions when you're naming your dog.**
I also really like giving pets names that are somehow meaningful. Paley is named after something on purpose. When you're naming things, it does not matter what the actual definition of the word is.*** What I mean is, if the definition of the name 'Susan' is believed to come from Susanna which is believed to come from 'shoshan' in Hebrew, comes from the Egyptian word which means "lotus flower," who cares? Because your daughter Susan is not going to become a flower, and nobody else will know (or care) what the name meant**** hundreds of years ago.
What I mean is, I think the best names for dogs are ones that mean something to me. What I really wanted for Puppy was a name like 'Dewalt[e]' or 'Makita' ('Kita' for short?) since I like tools and want to be BUILDING THINGS. (Or 'Easa' for like Easement since that's a real estate word and I'm doing property management these days. Or 'Cara' to be short for Carolyn, who was our excellent real estate agent, and after Cara my stylist*****. Or 'Beck[a]' because I like Glen Beck. Eh. But people would think it was Becca, and that's too close to a people name, since there are SO many 'Becky's.)
None of those were quite right, though. So instead, we decided to go with a name that was inspired by this book:
We are calling our puppy Chalcy, after one of Kyra Sundance's dogs that co-author. The actual Chalcy even has an author page on Amazon.com.
When I was buying puppy stuff, I saw this book and another book by Kyra Sundance, 51 Puppy Tricks. I bought the puppy one because it seemed more geared towards people with puppies. One of the reviews on Amazon says not to buy the puppy one because the dog one includes all of the puppy ones too, so I felt bad for a few minutes for buying the puppy one instead of the dog one. But actually, the puppy one uses a lot of clicker training, which I knew we wanted to do, and it has instructions and advice specific to puppies, which makes me feel more confident about doing this whole process.
So anyway, J and I both liked the way 'Chalcy' sounds and it is:
a) not a people name;
b) not too many syllables;
c) doesn't sound too much like 'Paley';
d) doesn't sound too much like "sit" or "stay" or "down" or other things we want her to know later; and
e) a good daily reminder for J and I of what we want our puppy to be like (and what she will be like, sort of, if we are Diligent Dog Owners and do what we need to to be Responsible and train her like Good Dog Owners do).
So far, the only problem with the name is that it sounds similar to 'Chelsea' so when people ask what her name is and I say 'Chalcy' they say "Oh, Chelsea? How nice!" But her name is Not Chelsea. But it really doesn't matter too much, because random friendly shoppers at PetSmart don't actually care what her name is and they are not going to see her again anyway. So it usually isn't worth correcting, and once she has her tag, people will read it and understand anyway.
* It almost seems a little bit to me like those dolls that people put pins in to cast spells or something. Like, you're here against your will, or something.
** When you're naming children, if you're pregnant first, you can use whatever name you want, even if your sister likes the name. But when you're naming dogs, that's not nice, and you're not supposed to, even if the person who likes the name is not expecting.
*** Unless unknown definitions mean something special to you.
**** (Supposedly, probably, people think)
***** Who also had (and loved!) a Dane when she was younger. We talked all about it when I had my hair done last week. She's fantastic.
The thing is, it's awkward when you give a pet a person-name. Jess and I had our cat Abby, and it seemed to just be kind of awkward because sometimes there are little girls named Abby, and I just think "Hey, I had a terrible cat named Abby!"
I would have liked to call our puppy "Gracie" because I think that's a cute name for a dog, but one of the girls in J and I's primary class is named Grace. How weird would that be to name our dog Gracie and then tell our primary kids about it.
Me: "Brother K and I got a puppy!"
J: "We did!"
Kids: "Oh!" "What did you name it?"
Me: ... "Gracie!"
Kids: "Like Grace in our class?"
Grace: "That's my name!"
Us: .... [?]
It's a little different if you're copying a person name for a person, because then it's just like you liked the name. Dogs are not people, though. Like, how would everyone I know feel if I named my chickens after them? Somehow it makes a weird association that doesn't belong. Like, if your name is Sam and I named a chicken after you, and I pretend it's actually named SAMantha, but I always call her Sam. Then I talk about Sam laying eggs, and maybe I share Sam's eggs with Sam, and eventually I have to eat Sam because she doesn't lay enough and it's time to have some fresh chicken. Like, do I invite my friend Sam to come eat dinner that day? (Because it was the bird named after him, so he should get to enjoy some?) Or do I especially, certainly, most definitely not invite him for dinner that day? (Because we're eating his namesake?) The whole thing is just a little weird. Dogs are different, because we're not eating our puppy, but still.*
Anyway.
So, people names that are uncommon are okay, because people name kids weird things anyway. You could name your dog "Comeheregirl!" and some lady in downtown New York could name her daughter "Comeheregirl!" too, anyway.
Tracy and Freddy named their dog Riley, and that seemed like an okay dog name. Dog names that are people names but also common dog names are okay, because if you're a lady who names your kid Riley, you've just got to know that your precious baby is going to share the name with slobbery dogs. Jake? Same thing. But you name your kid Jacob, usually, not Jake, and everyone calls him Jake, but nicknames are fair game for dogs, so your kid can still be dignified.
I kind of like old names for pets. It makes them charming, I think. I wanted to name our dog Betsy. J thought it sounded like a name for a cow. I said no, that's Bessy, not Betsy, but he still didn't like it. I also liked Dolley, because she's going to be a big dog that just kind of flops on the couch, like a doll. J said no, that's a sheep name. I guess it sometimes is.
For a few minutes J and I both liked 'Sadie.' But it turns out Jess likes that name for a kid, and it's not nice to use the name your sister actually really likes and specifically mentions when you're naming your dog.**
I also really like giving pets names that are somehow meaningful. Paley is named after something on purpose. When you're naming things, it does not matter what the actual definition of the word is.*** What I mean is, if the definition of the name 'Susan' is believed to come from Susanna which is believed to come from 'shoshan' in Hebrew, comes from the Egyptian word which means "lotus flower," who cares? Because your daughter Susan is not going to become a flower, and nobody else will know (or care) what the name meant**** hundreds of years ago.
What I mean is, I think the best names for dogs are ones that mean something to me. What I really wanted for Puppy was a name like 'Dewalt[e]' or 'Makita' ('Kita' for short?) since I like tools and want to be BUILDING THINGS. (Or 'Easa' for like Easement since that's a real estate word and I'm doing property management these days. Or 'Cara' to be short for Carolyn, who was our excellent real estate agent, and after Cara my stylist*****. Or 'Beck[a]' because I like Glen Beck. Eh. But people would think it was Becca, and that's too close to a people name, since there are SO many 'Becky's.)
None of those were quite right, though. So instead, we decided to go with a name that was inspired by this book:
We are calling our puppy Chalcy, after one of Kyra Sundance's dogs that co-author. The actual Chalcy even has an author page on Amazon.com.
When I was buying puppy stuff, I saw this book and another book by Kyra Sundance, 51 Puppy Tricks. I bought the puppy one because it seemed more geared towards people with puppies. One of the reviews on Amazon says not to buy the puppy one because the dog one includes all of the puppy ones too, so I felt bad for a few minutes for buying the puppy one instead of the dog one. But actually, the puppy one uses a lot of clicker training, which I knew we wanted to do, and it has instructions and advice specific to puppies, which makes me feel more confident about doing this whole process.
So anyway, J and I both liked the way 'Chalcy' sounds and it is:
a) not a people name;
b) not too many syllables;
c) doesn't sound too much like 'Paley';
d) doesn't sound too much like "sit" or "stay" or "down" or other things we want her to know later; and
e) a good daily reminder for J and I of what we want our puppy to be like (and what she will be like, sort of, if we are Diligent Dog Owners and do what we need to to be Responsible and train her like Good Dog Owners do).
So far, the only problem with the name is that it sounds similar to 'Chelsea' so when people ask what her name is and I say 'Chalcy' they say "Oh, Chelsea? How nice!" But her name is Not Chelsea. But it really doesn't matter too much, because random friendly shoppers at PetSmart don't actually care what her name is and they are not going to see her again anyway. So it usually isn't worth correcting, and once she has her tag, people will read it and understand anyway.
* It almost seems a little bit to me like those dolls that people put pins in to cast spells or something. Like, you're here against your will, or something.
** When you're naming children, if you're pregnant first, you can use whatever name you want, even if your sister likes the name. But when you're naming dogs, that's not nice, and you're not supposed to, even if the person who likes the name is not expecting.
*** Unless unknown definitions mean something special to you.
**** (Supposedly, probably, people think)
***** Who also had (and loved!) a Dane when she was younger. We talked all about it when I had my hair done last week. She's fantastic.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Big things: Puppy!
[One final, little post about another big news item.]
A week ago, J decided we are finally ready to get a puppy. (!!!!!!!!!!!)
I am so so so excited! I've wanted a puppy since second grade.*
Yesterday I drove up to Smithfield to choose our puppy. We knew we** wanted a Dane and we knew we*** wanted a solid color one instead of one with spots. And we knew we wanted a girl.
So, this is our puppy! The girl who is selling them tried**** to get her to hold still so I could take a picture.
She doesn't look the most photogenic, because she wanted to PLAY and not pose, but she's really sweet. I picked her because she is pretty mellow, and she's all black (instead of having white toes), and she wasn't one of the smaller puppies, so I thought she would be more likely to stay healthy. I did also like one of her sisters with white toes. It was a tough choice.*****
Here she is with her momma and a couple of her littermates. (Girl ones, because the boys stayed in their puppy corral thing since I was choosing between girls.) The momma ("Marley") was pretty much the nicest dog ever. She's such a good mom.
The pups are going to the vet for their shots next Tuesday, so I will meet the people sometime Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning to pick her up. I started buying puppy stuff, but there is still a bunch to do to prepare for her to come home--I need to get her kennel ready, and puppy-proof our house (at least a little bit), and buy some things I haven't gotten yet (like food).
I showed J a trick book I bought, and we are both very excited to secretly manipulate our dog into doing what we want. J was especially excited about the ring-the-bell-to-go-outside trick. I was especially excited about the "Go get the mail!" trick.
We're not sure what to name her.
* Instead, my parents let me have fish in second grade. And books about dogs. We always had lots of pets, but I don't think they wanted to do all of the dog chores that I promise-promise-promised to do [and definitely would not have actually done].
** I.
*** Both of us.
**** Unsuccessfully.
***** When I first saw them, I told her (decidedly): "Okay. Yes. We'll take all of them. All eight. J won't mind. Can I just take them now? ALL of them?"
A week ago, J decided we are finally ready to get a puppy. (!!!!!!!!!!!)
I am so so so excited! I've wanted a puppy since second grade.*
Yesterday I drove up to Smithfield to choose our puppy. We knew we** wanted a Dane and we knew we*** wanted a solid color one instead of one with spots. And we knew we wanted a girl.
So, this is our puppy! The girl who is selling them tried**** to get her to hold still so I could take a picture.
She doesn't look the most photogenic, because she wanted to PLAY and not pose, but she's really sweet. I picked her because she is pretty mellow, and she's all black (instead of having white toes), and she wasn't one of the smaller puppies, so I thought she would be more likely to stay healthy. I did also like one of her sisters with white toes. It was a tough choice.*****
Here she is with her momma and a couple of her littermates. (Girl ones, because the boys stayed in their puppy corral thing since I was choosing between girls.) The momma ("Marley") was pretty much the nicest dog ever. She's such a good mom.
The pups are going to the vet for their shots next Tuesday, so I will meet the people sometime Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning to pick her up. I started buying puppy stuff, but there is still a bunch to do to prepare for her to come home--I need to get her kennel ready, and puppy-proof our house (at least a little bit), and buy some things I haven't gotten yet (like food).
I showed J a trick book I bought, and we are both very excited to secretly manipulate our dog into doing what we want. J was especially excited about the ring-the-bell-to-go-outside trick. I was especially excited about the "Go get the mail!" trick.
We're not sure what to name her.
* Instead, my parents let me have fish in second grade. And books about dogs. We always had lots of pets, but I don't think they wanted to do all of the dog chores that I promise-promise-promised to do [and definitely would not have actually done].
** I.
*** Both of us.
**** Unsuccessfully.
***** When I first saw them, I told her (decidedly): "Okay. Yes. We'll take all of them. All eight. J won't mind. Can I just take them now? ALL of them?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
