Fred's Birthday and Rosie Shenanigans

It's Freddie's birthday today. At least according to his records from the pound. But seeing as he wasn't registered or microchipped when we got him, I very much doubt that he was born on the 1/1/2007. Regardless of his official birth date though, I'd say it would be close to, or has already been 1 year since Freddie was born.

So how did we celebrate? Well, we didn't really. Today was really just like any other day. We're such terrible dog parents aren't we? LOL.

The doggies have had a few good days though. On Sunday we took them down to the bf's mum's place. She has a little beach shack right on the beach. We dragged the puppies into the ocean for the first time. Rosie was interested until she got out of her depth, and then wanted to get back on land. Fred didn't want to go in at all, until he saw Rosie was in, and grudgingly let himself be dragged in. But he didn't like it much. Definately no golden retriever in these two dogs. Or is it lab? I can't remember which breed it is that's supposed to love water more.

After that, I went and washed them, and both behaved fairly civilly. Poor doggies. Not only did I go and drag them into the big scary ocean, but then I had to wash them. And then to add insult to injury, I left them at the house and disappeared into the ocean myself. I was a bit worried that Fred would jump over the fence (they have a very low fence) and follow me, but when I turned to look, he just had his paws on the fence and watched me leave, looking very forlorn.

=S

They were so exhausted when we got them home. Pretty much went straight to sleep. Poor puppies.

Yesterday Fred and Rosie made me laugh so hard. This is what I was met with when I woke up to go and feed the dogs:

Spot The Difference

My friend who owns a dog says that they only sleep on their backs when they're totally relaxed. Freddie must be a pretty relaxed doggie then. Because that's how he is pretty much 80% of the time. Flat on his back, legs spread, balls in the air, begging for a scratch. LOL. Rosie, on the other hand, only very rarely gets into this pose.

Later on in the afternoon, I noticed Fred was harrassing Rosie. I looked around him to see what was going on, and had to laugh out loud. This is the sight I was met with:

Stuck!

Now I know it's mean of me to laugh, and I sympathised with her predicament, but you gotta admit it's pretty funny. Freddie had pretty much managed to push her into that hole. And me being the mean mother that I am, just kept on laughing and taking pictures rather than go out there and try and help her out.

Giving Up

And here's another pic to give you a bit more perspective..

Fred: I don't know what's going on, but she's in this weird position...

I did end up being the nice mother though, and helped her get out. The bed already has holes in it, from when Freddie was chewing on his little wooden block, and managed to shove it into the bed in his attempt to get a grip on it.

holey bed

You can see the damage he's done to the bed. Unfortunately these beds are quite expensive, and he's pretty silly because as you can see in the previous pics, those dogs just seem to manage to make the holes wider and wider.

I'm planning on sewing up some new beds for them soon. I've got some heavy curtain fabric. Alternatively, I'm told the local co-op sells hessian sacks, and that might be an option too.

Poor doggies. They're just making do at the moment, but it's their own fault really for not taking care of their beds. We had 3 beds to begin with (2 brand new, and 1 from our previous dog), and in the last two moths, all 3 beds have had holes made in them.

Rest assured though that Rosie got out safe and sound. Here's them playing later on..

Playing

Time for an update methinks

We washed the puppies a week or two ago, with my newly reformulated doggie shampoo. Fred's hair stood up like a mohawk. So cute. His hair was all fluffy and soft. But yeah, it went all wild and volume-y. LOL.

Mohawk Freddie

Lickin' Lips Freddie

Surprisingly he seemed to enjoy his shower/bath. Usually he just stands there and suffers it quietly. But it was a hot day that day, and after we finished hosing him down, he just sat there patiently waiting. So we sprayed him again. He seemed to enjoy it. Thank goodness we have one water baby in the family. Rosie on the other hand scrambled away the minute she could.

Here are some more recent family portraits:

Family Portrait

Note, this is freddie's usual pose in our house. flat on his back with his legs in the air, hoping for a scratch. if you click up close you can see his foot is pushing on Rosie's jaw. LOL.

Fred: what's going on? Why is she still taking photos of us?

This is a more tamer version of the three of them. Although Freddie looks very funny. He always looks so odd when his teeth peek out. You can tell Rosie's a bit of a princess. LOL.

And then later...

Fred: What you looking at?

His body isn't as long as mine, but you can see he's getting there. He's actually close to an inch taller than Rosie now. I don't think he'll get much taller, but he's certainly getting much broader.

 

Frederick, the Helpful Gardener

Haven't been blogging lately. Work and life have taken over a little.

This weekend I went and took some photos especially. Because as I was changing computer desktops, I suddenly realised I have no more doggie photos left! It was like, 'oh, same ol, same ol. Seen these ones before.'

So I've included lots of crazy and scary pictures to share of my two doggies.

The latest news is that Freddie ate our back step. We have a wooden step at our back door, because there's a bit of a gap between the house and the verandah. Freddy has a tendancy to chew anything within sight when he's bored. I think he's teething. He lost a tooth a month ago, and it has yet to grow back.

Anyway, we came home one day to discover the step had gone. It was on his bed, with the two pedestal legs ripped apart. *shakes head* He's a MONSTER.

We took the step away from him, but left one of the legs behind, which he has been happily chewing for the last 3 weeks. I'm amazed he hasn't had splinters in his jaw. The leg is really a brick, when it comes down to it. A big oblong piece of wood. And he's obviously enjoying himself, because he's managed to break all 3 of their dog beds in the process.

We had an old raised bed from our last dog, and we ended up getting some new raised beds (they were on special) a while ago. At one time, there was one in the laundry, and one outside. These days, since Freddy started digging through the walls (I told you, he'll attack/eat anything when he's bored), we've moved the beds permanently outside.

In the last week we have come home to each of these beds having a hole in them. I originally thought that they'd been roughhousing and fallen through it. But when the new bed had a hole in the middle, I was a bit puzzled. Last night when I came home, I noticed Fred's wooden brick was in the middle of a hole in the third bed. So I'm guessing he's been sitting on his bed, gnawing away, and pushing at it, and accidently pushed the brick through the mesh. He doesn't know his own strength, that boy.

It's amusing how much they love the beds though. The old one from our previous dog has the biggest tear in it. Probably because the mesh isn't as strong after all this time. Yet the dogs LOVE it. I was watching them last night, and they still sit on that bed, despite it no longer being a raised bed. So their feet actually touch the ground through the hole. LOL. Crazy dogs.

What else have my dogs been up to?

Destruction3

They've been systematically destroying our garden. Where once beautiful creepers and flowers were, now is just an empty soil bed. The bf's mum came over last weekend, and commented, "oh, what are you going to put in here?" - thinking that we'd cleared out the flower beds. To which we replied with embarrassment, "oh no, that's just our dogs settling in"

See those three grey bricks in the bottom left hand corner? Bf had to put those in, because the dogs were digging their way to china. They'd reach the gutter pipes. Although who knows, maybe they just wanted to move the house a little further up or something.

That plant in the middle - that used to be a thriving fern. In fact, I'm sure there are some pics on this blog that show Freddy hiding behind it at one time. These days, there's not much left. And all the plastic - that used to cover all that area. With creepers growing around it and such. Not anymore. This is their favourite spot to sit during the day. Although, I've noticed that Rosie has begun to favour another part of the garden - that Freddy is helpfully clearing of flora for her. *shakes head* Who needs deconstruction workers, garden labour or any other such thing, when I have two big helpful dogs??

On the right here, you can see Freddy's work. That used to be a thriving daisy bush. The one below it is another daisy bush, near my veggie patch. As you can see, Freddy's favourite thing atm is to gnaw on the branches until they drop off. I didn't realise at first. Because he's so intent on searching for skinks. Sometimes you'll hear this massive thump, and it's Freddy trying to land on a skink. I've seen so many skinks with no tails in the garden lately. LOL.

The last pic is of one of the holes that (and I'm guessing Rosie here) has been made. There is a lot of plastic around the garden from the previous owner. I'm guessing for mulch and weed prevention purposes. But my dogs are making quick work of this. They don't seem to be digging for hiding bones though. They seem to be digging just because.

Freddy has also been very helpful in assisting me with gardening.

I took the cutest picture the other day of Freddy inspecting a snail. As we all know, snails are horrible things for veggie gardens. They eat through all your leaves.

Freddy Discovering Snails

What's That?! I've never seen that before

It's moving so slowly...

Let's see if it's edible...

You'll need to click on them to see how cute he looks. I tried doing bigger pics, but the formatting went all outta whack =/

He's gotten bigger in the last month or so. I still love the brindle markings on his forehead though. It makes him look like such a worrier. LOL

Here are some even cuter pics of Fred:

What's going on? How come you're taking out the Camera again?

Can we go back inside yet?

I know that the first pic here is a bit blurry. But the look on his face is soooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute. That I had to put it up anyway.

I love how his ears flop down like that. And when he hears something you can see the ears move ever so slightly up. LOL

These pics were taken in the late afternoon/evening, so lighting is a bit crappy. (Can you see the blue tinge on his fur?)



Fred and Rosie Playing Tackle

Fred: OooOh, what's that over there?

Fred: coochie, coochie coo..

Rosie: Stop it! You're Tickling me!

I love the middle pic - where Rosie is all curled up. She reminds me of
a baby possum. LOL. AND check out her vicious fangs in the third pic!
Yikes! And just think - Freddie's teeth are in fact a LOT more deadly.
Not to say Rosie couldn't hurt you.

Rosie: I can't believe he got me...

I also love this pic - where you can see Rosie's eyes. She looks so bummed that he's managed to catch her. This is their favourite game atm. Freddie's always going for bites on the neck. =)

And check out their tails! Rosie always look so sleek, while Freddie's just a big dufus in comparison. LOL.


Followed by Arguments between Friends

Fred: I think you've put on a bit of weight lately.
Rosie: WHAT did you say???

Fred: Look, I'm just trying to be honest. Rosie!!

Fred: Fine, I'm sorry. I take it back. I just think you shouldn't steal from my food bowl all the ti

But it's not always like this. Here are fred and rosie on better terms:

Having Fun

am i a bad dog owner?

Freddie has changed a lot lately. He used to be the dopey sweet puppy. Last week when I took them for a walk, they met two dogs along the way - without leads on. The owner was a little boy. He had one of his dogs on a loose lead that pretty much rendered the lead useless when the dogs saw us. Rosie, being Rosie, immediately tried to assert dominance, and Freddie followed suit. Suffice to say, both of my dogs ended off without their leash running around the neighbourhood while I picked myself back up from the dirt. They both pulled too hard for me to control. My arm ended up hurting for 2 days.

Since then the bf has been walking them. Anyway, when I was trying to get my dogs back, I had freddy by the collar and was inching up slowly to Rosie. By this time, both dogs were ok, and were just happy checking each other out. Then just as I'm about to get Rosie, Freddy snarls at the other dog (!!!)

I'm thinking, WTF. Where did my sweet lovely boy go?

Rosie in comparison has become such a sweet dog of late. Always comes up for cuddles. And last weekend when I walked them, and insisted they sit, she sat, while Freddie pretty much ignored me. I was dumbfounded. I know we haven't been to puppy training classes lately, but really, this was ridiculous.

It wasn't just me either. The boyfriend noticed it too. He was commenting when he walked them that Rosie was a lot more responsive. Freddie just totally ignored you and did his own thing.

And it doesn't just stop there. I was in the living room last night with the two dogs - I'd just walked in the room - and Freddie suddenly just snaps and snarls at Rosie. It was REALLY scary. You've seen his fangs. I immediately sent both of them outside. I was so shaken. It's made me a bit wary of petting him because I'm scared one day he'll turn on me. And I can't beat those teeth...

This morning I'm out in the garden and Freddie catches a bird. Because the bf caught Fred get another one yesterday and yelled them inside, I did the same and tried to catch Freddie's attention. Look, I know birds get eaten all the time, but it's one thing to know that, and another to have it done in my face, by something that I know and love. Later on in the morning I'm hanging out the laundry and I hear these squawks. Freddie's got another. Rosie hears the commotion and goes back down too. By this time I've given up.

My dog's chased down a bird and has eaten it all up =S

My dogs are carnivores. I know, I know, that's what dogs do. I can't expect to be a dog owner and just have a santised version of their lives. I have to accept that it's in their nature.

But it worries me.

So it looks like we're going to desex Freddie after all. I don't know if I can handle this big dog who nearly yanks you off his feet just by loping over to the tree to mark his territory. I know it's probably just the hormones and it might well pass. But I can't deal with it atm. Does this make me a bad owner? He used to be so docile, trotting along beside me. Sure he'd chase after the birds on the field, but he never got one. And I was happy about that.

Course you could also argue - how dumb are those magpies not to fly off? I noticed the first one this morning, just sort've lay there pretending to be dead. I mean, that won't stop him.

Have I been a bad owner? I feel a little betrayed. Where did my sweet puppy go? And it's so ironic atm that I'm preferring to spend my time and attention on Rosie. At least with her, we always knew what we were getting. And she has definately mellowed over time. Makes me wonder why her owners left her. I doubt their argument that they bought a new house without fencing is a real reason. She's so sweet. I know she's a bit of a troublemaker. But at the end of the day, she comes to you 9 times out of 10 when you call her. She sits up straight and tall for dinner. And she'll sit patiently at your feet, leaning at you a 45 degree angle for as long as you want her to.

I still can't believe he caught the bird and ATE IT.

*shakes head*

lots of photos

so i've been neglecting this blog of late. not because nothing's exciting happened, just because life got in the way. i've still been taking lots of piccies, but just not enough time to upload to show.

fred's filled out a little more, but rosie's still as skinny as ever. despite them both eating the same amount of food. trust me, fred can't get to rosie's food bowl - he's tried. we keep on joking that rosie has an eating disorder (anorexia or bulimia - take your pick). we just don't know where all her food goes. and all you see are her ribs..... must be some greyhound in her or something.

fyi, rosie is now fine. her little bout of non eating was just some bizarre dominance thing over fred. *shakes head* 48 hours of fasting to prove that she was top dog - spent most of it growling and getting into fights with fred, because like me, if there's food around, fred will eat it.

so here's another family portrait. a bit more candid than the last. fred loves to show off his nether regions to the camera.

Dog Cuddles

Cuddling Rosie is quite an exercise. She has a tendancy to lean on you
at a 45 degree angle. So not only do you have to be able to support the
weight in order to not topple over, there's still the cuddling factor.
She really is as tall as me, when she
stands up. She looks quite funny when you look at the way she's
sitting. Turning around as if to say, 'what are you looking at???

On the right is the bf with Rosie.

Rosie Cuddle

Rosie getting another scratch

Underneath these two pics is one of Fred getting scratched. Such a cute boy...

Freddie Getting Scratched

Here are a whole bunch of Rosie pictures that I found. She is quite a
pretty girl.... I like the third one down, she's looking over her
shoulder as if to say, 'what's that? it's annoying my comfortable perch
here....'

I really like the pic below this one. she looks so soft. In fact, she's actually just lying there chewing a bone. LOL.

Rosie Lying In The Shade

On the weekends we take the dogs out to the local football field where they get to run around without their leashes on. According to her foster mother, Rosie loves to be chased, and she runs like a hare on steroids. However, I've noticed in the last month or so that she doesn't seem to run as fast anymore. Either Freddie has gotten faster, or Rosie's running slower to let him catch up. You can see the middle pic where Freddie's managed to 'catch' her. They're amazing to watch as they run, although it's scary when they run in your direction and around you. I'm always worried they'll crash into me and topple me down.

Now as I was saying earlier, when Rosie stands up, she's pretty tall. Here are some amusing pics...

Checking Out The View

Hey Come Check This Out!

my dogs are MONSTERS

A few weeks ago we started working on our garden - specifically a vegie patch. We have a fenced off area down the back of the yard where the previous owners had let their vegie patch run over with grass before they sold. As Fred was fascinated with the compost bin, we moved moved it into the fenced area.

The fence was actually fairly rickety - the previous owners didn't own two big dogs - and within a few days Fred had managed to push down the fence and get into the compost bin again.

So the bf went and reinforced the fence - got new posts, wired it all up, and I started planting vegies in the garden.

The last few weekends we've noticed that some of my plants looked like they'd been eaten, and the compost bin seemed to be routinely attacked. Sometimes just a little gate that's been nudged open. Other times, it's a full scale affair - with it belly up. Yet.... the fence always looked intact. We began to think maybe they were jumping the gate - which is slighty lower than the rest of the fence. So this past weekend the boyfriend put up an extra wire across the very top - making it close to 1 metre of fencing.

I went down this afternoon to check on my plants and water, and discovered to my horror a BIG FAT POO sitting delicately beside my marjoram plant. Oddly enough my marjoram plant looked quite forlorn and wilted - I'm betting from the smell and indignity of having to watch up close and personal a big dog poo in front of it.

Now the compost bin was in much worse shape. Obviously the dogs had been quite hungry/desperate and the bin was lying on its side, its internal contents out for all to see.

It also seems that dill and I will never have a true relationship. I bought some last year, only to have it die on me within the week. This time around I'd bought some more and hoped that since now I have a real vegie garden, and not pots, it would survive. ha!  It too had been pretty much eaten to within an inch of its life. =S

But the worst victim is yet to come. I was very excited 2 weeks ago to discover that the aloe vera plant that we have out the front yard had had a little baby. I dug it out and replanted in a pot. As I was scanning through the debris of my vegie patch sorting out victims and survivors, I suddenly realised the pot where my baby aloe vera plant was supposed to be was EMPTY. It still had dirt in it, BUT NO PLANT. MY DOGS HAD EATEN MY BABY ALOE VERA. BRUTES.

I later found my aloe vera plant a little worse for wear lying out on the grass on the other side. My poor plant. I have replanted, but I don't see it being able to survive...

We think that the dogs are digging under the fence. But the hole seems
so small - and our dogs are so big, I don't see how they could do it.
On top of which we have pots all around the fence.

These days the boyfriend and I feel a lot like Elmer Fudd - We'll Get Dose Wasskally Wabbits - Or in this case, those Dastardly Doggies. You just wait and see.

my poor doggie...

Rosie's sick. She's currently off her food and we're quite concerned. It only happened this morning. Makes me wonder if she ate something last night that she shouldn't have.

I will admit there's lots of plants in the garden that aren't exactly dog friendly, but I've been keeping a strict eye on said plants and they have never looked like they've been chewed on.

It's quite worrying, since she just does not seem interested in her food.

The bf just fed her, even went so far as to put the food in front of her (she's on her bed), but all she does is curl up and try to sleep.

She's obviously not her fiesty/naughty self. And I must say it's quite disturbing.

She's already had all her parvo shots (the initial and booster) so I'm pretty sure it's not that.

Freddie on the other hand seems ok. He's still chomping down all his food quick smart. This morning it looked like they might even have started a dog fight or something. She just kept on growling and barking at him. He spent most of the morning close to the back door, while she dominated the rest of the patio. But by mid afternoon they were back together on the same dog bed again.

Meanwhile, I've managed to catch something too. Am coughing constantly like my lungs were abt to burst =S

*sigh*

We might need to take Rosie to the vet this week. Gonna see how she's like tomorrow. Hopefully this is just temporary.