Tag Archives: Moose

Dogs and Cats Living Together: Dogs in Residence

With the help of some very determined (and awesome) friends, I moved into the new apartment this weekend. Moose and Lally were troopers through it all; they acted as official Welcoming Committee for my moving helpers. There was only one attempted escape, much to my surprise and delight. Lally tried to follow a friend out the back porch door when he went to get my bicycle. She came right back in, though! For the most part, the dogs were closed into a previously-emptied room while we moved boxes and furniture. We spent our first night in the new place on … Continue reading →

Dogs and Cats Living Together: The First Meeting

The big move is this weekend, so we all thought it would be a good idea to bring my dogs over a few times to meet my roommates’ cats. First things first: we got a fancy pet gate with a human-sized door and a kitty-sized door and installed it in the hallway. My roommates M. and S. have been encouraging the cats to think of the master bedroom as their “safe space” — their food, water, beds, and toys are all there. So hopefully the cats will know to run there if they’re spooked. Once the gate was up and … Continue reading →

An Unexpected Lesson about Halloween Costumes

On Halloween, I decided to dress up my dogs Moose and Lally for our afternoon walk. Lally had on a green tee shirt with a cartoon character on it. Moose wore a white shirt with pastel lettering that says “charmer”. (Both shirts are mine, as you might guess.) I was pretty pleased with myself as we headed out for walkies. But at the first bush, disaster struck. Moose lifted his leg to piddle… and peed all over his shirt. I was so excited to have the dogs dressed up that I didn’t think about the length. The hem of the … Continue reading →

Appreciating Pet Photographers

I got the brilliant idea of a “family portrait” the other day — Moose, Lally, and I all in the same picture for once. (It’s rare that I can get that to happen.) Moose is the easy one. He’s pretty happy to lay there and pose for pictures without a problem for quite some time. All it takes is a little petting and you’ve got a Moose in place! I’m probably the second-easiest one out of the family trio. I’m not usually fond of pictures of myself, but I’m willing to pose and try not to blink. Lally is the … Continue reading →

How Not to Approach a Strange Dog

My two dogs have very different personalities. Moose (my eight year old shepherd mix) is very easygoing. He loves just about everyone, and would happily follow a stranger home if he thought there would be snacks or petting or both. Lally (my seven year old boxer/shar-pei mix) is far more skittish. She’s easily startled by things like sudden noises and quick movement. When we’re out walking, I have to keep a careful eye out for things that might frighten Lally. When she gets scared, she can exhibit signs of fear aggression, including growling, barking, and lunging. I saw trouble coming … Continue reading →

Attack of the Angry Dachshund

Oh yes. The dogs and I had another adventure! I have a few different walking routes through the apartment complex that I use at different times of day. In the early hours of the morning, it’s usually safe to go past the playground — no running kids to get Lally all riled up. During the day, I try to stick to the street side of the complex to avoid kids on skateboards (another trigger for Lally). Late at night, we can walk just about anywhere. One morning last week, I decided to take a chance and walk by the playground. … Continue reading →

Moose Gives Me Another Heart Attack

My dog Moose is what you might call “accident prone”. When we first moved to Oregon, he got attacked at the dog park and ended up needing stitches inside his ear. About a week after he got his stitches out, he slipped his collar and chased a cat into the street and got hit by a car. It’s been a while since we had an adventure — but he saved up a good one. On Sunday afternoon, I came home from work to find that one of the dogs had thrown up bile and blood clots in the living room. … Continue reading →

I’ve Become the Crazy Dog Lady

It occurred to me this evening — as I was dicing chicken and string beans for the dogs’ supper — that I’ve become the Crazy Dog Lady. I really think I crossed the line when I started making my own dog food. There was all the time spent figuring out my recipe. There was all the prep work and planning — bake the chicken, chop the veggies, cook the rice. Now I’m performing mental math, wondering how long each batch of meat, rice, and vegetables will last, and how many meals the dogs will get. Is this cost effective? Am … Continue reading →

No Bones about It

I have an ongoing beef with residents of this apartment complex who don’t treat it like a home. The people who don’t pick up after their dogs are a big part of my irritation; people who are irresponsible with garbage are another. I’ve lost count of how many time Moose has found some kind of vaguely edible treat on the ground — bread, fast food wrappers, bones, and more. I hope the litter is accidental, but when I think of how often Moose has crunched down on a chicken bone in the parking lot, I fear that it’s not. I’ll … Continue reading →

The Dogs at the Party

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If you caught yesterday’s blog about fireworks, you may remember that Moose and Lally were invited to attend a barbeque with me. I wasn’t sure if I should bring them, but in the end, since I was going to be out of the house for more than eight hours, I let the pups tag along. They’re good car riders. Moose flopped out on the back seat of my station wagon; Lally rode half the time in the passenger seat next to me and half the time in the way-back of the wagon. I was the one who had trouble — … Continue reading →