31 January 2005: Poor Little Wannabee!

Pifflesqueak
Sitting Pretty

Pifflesqueak, our little Airedale wannabe and smart Alec, was diagnosed today with a rapidly-deteriorating hip condition. The X-rays are frightening. There is simply no hip socket left. Due to her age (12), surgery isn't much of an option. Metacam for pain and some alternative supplements that may help are prescribed. Chiropractic for some misaligned vertebrae will be continued. The chiropractor had been trying to deal with the hips as well but our vet recommends he leave them alone now as the danger of dislocation is severe.

This is a very tough break for poor little Pifflesqueak, who has always enjoyed tearing around with the Airedales, keeping them in line. She loves dancing on her hind legs and jumping up for cuddles. None of this is possible anymore although, when the Metacam kicks in, she does become temporarily more agile. She is allowed no more walks although we are looking into finding a suitable wagon or buggy for her so she can come with the big girls when they go hiking. No more stairs. No more jumping on or off beds.

Pifflesqueak
in her jogging suit

We are to see if we can keep the Metacam dosage as low as possible and will be giving liver support supplements with the stuff. I hate using drugs like Metacam on a regular basis but we are now into a quality of life situation with this dog. Our feeling is we will keep her as happy and as pain-free as we are able and our vet will monitor her closely for liver damage. Once the pain of her ailments overtakes her ability to live in comfort, then we will look at making hard decisions.

To keep this Airedale-related, the big girls are very bothered about poor Squeak. The Littlest Lunatic has been fairly haunting the poor Poodle since she's come home from the vet's office and keeps furrowing her brow and giving us the "Okay, you're in charge. DO SOMETHING!" look . . . .

19 June 2005

17 February 2005: LL Has a Secret Admirer!

Of all things, the Littlest Lunatic, Little Miss Monster herself, has inspired a lovely gentleman who should know better to fall flat on his face in love with her!

We had a visitor this week for luncheon. The Littlest Lunatic was all over him like hot fudge on a sundae. Climbed up his leg. Offered kisses. Wagged. Wriggled. Laid her fuzzy head in his lap and stared soulfully (but blindly) at him.

Imagine! Our resident Lunatic behaving this way! We were completely blown away.

He said, when he left, had he not been seriously allergic to her she would have been tucked under his jacket and whisked away . . . and this is a man who owes his allegiance to c*ts!

Perhaps there is hope for her yet. After all, she just turned four and is improving by . . . er . . . leaps & bounds. I haven't had a dishrag shredded in nearly a week!

6 March 2005: LL Goes Visiting

The Littlest Lunatic has graduated to doing home visits for rescue. She has finally decided after some intensive socialization that people are very nice and has been persuaded to cease waving her rather impressive teeth at each & every human she encounters.

Yesterday, we took LL on her first home visit. Angie Adorable was also part of the party. The applicants were very experienced Airedale folks we'll call John & Linda. We hoped they would be tolerant of the Littlest Lunatic's antics.

When we arrived at the home, we offered to take our shoes off at the door since the house was beautifully decorated with lovely hardwood flooring & gorgeous carpets. "No, no!" said John. "We live in the house -- we don't worship it! Let the dogs off leash, too," he added. A great start, we agreed.

We did the usual tour with Angie & LL cheerfully investigating every crack & crevice. "How cute!" said the owners. "They're going everywhere our Briar liked."

Finally, we sat down to discuss a dog we thought might suit them while Angie & LL continued their inspection.

Suddenly, the Littlest Lunatic appeared bearing a small plush animal in her mouth. The little creature was gorgeous -- he was all dressed in a tiny suit. Ooops! Jim made a dive for LL but she still has some resource guarding issues and I could see a tug-of-war about to develop which would likely not improve the appearance of the plush toy. "Cookie sheet!!!" I said hastily. LL dropped the toy like a hot potato whereupon Angie, who has a proclivity for plush, promptly pounced. The toy ended up in her mouth. A sharp, "Leave it!" from Jim and the toy was deposited on the floor. Angie looked aggrieved. John & Linda laughed merrily! We gave the toy to Linda and continued our conversation.

However, it turned out there was entire basket of little dressed plush toys sitting on a low shelf. The Littlest Lunatic immediately reappeared with another. Same process ensued. The owners giggled. Seeing that this activity was likely continue until the basket was fully emptied, I requested that the basket be put out of reach. The owners agreed but somewhat reluctantly. I think they enjoyed watching the high jinks.

We got back to the issue at hand. LL disappeared. Strange sounds were shortly heard from the rear of the house. These seem to consist of sneezes & scrabbles. Linda went to investigate. "She was in the bathtub!" she chuckled mirthfully, leading a violently sneezing LL back into the living room. "She was sniffing the bath sponge and got soap up her nose!" John said, "Aw, poor doggie," and proceeded to rub, scratch & pat LL until the sneezing ceased. He then planted a big smooch on the end of her nose. Now, last June, kissing LL would normally end up with one's lips between her teeth. However, the Littlest Lunatic merely wriggled happily and leaned heavily against his leg.

Needless to say, John & Linda are getting a new dog! These people have survived a visit by LL, after all. They must be real Airedale folks!

Pixie sleeping on
Christmas Day 2004

25 April 2005: Two Li'l Rescues Playin' w/a Toy

When the Littlest Lunatic & Pixie [Almost] Perfect arrived here, both had been "only" dogs. LL would play with tug toys but, due to her extreme resource guarding behaviors, we put the tug toys away for a bit. PP's disinterest in toys, on the other hand, was overwhelming.

LL learned to shake the stuffies and squeak the squeakies. PP occasionally grabs a squeakie but is startled when it chirps at her and usually drops it like a hot potato!

Yesterday was quite different . . . .

The Littlest Lunatic snatched up a floppy toy dog and tore outside with it, Pixie right on her heels. They dashed around the yard, grinning ferociously, while Pix tried to catch LL, clearly hoping to wrest the toy away from her.

Suddenly, the dog to the east of us started barking relentlessly, something he does frequently. The Littlest Lunatic can never resist returning the compliment so she dashed down to the fence. We heard, "MMMUUFFFFTTT!" as LL tried to hang onto the floppy dog and simultaneously bark at the offending neighbor. Finally, she concluded this was not going to work and dropped the toy, the better to howl at the bellowing Border Collie.

Pixie

Pix pounced, grabbed and ran! LL, who gets very fixated, didn't notice.

Having finally completed what she perceived as her duty, LL looked about for her toy and spotted Pix with it. Off she ran, coming up behind Pix very quietly. Pix was busy waving the toy about and didn't notice. Suddenly, there was the Lunatic!

Startled, Pix swung her massive head around -- and caught poor LL right on the jaw! LL went down like a ton of bricks! She struggled to her feet, shook her head vigorously and ran to me for consolation -- something she never does. Pix was very contrite. She immediately dropped the floppy dog and rushed over to check out LL, in the process knocking the somewhat dazed LL off her feet again.

Pixie

No damage done although the toy was abandoned for the time being. Later in the day, we observed the Lunatic, with a snarl, jump Pixie for no particularly good reason. Payback, we assumed! Both were called to order and nothing came of it.

I love watching rescues suddenly start to have fun and to deal with the occasional setback resulting from the fun. Seeing them learn & grow & relax with each other is incredibly rewarding . . . .

25 May 2005: Whispering the Dog . . .

Pixie [Almost] Perfect is a very good girl aside from possessing a booming, window rattling, cellar shaking bark. All my pictures are crooked from her blasts. Any flowers in the house lose their petals each time she opens her huge mouth and my husband is growing quite irritated as her bellows cut across his Beethoven symphonies.

Mealtimes are the worst. She starts barking the minute the bowls are placed on the counter and never stops until her mouth is full of dinner. This behavior became noticeably less tolerable in our RV during our recent trip. The walls of the fifth wheel appeared to actually expand & contract as miss not-so-perfect yodeled and wailed. My consumption of aspirin has skyrocketed since the "mouth that roared" joined our household.

I've tried all kinds of strategies. She ignores "No". Shrugs her broad shoulders and appears puzzled, the little faker. "Bad girl" elicits a "who cares?" look. "Stop it!!!!!!!!!" has no effect but to increase the noise level. The nobark command is being internalized with all the speed of an arthritic snail on Valium. Squirts with water only serve to make a mess of the floor. I even resorted to dropping the cookie sheet a few times but managed to achieve nothing except to severely traumatize the Littlest Lunatic who slunk around in a crouch with her tail wrapped around her ankle for the next 24 hours.

Finally, I decided to try something new. Since *loud* clearly wasn't getting through, I thought I might try *quiet* instead.

The next night at dinner when Pix opened her mouth to encourage me to hurry hurry hurry with the food, I whispered, "Shhhh! Naughty girrrrrrl . . . ." Pix cocked her massive head and stared at me. She clamped her jaws shut and appeared puzzled. I waited until she warmed up to aria pitch again and then hissed, "Hush. Shame on you . . . ." Astonishment flashed across her mobile face. Another bark and another whisper . . . . She stopped barking. It was like magic. "Goooood girrrrrrrl!" I cooed, and handed out the meals.

Pixie

Since that night, Pix has been much more "perfect" than before. The kitchen is nearly silent as I whisper and wave my hands to "Down" her to wait for her food. The peacefulness is remarkable and I'm enjoying every moment! I threw away the aspirin bottle yesterday . . . .

Maureen & the Silent Circus

Beauvier, NOT Kato

6 June 06 2005: Kato pops in!

Our next door neighbors have a Bouvier named Kato. Kato's greatest ambition in life is to come to play with the Circus, but Kato's owner fears that the busy Circus would exhaust Kato, who has Addison's disease. So far, Kato has been kept on her side of the fence, communicating with the Circus through the wire.

On Saturday, Kato took matters into her own paws. She dug a big hole under the fence and headed through the laurel hedge into our yard. The Airedales were outside playing when Kato's head emerged from under the chain link. "Yay, Kato!" shouted the Airedales. "You go girl!!" and they bounded into the hedge to cheer her on.

Kato wriggled & squirmed and the Airedales whooped & yelled. Attracted by the racket, Jim appeared on the scene just as poor Kato's progress seemed to stall. Kato squirmed a little harder but, clearly, the hole was not about to accommodate her large hips. Kato was well & truly stuck. The Airedales fell silent, whether in sympathy or disappointment, no one knows.

Jim ran off for Kato's owner who appeared shortly thereafter in her yard. Elise was gazing raptly at the furry hind quarters of her dog. Jim stood in our yard with the Airedales, all peering in bemusement at the front end of the same animal.

After some discussion, it was decided to attempt to haul Kato into our yard which would be downhill, the danger of injury to her being deemed to be less. Elise pushed vigorously at Kato's ample bottom; Jim tugged hard on Kato's collar. Kato helped by paddling her huge feet. Suddenly, KER-POP!!!! Kato was launched into our yard like a shot from a cannon! Past Jim she flew and landed in a large, furry heap, amidst the Airedales.

"Oh, joy!!" shouted the Airedales, "Kato's popped in!!!" and they all bounded off to run & chase & leap & dive. Kato was thrilled. The Circus was entranced with what appeared to be a huge fuzzy pillow with feet.

Sadly, the owner, still worrying about her dog's debilitated health, convinced Kato to come home after only a short play session. Kato went off reluctantly, tail & paws dragging. "Bye!" shouted the ever-affable Airedales. "Come again! Dig a bigger hole next time!! We'll help!"

Maureen & the Circus (who are secretly enlarging Kato's hole)

11 June 2005: Ramping it Up with Treats

Some time ago, I asked Jim to make a ramp that would enable the dogs to climb up onto the grooming table without the need for me to lift them. He created a handy plywood construction with metal ends that rest on the edge of the grooming table. Nice gentle slope. Wide enough to avoid being scary. Covered the whole affair with a rubber-backed carpet so paws wouldn't slip.

Dear little Angie, who adores being groomed and is afraid of very little, dashed up the ramp immediately it was put in place. Pixie, who will stand on her head and wiggle her huge ears for a treat, was happy to run up the ramp at warp speed in order to gobble the treat offered at the top. Poor, almost blind, Littlest Lunatic, though, was terrified of the structure. I coaxed with treats but, although she wanted them badly, she was too frightened to walk up the strange sloped board. I tried laying treats like Hansel's bread crumbs up the centre of the ramp but she wasn't having any. She huddled at the bottom and shivered miserably.

Well, I figured that two out of three, as the song goes, wasn't too bad a success rate and I've been lifting her up. Fortunately, although LL is taller than Angie, she is also the lightest of the girls, weighing in at only 45 pounds. I can manage to hoist her to the table top -- just.

This week, we decided to clip claws prior to an outing. I happened to have a new kind of treat on hand -- Solid Gold Tiny Tots. I'm convinced they are called "Solid Gold" because you need a gold bar or two to afford them. Angie scrambled up the ramp and I offered one of the treats. She was delighted and stood very still to have the claws snipped so she could win some more of these tasty little items. Done and dismissed with another treat "for the road", I scooped up the Littlest Lunatic and supplied her with a Tiny Tot. ³Yum!² said LL, and tried to gnaw a hole in the bottom of the bag to get more. I broke some up and offered them as Jim clipped away. She was so entranced by the treats that she forgot what Jim was doing. Remember that this is the dog we have had to muzzle in the past in order to safely complete the same task!

We brushed her thoroughly, again without difficulty as long as the treats kept coming and even managed to clipper various personal bits that were excessively furry, all without hazard to fingers -- definitely a first for this dog.

When we were done, just for fun, I tossed a treat onto the ramp. The Lunatic pounced. I tossed another and she followed it down the ramp. Threw the final one to the floor and she jumped the last few feet to the foot of the ramp and gobbled the prize. Wow! we thought, this is great!

Invited Pixie up and continued our grooming & clipping chores -- only to discover that Little Miss Lunatic had bounded up the ramp, looking for more treats! Tossed one on the floor and down she went. Crunched the treat and up she came, wagging vigorously and grinning like the lunatic she is. Pitched another treat on the floor and continued with Pix. And up came LL, jaws agape, attempting to short-circuit the treat intended for Pixie. Tossed another treat and the Lunatic was off again at nano speed down the ramp.

By now, this behavior, welcome as it had been initially, had become very old. We stopped giving her treats. She kept running up & down the ramp anyway, ever hopeful. Pixie was growing very agitated and kept squirming, since she perceived, justifiably, that her own treats were in danger.

Finally, there was no solution but to put the Littlest Lunatic outside for the duration of the grooming session whereupon she proceeded to wail piteously just outside the door.

I must say that I am hugely impressed with these treats, despite their great cost. Imagine treats that encourage the Littlest Lunatic to not only stand still for a grooming session including a claw clip but also persuade her to go up a ramp which clearly scared her half to death for months!

I think I may go buy stock in the company . . .

Maureen & the ramped-up Circus

15 June 2005: Incredibly Brave, or Just Plain Stupid?

You can decide!

On Monday, we took the Circus down to the dikes for a run. Angie & Pixie were spinning along off leash; the Littlest Lunatic was happily running on her flexi. Pifflesqueak was riding in the Poodle-mobile. Everyone was having a great time in the sunshine, chasing errant squirrels, cocking heads to the birds singing, and sniffing at the wildflowers.

Suddenly, a cyclist appeared with an unleashed dog beside her. The dog looked like a very small Border Collie although, given its diminutive stature, I would guess it might have been a mix. Thirty-five pounds soaking wet perhaps.

Did I mention that this was an aggressive little monster?

The BC raised her hackles, flexed what few muscles she had and eyed my pack with suspicion. Her gaze flicked over the 45-pound, 22-inch Lunatic, tethered to her long lead and dismissed her. She inspected compact Angie, 53 pounds and only 21 inches tall, and decided she wasn't worth bothering with either. (Oddly enough, Angie is the most determined & effective of any of my dogs when provoked!) Then Pixie caught her eye -- 60 lean pounds, 23 inches at the very muscular shoulder & jaws the size of a backhoe! Clearly a worthy foe -- and the BC attacked!

Pixie, who really is quite a benign girl, staggered back and blinked in amazement. The BC snarled, showed her teeth and tried to bite Pix's face although she was obliged to reach way, way up to do so. "GRRRRR!" uttered my poor, put-upon darling and cranked open her dinosaur-like jaws. A lot of growls punctuated by howls & snapping teeth ensued. Halfheartedly, we called Pixie but, clearly, she couldn't back out of the fray without considerable danger to herself so we let her do what needed to be done. After all, the BC was the aggressor and had certainly been running off lead -- not a strategy I'd employ with an aggressive animal.</FONT SIZE>

Meanwhile, the Littlest Lunatic was being held back with an iron grip by Jim, and she was in a frenzy. Angie, on the other hand, calmly inspected the melee, rolled up her sleeves and offered to weigh in on Pixie's side. We advised her to mind her own business. A considering glance told Angie that Pixie was having no difficulty so she settled back to see if the BC would survive, Angie not being one to suffer fools gladly.

Pifflesqueak, meanwhile, had she been a cheerleader, would have been waving pompoms as she bounced up & down in her buggy! Pixie, for her part, managed to do only as much damage as was required to keep the BC from hurting her, although she emitted enough roars to frighten a full contingent of charging rhinos . . . .

The match came to an abrupt halt when the combatants suddenly missed their footing and tumbled, howling blue murder, down a steep embankment into a blackberry thicket!

We recovered Pixie, dusted her off and told her what a good girl she was. Aside from panting heavily, Pix was unmarked. The BC hauled herself back to the path and ran, yelping, to the owner who wanted to know if our dog was okay! "Oh yes," we responded, "nothing much fazes an Airedale," and went on our merry way.

We decided that the BC was likely a prime example of the Darwin Principle -- you know the one that says that stupid specimens of any breed don't usually live to reproduce.