Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Petey Had to Put Himself to Bed - Again!




Sunday, June 26, 2011

Petey Hates Horses

We weren't too surprised to learn this afternoon that Petey hates horses. He doesn't like many animals or humans, so it wasn't a stretch to think he hated horses. We just didn't know because he'd never been around horses until this afternoon.

John had to take the Mustang to get a little work done on it. He uses a guy that lives in the boondocks outside of Ashland City. He drove the 'tang and Petey and I followed so we could bring him back home. When we got to the man's house we discovered two horses and a dog. We'd seen the dog before, a friendly boxer that is easy to befriend, but the horses had been in another pasture when we'd been there before.

Since we were aware of the dog, the plan all along was for me to stay in the car with Petey while John handled the business with the other car. When we pulled to a stop, the horse was on the passenger side of the car near the front. He was quite curious about this new object in his space and he ambled over to check it out. He seemed like a gentle horse that would allow a little nuzzle and I might have tried if it hadn't been for Pete.

The minute Petey saw the horse he let loose a string of doggie profanity that turned the air blue. John and the mechanic could both hear him even with the windows up. The horse was undaunted and curious. He ambled around the back of the car and up the driver's side. Petey followed on the inside, never stopping the doggie swearing. Then the horse saw me. He looked down through the window at me, with his nose right up against the glass. Defying the laws of physics, Petey launched himself out of the backseat and in to my lap. I had never heard him so vicious. He must have thought I was in danger.

John and the mechanic snapped their heads around at the noise and the horse jumped. Even though Pete had been barking quite loudly, the notch up in savagery must have startled even him. John hurried with his business so we could get out of there before Petey started gnawing through the door to whip that horse.

I tried explaining to Petey that all the horse had to do was step on him and it would all be over, but Petey was undeterred. He knew he could take that horse, if we'd just let him. We wouldn't. And we won't be around horses again if we can help it.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Bedtime for Petey

It got late, very late (like 9:00 PM) and Petey could not wait up for the night owls any longer. He had to put himself to bed. This is how we can tell...





He takes very good care of himself.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Petey Went to the Vet

Petey went to the vet today for a six month check up. She wanted to see him again after finding the heart murmur at his annual exam. Much to our delight, she said the murmur has actually diminished since last time. So, there is nothing we have to do with regard to that.

She was concerned though that he has lost weight. It wasn't surprising to us, since Petey is the pickiest eater we've ever seen in a dog. She suggested getting some high calorie, but not high protein treats for him. Since we don't have any of that right now, we gave him some cheez-its. Hey, he ate them. Don't judge. We've learned that with Pete we feed him when he's in the mood to eat. One day he will eat all of whatever we give him for as long as we give it to him, and the next, he'll turn his nose up and act offended that we even thought he'd eat such as that. Anyway, putting a few pounds on a dog shouldn't be that hard to do. We'll find out.

The weight loss did make her a little concerned that he is losing muscle mass. That could be a sign of arthritis. So, he's supposed to take glucosamine/chondrotin for that. We'll get some and mix them in a little peanut butter for a lovely Petey treat. That should help with the weigh issue to.

All in all, particularly considering he's knocking on the door of 100 years old according to her, he's in great shape. He ought to be as pampered as he is!!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Petey is Mad at John

It isn't unusual for Petey to get mad at one or the other of us. We've grown used to the pouting and what we call power shifts in the house. It is a way of life with Petey. Most of the time he'll shun the one that is out of favor by making a big show of being with the favored one. The term favor is used loosely in this situation. It does not necessarily mean 'liked' just not the one he's mad at currently. Once he's established that he'd made at one of us and we know it, he'll make up.

This morning when Petey wouldn't look at John. He wasn't too worried. Lori was still in the bed, since she likes to take advantage of Saturdays to sleep in. Petey had to make do with walking the long way around to avoid John and going in to the bedroom to see if Lori was awake yet. Apparently, it is important for the unfavored one to witness the attention lavished on the favored one. This time the cold shoulder continued well past that point once Lori got up. John tried to make up with Petey by giving him a bacon treat. Petey took it because he can't turn down treats, but Lori found it in the floor a bit later.

They chuckled about how Petey had kicked it up a notch, and moved on with their day, which included going to the store for flea treatments for Petey. It was time for the dreaded monthly flea treatment, but also the much anticipated heart worm treat. On the way home from the store, it was agreed that Lori would give Petey the flea treatment and John would give him the heart worm treat. Perhaps equalizing the balance of power a bit. It is difficult to be both the favored and the unfavored. It is best when both are on a more equal footing with Petey.

Unfortunately it took both to get the flea treatment on Pete, so that part of the plan didn't go so well. John still gave Petey the heart worm treatment and found it in the floor moments later.

We don't know what John did to make Petey so mad that he would not take even the beloved heart worm treatment from him, but it is serious indeed. It could be that John is secretly enjoying his new found freedom, but Lori is about ready to call the vet! She's hoping balance is restored soon. Being the favorite is sometimes hard work.