Baron's first yoga class

Hi All,
I am pleased to announce that I "centered" myself and took Baron to his first doggy yoga class. Baron was also "centered" - on the dog next to him. It was a very cute class. Twenty five dogs attended; they ranged in size from the Newfoundland to the bijon. There were golden retrievers, golden doodles, a Brittany spaniel, but only one poodle. I have to give Baron credit - he tried to behave. We prepared for the class by running around outside in the frigid weather; came indoors where I threw a ball and Baron ran up and down the stairs to retrieve it. This game didn't last long, because Baron apparently decided I should contribute to the ball retrieval.

The Yoga class was held in an exercise room on the second floor of a health club. I wish I had a picture of the faces of the people working out, as we all entered the exercise area! The club supplied water for dogs and humans, and each dog received a baggie of treats. With our faithful canines by our side (some were more faithful than others), we did a little yoga. At one point the dog was supposed to be draped over us, but a certain poodle (the only poodle) stood on my stomach and licked my face. We massaged our dogs, which Baron clearly enjoyed. Is there a masseuse in his future (that would not be me)? At the conclusion of the class we all marched around the room to the "Caissons are Marching Along." The dogs then had a brief play time. Baron was, for Baron, awesome.
I hope I will have pictures to share.
Botswain

Dog Park Terror

Hi All,
Baron and I (well, actually just me) have been enjoying the new smaller dog park, until today. Baron was playing quite well with a lovely Burmese Mountain Dog. They were chasing each other, barking and then taking a "time out". Really cute. In the midst of this fun, a new dog (to us only), Vera, entered with her master. Vera is a rescue dog. Baron greeted her enthusiastically - a little too enthusiastically. Vera began growling and showing her teeth (never a good sign). Her owner told me Vera doesn't usually act like this and could hurt Baron. Needless to say, Baron and I made a calm,hasty exit - ok, I was screaming a little hysterically.

The discussion afterwards was about whether Vera and her owner should have left because she was aggressive. Also, my husband pointed out, we don't know whether she would have hurt Baron or whether he would have retaliated. Isn't that just like a man? I felt there is no reason to hang around to see what would happen.
What do you think?
Botswain

The Bandanna Bandit

Hi All,
We've had a mystery here at Poodle Place. To Baron's delight (and mine), my "human" son was home for a week. Although he is 6 feet tall, Bret was almost knocked over by Baron's enthusiastic greeting - reserved for family members only, thank goodness. Bret has a a unique sense of style and often wears a bandanna on his head (it goes well with the beard). The bandanna disappeared! All of the usual culprits were questioned (beginning with me of course), but no one had seen the bandanna, and Bret returned to New York without it.

Several days later, the bandanna was found! During our search of the premises, we neglected to check Baron's toy box. As may recall from the blog entry posted on 10/12/09, Baron has a history of claiming various items which are not his (remember the cuisinart?) and placing them in his toy box, as though they were his - right! Yes, the toy box, another great idea of Baron's trainer (#5) bites the dust.
Botswain
PS
I suspect Baron emulates Bret's style. What do you think?

The Rescue Dog

Hi all,
I have decided that unless I have at least 2 hours to stand in the cold and watch Baron roll in the snow with his friends, our dog park is just too large. I need a small dog park which will increase the chances of catching a racing dog. A park the size of a small driveway might suffice.
I just tried a new park which is much smaller and it was easier to catch a moving target (that would be Baron). At the park, I met a young man, Jim, who had a lovely, perfectly trained (unlike you-know-who)rescue dog, Buddy. Buddy is a mix: part shepherd, chow and rottweiler.
Today's blog entry is about the trauma Buddy experienced before his rescue. He was approximately 2 years old when he was found wandering in the Missouri woods, chained to one of his litter mates. With only 5 feet of chain between the dogs, their movement was limited. Buddy was wearing a choke collar which had not been replaced since he was a small puppy; it was embedded in his neck and had to be surgically removed. Initially Buddy was fearful in unpredictable ways, and either barked frantically or cowered. Jim said Buddy has "street smarts" and is superb at protecting himself, which explains how he survived. Buddy is now about 6 years old, and is obviously flourishing. He is a great companion for Jim, and displayed impressive patience with Baron.
I am writing about Buddy because those of us who love and value our dogs can't imagine the abuse suffered by pets who fall into the wrong hands. We will never know what Buddy experienced. He and Jim are lucky to have found each other. Adopting a rescue dog isn't for everyone. Given Baron's health issues and personality quirks, he probably sounds like a rescue dog, but he wasn't. I got him from a breeder and kept him after he developed an autoimmune disease as a puppy. The point is: there is no guarantee with any dog.
OK I will step off the soap box now, but it riles me to think of the crimes humans commit (with no punishment) where animals are concerned.
Botswain

The Pictures

Hi All,

I have received numerous compliments on the pictures I recently posted on my blog. I thank all of you for your obvious appreciation of Baron's physical attributes. He is a terrific dog - and so handsome! Unfortunately, while I can take credit for Baron's hair cut (I found the groomer), and how handsome he is (I found him), I can not take credit for the pictures. Future blog updates will include my pictures of Baron (don't get excited) or perhaps pictures of my thumb, but those 2 pictures were taken by a lovely woman I met at the dog park. She had a large camera with her and was taking photos of her dogs. She was kind enough to take some of Baron, and e-mail them to me.
How nice was that? I really appreciate her kindness and wanted to share a warm thought.
Botswain

The lost keys

Hi All,
When we last saw our heroine (that would be me), she was valiantly searching the snowy ground for her car keys, eager to return home. Fortunately, I found them inside the bottom of my snow pants. Thank goodness I was wearing jeans underneath or I would have entertained numerous canines and their primate companions. I was particularly eager to return home to change clothes, as Baron's new Doberman friend decided to mark his territory - that would also be me. Yep, you got it. Apparently, the doberman wanted Baron to remember who is the alpha - that would not be me, I'm just a stand-in for a fire hydrant. No more information is forthcoming on that disaster.
All for now,
Botswain

The Orange Whistle

Hi All,

During the cold weather, the best way for Baron to get a workout (i.e. rid himself of his excess energy - if that's possible) is to run around the dog park. I just love it when he does that, because, with any luck, he will stay out of trouble at home.

Unfortunately, there is a glitch. Baron has such a good time playing with his friends, he doesn't want to come when called. He has little reaction to the cold weather. I, of course, am standing there obsessing about frostbite, while my canine companion, oblivious of my predicament, cavorts with his buddies. This has become the challenge.

Never fear, dear readers, I am armed! What am I armed with? A whistle! During Baron's 1st dog obedience class, we learned how to train the dogs to respond to a whistle. I won't bore you with the details, but it involved weeks of whistling and rewarding Baron with liver sausage (ugh). My house smelled of liver sausage, I smelled of liver sausage; I washed my hands so frequently, it was like a dress rehearsal for h1n1 flu prevention. It was a canine aphrodisiac - dogs of all shapes and sizes wanted to lick my hands. Baron happily rushed to my side when I blew the special neon orange whistle (actually a whistle for boaters). I felt in control, it was worth the large investment in liver sausage (and the odor) - until now.

Yesterday at the dog park, not only did Baron fail to check in with me, he forgot about my very existence! I had stood in the icy dog park for 1 hour, feeling like a shoo in for "Dog owner of the year (or at least of the winter)". I called my beloved pooch, who didn't hear me. I then blew the whistle, which was hanging on a cord around my neck - a perfect fashion accessory. There was no response - at least not from Baron. My fellow humans all turned to gaze at me, as I stood there, ineffectively blowing my orange whistle. It did accomplish something - 5 dogs who must have taken dog obedience from our 1st instructor came dashing to my side, in fact, the doberman almost knocked me over in his eagerness for a treat, but not a poodle in sight - at least not mine.

Finally, 2 humans took pity on me, corralled Baron and pointed at me. He looked over at me, obviously thinking "Oh, her". He then ran to my side, thank heavens. I was able to get his leash on and make my frozen way to the car. That's when I discovered the hole in my pants pocket where I keep the car keys.

Stay tuned for the rest of this icy tale.

Botswain