Hear Me Bark

"Tixie"

We (mostly Tall Human) had a health scare on Saturday. After a trip to the very muddy soccer field near our house for a game of fetch, Tall insisted on giving me a bath. Apparently, I smelled like "poopy mud."

The bathing process was fairly normal and uneventful until Tall was drying me off. She noticed a white spot on the left side of my muzzle. Thinking it was residual shampoo, she wiped it with the towel but it didn't disappear. She gasped in horror when she realized what it was -- a big, fat, white tick. All hell broke loose as Tall yelled for Short to come into the bathroom. Short came in and confirmed it was a tick while Tall started opening and slamming drawers on my grooming cart; she was searching for the tick remover.

When she found it, she nervously read the instructions and removed the tick. Once she examined it to make sure the head was intact, she pushed the remover, complete with trapped tick, toward Short saying: "I don't want to touch it." Short, who is normally overly disgusted by such things, took the remover and disposed of the nasty tick. They both examined my face, cleaned it, and applied some kind of ointment.

Tall fretted for the rest of the weekend and called our new vet first thing Monday morning. Fortunately (for her), they had an available appointment at 4:50.

I LOVE my new vet. He is so nice, knowledgeable, and answered all of Tall's questions. He also has a white standard poodle, so he understands where I'm coming from. Oh, and by the way, the tick didn't do any major damage besides leaving a hard lump. The vet thinks my monthly dose of FrontlinePlus killed the nasty thing 24 hours after it attached itself to me. 

During my visit, I learned that I've gained 3 pounds since Dec. 1 (no snide comments, please; it's all muscle) and got to play with Will, my buddy Trevor's brother. I think Will has a little crush on me. And the people who work there loved me and I got lots of pets and treats. The feeling is very mutual.

We left the vet with a prescription cream for my lump, a "super" tick remover, and a cool soccer ball that makes noises.

Thankfully, this story had a happy ending, which means Tall can save her fretting for another day.

Hollywoof: Fame for Dogs

This weekend, the humans and I drove to San Francisco to attend Hollywoof where we screened the world premier of "Sniff," a serious documentary depicting two British concierges of a high-end dog hotel collaborating on a documentary about dogs. The film got off to a slow start, but it transformed into a fun yet moving piece before my very eyes. I think I even caught Tall shedding a tear or two during certain parts.

A sequel to last year's sold-out fundraiser extravaganza, Hollywoof Part 2 is (apparently) the only event where humans can watch the films with their canine pals. Once we arrived, I made my grand entrance by walking down the green carpet.

In addition to kicking back with the humans to watch the movie, I met dogs of all shapes and sizes, sampled delicious food and treats, and mingled with the directors. I also received a bag of swag, which containted some pretty awesome samples. The Tea Tree Treatment Shampoo (for fleas, ticks, and hot spots) will come in particularly handy, but more about that later.

It was an awesome night filled with great fun. Plus, besides some minor barking here and there, I behaved myself as well as any Hollywood starlet would. For more fun-filled photos, visit Hear Me Bark's Facebook fan page.

It's a hit!

Rilo Kiley's popular song, "It's a Hit," is a pretty accurate description of my half day at day care yesterday. Seriously, I don't think it could have gone better. I bet you can guess who's still breathing a big sigh of relief even after more than 24 hours. (Tall!)

Speaking of Tall, she chauffeured me to the day care facility so I'd arrive promptly at 7:00 a.m. I remained calm until entering the building, but showed a bit of excitement when the caregiver human approached me. I was trying to play it cool, but I really couldn't help myself; I like her a lot. She took my leash from Tall and sent her on her way. Calm and collected spoo that I am, I didn't even glance back to see her leave.

The caregiver human told Tall she should feel free to call and check on me, which she did. Around 9:45, Tall called and one of the caregiver humans told her, and I quote, "Dixie is doing great; what a gem she is!" OMG. Can you even believe it?

In addition to playing with other dogs -- and playing well I might add -- I got a TTouch massage from one of the caregiver humans. It was delightful and very relaxing.

I had such a busy morning that I didn't realize how quickly time flew. Before I knew it, a caregiver human was ushering me through the playroom gates to Tall. That was okay though. I was exhausted and slept the entire afternoon away. Now that we know I can be good and not get expelled (at least not right away, anyway), I can't wait to go back to Pride and Pedigree!

Day Care Assessment Complete

Tall took me to my day care assessment at Pride & Pedigree and I pretty much passed with flying colors. However, Tall isn't getting her hopes up despite reassurance from Short Human. She is concerned that I'll get expelled like last time. I'm going to try to be on my best behavior though.

Pride & Pedigree is pretty cool. It's in an old warehouse-type building with lots of exposed beams an an exposed ceiling. They have separate areas where dogs are grouped by temperament rather than size. I hope I get put in a group with lots of labs and pit bulls. And maybe there will be another standard poodle! I didn't get to go in the rooms and observe things very closely, but I did see a large red barn that I'll get to play in. It looked way cool.

Tall scheduled my first day tomorrow just to test the waters. I'm going for a half day, so I'll be home by noon and will tell you all about it.

In Search of Day Care

Since we moved to Oakland, the humans have been searching for a boarding/day care facility that can somewhat live up to our experience with Wag Hotels in West Sacramento. Although I know nothing could be better, I'm looking forward to spending time in a different environment and meeting new friends.

There are several facilities that offer boarding and day care in the Oakland area, but the humans have narrowed the list down to three:

1. Pride & Pedigree
2. Citizen Canine
3. Happy Hound

I've ranked the facilities according to the humans' preference. For example, they like Pride & Pedigree best out of the three because they:

• Offer agility course activities, obedience exercises, and trick training during day care.
• Require dogs to be crate trained for periodic naps.
• Sirius Dog Training classes.
• Employ a full-time groomer who specializes in many breeds.
• Are located less than a mile from our apartment.

Each of these facilities require an assessment before allowing dogs to join day care. And, I have an appointment at Pride & Pedigree for an assessment today. Tall, who will be taking me, is nervous, but I'm not. I'm just going to be myself; Pride & Pedigree can take or leave me.

Tall isn't a fan of my devil-may-care attitude, especially considering that I got kicked out of a Sacramento day care after passing the assessment with flying colors. I wish she wasn't such a fretter!

You can bet I'll keep you updated about the assessments. Wish me luck (for Tall's sake).

Point Isabel: My New Favorite Place

After hearing about Point Isabel -- a magical place where dogs and their people frolic along the Richmond Inner Harbor (pretty much a stone's throw from the Golden Gate Bridge) -- for more than a year, we finally went yesterday. But first, my incompetent humans went the wrong way and we ended up in San Francisco.

Point Isabel was glorious. Here I am with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background:

 

 We met my friend, Brillo, and her human for some muddy fun. As you can imagine, after more than a week of non-stop rain, it was a big mess. But I loved it. Check out all the water I splashed up while fetching; that's Brillo looking on:

 

As the humans strolled along the concrete path, I chased my ball through mud and puddles and over hills and valleys. As you can imagine, I was a filthy mess when it was time to go. Mud and grass were intertwined in my leg, chest, and belly curls. All this mud made me think that I could play with the mud puppies mentioned on this sign:

However, this was a very misleading sign. Instead of dirty puppies running around, the building was lined with bathtubs. I whined in horror when I realized what was in store for me. After all, I just had a bath on Friday.

I needn't have been upset though. The human who washed me was very nice -- and handsome. When he returned me to my humans, he said I was such a good girl and that it would be a pleasure to wash me next time. Wowza! The only thing I didn't like about him was that he put a bow in my hair and on my collar. You can bet the humans had a laugh at my expense.

To see more photos from today -- and I promise they're good -- visit Hear Me Bark's page on Facebook.

Naughty Is the New Nice

What I am about to tell you is a true story. If you are against cruelty to humans, you should probably stop reading here.

Yesterday, I heard Tall tell Short: "This has been one of the hardest mornings I've had in a long time and it's all because of Dixie." I've been in a very mischievous mood lately. I blame it on the rain. In fact, that's how yesterday got off to such a bad start.

Tall had the day off and decided to take me to the Alameda Dog Park since the rain had kept me from getting a lot of outdoor exercise during the week. Obviously, I was excited. As we walked up to the gate, we both saw several miniature lakes and I was afraid that she'd deny me my beloved fetch time, but she sucked it up and we went inside.

In addition to all the standing water and a steady rain, there were multiple piles of poop, obnoxious dog owners, and several dogs who kept stealing my ball. This wasn't shaping up to be the best dog park trip. However, we played for a while and Tall kept chasing down the dogs who stole my ball. Apparently, their owners thought it was cute; Tall was not amused. And Tall, like me, was soaked by the time we left.

As soon as we got home, Tall put me in the tub for a bath. As usual, I was pretty good until after my bath when she brought out the hair dryer. I wiggled all around and made it hard for her to dry me and after about five minutes of trying, Tall got frustrated and went out to get the grooming table. I was not happy. However, I stopped putting up too much of a fight because I was famished -- it was 10:30 and I still hadn't eaten breakfast.

After Tall fed me, all hell broke loose. I thought it would be really fun to rip around the house barking like I never had. If the neighbors were home, I'm sure we'll receive a reprimand from the apartment management. Like a fool, Tall kept trying to grab me so I'd stop barking, but I alluded capture by running into my crate. Furious, Tall slammed the crate door, which immediately bounced open, and  stormed away. I thought this was a fabulous game, so I tore out of my crate and chased Tall into the living room where she sought refuge, jumping, poking, and nibbling her the entire time. Tall finally made it to the living room, but she flopped down on the couch and cried a little. Still thinking this was part of the game, I continued to bark, jump, and poke. I now realize that it was not a game.

Tall finally got up, went to the kitchen, got a treat, and escorted me -- by the collar -- to my crate. I proceeded to sleep off my craziness for the next two hours. As I slept, Tall and Short began devising a behavior modification plan to "show me who's boss." I can hardly wait.

I am Anti-rain

This week has been a wet one here in Oakland, and I have not enjoyed it. All you poodles or poodle owners know that rain is not a curly coated dog's friend. In fact, this weather is wreaking havoc on my curls. I'm constantly being dried off and when I'm not wearing that damn pack, I'm in my rain coat.

In addition to being wet or wearing a stupid rain coat, the sand that I use as my bathroom is a bepuddled mess. Seriously, I am afraid I'm going to drown when I'm taking a dump. Oh, and speaking of puddles, there aren't any that don't soak my feet up to my ankles, which is very cold to my shaved tootsies. I even feel bad for the humans who have continued to take me out for my daily walks despite the rain.

I have heard of people doing rain dances, but I propose that we do a dry dance. Okay, all together now . . . on the count of three . . . DANCE!

My Cousins Love Me

Things have been so hectic for the last few weeks that I neglected to tell you about the amazing birthday/Christmas gifts that my generous cousins, Audrey and Trevor, sent. I'll admit it this time; I'm a very baaaad dog.

I already knew that my cousins love me, but they decided to show that love by showering me with some awesome gifts.

As you can see, they didn't skimp on the fun stuff. In addition to a cute letter with photos, they sent some delicious vegetarian treats (carrot, to be exact); a Chuckit! Glow Ball (hell yeah!); a Hartz Chew N' Clean Dental Duo (I'm still waiting for the humans to let me sink my teeth into this); and, perhaps best of all, the most realistic and strong plush bear. I beat the crap out of my bear almost daily and I love to sling him around. Who knew I had a strong prey drive?

I'll be able to properly show my gratitude to Audrey and Trevor when I see them at the end of the month, but in the meantime, thanks guys! You are the best cousins ever!

Spoo #2

Now we're rolling. For the second week in a row, I met a Bay Area standard poodle. I can't help but wonder why they're all brown though. In Sacramento, pretty much all of us were black. Hmmm . . . 

Anyway, this pretty girl is Maya. She's about a year old and she has lots of energy, which you can see in the photo. I still have lots of energy, but after watching Maya run around and try to play with the other dogs, my humans commented on how much I've settled down. It's time to amp up my energy; never let it be said that Dixie the Dog has "settled down."