Tonight I took Frieda out for a walk. While we were walking down the street, an unleashed dog came running out of nowhere, straight at Frieda and barking like crazy. I looked around hoping to see its owners, but there was not a human being in sight.

The dog would get right up in Frieda's face, barking, then run off a few feet and then come back again. Frieda never barked, but she was pulling on the leash trying to get at this other dog. I tried to walk us slowly away when the dog would run off, but it would always come back at us.

By this point I didn't believe the dog would really attack us. It never actually snapped at Frieda and while it barked a lot, it never growled. I was just trying to edge us down the street towards home. But we were on the sidewalk, and the dog was in the street, and periodically a car would come by. It was dark out and the dog was black, and I started worrying that it would get hit. I tried gently calling to it to come up on the sidewalk, but it wouldn't come to me.

Finally a car pulled over and a couple of guys asked if I needed help (two young guys in white shirts and ties, which would have meant nothing to me before I moved to AZ, lol). I explained the situation and they managed to get hold of the dog. She didn't have a collar. We didn't really know what to do, so they said they would hold the stray while Frieda and I left the area. I think it was just seeing another dog that had her so riled up. I said I would call animal control as soon as I got home.

I called the local animal control and after listening to their interminable phone message I finally got the point where they said, "To report a stray dog, press one." I pressed one and got a message telling me to call back during normal business hours!!!! Because, you know, dogs only get loose during normal business hours. ARGH.

I don't know what I would have done if those guys never showed up, and I don't know what they ended up doing with the dog. I felt bad just leaving, but at the same time, there was no way that dog was going to calm down while Frieda was nearby. :-(

Also, Frieda is my hero. She never once barked back at the other dog, but she kept herself between it and me the entire time. I never really worried about my own safety with her there, but I was terrified I was going to lose my pup.

I am on several dog communities, and once in a while someone posts that their beloved pet has passed away. And every single time I am compelled to hunt down my own smelly, hairy beast and give her a hug.

I need to make some new Frieda icons. She is not this small anymore.

Frieda had a blast playing in the sprinkler yesterday:



( More pics under the cut )

This is awesome:

http://www.vipfibers.com/

I could make a Frieda sweater!

Nick is playing with his new monster action figures and holds up the grim reaper, saying in a deep voice, "NO ONE CAN DEFEAT DEATH!"

Then he accidentally drops the grim reaper on the floor.

As he scurries to retrieve it I hear him add, "Oh no...except maybe the scary giant Frieda dog!!!"

*****

Meanwhile, Frieda just ran in from outside with a ball in her mouth, which she dropped hopefully in front of the cat (who hates her beyond measure). Apparently she's hoping the kitty will play with her and they can finally be friends.

see more dog and puppy pictures

Frieda managed to get to the box of laundry detergent on top of the dryer and spread it all over the laundry room.

Sure hope she didn't eat any. I guess if she starts farting bubbles I'll know.

I have spent the past week feeling like I'm on the verge of getting sick, and desperately trying to avoid it. But I haven't worked out since Thursday, and I woke up this morning feeling hideously depressed. So fuck it--I'm going running today and if it sends me over the edge, so be it. I'd rather just get sick already than continue pussyfooting around.

Woke up at 12:30 last night to the sound of someone bumbling around in the kitchen. At first I thought it was JR coming home, but usually she's a lot quieter when she gets home late at night. I went out to investigate and found the lights on and Nick's Easter basket missing. I went in his room and he was sitting with his basket in his bed doing the book of Sudoku puzzles that was in it. "I just couldn't wait until morning!" he exclaimed. Little rat!

JR and Nick and Frieda and I went to the playground early this afternoon. Nick rode his newly training-wheeled bike (he just wasn't going to learn to ride without them). We wanted to play fetch with Frieda but there was a big group of people having an Easter egg hunt there. No way was I letting the dog off leash with all those potential new "friends" around to knock over. But then we found this little preschool playground that was completely fenced in. It was locked, but we lifted Frieda over the fence and then climbed over ourselves (with Nick admonishing, "Are you sure this is legal?!?!?" the whole time). We even got Frieda to go down the slide by tossing a treat down it (totally funny sight).

Then the girl with the pit bull showed up (the one who alpha-rolled Frieda) and put her dog over the fence too. She didn't do anything to Frieda this time around, and the dogs had a BLAST playing together. Serious major dog fun. One freaky quirk about Frieda is that when she gets super-excited the hair on her back stands up like a mohawk. It's the most hilarious thing. Pretty much the entire time she played with Bailey (the other dog) her hair was on end. At first I was worried because normally that happens to her when she's scared by something. But she wasn't giving any other indications of stress or unhappiness. She was doing her play bow and wagging her tail and having a grand old time.

Also, she wound up covered head to toe in playground sand--mostly her face. I wish I'd had a camera with me because she was quite a sight. Now she's totally calm and quiet. A tired, dirty, smelly dog is a happy dog, right?

I had hoped to go to Crate and Barrel today to use our gift certificate on a meat grinder attachment for my mixer. I want to use it to make egg salad and ham & pickle from our Easter leftovers. I know you don't need a meat grinder to make egg salad, but it's how my parents always made it (with olives!) and I like it to be finely ground like that. I'm a snob--sue me.

Sadly, Crate and Barrel is closed today for the holiday. Damnit! Maybe I can sneak out tomorrow at lunch before all my meetings.

I bailed on the Castles and Coasters thing today because I just don't feel up for it. Thankfully I had never set it in stone with Nick, and JR wasn't up for it today either, so no one was disappointed. Maybe next weekend.

"Frieda's probably an angry drunk."

* * *

And also....

Rob: It's like the trainer said. She chooses not to kill us.

Me: Yes, but she's not choosing not to kill your shoe.

Dear random strangers I meet while walking my dog,

When I want your advice on how to train my dog, I will ask for it. Actually, I *did* want advice on how to train my dog, so I sought out a professional trainer with a track record of good results. And, interestingly enough, she did *not* recommend alpha rolling my dog (Guess what? Nobody recommends it anymore, beyond Cesar Millan, whose techniques have been widely criticized among vets and trainers.) Nor did she recommend the many other dominance-theory based tips you so freely offer as "the only way to get your dog to behave" (Read the AVSAB position statement on dominance theory.) In fact, she made it clear that there isn't just one way to train a dog, and that you need to know your dog well to determine what techniques will work best for you. By the way, you don't know my dog better than I do.

But even if your advice was sound, which 90% of the time it isn't, why would I allow complete strangers to tell me how to train my dog? Why should I trust someone I've never met before, whose dog, for all I know, could be a complete hell-beast 90% of the time?

And finally, to the girl I met on today's walk, with the lovely pit bull whom Frieda enjoyed meeting: You DO NOT under any circumstances get to alpha roll my dog without my permission! OMGWTFBBQ?!?!?! Why would you even think that is okay? I won't even pet someone else's dog without asking them first. Why would you think it's all right to aggressively PUNISH my dog just because, OMG, a puppy who is distracted by a new person and new dog doesn't sit on command for a total stranger? She wasn't jumping on your or biting you. She wasn't frightening or harming your dog. What excuse can you possibly have for wrapping your hands around her neck? Oh that's right--none.

No love,
Frieda's "mommy"

Tonight JR was playing with Frieda and noticed that her cheeks were really swollen, and she kept rubbing her face against things as if it was itchy. Her right eye was really swollen too.

I gave her some Benadryl and we took her to the doggie hospital. By the time we got there the swelling had gone down a bit. The doctor gave her a shot of steroids and sent us on our way, my purse $145 lighter. She most likely had a run-in with a stinging insect.

When we got home Rob's mom said I should go check on Nick because he was very upset. For school he's reading Where the Red Fern Grows and tonight while we were gone he read the part where the dogs die. I remember reading that book as a kid and crying my guts out. And here poor Nick was waiting to find out if his own dog was going to be okay at the same time! Needless to say I let him get out of bed and play with Frieda for a little while.

Anyway, my plans for the evening didn't include rushing off to the puppy ER. But at least Frieda is okay.

ETA: Speaking of the trials and tribulations of pet ownership...Last night I headed to bed, way later than I should have and in a grumpy mood. I walked into my room and saw, smack dab in the middle of my bed, a huge pile of fresh cat shit. Because, you know, washing sheets in the middle of the night was EXACTLY what I wanted to be doing...

So at noontime today I came home to eat and feed the puppy. When I went to call her inside, I noticed that the back gate was wide open! Naturally, when I called out for Frieda, no one came running.

Major heart attack.

Before racing frantically through the neighborhood, I decided to check our phone messages. After all, the dog is microchipped and has a tag with our phone number on it. Sure enough, there was a voice mail from the woman across the street, saying she'd found Frieda wandering around and put her in their yard.

I am SO incredibly grateful that she was in the right place at the right time and that she was kind enough to take my dog in!!!

I put together a little gift basket with chocolates and cookies and doggie treats (they have a dog, too) and stuff for them, and brought it over tonight. It's nothing major but I wanted to do *something* to say thanks.

We have no idea how the gate got open. It wasn't any of us--we know that for sure. It is possible to open our gate from outside, in the alley, however. Today I installed a second latch on the bottom of the gate. No one can get in from the alley now.

When I collected Frieda from the neighbors' house she greeted me as if to say, "Hi mom! I just had the greatest adventure!" Happy as a clam. And typically smelly and covered in pine tar (how do you get pine tar out of dog fur, anyway?) That's my dog for you.

It seems that whenever I start getting cynical about my fellow humans--thinking they are all stupid and cruel and apathetic--someone shows up to prove me wrong. It's nice to know that our neighbors are looking out for us. I feel very fortunate.

She's not this small anymore. Not by a long shot.

I look like a cutter.

Frieda was a complete hell-beast at doggy school today. She went into batshit crazy mode and I basically spent the entire hour fighting her. Note to self: one walk in the morning and a morning spent playing in the yard is NOT sufficient exercise for her to handle an hour of training. My dog is a psychopath.

Anyway, she spent the entire time biting me...hard. And of course being the dumbass that I am, I forgot to bring a chewtoy to stuff in her mouth (not that she cares. Chewtoys aren't as tasty as my flesh, apparently). Thank heavens microsteph was more intelligent than I am, and she let me use Romeo's chewtoy. But it didn't help much. She really tore up my hands and forearms something fierce.

Romeo came over after class for a playdate with Frieda. It consisted of the two dogs chasing each other in circles around the yard at light speed. Afterwards Frieda had a nice nap. Apparently the only one who can tire her out is an equally hyperactive puppy.

But just a few minutes ago, she went back into crazy mode, biting at my hands. The trainer today suggested bitter apple spray, but when I tried that in the past Frieda just licked it off like it was a treat. Someone in class today recommended plain old vinegar. I was skeptical--this is a dog who eats cat litter, after all. But in exasperation I tried it. Did I mention that she tore up my hands today, and that they are covered in cuts and scratches? Now imagine pouring vinegar all over that. HOLYFUCKINGSHIT that was a hoot.

I put my hand out to Frieda, and she licked and lapped up the vinegar. Shit, I thought, it doesn't work. But then all of a sudden she started jumping around like she was on hot coals. And when I held my hands out to her again she backed right off.

Cross your fingers...this might work!

This week Frieda seems to be having a rough phase overall. I don't know what's up...the vet said "Welcome to the terrible twos." She was sleeping 7 hours at night and now she's up every few hours again. Last night at 2 she starting wailing like she was being bludgeoned to death. She's only done that once before and it was when she managed to get her teeth stuck on her crate and couldn't extract herself. But when I came out last night nothing seemed to be wrong. I took her outside, she peed, and then she went back to sleep fairly quickly. WTF?