23 June 2013

Don't forget to tip the barber!

It's summer, it's hot and we all wish we could just sit in the shade in light clothes and sip a beer. I often look at pooch and think she would like to do the same. Of course, except the beer part, let's not be silly!

Aschiuta has changed into her summer clothes and is now feeling breezy and cool. We took her for a shave yesterday and she even lost about 1kg in fur. Hmm, here is a good idea for losing weight: having a haircut.
 
You can see poochie in a whole new light now.

Like last year, we went for a full shave, leaving the head, the bottom of the legs and the tip of the tail untouched. The roots of her hairs are lighter than the tips, so she looks a lot fairer now.

One interesting fact about Aschiuta is that she seems to have an excess of skin that is also very elastic. We pull on it and it apparently peels off her and when we let go, it just snaps back into place. It doesn't hurt her at all either. I wonder if it happens to most other dogs as well.

I'm glad her coat is shorter so she will be able to bear the heat better now. Some might say she looked better before, others that she looks younger now. Nevertheless, she is our cute little rat.

Rat? Who are you calling a rat?

6 April 2013

To spay or not to spay...

Poochie is almost 3 years old now. Of course, she is as energetic as ever and I really hope that won't change. She could do with a bit of discipline though. Yes, even if she acts like a little angel most of the time.

Anyway, I digress. I wanted to talk about how poochie is growing old and we still need to spay her. Although I feel rather reluctant to do this to her. They usually say it's a good idea and it will spare me dealing with the crazy howls of the other dogs, the hormones and the little red stains all over the place. Well, it will have to be done.

"Nooo, don't spay me! I'm too young, I haven't frolicked enough!"

We have talked about this and it will have to happen after it warms up a bit. Spring is here, but we had snow just last week. I will also need days off from work to stay home and take care of her, of course.

Another concern we had was the anesthetic the vets would use. Most of them have various side-effects and we don't want to risk anything like that happening to poochie. So we aren't going for shots or pills, but we will use the safest method available, which is gas. It is the most expensive one of course, good things usually are like that.

If any of my readers have gone through this stage with their pets, I would invite you to offer your opinion on the subject. What are your feelings about spaying/neutering? And how important is the type of anesthetic for you?

1 April 2013

Catching up

We're back! After almost one year and a half, I'm back with another post about my little poochie and of course, dogs in general.

We have been good, if anyone was wondering. We moved to a new home with a huge garden overlooking our living room. I have a very busy job and taking salsa lessons (no, not the kind of salsa you can eat).

Poochie has grown out of her habit of chewing furniture (yay!), but now she chews up plastic bags and sometimes eats the little bits (boo!). She is still a little devil when she's alone with me and tries to bite me or steal things to chew.

Right now, she is napping at my feet, hugging her hind legs. Later on, she will most definitely come under the covers to cuddle with me.

I would like to get back to the story I was writing, but I would have to read it again and figure out how the ending goes. Later on, maybe.

For now, I just wanted to share a little video of our friendly neighbourhood stray dogs showing their intelligence and adaptability to urban life.

The video is made by the Romanian police and it is meant as a lesson for pedestrians. What is the lesson you say? Just watch to find out:


At the end, it says "If they can do it, so can you". A very interesting and valuable lesson from our stray dogs. Bravo!

Until my next post, be safe!