Imabug’s blog

Nala's starting to show a little bit of grey in her muzzle these days.

Nala and Simba

I always love hearing from the people that adopted dogs I fostered. This was sent in for a Happy Tail entry from the people that adopted Barkley earlier this year.

Imagine that after years, you've decided to expand your household pack to include a companion for your 9-year old Lab, Maggie. Given Maggie's small size, you search the Lab rescues for another small one so as not to daunt Maggie. Having learned of Barkley, a 60-lb lab who was rescued from a shelter, the pack drives 8-hours to meet him at the Wild Heir South Carolina lab rescue.

You haven't taken into consideration that he was 60-lbs when you learned about him, i.e. a few months prior when he was only 9-months old. You arrive to find a 75-lb giant of a Lab who leaps over couches in one bound. ("He's not 60 pounds anymore...") He puts his paws on your shoulders and looks you in the eyes. But Maggie, whom you feared would be quite displeased with a year-old clumsy brother, is delighted with him, and you can't help but be either.

Barkley appears to have no qualms about leaving South Carolina with unfamiliar people and dog, in an unfamiliar SUV - leaping in the back (momentarily). He merely views the back seat as an exercise hurdle to get to the front. ("uhm, he's in your seat." ) You open the door, take him around to the back. By the time you're back in the car, he's back in the front. Repeat two more times.

He never appears confused or anxious about arriving in a new home. He paces the bed every night ("Did we get an insomniac?") until you realize he just wants on the bed. After that, you - and Maggie - are pillows for him to lay across while he sleeps. When it comes to sleeping, he never applies "lay down" but rather falls across you from a standing position. He buries his nose in your neck for the entire night.

All dogs are friends, all squirrels are foes, and moles are to be to be carried carefully in one cheek. ("What's in Barkley's mouth?) Leashes and Maggie's collar are edibles ("Why isn't Maggie's collar on? Why are her ID plates on the floor?") His Nylabone and tennis balls are pacifiers. Water is for slobbering across the kitchen, requiring you to put a rug down. Maggie's head is for drooling on. Vacuums are a terror, causing you to have to replace the Plexiglas door he broke through to escape one. (He wasn't injured.) Couches are for you to sit on - with Barkley's entire self on your lap. Maggie is his most beloved big sister and best friend whose side he won't leave.

Maggie, now 10-years old, is a pup again. Post-breakfast is Labrador wrestlemania, as indicated by the joyous sounds of thunder throughout the house and by every rug accordionned against a wall. She loves an ambush - hiding under a desk or chair and leaping out at him with a playful "snap snap" of her ferocious fangs. Every play session begins with each giving each other nose licks, and then pandemonium ensues. She lets him chase her just long enough to gain momentum and turn on him - the chased becomes the chaser - and he seems as delighted as she. She has taught him that the first thing to do every morning is check the tomato plant for new green tomatoes, thus ensuring we never get to eat a ripe one.

Such is our life with our beloved rescue Lab, Barkley. If you rescue a Lab, you will be blessed to have the same love, affection, fun and frivolity as we do.

Thanks to some misalignment in Google Maps, it took me a little bit of driving around Park West before I could find the dog park.

Located in the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Center in Park West, the dog park is a small fenced in area next to the tennis court. It's dominated by the retention pond in the center of the park, so there's not a lot of open field for dogs to run. However, if you've got a dog that loves water, that's not really going to matter much.

There are plenty of tennis balls around for dogs to run around and fetch, although most of them are in the pond so they'll need to be fished out.

One thing the dog park could use is a water hose to wash the pond water off the dogs when you're finished. There's also no water fountain for the dogs, so it's probably a good idea to bring your own water and bowl.

More dog park photos.

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Macho is staying with us for the next couple of weeks. He's become a pretty big boy since the last time I saw him. It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but Macho is about 5-6 cm taller than Nala or Simba and probably has at least 10kg on both of them. He's having a good time playing with the other dogs.

Nala, Macho and Simba

Thanks to Auntie Sandi, the dogs have some new duds to sport around town.

Nala in her new bright yellow no-stink collar

and Simba in his blue and black no-stink collar

Don't they look sharp?

There aren't too many things that are more fun than spending a morning watching a bunch of labs frolic around in a pond.

At PetFest I stopped by the Lowcountry Dog tent and had pictures of the dogs taken for LCD's cover dog contest. They didn't win the contest, but they did make it onto the cover. The 5x7 photos I ordered just came in the mail today and look pretty good. I think I might go back and order 8x10 versions and use them to decorate the office.

4 years ago today we brought Nala home!

I think I may have rushed the dogs' green tripe experience in a case of "too much too soon". They each got about a third of a can at each meal, which I didn't think they would have a problem with. Although they seemed to enjoy the green tripe, the dogs ended up with upset tummies starting with Simba on Sunday and Nala last night.

Simba is feeling better now and is back to normal and after a late pukey night, I think Nala's starting to feel a little better.

Even though the dogs seemed to enjoy the tripe, I don't think it's something I'll add on a regular basis. Main reason is the smell. Peeewww. Other reason is that although the dogs liked the tripe, if they're going to be hitting the eject button the next day, that's not going to be much fun for them or me.