SaraLima's blog

Roxy and Cash don't know it yet, but they have a surprise gift coming their way tonight...matching hoodies! Aren't they awesome? After much trial and error we've found that hoodies are the easiest thing to put on/take off of the dogs before and after our walks, and that they are the least obstructive during their wild play. What I love most about these particular hoodies from Acanthus Apparel is that they have zippers in the front so I don't have to pull them over the dogs' heads. Genius!

Funny, just a year ago I was mocking those who dressed up their dogs, thinking they were simply mirroring their desire for a baby onto their poor, hapless dogs. But now that the dogs are getting older, I find myself worrying more and more about their comfort, including the winter weather chills. Afterall, they're both short-haired dogs, and Cash's hair still hasn't completely grown back from when the vet shaved it for his ultra sound, so I feel like I'm completely justified in spending $30 each on doggie hooded sweatshirts. Jer, on the other hand, would disagree.

We've always been told by strangers that Cash can be an intimidating-looking dog. Being that we know him and his super sweet personality, it's hard for us to imagine, however we try to respect others by keeping him on-leash and under control while in public. I now find myself wishing that others would extend me the same courtesy. Up until now I've avoided going into the details of the incident that occured this summer that resulted in Cash getting hurt. This is mostly because I don't want to re-live that day or that moment, but I feel like in order for you to understand this post you'll need some background info, so here it goes.

Cash was attacked by the dog we fostered after Chance. This dog was bigger than Cash and caused some serious damage to his neck that required many, many stitches and a drainage tube to repair. He now has a Frankenstein-like scar that runs from his jaw to his chest. Since the attack, I have become afraid of other dogs when I'm with Roxy and Cash. If I'm alone, I have the same reaction to any dog that I've always had, sheer delight. But if I'm out with the dogs for a walk or a hike and another canine approaches us, I am immediately filled with anxiety and fear for the safety of my best buds.I realize this is irrational and even dangerous; Roxy and Cash could easily pick up on my new fear cues and begin to act out towards the approaching dog in my defense, but it's something I just can't help.

While on our weekly hike a few weeks ago, Cash and Jer made a quick pit stop to have a drink and a treat. While we stood aside of the trail, a couple approached with a large leashed dog and instantly I stood in front of Roxy (whose leash I was holding) to shield her. The man, picking up on my physical reaction, stated, "Oh don't worry, he's friendly". Before I had a chance to respond, the leashed dog went after Cash, leaving him with a scratch on his nose and shaky knees. Usually my reaction would be one of understanding, perhaps even a giggle as if to say "boys will be boys" however I angrily lashed out at the couple and told them to get lost "or else".

On our hike last weekend, a 9 month old German Shepherd puppy came bounding up to us off-leash, and the same sense of terror began to surface. The owners came shortly behind, stating that the dog had to be off-leash or she didn't get enough excerise. I totally understand this, I used to be one of those people, but not anymore. Luckily, the puppy was sweet and playful and carried on with her business down the trail, but I could tell that Cash had sensed my apprehention.

So what do I do now? Cash and Roxy have many doggie friends they've known for years including my mom's dog and my aunt's dog, however I'm too afraid to have them over anymore for fear of a fight (the attack from our foster dog occured in our backyard). Do you guys have any advice on how to overcome this so I don't pass it along to the dogs?

As per our usual Sunday routine, Roxy, Cash, Jer and I set out to find a new trail to explore on our weekly hike. This time we left our city and traveled 30 minutes away to Fort Langley, a tiny little township filled with historical sites and some pretty cool trails. We decided to try the Houston gravel trail in Derby Reach park, the signage stated that this 4km loop would take 1 hour. It took us 2+. And so begins the story of our stint in what I call the Labyrinth of Danger.

Despite the "Be Bear Aware" warning signs posted all over the opening of the trail, Jer insisted on letting the dogs off-leash. Generally I love having the dogs run loose on our hikes since watching them explore is part of the fun, however we've had a bear run-in in the past, and I was really darn happy to have control over the dogs while we passed our wild comrade, so not having total control made me nervous.

The forest that the trail ran through was absolutely gorgeous, it resembled something out of Jurassic Park!

Our hike started our great, the dogs sniffed out all the wonderfully strange smells while we appreciated the lovely surroundings. Despite being visually impaired, Roxy does really well off-leash and stays relatively close to us. It helped that I had a giant walking stick that made a lot of noise everytime it hit the gravel trail, giving Roxy a general idea of where I was. Plus, Cash never strays too far ahead and always keeps a close eye on Roxy and I while we lag behind.

After about 40 minutes, we came to a fork in the trail where it split into three seperate roads. The one to the right was a definite no as it went in the complete opposite direction of where we were headed. So that just left the other two, one straigh ahead and one to the left. I know what you're thinking, choose the one straight ahead. But wait! The one to the left was covered in beautiful red leaves, making it easier on Roxy's tired and delicate paws. Plus, it looked as though it would connect with the other one. So we veered to the left.

This leg of the trail was beautiful, and Roxy certainly appreciated the softer ground! There were even a few puddles for the two of them to splash and play in, perfect choice, right? Wrong.

After about 20 minutes on this trail, we came to a bluff. Crap. We had chosen the wrong one. Cash just looked at us with this expression that said, "I told you so, dummies".

So we had to turn around. At this point we'd been in the trail for well over an hour, and it was starting to get dark and windy. Roxy and I were getting nervous.

Jer pulled out his GPS to ensure we didn't get turned around. We were on the right track, but had a ways to go. This proved to be too much for Roxy, so she gave up and demanded that Jer carry her the rest of the way. This daddy's girl always gets her way.

At about the 2 hour mark we were getting discouraged, but Cash's knowing gait inspired us to carry on. Eventually, the trees began to lighten and a clearing could be seen up ahead, we were almost there!

And so we made it safely back to the car, all in once piece and without having to use my giant walking stick as a bear deterrent. Good thing we had our brave dogs there to guide us out of the Labyrinth of Danger and back to the warmth of our car, which just so happened to be where I left their bag of treats.

Ever since Blackie Chan came to live with us, he's had an affinity for Cash. Actually, that's understating it. He is absolutely obsessed with Cash. Following him around and trying to snuggle him is one thing, however he's developed a strange behaviour that's totally baffling us - he suckles on Cash.

One morning I woke to a very strange, squeaky sucking sound, which turned out to be Blackie Chan sucking on Cash's tail. Gross, right? Well now he's progressed to suckling at Cash's non-existent teat, and Cash does not care for this AT ALL.

We'll try to pull him off, or distract him with treats to get him to stop. We've even tried bringing him over to Roxy to see if he does this with her...

...but he does not. He'll simply stare at Roxy, then slowly make his way back to Cash to snuggle in underneath his chest for a quick drink (of thin air, mind you).

Has anyone else experienced this? What can we do to stop it?

You may have noticed that there has been a lot of hubub about Roxy in the blog over the past few weeks. This, of course, was due to her impending 10th birthday which we've since celebrated. One of the things I did to commemorate our time together was to compose a top 10 list of my favourite Roxy things, something that came quickly and easily to mind and that served as a reminder of why my first dog is the best dog ever. But this admission got me thinking that there's another cherished hound in my life that is just as wonderful - my big, sweet, grumbly boy Cash! So here it is friends, the top 10 things I love most about Cash (or Cash-isms, if you will).

1. His jowls.

2. How patient he is. My nieces have stuffed scrambled eggs up his nose and attempted to ride him like a horse, yet he's never growled or snapped at them. He is a true ambassador for the bully breeds. 

3. His enthusiasm for play. I've never seen an animal take such delight from removing the fluffy innards of a giant stuffed triceratops. Watching him play like a puppy reminds me to just relax and have fun sometimes.

4. His new-found love for swimming. This was a huge triumph for both of us.

5. His kind brown eyes.

6. How loyal he is. Wherever we go, whether it be at home, on walks or out camping, Cash sticks very closely to Jer and I. We are his whole world and he takes his job of keeping us safe very, very seriously.

7. His burps. They cause his jowly cheeks to puff out and it's hilarious.

8. His soft white chest. This is the softest thing that ever existed in the whole world and is my favourite spot to pet him. I suspect that he secretly conditions it.

9. His sneakiness. Back before he was allowed in our bed, Cash would wait until Jer walked out the front door, got into the car, and pulled out of the driveway before crawling into bed with me. We were caught red-handed several times, but it was worth the risk.

10. When he rests his giant head right next to my laptop while I'm trying to work. That's the perfect indicator that I've done enough.