Monday, September 19, 2011

A Tale of Two Hounds And One Tired Mama

As some of you may know, I recently adopted another dog -- a one year old bloodhound named Daisy Duke. That makes us a two dog household and even though George (my 10 year old Coonhound) may have hated her at first, he now realizes after four months, she doesn't appear to be going away. Life gets interesting with two 75 pound, extremely stubborn hound dogs underfoot. One could care less about scratches and loving, the other will try to sit on your lap. One who wants to sleep all day, the other has more energy than a six year old on speed. Two completely different dogs.

George is a handsome old boy. Loves to work his sniffer.

When we first adopted George, we used to walk that motherfucker twice a day. And it was no easy walk. It was a double leash, on your toes, almost jogging to keep up walk. I think that first year we had him I lost 20 pounds -- both from the incessant exercise, and the nerves of (for me) being a first time dog owner. Once, this neighborhood kid asked why I walked my dog with two leashes. I told him George was really strong and I needed the second one for back up. A couple weeks later, Mr. LKW encountered the same kid on a walk and the kid said hi to George and then looked at my hubs and said, "That George, he's one powerful dog." Needless to say, G had a reputation in the neighborhood.

Don't let George's innocent look fool you!

Needless to say, as George got older and lazier, we stopped the regular, twice daily walks. I found that 20 pounds I lost and well, things got a little complacent around the old Latchkey homestead. We started talking about getting a friend for G a couple years ago but never did anything about it. Then, back in April, we started getting serious about trying to find another dog - realizing that the old coonhound wasn't getting any younger. I wanted a nice Bluetick, or a Walker hound -- something a little smaller than George. Mr. LKW had his heart set on a Bloodhound. If you're familiar with the breed, you know that full grown, they run anywhere from 85-110 pounds of pure, destructive stubbornness.

So one day I was minding my own business, folding the never ending mound of laundry that lives on the guest bed, and I heard Mr. LKW say, "Oh no. Ooooooh no!" I looked over to see PetFinder.com up on the screen. That's never a good sign. Looking at me with those sad, droopy eyes was Miss Daisy Duke -- looking for a new home. She was house-trained, supposedly crate trained and up to date on all her shots. I had to make the call.

Daisy's adoption photo. How could you resist this face?

Fast forward a couple weeks later, we (including George) made the trip down to Lexington, MA to meet Miss Daisy. Or as I affectionately call her, Crazy Daisy. George explored the back yard of the person who arranged the adoption and Daisy followed him closely. George pretended she wasn't there. He didn't try to rip her head off so we figured it was ok to bring her home. Little did I know, our sleep ins would become a thing of the past...

Each morning at, oh, anywhere between 4:45 and 5:15am, Miss Daisy awakens us with her trademark hound bark. And like the good little trained soldiers, we hop out of bed, suit up the family and embark on a pre-dawn walk. I am not meant to see these types of times on my clock. I would have been just fine had I never been a witness to a sunrise ever again. Now I've seen more than I care to count. Some mornings I will offer Mr. Latchkey Wife large sums of money to just let me sleep a little longer. I feel like I'm tired all the time. Two dogs seems like triple the work.

Looks like she's working herself to the bone!

Since when did these dogs train me? I spend equal parts of my life trying to find a few minutes to nap, wiping drool off of every surface in my house, vacuuming enough dog hair to outfit a whole new dog, and buying dog food. Lots and lots of dog food. Not sure how you folks with more than two dogs do it. I bow down to you. I'm barely hanging on with the two. But for me, there's nothing better than snuggling with a stinky old hound -- I wouldn't trade either for the world. Well... not for the world, but maybe for a few bucks!

Not sure I could trade her for a million bucks. Total cuteness overload!

I know we have some dog lovers around these here parts. Tell me your best tip for a happy doggy household. And if there are ANY Bloodhound owners out there -- do they ever stop chewing shit up?

37 comments:

  1. Aww, such cute babies! I was raised with Blueticks, love them! But I've always wanted a Bloodhound! You're kind of scaring me with the "chewing shit up" forever thing though, lol! We have two dogs, a yellow lab and a jack russell terrier. Wouldn't trade them for anything either.

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  2. She's a cutie!

    There aren't many things better than having a big dog lay on the couch with you while you read fanfiction!

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  3. We use to be a six dog household, and with dog sitting our friend’s dogs we've have had up to 10 dogs running around at one time. Helped that we had five acres, with a one acre dog yard. With our older fur babies passing over the rainbow bridge and then me bringing a 8 week old puppy home we are now a 4 dog family.

    So Pffffft, I say to your two dogs.

    Dog hair you wanna talk dog hair, I have Siberian Husky X dogs, I took up spinning it just because I had so much drifting around the house. Stopped when I brought home Rookie seven years ago, he though it was something he should eat.

    The latest addition is Kach the puppy who is now 7 months old, when I adopted her we were told that she was a Siberian Husky X Border Colly. I did the DNA your dog thing, get this she is Siberian Husky, Akita, Bassett Hound, Collie, Italian Greyhound and Lab. She is my northern mutt and nothing like a Siberian Husky for instance she drools, she also likes to play in the water dishes. She will go to the water dish and take a big honken mouthful of water then proceeds to walk around the house while all the water drains out of her mouth. Sometimes she just stands there repeatedly doing this till the bucket is near empty. I am forever cleaning up after her.
    She chews too... so far she has chewed the starter button off the BBQ, chewed up hubs outdoor shoes, chewed @twikiwi's flip flops when she came to visit, gummed and drooled on my niece's runners, chewed on one of our new anderondeck chair to name a few of her casualties. I know eventually this will pass, I just have to be a little bit more diligent with her.

    But you are right there is nothing like snuggling up with a stinky old dog and getting big wet sloppy kisses, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

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  4. Ooooh , your babies are cuties :) They´d be toooo big for my though. I have my hands full with my westie ;)

    The world according to Benny, the Westie

    - sleeping in bed and claiming the most pillow space so Mum has to sleep on the edge

    - demanding to be let in under the blanket when I am cold by bumping my nose against Mum´s arm in the middle of the night

    - sleeping in a bit when Mum and Dad get up

    - demanding a snack at breakfast, yeast bun is my fav

    - going for a 2 hour walk and checking out all my bitches ( I have MANY me being such a manly man with my balls intact)

    - expecting my real breakfast to be served when I get back

    - demanding to get my drink of water from the bowl outside as water outside tastes better than from the bowl right next to my dish

    - expecting to have a variety of meals ( canned food, hamburger, liver with veggies) served to me in regular intervals

    - naptime until noon

    - sniffing around for some morsel from the table

    - naptime till coffee break

    - occasionally opening my eyes to check what´s going on as I am a nosy git

    - sometimes helping Mum with gardening by planting my butt on newly planted patches in the garden

    - expecting some form of cake

    - going for a 2 hour walk paying a visit to my bitches ( hehe)

    - expecting to be carried if a leaf or a smallish branch only so much as touches my feet

    - expecting my dinner to be served when I get back.

    - demanding a bath by hopping in the bath tub if my tummy and legs are sandy and muddy

    - snuggling and napping on Dad’s lap afterwards with a blanket wrapped around me

    - demanding play time with my 101 toys

    - sleeping on silk pillows on the corner seat or on the couch until bed time


    Fact: I AM THE RULER OF ALL

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  5. I hope your adorable doggies will be getting some twitarded gear - I'm pretty sure zazzle and cafe press both have dog shirts.

    when I adopted my dog, the rescue told me he was 3 years old. When I took him to the vet, they laughed and said he was *maybe* 9 months old... what got me through dealing with Charlie (affectionately nicknamed D-Bag)? rescue remedy. this stuff is safe for people and pets and it helps calm everyone down. At the dog wash I used to work at we would give it to the nervous or aggressive dogs in the tubs. it works wonders...

    http://www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com/en-us/us/our-brands/rescue-remedy/our-products/the-original-rescue-remedy/

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  6. Firsly - "coonhound"? Seriously? Hilarious! I'm sorry, my mind is clearly permanently in the gutter.

    They are both too cute! But yeah, you can keep your pre-dawn exercise...

    Did you try a few drops of peppermint oil on your vacuum cleaner filter yet? It's really good!

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  7. My sister has 5 dogs and 4 rabbits. I should mention, she also has ZERO kids! Insanity!

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  8. We have two golden retrievers who are getting on in age, so they aren't as spunky as they used to be. Slowly try to change the routine. Force them to wait ten minutes longer each day for their walk. You will be able to move their walk time routine to later morning. Get a doggie door so if they really have to go, they can take themselves out. We never thought ours would mellow out, and around 7 they started thinking that sleep is more important than jumping all over the place wanting to go on walks 24/7. So, sounds like you have a few years to go! Another trick is to really exercise them hard right before dark- like take them on a long walk or bikeride- with ours we throw the tennis ball for hours. That makes them want to sleep in in the morning! Hope this helps- any advice for kitty waking us up all hours of the night? 3:20 am is her favorite time to walk around the house yowling. We spray her and then make her come back to bed, but then we can't get back to sleep- she is 18, so it isn't likely to change! Good luck!

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  9. LKW, your pups are adorbs! :) I have a 1 1/2 year old German short haired pointer and holy hell, she is an energetic dog (stubborn too)! We do two walks a day to keep energy levels low. She LOVES to run so I've been taking her jogging with me lately. I consider it a HUGE success if she has run out of energy by the end of the day! I wish she liked playing fetch a little more... she'll play for 5 or 10 minutes and then gets sidetracked with something else (yay puppy A.D.D!). Anyone know a good method to get a dog obsessed with playing ball?! If I could get her to play fetch for half an hour each day plus going on the two walks then she would be one pooped pup by the end of the day!

    I love pet stories, great post :)

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  10. Pets are the best. I have 2 cats, the girl, Sam, is a compete bitch. The guy, Oliver, is a gentle giant.

    I have one dog and he has a dog. My jack russell, Shilo, is going on 2 and is a ball of energy. He is the best dog in the world. I'm sorry, I'm sure y'all think your dogs are the best but you're wrong. I'm sure they're great but Shilo is the most excellent dog in ever. I thought Shilo needed some company so about 3 months ago, I brought Penny home for him. She's a mix crossed with more mix. But Shilo is not so good at the feeding and discipline part of being a pet owner. Penny is a sweetie, a thorough girl but always up for a romp with Shilo.

    @LKW Your dogs are gorgeous! After having a Jack Russell I would never be brave enough to get a dog that I couldn't physically lift up myself to hold still when the enthusiasm got a bit much. I think you are very brave, and my hat is officially off to you.

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  11. I had a dog about 6-6ish years ago. Wyatt was a Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) and he was excellent. He belonged to my ex boyfriend that could no longer have him, so I snatched him up.

    I had Wyatt a total of three months but he would excape his kennel every day & go chase our neighbors chikens. They claimed he killed some of them but I don't really know. He always used to be waiting on the porch for me when I got home with my roommates chihuahua. Wyatt would grab Diesel (the chihuahua) in his mouth & jump the kennels fence. We watched them do it one day. CRAZY!

    Anyways, the neighbors said if I didn't get rid of him they would shoot him. And I was working for about 14 hours a day & didn't have the proper time to give a dog like him. So I found him a home with a friend of mine & her husband. I still see him sometimes & I think it all worked out for the best. Dogs I have discovered are not something that I will have anytime in the near future. I love dogs but they are a little too needy for the time I have to give. I prefer to stick with my horses for now.
    :-)

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  12. How apt that my puppy should come and curl up on my foot as I stood and read this! He's been exceptionally good for a puppy, never really destroyed anything other than toys the kids have left around. Unfortunately he's 9mths old now and insists on cocking his leg up in the house. It drives me insane. We also have a 10yr old lurcher who lives outside. She's fit for her age and still flies over fences, but is not suited to indoor life, we tried it and she nearly gave us a breakdown! Your dogs are serious cuties LKW xx

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  13. Thank you all for your kind words about my pups... I think they're both pretty damn cute. Sometimes it's hard to get mad at them when they look up at you with those sad hound dog eyes.

    And I seriously LOVE reading everyone's dog stories. It's been a fun distraction this morning amidst my busy day at work.

    xo

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  14. I had two dogs for years and two is far more than twice the work. Just the vet bills alone can kill you. I currently have a husky, lab, whatever mix. He's 5 and more than a little neurotic. My vet thinks he's a savant. Nice huh? Anyway, he's crazy but I love him anyway.

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  15. Ugh, this sounds like way too much work. I have one chubby, cuddly, extremely friendly cat who provides all the pet companionship I need, and plenty of cast-off fur to keep the couches warm too. No walking, no slobbering... I'm good to go.

    But, those faces are pretty freaking cute. Pat them on the head for me tomorrow morning at 4am whilst the cat sleeps peacefully beside my pillow :)

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  16. I love dogs!!! I love, I love, I love them. I don't know what we would do without our Sienna. She's almost 4, and we are counting down the days until all of her "puppiness" is worn out, and she just wants to chillax.

    You know who you should talk to about not-so-cool behavior? TOEFUNNY. She's a certified dog trainer! She'd prolly have tons of shit for you to try. She's the fucking Cesar of the Twitard Dog Lovers Club (there isn't one...there should be).

    I think the best part about having a pet is picking the most awesome name in the world for the thing, then making 13204897 nicknames for him/her, and only calling him/her by the real name to other people. I could rattle off ten nicknames in a second for our pup.

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  17. @Lindsay Rae -
    OMG!!! I LOVE IT! People ask me what my horses names are I say "Honey and Lolita or when I had her, Scooter". Then I go to the barn & it's Honeydew, poopface, stinky, babyface, princess, Lita, Boot Scoot, piggy, pot pie...it's crazy everything that we come up with for our pets.

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  18. @Lindsay Rae - I MUST get in touch with Toey!! I have a major puller on my hands.

    I love doggy nicknames. I used to call George "Poodle" because sometimes he acts like such a wuss. (No offense poodle owners!! LOL!) Mostly we call him G, Jorge, George Abraham, Cooner, and more recently Old Man.

    Daisy is still too new for too many nicknames... she'll get there. Mostly right now it's NO, OFF and DOWN!!

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  19. We've been a 2 dog household for the past 15 years and boy is it ever a lot of work and expense. I think it's better for the dog though to have some company around while the owners are at work. They are more social than cats (I used to be owned by several cats over the years) and they get depressed or destructive when left alone.

    I wish I had some sage advice for you but I'm struggling right now with my one year old cocky Spaniel (no that is not a typo) and our 15 year old deaf, senile Springer.

    They are a ton of work but they bring so much happiness, right?

    Your dogs are adorable. With a name like Daisy Duke, no nickname is needed!

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  20. Your puppies are so freaking cute. I love all these doggie (and kitty) stories.

    Pets are just awesome, even if they are a pain in the ass sometimes.

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  21. Your puppies are adorable!!!!! My roomie and I have one puppy, a lab retriever mix and she is fantastic! Not a lot of barking but she does love to chew stuff. Usually my stuff...maybe because she knows I am a giant pushover! Also since she technically belongs to the roomie she listens to him. I guess she knows better than to mess with the man who pays for her food. Thankfully we don't have to worry about 2 leashes but she does get 2 walks a day and tons of play time to compensate for all that retard puppy energy.

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  22. I love George, I love Daisy...you know this. I can't wait to one day to scratch under their snouts and talk obnoxiously to them.

    My 6 month old Oly Dog (yellow lab) is getting his nards sucked out on Friday. Sniff. Ha!

    I love dogs...they are the bested....except in Twilight. :P

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  23. Well, I feel your pain. I run Saint Bernard rescue for Western WA, and have 2 of my own. The best thing you can do for a chewer is is crate that crazy bitch until she outgrows it. She eventually will, just like Goerge mellowed with time. You need to adjust her sleep schedule though, 15 minutes at a time... make her wait a few minutes, if you can. AND try to take her to some classes, it will for sure help. GOOD FOR YOU for adopting! See you in Forks....

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  24. Oh my godness! I want to cuddle up with all of their extra skin and use them as a body pillow/blanket! Creepy, I know, but that's honestly what comes to mind when I see them! You are a very lucky mama, animals are without a doubt, a favorite companion of mine.

    I love the doggy stories, too! How interesting all of the personalities are. :)

    ... a lot of you are familiar with my doggy story because it was a Twitarded-born effort.

    http://dirtyhotandnerdy.blogspot.com/2010/11/im-speechless.html

    If you don't know the story, read it, I promise you'll cry. And love these h00rs we call Twitards more than you did before. :)

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  25. Weird timing on this post. I am dogless for the first time in 14 years. My sweet 14 year old yellow lab, Cleo died last month. My other 14 year old yellow lab, Caesar died last year. It is oddly quiet in this house although I'm pretty sure Cleo has been around to visit since she left. We've heard what sounds like her toenails wandering around. I miss my sweet puppies.

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  26. @Sabrina... So sorry to hear about your pup...that makes me really sad. I know my George is getting up there and I get sad when I think of him no longer being around.

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  27. On the flip side, my house is (& stays) really clean.

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  28. @Sabrina - Even though he wasn't a canine, I lost my ol' ferret almost a year ago and the house still feels kind of empty. Every once in awhile I swear I can still hear him rattling his cage because he wants to get the fuck out.

    However, on the upside, I no longer find plastic bags, maxi-pads, sandwiches in plastic bags and pretty much anything else hidden all over my house.

    But it sucks that now when I blame Gizmo for farting, ML totally has to remind me he's no longer here and there is no one to blame. Siiiigh.

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  29. They are soo cute!

    T-r-e-a-t-s for everyone! Just in case they know what the word is, LOL!

    All of our 4 dogs we've have we crate trained. Jasmine still sleeps in there with the door open--her hide out.

    She's patient about going potty in the morning. When I get up for work at 5, she's up. Then potty, breakfast, potty, back to sleep. She hangs out with hubs who's home on disability.

    She's 9, we got her when she was 4. I don't know that we will get other rotty but we still keep a look out.

    Oh, yes, Princess Jasmine, I forgot. Every once in a while I call her, Dog. She looks at me like I'm a cat.

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  30. Yep, it's really weird. Mr. Junkie & I will be watching TV & will hear what sounds like doggie nails on a wood floor & it will take us about 5 minutes to register that Cleo is no longer with us. Come to think of it, I haven't heard it for a week or so. Maybe she's finally gone over the rainbow bridge. And, NO....I am NOT crazy.

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  31. You want a clean, non-stinky, mellow dog? I rescue retired racing Greyhounds. They are as clean as cats but sleep even more. My Gracie is the sweetest snuggle-bunny!

    I have 2 dogs - Gracie and our Collie Emma (Emmy Lou Who), 2 Maine Coon cats - Seamus and Duncan, 2 Chinchillas - Sirius Black and Neville Blondebottom, a Veiled Chameleon and a lot of fish. Gracie sleeps at my feet, Emmy likes to snuggle until lights out and then she goes to her crate, Seamus sleeps stretched out against my spine and Duncan on my legs. Poor hubby is way on the other side of the king sized bed. But I would only adopt more if I could. Next I want to rescue a Border collie because my life is not insane enough. Love, Love, Love the rescues. They are always worth it.

    If Daisy knows the basic commands, get her to lie "down" for 10 minutes before you let her out in the morning. Stay in bed and don't let her get you up. Try to slowly move her schedule to about 10 or 15 minutes later each week. Or if she is in the crate, you can move a little faster. Absolutely NO NOISE while in the crate. Or maybe she will grow out of it? Either way, enjoy her while you have her. They make the best kids. As my friends talk about the messes their human children cause, I just think, "I love my dogs and critters".

    Love the hound barks. The Greyhound taught the Collie to "roo" and the Collie taught the Grey to bark. Dang! I wish she hadn't learned that. They both taught the German Shepherd next door to roo, so it gets pretty funny sometimes when they all get going.

    Kisses to the doggies out there.

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  32. No pups here, just kitties. Milo aka Milo Adams, aka Pudge, aka Chunky Monkey, aka Monkey Butt, aka Bubba. Otis aka Otis Spunkmeyer, aka Sprinkles, aka Monkey Head, aka Bubby. They are my children/babies. I love them probably more than is normal but I don't care LOL :)

    I do pet sit for many pups though and I love it. They are so special to me and my niece and nephew are pups too. Animals are amazing and such special souls. I am grateful for all the furry friends I have in my life.

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  33. LKW - Your dogs are beautiful! I think it is wonderful that you and the Mr adopt your dogs, so many out there need good homes.

    I have always wanted a coonhound ever since I red Where the Red Fern Grows, but alas my living accommodations never have provided enough space for that large a mass and 2 teens.

    Please post more adventures you have with them!!

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  34. Avid twitarded reader and longtime lurker, this is my first post, but I HAD to comment since it was about dogs.

    I've been grooming for my whole life it seems. I grew up around show people, and hey, I've rubbed elbows with some of the most blue blood Bloodhounds around! In fact, the bloodhound from the movie Best In Show? Was being flown back and forth to my salon on California to keep him in tip top shape during filming. His breeder routinely has dogs in the top 1-5 spots in the country.

    Bloodhounds, as a breed, are VERY instinctual dogs. They don't really stop chewing, either ;) Good training and LOTS AND LOTS of exercise will help, as will redirection. Keeping them crated until it stops is really not the way to go. It'll just make them more stir crazy. They weren't really bred to be indoor dogs. If they are, they require copious amounts of toys and things to keep their mind occupied because they have such a strong work drive they will be completely destructive if not given a purpose. Maybe start some obedience or agility classes with Miss Daisy to give her a goal to work to. What about working toward her CGC?

    Best tip for a doggie household?? Never forget what they are, and what they were bred for. Always treat them like dogs, not people! That is the fundamental mistake I see most people make, personifying their pets to the point the dog is anxiety ridden. You have to come to where they are at, because psychologically they can't come up to our level. I have a standard poodle and a chihuahua by the way, both are very well mannered and are best friends. Th e poodle eats us out of house and home, and here is another tip! Buy a high quality food! And make sure its truly high quality and you don't fall for marketing ploys. (www.dogfoodadvisor.com, Orijen would be GREAT for your dogs, LKW) The better the food the less you need to feed because it's condensed and not full of crap your dog doesn't need. Less food=less poop too, which is pretty much a win in my book. Congrats on your new baby!

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  35. @Melociraptor: Thanks for the tips. She really is a challenge to keep busy. It's tough when we both work all day -- I feel badly about leaving her alone -- more so than my coonhound because he just loves to sleep. She seems to get bored fast. We really do need to start with some obedience and other training. I'm not that good at it so I'll need to find someone in my area that knows a thing or two about training bloodhounds which is a challenge because they're not a popular breed in Maine. I would think we'd need to have the basic obedience down before I could go forward with CGC. I wish I had more hours in my day!!

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  36. I am the proud owner of the two most fertile Yorkshire terriers in the world. 13 puppies in one year (a litter of 5 and a litter of 8) I know it's not a good idea to breed a bitch twice in one year but the male is a little ninja who managed to knock her up while I wasn't looking. I may send him to another country next time. I thought she was having a phantom pregnancy until she suddenly blew up like a human carrying demon hybrid vampire spawn. The runt managed to I'm-so-adorable his way into staying, so now I have three Yorkies. I may eventually go deaf from the yapping. I also have a ferret, who my little boy dogs think is the best toy ever, two rabbits, four guinea pigs and two bearded dragons. It's mayhem, but extremely cute and fluffy (and scaly) mayhem.

    @LKW: your babies are adorable. Melociraptor is right about quality food. My mom has two Scotties with bad skin and switching to better quality food cleared one right up and hugely improved the other. It can help with behaviour too, additives can send dogs loopy just like with kids. As for the shedding, my only advice is get a Yorkie or something in the poodle family: they don't shed! :p

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  37. So cute he looks like my dog Spike so lovely and faithful dog. Thanks for share this information and please take care of that beautiful dog.

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