3 posts tagged “health”
This is a post all about how much I love my dog.
We have had Eva for six months now, give or take. Even in that small amount of time, she's changed a lot, and so have we.
The most obvious change with her is that she's bigger. We knew that while the dachshund in her would keep her stumpy, she would still be bulkier due to the shepherd; but compared side by side with other dachies, she's a bit of a giant and it's strange to see. She's doubled in weight since we got her, and is clearly big enough for her paws now.
Her personality has also been refined a little. Not changed - she was always really well behaved - but due to us being yuppie scum and taking her to doggy daycare, she's very well adjusted and great around adults, children and dogs alike. When a dog is approaching on the street, she will lay down to either let them pass or make the first move. People think we trained her to do that, ha!
Jess has trained her to do tricks, though. She has the basic repertoire - sit, lay down, shake paws, go in a circle, go under your legs - but somehow Jess has her responding to silent gestures as well as verbal commands. I put it all down to food: she also knows which way to drag me to get treats from local dog-friendly businesses. Sneaky.
Her only real issue is that playing with great danes and labradors all day has made her a little rough with smaller dogs. Toilet accidents are few and far between, we weened her off of gnawing things she shouldn't by buying her own toys, and she almost never barks. We definitely lucked out.
We've also changed. At first, every slight sniffle or irregularity with her toilet habits would make me panic (you're welcome for that money, local veterinary clinic), but you soon get used to it and work out what's causing things. We've had to stop feeding her lamb-based food, and know to keep her away from grass. Other than that, we tweaked our schedule to include her toilet and meal needs, and all is dandy.
It annoys Jess, but a pleasant side effect for me is that all of my jeans are now loose, I've effectively gone down a size and a half. I get up around 6.30am to take her out for her first toilet break of the day, bring her in so I can get ready for work, then walk her for 20-30 minutes to day care every morning. At night, when it's my turn to take her out, we usually walk a bit longer so she can get all of her sniffing out of the way. I've never been the type for exercise, so this was a covert way to get me off of my backside.
Dogs have other strange side effects. I've met more people as a result of Eva than I would have ever met of my own accord. Even if I don't know them by name, I'm on friendly terms with a lot of people around our neighbourhood and can at least name their dogs (because dog people all have ninja memories for dog names). It's amazing how many you notice when you have one of your own.
I would recommend dog ownership to anyone, and if you're considering a new pet, I strongly recommend you find a local shelter or rescue centre rather than funding puppy mills. The American Humane Society has some great advice for would-be dog owners, and can even help you find a place near you.
Are you a good dancer or do you have two left feet? What's your signature dance move?
I am the worst dancer in the world. Bar none. My signature move is the "pretend to hump something" - a comical move designed to distract people from how horrible a dancer I am. I do not like dancing. I can list a billion things I would rather do.
Show us your favorite doctor.
Dr John Zoidberg.
