Not so brave now

Wed. Baxter and I went walking after work. We headed out and we walked past the hedge between my neighbor and her neighbor where there is a electric power meter that often smells like cat and sometimes has a cat on it. Baxter turned at the hedge and headed right over there. He put his nose almost right up there and there was a cat laying there. It hissed loudly at him but didn't move. He stood there staring at it and after 10-15 seconds, it hissed again and took a swipe at him. He jumped back and yelped. I got a hold of his head and took a look and didn't see any scratches or blood, but he was not interested in going right back to hassle that cat. That cat put him in his place but good. It has been rainy and so we haven't been back by that spot, so I don't know if Baxter will dash right over there again or not, we will see later when the rain is supposed to stop.

Cassie in the house

Cassie is back with me as I mentioned before. She is doing very well, doesn't seem to limp noticably and can go for a walk without any problem. In fact, she really loves to go for a walk. She is still dog reactive, so I have to avoid fences where I know there are dogs on the other side that will bark at her. She is surprisingly strong. The new rubber tubing leash I got from my mom is really springy but she will stretch it quite a bit. She saw a frog this morning as we went for an early morning walk and true to doggie form, she followed it around for a minute, but then she got bored. I already miss the fact that Baxter almost never poops when he goes on a walk. Cassie does. I forgot a bag yesterday when we went to go get the mail and she did her business right there in the neighbor's yard at the mailboxes. I had to come back and get it. Oh well, she is a good girl.

Dogs and frogs

If you have been a reader here for a while, you remember Hermes and the frogs/toads and the video of him trying to play with them. Baxter has been chasing geckos in and around the house of late and this morning as we went for our morning walk in the dark, he came across a frog on the sidewalk and started sniffing it and then followed it around the grass and was pawing in its direction to get it to play. After watching in amusement for a couple of minutes, I decided it was time to move on and he grudgingly came along.

A few minutes later during the walk, it was getting a little lighter outside and we were walking down the sidewalk and Baxter slowed a bit to walk alongside me. I noticed a man getting in his car on the other side of the street and I couldn't help but wonder if Baxter was being protective of me or was pulling closer to me for his own protection.

2 weeks at the shelter

Baxter is going to be going to stay at the shelter in mid September through beginning of October as I will be dog sitting Cassie and she is not dog friendly. I have been thinking about introducing the 2 of them and trying to set my role as pack leader in place to try to get her to be more tolerant, but since this is just a 2 week thing, I will not upset the apple cart and not risk any injury. Baxter does fine at the shelter and Stephan will be making a nice donation to the shelter to cover boarding costs, so it is a win-win.

Eating in peace

I haven't posted in a bit, have just been busy. I noticed at dinner last night that Baxter has been being good about not bothering me or my friend Lori (when she visits for dinner) during dinner. He had been a real pain at mealtimes and it was hard to ignore him, but I seem to have been getting that going better and he came to the dinner table last night and was ignored so he went to lay back down on his comforter. He didn't make any fuss or come back over time and time again which was really nice. I really need to work on the stay command and "place" to be most effective, but it is nice that I might not have to "place" him during a meal.

Seatbelt

I took the jeep with the top off to pick up Baxter after having left him at the shelter for a week. I had to get a harness because the seatbelt leash I had for him didn't stay locked if it went in a certain angle. I put the harness on him and put him in the front seat and threaded the seatbelt through the loop and he couldn't move much or jump out of the car. He was hot and tired and was twisting around a bit so that he could lay down. He wasn't too happy about the harness but he was able to lay down with the belt really pulling tight on him. I don't think he will get willing in the jeep again.

Dragging the bowl around

I don't remember if I mentioned this, but Baxter has started putting his foot in his water bowl if it is empty and dragging it around the floor. Since it is a metal bowl, it is a good way for him to let me know that he is out of water. Since it is so hot outside, I am not apparently doing well enough keeping up with his drinking water, but he lets me know.