I'm Gonna Do It

I don't know where Lilah gets it from, but she is so damn mischievous!

Seeing as how the weather in Los Angeles was delightfully warm, we took the opportunity to give the dogs a much needed bath. I swear, the water running off of them was grey... But that's not the focus of this story.

Because they were clean finally, I didn't want either of them rolling around in whatever weird scents they find outside or romping around in damp dirt. Lilah and Ritter were still drying off and therefore not wearing their collars, so I decided to make a slip leash using the loop handle of the leash.

Lilah, being the way that she is, always has to go first. So I took her out on the leash and left Ritter inside. Like a good girl, she immediately did her business. Unfortunately though, I wasn't paying attention and had a little too much slack on the leash. Yes, she slipped it.

And you know when a little kid is poised to do something naughty right in front of you, despite your backless threats of "don't do it" hanging ominously in the air between the two of you? Yeah, it was just like that. Lilah got into that front low crouch, readying herself to lunge to one side or another should I attempt to grab her. It's also the same posture she takes right before rolling around on the ground.

"Don't do it, Lilah. Don't you do it."

But I could read her exact thoughts from the look in her eyes. "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna do it!"

We went back and forth for a good minute or two.

And right between "don't" and "do it," well, she did it, driving the side of her face and body against the ground. When I tried to pick her up, she rolled onto her back and twisted. Horrified, I jumped backwards, hoping it'd draw her out of the roll. She pranced around me immediately after. Lilah can be such a pain in the ass.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I'll get straight to it, there are no pictures or videos this year of the dogs with their gifts...

Yet.

Okay, so what happened was I purchased Lilah and Ritter coats from Land's End at a really good price! I chose the size that I thought would fit them according to their measurements, medium. It looked kind of small, but I couldn't put it on them yet to check the fit as it was their Christmas gift.

Christmas morning arrives and put Lilah's on first, because if it doesn't fit her then it definitely won't fit Ritter. Surprisingly, I could not get the chest side straps to attach. Apparently these dogs are larges. Hmm, I think my mom is being a little generous with their food lately...

So I'm waiting on the exchange order. Once they arrive, you can rest assured their will be enough photos from their private fashion show.

If you're feeling sorry for Lilah and Ritter though, do not fret. My brother spoiled them with lots of healthy, delicious treats and my mom showered them with new toys. And I know you're thinking it so I'll just preempt you and take some of the sting out of it. Yes, I'm the relative that gives you clothes, and on top of that, clothes that don't fit!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Happy Birthday!

Yes! Happy birthday to Ritter, who turned 3 today!

And boy, was he especially bold today. I don't know if he knew it was his birthday, but he was climbing up me and my mom and constantly wanting attention and affection. It was actually pretty cute. And for once Lilah didn't get too much on his case for getting so much attention.

Unfortunately his mom (my mom) has been sick the past week, so she couldn't really prepare anything for him. Plus there's been the typical craziness of the holidays topped with some other obligations. But we're thinking of doing a joint celebration when Lilah turns 3 in a couple weeks.

And no, we're not those people that throw elaborate birthday parties for animals, despite what you may think. It'll be nice dinners for both of them and some extra treats. See, not all dog owners are crazy! Now cat people...that's a totally different thing...

Solar Pup in Fall

I've mentioned before that Lilah is solar powered, and so in a continuation of that thought: I think Lilah suffers from SAD or seasonal affective disorder.

As fall arrives and blankets the world in a layer of dead leaves in hues of orange, red and yellow, the sun all of a sudden gets lazy and doesn't shine nearly as bright or as long as it did during those wonderful days of summer. And this really messes up some people. Or dogs, like Lilah.

This is what Lilah does during a typical sunny morning:
Praying at the altar of the sun.

Then she's all charged for a full day of playing and naughtiness.

However when it's the slightest bit overcast (and not raining like last week's premature winter weather), she just lies around and sleeps. Like full on sleeping so deeply that i can put my face in her face and she won't even open her eyes. So lethargic. Almost like she's a poster dog for one of those Cymbalta commercials (really just the first 20 seconds).


I admit it's kind of nice, that peace. Except it's eerie and unfamiliar. Every time she does that, sleeps a lot, I start to worry that she's ill internally or seriously depressed or something. How sad that a quiet and resting dog is something so rare to me that I worry she's suffering from something.

First Day of Full Rain

I'm sitting here in the breakfast room where the doors open up to the backyard, listening to the rain fall. And Lilah is driving. me. CRAZY!

She keeps scratching at the door and barking to go out. I figure she needs to do her business outside. I put on my boots and grab my umbrella. We go out together into the first real rain storm fall in Los Angeles. She wanders to the garage, smells the huge puddles of water pooling on the dirt lawn, lies down on damp weeds near the potted herbs. She does all that and more. But does not pee or poop.

Because Ritter doesn't need to do anything outside and is happy staying inside and dry, but more importantly where the food is, he remains in the house with my mom. Both of them warm, dry and cozy together. But Lilah is an includer. She wants everyone to join her in everything she does. So what does she do? Slams the door open and runs inside with wet fur and muddy feet to free Ritter and invite everyone outside with her.

Frustrated with her, we go back inside. And as soon as I sit back down, she's back at the door, barking and scratching.

And she did this several times over the past couple hours.

ARGH! Hold on, she's scratching and barking again.

. . . . .

Finally! Now I don't have to worry anymore if her barking means she NEEDS to go out. Finally, peace! She's actually quiet and napping in the hallway.

I think partially what fueled Lilah's crazy was the overwhelming rain. Being a SoCal dog, she doesn't see constant rain often. So the concept of falling water droplets was just so novel, she had to romp around in the rain like a five year old boy.

I seriously hope that the novelty for her fades. How do other people handle house dogs needing to go out in the rain?!

Laser Prey

I often write about just how different Lilah and Ritter are from on another. Well, this post is no different. Psh, why would it be?

Cat owners have long known that a laser is a cheap and relatively lazy way to play with a pet. This same concept also applies to dogs. But it is kind of dependent on how strong of a prey drive your dog exhibits.

For example, Lilah has a strong prey drive which is why she loves to chase after the soccer ball or root around for lizards. Ritter has a low(er) prey drive and is more laid back, happy to just do his own thing and relax next to you.

So, as the video will display, they have different views in regards to the laser pointer and just how much of their attention it deserves.



Despite the thunk sound of her muzzle hitting the ground, when Lilah goes after the laser against my leg, it doesn't hurt at all. It's more like a hard nudge with a soft muzzle, and oddly a pleasant feeling (to me at least).

Ritter's a smart guy. I think Ritter realizes that the laser is an intangible thing that no matter how hard he tries to catch, will still exist to tease him. Understanding this, he deems it unworthy of his extended attention, when the floor beneath him is tangible and completely lickable.

Lilah, however, will spend a good while chasing the laser around, even tracking it to where she thinks it's hiding under he dog bowl/feeder. She will lie down and wait for it to come back out so she can hunt it.

Private Lessons

Today Lilah and I joined my mom and Ritter for their private training class so that we could address the issues between the two dogs. One thing that I need to mention is that this is the same trainer that taught the Beginner's class that Lilah and I attended when she was a puppy (over a year and a half ago).

And though it's been a long time since Lilah last saw the trainer, I'm pretty damn sure she remembered him. Because even though she's a wiggle-butt greeter under normal circumstances, she just played herself up to the max level. She wiggled her butt. She greeted him politely enough without jumping on him. She reacted positively and intelligently to his instruction. And followed every damn one of his commands.

In a way, it could be said that Lilah's behavior made me and the trainer both look good as well; showed that I was capable of applying the training and handling her, and that the trainer was successful in teaching me how to train her. Seriously though, where was the barky and obstinate dog that I was so used to? The one that snatches up any piece of paper product that you drop? The one that gives you a flat tire and untied shoelaces when you try to leave a room? *sigh*

Lilah with all her star power and ability to make others shine along with her, however, did not make Ritter's issues any less apparent. Poor Ritter was his normal public self: nervous and reserved, wedged into the small space next to my mom's stool. Reservation among strangers is more the standard for their breed.

Lilah is a huge anomaly in that regard. Any person that passed the training area and made eye contact with her for the briefest moment got that weirdly bushy butt of hers wiggling and her little paws stamping in excitement. An elderly Asian lady actually threw away all semblance of dignity and spent a couple minutes making funny faces at Lilah and wiggling her body in answer to Lilah's. It was kind of bizarre, but that's the kind of draw Lilah has. A very potent and dangerous power.

If Lilah were a human, she'd be that sister that you just hate because she's so damn good at making you look bad. And she can't help but do it every time.