Knock, knock...

Hello? Anybody there?

So I'm back again. Lot's going on and this isn't the venue for any of that sooo.... Did anyone read the article in the paper about black dogs? It was about dogs in general and how black ones seem to get shafted more often. Like the vast majority of dogs put down in shelters are black. And they are the hardest or last to get adopted. Hollywood doesn't help by casting black dogs as the mean and nasty ones. Anyway I got stopped by a patrol car the other night and the officer informed me that there were "numerous" complaints about a black lab running loose around Kapiolani/Waikiki. It didn't help that at that moment Beau had just completed his business and I had his leash off so I could pick up his poop. So it could have been me. I went to the substation and inquired about any complaints about a loose dog..., nope, no complaints that they(3) knew of. Thank you officers, just checking.

I'm just grousing. However I now take him to a remote and secluded area to play his fetch. Actually it's a lot better as I've never seen anyone around, the grass is better(less dirt on the ball) and the water is convenient. When he's done and winded we drive over to Waikiki and do our walk to cool him down. Another thing that started a couple of weeks ago is I can down him on the sidewalk. About a month ago he started to sit, on my command. And he went through the usual stages - sit; get up if someone comes; sit and maybe move; sit even with people within touching distance and finally sit and even yawn cause he's sooo cooool! Now he's going through the same thing with the down position. Still takes several minutes of coaxing but he relents and goes down. I have to keep my foot planted behind his butt though. If anyone looks at him and approaches he tends to scoot backwards and ends up under the bench. With my foot there he can't back up and hide.

Next post: Barking and his first outing at the Kahala bark park.

The Chick Magnet,

Something I forgot to mention in the last entry. This guy is such a ladies man, dog, whatever. No less than 6 women approached me to pet him. Only one was able to. The others sensed his timidness and backed off when they got too close. I can't wait for him to get over his fears and know that people aren't that bad for the most part. Do you realize how many single women are running around in Waikiki at night? Garsh....

NOTE: I was in Waikiki a few years back with another dog during Halloween. Two local women(girls) came up to pet him(which he loves!) wearing just underwear. I mean skimpy, lacy, barely covering anything top and bottom and some feathery wings on their backs. That's IT!

(sigh), yep, no camera.

Sit, stay. Good dog. (And a good book.)

To all my faithful readers that log in daily seeking the latest adventures of the Beau, I thank you. I have made life so eventful(or not so) and I haven't been posting anything. Not that there hasn't been anything to report. I just flaked off.

So I've been taking the boy walking down Waikiki lately. Maybe twice a week in the evening amongst the tourist and locals out for the night. We start by the screen for the "Sunset" movies and head out towards the center of Waikiki. Beau was very shy the first time, looking over his shoulder constantly. If someone approached from the back he would swing around in front of me and walk backwards so he could keep an eye on whoever was behind us. I would pull him around to my left side and discipline him that his behaviour was not appropriate. Now he tends to pull forward and walk too fast and I have to pull his lease back to keep him by my side. This isn't too bad and he is getting better every time we go out.

Last night was another leap in his training. I brought my camera to take pictures of him outside and had to buy batteries at the ABC store. I had him sitting just outside the store so he could see me. Fortunately the battery display and the cashier were close to the window and he was able to see me most of the time. He broke his stay once when some loud people walked past. He had just gotten up to stand and I walked out (almost carrying some batteries I hadn't paid for) to sit him again. This time I had him sit in a grassy planter area away from the main foot traffic. Through the window he looked a little concerned a couple of times but for the most part he seemed OK if he could see me. I paid for the batteries and went outside and he was noticeably relieved. Later as we were leaving to go home I repeated the scenario with another ABC and this time I was getting him some bottled(Yes bottled!) water. Again he was by the doorway only this time the water was further into the store and I was out of sight for several seconds. But when I came back he was sitting and not too stressed it seemed. When I was paying for the water the cashier smiled and said he was such a nice dog to just sit and wait. Yea, he is kinda is.

Brown water,

Diarrhea! Remember that commercial with the wimpy looking guy? Anyway the boy has had a bout with the trots over the last couple of weeks. It comes and goes almost by each poop. One is fine and the next is like water. He stopped eating his meals at one point and kept eating that long blade grass along fences. I know it's for heartburn and his digestion but it doesn't seem to help. My vet mentioned water borne parasites and ocean water as possibles. I know after a day at the beach he gets soft but it's over in a day. This has been over a week.

I've been taking him down to Waikiki to walk on the sidewalk with tourists and cars all around. He is still jumpy but he minds fairly well. Sometimes I need to coax him to sit at street crossings before we cross. And he keeps looking over his shoulder to see who's behind us. But he is so much better and doesn't try to pull away to run. And anyone approaching us from the front can get pretty close before he starts to hesitate. All in all he is getting much better with people in general. In fact the thing that's coming up is he wanders off and doesn't always want to return when I call him. I guess he's getting bolder and knows I'll be there to go after him. I know sometimes I've turned and left him off in the distance and he goes into a major panic looking for me when he realizes I'm gone. Oh well, I know I need to learn to be consistent and train him. Like this blog, sometimes I'm too lazy to put in the effort.

Wild thing!

There are times when Beau takes me to the edge. I know it's just some fear he has or he doesn't understand what's going on and just reacts but I feel frustrated at his behavior. This is especially true when it's something he repeats time and again. His favorite pastime is fetch. He can play forever it seems. One night we were at the park and he got so excited he would get his ball and then roam all over the park going farther each time he got the ball. Eventually he just would not respond to my calling. He does this almost every time we play. Most times it's just his curiosity or he's putting his scent down. But sometimes he chases other dog’s toys. And once he's in that mode I've lost control of him.

It’s only 3 blocks to my home so that night I just took off and left him. It took a while before he realized I had left and came running up the street to catch me. I got his ball and threw it down the street and the bouncing took it almost 2 blocks. He got it and came back so I threw it again. And he brought it back. I did this several times and he ran each time. He started to get hot and his legs were quivering. I made sure water was available for him and so long he brought the ball back I threw it again. It wasn't long before I saw he was exhausted. Although he was tired he would go after the ball each time I threw it. But he never wandered again that night. He would bring the ball back directly and quickly.

I'm sure one day I'll be looking back and hopefully chuckle at his antics. But for now I wish he wasn't so rambunctious.

maybe next time,

Well hello again. It's been quite a while since my last entry and lot's have been going on. LOL - so much to say but can't find the words.

True colors,

Now that Beau seems to be coming around with overcoming his fears of people his personality is starting to show. This guy is a rascal. And stubborn. Not to mention sassy. I'm beginning to wonder who's training whom. He gets to stay in the house and expects to play fetch whenever I get home or we leave the yard. He knows the way to the beach now so guess who wants to get there the fastest? I'm starting to upgrade his training regiment. We now walk with his leash attached and he at my side. He sits every time I stop or when I transact with him. Now I've got to be consistant and purposeful or he'll see flakiness and try to take over. This week makes 2 months since I brought him home.

Beau's Houdini trick,

Beau showed me how he escaped last week. I was leaving for work today and as I was at the curb outside the house I heard a rustling behind me. Up on the CME tile wall was Beau. This wall is basically 6 feet tall. Landscaping inside made it 5 feet in some areas but he still was able to jump up, plant his front paws far enough over to get a good grip while his hind legs pushed him up and on top. I had a lop eared bunny rabbit once that could take a standing leap from inside a 24" tall cardboard box and make it out. But this dog has that beat. It also explains the two identical scrapes on the shins of both his hind legs.

At night I sleep on the floor next to him and he's taken to sleeping under my arm with his head on my stomach. I like my dog, and I think he really likes me.

More observations,

I was at a clients the other day and the owner is a lifelong dog owner. She has an older yellow lab and I mentioned I just got Beau. We talked about food (she buys raw meats like salmon, chicken, liver and vegetables.) and health. I told her about his shyness and she asked if he was abused. She asked what happens if I raise my hand to him. I didn't know because i never did that gesture. That day I got home and Beau did his usual greeting, timid but tail waging. I was carrying a rolled up 2008 calendar I just got and remembered about raising my hand. I lifted the calendar up and he immediately cowered down, tucked his tail a turned away. He turned to look back at me as he skulked away and that look in his eyes made me so sad. Beau had been abused, or at least disciplined harshly. I dropped the calendar and called him over. I will never test him like that again.

I thought Beau was a slow learner. My last dog (HER dog I guess. (But that's another story.)) was a quick learner. He was very attentive and would seem to know exactly what I wanted. Trying not to compare them I felt Beau wasn't as smart and slower to pick up on things. Now I feel it's not that he is slow at all - he has an agenda. His survival instincts must be running all the time. And trying to understand me while keeping one eye over his shoulder is like me trying to learn algebra on an empty stomach. (I can add and subtract - gimme a break.)

Tonight he surprised the heck outta me. Every time he comes in the house I towel him off of loose debris and I wipe his feet of dirt and mud. After I clean two legs on one side I've been teaching him to turn so I can do the other two. He's been very reluctant to turn. Tonight he just turned! Not just turned, he turn away from the door. I can see turning towards the door (Hey, I wanna get in!), but away? Way cool dude. He probably knows I'm typing this and after the praise he got doing it he won't do it again for 2 weeks.

Dr. Doogie,

So when I started this blog I had dreams(intentions) that this would be one of those Doogie Howser things where I'd be sitting here putting a close to the day with some insightful inscriptions about my dog and myself. I would write about some awareness about myself through my daily interaction with Beau and how he would parallel my life. As we became more bonded and he took on my characteristics I could see those things about myself that I couldn't, or wouldn't. I still have those aspirations but somehow life, my life, doesn't always seem to work out quite the way I plan it. I will however be more dutiful in noting those observations about Beau and his development.

So what's been happening? Over the last week Beau has been noticeably more trusting of strangers. His threshold of pain has gone from about 25 feet to 3 feet. For some he still hides behind me but he does come up to inspect. For others it's 10 feet and circling. Yesterday he went on a long ride to Pupukea with me to visit my friend Coco. He got to ramble through her acre lot and smell some weird stuff I'm sure. Her place has roaming wild pigs and chickens. I was moving some stuff with her truck and Beau was a real trooper and rode with me everywhere. By late afternoon he was whipped from sliding all over the front seat and only enough space to curl into a ball for a catnap between traveling. More than once he had Snoopy's "buzzard" look with droopy eyes just barely open. That evening we went over to my mom's and she surprised me by telling me to call him in. (I never thought my mother to be any kind of dog lover.) He hesitated but he came in, and actually sat to let my mom pet him. Still a little frozen with his head lowered but it was far from his usual turn tail and run. We finally got home after 10 hours on the road and he still picked up his ball, hot for a game of fetch. He was out cold once he got inside and on his pad though.

I made some other observations too.