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.

Freak me out,

He got out. Dern dog ran away today. The wind must have blew open the yard gate and he took his ball and went cruising. I was gone from early morning and returned late in the afternoon and when I came home he didn't greet me like he has been doing for the last couple of weeks. I called for him and went looking around the house. First place I checked was the pool and hottub. Fortunately I taught him how to get out of the pool last week. Actually he figured it out himself after I threw him in. Took a couple of laps but he found the shallow spot and knows how to get out by himself. Fortunately he's more keen on ocean swimming than pool swimming. Anyway he was gone and I went nuts for a bit. I walked to the park where we play fetch and asked anyone walking their dogs. Nothing. I drove around the 10 blocks around my house. Nothing. Finally I went to the Humane Society to register him as lost. A very nice young lady took me behind to look at the dogs turned in that day. (There were over 40 dogs turned in just today!) Nothing.

After completing the paper work I went back home to look again. I figured he got out, went walking, maybe got frightened and disoriented and hid somewhere. He is a different dog when we walk at night and I sensed if he was ok he would try to make it home after dark. Sure enough about 8PM I was going to drive over to get my bike from my mom's so I could ride around to look for him. I just got in the car and there he was outside my door. I knew not to scold him and just held him to me and I could tell he was very happy to be home. He was thirsty and scarfed down his evening meal without hesitation.

One thing, as we went out for his evening break just now I noticed he is limping a little on his right front leg. I massaged his muscles and moved his joints but he didn't wince at all so I don't know what it is. I'll monitor it over the weekend.

I am so relieved he found his way back home. Now I feel confident if he ever got spooked and ran off he knows his was back. And I already know he is just afraid enough of moving cars that he'll stay off the roads. Those 40 dogs at HHS got me thinking....

Poop Patrol,

Did you ever notice how rude some people are about picking up after their pets? I was driving on Sand Island the other day and this guy with his dog on a leash watched as his dog did his business in the middle of the sidewalk and then just turned and continued on his way. I beeped my horn as I passed but the guy didn't acknowledge his bust. So like a landmine waiting for the cover of darkness it's booby trapped and waiting for it's first victim.

There is this guy that uses a park near my home to walk his dogs. He walks about 6 of them, some on leashes and some not. With so many dogs I wonder if he does it like a job. Anyway he does a complete circle of this park and doesn't have anything to show for it. No bags, no poop, nothing. And this park is private so there are no trash cans anywhere. (I know because I have to carry Beau's stuff all the way home.) I'm not the "dog police" but it irks me to see this because hundreds of kids and parents use the park every afternoon for soccer practice and I feel like calling the cops on him. (Remember, it's 6 dogs, in the morning and in the evening.)

Making friends,

So yesterday I got home fairly early and took him for his walk and a game of fetch. Beau seems happiest when he's off leash and he was going for it with his ball. A smaller, female terrier type dog, like a very small border collie came running up and Beau took a tall, challenging stance. (This is good - better than cowering.) The other dog took a sniff and immediately Beau's tail started wagging and I knew he would be ok. Wordlessly, but somehow communicated, the two took off in a game of chase-master. It was great to see him playing with another dog and his tail wagging furiously. The other owner came up and said her dog loves to play chase and that it was alright for them to play. I was still cautious not really knowing yet if he would get spooked and whatever. But they played for a few minutes and she was called back by her owner. Game over.

(Next time I tell you about you-know-who in my bed.) More progress and life is good.