Critters!

Critters have been getting into our compost bin & it's making Teagan crazy!  This evening it was an opossum and last night it was a little mouse.  I literally had to drag Teagan out of the yard because this opossum had no intention of coming down or even going anywhere with Teagan there.  The mouse last night at least had the sense to run away really quick!

New Lights for Walking at Night

So my dad walks Teagan in the morning while I'm busy with my daycare kids and then I walk her again in the evening with Ryan.  But since it gets dark so early now, it's usually quite dark when that second walk of the day happens.  We live in the city though, so it's not that dark but the other day we were crossing a street and a car whipped around the corner right in front of Teagan - like less than a foot from her!  It could have been that this driver was just an asshat but just to be safe, I got some new lights for Teagan and I to wear when we walk at night.  Here they are:

I bought them from TitleNine.  I chose pink because that's Teagan's color, but they come in a variety of different colors.  The SpotLit ones were $8 each and the StrobeLight one was $10.

I don't know about Teagan, but I really like them.  The SpotLit kind easily clips onto her collar and the zipper on my coat and they seem very secure.  The StrobeLight one I've been clipping to her harness but I'm a little worried about it falling off and getting lost.  Both kinds have two settings:  constantly on or flashing on/off.  The flashing is a little annoying so we don't use that setting.  They are really bright too!

There's Teagan, ready for her evening walk.

Evening walk... and another sweater to wear!

Teagan:  "Oh no!  Erin put another sweater on me for my evening walkie!  I feel so awkward - does it show?  And now she wants to put the Musher's Secret on my feet too?!?  Why are humans so weird?!"

first snow of the season

Can you believe it was 64 degrees last weekend, and now this!  26 degrees but with a windchill feels-like reading of 13 degrees!  That's cold!  Good thing Teagan loves winter!  Here are some pics of her at the dog park this morning.  I made her wear a sweater because it was so cold, but she wasn't happy about it.  She hates wearing clothes, but she looks so cute!

First some roaching.  This wool sweater is a little itchy!

This is how we walk:  Erin leads the way; Teagan follows; and The Dad brings up the rear.

Teagan:  "It sorta seems like this guy wants to play with me... what should I do?"

Teagan:  "I know - I'll chase him away from my people!"

No squirrels out today.  Too cold.

At the dog park this morning....

she likes to stay hydrated

Teagan takes a selfie

walking with the dad

Teagan at the dog park

Drinking her water on top of a picnic table.  "I'm the doggie queen of this here dog park!"

Looking good, Teagan Boo-boo!

"Hey, Dad!  I could use some water right about now!"

Life without Keeley

It has been a rough few months for all of us since Keeley passed away.  It's hard to believe that 5 months have gone by.  When I'm walking Teagan, neighborhood kids still come up to me and ask where Keeley is or why they haven't seen him lately.  They get very serious and sad when I tell them that he died - everyone EVERYONE liked him so much!

Keeley was only 9 years old and the cancer was so sudden;  I really expected to have a lot more time with him.  I still miss him every day and I think Teagan does too.

At first I was really hating on Teagan - for being so simple, just not understanding, and still being alive even.  She was really lost for the first month afterward.  I realized that a few years ago when I thought she suddenly had grown a brain, that I was wrong - she just learned to take all her cues from Keeley.  So without him, she was pretty clueless.  It took her about a whole month to figure out that she had to pay attention to me, what I was doing, and what I was saying.  But she has caught on now.  And she seems a lot smarter, calmer, and more mature now too.  I'm really glad I have her!

At first we stopped taking Teagan to the dog park, because that had always been Keeley's thing.  He was the social butterfly and Teagan pretty much hates all dogs.  But after a few weeks, I started to think that Teagan was acting lonely for other dogs.  So we started going to the dog park again on the weekends.  She still hates most dogs, but I just remind her to "be nice" and she's been doing great.  Especially with puppies and small dogs lately!  Maybe she's trying to tell me that if I get her a little brother she won't instantly kill him?  I think that would be nice but it's going to have to wait a couple more years unfortunately.

We also thought it would be good to keep Teagan with us as much as possible.  But that hasn't worked out so well.  Keeley was the adventurous one.  Teagan loves her crate.  We tried taking Teagan to outdoor restaurants (something Keeley always loved) but it freaked Teagan out.  We tried taking her with us shopping, but she'd freak out when I went into the store even though my mom would be waiting in the car with her so she wasn't alone.  She freaks out whenever I leave her with my mom or brother while I run an errand.  She only feels safe without me when she's in her crate.

Anyhow, life goes on.  I miss my little boy Keeley.  But I'm so glad that I've got Teagan still.

impromptu trip to Lapham Peak

Weekends at the dog park

Dogs will be dogs

This totally negates the bath I just gave her!

New Song For Teagan

You know we are always creating songs for Keeley and Teagan.  The latest we've got for Teagan is based on the Ting Ting's song "That's Not My Name".



Teagan's version goes like this:
"I don't know words because I'm just a dog
It's a difficulty and I'm licking with my tongue and I
I keep barking, can't keep me together
People around gotta find something to say now

Can't hold back, everyday I bark
Don't wanna be a loner
Listen to me, oh no
I never say anything at all
Because I'm just a dog you know, don't forget, no

no, no, no

They call me 'Mona'
They call me 'Ashley'
They call me 'Boo-Boo'
They call me 'Wolfie'
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

They call me 'baby'
But I'm a lady
'Little Wolf Girl'
Always the same
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

I never miss the catch they throw the ball
I'm the last pup standing up against my mom
Keep my guard up, always watchful, keep going
Getting worked up and standing on the table

So alone inside my crate now
Lock myself away
Listen to me, I'm not
Although I'm a pretty puppy and
Everything considered they forget my name
(ame, ame, ame)

They call me 'Mona'
They call me 'Ashley'
They call me 'Boo-Boo'
They call me 'Wolfie'
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

They call me 'baby'
But I'm a lady
'Little Wolf Girl'
Always the same
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

Are you calling me girlie?
Are you calling me simple?
Are you calling me girlie?
Are you calling me simple?"

Mona, Ashley, Boo-boo, Wolfie, Baby Girl, Little Wolf Girl, Girlie, and Simple are all names that we call Teagan from time to time.  She doesn't know words but she likes it when we sing to her and use her belly as a drum.

Doggy Full Nelson

Poor Teagan! This is what her Unkie Rob does to her on a daily basis - he puts her in a doggy full nelson hold. I know he's not hurting her and she really doesn't seem to mind it at all, but still it looks pathetic, doesn't it? My poor little girl! I don't know why she has forsaken me for Rob! I don't do stuff like this to her and I kept her even when everyone else said she had to go (in the past when she was attacking Keeley on a regular basis) and helped her to get better. I feed her. I clothe her. I bathe her. I love her. But in the morning she sits outside of Rob's door and cries until he lets her in. He pets her with his feet, not his hands. And he subjects her to doggy full nelson and half nelson on a regular basis. But she adores him! I just don't get it.

In defense of Teagan... and me too!

Teagan has her issues but she's getting better. Really, she's not all that bad!

I've been told that I'm a bad dog mom and Teagan has gotten labeled as a bully by some people. I think that judgement is really unfair and wrong!

On the spectrum of dog owners, I think I'm pretty darn good. I walk them everyday. I feed them good food. I play with them and pet them (sometimes until my hands hurt!). I make sure they get to socialize with other dogs at parks and at doggie daycare. I bathe them and brush them. I take them everywhere that I'm allowed to take them and sometimes even to places that say "No Dogs Allowed". They have the run of the house. They have a fenced yard. They don't want for anything. They seem happy.

On the local news here a few days ago, there was a woman walking her 2 dogs and they ran onto a frozen pond after some geese. Then the ice broke because it's been so warm here lately. The woman went into the icy water to save her dogs. The reporter went around asking people who were walking their dogs if they would have done the same. And only about half of the people said they would. I think that's just crazy! Of course I would jump into icy water to save my dogs!

And I don't think Teagan should be labeled as a bully. Yes, she does boss Keeley around but I think that's just because she's a girl. And yes, she is reactive and gets aggressive when she thinks she needs to protect me or some other resource. But she's not a bully. She does know how to play nice with other dogs. I've seen her do it.

At Lake Park, there's a little corgie named Millie that is about the same age as Teagan. They play terrific together. They take turns pinning each other; just the way a game of bitey-face should be. And I asked at doggie daycare if she was having any issues there and they seemed truly shocked at the suggestion. They said she's really good there. They like her and she makes them laugh too.

I think in Teagan's mind, she thinks that she's a really small dog. And that's why she only wants to play with dogs that are smaller than her. She's scared of big dogs and tries to stay away from them if she can and if she can't avoid them, she attacks them. I don't think that sounds like the behavior of a bully. I think I bully would attack the little dogs, not the big ones, right? I think she's only attacking them out of fear. And this behavior is limited to our home so it probably has to do with resource guarding too. Being reactive is different from being a bully.

Teagan has her issues but she also has so many good qualities too. She trusts me completely. She's sweet and smart. She's insanely healthy. She walks like she's on a mission (sometimes never even stopping to do her business until the end of the walk). She loves her family. She has her issues with Keeley but she really loves him too. She never wants to be far from him. If he wants to play with her she'll get up and play with him even if she'd rather be napping.

She's a year old now and I'm not giving up on her! I think she'll only continue to get better as she gets older.

Evil Teagan?

There once was a girl, who had a curl
right in the middle of her tail.
When she was good, she was very very good.
But when she was bad, she was horrid.That's Teagan in an nutshell. When she's good, she's so very good. She can be so sweet and lovable. She listens well and is smart and tries hard to please.

She has good days and bad days. And even on average days, she has Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde moments when everything can change on a dime. It's like something in her just snaps and she turns into some kind of demon dog. She growls at children and attacks Keeley like she wants to kill him. It must be pretty scary because I see peoples' faces when it happens and their expressions range from scared to confused to angry.

I've gotten pretty good at being right there and putting her into an immediate "Easy". It usually only takes seconds for her to get fully easy and relax. And even after I tell her that she can get up, she usually stays like that for a while. To me, it makes me think that she really wants to be controlled, but isn't so good a doing that on her own yet.

One good thing that's been happening is that Keeley has been trying to take back his top dog position by asserting himself more. In the mornings, he tries to hump Teagan. It's not in a sexual way; I'm pretty sure it's just about dominance and Teagan seems to understand that too.

Teagan is definitely a work in progress, but I'm hopeful that eventually we'll find a peaceful balance in our home.

Cute

We have an Oscar Mayer wienermobile ornament that plays the Oscar Mayer wiener song. Everytime we make it play the song Teagan is completely mesmerized by it. It's so cute. She cocks her head to one side and stares intently at it. It's like she's trying to figure it out. Where is this sound coming from? What's it all about? She can be so cute with her little dog girl ways about her.

(PS this is another photo that my friend Lauren from Baltimore took of Teagan when she was in town recently visiting)