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Sunday, October 10, 2004
Saturday, October 09, 2004
10/03/04
It rained 4/10 of an inch during the night and early morning, and Guy and Buddy showed up for a few days. Buddy is even larger, at least 100 lbs. now, and he seems more dense. He is a great dog and totally lovable, but more destructive than I think is probably normal. He is also totally spoiled. He gets his way about everything except one, part of the house and Kilo's back yard are off limits. When Buddy and Kilo first met she hated him instantly and didn't want him in the house. Buddy was a small puppy so we put up a child barrier and since Kilo honors all doors, fences, and gates, although she still hated him, she wouldn't violate the barrier. He, however, even at a few weeks old, threw himself against it constantly. The next time they came back he weighed almost as much as her and was way more interested in being friends, but she still wouldn't have it and since this is our house, I'm not going to make her do anything that she objects to. We built a stronger barrier, which she honored and again he spent the whole time they were here trying to chew through for an encounter. The next time they came back he weighed more than her, was a world traveler, and had become accustomed to saying, "I want that", and getting it. He still wanted to be friends with Kilo, but when she tried to bite him in the face, he developed an attitude. That time he spent the whole time here chewing through a wooden door and barking and snarling because he was determined to kick her butt and take over the entire house and yard. He didn't make it, but it was tense and loud for a week. It's been almost a year and a half since Buddy started dropping by to visit, and they have started to tolerate each other. Actually, as military oriented as Kilo is, she realizes how dangerous he could be and doesn't really want a physical confrontation any more. She mainly ignores him now, but they still interact indirectly. They have a frisbee game that is such big fun we have to play it several times a day when they are here, but there is a fence between them. They actually take turns and watch each other during the runs. They still periodically erupt in yelling sessions through the barrier, but otherwise it is less loud and tense. My boss helped me build this latest barrier. It has a lot more metal because he can chew right through a piece of wood, and the (thick) metal mesh is because we soon learned that if he can see what Kilo and I are doing in the other part of the house he doesn't try to break through so much. I sort of dread the new experience coming next week. They are here because Guy is having oral surgery, and since I am the only other person Buddy has ever spent time with, I get to take care of him while that happens. The bad news is, although I can keep him entertained, I can't control him at all. When he gets bored or anxious and starts eating a chair, if I say, "don't eat the chair", he eats it anyway. The good news is, the Vet has medication for what she described as his serious separation anxiety.
October
A walking tour of the pond on October 1, 2004. It is obvious that I am getting sloppy with maintenance, but I have plans.
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