Dog o' the Week–Milo

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We walk through white, wispy clouds of stuffing and study myriad holes chewed into each of the four doggie beds that lay about Little Pup Lodge. The Master of Disaster is back.

Dog o' the Week–Mozzie

Found wandering the streets of Watsonville by Animal Control, the ancient Chihuahua finally found a warm bed and regular meals at the local shelter. The intake exam revealed that Moses (as the staff called him) was blind, had lost most of his teeth, had a very bad heart and some unknown bronchial infection that left him with a rather unpleasant smoker’s hack. He also seemed to suffer from neurological damage since he stumbled and swayed like a drunken sailor when he walked.
Moses. What kind of name is that?

Doors of Perception

With the holidays behind us and business in its January doldrums, remodel fever has gripped Little Pup Lodge. The first project: Replace the front door that imploded during winter rains.

Dog o' the Week - Phinney

We be lovin’ that Phinney; he gets some doggie daycare at Little Pup Lodge Monday through Friday while his mom goes to work. A purebred cocker spaniel, the four-year-old has the typically mellow personality common to this breed. Unless a dog of that breed has inherited the unfortunate “Spaniel Rage.” This is a very real disorder and I have seen its destructiveness up close and personally. Seemingly serene and calm, the spaniel will suddenly snap and attack another dog, child or whomever is handy. Their eyes glaze over and when they snap out of it, appear to have no idea what they just did. Some behaviorists guess that it is a form of epilepsy.

  A very happy Phinney.

Dog O' the Day – Fosters!

Another benefit to the slow season at Little Pup Lodge between now and the holidays is the opportunity to foster. The local shelter was once again filled beyond capacity (Spay and neuter, people, spay and neuter) and requested help from those of us who could take one into our homes. Last week Ella packed her bags and came to join us here at the Lodge. Weighing in at a hefty six pounds, the Chihuahua quickly acclimated to her new surroundings. She is gorgeous, house-trained and sweet beyond words–unless you happen to be a new guest checking in. Ella makes it clear she is deeply insulted sharing her vacation digs with another dog. This is an unfortunate trait, since all our guests must at least pretend to enjoy the company of others. (As one who has perfected this particular skill with humans, I explain to them that it just takes a little practice.) Therefore, we must find a home where she can fulfill her calling as an only child.
Miss Ella.

Only Child

We had a remarkable morning, Oliver and I. It was just the two of us at the beach. For the first time in months, Little Pup Lodge had no guests. One of the daycare guests, Phinney, was under the weather and the other, Aston, had not yet arrived. Harvey, whom (who?) often joins us just for the beach excursion, was at the vet for dental cleaning. No overnight guests, either; summer vacations are over and things will remain slow until the holidays.
I can have fun or I can stay clean. I'll take the former.

Dog O' the Day – CrossFit!!

Around 1995, Santa Cruz resident Greg Glassman created a strength and conditioning program that would appeal to, shall we say, a certain type of fitness buff. The type that thinks a nifty cocktail of Marine Corps punishment and Olympian weightlifting topped with a sprig of Navy SEAL survival exercises sounds downright yummy.
  Gunner & Midgee, CrossFit celebrities.


CrossFit, as Glassman called his program, was a hit. It’s not only spread across the country in the last couple decades, but has gone worldwide. I love CrossFit, but not because of the strenuous squats, lunges and reps it has become known for. I squat plenty to pick up poop bags, lunge often for a transgressor as he flies down the hall with one of my flip-flops and have lost count of how many reps I’ve completed around the local park’s half-mile loop. I love this company because of the staff members who board their little pups at Little Pup Lodge.

   Mirka, another CrossFit champion.

Right now Gunner and Midgee are with us for a week. Mirka often comes to stay. Jasper recently checked in while his mom and dad attended the CrossFit Games. Not only are the dogs adorable, but their moms and dads are some of the most fit, healthy human beings I’ve seen in a while. Nice advertising.

Jasper,  gold medal winner in CrossFit's fly-catching competition.

You Don't Miss the Water 'Til…

For those who have not yet had the good fortune to visit, Little Pup Lodge is located in an area many would consider rural. In other words, it is more than five minutes from the nearest Starbucks. "Rural" also means that we are not on a city water system but rely on a well. That well committed seppuku Saturday, a problem that would have been a mere annoyance in a regular household. But for a guest lodge on Labor Day weekend, it rated somewhere between disaster and catastrophe.

  No, our well  looks nothing like this. We do not live in a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Dog O' the Day – Maya T.

Like clouds in the sky, some dogs can morph into very odd creatures if one stares at them long enough. With her slightly hunched back, short legs and long fur, Maya can pitch-hit for an anteater. Not to be confused with another Little Pup Lodge guest, Cavalier spaniel Maya, anteater Maya has another distinguishing feature: an underbite almost large enough to rival Wookie’s. With so many unique qualities having cascaded  from the canine gene pool into her life, Maya was able to pull together a look that only someone of her aplomb could.

Dog O' the Day – Veerapam

Do this business long enough and Little Pup Lodge guests that we have grown to love will eventually die. One of our favorites passed away last week. Veerapam (which means “Brave Soul” in Sanskrit) was condemned to a short, miserable life if it weren’t for a lovely couple who rescued him in Calcutta, India. Bob and Sheela witnessed neighborhood children attempting to beat the starved and bedraggled young dog to death so they swooped in. Groomed and brought back to health, Veerapam appeared to be a purebred Lhasa Apso. Although Indians rarely kept dogs as pets back in 1994, monks who fled Tibet’s communist takeover sometimes brought theirs with them. The Lhasa Apsos originated in Tibet, where they were bred as watchdogs and companions for monasteries and temples.

  Veerapam, enjoying his beach strolls up until the end.

Dog O' the Day -- Lilly

This little girl just barely squeaked under our age cut-off. At nine months old, Lilly had the potential to be your basic puppy hurricane. But other than one slightly chewed cellphone-charger cord, she has kept the teething to stuffed toys (and a few of her playmates). This spaniel has perfected two specialties: melting hearts with those soulful eyes and keeping the other dogs occupied. Puppies play. A lot. If awake, she tortures other Little Pup Lodge guests to wrestle, chase or play tug-of-war with her and her very bedraggled squirrel. But, only when she’s awake and fortunately, puppies also sleep a lot.

  Little Lilly.

Hump Day

The Bark (best dog magazine ever), recently featured a piece on why dogs hump each other (and their stuffed toys and your leg). Having read all four pages, I discovered the answer: no one knows. Maybe it’s to show dominance, but then again maybe it’s just play. Maybe they are over-stimulated; maybe it’s a way to reduce stress. Like most people, I am deeply dissatisfied with any informative article that ends with a shrug of the shoulders. But, aren’t all our theories about dog behavior just guesswork?

  It's true; dogs now have their very own blow-up dolls (bachelor party not included)

Far East of Eden

Now that China has moved from communism to capitalism, perhaps we can all agree they won, we lost, in the world-domination sweepstakes. Back in the McCarthy era, we all feared this day, but expected it to come in the form of Soviets and Chinese swarming our shores and killing us all in our sleep. Instead, we are left to worry about tainted dog food and treats.

 

Law & Odor

People often think the concierge of Little Pup Lodge just sits around all day watching tv with her guests. So, I thought I’d try it (after I laundered, poop-scooped, watered the garden, folded clothes, washed dishes and romped with the gang at the park). Who knew Law & Order could be so addictive? In my world, only a pathetic slug would sit in front of the boob tube when it is still light outside. Daytime is about work! Productivity! Frenetic activity!

  Dogs love Bobby Goren!

The Laws of Nature

Like most people, I do not break the law unless I decide that particular law doesn’t apply to me. For example, the leash ordinance at our local parks and beaches.  And, like most people, I do not flaunt any particular law as an act of protest or civil disobedience; I only do it when I think I can get away with it.

Some of the guests at Little Pup Lodge have their parents’ blessings to run off leash at the beach. We go very early, usually 7am, to avoid other dogs and humans, particularly those who wear badges. Imagine my surprise as I walked up from the beach this morning right after 8am, just as an animal control officer walked down with a big, shiny citation book clutched in his hand.  Had he come 10 minutes earlier, I would have been several hundred dollars poorer.

We dog-activists often rant about how unfair the leash law is. Secretly, I think it’s only unfair to me. It’s more than fair for the yahoos who can’t control their dogs, the tourists who won’t clean up the poop and youthful offenders who find their unneutered pit bulls ever so much more entertaining than the rest of us.

Spring Fling Wing Ding

‘Tis that time again, when all things dog-related congeal at Blue Balls Park here in Soquel. The Spring Dog Festival throws a big ol’ party with a parades, contests, agility trials, Frisbee tournaments and vendors like me. Misery ensued when Little Pup Lodge set up a booth at the Festival last year. Arctic winds and rain descended that summer weekend, which kept the crowds away and the rest of us brave souls freezing our butts off.

At least someone's keeping their buns warm. (Photo courtesy of http://www.duncan-jan.com/)

Dogs of the Day - Vermicelli!

Not real vermicelli, of course. That is our nickname for the wiggly wiener-dog guests of Little Pup Lodge. Few breeds can match Dachshunds for sheer entertainment value. They don’t really have to do much, just stare at you down those impossibly long muzzles or waddle around with little butts that swing this way and that. We have a couple at Little Pup Lodge now.
Lola on the left, Frank on the right.

Paws for Reflection

A recent wardrobe inventory revealed that virtually every t-shirt and sweatshirt I own had something dog-related on it.

Yes, dogs are my business and I love them more than just about anything or anybody in the world. But. Do I really want the world to think my life has shrunk to one sad, little obsession ? Although it has stalled due to the Little Pup Lodge busy season, perhaps I should resume my efforts to make it as a hip-hop artist.
Then again, I could always carve little dog figurines out of soap.

Gopher Broke

Once the bane of Little Pup Lodge, gophers have emerged (sorry), as the latest sport and entertainment source for our guests. What began as one suspicious hole in the back yard has metastasized into a veritable battlefield of craters and pockmarks. Partially, it is the relentless rodents’ fault. The terrier guests must take equal blame, however. That particular breed owes it’s name to the French, who called them Chiens Terrier, or “earth-dogs,” because they were bred to chase vermin down holes. Since most terriers can’t actually fit into the hole, the next logical step is to widen it. My part-terrier Oliver uses his teeth to tear chunks of lawn away when he’s convinced the claws aren’t doing it fast enough.
Orthodontia required.
 

Dog O' the Day - Maya

We have two dogs named Maya that guest at Little Pup Lodge. There is Maya with the amazing underbite and there is Maya with the ravenous appetite. Underbite Maya has to be coaxed to eat. Appetite Maya, convinced I didn’t understand she wanted breakfast at 5:30am, jumped up and sat on the doggie-food bin.
  Please? Please? Please?