Bad Boy, Dusty

This morning, I'm drinking my coffee through a straw!


I live in a house with two Alpha males. Crawfish Man and the Duster. As I've mentioned, Dusty has a little testosterone problem, too much of it. At six months, he's like a spoiled toddler when he doesn't get his way. Though the toddlers probably don't bite. We've had three female Pomeranians before Dusty, Brandy, Sunshine and Spider. They all came to us at just under a year. That means... that they are very hard to put up with until they are raised. I knew that but it still doesn't make it easy.

I've been working with treats, a leash, reverse psychology. But if he has a toy he doesn't want to give up or if it's time to do something he doesn't want to do, he will try to bite you to get his point across. Some of it is bluster, but he does have a problem. And he's marking his territory everywhere. This morning I turned my back and then felt a warm stream down my leg. That's not the first time. He's very intelligent and learns quickly but much of the fault lies in my not knowing how to train him out of these bad habits. I'd like to take him to an obedience class but they are 75 miles away.

Last week, we went to the vet to have his heartworm treatment, a new kind given every six months. (If you aren't giving your dog heartworm meds, you're signing his death warrant, especially in Louisiana.) I discussed neutering with the vet who said it might calm him down a little. After all, even though he has papers, I don't think I'd want to risk passing this bad temper on. Though they say it doesn't always. And you can't wake him up from a sound sleep, he comes out of it like he's in another world, barking and snapping.

Well, CFM said, we're not having him neutered. He'll calm down. I got the impression it was a man thing. You're not cutting the Dustyworks! I said, we're not giving him a lobotomy!

I've struggled with this because he is beautiful and smart and has a lot of personality and loves people but I think I've finally had enough. I have to pick him up from behind sometimes when he doesn't want to go out and last night he bit me - in the face. Tore my lip, left teeth marks on my skin above the lip. I love him and don't want to have to do something tragic in the future so we may have to neuter him. I know, I need to try the training first. Maybe two days of them teaching me what to do would help. I could afford that.

So, I'm standing there trying to piece the pieces of my lip back together, sorry, no pictures for a while, and CFM says, "Oh, you'll be okay. I've had mine split many times. You won't look like a monster or anything." He was a boxer and football player so I guess he knows. But his standards are a little different than mine.

Name the new baby

On my way home from the mail route yesterday I had an idea for a character - Sidney. I liked the name and thought, if I get lucky enough to get another Pom, I'm going to name her Sidney. We've had three Pomeranians, Brandy, Sunshine, and Spider. Brandy had a beautiful red coat, Sunny looked like a fox, and our little loveball Spider was black with tan markings.



Our babies suffered either abuse, neglect or disinterest before they came to live with us. All of them nearly a year old.

Well, fifteen minutes after that thought, my husband called and said, "There's a lady over in Natchez that has some Poms. She has one left but someone is supposed to be coming to get it. She's going to call us one way or another." I'm thinking to myself, when did he decide we were in the market for a dog? Last time we talked about it, he didn't want to be tied down.

Tied down to what - everyday life on the bayou? He never goes anywhere anyway. We've just been waiting to get over the loss of Spider and to find the right Pom.

So this morning we left the house at 5:30 to pick up some puppy supplies at Walmart and go get our new baby. This time we get to raise him from a puppy.


But does Sidney fit him? I thought we were going to get a girl. Now CFM is saying Trooper, and I've thought maybe Woofy, though not seriously.




Can you think of a distinctive name that fits him? Wish I could award a prize for the best puppy name for our Pom. A personally guided fishing trip on the bayou? No Problem. A favorite read you're having trouble finding?

Help. I'm tired of calling him puppy and smooch,smooch.

Justice for Spider

Every now and then somebody 'gets his'. I mentioned my sweet baby Spider in an earlier post and maybe the fact that her first owner abused her. Stuck her in a drawer for barking (most likely because she was hungry or needed to go out). I don't know if it contributed to her short life but I do know it was a crime to mistreat such a sweet little loveball.

Yesterday, I heard that the woman who mistreated my baby was seen in chains at the local jail.

YES!!!!!

For Feliz and Spider

I was touched to read Jordan Dane's tribute to Feliz, her 16yr old pet who passed away recently on the Avon blog.

I, too, lost a very special baby.



Ironically, I found my tribute to Spider the same day I read Jordan's blog so I'll share it because the wound is as fresh today as it was then, nearly three years ago.

'I awoke early this morning crying.

I have accepted that our precious little loveball, Spider, may not be with us long.

She came to us after much abuse - her previous owner once put her in a drawer to keep her quiet. And she suffers from congestive heart failure and liver complications. We are walking a fine line with her medications between keeping her well and happy and doing her in!

She has given me such tremendous joy. I don't believe anyone has ever loved me as she has. Oh, I know my husband loves me, but he doesn't greet me with a waddling spider walk, funny grins and entreat me to love on him til I just can't do it anymore.

When I find him outside he doesn't flip over and raise his arms and legs to me, kicking like an excited newborn until I reach for him.

And there's something precious about a companion that races across the bed and buries her nose in his neck to cuddle aggressively - I don't do that for him either!

Maybe that's why God allowed this little love angel into our lives - so that we could experience that special all-out love that we should show each other.

Thank you, my little love, we will never forget you. Now Cleo can enjoy your special companionship in Heaven's garden.'

Even with the pain and grief, we would not have traded a second with Spider for a different healthier pup.