A Day in the Life of a Tripod Dog

Wow!  What a year 2009 has been for me!  It started out pretty scary.  I had just been pulled from a shelter in WV, still with my right front leg intact  but very damaged,  after being rescued by an Angel from Schnauzer Rescue Cincinnati.   Her name was Debbi and she took me to live with her for awhile.  It was there that I earned my nickname of Whiney Butt.   Mama Debbi said I whined all the time about everything!  I whined when I had to go out when it was cold, I whined when I wanted attention, I whined just to hear myself talk.   You know, smart guys like me have a lot to say, just a pity no one has figured out how to translate dog-speak into the human language.   Maybe I should start working on that…..

After hanging out with Debbi and her family for awhile, I was transported to Kentucky (And guess what?  Debbi said I whined the whole way!) and went to live with my next foster Mom, Iris.  Iris takes all of the special needs babies like myself.   It was with Iris that I had my leg amputated, something that had to be done to allow me a good quality of life.   At first, everyone was very worried about how I would do with the surgery.  But I surprised them all by coming through it with flying colors!  In fact, two days after surgery, I climbed a baby gate to play with some cool puppies Mama Iris was also taking care of. 

Then the day came when Mama Iris whispered in my ear that someone wanted to give me a forever home!  Yippee!  I was so excited.  I couldn’t believe someone finally wanted to adopt me.  I’d been with Iris for several months, as no one seemed to want a dog who wasn’t “whole”.  We got in the car and in just a few short hours,  I was meeting my new Forever Mama and my new fur brother Ringo.

Now it’s been six months since I found my forever home and I couldn’t be happier.  I have two fur brothers now –  as you know from my earlier posts, I have a brother named Jasper now too.  Me and Jasper and Ringo are like the Three Amigos, or Three Stooges, depending on how goofy we are acting.   We’re all true brothers now and love to hang out and play together.  But is it mean to say my brother Jasper is stupid??  Boy, that puppy has a lot to learn.   He’s so goofy and clumsy and has to work on his manners.  Poor Mama finally had to take all the ornaments and decorations off the Christmas Tree because he kept eating them.   What a dummy!   I tried to tell him but he wouldn’t listen.   Mama even feeds him Iams puppy food and the bag says it is supposed to help a puppy be smarter.  Guess Jasper isn’t reading the bag because he is dumber than a box of rocks!   But he’s my bro now and I love him anyway.  He definitely provides some cheap entertainment.

So as I reflect on 2009 and the new year coming up, I count my blessings that a neglected tripawd like me could have ended up in such a wonderful home.   And as an added bonus, that wonderful home has cats I can torture.   I really got it made in the shade!

 

 

Hello all!  I bet everyone thought I went into Witness Protection or something since it has been so long since I blogged.  Sorry about that!  I’ve been busy doing lots of cool dog things and just never got around to hitting the laptop.

What cool dog things have I been doing you ask?     Hmmmm……Where shall  I start?  How about starting with mole tag.    Ringo and I love to think we’re Great White Hunters and try to dig up moles in the yard.  Mama laughs at us because she knows by the time we dig up the run, the moles are long gone.  We have yet to catch one but boy do we like trying!  It’s so fun to dig and let the dirt fly.  It gets in my mouth, my ears, my nose but I kinda actually think it’s tasty so I don’t mind it in my mouth.  Getting it up my nose stinks though, no pun intended!  It makes me sneeze and Mama says I look funny with mud all over my face.  That hurts my feelings!  I don’t want Mama to think I look funny.  What if she takes me back to the rescue?  I must be a cool, handsome dog at all times!  The only down side to mole tag:  we both have to get a bath when the game is over.  No way will Mama let us back in the house looking like mud puppies. 

What other cool things have I been up to?  Well, I’ve chewed up at least a dozen chew toys. I just love to tear a hole in them and try to get the squeaker out.  It’s like finding the prize in the cereal box!   Exciting!!!   But Mama is afraid I will swallow it so she always takes the squeaker away from me and throws it in that metal can thing with a plastic bag in it.   I can’t figure out what that metal thing is??   Mama is always throwing good stuff in it like squeakers and food scraps but where do they go?  I never see them again. Maybe she is stashing it away to surprise me. One day she will take me to some secret room and it will be full of all the squeakers I snagged.  That would be like a dog dream come true. I am going to have to put some surveillance on her and find out what she is doing with all that good stuff.

Oh yeah, and of course I have been chasing the cats.  That is most definitely my favorite past time. I love to see those cats puff up and get all mad when I bark at them.   You should have seen what happened the other night.  I was chasing Tootsies when she tried to jump up on the table.  She’s so stupid!  Dumb cat didn’t know that when a table has a tablecloth on it,  you can’t get good grip.   She hit the table, cloth goes sliding off with her clinging on to it.  And even funnier was the fact that this is the table Mama keeps the cat food on (because I LOVE to eat cat food so she has to put it where I can’t reach it).  The bowl full of food went flying off the table too.  I saw that for the opportunity it was and quickly scarfed up the food that fell on the floor.  But then I hear those pounding footsteps coming down the stairs. Mama heard the commotion and came running.  She was M-A-D!!!  I tried to look innocent but she knows better. I even tried to tell her I helped clean up the mess by eating the spilled food, but she didn’t go for it.  She told me I better behave and leave the cats alone.  Even worse, the bowl holding the cat food broke in the process so now she is garnishing my allowance to pay for it.  And all this happened because the cat is too stupid to know not to make a flying leap on a table with slippery material on it.  And they say cats are smart???  Yeah right!

I’m started to get a big head with my new found web fame.  Lots of people are reading my blog and telling me how great it is.   And now I am featured on another website, Max the Schnauzer!  Mama found this great website while surfing away and Max was kind enough to add my rescue story to his page.   Check out my story on his website:  http://www.max-the-schnauzer.com/schnauzer-cross-rescue.html.  Also be sure to cruise around the site. It has lots of great information and pictures about us schnauzers.   Max is a pretty cool dog!

Sorry I haven’t blogged for awhile.  Mama and Dad took Ringo and I on vacation.  Neither one of us have ever been on a vacation before so we were very curious as to what that meant.  We looked on as Mama and Dad ran around the house in a flurry, throwing stuff in suitcases.   Ringo and I watched in alarm, thinking they were packing up and leaving us.  Could it be because I chewed up the couch?  Maybe Mama and Dad are still mad at me about that and are running away.  Ringo didn’t think so though, he thought Mama and Dad were probably tired of the house always looking like a murder scene from all the toys we  kill and that they couldn’t take it anymore.  But all of the sudden Mama started packing up our stuff!   She was putting our leashes and food and favorite toys in a bag.   Yikes!   “Maybe they are taking a “vacation” to drop us off somewhere again”, I thought.   But I don’t want to leave, I like it here!

Thank goodness it turns out that Mama and Dad weren’t running away from us or taking us somewhere else.   We were actually going on a trip!  Mama sat Ringo and I down and explained this when she saw how worried we were.   Whew!  That was a relief!   Now we knew they weren’t mad at us but we still didn’t exactly understand what was going on.  First they pack up a bunch of stuff, then they stick it in the trunk of the car, then they put us in the backseat and off we go.  What is this all about?

Well, we soon found out.  We drove around in the car for what seemed like forever, even with a potty stop.   And then, we pulled into this beautiful place –  I heard Mama say we had arrived at Aunt Lo Lo’s.  Now we know Aunt Lo Lo but we thought she lived near us, not several hours away in a car.  Turns out Aunt Lo Lo has a really neat vacation place on a big lake!  Oh my gosh!  Ringo and I couldn’t believe it.  This place was cool!   There were trees and woods everywhere and we could smell the lake.   I bet this is going to be a blast.

Indeed it was a blast!  While we didn’t go out on a boat on the water, we got to walk down to the lake and check it out.   It was neat but Ringo and I both don’t care to swim so we really couldn’t see what the big deal was, except of course for the geese and ducks that were walking around.  Those are some big birds.   The birds that come in our yard at home aren’t that big.   And boy were they noisy!  Quacking up a storm, something about wanting free food handouts.   Stupid water fowl!  Don’t they know that the big, brown-eyed soulful look works much better for getting food than making such a racket?

And then there were the squirrels and deer.  They were everywhere at the lake house.  Aunt Lo Lo’s place is on the second story so when we sat on the back screened-in deck, we were at tree top level and could see the squirrels almost face-to-face.  We were dying to get out and chase them but Mama wouldn’t let us.   All we could do is bark at them and listen to them chatter in return, something about us invading their space and peace and quiet.  And when we took golf cart rides (definitely THE BEST part of the trip!) we would cruise literally right past deer standing on the edge of the road.  Note to self:  Do not try to jump out of golf cart to pursue deer while on leash.  This makes for a painful choking sensation and gives Mama a heart attack when she thinks I am going to fall off the golf cart.

We also got to go on some nature hikes in the woods.  So many smells and new things to check out in one place.  I didn’t know where to smell or look first.  My sniffer was definitely on overdrive.   And so many new places to pee!   I got exhausted from lifting my leg so much.  I have a hard time keeping my balance sometimes when I have to go, so there were lots of “face plants” into the dirt while we were gone.  But it was worth it!  Any dog that comes down to the lake after us will know Ringo and I have been there.

I hope (and Ringo does too!) that Mama and Dad will take us on another trip very soon.  We loved it!  It was so cool to see the new sites and to spend extra time with with Mama and Dad.  We had all their undivided attention 24×7.   And we even got some new toys and some new treats while there too!   I was sad to have to come home until I realized CATS!   Yes, the cats were still home waiting for me to chase and torture them.   I guess all good things do have to come to an end, but there is always something just as good waiting in the wings!

Geez!   Where do we even start?   Once upon a time we lived in a pretty peaceful house.   It was just us and old Nikki, the elderly schnauzer.   Nikki was cool.  She didn’t harass too much, just a half effort at a chase once in awhile, and she always let us share her dog bed and food.  Then our world got rocked!  Mama and Dad brought this black dog thing home named Ringo.  We heard them saying he had been saved, literally by hours, from death row at some nasty shelter in South Bend, Indiana.  (Wherever that is! )  He was nuts!  We’re pretty sure he had no idea what we were as he tried to almost eat us!  But after a month or so, we learned to really love Ringo and he became our playmate.  He can be kinda rough sometimes, he has this thing for trying to pull us by our ears, but all-in-all, he’s  pretty cool for a dog.

Then came “Cats’ World Gets Rocked Round 2” when Mama and Dad brought home ANOTHER black dog thing!  And this one was strange.   He didn’t have two front legs, only one!  We were rather perplexed by this.   We think dogs are weird anyway and now this.  But we were fascinated by him too.   We all sniffed noses and kinda got to know each other a bit the first night this thing came home.  (We found out his name is  Zippy and he was also saved from certain death by a kind rescue, Schnauzer Rescue Cincinnati.)  Zippy seemed pretty mellow and kinda sad, like he wasn’t sure where he was or what was going on.  We thought this isn’t going to be so bad, he’s OK, not harassing us, seems like a good guy…

Well, that mellow fellow didn’t last long!   It took about three days for him to start chasing us, and I mean really chasing us, not playing like Ringo.  He started cornering us and we’d get so upset we’d growl and hiss and puff up like marshmellows.  And he’d just bark and bark and bark.  Does this thing have an off button?   Can’t you human people shut him up?  Don’t forget that us cats are quite dignified and sophisticated so we find it pretty demeaning that this Zippy has the nerve to get our fur up and then make us spend hours grooming it all back into place.  And that usually results in a hair ball that we then puke up on the carpet and then have to hear Mama gag as she cleans it up.

It’s been almost three months now since Weird Dog Zippy came and turned our world upside down.  We still aren’t sure about him.  We’re finding it hard to get any peace and quiet and no way does he let us weasle into Mama’s lap for some good lovins.  He also has this sneaky trick of eating our cat food when we aren’t looking.   And the other day he actually had the cahunas to blame us for destroying the couch!   We are quietly conspiring to find a way to get rid of him.  There must be a way…….

I have to be sneaky about writing this.  You see, I am grounded for destroying the basement couch.   I have to be careful Mama doesn’t catch me using her laptop to post this.

It all started with this really cool squeaky ball Mama bought for Ringo and I.  We just thought it was the neatest thing.  We love anything that squeaks and this ball had an especially interesting squeak sound.  Ringo and I quickly found ourselves obsessed with it and fighting over who was going to play with it.  All was going well until the ball rolled under the couch.   Ringo and I kept whining for Mama so she would come get it out for us but she was outside.  I got tired of waiting for her to come in so I thought I would take it upon myself to retrieve the ball.  Only problem was I’m too big to get under the couch.  So I had the brilliant idea that if I dug, tore and chewed along the bottom of the couch, I could open up enough space to get under it and get the ball.  

 I was very wrong!  Not only was I still not able to get the ball, now I had destroyed the couch.   The look on Mama’s face when she came in from outside was not good!  There was stuffing and couch fuzz littering the basement floor- it looked like it had snowed inside!   And if that wasn’t enough to upset her, then she got a look at the bottom of the couch and almost fainted!  I tried to blame it on the cats but she knew better.   Lucky for me, she loves me a lot and only grounded me from blogging for a week.  Whew!  I thought for sure she would send me back to rescue for that.   Ringo tried to tell me to stop but I was my normal pesky little brother self and didn’t listen to him.  And to make matters worse, Mama took the ball and threw it away so there would be no more temptations!

 

When I overhead Mama and Dad talking about getting a new “fur baby” I was excited!  I only had an elderly canine sister Nikki (sadly she went to the Bridge on July 3rd) and two crazy indoor cats to play with.  I so longed for another energetic dog buddy.  I missed having someone to romp with and chase.

Well, the day arrived and Mama came home with Zippy.  At first glance, I was disappointed.  Mama brought home a dog with only three legs!  How was he going to be the canine buddy I wanted?  I couldn’t imagine how my dreams of romps and wrestling were going to be satisfied with this little guy.   He was smaller than me and his right front leg was gone.  And this is the dog who is supposed to play tug-o-war and tennis ball chase with me?  What?????

Boy did I misjudge Zippy!   He’s a little tasmanian devil.  That missing leg doesn’t slow him down at all.   He bounces all over the house and loves to torment me by weasling in for all the attention or taking toys away from me. I love to play keep away with him but  I usually give in because he is just so darn persistent!  And I admit I was cocky when I assumed his missing leg would mean I would always win the games of tug-o-war.  Wrong!  Zip hangs on for dear life, even if it means me dragging him half way across the living room.   Finally, I just give up from exhaustion and Zip runs back to his bed with his “victory”, smiling the whole time. 

Zippy is like the pesky little brother.  Always bugging me to play or trying to get me to chase him.  He loves to come over and take my bandana off.  Somehow he figured out it is velcroed and knows the exact right place to grab it so it comes off.  That makes me mad!  I wear my bandanas with pride and I hate when he does that. 

I must admit, Zippy has fulfilled my dreams of having a canine brother and playmate.  I sure misjudged him because his leg was missing.  He’s just like me only he kinda walks funny and sometimes falls on his face when he loses his balance.   I crack up when he does that!  How funny!   But he just jumps right back up and keeps going as if nothing happened.  I’m so glad Mama and Dad brought him home.  They said no one wanted him because he was a “tripawd”.  Well, I am glad no one did because that meant he came to live with us!  I love Zippy so much -he’s my buddy, best friend and truly my canine brother!

Ringo

My mama loves to work out in her yard and tend to all of her beautiful flowers.   I decided she was working too hard this weekend and thought I would lend a paw.  I am quite the digger for only having one front leg.   Mama was amazed at the big hole I dug and laughed at me because I was covered in dirt.   I actually found the dirt quite tasty but she wasn’t crazy about letting me back in the house covered in mud so I had to get a bath.  Yuck!  I love to get baths inside and get the blow dry treatment when done but this one was outside.  I did not think it was cool!   Not only was the water a little chilly, but I was rather embarassed to be getting a bath outside for the whole neighborhood to see!

 

We’ve had Zippy now for about two months and are just so amazed by him.  He is just the happiest little guy despite his hardships and hard start to life.  The rescue said even at the shelter he was happy even though he was thin and dull coated.  We are big advocates of rescue dogs and Zippy’s missing leg just made him all that more charming to us.  We knew when we saw him on Petfinder that he was the dog for us.  We cannot believe that no one had wanted to adopt him.  He was with his foster family for almost six months before we inquired about him and started the adoption process.

Every day we watch Zippy and are just awestruck at his determination.  We have yet to find any limitations with him other than  he tires quicker than Ringo so we have to make sure we don’t overexercise him or go on walks that are too long.   He flys around our house giving chase to Ringo and our two indoor cats.   And boy can he run!  If he gets his nose on something while we are walking, watch out!  Better be prepared to hang on tight to the leash and start sprinting.  He is just so charming too, he loves to come up and put his good front leg on you in a sort of hug.  Everyone who meets him is as smitten as we are.  He has charmed the socks right off every family member, friend and neighbor.

And what can be cuter than the “tripod hop”?  That’s what we call it.  Zippy bounces or seems to hop due to his missing leg so he always looks like he’s spring loaded!  And we get the biggest kick out of how he almost sits on the couch or in the car like a person.  He just props himself up in a “beg” position on his two back legs and makes himself comfortable.

There is nothing “wrong” with Zippy, he is just missing a leg, that’s all.  He is still a dog, does all things dogs love to do with no problems.    He doesn’t require any extra care besides making sure his pads don’t crack from the extra strain and weight on them.  We do get concerned about him jumping down off the furniture so we try to help him down as much as we can just to save strain on his other joints.   Please consider adopting a tripod!  They are just as charming, entertaining and loving as any other dog.  And the bonus of owning him is that he is already teaching us life lessons. It sure is hard to stay upset or stressed over the silly things in life when all we have to do is look at Zippy with his happy attitude and positive outlook.  If he can be so happy and loving after all he has been through, then I think I can learn to not sweat the small stuff!