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More Boogie Naughtiness
Firstly, some more cute pics from the weekend with Butch and Emma.
Two boys and their balls. Butch loves the yellow one; Boogie and his alltime favorite: the tennis ball.
Butch was OBSESSED with that yellow ball. Totally obsessed.
Butch: “Please throw the ball. Please please?” pant pant slobber slobber
(Observe Emma’s total disinterest and there’s Boogie giving Butch the evil eye. Later on, he steals back the yellow ball away from Butch)
Emma lying on the couch with Wes, licking her paws.
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And then the next day…
See the white fluff all over the floor?
Check out this video: Naughty Boogie – again
On Sunday when I was out of the apartment for only about 20 minutes, Boogie destroyed another cushion. Coincidentally, Emma Dietz was staying with us the last time he destroyed a cushion so I was tempted to think there might be a connection somewhere, like… “Was Boogie protesting? Was he pissed because he had to share his home/bed/humans with another dog?”
Wes said: “Dogs don’t think like that. I bet he was just having fun ripping up the cushion. Maybe he was trying to impress Emma.”
Me: “Like show her how tough he is that he can unstuff a cushion in 20 minutes? Are you serious? He did it to impress Emma?”
Wes: “It’s the male mind. I know how it works”.
Uh-huh. Well.
Anyway…
Monday night I came home from a work event to find my box of authentic New Orleans pralines from Christa shredded to bits and the three pralines inside it were gone. I was really looking forward to finishing off those pralines myself but a naughty little boston terror had stolen them when I was out. (Mind you, he showed NO INTEREST in the pralines when I was at home.) In a state of panic, I rang the Emergency Vet and they reassured me that pralines are not toxic to dogs… don’t worry… Boogie will probably have some diarrhea and vomitting for a day or so and then he’ll be fine.
Today, Alicia took Boogie for a walk and reported an incident of runny praline poop (“caramel colored with chunky bits in it”). I hope it is all now OUT of his system. I felt sick after eating three whole pralines the night before, I can’t imagine what must be going on inside the poor little dog’s tummy.
Anyway, Boogie seems back to normal now. I hope.
Here he is in his new bed from Costco (only $17! Which makes me realize what a major rip-off pet stores can be!) Boogie likes to drag the cushion out of this bed, fling it around and onto his round chair and sleep on it up on the chair. Ah Boogie. He’s a funny little fella. BTW, that red tennis ball in the photo has been totally stripped. It now looks like a black rubber ball.
Boogie Fever
I wish I had taken my camera… Unfortunately the small low-res photos from my cell phone won’t upload to my computer…
It was a beautiful warm sunny day today so Eddie and I took a short break from our mountainous pile of work and went to Griffith Park with the Boogermeister. We brought treats, water and his beloved tennis ball.
Boogie had lots of fun running around leash-free, chasing the ball, rolling around on the grass, sniffing trees…It was SO cool to see him so happy. You see, Boogie doesn’t “smile” or “laugh” much. He always has the same closed-mouth facial expression, and he communicates mostly with his eyes and ears. He hardly ever opens his mouth (except to eat, give kisses or yawn). He doesn’t even pant like other Bostons I have known. And he hardly ever snores!
So to see him today, bounding and leaping through the grass, grinning from ear to ear tongue-a-wagging… it was such a CUTE sight!
Another thing he loves to do is stick his head out the car window, eyes closed, nose up in the air, enjoying the breeze in his face.
It has now been two months since we adopted Boogie from BostonBuddies. We still don’t understand how anyone could abandon this dog in a shelter. This cute, loving, playful dog. We suspect that his previous owners must’ve been pretty heartless or maybe they were even abusive…
Take for instance …. several times now we have seen Boogie cower and shrink back in fear each time someone lifts their leg.
A few times while walking Boogie, Wes had his leg caught up in the leash and he had to lift up his leg to free himself… and Boogie reacted like he was going to be kicked. Last night once again, he cowered and whimpered when Eddie turned around in his chair and lifted his leg higher than usual.
How could anyone want to kick this dog??? (… or any dog for that matter?) It’s sad that Boogie still carries emotional scars from his past… whatever happened. He also sometimes shrinks away from friendly strangers for no apparent reason or he gets tense and snappy. Maybe these individuals remind him of people he used to know?
When a homeless woman camped herself outside my front door one night, Boogie snapped at her. We were quite proud of him at the time because he was being a good watchdog/protector. A few days later while we were out walking on Vermont, he pulled on his leash and barked and barked at somebody on the street… It was the same homeless woman! He remembered her!
Anyway, we continue to learn something new about Boogie each day. He may be naughty sometimes, but the sweet lovable bundle of joy that he is, often makes us forget the bad stuff. We love the Boogaloo! 🙂
[Boogie and Wes snuggling together on the couch]
Boogie’s new appetite
The change that has come over Boogie since I switched him over to Hills I/D Prescription diet has been pretty astounding. As much as I hate having to feed him Hills – having read so many negative reviews about this food – plus the fact that I can only buy it from the vet’s, Boogie’s eating behavior has totally changed and I think for the better. Boogie is more like a “normal dog” now. He likes eating. He wants to eat.
Before, he used to turn away from treats and had no interest in mealtimes. Now, he is excited to get fed; he polishes up his bowl shiny clean; he even sits for MORE food, and strangely enough, he also now loves receiving treats… even the Paul Newman’s Peanut Butter biscuits that he used to turn away from or dump on the floor. He is like a changed dog.
… . he must’ve really hated the food (Innova EVO) that I was feeding him before…
Boogie’s poop is also changed. He now poops less. And they are small and firm nuggets of poop. Before the diet change, it used to be snakey and sloppy and a bugger to pick up. (Apologies to those of you who don’t own dogs and find all this kinda gross. Poop is an important indicator of health)
He also hasn’t vomitted at all which is great news! No signs of nausea either.
The only problem we have now is his naughtiness. Three times now he has gone through the trash when left at home alone. This afternoon I came home to find coffee all over my computer keyboard!!! Boogie had jumped onto my desk and knocked the cup over. Granted that it was my fault for leaving the half-full cup of coffee there in the first place, it’s NOT GOOD that he was on my work desk messing about with my stuff. What was he doing? Stealing coffee? Sending another Googletalk message? I am so relieved my keyboard still works.
Now that Boogie is eating again and loves treats, it may be time for some TRAINING. Time to learn some commands 🙂
As Wes says – We have spoilt this little bug ROTTEN. All the praise has gone to his head…Time to set some boundaries! 🙂
Bad Boogie – Part 2
We were in Wacko (store) the other day and one of the guys who works there commented on how cute Boogie is. “This dog is SO CUTE. When he does something bad it must be hard to get mad at him because he is SO cute.”
Tonight when Wes and I were heading out the door, Boogie desperately wanted to come with us, as he always does. Sometimes he rushes out the door and refuses to come back inside, insistent that he joins us. He always stares at us from the window as we walk away, whimpering, with the saddest look on his face. And when we return, he is at the window, sitting on my desk, head peeking out through the curtains. Goodness knows how long he has been sitting there for, waiting.. waiting…
As any human who has a dog with “separation anxiety” would know… it is always so heartbreaking to walk away and leave the doggie at home.
In my case, I also worry about what Boogie will get up to when I am out.
Will he…
– knock more stuff off my table?
– use my computer keyboard ? (Twice now I have come home to find a hundred browser windows open on my monitor; or a garbled message in my Googletalk box!)
Tonight we came home to THIS.
There were empty cans of dog food from the trash scattered all over the place. Coffee grains, mess, icky stuff… There was also an old can of dog food (DAYS old!) on his round chair. My immediate thought was: “What has he eaten?!!!”
As they say, there is no point punishing a dog when he has already done his naughty deed. By then, it’s too late. He doesn’t understand why you are mad at him. And as we kept repeating… “BAD BOOGIE!. BAD DOG!” over and over, we could see him move away from us, eyes looking up at us with a forlorn expression, ears pinned back….
He brought us his toy and we refused to throw it.
BAD BOOGIE. BAD DOG.
Toy aside, he stayed on the couch like this, crouched low, ears back, still looking all forlorn…
What do you think? Does Boogie understand why we are mad? Do you think he feels any remorse or guilt?
I must add it’s mighty surprising that he likes his new Hills I/D Prescription Food so much that he would dig through the trash for it! Or was this an expression of protest/separation anxiety?
Bad Boogie
We had come home from dropping Butch off at Bow Wow Bungalow to find THIS!
There was white stuffing everywhere from one of the ripped-open red cushions. My blue rug had also been chewed on.
What do you think this means?
(b) a statement of protest? (against the presence of other dogs?)
(c) superfun playtime when the grown-ups aren’t at home?
EDIT TO ADD:
I started a thread on “Vomitting and Sensitive Stomach food” over on the WOOF (boston terrier) forums, where I have learnt so much stuff! Please feel free to contribute!!!
Boogie’s Sat afternoon with Butch & Emma
It all started with the artichoke that Wes had brought home from Catts and Doggs. This was no ordinary artichoke. It cost FIFTEEN BUCKS. (Me to Wes: “Oh well, it will last a long time. It feels indestructible”)
This afternoon, while Alicia (who is taking care of Butch) was out, I decided to have all three dogs at my place – Butch, Emma and Boogie – one big happy ‘ahem’ family. Butch was thrilled to be reunited with Emma Dietz rather than left alone, but as soon as he saw the artichoke, he made a beeline for it and started attacking it with gusto. Boogie, who had been playing with the artichoke before Butch arrived, stared at him, then at me, then at him again…
Boogie: Why is that dog here? What is he doing with my artichoke?
When Boogie had the artichoke, Butch was upset and barking. When Butch had the artichoke, Boogie would stare at me with big sad eyes, like his entire world had fallen apart and he was in unbearable pain. He is very good at giving you that look. (It is the same look he gives you when you grab your jacket and keys to go outside)
Both boys circled each other hoping to claim the artichoke for himself. Both boys looked to me to throw the artichoke for them. I could see trouble brewing so I removed the artichoke. Placed it on my table next to the computer. NOBODY GETS THE ARTICHOKE. It’s MINE. All Mine.
Boogie sat at my feet shifting his eyes from me to the artichoke and back to me. He jumped up onto my lap and stared at the artichoke. From behind me, Butch was trying to jump up onto Eddie’s table to steal the yellow squeaky toy that he had acquainted himself with yesterday. He couldn’t reach the toy so he started barking for it. So imagine… there I was with two desperately unhappy dogs. I took both the artichoke and the yellow squeaky toy and put them in the bathroom, closed the door. I mean, you can’t want what you CAN’T SEE, right?
Next… Boogie brought me his tennis ball.
Butch brought me the big blue geodesic ball (the one toy that Boogie isn’t interested in… I don’t know why)
I spent about 10-20 minutes playing fetch with both dogs and both balls. Throw tennis ball, throw blue ball, repeat… These guys know that I am such a sucker.
[Boogie & tennis ball; Butch & blue ball, which had fallen to the floor in this pic]
Then Butch lost interest in the blue ball. He was more interested in Boogie’s tennis ball….
Butch started barking and crying. He wasn’t interested in the kong, nor the wubba, nor anything else I gave him. He wanted the tennis ball. I kept encouraging Butch to go for the blue ball but with no success.
Boogie continued to drop the tennis ball in my lap and eventually put his whole body in my lap with the tennis ball between his paws. Butch was crying for attention so I called him up onto my lap too, and he received a nice long butt scratch. They both still wanted to play fetch but nobody wanted to share the ball.
Miss Emma, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. She was comfortably lying down on the couch next to me. Yaaaawwwwnnn…
So there I was, with three dogs on the couch… I had to stop playing because there was work to be done.
Boogie followed me to my desk, upset. He sat at my feet staring up at me again with that look. Then he looked at his chair (where he usually sleeps when I work) and was confounded that there was a dog in it.
I don’t know how Emma does it. A minute ago I swear she was on the couch. Now she was in the round chair. She’s a fast one. Meanwhile, Butch was pacing the apartment whimpering for attention. Next thing you know, Butch had joined Emma in the round chair getting his weenie licked. (Example: photo taken last night)
Boogie came back to my feet and gave me the look again. He wanted up on my lap.
Somehow, I finally managed to ignore ALL OF THEM. I don’t know how it happened, but eventually I turned around and saw Boogie on his round chair, Emma on the couch, and Butch on the cushion.
Peace at last. I was getting some work done…
Until the mailman showed up. RUFF RUFF RUFF!!!!
Barking and mayhem with three little dogs running around and jumping at the door.
When the mailman departed, Butch and Emma took over the round chair curled up like two little snorey bundles, and Boogie was back at my feet wanting up on my lap. And as I am such a sucker (I am so due to watch more Dog Whisperer), I carried the lunkhead up onto my lap where he slept peacefully and emitted stinky gases while I worked.
And there you have it. My afternoon with three bosties. 🙂
Boogie and Emma
I know Christa is reading this so my blog posts for the next few days will also include Miss Emma Dietz!
Emma is Christa’s sweet boston terrier girl whom I am babysitting while she is away on her whirlwind booksigning tour of the USA.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to report is that Boogie and Emma are totally NOT INTERESTED in each other. Right now, Boogie is sprawled out asleep on his cushion (near the heater) and Emma is lying down next to my feet.
When Emma first arrived, Boogie watched her calmly from his cushion, and then turned and glared at me for the next 10 minutes as if to say: “What’s going on? Why is there another dog in here? Who is she? Why is she sniffing the floor and licking it?”
And then he totally lost interest in Emma and brought me his toy to throw. Just like old times. He hasn’t paid her any attention since.
Emma is even less interested in Boogie than he is in her. She is more fixated on what she might find to eat on my floor and has been doing the rounds.. kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom…. She also follows me from room to room and stays close to me. She does not even look at Boogie. He may as well not exist.
Emma is such a sweet and good girl. When she nosedived into Boogie’s food bowl (which still has food in it because Mr Boogaloo has eating issues), I said a firm “NO. Emma, NO.” and pulled her away, and she hasn’t returned to the bowl since. Well, maybe once or twice. But each time I say No, she moves away from the bowl, leaving the food untouched.
I think Miss Emma is feeling a little bewildered and nervous being here, away from her mom and best buddy Butch.. A little while ago she was sitting at my feet shaking. I put her on my lap and she still seemed tense… but has stopped shaking, at least. Don’t worry Christa. I’ll take good care of her!
Anyway, in spite of the two dogs not being interested in each other … there has been one sweet “sharing-the-cushion-together” moment….
…and later, this…
Boogie’s “not eating” issue
I have figured out a way to make Boogie eat his food: Carry him from his cushion to his bowl and move his head over the bowl. (Calling him doesn’t work.)
It seems like an odd thing to have to do, but so far, it works! He is eating! I also tried this last night, and he ate his dinner. He doesn’t polish his bowl clean like other dogs, but hey – eating is better than not eating. I don’t want him to starve.
Eddie’s theory is that Boogie doesn’t like his food. (Quote: “If you placed some lettuce in front of me everyday and if I was hungry I’d force myself to eat it. But I wouldn’t be crazy about it.”)
Does Boogie not like his Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal Grain-Free kibble mixed with Innova EVO Chicken wet food? It’s not like I can switch to a different food everyday to figure out what pleases Sir Boogaloo the most….(I was worried Innova EVO might be too high-protein and rich because he was releasing nasty gases so frequently, so I am trying him out on Nature’s Variety. BTW, I stopped giving him the Angel Eyes to rule out that this isn’t the problem)
Here’s another little problem that we have… vomit.
Almost everyday since New Years Day, I have been finding a small puddle of vomit in my apartment. Usually on Boogie’s cushion or chair.
On New Years Day, we were playing fetch with the tennis ball and he threw up on me when he brought back the ball. That was the first time.. a quick vomit …then he was back to normal, playing. Wes and I assumed that he was just purging some icky stuff/hairballs and that it was normal. Boogie likes to lick his tennis balls, and might’ve also swallowed fluff from the plush toys that he likes to unstuff and chew on each day. I have also found “toy fiber” in his poo so I just assume that this stuff comes out the other end too.
But now I am starting to worry because… is it really normal for a dog to be purging almost everyday? Sometimes there are food particles (kibble) in his vomit. Most of the time it’s just slimey froth.
And combined with his lack of excitement over mealtimes, I am wondering if he might have a stomach issue. (Mind you, Boogie is very interested in human food when we are eating our dinners, and he is still very playful after each meal. He appears to be happy and doesn’t act “sick”)
I have made an appointment with Dr Reina of LA Pet Clinic on Monday which will be our first vet visit. I am hoping that all is OK.
Tomorrow: Boogie’s new little friend Emma is coming to stay for a few days! It will be interesting to see how these two get along. 🙂
Boogie’s miserable morning
Boogie has been a little weird these past few days. I don’t know what is wrong with him. The usual “Morning routine” used to be:
2. Go for a “poo walk” with Dad
3. Back home to play ball with Human 2 (aka Mom) who is still asleep – Mom pushes him away.
3. Curls up in bed, sleeps in with Mom
4. Wakes up with Mom (9.30 am-ish)
5. Ball time! Plays with toys
6. Eats breakfast
7. Ball time again! Plays with toys
8. Short nap while Mom checks emails, drinks coffee, showers etc.
9. Big Walk time! Out for 30 to 45-minute walk with Mom (around 10.30am)
10. Ball time! Home to play with toys… and so the day goes on.
For the past two-three days, Boogie has been reluctant to go for a poo walk in the mornings; preferring to stay in bed with me. He will go and do his poo, but isn’t crazy about walking. And when we wake up, he prefers to go sleep on his cushion instead of follow me around with his toys as he used to do. He hasn’t even been interested in eating. He hasn’t gone near his food bowl these past two mornings (he hasn’t eaten yet today and it’s already 12.30pm!!!). Yesterday he had his first meal at around 2pm in the afternoon, after much prompting… I hope he will eventually eat.
So what has changed in his diet?
I am slowly switching him over from Innova EVO to Nature’s Variety (which is also grain-free). He ate normally all week so I don’t think he dislikes the new food.
I have also introduced Angel Eyes to his food… I read lots of rave reviews about this product on the WOOF board (Boston terrier forum) – it is supposed to be fantastic for tear stains, and Boogie has been having super-weepy eyes and intense tear stains that have been impossible to remove even with the horrible chemical-smelling “Diamond Eye” stuff I bought from Catts and Doggs store which he hates. I wonder if the Angel Eyes has anything to do with Boogie’s strange new extra-sleepy/not eating behavior.
Poor little Booger Meister. I don’t know what’s up. Weather change? Just one of those mornings? His poo is normal. He was happy when we went for our walk this morning. On the way home I dropped him off at For Pets Only to get groomed. (bath, nails, ears, anal gland expression…). He was filthy from yesterday’s trip to the Silverlake Dog Park. He can’t be happy about this.
In the meantime, I am still looking for a good vet and I may have found one – finally! Has anyone here been to Dr. Reina of LA Pet Clinic? (Melrose/La Brea) For Pets Only recommended him very highly, and every single review I have read online has been a glowing one. The only downside is that he is very very popular and overworked…
Another vet recommendation just received: Parkview Pet Clinic.
P.S. Home from the Groomers – BALL TIME!
This is more like it! Boogie is eating a little bit (he revisits his foodbowl from time to time, takes small mouthfuls… ). There seem to be more important things in life like… running after the tennis ball and playing with his toy collection.
This photo was taken on Saturday at Scoops Ice-Cream. I think this dog is spoilt!!!
Boogie's blog 