Good Dog Nicknames?

We recently began calling Finnegan "Bear". It is fitting as he is kinda like a giant stuffed bear. He is great to have lying around, it means there is always a pillow or foot rest or large furry object to pet. Having the puppy is like having a shadow. Whenever one of us walks up or downstairs Finn is there to make sure we have some company. Best of all, he curls up on the couch or bed the way a proper dog should.
Bear fits him. The teddy bear look coupled with his ferocious teeth and huge paws make referring to him as a large forest beast are a no-brainer. He sure acts like a wild dog sometimes, which is good so long as he does it in the right places. Here is the hole he dug in the side yard (a place he is encouraged to dig).This massive crevasse was the result of twenty minutes of puppy energy. Bear was walking around afterward with mud up to his underbelly and all over his nose. Of course his tail was going wild too, all proud of himself he was. As he should be though, dogs should dig. There are a whole list of things dogs should do and digging is an accepted part of this list. Also on the list, going nuts for bubbles. Espically the dog bubbles kind that are beef flavored. Okay so this may be one thing a bear would not do, but then again I've never seen a bear interact with bubbles. For now climbing couches, and eating food shaped like fish (Beneful) will be the reasons for Finn's nickname. I just hope he doesn't mind being called Bear.

A good reason not to chew on plants...

Julia passed along this website this morning. It has a list of posinous plants that can cause harm to the pup. Not all of them are life and death, it just states that they may cause a toxic reaction in a pet. "Poisonous plants produce a variety of toxic substances and cause reactions ranging from mild nausea to death." So it turns out we have two of these in the backyard the first is the Sago palm. It sits in a pot in the backyard and is described here as causing "Diarrhea, Liver damage, Vomiting, Increase in water intake, Nervous system depressants, drowsiness, coma, muscle paralysis"This is a picture of the sago palm.

We also have a plant called an Elephant Ear, soemtimes called Angel's Wings. As far as that goes here it says:

Elephant Ear: These plants with leaves up to 4 feet (1+ meter) are related to taro and grow in wet, muddy conditions near streams and rivers. Like the taro plant, they contain invisible calcium oxalate crystals, tiny sharp needles inside the plant cells that irritate the skin. What I did not know is that these plants have a cell mechanism to project the crystals whenever a leaf or stalk is broken. Crushing or chewing the leaves or stems will cause a burning rash where the crystals embed in the skin or mouth. Differernt species had varying amounts of calcium oxalate. Taro leaves must be thoroughly cooked, and elephant ears were only cooked in times of famine.

Above is a picture, I don't think this is the same as the one in the yard but it may be of the same species so he should stay away. That's about enough to worry about for now though. We'll work on moving them so there is never a question or worry about him getting into them. This site also seems to have some good advice on keeping things safe for a pet and generally cutting down on pests in a garden. With all the potted plants around here this is definitely something to stay on top of.

Finn 1, Flower pot 0

Well the anti-dig spray officially does not work for Finn. Some nice daisies that were potted only a few days ago were ripped from their peaceful home next to the front door and scattered about the lawn. As I was away at the time I didn't scold him for pulling on the potted plant but I did make it clear to him that the stuff he was eating when I caught him (the orange pedals or the Gerber daisy) was NOT to be considered either his food or a toy. Of course staying mad at the little munchkin is difficult, what with those big puppy dog eyes and all.

The rest of the day he was great though. He set a new long walk record. Coupled with the fact that he didn't stop to sit anywhere, and having just signed him and us up for a weekly group training class, it seems things are looking good for him as a running partner and more.

Above is him chilling between the couches, enjoying a afternoon siesta on the cool concrete.

Pictures of play

So the pooch has officially gone back to his roots and decided to dig a hole. It was just a modest little ditch barely large enough to bury a small bone but alas he didn't put one in there. Had he, and had he then covered it up and re-sodded the area this would not have been a problem. To fight off these urges of his we sprayed down the area with some anti-dig stuff and trying to keep him well supplied with new toys. The toys are great as they keep him from digging, and they make him look so cute.