Oh My Dog!

For as long as we’ve had Emmett and Lucas, one of us has worked from home. It’s been both lucky and fortunate, especially considering all the behavior problems we faced with each of them post-adoption.

Last week, though, I accepted a two-month, full-time, on-site copywriting gig. On-site. Not in my house. So not only did I have to ditch my yoga pants and fuzzy slippers, but I had to deal with leaving the boys home for nine hours a day for the first time in their little lives. To top it off, John is out of town for two weeks, so I was sort of stuck with some evening meetings I already had scheduled.

So bring on the best pet sitters I could’ve imagined!

Thanks to all of you and your helpful hints, I was armed with questions for our first meeting. Turns out, these ladies are fantastic, and I am so happy and relieved I found them through my awesome neighbors. As someone who is obsessed with making sure my pups are happy and healthy, these ladies totally deliver. They leave little notes every day that are just adorable, follow all the rules we have for the boys, and give them lots of exercise and affection.

They took the time to go through a number of questions and our household routines. Although, I feel like I forgot to mention a million things: our backdoor sticks, sometimes Lucas doesn’t do on-leash greetings so well, Emmett is a counter-surfer and doesn’t chew his treats, and on and on. Guess I should leave some notes!

Anyway! Monday was the first day they came, and they so thoughtfully emailed me pictures of their visit – including a play session with Cady, the pup next door! (Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.)

So, again, thank you all for your encouragement and suggestions! This turned out to be far less stressful than I thought.

But I’m wondering: What do you do with your pups if you work outside the home? How did you get him/her accustomed to being home alone? Do you use a pet sitting service?

After "work" Emmett enjoys a puppy latte!

Every other Friday, Emmett and I participate in the pet therapy program at a mental health facility near our town. We primarily work with the children who live at the facility and fall between the ages of 6 and 13 or so. Occasionally we’ll spend time with the younger or older groups, but there’s a core bunch we see every time.

And, man, do these kids love Emmett.

Every other Friday, when we walk through the door of their gymnasium, the kids rush Emmett. “I missed you, Emmett!” they cry. “Did you miss me?”

The thing about Emmett is that he can not get enough attention. He is basically a bottomless pit of need, which means that these kids who want to just pour all their affection all over him are the perfect kids for Emmett to work with. While 15 to 20 kids throw their arms around his neck, plant big fat kisses on the top of his head, beg for high fives, rub his belly, and sprint circles around him, darling Emmett just basks in it all. I swear he thinks that I ferry him from place to place to allow his loyal subjects to devote themselves to him.

While we face the occasional challenge, with this particular group of kids, the biggest struggle is doling out our energy equally. Some of the kids push themselves against us, making us notice them, and begging to be the first one to give Emmett a treat or whatever. Others sit quietly, patiently waiting their turn. While others sort of hide, desperately wanting a turn with Emmett, but not sure how to proceed.

So after I discovered that Emmett is a hoop-jumping fiend, I decided to incorporate some agility into our visits. The first week, I took along a hula hoop and short tunnel. I explained to the kids the idea of agility and asked if they’d be willing to help me train Emmett to tunnel. They enthusiastically agreed and immediately began discussing the best way to teach him. “Just tell him to run through it.” “He won’t know what that means. We need to crawl through with him.” “That’s dumb. Stand at the end and call him.” In the end, we decided to toss a treat through the tunnel while the kids stood around and yelled, “tunnel!”

Luckily, Emmett already knew the tunnel command.

Last Friday, I took two hula hoops. I figured the kids could work together to set up a mini obstacle course, deciding where to position the jumps, how to hold them up, who should lure him, etc. I thought this would build on the teamwork exercises from the previous session. We could work together to figure out how best to get Emmett to follow the course and jump through the hoops.

But those kids had a whole other idea!

They wanted to run around.

Run with Emmett, race Emmett, fling the hula hoops around, chase each other in circles. So that’s what we did because, really, the whole goal of our pet therapy program is to make these kids happy. They wanted to run, so Emmett ran, wagging his tail the entire time.

Four years ago this week, Emmett burst into our lives. It was a match made in heaven – from the moment we saw him at the rescue, we knew he was ours – and we were his! In the car on the way home that day, Emmett rested his head on the armrest between our seats and fell right to sleep, like he was happy and comfortable and just knew he was going home!

At the shelter he jumped right on my lap!

His fave toy and pillow when he first came home!

His first ever Frosty Paw!

Emmett's first Christmas!

His first trip to IN, he commandeered his cousin/chihuahua's bed!

That first year was filled with so many funny, memorable, touching experiences. We made a lot of mistakes as first-time doggy parents, but Emmett was so happy and eager from day 1. He made friends with everyone in our building and instantly endeared himself to our friends and family. When we adopted Lucas – fearful, timid, aggressive Lucas – Emmett took him under his wing (paw?) and helped us help Lucas. Emmett is a world-class snuggler. He’s silly, playful, and loves people more than anything. Except food. Which he really does love more than anything.

It’s hard to believe four years have already gone by. It feels like he’s been a part of our lives forever, and he really has changed our lives forever. We are so lucky and so incredibly grateful that Emmett came into our lives four years ago.

We love you, Emmett!

Handsome Emmett

Emmett and Lucas are obsessed with insects of all kinds. They chase down moths and lightening bugs. They watch caterpillars crawl across the patio and sniff the little ladybugs that crawl through our garden. They gobble up spiders – which totally freaks me out because I am irrationally terrified of spiders. But their favorite activity is fly hunting.

The flies have been really bad the past couple weeks. I don’t spray anything to get rid of them, but Lucas has taken it upon himself to rid our home of those pesky flies. Periodically, I hear him launch up, scramble around, sometimes crash into a window or wall, and snap flies out of the air. He doesn’t eat them, though. Once dead, he spits their carcasses out on the floor for me to step on/sweep up.

Do your dogs do things like this??

Anyway, last night, Lucas slammed into the window while in pursuit of a fly. Somehow he knocked the fly down the air vent. Their reaction was so funny – and so prolonged – that I was able to grab my phone and film their reactions to the poor fly who was buzzing his last buzzes in our vent.

(So I don’t know why these aren’t showing a screen shot, but if you click play, they do play.)

Fly-Hunter Lucas Loses His Prey from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

There’s something down there…. from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

The camera was shaking because I was totally cracking up. Silly dogs.

This past weekend, Emmett and Lucas were invited to a puppy birthday party! Cady, our neighbor’s darling dog, turned one, and she had the greatest shindig to celebrate. There were pupcakes and homemade doggy ice cream, streamers, and even a backyard agility course. The boys had an absolute blast – and were barely able to move all day on Sunday, they were so tired after their big party! Here are a few pics from the celebration:

The birthday girl and Lucas

Emmett loves ice cream!

The boys made a new friend! Adorable Lenny!

Can Lucas get any cuter?!

They had so much fun, and the party was such a fantastic idea! Have your dogs ever attended a dog party before? Now that I know how much fun they are, I can’t wait to start planning Emmett’s one-year-cancer-free fiesta!

And now, drumroll please….

To determine the winner of last week’s giveaway of a $30 gift certificate to Holistic Select, I used random.org and entered the nine comments:

And it selected comment #2

So that means the winner is… Skye! Congratulations, Skye! Send an email to info(at)maggiemarton(dot)com to claim your prize!

Last night, Emmett and Lucas were bored! I’ve had to work late almost every night this week, and it’s been so hot that we haven’t gotten much walking in either. So at around 8:30 PM, I decided to take them outside and work on a new trick. Once I discovered that Emmett was a hoop-jumping fiend, I embellished it a little, and here’s what I came up with:

( Ed. note: This was totally spontaneous, so please ignore the overgrown/half-dead grass situation and my ridiculously pale legs.)

Take 1.

Take 1: Emmett jumps Lucas from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

Take 2.

Take 2: Oops from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

Take 3.

Take 3: Now he’s got it! from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

As you can see, Emmett catches on quickly, then proceeds to get a little carried away! I think we may have to refine the jumping a little bit… specifically, getting him to wait for his cue! I was really impressed with Lucas, too, for staying so still while his brother leapt over him.

This was a lot of fun, though, and I plan on working with them on more elaborate tricks!

What’s the most fun trick you’ve taught your dog? Any fun games you can try this weekend?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

What is it about summer? As winter draws to an icy close and spring streaks by in a haze of cold rain, I dream about summer: Reading on the patio with an ice-cold glass of lemonade, while the boys wrestle in the freshly-mowed grass. Long dog walks through town, through the park, and weekend afternoon hikes. Sitting outside the farmer’s market, sipping iced tea, while the boys play with the other dogs. Ah, bliss.

Then summer finally arrives, and… how did it get so HOT?! We can’t take long walks through town because it’s so humid, Lucas overheats in about 5 minutes. Afternoon hikes? Forget it! We’ll all have sunstroke before we reach the trail head. And the farmer’s market? That blacktop is unforgiving on the pads of their feet. Not to mention the sudden, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that have been sneaking up on us, knocking out the power, and flooding our backyard.

So, turns out summer isn’t as blissful as I always imagine during the depths of winter. Stuck inside with heat advisories and flash-flood warnings, how do you keep your dog busy, entertained, and exercised? Here are 10 ways I’ve been trying to beat the heat with Emmett and Lucas:

1. Hide-and-seek: I send the boys to their beds and tell them to “wait.” Then I run and hide somewhere in the house. I yell out, “Find me!” and they sprint around the house, each trying to be the first one to get to me.
2. Interactive toys: Kong, Busy Buddy, Buster Cube… they’re all getting a work-out this summer!
3. Short early-morning or late-evening walks. Where we are, it’s actually light out until about 9:15 pm. Even though it’s still hot and humid then, it’s not as hot and humid, so short, 15-minute walks take it out of them.
4. Ice cream!
5. Snuggle with your pups to watch a dog-friendly movie. I recently had the opportunity to watch a preview copy of “You Lucky Dog,” a Hallmark Channel original movie staring Natasha Henstridge. It’s the story of a woman who moves back to her small town after her mother’s funeral. She tries to help her brother run the family farm by adopting a Border Collie named Lucky to work the sheep. In typical Hallmark-movie fashion, the story is a heartwarming tale that is definitely family-friendly. It premiers this Saturday, June 26 at 8 p.m on the Hallmark Channel.
6. Teach a new trick or behavior. We’ve been working on taking turns. I put Emmett on his bed and say, “Lucas’ turn!” Then I work on simple sits, downs, stands, etc. with Lucas for a minute. Then I send Lucas to his bed and say, “Emmett’s turn!” and do a few repetitions. They’re normally so pushy and jealous with each other that I’m hoping this can help overcome that!
7. Get creative, and make a postcard to End BSL! (Hehe! Had to sneak that one in!)
8. Give your dog a massage.
9. Unless your dogs are terrified of the sprinklers like mine are, setting up sprinklers or a kiddie pool can be a fun way for you and your dog to cool off!
10. Soak plush toys or ropes in water and pop them in the freezer for a couple hours. Once they’re frozen, they take on new life as a cold, refreshing toy!

Any other ideas? What do you do with your dogs when it gets too hot or too stormy to be outside?

Lucas always tries to understand what I'm saying!

I chatter to Emmett and Lucas all day long. A lot of what I say to them has created an odd set of routines. For instance, they tend to follow me around the house. So when I’m in the office and I say “I’m going to refill my coffee,” they know I’ll be coming right back, so they don’t follow me.

Other things have really specific meaning to them – Want to go for a walk? Are you hungry? Let’s go see Cady! (meaning, play with the darling dog next door). They have really specific reactions to each of those things. At “walk,” Lucas runs and sits at the front door. At “hungry,” Emmett runs and sits in front of his bowl. And at “Cady,” they both run to the backdoor and start dancing with excitement.

But recently I realized that they respond more consistently to nonverbal cues. Like hand signals with training, dogs seem to respond to visual directions… even ones you don’t try to teach them!

For example, when I pull my navy blue running shoes out of the closet, Lucas dashes to the front door just as reliably as when I say “walk.” He has learned that these sneakers – not my black ones, not the yard work ones, THESE ones – mean we’re going for a walk.

Likewise, they’ve learned that when I pick up the single key to our mailbox, they know that they’re not getting a car ride, they’re not going for a walk, I’m not leaving… I’m getting the mail. So as soon as I pick up that one single key on its Colts football key chain, they dash to the front window to watch me walk to and from the mailbox.

Those are just two small examples of our nonverbal conversation. It goes on throughout the day with all the different cues that they’ve learned – this happens, then I get to do this! I know a lot of it is routine, but it takes some pretty deep intelligence to really get the cause and effect associated with certain actions.

What nonverbal cues does your dog respond to? Do you find that your dog does better with verbal or nonverbal communication?

After "work," Emmett earns a puppy latte!

Emmett passed his therapy dog test last May, so we just passed our one-year anniversary of working as a pet partner team! Since then, Emmett and I have visited a range of facilities and participated in a number of events, from the county fair to elementary schools to a mental health hospital to the public library. Through it all, I have been amazed at Emmett’s ability to connect with people, to hone in on exactly who needs him the most, and to remain calm and patient while kids grab him, hug him, kiss him, pet him, and demand endless high-fives.

Before this school year ended, we spent a morning in a literacy lab at a nearby elementary school, working with groups of first graders and their literacy teachers. The kids took turns reading to Emmett while he gazed adoringly at them, solicited belly rubs, and laid his head in each reader’s lap.

Toward the end of the session, one little boy scooted into the room, head down, face flushed. The literacy teacher asked him if he was alright. He whispered in her ear. “Oh,” she said to me. “Connor is afraid of dogs.” The small group of readers formed a circle with Connor sitting just outside while I moved Emmett all the way to me. He laid in front of my crossed legs, facing away from the terrified boy.

When it was his turn to read, Connor’s voice shook. He kept one eye on the page of his book and one eye on Emmett. The teacher commended him for his bravery, for staring near the circle, near his fear. Once all the kids read, they gathered around Emmett scratching and rubbing him. Connor crept closer, partially hiding behind his teacher.

“Do you want to pet him?” she asked. He shook his head no.

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, “I’ll keep his head facing away from you, and if you want, you can touch his tail or his bottom.”

Connor giggled at the word “bottom.” The other kids, understanding what was going on, kept Emmett distracted and facing forward. Connor crept forward, reached out his hand, and touched Emmett’s tail. Emmett, of course, started wagging immediately, which made Connor feel braver. “Does he like me?” he asked.

“He sure does,” I said, and watched as Connor patted Emmett’s bottom. Then he had enough. “I’m done,” he said as he moved behind the teacher. The teacher praised Connor for his bravery, and Connor smiled.

A couple weeks later, we received thank you notes from all the kids. They were pretty cute, some a little hard to read, but here are a few of the highlights (click on each one to enlarge):

I would encourage anyone who has a dog who loves people to look into a therapy dog program. It’s so much fun and so rewarding to see Emmett work with these kids to help them gain confidence or even just to make them smile!

Therapy dogs or dogs who go visiting: Any fun memories or stories to share?

Emmett and Lucas, my inspiration

Over Memorial Day weekend last year, I mentioned to John that I wanted to start a dog blog. Being the wonderful hubby that he is, he was all over the encouragement, and so… Oh My Dog! blog was born. While the first post went up in Blogger, I quickly moved it over to WordPress, somehow losing the original Memorial Day post. So instead, THIS is the first post in the archives, which I love because we, coincidentally, had Otto here again yesterday!

While the content on the blog has varied widely, I do hope that the mission and the spirit has remained consistent – I want every word I write on here to be dedicated to the wonderful dogs who keep our lives interesting! And, on that note, I hope you and yours have a wonderful Memorial Day honoring those who have gone before us.