Venge's Revenge: Children of the Sky

Great news, everyone. Vernor Vinge has finally written a sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, two novels that sit on my top-ten list. The news addition, Children of the Sky, apparently takes place on Tines World a decade after the end of AFUTD. I can't tell you how excited I am about this news.

My only complaint about the first two books is that the titles are so similar that I have to think about the difference between the Deep and a deepness, within this universe, in order to remember which is which. Vinge's only helping me a little on this front, when it comes to the latest novel's name. Oh well.

If you are wondering why I've used the "dogs" subject tag on this post, well, you need to read AFUTD to find out.

Incidentally, Vinge's unrelated novel, Marooned in Real Time, is also among my favorites. I'm currently "reading" Rainbows End via audiobook, and just this morning, I heard a fourth-wall-breaking throwaway reference to the Tines and the Unthinking Depths. Hilarious.

Lessons Newton Taught Us: Pants

Another valuable piece of information we would never have gained without our pup:

Whenever your human puts on pants, you must go smell them. Thoroughly.

Stampyfeet

Stampyfeet is a canine affliction that I only learned of because of my association with Newton.

stampyfeet, noun. A canine neuromuscular disorder in which, due to the return of a dog's owner to its presence, the dog's forepaws rapidly and alternately strike the ground or floor. Usually accompanied by a submissive grin, excited panting, or nearly uncontrolled running about. Also known as stampyfoot or stampyfeets.

Lessons Newton Taught Us: Trees

I suppose this one should have been obvious:

You can lead a dog to a tree, but you can't make him pee.

Girlin' it Up in the Garage

Tonight, I performed some maintenance---manly, according to conventional gender roles---on my track car---double manly---while wearing Alison's slippers---girlie. I can't decide if my transvestite auto maintenance* should count as masculine, feminine, or simply strange.

* The floor in our garage has been quite cold lately, so I needed footwear. Alison's slippers** were conveniently placed, and I only planned to be out there for a few minutes.

** These are the slippers that Newton seems think combine all that's good about socks with all that's good about leather. Mmm.

Lessons Newton Taught Us: Chase-Wrestle

Another valuable lesson we learned from our pup:

Fetch-tug is a pretty good game, but chase-wrestle is the best.

Jaaaayyyne!

The dog they call...Jayne!



Pretty cunnin' dontcha think?

The Germantown Dog Whisperer

We took Newton to our local dog park for the first time today since we moved to this area. He had an ok time...I got the impression that it wasn't as well-run as the one that used to be near us, so we probably won't go as much as we used to in Columbia.

The truly annoying part, however, was that there was this woman there who was just...a loudmouth. You know the type. Holding court by the benches, telling everyone what an awesome "dog trainer" she is. People like this really put me on edge. My first thought is always, "If you're so awesome at xxx, why do you have to tell everyone so loudly?" Anyway, she has a fist full of dog treats at the park (which was stupid...it's never a good idea to introduce food into a large group of dogs that you don't know) that she's giving out to all the dogs. She's asking each of them to sit before she gives them a treat. Some woman's dog didn't know sit, so this "dog trainer" said she would teach him. The owner jokingly says, "Well if you can teach him, I'd pay you!" *sigh*

So the "dog trainer" takes this little min pin on a leash about 4 feet from where all the other dogs are playing and proceeds to try to lure him into a sit with a treat which is a perfectly valid way to teach "sit". However, it doesn't work, of course; it was like watching someone try to teach a 3rd grader fractions in the middle of a carnival. The dog was far more interested in all the activity around him than in the "trainer" or her food. So the "dog trainer" starts forcing his back end into a sit (bad idea...you can actually hurt some dogs this way). When he pops up and spins away from her, clearly thinking, "What the heck, lady! I was just here at the park having a nice time and now you're manhandling me!", she jerks hard on his leash and yells "NO!" at him. At this point, I am so annoyed at her that I almost said something, but decided it wasn't my business, so I bit my tongue. I guess she decided this dog wasn't going to listen to her so she decides to alpha roll him (pin him to the ground with his belly up). This is a very submissive position for a dog and some dogs won't tolerate a stranger doing that to them, particularly in a situation with other dogs around. She just met him 3 minutes ago and SHE IS AT THE DOG PARK...this is a good way to get bitten, frankly. She then proceeds to arrogantly inform the small crowd of dog owners that she had to do this to a Rottweiller once. Awesome. Finally, she lets the dog up and forces his back end into a sit at which point she informs the owner/small crowd that "He got it that time!" and hands the leash back to the owner. Got what?? That maybe if he just let you do whatever (because I guarantee you the dog was STILL totally in the dark about what she actually wanted him to do) that you would leave him alone and go away? She then tells us that you just have to watch Cesar Milan's show if you want to know how to do that because that's how she learned. I almost died.

Pretty much immediately after that, the owner and her dog left. I followed them to the gate which was out of earshot of the "dog trainer" who was STILL holding court. I suggested that if she really wanted to do some stuff with her dog she should pick up the book the trainers I talk with online wrote. I told her it was game and fun-based training and that I thought it was much more about building a relationship with your dog than Cesar Milan's method which had always struck me as sort of confrontational (I could have said some other, more negative stuff about Cesar Milan, but I figured that wouldn't be productive). She thanked me and seemed genuinely interested...asked where she could pick it up. I got the impression that she had been a bit uncomfortable with the way the other woman was handling her dog, but she wasn't really sure how to stop it without being rude.

As a side note, when she was giving out treats, Newton ran up and jumped up on her a little bit. She said "sit" and he did....and she didn't do anything. So he downed. And she still didn't do anything, so he jumped up again. At which point, she admonished him for jumping. (where's that emoticon for smacking yourself in the forehead when you need it!) I think he repeated his routine about 3 more times and then gave up without ever getting a treat. Yeah, she was the next dog whipserer, for sure. *rolling eyes*

Anyway, I just had to vent. Every time I think about it I just get annoyed all over again!

I Suppose it Abbreviates to Pr

I've mentioned that our critter's full name is Newton Aloysius Grondul, but his title is "Puppers." I like to think of it as the canine equivalent of "mister" or "Ms." Note that, like the "san" suffix in Japanese, "puppers" is gender-blind.

Lessons Newton Taught Us: Tails

Here's more valuable knowledge I would never have acquired without our critter:

I wish I had a tail.

I mean, I could wag it when happy, hang it low when frightened, move it slowly back and forth when uncertain, and chase it when excited. Wouldn't that be great?

Dallas the Dog

On Friday, I helped a stray dog get adopted into a wonderful new home!

The backstory is that he was found wandering down a highway in Virginia with no tags and taken to an animal shelter. One of the people on the dog message boards that I frequent is active in rescuing dogs in VA and became involved in trying to find this dog (a young male German Shepherd Dog who they named Dallas) a new home. Well, another board member who lives in NY decided to adopt him! The only problem was that her car has been having issues and she didn't feel comfortable driving all by herself from NY to VA and back to pick him up. The woman from VA could drive him as far as the DC area, and the adopter could pick him up in NJ, but they needed someone to give Dallas a ride for the middle leg. So...I did! I drove him to a rest stop on the southern end of the NJ Turnpike where I handed him off to his new owner. Here he is getting picked up:



Isn't he just adorable? Now he has a bunch of other dog brothers and sisters and a wonderful new owner who might even get him involved in pet therapy work. Yay! I'm really glad I could help out.

Cat Proximity

I find that this old xkcd comic applies to dogs, too.

Heroes Comma Canine

For the record, Newton's hero is the RCMP's own Diefenbaker.

The Black Wolf

Here's an interesting article on the origin of gene for black coats in wolves.  It turns out the gene comes from hybridization with domesticated dogs millennia ago, and it may confer survival advantages to some wolves.

Muffy 5/15/1994 – 12/16/2008

Muffy was my family dog. We got her the summer before I went away to college from a pet store, not knowing any better. My mom had been thinking about getting a dog. Because I had allergies, she thought she wanted a Bichon, so she asked a local pet store to call her if they got any Bichons in. When they called, we went over, but the Bichon was a little boy and my mom wanted a girl pup. In the next cage over, we spotted Muffy. She looked just like the Bichon pup...a little white ball of fluff. But we were told she was a malti-poo. We played with her for half an hour in the pet store and fell in love. It was nearing closing time and they didn't take credit cards, so we gave them a deposit with the cash we had on hand and planned to come back the next day and pick her up. When we came back, she stood up in the little ex-pen she was in, wagging her back end as fast as she could and barked at us. We've always told the story that she recognized us when we came back for her...she knew we were her family. She rode home in my lap.

Muffy was a bright spot in our lives during a very hard time. My father had left our family just two years before we got her. My mom had gone back to work after he left and I was going away to college, so my sister was, for the first time, going to come home from elementary school to an empty house. Except it wasn't empty when Muffy was there. She greeted my sister with puppy kisses every day after school. It seems like such a small thing, but I will always, always be grateful that Muffy was there so Ashley didn't have to be home all alone when she was so little. In her later years, Muffy became something of a snowbird. My mom began having to travel to Florida to help her mother with some health issues, so Muffy went with her.

About a year and a half ago, Muffy was diagnosed with multiple health issues: a collapsing trachea, enlarged heart and liver, impaired kidney function and bladder stones. Lately she has been getting worse...unable to make it outside to pee, having weakness in her back legs. My mom called me today to let me know that she had taken Muffy to the vet yesterday and had her put to sleep. She had a tumor on her leg and wouldn't put weight on it and she wasn't getting up to go outside anymore. The vet thinks she had a stroke. I'm so sad for my sister who is going home soon for Christmas...she bought Muffy presents and was looking forward to seeing her again, especially because she knew it was probably for the last time.

Rest in peace, Muffy. We all loved you very much. You were my first dog, and the smartest dog I've ever known. May doggie heaven be full of soft pillows, warm laps, and bowls full of popcorn that you don't have to share.

The Crate

It's important to train your dog to think of his crate as a safe, comfortable, pleasant place to be.  That way, you can confine him to it when necessary without him feeling imprisoned.  Fortunately, crate training is made easier because dogs have a denning instint.  It's that instint that leads Newton to loiter under our coffee table or Alison's desks.  Unfortunately, as new dog owners, we did a poor job of making Newton's crate his happy place.  We recently met with some success on this front when we noticed how much Newton loves to curl up on one of our blankets.  This blanket is stuffed with goose down, which may be a strong factor in Newton's affinity for it.  After we folded the blanket and placed it in his crate, Newton suddently began going into the crate on his own, even lounging in there for for long periods.

In the above photo, you can see Newton relaxing in the crate.  The down blanket is the blue one.  The green one is actually a baby blanket we bought soon after we first brought our little puppy home.

Lessons Newton Taught Us: Furniture Exceptions

One of our rules proscribing Newton's behavior:

The dog is allowed on all furniture except the DDR mats.

Lessons Newton Taught Us: Goodness

Here's a very simple, but valuable, lesson I learned from our pup:

Dogs are good.

Too Young to Smoke

Newton, being a dog, enjoys sniffing at the ground and objects thereupon during our walks.  When he sniffs at cigarette butts or cigarette packs, I enjoy telling him he's too young to smoke, because that's the most ridiculous and least relevant reason I can think of.

Muffy Needs a Travel Agent

Well, folks, it looks like Muffy still has some life left in her. We have ourselves a new Muffy story...enjoy!

My mom just got back home from visiting me and helping my sister get settled in her new place here in MD. While she was here, Muffy was boarded at the kennel, which she hates. Well, it turns out that my mom had to leave town again rather suddenly. Muffy tends to get upset when suitcases emerge because that usually means that she is going to the kennel and/or somebody she likes is leaving, usually me or Ashley. So we generally try to hide our suitcases until the last minute to keep Muffy from getting too stressed out. Well, this morning my mom could wait no longer and the suitcase made its appearance before she went to get her bath. While she was in the tub, she heard a very strange sound...THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Thinking someone was breaking in, she got dressed and went downstairs only to find Muffy jumping up at the closet door. Keep in mind that Muffy is 14 years old and does not do much jumping of any sort anymore. Yet there she was, jumping repeatedly at the closet door. Naturally, my mom opened it for her whereupon Muffy immediately jumped on top of her Sherpa bag that she rides in when she goes on trips with my mom. So, my mom took the bag out of the closet and went back upstairs to finish her bath. Once again she heard THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. This time she finished bathing, but when she came downstairs, Muffy had dragged the Sherpa bag to the front door and was sitting on it again. My mom opened it for her and she sat in it until my mom's ride to the airport arrived. Thank goodness my mom was already planning to take Muffy with her this time!

So, I think that's pretty clear...."Fine! If you are leaving again, lady, I am coming, too! There will be none of this kennel business this time!" I've said it before and I'll say it again...Muffy is one scary smart dog.