I think I'll have a "Cesar"...

This statement probably conjures up the image of an icy, spicy Clamato cocktail, right?  Mmmmm.... 

Sadly the "Ceasar" I need most is spelled with no "a".  

In case you don't know him, his name is Cesar Milan.  AKA, "The Dog Whisperer".  

Click here for his website.

We first learned about Cesar Milan several years ago as we did some research for appropriate techniques to use with our growing puppy, Cyrus.  Watching his television series, The Dog Whisperer, on National Geographic is like watching a magician at work!   This guy blows me away!   Visit his site to watch some amazing video clips!   Cesar Milan teaches that 'speaking' to dogs' natural instincts and behaviours as pack animals, is the key to having happy, healthy, balanced family pets!  

We jumped in with both feet!  Cesar's mantra is:  "Exercise, Discipline, then affection".  

Our dogs are lucky dudes.  They have been walked twice a day, every day (and I mean, EVERY DAY, 365 DAYS PER YEAR - Christmas Day, after parties, before work, etc.) ever since they've lived in our house.   I have to give Mark all the credit though - he's the one who makes sure they get every walk, every day.  I go most nights, but on the morning walks, nowadays, he's usually on his own with the crazy mutts. (I always get a clear reminder of how dedicated he is when he goes out of town on business trips and it's ME & the crazy pups twice a day, every day).     Moral of the story.... my boyfriend is a bloody ROCKstar!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway....  

Long story, shortened:  Cesar says naughty dogs can be rehabilitated by ensuring they go on purposeful, leashed walks.  Walks where you, the pet-parent, establish yourself as the pack leader.   This applies whether your dogs are big and burly, like ours, or tiny pocket dogs!  

So tell me why...  PLEASE CESAR...  tell me why these dogs are, right now, BARKING up a storm?   BARK, BARK, BARK.    I want to sit them down, school-teacher style, throw on my specs and a pencil-skirt, grab my pointer & say, 

"Dogs, you get your walks in the dark, rain, wind, snow, etc... your food costs more than our food (more on that in another post), you get love & snuggles (after exercise and discipline) and you're BARKING, WHY?"


Barkerville, BC...   you've got nothing on us!!!     Sigh....

Bark, Bark,

Christine (the Loyal Subject).

Hello!

Leo and Cyrus, November 2011, Lynn Valley in the rain.

Hello & welcome!  (Bark, Bark...  )

Over the past few years of puppy-parenthood, I've often said (either in exasperation or in a fit of giggles), "I should write this down".     You know....those crazy, adorable, annoying, neurotic things our dogs do on a fairly regular basis?... ya those things!

Let me introduce our fur-babies. 

CYRUS, (His Royal Highness, Sir Puppy Monster)

Cyrus was our first pet together.   I grew up with pets - an ever-changing menagerie of dogs, cats, birds, rodents, etc.   Mark didn't have pets growing up and don't think he ever saw himself as a dog-person (oh, come on... we all know there are "dog-people" - sounds like a future post title).    

Years ago, we knew this great dog.  His name was Aries & he was a majestic, smart and beautiful Timberwolf/Malamute cross.   His temperament was that of a leader.  He had a 'grand-ness' about him.  He was stoic, but in a good way.  Well behaved, under control and handsome to boot! 

Aries became daddy-dog to a largish litter of squirmy pups.   One of Mark's darling daughters, whom had longed for a dog of her own became 'mommy' to the biggest (and I'm now thinking, most-rambunctious) of the litter, and so began "Life with Cyrus".

On a warm summer day, six and a half years ago, we met this happy-go-lucky, smiling, black puppy with big feet, devilish eyes and a zest for life!  I believe Mark dubbed him "puppy monster" at that very moment.    He didn't live with us, rather he lived in Mark's daughters' other home.  

Like his daddy-dog, he was smart.. I taught him (oops... WE taught him) to sit on command almost within a half-hour of meeting him!   OH! "The things I can teach this brilliant dog"... (ya... that's what I was saying to myself! glee!!!)

As life with puppies often goes, he had his naughty moments.  Chewing (eating - gasp) things he shouldn't, escaping, digging & barking.   Mark and I started picking him up and taking him swimming in the ocean, to the dog-park to play & for hikes through the beautiful parks and trails in Lynn Valley & elsewhere.   Then, as he started to get bigger & a little more boisterous, we picked him up once a week to go to puppy behaviour classes. 

As I'm sure many puppy stories go, Cyrus became a little too much to handle, and perhaps needed more time than his very busy pre-teen daughter had to devote to him.   So, at approximately 10 months of age, this loveable creature, whom we'd grown to love to pieces, moved into our home a few blocks away.

Most days I'll tell you it was one of the best decisions we've ever made.   Truth be told, I can't imagine life without him.
LEO,  (Prince of the Manor, Sir Puppy Monkey)

Leo came to us as a nearly-three-year-old, under-socialized, full-of-beans, nut!   We had met Leo a time or two and when we learned that his owner wanted to find a new home for him, we made the long drive to Golden, BC (at the edge of the Rockies), in December 2010 to pick him up. 

Leo is a  Red Bone Coon Hound mix and, though it's been quite a transition (for us!) from one big dog, to two, he has become the comedian of the family quite quickly.

He, typical of his breed, follows us around the house like he's tied to our ankles with a string.   He's cuddly beyond belief and has settled into the role of "little brother" quite nicely!  More on the antics and craziness that is Leo, the "puppy monkey",  in another post.   Suffice to say... he's sends me into gales of laughter on a regular basis.  :)

I should mention that we do have another fur-baby... of the feline species in our home.  Her name is Blackberry and she came to us several years back, with a similar story to how we got Cyrus.     We also just lost my long-term kitty, Madison,  this past June.  She was a beauty and was 17 years old.  We're still adjusting to life without her.    I will post more on the antics of our cat(s), and pictures of their beautiful selves, in another post. 


So, this is it...  a place for me to try my hand at writing down the puppy stories that fill our days and keep things in a constant state of motion and craziness.  

Stay tuned....

Bark, Bark,

Christine (the Loyal Subject).