Saturday, October 24, 2009

Peekaboo

* Ain't he the cutest. I've got to take him into the vet this morning to get him a rabies shot. That way we can take him with us when we go down to Boston to visit friends for American Thanksgiving. Apparently the pound vaccinates for everything but rabies and the shot has to be done at least 30 days before crossing the border.

* It has been a crazy week. I did 39 teaching hours (teachers know this is ridiculous) and wrestled with the idea of flying back to California. That's because my dad's wife died this week. Sad news for the family. COPD is a terrible way to go and I'm glad she is no longer suffering. I wish I could take away daddy's suffering too but as we all know, the only remedy for that is time. Rest in peace Judy, we will miss you.

* That was the Wednesday call and then on Thursday I got a call about a friend's ex-husband who had been murdered. What a trip. Nobody ever calls me on my cell phone (and that's fine by me) so two death calls in a row make for the creepy.

* We had a little snow (again) on Thursday but now the rain is back in force. We've already had an inch overnight and it's supposed to continue until this evening.

* Georgie has been in Serge's hands this week since I've been working morning noon and night. He claims that he's been eating his own poo. This would make the vomit episodes he displays make sense. I've woken up two nights this week to the sound of heaving. Both times I managed to get him off the bed before the upchuck. I still managed to step in it though in the morning. Gah!

* Why would a creature eat his own excrement?

* This weekend is for power relaxing. I've got another intensive week to do so I've got to take care of myself. The one I just did went really well. Yesterday, one of the students said to me, "You know Richard, I really didn't want to take the English class and I thought it was going to be a long, boring week. But because of you, I feel like I had a vacation and loved coming to class every day." I'm pretty sure they learned a few things too.

* I've got little else. All I've done all week is work and sleep so there is nothing else in the news department. I hope y'all have a lovely weekend!

20 comments:

Lemuel said...

You might want to Google "dog eating poop". There are some *a-hem* fascinating reasons why they do it.

Congratulations on the compliment on your teaching, and, yes, 39 student contact hours in a week is insane for most teaching schedules.

Condolences to your dad and your friend.

Blobby said...

I could have done without a poo-eating story first thing in the morning, but I love how he poses for pictures like this.

Birdie said...

Getting a high-quality protein food cured our Sophie of eating her poop. Maybe that would help. Otherwise, you have to clean them up before the dog does.

So sorry for your family's and friend's loss. Expected or otherwise, no one's ready for it.

wcs said...

Hang in there. The little doggie's adjusting. It won't be long before you won't know how you lived without him. :)

lattégirl said...

Answers to why dogs eat their own poop are nebulous. Even my own vets (both very experienced) aren't entirely sure of the reason. They mostly surmise - and I stress that word - that it has something to do with a lack of certain proteins or something in the animal's diet. But having owned dogs and hung out with breeders, I can tell you that NOBODY knows for sure. So just pick up the poos quickly, that's all you can do!

Love the ears. Did you pose him?

Rick Bettencourt said...

Boston for Thanksgiving? What part? Unfortunately I'll be in Florida. Damn!

(Georgie-porgie so cute!!!!)

CoffeeDog said...

Never had an issue with their own poo, but cat poo, that is doggie caviar.

Sorry to hear about your dad's wife.

Fatinah said...

I love that picture of the pup!!!!

sorry for your loss - and your poor friend - yowsers!

bob said...

39!?! Yikes.

Finished up a 4-week course with an Upper Int group yesterday. They took me out for some pints after work. One of them said "I miss you already" (it had been four hours) and a couple of them introduced me to their friends as "the best teacher, ever", which made me feel great. Clearly I'm too nice to them if they like me that much.

Hmmm. Must. Become. Stricter.

Ha, like that will happen.

Mel said...

Some dogs learn to eat poo as a way to clean up their space, especially dogs who spend a long time in a cage/kennel situation. Beyond that, though, dogs are just fond of eating nasty stuff - or at least that's the best explanation I can coem up with. Tuck's never done it, thankfully, but Rosa used to eat her poopsicles in the winter.

We've had a rash lately of friends and co-workers losing their fathers. I'm not quite sure why it seems to come in waves like this. Sorry to hear of your father's wife, but you're right - COPD is a nasty disease, and it at least means an end to her suffering.

So if you're going to be just south of us, you should swing by here for a visit. It's actually not that out of the way for your trip home.

Rox said...

Tazzy used to eat his poo too until I switched to Purina Vet Formula. (He was on Nutro) I'm pleased to say he has not eaten a turd since!

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad's wife. COPD is a heartbreaking way to go. I'm thinking of you.

that's J-O-S-H said...

"power relaxing" sounds like a sport I should really take up.

Anonymous said...

One word about the photo...Schmuggle! I've heard that eating thier own poo is a carry over from their wolf ancestors to cover their trail.
My dad went to heaven in August and since I saw him every day and took him for his dialysis treatments I feel very empty now that he is gone. ed

Java said...

Georgie is precious!

Positive student feed-back is a great motivator. I hope next week's class goes well, too.

Rest well, Richard.

Victoria said...

Adorable picture! Kallie used to eat Bailey's poo, as well as the cats, but we thought we had it under control when Bailey died. My mom was watching the animals while we were in CA and caught Kallie eating her own poo. Ugh! No wonder she isn't losing weight. What a little pig!

So sorry to hear about your mother-in-law!

LSL said...

God almighty, that's a cute picture.

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your dad's wife. My mom has very bad COPD and I rarely hear that other people even know what it is. She's taken a turn for the worse in the last few weeks, and I don't write about it on my blog because she's a reader (why did I tell my family about my blog 5 years ago?) and I don't want to sound negative. But it's terrifying and incredibly stressful. I'm so sorry for your dad's pain, and I'm glad his wife can rest peacefully now.

Summer said...

I wish I knew why they eat their own poo. My dog eats rabbit turds he finds in the backyard then barfs in the house. A great capet cleaner is Capture. A miracle worker. My sister's vet has a theory that dogs that were neglected and didn't get enough to eat, eat their own. Who knows but he sure is a cutie pie.

A Lewis said...

What?? You don't eat your own excrement? Hum. Maybe you would if you could pull your own ears around in front of your eyes.

Mark in DE said...

OMG, that photo is the cutest!!!

Sorry about Judy's passing. Congrats on the student's compliment. Hope you don't get worn down by all these classes. Take care of youself!

Tatiana said...

Yeah I have no idea what brand dog food you use, but if it's supermarket stuff it really ups their chances of eating poop, as per my vet.

If finances allow, go to one of them small boutiques that carry high end brands and try a few of the higher protein ones, may stop the issue.

Super cute pup though!