Weird biting -the Linus diary

The weird biting behavior is back and it's a happy weird biting but that does not make it a positive behavior.  I'm going to go sit outside with him in a little bit and see if I can videotape it.  Saying ouch makes him quickly recoil but then again any loud nose or fast motion makes him scoot away.

It's when he's happy and trying to initiate some type of contact and it maybe a play behavior but I'm not sure.  I'll sit down on the steps and he'll come over wagging, moving forward and backward, back and forth, touching my leg, not touching, touching, then nuzzling (kind of strange) then when he gets bold enough he will open his mouth and start nipping at me and biting at my legs.  It had stopped for a while because I got to the point before  of just getting up and going away, not inviting that kind of interaction.  But then he needs to learn to interact with people.  So how do I encourage interaction but not this kind of interaction. He's making contact but in a really inappropriate way.

Off to sit outside with weirdo.  On another note, he managed to get out of his second harness this morning after breakfast and when I came outside after getting dressed, he was curled up asleep in the bush by the porch - not tethered to anything.  He is clearly not going to ever leave someone's backyard if he can find himself in one as I have no fence and he makes no move to leave a 15 foot area in front of my porch (but not actually on the porch or near the door) - makes looking for dog poop a necessity before walking to my car or anywhere within 15 feet of my porch.

#$@%^$#@

!@#$%^&*%$#

I truly think that Linus is trying to kill me some days.  He has such a frantic dash when he feels "freed" from the trees, he will whip against my legs with the cable and turn to whip in the opposite direction when he hits the end.  One of the reasons I had him on a harness so he wouldn't injure his neck. with that thing.  I try not to touch him at all and get him to do it himself (just following me with my averted eyes)  but some days it's just impossible as he won't cooperate - dashing in the wrong direction to practically clothesline himself.

I am just really frustrated when he hurts me.  It's not his fault, he is just such a freaking pain in the ass and is making no discernible progress. I just don't think he will ever be a pet dog and it is very sad to look at him day after day and know that he is on the fringe of society like a feral or wild dog. I think at best he will be a yard companion for another dog - but who the would pick a pit bull to be a companion for another pet?  I wouldn't want him to go as a companion for another pit bull just because of the risk he would get hurt.

My legs really freaking hurt from the cable burns and bruises.  I'm getting too old for this.

The Quincy diary -

My mother would like to rename Linus "Quincy". I still think of him as Rosebud and I don't think he will ever bloom. he had a great night Friday playing in my parents yard with Ringo. He just loves to be free in the yard. Free to back away and avoid people if he wants and to take treats if he feels like it. They (the parents) managed to get in a pet once or twice but that's all he would allow. Met another friend on Sunday - a male person, shorter in stature but very upright posture and he would not make friends. Came forward to get a treat but did not allow petting.  

I keep him on a cable to do his business and sometimes I think he's trying to kill me. He will wrap himself around a tree and when I try to extricate him, he acts like a freaky ass and bolts to wrap around my legs the minute he gets a free foot or so. The other night I had to literally pin him to the ground and unwind my legs so I didn't bust my ass. My legs have plenty of cable burns. He really needs a fenced yard and grass so he can come to terms with his own problems on his own timeline without being forced. He is not getting better. He does like to rush up behind me and put his nose the back of my legs. His way of making contact that is safer than approaching from the front.  

He whines, he barks. He's unhappy in the crate but happier there than loose in the house. Happiest outside but starting to want company but not company enough for petting. Just company to look at. Again, if he had his own choosing, he would be tearing up a backyard with another dog - humans be damned. At least he is now crate trained and does not use the bathroom in it.  

He does not have bite inhibition. Friday night I grabbed his paw when he was licking it (the last time he was displaying licking and chewing his pads, he had a thorn). He pulled away and when I wouldn't give he nipped my hand. But then I put my other hand around on his collar. Repeated the paw pick up on Sunday and he very slowly and firmly bit down on my hand to let me know to let go.  

Just don't know where to go from here with him. I am not sure he will ever be ready to be a dog.

The Diary of Linus the Rosebud

He LOVED Sunday at Sue and Craig's house.   Met Sue wagging when he was on leash. But once in the backyard, he retreated to the grass to a good time and only came two feet on the patio.  He'd lean in and lick a bare toe but not come any further and resist any attempt to lean forward to bring him closer.  The pic to the side is zoomed and cropped. He really had a great time. Tried to make friends with everyone.  Instead of the I'm taller than you are game, he actually shows submissive posturing, lowering himself, not making direct eye contact, turning his head, allowing sniffing, etc. He's desperate to make friends with other dogs and when he does, he's the happiest little thing in the world.  He's got a goofy run and bounces around like a happy rabbit dog.

Yesterday he actually managed to get himself out of his body harness while I was inside on the phone with Kathi and when I came out he was still in front of the steps - leash less.  His harness smashed into the mud where he found it amusing to dig at it and play with it.  So, no fence and no leash and he still stuck right there. Too afraid to wander off and get into trouble, in this case was a good thing. I can't imagine another dog sticking around that long - the phone call was 20 min.

Then I brought him in and he went right to the crate and I being scatter brained like I am didn't shut the crate or put up the baby gate. He just stayed in there all night until I went to walk them again at 10:30, then he came out.

It's been a while (the rosebud diary et al)

It's been a while since I posted on the progress of Rosebud and we are actually going over to a friend's house to let him play with her female pit bull Kayla.  Hopefully that will go well.   He is so submissive and appropriate with other dogs, I don't think there will be any problems.

Basically there has been no progression with the bud with the exception of knowing now that he can not live without the presence of other dogs. When other dogs are around, he seems more normal, more social, more willing to interact.  Without another dog, he goes back to being freaky little rosebud.  

We tried to take another walk and he approaches that like he does the tie out, spurt a little forward, eyes ahead and on me, when he gets to the end he might panic a little and do a quick "bolt/freeze" then we move ahead. Starting and stopping the whole time.  I am of course walking him without the presence of another dog.  That most certainly would help but Annabelle doesn't want to have anything to do with him and Ringo just wants to hump everything that moves.  Even though he (Ringo) lost his balls last week - it hasn't helped so far and the constant "no", "uhuh" and grabbing him around Linus just doesn't help.  Too many negative verbal cues and fast movements for his (Linus/the bud) comfort.

He clearly needs more exercise than he is getting now that his weight has improved and his body is healthy but it becomes more difficult since he can't walk on a leash yet and I have no playmates or fenced yard. He can't play with me because he is a little inappropriate and he needs to know that teeth aren't for people. So now he just tears up things he can reach - tore up some potted plants, dumped and shredded the recycling.  I can't get him interested in hooves or bones, he doesn't know how to handle them yet.  The only thing he seems to enjoy chewing on are those rope toy balls and I have filled his crate with them.  He's now on avoderm senior and that seems to be working well for him.

I did give him a filled rawhide the other day and he chewed it until it was soft all over then swallowed the whole thing - hoping that won't cause problems later.

Annabelle's going senile (more on that later), the Cosmo allergies, Zelda diarrhea again - @#*#!@$&@#$ and I'm in love with Ringo.  

Two new dogs

I should be shot. Went to the shelter to check out a dog that someone offered to foster.  She didn't pass her evaluation - just too many issues. I hope someone helps her.  But we ended up bringing home two more dogs -another puppy with a broken leg!!! and a young adult male pit bull.

No place really for either one of them but those little gems couldn't stay behind.

Dinner inside (the rosebud diary)

It's official, he's decided he will eat breakfast outside in the peaceful morning but he will not eat dinner outside. He spills his meal and just generally farts around.  When I clean it up and bring him in, he happily eats in his crate.  Tonight he's eating with the door open and actually, he can leave the crate if he wants. I've got the baby gates up in the kitchen. He's been standing in there for ....oh, about 50 minutes now.  He came out once when I was setting up the gate on one side of the elliptical and once he saw the baby gate on the other side of the kitchen, he scrambled back through the narrow hallway to his crate and hasn't come back out.  Weirdo.  Took a flying leap down the steps and cracked open his chin again when his front legs didn't' catch him and I didn't have a good hold on his leash.

Has started making alien noises when I come home. At least the crate was dry today : )

Zelda has diarrhea again, now that we've gotten past majority science diet in the food bin and has a higher ratio of blue buffalo sensitive skin....the diarrhea is back. Guess I'm off to buy more science diet to mix in.  damn it, you would think a month+ of gradual change would stave off the diarrhea.  Nope.  Just when Cosmo's allergies seem to be improving.  *!@#&#!@

Dinnertime with the diary

Linus didn't eat his dinner tonight. I put it out as usual to his spastic self and returned in to feed Annabelle.  Came out a few minutes later to it almost entirely spilled on the ground and a half gallon of water downed instead.  He shows no interest in food tonight and didn't eat all of his food this morning either.  He did eat it when it was put in his crate with him.  As he is now tonight back in his crate with the nearly full bowl.  Maybe he no longer wants to eat outside and has graduated to the comfort of indoors.

He did pee in his crate today and again immediately on the stones just below the steps when let out.  No poop (or no evidence left at least).  I'll walk him again in a minute since I'm sure he will have to pee again in no time and then put on his underwear that arrived today.

The jerk that returned Tugboat today didn't bother to return his underwear that we could have really used - or anything the things we sent with him (blanket, bones, nice leather collar).  People will disappoint when given the chance : (

Dinnertime

Dinnertime for the bud.  This is the time when he's most vocal and most excitable and most interactive. He dashes about still wary of me but eager to get food. He will skitter about once it is set down.  He dives in but quickly backs off if I am too close or try to pat his head.  He also barks and whines when I come home because he associates that with food as well.  He eats best outside, alone.  Though today he did eat in his crate in the AM because of the rain.  When he first arrived, he was too nervous to eat in his crate and would leave the food spilled all over the crate.  He eats slower outside and takes his time and eats slower when I'm not close, no gulping and spitting it back up.

poop eating

Scratch that on the poop eating....blech. How do you stop a dog from eating his own poop - and I mean fresh out of the factory.  Turns right around to start licking it.  I couldn't help a verbal and leash correction this morning and he still tried to go right back to it.

The rosebud installment

Poor dude, he's so jacked up.  I wish there was something I could do to make steps easier for him.  Aside from building a ramp, I'm not sure. He has short legs and a long body and his roachy topline makes his butt taller or nearly than his head. This presents a big problem with steps, even short flights of steps.  When he tries to go down on his own, he almost always goes down on his elbows or hits his face on the flagstones. Part of the problem is the speed in which he attempts it.  When he is less scared of them, he may slow down and it become easier.  For now, I keep his front end elevated with the harness/leash so he doesn't smash his face.  The picture insert is from Saturday, one of the times he laid down close but just out of reach.  I'm glad he's not afraid of the camera and in general doesn't seem too afraid of inanimate objects unlike most shy dogs.  That's interesting.  No fear of the car, the camera, the recycling, the trash cans, mailboxes.  His wariness is people centric - and closed in places like doorways and hallways and weird things like steps.  He also doesn't seem too wary of sounds, cars, alarms, the icecream truck, kids yelling and screaming.  Big difference from Kiki but then she had lived in a small run on a small farm, behind some buildings out in BFE, a silent existence.  Maybe living on a chain afforded him a little more environmental experience.

We did our daily laydown in front of the crate. Everyone joined in this am, zelda, cosmo and even Annabelle stood over me. Peering down like the snoopy vulture.  All wags from inside but no dice. Cosmo rubbing on the crate did nothing to entice.  He did lean out and lick my fingers once but no dice on leaving his sanctuary.  But instead of closing the crate to come back later, I just got up, walked away and he followed.  He also puts himself back in the crate when we come in.  Goes back through the kitchen on his own (usually I'm still closing the door) and then panics just a bit going through the tight hallway. His back feet kind of slip out from under him and he bolts through.  He doesn't bolt through on the way out, just the way in and if I'm close he'll panic and shoot through and gouge my bare feet in the process.  So I let him do it himself. If I take too long, he'll come back out.  Then when I get there, he'll put himself back in or miss the crate and head down in the corner.  When his underwear gets here we will start letting him explore more inside the house. Right now we spend a lot of time just watching each other outside.  His crate should probably be moved to a central location but I don't have a central location that's big enough. We might switch to a smaller crate so I can do this next week.

He seems to take treats better and it could be because his weight is increasing.  He is certainly very "charged" at meal times and very vocal.  I have increased his meals to 3.5 cups per day and treats in between. That seems to help the desperate air around feeding and he has slowed down a lot.  No more gulping.  I also leave him alone mostly and just watch from the door.  Overall though I do think he's getting a little more gentle.  Maybe learning where the food ends and my fingers begin.  With something really delicious, he forgets and tries to take my fingers too.

Kiki and Linus (the rosebud diary)

I don't think anyone truly understands how difficult this is, to have Linus in my house because of Kiki.  It's my own fault because I like to keep things pretty close to the chest.  So no-one knows how much Kiki hurt me, how much I wanted to keep that little dog if my living situation would have been different. How much I really loved her and wanted her and saw something special in that little body - that twinkle in her eye that said "I want to live" even though she was so scared of the world.  How much I cried when she took her last breath.  I would have kept her, kept her safe and she would have been much like Annabelle eventually.  Not adoptable but to the general public, a pretty good example, her mistakes and shortcomings kept private.  How I couldn't in an rental house, in a neighborhood of inappropriate children, with my own niece coming over.  How I contemplated just quitting rescue after putting her down.  How much I still think of her and wonder if I did the right thing, if I somehow couldn't have made it work.

Now, one year later, another unadoptable dog in my house, my niece moved to tennessee and on the cusp of purchasing a home....this isn't Kiki.  This isn't my squirrely little girl.  It hurts and it also hurts because of the other dogs that don't need this much work that won't get a chance.  Same conflict I had over Kiki, all of the other dogs without her issues that need a chance and won't get one.  Dogs that are currently "adoptable".  The whole host of issues that come with a dog like this.  Things I think about every day.   I can't help comparing the two.

Perhaps I'm the perfect place for Linus. I have no expectations for him so there is no need to be impatient with him when he doesn't meet them.  He's shy, unsocialized and lacks bite inhibition.  His reactions are sometimes unpredictable.

I can open his crate and lay on my back 5 feet away and he will stand inside and wag his tail.  Most dogs will come when I do this, even the shy ones.  I just lay there looking up at the ceiling and he won't come.  Zelda comes to say hi, even walks into the crate to rub his face because she knows he's a twinkie. He wags his tail harder but doesn't come. Eventually he will lay back down and we will have a stalemate.  I close the door and go away. Then I will come back, open the crate and walk away.  He follows to the door, I hook him to the cable and help him down the stairs.  We spent a lot of time looking at each other and just sitting outside.

A Good and Sad Day - The diary of Rosebud

Today, the day before independence day was a nice break from work. I took the creatures over to the parents house for a relaxing day in the yard.  I took off Linus' harness and lead when we got there so he could enjoy the freedom of a securely fenced yard.  He really seemed to enjoy himself and at times sprawled out on his side in the green grass.  Almost a smile on his face, look of contentment, blissfully free of chains and bindings.  He tried to initiate a little play between the fence with the neighbor's dog, Annabelle and my parent's dog - all rebuffed by the old fogies so he went about his business.  Even got into a little mischief when he stole his harness in an attempt to destroy it.  Rolled in some poo and scratched his back. He seemed to have a really nice day of freedom.  When he napped, he seemed to nap heavily.

My parents got to meet him.  I held him while my dad patted him and he accepted it though it was clear from the lowered tail and leaning away that he would rather be elsewhere.  He accepted a treat from my mother on outstretched fingers later as he scooted away quickly once he grabbed it.  He slipped up behind her to sniff her back while she sat in the grass.  Her fingers were able to touch his head on one pass.  He wags his tail apologetically but will not come forward.  He probably edged in to three feet away head on and hung around in the general area when we sat in the grass. He would lay down with us but just out of arms reach.  I can walk up to him and pet him, sit down beside him and otherwise handle him but he is not sharing that with anyone willingly at this point.  Sometimes he even still seems wary of me and will get a little squirrely.

It is sad, to see in his eyes the lack of trust, the uncertainty. Just sad to see this neglect he must have suffered.   The berth he gives people, the dash at sudden movements.  They got Fios cable and three cable guys were in and out of the yard and Linus seemed friendly but only at a distance. He wags when you speak to him and raises his head, flicks his ears but he will not approach.  One of the guys got down on his knee and tried to make friends but he made no headway.  Linus just skittered to 10 feet out and wagged his tail in apology.

He will be adoptable when he is able to greet strangers freely (without fear) while off lead in a fenced area. That is our goal for him.  When he can greet people face to face while unleashed and untethered and otherwise of his own free will.....then he will be able to go to a new home. When he learns bite inhibition and does not nip and bite on the rare occasions when he tries to initiate some play with me (or anyone).

His body looks better, still on the thin side but his backbone is not clearly visible.  He has the general sausage shape now and hopefully he will begin to build some muscle.  It seems like his chest is looking better.   Overal he seems to have enjoyed his 6 hours of freedom this afternoon.  He has in general seemed to have a better attitude this week. Turning over the recycling to destroy magazines and newspapers and general naughtiness that means he is thinking about more than just being miserable.

House Hunting Et Al

Still house hunting. The little maplewood house I love so much might be getting a makeover for me in anticipation that I will buy it from a general contractor.  I'm excited about it but still looking for a house in the interim.  Who knows if the numbers will work for me.  My price break is not a good one, there is a lot of "crap" out there. Ill kept foreclosures, poor neighborhoods and older homes without current updates (like air conditioning).

I really want to have my own piece of the american dream.

Thankfully on another note, Linus the rosebud seems to have stopped eating his own poop. Small blessings for progress even though he is still wrapped up as tight as a new bud on the bush.  Baby steps.  He is looking better, spine not so clearly visible but beginning to take an unformed sausage shape.  He did come up onto the porch on his own twice this week when I went back inside and actually took a nap on the door mat.  He is also getting better crashing down the stairs (maybe, it's probably my aid).

The muzzle punching the bowl also seems to have stopped and that's probably because I have stopped trying to hand feed him or hold the bowl. He is definitely more comfortable if I am several feet away.  He jerks if I touch him while he's eating and touching his head will cause him to bolt from the bowl altogether.