Tag Archives: teddy

Good help is easy to find around here

Leave a reply
Teddy (in the chair) and Torque hard at work.

Teddy (in the chair) and Torque hard at work.

We know how lucky we are to be able to bring our dogs to work with us. All kinds of studies have shown that it’s beneficial to both dog and workers to have them around.

But, in all honesty, I try not to bring both of them on the same day. Dogs are so very good at learning from each other, and I don’t want Torque to pick up Teddy’s bad habits. Ted’s gotten rather noisy when people and their dogs come in. I’m not really sure if he’s saying “Hey, this is my place!” or “Hey, come play with me!” but it sounds awful and really, really loud. And anyone familiar with French Bulldogs will know their acoustical range and volume can be impressive!

I know that Teddy is fine with all people. He’s also fine with other dogs once he’s familiar with them. But before that happens, he’s really obnoxiously loud. It’s not really barking, not really whining. Just really, really loud.

It’s not a habit I want Torque to get into, and so far it does seem to be Teddy-specific. Torque has other bad habits. Like whining. There are few things in the world I find as irritating as whining. I’m not entirely sure I can break him of the habit, but I’m trying.

Bloody mess

Leave a reply

Yesterday evening after class (Rally for Torque, Novice Obedience for Teddy) I parked in the garage when I got home. It’s not my usual habit – Fran usually has the garage spot. But she’s out of town, and when the sister’s away….

So close he could taste it.

So close he could taste it.

So, anyway. Our garage isn’t attached to the house, it’s on the alley. I thought it would be a good idea to put the dogs in the back yard, then collect all the crap (water bowl, water, treats, rally map, etc.) that accumulates for class. Give them a potty break before going inside.
Turns out I should have taken a turn around the yard before letting them out. In the one little out-of-sight corner of the yard, where, naturally, the dogs like to go to do their business, there was a bunny. Torque headed right to that corner, got surprised by the bunny and came running back like a bat out of hell. I don’t think he was really frightened, just surprised.
But Teddy realized that something fascinating made his brother start. And went after it like the true hunting dog he’s really not.
Have you ever heard a rabbit scream? I have. Right up there with things I never ever want to do again. I was heading back there, absolutely nothing useful in hand, when the rabbit, somewhat the worse for wear, dashed across my path and finally made it out of the yard.
Teddy came dashing after it, but didn’t catch it. I think the only reason he was able to lay tooth on it was because it was trapped by the fence.
So I spent an unpleasant time washing blood off Teddy, most of it not his. He does have one small wound to show for the encounter, and a bunch of tufts of rabbit fur in the back yard that I had to clean up.
I guess this qualifies as one of the yuckier parts of owning a dog. Teddy was being a dog and the rabbit was being a stupid rabbit. If they were bright creatures they wouldn’t have to breed like rabbits to maintain the population.
But I still wish it hadn’t happened.

Torque’s a hog

Leave a reply

My dogs sleep with me. In my bed. Under the covers and everything.

Well, Teddy sleeps peacefully and calmly under the covers at my left side. Sometimes he’s in touch, most if the time it’s enough for him to be nearby.

Torque, on the other hand, is taking some time to get our routine worked out. One of the dilemmas is that he “runs hot.” I don’t know if it’s because he was a winter baby, or just his metabolism, but he’s always much warmer than Teddy – or me.

Things start out fine. We all get in bed and snuggle down. But Torque not only has to be touching, he makes it his business to be smashed right up against me, the entire  length of his back against my side. And then I get too warm and inch away. And Torque snuggles right back into me. And I inch away. And he inches back. Until Teddy, on my other side, is smashed against the wall.

We sort this out – basically I shove Torque back over to the other side and reclaim the middle for myself. And then Torque gets too hot and climbs out from under the covers and smashes up against me on top of the covers. And the inching starts again. Until Teddy and I are, once again, smack up against the wall and Torque not only has the center of the bed, but all the covers.

So I wake up, cold, coverless and smushing Teddy. And shove Torque back over, yank the covers out from under him. Tenderly cover Teddy. And the inching starts again.

Teddy, supermodel or regular dog?

Leave a reply

Fran on Friday

perfectfit_tedfrtWe all know Teddy, Hope’s French Bulldog. He’s a show-off in the agility ring (when he wants to), and champion cuddler (with me on Saturday afternoons, napping or watching TV on the couch). He’s also Golly Gear’s superstar model. Any harness looks fabulous on Teddy. Plus, he’s light in color which makes him a dream to photograph. Teddy has a huge head, which shows up really well in pictures. He’s just a beautiful dog!

But, is he a regular dog? Does he do things regular dogs do? Well, sometimes. He loves chewing on bones. He gobbles his meals. He loves taking naps. He loves taking walks. And Teddy is very polite with people. He’ll take a treat from anyone. He’s not a fan of other dogs, except for those in his exclusive circle of friends who he’s been to training class with. But Teddy doesn’t play w092515_dirtytedith toys much. He’ll tug on a sock, the toe filled with cheese. He’ll destroy a vinyl dog toy. Teddy doesn’t play fetch. Once in a blue moon he’ll pick up a toy and bring it to Hope. More often than not, when he wants to play, he’ll just yell at me and smack his paw on the couch, which is cute as anything, but usually at inopportune times. Today we got photographic proof that Ted gets dirty! (That’s Torque, checking out Teddy’s dirt spot.)