Sunday, November 23, 2008 by karen.

No, I am  not talking about Dana. 

As a follow-up from the Halloween disturbance, we have been threatend  by the nieghbor regarding our so called ‘killer dog’, Lukas. 

Several weeks have passed since Halloween and Lukas has been mostly good.  He scratched Seth, again because Seth still hasn’t learned to not get in Lukas’ face.  On the flip side, Seth and Lukas do get along.  Seth is able to walk by him and even run past him without any chasing.  A huge improvement for both.

The particular neighbor has gotten herself  the Tahoe breed of disturbia, a yellow lab.   Very cute dog.  However, this means we may bump into each other at the dog park.  Here are the rules of the Phoenix dog parks. First off, I do not adhere to the rules myslef 100%. I have a deaf dog so he I can’t maintain voice control over him. haha. But, of course he is always in my site. I do take the 8yr old in with me at times. I prefer not to as he is still learning how to behave properly around dogs. I do however, put my dog on a leash if they become aggressive towards another dog or person.

My neighbor shows up at the park with her 6yr old daughter who we know is very scared of Lukas (as I would expect her to be based from Halloween). After about 15min, Lukas noticed her and ran towards the girl. The same kind of running he does when he sees a little dog he wants to play with. It is soooo unexplainable. He has been around kids but Seth and the neighbor’s little girls are the only ones he seems to act this way around. Seth has overcome it mostly. Lukas doesn’t act this way around the many other kids he comes in contact with. We keep a very close watch on him. His breed is not disturbia friendly but it is better than the alternative.

Most would say “get rid of him”, but it just isn’t that easy. My boys and husband would be crushed. I wouldn’t enjoy it, but due to livng in disturbia, we may loose him to animal control. The neighbor has said she will call animal control if he runs after her daughter again. (She feels humans come before animals. I chuckled to myself thinking ‘only some humans’.) Regardless if it is in the dog park. That is what gets under my skin. Of course, the dog park rules clearly read children under 12yrs old are not allowed in. For a very good reason too. When you can follow the rules, then you can call the authorities.

Upon leaving, I handed her a book, “How to Child-proof Your Dog”. It has a few chapters on how to teach your kids to behave around dogs. I firmly believe, that most bites are probably due to inappropriate behavior around dogs. (Not making excuses, but this shows many can be prevented) Unfortunaely, it is definitely a 2 way street. She is not willing to get her 6yr old less afraid of Lukas and teach her proper behavior but instead reinforces that feeling scared is ok since she has been ‘attacked’ by him. I asked her when she was attacked by Lukas and she said on Halloween. That is funny, she told me he didn’t bite her. I feel sorry for the girl.

Perhaps we have bitten off more than we can chew with him. He fits so well into our small pack. I actually think he is such a learning experience for my boys due to his imperfections and handicap.

Do I owe it to Lukas to send him back to the rescue organization? Or do I put the house up for sale?

Posted in Neighbors, Pets | Print | 1 Comment »

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by Dana.

Urban Fishing… good idea or a waste of tax dollars?  I think creating parks with water features to bring in various birds, etc. is a great idea.  I can see the value in even stocking the water features with fish that will eat the algae and keep it clean.  Nonetheless, I cannot imagine getting much enjoyment from catching fish in what is essentially a large barrel, and most of all… I cannot imagine eating the nasty channel cat, carp, or other muddy fish stocked in the urban fishing hole.  As if the stagnant water isn’t bad enough, the runoff from lawn chemicals and oil slicked streets makes increases your chances of coming up with a three-eyed fish.

 Would you eat something you caught while urban fishing?

Posted in Suburbia | Print | No Comments »

Sunday, November 2, 2008 by karen.

Another Halloween has passed and we have more candy in the house  (I secretly begin to throw pieces away without the kids awareness).  This year Tyler didn’t dress up but still walked around the neighborhood to see friends and neighbors.  Shade has become quite the joker these days.  He decided to dress in my old Raggedy Ann costume.  He wore it to school, and I was surprised to see that he kept it on all day.  He then wore it to trick-or-treat too.    Seth wore his Jango Fett costume which Dana had purchased at a yard sale 2yrs ago for $5.  He loves that costume and it shows.  He will never win ‘best costume’ for it, but it is what he likes. 

 This year, we dressed up the dogs too.  Since I have a large collection of lingerie, Dana came up with the idea to dress the girls (J.J. and Piper) in lingerie and the boy (Lukas) in a wifebeater and boxers.  I have never dressed dogs in clothes before so I truly wasn’t thrilled about this.  The idea, yes.  The actuality of it…no.  I was running behind with getting candy, food, drinks and myself ready that the last thing on my list was dressing the dogs up.  Of course, it quickly became a priority when Dana got home.  They looked great after the pulling and whining and nipping.  They were satisfied with what they were dressed in.  Piper was in a black corset type piece expressing her dominance side, J.J. (rescued from http://azbordercollierescue.com/) was in a sweetheart red 2-piece and Lukas, our leathal white (rescued from http://amazingaussies.com), went as an immature pimp in his wife beater.  Very cute.  Again, the least of my concern, but I (I mean we) pulled it off.  Still struggling to get the kids outside, the table set up and myself showered and dressed, we made it in time to greet the neighbors.  Kids and dogs are in tow.

I took the liberty of holding Piper and Lukas while Dana had control of J.J.  We usually always seperate Piper and Lukas as they are the dominant ones and can be difficult to keep under control as a pair but for some odd reason this time we didn’t.  I wasn’t sure how the pups would react to Halloween.  Piper and Lukas already expressed timidness towards the jack-o-lanterns in the bathroom. 

 The costumes were cute, Shade’s being the most popular (of course they hadn’t seen mine yet) and one neighbor even commented “Karen, wasn’t that your costume a few years ago?”  Yes, it was.  The dogs appeared to be comfortable.  We kept our distance from the kids and sat at the end of the table.  The dogs were under control for the most part. 

Then I heard the youngest daughter of a neighbor comment how she wished she could pet Piper but she was next to Lukas.  Note: she didn’t ask to pet Piper.  I just smiled at her and gave my condolences for her feelings.   I wasn’t ready to start letting the affection for my dogs happen.  I was still getting settled with the kids and who they were walking with, etc…   While my back was away from the neighbors and I was discussing things with Dana, Lukas jerked on the leash and I hear the youngest daughter of my neighbor scream.  I turn to see her running to mommy and she dropped her white pillowcase used for collecting treats.  I was horrified at Lukas and thought for sure he had nipped her in the butt judging by her screaming.  I handed the dogs to Dana and went over to make sure she was ok.  Amazingly, her mother didn’t even question if she was ‘hit’ or not.  She was very busy consoling the crying girl.  I, on the other hand, was searching her white costume for evidence of a nip or bite.  And while I do care for her feelings, more importantly is, did he break the skin.  Once I was able to confirm he did not make contact, I was more at ease.  Many may agree with the consoling initially, but  I prefer we find out if there is a physical issue first.  Upon asking the mom, she wasn’t able to confirm if my dog had made contact.  I was responsible for finding this information out on my own with minimum help.  I had to repeat mysef several times asking if she was bit while the little girl was wailing “I don’t like Lukas!’  and the mom saying “I know, he doesn’t like you either”.  

 You see, there is a history with Lukas and this family along with all the neighbors, are completely aware of it.  I am a responsible pet owner.  If anyone enters my house, I make them aware of Lukas and his nipping habits with kids.  They also know he is deaf and has nipped Seth and another little girl in the neighborhood.  I have taken precautions and consulted his foster dad regarding this.  I have purchased books on the topic.  I consider myself knowledgable on the situation and his behavior.  However, it is still not an excuse for these things to happen.  I firmly believe many situations are 2-way. 

What do you think?  I do not in any way blame the child or mother, but I also don’t blame myself.  Do I blame Lukas?  Absolutely, but he is the most ignorant in the situation and we as humans need to prevent these situations. 

One must also keep in mind, these are not wild animals or fighting dogs.  This breed is known for nipping, not mauling.  They will let go.  They do not lock their jaws or go for the kill. 

Yes, I have been bitten by dogs.  Am I traumatized by this?  Of course not.  In all the cases, I antagonized the dog.  I was taught this by my parents who made sure I understood the reason behind it. 

Disturbia children need to learn proper technique with animals.  My 8yr old is still learning.  My 11yr old is still learning as he had to figure it out on his own the hard way.  Hitting a dog will get you bit.  I am proud to say he still loves this dog as he understands he brought in on himself. 

 I found an article about local elementary students being educated on the topic.   http://www.azcentral.com/pets/articles/2008/10/30/20081030gl-peodogbite1030-ON.html

I must ask, why parents can educate their kids on such topics.  This is one example of why we homeschool our youngest.  

Posted in Holidays, kids, Pets | Print | 1 Comment »

Saturday, November 1, 2008 by Dana.

We go out of our way to find and eat healthy, fresh food (organic if possible).  It turns out that we aren’t the only ones, duh! 

Arizona faces shortage of locally grown food

It is difficult for us all to find the food, and it isn’t all that easy to grow our own living in Suburbia with out postage stamp yards and manicured lawns.  Is this a reason to move out to the country?

Posted in Suburbia | Print | 1 Comment »