Browse Category: dog

homeless

I got a grip of calls today from various Realtors with clients interested in looking at our house. I had so many that at 11:00 am, I decided to go home and pick up the dog. I didn’t want him to scare away any potential renters while he was stuck in the patio. So, he came to work with me and hung out with us for the rest of the day. With people coming by at 12:30, 3:00, 5:00, and 7:30, I decided to just stay away from the house until the end of the evening.  It was weird to not have anywhere to go after work.  I felt like I should have just brought the Aerobed to work too.

I ended up staying at work until about 4:30 and then met up with Marie and Cole at the Spectrum. The four of us hung out, had dinner, and walked around some more until about 7:30. When I got home, one of the Realtors was outside waiting for her clients who were running late. They finally arrived at 8:00 and seemed nice. It was a young couple who seemed like the athletic type.  They even asked if I was a triathlete because they noticed the magazine that I had on the kitchen counter.  That was kinda neat.  Anyway, I hope we get a bite this week.  That would definitely take one load off our shoulders.  Cross your fingers!

Adjusting

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It’s been two weeks since Jes left for SF and the dog and I are adjusting. The dog has made our pile of newsprint as his new daytime hangout spot and my Aerobed is getting a little more comfortable each night. The brother even slept over on Friday night and used my sleeping bag.

On Saturday morning, Johnny went golfing with Kenji while I met with the Realtor. I gave her a tour and set-up the lock box. I also got a “For Lease” sign and we’re listed on MLS. Pretty soon I’ll be having strangers walking through my house while Koa’s stuck in the patio. Boy, I hope it gets rented out soon. We’ll see how long it takes.

Lunch was with the Suminos at Fukada and Johnny’s friend Robin happened to be there too. Afterwards, we stopped at Target and then Johnny took a death nap while I sorted through my things.

Later in the evening, the parents came over and loaded up their van with a bunch of stuff I need to give them. Johnny also loaded up his car with lots of food, spices, and sauces from my kitchen. Koa hung out in the garage with us and also sat in the front seat of each of the cars in our driveway – hoping for a ride to the dog park. He was so well-behaved that I just HAD to take him after everyone left.

Big Boys

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Today was Cole’s first day of school.  On Friday, I went with Marie to take him for his second “trial day” and was so excited to see him in a school environment.  I think he’s going to have such a good time.  I’m just worried about the separation from Marie for such a long period of time.  So, today came and from what I heard from Marie, he did rather well.  Marie said that he cried a little as she was leaving but by the time she got outside and peeked through the window, he was over it.  I guess it sounded like his biggest challenges were lunchtime (wanted to steal everyone’s food) and naptime (it took him about 30 mins to fall asleep).  Overall, it sounded like quite a success and it’s good to hear that he’s adjusting.

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On Sunday, I drove to Cerritos to unload a bunch of boxes.  Since I knew I’d be gone all day, I brought Koa along.  Since the entire back of the car was full, he rode up front with me.  I was pleasantly amused at how well-behaved he was.  He just sat there like a passenger quietly watching the cars on the freeway.  In fact, I put the seatbelt strap across his chest for fun and he just sat there!   I can still remember just a year ago when he was constantly standing up at the window, sniffing the vents, and pushing the window button.  Boy, things have certainly changed.

Violated

img_5822.jpgThis past week, Koa was walking a little funny so we decided to take him to the vet on Sunday afternoon. Poor doggie…as soon as we stepped into the vet’s office he started to shake and looked so nervous. How did he know he was going to see the vet?!

Our vet was pretty friendly and tried his best to calm him down. After a couple questions, the vet proceeded with his exam. Unfortunately, that involved Koa getting felt up, squirted in the nose with a Bordatella vaccination, and then taken to the back for a quick poking in his butt. As Jes held him down during his exam, he gave me the saddest look as if he was saying “help me out a little over here?” When the vet brought him back, he told us that dogs sometimes need to have their anal glands “expressed” and the vet said it was pretty stinky. I guess that’s what was bothering him all week. Poor dog…hopefully he won’t need to get violated for another couple years.

I never thought…

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…that dental floss could reunite two old friends. But it did today.

Koa’s best friend is named Fabian Fox (see photo above taken over a year ago). If you haven’t met him yet, Fabian is a stuffed fox that Jes and my brother found at the local Albertsons in the $1 bin. He used to say “Hello, my name is Fabian Fox. Would you like a cafe au lait?” It was hilarious. We thought it would lose its novelty with the dog after a couple days but it has become Koa’s all-time favorite toy. Although it’s now missing an ear and no longer speaks, it’s in a pretty good condition considering how much abuse its taken over the past two years.

Unfortunately, two weeks ago, as a result of an extra exuberant game of tug-o-war, Fabian’s tail ripped off. Oh no! Well, that didn’t phase Koa much until he realized that it left a huge hole, which made it very tempting for him to pull all the stuffing out. What a mess. So, I decided it would be time to put Fabian away until I could come up with a way to fix him.

It’s been at least 3 weeks without his dear friend and Koa seemed a little out of sorts. So, I grabbed a small spool of dental floss and my trusty needle and did some surgery. Koa sat by my feet staring at me – patiently awaiting the results of my handiwork. I decided not to sew his tail back on but to just close up the hole. After a couple quick stitches, Fabian was sewn up and ready to go. Before I could even say “here you go”, Koa snatched him from my hands and ran to the other room. About 30 minutes later, I went upstairs to grab something from my room and and found him napping on the floor of our bedroom with his old pal by his side.

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I guess even dogs can have a Dirty Wow Wow.

Dog is Three today

dsc_6185.jpgIt’s Koa’s 3rd birthday today! Once again, I brought out his super-duper birthday hat and he still hates it. Tee hee! Other than the hat, we didn’t do anything special. Koa spent his birthday lounging around like he usually does and then I took him to the dog park in the evening.

I’d have to say that he’s changed quite a bit over the last three years. He started out as a mischievous puppy that had an insatiable desire to chew something. In his second year, he matured a bit but still got into the trashcans and chewed up some of our belongings. Now after his third year, he’s a calmer, less troublesome dog who responds to commands now. Thank goodness!  He’s even given the occasional privilege to stay in the house by himself while we’re gone for dinner.

On the agenda for tomorrow? He’s getting a bath! Muhahaha. He’s been long overdue for one. What better way to start out a new year?!