WATER DOG

This pisses me so off...

I just read an article in the Norwegian web newspaper Dagbladet, about people who leave their pets when they go for summer holiday. The police can tell about horrifying examples: cats put in plstic bags and dumped, dogs tied up alone in the forest, dogs thrown in the water with a stone bound to their neck or feet. I quite simply do note have words for it. About leaving your pet before the holiday: When you get a pet, you take a responsibility. You get someone that will live with you, be a part of your family, look up to you and TRUST you. You are the master of their lives. If you are not able or ready to take that responsibility, don't get a pet. If you end up in a situation where you cannot follow through, then take your pet to someone that will find it a new home.

About those that quite simply torture animals: It is unbelievable that the punishment for that is lower than for simple theft. If it was up to me, it would be prison for a year: not out of revenge, not because I am a biased dog owner, but because this such a horrifying attitude towards life and the value of life. I cannot image that people who do this are not a danger to people around them. And most of all because they kill or torture not for hunting, not for food, not for "sports", but out of pure "pleasure" and evil. I said "no revenge", but personally, I do feel a need for puling out their teeth or finger nails..

I could rant about this for ages, but let me try to be short: There is absolutely no excuse for this! You are despicable lowlifes that I never would be able to trust. Drop dead!!!

To those that spend their time, energy and money on saving hurt and left animals: I do sincerely believe that there is a special place in heaven for you :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY I

MAJA IS ONE YEAR TODAY

It is a big day for a small girl.. Oh, well, maybe it feels bigger for the owners. Maja has had a pretty nice day - playing a lot with one of her boyfriends, but besides from that I am not sure how much she is aware of her jubilee :) We haven't had her for a year, of course, only for about nine months, but it still feels like a day for some thoughts and "remembrances".

This is my first dog, so it naturally felt a bit strange for me: What will it be to have a dog at all?? Fun, troublesome, tiresome, what, what?? It has been a small miracle :) Sure, we have had our fair share of visits to the vet (and money used on that), our fair share of worries (about stomach infections, troublesome legs, troublesome eyes) and maybe some few moments when we though "oh, how much easier this would have been without a dog." 

But so much more important has been the joy of having her. She is always in a great mood, always ready for a hug, always happy to go for a walk and to meet people. There is a lot to lear about attitude here :) She had a rough start on her life - we now and then wonder if her siblings are still alive, and if they are - are they appreciated and loved? There are so many moments that I find touching - the joy she shows when we come home from work, how much fun she has on walks or playing with other dogs and how relaxed she seems in the evenings when she is tired and sleepy. I think she has become a very safe, secure and happy dog, and I am really happy about it - all dogs deserve to be!

I also quite often remember when we picked her up. The seller had put her in the trunk of his car. When he opened it, there was a small, white, scared furball that was curled up in the darkest corner. She sat in my lap on the long drive home and made small, strange sounds. When we let her out for the first pee, she said hi to some people, but came back to us again: I wonder if she already then had accepted us as owners, or at least found out that we were the best chance for some safety. 

It was maybe not the smartest thing to do, but we had tickets for a theater play that evening. So, we drove fast to a shop and got her a bed, and then left her alone in the car for two hours. But maybe it wasn't that disastrous: she at once got used to her bed as her safe place, and got a bit used to being alone. When we finally came home, the bed was already hers: she would curl up in a small corner there to sleep, nose tip and tail meeting and hidden. That was a HUUUUGE bed, we thought, but now it is almost strange to think that she fit in there. They grow so slowly and steadily that you just suddenly see that there is no way they can hide in the tiny little corner underneath the chair where she used to hide :)

And there have been things to learn for the humans, too. We have become great fans of Cesar Milan - the Dog Whisperer. We never took Maja to any classes, but she is pretty well behaving. Through watching Milan's series, we felt that we learned a lot about the relationship between dog and owners, about being steadfast, about walking with head high and broad shoulders. Not stupid - there are things here to learn for use in other parts of life, too.

So many small things to tell from this year.. But that is what this blog has been for! It is nice to be able to go back and look at joys and frustrations. And I have enjoyed writing :)

So - Maja: Happy birthday, even if you don't know (she is btw. wagging her tail in sleep beside me right now!). I'll end off this by posting (and re-posting) some pics from this year:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY II

We have only had Maja for nine months, but she is still one year, so I thought it was about time to create a small "non-inventory" - a list of things that she has destroyed during this time:
- some holes dug in the garden
- some tiny chewing marks on a table leg
- three soft toys (two dogs and a duck) chewed to pieces (but they are hers to chew!!)
- some pages of newspapers that were put aside for throwing..

AND THAT IS IT !!!! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Battleship swan

We were out walking here the other day when we came to a pond with swans. We decided to go to the waterside to have a look. They look absolutely amazing, and Maja was a bit curious, too. The were probably about 60 meters away from us, but one of them - when he saw us - came straight at us. Good lord, he looked like a battleship - straight course, full speed. When he came closer he spread his wings and made sounds like Sir Hiss - talk about being dominating, territorial and aggressive!! Maja watched in awe as he came closer, barked at him a little bit (hey - HE hissed first!!) and jumped a little back and forth - but in general it was safer to hide behind my legs. I don't blame her - I once fled myself from an angry swan ;)

Fountains of joy :)

We had a wonderful walk in town today, and Maja played with some small fountains in a square. Pretty skeptical at first - water coming up from the ground was something new, but after a while she was running happily around them, barking at them and trying to catch them :)

Today's lesson, though, is this: don't bark at a fountain while your head is right above it ;)

Peace on earth

Today we have walked more than three hours, on streets and in terrain, free and on leash, wagging tail held high. Wonderful , great walks. And in the day Jurgita was also at home, we were sitting in the bed (Saturday privileges) and watching a film, with Maja lying between us. She so loves it when we are all gathered. Then she helped me clean the garden a little bit.

Now I am having a small beer before bedtime, she is happily sleeping on the carpet beside me. All is peaceful and quiet. Life is good :)

FIRST THUNDER

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM...

Yaaaawn... What was that? Thunder? Lightning? Oh, well.. I'll just sleep on :)

All is good

Two good weeks. Warm weather, sunshine, I have had my first swim. Long, calm walks. THunder and heavy summer rain. Maja's fur is now getting back to how it should be; smooth and shiny and silky. We try not to let her play to much with other dogs and not to throw things for her to chase, and the last week she has been walking so nicely. No limp, no pain, no worries. Sunshine, flowers and butterflies.

Life is good to people and dog :)