Terrible Two's for dogs?

Timber is now 5 1/2 months old and weighing in at 52.6 pounds! He is becoming more defiant and I can't figure out if it has something to do with his age or maybe because I'm gone during the day at work now and not home with him.

How does the age calculation work with dogs? Does five to six months of age in a dog equate to the "terrible two's" in children? I'd certainly like to think so! If it isn't a stage, then that means he is mad at me and is beginning to favor my dad over me since he is home with Timber during the day! What in the world is going on while I'm gone during the day? I need to get a nanny cam!

Speaking of behavioral issues.....when Timber is left home in the backyard and no one is home, he cries constantly according to the neighbor and upon arrival home, we find him scratching at the back door and wall, scratching his toes raw on the stucco! Thus, he must be kenneled when no one is home from now on to prevent him from destroying his paws......he can only blame himself. Ha! As if he would get the connection!

I suppose it's time to suck it up and go take a dog training class... Ugh.

***Maybe I'll wait until after my vacation in Maui since it's three weeks away! Yeah!!!

Makes me laugh!

Kid Wisdom - Watch the best video clips here

Quality time

Today was a bit stressful at my new job. People seeming to be dropping like flys as the "bug" makes its way from one teacher to the next. What a season to be jumping into a new job! I'm learning this new school's processes as I go. I have to say though, the people I work for and with are really great and supportive. I am pretty hard on myself and expect a lot of myself, so things are always a little worse than than they really are in my eyes.

The moment I got home from work, I grabbed Timber and my nephew, Christian tagged along. We intended to find the trails near my house...but with no luck. So back to the dog park at Black Diamond...

Timber, Christian (Bub) and I all needed to get out. Bub is quite the emotional young boy and in great need of one on one time and time to himself. As much as I value my time alone to mellow, I know getting him out, just the three of us does him a world of good...not to mention give my dad a break from Bub's many meltdowns, many of which are a result of his little brother's annoying behaviors that run on an energizer battery! Poor Bub, he starts out so nice and calm when he responds to Patryk, but Pat doesn't let up and eventually Bub snaps!

It's great to see how happy Bub can get around dogs. He loves Timber and today there were a ton of dogs at the park thanks to the nice sunny day....regardless of the chill in the air. Bub was grabbing tennis balls left and right trying so hard to get all of the dogs' attention. Timber sure got a good work-out himself. He was worn out by the time we resigned from the dog area to play in the sandbox.

Our little outing ended up lasting two hours! Bub, Timber and I were the last ones to have dinner when we finally arrived at home about 7 pm

"Play Therapy"
....and he wondered why he had sand inside his socks when we got ready to go home!

Worn out little pup

Yes...I love my dog! Who wouldn't?

Today after work I took my nephew, Christian out to the dog park with Timber and me. He doesn't get much time to himself without his little brother around. He was more than happy to actually turn off the cartoons and go with me while his brother was out with thier dad for T-ball practice.

After a little bit of time in the dog park section of this community park near Black Diamond Mines in Antioch, Christian was anxious to go play in the sandbox. There weren't a ton of dogs in the park, so it wasn't exciting enough for him I suppose. So here are two of my favorite boys playing in the sand!

***As usual, Timber had give a taste test to the sand!

***Also, to add to his adventurous and "NO FEAR" attitude......Timber climbed up on the play structure with me and went down the big slide with me! My dog rocks! I can't say it enough!!!

Timber update and other tid-bits

I've decided after a few days of observation of his behavior, Timber is healthy and doesn't need to go get blood work. His appetite has returned and of course he is still energetic. I haven't seen any discolored nasal discharge in quite awhile. I suppose his antibiotics finally did their job after 3 weeks and took to the last minute to show they finally worked!

Yesterday after my visit to my new employer, I had to run out to Martinez to get a new copy of my birth certificate. The moment I need my social security card, I can't find it anywhere. As luck would have it, the alternative documentation for taxes is a birth certificate....and guess where that is? The same place as my social security card!....along with those documents, my pink slip for my car and my marriage license (which I'm not sure I need due to the pending divorce)....But needless to say, I'm frustrated about the missing files... I've searched the boxes in storage, the boxes in the garage and my entire room with no luck. So, I've decided to stop thinking about it and maybe I'll remember where they are when I'm not thinking about it....you know how things like that work. ;-)

....So anyway, back to Timber....I brought him to Martinez with me for the drive, he's a mellow backseat driver and nice company. After dealing with my paperwork and getting a new Birth Certificate copy, I decided to take advantage of the break in rain and let Timber explore the new surroundings.

We went to a park on the harbor and had so much fun getting muddy and wet! Timber chased after the geese and ducks. He ran after them on the beach of a nasty pond and all the way into the water! Then with me in tow...in the soggy, marsh-like grass! We walked out to the rocky shore and without hesitation, Timber climbed the rocks to get to the shore. He fetched sticks that I threw way out in the water. He was soaked from chest down! We ran down the dock, with my shoes sloshing and his paws dripping and scaled the benches. Again, Timber made me proud and got right up on the bench and walked it! He doesn't show any fear for new things and activities...I feel so lucky to have such a great dog.

I don't have any pics of how muddy Timber and I got because we were having way too much fun to take pics! So next time we go I'll take some! ....Of course we are going again! But first, this weekend I'm planning on going to a dog walk activity, so look for pics. :-)

Employment!

The news is in!

After my "visit" to the school yesterday, they asked me if I wanted the job! I happily accepted and start work tomorrow. So, I have returned to the workforce and will be working every day from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, with exception to every tuesday the hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm for staff meetings.

I'm of course in need of health coverage, but if I can ever get the county hospital on the line without getting disconnected, I may be able to arrange for some county health benefits that are available. I attempted to go straight to the source today to speak to them, but unless I needed to be seen at the ER, there was no chance at talking to their financial representatives. Oh, well, I'll keep playing the phone game.

For the time being, I am so glad to be making money again! And ecstatic that the school is so close to home! I don't even have to get on the freeway!

Poor Timber, he's going to have to get used to his mommy being gone all day! I don't know who I feel more sorry for, Timber or my dad, who has to put up with the crying and barking! lol

My pup...just to get my thoughts down for me...

Today, Timber is 20 weeks old and we had a follow-up at the vet today regarding his health concerns. He weighed in at 45.2 pounds, up 1.2 pounds from last Saturday's vet visit. So, he's still gaining weight, has tons of puppy energy and loves to play and "talk" but his appetite is poor. He is still sneezing, has a runny nose which is off and on discolored. After over 3 weeks of being sick and on antibiotics, I'm not pleased with his lack of progress and recent decreased appetite which was never a problem until about a week ago.

At this point, the vet has not made me feel any better about what is going on with my little man. I'm not sure how much faith I have in the quality of care *undisclosed vet clinic name* has at this location after discussing how hit and miss encountering quality vets are at the varied *said clinic* locations per a family member in the veterinary field.

Which leads me to the need to search for second opinions and scout for fee differences. At this point, *said clinic* can only provide the option of running basic blood tests and urine tests as well as doing a basic nasal swab culture....all adding up to a hefty bill over $400. I love my little guy, but this is getting more expensive by the week. I can't decide if I'm over-reacting to the symptoms or if there is truly something going on.

An option the vet mentioned would require referral out to a animal hospital to anesthetize him and scope his nasal passages for possible embedded foreign bodies in his sinuses or worse, fungus. If it's fungus, it has to be addressed ASAP otherwise risk it spreading through the thin barrier of tissue and bone to the brain. For those who don't have pets, going to such lengths to determine a cause doesn't come cheap....I don't have an estimate at this point, but you can bet it will cost well over $500.

Needless to say I'm beside myself with concern and quite conflicted. Since I haven't been working, I've had to ask my parents to assist and that kills me since they've already done so much for me since I left Jamie and Timber is my responsibility. Here's to praying I get that job so I can provide for my dog's care for what I hope is nothing serious and easily treated. Losing my little guy would break my heart.