Monday Morning (Peanut) Dino

Monday, August 15, 2011

So...about Peanut Dino.

Much like an overweight person who watches the Food Network, I spend my lunch hour perusing homeless Beagles on Petfinder.com. I just can't seem to stay away. On this particular day, I came across this ad:



Peanut is approx 4 years old , neutered and up to date with shots as well as heartworm and flea control . We have been hoping his separation anxiety would subside with time but we have had him a year and seems to have gotten worse . We also have a baby on the way and it's just too much for me, and I don't have the time and energy he deserves and requires. He is excellent with kids of all ages and other dogs. His temperament is actually very laid back (until you leave )! lol He would probably do best with someone who doesn't work long hours or not at all. Let me know if you can help ... i'm running out of time and cannot bear to take him to the pound : ( Tracy

He needed me! Now, I was torn because it was so soon after Bern and I almost felt like I was betraying her. And the dynamic with Millie and Vinny seemed to be working so I didn't think I should rock that boat, either.

Well,then I went to see him and it was all over. He was TOO cute for words and went I sat on the ground, he climbed into my lap and put his head on my knee. Game over.

Knowing that he had separation anxiety (like Bernie did when I first got her), I did all the things that I had done for her.

Comfort Zone plug in:


"Pheromones emitted by animals through their skin and glands are natural chemicals that help them to communicate with others of the same species. When your dog or puppy senses the pheromone, he feels secure and comfortable, reducing his fear reactions and his urge to act out destructively through chewing, excessive barking or house soiling."

Bach's Rescue Remedy for Dogs:

RESCUE Remedy® is the #1 natural reliever of everyday stress. It is a blend of five of the 38 Bach® Original Flower Remedies and is proven to be as helpful with animals as it is with people. For an immediate calming effect in any tense or stressful situation, or when your pet needs help overcoming a variety of emotional or behavioral problems.

Creature Comforts CD:



Just Chillin CD:



Since work has been so stressful lately, I took one of the CD's to work with me but it ended up being a little awkward when I tried licking my balls during a meeting.

I was armed and ready for Peanut Dino!

Or so I thought.

The first night, he chased Vinny ALL NIGHT LONG.


"Wake me when he stops chasing Vinny."

I thought, oh boy, he's got to go back. But Vinny being the cool cat he is, put him in his place and told him how it was gonna be.



Now, Vinny's even sleeping in Peanut Dino's bed.


"What's that, Dog? This is your bed? Ha! You mean, this WAS your bed."

Day one alone, Peanut Dino went into my pantry (with a broken latch on the door) and ate a entire box of Trader Joe's dog cookies and a bag of Beneful treats.

Day two, he knocked over the kitchen garbage and tore the grill off the bottom of the refrigerator. And his collar was nowhere to be found. I still have no idea where it is so he's wearing Bernie's girly collars.

Day three, I drove up and only saw Millie in the window. When I opened the door, I heard a distant, Woooooooo....Wooooooooo....

He must have been sniffing behind the door in my wardrobe room and locked himself in. This is what the window in the room looked like:



I thought to myself, well, at least he didn't chew on my clothes or shoes.

Day four, here he is in the window as I drove up.



And if you look closely, there's my Born sandal on the window sill behind the couch. So much for not chewing my shoes.



Day five, I bent down to kiss him and thought, hmmmm....he smells like chocolate. When I went in the kitchen, there was hot chocolate mix all over the floor.

There's no way he's four years old. If anything, he's two. His behavior is way too puppy like. I wasn't sure if I could do this but he's so darn cute and cuddly when he's being good that I guess I'll keep him. He seems to be keeping Millie young and maybe he'll liven me up, too!


11 comments

  1. Girl, you have a big heart and a LOT of patience and not quite as much chocolate as you started with.

    I didnt know they had all those products for dogs. Well I did know about the shoe chewing toys.

    He's cute. Hope he starts feeling at home soon.

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  2. @Simply Suthern,
    I try to be patient but pretty soon he's going to think his new name is HEYY!!

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  3. Chrissy-- Peanut Dino sounds a lot like Seamus. A lot! We call Seamus diabolically cute, because, well, he is. It's how they get away with so much. Seamus is probably about 8 years old now. I've never gotten his separation anxiety under control (but I'm thinking about trying those products you mentioned!). Luckily, Chris works at home and is home with Seamus mostly. Sometimes Seamus goes to work with me. Sometimes we hire a dog-sitter. And then there's doggie daycare...like today. Peanut is adorable and you are wonderful for helping a beagle out!

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  4. Chrissy, Dino is so cute I could just SQUEEZE him!

    ((((((( Dino)))))))))

    What a precious little face he has.

    OMG...I actually got teary-eyed reading the ad. And I think it's wonderful that you adopted him!

    "Well,then I went to see him and it was all over. He was TOO cute for words and....."

    I would have been the same way.

    I love all the stuff you're using to help him with his separation anxiety, and I know of Bach's Rescue Remedy very well. I used it on my cats and they also have one for people, which I've used myself. Great stuff!

    "Since work has been so stressful lately, I took one of the CD's to work with me but it ended up being a little awkward when I tried licking my balls during a meeting."

    BWhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! That made me HOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    What a wonderful post, girl! And I love that last photo!

    X to you Vinny, Millie and Dino!

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  5. AH, the joy of a new dog. Is he letting you sleep yet? I'm so glad he didn't get sick from the chocolate. My son left a peanut butter and chocolate chip sammie out once, and Chancy gulped it down in one bite. Gave her epicac, and she puked it right up. lovely.

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  6. What a brave girl you are! I clearly remember Nina's puppy years and how she chewed on my driving license and my French working permit (which back then has been loads and loads of trouble getting), without talking about how to teach her the flat's not the place where to poop 'n' piss. Actually, she was 3 months old when I got her and all she did was sleep, eat and soil the floor. I don't know if I wanted to go through all that again. By now, she's 14 and a half, slightly over-excited (people in the street believe her to be a puppy still) but much better behaved (at least, I think so). On the other hand, I do see the niceness of a new companion and, above all, I do see Dino's cuteness.

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  7. A handsome and lively lad! And he's lucky to be with you x

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  8. I love that last picture.

    Peace, Love and Chocolate,
    Tiffany

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  9. New follower here! Ron from "Vent" posted a link to your site this morning, and since I love his blog, I knew I would love yours too.

    You have some great posts on here! I can relate to every single one that I have read.

    Just wanted to introduce myself and say hello!

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  10. Awwww! I'm the same, only with greyhounds! Greyhounds are well known for SA, especially if you take them direct from the racing kennel.

    I've tried RR, and DAP and the CDs. I found the RR and CDs best for things like fireworks. The DAP is useful for SA but doesn't solve it, so here's what I do:

    For the first few days, many times a day, I get ready to go out, but don't actually go. Once I have my coat and shoes on, my bag (purse), car keys in my hand, etc., I simply reverse the process and put everything away and sit down again as if nothing had happened. Once the new dog is calm about this happening and doesn't show any anxiety, I move on to stage two.

    For the next few days, many times a day, I do the same and get ready to go out, but this time I go outside the front door, lock it, and come straight back in, take off my coat and shoes, put down my bag and sit down again.

    Stage three: I do the same but this time I stay out for two minutes before coming back inside, then five minutes, then ten minutes, then fifteen minutes. If at any point New Dog gets anxious, I go back a stage.

    Stage four is to actually get in the car and drive a mile or two down the road, so he knows I've really gone. Again, only for two minutes, then five, then ten, then fifteen, then half an hour. Once I can go out and right away from the house for half an hour without any anxiety, I pretty much consider him fixed, although for a while, you need to monitor things and gradually increase the length of time away.

    It's a pain, and it takes commitment but some dogs learn faster than others - last one took less than a week - and it does work!

    Good luck!

    I came over from Ron at Vent, by the way. ;)

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  11. @Teresa,
    I'm so not used to having a dog that actually MOVES. Seamus has never gotten over it? That's ecouraging.:-) I'm thinking about a dog walker a few days a week to see how that works out.

    @Ron,
    His cuteness is the only thing that keeps him alive!

    @Dieter Moitzi,
    Luckily, he's past the soiling in the house stage. He hasn't done that at all. He's just destroying the house. :-)

    @Indigo,
    :-)

    @Tiffany,
    Good to see you!

    @myfwbs,
    Hi, nice to meet you! Yes, Ron and I have the same warped outlook. Welcome~ :-)

    @Jay at the Dep Effect,
    How funny you should say that you have Greyhounds. I was actually looking into getting a few before I happened upon my Bernie at a shelter in 2007. They are the SWEETEST dogs.

    Thanks for the tips! And welcome~ :-)

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