Today was another lazy Sunday. I did get a few projects done. A few weeks back my German Shepard Arwen broke the glass in our basement door so that was the first order of business. We have a dog hating neighbor who has complained to the police on a couple of occasions about Arwen's barking. Because of this, we can only let her out when we can keep track of the noise she is making. I had intended to build a privacy fence around our backyard but with recent events I can't afford the costs now. It bothers me that such a large dog is trapped most of the day in our basement and if we can't make changes soon, I am going to have to find her another home. It would break my heart (and the kids), but it's just not fair to her.
Something else about Arwen. She is terrified of cameras. I try to limit taking her picture so I don't stress her out but after I snapped this one I was reminded of that line from Shaun of the Dead about dogs not being able to look up. If you haven't seen it yet, its a hilarious move. Their followup, Hot Fuzz, is likewise a riot.
I also stripped our vacuum cleaner today and washed it's filters. As I was doing this, my wife was clipping our dogs. This was not a good combination of projects since we have to wait for the filters to dry before we can use the cleaner. So until tomorrow we have a carpet full of dog hair.
Wow, I can't believe I'm actually writing about cleaning my vacuum cleaner. I really need some warm weather.
15 comments:
We're supposed to wash the filters?? Great.
There are collars that stop the barking. Not the shock collars (ineffective), there are these citrus/citronella collars that spray a puff of the stinky stuff near the dog's nose when it barks. Very effective, painless and quick-working.
Back in the 80's we had a German Shepard mix that was afraid of cameras. One time I went up to him with my Kodak and he began cowering. I have no idea what he thought was going to happen.
You could just do a lot more clipping and then pretend it's a shag carpet.
Wait a sec ... your dog is name Arwen? You named your dog after an elvish princess?
(LOVE Shaun and Hot Fuzz. I'm going to have to watch HF again. HILARIOUS.)
Hey there. Sorry about the dog ordeal. I had the police here, as well due to the barking. I did take a drastic measure, but it worked and we live happily ever after. I did try the citronella collars, but they only worked for a day...not saying it isn't worth a try, of course. About the vacuum. Can you come teach me the art of vacuum stripping? Mine is choking on dog hair and smells like fire when it runs.
Awww... poor pup. I don't understand people that can't handle the occasional burst of an animal acting like an, well, animal.
That hair came from clipping? All my dog has to do is lay on the carpet and it looks like that!
I'm thinking that you should do an instructional video of how to strip a vacuum. Sounds like a lot of us could use a lesson on it.
Probably the best thing you can do for the dog is walk her every day, for at least an hour, and I mean WALK -- not just let her wander around on a leash, but walk and keep her focused on the walk. If she's exercised with someone in the family as her leader, she'll use up energy and be disposed to sleep when she's home.
If you can't manage that, yes, for the dog's sake, you should find a home where she is a better fit. I screwed up entirely with my last dog and I've been doing a lot of reading and studying about them so that when I NEXT get a dog, I won't have the problems. People are likely to blame the dog for being 'bad' or something, when most (if not all) of the time it's something the owners do or don't do. Yes, it will probably hurt, but making an animal miserable and making yourself miserable because you are trying to avoid being miserable makes no sense at all.
Also -- no apostrophe in the plural "dogs". An apostrophe is used for a possessive (something belongs to the dog) or a contraction (to shorten, for instance, 'dog is'). This message was brought to you by the Apostrophe Protection Society. http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/)
Wendy- For normal people you probably don't have to. Since my house is infested with dogs, it's not an option
Jenn- I've heard of those and I may look into getting one. Thanks!
Scott- Yea, I don't know what her deal is. Maybe I should stop beating her with my Canon (I'm just kidding here people)
CS- LOL...Shag carpet!
Dyna- Maybe I'll have a vacuum cleaner cleaning seminar...hmmmm
Dorky- Great movies
Princess- He is just a mean old man who for some reason took a dislike to me. I think it has to do with a couple of trees I refused to cut down.
Dana-If I don't use the vacuum for about a week then mine looks like that too!
Sherri- Actually, I now plan to use the tax break we are getting this year to get that fence...yay!
Hey, just back to let you know I've morphed and moved.
Fence is nice, but walking the dog is better. Big dogs require a lot of exercise and walking is the best way. You'll get a happier, better behaved dog. Had a fenced yard for my last dog, but I didn't walk her nearly enough. She spent a lot of time climbing a 5 foot high wooden fence. It was amazing to see. Also, annoying.
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Where the heck did you go, Jeff?
Interesting to know.
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