All About Jada Part II

Alright, back to Jada. 

Let's see...I guess my whole reason for writing about Jada in the first place was to just emphasize how different it is to be around a dog like Mattie after getting used to being around a dog like Jada. Mattie doesn't really like to play fetch with either a ball or a stuffed animal kind of toy.  It was a struggle to get her to play tug-of-war with a rope toy with me just a handful of times. Mainly, Mattie just likes to follow you around and be pet.  Sometimes I find this upsetting because I was used to such a high energy and playful dog, but then I realize that it's probably a good thing Mattie isn't so high energy because it makes it much easier to care for her.

Another positive thing about Mattie that is very different from Jada is that Mattie isn't very vocal.  She growls or barks when she sees other people walking their dogs out of our 3rd floor window, but other than that she pretty much expresses herself through panting or "sighing."  I love Jada, but I would worry about bothering the neighbors if I had a dog who barked every time someone was at the door, sometimes when cars passed by, to get my attention, etc. 

(Ahh! I really didn't do a good job of planning these 2 entries about Jada, so I'm sorry they are so sporadic. I probably should have written about this before anything else!)

When I first met Jada, she intimidated the hell out of me. (Pardon the expression). I first started hanging out with Leon in a group setting, so Jada was suddenly exposed to about 3 or 4 new faces at once. This can be difficult for dogs who are territorial.  I remember Jada sniffing everyone as we filed in through the front door to make sure we were "okay." If she smelled anything interesting, she did a great job of impeding you from entering her home until she was 100% satisfied that you would not present any immediate threat.

To be continued…(I just have so much to say and so little time! Maybe I'll put some more pictures or a video up in the next entry)

All About Jada

In my very first blog entry, I mentioned my ex-boyfriend's dog, Jada, who really had a huge impact on me.  I loved being able to play with and love on Jada so much that I decided to make a huge commitment and adopt a dog of my own.  I've recently been spending some time with my ex-boyfriend and his friends at his house so I've been around Jada again. It's amazing how different she and Mattie are. To help anyone who's keeping up with this blog to really understand what I mean by that, I'm writing an entry ALL ABOUT JADA!

So first of all, she is a brindle-colored American Staffordshire Terrier.  She loves being taken to the Quad to play fetch with her red Kong ball, and she has eyes for nothing else when that ball is around. Jada is a high energy dog, so an hour on the Quad with that ball is a good way to get her to unwind a bit. I'd say her second favorite way to play is to wrestle. She's pretty tough, and definitely stubborn, but she's incredibly obedient to her two owners, Leon and Chris (my ex-boyfriend and his roommate/good friend from home).  I think it's pretty interesting that she listens to each of them equally as well because I guess I was under the impression that dogs sort of take to one master and only fully obey that one person.

Anyway, here are some pictures of Jada, and I actually have to run now, but I'll finish talking about Jada in my next entry!

She curls up quietly and naps on the couch whenever people aren't paying attention to her.

sorry they're kinda blurry. she just wouldn't sit still for me!

Shaggy Girl

Look how shaggy Mattie is already! It’s funny to see how fast her hair grows. It seems to grow faster than human hair… but then again when I think about it, guys’ hair seems to grow faster than girls’ hair probably because it’s so short and you can see the difference in length in just a couple of weeks.

She’s starting to smell…doggish...if you know what I mean by that.  Since she sleeps in my room, my room is starting to smell like a dog.  I would really like to give her another bath, but the vet told me that the less I mess with her, the less her skin allergies will bother her.  I’m only supposed to give her 2-3 baths a year and I’m definitely not supposed to clip her hair very often.

Does anyone else happen to have a dog with similar problems who could maybe make some suggestions? I was going to buy some waterless shampoo for her, but I bet that will dry out her skin as well.  I've already been using pet wipes and baby wipes to sort of "spot clean" her but that doesn't really help to take away that doggy smell she's got going on. 

Anyway, I haven't posted many pictures on here in a while so here's a few for your viewing pleasure haha.

Real Problems

I love Mattie, but man is she having some real problems right now. The steroid injection she was given last week has caused her to have a few episodes of incontinence and I've come home to find her backside wet from her own urine. This is really bad because I'm renting this apartment and whatever damages occur as a result of Mattie, whether the be her fault or not, are my responsibility. I'm worried that if she can't regain control of her bladder soon I'm going to lose my security deposit. Luckily, my roommate has a crate that is large enough for her to sleep in, but I really hate putting her in there at night and when I go to class. She looks so depressed when she accepts that she's going to have to stay in that little space for a long time. She usually lays down and lets out a huge sigh.

On a related note, the steroid injection is also making her hungrier. I felt bad for not being able to pay much attention to her last week, so I sort of tried to appease her by giving her a little extra food. Maybe "a little" isn't exactly the right phrase... the vet's scale said she had only gained about a pound, but she looks a lot fatter to me. Maybe it's just because her hair is growing out again and getting fluffy. Now that I cut back her food again, she's been acting up when we go for walks. She darts ahead, yanking me with her, to sniff out anything she sees on the ground in hopes that it's edible. I don't like her eating things off of the ground outside because you never know what she's eating and if it's somehow toxic. 

Oh, Mattie...what are we going to do with you? Keep on keeping on, I guess, because you certainly are here to stay :-)

Trash in the Hallway

(I never know what to say in my titles for these entries, so forgive me if they are cheesy)

This morning I let the girls out (Mattie and my roommate's dog Indy) to use the bathroom. Whenever I let them out together I put Mattie on a leash but Allegrah never puts Indy on a leash since she's a tiny dog. The only problem with this is that Indy gets a Napoleon complex when she sees big dogs and other people; she runs after them and barks like crazy almost as if she's trying to scare them off or assert her dominance. It's hard to control a big dog like Mattie while you're trying to get a little dog who thinks she is big to calm down.

Anyway, after chasing Indy down and getting her to calm down again, the 3 of us headed back upstairs to my apartment. On the way, Indy saw another person and took off running up the stairs. I was distracted trying to get her under control, so I didn't realize that Mattie had gotten into a trash bag that was ripped open laying in the hallway. She ate a few chicken bones and I'm a little worried about her. I hope they don't mess up her tummy :-(

I just get so angry at people around here for leaving their trash in the hallways, throwing their cigarette butts on the ground, smashing glass bottles in the parking lots and in the grass, leaving food messes around, and NOT PICKING UP THEIR DOGS' POO! If I have to use a trash bag to pick up my dog's mess every time she does it, then I feel like everyone else should have to do the same. In our lease it says that people who do not pick up after their dogs will be fined. This rule is hard to enforce unless someone reports it, though, and I don't want to necessarily be on bad terms with my neighbors. I guess I could try saying something to them if I see it happen and if they don't change their ways I shouldn't feel so bad about reporting them.

Poor Mattie... she's still itchy and chewing at herself because of her skin allergies despite the steroid injection she got yesterday. On top of that, the steroids are making her drink more water and have to use the bathroom more often. Last night I let her sleep on top of a water resistant blanket on top of my bed as usual. I'm glad I have been taking that precaution because sure enough, she wet the bed. Luckily I caught it as soon as it happened and none of it soaked through to my actual bed. I think I must have startled her in her sleep when I got up to use the bathroom.

This picture isn't totally related, but it's a picture of Mattie chillin out in her usual spot (on top of the weather resistant blanket) with me while I do some homework in my room:

She's awfully hard to say no to...just look at that face!

Mattie's Second Vet Visit

This morning I took Mattie to the vet for the second time, thinking I was just going in to get her booster shots on the vaccines we got for her last time.  Instead, she got a steroid injection for her skin allergies and we have to go back in a week to get the booster shots. I'm pretty upset because I had no idea that skin allergies were so serious and that they would require so much to fix. If we can't figure out what exactly is causing the allergies and make the necessary changes, poor Mattie will have to get steroid injections every 3-6 weeks. This is an expense I certainly didn't anticipate upon deciding to get a dog (along with the vaccines and possible spaying operation).

The good news is, the vet could at least tell me that she is not currently going into heat. This is a huge relief, because if she were going into heat I would have a lot more to worry about than I already do. I'm going to wait to get her spayed, because the expenses are adding up and I don't want to pay the money to have them open her up just to find out that she has already been spayed.

Other than all these worries an concerns, Mattie's been the best companion :-) I still don't regret adding her to our little household here. She greets me at the door every time I come home, and she's such a goofball that she can make me smile without fail.  She makes me feel less lonely; I don't have to go to bed at night all alone and I don't have to wake up in the morning feeling alone either. She's my babygirl :-)