You can almost hear the snoring

A moment from a sleepy Sunday afternoon...

Poor Puppy

The temperature got up as high as -5 yesterday and without any wind it was down right balmy here. We just had to get out a enjoy it a little so we took 'the boys' out for a run. Our usual running spot still doesn't have enough snow for sliding so we went to to the mountain behind the school which turned out to be fantastic. We did make a big mistake however. We let, or should I say encouraged Tank to follow us up the mountain.

And then he chased us down the hill.
 

Since we came back, this is what he's been doing.

Not only is he totally worn out, he's so stiff he can barely move. He's in pretty bad shape actually. He can't get up on the couch without help and stairs are a struggle. Nick helped him out a bit when he had to go out before bed.

We should have known better because it wouldn't be the first time he's had problems after physical exhertion but I've never seen him this bad before. But then again he's never climbed up and down a mountain before. The only consolation is that he had a great time. Poor puppy. We hate to leave him home but next time we will. For his own good.

If this doesn't answer your question....

Since I started this blog, Statcounter tells me the vast majority who just stumble upon me are looking for the answer to some form of 'how do bulldogs get along with babies' type question. I think that many of my posts have answered that over the last year but just in case there is any doubt, check out this short video. I know, I know, yet another video of my kid... but what I can I say? I'm a proud mama. I had forgotten about this one since it was taken when O was just 6 months old. I'm pulling it from the archives to share with the world. If you are a Facebook friend, you may have already seen it.


Enjoy!

It's a good thing we love you dog....

Problem: Tank is allergic to gluten. It makes his paws and ears an itchy mess of yeasty gooey-ness that cause him alot of discomfort. It's horrible for him when it flares up, it's horrible for us watching it, and it's even worse having to listen to him lick his paws loudly in the middle of the night for relief.

Bigger Problem: The dog food we've had him on since we got him all of a sudden changed their formula and it now contains oatmeal (aka: gluten). We noticed the new bag design but figured it was a cosmetic change and never thought to check the ingredients. The bag also had no mention of any changes to the formula so this was the last thing we thought was causing his latest bout of itching. Unfortunately, we have 6-25lb bags of the offending food here in the house because we way over bought on sealift last year

Biggest Problem: Decide on a new food that didn't include gluten and get it here without breaking the bank. Waiting for this years sealift would be the cheapest way but then you have a yeasty, itchy dog for months. Since that's really mean, we decided to get ISHOP4U to send us some asap no matter what we had to pay.

In the end: We bought 2-30lb bags of Orijen dog food which is the food we decided to go with. (Company out of Calgary that has rave reviews from people I know who use it) The food is expensive but most quality food is, it's about the same price as the old stuff so no big deal. The kicker- it cost us $300 dollars to have it sent from Ottawa by Canadian North. Three hundred dollars, just for the shipping!!! We expected it to be expensive but to see it on your credit card statement still takes your breath away.

Moral of the Story: It's amazing to have a pet up here but wow, sometimes they cost you a fortune. Luckily Tank loves his new food to the point that he bounces when he sees Nick going for the bag. It's only been a day so we haven't seen improvement in his itching yet but hopefully he'll have relief soon.

One more thing: if you use Royal Canine food, they have apparently been bought out by another company and has changed the formulas for many of their foods. From what I read, gluten allergy or not, you don't want your dog eating grains so you may want to check your labels.

Dog Free Space

When we first got Tank we bought a few dog training books to help us get through the puppy stage. One of my favorite bits of advice was when it said the best way to break a dog's bad habit is to move. New house means new routines so it a great time to implement change. I always remembered that so when we knew the move to Pang was coming, I gave fair warning that my nights of playing blanket wars and being woken by snoring that isn't my husbands will be ending soon. For those of you who don't know.... Tank, slept in our bed for the first 2 years of his life. I blogged about the hassles of having that forced on me in one of my very first posts..... "but he's so cute sleeping here".... "but look, he's soo cozy'' Yeah Nick, cute and cozy at 15 lbs. Not so much at 70!

It's been over a month that we've been dog free in bed and I can't explain how happy we both are about it. And the book was right, it was a very easy transition. In the past, any time we tried to change this behaviour he cried at the side of the bed till you let him up. We were weak and gave in every time. This time, we showed him his bed, got in ours and that was about it. He did wander around most of the first night, and 'asked' to come up a couple times but by the next he was sleeping soundly on his own bed. He's been content there ever since.

Knowing that nobody was going to drool on it or chew it, I treated myself to some new bedding. I love it and the kitties like it alot too. So ok... the bed isn't completely a pet free zone. But at least the girls accommodate you and not the other way around. They are much better bedmates than their brother was.

Sibling Rivalry

I was going through my picture file tonight and came across some old video of when Tank was little. I'd been looking for this one in particular for a while and am glad I finally found it. I've mentioned before that my cats aren't too happy with their 'little brother' but this shows visually how their relationship really is. Zazu beating up on Tank, and Tank's tail just a-waving. "All I wanna do is play? Why won't you play with me??"

Note: Zazu doesn't have claws so no animals were harmed in the filming of this video.

Enjoy!

Bath Night

I'm sure you've heard those stories of how back in the 'old days' Saturday night was bath night. Everyone in the family had their turn and they all used the same water. Even though we're not trying to ration water we decided to have our own version of Saturday night bath night and put Oliver and Tank in together. Oliver loved it! And even though it doesn't show Tank did too, he really likes to be bathed.

Tolerance

When we decided to get a dog I did lots of research to make sure bulldogs were good with children. All the books said they were a great kid friendly breed but I never thought that any dog could be this passive.

I have 10 more pictures like these and Tank never, ever wakes up. He's a good big brother.

Puppy Cuddles

I've been searching for the perfect picture for a new header which is hard to get. I finally caught this pic on a rare day both the boy and the dog were in a lazy mood. They layed like this for quite a while. It was pretty cute.

Again Tank?!?

My dog is unbelievable, and I don't mean that in a good way. I think I've blogged before about the Scotch Bright sponge he ate and thew back up 5 days later. And then there was Oliver's Robee (leather shoe) that disappeared only to be found 2 weeks later the same way. Two weeks! He must have felt so sick with that in his belly.

Over the last few months we have been bragging about how good he is now that he's a little older and seems to have lost the will to destroy everything. I guess we put too much faith in him because yesterday morning I heard the familiar sound and sure enough Tank was throwing up. The strange thing was, it was navy blue! We couldn't figure out for the life of us what he would have eaten that would turn his bile blue. Today the mystery was solved when he threw up another of Oliver's Robees. It was an old pair that I though I had put away last weekend so I didn't even know it was missing. Honestly, one of these days he's going to eat the wrong thing and it's going to kill him. Isn't it enough that he's only two and is already taking medication for arthritis. Does he not understand we live in a place without a vet??

On a completely different note... I would like to wish my beautiful nephew Erik a happy 2nd birthday tomorrow. Even if you didn't like having us around for the month it was nice to get to know you and I know someday you and Oliver will be great friends.

I made Erik a parka for his birthday so he and O would match. He was unimpressed.

Tongue

Too bad Tank is fixed... I think he'd make some lady bulldog very happy.

Another December baby

In my December Babies post a while ago I forgot to mention one other very important birthday. My precious first born son turns two today. I made Tanko a hamburger cake to celebrate and he loved it. I even 'iced' it with mustard. Not sure why I put one candle in it instead of two but he didn't seem to mind.

Those who like it.....

Nick's got all the kids trained.....

Questions I'd love to ask my dog

-What is it about the broom (swiffer, mop, guitar hero guitar, garbage can, rubbermaid tub, didgeridoo, food dish, box vacuum, suitcase...) that scares you so much?

-I know you scratch at the food drawer when you want something. Would it be possible to use some some sort of code so I can better serve you? Perhaps one scratch for food, two for a denta-stick and three for ice cubes?

-I would really love to know what is it you smell that tells you that THIS is the spot to poo on.

-What are you dreaming about when we wake up at 5 am to you humping the blanket in your sleep... ok, that one may not require an an answer

-Do you do the same excited dance at the window when you see me coming up the hill to the house that you do for your Dad? or do I maybe have my own version?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Nick complained to me the other night that even though the blog is called Babies and Bulldogs, the baby posts far outweigh the bulldog ones. That is true. I guess like most parents, the first born dog somewhat falls out of favor in photos and stories once the human baby comes along. With that in mind today it's all about Tanko.

I always joke that Tank is the biggest celebrity in town. When we arrived last summer we couldn't go anywhere him without a mob of kids (and a few adults) swarming us. Most told us they had never seen a bulldog in real life which makes sense since they are not exactly a cold weather breed. The first question we always heard was 'Does he bite?' I always found that a funny question to ask about a pet but I guess his toothy smile could make people wonder. Now a year later the mobs have stopped but I don't think I've ever out with him that I don't hear 'Hi Tank!' from someone.

Tank is faring very well in the north. He's always loved the snow and will frolic when there's some one the ground to play in. Watch him 'sliding' by the house next door. He'd do this over and over.


I was worried that we would have a problem with him in the cold and he would have to use pee-pee pads in the front hall. I wasn't pleased about that considering how long it took us to train him. I even bought him boots and a coat to keep him toasty so I wouldn't have to deal with that. As it turned out, it wasn't a problem and he won't have anything to do with his cold weather gear. We just don't keep him out too long.

The only downside of having a bulldog is that not everyone appreciates their unique um... shall I say beauty? I can't tell you how many times people have told me he's the ugliest thing they've ever seen. I hate hearing that because to me he's a gorgeous boy. Some lady in Iqaluit said, 'he's got a face only a mother could love' to which I replied. 'Yup, and I do'.

Extreme close up

8 months

I try to do a little photoshoot with O on or around each month-aversary. I pretend I'm a photographer and do a background, with props and try to make them nice frame worthy pictures. I love seeing how he's growing and changing every month in a posed photo. hmmm, I said posed. That's getting much more difficult now that he's on the move. I set up our shoot today and didn't get one good shot.

There he goes.

Right off the set.

Then I added Tanko to the mix. Bad idea. Neither would stay still so both are blurry.

Finally Tank struck a pose but O was long gone.

You know what they say.... 'Never work with kids or animals'. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow.

Smile

Have you ever seen a bulldog smile?

Strange Bedfellows

I woke up in the wee hours from Nick tugging on the duvet. How was it possible he wanted more blanket when I barely had enough to cover me?? He obviously already had it all! I tugged back and a mild war ensued. When neither one of us came up with more blanket we realised that the third member in our bed had all spoils. Yes, that's right, the 65lbs dog had conquered blanket land.

Now, I know what you're all thinking... and you're right. I didn't start this and I didn't want this. 'Someone' started this trend when he was a puppy and here we are fighting for bed space with a dog that gets very grumpy with you if you try and move him. We even have a plastic tub at the end of the bed so he can get up and down himself. That was a brainstorm I had late one night after listening to him whine at the edge of the bed once too often.

The solution... perhaps a king size bed. Unfortunately we have not been able to convince the government to provide us with one.

PS: Please disregard the decor, especially that lamp. We have government issued furniture and could only bring so much with us. We make do with what we have :)

Mexican anyone?

It's 915pm. O is down for the night and I have just finished a hot bath with a good book. Can anything ruin this weak legged, drowsy, warm from the inside feeling? YES! Yes there is something. It's the sound of a garbage bag rustling downstairs in the kitchen. The sound of the bag containing the recently collected house garbage. The garbage that includes the dirty diapers.... Oh no....TANK!!!!!!

I get downstairs just in time to see Tank remove his huge head from the bag. He has a look of guilty satisfaction on his face having just dined on what Nick likes to call 'Shit Burritos'. Oh, so gross! This is something he's done before when I forgot to put up the gate on Oliver's room. I thought I ended this habit when I finally had the insight to use a diaper pail with a lid. Yet here we are again. The only good news is the faux polar bear mat that he usually likes to dine on isn't in the kitchen.




I know that ultimately this is my fault so I can't really blame the puppy. If you left a Taco Bell bag on the floor I might have to dig into it too. Maybe black garbage bags represents fast food in doggie world.

Happy Nunavut Day to all Nunavummiuts!