More photos

So, this is Monday evening yoga on Lafitte Greenway.  While I do not attend, Rudy and I walk around them and soak in their peaceful vibes.  The Lafitte Greenway being two blocks from our house was one of the selling points.  

Here is the levee off of Severn Avenue in Metairie (Metry).  I was a dragon 🐉🐲Rudy around Metaire to go shoe shopping and making groceries.  After the shoe store, which I will tell you about later, I decided to take Rudy to the lake.  I realized that I could just go north from the mall and there it was.  We parked at the end of a residential street and just walked up.  It feels so otherworldly up on the levee.  The grass was so spongy.  And I also discovered that there were fire ants in the grass.  Luckily Rudy didn't step in them.  

So here are my new shoes.  I mainly needed them for our half mile walks.  

But, I did not get these at Dick's when I dragged Rudy out there.  So, what happened was, there were about two and a half minutes left during the Saints game when I decided to jump (Rudy doesn't jump really) into the car and make it over to the mall before the game was over.  I got there no problem.  But, there were still a few seconds left to the game when I walked into Dick's.  (Notice I am not going to make any phallic references because I'm so matour.). I walked around the two rows of shoes multiple times before I settled on a shoe I liked.  And I waited.  The game was over by then.  But I waited.  And I waited.  And I waited some more.  I watched a women pick up a shoe and wait.  And wait.  But then a guy came out of the back and helped her.  He walked right by me going into the back.  Then he walked kinda near me coming back out several minutes later.  And then I realized all these other customers had appeared in the shoe section right after the game had ended.  So I knew there was no hope.  

So here's the thing.  A long time ago, I was ignored when I went shopping.  No one bothered with little young me.  Then I got a little older, and salespeople came right to me when I walked in the door.  Not necessarily to help me, but to make sure I wasn't shoplifting,  And they would "discreetly" follow me.  I didn't really realize this at first.  Naive little me.  Then I got older, and I guess more invisible looking, less shopliftery looking. This also coincided with the financial crisis of 2008.  That was when all the stores cut salespeople.  And then no one would help me unless I tracked someone down and asked.  And it's mostly been that way ever since.  

So, the next day TFP and I went to the Nike outlet store which is like two miles from our house.  They have the display, and then they have the boxes of different sizes so you can help yourself.  I found some shoes I liked in a couple minutes.  Which is so fast for me.  And they had my size too, which was surprising.  And TFP, who usually can find shoes, didn't find anything he liked.  The bonus about these shoes was that they were $29.99.  The shoes that I wanted to get at Dick's were $74.99.  So, FU Dick's.  🖕🏼

And finally, here is an amusing sign at the Big Easy convenience store.  Personally, I don't think it's safe to run with a propane tank.  Also, when they are full, they are pretty heavy... just sayin.

RUDY!!!

So, it's been 4 months that we only have one pet.  Although, we have a bunch of kitties that live under & around our house.  I want to get them more used to us.... but we have this huge dog that they seem to have a problem with 🤣.

Anyway, Rudy is even more "clingy" than before.  Even though he wasn't buddies with Stinksy, I still think Rudy misses having that other physical being in the house.    While he doesn't need to be right next to us, he does need to be able to see us.  So if I move around the living room or kitchen, he will get up and change position so he can still keep an eye on me.  So, I don't have much to blog about really.  I just wanted to share some photos of Rudy.

Lunch for one, please

So, don't judge me.   Ok, you can because it's kinda an involuntary thing, to judge people.  I don't know why we all don't walk around with robes, gavels and maybe even wigs.  Anyway, Rudy had a quick bite, floor service (instead of table service, get it).  And yes, that is the same plate I would eat off of after being washed.

To preface this video, I might still be having residual feelings of guilt.  I almost killed this dog of mine.  

Rudy.  RuBear.  Rudy Roo.  Rudy Ruettiger.  Rudy Rudebaker.  Rudy Rutabaga.  Roodles Canoodles.  It's a Ru.  

I fuckin love this dog.  Every dog or cat or pet owner can relate.  I'm not gonna say, no, I love him more than you love your dog.  I might, or I might not.  

Anyway, yesterday morning, we drove to Flagler Drive in Flagler Village for a walk.  We met Steamboat, a pitbull of a friend who has a brewery right in the area, Invasive Species.  Big surprise, Rudy didn't like Steamboat.  So, we had a good walk.  Then we went back to the car.  I put Rudy in the back seat, & I filled the cup holder with water for him.  

Then I closed the door.  And the keys were on the passenger seat.  And the doors were locked.  And my phone was in the car.

But the door was cracked.  I tried to wedge my hand in, but it was just a crack.  

These landscapers just pulled up behind me, so I asked if I could use someone's phone.  The one guy that handed me a phone gave me an android.  And of course I didn't know how to use it.  I called TFP (my husband) and it went straight to voicemail.  He was out running.  I left a panicky message relaying the situation.  And I called again, and again, and again.  I probably called him 15 times.  I panicked even more after about 10-15 minutes, so I called 911.  They were sending the fire department.  Rudy was fine... but I was not.  He didn't really seem anxious until about 15 - 20 minutes in.  Then the phone I was using stopped working.  I think I made the data reach the limit, so I couldn't call anymore.  And I couldn't answer the phone when TFP tried to call back.  But, luckily, the firemen showed up.  They were able to open the door really quickly since it was cracked.  Of course, Rudy went ballistic.  So they got the door open, but were holding it closed until I got around to the door.  They didn't want him to lunge out and bite him, which he probably would have done.....I opened the door, and I poured more water in the cup holder.  He drank it all.  Then I refilled.  He drank that.  He drank all the water I had in the car.  It was about 25 - 30 minutes by the time the door was unlocked.  Luckily, he wasn't in direct sunlight.  I was fucking freaking out anyway.  In 6 years since we've had that car, I don't think I've ever locked the keys in the car.  Ever.

After they left, TFP called my phone, and I answered.  He came to give me $20.  So, I put the landscaper's phone back in their truck with some cash to pay for the phone bill.  And that was that.  We went home.  I gave Rudy a ton of treats and hugs.  I don't know if he really understood why.  

So, go ahead judge me all you want, if it makes you feel better.  I totally judged myself.  I ruled Guilty!

What Do I Do When I Don't Feel Like Posting?

I post a video of the animals...

Today was a weird day.  I spent lots of time with Rudy, and I realized, I never have enough time or energy to spend quality time with him.  He needs a lot of work.  And lots of love.  The work... well, it's a work in progress.

The love, yes, that's also a work in progress too.  He doesn't like to be hugged.  He growls if we hug him.  And if we pet him or crowd him the wrong way when he's not in the mood, he growls.  He's high maintenance, because the reverse side of it, is that he doesn't like to be left alone outside or in a room when we are somewhere else.  He whines this high pitched whine like he's in danger or something.

But, we had a first today.  I was trying to rip the broken screen off the door, and Rudy was crowding me.  So, I pushed him away with my hip, and I might have inadvertently pushed his head against the door frame.  He looked a little stunned, but not hurt.  I felt really really bad.  I bent down to pet him, and he seemed fine, then he licked my face.  I have never let him lick my face.  He's such a dirty dog.  He eats shit and dirt and bugs and dirty napkins and licks the floor.  But I hurt him and I felt bad and I apologized, and he licked my face.  What a good doggie.

Anyhoo, on a totally different subject, I dropped my iphone for the first time today!  It was a horrible feeling.  That's what I get for using the iphone while driving (at a stoplight mind you) and then setting it on the seat next to me and forgetting it was there.  When I got out of the car, it tumbled out onto the ground.  Luckily, I had that big bulky lifeproof case on it.  I'm not sure if it would have faired quite as well with the cool smaller and slender transparent purple case.  It might have been okay, but it fell face side down. :(  I hate myself for doing something stupid like that.  I should know better by now, since I've had to live with myself for almost 39 years now.

Noisy, Aggressive, Smelly, Greedy, Entitled, Rude, Unapologetic

Frat Boys.....

Oh, no, I mean Rudy.

He is so obnoxious.  He's loud and clumsy - he's a bull in a china shop.  And he's jealous and possessive, yet he growls a lot when we try to pet him.  When he's cranky or anxious and wants to play, he follows me around and bites me.  He knows he isn't supposed to eat our food or the cats' food, but he tries to every chance he gets.  He makes lots of loud noises that sound like old men sleeping, or teamsters, or passed out frat boys.  His farts are horribly offensive.  I mean they permeate the whole room and literally smell like shit.  Tonight, I smelled one all of a sudden, and I had to check the rug he was lying on to make sure he hadn't shat on it.  He hadn't.  It was just a fart.

Oh the joys of dog parenting that I've waited so long for.  I think the problem is, I should have gotten a dog a long ass time ago.  A long ass time ago, I wasn't as much of a germaphobe, or as OCD about certain things, and I was more patient and tolerant, I wasn't as much as a grumpy old person as I am now.

But, he's funny.  And he's goofy.  And he's Rudy.

But I'm thinking I need to get beano for dogs.  I mean really. It smelled like shit.

Pricks

I was walking Rudy at the beach this morning.  He was jerking on the leash, so I jerked him a little, and I stabbed myself in the thumb with a cactus.  It's kind of funny, because when we first passed by the cacti, I told Rudy that those were prickers and he didn't want to get stabbed by them.  I guess he showed me.

Then, later, I was trimming the nonflowering bougainvillea.  I had Rudy hooked to the house with the three leashes.  That was just enough lead so he could go a little onto the grass if he wanted or needed.

So, when I was trimming the bougainvillea, of course he wanted to "help".  He was all in it.  Once again, I tried to pull the trimmings away from Rudy, so he wouldn't get pricked, and I pricked my hand.

Figures.

Rudy is a prick.

Not really, he's just a puppy.  Just a puppy who kept challenging Stinksy's right to lay on the bed.  Rudy kept jumping on the bed and barking at Stinksy, but Stinksy held his ground.

In other happenings of the day, I put my bra on backwards.  How is that possible?  I wear mostly sports bras.  They are easier for work, and you can get a 3 pack for cheap at Walmart or Target.  And, my bra size is always sold out when I'm looking for the more traditional cup bra.  So, also, I swear my tits are shrinking.  Like, if it weren't for my pointy nipples, I wouldn't ever bother with a bra.  Anyway, I had my swimsuit on this afternoon.  And I needed to go to the store, so I had to change.  I just threw some clothes on.  Later, I went to change for the evening walk with Rudy, I noticed that the bra was on backwards when I looked in the mirror.  So, obviously, it didn't even feel weird.  Why even bother with a bra?

Embarrassed Mom

So, we were running late for leaving the house this morning by 5 minutes.  Then there was all this brake light traffic on the 95.  So, we took a detour.

By the time we got to doggie daycare, it was 7:45, which is late for us.  There were several other dog parents dropping off their dogs.  And of course, Rudy had to bark at every dog and every person when we were walking in.  Even after I handed his leash over to the daycare counselor, he still kept barking.  The counselor was surprised at this.

When I was walking out, I noticed that someone had peed on the floor.  I'm pretty sure that Rudy made the other little dog do it....

For shame.  I walked out of there, hangdog expression on my face.

Nothing But Rest And Relaxation...

when I am laid up in a hospital or nursing home.  Until then, there is a lot to do.

Ok, when I get home from work most days, I don't do many productive activities, but I'm getting to be an old lady and I need time to recuperate from standing and working all day without a break besides pissing (and every once in a while pooping).

But days off are not for sleeping.  They are for living.  And TCB.

Ok, admittedly, I slept in til 6:24 today.  Yeah, I know, lazy lady.  That's me.

Anyway, it was funny because the FP was sound asleep and the lady with the day off had to wake him up.

So, Rudy and I went to a park off the beach that we had never been to.

Why, wherever we go, does Rudy always find the fish and meat bones in the grass?  I mean really.  And corn cobbs too.  Do people not know about throwing their food in the trash?  It's like, do they think they are being green and composting?  What about the dogs, though?  Do they want to possibly kill dogs with chicken bones? WTF?

Anyway, eventually, we got a little jogging in.  Well, jogging for me.  It was more like a brisk trot for long legged Rudy.

So, when we went back home, we had worked up a sweat.  So we went swimmies!

Then Rudy worked up an appetite and wanted a little snack

Then he took a nap while I went to the store.

And I'm having an interesting yet not so tasty cocktail now, while I write this blog!  Good day off.  I just have to remember to drink lots and lots of water so this one drink doesn't dehydrate me!

Bite The Hand

All I can say, is, Rudy is a scary dog.  He came home and went straight into his crate while I was bringing stuff in from the car.  

That's normal.

But, then I realized he still had his leash on, so I went to take it off of him.  I reached in, and he growled and almost bit me.  I thought, he's sick or something.  So, I looked more closely in his mouth, and I saw that he had found a kitty kong and was chewing it.  

I tried to use "drop it" and jerked his collar, which of course didn't work, especially from that angle with him in the crate.

So, I had to lure him with a treat.  He dropped it really quickly.

But it still doesn't erase the fact that I'm scared of my dog.  I don't want to get nerve damage from him.  The way he bites when he does, seems to affect my nerves in my arm.

I don't like it.

I love that dog, but sometimes I just don't like him.

Big Yellow House

So, before we moved here, we finally took the cats to the vet and got them microchipped.  The vet gave us these big rubber yellow house ID tags with their microchip numbers on them.  We decided to get the cats collars and put the tags on them when traveling and after moving until they were familiar in their surroundings.  We didn't want them to run away and not have a collar.

So, the tags were silly, but we just never took them off.  Until my BFF came to visit.  She thought that Stinksy's collar was too tight, which it might have been, but he never minded it.  So, after that, we never put it back on.

But The Fuzz still has hers on.  I have tried to take hers off a few times, but it is impossible for me to unsnap with my nonexistent nails.  So, she still wears hers.  It really doesn't bother her.  And I think she likes bling anyway - she's a girly cat.

So, here's a video of her sporting her big yellow house.

And yes, that is a beer I'm moving.  I'm not offering it to her, I'm just trying to get her to look at the camera.  And then later in the video, I yell "off" when of course, Rudy is trying to jump on the counter....


In other pet news, I recorded part of the movie "Rudy" the other night.  Coincidentally, I was watching "Rudy" when my old friend from junior high called.  She went to Notre Dame, so I took it as a sign to answer the phone.  She didn't think I would answer, but surprise surprise, I did!

Anyhow, the FP noticed tonight that I had recorded "Rudy".  So he started watching it.  I told him it wasn't the whole movie, but it didn't really matter because we've seen the movie several times before anyway.  I had recorded it because I wanted to see if Rudy would respond to the end of the movie when the whole football stadium chants, "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!"  When that part of the movie came on, he was snoozing.  But after a little while, he raised his head and his ears perked up.  He looked at us, like, oh, they're chanting my name!  It was cute.  After all, that was the moment that inspired his name years before we even met him!

Waterboy

So, let's clear up about last night.  I felt like shit.  Probably had something to do with the junk food dinner I had... That's why I didn't blog.

Today I have something good to blog about!

Rudy finally jumped into the pool for the first time today!!!

So, he has been going in to the first step, no problem.  But that's as far as he can go very willingly.  If he goes any farther, he does a nosedive in the water.  So, he has gone out past the first step a handful of times.  Most of the time though, the FP "coaxes" or drags him deeper.  Once he gets swimming, it looks pretty graceful and effortless.  The difficult part is just getting him in the water.

So, we have been trying to lure him in with treats and toys, but most of the time he just barks desperately on the side because he can't reach the treat or toy.  So, then, maybe the FP will lead him into the water, and he can retrieve the toy or treat and swim back to the steps.

But today, after a while, he finally kind of jumped off the first step into the water to retrieve a soggy dog treat.  Then after that, he realized that it was easier to get in the water than he thought, so he slowly kept going in to retrieve the blue frisbee that the treat was on the first time.

And he went in several times.  Of course, the FP was being a typical father figure, trying to push him to go in the pool one time right after the other.  Rudy liked to have a few minutes in between to chew on the frisbee before going back in.  I thought Rudy looked like he was getting tired, so the FP let him take a breather.  But then after a little while, he was ready to go in again.

We just need him to figure out how to jump from the edge of the pool now.  It will come.  Then he will be ready for Bark Park dog swim.  There is a manmade lake there, with a nice drop off where people can throw tennis balls and dogs can jump off and swim to retrieve the ball.  Some of these dogs can jump really far.

Rudy should be able to jump too.  After all, he is a retriever!

We were such proud parents!  And in this day and age, no video of it.  But maybe tomorrow, or Saturday.

Bad Call

Those sleeping pills last night were a bad call.  I took one and a half generic Tylenol PM last night.  And the drugs were thwarted mainly by my cat, The Fuzz.  I guess she felt better after we scrubbed her stinky poo butt clean and shaved off her big tangled clump of fur.  So, she came to bed and stood right next to me and meowed loudly in my face - at 12 am.  It startled me awake from a deep sleep.  And then she kept doing it every couple hours.  

Also, Rudy made his normal restless dog noises.  He is so loud, it sounds like a grumpy old man or some kind of monster or something.  

And then, some of the FP's friends called at 3:30 am!!!!  His phone was on vibrate, but when I heard the buzz, it woke me up (again from a deep sleep)  and I thought it was my phone alarm clock going off.  I jumped out of bed to turn it off, when I realized it was the FP's phone next to the bed.  

Anyway, I want to go to sleep early tonight, but I don't want a repeat of last night.  So, I'm thinking I should just go au naturale - and hope that I can get a good night's sleep for once!!!!

And They Call it Puppy Love

So, if you know us, we've been wanting a dog for ages.  As far back as I can remember.  When we lived in New Orleans, there was one puppy that I really liked.  She was at a pet store, sadly, but she was this grey and black splotchy lanky puppy.  I was going to name her Splotches.  I called the landlady to ask if we could have a dog.  She never returned my call.  Someone snatched up Splotches on the day she became available to adopt.

After Katrina, one day I was driving down Jefferson Highway.  I saw an SUV pull over on the side of the road.  Then the SUV pulled away.  I thought I saw little black puppy paws.  So, I pulled over.  It seemed that this little puppy probably had been near the road and the SUV pulled over to investigate, but left him there.  I found him in this run down garage or shed full of all kinds of loose dangerous stuff.  He came out straight to me.  He was a little black terrier mix puppy.

So, I did the only thing I could think of.  I picked him up and put him in the back seat of the car.  I got in the driver's seat, and he came up to the front.  He situated himself so his head was in my lap, and that's the way we road back to the house.

So, I brought him home.  The cats were so pissed.  He liked to chase them through the house to the bed, where they would run under to hide.  He seemed to be kind of housebroken, but he had no problem just waking up in the middle of night to piss or shit in the dining room.

I think when the FP saw him, he thought this was going to be our dog.  But, we were about to move across the country.  How the hell were we going to find an apartment in San Diego with two cats and a puppy.  So, I posted a listing for him on petfinder or some site like that.  No answer.  I saw a picture of a puppy that almost looked like him, but more jowly.  I emailed the guy with a picture of the puppy, but he said it could not be his.

So, I posted on craigslist.  A lot of people responded.  All from out of state.  People wanted a Katrina dog.  One nice woman asked me why I didn't keep him.  I told her how we were moving and we couldn't afford it at the time. She offered to pay for vet bills whether or not we kept him.

So, the FP took him into the vet.  He felt like this was his puppy.  But, someone local responded.  Her beloved dog had passed away a while ago, and she wanted another.  So, we took him to see her.  She had a big black lab who he wanted to play with.  He also tried to hump her.  She said she would talk to her husband about it.  We urged her to take him already for a trial, and so the husband could meet him.  So, she reluctantly took him.  And that was the last we saw of Oliver.

So, a year or so ago, I realized what kind of dog I wanted.  A shiba inu.

 

They are so sweet looking, they stay relatively small, they don't bark much, they are loyal and catlike.  They have a curly tail kind of like a chow.

The only problem, is that we want a puppy.  If he or she is socialized with cats from a young age, no problem.  If we get in a full grown dog in with the cats, who knows what will happen?

Shiba Inu puppies are rare in a rescue situation.  Usually they already dogs who are given up by owners who can no longer take care of them.  You don't see too many breeder raids with a bunch of puppies or anything.  So, it could take forever for us to find the right shiba inu.

Or we could just not be so stringent with our requirements and rescue a puppy now who needs rescuing.  So, I looked on petfinder.  There were some nice pups.  But this one was the winner:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22415289

So, I emailed the shelter and I filled out an application.

Now, all we can do is wait!

Peein on the Porch

So, we had a nice welcome into the new neighborhood today!  We were meeting the buyer and our realtor to do a pre-closing walk through.  The realtor was already there, in her car smoking and talking on her cell phone.  These two guys with... big dogs... I can't remember what kind - maybe boxers or boxer pit mixes - something scary looking when being walked by unsavory characters, were walking around the front looking in the window and peeking by the fence.  There were some papers stuck to the door and window also.  What the fuck was going on?

So, I was just going to sit in the car, like the realtor was doing.  For whatever reason, the FP got out.  So, I guess they asked him if we were looking to buy or something, and they asked how much it was going for.  I'm not sure what he answered, but then they walked away.

That was when the FP noticed that one of them let a dog piss on the porch.  Nice.  I guess they are the Hollywood equivalent to the welcome wagon?  Maybe they will give us some dip when we move in?

Really, the neighborhood isn't that bad.  It is a little annoying that there's that weird apartment building next door.  But hey, if I disappear, you've got the dog guys and the apartment next door to look at for suspects.  Anyway, I am scared of almost any neighborhood when I first move there.

So, I guess I will just have to get a chow, a pit bull, a rottweiler, a german shepard, a husky and an akita.  That's a joke, BTW.  These dogs raise insurance rates, and I don't need anything else to raise the premiums!  I do want to get a Shiba Inu though, and not to be snotty, but he or she will not be fraternizing with the pit boxer dogs!