Results tagged “Rocket” from South Bay Pets

A dachshund that held the record as the world's oldest has died at the age of 21. That's 147 in dog years, which leads me to believe that the forumla we use to calculate dog ages is slightly flawed.

Coincidentally, my own dog turns 3 today. How did the idiot dog celebrate? By running away last night. I chased him for three blocks before I caught up with him. The moron had run into somebody else's backyard.

If you're going to go to the trouble of running away, why would you run into the exact same place you're escaping from?

I dragged his sorry ass back home and vowed that this year, things will be different. Yeah, that's going to happen.

Here he is laughing about the whole thing.

Gibson, a great Dane that stood 7-foot-1 on his back legs, has died. According to the record books, he was the world's tallest dog. The 7-year-old died of cancer.

Born in 2002, Gibson took the title of the world's tallest dog from 'Harvey', who measured 41 inches, in 2004.

Weighing 180 pounds and measuring 7 feet 1 inch standing on his hind legs, Gibson worked as a therapy and special needs training dog, visiting care centres and schools throughout the California area.

Gaining world wide attention due to his huge frame he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right front paw in April of this year.

As far as the world's loudest dog,  Rocket is doing just fine after last week's scare. He was acting subdued for a couple of days, but he bounced back. Concerned readers asked me to make sure he wasn't suffering from internal injuries. But he's eating just fine. And he's not skittish around cars. In fact, he's chasing garbage trucks as much as ever.

Thanks to everybody for your concern.

And let me take this opportunity to remind you to please be careful when you're walking your  dog. (You ARE walking your dog, aren't you?) We pedestrians may have the right of way, but cars are bigger and can do plenty of damage.

Boy, I sound like a stupid public-awareness commercial, so I better stop.

And I guess it's for the best that I never found the culprit. What was I going to do if I found him? Get all Dirty Harry on him? But if you find the jerk, let me know anyway. I'll let the police get all Dirty Harry on him. 

Who, you ask, is the South Bay's best-dressed dog? And no, I don't mean those silly dogs that wear clothes. I'm talking actual dog attire.

Here, I'll give you a clue: He's also the loudest dog in the South Bay.

Check out Rocket's new collar I got for him.

Cool, huh? See, it's made of of  little rocket ships!  (The photo also shows what an amazing coat of fur my dog has. Look at all those rich colors blending together)

Where did I get such an amazing collar?

I got it in San Pedro!

It was made by a guy named Adam Dover, who custom-makes dog collars at his 6th Street store. He also has a mail order business that keeps him pretty busy.

Adam has the air of a philosopher about him and he explained to me how he stumbled across the dog-collar business as an adjunct to his many other money-making ventures.

Adam is a busy guy and he keeps some pretty crazy hours. And he works by a clock that only he can see, so don't expect a rush job.

Also the store is closed more than it's opened. He sometimes shows up at lunch time. Sometimes he's there at 9 at night when all the other stores are closed. So it's best to give him a call first before you drive down there.

Rocket's collar was a little more amititious than he's used to. People typically get their dog's names stitched into the collars. Or sports teams also seem to be popular. I don't know where he found the rocket patterns and he wasn't even sure if he could do it, It took a couple of months, but Adam figrued it out.

And because Rocket knows how to pull out of collars, Adam figured out a way to make it so he can't free himself.

It's also fleece lined, to be extra cumfy.

if you're not looking for anything as elaborate, Soprting Collars is a good place to go anyway. He's got different sizes, shapes and collars. There are 2-inch thick collars, studded buckle collars, harnessas and just about anything else. He's got leashes too. 

And if he doesn't have it, Adam might just finagle a way to do it.

Sporting Collars is at 418 6th Street in San Pedro. But, like I said, it's best not to drive by. The store is closed a lot. You're better off  visiting the Web site or by calling him at 310-519-0850.

If you tell him I sent you, he might cut you a sweet deal.

And here's one more picture of Rocket's awesome new accessory:

Yeah, this is stupid. But one of these dogs really is my dog. If you guess which one, I'll send you a Daily Breeze pencil! And no multiple guesses allowed. No sisters either.

I was walking the stupid dog this morning through the park near my house. Going there is a treat for Rocket because there are millions of squirrels there. It's where all squrrels come from. It's Ground Zero of squirreldom.

Anyway, like dogs everywhere, Rocket loves to chase squirrels. He's never actually caught any, but they do the kabuki dance, which involves the squirrel running up a tree and the bawl-mouthed dog jumping up and down and making a horrible racket.

But today, a squirrel called Rocket's bluff. He saw the squirrel on the trail in front of us, but instead of running, the squirrel just stood there staring at him.

This instantly shut Rocket up. We walked closer and the squrrel stood his ground. Rocket was stunned. He didn't know what to do. The squirrel wasn't playing by the rules.

He looked up at me, then back to the squirrel, which was just standing there. We got even closer.

Finally, the varmint took off. Rocket was shaken out of his trance. And they both ran for the nearest tree.

Order was restored in the universe. But someday, squrrrels and dogs will live together in peaceful harmony.

My dog fell asleep on my computer!

No really. Look at this picture. He hasn't moved in weeks. And yes, I was actually reading about beer when he konked out on my laptop. I haven't tried it myself, but have it on good authority that Pliny the Elder beer is rather tasty.

I'll be better from now on. 

It was two years ago yesterday that I got my dog. As I've written before, it was on Mother's Day and for some reason I decided to stop at a shelter while driving to my mom's house.

Boy was she mad when I showed up with a strange dog.

It's been two years of frustration and fun. But Rocket is becoming less and less of a monster every day. He no longer destroys things (but that's only because there's nothing left). And he doesn't try to escape nearly as often (probably because I turned my house into a dog fortress).

Here's a picture of the two of us hanging out.

Ha ha. Its funny because that dog actually looks like Rocket. And, of course, I look like a monkey.

But the pair in that picture are actually friends at an animal shelter. And I thought we were the only monkey-coon hound pair in the country. The two swim together and the orangutan actually takes the dog for walks. See, they ARE just like us.

As we approach our second anniversary together, Rocket and I have learned quite a bit about each other.

For instance, he knows that I don't appreciate it when he puts the cat's head in his mouth.

I, on the other hand, have come to terms with the fact that he is simply not able to control himself when a trash truck goes by. When he sees one, he's going to bark like a crazy dog.

But he hasn't destroyed anything in about about a year. Well, I guess there wasn't much for him to ruin in the house. No, this year has pretty much been devoted to escaping. He did that five or six times.

Well, this morning, he managed to combine all his passions. A trash truck drove by, he went berzerk and then he broke the living room window. He just smashed it. He didn't hurt himself or get out. I managed to grab him before he did more damage.

But now he's spending the day at camp. I take him to the Kennel Club in Torrance, where everybody knows and loves him (he's good with strangers).

When I saw the manager Brian (or is that Bryan?), he mentioned to me that he saw the movie "Marley and Me" last night and it reminded him of Rocket.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Was it a compliment or a curse?

I've had my dog nearly two years and yesterday, he finally discovered that he can look outside the front window and see things.

Of course, he had to tear down the drapes to do it, but I wonder what took him this long?

Now all he wants to do is stare out the window. What a moron.

How much does it cost if you get caught with your dog off leash on a beach? According to an article in this issue of the Malibu Surfside News, one dude was threatened with multi-hundred-dollar ticket! It's on page 15 if you want to see it.

This is a letter I got about it:

I just saw a photo in our local newspaper that states the fine for a dog off leash on the beach is $600. After reading - and commenting on - the Bad Cop vs. Redondo Park Lady, I thought you might find this very interesting at a few levels.

I wonder how these fines stack up against other simple infractions?

Not trying to give you a bad time or start up something, but don't want Rocket to suffer 'those

looks' if you get a ticket like that. I'd gladly take that dog off your hands...

Take care and keep leaving those paw prints on our hearts,

Mari

Take the dog off my hands??? Well, OK, but you  have to take the cat too. And you have to let him burrow under the covers when it's cold at night. And you have to take him for walks 18 times a day. And you have to scratch his belly for an hour in the morning. And he likes a little oat meal in the morning. 

Aw, never mind! 

I gave the dog four tranquilizers, but he still mananaged to leap through the kitchen window at the sound of fireworks. (actually, given where I live, it was probably guns making all that noise).

He didn't run away though, so I consider it a successful start to the new year.

Next year, five tranquilizers.

Why does he bark so loud? Why does he run away? Why does he tear up the furniture?