Recently in Dogs Category

Not long before his death, Harry and I headed out for a walk that proved eventful. He was nearly 13, old for a big dog. Walks were no longer the slap-happy Iditarods of his youth, frenzies of purposeless pulling in which we would cast madly off in all directions, fighting for command. Nor were they the exuberant archaeological expeditions of his middle years, when every other tree or hydrant or blade of grass held tantalizing secrets about his neighbors. In his old age, Harry had transformed his walk into a simple process of elimination--a dutiful, utilitarian, head-down trudge. 

Sherman, as you may recall, is my sister's dog. Sherman and my dog took obedience classes together about a year ago. Although he's about a year younger than my dog, Sherman came in first place, while my stupid dog came in last.

A recent humuliation came when my sister took sherman to visit our parents. My mother couldn't stop talking about what a good dog he is. She's never said that about my dog.

To give Sherman an even bigger ego, my sister recently enrolled him in agility training.

Here's a picture of the little jerk. Yeah, he's pretty cute, even if he consistenlty has to put my dog in his place (come to think of it, that's exaclty what my sister did when we were in elementary school!)

Anyway, here's a little something my sis wrote about the experience. I promised I'd post this weeks ago, but I'm a lazy cuss and am now just getting around to it.

Sherman is almost 1 1/2 years old now and has taken classes in Obedience, Rally and Agility.   I think he has found his calling in Agility.   We still have a lot to learn, but having a great time doing it.
We are taking a course through Torrance Parks and Recreation at Entradero Park.  The instructors, Robert, Deb and Kelly are absolutely wonderful.  They are patient, kind, have a wonderful sense of humor, are great motivators, and best of all, they are generous with the cheese.  We have just completed out first session and have registered for the next session of classes.   In the picture, you can see Sherman on the dog walk

Sherman has made previously appearances at South Bay Pets. If you want, you can click on these links to see more. And by "you," I mean my sister and her dog friends,

Sherman's first day.
http://www.insidesocal.com/pets/2008/07/the-secondcutest-dog-in-the-so.html

Obedience school:
http://www.insidesocal.com/pets/2008/09/and-the-winner-is.html

Herding:
http://www.insidesocal.com/pets/2008/10/herd-any-good-ones-lately.html

Happy Birthday Sherman, 1 year old:
http://www.insidesocal.com/pets/2009/04/sherman-then-now.html

Sherman playing with his brother Cosmo:
http://www.insidesocal.com/pets/2009/07/torrance-twin-terror.html

This has been making the rounds on dog-lover emails so you may have seen it. Very sweet.

It was created by Wendy Francisco.

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.

Fort MacArthur Museum is hosting a yard sale on its grounds to benefit the K-9 Corps Guard Dog Cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting place for many dogs who served in the armed forces.

The event runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 29. It's at 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro. Call 310-548-2631 for more info.

I published this entry more than a year ago. But somebody found it in an Internet search today and left a comment, so I thought I'd repost it. Ted Kennedy may have not been your cup of tea politically (or he may have been) but he loved his dogs, and that's what this blog is all about...

When Sen Ted Kennedy left the hospital today, along with his family members, he was greeted by his two dogs, Sunny and Splash.  And as soon as he arrived at his home, the first thing he did was take them out.

Along the way, he could be seen waving to nearby motorists from the front passenger seat of his SUV. He took a walk on the beach with his two Portuguese Water Dogs as soon as he arrived.

"Good to be back home," he told waiting reporters before heading off for a sail on his sloop, "Mya."

A story that ran a couple of years ago in the Washingtonian described what its like being the pets of one of the most powerful men in the country.

Senator Ted Kennedy's dogs, Sunny and Splash, have quite a life. They wander the halls of Congress most days, spend summers on Cape Cod, and play ball with one of the country's most powerful senators.

The Portuguese water dogs each have their own talents: Splash is the faster runner, while Sunny, pictured here, is a stronger swimmer.

"She can stay in the water longer than you can walk," the senator says.

The dogs often can be found under the senator's desk. Sunny mainly sleeps, although both dogs have been present at many important meetings.

 

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: