A Bad Starter; My Mighty Jaws

This is my car. I inherited it from Anvil, who was JC's dog prior to me. The story goes that JC had a '98 Dodge Durango that Anvil used to ride in. When he was 12 or so, he got to where he couldn't jump into it any more. So JC sold the Durango and bought the '93 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon you see here.

Sometime in late November or early December something called the 'starter' stopped... well... 'starting' and the car wouldn't go. It's been so cold and/or wet outside the last few months that JC couldn't (or wouldn't) work on it. So I've been a pup without wheels (although I did get to ride in the Impreza, which is rare).

Finally, last weekend the weather was decent enough for JC to get to work on getting my ride back on the road. I was stationed outside on my long lead so I could supervise. It took him about 3 hours to get the old starter out, and I heard a lot of words I don't think I'm supposed to repeat. I dunno how many times he crawled under the car, and then back out, but I think it was at least thirty.

After getting the starter thingie out, he took it up to the auto parts store where they tested it, only to find out it wasn't busted. I don't think JC was too happy. He came back home with a replacement one (something about they're cheap enough, and with this much effort, he wasn't going to put the old one back in, since who knew when it might actually fail). He turned the key, and it still didn't start. Lots more words I won't repeat (I kinda went and laid under the Impreza at this point). So then he took the battery up to the auto parts store and tested it, and it was good, but had some corrosion on one of the terminals (now I'm just repeating what I heard, because I really don't know what half of this stuff means).

He returned, installed the battery, and yay! my car started. He let it idle for about 15 minutes, and it seemed to run OK. So I hopped in the car, as I thought it would be a good idea to take it for a test drive. JC backed off the parking pad, put it in forward, and it died. Uh-oh. It didn't sputter or anything, just went instantly dead. He tried to start it again, and there was this clicky-clicky sound like before, but it didn't start. I hopped out, and he attached my lead back to the Impreza so I wouldn't get underfoot while he tried to figure out what went wrong.

He poked around under the hood for a couple minutes, tried it again, and it started. I don't think he was really happy about this, because he didn't do anything. It just started working again. So he put it in gear and pulled up the driveway. Without me! Was he going somewhere without me?!? That's not gonna happen!

I decided I should catch him before he left, so I used my super-sharp teeth, and cut myself loose. [jc: Exhibit A by the guilty party shown here] Then he backed back down the driveway, saw what I did, and I think he started to panic (you might remember what happened when I stood in the middle of the street at night). He jumped out, opened the back door of the car, and called for me, and I came flying around and jumped in. Heck, I wasn't really gonna go anywhere, I wanted to test drive my car!

After he finished fussing at me (something about getting run over and something else about destroying a perfectly good 15' lead), we went for a cruise, and everything seemed fine, but he was a little concerned about the unexplained stoppage. It was nice to get out, sit in the front seat, and check out the goings on in the area. It was about 60 degrees out, and there were lots of people on motorcycles. We got back, and he decided before taking the car anywhere again, he'd check a few more things over the next weekend.

Yesterday (a week after he replaced the starter), he checked everything over and spent an hour under the car pulling the wires off the starter and cleaning all the connections a second time. After he took it for a test drive (without me!), he proclaimed it 'Safe For Sherman' (I like the sound of that), and we're ready to rock'n'ride again. Tomorrow we're supposed to go to the park after he makes an apple pie.

So it looks like I'm a dog with wheels again, and we'll be able to hit the parks (it's started to warm up, which I suspect is more the reason than the car. He'd really let me ride in the Impreza, even if it does mean he has to pick up the fur I leave behind).

Now if I could just get over these wintertime itchies and scratchies, everything would be cool.

*woof*

[jc: Net result was 5 hours and $48 replacing a starter that wasn't bad due to a misleading diagnoses. Headlights were bright, battery voltage was good, a 60 amp battery booster didn't help, so the evidence seemed to indicate a bad starter solenoid. The only saving grace is the old starter did sound a little rough, but who knows if it would fail in a month or 10 more years. At least it wasn't a $300 part. I did however, have to grind down a box wrench to fit the one of the three bolts on the brace that keeps the starter from being easily removed... Always something.]

FedEx Package To Adventure!

Woohoo! Excitement!

Last Thursday, Cindy was taking us out for our afternoon walkies, and as she and I were about to go back into the house, a FedEx truck pulled into the driveway. Just as she opened the door, Makeeta dashed out, barking like a crazy dog.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but Makeeta is rather... defensive... about our house. When I say "defensive", I mean she takes guard duty very seriously. If a jogger goes by, Makeeta tells us all. If a car pulls into the driveway to turn around, Makeeta tells us all. If another dog walks through our yard, Makeeta tells us all. If an ant farts 100 yards away, Makeeta... Well, you get the idea.

Cindy's first thought was that it was a jogger, until she turned around and saw the truck starting to back in. Her first thought was hoping Makeeta didn't run into traffic and get hit by a car. Her second thought was hoping the truck didn't hit Makeeta. And lastly, her third thought was hoping the driver was smart enough to keep the door closed (he wasn't), since she wasn't completely sure what Makeeta might do.

Well, as Cindy was busy doing all this thinking and trying to shove me in the door, she didn't pull the door shut hard enough. So as soon as she turned her back, Moon and I dashed out too. Luckily, the truck didn't hit any of us, although I think it was slow enough for us to get out of the way. It's those fast moving prey... er, cars... that really hurt.

When the truck stopped, Makeeta stopped. And stood there. Looking somewhat puzzled, and probably thinking to herself, "What the hell do I do with it now?". I, being a lover and not a biter, hopped into the truck and asked the driver what he was doing. Moon just kinda stood there, wagging her tail (did you know her nickname is "lump"?)

Cindy caught up to Makeeta and got the leash snapped her, at the same time telling the driver not to worry, and then dragged Makeeta back into the house. She was somewhat uncooperative with that, since all the action was in the driveway. Trucks! Dogs! Humans! On her property! The castle MUST be defended!

After Makeeta has been returned to the house (while still barking furiously) and the door firmly closed, Cindy comes back to get us (I figured I didn't need rescuing, so she much have been thinking about Moon). The driver had gotten out of the truck with the package (I wonder what's in it?) and I hopped out after him. He keeps trying to hand her the package, and she keeps telling him "Just wait a minute, OK?"

Cindy is now worried that because I'm not in the truck, she can't catch me. She starts squeaking, "C'mon, Sherman, come get me!" and runs towards the house. She's using that high voice that's supposed to get my interest, and she expects me to give chase, but I'm not following for that old trick! It worked with jc when I broke loose a few weeks ago, but I learned something there. Oh no, I'm smarter than that now!

At this point, the FedEx driver is laughing pretty hard, so I'm now looking at him. Cindy comes back, calls me, and starts running again, and I slip-up and start chasing her. Damn that overriding prey drive! It's like a siren song. Something moves, I go. So we start back to the house, and here's Moon, who has grown disinterested in the truck and driver, and is rolling in the leaves. Cindy reaches for me, and the spell is broken! I run!

Where? Back to the truck, which I hopped back into. I figured he's a truck driver, trucks go places, I'm a dog that's going places, this could work! I notice as I hop in that the driver is still trying to give the package to Cindy, and he's still laughing about our antics.

Unfortunately, leaping back into the truck revealed a flaw in my plan. I could be caught! And without the driver in the truck, I was a dog that wasn't going anywhere, and fast. Cindy makes it to the truck, and I'm hiding under the steering wheel (maybe she won't see me). She manages to snag my collar, tells me I can't drive (wasn't gonna! That's what the driver is for!) and *snap*, on goes the leash. Luckily for her and me, neither of us knocked the truck out of gear, and it didn't go rolling down the driveway into the house, or onwards into the woods. Out of the truck I am dragged...

She gets the package from the driver, who is trying not to grin like an idiot. Moon follows us into the house, the door is closed, the leash put up. Now normally, after we come back in from 3 o'clock walkies, we get cookies. So we all headed to the cookie closet, and sit expectantly. And you know what?

WE DIDN'T GET ANY COOKIES!

I did finally find out what was in the package when jc got home. Parts for the big noisy floor sucking thing. Which I like to bark at and chase. Game on!

*woof*

Wordless Wednesday

I Finally Am Allowed To Post Again

Once again, a large period of time has elapsed since I last talked jc into updating my blog. He keeps coming up with excuses, and it's only because I threatened to chew through all the network cables and pee on the server that he relented and condescended to bring everyone up to date about ME.

The sad reality is I don't live a life as exciting as Beckett or
The Thundering Herd. Which is really sad, 'cause I'm a GSD and they're not. MY life is supposed to be exciting, filled with adventure, rescuing the Timmys from wells, locating lost children, finding IEDs (Improvised Edible Devices), and apprehending crystal meth dealers. Instead, I spent a lot of time snoozed out on the couch, harassing Moon, or playing with Makeeta.

So what's happened in the last 10 months? I almost had jc write an entry I wanted to title 'Hook, Worm & Stinker', where I got a case of worms because I wasn't on the correct meds because we were trying to figure out why I have the itchies & scratchies. I still do, but at least the stuff I'm taking makes me not I&S, but it kinda saps my energy. A little more about that later.

I could talk about the time I yanked Cindy off her feet and got loose. At night, no less. jc and Cindy got out the big flashlights, and were waving at traffic to slow down. I was standing in the middle of the road, with cars stopped on either side of me. I, of course, don't come when I'm called, but jc called me, and started running towards the house. That ol' prey drive kicked in, and I chased him down to the house, where he flung open the front door and I went skidding on in. Yup, I got played. By a human. Now when Cindy takes me out, she uses a wrap around her waist and snaps the leash to it. That way, even if I pull her down, I'm not going anywhere.

Since about late September, the weather has been good for walking. jc and I go to the park and walk a few laps. I used to be able to walk 5 laps [jc: A lap is about .83 miles] without even slowing down, but now after 2 or 3, I have to take a breather. These meds I take for the itchies & scratchies take it out of me. It's a known side effect, and we still don't know why I have the I&S's in the first place. jc feels we're treating a symptom and not a cause. Tonia (remember her? She was my vet until she retired in April. Lucky her!) was just glad I wasn't on Predisone any more, because that can have long-term bad effects.

I really enjoy walking in the park. There's often kids there, and they almost always want to pet me (what self-respecting human wouldn't? I mean, I'm a GSD!). jc encourages them to come up and pet me, and has even gotten some really scared ones to do it. Sometimes they just touch me, and sometimes they pet me like so much I think I won't have any fur left! jc says I'm an "Ambassador of Good Will for GSDs". I'm told there are nasty people out there that teach their dogs to be mean, and some people are scared of GSDs (can you imagine?). To show that not all GSDs are bad, he encourages people to pet me.

Recently we were up there, and there was a little girl who was about 1 1/2 years old. We walked by and she squealed in delight. jc ask her parents if she wanted to pet me, and they said she would. So I sat still while she came over and touched my nose. Then she gave me a great big old hug, and held my paw, and whispered in my ear. I gave her the ol' nose-lick and she giggled. She kept wanting to pet me, but we had to finish the walk and get home to dinner. This kid had no fear, so I think she'll be fine with big dogs when she gets older.

Another time we were strolling through the play-ground area (I'll get jc to take some pictures with the Giggle Phone), and a little boy was toddling around. jc asked his dad if he wanted to pet me, and the dad had the brains to ask, "Is he friendly?". Seriously. I mean, isn't that the dumbest thing you've heard? Like a human is going to walk some baby-killer through a public park. Yah, right! Dad was told "Of course not. He loves kids." So the little kid petted on me, and I did the ol' nose-lick for him too. Now I dunno what this kid was eating, but it was good. So I kept giving him nose-licks, and he kept giggling. Dad allowed as how I sure was a friendly dog (the man is a genius...).

You may remember from a previous post that I said I liked to go to Van Pugh Park and walk on the islands. Lake Lanier has come up 20 feet from it's lowest level, and now the islands are almost gone. We tried to go walking on one, but some loser had a little puff dog running around loose (leashes, humans, we need to be on freakin' leashes!), and jc didn't want me to risk getting indigestion from eating it. So we gave up and went somewhere else.

Well, that's about it from now. If something interesting happens, I'll be sure to update y'all on it. But unless someone pushes a Timmy into a well, and I'm nearby, I'll probably be on the couch...

*woof*

Christmas; Scratchies; It's Cold

Well, I see it's been a month since I've last made an entry. I, of course, blame the humans.

This picture was taken when we were visiting Tonia, at the vet. She's really nice to me. She thinks most German Shepherds are drama queens and evil, wicked, mean and nasty. But for some reason, she likes me! I'm glad about that, 'cause I'd be happy to lick her nose any old time. But I think my expression looks like "Wait, you want to do *what*!?"

Christmas was fun. We went down to jc's mom's house. On the way, we stopped by his office, which has a 14,000 square foot warehouse that's basically empty. I brought a tennis ball and had jc and Cindy throw it. I could get a good head of steam up running in there!

There's also a carpeted area up front that's about 60' by 60' with some old cubicle furniture stacked in the middle. jc was chasing me around, running in circles. He looked pretty silly, but we definitely had fun. I can really get some good high speed cornering going on that carpet. I just wish we could have brought Makeeta along. Maybe one weekend we'll all cruise down there and play for a couple hours.

When we got to Judith's (jc's mom), I met several people I didn't know. They were all very nice, and commented on what a handsome dog I am (I am!). I acted pretty cool about the whole thing, although I made jc hold my leash most of the time, just in case those kids got out of hand. A dog needs his person to protect him, as I'm told that if I take matters into my own paws (or teeth, as the case may be), Bad Things could happen. I was more worried about getting stepped on than anything.

During dinner I had to stay in my crate. I wasn't too thrilled about that, as I could smell some great smells coming from the kitchen, and all the people and fun were out there. I sort of did try to eat a tube of yellow paint (Judith is an artist and a writer, and had an assortment of paint on a table that I managed to walk the crate close to). I only bit the edge of the tube, and I guess lucky for me it was non-toxic.

OK, now I would like to point out some of the silliness I am occasionally subjected to. Apparently, there's a tradition of some sort involving wearing silly hats, glasses, or what-have-you. This year, it was glasses. Everyone thought it would be cute if I were in the picture too, so here you have it: One embarrassed German Shepherd Dog, and his human. Please notice how my jaws, capable of exerting over 200 pounds per square inch, and my razor sharp teeth, are not locked around his neck.

I still have the itchies and scratchies (That might be a good name for a cartoon... The Itchy & Scratchy Show... nah. No one would watch it). I've been taking Prednisone, which has helped, but we still haven't figured out the underlying cause. You might remember that I mentioned that Makeeta and I both switched to Nutro, but the I&S's pre-dated that, I'm pretty sure. Well, I'm back on the Royal Canin, and we'll see if it goes away. My haunches aren't naked, but they still don't look as good as they should.

On the weather front, we've had several major cold snaps in the last month. Some nights have been down to 13F! I'm glad I have a nice warm home, and people to take care of me ("I have people!"). This morning it was 20F. Believe you me, when I went out, I was *quick* about it! (Did you get my joke? "Weather front"... heh heh!)

I think that about brings everything up to date. No major life-changing events (probably a good thing). Between these temperatures and the dark, haven't gotten any walking in. I'll have to be careful about that, don't want my human to get fat.

Oh, and it seems we have a new president. The first black president, too. Probably have a woman president before too long. But we truly won't have equality until we have a German Shepherd Dog for president. And you can bet your life we'd run this country better than any human! A bone in every dish! Two tennis balls in every garage! Yea, that's the ticket...

*woof*

My Ethereal Presence

See that angelic glow? That's because I'm an angelic dog. Really. Cindy laughed at me when I told jc to type that, but I don't get the joke. And the halo didn't show up, for *some* reason. I suspect it's that stupid Giggle Phone camera at work.

The only real excitement I had lately was seeing Tonia. I had been getting kinda of itchy and scratchy. In fact, my haunches look a little ragged, because I either pulled some fur out chewing, or it fell out. Honestly, I don't remember which. Maybe I did it in my sleep, but I couldn't find any signs of the missing fur.

So, at my insistence, jc and Cindy took me to see Tonia. Turner, Tonia's 5 year old daughter was there. Although I hadn't met her before, she immediately took to me (I'm a GSD! What self-respecting kid *wouldn't* love me? I mean, seriously...) She had on a white doctors coat, like Tonias. With a little prompting, Turner decided I had a 'Prednisone deficiency', which was confirmed by her mom. The gave me some Predisone and some medicated shampoo to try.

So the next day, jc and Cindy gave me a bath. Last time I had one, the people at Petsmart did it, and also cut some mats and stuff out (you may recall that from an earlier post). I think they were expecting the worst from me, but I was a good sport, and basically stood there. I think I only tried to get out of the tub once or twice, but I didn't really put my heart into it. I figured if the bath would keep me from being itchy, I could tolerate it. Besides, I'd really like that fur to come back, because I'm not at my best looking without it.

And best of all? It seems to work. I haven't been itching or scratching hardly any for a week. I'm supposed to get another bath tommorrow, but I'm told this will be the last one. As some of you may know, GSD's shouldn't be bathed frequently because it dries out our skin. jc suspects I got the dry skin itchies and scratchies from when the heater was turned on for the winter. Sleeping on top of the vent probably doesn't help, but it does keep my butt warm.

I continue to try to teach jc to howl, and I think he's getting the idea. I get him to play a YouTube video of a dog howling, and encourage him to howl along. Once I get going good, he'll howl along with me. [jc: Nice try, Sherman. It's YOU who's supposed to howl on command, and you're slowly getting the idea.]

So this Christmas thing sounds interesting. I think this will be my second one, but I was pretty young for the last one, and don't recall it. It was explained to me that if I was 'good', Santa Paws would bring some goodies for me. I'd really like a new Nylabone, since I've chewed the one I have down to a nub. I'm not sure what all I could ask for, since I have a furever home, people that love me, I eat well, and have Makeeta and Moon to play with/harass.

Now would be a good time to remind everyone that there's a lot of dogs (and cats) out there that have been abandoned because their people couldn't afford to keep them anymore. I don't know much about economics and housing markets and such, but I do know it's not cool when people give up their furry friends. If you have some extra cash, consider giving it to a local shelter to help feed those who aren't as lucky as us. Even $5 helps a lot! Shelters often have arrangements to buy food at discounted prices, so while $5 is only part of a bag of dog food for me, it's a lot of food for the shelter animals. [jc: Seriously. Skip that 6 pack of beer, that pack of cigarettes, or that DVD you'll watch one time, and give the money to a shelter.]

Well, from me, Makeeta, Moon, Cindy and jc, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that stuff. Bark at you soon!

*woof*

I Am Neglected And Woeful

OK, it's not actually quite that bad. It's just with this time change I'm not getting out and about like we did in the summer. And nothing particularly exciting has happened in the last couple weeks, either.

To make matters worse, jc has been "in the zone" working on an application for his Giggle Phone. I'll get him through this, though. I sleep in the couch in his office while he's working, bring my tug toy in to distract him, and occasionally stick my nose in his side to make him jump.

To be fair, we did go out Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and then Thursday. We wanted to get out every day, but the weather was pretty miserable. This Saturday we didn't get out either, as it was a balmy 48, but heavily overcast and somewhat windy. And I don't really like having my ears pinned back by the wind...

But! We did get out Sunday, and walked 5 laps, or about 4 miles through the park. I went out on the tennis court with a ball I found. jc found another ball, and I couldn't decide which I liked better, so I kept trying to pick both up. I can't do what this guy does, but I like to think it's because a GSD is too classy, and I just don't want to... yeah, that's the ticket!

I'm trying to decide if I want jc and Cindy to take me to Petsmart to have my picture taken with Santa Paws. I'm pretty sure I'd get along with the old guy, but I might have to open a can of whupass on any other dogs around, and I'd probably get yelled at. I like that the money goes to a good cause, namely the shelter that took me off the streets, and cut my nads off found me my furever home. Instead, I think I'll just forge a check in jc and Cindys name and send it off.

What else has happened that's interesting... Lots of sleeping, lots of harassing Moon, and playing with Makeeta. Have I mentioned I really like ice cubes? jc goes through a lot of iced tea, and when he fills his glass, he gives us all a cube. But last time I had one, I promptly barfed on the carpet. Carpet is better to puke on, 'cause it's a lot more like grass than the linoleum in the kitchen. Besides, I might slip on the linoleum while I'm hurling, and hurt myself. Luckily, I hadn't had any treats, otherwise tossing my cookies would've been messy. [jc: Sherman, I think they get the idea...]

Well, jc is muttering about me taking too long to go on about nothing, and he's ready to "get back in the zone", so I guess I'll let y'all get back to the more mundane things in life, instead of reading about the exciting things that've been happening lately. Maybe I'll go see if I can find some more ice cubes...

Or maybe I'll go bury that damned Giggle Phone.

*woof!*