Daddy's Home!

We were a little worried about Robert's R&R in regards to how Ty would react. Last time Robert was gone for any length of time, Ty barked at him for 3 days. Of course, we had just moved 800 miles away, and Ty was fairly new to our family at this point, but you never know. And during a recent training in which he was gone for a month, Ty was so excited to see him, he peed on the couch. So we were a little hesitant.

Of course it was raining, which ruined our plan to have Robert join Ty outside, in case of loss of bladder control. I shoved Ty outside quickly, and Robert came in the house. Soon as Ty came inside, he went running right over to Robert, jumping and tail wagging. Within a minute he had that stupid elf, and wanted to play. So no need to worry I suppose. Robert brought with him a rope/chew toy that Ty had sent to him in Afghanistan, along with a couple of bandanas. I suppose it should be no surprise that he was more excited about new bandanas than a toy.

And of course, since no post would be complete without a picture, we recently got "snow" out here in TN. To me, it looks more like powdered sugar, but whatever. Anyways, Ty hates to get his feet wet/cold so you can imagine how happy he was to see just enough snow to get his paws wet.

A Tank top for Ty

Yes, you read that right, I got him a tank top. This one seemed to fit a little better than his red t-shirt, so less of the aerobics instructor look. 

That new toy you see there? A little tennis ball Elf. He loves it. Loves it so much in fact that nothing else matters. Said elf has since lost all its stuffing and his left arm, but it doesn't seem to bother Ty much. The elf was a cheap toy from Petsmart, paid less than $4 for it. Sometimes it's the little things in life right? The elf is also a squeaky toy, which took Ty all of 5 seconds to figure it out. Since then he has been squeaking away for hours on end. I am so over it. 

Ty's Thanksgiving 2010

Of course he got his own plate. I think he even set the record compared to last year. Here's something new for you to enjoy: A video! If you like the video, leave a comment so I know to keep taking them.

Adventures in kenneling

Last weekend I went out of town for a few days. Ty went to stay at the "Doggie Hotel" aka, the vets office for kenneling. Normally, Ty is fantastic at the kennels. He does really well, and the ladies there all love him to pieces. How can you not, really? Anyways, all was good and I was set to pick him up Monday. Until the phone rang around 730 that morning. Apparently, Ty had broken a nail, at the quick. It was bleeding, and needed to be fixed. They needed to sedate him.

So I gave my permission, and went about my day. Leave it to him to break a nail that requires sedation. Drama queen. I called to check on him, and they said he was good to go that afternoon. I picked him up around 330. No problems. He had even gotten a bath after waking up. His poor little paw was wrapped in a bright blue bandage, broke my heart. And of course, they gave me an antibiotic for him.

Now we all know Ty is not stupid. He knows better than to take a pill from you. The vet suggested a peanut butter sandwich. When I explained his habit of picking apart his food (licking the sauce off the pizza crust first) she said "oh, you've got a special one." Yeah, understatement of the century.

Fast forward a few hours when it's time for Ty's first pill. I made a little peanut butter sandwich, and gave him a fairly big chunk. He took it, chewed it a couple times, got it nice and slobbery, and spit it out on my rug. Sigh. Ok, maybe the sandwich piece was too big. So try again with a small bite. Again, sandwich lands peanut butter side down on the rug. At that point, I dug out the pill, pried open his mouth, and shoved the peanut butter covered pill to the back of his throat. Then you have to hold his mouth closed and rub his throat to get him to swallow it. Repeat every 12 hours. Yeah. Special. Sigh.

I fully expected the ultimate drama queen act, but he has been good. Not limping, or babying it, doesn't seem to bother him. It still looked so sad with that blue bandage.

Of course I have a picture, how could you even ask?

Ty's Halloween

Yes, I realize that Halloween was nearly a month ago. Sometimes life gets away from you, and crazy takes over. That being said, I couldn't find a decent costume for Ty. So I settled for a T-shirt. Just so happens that said T-Shirt had the most amazing effect. Think Aerobics Instructor circa 1985. He looked pathetic in this T-shirt, and it was just too funny for words.

We avoided having the door go off all night with Trick or Treaters. Years ago my dad made a Frankenstein treat holder for my mom and myself. Frank got put on the front porch holding the candy. Otherwise we'd have dealt with Ty barking, and freaking out every ten minutes. Not high on my list of priorities.

So here is Ty in all his T-shirt glory.

A Toy for Ty

Ty's favorite toy of the moment is a green Christmas Tree squeaky toy. We were quite surprised to see that he hadn't completely destroyed it within days (ok minutes) of receiving it. He got the toy from Grandma W last year at Christmas time, and for whatever reason it is his toy of preference. He makes me play fetch at least five times a day, and usually with that particular toy.

His favorite thing to do is bring it to you, and when you reach for it, he takes it away. Repeat about six times until the human gets smart and stops reaching for it. From there, he brings it to you, and spits it out on the couch/chair/floor wherever you happen to be. But then it's my turn to mess with him. I tell him I can't reach it, and that he needs to bring it closer if he wants me to throw it. So he does. He will pick up the toy, move it six inches closer, and then back off for you. Amazing. The dog understands me. Sometimes it creeps me out, to be honest.

Although that tree is his favorite toy, he still has to have all his toys out on the floor if he is going to play with anything. I put every bone, chew, rope, whatever back into his red bowl, and leave the tree out. But that is not good enough. Oh no, he has to go and one by one take each toy out, chew it for no more than ten seconds, and then get the next one. As a result, I am constantly stepping on his toys when stumbling around in the dark. sigh.  Children.

And what would a post be without the appropriate pictures? I know you all missed them in the last one, so here's a good one. He is such a ham, really.

A Song for Ty

Ty loves good music. Well I guess the term "good" is subjective. He tends to prefer a more upbeat tune, the more energetic the better. His current fave seems to be Mike Posner's "Cooler than Me". Who knows why? He could be dead asleep, and as soon as I start singing it, he is up and ready to play. If you have been living under a rock (or maybe, I don't know busy fighting a war) the link to the video is here.

I have to admit that I am loving the song myself.

Pizza for Ty

Yesterday, my Battle Buddy S came over and had lunch and we worked on some crafts. It was a pizza and wings kinda day, so who am I to argue? Now, Ty has gotten just ever so slightly spoiled since Daddy is not home to tell Momma not to share. He gets the crust from my sandwich, the wheat thins I don't eat, licking the plate after dinner is over, a piece of candy. You get the idea. He's spoiled.

Well yesterday as S and I sat down to eat, I happened to look over to see Ty laying on the couch just like this:

Ok, so maybe not exactly like that, but you get the idea. The couch is turned to face the kitchen now, so he had a direct line of sight to the table. He watched us eat the entire time, not moving. Totally not begging though.

I do not eat pizza crust, so of course Ty gets it. I gave him a piece and he took it into the living room to lick the sauce off (on my rug!) and then eat the bread part. I continued cleaning up, and Sharon gave him a piece of crust. At this time I went to throw wing bones away, and he just stopped. He was staring, and waiting. Waiting to see if I was going to offer him something better. Yes, he waited until the lid was put back onto the trash can, and he even looked a little disappointed.

I love his face when he realizes there is nothing left. It's kind of like this:

But I love him anyway.

Fears

Irrational or not, we all have them right? Including dogs, as I was reminded yet again tonight.

I was going about my business getting crushed ice for my glass, Ty was standing in the kitchen just fine, until it started actually crushing the ice. 0 to 60 he was in the living room, circled three times, and sat down facing the couch. So random, yet so Ty. This is one of several.

I will make a list:
1. The ice maker
2. The vacuum- I don't know if it's so much a fear, or he thinks it's a toy. He jumps on the couch to get away from it, then jumps down, crouches low, and barks. Then he runs around chasing it, barking, tail wagging.
3. Socks (I should clarify: socks that are being wiggled within his line of vision)
4. Paper (see number 3)
5. Loud trucks (this one is completely understandable

If I had the energy or the brain power, I am sure I could come up with a few more.

Getting to know Ty

Many of you have already been lucky enough to have an encounter with him. I guarantee you once you meet him, you don't forget him. I have never met a dog with more personality and character than my Ty. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure, here is a little introduction.

Full Name: Ty Beau------- We thought he was a German Shep/Boxer mix when we first got him. So Ty Beau is a play on Tae Bo (yes we are dorks like that. we also had a cat name Sunni Chiba, and one named Moon Shine)
Age: 5 years old
Height: 18 inches
Length: 48 inches (nose to tail)
Weight: 75 lbs
Breed: Dutch Sheppard

Hobbies: Sleeping, napping, laying on the couch, playing fetch, humping other dogs
Favorite foods: Pieces, Licorice (and he will agree with me on this: Red Vines are preferable, but twizlers will do if nothing else is available), those stick things you can buy in bags of like 50
Dislikes: Bananas, peppers of any kind, being called "Old Man", messing up his routine
Tricks: The usual sit, stay, lay, heel, speak, shake. He can also say please, and he does go to time-out when told. Time-out deserves it's own special post with pictures.

In all honesty, Ty is a fantastic dog. He is loving, and fiercely loyal to his momma, following me everywhere. He loves to play fetch, and will play with anyone who is willing. He prefers people over other animals every time. He is an excellent judge of character, and if he just doesn't like you, there is probably a good reason why. He will climb into your lap when you are not looking, and step on your homework when you are. He has the grace of a rhinoceros on ice, which is amusing in its own right on hardwood floors. Sit in his spot on the couch and he will wait for you to move, or make a big production of having to get comfortable elsewhere. Find the spot on his back to scratch, and you have made a friend for life.  

Notice the date on these pictures. Ty was about 1.5 years in them. They are pretty much the same as his puppy pics, which I am still looking for.

A Sweater for Ty

On Sunday we had a bit of a cold snap here in TN. I came home after being gone all afternoon, and Ty cuddled up next to me on the couch. He was shivering, and I could not get him to warm up. I ended up wrapping him in a blanket, and he stayed there all night. We keep the house pretty cool year round, so I figured he'd be used to it at this point, but I guess not. Either way, something had to be done or he wouldn't last the winter.

So I bought him a sweater from the big W (aka Walmart). It isn't the coolest sweater around, but it will do for now. He did not like it when I put it on him yesterday. The whole putting something over his head aspect of it I guess. I took it off last night before we went to bed, and he seemed fine. Before heading out today, I decided I'd better put him back in the sweater, he tends to get cold while I am gone. I pulled it out, and he came running, tail wagging. He let me put it on, and he has worn it proudly all day long. I think he realized that it keeps him warmer than those stupid bandanas that he loves so much.

For your viewing pleasure, I have pictures!