The Nose Knows

At 3 a.m. this morning I heard Vega purr. Well, at least it was a sound that reminded me of purring, just not as friendly. Was she dreaming?

Apparently not. Because next, she walked to the window and let out a definite growl. As she worked on "Superman-staring" her way through the closed blinds, the serious barking began.

I pulled up the blinds to see what we might see. Since there was a full moon, I had no problem confirming there was no cat, raccoon, possum or other critter, and fortunately no strange human being, in the yard. But Vega would not give up. I scanned further. That's when I finally spotted two deer in the neighbor's front yard. To a German Shepherd, that is definitely something worth barking about.

Okay. Deer. I got it.

But what I didn't get was how did Vega know there were deer out there? She was sleeping. She wasn't lying next to the window. And no matter what, it was impossible to see out with the blinds down and closed tight.

At a more reasonable hour, I did a little research about a dog's senses. It seems Vega's nose was likely the sense at work. The scent of the deer actually woke her up and triggered her prey drive which set off her fierce barking. Really.

Here's what I learned: The average dog's nose is tens of thousands of times as sensitive to odors as yours or mine. That's because they possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, while we only have about six million. Plus the part of a dog's brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is 40 times greater than ours.

One dog scientist describes it like this -- a dog's sense of smell is so acute it's like having the ability to catch a whiff of one rotten apple in two million barrels.

So, 3 a.m. this morning. Lights off, windows shut, blinds drawn. Vega smells deer. If you're a dog, the nose knows.

To Fence Or Not To Fence?

I've been debating whether or not to fence the yard. Truth is, I have a fence already, but it's invisible. That is to say the Invisible Fence, described in promotional materials as an electronic pet containment system.

In my opinion, it has lots of advantages over traditional fences. For one, the dog has the run of the entire yard, front and back. There's no unsightly boundary between properties. And since I live in a wooded area, an Invisible Fence preserves the look of wide open spaces. It's also less expensive, lower maintenance and longer lasting than the visible variety.

As for my Invisible Fence, I can attest to its effectiveness - at least for the three Boxers I've owned. The first two boys learned quickly not to get too close to the property boundaries for fear of getting a correction - in other words, zapped! Of course, Reacher, being the problem puppy that he was, was more resistant to the rules.

For weeks, being zapped meant nothing to Reacher. It was totally worth it to chase a neighbor pedaling a bike down the street or a dog walker strolling past the house. But Reacher too, finally agreed to stay in the yard. In fact, he never crosses the line to chase a bike, a dog or any kind of wildlife including squirrels, cats or deer.

The question is, what would Vega do with the Invisible Fence?

Yes, she is much more compliant than Reacher, generally speaking. And I'm certain she would recognize the property lines after minimal training. But being the prey-driven canine that she is, would she respect the Invisible Fence when tempted by Bambi and company who wander the woods, yards and streets like any other neighbors?

And being super protective of home and family, how many people would suffer heart failure when she switched from her sweet self to killer mode, warning all passersby not to come a step closer to her domain? As for any other dogs that might venture onto the property, I'm certain Vega would consider them fair game. 

So, what to do?

If asked, I believe Reacher would say, "Don't fence me in."

But if I consider all the dog walkers, bike riders and joggers who pass the house on a regular basis, they would probably agree with poet Robert Frost who wrote, "Good fences make good neighbors."

The Reacher Diet

Reacher would never turn up his nose at his bowl of dog food, but his tastes are more far-ranging than the Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato grain-free kibble I provide every day. He likes to occasionally snack on a variety of natural “supplements” Mother Nature offers.

I don't believe the things Reacher eats - grass clippings, various leaves, weeds and pinecones, for example, are meant for canine consumption, but Bear Grylls, host of Man vs. Wild, might disagree. I imagine  him advising that all those things (and a lot more) could actually provide life-saving nutrition if a dog or his best friend were ever stranded in some inhospitable wilderness.

 

Of course, this isn’t the case with Reacher. He just roams the backyard.

Reacher is also partial to camellia buds and blossoms that hang from the three bushes in my yard each winter. Nasturtiums are sometimes used in salads, so maybe Reacher is onto something.

He has also consumed his share of mushrooms. The first time I saw him snatch and swallow one I rushed to the computer, Googled “mushrooms and dogs” and found one dire report after another. I imagined we’d soon be on our way to the emergency veterinary hospital where it would cost thousands of dollars to save my Boxer boy’s life. But that never happened.

In fact, Reacher hasn’t suffered at all from his odd diet. So, I’ve stopped worrying about his eating habits for the most part. If Bear Grylls can eat ant larvae and maggots, what’s a pinecone or two?

Evening The Score

With three dogs under one roof there's a lot of roughhousing that goes on, with the operative word being rough.

Panzer is working on solidifying his spot as top dog. He's not there yet, but he's trying. And that means Panzer regularly does things like grabbing a bone or toy right out of Reacher's mouth and taking it for himself.
 
He also enjoys jumping on top of Reacher when he least expects it. Being a Boxer, Reacher likes a good wrestling match, but when Panzer grabs those jowly Boxer lips and pulls it's gotta hurt. I would think it's similarly painful to have one's neck or leg in a fellow dog's jaws. 

Not to worry. Reacher has developed a plan to get even with Panzer's puppy nonsense.

You see, there is an Invisible Fence in my yard, but currently Panzer does not have a "magic collar" of his own and therefore cannot be outside without a leash -- or close supervision. So when Reacher goes out, most of the time Panzer is left behind.

And that drives Panzer crazy. It's obvious Reacher knows this because he seems to delight in doing laps around the house which sends Panzer squealing (yes, dogs squeal, in this case kind of like a stuck pig) and running from window to window trying to keep pace from the inside.

As icing on the cake, Reacher sometimes just sits on top of the railroad ties, which puts him about the height of the living room window. He's content to just sit and stare at Panzer who whines, yelps, barks and yes, squeals some more. It's highly annoying if you're the human on the inside, but awesome if you're the Boxer on the outside.

He may lose a wrestling match or two, but Reacher definitely knows how to even the score.

Girls About Town

We took a walking tour of the grounds.

This being a Saturday, Vega and I had places to go and things to do. First stop, Riverside Farmers Market where we bought a bag of Georgia peaches, homegrown tomatoes and a loaf of fresh-baked ciabatta bread with kalamata olives. I won't be sharing.

We also ran into a few friends, a bonus of these Saturday morning outdoor shopping excursions. Vega didn't have much to contribute to the conversation but she sat politely while I visited.

Love the library!

We stashed our produce in the car, grabbed my library books and strolled over to the library where we deposited them in the dropbox.

Then we walked on to downtown Roswell. The shops weren't open yet but lots of restaurant and business owners were outside getting ready for the day.



Dogs are welcome here.

We passed Diesel Pizza Pub where Vega loves to dine because she's welcome on the dog-friendly patio. To be honest, I'm the only one of us who dines at Diesel, but Vega seems to enjoy the people- and pet-watching. And it's next to the fire station which occasionally provides her with some added excitement.

Another favorite place of hers is Pet Fancy. The animal-loving owners stock a variety of toys, accessories and pet food. Vega was a little disappointed that it was too early to choose one of the all-natural treats from the bakery case. Sorry, girl. Maybe next time.

A natural treat bakery case is inside!

We worked our way down Canton Street and stopped in the square to practice a little obedience. Coincidentally, we ran into another training trio there - Ellie the dog, her owner, and their dog trainer. Vega and I aren't the only ones who know Roswell's the place to be and be seen.

Then we took the scenic route back to the car, winding through the wooded grounds of the Archibald Smith Plantation. This was probably Vega's favorite part of the morning since it included birds, squirrels and chipmunks (no chasing allowed) along with dirt, dead leaves and lots of awesome smells. There was even a self-guided outdoor tour for me available by cell phone.

Vega and I toured the grounds.

After all that it was only 10:30 and the rest of our Saturday was still ahead of us. What more could a couple of girls want? 


 

Dogs At Work

My three office mates.

Reacher, my Boxer, along with Vega and Panzer, the German Shepherds, are considered working breeds. Yet they obviously aren't well suited for writing, editing or emails. Yet they're at work with me every day. It helps that the office is just upstairs from my kitchen.

While Reacher, Vega and Panzer aren't much help with the hands-on aspects of my business, they do provide company for me in this solo operation. They also give me a reason to take a break now and then since I would otherwise have the tendency to power right through the day (and sometimes into the evening) when a deadline is looming.

However, three dogs in the office doesn't mean they always lie quietly at my feet, lulled into a trance by the clicking of the keyboard. In fact, there are times when they are chasing each other from my desk, into the hall, down the steps and back up again.

When I'm on a phone call, inevitably a disagreement breaks out over which one has rights to a particular bone. I just give them the evil eye, sign "shhhh" by putting my finger to my lips and shoo them out of the office while attempting to keep track of my conversation. Depending on the decibel level I sometimes have to offer the client an explanation for the ruckus.

When I explain that I share my office with three four-legged friends, the usual response is, "You're one lucky dog!" 

I think so, too.

I Spoke Too Soon

Turns out I was a bit premature in my Growing Responsible blog a few days ago about Vega and Reacher. I had given them a "Get Out of Jail Free" card instead of crating them every time I left the house. Amazingly, both dogs were performing spectacularly.

Until today.

Reacher chewed the toe off one of my shoes - J-41 Jeep-engineered sneakers described in an advertisement as "a casual sporty style designed for everyday use whether you're playing outside or running around town. The pull-on design makes it easy to get going when you're in a rush."

The right shoe is ruined. So, now I'm down to just a left J-41 which really won't allow me to play outside or run around town whether I'm in a rush or not.

How do I know Reacher is the culprit? For one thing, he had "I AM GUILTY" written all over his cute Boxer face. In addition, these sneakers have a rubber outsole. And he has destroyed a rainbow of rubber flip-flops in his short life. It's part of his M.O.

So for now, it's back to the slammer for Reacher when I have an errand to run or someplace to go. I'm not sure if he'll ever be up for parole again.