How Did She Get So Spoiled?

Last night after hiking, I decided to run to Trader Joe's a few towns away. I like this store because they still give me shopping bags for my groceries! On the way, I decided to stop an eat at a strip mall on the way. I love to eat at this particular strip mall because it has all my favorite eateries in one place. There is a Chipotle, Panera, Habit Burger and a Blaze Pizza.  Some of you may remember that Habit Burger is where I took Mabel, Bart, Pip and Puddles for cheeseburgers on Pip's World Tour...

I had been craving pizza, so Blaze it was. I ate inside as it was chilly, leaving Ms. M in the car. I gathered up my leftover pizza and salad and went to Panera for a sweet treat for later. I went to the car and as I placed things inside, Miss Mabel growled her displeasure. I was confused. I thought she may have to go potty but...we had just been hiking. Hmmm. As I rounded to my side of the car, I saw my poor girl staring longingly, hungrily at Habit Burger!

OMD! When we parked there, "someone" apparently thought we were going for burgers. She is accustomed to waiting patiently tied to one of the outside tables while I order and get our food, including a patty for her. As I was getting in the car with nothing for her, Ms. Mabel was NOT one bit happy with her mom!

So you know I HAD to do it. I got in another line and ordered that girl her patty.

Yeah, I know she's spoiled... but I really don't know how she got that way!

The Girl and Her Ball

Mabel Lou is never happier than when she finds a "tennie" ball at the creek...

Cottonwoods

The area we call Dirty Creek is lined with Cottonwood Trees. I wrote about them earlier this year.

Our winds have been brisk lately and the airborne fluff from the trees is collecting all around our hiking spot. Luckily, the dogs don't seem to mind!

The View from the Rock

We've been hiking further up the mountain. The rangers have been on fire for off leashers...grrr. Plus, the river is really flowing...even flooded in some spots up there. It's been so hot this week, Mabel is glad for the deeper swimming holes!

The nicest swimming hole is about a half an hour into our hike. Beside the stream is what I like to call a "Volkswagon rock"... a boulder about the size of a small car. These are a lovely place to curl up and watch the world flow by. They are good for sunning, napping or daydreaming. Or Rottenweilers...

**Apologies to the good people of Tujunga for the title. Our little neck of the woods is often called "the Rock" in reference to Mt. Lukens, the tallest peak in Los Angeles being in our backyard.

Irrational Fear

This is Mabel Lou in full on old dog freak out mode! She does this several times a day. What has freaked out my strong powerful rottweiler??? What could send her running across the bed from a sound sleep? Or make her come running to momma over and over again?

This, my friends, is a dog who has become terrified of her own farts! Mabel, like most mammals, has farted her whole life. I'm not talking about when she was a puppy and discovered her own farts smelled. Back then, she would get up, blowing her nose... sniff the air and back up. If  it was a really smelly one, she would leave the room!

These old dog farts aren't even smelly, but when they occur, she comes running to me. She will stand beneath my chair and beg for pets and cuddles. In bed, she will be getting up to run to me before the fart even erupts. I reassure her; tell her she's OK. That seems to appease her - until she farts again!

I don't know if it's more painful now that she is a canine senior or if she doesn't realize she's been farting her whole life! 

A few weeks ago, she went through horrible belching phase that also terrified her. She would belch and gag all night long. The whole bedroom smelled like puke even though nothing came up. I had her on antacids and decided to make a change to her diet. Instead of two evenly split meals, she gets a quarter cup more in the morning and quarter cup less at night. And just like that, the belching ended.

But there is nothing I can do about her farts... Have any of you had a sudden, irrational fear in your senior dogs???

My Girl

I look at Mabel Lou all the time but sometimes, looking through photos, I feel dumbstruck by how beautiful she is. She's always so alert at the creek. It's her favorite part of any day!

Sunset Beauty

When She Sees a Friend

There is nothing like Mabel Lou's tail when she spots a friend on the trail. She dashes ahead, her tail jerking high and wild, then low and slow. It shakes so hard, her whole backside wiggles.

My girl loves most people she meets. No one has told her that some people fear rottweilers; she just expects people to like her. But she does have her favorites - folks known for extra special scritches or some that carry cookies on hikes. Those always get her special dance. 

The Blanket Inequity

Mabel Lou here...

Do you pupsters and kittehs out there in Blogville have a mean momma or pop?? I surely do!

My mom KNOWS the rules! And yet she still breaks them! Just look at what she did:

 Do you see the problem??? Yes folks, we have blanket inequity in our house!  Despite years of "separate but equal" blankies, Mom has violated the blankie rule!

Geesh! I really don't get the crazy woman. She KNOWS when she puts down a soft fuzzy for her, she gets mine out and puts it on my side of the bed. When she tosses on one of the throw blankies, she puts the same texture and thickness on my side. Because when she doesn't, I'm forced to remind her of the rules by curling up on her sliver side of the bed... as I'm doing in these photos.

I asked Mom about it and she said the weather had taken a temporary dip. While it was much cooler on this night... Mom seriously had the shivers... it's wasn't "worth it" to turn on the heat or get our heavy winter blankies out.

So she put this tiny electrified throw on HER side.  But I showed her... Not only am I giving her my best "Go to Hades" look below... I spent the night on her side of the bed!

That must've taught her a lesson cause the electrified blankie is on the floor now!

The Lesson I May Never Learn

Hairy Issues - Really?

Sigh....