Ya'll Stay Cool Now!

Mabel Lou here. I keep hearing on the t.v. that it is REALLY hot. I'm not sure where they are talking about because summer seems to have forgotten us here in Cali! It was a chilly 56 when we woke up this morning. We even turned on our electric blanket last night!

Mom says not to worry that summer will find us soon enough. In the meantime, I hope all my friends who have that ridiculous heat are finding a way to stay cool. This is my favorite way to cool off:

Bart's Story

Month's ago I wrote about my BFF's part time dog. My bestie's name is Barb and she and her hubby run a golf business. She's lucky enough to work from home. Thus we thought that's why Bart hung out at her house so much... he needed company. It turns out, he just needed her.

Several weeks ago on a Friday afternoon, Bart's owner came over with a leash and told Barb to say her goodbyes. Bart was going to live on a "farm" in San Luis Obisbo - about a 3 1/2 hour drive from here. He told her that Bart was aggressive toward other dogs - which we had heard before - and since he wouldn't stay home, he had to go.

Barb was tearful and upset. She talked it over with her husband and they both regretted not being given the opportunity to make Bart theirs. I, her eternally pessimistic best friend, told her to check the pound. "That's what they tell children. I KNOW he lied to you! They put owner surrender dogs down awfully fast. Check the websites everyday!"

I made a quick check on Saturday, got distracted and never checked in again. On Monday, Barbie was still missing her boy. I had cooked a lot that day and she came over for an early supper. Talk turned to Bart. I could have kicked myself for not checking the websites again. She said it was OK...she had checked every day.

Bart on the sofa.

"But it's Monday. They are closed on Monday and they catch up on paperwork  that day."

We ran to my computer and lickety split, there he WAS!!! IN JAIL!!!! And the pound was closed!!! Barb got up early Tuesday, stopped at the pet store for a leash and was there when they opened. She gave them his "number" from the website and told them she was there to adopt him.

They asked her, "Do you want to meet him first?" She laughed and told them the story.

Then they asked her if she wanted to change his name. LOL! "Uh - no. Bart's his name."

When he saw her, he dashed into her arms. He was so happy. He jumped right into her car... he loved to run errands with her when he stayed at her house.

She put up a makeshift fence to keep him in the yard and told his former owner, a welder, he had to build her a gate. And he agreed. They have gone to visit his former owner and when Barb gets ready to leave, so does Bart. He is all hers now!

Every morning, bright and early, they join Mabel and I for a hike. Would you care to guess the number of times Bart has gotten "aggressive" with other dogs on the trails??? ZERO! He's a sweetheart!

It turns out his "aggression" was lack of exercise. Barb also takes him for a run in the evenings and a quick walk before bedtime.

I took Mabel there for a visit and in typical Mabel fashion, she found his bowl and started eating his food! I was in the guest house talking to my godson when I heard her chewing! I went racing around to their kitchen to find Bart generously offering Mabel the food. He was not threatened by her eating his food at all!

Bart is learning to come but does not seem "treat trainable." Still, he does something that amazes us every day. Today, the dogs took off on a ground squirrel hunt. Barbie and I sat down on two boulders midstream and waited. Mabel returned and rolled around in the water. We called to Bart and waited. We called again. Nothing. We got up to go and realized, he was quietly waiting right behind us!

Mabel and Bart, Big Tujunga River on the 4th of July.

The saddest part was, while waiting to pick him up at the pound, Barb learned that owner surrender dogs can be put down here in Los Angeles within THREE HOURS. We feel so lucky that someone at the pound decided to list him on that website. I love having another dog in our extended pack and my bestie is so happy to give her boy a full time forever home!

The Name Game - How Mabel Became Mabel

Frankie posted a great idea for the 4th of July and, as always, I'm a little late to the blog party! All the pups are telling how they got their names.

 I have to back up a few dogs to get to Mabel's name.  I was never one of those people who thought naming all your "kids" with the same initials was cute. I find it annoying... I mean there are 25 other perfectly good letters in the alphabet. Use them! But I seem to be stuck on the letter M in so many ways!

Milly
I always wanted two rottweilers and to name them Milly and Max. Their names came to me in a dream. I've never had a Max. After I got to know more about the breed... well, I just favor the girls.

I went to Rottie Rescue to get my girl. The rescue lady is one the most aggravating humans I've ever met. She asks MILLIONS of questions. What I didn't realize is...whatever dog she brings you, that's YOUR dog. Her questions allow her to match you with the characteristics of the dogs she has.

She brought out a dog named Missy. Missy was untrained and had been in rescue almost a year. I did NOT like her. I asked to see another dog...Medusa was brought out. She was highly trained in both German and English. Walked nicely on a leash and was a really sweet girl. She was bigger than I was comfortable with but I had lived around rotties and adored them and figured it would all be fine. I also learned that Milly had lived with an infant and that she ran away. Despite her owners being contacted repeatedly, they failed to show up and claim her. I decided that the name Medusa was abusive and her name should change. Since Milly started with an M, I figured it would be easy to learn and that the name change would signal "forever home."

Milly died 2 1/2 months later very tragically ... I thought I had published that story here but I haven't. I was heartsick. I waited about five weeks and called rottie rescue again.

Maggie May
I was shocked that Missy had not been placed. Well, she had but they returned her claiming she "beat up" their male rott. In reality, the woman couldn't handle two. I learned that the rescue lady had kept Missy for so long because she was one of her very favorites...Imagine that! The rescue has 60 rotts at any given time and Missy was her favorite! I couldn't imagine why! She was a cry baby and not trained.  But I kept thinking about how long she'd been waiting for a forever home and even though I was so unsure, I knew this lady was not going to place Missy with just anyone. She was looking for someone who had experience with rotts and that was me.

While I had Milly, a guy friend from college had moved and asked me for decorating help. While spending the day helping him shop for everything from comforters to curtains, I stumbled across a NICE doggie bed on sale. It was cedar lined and had a nice furry top. I had seen them for $80 and up and this one was only $25. I paid for it, put it in the car and rejoined my friend. We made countless trips to my car that day with all the things my friend purchased. Finally on the way to the car for the last time, I noticed through the window that there was something on that bed. It had been embroidered with the name "Maggie." That's why it was on sale!

Still it was a good bed... but you know... Milly could READ!  So I turned the name to the wall and tossed the bed in the attic when Milly died. But now I had a Missy who's name did not fit her at all... So I got that bed out of the attic and turned the name out and let the girl curl up on it. And Maggie stuck.

Maggie, waiting for Trick or Treaters

Since I'm a Rod Stewart fan, naturally, May became her middle name. If you can stand a tearjerker, Maggie's story and how she saved my life is here.  She was always supposed to be my dog... and I would not be here without her. I only had Mags for six years before cancer took her and suddenly, for the first time ( and ONLY! I swear!!!), I thought a puppy would be the right way to go.

Mabel Lou
I had sworn off dogs. I was going to live on my own for a few years. That lasted exactly five weeks! I went to the pound hoping for a pup and found this rottie mix who favored tennis balls to me. She had been adopted so many times, she was on sale for $8, microchip and hysterectomy included! And her name was Midnight. Really??? What are people thinking when they name rottweilers???

 Mabel with her cousin, Huggy

I was determined not to go with another M. But I took this little brat home and she pooped in my car on the way and then I couldn't get her a bath because I didn't have proof of rabies vaccines.  So I had to drive 20 miles with her covered in poo! Not the best way to start. And then she chewed everything in site: remotes, the spines of books (a form of glue sniffing??), her beds.  Oy, she was exhausting and I hated her! But I also knew that the cute was wearing off and since many people returned her within 24 hours of adoption, I knew her future would be deadly without me.

That first weekend with her, I kept thinking, "I don't want to be near her." I really disliked her that much!

I was a fan of the British pop invasion in the 80's and loved all those English bands: Duran Duran, Culture Club, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Paul Young and Wham! When Wham! went to China, naturally they filmed everything. In the video, singer Andrew Ridgeley was out shopping in China and laughed out loud when he read a clothing label. "It says 'Mabel in China'! Mabel in China? Well, I'm not going anywhere near 'er!"

That popped into my head as I kept thinking about the pup and by the end of the weekend, Mabel was christened.

I always make up a name song... some repetitive little ditty that I sing to my pups to help them remember their names. And as I was making up Mabel's song...trying to convince myself I could love this bad dog, I kept saying "I love you" and needed a word to rhyme with you. Lou / you. I quickly noticed that when I sang "Mabel Lou / I love you," her tail would wag.  On  Tuesday when I had to return her vet papers to the pound, it became official. I had yet another M in my pack.

Mabel Pumping Iron

Finally got some pics of the girl and her workout!

Mabel eyes her auntie's weights every day.  She's also onto the fact that her auntie brings cookies - for Bart to learn to come. Every time we say "Bart, COME!" -- Here comes Mabel Lou, looking for a handout!

The other day, her auntie said to her, "Of course you're going to come to me! You know I have cookies and toys!" Toys being the 3 lbs weights.

Mabel will carry them around and even run with them!

"OK Auntie, I'm done now!"

She Must Be Training for Something

This is a rather odd post, coming on the heels of my post about Mabel aging.

There's some big news in the canine extended family that I haven't shared because it's a lengthy story but the short version is the BFF has a dog now. Her part time dog Bart is now her full time dog. And after years of not allowing Mabel and Bart to interact (because we were told Bart hated other dogs), we introduced them at the creek. It was such a non-event!

Hey.

Hey.

Wanna hike?

Yep.

And just like that, Mabel and Bart are hiking buddies. Bart is wonderful for the most part on the trails. He loves to wander but surprises us by sneaking off and coming out on the trail in front of us. So the BFF and I have been hiking daily, something I've tried to get her to do for years. I used to hike with her old dog but she claimed she hated being on the rocks and having to look where she walks. 

Bart seems to have changed all that. The BFF really loves being by the stream. She's still slipping and walking into things but she's getting so accustomed to it, she decided to bring weights to carry. It seems I hike at a slower pace and she darn near runs! 

So this morning, we are hiking along and she's carrying three pound weights in each hand. I saw Mabel look at them and didn't think much of it. As we rounded the levee, it was evident that some kids had been partying in the creek yesterday: beer cans and glass bottles everywhere!  I always have to pick that stuff up... it drives me nuts. Plus the kids will break the bottles on the levee and then the pups are tracking in broken glass. 

Since Mabel and Bart both take a dip in the creek when we get to this part, the BFF dropped her weights and helped me tidy up, knowing we had to pass by on the way out and could take the trash with us. The dogs finished swimming and were frolicking around us so the BFF went to pick up her weights...and one was missing! 

Miss Mabel was running around with it in her mouth! What else should I expect from a pup who plays tug of war with TREES??? 

 Photos copyrighted Holly Dare and Isabelle Thompson.