Dog By Nature

Chewie!

Posted on June 24th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Los Angeles, golden rescue, golden retriever | 13 Comments »

Poor Titus. When he came into rescue he was un-neutered. Los Angeles requires all dogs to neutered (some exemptions apply with permits…seeing eye breeders, etc.) so Titus went in last week for the big op. He was a little groggy when I picked him up and he looked like a dog from space with his cone on.

He was so pathetic in the cone…bonking into walls and doors.

To make him feel better I went and got him an inflatable tire…ok, it’s a newfangled version of the cone. I have to say that due to the location of Titus’ incision, he could actually reach it with some twisting in this contraption but for the most part, the tire was a reminder not to chew there. I could also hear if he was trying to do anything to end up back at the vets. He seemed a lot happier with the tire.

He quickly figured out that the tire made a pretty good pillow too.

I’m happy to report Titus is feeling much better and doesn’t need to wear the tire anymore.

Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Los Angeles, golden rescue, golden retriever | 7 Comments »

We’ve been fostering Titus for one month today. He’s been a joy to have around with his big Golden smile. Titus is now coming to work at the studio and likes to chill out on the cool floor there. He has also figured out that he gets extra love from clients and that’s a very good thing. He’s very well behaved and relaxes until the session is over.

After work Titus enjoys another huge walk. He is working on his leash manners and has learned “wait” and “stay” this week, although he needs to keep practicing. He likes to hang out in the yard while we are BBQing and keep an eye out for squirrels.

He’s one of the most observant retrievers I’ve met and nothing passes by him. He’s very cute sitting on the edge of the patio with his head swiveling around to watch every little thing.

Posted on June 16th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Los Angeles, golden rescue, golden retriever | 15 Comments »

Titus went in to the vets for a barrage of tests last week and he has been diagnosed with atypical Addison’s Disease. That means his adrenal glands are not producing proper amounts of corticosteroid for his body. Luckily, Titus is only shy of glucocorticoids and only needs to take 2 tiny pills everyday to make him feel like new. He will need to take these pills all his life but they are inexpensive and he swallows them easily when hidden in a bit of food. As you can see, the news didn’t phase him at all… he’s still happy, lovable Titus.

Some of the Addison’s Disease symptoms we noticed with Titus were that he was very skinny but not very interested in food, he had low energy levels and he was panting almost always. After a week on his new treatment, Titus has more energy (although he is rather mellow for a young Golden…okay, except when he goes for a walk…then he has TONS of energy)…

…he pants when he’s super excited or happy but not nearly as much as before….

…he no longer sleep through the whole day and loves to spend hours watching out the window when he can….

…and Titus now has a very healthy appetite and is eating plenty of tasty treats like grilled chicken and salmon. Mini turkey meatballs are his favorite and he does this crazy head twist with excitement when he gets them. It’s the funniest thing, we’ll have to try and get it on video.

Posted on June 10th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: golden retriever | 16 Comments »

Whew, it’s been rather a crazy week here and we didn’t have any time to get online but we’re back. We’ll try and catch up with everyone over the weekend.

Titus is still with us and has started having some small adventures. He loves to explore. We took him to a park in Burbank and discovered a strange anomaly in the urban chaos…. the LA river. Titus spotted a family of ducks in the brush across from him.

Although most of the LA river is really a giant concrete aqueduct constructed to contain the original river so the city doesn’t wash away every time it rains, there are a few areas that have grown into lush pockets. While it would be great to have a real river, I guess this is the next best thing. Hey, any greenery is good in the big city! There was a surprising amount of wildlife hidden in the vegetation. Titus was eager to check it out put but we didn’t want him swimming in there.

This stretch has one side concrete and one side has grown in. The hills of Griffith Park are in the background.

Besides exploring parks, Titus has come to work with us and passed the Studio Dog test…. sleeping through lots of noise. That is a test not many dogs pass so hurray Titus! After work he works on perfecting his squirrel hunting technique. He is very focused.

Posted on June 5th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Los Angeles, golden rescue, golden retriever | 9 Comments »

Titus has been with us for 2 weeks now and he’s adapted extremely well to his foster home. He looks forward to his daily walks and is walking 4 to 6 miles a day now. One of his favorite pass times is to hang out in the yard on squirrel patrol.

When he’s tired he lies on the patio, frog style, to keep an eye on the yard.

Titus loves to snuggle and has discovered the sofa is a comfy place to relax…especially if he has someone to lie on.

He is now sleeping through the night and eating with enthusiasm. He’s still skinny so we’re feeding him 5 times a day. Titus loves turkey meatballs. While Titus is well behaved in the house, we are working on his leash manners and his basic commands. He is slowly learning to play with toys and his current favorite is a stuffed squirrel which he throws in the air and then chews. He likes to nibble on toes and he’s always ready for a belly rub. Titus is a sweet boy with a lovely disposition and we enjoy having him here.

Posted on May 31st, 2009 by admin
Filed under: golden retriever | 8 Comments »

Titus is adjusting to his foster life and revealing his true personality. Every foster dog takes some time to adjust and we respect that (except Jake… he was at home from day one… he was the only foster we had that slept a whole night through the first night!) . You never know what these dogs have lived through and can only speculate as to what as happened to them so we give them the time they need to adjust to a normal (ok, maybe spoiled a little) life. Titus is very sweet and craves attention… a true Golden:) He has a beautiful smile that lights up your day.

One of his many endearing qualities is that he likes to lie like a frog.

Titus has a small squirrel obsession… okay, maybe a big squirrel obsession but the squirrels tease him so it’s warranted.

He also is a very vertical dog. He likes to be upright when looking at things and sits like a bear when you scratch him. Here he uses that talent to see what the squirrels are up to.

The squirrels know better than to enter our yard and do a tight rope act across the power line in the back to avoid the dogs. Sometimes they stop in the middle and are very sassy!

Titus loves to watch the squirrels. I think  we might have given him a little obsession… oops! He is very observant to everything going on around him and will even follow helicopters in the sky. He has the cutest howl when vehicles with sirens pass by. The wounds on his legs are finally starting to scab over and we don’t mind when he gives us kisses of salmon breathe.

Titus loves to go on walks and other adventures. Mostly he loves to be with people and get pets. He is is a super sweet guy who deserves the good life. we’re sure he will find someone to love him as much as he deserves.

Posted on May 26th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: golden retriever | 7 Comments »

We took advantage of the quiet long weekend to take Titus hiking in Griffith Park and burn off some puppy energy. Besides, a hike in the hills beats a workout at the gym any day…and it’s a lot less smelly. With the recent hot weather, the vegetation is starting to dry out. Fire season isn’t far away. The grasses were the same color as Titus, making for some great camouflage.

He enjoyed the eagle eye view of the park below.

We found out shortly after this, all that grass sticks like crazy to dog fur! Best to keep on the path when this stuff is around.

After spending an hour picking the sticky grass out of his fur, we gave Titus a bath. He was very well behaved for his bath and then decided to take a nap on the sofa. I think he’s staring to feel a little more relaxed here…

Dreaming pup dreams.

Posted on May 25th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: golden retriever | 8 Comments »

Titus had a busy day today. First he was whisked off to the vets for a full exam. He wasn’t very thrilled that this was the start of his day so we made it up to him by spending some of the afternoon at the “squirrel” park. All our dogs love this park because there are so many squirrels here. Every where you look is a squirrel so they think they have a pretty good chance of catching one. Only Raja ever did, so all others have to live up to that moment:)

The boys on a reconnaissance mission.

One of the many strongholds of the enemy is located.

Ha! They were not expecting an air born dog!

Titus, happy with the results of his mission!

We saw this tiny dog with a stick 3 times the size of his body and had a good laugh too.

Posted on May 22nd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: golden retriever | 6 Comments »

Posted on May 20th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: golden retriever | 9 Comments »