Chaco and Buck, Those Dang Dogs!!!

Its been an interesting last few weeks with Chaco and Buck (my roommates golden retreiver, the same age as Chaco). Remember I told you that we had installed an electric fence to keep the dogs from digging out. It worked magically for about 3-4 months. Turns out, however, the power supply is not water proof. So, first big rain, bam, electric fence done. Even though the fence was no longer working the dogs still knew not to dig out, or so we thought. One might think that digging out of the backyard is the only way for them to escape. One would be wrong.

As I'm sitting in my recliner watching tv a few weekends ago, with the dogs back in my room laying on my bed because I had cracked my window since it was such a nice day. There is a knock on the door. Theres a fimiliar sound. It seems that all our neighbors are in a competition to see who can have the most kids, there is like 30 of those little bundles of terror up and down the street, and they are always selling something. Most of the time we don't even answer the door anymore. Well, for whatever reason I got up to see who it was. It was a guy and he had Chaco. He asked if this dog belonged to me, I said yes. I think to myself how in the world did he get out? I told the guy thanks for bringing him back and went to shut the door. He said, wait, the other one is out here too. So I walk out to get Buck, and as I'm walking through the front yard, Chaco comes crawling out of my bedroom window, now I know how they got out. I was mad, but kind of impressed too. My window was only cracked, it wasn't open all the way because I don't have a screen on it. In order for them to escape, they had to lift the window up far enough to get out, and, well, they did.

A few days later I got home from work a little early to head out of town for the weekend. I went out back to get Chaco since he was going with me. Nowhere to be found. Nice new hole had been dug under the fence and both dogs were gone. Its a little scary because we don't put their collars on them usually. Luckily for us, all the neighbors know who they belong to by now. So, I walk out the front door and a note falls to the ground. The same guy who had brought them back the last time, had grabbed them and put them in his back yard. He was on his way home and I got them back, put Bucks collar on him, put him back out back, and me and Chaco headed to Little Rock. Buck went on to get out again later that night. They never go outside without their collars anymore.

A few days later I am at work and get a phone call from my roommate and he tells me the dogs are out. A lady that was at the Farminton park with her grandkids had called him. This is not the first time they had ventured over to the park. Its walking distance from our house and we take them down there quite a bit, so they know exactly where it is. I work 30 min from home and it would be another 30 mins before I am able to leave. I finally got to the park and sure enough, there they are just running wild. They aren't bothering anyone, just chasing each other around. A few people comment on what good dogs they are, which they are, they are just escape artists as of late.

If anybody is in town and wants to swing by the house, I will introduce you to our new "inside dogs" Buck and Chaco.

I Wonder What's Next

Its been a long time since I have posted... Is it 'posted' or 'blogged' ? Anyway, its been a long time since I wrote anything on here. Its not because I didn't want my 5 followers to have all the fun, its just I don't really like to 'blog' to blog. I know all my fans have been DYING to know what I would talk about next. Wait no longer ye old friends.

I think about stuff all the time, and I'm like, that would be awesome to blog about, just never get around to it. So, today as I was driving around at work, I got to thinking to myself. I said "self, what are some of the things you would like to do." Its was funny, because he responded right away. Here are a few things he told me:

Travel... I'd like to visit all 50 states. Now, When we talk about travel, I'm not talking about get in a car and start driving and just end up somewhere, then turn around and go back home. I'd like to take a few days and go enjoy wherever I go. I'd even like to ride my motorcycle to or in some of the places I visit. I'd also like to visit all the continents. One in particular, Australia. My mom is always asking when I'm going to find a girl to settle down with..... Mom, hellllllllooooooo? I haven't been to Australia yet to find her. One of these days though, one of these days...

Become a season ticket holder for the Hogs.... I've thought about it for a while now and wondered which sport I would want the tickets to be for. I've narrowed it down to either basketball or baseball. If you look at it like the stock market, basketball would be the way to go. Buy low sell high right? Well, the basketball team is terrible right now, you could probably buy season tickets for a reasonable price and have pretty good seats. Plus, you wouldn't have to wait 30 yrs to get the coveted mid-court seats. On the other hand, Razorback baseball is at an all time high right now. You can buy tickets for cheaper than basketball, but you will be sitting by the foul pole and it will be a while until you get good seats. That's life though, if we all knew Sam Walton was going to turn the five and dime into what Wal-Mart is today, wouldn't we all have gobbled up that stock 40 years ago?

Skydive..... YEAH RIGHT!!! Who in their good mind would jump out of a perfectly good airplane? If I'm going to skydive, I feel sorry for whoever I'm attached to when they tell me its go time. Better be 5 other dudes up there to help that poor soul push me out the door.

Climb Everest..... Pfffffffffst, WAY to much work for what 5 minutes at the top, just to have to turn around and go back down? Plus, I don't really feel like burning my retinas out at the moment. I'll stick to airplanes and hot air balloons.

Go to Space.... Not in a million years, 'Mission to Mars' anybody? Pictures suit me just fine. Those people are buying those tickets on the space ship Richard Branson is developing to go to space? All they are is high functioning retards with too much money. Hey google dude!! Throw a brother a bone over here...

- Blogmaster

PS. For those of you wondering about Chaco. He is doing fine, thanks for your concern. Hes not digging out anymore, we got the electric fence up. Turns out he can have just as much fun in our backyard as he can in the neighbors.

A Few Pics of Chaco

This is Chaco's GQ pose
He loves the water

Give me that ball!!

Dang we are sexy!

Chacbro getting some lovin from Z

It Hasn't Always Been Easy for Chaco

I had Chaco for a little over a month when he came down with Parvo. I had no idea what it was at the time and had never even heard of such. For those that are curious here is what wikipedia has to say about Parvo.

"The disease is highly infectious and is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not protected by maternal antibodies or vaccination. The common signs of the intestinal form are severe vomiting and severe haemmorhagic (bloody) diarrhea. Treatment often involves veterinary hospitalization. Vaccines can prevent this infection, but mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases."

I took Chaco to the Vet on a Sunday because he had been throwing up all weekend and didn't move a muscle all day Saturday. You have to understand he is a Lab, and by nature they are extremely hyper, so I knew something wasn't right when he slept all day Satuday and wouldn't come out of his crate Sunday morning. He had zero energy and was extremely dehydrated. I have never owned a dog before, so I didn't know what to be looking for that may throw up red flags.

The first thing out of the Vet's mouth when I took him in was "Parvo." The first thing out of my mouth was "whats that?" Basically as he explained it, Chaco's digestive system was shutting down on him, he wasn't able to keep and food or liquids down therefore causing dehydration and loss of energy. The vet suggested I leave him there to get put on a I V. I asked him what the chance was that I might lose Chaco, he told me since I caught it early enough he should be fine but there was still a chance he wouldn't make it. Then he asked if I had any more dogs, I said yes we have 2 other puppies at the house. He told me it was imperative to have my roommates bring them in right away so they could get a booster shot. He said take anything that Chaco has come in contact with and wash it or throw it away. He said we needed to mop every room in our house and make sure there isn't any remains of Parvo left. Even though we did all this, the other dogs still had a chance of getting it, thats how contagious it is.

I asked him how Chaco could have got it? He told me its very easy for puppies to get it. It could have been someone who came to our house that happened to walk through a yard where a dog had it, and they tracked it in on their shoes. Could have been as simple as a car that went down our street had it on their tires. He said it can come from anywhere that another dog has had it.

A week at the Vet and a nice $400 bill later Chaco was fine. When I picked him up it was as though he had never had it, and that tail of destruction was wagging as if I had a huge treat in my hand. Luckily for the other dogs, they never contracted it and all is well.

Happy birthday, Mom!I hope everyone can see,What a great mom you’ve always been,And how much you mean to me.
I always think about you,In times both good and bad,For the things you taught are with me,In happy times and sad.
So on this day I wish you joy,Just like you pass around.May all your good times multiply,And happiness abound.

By Karl Fuchs

Happy Birthday Mom, I love you, and Chaco does too.

My Dog Chaco as a Puppy

one of the first pictures I ever took of Chaco

This is my dog Chaco. He is a Chocolate Lab. Chaco has had a very interesting life thus far. He is just like any other dog out there, but better. As a puppy he did everything a puppy should do. He pooped in my room, he pooped in the hallway, he pooped in the living room, he pooped in the kitchen and every now and then he would poop outside.

When I first got him I thought I would let him sleep in my bed with me. First night, no problem, went straight to sleep like a good puppy and woke me up a time or two to go outside. Second night, again, no problem, cuddled up next to me and woke me up a few times to go outside. I thought to myself and told my friends, this having a puppy thing is a walk in the park. I was wrong. Third night, I wake up to a interesting smell. One I had smelt before, one that I am used to smelling outside, one that I shouldn't be smelling at 2am in the morning in the coziness of my room. He was sitting at the foot of my bed giving a little whimper. The first two nights that whimper meant "hey dude, take me outside I need to poop." If only I had been so lucky this time. I got out of bed and started for the door, no need to pull the string for the light I know where the door is, right? Bad Decision.

I would like to stop here for a second before I explain what happened next. Please if you will take a second close your eyes and remember back to when you were a kid playing outside in the rain. Remember that one pile of mud that was a little bit more liquidy than all the others? The one that had the standing water on top of it? the one that you weren't sure how deep it was going to be when you stepped in it? The one your parents would probably be mad at you about if you stepped in it, because there is a chance you might sink up to your waist and ruin your shorts? The one that when you stepped in it the mud would just ooze through your toes all nice and slimy? Remember THAT kind of mud? Good, back to the story.

As I reach my hand out to turn the knob on the door I step in what feels like THAT kind of mud with my left foot. I quickly lift my foot back to where it had just come from and take a step with my right foot. My right foot was greeted by the same feeling as my left foot. How is this possible? I have now managed to step in two separate piles of poop, with BOTH feet. So then I rush out of my room around the corner to the bathroom to get some paper towels, tracking what looks like THAT kind of mud down the hall, but it isn't mud at all. I then spend the next 30 minutes scrubbing the carpet in my room. Once I got as much out of the carpet as I could I realized I still have it on my feet, so I scrub them too. All the while Chaco is sitting on my bed looking at me like "dude, its 2am turn the light back out and let me go back to sleep, I don't need to go out anymore."

As you can probably imagine, I had the crate up the next day, and he slept in it at night until he was house broke. The saga continues at a later time.....