On Caring for Sir Laidback the Dog:

Sir Laidback is heading to the Veterinarian today. His ears are itchy and so is his skin where the rash was and it smells like a yeast infection to me. I think he was on steroids before we got him because he is only five years old and has cataracts too.

I have trouble with people that do the easy thing like steroids for his allergies and don’t look out for the pets long term best interest.

Sir Laidback obviously had some training in manors and deportment. He has been around other dogs on a regular basis and walked on a leash every time he stepped out of the door.

He didn’t do some dog things as a matter of course. He acted more like a human then a dog when he first got here. These, of course, have been trained out of him. I know this to be true because Mountain Man had to re-train him to jump up on his chair to sit together and watch TV in the evenings and to walk out of the door without a leash on in the morning to have a quick pee in the yard. He now knows what it is to be cuddled and not just groomed and preened.

And Sir Laidback does like the new rules. It’s not like he has the run of the house. Its just a little more relaxed around here. He is starting to get this dog stuff. Running around and playing off leash, barking at will and sleeping on a dog pillow/beds just the right distance from the woodstove and not locked in a cage for the night in a cold corner. (The only place the cage fit without blocking a door.)

Not that any of that stuff is bad. But the cage thing isn’t comfortable when it is too far or too close to the heat and he couldn’t move to a better location.

Yes, we may have too many dog beds laying around, both closer and further to the woodstove. But the dogs can find the one that is most comfortable for the time of the night that is coldest or warmest for them.

We love our pets and want the best for them. But we expect them to be pets and not overly trained show dogs.