Dogs Daisy & Zuko

Daisy (Daisy Mae, Daisy Doo, Daisy Doodle, Pretty Girl) Daisy is a spayed female adopted in the summer of 1999. She's about 4.5. Daisy got her name because she's damn, damn shy. Daisy likes to sleep with her stuffed fire hydrant and pulls it out of her kennel first thing every morning and leaves it in the den so she can shake it back and forth between her teeth whenever she fees like it. The only time Daisy will urinate while inside is if she is highly nervous or scared if a new person bends down to pet her, or if she is scolded. (She really never does anything to warrant being scolded to that degree, though.) Daisy sleeps best when alone in her kennel. She gets very frightened if surprised in her sleep and will snap and growl for a second until she realizes that it's just you. It's best not to disturb her, especially from behind or her hind end if she's sleeping or not expecting it, because she just freaks out. She's never bitten anyone, but it's a scary moment for all parties. In about a 1/2 second, she will roll over apologetically for a belly rub. We think she does this because she was obviously abused as a stray or something, because she is just the most submissive dog you will ever meet. She used to be scared of her own shadow, but she's much better now. Daisy gets along best with male dogs and with dogs who will not fight back if she gets on one of her possessive, fear-based aggression snapping kicks. Daisy is basically just fearful and sometimes overcompensates by being kind of a bitch. She will snap at Zuko if he gets too near her or one of her treats, but he doesn't fight back with her, so they get along great. He understands that she is not to be messed with at times like that and backs off. This is very important. She once got into a bloody fight with her former roommate, a female beagle of approximately the same size, over a bone. Neither of them would back off and we had to separate them by grabbing their hind legs and pulling them apart. Not classy dog behavior. Daisy's favorite place to play is in the backyard, which she pretends is a jungle. Daisy thinks she should be allowed on the couch and will find very sneaky ways to end up on it with you. She is fond of laps and of all human furniture. Daisy barks at passers by, squirrels, birds, other dogs, especially cats, and the atmosphere. Daisy barks to hear herself bark. Daisy loves to go on walks. When she sees cats, she emits what can only be called her cat bark. It's the bark of Shrieking Eels. She sometimes barks at yard statues that must to her resemble cats; thus, she has barked at both St. Francis and the Virgin Mary. Daisy made it through part of obedience class, but she couldn't tolerate the part when you jerk on their pinch collar as a correction if they don't sit or lie down or whatever. She would roll over and yelp and pee on herself. She's just fundamentally pretty obedient because she wants to please you so badly. Daisy will jet out of an open door and sprint down the street practically at the speed of light. She is very hard to catch, and she will not come when you call her in this circumstance. It is a frightening sight. She is a very, very, very fast runner and loves nothing more than to take off with no end in sight. When opening the door, you have to be very firm about saying "BACK!" and if the door is left open unattended for 1 second, she will be gone in a flash. In Daisy's dreams, she is a racehorse. Zuko (Zuko, Zuke, Zuke-Zuke, Z-Dog, Zukie, Bud) Zuko is a neutered male adopted from the local animal welfare society in the summer of '01. They got him from animal control because he was deemed adoptable. They estimated his age at about 1 then, so I guess he's about 3 now. Zuko is named after Danny Zuko. Zuko was only supposed to be a guest. Zuko wore us down until Daisy and I decided he could stay. Zuko gets along well with other dogs but it might take him a few minutes to warm up, especially if it's a male dog, and he doesn't like when bigger dogs tower over his head so he can't get out from under them. But he was recommended as a foster dog for his ability to get along with any dog. That's why I picked him. Because Daisy is crazy. And she needed a dog who would not fight back. Zuko is afraid of thunderstorms. He prefers to be hiding under the couch rather than loose or in his kennel if it's thundering. Zuko will easily go into his kennel if you say, "You want a treat?" and throw a Scooby snack in there. He likes to sleep with his stuffed purple thing (whether it's a grape or a plum has been widely debated). Sometimes he has little separation anxiety freak-outs in his kennel, but he has improved exponentially in this area. Zuko is housetrained. When he first moved in, he marked the furniture by pissing on it, but I think it's because he was still recovering from his neutering surgery and it hasn't been a problem since. Once he gave me a pile of poop on the hall floor for my birthday. And one other time, he and Daisy were wrestling so feverishly that poop shot out of his bottom, but he looked at me and then the poop in such sincere surprise and apology that it was deemed an accident. Zuko is a jumper. He is also very wild during play if encouraged. It is best to not encourage this. He does not like to be held down or feel restrained when playing or be picked up. He is just too spastic and needs to feel free, if that makes sense. It's best to encourage calm play with Zuko lest you be overwhelmed by the spazosity. Zuko is always UPINYOURFACE. Sometimes it's important to remind oneself why one loves Zuko. Zuko does fine in the yard with Daisy, but he would rather be inside with you. Zuko is kind of dumb and retarded, but he is full of love. Zuko made it through all of his obedience classes but we skipped graduation because we were afraid he would screw up walking around the orange cones. He never mastered that very well; it takes too much brain-power and coordination. Zuko barks and growls at strangers, but only through the fence. If people come in the house, he is fine and will be very loving and affectionate. He's just very territorial when it comes to "guarding" the house from the backyard and sees people through the fence as a threat unless he knows them. (Same with Daisy, basically, but she will take longer to warm up inside -- not mean, just shy.) They're great watch dogs because of this. They both bark at the mailman as if he is the devil even though they see him every day. Zuko loves to go on walks. He will stop every 5 seconds to pee at first so be patient. It's best to use the pinch collar that our dog trainer recommended for walking because it keeps him from pulling. Zuko's favorite food is pizza, and if you're not careful, he will steal it off of your plate. Zuko's second favorite food is baby carrots, and whenever the refrigerator is opened, he beelines for the carrot bag and buries his face in it and steals as many as possible, spits them out, and eats them one at a time. He also enjoys peanut butter, popcorn, and string cheese, but only in moderation. The Hounds Daisy and Zuko sometimes act like they're about to kill each other but it's all in good fun. If anything should ever happen to me, Daisy and Zuko should go together. They really are a couple of oddballs, and I worry they would both just become more permanently mentally deranged than they already are if separated. Daisy and Zuko want to lick you. © Copyright 2003 elb

If you come across archived entries that refer to the dogs as Dolly and Cookie, it's because that's what I formerly called them in the journal. last updated 8.19.03