I Was That Woman

I took Zonah to the beach yesterday, so she could swim while it is still warm. Upon arriving, I realized that I had forgotten her Easy-Walk harness. For those not in the know, the harness works similarly to a Gentle Leader or Halti, but goes on the dog's body, not on their face. It stops the dog from being able to pull by the way it is designed. I love it. And for a 60 lb., excited Pit-bull, it is a must.

So, there I am: a skirt, worn-out flip-flops, a baby in a sling, car keys in one hand and Zonah's leash in the other. She tried not to pull, but was just too damn excited. I kept stopping, and she kept sitting. We would walk, she would pull, I would stop, she would sit. Over and over and over again.

To Zonah's credit, she could have taken me out, and she didn't. She was pulling mildly, not the limb dislocating, pull your feet out from under you, eat pavement pulling she is capable of. She almost did this a few times, but manged not to, for which I thank her. She really is a good girl.

We finally got to the beach. It was empty. I let her loose and into the water she went. I found a stick, but didn't throw it far. The tide was coming in, the sun was setting and the water was a little choppy. Zonah is a great swimmer and beautiful to behold. But I worry. She is old, she is precious to me. If she started drowning, would I leave the baby on the shore and go in to rescue her? Probably not. If I drowned, what would the baby do? Like I said, I worry.

After several good throws, we headed back. I snapped on the leash and saw some men and a loose dog near the end of the beach. Zonah loves people, but is not enamored with all canines. And me, being in flip-flops, skirt, baby in tow on a beach of smooth rocks, was not in a good position to mediate an introduction, or pull my beautiful girl out of a dogfight.

I called to the men and they kindly put their dog on a leash. I thanked them. Zonah almost pulled me and Opal over a log to meet them and their dog- which she actually seemed interested in(in a good way)-gave a few barks and walked back to the car nice and easy like a good dog should.

Our adventure was a success, despite my poor planning. It is just slightly worse than that time I showed up at the dog park with baby Opal, flip-flops, a hot chai, and overenthusiastic Wallace. Some people!

Paxton Monk

Name: Paxton Monk

Gender: Male

Breed: Pointer mixed with something else. Maybe boxer.

Weight: 72 ish-lbs

Age: 7 or 8 ish

Likes: Snacks, to be petted and hugged, snacks, fence fighting, snacks, adventures in the great outdoors, and oh yeah, snacks.

Dislike: Tupperware, and anything else that might fall on him. Toe nail trimming.


Bio: Paxton was adopted from the Tacoma Humane Society in January of 2002. Although he is extremely handsome and was listed on Petfinder, he was at the shelter for nearly 3 weeks before I adopted him. He was dirty and very skinny, with torn ligaments in his back knees and a rock in his stomach(I did not know these things of course). Four thousand dollars and some adjustment time later, the timid skinny dog has turned into a strapping, handsome, friendly boy. Paxton is one of the sweetest, gentlest dogs I have ever met. Many people claim to be in love with him. But to be in love with him, you would have to embrace all his quirks, and annoying habits: fence fighting, squirrel killing, leash aggression with other dogs, pacing, staring, general nervousness for no apparent reason, drooling at dinner time. Paxton, I know you so well. Paxton you are the balm of my heart. I love you.

Zonah Princess

Name: Zonah Princess

Gender: Female

Breed: Pit-Bullish type

Weight: about 60lbs

Age: Eight

Likes: Licking people, swimming, showing off, tug-of-war(with people mostly, but maybe with Wallace), long walks, barking, Kong, Kitten, lots of attention, flashlight, chasing squirrels and rats, and any game that involves barking, running, tugging etc. Also enjoys cuddling when tired and ear rubs.

Dislikes: Mad voices and people arguing. Being left home. Wallace's barking. Taking pills and going to the vet. Paxton's shenanigans. Crows.

Zonah's Bio: Zonah was acquired at the famous Gilman Street Club in Berkeley, CA. Someone had found her running loose and brought her down to the show. Between bands, she was taken on stage and offered up to the crowd.

I fell instantly in love.

She was about 4 months old, with kennel cough and a row of infected stitches. She bit constantly, and would lean off to the side of her leash on walks. For years she jumped all over people and feigned deafness anytime a new friend approached. She was WILD. She still can be.

I love her with all my heart. I think that is where we are connected.

huh

My posts aren't working. SAD.

Bad dog

Wallace is just about 6 months old.

Wallace is just a puppy.

Wallace just chewed up one of my new flip-flops. I bought them for $8 at Fred Meyer on sale. They were sooo comfy. I was sitting on the couch, checking my email. Wallace was laying on the floor, at my feet. I thought he was chewing on his toy. He was chewing on my flip-flop. Arghhh.

Sad Times

My friend Gretchen's dog died early Monday morning. She was a nine year old German Shepherd named Auka. I may be spelling that wrong. Anyway, Gretchen has a sad and beautiful story about sitting with her dog for hours as she prepared to die, and holding her and lying with her on the floor as she did die. I won't attempt to retell it here in any detail. If you know Gretchen, call her and see how she is. I know she feels so sad and is missing her good friend.

Lambchop and Porkchop

My friend Megan walks dogs at the Seattle Animal Shelter once a week. She just walked these two on Sunday, and says they were adorable together. Not only are they cute, but they are up for adoption!
Click here for the link to their Petfinder page: Lambchop and Porkchop

Kristine and Spike

This is my sister Kristine and her dog, Spike. She took this great photo. Check out more of her work at www.kristineadams.com
She is a photographer, artist, belly-dancer, dog lover and really good sister.

Fourteen

I was thinking about my family today as I drove home from working. Growing up, we had one dog. Not one dog at a time, but one dog period. He was a Border Collie, who my younger sister found in the alley behind our house on her way to school. We put him in the back yard, and it was a miracle that he was still there when we got home. Instead of shooing him back out of the gate and into the frightening world as my father had planned, he instead fell in love with that dog. And I mean love. (Remember parents, try not to make your children feel less important than the family dog.) Gordy. He was a good dog. He had his quirks, and had probably been smacked around a few times. But mostly, he was good. Mostly he was great. And he became ours for fourteen years. That is what is important.

Now, between us, there are currently fourteen dogs. Is that right? Yes: Kaspar, Zelda, Zorro, Patron, Spike, Boodha, Deafie(yes, he is deaf), Duchess, Zero, Lily, Halo, Zonah, Paxton and Wallace. (I never noticed how many "Z" names we have.) This is just my immediate family- myself, parents and 3 sisters. There are 6 separate breeds (Daschund, Mexican hairless or Xolo, Australian Shepherd, Doberman, Pomeranian, Pit-bull), and three definite mixed breeds. We are not breedists. Among these fourteen dogs, ten of them are rescue dogs. The oldest dog is eight(Zonah) and I think the youngest is 5 months(Wallace). It shocks me that a family who had one single dog in a 30 some odd year period would now have so many amongst us. All those years of repression have sent the floodgates opening up. We do love our dogs. Yes, we do.

Kaspar and Zelda

These are mt sister Kel's dogs. Their names are Kaspar and Zelda. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting them, but I hear that they are very naughty and terrified by my mother.

Lovely Jennifer Adams

I googled my name under image, and here is what came up. Apparently, that is the dog's name.

Clouds

Sometimes Zonah likes to help.

Olive Juice Adams(not a dog)

He is my giant cat. However, he does have many dog-like characteristics.

Wallace

Wallace and Opal

Paxton

Zonah

Dr. Brown is Tired

This is Dr. Brown. He helps run Springtide Press with Jessica Spring. He just returned from a vacation on the shore where he frolicked on the beach and fetched hundreds of tennis balls. Welcome home Brown!

check it out: www.springtidepress.com
Thanks for the photo Jessica!

Meet and Greet

As the title suggests, I have three dogs: Zonah, Paxton and Wallace. Here are a few photos. Wallace's photo is from the Humane Society. It was posted online at Petfinder. More about them later.

What the Future Holds...maybe

Opal and I were driving home from the zoo today. There was a small car driving towards us, papers and debris stacked high on the dashboard. The driver's hands were gesturing wildly, the wind whipping her unkempt hair. The tiny back seat was stuffed full of dogs. Real, live, furry dogs. It all seemed a little too crazy and a tiny bit possible. God help me.

Why I was late for work(today)

Ha ha! It is my first post on this new blog. I will talk about all things dog: memories, observations, happenings etc. There will be photos and drawings and fabulous dog sculptures. Tips and tidbits. I am so excited.

In today's news, I tried to rescue a Yorkie from the street. It ran home. Hopefully, someone let it in. That is why I was late to work.