Monday, March 19, 2012
Friends and Junk
So, my friend Cara finally got her blog up and running again! She's the author of Monster of All Cakes over to the sidebar to the right there and she wrote the sweetest entry where she mentioned me, Mason and Beetlejuice here! I've actually been waiting for her to post and mention her pup, Didgeridoo so I can write about her as well so here goes!
Cara and I have been friends since my freshman year of college, and although we had our falling out and whatever, I'm really glad to call her my friend once again. We've always had an insane-lot-in-common (and still do evidently, even with our time apart!), and I'm sad that we managed this and then I left Memphis so we never get to hang, but we still talk often about dogs, bikes and a potential comic that we wanna start, which is exciting beyond BELIEF because I've been wanting to start a new webcomic with a friend!
She got Didgeridoo, what is possibly a catahoula/lab/aussie mix a few months ago, and he's wonderful. He started my love of catahoulas, as mentioned in my last post about what kinda dog I want:
(Photo from facebook!)
To nerd about him for a moment: he has the cutest floppy ears, the most handsome merley-patchy-coloring-with-tan-points and the sweetest face! I wish so badly I could have snatched up one of his siblings, but he's definitely made me really want my next dog to have a bit of catahoula, because I'm a sucker for him! (Him and a dog I follow on instagram named Charlie--he's a catahoula corgi mix (his owner refers to him as a corgahoula) and he has Didgi's face on a short lil body! SO CUTE!)
He apparently gets some flak for his breed and barking (some people say he has cattledog in him, which I also mentioned in my last post where most people judge them to be sour tempered), but I know he's a sweet boy. Cara has raised him really well, socializes him regularly and he gets plenty of exercise.
Cara also rides bikes waaay more than I do and for way longer, and she does Hardcourt Bike Polo and Fixed Gear Freestyle, both of which I find crazy awesome. I'd like to eventually do some tricks, and I've been practicing my trackstanding and riding backwards in the garage the past few rainy days!
Anyways, I don't know if many people read this, but I wanted to write a bit about her in hopes you'll enjoy her blog as well. We both will be writing about our dogs and junk, so I know they'll both be fun reads!
Cara and I have been friends since my freshman year of college, and although we had our falling out and whatever, I'm really glad to call her my friend once again. We've always had an insane-lot-in-common (and still do evidently, even with our time apart!), and I'm sad that we managed this and then I left Memphis so we never get to hang, but we still talk often about dogs, bikes and a potential comic that we wanna start, which is exciting beyond BELIEF because I've been wanting to start a new webcomic with a friend!
She got Didgeridoo, what is possibly a catahoula/lab/aussie mix a few months ago, and he's wonderful. He started my love of catahoulas, as mentioned in my last post about what kinda dog I want:
To nerd about him for a moment: he has the cutest floppy ears, the most handsome merley-patchy-coloring-with-tan-points and the sweetest face! I wish so badly I could have snatched up one of his siblings, but he's definitely made me really want my next dog to have a bit of catahoula, because I'm a sucker for him! (Him and a dog I follow on instagram named Charlie--he's a catahoula corgi mix (his owner refers to him as a corgahoula) and he has Didgi's face on a short lil body! SO CUTE!)
He apparently gets some flak for his breed and barking (some people say he has cattledog in him, which I also mentioned in my last post where most people judge them to be sour tempered), but I know he's a sweet boy. Cara has raised him really well, socializes him regularly and he gets plenty of exercise.
Cara also rides bikes waaay more than I do and for way longer, and she does Hardcourt Bike Polo and Fixed Gear Freestyle, both of which I find crazy awesome. I'd like to eventually do some tricks, and I've been practicing my trackstanding and riding backwards in the garage the past few rainy days!
Anyways, I don't know if many people read this, but I wanted to write a bit about her in hopes you'll enjoy her blog as well. We both will be writing about our dogs and junk, so I know they'll both be fun reads!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
A Second Dog
So I spend a lot of time drooling over various dogs and thinking about how much I want another one. I spent a long time wanting a second corgi--specifically a blue merle cardigan, but I threw that out because they are REALLY expensive (800-1000 bucks) and I'd rather wait till later in life to get another cardi. Then I was thinking a red and white pembroke, which was what I had always wanted, but being involved in corgi rescue really makes me attached to the mixes. It's sad to see how excited people get about purebred dogs needing rescue and how fast they get snatched up, but mixes rarely get commented on and I end up being one of the few people trying my best to make sure the dogs don't get euthanized.
I then thought...blue/red heeler-corgi-mix...aka Cowboy Corgi. But today when discussing that with my brother, he told me he knew someone who had a litter of purebred Heelers and they all ended up mean natured. I had always heard they were a little harder to socialize than most, but he made it sound like these guys were just ROUGH. That their working drive is really hard to contain...which made me kind of think of the fact that the only ones I know that are in homes are on farms, and the one I saw at the park was the same way--it kept picking fights with everyone. Not that I intend to breed generalize, since I know for a fact I have some wonderful friends on facebook who have raised cattle dogs and love them dearly (all of which are corgi owners, which is why after a little research and knowing this I thought that since I raised a herding dog with a SUPER high energy level that I'd be able to handle it), but I'm not sure if that is the right dog for me after that discussion.
But then I concluded; I don't know what I'm going to get. I'll know when the time comes. Right now I'd like a corgi-heeler-catahoula-australian shepherd-shipperke-white german shepherd-wolf dog-dire wolf. So who knows. But I think I've decided after a while of pondering going to a breeder that I want a mix. I want to rescue another dog, like I did Mason, but not a purebred. Mason was in danger because he was in a small SUPER HIGH KILL shelter and no one but I knew about him. But all the other purebred corgis I find get fucking FOUGHT over. And the poor adorable mixes (like one I saw the other day online) get euthanized and threw to the wayside because they don't fit some stupid standard and don't come with stupid sheets of paper. And to those who respect and follow AKC standards--I am not downing on you, I'm just downing on the fact that every dog isn't treated as being as special as they really are just because of their lineage. And every dog should be treated with the same respect. A mixed breed is just as loving and lovable as a pure bred dog from champion lines.
I like to think of the story my friend Becca told of when she found her dog--from my understanding, I don't think she was looking for anything in particular, but she found him as a puppy and knew that very instant he was hers. I thought about it, and that's much the same way I found Mason--I went in going for a red and white pem, and found him and I saw his one floppy ear and his big brown eyes and I knew he was mine. And I know that it will happen again (but this time Mason has to approve too, and this time I'm going in without any specific idea...just the thoughts in the back of my mind of my current favorite pups!)
I don't care if the next dog I get has corgi in it, I don't care if it's big, small, tall, short, ugly or cute. I just want to search and search and when I find the right dog I'll know. I'm coming to find I am total dog dork, and no matter how many dogs I see, I'm changing my mind day to day what I want because I love them ALL. Every dog is special, and when I find the perfect addition, I'll know it. And for now...Mason is quite enough love for me. It will probably be at least a year until I get a second, I just like daydreaming about getting him a brother to play with.
Or I just want a corehound.
I then thought...blue/red heeler-corgi-mix...aka Cowboy Corgi. But today when discussing that with my brother, he told me he knew someone who had a litter of purebred Heelers and they all ended up mean natured. I had always heard they were a little harder to socialize than most, but he made it sound like these guys were just ROUGH. That their working drive is really hard to contain...which made me kind of think of the fact that the only ones I know that are in homes are on farms, and the one I saw at the park was the same way--it kept picking fights with everyone. Not that I intend to breed generalize, since I know for a fact I have some wonderful friends on facebook who have raised cattle dogs and love them dearly (all of which are corgi owners, which is why after a little research and knowing this I thought that since I raised a herding dog with a SUPER high energy level that I'd be able to handle it), but I'm not sure if that is the right dog for me after that discussion.
But then I concluded; I don't know what I'm going to get. I'll know when the time comes. Right now I'd like a corgi-heeler-catahoula-australian shepherd-shipperke-white german shepherd-wolf dog-dire wolf. So who knows. But I think I've decided after a while of pondering going to a breeder that I want a mix. I want to rescue another dog, like I did Mason, but not a purebred. Mason was in danger because he was in a small SUPER HIGH KILL shelter and no one but I knew about him. But all the other purebred corgis I find get fucking FOUGHT over. And the poor adorable mixes (like one I saw the other day online) get euthanized and threw to the wayside because they don't fit some stupid standard and don't come with stupid sheets of paper. And to those who respect and follow AKC standards--I am not downing on you, I'm just downing on the fact that every dog isn't treated as being as special as they really are just because of their lineage. And every dog should be treated with the same respect. A mixed breed is just as loving and lovable as a pure bred dog from champion lines.
I like to think of the story my friend Becca told of when she found her dog--from my understanding, I don't think she was looking for anything in particular, but she found him as a puppy and knew that very instant he was hers. I thought about it, and that's much the same way I found Mason--I went in going for a red and white pem, and found him and I saw his one floppy ear and his big brown eyes and I knew he was mine. And I know that it will happen again (but this time Mason has to approve too, and this time I'm going in without any specific idea...just the thoughts in the back of my mind of my current favorite pups!)
I don't care if the next dog I get has corgi in it, I don't care if it's big, small, tall, short, ugly or cute. I just want to search and search and when I find the right dog I'll know. I'm coming to find I am total dog dork, and no matter how many dogs I see, I'm changing my mind day to day what I want because I love them ALL. Every dog is special, and when I find the perfect addition, I'll know it. And for now...Mason is quite enough love for me. It will probably be at least a year until I get a second, I just like daydreaming about getting him a brother to play with.
Or I just want a corehound.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Harnesses vs Collars
So I've always had trouble deciding what kind of "dog containment" mechanism I want to use on Mason. I started with regular collars (and bought tons because I like changing them up) and then switched to a single martingale collar for a while to help to teach him to not pull on a leash. If you don't know what martingale collars are, here's a good explanation.
Here's a picture of Mason in his bandana print Lupine brand martingale.
I liked them for a while, especially the fact it has two loops--one for identification and one to clip the leash and that tightens the collar when they pull. I was starting to have issue with it, because Mason still sometimes pulls when he sees certain things (sheep, or when he wants to run since I run with him in a certain area but sometimes I just want to walk so that isn't always conducive to what we are doing) and I felt like he was choking himself, and it wasn't to teach him anything anymore, since he wasn't pulling constantly--just when he thought he should be getting to something (IE herding sheep/running) so I decided to try a harness.
I have heard mixed reviews about them, some people say they encourage pulling and others say they give more control to the person. I've found them to be very helpful, and I just FEEL better about a harness. It's not putting any pressure on his neck, just his whole chest area, and when he does pull he's not really able to since the whole harness is around his body so he stops.
I got Mason a step-in harness, which doesn't also wrap around his torso/belly, just around his arms and his chest. It's Dog Whisperer brand, which is SO lame in my opinion but it was the only pattern I liked and it was made of a soft floppy material, and a lot of the others were stiff and I didn't want them to rub up against him and rub his fur off or be uncomfortable. Here he is in it:
He doesn't mind it at all. Then again, I always make him wear bandanas and shit, so he's probably used to random things being put on him. But I think it works a lot better. I wish it had an extra loop to put his identification on the front, but I'll probably just put his collar on him too if we go somewhere unfamiliar or just get an extra tag for the loops that attach to the leash.
It doesn't restrict him from running or rolling around, and I'm not as concerned about it getting caught and choking him or something...I don't know, I was really weirded out by the concept at first but I find myself more satisfied with the harness and I feel like it's a lot safer as well.
Here's a picture of Mason in his bandana print Lupine brand martingale.
I liked them for a while, especially the fact it has two loops--one for identification and one to clip the leash and that tightens the collar when they pull. I was starting to have issue with it, because Mason still sometimes pulls when he sees certain things (sheep, or when he wants to run since I run with him in a certain area but sometimes I just want to walk so that isn't always conducive to what we are doing) and I felt like he was choking himself, and it wasn't to teach him anything anymore, since he wasn't pulling constantly--just when he thought he should be getting to something (IE herding sheep/running) so I decided to try a harness.
I have heard mixed reviews about them, some people say they encourage pulling and others say they give more control to the person. I've found them to be very helpful, and I just FEEL better about a harness. It's not putting any pressure on his neck, just his whole chest area, and when he does pull he's not really able to since the whole harness is around his body so he stops.
I got Mason a step-in harness, which doesn't also wrap around his torso/belly, just around his arms and his chest. It's Dog Whisperer brand, which is SO lame in my opinion but it was the only pattern I liked and it was made of a soft floppy material, and a lot of the others were stiff and I didn't want them to rub up against him and rub his fur off or be uncomfortable. Here he is in it:
He doesn't mind it at all. Then again, I always make him wear bandanas and shit, so he's probably used to random things being put on him. But I think it works a lot better. I wish it had an extra loop to put his identification on the front, but I'll probably just put his collar on him too if we go somewhere unfamiliar or just get an extra tag for the loops that attach to the leash.
It doesn't restrict him from running or rolling around, and I'm not as concerned about it getting caught and choking him or something...I don't know, I was really weirded out by the concept at first but I find myself more satisfied with the harness and I feel like it's a lot safer as well.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Two of my Favorite Things
I'm going to write a post dedicated to the two things I will probably write about the most: my bike and my dog.
The other day I took Mason to see his cousin, Cash. Cash is a 4 month old pitbull, and he's adorable. I took some quick shots with my phone and instagrammed them up, and I was pleased with what I managed to catch. I can't believe that Cash is already as big as Mason, and I swear he weighs twice as much. He's ALL muscle. I can't express how proud I am of Mason and how much I love him. He's such a good dog, he's friendly to every person and every dog he meets (unless a tennis ball is involved, in which case he is all business). He's growing up so fast too, he's mellowed out a little overnight it seems and is finally not going 110% 24/9...more like 100% 24/7, so that's been a relief. I'm glad to know there's a light at the end of the cracked out puppy phase.
I also finally got to ride Beetlejuice for the first time the other day. I walked up to the top of the hill and rode around on flat ground to get used to the whole fixed gear thing, and then did something incredibly stupid: went down a hill. Needless to say, my legs couldn't keep up with the pedals because my bike weighs like 5 pounds or something ridic and I had to stick my legs out and slowly brake. It almost ended in disaster, but I really am so glad for bike brakes. WHEW. The bike itself still needs a few paint touchups (removal mainly on the logo and stem) and a new saddle, but is done otherwise.
After this, my friends Tristen, Sam and I decided to go riding in town at night around the housing and retirement home. It's kind of like a little quiet suburb area, so it was an easy ride for the most part. It was definitely different--Tristen kept powering ahead with Sam and I was doing my best to catch up, it's HARDER to pedal on a fixed gear, but once you get going, you're much faster than everyone else is my experience. I like the control with it. We rode for a while, we rode to a playground, stopped, rode to a friend's house, stopped and rode back on the sidewalk so we wouldn't be riding on a main road without reflectors/helmets/lights/etc. (Hey Memphis--up here the sidewalks are unmarred and flat as can be...it's amazing). We were going to go again tonight, but I had a shitty day and it was really late when Tristen finally asked me to go (10:30 lol). But here are the photos from that, and I hope to do it again soon but since Tristen and Sam both go to school in DC, I don't know how often it will happen. I may end up driving up to Hburg every coupla nights to ride on my own, because that was a really good area to practice my riding in. OH and the other two bikes are the ones they rode--old ass cruiser type bikes they keep there for the residents to ride. They were a hot mess, and it was really good I brought my tire pump because they were FLAT.
I'm also getting back into World of Warcraft...so I'm sure there will be a post about that soon. :D
The other day I took Mason to see his cousin, Cash. Cash is a 4 month old pitbull, and he's adorable. I took some quick shots with my phone and instagrammed them up, and I was pleased with what I managed to catch. I can't believe that Cash is already as big as Mason, and I swear he weighs twice as much. He's ALL muscle. I can't express how proud I am of Mason and how much I love him. He's such a good dog, he's friendly to every person and every dog he meets (unless a tennis ball is involved, in which case he is all business). He's growing up so fast too, he's mellowed out a little overnight it seems and is finally not going 110% 24/9...more like 100% 24/7, so that's been a relief. I'm glad to know there's a light at the end of the cracked out puppy phase.
I also finally got to ride Beetlejuice for the first time the other day. I walked up to the top of the hill and rode around on flat ground to get used to the whole fixed gear thing, and then did something incredibly stupid: went down a hill. Needless to say, my legs couldn't keep up with the pedals because my bike weighs like 5 pounds or something ridic and I had to stick my legs out and slowly brake. It almost ended in disaster, but I really am so glad for bike brakes. WHEW. The bike itself still needs a few paint touchups (removal mainly on the logo and stem) and a new saddle, but is done otherwise.
After this, my friends Tristen, Sam and I decided to go riding in town at night around the housing and retirement home. It's kind of like a little quiet suburb area, so it was an easy ride for the most part. It was definitely different--Tristen kept powering ahead with Sam and I was doing my best to catch up, it's HARDER to pedal on a fixed gear, but once you get going, you're much faster than everyone else is my experience. I like the control with it. We rode for a while, we rode to a playground, stopped, rode to a friend's house, stopped and rode back on the sidewalk so we wouldn't be riding on a main road without reflectors/helmets/lights/etc. (Hey Memphis--up here the sidewalks are unmarred and flat as can be...it's amazing). We were going to go again tonight, but I had a shitty day and it was really late when Tristen finally asked me to go (10:30 lol). But here are the photos from that, and I hope to do it again soon but since Tristen and Sam both go to school in DC, I don't know how often it will happen. I may end up driving up to Hburg every coupla nights to ride on my own, because that was a really good area to practice my riding in. OH and the other two bikes are the ones they rode--old ass cruiser type bikes they keep there for the residents to ride. They were a hot mess, and it was really good I brought my tire pump because they were FLAT.
I'm also getting back into World of Warcraft...so I'm sure there will be a post about that soon. :D
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Beetlejuice Parts List
I just thought I'd update with BJ's parts, he's almost ALMOST done:
Raleigh leSportif frame.
Eighthinch Amelia 700c wheelset in lime green, 16t cog.
Eighthinch crankset, white, 46t chainring.
Origin8 - Pro-Urban Riser All-MTN Handlebar, White Powder Coated
Eastern Bikes platform pedals, black.
Purple chain, you know how I be.
Lime green Oury grips.
Handmade orange and black pedal straps.
I intend to get the Odyssey wolf saddle...so more updates as it progresses!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Beetlejuice is Nearing Completion
Hopefully picking up some pedals this weekend (if they have purple or white or green at the bikeshop...if not I'm ordering online), materials to make straps and he'll be rideable! Then I'm picking up a wolf seat and some new handlebars! *______* I can't wait to ride.
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