Poison Control

So, Joy and I have programmed poison control into our cell phones because Otis is like a K-9 garbage disposal! He eats anything and everything! His average day consists of a minimum of 50 trips to the kitchen trash can to see if we forgot to clip the lid down.

A few months ago we had our first call to poison control, because Otis found a ball point pen in my shorts in the laundry basket, and devoured it! Our first clue was when he came into the living room, he came to give us a big kiss. His tongue, instead of pink was completely black! We quickly discovered remains of the pen and several black ink stains on our shag rug. After calling poison control and finding out that he would be OK, Joy and I had a fun evening of breathing carpet cleaner fumes!!

Since then, he has also found and eaten things such as grapes (which are deadly to dogs), a half empty packet of cherry throat drops, an old ant poison trap, a packet of birth control, and any pretty much any paper product that is in his reach... all things that make us freak out each time and call the poison control center! As he gets taller, we have to put things higher and higher to keep them out of his reach. Its a constant re-learning experience with the boy, and has been quite exhausting!

Lately, his favorite thing to do is steal the timothy hay from our rabbits. The vet said it can't hurt to eat a little, and it probably keeps him somewhat regular. I swear this boy will eat anything! I mean, what dog likes to eat hay?

All in all, despite our panic each time, the control center has assured us that he will be fine. I guess Otis is training us for when we eventually have children. He is just a rapidly growing child and excellent practice for crisis management!

New Screen Needed!

Today, May 29th, 2006, we had a visit from an old friend. During this visit, Otis, without warning, decides to launch himself through our living room window screen to chase a squirell up a tree in the front yard. I was able to run out the door and catch him before he got too far.
Since we adopted him, Joy and I have had several of what we playfully call "Marmaduke Moments". Although Otis is not a pure Great Dane, nor is he as big, he always finds a way create these moments. Whether it is knocking drinking glasses off of the coffee table with one swipe of his large tail or cracking the car windows with his skull as he tries to leap out at something, he has had several moments worthy of the comic strip Marmaduke. We have discovered that he is simply a big kid who needs to figure out exactly what his dimensions are at all times.

Welcome to My Doggy Bloggy!

Welcome to My doggy bloggy! This site was inspired my our amazing dog Otis! My wife, Joy, and I adopted him from the Pasadena humane society just before Christmas of 2005. When we adopted him, he was labeled "staffordshire terrier mix" Since then, he has matured into his looks and grown up into the huge wonderful pooch that he is! Our vet told us that he was more likely to be a boxer / great dane mix. In the past 6 months, we have had several adventures both good and bad with the boy! My goal with this blog, is to document these crazy happenings, for us to look back on and smile.