Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Pax is the bemused elder, a Rottweiler mix almost twelve years old.  The other three dogs are approximately five.  He is the dad of two of our dogs and Mom is our golden retriever.  He kind of looks at me with this odd look almost cockeyed.  He is the only one left from the three dogs we had when I entered this marriage nine years ago.  He no longer moves too quickly on his arthritic legs.  I have stepped on him too often although he has never bitten me for doing this.  He is now cautious when I walk nearby.  My nickname for him is “Woof”:  he is the most vocal of our four dogs.  He does his business in the yard quickly and indicate to us very (???) with a quick bark or two that he wants in the house.  He likes to run in the far right corner of our yard and barks at anyone who has the temerity to pass by.  He is one intimidating dog but he really is a sweetheart.  He is the only dog who is really my wife’s although he does listen to me.  He is the one dog I really do not want to get out:  he is plain scary looking.  He weighs about ninety pounds.

Tags: arthritic, big dog, dogs, four dogs, golden retriever, my wife, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, woof
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My wife said Pax, our Rottweiler mix, was lying in the same spot for at least three hours. I tried to get a rise out of him but he would not move: his eyes just followed me. We did not understand it. We thought that, maybe, he had a stroke. I feared for his life.

He had a biscuit that lay right next to his mouth untouched. I was afraid I would wake up next morning and he would still be in the same spot dead. In the middle of the night I awoke and noted he had moved. I cheered. He was still alive. He was now walking very gingerly on one rear leg.

He has arthritis and is twelve years old. I thought he just got “old” all of a sudden. I remembered the vet once told me he could be given aspirin for pain. I called the vet’s office and they said for a dog his size (he weighed ninety pounds) I could give him an aspirin and an half twice a day.

He responded to the aspirin right away. He perked up almost immediately. Now he would run into the kitchen for the dogs’ nightly biscuit. He once ran into the furthest reaches of the yard to bark at someone from his favorite spot. His recovery was remarkable. Both of us were thrilled.

I have known Pax my whole marriage–over nine years. He is one intimidating dog. I remember in the beginning he once followed me into the bathroom and I asked my fiancee, “What is he doing now?”

I realized now he is only on loan to me and I needed to appreciate him more now. No dog lives forever.

Tags: appreciate him more now, arthritis, aspirin, big dog, called the vet, dogs, dogs' nightly biscuit, he is only on loan to me, my wife, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix
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Pax is a Rottweiler mix, one scary ninety pound dog.  He is twelve and most of the time has this bemused expression in his face.  Tilla, his son, loves to tease him.  He will have a bone in his mouth and run alongside him cheek to cheek eliciting warning barks from him.  Tilla know how far to tease him.  I really got mad at Pax the other day.  I bought our favorite crusty rye bread and broke off a piece.  I was not paying close attention for a second or two, temporarily laid it on the ground and Pax swiped it.  I was going to grab it out of his mouth but my other dissuaded me from doing that.  I was pissed.  He did it again.  He is a great bagel thief too.  Don’t lay one nearby:  he will grab it so quickly you will never see him do it.  He is getting a little crotchety.  He has his favorite spot in the yard–in one corner and will bark at anyone who has the temerity to pass nearby.  He is not really mean.  He just looks the part.  He is one dog I never want to get loose.

Tags: bagels, big dog, dog bone, dog loves bread, dogs, pack of dogs, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, rye bread, Tilla
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My four dogs like broccoli.  Pax, our big Rottweiler mix stood there lapping up the broccoli juice from the pan til it was gone.  Tilla was kind of funny.  He started to eat a piece his (???), spit it out and then had a second thought about the taste and then ate it keeping it down this time.  The other two also had some broccoli remains from dinner.  Our dogs like veges–at least broccoli.

Tags: big dogs, broccoli, dogs, dogs like vegetables, four dogs, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, Tilla
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Enzo was one of my friends’ dogs.  He reminded me a bit of my dog Tilla.  Both were definitely characters.  And full of energy and mischief.  Enzo, though, loves the whole world and is extremely sweet.  Tilla could be timid.  When my son visits us, he usually runs in the opposite direction.  And my son is good with animals.  Both, though, are mutts and probably rogues.  And both want to play more than their fellow companions.  In fact, Tilla teases his dad.  He will have a bone in his mouth and run along side him eliciting threatening barks from his dad, a Rottweiler mix.  He knows how far to push him.  Enzo wants Scotch his companion to play with him.  And sometimes she wants nothing to do with him.  I will not forget my visit with Enzo too quickly but certainly will be glad to see Tilla who I miss terribly.

Tags: dog bone, dogs, dogs want to play, Enzo, full of energy and mischief, mutts, my friends' dogs, pets, rottweiler mix, Scotch, Tilla
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“Big Woof” lumbered out of the door barking every step of the way heading for the fence.  God knows what he is barking at.  He likes to hear his own voice.  “Tilla” his grown up kid loves to tease him.  “Tilla” might have a bone in his mouth and run along side “Big Woof” as if to say, “Look what I have and you can not have it.”  He does know when to back off but loves “pushing” him to the limit. “Big Woof” a Rottweiler mix, is demanding.  At night if he has to go out, he does his business quickly and is back at the front door right away demanding you let him in.  And not one second later.  I used to like to get a rise out of him and pull his tail and he would look at me as if to ask, “Why are you doing that?”  I love teasing him.  He does have his particular corner of the fence where he loves to bark at people who pass by.  If they are walking a dog, that is even more exciting.

Tags: "Big Woof", barking, dog bone, dogs, God, pets, rottweiler mix, Tilla
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I have four dogs and I have a special relationship with each one and I know I have written about all of them but bear with me.  There is “Pax”, a Rottweiler mix, who I have known for over eight years.  He came with my wife.  He lumbers down the yard and has his favorite corner where he will bark at anyone who has the temerity to pass by.  He is the most vocal of the four.  He looks at me with a bemused expression and loves bread.  He is a bagel thief.  Leave one nearby and if you are not careful he will slip it away and gobble it down before you know it.  I like teasing him by pulling his tail.  He will bark at me in retaliation but I do it anyway.  He does not move too quickly any more and I have stepped on him accidentally too many times.  He now instinctively moves out of the way when I walk nearby.  He is a scary looking dog but has never bitten anyone.

There is my favorite — “Tilla”.  This morning he came into my bedroom and jumped on the bed to greet me.  He is the smartest dog I have and also the most athletic one:  we had to build our large wooden picket fence higher for he was the only one that could jump over it.  He has gotten into the most trouble.  We did have one visit from the local dog warden after he got out once and harassed the neighbor ‘s dog.  He is a midsized black dog with a barrel chest.  He usually does not take his eyes off of me.  He is the only one I have taken walks with.  I will write about the other two later.

Tags: athletic, bagel, dog loves bread, dog walks, dogs, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, Tilla, wooden fence, yard
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Coco is one of my “pups”.  I call her that although she is full grown.  Her Mom is our golden retriever and Dad is our Rottweiler mix.  She is totally black with a little patch of white on her breast, long haired with the most adorable fluffy ears.  She was the pup who hung back and observed before doing anything.  She is so different than her Mom, “Sweetie”.  Sweetie will demand your attention.  She will put her paw on you to get petted more.  Not Coco.  Coco is this unassuming lovable dog.  Sometimes she sits there both paws crossed so feminine-like.  She likes her privacy:  often she is the last dog to come inside from the yard.  When she has a bone, she is loath to leave it and will, often, run out into the yard with it in her mouth and return into the house with it in its mouth, too.  I love all my four dogs but she has a special place in my heart.

Tags: Coco, dog bone, dogs, four dogs, golden retriever, Pax, pets, puppies, rottweiler mix, Sweetie, yard
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I have several nicknames for my dogs.  My daughter says you can’t change the name of you pet once you give one for your dog.  I beg to differ.

Pax my 90 pound Rottweiler mix is now Big Woof or Woof for short.  He is the most vocal of our four dogs.  And he is beginning to respond to the last name.

Coco is now called Wiggles for obvious reason when she sees you she wiggles all over the place when she sees you (???).

The other pup Tilla originally Atilla The Hun, now shortened to an affectionate Tilla, now has been called at various times Junior Woof or The Olympian or Small Woof.

The last other dog we have is named Sweetie and her name describes her to a tee so she will not get any other name.  It fits her perfectly.

Tags: "Big Woof", Coco, dog names, dog nicknames, dogs, Junior Woof, my daughter, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, Small Woof, Sweetie, The Olympian, Tilla, Wiggles, woof
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I renamed Pax the oldest dog we have:  his new name is now “Big Woof” or “Woof” for short.  He is the most vocal of our four dogs.  He is always barking at us.  His one kid “Tilla” is always trying to get a rise out of him and teases him, running at his heels.  Big Woof is an affectionate though quite scary Rottweiler mix, all ninety-three pounds of him.  He usually gets his way for I can’t stand his loud barking right in my ears.  He always comes to me when he wants something for I always give him his way.  He is really my wife’s dog and he spends nights asleep at her feet.  He seems to like his new name.

Tags: "Big Woof", big dog, dog bark, dogs, my wife, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, Tilla, woof
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Thank God for my pets.  Somehow I believe it is no accident my second wife also loves animals.  I never had pets growing up.  I love all of my pets.  All eight cats and all four dogs.  It is a menagerie.  And it is true I can’t go on vacation so easily but that is a small price to pay.

There is Tilla one of the pups we kept of our golden retriever (we kept two) who is a paradox extremely aggressive but timid at the same time.  For example, if you throw four scraps to our four dogs, he usually will get three if you don’t stop him.

He actually let my daughter pet him the last time she was over (that was a first).  He still runs in the other direction when my son approaches him.  And he is good with pets.

Coco is the other pup of Sweetie and extremely affectionate although she can be pretty insistent when she wants to go out.  She will sit at our feet front legs crossed sometimes–a real lady.  She gets along with everyone.

My eight cats are all different (the one unfixed female, now fixed) had two litters–one and three.  Pumpkin the only surviving cat from the first litter is one quiet, laid back cat who seems to get along with all the other seven.

The other three from the second litter of Jasmine’s are Cheyenne, China, and other whose name temporarily escapes me.  Both Cheyenne and China are long haired.  The mother is shorted (???) haired, small and dainty but able to take well care of herself.

Cheyenne is one beautiful although somewhat wild cat.  He usually does not let me pet him.  If I get too close, he gives me the eye as if to ask me “how dare you approach me?”

China is one exotically black and white colored cat who is one cool character.  He is extremely laid back and nothing seems to faze him.  I always have trouble remembering the sexes of our cats.

Cool Hand Luke a black female cat I brought into this marriage who hangs out in our bedroom and is appropriately named.  I have another completely black cat “Slinky”.

It is hard to tell the two apart although if you pet them you can tell the difference immediately.  “Slinky” is somewhat timid and extremely affectionate.

Tiger is the third cat from the second litter of Jasmine also appropriately named who sorts (???) blends in with every one.

Buttons is the other tiger looking cat who decided to adopt our family.  He showed up at our doorsteps and my wife started feeding him and when he got his shots, she let him come in.

He knew a good thing when he came in:  he did not go out for months again.  He is the newest member of our menagerie.  He does, at times, terrorize the other cats.

He also terrorized the vet and her staff during his exam:  It took them ten minutes to catch him in the exam room when he squirmed out of the grasp of the vet and three people were chasing him around the room (the vet called for backup).

He scratched the hell out of the vet in the process.  He is still a (???) somewhat wild although he has calmed somewhat after he got fixed.  That pretty much takes care of our cats.

Pax, the father of the pups, is the only pet of ours not mentioned by name.  He is the biggest and oldest dog close to an hundred pounds, an Rottweiler mix.

He suffered from bad ear infections and only at the vet where they put a muzzle on him would he allow anyone to go near to clean them.  It took me awhile before I lost my fear of him.  The veterinary helper called him a “baby.”  He is one dog I never want to get out he is one scary looking dog.

There is also Sweetie our golden retriever who is aptly named.  She will stand there forever letting you pet her.  She is one happy-go-lucky dog who always likes to have something in her mouth.  She was traumatized by her original owner who would lock her up for hours.  That is how we got her and that is the last of our menagerie.

Tags: Add new tag, big dog, Buttons, cats, Cheyenne, China, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, ear infection, eight cats, four dogs, God, golden retriever, happy-go-lucky dog, Jasmine, menagerie, my daughter, my son, my wife, Pax, pets, Pumpkin, quiet laid back cat, rottweiler mix, Slinky, Sweetie, thank God, Tiger, Tilla, veterinarian
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Let me introduce you one of my pets:  “Atilla The Hun” or “Tilla” for short.  He is a sixty plus pound black dog who just turned two.  His father “Pax” is a rottweiler mix and his mother “Sweetie” is a golden retriever and both live with us.

He is the reason we built our 100 foot long fence over a foot higher.  He could jump the previous one–not the biggest dog we have (we have four) but he is lean and muscular with a barrel chest and the only dog of ours who could perform that feat.

The state dog warden once paid us a visit.  It seems “Tilla” escaped and “terrorized” the local neighbor’s dog (and I use that word “terrorized” really loosely).  The two dogs simply barked loudly at each other.

He does have a timid nature although loving.  When my son comes over, he usually runs in the other direction.  And my son is good with dogs.

There are two other things he does that are unique:  he locks himself in the bathroom when he wants attention and the other is when he is anxious to go out he twirls rapidly in almost perfect circles.

He is the only dog who knows how to let himself out the front door.  We usually keep the screen door locked now.

He is the most aggressive of our four dogs.  If you put out four tidbits in front of them, he usually gets three of them.

He used to think he was still a puppy and snuggles onto my wife’s lap while she is sitting on her Lazy Boy all sixty-six pounds of him.

I started giving him an occasional walk for he was the only dog put on a chain (before we made the fence higher this summer).  Remember he could jump the fence.  I felt sorry for him.

Every time he hears the rattle of the chain he appears right in front of me.  Usually in five seconds or less.

He has become my dog and often sleeps with me on the bed.  There are probably more stories I could tell about him but this is a good start.

Tags: dog bark, dog leash, dog sleeps on bed, dog stories, dog warden, dogs, fenced yard, four dogs, front door, golden retriever, jump the fence, Lazy Boy, my son, my wife, Pax, pets, puppy, rottweiler mix, screen door, Sweetie, Tilla, walk the dog, when he wants attention
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