Lucah on a Date

After a week of being a "Puppy Kebob" Lucah had his tube removed (see below) and was given a clean bill of health by his vet. The little guy is fairly oblivious that anything has happened and has been to the park (a different park from the scene of the original crime) twice with the only incident being Lucah stepping on a Boston Terrier.

This is why there are separate areas of the park for large dogs and small dogs. This was a case of a small dog playing in the large dog area. Not only was he a small dog, but he was a spirited one who liked to play with bigger dogs. I am not blaming the Boston for the incident, but when you don't even come up to my dog's knees you have to watch out.

Lucah was chasing/running with this little dog, he ran underneath Lucah and got stepped on. There was a "yelp" and then the Boston didn't get up too quick. That is probably one of the worse things you could see. Your dog step on a little dog and the little dog doesn't get up too quickly. You start to think that you just killed someone's baby. The owner was not too happy. The Boston got up but didn't put down its back leg. Thoughts of a little doggie plaster-cast on its leg started to flash in my mind and I wondered what this was going to cost me.

I have to say the owner was very "reserved" in how he reacted. He seemed upset, but didn't want to say or do anything that could make the situation any worse. He just picked up the Boston and left. I almost gave him my business card if there were any vet bills...almost. I know I just had a situation (again below) where I should have gotten owner information for Lucah's attacker and didn't, so I know how it feels to have a vet bill that you feel should be covered by someone else. However, I kinda felt that this was one of those "price of admission" to the "large dog area of the park" things that you kinda shrug off and try and keep from happening again. Also we're broke.

The reason we were at the dog park was not to trample small dogs, but to meet Jaime, her husband Michael, and Bear, a 150 pound male Newfoundland that looks...well...like a bear. Jaime and Michael created Bigpawsonly.com. It is a website for people who favor big dogs. Its a place Akiko and I go to for information and bragging rights. We post pictures and other things about Lucah and we find it very useful for figuring out problems.

Akiko and I have started to explore the world of the "Puppy Play Date". It is pretty much how it sounds. You meet a dog and owner at a pre-approved location and you play. You don't know if the dogs will get along. You worry that the date won't go well and you have one less opportunity to gain a friend. Much like the dating scene of today except there is rarely a dinner you have to pay for.



Bear is 4 years old, so he has both the size and dominance advantage over Lucah. Immediately Bear had Lucah against a fence on his back. I don't believe Lucah was in any trouble, but I can't wait for the day when he doesn't have to roll over for the bigger dogs. I imagine there will be a point when he will just not be bothered by other dogs since he will be the biggest dog for miles. Until then we will have to endure the little guy being tossed to his back and drooled on by other dogs.

Video of Lucah and Bear Playing.

Overall this date was a success. We got to meet new people and Lucah made a new friend. All this is an effort to make sure our large breed dog is well socialized. Nothing is worse than when a 200 pound dog wants to jump on everyone and everything. He is already over 90 pounds and Akiko can only walk him when he is wearing his pinch collar. We will have to schedule more playdates with Bear. He was a sweet dog and Lucah seemed to appreciate the outing.

WHEN DOGS ATTACK! (your dog at the dog park)

but first the numbers:
weight: 88 lbs.
height: 26 in.
length: 54 in. (nose to tail)
******
Since we had a long weekend I thought we would take Lucah out for an L.A. Dog Park Crawl. I wanted him to visit a different dog park each day and see which one he liked the most. Friday we went to our local Hermon Dog park. Nothing too eventful there...he actually played with another dog which he never does. He is more interested usually in balls rather than other pups...but a nice Pit name Buddy showed him a good time.

Saturday was another opportunity for our boy to be social. We decided to step it up a bit with a hipper park. The Laurel Canyon Dog Park is the place where the rich, young and shiftless take their dogs, or at least have their dog-walkers take their dogs. Its a big place with a lot of running room. I thought this was a good thing. This seems to cause people to let there dogs wander around as they smoke, make cell calls and listen to iPods (the people not the dogs) though.

First Lucah had been accosted by two German Shepherds as their rotund owner sat on a bench and told me "they're only playing with him". Lucah had a scratch from this event...but I think it helped him get use to other dogs and be ready for anything.

An hour goes by and we feel all is well. We relocated away from the two Germans and Lucah was just chasing balls and meeting people. The one thing I think we need to learn is to recognize when dogs are "hunting" for a young pup to molest. It seems like dogs like to gang up on a young dog...and even if you don't start out with a group harassing your dog you can end up with one. They seem to just pick up on trouble and run over to hassle your dog.

Later on, over comes a little grey Pit Bull...not that threatening just playful...then comes the large Borzoi...then comes the French mastiff, then before we know it they have our Lucah pinned against a fence! It was like a bad dream. I could see it happen but I couldn't get there quick enough...almost like I was running in slow motion. I even stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle trying to get to him. Lucah tried to defend himself with the "cower and scream" technique but they weren't buying it. He showed his teeth but it didn't matter. They just ganged up on him and didn't let up until I could get over there to throw myself in the middle of the snarling mass of fur and teeth.

One owner ran over, but he didn't own any of the dogs in the scrape. He was just helping me get my pup out of harms way. The actual owner of two of the dogs came over and pulled her dogs off. She seems apologetic (sort of), but not too concerned. I noticed the same type of incident earlier with the same dogs, but thought it was just a fluke. Apparently in the dog world some dogs, or groups of dogs, are just assholes.

When we left the park we didn't think Lucah was worse for wear, but after about an hour we were at a pet store and we noticed blood coming from his side. We moved his fur aside and found a hole the circumference of a pencil. Akiko and I freaked out a bit and were immediately upset. We didn't realize he was this hurt...the little trooper is so tough...had we known we would have collected some names and numbers. But now we have a dog with a small hole in his side and no way to execute any recourse.

We asked two different pet stores what to do...they both said to just apply neosporin on and keep an eye on it. One lady (thank goodness for her) told us we should go to the vet even for something that looked so small. We are glad we did. After waiting in the pet ER (shout-outs to Eagle Rock Emergency Pet Hospital) the doctor looked him over and gave us the bad news. Apparently in a bite situation the wound may look minor, but the damage is much more considerable. Basically, Lucah's skin was pulled away from his flesh creating a small pocket. This pocket would have eventually filled with fluid and became infected causing all sorts of problems. Because we took him in so soon the damage will be minimal, and he should recover pretty quickly.

Lucah spent the next day sleeping. He was pretty soar, but didn't bleed or do anything that made us worry. This morning (Monday) he was very energetic and was able to get up and down the stairs on his own. Akiko has reported that he is willing to play and willing to eat normally. There are no signs of infection and he is healing well.

I guess you can say we have learned a couple of valuable lessons here. First keep an eye on your dog, you need to know how your dog might react in any situation and be prepared to help out when his reactions create a problem. Secondly watch other people's dogs, you need to know who might be over to say "hi" or who wants to start a fight.

Another thing we learned: you should go to the vet after most injuries. We thought he would be okay with just some neosporin and a band aid. But some good advice and our concern lead to us preventing Lucah from having a serious infection and fluid build up in his side. We could have been out a lot more money as well as risking Lucah's life. I feel a good rule of thumb would be if the skin is broken have a vet or vet tech look at it. A lot of people who work in pet stores "claim" to know things, but had we listened to the pet store staff we talked to I have a feeling I would be at the vet now with a dog with a swollen side and infection.

And finally, Lucah is a very somber drunk. He was pretty drugged up on Saturday night after the vet. He didn't seem confused just real relaxed. Getting him up the stairs was a task and it required me to hoist all 88 pounds of him in my arms and make the trek up the two flights of stairs. Which reminds me of how much we need to move.

Some pictures of the aftermath.
Sad Boy

A close up of the damage

More lucah Pics

Just wanted to post some more pics of our boy.



He blinked

Life's a Beach (...that's right I said it)

But first the numbers...
age: 19 weeks
weight: 60 lbs.
height: 23 inches
length: 47 inches


***
On Sunday the wife and I took the pup down to Dog Beach in Huntington Beach. It's a 1.5 mile stretch of beach that a dog can run off-leash. As a dog owner, places like this are golden because your dog can get some exercise and socialize. Lucah is a bit of a wimp when it comes to aggressive dogs, so a lot of his interactions were only with dogs that would allow him to sniff them in a "familiar" way. But he warmed up to strangers and ran around like a mad puppy.

We found out that Lucah isn't afraid of water, but is afraid of the waves coming into the beach. We would walk him out on the sand and as the wave came in we would keep him in its path. As the water came up to his ankles he would immediately try to hop away...but he would head out to sea, getting himself deeper in the water. Once this happened he would just run in circles until the water went back out. I don't think he will be a water rescue dog, but I can see that eventually he will really enjoy the surf, which will make the 30 minute drive totally worth it.

One of our biggest finds at the beach was Gus, a 230 lb. apricot mastiff. Gus stood about 38 inches at the shoulder and was a pussy cat. Lucah must have felt something familiar with him because he wasn't afraid and ran around him. Gus' owners say he is only 230lbs. but I think they were not entirely honest about it.

We plan to go back this week. This time wearing appropriate beach attire.

Back to School (for the first time) and other Updates

Lucah has grown some since the last post. He is topping out at 47 lbs and over 40" long. At the shoulder, he is 21 inches. So he is packing the size on. But we don't think he is doing it too quickly.

Since Lucah now has most of his shots, he is allowed to go out and be around other pups in a very controlled environment. He has been to the dog park once, went to a doggie daycare for 2 hours and has been on a couple of short walks. We can't over exercise him at this state because of his growth. His bones, joints and tendons can be very fragile, so we have to be careful of how much exercise he gets. Overall he has been taking to the outside world pretty well and is learning that not every dog wants to be sniffed.

Yesterday we went to our first obedience class. Centinela Pet and Feed uses Canine's Best Behavior a local training organization in the L.A. area. Akiko and I raced down the 405, went to Target (to buy chairs), and showed up prepared and 3 minutes late(which in L.A. is early). The only thing we didn't have was the dog. Apparently, the first class is only for people. We sat, we listened and bought stuff.

The one big thing we got from this class was we learned that something Lucah always does was a sign his food might not be agreeing with you. Lucah scratches his sides, not to excess, but he will give himself a couple of swipes and keep walking. It's not enough to be an issue, but we did notice it.

We arrived with food questions, but me being a guy, I didn't want to ask during the class. I thought it could wait, and I didn't think the trainer would know because of the specificity of the question. Akiko pushed me to ask anyway...so I did. Though Heidi (the trainer) could not answer the question, she did point out the scratching could be a sign of food not agreeing with him, also ear infections (which he has had).

So where this leads us is we have switched foods. Exciting? Not really, but it makes me feel better since we were having protein issues. A minor development, but a major change. Now we run into issues of where to buy and how slowly to switch.
Lucah's new brand will be Innova Large Breed Puppy.

Back to the Class
Being the first class we had to get to know one another. The strange thing about dog people is they seem to live through there pets. They take the identity of their dog when around other dog people. When we were going around the class we each talked about our dogs, but that's it, we didn't say our names, or what we did, or even if we had kids. So as for we all know we have no names, just dogs. This is pretty normal dog owner behavior. I have known people for years and not known their names, but knew their dog's names. One guy I knew actually helped me get a job, and I still kept forgetting his name.

Another thing I noticed was that everyone has screwed up their dogs in a cornucopia of ways. Everyone fit a profile; there was couple with the over energetic dog who jumps and bites. Another couple with the dog that can't walk on a leash and has too much energy. Another guy with a dog who tears up everything and has separation anxiety. We owned the dog that already knew things and was going to be the star of the class. Since I am an asshole I immediately put everyone into a category
and put us at the top of the heap. Maybe I need to feel superior to feel secure, but I am sure we are going to have the best dog there and will wow everyone with Lucah's abilities.

I might be setting us up for some disappointment.

Size Matters

Whenever we take Lucah anywhere Akiko and I are asked two questions: "what kind of dog is he?" and "how big is he going to get?" Our answers are always the same, "English Mastiff" and "200 lbs. or so". English Mastiffs are what is known in the dog world as a "Giant Breed". Some have said "large breed", but I think we can all agree that 2 spins on the scale can qualify a dog as a giant. The largest dog in the Guinness Book is usually an English Mastiff, the last one I know of was almost 400 lbs. People are quick to point out that Great Danes or Irish Wolfhounds are bigger, but these two breeds are just taller and longer, they do not have much meat on there bones. If you look at their weights they usually only get into the 150 lbs. range.

So why would people who live in an apartment get something that will out weigh most women?

After 2 years of research I found that Mastiffs don't need a lot of space. They are lazy dogs and their past times include sleeping, dozing, and snoozing. They are actually ideal apartment dogs since they love to be inside with their owners. There loyalty really shows, many times if I am downstairs in the kitchen I will turn around to see Lucah laying quietly on the floor watching me do the dishes or something. Half the time I don't even realize he is there and almost trip over him.

I am not saying if you live in a bachelor apartment and you have a 2 foot by 2 foot space to go out and by a giant dog. We have an interesting set up here. We live in an attic. A major drawback of this is our ceilings are pitched and get very low near the walls. One good thing is that this gives us empty floor space where most people would put furniture. Since we had the available floor space we were able to build Lucah a little room. Since he may be only 30 inches at the shoulder it will be a perfect height for him. It is very important that a dog gets a place they can call their own. Nothing fancy, just a little den so they can get some privacy. With some PVC piping, chicken wire, and violations to me lease agreement I was able to give Lucah a room with a view of everything, but still some privacy for himself.



We don't plan to stay here forever either and hopefully we are out of here before he is "full grown". Mastiffs grow pretty big, but it takes them over 2 years to get there. We hope to have bought a home by then and he can have more yard to play in. He will still sleep inside, of course, but we imagine with a house he will have more roaming and playing room. We have noticed when he chases his toys now he runs out of room real quick.

As for his size we aren't really concerned about him being "too big". Mastiffs are a gentle breed if raised properly, so he is likely to be a big moving couch rather than this giant animal. We make sure we feed him food made specifically for large breed puppies. Large breed puppy food has less protein and fat than regular puppy food so it doesn't push growth too much. Some irresponsible people might get the idea that they will try and grow the largest dog they can and feed supplements to boost growth. Unfortunately the only thing this does is cause the muscles to grow faster than bone and tendons which lead to very crippling injuries.

A dog will only grow what it's genetics will dictate. Lucah's mom is 160 lbs. and his dad was (he died due to a rattle snake bite) around 200 lbs. That will probably put Lucah in the range of 180 to 210 lbs. I will still out weigh him (damn Pop Tarts) so if he gets out of line we can take it outside. But really we just want him to be healthy and happy and don't really care what size he is.

It would be nice to be able to strap a saddle to him to save on gas though.

The Pup Visits "The Orb"

Lucah has become a "working man"...well "working pup".

Since I work for a cool company (Graphic Orb) I am allowed to bring my dog to work. At any given time of the week there is at least one 4 legged animal running around our office being smothered with attention. Today was Lucah's turn.

As a new parent I have to say I was pretty nervous. I know he is genius and will someday do something great like invent a banana that doesn't go brown before you get home. I still don't know, however, how he will do in a public setting with lots of new faces and smells. He definitely is not house-broken by any means. Just the other weekend we brought home a new rug for him to play on and not more than two seconds after unrolling it he added his own "decoration" to it. So a whole building with unknown carpet would be a lot of pressure for him.

The little fur ball did great! He was playful, but didn't get too excited. Everyone was glad to meet him and no one was seriously injured. I did have to leash him to my desk but that was more for his protection and to avoid an embarrassing accident. After he met everyone he laid under my desk and didn't do much else. He is still a mastiff, so the amount of action you can get out of him in the morning borders on "very little" to "is he still breathing?"



Thanks goes out to the people of "The Orb" for being so accommodating, and I will definitely bring him back soon. All I need to do now is to either teach him to make coffee, or shmear a bagel. Then I can get him on the payroll.

Lucah goes to a new Vet.

On Saturday we took Lucah to a new Vet. His "old" vet of one time was the VCA on Arroyo Parkway called "A Breed Apart". I wasn't too pleased with the initial service so we decided to ask around. Some good friends of ours told us about the Los Feliz Small Animal Hospital and we made an appointment.

We met with Dr. Halse (sp?) and were very happy with our visit. He was thorough and kind. Lucah liked him a lot and he was really good about making sure we knew everything we needed to know. Lucah is in great health and is weighing in at about 30 lbs. He got some shots as well as his nails clipped. Since we can't really take him around the neighborhood yet, his nails are growing a lot. The sidewalk is a good way to keep their nails low, but if they don't walk on it everyday then you will have some uninhibited growth. This can be a problem since he doesn't know his own strength and weight plus he likes to walk on us.

We go back in 3 weeks for more shots. When Lucah has his shots he spends the day sleeping, so it isn't such a bad ordeal for us. We get to relax a little and don't spend a normal afternoon of "Oh God! The puppy is out of our sight!" because he is so wiped. We can just leave him to sleep and he won't move for hours.

Intro

This blog is being set up for Lucah, our English Mastiff. We will post pics and info for all to see.