Hunting High and Low

Yesterday, Tim let the dogs outside to do their business in the yard. He noticed a rabbit close to the fence. Zoe noticed it too, but she continued to drain her bladder and she watched it hop away out of her reach. After she was done, she ran over to the fence and started leaping like a gazelle around the perimeter of the yard. 

Now every time she goes into the yard, she thinks a rabbit is lurking just outside the fence in the same spot, even if nothing is there. I think her logic is that it was there once, so why wouldn’t it be there again? 

Her leaping along the fence is really funny to watch, though. Otis joins in occasionally, too. He is much quicker to chase rabbits– no waiting around for him. It’s odd, because with Zoe’s natural curiosity, I wouldn’t think that she would hold back from something new and furry to sniff in the yard. Or maybe she just really had to pee and that was her priority that day. 

Otis has found a new spot to rest: my bathroom floor. There’s only a thin bathroom mat to lay on, but it’s directly in front of a vent, so it must be warm even though it’s not padded. I was looking all over the house for him the other day, and there he was, curled up. It’s fun to find dogs sleeping in unexpected places.

A Study in Contrasts

Zoe is large (75 pounds at her last weigh-in). Otis is petite. He’s 60 pounds, but next to Zoe, he looks much smaller. 

Zoe is a dark brown reverse brindle color. Otis is a light brown fawn color.

Zoe has a very tiny tail. Otis has a little more to wag with. 

What she lacks in tail, Zoe makes up in nose– hers is fairly long for a Boxer. Otis has a smaller, more scrunched up snout. 

Zoe has had the same name her whole life, but has no idea what it is. (It probably doesn’t help that we have about 10 nicknames for her.) Otis has had his name for just a few months and answers to it when called.

Zoe takes up the entire space she’s in. Otis curls up into a tiny ball.

Zoe wants to be the center of everything. (Tim calls her the least subtle dog in the world.) Otis is fairly unobtrusive.

Zoe is lumbering and occasionally clumsy. Otis is delicate and mostly graceful. Mostly. 

Zoe loves every dog she encounters and wants to make friends. Otis is much more picky, and occasionally surly with strange canines. (We’re still working on that.)

Despite a major bout with mange when she was younger, Zoe is strong and healthy (knock wood, cross my heart, and may she stay that way for a long, long time). Otis has had a couple health issues, most notably the hip thing. 

We know quite a bit about Zoe’s beginnings through various people in the rescue group. Otis has something of a shady past. We’re not even sure of his birthday. 

We continue to marvel every day at their differences, but we’re happy to have them both around.

As Spry As Ever (if not more so)

We all got back from a brief vacation. For the people, a trip to Vegas. For the dogs, a stay at the five-star Puppy Hotel in St. Paul. 

I was worried how Otis would be, with his first time staying overnight and all. But we were relieved to hear that both of them were just fine. Otis refused to eat, and they had to bribe him with canned food (And he’s not the one who should be missing any meals. Zoe, on the other hand…)

They slept for a couple days, but they’ve been zipping around the yard like two little furry maniacs. Otis is feeling great, which is refreshing to see. He’s even trying partial leaps off the deck. They’re both feeling good, which makes me happy.

We took them for a walk last night, and they must have stepped into some salt, because they started lifting their paws gingerly. Otis was the first one, and I was afraid he’d re-injured himself. Then Zoe started lifting her paws too. We got them into some fresh snow to relieve the sting, then we hurried home so we could wipe off their paws. We’ll have to be more careful– snow boots are not an option with these two. 

Zoe has become my 75-pound space heater at night. She’s been extremely cuddly lately. This will become handy over the next few months. Otis is still keeping off the bed (although he did make a valiant effort to leap up there once). He’s content to lay next to the bed in a sea of pillows and comforters. 

There was an article about the growing practice of pet chiropractors in the St. Paul paper today. I immediately thought of Otis and his spine/hip issues. I don’t think it would be a cure, but it might provide temporary relief. He’s getting along fabulously right now, but I worry that he’ll eventually regress.