Haven’t we all had days like this. My three little rescue dogs normally ignore any sounds coming out of my pc, but Blaze’s conscientious objection set them off in a chorus of ‘So say we all!’ barking even after I played it twice.
I feel obliged to point out for the record that Blaze is (a) playing to the camera, and (b) at 11 months, the developmental equivalent of a 15-year-old human. He doesn’t expect to win this argument, but he totally wants the world to know that he will not passively accept having his free will suppressed by the man!!!11!!…
***********
Apart from no-doubt-futile passive resistance to our lot, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
burnspbesq
Ya dumbass, how hard is it to toss a treat into the kennel/crate? Dogs are hedonists with short memories. You can do it every night and they’ll never figure out they’re being played.
Professor
When are we going to bomb Iran? I blame OBAMA.
MikeJ
He still wasn’t in the kennel at the end of it. Now that they use it as a cute trick he probably wins this argument once a week.
Ben Franklin
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/16/nsa-collects-millions-text-messages-daily-untargeted-global-sweep
Of course they pragmatically approach with a search for gold as even they haven’t the resources to read everything, unless you get their attention and make yourself a pet project.
Bureaucrats can be trusted to act consistently.
burnspbesq
@Professor:
Why not blame Obama? Whatever we do wrt Iran–bomb, not bomb, tighten sanctions, loosen sanctions, don’t change sanctions–will be blamed on Obama, in the inverse square of his actual responsibility.
raven
Our Bohdi makes the same kinds of noises, the DNA test must have been right! He’s tilting his head at the sound of his bro!
R-Jud
I’ve been catching up with the adventures of my cousin’s friends as they near the end of their kayak/bike trip from Juneau to Chile, and wanderlusting HARD.
Anton Sirius
That sound you just heard was Blaze being contacted by two different Tea Party groups about a potential run for Congress.
Anne Laurie
@burnspbesq:
Nah, the smarter ones know they’re being played, but still: Cookie!
In fact, one of the unscripted ‘rule of thumb’ dog-IQ-tests is when / whether / how persistently your dog reacts when s/he figures out the cookie-in-the-kennel “bribe”. The dumb ones may never quite figure out the connection. The ‘biddable’ ones will pull a Blaze once or twice and then settle for the trade — will, in fact, be very proud of their knowing that their memory & cooperation has earned them a cookie . The smart ones start a campaign of varying persistence to see how much refusing-to-cooperate they can get away with, how much extra attention they can steal, whether resisting will get them an extra cookie…
Pro Tip: Unless you have a lot of free time on your hands, a dog from Group B is by far your best household companion!
MomSense
I saw these photos today that a mom took of her sons with animals on their farm and they are beautiful.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2539802/The-child-animal-whisperers-Mothers-intimate-photographs-capture-sons-special-bond-dogs-ducks-rabbits.html?ITOa=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
ranchandsyrup
The @GOP twitter account asked what people’s “top issues” are so that it can win 2014. Bad idea. I’d feel sorry for the intern that runs their social media, but, you know…..
Chyron HR
@Professor:
When O-bomb-a is finished annihilating Damascus, duh.
dmsilev
@ranchandsyrup: Ask the Twitter-thing whether the GOP plans to make the definition of rape a major theme again. Because it worked so well for them last time round.
(there are already GOP
troglodytescandidates babbling about things like “it’s impossible for a husband to rape his wife” and crap like that)StringOnAStick
Getting ready to fly out to help BIL and FIL move, except the closing’s been delayed and we can’t tell if the guy still wants to sell or is trying to annoy my BIL into breaking the contract. We need to get this settled; the uncertainty is sending everyone over the edge, but especially my FIL.
The main issue is my elderly FIL is an anxiety-ridden basket case over the move even though he realizes they have to move closer to BIL’s new job – a daily commute time of 3 hours is just not sustainable. So, I guess we go, help pack and toss out what needs to be tossed, show my FIL that it isn’t 6 months of effort like he says it is, and I come home early while my husband stays to try to give his brother a break in dealing with their dad. Their dad is so lucky, he has a son willing to live with him and care for him so he doesn’t have to enter assisted living, but he’s the king of anxious, depressed unhappiness that meds has done little to help (or maybe they have, which is really sad to contemplate because that means he could be even worse than he is now). I don’t know how my BIL has been able to live with him all these years without this stuff driving him insane.
SFAW
@Professor:
Wait a second, CNN just reported your death!
I guess they was wrong. Again.
dmsilev
As for the evening’s agenda, revising a submitted article to meet a referee’s request. Which amounts to taking out something that the referee asked us to put in in the first round of reviews.
Oh well. At least there’s only the one request.
SFAW
@ranchandsyrup:
One hopes some enterprising soul compiles a list of the best ideas, maybe post it here, and we can forward it to the
treasonous bastardsRepublicans.ranchandsyrup
@dmsilev: Oh, it’s getting a lot of those type responses. And more.
If people came from monkeys why are there still monkeys RT @GOP: Tell us your top issues
Racism but the one that those blacks do. RT @GOP: Tell us your top issues. Let’s win big in 2014.
He keeps mishearing the safeword when I’m not saying it. RT @GOP: Tell us your top issues
kindness
Did you pull this from Sully? I think it’s his Mental Health vid of the day.
Cute too. Huskies like to talk though.
Roger Moore
The agenda for me this evening is keeping track of the major wildfire here in the LA area. We’re getting a heavy dose of smoke at work, and while home seems likely to be a bit better, it’s something that needs to be monitored. Fortunately, most of the fire-prone areas near me were burned in fires recent enough that the fire danger isn’t so bad, and there’s half to three quarters of a mile of houses between me and the brush.
SiubhanDuinne
RESPECT MAH AUTHORITEH!!11!!!
Scamp Dog
My first dog was a retriever mutt of some sort, as long and tall as a lab but with a narrower chest. I was having trouble getting him to go into the kennel the first time, even when I tossed a treat in. He’d go in with his neck and head, no farther. I wound up crawling into the kennel with the treats, and my wife thought it was absolutely hilarious to see the man in the kennel and the dog outside. That did seem to convince him that the kennel wasn’t so scary, fortunately, and he learned to go into the kennel on command.
Later on we had to move the kennel. I told him to kennel up, and he walked over to the spot where the kennel originally was, walked through the door that wasn’t there, turned around without touching the walls that weren’t there, and gave me a look that said “now I get a treat, right?” That cracked me up, but I did get him to go in to the actual kennel.
JoyceH
With my first two dogs, I called this ‘go to your place’, but for some reason, with my current dog I renamed it ‘puppy quiet time’. I sing the Puppy Quiet Time song until she comes into the room and trots into her crate.
kindness
I’ve never used a kennel. Never needed one. The kids are allowed on any floor, rug or sofa/chair that isn’t occupied by a human.
Litlebritdiftrnt
@Anne Laurie:
My animals and I have a very SET morning routine. I wake up and light my first ciggie of the day (don’t lecture). Flossie takes that as her cue to kiss everyone good morning. She licks me, she licks my husband (if it is the weekend), she licks Skeeter and then licks every cat on the bed. I get out of bed and put on my bathrobe and this cues all of the animals to jump off the bed and or out of the closet or wherever else it is they have been sleeping. They follow me Pied Piper like into the kitchen until I put on the kettle and then the cats bitch and complain until they are given their morning crack (evaporated milk), the dogs dash outside to go pee and poo and then come back in and sit beautifully by the fridge looking at me until I give them their morning bone (usually smoked neck bones or a smoked ham hock). If I ever try to deviate from this routine I am greeted with howls of protest. They KNOW exactly what should happen when I get out of bed in the morning and are quite cognizant of their routine. Should I ever be in a position where this routine is not possible (i.e. I have forgotten to buy evaporated milk or bones) the looks of pure hurt on their faces would break most people’s hearts. “But Mummy this is morning, this is what we do, why do you punish us?” I am such a sucker.
Ash Can
@MomSense: Someone at LGF posted the link to her photo site, where there are lots more pictures. She is a spectacularly gifted artist. Her work is just drop-dead gorgeous.
MomSense
@Ash Can:
Oooh, thanks for that link. She is really gifted–and it doesn’t hurt to have such beautiful subjects.
Villago Delenda Est
Totally OT, but Noisemax headline of the day:
Veterans: House Budget ‘Total Betrayal’
What do you guys expect from the ungrateful scum of the tea party? From Paul ‘Granny Starver’ Ryan?
satby
@MomSense: Love those, thanks for sharing!
Villago Delenda Est
@Ash Can:
Those photos are striking, to say the least. As Momsense notes, it helps to have great subjects, but the lady has a definite talent.
Botsplainer
Blaze looks like a fun handful. He probably hears that awful, hateful word three or four dozen times a day, and is smart enough as a mimic to try and vocalize it appropriately and in context.
SiubhanDuinne
@MomSense:
Lovely! It’s like watching a latter-day Saint Francis of Assisi in the making.
SiubhanDuinne
@JoyceH:
Totally O/T, but how is the new book coming along?
feebog
Thank you MomSense, really beautiful pics. Tonight my Homeowners Group is hosting our new Los Angeles City Attorney, Mike Feuer as guest speaker. A good catch for us, and a good opportunity for residents in the NW San Fernando Valley to hear the CA speak at length and participate in a Q and A.
Adam Jonas Waldorf
Blaze is an awesome dog, but I’m really confused by the reaction to this video. I don’t find it “cute” at all (which is what most Youtube comments say), it breaks my heart. I agree with Blaze, being locked in a small space sucks. It isn’t something we should do to our best friends.
Anne Laurie
@kindness: Well, in my experience most dogs appreciate having a ‘room of their own’ even if the door is never latched.
My first dog was a ten-pound papillon; the friends who’d inspired me to get him owned afghan hounds, irish setters, and great danes. Galley was crate-trained even when he came to us, at 16 weeks, and always preferred to sleep in his kennel even though he was welcome to share the people bed. We always took his crate along to parties and playdates, and when the bigger dogs (or human children) started playing too rough, he’d retreat to his safe place, which worked nicely for all parties involved. (Frequently the bigger dogs would get this ludicrous “whoops, forgot my manners!” expression when he did.)
Most of our dogs since then have been rescues, and have various broken programs & bad memories; again, learning that their crate is a safe space is a genuine relief for all of us. In particular, our current alpha-bitch Gloria would be dead if she hadn’t been quick to pick up on the safe-space concept — she was slated to be put to sleep because she is a smart, extremely determined thief and resource-guarder who would bite without inhibition when she felt threatened. She had been introduced to her crate by the foster family who had to find a new place for her ‘temporarily’, and after an ugly incident or two we were all happy to identify that crate as a place she could retreat when being ‘good’ got too hard. (In fact, within a week she’d learned to hit the crate just right so she could slam the door behind her.) After three years here, she’s made considerable progress… but when we hand out special treats to all three dogs, we no longer have to lock Gloria in her crate to keep her from attacking the other (slightly smaller, male) dogs to steal theirs, but she still tends to snatch her chewie and run into her crate. Where she will sit, glowering and guarding hers, until the boys have finished theirs & she can enjoy her treasure and a feeling of moral superiority…
Schlemizel
@Litlebritdiftrnt:
funny image – thanks for sharing!
muddy
I think it’s pretty clear that the dog knows that they are playing a game. The dog keeps on saying No because the guy is not really being serious about it. The dogs knows what the deal is, and has no doubt played before.
I had a dog that would act out this huge tragedy about his hurt paw and how much he suffered etc. The more you went along with it and sympathized he’d carry on, woe is me! He’d get to shaking like he had some kind of palsy until you said it was enough and then he’d run off happy.
It was not actually the previously injured paw he was displaying. That was in the back, but he couldn’t hold it out to people, so he just used a different one. He just liked the interaction.
ETA: I was answering #35
lamh36
Damn. Why is the Obama admin not more of an advocate for women, AA, or LGBT community?
How dare they not use frivilous words rather than their actions?
Obama to Nominate His 1st Black Lesbian Federal Judge
This Obama administration and it’s belief in diversity…smdh
scav
@lamh36: oooohhhhh better still, it’s going to be downstate. And a Salvador Mendoza Jr. for the Eastern District of Illinois.
All these non-actions are going to get the guys riled over their 25¢ coffees at the community center.
sparrow
@Anne Laurie: Does that mean my cats are smarter than most dogs? Because that trick worked exactly once on both of them.
Anne Laurie
@Adam Jonas Waldorf:
Being left on his own to “guard” an entire apartment/house would suck for Blaze, too. It’s a lot of responsibility for a teenage boy dog, and even if the anxiety didn’t lead him to do some regrettable (like alarm-bark for hours on end), he’d go looking for something to do which would probably be socially unacceptable if not dangerous (chewing up the furniture, ‘marking’ every wall & carpet, clawing through a window or door). Dogs, left to themselves, spend most of their day sacked out asleep or chewing on a toy. It’s kinder to everyone to give Blaze a place he can do that in peace, without having to make choices everybody will regret later.
We have three rescue dogs. Zevon doesn’t need to be kenneled when we’re out of the house. Gloria prefers to be kenneled, because she’s smart enough to know she’s only twenty pounds of fury, and there are much more dangerous things out there in the big world; if she’s locked in her crate, she’s not responsible for anything beyond its walls. Sydney is desperate to be crated if he sees us getting ready to go out, because he’s neurotically terrified of everything, and it’s a place to hide. We could leave all three dogs loose when we go out, but then Sydney would wet himself/claw the door/break another tooth chewing on stuff, Gloria would bark herself hoarse when she wasn’t attacking Sydney (blood would be drawn), and poor old Zevon wouldn’t be able to sleep for the noise!
Dogs like routine. It’s our job, as the ‘smarter’ part of the partnership, to make a routine that keeps everyone safe & (reasonably) content.
Anne Laurie
@sparrow:
Yup.
To be fair, cats are also less food-oriented in general — they remain hunters at heart, while dogs are descended from those wolves who were more interested in scavenging than killing. There are exceptions, but basically cats just don’t have that ‘cookie drive’ that makes dogs so human-trainable!
Roger Moore
@sparrow:
I think the difference is probably more to do with their relative resistance to being enclosed and desire to please their human than differences in intelligence. Dogs may whine about it, but they mostly don’t mind being crated that much, and they generally want to please their human. Cats really, really dislike being locked in, and they aren’t generally willing to do stuff they dislike just to please a human. This is also why cats are more bother to give medicine, more resistant to coming when called, etc.
Mnemosyne
This is probably the place for a dog story, though I don’t own one:
Last week, I was at the vet with Charlotte getting her checkup and we were sitting in the waiting room for them to get the bill ready so we could go home. I felt a slight movement on my right-hand side and looked down to see a big chocolate lab’s head in my lap looking up at me mournfully like, I haz an owie. The poor thing had stepped on a thorn or something when she went in the backyard to pee, so the owner brought her in to have the vet look at the paw, and the dog decided to stop off at my lap for some additional sympathy.
Of course I had to scritch her ears. How could you resist?
lahke
Hi, all:
Are we still on with the Monday book reading session? I got and started “This Town” but haven’t gotten very far yet.
Mnemosyne
@Roger Moore:
A couple of my coworkers live in Glendora, so they’re sitting at home waiting to see if they get evacuated or not.
PurpleGirl
The Peekskill friends had a Doberman Pinscher (Hugo) who was loose all the time, even when no one was home. He liked to be the big protector. The retired racing grayhounds liked to be crated — indeed they were used to it as that’s how they lived at the track when not racing. Of course, we had pillows and blankets in their crates so they had it much softer than the newspaper the tracks used. I just just had to say “crate up” and they’d go running downstairs, go into the crates and wait for me to close the doors. The crates were large enough for them to stand up inside. Even Hugo’s crate was large for him to stand up in. And there were times when the grayhounds would hide out in the crates as a safe place. Crating the dogs isn’t necessarily a bad or mean thing to do.
HinTN
We only put the harness on our guy when it’s time to work or ride in the car. The rest of the time he’s unencumbered by that thing. No wonder Blaze says, NO!”
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne: Awwww. That’s a cute story. Of course you couldn’t resist and you had to scritch her ears… just had to.
Adam Jonas Waldorf
@Anne Laurie: and @Muddy:
Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I hope you’re right, because it’s a pretty gargantuan task for a dog to learn a human word and if it’s for play that is truly joyful.
JoyceH
@SiubhanDuinne:
Editing now! Hope to publish by the end of the month! And a couple chapters into a sequel.
dmsilev
@PurpleGirl: Yeah, a lot of dogs like their crates. My parents’ current dog will often head to his crate if it’s a slow afternoon and he feels like a nap. It’s his den, and he’s comfortable in there.
Roger Moore
@Mnemosyne:
Yeah. My boss and his boss (who I interact with a lot because that’s the way academia rolls) both live in Azusa, and I work in Duarte. As I was driving in to work today, I could see the SuperScoopers flying past on their way between Santa Fe Dam and the fire. They were close enough it looked like they might crash into one of our buildings, though I know that’s just an optical illusion.
WereBear
When we first got the Litter Robot, James Bond, all fifteen pounds of him, did not like the confined space. When I put my hand with a treat in it through a port in the back to try to lure him in, he would look at me sadly, Et tu, Treatus? and refuse to even consider being bribed.
While, in my experience, a dog will jump into an open volcano, and enjoy the treat on the way down.
Jebediah, RBG
@Scamp Dog:
That made me laugh!
Jebediah, RBG
@MomSense:
They are!
Anne Laurie
@lahke: Yeah, thanks for the reminder. I’ll put up a post later — let’s try next Monday, 9pm, with This Town, and work up to Overdressed after the couple-three weeks it should take to get bored with the Villagers!
Miss Bianca
Siberians are big talkers…and big hams as well as scary smart, so I have no doubt that Blaze is playing it up. Both my Sibes I’ve raised from pups have been talkers (and both only liked to be crated at night, hated it when I was leaving them during the day). I swear both Sovay and Luna mastered “Hello” – Sovay used to yodel it at passersby when we were out walking – “Hey-YO-wo-wo!” So, while I wouldn’t take the histrionics too seriously myself, I also wouldn’t doubt that there was a bit of genuine protest at the bottom of it all…