DaveNV: Making a Home in the Desert

[DaveNV]

Poor dog! I hope he feels better soon and is able to recover.

Thank you. We're taking things one day at a time. To see him this morning, everything is back to normal. But that's what I've been warned about.

Dave

 

[Panina]

All your choices are beautiful. I can feel your love for Kona and Cody. You are all lucky to be in each others lives

 

[DaveNV]

All your choices are beautiful. I can feel your love for Kona and Cody. You are all lucky to be in each others lives

Thank you. The house is coming together nicely, slowly but surely. I'm happy about that. You know exactly how it is with catalog or showroom decisions - you try and decide whether that item will fit into the atmosphere you're trying to create at your home. Some things work better than expected, and some things don't. It's been interesting, for sure.

The boys are definitely like having kids. Not spoiled, but certainly pampered. There are rules and expectations of good behavior. We have a great relationship. Someone once said, "The hardest part of being the human in a relationship with a pet is making the hard choices." I am a hands-on pet owner. I'm invested in their well being, and I do what it takes to make their lives as good and enriched as it can be. In return, my boys give me the unqualified love and devotion that makes having a pet worthwhile. Definitely a mutually-rewarding, symbiotic relationship.

Dave

 

[PrairieGirl]

Thanks for the clarification, Dave. All I can say is that Kona and Cody are darn lucky boys to have you as their human! Here’s hoping the one situation resolves itself and the other doesn’t get worse (seizures).

We are on the road now to our winter home in AZ. Trading snow for the desert is always a joy. I love Mesquite, spent a week there golfing several years ago. Looked like a nice place to live. Close enough to “civilization” but (more importantly) also far enough away.

Thanks so much for taking us along for the ride on this fabulous journey!

 

[geoand]

It is tough on pet owners when they have to deal with pain & misfortune of their pets. They are family. Sorry you are having to deal with this.

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks for the clarification, Dave. All I can say is that Kona and Cody are darn lucky boys to have you as their human! Here’s hoping the one situation resolves itself and the other doesn’t get worse (seizures).

We are on the road now to our winter home in AZ. Trading snow for the desert is always a joy. I love Mesquite, spent a week there golfing several years ago. Looked like a nice place to live. Close enough to “civilization” but (more importantly) also far enough away.

Thanks so much for taking us along for the ride on this fabulous journey!

Thank you. I feel lucky to have these guys around. They're not needy (until this recent development) so are pretty easy to care for. I have them on a strict diet and daily routine, so they have a predictable life. Dogs are creatures of habit, and when they know what to expect, they're more calm, and are easier to be around. They don't "act out," like so many dogs I see. They look to me for their cues on how to behave. Unless someone rings the doorbell - then all bets are off. Kona can't see what's going on, so barks, and that sets Cody off, too. That struggle is definitely real.

A winter home in AZ would be a great thing, to avoid the Canadian winters. Snow is awesome, when it's up in the mountains, where it belongs.

Happy to share my journey. Hope I'm not oversharing things.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

It is tough on pet owners when they have to deal with pain & misfortune of their pets. They are family. Sorry you are having to deal with this.

Thanks, Geo. We'll make the best of it. I'm just hoping for a good outcome.

Dave

 

[clifffaith]

I was just thinking a few people I know with little dogs like Yorkies have them trained to go in litter boxes.

It keeps crossing my mind that maybe when one of the cats dies that I'd like a little dog to walk on the promenade when we move to Carlsbad. Then I wonder if I am capable of training a dog to pee/poop on piddle pads or a litter box. Cats just sort of know to use the box (unless they decide to poop on the floor near the box, I'm talking to you, JB Orange Cat). When we had a beagle and would walk him as our exercise, instead of pooping in our yard before we'd walk he'd hold it to do it on our walk. And he'd out wait us because he knew what was going on. Although I'd get a dog smaller than a beagle, still no fun trying to pick up poop while a dog is then pulling and anxious to continue his walk. Plus Zeke used to do what we call a "traveling sh*t" -- we even had a song to the tune of Ricky Nelson's I'm a Traveling Man that we'd sing when we'd catch him walking and pooping. So there'd we be, good citizens with poop sacks, and eventually Zeke would be lagging a bit behind, turn around and he's taken a traveling sh*t the last half block.

 

[isisdave]

Faith, we called our first modern dog, Daisy,a "stealth pooper" and would do what Zeke did. We got her at 8 months and I think the previous family hadn't trained her. Linda taught her what was expected in about two weeks, but for quite a while she'd still go "on the hoof."

A week ago Linda found a Yorkie-Poo from a reasonably close family. We're calling her Skye. She's only 9 weeks but figured out a pee pad on the second introduction, as long as it's in sight or smell range. As is true for most puppies, she's training US to make sure she's in the right place at the right time. But a Yorkie's digestive tract is so small it's very predictable.

Her running speed is just about a moderate human walking speed, so your idea might be spot on. Skye has a habit of inserting her feet UNDER ours while walking around, so we are having to be very careful. I'll message you a link.

 

[Beachclubmum]

Awww, you and your partner are such good dog parents!

Along the lines of doggie acupuncturist, my dd had a horse that needed visits from an equine massage therapist for his stifle area (kind of like hips/upper legs area on a horse).

 

[DaveNV]

Skye has a habit of inserting her feet UNDER ours while walking around, so we are having to be very careful.

When you have a small dog like that, you learn to do the "puppy shuffle." That's where you slide your feet along the ground, so the dog can't get underfoot. Otherwise, one false step and you can boot your dog into the next room.

As a long time Mini Dachshund owner, ask me how I know this.

Dave

 

[pedro47]

DaveNV, I hope you asking for your 10% Veteran discount at Lowe's.

 

[bogey21]

For years I would drive my German Shepherd to the Dog Park daily (it was about 5 miles away). In the beginning he would just leap onto the back seat of my car; later he had to climb in; then he needed a boost from me; then I took the back seat out of my car to make it easier for him. Finally his hip totally gave out and I had to have him put down. Not only did he have friends at the Dog Park but I did too. When we got there we both went out own ways. On nice days we would sometimes stay for hours. When I decided it was time to leave I would just start walking toward the gate holler out his name and he would come running...

George

 

[DaveNV]

DaveNV, I hope you asking for your 10% Veteran discount at Lowe's.

Yes sir, I am. In fact, I don't even need to ask for it - the discount comes up automatically when I enter my phone number. I get a similar discount at Home Depot, except it doesn't work for online purchases. I've also learned to ask in retail stores if they have a military discount. They often do, but won't mention it unless I ask for it. Now that I'm retired, it's more important than ever to save every dollar I can.

Dave

 

[Glynda]

Having problems with our Olive’s right hip/knee. She’s not making her jumps sometimes or not trying at all. Saw the vet about a month ago but need to go back as today when I picked her up to carry her out she cried out and wouldn’t put her leg down. She’s in the crate again but it’s so hard to keep her in there all the time. Like Dave, sadly this is probably our last dog. She’s 10.

 

[DaveNV]

Having problems with our Olive’s right hip/knee. She’s not making her jumps sometimes or not trying at all. Saw the vet about a month ago but need to go back as today when I picked her up to carry her out she cried out and wouldn’t put her leg down. She’s in the crate again but it’s so hard to keep her in there all the time. Like Dave, sadly this is probably our last dog. She’s 10.

So sorry to hear about this. If she's hesitant to put her leg down, she may have a pinched nerve kind of thing happening. Sounds like it hurts. Time to see her Vet.

Yes, I've made the decision that these two dogs are the last I'll have. I'm only 67, and I figure I have maybe 15 good years left. I want the freedom to travel without worry, and having pets really adds to the stress. When you have an animal that can't go with you, a weekend trip away doesn't happen. So this will be it for furry kids, I'm afraid.

Jeff is more the cat person than I am, and he is always jonesing for another cat. We currently have just the one, which is a surprise, but is probably because of the two dogs. Once the dogs are gone, I fully expect Jeff to drag home more cats. As long as I don't have to clean the litterbox, I'm fine with that.

Dave

 

[geist1223]

We have learned to always ask for Military or Senior Discount. It is surprising how many places will give you the Discount - Columbia, Eddie Bauer, etc.

 

[klpca]

For years I would drive my German Shepherd to the Dog Park daily (it was about 5 miles away). In the beginning he would just leap onto the back seat of my car; later he had to climb in; then he needed a boost from me; then I took the back seat out of my car to make it easier for him. Finally his hip totally gave out and I had to have him put down. Not only did he have friends at the Dog Park but I did too. When we got there we both went out own ways. On nice days we would sometimes stay for hours. When I decided it was time to leave I would just start walking toward the gate holler out his name and he would come running...

George

We all have our dog park friends - me, my husband, and our dog Kaya. It's funny how that happens.

 

[Monykalyn]

Love the new updates; we did same thing with our front door-was solid and we got one with 3/4 glass. HUGE difference!! Our current home has the oil rubbed bronze door handles, but as we bought on foreclosure and the builder clearly rushed through some parts: the faucets are that chrome. We are slowly replacing the faucets as rooms get finished. After 10 years though I still haven't picked out cabinet hardware for the kitchen . Bathrooms/laundry room cabinets have handles, but not the kitchen-beware of "taking your time" on some stuff-time gets away!

Hope the doggies are enjoying the new place!

 

[WinniWoman]

Love the new updates; we did same thing with our front door-was solid and we got one with 3/4 glass. HUGE difference!! Our current home has the oil rubbed bronze door handles, but as we bought on foreclosure and the builder clearly rushed through some parts: the faucets are that chrome. We are slowly replacing the faucets as rooms get finished. After 10 years though I still haven't picked out cabinet hardware for the kitchen . Bathrooms/laundry room cabinets have handles, but not the kitchen-beware of "taking your time" on some stuff-time gets away!

Hope the doggies are enjoying the new place!

You have no handles on your cabinets? That would make me insane!

Our builder was not going to put pulls on our cabinets and I told the realtor no way would I move into the home with no handles on the cabinets. So I picked them out online and had the kitchen designer be responsible to get them to the house for the carpenter to install. Every new house owner here has done the same.

 

[DaveNV]

Love the new updates; we did same thing with our front door-was solid and we got one with 3/4 glass. HUGE difference!! Our current home has the oil rubbed bronze door handles, but as we bought on foreclosure and the builder clearly rushed through some parts: the faucets are that chrome. We are slowly replacing the faucets as rooms get finished. After 10 years though I still haven't picked out cabinet hardware for the kitchen . Bathrooms/laundry room cabinets have handles, but not the kitchen-beware of "taking your time" on some stuff-time gets away!

Hope the doggies are enjoying the new place!

Thank you! The new door will be installed later this week. Can't wait!

We did buy cabinet hardware for the kitchen, but haven't installed it yet. Haven't figured out what we want to do with the two bathrooms. You'd think at some point over twelve years, the previous owners would have installed hardware, but nope. The kitchen cabinets and drawers are hard to open without a handle - surprises me they wouldn't have installed something. Go figure.

The dogs are doing well here. It's been just over two weeks, and Cody has mostly recovered from his back issues reported upthread. He's moving normally, and is back to trying to jump on the furniture. (Which is what got him hurt in the first place, I think.) We still have a few days of meds left, so I'll continue giving them to him, until they're gone. So we'll take this one day at a time. Cross your fingers!

Dave

 

[pittle]

When we moved to AZ, we were surprised that in most homes, the cabinets did not have cabinet hardware. We first lived in a rental house with lots of cabinets and no hardware - it drove me crazy. Then we bought a house that was less than 2 years old and again no hardware. So I had to buy 113 pulls to do the kitchen, 3 bathrooms and laundry. That made quite the project one day!

 

[DaveNV]

When we moved to AZ, we were surprised that in most homes, the cabinets did not have cabinet hardware. We first lived in a rental house with lots of cabinets and no hardware - it drove me crazy. Then we bought a house that was less than 2 years old and again no hardware. So I had to buy 113 pulls to do the kitchen, 3 bathrooms and laundry. That made quite the project one day!

Amazing, isn't it? I was surprised at how many handles and pulls we needed to get. Just for this small kitchen I think we bought about 30. We still need to get them for the two bathrooms. That'll be another couple dozen, I think. It adds up fast! Glad it's something that doesn't wear out.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

You all got me wondering about cabinet handles. I went back to check, nope, we are buying a home with no little knobs or whatever for cabinet handles. We will probably live with it for a while and see if we are OK with it.

 

[DaveNV]

You all got me wondering about cabinet handles. I went back to check, nope, we are buying a home with no little knobs or whatever for cabinet handles. We will probably live with it for a while and see if we are OK with it.

A lot of cabinet and drawer designs have a lip at the edge making it easier to open them. So you may not need handles, and it's only a cosmetic item. In the case of this house we bought, there is a fine edge to the doors and drawer fronts that make it awkward to open them without a handle. Having the handles on them will make life simpler.

If you're shopping, we found good deals and wide variety of options at www.build.com. Shopping the local warehouses at Lowes and Home Depot only showed the same tired stuff they've had for twenty years. Nothing new to see here, move along...

Designers say that door handles and drawer pulls are the "jewelry" of the kitchen. They can add a certain amount of style to the kitchen, and bring a subtle (or not so subtle) sparkle to things. I can see that. In the case of this house, it's more about utility than a design statement. We'll see how it all sorts out.

Dave