Some Really Great News!

Jett had his latest appointment with the Doggie Oncologist, and his third melanoma treatment shot in the series.  

The staff at the animal hospital are in love with him, he's very mellow and happy when he's there and he behaves really well and smiles at them a lot.

He walked out of the exam room wearing this:

The cancer appears to be in complete remission.  It has not spread to the lungs or lymph nodes. Let's hope the treatment keeps on working.

A couple more shots to go and the melanoma treatment series will be complete, and with any luck that will be the end of it.

The happy yet tired dog, now home on the bed, and relaxing accordingly after his vet visit.  Some great news to start the weekend.

So Obvious - You Don't Put Jett Fuel In A Piper

Piper has been more than a handful these past few weeks.

She still wasn't getting the idea of going just outside to do her thing. Didn't matter if we took her out right after eating or drinking or before or anytime, inside accidents were more often than outside to the tune of about 6 a day.

She was also 90% poop and 10% dog by weight and volume.  Did not think that was possible, but verily it was. Very smelly too.

Took her to an intro doggie training course, still little so she did pickup sitting but trying all the techniques from bells on the door, to timing, to everything else and nothing worked, outside to her was for sniffing and being distracted not going, she would even go outside then come back in and promptly go.

Had a trainer come in to see what we were doing wrong as this was not fun nor particularly appealing and we were getting to the end of our ropes.

Trainer suggested given the frequency and amounts she might be having issues with the food which was Nutro, not a bargain basement food by any means. Nutro had been recommended by our vet, and had been fine for Jett.

She suggested we switch right to Stella and Chewy, a rather top of the line and rather spendy food without fillers.  So we did. Also worked on some taking her out technique and rooting her to a spot so she didn't get distracted and had to do her business before being allowed to sniff outside.

Upside - Jett absolutely loved it and thinks it is the greatest food ever.  Before he would pick at the Nutro and finish it over hours.  Now it's put out and then it is in and gone. The dog is likely eating better than we are now.  Well, he deserves it.

Downside - Piper's engine blew up.  

Piper's engine exhaust got well, much um, even wetter and even more uncontrollably frequent one might say - for a whole week. With exhaust occurring inside the hanger about 50%+ of the time. She also was getting up at 5:30 in the morning.  Figured it was the consequence of moving to the better food and it would settle, but it didn't.

Trainer came back the next week and I indicated that had not worked out well at all and getting rid of Piper was now becoming a very distinct possibility as we were at the end of our ropes.

Trainer then knew she was reacting to the food and suggested a limited ingredient salmon based food.

We switched to that, which she liked, and miraculously it worked.

Should have known you don't put Jet-A in an avgas fueled Piper.

She's much, much better now.  Less volume and frequency of accidents and much better going outside.  Still not nearly perfect and still gets easily distracted once she is outside, but it's much better. Also still some accidents inside as she continues getting used to going outside but the stench is way down.  So, looks like we're on the road to solving that problem.

Darn good thing she's cute and rather cuddly when she's not distracted.

Jett: Of Dogs And Cancer

Did you know that dogs could get melanoma?

Neither did I.

Kinda figured the hair/fur would prevent skin cancer. Turns out, not so much. Indeed, it turns out dogs can get melanoma even when not sun bathing without using sunscreen.

Jett had a small mass on his paw that was removed in early November and the lab reported just before Thanksgiving that he has malignant melanoma. Not good.  It took until today to get an appointment with the Vet Oncologist.

We finally had the appointment today.  There's a fantastic oncologist at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital, and she is quite simply top-notch.

The bad news:  He's got an aggressive strain of malignant melanoma and it could become bad.

The good news: Thankfully there is no sign of the cancer moving to the lymph nodes or lung so we caught it early.

The other bad news:  This malignant melanoma doesn't just go away and it could still become bad very quickly.

The other good news:  There is treatment for dogs: an immunity booster series (incorrectly called a vaccine) to fight malignant melanoma that works 50% of the time and can potentially teach his immune system to fight it and clear it from the body,

The other other bad news: 50% of the time the immunity booster series does nothing, and it costs an arm and a leg.

Are we doing it?  Obviously yes, after all, he's family.

Piper Playtime

Piper sez: "I love you red solo cup".

Unfortunately for the red solo cup, love bites. 

She does love to gnaw on solo cups, among everything else not bolted down, and even some things that are bolted down.

Piper also got some fun in this morning with Paxton, and Rocky, and Jett.

She kept up playing with the big dogs and doesn't shy away from them, nipping and barking with the best of them.  We still keep her on a leash but she'll run to its end to keep up with the other dogs.

But she couldn't quite pin Paxton until Jett came along.

Teamwork makes the dream work

 

This tired out all four dogs, which was good for all involved.

Two Dogs, One Tug

Unlike the more infamous Internet meme that you really don;t want to search for, this is family friendly.

Up until now, Jett has been ignoring Piper and generally been unhappy with the new addition to the family.  Typically he was growling whenever she approached and didn't want to have much to do with her.

We bought them a tug big enough for the two of them to play with.

They both enjoyed the tug o' war.  Much happy growls from both sides.

Finally they've started  playing together a bit.  Piper will chase Jett until he growls at her, then she'll chase him some more, perhaps nip him a bit, and more growling will ensue and some fun running around then occurs. 

Jett is still not 100% sure about Piper, but he's started warming up to her.

Piper Day 4

So Piper is still settling in and has quite the personality. 

She's very curious, into everything, and wants to be everywhere at once.  She actually made it through the night two nights in a row, for which we are thankful.

She is bonding to us nicely.

So far, two accidents inside today and its only 10 am.  Did get her outside for some activity and she went outside when she first got up before said accidents, which helped cut down overall number of accidents inside. Raising a puppy requires patience and quite a clean-up effort.  Working on better get her outside quick processes and trying to read her closely for when she's about to go inside and try to get ahead of it.  Very mixed success so far.

Outside, she unfortunately distracts herself from doing her business by happily chewing on anything she can find. 

She's already learning about baseball as a good American pup should.

Jett is starting to warm up a bit to this high-energy creature that has rocked his world. He's still a little down though. As an older brother, I, too understand what this is like.

The two of them actually played together for a bit yesterday.

 

This is a good sign.  Mainly he's been staying away from her and she is starting to try and get him to play so we will see.

Containment of the rambunctious and free-flying Piper  has also been attempted.

These walls cannot hold me!

I expect by next week she will be able to launch herself over the wall but for now the doggie playpen used for short stints at least keeps her in one area by us and reduces overall mayhem and we tend to go in there with her to keep her company and play with her.

Currently toes are not safe from the teething Piper.  Those puppy teeth hurt.  We have lots of chew toys to distract her, but she does like to consume toes every now and then. 

She wants to chew everything, including phones.

I'm here to chew bubblegum and eat phones, and I am all out of bubblegum.

She's off sleeping in her hangar (crate) now.  Soon to be let out for de-fueling and refueling operations.

Update:  That didn't last. Less than 24 hours from getting the playpen. On coming home from the office just now after letting her out I put her in the playpen. She figured out how to bust out of the doggie playpen while I was on a Zoom call. Suddenly a pup was at my feet wanting to join in on the Zoom.  Oh well.

Day 2 Of Piper - 1 A.M. Regerts?

Piper decided she needed a pre-flight at 1 a.m. this morning.

Ouch.  Good thing she's cute and gives off Puppytocin like it's going out of style.

She is crate trained, but decided to let the whole house know she needed out of the crate at 1 a.m.

Ouch.  We forgot or suppressed this part of having a puppy.

Jett is very much not amused.

Look, I gave consent to this idea, but now I'm not sure if it was informed consent.

 

So we got up and let her out and then back in.

Then up at 6 a.m. with the kids and she got outside again, had her fuel like she hadn't been fueled up in forever, I mean she wolfed that puppy food down, and then went out again with Jett. After that I took Jett for a longer walk on his own.

She's a very curious pup, very interested in her new home and checking everything out both outside and in.

Last night she discovered mirrors 

She rather enjoyed checking herself out.

She then got some experience with technology.

She was intrigued to hear music coming from Abby's phone.  Much more interesting than her new squeaky toy.

She's a good pup, very sweet, and quite the handful trying her best to get into everything.

A New Furry Addition To The Family

Just in time for Rosh Hashanah, we headed to Ionia as the breeder where we had gotten Jett had sent an email out that she had some unclaimed pups and would we be interested in one?

Why yes, yes we would.  It was time Jett got a companion.

Meet Piper, the latest addition to the family and our second Airedoodle. 

She's a lively one at 10 weeks old and already has a definite mind of her own, and likes exploring.  She's doesn't exactly enjoy a leash yet and tends to want to walk you and not the other way around, so that will take some work.  Shes a puppy and never been on a leash so totally normal.

She's 75% Airedale and 25% Poodle.  She's into everything, and is very cuddly, friendly, and showing a lot of smarts already.

Jett is not 100% sure of the situation, but is tolerating her antics so far.  They did great on the drive back and she passed out on my arm in the car for a little bit then popped right back up and kept looking around and snuggling everyone.  

Then once we got home, after an outside break where she got to see the yard and have a potty break, and then she got to explore the inside and then have an accident (puppies it happens) she passed out in her new to her crate.  She's now out for a walk with Jett and the kids and is settling in fine.

The Jett Abides

Jett taking it easy and considering the nature of the universe on a nice warm evening.

When You're Dog Tired In The Morning

That feeling when you're having a hard time waking up.

It's a dog's life alright.

Jett Is Taking No Chances

Currently some in the neighborhood are in a frenzy over reports of coyotes in the area.

People really need to calm down, but the neighborhood forums are ablaze with coyote spotted messages including panicked calls to secure your small animals indoors and ensure small children are not left out playing in yards as tasty coyote treats.

Never mind that there's been no actual reported incidents of a coyote around here actually attacking anyone or being aggressive, or anything of the sort, but some people are pretty high strung. It's as if they've never seen any wildlife before. I half expect squirrel alerts to be next coming from the overwrought ADHD homeowners around here.

As a result, Jett, before his walk last night, wanted to make sure he would not be misidentified as a coyote by some fearful neighbor.

The Dog Knows What He Likes

Jett does make his preferences known:

Not even a dog likes veggie burgers.

How Much Is That Doggie-Broken Window?

Came home from work to this:

\>

Jett, you see, is rather affronted by squirrels who think they can just go gallivant about his backyard.

This leads to him barking furiously and leaping at them with his paws hitting the glass, repeatedly.

Or in this case paws pushing the glass right through the frame.

This is the second time in two years that he broke this particular pane of glass.

I'm thinking we're going to replace it with a couple layers of poly-carbonate instead of glass this time.

I'm sorry I broke the glass, but you shoulda seen that flippin' squirrel jump when I busted the window!

Well, the hole is now boarded up, as we'd rather not air condition the backyard and it's going to be sweltering tomorrow. Now to go shop for some poly-carbonate.

Jett Sez:

"Global Warming my A##!"

Poor fellow was covered in just a few minutes during our walk this morning.

A mix of sleet and freezing rain this morning is being followed by 5-8 inches of snow expected to last throughout the day. It's wet and heavy snow too.

The Pensive Pooch

Jett, Airdoodle extraordinaire, contemplating the nature of life, the universe, and the strange delivery times of the Amazon delivery people, who get extra barking attention when they pull up in the driveway and leave a package on the porch.

Jett And The Skunk Part 2

Well the smell is receding a fair bit.

Jett has indicated he really doesn't like skunks. he's off to be groomed today so we'll see how much of him comes back.

Jett called on his Airedale heritage and he's asked to wear this on his next walk to be ready for chemical warfare, just in case:

Update: Picked up from the groomer, he's a bit more shaved then I would like but apparently the odor is not bad now. But instead of the Airedoodle cut he got a poodle-type cut.

Still cute, and he still wants a gas mask.

Jett's First Encounter With Chemical Warfare

Last night Jett and Rocky were playing in Rocky's yard after quite awhile of not playing together due to summer travels and various scheduling differences.

They played and then ran around to the back of Rocky's house -- and then suddenly all was silent.

We called them back and there was a rather indescribable pungent odor accompanying them.

Jett had gotten skunked - right in the face.

The smell was unlike what you would have expected, more like a concentrated foul burned fuel/chemical smell than the skunky smell normally associated with skunks. But it was bad indeed, real bad.

So we whipped out the baking soda, peroxide and dishwasher soap and tried to decontaminate Jett right there. Unfortunately in our haste we didn't wear gloves so my hands needed a thorough decon as well. Jett did not enjoy the process of being repeatedly washed down with the mixture and washed off with a hose, and then he spent the night in our garage which now smells pretty darn bad.

He's fine but has a lingering foul smell associated with him, especially if you're downwind.

It's always something with these dogs.

The MiG and The Jett - A Thrilling Tale of Lawn to Lawn Combat

There was an epic meeting engagement this weekend between the Mig and the Jett.

While on patrol, approaching Pack VI, the heroic Jett pilot could sense the upcoming engagement in the air:

It's going to be a Mig day, I can feel it.

Sure enough, just up the way, the Mig waited under tight control at the base of the engagement area until it was time to be let loose.

Controller, where is the Imperialist American Jett?

When the Jett came in range, the Mig was loosed to pounce and the furball began.

I've got you now!

The MiG is both smaller and more maneuverable than the mighty American Jett, but if the Jett refuses the turning game and instead fights in the vertical plane with afterburners he can disengage at will.

No you don't got squat! Afterburners lit, and maneuvering to a more favorable engagement position.

And the Jett can then after disengaging turn about and re-engage at will:

The MiG is too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns.

After multiple maneuvers, and low on fuel, the MiG had to return home to its safe haven, promising to come out to play another day.

I'll be back, you American running-dog".

The tail continues.

The Dog Playing Cards

To while away some time yesterday before Abby's friend was picked up, we played Rukus.

It's a fun family game that the kids enjoyed playing quite a bit. I think they modified the rules a bit and made it an even more hectic game, complete with delighted shouts of "Ruckus!". We spent quite some time shuffling cards, playing cards, and quickly discarding cards to get to the winner of each hand with much giggling and shouting and the occasional groan when the cards didn't go the way someone wanted them.

Jett decided he wanted to play too, and he collected the most cards while he doggedly imitated a card table:

A very laid back family-friendly dog indeed.

Jett's First Trip To TO

We're spending The New Year in Toronto with family. 

Abby had her best friend from New York over with us in Michigan for the past 5 days and we took her with us to Toronto to meet up with her folks and transfer her back to her parents.  They had a great time together and they're great kids.

This was also Jett's first international trip and he had his first border crossing in the back of the SUV and he enjoyed the trip albeit being rather tightly squished in along with the rest of us - five people, one dog and luggage made for a tight fit.  He traveled like a champ and had a good time.

Jett on his first walk around Toronto found this sign rather offensive:

Why U No Like Jets?

Basically the No Jets TO group is your typical Baptist and Bootlegger coalition in action - developers would love to get their hands on Toronto Island Airport, but to keep it viable, Porter Airlines is proposing having some rather quiet commuter jets operate from the airport, which is not SWPL.  So, the developers and BANANA types are conjuring up the false image of big loud bad jets disturbing people's property values.  Basic nonsense, but it may prove to be effective which would be bad as once I get my private pilots license,  flights to CYTZ will be a given.