Baxter Turns It Red

Baxter has a really bad habit of getting up on the dinner table. It has gotten him into trouble on several occasions. In addition to those episodes, he managed to steal most of a Thanksgiving leftover dinner from us last year.

After briefly leaving the table, we came back to find he had sucked down all our remaining meat plus the mashed potatoes and stuffing. He was kind enough to share a drumstick with Biscuit, who went to town on it until we managed to steal it back.

He is fascinated with the table, and rightly so. He has purloined many a tasty treat there. When we're finished eating, he begs to come up on someone's lap so he can get a look at what's left for the taking.

The other day, we were preparing for dinner when neighbors dropped by. Luckily, we had only put out a couple things when they arrived. We were soon distracted to another part of the house.

Upon returning I caught Baxter on the table sucking down the "special sauce" Jenny had made for our chicken taco burgers. It's made from yogurt (we ran out of sour cream), rojo taco sauce and a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot.

As I shooed him off the table, he was making a face like you might expect from a dog that just lapped up something quite picante.

Well, it was back to the ASPCA poison control site to find out if he was facing certain death. Apparently onion and garlic aren't the best things for dogs in large quantities. But there couldn't be much of that in the taco sauce, so we figured he would survive.

As you know, surviving is Baxter's strong suit. The only repercussions were two days of neon red bowel movements. Jenny said she was reminded of our trip to Sedona, land of the red rocks. Another silly chapter in the life of the Bax-Man.

Sedona photo by Flickr user rose_des_vents

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Bad Dog Baxter Enters Rehab

There comes a time in every Bad Dog's life when he hits rock bottom. The destructive behaviors no longer bring the high they used to. Barking isn't quite the rush it once was, and the human shin doesn't even taste good anymore.

One night, while listlessly flipping through the channels, the Bad Dog comes upon an episode of The Dog Whisperer. In a moment of clarity, he identifies with the snarling delinquent on the screen. "That's my life," he says. "I'm the one who's out of control."

OK, I apologize, that was a bit dramatic. Truth is, there are just a couple of things we need to work on with the Bax-man, and now's the time. With baby right around the corner we're going to have enough on our plate without a lawsuit from the UPS man.

Our neighbors recently rescued a dog from the Animal Advocates Alliance. A trainer from the organization has come over a few times to help get Layla adjusted, and he was kind enough to spend some time with Biz and Bax.

Over the next few weeks, we're planning to have Philip, the trainer, over a few times to teach our old dogs some new tricks. We'll keep you posted on the progress, and I'll also let you know when we can change the title of this blog to Good Dog Baxter!


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Whipped Cream is Their Favorite Food

It's true ... there are few substances on earth that get the Killer B's as riled up as whipped cream in a can. Wherever they are hiding, when they hear that "Psshht" noise they come a'runnin'.

It's not unique to these two, either. My dog growing up was the same way. Whipped cream and popcorn were Apple's guilty pleasures.

This morning we had strawberry pancakes with whipped cream, and I snapped some shots of the free-for-all that ensued.

Biscuit ready for delivery:

Yum!!!

It's Baxter's turn:

You need a napkin there, pal:

Is that whipped cream in your fur?

Diarrhea later on is a guarantee, but I'm pretty sure they think it's worth it.
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An Explanation for Baxter's Palm Nut Binge?

What would possess a dog to gorge on palm tree nuts? Not just one nut, but 22 nuts! Well, we may be one step closer to an answer today, folks. And it has a little something to do with Baxter's cultural heritage.

A coworker today hipped me to Paan, a traditional chew popular in Southeast and South Asia. Hmmm, is that near Tibet? Chewing paan is a long-standing tradition in these parts that has taken on historical, sociological, even mythical significance.



So, Paan is generally wrapped in the Betel leaf, a creeping vine similar to ivy that's known for its minor stimulant properties. Inside the leaf is chopped up areca nut.

What's an areca nut, you ask? Well, it's actually the fruit of -- wait for it -- a palm tree.

Bingo!

So, our furry little friend was feeling homesick for the Asian subcontinent when he chowed down on the palm nuts! Unfortunately, he chose the wrong kind of palm tree and totally missed out on the buzz.

Oh well, you can't blame a guy for trying to reconnect with his roots. He is a spiritual little man.
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Tibbie Tooth

There are many things that make Tibetan Spaniels special. They're loving, loyal, intelligent (kinda), just a bit mischievous. But, I find there's one feature about them that people always notice: Tibbie Tooth.

Yes, I'm talking about the dental disaster that is the Asian breed underbite. Many little dogs have it, and Tibbies really flaunt it.

Breeds like the Shih Tsu, Pekingese, plus Bulldogs and Boxers, too, share the underbite. It seems to go along with the pushed-in face. Luckily, it doesn't seem to slow these guys down when it comes to inhaling kibble. It just gives their cute mugs a little extra personality.

We had to give Baxter a 'happy pill' for his first plane flight. He was really chill. For hours:

This is Biscuit after have a little skin growth removed. We put booties on her so she wouldn't scratch it:
Here's Bax after his big allergy attack in the backyard. That plus a bath and he was pretty unhappy:


There's a Flickr user (angelatchou) I found who posts lots of pics of her Tibetan. Obviously, she thinks Tibbie Tooth is funny, too:


For more underbite fun, there are lots of funny ones that come up on a Google image search.
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Two Doggies Are Better Than One

Biscuit was an 'only dog' for five whole years. I think she enjoyed our undivided attention. She also enjoys lots of peace and quiet, so that worked out well.

We always knew we would get a second dog, but we waited until we moved into the house to bring home #2. We had no idea how Biscuit would react, and we were really concerned that her personality could change. She's very passive, and we were afraid a more dominant dog could turn her into a shrinking violet.

Enter the Bax Man, a real Dog's Dog, a Man Among Men, King of the 10-Pounders, if you will. Would he dominate the personality right out of our little lady?

We snapped this shot on Bax's first day with us. Biscuit wanted no part of the new guy. It was a struggle to get the two of them in the same frame. In fact, she did a fair amount of growling while Jenny held them. Look how she won't even look at him!


Fast forward to a year later, and we are SO glad we pulled the trigger on a second dog. They are definitely pals who love nothing more than barking loudly with one another. They sniff noses a lot (really cute), and they definitely compete for attention.

Last night, I snapped these awesome pics of them sharing the dog bed. This doesn't happen often, but I happened to have the camera nearby.




They're BFF's! Here's one more from a while back:



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Do You Have a Bad Dog Story?

Does your dog get into a lot of trouble? Have you had a dog in the past that made your life, shall we say, a little more interesting?

If you answered yes, please tell me about it. I'd love to include some "Guest Baxters" on this blog.

I know you're out there! A vet tech at Szanto told me about one of their patients, a golden retriever, who had two stomach surgeries before his first birthday. He had a taste for socks.

Same guy recalled another golden retriever who had had a total of five (FIVE!) stomach surgeries due to his fondness for tennis balls.

A friend of mine told me about her sister's dog, who happened to be named Baxter, who ruined a child's birthday party by eating the entire cake while no one was looking.

This stuff is golden! If you've got material, send it to story @ baddogbaxter.com. I look forward to sharing some reader stories in upcoming posts.
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Biscuit and Baxter in the BOB

We continue to be invaded by baby stuff. Yesterday, after nervously staring at the box for several weeks, I busted out the BOB Revolution Stroller. We were thrilled to get it, but I was concerned about a complicated setup. Thankfully, the thing comes 90% built ... just slap on the wheels and you're rolling.

Once I got it together, we just had to put somebody in it! Considering the 70 pound weight limit, it wasn't going to be me or Jenny. So, the dogs were the lucky riders.

Biscuit is so sweet and oblivious. God bless her!

Baxter is much more aware that there's something going on around here. He seems bewildered and pretty much terrified. Hey Baxter, so are we!

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