5 Months

Trooper is five months old today!

Super Trooper

We've had Trooper about 10 days now and he's fitting right in. We love this little goofball. Here are five fun Trooper facts:

1. 

   Off Position

   Trooper has two speeds: full throttle and off. He can switch between the two at the drop of a hat.
2. Trooper will eat anything, including lettuce, birdseed, paper towels and his own poop (eeeew). However, peanut butter stuffed Kongs are more to his liking.
3. Trooper is a "morning dog." He's up early, full of energy and demanding attention. He hasn't figured out that I AM NOT a "morning person," no matter how many times he barks and licks my face.
4. Trooper is not afraid of fireworks. Every July my neighborhood sounds like the soundtrack of a WWII movie. (Rednecks love their explosives.) Luckily, Trooper couldn't care less about the noise.
5. Trooper has figured out how to get on the furniture. He likes to climb onto the couch and nap with Roxy. Isn't that cute? He also lies on my bed as I get ready for work.

He heard his name

Trooper is a fun, lovable pup who is wearing me out. I haven't been this tired since I had toddlers. I'm trying to remember to nap when he naps and keep puppy-safe chew toys within reach at all times.

Some pleasant side effects to this super nova wrapped in fur: I've lost five pounds from chasing after him and I pick up clutter regularly! Between waiting for the puppy to poop and picking up poop (so said puppy doesn't eat it --- again, eeeew), I'm enjoying my back yard more than I have in a long while.

Oh, gotta go! Nap time is over. Catch you later, -- K

Those Darn Raccoons

This guy was hanging around Main Street

Last spring I got a strange call. A woman said she heard an awful noise coming from her back yard. When she looked outside she saw a giant raccoon. (It was during the day so she knows it has rabies -- grr). I told her it wasn't rabies, but I would come and take a look anyway. When I arrived we couldn't find the raccoon anywhere. Then I looked up and saw him. It was definitely a big raccoon, and he was climbing up her live oak tree. He looked determined. I told her that he looked healthy, but please call if he comes back down. As I was leaving we heard the "awful noise" again and I realized that there were two raccoons in the tree. Then the light bulb came on. Apparently raccoons are very noisy when the mate.

I had a guy call last week. He saw a mother raccoon out with her babies and "they all gotta have rabies 'cuz they're out during the day!" (Regular readers know what's coming next.) I nicely explained that urban raccoons have learned that food is easier to find during the day and they have shifted their sleeping patterns. Since raccoon had youngsters with her, I would bet that the raccoons were not rabid, just hungry.

Our city is a tree sanctuary. We actually have lots of wildlife, especially raccoons. The city is also an unofficial crazy cat lady sanctuary. We have a large number of people feeding feral cats along with all the opportunistic wildlife -- especially raccoons. (See what's happening here?)

Every year we have raccoons die of distemper. This season of death runs roughly November through April. This season we caught and euthanized 40 raccoons -- four times our normal average. Other raccoons were found dead in the parks or in people's yards. The town was in a panic over sick raccoons and everybody assumed it was rabies. What a nightmare!

I wrote an article for the city's FB page about raccoons and distemper. Points included:

• Raccoons are susceptible to both canine and feline distemper. Although they both can cause acute illness and death, they are two completely different viruses. Distemper does not affect humans.
• The disease is more likely to occur when raccoon populations are large or concentrated. Not all raccoons get the disease. Others do, yet live through it.
• The disease is spread when animals direct contact with body fluids or droppings from an infected animal. 
• Distemper is always present in the environment, so the best prevention is to ensure your pets are vaccinated. Contact your vet to make sure your pets’ vaccinations are current.
• Symptoms of distemper may include discharge from the nose and eyes, a rough coat, emaciated appearance, and unusual behavior such as disorientation or wandering aimlessly. Although some symptoms are similar, distemper is not the same disease as rabies.
• Keep children and pets away from sick raccoons. As the disease progresses, the animal may appear calm, but can become aggressive if it feels trapped or threatened.
• If you have a sick raccoon in your yard, call the police department. An animal control officer will be dispatched as soon as possible. (Yes, this was written before the idiot decided to kill the raccoon with an axe.)
• To discourage raccoons, remove attractants like bird feeders from your yard.
• Feed your pets indoors.
• Make sure garbage cans are secure and can’t be knocked over or have their lids removed.
• Sick raccoons may pass through your yard and move on.
• If a raccoon dies in your yard, place it in a thick garbage bag and dispose of it with your garbage.
• DO NOT FEED RACCOONS! Providing artificial food sources leads to unnaturally large concentrations of animals and increases the spread of disease.

Think it'll help? Probably not. Raccoons are smart. People, not so much. -- K

WTH?

Not my beach, not my monkeys.

I was sitting at home on my day off when I received a text from the Chief of Police. It said:

"Are leashed monkeys allowed on the beach?"

That was it. No context.

At first I didn't know if the chief was pulling my leg so I texted back "LOL." Then "Seriously?" She said yes and gave me one of these: 🐵

Two things went through my mind. One, I'm flattered the Chief thinks that I'm a subject matter expert. But then thought number two: "What the hell?!"

I told Chief that primates are not addressed in our ordinance, leashed or otherwise. Also, they're not on the list of prohibited animals nor the list of rabies vectors. I cited the ordinance numbers so she could verify the info for herself. (Hey, I am the subject matter expert!)

Chief wrote back "Thank you." Again, no context. Now I'm going to be looking for monkeys on the beach during my routine patrol. Never a dull day. -- K

Slow Bowl

Trooper's breeder said he was "food motivated." That was an understatement! Trooper attacks his food like he's been in a POW camp for years. He's not food aggressive -- I can take the bowl away -- but he's very enthusiastic. He gulps food down so fast that Hubby and I are afraid he'll bloat. 

Bloat, also known as gastric dilation volvulus, is a serious condition where a dog's stomach fills with gas and twists. Quick eating/gulping air is a possible cause. Any deep-chested dog is susceptible to it. I hear stories about GSDs dying from it all too often.

To help slow down Trooper's eating, I got him the Happy Hunting Bowl. It's molded plastic and holds about 2 cups of kibble. The protrusions keep Trooper from inhaling his food. Getting into all the nooks and crannies forces him to take smaller bites. His eating time has gone from seconds to several minutes.

Pros:

• The bowl has a wide base. Otherwise Trooper could just flip it over and inhale the food off the floor. 
• There are no sharp, food trapping corners so it's easy to clean.

Cons:

• It's smaller than I imagined. 
• The nonslip strips are tiny and keep falling off the base of the bowl. I'm going to have to glue them in before I lose them forever. 

All in all, the Happy Hunting Bowl was worth the $8 on Amazon.-- K

Take Your Dog to Work Day

Technically, Take Your Dog to Work Day is the Friday following Father's Day. But when you're an animal control officer for a small beach town, the rules are a little more relaxed. Here Jedi and I were sharing McDonalds cheeseburgers for lunch. Apparently, he felt I didn't share enough!

Trooper is still not completely housebroken. We're working on that plus crate training. I've been bringing him to work to help with his training. Luckily, he's cute (and my office has tile floors). He licked the Chief of Police's face and got a free pass for now.

As frustrating as this job can be, it does have some perks. Remind me of that next time I threaten to quit. Later, -- K

Happy 4th of July

Let the festivities begin!

 Trooper        Jedi         Roxy

Crazy Poop Calls

Yes, that's poop in a bag.

A couple years ago I told you about Poopmeister, a resident who blew a gasket and started flinging poo like a chimpanzee. We all thought that was a poop story that couldn't be beat. We were wrong.

Last week I received a call from another exasperated resident. Her next door neighbor was hanging bags of poop from the electrical pole between them. It seems that whenever he found a stray pile of poop in his yard, he would bag it up and tie it to the pole. She said she's already cut down three bags and doesn't know what to do. I was empathetic, but had no idea how to help. So what did I do? Drive by and take a picture, of course!

Speaking of pictures, I have a resident who is frustrated with a neighbor's dog. She swears that the neighbor lets his dog poop in her yard. I told her that I didn't doubt it, but we couldn't act on her assumptions. She needed to see the dog "leaving a deposit" before I could write a citation. She never did catch the dog, but she left this on my voicemail:

There are three new lumps of poop in my yard. I took a picture of it. Do you want me to send it to you?

Uh, no.

I had a guy call me because he found poop in his garage. He wanted me to come out and identify the species of animal that left the feces behind. (It was ordinary cat poop. I was so disappointed.) I guess I'm a scatologist now!

Seriously, poop brings out the worst in people. Last month a woman called seething with anger. A Doberman was walking down her street without a leash. The caller wasn't upset about the lack of leash nor the breed of the dog. She was furious because the dog pooped in her yard and the owner didn't pick it up. The caller spent 15 minutes describing the dog owner in detail along with the three houses where he possibly lived. She was adamant that I find the dog owner and write him a ticket. Right now! By the way, she called back 5 minutes later to say never mind. The dog owner had come back with a bag and apologized.

And finally, TODAY'S crazy poop call: A man left a 3 minute complaint on my voicemail. He's said people walking past his house to the beach pick up after their dogs and throw the bags in his clean trashcan. "Today is trash day and now those bags are going to be in there for a week." He's tired of cleaning his trash can and wants a warning put out. He doesn't know who's doing it, but it happens all the time. I called him back, and he didn't like my answer. I understand he's frustrated but:

• It's the City's trashcan (our logo is on the top).
• He needs to bring the can in early. If it's on the street, it's fair game.
• The ordinance states that people must pick up after their dogs -- and that's what they're doing!
• He can nicely ask the neighbors to throw the poop away, but there isn't anything I can do because they are not breaking the rules.

I should introduce him to Poopmeisters 1 and 2. Maybe he'll feel better. (Probably not.)

One of the insults people like to throw around is "You don't know shit." I just laugh. Not only do I know it, shit pays my salary. -- K