My dog is a bully

Today was by far the worst day I've had with Charger.  I try to walk her every day, like a good pet owner, but she went crazy. Instead it took 40 minutes to get up and back to my house. She was biting me aggressively to the point when I returned home, both of my calves were bloody. My neighbors probably think I was abusing my dog, but I was trying to defend myself.  A bunch of people came out and saw me pinning my dog on the ground to get her to stop biting me. Which only enraged her more. 20 minutes to torture back to the house.

I was so frustrated and disheartened I told my parents I didn't want her anymore and that she should get turned into a fur coat. At which point, my parents blamed me and told me it was my fault for letting her bite me. At that point, I cried a large amount of tears, punched a wall, screamed at them to go to hell then went to the gym to blow off some steam.  This was all before 11 AM by the way. Hell, must have froze over, because I'd rather be at work being screamed at about things I have no control over then be home.

Honestly, I'm afraid of my dog now.  No one believes that she physically hurts me. I show them my scars and my parents blame me. So with this losing situation, I have no idea what to do. Our dog trainer is coming tomorrow. I want to take a video camera out on my walk to show them what it is like walking with her attacking me.

The above is the best video I've found so far explaining how to get her to stop biting. Each day is a new opportunity....to learn something.

If these were hickeys it would make more sense

These were once my beautiful ballet-toned legs, they're mostly just bruised, but I want to document some evidence in case I need to sue my dog. Just kidding. The brown spots are not a skin disease but bruises from where Charger has bit my legs. I have a really bad one on the right leg where it bends. Ouch! I've tried everything including spraying myself with sour stuff to get her to stop. When she gets in her biting/play moods, there's really no stopping. She also chomped on my hand today. Biting puppy with no signs of it ceasing is this week's fail.

On a win note, mom has only had one breakdown so far. And Charger also knows "down" completely.  Oh the joys of puppy hood.

According to Valencia, I'm on "Spring Break" this week? I only am taking three days off from work, (to watch the puppy), so it's hardly a vacation. The days are slipping by and I have little time left to write a ton of stuff.

Puppy Week 2 Update

Today Charger went to puppy school and of course she was a perfect little angel. I think the class was mostly for us humans and telling us that everything is normal. We also learned how to deal with her puppy issues like crying, biting, peeing. Very knowledgeable people. In case you're in Florida, we use http://www.floridak9services.com/. Charger even got to meet some other dogs and only freaked out for two minutes.

After class, we went to the vet for our two month check up. Charger scared a puppy and got yelled at by an angry mom (not my mom for once). She also got microchipped and her ears cleaned. The silly dog didn't even notice the giant needle because she was eating tons of treats.

We made our way back and stopped a Chik-fil-A for some lunch while Charger ate and played in the parking lot. We went to Petsmart and talked to another trainer there, who basically contradicted a lot of what the first trainer says, but I'm more likely to believe the first trainer. We got her a longer leash and some clean up stuff. I got some anti-biting spray, which I will probably use on my clothes as well.

Wow! Looks like Charger has her own photo blog. Check it out http://chargergsd.tumblr.com/.

Night 5: It was just the turtle

Ok, the loud bang in the previous post was just the turtle knocking over his tank cover. If I have not stated this before, let it be known that my parents are much too old to have a puppy. A lesson learned. I just started bawling and made my dad promise that he would not lie to me. I made him promise that if absolutely came down to it, that we would re-home Charger rather than telling me she ran away or got hit by a car. I probably would sue the pants off someone if I found out they lied to me. My dad said he would "never do anything like that." But the influence of an angry old Chinese woman, may override it all. I suppose police dogs are working dogs that come home at night, so maybe it will go the same way. I can only hope that Charger grows up quick and my dad stay strong. Once the pack leader goes down, we're all screwed.

Day 5: Creative solutions

I'm running out of creative solutions to help my family. Mom and puppy do not get along at all. My mom is old and set in her ways. I refuse to let myself believe this was a bad idea. I'm fairly certain though that my grades are going to tank from here til the end of the semester. I'm exhausted and have such a short amount of patience that it's effecting my work as well. But anything worth having, is worth fighting for.

I've thought of everything including bringing her to work and just leaving her at the Universal kennels.  Tomorrow, Johnny is going to be an awesome boyfriend and watching her for a bit while I'm at school. My dad takes her to work sometimes.

There are moments, where I just want to scream back at mom and tell her to "get over it." Her situation sucks, but pessimism an the pity party is over. Oh no, something just went bang pretty hard. I'll be back later.

"They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious" - Muse - Uprising

Day 4: Exhaustion

Dear loyal readers,

I am running out of energy. I'm still superwoman, just with a touch of exhaustion. I find myself sleeping everywhere I can. I sleep on the roof during my lunch, I sleep in the car if I'm early to class/work, I sleep at Johnny's house (which is my happy place) the sad part is that it's never enough. I do not know how my dad is doing it as he sleeps on the couch/floor with Charger then works all day.

Yesterday, mom had her first of 100000000 breakdowns and locked herself in the bedroom crying until I got home (luckily only 20 minutes later). She never was the supermom that you see today taking kids to soccer, while working on 20 different projects. So basically, I've stepped up as an adult and cater to her when I can. Unfortunately, I still work (and my dad does too) and I go to school - so she needs to make some concessions or get over it. My dad will take Charger to work with him in the afternoon so my mom can watch Judge Judy. If you're wondering; no, I have no idea how my brother and I survived childhood.

I've begun looking at puppy daycare places, but she needs to be a bit older before we can send her places.

My dad is superdad. He sleeps with Charger on the floor then when we wake up he sleeps a bit more. Then he goes to work, comes back home in the afternoon and picks her up to bring her home. Then watches her until I come home or vice versa. He also totally killed a giant roach for me at 12:45 AM. Super dad. 

Some more unexpected things: Charger hates walking. I'm going to try a new technique tomorrow. I'm pretty sure dogs are supposed to like walking rather than tearing up the house. It took her two hours to poop today, after my mom screamed at me at 6:50AM to take her out. She also freaked out on my neighbors dog, just barking and carrying on. I have no idea how to handle her when she does that. I'm reading a lot on the internet so we shall see what's going on. Bob may come over and help me train her, he did wonders with Chase.

Each day is a new opportunity - to find somewhere to sleep, to maybe study for my midterm, to learn a new skill at work.

The good thing and bad thing about puppyhood - is that it ends. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. I do want to thank my friends who have been so supportive. Telling me that I look exhausted, so I know it's not in my head and also providing valuable tips for helping me survive mentally and physically. I do not know what I would do without all of you.

Day 2: Ankle Biting

It seems all the sleeping Charger did yesterday energized her quite a bit into a normal puppy. She is definitely in the teething, mouthing phase. I almost had to go to work with her attached to my ankle. Luckily, I learned some tips from a friend to teach her the difference between play time and owie times. She bites pretty hard, I have some gnarly battle scars.

Today I also cleaned up my first pile of monster turd. I was told that it was going to be big, but was grossly under prepared. My years of Animal Care did nothing to prepare me for her pile. The smell made me gag twice. YUCK! I hear that it only gets worse too.

We took Charger to the Verizon store to be socialized. Day two in the car was less traumatic, but she learned she can bark and get attention from mom and dad instantaneously. She's very good with people and at this point is not fearful of noises and cars. Above is Charger and I on a bench. I was trying to see what she'd look like when her ears perk up.

Tomorrow will be the first day that my mom will be home alone with her all day. My mom is more like the NO person. My dad is the fun pack leader, while I'm her sister. Crazy Uncle Johnny is the fun one. That being said, my mom just follows her around and poorly corrects her behavior. Charger is still not fond of being locked up. My parents won't let me train her though. She wimpers and everyone starts running.

Things Charger has Trained my Parents to do:

1. Circle around sniffing = Go outside (My mom thinks every time she circles, she is going to pee. This has caused my mom to come in and out every 10 minutes.)
2. Crying, whimpering, carrying on = lots of petting and attention
3. Crate crying = Dad sleeping on the couch all night.

We definitely got to get on the right page with her. My poor ankles can't take much more.

p.s. In a funny twist, I bought my first pair of sneakers since 2004, so I can walk her easily. I wore heels for 30 minutes today to do something and epic fail. I now have three fancy blisters.

Charger origin

A lot of people have asked me where I got the name Charger from and here is the reason. On the left is Charger the original dog. I rediscovered him as we were cleaning out our garage in 2004. On that same day I had gotten accepted into Marymount Manhattan College. I wanted to call him Lucky, but my mom said that German Shepherds charge and so we named him Charger.

Fast forward seven years, and here Charger is now taking a nap with his counter part: Charger Lilypad Allen Marie (on right).  Charger is obviously named after Charger. Lilypad is for the irony factor when she gets trained as a guard dog. Allen is my dad's human best friend in real life. And Marie because it's a good last name.

Chargers already know their name. And really like to dance.  If you haven't seen the youtube video yet, definitely check her out:

Puppy: Day 1

Beyond all believable bounds my puppy Charger hates walking, refuses to enter her crate, loves to sleep, will only pee/poop outside, and is an ankle biter. I prepared for a lot of things and all of it was nothing I anticipated. The best thing about Charger is that she is potty trained. I thought yesterday may be a fluke, but it turns out that she will only pee and poop on grass. In addition, she hates concrete, so she'll only poop in our front yard. Amazing!

The bad thing was that she doesn't sleep in her crate. My dad slept on the couch all night with his hand on her. My dad said, "this is what I use to do with you and your brother when you were babies." My parents are taking a liking to Charger. My mom is surprisingly is doing well with her and actually was the one who figured out where she likes to poo the best.

Charger, the ankle biter, also had her first car ride today. We took her to the bank and to Petsmart. Charger did not like riding in the car, and tried to hide under the seat even though I had her on my lap. I also learned that she likes ice cubes. I don't think she's ever had anything like ice before. The bank people gave her some biscuits and petted her. Petsmart people were great too. I hope this counts as socialization. 

Charger has only freaked out when she sees a small white dog. Big white dogs are ok, but small white ones are incredibly scary. I don't blame her, they tend to bark...a lot. Cody (a dog friend) is suppose to visit today. Cody is a small white dog. We will see how it goes.

Night 1: It's a girl!

I feel like a new mom. After weeks of waiting and a week of being overdue. I welcome Charger Lilypad Allen Marie into the house. Now I was a work, school and driving (literally!) all day. I came home and my dad had picked up the puppy and brought her home.

I made a phone call during my class break. I remember my mom using the words "Bizerk" and "OMG" and "what are we going to do" several times. All of these statements are extremes for my mom. I imagined Charger pinned my parents into a corner and biting them or something. It was incredibly hard to focus on class after that. It usually takes me an hour to drive home, I made it back in less than 30 minutes. I even made an emergency tennis ball stop. Thank god Johnny has tennis balls readily available.

A few funny things I didn't expect. (Again, like a new mom). It turns out Charger is very food motivated. VERY food motivated. She pretty much potty trainer herself. I took her outside for about a half hour and she wouldn't pee unless she was on the grass. And the most challenging problem, which I never would have anticipated, is that she HATES her crate. Let's look at the psychology.

My dad went to pick her up. Tossed her into the crate and drove 2 hours with her. Where she was in a strange location greeted by a frantic Asian woman. They locked her in the crate while they ate dinner. I'd say, after all that I'd be traumatized too. I've read so many puppy books that all warn against this "fear period." I'm afraid the damage done today will be too much to overcome. I got some great tips from friends though and we're gonna work on it.

Charger has an obsession with hiding under our coffee table. Actually, that's where she is now, my dad is sleeping with her on the couch. Hopefully, my mom won't freak out. My dad also found her off button. Don't tell any robbers, but if you rub under her chin she passes out.

I hope this goes well. It's going to be a long few days, but I bet most memorable. Photo blog coming soon!

Puppy Cuteness

I've waited my whole life to get a puppy and it looks like it is finally happening. It's funny because it only took one attempted robbery in an upscale neighborhood to convince my parents that it's time to switch from fish to mammals.

Getting a puppy is like having a new baby. Everyone offers you advice, you get everyone's hand-me-downs, you read all the puppy books and yet nothing can actually prepare you for your arrival until it happens. I suspect there will be a few sleepless nights and lots of pee in unwanted spaces, but hopefully she will become a great new addition to our family.

Pictured here is Charger Lilypad Allen Marie or "Charger" for short. She is a female German Shepherd. Right now she's still with her mom growing up and stuff, but by next month we hope to bring her home.

I'm sure there will be many more fantastic stories to come!