Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.

Rottweilers.
Computers. Cameras.
World Domination.
Not necessarily in that order.

Unidentified Flying Objects: Axel and his frisbee video

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As promised a couple of weeks ago, here is the finished version of Axel’s soon-to-be-famous frisbee video, featuring guest appearances by Freya and Oliver!

I’m getting a little more comfortable with iMovie. I didn’t go out yesterday to buy the “Missing Manual” book, but I’m pretty sure I do want it. I know I’m not taking full advantage of the program and it seems like the fastest way to get up to speed would be to do some reading before and during experimenting. I’m still debating whether to get the printed version with one of my Amazon gift certificates, or order directly from O’Reilly to get the print + ebook combo package.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’10: 18 of 31)

National Pet Fire Safety Day

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Today is the third annual National Pet Fire Safety Day. I am embarrassed to admit that even though I am a firefighter’s wife and our dogs, cats, and bird are all important parts of our family, this is the first year I was aware of this observation.

According to data from the National Fire Prevention Association, almost 1,000 house fires annually are accidentally started by pets (I would certainly hope that beloved house pets aren’t starting fires on purpose rather than by accident). I’m a big believer in crates, kennels, and gates to help keep pets out of the kitchen and away from other possible danger sources when no one is home to monitor what they are doing, but I can totally understand how these accidents happen. We have been very lucky in that most of our pets have not been counter surfers. But among the many “Heidi stories” that we laugh at now, but were not quite as funny then, is the time she turned on the oven, then barked to alert us that something might be on fire. Fortunately, we were home at the time, nothing did catch on fire, and the oven was on for less than 15 minutes total.

In addition to the obvious tips about stove knobs, candles, and other open flames, one of the things mentioned in the article is something I would have never thought of in a million years: a glass water bowl on a wooden deck, magnifying the sun’s rays and possibly starting a fire.

Another important topic is planning for your pets’ safe escape or rescue in case of a house fire by having collars and leashes easily accessible to you or rescuers, and a window cling to show the number of pets in your home.

I was hoping to end this with a cute video of Freya or Axel demonstrating “stop, drop, and roll” for you all, but we’re still working on “roll.” Who knew they wouldn’t want to roll on cue?

(NaBloPoMo | July ’10: 15 of 31)

Oliver and the great outdoors

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Even though we live right near the edge of the city in a barely-urban residential neighborhood, there’s still enough traffic on our street that I’d never be comfortable with having any of our cats running completely loose outdoors. While Annie doesn’t appear to have any desire to either go outside or interact with the dogs, Oliver always seems very disappointed when the dogs go out in the yard without him. He’d watch them through the window, or if we accidentally left the kitchen door open, he’d stand up on his hind legs and try to watch them through the storm door.

At first, an enclosed cat playground seemed like a great idea, despite the stratospheric prices. I still think that, especially in the larger configurations, it would be a safe place for Oliver to have fun outside. Or at least, it would be fun until Axel decided to mark the playground and the kitty inside. High price is one thing I might be able to get past, but giving the dog the opportunity to pee on the captive cat? Deal breaker!

So it’s back to the cheaper and probably more logical plan of a harness and leash. Notice I didn’t say easier. An attempt to harness-train Oliver as a kitten didn’t go particularly well, even though I suspect we just gave up too quickly. For this attempt, I bought a Coastal Size Right harness in the largest size available (12″-18″) and a 6′ lead for a total of about $8.

This time, it didn’t go too badly. Oliver’s attempts to bite me were half-hearted and didn’t even draw blood. He did try to wriggle out of the harness at first, but he gave up much more quickly than I expected. Like most cats, he doesn’t really walk on leash. He mostly just sits or stands there and moves only when an approaching dog or dog toy requires him to do so.

He was a bit overwhelmed at first, but now that we’re a few days into it, he does seem to enjoy being out in the fresh air and sunshine with his Rottweiler siblings.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’10: 11 of 31)