No Heat and No Costume

Over the weekend, poor Cabana was confined to our house and backyard, just in case she was in silent heat. She performed her share of labby loops through our living room, but we all survived. Thanks in part to the fortunately timed arrival of the new GoughNuts stick!


We already had the GoughNut donut, but the stick is their new rollout, and on the Guide Dogs' approved toy list! These toys have a lifetime guarantee. If the green wears out and you can see red, you send it back to them, and they give you a brand new one.


Yes, it definitely has the look of the obscene, but it's rather ingenious. Your dog can play with the pieces individually, or you can create a "puzzle" that the dog can try to separate. Cabana enjoys being able to demolish her toys, so the puzzle gives her the satisfaction of feeling like she ripped them apart.

Shocking to realize this contraption is $50!! ($25 for the donut, $25 for the stick, plus or minus a few cents.) Still, the lifetime guarantee helps make it worthwhile. It's better than spending $10 on a toy that doesn't last til nightfall.

Onto other news, no, Cabana is NOT in silent heat. We saw the vet at Guide Dogs today, who was very nice and complimented Cabana on her lack of fearfulness. She was her usual outgoing self, trying her darndest to meet every dog in the kennels and vet clinic. The doctor said Cabana was definitely showing some signs of going into season and that it could happen anytime now, maybe even the minute we got home. But for the moment, nope.

Well, I suppose it's my fault, though, because I never made Cabana a Halloween costume. If I had, she would have gone into heat by now, but since I didn't, she'll have nothing to wear to our puppy group Halloween party tomorrow night. Maybe her fairy godpooch needs to show up and whip up an outfit for our little Cinder-Cabana. If no celestial beings visit us this evening, I'm going to have to get busy tomorrow! But a Cinderella dress isn't what I'm envisioning. Suffice it to say, if I can make what I'm thinking, it will be the perfect costume for this wild little girl!

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House Arrest

This handsome fellow is Bucky. He belongs to my friend Suzi. I took exactly 3 pictures of these dogs together. And look, it's like the dogs are mimicking each other. Isn't it uncanny?!



Cabana has played with Bucky before, but Bucky isn't much of a dog's dog. He's sweet and friendly, but he's a people dog. On past play dates, he would growl at Cabana and refuse to romp with her, no matter how much she tried to incite him.



This time, though, Bucky did not growl. He still found Cabana a bit too high maintenance (I can relate--haha), but he was much more tolerant. Cabana kept playing a game with him that he didn't seem to mind. She'd dart under his body over and over, sliding under his belly and legs, almost sending Bucky toppling over.

On a related note, I took Cabana to work with me last week, where the tiny male Boston Terrier, Leo, was EXTREMELY amorous toward her. I mean, he was like a moth to a flame, the whole time we were there.

Both Bucky and Leo are neutered, so there's no worry about anything happening. However, I mentioned these incidents to my puppy group leader, and in consulting with Celeste, there is a slight possibility that Cabana is having a "silent heat" (being in season but with no bloody show). Cabana's behavior toward Bucky could be a mating ritual, and Leo was WAY more affectionate than ever before.

So, Cabana is on house arrest until we can get an appointment with the Guide Dogs' veterinarian. I called them today and left a message, but I didn't hear back yet. Hopefully, we can go in on Monday, because I don't know how Cabana's going to fare with being cooped up for too many days. She's used to going for walks every day without fail. I think there have only been about 2-3 walk-less days since we got her 10+ months ago. From the start, even if it was just up and down our driveway as a baby pup, we knew it was important to give Cabana an outlet for her energy. We'll need to get creative this weekend!!

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