Aug 12, 2012: Water Dog

Thurmon finally got to immerse himself in the joys of water:

- his first boat ride (he hung his head over the edge snapping at foam, stood tall looking out over the prow, and was so relaxed that he had a nap in the bottom)

- a proper swim, jumping off a pier into waves, swimming out as far as his extendable leash would let him, shaking off and rolling on the beach, then jumping back in to repeat, over and over...

Thanks Joe and Clarissa for hosting Thurmon's first cottage trip!

Reno Dog

Thurmon's enjoying the renovations fairly well. He's gotten used to being penned up in the "back 40" (the back 2/3 of the yard), safely out of range of open gates and doors that he could escape through - he really only barks while we're at home - the contractors tell us he spends the rest of the day hanging out in his cedar hedge forest. He seems unfazed by the changing topography of the interior of the house. And occasionally he gets a treat - like free gloves. Or a trip to pick out faucets.

June 2012: Krillin'

Thurmon has a new activity: krillin'.

We got a wading pool for him, hoping that it would help him to stay cool when it's hot outside. What it actually seems to do is wind him up.

He jumps in, and fixates on the ripples he's made. Then he tries to bite them, which generates more waves. When he can't stop them, he starts madly kicking water out of the pool with his back legs. Then he jumps out, tears around the yard at top speed for a few circuits, shakes himself off (sometimes adding in a good hide scratching against the tree trunk or roll in the grass), then hops back in and starts over.

We call it krillin', since his attempts to bite the waves remind us of a whale scooping and filtering huge mouthsful of water in order to feed.

We may have created a monster...

May 2012: Grubbin'

Thurmon has been helping Mark to dig the garden beds. Well, actually he's been jumping into the piles of freshly overturned sod and eating all the grubs. When he comes in the house with a dirty nose I know that he's been out grubbin' again!

May 2012: Warty

Thurmon's a handsome dog - except for his puppy wart! At his recent check-up the vet said it's at maximum size, and should clear up soon on its own. Can't happen too soon...

Addendum: within a few weeks, the wart started to dry up. Over the course of a few days it came off spontaneously in little pieces, and now you'd never know it was there.

Thurmon's Many Nicknames (An Ongoing List)

Furmon (the default pronunciation by young children, which must seem logical to them, as he's covered in fur)
Thurms
Thurmeister
Thurmunchkin
Thurmon McMerman
Pup-pup McPupster
Pup-pupperoni
Angel Pup (but only when he's being good)
Dog McDog
Mister Dog
Dog-a-log
Leashius Tightus Puller (credit to Mark for that Rome-inspired name!)
Pupalupagus (referencing the Snuffleupagus, because Thurmon likes snuffling between the couch cushions)
Snufflepup (a variation on Pupalupagus)
Mr. Waggles (in reference to the way his tightly curled tail bobs around in the air when he wags it in happiness)
Thermos (our neighbour Sandy's trick for remembering his name)
Sherman (courtesy of Thurmon's new best friend, Sara)
Herman (yet another mis-heard interpretation of his name)
Schmuppy
Schmupster
Sir Schmupsalot
Schmupples
The Schmupmeister 2000
Bob (Barker. Bob Barker)
Schmuppet
Muppet
Puppet
Schmooples
Schmupple Beast
Thurmy (that one is strictly Elsa's)
Schmuppy Bu
Schmupple Bu
Schmuppley Bu
Bu Pup
Little Bu
Theramin (another mis-hearing of his name)
Truman
Schmuhund
Schmu
The Thurmonator (Doug's nickname)
Schmuhunden
Schmudog
Schmudonegan

What Kind of Animal is Thurmon?

Here are some of the many theories we hear about what kind of dog Thurmon is:

- a small Akita
- a large Shiba Inu
- a Husky mix
- a Shepherd mix
- a Great Dane (just kidding - that was Mark's idea of a funny joke)
- a mini-wolf (only one small girl has pegged him for that)
- a fox (not sure if this was entirely complimentary)
- a cat (due to his prominent whiskers)
- a baby seal (this one is my theory - he has the same black markings on light fur)
- a polar bear (probably due to a similar theory as above)
- an Alaskan Malamute mix
- a Samoyed relative
- a Golden Retriever mix
- a shark (just look at that open jaw filled with teeth)
- the friendliest Spitz ever (that's the consensus at the vet)
- a Corgi mix (I can see it a bit in the forehead)
- a ferret (so now we think we should make him a t-shirt that says "My mama was a husky and my daddy was a ferret")

Only rarely has he been recognized as a Norwegian buhund. Although occasionally when we explain what breed he is, people have heard of it, and are excited to finally see one. We should start keeping track of what kind of dog he is most often!

Apr 10, 2012: Evander

Today Thurmon had his first dog park dust-up - a mean little dog bit down on his ear and scraped off a good bit of fur and skin. It happened so quickly I was completely unaware, until he trotted over, eager to play with his friend Walter, with blood dripping from his ear.

It's nice that he doesn't seem distressed or traumatized, and we hope that it will heal up without a scar.

Doug suggested that his office nickname could be Evander Holyfield (Mike Tyson's unfortunate victim).

Addendum: it did indeed heal perfectly - it took a couple of months, but the fur filled back in.

 

March 2012: TTC Rider

Thurmon has become an accomplished TTC rider. He's a pro with the subway trains by now (eagerly rounds the turnstiles, waits for sliding doors to open, lies down patiently during the trip), and he's now a regular on the Spadina streetcar when we go to work.

His streetcar manners aren't quite as refined - he has a tendency to pop out from under the seat where I've tucked him in - he wants to be in the middle of the aisle where there are more opportunities to meet friendly people. But he's working out the routine.

Mar 24, 2012: Busy Buhund

Thurmon has been a very busy buhund. He came to work on Friday, staying until the end of the afternoon. Then, since the TTC was still off limits during rush hour, we walked across town to the university campus, where we met up with Mark and ate burritos in the park.

Then we headed home - or close to home. Because we needed to stay out of the house for 24 hours after our new insulation was sprayed on the walls, we were staying overnight with our neighbours Michelle and Zvi (Zvi, not Svi - whoops!) (and with Thurmon's best friend, Hamish). Thurmon found it confusing but marvellous that we went directly to Hamish's house - and then didn't go home! We suspect he didn't sleep a wink all night, just sat in his pen, wondering when they'd have a chance to play.

In the morning we took the dogs for a nice long walk, and then Thurmon and Hamish wrestled and chewed bones for a couple of hours. Hamish was very accommodating, lettting Thurmon lie on his bed and chew his biggest bone, with hardly a complaint. Thurmon finally conked out, practically falling asleep in Hamish's arms. A few hours later we finally got to go home, and then Thurmon really conked out, with a nap of several hours.

Mar 14, 2012: All Dressed Up...

Thurmon gets a bowtie (thanks to Elsa for the fancy duds, and Katrina for the photo) in preparation for a visit from the Governor General to our workplace. Although he didn't get to greet the GG himself, he did charm a couple of other members of his retinue.

Walter liked Thurmon in formal wear - the tie was a prime biting target. After wearing it for an hour I took Thurmon outside for a brief break, and he kept rubbing his neck against the stairwell wall - time to take it off.

Mar 01, 2012: Thurmon Strikes Again

This used to be our flannel sheet...

Thurmon Definitions

Thurmonize: (verb) to cover in fur. Example - Honey, you look great - I guess your new sweater hasn't been Thurmonized yet, has it?

Schmuppify: (verb) to awaken by licking. Example - Honey, aren't you getting out of bed yet? Have you not been sufficiently schmuppified?

Decollarification: (verb) to have one's collar removed. Example - Thurmon, your fur is wet; would you like to undergo decollarification?

Dog (Thurmon's wide-ranging definition): (noun) a small to mid-sized item, low to the ground, adjacent to a person. Example - Thurmon, that is not a dog - it's a suitcase/shopping cart/gym bag/child.

Unfurlation: (verb) to be released from a tight spiral conformation. Example - Thurmon, you must be tired - your tail is undergoing unfurlation!

Feb 27, 2012: Thurmon Firsts

First (and last) time licking an electrical outlet: high-pitched yip of pain. But no harm done. Probably never would have tried had he not just pulled off the piece of painter's tape covering, and gone back to explore more.

First time seeing horses: did you have to bark so loudly at the two mounted police? The horses were totally unfazed. The police did not press charges.

Feb 25, 2012: Thurmon Gets Styled

We tried out some new 'dos for Thurmon recently.

Here he is with standard perky ears:

But check out what he looks like styled as a Golden Retriever:

Or even better, a bald alien!

Feb 22, 2012: Escape Artist

This morning Thurmon and Hamish jumped a low spot in Hamish's fence, making their escape through the neighbour's back yard to the park. Luckily Miriam, a local resident and friend to the dogs (she greets them every morning at the back fence on her walk through the park) caught them and brought them back. Thank goodness for good friends.

Then Hamish proceeded to jump the fence again, giving us a good idea of how they did it - he scrambled up a sagging spot in the chain link, rather awkwardly but quite quickly. I think it was the squirrels that induced them to make their escape today - they're out in full force, enjoying the unusually warm and sunny weather.

We've speculated what Hamish or Thurmon would do if they escaped, and took comfort in the fact that they probably wouldn't go far, since they'd likely head for the other's house to find their friend. But I'd never considered what they would do if the two of them escaped together! (Addendum: We had more time to talk to Miriam the next day. Turns out they only went next door to eat the cat food.)

Below: the dogs play in our back yard instead. The cedar hedge at the back provided lots of fun for rapid looping chases with sudden changes of direction - enough so that the dogs ended up exhausted on the lawn, panting. So nice to see them so tired!

Addendum, Feb 28: Playing at our house isn't foolproof either. Today Hamish went over the back chain link fence (the lowest portion of fence, although in decent condition) to the neighbour's back yard. Thurmon was too short to follow, so instead he barked madly, which seemed to prevent Hamish from wandering off any farther on the other side, so we got him back just fine. They'll be reduced to walks together until we can get a new fence scenario worked out. Oh Hamish, you're ruining a good thing for yourself (and Thurmon!).

Feb 19, 2012: Thurmon Has a Bath

Thurmon came home today from the dog park wearing a pair of muddy pants.

So he finally had his first bath.

Feb 09, 2012: Thurmon Goes to Work

Tonight Thurmon had the best night ever - working late!

Since Mark was out of town, and I had a tight deadline, I popped home at the end of the day to pick Thurmon up and bring him back to the office with me.

It was just us, three other co-workers, and one other dog (Lucy). So for the first time I let Thurmon off his leash to run at free will about the office. Which only goes to prove that he is not ready for that during the day - he treated it like a free-for-all at the dog park, chasing and wrestling with Lucy non-stop for the next three hours, until I finally leashed him up to give them a break.

I think Thurmon would like me to take him to work every evening - so much more fun than sitting around the house relaxing!

Below - two blond streaks barely seen racing down the hallway; two blond dogs begging for food.

Feb 05, 2012 - Puppy Party!

Today Thurmon had his very first puppy party. Two miniature schnauzers, Holly and Milo, came for brunch (oh, and their owners, Joe and Clarissa, not to mention their beautiful baby girl Jenna).

Thurmon used his best agility skills to lead Holly and Milo on a chase, repeatedly dodging through the cedar bushes at the back of the yard to make his escape. When they were inside Joe was covered in dogs half the time, as they all piled on to the couch. And Thurmon did his best to make off with Jenna's oh-so-enticing knitted blankets and booties. Good thing Jenna's used to dogs already, because she also got more than one lick across the face from Thurmon - she took it like a trouper, totally unfazed by the love and attention. In fact, she was so relaxed amidst the chaos that she fell into a deep sleep while still sitting on her mother's lap. How blissful.

Feb 03, 2011: Howling at the... Firetruck

On tonight's walk Thurmon stopped to listen to a firetruck. He tilted his head repeatedly, showing great interest in its siren. And then, as it got close, he lifted up his head and howled!

We were completely surprised - we've never heard him howl before. Something about it brought his primal wolf instincts.

Mark kept howling at him the rest of the walk, but couldn't manage to provoke him. Too bad he can't imitate the sound of a siren.

Jan 22, 2012: Snow - Yes! Salt - No!

Thurmon is loving his first winter - every time snow falls it's like a miracle - he can't wait to lure us out to play in the amazing, fluffy, cold substance that's edible. He's making us love snowstorms and cold days. A couple of weeks ago we had a storm on a Friday evening, and as soon as I got home from work we bundled up and headed down to the dog park. Why did I think all the other dog owners would be there too? After a forlorn round around by himself, another puppy finally showed up, and Thurmon got to frolic in the snow with a friend.

The only downfall to snow in the city is the salted sidewalks - too much of that and Thurmon starts limping. We've got a pretty good route now that avoids most of the heavily cleared sidewalks, and sticks to areas that stay safe and snowy. We tried putting booties on him - you can see in the photo below how well that worked!

 

January 07, 2012: Buhund Sighting!

Today we went to the dog park by the Wychwood barns for the first time. It was a mad house in there - dozens of dogs in a fairly small fenced area. It was hard to keep track of Thurmon when I let him off leash - he was dashing about, being chased by several dogs. It was even harder to keep track of him because there was another buhund there!

At first I just thought I'd caught a glimpse of Thurmon where I didn't expect him to be, but then I noticed he was wearing a black kerchief of sorts around his neck - and we hadn't dressed him in that. Turns out it was another buhund! Mark got to talk to the owner while I was inside at the market - he is another Kyon buhund, from a few litters back, so they're related in some way. Mark said that Thurmon was interested in him, but there were so many dogs to play with that it wasn't clear if he recognized him as one of his kind. Hopefully next time we run into him I'll have my camera with me.