Owning Big Dogs

Well, I've had Odin for a little over two weeks now. What have I learned from this gentle giant?

• If the food can be reached, it will be reached. Odin is an equal-opportunity-eater (EOE), and makes no discrimination as to animal, vegetable, mineral, human food, nonhuman food, or even nonfood.
• The larger dog's, er....leavings...are proportionate to their size. Many, many paper towels may be required if there is an accident.
• There will always be some drool and slobber. It will find its way to your hands, clothes, furniture, and monitors. The sooner you accept this reality, the better
• Danes in particular like to follow their pack around. Literally one step behind you.
• Danes are all legs. These present a new and immediately exciting opportunity for testing your balance should you accidentally trip.
• Any snacks you might feel particularly inclined to eat later on should be placed as far back on the counter as you can. Better yet, stick them in the cabinets.
• Leaving food on the stove to serve yourself from can be dangerous to the dog if it's still hot and he just has to try it.
• They love you no matter what. Even if you lose your temper and yell at them, their perfect contrition comes through and melts your heart.
• They likely will sleep in your bed, whether you like it or not.
• Everything is bigger, and therefore more expensive: medicines must be delivered at heavier doses (bodyweight ratio), kennels or crates are major pieces of furniture running to the many hundreds of dollars, collars and leashes need to be stronger and bigger, and they eat alot of food.
• Puppies must be trained from the very youngest of an age to be obedient in all things, and you must be very assertive. Ever see wee yappy little terriers? They only think they're a Great Dane's size. A Great Dane really IS that size and knows it, too!
• Adopting an older dog may be better than a puppy. Older dogs generally have a better sense for housebreaking and understand what NO means.
• You have to make yourself aware of illnesses and conditions that giant breeds are prone to, and even more so for senior citizen canines. Bloat (gastric torsion) can occur quickly and kill them very, very fast. Knowing first aid for this may be crucial.
• Unless you're standing them to stud or breed, have your dog fixed. If you are standing them to stud or breed, be responsible and have registration papers. There's many types of diseases that can be passed on genetically.
• Don't believe everything you read on the Internet about dogs, especially when someone speaking from their own experience says, for instance, you must elevate food bowls. Personally, I do. There are others who do not, and they have their reasons. I won't cast any sort of judgment or aspersions at them, because they are doing what they feel best.

More might come later as this dog keeps teaching me stuff.

Dog Days

I'm off work this week (thanks be to God!) and so I have more time, of course, to spend with Odin and Suki.

I received a very nice package of goodies yesterday, from back home, for Christmas. Brownies, cookies, peanut brittle, banana bread, etc. All good homemade stuff A little taste of home.

And a little taste was all I got. I ate one cookie, and set the rest of the bags aside for later consumption. Well, I didn't set them aside far enough. While I was at KFC, gone for less than 15 minutes, Odin had methodically pulled down, shredded, and ate the contents of everything but the banana bread.

Daddy was not happy. I called Odin down off the couch and began to scold him for the mess. The poor dog peed in fright before I got a good head of steam built up. Real dignified, that. I immediately took him outside and consoled him for a bit. I would have never hit him, of course, I do have a pretty deep voice and he knew what he did was wrong, so I probably did put the fear of God into him. I let him go to the bedroom to think about it for a little while while I ran the sweeper and cleaned up the mess.

At least I still have the banana bread and the hot chocolate. Oh, and the party mix and mulling spices. Needless to say, he did not get any of my chicken and biscuits. I've been watching him for awhile now to make sure he's not had a poison reaction to the chocolate; he seems to be okay. I have also altered my food placement policies accordingly; this dog's reach is incredible.

And, we finally met the gigantic, loud, and messy St. Bernard that lives on the other side of the building. She's very friendly, very vocal, and I imagine a handful on the leash. Odin didn't care for the barking, but was content to be sniffed. His little dachsund pal a few doors down was watching from his window, green with envy.

Nativity Thoughts

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the ending of Advent and the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. The Church teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man from the very moment of His conception. How awesome it is to contemplate this! The very God who created all things humbled Himself and was born as a wee helpless baby in a stable in Bethlehem!

The situation in which Jesus was born is somewhat horrifying by today's Western standards of health care and compassion. A young woman, heavily pregnant, perhaps even then beginning to experience labor pains, travelling with Joseph from house to house, inn to inn, in the dark of the night, later having to give birth surrounded by farm animals, which, it must be said, do not have the most antiseptic of habits or smells. Perhaps even Joseph and Mary, even though they knew and heard the Scriptures that talked about the coming of a humble Messiah, experienced fears and worries. Is this really the One whom God has sent? Is this truly the Messiah, sent to redeem us of our sins?

The angels of heaven appeared to shepherds watching their flocks at night, saying Glory to God in the highest, and peace to all people of good will! The shepherds, directed by the angels, went to the stable in Bethlehem, and there adored the King of All. Humble people, simple people, who first gave worship and glory to God among us. Some days later, Magi from the East came, bringing costly gifts, for they too, stirred in some way by God's Spirit, knew they must adore Him.

King Herod, jealous of his power and authority, feared this wee baby so much, he ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of 2. These children had done nothing wrong; they were an inconvenience to Herod; things to be feared that would prevent him from living his life the way he wanted.

All through His life among us, our Lord Jesus was surrounded by the humble, by the poor, by the lowest of the low. The least loved of us was loved by Him who is Eternal Love. Later, on Calvary, He gave His life for us all, out of His great love and desire to do the will of His Father in Heaven. He remains with us still, through His Word, the Church, and most especially, in a mysterious way, the Holy Eucharist. He has come to us, and has not abandoned us.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee
Born this happy morning
Oh Jesus, to Thee be all glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!

Adeste Fideles!

O Come All Ye Faithful, English Translation
(yes, there are eight verses, but usually only the first two and last two are sung, and posted here.)

1. O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

2. God of God
Light of Light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten not created.
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

3. Sing! Choirs of Angels;
Sing in exaltation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God, in the highest
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

4. Yea, Lord, we greet thee!
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!

Bath Time!

Well, I had to try it once.

I manhandled, sorry, doghandled, Odin into the bathtub. A fun time was had by all.

He plunked his butt down, and refused to budge. I was forced to take out my hearing aids, strip and get in with him. After lathering, scrubbing, and repeating, I turned on the shower.

Then the water began to run a little cool, and I frantically rinsed him off before he could get too chilled.

Then the real fun started. One extra large towel was not enough. Nope, I should have done towels at the laundry first.

I got him as dry as I could, but I am painfully aware of the delicate odor of chien en l'eau.

Next month I am taking him to a professional. I can't take him out til he's good and dry, so I hope he can hold it.

And who could have thought such a shorthaired, thin furred dog could hold so much water?

Either way, he is NOT sleeping in my bed tonight.

The Sanctus

I referenced "the Sanctus" in an earlier post and thought I should have a slight explanation:

The Sanctus is the part of the Mass in which the congregation or choir sings, chants, or recites the hymn that the angels sang in Isaiah 6:3 as well as the words of Jesus in the gospel, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." It is sung/recited after the Preface of the Eucharistic Canon.

In Latin:

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth
Pleni sunt caeli et terra in gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.

In English:

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Hosts (the current English Mass translation says "God of power and might")
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Needless to say, there are numerous settings for both the Latin and English texts. Countless classical composers have rendered the Sanctus a very familiar piece in high school repertoires.

I am not even going to go into the alleged quality or alleged lack thereof of the musical settings for the English translation that is currently used in the Mass. Wars have started over less.

The food was good and I danced in church

Well, the office breakfast was, as usual, a smashing success. The cake went over well, which of course fills me with pride. The good kind, not the bless-me-Father-for-I-have-sinned kind.

Speaking of confession, I went to church tonight. This week the fathers added extra confession times in the evenings in preparation for Christmas. When I walked into the Cathedral, Mass was in progress, or, I should say, la misa en progreso, as it was in Spanish. I went, made my confession, and sat for part of the Mass.

It's very nice, sometimes, to sit in the back of the church and attend Mass in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish all that well, and it actually helped me to focus a bit more on the ritual actions and the meanings behind them. The only distracting thing was the (actually quite good) band that played drums, guitars, and tambourines during the musical parts (offertory, sanctus, memorial acclamation, the amen). The Sanctus (Santo en español) was a peppy little piece; I caught myself kinda bopping along "Osanna en el cielo..." before I remembered suddenly I was in church at Mass, and there is the Father standing at the altar watching this crazy Anglo dancing to the Sanctus. Needless to say, at the Peace, I made a genuflection and quietly departed.

Turns out that was a prudent choice, as it has begun raining, and the dog needs to go out.

Cookity Cookity Done!

Stop the presses!
Something unprecedented has happened!

A man, a bachelor, no less...has successfully produced...baked goods!

In one try!

Odin helped me bake the blueberries-and-peaches cinnamon swirl coffee cake His contribution consisted of watching every move I made and nudging me periodically to ensure I was on my toes throughout as I ever so care-ful-lee measured oil and water, cracked eggs, and beat the mixture into submission. I did let him lick the bowl for a moment after I stuck the pan in the oven. He liked it.

Hillbilly cooking tip number one: If the dog won't eat it, the neighbors sure as heck won't.

Odin the Dane cooking tip number one: Cooked? Heck, give it to me raw!

Suki, reigning from her perch on high up top the cabinets, observed the proceedings and gave the occasional disdainful yawn as she watched the servants attempt to make good smells in the kitchen for her. I reached up to pet her a few times, and she stood up and pretended to enjoy it, thinking, "Well, better give the meal ticket his money's worth."

Suki the kitty cooking tip number one: If it doesn't smell interesting, it isn' done right.

And after nigh-on to 45 minutes of baking, the toothpick came out clean.

And now for the test, in which I present the fruits of my hard labors and sweat of my brow to the ladies at the office. Ladies with decades of experience between them of cooking for potlucks, family dinners, and various events. Will my pride and joy meet with favor, or will I be relegated to sharing lots of leftovers with the dog and cat? We shall see.

Heavy Metal Slows Escape

There has been alot of this going on lately. Idiots have electrocuted themselves trying to strip copper coils from a/c's. One bright thief broke into a metal-recycling plant late at night and stole quite a bit of material...and the next day, brought it back to the same place to exchange for money.

Dumb.

Today's Lyrics

"Mae ehangder yn Ei dostur
fel ehangder mawr y môr,
mae tiriondeb at bechadur
yng nghyfiawnder Arglwydd Iôr.
Nid oes man lle teimlir galar
fel yn nefoedd Duw ei hun;
nid oes lle i fethiant daear
dderbyn barn mor deg ei llun."

"There's wideness in God's mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in God's justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in His blood."

Housetraining the Dog

Well, with an adult dog who's been previously housetrained, it's hit and miss when you move him to a new home. Lately it's been more miss than hit, as our schedule has been upset some.

However, there is good news, bless St. Francis, and that is that a friend of mine may have a crate big enough for Odin. Crate training is about the best thing around currently for housetraining dogs. It works on the principle that they won't soil their dens, where they sleep.

Now, if a dog has to go badly enough, where holding it is painful, then he will go. But more likely than not, he won't. I'm off work all next week, so if the crate thing works out, I can spend all that time doing three things: Working with Odin, cleaning my closets, and perhaps more importantly, getting back into the habit of praying the Liturgy of the Hours regularly.

Tomorrow is the office Christmas breakfast, so I have to cookity cookity cookity tonight. Cinnamon-swirl coffee cake with blueberries and peaches. Mmmmm. The others are bringing enough food that we could probably serve a homeless kitchen afterwards. Probably.

So I'm opening my mail today and what do I find but a jury summons.

Sigh.

Well, it's as a stand-by juror, and not a for-sure thing, but still. This should be interesting!

One Last Yabba-Dabba-Doo

The man who helped animate Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, and other beloved cartoons of my childhood has died.

I loved watching all those cartoons when I was a kid. I occasionally go to Cartoon Network on the weekends in the hopes of seeing Sylvester, Bugs, and all the others. Well, what do I get instead? Weird, wacked out Japanese anime style stuff. Sigh.

So here's to you Joe Barbera, you've entertained millions with delightful antics and characters.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him, and may he rest in peace.

Early in the Morning/My Song Shall Rise to Thee

*yawn*

4:30 A.M. and Odin is fully recovered from his anesthesia. He had to go to the vet yesterday to have his giant ears cleaned out and teeth cleaned. This had to be done while he was asleep. So I took him outside just a bit ago. It's quite cold, and he's very shorthaired, so I can't have him out too long. And did he go potty? Oh no. This dog either has a fantastically large bladder or he is just waiting til he can get back in to pee all over my carpet again and look terribly apologetic. Well, I've only had him a few days and getting into a proper schedule takes a bit.
Sigh...

The Danelaw

Well, here we go. No telling what I'll be getting into from here. There's millions of blogs out there covering every subject conceivable, and some not-quite-conceivable that leave you sitting there thinking, "What the hey?"

I'll try to keep the "WTF" factor to a minimum, but it's crazy out there and crazy in here, so no promises from your daneruled editor.

Danelaw –noun

1. the body of laws in force in the northeast of England where the Danes settled in the 9th century a.d.
2. the part of England under this law.

Might I submit a third, more modern definition of Danelaw?

3. a household with any number of Great Danes present.

I live alone right now, no roommates (and I like it like that!), and so for companionship, something to do, and something to blow money I don't have on, I got pets. And so, the members of the household:

Suki, the calico kitty. Primus inter pares of all cats (according to her, anyway) and She That All the World Obeys. If she so much as smells another cat on me, it's the cold shoulder all night. If she had her way, the 11th commandment would be: thou shalt have no other cats before me.

I've had her since 2004, adopted through a friend of mine. Declawed in front (barbaric, that is!), but more than makes up for it with teeth and back claws. I have discovered this on several occasions.

Her favorite game: stalk Daddy through the rooms at night, and pounce on his legs from behind.

Odin, the harlequin Great Dane. Rex, princeps, et imperator of all he surveys. He certainly looks the part. He loves everybody, great and small, and their little dogs too. He really wants to be friends with Suki, but she hasn't quite gotten over the idea that this big, smelly, heavy-breathing monster might swallow her whole.

I just got him, on the 14th, from the local Humane Society. Folks, if you love animals, support your local Humane Society. They definitely need it. Or volunteer with them, they can always use the help. For you folks in Wichita and Sedgwick County, that's http://www.kshumane.org

He's 8 years old, which is elderly for a Dane, and needed a good home and a bit of medical care, all of which has now been taken care of. He has completely taken over the couch, the bed, and my heart.

His favorite game: follow Daddy everywhere. Carefully observe his every action. Watch jealously as he uses those amazing opposable thumbs to work a fork from plate to mouth.

And then there's me: Josh, the Scots-Irish-French-Cherokee-Welsh-German-oh heck, American! I'm Catholic, 25, work in local government, and attend Mass usually at St. Mary's Cathedral. I work very, very hard (are you reading this, boss-lady at work?) to feed, water, and provide for the rulers of my little apartment, and when the fancy strikes me, to provide for meself as well. I have ADD, so blogging might be a little random. Say, is that a squirrel?

Well, this has been a very long intro. I'll probably comment on local news and happenings, events and things with the Catholic Church and my diocese, and whatever else strikes me.

Til next time from the Danelaw!