I am so relaxed

Lapping up the sun....

A good start

Guy has gained 4 pounds! we are really happy with the new GO! dog food. He loves the food, and he licks the bowl clean, something he never did even when he was eating raw. He is by far the pickiest eater I have ever known. He doesn't like Raw meat, and he seems to get downright bored with food after a short time. I just hope that with the switch to kibble ( which we didn't want to do) Guy will continue to put on the next 25-30 lbs with ease.

GO! is a grain free based dog kibble( a lot of itchy scratchy dogs are allergic to wheat based foods like Pedigree, alpo, and other store brand names) made from "human" grade foods. The pet food industry is changing, finally. There is going to be a switch in the way pet food is processed. I just hope it comes sooner than later, a lot of animals are being fed an inadequate diet, full of toxins.

There is a huge controversy surrounding the pet food industry lately. It has to do about our euthanized pets, and shelter animals being sold to " Rendering plants". Rendering plants basically smush up the carcasses of roadkill, including rats, skunks, wolves, birds, deer, sick, diseased and euthanized animals( still containing flea collars and the euthanasia drugs in the animal). They are pretty much then made into animal feed and pet food. So, if your dog or cat ain't lookin as good as he could, yes, he is what he eats.

so what can you do? You can change to a food that does not include "rendered" parts. Which means, no "meal" you know like" chicken meal" etc..has to have real meat, human grade meat that you and I can eat.

NOW! and GO! are two very good foods, the NOW! is also grain free.Orijen is also another good food, but it's fishy smelling, and Guy doesn't like fish. there are way too many to list, so if your thinking you owe it to your best friend to feed him properly, then go on line and check out all the great alternatives.

I think the Go! is about 65$ a big bag, but, Guy only eats 3 1/4 cups a day. It's super concentrated. We are switching the derf onto the NOW! seniors diet. Hippa needs to drop a few. We are walking Mill lake( a lake in the middle of our town, huge park just beautiful) most evenings now, she protests a bit at first but when we get out of the van, she's couldn't be happier.

Last night we started to panic because we thought that the park man would lock the entrance gates to the parking lot and we would be stranded for the night. We only realized that the park is only open dawn to dusk. We were gratefully happy when the gate was still open.

new pics to come soon.

Spring in bloom

spring has sprung. Flowers are blooming everywhere, it's beautiful.

I just thought I would share. I took these pics a few days ago in Mission. They were full of bees, so I didnt get any closer. :)

hello new readers

When I started blogging, I blogged for me. In fact, I had no idea that other people were able to read the blog. I blogged about our move to the NWT, There wasn't much to do there, so blogging time was anytime. I devoted myself to it and developed a good reader base. Then we moved to BC and I started a blog on our new life here, I wasn't into it, my heart wasn't.

BUT the good news people is that I love writing about Guy. I am really happy that your here and your interested in reading about this fantastic special dog.

I am also starting a new blog. This blog is about starting over. From scratch, jobless, in a new location. This blog will look at how to start your life again, tips on how to furnish a home for free, how to save money, and ways to save huge. Since I left Quebec in 2006, when I sold everything and started over in Regina with my new husband Rod and our 3 kids, I learned very quickly that being thrifty is the only way to go. I think it will be a fun blog, and hopefully my own girls will enjoy reading it and take it to heart.

keep an eye out for it ,coming soon!

thanks for dropping by..
xo

bumble lips

such bumble lips....

the perfect Guy ride

what a ride! now Guy has enough room to be comfy. We are still trying to figure out a harness system for him so he doesnt fly around inside the van. He loves the van. Murph uses guy as a pillow, and he loves it. They are starting to bond, it's so cute.

The perfect heel

WOW...Guy performed the perfect off leash heel today. Rod had him on the road, and walked him down the street, turned and walked him back. At the end he sat perfectly beside rod, looking at rod for approval, with such attention. It was a beautiful moment. We have worked very hard towards this moment. Pics to follow, as usual, I didn't have my camera with me. As part of Guys regular training, we will now be doing this on a regular basis. We live on a quiet street, no through traffic so it makes it ideal, there are still enough distractions to help him learn to ignore sounds etc..and when a car does come, we are going to teach him to jump back, and go to the sidewalk. If we do this enough, it will be natural for him to jump away from cars. It's so nice to train a dog who is so willing to learn. Rod is so proud of himself. He should be, he is doing a good job.

unlike any dog I have ever known

Mastiff's are funny creatures. Even though they are of the canine persuasion, the mastiff is unlike any dog I have ever known.
First, the sheer size of the beast is wonder like. Living with Guy day after day, does dull our perception of how big he really is. We tend to notice it more when we try to cram him into small spaces. He, for the most part, is always willing and ready. He will very happily cram himself into the tiny back seat of a car if it means going for a car ride.
Sometimes he will crawl on top of Rod while he's sitting on the couch. I can tell he doesn't feel comfy up there. He watches murph sit on the couch with us, and wants to as well. Poor bugger.

There are three very good reasons why we don't let him.( unless invited)

The first reason is that of a dominance issue. If we ever let Guy get the upper hand, even once, he will take over in an instant. He is a dog who needs direction and a clear leader(s).
Having a dog lower than you, physically lower, is always best. If he was to lay on rod or on the couch without being invited first, and told when to get off, he might think that Rod now "belongs " to him, and so does the couch. We just avoid it all, and Guy has his own big comfy bed on the floor.
The second reason is....a Guy has drizzle from his wizzle. I have always preferred females for this very reason. I am hoping after he is fixed that will go away. So, best he stay on the floor.

The third reason is injury prevention. for such a large dog to jump on and off furniture could be a disaster.Skipped discs and pinched nerves could lead to paralysis.

I am realizing for the first time what deep profound minds they have. If we ask Guy a question, you can see through his eyes that he is thinking about it...almost person like.

Mastiff's don't scare easily. They are not a jumpy, nervy dogs. He is not afraid of the vacuum, or the broom, hose, car noises.He is afraid of fast cars, and getting soaked from passing cars splashing him. Seems to happen to him a lot.Rod too.
He doesn't bark when someone comes over, he has on occasion barked at the door if we were not home, and a stranger was knocking. but other than that, he doesn't bark.

Guarding is what they do. They have a need to keep a watchful eye on us, which he does very well. He is so confident, but he does look to us for direction when someone comes in the backyard or before being petted by a stranger. He is always calm. He is playful and silly too, burning donuts in the backyard, and playing the bucking bronco.
Mastiffs do not do well if left alone a lot of the time. Its like telling a border Collie not to work the sheep.
because we live in a basement suite, there are no windows he can look out at his level. My bedroom faces the front door. Mr. has taken to jumping on our bed ( which is right under the window) and looking out the window. He only does it when we are not home. well, most of the time. He is clearly torn between wanting to guard the house and wanting to obey us and not jump on the bed, but instinct is sometimes stronger.

It feels nice to have that protection.

so lets go back to the barking for a sec, Guy doesn't sound like any dog I have ever heard. He has a couple of distinct barks. a very loud deep bark with a growl, that is a warning bark, a high pitched squealy kind of bark if he is frustrated with something, and a crying bark if hurt.
It's his groaning and moaning that is not dog like at all. The sounds that come out of him are prehistoric. comparable to what we think Dino's sound like anyway. It brings a smile to my face every time. I am going to do a recording one day and post it on here, it's too funny not to share.

well, as I write, guy is not feeling well, and I can hear his stomach flip flopping around. When a Guy is sick, it's not like when other dogs are sick. He is so big that if he threw up on the floor, it would be comparable to a human doing it, ewe..
better give him a pepto bismol...

As I get to know Guy, he amazes me everyday with his ability to communicate with us. He really IS unlike any dog I have ever known.

Fatty and skinny went for a walk.....

Murph, our little hippo potta piggy...Guy has gained quite a few pounds since this picture.

Mummy's Guyford

So, living with a Guy is going well. He is pretty much adjusted, and has joined in the routine of everyday life here on the funny farm.

His temperment seem to be mellowing out. I am beginning to trust him. Trust is a big issue with me. A huge dog that weighs more than Jade could easily get the upper hand.

I thought it best to be on guard with him, better to be safe than sorry. He is proving to be a real sweetheart, bonified sweety. I am really happy about that.

He has tolerated murph's nasty moods, and for that I am very proud of him. Although, today she went after him because she thought he was going towards her bone, and I think she bit him on the cheek, and he snapped at her. I yelled" hey!" really loud, and by the time I got to them, Guy was cowering on the floor, shaking, like I was going to beat him or something....It broke my heart. I think he was a beaten dog, or a roughly treated one, not much love happenin' at the junk yard I guess...thats all over now. Poor bubby...I will be more aware now.Never the less, he could have taken murphs head off with one swoop, so we still have to make sure he understands his limits.

We have realized that our little car is not going to work out well for our family as Guy takes the entire seat to himself, he will move over for Murph though which is being a good boy. Jade or janet on the other hand, get the pleasure of being sat on....LOL Time to get a truck, van or SUV.

We are going to look at a nice van tomorrow morning. We are really excited because that will mean we can go anywhere we want and have everyone together. We also drive the girls around alot so , a minivan is perfect. Guy loves the car, and he is so good in the car. Big Oaf...

Guy is finally recovered from whatever it was that he had, which is nice. He is gaining weight andis full of life. He plays like a puppy, I will eventually put up some video...he plays like a horse, and sounds like a dinosaur. Really funny.

updates

He loves derf......

I really didnt think anyone was reading this blog. Hi Dad if your reading this!

well, I guess we are in need of a blog update. Guy is doing well, he did have a bit of a set back.

We noticed that Guy had stopped eating. He also had the worst diarrhea. He has now lost all the weight we put on him. He is now weighing in at 126 lbs, should be 150-175lbs. The vet says he thinks he has parvo, we are not sure, but in case we have him on meds. He is much better and his appetite is back now, so we are trying to pack on the pounds.

Guy is doing well with his training, and LOVES the car. He takes up the entire back seat, and loves to stick his big head out the window, look out people behind us, slobber can travel! really funny to see, lips flapping in the wind....LOL