The Chronicles of Ozzie-to be continued...

General Info

Name: The Chronicles Of Ozzie-to Be Continued...

Created On: 05.01.07 12:00 pm

Last Modified: 12.31.69 6:00 pm

Description: 3/30/07-Hi Robin! Ozzie (or that #$%^& little ankle-biter) as he is known around our house, is doing well. He hasn't quite figured out that outdoors is better for certain things than indoors, but he knows the front door is the way out and likes to use it. He is definitely all-Terrier - loves to dig in the flower beds, eat dirt and chase worms (and cats, even though they are 4 times his size). We are all wearing shoes in the house now since bare feet are obviously just mobile dog food. One question - how much should an 8 week old pup eat? He's a very dainty eater - not picky, but strickly one piece at a time. He just doesn't seem to eat much. Still hasn't finished the bag you sent home with him. Tons of energy (and teeth) though! Love him to death, teeth and all.

4/16/07-Hi Robin. Just a note to let you know that Ozzie continues to thrive - he's gained almost two pounds in a very short time, done serious damage to one chair rung and a couple of feline egos, and made himself an indespensible part of the household. He is still chewing on anything that doesn't chew back, but may (repeat, may) be improving slightly in that department - at least he stops momentarily when someone yells at the top of their lungs to STOP!!!!! The house breaking is still going well - he's definitely a smart little so-in-so. The funniest part is his morning routine. When we open the kennel first thing in the morning, instead of charging out and looking for the nearest spot to relieve himself (as I would do), he often just yawns and rolls over, sometimes staying in there for another 5 or 10 minutes. Eventually, with enough encouragement, he will drag himself out, stretch several times, and waddle to the door. This morning, after a quick visit outside, he curled up in my lap as I had breakfast and went back to sleep. He's becoming a champion lap dog! Anyway, you can't have him back! Cheers! Dave.

4/25/07-Ozzie, aka "Devil Dog" or "Super Pooper" is still alive but another day like yesterday and, according to my soon-to-be-former spouse ("if he keeps this up"), he may end up stuffed and curled up on the hearth like those "puppies" you can buy in the pet store! I was safely at work, but supposedly not-so-little Oz barked continuously throughout the day, stopping only long enough to bite her whenever she got near him. He also threw his empty food and full water dishes all around the house, terrorized any cat that ventured down stairs, growled and snarled at shadows (including his own), and generally made her want to abandon both him and the house. He's nearly 7 pounds (up to 75% of his weight in one month) and, despite being a "total pain," is still loved or at least tolerated by all. The vet agrees that he should stopping biting eventually but that "it will get worse before it gets better, thanks to teething." (sigh) There's no doubt that he's a Terrier - digging into and under anything he can reach and pulling out grass in great clumps (his particular favorite). He also eats spiders, worms, (a favorite), and bees (but only once). Oh, and cat food - he LOVES cat food. In fact, he may be part cat! He can jump much higher than his size and short legs would indicate, and once on the couch or chair, he takes great delight in climbing as high as he can reach - and then jumping off! He sailed off the back patio (a drop of about 4 feet) by accident, and then ran around the end and jumped off again and again until I stopped him. My spouse thinks he's actually somewhat deranged and she may be right! His funniest trick is what we call the "low butt run" in which he - for no particular reason - tucks his tail between his legs and runs as fast as he can (which is very fast) around and around the house - over, under and through anything that gets in his way. He does this until he can't breath anymore or until he feels the need to bite someone, which ever comes first. The good news is that despite a host of other negative traits, he seems to have gotten the hang of house training - barking even louder than usual to go out and hasn't had an "accident" for two weeks. If he survives another month, he goes to the vet for the big "fix." I'll keep you posted (despite my many puppy teeth scars). :-) Dave.

4/26/07-Hi Robin! The Oz-monster, as my granddaughters call him, began his day by trying to eat a 10-inch nightcrawler he dug out of the front yard. It was so big I thought it was a baby snake! The dog just loves worms!
One of the most amazing things we've noticed so far is his ability to learn and repeat patterns. It took only once or twice for him to learn about standing to one side while a door swings open before trying to charge through. (I've had dogs that would repeatedly knock them selves senseless trying to get through the door.) One morning, I put him on my lap and brushed him while I watched the news. Once. Now it's his must-have, first thing routine every morning. Sometimes he curls up an goes to sleep after being brushed, and sometimes he tries to chew on me, the brush, my newspaper, and the edge of the kitchen table. Sigh.
Rambunctious is a huge understatement! He attacks his toys with wild abandon, often rolling head-over-heels. But there is one thing he hasn't learned - yet. He has grown so much that he no longer fits under some of the furniture but that doesn't occur to him as he runs at full speed and tries to duck under chairs, etc. The clunk makes my head hurt, but doesn't seem to phase him.
I have no problem with your using my photos on the website. I'm planning on shooting some more this weekend, if I can crank the camera up fast enough to keep up with him!
Cheers! Dave

05/02/07- Ozzie's world expanded this week. Up until now, he was confined to the kitchen/breakfast/hallway areas (all hardwood floors) using low gates and a couple of natural barriers to include a large wicker basket where we keep newspapers for recycling. On Monday, Kathy heard a tearing sound and discovered not-so-little Oz happily sitting in the basket tearing up and eating newspapers. Since he can get in it, he can also get over it and from there, have the run of the house. Since he seems to be housebroken (already!), she moved the barriers around and allowed him into the rest of the first floor of the house. That means he can chew on the philodendron by the fireplace, chase surprised cats, and sleep in the middle of the coffee table (photo to follow). He's definitely part cat - I never saw an animal with such short legs that can jump and climb like Oz! I caught him working his way over an expandable gate, so it's a good thing he's housebroken! Gotta run. Cheers! Dave

05/04/07-Good morning, Robin. As promised, attached are a couple of photos of the Oz-monster (emphasis on the monster part!). In the first shot, he looks cute and innocent. The larger photo includes the partially eaten philodendron on the hearth, and the photo album on the lower shelf of the coffee table (Ozzie's favorite nap location) that he chewed the corners off of. Not shown are the two large coffee table books (including my prized NASCAR book) and the large family Bible that he virtually destroyed. As my spouse says, it's a good thing he's cute! Cairn-acide has been mentioned! Cheers! Dave

05/07/07-Ozzie had a good weekend-meaning he didn't get into any particular trouble. He's learned to sit and beg on command, is working on shaking paws, but still ignores "come" unless it's his idea or there's a treat involved. He goes absolutely ape over "snausages" puppy treats. The very mention of "woofy" has him literally dancing around the room. Gotta run....

05/10/07-All heck broke loose yesterday in the Kingdom of Oz! You didn't tell me he was part mountain goat! Not so little Oz (all 8+ pounds of him) climbed over one of the 30-inch high gates we had at strategic places to keep him out of the second floor and away from the cats. Kathy discovered this when she heard the ruckus that followed when Oz surprised not one but two blissfully sleeping cats (both nearly twice his size) in their formerly safe haven. Now that he knows he can go over the gates, there are no limits (unless we catch him in the act). It's a good thing he's so cute!

June 19, 2007-Ozzie was unbelievably good throughout the trip. He is the most adaptable pup I've ever seen! He readily accepted 6 or 7 hours in the car, napping in his cage (his usual big wire cage from the house) 99% of the time. He woofed once every 3 or 4 hours to go out and then waited (more or less) patiently for us to find a rest stop. In the hotels, he was perfectly comfortable (and quiet). His only trauma occurred when he was introduced to my sister's two Shih Tzus and one shepherd-husky cross. They were fine, but Ozzie went absolutely bonkers, tearing around like he was possessed.

June 20-Today is his "big day" at the vet (although he probably won't think so). Hopefully, he will come home a bit less aggressive in his mindless pursuit of the felines in the house. The cyst on his neck that I mentioned before apparently was related to a vaccination because over the past few days, it has gone from marble to pea-size and seems to be disappearing. He will also get his nails clipped while he is out as that is the only way that's going to happen. The Oz-monster remains 100% house broken and continues to get lighter in color. He has the weirdest marking on his tail - kind of a white or light gray flash - just on his tail. He also has the longest ears anyone has ever seen on a Cairn, and he uses them in the most expressive ways you can imagine. My spouse probably wouldn't part with him, despite some of his antics. I say, "probably" because he does have his moments when I'm not around. Updated photos eventually. See ya. Dave


We think the jack rabbit look suits him just fine and hope they stay longer than normal. He uses them like signal flags, and you can instantly tell when he feels guilty about something!

Oz came through his big day with flying colors and once again proved what a unique little being he is. You wouldn't know anything had happened to him - in fact, our biggest problem last night was keeping him from tearing around the house like the demon he normally is! His biggest problem was not being allowed his new favorite pasttime - eating! He's turned into a magician capable of making a bowl of food disappear before you get the lid back on the container. The vet recommended limiting his food for the first day in case he had a reaction. You would think we were starving the poor puppy! What an actor!

That was his last trip to the vet until next year - clipped, chipped and shot. My depleted bank account will be relieved!

The latest other changes for Oz involve his bark and his bite. He's apparently traded in most of his baby teeth and now has a full set of new and very sharp chewing tools. Although he's not currently working on the furniture (that we know of), he continues to express personal affection by chewing on us at every opportunity (sigh!). He's also developed a new and much lower voice for serious business - like protecting the house or greeting cats. Unfortunately, he's also kept that glass-cutting puppy bark that hurts your ears.

Enough of Oz for today - gotta get some work done so I can continue to support his growing addiction to doggy toys. At last count, he has more than a dozen (but still steals the antique teddy bears off the stairs every chance he gets). See ya!

June 21-Robin - only one day later, Oz has apparently put the big "fix" behind him. He woke up this morning in full "monster" mode - wolfed down two bowls of food and then tore around like he was possessed! I'm at work so I escaped, but Kathy will have her hands full! While he was busy, I got the camera out. Here's a few including one of the famous tail, and a couple of Ozzie in his "retriever" mode. He must have some Labrador in him! Cheers! Dave

08/06/07- The Oz (aka, "Squeaky") strikes again! And, yes, he "ate" another piece of furniture, but that's not what this is about. Oz spends much of his time walking around with a squeaky toy hanging out of his mouth, munching (and squeaking). So there I was, having breakfast, when I heard the familiar squeak, squeak sound coming down the hallway. This time when he trotted past me, there was no toy in sight. Turns out, he had ripped one of his toys apart and was walking around with the squeaker tucked into his cheek - a walking, barking squeaky toy. Needless to say, I performed a quick squeakendectomy - after I caught him (which took several trips around the house and two doggie treats! He's getting very good at alluding capture when it suits him. He's also learned the joys of riding in the car and wants to go whenever anyone gets the keys out. He's fine and relatively calm as long as the car is moving - he gets agitated if you stop for more than a minute or two. Don't know what that's about. The other big event this week has been repeated exposure to the felines in the house. One just disappears when Oz shows up. The other, which is about equal in size and weight, decided enough was enough and went on the offensive. The result was Ozzie getting a very thorough (but clawless) beating right on the end of his nose. He's a little a more cautious about approaching that particular cat, at least for now. We plan to continue putting them together until he settles down and they accept that he's not going away. It may take a year or two!
Hope all is well with y'all. Dave

Update! Two more close encounters with the cat people and Oz is demonstrating a whole new form of restraint (not usually his strong suit). After doing his usual head-long bounce up to Dixie (the one that out-weighs him) and getting hissed and growled at, he actually laid down and put on his pitiful whimpering act (the one he uses when he really (really) wants something. He inched forward until they were about 4 inches apart before he couldn't stand it anymore and just had to bark - with predictable results. We'll try again today.

Update 2: Our granddaughters in O'Fallon., Mo., have a new Yorkie-Beagle (!!) puppy, so we took Oz to meet his new cousin (?) who, of course, is 1/10th his size. Oz wanted to play so bad but she was absolutely terrified. Of course, what can you expect from a Yorkie!

Cheers!